Song Dynasty: Yuan Dynasty, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm still alive.

Rewinding to August of the first year of Jingyan, the autumn wind on Ryukyu Island already carried a hint of coolness, and the vegetation on the mountains had shed its lush green of midsummer, turning a pale yellow hue of autumn.

Lu Xiufu had already built a residence specifically for the young emperor Zhao Shi.

Although this residence is not as grand and luxurious as the palace in Fuzhou, it is still elegant and well-organized. The rammed earth walls are several feet high, and the courtyard is planted with osmanthus trees transplanted from the mainland, which are now blooming with delicate yellow flowers and filling the air with fragrance.

The main house was covered with smooth wooden planks, and the inner walls were covered with fine paper to insulate it from the damp cold of the sea breeze. The tables, desks and beds were all carefully crafted and were much more comfortable than the wooden houses that accompanied the migrants.

Ryukyu is isolated overseas, surrounded by the vast ocean. Its unique terrain put Zhao Shi at ease.

Since his transmigration, the fear of being constantly pursued by the Yuan army has finally dissipated, and he can now indulge in pleasure in this mansion.

However, he was still too young to participate in adult entertainment activities such as horseback riding and hunting, which made him feel somewhat bored.

After much thought, Zhao Shi decided to play chess, and in his spare time he would summon the palace eunuchs to play against him for amusement.

Whenever he played chess, he would sit upright on a low couch, his brows slightly furrowed, pretending to be deep in thought. If he won, he would clap his hands and laugh loudly; if he lost, he would cheat and start a new game. His childish laughter often echoed through the hall.

Besides playing chess, Zhao Shi valued food and drink the most.

He specifically ordered the imperial chefs to prepare delicious meals every day, and each meal had to be different.

The imperial chefs dared not slack off, racking their brains every day to create a variety of dishes using local Ryukyu seafood, fruits and vegetables, and rice and noodles brought from the mainland, for Zhao Shi to enjoy.

As for court affairs, Zhao Shi completely disregarded them and entrusted them entirely to Wen Tianxiang.

Wen Tianxiang lived up to expectations, taking charge of the resettlement, land reclamation, and defense of 700,000 Song people on Ryukyu Island, bringing order to the island and enabling the people to gradually become self-sufficient.

He also had to remotely command the remaining Song army in Fujian to resist the Yuan army across the vast sea. His desk was piled high with documents, and he often stayed up all night.

Far away in Dongguan on the mainland, General Xiong Fei was originally ordered by Huang Shijie to garrison Chaozhou and Huizhou.

When he received the proclamation sent by Wen Tianxiang and learned that the imperial court had established a foothold in Ryukyu and intended to revive the dynasty, he was immediately filled with righteous indignation. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "The imperial court still exists! How can we sit idly by and watch our land fall into ruin!"

He immediately summoned his troops, announced his support for the imperial court, and led his army straight to Guangzhou to besiege the city occupied by the traitor Liang Xiongfei.

Liang Xiongfei was a coward who feared death, and his soldiers were mostly hastily assembled surrendered troops, who were no match for Xiongfei's army's fierce attack.

After holding out for several days, Liang Xiongfei realized that the city was indefensible and fled with his confidants overnight.

Xiong Fei led his army into the city successfully, and then pursued the victory, recapturing Shaozhou in one fell swoop.

At this time, Zeng Fenglong, the magistrate of Xinhui County, also led local militia to Guangzhou.

Upon hearing that the Song army had recaptured Guangzhou, Li Xingdao, a traitorous general of the Song court, hurriedly went out of the city to welcome them, intending to feign surrender.

Xiong Fei and Zeng Fenglong had already seen through his intentions. They exchanged a glance, and Zeng Fenglong stepped forward, shouting, "Traitor, don't run!"

The soldiers on either side immediately stepped forward and pinned Li Xingdao to the ground.

Xiong Fei drew his sword from his waist, and with a flash of cold light, he killed Li Xingdao on the spot as a warning to others.

The morale of the Song army soared, and the situation looked very promising.

In September, as autumn deepened, the Yuan army's offensive intensified.

The Yuan army commander, Yemishi, led a large army to join forces with the Yuan army from Jiangnan East Road in Fuzhou, greatly increasing their strength. Their advance was aimed directly at the remaining prefectures and counties of Fujian Road.

However, by this time, Fuzhou had already evacuated its inhabitants and transported all its grain and fodder into the city for storage, as planned by Chen Yizhong. When the Yuan army entered the city, they found the streets and alleys deserted and could not obtain any supplies. They could only temporarily garrison outside the city and their offensive slowed down.

The Song army is in a very favorable situation.

In October, as the cold winds began to blow, the main force of the Yuan army turned towards Nanxiong.

Upon hearing the news, Xiong Fei and Zeng Fenglong immediately led their troops to the rescue, engaging in a fierce battle with the Yuan army outside Nanxiong City.

On the battlefield, shouts of battle shook the heavens, and the clash of swords was deafening.

Zeng Fenglong took the lead, charging into the enemy ranks with a long spear, killing several Yuan soldiers in succession. However, he was eventually surrounded by the Yuan army because he was outnumbered.

He refused to surrender and fought bravely until he collapsed from exhaustion, sacrificing his life for his country.

When Xiong Fei saw Zeng Fenglong die in battle, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared as he led his troops in a charge, but ultimately he could not reverse the defeat.

Seeing that the battle situation was already unfavorable, in order to avoid the annihilation of the entire army, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and lead the remaining troops back to Shaozhou with great difficulty.

The Yuan army pressed their advantage and quickly surrounded Shaozhou City, making it completely impassable.

Seeing the overwhelming strength of the Yuan army, Liu Zili, the garrison commander of Shaozhou, was terrified and dared not resist. He secretly sent someone to contact the Yuan army and surrendered by opening the city gates.

Upon hearing the news, Xiong Fei was filled with grief and indignation. Standing atop the city wall, gazing at the densely packed Yuan army below, he shouted, "The men of the Great Song Dynasty would rather die than surrender!"

He then led the remaining troops into the city and engaged in a fierce street battle with the Yuan army.

Unfortunately, the two sides were outnumbered, and Song soldiers fell one by one. Xiong Fei was also wounded in many places and covered in blood.

Seeing that all was lost, he was unwilling to be captured and humiliated by the Yuan army. He resolutely turned around and jumped into the river in the city, sacrificing himself heroically for his country.

After Xiong Fei died for his country, Guangnan East Road completely fell.

However, his spirit of dying rather than surrendering and sacrificing himself for his country deeply shocked the Yuan soldiers, allowing them to witness the backbone of the Song army and inevitably inspiring a sense of awe in them.

Despite the fall of Guangnan East Road, the Song army in Fujian Road is still holding firm, and the situation has not yet completely deteriorated.

The Song army is in a very favorable situation.

In November, as winter approached, the Yuan army's offensive continued unabated.

Councilor Arahan and Dong Wenbing led a large army and marched straight towards Chuzhou in Liangzhe East Circuit.

Song general Li Jue, fearing for his life, surrendered the city without offering any resistance.

On November 13th, Prince Xiu, Zhao Yu, unwilling to surrender, led his troops to form ranks outside Ruian City to meet the Yuan army.

The battle was exceptionally fierce. The Song soldiers fought bravely, and the military commander Li Shida was hit by several arrows, but he still held his ground and eventually died from exhaustion. His blood stained the ground beneath him.

Although Zhao Yu fought desperately, he was ultimately no match for the Yuan army's fierce attack and was defeated and captured. His younger brother Zhao Yulu, his son Zhao Mengbei, as well as the supervising officer Zhao Youge, the inspector Lin Wen, and other soldiers also fell into the hands of the Yuan army. Enraged by their failure to persuade them to surrender, the Yuan generals brutally murdered them all.

Arakhan led the Yuan army in a victorious attack on Jianning Prefecture in Fujian Province. The defending official, Zhao Chongyu, fought desperately, but was captured by the Yuan army after the city fell. Zhao Shishang, the military governor of Shaowu, and Wang Jiweng, the prefect of Nan Jianzhou, were terrified by the Yuan army's unstoppable advance and abandoned the city, surrendering it to the Yuan.

Soon, the Yuan army arrived at the gates of Fu'an Prefecture.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the defending generals of Fuzhou and Xinghua surrendered their cities one after another.

For a time, Fu'an Prefecture became the last isolated city of the Song Dynasty on the mainland, on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, Chen Yizhong had made preparations in advance, stockpiling a large amount of grain and fodder in Fuzhou City, enough to support the 50,000 troops in the city for a year.

Arahan led his army in several fierce attacks on Fuzhou. Chen Yizhong personally climbed the city wall to command the attack. The Song soldiers fought bravely against the strong city walls, and the Yuan army suffered heavy losses after a long siege.

What troubled Arahan even more was that Chen Yizhong was well-versed in military strategy. He sent elite soldiers out of the city at night to launch a night raid on the Yuan army camp. They succeeded twice in a row, burning a large amount of the Yuan army's food and equipment, and the morale of the Yuan army plummeted.

The Song army is in a very favorable situation.

In December, as the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year grew stronger, the war situation on the mainland deteriorated once again.

Cao Chengsun, the prefect of Xinghua Army, had already secretly colluded with the Yuan army. Under the cover of night, he opened the city gates, surrendered the city, and Xinghua Army fell.

Following closely behind, Pu Shougeng, the pacification commissioner of Quanzhou, and Tian Zhenzi, the prefect of Quanzhou, surrendered the city to the Yuan dynasty, and Quanzhou fell to the Yuan.

At this point, only Fuzhou remained under the control of the Song Dynasty in Fujian Province.

Pu Shougeng once served as the Director of Maritime Trade in Quanzhou, monopolizing maritime foreign trade for thirty years. He amassed a fortune and his influence was deeply entrenched.

However, as early as when Zhang Shijie was preparing to move the capital, he had already noticed that Pu Shougeng had ulterior motives, and ordered the requisition of all of Pu's ships and confiscated his property and goods.

Therefore, Pu Shougeng's surrender did not bring much practical benefit to the Yuan army; instead, it earned him the infamy of betraying his country for personal gain.

Even so, the Song army lost many places and the situation remained grim, but Fuzhou was still holding out and could be sustained.

The Song army is in a very favorable situation.

In Kaohsiung, Ryukyu, Zhao Shi had already been enjoying himself for half a year.

When he learned that almost all the prefectures on the mainland had surrendered to the Yuan army, with only Chen Yizhong in Fuzhou still holding out, his heart, which had just been at ease, was once again filled with anxiety.

He sat under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, forgetting to pick up the chess piece that had fallen onto the board, his little face full of panic: "If we can't even defend so many cities, will Ryukyu be safe too?"

Just then, Lu Xiufu sent a report from Luzon, stating that under the labor of the local natives, four settlements had been completed in Luzon, and even a simple city had been built, large enough to accommodate more people.

After reading the report, Zhao Shi's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered that Wen Tianxiang be summoned to discuss the matter.

After some discussion, the emperor and his minister decided to move the capital to Luzon again.

A few days later, Zhao Shi, accompanied by Empress Dowager Yang and his trusted confidants, led 100,000 Song citizens on hundreds of warships and set off for Luzon in a grand procession.

Upon arriving in Luzon, Zhao Shi discovered that although the newly built city was simple, it was well-planned—the city walls were constructed of a mixture of rammed earth and stone, the streets inside the city were wide, and there were residences, government offices, and granaries, just like the original Kaohsiung Castle in Ryukyu.

It turned out that Lu Xiufu had anticipated that the imperial court might move the capital to Luzon, and had built a small palace in the city in advance.

Although the palace was not as luxurious as the Fuzhou Imperial Palace, it was still exquisite and clean, with complete furnishings. Empress Dowager Yang nodded repeatedly upon seeing it, and Zhao Shi was so satisfied that he couldn't stop smiling.

The moment he stepped into Luzon, Zhao Shi felt safe again, casting aside his fear of moving the capital, and began to enjoy himself in the palace all day long.

One day, the imperial chef served a new dish—steamed taro.

The taro in the dish was pure white, steaming hot, and exuded a faint sweet aroma.

Zhao Shi picked up a small spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. He found it to be soft, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth. It was very filling. After eating half of it, he felt full and put down the spoon, asking, "What kind of crop is this? The texture is so unique. I have never eaten it before."

The imperial chef quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this is a wild crop that I discovered by chance on the banks of the Luzon River. I noticed that it was fragrant and sweet and delicious after cooking, so I specially prepared it for Your Majesty to taste."

"Could this be the Lipu taro of later generations?" Zhao Shi wondered to himself. He didn't know anything about crop cultivation, but he thought the taro was extremely delicious. He immediately ordered, "This is exactly what I want. You shall immediately lead people to cultivate the land and plant taro for my enjoyment." The imperial chef hurriedly kowtowed and accepted the order.

With the addition of 100,000 new residents, Lu Xiufu was even more powerful.

He immediately mobilized his troops and sent them out in succession to annihilate hundreds of savage tribes, capture a large number of natives to serve as slaves, and build four settlements on Luzon Island.

At the same time, he ordered the original settlements to be fortified, and to build higher and stronger fortifications to defend against attacks from wild animals and natives.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was May of the second year of Jingyan.

After Lu Xiufu finished dealing with the land reclamation matters in Luzon, he led his trusted confidants back to Luzon City to report to Zhao Shi.

At this time, Zhao Shi had never been involved in politics, so how could he understand these tedious matters of land reclamation and city construction?

This report was merely a formality, a display of the emperor's authority.

Lu Xiufu knew that the more the country was in crisis, the more important it was to pay attention to the dignity and authority of the rites; otherwise, the people's hearts would be scattered, and the Song Dynasty would surely perish in internal strife.

Inside the hall, Lu Xiufu stood bowing below, reporting on the progress of construction in Luzon, grain reserves, and troop deployments.

Zhao Shi sat on the dragon throne, her small hand supporting her chin, her eyes darting around, already half asleep from listening.

After Lu Xiufu finished speaking, he barely mustered his energy and lazily asked, "Mr. Junshi, is Luzon in danger now? Will the Yuan army attack?"

Lu Xiufu raised his head and replied with a firm gaze, "With me here, Luzon will be safe and sound, and Your Majesty can rest easy."

Having received this promise, Zhao Shi was completely relieved. A smile immediately appeared on his face, and he waved his hand, saying, "In that case, you've worked hard, sir. Issue an imperial decree to prepare the imperial meal; I wish to dine with you."

Having said that, he couldn't wait to have the music played again, picked up the chess set again, and called the eunuchs to continue the game.

Lu Xiufu bowed to express his gratitude and then sat down at a table on the side of the hall.

As the imperial dishes were served one by one, Lu Xiufu was tasting them when he suddenly took a bite of something soft, sweet, and sticky. His eyes lit up, and he put down his chopsticks and asked, "Your Majesty, what is this? It is sweet and delicious, with a unique texture. I have never seen anything like it before."

Zhao Shi was focused on playing chess. Upon hearing this, he smiled without looking up and said, "This is taro. It was discovered by my imperial chefs on Luzon Island. It's normal that Mr. Junshi, who has been working outside the city for so long, doesn't know about it."

Lu Xiufu picked up a piece of taro and examined it closely. Seeing that it was quite large, an idea suddenly struck him, and he asked, "I wonder what the yield per acre is? Can it be planted on a large scale?"

Zhao Shi had no idea about these things. He paused for a moment, then ordered the imperial chef to be summoned. Once the chef arrived, Zhao Shi asked, "What is the yield per mu (unit of land area) for these taro?"

The imperial chef thought for a moment and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I have tried planting it on a small scale, and the yield per mu is about 500 kilograms."

"How much?" Lu Xiufu stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with shock, his voice trembling slightly. He wondered if he had misheard and asked again.

"Yes, Lord Lu, it is indeed five hundred kilograms!" the imperial chef replied again with certainty.

Lu Xiufu still couldn't believe it, and immediately asked Zhao Shi to allow him to go with the imperial chef to the planting site to check.

Zhao Shi waved his hand impatiently: "Go on, go on."

Lu Xiufu followed the imperial chef to the planting area outside the city, where he saw that the taro in the field was growing well, with broad and thick leaves.

He had several plants dug up, and sure enough, each one was plump and succulent. After careful calculation, it was confirmed that the yield of taro could indeed reach 500 kilograms per mu (approximately 0.16 acres), and that two harvests could be made per year.

It should be noted that at this time, the highest quality rice in the Song Dynasty only yielded 100 kilograms per mu, while the yield of taro was five times that of rice!

Lu Xiufu did some mental calculations: In the early stages of land reclamation, the Song people of Luzon Island also had tasks such as building cities and defenses. Each person could cultivate two acres of land. In this way, each person could harvest two thousand kilograms of taro a year, enough for one person to eat for three years.

"A divine artifact! This is a divine artifact for the revival of the Great Song Dynasty!" Lu Xiufu trembled with excitement, tears welling in his eyes. "If the Great Song Dynasty had obtained this artifact ten years ago, with ample provisions, what would we have to fear from the Mongol barbarians? How could we have fallen to this state of being confined to overseas territory?"

He calmed his excited emotions, gazed towards the Central Plains, and murmured to himself, "But it's not too late! With the vast sea blocking our way, the Yuan army cannot easily reach us, ensuring that this treasure will not fall into the hands of other countries. Our Great Song Dynasty will carefully manage this area, stockpile provisions, and train our army. One day, we will surely be able to march north, counterattack the Central Plains, and recover our lost territories!"

Tears streamed down Lu Xiufu's cheeks and dripped onto the ground beneath his feet.

He immediately turned back to the city, met with Zhao Shi, and strongly argued for the importance of taro, pleading for an order to allow all residents of Luzon Island to cultivate taro on a large scale.

Zhao Shi already found taro delicious, and upon hearing that its yield was extremely high, which would allow him to enjoy himself without any worries, he immediately granted the request.

Lu Xiufu immediately issued a decree to promote the planting of taro throughout Luzon, thus launching a land reclamation campaign that was crucial to the survival of the Song Dynasty.