Fu Song

Chapter 478

Sihai Tower is the tallest building in Beijing.

In a large group of palaces built on the mountain, it is like standing out from the crowd.

This place was originally a hill, and when Zhongjing City was built, all the excavated earth and rocks were piled up in this place, forming a complete high platform here.

The imperial palace was built on this high platform.

Standing on the top of the Four Seas Tower, overlooking the four directions, you can almost have a panoramic view of the entire Zhongjing City.

The imperial city, the inner city, the outer city, and the outline of the city stretch out circle after circle. Different regions are divided into different classes of people.

The further outside, the lower the natural level.

But the further outside, the more intense the smell of fireworks.

The whole city has not been completely completed. Standing on the roof of the Four Seas Building, you can still see gaps everywhere, and you can also see the crops that are gradually turning yellow in the farmland.

And farther away, there is an endless farmland with criss-crossing paths. Although most of the newly transplanted trees on both sides of the straight road are just a bare trunk, there is not much greenery to be seen, but it is conceivable that in the future The last few years have seen their beauty.

The outermost city wall has not yet been completed. At this moment, many people can still be seen working hunchbacked on their shoulders. Huge bricks fired one by one and polished stone slabs are transported up the city wall in an endless stream. One day, the walls here will be a little more perfect.

The hardest, most tiring, and most dangerous work in building the city wall was done by prisoners of war and criminals, while ordinary people in normal labor labor took turns taking on lighter jobs.

It is the move of Empress Xiao Chuo to provide five cents of subsidy to these common people who are in hard labor every day.

It didn't cost much money, but it earned her a huge reputation.

In more than three years, the construction of Zhongjing City has begun to take shape, and even the veteran Khitan nobles who are most stubbornly opposed to Xiao Chuo have to admit that it is Xiao Chuo's contribution.

Building a city, no matter when it is, is an extremely large and difficult project, and if something goes wrong, it will cause many troubles and incidents.

But now Zhongjing is about to be completed, and most of the places have been put into use. Such a thing has not happened yet.

Labor labor, which was the most grievous problem in the past, has also been silent this year.

As for the deaths of those criminals and prisoners of war, no one would care.

The completion of Zhongjing will make it the core linking the five capitals, and it will also make Daliao officially have a political center.

Yelujun has made it clear that Zhongjing will become the capital of the empire.

As the sun set, the golden sunlight shone on the polished white jade board of Sihai Tower, reflecting the entire roof into a golden color. Yelujun stood on the roof with his hands behind his back, looking down at the city, Emotion.

Every year when I come back, I will have a different feeling.

Over the past few years, all the people of Daliao have felt the top-down changes in Liao.

Yelujun held his bowl at all times, suppressed the Quartet, and obeyed all barbarians, whether it was the rebellious Jurchen tribe, or the Bohai nobles who were already a little ready to move, no matter it was the vicious and cunning barbarians on the northern prairie who were half herders and half bandits. , or Goryeo, who has been half-heartedly jumping between Song and Liao in the east, trembled under the Daliao cavalry and became honest.

Yelu Hongde had been ill for many years, which made the empire loose. Many people's stubborn diseases, which were active in their minds, all turned into smoke under the fierce scimitars and whips of the Pi Shijun.

But force always has to be supported by the economic base.

Empress Xiao Chuo sits in Zhongjing. While building the planned political center of the Liao Kingdom, she controls a series of affairs such as politics, production, and military affairs in the most prosperous four capitals of the Liao Kingdom.

As a result, Zhongjing was basically completed, and the industrial, agricultural, and commercial industries of Shangjing Road, Xijing Road, Nanjing Road, and Tokyo Road became more and more prosperous.

In the past, the Liao Kingdom was in a disadvantageous state in the transactions with the Song Kingdom. They could only buy and buy. Over the past few years, this situation has gradually improved. In Xiao Chuo's words, the trade deficit with Song is gradually shrinking.

And an important method Xiao Chuo used was to let go of the horse trade between Liao and Song.

This was once met with the common opposition of the Northern and Southern Courts of the Liao Kingdom.

Just as the Song State prohibited the trade of ironware with the Liao State, the Liao State also prohibited the trade of war horses.

But Xiao Chuo strongly advocated letting go of the war horse trade.

In the end, Xiao Chuo persuaded most of the officials to open up the horse trade to Song.

What is Song's biggest capital against Liao?
It's pawns!
It is the hoplites they piled up with countless money.

But heavy infantry can defeat Liaoqi, but cannot destroy Liaoqi.

This made it impossible for Da Song to achieve too many victories even if he won the battle.

Because Liaoqi was able to escape quickly and then regroup after being scattered.

Therefore, everyone in the Song Kingdom believed that the reason why the Song Dynasty was unable to defeat the Liao people was because they did not have enough cavalry, and the biggest reason why the Liao Kingdom prohibited trading horses with the Song Dynasty was this.

Xiao Chuo's opening of the war horse trade made the Song Kingdom ecstatic.

However, is cavalry really so easy to form?

The reason why the Liao cavalry is strong is that most of them have been able to ride horses since they were young, and some of them can even ride horses and walk earlier.

Cultivating a qualified cavalry is not something that can be achieved in just one or two years. It takes a generation of hard work to achieve small results.

Xiao Chuo sold the war horses of the Song Dynasty at a very high price, and made a lot of money through the war horse trade.

However, the military expenditure of the Song Dynasty seemed a bit stretched after purchasing a large number of war horses.

If the military expenditure is not enough, it can only reduce the infantry's military pay and equipment.

This creates a huge problem.

That is, the newly formed cavalry has not yet formed enough combat effectiveness, while the combat effectiveness of the heavy-armed infantry in the past has plummeted.

The Liao Kingdom has always walked on two legs.

The Khitan people mainly rely on cavalry, while the Han family mainly relies on infantry.

In the past, the two could not cooperate with each other, so they seemed a bit out of place. If anyone had a bad intention on the battlefield, the other part would suffer a devastating blow. But now, under Xiao Chuo's mediation, the two sides are unprecedented. united.

Xiao Chuo's method has always been to come down with sweet dates and big sticks at the same time.

The benefits you give are enough, but you are also merciless when you deal with them. No matter what background or background you have, if you run into her hands, it will be a dead end.

"Your Majesty, if Zhongjing City is to take shape, we need to relocate a sufficient number of farmers within tens of miles of the surrounding area." Pointing to the crops in the distance, Xiao Chuo said: "The plan is to move [-] households. The area has also been properly divided, and the first batch will come in soon."

"Did you bring it back from the south bank of the Juma River this time?" Yelujun asked with a smile.

During the negotiations between Song and Liao, in order to jointly attack the Western Army Xiao Ding, the Liao Kingdom made a major concession and returned all the land on the south bank of the Juma River that it occupied a few years ago to the Song Kingdom.

But Song Guo probably didn't expect that what they got was really only land.

The people on the land were forcibly relocated by the Liao people.

Part of the relocation location is to move to the vicinity of Zhongjing.

All plans are one after another, and every step has its effect.

Xiao Chuo's whole plan, in Yelujun's view, is also amazing.

And up to now, only Xiao Chuo and Yelujun can know the true face of the whole plan.

Even Lin Ping, the great king of the South Academy of Liao Kingdom, only knew one thing, but not the other.

"Yes, these people are veterans of farming. I have prepared enough land for them. When they come, the house, land, and title deeds are all prepared for them, which is no worse than when they were in Hebei. "Xiao Chuo said with a smile.

"Buying people's hearts?"

"That's right! It is always necessary to give some benefits to people who leave their homes and their homeland." Xiao Chuo said: "Your Majesty, farmers need to be attached to cities to have a better life. In the same way, cities need the support of farmers to have a better life." Keep running. So much farmland is left in the city for the future. If something happens, even if everything outside the city is lost, there will still be output inside the city."

"Who can come to Zhongjing? Song people?" Yelujun said proudly, with a dismissive look on his face.

"Of course, if we become stronger and stronger, there will be more and more constructions in the cities, and these reserved farmlands will also be slowly occupied." Xiao Chuo said: "But for now, there is still a need for the future. It's raining."

"You're right!" Yelujun nodded and said, "Your ideas are always different, especially the war horse deal. Now it seems that the effect is amazing. It's ridiculous that our Daliao has banned the trade of war horses with Song people for so many years. But I didn’t want to see the pros and cons of it.”

"That's not the case!" Xiao Chuo shook his head: "In the past, the practices of the Daliao dynasties were not wrong, because in the past, everyone couldn't swallow anyone, and when they were stalemate, naturally they couldn't let a large number of war horses flow into the Song Kingdom. But now But it is different, Song people are weaker than ever, but we are stronger than ever, Your Majesty, next we will set foot on the Central Plains."

Yelujun laughed out loud.

"Before that, it is reasonable to try to make the Song people weaker. Therefore, give them horses and let them get the cavalry they dream of. But in this way, the importance of their infantry will be weakened."

Yelujun came to his senses: "I understand, if the cavalry of the Song people really form a fighting force over time, we will suffer a loss."

"That's right, so our attack time must be chosen when they are about to be completed. The cavalry is not good enough, and the infantry is not good enough. If he doesn't lose, who will lose?" Xiao Chuo sneered: "Ma Xing on the Hebei Road is a civil servant after all. , Zheng Xiong has been on Gyeonggi Road for many years, and the only expert, Wang Jun, was arrested by them and sent to Wutai to interrogate him. This is our best chance."

Looking at Xiao Chuo's side profile, a look of perpetual sternness appeared on his beautiful and heavenly face, he was almost a different person from the dainty girl he saw outside the Guanzhai back then.

This queen, the whole plan this time, really left Yelujun with nothing to say except giving her a thumbs up.

Giving up a large area of ​​​​occupied territory seems to have suffered a big loss.

However, Zhongjing got a large number of farmers and population who were able to enrich the surrounding areas.

The Song people believed that the Liao people paid such a high price that they must attack Xiaoding in the northwest with all their strength to relieve hidden worries and paralyze their carelessness.

After obtaining these territories, the Song army's overall defense line will move forward to the Juma River. When the Liao army left, the defense facilities in these places had been destroyed in sevens and eighties, which made the Song army advance. After Juma River, there is almost no danger to defend.And in the past few years, the defense line that Ma Xing has worked so hard to build will appear extremely empty due to the lack of garrison troops.

Is Xiao Chuo's goal really Xiaoding in the Northwest?
Naturally not.

Her real target is Da Song.

She wants to sweep Hebei and ask the sword Bianliang.

Even Lin Ping didn't know Xiao Chuo's real purpose at all.

"My uncle, really won't come out to make trouble?" Yelujun teased.

Xiao Chuo glanced at him indifferently, which made Yelujun a little embarrassed.

"My elder brother, if he is given a chance, he will naturally make trouble. Don't look at Song Guo yelling at him, if you really want to see us driving straight in, he must have sent troops to interfere with us and delay our march, so , we just signed a peace treaty with the Song people, let the Song people beat him?"

"Zhang Cheng!" Yelujun said.

"Zhang Cheng has a feud with my elder brother who killed his father, and the original Dingnan Army on Shaanxi Road also has an inextricable blood feud with my elder brother. They had no chance and strength before, but now that the court of Song Dynasty is united, they naturally I can’t wait even more. Once the fight starts, the winner won’t be determined in two or three hits.”

"Even if we suddenly sent troops south at that time, they dared not move because of mutual suspicion." Yelujun was thoughtful.

"That's right!" Xiao Chuo said, "At that time, the Song people will think that we have colluded with the Western Army and will definitely block the Western Army, and the Western Army will not dare to withdraw at this time. Pull back and let Zhang Cheng beat Hengshan, that would be a big trouble."

"Fantastic!"

"Of course, this alone is not enough." Xiao Chuo said: "In the past two years, I have sent people to provoke the Uighurs in Xizhou, and Qingtangmu will occupy the blind medicine. Once the fight starts at that time, they will rise up against me at the right time. Big brother. So, when our army attacked Hebei, my big brother's side was full of smoke and chaos, and there were still thoughts to trouble us. Let's smooth out our backyard first. Wait for them to calm down , we have already settled down in Bianliang."

"At that time, come and have a good talk with Xiao Dalang." Yelujun slapped his thigh and laughed loudly. "Queen, when it comes to that time, will Xiao Dalang and Xiao Erlang sit down and have a nice talk with us? Now that Xiao Erlang is in the south, he is also flourishing, and he forced him to create something out of nothing and establish a huge business. You Xiao family, people have to be convinced, God prefers your family of three brothers and sisters!"

Xiao Chuo remained silent for a long time.

"There is nothing to talk about. At that time, the two elder brothers will definitely regard me as an enemy!"

(End of this chapter)