It was already early April when Shao Shude arrived in Bianzhou.
Just like many regional central cities across the country in later generations, Bianzhou's status in Henan Province is the regional center. Huazhou, Zhengzhou, Songzhou and the like are incomparable. It is not even a bit worse.
Bianzhou is the intersection of many water systems, with convenient shipping. In this era without railways or airplanes, water transportation is the cheapest and most suitable mode of transportation. There is no one.
Perhaps this is also an important reason why it is difficult for the North to compete with the South in business. It is not just factors such as climate and war. The South's unique geographical conditions are also factors that cannot be ignored.
Of course, in this era, there were a large number of rivers and lakes in Henan and Hebei that have completely disappeared in later generations. Especially in Henan, the water system is very developed and has a high degree of development. They are mature waterways that have been maintained for many years. In the south, due to the degree of development,
Although many rivers have plenty of water, they vary in depth. There may be rocks at the bottom of the river, and some river sections are even silted, making navigation inconvenient.
But in the final analysis, the talent is there. As long as the level of development is improved, water transportation will definitely surpass that of the north.
The convenience of water transportation has brought about the prosperity of commerce. The prosperity of commerce has also promoted the growth of tax revenue, making water transportation hubs such as Bianzhou and Xuzhou rich in wealth and proud of the world.
In the pre-Tang Dynasty, the Xuanwu Army and the Wuning Army were able to have long-lasting moments of glory, which was not unrelated to their sufficient funds.
Having a lot of money seems to be opposite to martial ethics at some times. Naturally, if you have money, you will not be willing to work hard. But in the era of feudal rule, you are not qualified not to work hard. Not only will you not be able to save your money, but you will also not be able to save your life. So ever
, Xuzhou and Bianzhou have a large group of fierce warriors who are well-equipped and dare to risk their lives, and they are extremely famous.
Of course, as long as the environment is stable, under the corrosion of money, the people of Bianzhou and Xuzhou will sooner or later covet comfort and enjoy peace, and their combat effectiveness will gradually decline.
The Bianliang Forbidden Army established by Zhu Quanzhong took off in his later years, although his son Zhu Youzhen relied on this army to fight against the warriors from Hedong and Hebei for ten years before being defeated by a surprise attack.
"It is easy to conquer a country, but it is difficult to defend it." At the top of Bianzhou City, Shao Shude sighed, thoughtfully.
"Your Majesty, the son of the imperial army can still fight." Li Zhong, deputy envoy to the Nanya Upper Court, said.
Li Zhong was born in the Tielin Army and was Shao Shude's old confidant. He was the former Privy Councilor. After Shao Desheng's death, he took over the post of Deputy Privy Councilor.
"It is indeed possible now. After all, there have been wars in the past few years." Shao Shude said: "In a few years, it will be hard to say."
"The prince is wise, martial, and strict in running the army, so he may be able to maintain it," Li Zhong said.
Shao Shude smiled and said: "Maybe. But there still needs to be living water, not a pool of stagnant water."
Li Zhong stopped talking. He knew that the Saint was unwilling to recruit the children of the Forbidden Army on a large scale, such as the Shaanzhou Academy, which was filled with pro-Party members of the Forbidden Army.
To be honest, he felt that the current children of the Forbidden Army were actually quite good. He didn't know why the saint looked down on him and had such strict requirements. He could only guess that this was setting rules. The second generation of the children of the Forbidden Army were of good quality, and the third generation,
What about the fourth generation? No one can guarantee it.
This happened!
"Li Qing, you have been to Bianzhou many times. Do you think the Bian people are good at fighting?" Shao Shude asked.
"I'm not very good at fighting anymore." Li Zhongshi said truthfully: "The sons of Song, Hua, Zheng, Bo, Ying, and Cao who were once so brave and invincible are no longer very good."
"Yes, after all, peace has been stable for twenty-sixty-seven years." Shao Shude said, "Bian people, you'd better do business well."
As far as he could see, boats and ships of goods were flowing north and south.
Money flows here, whitewashing peace and corroding will forever.
This is the general trend and it is difficult to reverse, but it is actually quite good.
****
Almost on the same day that Shao Shude arrived in Bianzhou, things inside and outside Chishanpu Pier in Dengzhou were extremely busy.
The northwest wind is coming to an end, and the ships going south need to hurry up. The dock workers are shouting slogans and loading boxes of goods onto the ships day and night.
Wang Huadu stood on the lighthouse, overlooking the sea.
He had just been transferred from the Qing Navy to the Ping Navy as deputy envoy.
The military envoy Zhu Liang was an old man from Xicheng when Your Majesty started his career. He has died of illness. Zhao Zongjie, a native of Silla, took over the post of military envoy, but he was old and could not work for a few more years.
The most glorious throne in Ping Haijun will belong to him sooner or later.
The sea surface was sparkling and slightly rippled.
One ship after another dropped anchor in the harbor.
Wang Hua never imagined that the ships in a commercial port could be as densely packed and powerful as a military port.
What a huge change!
Thirty years ago, no one would have imagined that one day, the Xia Dynasty would be able to find so many ships.
In ancient times, during wars and cross-sea expeditions, ships were often temporarily cut down to build ships. However, the materials used in such ships had not been dried in the sun for several years, and the quality defects were also great during the hasty construction process, so their lifespan was very short and their safety was very low.
The country is different.
These ships were not created in a short period of time, but expanded bit by bit over the course of thirty years.
The ship materials of each ship are carefully selected, and the ship owner supervises the construction, and even participates in the manufacturing together. There is no problem with the quality, reflecting the highest level of shipbuilding at this time.
Yes, most of these are civilian ships. But civilian ships can also be requisitioned to transport supplies and soldiers and become an aid to the war effort.
The military envoy Zhao Zongjie brought dozens of warships eastward, and temporarily requisitioned many civilian ships to load supplies, equipment and drinking water to show off his power.
The national power of the Great Xia Dynasty was indeed growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, at least that was true for its maritime power.
"Has the Silla envoy left?" Wang Huadu asked when he heard the footsteps of his own soldiers coming up.
"Already gone." the soldier replied.
"That's good." Wang Hua nodded.
The Silla people surrendered.
It only took a few days for the fleet led by Zhao Zongjie to arrive at the sea off Donglai County, and then sent people ashore to spread the news.
The Silla people still struggled for a few days, but that was as far as it went.
Perhaps because they knew that their arms could not twist their thighs, or perhaps they really needed the protection of the King of Great Xia, a few days later, they finally sent a ship westward, arrived in Dengzhou, disembarked, and headed for Luoyang.
To conquer Silla, it was much faster to take the sea route than the land route.
To be more precise, the speed of ships is beyond the reach of infantry and cavalry.
It does not need to rest and can sail day and night. Hundreds of miles pass between day and night.
This journey, if replaced by infantry, would probably take more than ten days. Even if the cavalry carries more horses, it will take several days to prepare forage and change horses along the way. What's more, the speed of the cavalry can explode in a short time.
It's okay, and you have to be prepared to lose a lot of horses. If it lasts for a long time, how can you compare it with the navy?
Wang Huadu was born in the mainland, but now he likes life at sea more and more.
Riding the wind and waves, landing on the beach, and killing the enemy, this is the life he yearns for.
It's a pity that the saints don't plan to attack Silla, Baekje, and Taifeng countries, so they have no place to use them.
"Kill!" In an open space behind the left side of the dock, tens of thousands of sergeants were practicing.
Those were 6,000 infantry from Guangjie, Hengye and other armies. In terms of composition, most of them were soldiers from Youzhou and Hedong, and they could be traced back as far as Hebei and Hedong. After the veterans retired, the newly recruited soldiers also came from
These two places.
They have been on the battlefield and fought hard battles. After the Western Expedition, they also fought against the Uighurs and Geluolu, so they have rich experience.
Ping Haijun once sent some of his soldiers to practice sparring with them, but they were beaten to a pulp, which made Zhao Zongjie and Wang Hua both ashamed.
Fortunately, these are all landlubbers. Once they get to the sea, they can't beat the navy officers when they fight in gangs - they can't even stand still.
"Dong dong dong!" The war drums beat, and the six thousand infantry quickly changed their formations, orderly, busy but not chaotic. Looking from a high place, there was a unique sense of beauty.
The cavalry was also dispatched.
After the officer gave an order, the cavalry soldiers who were sitting on the ground got on their horses, holding long spears in their hands, and began to drill.
"These 9,000-foot cavalry have gone to Silla. I feel like they have no chance of meeting an opponent." Wang Huadu suddenly said.
"General, the people of Silla have been fighting for so many years, so they have mastered it no matter how bad they are, right?" the soldier asked with some confusion.
He is from Yunzhou. In those days, Zhu Xuan and Zhu Quanzhong fought in successive battles. They lost their troops and generals. All the town soldiers died, the Shangzhou soldiers, all the state soldiers died, and all the Shangtu Tuan soldiers were killed. As the battles were fought more and more, the combat effectiveness of the Tu Tuan villagers also increased rapidly.
, the Silla people fight every year, every month, isn’t this the case, right?
"If everyone's skills are not very good, then even if they fight forever, they will still be worse than dead." Wang Huadu sneered and said: "Let's just talk about the troops in ancient books who are very easy to collapse and surrender, even if they fight for decades, they will still be defeated.
What’s the use?”
Back then, the saint and Zhu Quanzhong fought fiercely, and the Bianzhou warriors were defeated in the field. After being routed back, they were even able to charge again that same day, and they were extremely fierce.
Zhu Xuan and Shi Pu lost their main forces, but they fought repeatedly and even took the initiative to attack.
Is this fighting power comparable to that of the Silla people? They don't even have many professional warriors.
"Then let's just destroy Silla." The soldier said.
"Alas, the saint is shameless." Wang Huadu sighed: "If we don't take advantage of this moment to attack Silla, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to defeat the arrogant people in a few decades."
"Dang Dang!" A clear bell rang on the pier.
After a while, a speedboat appeared on the sea level in the distance.
It was very fast and had good maneuverability. It chased ocean currents and waves, adjusted its return, and soon approached the dock.
"The military envoy is back." Wang Huadu said lightly, and then got off the lighthouse.
Soon, one ship, two ships, five ships...
The silhouettes of ships one after another appeared on the sea level.
The dragon flag is flying high and the red and green flags are rising continuously. This is the signal to enter the port.
The fleet that patrolled the waters off Dongnae returned to port.
Wang Huadu came to the trestle with the remaining generals to greet him.
This was the first time that the Great Xia Dynasty used its fleet to put pressure on the "enemy", and achieved very good results.
Some things, once you taste the sweetness, you basically can't stop.
