Chapter 436
The King's Rebellion
...
Wu Yong was the person in charge sent by Zhao Yu to rescue Japan this time.
In other words, Zhao Yu appointed Wu Yong as the Pacification Commissioner to Japan.
The main reason why Zhao Yu sent Wu Yong to do this was because he wanted to take Japan for himself, but he didn't know what method to use. Wu Yong could be said to be the most ruthless minister under Zhao Yu.
Of course, Song Jiang was just as ruthless.
However, Song Jiang has already made great contributions in recent years, and we cannot allow him to make any more contributions in the short term, otherwise we will be in an awkward situation where there are no more rewards or titles to bestow.
It is precisely for this reason that Zhao Yu has now begun to focus on appointing young people and newcomers, while these veteran officials have been transferred to the court to serve as national treasures.
The essence of Zhao Yu's actions was to build a dynamically balanced governance ecosystem and establish a strong talent pool for the Song Dynasty, so as to avoid a situation like the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, where the country faced critical moments, even life-or-death situations, without a shortage of capable people.
From the perspective of power structure, placing meritorious veterans in the position of "guardian of the country" is actually turning them into the "ballast" of the power system.
These high-ranking officials are experienced, knowledgeable, and well-versed in the underlying rules and risk boundaries of political operations. Their very existence serves as a implicit constraint on the imbalance of power.
Treating these meritorious officials well, rather than giving them exclusive power, not only avoids the possibility of a single meritorious official forming a monopoly of power due to their great achievements, but also allows the prestige of these veteran officials to counteract the radical tendencies that may arise from the new group, thus keeping the implementation of policies on a steady track and preventing violent turmoil caused by power transitions.
This "elderly entrants stabilizing power" design can transform future power transitions from a "zero-sum game" to a "gradient succession," ensuring the continuity of core systems and governing philosophies while reserving space for reform and innovation.
For young people, letting them fight on the front lines is not only giving them opportunities to learn and stand out, but also a practical test of their loyalty and execution ability.
Moreover, to be honest, being in charge of or even in charge of frontier development and foreign affairs can expose the shortcomings and potential of talents, forming a natural selection mechanism of survival of the fittest, so that young people who truly have the talent to govern the country can stand out, rather than occupying high positions simply because of seniority or connections.
Zhao Yu's selection path based on merit broke the shackles of seniority-based promotion in the traditional bureaucratic system, allowing talent mobility to be dynamic, with the capable rising and the mediocre falling, thus avoiding the rigidity and inefficiency of the bureaucracy.
The deeper value lies in the fact that this can also create a complementary pattern where the older generation in the court provides a solid foundation with their experience, while the new generation on the front lines breaks new ground with their innovative thinking.
This positive interaction between generations prevents stagnation caused by clinging to tradition and avoids systemic risks caused by blind innovation, enabling national governance to iterate through inheritance and break through in stability.
At the same time, this mechanism can also strengthen the country's talent pool effect.
In this way, when the country faces a sudden crisis, such as the Jingkang Incident in history, it can quickly draw on the reserve of personnel with practical experience to fill the gaps, thus avoiding the predicament of having no one available when needed.
It's a bit far-fetched.
In short, the people Zhao Yu sent to retake Japan this time were mainly those with little prior merit, little reputation, and still capable.
Specifically, the civil officials should be led by Wu Yong, otherwise the Jin people should be eliminated through political, diplomatic, and military means.
Furthermore, Zhao Yu gave Wu Yong a hint, indicating that he wanted Japan and asked Wu Yong to think of a way to achieve this.
For military officers, Zhao Yu dispatched Zhang Jun, Liu Guangshi, Yao Youzhong, Yang Yizhong, Wang De, Li Bao, and others.
In addition, Zhao Yu sent many of his sons to the Japanese battlefield to continue giving them opportunities to train.
Speaking of which, after so many years of training, many of Zhao Yu's sons have demonstrated their talents in military, political, economic, diplomatic, educational, medical, scientific research, and so on...
They have clearly become a newly emerging and extremely powerful political force in the Song Dynasty.
How powerful have they become now?
It had even reached the point where the ministers were extremely wary, yet dared not suggest any measures to weaken them.
To put it simply, many "wise people" believe that the biggest hidden danger of the Song Dynasty lies not outside, but inside. It is Zhao Yu's thousands of sons who will destroy or divide the Song Dynasty in the future, and it is not impossible that the Song Dynasty will experience a rebellion of a thousand princes.
This must be a rumor deliberately spread by someone, hoping that Zhao Yu can find a way to restrict his sons.
However, to their disappointment, Zhao Yu had no intention of doing so at all.
Moreover, Zhao Yu increasingly relied on his sons.
Now, almost all of Zhao Yu's sons are in the army, and they all hold important positions; almost all of the powerful departments in the Song Dynasty also have Zhao Yu's sons.
To put it simply, I wouldn't dare say that Zhao Yu's son controlled all the departments of the Song Dynasty, but any slight movement in most departments of the Song Dynasty would certainly not escape the eyes of the royal family.
This also led to a period of political clarity and efficiency in the Song Dynasty.
Of course, this is only temporary. Chinese people have always been the most adept at scheming. Those corrupt officials who want to work together with their superiors and subordinates will eventually corrupt Zhao Yu's son, and even Zhao Yu's son will become corrupt in the future.
However, that's all in the future.
At least for now, Zhao Yu's sons are still young and innocent. They are not short of money, they are determined to serve their country, and they want to make a difference.
Thus, the Song Dynasty encountered a rare and optimal political environment that created the conditions necessary for its rapid development.
Under these circumstances, the Song Dynasty was undoubtedly invincible.
Whether in politics, economics, or military affairs.
Leaving aside the political and economic aspects, let's just talk about the military aspects.
The Jurchens, who could only parry and not retaliate against the Japanese, faced a similar situation when facing the Song army; they could only parry and had no chance to fight back.
Under the firepower of Li Lin's cannons, the Song army easily stormed northern Kyushu Island and occupied it, driving the Jurchens and their Japanese followers to Shikoku and Chugoku.
Japan is surrounded by the sea and has a narrow topography. Geographically, northern Kyushu is separated from Shikoku and Chugoku by the Seto Inland Sea, while the Chugoku region is north of the narrow central axis of Honshu Island. Mountains account for more than 70% of the land area, with only scattered plains along the coast and in river valleys.
This "narrow, mountainous, and strategically located" terrain, under the control of the Song Dynasty's navy, became a natural prison for the Jurchens and the Japanese who were dependent on them.
After occupying northern Kyushu, the Song army first cut off the sea route for the Jurchens to escape west to the Korean Peninsula or Liaodong. The narrow waterways of the Seto Inland Sea were easily blocked by Song warships, while the remaining small Jurchen vessels were neither able to contend with the Song's steam-powered warship fleet nor could they break through the Song navy's patrol lines in open waters. On land, if the Jurchens and their allied Japanese forces wanted to retreat north, they could only advance along the coastal plains of China or the narrow channels along the Seto Inland Sea coast. These areas were precisely within the range of the Song navy's cannons, allowing the Song army to establish strongholds along the coastline and create a pincer movement of "land defense + sea attack."
More importantly, the mountains of the Japanese archipelago are mostly granite landforms, lacking large river valleys and plains as logistical supply bases. The Jurchens could neither store grain on a large scale on the spot nor build solid defensive fortifications. They could only passively fight back in a predicament where they had nowhere to retreat and nothing to defend.
Most importantly, the Song army had completed the initial transformation into firearms, and the Li Lin cannons and Li Lin muskets of the Shenji Army had absolute dominance in mountain warfare.
In contrast, the Jurchens' expertise in plains cavalry tactics proved completely ineffective in the mountainous terrain of Japan.
Warhorses struggled to maneuver on steep mountain roads and lacked sufficient fodder.
Needless to say, the Japanese samurai who were attached to them were no better than unarmed civilians in the eyes of the Song army; they were just cannon fodder.
In short, after losing control of the sea and their stronghold in northern Kyushu, the Jurchens found themselves in a desperate situation where they could neither establish a foothold nor evacuate.
Logically, the Song army should have pressed on and continued to pursue the Jin army relentlessly.
But no one expected that Wu Yong would call off the Song army's attack and order the laying of railway tracks along the coast of northern Kyushu, saying that he would use trains to quickly transport troops and supplies, turn northern Kyushu into a forward base, and gradually advance towards Shikoku and Chugoku.
That wasn't all. Wu Yong also ordered the establishment of farms in northern Kyushu to grow high-yield crops from the Song Dynasty, claiming that he wanted to grow grain there to solve the Song army's food supply problem.
In addition, Wu Yong secretly ordered people to intensify gold and silver mining and exploration in northern Kyushu.
In addition, Wu Yong also used the excuse that the Japanese did not understand railway construction and advanced planting techniques to ask the Song Dynasty to send Han Chinese laborers, or even immigrants, to Japan.
It's not hard for a smart person to see that the Song Dynasty, or at least Wu Yong, is not planning to leave. One could even maliciously think that he's using one enemy to devour another, that is, driving the Jin people to annex Japan, and then, under the guise of rescuing Japan, eliminating the so-called Jin state and occupying Japan.
……
Northern Kyushu, formerly the Dazaifu of Japan, has now become Wu Yong's Pacification Commission.
Wu Yong convened a high-level strategic meeting of the Song Dynasty here.
Here, Wu Yong makes no attempt to hide his opinion: "What benefit will our Great Song Dynasty gain from rescuing Japan? What merit will we have? If we can conquer Japan for our Great Song Dynasty, our Great Song Dynasty will expand its territory by several more prefectures, and we will be remembered for eternity, bringing glory to our ancestors and securing titles and honors for our wives and children!"
Upon hearing this, General Yao Youzhong hesitated, "Is this matter decided by His Majesty and the court? Is there an imperial edict?"
Wu Yong took full responsibility, saying, "Although His Majesty and the court have not given any explicit instructions, they have this intention. However, it is inconvenient for His Majesty and the court to express it publicly, so I am here to convey it."
After a pause, Wu Yong continued, "As the pacification commissioner for this war, I bear all the responsibility. Therefore, if His Majesty and the court blame me, it will only be a matter of death."
Hearing Wu Yong say this, everyone fell silent.
This matter is actually quite easy to determine: whether it was Zhao Yu's or the court's intention?
It should be understood that although Japan was far from the Song Dynasty, this did not mean that the court was unaware of what these people were doing on the front lines.
First of all, it should be known that there are quite a few princes in the army and the Pacification Commissioner's Office, and they would not fail to report Wu Yong's performance at the front to the emperor.
More importantly, the army and important officials of the Song Dynasty were surrounded by the four major intelligence agencies of the Song Dynasty, especially the secret agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau, which was created for the war. They were the emperor's eyes and ears. How could the emperor not know Wu Yong's every move?
Therefore, if the emperor and the Song Dynasty did not want to conquer Japan, Wu Yong would have had no way of forging an imperial edict.
Conversely, if it were truly the emperor and the Song Dynasty that wanted to conquer Japan, then as soldiers, they would simply have to obey orders.
Next, everyone began to analyze the military situation.
Zhang Jun said, "Now that the Jurchens have lost northern Kyushu, I fear they will abandon the coastal areas and retreat to the Chugoku region and the mountainous areas of Shikoku Island, relying on the rugged terrain to wage guerrilla warfare against us. If that happens, they will undoubtedly be defeated..."
Wu Yong speculated that, as foreign invaders, the Jurchens had not yet truly controlled Japan and had implemented a brutal rule during their occupation, burning, killing, and looting countless people. The Japanese people hated them to the bone. If the Jurchens did not want to be eliminated, they only had three paths to take.
The first option was to take a risk and requisition civilian fishing boats and cut down forests to build simple vessels, attempting to break through the Song Dynasty's naval blockade at night or in bad weather.
This golden man is completely delusional.
The coastline of the Japanese archipelago was firmly controlled by the Song Dynasty navy, and the Jurchens were unable to concentrate enough ships and personnel to carry out a large-scale breakout. If the Jurchens dared to force a breakout, they would ultimately become "live targets" for the Song Dynasty navy.
Even if the Jurchens managed to break through the Song Dynasty's naval blockade, their simple ships, built by the Jurchens and Japanese, lacked both defensive capabilities and long-range endurance, and would have been pursued and annihilated by the Song fleet in open waters.
The second option was to turn to the Japanese court and oppose the Song Dynasty.
Wu Yong even guessed that the Jin people would promise to return sovereignty to Japan after the war, along with other conditions, in exchange for the support of the Japanese court.
And this is actually the path Wu Yong wanted the Jurchens to take.
—Otherwise, how could the Song Dynasty rightfully conquer Japan?
To put it simply, everything Wu Yong is doing now is actually making the Japanese court suspect that the Song Dynasty doesn't want to leave, thus driving them to desperation and uniting with the Jurchens to fight against the Song Dynasty.
If that day ever comes, that will be the time for Wu Yong to truly unleash his talents.
This last path is what Zhang Jun mentioned, and it's also what Wu Yong was most worried about. Just as Zhang Jun analyzed, the Jurchens chose to rely on the mountainous terrain of China and Shikoku to wage guerrilla warfare.
This not only made it more difficult to wipe out the Jurchens, but more importantly, it gave the Song Dynasty no excuse to eliminate Japan.
So when Wu Yong heard Zhang Jun say that even if the Jurchens chose this path, they would have no way out, he immediately became interested and asked, "Why does Commander Zhang say such a thing?"
Zhang Jun replied, "This subordinate has already sent men to investigate. The arable land and water resources in China and the Shikoku region are extremely limited. The Jurchens simply cannot achieve self-sufficiency in food supplies here. They can only survive by gathering hay and grain. In that case, the Japanese will inevitably resist, leaving us in a situation where we are attacked from both sides. Moreover, the narrow terrain makes it impossible for them to divide their forces. If our army uses hot air balloons for reconnaissance and then concentrates its superior forces to eliminate their strongholds one by one, they will be trapped like turtles in a jar..."
……
……
Requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month.
Monthly votes at the beginning of the month are very important to the author, so if you have any, please be sure to cast two for me, thank you! (End of Chapter)