Sanjar originally intended to take advantage of the Song Dynasty and Yelü Dashi's mutual exhaustion to gain a share of the spoils, but now not only has he failed to do so, his 300,000 troops are collapsing on the edge of the vast desert.

A continuous barrage of artillery fire ripped through the sky.

With each cannon shot, the ground was crushed and mud flew everywhere, and his soldiers were smashed to pieces.

The sound of cannons booming was like the roar of the heavens.

The humiliation he suffered this time was even more unacceptable than when he fought Yelü Dashi before, and it was also breaking his willpower.

He couldn't believe that such a powerful army existed in the world.

But panic and despair, like a plague, have gripped everyone's hearts like a nightmare.

escape!

Now, there is no way out but to escape.

Not only Sanjar felt fear, but Yelü Dashi, who had gone into hiding after his defeat, also felt fear.

How exactly did the Song army manage to stretch out such a long battle line and still maintain such a strong fighting capacity?

There's a rebellion in the Song army's rear, and the front lines should be on the verge of collapse.

It wasn't until he sent people out to investigate that he learned the rebellion had been quelled and that grain was being transported steadily from the east.

There is no accurate count of how many horses the Song Dynasty emperors mobilized or how many camels they purchased.

All he knew was that in Gaochang, not only were most of the people mobilized for this task, but almost all the camels had been requisitioned.

More and more people are coming from the east, and even the population of Suyab is increasing year by year.

The ever-increasing population brought food and production.

This was an unprecedented mass migration.

Yelü Dashi even went to his home to calculate an account for Zhao Huan. No matter how he calculated it, the account was astronomical, and Yelü Dashi would collapse no matter how he calculated it.

But that's exactly what happened.

After spending two whole months at home calculating, Yelü Dashi came to a conclusion: Zhao Huan's annual military expenditure was at least 600 million shi (a unit of dry measure), involving nearly 20 million people!

Including the construction of cities in the Western Regions, the relocation of the population, the transportation of food bit by bit, the deaths and losses of personnel, and the subsequent compensation.

This is all money.

When a war reaches this scale, it becomes a battle of money, a battle of national strength and finances.

Where did the Song Dynasty get so much money?

This way of playing the game completely shattered Yelü Dashi's worldview. Can war really be fought like this?

The Song Dynasty had just experienced a rebellion, yet it still had so much money to fight a war?

At this moment, Yelü Dashi truly felt despair. He felt like an ant in front of a prehistoric mythical beast.

My previous idea was so ridiculous.

This can be inferred from the westward troop deployment.

First, the administrative organization and mobilization capabilities of the Song Dynasty surpassed those of any other dynasty in history.

Second, the finances of the Song Dynasty surpassed those of any other dynasty.

Third, a new concept emerged in the domestic understanding of war. People began to look beyond the world. Those at the bottom of society who had no opportunities left their hometowns and went to distant places to seek new opportunities, which provided a great deal of impetus for border expansion.

Fourth, a brand-new army has stepped onto the world stage, and no one can stop their iron will and overwhelming firepower.

Seventeen years ago, the Song Dynasty was almost destroyed by the Jin Dynasty.

What exactly happened in those seventeen years?

Yelü Dashi couldn't understand it.

Of course, he couldn't understand how many people Zhao Huan had killed in the past seventeen years in order to reform and eliminate the chronic problems of the Song Dynasty!

And how many more people have sacrificed their lives in the process?

Countless bones were buried beneath the railways and highways that contributed to the rise of the empire.

It was built with the blood and flesh of an entire generation.

This is something that no other country or nation in the world can do.

No other nation possesses such remarkable resilience.

Zhao Huan's base of support is the best base of support on this planet.

That's why he has been able to achieve what he has today.

Is this the pinnacle?

No!

Li Bao's army achieved successive victories at Chorian, and the various kingdoms of India were routed. Chorian, the premier port in Southeast Asia, was now completely under the control of the Song army.

The merchant ships of the four major ports of Hangzhou Bay, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong have accumulated to an unprecedented scale over the years.

They traversed the South Seas, bypassed Lingyamen, and entered the wider ocean, transporting ship after ship of silk, tea, ceramics, spices, clothing, and handicrafts to the Western world.

They stop at the port of Chulian, then proceed into the Arabian Sea, into the Red Sea, and after being unloaded in Egypt, are transported to Cairo box by box.

Some were transported to Alexandria, and from there to the rest of Europe for the enjoyment of noble gentlemen.

Some were transported to Rome, and some to Constantinople.

Distributed from seaports to inland cities, these goods were favored by royalty and nobility.

The merchant ships were exchanged for large quantities of gold and silver.

Yelü Dashi, of course, could not understand; what he saw was only the tip of the iceberg of the Song Dynasty.

The red star flag flies over the city of Merv.

News of Sanjar's defeat quickly reached the Western world and even Jerusalem, where a war was raging.

The believers of the Holy See were all shocked.

At the same time, they were overjoyed.

They affectionately called the Song army Saint John, who had come from heaven to save them.

They had no idea that the order they believed in would be overthrown and make them question the meaning of life in the near future.

One after another, reports of victory came from distant regions, and by the time they reached Zhao Huan, three months had already passed.

The Song army's complete victory on the front lines, the progress of waves of immigrants, and the development of city after city were all moving forward according to his will.

Many people may die along the way, but the unwavering will to completely conquer the Western Regions, reach Europe, and spread Confucianism is a goal that will never be abandoned.

In October of the seventeenth year of the Jingkang era, Zhao Huan received another piece of exciting news: Li Gang had been found.

Where is Li Gang hiding?

The Great Northern Wilderness!

When Zhao Huan learned the news, he smiled like a child.

"That guy actually hid in the northernmost granary of the Song Dynasty!"

Two months later, Li Gang returned to Tokyo and met with Zhao Huan.

Together with Zhao Huan, they planned the next development strategy for Liaodong.

A comprehensive plan was developed covering many aspects, including iron ore, coal, and grain.

Subsequently, Zhao Huan made a grand gesture, sending three million immigrants from Jingdong Road (Jiangsu and Shandong area) and Jiangzhe region to Liaodong.

Within ten years, three major cities will be built, one from Shangjing Prefecture to Liaoyang Prefecture, connecting the entire Liaodong urban belt and transportation network, and thoroughly linking Liaodong with the Central Plains.