Chapter 135 Because I am—an old Qin person…
Fusu swore that he only wanted to demonstrate how to use gunpowder to Di Qing. After all, as the commander-in-chief, if he wasn't responsible for throwing the gunpowder, who would? Right?
But he seriously underestimated the impact of gunpowder. It wasn't just the visible power to blast deep craters into the ground, but also the psychological impact on people, especially on a military man like Di Qing, who was well-versed in military strategy and knowledgeable in warfare.
Ever since Di Qing joined the army as a young man, war had been nothing more than hand-to-hand combat with real swords and spears, and bayonets drawn. Cavalry or infantry, swords and spears or bows and crossbows, were merely different forms.
In his mind, the most important things were the spirit of fearlessness and the will to live to the end. Only an army that could achieve these two things could be called a fighting force.
But the gunpowder ball in His Highness's hand, with a mere flick of the wrist, rendered all spirit and will as insignificant as a feather, utterly worthless. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of lives vanished, easily destroying his past values.
Di Qing stood before the deep pit, unable to recover his senses for a long time.
He even wanted to ask His Highness, "Since you possess such a divine object, why didn't you bring it out sooner? It's as if our meticulous preparations over the past four years have all become a joke." No, that's not right. Di Qing thought, "If this object falls into the enemy's hands, and both sides bombard each other... the bloodshed will only increase!"
At that time, countless soldiers will be conscripted to the front lines, used as human shields to fill the battle lines. The battlefields of Liao and Song will become a living hell.
Thinking of this, Di Qing's earlier elation vanished instantly, replaced by unease. Even the smoke rising from the deep pit felt scorching to his eyes.
Your Highness, how would you like to use it?
Then he saw the prince's serious little face: "This is a trump card I concocted. If you encounter an ambush, whether it's from Liao or Western Xia, use it to drive them away. But the quantity of this item is limited, General Di, I intend to entrust them all to you. You must not let anyone else know about this item."
This "other people" even includes those within the Song army.
Di Qing's expression suddenly turned serious. He understood the prince's unfinished words and was even more aware of his deep concerns: "Di Qing swears to the heavens that if anyone other than me knows about this thing, may I be struck by lightning and die with blood flowing from my seven orifices."
He breathed a sigh of relief again: "As expected of Your Highness, you are so thoughtful. I thought..."
Fusu shook his head. Gunpowder was like Pandora's box; once unearthed, it would be uncontrollable. He could only try his best to slow its use. Therefore, in order to break free from the addictive dependence on it during wartime as soon as possible…
"General Di, we must finish this battle quickly!"
"yes!"
Fusu covered up his explosion experiments outside Bianjing City by using the pretext of "auspicious omens." As for what those auspicious omens actually were? His Highness won't say, so you'd better not ask!
However, after the day of the experiment, Di Qing announced to the assembled Northern Expeditionary Army that he had received a "divine gift from the Crown Prince." This gift would not be easily activated, but it would be able to turn the tide of battle when necessary, so you could fight with confidence.
What? Your Highness?
The divine object Your Highness created for us?
The soldiers were not only familiar with Fusu, but their favorability towards him soared to the highest level. After all, who would dislike someone who provided them with food and clothing and improved their quality of life, especially one who kept giving them opportunities for promotion? The best example was the five hundred elite soldiers who had been sent to various places to build coal mines and had risen to become highly skilled workers.
Spoilers in advance were a last resort. What if the gunpowder balls didn't blast away the ambush troops, but instead frightened their own men? After discussing it with Fusu, Di Qing immediately spread the news of the "divine object" among the troops, laying the groundwork so that even if the Song army saw it, they wouldn't be too alarmed.
Now, as the expedition begins, the so-called divine artifact is packed in a sealed box. The gaps around it are filled with wood ash, and it's placed inside a high-quality wooden crate. The crate is coated with three layers of tung oil, both inside and out, making it both waterproof and fireproof.
In this way, the performance of the gunpowder ball can be protected to the greatest extent, and it will not accidentally catch fire and burn our own people.
The gunpowder balls were safe, but Di Qing's heart still trembled whenever he thought of them. At the banquet before the expedition, he saw Fusu's smiling face, and his hand holding the wine trembled, spilling a few drops on the back of his hand, which was noticed by sharp-eyed people.
The official frowned and mouthed: "Minister Di... are you feeling unwell?"
Di Qing's expression became even stranger.
He didn't know what to say. He couldn't very well say, "Your Majesty, I see your son smiling, but in reality, he's a killing god who can make the land shimmer with golden light. The contrast makes me feel uncomfortable, can it?"
At this point, the culprit had to step in. He first gestured for Di Qing to drink the wine, then smiled and smoothed things over for the Emperor: "General Di is confident, which is why he's so excited. He feels victory is already in sight, doesn't he?"
Di Qing said, "...That's really true."
The emperor gave a knowing "Oh." He knew of the gunpowder ball's existence and had personally witnessed the crater it had created. But seeing the ruins and witnessing the explosion were two different things. Even knowing that Fusu was implying something, he couldn't help but remind him, "Di Qing, you must not become arrogant or complacent. An arrogant army is bound to be defeated."
Di Qing bowed deeply and said, "Your subject will heed Your Majesty's decree."
But in his heart he thought: If he still can't win this battle even with a magical object like a gunpowder ball, then he can really retire and grow beans in the south of the mountain where the grass is lush but the bean sprouts are sparse.
"General Di," Fusu couldn't help but repeat, "I wonder if you remember, back outside the city, I reminded you of four words... a swift and decisive battle."
"Let's finish this quickly!" Di Qing said.
——
The Song soldiers on the way swore that this was absolutely the most comfortable battle they had ever fought.
Due to the Song Dynasty system, soldiers who had fought in battles and returned victorious, after receiving rewards, would be re-incorporated into the Imperial Guard. Although they would most likely be re-incorporated into the army that went to war the next time, they would still eat the Imperial Guard's rations and train with other Imperial Guards.
This resulted in the expedition of 100,000 men including both veterans and newly recruited soldiers. Among them, the most senior were those who survived the Song-Xia War, participated in the recapture of Guangyuan Prefecture in the southwest, and were eventually conscripted into the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Yao Ming is just that kind of person.
Judging from the mortality rates of the previous two wars, he could definitely be described as both lucky and an elite soldier. He also had a special demeanor, and everyone around him respected him greatly. Whenever they rested during their journey, people would spontaneously gather around him to listen to him recount his past experiences on the battlefield.
"You guys are really lucky to have such good days."
This is one of Yao Ming's most frequently quoted phrases.
Of course, some people disagreed, turning their faces away and letting out a cold snort. Going to the battlefield, a matter of life and death, can that be called a good life? What are you doing, acting all high and mighty?
Upon seeing this, Yao Da immediately grabbed the man by the collar: "What's with that expression? What do you mean?"
The man's face flushed red instantly, and people around rushed over to break up the fight. Yao Dacai released the man and threw him forcefully near the fire. The man's face was immediately half-buried in the steam from the steamed mashed potatoes.
"Do you think we could have a hot meal like this when we were on a march? Let me tell you, back then, when we cooked over a fire, we could only use firewood. We only had a quarter of an hour to rest, and often we had to swallow the food before it was even cooked. The food still had bran in it, and it was so raw it cut our throats. I don't understand what you're pretending for."
Those who joined the army all came from poor families and had eaten bran before, knowing what it tasted like. Hearing this, they all swallowed hard, still feeling a lingering fear. So when it was time to eat, they ate the mashed potatoes in their bowls with extra relish.
Someone quietly scooped an extra spoonful of sauce into Yao Da's bowl.
"This sauce, we didn't have it before," Yao Da said. "It's so salty, and so fragrant!"
Someone who knew the inside story said, "It's said that His Highness the Crown Prince specially allocated a batch of honeycomb briquettes to boil a batch of salt. There was an extra batch, so he added it to the soy sauce."
"Thank goodness there's sauce to go with the rice, otherwise eating so much mashed potatoes every day would make me feel sick."
"Ha," Yao Da said, "I think you've just gotten used to the good life! Back when rations and pay couldn't even be paid, you were always complaining about being hungry."
The person who had spoken earlier stuck out his tongue and buried his head in the mashed potatoes, gulping them down like a whirlwind.
Although Yao Da's words were blunt, few people refuted them. Because they knew he was right. The days when they had no cotton-padded clothes to wear in winter and only had grain mixed with bran to eat were only a few years ago. Even if they were no longer serving in the Imperial Guard, they were at least teenagers and had some impression of those times.
"And what else?"
"And..." Yao Da was lost in memories.
Is there any other evidence that life has improved? We've already discussed the food. The cotton-padded coat is for winter, we don't need it now. Besides that, he can't seem to say anything else. But why are the feelings from the two occasions so drastically different?
"Perhaps... they felt we would win?"
Yao Da said.
It was a very mysterious feeling. Yao Da couldn't quite put it into words. Nine years ago, when he was being campaigned against, he only knew that the enemy was called "Xia" or "Dangxiang." They rode tall horses, covered with iron hawks, and were impervious to swords and spears. Whenever such people broke into the army, their comrades were either wounded or killed on the spot.
For two or three years, Yao Da's dreams were filled with iron hawks swooping down on him, blood and flesh flying everywhere. When did the nightmares begin to improve? It seems it was when General Di selected him to go south to Guangyuan Prefecture. That was the first time he realized that he was not just a piece of meat on a chopping board, but could also raise his arms and fight bravely against the enemy.
This time, Yao Da not only knew that their enemy was the Liao Kingdom, their adversary for decades, but also that the land they were trying to reclaim had once belonged to them a hundred years ago, and that the people on that land, like them, spoke a Central Plains dialect with an accent.
Not only Yao Da knew, but all the Imperial Guards, including the one he was conscripted from, also knew. If we were to pinpoint the origin… it would probably be the *Seeking Knowledge Daily*, which they heard about every time.
What else is there to say? If they don't take back their lost homeland, why would they bother joining the army?
Moreover...
"Didn't His Highness prepare a brilliant plan?" Yao Da laughed loudly. "Even if we can't win, it will surely save our lives, right?"
"A brilliant plan in a brocade bag" is the idiom most widely known among the Imperial Guards, bar none. There's no other reason than its close association with Zhuge Liang. The significance of Zhuge Liang, who invented cotton, is self-evident.
The first article in the Seeking Knowledge Daily was a story about Zhuge Liang!
Those around Yao Da laughed knowingly at his words. They even discussed with great interest what kind of trump card His Highness the Crown Prince had brought in.
Is it another delicious food, like potatoes, that can make you feel incredibly energetic? Or is it heavenly soldiers and generals he borrowed from the sky?
Hey, didn't you secretly ask General Di? You did, but he absolutely refused to tell you. Look, he's right there in front of you, who dares to go up and ask him?
Go ahead, go ahead.
I can't do it, you should go.
"..."
"..."
Suddenly, a gust of wind came from afar, but even faster than the wind, something else was rhythmically tapping the ground. It grew closer and closer… Yao Da suddenly shouted, his whole body trembling.
"Iron Falcons! It's Iron Falcons!" he shouted. "Someone's attacking! The Tanguts are here!"
Almost the instant Yao Da finished speaking, a dense swarm of Iron Falcons stood on the distant earthen slope. They were clad in heavy armor, which gleamed coldly in the March sun. Once they charged down the slope using its momentum, the battle formation would be instantly shattered, and countless lives would be taken by their long swords.
Yao Da felt a chill run through his body, trembling uncontrollably. The nightmares of the past resurfaced before him; he realized he had never truly escaped them. He closed his eyes, recalling the bloody scenes of the past, gleaning from the deaths of countless comrades a secret: "Don't stand too close together, don't let them break you up, after dodging the blades, first cut the horses' legs..."
"..."
The expressions of those around them gradually grew serious. Even those who were going to battle for the first time knew they were tough nuts to crack. Otherwise, why would Old Yao's expression have changed? They heeded Yao Da's words and spread out a little. Some of them spontaneously went to inform General Di.
Di Qing saw it.
Di Qing was prepared.
He himself rose to prominence on the battlefields of Song and Xia, was appreciated by Fan Zhongyan in the Northwest, and then met a man from the Crown Prince's palace, rising through the ranks to his current position. The moment he heard the sound of hooves, he knew that the Iron Falcons had arrived. And when they appeared on the earthen slope two hundred meters away, the gunpowder ball was already in Di Qing's hand.
Just as His Highness the Crown Prince predicted.
Di Qing thought to himself.
He wondered what magic weapon the Liao emperor had used to persuade the Western Xia to send their most elite Iron Falcons to carry out a sneak attack. A cold smile tugged at the corner of Di Qing's mouth. He found his heartbeat unusually calm.
...It's too early to say.
The moment he saw the gunpowder ball, he lost his composure again.
Di Qing never expected that the fear he had felt along the way wasn't caused by enemies lurking in the shadows, but entirely by his own people.
The horses from the Western Xia were incredibly fast. Two hundred meters was covered in the blink of an eye. And coincidentally, a gunpowder ball only needed a few breaths to go from ignition to explosion.
The moment the iron hawks swarmed down the earthen slope, Di Qing's eyelids fluttered. Then, his hand, holding the tinderbox, steadily lit the fuse. He then placed it on the catapult and hurled it forward with all his might.
Three, two, one.
"..."
The world was engulfed in deafening roars and flames.
A deafening roar, flames, mud, dust, screams of agony, and the neighing of horses erupted into the sky in an instant, swirling like a tornado. Almost no one had time to process what had just happened.
Yao Da could only watch from afar as those he thought would once again take the lives of his comrades, and even his own, were engulfed in flames after a deafening roar. He stood there, knife in hand, stunned. What happened? What was going on?
"Your Highness!"
"...It's His Highness the Crown Prince..."
That word instantly snapped him out of his daze, and he suddenly understood everything. He excitedly raised his arms and shouted, "Yes! Yes! It's His Highness the Crown Prince! Look at that plume of smoke! It's an auspicious sign that His Highness the Crown Prince brought! He saved us!"
Although they didn't know exactly what had happened, didn't everything before them match General Di's prediction? Sure enough, a brilliant plan saved them when the enemy attacked!
Bang.
Bang, bang.
Explosions rang out one after another. But Yao Da was no longer bewildered or afraid. He even noticed with his sharp eyes that, amidst a cloud of gray smoke, the bright banner of the Great Song Dynasty slowly began to wave—a signal of attack!
He raised his arm and shouted, "Brothers, charge with me!"
Strike while the iron is hot. Di Qing, of course, wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by, and signaled for attack. The Song soldiers leaped forward, stepping into the long-standing, turbulent black smoke, adding even more chaos.
In the suffocating black smoke, Yao Da took a few breaths and immediately felt a bitter taste in his mouth. But his excitement did not diminish but increased, because beneath the dissipating black smoke were wounded men and warhorses, severed limbs, and Iron Falcons thrown from their horses, wailing incessantly.
One of the Iron Falcons had his heavy armor ripped off, and he was thrown to the ground by his frightened horse, seemingly with a broken spine or leg, making it difficult for him to move. When he saw the Song army approaching on horseback, he showed an expression of extreme terror.
Oh, so they are people too, and they have expressions.
Yao Daxin said.
He also thought that what was hidden beneath the heavy armor was a ruthless killing machine that reaped lives.
Yao Da forcefully raised his long sword. The man's expression of terror froze on his face, his mouth moving rapidly. What was he saying? Yao Da couldn't understand the Western Xia language. Probably something like begging for mercy.
Without hesitation, he took the knife and slashed down.
Moments later, crimson blood splattered high into the air. Some sprayed onto the tip of the blade, some landed on his heavy armor. And the terror on the Iron Falcon's face was forever etched there.
Yao Da closed his eyes.
The expression on Iron Falcon's face before his death was vividly etched in his mind. But he found he couldn't recall the expressions on the faces of his original comrades nine years ago before they died. Had he forgotten? Or had he simply not seen them clearly at the time?
"Rest in peace," Yao Da said.
I wonder who this sentence was said to.
——
The Western Xia sent 500 iron hawks to launch a surprise attack on the only route to Shuozhou. The Song army discovered the attack in time and fought back actively.
Post-battle statistics: Three of our side died, fourteen were seriously wounded, and thirty-five were slightly wounded. We killed two hundred and sixty-six enemy soldiers, captured eighty-seven, and seized thirty-eighty-three suits of heavy armor and one hundred and fifty-six horses.
Even including the Song-Xia War nine years ago, this was the Song army's greatest victory against Western Xia in recent years.
Fusu: "Your Majesty, if you're going to read the battle report, then just read the battle report. Why are you staring at me like that?"
The official smiled and nodded, appearing to be in a very good mood: "I'm just happy and it reminded me of an old story."
"Old stories?" Fusu was puzzled.
If I remember correctly, the Song Dynasty's fighting during the Song-Xia Wars wasn't exactly honorable. Is there anything to be happy about?
Fan Zhongyan kindly revealed the answer to the mystery.
He chuckled and said, “Your Majesty, I understand. I remember that when Your Highness was born, our Great Song Dynasty achieved a rare and great victory. At that time, the court said that Your Highness was the lucky star of the Great Song Dynasty.”
Fusu's eyes widened into tiny dots: "...Oh."
Oh, so that's what it was about.
"But that was due to the Song army's valiant fighting and the commander's skillful command. It actually had nothing to do with my birth, right? Isn't it a bit... a bit unfair to attribute it to me?"
“But Your Highness cannot deny that this great victory is entirely due to Your Highness,” Fan Zhongyan interrupted.
Fusu was speechless.
“Alright,” he said. “As I and General Di agreed, he should send a few people back to report.”
“They should have received the letter by now and be completely confused, right?” Fusu said. “General Di only has three gunpowder balls. No one should have realized what they were before the Song army charged in.”
The battle report sent back by Di Qing was very detailed. The people they killed the most enemies this time weren't killed by the gunpowder balls themselves, but rather those who were rendered incapacitated by the explosions and then finished off by the Song army. One soldier in particular had received an exceptionally large number of these kills, numbering in the dozens.
"So even if some remnants of the army went back to report the news, Li Yuanhao would only receive a few descriptive words."
"And what is unknown is the most terrifying."
The Emperor keenly sensed something amiss: "Su'er, what are you trying to say?"
Fusu didn't answer, keeping everyone in suspense. He hung a map depicting the terrain of the Three Kingdoms high, so that everyone below could see it. Then, pointing to the border between Song and Xia, he said, "The Western Xia ambushed us here. They suffered a defeat and will certainly not set up a second route. Therefore, this road is completely safe now."
The emperor considered a possibility, and his mouth dropped open, almost unable to find his voice: "...Su'er, do you perhaps intend to lead troops to attack Western Xia?"
“Father, you understand me best.” Fusu winked playfully.
The emperor felt a fierce conflict between his trust in his son and common sense: "Fighting on two fronts? How is this possible?"
"That's really unlikely."
Fusu nodded in agreement. The emperor had just caught his breath when he heard Fusu say in his childish voice, "It is precisely because the Western Xia army thinks the same way that our chances of winning have increased."
"Besides, don't we still have gunpowder balls?" he said. "Gunpowder balls are the perfect counter to the Iron Falcons. We don't even need many; just one or two will scare them. Without the Iron Falcons, the Western Xia are nothing but a paper tiger, and we can capture them in no time."
"And who is the commander-in-chief? With Di Qing away, who in the court is capable of taking on this important task?"
Fusu blinked and pointed to himself.
"...Su'er, tell me honestly, did you foresee this day when you guessed that the Western Xia might ambush us?"
After receiving an affirmative answer, the Emperor covered his face, feeling both amused and exasperated: "Why is it that you, Su'er, who are usually so composed, become so impulsive when it comes to war, as if you've become a completely different person?"
He personally went to the front lines when the war situation was unstable, and now it's even more outrageous. He even proposed to lead the troops himself! And it's going to be a two-front war!
Faced with this question, Fusu smiled but remained silent.
Because I am—a native of Qin.
He said this silently to himself.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Let me see]
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