Chapter 145 Drawing lightning into the earth? Sending fire to the heavens!
"It must be the Song army's doing!"
The Liao soldiers shouted in unison.
The scene before them was completely different from the legendary "lightning drawn into the earth," yet equally bizarre and strange. Where could a fireball fly so high? Did it fall from the sky? Or did it rise from the ground?
Either possibility is chilling to contemplate. Could it be that someone in the Song army truly possessed the ability to manipulate the weather? How could they possibly fight a war then?
But most people had no time to think. Dozens of burning fireballs flew straight towards them. Upon closer inspection, each fireball was almost bizarrely large, as tall as a person. They struggled to dodge them, and some, caught off guard, were struck by a flying fireball and, in their panic, fell off the gate.
A moment later, a dull thud came from below.
But the Liao soldiers had no time for sympathy or lamentation. They were no better off than their fallen comrades. Many were already burned by the fireballs, crawling on the ground trying to extinguish the flames. However, the flames seemed impossible to put out, even growing stronger in the wind.
From Fusu's perspective, he could only see the fireball successfully land on Juyong Pass from its launch site. Irregular wails echoed continuously, a sound that was utterly heartbreaking.
He silently turned his face away.
"It actually worked." Beside him, Di Qing, who was looking up, showed no emotion in his eyes, and even a hint of excitement at the success of his plan could be seen: "As expected of Your Highness."
"It's just that they took advantage of the favorable timing."
Fusu said.
Di Qing said, "Doesn't that mean that even Heaven is on our side?"
"……Too."
Even Fusu himself was surprised that the plan succeeded on its first attempt. In his initial idea, he wanted to use hot air balloons to carry people into the air, to a point level with Juyong Pass, to engage in aerial combat with the defending soldiers.
However, hot air balloon technology for carrying people was not yet mature, so Fusu used a younger version of it—the Kongming lantern. Kongming lanterns were obviously not suitable for carrying people, but carrying gunpowder balls on one's back was easy. This raised another problem: how to control the timing of the gunpowder ball's explosion?
...It seems like it's out of control.
Remote-controlled bombs are still a bit too advanced.
Fusu took a different approach, dismantling the outer shell of the gunpowder ball and replacing the entire core with fuel, thus transforming it into a [missing information - likely a type of firework]. He also soaked all the materials used to make Kongming lanterns, such as paper and bamboo strips, in oil.
Once the Kongming lantern soars into the sky, the flame propelled by its hollow interior, surrounded by flammable materials, will eventually ignite spontaneously, detonating the firecrackers hanging on the bamboo strips. With a whoosh, the enormous Kongming lantern will transform into a fireball as tall as a person, radiating immense light and heat, making it completely unstoppable.
After it was completed, Fusu originally wanted to test it, but he happened to encounter a suitable wind direction. Without delay, after the first test flight was successful, Fusu immediately launched dozens of more, more than half of which flew to Juyong Pass and shot down the soldiers guarding the pass.
"Go quickly!" Fusu said.
Although he felt a pang of pity upon hearing the cries of those unfamiliar soldiers, he still ordered the attack as quickly as possible. This was not only because the opportunity was rare and time was of the essence, but also because they needed to act swiftly to overcome the difficult obstacle and then rush to put out the fire!
Fusu wiped the sweat from his forehead.
At his command, his soldiers seized the opportunity and, taking advantage of the guards' preoccupation with their own danger, quickly unleashed their deadly weapons. They buried gunpowder balls at the bottom of Juyong Pass and swiftly ignited them.
"Bang--"
Those on top immediately staggered and swayed. They truly felt the power of the so-called "lightning strike into the earth," a force far beyond what mortal bodies could withstand! The generals and soldiers hadn't lied!
The Song army knows how to summon lightning and control fire. How can we possibly fight this battle?
The other guards, witnessing this scene, rushed to help their comrades, but when they inquired about what had happened, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Even if they suspected their comrades were lying, the shaking of the ground and the burn marks and flames on the ground were not illusions.
They exchanged glances, avoiding each other's eyes, a certain thought growing wildly in their minds. Finally, they both looked at their commander.
Commander: "...Let's surrender."
The commander-in-chief had also heard the rumors circulating in the army. At this moment, he could only smile bitterly and sigh in his heart: Everyone said that the news that the Song army was feeding prisoners good salt was false, but now? Everyone was hoping that it would be true.
What will their lives be like as prisoners of war and struggling to survive under the Song army?
——
When Fusu saw the gates of Juyong Pass wide open, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Their final battle could now come to a successful conclusion. Apart from the effort required to make the self-igniting Kongming lanterns, they had captured Juyong Pass almost without any casualties.
From then on, they could sit at Juyong Pass and look north, constantly threatening the Liao border. Even if they no longer stopped the attacks, they had become the attackers rather than the defenders in reality.
The Song Dynasty will no longer be the one that needs to be on edge and regularly pay tribute!
"That's incredible."
Even Fusu himself hadn't expected that the Northern Expedition would yield results far exceeding his expectations. Di Qing, however, shook his head: "It's not unbelievable; there are clues to follow."
"Your Highness might consider what would happen if this pass were the first battle of the Northern Expedition?"
Fusu frowned, then quickly relaxed his brow: "That's right. They will definitely hold their ground and put up a fierce resistance."
We will never surrender so easily as we do today.
Because of the Song army's previous victories and the strange rumors about the gunpowder balls, the Liao army had more or less the thought that "the people before us have all lost, so it's normal for me to lose" or "it's not shameful for me to lose to a natural disaster."
This idea grew wildly after suddenly encountering the fireball, eventually becoming uncontrollable.
Fusu touched his face: "Anyway, let's go through the pass first."
When the topic of "entering the pass" came up, he paused for a moment, then suddenly found himself laughing and crying at the same time. How could he sound like a Jurchen? He was now a pure Han...Qin person.
Ptooey! Ptooey!
Fusu patted his mouth.
Apart from that, everything went smoothly for the Song Dynasty in taking over Juyong Pass. The Liao soldiers, who surrendered with little resistance, finally got to eat the newly produced bluish-white salt. When they tasted that pure saltiness, everyone's feelings were quite complicated.
Sigh... Not long ago they were mocking the Song army, but now they've all become clowns.
And then, the mashed potatoes, so delicious!
Compared to being hit by a fireball falling from the sky, they were incredibly grateful to have been given a prisoner's meal. Thank goodness they surrendered quickly!
It took another two or three days to clean up the mess at Juyong Pass. During this time, Fusu also used the same method to recapture several nearby smaller passes. Having secured the high, strategically important position, Yanshan was practically in their grasp. Logically, it was time to return to the capital.
Fusu, however, said, "I want to stay here for a while."
Di Qing paused, then a look of realization dawned on his face: "Does Your Highness perhaps wish to reenact the story of Yunzhou?"
Fusu nodded shyly.
Of the lands they conquered this time, Shuozhou and other areas belonged to what would later become Shanxi, and their coal resources were as abundant as those of Yunzhou. Zhuozhou, Weizhou, and other areas were located in the North China Plain, which was also one of the most important grain and cotton producing areas in later generations.
And then there's the Western Xia, where salt, coal, and mineral resources are quite developed. There's also the issue of water scarcity that needs addressing. Just thinking about it is overwhelming. Fusu wished he could be like Fujiang, cutting himself into several pieces, each responsible for the work of a different prefecture.
Unfortunately, this idea was ruthlessly suppressed by Di Qing.
"Your Highness, you mustn't."
Fusu: "Huh?" Why?
Di Qing's eyes were full of helplessness: "Your Highness, have you forgotten what we planned before? To capture Yanshan and force the Liao king to negotiate peace. How could Bianjing be without your advice to the Emperor during this crucial period of peace negotiations?"
Fusu: "..."
Damn it, I've been persuaded.
His dark, gleaming eyes darted around, and in a flash, he came up with another idea: "Then I'll go back to Bianjing, General Di, you can stay. Anyway, you've seen how I did it in Yunzhou, so why don't we follow suit and manage Shuozhou first?"
Di Qing was utterly helpless: "What are you thinking about, Your Highness?"
"I am a military general."
The Song Dynasty was the dynasty that respected military generals the most. They fully trusted the generals' ability to unite soldiers, establish their own factions, and launch rebellions.
Di Qing's refusal to return to the capital after a victory would have aroused suspicion in any dynasty, let alone the current one.
This is a complete provocation against the government's reputation for "benevolence"!
Fusu was completely dejected. He rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a while, but he was still dissatisfied with everything he did. Suddenly, Di Qing rubbed his head and comforted him, "Your Highness, why are you in such a hurry? At least the places we've conquered are all our Great Song. There's plenty of time in the future, so we can take our time to manage them."
“General Di, you are right,” Fusu said, “but I can’t help but worry that the Liao army will take it back.”
Di Qing: "Your Highness might consider the prisoners at Juyong Pass. If they were released back to the Liao Kingdom, would they be willing?"
"..."
They definitely wouldn't want to; where would the Liao Kingdom get such good dry rations and salt for them to eat?
So, would the people in the places they conquered agree to return to Liao rule?
Fusu: "I understand."
"Alright!" His tone suddenly became enthusiastic. "Then let's return in triumph!"
When they left, the smoke from Juyong Pass lingered for a long time. The flags on the city walls changed from those of the Liao to those of the Song. It seemed that news of the change of ownership of this most important pass under heaven would soon spread.
This was, of course, arranged by Fusu.
"Hopefully, by the time we return to the capital, the Liao emperor will have realized what's happening and sent an envoy to negotiate peace," he said.
Is it that fast?
Fusu made a rough estimate. It seemed that only a very swift response from the Liao Kingdom would be feasible. Conversely, this was precisely a test of the Liao monarch's political acumen. If they arrived quickly, it meant the Liao monarch was pragmatic enough, that their willingness to negotiate was strong, and that the possibility of acquiring the seven prefectures before the mountains was extremely high.
If they arrive late, it would indicate that the Liao Kingdom is slow to react and its ruler is indecisive. This would greatly increase the chances of the Song Dynasty holding onto and securing the Sixteen Prefectures.
In short, the Song Dynasty didn't lose out either way!
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The author says: After a series of tests, the parameters suggest that there is most likely no problem with the heart.
But today my stomach, ears, and teeth are all bothering me, I feel like I'm being blown around by wind (sad).
I'll have a follow-up appointment tomorrow, and maybe I can also see a different department while I'm at it.
My biggest takeaway is that everyone must take good care of their health. [Cracking face][Sunglasses]
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