The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 131 We Can’t Move There

Wu Jialiang burst into tears and held Master Ye's hand, extremely excited.

Then I started to imagine that after we escaped the city, the two of them must have guarded the capstan for a while, waited until we were far away, and then ran around the city wall, looking for a weak point in the defense, jumped off the wall, and then found their way back. Since they didn't have women or children with them, they naturally walked faster than us, so they returned to Jiaoshui County first.

Yes, yes, that must be the case!
He didn't ask Master Ye about the details. After spending so much time together, he already knew that it was difficult to communicate normally with Master Ye.

He turned back to Yue Wenxuan and discussed business: "Master Yue, your suspicions about Liu Yu were spot on. He really did attack Guan Sheng. I'm guessing he's already contacting the Jin bandits about surrendering. Perhaps they've even begun taking over Jinan City."

Yue Wenxuan nodded. His butterfly wings hadn't flapped wide enough yet. Major events were still proceeding according to history. "Once the Jin army takes over Jinan, they will begin to spread out and conquer other small cities nearby. It seems that they won't be here on the Jiaodong Peninsula for long."

This sentence made everyone around him a little nervous.

Wu Jialiang asked, "When I entered the city just now, I saw the Laizhou governor and Wang Yi. Have they come out?"

Madam Gong Er nodded and continued, "When you went to Jinan, Wang Zhaoye and I had already stood up and persuaded the Laizhou prefect. Now I have taken over the counties of Jiaoshui, Laizhou, and Jimo and have begun to arrange the defense line. County Magistrate Wu is a man who knows military affairs, so we still need to rely on his strength."

Wu Jialiang said, "Okay! I'll go back to Jimo County first and quickly gather the archers."

He didn't say any more nonsense, immediately said goodbye to Yue Wenxuan and Gong Erniang, and hurried back to Jimo.

Jimo City at this time was very different from when he left.

The entire city was filled with vigorous vitality. A large number of laborers were reinforcing the city walls under the organization of Qian Zhuoqun, while Cui Weihua was organizing craftsmen to work hard to produce military supplies.

When Wu Jialiang arrived at the foot of the city, he saw that the open space outside the city was covered with barricades.

Barricades are completely useless in attack, but very useful in defense. As long as there are enough of them, they can completely prevent cavalry from running.

The strategy Yue Wenxuan planned this time was to defend the defense line of the three cities, not to attack.

Of course, it is better to have more barricades.

Wu Jialiang ran into the city at full speed, shouting, "The Jin thieves' first wave of attack shouldn't have too many cavalry."

Cui Weihua and Qian Zhuoqun immediately came over and asked, "What kind of soldiers are coming?"

Wu Jialiang: "Infantry! The surrendered soldiers from Hebei should be the main force. There will also be some Bohai people, Khitan people, and Tieli people. There should be very few real Jurchens, because the main force of the Jin bandits rushed to Yangzhou and captured the emperor."

"Oh!" Cui Weihua nodded. "Then our current barricades should be enough. I'll have the carpenters stop making them to free up manpower and build more light vehicles."

Qian Zhuoqun said, "A light chariot requires the cooperation of more than a dozen soldiers. For every additional chariot we build, we have to calculate the equipment of a dozen more soldiers. We also need to build gun barrels, crossbows, shields, and other things."

Cui Weihua: "I can forget about that! The real trouble is that a light cart needs two muskets. Mr. Qian, you are in charge of the blacksmith now, so you have to hurry up with the muskets."

Qian Zhuoqun shook his head and sighed, "Bird guns are too delicate and difficult to make. I'm afraid we won't have time to make many before the Jin thieves arrive."

Cui Weihua: "Where's the Crouching Tiger Cannon?"

Qian Zhuoqun: "It took the craftsmen two months to make this thing at first. After they learned how to make it, they could make it in just one month. But it requires more iron than a bird gun, so it's expensive. Each shot also requires more gunpowder. Each shot fires out a small iron bullet, which is also made entirely of iron! We can't afford such a luxurious weapon."

Wu Jialiang, listening to the two men's conversation, understood that the biggest problem now was production. The rebels had long since begun developing mining resources, and the Chengyang Coal Mine and the Wangzhuang Iron Mine had also joined the rebels early on. However, both mines were small, county-level operations. Before the Jin bandits arrived, their production was only enough to supply the needs of a small county town.

How much demand can a small county have? If all of this production were used, could it possibly sustain a national-level war?

If you want to deal with a national-level war, you need a national-level mine.

Wu Jialiang said solemnly, "The Zhaoyuan Gold Mine! There's not only gold there, but also a wealth of iron, sulfur, lead, and other minerals."

Cui Weihua whispered, "We can't get our hands on the Zhaoyuan gold mine. Not even the Laizhou governor can control it. It's under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou."

Although the Zhaoyuan gold mine was located in Zhaoyuan County and belonged to the territory of the Laizhou prefect, it was not under the jurisdiction of local officials, but was directly under the jurisdiction of the "Jingdong East Road Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner", commonly known as "Caosi", and its office was located in Qingzhou.

All minerals produced by the Zhaoyuan gold mine were taken over by the "Caosi" and directly transported to the central government.

If local officials dare to take action against this place, they will be beaten without exception.

Wu Jialiang said with a sullen face, "Under Qingzhou's jurisdiction? I passed by Qingzhou a few days ago. The Jin thieves passed through Qingzhou, and the entire city was terrified. Everyone was trembling in fear inside the city. How could they care about the Zhaoyuan gold mine?"

Cui Weihua: "Even so, the prefect wouldn't dare touch the gold mines. In that place, anyone who touches the mines will lose their job, except for the transport commissioner."

Wu Jialiang: "I understand. Then we can only ask the prince for orders."

Cui Weihua lowered his voice and said, "The prince is not allowed to interfere in politics."

Wu Jialiang sneered, "The prefect is being ordered around like crazy. The prince has already been involved in politics, right? What's the point of bringing this up now?"

Cui Weihua: "Ordering local officials is different from ordering the transport commissioner."

Wu Jialiang didn’t feel anything different!
Aren’t they all tantamount to treason?

Since it's already tantamount to rebellion, we might as well make it bigger.

I just don't know if the prince has the courage to do so.

"Don't worry about it, Your Excellency. I'll go talk to the prince." Wu Jialiang was fearless anyway, so he stiffened his neck and ran towards Zhao Ye's temporary palace.

The so-called temporary palace is actually a large house with a relatively good environment.

Cui Weihua and the local gentry also stuffed a group of maids and servants into the mansion to take care of the prince's daily life. Madam Gong Er arranged a team of soldiers to guard the gate and ensure the prince's safety.

The soldiers recognized Wu Jialiang and let him in without much explanation.

Wu Jialiang walked into the temporary palace and through the garden. He happened to hear two maids gossiping behind the flowers. One of them whispered, "This prince must have gone stupid after soaking in the sea. He's been so silent and motionless. It's scary."

Another maid said, "Yes, the master asked me to serve the prince, but the prince does nothing and just sits there motionless. How can I serve him? I don't know what to do."

(End of this chapter)