New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

"Wanyan Xie has also withdrawn his troops?"

Inside the Guangling City Lord's Mansion, Tang Qian thoughtfully stroked his chin. "Although it was a few days late, it wasn't too unexpected."

Having just received this exciting news, Qiu Jiawu Shao and Ye Zhao were still in a state of extreme excitement and disbelief. Seeing Tang Qian so calm and composed, they couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

Could it be that Tang Qian had anticipated when the Jin army would withdraw?

"This is not a brilliant plan of mine, but a contingency plan I laid when I was a hostage in Youzhou."

Then, he began to explain to everyone, “Wanyan Xun, the commander of Youzhou Army, was the son of Emperor Kangzong of Jin. He was unwilling to be subordinate to others. Unfortunately, he was ambitious but his fate was as fragile as paper. He was still young when his father passed away. In addition, his mother was a Liao person. The fact that Jin could give him the position of the general manager of the logistics troops was already a great favor to Emperor Kangzong, Wanyan Wuyashu.”

"So you turned him against his cause back then? You got him to instigate internal strife within the Jin dynasty at a crucial moment, thereby lifting the siege of Guangling?"

Tang Qian glanced at Ye Zhao and said, "What ability do I, a hostage of the Song Dynasty, have to turn a hereditary prince of the Jin Dynasty against me? Strictly speaking, Wanyan Xun and I have a mutually beneficial relationship. I rely on him to save my life, and he relies on me to strengthen his power."

"In other words, Wanyan Xun seized the opportunity presented by the Jin army's southward advance and the country's vulnerability to attack, quickly sending troops to control Liaoyang. Was he planning to use the emperor to command the other lords?"

Tang Qian nodded: "Originally, the plan I gave him was to build ships to cross the sea and seize the ancestral court of the Great Jin. However, he is quite adaptable. The process of instigating this internal strife should be similar to your guess."

Qiu Xin frowned slightly, thinking of a crucial question: "According to what you said, the Youzhou Army is only a logistics force responsible for guarding Youzhou and transporting grain. Its combat strength is not strong. Even if Wanyan Xun expands his forces, it will only have a maximum of 20,000 men. With such strength, even if they capture Liaoyang, they will not be able to hold out for long against the 150,000 Jin troops who are about to retreat to the Jin Kingdom. After the Jin Kingdom quells this internal strife, will they invade the south again?"

"Brother, you are overthinking it. Wanyan Xun is a calm and composed person. He would not act rashly unless he was absolutely certain. I can be fairly certain that after this battle, the Jin army will no longer have any intention of invading the south."

The throne of the Jin Dynasty has always been awarded to the most capable. As long as Wanyan Xun has the strength to seize the throne and win over all the factions in the court, his march into Liaoyang City will not be considered a rebellion. However, if he wants to secure his position as crown prince, he still needs to build alliances and gain the highest level of support.

"Wanyan Xie has returned to the country this time, and there will inevitably be a confrontation between him and Wanyan Xun. After Wanyan Xun defeats them, there are still many things to deal with. At least before he ascends the throne, there should be no war between Song and Jin."

"How can you be so certain that Wanyan Xun can defeat Wanyan Xieye's 150,000-strong army? Could it be..." At this point, everyone thought of a possibility, "You gave the gunpowder formula to Wanyan Xun?"

If that were the case, the Song Dynasty would be in grave danger.

It should be noted that the reason Guangling City was able to be defended was not because the local militia they recruited were good at fighting, but entirely because of the explosives developed by Tang Qian.

This is the foundation upon which they built their city. If Wanyan Xun also had the formula, the two sides' fighting strength would be back on the same starting line. Then, when the Jin army invaded the south again, Guangling would definitely not be able to hold out.

Perhaps all the enemy needs to do is launch a charge under the cover of bombs, and the defenders will surrender on their own initiative.

Thinking of all this, the five Qiu brothers and Ye Zhao all looked extremely grim. However, they couldn't bring themselves to blame Tang Qian. After all, in an environment where heads could roll at any moment, handing over the gunpowder formula to protect themselves was not only a last resort but also a matter of course.

"Brothers, there's no need to worry. What I gave Wanyan Xun was just ordinary gunpowder for making fireworks with some accelerant added. Its power is absolutely incomparable to the black powder we use now." Tang Qian chuckled, looking somewhat cunning. "That Wanyan Xun is ambitious and will definitely not be satisfied with just the position of Emperor of the Great Jin. Of course, I have to keep something in reserve."

However, with the improved formula in his possession, Wanyan Xieye was already in for a tough time. The two types of gunpowder were indeed different in power, but if the dosage was too large, Wanyan Xieye's army would not be able to withstand it either.

You have to understand that these people were already stunned by the bombing of the Guangling garrison. They barely escaped with their lives and returned to the Great Jin. They simply cannot withstand a new round of bombing. Perhaps Wanyan Xun only needs to throw a few explosive charges and the enemy will all surrender or flee.

"I see."

Hearing this, the somewhat heavy mood of everyone was finally relieved. As long as Guangling City still had firepower to suppress the Jin army, the enemy would definitely not dare to invade the border again.

"In order to maintain a military force strong enough to crush the Jin army, the development of new weapons must not be relaxed. We can easily deal with the Jin army's attacks now, but who can guarantee that they won't work hard to improve their military when they return this time and create some amazing weapons."

Having witnessed the power of firearms, the Wanyan clan would certainly not sit idly by and wait for their demise. Tang Qian had no doubt that they could replicate them.

If Wanyan Xun were to become the next emperor of the Jin Dynasty, Tang Qian would have to maintain a lead over him in weaponry.

"My plan is to establish a musketeer team of 500 men within at least three months, which requires increasing the production speed of Vulcan muskets."

"But manufacturing gun barrels is time-consuming, laborious, and mentally taxing. In the entire Guangling City, only Zhang the blacksmith has the skill and experience to roll gun barrels. Improving production efficiency is probably not something that can be accomplished overnight."

“I will take charge of this matter. Relying on manual blacksmithing is too inefficient. I have a way to achieve mechanized mass production. The most urgent task for my brothers is to get Guangling City back to normal life from the state of war.”

Previously, Emperor Zhao Gou issued an imperial edict that all officials in Yangzhou would be promoted one rank. Now that the war has subsided, it is time for these people to return to the capital to report on their duties. Tang Qian does not intend to retain them. Guangling City is now his stronghold, so naturally he will use his own people to manage it.

"As I said before, anyone who is willing to stay and defend the city will be the new master of Guangling City. A man's word is his bond, and the promise made must be kept. Otherwise, who will be willing to serve us in the future?"

The status of citizens of Guangling can be granted, but rules must also be established.

"What you brothers need to do now is to make those farmers who originally lived outside the city abide by the rules of the city."