Chapter 47: Zhang Shu Ye Wants to Build Tian Du Fortress

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  "Right in front of us are the Western Xia's Zhuo Luo and the Southern Army General..." Zhang Shuye dismounted his horse, pointing ahead loudly.

  Wen Fei nodded slightly, and didn't think much of it. To him, Western Xia was just a distant historical memory. It's possible that half of the Chinese people in later generations wouldn't even know this country existed!

  "The Xixia people are the most brutal and cruel, every year after the Yellow River freezes in winter, they will send troops to cross the river and come to our Great Song territory to harass, kill and loot the common people, and abduct women and property." Zhang Shuye pointed at the more than 300 meters wide Yellow River.

  Later generations had warmer weather, and Wen Fei's place of residence was not considered the north. Naturally, one could hardly imagine what it would be like after the wide Yellow River froze over. However, he completely missed the point of Zhang Shu's words that night.

  "I plan to build a fort in Majiacun, station troops and defend it, so that the Xia bandits cannot invade!" Zhang Uncle Night said: "This place is strategically located, as long as we can build a fort here, we can ensure the safety of Lanzhou. If so, my tenure as an official in this place will not be in vain! What advice do you have for me, Master Xian?"

  Wen Fei shrugged and said, "Since those Western Xia people can raid in the winter, you can also attack them in the winter. What's the use of defending? The Maginot Line was so powerful..." He spoke halfway, then suddenly closed his mouth, who knew what he meant by saying Verdun this year?

  "It's like this..." Zhang Shuye said with a bitter smile, he was different from the ordinary scholars of his time, he liked military affairs, probably inherited from his grandfather. Not like the average scholar who would be afraid when hearing about battles.

  Wen Fei didn't have as many concerns as him, and said: "If I had to say it, the Song Dynasty has money, grain, and so many troops. Why not just directly destroy Western Xia and be done with it? What's there to defend?"

  Zhang Shuye could only smile bitterly, after all, he was an immortal and didn't know the difficulties of the world. The Song Dynasty's rulers, from Li Yuanhao's founding of the country, had always wanted to destroy Western Xia. But during Li Yuanhao's era, they never won a battle against Western Xia. It wasn't until the reign of Emperor Zhenzong that they launched a large-scale military campaign and recovered the Hexi Corridor, which was considered cutting off the right arm of the Western bandits. Even up to the present day, the officials were still boastful and proud, but couldn't do anything about the people of Western Xia.

  "Between us and the Western bandits lies a desert, hard to cross... Grain transport is difficult..." Zhang Shuye presented objective difficulties.

  Wen Fei said, "After all, it's your great Song Dynasty that values literature over martial arts, with weak national strength and a feeble military. You can't even eliminate a small Western Xia, yet you're making so many excuses!"

  Zhang Shuye's face turned red, and the two parted ways in discontent. Wen Fei was a person of later generations, and his impression of the Song Dynasty was just what he had learned from textbooks - accumulating poverty and weakness, emphasizing literature over military affairs. He didn't have any particularly deep impressions of other things, so naturally, he also looked down on Zhang Shuye.

  However, just now when chatting with my father, I learned that the Song Dynasty's emphasis on literature and neglect of military affairs is not without reason. Since the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, the court has been unable to control the various warlords under its rule. The warlords occupied different regions, fought each other, and caused chaos throughout the land, not to mention the suffering of the people. Moreover, during the Five Dynasties period at the end of the Tang Dynasty, there were repeated rebellions, and those with strong military power dared to proclaim themselves emperors, making the entire country a mess!

  With such a precedent, after the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, those ministers under the emperor treated those military generals as thieves and took precautions against them. This led to the situation in the Song Dynasty where civil officials were valued over military officers.

  "I was much more impressive in the Song Dynasty than I am now. In modern times, I'm just a small otaku, and Huang Lao Da could crush me like an ant. But it's different in Northern Song - even someone like Zhang Shu Ye, a third-generation official, would respectfully call me 'Immortal Master'. The barbarians may be fierce, but they too tremble with fear when they see me!" As Wen Fei thought this way, his mindset slowly changed. From being an outsider looking in on the Northern Song, he began to take on a more playful attitude towards it."

  "It seems that Zhang Shu Ye is busy, but I still have to help." He now knows the inside story of Zhang Shu Ye. Although Zhang Shu Ye's position as a recording clerk in Lanzhou is not a big official, it is only eighth-grade. However, this guy has a strong background! His grandfather was actually the prime minister of the Song Dynasty. Although his father did not make any achievements in his life and did not become a big figure, a dead camel is bigger than a horse, Zhang Shu Ye is still an official from a three-generation family.

  Wen Fei was unfamiliar with the land in Northern Song, and could only rely on the Zhang family. Helping Zhang Shu Ye build a fortress wasn't actually difficult, but what Zhang Shu Ye worried about was that if the Western Xia people heard he was building a fortress, they would send troops to harass him. However, Wen Fei could provide cement for Zhang Shu Ye, which could save nearly half of the time, and by the time the Western Xia people heard the news, the fortress might already be completed.

  This is not nonsense, the big ones are surrounded by 900 steps, and the small ones are surrounded by 500 steps... The big ones are surrounded by 200 steps, and the small ones are surrounded by 100 steps. Relying on Zhang Shuye, a small eighth-grade recording and participating in the military, is already very good if he can repair a small fort with his ancestral connections.

  Breaking through the sky is just that kind of two hundred steps, but even for a fortress of this scale, according to Zhang Shuye, it would take mobilizing around 15,000 laborers and working for over a month. Such a large-scale operation, if discovered by the Western Xia people, would certainly lead to troops being sent to destroy it.

  But if there is enough cement, it won't take that many people or that much time. At most, I'll just have to work a bit harder and pull two carts of cement over myself.

  Having thought of this, I solved a worry and the wine's effect surged up. Unknowingly, I fell asleep.

  Waking up from a nap, it was already around 4 or 5 o'clock. His parents had not yet finished work. Wen Fei went straight out the door to find Zhang Yu and said bluntly: "Let's go, let's solve the problem of the house!"

  Zhang Yu hadn't reacted yet and shouted: "What house, what problem?" As he said this, he suddenly reacted and shouted: "It's almost dark now!"

  Wen Fei was talking about the problem inside that old house, Zhang Yu almost got killed by a falling tile last time and only knew how to be afraid afterwards. Now hearing Wen Fei shouting that he wanted to go to the old house to solve the "thing" inside, he immediately shouted out loud.

  "Nonsense, of course it can only be solved at night. He wouldn't dare come out during the day!" Wen Fei said.

  "You go yourself, I'm not going!" Zhang Yu said timidly.

  To be honest, Wen Fei was also a bit afraid, otherwise he wouldn't have come to drag the dead fat man together: "The matter of Huang Sheng, I haven't settled accounts with you yet, are you going or not?" Wen Fei asked directly.

  As soon as he said this, Zhang Yu was at a loss. He had no choice but to admit defeat and surrender. After all, who made him betray Wen Fei first? He reluctantly said: "Let's make a deal, this time I'll go with you, and our matter will be settled!"

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