Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 747 Zhao Pu's Worries

The main store of the Northwest Restaurant next to Xiazhou Dongwu Gate is one of the best restaurants in Xiazhou City. Although it was almost evening at this time, the lights were shining brightly and there were still many customers.Jin Lai, the shopkeeper of the Northwest Restaurant, stood in front of the counter and greeted the guests cheerfully. Dr. Tea and Dr. Jiu shuttled back and forth and were very busy.

Jin Laixi saw three scholars in long robes walk into the shop, followed by three little bookboys aged twelve or thirteen in short gray coats with curious eyes.His sharp eyes, forged over decades, are extremely poisonous and accurate. At a glance, he can see that these are three pairs of masters and servants who have traveled a long distance to study here, and they may be scholars from the Song Dynasty.

Such guests don't need him, the shopkeeper, to greet them in person. The waiter will lead them in and warmly entertain them.

The six people were led up to the second floor by Xiaoer, and they cleared a table near the window, and Dr. Tea immediately made a pot of good tea and served it.Under Xiao Er's introduction, the six of them ordered a table of special dishes, various fruits, and a jug of old wine, and started eating.Judging from the meals ordered by the six people, they are from a well-off family, even wealthy.

Recently, the Ministry of Security discovered that spies from the Song and Liao kingdoms were operating in Xiazhou, so the Xiazhou government has quietly instructed the shopkeepers of Xiazhou restaurants and inns to pay attention to all outsiders who may come from the Song and Liao kingdoms , If you find out, the government will reward you a lot.

Now that it has been confirmed that these six people may be from the Song Dynasty, Jin Laixi approached him personally and wanted to take a closer look. Unexpectedly, as soon as he went upstairs and showed his head at the stairs, he was greeted by someone: "Shopkeeper, please come here." Now, let's inquire about something."

Jin Laixi followed his prestige, and he saw that the three Confucian scholars and the three schoolboys looked like they were in the dust.Jin Laixi thought it would be a good time to test your background, so he hurried up and asked, "Young masters, what's the matter?"

But I heard a person say: "We are the sons of the Jingzhao Mansion of the Song Dynasty. We came out to study. I heard that there is a Xiangfu College in the Lushui Lake in the south of the capital of the Xiangfu Kingdom. The emperor of the Xiangfu Kingdom wrote an inscription. I would like to ask, this green water How to go to the lake? How far is it from here?"

Jin Laixi couldn't help being taken aback when he heard the words, and thought to himself that they were from the State of Song. It seems that these people are probably not spies. Thinking this way, he smiled and said: "Young masters, this is not a coincidence. Xiangfu Academy has been here for more than ten days. They recruited more than 500 students, and on April [-]th, Xiangfu Academy started school."

"It doesn't matter, I came here all the time, thinking that Master Xu Shan can't keep us thousands of miles away."

"It's just that the villain heard that the built school building of the college is full. If the young masters can rent a house to live in the villager's house in Lushui Lake, they can go to school with the class. However, I heard that because there are too many students, the college The gentlemen inside are all too busy, and it's up to me to know whether they are willing to accept more people." Jin Laixi had good intentions.

At this time, a little girl came to deliver the food, and he said with a smile: "I heard that Xiangfu College has strict mountain regulations. Students can't graduate if they don't study for three years. And if you want to enter Xiangfu College, you have to pass the exam and pass the exam. Then you can enroll."

It was the first time for those scholars to hear about this rule, and someone asked with a smile: "This rule is unheard of, did this little brother make a mistake?"

Seeing that they didn't believe it, the waiter couldn't help being anxious, and was about to say something, but the shopkeeper Jin Laixi sent him away, showing off by himself: "The young masters think they are foreigners, but they don't know something. This auspicious talisman The academy was established by His Majesty the Emperor of Xiangfu Kingdom, Xu Shanzhang, and all the rules in it were determined by His Majesty's golden words. The four characters of Xiangfu Academy were also written by His Majesty himself. You may wish to think about it, I His Majesty the Emperor of the Xiangfu Kingdom is the reincarnation of the Heavenly Lord, so the rules he made are naturally not comparable to other places, and they must have profound meanings. They are beyond the understanding of ordinary people."

Although the three Confucian scholars were from Song State, and Song State had just been defeated by Xiangfu State not long ago, this did not affect their worship and admiration for Ye Chen.At this time, they heard what Jin Laixi said was just like the rumors, and they couldn't help but believe it a little bit, so someone asked, "What's the difference between that test method?"

Jin Laixi aroused their interest, but he pretended to be embarrassed, and just said it.Those scholars had been traveling for a long time, so they naturally knew the routine, so someone took a piece of broken silver and stuffed it into his hand.

Jin Laixi casually put the silver into his sleeve, squeezed it secretly, and then continued with a smile: "We often have scholars from Xiazhou come to eat here, and many of them study in Xiangfu College. I often hear them say I know a thing or two about the rules of their college. I heard that a gentleman in that college is not called a gentleman, but a teacher or a professor. At the end of each school year, the professor will issue an examination paper for the exam, and only after passing the exam can he be promoted to a higher grade. "

"It's an exam! It's nothing." A scholar smiled disapprovingly.

"Young Master, I don't know. This is the first exam. It's not over yet. After passing, the professor will conduct an interview, which is a face-to-face question and answer. I heard that there are three questions. Answering two correctly is considered a pass. The results of the two exams Only those who have passed the pass can be regarded as qualified and promoted to a higher grade." Jin Laixi was frothing, attracting all the guests to listen to him, or frowning, or falling into deep thought, or looking eager to try.

A scholar thought for a while and said, "May I ask the shopkeeper, what will the Xiangfu Kingdom court do with the last graduate of Xiangfu Academy?"

Jin Laixi was stunned for a moment, but then he said: "Young master wants to study at Xiangfu Academy, and he is worried that he will not have a good future after graduation! This point, from the perspective of a villain, you don't have to worry about it at all. First of all, Yixiang The level of the Fu Academy, it is not easy to be a Jinshi after graduation. Besides, think about it, my son, the Xiangfu Academy that His Majesty the Emperor of the Xiangfu Kingdom personally asked Mr. Xu to establish, and even incorporated the Imperial Academy into it. a bright future."

A guest next to him also said: "You may not know, my Xiangfu country is full of powerful generals, but there is always a shortage of civil servants. Students who graduated from Xiangfu College will naturally be reused by the imperial court."

After hearing this, the three scholars looked at each other and thanked Jin Laixi. After discussing together, they went downstairs to pay the bill, hired a carriage, and hurried out of the city to Lushui Lake Xiangfu Academy.

...

...

"Why is Wa so weak? The capital was captured by Liu Jinyuan so quickly."

In Song Dynasty Prime Minister's Mansion, Zhao Pu was surprised after hearing the report from Fan Changcai, the intelligence officer of Song Wei Mansion.How long has it been since even the capital of Wa Kingdom was burned down.

"The old man remembers that there is a record in the classics handed down from the Tang Dynasty, saying that the Wa country is a big country in the East of the Sea, with a radius of thousands of miles and a population of tens of millions? Why did you even lose the capital? Liu Jinyuan only brought more than 3000 people. Even if you find out Ye Chen still has a stronghold overseas, how many people can he have?"

Fan Changchang said: "Report to Mr. Zhao, the capital of the Japanese, Ping'an, does not have a city wall. It is said that the Japanese only built a long wall and a few forts around the periphery."

Zhao Pu was taken aback when he heard that, and said a little bit dumbfounded: "The capital of the Japanese country is called Ping An Jing, but it is not prepared for danger in times of peace. It doesn't even have a city wall. It is really unbelievable."

In the Song Dynasty, not all cities had city walls.There are quite a few cities in the south that don't have them, even some state cities. Only important buildings in cities such as government offices are protected by walls.Where the city wall should have been, there was only a fence.Some are wooden stakes, but more are wicker, mainly because the cuttings can survive, and when they grow into big trees, they are a good line of defense.

But the capital of a country does not have a city wall, and that is the way for the Japanese to kill themselves. Even the most important capital city is not built with a city wall, which is opening the door and stealing.If it weren't for the fact that the Japanese country had sea water as its external defense, it would have been destroyed many times.

"But even if there is no city wall, given the size of the Japanese people and their large population, they shouldn't have lost so quickly. The old man heard that their swords are very sharp, and the Japanese swords are also very expensive in the capital."

Elder Fan said cautiously: "What Xianggong said is true, it is only the strength of a country's army, not the sword, but the bow, armor, especially the bravery of the soldiers and the strategy of the general, all of which are the key to victory or defeat. In these aspects, it is estimated that the Japanese are far inferior to Liu Jinyuan, which is why they lost so quickly."

Zhao Pu also sighed: "Yes! My Great Song Dynasty was defeated twice in front of the Xiangfu Kingdom. The Khitan cavalry is powerful, so it was defeated in one battle in front of the army of the Xiangfu Kingdom. Although Liu Jinyuan belonged far away overseas, but the same It's Ye Chen from the Xiangfu Kingdom, how could he not be powerful."

Fan Changcai listened thoughtfully to what Zhao Pu said, and suddenly his body shook, and he said solemnly: "What Mr. Xiangfu said is true, the army of Xiangfu Kingdom is indeed powerful. It's just that I also know that the elite soldiers of our Great Song Dynasty will be all in the north. And in the northwest, Liu Jinyuan's subordinates can destroy the Japanese kingdom in the middle of ten months after crossing the sea. What if they occupy the Japanese country, use the Japanese as a source of troops to expand their troops and train their troops, and one day cross the sea and bypass Hebei, and land from Huaidong and Jiangnan?"

Zhao Pu snorted coldly, and said, "You are the intelligence officer of the Song Wei Mansion, and I didn't think of it until now. Compared with Xu Fangyi and Hu Sanguang of the Huaxia Wei Mansion back then, there is a lot of difference!"

Fan Changcai's face was flushed, but he quickly bowed deeply and said, "Your official is stupid, please forgive me."

Zhao Pu sighed, and said, "Okay, from now on, work with your heart, don't patronize to inquire about the news, but use your brain more."

Fan Changcai hurriedly said: "Your official will keep in mind the words of your lord, and will definitely work hard and use your brain more."

Zhao Pu waved his hand, asked Fan Changcai to sit down, and said, "This time, the rapid defeat of the Japanese kingdom is actually the result of a closed door. You can think about it. I thought I could sit back and relax. But when the enemy comes, there is no way to deal with it, except to surrender, and the only option is to die. Therefore, Liu Jinyuan’s affiliation is not as powerful as you imagined. However, the matter of coastal defense must be guarded against.”

Fan Changcai asked humbly: "According to the opinion of the gentleman, how should we deal with it?"

Zhao Pu said: "It is natural to strengthen the navy and build ships."

The country of Wa was far away from the Great Song Dynasty, but whether it was offense or defense, it needed an elite navy that could fight at sea.

(End of this chapter)