Just entered July, Zhao Yu, the envoy of Rujing, was appointed as the governor of Jingxi Road, in charge of catching thieves. As soon as Zhao Yu took office, he became the iron prison.

Du Zhongxiao was in the camp tent in the field, discussing the military situation with Yang Jin, Liu Ji and others, and arranging the drill behind, when a small officer came in and said with a forked hand: "Lift, the new Zhao Yu of Jingxi Road has come to the army after arriving at the iron prison, and is now waiting in the camp in the rear." ”

Du Zhongxiao frowned: "It's the height of summer, why are there still people coming when it's critical?" After autumn, although the weather in the north is getting cooler, I heard that the heat in Quang Nam is still not subsiding, which is not much different from the current weather. Just as the army was about to familiarize himself with how to fight in this kind of world, people came to disturb him from time to time. A few days ago, the newly appointed governor of Xuzhou, Jia Xianggong, had just sent generals to watch, and now he came again. ”

The governor of Xuzhou took Jingxi Road to pacify the envoy, and the handsome minister all the way was originally Wen Yanbo, but he was just transferred away last month and replaced by Jia Changchao. As the commander of the road, Du Zhongxiao led the camp Tianxiang army to practice in the area of the iron prison, and Jia Changchao specially sent trustworthy generals to check. Du Zhongxiao had some friendship with Wen Yanbo and Jia Changchao during the Pingbeizhou Rebellion, and they exchanged books and texts at that time, and they were considered acquaintances. Du Zhongxiao's status has risen over the years, and the two of them just sent someone to ask and did not interfere too much.

Liu Jidao: "Lift, Zhao Yu is the son of Zhao Zhen, the former captain, and his brother Zhao Xun is highly regarded by the saint, and unfortunately died in the battle of Dingchuan Village. Zhao Yu was promoted because of this, not an ordinary person. When we are in the army, let us go and see us. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "That's fine." Orders were given to go down and let the whole army continue the drill as had been set before. Let's go back to the camp! ”

This time, the practice is infantry and artillery coordination, in the upper reaches of Lishui, where Yexian County and Lushan County are close. Yao Shouxin, Shisanlang, Yang Wenguang, Zhao Zi, and Dou Shunqing each led their elites into the mountains in accordance with the battle plan, and inspected artillery attacks on the battlefield designated by Du Zhongxiao and others, and carried out battlefield cover and battlefield isolation for the infantry army. At the same time, the cavalry was dispatched to protect the artillery and the flanks of the whole army, and at the same time to carry out roundabout attacks. The army had just begun, and the officers of Du Zhongxiao's tent were surveying the nearby terrain and making military maps, and the final exercise site had not even been determined.

A few people got on their horses, took their cronies and retinue all the way to the camp, and returned to the camp before departure.

Zhao Yu was already waiting inside, and when he saw Du Zhongxiao and the others, he hurriedly crossed his hands and saluted.

After the cold and noisy, the guests and hosts sat down, Du Zhongxiao ordered tea to come, and said to Zhao Yu: "I don't know that I have come from afar, I can't welcome you from afar, and I hope to forgive my sins." In the past few days, the army has been entering the mountains for exercises, which have just begun, and everything is complicated and the hospitality is not good. ”

Zhao Yu said: "It is a serious matter to raise and drill the army, and there are idle personnel below, and they are disturbed." I went to Jingxi Road to catch thieves, and I didn't want to come here, so as not to be troublesome. However, when he left the palace, the official family specially explained and came here to take a look. How you practice in your army, and how it compares with the previous Western army, should be given a chapter to the officials afterwards. ”

Hearing this, what else can Du Zhongxiao say? Thinking about the benefits, the emperor has not forgotten about his own army. The bad thing is that the emperor thinks too much. His tens of thousands of troops were gathered at once, and the local government cared about it, and the emperor also cared about it, and he specially sent an official he trusted to come to check.

After drinking tea, Du Zhongxiao said: "That is the case, I will follow me into the mountain tomorrow and see if the drill is ready." Unlike other armies, our army uses muskets and artillery, and naturally it is different to fight. Seeing the truth, it is always difficult to know this fact without seeing it with your own eyes. ”

Zhao Yu said: "Artillery is a good thing!" In the past few years, I have been in the northwest, and many key fortified cities have begun to install artillery. Fortify the barracks and set up turrets on the walls, unlike in other days. The western thieves are not good at attacking the city, and with the cannons, the walled city is even more impregnable. It's just that Qinzhou and Zhenrong are far away from the Central Plains, and now there is no railway, so it is very inconvenient to transport artillery shells. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The artillery has no choice but to let the local repair the road to facilitate the movement of the artillery trucks." As for the shells, you can choose a suitable state or county to make your own, which is better than transporting them from a long distance. Although the self-made ones are worse, they can still be used. ”

Zhao Yu said with a smile: "That being said, people always have the heart to compare." For the officers and men on the front line, why do they have to use their own shells when they use shells produced by iron supervisors in other places? It's a bit far off. Now there is no big war, and I am slowly hoarding stool. When the railway can be built to Zhenrong Army in a few years, everything will be different. With a road and a car, it can be reached in a few days from the capital, and it is not far away. ”

The railway court on Shaanxi Road has spent countless efforts, and the iron supervisor has provided a lot of material support, and it has just been repaired to Baoji County, Fengxiang Prefecture. The next step is to prepare from Baoji to Zhenrong Army, once this line can be opened, it will open the channel for direct attack on the party. After passing the Zhenrong army, with the support of the railway, two or three hundred thousand troops can advance together, and the party cannot stop it no matter what. Now that it has been repaired to Baoji, the party is much more honest, and no matter in which direction, it does not dare to act rashly. Otherwise, as soon as the direction of the Zhenrong army is contained, the party will be passive.

Another railway proposed by the imperial court to be built on Shaanxi Road was from Jingzhaofu to Yanzhou. Jingzhao Mansion is also the Yongxing Army, that is, the ancient capital of Chang'an, at this time divided into Chang'an and Wannian two counties. This is one of the special places in the world, by the military status is important, generally do not use the name of Jingzhao Mansion, the important ministers are called Zhi Yongxing Army, and not like other places called Zhi Zhi Prefecture Governor of a certain prefecture.

Between Jingzhaofu and Yanzhou, there is a large loess plateau, in which the ravines are vertical and horizontal, and the road is very difficult to walk. Although it has been developed for thousands of years, the middle road has long been explored, and it is still not easy to build a railway. When you open a road in a mountain and build a bridge in a river, the cost of building a road there is too high. Most of the railways that have been repaired are in the plain areas, and once the railway between Jingzhaofu and Yanzhou is completed, the road construction technology will be on a higher level.

Listening to Zhao Yu's introduction to the situation in the northwest, Du Zhongxiao nodded again and again. Once the road is opened, the Guanzhong and the Central Plains along the road will form a whole and can support the front-line operations against the party, and everything will be completely different. The limit of the party's strength, that is, it can block the Song army's 120,000 people, and the Song army's frontline is in difficulty, so that the party has a chance to win. With the railway, the Song army could completely gather four or five hundred thousand soldiers and horses on the front line, and it would not be a problem to sweep the party.

This is where the party is different from the Khitan, with limited territory, limited population, and limited military strength. The party was at a disadvantage against the Khitan, and it had to rely on the large desert no-man's land between the two countries to have a chance of victory. For the Song Dynasty, the position of geographical advantages was more important, relying on geography to form a local advantage over the Song Dynasty army, so that it could be attacked and defended. Once the Song Dynasty was able to assemble a large number of troops at the front, the national strength of the party determined that it could not be comparative. Unlike the Khitan, even if the Song Dynasty gathered troops on the front line, the Khitan still had enough military strength to make the two sides evenly matched. Unless the Song Dynasty completed the development of the south, could carry out military mobilization, and put its forces on the front line, it could suppress the Khitan.

Railways are the direction in which the world's military forces are gathered. Now it is mainly economic, and the place reached by the railway is developed, and the most lively place is Jinghu South North Road. If, in turn, military forces are projected into the North from these developed and developing areas, the balance of military power of each country changes. Even if it was a refueling tactic, the Song Dynasty also had a steady stream of manpower and material resources thrown into the front line.

Now that the railway network in the north is being formed, it is not the time for war with the Khitan and the party, but the focus is on developing the south and quelling the rebellion. Du Zhongxiao's understanding of the current situation believes that the central court should have this plan. A few years was enough for the imperial court to realize the importance of the railway, and the strategic railway should be built in a planned way. Once that's done, it's a completely different story.