In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

When Zhao Jun and others arrived at Houyuan, Zhao Zhen was already waiting for them in Linhua Hall.

Linhua Palace is a palace built in recent years.

Since learning that the buildings in the palace were poisonous, Zhao Zhen moved to Houyuan to live permanently and built some reinforced concrete buildings in Houyuan.

It includes several science palaces, laboratories, dormitories, lounges, studies, several experimental fields, etc.

Among them, Linhua Hall is where Zhao Zhen usually rests temporarily when he is tired from work.

The house is not big, just over 100 square meters, a three-story building with cement brick walls.

Except that the roof above is made of glazed tiles, golden nanmu beams and many other features such as brackets and cornices, four dragons and four phoenixes, it is no different from the three-story small buildings in rural areas in later generations.

However, Zhao Zhen likes this kind of building very much. Although the previous wooden buildings were gorgeous and decorated with carved buildings and paintings, they were far less safe than the reinforced concrete buildings that gave him.

Just like an accident happened some time ago when doing chemical experiments, a little eunuch accidentally touched "sodium" into the water.

At that time, there was smoke in the water, and Zhao Zhen was so frightened that he quickly hid behind the marble cement table next to him.

As a result, there was a "bang" sound. After the explosion, the surrounding wooden tables were shattered. Only his cement table remained motionless without any damage.

After this time, Zhao Zhen fell in love with this sturdy way of building.

Zhao Zhen stood outside Linhua Hall, with Li Di, Zhang Shixun and other prime ministers already there behind him. When he saw Zhao Jun, Fan Zhongyan and others approaching, he walked down the steps to greet them.

"Hahahahahaha."

Zhao Zhen came to everyone and laughed heartily.

Fan Zhongyan quickly raised his hands and said: "Guan family, I am fortunate to have fulfilled my destiny and regained Yanyun."

"Fan Qing, I'm so happy."

Zhao Zhen couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He went up and hugged Fan Zhongyan, and then patted him on the shoulder.

This move made Fan Zhongyan stagnate slightly, but then he relaxed and said with a smile: "This is all the officials' wisdom and the soldiers' lives."

"I know that there will be certain casualties in recovering Yanyun this time, but compared with the casualties of the Liao people, our casualties can be considered negligible. This is all the credit of Fan Qing."

Zhao Zhen let go of Fan Zhongyan and then said: "Don't worry, the imperial court will certainly provide generous compensation to the soldiers who were killed or injured in this battle, including those who were killed or injured due to illness."

In this battle, the Liao people suffered a huge defeat, with more than 200,000 casualties, prisoners, and surrenders. The Liao country could be said to have been severely damaged and suffered heavy casualties.

In contrast, the casualty statistics of the Song Army have been released, and there are only about 20,000 people, and the vast majority of them were not killed or injured on the battlefield, but because of illness.

The problem of disease has always been one of the important obstacles to marching and fighting in ancient times. In the Battle of Chibi, the world only knew that the Sun and Liu coalition defeated Cao Cao, but they did not know that even after burning Chibi, Cao Cao still had the strength to attack.

However, due to the epidemic of plague in the army, Cao Cao had to withdraw his troops. This made the world think that the burning of Chibi established this great victory. However, they do not know if there had been no plague and Cao Cao later attacked south, whether the Sun and Liu coalition could still withstand it. .

Fan Zhongyan's battle to regain Yanyun lasted for a whole winter and half of a spring. Winter and spring alternated so much that there were many sick people in the army. Even with cotton-padded clothes to keep him warm, various infections still occurred, causing Song Jun to suffer from diseases.

For example, when Di Qing attacked Yuguan, it rained heavily and snowed again, and as many as 30 to 40 percent of the navy's patients were infected. Nearly ten thousand soldiers on Fan Zhongyan's main force were sick and could not go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

Even more civilians and auxiliary soldiers fell ill during the rain and snow last winter, totaling at least 40,000 to 50,000 people.

Therefore, if those sick soldiers are excluded, the actual casualty rate of the Song Army is very low, less than six to seven thousand people. This battle loss ratio can be said to be extremely exaggerated.

"I would like to thank Your Majesty on behalf of the soldiers."

Fan Zhongyan quickly raised his hands and saluted. Although not many soldiers were killed this time, the Song army's pension was already generous, and any more gifts would be a burden on the government.

However, these are all soldiers who fought for the country, and giving them more pensions is exactly what they should do.

"I have been longing for this day for too long. Yan Yun has always been the heartache of our ancestors. Since Taizu Taizong, everyone has wanted to regain this lost land. Now we finally have the result."

Zhao Zhen turned around and walked towards Linhua Hall first. As he walked, he said with emotion: "Whether it is in later generations or in the present, no one knows that the Song Dynasty has never been a unified dynasty. Now that I can regain Yanyun, I am worthy of the list." My ancestors are worthy of the common people."

"What can we say about the first month of the year, which means great unification? The king is ordered to control the first month to unify the world, so that all things can be worshiped accordingly. Therefore, it is said that great unification has been the goal of all dynasties since ancient times."

Yan Shu said softly: "Since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the world has been in constant war and chaos. Throughout his life, Taizu Taizong wanted to take back his homeland of China, unify the world, and end these disputes. It is a pity that time and fate have passed. Now I finally got what I wanted."

"The Han people have lost the land of Yanyun for too long, and the old land of China will always be the pain of the Song Dynasty. To this day, after the Battle of Gaoliang River, some people lamented that the Liao was as fearful as the tiger, and Yanyun was unattainable."

Cai Qi also said: "This battle is not just as simple as regaining Yanyun, but it is also a way to get rid of the trend that our Song Dynasty army was afraid of foreign enemies and only dared to form formations to protect itself and did not dare to take the initiative. Since then, our Song Dynasty army has been afraid of foreign enemies. Finally, we have a powerful force."

"Yes, no matter how successful we were in the past, the impact caused after the Battle of Gaoliang River was already deeply ingrained. Even ten years ago, we were still afraid of Liao and Xia, and our combat power was worrying."

Song Shou also said: "But now that we have won every battle, we have finally established the majesty of the heroic soldiers of the Song Dynasty, so that the army dares to fight without fear of war. It is a pity that Lu Gong and Wang Gong did not see them To this day, how happy would they be otherwise?”

Everyone looked at each other and nodded with emotion.

The impact of this battle goes far beyond the fact that the Song Dynasty officially entered the ranks of a unified dynasty. It can also be said to be the battle for the founding of the country.

The unification of the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty was obviously not the ultimate goal, but just the beginning.

After unifying the world, the soldiers and horses in their hands are the most elite soldiers and horses. They are extremely proud and confident, and have the confidence to dare to fight the enemy to the death.

That's why the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty were so powerful that the surrounding countries were submissive from then on. Those who violated the power of the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty would be punished no matter how far away they were.

Looking back at the Song Dynasty, since the Battle of Gaoliang River, the army of the Song Dynasty seemed to have been castrated overnight. It was helpless when fighting foreign enemies and lost one battle after another.

Although the number of Yiling's troops was the largest in all dynasties, their military strength was very weak. He was forced to pay annual tribute many times, so that he earned the same reputation as Dai Qing, "Anyone who offends us in the Song Dynasty will be compensated no matter how far away he is."

But now.

As the Song army first defeated the invading Xixia and Liao kingdoms, it now actively counterattacked, captured cities and territories, and even recovered Yanyun.

The Song Dynasty's army also became more confident in one battle after another, and its morale has reached its peak now.

When a country's national strength and military morale reach their peak, it almost means that the country's military force is already very strong.

Just like the strong Han Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, it can be said that Zhao Kuangyin only established a country a hundred years ago, but did not make the country truly stand.

It is not until today that the country of the Song Dynasty has officially risen and can proudly declare their power to the world and all surrounding countries.

Just like some people die at the age of 20 and are buried at the age of 80.

Some people were buried when they were 20 years old, but they seemed to be alive when they were 80 years old.

"alright."

Zhao Zhen led everyone into the palace.

There was a marble round table in the room. He walked to the table and said, "Sit down and talk. Today is to take care of Fan Qing."

With that said, Zhao Zhen summoned Wang Shouzhong and asked him to go to the imperial kitchen and give instructions that the food could be served.

The dishes are all ready-made, always warm, and can be served now.

Everyone sat down one after another.

Zhao Zhen sat on the main seat, with Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan on his left and right.

In the past, in order of seniority, after the death of Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng, Yan Shu should be sitting in the third position.

Fan Zhongyan, on the other hand, can only be ranked sixth under Cai Qi and Song Shou.

But today he is the protagonist, so his current position is actually only sitting below Zhao Zhen and Zhao Jun, giving him quite a lot of power.

"Come on, come on, Xiwen has been working hard all the way. Let's drink a cup of tea first to moisten his throat."

Yan Shu personally poured tea for Fan Zhongyan, which flattered him.

Zhao Zhen said: "I know that Fan Qing likes books and is very knowledgeable about calligraphy. I really don't have this "Preface to the Lanting Collection", but Su Shunqin wanted to sell "Autobiography" some time ago, and I bought it and gave it to him as a gift. You."

Fan Zhongyan said with great joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I can't be stingy with such a big gift from an official. Xiwen, I have a pair of Bian Luan's "Flying Eagle Picture", just think of it as a congratulatory gift for your triumphant return."

"I don't have anything good, so I'll give you three taels of dragon and phoenix tea."

"Hey, isn't this a good thing? Looking at you like this, I'm afraid I might draw some blood."

Several old men smiled and promised Fan Zhongyan gifts.

In fact, they used to give gifts to colleagues, but it was not a big deal.

And this is something they have discussed.

Mainly because Fan Zhongyan made a great contribution this time and brought Yan Yun back, there really is nothing to reward him.

You can't be crowned king.

Although Tong Guan later briefly took back about half of the sixteen states of Yanyun, Song Huizong named him king.

But that was a promise in advance, and secondly, Tong Guan had to be an eunuch to gain Song Huizong's trust.

Otherwise, in the late Northern Song Dynasty, there were many famous generals such as Zhong Shidao and Zongze. Why did Song Huizong have to let Tong Guan lead the army?

Therefore, it is no longer possible to grant Fan Zhongyan the title of king. His official position has reached its peak in this life.

The title of Prime Minister of Tongzhi of the Constitutional Yuan is added to the title of Duke of the Kingdom, and the rest of the titles such as Shangzhuguo, Kaifu Yitong and Sansi are filled with casual officials. This is basically it.

Unless Zhao Jun steps down and gives up his position in the magistrate's court, there will be no seal for him.

But if Zhao Jun dares to retreat, does Fan Zhongyan dare to go up?

So you can't just give things as rewards.

Fan Zhongyan naturally understood this, and said with a smile: "It's usually not easy to get something good from you guys, but today it's your turn to bleed, so I won't be polite."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone laughed.

While he was talking, the dishes were placed one after another.

Platefuls of sumptuous dishes were served.

Yan Shu exclaimed: "It's thanks to Xiwen that he has a big elbow today."

"There are also golden chicken, braised pork, stir-fried pork with chili, golden jade soup, crispy bone fish, crystal dumplings, and preserved venison."

"These are dishes that were not common in the past. Now the diet of people in Bianliang is richer."

"Of course, everyone knows that Hanlong is delicious. I heard that he stole Su Dongpo's Dongpo pork and changed it to Hanlong pork."

Everyone laughed and said.

Zhao Jun rolled his eyes and said, "Don't be so harsh. Su Shi was young. If I hadn't invented it first, you would have eaten it many years later."

"Ah."

Yan Shu said contemptuously, "You kid, even if what you said makes sense, what about you stealing other people's poems? The last time Su Xun came to Bianliang to report on his work, he heard that his ten-year-old son Su Shi praised the Great River Eastward and the waves washed away, and said he wanted to learn from Mr. Lu Xun."

"Eat, eat."

Zhao Jun picked up the chopsticks and felt a little guilty.

I hope that in the future Su Shi will not feel that he has always lived in the shadow of Lu Xun.

Everyone toasted each other, and the atmosphere was warm.

When the meal was halfway through, there was a sudden noise outside, which seemed to be all women's voices.

Zhao Zhen leaned over and said, "Wang Shouzhong, what's going on?"

Wang Shouzhong came in sweating profusely, and said with a bent waist, "Your Majesty, it's Concubine Yu, Concubine Miao and the others."

"Get out of the way."

Concubine Yu, Concubine Miao and seven or eight other concubines pushed aside the palace maids who were blocking the way and walked in aggressively.

Wang Shouzhong went over and kowtowed again, almost crying anxiously, saying, "Ladies, ladies, His Majesty is entertaining many gentlemen today, and we really can't bother you. Please take a detour, please take a detour."

"What detour?"

Concubine Miao put her hands on her hips and raised her eyes, saying, "This palace is small to begin with. We have to walk such a long way from the bedroom to the small garden in the east to play, and now so many houses have been built on the road. There are some palaces and farmlands in front. If we take a long detour, we have to cross the ridges, which will make our skirts and shoes dirty. Why is your Majesty entertaining all the gentlemen? "Can't we just pass through here? The husbands eat the husbands' food, and we just walk our way."

"Yes, why?"

"The palace is so small. We could walk around the back garden before, but now we can only walk around the small garden in the east. But now we are not allowed to go to the small garden."

"The emperor knows how to do something here every day, and only comes to sleep at night when he thinks of us. He has us sisters in his heart."

"Isn't it? The emperor, please say something."

The concubines all put their hands on their waists and questioned loudly. Although they were not fierce and aggressive, they squeezed forward one by one, and the fragrance hit them, full of oppression.

Everyone looked at each other, and they were at a loss. Zhao Zhen smiled bitterly and held his forehead in distress.

This is still the historical problem.

It was because the buildings in the palace were poisonous that Zhao Zhen had to move to the back garden and built many palaces in the back garden.

But this move caused dissatisfaction among many concubines in the harem.

Even Empress Cao was unhappy, but she was a reserved person and didn't show off to Zhao Zhen.

The main reason was that the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty was originally narrow, only 1.14 square kilometers, which was six times smaller than the 6.87 square kilometers of the Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty.

Moreover, only the North Palace of the Song Dynasty was where Zhao Zhen lived, and the South Palace was where officials attended court, worked, and the imperial guards were stationed.

Even if the area of ​​the South Palace was smaller than that of the North Palace, the 1.14 square kilometers would have to be cut by half, leaving less than 0.7 square kilometers of living area for the royal family.

In addition, there was still the problem of toxic buildings, so Zhao Zhen moved all the concubines in the harem to live in the back garden, but the area of ​​the back garden was only one-fifth of the North Palace.

As a result, the entire harem of concubines had less than 0.2 square kilometers of land for living and playing, which was almost 300 acres.

And Zhao Zhen had to build various buildings and experimental fields on this 300 acres of land, squeezing out the environmental space of the back garden.

As members of the royal family, concubines could not leave the palace for their entire lives, like imprisoned canaries. The only places where they could have some entertainment were the Yanfu Palace and the back garden.

However, the Yanfu Palace was not expanded until the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, and there is nothing fun there now. At least in the back garden, they can enjoy outings, kick shuttlecocks, dance, swing and other entertainment activities.

If they continue like this, their space for activities will become narrower and narrower, which will make them unhappy, right?

Zhao Jun glanced at Zhao Zhen.

Although Zhao Zhen put his hand on his forehead to look helpless, he did not speak to stop him.

I think there might be some explanation here.

However, Zhao Jun did not expose it, but smiled, turned his head and asked Xia Song: "Xia Xianggong."

"Zhiyuan."

Xia Song looked at Zhao Jun hurriedly.

Zhao Jun continued: "How much surplus do we have in the treasury now?"

"Last year's annual revenue reached 120 million, an increase of more than 10 million strings compared to the year before. The court said that the court should not have the habit of saving money. It should still be spent. It is even better to have a certain fiscal deficit."

Xia Song understood what he meant and said: "So this year we plan to continue to increase spending on education and infrastructure, build more schools and more railroad tracks."

"Education and roads must be built, but urban construction cannot be reduced."

Zhao Jun looked around and said with a smile: "Now Bianliang is getting bigger and bigger, and it will definitely be bigger in the future. The palace is indeed too narrow. I suggest that the palace be expanded?"

"How can this be possible?"

Zhao Zhen hurriedly said: "Outside the palace are residential houses. How can the people be willing?"

"Demolish it."

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "Now the inner and outer cities of Bianliang are still made of wooden buildings, which are too dangerous. Once a fire breaks out, it will cause great damage."

"It's time to switch to a modern city of steel and concrete."

He continued: "Originally, I wanted to tear down the city wall, but thinking that this is our country's cultural heritage and historical relics, I will keep it first. Our urban development must be put on the agenda, and we cannot keep these dangers. Building it.”

"Well, it's really time to develop the city."

"The construction outside Bianliang City is better than the construction inside the city, which is indeed a bit outrageous."

“Development cannot be static.”

Everyone said one after another.

"And now that Yanyun has taken it back, it's better to set Youzhou as Beijing and cancel Daming Mansion."

Zhao Jun finally said: "In the future, palaces will be built in Chengdu, Chang'an, Youzhou, Jiangning and other places as temporary palaces for officials."

He looked at Zhao Zhen and said with a smile: "As the emperor, the official is rich all over the world. How can he stay in the palace every day? He should take his wife and children to travel around the world and see it, right?"

In an instant, Zhao Zhen raised his head and looked at Zhao Jun, as if there was light in his eyes.