“You mean the matter of Zhang Jue will lead to a large-scale war with the Song army?”
After hearing Han Mo’s words, Zhe Yourong gasped and stood up abruptly.
“Look at the people in charge in the imperial court now, which one of them is willing to back down…”
As Han Mo spoke, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of exasperation. This matter was certainly not his fault…
And it wasn’t the fault of the civil officials either. The blame could only be placed on the Northern Song’s flawed military system and those damned corrupt officials.
“If Zhang Jue defects to the Great Song, the Jin people will inevitably send envoys to demand his return. However, if we abandon him, it is inevitable that Guo Yaoshi and others will become disloyal…”
Zhe Yourong, being from a military family herself, could analyze these matters with great insight…
Within a few simple sentences, she had already deduced the general outline of the situation!
“I’ll write to mother right away and have her bring my sister-in-law and siblings to Mingzhou immediately. But what about father…”
Thinking of the impending resumption of war between the Song and Jin, Zhe Yourong began to worry about her father again.
“You can rest assured about that. The Zhe family army’s equipment has been upgraded many times over the past year. The Zhe family army is now strong and well-equipped. As long as they are not in a desperate situation, with your father-in-law’s martial prowess, he will be fine!”
“Mm…”
Although she said this, Zhe Yourong’s eyes clearly showed deep worry.
“Don’t worry, nothing will happen! The Zhe family army was able to fight the Liao people to a draw even when they lacked weapons and equipment. There’s no reason why they would lose to the Jin people now that they are strong and well-equipped. No matter how powerful they are, they are still flesh and blood, not three-headed, six-armed monsters. What is there to fear?”
“But I still feel a little worried, especially for Yanwen…”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already written a memorial to the Emperor, hoping to transfer a unit from the Zhe family army to assist me in training troops in Jiangnan! Mention this to your father-in-law in your letter, and have him escort your mother south with them when the time comes, won’t that solve it?”
“Mm!”
Only after hearing Han Mo’s arrangements did Zhe Yourong finally relax.
“Alright, alright, I shouldn’t have told you all this in the first place. It’s just that if I didn’t explain it clearly to you, I was afraid you would worry even more…”
Putting his arm around Zhe Yourong, Han Mo said with a wry smile.
“If you hadn’t told me, I’m afraid I would have been even more upset…”
Feeling the warmth in Han Mo’s embrace, Zhe Yourong’s tears fell uncontrollably.
“Why are you crying all of a sudden? Don’t worry, nothing will happen. Don’t forget, your father is from the Zhe family of generals!”
After holding Zhe Yourong and comforting her for a long while, Han Mo finally managed to stabilize her emotions.
By the time he walked out of the bedroom again, the sky had gradually darkened.
“What are you doing here? We’re not short of money, why are you still doing this?”
Just as Han Mo, feeling restless, was about to go for a walk, he suddenly saw, in the adjacent room, Chuntao meticulously embroidering a peony picture under the lamplight.
“I’m idle anyway, so I have to find something to do, right?”
Seeing Han Mo walk in, Chuntao put down the peony picture in her hand, turned her head, picked up a copper pot from the nearby table, and poured him a cup of iced perilla drink.
“Isn’t it easy to find something to do? You can read books or practice calligraphy in your free time. How about it? Shall I find you a tutor?”
Having not spoken to Chuntao for a long time, seeing her rosy little face, Han Mo couldn’t help but pinch her cheek.
“I don’t want to learn reading and writing, the thought of it makes my head hurt…”
As Chuntao spoke, she cast a resentful glance at Han Mo.
Caught by her gaze, Han Mo couldn’t help but twitch his lips, feeling inexplicably guilty.
“Then you can find something else to do. Doing this under the lamp is very bad for your eyes. It was unavoidable in the past, but why do you still do it now? You’re not allowed to do this anymore. If you must, do it during the day!”
As Han Mo spoke, he reached out and put the peony picture into a nearby cabinet.
“It’s none of your business. You go find your courtesans, why do you care about me, a little maid…”
Hearing Chuntao’s words, Han Mo became even more embarrassed. It was clear she was jealous.
“I, I, you’re still young. When you’re older, I’ll talk to you about these things…”
After being cornered for a long time, Han Mo finally managed to find an excuse.
“How am I young!”
But to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, Chuntao puffed out her chest and glared at Han Mo with a resentful look.
“Pfft–ch–“
“Alright, I have other things to do these two days and plan to go to Quanzhou. You can help me look after the house, and when I get back, we can discuss our matters, okay?”
Han Mo said, and without waiting for the little girl’s reply, he turned and walked out.
Indeed, having accumulated too many romantic debts made settling them quite troublesome…
After pacing around the backyard, Han Mo, still restless, finally returned to Li Shishi’s courtyard.
Listening to Li Shishi’s melodious zither music, he slowly calmed down…
He had done what he needed to do, and he had done as much as he could. As for the rest, it was no longer within his control.
Since this battle was destined to be fought, at this moment, he could only steel his heart and await its arrival!
The only thing that gave him a glimmer of hope was probably the artillery that was about to be unveiled!
Having this would certainly be good. If it couldn’t be ready in time for this war, he would have to find a way to apply gunpowder weapons in other areas!
If cannons couldn’t be made, trebuchets should be fine, right?
With the superb craftsmanship of the common artisans, building those things would be no difficulty at all. As long as he could draw the blueprints, those artisans would be able to build them with ease!
Apart from being a bit large and inconvenient to move, there seemed to be no other drawbacks.
For naval combat and city defense, these things would be an unparalleled weapon!
Naval combat?
Wait!
As he thought of this, a crazy idea suddenly popped into Han Mo’s mind.
In this era, people’s understanding of naval forces was limited to fighting in rivers, lakes, and seas. No one had ever thought that naval forces could also land!
Moreover, naval and land forces could also cooperate in combat!
The Jin people’s relentless advance was indeed formidable, but if their rear was blocked and they were outflanked, would they really be able to fly away?