Chapter 30: The Situation Is Entirely Within My Grasp

"Your Majesty, the Jin army has ceased their assault on the city." Gao Qiu conveyed this piece of good news to Zhao Ning at the first opportunity.

"As expected."

"Your Majesty is truly wise."

"It is not my wisdom, but the loyalty and courage of the soldiers on the ramparts."

"Indeed, Your Majesty is right."

The news also spread to the two government offices, the three financial departments, and every administrative office in Tokyo. The siege, which had lasted for nearly two hours, had finally come to an end. The Jin forces had been repelled once again. If the previous successful defense had been dismissed by many in the city as a stroke of luck, this time it undoubtedly bolstered the confidence of everyone within the walls.

For Zhao Ning, this successful defense served to elevate his prestige within Tokyo to an unprecedented height. However, he knew that this was merely a minor defensive success. It was not a victory, let alone a final one. Nevertheless, he intended to leverage this achievement to launch a massive propaganda campaign within the city, further embedding the concept that "we can win" into the minds of the populace. It would be ideal if he could sear the conviction of "certain victory" into the minds of the citizens and the military, though that remained unlikely.

The casualty figures were reported shortly thereafter. At the South City Gate, 86 soldiers were killed in action, 112 were severely wounded, and 363 sustained minor injuries. At the West City Gate, 60 were killed, 87 severely wounded, and 238 sustained minor injuries. As the overall commander, Zhao Ning had only one task: to maintain the confidence of the defending soldiers and civilians. Only by sustaining this state could they remain steady in the confrontations to come.

Victory in war is not achieved by repelling the enemy once or twice. War is a protracted process, and one must remain steadfast. The core of remaining steadfast lies in maintaining current morale. How should it be maintained? Through action.

First, publish the names of the fallen in the *Tokyo Daily* and commend them throughout the city.

Second, distribute compensation—30 strings of cash for each soldier killed in action.

Third, establish a Shrine of Loyalty and Martyrdom, housing the tablets of all the fallen so they may be revered by the people.

By providing both material and spiritual support, he would comfort the families of the fallen and send a clear message to all others. If he wanted others to be willing to sacrifice their lives for the country during this war, he had to provide the corresponding recognition.

Zhao Ning instructed Qin Hui to organize the headline for tomorrow's *Tokyo Daily*. In truth, Zhao Ning had wanted to write a summary of this defensive battle himself; he wanted to tell the people how to proceed, reminding everyone not to get carried away and to remain steady. However, he temporarily ceded the front page to the commendations and eulogies for the fallen soldiers.

In the afternoon, he summoned Zhang Shuye once more to discuss the issue of compensation for the fallen and severely wounded soldiers. Zhao Ning finally made the decision: 30 strings of cash for each fallen soldier, with an increase of 10 strings for every rank above the base. For the severely wounded, 15 strings, with an increase of 5 strings for every rank above the base.

What did these figures signify? An ordinary frontline Imperial Guard member earned about 400 wen per month, while higher-ranking ordinary guards earned only 600 wen. 30 strings of cash was equivalent to 30,000 wen—roughly 60 months of salary, or about five years' worth.

How did this compare to the past? The Northern Song Dynasty had its own pension system. The imperial court stipulated that those severely wounded while capturing or killing bandits would receive 2,000 wen—that is, 2 strings of cash—while those with minor injuries would receive 1,000. As for officers from the rank of Vice Commander up to the Army Commander, the severely wounded received 7 bolts of silk, and those with minor injuries received 5. For Vice Battalion Commanders and above, 5 bolts for severe injuries and 3 for minor ones. During the reign of Emperor Huizong, a bolt of silk was worth approximately 1.5 strings of cash. Thus, 7 bolts amounted to 10.5 strings of cash—and mind you, this was for a severely wounded Army Commander, an officer equivalent to a modern corps commander.

Looking at the temporary pension amount set by Zhao Ning, it was clear how much it had increased. Why set it so high? Honestly, while it was high compared to the past, it was not high when compared to the salaries of the civil officials of the Great Song. A Chancellor earned 900 strings of cash a month! The salary structure of the Great Song was far too top-heavy, which was irrational. Although this was only a temporary pension, Zhao Ning was using it as a pretext to begin laying the groundwork for military and political reform. This was merely an inconspicuous beginning.

To protect the nation, one must rely on soldiers; to make soldiers fight for the country, one must ensure their most basic needs are met. The total cost—4,380 strings for the fallen, 3,000 for the severely wounded, and additional amounts for those with minor injuries—came to just over 8,000 strings. Zhao Ning was currently short on funds, but he could still manage this amount.

"Lord Zhang, have this done today. Deliver all the money to the homes of the fallen and hand it to their families. It must be completed today."

"Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured. I shall arrange it immediately."

Zhang Shuye understood the importance of this; it was a demonstration for everyone else to see, showing them the current court's attitude toward those who died in battle.

As soon as Zhang Shuye left, Wang Huaiji arrived. "Your Majesty, the Prince of Yun requests an audience."

The Prince of Yun? Zhao Kai? What was he doing here? Zhao Kai was a rather unique figure within the Northern Song royal family. He had almost ascended to the throne himself.

"Let him in."

A short while later, Zhao Kai entered. "Your subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"What brings the Prince of Yun to see me?"

"I heard that the Jin army has retreated, so I came specifically to congratulate Your Majesty."

"What is there to congratulate?"

Zhao Kai was the third son of Zhao Ji and was his favorite because he was handsome, talented, and had even once sat for the imperial examination under an alias and earned the title of top scholar. It was said that Zhao Ji had long wanted to depose Zhao Huan and appoint Zhao Kai as his successor. Had the Jin army not suddenly marched south, causing Zhao Ji to lose his composure and pass the throne to Zhao Huan, it was possible that Zhao Huan would have indeed been deposed. It was also said that when Zhao Ji was passing the throne to Zhao Huan, Zhao Huan had adamantly refused to ascend, and Zhao Kai had tried to force his way into the palace, hoping that Zhao Ji would pass the throne to him instead.

"The Jin people are wolves with wild ambitions. Our army fought bravely to kill the enemy and repel them; it is naturally a cause for celebration." After saying this, Zhao Kai produced a sealed item and continued, "By the way, Your Majesty, this is a secret memorial from a minister."

The secret memorial system was a form of private reporting in the Song Dynasty. These memorials could be submitted to the emperor through various channels, one of which was through royal family members or relatives of the imperial consort.

Zhao Ning took it; it was a strictly sealed document. The secret memorial system of the Song was extremely rigorous; any sign of tampering would be strictly investigated and heavily punished. Curious, Zhao Ning opened it. What could the ministers have to say that they could not speak of openly?

Upon reading it, he found it was written by Mo Chou. It was actually a request to go on the offensive, linked to the success of today's defensive battle. Mo Chou's core message was that the imperial court should capitalize on the victory and take the initiative to attack the Jin army.

This was absurd! Initiating an attack! They had achieved a tiny bit of success, and now they were getting carried away! No—this wasn't just being carried away; it was pure opportunism. They were merely pandering to the emperor. They believed that the emperor's recent behavior signaled a determination to fight to the death, so upon seeing today's defensive victory, they immediately began to cater to his perceived will.

Zhao Ning looked at Zhao Kai. He did not know why Zhao Kai was the one delivering this secret memorial, nor did he know if Zhao Kai was aware of its contents. He said, "It is a secret memorial from Mo Chou, suggesting that I take the initiative to attack and pursue the enemy while we have the momentum."

Zhao Kai replied, "I actually think Mo Chou has a point. With our army's morale currently high, we are fully capable of launching an offensive."

"You think so too?"

Zhao Ning grew immediately vigilant. If it were only Mo Chou who thought this, it might be manageable, but Zhao Kai as well? One had to remember that, like Mo Chou, Zhao Kai was a member of the peace faction. For them to suddenly advocate for an active offensive was ludicrous.

"Yes, your subject feels the same way."

Seeing that Zhao Kai seemed to have more to say, Zhao Ning interrupted, "That is enough. I am aware. You may withdraw."

"Your Majesty..."

"I am a bit tired. We shall discuss other matters another day."

"Your subject takes his leave."

Meanwhile, in the Jin commander's tent, Wanyan Zongwang’s tone remained calm, but there was a shadow in his brow. "The situation has changed."

In today's assault, the morale of the Song army was fundamentally different from the previous one. After a moment of silence, Liu Yanzong spoke, "This is entirely my fault. I misjudged the situation and advised the Vice Marshal to launch the assault."

As soon as Wanyan Shemu saw Liu Yanzong admit his mistake, he seized the opportunity. "Liu Yanzong, how do you intend to answer for this!"

Zongwang said, "One cannot solely blame Liu Yanzong; circumstances have changed."

Shi Li'ai added, "Marshal, the Song army's morale is currently peaking. We must not launch another reckless assault."

"Do you have any good suggestions?"

"Construct more trebuchets. We had too few this time. If we can increase the number to 200, taking the city will naturally be easier. For now, we should prioritize the siege, wear down the morale of the Song army, and wait for the best opportunity."