Chapter 33: An Arms Race Between the Song and the Jin?

December 5th, heavy snow.

Zhao Ning climbed out from under Zhu Lian's quilt and took a sniff; it still smelled fragrant. Women are made of water, soft and sweet-scented.

"Your Majesty, must you leave so early?"
"I have matters to attend to today."

Zhao Ning dressed, returned to the Tangmu Pavilion for a hot shower, and immediately felt refreshed. By the time he finished his breakfast, the sky was just brightening, and he departed the palace. Zhang Shuye was already waiting outside.

Along the way, he saw commoners running out to the roadside to hack at trees, gathering wood to take home for fuel. Jing Chao initially wanted to stop them, but Zhao Ning held him back.

"Your Majesty," Jing Chao said, "cutting down trees along the road is strictly prohibited by imperial decree."
"Let them be for now; these are extraordinary times." Zhao Ning squinted at those hunched figures, running swiftly through the wind and snow with armfuls of firewood, and felt a surge of emotion.
"Your Majesty's compassion for the people will surely be recognized by them," Jing Chao remarked.

Jing Chao himself came from humble beginnings and could empathize with their hardships. Perhaps that was the reason why, in official history, he chose to leap to his death rather than surrender to Yue Fei. After all, for those at the bottom of the social ladder, climbing upward is incredibly difficult; one remembers the benefactor who offered them a chance with deep gratitude.

In truth, the administration within the city was much more relaxed than it had been in the past. Perhaps it was because the officials no longer had the heart for governance, or perhaps everyone felt that at such a time, internal strife should be avoided. Yet, some did not see it that way; some felt their own interests were being compromised and were beginning to fight back.

The carriage soon arrived at the North-South Workshops. Zhao Ning stepped down, and several officials from the Directorate of Armaments were already waiting at the entrance to receive the imperial carriage.

"Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty."
Zhao Ning alighted and said, "Rise."
"We thank Your Majesty."

The Directorate of Armaments was the government agency overseeing weapon manufacturing, but the actual production took place here at the North-South Workshops. The Directorate had its roots in the Tang Dynasty. Initially, the Song Dynasty lacked such an agency, relying instead on the North-South Workshops managed by the Armaments Bureau under the Ministry of Finance. Later, during Wang Anshi's reforms, Emperor Shenzong and Wang Anshi—both seemingly "Tang enthusiasts"—believed that restoring Tang institutions would strengthen the nation. Thus, the Directorate of Armaments was established, with the reformist leader Lü Huiqing overseeing the transformation into a national armament management system.

Li Chong, the Director of Armaments, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, please, this way."

"Minister Li."
"I am here, Your Majesty."
"My purpose in coming today, along with Minister Zhang Shuye, is to propose some requirements for weaponry to prepare for the defense against our enemies."
"I understand. Please, Your Majesty and Minister Zhang, state your requirements, and we shall do our utmost."

Li Chong spoke eloquently.

"Let us first inspect the construction of the trebuchets."
"This way, Your Majesty."

Wanyan Zonghan was currently playing a game of fake peace negotiations while simultaneously preparing for a larger-scale siege. Zhao Ning could not afford to be idle; since the war machine of the Great Song had been set in motion, it needed to be running at full capacity.

Wanyan Zonghan had spent nine months besieging Taiyuan, eventually gnawing it down. The entire garrison of Taiyuan had died for their country. The sheer brutality of the Battle of Taiyuan was unimaginable to those who had not witnessed it, which served as a testament to Zonghan's terrifying resolve and ruthless methods. The enemy Zhao Ning faced was undoubtedly the most formidable army in the world. Moreover, Zonghan led all the famous Jurchen generals, along with the most capable Han officials who had defected from the Liao Dynasty. Even the Crusaders of Europe would have been crushed into dust before the Jin army of this era.

Against such an opponent, one had to prepare with all one's might, without a moment of relaxation.

Zhao Ning led the group to the area where the trebuchets were manufactured. By the Song Dynasty, the craftsmanship of these siege engines had reached its zenith. During the Song-Jin wars, the Jin learned this technology, and after the Jingkang Incident, they swept away all the military equipment from the Eastern Capital, taking it north along with all the skilled artisans. This eventually allowed the Mongols, upon their rise and the destruction of the Jin, to inherit all of the Song’s armor-forging, gunpowder, and trebuchet technologies, which they further spread to the West during their own conquests. Thus, one could say the Northern Song represented the pinnacle of human craftsmanship at the time. The Song Dynasty was not merely culturally advanced; three of the Four Great Inventions belonged to this era.

Seeing the rows of trebuchets standing there, Zhao Ning felt a sense of awe. Most of the trebuchets on the corner towers had been damaged in recent days and needed replacement; these were the new ones.

"How many trebuchets can be placed on one section of the city wall?" Zhao Ning asked.
Zhang Shuye replied, "If spaced at three zhang apart, one could place over 600, though that is unnecessary as the enemy will not launch a full-front siege."
"Then how many do you think would be appropriate for one wall?"
"200 would suffice."
"So, we need a total of 800?"
"Yes."
"Very well, let us proceed with that number. Is that acceptable?" Zhao Ning asked Li Chong.

Li Chong’s heart tightened. "May I ask how long Your Majesty expects this order to be completed?"
"Within a month."
"One month... that is quite tight."
"I recall the East-West Workshops have 5,000 personnel, and the Imperial Armory has another 3,000."
"That is true, but to manufacture 800 units in a month..."
"Where lies the difficulty? Is it a shortage of manpower or raw materials?"
"Primarily a shortage of raw materials."
"What about small-scale trebuchets?"

Wang Si, an assistant official at the Directorate, spoke up, "If we focus on small-scale trebuchets, it is feasible."

Zhao Ning looked at him with interest. "Then proceed with the small-scale trebuchets. Besides, the city towers are not well-suited for large ones anyway." He then asked, "What is your name?"
"Your subject is Wang Si, Assistant at the Directorate of Armaments."

Oh, it was actually Wang Si!
"Is Wang Boyan your father?"
"Indeed, he is."

Good heavens, Wang Boyan was a notorious traitor during the transition between the two Song eras! At this moment, Wang Boyan was the Prefect of Xiangzhou. A month ago, Emperor Qinzong had sent Prince Kang, Zhao Gou, on a diplomatic mission to the Jin camp, but he was intercepted by Zong Ze in Cizhou. Zhao Gou then turned and stayed in Xiangzhou. According to history, the Eastern Capital would fall, and Zhao Gou would be named Commander-in-Chief of all armies, eventually fleeing south to establish his reign in Yingtian Prefecture. Among those who supported his ascension was the arch-traitor of the surrender faction, Wang Boyan.

That said, Zhao Gou was likely already recruiting his loyalist army in Xiangzhou. Zong Ze in Cizhou would also be organizing his forces, and a young Yue Fei would likely be involved, though he would not yet reveal his true brilliance.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ning planned to write another letter to Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang to analyze the current situation and encourage them to withdraw north as soon as possible. Looking at Wang Si, he recalled that in history, after the fall of the Eastern Capital, Wang Si was captured by the Jin and taken north, only to be ransomed back by his father.

"Then, you shall be responsible for these 800 trebuchets. Do you dare to take on this task?"
"Your subject accepts the decree!"
"Furthermore, the trebuchets I require are not merely for throwing stones. I want them integrated with gunpowder cannons."