A Journey Through the Worlds of Film and Television.

Chapter 457 The Rise of the Jurchens

After the competition ended, Lu Cheng stayed in Jeju Prefecture for another day, and then returned to Lujiazhuang with the top six winners of the competition.

Afterwards, Lu Cheng prepared some silver and money for Dong Ping, and assigned a dozen well-trained and loyal guards to Dong Ping, asking Dong Ping to take them to the Western Army.

After seeing Dong Ping off, Lu Cheng had Yuan Lang, Lu Fang, Hua Rong, Pang Wanchun, Pang Qiuxia and others settled down, and asked Lu Da and Shi Jin to take turns coming back to practice martial arts with them.

At the same time, the mansion held invitations every three days and banquets every five days, treating these people with fine wine and delicious food.

Lu Cheng would also personally teach them martial arts from time to time and communicate with them, and soon won the trust of these people.

When Pang Qiuxia saw that there were female soldiers in Lujia Village, she quickly became friends with Hu Sanniang and Ji Ruxue.

A month later, Yuan Lang followed Lu Da northwards and would temporarily work under Yang Zhi, and would later take charge of a mountain stronghold.

Afterwards, Hua Rong was arranged by Lu Cheng to go on a escort mission with Shi Jin, and they were going on long-distance missions, sometimes for two to three months.

Hua Rong was on the road, and Song Jiang was hiding on the other side, so naturally the two could not contact each other.

As for Pang Wanchun, Lu Cheng also asked him to follow Lu Da to the north to escort goods and do business with the Liao Kingdom and the Jurchen tribes on the grassland. He used the perfumes, soaps and other commodities produced in Lujiazhuang to exchange for some ginseng, animal skins, horses and other supplies from the north.

As for Lu Fang, he was kept by Lu Cheng and trained as a personal bodyguard and thug.

As for Pang Qiuxia, she stayed in Lujiazhuang and lived with Hu Sanniang and others every day.

Even Hua Rong's sister was often invited by Jin Cui Lian and other girls to play at Lu's house, and she became closer and closer to the ladies in Lu Cheng's mansion.

The women in the back house have close relationships with the women in the subordinates' families, which can also enhance the relationship between Lu Cheng, the boss, and his subordinates.

After staying at home for a month or two, Lu Cheng had to return to the capital.

On the one hand, he had to continue working in the Ministry of War, and on the other hand, he had to show up in front of Song Huizong frequently to maintain a good relationship.

When going to Beijing this time, Lu Cheng also brought Lu Fang with him.

This kid Lu Fang has indeed made rapid progress. In just one or two months, his infantry combat level has improved a lot.

After returning to the capital, Lu Cheng's life became regular again. He slacked off at work, listened to music in brothels, and stole beautiful women.

Occasionally, Lu Cheng would go and chat with Song Huizong about calligraphy and painting, or play football.

In the blink of an eye, two or three months have passed and it is already midsummer.

On this day, Lu Cheng followed the young eunuch into the palace. Instead of going to the imperial garden where he usually went, he came to the Ruisi Hall, a hall where Song Huizong handled official business.

When I entered the hall, I saw Song Huizong looking at a map.

Hearing Lu Cheng's footsteps, Song Huizong turned around and said, "Shou Xin, come and take a look. I just received an urgent report from the border yesterday. Wanyan Aguda, the leader of the Jurchen tribe, gathered all the tribes at Lailiu River to swear an oath to fight against the Liao Dynasty, and defeated the Liao army in Ningjiang Prefecture, Chuhedian and other places. It is said that Wanyan Aguda's troops have exceeded 10,000 and are in full swing.

Shouxin, you have traveled all over the grasslands and have a deeper understanding of the situation of the Liao Kingdom. In your opinion, can the Liao Kingdom destroy Wanyan Aguda as soon as possible? "

Hearing this, Lu Cheng walked to the map and said, "Sir, the Jurchens originated from the land of white mountains and black waters, where the living environment is extremely harsh. In addition, the Jurchen tribes were humiliated by the Liao Kingdom before, and are now more united than ever. The Liao Kingdom is declining, while the Jurchens are thriving. Although the military strength of the two sides is very different, the Liao Kingdom's military preparations are lax, so it is probably difficult to destroy the Jurchens, and it may even allow the Jurchens to rise rapidly."

"Oh? Shouxin has so much confidence in the Jurchens?"

Lu Cheng nodded: "I have heard many stories about Wanyan Aguda on the grassland. Wanyan Aguda is brave and good at fighting, but also dignified, steady, and quite strategic. He is definitely not a simple person. Moreover, the Tianzuo Emperor of the Liao Kingdom is too stupid and incompetent. I am afraid that he will drag the Liao Kingdom into the abyss."

"It's quite bold to keep this promise."

Song Huizong paced back and forth in front of the map, thinking about how Lu Cheng had been able to kill the Liao army single-handedly before, but he was helpless. It was obvious that the once powerful Liao Dynasty had now really declined.

Thinking of this, and considering the current situation, Song Huizong suddenly said, "Shouxin, you have been in the Ministry of War for some time, and you should have some understanding of the situation in the north. Do you think we can find an opportunity to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun while the Liao Kingdom is at war with the Jurchens?"

"Of course, but we can't rush this matter. Although the Liao Kingdom is in decline, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and it still has some foundation. Moreover, it will take several years for the Jurchens to develop. Moreover, I have to say something unpleasant, the current combat power of the imperial army and the northern garrison is probably not enough to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

If your majesty wants to achieve something and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in the future, you should train a new army and have a fighting force, so that you will have more hope. "

"You are right, Shouxin. We really can't rush into this matter. I will think about it carefully."

"If Your Majesty wants to do something, I am willing to go to the northern border to inspect the border troops for Your Majesty and investigate the enemy situation."

"You have such a heart, and it is worthy of my trust in you. How about this, I will give you an order, and you go to the northern border first."

In fact, ever since Lu Cheng caused a big disturbance on the grassland, Song Huizong had specially asked people to collect some intelligence about the Liao Kingdom and understand the situation in the Liao Kingdom's internal court.

There was indeed a lot of news coming back from the north about the Liao emperor being incompetent, the court officials being corrupt, and the military being in disrepair.

These news once made Song Huizong very excited, and he even discussed with Cai Jing, Tong Guan and others privately whether to find an opportunity to stop sending annual tribute to Liao. However, Cai Jing, Tong Guan and others stopped him with various excuses, saying that Liao was still very powerful and it was not advisable to start a war rashly. Song Huizong temporarily gave up this idea.

Now, after learning about the Jurchen tribe, Song Huizong thought of this idea again.

Moreover, Lu Cheng earned a lot of money for Song Huizong every year, making Song Huizong's small treasury more abundant, which also gave him confidence.

Which emperor of the Song Dynasty did not want to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and leave his name in history? It was just that they did not have the opportunity or the courage.

At this time, Lu Cheng, who walked out of the palace, knew that it was not easy to make the artist emperor firm in his determination to recover the north.

Even though he seems to have a lot of ideas now, it's just a momentary impulse.

It is not easy for people who are used to a comfortable life to break the status quo.

However, Lu Cheng had long wanted to go to the border again.

Those mountain strongholds in the north have been training their soldiers for such a long time, and now that they have recruited a few powerful generals, it is time to take them out for some training.

Moreover, it would not be long before the Song Dynasty would have to pay annual tribute to the Liao Kingdom. Rather than letting those hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and valuables fall into the hands of the Liao Kingdom, it would be better to use them for themselves.

Immediately, Lu Cheng sent pigeon messages to Lu Da, Shi Jin, Hua Rong and others, asking them to complete the escort mission as soon as possible and then rush to the northern border together and meet up in the northern border.

It takes a thousand days to raise an army and use it in one moment. It is time to start grabbing territory and establishing a base.

Of course, before leaving Bian Jing, Lu Cheng went to Yuxianglou for two consecutive days.

When Li Shishi and Zhao Yuannu learned that Lu Cheng was leaving again, they were naturally reluctant to let him go. In order to keep Lu Cheng's heart, the two women agreed to serve Lu Cheng together at night, and even brought their personal maids into the mix.

After two days of absurdity, Lu Cheng finally went to the Northern Frontier with the imperial edict and a team of imperial guards...