lady, please calm down

Since Chen Jing'an arrived in Lin'an in June, he has not held any real position for two months.

It was not until Chen Chu took action against the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River that he was allowed to "temporarily" take over the Ministry of Justice with the honorary status of a county lord.

Chen Jing'an naturally understood this because his brother in Tokyo was the acting governor of Kaifeng Prefecture and concurrently the Minister of Justice.

In Lin'an, Chen Bokang was the Minister of Finance of the current dynasty. Although he was a distant relative, Chen Bokang was also from Yingchuan after all.

Under such circumstances, it is almost impossible for the emperor to entrust Chen Jing'an with important tasks. Once the Lin'an case is resolved, Chen Jing'an will either be promoted to a higher rank, but will gradually move away from the core decision-making circle.

Or, they would be assigned to places like the Imperial College to engage in academic research.

For Chen Jing'an, who had just turned forty, neither of the above two choices was acceptable.

So Chen Bokang's words of "resigning from office and returning home" was the condition he put forward. If you help me persuade His Majesty, I will give way to you.

However, Chen Jing'an was not someone who was easily persuaded. He hesitated for a moment, and then replied as if he did not understand, "Prime Minister Cai is already sixty years old, but he is still working hard for state affairs. When Mr. Chen reaches the age of knowing his destiny, he should take Prime Minister Cai as an example."

"Where's Mr. Yanagawa?"

Coincidentally, Chen Chu's puzzled voice was heard in the hall. Chen Jing'an quickly bowed to Chen Bokang and took the opportunity to enter.

As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Chen Chu standing in front of the imperial steps with a happy look on his face, and Cai Yuan next to him was quickly browsing an official document.

"Sir, please take a look at this urgent military report that has just been sent back from Fujian Road over a distance of 600 miles."

Chen Chu pointed to the military report in Cai Yuan's hand. Cai Yuan had just finished reading it and handed it to Chen Jing'an. He then bowed and saluted Chen Chu and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! After this battle, the southeast will be at peace soon!"

Just by listening to this conversation, Chen Jing'an guessed that the battle report must be related to the remnants of Emperor Zhou who fled to the junction of Fujian Road and Jiangnan West Road. After a rough scan, it was indeed the case.

The battle report written by Peng Er and co-signed by Xin Qiji and Han Shizhong stated: Since Peng Er led the main force to the junction of the two routes last month, after several battles, he drove the main force of the Zhou army to the southeast.

In the middle of this month, the main force of Zhou army retreated to Jiuhou Mountain in Zhao'an. Peng Er, the governor of the southeast, ordered Shi Dalang to lead the navy, together with Zhang Bao's troops of the Quanzhou Maritime Customs Police Corps, to sail around the side of Zhou army and land.

The two armies launched an attack at the same time on August 20th.

The Zhou army was not prepared for the enemy behind them and was immediately thrown into disarray. After two days of fierce fighting and pursuit, the main force of the Zhou army was defeated in one fell swoop, more than 7,000 people were killed in battle, and more than 20,000 generals and their families were captured, including the inspector general Zhang Kui, the commander of the palace, the great gentry of Zhejiang East Qian Luzhi, the great gentry of Jiangnan East Road Zhang Jun, and the great gentry of Jinghu Road Cui Yuwen.
The Zhou army, with Zhang Kui's troops as the main force and militias from three places, had a total of more than 30,000 people. This can be said to have completely eliminated the possibility of the Zhou Kingdom's revival.

The only drawback is that we have not yet been able to find Emperor Zhou and Qin Huizhi among the corpses and captives.

But a little regret still cannot cover up the fact of this great victory!

After this battle, there were no more strong enemies around the world, and a vast empire stretching from Liaodong in the north to Guangnan in the south was basically established.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! From now on, our Great Chu will be intact!"

Chen Jing'an chanted loudly and bowed deeply.

"Hahahaha" Chen Chu laughed out loud and raised his hand to support Chen Jingan, wanting to say that 'the golden bowl is flawless' is far from being achieved.

However, Yan De Hall is a small office study, so loud conversations inside the hall can be heard clearly outside.

Before Chen Chu could speak, Chen Bokang, who was kneeling on one side of the palace gate, supported himself on his knees and moved horizontally to the center of the palace gate. He raised his hands and kowtowed to the ground, performing a rare ceremony while shouting, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Your Majesty's military achievements are comparable to those of Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang, and your civil governance far surpasses that of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing. You should be enthroned on Mount Tai to honor your achievements!"

"."

Even though he had heard a lot of corny flattery in recent years, Chen Chu still felt embarrassed, so he ignored Chen Bokang who took the initiative to add drama, and instead explained to Chen Jingan and Cai Yuan: "I didn't ask him to kneel, he knelt outside the palace and refused to leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xiao Yi quickly walk into the Yande Hall, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, six hundred miles, hurry!"

The time between the two urgent letters was so short that Chen Chu thought that the battle situation in Fujian had changed again, and immediately asked, "Is there any new military information in the southeast? Report it quickly."

Xiao Yi came forward holding a letter in both hands, and said, "This is news from Caizhou, sent urgently through the Military Control Commission."

"Oh?"

Caizhou news? Chen Chu guessed some possibilities as soon as he heard it, and couldn't help but smile at Cai Yuan and said, "Maybe there is another happy event in the family."

Chen Chu opened the letter and saw that it was indeed the beautiful small calligraphy that Mao'er had practiced for ten years. After reading only a few lines, the corners of his mouth could not help but smile, "Hahahaha"

The emperor has no private affairs. Cai Yuan also knew that two concubines in Caizhou were pregnant. Seeing Chen Chu's genuine joy, he couldn't help but smile and asked, "But Concubine Yi has given Your Majesty another child?"

"Hahaha, Prince Han Guo guessed it right! Yunong gave birth to a son on the 23rd, both mother and son are safe. Jiarou also gave birth to a daughter on the same night, also safe and sound."

Chen Chu was like an ordinary father, eager to share. He handed the letter to Cai Yuan and said, "Have a look, Duke Hanguo. This is the Queen's handwritten letter, asking me to name the child. Hahaha."

It was just a letter from home. To Chen Chu, it was extremely precious, but to others, it was really nothing special.

But Cai Yuan was not disappointed. He took it with a smile, read it carefully, and said: "The victory news from the front has just arrived, and your majesty has a son and a daughter. It can be said to be double happiness."

Chen Jing'an also took the initiative to come over and read the letter, and said with a smile: "Jiangnan has just been settled, which is also a good news. In fact, it is a triple happiness!"

"Haha, Prime Minister Cai and Lord Chen, please stay in the palace for dinner and have a few drinks with me."

Chen Chu, in a good mood, extended the invitation.

At this moment, Chen Bokang, who was kneeling outside the palace, shouted joyfully: "Ah! Another royal heir is born, which is a sign of the prosperity of the country! With such a triple blessing, Your Majesty should grant amnesty to the whole country and all the people should congratulate you!"

After kneeling for a whole morning, Chen Bokang looked haggard, but his face showed a festive expression as if he had been promoted, got rich, and his wife died.

However, the intention of granting "general amnesty" under the guise of "celebration by all people" is too obvious.

Chen Chu seemed to not want to discuss the affairs of Jiangnan officials and gentry at a time when the family had just had a child. He just looked at Chen Bokang and said leisurely: "It's hard for Mr. Chen to be so deliberate."

"Your Majesty! I am happy for you from the bottom of my heart!"

As he spoke, Chen Bokang squeezed out two tears and said, "I am also happy for Concubine Yi. I heard that Concubine Yi and her child are safe, and I can't help myself."

"."

In his early years, when Chen Chu was still the governor of Caizhou, there were rumors about Yunong's life experience, but Yunong took the surname "Chen" from Chen Chu, so it was impossible to tell whether it was true or not.

At this time, Chen Bokang heard Chen Chu bring up this matter again, so he waved his hand and interrupted, "Alright, alright. If Chen Xiangru is interested, please stay and have a drink together." "Your Majesty, have you agreed to my request?"

His request was, of course, to 'not expand the two cases further'. Even though Chen Chu had already made plans, he couldn't help but laugh at Chen Bokang's anger. "Who said I promised you?"

Chen Bokang's expression darkened. Today, he had completely lost his face. If he still couldn't change Chen Chu's mind, then he really had no other choice.

Just when he was in despair, he suddenly heard Chen Chu say again: "Investigate, we must investigate thoroughly. But I can promise you that I will only execute the main culprits headed by Xie Kuo, and I can spare the lives of the rest."

"!"

Chen Bokang looked up in astonishment. Ever since he had been kneeling outside the Yan De Hall like a spoiled child and refused to get up, he had never thought of pleading for mercy on behalf of Xie Guo and the others. What he wanted to achieve was to stop the expansion and kill fewer people.

After all, if all officials were charged with treason and their nine clans were executed, then in these two major cases, at least 10,000 people would have died, and it would not be surprising that more than 100,000 people would have been implicated and killed.

Therefore, listening to Chen Chu's words at this time and being able to save his life was one of the best outcomes he could imagine.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace."

Chen Bokang looked at Chen Chu's impatient and unhappy expression, knowing that although he had achieved a certain goal, his own career would probably come to an abrupt end in the future.

I couldn't help but think of the little things they had experienced together over the years, from their first meeting in Huainan, to when he later identified her as the king who could restore the glory of the Han Dynasty, and then to when they gradually drifted apart.

Chen Bokang's cracked lips trembled and his eyes suddenly turned red.

Chen Chu turned sideways and stopped looking at Chen Bokang, but said, "The death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped. Lord Chen needs to help me do one more thing."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

Chen Bokang quickly suppressed his uncontrollable emotions and replied seriously.

"Eunuch Cao, bring me the map of the South China Sea!"

Not long after, Cao Xiaojian and two palace servants took out a silk map folded into a square from the bookshelf in Yande Hall.

Cao Xiaojian called two more people, and the four of them worked together to unfold a huge map that was 13 feet wide and more than 10 feet long on the wall behind the dragon throne.

Chen Chu walked to the front of the map, looking at the Indochina Peninsula extending from the mainland and the South China Sea islands of varying sizes. He pondered for a long time, and suddenly pointed to the southernmost tip of the Indochina Peninsula and a broken island on the right side of the map, saying: "This place is called Xingjiapo, and this place is called Luzon Islands. The families of the criminals can be spared the death penalty, but they will be exiled here to establish a stronghold. Expand the overseas territory for our Great Chu!"

Chen Bokang, who had already entered the hall, had been kneeling for too long, so he limped towards the map and his expression became serious again.

Nowadays, even being exiled to a smoke-filled place like Guangnan West Road is a life-threatening situation for officials, not to mention the South China Sea islands where mosquitoes are rampant and smoke-filled places are even worse.

In addition to the harsh natural conditions, the local savage indigenous peoples also pose a huge threat.

Seeing that Chen Bokang was looking at the map seriously and did not express his opinion, Chen Chu said with his hands behind his back: "If Mr. Chen agrees to be the governor of the South China Sea of ​​our Great Chu, I will hand over the family of the criminal official to you."

After saying this, Chen Chu looked at the map and sighed suddenly, his tone softening, "I still remember the time when I talked with Mr. Chen about spreading education overseas and spreading the glory of our Chu culture. At that time, Mr. Chen made a bold promise to me."

The words sound nice, but this so-called Governor of the South China Sea is nothing more than leading a group of criminal officials' families to that smoky and dangerous place to compete with the raw meat and blood-drinking savages for territory!

Chen Bokang served as an official all his life, but he never expected that he would become a bandit when he got old.

It is hard to say whether they can return to Jiangnan alive in the future. Even the family members of those criminal officials, how many of them can survive after being exiled there?

Chen Bokang once thought that Chen Chu did not want to bear the reputation of excessive killing, and wanted to let everyone go and fend for themselves.

But he also knew that since the emperor had said it, it was the only choice for him. After thinking for a long time, he finally said: "Your Majesty, I can accept this order, but I have one condition."

"Go ahead." Chen Chu's expression eased a lot and he smiled again.

"The families of the criminals are mostly old, weak, women and children. Not only do they lack the labor to build strongholds and reclaim wasteland, but they also lack the ability to protect themselves if they are attacked by savages. Your Majesty needs to let me select some strong male prisoners from prisons across the country and take them to the South China Sea."

Chen Bokang was worried that Chen Chu would not agree, so he explained his motives. Unexpectedly, Chen Chu laughed and said, "Okay! Not only will I select some strong prisoners for you, but I also won a great victory in Fujian today, and I will give you all the 20,000 captured soldiers after removing the middle and upper officers. How about that?"

Chen Bokang was delighted when he heard this. This is of course great!
With these people as a foundation, we will be able to gain a firm foothold in the South China Sea!

"Your Majesty, please prepare enough food and fodder for me to last a year," Chen Bokang climbed up.

But his request was not random. The number of the families of the criminal officials and the soldiers was at least 30,000 to 40,000. Chen Bokang could only command the army and the people if he had food in his hands.

This time, Chen Chu shook his head, held up three fingers and said: "I can only give you three months of food and grass at most. As for the shortage of food and grass..."

Chen Chu waved his hand, covering the entire map. "The islands in the South China Sea are full of small countries and aboriginal tribes. If there is a shortage of food and grass, won't Lord Chen go and rob them?"

"."

Listen, is this human talk?
After all, I am the king of a country of etiquette, but how could I encourage my subjects to plunder?
Seeing Chen Bokang's embarrassed expression, Chen Chu coughed twice and then said, "We can rob while spreading education. Our Han people's silk, fine wine, fine clothes, poetry, books and etiquette are exquisite. To the uncivilized savages, they are magical things that only gods in heaven can enjoy. There are many savage tribes. Those who are disobedient will be exterminated; for those who are obedient, Mr. Chen will select the best ones to educate and let them return to the tribe in the future. Mr. Chen will help them control the tribe, so that they can defeat the enemy without fighting."

As he spoke, Chen Chu pointed to the southern tip of the Indochina Peninsula and said, "Xingjiapo is located in the Strait of Malacca. A large number of ships from the Quanzhou Maritime Customs need to pass through here. If a fresh water and food supply point is established here, thousands of people can be saved.
This is the Red River Delta, with fertile soil and abundant rainfall. Champa rice can be harvested three or even four times a year, so the occupants of this area will never have to worry about food.

This place is rich in gemstones
This is where spices are grown.”

Every dynasty has been unable to escape the vicious cycle of order and chaos. The most critical reason is the implosion caused by the rapid population growth after a long period of peace.

But China is a country famous for its farming, and its people are extremely attached to their hometowns. Unless they can't survive, few people are willing to leave their homes to make a living.

The families of guilty officials, captives and prisoners, because they were guilty and unable to make their own choices, became the most suitable group to start businesses in the South China Sea.

They laid the foundation, and Nanhai was given vitality and business opportunities, which made it easier to attract some people to go out and try their luck, thus alleviating the population pressure in the south of the Yangtze River.

The three people present were all elites of the time, so it was not difficult for them to understand Chen Chu's colonial strategy after he chewed it over and put it in his mouth.

Chen Jing'an, who had quickly entered the role, immediately grasped a key point in expanding the territory of the South China Sea islands and said, "Your Majesty, the South China Sea is geographically fragmented and it is difficult to defend the thousands of miles of sea. If necessary, it would be best if Shi Dalang's navy could assist in the battle. It would be best if a part of the navy could be stationed in Xingjiapo."

"That's right."

Speaking of this, Chen Chu smiled and said, "I have heard for a long time that pirates in the South China Sea are rampant. When Mr. Chen has figured out the situation, he can send the navy to fight and suppress the pirates. The proceeds will be divided into 30% and 70% will be kept in your South China Sea Governor's Office, and 70% will be handed over to the national treasury." (End of this chapter)