You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 1 What year is it today?

In the first year of Chonghe reign of the Song Dynasty, in Fuzhou Prefecture.

A young man sat by the window in the restaurant, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought.

The autumn wind was bleak, and the trees on both sides of the corridor downstairs swayed and rustled, creating a desolate atmosphere.

The streets were bustling with vendors and laborers, and even though he had been there for seven days, the boy still felt a sense of unreality.

That's right, he traveled through time.

After years of hard study, he finally graduated and came to visit a small town in the northwest. Who knew that he would inexplicably arrive in the Song Dynasty and become a young man named Chen Shao.

He tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass dry. It tasted mellow and slightly sweet, and there were faint tears in the boy's eyes.

This glass of wine is a farewell to my parents and relatives from my past life, and a way to fully accept the fact that I've traveled through time.

Fortunately, his life wasn't particularly miserable. The guy whose soul he possessed, although not a king or nobleman or a scion of a wealthy family, was still born into a rich family.

At this time, his parents in this life had already passed away. Although he was young, only seventeen years old, he was already a pillar of the family and a person whose word was law.

He owned some land and employed dozens of tenant farmers to cultivate it for him.

The original owner of this body was also a member of the Baojia system, farming in peacetime and being conscripted in wartime.

Without parental restraint from a young age, he became frivolous and short-tempered, spending his days fooling around with the sons of military families. Some time ago, after getting drunk, he got into a fight and was pushed downstairs, hitting his head on a doorpost. He lost most of his soul and immediately fainted, and was then possessed by a body in a daze.

This identity is quite satisfactory; I have no relatives and don't have to worry about being discovered, and I'm also in good health.

The only downside is that the era I traveled to is a bit of a mess. I missed the prosperous Tang Dynasty and instead encountered the frivolous Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty.

That bastard is even more of a heavyweight.
In a few years, the Song Dynasty, which he had ruined, would face the infamous Jingkang Incident.

When that time comes, China will sink, and the north will become a living hell.

Holding his wine glass, Chen Shao secretly pondered how to save himself.

At that moment, the sound of horses' hooves rang out on the street. A man dismounted and walked over. He was in his early twenties, wearing a round-necked robe, a dark brown turban, and a military knife at his waist. He waved his riding whip and greeted Chen Shao.

In the original owner's memories, this person was his cousin Liu Guanglie, a member of the Liu family, a military family in the Northwest. He was the youngest son of Liu Yanqing, the general manager of Fuyan Road, and was currently serving as a military officer.

Logically speaking, someone with his father's power shouldn't have only become a low-ranking military officer.

However, in the Northwest, the eldest son of a legitimate wife often inherited his father's position, while Liu Guanglie was a young son born out of wedlock.

Liu Yanqing's eldest son, Liu Guangshi, came from the Mu family of Huanzhou, a powerful military family that had been stationed in the northwest for generations of the Song Dynasty. Naturally, the Liu family's resources were all directed towards him.

Chen Shao's branch of the family had followed the Liu family in battles for generations and were considered their trusted family generals.

Liu Guanglie's mother was Chen Shao's aunt, and she was taken as a concubine by Liu Yanqing to win over his subordinates.

Chen has always taken good care of her maternal family, especially after Chen Shao became her only son.

Therefore, the two brothers have always had a very good relationship.

Chen Shao was waiting for him today.

He waved to him from upstairs, and soon the man came up to the restaurant. He approached Chen Shao, put his hand on Chen Shao's shoulder, and said very intimately, "Brother, I heard you were injured when you went to Xingzi Fort to fight the Xia bandits a few days ago. Are you feeling much better now?"

"It's just a minor injury, thank you for your concern, brother."

Liu Guanglie laughed heartily, picked up his wine glass to moisten his throat, and the sweet taste of the yellow wine made him frown.

“This is not something we brothers should drink.” Liu Guanglie rubbed his hands together and said, “After months of guarding the border fortress, my mouth is already so bland. Come on, let me take you to Bailou Lane for a drink, firstly to calm your nerves, and secondly to celebrate!”

"Celebrate?" Chen Shao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Haha, I came here today to tell you about this. A few days ago, the Xia bandits built a fortress on Tianjiang Mountain. One of our soldiers climbed the city wall at night, beheaded two people, and cut off the city's protective felt, allowing us to take Tianjiang Mountain in one fell swoop."

“The soldier’s superior wanted to claim the military merit for him, but with so many people around, word got out. When my mother heard about it, she spent money to buy the credit for you.”

In the Northwest, military leaders and their families are numerous, and it is common for them to embezzle salaries and exploit soldiers.

For example, this time, his aunt didn't help, so the credit didn't go to that soldier.

Chen Shao had no moral fastidiousness, and the impending Jingkang catastrophe would not allow him to have any.

He longed to climb the ranks so that he would at least have the ability to protect himself when the catastrophe struck.

Of course, it would be even better if it could play some role.

The Northwest is different from other parts of the Song Dynasty, so the "rotation garrison system" that prevents soldiers from knowing their generals and generals from knowing their soldiers cannot be used here.

The pressure from the Western Xia on the border was too great, so the Song court had no choice but to implement the "military strategy" here. More than 40 troops were stationed in the five routes of Shaanxi, and most of the soldiers were local people from Shaanxi and Hedong who had served in the army for generations.

Of course, no one can say for sure how much of that 40 is inflated.

The upper echelons are centered around military families, forming a "hereditary generals" group.

Upon hearing that his aunt had done him a favor, Chen Shao wanted to ask how high a military rank he could be promoted to, but he couldn't be too eager to ask. He could only suppress his feelings and go to Bailou Lane with her.

On the way, Liu Guanglie also bought several boxes of rouge and powder and a few pounds of mutton. He led Chen Shao to a small courtyard, knocked lightly on the door knocker, and soon heard someone come out of the courtyard to answer the door.

The door opened, and a woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six years old opened it. Her long, black hair was held up with a wooden hairpin. She wore a short, blue, cross-collared jacket and a long, pomegranate-red pleated skirt, the hem of which revealed a corner of her red shoes. Upon seeing Liu Guanglie, her eyes immediately brightened, and she exclaimed happily, "When did you return? Shao-ge'er is here too!"

Chen Shao smiled and nodded.

Liu Guanglie slapped her on the buttock and laughed, "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and prepare the wine and dishes, let me have a good treat."

The woman's name was Li Guijie, and she was a prostitute in Bailou Lane.

There were also three young maids in the courtyard, all relatives that Li Guijie had brought from home. Although they were very young, they were very efficient at their work and were not afraid to lead horses that were several times their size.

In those days, making a living was difficult. The Northwest was plagued by war for many years, and many men died on the battlefield. In the countryside, widows banded together and struggled to survive.

Even in Chen Shao's manor, most of the farmers were strong, healthy women.

Many women with some good looks rent a small courtyard in the city and open their doors to customers.

Generally, these establishments only cater to a select few patrons, such as Liu Guanglie, a son of a military family, who are their major clients.

Although she may not possess the exceptional beauty and talent of the courtesans in Bianliang (Kaifeng) or Lin'an (Hangzhou) in Jiangnan, she is gentle and obedient.

After the two sat down, the maidservant brought out the dishes one by one. The two raised their cups and drank.

Before long, Li Guijie also came over and snuggled up to Liu Guanglie, listening to him talk at length about the desolation and loneliness of guarding the fortress.

"By the way, how have you been these past few days?"

With a resentful and aggrieved expression, Li Guijie said, "After you left, a merchant booked the place for ten days and often sent people to pick me up and take me to stay at the shop. It's been quite a hardship for him."

Chen Shao was stunned by what he heard, and could only say that the folk customs of the Northwest were indeed wild.

In fact, it wasn't just in the Northwest; at this time, the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism had not yet emerged. The Song Dynasty inherited the legacy of the Tang Dynasty, and most women were quite fierce.

Liu Guanglie didn't mind, and patted the back of her hand, laughing and saying, "Thank you for your hard work."

The young maids played in the courtyard, waiting for them to finish eating before they could eat the leftovers.

Chen Shao listened intently. Currently in the Northwest, the Great Song Dynasty is employing a strategy of gradual encroachment, building fortresses and strongholds along the border. These strongholds are being advanced step by step, gradually eroding the Western Xia territory. This strategy of defense as offense and long-term attrition is causing the Western Xia immense suffering.

After drinking and getting warmer, the three of them took off their outer garments. Liu Guanglie embraced the fragrant body in his arms and laughed, "Shao-ge'er is not young anymore, could he still be a virgin?"

Then he lowered his head and said to Sister Li Gui, "You have to help my brother find someone good-looking so that Shao-ge can have his hair done and enjoy it."

Chen Shao smiled but didn't say anything. How could he be so indifferent to such a major life change?

He just wanted to know what kind of reward he would receive and what official position he could get.

Sister Li Gui said with a smile, "I'm just afraid that the ordinary women here won't catch Shao-ge's eye."

Liu Guanglie lifted her chin, "You dare to procrastinate on the things I arranged for you. Now, the Grand Chancellor Tong Guan is in Yan'an Prefecture, in charge of the Privy Council, wielding absolute power. If Shao-ge'er reports this merit, there's no need to petition the Privy Council of the court; the transfer order will arrive in ten days to half a month at the latest."

"You'd better get this done in the next ten days or so, or I won't let you off the hook."

Chen Shao then realized that he had misunderstood Liu Guanglie. It turned out that the transfer order would not arrive for another ten days or half a month, and he didn't know what official position he would be promoted to.

This was all thanks to Tong Guan's extensive connections and control over the Northwest; otherwise, if the war achievements had reached the Privy Council in Tokyo and been approved by those officials, it might have taken forever.

Li Guijie quickly poured wine to celebrate, and Chen Shao smiled and drank it all in one gulp.

His starting point is neither high nor low. Although it's uncertain whether he can achieve anything significant, he should at least give it a try!

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.

Through the window, I saw a little girl in the courtyard, standing on tiptoe and peering out the doorway.

"Ping'er, who's making that noise?"

The little girl was quite young, just at the age where she was losing teeth. She was missing a front tooth. She turned her head and grinned, looking rather comical. "A thief convict slept with Sister Zhou next door and didn't pay her. He's getting beaten up now."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guanglie stood up and said, "Let's go out and take a look."

These military households mostly had some connections with each other, and if they encountered their own brothers or their own subordinates, they would inevitably help each other out.

Stepping outside into the courtyard and opening the gate, I saw a burly man squatting by the door next door, taking a beating without a care in the world.

He wasn't annoyed or angry; he just kept taking the beatings.

The place he went to for free looked quite professional, with pimps, brothel owners, and bodyguards and thugs—everything he needed.

A crowd of onlookers gathered around.

When Liu Guanglie saw him, his eyes looked strange. He stepped forward and shooed the crowd away, saying, "Scatter, all of you, scatter! What's so interesting to see!"

After pushing through the crowd, he threw down some money, grabbed the burly man on the ground, and headed towards Li Guijie's courtyard.

The pimp picked up the money bag, weighed it in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction.

As the door closed, Liu Guanglie said irritably, "Han Wu, I just gave you some money, how could you do such a disgusting thing again?"

Upon hearing the words "Po Han Wu," Chen Shao's eyes suddenly lit up.

(End of this chapter)