You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 138 Scolding Tong Guan
Xiping Prefecture.

A metallic clanging sound echoed through the street, accompanied by the shouts of peddlers as they roamed the streets, the drumbeats growing faster and faster.

The sounds, full of life, quickly intertwined and blended in the bright spring sunlight.

Busy, lighthearted, like the spring sunshine, it inspires us to strive for progress.

Chen Shao rode his horse through the city and arrived at the Guangyuan Hall's office. Because of its name, the place always gave people the impression of being just an ordinary merchant guild.

This was intentional. For intelligence systems, it's best not to choose names that are too apt; it's best to leave people thinking you're harmless.
Upon entering Guangyuantang, the atmosphere became somewhat gloomy.

Chen Shao sat at the head of the table, waiting for Wang Yin to arrive. Bored, he drew the knife from Da Hu's waist.

The blade gleamed coldly. Chen Shao flicked it with his finger and asked, "Da Hu, what do you think of this knife?"

"Excellent! Excellent knife!"

Chen Shao stared silently at the knife, wondering what Old Zhong meant by giving him a knife.
Surely they're not planning to rebel themselves, are they?
In fact, Lao Zhong was still very loyal to the Song Dynasty; he just didn't want the Song court to disband the Western Army.

Later, his family forcibly led the Western Army, which had no will to fight, northward, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army. The Zhong family can be said to be a family of loyal martyrs.

Zhong Shizhong, the young master of the Zhong family, was killed in battle. You said he was over sixty years old and had an absurdly high reputation. If he hadn't been loyal, he could have survived by surrendering to the Jin or retreating south.

Chen Shao shoved the knife back in, inwardly cursing the riddle-maker as a bastard.

Just say what you want to say.

A short while later, Wang Yin rushed over. After entering, he glanced around and saw that only the military commander and Da Hu were there, which put his mind at ease.

"General, there's something I need to tell you."

"Just say what you have to say, stop dawdling, I still have to go to the mountain worship ceremony!"

Wang Yin leaned closer and whispered, "When Madam Zhe returned to Yan'an Prefecture last time, I placed some maids around her, firstly to protect her, and secondly to plant some spies in the Zhong residence."

"A few days ago, Madam Zhe was unwell, and Old Zhong happened to return. He took it very seriously and sent someone to diagnose her, but who knew..."

Chen Shao suddenly realized what was going on. He glanced at Wang Yin and asked, "Are you pregnant?"

Upon seeing Chen Shao's behavior, Wang Yin immediately understood that Chen Shao was indeed a loyal and righteous man!

When Lao Zhong gave away the knife, it wasn't symbolic at all; it was just the literal meaning.

The Zhong family, a military family, is quite different from other military families in the Northwest. The great-grandfather of the Zhong family was Zhong Fang, a great Confucian scholar in the early Song Dynasty.
His teacher was Zhang Zai, who wrote the "Four Chapters of Hengqu".
Their family has very strict rules.

If this gets out now, it will be a huge scandal.

Fortunately, Zhe Shi was not his daughter, but his aunt; otherwise, Chen Shao might have even suspected that he would abort the child.

Chen Shao remained silent for a while before saying, "Send someone to bring her here."

"I wrote a letter to Lao Zhong, and to show my sincerity, Wu Jie and Yang Cheng went to receive it in person."

Yang Cheng was a high-ranking and powerful figure in Chen Shao's army, and Wu Jie was also a general.

This was also Chen Shao's secret assurance to Lao Zhong that he would value this child and give him a suitable background.

At this point in time, it's impossible to tell the truth, otherwise the Chinese family would lose all face.

This was a bolt from the blue for the Zhong family, but for Chen Shao, it was a good thing.

The entire Dingnan Army was eagerly awaiting the arrival of their commander's heir.

He is so young, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, his offspring will grow up to adulthood, which will put the entire Dingnan Army at ease.

Throughout history, countless heroes and great figures have seen their empires crumble in an instant due to issues of lifespan and succession.

Those who followed him also suffered misfortune as a result.

Chen Shao had to save face for the Zhong family, so this matter had to be handled carefully to prevent any leaks.

Since returning from Yan'an Prefecture, Lao Zhong has not gone to Yongle City again.

Yongle City, in essence, was a military stronghold, originally built to guard against the enemy forces of Yinxia. Now, only merchant caravans are coming from Yinxia, ​​so there's nothing to be wary of.

Whenever he thought of this, Lao Zhong would always smile self-deprecatingly. If the Dingnan Army really attacked Yongle City from Yinzhou, could he stop them?

I'm afraid we don't even need to mobilize any other troops; the Hengshan soldiers alone are enough to wipe out Yan'an Prefecture.

The morale of the Western Army was completely shattered; the court's actions had nearly destroyed its backbone.

It's unclear how long it will take to recover.
The key to this battle was not that we were defeated after a bloody battle, but that we were humiliated by our own people's schemes and exclusion.

I reckon they'd only get motivated if I told them to go and fight Tong Guan.

If the imperial court continues to assign them to fight, the Western Army will be highly resentful.

Zhong Shidao gets a headache just thinking about his aunt, who died after marrying into the family.

Before he could figure out how to bring up his aunt's shameful affair, Chen Shao sent someone over.

That meant Chen Shao had spies in his residence, which made him even more irritable.

When he learned that Chen Shao had sent someone to pick him up, it suited him perfectly; he wanted to avoid seeing or hearing about it.

From now on, pretend that this person never existed in the household!
Even Xiao Zhong was unaware of this matter at this time, and Zhong Shidao intended to keep him in the dark forever.

Otherwise, given Xiao Zhong's temperament, it's hard to say what he might do.

The moon's shadow dipped westward and gradually disappeared, plunging the world into darkness.

Zhong Shidao lay on a daybed, looking back on his life of battles, and suddenly felt disheartened.

He was wholeheartedly dedicated to protecting this northwestern bulwark for the Song Dynasty, but what did he receive in return? Only deep suspicion.

This year, Tong Guan wants to buy Yanjing City, cutting off the Western Army's supplies. How am I supposed to explain this to my men?
Zhong Shidao sighed again, which seemed particularly desolate in the quiet spring night courtyard.
-
In the Marshal's Mansion, Chen Shao was leaning back in a recliner, holding a book and reading absentmindedly.

This is a book by Lingxi. He's been reading it all night, but he still doesn't know the title.

I didn't read a single word.

This flower hall is newly built, with sandalwood beams and glazed tiles inlaid on all four sides.

Although it can't compare to the lighting in later generations, it's still an improvement.

The flower hall is open-plan, but the floor is radiated by copper pipes. There are incense burners all around, and the heat keeps out the cold. A single shirt is enough for a person inside.

Chen Shao would steal glances at Zhong Lingxi from time to time. The latter was lying on the bed, counting the money Chen Shao had returned to her.

The husband, who had been defaulting on his debts for more than half a year, suddenly paid back the money and even gave her some jewelry as interest.

The interest is too generous; it's worth more than all the money she gave Chen Shao combined. Girls are naturally drawn to things that sparkle and glitter.

Zhong Lingxi was in a great mood. She looked at the gold and jewels Chen Shao had given her again with a smile, and then she turned around and said, "Tell me next time you need money. Husbands and wives should help each other."

"Huanhuan."

Chen Shao waved, and Zhong Lingxi immediately ran obediently into his arms, playfully breathing into his ear.

With Chen Shao's care, Huanhuan grew more and more beautiful, like a spring flower in full bloom, exquisitely charming.

But Chen Shao had no other thoughts; all he could think about was how to tell her the truth, hoping that Huanhuan would be on his side.

The best way to handle this is to have Huanhuan acknowledge the child and have her stepmother live with her.

How could outsiders know about what happens in one's own private quarters?

In this way, if it is a son, he will be a legitimate heir, which will be enough to reassure people.

Seeing that Chen Shao didn't speak but kept stroking her arm, she also sat up, her little face flushed.

"Are you thinking about it?" Zhong Lingxi rubbed against him, and for the sake of the gold and jewels, she said shyly, "Then I'll let you poke me once."

Chen Shao thought to himself, "I'll have to tell sooner or later anyway, so what's there to be afraid of!"

He pressed down on Zhong Lingxi's arms with both hands. "Huanhuan, there's something I need to tell you."

A moment later, Chen Shao came out of the room, muttering curses.

The small teeth marks on my arm are almost bleeding.

Bring them here and let them talk it out themselves. Anyway, the two of them have a good relationship. They'll see each other all the time once they arrive, and things will resolve themselves sooner or later.

Chen Shao knew he didn't have much energy to devote to the inner quarters.

The greatest function of the inner quarters is to allow him to rest and relax after returning home each day, so that he can be more energetic and ready to handle government affairs the next day.

After all, he alone carries the fate of millions of families on his shoulders.
-
Stepping out of the inner courtyard's flower hall, Chen Shao coughed and walked over with a dignified expression.

Outside the flower hall, two guards in sable hats stood bowing and waiting, not daring to raise their heads.

"What is it?" One of them replied respectfully, "General, news has come from Xia Prefecture."

"Xiazhou?" Chen Shao quickened his pace and arrived at the study, where he saw a military officer from Xiazhou waiting for him.

"Has Li Xiaozhong returned?" Chen Shao asked as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Reporting to the commander, General Li has returned."

Chen Shao breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they were back, that was good. He only had a few talented commanders under his command, and he couldn't afford to lose any of them.

At this critical juncture of national collapse, the Northern Song Dynasty actually had no shortage of military generals, each more formidable than the last. Zhao Gou, that fellow, wasn't a fool either; he was capable.

However, he lacked the courage and responsibility to take action and mend the broken sky, which led to the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty and its retreat to the south of the Yangtze River.

"Wanyan Xiyin, the Jurchen commander of the southwest and northwest routes of Datong Prefecture, refused to sell us Khitan collections, books, and scriptures, and demanded that we set up checkpoints on the border to prevent the Liao people from fleeing to the Dingnan Army territory."

Chen Shao smiled and said, "This Wanyan Xiyin is quite a sensible man. It would be great if we could kill him."

These high-ranking Jurchen figures are now very difficult to assassinate because ordinary people simply cannot get close to them.

Chen Shao was just saying it offhand.

"If they don't want to sell, then they don't want to sell. We've already gained tremendous benefits from Wanyan Balisu. When it comes to great things, we can't expect our enemies to be confused forever."

Chen Shao was quite magnanimous in this regard and didn't get upset just because he couldn't gain an advantage.

The military officer from Xiazhou pointed to a box on the table and said, "This is from General Li to the military commander."

Chen Shao sat down in the chair, opened the document, and found a military report on top.

Below is a map drawn on a leather scroll, along with some observations and reflections written by Li Xiaozhong himself along the way.

Chen Shao studied it carefully, and before he knew it, half an hour had passed.

It turns out that places like Yingzhou and Weizhou were so poorly defended.

I knew the Jurchens were few in number, but I didn't realize they were this few.

In fact, the Liao Dynasty was always sparsely populated and had a vast territory. At its peak, the Liao Dynasty's territory extended east to the Sea of ​​Japan, west to the Altai Mountains, north to the Outer Khingan Mountains, and south to the Baigou River in Hebei Province.

However, at its peak, the population was only 900 million.

Last year, the Song Dynasty had a population of 100 million!
However, the Liao Dynasty had less than two million people left.

The Jurchens had nearly wiped out the Liao people, and they themselves had very few people left. To defend these lands, they had to rely on Han Chinese military commanders.

As Li Xiaozhong said, if they could really win over the Han military commanders, it wouldn't be difficult to march north from places like Yingzhou and Weizhou and take over Yunzhou and Datong Prefecture.

Does reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun necessarily begin in Yanjing? Can't it start in Yunzhou?
To win over the Han Chinese military commanders in the north, the brutality of the Jurchens might actually be of help.

Of course, what's even more important is winning a few battles, because most of these people are the type to side with whoever wins.

Countless thoughts flashed through Chen Shao's mind in an instant, much like the boasts Meng Nuan made to Li Xiaozhong when she was drunk.
But after calming down, Chen Shao walked back to the recliner, slowly lay down, waved his hand and said, "Go."

After bowing, the military officer from Xia Prefecture got up to leave, but Chen Shao suddenly called him back and asked, "Are you from Xia Prefecture?"

“Commander Hui, I am a Han Chinese from Liaodong. I was promoted by General Li and am currently serving as a guard in the army.”

"What is your name?"

The military officer was somewhat surprised and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Liu Fu."

"Liu Fu, keep up the good work!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Fu was inexplicably moved, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, and left.

In fact, Chen Shao didn't see anything special about him. Anyway, he had nothing better to do, so he liked to offer a few words of comfort to everyone he met, and it worked very well.

Once you've risen to a position of power, winning people over takes time and becomes a habit.
Lying in his chair, Chen Shao thought for a moment. After four years of reflection and sowing during the Xuanhe era, the new year was almost entirely filled with good news.

With an heir, a new situation arose in Xia Prefecture, and Li Xiaozhong even made connections with a group of powerful figures in Wei Prefecture and Ying Prefecture.

Regardless of whether they will side with you or not, at least in their minds, you have become an option.

As Chen Shao was pondering and summarizing in his mind, the study door suddenly opened, and Zhao He walked in.

"Master, someone from Bianliang has arrived."

"Bianliang?" Chen Shao thought to himself, "This is bad. Could it be that those powerful families have come to collect their debts?"
"who is it?"

Zhao Hedao said, "It's Yang Sanqi from the Victory Army."

"Yang Sanqi?" Chen Shao smiled and said, "Please come in. Never mind, I'll go find him in the living room."

There are many secrets in this study, and since they are not his own people, Chen Shao still doesn't plan to let them in.

Back when he was under Tong Guan's command, Chen Shao treated Yang Sanqi and others very well, just like brothers.

But that was acting.
If these people really encounter trouble, will they stand with Tong Guan or with themselves?
During the seven days that Chen Shao spent alone in Hengshan, he already knew the answer.

Inside the living room, Yang Sanqi paced back and forth, admiring the impressive scale of Chen Shao's residence.

"Shao-ge'er has made it big!" Yang Sanqi said with a loud laugh. "I saw long ago that he was good at scheming and ambitious, and that he would rise to prominence sooner or later. When Liu Fa died in battle, Commander Xuan was selecting generals in Bianliang and asked us to leave Bianliang and come to the Northwest to command troops. Everyone patted their chests and said they wanted to make meritorious contributions, but only him... Guess what he said?"

He actually said, "I wish Commander Xuan good health!"

The soldier beside him chuckled, "I've heard Chen Shao is incredibly generous. We won't have come all this way for nothing, will we?"

Yang Sanqi looked smug. "You can rest assured."

In the past, whenever Chen Shao sent someone to Tong Guan's place, he would bring gifts for his brothers, let alone this time when he went there himself.

Yang Sanqi was playing his flute when he heard footsteps outside. He quickly went out to greet them with a smile.

"Brother Shao!"

Chen Shao smiled faintly, "Seventh Brother, I heard you've been following Commander Xuan on his campaign against Liao. What brings you here today?"

"The campaign against Liao was a great success. Commander Xuan has already taken seven prefectures in Yan. The brothers are all relieved."

Chen Shao swallowed hard, feeling utterly disgusted.

He walked to the head of the table and plopped down. Yang Sanqi's outstretched hand didn't meet his, and he awkwardly withdrew it.

At this moment, he was already cursing in his heart. Chen Shao was indeed a villain, and Commander Xuan was absolutely right.

They were all Tong Guan's personal guards from the Victory Army. Back then, Tong Guan had scolded Chen Shao quite a bit, but Yang Sanqi didn't take it seriously. Now, however, he deeply understood how Commander Xuan felt back then.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Chen Shao gave him the cold shoulder. This bastard had his supply route attacked by Xiao Gan at Baigou River, marking the first defeat for the Song Dynasty in its campaign against Liao.

From then on, it was unstoppable.

Every humiliation they made during their campaign against Liao would more or less affect the situation between Jin and Song, and they would have to expend a lot more effort in the future.

"The Jurchens also contributed to this campaign against Liao, so I want to give them some benefits. As you know, the court is currently short of funds. I heard that your merchant caravans are thriving, so I hope you can lend a helping hand and donate some to the Jurchens."

"Let these Jurchen Tartars know the wealth of our Great Song Dynasty, so that they will not dare to underestimate our Great Song Dynasty."

Chen Shao gave a cold laugh.

OK!

They've tried to make money off me.

Seeing his sneer, Yang Sanqi became even more displeased. His eyes filled with coldness as he said, "If Commander Chen could donate some, the caravan would have someone to look after it in the Central Plains in the future."

They're threatening me!
Chen Shao was not flustered at all. Tong Guan may be powerful, but don't you know your own situation?

My troops are strong and well-equipped. If you dare to extort money or demand bribes, or try to control our military and merchant convoy, then I will deploy my troops to conduct exercises in Hengshan.

Moreover, the caravan has shares held by powerful families from Bianliang and Luoyang. If you make a move against one of them, they'll come out before you even say a word.

These people were the backers of the old faction of officials and scholars in the court. They were not good at anything else, but they were first and foremost good at cursing.

The power of discourse is in their hands. They've cultivated their reputation for so many years, and Tong Guan, you have too much dirt on you now.

If you dare to touch their interests, they'll curse you, Tong Guan, to death.

“Go back and tell Commander Tong Xuan that his plan to spend money to buy out Yanjing is utterly absurd! Gubeikou Fortress is still in the hands of the Jurchens, so what use is Yanjing?”

“Last year, when we were attacking the Liao, I wrote to him six times, urging him to use his troops wisely, but we still suffered defeat after defeat!”

"Disgraceful and disgraceful, harming the country and its people!"

(End of this chapter)