You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 141 I'll Borrow Your Heads

Lingwu military camp.

In front of the central command tent, dozens of soldiers knelt outside Chen Shao's tent.

Their faces were extremely grim, filled with grief and indignation, each one gritting their teeth, their eyes blazing with hatred.

The guards lifted the curtain and escorted Chen Shao out, shouting in unison, "We beg the General to make a decision!"

Chen Shao already knew the reason.

Honestly, it's like someone offering you a pillow when you're sleepy; sometimes bad people are just that stupid.
But Chen Shao couldn't be happy at all. In the end, he wasn't a cold-blooded or heartless person.

These kneeling soldiers were originally subjects of the Yeli tribe.

The chieftains of the Yeli tribe mostly had fiefdoms in the Lingwu Plain. They were the second largest family in Western Xia after the royal family, with vast fiefdoms and many subjects.

The large number of people who came to join Chen Shao's new army displeased some of the leaders of the Yeli tribe.

Unable to fight against Chen Shao, they arrested all the families of their subordinates who had defected to the new army.

Several members of the Yeli tribe first had these family members beaten, and half of them died on the spot.

Then they let the rest escape, while they rode horses and hunted from behind. In the end, only three people managed to escape.

Of the three, one fled to Xiping Prefecture and went to the yamen to file a complaint.

Xiping Prefecture immediately dispatched troops and arrested the seventeen Yeli tribe members who had committed the crimes. Because this matter was of great importance, they sent them directly to the military governor's mansion.

This kind of thing wouldn't have been a big deal in the past. What was so great about us killing a few lowly people?

It's not like I haven't killed before.

"I will give you an explanation!" Chen Shao said, and led his men toward the Marshal's Mansion.

A group of guards stood at the entrance, and when they saw him arrive, they all made way for him.

Chen Shao strode in, his expression indifferent.

Inside the outer courtyard of the military governor's mansion, the sons of the Yeli tribe were bound hand and foot and made to kneel on the ground.

Every time a new force rises, a group of people are purged.

Chen Shao now understands why; it all boils down to a conflict of interest.

When Li Qianshun was promoting Sinicization, these people were the targets of his suppression.

When Chen Shao overthrew Li Qianshun's regime, these old nobles felt as if the noose around their necks had been removed, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

But perhaps they forgot that no matter how much Li Qianshun hated them, they were, after all, part of the ruling class of Western Xia.

Internally, there is room for negotiation and compromise, and there is still room for easing tensions; it's just a matter of how much benefit each party is willing to concede.

They had to take good care of the Western Xia's pot, sharing the food from it with everyone, with each person getting a little more and each person getting a little less.

But after Chen Shao arrived, sorry, you're no longer the owner of this pot.

Just like back in the late Ming Dynasty, those bloated gentry and powerful families thought, "You dog emperor, you still want the money in our hands?"

This is all money that my ancestors worked hard to accumulate and hoard. Why should I give it to you to spend?

Emperor Chongzhen was helpless against them, after all, they were all part of the ruling class.

When the Tartars came in and killed people in droves, they immediately became docile.

Actually, Ye Lijun and his men didn't think they had gone too far this time. They had only secretly killed some of the families of the tribal men who had joined the new army.

In the past, Ye Lijun and his gang had also engaged in some underhanded tactics with Li Qianshun, which were far more egregious than this, but Li Qianshun had been able to tolerate them and hadn't completely broken off relations.

But they forgot that Chen Shao came from the Song Dynasty and had no connection whatsoever with their Western Xia Tangut interest group, so they could deal with him without any scruples.

Among these people, there were a few who were clear-headed, and because of this, they were especially terrified. They prostrated themselves on the ground, listening to the sound of Chen Shao's slow pacing, their fat faces turning almost blue with fear.

When they saw Chen Shao enter, he sat down imposingly on the steps, and they immediately gritted their teeth, ready to argue.

But when he looked up, he found that although Chen Shao had a smile on his lips, his eyes were cold and piercing. He immediately shivered, lowered his head, and stammered, unable to utter a single word.

Among spoiled brats, there are intelligent people, but not many.

Yeli Jun's youngest son, Yeli Qiong, was the highest-ranking among them. Unfortunately, he was also a hothead. He stuck out his neck and shouted, "We have rendered meritorious service in opening the gates of Xingqing Prefecture! If it weren't for us, would you, General, have been able to obtain Xingqing Prefecture, Jingzhou, Shunzhou, and Dingzhou so easily!"

"Good, good, good!" Chen Shao clapped his hands and said, "Did your father tell you this?"

"I said it myself!"

Chen Shao crossed his legs, rested his chin on his hands, and said coldly, "It must have been your father who said that. How could you say such a thing?"

"Don't wrong my father!"

Chen Shao stood up, turned around and said, "Guards! Ye Lijun harbors treacherous intentions and instigated his young son to commit murder. He is clearly colluding with the Xia bandits of Helan Mountain. Order all the male members of the families involved to have their heads cut off and hung in the Lingwu camp!"

With Chen Shao's order, the city gates of Xingqing Prefecture and Xiping Prefecture were closed, and two armies entered the city to begin purging these wild nobles.

A procession of carriages arrived outside Xiping Prefecture at this time.

The carriage was decorated with painted walls and fragrant flowers, with white horses and silver saddles, and accompanied by numerous family members and servants, along with a multitude of everyday utensils for the journey.

It looked like an ordinary procession of wives and children from a wealthy family.

However, what made this procession unique was that on both sides of the convoy, there were armored soldiers leading soldiers in brand-new uniforms.

The banner they were flying was even more frightening; it turned out to be Wu Jie, the military commander of Youzhou Prefecture.

Inside the carriage, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and a beautiful, elegant face glanced out the window, frowning as she asked, "Why haven't we entered the city yet? Where are we?"

The voice had a slightly languid quality to it.

Upon hearing this, Wu Jie, who was personally escorting her, crossed his arms on horseback and said, "Madam, we have arrived at Xiping Prefecture. I don't know what has happened in the city, but the gates are closed. I have already sent them to report, and I believe someone will come to open the gates soon. Moreover, Madam, Grand Commandant Zhong has instructed you not to show yourself before entering the Commander's Mansion."

Lady Zhe was somewhat displeased, but she didn't show it; she simply closed the curtain and sullenly watched.

A short while later, the city gates opened, and just as Wu Jie was about to go in, he saw a group of people coming out of the city.

Upon closer inspection, he was quite frightened; it turned out that the commander-in-chief had come in person.

"General!"

Chen Shao nodded and said, "We have already taken action against the Yeli clan. Your arrival is timely; you can bring your men and provide support within the city."

Wu Jie thought to himself that the military commander was as steady as ever, and under such circumstances, the Yeli clan could no longer cause any trouble.

However, the commander was still very cautious.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed on horseback, and accepted the order, but still prioritized escorting Chen Shao back to his residence.

Chen Shao jumped off the carriage, went to the front of the carriage, lifted the curtain and went inside, letting Da Hu drive the carriage.

When Lady Zhe saw Chen Shao enter, her anger immediately turned to joy. She was wearing a snow-white fox fur coat.

Chen Shao sat down beside her, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her chin with his other hand, asking with a smile, "I missed you a lot while keeping watch this year."

Zhe nodded and then threw herself into his arms.

Did you receive the things I sent you?

"Received it." Looking at the way he carefully stroked her lower abdomen, Zhe Shi's worries vanished instantly, replaced by an indescribable happiness and sweetness.

Chen Shao placed her on his lap, embracing her soft, warm body, and gently coaxed her, quietly telling her to go and say some sweet words to Huanhuan.

At this moment, Zhe Ningxiang had lost the ability to think. She just nodded dazedly, lying in Chen Shao's arms, nodding gently.

Chen Shao thought to himself that this was all he could do; the rest was up to them to discuss.

The downside of marrying a young wife is that she is less likely to get pregnant.
-
Chen Shao did not return to his residence. After sending Zhe Ningxiang inside, he went to the Lingwu camp himself.

At this moment, the heads of key figures of the Yeli clan were hanging in the camp, which brought morale to another peak.

Chen Shao seized the opportunity and personally watched them train for several days in a row.

I only manage to squeeze in a little time each day to go back to the city and rest.

Moreover, he kept his promise and made every effort to quickly distribute the military pay, provisions, silk, cotton, and linen that he had promised Lao Zhong through caravans.

In a normal dynasty, if two powerful forces with significant military strength were to cooperate in this way, the imperial court would have already sent troops to annihilate them.

However, the Song Dynasty is in a very abnormal state now. Tong Guan spent money to buy Yanjing, emptying the Song Dynasty's treasury.

The Three Offices Treasury can be used to embezzle funds, and there are still several months left to collect fiscal revenue during the busy summer and autumn seasons.

The establishment of the new Beijing garrison was imminent, but how much money could the officials of the Council of State possibly contribute?
Fortunately, some of the money that had been used to reorganize the Imperial Guard's finances was still left, and Cai Jing was so eager to make the most of it. Almost everyone in the court was relieved; if it weren't for Prime Minister Cai's disbandment of the Imperial Guard, the country would be completely finished by now.

The 600,000-strong Imperial Guard would drag the empire into the abyss. If the Imperial Guard had been disbanded earlier, the Song Dynasty might not have ended up in this state.

The Imperial Guards were not only expensive but also completely ineffective in combat. After their disbandment, the entire Song Dynasty was reborn from the ashes.

Unfortunately, they failed to seize this opportunity, especially Tong Guan, who repeatedly underperformed.

Facing a Liao dynasty on the verge of collapse, he made a fool of himself, losing four matches in a row, thus elevating the historical status of Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi.

He single-handedly caused the Song Dynasty to miss this opportunity, but Emperor Huizong of Song did not punish him severely.

Because punishing Tong Guan is punishing oneself, it is admitting that one has done wrong.

He was about to bow down to the civil officials.

The outcome might have been worse than it is now.

The current situation is that people like Zhao Ji, Tong Guan, and Liang Shicheng are completely ostrich-like, ignoring everything.

Leave the mess to Cai Jing, and while the old man is still in charge, squeeze as much energy out of him as possible.

With Chen Shao and Lao Zhong engaging in such blatant transactions, the imperial court's prestige was once again shattered.

Fortunately, there are no strongmen in the Song Dynasty now, and the military families in the northwest do not have the strength to stand on their own.

They were too scattered, and there was no highly respected leader to fully unite them.

Although Old Zhong was experienced, he was getting old, and frankly, he didn't have the prestige to make the entire Western Army revolve around him.

Because people don't eat your food, you don't have the economic means to win over the hearts of the people in the Northwest.

Looking at the military report about transporting grain to Yan'an Prefecture, Chen Shao said with a smile, "If we compare Bianliang, the Western Army, and us to three people, Bianliang is the incompetent husband, the Zhong family army is the somewhat attractive wife, and we are the wealthy and strong neighbors."

The generals in the tent all laughed rather crudely.

Especially Pang Ge, who didn't quite understand at first, but seeing everyone else laughing, he, who didn't understand, laughed the loudest.

“The Zhe family of Fugu has actually been quietly making a fortune all along. In recent years, without the powerful enemy of Western Xia and without sending troops to attack Liao, they have been steadily accumulating strength. We must be wary of them,” Wei Minglitong suddenly said.

Chen Shao shook his head. The Zhe family didn't actually have much ambition; they just wanted to protect the small piece of land left by their ancestors.

Moreover, limited by the land and population at its disposal, Fugu is only so big, and with only so many people, no matter how much it develops, it will remain the same.

Their status as regional military governors also limited their potential for expansion.

"How much did the Yeli clan gain this time?"

Wu Lin said, "After confiscating the property of the rebel Yeli and taking over his various industries, lands, warhorses, cattle, and sheep, the accumulated income is probably worth one million strings of cash."

Chen Shao was somewhat disappointed. This Yeli clan had shared the fate of the Western Xia dynasty, yet they had only accumulated such a small fortune after so many years.

Mei Zang Pang Ge said, "Commander, their wealth has already been taken by Ye Li Chong Shan once!"

Yeli Chongshan was also a powerful figure in the Yeli tribe. In order to cooperate with Li Qianshun's final attack, he betrayed his tribe and chose to be loyal to the emperor and Western Xia.

Chen Shao nodded regretfully. One million is one million, the key is that we still have a lot of assets.

This summer and autumn, the entire Dingnan Army will reap an exceptionally bountiful harvest.

Chen Shao initially restrained his desires and invested almost all his money, finally reaping his first major reward.

After this success, Dingnan Army officially entered a virtuous cycle, and also had relatively stable time and space for development.

After all, looking around, the only real enemies were the remnants of the Western Xia dynasty clinging to life in the Helan Mountains.

As for the other forces, regardless of what they think in their hearts, they are all friends of Chen Shao on the surface, including even the Jurchens, and their trade is still being carried out sporadically.

Not long ago, after receiving the interest, Wanyan Balisu sent many gifts to Chen Shao.

He was interested in the interest Chen Shao offered him, while Chen Shao was interested in his principal. Wanyan Balisu was definitely going to be a sucker, but it wasn't time for the collapse to happen yet.

The atmosphere inside the tent grew increasingly pleasant, with everyone speaking freely and sharing their ideas on how to train the Lingwu New Army in the future.

Suddenly, a personal guard entered, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "General, someone from Bianliang has arrived."

"Here we go again?" Because of what had happened before, Chen Shao suspected that they were here to ask for money again, and he didn't mind dumping a few more corpses on the grasslands of the Northwest.

He nodded, and his men led the person in.

This time, the person who came was a proper civil official. As soon as he entered the tent, he suddenly felt a sense of unease.

For a century in the Song Dynasty, civil officials had always been superior to military officials. What about Di Qing back then?

Upon arriving in Bianliang, he was still subjected to wanton humiliation by civil officials.

But inside the tent, no one respected him; not even one of them stood up.

"Who are you, and what brings you here?" Brother Pang asked.

"I am Geng Nanzhong, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the fifth year of the Yuanfeng era of the Great Song Dynasty, and a scholar of the Huiyou Pavilion!"

Good grief, you don't have any real power at all, Chen Shao said with a sneer.

Well, another beggar has arrived.

After Geng Nanzhong finished introducing himself, he found that these people still hadn't gotten up, which made him even more annoyed.

These military men, as expected, have become arrogant as soon as they see the court in some difficulty.

The current dynasty was right to suppress these military men, but it's a pity that they are now becoming increasingly difficult to control.

"You haven't even said what you're here for yet!"

Geng Nanzhong actually volunteered for the mission, and Cai Jing suddenly returned to the center of power, becoming the most powerful prime minister in the history of the Song Dynasty.

Their lives are very difficult now. Those from the Qingliu faction can hardly get any official positions with real power; they can only hang around with the Crown Prince.

Geng Nanzhong then volunteered to come to the Northwest to serve the imperial court. Many of these people, in fact, also wanted to do something to save the Song Dynasty; who wouldn't want that?

However, within this bureaucratic system, no one is allowed to turn the tide anymore. Everyone struggling in this political arena can only drift along with the ebb and flow of the tide.

Geng Nanzhong, who could even be considered quite bold, pondered that the biggest predicament facing the Song Dynasty was the lack of soldiers in the capital garrison, which was fatal.

So he genuinely wanted to contribute his efforts to the formation of the new army. After much deliberation, he felt that only the Dingnan Army had the capability, so he came.

"Are you aware that the imperial court is forming a new army?"

The tent was completely silent; everyone watched him indifferently.

Especially Chen Shao, who sat at the head of the table, had been deep in thought ever since I came in. He tapped his fingers on the table, his face dark and uncertain, as if he was plotting something.

In Geng Nanzhong's eyes, Chen Shao was even more despicable than the Jurchens. Despite his noble status, Chen Shao brazenly sat at the head of the table, not even bothering to rise and offer his seat.

Seeing that no one paid attention to him, Geng Nanzhong had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, "This time, the new army will train cavalry and infantry together. Your Dingnan Army will provide 5,000 warhorses and ensure the supply of fodder every year."

Pang Ge sneered and was about to start cursing when Chen Shao coughed. He immediately sat up straight and didn't say anything.

"Is this an imperial decree?" Chen Shao asked.

"That's natural."

"Where's the official document?"

Geng Nanzhong was a man of some ability. From the moment he entered until now, even in this tense and terrifying atmosphere, he remained calm and composed. He spread out his arms and said, "What, you don't believe what I'm saying?"

Chen Shao was inexplicably irritated. He stood up, sighed, and said, "You people from Bianliang are always so annoying. I know to some extent why you have suffered defeat after defeat and managed to turn your once prosperous country into this state."

"From top to bottom, Bianliang is permeated with an inexplicable air of superiority and arrogance. It was I who destroyed Western Xia, not you! While we were fighting bloody battles and risking our lives against the Xia traitors, you were still in Bianliang, indulging in wine and women and reciting poetry!"

"You ignorant pedant, you dare to spout nonsense in my camp. You demand five thousand warhorses from me without any evidence, yet you can't produce a single official document."

Geng Nanzhong blushed and shouted, "How dare you! I have an official seal on me, do you think you can doubt my identity?!"

Chen Shao originally intended to have him beaten up and driven out of the camp, then send him to Bianliang as an example to warn others who might want to come after him.

In recent years, the scholar-officials of the Song Dynasty have been eating too well and have become accustomed to being arrogant and domineering.

But now it is a special juncture.

The system they've upheld for nearly two hundred years is about to become unsustainable.

Today, beat this man up and send him back to Bianliang. Let them reread the history books and see what exactly a regional military governorship is.

What?! They call them feudal lords?!

(End of this chapter)