You have truly caused me great suffering!

After leaving Bole City, the road suddenly widened after walking a short distance.

There are still many signs of battle on both sides, with smoke, fire, and dilapidated fortifications.

These are all relics from the great battle between Song and Xia.

The two sides fought for a century, almost entirely along this line, and the various fortresses and strongholds built by the Song Dynasty were also concentrated here.

These fortified villages are now almost entirely filled with people.

The territory of the Dingnan Army is vast, but most of it is desert, such as the area between Hexi and Lingwu Plain, between Heishui Town and Heishan, north of Xiazhou and south of Heishan.
There are five large deserts alone, and many smaller ones scattered throughout the northwest.

Therefore, even at their peak, the Liao and Jin dynasties were unwilling to attack the Western Xia, because it would be a huge logistical challenge for nomadic peoples.

They were used to looting and fighting at the same time, and they had to walk through the desert for a month straight, so their logistics couldn't keep up.

The only route that could directly reach Western Xia from the Shaanxi Road of the Song Dynasty was the route that Western Xia feared for its potential destruction.

The Hengshan and Tiandushan mountain ranges are continuous and the terrain is treacherous. Back then, Liu Fa was defeated by Richard in Tong'an City, and the Western Xia controlled the Tiandushan and Qilian Mountain pastures.

During this time, the Song Dynasty kept sending people to demand it, but Chen Shao only made excuses and did not give it to them.

Tiandu Mountain is the gateway to Longyou. The Longyou Plain is a vast and fertile land, a major granary regardless of which side it belongs to!
Under the pretext of guarding against the Tubo (Tibetan) forces, Chen Shao always kept the area around Tiandu Mountain and Zangdi River firmly in his grasp, and the grain escort teams were also stationed there as a key area, causing the Longyou region of the Song Dynasty to lose its strategic depth.

This made the Song Dynasty very uneasy.

Speaking of which, the Tibetans in this region once enjoyed a honeymoon period with the Song Dynasty. After Tong Guan conquered the Hehuang region, he began to continuously conscript Tibetans into the army, sending them to fight desperately against the Western Xia.

You exploited them relentlessly without giving them any benefits, which ultimately led to a collective rebellion by the Tibetans.

After passing Helan Garden and reaching Great Wall Ridge, it was already under the jurisdiction of Youzhou.

Chen Shao and his companions noticed that various villages and fortresses were posting notices to encourage farmers, and a large number of farmers' envoys were going from street to street.

Depending on the type of land, inform the local people what is best to plant in their fields the following spring.

In each village and hamlet, some farming tools were distributed to encourage farmers to work, and surveys were conducted to identify fields that were abandoned and not being used. Then, the landowners would be held accountable in person.

If someone neglects the land due to laziness, they should be publicly shamed and displayed.

This policy was learned by Wei Li from the Song Dynasty, but it is no longer implemented in the Song Dynasty; however, it is very common here.

Chen Shao looked at the various policies and decrees he and Wei Li had discussed and saw how well they were being implemented at the grassroots level, and couldn't help but feel happy.

He said to Xu Jin, "You should definitely go out more often when you have nothing to do. You can discover and solve a lot of things."

Xu Jin smiled and echoed, "This is what is meant by 'traveling ten thousand miles and reading ten thousand books'! The sages told us this long ago."

In fact, Xu Jin was a traditional scholar-official of the Song Dynasty. He disagreed with this view and felt that people like Chen Shao should stay in their residences and let people like him govern.

However, having figured out Chen Shao's temperament, he naturally wouldn't say that. In the future, when working in Dingnan Army, he would have to change his previous ideas.

Chen Shao discovered that the further they went into Yinxia, ​​the more established and well-developed it became. Moreover, the atmosphere of war was growing stronger, with large numbers of laborers being conscripted to quarry and cut timber.

Xu Jin kept praising Yin Xia for carrying out the government orders well, and Chen Shao agreed, but he wasn't as happy as Xu Jin.

If one only thinks about carving out a territory, that would certainly be enough, but if the Dingnan Army is one's base, its output would probably be insufficient to support future wars.

The total amount of arable land is still too small, and due to geographical limitations, it exhibits distinct characteristics of "oasis agriculture".

Even minor droughts or floods could shake grain production. Although Chen Shao generously provided the Zhong family army with half a year's worth of grain, it was still squeezed out of the available resources.

Chen Shao himself didn't even have enough.

The Xingling area was able to irrigate 600 hectares thanks to the renovation of the ancient canal during the Tang Dynasty.

The Jiangnan region, known for its fish and rice, was a place Chen Shao could previously purchase goods from, but now it is under the control of the Song court.

Even the Song Dynasty itself didn't have enough to eat.

So although Chen Shao occupied a large territory, his capital was not particularly substantial.

Only the land of our ancestors, the land of China, with its vast grasslands, fertile and warm soil, and inexhaustible rivers, has remained prosperous for thousands of years; it is truly a first-class land on earth.
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Rumors were already circulating among the common people that the Jurchens were about to march south, and the Song Dynasty would certainly be unable to stop them.

We'll inevitably have to fight our way here eventually.

People had just enjoyed a few good days and hadn't really recovered from the war, so they weren't afraid.

After all, on this land, peace is always temporary, and war is the norm.

As for the military officers, their feelings were even more complicated. They were eager to make contributions and were also very confident in the current strength of their own camp.

But war means death.

Thirteen days later, Chen Shao and his group had arrived in Yinzhou from Bole City.

The journey was long, and Chen Shao didn't walk fast; in fact, he slowed down more and more as they went on.

However, he felt that he had benefited greatly.

Sometimes, you really need to travel around your own territory more to understand the hardships of the people and where your policies are inadequate and successful.

We will use this as a basis to identify and address any shortcomings in the future.

Otherwise, as an autocratic ruler, making decisions from high-rise buildings could easily lead to a disconnect from the people.

Old Zhu came out to greet Chen Shao from dozens of miles away, waiting for his carriage, only to find that he had come on horseback.

Hearing that his three daughters were with him, Old Zhu couldn't help but dream that he would be able to conceive one of them, having been the only one favored along the way.

The warlord now only has one daughter.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that Chen Shao's precious essence was actually used to nourish them or moisturize their faces.

"General, why don't you take a carriage?" Old Zhu said with a pained expression.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "I come from a military background, and my horsemanship skills haven't diminished yet."

"The commander's horsemanship is superb, absolutely no doubt about it," Old Zhu said sincerely.

Chen Shao used to think that those incompetent emperors and high-ranking officials would never like the sycophants around them.

He only realized how normal this was after he himself became an official.
Chen Shao insisted on riding horses, but he wouldn't force himself to endure hardship; he was preparing for future battles.

He can go to the front lines, but he must protect himself and try his best to avoid getting injured.

Because in many cases, living a long life is a huge advantage, and maintaining good health is more important than anything else.

Wanyan Zongwang was so capable, brave and resourceful, yet he died at the age of thirty. Therefore, any potential contributions he might have made to the Jin Dynasty afterward would have become mere speculation.

His contribution to the Great Kim after his death was zero.

Even the Eastern Route Army, which he had painstakingly assembled, would be torn apart by internal strife, leading to fighting and infighting, which would weaken the Jin Dynasty's strength.

As the absolute soul of the Dingnan Army, Chen Shao's survival is the greatest contribution he can make to this powerful group.

As Chen Shao's confidant and a general commanding troops, Zhu Lingling knew more about Chen Shao's thoughts than others.

So the two of them got together and immediately began to discuss the Liao-Jin war.

Crossing from Yinzhou past the Zhejia family in Fugu, lies the main battlefield of the Liao and Jin dynasties, where Yelü Yanxi was just defeated.

Meanwhile, the two fortified villages of Zhuolunzhai and Nuanquanfeng in Yinzhou could directly send troops to Dongshengzhou of the Jin Kingdom.

Chen Shao has amassed a considerable number of troops here.

Zhu Lingling whispered, "Don't worry, Commander. Once we make our move, I will definitely take Dongsheng Prefecture and pave the way for you."

Chen Shao nodded and said, "Don't make a fuss. By the way, are refugees still entering the country through this route?"

"They're long gone. Wanyan Xiyin sent a Jurchen Tartar army to garrison here, obstructing and killing refugees. Their methods were extremely ruthless; they were simply inhuman."

Chen Shao frowned; this Wanyan Xiyin was truly annoying.

He seems to be different from other Jurchens. He must have already figured out his own ideas and is working hard to lead the Jurchens from barbarism to civilization, or at least he wants to learn their system.

Such Jurchens are more threatening than even the fiercest generals.

Because among the Jurchen Tartars, there was no shortage of fierce warriors, but what they lacked were those with sharp minds who understood Central Plains civilization.

The key point is that this Wanyan Xiyin was also exceptionally fierce in battle.
Inside the carriage, Jin Le'er gently lifted a corner of the curtain and saw Chen Shao and their father whispering to each other on horseback outside.

Jin Le'er immediately called her two older sisters to come and see, and the three of them huddled together, laughing and watching with great interest.

They were very satisfied with the man their father had found for them; it was much better than marrying a man from another tribe.

The master was young, handsome, and very gentle and considerate. He never scolded or beat them with a stern face.

Chen Shao and Lao Zhu chatted as they walked, completely absorbed in their conversation. It was only after a long time that they looked up and realized they had arrived in Yinzhou.

If the outer perimeter still retained some signs of impending war, then Yinzhou City was genuinely preparing for war.

War is a very important matter, and Chen Shao always had to think deeply about it before each battle.

Of course, this doesn't count the attack on Hexi and Xizhou; it was an overwhelming and devastating force.

For example, this time, he had already considered and deduced many times in Xiping Prefecture, and then he had to go out to Hexi, Yinzhou, and Xiazhou.

Discuss with Zhu Lingling, listen to Han Shizhong's opinions, listen to Wu Jie and Wu Lin's opinions, and listen to Li Xiaozhong's opinions.

Then, after summarizing and addressing any shortcomings, and checking all logistical capabilities, it becomes possible to deploy troops.

Yinzhou was his first stop, and Chen Shao seems quite satisfied with it so far.

When we arrived at Zhu Lingling's residence, we found that his house was now entirely in the style of the Central Plains, and there was no trace of the fact that he had once been a powerful chieftain.

The three sisters, except for Jin Le'er, were also visiting this house for the first time, and immediately went back to the inner courtyard.

Chen Shao and Zhu Lingling arrived at the main hall and saw a sand table in the middle, densely covered with flags.

It's clearly something that's been used frequently, just like the one Chen Shao had in Xiping Prefecture.

Chen Shao walked to the sand table, pointed to Nuanquan Peak, and asked, "Can you defend this place?"

"General, Nuanquan Peak is a formidable stronghold, impregnable by even a single man. I have also deployed a large force of five thousand men!"

"Alright, then let's store the supplies at Zhuolun Village! If there's any danger, we can move them to Linzhou nearby."

The Zhe family army was quite reliable, with formidable combat power, ranking among the top even within the Western Army. They bordered the Jin Dynasty directly, and at this time, they had already transferred the forces previously deployed in the west to defend against the Western Xia to the Jin-Song border.

Zhu Lingling nodded. This time he appeared very composed, clearly having also inquired about the strength of the Jurchens.

They conquered vast territories, captured an endless number of auxiliary troops, and the Song Dynasty also provided them with so much military rations, supplies, and money.

Our clan's generals have suffered virtually no losses so far.

However, Zhu Lingling also knew that once the Jurchens were defeated, there would be few forces in the world that could restrain them.

He followed the commander into the Central Plains, and he had no intention of ever returning.

Zhu Lingling was very good at flattery and ingratiation. In order to please Chen Shao, he hired many Han scholars to teach him the stories, culture and customs of the Central Plains.

Who knew that as he studied it, he would actually get hooked?

Now all he can think about is: Geshu Ye carrying a knife;

Iron cavalry rampaged across Tieling, heading west to Luoyu to claim a title.

To become a famous general like Geshu Han, Gao Xianzhi, Li Guangbi, and Ashina She'er, and to occupy a place in the Central Plains.

The Dingnan Army only occupied a small portion of Western Xia's territory, which was insignificant compared to the Central Plains. (End of Chapter)