You have truly caused me great suffering!

When Chen Shao got up in the early morning, he was holding Jin Le'er in his arms.

The other two older sisters had already gotten up.

Jin Le'er stared at him with her beautiful big eyes, a half-smile on her face.

Thinking about how tight the schedule was for the day, Chen Shao quickly got up and said, "Get up and change quickly, I'll take you to Hengshan to play."

Upon hearing this, Jin Le'er happily got up and, together with the maids, helped him get dressed and wash up.

Chen Shao left the city early in the morning and headed to Hengshan Ranch.

Because Hengshan was a frontline area, the pastures there were often devastated due to the continuous wars between the Western Xia and the Song Dynasty.

Now the pastures of several tribes have been connected into one. From the beginning, Zhu Lingling had reported to me that she wanted to use Xiazhou horses and Hengshan horses to breed and improve the horses.

At this point, there were no obvious results yet, but we continued to work on it.

In the ranch, someone secretly found Chen Shao and accused Zhu Lingling of being too cruel to their tribe, killing their chieftain under a very lame pretext, and begged Chen Shao to stand up for them.

Chen Shao could only say that he would go back and check.

How can the Commander-in-Chief make decisions for you? Although it was Old Zhu who took action, the idea was something the two of them came up with together. This is like accusing an accomplice, but they've brought the complaint to the mastermind.

A few generations later, the affairs of those tribes were no longer of concern.

Hengshan is Hengshan, divided into dozens of tribes, how can they properly raise horses?

Today, Yokoyama Ranch has grown much larger, and because it is so stable and does not need to face war, the number of horses is still increasing rapidly.

Many foals were sold to the Song Dynasty in exchange for grain and mulberry trees. This somewhat alleviated the horse shortage problem in the Song Dynasty.

Chen Shao took a tour and was generally satisfied; Yinzhou was indeed above average in many aspects.

After coming down from the ranch, Da Hu drove the cart and stopped it by the roadside.

Chen Shao was in a carriage, which was parked at the west gate of Yinzhou City.

The top and all sides were completely sealed off, with only one window open and a bamboo curtain drawn so that one could see what was happening outside.

The carriage and windows are made of pine wood, which has a naturally beautiful grain, so it is usually not painted. The natural grain of the wood is like an exquisite pattern, and it also has a fresh smell.

Jin Le'er said she wanted to buy him a snack that he had eaten since he was a child. It was unique to the Hengshan Qiang people and now some Hengshan Qiang people were selling it in Yinzhou City.

Those Qiang people were dressed as peddlers from the Central Plains, and there was no way to tell the difference.

Outside the vehicle, rows of soldiers were jogging out of the city, their steps neat and imposing.

Maintaining synchronized steps is actually quite difficult, especially when jogging in armor.

At this moment, their steps became heavier and more substantial.

This shows that he has practiced a lot on a regular basis.

Although Lao Zhu loves to flatter, it doesn't mean he's just a sycophant; he's a very capable person.

When Chen Shao reached his position, he valued ability more than character when employing people.

For example, Chen Shao looked down on Geng Nanzhong, but that didn't stop him from sending him to Xiping Prefecture to be Wei Li's deputy.

His connections were extremely important, and he was also familiar with the central government of the Song Dynasty.

After the soldiers passed by, Chen Shao heard some people whispering among themselves.

"Where are you going?"

"I heard there's going to be a war."

Judging from their voices, one was an old man and the other a young man.

The young man sighed and said, "That's what I'm afraid of. We've only had a few good years, and now there's going to be war again. Why can't these big shots ever give us a moment's peace?"

The old man chuckled, "When has this place ever been peaceful? Let's fight. Only if we win can we continue to live a good life. If you don't fight, others will come to fight you. Nowadays, we don't even have to go hungry while fighting. What's there to be afraid of?"

"You make it sound so easy. You're too old to go to the battlefield. If a real war breaks out, and all the people in front are wiped out, won't we still be the ones to be conscripted to fight for our lives?"

The old man scoffed and said, "When I was young, I fought for so many years! If I had met a commander like you, I would have been a general long ago. It's rare to see a coward like you. The men of Yinzhou all long for war, but you're scared to death like a woman. Old Wu's son next door grew up with you, and now he's a military commander!"

The young man seemed a little guilty and said, "I can't be bothered to talk to you."

"Pooh!"

After listening, Chen Shao was somewhat moved; it turned out that a large portion of the populace actually wanted war to break out.
This was quite unexpected for him.

Perhaps it's because under these production conditions, the difference between being an official and being an ordinary citizen is simply too great.

In places where war has raged for hundreds of years, the hardships of ordinary people are unimaginable to modern people, and everyone hopes to rise above their circumstances.

Jin Le'er, dressed in white, ran back at this moment, holding a snack wrapped in oil paper in her hands, and lifted the carriage curtain to enter.

Upon seeing Chen Shao, a sweet smile immediately appeared on her face, and her clear eyes under her long eyelashes instantly turned into crescent moons, making her look exceptionally sweet.

"Sir, please have a taste!"

Inside the oiled paper were small balls. Chen Shao picked one up; it had a faint aroma of wine and milk.

Jin Le'er smiled and said, "This is made by filtering out the cheese crumbs after fermentation, mixing them with roasted barley, steamed millet, and then mixing them with yeast."

Jin Le'er was very happy that the master only brought her out today.

The Qiang people have a long tradition of brewing "li" (a type of sweet liquor). The Book of Songs records, "The Zhouyuan Plain is fertile, and the bitter herbs are as sweet as li."

Chen Shao savored the sweet aroma of the wine, secretly cursing in his heart, "If it weren't for the fact that we had to fight, I wouldn't want to fight at all!"

Who the hell loves war?!
The old man is right. If you don't hit others, they will hit you.

"Is the master tired?"

"Why do you ask that?" Chen Shao doesn't usually work hard, so he doesn't feel tired.

"I see that Master is often sullen and doesn't say much. I'll do that when I'm tired." Jin Le'er was young, and her two older sisters would never have dared to say such a thing.

Chen Shao laughed heartily. This trip wasn't for sightseeing, but for a pre-battle inspection.

Check whether the various forces are prepared for war; if not, they must be reminded.

Therefore, he had to carefully recall every detail. A person who truly wants to win will inevitably put in a lot of effort before launching a war.

Based on current observations, Yinzhou is qualified, and even far exceeds Chen Shao's expectations.

They generally hoped for war, but not blindly. They were genuinely preparing and single-mindedly determined to invade the Central Plains.

Whether the opponent is the Jurchen or the Song Dynasty, they will not hesitate at all as long as I give the order.

Although the Jurchen Tartars were brutal, they had not yet harmed the local people, so there was no hatred between them; they simply wanted military merit.

In a sense, this kind of opponent is more terrifying. They are not blinded by hatred and will rationally deal with you from top to bottom in order to achieve their own goals and gain merit.

The Yinzhou troops were a very important force under Chen Shao, almost entirely composed of light cavalry, capable of rapid and mobile raids, support operations, and capture key positions.

Back at Zhu Lingling's residence, in the courtyard prepared for Chen Shaoteng, the guards were carrying boxes.

Chen Shao asked curiously, "What is this?"

"General, these are all gifts from officials and local celebrities in Yinzhou."

Chen Shao nodded and said, "Put them all away."

Chen Shao accepted all comers, not to blend in with the crowd, but because he had other plans.

If I take your money but don't do anything for you, this unhealthy trend of gift-giving will eventually be curbed.

It is absolutely impossible to eradicate it completely.

There are many ways to get promoted under Chen Shao, but he will absolutely not promote you if you spend money.

Unless it's something so much that Chen Shao can't refuse.

Chen Shao was about to go and see if there were any new and precious items when a guard outside the door reported: "Commander Qu Duan has sent a visiting card, requesting an audience with the Commander."

Chen Shao then invited him inside. After a short while, Qu Duan entered, greeted him, and said, "General, I have something to say about the defense of Nuanquan Peak."

"Oh?" Chen Shao clapped his hands, sat on the steps, and unwrapped the gifts without bothering anyone. "Tell me about it."

Qu Duan said, "Fu Gu Zhe Keqiu is a mediocre man. Although he comes from a military family, he doesn't know anything about military affairs. If the Jurchen Tartars break through his defenses at Huoshan Army, the Jurchen cavalry can quickly penetrate behind Zhuolun Village, and our supplies will be at risk of being cut off."

Chen Shao frowned and said, "The Zhe family of Fugu has been a military family for three hundred years, longer than the Song Dynasty itself. They have always been known for their elite soldiers and fierce generals. How could they be ignorant about military affairs?" Qu Duan argued, "In the Battle of Tong'an City, Grand Commandant Liu fought a bloody battle with the Xia rebels. Zhe Keqiu did not go to support them, which led to Grand Commandant Liu's death. He himself managed to retreat and preserve his strength. How can such a villain be trusted?"

Qu Duan was under Liu Fa's command. Like Wu Jie, he was a remnant of the army after the Battle of Tong'an City and was recruited by Chen Shao.

At that time, Wu Jie and his brother were just soldiers, while Qu Duan was already a military supervisor in Tong'an Village, guarding a fortified village in Hengshan.

Therefore, he deeply resented Zhe Keqiu's attempt to preserve his strength.

Chen Shao smiled. He had his own intelligence; Zhe Keqiu was no pushover.
He preserved his strength back then because it wasn't his territory and he didn't want to fight to the death there. Liu Fa was wrong to be forced to send troops by Tong Guan in the first place.

He lacked both favorable timing and location; it was purely due to Tong Guan's eagerness for quick success and his blinded ambition to quickly seize the title of king in Youyan.

This time was different. Zhe Keqiu was defending his own defensive line. Once it was breached, Fugu would be under the iron hooves of the Jurchens.

The Zhe family has been operating in Fugu for many years and is deeply rooted in the local area. Even if their defenses are breached, they can quickly organize a second and third line of defense.
Qu Duan suddenly lowered his voice and said, "General, nowadays all affairs of the Yinzhou Camp, big and small, are controlled by Zhu Ling's troops. I think we should promote more Han generals."

Chen Shao smiled inwardly. So this is your real purpose for coming, isn't it? The majority of the military officers in the Yinzhou camp are Han Chinese. And Old Zhu and his men don't consider themselves foreign at all; they've been guarding the Central Plains' borders since the Tang Dynasty.

This song is clearly eyeing Old Zhu's position.

Chen Shao said, "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. Those who serve under me are neither good nor bad. If they make contributions, I promote them; if they lose, I demote them. There's nothing more to say."

If you want to improve, you need to produce results.

You, Qu Duan, rose from a prisoner in Tong'an Village to a military commander, all because you fought your way up in Xia Prefecture, without giving me a single penny as a bribe.

He brought up two things, but Chen Shao didn't listen, so Qu Duan could only leave sullenly.

In fact, he had risen through the ranks very quickly in the past few years, but Qu Duan still felt that he was being overlooked.

The reason he didn't become a regional commander like Wu Jie and Han Shizhong was mainly because he had fewer opportunities.

During the battle of Xia Prefecture, he made too many contributions and was directly promoted to the position of Commandant of Yin Prefecture, thus missing out on several subsequent major battles.

We must seize this opportunity!

In his view, Wu Jie's command in the battle against Yeli Chongshan outside Xiping Prefecture was a complete mess.

If I were to command, I would certainly achieve greater results and suffer fewer casualties.

As for conquering Gaochang in Xizhou, that would be an easy victory, not worth mentioning.

After Qu Duan left, Chen Shao looked at the gift box in his hand, which contained many exotic treasures.

He casually picked up three gems, intending to give them to the three little Zhu Lings.
-
In Yanshan Prefecture, Wang Anzhong felt extremely troubled as he looked at the Jurchen envoy who had come to demand Zhang Jue.

In the few days since he arrived in Yanshan Prefecture, the Jurchen Tartars at Gubeikou have made more than ten raids southwards.

It is harvest time now, although a large amount of farmland has been abandoned due to war.

But Yan was a fertile land, and there was still a lot of farmland that escaped the ravages of war.

However, many of them could not escape the Jurchen Tartars, who indiscriminately killed and looted, and Yanshan Prefecture dared not send troops to protect them.

Gubeikou was not redeemed, and apart from the city, the rest of Yan was under the threat of the Jurchen Tartars' iron hooves.

These Jurchen cavalry could raid southwards at any time; once they left Gubeikou, the land was flat and open.

Over time, Wang Anzhong actually regretted it. He wished he had stayed in Bianliang, where he would have been trampled on and ostracized by Cai Jing.

At least I don't have to live in constant fear.

Although Cai Jing was a domineering old bastard, he was at least polite on the surface, but he used underhanded tactics behind the scenes.

Today, these Jurchen envoys began to hurl insults in their own temple.

Not a single official in the entire hall stood up to stop it, and Wang Anzhong's face grew increasingly grim.

"Please calm down, Your Excellency." Wang Anzhong forced a smile, his Adam's apple bobbing. "There may be a misunderstanding regarding Zhang Jue..."

"A misunderstanding?" The Jin envoy sneered, "Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, we know perfectly well. We don't want to hear any more of your treacherous words. Quickly cut off Zhang Jue's head and let me go back to report. Otherwise... Hmph, our Second Prince said that if you don't give it to him, the army will march south immediately!"

"Your Great Song Dynasty can't even beat the Khitan dogs. I'd like to see where you got the audacity to harbor Zhang Jue, the traitor of my Great Jin Dynasty!"

Although his words were harsh, the officials of the Song Dynasty's Pacification Commission in the hall were all ashamed and angry, but there was nothing they could do.

Because they were telling the truth.

Fear permeated the hall; no one wanted to confront the Jurchen Tartars head-on.

Wang Anzhong said, "This matter is beyond my control. We must petition the court and await its decree."

"Very well!" The Jurchen envoy, with a fierce expression, said menacingly, "Then let's meet on the battlefield!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

The people inside the hall quickly reached out to stop him, "Your Excellency, please don't act rashly!"

The Jurchen envoy pushed a Song official to the ground, and the Jurchen man burst into laughter.

He turned around, swaggering, and shouted, "I'll give you three more days. You'd better figure it out yourselves!"

After saying that, he strode out, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him.

A sense of humiliation overwhelmed Wang Anzhong, and he slumped into a chair, feeling utterly powerless.
-
Meanwhile, in Yanjing City, a hundred or so Pingzhou knights who had escorted Zhang Jue sat on the ground, devouring the pork and mutton that had been brought from the city.

Two trusted generals of Guo Yaoshi, who had been victorious in the army, brought dozens of reed mats with their men. Originally, Zhang Jue and his guards had fought hard on the walls of Pingzhou and were exhausted and hungry.

However, these men from Yan in Pingzhou had gloomy faces. They deeply resented the Song army for breaking their promise and refusing to send troops, which led to their loss of Pingzhou.

But at this time, they were still counting on them to fight their way back to Pingzhou, so apart from giving the Song people a cold shoulder, they didn't do much else rudely.

The Pingzhou soldiers sat down around Zhang Jue, without removing their armor. They did not ask the Song people for help in preparing the food, but instead dug a fire pit themselves, took the firewood that had been brought, and began to cook meat and steam millet on the ground.

Before long, the aroma of roasting meat filled the air. The laborers brought out large jars of wine, some of which were newly brewed and the yeast hadn't even fully fermented. It was clear that Pharmacist Guo was a true friend, and even though he was struggling financially, he had brought out all his savings to entertain them.

The situation in Yanshan Prefecture was indeed not good, mainly because Tong Guan had spent all the money on redeeming Yanjing, which would take ten years to come.

The soldiers from Pingzhou, holding their millet porridge, smelled the aroma of pork and mutton wafting from the side and heard the sizzling sound of oil dripping into the fire. They all swallowed hard.

Once the meat was cooked, everyone devoured it. As they ate, someone suddenly remembered the fall of Pingzhou and the unknown fate of their family members. They burst into tears.

The cries were heart-wrenching, spreading from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Everyone wiped away tears and beat their chests.

Zhang Jue stood up, found the military officer who had brought the food, and asked, "Take me to see Commander Wang Xuan and General Guo!"

The military officer nodded and said, "Commander Zhang, please wait a moment while I go and inform him."

Zhang Jue nodded, and the military officers hurriedly left.

As night fell, the Song military officer did not return, nor did anyone come to inform him that he had gone to see Wang Anzhong.

Zhang Jue felt slightly uneasy, but at this moment he only had about a hundred men, and there was nothing he could do.
-
into the night.

Inside Wang Anzhong's ceremonial hall, the lights were on.

Wang Anzhong sat upright in an ebony armchair, his face appearing and disappearing in the candlelight.

What ideas do you have?

Wang Anzhong looked at the staff in the hall and asked helplessly.

Suddenly, an advisor stepped forward and whispered, "Commander Xuan, those Jurchen Tartars only said they wanted Zhang Jue's head, not a living person. Why don't we find someone who looks like him, behead him, and send him to Wanyan Zongwang to trick him into retreating first?"

Wang Anzhong frowned and asked, "Can we hide it from him?"

“A few cuts on the face, who would notice?” the advisor said. “By the time they realize what’s happening, the imperial decree will have arrived, and then we’ll just do as the court orders.”

Another advisor stepped forward and said, "Brilliant! Whether Zhang Jue is killed or spared is up to the court. In any case, even if the Jurchens invade the south, the blame will not fall on Commander Xuan's shoulders."

This was what Wang Anzhong feared most at that moment.

If Zhang Jue is killed, the court will go to war with the Jurchens, and he will be guilty of a serious crime.

If Zhang Jue is not killed, and the Jurchens march south, I might be forced to take the blame again.

This advisor's method is not bad; at least it can buy us a few days' time.

Once the imperial decree is issued, and one becomes someone acting on orders, those scoundrels in Bianliang will have no grounds to shift the blame onto them.

"Good! Quickly send people to search the city for someone who resembles Zhang Jue!"

"Remember, search secretly, and once you find it, keep your hands clean." (End of Chapter)