You have truly caused me great suffering!

As dawn broke, the sun slowly rose in the east, shining upon the imperial city of the Song Dynasty.

This imperial city, which was disliked by Emperor Huizong of Song, was indeed not as magnificent as the imperial cities of previous dynasties.

Back then, Bianliang was just a military town, unlike Chang'an and Luoyang, which had the foundation of thousands of palaces.

Inside the Wende Hall, the emperor's trusted confidants had gathered early in the morning to discuss state affairs.

Standing beside him was Shao Chengzhang, a trusted eunuch of Zhao Huan. He was considered one of the more courageous eunuchs and had previously impeached Cai Jing and Tong Guan, accusing them of "misleading the country and the people."
In the end, Zhao Huan only dealt with Tong Guan. After all, he was an imperial eunuch and a servant of the emperor, so no one could say anything about it!
There was also Liang Shicheng, a eunuch, but Zhao Huan dared not touch him for the time being. This man had too deep a foundation in Bianliang, and Zhao Huan and his allies were afraid that if they pushed him too far, he would cause a palace coup.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, He Su; the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, Wu Min; Li Gang, who had just returned to Tokyo after his defeat; and the strategist Yuwen Xuzhong.
At this time, Zhao Huan was surrounded by a group of people who were all advocates of war.

Geng Nanzhong, the imperial tutor and advocate of peace who was originally by his side, has now gone to the Dingnan Army to make a name for himself, and not long ago he even ganged up on Cai Jing's youngest son.

Zhao Huan, who was already listless, looked even more haggard at this moment.

It's clear that he really didn't want to be emperor, or at least not so soon.

I heard that his father, the emperor, took a new concubine yesterday, which made Zhao Huan even more upset.

You're quite relaxed now, but you've stepped forward to be the emperor, working hard and worrying about countless memorials and military reports every day.

Every day, they had to think about how to allocate grain supplies and how to defend the capital.

Moreover, one could easily be branded as a ruler who lost his country.

“Wanyan Zongwang is eager to make peace, probably because he is afraid that his rear will be cut off!” Although Li Gang had just been defeated, his face was still full of fighting spirit and he showed no signs of defeat. “He has gone deep into enemy territory alone, with Zong Ze and Zhang Su cutting off his rear. Now Weizhou has also started fighting.”

He Su sighed and said, "It's a pity that Chen Shao doesn't listen to the court's orders and wants to attack Weizhou. If he sends troops to Zhending Prefecture, Wanyan Zongwang will be trapped like a turtle in a jar!"

Everyone present agreed, even though most of them knew in their hearts why Chen Shao did not advance eastward.

Yes, we want to kill you too, but killing you is righteous, while disobeying the imperial court is unjust.

Why can't you come and help us achieve our goals?

Only you died; the glory belongs to all the people of Song.

If we could eliminate both you and the Jurchens at the same time, the Song Dynasty would go from being on the verge of destruction to expanding its territory.

Moreover, its territory encompassed the Xia and Liao dynasties—what a monumental achievement!
Yuwen Xuzhong had met Chen Shao more than once, and when he heard them discussing these things, he felt it was meaningless.

It's like a tiger and a wolf surrounding you. Instead of thinking about how to resist, you're thinking about driving the tiger away to devour the wolf and then reaping the benefits.

It's not that it's impossible, it's just that we don't have the necessary conditions.

"If that doesn't work, we'll fight another battle!" Li Gang suddenly said.

Zhao Huan trembled with fear. Was he still going to fight?

Even if you win a single battle, I won't be so terrified. Since the Jurchen Tartars came to the vicinity of the capital, they haven't suffered a single minor defeat.

The elite troops of the Western Army, Yao Gu's Qin Feng Army, were defeated, and the casualty ratio was quite poor.

Although everyone is reluctant to admit it, they all know that only the Dingnan Army can fight the Jurchens now.

"Gather the surrounding troops and fight another battle!" He Su also said.

He and Li Gang not only had a very good personal relationship, but they also shared the same temperament and personality.

Zhao Huan quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no! If we are defeated again, the Tartars will be at the gates of Bianliang!"

Li Gang and He Su glared at each other, while Wu Min's attitude was ambiguous. Although she was too embarrassed to speak, she seemed to support the emperor.

Li Gang was somewhat disappointed. In times of peace, these people hoped that the monarch would govern by doing nothing and leave the affairs of the country to them, the more mediocre the monarch was, the better; but in times of crisis, they hoped that the monarch would stand up and lead them in a desperate counterattack.

It just goes to show that where you stand determines where you stand. Whether you're a proponent of war or peace, whether you belong to the new party or the old party, a bureaucrat is a bureaucrat.
Yuwen Xuzhong suddenly said, “Geng Xidao started serving as the Crown Prince’s Right Vice-Minister in the second year of the Zhenghe era and later as the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, he has served as the Emperor’s tutor for fourteen years. Since he has a certain prestige in the Dingnan Army, why don’t Your Majesty personally write a letter to him, asking him to advise Chen Shao to advance eastward?”

"I heard that Geng Xidao was beaten and thrown out as soon as he arrived in Xiping Prefecture. Can he persuade Chen Shao?"

Yuwen Xuzhong glanced at Wu Min and said, "We don't want him to use any grand principles of national righteousness to persuade Chen Shao to advance eastward. Rather, we want to use him to connect with Chen Shao and build some mutual trust. I believe Chen Shao is not entirely a treacherous and rebellious minister. Although he has ambitions to establish his own territory, he also has some sense of responsibility."

"Otherwise, he would not have immediately sent troops when the Tartars declared war. Instead, he would have observed the situation for a period of time and then either coerced the court or took the opportunity to rebel and invade."

Zhao Huan nodded and said, "Now his army is strong and well-equipped, but every time he submits a letter or writes a letter, his words are very appropriate. He is not arrogant or domineering, and he still cares about the dignity of the royal family to some extent."

He Su sneered, "Shutong, can you guarantee he won't rebel?"

Yuwen Xuzhong frowned slightly. What kind of talk is this?

He patiently said, "Precisely because he has the potential to rebel, we must bring him to the capital. Otherwise, if Chen Shao stays with those men for a long time, even if he doesn't want to rebel, he will be pushed to that point."

“We should offer him sufficient conditions to come here to defend against the enemy, and it would be best to let him gain both fame and fortune, repeating the story of Guo Ziyi.”

Wu Min nodded and said, "That's very true. If necessary, bestowing a title of king is not out of the question!"

Li Gang and He Su also knew that with Chen Shao's current strength, if he were willing to come to the vicinity of Bianliang to repel the enemy, he would at most become a Guo Ziyi.

If he hadn't come, he would at least have been another An Lushan.

Thinking that Wanyan Zongwang occupied Yanshan Prefecture, while Chen Shao occupied Yunzhong Prefecture.

With the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun held in the hands of these two separate entities, it's no wonder the Song emperor and his officials in Bianliang couldn't sleep soundly.

Even if they retreat this time, they can always head south again in the future.

In terms of danger, they were far more dangerous than the Khitans.

After pondering for a moment, Li Gang still did not give up his idea. He tentatively asked, "Can we ask the Emperor for his troops to fight?"

The troops that Gao Qiu trained for Zhao Ji were actually quite reliable, as they absorbed many ambitious young generals from the Western Army.

They were all obtained by Gao Qiu sending people to the five routes of Shaanxi to inquire and then demand them from various military families.

These young military officers also had the courage to go into battle, and they went to the Privy Council several times to request permission to fight.

However, the power to transfer them remained firmly in the hands of the retired emperor.

Zhao Huan shook his head and said, "The Emperor regards that army as his own life and will not give it up easily."

Li Gang looked at the emperor who didn't want to do anything and couldn't accomplish anything, and felt inexplicably annoyed. "Your Majesty, how do you know it won't work if you don't try? Now that the country is in peril, it's time to fight with everything we have and unite against external threats!"

Zhao Huan was somewhat frightened by what he said, and nodded, saying, "Then I will go and ask."

The people in the hall looked at the emperor, who seemed like a wooden statue and had no opinions of his own, and were somewhat disappointed. This emperor was good in every way, and since he was made crown prince, he had been a natural ally of the old party.

But he was born at the wrong time.

If only his relationship with the current retired emperor and his son were reversed, how wonderful it would be if the current emperor were in power during those fifteen years of prosperity and glory.

How could we, with our lofty ambitions, have managed to govern the country into what it is today?
-
This was the third time Chen Shao had visited Li Tangchen since his assassination.

Thousands of dollars to buy horse bones.

Whether these trips are useful or not, at least we should let the people of Hedong see our sincerity.

I, Chen Shao, have absolutely no reservations about those who come to me voluntarily. You can come and join me with complete peace of mind.

As soon as he arrived, the entire Li family was busy. Although Chen Shao himself didn't care much, the Li family dared not neglect him.

Who knows if you really don't care, or if you're just saying it for show.

They started working early in the morning, even sweeping the roads several times with extra care.

At this time, Li Tangchen was able to stand up and sit with Chen Shao in the flower hall. Although he didn't say much, it was clear that he was in a good mood.

He narrowly escaped death from this assassination attempt, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it strengthened his relationship with the military governor.

The general personally visited the residence three times; this will be an extraordinary achievement in the future.

Xu Jin accompanied him.

Li Tangchen envied Xu Jin and his ilk; they seemed very relaxed when they were with the military commander.

Moreover, it seemed like they had endless things to say.

Sometimes I can't even get a word in edgewise.

Before long, Liu Jizu, who had heard the news, also arrived, saying he was there to visit an old friend, but everyone knew his true purpose.

Upon seeing Chen Shao inside, he feigned surprise and made a gesture before stepping forward to pay his respects.

Chen Shao waved his hand with a smile, inviting him to take a seat.

He continued to talk to Xu Jin about the war in Weizhou, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate in the mountains of Weizhou.

They had their share of wins and losses, but there was no opportunity for a decisive battle, and neither side was confident of defeating the other in one fell swoop.

At this moment, Da Hu came in from outside, holding a letter in his hand.

After Chen Shao unfolded the book, he quickly finished reading it and then remained silent for a short while.

The entire flower hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Now we are all on the same side, and our lives, honors, disgraces, wealth, and future depend entirely on the achievements of the Dingnan Army.

When someone comes to deliver a message, one might easily assume it's news from the front lines.

Xu Jin raised his head and asked, "Marshal?"

Chen Shao laughed and said, "It's a letter from Yuwen Xuzhong of the imperial court, saying that the emperor has issued an edict to execute Tong Guan."

Tong Guan is guilty and deserves to die.

Killing him would not be unjust at all.

Especially during his second term as commander-in-chief, when he was tasked with pacifying Hedong and Hebei, this man hid in Taiyuan and dared not go to Yanshan Prefecture.

Upon hearing the intimidation from the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, he was so frightened that he fled. Without him, there was no one with enough prestige on the border to command troops from all sides.

In any dynasty or under any emperor, such a situation would not be tolerated.

In other words, Zhao Ji pretended not to see it, fearing that if he killed Tong Guan, his achievement of recapturing Yanjing would not count.

Seeing his silence, Xu Jin assumed he was being sentimental, since everyone knew that the military commander had worked under Tong Guan back then.

What Chen Shao was really thinking about was, if he killed Tong Guan now, who would get his wealth?

As a powerful minister who served as the border governor for over a decade, Tong Guan embezzled an astonishing amount of wealth.

Chen Shao had worked in the Shengjie Army and had a good relationship with Tong Guan's personal guards. He knew all too well how much money Tong Guan had.

His total assets are at least tens of millions of strings of cash, far exceeding those of Cai Jing, because he served as the pacification commander on the border for more than a decade!

They possessed tens of millions of gold and silver jewels alone; their land and residences were scattered throughout the north and south.

He only stayed in the suburbs for a few days back then, and he already had three villas, all of them mansions.

In each residence, whether one goes there or not, there is always a group of servants and beautiful maids.

Moreover, before serving as the pacification commander, Tong Guan had been in charge of the "Flower and Stone Tribute," during which he plundered rare flowers and stones in Jiangnan and seized a large amount of land there. When he chatted with Tan Zhen and others, they mentioned that Commander Xuan owned "thousands of acres of land in western Zhejiang." This wealth made Chen Shaodu somewhat envious.

If we could kill them all, I can't even imagine how much money we'd make.

If Zhao Huan were to take it all and send it to the Jurchens, wouldn't that be aiding the enemy to attack us?

If that bastard Tong Guan hadn't given the Jin Kingdom a million shi of grain to redeem Yanjing back then, would we have had such a difficult time fighting?

Thinking of this, Chen Shao suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the flower hall.

Under no circumstances could he allow the Song Dynasty to send these things to the Jin Dynasty again.

They are currently in the lead of the pro-war faction, which is fine, but if there is any sign of surrender or peace talks, they should be stopped.

"General, although Tong Guan has shown you great kindness, you need not be saddened by his passing."

"I feel sorry for him?" Chen Shao laughed angrily: "He wanted to ally with the Jin to attack the Liao, and he was looking for someone who could help him accomplish this. It was I who went to Bianliang to explain the situation between Liao and Jin to the emperor on his behalf."
He forced Liu Fanxin to fight, which led to the annihilation of the Jingyuan army. It was I who rushed to Hengshan to gather the remaining troops and blocked Richard's army.

He wanted to withdraw from the campaign against Liao, taking away the elite troops of the Western Army. It was I who took on the responsibility of defending the Northwest, preventing the Western Xia from taking the opportunity to invade the Song.
He was using his troops at Baigou River, and it was through my letters that I advised him to be cautious.

Chen Shao waved the paper in his hand and said, "I started my career with military achievements. I built my empire through the hardships of the desert and the bloodshed. How could I owe Tong Guan any favors?"

“I, Chen Shao, have been deeply indebted to Tong Guan. It is this old scoundrel who did not listen to me. However, I fear that his vast fortune will be given to the Tartars by the imperial court.”

It turned out that the commander was afraid of this, and everyone was relieved.

In chaotic times, one must follow such a lord.

"We must not let the Tartars take even a single tael of silver back from the Central Plains!"

Chen Shao's concerns were not unfounded. Peace talks between the Song and Jin dynasties had already begun, although the pro-war faction had gained the upper hand.

However, even within the pro-war faction, there were those who wanted the Tartars to retreat quickly, so they could have some time to reorganize the defenses of the Song Dynasty.

After all, thanks to the efforts of Zhao Ji and Cai You, the Hebei region was completely defenseless.

The greatest tragedy for the pro-war faction is not that the court does not trust them, but that the court lets them do things their own way, but they are actually no match for the enemy.

We advocate for war, but if you're really going to fight, you'd better be able to fight!

The current situation is different from that of Zhao Gou later on. Back then, Yue Fei was a true advocate of war because he had the strength to fight and could even win battles.

In fact, Wanyan Zongwang was also very anxious. He was deep in enemy territory and was afraid that his retreat would be cut off.

In the past, their Jurchen warriors were invincible, dominating the world and never suffering a defeat.

We're not afraid of being blocked at all; at worst, we'll just push our way out.

However, Zonghan's defeat and the loss at Taihang Mountain served as a warning to them that there was now an army that could threaten them.

Moreover, they are not too far apart.

The Song Dynasty has accepted most of the conditions proposed by the Jurchens, with the only point of contention being one.

The Song court agreed to Wanyan Zongwang's demands for 500 million taels of gold, 5000 million taels of silver, 1 million bolts of silk, and 100 cattle and horses.

And they are genuinely serious about raising funds.

They agreed to offer Zhang Bangyan and Zhao Gou as hostages.

The Song court agreed to cede the three towns of Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian, with the Yellow River as the boundary.

Only Taiyuan cannot be ceded.

Because it's not in their hands.

Wanyan Zongwang hoped to use this as an excuse to bully the Song court again and take the opportunity to demand more benefits.

He even managed to force the Song court and Chen Shao to break ties, but he clearly overestimated the Song court in this regard.

They dared not confront the Jurchens head-on, nor did they dare offend Chen Shao, because the Dingnan Army had established its authority since leaving the pass.

Therefore, Wanyan Zongwang was still putting pressure on the Song court while taking risks, trying to extract as many benefits as possible and trampling on the dignity of the Song court, while also trying his best to avoid being cut off by Chen Shao.

It wasn't long before he laid out his final conditions, forcing the weak Song court to concede and compromise.

In fact, the dignity of the Song court was indeed gradually eroded by him.

This time they demanded gold, silver, cattle, and sheep; the second time they besieged the city to negotiate peace, they simply demanded princesses and concubines. They even explicitly stated the prices: one concubine was worth 1000 taels of silver, one princess 500 taels, and one palace maid 100 taels.

Inside the flower hall, Chen Shao gave the order in front of everyone to have the Yingzhou troops reinforce the Lingwu army in Weizhou.

Then, someone was sent to demand, in their own voice, that Cai You's actions in Hebei be investigated, and that only by killing him could the anger of the people of Hebei be appeased.

They spoke righteously and sternly to the court about the disadvantages of negotiating peace, clearly stating that the Dingnan Army opposed the court's peace negotiations with the Jurchens, as this action violated the national system.

Just then, a rustling sound came from outside. Li Tangchen said, "This rain came so suddenly. Why don't you have a meal at the manor before you leave, General?"

"Wouldn't this be too much of a bother for you?"

"No, no!"

Chen Shao nodded and then led a group of his men to dine at Li Tangchen's residence.

He himself was not able to stay at such a banquet for the time being and needed to go back to rest, so he asked his friend Liu Jizu to entertain him on his behalf.

The people of the Northwest are known for their fierce and unruly nature, and their gatherings and banquets are not as formal as those in the Central Plains.

Liu Jizu and the others, seeing that Chen Shaohe and his men were chatting and laughing very casually, also kept a close eye on them.

According to the customs of the Central Plains, given Chen Shao's status, he would sit alone at the small table at the head of the table.

At this moment, a group of people would occasionally approach him with wine glasses, discussing something with him.

Chen Shao had a lot on his mind and was getting tired. Sometimes, before going to bed each day, he would write down the things he hadn't resolved that day.

Seeing that he was about to drink too much today, and with so many important matters to attend to, Chen Shao quickly waved for someone to help him to the study to borrow paper and pen to take notes.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jizu dared not delay and got up to make arrangements.

He winked at the maid who was leading the way, and she nodded slightly in response.

Da Hu followed Chen Shao, and led by a maid, they walked towards the study.

Liu Jizu rubbed his hands together, looking at their backs with a sense of unease and nervousness.

Xu Jin happened to come out and, seeing Liu Jizu's appearance, smiled and asked, "Is everything arranged?"

Liu Jizu nodded quickly.

Xu Jin sighed and said, "Everything is fine with our Dingnan Army. The only hidden danger is that our commander has no son."

Liu Jizu nodded repeatedly, his mind filled with a sense of anticipation.

The study in the Li residence was somewhat dimly lit at this moment.

A string of water droplets dripped from the eaves, splashing up water droplets; the air was damp and clean; the distant view was hazy in the rain curtain;

The soft, pattering sound of rain is different from the noise of a crowd. The sound of rain is very light and quiet, unlike the silent loneliness that comes with a clear, sunny day.

As they reached the door, Da Hu suddenly reached out and stopped Chen Shao, glancing at the ground.

There were two sets of footprints on the ground, wet and obviously freshly made.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "These footprints are very small, so they should belong to a woman, most likely a maid."

Da Hu followed him into the study and saw two girls standing side by side inside.

One of the tall, beautiful girls was standing in front of them. She had a long, flowing dress that accentuated her graceful figure, full breasts, beautiful face, and cloud-like hair. She lowered her head and looked shy and awkward.

The one in the back was a little shorter, with a graceful figure and a cute pear-shaped face.

"We've come to serve the commander in grinding ink."

She was tall with an oval face and was very charming, which inexplicably reminded Chen Shao of Chun Tao.

He missed Chuntao terribly, and whenever Chen Shao was on official business, he would ask someone to bring her some gifts back.

I wonder if they'll be as happy as I am when they receive it.

Da Hu gave the two of them a cold, scrutinizing look, but saw no danger.

Chen Shao's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Who are you?"

At this moment, the petite and delicate girl behind him smiled and said, "I am Li Yumei, and this is Liu Caiwei. Our fathers sent us to serve you."

Chen Shao nodded. Since she was Li Tangchen and Liu Jizu's daughter, there was no danger.

Moreover, I can probably guess what they're thinking; they're probably thinking about the fact that I don't have a son.

They probably asked Xu Jin about this, and Xu Jin's interest was even greater than theirs.

Chen Shao could probably understand, and he had tried his best. This matter was really important; it wasn't just his subordinates worrying unnecessarily, but for the Dingnan Army, it was of paramount importance.

It is one of my great responsibilities.

Chen Shao didn't resist at all, and was actually quite cooperative. Besides, putting everything else aside, the whole thing was just so enjoyable.

For example, tonight, there's a high probability that we can kill two birds with one stone again.

He sat in the chair and began to think about the day's events.

I carefully reconsidered every single matter and every single thing.

Write down how you handled it, and look at it again tomorrow; perhaps you'll have some different thoughts.

He meticulously noted down everything, including how Li and Liu should position themselves after offering their daughters to him.

Both women came from wealthy families with countless servants. They were born to be waited on and had no idea how to serve others.

The two stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do, only secretly watching what Chen Shao was writing.

Upon seeing their names followed by the words "have a son," the two women blushed deeply, exchanged a glance, and then lowered their heads together.

They were originally best friends, from similar family backgrounds, and had a good relationship with their elders.

Unexpectedly, I now have to serve the same man.

In the past, when they were having private conversations in their boudoirs, they would secretly imagine their future husbands, but they could never have imagined this situation back then.

Finally, Chen Shao wrote down the names of several people in the Song court, and then wrote the character 'kill'.

His handwriting was poor, crooked and messy, but this one character, in particular, was written with a fierce and menacing air.

I don't know if it's because of the intense killing intent in my heart. (End of Chapter)