You have truly caused me great suffering!

In Taiyuan City, hundreds of heavily armored soldiers marched forward with a thunderous roar, their weapons standing tall and menacing.

The people in the city were already very familiar with it.

When they entered the city, no one was alarmed, after all, these men had been stationed in the suburbs for more than half a year.

Moreover, they have always kept a low profile and would not harm the people.

In fact, when the Jin army marched south and people were filled with fear, it was their arrival that brought peace to Taiyuan.

As for the Song Dynasty, it has now lost its prestige.

Zhang Xiaochun, the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong Road and Prefect of Taiyuan, had an ambiguous attitude; he neither left nor came out to object.

Many government offices in Taiyuan are now deserted, as those who were loyal to the Song Dynasty have left and returned to Bianliang.

Those who intended to join the Dingnan Army and make a living chose to stay.

Li Tangchen, Liu Jizu, and other members of the powerful clans of Taiyuan began to enter government offices, exercising official power without being appointed by the imperial court.

Chen Shao also made a list for them and submitted it to Bianliang to go through the formalities.

In front of the four city towers, the Taiyuan garrison troops withdrew one after another, watching them change shifts.

The military officers were all bewildered and didn't know what to do.

Meanwhile, a group of people had gathered at Zhang Xiaochun's residence. The room was filled with people, some sighing deeply, others pacing around anxiously, all with worried expressions.

Thus, the Song Dynasty was in ruins, its deep-seated problems difficult to cure, and even the gods were helpless.

The Jurchens were about to cede Taiyuan, so Chen Shao naturally didn't hold back anymore. If he hadn't led his troops here, they would have ceded it long ago.

Just like Zhongshan and Hejian.

Fang Ji, the prefectural magistrate of Taiyuan, paced around the room a few times, then spread his hands and asked, "Lord Yongxi, what should we do?"

Zhang Xiaochun was agitated and had no idea what to do.

Why would you go and berate Chen Shao to prove your unwavering loyalty?

Chen Shao is now the main force in the fight against the Jin, and he has never acted without a legitimate reason. Even when he entered Taiyuan, it was under the pretext that the Jurchen Wanyan Zongwang was spying on Taiyuan and demanding the city from the court that he brought troops in to defend it.

"I heard that Qin Yuan and Zhang Sizheng have already paid their respects to Chen Shao."

These two men, one a magistrate in Taiyuan and the other a patrol inspector, were not high-ranking officials, but they were both people who truly governed the people.

Zhang Xiaochun said helplessly, "Everyone has their own ambitions. All we can do now is take care of ourselves."

Fang Ji stepped forward and asked, "Lord Yongxi, would you like to return to Bianliang together?"

"you are leaving?"

Fang Ji nodded. "I was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) appointed by the Emperor Emeritus during the Chongning era. How could I possibly stay here to serve as an official?"

Zhang Xiaochun's expression was somewhat grim. After hesitating for a moment, he still said, "I have come here on orders and have the responsibility to defend this territory. I cannot leave easily."

Fang Ji clasped his hands in a fist salute, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Seeing that Zhang Xiaochun was indecisive and still hesitating at the last minute, everyone in the room took their leave.

When he was the only one left in the room, Zhang Xiaochun breathed a sigh of relief.

He felt embarrassed to go and seek refuge with Chen Shao, but he really didn't want to return to Bianliang.

Bianliang lacked the strength to resist the Jin, and upon returning, they felt even more frustrated.

Who would want to go to a place where peace talks and compromises are everywhere?

Serving as an official in Bianliang used to be a privileged position, but now it's likely filled with only fear and frustration.

The Dingnan Army was quite different. During his time in Taiyuan, Zhang Xiaochun had a lot of contact with the civil and military officials of the Dingnan Army, and they all had a unique spirit, which was vigorous and inspiring.

He was waiting, hoping that Chen Shao would take the initiative to send someone to contact him, and preferably give him a few chances to decline.

After being asked several times, he reluctantly agreed to come out of retirement.

The spies uncovered by Guangyuantang were also executed today.

Although the people in the city didn't understand the situation very well, they could still sense the tense atmosphere that was about to erupt.

Chen Shao, the commander of Dingnan Army, clearly stated his opposition to peace talks, but the court, under pressure from the Jurchen army besieging the city, simply did not have the courage to continue the resistance.

Therefore, they could only appease Chen Shao while secretly negotiating peace and raising funds to meet the enormous demands of the Jurchens.

This, of course, did not escape Chen Shao's notice.

His intelligence network was most densely deployed in the Bianliang and Luoyang areas.

After arranging personnel matters in Xiping Prefecture, Wang Yin of Guangyuantang personally came to Hedong to take charge.

Chen Shao was in Taiyuan at the time, but he was not at ease in the high walls and courtyards.

The military reports were filled with daily accounts of a stalemate on the front lines, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats, and numerous casualties.
Although Chen Shao had a general understanding of the situation at the front, he really wanted to go to the Weizhou battlefield, because that would at least put his mind at ease.

I have a better understanding of the situation on the battlefield.

However, at this moment, Dingnan Army would not allow him to go to the front line in person, as doing so would be very irresponsible.

Zhu Yuanzhang was such a great military strategist, yet he sent Xu Da to lead the Northern Expedition instead of taking command himself.

Li Shimin was able to go to the battlefield time and time again because he had Li Yuan above him. If he had been the Tang Emperor at that time, it would have been difficult for him to take Yuchi Gong to the front line to provoke others every day.

Every day, he seemed to have a lot to do, but upon closer inspection, it was mostly reading military reports and getting information. There was very little that actually required his attention.

In other words, whether he is busy and overwhelmed every day or idle every day, the result is about the same.

The two newly acquired concubines were clever and charming, some plump and some slender, both beautiful to behold and easy to touch, but Chen Shao always thought of Chun Tao and felt that there was not much pleasure in the place.

Chen Shao sighed and looked around the room. The furniture was quite antique, and a thick green velvet carpet was laid on the floor.

Against the wall was a bamboo bookshelf, and by the window was an exquisitely carved desk, where Chen Shao was reading military newspapers.

Behind the four screens was a large, carved bed with white silk curtains hanging down, where the two sisters huddled together, whispering secrets.

Around noon, a maid came to report that Zhang Xiaochun, the prefect of Taiyuan, had sent someone with some gifts.

This piqued Chen Shao's interest, but Zhang Xiaochun remained aloof, and Chen Shao couldn't discern his thoughts.

These Song Dynasty literati were fond of keeping secrets, and Chen Shao disliked dealing with them.

Now that he's sending things, does it mean he's giving in?
Thinking of this, Chen Shao stood up, and with the help of a maid, dressed himself. He then asked inside if anyone wanted to come along.

Liu Caiwei and Li Yumei peeked out together, saying they wanted to go together.

The three men went outside, dismissed the messenger, and he opened the box. Immediately, a dazzling array of jewels appeared before his eyes. Underneath a letter lay a piece of jewelry.

Chen Shao was somewhat surprised. Zhang Xiaochun was a scholar, and a very famous one at that. Chen Shao had read several of his poems, and they were indeed of a high standard.

But I didn't expect it to be so direct!
Unfolding the letter, Chen Shao read it before shaking his head with a smile.

She realized she hadn't misjudged him; he wanted to come to her, but he was being secretive about it.

In his letter, he said that someone had left a box of jewels in the Taiyuan government office and sent one of them to Chen Shao to take a look.

To avoid suspicion, Zhang Xiaochun dared not act rashly and asked Chen Shao to send someone to retrieve it.

The reason given for sending this gift is too far-fetched; you're using it as a metaphor to explain how you're repaying it.

So, you're the only one with talent in jewelry?
Chen Shao wasn't the type to back down. Since you're willing to come and join us, it's no big deal to give you face.

Geng Nanzhong was someone Chen Shao utterly despised, and he beat him up on their first meeting. But since Geng Nanzhong wanted to seek refuge with Chen Shao, Chen Shao still treated him with great courtesy and invited him into Xiping Prefecture.

There was no other reason than that he needed these people to unite the gentry of the Song Dynasty.

Chen Shao sat by the coffee table and pondered for a while, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the cutting board.

Thinking of this, he stood up, naturally accepted the gifts, and sent someone to find Xu Jin, asking him to scout ahead first.

He was not a harsh person; on the contrary, Chen Shao was very understanding of other people's thoughts and insistence.

Because this is ancient times, these people are from a different environment than I grew up in. This is how they were taught in the society they lived in.

As long as they're not utterly wicked, there's nothing we can't tolerate. Once they're here, they're one of us!

The ocean embraces all rivers; its vastness lies in its inclusiveness.

Li Yumei was very tolerant. She picked up the jewelry from the box and compared it to herself. The precious bead suddenly looked cramped in the crowded crease.

Chen Shao pressed it down casually and said with a smile, "It's yours."

Li Yumei was overjoyed and quickly curtsied to express her gratitude, thinking that Chen Shao doted on her. Caiwei, who was standing next to her, felt a little uncomfortable.

Chen Shao didn't bother with these matters. After arranging for someone to inform Xu Jin, he went to the courtyard to practice martial arts with the guards.
-
After receiving the message, Xu Jin set off that afternoon.

They arrived at Zhang Xiaochun's residence with sincerity and were immediately given a warm welcome.

Inside the hall, a feast was laid out, featuring delicacies from land and sea, and a dazzling array of fresh fruits. Zhang Xiaochun was delighted, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely.

After the banquet, Xu Jin suggested that Zhang Xiaochun continue to preside over the government affairs in Taiyuan, but he declined.

He said he was not knowledgeable enough and was not up to the task.

Actually, he did a really good job. Wang Bing was able to hold Taiyuan for 300 days, and as the civil official in charge, he deserves much credit for that.

But he is indeed a very conflicted person.

Historically, when Wanyan Zonghan besieged Taiyuan with a large army, Zhang Xiaochun and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Wang Bing held out for over a year, refusing Jin's attempts to persuade them to surrender on several occasions.

However, after Taiyuan fell, Wang Bing was killed in battle, and Zhang Xiaochun was captured, but they still refused to surrender.

He definitely has principles.

Later, after being imprisoned in Yunzhong, Liu Yu was enthroned as the emperor of the Great Qi by the Jin dynasty, establishing a puppet Qi regime, and Zhang Xiaochun was appointed as prime minister.

At this time, however, he became the prime minister and worked hard to govern the northern lands that had fallen to the enemy.

He later wrote several letters to the Southern Song Dynasty, secretly reporting Liu Lin's treacherous plan to "use Huang Tingjian's calligraphy to Zhao Gou to carry out a decapitation operation."

He also personally wrote "Ten Matters of the Pseudo-Qi Plot Against Song" and secretly reported it to the Southern Song Dynasty.

But he did indeed surrender, and in his later years he fell into extreme suffering.

Xu Jin disagreed with this, feeling that he had given Zhang Xiaochun enough face, but the latter seemed to be ungrateful.

Having spent so long in the Dingnan Army, he was not used to the atmosphere of the Song Dynasty officialdom.

After leaving the Zhang residence, Xu Jin went to Chen Shao's house and recounted the events of the day.

"General, if Zhang Yongxi is not going to surrender, we should send him away as soon as possible and not let him stay in Taiyuan."

Chen Shao smiled and said, "No rush, go and invite them again tomorrow, and be more sincere."

"I have been very sincere."

Xu Jin was afraid that Chen Shao would misunderstand him as arrogant, so he quickly proved his innocence.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "Listen to me, let's go again. At worst, we'll just treat it as a free meal."

“I still need a meal and drinks from him.” Xu Jin pursed his lips and shook his head, then smiled bitterly, “Since the commander has given the order, I will make another trip. This time, I will beg him to come, okay?”

"It's not that bad, it's not that bad," Chen Shao said with a smile, trying to reassure him.

Zhang Xiaochun was a talented man. Even the Jurchens knew that he could persuade Zhang to surrender seven or eight times, but in the end they didn't kill him and instead arranged for him to become the prime minister of the puppet Qi state.

The next day, after Xu went in, he indeed gave Zhang Xiaochun a lot of face and kept trying to persuade him.

Old Zhang simply claimed that he was not knowledgeable enough and could not do it, which made Xu Jin very angry.

Three days later, amidst Old Zhang's nervousness and anxiety, Chen Shao personally came to his door.

This time, Old Zhang finally "reluctantly" accepted the position of Prefect of Taiyuan.

Watching Chen Shao's retreating figure, Zhang Xiaochun's eyes gradually hardened.

It's not that the Song Dynasty didn't want to help, but in reality, it was no longer able to.

With foreign invaders rampaging and much of the north lost, it's time to follow the right people and make something of a difference.
-
Kaifeng Prefecture, Bianliang.

Although the Jurchen troops have not yet reached the city walls.

However, reports of defeats kept coming in;
The scene of people from the surrounding area flocking to Bianliang but being refused entry;
News of the deaths and injuries of everyone's relatives outside the city.
All of this plunged the city into a state of panic.

The former wealth and extravagance have vanished; people stay home all the time and don't go out unless necessary.

The same was true for officials; the bureaucracy in the Song Dynasty had become an incurable disease. Every scholar-official had numerous ways to serve in office, and their salaries were extremely high, yet they had nothing to do all day.

At this time, most officials stayed at home, which did not affect the operation of the court at all. To put it bluntly, these officials were a group of idle and useless people supported by the Song Dynasty.

Tong Guan had already been sentenced to death and was just waiting for someone to carry it out, which made the ministers whom Zhao Ji had originally relied on even more anxious.

Inside Cai Jing's inner chamber, the air was filled with the calming aroma of incense. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, wore a hood, and was dressed in a heavy fur coat.

The elderly and frail Grand Tutor Cai leaned against the headboard, looking half-dead.

The concubines and maids who had surrounded him had all been sent away by this time.

Opposite him was someone he had met many times, who still maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

Liu Guanglie, the illegitimate son of Old Liu, from Fuyan Road.

The identity that people are more likely to accept is that of the Dingnan Army's liaison in Bianliang.

Although he did not hold any official position in the Dingnan Army, everyone knew that he was the Dingnan Army's representative in Bianliang.

At this crucial moment, he arrived at Cai Jing's residence.

Even the elderly and ailing Cai Jing had to muster his strength to deal with him.

Grand Tutor Cai was shrewd and capable his whole life, but in the end, he was ruined by his sons, none of whom were of any worth.

The other sons, at worst, were useless and incompetent.

The eldest brother, Cai You, was truly a scourge to the country and its people, leaving his poison wherever he went.

Cai Jing believed that his relationship with Chen Shao was decent; they had known each other for a long time, and Cai Jing had even sent his youngest son to Chen Shao's place.

But now Chen Shao is glaring at Cai You and cursing him, insisting that the court kill him.

As a veteran minister who had ruled the country for so many years, how could Cai Jing not know that Chen Shao had no flaws?

Cai You should have died long ago.

But this is, after all, his eldest son.

On his deathbed, he wanted to save his son.

"I heard that Mingyuan defeated the Jurchen Tartars again at Huangze Village in Cizhou, Hebei. He is the only one in the world who can repel the Jurchens and protect the Central Plains."

Liu Guanglie's elder brother Liu Guangshi and second elder brother Liu Anshi were missing, but he didn't care much. In Liu Guangshi's eyes, he was just a high-class servant in this wealthy family.

Liu Yanqing shared a similar view. In this era, children born to concubines were not highly regarded, and it was common for pregnant concubines to be given away.

His legitimate sons were all named Liu Guangshi and Liu Anshi, belonging to the "Shi" generation. His illegitimate sons, however, simply took the character "Guang" from Liu Guangshi and used it in their names, such as Liu Guangguo and Liu Guanglie.
Logically speaking, one shouldn't mess around with seniority like that, but their family came from the background of barbarian generals and were not orthodox Han Chinese, so they didn't care much about these things.

Now, thanks to his relationship with his cousin Chen Shao, Liu Guanglie's status has suddenly risen.

Others really couldn't say anything, because when he was working for Chen Shao, his status was even higher than Chen Shao's.

People who are single-mindedly focused on great things seem to have an aura about them, often attracting people of higher status to follow them in their endeavors.

Historically, most entrepreneurial groups have had people like Liu Guanglie. You might say they were betting in advance, but looking at their deeds, they may not have had that kind of wisdom.

I was simply attracted to succubi.

Chen Shao's current spirit and morale, not only his own but also that of the entire Dingnan Army, have attracted many heroes from the common people to join them and work together on great things!
Upon hearing about the Dingnan Army's achievements, Liu Guanglie chuckled and didn't bring up Cai You's matter.

"The soldiers on the front lines fought bravely and indeed achieved some results."

Cai Jing felt a chill in his heart. He had lived a respectable life, but in the end, he had to bow down to the military for the sake of his son.

Although he had some financial management skills, he acted in the orthodox manner of a Song Dynasty civil official. Even the most intelligent person is limited by the times and cannot escape this way of thinking.

Following the chaos of the Five Dynasties period, the Song Dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu, who came to power from an orphan and a widow. At the time of its founding, the country was filled with powerful and unruly figures. In order to maintain stability, the Song Dynasty dared not make any major reforms and inherited almost all the chaotic political systems of the late Five Dynasties period.

Moreover, at that time, Chancellor Zhao Pu's abilities were also limited.

To prevent others from seizing power, Zhao Kuangyin deliberately promoted the civil officials and scholar-officials who had low status during the Five Dynasties period and could only act according to the whims of military men, in order to suppress the military generation.

The favor bestowed upon him is unparalleled in a hundred generations.

Once this trend takes hold, it can never be reversed unless there is another dynastic change.

"Please tell Mingyuan that if he spares my good-for-nothing son's life, I, Cai Jing, will still be of some use to him."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guanglie was somewhat surprised and also felt a pang of indescribable sadness.

Regardless of whether Cai Jing was a treacherous official or not, his love for his son was enough to warm Liu Guanglie's heart.

Even after he had gone to great lengths, using his connections and money, to rescue his own father, Liu Yanqing, in Bianliang, Liu Yanqing remained as indifferent as ever.

Cai Jing, who served as prime minister six times and held power over the country for decades, was able to utter such soft words on his deathbed.

Liu Guanglie knew Chen Shao's attitude; he was determined to kill Cai You and would never back down.

After sighing inwardly, Liu Guanglie simply said, "I will convey the Grand Tutor's message."

"Thank you very much." (End of this chapter)