You have truly caused me great suffering!

After the New Year, it snowed for several more days.

The snow in the yard has been cleared, but the snow in the cracks between the bricks and in the corners of the walls cannot be swept away.

Inside the mansion, however, the colors became mottled, with the original gray-brown floor tiles mixed with the remaining snow, and a red plum tree in the courtyard.

Chen Shao looked at the scenery before him and stretched.

Sometimes he would feel a bit weary and couldn't help but think that if he could sweep away the enemy's forces, quickly quell the war, drive out the foreign tribes, and then live a comfortable life, that would be great.

In this kind of weather, it would be so comfortable to stay indoors and play games with my wives and concubines.

Unfortunately, there were many things piling up. When I entered the study, the first thing I saw was a thick stack of reports piled on the table.

The first one that came up was written by Han Shizhong, saying that he had eliminated the local powerful clans in Weizhou.

Actually, the identities of those powerful figures are quite awkward now; theoretically, they should be Liao people.

But the Liao Dynasty has already been destroyed. You say they are the Jurchens, but the Jurchen cavalry raids them from time to time.

Previously, Wu Lin adopted a policy of winning them over, hoping to achieve the same effect as Meng Nuan.

Unfortunately, not everyone is Meng Nuan, and Weizhou is not a place as impregnable as Yingzhou.

Chen Shao thought for a moment and simply told Han Shizhong not to underestimate the enemy and to be careful to control the scale of the battle.

The decisive battle in Weizhou is not in line with his strategy, and the focus of his previous preparations was not there.

Then there were the daily reports from the Northwest. To be honest, the only thing the Northwest Dingnan Army had that was better than Hedong was its manpower and warhorses.

The others are not in the same league.

Grain production, salt and iron production, and mulberry and hemp production.
Xu Jin suggested that the surplus supplies from Hedong be transported to the Northwest for storage in case of emergency.

Even if they fail to dominate here and retreat to the northwest, they can still establish themselves as powerful figures in their own right.

However, Chen Shao disagreed. Now is the time to forge ahead and make progress; how can we prepare for the future first?

Moreover, he found this matter very interesting because when Xu Jin was in Hedong, he had been aggressively pushing himself to transfer troops from the Northwest and devote himself wholeheartedly to this war.

But upon returning to the Northwest, he convinced himself to transport the supplies from Hedong back with him.
A person's mind is often determined by their position.

The position you occupy determines the issues you need to consider.

Just as he was reading the report, Zhang Xiaochun walked in.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "What brings you here, Lord Yongxi?"

Zhang Xiaochun cupped his hands and said, "General, with spring plowing just around the corner, all the prefectures in Hedong have programs for 'encouraging farmers to go to the suburbs.' As the ruler of Hedong, shouldn't you also participate?"

The so-called "going out to the countryside to encourage farming" was originally a national policy of the Song Dynasty, but it has been neglected for a long time since the court's laws and regulations deteriorated and treacherous officials filled the court.

People bought their official positions from Liang Shicheng and Wang Fu just to recoup their losses; who would really be interested in making real political achievements?

However, because Chen Shao maintained a large army, he was very attentive to promoting agriculture and sericulture, and so this trend returned in Hedong.

Local gentry welcomed such activities because they were not simply about sending a group of officials to inspect the area and have a good time.

Every year during the spring planting season, officials in charge of promoting agriculture must go deep into the countryside to investigate the agricultural situation and convene banquets and discussions with clan elders from various places, so that they can raise the difficulties in production during the farming season, such as the shortage of oxen, the disrepair of water conservancy, and the lack of agricultural tools.
They also published an article to guide farming, provided some seeds, and rented out oxen and farm tools to the villagers.

Chen Shao thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Agriculture is the foundation of governance, and food is the most important thing for the people. It is only right that I go."

Zhang Xiaochun was overjoyed and said, "Now that the campaign in Taiyuan Prefecture has begun, the most important place in Hedong is Fenzhou. Why don't you come with us to Fenzhou, General?"

Chen Shao immediately agreed, as inspecting the territory was a very cost-effective activity.

Unless you're like Yang Guang, wasting resources and causing hardship for the people along the way, only caring about your own enjoyment.

Chen Shao was going out for a while, and the family had gotten used to it; he was rarely home.

Especially since this trip is to Fenzhou, which is very close to Taiyuan, only a day's journey by horse.

That night, Chen Shao went to Huanhuan's room and found that Zhe Shi was also there.

He asked her about her well-being and told her to take good care of herself and not to harm the baby.

Zhong Lingxi listened obediently; since becoming pregnant, she had become much more composed than before.

Madam Zhe joked, "Huanhuan is going to be a mother, so she can't be childish anymore."

Zhong Lingxi sat down next to her, took her arm, and said with a worried look, "Stepmother, I'm afraid it will hurt too much."

She spoke from the heart, calling out all the old names she used to use. Zhe Ningxiang blushed, but seeing that she really didn't mean it, she comforted her, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, just bear with it."

Chen Shao listened quietly to their conversation, feeling a deep sense of warmth. He had originally planned to leave, but now he couldn't bear to go.

"Don't leave tonight, let's all sleep here together."

Huanhuan nodded sweetly.

It was late at night, and the moon was bright.

Under the bright moonlight, the candlelight in each courtyard of the Marshal's Mansion went out one by one, plunging the place into darkness.

On the large bed by the window, Zhe Ningxiang and Zhong Lingxi lay side by side. Huanhuan, who was a restless sleeper, had a section of her arm sticking out from under the quilt, which looked particularly fair and tender in the night.

Behind the winding, green-curtained curtain, one could hear the soft snoring of a maidservant in the outer room.

Chen Shao wasn't asleep at all. He gently covered her with the blanket, his mind preoccupied with the current situation.

The second year of the Jingkang era may be the most important year. Before that, all he could think about was how to drive out the Tartars.

Now, the rise of the Jurchen Tartars has been halted by their own actions.

They are not so scary anymore.

What should I do next?
After Chen Shao arrived in Hedong, he rarely left Taiyuan.

This trip to Fenzhou is convenient because it's close to Taiyuan and can be reached in less than a day.

Secondly, Fenzhou is indeed far too important.

Fenzhou is located in the Fenhe River Valley, with fertile land, and is an important grain-producing area.

The hemp weaving industry was also particularly developed. In the past, it paid tribute to the Song Dynasty with more than 15 bolts of hemp textiles every year, ranking first in the country.

This place connects to Hedong, with extremely convenient water and land transportation, and is also a center for coal mining and smelting.

Chen Shao came primarily to encourage agriculture, and secondly, since the Institute of Technology was here, he wanted to see what level the current smelting technology had reached.

The replacement of officials in Hedong went very smoothly; those who stayed were basically those who wanted to remain.

This would have been unimaginable in the past, because before Zhao Ji, the officialdom of the Song Dynasty was very well-regulated.

Such rule-breaking incidents occurred frequently during Zhao Ji's reign, and everyone developed a certain level of resistance to them.

Since he took office, he has taken a series of absurd measures, first the Yuanyou Party Monument, then he made Cai Jing wield absolute power and amass wealth for him.

He also broke the rule that a prime minister could not serve consecutive terms, and then Wang Fu, Tong Guan, Li Yan and other opportunists gained immense power in the court.

It can be said that from the moment he truly seized imperial power, the Song Dynasty never operated according to the rules.

Now retribution has come, and Chen Shaoshi has truly taken control of Hedong.

Today the weather was clear and sunny, a rare occurrence. The gentry and officials of Fenzhou were all waiting outside the city to welcome them. This was arguably the largest agricultural outreach event in recent years, and the attendees were all quite distinguished, so it was no wonder they were excited.

The gentry, especially the local gentry, valued education the most, and farming the second most.

In recent years, Emperor Huizong of Song had been spending money recklessly, so Cai Jing had been using all sorts of tricks to collect taxes in order to raise money for him.

This resulted in the local gentry not engaging in unlimited land grabbing and expansion as they did at the end of other dynasties.

The common people still had land to live on, which is why there were no large-scale, sweeping peasant uprisings at the end of the Song Dynasty.

Even though Pang Ge didn't stay by Chen Shao's side, he understood the importance of persuading farmers.

Can Chen Shao still expand his army now?
If we force recruitment, we will definitely have enough soldiers, but the supply will really not be able to keep up.

The current number of troops is sufficient; sometimes, more people are not necessarily better in war.

The crowd welcomed Chen Shao and his companions to the Fenzhou government office.

A group of fellow villagers sat together with officials from Taiyuan Prefecture, speaking freely.

At first, everyone was a little reserved, but seeing how gentle the young commander was, they gradually relaxed.

They began to talk about their difficulties, and Chen Shao discovered that most of them were problems with water sources.

Chen Shao instructed his staff to write everything down, preparing to return to the engineering institute and have the construction bureau begin water conservancy projects.

After he finished speaking, Chen Shao and the others left the government office, mounted their horses, and headed to the countryside outside the city to take a look at the farmland.

After walking around, I found that there was still quite a lot of wasteland.

Chen Shao also verbally promised that those who reclaim wasteland would be exempt from tax for five years on newly reclaimed wasteland, and thereafter only be taxed at 20%.

Zhang Xiaochun was overjoyed; bringing the military commander out would indeed have its advantages.

Who among them can make these decisions?

When Chen Shao arrived, it was just a matter of a single sentence.

As the saying goes, many things are things that everyone knows are the right thing to do, but they just can't bring themselves to do them.

There are too many things to consider.

For example, how could Zhang Xiaochun, who had served as an official for a term, not know the benefits of the policies and decrees issued by Chen Shao?
It just couldn't be done before, and even if such a requirement were made, it couldn't be implemented.

For example, if Chen Shaoyao asks the engineering college to build water conservancy projects, it is foreseeable that next year there will be people everywhere building canals and river dams.

When Zhang Xiaochun served as the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong, he proposed to build water conservancy projects, but the various levels of government offices would shirk their responsibilities and pass the buck.

In the end, it will only result in a mess of debts, making it impossible to implement.

"With General Jie here, it is a blessing for all the people of Hedong." After Zhang Xiaochun finished speaking, the people around him did not think he was flattering him, but instead echoed his agreement.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "What can I accomplish by myself? We'll have to work together. The world is in chaos right now. We need to be of one mind and work together as one to go further."

Zhang Xiaochun's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly wondered if the general was hinting at something to him.

He had regular facial features, deep-set eyes, and a distinctive mustache. His gaze was also quite peculiar, as if he were pondering some scheme; although he was a legitimate Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he lacked some of the refined and detached air of a scholar.

Chen Shao saw his silence but didn't pay much attention. Once you're in a high position, countless people below you will try to figure out what you're thinking.

If you care about everyone and give feedback to everyone, you'll be exhausted.

Just do your job well, let them guess what they want. If they do something wrong, you can reward them or punish them as you see fit.

Logically speaking, a scholar like Zhang Xiaochun would not easily engage in activities such as urging someone to ascend the throne.

However, there is only one exception: he truly and clearly sensed a certain trend.

Zhang Xiaochun served as an official in Bianliang and met the emperor and his ministers of the Song Dynasty.

I'm not afraid of comparing goods, I'm afraid of comparing people.
Chen Shao now gives him a very unique feeling; he has personally witnessed Chen Shao walking into those muddy areas.

He even reached out and grabbed a handful of soil, rubbed his fingers together, and sniffed it.

He raised insightful questions and was able to listen quietly to the voices of the elderly farmers.

Let alone a military commander with hundreds of thousands of troops, even a minor official in a prefecture or county might not be able to achieve this.

Historical records often contain fabrications when describing virtuous rulers, but this one is true; he witnessed it firsthand.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaochun felt somewhat fortunate about his initial choice; this time, he might have truly made the right one!
History books may condemn those who betray their country, but they always condemn the losers.

Those who have contributed to the establishment of the new emperor are a different matter.
-
The ancient city of Fuzhou has a very important geographical location. It is located on the banks of the Yellow River, bordering the Yellow River to the east, the grasslands and deserts to the north, and overlooking the Hexi Corridor to the south.

Moreover, it was located at the junction of the Song, Liao and Western Xia borders, and was attacked from three sides.

The city of Fuzhou is separated from the city by the Yellow River to the east, and is often isolated in the northwest. It is a military stronghold for the Song Dynasty to block the eastward and southward advance of the "two northwestern barbarians".

Now things are much better. The Dingnan Army's territory is on all sides, so we no longer have to fight two or even three opponents at once.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zhe Zongben, the ancestor of the Zhe family, moved to Fugu. His grandson, Zhe Congruan, officially established Fuzhou City during the Later Tang Dynasty and served as its first prefect, thus beginning the hereditary rule of the Zhe family.

Fugu, Baihuawu, inside the Baihu Hall of the Yong'an Military Governor.

Zhe Keqiu, dressed in military uniform, sat upright and solemnly.

He had just seen off Liu Guanglie, the envoy who had come to express his gratitude.

The Fuyan Army has been strengthened again and now has a larger power backing it.

Zhe Kecun looked ashamed and said, "Brother, I was reckless."

Zhe Keqiu shook his head and said, "This is not your fault. Given the situation, I would have done the same!"

Their action completely exposed their ambition, and it is a terrible thing to reveal one's ambition when one does not have enough strength.

The image of unwavering loyalty that the Zhe family had cultivated for the Song Dynasty over the years was nearly shattered.

“Now that we are surrounded by Chen Shao on all sides, it seems difficult for us to achieve anything,” Zhe Keqiu said. “At this critical moment, the most important thing is to preserve Fugu’s current position.”

No one would be happy to see a country within a country on their own territory.

The reason why the Song Dynasty could tolerate the Zhe family in the past was because the Zhe family was located at the junction of the Song, Liao and Xia dynasties, and the Zhe family could fight for them here.

“To dispel Chen Shao’s suspicions, we will have to pay a price.” Zhe Keqiu turned to Zhe Kecun and said, “Second Brother, we volunteer to go to the front lines to assist in the battle!”

The Zhe family army rarely leaves their garrison because they have faced many enemies in the past.

Zhe Kecun nodded, as if this really was the only way to express his loyalty.

"Brother, do you think this world will belong to Chen Shao?"

"It's hard to say, but his chances are pretty good right now." Zhe Keqiu sighed inwardly. When the Dingnan Army said they wanted him to provide support and launched their attack from Nuanquan Peak, he had his doubts.

He suspected that the Dingnan Army was not going to fight the Jurchens in the various prefectures of Yunnei, but rather to take the opportunity to seize Fugu.

Therefore, although Zhe Keqiu readily agreed on the surface, he secretly deployed troops near Nuanquan Peak to guard against them.
Later events proved that he was judging others by his own petty standards.

The Dingnan Army actually went into battle, and more importantly, they actually won!

In critical moments, those of us with troops at our command need to be more proactive than others. (End of Chapter)