You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 211 Fugu's Submission
Before meeting Chen Shao, most of the people of Fenzhou were still hesitant.

I've only heard of him, never met him. I've heard he's very young, but I don't know if he's reliable.

Hearing that most of his subordinates were barbarian generals, he couldn't help but worry that they were puppets supported by the barbarians.

But with Chen Shao's arrival, most of the doubts in people's hearts were dispelled.

Chen Shao came in person and was very pragmatic. He accompanied them on a trip to the countryside to encourage farmers, visited the smelting workshop and Fenzhou Academy, and even personally planned several waterways that must be repaired this year.

Aside from the business aspect, which he didn't need to worry about because of Guangyuantang, Chen Shao took care of all aspects of society, from scholars and farmers to artisans and merchants.

Although the Dingnan Army took away most of the taxes from Hedong, in total, it collected less than the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, the Dingnan Army received money and supplies and actually did real work, eliminating the threat of the Jurchen Tartars moving south as soon as they arrived.

Then look at Hebei, separated by the Taihang Mountains. It goes without saying how miserable it was under the rule of the Song Dynasty.

Given the same situation, if you were to entrust Hedong to someone else, would you rather hand it over to an emperor who would enjoy endless pleasures, or to a powerful ruler who is just starting out?

Chen Shao then held a grand banquet for gentry and scholars in Fenzhou City, attracting many prominent figures.

With powerful enemies outside and the corrupt but large Song court inside, Chen Shao had no other way to go.

The only option is to unite the gentry first.

Otherwise, Yu Dingnan's army would find it impossible to advance an inch in the Central Plains.

After drinking and getting carried away, the local gentry and wealthy families said they would raise funds to build a palace for Chen Shao in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Chen Shao smiled and waved his hand in refusal, saying that the country was in chaos and everything needed to be rebuilt, so it was not the time for large-scale construction.

Seeing his firm stance, the crowd gave up.

Taking the opportunity, Chen Shao announced the abolition of more than twenty kinds of exorbitant taxes and levies imposed by the Song Dynasty, including salt and rice tax, residence tax, transit tax, market tax, and labor tax.

These taxes were imposed by the Song Dynasty in order to deal with the campaigns against Liao, Xia, and Jin, and they have caused considerable harm to various parts of Hedong in recent years.

Of course, the situation in Jiangnan was even worse than in Hedong.

Back at the lodgings prepared for him in Fenzhou, Chen Shao was quite drunk and almost fell when he dismounted.

Fortunately, Da Hu reacted quickly and helped him up.

Chen Shao cursed, "How come it's all real wine? Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Didn't the owner say so himself? Ganlutang wine is delicious, would you like to have a few more cups?"

Chen Shao shook his head. "Did I say that?"

The guards around him nodded in agreement. Chen Shao then rubbed his temples helplessly and asked, "How many cups did I have?"

"Thirteen cups! Everyone says you can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. You really have an incredible capacity for alcohol!"

"Next time you drink five glasses, remind me not to overindulge."

After Chen Shao finished speaking, even his personal guards felt a certain respect for him.

After all, with his current power, no one can control him, yet the military commander is still so self-disciplined, which is even more commendable.

The prefect of Fenzhou, standing outside, asked his guards with a smile if they needed anyone to take care of the military governor.

The guards shook their heads and politely saw the person off.

The commander never allows strange women into his room; this is almost an ironclad rule. It is common knowledge that in an unfamiliar environment, only Da Hu can sleep in the commander's room.

For Chen Shao's enemies, or those who secretly wished for his downfall, assassination was definitely the easiest method.

If Chen Shao is killed, his hundreds of thousands of troops will be leaderless and fall into chaos in an instant.

When Chen Shao woke up the next morning, he still had a slight headache.

At this point, the wine is smooth and fragrant on the palate and will not make you drunk.

But after drinking it, you'll start to get drunk.

After washing my face and having breakfast, someone came to report that the Zhe family had sent people to Fenzhou.

After a moment's thought, Chen Shao roughly understood their purpose.

It's not that he's a prophet, but rather that at this level, everything he does follows a logical process.

The reason Fugu sent people at this time was simply because Zhe Kecun in Hebei had revealed his unwarranted ambition to annex Fuyan Army.

Now that the situation has stabilized, they are surrounded by themselves, and this is a sign that they have given in.

As for how to back down, one option is to choose marriage, which is the most direct way to establish a relationship. This has been a favorite tactic of various forces throughout history and across the world.

Moreover, the Zhe family was a prominent family in marriage alliances; Zhang Xiaochun, one of Zhe's subordinates, had a son who married a daughter of the Zhe family. Later, Zhe Keqiu even married one of his daughters to the King of Western Xia.

Another option is to return the land to the central government, but this is basically impossible, because if they were willing to do that, they wouldn't have persisted for hundreds of years.

When Chen Shao arrived at the reception room, everyone stood up.

The leader, a very imposing man, stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Commander Jie."

"General Zhe Er has come in person?" Chen Shao laughed and said, "Please sit down, please sit down."

Seeing his polite manner, the Zhe family felt somewhat relieved.

After he sat down, the others followed suit, while the younger members of the Zhe family stood around Zhe Kecun.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "I often tell people that I come from the Western Army, so we are family in a way. Moreover, when the Dingnan Army marched north to Nuanquan Peak, it was the Zhe family who covered for us. So please don't be shy, just treat this as a military gathering!"

Zhe Kecun had relaxed by this time and became even more respectful to Chen Shao.

In reality, at this level, almost no one would disrespect him; even envoys from enemy countries wouldn't cause him any trouble. Because provoking someone who commands 100,000 troops will bring no benefit, unless you resort to provocation.

However, what makes Chen Shao unique is that even after gaining such a status, he remained gentle towards others.

"We have heard that the General has decisively defeated the Jurchen general Wanyan Zonghan in Yunzhong Prefecture, wiping away a century of humiliation and reclaiming most of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Our Fugu region is willing to send troops to assist the General!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shao's eyes flickered, and he smiled and said, "I have long heard of the Fugu soldiers' skill in battle. Since you want to contribute to the country, how about this, we will send three thousand men to Yunnei to assist in the battle."

Zhe Kecun was surprised that Chen Shao was so easy to talk to, only allowing Fugu to send 3,000 soldiers, which was really a great favor.

Chen Shao thought to himself, "If Fugu comes to admit defeat, and I let them send too many troops, they will inevitably have doubts."

They might suspect that I'm going to transfer their troops out and take advantage of their weakened state to invade, leading to mutual suspicion between the two sides.

Since he had no intention of attacking Fugu, where the Zhe family's power was deeply entrenched, a direct attack might just be a quagmire, costing him a lot of money and supplies.

It's better to win them over completely, so they can be used by us in future battles.

For a war of this scale, our own forces are sufficient.

In a place like Yunnei, more people are never necessarily better when fighting.

Just like when Yang Guang mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops to fight Goguryeo, he was pushed back by Goguryeo because of insufficient supplies.

The Zhe family members were moved to tears, having witnessed Chen Shao's benevolence. They rose and bowed deeply.

Chen Shao's style of doing things was very simple. He firmly believed that he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. His principle was to live for himself and let others live as well.

Only when you give others space to survive will they be willing to be loyal to you.

If the Zhe family can serve the Song Dynasty as loyal subjects for over a hundred years, they can serve themselves as such.

Even if we were to remove his separatist status, that's not something we should do now; it should happen naturally after the world is at peace.

Although Chen Shao stated that he only wanted three thousand Fugu Zhe family soldiers, Zhe Kecun was not an unreasonable person.

He said with a smile, "There is one more thing that I need your help with, General."

"You said."

"My few good-for-nothing nephews and nieces, though dull-witted, are quite ambitious. I hope that General will take them in, so that they can serve by your side and listen to your teachings at any time. It would be their good fortune."

Chen Shao laughed and said, "Then stay here. I happen to be short of capable people around me. I have heard that Fugu is full of talented people. These young talents will solve my urgent problem."

This was clearly an act of sending hostages, which Chen Shao was naturally aware of, but the young people of the Zhe family were indeed capable of great things.

Among the military families in the Northwest, perhaps because of the sense of crisis of being laid off, they have always attached great importance to the training of the younger generation.

Even a prestigious family like the Zhong family is experiencing a talent shortage, but the younger generation of the Fugu Zhe family actually has many talented individuals.

Zhe Kecun asked them to stand in front and introduced them: "This is Zhe Yanwen, my elder brother's eldest son."

"This is Zhe Yanjian, the second son of my eldest brother; this is Zhe Yanye, the son of my cousin Zhe Keshi."

The three of them bowed to Chen Shao together.

From the perspective of relatives alone, he could accept it, because Zhong Lingxi and Zhe Ningxiang were of a higher generation.

Chen Shao's marriage to them was a significant step up in seniority; in the Zhong family, he was on the same generation as Zhong Shidao, and in the Zhe family, he was a generation above Zhe Keqiu.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "Now is the time when the country needs talented people. Your willingness to stay shows your sincerity. Come with me to Taiyuan tomorrow, and we will arrange your positions there!"

Because of concerns for the Zhong family's reputation, Zhe Ningxiang's relationship with Chen Shao was never made public.

They claimed they were living together because they missed their stepdaughter, but the Zhe family already knew the truth.

Therefore, there is no need to continue the marriage alliance, and this can be considered as a declaration of loyalty to Chen Shao.

Chen Shao was quite happy to gain such a powerful subordinate, as the Zhe family of Fugu had Xianbei blood and inherited the Xianbei people's fighting prowess.

Moreover, they did not share the surname Murong and were not descendants of the Xianbei royal family, so they did not inherit the internal strife of the Xianbei people, and the Zhe family has always been relatively united.

The next day, Chen Shao hosted another banquet, inviting Zhe Kecun, Zhang Xiaochun, and officials from Fenzhou to accompany him.

Fugu was also part of Hedong, so everyone was familiar with it. When they saw Zhe Kecun and several other members of the Zhe family coming together, the people of Hedong understood without saying that Fugu had already pledged allegiance to the military governor.

This was to be expected, given that the Dingnan Army surrounded them on all sides, and they were situated between Yinxia and Taiyuan in Hedong.

You're basically surrounded by the two centers of the Dingnan Army. If you don't come and declare your allegiance, they might take you down soon.

Upon arriving at a spacious hall, everyone took their seats according to their rank.

Maids filed in one after another, setting out delicacies and fine wines. Scantily clad beauties carried plates and moved about like lively and lovely butterflies flitting among flowers in spring.

I don't know which wealthy family contributed these maids, but they all behaved exactly the same, even their smiles were identical.

After a few rounds of drinks, since it wasn't an important meeting and they wouldn't be discussing anything significant, the prefect of Fenzhou clapped his hands lightly, and soon many beautiful women of all shapes and sizes came up to perform songs and dances in the center.

The atmosphere became lively, and people were no longer as reserved as before. They talked and laughed loudly, and commented on the dancers' figures without restraint, creating a harmonious and joyful scene.

When the officials of Fenzhou saw that Chen Shao was also enjoying himself, they realized that the military governor was not a man who disliked women; he was just cautious by nature and would not easily recruit women into his circle.

They were also cowardly. Li Tangchen and Liu Jizu, for example, directly pushed their daughters to his side and seized the opportunity to become one of the most powerful people in Hedong.

After they had drunk their fill and were quite tipsy, Da Hu, who was sitting next to him, suddenly reminded him, "General, we've already had five cups."

Chen Shao paused, holding his wine glass, and said with a helpless smile, "I drank too much a few days ago, which made me dizzy and unable to do anything for half a day. These are turbulent times, and such excessive drinking can easily lead to mistakes, so I have set a rule that I can only drink a maximum of five cups."

Everyone showered him with praise.

At the banquet, Zhe Kecun's gaze became even more solemn.

It seems this move wasn't a mistake.
(End of this chapter)