You have truly caused me great suffering!

A large crowd had already gathered in the suburbs.

The central army played a specially composed military melody, which included not only drums but also piano and flute accompaniment, and sounded very pleasant.

It lacked the fierce, warlike atmosphere of ancient battles.

Ma Kuo was on the road but didn't find a suitable opportunity to speak.

Once outside the city, he could only follow Chen Shao into the so-called wounded soldiers' relief meeting.

Contrary to his expectations, Chen Shao did not give a passionate speech to rally the troops.

Instead, they shuttle back and forth between them.

He wasn't very close to the soldiers who had been wounded for him, and he absolutely wouldn't allow any strangers to come within five steps of him.

Not to mention sucking the pus and blood from the soldiers.

Here, no one mentions glory or gets sentimental.

It was a large group of officials processing the transfer of land ownership for them based on their military merits.

Chen Shao would occasionally go to a certain tent and ask questions, at which point he would act as if he knew a lot about it.

If someone's contributions were too great, Chen Shao would point them out.

He was a prince who had fought on the front lines. In the fortified village of Hengshan, he led several thousand defeated soldiers to block the army of Prince Richard of Western Xia.

Here, the soldiers were indeed all wounded, but Ma Kuo quickly noticed that most of these wounded soldiers had received good bandaging and treatment.

This was simply impossible in the Song army.

The compensation for the Dingnan Army was being carried out in a very pragmatic manner, and Ma Kuo seemed to be deep in thought.

He seemed to have figured out why this army was so formidable.

Even the wounded soldiers maintained excellent discipline, queuing without complaint, and there was absolutely no cutting in line.

Strict adherence to orders and strict discipline within the army was another characteristic of the Dingnan Army.

Ma Kuo traveled to many places and had interactions with Wanyan Aguda, Yelü Chun, Yelü Dashi, and Xiao Gan.

These people were all very polite and appreciative of him.

Even after Tong Guan broke the Treaty of Chanyuan, openly attacked Liao, and then failed, Ma Kuo did not encounter any difficulties in Yanjing. Yelü Chun still treated him with courtesy and escorted him out of Yanjing.

When Ma Kuo was with Wanyan Aguda, Aguda greatly admired him and often took him hunting.

He witnessed firsthand how Wanyan Aguda interacted with his men, and all the Jurchen generals showed great respect for the Khan.

However, Chen Shaohe was completely different from these other warlords.

The temperament of the Dingnan Army was also different from that of the troops under the command of those warlords.

This is a force that is not united by heroism or the charisma of its lord.

The spirit of the Dingnan Army can be summed up in four words: Those who perform meritorious service will be rewarded.

Rewarding merit sounds simple, but it's actually terrifying. Neither the Song Dynasty nor the Jurchens could learn from it.

Leaving aside the Song Dynasty, even the Western Army with any fighting strength was dominated by military families who monopolized the path to advancement.

As for the Jurchens, they still judge heroes by bloodline. Yin Shu is incredibly powerful, but just because they are a minor clan, they are dragged out to take the blame for the slightest mistake.

Because the Dingnan Army was in its early stages and did not rely on clans for its rise, Chen Shao had enough confidence to achieve relative fairness.

Fairness, in any era, is the most remarkable motivator for the military!

The more Ma Kuo interacted with them, the more he realized that this force was simply impossible to deal with.

It is certainly not something that the Song Dynasty can handle at present.

A wave of despair washed over him, and when he looked at Chen Shao again, a thought even crossed his mind.

Will things take a turn for the better if we get rid of this person?

But regardless of whether he could actually do it, what would happen to the Jurchen Tartars if he really killed Chen Shao?
Now that the Jurchens have concentrated their forces from the east and west to invade the Song Dynasty and killed Chen Shao, his arrogant and fierce generals, without his control, may turn into a chaotic and violent force even more terrifying than the Tartars.

Just as Yuan Ziyou killed Erzhu Rong, his empire did not become stable as a result, but instead descended into complete chaos.

Yuan Ziyou was able to kill Erzhu Rong because he was so arrogant that he dared to go to the palace on his own.

This Chen Shao is so cautious even in his own camp; just from this point of view, killing him would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Ma Kuo sighed deeply in his heart.

Before he came here, he was still able to persevere in despair, searching for even the slightest chance to revive the Song Dynasty.

He believed that even if he had seen Chen Shao's invincible army, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers in gleaming armor, he would not have been so desperate.

But he happened to witness Chen Shao comforting and rewarding the wounded soldiers.

After Chen Shao finished his work, he came to a tent where there were whittled wooden stakes as seats and a simple wooden table for writing.

He gestured for everyone to sit on the wooden stakes, and Chen Shao, holding a bowl of water, asked, "Brother Zichong, what brings you here in such a hurry?"

"Your Majesty, it is said that Wanyan Zongwang has marched south, and Daming Prefecture is in grave danger. I urge Your Majesty to send reinforcements as soon as possible, otherwise Hebei East Road and Shandong prefectures will inevitably suffer from war."

Chen Shaorun cleared his throat and said, "I have long heard of the defense line of Daming Prefecture. It was painstakingly built by the Song Dynasty to resist the Khitan."

He picked up a twig and drew a few lines on the ground. “Daming Prefecture is surrounded by defense zones, with military camps everywhere and strong and well-equipped soldiers. Du Chong, as the garrison commander of Daming Prefecture, is cowardly and does not come out to fight. What the court should do now is not to find reinforcements, but to quickly behead Du Chong as a warning to others, and then send a brave commander to deal with the defenses of Daming Prefecture.”

Ma Kuo was well aware of these principles, but this had always been the case in the Song Dynasty.

Civil officials who lead troops are rarely executed, no matter how serious their mistakes.

Chen Shao didn't care about any of that. He continued, "If Du Chong doesn't die, even if my troops march north, it will be useless. On the contrary, they will be harmed by this scoundrel. If he continues to hide in the city, it will be of no use to anyone. Instead, it will give Wanyan Zongwang an opportunity to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements."

"Either remove him from office, and the court can investigate his crimes later. If he knows his mistakes but does not correct them, then yesterday's Tong Guan will become today's Du Chong."

"When Tong Guan attacked Liao, he repeatedly lost cities and territories, and his entire army was wiped out. The court deliberately concealed this, and you, Brother Zichong, know the consequences of that person in Genyue's indulgence."

Ma Kuo was speechless. The conventions of the Song Dynasty were not necessarily correct. Was he supposed to use the argument of conventions to refute Chen Shao?

Chen Shao continued, "Qu Duan's garrison at Baima was not actually my order, but a decision he made on his own based on the situation at the front. I know my men; Qu Duan is knowledgeable about military affairs, at least more so than most people in the court."

"As long as the court makes a decision soon, Wanyan Zongwang will have a great difficulty in attacking Bianliang again this time."

Chen Shao spoke sincerely, without hiding anything, which was his consistent style in dealing with the Song Dynasty.

Chen Shao knew that even if he explained the correct path in detail, they wouldn't listen.

Even if they listened, they couldn't do it; the Song Dynasty was already terminally ill and beyond cure.

Although some heroes still tried to turn the tide, the situation remained hopeless.

When Ma Kuo came, he thought that the purpose of this trip would be difficult to achieve, but he never expected that this trip would be such a huge blow to him.

He had dedicated his entire life to the Song Dynasty, hoping to use his knowledge and skills to help the nation during this time of crisis.

At this moment, for the first time, this unbreakable belief in his heart began to waver.
Many officials and heroes who still held hope for the Song Dynasty suddenly felt a sense of liberation after their resolve wavered and they switched their allegiance to Chen Shao.

What was once a bleak future has suddenly become a broad and promising road.

Then, with boundless enthusiasm, they threw themselves into this grand entrepreneurial endeavor.

Li Tangchen and Zhang Xiaochun were no exception.

Chen Shao was unaware that Ma Kuo had already reached a critical juncture, with one foot already in his own door.

Of course, he wasn't in a hurry. As long as Chen Shao didn't openly break with the Song Dynasty, the door would always be open for these heroes loyal to the Song Dynasty to switch allegiance to him.

Soon, the compensation and demobilization of this batch of wounded soldiers were completed, and after a series of alternating drum and bugle calls, the wounded soldiers began to leave in an orderly manner.

More than a thousand wounded soldiers removed their armor, handed it over, and took their rewards. Their orderly retreat demonstrated their high level of training.

At this moment, Chen Shao stood on the high ground, looking down at the people below, and sighed deeply.

Ma Kuo looked over with some curiosity. He had been moving around the room without showing any sadness, just doing his job.

As if sensing his question, or perhaps speaking to himself, Chen Shao suddenly sighed, "This is probably the last time in their lives they will be moved by the sound of drums and horns."
-
Baima Town.

Located at the junction of Dancheng, Bozhou, and Taihe, this town has been a vital transportation hub and post station since the Tang Dynasty. Its name originates from the "Baima Post Station" established during the Tang and Song Dynasties, named after the white horses used at the post station, which later evolved into "Baima Town".

Qu Duan's choice to establish a defensive line here was also carefully considered.

At this moment, a large group of military officers gathered in Qu Duan's camp.

Every now and then, sentries would come in to report on the situation in the vicinity.

Qu Duan was calculating the evolution of the situation in his mind, and he had already gone through all the possible outcomes countless times.

War is a mentally and physically demanding job, but fortunately some people are quite talented.

You might feel that all these complicated matters and repeated deductions will make your brain turn to mush.

But some people genuinely enjoy it.

For example, Qu Duan.

He was extremely strict in disciplining his troops. Although many military officers had gathered in the tent, Qu Duan did not speak, and they did not dare to make a loud noise. They only discussed the battle situation in hushed tones.

These whispering sounds, far from distracting Qu Duan, actually helped him get into the zone more easily.

Suddenly, Qu Duan opened his eyes and said, "Recently, a hundred or so letters of all kinds have come to my desk."

"They simply want me to send troops to Daming Prefecture to relieve the siege. What do you think?"

The generals under his command shook their heads vehemently, opposing the northward march.

Qu Dian nodded and said, "I think it's not a bad idea to go north to Daming Prefecture, but we have to get Du Chong to give up Daming Prefecture. Otherwise, even if we go, he will still be hiding in the city and dare not come out, which will only please Wanyan Zongwang."

How could anyone willingly give up such an important town as Daming Prefecture?

In particular, it's hard to say whether his own troops can be considered part of the Song Dynasty's army, strictly speaking.

Zhang Zhongfu, supporting his knees, said, "General, I don't think Du Chong will hand over Daming Prefecture so easily."

Qu Duan laughed heartily, "Let alone giving up Daming Prefecture, even if we drive the Tartars back, they wouldn't dare open the city gates to let us in."

Qu Duan glanced at the tent, which was full of his trusted generals, and lowered his voice to say, "What if we lure him out and kill him?"

This wasn't the first time Qu Duan had killed an official.

But such a high-ranking official is still somewhat astonishing.

Du Chong is now considered a high-ranking official in the Song Dynasty court.

He repeatedly withheld grain supplies from the Hebei army in Daming Prefecture, killed innocent people to claim credit, and massacred tens of thousands of Han Chinese from Youyan who fled to Cangzhou, yet he received no punishment whatsoever.

Li Gang and Zong Ze were also helpless against him.

Anyway, this matter was the general's idea, and everyone was just following orders, so what was there to be afraid of?

"If the sky falls, Qu Jiangzhu will hold it up," everyone agreed.

They actively offered advice and suggestions, eager to kill Du Chong immediately, and then they took up residence in Daming Prefecture.

If they could take up residence in Daming Prefecture, then Gao Di would never be able to leave again. From then on, they would occupy Beijing, one of the four capitals of the Song Dynasty and the only military town there. This would be a great achievement for the Prince of Dai.

Qu Duan stood up, pointed to the location of Daming Prefecture on the wooden map, and said, "There are only two possible outcomes this time. If Wanyan Zongwang breaks through Daming Prefecture, we must intercept him here. After we succeed, we will chase him across the river and recapture Daming Prefecture."

"Secondly, if Daming Prefecture is not lost, and Zongwang either detours or withdraws his troops, then we can lure and kill this scoundrel and occupy Daming Prefecture."

Originally, Qu Duan's plan to rush to Hebei was to gain a foothold in Hebei and open up a territory for the Dingnan Army there.

But he never expected that he would have the opportunity to get his hands on Daming Prefecture; this was a completely unexpected surprise.

In Qu Duan's view, occupying Damingfu in Beijing was more important than occupying Luoyang in the west.

Luoyang is too close to Hedong; the Prince of Dai could make a move at any time.

Even if he does nothing, as long as the Prince of Dai maintains his current strength, people from Luoyang will continue to secretly defect to him.

If he could occupy Daming Prefecture, he could then exert influence over Shandong and Hebei, and even affect the Huai River region.

North of Daming Prefecture, many prefectures and counties are in the hands of the Jurchens. Their chances of winning this southward campaign are slim. When the Tartars withdraw their troops, they can take the opportunity to reclaim them.

Qu Duan looked at Mu Tu, his eyes narrowing slightly.
-
Chen Shao returned from outside the city to deal with the accumulated reports from today.

Since it was already late, he had someone deliver the report to his room, where he ate while reading it.

Ma Kuo's arrival today was within his expectations.

Nowadays, many people come to him for help, and what Chen Shao needs to do is to remain rational.

Don't let other people's words shake your already established plans.

Because every plan was carefully considered and finalized after discussions with subordinates.

Outsider persuasion, on the other hand, often involves using persuasive language to evoke emotions and influence decisions.

Therefore, Chen Shao had long ago reminded himself that even if he was interested in the opinions of people who suddenly came to his door, he should discuss them before making a decision.

As for Ma Kuo today, before he even spoke, Chen Shao had already roughly guessed his intentions and had no interest in him whatsoever.

Because of her quick and efficient work, Cui Die was assigned to serve Chen Shao. When she saw him return, she asked while changing his clothes, "Has Master had dinner yet?"

"No, get something convenient."

After Chen Shao finished speaking, he suddenly remembered the dried meat and cheese he had eaten at Zhang Yinghan's place last time. "Go and ask Madam Zhai and Madam Zhang if they still have Yongsu."

After saying this, he sat cross-legged on the soft couch and began to read today's reports.

A short while later, Zhai Rui and Zhang Yinghan arrived hand in hand, each carrying a small food box.

The two men were no longer as reserved in front of Chen Shao as before, and said with smiles, "Master is a lucky man. There's not much left this month, so I'll have the family send some over next month."

After saying that, he placed two small plates on the small table in front of Chen Shao.

Chen Shao nodded and told them to take off their shoes and socks and come up to dine with him.

Zhai Rui smiled and took off her white gauze, then helped Zhang Yinghan remove her outer garment, leaving her only in a thin undergarment.

She instructed her maid to prepare some dishes in the kitchen, and the two sisters served Chen Shao together.

After they finished eating, the maid brought over a basin of warm water, and the two of them personally washed Chen Shao's feet.

Chen Shao had been reading the reports. After he finished reading them, he made annotations and was just waiting to hand them over to his staff for processing the next day.

It was late at night, and the burning candles were about to burn out. His two concubines lay beside him, and he didn't know if they were asleep or not.

Chen Shao jumped up, told the maid to remove the small table, squeezed between the two women, and hugged them as he prepared to sleep.

Just then, a soft laugh rang out, indicating that the two of them hadn't slept at all, and they both moved closer together.

Zhang Yinghan sighed, "Master must be really tired."

Chen Shao pinched her soft breasts and laughed, "This is hardly hard work."

With half of the Central Plains at war, and him surrounded by beautiful wives and concubines, enjoying the best of everything, he has no right to complain about hardship.

It's unclear what the situation will be like after this battle.

Today's report included a letter that left him quite conflicted.

That was a letter from Cai Jing.

He said he was too old and hoped that Chen Shao could personally come to the capital and take charge in Bianliang.

If it were an ordinary person's suggestion, it would be fine, but since it was Cai Jing who made it, Chen Shao inevitably had to think about it carefully.

This is a master-level expert in internal strife.

If Chen Shao were to enter Bianliang, it would be a momentous event that would shake the entire Song Dynasty, causing changes in every aspect of life.

The saying goes, "Pull one hair, and the whole body will be affected."

Therefore, we must be cautious. (End of Chapter)