You have truly caused me great suffering!

There were still a few guests in Zhong Lingxi's room who hadn't left.

Upon seeing Chen Shao return, they all stood up and bowed.

Chen Shao recognized her and vaguely remembered that she was a young lady from the Zhe family who usually stayed at the mansion when she had nothing to do.

It's a bit like the relatives living in the Grand View Garden in the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*. It was common for wealthy families to stay with each other for several months at a time.

Chen Shao felt that his presence would make them uncomfortable, so he went to check on his son.

The little guy is now healthy and chubby, and because it was the popular choice, he was named Chen Wang.

When Zhe saw that he was wearing light armor, she knew that he was going to war, so she and Huanhuan followed him.

The three of them went to the next room. Inside a large bamboo bed, covered with brocade, the doll's body, which was wrapped in brocade, appeared even smaller.

Chen Shao couldn't help but laugh.

The three of them sat together on the blanket by the bed. Huanhuan looked a bit more mature after giving birth to her son, but she still had the look of a young girl in her eyes.

"How long will it take you to return from this war?"

"Soon." Chen Shao smiled and patted her head.

Huanhuan instinctively tried to dodge, but in the end she didn't move.

I used to find this action annoying. He would always mess up my carefully styled hair, and I would get angry for half a day.

I'm not so angry now.

I think I kind of like it.

Huanhuan is growing up little by little.

There was no danger on this expedition; both of them had heard about it from outsiders.

It seems the battle is already over, and he's being sent to collect credit so he can benefit his subordinates.

Both of them noticed the fawning and flattery from their relatives, and thus learned that their husbands might become emperors.

The autumn wind is blowing hard, rustling the branches in the courtyard. This natural sound gives one a strange sense of tranquility.

Chen Shao reached out and grasped their hands without saying a word. Zhe Shi leaned on his arm first, and a moment later, Huan Huan also leaned on him.

After leaving the courtyard, Chen Shao went to Shishi's room.

Her belly was already quite round, and she lay in bed, rarely getting up.

Madam Lin lives here, which makes it convenient to take care of her.

Hearing Chen Shao enter, she sleepily raised her head, her voice even softer: "My lord, are you leaving?"

"Yes, I came to see you before I left."

His other wives and concubines were already waiting at the entrance of the inner courtyard to see him off.

He came specifically to see Shishi because she was unable to move around easily.

“I won’t be there when our child is born, so don’t cry,” Chen Shao said, sitting next to her.

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi was slightly taken aback. She was used to coaxing Chen Shao, but at this moment she suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

She spent her whole life grieving over being sold by her parents as a child, and that's why she was so impatient and critical of Chun Tao.

So what she couldn't stand the most was Chen Shao coaxing her; she was addicted to it, regardless of whether it was true or not.

After staying in the room for a while, Chen Shao got up and glanced out the window.

Li Shishi immediately said, "It's getting late, don't let it delay your important business, sir."

Chen Shao nodded and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Li Shishi smiled, and then she heard Chun Tao's chattering voice coming from the courtyard.

She frowned again.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it seems like she's always the one bullying Chun Tao; that little girl isn't afraid at all, she's quite resilient.

I can't do anything about her, yet she shamelessly takes everything from me.

Chun Tao took Chen Shao's arm and let go of him only after they reached the outside of the courtyard.

She doesn't hide her feelings at all.

Chen Shao asked her to take good care of her older sister, and Chun Tao nodded vigorously.

After hearing this, Li Shishi couldn't help but snort, then laughed with disdain.

The carriage was crammed with luggage packed by various courtyards. Chen Shao figured there was no rush this time, so he had everyone bring it along.

Dong Shi also prepared a lot of things for Da Hu.

Now she's not so afraid of her son going to war anymore, because there really isn't any danger.

Back in the Northwest, the situation was quite dangerous for Chen Shao, and Da Hu, as his personal bodyguard, was naturally in mortal danger.

We've finally made it through.
-
Chen Shao led a battalion of his personal guards, the Lingwu Army, from the Prince's residence.

The surrounding area was filled with people who had come to see him off.

That's how the people of Hedong are; they have to rise up every few hundred years.

A sweetheart in troubled times, a shrew in prosperous times.

When times were turbulent, this was a place where dragons rose to power. Once they succeeded in starting their businesses, they would move south or east, forgetting all about this place.

Now this group of people has caught up again.

It was all thanks to Wanyan Zonghan that we were able to launch a two-pronged attack on the Song Dynasty, which required us to attack Taiyuan.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy for Chen Shao to take Hedong without bloodshed.

If Chen Shao hadn't come, they would have had no chance to rise up in this chaotic world.

From the time the city of Jinyang was burned down, the Song Dynasty had been suppressing Hedong very severely.

There's no way around it, this place is too eerie; whoever occupies it rises to power.

Chen Shao had traveled this road from Taiyuan to Daizhou many times, and he had attached great importance to it from the very beginning of its construction.

Walking through it again now, my feelings are quite different.

This time, we went to do the "autumn harvest".

After so much hard work, we have finally recovered Youyun. Next, as long as we capture Gubeikou, we will have regained our northern bulwark.

The mental anguish of the scholars of the Central Plains for two hundred years, and the sword of foreign tribes hanging over the heads of the Central Plains for two hundred years, can finally be broken.

As Chen Shao rode his horse, feeling the cheers from both sides of the road, he never imagined that he would achieve this when he first embarked on this path.

It can only be said that the Jingkang Incident in history was not due to the weakness of the Central Plains in terms of national strength and people's power compared to the north, but simply because the Song Dynasty was too weak.

With the strength of Hedong and the Northwest, it would be enough to deal with the northern border. However, compared with the territory of the Song Dynasty, these two places are incomparable in terms of area, population, and resources.

Emperor Huizong of Song, that treacherous ruler, wielded such great power that he could have accomplished much. He only needed to allocate a small portion of the funds meant for building gardens, Taoist temples, rewarding favored officials, and paying annual tribute to significantly boost the nation's strength.

And he does have people he can use.

If he were focused on strengthening the country and eliminating its abuses, people like Cai Jing would certainly have the means to rule the world.

It really only takes a little change to avoid the humiliation of Jingkang!
When Zhao Ji was in power, the Khitan had been established for more than two hundred years, and it was corrupt, decadent, and its national strength had declined significantly.

The Mongols on the grasslands will not rise to power for another hundred years or so.

The Tibetans were barely clinging to life.

The Jurchens were just a small tribe.

Even the Western Xia was beset by internal and external troubles and was on the verge of death.

He was dealt a great hand by fate, but he played it terribly.

Zhao Ji's crimes were so heinous that they reached the heavens.

Riding on horseback, Chen Shao felt a slight chafing pain in his groin. Seeing him twisting his body and occasionally standing up in the stirrups, Da Hu asked from the side, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"Sitting at home for too long, I'm not used to riding in a saddle."

Da Hu scratched his head. "Should we change to a different carriage?"

"No need," Chen Shao said. "The battle isn't over yet, how can we not know how to ride a horse?"

"Besides, I'm a former soldier, I'll get used to it."

After Chen Shao finished speaking, he glanced at the sky and thought to himself, "It's far from the time for this world to enjoy happiness."

Thanks to the smooth and level roads, Chen Shao and his party arrived in Daizhou in five days.

Tian Sheng, who had arrived long ago, was waiting outside the Yanmen camp in Daizhou.

Because they were soldiers from Youzhou, and were all from Yanzhou and Youzhou, when Chen Shao replaced Western Xia, he first used Tong Guan's troops to seize Yanzhou as the foundation for his rule.

Therefore, many military officers and even soldiers here recognized Chen Shao.

Tian Sheng, leading his horse, was standing in the suburbs. When he saw Chen Shao approaching, he quickly knelt on one knee and said, "Tian Sheng greets Your Majesty!"

As soon as he knelt down, the other military officers followed suit.

Chen Shao tossed him the riding whip, and Tian Sheng got up to lead the horse, looking around with a smug expression.

Upon arriving at the Daizhou camp, Chen Shao sat down in the commander's seat and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since I've been to the tent."

"Your Majesty's strategic planning and decisive victories far from home are not something you need to do personally. However, the task of recovering Youyan cannot be accomplished without Your Majesty's participation."

Chen Shao laughed and scolded, "Tian Sheng, you haven't wasted these years in Youzhou. You've learned a whole bunch of flattery skills."

These are all heartfelt words from the author!

Chen Shao laughed and said, "Back when I was under Commander Tong Xuan, I said the same thing from the bottom of my heart. You, Tian Sheng, are far inferior to me. Alright, alright, we don't need to do this in the army. As long as you win a battle, even if you're mute, I'll still give you official titles and ranks!"

The tent erupted in laughter. No one expected that the Prince of Dai would reveal his own secrets; it seemed he was truly magnanimous.

This battle was actually already over; the central command tent hadn't even been set up with a wooden map, let alone a sand table.

In the past, Chen Shao would have cursed and would have definitely replaced the commander-in-chief.

But at this time, everyone knew that there was no war in Youyan.

The next battle will have to wait until the King launches his attack on Gubeikou.

Several more officers from the Lingwu Camp came in and asked Chen Shao when he would depart.

Now that the Prince of Dai has made his move, the entire Lingwu Camp must return, at least the main force.

Their battalion was originally established as Chen Shao's personal guard.

They were released to fight because Taiyuan was safe.

Since it was just a formality, there was no need to waste any more time. Chen Shao rested for a day and then ordered the troops to set off.

The weather was clear, and the morning sun quickly dispelled the damp fog on Mount Wutai.

Starting from the Yanmen camp, Chen Shao wore light armor and insisted on riding a horse as long as it didn't rain.

The weather is still quite nice at this time, a little cool, so there's no fear of catching a cold.

Heading east along Weizhou, they essentially retraced the route taken by the Dingnan Army, with Weizhou appearing to be the most devastated.

Everywhere you look, there are remnants of a battlefield, which gives you an idea of ​​how fierce the fighting was.

Looking at the desolate land in Weizhou, Chen Shao wondered how to get some of the people to move there.

Every major war is followed by a period of rapid population growth.

After the great war, taking Weizhou as an example, almost all the local people died.
This area has a large amount of vacant land that can support hundreds of thousands of households. These people are free from pressure and will also have government policies to encourage farming and childbirth.

This is not an isolated case, but a phenomenon that will definitely occur; otherwise, this regime would not be able to hold its position and would be overthrown soon.

Even the Jurchen Jin Dynasty in history, after destroying the Northern Song Dynasty in the Jingkang Incident and wreaking havoc for several years, finally understood this principle and directly exempted the north from taxes for three to eight years.

All the land originally owned by the Song and Liao landlords and nobles was confiscated and redistributed to landless peasants. It was stipulated that "those who own land but do not cultivate it themselves shall be punished with sixty strokes of the cane" and forced to cultivate it.

During the years Chen Shao was in Hedong, his primary focus was on warfare, followed by agriculture.

By this time, he was already somewhat of an agricultural expert. Looking at the topography of Weizhou, he felt that there was great potential for land reclamation here.

Weizhou is located at the intersection of the Taihang Mountains and the Yanshan Mountains. It has both river plains (such as the Huliu River basin) and mountain terraces, but the mountains and fields look barren.

It's unclear whether it was due to war or because the Khitans simply failed to govern properly back then.

"Summon the military commander."

After Chen Shao finished speaking, he reined in his horse and stopped. A short while later, several military officers came to his horse.

"Meet the king."

Chen Shao nodded and said, "Do you think this place can be reclaimed?"

The officials looked at each other, not really caring about such things, but they were among the few civil officials left in the army, and Chen Shao was just asking casually.

One of them stepped forward and said, "Yes!"

After saying this, he bent down and walked to the soft ground, grabbed a handful of soil, and said, “Your Majesty, please look, this chestnut-brown soil is suitable for planting millet, sorghum, and wheat. If the irrigation canals can be built, it can become a small granary in the north!”

Chen Shao asked a few more questions about how the water conservancy project was built, and the man answered them very knowledgeably.

"Okay, okay, what's your name?"

Cheng Cai.

"Judging from your accent, you're not from the Northwest. In what year did you join the Dingnan Army?"

The minor official bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was originally a Han Chinese from Xijin. I fled to Yunnei with Yelü Dashi because of the famine. I got lost along the way, but I happened to join the Dingnan Army when they were pacifying Yunnei. Later, I was promoted by Commander Zhu Ling and served as a military officer in the Yanmen Camp."

Xijin is also known as Youyan. Chen Shao laughed and said, "You don't need to come with us. You will be the prefect of Weizhou."

"Tian Sheng, assign him a team of men and get to work on getting Weizhou under control!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Cai froze on the spot, even forgetting to express his gratitude.

Once he came to his senses, he quickly bowed and thanked him.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "That's just how I am. I don't stick to any particular way of employing people. Just go to the government office, and soon someone will naturally bring you the official documents and seals."

Cheng Cai was quite knowledgeable; his grandfather and father were both high-ranking officials in the Liao Dynasty, making them a prominent Han Chinese family.

Yelü Chun was enthroned as emperor in Yanjing by Yelü Dashi, Li Chuwen and others, and the Cheng Cai family served the Yanjing regime.

He had seen many powerful rulers, but none of them used people like Chen Shao.

At that moment, he seemed to understand why the Dingnan Army was able to sweep across the world.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "I've remembered what you said. I'll give you five years. By then, whether this place is a small granary in the north or not, you'll have to come and report to me personally."

"Your humble servant will certainly not fail Your Majesty's kindness."

After bowing deeply, Cheng Cai led the men given to him by Chen Shao to Weicheng to assume his post.

Those around him, especially the military officers, were somewhat envious.

This Khitan official, who was originally the lowest in rank, suddenly rose through the ranks.

The Prince of Dai truly doesn't care about social status!

Using talent without being bound by convention—what a wonderful example of being unconventional!
The Prince of Dai's mansion was located in Taiyuan, and everyone was desperate to get in, for this very reason.

Even if you are talented, you still need to let someone like Chen Shao see it.

Don't spout nonsense about gold always shining; if a tattered rag covers you up, you might regret it for the rest of your life.

Because gold never dies, but people are different; their prime lasts only a few decades.

China is a vast country with an abundance of talented people; the talent of a single town is enough to sweep across the world.

However, opportunities are indeed something that can only be encountered by chance and cannot be sought after. (End of Chapter)