You have truly caused me great suffering!

The outskirts of Fenzhou.

A gentle breeze blew through the pavilion, but it brought with it a wave of heat.

The heatwave outside foreshadows another sweltering summer.

Several cups of fine tea were placed on the stone table, their delicate aroma wafting through the air.

Fenzhou and Taiyuan are not far apart, and it is an important town in Hedong. Chen Shao would come here almost every once in a while.

This pavilion is called "Fan Gong Pavilion". It was built by the people of Fenzhou for Fan Zhongyan when he was in Xuanfu Hedong during the Qingli period.

Fan Zhongyan was highly respected in Fenzhou. When he first came here, he reformed corrupt practices, reduced taxes, and led everyone to reclaim wasteland.

However, compared to the Prince of Dai, he was far inferior.

The Prince of Dai directly exempted people from taxes for three years, exempted newly reclaimed wasteland from taxes for ten years, distributed farm tools every year, and provided free water conservancy projects to help people irrigate.

After the caravan took over the brewing business, it spurred countless other industries, making Fenzhou as prosperous as Taiyuan.

The difference between the two is not a matter of ability, but a matter of the amount of power they wield.

Although Fan Zhongyan was the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong, which was considered a top-ranking official position in the Song Dynasty's bureaucratic system, he was still a very high-ranking official.

However, Chen Shao had several pacification commissioners under his command.

He was essentially another power center in the Song Dynasty, and he was showing signs of surpassing Bianliang.

There was no other way; the Dingnan Army, with its hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry and its formidable military might, gave him such confidence.

Five officials from Fenzhou came and stayed with Chen Shao in the pavilion.

Speaking of this year's sweltering summer, Zhang Kejian, the prefect of Fenzhou, said with a worried expression, "We have conscripted a lot of laborers from Hedong, and they are now in Youyan, Yunnei and Hebei. If they have to work in the summer, I'm afraid many will die from the heat."

Chen Shao nodded and said, "I have already ordered the laborers to return to prepare for this year's autumn harvest."

Zhang Kejian was slightly taken aback, unable to believe it.

In fact, these officials in Hedong were different from the soldiers of Dingnan Army; they did not have such high expectations for the start of the war.

The military merits are unlikely to fall on them, and things are already much better now, as Yunnei, which has been lost for over two hundred years, has been recovered.

As long as the Great Harmony of Yunnei remains, no one can threaten Hedong, especially since the Yanmen camp is now heavily fortified.

Even if it were only the soldiers from Hedong Prefecture, they were confident that they could stop the alien cavalry at this time.

In recent years, the troops of Hedong Prefecture, especially those of Taiyuan Prefecture, have become incredibly strong and well-equipped.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "I'm not Tong Guan, how could I let laborers die in a foreign land?"

During Tong Guan's tenure as pacification commander, he truly treated the laborers as less than human beings, only slightly better than the Jurchen Tartars.

Chen Shao understood this deeply, because he started his career as a grain transport commissioner.

The reason why the entire Shaanxi Five Routes remained so hostile to Tong Guan even after he had been pacified for over a decade was largely due to this.

We fought desperately on the front lines, and when we came back, we found that our father, who was over sixty years old, hadn't died at the hands of the Western bandits when he was young, but had instead starved, worked himself to death, or been whipped to death by the military supervisor on the way to your conscription, Tong Guan.

Who would risk their life for you then?

This also meant that once the Western Army left Shaanxi and the Northwest, it was completely ineffective in combat.

Zhang Kejian glanced at Chen Shao and realized he wasn't joking, which made him overjoyed.

Last autumn harvest was bountiful, but local officials throughout Hedong were all terrified.

Exhausted like a grandson, we finally finished the autumn harvest; it was no less arduous than fighting a war.

If the men from Hedong come back, will we still have to worry about not being able to finish the autumn harvest?

From now on, the laborers will be transferred back to their homes and will be able to rest for about ten days, just in time for the autumn harvest.

Seeing him peeking around suspiciously, Chen Shao laughed and scolded, "My orders have already been sent out. Do you think I would lie to you?"

The reason why people are a little suspicious is that Chen Shao has never said in any context that he will not fight this year.

The war against the Jurchens has always been paramount, taking precedence over everything else.

Therefore, although the officials in Hedong did not want a decisive battle or a northern expedition this year, no one offered any advice.

The Northern Expedition against the Jurchens was the politically correct course of the Dingnan Army.
Chen Shao recently ordered the three main forces to continuously harass the Jurchens to avoid a decisive battle and deplete their national strength.

In fact, those on the front lines already understand that there is a high probability that there will be no Northern Expedition this year.

The recent battle not only exhausted the Dingnan Army's physical strength but also drained its logistics.

Zhang Kejian was completely relieved to hear Chen Shao's words.

Then he immediately began to remind Chen Shao, "Your Majesty, the morale at the front is very high. Be careful that the soldiers at the front do not wander off alone."

When martial spirit is at its peak, it is not unusual for soldiers to desert alone.

It is a very common phenomenon.

Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "That's something for Han, Li, and Jin to consider. It's not something I should be involved in. If I had to handle everything, I'd be exhausted."

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the pavilion suddenly became cheerful.

It felt as if a very heavy burden had suddenly been lifted off my shoulders.

Looking at them, Chen Shao sighed inwardly. The manpower and military strength were the same; they couldn't be overused.

The laborers from Hedong have been stationed outside the region since the start of the war.

If they don't come back soon, who knows how much trouble will arise among the people.

Moreover, the fact that young adults spend a lot of time away from home has another fatal flaw: the number of newborns has decreased in recent years.

If Chen Shao had been ruthless, and had made everyone grit their teeth and suffer a bit, the people could have actually managed to hold on.

But Chen Shao was not that kind of person.

Zhang Kejian was from a prestigious family and was not actually from Hedong, but after arriving in Fenzhou, he integrated into the Hedong social circle.

He and Zhang Shuye were cousins; their great-grandfather was the famous minister Zhang Qi. Both brothers were fiercely loyal and the kind of people who would rather die than surrender.

But at this point, they had all genuinely submitted to Chen Shao.

This shows that they were not after wealth and glory, but truly saw the huge difference between Chen Shao's Dingnan Army and the Song Dynasty.

As Chen Shao reclaimed Youyan and Yunnei, managed Hebei, and pacified the war-torn people, his image gradually took shape.

Chen Shao, the Prince of Dai, was neither Wang Mang nor Dong Zhuo.

When he won over the hearts of the people and treated them kindly, he already possessed the aura of a benevolent ruler.

This aura is useless against selfish and scheming people, but it is extremely effective against people like Zhang Kejian, Zhang Shuye, and Zhang Xiaochun.

Historically, Zhang Kejian served as the prefect of Fenzhou. When Zong Han marched south, he led the entire city's army and civilians in defending the city, repeatedly repelling the Jin army. After the city fell, he organized street fighting and was eventually surrounded, whereupon he committed suicide by setting himself on fire. His entire family of eight also committed suicide with him. The Jin people, moved by his loyalty and bravery, buried him with proper rites and built a temple to worship him. The Yuan dynasty, in compiling the History of the Song dynasty, wrote a special biography for him.

Zhang Shuye was appointed Prefect of Haizhou. In the first year of the Jingkang era, he led troops to defend the emperor. In the end, he followed Emperor Qinzong of Song, Zhao Huan, to the north. On the way, he starved himself to death and hanged himself in Baigou.

If Chen Shao had been arrogant and domineering from the beginning, using force to coerce the Central Plains instead of always seeking legitimacy, such people would have been his greatest enemies.

Moreover, don't expect to scare these kinds of people with killing; the more you kill them, the more they resist. When Chen Shao first arrived in Hedong, even the most loyal ministers of the Song Dynasty felt fortunate.

At that time, the Jurchen western army, which had swept across the Liao Dynasty, was about to besiege the city, and the people of Hedong were filled with fear.

Tong Guan was so frightened that he ran away. Wang Bing had 10,000 Huanqing soldiers under his command. These 10,000 men had just suffered a major defeat in Hebei and had no will to fight.

A scene of impending doom, as if the chaos of the Five Barbarian Tribes and the sinking of China were about to unfold again, was about to appear when Chen Shao arrived.

His troops brought their own provisions, and he did not seize any civilian houses or extort any wealthy households.

It should be noted that even Tong Guan, a general of the Song Dynasty, frequently extorted money from local gentry when leading troops into battle.

Tell me, in this world, who can lead 100,000 armored soldiers without harassing the local area?

The achievements of the soldiers on the front lines are certainly one factor in the Dingnan Army's current status, but Chen Shao's actions and perseverance are the most important.

Military leaders are common, but those who win the hearts of the people are rare.

In the sweltering summer heat, Chen Shao finally made his first substantial statement: there would be no decisive battle this year.

In this way, everything becomes more relaxed and unhurried.

At the beginning of the year, Chen Shao might not have dared to say such a thing, because the conditions at that time were not sufficient for him to have such strategic resolve.

Now, Chen Shao knows very well that neither the imperial court, the Jurchen Tartars, nor the surrounding barbarians, nor the factions within the Song Dynasty, can pose a threat to him.

In this way, he can dedicate a year or two to focusing on developing himself.

I'm developing faster than you, time is on my side, you're the ones who should be worried.

All the concerns I had before have become less daunting after six months of hard work.

The only thing that made Chen Shao somewhat wary was that it was best for his soldiers not to be away from their hometowns for too long during campaigns.
"Counting the years, it's been three or four years since the Dingnan Army launched its eastern expedition," Chen Shao suddenly stood up, sighed, and said, "From where does the reed flute play? All night long, the soldiers on the march yearn for home."

Zhang Kejian was quite skeptical; at this time, who would think of returning to their hometown?

Those who are promising will surely follow the Prince of Dai and settle down in the Central Plains.

Those Dingnan Army soldiers fight like their lives depend on it. Do they just want to finish the war quickly and go home?

War is tough, and it's even tougher when you're on a long expedition. When you're stationed in a foreign land, who can say they don't miss their family and friends?

In an era when communication was virtually nonexistent, if you were away for three or four years, it was hard to say whether your family would still be there when you returned.

This explains why the campaign against Liaodong went poorly, and the main force of the Western Army disobeyed orders and returned to Shaanxi on their own.

However, this situation was indeed rare in Dingnan Army.

Because everyone has hope and a bright future, and the logistics and supplies are being maintained well.

My salary was paid on time every month.
-

Bianliang, Cai Mansion.

Upon learning that Chen Shao had personally admitted that there would be no decisive battle for the Northern Expedition this year, Cai Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He needs to catch his breath.

Supporting the fierce battle of 100,000 border troops requires the centralized mobilization of too many resources.

Then he can free up his hands and focus on doing something else.

This was also arranged by Chen Shao, who wanted him to drive Li Gang and others out of Bianliang.

It would be best to demote him to a remote place.

This is precisely another of Cai Jing's specialties.

Grand Tutor Cai has been a prominent figure in the Song Dynasty's officialdom for many years. While others would only serve as prime minister for two or three years before leaving, he remained in that position and never left.

Cai Jing's arrogance stems primarily from his two core competencies: financial management and political maneuvering.

In a dynasty like the Song Dynasty, a group that wanted to do things and achieve some political success...

First, he would engage in factional strife.

Only when you are sure you have won can you begin to implement changes.

Recently, whether it was the medicine Chen Shao sent that worked or Cai Jing's mind cleared up, the old man's condition had been quite good.

Although all eight of his sons were in Bianliang, none of them could help him.

Nowadays, Cai Jing takes his grandson Cai Xing with him wherever he goes.

Not only should he cultivate his abilities, but he should also pass on all the connections he has built up throughout his life to his grandson.

Cai Jing has given up all hope that his sons are all good-for-nothings.

Fortunately, I have lived long enough to witness my grandchildren grow up.

Moreover, the Prince of Dai was indeed benevolent and righteous. He had always promoted and given important positions to his grandson, who had learned all the good habits of the Dingnan Army while serving there.

He is pragmatic, capable, humble and polite, the exact opposite of his father.

"Grandpa, what makes you so happy?"

Cai Xing walked in with a smile, followed by two younger cousins, who were also Cai Jing's grandsons, though they were still a bit young.

Cai Jing laughed and said, "When I saw the letter from the Prince of Dai, the wording was so witty that I couldn't help but laugh."

"The Prince of Dai has sent a letter?" Cai Xing quickly stepped forward and said, "Grandpa, can your grandson read it?"

Cai Jing shook his head and said, "How could you possibly read the letter the Prince of Dai gave me?"

But after thinking about it, it's not my good-for-nothing eldest son, so it's good to let him see.

"After you've finished reading, you mustn't tell anyone."

Cai Xing was overjoyed and stepped forward to open the letter. After reading it, however, he lacked Cai Jing's composure and could not laugh; instead, he was somewhat worried.

“The Prince of Dai asked my father to defeat Li Gang, but he is a trusted minister of the Emperor and has a high reputation among scholars. It may be difficult to touch him.”

Cai Jing chuckled, deciding to take advantage of the day to give his grandson some pointers. He sat down and said, "It's very simple to bring someone down. Just think about what they fear most."

Cai Xing thought about it carefully for a long time, and Cai Jing looked at him with a smile, very satisfied.

His eldest son, Cai You, was prone to making rash decisions without thinking.

While I'm alive, I can still protect him to some extent, but if this continues, once I'm gone, my eldest son Cai You will probably have to come down and join me.

Cai Xing thought for a long time but couldn't come up with anything. He could only ask in confusion, "Lord Li is a man of strong character. When the Emperor Emeritus was in power, he dared to criticize the emperor to his face. What could he possibly be afraid of?"

Cai Jing chuckled and said, "The most important thing in dealing with an enemy in the court is to seize his biggest weakness."

"Li Gang is too upright. During the time he was given important responsibilities, aside from other things, he couldn't shake off the label of being ineffective in battle. By the time Hebei fell for the second time, he already held great power."

“He wouldn’t care about a thousand small things that we attack him on, but we’ll say he’s incompetent in combat and poor in command.”

"The so-called gentleman deceives others with his methods. As soon as he goes to court, we send someone to report to the emperor, without mentioning anything else, only saying that he lost his army and wasted money."

"In time, he will become too ashamed to attend court. Once he is gone, we will discuss with the Emperor the possibility of expelling him from Bianjing." (End of Chapter)