You have truly caused me great suffering!

If it were any other dynasty, and someone like Guo Yaoshi had held a strategic position in Liaodong, a valuable territory that had been divided between different factions, it would have taken a lot of effort to reclaim it.

He might just manage to survive.

Yang Keshi is a huge asset to him now. Pharmacist Guo knows that if he wants to achieve great things, Yang Keshi must not leave.

His victorious army, even if they die this time, will all die at the Ji River.

Yang Keshi is different from him. Guo Yaoshi is a person who is blinded by the benefits and power brought by repeated betrayals.

His ambition has grown too large.

If he surrenders to Chen Shao at this time, given his past fickle nature, even if Chen Shao is generous, he can only strip him of his military power and make him a wealthy and powerful official.

This already shows an extremely broad mind.

But for Guo Yaoshi, being a wealthy man without soldiers or power was worse than death.

Guo Yaoshi smiled slightly, stood up, and said loudly, "Brother Yang, let's not beat around the bush. Today, we are facing the Dingnan Army, and the situation is not optimistic. However, the Changsheng Army, from myself down, will absolutely not surrender again."

Upon hearing this, Yang Keshi was unusually radiant and stood up, saying, "Anyone can take this world, but not that brat Chen Shao. As long as General Guo dares to fight, our Shengjie Army will definitely follow!"

The two men's eyes met, and with perfect understanding, they walked together to the entrance of the hall. There they saw a group of brocade-robed warriors under Guo Yaoshi's command, who bowed with their hands clasped as they approached.

These battle-hardened warriors of Yan, standing together with their swords clashing, exuded an overwhelming aura of dominance!

The victorious army, standing on the other side, was equally formidable.

They weren't very loyal to the Song Dynasty, but they were absolutely loyal to Tong Guan.

The Shengjie Army should be the most loyal group of people to Tong Guan in the world, as they have followed Tong Guan since childhood.

For twenty years, Tong Guan personally organized the Victorious Army, carefully selecting soldiers and even giving priority to orphans, to ensure that this army was loyal only to him.

By adopting orphans and treating them generously, Tong Guan had likely become accustomed to this personal favor in the later stages. He no longer simply used Shengjie Army, but genuinely regarded these young generals as his godson.

When Guo Yaoshi and Yang Keshi came outside, they saw that the place where the table and desk used to be used for military exercises had been replaced with an incense burner.

Three incense sticks were stuck there, their smoke curling upwards. On the drill ground, seven or eight of Guo Yaoshi's most trusted generals stood on either side of the incense table.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the two of them.

Seeing the scene at the drill ground, Yang Keshi felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Guo Yaoshi released his hand and laughed heartily: "We are all martial artists, we don't believe in any gods or Buddhas. We only look to the sky above us! Today, before these incense and candles, in front of so many brothers, let's express our true feelings!"

Ignoring Yang Keshi, he lifted his shirt and knelt heavily on the ground.

The officers and soldiers around him, as well as those below the steps in the hall, all bowed with their hands on their swords, and the sound of their swords clashing together filled the air!
With so many burly men bowing down, Yang Keshi also knelt down.

"Heaven is above, earth is below, I, Guo Yaoshi, am determined to resist the Dingnan Army and am irreconcilably opposed to Chen Shao. If I waver, may I die by sword! Heaven and earth bear witness!"

The martial artist arrived swiftly, and Guo Yaoshi's oath consisted of only a few short sentences.

The generals below, who were bowing down, shouted in unison, "Heaven and Earth bear witness!"

Guo the Pharmacist kowtowed heavily, stood up, and shouted, "Bring me the knife!"

Zhen Wuchen, who was beside him, had already drawn the wrist-cutting knife from his waist and stood up to hand it over.

Guo the Pharmacist lifted the large sleeve of his shirt, revealing his muscular arm, and slashed it with a dagger.

Fresh blood gushed out, dripping down his arm.

Yang Keshi was moved on impulse; he was the kind of person who fell for this kind of thing.

This is why Yang Keshi was so furious after Chen Shao betrayed Tong Guan.

Since Lao Guo is so determined, I'll trust him one more time and fight Chen Shao to the death.
-
Taiyuan, the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

Chen Shao arrived at the newly built General's Mansion Hall today and felt extremely pleased to see the large number of military officers present.

More than half of the military officers and generals from various prefectures in Hedong have arrived today to congratulate the Grand Marshal.

The title of "controlling all the armies in the land" is indeed incredibly prestigious, and no man could refuse it.

This feeling of holding great power can make men feel happy. The words "Grand Marshal of the Army and the People" seem to have a kind of magic. Just hearing the name can make people's blood boil.

Chen Shao was no exception; he felt extremely excited from early morning. Despite having experienced enough, Chen Shao remained a very emotional person.

He was not numb; he did not hide his excitement whenever such things happened.

He would also share his feelings with those around him, including female relatives and trusted subordinates.

Prince Chen Shao of Dai was a man of flesh and blood, not one to feign unpredictable imperial authority or possess an emotionless nature.

Assisting such a lord or serving such a man would be very easy, without having to carefully guess his intentions.

He wore a red robe with dragon motifs and a traveler's hat. The hat was made of bamboo strips and covered with a black linen lining, with three beams on top. The black linen lining was trimmed with moon-white silk edging, and a four-clawed golden dragon was embroidered on the chest and back.

The dragon's body coiled like clouds, its scales woven with gold thread, and over its robe, it wore a black lacquered armor with a mountain and water pattern.

The garments conceal hidden secrets, revealing ingenious design.

This set was personally designed for him by Li Shishi. To the uninformed, it might seem presumptuous at first glance, but in fact, every item conforms to etiquette.

A four-clawed golden dragon is a royal rank, and not even a prince; princes have five claws.

There was no such official position as Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces in the Song Dynasty before, so there was no precedent to follow. Chen Shao then let Li Shishi do as she pleased.

Chen Shao was very satisfied with the uniforms for the Dingnan Army that the two of them designed together.

Looking at the secret report from the front lines, it was sent by a spy planted among the Jin soldiers by Guangyuantang.

In the current situation, many Liao people from Yunzhong who surrendered to the Jin Dynasty are secretly contacting the Dingnan Army.

Their families are all in the clouds; who would actually want to risk their lives for the Jurchens?

Therefore, Guangyuantang easily developed many inside agents, including sons of high-ranking Han Chinese military families and surrendered Khitan generals.

Chen Shao looked at the intelligence in his hand and pondered silently.

According to the intelligence, the most powerful person in the Jin Dynasty at present should be Emperor Wuqimai.

Zonghan's strength was severely weakened due to the heavy losses suffered by the Western Route Army. Moreover, after several defeats, some Jurchen nobles who had been loyal to him turned to other forces.

As for Zongwang, although he also retreated from Baigou River, he retreated quickly and did not engage in a major skirmish with the Dingnan Army.

The Eastern Route Army remained relatively intact and should have become the absolute power holder in the Jin state, but due to health reasons, it fared even worse than Zonghan.

The weakening of the two marshals benefited Emperor Wanyan Wuqimai, who then reclaimed some of the military power.

In particular, Wanyan Xiyin completely sided with Wanyan Wugumai after being pardoned by the emperor.

Some members of the Eastern Route Army defected to the Fourth Prince Wanyan Zongbi, while others remained loyal to Zongwang and listened only to him.

Chen Shao put down the intelligence report and said, "If the Jurchens still can't find a commander, we can confidently launch our northern expedition."

Already in a weak position, if they were to fight amongst themselves, Chen Shao couldn't imagine how they could resist the united Dingnan Army.

The Dingnan Army has only one sun, only one absolute center of power, and that is itself.

This was not just Chen Shao being arrogant.

But even when morale was high last year, Chen Shao allowed the three main forces to rest for a year, and not a single general went on a solo mission.

Very few people throughout history have been able to achieve this.

The interests of all factions, military leaders, and Chen Shao were aligned; they could only realize their military achievements by putting Chen Shao on the throne.

"We can spend some money to sow discord!" said Li Qi, the military commissioner of Taiyuan.

Chen Shao nodded. This matter was not suitable to be carried out in a big way, and he would arrange for Wang Yin to do it later.

As for the situation in Liaodong, Chen Shao didn't care much. Yang Keshi and Guo Yaoshi were powerful enough, and they didn't know that a desperate Qu Duan was about to lead his troops straight into their heartland like a sharp blade.

The two focused their main force on the Ji River, leaving their rear vulnerable. It's hard to imagine how they will face Qu Da.

As I stepped out of the Grand Marshal's Hall, the snow outside the sloping corridor had intensified, covering the ground in a blanket of white. The newly painted polychrome murals beneath the Marshal's Palace were clearly visible; this must have been the last snowfall of early spring, and the scenery was exceptionally beautiful.

Chen Shao stopped and looked at the snow scene before him, feeling a sense of comfort.

At the beginning of starting a business, many people have encountered numerous obstacles, but once they reach this point, everything goes smoothly.

From then on, he felt that he had the world under his control and gradually became complacent.

However, Chen Shao had no such worries. He was not afraid that he would become incompetent and cause the Central Plains to fall into turmoil again.

Because he was different from the emperors of previous dynasties.

My own entrepreneurial journey has only just begun.
Many people in later generations felt regretful, thinking that if the First Emperor had been given a world map, he certainly wouldn't have built the Epang Palace, constructed the Lishan Mausoleum, toured the country five times, pursued immortality, and squandered the people's resources.

Because he felt he had no goals left.

Chen Shao was different; he had actually seen a world map and had even studied world history.

He reached out and caught a snowflake, watching it melt in his palm.

He always believed that everything is difficult at the beginning.

As long as one strives to guide this civilization onto the right path, one's achievements will be remembered for generations to come.

Countless outstanding individuals will continue to propel it forward with great strides. (End of Chapter)