You have truly caused me great suffering!

Qu Duan arrived at Dengzhou Port by boat.

Throughout the voyage, he only experienced minor discomfort, proving that there are no insurmountable difficulties for a person.

After reaching the vicinity of Dengzhou, cannon fire was heard from the shore; it was the sound of ceremonial cannons.

Qu Duan immediately stood up from his chair, walked to the side of the boat, leaned against the wooden railing, and gazed at the sea.

His gaze pierced through the hazy, damp mist of early spring, and he turned to see a city gate tower standing in the distance.

On the riverbank, the figures of some motorcyclists also came into view.

Those were his own troops, the armored soldiers of the Dingnan Army's Yinzhou Camp.

The vast expanse of white sails on the sea resembled clouds, and the fleet's warships stretched endlessly, creating a truly magnificent spectacle.

Such a naval force is unprecedented in history.

The completion of this project was largely due to the advanced maritime transport and shipbuilding capabilities of the Song Dynasty.

Qu Duan was also thinking to himself that seven days ago he was still in Mingzhou, and now he had arrived after seven days on the ship.

No need to trek through mountains and rivers, nor to ride a horse.

Moreover, the naval crew said that if the wind direction was right, they could arrive in three days and in Goryeo in five days.

"Commander Qu, give the order!"

Qu Duan turned his face and nodded.

After a while, the sound of drums and horns rang out, the blue flag on the flagship began to wave, and the horns around it sounded in waves.

The ships docked one by one, and the soldiers began to board them, along with their warhorses.

The navy and cavalry boarded the ships in an orderly fashion, followed closely by supply ships belonging to the merchant caravan.

There were no laborers needed because Goryeo (Korea) offered to provide them, requiring only food and wages.

Of course, these were not distributed to the common laborers of Goryeo, but to the Goryeo court.

Chen Shaoyi agreed to everything.

He knew that the Goryeo court would most likely exploit the people, but he couldn't control that.

I am not the king of Goryeo. If you don't like the royal family and aristocratic officials, you can start a rebellion.

Goryeo has always been short of food, but it has abundant reserves of other things, such as ginseng, rare birds, furs, pearls, and gold.

They were all hard currency from the Central Plains.

Although the mission was to Goryeo to build two garrison ports, Qu Duan had already envisioned himself leading his troops in a surprise attack on Liaodong from the sea.

Just like today, when countless white sails approach, that will be the day of your death, Pharmacist Guo.

There was a time when he and his men could only guard Shuozhou and watch Zhu Lingling take Yingzhou and achieve great success.

Now it's finally my turn, and the 50,000 troops stationed along the Ji River are also a feint attack for me.

Thinking of this, Qu Duan felt completely at ease.

They wished they could build a port immediately and launch a surprise attack on Liaodong from the Yalu River and the sea.

After penetrating Liaodong, there were still Jurchens further north, and this time the attack went straight to the heart of the Jurchens.

On the distant dock, people were pushing bronze cannons onto the ships.

Qu Duan felt his scalp tingle as he looked at it; how much copper must that be?
It's important to understand that gold and silver are not considered money nowadays; the real currency in circulation is copper coins.

The copper used in Song Dynasty coins was definitely not as pure as that used in these cannons; their dark golden luster, even from a distance, seemed to exude immense power without firing a single shell.
The Prince of Dai is really generous; I heard he even transported quite a few cannons to the three main forces.

Qu Duan had frequent contact with merchants, and the merchants going to Southeast Asia were also escorted by the navy.

Therefore, he knew a little about it: the King of Dai had discovered copper mines in the southern wilderness.

It's uncertain whether the excavation will go smoothly, but many people in the Fujian and Zhejiang areas are very willing to go mining.

It took a long time for the army to board the ships, which was a result of their good training; otherwise, it would have taken even longer.

After the army set off, the soldiers on the ships cheered and shouted, and the sea was filled with a great commotion.

Although the people were tired from the long journey by boat, the army was still very excited to set off.
-
Taiyuan, the Prince's Mansion.

People in the courtyard were busy preparing for the birth of yet another little life in the Prince's Palace.

Three days ago, Zhang Yinghan gave birth to a son for Chen Shao, and today Jin Ye'er also showed signs of pregnancy.

Chen Shao sat in the courtyard, watching the maids coming and going, lost in thought.

Chen Shao was overjoyed to learn that Qu Duan had already set off.

Judging by the time, they should have arrived at Gaeseong in Goryeo by now.

Chen Shao was surprised that Goryeo allowed the stationing of troops, but considering the current predicament of the royal family, he could understand it to some extent.

He probably wanted to use his military might to intimidate the villains inside and outside the court, since one of the conditions he proposed was that he should recognize and protect the King of Goryeo as the only royal court in Goryeo at present.

Hearing a cry, Chen Shaocai snapped out of his thoughts.

An elderly woman came over and said with her hands clasped, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, it's a son."

Chen Shao smiled and nodded, saying, "Congratulations to you too."

The maids and servants in the courtyard were all beaming with joy. Madam Jin's husband was the most generous, and he had already announced that everyone should take good care of her. As long as the child was born smoothly, all the maids in the courtyard would be rewarded with five taels of silver.

If it's a son, then double the amount.

Chen Shao and the officials of Taiyuan Prefecture were overjoyed to suddenly have two more sons.

Although it can't compare to the grand celebrations that take place when the eldest son is born, it still brings some joy.

At this point, the only weakness of the Dingnan Army is probably that Chen Shao's clan is too small.

Just him and his son.

You must understand, this is a time when even a cold can take a person's life.

However, with proper care, there are generally no problems. Most heroes who die prematurely are due to excessive damage or overwork.

After arriving in Hedong, Chen Shao stopped leading troops and focused on health preservation every day.

Chen Shao, now blessed with two sons, beamed with joy. The bright sunshine reminded him of the day his eldest son was born, when Zhong Shidao and his court officials congratulated him, saying: "Those whose achievements will last for generations need not worry about having no heirs."
Today is the day I personally orchestrated to set sail and open the seas; wouldn't that be a feat that will be remembered for generations?

Thinking of this, Chen Shao was filled with excitement and said loudly, "I haven't named my two sons yet, but I'll name them both today. They'll be called Chen Hai and Chen Yang."

Seeing Chen Shao's high spirits, everyone assumed that he had gained two biological offspring, which was why he was so excited.

In this day and age, the world is still very young, even immature.

The barbarians from all directions were truly barbarians, and their superior productivity was also a true crushing defeat.

Chen Shaoneng launched operations from both the northwest and southeast, utilizing both land and sea routes.

If we wait until after the Industrial Revolution, it won't be so easy to simultaneously develop land and sea power.

When Chen Shao entered the room, he saw Jin Mo'er and Jin Le'er standing guard in front of Jin Lao Er.

She had just given birth, her face was pale, her head was covered in sweat, and she looked extremely haggard.

She used to be the most mischievous and quirky, both innocent and alluring, but now, even though she has just become a mother, she has a more mature air about her.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Although it was Jin Ye'er's own son, she still congratulated Chen Shao.

Hearing her weak movements, Chen Shao felt a pang of sympathy. He stepped forward, stroked her hand, and offered a few words of comfort, telling her to take good care of herself.

The maid in the room hesitated, but finally mustered her courage and asked Chen Shao to leave quickly.

As the head of the family, and a prince of such noble status, it would be inappropriate and against the rules for him to stay in the delivery room for too long.

When Chen Shao left the room and lifted the curtain to come out, he let out a long sigh of relief.

As long as one's status is high enough, there are many things one doesn't need to do, and one's children will be taken care of.

The inner palace was relatively stable. Don't be fooled by the constant infighting in TV dramas and movies; most of it is fiction.

These women currently residing in the inner quarters of the Prince's mansion will become the imperial harem in the future.

Chen Shao now fully understands that if the emperor doesn't want to cause trouble in the harem by favoring one woman and eliminating another, it's very difficult for the harem to make any significant moves.

Unless it's the Empress Dowager, there's nothing that can be done.

History has shown that when women are in charge of government affairs, very few of them are able to achieve positive political results.

Even the much-hyped Empress Wu Zetian cannot withstand scrutiny. A closer look at this period of history reveals that her harmfulness was no less than that of Empress Dowager Cixi.

It's fortunate that Emperor Taizong left a solid foundation, otherwise the country would have perished long ago, and the chaos of the Five Dynasties would have come a century earlier.

On the contrary, Empress Lü, whose reputation has never been very good, has done a relatively good job, at least compared to other empress dowagers and empresses.

Chen Shao breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor still has to be a man, and the family still has to be run by a man.

Because this is a position that demands a broad perspective and a magnanimous heart.

Women are more emotional.
-
Kaesong, Goryeo.

Arriving in a foreign land, Qu Duan felt no sense of desolation or alienation.

He landed at the port, clad in heavy armor and under the heavy guard of a large cavalry force.

At this time, many Goryeo officials had already come to greet them at the beach.

Qu Duan looked around and found that this place matched his impression of barbarian lands; it was even worse than Shuozhou back then.

The people here are poorly clothed and filthy, with the women especially bare-chested.

On the contrary, the officials were dressed very well, and it was clear that they were wearing the finest silks and satins.

The styles are all in the Bianliang style.

"Rumble, rumble..." Countless iron hooves pounded on the ground, the sound of horses' hooves was very heavy.

Having been at sea for so long, Qu Duan was actually feeling very lightheaded, and the ground around him seemed to be shaking slightly.

He had been on the ship for so long that it was constantly rocking; even now that he's on solid ground, he still hasn't gotten used to it.

But he refused to appear weak in front of the foreigners, so he stood with his hands behind his back at the harbor, striking a pose, while secretly getting used to the land. Occasionally, he could hear the sound of retching; some soldiers were seasick.

Based on past training experience, the army needs two days of rest to recover its strength for combat.

Fortunately, this trip is not for fighting.

The journey to Liaodong from here is much faster now. As Qu Duan thought about these things, the feeling of distress lessened considerably when he was distracted.

At this moment, Goryeo officials had already surrounded them, and their behavior and actions were as similar as possible to those of the Central Plains.

You know what, it looks pretty decent, at least Qu Duan thinks it's acceptable.

After all, Qu Duan was a military man, and if the scholars and officials from Bianliang or Luoyang came, they would probably scoff at him.

Qu Duan exchanged a few pleasantries with them, then went to the side to watch the garrison disembark.

As the troops gradually descended, the Koreans' faces became less cheerful.

How many people have come?
Those soldiers, though they looked somewhat weak, were tall and strong, and fully armored.

Goryeo could not muster a thousand such heavily armored soldiers.

And so they arrived in the heart of their territory.

The Goryeo royal family was able to agree to Chen Shao's conditions because they had always had a strong trust in the rulers of the Central Plains dynasties.

They felt that these people valued dignity and wouldn't invade their country.

But this time, it seems like there are a lot of people coming.

Seeing that the atmosphere around him was a bit off, Qu Duan quickly said, "These troops are only temporarily stationed here. They will soon be going to attack Guo Yaoshi, the traitor in Liaodong. As for the garrison, there are only 5,000 naval troops, who are responsible for clearing out pirates in the surrounding waters."

Although Qu Duan said this, he was thinking about the instructions of the Prince of Dai, who told him to slowly increase the number of troops.

He even used the metaphor of "boiling a frog in lukewarm water" to describe it, which shows that the Prince of Dai really understood these Goryeo people better than he did.

Chen Shao had several contacts with Goryeo. After discussing the matter, he and his advisors all felt that Goryeo must be facing a major internal problem.

Based on the experience of the Central Plains, at this time they were mostly facing the problem of powerful ministers who were too big to be controlled and branches that were strong while the trunk was weak.

Then, through inquiries with the caravan, it was indeed the case.

The maternal relative Li Ziqian colluded with the military leader Tuo Junjing to monopolize the government and even wanted to usurp power; his ambition was already obvious.

The arrival of the Dingnan Army was timely. The King of Goryeo had reached his limit of tolerance, but he was afraid that he would be killed by his maternal grandfather, Yi Ja-gyeom, due to insufficient strength.

Qu Duan's arrival gave him hope.

Therefore, in addition to building the port and military camp, Qu Duan had another important mission when he came here: to meet the King of Goryeo.

Standing on the Korean soil, Qu Duan was unaware that he was standing at the forefront of the times.

Inside the Goryeo royal palace, King Gae was chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall when a trusted eunuch approached and whispered something in his ear.

Wang Kai's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly closed his eyes again and continued chanting the sutra.

He is seventeen years old this year. He was thirteen when he ascended the throne, and his uncles coveted the throne.

He had no choice but to rely on his maternal grandfather, Li Ziqian, but Li Ziqian became too powerful to control and monopolized the government.

Previously, he was secretly preparing to persuade Li Ziqian's ally, General Tuo Junjing, to join him in killing Li Ziqian.

Then, even stronger thugs arrived.

Chen Shao, the Prince of Dai, was the absolute overlord of the Central Plains, about to unify the world, and poised to become the founding emperor of another unified dynasty.

They actually intend to cooperate with Goryeo.

This is an unexpected surprise.

Winning over Tuo Junjing is risky, because Tuo Junjing has been colluding with Li Ziqian for a long time, and it's uncertain whether he will listen to her.

Secondly, Tuo Junjing may not necessarily be able to eliminate Li Ziqian.

However, the King of Dai was different. Goryeo had always attached great importance to collecting intelligence from the Central Plains, and their judgments were very accurate.

As early as the eve of Tong Guan's campaign against Liao, the Song Dynasty, which had just concluded a maritime alliance with the Jin Dynasty, sent State Envoys Lu Yundi and Fu Moqing with gifts and an imperial edict and eulogy written by Emperor Huizong to Goryeo in June of the year Guimao (1123) to pay tribute to King Yejong and to suggest that the Liao Dynasty was about to fall and that Goryeo could return to the Song Dynasty and restore the Song Dynasty's investiture.

At that time, Wang Kai, persuaded by Li Ziqian and others, declined the Song envoy's proposal on the grounds that he was "worried about the unfinished imperial decree".

At that time, the entire Goryeo nation judged that although the destruction of Liao was a foregone conclusion, the alliance between Song and Jin was nothing short of a prelude to a violent conflict, and would inevitably be met with a backlash.

However, they did not give up. The following year, they sent Li Zide, the Vice Minister of the Privy Council, and Jin Fuzhe, the Vice Minister of the Censorate, to the Song Dynasty to express their gratitude and present local products.

Goryeo also subtly suggested to the Song Dynasty that it should not form an alliance with the Jin Dynasty, but Emperor Huizong of Song certainly did not listen.

At this moment, Wang Kai's heart was churning with turmoil. The sharp sword that had been pressing down on his head was about to be destroyed.

With the help of the Dingnan Army, what difficulty is there in annihilating Li Ziqian!
When Li Ziqian learned that the Dingnan Army was to be stationed there, he was furious and strongly opposed it.

However, Wang Kai, citing the reason that he dared not disobey the order given by the king, publicly challenged his maternal grandfather for the first time.
-
Near Kaesong, on the flat plains, there are vast fields and magnificent manors everywhere.

Since Li Ziqian seized power, he has ruled the country arbitrarily as the king's maternal grandfather, wielding immense influence and power, and his entire family has risen to prominence.

The Goryeo History records that "his sons vied to build mansions that stretched across the streets, their power and influence growing ever stronger. Bribery was rampant, and gifts from all directions poured in. The amount of rotten meat was often tens of thousands of catties. They forcibly seized people's land and fields, and allowed their servants to plunder carriages and horses to give to them. The common people destroyed their carriages and sold their cattle and horses, and the roads were in turmoil."

At this time, the Dingnan Army's infantry and cavalry, clad in bright armor and numbering in great numbers, marched along several major roads running parallel to the north and south, creating a truly magnificent spectacle.

The sounds of horses' hooves, footsteps, and the clattering of vehicles were deafening, creating a cacophony that seemed to envelop the entire land.

Faced with the sudden arrival of the army, Li Ziqian watched the scene below from the second floor of a mansion.

His face grew increasingly pale.

The king is getting old and is becoming difficult to control.

These people were all well-versed in the history books of the Central Plains, especially the history books of the Han Dynasty.

Once a young emperor turns twelve, he transforms from a puppet to a cold-blooded and efficient political monster.

His grandson is now seventeen.

Just as he was about to take action, he brought in this kind of assistant.

When others hire assistants, they hire people of similar ability. But Wang Kai has brought in such a group of people. Do you still want your own Goryeo throne?
You didn't listen to a single word of Emperor Taizu's saying, "How can I allow others to snore beside my bed?"

Li Ziqian was a knowledgeable soldier; he had even led troops to defeat the Jurchens before. However, he had been busy plotting and scheming in Gaeseong all these years.

Judging from the way the troops marched below, he could tell the quality of these soldiers.
Extremely skilled in combat!

They were completely different from the Song soldiers I had previously imagined.

His face was ashen. He sat on a futon on the second floor, his mind racing, hoping to find a way to save himself.

A direct confrontation is definitely not an option; there's no way we can defeat them, not even if we bring back the border troops.

Even in Goryeo, Tuo Junjing could not be considered a true fierce general.

After much thought, it seemed there was only one way: to contact these people myself.

They probably don't have a deep relationship with the king. What Wang Kai can offer, I can offer too!
What he can't give, I'll give!
Whether intentionally or not, the Goryeo court designated the camp where the Jeongnam Army was stationed near the residence of Yi Ja-gyeom.

Li Ziqian was a man of principle; he had long ago incorporated the land in this area into his own estate.

Although there were no legal and compliant procedures.

Is there anyone who would dare to try and take it from him?

If any commoners come to rob, they will most likely be taken directly into his manor and become his serfs.

But the Dingnan Army didn't care about any of that. Qu Duan directly ordered them to set up camp.

Qu Duan is a very arrogant person. He is very strict with others, and he is just as strict with himself.

Therefore, he had no extravagant hobbies, including his armor, which was an old one.

The wear marks on the edges of the iron plate were quite obvious, and it was a bit tight on him; however, the armor was completely rust-free and shone brightly in the early spring sun.

You must wipe and oil them frequently to keep an old manicure looking so shiny.

Qu Duan felt extremely happy whenever he heard the melodious sound of horses' hooves and horns. He thought he would regret it for the rest of his life if he never led his troops to defeat the bandits.

Even after setting foot on Goryeo soil, he didn't really respect Goryeo's trivial matters; his mind was still focused on destroying Guo Yaoshi and the Jurchen Jin dynasty.

The Jurchens, in particular, invaded twice, committing countless atrocities.

The historical records of the Central Plains are extremely vengeful; such a shameful event will certainly be recorded in great detail, so that one can eventually march on the Jurchen's stronghold.
Whenever Qu Duan thought of this, he would become so excited that his face would turn slightly red.

Now, the familiar war drums sound once more, and the clanging of armor is like the sound of a zither; the clash of swords and the thunder of horses are so captivating.

Everything on the battlefield and in the army was wonderful to Qu Duan.

He looked back at his generals on horseback and said solemnly, "This time, Goryeo has promised to send troops from the Yalu River. Their troops are no match for the Jurchens of the Jin Dynasty. I estimate that they are no match for them, and they may not even be able to defeat the Ever Victorious Army."

"You will all set off with them. I will land at sea and we will meet up at Zhenhai!"

The surrounding officers, especially Li Yanqi, who was in charge of the surprise attack from the Yalu River, quickly nodded in agreement.

Goryeo's territory lacked depth, and the journey from Gaeseong to Liaodong was not far, especially for cavalry skilled in rapid raids.

Goryeo had many warhorses, and their horse breeds were actually quite good, with tall and excellent horses.

Zhu Yuanzhang, a later emperor, once extorted a large sum of money from them, acquiring tens of thousands of warhorses from the Joseon Dynasty, which followed Goryeo.

Old Zhu's purchase of North Korean horses was a large-scale and continuous act of bullying, initially involving forced sales at prices far below market value.

Later, they stopped performing altogether and switched from buying at low prices to forced allocation, which dealt a devastating blow to North Korea's military power.

The people in North Korea have a morbid loyalty to their leader. Before each change of leader, they exchange glances with the previous leader.

For example, in the early years of the Hongwu reign, they secretly maintained relations with their former suzerain state, the Northern Yuan, which Zhu Yuanzhang hated most.

Before Qu Duan came, he had also taken a liking to the warhorses of Goryeo.

The port of Kaesong served not only as a hub for caravan trade but also as a supply depot for the Dingnan Army, which was campaigning in Liaodong.

As long as supplies continue, Qu Duan is confident that he can break in from the rear, spread his influence in the center, and make it difficult for the Ever Victorious Army and the Jurchen Jin Dynasty to defend themselves from both sides.

At this moment, Qu Duan's mind was filled with thoughts of making great achievements and pursuing the fleeing enemy.

Completely unaware, he had become a crucial link in the internal power struggle within Goryeo. (End of Chapter)