You have truly caused me great suffering!

Every time Xiao Ting comes, it's for a reason.

The next day, Chen Shao summoned his officials, and almost all the important officials from Taiyuan were present.

The newly built Grand Marshal's Mansion was quite spacious, and Chen Shao gathered officials in the main hall.

He first called the most important people into the inner room for a small meeting.

It was still Zhong Shidao, Li Tangchen, Liu Jizu, and Wu Jie, who happened to be in Taiyuan to report on the Battle of Qingtang.

None of them knew what was going on this time, and they were quite relaxed after sitting down.

After Chen Shao entered, he looked around and said, "Jin Qing has arrived."

"Having arrived in Taiyuan last night, I dare not disturb Your Majesty's rest."

"You've come at the perfect time." Chen Shao flicked his sleeves, having dressed more formally today. "I've called you here to discuss the matter of becoming emperor."

With a "pfft," Liu Jizu, who had just taken a sip of tea, spat it out. In his panic, he blurted out, "This humble subject is guilty."

The others, though not as excited, were nonetheless genuinely thrilled.

Li Tangchen hesitated for a moment, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise and virtuous, has eliminated the barbarians, pacified the four seas, and your ascension to the throne is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people."

Chen Shao waved his hand to interrupt him and said, "Why are you standing up? Just be the same as before."

After Li Tangchen sat down, he continued, "Did the generals at the border and the officials in the court inform them beforehand?"

Chen Shao laughed and said, "I didn't say I would declare myself emperor immediately, but it's just that it's on the agenda. You should keep that in mind when you act in the future."

He stood up and, as he walked, said, "Gentlemen, please remember the following points: I intend to establish the capital in Jiangning Prefecture."

Li Tangchen quickly said, "Your Majesty!"

Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "My mind is made up, there is no need to discuss this matter further."

Li Tangchen had no choice but to sit down again.

When the King of Dai had made up his mind, he certainly wouldn't listen to anyone's advice, but in hindsight, the results always turned out to be quite good.

"The second thing is that I want to recover Jiaozhi. Starting today, preparations should begin."

No one else had any objections to this point, especially Zhong Shidao, who immediately understood.

To prevent others from misunderstanding, he specifically said, "Recapturing Jiaozhi will require a long period of preparation. We can take advantage of the situation to deploy some manpower in various parts of the south. We also need to recruit troops and talented people locally in preparation for marching south."

Wu Jie was extremely excited at this moment. He clenched his fist and was about to speak when Chen Shao spoke up again: "We cannot wage war in the North and South at the same time. The trade between Yunzhong Prefecture and the grasslands should be implemented as soon as possible. We will deal with the desert when I have time, but Liaodong must be recovered first. As for the Jurchens, Han Shizhong, Qu Duan, Yue Fei and others can fight them."

"The Northwest is sparsely populated and the situation is stable, so there is no need to station too many troops there. Moreover, the soldiers of the eleven prefectures of Dingnan are different from other soldiers of the Song Dynasty. They are all veterans who have been through many battles. Transferring some of them to the south is ostensibly to prepare for the war against Jiaozhi, but in reality, it is to deter the villains."

The situation in the north has long been clear; it was just a matter of time. The south is starting to make its moves now, which is already a little late.

Although Chen Shao only announced the news today, everyone present had been pondering it day and night.

I've already figured out every single detail.

Therefore, when he mentioned conquering Jiaozhi, Zhong Shidao knew that it meant establishing a stronghold in the south to prevent anyone from causing trouble across the river.

"Is Your Majesty planning a trip to Bianliang?"

Before Chen Shao could finish his last question, Liu Jizu asked it first.

No one here is stupid.

Chen Shao nodded and said, "Preparations should begin. I will enter the capital after the beginning of autumn."

He was going to Bianliang to meet Zhao Huan and explain the matter of abdication to him.

Although everyone already understood the situation, this matter was too big to be left unsaid, and it was impossible to leave it uninformed beforehand.

This matter needs to be handled with decorum; there should be no discordant images or sounds.

Accustomed to the routine of handling tedious and repetitive government affairs every day, Li Liu and others never expected that so many big news would suddenly break out in just one morning.

Only then did they rediscover some of the excitement of being loyal subjects of the emperor.

By noon, almost everyone had arrived.

After the meeting was over, Chen Shao came out of the inner room and nodded to Li Tangchen as he looked at the assembled civil and military officials.

Then he began issuing a series of decrees, many of which were baffling to people.

However, seeing that the people who came out of the inner room all had rosy complexions, everyone couldn't help but have their own guesses.

After all the orders were given and everyone summarized them, they immediately had a clear understanding of the situation.

This major move, which focuses on the South, is something many people already understand.

The Prince of Dai probably intends to take things further, because he is worried about unrest in the south, so he is starting to place his men and officials in positions of power.

If the people in this hall were to vote on the decision, the Prince of Dai should have declared himself emperor three years ago!

At this time, dozens of messengers had already set off on light horseback to various places.

This matter cannot be made public, but trusted confidants must know my thoughts. Only then will they be able to cooperate in crucial moments.

It's time to bring out the large number of troops that have been stockpiled at the Northwest headquarters.
-
After finishing all this, Chen Shao returned to the Prince's Mansion and took a deep breath of fresh air.

When you're truly experiencing something extraordinary in this world, you lose all the grand illusions.

Even though Chen Shao was about to change the dynasty and don the yellow robe, he still got hungry if he didn't eat on time.

The days are still the same.

At this moment, he really wanted to go to Li Shishi's place, but after thinking about it, he still stepped into Zhong Lingxi's courtyard.

Upon entering, he saw his queen sitting in front of her dressing table, her hair loose, as if she had just washed it.

With her head full of jewels removed, Zhong Lingxi now looked more like a young girl.

Although I have already had children.

Hearing footsteps, Zhong Lingxi suddenly stood up, awkwardly curtsied, and said, "Your Majesty."

Chen Shao chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Why are you being so polite?"

"My elder brother sent someone to tell me to learn more about etiquette," Huanhuan sighed, pursing her lips.

Chen Shao picked her up and sat her on a chair, letting her sit on his lap.

"You don't need to listen to him."

As long as Chen Shao himself doesn't cause trouble, the harem will be peaceful, so he is quite satisfied with this.

No one should point fingers or criticize.

Zhong Lingxi nestled in his arms, rubbing her cheek against his chest comfortably, then looked up as if she was thinking about something.

"Why don't you go to Sister Xiao's place tonight?"

Chen Shaodao: "Why?"

"She gave me a lot of gifts."

Chen Shao laughed and said, "Then you're going to sell me out?"

Zhong Lingxi chuckled, her dark eyes darting around, a hint of cunning appearing on her innocent face, making her even more adorable.

Chen Shao touched her belly and asked, "When are you planning to have another one for me?"

"That depends on fate," Huanhuan replied earnestly.

Chen Shao loved teasing her, listening to her say some innocent and naive things in a serious tone.

Because of being so well protected, the innocent and sweet nature that remained always gave Chen Shao a very healing feeling.

This will allow him to relax.
-
The sudden appearance of the large army behind them indeed severely disrupted the morale of the Liaodong army.

The momentum at the beginning of the curve was unstoppable.

Li Yanqi's troops successively captured Xuanzhou, Baozhou, and Kaizhou; Qu Duan personally led a large army to capture Xin'an, Chenzhou, and Yaozhou.

After establishing a foothold, the navy sailed through Liaodong Bay and transported troops to Yaozhou.

Zhang Shuye personally led troops from Shandong and Hebei to land, threatening Liaoyang to the west and Jinzhou to the east.

As the three forces approached Liaoyang Prefecture, the city was filled with panic, as if the end of the world had come.

After besieging Liaoyang, Qu Duan did not continue the attack, but instead dispatched five groups of troops to attack from all sides.

Taking advantage of Guo Yaoshi's small number of troops and the fact that his main force was in Pinglu, they fought while forcing the surrounding prefectures to surrender.

He himself led his troops across the Liang River and stationed them northeast of Liaoyang Prefecture, personally guarding against the arrival of Jurchen reinforcements.

Inside the central command headquarters, Qu Duan appeared very confident and smiled:

"Back then, in order to get his men to fight for him in Pinglu, Guo Yaoshi moved the families of his soldiers to Liaoyang Prefecture. He was taking them hostage. Guo Yaoshi was a general who had surrendered; he was used to betraying his superiors and was afraid that his men would follow suit."

"With the main force of the Ever Victorious Army tied up in Pinglu, and us trapping Liaoyang, their frontline morale will inevitably be in turmoil."

After Qu Duan finished speaking, he stared at the north direction on the map.

In his plan, the Jurchens would definitely come.

Once the Jurchen troops who are coming to attack are defeated, victory in the Liaodong campaign will be assured.

Therefore, he decided to personally lead this battle, deploying his most elite troops here.

If the Jurchen troops do not come to relieve the siege of Liaoyang, but go elsewhere, then he can take advantage of the situation to seize Liaoyang Prefecture.

In that case, what fighting spirit would the ever-victorious army have left?
He himself was a surprise force; when he suddenly penetrated into the heart of Liaodong, the Ever Victorious Army was already in a very difficult situation.

Qu Duan was very satisfied. He was now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Jurchen army so that he could completely defeat them. (End of Chapter)