You have truly caused me great suffering!

Suburbs of Bianliang.

The construction of the abdication platform was originally carried out under the protection of layers of soldiers.

But after Chen Shao came once, he ordered his men to leave.

The public is allowed to watch.

There were only two platforms, each three feet high and five feet square.

There were also the positions of the civil and military officials around him.

After the guards were removed, a steady stream of people came to watch.

Especially the sons of noble families near Kaifeng.

These people have nothing to do all day, so they're bound to come and join in the fun.

Chen Shao also came today. He chatted with Yang Cheng for a few words and instructed him to use yellow for the abdication edict case.

The official virtue of the Song Dynasty was "fire virtue," with "fire" as the symbol of the dynasty. The History of Song Dynasty, Annals of Emperor Taizu clearly records: When Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, he first established the virtue of fire virtue, with red as the color and the year of the Dog as the season of the twelfth lunar month.

According to the theory of the Five Elements' rotation, after Chen Shao established the country, it should be the element of Earth, and the color yellow should be associated with it.

The dragon robe is also a yellow robe.

In the past few days, he had heard Wei Li, Xu Jin, Zhang Xiaochun and others discussing these things, arguing enthusiastically, which gave Chen Shao a headache.

It's even more tedious and boring than military reports.

Every detail, from how each flag was placed to how each step was taken, had to be carefully considered, down to every single word of the edict.

He could at least find some peace and quiet, so he might as well watch the civil engineering guy work on the mortar.

As they were chatting, a few young men came over, looking annoyed, each with dirt on their faces.

Chen Shao had a fairly strong impression of them and said, "Isn't that your son?"

When Yang Cheng saw that it really was his nephew, his face immediately darkened.

"Yang Yu! Get over here!"

Upon hearing his voice, the three young men immediately wilted like mice before a cat.

Upon approaching, he discovered that the current king was also there, and quickly bowed.

What happened to your body?

"Fighting with someone," Yang Yu muttered softly.

"With whom?" Chen Shao asked with interest, smiling.

Although Yang Cheng's nephews and nieces were simple-minded and didn't seem very bright, they were surprisingly to Chen Shao's liking.

"When we took some men to the river to move driftwood, a group of people came over and accused us of spying on their beautiful maids. They attacked us without saying a word," Yang Yu said angrily. "If we had really seen them, we would have just gotten a beating. But thank God, I didn't even see a female quail, let alone a beautiful maid!"

His younger brother, Yang Tong, nodded vigorously beside him.

Chen Shao's eyes flickered, and he already knew what was going on.

He laughed and said, "You guys fought it yourselves? How many people were on the other side?"

"There were about ten servants and guards in total. If those laborers from Bianliang hadn't been too afraid to fight, we might not have lost."

Although Yang Cheng was usually strict with his nephews and nieces, he surprisingly didn't scold them this time. Instead, he exchanged a glance with Chen Shao.

One of Bianliang's great specialties is these纨绔子弟 (spoiled young men who live a life of luxury and dissolute lifestyles). In a few days, they will all be considered remnants of the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty had a large privileged class.

Because this was a rare Central Plains dynasty that did not suppress annexation.

In the early Song Dynasty, in order to weaken the power of military generals and induce them to "choose a good field and house to establish a permanent estate for their descendants", the government explicitly abandoned its intervention in land annexation and recognized the legitimacy of private land ownership.

The scholar-officials (including officials, scholars who passed the imperial examinations, and monks) were the main participants in land annexation during the Song Dynasty, and also the main beneficiaries of tax exemption privileges. Their tax exemptions stemmed from institutional arrangements that covered land tax, corvée labor, and other miscellaneous taxes.

This meant they were both the referee and the player, quickly leading to a high concentration of land ownership, especially since the problem had become quite serious by then.

The wealthy people of the Song Dynasty flocked to Bianliang, but that did not mean that all their businesses were located in Bianliang.

In fact, if you randomly grab a playboy from the street, his family is very likely to own thousands of acres of fertile land in Jiangnan.

There were also numerous caravans and shops, all of which were competing with the people for profit, leading to an excessive concentration of wealth.

According to the "Treatise on Food and Commodities" in the History of Song, "the common people in the Jiangnan region were poor, and the land occupied by those who had annexed the land exceeded the limit, and the annual rent and tax paid was less than one-tenth." This shows that the ancestral property of the people in Jiangnan had been basically all annexed.

Moreover, these people do not have to pay taxes; all the taxes are levied on ordinary people.

The scholar-officials and gentry who owned ninety percent of the land did not pay taxes, while the common people who owned only one-tenth of the land were responsible for all the tax revenue and supported the dynasty.

If the Song Dynasty had not fallen, it would have been against all reason and justice.

Almost everyone familiar with Chen Shao knows that he attaches great importance to farming.

Chen Shao's troops were not recruited from the Central Plains; they were all soldiers from the Northwest. The unique fortified economy of the Northwest also prevented the eleven prefectures of Dingnan from experiencing the same abrupt halt in land annexation as the Song Dynasty.

Even after occupying vast territories of Hedong, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Shandong, Chen Shao did not conscript soldiers on a large scale.

This gave him the confidence to completely resolve the issue of land consolidation.

His troops were largely unaffected by the local gentry, allowing him to act more freely and decisively.

Once he has become emperor and the situation is stable, it will be time for sweeping reforms.

The empire obtained through abdication has many advantages, but it also comes with certain drawbacks.

Fortunately, their military strength was excellent, and none of their military leaders came from wealthy landowners or high-ranking officials.

Chen Shao knew in his heart that the toughest challenge after ascending the throne would be the struggle against these bureaucrats and landlords.

They are much more difficult to deal with than the Jurchens.

Fortunately, the Song Dynasty was so effective in suppressing military men that even the powerful officials and landlords in the countryside didn't have any armed forces.

At this moment, Chen Shao was facing what was perhaps the weakest martial virtue among the Central Plains landlord class in history. Under other circumstances, Chen Shao might not have dared to fight them.
-
Fengdao Prefecture is located where the great river bends and rises, neither sheltered from the wind nor able to gather water.
If this were in the Central Plains, no one would choose to build a city here.

It is evident that although Jiaozhi claimed to be the orthodox successor of the Central Plains, it was actually only half-baked and had not learned much of the real thing.

Although it is late autumn, the temperature here is similar to that of early autumn in the Central Plains, or even hotter.

In theory, this is the best time for a fierce battle.

Regardless of what the people of Jiaozhi thought, this was what the Southern Expeditionary Army thought.

The clear sky was now shrouded in a thick haze of dust and smoke, as if the clouds had pressed down on the ground.

The land was teeming with attacking troops. Despite its many disadvantages, the area was rich in timber. Thus, the southern expeditionary force spent half a month crafting a considerable number of siege weapons.

Wu Jie's army was a truly seasoned and elite force, a professional army that had conquered three kingdoms in succession.

When besieging a city, they first build fortifications; when attacking a stronghold, they can forge tools; after setting up camp, they send out scouts in all directions. Every single one of these things is out of place in the land of the Joseon Dynasty.

Although they also waged wars everywhere, bullying Dali, slaughtering Champa, invading Guangnan, and beating Laos, they were all weaklings fighting each other.

This time, he had truly encountered someone skilled in warfare. Riding a brown horse, Wu Jie, surrounded by a group of iron cavalry, traversed through the smoke and fire of the battlefield.

He saw ladders everywhere outside the city walls, and battering rams, artillery, and countless infantrymen advancing continuously.

The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of people shouting, screaming, and screaming.

People were constantly falling from the city walls, including soldiers of our own troops who were shot down from the ladders, and enemy soldiers who were shot down by crossbow bolts and stone cannons.

The arrows on the city wall were very dense, but the assault soldiers wearing wide-brimmed iron helmets and carrying shields were still slowly climbing up the ladders, with limited killing power.

It must be said that the Joseon Dynasty is currently at the height of its national power.

At least there were a lot of arrows.

Fortunately, they did not have the numerous defensive tactics that the Central Plains possessed.

For over a century, they have been the ones attacking others, especially the areas along the Red River, which have never been invaded.

Wu Jie truly believed that they had mobilized a million militiamen, who swarmed the city walls, an endless stream of soldiers who could not be killed or shot, falling in waves as one group after another.

He had attacked many cities, but this was probably the one where he risked his life so recklessly.

There are many more towns like this to come, and Wu Jie felt a little irritated, but fortunately he was able to suppress these emotions quickly.

After surveying the battlefield, Wu Jie returned to his camp within the siege fortifications. The camp was now filled with many more wounded soldiers; the screams and groans of the wounded were incessant, a truly pitiful sight.

This time, in order to prevent and control the miasma, we brought many military doctors, who proved to be of great use.

Wu Jie entered a tent and saw the doctor and the soldiers busy at work. One of the soldiers' armor was being removed, and the doctor was cutting open his clothes with scissors.

Saving lives was the priority, and even with Wu Jie's arrival, no one stopped.

The medic tore open the soldier's shirt and immediately cursed, "Poison again! Those treacherous Vietnamese have smeared poison on the arrowheads; this brother's chest is completely black."

Wu Jie asked, "What kind of poison? Is there an antidote?"

The doctor shook his head and said, "The arrowheads are covered in all sorts of poisons, so taking medicine won't be of much use; the wound will just fester! As for the hands and feet, we can only cut them off. This brother is wounded in the chest; we can only gouge out the rotten flesh and see what fate has in store for him!"

Although Wu Jie was not very old, he had been leading troops for many years and was as hard-hearted as iron.

But then he suddenly remembered something and asked loudly, "Can we use poison?"

"can!"

A hurried voice suddenly rang out. Although Lü Zhigen was also a military doctor, he was not proactive in saving lives.

He was only thinking about how to kill someone.

He was in the medicinal herb business and spent his days plotting revenge. When he had an idea, he quickly said, "General Wu! These Joseon people like to live in wooden houses, and most of the houses in the city are wooden. We can use stone cannons. We can soak a rag in hot oil, wrap it with poison, and fire it into the city."

"It can set the city on fire and kill people with its poisonous smoke! If we could add some mugwort and hemp stalks, the smoke would be even bigger and spread faster!"

"And water! Their city's water supply comes from a tributary of the Red River. If they poison the water, they have even more poisons to use!"

Wu Jie swallowed hard, glanced at the man, and felt that he looked somewhat familiar.

Upon closer reflection, wasn't this the same military doctor who, a few days ago, was said to be hiding wounded Joseon soldiers among the local people?

I never expected there to be such a talented person among military doctors.

He immediately said, "Very good, you don't need to treat the wounded soldiers here anymore. I'll give you a squad of men to take your orders. Go and make poison for me."

Lu Zhigen was overjoyed. He took a few steps closer and said to Wu Jie, "General Wu, all we need to attack the city is poison smoke bombs and set the city on fire. I think we should postpone the water supply issue for now."

"Why?"

Lu Zhigen said, "I was eager to make a contribution just now, so I blurted it all out. I wanted to save this water poisoning method for later use, to gather up the traitors of the Li Dynasty and kill them with poison. I won't use it now, so as not to arouse their suspicion later."

Wu Jie gasped, wondering where this poison king had come from. The Joseon people were truly blessed to have encountered such a living devil.

But remembering what the Prince of Dai had said, he nodded and said, "First, take Fengdao City for me, and I will immediately report your achievement!"

Poisonous smoke bombs were not uncommon in the Song army; they were used frequently.

The poisonous plants in Jiaozhi are even more numerous than in the Central Plains, and Lü Zhigen is truly an expert in this regard.

When he buys and sells medicinal herbs, he either substitutes inferior products for superior ones or even manufactures counterfeit medicines.

They put a lot of effort into the medicinal herbs.

He stopped sleeping altogether and led his men to gather materials from the surrounding area or plunder the medicinal herb shops and merchants of the Joseon Dynasty.

They worked through the night to produce poison smoke bombs.

Pungdo Castle, surrounded on three sides, had a large population, all of whom were forcibly conscripted by the Joseon Dynasty from various places.

High population density makes people vulnerable to fire and poison attacks.

After two days of siege, the crenellations on the city walls were in dire need of repair, and today the Southern Expeditionary Army finally withdrew.

Just when the Joseon defenders on the city walls thought they could finally breathe a sigh of relief, trebuchets launched black smoke and fireballs into the city, quickly plunging the fresh morning into the flames of war.

Fengdao City has fallen.

In the city's main streets, frenzied crowds and warhorses galloped about, and everywhere were people on the verge of death, vomiting violently.

The Southern Expeditionary Army did not dare to rush in immediately. Instead, they left the city gates wide open and waited outside the city, hoping that the enemy would come out and die on their own.

The fleeing soldiers of the Joseon Dynasty were also running. Every now and then, some were knocked over or tripped, or were wounded by arrows. They would soon be hacked to death by the arriving Southern Expeditionary Army, leaving no trace of their bodies.

A young Joseon soldier, carrying a knife, finally escaped the city, tilting his head back and panting heavily.

"Ah ah ah..."

Suddenly, the people in front shouted, and everyone slowed down. The young man also hurriedly slowed down, but the crowd behind him immediately pushed him to the ground.

The young man fell to the ground, howling like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, struggling to get up, because he knew what would happen if he stopped and was caught up by the "Song army".

Even surrendering is not an option!

Before them stood dozens of warhorses, their riders clad in full armor, who, in their eyes, resembled demons.

"kill!"

Someone shouted, and the cavalrymen immediately charged. They couldn't run far before they were caught up and cut down.

The air was filled with the smell of burning and a nauseating stench, a deathly stillness carrying a heavy, chilling atmosphere.

A middle-aged man, wielding a knife, frantically slashed at the young Joseon man, even though he was already thoroughly dead.

The cavalrymen on horseback were somewhat intimidated by the crazed Lü Zhigen.
This military doctor is pretty ruthless. Could he be suffering from some kind of illness?
Lu Zhigen's eyes turned red. This young Li Dynasty soldier looked very young, about the same age as when his son died.

He wore a thick silver chain around his neck, just like his son.

Lu Zhigen assumed that he had taken it from his own son, and that he was the one who killed his own son.

In fact, men in Quang Nam and Ko Chi both like to wear this, as it symbolizes "strength and fertility".

It's highly likely that he didn't steal it from his son at all.

After hacking and slashing wildly for a while, Lü Zhigen suddenly sat down on the blood-soaked cement floor, threw down his knife, and began to weep bitterly. (End of Chapter)