You have truly caused me great suffering!

In late November, the family of Prince Chen Shao of Dai entered Bianliang.

The abdication process has officially begun.

People began to submit petitions, urging the emperor to step down to a more worthy person.

Zhao Huan was very cooperative, and every time he would talk to Chen Shao, he would tell him that he was willing to listen to good advice.

Inside the Yanfu Hall of the Imperial City, smokeless coals were burning.

A warm current flowed through the hall, while a howling north wind blew outside the window.

Yuwen Xuzhong entered the hall and first stomped his feet at the door to clear the snow off his shoes.

Zhao Huan personally greeted him at the door, opening it and saying, "Doctor Yuwen, please come in quickly."

"How dare the Emperor greet us like this!" Yuwen Xuzhong was also startled and quickly entered the hall. "The Emperor has summoned us. What are your orders?"

"Doctor, you are wise and resourceful, and people call you a strategist. I have something to ask you to consider."

"Please give your orders, Your Majesty." Yuwen Xuxin thought to himself, "Don't expect me to help you turn the tide now."

What did you do early?
I was so dedicated to helping you, but you ended up making things worse.

Even if he really wanted to do something again, I wouldn't pay him any more attention; the people's hearts were now at peace.

Zhao Huan said, "Since the recovery of Liaodong, officials have repeatedly submitted memorials urging me to abdicate in favor of the Prince of Dai."

"I also wish to abdicate as soon as possible and pass the throne to a virtuous person, but the Prince of Dai has repeatedly declined, which makes me uneasy!"

Yuwen Xuzhong then realized that he had been alarmed, and quickly said, "Your Majesty need not worry. The Prince of Dai has his own arrangements; it's just that the time is not yet right."

He sighed inwardly; now it seemed that the Emperor was the wisest one.

Everyone has their own ambitions!
Looking back now, even if the Emperor had this kind of personality, it was because he was tormented by the former Emperor.

The Song Dynasty truly perished because of its former emperor.

At this time, Zhao Huan was indeed quite anxious. He wanted to abdicate as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition, otherwise he would always be on tenterhooks.

He feared that someone might harm him to show loyalty to Chen Shao. He was even more afraid that someone might harm Chen Shao because of their loyalty to the Song Dynasty.

If Chen Shao falls, and his warriors fight amongst themselves to produce a victor, will they still be as kind and benevolent as Chen Shao?
A powerful minister like this is one in a thousand years.

Some time ago, Chen Shao ordered the replacement of the Japanese troops, replacing all the new troops of the Beijing Garrison with the Lingwu Battalion.

Meanwhile, young generals such as Liu Qi and Wang De were transferred out of the capital.

Even so, after finding out that it was arranged personally by the Prince of Dai, Zhao Huan was no longer worried and slept more soundly than before.

The new army of the Beijing garrison was trained by Gao Qiu for the retired emperor.

As for the Lingwu Army, they are the personal guards of the Prince of Dai. Do you think I don't know who could threaten my life?

If he dies, no matter who did it, the whole world will blame the Prince of Dai.

He dispatched his personal guards to protect the palace, which is exactly what I wanted.

If we were to say who Zhao Huan truly hated, it would probably be his father, Emperor Huizong of Tang, his third brother, Zhao Kai, and Wanyan Zongwang, who nearly scared him to death.

Zhao Huan and Yuwen Xuzhong chatted for a long time, mostly about ordinary, trivial matters.

Yuwen Xuzhong did not expect the emperor to be in such high spirits, but he did not ask a single question about government affairs.

Yuwen Xuzhong, feeling moved, also relaxed and treated it as a chat with a friend.

When he stopped having such high expectations of the emperor and no longer hoped that he would revive the Song Dynasty, all of Yuwen Xuzhong's dissatisfaction with Zhao Huan vanished.

Without the aura of an emperor, when Yuwen Xuzhong looked at him again, he discovered:

This is a very talkative young man who has high hopes for the future.

He even thought about setting aside an acre of land to grow seasonal fruits and vegetables, so that he and his family could live a life free from worries about food and clothing.

You need to cultivate ambition in such a person and support him to accomplish great things.
Yuwen Xu felt a wave of fear wash over him. If he had stubbornly persisted down this path, he probably would have been driven to his death by anger.

If you're supporting someone like that to do great things, you'd better have everything go smoothly. If things don't go your way at all, he'll immediately come out and sabotage you.

Fortunately, there is still the Prince of Dai in this world.

Fortunately, a Prince of Dai has emerged in this world!
Otherwise, who should be chosen, the retired emperor or the current emperor?

Choosing either one is pure torture!
Wang Yin hurriedly arrived at Zhaodefang.

Upon learning that Chen Shao was in the study, he went in without knocking.

"The Prince of Dai!"

Seeing his expression, Chen Shao knew something important must have happened, and casually said, "What is it? Just say it, we're all on the same side."

Wang Yin glanced at them and saw Liu Guanglie, the cousin of the Prince of Dai; Liu Jizu, the newly appointed Transport Commissioner of Jiangnan Circuit; and Li Tangchen, the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong and Prefect of Taiyuan.

As the emperor's coronation approached, important figures from all over the country gathered in Bianliang.

Even the commanders-in-chief Han Shizhong and Zhu Lingling from the front lines have come south, let alone the others.

The most important thing is to arrange the tasks properly and work together on this most glorious event.

He coughed lightly and said, "Prince Dai, the Emperor summoned Yuwen Xuzhong to the palace, but he hasn't come out yet!"

"Okay, it's nothing serious, we're just discussing planting vegetables."

Wang Yin was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the palace was already filled with the Prince of Dai's spies.

Chen Shao said with a smile, "Since you're here, let's sit down and chat."

Wang Yin walked to Chen Shao's side, and someone brought over a chair.

His identity was special, and even though his status was not as high as those present, he still had to stay by Chen Shao's side at all times.

“Wu Jie sent a battle report, specifically requesting bronze cannons to breach the city.” Chen Shao said, “I originally thought that the cities and passes of the Li Dynasty were nothing more than bamboo fences, but I underestimated them.”

“I transferred all the bronze cannons to the north last time, but fortunately the engineering institute made a few more, and sent them all to Wu Jie. I know Wu Jie well; he rarely talks to me unless he's really in trouble.”

Liu Guanglie immediately asked, "Should we take the sea route from Qinzhou or the Temo Road to Dali?"

“Go to both sides! Send ten cannons to each side, and give some to Wang Bing as well. Since the Li Dynasty’s city is strong, don’t be stingy. Cannons can be rebuilt, but people are gone forever.”

When the battle reports from Jiaozhi arrived, Chen Shao was quite shocked. The Li Dynasty was at its peak at this time, and this battle was more difficult than he had expected.

No power is easy to defeat at its peak.

Military reports stated that the Joseon Dynasty had amassed a million soldiers and civilians to defend the Red River Plain to the death.

Even if there's some exaggeration involved, even if only 500,000 people are gathered, it still represents an extremely impressive level of appeal.

According to Wu Jie, the amount is likely more than 500,000; it's probably close to 1 million.

Chen Shao was well aware that if they managed to hold this battle, it would likely foster a sense of national identity in the region of Jiaozhi.

They will be proud of this, take this resistance as their spiritual totem, and their descendants will be proud of it forever. From this point on, they will be completely separated from the Central Plains.

"Mobilize the caravans, send more people, and keep them running day and night," Chen Shao instructed.

Liu Jizu quickly stood up, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, it will definitely arrive before the New Year!"

"Send more gunners to bring back shells to be made locally, so that we can launch them if the weather prevents us from doing so."

These days, the engineering institute has improved the bronze cannon. Although it still has to use bronze, the craftsmanship is becoming more and more refined.

Both range and power have been improved, and there are many new types of shells.

For example, the mother-and-child cannon, the poison smoke cannon, and the iron-crushing cannon.
In the Central Plains, anyone in the highest position of power has a certain need.

The creativity of the people below is astonishing.

King Huai of Chu favored slender waists, and many people in the kingdom starved to death.

The emperor loved art, and thus magnificent palaces and gardens like Genyue came into being; the emperor loved wonders, and thus the Wanxiang Divine Palace rose from the ground.
The Prince of Dai, who was not an emperor but was more like one, had rather unique hobbies: he liked cannons and explosives; he liked coal smelting; he liked farming tools; and he liked seafaring.
As a result, various technologies are advancing rapidly.
-
The closer the Southern Expeditionary Army got to Thang Long City, the more they stopped.

The scheme to lure the enemy by the Joseon Dynasty veteran general and eunuch Yi Changjie failed from the very beginning.

The Southern Expeditionary Army began a bloody purge near the capital of the Joseon Dynasty.

After fighting for so long, Wu Jie realized that the enemy wanted to lure them to the vicinity of Shenglong.

Then, by utilizing the surrounding populace and employing a human wave tactic, the Southern Expeditionary Army was completely bogged down in a quagmire.

If we rush in rashly and don't clear out the surrounding strongholds and cities, our supply lines will be cut off and our water sources will be polluted. We'll be doomed without even fighting.

Although Wu Jie was young, he was experienced in war and saw through Li Changjie's scheme.

So he directly ordered the five armies to begin sweeping across the land, plundering prisoners, seizing supplies, and destroying the strongholds of the resistance forces.

The region of Jiaozhi is mostly mountainous and marshy, with only the plains carved out by the Red River suitable for cavalry warfare.

The Southern Expeditionary Army operates in this area and will not pursue you into the mountains and forests. As long as you escape, they will spare your lives.

Gradually, more and more people sought refuge in the surrounding mountains and forests.

Wu Jie's central command headquarters was located in Guluo City.

This place was the capital of the ancient Ou Luo Kingdom, and it remained a military stronghold during the Joseon Dynasty. Located on the east bank of the Red River, it controlled the waterways.

Unlike Guimenguan, this city was not situated by mountains and water, and it was quickly captured. Wu Jie then deployed his troops there.

While clearing the Red River Plain and opening up transport routes, they also awaited the arrival of the bronze cannons.

As Wu Jie was setting up the sand table, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside, followed by Wang Xi's voice.

"General Wu!"

Wang Xi lifted the curtain and came in, laughing heartily. He said loudly, "Brothers, we have broken through Tiande Village, beheaded 20,000, and captured 80,000 to 90,000."

Wu Jie glanced at it and thought to himself that such a stronghold, with tens of thousands of people defending it, would not be surprising if it took several years, let alone half a month, to conquer in the Central Plains.

He had visited Tiande Village, which was another large city. "Zhai" was just the name of a first-level administrative office of the Joseon Dynasty, similar to "jun" in the Central Plains.

That place is fortified with high walls and deep moats, surrounded by numerous fortresses and strongholds, forming a strategic defensive position where they can support each other. If you're unlucky, it's not impossible to be stuck there for several years.

"How did you breach the city?" Wu Jie asked.

"Ahead, we captured some kind of royal brother of the Joseon Dynasty in Tuojiang Road. I detained him and let his son into the city, tricking them into opening the city gates."

Wu Jie's eyes lit up. "Your brother? What's his name? Where is he?"

"What's the point of keeping such a disloyal and unfilial person alive? Kill him after the city falls!"

"You bastard!" Wu Jie was so angry his eyes turned red. Emperor Li Qiande of the Joseon Dynasty had no sons, and these princes of his all had a chance to inherit the throne. How precious it was to capture even one of them!

"Didn't you arrest his whole family and kill them all?" Wu Jie asked, pressing down on his shoulder.

Wang Xiyong was indeed brave and a skilled fighter. Back when he attacked Xiping Prefecture, he led a small squad and dared to charge the Iron Falcons.

However, Wu Jie was reckless and never expected that he would dare to make such a decision on his own!

Wang Xi was also wronged. He didn't take the Joseon royal family seriously at all, and only thought of them as a group of barbarian chieftains from a remote place.

The Joseon people's resistance this time was extremely fierce. Although Wang Xi used the same tactics as the Jurchen Tartars, many of his own brothers also died in battle.

He was a very loyal man, and these soldiers had followed him in his campaigns across the country. As more and more of them died, he naturally became more violent.

He also harbored deep hatred for the Jiaozhi people, because many of them used cunning and deceitful tricks. Some would feign surrender and then suddenly turn on him to kill, while others would use poison.

Many brothers die in agony and beg their companions for a quick death.

“I killed all the men, but there was a daughter. I had a young brother in my tent who saw that the girl was fair and pretty and begged me to give her to him as his wife. He has followed me for so many years and is very brave in battle, so I gave her to him. If you like her, Commander Wu, I can get her for you. I just don’t know if he has slept with her yet.”

All the men were killed.

The five words echoed in Wu Jie's ears, infuriating him so much that he grabbed the short shovel used for piling sand and started slapping it.

The fact that the prince's son was able to trick Tiande Village into opening its gates means he must be of very high status. There's no reason for him to be killed after just one use!

Once it's in your hands, it will be of great use. Winning the war is certainly good, but subduing the enemy without fighting is the best strategy.

"Immediately issue the order that all members of the Joseon royal family who are captured must not be killed, but sent to me!"

At this moment, someone came in and said, "General, someone has spotted Li Dynasty troops heading north in the direction of Haiqing Village."

Wang Xi, who had just been beaten, shouted as if nothing had happened: "You barbarians, you still dare to come. General, don't worry, I'll go and kill them."

Wu Jie paced back and forth in the tent and said, "The city fell so suddenly that I don't think they knew, which is why they dared to continue north. If they knew that Tiande Village had been lost and the opportunity to fight had been missed, what would be the point of going north?"

He made a decisive decision: "Defend all the cities and fortresses near Tiande Village, and then quickly send troops to annihilate this enemy force heading north."

Wang Xi immediately clasped his hands and said, "This subordinate obeys the order!"

He was not afraid of fighting in the field. In fact, the fighting strength of the Joseon army was stronger than Wu Jie had expected before he arrived.

However, it wasn't much stronger. Facing his own battle-hardened elite troops, the chances of winning in open field battles were practically nonexistent.

Their specialty should be mountain warfare, but the Southern Expeditionary Army didn't give them that opportunity.

Wu Jie's idea was simple: either you give up this fertile land carved out by the Red River and go into the mountains to continue the resistance.

Then I will support a puppet king to rule the city of Thang Long and occupy the richest Red River Plain. How will you people from the mountains resist that?

Now that you, Li family, have retreated to the mountains, do you think the powerful clans of Jiaozhi will still submit to you?

Either you defend the city to the death and fight me to the death on the Red River Plain, and my bronze cannon will arrive soon.

Anyway, I'm not going to go into the mountains and get entangled with you guys.

Wu Jie knew that as long as he held firm to this idea, he would be invincible.

On the eve of the Prince of Dai's ascension to the throne, we may refrain from presenting victories, but we must absolutely not make a fool of ourselves.
-
The inner quarters of Zhaodefang also became lively.

After Xiao Ting left, she left four maids for Chen Shao to take care of him for a period of time.

But it's still not as comfortable as being served by the old servants in my own house, in terms of food and clothing.

Perhaps if I let them stay by my side for a few more years, we can become very close.

The reason why Xiao Ting and Chen Shao get along well is that their relationship is not simply that of a man and a woman, but more like that of like-minded partners who work together on a common goal.

They were not only bed partners, but also confidants.

Getting along with others requires adjustment. No matter what your status is, you can't avoid adjusting to the people around you.

The Jiajing Emperor held a high position, but he almost got strangled because he didn't get along well with the people around him.

For the maids and servants, the greatest advantage of the Prince of Dai was that he was not cruel.

You don't need to live in fear around him; he won't be capricious and suddenly punish you or your family.

For example, this time, after Chen Shao entered the mansion, Cui Die, who was walking in a hurry, accidentally bumped into someone while carrying a ball.

Chen Shao wiped her face and said with a smile, "Little hussy, what's the rush?"

Cui Die slightly bent her knees and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Zhai's mother came from Liangzhou, but she contracted a disease on the way because she was not used to the climate of the Central Plains, and she died when she reached Jingxi."

"The princess is comforting the lady and asked me to go see if the king has returned."

After hearing this, Chen Shao felt a little sad and followed Cui Die to Zhong Lingxi's courtyard.

At this moment, Zhai Rui was holding hands with Zhong Lingxi, her eyes red and swollen. When she saw Chen Shao enter, a group of people stood up and bowed.

Chen Shao had never met her mother, so he wasn't particularly saddened. But seeing her like this, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her, so he sat down beside her and gently patted her back.

There's not much to say to comfort you at this point.

All the comforting words he could think of were utterly insincere.

Is there anything more sorrowful in the world than the death of someone's mother?
After sitting with her for a while, Chen Shao stood up and told Zhang Yinghan to spend more time with her.

Someone came in and said that people from the Zhai residence had arrived and wanted to take Zhai Rui away.

When Chen Shao arrived at the flower hall, Zhai Fengda immediately stood up and bowed to him.

His words, actions, and expressions showed no trace of sadness, but rather a certain excitement.

The Prince of Dai is about to declare himself emperor; compared to that, the death of a wife is no big deal.

Chen Shao felt a little disgusted, but he remained very polite to him.

Regardless of his character, he did an excellent job in the Northwest. He held the power to interpret scriptures, which greatly consolidated his rule in the Northwest.

This person is very capable and will be given important responsibilities in the future.

At that time, not only in the Northwest, but also in most parts of Southeast Asia, Korea, and Japan, people worshipped and believed in Buddhism.

Those people who believe in Buddhism are different from those in the Central Plains; they truly believe, rather than believing only after they've experienced its efficacy.

The influence of Buddhism is enormous.

The Central Plains, the superior nation, must seize the power of interpretation of scriptures; it must firmly grasp the power of interpretation of scriptures.

Zhai Fengda trained many "high monks" in his Buddhist academy, all of whom were skilled debaters, capable of delivering a scathing critique at a grand debate.

Moreover, he was not only eloquent, but also incredibly capable in carrying out his plans. He instigated a rebellion in Xizhou and even resorted to self-immolation.

The believers were so moved that they wept tears of admiration.

Chen Shao comforted Zhai Fengda for a few words, and then instructed him that after bringing Zhai Rui back, he should have the women comfort and guide her.

Seeing his daughter so favored, Zhai Fengda was even happier and readily agreed.

At this moment, someone came in and said that they had already picked up the person.

Chen Shao came to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and Zhang Yinghan was inside.

"Your Majesty," Zhai Rui cried out in anguish. Chen Shao patted her hand through the curtain and said, "Take good care of yourself."

The man's care made her feel a little better, and she nodded, biting her lip.

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Chen Shao recalled the case of Li Shishi and Chun Tao's family massacre that he had asked Wang Yin to investigate a few days ago.

To his great surprise, it turned out that Wang Fu was the one who did it.

The original owner of this house was Zhao Ji's favorite minister, Tong Guan, who replaced Cai Jing, who opposed the campaign against Liao, and was a great idiot who briefly became prime minister.

He served as prime minister for just over six months and completely destroyed the financial system that Cai Jing had painstakingly maintained.

The reason for the murder was even more reckless.

At that time, Wang Fu and Cai You were vying for the position of Grand Protector. Emperor Huizong jokingly asked Li Shishi to decide, but she couldn't refuse no matter what she did. Thinking that Cai Jing was powerful, she casually pointed at Cai You.

A few days later, her family suffered a disaster, which shows that although Li Shishi was the emperor's woman, she meant nothing to these powerful officials.

At that time, Li Shishi had already made some guesses, but Wang Fu was extremely powerful, and she did not want Chen Shao to take risks for this matter, so she did not say anything.

In her heart, Chen Shao was far more important than her parents.
Chen Shao also played a role in Wang Fu's death, which can be considered as avenging them.

Among Zhao Ji's close ministers and favorites, Tong Guan, Gao Qiu, and even Liang Shicheng, although they were all greedy for money, at least did some things.

Only Wang Fu and Cai You were truly useless at everything, and they ate everything without leaving a trace.

That evening, Chen Shao made a special trip to Li Shishi's courtyard.

This house belongs to Wang Fu, which Li Shishi must already know. Living in her enemy's former residence, Li Shishi showed no unusual reaction.

She remains gentle and radiant, breathtakingly beautiful, and her figure is becoming increasingly alluring.

When she saw Chen Shao come in, he seemed hesitant to speak. She gathered her hair behind her back and hugged Chen Shao's neck from behind.

"You knew already?"

Chen Shao nodded and said, "I sent people to investigate. Since Bianliang wasn't captured, many people were still alive at the time. Those scoundrels were too arrogant and their actions were poorly executed. If only..."

Li Shishi covered his mouth with her delicate hand, preventing him from continuing to speak.

During the meal, she took the initiative to send someone to call Chun Tao over.

After finishing her meal, Chun Tao started crying when she talked about Zhai Rui.

Among Chen Shao's wives, Chun Tao was the most popular, and Zhai Rui was also her best friend.

Once the three of them were in bed together, Chen Shao lay between the two of them, and Chun Tao began to sob and talk about her parents again.

Li Shishi grew increasingly agitated, and finally turned away, tears streaming down her face.

The life she had dreamed of with her parents and Chuntao was exactly what she had longed for countless times, but she had never received that kind of love for even a single day.

When I was a child, my family was poor. After I sold myself, they became happy.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life!"

Chen Shao sighed and said helplessly.

Li Shishi finally turned around and said to Chuntao, "Don't cry, we'll go to the grave together tomorrow." (End of Chapter)