You have truly caused me great suffering!

The sixteen counties of Henan Prefecture, originally the heartland of the country, are now frequented by a constant stream of troops.

Soldiers in full armor rode on horseback, escorting members of prominent families to the northwest.

This was a massive undertaking, and it was originally extremely difficult, but the roads in this area were surprisingly easy to travel.

This road was the very route used by the Dingnan Army to transport grain, which supplied supplies for the earlier battles in Yunnei.

Yellow sand filled the air, and the setting sun was like blood.

Li Gang stood by the roadside, watching the long line of people. These nobles and dignitaries clearly hadn't experienced such a long journey; everyone looked exhausted.

Finally, he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd and ordered his servant to bribe the escorting officer.

He sat in the pavilion by the roadside, and soon a servant helped an old man over.

"Lord Shao!" Li Gang rose and bowed.

Shao Bowen was sixty-seven years old, but he looked young and was always in good health.

Upon seeing Li Gang, he waved his hand, smiled, sat down, picked up a wine cup, and took a sip.

"Sit down!" Shao Bowen took another sip. "Boji, it's rare that you've come to see me."

Li Gang sighed, unsure how to comfort him.

Shao Bowen, however, seemed completely unconcerned, and simply laughed, "I misjudged him this time; he's no pushover."

Li Gang thought to himself, "I've told you this a million times, but no one listens."

Although the current Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty appears benevolent, he has not engaged in widespread slaughter in the Central Plains.

However, he is ruthless in his actions; if you get in his way, you will definitely be kicked aside.

"Please take care of yourself, Master Shao, on your journey to Lingwu."

"The ancients said that one should read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. Even sages could travel around the world, so why should we be afraid of traveling far? Besides, Lingwu is the former territory of the Tang Dynasty. When the rebel Qi Hu An rebelled, Emperor Suzong ascended the throne in Lingwu and quelled the rebellion."

If the Western bandits were still around, none of us could go there. It would be a good opportunity to go and see for ourselves.”

Li Gang was very impressed, saying, "With such a broad mind as Master Shao, I have nothing to worry about."

Both of them were very restrained. They could discuss Chen Shao in the past, but now they could no longer speak rashly.

Suddenly, the escorting cavalry drove the exiled troops to the side.

On the other side of the road, countless packhorses escorted a large group of people.

A dark-skinned child, perched on the back of a packhorse, looked at them curiously. His bright, dark eyes were full of wonder at everything.

The sons of wealthy and noble families in Luoyang looked at them with mostly sorrowful expressions.

Li Gang and Shao Bowen stood up and looked at the group of people, young and old, escorted by a horse team, and they already understood what was going on.

These are the families of the Dingnan Army. The Great Jing Dynasty, based on their military merits, bestowed land and property upon them in the Central Plains, requiring them to settle down.

They have already arrived in the Central Plains, escorted by a caravan, and are much faster than us.

As for us, we were going to their homeland, the legendary border region.

Shao Bowen chuckled helplessly, "A new emperor, a new court."

"This is all ordained by Heaven."

Li Gang shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Does Master Shao still believe in fate today?"

“How can I not believe it!” Shao Bowen shouted: “All things are endowed with this, which is called destiny; all things are rooted in this, which is called nature; all things are governed by this, which is called heaven; all things are born from this, which is called mind.”

"Exhaustively investigate the principles of things and fully realize one's nature to the point of understanding destiny; exert one's heart and fully realize one's nature to understand Heaven; preserve one's heart and nourish one's nature to serve Heaven."

"Today I go to the Northwest, still optimistic and accepting of fate, how could I be decadent?"

Looking at Shao Bowen's appearance, Li Gang remained silent for a long time.

After so many years of being strong and brave, on this day, I actually have no will to fight anymore.

After traveling through the Northwest, he had a general idea of ​​where Chen Shaoying was.

His foundation is so rich that agriculture, animal husbandry, industry, and commerce in the Northwest are no less advanced than those in the Central Plains.

In particular, there were herds of warhorses and cattle and sheep, and caravans of merchants from the Central Asian countries, coming and going in an endless stream.

As a Han Chinese, Li Gang was greatly encouraged to see such a scene on the border after a century of fighting.

Once he tried to set aside his political views and follow in Chen Shao's footsteps, everything he saw and heard amazed him.

Besides the northwest, the area east of the Yellow River and within the Yunhe River basin has been completely transformed and is full of vitality.

The roads are smooth, the canals are crisscrossed, the water conservancy is dense, the people are prosperous, and bandits have disappeared.

Whether a person is only involved in conspiracies and plots to usurp power, or is down-to-earth and does practical work, cannot be hidden.

Go and visit the places he's been; justice will prevail.
-
Mid-June.

The weather was hot, and Chen Shao received a group of special guests.

They called themselves the Zhongshan Kingdom, and their language was not easily understood. Those who occasionally understood their language were mostly merchants who went to sea.

These merchants tricked them into coming to Jinling, claiming they wanted to request an official title from the Jing Dynasty.

After chatting for a while, Chen Shao learned about their origins; they were from a small country in the Ryukyu Islands.

According to them, there are currently three kingdoms standing side by side there: Zhongshan, Nanshan, and Beishan.

As maritime trade grew, the Ryukyu Islands became increasingly prominent as a transit point for maritime trade between Northeast and Southeast Asia.

Among the merchants of the Central Plains, there are many capable and intelligent individuals.

Then someone discovered this.

Chen Shao was very pleased, even though the so-called prince who came looked dark-skinned and his Han Chinese clothes did not fit him very well.

But he arrived at just the right time.

Watching him carefully present some tortoiseshell, coral, and pearls, Chen Shao smiled and had someone reciprocate with silk and porcelain.

The merchant who brought him, Hu Qing, bestowed upon him five hundred taels of silver and granted him the title of viscount.

Hu Qing was overjoyed to see the emperor, and to be granted a title made him even more excited, he immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude.

Chen Shao immediately ordered the Court of State Ceremonial to arrange accommodations for him. The Prince of Zhongshan followed the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial to a house with an antique charm and full of Jiangnan style.

The double-eaved gatehouse with brick carvings and the relief carvings on the blue bricks are extremely luxurious.

Entering the courtyard, one finds white walls and black tiles, a tranquil setting, with pavilions, towers, flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, and a lotus pond beneath the artificial hill, its waters a deep, clear blue, as if one were in a fairyland.

It scared him so much he was completely bewildered.

When they first saw the great ship of the Central Plains, they thought it was a god, and the people knelt down to worship it.

Now that I've come to Jinling, I realize it truly is a land of immortals.

As time went on and communication with the Central Plains continued, he came to understand that this was not a land of immortals, but simply a celestial empire.

Chen Shao warmly received them, and then drafted an imperial edict to send people to the Ryukyu Islands to confer the titles of kings upon the rulers of Zhongshan, Nanshan, and Beishan.

They were all ordered to send envoys to pay tribute as soon as possible. From now on, their respective territories would be the boundaries, and they would no longer be allowed to attack each other. If they had any disputes, they should come to Jinling to file a complaint.

Of course, if some don't come, then it's not three countries, but two.

If the other two don't come, then only the Zhongshan Kingdom will be left.

Back in the palace, Chen Shao was still very happy, as the Ryukyu Islands held a very important position.

After the seas opened, it became an especially important transit point.

He usually has good emotional control, but he is not a calm and composed person; his mood is actually quite volatile.

Those familiar with him know that His Majesty sheds tears for the many casualties on the front lines and is saddened by the passing of veteran ministers; he never hides these emotions.

Sometimes, when he had to send off his subordinates on assignments, he would burst into tears.

But no one would think he was weak because of this; they would only think that His Majesty was sentimental and a kind and benevolent person.

So when he arrived at Li Yuemei's palace, the latter smiled and asked as soon as she saw him, "Your Majesty, what makes you so happy? Tell me, so that I may share in your joy."

Chen Shao looked at her protruding belly and gently stroked it, his movements very tender, which made Li Yumei chuckle again.

His Majesty is so considerate. She wanted to hug and kiss him, but she was afraid of being accused of disrespect.

In the entire harem, only Chuntao dared to disregard everything and kiss His Majesty without hesitation.

She gently held Chen Shao's arm and said softly, "Your Majesty is so kind." Feeling the soft, elastic, and warm touch on his arm, Chen Shao smiled and said, "Today, a small overseas country has come to pay tribute and request investiture."

"Your Majesty's divine power extends throughout the four seas, and in the future, more and more people will come to pay tribute."

Chen Shao pulled her onto his lap, thinking to himself that what he said was indeed true.

After conquering Jiaozhi, Zhenla and Siam also expressed their intention to pay tribute, but they had not yet set off.

Throughout history, whenever Annam and Jiaozhi were unified, the inevitable course of action was to first attack Zhenla (Cambodia) and then Siam (Thailand).

And every time, they would force the child to the head and hit him.

In Zhongyuan's eyes, it was a disobedient little brother who ran away and caused trouble to separate from the family.

However, in the eyes of those small countries in Southeast Asia, he is a super bully. He attacks you for no reason at all. He attacks whenever he has free time, and every time he beats you up.

Now the Zhang Dynasty has unified the country once again. Regardless of how it was unified, the entire area of ​​Jiaozhi is now Zhang Dynasty territory.

Cambodia and Siam were once again plunged into immense fear.

The Joseon Dynasty had already bullied them so much that it left a lasting negative impression.

In fact, they weren't just being overly worried, because the team exploring the mining vein was attacked by local natives.

The troops stationed in Jiaozhi also intended to move south, but with the rainy season approaching, they did not want to send troops out now.

Chen Shao thought to himself, "If only the other vassal states were as submissive as these people in Ryukyu."

But thinking about it, I know it's impossible.

"Your Majesty, would you like to rest here tonight?" Li Yumei said softly, putting her arms around his neck.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "I have no intention of leaving now that I've come."

Since becoming pregnant, Li Yuemei had always liked to stay close to Chen Shao. Her voice was as soft as water, and her warm breath brushed against Chen Shao's ear: "Your Majesty, I will serve you well tonight. Please call all my sisters and cousins ​​over."

Chen Shao looked down at her shy, blushing face, feeling her soft body moving close to him and showing intimacy, and said with a smile, "You certainly know how to be clever."

Li Yumei chuckled and said, "Since you have taken me as a concubine, they are already concubines. It is only proper for me to serve Your Majesty when it is inconvenient for me. Moreover, Yumei is not willing to take shortcuts. After I give birth to the child, I will repay you double."

The palace lanterns hanging above and the oil lamps placed on the lamp racks along the wall bathed the spacious bedroom in a warm atmosphere.

The tender emotions, the melodious voices, the beautiful scenery, and the bright, white colors all made the night exciting, rich, and wonderful.
-
In late June, the Central Plains were scorching hot.

The Yan region was in the midst of a frost-covered period, so the war temporarily ceased. Jiaozhi was in the rainy season, so it also remained inactive.

The four seaports of Goryeo were filled with troops, ready to take action at any time.

Only in Liaodong is the war raging.

Qu Duan divided his troops into two routes. Zhang Shuye led his troops north along the Liao River, transporting them to Guide Prefecture and bypassing the dangerous mountains.
The western route, led by Qu Duan, departed from Yizhou, passed through Xinzhou (Gongzhuling), traversed the Songliao Plain, and threatened the western side of Jin Shangjing.

By this time, the Jurchen Jin dynasty was already stretched thin and unable to divide its forces, often unable to stop the enemy and forced to defend its fortresses and passes.

Qu Duan then seized the opportunity to subdue the Shiwei, Bohai, and Khitan tribes, and called on everyone to attack the Jurchens together.

The number of respondents was countless.

The Jurchen Tartars were truly inhuman; their rise over the past decade or so has been nothing short of massacre.

Even if they surrendered, they would still resort to violence at the drop of a hat. Under such high pressure, the people of other tribes were already on the verge of going crazy.

Before, there was no way to defeat them, so they could only grit their teeth and endure it. Now that someone has come who can deal with them, it would be strange if they didn't surrender.

Wanyan Ang, in Tongyuan, led a large army to block Qu Duan.

A light drizzle was falling as hundreds of cavalrymen charged back and forth across the Songliao Plain, their iron hooves kicking up large clumps of blackish-yellow mud as they passed.

Each knight was covered in blood and mud, making them look extremely disheveled.

The drizzle continued to fall, and in the rain, bows were of little use in mounted combat; the only option was hand-to-hand combat.

In the drizzle, the charging knights roared like thunder!

The cavalry fighting this time were the Jurchen army and the Dingnan army, old rivals since the Xuanhe era, who had long been mortal enemies.

The battle began with an encounter between the two sides' scouts. It broke out very suddenly, but as the fighting progressed, it became increasingly fierce and intense.

The number of troops also increased with each battle, and they continued to send reinforcements.

Although at the beginning of their encounter, there were only a small number of scouts, the tradition of the two armies' scouts and light cavalry was that once they met, they would fight to the death.

This all began with that harrowing encounter at Longshou Mountain in Yunnei.

At that time, Li Xiaozhong was guarding Longshou Mountain. On the narrow mountain road, scouts from both sides encountered each other.

At first, it was just a fight between a dozen or so people, but Lou Shi and Li Xiaozhong kept sending more and more men, and the number gradually increased.

The first bloody battle between the two armies broke out.

This gave Han Shizhong an opportunity to seize Datong and kill Yin Shuke, who was patrolling the camp.

The Jurchen light cavalry was also a small force, barely reaching full strength.

When the cavalry clashed with Qu Duan's forces, the two sides were still evenly matched.

In the drizzle, dozens of guards surrounded Qu Duan, who stood at the highest point of the hill, from the bottom of the hill.

The large banner bearing the character "Qu" was directly above his head, soaked with water and heavily wrapped around the flagpole. The man holding the banner, a burly man over eight feet tall, stood motionless behind Qu Duan.

General Qu sat on his horse, intently watching the cavalry charge opposite him. Looking north, he saw several rivers converging there.

This place is the throat between the Liaohe Plain and the Songnen Plain. It was later called Siping. If we wanted to advance north, capture the Jurchen stronghold, and destroy Wanyan Aguda's tomb, we had to take this place.

The hundreds of riders on both sides had lost their speed and were now locked in a chaotic battle, their weapons flying and riders falling from their horses from time to time.

In recent years, the Jurchens have faced the Dingnan Army without any precedent of defeat, but their overall record is more losses than wins, and their battle lines have been constantly shifting northward.

However, the Jurchen cavalry displayed high morale in this evenly matched battle, fighting to the death without retreating.

They were soldiers transferred from Huining Prefecture to guard the tomb of Wanyan Aguda.

These people were all transferred out, which shows how scarce their military strength was.

As Qu Duan watched, he suddenly gave an order, his tone unusually calm, and instructed a general beside him: "Infantry, advance, stabilize the formation, and provide cover for the following troops to cross the river!"

At his command, drums, horns, and flags around him immediately conveyed his military orders.

Two infantry commanders, who had finished lining up on the riverbank, roared and marched forward in unison.

Every twenty or thirty steps, they would stop to reorganize the formation before continuing forward.

These infantrymen, fully armored, advanced northward like an iron wall.

Seeing the Great Jing army opposite them forming an infantry square formation, the Jurchen Mouke, who had initially held a slight advantage, began to break away from the battle and retreat northeastward at the command of their commander.

As the Jurchen army withdrew from the battlefield, both infantry and cavalry cheered loudly, their cheers echoing throughout the entire battlefield.

Those knights who had fought a bloody battle were also filled with excitement.

However, Qu Duan remained absolutely calm; he was probably the least likely coach to lose his temper.

"Infantry, continue advancing, but do not rush forward."

At this time, there were fifty or sixty ferries on the river, all carrying elite infantry selected from the Dingnan Army. They were all chosen from the Jingdong East Route, and were skilled in swimming, so they could walk on the boats as if on flat ground.

Each boat was equipped with a crossbow, which stretched out from the sides of the boat. If anyone on the opposite bank tried to stop them, they could only fire a burst of arrows first, and then engage in close combat.

This fleet was set up by Qu Duan in case he needed to cross the enemy lines and seize key points. It had been repeatedly drilled during military training.

Seeing the Jurchen Tartars retreat, Qu Duan felt little joy. Instead, he became anxious and began to ponder the matter repeatedly.

The Jurchen Tartars retreated northwards, not even fighting to the death for the crossings. What exactly were their plans for this battle?
At this point, he and Da Jing had gained a significant advantage. Qu Duan's greatest wish was to defeat the Jurchen main force in a fair and square manner.

Regardless of his ability to lead troops, he is at least strong in execution.

"After crossing the river, hold your positions and await orders. No one is to advance rashly!" Qu Duan said solemnly, "Anyone who underestimates the enemy and advances rashly will be executed!"

Qu Duan sneered and looked north.

No matter what you do, you can't escape the decline of the nation. I'll proceed steadily and surely, and you won't have a chance at all.

Once we excavate Aguda's "ancestral tomb" and scatter his remains, let's see if you still have the mind to scheme.

Da Jin and Da Jing are sworn enemies who turn on each other at the first sight of each other, with no room for compromise and they would use any means necessary!
Qu Duan was eagerly anticipating how the Tartars in the Yanshan direction would react.

What utter nonsense about Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang!
They know nothing about military affairs; they know absolutely nothing about military affairs!
He is now worried about one thing: Yue Fei in the direction of Tanzhou must not take Shangjing before him.

How could he explain to his subordinates if he claimed all the credit for this? (End of Chapter)