You have truly caused me great suffering!

Although neither side tacitly declared war, people in the Taira territory were filled with unease.

A great battle is about to begin.

The Fujiwara clan, the Kanto Genji clan, the Kofukuji Temple which controlled Yamato Province, and the Hiei-yama warrior monks all gathered in the Taira clan's territory of Ise Province and Aki Province.

At this time in Hyogo-tsu, inside and outside Guo Hao's camp, the soldiers were still exercising their horses and washing them to adapt to the new environment.

Ship after ship of supplies were transported from the ports of Goryeo.

During the past six months, no one knew how much war supplies the caravan had stockpiled in the four major ports of Goryeo.

Taira no Kiyomori was very pleased when he came out of Guo Hao's central military headquarters, because although these Kage soldiers said they would not participate in the battle directly, they were willing to provide the Taira clan with all the support except for direct participation in the battle.

Moreover, the only condition is that they will have the right to mine the Ping family's territory in the future.

Taira no Kiyomori moved with light steps, and his personal guards lifted him onto the horse. Kiyomori said, "Now we're sure to win!"

He had no idea what Jing Jun meant; there were no mines on his own territory.

He was already convinced that Jing Jun had come to help, and that the mine was just an excuse.

This was likely intended to punish Emperor Toba for his previous disrespect towards Ōkage.

I heard that this is what they value most in the Central Plains.

"I must defeat them and make them release my father so they dare not harm him again!"

The warriors were eager to fight and treated their young lord with great respect.

They were also ambitious, waiting to defeat the Emperor Emeritus's coalition and then conquer even more territory.

In this way, they can also get more people and land.

Many people in Guo Hao's camp wanted to join the battle directly, but unfortunately, orders from above prohibited them.

Only the artillery battalion was allowed to provide support from the rear.

Looking at his dejected subordinates, Guo Hao laughed and said, "Don't rush, let them make the first move."

"Will they make the first move?"

Guo Hao chuckled, said nothing, and looked very relaxed.
-
Nara, Fuding Village.

The roads in the village are covered with kudzu vines.

Pueraria vine, also known as Kudzu.

In autumn, it is in bloom with purplish-red butterfly-shaped flowers. Because it grows very easily and does not take up fertile land, ordinary people eat its roots, while nobles use it to make clothes.

Therefore, it is known as one of the seven autumn herbs.

There is not much fertile land in Fuding Village. In these unclaimed areas, kudzu vines are a staple food for many people.

Monk Huiming rode his horse along this road, as he was the only one in the group who understood Japanese, so he was sent to scout the way.

Hearing some commotion in the distance, he dismounted to investigate.

The horse was eating vine leaves nearby.

A stream flows past the edge of the village, and the stream ends at the sea; the village is not far from the sea.

Just as he was fetching water, Huiming suddenly sniffed and smelled a faint scent of blood.

His eyes lit up immediately, and he followed the stream to the village.

In fact, Fuding Village has only a few dozen households. The land is barren and overgrown with kudzu vines, and the villagers can only make a living by fishing. Even in Japan, such a poor and remote village would be considered a place with little to no economic reward.

When he arrived at the village, he saw some warriors at the entrance of the village, each carrying a sword and a knife, looking fierce and menacing.

The women and children in the village were terrified and knelt to the side, trembling. All the men were arrested, their hands and feet were tied behind their backs, and two bamboo poles were used to tie five or six people together in a row, forcing them to kneel on the open ground at the edge of the village where grain was being dried.

Because Fuding Village is close to a fishing village, rows of racks for drying fishing nets are set up in the square. The men's hair buns are cut off, and their hair is tied into a bunch, like straw tags with prices in the market, and tied high on the drying net racks, with rope loops around their necks.

Their wrists and ankles were all tied to bamboo poles behind them, their bodies leaning forward, supported only by their knees and their hair hanging up.

Beside them were several corpses with their heads cut off.

Many of the living men also suffered unbearable torment, hanging so that their whole bodies trembled, blood seeped from the roots of their knees, tears and saliva streamed down their faces, and they made very miserable and terrifying whimpering sounds, unable to utter a single word.

Despite the terrifying scene, Huiming was extremely excited and immediately fired a signal flare.

Fireworks shot into the sky, startling everyone in the threshing ground, who all turned to look.

Huiming led the horse forward with a compassionate expression.

Seeing that they were monks, the samurai dared not act rashly; they were originally thugs from the nearby Kofuku-ji Temple.

However, the monk who was slowly walking towards them did not look like the monk from Xingfu Temple. He was wearing a loose monk's robe, but his calves were tightly bound.

He was tall and robust, taller than two of these Japanese warriors stacked on top of each other.

"Amitabha."

The surroundings were quiet, and the scantily clad women and children forgot to cry and all looked at him.

Huiming watched as dozens of villagers, bound into human balls, trembled violently, their knees a bloody mess, mixed with the mud.

As the sun sets, the tall monk's figure appears exceptionally large, his robe billowing in the twilight breeze.

"Where is the master a highly respected monk from?"

The leading martial artist asked.

“I have come from Dajing, specifically to relieve the suffering here.”

The martial artist was startled upon hearing this. Was this the monk Jing?

There have been many rumors surrounding Jing Seng lately, but for them, encountering such a situation is not a good thing.

"What suffering? We have no suffering here." A warrior, holding a knife, touched his nose; the tip of the knife was still dripping blood.

"You monk, get out of here right now!"

Huiming pointed to the corpse on the ground, "What are you doing?"

"The Emperor said that people from all over the country must pay prayer money to the temples. The unruly villagers in this village disobeyed the order and even stole the kudzu roots from the temple, so we were specially sent here to punish them!"

It must be said that this era had something special about it. Toba, as the de facto ruler of Japan, was somewhat similar to Emperor Huizong of Tang (Zhao Ji) and Emperor Yelü Yanxi.

Emperor Huizong of Song was obsessed with building Taoist temples and gardens, while Emperor Toba was obsessed with Buddhism and gardens, and built a large number of palaces and temples.
To expand Toba-den into a luxurious imperial palace, the people of the Kinai region were conscripted for labor, incurring enormous costs. Timber and stone were forcibly requisitioned, and laborers worked "day and night, with the dead piled up one after another."

The construction of the Hōshō-ji Pagoda alone required the requisition of over 8 people from eight provinces, including Ōmi and Yamashiro.

He also allowed wealthy merchants and local magnates to obtain official positions or tax exemptions on their estates through bribery, which reduced the government's revenue. As a result, he imposed "temporary taxes and corvée labor" on ordinary farmers.
Many people were ruined as a result and had to sell their land to pay the debts.

Meanwhile, nobles and temples took the opportunity to annex the land of self-cultivating farmers, and the common people were reduced to "dependent people".

This was arguably the darkest and most corrupt period, and everywhere resembled the present-day Fuding Village.

"The kudzu vine grows unattended on a barren slope, and the people gather its roots to survive. What crime have they committed?"

At this point, Huiming knelt down, gently helped up an old fisherman with protruding kneecaps, took out some ointment from his sleeve, applied it, and softly recited:

"All living beings fear weapons, and all Buddhas feel compassion for them."

The leading samurai's eyes flashed with a fierce light. Seeing that he seemed to have no other companions by his side, he suddenly had a wicked idea.

Just as he gave a wink and was about to draw his sword.

Huiming stood up and said, “If a Buddhist disciple sees any sentient being committing murder, theft, or adultery, he should have compassion and expediently rescue them.”

"You have committed boundless sins, do you know your crimes?"

"Die!" The leading samurai raised his sword and ran towards him.

The surrounding people gasped in surprise. With a whoosh, the warrior stopped in his tracks, staring at his chest with an incredulous expression.

Beneath the wide monk's robe, Huiming fired an arrow from the crossbow strap on his arm.

These crossbow bolts are all poisoned. Even if you don't die immediately, your wounds will fester and you'll likely have a hard time surviving.

Huiming flicked his monk's robe, gripped a broadsword in his hand, and said sternly, "You have now brought your swords upon me, which is a great offense to the Great Jing Dynasty. This matter will certainly not be resolved peacefully."

"Xingfu Temple is a major temple in the Southern Capital. How dare you, a heretical monk from the Jing Kingdom, slander it!"

The other samurai, though wary of the deadly weapon hidden in his sleeve, knew that letting him go today would likely cause them great trouble.

The others drew their knives and charged forward.

At that moment, the ground trembled slightly, and the sound of thunderous hooves came from afar. Seven monks, wielding broadswords, charged forward on horseback.

When cavalry charge, infantry cannot resist unless they form ranks. These Japanese are short in stature and even easier to kill.

More than a dozen martial artists were slaughtered.

The other monks, unable to understand the language, dismounted and untied the villagers from their bonds.

Huiming helped the old man to the side and asked, "What's your name?"

“I’m just a fisherman, I don’t deserve a name, they all just call me Fish.”

"So many monks have died here. Xingfu Temple will not let you off the hook. Why don't you bring the villagers and come with us to fight your way into the temple?"

The old man kept waving his hands, feeling a cool sensation on his knee where Huiming had applied the medicine.

"No, no, how can we lowly people offend a high monk?"

With a soft "plop," Huiming pulled a short dagger from his calf and plunged it into the old man's chest.

The old man stared wide-eyed at the monk before him in disbelief, while Huiming's eyes were filled with contempt and disgust.

Huiming pried his hand away, letting him hold the broken dagger himself. Then he walked into the crowd and said to the young men, "After we leave, Xingfu Temple will torture you with ten times the cruelty. I, Yu, am afraid of Xingfu Temple's revenge and have already committed suicide."

The villagers were all terrified. Some stared blankly in despair, while others kowtowed repeatedly, begging the monks for protection.

"Master...can we still survive? Xingfu Temple says that if we don't pay the prayer money, our descendants will be slaves for generations to come..."

Huiming chanted a Buddhist prayer, pulled up a piece of kudzu vine, and said loudly:

“Look at these kudzu vines.”

"It grows in the cracks of rocks, does not compete for fertile land, yet feeds the entire village. Birds and beasts eat its leaves, and the people dig up its roots—this is the earth's gift, not the temple's private property!"

The sutra says: "If a person takes away another's food to sustain life, this is a great evil, and he will fall into the realm of hungry ghosts."

"Today, the monks of this temple have taken away your kudzu roots and cut off your path to survival—this is not Xingfu Temple, but a demonic and ghostly temple."

"Then what are you going to do? Kneel and wait to die?" Huiming's eyes were piercing. He stood up and pointed to the sea:
"You go out to sea every day, do you know how the fish avoid the nets?"

"It's not because a single fish is brave, but because a group of fish swims together and creates momentum!"

“Now you only have a few dozen households. If you all flee, you will be hunted down and killed one by one. Only if you unite and form an alliance can you survive.”

Some young people, their eyes burning with rage, asked, "Can we resist?"

“Why not! The Buddha said: ‘If you see an evil person intending to kill many people, you should rather give up your own life to save them.’”

"The Buddha did not teach people to kill, but he taught people to protect life! Protecting life is protecting the Dharma!" Seeing that some young people had already stood up, Huiming continued, "What is the difference between humans and animals?"

Huiming pointed to his head and said, "Humans have wisdom, love and hate, yet they don't seek revenge and allow themselves to be bullied. What's the difference between them and domesticated chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep?"

"If you don't avenge your wrongs, you will be reborn as an animal in your next life and will never be able to be a human again."

"Xingfu Temple has several hundred monk soldiers; we can't defeat them!"

Huiming stood ramrod straight and said, "The Buddha said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' Today we will lead you to take revenge! Let the evil monks of Xingfu Temple know what the boundless and benevolent Dharma of Buddhism is!"

He looked up at the sky and proclaimed loudly, "Today the kudzu vines are stained with blood, tomorrow the white lotus will surely bloom!"

Although these villagers had no idea what "white lotus" meant, they all felt that the phrase was incredibly profound and must make a lot of sense.

Little did people know that these were all the findings of eminent monks from the Buddhist academy, who painstakingly researched and compiled all the examples of societies and rebellions among the common people of the Song Dynasty.

As for the White Lotus, it was a concept personally taught by His Majesty the Emperor when Zhai Fengda discussed matters with Chen Shao upon entering the capital, and he specifically requested that the Emperor shout slogans.

His Majesty the founding emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty is truly omniscient and omnipotent. He is the first emperor in history to personally teach his subjects the theory of rebellion.

Zhai Fengda was dumbfounded. He felt that if His Majesty had not come from the Western Army, he would have been even more terrifying than Fang La if he had rebelled and become a leader of displaced people.

Even if you don't understand it at all, it doesn't matter. When a group of people gather together and shout slogans, people become exceptionally bold.

A small spark is spreading through the nearby villages.

Too many families have been driven to ruin and death by the "prayer money" charged by Xingfu Temple. In despair, a spark of hope begins to ignite.

More and more people gathered and headed towards Xingfu Temple.

They carried simple farming tools, or even just stones and sticks.

Everyone shouted at the top of their lungs: "When the kudzu vine is stained with blood, the white lotus will surely bloom!"

Strangely, all eight words they shouted were in Chinese.

Although I understand even less, the less I understand, the more powerful I feel.

It was as if this mysterious eight-character incantation could give them boundless strength and courage.

Especially when they saw those tall, imposing monks on horseback, the crowd shouted until their faces turned red and their hearts surged with excitement.

Unfortunately, the warrior monks of Kofukuji Temple were transferred to Ise Province to assist the retired emperor in his campaign against the Taira clan.

Finally, three thousand men stormed Xingfu Temple. The monks used gunpowder to blast open the temple gate, and the Japanese people who followed them all thought it was the work of Buddha.

The people stormed Xingfu Temple and arrested the monks.

Huiming demanded that every villager come forward and recount their experiences of being humiliated by them, as well as how many members of their family had died because of Xingfu Temple.

Then they announced that these people were demonic monks or ghost monks, and that killing them would accumulate merit.

When one's merits reach a certain level, Maitreya Buddha will descend to earth, sweep away darkness, and establish a pure land of light on the land of Japan.
-
News of the unrest at Xingfu Temple spread very quickly.

Guo Hao knew about it even earlier than Toba.

Inside the central command headquarters in Hyogo-tsu, Guo Hao and his men gathered.

Looking at the military report in his hand, Guo Hao wiped away a bead of sweat.

“These monks from Hexi are truly wicked; they stir up public resentment wherever they go.”

Wu Qian laughed and said, "It's not just monks from Hexi anymore. You've been in Liaodong for so long, you probably don't know. This monastic academy requires a recommendation to enter. You have to have some knowledge of Buddhism, and they don't accept the weak or the widowed. Once you get in, it's truly extraordinary."

He lowered his voice at this point, "High salaries, land distribution, and quick promotions mean that as long as you make contributions, the entire clan will never have to worry about food and drink."

Guo Hao slowly began to understand the situation. These people were specifically sent to cause trouble, and to prevent them from actually doing something, they needed to have a clan member in Da Jing as a hostage.

To prevent any of them from actually becoming kings overseas.

"Should we rush to Xingfu Temple's aid?" Wu Qian asked with a smile.

Everyone else sat up straight as well.

Guo Hao shook his head and said, "Send out scouts to tell all forces that anyone who kills Jing Seng is declaring war on the Great Jing!"
-
While Japan was in turmoil, Dali, thousands of miles away, also became turbulent and unpredictable due to the grand scenery.

Yangjumei City is located at the foot of the nineteen peaks of Cangshan Mountain and on the west bank of Erhai Lake.

It was originally Taihe City, the capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom.

In 937, Duan Siping established the Dali Kingdom and moved the capital to Yangjumei City, which is located to the north of the kingdom.

Guangzhou is nestled against Cangshan Mountain and faces Erhai Lake, its city built along the contours of the mountain. The royal palace, also known as the "Forbidden City," is located on a high point in the north of the city.

In the Dali Kingdom today, Duan Heyu is only the nominal emperor; the real power lies with the Gao family.

In 1094, the powerful minister Gao Shengtai deposed Duan Zhengming, declared himself emperor, and changed the country's name to "Dazhong".
Just two years later, under pressure from all sides before his death, Gao Shengtai ordered his son Gao Taiming to return power to the Duan family (Duan Zhengchun was restored to the throne).
This established a system where the Duan family held the title of king (a figurehead), while the Gao family held the titles of "Duke of China" and "Prime Minister" (with real power), a system historically known as the "Gao family's monopoly on the prime ministership."

Inside the Gao residence, the current head of the family, Gao Taiyun, frowned as he looked at the imperial edict of the Great Jing Dynasty.

If this had happened a few years ago, he probably wouldn't have cared so much.

But the events of the Lý Dynasty of Đại Việt were still fresh in everyone's minds. The Red River had been ravaged into a true "red" river, and the once rich and fertile plains were now deserted.

Therefore, when Dajing declared the Bai people to be of "Han descent" at this time, his intentions were obvious.

He wanted to acknowledge his ancestors and return to his roots.

How can the Bai people be considered of Han descent? Why didn't you acknowledge them during the Tang Dynasty?

They frequently refer to themselves as "Southwest Barbarians" or "Southwest Barbarians".

However, the Joseon Dynasty, both themselves and the Central Plains to the north, recognized their Han Chinese identity.

How is the result?

Although he knew it was a trap, Gao Taiyun did not dare to oppose or refuse rashly under the threat of overwhelming force.

The Da Jing clan did not merely acknowledge kinship verbally; they had already dispatched craftsmen to erect a stone statue of Fuxi in Cangshan Mountain.

Furthermore, it was explicitly stated that Dali is prohibited from using the title "Miaoxiang Kingdom" again.

Fortunately, they did not take any further action.

Gao Taiyun frowned in thought, and finally closed the so-called "Han and Bai have the same origin" edict.

"Send my nephew Siyuan to Nanjing to present two thousand Yunnan horses, fifty virgins, and a quantity of musk, bezoar, amber, and rhinoceros horn!"

"Find someone to impersonate a member of the Duan family and accompany the delegation to Nanjing, presenting them with 'The Illustrated History of Nanzhao' and 'The Myth of Jiulong'."

Although Wu Jie's performance in Honghe was intimidating enough, Gao Taiyun had no intention of handing over his ancestors' legacy so easily.

We should at least try our best.

When all else fails, Duan will be pushed out to take the blame, while Gao will be brought to Jing.

If he could maintain the system of indirect rule, he would still be a local emperor in Yunnan.

The relationship between the Da Viet Kingdom and the Central Plains was always very poor, but Dali was always submissive.

Gao Taiyun felt that Da Jing would not send troops directly.

The situation is actually quite bad right now.

The saying goes, "If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold." With the fall of the Joseon Dynasty, there were countless armies of the Daejeong regime within its territory.

It would be much easier for them to attack up the Red River than from the Temo Road.

With a bang, Gao Taiyun threw the imperial edict on the ground.

If I had known they were conquering the Joseon Dynasty, I would have refused to let them pass through!
At that time, they were only concerned with solving the immediate crisis of the Joseon Dynasty, and even took the initiative to send cavalry to help them transport grain.

Now it has become a knife held to one's own neck.
-
Jinling, within the imperial city.

Chen Shao has many things to solve, but his biggest headache right now is neither Japan nor Dali.

Looking at the document in his hand, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

After the fishing season opened in Guangzhou, merchants were unable to obtain the scenic area tickets and also complained that the face value of the tickets was too small.

Merchants from Guangnan Road gathered together and concluded that the reason was that the imperial court issued more scenic tickets in Mingzhou than in Guangzhou.

After some discussion, they actually came up with their own set of paper money – the 'Guangzhou Currency'.

This behavior has serious consequences.

However, there is currently no legislation to prohibit it.

After hesitating for a long time, Chen Shao tapped the table and said, "Summon Liu Jizu to see me tomorrow."

He wanted Liu Jizu to go and recall the privately issued banknotes in Guangzhou and appease them.

Soon, the imperial court will issue enough scenic tickets, and they are to wait patiently.

Then Chen Shao wrote another letter, instructing the Japanese forces to find Iwami Ginzan as soon as possible.

After stretching his waist and arms, Chen Shao stepped out of the Zichen Palace.

Just then, Li Tangchen and Liu Jizu arrived together.

Chen Shao was slightly taken aback, only then realizing that he had forgotten everything; in fact, he had summoned them to the palace for a meeting yesterday.

Chen Shao slapped his forehead, silently reminding himself not to overwork.

Take time to relax and train your subordinates.

It's important to balance work and rest. Take some time to relax, wander around the harem, or even take in a few more concubines.

Emperors like Li Longji, Zhao Ji, and Qianlong were fun-loving, lived long lives, and were full of energy.

He didn't go into the hall, but stood outside with the two of them, looking at the red leaves covering the mountains in the distance, and said: "Autumn is here. When it's time for the harvest, don't forget to have the officials promote coal stoves among the people, so that they can burn coal for heating in the winter."

Once this matter is settled, the trade in coal, like salt, will become a major source of tax revenue for the imperial court.

Winters in the north can be truly freezing.

After hearing this, Li Tangchen felt a lot of pressure, as the autumn harvest was a major event.

Then we need to build a stove.
In recent years, the imperial court has been treating grassroots officials like cattle.

Fortunately, in the early days of the founding of the country, the political situation was generally clean and efficient, and officials could be promoted quickly based on their achievements; otherwise, they would have quit long ago.

On the positive side, such intensive operation has indeed cultivated a large number of capable officials.

Just as Liu Jizu was about to discuss the specific details, Chen Shao said with a smile, "I originally planned to have you come tomorrow, but this is perfect, as I have something else that urgently needs your immediate attention!"

Like Yang Cheng, Liu Jizu was a man truly addicted to being an official, perhaps because he greatly envied the power of "officials" when he was doing business in his early years.

He was always hardworking, conscientious, and dedicated, and Chen Shao liked to entrust him with difficult tasks.

Upon hearing about the "Guangzhou coupons," Liu Jizu, a businessman by trade, immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

But he didn't say any of that. Instead, he smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! It seems that the matter of the scenic tickets is foolproof. The country has such a good policy, which is a blessing for all the people. We all owe it to Your Majesty's grace!"

Chen Shao was indeed very satisfied with this, and said with a smile, "Congratulations! We, ruler and subject, are one, creating a prosperous era." (End of this chapter)