You have truly caused me great suffering!

The Japanese civil unrest was considered a major event by the Japanese imperial family and nobility, with almost all social classes involved.

Chen Shao also paid close attention to this.

But the people of Dajing had no idea that such a thing existed, and even if they did, they wouldn't care.

Small overseas countries are not even worth mentioning compared to the barbarians beyond the Great Wall, because the barbarians beyond the Great Wall really do come to plunder.

What the people of Nanjing were more concerned about was the tribute mission from Dali.

Because the imperial court attached great importance to it, many people began to speculate about why the court was so concerned about Dali, which was located on the southwestern border.

The government even organized a group of respected people to greet the students at the city gate.

When has the Central Plains ever treated its vassal states with such courtesy?

As the ships from Qinzhou approached Longgang, people from Dali could still feel the autumn atmosphere of Nanjing.

Gao Siyuan tightened his robe and stepped out. He hadn't been eating or sleeping well these past few days, and his mind was always filled with worries. He had become somewhat haggard.

When disembarking, I stumbled and almost fell, but fortunately, the guards beside me caught me in time.

A crowd had gathered at the port. Gao Siyuan said to the person next to him, "This is the capital of the Great Jing Dynasty. There are many important people here. It seems that someone is returning to the capital. We should avoid them."

Duan Zhengxing looked at him strangely and pointed to the banner there.

Gao Siyuan squinted and looked over, only to see those Jing people dressed in silk and satin smiling warmly at him.

Behind them, various banners were raised:
Hanbai and Jingli share the same origin and lineage

Descendants of Yan and Huang jointly worship Yao.
Cang'er Chenghua Heqi Guizong
Gao Siyuan's vision went black, and he almost fainted again.

He became extremely agitated.

It’s not over, right?
We Bai people have our own culture and our own ancestors.

In the past, when I mentioned that we were close by blood, you all rejected it as if you had been greatly insulted.

What is the purpose of this? Isn't it just as Sima Zhao intended?
Having safely returned from Jiaozhi, Bai Shizhong eagerly stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Which one of you is Prince Duan, or Prince Gao?"

Despite being annoyed, Gao Siyuan forced a smile and stepped forward to meet him.

Upon hearing Bai Shizhong's official title of "Minister," Gao Siyuan was filled with respect, but quickly pursed his lips.

Such a high-level reception is surely just another part of a routine.

He sighed helplessly. Now he could only take things one step at a time, hoping that his father could persuade the thirty-seven tribes of Wuman.

As long as the internal structure remains solid, there's no need to fear their actions.

After returning from Jiaozhi, Bai Shizhong immediately went to see Cai Jing and repeatedly expressed how wronged he had been.

Furthermore, he was indeed in the capital of the Joseon Dynasty during the war, and he persuaded Ly Can Duc to surrender, which to some extent weakened the resistance in Thang Long.

Therefore, Chen Shao did not pursue the matter but instead rewarded him handsomely, encouraging him to continue to do a good job.

Now is a time when the country needs personnel, and there is a significant shortage of officials. It will take three to five years to train a group of officials.

The group arrived at the Court of State Ceremonial, where they instructed the Minister of State Ceremonial to make proper arrangements for the Dali delegation. Bai Shizhong turned and smiled, saying, "Please wait a moment, Your Majesty will surely summon you today."

"Thank you, Mr. Bai," Gao Siyuan said.

Although Duan Zhengyan is a prince of the royal family and the eldest son of the current ruler of Dali, he is merely a puppet in reserve.

Gao Siyuan was polite to him on the surface, but in reality, no one in the delegation listened to him.

After everyone left, Duan Zhengyan looked out the window at the autumn scenery of the Honglu Temple in Jinling and its beautiful gardens, and couldn't help but feel a little longing for it.

He didn't share the Gao family's worries. It was better for Dali to dissipate sooner rather than later, so as to avoid being watched and placed under house arrest.

Moreover, the Great Jing Dynasty was so polite.

In the future, I will live a wealthy life in this city of Jinling, going wherever I want and touring the beautiful landscapes of the Central Plains. Wouldn't that be more enjoyable than being a prisoner in the palace chanting scriptures?
As they traveled together, he could certainly sense Gao Siyuan's irritability, but the more he felt this way, the more secretly pleased he became.

After being suppressed and controlled for a century, who wouldn't harbor some resentment? Your Gao family, relying on your power to oppress the royal family, now you know what this feels like, don't you?

Inside the imperial city, Chen Shao was observing the craftsmen at the workshop, who were demonstrating newly developed agricultural tools.

Thanks to the advancements in iron smelting technology in Dajing, plows, harrows, waterwheels, and wheat shovels were all improved. In particular, the curved plow, after its improvement, could be used to plow three feet deep.

Inside the royal garden, a dragon-bone waterwheel was installed, and Chen Shao was rolling up his sleeves and testing it out.

The staff member from the Engineering Institute chuckled and said, “Your Majesty, it would be even easier to pull it with oxen. In our Jiangnan and Huguang regions, there are many streams, so it can move automatically with the current.”

Chen Shao jumped down from above, looked at the waterwheel above his head, and laughed: "That's right, I have already started to have the Ministry of Works publish the 'Essentials of Agricultural Administration in the Great Jing Dynasty,' and from now on, all local officials must thoroughly study this book!"

At this moment, Wang Xiaojie entered and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Dali delegation has arrived."

Upon hearing that the people from Dali had arrived, Chen Shao's face turned serious; this matter was not as simple as it seemed.

Throughout history, territorial expansion has always required war, which in turn depletes human and financial resources.

To resolve a problem without bloodshed, one must put in ten or a hundred times the effort in calculation and planning; even the slightest oversight could render all efforts futile.

The imperial court's policy toward Dali was to exert continuous pressure and infiltration through subtle means, drawing more people into its interest group.

This forced the Gao family to follow the "favorable timing, geographical advantages, and popular sentiment," and led their people north to submit.

A direct confrontation is possible, but then we'd have to be prepared for a series of follow-up issues, such as maintaining long-term stability, waging a counterinsurgency campaign, and wiping out rebellious tribes in the mountains.

Neither method is inherently better or worse, but after careful analysis, Chen Shao felt that peaceful infiltration would come at a lower cost.

Moreover, things went more smoothly afterward.

Now Chen Shao is promoting the idea of ​​Han and Bai people sharing the same bloodline. Although they are somewhat resistant now, once they truly integrate into Dajing and accept that they are of Han descent, they will be able to overcome this resistance.

So if someone says he's not of Han descent again in the future, he'll fight you to the death.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Shao immediately said, "There's no rush to summon them. Let the people from the Court of State Ceremonial show them around Jinling."

“Send more magnanimous officials to associate with him.”

Chen Shao smiled inwardly; dealing with Dali was much more difficult than dealing with Japan.

Because from the very beginning, the more chaotic the better, and only when the land is turned into a wasteland will it suit their wishes.

Anyway, you're just killing each other, it won't destroy the silver mountain.

The more chaotic and disunited you are, the better I can take advantage of the situation and maneuver between the various factions.

Moreover, in Japan, the various parties were deeply divided and unwilling to submit to each other, which meant they were already sitting on a powder keg.

Even if Chen Shao hadn't gone, a few years later, the infamous Baoyuan Rebellion would have occurred.

Even setting aside all these vested interests, it's impossible to treat the Yunnan brothers and the Japanese equally.

A palace maid brought over a wooden basin, had Chen Shao wash his hands, and then wiped them clean.

Chen Shao walked to the stone table, his thoughts returning to the farming tools in the courtyard. He cleared his throat and said to the officials around him, "Whether it's a waterwheel or a curved plow, they all need oxen to pull them. I think your Ministry of Agriculture should allocate some people specifically to breed superior oxen!"

"We need water buffalo, yellow cattle, beef cattle, and dairy cows—and they all need to be of high quality!"

Even if the goal is the boundless sea, the people must be fed first. Even if you are the emperor, in the Central Plains, you must ensure that the people are well-fed before they will follow you to explore the world.

Most dynasties, such as the Han, Tang, Song, and Ming, restricted the slaughter of cattle, especially draft cattle.

However, in the Qilian Mountains pastures, Dajing has cattle specifically raised for food. The Zhang family manages this vast pasture, and caravans bring the beef to the Central Plains.

Therefore, even though it was not easy to slaughter cattle, there was still beef available in the Central Plains markets, and in considerable quantities.

The scenes in Water Margin where the heroes eat beef at every turn are complete nonsense. The Song Dynasty had the strictest restrictions on this matter in all of history.

In the Song Dynasty, every ox had to be registered in the ox register, and those who slaughtered their animals without permission were severely punished.

The reason is that the author was most likely a person from the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. The Mongols were a nomadic people who ate meat and drank dairy products and did not value agriculture.

In the early Yuan Dynasty, the slaughter of oxen was not prohibited, but in the middle and later periods, its authority was no longer effective, and whether it was prohibited or not was of little use.

The best thing about Jingchao is that it has vast pastures and is very stable.

This is another benefit brought about by the fortified village system that Chen Shao started his career in. No wonder Chen Shao loved it so much. Fortified villages are truly a good remedy for dealing with the situation in the Northwest.

The effect is even better when used in conjunction with the caravan medicine!
Caravans can convert the produce of the northwestern fortresses into cash and bring back the supplies they need from the Central Plains.

However, Chen Shao was also worried that the caravan would become too big to handle, and he would start to reorganize the caravan once the fleet returned from Southeast Asia.

The caravan should exist as a legitimate government office, with regulations governing all aspects.

After the officials left one by one, Chen Shao glanced again at the waterwheel in the courtyard that had not yet been dismantled.

Throughout history, he is the only one who has ever tested farming tools in the artificial lake of the palace's back garden.

In the past, when he led the Dingnan Army into battle, Chen Shao had not been to the battlefield much. His job was simply to ensure that the Dingnan Army had enough to eat.

Therefore, his Dingnan Army was invincible.

Now that he is leading the people of Dajing to fight on another battlefield, his first thought is still to ensure that the people of Dajing have enough to eat.

Even the tallest buildings need a solid foundation to rise from the ground.

Ensuring farming and providing food for the people is the foundation of this foundation.

Upon returning to the inner palace, Chen Shao went directly to the Xiefang Garden.

Li Yumei lay in bed, her face still pale, but she had already asked a palace maid to bring her a mirror and comb her hair in bed.

Li Wanshu is her cousin. Although there is a big difference in their social status now, they have always been very close.

"You, even at a time like this, you still can't resist showing off."

Li Yumei smiled and said, "His Majesty is the kindest man. I have given birth to a princess for him, so he will surely come to see me often these days. What if I look sallow and ugly? What if he is displeased when he thinks of me during our nights together?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wanshu immediately realized it made perfect sense. She sat by the bed, scooped some porridge into a spoon, blew on it, and fed it to her.

"You're so thoughtful. When we were at home, you were the most clever of all the sisters. That's why you became Consort De, while we were just palace maids."

Li Yumei gave her a disapproving look.

This cousin has the advantage of being close to the Emperor. If I were by His Majesty's side taking care of him, I would have used every trick in the book to make him feel comfortable and reluctant to leave.

She lowered her voice and whispered a question in Li Wanshu's ear, which immediately made the latter blush and lower her head, humming and moaning in embarrassment.

Seeing her dead body, Li Yumei knew it wouldn't be long before she died, and couldn't help but snort.

Utterly useless.
She couldn't help but think of her little friend Liu Caiwei, who had recently become much more perceptive, her eyes practically glued to His Majesty. Sure enough, she had recently heard that her father had been granted the title of Imperial Envoy and had gone to the south to oversee affairs.

This is what women in the palace should be doing!
She glared at them with her phoenix eyes, about to reprimand her sisters and teach them some ways to secure their favor.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside, accompanied by a long shout of "His Majesty has arrived!"

Then Li Wanshu saw that, in the blink of an eye, her cousin was lying weakly on the headboard, her hand on her brow.

She looked delicate and frail.

Sure enough, after Chen Shao came in, he stepped forward with great concern and bent down to ask, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

"pain"

Li Yumei bit her lip, on the verge of tears. She was now weak and trembling, a far cry from her previous spirit.

Chen Shao naturally took the bowl and spoon from Li Wanshu's hand and personally fed her, "Eat something, otherwise you won't be able to hold on any longer."

Li Wanshu and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

While marveling at how capable these young ladies were, they were also deeply impressed by Chen Shao's gentle nature.

Such a good emperor is hard to find even with a lantern; I wish I could get pregnant for him.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, because he would most likely stay here tonight, and Yu Mei couldn't serve him in bed, so it would probably be her and the others who would have to take his place.
-
Nara, Kofukuji Temple.

Huiming stood on the bell tower in the temple, looking down at the scenery below.

To be honest, he didn't have much compassion for these extremely poor Japanese people who were nearly driven to death.

The fish refused to cooperate, and was stabbed to death by him.

Because his self-deprecating and submissive mindset is the natural enemy of rebellion.

Xingfu Temple has now become a base, attracting many local residents.

They slaughtered all the monks in the temple.

Huiming and others opened the granary of Xingfu Temple and distributed all the grain to the people.

That move was absolutely ruthless.

People who are born hungry and constantly struggle on the verge of starvation never want to lose that feeling after having a few full meals.

The idea of ​​resistance has taken root.

Even if this riot fails, countless sparks will continue to ignite further riots.

Unless the Japanese court can solve the problem of feeding its people.

In the eyes of the Jing people, this court was even more corrupt than the corrupt and incompetent ruler of the previous dynasty, and it simply did not have the ability to govern.

Behind him, a dozen or so monks were gathered together, discussing the approaching coalition of nobles.

They argued fiercely about whether or not to fire.

At this moment, Huiming turned around and said, "Unless the attack reaches the temple, do not fire!"

Huitong asked, puzzled, "Why? If we fire earlier, we can weaken their morale and reduce the number of civilians dying on the outskirts."

"Are you here to save the world?!" Huiming suddenly said in a cold voice.

The people around were stunned. A gust of autumn wind blew, and everyone felt a chill on their necks.

"They've started mythologizing us. We're neither gods nor Buddhas." Huiming looked around and said, "We are His Majesty's students, monks from the first year of Jianwu. Our purpose here is to create chaos here, the more chaos the better!"

"Instead of helping them overthrow the Emperor and establish a new, powerful Japan, characterized by strong martial spirit and unity from top to bottom." (End of Chapter)