You have truly caused me great suffering!

Huiming's words enlightened everyone.

They all stood up and silently looked into the distance.

Once upon a time, a predecessor burned himself outside the capital of Gaochang, which led to the army conquering the entire Western Regions.

We came to this land not to save the world.

As long as these nobles still hold power and remain at odds with the common people, the entire country remains in a state of hostility and division.

Only in this way can the interests of their Jing Kingdom be maximized.

Ultimately, this ebb and flow gradually accumulated the internal conflicts on the island to the point of no return.

Even so, some monks still felt a pang of pity looking at the people below who revered them like gods.

Hui En was one of them. He hesitated for a moment, and seeing the expressions of his companions around him, he did not speak.

Huiming's idea was not wrong. It would be as simple as helping them overthrow the Emperor and establish a new dynasty.

Guo Hao's troops had already been mobilized.

The army was always Emperor Jing's most loyal subordinate; they were the ones who carried out the emperor's will most thoroughly.

Even when the Taira clan was fighting against several armies, they were not prepared to participate in the battle.

If you, Ping, can win, then we'll continue our cooperation.

If you lose, then I'm sorry, I'll just pick someone else who can fight.

By cooperating with Dajing, we can benefit from the goods brought by trade and the abundant supply of goods from Dajing.

If you're not going to do it, there are plenty of people who are willing to!
As long as I can station troops in this port and mine those mines, I don't care about anything else.

The reason I'm cooperating with you is that I won't fight counterinsurgency battles. If there are any problems along the way, such as bandits or rioters, you can help me solve them.

I will help you maintain your rule.

The more chaotic and divided Japan becomes, the more these people will try to curry favor with the Jing Dynasty in order to purchase its weapons and supplies for use in the civil war to seize territory and interests.

As for these cannons, they are the last resort for self-defense. By holding Xingfu Temple, even if things get chaotic outside, we can still hold this place and wait for Guo Hao's army.

If artillery is used, I fear these people will rise up in rebellion.
Huiming said with a smile, "Just watch. They may look pitiful right now, but it won't be long before they become the new noble lords, as long as they are not completely wiped out."

"In turn, they oppress other people."

Hui En was stunned for a moment; these words felt like a blunt weapon striking his heart.

As if he had already sensed his wavering, Huiming walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "What I've seen and heard in Japan over the past month has taught me one thing. Many people in the Central Plains are kind at heart, but not here."

Upon returning to his residence, Huiming began writing a report, detailing the situation.

They also reminded the people at the Buddhist school to pay attention to Hui'en and his group's actions to prevent them from ruining the grand plan for their own "compassion."

In the candlelight, his eyes were unusually firm.

What Your Majesty has done is destined to be remembered for eternity and will rewrite the history of the entire Central Plains.

Even if I only contribute one brick to it, my life will not have been in vain.

If needed, I could learn from my predecessors, but it seems that such methods are no longer necessary.

What an honor it would be to witness Your Majesty's great achievements with my own eyes, or even to receive Your Majesty's attention.

If a person keeps creating miracles and has vision and insight that transcends his time, then he will inevitably be deified.

People deify him in order to aspire to a better future.

Ordinary people deify him in order to obtain a better life, to be able to eat their fill, raise their children and support their parents in old age.

People deify him in order to realize their ambitions, drive out the Tartars, and achieve great deeds.

Let's help each other succeed!
-
A large ship approaches Longgang, Nanjing.

The people on the ship, looking at the harbor before them, all felt as if they had been transported to another world.

Their skin was dark, and although they were wearing brand-new clothes, they could not hide the numerous scars on their bodies.

The bustling dock, the crowds, and the familiar language brought tears to their eyes.

As the stairs were set up, Wang Er stepped off the deck, looking blankly at everything before him.

Although they were excited, the others didn't have time to pay attention to the group because the port was too busy.

In its heyday, the Bian River served as the capital's transportation route, with boats lined up one after another for hundreds of miles, a continuous stream of thousands of sails racing day and night.
The scale of the canal transport: the annual transport volume reached 600 million to 800 million shi (a unit of dry measure).

Today, Nanjing is even better than that.

Moreover, the Bian River cannot compare to the Yangtze River. There is no drought or freezing here, and it does not require annual dredging. The Bian River is navigable for only 200 days a year, while this place is open year-round.

A spontaneous commercial belt formed on both sides of the strait: restaurants (such as Fanlou), teahouses, inns, warehouses, theaters and entertainment venues lined up one after another.

The night market stayed open until the third watch of the night, and then reopened at the fifth watch!
Twenty-eight huge warehouses were built around it to transport grain, gold, silver, and copper.
They brought back three boatloads of copper this time, and there will be a continuous stream of copper coming back.

A group of guards in brocade robes pushed through the crowd and came to their side.

"Which one of you is Wang Er?"

"I," Wang Er said cautiously.

His experiences overseas in recent years have made him somewhat hesitant to speak, since when he ventures deep into the mountains to trace veins, he rarely encounters strangers.

There were only a few companions in front of him, and he had a severe lack of interaction with others.

Looking at the dark-skinned man before him, who was missing a forearm, the guard asked suspiciously, "Is this the Second Prince of Hedong?"

"Yes"

"His Majesty has summoned you to the palace. Let's go."

The crowd immediately became excited. While on the ship, they had heard from the caravan crew that the king had declared himself emperor.

The Emperor of the Song Dynasty abdicated the throne to our King; he was wise.

Of the 150 miners and craftsmen who went to sea together, only 50 remain, and 10 have returned.

The rest are still in the mine.

The brothers who lost their lives mostly died from disease and poisoning; there were too many snakes, insects, and poisonous creatures in the Southern Wilderness.

They have also been attacked by local indigenous people.

They have now discovered numerous copper mines on a huge island, thus achieving their initial goal.

Upon their return, Wang Er and the others were filled with excitement, but when they were actually taken to the palace, they were still a little scared and their legs went weak.

The imperial city of Dajing was hundreds of times more solemn and grand than the Prince of Dai's mansion. When they arrived at the Chuigong Hall, Chen Shao was discussing the northern war with Ma Kuo.

Yue Fei has already begun his attack on Gubeikou, and victory is just around the corner.

The desecration of Aguda's tomb was also a significant blow to the Jurchens.

Chen Shao and Ma Kuo looked at the map, both feeling very relaxed, especially Ma Kuo.

His trip was to oversee the trade between Yunzhong Prefecture and Mobei.

This time, an official border market was established in Yunzhong, known as "Anyuan Market," near Datong. A special Yunzhong Border Trade Supervisory Office (rank 6) was also established, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue.
Agents, translators, and anti-smuggling inspectors.

Taxes were levied on one-tenth of the produce, and ironware and sulfur were subject to control.

Ma Kuo handled these matters very well, but he rarely mentioned them after he returned.

On the contrary, he was quite interested in the war to destroy the Jin dynasty, and his words suggested that he wanted to go north to participate in the war.

Chen Shao was truly short of talented people around him, but such people must have had the desire to expand their territory since childhood.

Chen Shao was happy to help him, so he was thinking about sending him to the north at the right time.

Given Ma Kuo's seniority, he was already a core general when Tong Guan launched the campaign against Liao.

However, he joined the Dingnan Army camp and surrendered to Chen Shao very late.

Therefore, he is unlikely to hold a very high position, but he can command a battalion of soldiers and participate in the final battle.

"If Yue Fei could break through Gubeikou and attack from the north and south together with Qu Duan, the Jurchen Tartars would not only have no chance of winning, but would also lose the opportunity to escape back to the snowy mountains."

Chen Shao chuckled, "Escape back to the snow mountain? Easier said than done."

"They're not single anymore; they each have a large group of people who depend on them for their livelihood."

"If we really lose, these people will bite us first and kill us first."

"The Khitan servants and the Han vassals of the north are all cunning and opportunistic. The Khitans are the most cunning in war, always ready to change their allegiance to the wind. When you were powerful, everyone surrendered without hesitation. Now that you're down on your luck, they can only borrow your head for a while. How could they let you escape back to the snowy mountains?"

Chen Shao pointed to the Khitan capital, Shangjing, and said, "Right here, let's extinguish the last embers of the Jurchen's power!"

Ma Kuo nodded emphatically, recalling the military orders issued by Prince Dai to the front lines.

There were four words from that time that Ma Kuo remembered vividly: "Exterminate their descendants."

Although His Majesty is kind and gentle to his own people, he has been ruthless enough to outsiders from the very beginning.

He thought to himself, "At this moment, the Great Jing can do without anyone else, but it cannot lose His Majesty."

At this moment, Cui Die came out with a plate of pills, and Chen Shao picked one up and put it in his mouth.

Ma Kuo immediately became alert. His eyes darted around, and he asked, "Your Majesty, what is this?"

"A wind-preventing pill," Chen Shao laughed. "You think it's some kind of magic pill?"

"Rest assured, my dear minister, I will not consume any elixirs of immortality."

Ma Kuo chuckled and said, "As long as Your Majesty doesn't take the elixir, that's fine. Historically, once an emperor takes the elixir, he's not far from his death."

Wang Xiaojie entered from outside the hall and whispered a few words in Chen Shao's ear. Chen Shao stood up and laughed, "Our hero of Dajing has returned."

Upon hearing this, Ma Kuo's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Which general is it?"

"Not a general, but my miner."

He strode out of the hall and looked at the "blackened" figures, and Chen Shao couldn't help but be moved.

"Wang Er!"

Wang Erwan never expected that Chen Shao would remember his name. He immediately stepped forward and was about to kowtow.

Even though Wang Er had some courage when facing the Prince of Dai before, he was completely panicked when facing Emperor Chen Shao now.

After all, they were all from humble backgrounds, and the word "emperor" was still too shocking for them.

Chen Shao smiled and offered a helping hand, but Wang Er remained slumped on the ground, on the verge of fainting.

Chen Shao didn't force him and let him talk on the ground.

"You have rendered a great service this time, fulfilling your promise to me. I will also fulfill my promise and reward you handsomely."

"Report your overseas mineral exploration experience to the Ministry of Works in detail. I will personally select ten people to be granted the title of viscount, and the rest will be rewarded according to their merits."

The miners kowtowed in gratitude.

Chen Shao couldn't help but ask about the overseas affairs, as their trip had lasted a full four years.

The experience must have been incredibly exciting.

Standing beside Chen Shao, watching him chat idly with the dark-skinned miners, Ma Kuo suddenly felt his eyes well up with tears.

Chen Shao was even more excited, as the Great Jing Dynasty no longer lacked copper coins and was unlikely to mint so many more.

The production of copper coins will be reduced in the future, but the amount of copper used will double.

Artillery will inevitably see technological advancements; that's a natural law, so there's nothing to worry about.

The more artillery is produced and used, the more improvements are made. Now that the frontline troops are familiar with the artillery, they are receiving a steady stream of feedback on problems. Real combat is always the best way to test weapons.

Using copper to cast machines is also a better start. The key to the rise of Central Plains culture was the bronze casting technique, and now that it has reached a critical juncture, it still needs bronze to pave the way.

We can start by trying copper, which is easier to mold, and once the technology is mature, we can smoothly transition to iron or steel.

Even putting all of that aside, the decision to frantically move metals like gold, silver, and copper into one's own territory is absolutely not a mistake.

"I am truly happy today!"

Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "Go and summon Han Wu, Lao Zhu, Li Tangchen, and Zhang Xiaochun. Prepare a royal banquet!"

Wang Er, who was lying on the ground, suddenly burst into tears, "What virtue or ability do I, Wang Er, possess? From now on, I, Wang Er, am willing to pray for Your Majesty day and night, asking Your Majesty to live a long and prosperous life! As long as Your Majesty gives the word, let alone the Southern Wilderness, even if it is 100,000 miles away, Wang Er will not even flinch!"

The others looked on and thought, "Good heavens, there's only one His Majesty, not even enough for you, Wang Er, to lick a hook!"
You've said everything, so what are we supposed to say?
Immediately, someone knelt down and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

By now, Chen Shao had seen all sorts of people pledging their loyalty.

He can tell the difference between real and fake almost at a glance.

After letting out a long sigh, Chen Shao laughed and said, "Let's go drink!"

Finding veins and prospecting for minerals in a place like the Southern Wilderness is really not an easy task.

It takes a certain amount of determination and perseverance to accomplish something so beautifully.

He increasingly felt that many people were gathering around him, wholeheartedly supporting him.

This flavor is absolutely captivating.

It can put you in an excellent state, making you feel like you have divine assistance in everything you do.

Li Tangchen had just returned to his residence when he heard that the emperor had invited him to a banquet.

Without time to pack, he hurriedly put on his official robes and set off happily.

His Majesty has a very good relationship with his subjects, and they have always been very close, especially the Li family.

Li Yumei gave birth to a princess a few days ago. Chen Shao doted on her and promoted Li Tangchen to Grand Tutor. He also bestowed upon the Li family a plaque inscribed with the words "Loyalty and Diligence for the Country" written by the emperor and a pair of palace-style glass screens.
Furthermore, it was decreed that the Li family should celebrate the full moon banquet together with the royal family, and Li Yue's family was exceptionally allowed to enter the palace and live with her daughter for a month.

Li Tangchen also attached great importance to it, personally naming it "Lingzhang" and requesting Chen Shao to use it.

The name is taken from the poem "Da Ya" in the Book of Songs: "Yong yong ang ang, ru gui ru zhang," which implies holding a precious jade tablet with proper etiquette.

Chen Shao readily agreed and gave her the nickname "Lingniang," which was used by those close to her in the palace.

This youngest daughter was the first princess born after the emperor ascended the throne; her privacy was as vast as the dew, and her value as precious as an imperial seal. (End of Chapter)