You have truly caused me great suffering!

At the Zhe residence, everyone was busy, and the atmosphere was inexplicably tense.

For Chen Shao, this was probably just an ordinary family dinner.

Zhe and Zhong were both considered his maternal relatives.

But for the Zhe family, this concerns the future of the family and the fate of generations of descendants.

Perhaps it was all decided over this meal.

Zhe Keqiu sat motionless in his chair, his eyelids lowered.

No one knows what he's thinking. In the eyes of the younger generation, he's a god-like figure.

Zhe Keshi was beside him, wanting to speak several times, but swallowed her words each time.

They had said everything they needed to say many times, and they had considered almost every possibility in order to answer His Majesty's questions.

Finally, the time was almost up, and Zhe Keqiu stood up.

All the Zhe family members in the courtyard looked at him at the same time.

"Let's go, into the palace!"

The women boarded the carriages one by one, while Zhe Keqiu, Zhe Keshi, and Zhe Yanwen boarded the same carriage together.

"Listen more, observe more, and speak less," Zhe Keqiu told his son.

Zhe Yanwen nodded.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the imperial city. Everyone dismounted and followed the eunuchs from the Inner Palace to the Funing Palace.

Zhe Keqiu changed his serious expression and chatted happily with the eunuch who was receiving him.

Upon hearing that Jin Ling had also come today, Zhe Keqiu nodded inwardly.

Han Shizhong was lazy and indulged in pleasure, while Prince Jinling was undoubtedly the number one military general.

Moreover, many important military generals in the court were his protégés.

In the majestic imperial city, the golden glazed tiles gleamed in the sunset.

Looking at this palace that symbolizes supreme imperial power, Zhe Keqiu no longer harbored the ambition he once had; in fact, he felt a sense of dread.

If one is truly blinded by desire and chooses to conquer the world, then one will face the Dingnan Army.

Only those who have fought alongside the Dingnan Army know how terrifying they are; their soldiers' fighting prowess is unparalleled throughout history, far surpassing that of the Han and Tang dynasties.

Most importantly, their logistical support is enough to break any army, because when fighting the Dingnan Army, you can only kill them with one blow. Once you get into a protracted war of attrition, you will surely be defeated.

To kill a cavalry unit with two horses per soldier and three times more auxiliary soldiers than combat soldiers with a single blow would require a celestial being descended to earth.

Meanwhile, in a side hall of the Funing Palace, a fragrant breeze wafted through the air, and smiling faces filled the air as a group of women, the Empress, and the concubines chatted happily.

Jin Mo'er stroked her lower abdomen and chatted with several relatives from her clan. In fact, she had just been diagnosed with pregnancy.

Her younger sister gave birth to the third prince, Chen Yang, for His Majesty, and she is pregnant again. The three sisters were already deeply favored by His Majesty, and their maternal families were very powerful, so their positions were extremely secure.

There were almost no worries in the palace.

The three sisters all had slender, willow-like bodies, but their breasts were all quite large.

Of course, apart from the third son who hasn't fully grown yet, but judging from his appearance, he'll surely bear fruit in the future.

She wasn't there at the time; she was playing with Chun Tao and the others and didn't like joining in the fun.

Jinling's wife looked around but couldn't see her youngest daughter, so she couldn't help but ask, "Where's Le'er?"

"She's a horse without a bridle; she'd never come to such a proper banquet."

Madam Jin frowned and asked, "Will His Majesty be displeased?"

The second daughter, Jin Ye'er, covered her mouth and laughed, "She's the apple of His Majesty's eye. As long as she doesn't cause any trouble, His Majesty will spoil her."

She and Jin Le'er were sisters from the same mother, so she had even less reservations about talking about it.

From Madam Jin's words, she seemed to understand that they should be more dignified and composed, because she felt that only in this way would His Majesty be pleased.

Jin Ye'er really wanted to ask them: Do you understand His Majesty better than we do?

Do we not know what His Majesty likes? His Majesty, who has never competed with the people for profit, specially built many royal gardens for us outside the palace, so that we would not be cooped up in the palace.

He was different from previous emperors, and he was different from everyone else.

Thinking of these things, Jin Ye'er was also a little emotional. His Majesty was indeed a very good person. Being by his side was not tiring, and there was no need to scheme against him.

As night fell, Chen Shao, who had been busy all day, took a bath and changed his clothes. With the help of Li Wanshu and Cui Die, he put on a light dragon robe.

"How do I look?" Chen Shao stood up and turned around.

"Extremely heroic," Li Wanshu said with a smile.

Chen Shao laughed and walked towards the front of the hall. Dealing with government affairs all day had not made him tired.

Inside the Funing Hall, lights were lit on all four sides, but tonight the moon was obscured by clouds, so the brightness was very limited. Only the light was visible, and almost nothing could be seen.

The imperial city of Jinling is not as spacious and open as the palaces in the north, but rather has winding corridors and elegant charm.

However, when they arrived at the banquet hall, it was very spacious, and everyone stood up and bowed in unison.

Chen Shao nodded and waved for everyone to sit down. "There are no outsiders here tonight, so there's no need to stand on ceremony!"

Everyone took their seats, with Zhe Keqiu and his two companions being the last to sit down.

Chen Shao noticed him immediately and said with a smile, "Minister Zhe, come and sit down."

The eunuchs quickly stepped forward, carried his table, and brought it to Chen Shao.

Zhe Keqiu's heart pounded like a drum. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subject Zhe Keqiu greets Your Majesty."

"Sit down and talk."

He sat down cautiously, thinking he was just an extra today, but he didn't expect the Zhe family to value him so much right from the start.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "The Zhe family has guarded Fugu for generations, and the people of Fugu are all obedient to them. They have rich experience in governing the people."

Zhe Keqiu was terrified; his eyes widened and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Before he could say anything, Chen Shao continued, "That's excellent, just what I need. Recently, I've been thinking of establishing a South China Sea Navy. Do you know of the giant island east of Penghu?"

Li Tangchen said, "Could it be the Liuqiu mentioned in the 'Biography of Liuqiu' in the Book of Sui?"

"Exactly."

For a long time, Greater Ryukyu was Taiwan, and Lesser Ryukyu was the Okinawa Islands. It wasn't until the Ming Dynasty that the name Taiwan was officially established.

Li Tangchen said, "It is said that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Sun Quan sent people there to establish officials to control the region, which was called Yizhou. Recently, our maritime merchants have frequently landed there to trade with the local barbarians, exchanging deer hides and sulfur for some."

Chen Shao was very satisfied and praised him by name, saying, "That's one good thing about Minister Li: he is learned and diligent, truly a pillar of the nation."

This was a very high compliment, and even Li Tangchen felt extremely honored, his face flushed.

Zhe Keqiu sat upright, his hands resting on his knees, not daring to miss a single word, for fear of missing something.

He still doesn't understand what Chen Shao means, but he seems to have some clues, though he's not sure at all.

Chen Shao said, "I intend to send you here to establish the South China Sea Navy." "This matter is of utmost importance, so do not delay. I have already sent a merchant fleet to explore Liuqiu and draw up nautical charts. After you arrive in Penghu, first contact the Pingpu tribes and expand the facilities in Penghu as a forward base."

"Then a simple dock will be built on the north shore of the inner sea. I will first relocate 500 households to test the land reclamation. As for how to subdue the local natives, that is your business."

This was a pioneering process, extremely difficult, even more so than going to Jiaozhi.

Because Taiwan today is a wild and undeveloped place, and everything has to start from scratch.

Only someone with experience in self-governance and a large number of core confidants can accomplish this feat.

If you send an ordinary official, he will be completely clueless, and the local natives will also retaliate.

During the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court sent troops to conquer the area, but they were driven back by the natives.

Zhe Keqiu was filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry upon hearing this; he was happy that he indeed had a chance to rise to power.
The worry is that this is an extremely difficult task.

It will probably take a lot of painstaking effort.

Fortunately, Chen Shao continued, "After the success, the Zhe family will return, and I will confer the title of Duke upon the person who made the greatest contribution, a hereditary title."

Zhe Keqiu had no more reservations. If he didn't do it now, his ancestors' graves would be emitting smoke. If he could also be enfeoffed as a Duke, his chest would pound like a drum.

The hereditary title of duke is an irresistible temptation.

From then on, the Zhe family established themselves in Dajing.

"I have appointed Ma Kuo as the commander of the South China Sea Navy. He is a meticulous man and will surely be able to work in perfect harmony with you."

Military power does not belong to the Zhe family, but the army is absolutely at their disposal, and they can fight whomever they want.

Chen Shao had already laid the groundwork for his future transfer back to the Zhe family, and Zhe Keqiu naturally understood this.

At this point, he had no intention of establishing his own independent regime; he only wanted to live and work in Nanjing with the nation.

Chen Shao also valued this matter highly, as Taiwan has abundant timber resources, which could make up for his current shortcomings.

He needs someone to quickly take over Taiwan, and completely take it over, establish an official government, and build cities.

The Zhe family had the ability to systematically rule a region, and Chen Shao had considered this when they offered their land, so he always treated them with great favor.

Of course, it was precisely because they voluntarily offered up their land to show their loyalty and avoid separatism that they were able to secure this opportunity.

"Very well! That concludes the official business for this banquet. I've finished speaking so as not to spoil everyone's enjoyment of the drink. Now, let's focus on drinking and reminiscing!" Chen Shao laughed heartily and said, "Gentlemen, tonight, let's refrain from discussing state affairs!"

Everyone laughed. They were the most qualified to talk about national affairs, and they were the ones who had to think about and discuss national affairs every day.

This was Zhe Keqiu's first time participating in such an occasion. He didn't know anything about Chen Shao, and tonight His Majesty had broadened his horizons once again.
-
At this moment, a thousand miles away, on the shore of Dongting Lake in Wuling.

Zhong Xiang, known as the "Great Sage of Heaven," was tricked by his son Zhong Ziyi, who killed the head constable of Wuling.

At this point, there's no other way but to rebel.

He dispatched a large number of key members to begin contacting believers and preparing for an uprising.

Over the years, they have swept away the bandits on Dongting Lake and established multiple strongholds in the lake.

It's essentially an enhanced version of Liangshan Marsh.

He also had a large following among the local people, though not as many as Fang La, but the numbers were similar.

However, one thing worried Zhong Xiang greatly: when Fang La launched his rebellion, it coincided with the widespread discontent among the people in Jiangnan caused by Zhu Mian and his son.

The situation is different now; peace and tranquility have made it much more difficult to launch an undertaking.

Fortunately, although the imperial army was capable of fighting, there were no new troops stationed in the Jinghu area, and the former local troops had been significantly reduced.

It appears that local military forces have weakened.

Because the killing of the head constable could not be kept secret, Zhong Xiang did not wait even a day and decided to take over Wuling County first.

As more and more believers gathered, an endless stream of people converged, and countless torches lit up in the mountains and fields, spreading continuously towards the city walls. The Wuling County town, with a circumference of only two li and one hundred and sixty steps, was almost completely surrounded by flames covering the mountains and fields.

The sound of hooves thundered through the long night.

Zhong Ziyi took the lead, leading his men straight towards Wuling County.

He was indeed quite brave. Historically, Zhong Xiang encountered the Jin army marching south as soon as he started his uprising.

Zhong Xiang then sent his son with eight hundred militiamen to defend the emperor.
You're a rebel, what kind of king are you? Did you skip the stage of being granted amnesty?

Zhong Ziyi led eight hundred men northward, taking the opportunity to plunder a great deal along the way.

This abstract operation left Zhao Gou dumbfounded, and he immediately ordered them to get out.

By then, Zhong Xiang had already declared himself emperor, and the state was called Chu.

Moreover, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Jin army's southward advance, they occupied 19 counties and their forces grew to hundreds of thousands.

After Zhao Gou moved south, he had the time to deal with Zhong Xiang.

This demonstrates both the sheer number of his followers and their low fighting capacity.

On the city wall of Wuling, Magistrate Zhao Ang was pale-faced. He never expected that such a large rebellion would suddenly break out in his jurisdiction when everything was fine and there was no major disaster.

This is no innocent disaster; it's almost costing someone their life!

Standing atop the city wall, this county magistrate, a scholar by birth, had never seen such a scene before. More and more people gathered, surrounding Wuling County completely.

"What should we do?!"

There were only two hundred and fifty men in the city, who were responsible for guarding the city gates, patrolling the streets, escorting government grain, building city defenses, and suppressing small groups of bandits.

Their equipment was rudimentary, and they were older than most, so they had very little combat capability.

As for the local militia, he didn't dare to summon them. These bandits were all local people, and how many of them had infiltrated the local militia?

"County Commandant, look!"

The county clerk shouted and pointed into the distance. Zhao Ang looked up and saw the sounds of fighting rising in the distance.

On the very night that the followers of the Great Sage Sect launched their uprising, countless soldiers suddenly appeared from all over the country.

These people were dressed in ordinary farmer's clothes, but the leaders all had horses, and they came from all directions.

They cooperated very well and commanded each other with great skill.

The lower-ranking officers and soldiers of the Dingnan Army, those assigned to Jinghu, were all connected to each other.

After the imperial edict was announced, everyone was eager to get started, just waiting for this moment.

They upheld the fine tradition of the Dingnan Army: intelligence gathering precedes troop movement. Those who had served as scouts and secret agents returned to their old ways, starting with the peripheral believers to uncover the unusual activity of the night.

Everyone arrived with shouts and cheers.

Riding on horseback, looking at the vast crowd, they felt no pressure whatsoever.

Back then, when the northern people were driven out by the Jurchen Tartars, even the "newcomers" who carried soil to fill the moat were more orderly than their ranks.

At this time, Pang Ge had not yet arrived. Wang Yin and the others did not expect that the task of eliminating the cult bandits would be taken over by someone else before they even arrived.

In the dead of night, a great battle was about to break out.

This battle was unprecedented and will likely never be repeated; it was an internal struggle among the common people.
Both sides were populated by ordinary people. (End of Chapter)