You have truly caused me great suffering!

Goryeo, Dongnae.

What was once an ordinary town has now become the most prosperous town in Korea.

This is because the place is too close to Japan and has a natural harbor.

From here, it's only fifty miles to Tsushima Island in Iwami Province, Japan, and it takes only a few hours to get there.

At this moment, a house by the sea in the city was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Every few steps, a tasseled lantern was hung, making it as bright as day. Several black tables with upturned eaves were filled with all kinds of delicacies, fine wines and vegetables, a dazzling array.

Choi Soon-jung stood at the door, looking at Oh Cheon, the commander-in-chief of the Goryeo garrison who had come to the banquet, and went forward to greet him with a big laugh.

"Hahaha, General Wu, I am grateful for the support of the Celestial Empire and the great kindness of His Majesty. Tonight, a simple banquet has been prepared. Due to the short time, there has been no time to elaborate. I hope you will forgive any shortcomings in my hospitality."

After he finished speaking, he bowed deeply.

"President Cui, you're too kind." Wu Qian returned the greeting, showing no disrespect, after all, this was the president of the chamber of commerce appointed by His Majesty.

Regardless of who he is, as long as he is appointed by His Majesty, he will definitely have face in the eyes of the soldiers of Dingnan Army, because it means that he is one of their own.

Cui Shunting, who was initially a little worried, was even more delighted to see his polite manner.

His memorial to the throne marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life, transforming him from a merchant into the representative of Daejeong in Goryeo.

Even powerful and influential families had to treat him with utmost respect.

This time, Daejeong plans to establish a smelting plant in Goryeo.

As the president of the Goryeo Chamber of Commerce, he would inevitably be in charge of remelting and processing the silver ingots transported from Iwami.

Cui Shunting took it very seriously, as he saw an opportunity to rise again.

Therefore, he could betray Goryeo's interests without hesitation.

Such people exist in every dynasty, and most of them live very well.

Wu Qian was originally a river bandit from the Yellow River. He had been fighting all these years and hadn't enjoyed much of a life.

Even now, his mind is still mostly focused on making achievements and establishing a career.

However, he was still very happy to enjoy such a lavish dinner.

In the Dingnan Army, fighting alongside Commander Zhu and Han Shizhong, one could often indulge in a bit of luxury.

However, when following Qu Duan, there were very few opportunities to indulge in such delicious food. Qu Duan himself ate the same food as the soldiers all year round, and the generals below him got used to it as a result.

As long as you are strict with yourself, your subordinates will not have much resentment.

If you yourself abuse your privileges and indulge in a life of luxury, yet demand that your subordinates be honest and upright, then you are courting death.

There's a huge group of people below who want to kill you.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, including the guests and hosts, Cui Shunting chuckled and clapped his hands lightly. Two rows of musicians filed in and lined up on both sides, one holding a geisha and the other playing a gayageum. There were also eight drummers surrounding four giant drums.

Immediately afterward, he waved his sleeve, and a crisp drumbeat sounded. A row of black-clad swordsmen surged into the arena. They were all women in tight-fitting clothes with their hair tied up with black ribbons and their faces covered with black veils. As the drumbeats began, the sword light flowed.

With a flick of her wrist, the lead dancer drew her sword, pointing it towards the sky. The sword gleamed with a clear light, illuminating the pair of eyes behind the black veil, which were as cold as water.

With a swift movement and a long sword lowered, a beautiful woman danced under the moonlit night. The women in black around her rose gracefully, their movements vigorous and powerful, their swords flashing like rivers flowing into the sea; they twirled and rolled, their figures like dragons dancing in the deep valleys.

Wu Qian and the others watched with great interest and drank several cups of wine.

At this moment, Cui Shunting raised his cup and said, "I heard that the court is going to send the general eastward. I would like to offer a toast to the general and wish him a great victory and to make new contributions to the Great Jing Dynasty!"

Wu Qian chuckled and said, "Thank you for your kind words. Come on, drink!"

The number of Jing troops stationed in Goryeo was increasing and was constantly being increased, which caused the ministers of the Goryeo court to be divided into two factions.

One faction vehemently opposed the move, urging King Kai to submit a memorial demanding that the Great Jing withdraw its troops or state that it would not send more reinforcements.

The other faction welcomed this, seeing it as a sign of the suzerain state's care for its vassal, and urged the king to take the opportunity to disband the Goryeo army, saving the country a large sum of money.

Wang Kai ignored all of this and adopted the most correct strategy: to do nothing at all.

Because he simply couldn't control or manage it, the Gyeonggi Army had been stationed near Kaesong ever since the Yi Jagyeon Rebellion.

This is a sword hanging over the head of the Goryeo royal family. They certainly won't withdraw it themselves. If pushed too far, they'll say their soldiers are uncontrollable and suddenly storm into Kaesong. What will you do then?
Can we stop them?
King Wang Kai of Goryeo was very flexible and knew the art of serving the greater good.

He had no way to resist, so he was too lazy to take any more risks. But if there was even the slightest chance, he would be willing to fight for it.

Therefore, Chen Shao had a fairly good impression of him.

Even with this downgraded version of Zhao Huan, Chen Shao was happy to give him some face, bestowing many gifts upon the Goryeo royal family and using very mild language in their official letters.

In Chen Shao's position, one cannot simply make judgments based on likes and dislikes, but must consider how to save costs in accomplishing a task.

Wu Qian and his men sat casually, holding wine cups and watching the sword dance with great enthusiasm, clapping and cheering when they were completely absorbed in it.

Halfway through the reading, Wu Qian suddenly said, "Every time I encounter fine wine, delicacies, and beautiful women, I think: Has His Majesty seen this? Has Prince Xun seen this?"

Cui Shunting cursed inwardly. If he could curry favor with these two, he wouldn't be here inviting you.

In the first year of Geonmu, Goryeo sent more than a dozen beautiful maidens, and I heard that many of them have never even seen His Majesty's face.

They were all sent to various palaces.

Chen Shao was extremely cautious in his eating, drinking, and sleeping habits. This can be seen from the fact that when he first gained power and became the military governor of Dingnan, he had Liu Guanglie arrange for a burly, dark-skinned maidservant to serve him.

Who wouldn't love a beautiful maid with smooth skin, bright eyes, and white teeth? But the fear is that she might be planted by someone with ulterior motives.

Goryeo, Jiaozhi, and Dali gradually realized this and stopped offering their beauties.

The women who served Chen Shao were all women selected from the families of close ministers.

Choi Soon-jeong's open and aboveboard bribery of the Gyeonggi army stationed in Goryeo, especially of Oh Cheon, will surely be discovered.

But he wasn't afraid at all.

What may seem like stains on his record will actually become his shield in the future.

The position of president of the Korean Chamber of Commerce is coveted by many, and it's understandable that some might take risks for money.

But as long as they know that they have a close relationship with Jingren, they will have to think twice before taking action.

They befriended the Jingjun army stationed in Goryeo as their patron, and then selected intelligent and talented young men from poor families in Goryeo to study in Daejeong.

Upon their return, they became his right and left arms.

I will surely have a place in the future of Goryeo!
Jinling, within the imperial city.

The Imperial Garden of Funing Hall was basically an experimental field of the engineering institute, filled with all sorts of new gadgets.

Chen Shao paced back and forth in the Imperial Garden, observing the newly installed machines repeatedly.

Before me was a copper spherical boiler, holding ten liters of water, made from copper mines in Shuzhou and Raozhou. The copper from these two places was the purest.

A mixture of tung oil, lime, and hemp fibers was used as a sealant.

The girl sitting under the waterwheel next to it had delicate eyebrows and a straight nose, with dimples appearing on her cheeks. Although her figure was not yet fully developed, she was already quite impressive. Her cheeks were tender, showing that she was still a bit childish, but that made her even more adorable. At this moment, she asked, resting her chin on her hand, "Your Majesty, what is this object?"

This young girl was none other than Jin Laosan, who was greatly favored.

Chen Shao stroked the bronze furnace as if he were stroking the future, "Fire steams water to produce vapor, and vapor propels things to produce power. It should be called a steam engine."

A few days ago, while he was reviewing reports in the palace, the Ministry of Works suddenly reported that a craftsman had been injured.

Although it was late autumn or early winter, the workshop was filled with roaring fires, and many craftsmen were shirtless.

The bronze cauldron hissed, and white steam, like a dragon, suddenly burst forth from the pipe.

Then, with a sharp cracking sound, like metal and stone collapsing, the newly cast copper pipe burst open from the inside, and boiling water gushed out like arrows. The three craftsmen were unable to dodge it, their flesh was charred and torn, and they fell to the ground screaming in agony, shocking everyone in the room.

Because among them were craftsmen whom Chen Shao greatly admired and valued, the Imperial Workshop dared not conceal the matter and immediately reported it to the Emperor.

Chen Shao arrived immediately. When he arrived, he saw smoke billowing from the furnace, craftsmen lying prostrate on the ground, and the wounded groaning on the ground, their hemp clothes soaked with blood and sweat.

The scene at the time was indeed quite tragic.

But the craftsmen felt more guilty. His Majesty had been so kind to them; no one in history had ever valued and cared for craftsmen so much.

We ourselves have failed to fulfill His Majesty's instructions. Today's trial performance has failed again, and we have suffered heavy losses.

Chen Shao said nothing else, and immediately summoned all the craftsmen and some close officials to discuss and study the matter together.

Everyone brainstormed and Chen Shao himself offered many opinions, and the conclusion was: Copper is hard and afraid of sudden changes. It expands when exposed to fire and shrinks when exposed to water. With expansion and contraction, how can it not crack?

Finally, the craftsmen collectively came up with an idea: to create a double-layered copper wall, filled with fine sand in the middle. The sand could retain heat, slowing down the sudden changes; the copper would be nourished and would not collapse.

The craftsmen saw all of Chen Shao's actions and were eager to repay His Majesty's kindness by working day and night.

After carefully modifying the drum and using meticulous materials, the machine was obtained three days later.

Then the engineering institute moved to the banks of the Yangtze River, to a less crowded place, and restarted the furnace.

Steam rose slowly, flowing silently through the pipes. Suddenly, the mechanism turned, the connecting rods moved, and river water gushed upwards from the lower level, leaping three zhang over the embankment and pouring into the high channel, roaring like rain. Chen Shao clapped his hands and laughed loudly, all the craftsmen prostrated themselves on the ground, and the people on the riverbank watched in astonishment, completely bewildered.

This machine was also installed in the Imperial Garden today.

Its current function is very limited, only able to drain the water accumulated in the dock, but for Chen Shao, it is already of great significance.

All beginnings are hard.

With this step taken, the rest becomes much easier.

When they reached the waterwheel, Chen Shao picked up Jin Le'er as usual, but his arms felt a little sore.

He weighed it in his hand, then said with a smile, "Le'er has grown up; I can't carry her anymore!"

Jin Le'er giggled and deliberately twisted her body, making it harder for Chen Shao to carry her.

After Chen Shao sat down, he patted her little bottom, but his eyes drifted back to the bulky machine.

He was extremely excited.

The craftsmen of the Central Plains create things that, regardless of their final appearance, are always exceptionally beautiful.

It is heavy, simple and ancient, symmetrical in form, and quite beautiful.

Before every major event was about to succeed, Chen Shao would always have a premonition.

This isn't some kind of mystical art; it's because he's poured his heart and soul into these things, so naturally he knows where he is and whether he's about to succeed.

Chen Shao was never one to simply wash his hands of things. Take this incident for example: after the bronze furnace exploded, he went to the workshop, sat down with the craftsmen, and brought along several officials whom he considered very intelligent.

Let's study and discuss together.

This may be the reason why he was able to succeed.

"Let's try out this machine!"

Chen Shao suddenly felt inspired and wanted to try it out.

At this moment, Chen Chong, who was standing by serving, was so frightened that he shook his head repeatedly. He knew about the explosion at the engineering college.

Injuring a few craftsmen was nothing to them.

But if His Majesty were injured, that would be a matter of utmost importance.

Jin Le'er, who always loved to play, advised, "Your Majesty, this is no joke. Let's forget about it."

Chen Shaodao said, "It's alright, this has been tested."

Chen Chong patted his chest and volunteered, "Your Majesty and the Third Consort, please go to a distance. This old servant will take care of it."

"Are you sure you can do it?" Chen Shao asked doubtfully.

Chen Chong, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, raised his voice, "Your Majesty, just you wait and see!"

Chen Shao put his arm around Jin Le'er and sat in the corridor.

Not far away, Chen Chong rolled up his sleeves, accompanied by several eunuchs, with some coal piled up beside him.

He raised his hand and spat, saying, "Kids, give it your all, don't slack off, His Majesty is watching from over there."

The eunuchs began to shout, and with their movements, the bronze furnace slowly emitted a piercing sound.

Everyone knew it was coming, and from Chen Chong down, everyone was a little scared.

After a series of clicking sounds, water suddenly began to spray in the Imperial Garden, like a gentle rain from heaven.

Chen Shao stood up, and Jin Le'er clapped and cheered. Chen Chong and the eunuchs were soaked to the bone, but they all burst into laughter.

Looking at their appearance, Chen Shao knew that a brand new era for him had arrived.
-
Bingjin Ferry.

The military camp was well-arranged and quite impressive. However, people came and went in a constant stream.

Merchants who come to this place to trade often bring supplies to support the troops, and some even offer bribes.

After all, in a place like this, the protection of the Great Jing Navy is necessary.

Guo Hao has been stationed here, responsible for contacting the Ping clan and helping them achieve independence as soon as possible.

The relationship between the Ping family and the Song Dynasty has always been good, especially with Song merchants.

Later, when the Great Jing replaced the Great Song, they immediately jumped on the Great Jing's bandwagon.

Since Liu Rengui of the Tang Dynasty taught Japan how to behave in the Battle of Baicun River, Japan has taken the Tang Dynasty as its teacher and sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty in an endless stream. For more than 600 years since then, Japan has always taken pride in admiring the Tang style, listening to the Tang music, and reciting Tang poetry.

This is a place that admires the strong.

The power of the Great Jing is even more evident than that of the Great Tang Dynasty; the people of Jing spontaneously demonstrate it without them needing to discover it.

The Taira clan is now stubbornly refusing to become independent, and their reason is quite bizarre: they claim to have received great favors from the Emperor for generations and are unwilling to betray them.

This is what it means to both take and establish.

Guo Hao looked at the messenger from the Ping family, his face now undisguisedly cold.

Kyushu Island has become independent, San'in Road has become independent, but I, who arrived the earliest, have yet to make any move.

What do you all think when I send this back?
What does His Majesty think?
Guo Hao knew he couldn't wait any longer; Ping Zhongsheng was simply not cut out for it.

He had been stationed here for a year and already had intelligence on the Taira clan.

After Taira no Tadamori returned from Kyoto, he seized all power in the Taira clan. His son, Taira no Kiyomori, was young but very mature.

Moreover, he follows his father's lead without question, so it's impossible for him to rebel.

Within the family, only Taira no Tadamori's younger brother, Taira no Tadamori, has the ability to replace him.

Taira no Tadamasa was also a core member of the Ise-Taira clan. As he was not the eldest son, he did not inherit the headship of the clan and his status within the family was lower than that of his elder brother, Tadamori. He was often resentful. (According to The Tale of the Heike, he was "of a fierce nature and often claimed that his talents were no less than his brother's.")
Because he was appointed governor of Aki, his territory was of great importance, guarding the key points of the Seto Inland Sea;
Aki has silver mines and a good harbor, which can be used to recruit naval forces and forge weapons;

With convenient access to Okage, merchant ships frequently dock at Tomonoura in Aki Province.

Guo Hao grew irritated as Ping Jiazhen, the disciple sent by the Ping family, continued his incessant chatter.

"Enough!" Guo Hao waved his hand and said, "Get out, I already know."

Taira no Sadako was terrified, fearing he would fail to complete the mission. He was an illegitimate son and did not have his own territory, so his status was not high.

This was my first time going out to carry out a clan mission, and I didn't expect to be scolded like this.

Seeing that he was standing still, several guards stepped forward, helped him up, and took him away.

After he left, Guo Hao said to his subordinates, "We can't wait any longer! There are independence movements everywhere. This is His Majesty's decree. We arrived the earliest, but the Ping family only thinks about their own interests and ignores our requests. It seems we need to replace them."

For Tadamori Taira, his approach was not wrong; the longer he dragged it out, the better.

If they were to declare independence at this point and then attempt to expand their territory, that would be considered an act of aggression.

Under the banner of Kyoto, and in the name of the Emperor, expanding one's power to a sufficient extent before becoming independent is the optimal solution.

Now that rioters are roaming everywhere and I have troops at my disposal, I can use this as a pretext to expand.

Ping Zhongsheng thought he was right, but he misjudged Jing Jun's attitude.

You want to expand? The brothers are waiting to make a name for themselves, what's going on with you not making any moves?

Your interests, Ping clan, are greater than our military achievements, aren't they?

After Guo Hao finished speaking, his subordinates were in a frenzy, as they had long disliked Ping Zhongsheng.

Do you really think we've come all this way to help the Ping family rise to power?

"General, give the order!"

Guo Hao said with a smile, "Don't rush to take action. Let's choose someone to replace Taira no Tadamori first."

"Yes, this time we'll choose someone who's obedient."

Soldiers are very familiar with these things; they are the soldiers of today, who have experienced the weakening of the Song Dynasty.

If it were during the Five Dynasties period, and you, Taira no Tadamori, didn't take the soldiers' affairs seriously, you could have been beheaded that very day.

Guo Hao knew that conquering the Taira clan of Japan was a crucial step in His Majesty's plan.

Now that I'm making such a big move, shouldn't I ask for permission first?
He hesitated for a moment, but decided not to ask for permission, lest things get complicated.

I have already given Tadamori Taira too many chances, but he himself refused to cooperate.

As for his younger brother, Taira no Tadashi, it would be best if he were willing to cooperate with him; otherwise, he would choose someone else.

Regardless of your own strength, with the support of the Great Jing, you can quickly rise to prominence in this land. (End of Chapter)