You have truly caused me great suffering!

"You want me to betray my brother!"

Pingzhong was furious. He tore the letter in his hand to shreds and got up to talk to his brother.

Jing Jun's envoy, Wei Tao, looked at him coldly.

Wei Tao was eight feet tall, a burly man from Guanzhong, and a former member of the Zhe family army.

During the second Northern Expedition of the Zhe family, he contributed troops and resources. It was during that time that he participated in the Battle of Baigou River, pursuing and killing the Jurchen Tartars.

He then followed Zhang Shuye to recapture Liaoyang Prefecture, then stationed in Goryeo, and later followed Guo Hao to Japan.

As the head of a small squad, he only had about ten men under his command, but this time he came to deliver a message because he did not actually hope that Ping Zhongzheng would agree.

He hoped that Taira no Tadashi would vehemently oppose it, preferably by spewing a few insults, to give him room to maneuver.

He preferred to send troops directly rather than support the independence of a small country ruled by the Ping clan.

That would mean countless battles to be fought.

As for the cost of subsequent governance, it was not within his consideration. He was not in a position to concern himself with politics; his greatest hope now was to have a battle to fight.

Feeling his gaze, Ping Zhongzheng turned around and immediately felt a chill run down his spine; his anger had long since vanished without a trace.

The way this person looked at me was as if I were a dead person.

Damn!

Ping Zhongzheng was furious. Why was this Jingren so arrogant!
Wei Tao, fully armored, stood there, and in Ping Zhongzheng's eyes, he looked like a mountain.

Just seeing these soldiers made the Japanese tremble.

Because he considered them allies, Taira no Tadamasa revealed his anger and forgot his sense of awe.

As he calmed down, he became increasingly afraid. He had considered them allies, but in their eyes, the relationship between the two sides might not have been an alliance.

Let alone himself, his elder brother, as the head of the Ping clan, held so much land and people in his hands. If he were to disobey even slightly, they would choose him to deal with his brother.

"Let me think about it."

Wei Tao nodded his chin and walked out of the room, which seemed rather low to him.

Before Wei Tao left, several of his men even gave Ping Zhongzheng a provocative look, their gazes like knives etched into his heart.

Ping Zhongzheng collapsed to the ground, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

After Wei Tao came out, his subordinate Xin Jing arrogantly said, "Why don't we kill him and stir up trouble?"

Before Wei Tao could speak, his other subordinates suddenly stopped in their tracks, looking eager to try.

Compared to other military units, the discipline of the Dingnan Army was indeed quite good.

However, they did not escape the era; it was only because of strict discipline that they did not do anything too outrageous.

It was impossible to expect them to absolutely obey orders. When Wu Jie conquered Jiaozhi, many things were done on the orders of his subordinate generals, and Wu Jie had no choice but to accept it silently.

For example, Wu Jie would never issue an order like Wang Xi to force the people of Jiaozhi in the Red River Plain to work as laborers, otherwise it would be a stain on his reputation.

Wei Tao stopped as well, his hand rubbing the hilt of his sword. After a moment, he slightly raised his eyelids, and everyone else looked at him nervously.

At this moment, Xin Jing lowered his voice again and whispered, "We were the only ones here today. Who knows what he said? He'll go back and say he's going to inform on us and even try to arrest us. We were forced to resist. As long as the brothers don't say anything, who will know if it's true or not?"

"Boss, let's do it!"

Wei Tao glanced at his eight men, all of whom were his trusted confidants. Their squad consisted of only thirteen soldiers, and they shared both glory and loss.

At this point, if you don't strive for military merit yourself, who will help you do so?
Once we kill this Taira no Tadamasa, how can things possibly end well?
Since the higher-ups won't start a war, let's help them start one!
Outside Ping Zhongzheng's manor, Wei Tao's facial muscles twitched, he wiped his eyelids, and his voice was very low.

"Xin Jing, Li Qi, you two stay at the gate. Kill the guards at the gate in fifty breaths and prepare the horses. The rest of you come back with me. Don't say a word, just get started."

After saying that, Wei Tao led the six men and turned to walk back.

At the door, they were greeted by the Taira clan's head merchant, Kobayakawa Kagetaka, who had seen them off and was still at home. He was in his fifties and had often dealt with Song merchants in his youth, essentially serving as Taira no Tadamasa's money bag. He bowed and smiled obsequiously, "Is there anything else you gentlemen need?"

"There's something important that General Guo instructed me to say to Ping Zhongzheng, but I've forgotten it."

"No problem, no problem, I'll take you there." Kobayakawa Kagetaka, having traveled between the Central Plains and Japan for many years, was well aware of the strength of Okage at this time, and deep down he dared not oppose these people.

He led the way with a smile, and when they arrived at the door, he bowed respectfully, almost at a ninety-degree angle.

Even though they were about to do something big, Wei Tao and the others were still somewhat surprised. How could these Japanese bend their backs like that? Their waists were so flexible.

"Master, Chief Wei of Jing Kingdom has returned with his men, saying that he had important matters to discuss with you but forgot to tell you."

Ping Zhongzheng quickly sat up straight, composed himself, and let out a long sigh, saying, "Come in."

The sliding wooden door opened, and after Wei Tao and the others entered, Ping Zhong was about to speak when suddenly there was a clanging sound. Wei Tao and his six men simultaneously drew their weapons and launched an attack.

Kobayakawa was terrified outside, sticking his butt out and too scared to get up.

In a flash, Wei Tao staggered forward, and the gleaming dagger in his hand plunged into his neck, blood spurting out.

The others then attacked the guards inside the room.

A scream startled the samurai outside, who drew their swords and rushed in.

Seeing Wei Tao chopping at his master's neck, seemingly intending to take his head, while Ping Zhongzheng was already beyond dead.

They charged forward like madmen.

Wei Tao had already torn off half of his military coat to wrap around the blood-soaked head, and shouted, "Retreat!"

Because they all came fully armored, the seven of them fought and retreated together, as if they were in an empty field.

At the entrance, the neighing of warhorses could be heard. Wei Tao and his men rushed to the entrance, mounted their horses in the stirrups, and were in their element.

Instead of leaving immediately, they circled around Ping Zhongzheng's manor, their bows and arrows wrapped with oil-soaked fire cloth, and shot them into the manor to set it ablaze.

After circling around a few times, it roared away, leaving behind a trail of flames soaring into the sky.

It was late autumn, the weather was dry, and the place was full of wooden buildings.

Once a fire starts, it will grow stronger and stronger.
-
In Guo Hao's camp, he looked at Wei Tao and the others with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"He's going to kill you?"

"If Biao Xia hadn't dodged quickly, he would have shot him through the throat!" Wei Tao raised his neck to show Guo Hao his wound.

The wound wasn't serious, but it was definitely a scrape.

Almost instantly, he figured out how to report it.

Could it be that Wei Tao's behavior was suspicious, leading to the suspicion that one of his subordinates had gone off on his own, thus causing the conflict between the two sides?

No matter what, he would still be guilty of failing to properly manage his subordinates.

They could only report it according to Wei Tao's account. Guo Hao was also getting excited at this moment; once the war started, its scale would be difficult to control.

The court's strategy was to win over the Taira clan, but when mistakes were made in its execution, they could only shift the blame onto the Taira clan themselves.

But the opportunity did indeed come.

But Wei Tao dared to act on his own initiative, putting himself in a position to provoke a war. They would benefit from it, and he couldn't even doubt him.

Guo Hao grew angrier and angrier, and suddenly turned around and kicked him hard in the leg.

Wei Tao stumbled and almost fell, but he quickly stood up, limped back to Guo Hao's side, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I am willing to be the vanguard, and go through fire and water for my lord!"

"roll!"

The core figure of the Taira clan was killed by his own subordinates, who then set the place on fire.

Guo Hao dared not delay and immediately began to make arrangements to prepare for the enemy.
-
The fire was extinguished after burning only a small portion of the manor, but a large crowd has gathered outside the manor where black smoke is still rising.

This was a completely unexpected disaster; no one could have predicted such a turn of events.

After the sudden upheaval, all the available samurai were drawn from the surrounding area, awaiting the patriarch's orders.

Upon seeing the arrival of Taira no Tadamori and his son Taira no Kiyomori, the leader of the group loudly ordered all the samurai to make way and kneel on one knee in salute.

At this moment, the father and son ignored him completely and walked straight inside with grim faces.

In the open space outside the manor, the corpses that had fallen at the gate and those that had survived the fire in the yard had been dragged out and placed together.

Beneath the corpses, the black blood had not yet congealed; each body had been stabbed in the throat or chest, dying swiftly and decisively.

Taira no Tadamori merely glanced at him, his anger intensifying considerably.

Upon entering the inner courtyard, the horrific scene inside was several times more devastating than the one outside!
Six or seven corpses were scattered throughout the inner courtyard. The second-floor railings were broken, and blood was splattered everywhere. Broken swords and arrows were strewn about.

The body of Taira no Tadashi had been cleaned up and placed to one side covered with a white cloth, which was stained red with blood.

When the white cloth was lifted, his younger brother's head was indeed cut off, which made his heart ache even more.

When Taira no Tadamori was twelve years old, he personally cut off the head of a prisoner under the guidance of his father.

But he never imagined that his brother would be beheaded.

Everyone looked at the patriarch and the young master beside him, whose face was pale and who was biting his lip.

The father and son stared at the corpse, saying nothing, only trembling slightly with anger.

They once thought that if they and Da Jing weren't friends, they were at least allies.

But they wanted to kill his brother to establish their authority simply because he had refused to immediately establish an independent nation.

"Father," Taira no Kiyomori's voice was somewhat suppressed.

Taira no Tadamori looked at his son without saying a word, wanting to hear his son's opinion.

"Father, you must be patient, you mustn't hit him."

Ping Zhongsheng breathed a sigh of relief. His son was not a fool; he knew how to be patient.

Having spent so many years lying low in Kyoto, Taira no Tadamori had long since realized one thing: when one's strength is insufficient, anger is a death warrant.

If we were to start a war with the Jing army at this time, even if it were just the Jing army at Bingjindu, we would not be able to defeat them.

What's more, they can mobilize a large army at any time.

“Send someone to Bingjindu to apologize, saying that Zhongzheng deserves to die, that he was blinded by ghosts and gods and did something excessive.”
-
In Jinling, Chen Shao looked at the report in his hand and, like Guo Hao, became suspicious.

In fact, it was possible for low-ranking military officers to act independently in every dynasty.

The interests of lower-ranking military officers may not align with those of higher-level decision-makers.

This is what is meant by "seeking credit and causing trouble" or "initiating conflict and claiming credit for others."

An Lushan lured and killed six chieftains who had submitted to the Hu people, all to gain military merit.

The military expenses of the Four Garrisons of Anxi relied on grants for "military achievements." A Tang army captain, seeking a reward, allowed his troops to plunder a pro-Tang Turgesh merchant caravan, falsely accusing them of "invasion." The Protectorate General reported that "the Turgesh were defeated, and two hundred were beheaded," for which the court bestowed upon him a thousand bolts of silk.

Finally, the Turgesh Khan sent an envoy to Chang'an to plead his case, and the matter was exposed. Emperor Xuanzong was furious, but only executed the junior officer and did not punish the commander.

Even in later generations, when the connection between the front lines and generals was closer and the central authority was greater, such things were still inevitable.

Chen Shao immediately realized that this matter could not be investigated further; the only option was to continue down the wrong path.

If this matter is made public, it will probably not serve as a warning to others, but will instead encourage countless people to imitate the crime.

After all, success is a great military achievement, but if you lose, you'll never admit it.

Wei Tao said that the other party attacked first. How can you prove that he disobeyed orders? Or is it that your own people cannot retaliate when the other party attacks?

These soldiers are definitely all saying the same thing: in this case, there is absolutely no evidence to say who started it.

Seeing his wistful sigh, Yuwen Xuzhong probably knew which memorial he had read, and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, this concerns the overseas garrison; you must think carefully before acting."

He wasn't afraid of what Chen Shao would do to Japan; he was afraid that Chen Shao would realize something was wrong and punish the lower-ranking military officers, which would be a major taboo.

Chen Shao was well aware that although he was the emperor and claimed to have the authority to rule, he still had to compromise on many things.

The Taira clan was a very important piece in his game, but at this point, the Taira clan could no longer be used.

They must be completely wiped out.

Because of the hatred that has developed between them, they can no longer act as their agents or compradors for Da Jing.

Supporting others in the Ping clan's territory would likely require twice the amount of money, food, and resources.

Chen Shao smiled and shook his head, saying, "Now we really have to fight. The Ping family cannot be allowed to live."

Yuwen Xu thought to himself, "This is only the beginning, and His Majesty is already somewhat dissatisfied."

Jing Jun is actually quite good.

Why did the Song army have the nickname "bandit convicts"?
When the army is out in the field, it is easier to control them, and sometimes it is indeed necessary to tacitly allow them to go their own way.

"Killing the Taira clan is not without its benefits. It can deter many powerful figures in Japan and ease tensions with Toba."

Jingguo's continued support for Tsukushi and Iwami has already broken the defenses of Toba and Fujiwara no Tadashi.

It's not time to completely break ties yet; we should at least wait until the mob storms into Kyoto.

Chen Shao returned to his desk, sat down, pondered for a moment, and then immediately picked up his pen.

He wrote a handwritten order to Guo Hao, with only one command: annihilate the Ping clan. (End of Chapter)