You have truly caused me great suffering!

A light rain began to fall again in Nanjing, the capital city. With a gust of wind, the fine rain moved in waves, as soft as willow branches.

Chen Shao couldn't help but recall the scene from last night. Shi Shi's waist was as soft as the autumn rain, and every time she gave him a good, satisfying feeling.

Officials arrived one after another, and it was a great blessing for them to work with a benevolent and approachable emperor.

Chen Shao even allowed them to bring a servant boy along, to hold an umbrella for them on the way, since many of the officials were not young.

Riding horses and carriages were forbidden in the palace; this was a matter of etiquette, and even Chen Shao himself was not allowed to do so.

He was unwilling to make things difficult for his ministers and had tried his best to simplify the formalities. On weekdays, he would discuss politics at regular times without having to kneel or bow.

Only during the grand court assembly do we all kneel together.

After the morning court session, several trusted ministers accompanied him to the Funing Hall to continue discussing state affairs.

Chen Shao found himself getting distracted more and more lately, perhaps because the system had largely taken shape and he no longer needed to think about and handle everything personally.

He also discovered that it's best for people not to be idle, otherwise they'll have a lot of strange ideas.

Most of these ideas are not very healthy.

Most people might just think about it and forget it, but Chen Shao is now the emperor; would he really do it?
Inside the spacious and tall imperial gate, everyone was solemnly discussing important military and political matters.

Chen Chong suddenly mentioned something about the palace: Chen Shao's eldest daughter, Princess Chen Xing'er, had reached the age for formal education.

The teachers who enlightened the children were naturally not someone they needed to worry about; the imperial court had specially selected officials for these positions.

However, we need to find a few daughters from official families to accompany the students in the palace, and ask the ministers to keep an eye out for recommendations.

Although it concerned Chen Shao's daughter, it was indeed the responsibility of the Inner Palace Secretariat, something Chen Shao himself was unaware of. He finally focused his attention, wanting to hear if they had any good candidates.

At this moment, Chen Shao recalled the story in Dream of the Red Chamber where Lin Ruhai found a tutor for Daiyu and Baochai wanted to enter the palace.

In fact, what Baochai wanted was just this kind of assignment, to serve the princess and accompany her in her studies.

Unfortunately, her brother killed someone, ruining his reputation and preventing her from being selected. What a poor girl.
The old eunuch Chen Chong smiled and chatted casually, but this was actually a serious matter of state affairs.

This time, everyone recommended girls from their own clans without regard to kinship, and several people simply recommended their own daughters. Very few people recommended girls from other families.

This matter is entirely beneficial, without any political risks, and it also allows one to get closer to His Majesty. In the future, one's daughter will have gained a strong ally and a good friend.

Han Shizhong was somewhat tempted; this was a good opportunity to get closer to His Majesty. His daughter was about the same age as the princess, but she was completely illiterate and had a mischievous nature, so he wanted to speak up but dared not.

Whether she reads books or not doesn't matter; if she's led astray and made unruly, then things will get really messy.

At this moment, Wang Xiaojie walked over from the wall, bent down and went around to the throne on the steps. He whispered something in Chen Shao's ear, and then placed some documents on the table.

Most of the officials who were presenting their reports glanced up, but didn't stop talking.

Chen Shao listened with great interest, then opened the memorials and documents in front of him to read.

The palace was quiet for a while, and many officials noticed the details on Chen Shao's side.

Chen Shao glanced through two memorials, one written by Yuwen Xuzhong and the other by Guo Hao. Suddenly, as if seeing something, Chen Shao shouted angrily, "Outrageous!"

Before the ministers could react, Chen Shao swept everything off the table, sending it flying down the steps with a "clatter," then stood up angrily and stormed off.

The hall was initially deathly silent, but as Chen Shao walked to a doorway at the back, he gradually heard a commotion of discussion behind him.

He walked outside, glanced at the rain in the sky, and couldn't decide where to go after he stormed off.

Remembering that Chen Xing'er needed a companion to accompany her to school, Chen Shao simply went to see his daughter at the Zhe family's place. Back then, Chen Shao and the Zhe family's affair was somewhat immoral. There was an apricot tree in the courtyard where they met in secret. Every time Chen Shao bumped into her and opened the window, he could see the apricot tree by the window, so he named his daughter Xing'er (meaning "apricot").

In fact, Chen Shao wasn't very angry, but he wanted to make an angry gesture to make his subsequent actions seem reasonable.

At that time, people had no prejudice against Japan, and this was true of all the officials in the court.

This won't do!

Now that they have angered their sovereign, they have a reason to do whatever they want, because when the sovereign is worried, the minister is disgraced; when the sovereign is disgraced, the minister dies. Angering the sovereign is a matter of utmost importance in the Central Plains.

As for those merchants who were killed, they received warnings but didn't leave, thinking they were now on the same side. Little did they know that those who are not of their own kind will surely have different intentions. You may think you are one family with the Japanese, but the Japanese will see you as a fool.

He died, so what? There's nothing to regret. He even gave himself a reason to escalate the situation, so he can be considered to have died a worthy death.

After Chen Shao left, Jin Ling picked up the memorial on the ground and looked at it for a while before finally spotting the one that reported the killing of a merchant from Dajing by Japanese samurai.

He glanced at the other officials and said, "His Majesty is about to use force."
-
The Taira warriors had no idea how much trouble they had caused.

They didn't even think they had done anything wrong.

The so-called samurai spirit created by the Taira clan for their rule was taken seriously by them.

That's the most tragic thing.

Because of their killing of Han merchants, Guo Hao no longer had any scruples.

As for Iwami Province and Tsukushi Province, they both offered to send troops to provide support, but Guo Hao sternly refused.

They even specifically assigned people to guard the only route for reinforcements from both countries, and to persuade them to retreat if they spotted any. They set up barricades, fortifications, and wooden fences to prevent anyone from passing.

We all fought for ten years to achieve this goal. We all know each other well. How can we share such a small amount of credit with others?

If we really divide it up, what's left? And when you founded your country, did you come to Jindu to invite me to share the spoils?
Before Guo Hao's team set off, everyone expressed that as long as they stopped the friendly forces, they would be awarded second-class merit and would definitely receive their due.

Yuwen Xuzhong also saw this and secretly found it amusing, but it also matched the history books he had read.

This was the state of the army during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

At this time, wherever Jing Jun went, under the guise of revenge, he began to cause destruction.

When the imperial edict arrived from Jinling, His Majesty was indeed furious, but he did not specify how many people would be killed.

He simply said that wherever he went, he would burn and trample all the fields, houses, and warehouses, and create a mob.

They either robbed the nobles or starved and froze to death.

In any case, the number of rioters on various islands in Japan was skyrocketing at this time, so it didn't matter if Ise Province was included.

At this time, news came that Taira no Tadamori had established a country at the Taira clan residence.

Guo Hao almost laughed in anger. "You didn't listen when I told you to establish a country, and now you want to establish one?"
late!

He completely ignored the news and continued his advance, capturing Suzuka Pass in just two days.

They were still eighty li away from the Ping family mansion. If this were in the Central Plains, they would have reached the city walls in less than a day and a night.

However, the roads here are extremely difficult to travel, and there are many mountains and rivers, as well as numerous ambush sites.

Guo Hao himself was not in a hurry, and marched slowly, destroying fields and houses and seizing grain and livestock along the way.

Beyond Suzuka Pass lies a narrow river valley, flanked by hills and dense forests, making it unsuitable for cavalry deployment.

Yuwen Xuzhong rode his horse alongside him, looking at the trees on both sides, and said, "Now that His Majesty has forbidden the felling of giant trees, I think the timber here will be of great use in the future!"

Guo Hao didn't listen attentively at all, feeling that this matter had little to do with him, a military general.

If he had just listened carefully, he would have known that a chance to make a fortune was right in front of him.

For ordinary people, every word spoken by a strategist like Yuwen Xuzhong, who has long been at the center of power, is as precious as gold.

After accompanying the army for these days, Yuwen Xuzhong roughly understood that Ise Province was considered one of the more prosperous territories in Japan.

The people who flee from here will form a new force that will attack temples and shrines in Kyoto and other parts of the country.

After leaving the valley, light snow began to fall. Fortunately, these soldiers had all fought in harsh and cold places.

Yuwen Xuzhong was quite cold, but in the end he didn't stubbornly insist on enduring it and went into a carriage with a stove.

At this moment, a troop of cavalry appeared on the flat ground, slowly advancing towards Guo Hao's central army.

Guo Hao knew their identities; they were from the nearby Ise Grand Shrine.

The Ise Grand Shrine is the highest holy site of Shintoism, with priests, shrine maidens, and many shrine monks residing there.

At this time, Shintoism was in its heyday of "the integration of gods and Buddhas," and had not yet formed an independent doctrinal system. Instead, it was deeply dependent on Buddhism and closely integrated with the imperial court's legal system and the manor economy.

The overall situation can be summarized as follows: Ise Grand Shrine is the spiritual core, large temples and shrines such as Enryaku-ji and Kofuku-ji are the actual controllers, and local shrines have become the private property of powerful clans.

In later Japanese films, the shrine maidens dressed in red and white are always seen sweeping the floor with a broom, which is actually quite accurate.

A thousand years ago, their duties included dancing and music, cleaning, and assisting in rituals. Of course, a thousand years ago, these true priestesses didn't suffer the same fates depicted in later adult films.
The man was in his thirties, wearing a strange hat, and looked very strong.

Upon reaching Guo Hao, the man on horseback said, "I am Arakida, the priest of Ise Grand Shrine."

His Mandarin wasn't very good; he spoke haltingly.

Before Guo Hao could speak, his personal guards shouted, "Dismount!"

Although the people at these shrines have no real power, they have always been respected and have never been scolded like this before.

His eyes flashed with anger, but remembering the menacing reputation of these people, he refrained from retaliating.

But he didn't dismount. Just as he was about to explain, one of Guo Hao's personal guards suddenly rode forward, bent down, and cut off his horse's leg.

Guo Hao not only did not stop them, but also held the reins and looked at them with a cold smile.

The people from Ise Grand Shrine came to plead for the Taira clan.

But His Majesty the Emperor has already given the order, and any pleading here is utter nonsense.

What kind of influence do you have that you expect me to defy an imperial decree for you? Don't even mention a Japanese person like you, not even my own father would do that!
Upon seeing this, the armed monks of Ise Grand Shrine dared not step forward. Although they were religiously fanatical, fear overcame their faith in the face of these Kage soldiers.

Guo Hao said to the palace guards who were lying on the ground covered in horse blood, "You had better come down and surrender, otherwise I will wipe out your temple. I, Guo Hao, will not allow an armed force to exist behind my army."

"I'm only giving you half a day!" (End of Chapter)