You have truly caused me great suffering!

February of the third year of Jianwu.

Some officials in the court petitioned to change the reign title, but Chen Shao refused.

People then began to speculate that His Majesty would resort to force.

At this time, people are not afraid of fighting, but when they look around, they do not see any enemies.

In fact, the recent victories have already raised many questions.

Tsukushi, Iwami, and Ise Province are one thing, but even though we're not familiar with them, we at least know they're Japan, located across the sea.

People know that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a group of Japanese who frequently crossed the sea to the west, and our Great Jing is now mining gold and silver there.

As for Bagan, Lan Xang, Srivijaya, Kasikorn, Luzon, and the Kingdom of Kude, I had never even heard of them.

The imperial court defeats this one today and that one tomorrow, but the troops it sends are not from the Central Plains, and no news comes back.

Some busybodies have already come to believe that the imperial court is exaggerating its military achievements, and they inevitably start gossiping about the country during their leisure time.

It wasn't until ship after ship of spoils and copper ore were brought back that everyone realized it was true.

But people are still somewhat unfamiliar with this kind of unseen great victory.

It wasn't until news came from the Northwest that the troops in the Hetao region had moved that the whole country was excited.

Hatred for the Tartars in the north is etched in their blood.

The official gazette described the spring campaign in great detail, showing no fear that the northern barbarians would know their battle plans.

Spring pruning is unavoidable unless you are willing to abandon pregnant women and pregnant livestock.

If you really give up and don't fight to protect them, then even without the spring raids next year, your tribe may not be able to survive.

Moreover, once the spring campaign begins, it won't just last a year or two. The imperial court can afford to support it now, and is even more willing to do so. Furthermore, the spring campaign can also bring back countless cattle, horses, and other livestock.

The troops in the Hetao region were recruited by Yue Fei and trained for a full year and a half.

By the third year of Jianwu, the Dingnan Army, which had been established at the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, had been basically settled.

The first batch of soldiers who were demobilized and given land in fertile areas have settled down for three to five years.

After the Jin dynasty was destroyed, the land that was distributed to the people was not the fertile lands of Liangzhe, Jiangnan, or Huguang, but the land area was large.

Those who guard Liaodong often have estates of several thousand acres.

The veterans of Dingnan were discharged and given land; would the new recruits of Dajing still be able to fight? Would this guy named Yue Fei be up to the task? Everyone was watching with bated breath.

Jin Ling rode his horse, accompanied by several guards, to the Tangshan Imperial Palace.

Shortly after the report was submitted, someone came to greet them.

He had a good relationship with several senior eunuchs in the Inner Palace, and every time he sent something to the three imperial concubines, he would share some with the palace maids and eunuchs.

Chen Chong smiled and bowed to him. Jin Ling laughed and said, "This is truly a wonderful place. It's just right for His Majesty to rest here. I wonder how he's feeling today?"

“His Majesty’s mood naturally improved after seeing Prince Xun.” Chen Chong wasn’t stupid; why would he discuss the emperor’s moods with an outsider?

Jin Ling chuckled, pointed at him and wagged her finger, then strode inside.

"His Majesty!"

"Old Zhu." Chen Shao looked up from his desk. These past few days, Yue Fei and Li Gang had been busy preparing for the spring harvest, and he had been working hard again.

"sit."

A young eunuch brought over a chair, and Jin Ling, without any formalities, sat down and asked, "Your Majesty summoned me here. What are your orders?"

"After this spring campaign, what do you think the tribes in the southern desert will think?"

Jin Ling was silent for a moment, then said, "They will most likely be filled with worry and fear."

Chen Shao nodded slightly; it was impossible for them not to be afraid.

The various nomadic tribes of the northern deserts could still flee further north or west.

The various nomadic tribes south of the Gobi Desert were completely within the encirclement, with no way to avoid it.

Especially after the city of Baidao was built, it was impossible to lead the people over Yinshan Mountain.
That means they didn't need anyone to kill them; it's like committing suicide first.

Jin Ling hesitated, feeling that His Majesty was good in every way, except that he was sometimes too soft-hearted.

If you're soft-hearted when dealing with the Tatar barbarians, they won't be grateful.

People there don't have enough to eat, and a large number of people starve to death every year. Do you expect people like that to be grateful?

No matter who someone is, if they are starving and at risk of dying every day, they will stop at nothing to rob anyone around them who can be robbed.

Chen Shao does have moments of weakness, but that's definitely not towards the Tatars of the desert.

At that moment, he was thinking about how to completely eliminate this group of people.
If we simply send Yue Fei or Li Gang to do it, I'm afraid the Tatars, especially the tribal chiefs and nobles, won't feel at ease.

Even those who wanted to submit to the Central Plains and become wealthy men in the Northwest or even the Central Plains had to worry that they would be discarded after handing over their tribes.

The King Xun Jinling before them was a king from a different race.

His presence would likely be more convincing.

Jin Ling was formerly a chieftain of the Hengshan Qiang people. Hengshan is not far from the desert. When the Western Xia attacked the mixed Hu people in the south of the desert, they must have led the Hengshan Qiang people there.

Chen Shao wanted them to know that after surrendering, they could not only settle down but also take root in the Central Plains.

They could even be granted the title of king for their military achievements.

The most important point in fighting the various nomadic tribes in the desert is to divide and conquer them, as has been the case since ancient times.

The nomadic tribes of the desert were neither Jurchen nor Japanese.

They first had a huge base, and a great many warriors.

Throughout history, the most successful emperors of the Central Plains in subduing these barbarians were perhaps Yang Jian and Li Shimin.

They all employed the same strategy devised by the same person: Changsun Sheng, Li Shimin's father-in-law, who advocated "befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, and separating the strong from the weak." Among these strategies, division was the most crucial element.

Chen Shao planned to at least have several tribes in southern Mongolia that were highly Sinicized and heavily reliant on the tea-horse trade migrate south and annex the region, thus abolishing the tribal system.

This will give hope to the people of other tribes. They will know that as long as their ambitious chieftains who refuse to submit are killed, everyone can have enough to eat and their descendants can live a peaceful life.

At this point, Jin Ling's persuasiveness became overwhelming. Not only had he been granted the title of king, but his family also held one of the ten official concubines of the current emperor.

This is actually quite convincing, and nomadic peoples value this. Often, a royal woman can gain their trust through marriage.

"Would it be better if you went?" Chen Shao asked.

Jin Ling was very quick-witted; he understood it after a little thought.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will personally go and ensure they all surrender. Those who remain obstinate will be beheaded and brought before me!"

He was also filled with emotion; His Majesty truly did not doubt his old subordinates.

Given my status, which dynasty or era would dare to send me to fight on the frontier?

The founding war of the Great Jing Dynasty, and the legitimate legal principles of the Great Jing Dynasty, were aimed at destroying the Jin Dynasty.

In the war to destroy the Jin dynasty, his military achievements, while not necessarily the best in their class, were actually quite close.

Old Zhu readily agreed, saying that he was still young and energetic and that it wouldn't hurt for him to go on this trip.

"I will go and see my granddaughter for a moment, then return to the manor to prepare."

Chen Shao laughed and said, "There's no rush. Let's finish this year's spring pruning first."

Jin Ling gasped inwardly. What did this mean?
Thinking more deeply about what His Majesty said, I would only be sent there when the spring campaign was over and the southern desert was to be conquered.

In other words, this division has nothing to do with the northern desert.

This means completely abandoning the northern desert region, intending to exterminate them and not give them a chance to surrender.

Jin Ling thought to herself that she had just thought His Majesty was too soft-hearted, but now she realized that she still didn't understand His Majesty at all.

It seems that the events in Honghe and Dongying were not entirely Wu Jie and Guo Hao's own decisions.

Old Zhu got up and went to see his granddaughter with great joy.

Jin Mo'er gave birth to a daughter who was exquisitely beautiful, and Chen Shao was particularly fond of her.

You can tell how much he doted on her just from her name. Because her mother's surname was Jin and she was an imperial princess, Chen Shao personally named her 'Chen Jinzhi'. The name is very straightforward, meaning "golden branch and jade leaf".
-
After the army crossed the Gaoque Pass, dozens of miles to the northwest, there was a narrow and unnamed gorge between two opposing peaks. The pass was narrow and overgrown with tall grass, making it quite desolate. Only a shallow stream flowed through the gorge, bringing a bit of life to the place.

As the warm spring sun shines down, the cold and dark mountain gorge is bathed in a gentle golden light, instantly brightening the entire valley. If viewed from above, one would be surprised to find that the once sparsely populated gorge is now teeming with people.

These people numbered thirty, and although their numbers were small, each one of them was extremely energetic.

Under the blazing sun, some people were starting fires, while others were galloping on horseback, gathering information.

Anyone familiar with the military system of the Great Jing Dynasty would be able to tell at a glance that this is a scout squad.

They arrived here early to gather information about the Ongud tribe, and have been staying in this godforsaken place for a month and a half.

Some returning scouts slept soundly in sheltered mountain hollows, their warhorses being tended by others.

Yang Zaixing lazily rolled over. The midday sun shone on him, warm and comforting, arousing certain parts of his body. He reached down and scratched his crotch, muttering a few crude curses that only he could understand, preparing to have a few hundred more rounds of battle with several young women in his dream.

"Get up, all of you, get up!"

After a low command, the scouts awoke with a start. Yang Zaixing sprang to his feet, grabbed his waist knife, and shouted to his left and right, "The Tartars are attacking!"

Yang Zaixing was a newly promoted young general by Yue Fei. Because of his bravery in battle, he was assigned to the most elite cavalry battalion in the army.

“No way, the brothers on guard duty at the valley entrance haven’t sent any messages.” A soldier next to him was equally puzzled.

"Our army is coming!"

"They're finally here!" Everyone was moved to tears. Let's get this fighting started; they've really had enough of being here.

On the desolate and vast grassland, more than a hundred large vehicles, escorted by a troop of soldiers, drove in a long, winding procession.

The Great Jing army is now so arrogant that its supply corps often acts as the vanguard, building roads and bridges without fear of being ambushed or attacked.

Once they reached the vicinity of the battlefield, the supply train would stop advancing and instead set up camp there as a rear base, distributing food to each squad.

Based on the food they carried and the spoils they had plundered, the soldiers determined how many days they could last before returning to replenish their supplies.

If you had Huo Qubing's abilities, you could keep robbing and killing, that would be fine too.

The escorting soldiers of this supply train numbered around a thousand, all of them clad in armor, wearing the red and blue battle jackets commonly seen in the Jing army, and carrying very fine weapons.

Because this spring campaign was a field battle, the artillery battalion did not come.

All soldiers were equipped with two horses each, taking turns riding them. The spare horse could also carry supplies.

"Look at these grain station officials! Their faces are all greasy, their cheeks bulging like steamed buns. Unlike us brothers, who are exposed to the sun and rain, gnawing on hard rice, our bones are almost worn through!"

Yang Zaixing nudged him with his elbow and laughed, "Why don't you go and switch with him?"

His companion chuckled twice, and he just complained a few times. If it really came down to a change, he would be the first to disagree.

In the present day, military merit is the most precious thing. Although their supply troops are easy to manage, they can hardly obtain military merit.

The scout battalion was the easiest place to accumulate military merits.

At such a young age, instead of enjoying this blessing, you should hurry up and earn some military merit; that's when life will be truly comfortable!
Yang Zaixing rummaged in his crotch, adjusted himself, and said with great enthusiasm, "Have you heard? That Alawusi from the Wanggu tribe has just married a Merkit woman! Tsk tsk, I heard that she was originally taken by Yesugei, then snatched away by Tuoheituo'a, passed through three or four families, and now she's in his hands—such a sought-after woman must be a real stunner!"

"Hahahaha! You scoundrel, you have no idea! The Merkits live in the harsh, cold north, riding horses and hunting all day long, exposed to the wind and sun. The women there have hips as wide as cartwheels and waists as thick as buckets! I saw one at Yanmen Pass—her buttocks were bigger than the millstone in your Yang Zaixing's mill! If she really sat on you, one shove and her intestines would spill out! You call that 'powerful'? You'd probably lose your life!"

Yang Zaixing licked his chapped lips, his young face slightly blank.

He then thought of the millstone at the threshing ground in his hometown village and scratched his head with a lingering fear.

"Is it really that big?" (End of Chapter)