You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chenla, Angkor Thom.

As Jing Jun watched the group of people emerge from the city, his expression grew increasingly cold.

The envoys who were dispatched were there with the mindset of going to their deaths.

During this period, they have been sending messengers to tell Jing Jun that all the murderers who massacred the mine have been executed.

Please ask the Jing army to temporarily withdraw their troops, or to make way for your envoy to go to Jinling and apologize to the Emperor of the Great Jing.

Moreover, to show his sincerity, Suryavarman II was willing to send his own nephew, Daranavarman, to Nanjing.

It wasn't that he didn't want to send his son, but rather that he had no son.
This kid fantasizes all day about being Vishnu and has no interest in mortal women, which is the exact opposite of Emperor Jing of the Great Jing, who believed that having many children brings good fortune.

The Jing army, who had originally wanted to hear what he was up to and whether he could open the city gates himself, shot the messenger into a pincushion upon hearing that he was going to surrender in Jinling. They also reported that five enemy soldiers had attacked the camp but had been repelled.

The two groups besieged Angkor Thom but did not attack it; instead, they continued to attack the outer perimeter of Cambodia.

Jingjun's camp was meticulously arranged, occupying all the intersections and densely populating scouts and spies.

Unless people from the city fly over from the mountaintop, there is no way to get the message out.

In the forests west of Angkor Thom, a Khmer soldier sat on a tree trunk, lazily watching the Zhenla people below. Seeing his furtive behavior, the soldier couldn't help but cough.

He didn't care whether his men understood him or not, he just cursed, "You scoundrel, get back!"

The Zhenla people were taken aback and scrambled backward in panic.

In fact, even if he were to escape the layers of encirclement outside Angkor Thom at this point, it would be of no use, as everything beyond that point had been occupied by the Jing army.

Jingjun is different from the previous conquerors here.

They know all too well how to take over territory, rather than just indiscriminately slaughtering and destroying.

After conquering territory, the Jing army would either occupy strategic passes, build cities, or construct fortresses. Then they would connect roads to control transportation and divide the territory.

These tasks are all guided by professionals who observe the terrain, survey the land, and adapt to local conditions.

Following the boundless expansion of Jianyili's territory, Zhenla also became a behemoth, with everything around it becoming 'Zhenla territory'.

Anyway, we don't speak the same language, so if you say you're not from Zhenla, I won't understand.

Moreover, in Jingjun's eyes, you all look the same, dark-skinned and thin, if you're not Zhenla, then who is?

At this time, the Yunnan army had already reached Bagan.

It would be quite ironic to say they didn't know the Bagan Dynasty, as the two countries had frequent interactions before Dali became part of China.

Gao Shunzhen still has a letter written to him by the King of Bagan.

Dali is a land of wondrous fragrance and a small holy land of Buddhism, while the Bagan Dynasty was also a devout Buddhist.

The two sides exchanged envoys on multiple occasions, exchanging Buddhist scriptures, white elephants, and rhinoceros horns.

People-to-people exchanges became more frequent, and caravans traveled back and forth along the border in an endless stream.

However, in recent years, before the rise of Dajing, the Bagan Dynasty took the opportunity to invade Dali due to friction between Jiaozhi and Dali.

This is stabbing someone in the back; it's even more hateful than a blood feud.

Now that they have the opportunity to teach them a lesson, the Dali soldiers will naturally not hold back.

The relationship between Bagan and Dhồng was rather strained; they had never even paid tribute to each other, which was considered a serious offense by the Dhồng rulers and their ministers.

If you don't pay tribute and I don't bestow titles upon you, then theoretically your rule over the area is illegal.

Because in the legal system of the Central Plains, all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people within the borders are his subjects.

If you say you have a kingdom here
Then I ask you, how do you plan to establish your own kingdom on my land?
Wu Lin's troops, who had marched from Champa, had already reached Halipunchai, which is the later Chiang Mai.

The arrival of this cool season was a devastating blow to them.

In the past, this time of year was the most comfortable season in the Indochina Peninsula, but now people can only hide in the city and shiver.

Jingjun continued to expand, especially against the Wuman, Champa, and Annam troops, who fought with the most vigor.

Chen Shao in the Funing Palace ignored the military affairs of the Southern Wilderness, only focusing on allocating funds and sending officials.

Thousands of miles away, how could I possibly distinguish them? It was entirely up to the soldiers on the front lines to discern them.

If you claim you are innocent, then why don't you send someone to Jinling to explain things to me?

While the fighting raged on the outskirts, Angkor Thom was completely surrounded but not attacked, and the city refused all negotiations.

Suryavarman II was helpless and could only pray to the gods and Buddhas day and night in the unfinished temple.

It is hoped that Vishnu will descend and sink the entire world of Gandhara into the sea.

However, the biggest problem at the moment is the shortage of food. In order to build the temple, which later became Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom gathered artisans from all over the country and recruited a large number of laborers.

With the city now surrounded and food unable to get in, nearly 200,000 people are crammed into the city, struggling to find food and drink.

Especially the laborers, whose homes are not here, have not a single grain of food stored up.

If the Zhenla court doesn't provide food, they'll go hungry three times a day.

Jingjun reached the vicinity of Angkor Thom in September and had been besieging it for two months.

The situation was precarious; people were defecting every day, and people were starving to death every day.

The Zhenla court had completely lost its authority and was unable to control the people. It could only hide in the imperial city, while the outer city had fallen into endless chaos.

From initially seizing people and land, the Jing army now nominally governs the area, and according to the laws of the Great Jing, everyone in this place is a citizen of the Great Jing.

Therefore, those who escape will be registered locally and become citizens of Dajingyun South Road and An'nan Road.

Those who escaped from the North Gate were the residents of Yunnan Road; those who escaped from the South Gate and East Gate were the residents of An'nan Road.

From now on, we'll all be one family, and we'll all have a bright future. You'll have to cultivate all this land, and someone will have to work in the mines here.

When an army comes to conquer a piece of land, it generally does not engage in large-scale killings.

Because in the future, everyone here will be their wealth.

If occupying a piece of land doesn't create value, are you going to do the work yourself?
In fact, ever since the imperial court issued an edict dividing Zhenla in two, with Yunnan Road and Annam Road dividing it up, both sides have been secretly vying for people.

No matter where you're from, whoever grabs it first gets to keep it.

In the chaos of war-torn Zhenla, the people were like duckweed, drifting aimlessly with the changing tides of the world.

They will only be able to settle down when things stabilize here.

The people in these places have gotten used to it, because even if the great spectacle doesn't come, their lives aren't necessarily any better.

Forced to come to the capital to build temples for the king, their lives were no different from those of slaves. Not only were they exhausted from working, but they were also frequently whipped, and the food was pitifully scarce. Countless people starved or died of exhaustion in the temples.

The Zhenla Kingdom implemented a "labor service system," requiring farmers to perform several months of labor service each year. Numerous remains of teenagers and young adults were discovered in the surrounding tombs, with bone ages indicating long-term heavy-duty strain and some showing signs of malnutrition (such as enamel hypoplasia).

The laborers had to move huge stones (some of the stones in Angkor Wat weigh up to 1.5 tons), quarry sandstone, and carve bas-reliefs;
Their diet consisted solely of rationed rice, resulting in a severe protein deficiency.

Moreover, in the hot and humid tropical environment, doing such high-intensity work leads to a high mortality rate due to physical exhaustion.

Furthermore, tropical diseases were rampant, and Angkor Thom was located in an area with a high incidence of malaria, dengue fever, and cholera; the construction site had poor sanitation conditions and water sources were easily polluted; there was no effective medical care, and minor illnesses often led to death.

According to later scholars, even the most conservative estimate is that 100,000 laborers died.

How many people does Zhenla have?
Many of these were prisoners of war captured during their period of national strength and frequent wars with neighboring countries.

Historically, this dilapidated temple took thirty-five years to build, spanning the entire reign of Suryavarman II, and has now been under repair for sixteen years.

Given Chen Shao's personality, he wouldn't create any wonders in Dajing, let alone in Zhenla.

Most of the Angkor Wats will not be seen in later generations.

With the manpower of 100,000, why not do something useful on their own? Wouldn't it be better to build a port and city in the local area?

Currently, Dajing is severely lacking in manpower, and Liaodong still has to rely on laborers from Goryeo. The people of Nanhuang are hardly comparable to the laborers from Goryeo.

In terms of farming alone, the people of Goryeo were probably among the most skilled farmers outside of the Central Plains.

However, the southern wilderness, especially the Indochina Peninsula, has enormous agricultural potential. It boasts 206 million square kilometers of fertile land, 7.2 million mu of arable land, abundant sunshine and heat throughout the year, a dense network of waterways, and excellent natural endowments.

The rice here can ripen three times a year.

If we could bring over the advanced technologies from the Central Plains Agricultural Bureau, this place would be even more productive than Jiangnan, enough to become the granary of Dajing.

This place, connected to the Central Plains, has failed to develop; it can only be said that it benefited from the influence of various religions.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Central Plains only controlled northern Vietnam. Funan (the predecessor of Cambodia) had already adopted Indian culture by then, so it was essentially rendered useless.
During the Tang Dynasty, the actions of the corrupt official Yang Guozhong allowed the Nanzhao Kingdom to rise to power, severing the land route between the Central Plains and Southeast Asia. The Tang Dynasty was known for its pioneering spirit and strong Tang influence, but at its peak, the An Lushan Rebellion struck.
After the Song Dynasty, the Maritime Silk Road flourished, but the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties all emphasized coastal defense and neglected cultural export, and Islamic civilization had already entered the Malay Archipelago.

By the time the Yuan Dynasty attempted to conquer the south in the 13th century, the kingdoms of the Indochina Peninsula (Bagan, Angkor, Sukhothai) had already formed mature Indianized state systems, making it difficult for Confucianism to be introduced.

This is certainly a pity for the Central Plains, but for these small countries in the Indochina Peninsula, it represents a missed opportunity.

Which country that was influenced by the Central Plains culture did not rise to prominence in later generations?

And these small Southeast Asian countries that have become Indianized are more and more abstract than the last.

Suryavarman II was a powerful king. He did not think about how to use the country's strength to build water conservancy projects, construct warehouses, reorganize the army, seize more land, and annex surrounding small countries.

Instead, they used the entire nation's resources to build some rubbish temple to Vishnu.

Since they are not influenced by the Central Plains, they will not have a unified consciousness.

Korea and Japan are also islands, but they do not allow independent kingdoms to exist.

Regardless of a country's strength or weakness, all countries strive for unification and have zero tolerance for acts of division.

Jiaozhi (Vietnam) was even more aggressive, seemingly intent on reclaiming the entire Indochina Peninsula, an ambition that persisted until the Sino-Vietnamese War in later generations.
-
Grand View, Funing Hall.

Winter had already arrived in Jinling, and light snow was falling outside the palace.

The air inside the hall was filled with the aroma of tea.

The emperor and his ministers, each holding a cup of hot tea, sat in the palace and chatted happily.

This year has been a bumper year, and everyone has delivered a satisfactory result.

The national treasury became increasingly full, and no major disasters occurred in various regions.

People generally felt that with the ascension of the wise and enlightened emperor, the irregularity of the four seasons would become a thing of the past.

Even Chen Shao shared this optimistic view.

Moreover, this year they pacified the desert, established Baidao City, and built more than twenty winter camp cities along the border.

Previously, it was the Tea Horse Road trade, an open trade system; now it's domestic trade.

Liu Jizu and others, recognizing the enormous profit potential of the trade in Dongying City, have petitioned to implement the salt, iron, and coal model.

They changed it to direct government operation, thus reaping huge profits.

Chen Shao adopted half of the measures, monopolizing three strategic resources: salt, iron, and coal.

However, opening up the market to meat, fur, and dairy products will benefit the people.

The reason for making salt, iron, and coal state-run was that the grasslands had only recently been subdued, and Chen Shao feared that if salt and iron were deregulated, they would develop too quickly and ambitious Tartars might use this as an excuse to rebel against the court and cause a rebellion in the desert.

You can live a good life, but you can't be too powerful. Salt, iron, and coal are all important strategic resources, which are nooses around their necks.

I can choose not to use a leash, but I cannot be without the means to use one at any time.

Once this model stabilizes in the future, Chen Shao might loosen restrictions again, but not now.

The achievements in the north are great, but those in the south are even more remarkable.

In just one year, the fifth year of Jianwu, Dajing successively established fortresses and strongholds such as Songtaiwei, Da Nang, Saigon, and Longyamen along the southern coast, set up envoy cities, and began preparations for the establishment of three major prefectures.

One city after another rose from the ground, an achievement never before accomplished.

"Everyone has worked hard this year," Chen Shao said, raising his glass. "Let's have a drink with tea instead of wine!"

The ministers all smiled and echoed the sentiment, raising their cups and sipping their tea.

This is the finest Wuyi Mountain black tea, something that money can't buy. It's truly remarkable that Your Majesty would share it with everyone.

In fact, being an emperor is just like being a celebrity. As long as people like you and your achievements are impressive, then everything you do is a virtue.

If Zhao Ji (Emperor Huizong) had done the same thing, everyone would have thought that the emperor was extravagant and incompetent.

Chen Shao only hinted at wanting to participate in the talent show, and he was immediately praised to the skies, being called:

"The Way of Heaven has Yin and Yang; the ruler is aligned with Heaven and Earth."

"The selection of virtuous women is not for pleasure, but rather a plan for ensuring the prosperity of the ancestral temple!"

"Your Majesty is ensuring the continuation of the imperial line and the preparation of sacrificial rites. Now, Your Majesty is following the system of the Zhou kings, carefully selecting virtuous women, truly desiring to restore the grandeur of ancient rites! Even Emperor Wen of Han, though frugal, established Lady Shen as his consort; Emperor Guangwu, after the restoration of the Han dynasty, still took Empress Guo as his concubine. The actions of wise rulers are all deeply meaningful."

"Your Majesty is endowed with divine grace and your virtue extends throughout the land. Wherever your blessings reach, even the grass and trees flourish in spring. Now, I gather fragrant herbs in the secluded valley and remove thorny hairpins from the humble gate, not for my own desires, but truly to ensure that all women in the world may receive Your Majesty's grace and know the dignity of womanhood!"

Each sentence made Chen Shao feel dizzy, as if he had done something amazing.

The enthusiasm of his ministers was unprecedented; it was estimated that they would begin the election process after the New Year. (End of Chapter)