You have truly caused me great suffering!

When a team is on the rise, or even on a meteoric rise.

Internal conflicts can be largely ignored.

There's no time for infighting.

Take Dajing as an example.

After Chen Shao arrived in Yili, he found that they got along quite well.

As the saying goes, "Kings never meet."

The people here are all former commanders who once held their own, but on the surface they can still maintain the status quo of letting Meng Nuan take charge.

The others were mostly in their respective military camps, training their troops.

And they were very serious.

They studied the map of the Western Liao Dynasty repeatedly and gathered together to research it.

It felt as if we had suddenly returned to the time when we gathered our troops at Nuanquan Peak, preparing to march north to attack the Jin dynasty.

They are gathered together today, which is rare, because the emperor has arrived.

When the weather is freezing cold, the emperor's personal visit to Yili has an unparalleled effect on boosting morale.

Especially since this emperor was their long-time commander.

Before Chen Shao toured the country, he ordered that no one should welcome him, disturb the people, or waste money.

Those who were closer to the emperor were less likely to obey the rules.

Everything was going well until we reached Taiyuan in Hedong, when we couldn't stop.

Upon arriving in Fuzhou, the place seemed even more extravagant, being the hometown of Chen Shao.

When they arrived in Lingzhou, the facilities were top-notch.

Now that they have arrived in Yili, the various tribes, with their most elite troops, lined up to welcome them.

Banners covered the sky, halberds stood like a forest, and the sound of drums and horns resounded across the land.

Chen Shao looked at the grand display before him but said nothing. Several generals stepped forward, clasped their hands, and bowed to welcome him.

Chen Shao nodded and said only one sentence: "Let's discuss this in the tent!"

As the emperor emerged, the soldiers shouted "Long live the emperor!" Their voices mingled together, creating a truly exhilarating atmosphere.

Despite having seen many grand occasions, Chen Shao was still dizzy and disoriented in the midst of it all.

He gently raised his riding whip, gesturing to his soldiers, which drew even louder cheers.

Chen Shao looked around and saw that the elite knights were everywhere.

He couldn't help but say to Yuwen Xuzhong beside him, "With such troops under my command, what barbarian tribes can withstand me!"

Yuwen Xuzhong was actually no better off than Chen Shao, and was also enjoying himself. Upon hearing this, he quickly said, "The generals and soldiers of the Great Jing have roamed the world, all thanks to the divine martial prowess of the Holy Emperor."

Although he was not very old, he had always been a very mature person, and even he was shaken and unable to control himself in the face of such a scene.

Jin Ling, Han Shizhong, Li Xiaozhong, and Wu Jie followed behind Chen Shao, waving to their respective trusted followers.

This western expedition brought together many soldiers originally from the Northwest. After the battle, it is unknown how many of them will be ennobled and appointed as generals.

This completely changed the fate of the entire family.

The founding of the Great Jing Dynasty was the most significant dynastic change in which ordinary people rose to become powerful families. The extent to which military achievements were rewarded surpassed that of Liu Bang when he founded the Han Dynasty.

In other dynasties, there were very few instances of grassroots collectives achieving a counterattack. In most cases, it was powerful families who invested capital, and after the success, the world still belonged to them.

Just by looking at the four military merit kings, you can tell that apart from Jin Ling, who comes from a chieftain's family, they are also from the lower class of a foreign tribe like the Hengshan Qiang.

Of the other three, Wu Jie and Han Shizhong were low-ranking soldiers, while Li Xiaozhong was a commoner.

This is enough to inspire the soldiers today. There are at least tens of thousands of them in the crowd who dream of becoming like them, of becoming the kings of the Great Jing.

Chen Shao knew that the stage for the Western Expedition was large enough, the territory after the expedition was vast enough, and the benefits after conquering it would be plentiful.

He can bestow titles and rewards as he pleases.

He used to think that he should wait until transportation was more developed before making military advances.

But at this moment, Chen Shao's thoughts had changed.

It's hard to say what combat prowess is. If you don't fight while you're at your peak, what if your peak period is short?

Moreover, after the fight is over, the demand will likely lead to faster development and changes in transportation.

After all, in this world, there is always a need first, followed by invention and creation.

As for whether the inconvenient transportation will give rise to some ambitious overseas individuals who will establish their own independent territories abroad.

Chen Shao didn't care at all. He was arrogant and self-important, so the court could use the pretext of conquering him to completely bring that territory into the Central Plains.

In the future, we or our descendants must strive to recover the lost territory.

At least they can leave something to talk about and a reason to defend themselves.

If you don't fight, and the barbarians occupy the land, it's better for the Han people to carve out their own territory and become independent.

Moreover, given the current national strength of the Great Jing, ordinary people wouldn't dare to do that.

Just look at how terrified Wanyan Balisu is, and you'll know how powerful the Great Jing Dynasty is now.

Arriving at Meng Nuan's main tent, although it was nominally the highest military institution in the Ili River Valley, it was arguably the smallest of all the military camps.

Meng Nuan was extremely nervous at this moment.

He did well in Yingzhou, and his arrival in Yili amazed the court, but he still trembled with nervousness in front of the emperor.

"Meng Nuan".

"Chen is here!"

"Well done." Chen Shao said these four words before sitting down, by which time Meng Nuan was already in tears.

But no one there laughed at him; instead, they were all somewhat envious.

Meng Nuan quickly lowered her face and secretly wiped away her tears.

Chen Shao clapped his hands and said, "Spread out the map!"

Behind him stood the young eunuchs, each with a map scroll on their back.

They walked to the middle, bent over, slowly unfolded, and then pieced it together.

It was a map depicting the terrain of the westward expedition.

This map combines the surveys taken by caravan members, Chen Shao's drawing based on his memory, and information from tributes from foreign countries.

The various fragments, when put together, formed the picture that Chen Shao was most satisfied with after seeing it.

"Zhe Keshi made a pre-war plan in the South China Sea to occupy the Indian subcontinent from three directions, which I like very much." Chen Shao held up three fingers and said, "Three forces advancing at the same time has always been a common tactic used by our ancestors in their conquests."

"I have ordered the troops in Hexi to assemble and depart from Yumen Pass; the Ili River Valley is the central force and the most important area, and after the battle begins, we will march straight to Yelü Dashi; as for the northern route, we will depart from the former territory of the Kereit tribe."

This is a massive pincer formation, a tactic used to strike at the heart of the enemy from both the north and south sides.

Li Xiaozhong nodded and said, "Yelü Dashi has less than two thousand orthodox Khitan talents under his command. If he fights like this, the barbarians in the Western Regions that he conquers will surely rebel."

"Unless he defeats our main force coming out of the Ili River Valley head-on."

After he finished speaking, he laughed first.

No one believed that Yelü Dashi could defeat the Jing army in the Ili River Valley.

If he had that ability, he wouldn't have been driven out by the Jurchens.

Chen Shao chuckled a few times, but then he thought it best to be serious before a big battle, so he coughed to signal everyone to be quiet and stop laughing.

Everyone then looked at him again. Chen Shao noticed that Qu Duan was sitting there silently, which seemed a bit strange.

How could Qu Da not express his opinion?

"Qu Duan, what do you think?"

Qu Duan was slightly surprised when Chen Shao asked him, but he immediately replied, "His Majesty is wise and mighty, and the soldiers are in high spirits. We will surely win this battle."

Chen Shao felt that Qu Da had also grown up.

Indeed, no one in this world remains unchanged.

Historically, Qu Duan died after being tortured by his own people.

It's not necessarily all because of his personality; it's also related to his superiors not knowing how to use him.

Chen Shao believed he had given Qu Duan a great stage, and sure enough, the result was quite different.

Han Yu said that a fine horse is common, but a discerning eye is rare, and this is indeed true.

Chen Shao then asked each of the generals in the tent to give their opinions, and then they analyzed together the difficulties that might be encountered during the march.

Everyone agreed that water is a major problem in the Ili River Valley.

Therefore, we should use camels more often.

After all, if packhorses are used to transport supplies, these horses drink more water than people do.

If a water source cannot be found, it will be a waste of horses and the purpose of transportation will not be achieved.

In recent years, the fortified villages in the northwest have raised a large number of camels, all of which were used to transport goods along the Silk Road.

This came in handy just in time.

That night, Chen Shao moved into Yili City, which was a newly built city and did not have a ready-made palace.

He lived in a small courtyard that had long been vacated, surrounded by guards.

The following day at noon, Chen Shao hosted a banquet here for civil and military officials, including those who had accompanied him, as well as officials and generals from Yili.

Then they were arranged to come in turn to report on official business over the next few days, and each of them had to talk about what they had done in Yili and what their thoughts were.

Chen Shao wanted to talk to them and understand the true thoughts of these people in the Northwest.

In war, strength on paper is not everything; one must be humble, cautious, and take the enemy seriously.

This is Chen Shao's consistent character; even when hunting a rabbit, he will go all out.

Because what he was about to do was a truly important matter, and he could not afford to be careless in the slightest.

Although the Ili River Valley is known for its prosperity, it is still a border region, quite different from the banquets held in the imperial palace in the capital.

The border generals stationed here had almost never attended a well-organized banquet in the imperial court of Bianliang or Jinling.

After everyone entered the hall and performed the grand ceremony of bowing, a noisy commotion ensued.

The military officers spoke loudly, which made the atmosphere quite lively.

The civil officials and nobles who accompanied the emperor were all very friendly.

With a major battle looming, even past conflicts must be put aside for now.

When the wine and meat were served, everyone raised their glasses to toast Chen Shao, rambling on about wishing him a long life and other auspicious phrases that Chen Shao had heard countless times before.

A moment later, Chen Shao took the initiative to pick up his wine glass and observe the civil and military officials in the main hall.

Although everyone was making a lot of noise, each of them would glance at the emperor out of the corner of their eye from time to time.

Seeing that Chen Shao seemed to have something to announce, everyone stood up, and the noise gradually subsided a little.

With so many military officers sitting together, it's easy for one's ears to ring.

Chen Shao spoke directly without beating around the bush, saying, "I have a few words to say. I have made full preparations for this western expedition."

"Although this time we must win and not lose! After we win, I will not hesitate to reward you handsomely."

Just moments ago, some people were whispering, but now everyone fell silent, and the main hall became even quieter.

Everyone's eyes lit up, eager for war to begin immediately. Jing Jun was overjoyed at the prospect of war; his greatest fear was having no battles to fight.

Chen Shao then softened his tone and said kindly, "No matter how difficult the road is, or how much Gobi desert there is, I will definitely transport supplies to the front line so that you will not fight on an empty stomach."

Last year, the full amount was paid, and all the soldiers who were stationed or fighting felt the change.

In the past, military pay was often insufficient. However, since the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, under the current emperor, we have never gone hungry or been owed pay.

Everyone echoed, "Your Majesty is benevolent!" "Your Majesty is wise..." The noisy atmosphere in the hall quickly returned.

This western expedition established many rules: for example, the castration and sale of boys could no longer be done openly as before.

But as long as you follow the rules, once you reach the western plains, I will not interfere.

Chen Shao wasn't that saintly; he was willing to turn a blind eye to many things.

It's much better for the soldiers to find their own ways to make money than to wait for the imperial court's rewards.

"Dry!"

Chen Shao, holding a wine glass, raised it and put it down repeatedly, until finally he was really going to drink.

The ministers responded one after another, and all drank their wine. It was a rare opportunity for Chen Shao to offer a toast.

Chen Shao held the wine glass upside down in the air to indicate this, then put the glass down, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

In the Northwest during winter, there aren't many good ingredients, and most of the food is meat, but the imperial chefs did a pretty good job.

Amidst the noisy atmosphere of clinking glasses, Chen Shaoyou pondered the problem of transporting supplies.

The role of caravans became increasingly important in the wars fought by the Great Jing army.

However, caravans have actually faded out of the Northwest these days.

This westward expedition will inevitably require the use of the transport teams of each fortress and village.

This necessitates unified scheduling and planning.

After all, caravans are a very mature system that can be smoothly deployed in transportation operations, and there is a high probability that nothing will go wrong.

堡寨
This is the first time I've stepped forward, and I'm about to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

The essence of the fortified village is a collective farm. Chen Shao didn't know how much power it could unleash, but he had a vague confidence in the fortified village.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have entrusted them with such an important task.

I hope the fortress won't let me down.

From Chen Shao's perspective, this western expedition was actually an adventure.

It was not only a risky undertaking in the war, but also a risky undertaking undertaken with full confidence in the cohesion of the Great Jing and its capabilities in all aspects.

If anything goes wrong in the middle, it's not easy to fix it in time, because the westward expedition was so far from home.

If we wait a few more years and completely assimilate the Tatars, especially those in the southern desert, and then launch an attack from the Mongolian steppe, the probability of success will be even greater.

Chen Shao had the time and patience; he was very confident in his empire and his own lifespan.

However, Da Jing couldn't wait any longer.

His arrogant soldiers, powerful gentry, and civil and military officials couldn't wait any longer.

They want to quickly seize more territory and grab greater profits. Behind them, countless people depend on them for their livelihood.

These people will invisibly push them to go further, constantly starting new wars until there are no more wars to fight.

The Great Jing Dynasty has fallen into such a cycle, and it all started with Cai Jing's progressive tax. (End of Chapter)