You have truly caused me great suffering!

Although the vanguard of the Jing army was small in number, it appeared to be a very large force because each soldier rode two horses. They were positioned in a defensive formation on the ground, stretching for a very long distance and covering a very wide area, like a mobile fortress.

Smoke filled the battlefield, and the crowd in the distance was indistinct.

Yelü Dashi gazed into the distance, a telescope in his hand. It was made by Dajing, but they had already obtained a sample and made a replica.

Roughly estimated, they may have numbered five thousand or three thousand, because each person could ride multiple horses. Based on this observation alone, Yelü Dashi could not make a precise estimate.

Before the cavalry from Khwarezm could even launch their attack, they received orders to retreat, and many immediately turned their horses around and fled west.

However, some people, seeing that Jingjun was surrounded, charged straight up, completely disregarding the command flag.

No matter the time, in war, orders must be obeyed without question; otherwise, even the strongest fighting force will be greatly diminished.

Moreover, the combat strength of the two sides was already vastly different.

The cavalry from the central army gradually gathered in the open area.

Where the horses were densely packed, the ground was covered with a layer of dust, making the cavalry seem to be in the clouds.

The land in Central Asia is not very good; the soil seems to contain salt, there is little vegetation, and it gets dusty very easily.

Those Seljuk cavalrymen were actually quite unaware of the situation, and didn't even know where Dajing was or what level of skill he possessed.

They saw countless men and horses lying in ambush, surrounding them, and immediately realized that their chance to plunder had arrived.

Before the commander-in-chief could give the signal, they had already begun attacking the enemy's positions.

Jingjun was changing formation and deploying defenses when Yelü Dashi watched as a group of Seljuk cavalry charged forward.

He sneered, not caring at all. These cavalrymen from other tribes would betray him sooner or later.

It's a good thing to let them delay Jingjun's counterattack.

At least it can buy time and opportunity for his loyal followers to retreat.

Yelü Dashi was not in a hurry to leave. He had never fought against the Dingnan Army before, and this was a great opportunity to see firsthand how the Jing Army fought.

With his discerning eye, he could tell the relative strengths of the two sides after just one look.

Through his telescope, Yelü Dashi observed that many Jing army units at the north and south ends were not converging towards the center, but instead expanding outwards, attempting to form a larger, more in-depth square formation.

"Extremely arrogant!" Yelü Dashi understood perfectly well that this meant they were prepared to pursue them, which meant they were not worried about their own survival at all.

At the moment of engagement, the Liao army clearly had an absolute numerical advantage, but the Jing army was prepared to pursue and kill from the very beginning.

Having commanded troops for so many years, this was the first time Yelü Dashi had ever seen such a powerful force. The Jurchens of the past had also shown this courage, but the Jurchen elite cavalry did not have this many.

The battlefield was very flat, and once a horse charged, it was impossible to stop in time, even if one wanted to.

Thick smoke continued to rise into the air, indicating that the Jing Army troops nearby would be rushing towards the black smoke column.

This must have been planned in advance; otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to react so quickly upon engaging the enemy.

Before the war began, they had gone through countless practice sessions.

Unlike the Song Dynasty's lax military preparedness, the Jing army, having never dismounted for ten years, always placed great importance on daily drills.

Even if you come up with a brilliant idea to turn defeat into victory during a drill, you will be rewarded.

This also encourages military commanders to use their brains more, figure out ways to win, and avoid major taboos in military strategy.

Behind the defensive line formed by heavy cavalry, Zhang Xian began to direct his men to shoot arrows.

After the whistling rain of arrows, flashes of light continued to appear in the formation, and the banging of muskets could be heard.

Neither arrows nor muskets could stop the charging cavalry at this moment.

However, it can delay the attack and buy some time.

Time was precious, and Yelü Dashi didn't even want to blink. He carefully observed Jing Jun's movements for a while.

At this moment, he actually had some thoughts in his mind, and these Jing soldiers didn't seem so scary.

They are too arrogant.

Arrogance is definitely a derogatory term on the battlefield. No matter how strong you are in combat, an arrogant person will never have a good ending.

This vanguard of the Jing army, surrounded by so many enemies, did not retreat but instead spread out.

Jingjun was surrounded, while the main force of the Western Liao army was retreating.

They charged forward, ready to wipe out the Jing army's Khwarazmian cavalry, only to realize upon reaching them that they were facing a wall.

The more Yelü Dashi looked at Jingjun, the more he felt that he was nothing special and that his reputation was undeserved.

Someone nearby suggested, "Should we divide and cut off the Jing people's position? Then we can outflank them from all directions and find their weak points to disrupt their formation."

"It's not that easy to cut." Yelü Dashi himself was tempted, so his reply was ambiguous.

If he could achieve victory, even a small one, Yelü Dashi would be eager to win.

However, Yelü Dashi was soon utterly disappointed. The tribal cavalry that charged forward were immediately wiped out as they approached the square formation.

The speed is just too fast.
There was a thin layer of smoke in the air, and the smoke and dust were even thicker where the battle was taking place, with patches of fire flashing every now and then.

I heard that thing is called a firearm. In this respect, the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty are very strict.

Moreover, the blueprints were all separate; no craftsman possessed the complete blueprints at the same time.

At the moment of engagement, while Yelü Dashi still clung to hope, the Jing army truly demonstrated their fighting prowess as the vanguard.

Yelü Dashi's face immediately turned pale, devoid of any color.

The battle ahead was intense from the very beginning, instantly turning into a bloody massacre.

Setting up a defensive formation doesn't mean I can't beat you; it's just a tactical maneuver.

These Central Asian tribes were no match for the Khitans, who trembled at the sight of the Jurchens, while the Jing army annihilated the Jurchens.

They're not even in the same league.

At this moment, Zhang Xian suddenly ordered his personal guards to raise the large flags they had prepared in advance and to lead their men in a commotion.

In the past, it would probably have been impossible to see from this distance, but Yelü Dashi managed to obtain a telescope from the Central Plains.

The Jing army's central commander held up a banner with six large, crimson characters written on a white cloth: "Capture Yelü Dashi Alive."

Jing Jun shouted these six words together, clearly indicating that they had practiced them.

Yelü Dashi abruptly lowered his binoculars, thus becoming the first person on the battlefield to be injured by a binocular.

His chest heaved, his face was pale, and his eyes revealed a murderous intent.

The fingers gripping the binoculars were a little stiff from the force.

But right next to him were several young Khitan generals who didn't speak Mandarin very well and were still acting nonchalantly, "shouting at them."

"Who knows?"

Yelü Dashi thought about the younger generation in Jingjun, and then looked at the few guys around him. Just a short while ago, he personally ordered the appointment of the front-line commander, who, more than a month after receiving the imperial edict, was still hunting outside the capital.

"withdraw!"

Xiao Duolu nudged his friend beside him with his elbow, raised an eyebrow, as if to say: What did I tell you? He was definitely going to withdraw his troops.

Fortunately, Yelü Dashi didn't see it, otherwise he might have died right here.
-
The people near the capital were eagerly awaiting His Majesty's return to the east.

After a year of inspection, there were actually no major changes in the court.

However, the absence of the emperor always made people feel uneasy.

The young age of the crown prince who is in charge of the country makes it easier for people to recall some unpleasant memories.

After all, it has only been a little over a hundred years since Zhao Kuangyin's Chenqiao Mutiny.

Chen Shao traveled downstream by water at a very fast pace. In fact, he originally wanted to travel by land, and even wanted to make a trip to Shu, but many of his accompanying officials had fallen ill.

This forced him to travel by water to return to the capital as soon as possible.

Chen Shao's health is good, as far as the whole of Dajing is concerned.

Many officials were not as capable as the emperor; they would feel unwell due to factors such as acclimatization issues and travel fatigue.

Chen Shao secretly made a mental note of it, deciding that he would definitely not bring these people next time.

As for the military officers, most of them were fine, since they were used to fighting in the north and south and were used to marching quickly, so this distance was nothing to them.

Among the civil officials, people like Yuwen Xuzhong, Yang Cheng, and Xu Jin were even more capable of enduring hardship than the military generals. They were all trained by surveying land and digging canals. Yuwen Xuzhong even made a special trip to Japan to formulate a strategy for the Great Jing to take over Japan.

Bai Shizhong and other traditional scholar-officials and nobles were somewhat lacking.

In the harem, only Li Yumei felt unwell during her time in Lingwu; the others were fine.

The inspection team set off from the Ili River Valley, passed through Luntai and Hami, and then through the Hexi Corridor, staying in Zhangjia for three days.

Then, after thirty days, they arrived in Chang'an.

While in Chang'an, the capital of Jingzhao Prefecture, I received a battle report from the front lines: Yelü Dashi had been defeated in a single battle and was fleeing westward.

In this battle, Yue Fei dispatched Zhang Xian as the vanguard, who then encircled and surrounded the main force of the Liao Dynasty.

Yelü Dashi acted decisively, abandoning more than 50,000 Central Asian soldiers like a warrior cutting off his own arm, and fled with his elite troops.

Chen Shao felt increasingly that this was really awkward of him.

You might as well follow Yelü Chun's example and simply die for your country.

If you have a lot of courage and determination, but at the last moment you only think about surviving, then what is the point of fighting this battle?
Do you think there's a chance?

You, Yelü Dashi, are not ignorant of military strategy. Can't you see that the outcome is a foregone conclusion? Why bother with this unnecessary effort?

His actions reminded Chen Shao of Xiao Gan, then of Zhang Jue, and even of Guo Yaoshi.

These people were figures who emerged in Liaodong and Liaonan at the time of the fall of the Liao Dynasty.

Were Yelü Dashi, Xiao Gan, Zhang Jue, and Guo Yaoshi incompetent?

There are definitely some, and they are quite capable. They have troops and territory, but they just give people the feeling that they are short-sighted and can never accomplish anything.

It was as if they were tainted by the curse of the fall of the Liao Dynasty.

The Liao Dynasty, in Nanjing Prefecture alone, had so many capable ministers and generals at its disposal.

Why did it still end so undignifiedly? Internal strife and disunity were the biggest reasons.

In the final years of a dynasty, power struggles were deeply entrenched, and everyone had their own faction behind them.

It's not that simple to say that we should unite and avoid infighting or brothers fighting amongst themselves.

You can't be considered an independent individual; you're an agent pushed out by the forces behind you. If you don't fight amongst yourselves, you'll be replaced immediately.

Chen Shao continued reading the reports. The army had begun its rapid march towards Western Liao, encountering little resistance along the way.

Even many Seljuk and Khwarezmian nobles began to defect.

Jin Ling and Li Xiaozhong sent the fleeing nobles back home early on.

Their territory has been occupied, and their people have been given to others. When these people go back, they will definitely want to take back what belongs to them.

However, they had no troops, so they could only rely on the Jing army.

It works very well to have them establish order first.

After passing Chang'an, the next route will be by water.

From Luoyang → Bian Canal → Tongji Canal → Huai River → Han Canal → Yangtze River → Nanjing.

The journey was very fast, going downstream day and night.

While on the Huai River, another report came from the South China Sea. Because it was June and the weather was hot, the South China Sea navy began to build fortifications and warehouses at the port after landing.

Expansion activities have ceased.

The Chola dynasty sent troops to attack several times, but they were repelled each time, and then negotiations began.

Ask them what they have come here for.

The South China Sea Fleet said they came to do business, but they needed a territory to establish a foothold.

The Chola dynasty refused to allow it to continue its attack, and the two sides were now locked in a stalemate.

Chen Shao felt that the decision was correct, but they should have waited until winter in the Central Plains, when it was the cool season in their region, before launching the attack.

Occupying only a small piece of land without expanding will lull the Indians into a false sense of security, making them think that these people just want a small piece of land to do business.

They are inherently very compromising, especially when they are outmatched.

From December to April, it is not suitable to send troops out of the Ili River Valley, because people will freeze to death.

Similarly, India cannot wage war around June, because the heat would kill people.

Climate and temperature have always been crucial factors in warfare.

In mid-June, the emperor's entourage entered the Yangtze River via the Hangou Canal, with banners obscuring the sky and ships stretching for a thousand miles.

Wherever they went, countless people from both sides of the strait gathered to watch the pilgrimage.

Chen Shao, who had been frugal throughout the journey, had all the yellow silk canopies erected, creating a grand spectacle befitting an emperor, which amused the people.

Finally, at the end of June, the emperor, who had been on tour for one year and two months, returned to the capital.

Outside Longjiang Pass, thousands of sails competed for anchorage, and the Imperial Guards lined up on the riverbank. Chen Shao rode down in a dragon boat to receive the worship of the people.

Upon returning to the capital, before Chen Shao could even do anything, many of the officials accompanying him were moved to tears.

I'm so glad I made it through this trip!

My name will be recorded in history books.

In the future family genealogy, my page will be solemnly inscribed with: From April of the sixth year of Jianwu to June of the seventh year of Jianwu, I accompanied the emperor on his travels and toured the world!

Besides the imperial guards, many officials' relatives also came to greet them.

Thirteen officials died along the way, all from illness.

This number is already very low, mainly because the imperial physicians brought by Chen Shao were quite skilled, which ironically allowed some officials to benefit from the misfortune, as their chronic illnesses were cured or alleviated.

Officials who remained in the capital also came to the port to welcome the emperor.

The emperor returned, and their moods were mixed. No one knew what insights His Majesty had gained during his trip.

Some people are naturally innocent and have no ulterior motives.

But some officials were quite apprehensive.

Liu Jizu led the officials in paying their respects, and Chen Shao called him forward and gave him a few words of advice.

Liu Jizu then left with his officials, and Chen Shao's guards gradually came ashore and began to escort him back to the palace.

Chen Shao looked at the bulging bag of Da Hu's junior, which was the diary he had asked him to carry with him at all times.

Most of the problems discovered on this trip were recorded here, and we will have to deal with them one by one when we get back.

The westward expedition has already begun this year, India will gradually be eroded, Goryeo will be incorporated into the Great Jing territory, and Japan will also be completely annexed.

Chen Shao closed his eyes, the deafening cheers echoing in his ears, and a constantly expanding map appeared in his mind.

This feeling is utterly intoxicating. (End of Chapter)