You have truly caused me great suffering!

The current king of Chola is not of the original clan. His ancestors were of the Eastern Chalukya lineage, who, relying on their maternal lineage, usurped the Chola throne. Therefore, his government relies heavily on northern peoples (Telugu nobles), and is no longer the powerful ruler who relied solely on the Tamils ​​of the past.

The ruler of the capital, lacking benevolence and virtue, abandoned the capital of his ancestors, indulged in the worship of evil gods, and abused his followers.

The threat to the Chola lies at sea, not on land. Therefore, we establish the Protectorate of the Western Seas in Ceylon to control their sea routes; and set up the Pacification Commissioner's Office in Pricca to pacify their merchants and people. Their former inland capitals will be granted to the Chola royal family members who have submitted, to guard their ancestral temples, thus diminishing their power.

As Chen Shao read the reports from the south, he gained a certain understanding of India, especially the Chola Dynasty in South India.

He crouched down, carefully studying the situation and considering how to conquer it.

Throughout history, every rising nation has always used the same methods to conquer others during its expeditions.

It's either killing, a bloodbath like the Manchu conquest of the Dzungars and the Mongol westward expansion; or it's enslavement, like the Manchu entry into China and the Japanese invasion.

The Great Horizon is different; it uses different methods to conquer each place.

The Jurchen Jin dynasty was driven to extinction because it was an enemy and competitor; the Tatar and other nomadic tribes in the desert were forced to retreat south by winter camps, their royal courts were taken over, and they were brought under their control; the island kingdoms of the South China Sea were mainly settled through land reclamation and education; Liaodong in the northwest was a fortified village; and Goryeo (Korea) in Japan was a county-level administrative region.
If we don't slack off today, our descendants will have fewer hidden dangers.

Therefore, Chen Shao has always been very concerned about this matter.

After reviewing the reports from various Indian kingdoms, Chen Shao couldn't help but sigh, "My third brother is truly extraordinary."

In retrospect, the easiest target to conquer is actually the Chola Dynasty in the south.

As for the north, the road from Baikan into South Asia was too difficult to traverse. While conquering the local Pu people to build the road, they were also preparing for war, and it would take three to five years to open it up.

The south, on the other hand, can be attacked from the sea, with natural harbors everywhere and weaknesses everywhere.

Chen Shao stretched. After returning to the capital this time, he did not go to the imperial palace.

Because a year of inspections has left a lot of administrative work behind, he needs to put in a little more effort.

At this moment, in the Funing Palace, Chen Shao resumed handling government affairs and felt quite good.

Footsteps sounded outside. It was Ling'er, Xiao Ting's personal maid, carrying a porcelain bottle.

"This tea was personally roasted by Her Majesty, and she specially sent me to deliver it to His Majesty."

Chen Shao raised his eyes slightly and nodded.

He returned on his own and did not go to the Zhongshan Summer Palace. It is likely that Layman Xiao wanted to cultivate.

To be honest, I haven't even had a chance to visit Baozhen Temple yet.

Chen Shao rubbed his temples, thinking to himself, "These officials keep urging me to hold a talent show and recruit new members."

However, this matter has been pending for a long time and cannot be delayed any longer.

Chen Shao said to Ling'er, "Wanshu, put this away for me. We'll be drinking it for the next few days."

Li Wanshu quickly stepped forward and took the tea leaves.

Chen Shao then asked, "How is your mistress?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Her Majesty is doing well."

Chen Shao smiled and said to the palace maids in the hall, "I admire her the most. She can run a business and make her caravan unparalleled in the world. She can also completely let go of her desire for cultivation. With this mindset and ability, she is truly like Tao Zhu Gong reborn."

Xiao Ting is indeed very talented, and her aspirations have always been high.

Chen Shao sometimes wondered if he was just a tool for her to do business and cultivate herself.

But thinking about that body, it was truly captivating.

"Never mind, since we have nothing else to do today, let's go to the mountains to enjoy some tea."
-
The Chola Dynasty.

In the Central Plains, it was also known as the State of Zhulian.

This indicates that they possessed the ability to sail long distances and trade with the Central Plains, and that at least some merchants had passed through there.

At this time, they were in the stability maintenance phase of the "post-peak period".

Just twenty years ago, it was the "sea tyrant" that conquered Sumatra.

At this point, the dynasty had entered its middle and late stages, and various internal problems began to surface, leaving it with no desire for expansion.

While the domestic political foundation remains solid, control over the border regions is slowly eroding.

Just then, an unprecedentedly powerful foreign fleet arrived in the eastern sea.

In the city of Ganjibram, there are exquisite buildings, and although the roads are not as prosperous as those in the Central Plains, they are still bustling with people.

Inside the royal city, Kurotunga II sat on his throne, silently reciting scriptures.

He was draped in a layer of light gauze, silk, and satin, which was very well made and looked as thin as a cicada's wing.

If someone knowledgeable looks closely, they can easily recognize that this is the Suzhou brocade weaving technique, which is unique in the world.

Kurotunga II's father was not originally of Chola dynasty blood, but belonged to the royal family of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty.

The Chola dynasty's pure bloodline originally came from the Tamil clan, but due to their inability to produce offspring, the line ended.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Challuk royal family, Kurotunga's grandmother and mother were both princesses of the Chola dynasty. Relying on this maternal lineage, he intervened when the Chola royal line was interrupted and seized the throne.

This method of seizing a dynasty was only possible in India and the West.

If this happened in the Central Plains, it would be tantamount to the son of a princess sent for a political marriage coming to the Central Plains to seize the throne. If he dared to come, he'd be incredibly bold.
The original Tamil king had a purely maritime empire perspective, and was always dedicated to overseas expansion and trade.

However, since Kurotunga came to power, the internal tension caused by his "impure bloodline" forced him to rely on the Telugu nobles and army brought by Chalukya, while suppressing the original warriors and caravans of Tamil. This caused the Chola Dynasty to gradually shrink, lose its overseas hegemony, and turn to develop inland.

“Your Majesty, since the Jing people landed on Ceylon Island, they have gained the support of many local rebels. If they are not driven out soon, Ceylon Island may be lost to our control forever.”

Kurotunga II opened his eyes. He was actually not very old, but his excessive indulgence made him look very weak.

He was also a fervent Shiva devotee, extremely obsessed with Shiva worship, and even went so far as to move the administrative center from the traditional capital, Concakonda Cholapland, to the holy city of Shiva, Gidenboram.

His mind was not on governing the country or expanding it, but rather on building temples and patronizing literature.

To this end, he exhausted the national treasury, plundered the people, and spent huge sums of money to renovate the Nataloja Temple in Gidenboram, gilding it and building the Hall of a Thousand Columns.

In order to "purify" the Shiva temple, he also ordered the removal of the Vishnu statue inside.

This action was recorded by the Vishnu school as religious persecution, and he was given the nickname "Insect Neck".

Upon hearing that the Jing people had occupied Ceylon, although they were not very good at governing, he knew the importance of Ceylon.

Without Ceylon, how can we do business with Arabs and other Easterners?

Without trade, where would the money come from to build the temple?

He used to really like those people from Jingren.

Their silk and porcelain were so exquisite that they even produced glass sculptures of Shiva.

Their daily lives, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation, are now inseparable from Jingshang.

Moreover, they brought with them a great deal of wealth.

Unexpectedly, they arrived in front of us in just two or three years.

Indeed, the friend who is far away is the best friend.

"Give them some money and slaves, and tell them to leave immediately!"

The minister who presented the memorial was a former nobleman of the Chola dynasty named Ananta Arva, an old Tamil nobleman and a Vishnu follower. He secretly sneered at Kurotunga's indifference to state affairs.

What kind of place is Ceylon? How could this fool possibly understand? Losing Ceylon is like leaving the door wide open for thieves.

The fact that the Jing merchants have not been expelled to this day is tantamount to opening the door wide while also thoughtfully pointing out the way to the thieves, telling them where the treasure vault is and where the lady's bedroom is.

He felt very uncomfortable every time he saw these merchants from Dajing.

Because the way they looked at him was the same way he looked at those lowly people.

Despite his good disguise, the barely concealed sense of superiority still annoyed him.

They dared to look down on me, given my noble status.
But Ananta Alva, like Kurotunga II, was also very fond of the goods of the Great Jing.

Today, the world is vast, from India to Arabia, and then to Europe.

The more powerful or aristocratic a person is, the more they prefer large-scale products.

Ordinary people don't really feel anything because they can't afford it.

The landing of the Jingren fleet in Ceylon was not a big deal to Ananta Alva.

However, he was more attentive than the Prime Minister.

In his view, these Jing people were isolated and helpless, having traveled across the ocean, and at most they could only occupy a place.

When the time comes, it would be perfect to subdue these people and use them to deal with this bastard from Dongzhelou.

"Then I'll go and negotiate with them."

Kurotunga waved his hand, signaling him to leave quickly; he didn't want to stay with the Vishnu followers for even a moment longer.

As for why he was asked to negotiate with Jingren?
Because Ceylon is their Tamil territory, their words carry no weight there.

In this era, the truly unified central government that could control the local areas was almost entirely concentrated in East Asia.

Even in the Western Liao Dynasty, Yelü Dashi could not be said to have controlled the region.

It was all just a system of loose governance.

They didn't have such a strong bureaucratic system, nor did they have the foundation for standardized writing and standardized cart tracks.
-
Ceylon is the island that later became Sri Lanka.

There used to be a Sinhalese regime here, which has not yet been destroyed by the Chola dynasty, but has been driven to the south of the island.

They have been fiercely resisting.

Zhe Keshi chose this place not without reason, but after careful consideration.

First of all, war is war, but ships going to trade here cannot delay their voyages, as the South China Sea Pacification Commissioner's Office relies entirely on commercial taxes for its livelihood.

Therefore, taking over Ceylon would be the best option.

The place they were in, known locally as Trincomalee, is the best natural deep-water harbor on the entire island.

After Li Shiyan occupied this place, he renamed it Jingnan Port, meaning that this place is the southern end of the Great Jing.

As soon as the fleet landed, they began to skillfully construct fortifications, build military strongholds and fortresses, and set up cannons.

Firearms are far more powerful in the south than in the north, because there is no ice and snow there.

"My lord, we've all reached the shore. Why don't we march into the city and kill the prefect here?"

Li Shiyan glanced at his subordinate and rolled his eyes coldly. "You want to kill people as soon as you get ashore? You thieving convict have no sense whatsoever."

Wu Qian, another general in the tent, found this strange. Who doesn't know Li Shiyan's background?

There were four executioners in the Red River Massacre, one of whom was you, Li Shiyan. How many people did you four kill with your men?

There are rumors in Annam that a million people were killed, but Wu Jie reported that some rebels were killed, without giving a specific number.

However, according to the post-war statistics, the number of registered subjects was more than 900,000 fewer than the number of registered subjects in the Ly Dynasty of Dai Viet before the war.

Wu Qian was aware of this strategy, so he knew very well that the reason why no troops had been dispatched yet was not because this man surnamed Li had any benevolence towards life.

Rather, they had already discovered that the area was rife with conflict, and they were planning to incite infighting among the locals so they could reap the benefits themselves.

Li Shiyan pulled Wu Qian to a high spot and looked down through binoculars.

This was a land they had never set foot on before.

“We’re going to have to wait here for months,” Wu Qian said with some dissatisfaction.

Li Shiyan, standing nearby, frowned and said, "We should follow the orders of the imperial court and must not complain."

Wu Qian immediately realized this as well, and he became much more restrained, but his mouth was still very stubborn: "We are His Majesty's direct descendants, how could we rebel? Anyone who dares to rebel against His Majesty, or against our Great Jing Kingdom, I will be the first to kill him."

Li Shiyan only gave him a slight reminder.

Li Shiyan himself was somewhat skeptical about having to wait here until the cool season.

But in India, especially in South India, summers are very long.

Even what they call the cool season is just a little less hot.

As a general, one must be aware of the opportune time and the advantageous terrain. Before setting out on the expedition, the commander-in-chief convened a meeting of all the generals for several days.

The contents were all about the plans and precautions for conquering India.

Especially since this is the first time the navy has fought in such a place, extra caution is needed.

There were many doctors accompanying the army, but even so, many people still suffered from acclimatization problems and experienced severe reactions.

As a result, there have been dozens of staff reductions.

Many of the soldiers in the Great Jing Navy had fought in the Southern Wilderness War, yet they still could not escape the injuries and illnesses caused by such expeditions.

Staying here during the cool season has one advantage: it allows you to gradually adapt to the climate.

At present, few people within the Chola Dynasty truly value the navy that landed on Ceylon.

The various factions were scheming against each other, not trying to shift the blame eastward or use Jing Jun to deal with their political enemies.

They thought that the Jing army was so small that it was nothing to be afraid of.

The Jing army's landing fleet consisted of fewer than two thousand men. In India, this force was insignificant.

Regardless of their combat effectiveness, the number of people involved in the fighting here is quite large.

Large-scale battles often involve tens of thousands of people, but there are almost no truly capable and skilled professional soldiers.

The most powerful fighters are the warriors raised by merchant guilds and powerful clans.

Jing Jun's plan was simple: to take advantage of the complex situation and respond promptly.

If they attack together, hold firm and keep launching raids to harass and kill the enemy's main force.

If they don't come to fight, then slowly erode Ceylon, win over the local resistance forces, and formally declare war when the cool season arrives.

(End of this chapter)