You have truly caused me great suffering!

The streets of Bianliang were bustling with people, and the city was deserted.

Today, the heads of Zhu Mian and his son were brought back to Bianliang and displayed to the public.

In fact, the people of Bianliang were not harmed much by Zhu Mian. The people who were truly exploited by him and caused countless families to be broken up and die were the people of Jiangnan Circuit.

However, the execution of treacherous officials has always been a cause for celebration.

Some people secretly reminisced, and in doing so, the prosperous, prosperous, and thriving city of Bianliang was actually quietly dying out.

The welfare benefits in Bianliang were not as generous as before, and many idlers began to go hungry.

Of the emperor Zhao Ji, who had ruled the country for twenty years, only Cai Jing remained active in the court among his favorite ministers and other courtiers.

Back then, Zhang Dun and Sima Guang were fierce rivals, but Cai Jing was able to navigate between them with ease, and both sides admired him.

Now that he has reversed his stance again, no one is surprised.

After meals, people could only express their helplessness, disdain, or admiration by praising Grand Tutor Cai's skillful methods.

After all, the Grand Tutor was one of the few remaining creators of the most glorious era in Bianliang.

Because of the execution of Zhu Mian, one of the six traitors, Grand Tutor Cai was once again remembered by people. At this moment, he was in his own courtyard, watching his grandson read.

Cai Youwen is his youngest grandson, born five years ago. He is the orphan of his deceased seventh son, Cai Xiu.

Last year, when Cai Xiu went to the temple to offer incense with him, he suddenly fell ill and died. Cai Jing then took this little grandson with him and raised him personally.

Looking at his adorable grandson, Cai Jing felt that life was still wonderful and that he had to pave the way for them.

The general trend of the world is becoming clearer, and fortunately, I have another opportunity.

If it weren't for Chen Shao's sudden rise to prominence, I estimate that my fate would have been similar to that of Liang Shicheng, Wang Fu, and Zhu Mian.

I just wish I were twenty years younger!

At this moment, the steward came in, carrying a gift box. He bent down and said with a smile, "My lord, this is a gift from Taiyuan Prefecture in Hedong. They say it's tea leaves that have been processed according to the new methods of the Duke of Jin."

Cai Jing nodded, feeling a sense of admiration for Chen Shao; this man was truly pragmatic.

He used to be all-powerful, and the other man never gave him gifts. Now that their positions have reversed, the other man has become very polite.

The eldest son, Cai You, was indeed spared; the calls to kill him were even louder than those for Wang Fu.

Looking at the fate of Zhu Mian and his son today, Cai Jing sighed deeply, thinking that it was good enough that they could keep their lives.

At this moment, another servant entered, saying, "Sir, Doctor Yuwen has come to visit with two people."

"Oh?" Cai Jing was somewhat surprised. He and Yuwen Xuzhong were not close, but their recent cooperation had been quite satisfactory.

After all, the Song Dynasty was in dire need of reconstruction, and although everyone was from different political parties, their demands were the same.

"Whom did you bring?"

"They said they were visitors from the Northwest; this is their visiting card."

Cai Jing's eyesight was failing, so he asked the old steward to read aloud for him:
"Wei Li, Prefect of Xiping Prefecture, Dingnan Army, respectfully submits this petition to Your Excellency Cai Gongxiang. I humbly acknowledge that I, of humble talent, have been fortunate enough to receive an official position and have long admired Your Excellency, but have never had the opportunity to visit you. Today, due to official business, I have come directly to Your Excellency's residence and dare to humbly request that you grant me a special audience. Respectfully submitted, October of the first year of Jingkang, Wei Li."

The old steward flipped through them and said, "Sir, this one belongs to Geng Nanzhong."

Upon hearing this, Cai Jing was intrigued; these two people had actually come to visit him.

Judging from the situation, they must have just arrived in Bianliang.

“This is not due to their personalities; it must be that Chen Shao taught them to do this,” Cai Jing chuckled. “However, this calligraphy is his own handwriting; I recognize the characters. If he can truly do this, it seems he has great ambitions.”

"Let's go see these two old friends."
-
Li Tangchen and others petitioned to build the Duke's Mansion.

Chen Shao smiled, looked at the few familiar faces below, and said, "Are you worried I'll run away?"

Liu Jizu chuckled dryly and said, "Given the merits of a military commander, even though Jin is a powerful state and a duke, he is still not worthy of a military commander. He should at least be a prince."

“If we build the mansion now, it will be easier to expand it in the future.”

Chen Shao shook his head and said, "Now is a time of great need for resources. If I were to build a house at this time, how would I be any different from Zhao Ji?"

Having said all that, it would be inappropriate to offer any further advice.

Chen Shaoping was usually quite frugal, so everyone just took it as his personal character and didn't think much of it.

In fact, Chen Shao really didn't want to stay here. After this battle, he would definitely have to move around.

However, given Hedong's fervent enthusiasm, it was not appropriate to remain indifferent.

Just as Chen Shao was thinking about how to express his gratitude, a guard came in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Chen Shao nodded and said, "The Emperor has appointed me to concurrently serve as the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong."

The people below were overjoyed and offered their congratulations.

Three days later, the officials who came to deliver the imperial edict arrived, and Chen Shao gathered the officials of Taiyuan Prefecture in Hedong.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial edicts were mostly not issued by eunuchs.

The delivery of imperial edicts required someone who could command respect, usually a close advisor to the emperor or an official in the central government, such as a Hanlin scholar or a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat.

The one who came today was even more important; he was Ma Kuo, the second-ranking general in Hedong and Hebei, who was dispatched by the Academician and Deputy Privy Councilor.

Ma Kuo and Chen Shao had met once or twice. After entering, they nodded to each other and exchanged greetings.

"Please accept the decree, General."

"Good work."

Ma Guang opened the imperial edict, "I believe that the Hedong region is the northern shield of the country, and it must be guarded by a good general. Chen Shao, an official, is loyal, brave, and resourceful, and has repeatedly made military achievements. Now, I hereby appoint you as the military governor of Ninghua, Baode, and Pingding, and as the military commissioner of the eight armies and fourteen prefectures of Hedong, to defend against the invasion of the Jin state."

"You shall discipline the army, pacify the people, and not fail my expectations. Respectfully obey!"

Although this was a posthumous conferment, and Chen Shao was already the de facto King of Hedong, the court's endorsement made his title more legitimate.

After the imperial decree was read aloud, Chen Shao smiled and said, "Brother Ma has come from afar. I have prepared some wine and dishes here. Please do me the honor of joining us."

"Don't dare."

When the turmoil broke out in Bianliang, Ma Kuo and Wang Bing were training their troops together.

They wanted to enter the city, but they were afraid of causing unrest in the capital, and the turmoil would end very quickly.

By the next day, the matter had been settled.

Like Yuwen Xuzhong, Ma Kuo had no choice but to accept the final outcome.

Now that the situation has been settled, Ma Kuo can only do his best. Fortunately, everyone has seen what Chen Shao has done.

Although they harbored rebellious intentions and acted presumptuously, they were ultimately determined to resist the Jin dynasty.

This is extremely valuable.

If he were a selfish person, he probably would have led his troops into the capital long ago and done what Dong Zhuo did.

Chen Shao always acted with a sense of legitimacy and justification, which ensured that he was upright and righteous, leading loyal and upright people like Ma Kuo and Yuwen Xuzhong to still have some expectations of him.

Now, Ma Kuo only hopes that Chen Shao can successfully defeat the Jurchens and prevent the Central Plains from becoming the next Khitan.

After Wanyan Zongwang's southward expedition, discerning people have clearly seen that the Song Dynasty and the Khitan are no different; neither can withstand the Jurchen's onslaught.

It took the Jurchens ten years to destroy the Khitans. If it weren't for Chen Shao, it might not have taken them so long to destroy the Song Dynasty.

At least the north will be difficult to defend, but with the Yangtze River, the south might be able to repeat the events of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

That would truly be the end of the world.

Today, having arrived in Taiyuan, I have witnessed firsthand that those wealthy and powerful gentry who originally supported Wang Bing and himself have now all joined Chen Shao's ranks.

Moreover, they clearly share the same goals and interests.

Ma Kuo was completely disheartened.

No one can compete with him for this area of ​​Hedong.

If Chen Shao had only occupied the territory of Western Xia, even if he wanted to establish a separatist regime or even a country like Western Xia, we would have gritted our teeth and accepted it.

But once Hedong was in his hands, things were completely different.

Most importantly, they have more than 20,000 soldiers from Hedong under their command.

Most of these soldiers were recruited in Taiyuan.

Wang Bing and Ma Kuo were truly too afraid to be used.

As soon as they clash with Chen Shao, these soldiers will definitely defect immediately.

The advantage is that these soldiers have just been recruited, and we haven't spent too much effort on them yet.

The imperial court ordered Wang Bing to garrison in Lianghuai, which would be a good opportunity to train troops, so they planned to send the Hedong troops back.

Except for those who were orphans and voluntarily followed Wang Bing south, all the rest were sent back.

This is a rather awkward matter, because this action clearly shows a lack of trust in Chen Shao.

But there was no other way; we had to bite the bullet and do it, otherwise we'd just be giving others practice.

After discussing the situation, Yuwen Xuzhong, Li Gang, Wu Min, Ma Kuo, and others in the court began to make some deployments. Zong Ze was stationed in Hebei, Zhang Shuye in Shandong, Wang Bing in Lianghuai, and Zhang Suo in Bashu, hoping to build up a strong army so that they wouldn't be caught off guard when the time came.

As for whether these people can succeed, it's safe to say that it will be very difficult.
However, the Song Dynasty had a long tradition of having civil officials train soldiers to save the country from crisis.

Chen Shao and the civil and military officials of Taiyuan hosted a banquet for Ma Kuo. During the banquet, Ma Kuo suddenly stood up, toasted Chen Shao, and said, "In the Huanqing Army, there are 20,000 soldiers from Hedong who are homesick day and night. Grand Commandant Wang intends to send them back. We request the General's permission."

Chen Shao gave a cold laugh, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.

However, Li Tangchen and the others were somewhat tempted.

Hedong needs its own soldiers, preferably from Taiyuan, and these 20,000 men are just right.

Hedong could afford to support these troops. Although the land in the Wutai Mountain area in the north was relatively barren, the heartland of Hedong had fertile land, abundant water resources, and produced a considerable amount of grain.

However, their behavior clearly shows that they do not trust Chen Shao.

Chen Shaosheng was sullen for a while, but then he suddenly realized that the other person hadn't guessed wrong.

I don't think I'm trustworthy.

Who cares!

"Since everyone is homesick, let's all come back."

The Dingnan Army already has enough troops; what is needed now is a workforce for production.

However, these troops have been training for almost half a year, and it would be a real waste not to use them.

Moreover, they were located near the capital and had experience fighting against the Jin army, making them a relatively high-quality source of soldiers.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Ma Kuo saw that Chen Shao agreed and didn't bring up the matter again.

He is a diplomatic expert, and he naturally has a very good grasp of interpersonal relationships.

After he changed the subject, the atmosphere at the table became a bit more lively again, but Chen Shao lost his temper, and the other officials were no longer able to be enthusiastic.

The banquet ended abruptly and quickly.

Chen Shao ordered his men to send Ma Kuo away.

Seeing that Li Tangchen and the others were somewhat excited, Chen Shao took the opportunity to reassure the gentry of Hedong.

"These troops will be incorporated into the Taiyuan Prefecture Army and supported by you in Taiyuan, ready for use at any time."

Keeping these people means adding 20,000 mouths to feed, but simultaneously reducing the workforce by 20,000.

This can be considered a small compromise and appeasement made by Chen Shao.

I have already received enough from Hedong. The revenue and grain production of Hedong alone are almost equivalent to the entire Dingnan Army.

The Fenhe River Valley in Hedong was the northern granary of the Song Dynasty, with an annual grain output of up to one million shi (a unit of dry measure) in good years.

Zezhou, Luzhou, and Fenzhou are rich in iron ore deposits, and in Taiyuan Prefecture and Fenzhou, there is already the "Xishan Coalfield," which is one of the earliest coalfields developed in the Song Dynasty.

Except for the small area occupied by the Zhe family in Fugu, the entire Hedong region is now under Chen Shao's control. He has made a great contribution and should indeed have his own army.

Seeing their happy expressions, Chen Shao simply instructed them, "This winter, take advantage of the off-season to manufacture and popularize farming tools and encourage farming and sericulture."

"Please rest assured, General!"
-
October 20th.

The troops from Taiyuan and Chen Shao's family arrived on the same day, by sheer coincidence.

In an effort to win over the hearts of the people, Chen Shao made a point of picking up the Taiyuan soldiers to return to their hometowns, but not their families.

This matter was also widely publicized.

Only a few people knew that, because of this 'coincidence,' Chen Shao had specifically sent someone to ask the people escorting his family to slow down their journey for several days.

Outside Yingxun Gate (the south gate of Taiyuan City), officials from Taiyuan Prefecture made a grand spectacle to welcome the returning troops.

The young men from Taiyuan who returned home did not expect to receive such a grand welcome, and many were moved to tears.

Being deported is not a glorious thing, and the record in the Gyeonggi region is also rather unsatisfactory.

But the local officials did not despise them; instead, they welcomed them like heroes, which warmed their hearts.

Their respective clansmen were also outside the city, joyfully welcoming their sons and nephews back. They didn't care whether you had won or lost a battle; as long as you came back, it was a good thing!

Even now, the ruler of Hedong abandons his own family to welcome him.

The headcount had already been taken on the way, and it was almost identical to Wang Bing's count, totaling over 17,000 people.

Upon arriving at the outskirts of the city, the camp had already prepared food, slaughtering sheep and pigs to reward the troops, creating a festive scene.

Chen Shao worked with them until evening before returning to the city.

Thinking about reuniting with his family soon, he was also a little excited and hurried to the backyard.

Just as he reached the entrance to the inner courtyard, a tall figure suddenly leaped onto him.

The autumn sun shines warmly, a gentle breeze blows, and there is still some warmth in the air as evening approaches.

Chen Shao lifted Chun Tao's little bottom and led her to a seat in the corridor. He kissed her while measuring her development over the past year with his hands.

The young girl had grown into a graceful young woman, her delicate oval face still charming and beautiful, her large eyes clear and bright, her gaze dreamy and captivating.

Chen Shao cupped her face in his hands, and neither of them spoke, both feeling an extraordinary sense of contentment.

"Cough cough!"

A dissatisfied cough came from not far away. Chen Shao turned around and saw Li Shishi looking at her younger sister with annoyance.

"I noticed you were acting suspiciously, like you were up to no good. Sure enough, you've come to intercept people again."

Chun Tao lay on Chen Shao's chest, unwilling to get down, as if she were hanging on him.

Li Shishi stepped forward to grab her ear, but Chun Tao knew that her sister was never bluffing when she made a move, so she quickly got down and hid behind Chen Shao.

Every time Li Shishi pinched her arm, Chun Tao's arm would be covered in bruises.

When Chen Shao saw Li Shishi again, he was overjoyed and took her hand, saying, "My number one beauty in the world has arrived."

Li Shishi pursed her lips and said, "Master, you should wipe off the rouge on your lips. I'm afraid Madam will be unhappy."

After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Shao looked into her eyes and saw a faint, bright, and unusual light. He knew that she wasn't as calm as she seemed, so he lowered his head and kissed her back.

Chun Tao pouted behind him, hooked her finger, and scratched his back in dissatisfaction.

Li Shishi, after all, was not Chuntao; she wouldn't let Chen Shao stay outside and urged him to go inside quickly.

Chen Shao smiled and led one of them by the hand, asking them intimate questions as they walked inside.

All the women had gathered in the hall by this time, and candles were lit in the room in the evening.

As Chen Shao looked over, he saw familiar and friendly faces, which made him very happy and comfortable.

He walked to the head of the table, took his daughter from the wet nurse's arms, gently cradled her in his hands, and called out a few times, "A-Suo, A-Suo."

Zhong Lingxi said with a wronged expression that the journey had been very tiring and she wanted to finish her meal quickly so she could go to sleep. In front of so many people, she even asked Chen Shao where he was going to sleep.

Under the candlelight, everyone's faces were flushed, and Chen Shao was also somewhat helpless about his young wife.

Realizing that nowhere would be suitable to go tonight, she simply said, "I'll sleep with you."

“Alright then.” Zhong Lingxi asked again, “Our house is so small, it doesn’t have the grandeur of Xiping Prefecture. Do you have any dancers in the house? If not, I’m not willing to accept it.”

Her hobbies were reading, listening to music, and watching dance. Chen Shao said irritably, "I live on my own, I don't have the time or inclination to support these things. If you want to watch, hire some yourself."

At this moment, Lady Zhe suddenly said, "Huanhuan is tired, my lord, let her rest tonight."

The room fell silent immediately. Zhong Lingxi nodded and said, "Alright, Xiao Cui, go and see why the dishes haven't been served yet."

After dinner, Zhai Rui and Zhang Yinghan offered a cup of tea and then tactfully withdrew.

The three Jin sisters wanted to follow suit, but Chen Shao said, "I can't drink anymore, maybe next time."

Li Shishi knew that the Zhe family had fought for this night, and there was no reason for them to take it from her. After exchanging a smiling glance with Chen Shao, she returned to her own courtyard.

Only Chuntao didn't care about anything else and shamelessly refused to leave.

Huanhuan stretched and went to her bedroom to rest.

Chen Shao handed A Suo over to the wet nurse and asked about her daughter. The wet nurse was surprised that Chen Shao still remembered her family and that she also had a daughter. She was deeply moved and even had tears in her eyes.

Sometimes people are just strange like that; a little bit of care from someone in a superior's position can make someone feel incredibly grateful.

They take the kindness of their closest relatives for granted.

Even Chen Shao himself sometimes couldn't escape the common pitfalls.

Chen Shao led Zhe Shi and Chun Tao back to her courtyard, where the maids had already made the beds and prepared hot water.

After a bath, I comfortably went to bed.

(End of this chapter)