You have truly caused me great suffering!

By March, Chen Shao remembered that Cai Xing had been on his way to Southeast Asia for almost a year.

He didn't know where the fleet was now, and he was wondering when they would return.

When they headed south, it was actually the time when Da Jing was most in need of money, so the urgency wasn't as great.

Ultimately, what Chen Shao wanted to do was simply too expensive.

Fortunately, the trade routes he had been developing were beginning to take effect.

Especially Goryeo and Jiaozhi.

The biggest difference between these two vassal states and other small countries is that they also have strong domestic organizational capabilities.

They have made tremendous contributions to the development of Dajing.

Now that Jiaozhi is about to be incorporated into China, and most matters have been settled, the purge of any potential resistance elements has begun within Jiaozhi.

Thanks to the brutality of the Battle of Red River, these people were killed so badly that only one in ten survived, and the few remaining were not enough to pose a significant threat.

Chen Shao began to mentally calculate and estimate the location of the fleet in Southeast Asia, feeling a certain amount of anticipation.

If they follow the coast, they might reach the vicinity of India; if they continue exploring the sea and sailing south, they might even reach Australia.

Opening the memorial in my hand, the first one, unsurprisingly, was from Japan.

Chen Shao recalled that he had specifically instructed the Imperial Household Department to place the memorials concerning their Eastern Japan on it.

This time it's another handwritten letter from Toba. Toba used to boast that Japan had never submitted to any other country.

But after he began to submit, he smoothly softened and wrote memorials every day.

This time, they actually reached out to him for copper coins, and Chen Shao couldn't hold back after just one glance.

Toba said that there was a riot in their area and they hoped that Chen Shao could give him some copper coins to quell the rebellion.

In modern Japan, the Central Plains copper coin is a universal currency that can buy almost anything; the only slightly less valuable currency is cloth.

This situation continued until the Ming Dynasty. Copper coins from the Central Plains were hard currency there, while gold and silver were practically worthless.

Because they had so much gold, there was even a feat where an entire Buddhist temple was wrapped in gold leaf, which is the famous Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion).

Besides the Golden Pavilion, there are other buildings that are also covered in gold leaf. On that small island, they were closed off from the world for a long time, which meant that gold and silver could not be used to buy goods for them for a long period of time.

It wasn't until global cross-sea trade began and silver became the mainstream currency that they began to pay attention to the gold and silver mines on the island.

On the contrary, Goryeo, because of its openness and its commitment to important matters, began to use gold and silver to purchase goods from the Central Plains early on, especially Goryeo gold, which was of excellent quality.

The most noticeable change in Toba's letters lately is that his calligraphy has improved significantly.

However, the content became increasingly nonsensical.

The accounts of the domestic peasant uprisings in his writings and in Chen Shao's own intelligence reports are completely different.

In fact, the current riots by displaced people have not yet touched its core, because there are no large-scale riots in the vicinity of Kyoto.

Most of them are in remote areas.

In Toba's letter, he even said that he personally killed several of them and that he personally went to the battlefield despite being hit by arrows and stones.

Chen Shao smiled and shook his head. This grandson thought the sky was high and the road was far, so he let him make up whatever he wanted.

Little did he know that he had orchestrated the riot himself, and he knew it far better than the other man.

Nowadays, many of the various factions in Japan are only concerned with their own affairs, watching as powerful figures next door are overthrown by mobs, so that they can take the opportunity to expand their territory.

In their eyes, these mobs, though ferocious, were not a great threat and were no match for the samurai.

Chen Shao tossed aside Bird Feather's nonsensical and boastful memorial, thinking to himself, "Just you wait."
Unarmed mobs wielding wooden sticks are no big deal to you, but what about armored mobs?

It'll be here soon, then let's see if you guys can still be so cocky.

On the territory of the Yoshimi clan in Iwami Province of the San'in Road, artisans from Goryeo and Daekage, under the instruction of Huiming, have begun to forge low-quality armor and weapons using by-products from silver mines.

This thing is plentiful and filling. After failing several times, Teppanyaki Mizo also received a letter from Huiming, asking him to secretly come to Ishimi.
-
Having stayed in Bingjindu for so long, Guo Hao had a general understanding of the situation in Japan.

The infighting here is really serious.
Moreover, the country was in a state of utter chaos, and the reason it did not collapse was simply because it was isolated overseas.

In fact, their so-called imperial family with an unbroken lineage was simply the family chosen from among a group of tribal leaders during barbaric times, based on their strength and the respect they commanded.

Then, taking advantage of the chaotic period in Japan when there was no written language or records, he fabricated a large number of myths to serve as his family tree.

The one who was truly elected was the thirteenth emperor; all those before him were fabricated by him.

Taira no Tadamori has been released, unlike in history, where he was killed by his son.

But after witnessing the power of Da Jing, the father and son reached a consensus and were determined to establish independence on their own territory.

Guo Hao had already subtly hinted that Da Jing intended to support him in establishing himself as king.

Ping was clearly tempted, but he probably didn't know that Da Jing was indeed interested in supporting him to become king.

But he wasn't the only king.

Walking through the naval port, feeling the cold sea breeze, Guo Hao sighed.

I don't know when I'll be able to return to the Central Plains.

Despite his high position and power here, he still longed to go to the northern border, having heard that the imperial court had already built a city on the white road.

Throughout history, powerful dynasties that conquered the White Road and controlled the Yin Mountains would inevitably launch a northern expedition.

How could His Majesty, with his wisdom and might, be an exception?

He even wanted to exterminate the Tibetans who came down from the Qilian Mountains to steal grain when they were starving, not to mention the treacherous nomadic tribes of the grasslands who were the biggest threat to the Central Plains.

His Majesty has already dismissed a large number of meritorious soldiers and sent them to fertile lands to divide up the best land and fields in the land.

These soldiers under his command are the most powerful and elite troops currently available, yet they can only show off their might on this barbarian island nation overseas?

Guo Hao stood by the sea, looking westward at the vast, boundless ocean.

The soldiers washing their camp equipment by the reef gathered together, loudly chanting the work songs of the Northwest.

The clansman standing beside him, Guo Hao's distant nephew, whispered, "General, when can we return?"

"Let's wait for His Majesty's decree."
-
When a place is so poor that people can't afford to eat and are at risk of starving to death.

Having enough to eat became the only requirement.

This is what the northern desert is like now.

They had neither the inclination nor the energy to investigate the situation to the south.

All we know is that Yinshan was cut off.

Their route south was cut off.

The most savage and backward Merkit tribe was the first to make a change. Since they couldn't raid south anymore, they decided to raid locally. So they changed their target to the Tatar tribe nearby. Although they used to often raid south together, now that they couldn't go south, they were out of luck.

I don't know anything else, all I know is killing and robbing. Everyone used to make a living near Fishing Lake, so it was easier to rob nearby. Even Tatar was extremely poor, so he didn't steal much each time.

The Tatar leader, Mieguzhen Xueqiehuli, was furious, but did not immediately send troops to retaliate.

He sent men to find the leader of the Merkit tribe and demand peace talks, and then, as before, they raided together.

Unable to go south, why don't you go east and rob the Bohai people?
Further west, there are some small countries.

He wasn't afraid of the Merkit tribe; in fact, the Tatar tribe was more powerful than the Merkit tribe.

But this neighbor is like a rock in a latrine, smelly and hard, yet fiercely fearless in a fight.

If you actually go and fight him, not only will it be difficult, but what benefits will you get even if you win?
Even if we win, we'll only lose an accomplice who helped us plunder.

At this time, the envoy of Dajing arrived and demanded that both tribes send the eldest son of their chieftain to Jinling.

The Merkit tribe immediately detained the envoy as a hostage and then sent people to demand a ransom, offering a whole host of conditions.

Seeing this, Mieguzhen Xueqiehuli was overjoyed; the opportunity had finally arrived!

Early in the morning, he led the nobles of his clan to the road to wait.

As the grand delegation slowly approached, Mieguzhen Xueqiehuli rode forward on his horse.

"Your Excellency, the esteemed envoy from the Heavenly Kingdom, I, the leader of the Tatar tribe, Mieguzhen Xuechehuli, have come to greet you!"

Li Chongyi was trembling all over and couldn't speak. It wasn't that he was frightened by these Hu people, but that he was too cold to open his mouth.

They followed them to the large tent of Mieguzhen Xueqiehuli. Outside the felt curtain, the north wind was like a knife, but inside the tent, a whole piece of pine resin was burning, and the firelight brought warmth.

The delegation waited for a long time until it finally warmed up a little. Li Chongyi gently placed the jade scepter on the ground. The red banner tied to the scepter had frozen into icy strands that would break at the slightest touch.

This is truly a bitterly cold land.
People were freezing to death on the way here.

Li Chongyi presented the imperial edict, and after reading it, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor of Dajing, you also know about my little tribe! In that case, I will send my eldest son, Altan, to Jinling!"

Li Chongyi cursed inwardly, "Don't be modest, everyone knows you're a lackey of the Jurchen Jin dynasty."

During the Jin dynasty's conquest of the Liao dynasty, the Tatar tribe contributed the most and also reaped considerable benefits.

He hasn't started criticizing yet because he hasn't warmed up yet, and he probably won't be able to say more than a few words.

But the leader of this Tatar seems to be very cunning.
Before Li Chongyi could speak, Mieguzhen Xueqiehuli laid his cards on the table, saying, "I've heard that the Merkit tribe has detained the envoy of the Great Jing Emperor. If Great Jing provides some food and weapons, we are willing to help Great Jing to completely eliminate them."

If the two tribes fight each other, there will be no benefit. But with the support of the Great Jing, it will be easier to destroy the Merkit tribe and annex them.

In the past, helping the Jurchens reduce their population meant killing, and now helping the Han people also means killing; in his view, there is no difference.

It's just a change of masters.

They should continue to lie low and accumulate strength, and one day they will rise to prominence.

Li Chongyi held his chin in his hand and finally felt a little warmth. He moved his jaw a bit and still felt a little uncomfortable.

It seems I can no longer feel my own mouth.

He coughed lightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Send hostages to the court to show loyalty and obedience. As for other matters, His Majesty the Great Jing Emperor will handle them."

Miegu Zhen remained silent for a long time before saying, "If that's the case, give me a few days to think it over."
-
At the same time, while the Fishing Lake was covered in ice and snow, Jiaozhi was already getting warm.

At the southernmost point of Jiaozhi, at the mouth of the Ma River, the massive Dajing fleet filled the sea.

Under the dark clouds, torrential rain raged, and the waves stirred up by the wind and rain were no longer blue, but black.

The countless rolling black waves were chilling; the once beautiful sea revealed its hideous and terrifying face.

However, the rain didn't last long, and soon the wind and rain subsided. The dark clouds dispersed slightly, and the sun unexpectedly peeked out from behind the clouds in an instant, truly unpredictable.

When Wang Xi saw that the rain had stopped, he came out of the warship, cursing and swearing, still feeling lingering fear.

The weather at sea is terrifying.

They weren't fighting this time; their job was simply to transport the Jiaozhi people to the neighboring Javanese islands.

Although the Javanese and Srivijaya people fought for a century and regarded each other as mortal enemies, they were like two teachers when it came to secretly plotting against each other, secretly raising bandits to plunder mines.

The key point is that these guys are all self-taught; that's just their nature.

Actually, the arrival of the people from Dajing is just for mining, which is actually a good thing for them. Because they themselves don't have the capacity to mine this mine, the arrival of the people from Dajing will stimulate a lot of trade.

If they themselves are ambitious, they will also have many opportunities to profit from it.

But they just love doing these dirty things; in the end, they are short-sighted and inherently despicable.

Wang Xi waited for a while, and the Jiaozhi people finally arrived. To his surprise, the one leading the troops was a civil official.

A dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man wearing a hat resembling a turban and a red round-necked shirt claimed to be Zhang Boyin, the Vice Minister of War of the Great Zhang Dynasty, and a relative of Zhang Boyu.

Wang Xi noticed that his attire, on the surface, was very similar to that of Han Chinese officials!

But for some reason, the clothes looked loose and baggy on him; they resembled the clothes in form but not in spirit, that's probably what it meant.

If you look closely, you can see that there are differences in the workmanship and materials, and their figures are too thin to fill out these robes.

Wang Xi was puzzled. Even if you are a civil official, you should change into military uniform before going to war. Why are you still dressed like this?

He didn't know that Zhang Boyin had no intention of leading the troops in these Jiaozhi people's battle.

He only intended to control the situation remotely from a great distance to avoid any danger. If Wang Xi knew his thoughts, he would probably be both amused and exasperated, realizing that the Jiaozhi people had truly learned something from the Song Dynasty.

Civil officials from a hundred miles away have come to command the large army.

Zhang Boyin stepped forward and greeted Wang Xi, then directed the soldiers behind him to board the ship.

Wang Xi watched as the Jiaozhi soldiers boarded the ship in an orderly fashion. Most of them wore bamboo hats and rattan armor, and their weapons were a motley collection.

"Minister Zhang, where did these soldiers come from?"

“They are Yi people from the jungle, not Han Chinese,” Zhang Boyin said with a smile. “These soldiers are good at fighting and willing to endure hardship, so General Wang can rest assured.”

For some reason, Zhang Boyin felt a little afraid when he saw Wang Xi.

Because in the Battle of Red River, it was the brothers Wang Xi and Wang Wu who fought the fiercest.

They were also the ones who drove the Jiaozhi people to fill the city walls for their livelihood.

This tactic, learned from the Jurchen Tartars, terrified the Jiaozhi people in the south as soon as it was put into practice.

The wars in the north, especially the battles between the Dingnan Army and the Jin army in recent years, were beyond their imagination in terms of intensity and brutality.
Although they appear peaceful and harmonious now, the people of Jiaozhi still feel somewhat fearful when they see them.

Zhang Boyin mustered his courage and asked, "Now you're just using swift and decisive measures without any restraint. Are you planning to annihilate these Javanese?"

Wang Xi said, "I'm just following orders. I don't know anything else yet, but the imperial decree is to start fighting first." (End of this chapter)