You have truly caused me great suffering!

The Merkit detained the envoy of the Great Jing, but half a month later, he was captured on the grasslands and escorted to the Central Plains.

When the news spread, the capital was thrilled, and everyone praised it.

In fact, the Great Jing has been reporting a series of victories over the past year, but these reports have only circulated within official circles.

Moreover, only those at the top understand the meaning of these victories.

For example, in Japan and Southeast Asia, in the eyes of ordinary people, the greatest enemy of the Central Plains has always been the enemy of the northern grasslands.

It is the Khitan, the Jurchen, and now the Merkit.

Many people haven't realized that, thanks to Chen Shao's efforts, the Great Jing now rarely needs to rely on its own people in battles.

Li Xiaozhong's battle terrified the tribes in southern Mongolia. Because they were closer to the Great Jing, the tribes in southern Mongolia knew how terrifying the Great Jing was more than their fellow villagers in northern Mongolia.

The troops in the Hetao region were enough to terrify them, but fortunately, they were able to make a living through trade over the years.

Herding livestock was more tiring than raiding south, but it was still quite good.
At least you don't have to risk your life.

However, these tribal leaders had not yet figured out one thing: the reason they had absolute authority was because all tribal members could not survive without the collective.

Individuals are not capable of resisting the harsh weather and barren winter.

They need a strong leader to guide them in their raids and conquests. Without a leader to govern you, you are prey on the grasslands, destined to become someone else's slave.

They must also give everything for this person, and even if the tribal chief orders you to die, you have no chance to resist.

This is the only viable system determined by the harsh living conditions on the grasslands. Throughout history, the rise of the grasslands has always required an extremely outstanding leader who can unify the various tribes of the grasslands with an iron fist, thereby forming a royal court.

Only in this way could they qualify to go south and plunder indiscriminately.

Especially after Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall, the use of beacon towers for alarms made it seem like small groups of nomadic tribes were committing suicide if they went south, so they became even more reliant on strongmen and powerful figures.

But when an individual or a family can trade with the south through herding to obtain necessities and food for the winter, this relationship becomes less secure.

The demise of any system inevitably begins with changes in the productive forces and relations of production.
-
As an emperor, Chen Shao did not publicize his act of exchanging hostages, even though it demonstrated his humanity and compassion for his subordinates.

However, this kind of thing is wrong from a moral standpoint and should not be written about in detail.

Compared to such benevolence and righteousness, people generally admire the actions of those envoys who died for their principles during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

He simply summoned the two delegations quietly, offered them some reassurance, and then bestowed rewards upon them.

Then he ordered Hu Luba to be beheaded in the capital, and that there was no need to bring him to see him. Chen Shao had no interest in seeing him, and even less intention in showing off his power in front of him.

To Chen Shao, these mixed-race barbarians were not worthy of being enemies.

Chen Shao already knew the true strength of the various nomadic tribes from the northern deserts when the Dingnan Army fought the Jurchen soldiers. Before they had fully matured, they were not worth his attention.

At this time in history, Genghis Khan's ancestor, Khabul, should have begun to exert his influence. However, he did not achieve great success and continued to fight the Jin army on a back-and-forth basis.

Chen Shao had paid special attention to the fact that the Mongolian tribes of Khabul had indeed shown some signs of rising, but after the Yinshan Mountains were blocked by Baidao City, they had no chance of developing further.

A single northern expedition would be enough to trap and annihilate all the tribes south of the Gobi Desert.

Today is the day Hu Luba was beheaded in the bustling city, and many people went to join in the festivities, deeply feeling the magnificence of the nation's power.

This rebellious Hu committed a crime just last month, and this month he was beheaded in the bustling marketplace. What kind of power is this? Even Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han could hardly match it.

Even many civil officials began to encourage a northern expedition to completely wipe out all the rebellious barbarians.

In the past, even if the public was in a state of high spirits and wanted to launch a northern expedition, the imperial court would have given it careful consideration.

Under a ruling system that primarily relied on corvée labor and land taxes, foreign wars could not divert domestic conflicts at all; they would only have the opposite effect.

The story of Yang Guang's campaign against Goguryeo serves as a cautionary tale.

Therefore, civil officials throughout history have generally opposed military campaigns against foreign powers, and this opposition reached its peak during the Song Dynasty.

Even if a military general wins a battle, he will still be disliked and may even be persecuted even more.

They feared that the emperor, having tasted victory, would become complacent and launch frequent wars.

Only a strategy like Chen Shao's, which allows for tangible profits from overseas, can make war a win-win situation for both the military and the civilian population.

Civil officials saw that war could bring gold and silver, copper mines, markets, and endless commercial taxes.

They were eager to fight more battles to alleviate the financial pressure on the imperial court.

If the imperial court is short of money, governing the country is a laborious task, requiring exceptional talent like Cai Jing to employ effective methods in order to barely achieve a balance between revenue and expenditure.

But if the imperial court had money, who the hell wouldn't be able to govern the country?
The transportation system envisioned by Chen Shao is not yet fully formed. Once Yang Cheng completes the canal, roads in various places will become smooth.

Then wars will become more frequent.

By then, even if you wanted to stop them, you might not be able to.

Chen Shao is still fighting alone. He needs to show everyone the benefits. Take Japan for example. It has mountains of gold and silver as well as sulfur, which are very important resources, but the officials are still unwilling to pay attention until they see the benefits.

After all, the gold mine hasn't even started mining yet, and the Iwami Silver Mine is also under construction. These are all being handled by caravans and naval forces, without going through the civil service system.

Inside the imperial city, Chen Shao and his officials continued to discuss matters such as water conservancy and agriculture.

With the seasons changing, digging reservoirs has become a top priority, serving to store water for irrigation during droughts and to release floodwaters and prevent disasters during floods.

Sitting in the chair, Chen Shao listened to one story after another, and couldn't help but yawn.

He recalled Cai Jing telling him that the most important thing in handling government affairs was to be 'patient,' because it was a really tedious and boring thing.

But you really need to sort things out and clarify them one by one, and then prescribe the right remedy.

There is no universal formula for handling government affairs. Sometimes, even a good policy can become a harmful and oppressive policy if implemented incorrectly.

It requires comprehensive consideration of timing, location, and human factors.

Are there the conditions for its implementation? Will anyone profit from it and distort the policy?

Chen Shao rested his chin on his hand, thinking to himself that it would be perfect if he had a few good prime ministers.

I don't need someone like Zhuge Liang or Wang Meng who can do everything; even someone like Cai Jing would be fine.

Thinking of this, Chen Shao recalled the current system of selecting officials. There was no doubt that there was no system that could replace the imperial examination at present.

However, with slight reforms to the imperial examination system, it should be possible to select some pragmatic officials.

Li Tangchen noticed that Chen Shao's eyes were unfocused, clearly lost in thought, and paused slightly.

His Majesty is not an emperor who neglects his duties; in this situation, he is most likely truly exhausted.

He raised his eyelids, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I am feeling a little weak and quite tired. This is not something that can be rushed. Could we discuss it another day?"

Chen Shao then came to his senses, feeling a little embarrassed, and nodded, saying, "Very good, very good, I am also a little tired."

"The affairs of the world are numerous and complex, and cannot be resolved overnight. I hope Your Majesty will take care of your health and preserve your divine well-being."

"I understand. You all should also eat more and sleep more."

Watching their departing figures, Chen Shao thought to himself, "Li Tangchen is absolutely a model scholar, with extremely high moral standards. However, his abilities are somewhat mediocre, or rather, not outstanding enough, because even being above average isn't enough for this position; one must be top-tier. Liu Jizu does have some wisdom and knows how to adapt, but he lacks a bit in terms of overall strategic vision."

Xu Jin and Yang Cheng are both pragmatic types; keeping them in the central government would be a waste of talent.

It would be difficult to find someone in the Great Jing Dynasty who was fully capable of being prime minister, because even the most outstanding people of that era might not be able to understand his own intentions.

Limited by the perspective of this era, they will not understand their own thoughts.

Unless you personally trained them.

Thinking of this, a name popped into his mind: Yuwen Xuzhong.

Yuwen Xuzhong was able to analyze the current situation and was very adaptable; he was not a conservative person.

As long as I keep him by my side and let him have long-term access to core government policies and understand my plans for transportation, military industry, and overseas, he will most likely be able to share my burdens.

When Cai Xing from Southeast Asia returns, he will also be a promising talent.

Without further ado, Chen Shao beckoned Chen Chong to send someone to invite Yuwen Xuzhong to the palace.
-
On Jinling Street.

Yuwen Xuzhong, unusually, was joining in the fun, watching the execution.

He was dressed in plain clothes, with only a servant in tow, and squeezed into the second floor of a tavern next to the bustling city.

Watching Huluba being escorted up, the escort along the way had long since robbed him of the ferocity he had shown in the northern desert.

Before his execution, he was forced to wash himself in a tub to prevent him from becoming too filthy and losing the appearance of a leader, which would greatly diminish the effectiveness of the execution.

The bustling city was completely unfamiliar to him; could there really be such a prosperous place in the world?

These were his thoughts before he died.

The executioner behind him stood imposingly, holding his knife, and took a swig of wine, spitting it onto the blade.

A cheer immediately erupted from below.

Smelling the aroma of the wine, Hu Luba's throat bobbed, and he wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

He tilted his head slightly, glanced into the distance, and suddenly cursed in the Hu language: "Miaoguzhen, I'll fuck your mother!"

With a swift movement, the blade fell and severed his head.

Cheers erupted again from the crowd. In the restaurant, Yuwen Xuzhong, who was crowded with people, suddenly looked up at the sky and closed his eyes slightly.

At this moment, he was already in tears.

The cheers of my friends and the boisterous crowd around me felt like a noisy dream.

"It's so clear!"

Yuwen Xuzhong suddenly shouted as well, his voice high-pitched. Back when he killed Liang Shicheng with a brick in the imperial city, he hadn't shouted with such a broken voice.

However, it was drowned out by the noise and almost no one heard it.

He turned his head to look for the wine, only to find that it had already been taken away, and someone was drinking heartily from the wine jug.

Yuwen Xuzhong didn't pay any attention. He rarely participated in such activities and preferred to study at home in the past.

Recently, he has been planning the Northern Expedition for his friend Li Gang.

Suddenly, a servant squeezed up from the first floor, looking as if he had been squeezed flat, panting heavily with his tongue sticking out.

"My lord, my lord, I've finally found you!" the servant shouted. "His Majesty summons you! Come downstairs with me!"

Although the place was unusually lively, the words "His Majesty summons me" seemed to have a magical power, temporarily calming everyone around them down.

People respectfully made way for him, their eyes filled with envy as they watched Yuwen Xuzhong walk down the stairs.

Yuwen Xuzhong didn't know why the emperor had summoned him, but he was still very excited and prepared to go back to his residence to change into his official robes.

The servant hurriedly said, "The officials from the Inner Palace have been here for a long time and are very anxious. Young master, please change in the carriage. I have brought everything for you!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Xuzhong could only smile wryly and say, "There's no other way."

He rarely gets to come out, and I never expected he'd have something come up today.

Upon arriving at the capital, Chen Chong waited anxiously at the palace gate. When he saw the carriage approaching, he hurriedly went to greet it.

"Oh dear, my scholar Yuwen, why are you taking so long!"

Yuwen Xuzhong asked, "Is Your Majesty getting impatient?"

"Your Majesty is not in a hurry, but we are. Who can blame us when our Emperor has such a magnanimous heart?"

Seeing that he still had the mind to joke, Yuwen Xu thought to himself that it shouldn't be anything serious.

He trotted to the Funing Palace, where the sound of a flute could be heard.

The music was soothing and very pleasant to the ear.

Upon hearing the eunuch announce that someone had arrived, the sounds inside ceased, but footsteps could still be heard.

Yuwen Xuzhong thought to himself, "This must be His Majesty's concubine or a palace musician."

When he went in as ordered, there was indeed only Chen Shao there.

"Your subject Yuwen Xuzhong pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"sit!"

Chen Shao was very polite and said with a smile, "I have called you here today because I have been dealing with a lot of government affairs lately and I am quite tired. I am not a diligent person by nature, but I have to do this for the sake of the country. If this continues, I am afraid it will not be a good thing."

Yuwen Xuzhong was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Your Majesty is a wise and mighty emperor, a rare figure throughout history, and has always been diligent in state affairs. You are being too modest!"

Chen Shao laughed and said, "I intend to find a few helpers. From today onwards, you will serve as a Hanlin Academician, responsible for transmitting information, assisting with state affairs, drafting edicts, and staying by my side as an advisor."

Yuwen Xuzhong was stunned again. The title "Hanlin Academician Under the Emperor" had two more characters than "Hanlin Academician," but the difference in status was like heaven and earth.

This official position was also known as "Inner Minister," and was the head of the Academy, in charge of the most confidential imperial edicts, and served in the inner palace.

Liang Shicheng used to do this kind of work.

Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and Hong Zikui all held this position.

But today, His Majesty suddenly added several more functions to this official position, clearly increasing its responsibilities.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Chen Shao asked, "Is there some difficulty?"

Yuwen Xuzhong then realized what was happening, quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to share your burdens."

"That's right. I'm an honest person and don't like to beat around the bush when talking to people. I'm promoting you today because I value your abilities and want you to share my burdens."

Chen Shao picked up his brush and wrote an imperial edict. He then had Yuwen Xuzhong step forward so he could take it with him to report on his duties after it had dried. (End of Chapter)