You have truly caused me great suffering!

Gao Shunzhen met Chen Shao at the Hot Spring Palace.

After the conversation, both parties were satisfied.

Chen Shao felt that he and his son were about to hand over Dali, and he was naturally happy to have acquired such a large territory without firing a shot.

Gao Shunzhen felt that Emperor Jing was gentle and would definitely make many concessions. Perhaps she could even offer to guard Dali.

Be a powerful regional official who submits to the emperor but does not surrender his territory.

As they left the palace together with the officials, Gao Shunzhen smiled and said, "Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler, a rare talent throughout history."

The surrounding officials of the Grand View agreed wholeheartedly and nodded in agreement.

Zhang Run, the Vice Minister of Rites, was among them, barely suppressing his laughter.

In his opinion, if Gao Shunzhen were pragmatic, she should have surrendered her territory and submitted to the Chinese government long ago.

Do you really think we can't take it down?

It's only because Your Majesty is kind and benevolent; otherwise, how does Dali's military strength compare to that of Jiaozhi?

You think you can gather a million soldiers and civilians to guard the capital? I'm afraid your thirty-six tribes of Wuman soldiers are more likely to take the opportunity to rebel against you.

The reason I was able to rise eight ranks in a row and be transferred from the Northwest to become the second-in-command of the Ministry of Rites, one of the Six Ministries, was because my strategies were effective.

The Wuman have been completely divided. Once the war starts, your Gao family will be all alone.

Even the Duan family of Dali might not be on your side.

If the Gao family were wise, they would understand that the sooner they surrender, the better, and the more benefits they could gain, instead of trying to obtain benefits through negotiation.

Of course, not everyone can make this decision.

After everyone left, Chen Shao said to Yuwen Xuzhong, the only one left behind, "Gao Shunzhen is not a hero. He doesn't have the courage to fight us to the death. I think Dali will be subjugated within the next few years."

Yuwen Xuzhong smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

"Happy together."

Yuwen Xuzhong's attitude shows that he also thinks so, otherwise he wouldn't have accompanied Chen Shao to open champagne halfway through the game.

Reflecting on the great achievements of the past few years, Yuwen Xuzhong couldn't help but sigh inwardly that once the nation's strength increased, everything truly went smoothly.

As long as your national strength is strong enough, the problems that trouble the emperor and his ministers will be easily solved.

The difficulties in governing a country lie not in external factors, but rather in internal ones.

Promoting many major reforms is far more difficult than fighting a war, because it requires overcoming not foreign enemies on horseback, but deeply ingrained traditional ideas within one's own country.

An enemy on horseback is easy to deal with, but an enemy in one's own heart is hard to get rid of.

The emperor and his minister talked for another half an hour, their topics scattering far and wide, going about whatever came to mind.

From conquering the desert to reclaiming wasteland in Liaodong; from standardizing weapon specifications at the Institute of Technology to cultivating new species at the Ministry of Agriculture.
The emperor and his minister not only discussed matters but also people, and behind the scenes, no one is immune to gossip. Chen Shao criticized Han Shizhong's laziness and Qu Duan's radicalism, while Yuwen Xuzhong subtly implied that the officials of the Hedong faction were forming cliques and sticking together too tightly!
A significant portion of the important positions in the court were held by people from Hedong.

As they chatted, they both realized that things were getting a little awkward, so they quickly changed the subject and started talking about Gao Siyuan again.

They tacitly forgot what they had just said; you didn't say it, and I didn't remember it either.
-
A light snow was falling from the sky, and the sky was covered with dark clouds.

Chen Shao, sitting in the hot spring, was lost in thought. The current imperial court was far from being a place where he could let go of his responsibilities.

There are still some hidden dangers.

Among his subjects, those from the Northwest were mostly nobles and relatives of high-ranking officials, producing the most princes, dukes, and marquises. Chen Shao also chose these people for his marriage alliances.

Zhang Yinghan and Zhai Rui are from Hexi, Zhong Lingxi and Zhe Ningxiang are from Xijun, and the three concubines of the Jin family are from Yinxia.

The Northwest faction dominated in terms of titles, while the Hedong faction was indeed the most numerous among the officials.

Over time, even if they don't have the awareness to stick together, they will gradually gather together and form a powerful force that is difficult to control.

I should probably try to manage it myself, but not too obviously.

Both of the prime ministers of the Secretariat and the Chancellery were from Hedong, and two of the six ministers were from Hedong. This ratio was extremely high.

Who should be promoted to replace them?
Li Tangchen, Liu Jizu, Zhang Xiaochun, and Zhang Kejian have all made great contributions and have never made any mistakes.

After much deliberation, Chen Shao finally decided that if the prime minister was from Hedong, the next vice prime minister could not be from Hedong.

If you want someone to step down, you can promote them in name only but demote them in reality, giving them a dignified exit.

Once the court is stable for another two or three years, the Li Tang officials will be allowed to retire.

Thinking of this, he waved and stepped out of the pool. After wiping himself clean, he went to Consort De, Li Yumei's, residence.

When Li Yumei saw Chen Shaomai walk in, she felt that her emperor was so majestic and imposing that she was overjoyed. Her eyes flashed with a charming and alluring light, but the moment she looked down the steps to greet him, she gracefully walked down to greet him.

Chen Shao chuckled and helped her up. The two had lunch together, one gentle and affectionate, the other fawning over her, and they had a passionate encounter.

In this great battle, Consort De did not remove her armor. She was still wearing a light purple gown, her clothes were disheveled, revealing a large area of ​​skin, and her hair was still adorned with gold and jade ornaments. Her face was covered with heavy makeup.

Now, panting heavily, Chen Shao sat on the desk, his hands supporting him on the surface. He pulled up his trousers and began to write:
I believe that Heaven and Earth are in harmony, and the sun and moon shine together; the administration of state is well-managed, and the assistance of the harem is truly appreciated.

Consort Li, now known for her gentle and virtuous character, filial piety, and diligence, has been a great help to the inner palace and has successfully guided the children's upbringing. Although her honor as a concubine is rooted in the strict family education she received, her virtuous father further demonstrates the uprightness of the family tradition. I consider her loyalty and diligence in serving the country, and my favor is not based on personal relationships. I commend her for her effective upbringing of her daughter and hereby bestow upon her this special honor as a reminder and encouragement.

He was granted a special gift of five thousand taels of gold, and permitted to expand his prime minister's residence, with a main gate consisting of five bays and seven rafters, covered with green glazed tiles; his eldest son, Li Yuanyou, was appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor, and was granted a certificate of merit and iron, with his descendants inheriting the title of marquis.

Upon seeing this, Li Yumei was overjoyed and quickly got up to express her gratitude. However, since she was at the desk, when she stood up and bowed gracefully, she was already shoulder-height with Chen Shao, who then embraced her and kissed her.

Her heart softened, wondering why His Majesty was treating her so gently today, as if he wanted to spoil her rotten.
-
The Li family's reward arrived almost immediately, along with the imperial edict, at the Li residence. The entire household was filled with joy, as if it were New Year's Day.

The women of the household, especially several ladies of noble birth, dressed up and prepared to go to the palace to express their gratitude.

Li Tangchen looked at the imperial edict, remained silent for a long time, sighed slightly, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

This may be the best outcome.

I will continue to serve His Majesty as prime minister for the next few years, and then wait to retire gracefully.
At that time, he planned to travel to various places to see with his own eyes the prosperous country he and His Majesty had built.

After Xiao Ting regained control of the imperial treasury, all government offices felt that the speed of fund allocation had increased.

In the past, the rewards from the Li family might have taken three to five days to arrive.

This naturally included Yang Cheng, who was in charge of repairing the river. Since it was not appropriate for the money for repairing the river to come from anywhere, Chen Shao simply paid for it out of his own pocket.

After a few more voyages to Southeast Asia, we'll have everything. Once we have steamships, bean sprouts, lemon juice, we might even be able to go to Australia, Africa, and the Americas.

At this time, Yang Cheng had already begun recruiting laborers.

By opening up the canal from Jiangnan to Yanjing for the emperor, the imperial court greatly enhanced its ability to develop Youyan.

They even extended their influence to the agricultural reclamation areas in Liaodong.

Yang Cheng was stationed in Cangzhou and ordered officials at all levels to cooperate in recruiting laborers, but few responded.

The people of Hebei were granted an exemption from three years of corvée labor by His Majesty's grace.

So even though Yang Cheng offered money, they were unwilling to come and earn it. They couldn't even take care of their own fields, and what if the repairs weren't finished by spring?

The common people feared corvée labor far more than taxes, especially after experiencing the torment of the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty's use of laborers was truly inhumane, especially under Tong Guan, who frequently caused tens of thousands to starve or be beaten to death. Zhu Mian, in Jiangnan, conscripted laborers to transport the "Flower and Stone Tribute," resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands more.

Although the Great Jing Dynasty is very powerful, only three years have passed, and the people still have psychological trauma.

Ambitious Yang Cheng immediately became furious, for this was jeopardizing his career!

He wrote memorials repeatedly, requesting the emperor's help, and even suggested sending troops to deal with the situation, but Chen Shao refused outright.

At this time, Choi Soon-jeong, the well-informed and influential president of the Goryeo Chamber of Commerce, once again wrote a letter requesting that he be allowed to conscript laborers from Goryeo to enter the Central Plains to dig canals.

After Daejeong's grain entered Goryeo, many people lost the opportunity to farm for the powerful clans, making their livelihoods even more difficult.

Because papermaking, horse breeding, and ginseng cultivation require less labor than farming.

Many ordinary people could only work in the workshops of wealthy families for extremely low prices.

The workshops were mainly heartless; they were far more ruthless in their exploitation than landlords.

The sweatshops in Britain are proof of this; even a notorious scumbag like Zhou Bapi would spit on them.

During the years of Britain's rise, chimney sweeps were mostly child laborers aged 4-7, with even 2-year-old toddlers being stuffed into chimneys; textile factory apprentices often signed 7-year contracts starting at age 6, which was tantamount to lifelong enslavement, as most people did not live past seven years.

Working 14–18 hours a day, year-round without rest, the unprotected steam engines, shuttles, and pulleys led to frequent deaths from severed fingers, tangled hair, and crushing injuries. Even if someone was caught in the machine, the machine would not be stopped for the sake of production, because restarting the machine required a large amount of coal, which the factory owner considered far more valuable than the workers' lives.

Goryeo is rushing headlong in this direction.

In terms of not treating ordinary people as human beings, Goryeo was probably second only to Japan, resulting in the people of both countries being generally resilient and hardy.

Choi Soon-jung's actions not only earned her immense prestige but also subtly reminded the powerful clans of Goryeo that she was backed by Daejeong, deterring them from taking rash action against her.

They could also collude with low-level officials in Goryeo to make a fortune and bring more low-level officials into their network of connections.

The Great Jing Dynasty gained a workforce of laborers; the Goryeo laborers gained a means of livelihood; although the Goryeo court was dissatisfied with Choi Soon-jeong's direct contact with the Great Jing Dynasty, it still made money.

Soon, a large number of laborers entered the pass along the trade routes from Liaodong and began digging canals.

As December arrived, the first batch of Goryeo laborers began working.

When Yang Cheng wrote his memorial to the throne, he praised these people lavishly, saying that they were hardworking, easily satisfied, and grateful for the porridge, clothes, and tents that kept them warm.

They also wanted Chen Shao to intervene and persuade Goryeo to relax its policies and allow more Goryeo people to come.

Chen Shao immediately took note. He wasn't thinking about repairing the river, but rather that Liaodong needed a large labor force to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land.
These Korean laborers were hardworking, could withstand low temperatures, and, most importantly, faced urgent survival pressures.

Moreover, they have been people of an agricultural country for generations, and they have both the desire and the ability to farm.

If we could leave some behind to reclaim wasteland in Liaodong, that would be a wonderful thing.
The Liaodong Plain stretches as far as the eye can see, with fertile soil, but it is not widely cultivated.

Each of the Dingnan Army soldiers, who were confined to the area, possessed vast tracts of land, but had very few farmhands to manage.

Many people are hiring and taking in Shiwei, Khitan, Xi, and Bohai people to farm, even though these people don't know how to farm at all.

Some people took the money and fled back to the north to continue fishing and hunting.

The people of the Central Plains were first drawn away by commerce and workshops, and these people became ordinary citizens in large cities, no longer engaged in agriculture.

Moreover, if they really wanted to migrate and acquire land, they would most likely not choose the area outside the Great Wall.

The policies for pacifying people and reclaiming wasteland were very generous in Hebei, Youyan, Yunzhong, and even Annam.

Although keeping Goryeo laborers had many advantages, it was foreseeable that there would be discontent within Goryeo.

Chen Shao ordered Cui Shunting to come to the capital for an audience with the emperor. (End of Chapter)