You have truly caused me great suffering!

In November, as was customary in previous years, the vassal states were to come to the capital to offer their congratulations.

But this year, there are significantly fewer; those countries in the Southern Wilderness expelled two.

Jian Yili and Zhenla wanted to come, but they were not allowed to enter the country.

Let's not talk about it.

There are also some countries that are actually under attack, so they take advantage of the New Year to come and complain and beg for mercy.

The happiest country this year is none other than Goryeo, the only one that has not been conquered.

If you ask where the other country that is not conquered is,
It has become part of Dajing South Road.

Chen Shao spent a lot of money this year to aid Goryeo, and they have gained so much benefit that almost everyone in the upper class has benefited.

As a result, many people choose to turn a blind eye, or even deceive themselves.

It's only right that Daejeong treats us well. Goryeo is Daejeong's most unique vassal state, the only one that is not conquered, so we deserve good treatment.

Jingjun guards our gates, Jingnong cultivates our land, Jingshang brings us luxury goods from the Central Plains, Jingguo craftsmen build workshops in our Goryeo, and Jingguo scholars teach our poor scholars in Goryeo.

Dae-kyung loves our Goryeo.

Learning Mandarin? Speaking Mandarin is expected, it's a sign of high status, and those who can't speak Mandarin are lowly commoners.

It's unlikely that no one in such a vast country as Goryeo could see the hidden dangers of doing this, but no one was willing to say so.

The immediate benefits were too tempting, and there was no way to resist.

Regarding the matter of Goryeo laborers entering the scenic area and the people of Haidong filling the Liao River, the Goryeo court could only say: We expressed our opposition, but it was to no avail.

After aid began construction in October, the powerful clans of Goryeo changed their tune.

Many scholars privately complained that there were too many poor people in the country, who were lazy and did not engage in production, so Goryeo expelled them.

The Emperor of Dajing was merciful and gave them a place to stay, hoping they could repent and reform.

If they want to return to Korea, they will have to go through layers of review to ensure that their laziness has been cured before they can re-enter the country.

The "Goryeo Daily," modeled after the Daegyeong Daily, published several issues of such articles, effectively giving the official characterization of the matter.

In this way, one gains both substance and prestige.

Thanks to Daejeong's generosity, the number of Goryeo delegations coming to pay homage this time has reached a new high.

Despite opposition, the main force of Goryeo insisted on coming in person, specifically requesting to visit Suzhou and Hangzhou, and would not return home until after the New Year.

He also listed several must-visit places and even said that if he had time, he would like to visit Dongting Lake.

Given the terrible experience of King Wang Kai staying in Da Jing and not returning to his country last time, the court officials negotiated with him repeatedly. In the end, Wang Kai promised to stay only in the vicinity of Jinling, and at most go to Suzhou once. He promised to return to Gaegyeong before February, and only then was he allowed to set off.

After landing in Longgang, upon learning that His Majesty the Great Jing had gone to the Hot Spring Palace, these people rushed to Tangshan to pay their respects.

Along the way, the festive atmosphere of the New Year is already visible in Dajing. The New Year spirit is very strong now, and people wish they could start preparing as early as the beginning of November.

At this moment, in the outer hall of the Hot Spring Palace, Chen Shao was receiving Xiao Wulila, the Liao envoy who had come to pay homage.

Xiao Wulila was Yelü Dashi's brother-in-law, that is, the emperor's brother-in-law of the Liao Dynasty, and served as the Grand Prince of the Six Courts.

Normally, Chen Shao and his officials often referred to them as the Western Liao, but in this situation, it was clearly inappropriate to use that term.

Because you call them the Western Liao, there's a hint of mockery and sarcasm in it.

The Liao Dynasty coexisted with the Tang and Song Dynasties for hundreds of years. Its greatest strength lay in the fact that, starting with Yelü Abaoji, it had already pursued Sinicization.

After Yelü Abaoji established the Liao Dynasty, he issued an edict to build a Confucian temple and hold spring and autumn sacrifices there.

The Imperial Academy and prefectural schools were also established in the five capitals (Shangjing, Zhongjing, Nanjing, etc.) to teach the Analects and the Classic of Filial Piety;
They translated works such as "Zhenguan Zhengyao" and "Tongli" into Khitan for the nobility to study.

Therefore, all the Khitan nobles could speak Chinese.

Xiao Wulila stood in the hall, clasped his hands and said, "Your subject Xiao Wulila greets Your Majesty."

Yelü Dashi had long since submitted to the Song Dynasty, although he wanted to rekindle the friendship between the Song and Liao dynasties and address each other as brother states.

Unfortunately, the martial spirit in the Northwest was too strong, and everyone was keeping an eye on him.

In the land where the dragon rose to power in the Great Jing Dynasty, the armed forces within the fortress also wanted to fight, and their desire was very strong.

The only force they could fight was the Western Liao.

After being brutally defeated by the Jin army, these Khitan nobles became much more pragmatic and obediently chose to submit a petition to the Jin court.

However, because they did little actual work and only verbally pledged allegiance, the Great Jing did not treat them with any special favors.

The relationship between the two sides was similar to that between the Song Dynasty and the Southern Tang Dynasty. Li Yu submitted to the Song emperor and relinquished his imperial title, but his military and political power were actually completely independent.

"I heard that you intend to attack Khwarezm?"

Chen Shao asked with a smile, which made Xiao Wulila break out in a cold sweat.

They did want to fight, but it hadn't happened yet, and they didn't expect that Emperor Jing already knew about it.

In fact, the Western Liao could not hide anything from the Great Jing, because both sides valued trade routes and had close ties with each other. There were a large number of Jing merchants in Liao territory and many Western Liao caravans in the northwest.

The largest caravan in the Great Jing Dynasty was the Guangyuantang Caravan, which was originally an intelligence agency operating under the guise of a caravan, serving as the emperor's eyes and ears.

Chen Shao initially named it "Guangyuantang," a very deceptive name that would make ordinary people think it was a merchant caravan. "Your Majesty, in Khwarezm, wolves and tigers roam, obstructing the roads and allowing powerful local figures to attack and kill merchant caravans. My lord's campaign against them is not for the sake of any territory, but to clear the way for Your Majesty's trade routes."

"After the war, we will surely set up post stations and facilitate trade. We beg Your Majesty to grant us permission to wage war and punish this rebellious barbarian."

The Khitans called Khwarazm "rebellious barbarians," which was quite humorous, but Chen Shao did not laugh.

He must maintain respect for Yelü Dashi and the Liao Dynasty.

This is not a small country. Regardless of how the relationship between the two countries develops in the future, as Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty, Chen Shao will absolutely not cause any estrangement between the two countries because of his words and actions.

Two countries can go to war for any reason, but not because of the emperor's arrogance, underestimation of the enemy, or haughtiness.

The countless people of the Great Jing Dynasty granted him supreme power, so he had to be responsible to his people and consider the consequences of everything he did, rather than acting recklessly.

As for the reasons given by the Liao Kingdom, Chen Shao had some doubts, but he did not rule out the possibility that they were true.

After all, there really were such fools in Khwarezm.
Historically, after Genghis Khan unified Mongolia and destroyed the Western Liao Dynasty, he dispatched a large caravan of about 450 people (including Mongols, Uyghurs, and Muslim merchants) to Khwarazm to trade in order to open up the Silk Road. The caravan carried valuable goods such as gold, silver, silk, and sable fur.

When the caravan arrived at Otrar, a key border town in Khwarezm, the local governor, Khair Khan, out of greed for the goods, sent men to attack the caravan.

Not only were all the merchants arrested, but 450 people were also executed, and only one escaped.

Temujin had spent his whole life robbing, and just when he was about to do some proper business, he was robbed.

The key point is that this fool also knew how to share the responsibility, offering some of the treasures to his aunt, Turhan, the Queen Mother of Khwarazm.

Temujin sent another envoy to negotiate, demanding that Khwarazm hand over the murderers and return the valuables. However, his envoy was again beheaded, and the entire delegation was humiliated.

If the rules can't protect my caravan, then they certainly can't protect you.

Therefore, the retaliation came exceptionally fiercely.

Both the Western Liao and the Great Jing now place great importance on trade routes, and Chen Shao has no intention of interfering with Yelü Dashi's expansion for the time being.

But he also kept a watchful eye on things, having Guangyuantang keep a close eye on the situation there.

Once the desert is pacified, we might expand our territory.

Chen Shao did not express any opinion, but Xiao Wulila breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, as long as he did not object.

They were determined to take Khwarezm.

After receiving the Liao envoy, Chen Shao returned to his palace, thinking that he hadn't seen Zhong Lingxi for two days.

He went directly to Zhong Lingxi's bedroom, where she was playing cards with a group of people.

Seeing that they were about to stand up and bow, Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "You guys continue playing."

When Chen Shao arrived, Zhong Lingxi, who was not very lucky, simply asked Liu Caiwei to take her place and went to Chen Shao's side to help him take off his robe and hat.

The two were behind the screen, and Chen Shao lay down directly on a daybed.

"I heard your family has come to visit."

Zhong Lingxi smiled and said, "It's my sister-in-law and several nieces and nieces-in-law."

Huanhuan is of a higher generation; she is the daughter of Zhong Shidao's fourth uncle, and her niece-in-law is already over forty.

"How is Old Zhong's health?"

"I heard it's not good; he often makes mistakes." Zhong Lingxi sighed, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Old Zhong is too old; Chen Shao estimates he may be nearing the end of his life.

If you lived a life of hardship and toil in your youth, you're bound to have all sorts of health problems.

About ten days before coming to the Hot Spring Palace, Chen Shao visited him once. At that time, Chen Shao thought he was alright, at least his thinking was clear, and he even gave him some advice about the desert.

Despite his advanced age, Zhong Shidao still has his grandson read the Great View Report to him every day.

However, for the Zhong family to live to this age is already considered a long life. Their short lifespan is not due to genetics, but rather because most of them died in battle.

Chen Shao wondered if he should transfer Xiao Zhong back so that he wouldn't miss seeing him one last time.

Historically, Xiao Zhong died in battle while fighting against the Jin dynasty in Taiyuan. Lao Zhong was devastated by this and died not long after.

This also shows Xiao Zhong's fierce spirit. In fact, with such a high-ranking official position, if he wanted to live, he could have escaped or surrendered and would not have died.

Chen Shao lay on the couch, and from his perspective, he felt that his empress had a very good figure.

Despite having given birth to a son, she still has a slim waist and, more importantly, is tall.

Her figure looks slender and graceful, with a touch of charm, making her very pleasing to the eye.

Huanhuan felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and said shyly, "Why are you staring at me like that? It's so embarrassing."

"It looks good, doesn't it?" Chen Shao chuckled and poked her calf with his finger.

"Where is it beautiful?"

"Legs, and waist."

Although she was very shy, she did feel better and even happily spun around in front of Chen Shao twice, deliberately making sure he could see her more clearly.

At this moment, his empress seemed to have transformed again into a sycophantic young girl seeking favor. (End of Chapter)