You have truly caused me great suffering!

Spring goes and summer arrives.

Chen Shao, Han Shizhong, and the others looked at the map with some helplessness.

As expected, there was no chance of taking over Isagi Yoshisato in the first half of the year.

It's only March.

However, according to Cai Xing and the merchants of Nanhuang, from now on, the temperature will rise, there will be continuous torrential rain, there will be a monsoon transition period, the sea conditions will be unstable, and sudden storms will occur frequently.

In hot and humid environments, equipment is prone to mold, people are susceptible to heatstroke and illness, and malaria is prevalent.

Only during the southeast trade wind season from May to September, when the wind direction is stable and the sea is calm, can one set sail.

Of course, the best time is during the cool season from November to January or February of the following year.

As the war progressed to this point, Chen Shao realized that the soldiers at the front lines had tacitly agreed not to follow his orders—to launch a massive attack on the heartland of both countries and directly seize their rulers.

They chose to attack one island at a time.

Chen Shao wasn't a rigid person; since that was the case, he decided to let things take their course.

In any case, this approach is actually better for Da Jing.

From Taiwan to the Philippines, it is indeed very close, and then they occupied them one by one.

Moreover, putting all that aside, he also had to consider the feelings of his soldiers.

The people followed you in battle and helped you ascend the throne, not out of love for you, but because they wanted to pull off a big heist with you.

Chen Shao's intentions were good. He subconsciously felt that war would lead to death, and it would be a pity for them to die now that the country had been established. Therefore, he tried his best to avoid them getting into a long war.

But in reality, the soldiers all wanted to fight.

This is not unique to Jingjun, but a characteristic shared by any army that can pay its full pay and implement rewards for meritorious service.

They are not afraid of war; in fact, they generally yearn for war, and their desire for it is very strong.

This is the best opportunity for people from the bottom to rise up. Everyone is eager to make contributions, and without military merit, there are very few ways to get ahead.

It was so narrow it was almost despairing.

The social status that an ordinary person can achieve in a lifetime of struggle can be attained overnight on the battlefield.

This is still a regular war.

What is taking place now is a war of territorial expansion, which gives the imperial court even more resources to reward its troops.

The imperial court, having gradually figured things out, also began to cooperate with the frontline in occupying the islands.

The number and rank of the officials dispatched were both increasing.

It would be excellent to occupy all these islands, since no matter how submissive these vassal states are, it is not as reassuring as having them as one's own land.

Moreover, they were not submissive people; Chen Shao found the nature of these small countries in the Southern Wilderness extremely distasteful.

They fear power but do not appreciate kindness; they remember the good but not the bad.

Even if you've just taught it a lesson, it will go and plunder the mines again in a few days.

Having witnessed the might of the Dajing caravan's voyages to Southeast Asia, they should have known the strength of Dajing, yet they still chose to provoke them.

They only see the immediate benefits without considering the risks behind them.

In a sense, the northern tribes were indeed more like adversaries than they were.

After arranging for the officials to go to the island, Chen Shao ordered Wu Lin to report the military situation carefully.

This is actually a bit difficult for him. Although the Southern Wilderness is a war zone, Wu Lin is fighting against Zhenla.

He was separated from the rest of the navy by thousands of miles of ocean, making it impossible for him to command them.

Chen Shao was essentially giving Wu Lin a warning, letting him know that he wasn't completely ignorant.

Wu Lin was probably also frustrated. He wanted to intervene, but he couldn't reach out. Moreover, this was a tacit agreement within Jingjun, and the Wu brothers were also members of Jingjun.

They also have to consider whether they want to offend everyone.

Most importantly, although this matter has a bit of a deceptive aspect, it is actually beneficial to Da Jing.

There are so many islands here, you can never take them all. Every time you land, it's like opening a blind box. You never know what's produced here or what can be exchanged for money.

The King of Goryeo said he was going to leave, but he hasn't left yet. With the help of the Jing Army, another rebellion has been thwarted in the country.

Having learned from its previous experience, the Ministry of Rites began to standardize the etiquette for receiving these foreign states.

Such matters may seem useless, merely formalities, but China is a celestial empire, a land of propriety, and cannot be treated the same as its surrounding vassal states in this respect.

Last time, Chen Shao unexpectedly bumped into the King of Goryeo during his military review.
It may not seem like a big deal, but it was actually a serious dereliction of duty by the Ministry of Rites. They probably just told people that His Majesty was at the Summer Palace and then ignored it.

The arrival of the ruler of a vassal state in person to Da Jing was unprecedented. On his first visit, Da Jing treated him with the utmost respect and courtesy.

Why is the Ministry of Rites so negligent on our second visit?

Chen Shao did not pursue the matter, and the Ministry of Rites itself knew that this was an exceptional act of leniency, so it began to formulate strict regulations.

Wherever Wang Kai went, he was always accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Rites.

The Great Jing Dynasty had only been established for five years, and many government offices were like that, gradually being improved.

Rules were gradually established, and these rules became the standard for subsequent emperors, which is what is known as the 'ancestral law'.

If anything is not suitable, even a slight change will encounter tremendous resistance.

This is the kind of "reform and strengthening" that every ruler who restores a dynasty must face.

Chen Shao also wanted to reform the mint.

Three days later, Chen Shao inspected the various government offices and then went to inspect the mint and other places.

After lunch and reading the day's reports, Chen Shao, surrounded by his attendants and eunuchs, went to inspect the Treasury for the circulation of paper money.

The process for obtaining scenic spot tickets is very strict. In fact, scenic spot tickets only represent money, but they are not currency in themselves. They are just another form of currency.

Similar to a passbook or a check.

Can I spend it?
You can spend it!

If the imperial court were to use scenic spot vouchers as cash, printing more when it ran out of money, its credibility would quickly collapse.

The paper money of the Song Dynasty is a case in point; in its later stages, it became no different from waste paper.

Therefore, when you use scenic tickets to make transactions, it may seem like you are spending scenic tickets, but you are actually paying with silver ingots from the Jinling Treasury.

Starting in the fourth year of Jianwu (220 AD), the Great Jing Dynasty began to recast coins with heavy metals, reducing the production of copper coins and increasing the production of gold and silver coins. In the beginning, the government offices and departments in charge of minting coins did not change their names, and most of the officials were the same people from the original Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty's coinage system primarily consisted of copper coins, supplemented by iron coins, with the early emergence of paper money, forming a multi-tiered monetary structure. It also established a unique model of joint management by the central and local governments, institutionalization of reign-title coins, and artistic calligraphy on coins.

Chen Shao retained some institutions.

The Song Dynasty had many merits, especially in terms of finance.

The Treasury of Paper Money, which Chen Shao and his entourage inspected, belonged to the Ministry of Revenue and was located in the backyard of the Ministry's office. Since the emperor was visiting in person, Liu Zhi, the Minister of Revenue, naturally came to receive them.

Liu Zhi's position was actually a bit awkward. He was able to become the Minister of Revenue because of his seniority in the Dingnan Army.

However, given his seniority, his faction is somewhat unique; he belongs to the Wei Li faction.

The previous version was very strong, but it got nerfed, a physical nerf.

Most of the core members of Wei Li's faction were killed in the Yintian case.

When Geng Nanzhong defected from the Central Plains to Chen Shao, Liu Zhi abandoned his official position in the Song Dynasty and went to the Northwest to join Geng Nanzhong.

Chen Shao disliked Geng Nanzhong, but he spent a fortune to buy a horse's bones. The defection of such a famous figure was a good example that the Dingnan Army could promote.

Therefore, Geng Nanzhong also secured a place within the Dingnan Army.

Later, due to a series of unforeseen events, he was assassinated by Cai Tiao, and most of his subordinates defected to Wei Li.

Liu Zhi was one of them.
Wei Li was sentenced to death for his involvement in the Hidden Fields case, in which most of his confidants were involved.

Only Liu Zhi was able to withstand the investigation and remained completely innocent.

Therefore, his official position remained unchanged.

The fact that he was able to remain untainted while holding the position of Minister of Revenue suggests that he had some principles.

The officials at the Treasury explained how sturdy the stones of the warehouse were, and how there were also stones beneath the foundation to prevent anyone from digging a tunnel in to steal it. However, since this place was located within the Imperial City, digging a tunnel in from the outside seemed impractical.

Seeing that Chen Shao remained silent, the official opened the treasure chest again and casually took out a neat strip of silver coins. "Please take a look, Your Majesty. These are wooden shelves supplied by the Ministry of Works' timber mill. There are four different sizes in total. Each shelf can hold one hundred coins. Both the mint and the timber mill have adopted the unified size from the Garrison Command's ironworks, which is very accurate; when a shelf is full, there will definitely be one hundred coins, so we don't even need to count them."

Chen Shao took it with great interest and examined it carefully. He knew a little about everything, but wasn't an expert in anything. However, for an emperor, it was enough.

The wooden grid was very simple, with three longitudinal wooden strips forming the framework and wooden wedges on both sides for riveting, forming a long, narrow wooden grid about five or six inches long.

The official rummaged through the treasure chest several times before taking out a stack of coins. He turned the wooden compartments upside down and said, “Some of these compartments are the perfect size; they fit very snugly when filled with coins, as you can see. However, most are a bit loose; the woodworking factory’s tolerance is that they can only be larger, not smaller.”

After putting down the coins, he pointed to the piles of boxes in the stone warehouse and said, "The treasure chests were also custom-made by the Ministry of Works' woodworking factory. They come in four different colors, one for silver coins and the other for gold coins."

Chen Shao casually asked, "Are all these boxes full?"

"Your Majesty, they are all full. The other three warehouses nearby are also full." After saying this, the official from the Ministry of Revenue hurried over and busied himself opening each box for Chen Shao to see.

Chen Shao looked around and said, "The national treasury is becoming increasingly full, and all of you have made great contributions through selflessness and dedication."

People chimed in, some saying it was because the emperor was good at governing the country, and others saying that the Great Jing Dynasty was showing signs of a prosperous era.

It is an honor and a blessing for everyone to be able to follow such a wise and enlightened emperor.

At this moment, Liu Zhi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty is wise. These silver and gold coins are neither for eating nor for wearing, and should not be squandered. The court's current abundant expenditures are precisely because there is little currency in circulation. In a few years, we will have to calculate the amount that has been collected and the amount that has been spent, otherwise the prices of goods will skyrocket. If we spend too quickly now, the court may face financial difficulties in the future."

The originally joyful atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange, and most people fell silent.

Traditionally, it was the duty of ministers to admonish the emperor. Even if the emperor was not wrong, they would still mention it from time to time, so that he could correct his mistakes if he was right and strive to improve if he was not.

Most people offer advice in a rather tactful way; they often draw on history during lectures or hint at things indirectly at other times, like now.

Today, Liu Zhi's meaning is clearly that Chen Shao spends money recklessly and often rewards his ministers arbitrarily.

Chen Shao was taken aback by his retort, thinking to himself that there was a reason why he had slipped through the net.

Someone like you can't fit into any social circle.

I really don't know how someone as shrewd and calculating as Geng Nanzhong could have a friend like you.

However, upon closer reflection, although Geng Nanzhong's character is so-so, he does have some decent friends, and he has a good relationship with Yuwen Xuzhong.

"I understand."

Chen Shao was too lazy to argue with him. There were such ministers in every dynasty, and many emperors intentionally or unintentionally preserved them.

Chen Shao was the same; he was reminded from time to time, truly a case of correcting mistakes if they existed and striving to improve if they didn't.

It's also terrifying to be surrounded by people singing your praises.

It's hard to understand this state of mind if you've never been an emperor.

Sometimes right and wrong are not the most important things; it is important to have someone who can express a different opinion.

The accompanying officials, unaware of Chen Shao's thoughts, were somewhat frightened. What did His Majesty mean by saying he knew?
Does this mean we won't reward everyone anymore?

The emperor's rewards during festivals had become an important source of income for everyone, especially officials in the capital.

The more you think about things, the more you realize that the trade routes to the Western Regions are no longer monopolized by His Majesty's purse, Guangyuantang.

At this point, the way everyone looked at Liu Zhi became less friendly.

Despite this minor, unpleasant incident, Chen Shao was generally satisfied with the trip.

The Great Jing Dynasty retained many institutions from the Song Dynasty, and thus preserved some of its style. One of the most prominent advantages of the Song Dynasty was its beauty.

It's very aesthetically pleasing, including their coinage style.

For example, copper coins from the Song Dynasty were always issued in pairs, with the same inscription written in different calligraphic styles (seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script, and cursive script).

Starting with Emperor Taizong, he personally inscribed "Chunhua Yuanbao," setting a precedent for emperors to write inscriptions on coins; from then on, the inscriptions on coins were all written by the emperor using the same mold.

Emperor Huizong's "Daguan Tongbao" and "Zhenghe Tongbao" coins were made using the "Slender Gold" style of calligraphy, reaching the pinnacle of calligraphic art.

The Jianwu Tongbao, Jianwu Silver Coin, and Jianwu Gold Coin issued today are all handwritten by Chen Shao.

He practiced for several days specifically for this purpose.

I considered hiring a ghostwriter, but in the end I decided to do it myself, since this was a particularly memorable event.

If future generations were to collect these coins, Chen Shao hoped they would collect the Tongbao coins inscribed by his own hand.

The "Daguan Tongbao" handwritten by Emperor Huizong of Song is extremely valuable in the world of collectors and can be regarded as the "ceiling" level of collection among Northern Song coins.

It is hailed as a "masterpiece of calligraphy on coins".

Chen Shao knew that his work couldn't compare to his in terms of artistry, but he hoped that it would have unique value because of his achievements.

This damn competitive spirit. (End of Chapter)