You have truly caused me great suffering!

The best way to maintain the fighting capacity of an army is to keep fighting.
It may be harsh, but it is the truth.

It has been more than five years since the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, and there has not been a single year without war.

Therefore, the army of the Great Jing Dynasty was extremely powerful.

Combined with excellent logistics, they were virtually invincible on the battlefield.

Looking at the whole world, there is no rival.

Their current enemy is that productivity is not keeping up; otherwise, they would have plenty of battles to fight.

A few years ago, who could have imagined that a place like the Southern Wilderness, with its boundless sea, could become a major battlefield?

And there were so many battles.

In previous dynasties, civil officials would have jumped out to oppose it long ago.

Because they gain nothing from the war.

They even had to endure the rise of warriors who climbed above them and constantly encroached on the resources of those above.

And most importantly, once the war started, their responsibilities and tasks became a hundred times heavier.

Therefore, they say, "Weapons are instruments of misfortune, and even sages use them only as a last resort."

In reality, it's a thankless task.

In the current war in the Great Jing Dynasty, civil officials can benefit because the progressive tax has prevented them from acquiring much land, but they have invested all their money in commerce.

Fighting, especially in the Southern Wilderness, can make a lot of money!
No one knows how many powerful officials are behind the battlefield caravans; all that is known is that when it comes to profit sharing, each family receives so many vouchers that they can't keep up with the demand.

The emperor made money with them, so the emperor became a wise and enlightened ruler, and the royal family was destined by heaven.

These are all very real things.

Does it contain elements of loyalty and filial piety? Yes! And it certainly doesn't lack them.

But an emperor who can make money with his ministers will certainly receive far more loyalty and respect than an emperor who torments his officials and gains no benefit in return.

Today is the day His Majesty returns to the capital from the Summer Palace. The officials are all very happy and eagerly await the Emperor's return.

This time, the ceremonial procession was larger than before because there were more guards. The Lingwu Army was constantly fighting on the front lines, and Chen Shao had also established a new imperial guard.

Lingwu specifically refers to the Xingling Plain area in the northwest. It was named after Chen Shao when he formed his personal guard there, so it is no longer appropriate to use that name now.

The core of this army consisted of the Imperial Guards, plus some newly recruited men from good families and young men from the Meizang tribe.

The name he was given was: Chen Yijun.

“宸” refers to the residence of the emperor, and is a substitute for the emperor himself.
“翊” means to assist or protect;
Together they are called "the wings of the emperor," a metaphor for their loyalty and swiftness, like the wings of an emperor.

He appointed the sons of noble families in the capital as Imperial Guards and appointed Pang Ge as a general.

The large force returned to the capital and, upon reaching a confluence of rivers, marched along a canal.

The canal had just been dredged, and there were piles of fresh soil and silt on the banks, as well as newly planted saplings.

Chen Shao was very interested in this and rode away from the group. Jin Mo'er, Zhai Rui and other imperial concubines also changed into fitted dresses and rode around with him.

This road is temporarily closed and will reopen after Chen Shao has passed through.

Fortunately, this area is near the outskirts of Beijing, with many roads that are interconnected.

There were no cities nearby, and the villages along the route of the caravan were exceptionally prosperous.

The terrain here is very flat. Because of the logging ban in Dajing, the surrounding vegetation is very rich. Small groves, farmland and field ridges block people's view.

There were harvested wheat stubble and patches of yellowing rice paddies on the land.

It was a clear, crisp autumn day with a cool breeze.

Chen Shao smiled and pointed, talking about how good the harvest was and how he could tell.

The local people spread the word, and when the emperor arrived, they all came to the roadside to see his countenance.

Once they could see Chen Shao's robes clearly, many people stood at a distance and shouted, "Long live the Emperor!" The shouts rose and fell.

However, the guards strictly controlled the road and forbade anyone from crossing the river.

Separated by a canal, Chen Shao reined in his horse and waved to the opposite bank.

The people cheered even louder, and the official road was filled with noise.

Zhai Rui was in a good mood and smiled broadly, saying, "Your Majesty truly wins the hearts of the people!"

Chen Shao felt a sense of pride and said with his head held high, "It's all because of the love and respect of my people. I've only done what I should do."

This feeling is actually quite intoxicating; the adoration and respect of countless people can make a person feel extremely happy.

Today, the officials, military and civilians of Dajing are generally very satisfied with Chen Shao.

The military, in particular, is now learning to use flintlock muskets in batches and developing new tactics to complement these weapons.

Fortunately, they have many battlefields where they can test the power of their weapons in actual combat.

They finally arrived in Jinling, where all the officials were waiting to greet them outside the imperial city.

Chen Shao led a group of people back to the capital.

The palace was spotlessly clean, not like it had been uninhabited for a long time, as there were palace maids on duty in each of the rooms.

The concubines, princes, and princesses of the imperial harem actually preferred to live in the summer palace.

However, there was no other way; as the emperor, Chen Shao would inevitably have to return to the capital for a period of time.

Fortunately, it won't be long before we can go to the hot spring palace again.

When the emperor returned to the capital, he would, as was customary, host a banquet for his officials, and this time was no exception.

Around noon, the banquet began as scheduled in the Chuigong Hall. Chen Shao, along with the Empress, the Imperial Noble Consort, and ministers and nobles, gathered in the hall, where musicians sang and danced to entertain them.

The musicians and dancers this time were not hired, but were trained by Li Shishi for Chen Shao; they were all palace maids.

Nowadays, the Ministry of Rites has strengthened the formulation and management of the rites system, and these banquets also have rules, which are very detailed. From the repertoire of the rites, music, songs and dances to each step, everything is handled by the Ministry of Rites.

After Zhang Run took charge of the Ministry of Rites, he changed the ministry's lazy and arbitrary style and dismissed several officials who were negligent in their duties.

Throughout history, the officials of the Song Dynasty were among the most leisurely, especially the high-ranking officials.

As a result, during the Great Jing Dynasty, due to the failure to thoroughly reform the bureaucratic system, this trend was largely preserved.

Chen Shao didn't have the energy to manage this before, but now that he has more free time, he has started to pay attention to it.

A dynasty cannot function without a system of rites and rituals; without such a system, it is easily perceived as a makeshift organization.
The Song Dynasty was already quite capable of achieving this, considering that it was preceded by the Five Dynasties period, a time of moral and social decay.

Chen Shao's grand vision required rituals befitting his national strength, and the Central Plains has been a land of etiquette since ancient times.

Chen Shao actually enjoyed banquets, especially those with his close ministers.

However, this time it seemed more formal. In fact, because the Empress and Imperial Noble Consort were present, the curtains were specially rolled up to separate them from the ministers.

This made Chen Shao somewhat disheartened.

After a hasty banquet, they returned to the Funing Palace, where memorials had piled up into a small mountain on the table.

After reading the memorials for a short while, Chen Shao yawned.

Thinking of today, waving to the people across the river, amidst the cheers and shouts of the masses.

Chen Shao felt that going out was more interesting. He had always had a desire to travel the world, but he repeatedly suppressed it.

Now they're starting to stir again.

He made a special observation today and found that the rural areas on the outskirts of Nanjing were indeed quite prosperous.

But this is the capital city, so it's not really representative.

I wonder if the villagers in the distance are doing well too. Even if they can't compare to those in the capital, at least they should be able to eat.

In Chen Shao's memory, he had seen photos of ordinary people during the Qing Dynasty. They were truly a pitiful sight.

Chen Shao hoped that his people would not only be able to survive, but also live with dignity.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, sages have been speaking up for the common people. When primitive tribes were rampant and cannibalism was rampant, our ancestors uttered the timeless admonition, "The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important."

When we came out of the Funing Palace, it was already completely dark.

Chen Shao didn't drink much at the banquet, nor did he need to sober up. He even spent some time reviewing memorials after the banquet.

Such a diligent official as Chen Shao was rarely seen after the second year of Jianwu.

He looked at Chen Chong beside him and suddenly asked, "Chen Chong, do you think I am a good emperor?"

"Your Majesty is a sage ruler unlike any other in history, the best emperor of all time."

Chen Shao swallowed hard, thinking to himself that asking him was a complete waste of breath.

As an emperor, surrounded by people who constantly sing his praises, it's hard not to lose yourself in the process.

Founding emperors like Chen Shao were able to think independently, but it was much harder for later generations.

People love to hear flattery, and no one wants to hear anything unpleasant.

However, the job of an emperor requires one to listen to different opinions, which gave Chen Shao a great headache.

Perhaps I should do something to address these issues in advance.

The night was as dark as ink, and Chen Shao stood in the palace courtyard without moving.

Perhaps I should wait until I'm older before considering these things.

But there are two things that Chinese people have never been averse to:

One is to choose a site for one's own grave as early as possible;
The second reason is to pave the way for his son.

Even if you're very young, it's never too early to consider these issues.

Seeing that he remained motionless for a long time, Chen Chong finally couldn't help but remind him:

"Your Majesty, shall we have dinner first?"

Chen Shao looked up at the brilliant starry sky and nodded, saying, "Let's go."
-
After the emperor returned to the capital, he immediately convened a grand court assembly.

The main purpose was to reward the generals and soldiers who had made contributions to the Northern Expedition, as well as officials from various regions.

They've acquired quite a lot of land, but whether they can hold onto it remains to be seen.

After all, this was the first time in history that the grasslands had been completely brought under control.

In the past, powerful rulers would either kill them all or flatten their wheels.

Alternatively, they could be relocated to the interior, like Cao Cao did.

But the northern border was never pacified.

No matter how ruthlessly you kill them, other ethnic groups will rise up again in a few years, and it will all be the same.

The Xiongnu, Turks, Xianbei, Rouran, Khitan—generation after generation, countless ethnic groups, yet they all still invaded southward in the same way.

There were even quite a few successes.

If Chen Shao's policy succeeds this time, there is a chance to break out of this cycle.

Chen Shao's rewards were very generous, he gave away many titles, and he was incredibly generous with money.

Overall, this war was extremely profitable.

In the past, when the Song Dynasty paid tribute, it was still spending money. Now, when the Jing Dynasty pays military expenses, it is still spending money.

Officials were clearly more comfortable handling the latter.

Everyone waited for Chen Shaofeng to finish bestowing rewards before withdrawing his troops.

But almost half a month after the grand assembly, there was still no movement.

The imperial court seemed to have forgotten about these large armies stationed on the border.

Many officials began submitting memorials to the emperor, reminding him that it was time to withdraw the troops.

As long as there are benefits, the officials no longer hate war, but it is strange that His Majesty does not withdraw his troops after the war is over.

Finally, in September, Chen Shao issued several imperial edicts.

In general, the troops are being reinforced towards the Ili River Valley.

The Ili River Valley is indeed very important, but the local troops seem to be sufficient.

Given that terrain, only five thousand soldiers would be enough to hold it.

Moreover, there are artillery, a powerful defensive weapon.

The imperial court claimed it was to protect trade routes, but in reality, the routes were not threatened at all.

This forms a ridiculous fallacy.
The largest trading partner of the Great Jing in the Western Regions was the Western Liao. So, who were they defending against by increasing their troops in the Ili River Valley?
To prevent the Western Liao from disrupting the Great Jing and the Western Liao's trade.
This trade was still the mainstay of the Western Liao's finances.

Yelü Dashi quickly figured it out and kept sending people to offer tribute.

Chen Shao replied politely and gave a generous gift, as if to say that our Jingliao friendship will last forever.

The two sides were locked in this back-and-forth struggle, and because of the long distance, only a few letters could be exchanged before winter arrived.

After winter set in, Chen Shao shifted his focus back to the southern wilderness.

At this time, the southern wilderness has entered the cool season again.

This was originally their favorite season, but Jing Jun's arrival changed everything.

During the cool season, there are fewer mosquitoes, less rainfall, dry air, and calm seas.

The navy was mobilized again to begin the capture of the island.

These matters were already part of the imperial court's plan, and the Southern Wilderness was of great importance to Chen Shao.

He certainly wouldn't wait for the white people to seize this place right on his doorstep.

Moreover, the rubber produced in the southern wilderness will become increasingly important in the future.

The war in the Southern Wilderness of the Great Jing has actually affected the merchants of the Abbasid Caliphate, especially the maritime merchants.

They were also somewhat afraid of Da Jing's expansion.

Not to mention anything far back, even during the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains had already clashed with the Arabs.

Although the Battle of Talas in 751 AD was limited in scale, it is recorded in world history for its significant geographical, cultural, and technological implications.

That was a struggle between two civilizations for Central Asia. Because of Gao Xianzhi's defeat, the Tang Dynasty did not advance westward again and gave up direct control over the Transoxiana region of Central Asia.

The Abbasids saw the fighting power of the Tang army and did not invade eastward because the An Lushan Rebellion broke out in 755. The Tang Dynasty transferred elite troops from Anxi and Beiting to quell the rebellion, leaving the Western Regions vulnerable.

The Central Asian countries gradually became Islamized, and this trend continued into later generations.

By this time, the Tang Dynasty had vanished, and the Abbasid Caliphate was no longer unified. Although the original Abbasid Caliphate existed in name only, its real power had fallen into the hands of others.
The Seljuk Empire, as the Sunni hegemon controlling West Asia, was fiercely attacked by Yelü Dashi.

The rise of the Western Liao Dynasty has now threatened the Arabs, who have lost many traditional trade routes and must pay heavy taxes to the Khitans in order to travel the Silk Road.

And the most important sea passage will also be completely controlled by the Jing people.

It's bad enough that all the business opportunities have fallen into the hands of others, but they're terrified they'll be next.

Although the situation is changing little by little, a trend has already quietly emerged.

Storms often begin with the smallest of things.

Just like the current world situation. (End of Chapter)