You have truly caused me great suffering!

Leaving the fortifications of the Fuji River, the area becomes very flat, but full of wetlands and swamps.

Several members of Jingjun's army accidentally got stuck in the mud and could only watch their comrades chase after them while they pounded their hands in frustration.

The Jing army, which was in pursuit, was much faster than the Japanese cavalry.

Before me was a small hill, from which a stream was divided into two, meandering southeastward and flowing into the Fuji River.

The stream is shallow and clear, and one can wade through it.

In front of the hill is a road that used to lead directly to the Fuji River during peaceful times. Although it is not as wide as the official roads in the Central Plains, it is relatively flat and you won't get stuck.

The Japanese knew the way, so they naturally chose this route, but because of this, it became crowded during times of chaos.

Normally there is order, but now everyone is rushing to escape and no one is willing to give way.

Fujiwara no Motohira was caught in the middle, yelling angrily. Ahead of him was the second line of defense set up by Hatakeyama. He could even see the Hatakeyama clan's banner from his horse.

Fujiwara no Motohira brandished his long sword, cutting down several people blocking his way, and his personal guards also began to kill.

But as the crowd grew larger, his random slashing caused even greater panic. People not only had to avoid Jing Jun, but also him.

Fujiwara no Motohira's ferocity was deeply ingrained in everyone's minds, and no one dared to resist him; they could only let him kill them.

At this moment, the cries were like thunder, and the Jing army's elite cavalry came in pursuit, with no intention of letting this Japanese cavalry go.

They also knew that cavalry was very rare among the Japanese, far superior to foot soldiers; they were true warriors who earned great merit.

If you catch it, it's a big one.

Cavalry commander Li Xianzong originally intended to follow his superior's orders, but upon looking around, he saw that those chasing after him were mostly soldiers and low-ranking military officers.

Commander Wang Hong's horse got stuck in the swamp, dragging his old warhorse along. If he hadn't jumped fast, he would have been stuck too. He was pulling the horse out of the swamp while cursing.

He immediately perked up, puffed out his chest, and shouted: "Those with bows and arrows, follow me! Take control of the hill and shoot them to death! The rest of you, cross the stream and head south to intercept the Japanese invaders who are going around the hill! Right here, we'll pin them down!"

"Don't let a single one escape!"

Before the roar had even subsided, he had already brandished his long spear, spurred his horse into a gallop, and his small troop of men followed closely behind him.

The vast majority of the light cavalry in this group carried bows and arrows, and everyone from the cavalry captains down followed, each one fearing that the Japanese would escape, and they all fought hard to move forward.

Fujiwara Motohira was anxious. The image of the two Jing army scouts kept flashing through his mind, and he felt that once the scouts arrived, the main force would surely catch up soon.

The ominous premonition quickly became a reality. He had just cut a path when the figures of Jing Army light cavalry, wearing sable fur coats, appeared on the hilltop. Each of them was like a scout, dressed in a terrifying red-gray battle coat.

As soon as they reached the top of the hill, they had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows. The first wave of attackers numbered a dozen or twenty riders, and a rain of arrows poured down as the bowstrings vibrated with a hum!

Japanese cavalrymen were being shot down one after another, while further east, Jing troops had begun to bypass them by going around the stream to intercept them.

Li Xianzong's father, Li Yongqi, came from a bad background. He was one of Liu Yanqing's men. When Chen Shao raised his army, his father was the deputy commander of the cavalry and infantry of Fuyan Road.

Later, he followed Liu Guangshi into the Central Plains, but was defeated by Wanyan Loushi. He was then recruited by Qu Duan, who was in the Taihang Mountains at the time.

Qu Duan was also bold, directly accepting the defeated soldiers on the spot and incorporating them into his own troops.

So he followed Qu Duan into Goryeo, defeated Guo Yaoshi, and then followed Li Yanqi to garrison Goryeo.

Li Xianzong followed his father and was also stationed in the army. After Liu Yanqing was defeated, his background was no longer considered that of a military family. He accumulated military merits and rose to the rank of cavalry captain.

Standing atop the hill, looking down at the thousands of troops below, all under my command, I felt a surge of pride and my heart was pounding with excitement.

Then, among the Japanese, there was one wearing a silver helmet and gold armor, who was slashing at his own people around him.

After accumulating his heroic spirit, he felt his blood surging and had nowhere to vent it. Upon seeing the golden-armored Japanese man, he immediately had a target.

He roared to the sky, threw down his bow, brandished his spear, and charged down, pulling on the reins.

The horse's hooves sank into the stream, splashing water everywhere.

After crossing the stream, he saw the white waxwood spear that only the old Western Army used, which his father had passed down to him. It flew like a dragon, and in an instant, he had already plunged into the heart of the Japanese. Wherever the spear passed, those who stood in its way were defeated.

The Jing soldiers on the hill began to cheer, shouting battle cries to encourage him, and occasionally firing arrows for cover.

Fujiwara no Motohira opened his mouth wide, wanting to say something, but could only watch as the young general charged closer.

His Japanese sword could be used to indiscriminately cut down his own samurai, and he could regard the lives of the Japanese people as insignificant as ants. He was born into a superior family in Mutsu Province.

But compared to this Jingren military general, he was nothing, merely a mark on the record of merits.

Li Xianzong brushed aside his guards, thrust his spear swiftly, and with a flash of cold light, struck Fujiwara Motohira squarely in the throat.

As soon as he let out a miserable cry and fell off his horse, before the dust had settled, Li Xianzong had already leaped off the saddle, his short sword flashing like lightning. He bent down and cut off the head, then leaped back onto the horse.

The entire set of movements was fluid, fast, and seamless.

A son of a military family, skilled in archery and horsemanship, outstanding in martial arts, excited in the face of battle, with his blood boiling and adrenaline soaring to its peak—if any one of these conditions is missing, he cannot perform this action.

The greater the difficulty, the greater the blow to the morale of the Japanese.

At this moment, no one was jealous; everyone was sincerely praising and cheering.

Encouraged by him, the Jing army's light cavalry, full of vigor, all sheathed their bows and charged down.

At this point, the warriors of the Lang faction in Mutsu Province had been completely defeated, both mentally and physically.

They lost the courage to resist and only knew how to scatter and flee aimlessly, like headless flies.

Just like the countless times the Jin soldiers faced the routed Khitan troops on the battlefield, they had absolutely no will to fight back.

The clear stream water turned into a river of blood in an instant, like a crimson ribbon floating across this wetland.

By the next day, the battle was long over, but the pursuit from all directions continued.

Li Yanqi led his men toward the main road to the east, where no fighting could be seen.

Occasionally, a few escaped the net, but they hid in the shadows, afraid to show their faces, as they could be found and killed at any time.

Jingjun rarely took in the Japanese soldiers' warriors, who were extremely loyal to their lord.

Moreover, they do not engage in production, spending their days idly brandishing weapons; their presence would only bring trouble.

On the contrary, those common people who didn't even have surnames and were bullied and abused by the samurai were easier to be incorporated into the army.

After being registered, they will be given a name and entered into the household register, waiting for the establishment of new kingdoms on these lands, or directly incorporated into the Great Jing.

These are matters for those people in the imperial court; Li Yanqi will not interfere too much.

He didn't want to be labeled as someone who wanted to become the king of Japan overseas.

Rain began to fall again, the raindrops flying obliquely in the wind, making the scenery on the plains hazy.

Li Yanqi felt the raindrops and frowned slightly.

Armies that are usually at war are unwilling to fight on rainy days.

All kinds of firearms cannot be ignited and fired after being rained on; even crossbows will be damaged if they get wet in the rain.

In addition, the ground would become muddy due to rain, making it difficult to move troops, so major battles were usually fought on sunny days.

Just like during the Battle of Youyan in Hebei, the Jin army and the Dingnan army often delayed their attacks due to heavy rain, and sometimes the truce would last for several months.

Although the battle was going well, Li Yanqi was clearly unwilling to give up his firepower advantage and be forced into hand-to-hand combat.

The Japanese allied forces did not possess firearms to begin with.

Rainy weather would be a disadvantage for Jingjun's long-range firearms; in a war, one side's disadvantage is the other's advantage. Li Yanqi sighed in response.

Corpses were scattered everywhere along the dirt roads, in the rice paddies, and on the wastelands; the bodies strewn along the way seemed to stretch endlessly across the entire Fuji River plain.

The casualties caused by Jing Jun's pursuit of them for dozens of miles must have been far greater than those on the battlefield.

The damp air was filled with a complex and strange smell, and most of the corpses had already developed livor mortis overnight.

This once prosperous and fertile region of Japan now appears as if it has just experienced a plague or famine, and the scene is extremely desolate and terrifying.

These are the traces left after victory, and Jing Jun is used to them.

They continued their march, leaving the Japanese auxiliary troops to clear the battlefield.
-
Suburbs of Jinling City.

A group of people are preparing to set off to fight in the Southern Wilderness.

The procession was long, its banners fluttering in the morning breeze. The horses' hooves pounded the flagstones with a dull thud, and the clanging of armor jingled and clattered.

These are people from Luoyang Prefecture.

As usual, Chen Shao came here to see him off.

Soon, he realized something was wrong. From the outskirts of Jinling, many people were also following the group, carrying luggage and weapons.

Moreover, there were quite a few of them, including relatives who came to see them off.

These people were not wearing battle robes, so they were clearly not Jing soldiers. The Great Jing Dynasty practiced a conscription system.

All soldiers were professional soldiers supported by the imperial court, and the relationship between soldiers and farmers was one of separation.

There are always dress requirements for going into battle; one would never go into battle wearing coarse linen clothing.

He tilted his head and looked at the Prefect of Jinling. Zhao He whispered to Chen Shao, "Your Majesty, these are all people who went to the Southern Wilderness on their own initiative. They will also help fight the war and set up camps near the military camps."

Han Shizhong nodded and said, "It's been going on at the front for a few months now."

Chen Shao was still a little surprised, he hadn't expected it to be like this. He had been having a very pleasant rest in the hot spring palace for the past few months.

The development of the Great Jing Dynasty was rapid and unprecedented, quite unlike other dynasties.

Zhao He pointed to the ships in the distant port and said, "Those are their own ships. They will go to the Southern Wilderness with the navy."

“In some villages, all the men of the clan or village go together, leaving the elderly and women behind.”

“It’s not just in the vicinity of the capital; there are also prefectures in other regions, but they have all been registered with the local government.”

Chen Shao seemed to be deep in thought. There must be some benefit to it for so many people to do something voluntarily.

These people are likely to make a lot of money going to the southern wilderness, but Chen Shao doesn't object.

He always encouraged the people to find ways to make money and get rich. The Great Jing Dynasty also consistently benefited its people.

Only a society where everyone strives for advancement and everyone has opportunities can experience a major boom and development!

Chen Shao encouraged the movement of people, academic debate, and the flourishing of diverse industries.

In fact, although there were lucrative opportunities at the front, Jing Jun was already overwhelmed.

They can't do that much work.
Therefore, they are also eager for someone to help them.

The Southern Wilderness is too vast. If we rely entirely on the imperial court and the army, it would take at least a hundred or two hundred years for you to conquer it. That would be a pipe dream.

But if we mobilize the people of the Central Plains, things will be different.

This group of people are invincible; as long as they work together, there's nothing they can't do. Your Southern Wilderness has harsh natural conditions? How does it compare to the Great Northern Wilderness?
In fact, the southern islands contain many fertile lands.

It's remote, but definitely not impoverished.

At that time, in various ports, there were actually large ships rented by private partners to transport the young people of China to the southern wilderness to seek a way out.

Chen Shao watched them board the ship one by one, his gaze calm, but he couldn't help but purse his lips slightly.

Go on!

On a large ship in Longgang, most of the civilians who had volunteered to join the army had already boarded.

As they looked back from the boat, the city walls of Nanjing appeared so tall and sturdy in the morning light.

That was their home.

But they didn't look back for long.

Ahead lies the unknown Southern Wilderness.

It is the legendary wealth.

It is an opportunity to change one's destiny.

"I've heard that on an island in the Southern Wilderness, there's a tree whose sap is more valuable than gold."

"real or fake?"

“My cousin’s neighbor has been there. He said the soil there is all black. You can plant anything there and it will grow into a whole world.”

"If I could get a large plot of fertile land, I would bring my parents over."

"If I had money, I would open the biggest restaurant and have the chef cook whatever I wanted."

"I'm going to take Liu Dajia from Yichun Hospital and do it to her eight times a day."

"Don't brag, you'll be weak after just two tries."

The faces of these young people were filled with anticipation and hope. They sat together and spoke their hearts to each other without any pretense.

Since everyone's goals are similar, no one should pretend or hold anything back.

We're here to make a fortune!

It was as if the Southern Wilderness was not a battlefield, but a paradise full of gold.

At this time, no one talked about death, no one talked about miasma, and no one talked about the wild beasts that might be lurking in the jungle.

As long as I have enough money, I'll chop down any wild animal, even lynxes and wild beasts.

When Chen Shao returned to Baozhen Temple, he was still thinking about the people.

This was the result he wanted, but he didn't make any special arrangements for it; it was the people's spontaneous action.

Even Chen Shao hadn't thought of this idea.

It's clear that when you put your effort into something, you'll occasionally encounter some pleasant surprises.

This is God's reward for those who have perseverance and the ability to execute.

Heaven helps those who help themselves!
Chen Shao has already instructed the Ministry of War to publish a special article in the Da Jing Bao to demonstrate the court's support for this matter.

Let everyone put aside their concerns and boldly go out to sea and explore the southern wilderness.

Unlike the Han, Tang, and Song people, the people of Jingzhou must have their own unique style and spirit.

This is a powerful, confident, and ambitious dynasty, and its people should be the same. (End of Chapter)