You have truly caused me great suffering!

Breaking through the defenses and reaching the walls of Kamakura Castle, the Kage army was unable to immediately breach the walls because the gunpowder had become damp from days of torrential rain.

This is also why Chen Shao ordered the firearms battalion to be deployed more often; only in actual combat can problems be discovered and solved.

In fact, more Japanese soldiers died from Jingjun's arrows than from cannons, but the unique loud noise and black smoke of cannons made the Japanese soldiers' fear of cannons far greater than that of arrows.

Artillery and muskets were only just beginning to be used, while archery and horsemanship were combat skills that had already been fully developed in the Central Plains.

If the Japanese had a seasoned military strategist and a competent general at that time, they would have discovered the terrifying power of the Jing army's crossbows.
This is their killer move.

So when no cannon fire was heard in front of the Jing army, the Japanese in Kamakura all breathed a sigh of relief.

Chiba, seeing that the cannon hadn't fired, gave a signal to the samurai beside him to peek out and take a look.

But then arrows rained down, and the samurai gritted his teeth and looked up, barely revealing the top of his head, before being shot to the ground.

Blood splattered all over Chiba, the thick, sticky substance clinging to his clothes and emitting a strong, fishy stench that made him want to vomit.

He was used to fighting, especially lately. In fact, when he was seven years old, he had personally killed a servant who had offended him.

He used to even enjoy the smell of blood.

But when death loomed over him, the smell could no longer excite him; it only filled him with endless fear.

Kamakura's fortifications consisted mainly of bamboo and wooden fences, some of which were too thin to stop crossbow bolts, and people kept falling on the low walls.

After one group of Jing soldiers below the city finished shooting, as they changed ranks in front of the city, the surviving Japanese archers reappeared, drew their bows, aimed at the Jing soldiers below the city, and fired arrows in rapid succession.

Some people were shooting while shouting, their expressions ferocious.

The retreating Jing army held up their horse shields and retreated, while the new ones came in and fired arrows to suppress them again.

A moment later, a dense chorus of "crackling" bowstrings, like popping beans, erupted from the city wall, and a rain of arrows, like locusts, instantly flew into the air.

The clanging of metal echoed through the retreating Jing army ranks, with occasional cries of pain and curses, but not a single person fell.

At the front of the battle formation, the charging cavalry were deployed in a horizontal line and had advanced to within twenty or thirty paces of the city gate.

The first few rows were all heavily armored cavalry, so the Japanese archers' shots were not very effective; the arrows they launched were also not very accurate against the flat, horizontal square formation.

Meanwhile, the Japanese auxiliary soldiers pushed battering rams to ram the gate.

Li Yanqi watched through binoculars from behind, thinking to himself that these auxiliary soldiers were actually quite good, at least they had some courage.

They were much better than the Goryeo soldiers he had seen in Goryeo.

The city gate was not of high quality to begin with, and it was breached after being hit a few times by a professional battering ram.

The Japanese men inside, shirtless, hurriedly pounded on the city gate with iron hammers, trying to secure it.

A moment later, there was a sudden loud "boom," and wood chips flew everywhere.

The moment the city gate was smashed open, the crowd scattered in all directions to make way for the cavalry.

The Jing army cavalry stormed into the city, but because they had received prior intelligence, Kamakura did not have a barbican.

Sure enough, when they rushed in, they were all terrified Japanese.

Because the walls of Kamakura Castle were very narrow and could not accommodate many people, the Japanese soldiers waited below.

One group was shot dead, and others kept replacing them.

After Jing Jun rushed in, he immediately began to kill.

The Japanese soldiers also shouted loudly and retaliated with wide eyes.

Kamakura is like a pot of boiling oil that has been doused with a spoonful of cold water.

Numerous Japanese soldiers surged forth from the streets, creating a breathtaking scene filled with shouts and footsteps, like a mudslide rushing down a mountain. Only on a battlefield like this would so many people be gathered together in such a dense, overwhelming charge.

Chiba felt a chill in his heart.

Before Jingjun arrived, he boasted to the Allied Forces that he would live and die with Kamakura.

He might have been sincere back then.

But when the city actually fell and countless Jing soldiers stormed in, he regretted it.

Overwhelmed by fear, he decided to flee for his life.

In contrast to him, the lower-class Japanese foot soldiers and samurai in the city fought very bravely.

Facing the Jing army's iron cavalry, they charged towards the Jing army like moths to a flame.

"Leader! Fight them to the death!"

Several guards drew their swords and shouted loudly.

Chiba's face was ashen, and his hands, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, were gradually soaked with sweat. After a moment, his eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Escort me out of the city."

The guards were stunned, finding the words extremely jarring.

Running away now would be cowardly!

Moreover, the city is surrounded by Jing army cavalry; where can they escape to?
His words immediately shattered the morale of the guards.

Chiba said, "At this point, there's no chance of winning. Let's surrender."

After saying this, he seemed to have regained his authority and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Escort me down to surrender!"

One of his bodyguards glanced at him, his eyes filled with despair, and then plunged his sword into his own abdomen.

"asshole!"

Chiba slashed at the corpse a few times, seemingly insane, and roared, "Are you all deaf?!"

The samurai looked at him coldly; these samurai were brainwashed and indoctrinated from the very beginning.

These samurai clans have been bound by the so-called bravery and loyalty since their inception.

But it was only at this point that they saw the true colors of the leaders; they were nothing but cowardly scoundrels who clung to life.

Chiba Tsuyoshi finally understood. How could he have almost believed the lies he told these people from the bottom of society?
If I die, I'll have nothing left. I'm a powerful figure in Kamakura, and Kageto must use me.

Otherwise, they would have a hard time managing Kamakura.

Shao Ershi became a subordinate of Jingren and even received an official title from the emperor of the Central Plains.

I want to walk this path myself!

As for these samurai, having witnessed their own cowardice, they are no longer fit to live. We'll just kill them all, recruit new ones, and start training them afresh.

Anyway, they don't have much brains.

A troop of Jing soldiers charged forward. Chen Jun, who was leading them, looked at them and said, "Brothers, he looks like an officer!"

"A big fish!"

Chiba couldn't understand their accents, but he could speak Chinese. Most of the nobles in Japan could speak Chinese and write Chinese characters.

He shouted, "I am Chiba Tsuyoshi, and I want to see your commander."

Several Jing soldiers swarmed forward, not listening to what he was saying at all, preoccupied with catching the big fish.

After cutting down several guards, Chen Jun struck one of them in the face with the handle of his knife, knocking out several teeth.

Chen Jun, holding a knife, demanded of the people next to him, "Who is this?" The only one who could speak Chinese, Chiba Tsuyoshi, was ignored by them.

The warrior, who was being interrogated, screamed and looked like he was cursing, before being stabbed to death.

Chiba was about to say something when he was dragged off the city like a dead dog.

With the commander promising not to sheathe his sword for five days after the castle fell, the fate of Kamakura was already sealed.

Never underestimate how professional the methods of massacring entire cities used by ancient professional armies.
The Japanese auxiliary soldiers' attempt to kill and loot indiscriminately was immediately stopped.

Jing Jun began looting, and when Chiba Tsuyoshi, his face bruised and swollen, was discovered, he had already been tied to a horse and dragged for about a hundred paces.

Li Yanqi glanced at Qianye Gang, who was no longer human, and ordered him to be beheaded and his head hung in the city.

He looked at the map on the leather scroll and said, "Next is Musashi."

Musashi, which is the later Tokyo, was the territory of the Hatakeyama and Chichibu clans.

After capturing Musashi, we can essentially eliminate the resistance forces of the Japanese on the Kanto Plain. Then we can head north to Oshu and strike directly at Hiraizumi.

Li Yanqi walked to the top of Kamakura's castle, ignoring the devastation inside, and focused on observing the terrain.

"Build a fortress here, so that we can attack or defend as we please. As long as we hold this side, we can be completely safe."

In his eyes, this place was simply like the Jade Wall City on the Guandong Plain.

The Japanese simply didn't know how to build fortresses; otherwise, taking them would not have been so easy.

Li Yanqi said, "Immediately send people to conscript all the Japanese people in this area to begin building the city."

The Guandong Plain is easier to fight because the terrain is relatively flat. Further east, the terrain becomes more complex.

"My lord, we are still at war, are we going to build a city right away?"

His generals were worried that he would stop fighting and instead choose to stop building cities.

Li Yanqi smiled and said, "A few days ago, I submitted a report on the battle here to His Majesty. When His Majesty's decree came, he specially sent someone to bring a book, which is the 'Record of the King of Fu's Conquest of Jiaozhi'."

"Your Majesty often says that the Prince of Fu's victory in conquering Jiaozhi has won Your Majesty's favor. Jiaozhi is now renamed Annam Road and is very prosperous. Your Majesty has given me this book so that I can learn from the Prince of Fu and achieve great things. If I only attack and do not build, how can I live up to Your Majesty's trust?"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that he had even invoked the Emperor's name, leaving no room for negotiation.

But let's build the city then; this battle will eventually reach further east anyway.

Li Yanqi laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about building the city. Officials will come naturally. Let's rest here for three to five days and continue our eastward expedition once we have enough gunpowder."

Upon hearing this, all the officers showed delight and nodded to each other.
-
May has arrived.

It was already quite hot in Jinling City.

Chen Shao then moved away from the Hot Spring Palace and returned to the capital to rest for a few days before heading to the Summer Palace.
The city is most bustling when the emperor returns to the capital each year.

Inside the Funing Palace, Chen Shao looked at the mountain of memorials and casually flipped through a few.

He didn't approve a single reply; all the documents were drafted by the Secretariat and Chancellery.

The majority of them came from the southern wilderness, and their activities were nothing more than conquering cities and seizing territories, establishing government offices and yamen.
The Southern Wilderness is different from Jiaozhi. Jiaozhi was part of the Central Plains from the beginning. The Southern Wilderness, on the other hand, was entirely a territory that was expanded.

The cool season has passed and the rainy season has begun on the sea surface of the Southern Wilderness, making it the least suitable time for war.

Many ships avoid sailing during this period; the frequent typhoons and tsunamis are no joke.
They chose to use this time to properly digest the gains of this cool season and conscript labor on the island to begin construction.

As for the Ili River Valley, it is now very peaceful.

When the Jing army was stationed there, Yelü Dashi immediately understood and stopped his westward and southward expeditions, instead sending official letters to Chen Shao every day.

Chen Shao also consistently assured that the troops in the Ili River Valley were there solely for self-defense.

You, Yelü Dashi, are too powerful! You routed us at the Baigou River, leaving us utterly defeated and fleeing in disarray. We are terrified!

It's only natural to deploy some troops as a precaution; hopefully, the Liao Kingdom won't misunderstand.

Whether Yelü Dashi believed it or not was none of Chen Shao's business.

This event greatly pleased the countries and powers surrounding the Western Liao, as the Liao state, after rebuilding its rule in the west, expanded wildly as if it had been injected with adrenaline.

Wanyan Balisu also chose peace and did not take the opportunity to attack the Liao Kingdom.

He was afraid of attracting Jing Jun's attention.
It's true that Yelü Dashi was somewhat wary of the Jing army, but Wanyan Balisu was terrified of the Jing army, unable to sleep at night, fearing that the Jing army would come to destroy him.

Although he actually escaped quite far.

Chen Shao glanced at these reports and then set them aside.

He now only focuses on two major tasks: river management and engineering institutes; everything else is handled by the court's official system.

"A good ruler must first eliminate the harm of floods and droughts."

"To govern a country, one must first govern its water resources; when water resources are well-managed, the world will be at peace."

The Yellow River, our mother river, will strike back at all dynasties that fail to control their rivers.

River management, especially the Yellow River, held extremely important political, economic, military, and cultural significance in ancient Chinese dynasties. It can be said that the consensus among rulers throughout history was that "when the Yellow River is calm, the world is at peace; when the Yellow River breaches its banks, the nation is in danger."

Historically, after the Jingkang Incident, the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties ruled the north, three of which were ruled by foreign ethnic groups.

Even these barbarian Tartars, once they enter the Central Plains, they still have to manage the river, otherwise their position will definitely not be secure.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a "General Supervisor of the Waterways" was appointed to be in charge of water affairs, and the expenses often accounted for more than 10% of the national treasury expenditure.

Moreover, even if 10% were allocated, it might not be enough to cure the problem; most of it would end up in the pockets of officials.

It still breaks out every two or three years, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and causing losses of hundreds of millions of dollars.

When Dajing began its river management efforts, there was no such place as 'Dajing' yet.

Even before Chen Shao usurped the throne of the Song Dynasty and was still nominally a subject of the Song, he began sending people to manage the river.

The ban on logging in Dajing has been in effect for five years and is beginning to show results.

This year, many places reported that the Yellow River under their jurisdiction had become clear, which was hailed as a great auspicious omen.

"When the Yellow River runs clear, a sage is born."

People attributed this to the fact that His Majesty is a wise and enlightened ruler, which is why the Yellow River has become clear.

Chen Shao saw several memorials in a row, all with the same tone, and immediately felt somewhat smug.

In a sense, it was indeed because he was 'wise' enough that the Yellow River became clear.

In later years, since the implementation of the "Returning Farmland to Forest" project in 1999, about 20 years later (in the 2020s), the average annual sediment load of the Yellow River decreased from 16 billion tons to 2-3 million tons, and the water quality became significantly clearer.

At this time, more than a thousand years before the Yellow River was 'elevated' to above ground, the difficulty of its management was not as great as it would be in later years.

So, after five years, thanks to the logging ban in Dajing and continuous efforts to improve the situation, there have been positive results.

Of course, he wasn't sure if there was any exaggeration or hype involved.

This is also why Chen Shao always wanted to personally tour the country.

Only when one has the power to survey the entire world can one truly ascertain the extent of peace and prosperity it enjoys. (End of Chapter)