You have truly caused me great suffering!

Husi Ordos was the capital of the Liao Dynasty.

The imperial city was not built in a luxurious manner, which was inconsistent with the current strength and financial resources of the Liao Kingdom.

The Liao Dynasty possessed the Silk Road and accumulated wealth rapidly, but its strength was no longer comparable to what it used to be.

Moreover, this place is quite close to Gaochang.

Before Chen Shao left the Northwest, Wu Jie had already conquered Gaochang.

Inside the imperial city, Yelü Dashi sat on a stone bench. He had been doing quite well in the west these past few years.

But he still often thinks of the days when he and Xiao Gan defended Yanjing, were captured by the Jin army, and escaped from a desperate situation.

To be honest, starting over in a faraway place wasn't as difficult as he thought.

Of the people he took with him, a small majority were Han Chinese, either skilled craftsmen or brave warriors.

In fact, when the Jin dynasty destroyed the Liao dynasty, many Han Chinese in Liao territory did not want to return to the Song dynasty. They felt a sense of belonging to the Liao dynasty, after all, they had been Liao people since birth and had frequently fought against the Han people in the south.

After settling in, they re-established the Liao Dynasty's system that had existed for hundreds of years.

You wouldn't know unless you came here. There are principalities everywhere. A king can rule over three to five thousand people, and a small king can rule over a few hundred people.

It sounds intimidating.

Once a fight breaks out, he's even easier to beat than that damned Tong Guan.

Starting with just over two hundred cavalrymen, he occupied such a vast territory and gradually absorbed the remnants of the Liao dynasty who had fled west to escape the Jurchens, making his power even stronger.

Yelü Dashi was in his forties, the prime of his life, a man's golden age.

He insisted on keeping the Khitan hairstyle, but preferred Hanfu made of high-end fabrics such as silk. He had a square face, a wide mouth, and sharp eyes.

Sitting opposite him was Xiao Wulila, the Grand Prince of the Six Courts. In fact, in the past, the Liao Dynasty had a clear distinction between the noble and the lowly, and very few people could sit in front of the emperor.

However, after Yelü Dashi sent envoys to Dajing, he asked about Dajing's affairs every time, inquiring about everything, big and small.

Upon learning that Jing State ministers were mostly seated when Chen Shao received them, Yelü Dashi pondered this and decided to adopt it.

When you succeed, every detail about you will be magnified and scrutinized. In fact, this is purely a matter of Chen Shao's personality.

He simply made all the ministers stand, and the Great Jing Dynasty remains powerful today.

Whether the system of etiquette is stricter or more lenient, it will not affect the strength of the country.

"In recent years, the Great Jing has been waging wars and conquering the east, north, and south, with its military might never cease. Its ambition to devour and plunder is now obvious, and its insatiable greed is likely to be insatiable."

Yelü Dashi rarely showed weakness, but today, whether he was too engrossed in the moment or forgot to pretend in front of his confidants, he sighed and said, "I think they will launch a western expedition sooner or later."

Xiao Wulila had dealt with Chen Shao many times. To be honest, he did not dislike Chen Shao. On the contrary, he thought that Chen Shao was polite, very well-mannered, and would not get angry for no reason.

He is a very good leader.

But he was also well aware of Chen Shao's ambition.

Xiao Wulila nodded, pursed his lips, and said, "From what I observe, the situation is unlike that of the Han Chinese dynasties in the Central Plains in the past. In recent years, they have been like an insatiable wolf, frantically tearing at the land from the east, north, and south, fighting for every inch of territory. Their inflated ambition has long since broken through the dam of reason, and they wish they could swallow up the entire world in one go!"

"Why are they so rampant in the east, north, and south? It is thanks to the fine horses of the northwest that they can gallop across the desert, their iron cavalry daring to trample the desert flat; and they rely on the giant ships at sea that are as numerous as clouds, their sails daring to block out the sun, thus enabling them to set sail and expand their territory."

"But there are many high mountains and dangerous obstacles to our west, which is why they have not yet launched a westward expedition."

Yelü Dashi deeply agreed. As a powerful ruler, he should have focused on developing himself, working diligently to govern, and preparing for a battle against a formidable enemy.

But now, this formidable enemy is too powerful, and even a man of great talent like Yelü Dashi has to find other ways to temporarily avoid its sharp edge.

What made Yelü Dashi most desperate was that every messenger who returned said that Chen Shao looked extremely well.

He was so young; I probably wouldn't outlive him.
The Khitans reaped significant benefits from this event. When Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Guo Rong, launched his northern expedition, the garrison troops of the cities in the Youyan region surrendered upon hearing his name.

How fierce was this Northern Expedition?
In just 42 days, the following results were achieved:

They successively captured Yingzhou (present-day Hejian, Hebei), Mozhou (present-day Renqiu, Hebei), and Yizhou (present-day Yixian, Hebei), as well as Ningzhou, recovering a total of 17 counties.

They captured numerous passes and took the three strategic strongholds of Yijin Pass, Waqiao Pass, and Yukou Pass (the "Three Passes") without shedding a drop of blood.

The Later Zhou army advanced with unstoppable momentum, directly approaching the walls of Youzhou, and was only one step away from recovering the core area of ​​the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Forty-two days, that's all it took to run that distance.

In such a short period of time, Guo Rong successively forced Wang Hong, the governor of Liaoning Prefecture, to surrender; General Zhong Tinghui to surrender the entire city; Liu Chuxin and Gao Yanhui to submit to the government; Guo Rong personally led light cavalry to cut off the water source; and Yao Neibin was forced to open the city gates and hand over his seal.

They defeated the Khitan cavalry at Gu'an, and then defeated the Northern Han cavalry who came to support the Khitan.

He has the demeanor of Li Shimin back in the day.

This formidable man led a group of elite troops drawn from the Five Dynasties period on a northern expedition, terrifying the entire Khitan people. Tragically, he died young.
Due to the emperor's serious illness, the Northern Expedition was forced to halt. Guo Rong, filled with resentment, had no choice but to order a retreat. Shortly afterward, he died in Kaifeng at the young age of 39.

Later, when Zhao Kuangyin seized power, accumulated strength, built up the imperial treasury, pacified the south, and prepared for a northern expedition.

He also died at the age of fifty.

He died at the age of fifty, in the prime of his life.

The Khitans loved hearing this kind of story, but unfortunately Chen Shao didn't give them the chance; this man valued his life to an astonishing degree.

He achieved early success, but when he was away from home, he only ate and lived with his bodyguards and never sought out local women to serve him.

Without fail, they go to escape the summer heat when it's hot and soak in hot springs when it's cold, and they are very particular about their diet and daily life.

They supported a large group of Taoist priests and doctors, figuring out how to live a long life. They valued medical skills, incorporated them into scientific examinations, and compiled and edited medical books.

Moreover, aside from personally going to the battlefield a few times when he first started his business, he stopped going.

This is a health-preserving emperor.

Yelü Dashi figured he definitely wouldn't outlive him, and even his son couldn't defeat him.

Therefore, he prepared two plans, and today he came to discuss them with Xiao Wulila.

One of the priorities was to strengthen the city's defenses in the east, build fortresses, and prepare for active resistance.

Secondly, they need to find a way out, so that if all else fails, they can escape westward again.
The Jin army was very strong back then, but they were still wiped out. As long as we escaped far enough west, we could continue the Khitan dynasty.

Moreover, Yelü Dashi discovered that Wanyan Balisu was doing almost the same thing as him.

They have been migrating north for the past few years.

He never told anyone he was afraid; he only said that his hometown was in Huanglongfu, where he preferred cold to heat and that the north was cooler.

Yelü Dashi knew, of course, that if it weren't for Da Jing, Wanyan Balisu would definitely have fought him for power.

Nowadays, no one is really motivated and unwilling to put their energy into this, lest they end up arguing and letting the powerful reap the benefits.

"Has Yelü Songshan reached the Western Sea?"

"We've arrived."

Yelü Dashi nodded. The Western Sea is what we now know as the Aral Sea. At this time, it had not yet shrunk and was vast and boundless, unlike anything we see in later times.

Khwarazm had long occupied this area, but it had been defeated by the Liao Dynasty and was now the western frontier of the Liao Dynasty.

The Western Sea is not a good place. Its east and west sides are the steep Judean Desert and the Moab Mountains, with cliffs and precipices everywhere. Moreover, the climate is hot, fresh water is scarce, and the environment is extremely harsh, making it a "defensible and difficult to attack" place.

You should know that this place is a saltwater lake; although there is plenty of water, it is completely undrinkable.

However, there are also many cities and fortresses in the area. After the roads are built, there is indeed an opportunity to guard the eastern passage of the West Sea from the plateau on the southeast side.

Just as Chen Shao developed the Ili River Valley for westward expansion, Yelü Dashi sent people to build cities, store grain, construct warehouses and roads near the Aral Sea, also for westward expansion.
If we really can't stop Jing's army, then we should attack westward.

Yelü Dashi was completely copying Chen Shao's approach.

How you develop the Ili River Valley is how I will manage the West Sea.

You make money through business principles, and I make money through business channels.

You develop industry, and I also value craftsmanship.

Moreover, he has already established the Liao Dynasty's navy in the Western Sea.

In the end, if you go on a westward expedition and I go on a westward expedition, this imitation show will be a perfect success.

What Great Jing Dynasty, what Emperor of All Time, they can forget about destroying our Khitan.
-
Jinling, inside the Funing Palace.

Looking at the map of Japan sent from the front lines, Chen Shao couldn't help but exclaim, "People can actually live in this place?"

There were too many barren and inhospitable areas, but now we've mostly conquered the easier ones. For example, the low, gentle hills and alluvial plains such as the Shimoso Plateau and the Hitachi Plain.

However, the Chichibu and Nasu mountain regions are extremely difficult to conquer.

This terrain divides Japan into small, unconnected fragments, each with its own local tyrant.

It looks a bit like an Afghan tribe.

Many tribes are built on mountainsides, and they live a very difficult life because of the barren land.

However, compared to the wealthy and powerful clans of Northeast China, these places were also more difficult to conquer.

These 'mountain cities' are like the Tusi tribes in Guizhou. Siege weapons cannot be deployed, the terrain is familiar to them, but outsiders can hardly move an inch, and most importantly, cavalry cannot be used.

In every nook and cranny, there is a group of die-hard local forces.

“At the New Year, Li Yanqi said he would conquer the entire East Japan within a year,” Chen Shao said with a smile. “Now he wants to change his mind, but he is afraid that I will punish him for deceiving the emperor, so he keeps writing memorials to complain, but he never mentions withdrawing his troops.”

"Withdraw the troops?" Han Shizhong said, "If we withdraw the troops, we'll cut them down. How difficult can it be to fight over such a small place? Weizhou is mostly mountainous, yet we still managed to take it down!"

Weizhou and the Dongying mountain area are still quite different.

The mobs that made a big splash in Heian-kyo and Musashi, however, became subdued when they reached the east.

It's all mountainous terrain, and everyone's just trying to make a living in the mountains. If you rioters go there, they'll only need to close their gates and hide like cowards for a few days, and you'll starve to death.

Chen Shao had the deepest understanding of Japan among all the people; he had known about this situation for a long time.

These powerful clans, entrenched in the mountains, have a strong sense of autonomy and are not easily subjugated.

Therefore, he also had a contingency plan, and said directly: "The best course of action now is to mobilize the Japanese to fight against the Japanese, win them over and divide them, and use the Japanese to control the Japanese."

Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "If necessary, we can set the mountain on fire and burn it to the ground."

Although Li Yanqi had a tough time, Chen Shao was generally optimistic.

The most difficult places to conquer in Japan are places like Kyushu.

When the Yuan Dynasty attacked later, the resistance here was extremely fierce, but now it was destroyed by the mob uprising, allowing the Jing army to take it easily.

Other areas need to be tackled gradually, but Da Jing isn't in a hurry; he has plenty of patience.

If the Japanese themselves were to fight, their numbers could be depleted. Chen Shao wouldn't care which side suffered more casualties in a Japanese-on-Japanese battle.

As long as we hold onto our gold and silver mountains, it doesn't matter if other places are burned to the ground.

The topic we were supposed to discuss today was originally the issue of Korea, but as we talked, the conversation turned to Japan.

In fact, Goryeo was already in great danger.

With the addition of Cui Shunting to the Xijing rebellion, and the inexplicable increased connection between Xijing and Dajing, the situation became even more chaotic.

As it turned out, without the addition of Jing Jun, the Goryeo army struggled to quell the rebellion, and was even completely incapable of doing so.

Wang Kai and Jin Fushi have submitted petitions more than ten times, requesting that the Dajing garrison participate in the war, but Chen Shao has dragged them out under the pretext of investigating the reasons.

I didn't say I wouldn't help you, but I need to check and make some preparations.

With such a long distance between the two sides, it would be easy to drag it out for a year or two.

Finally, Minister of War Huo Anguo spoke up, "Your Majesty, the Goryeo rebels have already captured more than forty counties. If we don't send reinforcements soon..."

Han Shizhong asked, "Your Majesty, should we save Goryeo or not?"

Because Chen Shao had always treated Goryeo with great courtesy, the ministers were unsure of His Majesty's intentions. If His Majesty truly believed that Goryeo was a country not to be conquered, there was no need for them to oppose him.

As for Goryeo, it's not necessarily necessary to conquer it. Daejeong has already expanded its territory enough.

However, Yuwen Xuzhong remained silent. He had long known His Majesty's thoughts. His Majesty always spent money in a very disciplined manner. How could he have spent so much money in Goryeo without expecting anything in return?

The most expensive thing in the world is the enormous benefit that someone stronger than you gives you voluntarily.

Because that would most likely be a way to kill you.

"so much?"

Chen Shao wasn't lamenting the large number of prefectures and counties the rebels had captured, but rather that Goryeo had a large number of prefectures and counties.

The mere Goryeo Kingdom, roughly the same size as Daejeong, has so many administrative units.

In fact, starting from the ninth year of King Hyeonjong's reign (1018), Goryeo established its domestic administrative divisions as "five provinces and two boundaries".

The five provinces are: Gyeonggi, Yang Gwang, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Gyoju.
Two boundaries: the eastern boundary (later known as Gangneung Province) and the western boundary (later known as Hwanghae Province);

Military-controlled areas have been established along the northern border, including the northeastern and northwestern borders.

There are a total of 47 prefectures (or "states"), about 160 counties, and more than 300 districts.

Chen Shao muttered to himself, "In my opinion, setting up one circuit with five prefectures and thirty counties would be enough."

With the situation now at this point, Chen Shao no longer concealed his ambition to seize Goryeo.

After all, Japan has been occupied and Liaodong has been subdued. Goryeo is sandwiched in the middle. If we don't take it, it will become a country within a country.

Which Central Plains dynasty could allow a small country to exist within its borders? As the saying goes, "How can one tolerate another snoring beside one's bed?"

Since the topic of Goryeo had come up, Chen Shao stood up, took the Goryeo memorial in his hand, and said, "I observe that the situation in Goryeo is beyond saving; it is a sign of impending doom."

If their ruler and ministers had any sense of righteousness and understood the will of Heaven, they would have sent envoys to present a memorial and request to submit to the Chinese side. In that case, I could still preserve their royal titles, official positions, and ancestral temples.

To my surprise, they feigned ignorance, not only refusing to submit but also foolishly hoping to use my heavenly army to quell their rebellion! Such delusional thoughts are utterly laughable!

"I will not save him." (End of Chapter)