You have truly caused me great suffering!

The sun is gradually setting in the west.

The Liu residence was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments, and a gentle breeze carried the coolness of autumn, instantly dispelling any lingering effects of the wine.

Chen Shao stood up, noticing that it was getting late, and prepared to leave with his men.

These days, he often wanders around Jinling. Although he doesn't know how Yang Yizhong arranged things, there was no clearing of the area, and he was quite safe.

Several ministers who came with Chen Shao also stayed here for their meal.

Liu Jizu did not put on a show of living a simple life to demonstrate his integrity.

In fact, all the important officials of the Great Jing Dynasty had quite good cooks working in their homes.

It's all so that one day, when His Majesty strolls to my home, I can give him a proper welcome.

Chen Shao didn't have the means before, but after he became emperor and the national treasury was full, he actually paid a lot of attention to food and drink.

He didn't plan to return to the palace today, but instead intended to rest at Baozhen Temple for the night.

However, Liu Jizu stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, please arrange the accompanying officials in advance."

This statement came out of nowhere, without any prior context.

Chen Shao was taken aback when he heard this, but then he understood that the man was afraid that he would bring too many people with him.

With the Great Jing Dynasty waging war on all sides, the officials in the court were stretched thin. If he were to take too many officials with him on his inspection tour, his situation would become even more dire.

It's important to understand that the Great Jing Dynasty was not the Great Song Dynasty. It didn't have so many redundant officials. In the Great Jing Dynasty, every official had a specific role to play, and they were all important and practical government offices.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "I won't be bringing too many civil officials this time, so please don't worry."

Liu Jizu breathed a sigh of relief. If he could have held on by himself, he wouldn't have rashly reminded His Majesty.

This is something that could offend people; who wouldn't want to follow His Majesty?

Nanjing is a wonderful place, and most officials in the capital would never want to leave. But accompanying His Majesty on his travels is a different story altogether.

Last time, Chen Shao brought a large number of officials, which wasn't entirely useless; at least they were sent to the local areas to see how the new policies were being implemented.

Otherwise, if one is confined within the capital, one's thinking will fall behind.

Liu Jizu was worried that the past would repeat itself. While accompanying the emperor on his inspection tour was certainly enjoyable and offered the opportunity for promotion, it was also a different story.

However, the officials who remained in Nanjing were forced to increase their workload considerably.

Chen Shao was not an emperor who grew up in the hands of women in the deep palace. He conquered his country himself. The Dingnan Army fought for ten years, and Chen Shao went to the front line only a handful of times, but he was not idle in the rear.

The experience of coordinating warfare is invaluable, and Chen Shao even doubted that his own level was better than that of many military generals.

Despite fighting for so many years, Chen Shao never let the front lines go hungry.

Moreover, he didn't just plunder land to supply the troops at the front; he genuinely planned and devised every possible way to supply the front.

Such capabilities are the rarest, for those who can ensure the logistics of a large army's expedition are often truly exceptional talents.

Figures like Xiao He in the early Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang in the Shu Han Dynasty, and Li Shanchang in the early Ming Dynasty were all pillars of the nation.

This time, the main purpose is to travel around the newly acquired lands, and not many civil officials need to accompany them.

On the contrary, the selection of military officers should be carefully considered.

People like Han Shizhong are almost certain to accompany him, and some veteran generals in Beijing will probably also vie to join in the fun.

To be honest, Chen Shao was not worried about his safety. Although there were foreign tribes in the newly annexed territory, there were also the garrison troops he had arranged to settle and cultivate the land.

Even without a large army accompanying him, he could gather a formidable force by simply raising his arm anywhere.

These were the elite troops who founded the nation, and a powerful army that fought the Jurchens for nearly ten years. Although they had retired to cultivate land, they were still not to be underestimated.

At the founding of the Ming Dynasty, three thousand veteran soldiers stationed in border towns and garrisons in Shanxi had just finished their farm work and returned home when they were suddenly invaded by tens of thousands of cavalry from the Northern Yuan. Led by a commander who had already retired to his fields, they held out for a day, forcing the cavalry to retreat.

Of course, even if there was no danger, the civil and military officials of Dajing would not allow him to bring fewer troops.

It's at least 50,000, and it's estimated that it will increase.

This is also a good opportunity to see the newly recruited soldiers from good families in the Central Plains.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Cao Cao invented a system of military households, which made soldiers' status similar to that of slaves.

As a result, the Rebellion of the Eight Princes at the beginning of the Jin Dynasty wiped out the last of the Central Plains troops, and there were no more strong armies in the Central Plains. People like the Xiongnu and Xianbei were all helpless.

They ran to the Central Plains one by one, lording it over others, committing murder and arson.

To put it bluntly, it's because they've been too harsh in belittling soldiers, thus destroying the spirit of martial prowess.

Before the Wei and Jin dynasties, did any of the Five Barbarian tribes dare to bare their teeth? The so-called Five Barbarian tribes were all servants of powerful families on the border, fed and raised by their own people.

Now Chen Shao is unwilling to repeat the same mistakes.

The Song Dynasty suppressed military men because they had just gone through the Five Dynasties period, which Chen Shao could understand.

However, too much of a good thing can be bad; this strong medicine is, frankly, a bit excessive.

Overcorrection can lead to another extreme.

Now that Chen Shao has reclaimed the horse-breeding lands of the Central Plains Dynasty, and has also expanded many horse farms, the martial prowess of the Great Jing Dynasty has become frighteningly abundant.

This time, he broke through the shackles of the Central Plains dynasty, conquering the Tianshan Mountains, the northern deserts, and the South China Sea.

Therefore, we must be extra careful not to repeat the mistakes of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and continue to strengthen our military.
-
Inside Baozhen Temple, the lights were dim.

Mrs. Song greeted him with a smile and stepped forward to dust him off and help him take off his clothes.

The news of Chen Shao's upcoming inspection tour had not yet spread, and the three sisters in Baozhen Temple were unaware of it.

At this moment, Li Yi'an was already lying in bed, covered with a brocade quilt. It was unclear whether he was truly asleep or pretending, but he didn't get up.

Maode rested her chin on one hand, her empty eyes staring blankly at a landscape painting on the pink wall, seemingly lost in thought. However, she was caught red-handed when she secretly glanced at Chen Shao.

She stopped pretending and went over with a grin, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around Chen Shao's neck. "Where did you go drinking? Why didn't you come with us? Did you find us serving you unpleasant?"

"I went to the residence of Prime Minister Liu Jizu to discuss the matter of the inspection tour."

"Another inspection tour!" Maode said with some reluctance. "Will it be another year?"

Chen Shao looked at her, and with just one sentence, her pretty face filled with resentment, tears glistening on her cheeks, like pear blossoms in the rain, making her even more beautiful.

No wonder the ancients often said that the land of gentle pleasures is the tomb of heroes. When a man sees this expression, who would be willing to leave?

Fortunately, Chen Shao was no ordinary man.

She reached out and wiped away a few glistening tears from her alabaster cheeks. "I'll take you with me."

Mrs. Song quickly waved her hand, indicating that she could not go.

Chen Shao understood and nodded, saying, "Then you and Yi An can go together."

"Really?"

The Empress isn't going, and neither is the Imperial Noble Consort this time. Shishi fell ill after her last trip back; she's very delicate and can't travel such a long distance. With Maode and Yi'an on the road, there won't be any problems at all.

These days, who would dare to point fingers at the Great Jing Emperor?

Let's say he brought two female Taoist priests with him.

“Really, I’ll take you all with me. Yi’an likes rubbings, so it’s a good opportunity to go with me to see the inscriptions in the Northern Border. Maybe we can even see Huo Qubing’s handwriting when he reined in his horse at Yanran.”

Chen Shao was already quite drunk while drinking at Liu's residence, but the cool autumn breeze on the way made him a little more sober.

Now that they had arrived at Nuanxiang's room, they were exhausted and tired. They had the women help them wash up and then went to bed.

When he started snoring softly, Maode reached out and poked Yi'an. "He finally came all this way, why don't you take this opportunity to get closer to him instead of pretending to be asleep?" Li Yi'an snorted coldly, and sure enough, he wasn't asleep.

"You must be so happy now, he wants to make rubbings with you. I really envy you two, you share the same hobby."

Maode stretched out her slender, jade-like fingers and traced them across Chen Shao's eyebrows and eyes. Thinking that she could soon travel far away with him, she was overjoyed and smiled. "If only he could stay by our side for a long time, and we could be inseparable."

"How can you expect to trap a true dragon with worldly love and affection?" Li Yi'an murmured, looking at the ceiling.

She saw things more clearly than Maud: there are plenty of devoted men in the world, one more or one less makes no difference.

But the person lying next to him makes a world of difference whether he's there or not.

She was deeply impressed by Chen Shao's achievements.

This is a true hero, one of a kind.
-
The preparations for touring the world are extremely complicated, and it would take at least a year to complete them.

Fortunately, Chen Shao had started preparing long ago.

He's just emptying his mind now, to see how the system actually functions without his control.

This will determine whether he can truly feel at ease during his inspections.

In the past six months, he has not paid much attention to national affairs.

The system is operating smoothly and healthily, which is especially commendable considering that it is currently operating on two fronts.

Just as we were waiting, good news came from the engineering college in November.

They also improved the artillery.

Artillery was the first firearm that Chen Shao focused on developing and researching, and indeed, it was also the first to achieve a breakthrough.

In truth, it's because they occupied a lot of territory and mined everywhere, leading to an increase in copper resources.

With an increase in copper, smelting is necessary.

More smelting will lead to technological breakthroughs.

Chen Shao was in high spirits and rushed to the engineering college early in the morning.

At this time, the Ministry of Works' offices were expanded more than three times their original size. In Nanjing, where land was extremely valuable, the fact that the government was able to continue expanding demonstrated the emperor's high regard for the city.

After Chen Shao arrived and sat down on the drill ground, Yang Geng immediately came forward and began to explain things to him.

The first thing to improve was the gunpowder.

The saltpeter leaching station in the engineering college uses crystallization to purify saltpeter to 95%, which is quite good.

In addition to its excellent moisture-proof and damp-proof capabilities, it also burns more evenly and provides continuous thrust, doubling the range of the artillery.

A group of gunners stood in a row, and Yang Geng led Chen Shao to see them one by one, explaining to him.

The Thunder Cannon was a heavy bronze cannon, each equipped with 4 mules and 10 gunners;
The Thunderclap Cannon was a medium-sized, bowl-shaped cannon, with each unit equipped with two horses and six gunners;
The Divine Arrow was a single-soldier musket, and the musketeer carried a medicine bag and a lead bullet bag.

All types of firearms had standardized blueprints, dimensions, and powder dosages. They were mass-produced by the Ordnance Bureau according to the "model" and engraved with the names of the supervising officials and craftsmen.

"Let's fire a few shots and see."

These metal weapons look quite impressive, but appearances don't tell the whole story; their effectiveness matters.

Yang Geng gestured for him to go to the safe viewing platform.

Chen Shao knew this was non-negotiable, so he went directly to the high platform opposite the shelling position.

After he stood in position, Chen Shao raised his binoculars as the command flag was waved.

The thunderous roar of the cannons rang out, and indeed, the range had increased, and the power had been greatly enhanced.

Then, someone even set up a rain curtain. On the leaky tent, people kept pouring water, making the water cascade down like a torrential downpour.

Then the gunner covered the muzzle with tarpaulin and wrapped the fuse in wax, and it could still be fired.

Chen Shao put down his binoculars and nodded approvingly, saying, "Very good."

The two simple words greatly excited the students in the engineering school.

Especially Yang Geng, who originally worked on weather instruments, but knowing that His Majesty valued artillery, he started from scratch and changed careers.

Now he is a key member of the engineering college.

The emergence of these cannons, along with the improvements in gunpowder, all point to one thing.

The Great Jing army's field combat and offensive and defensive capabilities have been greatly enhanced.

Firearms also became more practical.

The efficiency of Jingjun's expansion will be greatly enhanced, as will its ability to deal with resistance.

"After you return, draft a list. Be truthful and I will reward you handsomely."

Yang Geng quickly led his men to express their gratitude.

When His Majesty mentions rewards, the ministers already consider it a great reward. This time, he directly mentioned a great reward, so everyone couldn't help but look at each other excitedly.

Soon, gunpowder workshops sprang up in several important cities of the Great Jing Dynasty, such as Fenzhou, Yanjing, Bianliang, and Qingzhou.

The production of various firearms also increased significantly.

The advantage of unlocking these weapons in advance is that you can quickly plunder the Earth's mineral resources and use them for your own purposes.

In this way, the army will become stronger and then expand more rapidly, which is equivalent to entering a virtuous cycle.
-
It's December again in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Chen Shao only glanced at the delayed battle reports sent from India.

The South China Sea Navy dispatched another general to land, this time with the former Chola Dynasty, now Zhennan Prefecture, as its rear base.

They attacked from the west and north.

Meanwhile, the Wuman soldiers in the mountains gradually explored and developed a road.

The vanguard has already approached the Indian village.

A pincer attack from the north and south seems imminent.

As for the Western Liao battlefield, Yue Fei stopped fighting at the Western Sea and began to gather the remaining Turkic tribes and accept their surrender.

East of the Western Sea, Yelü Dashi's power had vanished.

His decision to cut his own arm this time was still very decisive.

With his abilities, he could have risen to prominence even if he had fled to Europe.

However, to surpass or defeat Da Jing is already a pipe dream.

The difference in strength between the two sides is simply too great; it's not something that Yelü Dashi can solve by simply unleashing his full power once.

Even if Jing Jun loses, it's just that he went from being able to crush it with one finger to being able to crush it with two fingers.

Jing Jun could lose countless times in his battles against Yelü Dashi.

The Jing army of today is not the same force that Tong Guan led to conquer Liao.

When Tong Guan launched his campaign against Liao, the war went poorly, and the Western Army simply abandoned the campaign.

Some soldiers even blocked Tong Guan's tent and started cursing him.

However, even after suffering a defeat, the Great Jing cavalry continues to take up arms and fight. (End of Chapter)