Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 160 How can the royal army stay in peace in a corner!
[In August of the eighth year of Shengwu, a civil strife broke out in Sichuan and Shu, and the conservative officials who supported the Dajing Dynasty won. However, this civil strife caused a serious loss of resources in Shu.]

[In September of the eighth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao dispatched Wang Shouyi to Sichuan to resist the Mongolian army, urging him to make good use of the natural defenses and focus on defense.]

[In October of the eighth year of Shengwu, the annual military expenditure of the Dajing Dynasty had reached 8 million taels. The high military expenditure slowed down the development of the local areas.]

[In order to ensure that the frontline can still provide food and fodder for the army, Chu Shizhao issued a ban on alcohol in order to store food.]

[In November of the eighth year of Shengwu, the Linzi clans rebelled again. The clans headed by the Tian clan surrendered one after another when Chu Shizhao's army attacked. However, under Chu Shizhao's suppression and governance, these clans did not get the benefits they imagined, nor could they arbitrarily collect taxes from the people in the name of the Yuan Dynasty court as they did during the previous Mongolian rule. This made them feel extremely disappointed.]

[The loss of status, Chu Shizhao's disrespect, and the change in interests are all unacceptable to them. ]

[Tian Sheng welcomed the Mongols and started a rebellion on the grounds that Chu Shizhao's administration was inhumane and the people of Linzi were living in misery and resentment was widespread. When the Mongol Yuan court learned of the news, it immediately sent troops to respond.]

[In order to supplement the army's food and grass needs, Chu Shizhao collected a large amount of grain from the local wealthy families. He knew that if he asked the people for food, the local people would be more resistant. Moreover, wealth was often in the hands of the wealthy families. Only by taking advantage of the wealthy families could he make up for his own material shortage.]

[Who would have thought that these powerful families would retaliate so quickly. ]

[The truth is that after several wars, a large amount of unowned wasteland appeared in the whole Qingzhou. The Mongols did not have accurate control over these wastelands. They allowed the powerful families to annex the land. They only needed the people under them to pay taxes.]

[As soon as Chu Shizhao conquered Qingzhou, the first thing he thought of was not to divide up the extra resources with these powerful families, but to distribute the land to the local people and his soldiers to encourage them.]

[This made the powerful people who thought they had made outstanding contributions and sacrificed the city extremely dissatisfied. They only hoped to find a strong monarch in the troubled times to protect their vested interests, rather than running over to snatch their share of the interests.]

[Chu Shizhao knew very well that this was the result of the long-standing problems of the Zhou Dynasty. The indulgence of several generations of emperors led to the growth of complex local forces.]

[If we want to unify smoothly, these local forces must be eliminated. ]

[The Mongolian royal court was obviously unaware of the various problems that had arisen in the Central Plains Dynasty, so it allowed these people to slander the interests of the country, but Chu Shizhao had to be on guard.]

[The victory was that although Chu Shizhao did not expect the retaliatory force to be so quick, he still made preparations for the retaliatory force in advance. The moment Tian Sheng started his rebellion, Chu Shizhao immediately mobilized his troops to suppress the rebellion.]

[In December of the eighth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao's crazy nature was exposed. He distributed all the food in his granary to the people in the city. Most of Chu Shizhao's soldiers were poor people who had started as rebels. They did not have much objection to Chu Shizhao's move. They even saw the support and support of the people and believed that what they did was positive and just.]

[Next, Chu Shizhao told his soldiers that all the food was in the hands of those powerful people, and now all the food and grass in the army were used to help the people. If they wanted food, drink and wealth, they should kill all the rebellious powerful people.]

[At the same time, Chu Shizhao stimulated public opinion and spread many cases of local tyrants bullying local people inside and outside the city, in the army and among the people, in order to intensify hostility towards the tyrants, exaggerate the fact that the rebels were also from the common people, strengthen the local people's dependence on the army, enhance the empathy between the two sides, and unanimously transfer the contradictions to the tyrants.]

[On December 7, the eighth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao put down the rebellion led by Tian Sheng in just seven days. The people in the area refused to help the local tyrants and leaked a lot of information to Chu Shizhao's army, which gave Chu Shizhao sufficient information.]

[On December 8, the eighth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao confiscated the land of the Tian family, used their stored grain and grass as new military rations, and distributed the land that had been abandoned due to the war and claimed by the powerful to the local people, encouraging them to resume production.]

【After Chu Shizhao realized that the old shortcomings of the Great Zhou Dynasty should be truly settled, he gave up the strategy of mutual assistance with those powerful people who were unwilling to cooperate.】

[Any enemy that stands in his way will be punished most resolutely. ]

[In January of the ninth year of Shengwu, since the end of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the court discipline has been loose and disordered, the powerful families have annexed each other, and the people have been displaced. After Chu Shizhao established the Xin Dynasty and took control of the government, he has been committed to vigorously promoting rules and regulations, implementing land regulations, and prohibiting this large-scale land annexation. ]

[Many noble families disregarded the laws of the country, and many people were quite opposed to Chu Shizhao's reforms. ]

[They believed that these things had become a matter of convention, and everyone did it this way. The royal family ruled over the nobles, and the nobles ruled over the common people. How could Chu Shizhao alone change the rules that had been in place for hundreds of years?]

[Chu Shizhao used an iron fist to destroy those aristocratic families and powerful people who committed crimes in Qingzhou. ]

[In this rebellion of the Tian clan, Chu Shizhao implicated several large families related to the Tian clan and brought to justice a large number of local nobles and officials involved. For a time, the nobles and powerful people became awe-inspiring and cautious, and people from far and near obeyed the law and discipline, and no longer dared to act recklessly as they did before.]

[In February of the ninth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao continued his northern expedition. After gaining the support of the people of Qingzhou, Chu Shizhao went straight to Tianjin and occupied Tongzhou on February 27.]

[Soon after, Chu Shizhao fought a great battle with the remaining Xiongnu in Fanyang. At this time, the Xiongnu were ruled by a Chanyu named Jiangchen. At this time, the Xiongnu had suffered continuous counterattacks from the Mongols and the old ministers of the Great Zhou. The poor Xiongnu no longer trusted the rule of the nobles, and rebellions broke out one after another, and the regime was unstable.]

【Chu Shizhao believed that this was the best opportunity to destroy the Xiongnu.】

[The Later Yan regime established by the Xiongnu in Fanyang was something Chu Shizhao did not approve of. In March of the ninth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao made rapid progress.]

[Compared to the Mongols' strict defense and amazing fighting spirit, the Xiongnu who entered the Central Plains had lost their will to advance after suffering a series of defeats. With the Zhou people farming below them, they only needed to enjoy the fields cultivated by the Zhou people. They indulged in entertainment and had little strength to fight.]

[In April of the ninth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao defeated the Xiongnu army and captured Fanyang in one fell swoop. After taking Fanyang, Chu Shizhao renamed the place Beiping.]

[In May of the ninth year of Shengwu, the Di people who occupied Luoyang saw this and surrendered completely to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Thus, the only Hu tribe that held a place was also included in the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.]

[In June of the ninth year of Shengwu, in order to avoid the pressure of being attacked from two sides, Chu Shizhao no longer went north to confront the Goguryeo army, but instead planned to capture Henan first.]

【Luoyang had just surrendered to the Mongols, and the Di people were weak. Seeing the situation was not good, they surrendered to the court of the Mongols, who were also Hu people. Chu Shizhao could either quickly take Luoyang to avoid the help of the Mongols' army, or go to win the surrender of the Di people.】

[In July of the ninth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao decided to quickly take Luoyang. In order to avoid missing the opportunity, Chu Shizhao traveled quickly in light armor and first sent a troop to interfere with the handover of power between the Mongol court and the Di people. The vanguard sent by Lan Shu was originally a suspicious army with only more than a thousand people, but they fought on their own and were extremely brave. After several attacks, they defeated the Mongol court's reinforcement troops and returned to Chang'an.]

[“Even if you have thousands of troops, you should still know me, Yang Yanchao!”]

[After Chu Shizhao captured Beiping and destroyed the Houyan regime established by the Xiongnu, he immediately obtained a thousand good horses. With these thousand good horses, Chu Shizhao dispatched Yang Yanchao and others to establish a cavalry unit. ] [Although most of the soldiers under Chu Shizhao were from the rebel army, Yang Yanchao returned to the Great Jing Dynasty and brought many northern righteous men with him. In addition, the people in Henan and other places had long missed the Zhou Dynasty and had long been unwilling to become slaves of foreign races. Many of the people in these places were soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty and were also skilled in horsemanship. ]

[In a short period of time, Chu Shizhao organized a light cavalry led by Yang Yanchao. Even though there were only a few thousand people, they still achieved great military exploits.]

[After defeating the Di people who occupied Luoyang with a thousand men, Yang Yanchao was greedy for merit and advanced rashly, and encountered a subsequent ambush by the Mongol Yuan court. He eventually escaped the siege of the Mongol cavalry with only a hundred cavalrymen.]

[In August of the ninth year of Shengwu, the Mongol court and the Northern Expedition Army led by Chu Shizhao gradually formed a trend of confrontation, but Chu Shizhao was not in a hurry to continue the attack, but continued to train troops in Beiping, waiting for the opportunity to fight.]

[In September of the ninth year of Shengwu, Luoyang was occupied by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. After the powerful people in the places occupied by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty knew Chu Shizhao's true colors, they actively supported the rule of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and were willing to open their purses to provide food supplements for the Mongol royal army.]

[They knew very well that Mongolia would fight with only 30% of your food, and once Chu Shizhao attacked, he would completely destroy these powerful families.]

【Faced with such threats, they are more supportive of stupid rulers like Mongolia staying in power.】

[In October of the ninth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao consolidated his rule over Qingzhou and Beiping. He actively promoted the laws of the Dajing Dynasty in the two places and corrected the imbalance in land between the two places. The war had left a large amount of unowned land in the two places. Chu Shizhao sent farmers to cultivate these lands.]

[Chu Shizhao rented out these fields and collected only a small portion of the land tax and food, just to supplement the needs of the war on the front line.]

[The people of the two places, who were originally in the midst of war, finally had a chance to rest and recuperate, and the trend of a sharp decline in population was stopped. ]

[In November of the ninth year of Shengwu, all officials in Yingtian Prefecture persuaded Chu Shizhao to return to the court. After years of fighting, they had already achieved remarkable results. Now they could rest for a while and wait for a better opportunity to attack again.]

[In December of the ninth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao faced the advice of his ministers and simply said, "In the old capital, I have a friend waiting for me."]

[“I am already over thirty years old, the mountains and rivers have not been restored, my old friends have not been buried, my ancestors cannot rest in peace, and my people are suffering. How can I easily cross the river and return to the capital?”]

[“Year after year, who knows whether I can still get here next year.”]

[Chu Shizhao knew very well that when a battle situation had gained a certain advantage, expanding the advantage was far more likely to win than maintaining it, and he had reasons to fight this battle.]

【This is the friendship between men. 】

[You have treated me with the courtesy of a great man, and I shall follow the example of the ancient sages and live up to the relationship between the king and his subjects.]

[Yang Fang's body is still lying in Chang'an, Chu Shizhao must not let the people of the world feel disappointed, not to mention that Yang Fang died in Chang'an for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty and for Chu Shizhao.]

[In January of the tenth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao began to train the cavalry, and once again trained the army with Yang Yanchao as the cavalry leader.]

[In February of the tenth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao built sophisticated equipment and a full set of weapons, and planned to form an elite heavy cavalry called the Beiwei Army around the cavalry.]

[In March of the tenth year of Shengwu, Wang Shouyi defended Sichuan and Shu against multiple attacks by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, but the elderly Wang Shouyi also lost the desire to go further. His strategy was to maintain stability and he left the control of many places to the Mongols.]

[It is not easy to attack the Mongols, but it is also impossible for Wang Shouyi to fight them off.]

[In April of the tenth year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao lived in Beiping. However, he was exhausted from years of fighting and caught a cold, which frightened all the soldiers in the army.]

[In May of the tenth year of Shengwu, Goguryeo believed that the frequent civil unrest in the Central Plains Dynasty was the right time for them to launch a surprise attack and seize land. However, Lan Shu had been prepared under Chu Shizhao's arrangement. Under the sudden attack of Goguryeo, Lan Shu defeated the sudden attack of Goguryeo and captured all the 10,000 vanguard troops sent by Goguryeo. After all these people were killed, Lan Shu personally built a Jingguan and piled up the heads of those people.]

[After this battle, Goguryeo did not dare to attack rashly, and Lan Shu became a killing god feared by Goguryeo generals.]

[In June of the tenth year of Shengwu, at the suggestion of Chu Shizhao, the Dajing Dynasty began to build the Grand Canal to speed up the circulation, support and transportation between the north and the south.]

[In July of the tenth year of Shengwu, the Mongolian royal court was unwilling to be outdone and signed an alliance with Goguryeo. The two countries began to formally form an alliance to fight against the Dajing Dynasty.]

[In August of the tenth year of Shengwu, the Mongolian royal court began to dispatch troops to attack the direction where Chu Shizhao was. They agreed with the Goguryeo people on a time to march together.]

[However, the Goguryeo people did not abide by the previously agreed time. They waited until the Mongolian royal court took the lead in launching an offensive and entered a period of mutual depletion of strength before slowly sending out troops.]

[The Mongolian court was furious and asked why the Goguryeo army had not been seen since they were supposed to march together on August 16.]

[The Goguryeo people replied that they did send out troops on the 16th, and at that time they were reorganizing their army and were already on their way.]

[It’s just that the two places are far apart, and for a while, they can’t launch an offensive right away. ]

[In September of the tenth year of Shengwu, Han Gu repelled the Mongol attack, which caused the Goguryeo people to quickly station troops and stop the offensive.]

[The Mongols realized that the Goguryeo people wanted to reap the benefits of being a fisherman, and only wanted to watch the bloody battle between them and the Dajing Dynasty, and wait until the two sides were almost done, and then snatch the spoils that should have belonged to the Mongolian royal court or the Dajing Dynasty. ]

[This made the Khan of Mongolia very angry, and the monarch named Temujin decided to give up attacking the Dajing Dynasty and instead use the terrain of the grassland to launch a surprise attack on Goguryeo.]

[In October of the tenth year of Shengwu, the alliance between Goguryeo and Mongolia broke down. Facing the pressure of the Mongols' attack, Goguryeo applied to the Dajing Dynasty for an alliance to fight against Mongolia. The Goguryeo envoy hoped that Chu Shizhao would focus on the overall situation, but was flatly rejected by Chu Shizhao.]

How can the royal army be content with living in a corner?
If we form an alliance with Goguryeo, how will we take back the Liaodong area that Goguryeo secretly took away?

You don't think I won't hit you, do you?
(End of this chapter)