You have truly caused me great suffering!

The so-called Goryeosannam-do was not an administrative division of the Goryeo Kingdom, but a conventionally agreed-upon region.

Its location is in southern Goryeo, in the area from south of the Taebaek Mountains to the Korea Strait, that is, the former territory of Gyeongsang Province plus part of the eastern edge of Jeollabuk-do Province, roughly corresponding to the former territory of Silla and the area where the "Taebong-Later Goryeo-Later Baekje" period was most intertwined.

This area was once the site of the three-way conflict between Silla, Later Baekje, and Taebong. Local powerful clans retained a semi-independent tradition and had weak centripetal force towards Gaegyeong.

During the reigns of King Seongjong and King Hyeonjong of Goryeo, this area experienced unrest, and military regimes such as the Choi family and Jeong Jung-bu relied heavily on the troops from this region.

Due to its distance from the capital and the obstruction of Mount Taibai, the central control over the region weakened rapidly.

Being a coastal area, it was easy for them to collude with Japanese pirates and envoys, thus forming a smuggling network.

The interests of the local powerful families are in conflict with those of Dajing.

Previously, Goryeo was unable to control their smuggling activities.

After the arrival of the Great Jing, the strength of their navy blocked their traditional smuggling route.

It would be strange if they didn't rebel.

Once these people took the lead, some Goryeo nobles, under the banner of restoring their homeland, joined in the unrest.

Some ordinary people, blinded by their own emotions, also joined in the commotion.

Zheng Baichang returned home after dark.

He kept his head down and quickly took small steps toward the bedroom.

The person inside heard footsteps and immediately came over. Upon seeing it was him, he lowered his hand from his weapon.

They were living a very stifling life these days.

As the original powerful clans of Sannam Province, they were like local tyrants, but everything changed after the damned Choi Soon-jeong led his men to suppress the bandits.

"Has that traitor Cui retreated?"

Zheng Baochang shook his head, sat on the futon, his face growing increasingly dejected. "They are not newly recruited Goryeo soldiers at all. Today on the mountain, I personally witnessed Cui's men chasing our people. He fired four arrows from horseback, killing four men."

"It seems that Jing Jun has made a move."

Sitting on the far left is Li Zhiyan, who was originally a high-ranking official in Goryeo. Because he was unwilling to surrender, he chose to live in seclusion after the country was incorporated into Goryeo.

Upon learning of the rebellion by former Goryeo people, he was deeply moved and immediately came to participate.

At this moment, he was utterly disappointed.

The strangest thing is that they seemed unprepared for Jing Jun's intervention.

Did you submit to the Great Jing, only to cause trouble again? Didn't you ever consider that the Great Jing would deal with you?
Ultimately, they were too arrogant, thinking that since Goryeo couldn't deal with them before, Daejeong would turn a blind eye just like Goryeo.

The situation was actually more hopeless than he had imagined. The original naval power of these powerful clans in the south was enough to deal with the Goryeo navy.

The Chenghai Navy, used to attack Dajing, was like an ant trying to shake a tree; they had no chance of winning.

What truly frightened Li Zhiyan was Da Jing's unusually serious attitude towards the Shannan Road rebellion.

In his view, Da Jing shouldn't have reacted so strongly, because from Da Jing's perspective, this should have been a minor disturbance in a remote area.

It's the dead of winter now, and they just showed up like that, immediately forming a team. Who would believe that?

It was these local strongmen and bumpkins from the south who believed it.

They've been ruling their own territory for so long that they think they're the kings of the land, completely oblivious to the situation outside.

If you want to rebel against the Great Jing, you must be careful and develop your power slowly.

You guys are really something, directly attacking and killing officials of the Great Jing Dynasty. This is simply courting death.

Although the officials sent by Dajing were Goryeo people, they were all poor Goryeo scholars studying at Dajing Taixueyuan.

Who were their mentors, classmates, and friends?

Do you think they're just ordinary Koreans? You can't just kill them like that.

Well, that's it, time to wait and die.
The Great Jing Dynasty has always attached great importance to matters concerning Goryeo, and Chen Shao has also been paying close attention to this area.

Whether in terms of geography, transportation, or culture, the connections between the three eastern regions (Liaodong, Goryeo, and Japan) and the Central Plains were closer than those between India and China.

Therefore, this part is relatively easy to control.

Especially after the rise of maritime transport, it became incredibly convenient and fast. Communication with Nanjing was even faster than with the Shaanxi-Gansu region during the season when the ocean currents were flowing.

Even disregarding maritime transport, this region is indeed quite advantageous in terms of land transportation.

The Northeast Plain is flat, with a concentration of rivers and hard soil.

The official road was smooth and wide, and repairs and maintenance did not require high costs.

Liaodong was also home to a large number of retired soldiers of the Dingnan Army, who were extremely loyal to the Jing Dynasty.

Therefore, the Sinicization of this region is the easiest and the one that the Great Jing Dynasty values ​​most.

To be honest, the rebellion to restore the Goryeo kingdom was actually quite small-scale and wouldn't be considered a big deal in the west.

Just because it was close to the Central Plains, it became an event that had to be completely suppressed.

Just like a small birthmark, the urgency of treatment is definitely different depending on whether it's on the face or the buttocks.

The rebellion was small, but as Choi Soon-ting was removed from power, it gradually showed signs of getting out of control.

Many people took the opportunity to loot during this rebellion.

As a result, they became bandits.

To put it bluntly, it was just those people from Goryeo who had already submitted to Daejeong taking the opportunity to pledge their allegiance to Daejeong.

In the freezing cold, they burned down the houses in the mountains, and most of the thatched huts were reduced to ashes.

Many bandits did indeed freeze to death, but many innocent Goryeo civilians also froze to death.

Three months later, it had become the ninth year of Jianwu.

In early February, Chen Shao ordered the garrison command to focus on appeasement and to stop the killings.

This was tantamount to a blessing bestowed by the Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty; the slaughter had finally ended.

The people in the southern mountainous area are all deeply grateful.

They didn't care about the cause of the killings; all they knew was that these past few months had been incredibly difficult.

Anyone who can stop this and bring the bloodthirsty Choi Soon-ting and his gang to a halt would be a living saint.

When you're not facing a death threat, you think about many things, like the legacy of Goryeo and your unwillingness to be a subjugated people.
But when you're facing imminent death, and survival itself becomes a luxury, you only have one request left.

That means as long as I don't die.

The timing is also very important; once people have recovered from the fear of this massacre, they can immediately begin spring planting.

Don't delay spring planting.
In Dajing, spring plowing is a major event.

Chen Shao had a clear understanding of the rebellion in Goryeo. He believed it was an opportunistic activity instigated by some former Goryeo nobles, with many ordinary people trying to take advantage of the chaos and make a quick buck.

In his opinion, he deserved to be beaten.

Therefore, they have always tacitly approved of Choi Soon-jung's behavior.

Afterwards, another imperial edict was issued to rescue these people from their dire straits, thus demonstrating the emperor's great benevolence.

As for how the dire situation came about, that's none of your business.
-
The monsoon in the East China Sea during March and April is a northeasterly wind.

The monsoon successfully carried the naval fleet from Chenghai to the mouth of the Yangtze River. Cui Shunting, Li Gang, and others also arrived in the capital to report on their duties, leaving only Ma Kuo to continue to oversee the eastern coast.

The Chenghai naval fleet did not come to the capital; most of the ships were moored at the Liujiagang (near present-day Shanghai) dock for repairs.

Because at this time of year, all the ports near Nanjing are full and can't accommodate so many large ships.

Li Gang and Cui Shunting were both frequent visitors to Nanjing.

The scenery of the capital remains elegant. The pagodas and ancient temples in the morning glow, with their carved railings, painted beams, pavilions and towers, are still quaint and seem unchanged.

The biggest changes in the past two years have probably been in the ports, where more and more ships are arriving and trade is becoming increasingly busy.

Here you'll find ships from Korea, Japan, Liaodong, and other southern regions;
There are also merchant boats from various regions on the major rivers.

New wharves were also springing up along the river outside the capital city.

Chen Shao discovered the problem of the canal gangs during his last inspection tour of the country; there were many shady dealings behind it.

It involves violence, gathering of crowds, and illegal business operations.
But Chen Shao did not kill him.

Water that is too clear has no fish. When trade is booming and development is very rapid, these people are needed to help with the transition.

They are useful.
If everyone strictly follows the law, development will slow down.

However, Chen Shao also knew that once the momentum of development was stable and the court's preparations were complete, it would be time to deal with them.

This has been the case in every dynasty, and the Great Jing Dynasty was no exception.

It's always been this way, the freeloader eats the black.

Li Gang became increasingly confident. From building the city on the white road to managing the eastern sea region, he believed he had fulfilled Chen Shao's entrustment.

Moreover, through these border construction projects, he also saw the future of Dajing.

It simply won't stop; it will continue to expand and become even stronger.

The sage's saying, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king," was once just an empty slogan, but now it has a real chance to be realized.

This was an immense temptation for a civil official, who could assist the emperor in achieving such a great feat and thus be remembered in history, fulfilling the ultimate pursuit of a scholar.

He taught and enlightened people across the four seas and eight wastelands, and benefited all living beings under heaven.

Worth it!

Cui Shunting was even more excited than him, having once again helped Da Jing achieve something.

Each time he made a contribution, he was able to advance further.

I wonder how His Majesty will reward us this time.

My family may finally be able to establish a foothold in Dajing.

Looking at the prosperity of Jinling at this moment, he couldn't help but recall that day when he suddenly had a whimsical idea and went to Wei Daqi, the prefect of Baozhou, saying that he wanted all the people of Goryeo to learn to speak Chinese.

This was utterly disregarding one's roots, but it brought unexpected benefits, opening up a bright future for him.

Looking at the surging river, Cui Shunting thought to himself: A man should follow the flow of the current.

Today, the world is in a state of great prosperity. We should follow this trend. Humans cannot fight against Heaven. Only by conforming to Heaven and Earth can we receive Heaven's reward.

As for those who obstruct the general trend, their elimination is also a matter of destiny.

He was somewhat hesitant when he first proposed eliminating the Korean dialect.

But nowadays, he no longer has any psychological burden.

Chen Shao was surrounded by many such people, who were not impressed by his character, but moved by his achievements.

Only by following such an emperor could one establish such a magnificent and unprecedented achievement.
-
Inside the hot spring palace, Chen Shao looked at Li Gang and Cui Shunting, somewhat dazed.

In his memory, the two men were both quite old, but today they looked younger than before.

"I have always kept the matter of Haidong in mind," Chen Shao said. "I have also seen the contributions of all of you."

"If we have made any small contribution, it is all thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune. What merit have we made?"

Before Li Gang could speak, Cui Shunting interrupted.

Li Gang glanced at him, a slight smirk playing on his lips, somewhat speechless.

When this person was in Haidong, he still had a lot of integrity. How come he only knew how to flatter and fawn over the emperor after meeting him?

Chen Shao chuckled, "No need to be modest. You all did an excellent job in Haidong, especially in this bandit suppression campaign, where you made a significant contribution."

Li Gang had no objection to this; it was Cui Shunting who killed them.
Back when Du Chong was in Hebei, he indiscriminately killed civilians. When he was tasked with suppressing bandits, the imperial court still praised him.

The scholar-officials of the Song Dynasty deeply hated bandits.

In their view, the more people killed in the bandit suppression campaign, the more meritorious they were, and there was no question of benevolence or righteousness.

This time, the powerful clans of Shannan Road were completely uprooted. Even if the people of Dajing were to do it, they wouldn't be able to do it so well.

Because of which families are powerful clans in Sanam Province, which families have been involved in smuggling, and which families have a great influence in the area.
These are things that people in the scene may not be able to investigate thoroughly.

Cui Shunting, who had always been involved in business, was well aware of the situation.

He used to come here to do business, and he knew who he had to bribe and who he had to pay to get through so that he could keep his business going. Did he not know that?

Chen Shao then said to Li Gang, "The places where this rebellion occurred are far from Kaijing, near the sea, have not experienced a major war, and have local powerful clans with a tradition of independence. In the future, we should station troops on land and sea to prevent the resurgence of the rebellion."

"Your Majesty, I will obey your decree."

"Chen Xian, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, retired last year, and the position has been vacant ever since. Minister Cui has once again rendered great service, so he will remain in the capital. I will discuss this with the Ministry of Personnel and appoint him to this position to share my burdens."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shunting immediately rose and prostrated himself on the ground, kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times to express his gratitude.

I've finally become a high-ranking official in the Central Plains!
Even a deputy Minister of State Affairs is still a high-ranking official.

Only His Majesty has the courage to promote a Korean so exceptionally.

He truly rewards those who have made contributions.

Serving His Majesty, as long as you do your best, you will never have to worry about being wronged.

After the two left, Chen Shao stood up and paced back and forth in the hall.

Nine years have passed since Jianwu was established, and the second round of inspections of the realm is about to begin.

This time, he will not go to the heartland he visited last time, but to explore these newly acquired territories.

Did the regional officials he sent out actually govern the area according to his orders?

In this day and age, it wouldn't be difficult for them to deceive the imperial court if they really wanted to.

Although Chen Shao had considerable confidence in the men he sent out.

However, it's always more reassuring to see things for yourself.

In the eighth year of Jianwu, two more princes were born in the harem, one to Jin Ye'er and the other to Zhang Yinghan.

However, all the princes, including the crown prince, had not yet come of age.

At this time, they could not yet enfeoff and establish fiefdoms; they still needed to send out high-ranking officials to help them govern these territories.

However, this inspection is destined to be different from the last one, requiring extra caution and attention.

The number of troops to be brought must be increased several times over. (End of Chapter)