You have truly caused me great suffering!

Jinling, the imperial city.

As Chen Chong, the chief eunuch of the Inner Palace, strolled among the rows of large bookshelves, he laughed as he walked: "Although this secret memorial is presented to the Inner Palace, it is merely registered here before being forwarded to His Majesty for his perusal. To put it bluntly, our Inner Palace is just a gofer; what is written inside is absolutely not to be seen."

"It's only because you, Zhang Te, came in that I would never have dared to come and collect it."

Upon returning from the Northwest, Zhang Run immediately became a highly sought-after figure in the court.

Even Chen Chong felt that he might be the next prime minister.

Even if he doesn't become prime minister in the next term, he will eventually become prime minister.

Listening to Chen Chong's flattery, Zhang Run was quite unconvinced. He was here on the emperor's orders, so why should he ask for favors?

It's just a matter of helping me look it up.

He had some grudges against the Imperial Household Department. The last time they selected virtuous ladies for His Majesty, it was originally his responsibility to work with the people from the Imperial Household Department.

As it turned out, these eunuchs were too wicked. They immediately pushed all the power onto him. Zhang Run, who was unaware of the consequences at first, thought they were giving him face.

He chuckled and readily agreed.

Later he realized it was a hot potato. Zhang Run gritted his teeth and endured all the pressure, almost not making it through.

Therefore, he harbored various grievances against these eunuchs.

Although that's what he thought in his heart, Zhang Run didn't show any disrespect on his face and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Steward Chen."

However, the matter His Majesty instructed this time was too sensitive, so he had no choice but to think it over carefully.

As Zhang Run walked, lost in thought, he nearly bumped into Chen Chong, who had suddenly stopped. He quickly took a step back and asked, "Chief Steward Chen?"

Chen Chong pointed to a large bookshelf on the right and said with a smile, "Since the founding of the dynasty, all the secret memorials of the ministers during the Jianwu era are here. May I ask which one you would like to consult?"

Looking at the mountain of books before him, Chen Chong felt dizzy. Zhang Run, however, was a high-ranking official and was not confused at all. He glanced around and said, "Find out all those who discussed the enfeoffment of princes."

"Your Highness?" Chen Chong was stunned upon hearing this. He had only been away from His Majesty for a few days. What had happened?
Are you about to bestow titles of kings upon the princes?
Chen Chong dared not be negligent and carefully searched through the rows of bookmarks on the shelf, finally finding this category.

Because the princes were all too young, there were not many memorials discussing the granting of titles of nobility.

To Zhang Run's surprise, there were actually a few.

After glancing at the signatures, Zhang Run was surprised to find that three of the articles were written by Cai Jing.

Moreover, all of them were from the first year of Jianwu.

In other words, when the eldest prince, Chen Wang, was three years old, Grand Tutor Cai had already submitted a memorial requesting that the princes be granted the title of king.

Cai Jing was the person he admired most, and Zhang Run immediately felt a deep respect for him, thinking that bestowing titles of kings upon the young princes might truly be a matter of benefiting the country and its people.

Soon, Zhang Run left with a large stack of memorials.

Before leaving, he bid farewell to Chen Chong very warmly, as if they had a very good relationship.

The ancients said that a prime minister's belly can hold a boat, and this is absolutely true.

To become a prime minister, especially a prime minister who achieves great things, one must have magnanimity.

The prime minister, situated at the center of power, served as the link between the emperor and his officials, and between the central government and local authorities.

Every day, they face various conflicts, factional struggles, differing opinions, and even personal attacks.

If one lacks tolerance and is prone to anger and retaliation, not only will one make countless enemies and cause government orders to be ineffective, but one will also miss out on talented individuals due to personal likes and dislikes.

For example, Di Renjie, a famous prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, was once humiliated to his face. Instead of holding a grudge, he recommended the man to Empress Wu Zetian for an important position, saying, "Although the man slandered me, his talent is still useful."

This magnanimity earned him respect from both the court and the public, and also consolidated the rule of Wu Zetian, who had promoted him.

Before Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the position of prime minister, it was essentially the representative of civil officials and possessed considerable power.

Like Emperor Chen Shao, what he truly wanted in a Grand Chancellor was not someone who would do everything himself, but rather someone who would place the right people in the right positions.

Talented people often have pride and eccentricities. If a prime minister cannot tolerate these "edges," he will not be able to retain truly talented individuals.

Even worse, if the prime minister is too petty and cannot tolerate those who disagree with him, factional strife is highly likely to occur.

Under Chen Shao's deliberate tutelage, Zhang Run became more and more mature. Of course, there was another even more mature one, Cai Xing, the grandson of Cai Jing, who was a master of officialdom and had been personally trained by him.

Carrying these imperial edicts, Zhang Run arrived at the Funing Palace, where Chen Shao was talking to Yuwen Xuzhong.

After Zhang Run came in, he stood aside and listened for a while.

Chen Shao and Yuwen Xuzhong made no attempt to conceal their conversation and continued discussing the matter of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials in the southwest.

Zhang Run listened attentively.

A moment later, Chen Shao pointed at Zhang Run and said, "Have you found them all?"

“Found it.” Zhang Run bowed and stepped forward, placing the memorial in front of Chen Shao.

Chen Shao casually flipped through the document and said to them, "I now have six sons. In order to demonstrate the lineage and reassure the people, I intend to confer the title of prince upon the fourth prince and above. What do you two think?"

Zhang Run was about to speak when he suddenly remembered the times he had interrupted others and silently reminded himself not to rush.

In fact, Yuwen Xuzhong and the others were already used to him interrupting them, especially in front of His Majesty.

So Yuwen Xu waited for a while, and when he saw that Zhang Run remained calm and did not speak, he was somewhat surprised.

But it wouldn't be good to remain silent when the emperor asked a question, so Yuwen Xuzhong smiled and nodded, saying, "Very good."

"In ancient times, feudal princes were kept in check and protected like 'dog teeth and a rock-solid city.' Now that our Great Jing has swept away the four barbarian tribes, it is time to make it clear that Your Majesty has many descendants, so as to reassure the people at home and abroad."

After hearing what he said, Zhang Run couldn't hold back any longer and quickly said, "I second that. What Minister Yuwen said is absolutely right. The sixth prince is the rock of the country; he should be granted the title of Prince, given a government office, allowed to attend court, and allowed to study. He should not be granted the imperial insignia or go to the country, so as to show the world the importance of kinship. The succession of our Great Jing Dynasty lies in the six descendants of the Chen family."

Chen Shao nodded without saying a word.

Yuwen Xuzhong remained silent, but Zhang Run, unable to wait any longer, continued, "I propose that the titles be honorable, such as Huai'an, Pengcheng, and Donglai. After he turns ten, he can be further promoted to Prince. His Highness the Crown Prince will be granted the title of Prince of Jin, with the additional title of Grand Master of the Palace and the privilege of studying the classics in the Wenhua Hall."

Chen Shao finally spoke, saying, "Both of you have offered valuable advice. I will discuss it with a few more ministers, and I will inform you of the results. In a few days, we will put it out in court and invite all officials to discuss it."

Zhang Run was excited; such an important matter definitely required a small meeting beforehand.

I never imagined I'd become part of the decision-making circle that holds these secret meetings.

There are no barriers to entry in this circle; you don't necessarily join just because you hold a certain official position.

The only criterion for evaluation is the emperor's approval. Whether the emperor consults your opinion before making important decisions determines whether you are in the decision-making circle of the Great Jing Dynasty.

Yuwen Xuzhong is known as the strategist and has always been a trusted advisor to His Majesty. It is a great honor and privilege for me to be able to participate in this matter with him today.

Thinking of this, Zhang Run felt completely relaxed and refreshed.

After the two of them left, Chen Shao wrote another letter to inform Jin Ling and Li Xiaozhong about the matter.

Han Shizhong, Wu Jie, Cai Jing, and even Li Tangchen, who had already retired, were all people he needed to inform in advance. He wanted to tell them that he didn't need their approval to make a decision.

In fact, Chen Shao's imperial power was absolutely centralized, and he could make decisions on anything unilaterally.

Tell them that they need to unify the thinking of their subordinates and support the court's decision together.

Because in the future, these princes will be enfeoffed, and when they arrive in their respective territories, they will need these people to help them establish their own residences.

Moreover, discussing this matter in the imperial court was not entirely a formality; if there were any suitable suggestions, they would be adopted by Chen Shao.

Generally speaking, the officials of Dajing are quite public-spirited and often offer practical opinions.

In fact, throughout history, among the ministers in the imperial court, there were both bad and good ones.

Even if they exist, they are very few.

In the Central Plains, the most coveted thing is to be an official. Everyone is vying for those few dozen positions in the imperial court. How many fools are actually standing in the Chui Gong Hall participating in political discussions?
After Chen Shao finished writing the letter, he had Chen Chong take it out and hand it over to the guards of the Three Military Commands to be sent to the front line.

It's easy to imagine that Jin Ling and Li Xiaozhong would be deeply moved after seeing this.

His Majesty consults with me on everything.

Of the six princes, the third prince Chen Yang and the fifth prince Chen Hui were both born to Jin Lao Er Jin Ye'er.

He is Jin Ling's grandson.

Back then, Chen Shao promised him that he would definitely get his daughter pregnant until she gave birth to a son.

Jin Ling was afraid that her eldest daughter wouldn't be able to give birth to a son, so she gave him two more sons. Now Chen Shao can be considered to have kept his promise.

In fact, Zhu Lingling, the old Zhu, did not expect Chen Shao to achieve such great accomplishments. In his opinion, Chen Shao's ability to lead them to establish a country in the Northwest and replace the Western Xia was already remarkable.

At that time, he thought that if he had Chen Shao's son as his grandson, and that this scoundrel died before he could finish his business, he could support his grandson and take over his legacy.

Who knew that Chen Shao would become more and more respectable, and by then, his ambitions had completely changed.

Being a top-tier noble in the Great Jing Dynasty is far superior to being the King of Western Xia.

The resources of Dajing, the financial resources of Dajing, the territory of Dajing, the future of Dajing.
None of them could compare to a foreign state like the Western Xia, which was on the verge of collapse.

In recent years, things have become even more remarkable; there are no longer any vassal states around it.

All were incorporated, or forced into submission.

Yes, even today, no country has ever been conquered by force; all of them were conquered by their own rulers who requested to be incorporated into the empire.

The Ly Dynasty of Jiaozhi lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, but it was after Zhang Boyu replaced the Ly Dynasty that he voluntarily requested to submit.

Goryeo was petitioned by Wang Kai to become an annexed state.

Dali, Ise, Tsukushi, and Iwami... needless to say.

Both the unfortunate Isamu and the king of Zhenla went through the process of supporting a puppet ruler and then surrendering their territory.

There was no way around it; Chen Shao had ambitions, and what he wanted was a legitimate reason for his actions.

Da Jing is a reasonable person and always wins people over with virtue.

The 1500 million square kilometers of land in Dajing were all acquired legally and legitimately; there has never been any forced acquisition or plunder.
-
In September, Yelü Dashi, who was nearly driven mad by Yue Fei, once again submitted a memorial seeking peace.

Chen Shao replied with the same letter, asking him to come to Nanjing to discuss the matter.

If you're not coming, then there's no point in talking.

Yelü Dashi was forced to abandon the Western Sea defense line, handing over the defense line he had painstakingly built, and then continued to flee westward.

It must be said that he was quite capable, as he led away many Turkic tribes.

Chen Shao looked at the battle report, wondering what these Turks were after.

He followed him on his escape to Europe, unwilling to submit to the Great Jing.

Chen Shao told Yue Fei not to pursue him anymore, but to send Yelü Dashi to scout ahead first. Once Yelü Dashi had made his preparations, Chen Shao would then seize him.

After establishing a firm foothold in the former territory of the Western Liao, they also needed to make arrangements to move south and compete with the Arabs.

In recent years, they have expanded their influence far and wide by relying on religion.

Even on the continent of India, they have gained considerable power.

However, he probably still has little chance of winning against Jing Jun.

Historically, when the Mongol army prepared to conquer the Arabs, it was just as unstoppable. In 1258, it captured Baghdad, and the last Abbasid Caliph was executed.

Hulagu continued his westward advance, his army capturing Aleppo and Damascus, and approaching the Mamluks of Egypt.

At this point, the entire Arab world was facing annihilation.

Soon they will become slaves of the Mongols, just like the principalities of Rus'.

However, a variable emerged at this point: the highest-ranking person in human history to die in battle appeared in Diaoyu City in the Central Plains.

At the age of fifty, in the prime of his life, Möngke was killed by the Song army at Diaoyu City. The Song people, whom everyone looked down upon, secretly did something big.

When news of Möngke Khan's death reached them, Hulagu Khan's Buqa led a small detachment to continue applying pressure, while the main force returned east to vie for the Khanate.

The Battle of Diaoyu Fortress saved millions of lives; it was an immense act of merit.
Furthermore, it is clear that at this time, the Arabs did not possess the capability to confront the Mongol army.

The Jing army was an enhanced version of the Mongol army, with more warhorses, better weapons, and more abundant logistics than the Mongol army.
The war machine of the Great Jing has been started and is hard to stop; countless people are waiting to make a fortune from the war.

Moreover, once it is captured, the benefits will be endless, lasting for hundreds or even decades.

The Central Plains, where civil and military officials are of one mind and work together to expand, has never existed before, and no one knows where its limits lie.

However, everyone knows that if things stop at this point, the money the civil service group has earned through trade will suddenly lose its target.

They can only keep it at home. If the fighting continues, they can continue to buy overseas land, buy large ships, and continue to dump goods on the conquered territories.

If they want their wealth to grow, they have to keep fighting, even if they lose, they can still make money.

The military officers also knew that once the war ended, their military achievements would be permanently frozen.

His Majesty's fulfillment of his promises regarding military merits is unprecedented in history. Will there ever be such a trustworthy emperor again?
They dare not gamble.

When the Great Jing Dynasty was founded, five people were granted the title of king, four of whom were due to their military achievements.

Moreover, they did not come from wealthy or powerful families.

This is also rare in the entire history of the Central Plains.

An opportunity has presented itself; if we fail to seize it, what will we say to our descendants? (End of Chapter)