Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 200: Growing Stronger
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard..."

"My money, he actually dared to embezzle my money without permission!"

Inside the Purple Palace, Li Chen was no longer as calm as before, but slammed the table in anger.

Standing in front of him, Wang Zongshi, Ma Gongru, Wang Guichang and others lowered their heads, not daring to offend Li Chen at this time.

It was obvious that the matter was of great importance as it could make Li Chen, who was extremely good at cultivating his Qi, so furious.

Everyone bowed their heads in silence, but Li Chen was breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on the music chart on the table.

The cause of this incident was that Pei Xiu reformed the grain transport system, investigated the Ministry of Revenue, and found something wrong.

When Pei Xiu was checking the accounts, he discovered that the Wuning Army and the Jingyuan Army had embezzled government funds and had not repaid them afterwards.

Originally, these two sums of money were not much, so it would be fine to just get them back.

As a result, just as Pei Xiu found out about this matter, Kang Jirong, the general of the Right Guard who had served as the governor of Wuning Army and Jingyuan Army, surrendered himself.

The matter didn't seem serious at first, but as Pei Xiu continued to investigate based on Kang Jirong's clue, he found the results becoming more and more shocking.

During the years that Kang Jirong served as the military governor of Wuning Army and Jingyuan Army, he embezzled 2 million strings of official funds without authorization and ordered people to create false accounts to settle the accounts.

If the amount was not so large that there was a mistake and it was not discovered by Pei Xiu, no one would have discovered that Kang Jirong had embezzled two million strings of cash.

As this incident fermented, the government and the public were shocked. One must know that the annual tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty was only 14 million strings of cash, and Kang Jirong had embezzled 2 million strings of cash over the years.

However, when Kang Jirong was exposed for embezzling 2 million strings of cash, many officials were surprisingly silent, which made Li Chen furious.

Obviously, there is more than one Kang Jirong in the court and the country, so how to deal with Kang Jirong has become an urgent matter.

Li Chen's anger gradually subsided, and he returned to normal after a few breaths, but he looked at Wang Zongshi and others with a cold gaze.

"Did Kang Jirong have anything to say to me?"

Hearing this, Wang Zongshi and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Wang Guichang stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Kang Jirong is willing to repay the stolen money with his family property. Your Majesty, please do not punish me..."

"Damn it..." Li Chen's anger was aroused again when he heard this, but fortunately he suppressed it in time.

He embezzled two million strings of cash from the imperial court, and yet he thought he could just pay it back and continue to hold his official position?
Thinking of this, Li Chen clenched his fists hidden in his sleeves, and Ma Gongru persuaded him:
"Your Majesty, how could Kang Jirong alone embezzle two million strings of cash?"

"In my opinion, although Kang Jirong is the leader, many of his generals are also corrupt."

"The troops of Jingyuan and Wuning are already arrogant. If Kang Jirong is severely punished, the generals of the two towns will be in danger and take risks. Then..."

Ma Gongru did not continue speaking, but Li Chen's expression changed.

Although the Jingyuan Rebellion happened more than 80 years ago, if it had led to military turmoil in Jingyuan and Wuning, the money and grain required to quell the rebellion would have been more than 2 million strings of cash.

Thinking of this, Li Chen weighed the pros and cons in his heart, and finally said unwillingly: "Pass on my order, considering Kang Jirong's contribution in recovering Hehuang, he will be allowed to repay the proceeds of his corruption to atone for his crime!"

"Your Majesty is wise..." Ma Gongru, Wang Guichang and Wang Zongshi hurriedly saluted, but Li Chen's expression was still ugly.

"Although I have pardoned his crime, his sin should not be forgiven so easily!"

Ma Gongru and Wang Guichang looked at each other, then bowed with gritted teeth: "Your Highness, we understand..."

Seeing that they really understood, Li Chen said with a gloomy face: "Do you have anything else to report?"

"Your Majesty..." Wang Zongshi hesitated and bowed slowly.
"Liu Jilong, the governor of Longyou, reported victory, saying that his troops had recovered Tao, Die, and Song Prefectures, and requested the governor to present the banner..."

Li Chen clenched his fists in his sleeves, but suddenly a smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah……"

"Your Majesty?" Ma Gongru tested cautiously, worried that Li Chen might get angry and lose his mind.

In response, Li Chen smiled and said, "More than 100,000 soldiers have been stationed in the northwest of Beijing and in the south of Jian, guarding the western frontier for decades, but they have only recovered three states and seven passes."

"Liu Jilong has only been in Longxi for four years, but he has already recovered the entire territory except Shankuo, and has even extended his hand to Jiannan Road..."

Li Chen was smiling, but Ma Gongru and the others felt a chill in their hearts; Wang Zongshi looked worried on the surface, but he was sneering in his heart.

How could he not know what kind of people the various towns in the northwest of Beijing and the troops in Jiannan Road are like?

The eight towns northwest of Beijing and the Xichuan troops in Jiannan Road could not even muster 50,000 soldiers who dared to fight, including Gao Pian's 12,000 soldiers.

"Wang Zongshi..."

"Chen is here!"

Li Chen called out Wang Zongshi's name, and Wang Zongshi quickly responded with a bow.

"How many soldiers does Gao Pian have? If Liu Jilong has rebellious intentions, can Gao Pian suppress him?"

Li Chen restrained his smile and spoke in a calm tone, but beneath the calmness he had his plans.

Wang Zongshi pondered for a moment, then said: "Gao Pian has 5,000 elite cavalry and 7,000 armored soldiers under his command. Although his troops are elite, Liu Jilong is not an ordinary person either. His troops are even more powerful."

"If Liu Jilong rebels, Gao Pian will be more capable of defending the status quo than expanding it."

In the end, Wang Zongshi did not dare to brag about how powerful the Tianxiong Army was. After all, he had learned from Wang Zonghui how elite the troops under Liu Jilong were.

If he gave the emperor the wrong information, causing the emperor to decide to use military force against Liu Jilian, then he would be the one who suffered the loss regardless of success or failure.

If the emperor had won the military battle against Liu Jilong, the Tianxiong Army and the Chengwu Youyi Army would have suffered heavy casualties, and their efforts would have been wasted.

If the emperor lost the military battle against Liu Jilian, he would definitely be besieged by Ma Gongru, Wang Guichang and others, and would eventually be abandoned by the emperor to make amends to Liu Jilian.

War cannot be taken lightly. This is Wang Zongshi’s attitude towards Liu Jilong.

"Um……"

Li Chen responded in a low voice, and then made a decision: "Promote Liu Jilong to the rank of General of the State and General of the Garrison Army, and grant him 72 pieces of gold and silver wares and 300 pieces of brocade, and also reward the soldiers and horses of Longyou with 40,000 pieces of silk."

"I obey your order..."

Li Chen still did not give Liu Jilong the military governor's banner and staff, but he compensated him by giving him the second-rank Sanxun and Wusanjie, as well as gold and silver utensils, brocades, silks and other items.

As long as Longyou is not in chaos, he can still satisfy Liu Jilian's appetite.

What's more, the only two states left for him to recover were Shankuo, and it would be difficult for him to find an excuse to ask for the Jiedushi's flag and seal from himself.

Thinking of this, Li Chen glanced at Ma Gongru and said, "Remember what I reminded you before."

"I will bear in mind..."

Ma Gongru and others agreed one after another and immediately sent people to the government offices of the three provinces.

That night, an imperial edict was issued in the Purple Palace, stating that "Kang Jirong had made great contributions in recovering the seven passes of the three states of Hehuang, and was allowed to repay the proceeds of his corruption to atone for his crime."

The Imperial Censor, who had long been attached to Ma Gongru and others, returned the imperial edict, and the censors also spoke out to dissuade him, all believing that Kang Jirong's punishment was not worth it.

Three days later, Kang Jirong was taken into custody, and his property in various states was confiscated by the court to pay off his debts...

"Tsk tsk... Two million strings of cash were embezzled through corruption. That means he must have embezzled at least three hundred thousand strings of cash a year, right?"

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Jilong learned about Kang Jirong's corruption case nearly half a month later than Bai Minzhong, but this did not stop him from eating melons.

Not only him, but also Gao Jinda, Cui Shu, Zhang Chang and others were also eating melons in the main hall.

"The Jingyuan Army only has a few thousand people. Even if they eat up the military pay, they can't spend two million strings of cash."

"Kang Jirong previously served as the military governor of Wuning Army in the Xuzhou-Sichuan area. Xuzhou-Sichuan is a key point for grain transport. The court said that he misused government funds. It is estimated that he misappropriated government funds transported from Jiangnan to Guanzhong."

"Two million strings of cash, how many soldiers can be supported with that?"

"If we follow the trade between us and Shannan West Road, these two million strings of cash would be enough to buy more than 300,000 civilians."

"Tsk tsk..."

Everyone was amazed, including Liu Jilong. They all found the amount of Kang Jirong's corruption incredible.

But after the discussion ended, it was their turn to discuss among themselves.

Gao Jinda was the first to change his attitude. He calmly asked Liu Jilong, "General, the court has never granted the title of Jiedushi to the military governor. Should we continue to apply for the title?"

"No need." Liu Jilian shook his head to reject it. Although he was not afraid of the court, it was not the time to fall out with it yet.

Moreover, the current situation is relatively stable, and Emperor Li Chen is willing to spend money to appease him. There is no need for him to fall out with the court because of a Jiedushi Jingjie. "How much stuff has the court sent? How much money and grain can it be exchanged for?"

He asked Gao Jinda, who said, "The court sent Wang Zhongren, a subordinate of Gao Pian, to Longxi County with soldiers and civilians. As the imperial edict says, you will be awarded 72 pieces of gold and silver wares, including 12 pieces of gold, 60 pieces of silver, 300 pieces of brocade, and 40,000 pieces of silk."

"These gold and silver items, brocades, and silks are worth at least 70,000 strings of cash," Cui Shu added.

Liu Jilong nodded and said, "You two and the governors of the ten states will each receive one piece of gold, and each commander of a town will receive one piece of silver. The rest will be stored in the warehouse."

"Each commander and above in the army will be awarded a brocade painting."

"The officers and soldiers under the command of the Protectorate shall each receive two pieces of silk."

Liu Jilian no longer sold the rewards from the court, but generously distributed them to all the brothers in the Longyou Army.

Gao Jinda's face changed when he heard this, but he didn't dare to speak directly because he thought of his little experience in the Protectorate.

The same is true for Cui Shu, but Zhang Chang is different.

"Marshal Jie, you gave us everything, what about you?"

When Zhang Chang heard that Liu Jilong had given them all the gold, silver and brocade, he looked embarrassed.

Liu Jilong laughed heartily upon hearing this, "It's useless for me to have those. It's time to add a few more silk clothes to the brothers' wardrobes!"

He laughed heartily, and the soldiers inside and outside the main hall could not help but look at him, wanting to say something but stopping themselves.

Obviously, they all heard Liu Jilong's words and were moved beyond words.

Gao Jinda could only sigh and said, "Let's do as the commander said. However, the commander is now the governor of Longyou. It's still a bit shabby to wear only silk clothes."

"In a few days, I will ask Wang Tao to buy some Shu brocade from Jiannan Road to make clothes for the general. I hope the general will not refuse."

"Okay!" Liu Jilong readily agreed and said with a smile, "Let me try it on for you first to see how it feels to wear this Shu brocade."

"If it's good, after we recover Shankuo and the other two states, I will buy a piece of Shu brocade for everyone in the Protectorate!"

As Liu Jilong said this, Gao Jinda and Cui Shu looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Even Shu brocade made of ordinary material can cost more than ten strings of cash per piece.

There are nearly 18,000 soldiers and guards in the army. If each of them buys a piece of Shu brocade, the money and food they need to pay will be too much.

They knew that Liu Jilong would keep his word, so they could only smile bitterly and wait to persuade him later.

Compared with them, Zhang Chang was not familiar with the price of Shu brocade, so he didn't think it was a big deal.

At this moment, he only cared about when to recover Shankuo and the other two states, so after Liu Jilong spoke, he bowed excitedly and said:

"General, when will we retake Shankuo and the other two states?!"

As he asked, Gao Jinda and Cui Shu also turned their eyes to Liu Jilong.

Judging from the frequency and speed of recovering various states before, they should have recovered the two states of Shankuo around the autumn harvest next year.

But this time they guessed wrong, because Liu Jilong shook his head and said, "Let's recuperate for two years and then restore Longxi's production."

His words were like cold water, extinguishing Zhang Chang's enthusiasm, but Zhang Chang immediately knelt on one knee and bowed to express his determination:

"General Jie, Lao Chen, Lao Ma and I will lead the army. We only need 5,000 soldiers and horses to capture the two states of Shankuo!"

Hearing this, Liu Jilong still shook his head and said, "We have finally finalized the horse trade with Shannan, so we must hurry up and relocate the hungry people in Shannan to Longxi."

"Besides, I don't want to attack Shankuo and other states so quickly. If we can persuade them to move to Tuhun, Duomai, and Weixi (west of Weizhou), that would be the best."

"I have already handed this matter over to Shang Duo Luo to do. He will send someone to Guzhou to communicate with Shang Bi Bi."

"Before that, our focus must still be on the migration of hungry people."

After he finished speaking, Liu Jilong looked at Gao Jinda and asked, "How many gold, silver and copper coins do we have now?"

"After the various gold, silver and copper coins are depreciated, they are worth about 220,000 strings of cash." Gao Jinda responded:
"In addition, Wang Tao has brought more than 2,000 hungry people to Lizhou and will enter Wuzhou in a few days."

"Where will the commander-in-chief relocate these more than 2,000 starving people?"

"Let's move to Changle County in Linzhou." Liu Jilong said without hesitation:
"Changle has a population of only 5,000, but there are more than 300,000 mu of land that can be reclaimed."

"Move these two thousand hungry people to Changle, and then release them according to the amount of one ox per household."

Liu Jilong had just finished speaking, but Gao Jinda bowed and said, "General, we need to discuss the matter of the oxen first."

"What's wrong?" Liu Jilong was puzzled, but Gao Jinda looked at Cui Shu, who bowed and explained:
"General, the people of Helong have experience in herding, so they have a lot of experience in domesticating yellow cattle as oxen and taking care of oxen. Each household can take care of one cow, but..."

Cui Shu took a deep breath and continued, "Last time, more than 4,000 people who moved from Sanchuan to Diezhou were registered and given oxen. However, 57 households actually made their oxen sick."

"It's because Governor Cuo Ben discovered it early. If Governor Cuo Ben hadn't discovered it in time, I'm afraid the people would have raised the cattle to death."

"What's going on?" Hearing this, Liu Jilong frowned and even thought of many conspiracy theories.

However, before he could think about it, Cui Shu explained:
"Many of the hungry people in Sanchuan have never driven or cared for oxen. They have always cultivated the land manually."

"After the government gave them the oxen, many of them only knew how to drive them but not how to take care of them."

"Not to mention the epidemic prevention measures required to take care of the cattle, they don't even know how to wash and keep them warm, how to clean the cattle shed, and how to select straw."

"That's why there are so many sick cows in Diezhou."

After Cui Shu's explanation, Liu Jilong realized that not everyone understood these basic knowledge of livestock care.

"What do you think we should do?" Liu Jilong asked Cui Shu, who already had an idea in mind.

"For these hungry migrants, I suggest that every three households have one ox to work with and share one cowshed."

"In addition, each famine village must move in at least two households from the city to deal with livestock diseases and teach the famine victims how to take care of oxen."

"The oxen give birth to oxen, and the calves can take on the task of plowing the land in three years. After five years, basically every household will have a oxen."

"In addition, since we have given many domesticated oxen and draft horses to the people, I suggest setting rules for the people. For example, if the government gives a working ox, the people need to return three calves after five years."

"In this way, it will only take eight years for every household to have a working ox. The government will also have more and more working oxen. The same policy will apply to draft horses."

Cui Shu formulated the policy for cattle and horses. Liu Jilian thought it was a good idea, but it was still a bit harsh to return three heads after five years.

"Let's change it to returning three in six years."

"Yes……"

Seeing Liu Jilong's agreement, Cui Shu breathed a sigh of relief, and Liu Jilong immediately said: "You have to pay more attention to the affairs of the hungry people."

"The next resettlement will be in the order of Minzhou, Hezhou, Linzhou, Weizhou, Chengzhou, and Wuzhou."

"Each state must relocate at least 5,000 hungry people, and the rest can be dealt with later."

"Yes!" The three men bowed, and at this time Liu Jilong saw an armored soldier walking out of the gate.

The armored soldier walked to the courtyard, bowed to the hall, and raised his voice, "General, Cao Yaya is back!"

"Call him in!" Upon hearing that Cao Mao had returned, Liu Jilian hurriedly summoned him.

Gao Jinda, Zhang Chang and Cui Shu all knew why Liu Jilong sent Cao Mao to Xingyuan Prefecture, so they did not stay, but got up and took their leave and returned to their respective yamen.

As they left, Cao Mao also walked in from the gate, looking exhausted.

"Come on!"

Cao Mao walked towards the main hall and bowed to Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong laughed heartily and said, "You have gained some weight after being gone for a few months. It seems that you are living well in Xingyuan Prefecture. I would have let you stay there if I had known earlier."

"How can you say that, Marshal Jie..." Cao Mao looked embarrassed, which made Liu Jilong think that he was thin-skinned, but he didn't expect that Cao Mao was thinking about other things.

"This time you went to Xingyuan Prefecture and appeased Feng Ao, Yang Zhiwen and others, allowing the oral-horse trade to proceed. This merit should be credited to you."

Liu Jilong wanted to praise Cao Mao and give him a way out, but Cao Mao bowed his head and said, "General, I was unable to refuse the title of Shangshu."

"What?" Liu Jilong hadn't reacted yet, but Cao Mao stepped forward and stammered:
"General Jie, Miss Xiaoqi is gentle and intelligent, well-educated and well-mannered. She is a woman who can control the inner courtyard. Would you like to...consider it?"

(End of this chapter)