Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 297 Making a grand appearance
"Mr. Huang, how gracious! Mr. Huang, how gracious!"

In August of the Mid-Autumn Festival, as Huang Chao opened a porridge shop in Yuanju County, tens of thousands of refugees from Caozhou gathered in Yuanju County.

Wang Qi, the magistrate of Yuanju County, was worried that the refugees would cause chaos, so he had no choice but to open the government warehouse to provide disaster relief.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the grain harvest began in Yuanju County, the refugees got jobs harvesting grain for the local tyrants.

The Huang family gathered a lot of refugees by paying them two kilograms of grain a day, but the Huang family did not have much arable land after all.

As the Huang family completed the grain harvest, many refugees who had received the grain dispersed, but more refugees stayed in Yuanju County.

Wang Qiong, the magistrate of Yuanju County, registered the remaining refugees and settled nearly 10,000 people. The rest dispersed to the surrounding areas of Yuanju and prepared to go to neighboring counties to work during the autumn harvest.

When the people who were relocated saw Huang Chao outside, they would bow to him from a distance.

If Huang Chao saw someone bowing to him, he would ask them to put down a few large coins.

Over time, Huang Chao's reputation gradually spread beyond Yuanju County and even to several neighboring states and counties.

After the autumn harvest, the situation in Henan, Huainan and Jiangnan roads improved slightly.

Most of the refugees who managed to survive were settled down or became bandits in the mountains.

Most of the refugees who did not survive fell on both sides of the official road and turned into piles of dry bones.

For a time, in the Central Plains, not only were there dead bones along the roads, but there were also bandits in every mountain. Dead bones could be seen everywhere, and the number of bandits who had become bandits was countless.

The situation became chaotic and business became increasingly difficult.

Towns such as Xuanwu, Huainan, and Wuning all strengthened their troops along the canal.

However, places far away from the canal were full of bandits. In each mountain area, there were at least two or three gangs of bandits, and at most more than ten.

In lakes and marshes like Chaohu Lake, Baishuitang (Hongze Lake), Daye Lake, etc., there are dozens of gangs of fishermen turned pirates.

These pirates, numbering from a dozen to thousands, spent their days robbing merchants passing through nearby official roads.

They work as civilians during the busy farming season and become bandits during the slack season. As long as they don't offend the dental dealers, the officers and soldiers in the towns are too lazy to encircle and suppress them.

The Central Plains is so chaotic, let alone the Southwest.

"kill!!"

"Boom bang bang-"

At the end of August, at the sound of the attack horn of the Dali army, the Xichuan Tang army, which had defended Qingxi Pass for nearly a year, finally gave up the pass that was almost destroyed by catapults.

Under the fierce attack of the Dali army, the more than 5,000 new soldiers sent by Xiahou Zi were basically buried on the horse road at Qingxi Pass.

The Xichuan cavalry and mule troops that Bai Minzhong had spent a lot of effort to build in the past had only about 4,000 people left due to casualties.

In order to prevent You Shilong from easily crossing the Dadu River after breaking through Qingxi Pass, Yang Fugong had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat to the three cities of Kuoqing, Tongwang and Hanyuan north of the Dadu River.

Qingxi Pass fell, and Dali completely occupied the vast area south of the Dadu River and west of the Daxue Mountain...

"Xiahou Zi is incompetent! He actually handed Qingxi Pass over to someone else!"

Upon learning that the land south of the Dadu River had been lost, Wang Zhongren and others were so angry that they slammed the table and stood up, before Gao Pian on the Rongzhou front had even started to attack.

At present, Gao Pian is leading an army of more than 13,000 troops stationed in Zongzhou, Xunzhou and Pinzhou, and is constantly fighting with Duan Zongbang in Qingjin City.

After several months of tug of war, Gao Pian lost nearly 4,000 elite troops, while Duan Zongbang lost nearly 20,000 troops.

It can also be seen from the battle losses that Duan Zongbang is no match for Gao Pian.

If it had not been necessary, Gao Pian would have recovered the entire Rongzhou long ago.

He originally wanted to use Duan Zongbang to keep the enemy at bay, but Xiahou Zi on the western front was defeated all the way and retreated directly to the north of the Dadu River.

The Nanman are not good at naval battles, and coupled with the continuous defeats on the battlefield of Rongzhou, You Shilong will inevitably turn his troops around and concentrate the main battlefield from the east and west fronts to Rongzhou on the eastern front.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian couldn't help but have a headache, but it was just a headache.

During the past few months in Rongzhou, he had already figured out the abilities of the generals in Dali.

Except for You Shilong, Yang Jisi, Fan Cuixie and Duan Zongbang who had some military strategies, the rest were just useless.

Even if the above four people join forces, as long as I have enough troops, I can completely defeat them.

But…why did he want to defeat this group of people?

"How is the training of the troops in the rear, and have the money and food from the court arrived?"

Gao Pian looked up at Wang Zhongren, who bowed and said:
"Liang Zun and Lu Ruyue are recruiting new soldiers and training troops in Zizhou and Luzhou respectively."

"Yesterday, news came that Liang Zun recruited 8,000 soldiers in Zizhou, and Lu Ruyue recruited 6,000 soldiers in Luzhou."

"In addition, the 3,456 mules and horses traded with Longyou have arrived in Luzhou. We also bought a lot of mules and horses in Xichuan, making up a total of 6,000."

"Six thousand Luzhou soldiers can be trained as a mule army."

Wang Zhongren first talked about the military affairs in general, and then talked about the money and food issues.

"This year, Dongchuan does not need to transport money and grain. All taxes from the prefectures and counties under Dongchuan's jurisdiction will be retained in Dongchuan."

"In addition, the imperial court will also transport 600,000 coins and silks southward to be used for rewarding the troops and buying horses."

"Lu Ruyue sent someone to Luzhou to calculate that if all the taxes from Dongchuan were to be withheld, there would be at least 700,000 coins and silk."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Pian also stroked his short beard:
"One million three hundred thousand coins and silks may seem like a lot, but our army has more than 37,000 soldiers and horses, and the military pay alone will cost more than 600,000."

"If we include the military rewards, the military expenditure will be no less than one million, but only three hundred thousand can be used to buy horses."

"Three hundred thousand coins and silks are used to buy horses. At the price of horses in Longyou, I can buy several thousand military horses. But I'm afraid Liu Jilong won't sell military horses to me. Even if he does, the number won't be large."

Gao Pian was very self-aware. Once the cavalry went into battle, the number of horses consumed would be very great.

At the beginning, he led 5,000 Lingnan troops into Qianzhong with tens of thousands of horses under his command. But now, more than a year has passed, and there are less than 5,000 horses left.

Of the three thousand elite Han and Fan cavalrymen under his command, only more than two thousand four hundred remained.

If it weren't for his elite cavalry, he would not have been able to force Duan Zongbang to retreat into the city.

"Send Liang Zun to Longyou with 300,000 strings of cash. No matter how much Liu Jilong offers, I only want military horses and riding horses!"

As Gao Pian finished speaking, Wang Zhongren nodded in agreement, and at this time, hurried footsteps were heard outside the yamen.

Soon, the two generals walked into the yamen and hurried into the main hall.

"Come on!"

The two of them bowed in unison.

"What happened? Why are you so panicked?"

Gao Pian frowned slightly, and the two of them reported one after another:
"Emergency report from Lizhou: Chief Long led his troops to withdraw from the south bank of Dadu River and has disappeared."

"Emergency report from Pinzhou: the number of barbarian troops in the direction of Hujin City has dropped sharply."

Two urgent military intelligence reports left people confused.

Wang Zhongren looked at Gao Pian and asked tentatively, "It's almost September, and it's only been a month since the snowfall in Rongzhou. Could it be that the Nanman have withdrawn their troops?"

"No!" Gao Pian categorically disagreed with his idea and analyzed:

"It won't snow in Rongzhou until at least late October, so there's still plenty of time."

"If the barbarians withdraw from the front line at this time, I'm afraid they are preparing to gather troops and attack elsewhere!"

Gao Pian reacted and looked at Wang Zhongren in a deep voice: "Prepare the horses, I want to report to Chang'an!"

"Yes!" Wang Zhongren agreed decisively and then hurried to take care of it.

A quarter of an hour later, more than ten horses galloped towards Chang'an.

"Now that the southern barbarians have withdrawn, I think they may go elsewhere. Please ask the saint to order the mountains..."

Half a month later in Chang'an City, when Pei Xiu read out the contents of Gao Pian's memorial, Emperor Li Yi on the golden stage of the Purple Palace had an ugly expression on his face, as if he was constipated.

After Pei Xiu stopped, Li Yi slowly spoke:

"This memorial was sent at the right time. It arrived just after Yongzhou (Nanning) was captured..."

Li Yi's voice echoed in the Purple Palace, where stood Pei Xiu, Jiang Shen, Wang Zongshi and Qi Yuanshi.

Bai Minzhong, who used to be the best at coordination, disappeared, which made Li Yi couldn't help asking: "Tian Yun, where is Mr. Bai?"

At the palace gate, a eunuch in his fifties turned around, saluted inside, and then walked out of the hall.

There was a whispering sound, it seemed that Tian Yun was asking about Bai Minzhong.

Not long after, Tian Yun walked back into the hall, approached the golden platform until he was ten steps away, then bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, Mr. Bai caught a cold last night and is taking a leave of absence today."

"Cold?" Li Yi frowned, slightly dissatisfied.

I didn’t get sick earlier or later, but I got sick at this time.

If Li Yi hadn't known Bai Minzhong's character, he would have almost suspected that he had taken leave on purpose.

"His Majesty……"

Pei Xiu interrupted Li Yi's thoughts, and when Li Yi turned his gaze to him, he spoke:

"Envoy Xiahou is indeed incapable of commanding an army. Your Majesty, please transfer him to another place."

"Yongzhou was destroyed by the southern barbarians, but this was not the fault of Li Hongyuan, the governor."

"Lingxi has been empty for many years, with only 3,000 soldiers and horses. The Southern Barbarian Chieftain Yang Qing led an army of 30,000 to attack, so Li Hongyuan naturally couldn't defend it."

"I think it would be better to transfer more than 4,000 garrison soldiers from Xuanwu and other towns to Hengzhou and integrate them into the Lingxi Army, with the military governor Li Hongyuan as the commander to recover Yongzhou and Tianzhou."

Pei Xiu avoided the point and took the initiative to propose the replacement of Xiahou Zi, but he did not recommend any officials. Instead, he focused on explaining the incident of Yongzhou being captured in Lingxi.

Previously, they did not agree to replace Xiahou Zi, mainly because it was a taboo in military strategy to replace generals before a battle, and Wang Zongshi was still thinking about recommending Yang Fugong and officials from the Northern Department, so the matter was delayed. Now that Yang Fugong had lost Qingxi Pass, Wang Zongshi's wishful thinking naturally fell through.

Thinking of this, Pei Xiu calmed his mind, while Li Yi frowned and looked at Wang Zongshi.

Wang Zongshi was also cursing Yang Fugong in his heart, and secretly scolding Pei Xiu for his vicious methods, but he did not show any attitude on his face.

Seeing this, Li Yi couldn't help but feel a little hesitant and didn't know who to choose to garrison Xichuan.

Seeing that no one spoke, Li Yi could only ask:
"In your opinion, who should be elected as the governor of Xichuan, and where should Xiahou Shixiang be transferred to?"

Faced with the question, Pei Xiu remained silent, but Jiang Shen jumped out and bowed:

"Your Majesty, I think it would be better to appoint Cui Xuan, the governor of Taiyuan and the governor of Beidu, as the governor of Xichuan, and transfer the governor Xiahou Zi to be the governor of Taiyuan, the governor of Beidu, and the governor of Hedong."

As soon as Jiang Shen finished speaking, Wang Zongshi said, "Your Majesty, I think that the eunuch Yang Fuguang can be the new military supervisor of Xichuan!"

Cui Xuan did have some military strategies. Although he was a bit slow in suppressing Qiu Fu's rebellion, his performance was much better than Xiahou Zi's.

Since the Jiedushi of Xichuan has been replaced, Yang Fugong, who lost Qingxi Pass this time, must naturally be replaced as well.

Yang Fugong was the adopted son of Yang Xuanji under Wang Zongshi, and Yang Fugong was the adopted son of Yang Xuanjie.

The two are cousins, so after this change, it does not mean that the strength of the Yang family will be weakened.

Li Yi was naturally aware of these intertwined relationships, but he pretended to be confused and said:
"What you two say makes sense. In this case, I will follow your words."

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Seeing that Li Yi agreed, everyone praised him for his wisdom, and Li Yi said:

"I'll leave these matters to you, my dear ministers. I'm a little tired."

He stood up and walked towards the golden stage. Pei Xiu and others bowed to him and said, "May you live tens of millions of years..."

The meeting still did not last more than three quarters of an hour, but the matter had been resolved.

Compared to Li Chen who likes to play riddles, Li Yi's character of listening to opinions is quite good, but his character must be matched with capable ministers.

He knew this himself, so when Bai Minzhong suddenly fell ill, he was always worried.

"Tian Yun, send someone to Mr. Bai's house to check on Mr. Bai's condition."

Li Yi always felt that Bai Minzhong was trying to fool him, so he had to send someone to take a look.

"I obey your order..."

The fifty-year-old eunuch agreed upon hearing this, and then gave a few instructions to the people around him.

The emperor's carriage continued to move towards the Xianning Palace and soon arrived there.

Li Yi walked into the hall without hesitation, while Tian Yun stayed outside the hall.

Soon, the music of actors and musicians came out of the palace, and Tian Yun was waiting calmly.

About quarter of an hour later, a eunuch about fifteen or sixteen years old walked outside the Xianning Palace and saw Tian Yun.

"Aye!"

Seeing Tian Yun, the young eunuch immediately bowed and saluted, and Tian Yun glanced at him and said, "I have an errand for you."

"Once you have completed this task, I will transfer you to work at the Pony House."

"Thank you!" The young eunuch was overjoyed and immediately knelt down and kowtowed. Tian Yun did not delay and told the young eunuch the matter directly.

After learning his mission, the young eunuch also walked out of the Daming Palace and headed towards Xuanyangfang.

In the afternoon, when he arrived in front of the Prime Minister's Mansion, he couldn't help but look at the majestic halberd in front of the Wutou Gate and the elite armored soldiers in front of the gate.

"I am here to visit Mr. Bai on the orders of the Lord. Please pass on the message."

I have to say that he is quite good at talking big. When he arrived at the door, he would use the title of "everyone" to clear the way.

The so-called "Da Jia" is a nickname used by eunuchs to refer to the emperor, to show that they are favored.

Sure enough, after having the title of "big boss", the head of the Prime Minister's Mansion did not dare to neglect him and quickly bowed to invite him in.

"Angel, this way. My husband is recuperating in the inner hall."

"Inner Hall?" The young eunuch was surprised. After all, the Inner Hall belonged to the Inner Courtyard. Someone like Bai Minzhong, who was busy with government affairs, should recuperate in the Central Hall unless he was seriously ill.

Thinking of this, he was led by the headmaster to the inner courtyard.

On the way, he envied the prosperity of Bai Minzhong's mansion while speculating about Bai Minzhong's condition.

"Angel, my husband is inside. Let me pass the message."

The voice of the head woke the young eunuch, and after reacting, he nodded quickly: "Yes, thank you for your help."

"Angel, you're welcome." The manager bowed with a smile, then walked into the inner hall.

He did not give the young eunuch too much time to think. After a while, he turned back and made a gesture of invitation:

"Angel, please come in. My husband is in the bedroom."

"Thank you." The young eunuch responded respectfully, then walked into the inner hall and went to the bedroom.

When he walked into the bedroom, he saw Bai Minzhong lying on the bed in his shirt, half of his face expressionless, and the other half slightly frowned, showing quite resentment.

"I am ill, so I cannot salute the angel."

After all, Bai Minzhong was in a high position and had great power, so it was impossible for him to pay respect to a eunuch who was not even an official.

Fortunately, the young eunuch was well-informed, so he smiled and bowed, saying, "Of course."

"Everyone sent me here mainly to see how my husband is doing. He needs to rest for a few days..."

"As the angels see..." Bai Minzhong pointed to his face:
"I caught a cold and half of my face is paralyzed. It may take me a month or two to get back to work."

Although he said this, the young eunuch could hear the weakness in his voice.

"In that case, I will report the truth to everyone after I return to the palace."

The young eunuch pretended not to know and bowed to Bai Minzhong. Seeing that he was in a hurry to go back, Bai Minzhong waved his hand and said, "Go slowly, angel."

"Angel, please come this way..." The head of the prime minister's residence bowed hurriedly, and the young eunuch also left the inner hall afterwards.

A quarter of an hour later, he was taken out of the prime minister's residence, then got on a carriage and returned to the Daming Palace.

When he came back, the dancing and music in Xianning Palace were still going on, and Tian Yun had been waiting for him at the palace gate for a long time.

As he appeared, Tian Yun looked at him and said, "Follow me in."

The young eunuch was excited when he heard this and nodded quickly: "Thank you!"

He knew that this was his father taking a risk for him.

If he could show his face in front of the emperor and behave properly, he could become a real eunuch instead of the rankless commoner he is now.

"Let's go..."

Tian Yun gave him some instructions and then took him into the Xianning Palace.

Inside the palace, no less than two hundred musicians were playing music, and in the hall there were more than three hundred actors and actresses performing dances.

The incense burner in the hall was burning unknown spices. The young eunuch had seen those spices before. One or two ounces of them were worth ten thousand coins. It was said that they were rare items sold from the Western Regions to Chang'an in Longyou.

In such a dazzling scene, the young eunuch followed his father closely, and soon walked onto the Golden Platform. Halfway there, he stopped and knelt down and kowtowed to Li Yi on the platform.

"Your Majesty, this child has returned from gathering information."

The young eunuch stopped in the middle, but Tian Yun walked up and turned sideways to introduce him to Li Yi who was enjoying the dance and music.

The young eunuch only saw Li Yi glance at him, then he didn't know what he said. In a breath, he saw his father looking at him: "Come up and answer."

"Yes……"

The young eunuch nervously walked up to the golden platform and knelt obediently beside Li Yi.

"How is Mr. Bai?"

Li Yi's voice came, and the young eunuch hurriedly said, "He caught a cold."

"Mr. Bai said that half of his face was paralyzed, but after a careful examination, I'm afraid it's not as serious as Mr. Bai said."

"Old man..."

Li Yi suddenly cursed inwardly, scaring the little eunuch so much that he lowered his head.

Seeing this, Li Yi immediately looked at Tian Yun and said, "You brought this guy in, maybe you have some ulterior motive, right?"

"You did a good job. Tell me what you think..."

Tian Yun smiled and bowed when he heard this: "I still can't hide it from everyone's eyes..."

He turned sideways and introduced Li Yi, "This is my adopted son. Although he is young, he is good at his job. He wants to get a job in a small stable."

"Xiaomafang?" Li Yi thought about it and felt that the place seemed to be a place for raising horses for himself, which was not a lucrative job.

After all, the horses in the pony house are all good horses donated by various states. If a good horse dies due to poor care, a life might be lost.

"Since he is a clever boy, let him be a pony boy in the pony stable."

"Thank you all for your kindness, and may you live tens of millions of years!!"

Li Yi's tone was flat, but the young eunuch was so excited that he sang and kowtowed heavily.

The sound of the kowtow hurt Li Yi so much that he couldn't help asking, "What's your name?"

The young eunuch raised his head, with eight parts excitement, one part surprise, and one part ambition in his eyes.

"Your name is Tian Lingzi..."

(End of this chapter)