Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 419 Liu Shi, King of Han (A long chapter of 10,000 words)
"This this……"

Inside the main hall of the Chengdu government office, Zhang Wu was both shocked and regretful.

Shocked that Li Shangyin, who had the bloodline of the Li Tang imperial family, urged his own military commander to declare himself king, he regretted that he had not joined in.

Among those equally shocked was Liu Jilong, who was standing next to him and was the person involved.

After conquering most of the Three Rivers region, he had expected many people to urge him to become king, but he never expected that it would be Li Shangyin who would do so.

That's why, after Li Shangyin finished speaking, Liu Jilong frowned and asked, "But who forced Yishan to do this?"

"No!" Li Shangyin said with a strong voice, shaking his head as he presented the book in his hand.

"Given his merits as commander-in-chief, he should be promoted to king; even if he doesn't consider his own interests, he should consider the interests of his subordinates."

Liu Jilong looked displeased upon hearing this, after all, "build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring oneself king" had been his long-standing development strategy.

In today's world, few people dare to call themselves king; if he did, he would undoubtedly be the first to stick his neck out.

Even though the imperial court is now in full conflict with him, he still doesn't want to give others ammunition to criticize him.

"The matter of declaring oneself king is no longer open to discussion!"

Liu Jilong turned and walked towards the study, and Li Shangyin and Zhang Wu hurriedly followed.

After Liu Jilong returned to his study and sat down, the two men stood before his desk and bowed. Li Shangyin spoke first:

“I know what the commander is worried about, but now our army has controlled many places such as Longyou Road, Jiannan Road, Shannan West Road, and Guannei Road. It is proper to still govern Longyou Protectorate, but it is not practical.”

"Furthermore, Commander Zhang has already changed his allegiance. How can there be two commanders in one army? Please think it over!"

Seeing that Li Shangyin had finished speaking, Zhang Wu, not wanting to miss this opportunity to persuade him to ascend the throne, immediately said:
"General, after our army captured Chengdu, many brothers were discussing it privately, but they didn't want to persuade you to declare yourself king, they wanted you to declare yourself emperor..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jilong looked at him with anger in his eyes, as if warning him not to cause trouble at this critical juncture.

Zhang Wu lowered his head to avoid his gaze, but continued, "This humble general also reprimanded the brothers at the time, but they all said..."

"What did you say?" Liu Jilong's eye sockets twitched slightly, his expression fierce.

“They all say that since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there has been a saying that ‘the prophecy of the golden knife indicates that the Liu family will prosper,’ and you are the Liu family that the prophecy of the golden knife refers to!”

Zhang Wu forced himself to say it, but Liu Jilong immediately retorted:
"More than 380 years have passed since the Southern Qi Dynasty. If the prophecy of the golden knife is true, there would be no Tang Dynasty under Emperor Taizong!"

"General!" Li Shangyin suddenly stood up and met Liu Jilong's eyes.

Liu Jilong reminded him, "Yishan, don't forget, you are also a member of the imperial family..."

“I haven’t forgotten!” Li Shangyin said stubbornly, before Liu Jilong could continue speaking:

"But I have not forgotten what the situation was like in Hexi, Longyou, Shuofang, Qinzhou, Shannan West Circuit, and Jiannan Circuit before!"

"I know what you're thinking, but without you, where would this peaceful scene be?!"

"The Tang Dynasty is old and frail; no matter how many wise people support it, it cannot prevent its collapse."

"If the Tang Dynasty were to fall, the world would once again be in chaos, just like the end of the Qin Dynasty, the end of the Han Dynasty, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Can you bear to see the world like that?"

“The world wouldn’t be like that!” Liu Jilong interrupted him, but Li Shangyin pressed on, saying, “Then please show me your stance and let me see clearly.”

“You…” Anger flashed in Liu Jilong’s eyes, but then he saw Li Shangyin raise his hand in a gesture of respect:

"The Tang Dynasty has never had a rule that people of different surnames cannot be made kings. Even if you are not called the Heir Apparent, you should be called the Prince of the County."

He knelt on one knee, which calmed Liu Jilong's anger somewhat, but then he heard him say:
"Before heading south, I had already discussed with Governor Chen that he would lead troops to capture Shiquan and Hanyin counties in Jinzhou."

"Governor Gao has already sent our memorials to the court, and all the officials in the western border have petitioned to appoint you as the Prince of Hanyin!"

"The fault lies with these three individuals. If you believe they have done wrong, please punish them!"

Li Shangyin, Gao Jinda, and Chen Jingchong acted first and reported later, not only taking advantage of Liu Jilong's failure to issue a proclamation to the court, but also using the possibility that the court knew about the matter to force Liu Jilong to declare himself king.

As long as the court sees the memorial, the court and the public will be furious. Even if Liu Jilong does not declare himself king, the court will feel that Liu Jilong has already declared himself king.

Do you also want to follow in Li Ji's footsteps?

Liu Jilong's eyes twitched, and anger surged in his chest. He disliked being pressured by others the most.

"King Han, you should know that we are different from General Li!"

Li Shangyin lowered his head and changed his title to King of Han.

As for the differences he mentioned, the first is the neutral behavior of the three people in their daily lives, and the second is their ages.

Of the three, Li Shangyin and Gao Jinda were both over fifty years old, while Chen Jingchong would be fifty in two years.

In contrast, Liu Jilong is only thirty-five years old, in the prime of his life.

Even if the three of them have any abilities, they will only live for a dozen or twenty years at most. Even if they have the merit of persuading Liu Jilong to take the throne now, it will be difficult for them to form a great force to oppose Liu Jilong in the future.

Perhaps this is why Li Shangyin named three people but not others, because the others were too young or had unsuitable past positions and could not serve as representatives.

"So, you three think you've got me cornered?"

Liu Jilong questioned Li Shangyin, who kept his head down and said, "I dare not, but given the situation, we cannot let the King of Han propose the matter of becoming king himself."

“If the King of Han thinks that the three of us have done something wrong, the three of us can be demoted and sent back to our hometowns.”

The atmosphere suddenly froze. Li Shangyin fell silent, Liu Jilong also fell silent, and Zhang Wu, being young and inexperienced in politics, did not know what to say.

Half an incense stick later, when Zhang Wu's legs were almost numb from kneeling, Liu Jilong's voice rang out like heavenly music: "Zhang Wu..."

"Your subordinate is here!" Zhang Wu quickly replied, and then he heard Liu Jilong continue:

"Issue an order to strip Li Shangyin, Gao Jinda, and Chen Jingchong of all their honorary posts except for their official positions."

“Yes!” Zhang Wu replied reluctantly, while Li Shangyin breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as the persuasion to take office is successful, even if the official position is stripped away, let alone a dismissed position.

It's just a matter of losing a few thousand bushels of salary, but now that a great war is underway, these low-ranking and low-level officials will soon regain their positions through military merits.

The removal of his honorary post was merely a way for the King of Han to send a message that he disliked this method of persuasion to ascend the throne.

If this method is not feasible, we will use other methods to persuade them to take office in the future.

"Get up."

Liu Jilong did not explicitly name anyone, but Li Shangyin still stood up and bowed to him, saying, "Thank you for the King of Han's kindness."

"The death penalty may be waived, but punishment is inevitable." Liu Jilong's expression returned to normal, and he pointed to the thick stack of documents on the table, saying:
"I have already taken care of most of the matter in Dongxichuan for you; the rest is yours."

"In addition, the measurement of land and the registration of people, and even the distribution of land, should all be handled by you."

"Before summer arrives, I want to see the maps and records of Jiannan Road and Shannan West Road."

"Two months is enough!" Li Shangyin replied calmly with a bow, while Liu Jilong inquired:
"Now you can explain what happened in the north?"

Upon hearing Liu Jilong's inquiry, Li Shangyin immediately reported: "The imperial court has ordered the prince to marry the Kyrgyz princess, and the Kyrgyz Khan has decided to send 100,000 troops to harass Liangzhou."

"Governor Zhang Chang, upon learning of this, has already galloped north to Liangzhou. With Zheng Chu and 13,500 men stationed there, defending the city should not be a problem, but the crops outside the city..."

"Is there anything else?" Liu Jilong frowned slightly, already considering heading north, but still asked.

"Zheng Tian trained 90,000 troops in Longzhou and Jingyuan, preparing to attack Qinzhou and Xiaoguan before the summer."

"These messages were brought by Khayinanzhi. After learning that the Khan was going to be our enemy, he immediately led three thousand relatives and followers south to Shuofang to come and join you."

"Governor Gao arranged for him and his forty-odd relatives to be sent to Linzhou, while the remaining three thousand people were settled in Shuofang, where they were given equal land and cattle and sheep to support themselves."

Li Shangyin explained the source of the intelligence clearly, but Liu Jilong never expected that He Yinanzhi, whom he had only met twice, would bring his entire clan south to join him and bring such important intelligence.

His eyes flickered, then he looked at Zhang Wu and instructed, "Liangzhou is one of our army's granaries; we must not let the Kyrgyz cause trouble."

"Zhang Wu, pass down the order to gather the elite cavalry from Longyou. They will accompany me north to Linzhou in five days."

"Yes!" Zhang Wu readily bowed in agreement, while Liu Jilong then turned to Li Shangyin and instructed him:
“You should know the situation in Sanchuan better than I do. I hope you can lead the millions of people in Sanchuan to live a good life like the people of Liangzhou.”

"I will certainly not fail in my mission!" Li Shangyin bowed calmly. Liu Jilong waved his hand and said, "All of you, step back."

"Yes……"

Zhang Wu agreed and was about to step back when he saw that Li Shangyin had not left. However, he did not say anything and instead withdrew from the main hall.

"Is there anything else?" Liu Jilong frowned as he looked at Li Shangyin, who was still standing in the same spot. Li Shangyin continued to present the booklet he had presented earlier.

"Please have the King of Han read this..." Li Shangyin said calmly, while Liu Jilong was puzzled upon hearing this.

He had previously thought this document was a list urging him to take the throne, but now, judging from Li Shangyin's expression, it was probably not a list at all.

Thinking of this, he took the document and opened it. The first page of the document was titled "Genealogy of the Family of King Xiao of Liang of the Han Dynasty".

"What is this?" Liu Jilong frowned and questioned Li Shangyin, but Li Shangyin calmly replied, "I and the Prefect of Wine sent people to your hometown and obtained the family genealogy from your clansmen."

“I have long since severed all ties with those clansmen.”

Liu Jilong had already guessed Li Shangyin's thoughts and decisively threw the family genealogy book on the ground.

Years ago, when he was harassed and enslaved by Tibetan generals in his hometown, and even threatened to be sold to Lhasa as a slave, his relatives advised him to obediently accept being sold to Lhasa. Even his mother was targeted and verbally abused by this group of people.

If it weren't for Zhang Yichao's uprising and Zhang Huaishen's initial attack on the military camp where he was imprisoned, he might have died on the way.

It's already a favor that he didn't kill those people. This genealogy was definitely not made by those people; it was just a genealogy that Li Shangyin created by using their names.

"Marshal, you should take a look."

Li Shangyin picked up the family genealogy and handed it to Liu Jilong again.

Liu Jilong reluctantly took it, suppressing his temper as he opened and looked through it.

Emperor Xiaowen had four sons: the eldest, who was the Crown Prince and later Emperor Xiaojing; the second son, Wu; the third son, Can; and the fourth son, Sheng.

In the second year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, he appointed Wu as the King of Dai, Can as the King of Taiyuan, and Sheng as the King of Liang; later, he transferred the King of Dai to the position of King of Huaiyang, and merged the entire territory of Dai with the King of Taiyuan, thus giving him the title of King of Dai.

[He reigned for seventeen years, died two years after Emperor Xiaowen, and was posthumously named King Xiao; his son Deng succeeded him, becoming King Gong of Dai; he reigned for twenty-nine years, died in the second year of the Yuanguang era; his son Yi succeeded him, becoming King Dai.]

[During the Yuanding era, the Han dynasty expanded the pass, using Changshan as a barrier. The King of Dai was moved to Qinghe, becoming King Gang; he reigned in Dai for forty years before dying, and his son, King Qing Tang, succeeded him. He died twenty-four years later.]

In the fourth year of the Dijie era, he was demoted to commoner status and exiled to Fangling, where he was given a fief of one hundred households...

Faced with the lengthy opening statement, Liu Jilong glanced at it briefly and learned that it was basically about how Emperor Wen of Han had four sons, and his lineage was led by the third son, Liu Can.

Liu Can was originally the King of Taiyuan, and later became the King of Dai. After three generations, during the reign of Emperor Wu, he was relocated to become the King of Qinghe due to the expansion of the Western Han Dynasty's territory.

In the fourth year of the Dijie era, the Prince of Qinghe was deposed and exiled to Fangling because he committed a crime.

Liu Jilong continued looking down and then saw that his own lineage had been enfeoffed as the King of Guangzong, but was deposed by Wang Mang after he usurped the Han throne.

After Liu Xiu restored the Han Dynasty, his family members were recommended for official positions based on their filial piety and integrity. However, their careers fluctuated, and by the end of the Han Dynasty, they had been reduced to the position of market clerk in Boping County.

Simply put, they are officials responsible for market management.

"It's better than 'Hongbushi'..."

Liu Jilong muttered to himself, then continued reading and found that his lineage first served Yuan Shao, then Cao Cao, and then the Sima family, eventually becoming the magistrate of Liaocheng County in the Jin Dynasty.

However, their good fortune did not last long. Amidst the chaos of the Five Barbarian Invasions, the whole family fled south to Xiangyang, where they took up the post of Water Conservancy Officer in Shandu County.

After the Former Qin dynasty moved south, his family fled to Changsha County, where they continued to serve as minor officials.

After multiplying for decades, with the establishment of the Liu Song dynasty, he was recommended by a noble family to serve as a military commander (with a force of two thousand men). He followed Liu Yu on his northern expedition and later settled in Shangluo County (Shangluo) and multiplied there.

Later, when the Northern Wei Dynasty moved south and annexed Shangluo County, my family surrendered to the Northern Wei and was relocated to Guanzhong.

For the next two hundred years, they mostly served as minor officials in Guanzhong, occasionally becoming county magistrates, but their lives continued to be uneventful due to the division of the family property.

During the Zhenguan era, he settled in Liangzhou after joining the army on a western expedition.

After the Tibetan invasion, he retreated westward and was captured and enslaved in Guazhou.

Jiang Shengxingye, Xingye begat Bu Ke, Bu Ke begat Jilong, Jilong…

After about half an hour, Liu Jilong finally finished reading the so-called "Genealogy of the Family of King Xiao of Liang of Han".

"If this is really true, wouldn't I be the 39th generation descendant of Liu Bang?"

Liu Jilong placed the document on the table instead of throwing it on the ground, and Li Shangyin nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true."

Li Shangyin thought Liu Jilong had accepted his identity, but Liu Jilong shook his head and said, "But I have never heard my father or grandfather mention it."

"Perhaps..." Li Shangyin wanted to continue, but Liu Jilong waved his hand and said:
"There's no need to discuss this matter again. You may leave."

Seeing this, Li Shangyin hesitated to speak, and finally sighed helplessly, bowed, and left.

Seeing him leave, Liu Jilong casually tossed the so-called "Genealogy of the Han Liang Xiao King" onto a corner of the bookshelf, then returned to his bed to rest, thinking about how to deal with the 190,000 troops of the Kyrgyz and Zheng Tian.

In the following days, he either went out of the city with Li Shangyin to check on the land allocation in Xichuan or to see the situation of the people.

As it turned out, after the Governor's Office announced the abolition of all miscellaneous taxes and their integration into the land tax, with taxes collected based on the land, the smiles on the faces of the people of Xichuan became visibly more pronounced.

After nearly a month of propaganda and action, the more than 6,000 officials who went south from Longyou made the people of Sanchuan realize that the re-registration was related to the subsequent land distribution policy, and they reported the hidden population of their families.

When those powerful families witnessed Liu Jilong's bloody methods of suppression and saw that Liu Jilong did not need their help to govern Sanchuan, they immediately dared not conceal the population, fearing that Liu Jilong would find a pretext to suppress them.

Under such circumstances, even many people who fled into the mountains learned about the governor's office's policies while going down the mountain to buy supplies on a daily basis, and many moved their families out of the deep mountains and returned to their hometowns.

Six thousand six hundred officials surveyed the land and registered the population throughout the Three Rivers region, and the people also enthusiastically helped.

The people who received the land knelt excitedly in their fields, grabbing handfuls of soil and putting them in their mouths, looking completely satisfied.

These former lands of powerful families, eunuchs, and military generals have now become the lands upon which they rely for their livelihood.

If anyone is most afraid of the imperial court returning at this moment, it is certainly not the soldiers of Longyou, but the people who have been allocated land.

After the spring plowing, many bold people even rowed their own boats to the south bank of the Yangtze River (Minjiang River) to gather information about the Western Sichuan army for the Longyou army.

For this reason, before setting off, Liu Jilong learned that among the banners of Gao Pian's various armies in the Three Rivers region, there was an additional banner bearing the name "Bohai".

"Sorry..."

On the sixth day of the second lunar month, the Tai Xuan Gate and the Beishi market town outside Qingyuan Bridge in northern Chengdu were bustling with activity.

The main road of the market town is ten zhang wide, and at this moment, several thousand elite cavalrymen are lined up on both sides of the road, in three rows, leaving three zhang of official road space.

The common people crowded into the streets and alleys behind the cavalry, craning their necks and looking longingly in the direction of Qingyuan Bridge.

Compared to a month ago, although their clothing has not changed much, their overall spirit and energy have undergone a tremendous transformation.

The land survey, household registration, and land redistribution policy within the Chengdu Prefecture have been implemented and completed.

Of the more than 3.3 million mu of arable land within the territory, apart from the more than 600,000 mu of land belonging to a dozen or so powerful families in Chengdu that were only measured and registered, the remaining 2.7 million mu of land was basically redistributed to the people of Chengdu Prefecture.

The crisp sound of horses' hooves rang out from the direction of Qingyuan Bridge. Liu Jilong, dressed in lamellar armor, walked at the head of the procession, followed by Li Shangyin and Zhang Wu, and more than a hundred elite cavalrymen.

As Liu Jilong passed by, the elite cavalry guarding both sides of the road followed suit, advancing northward.

"King of Han!"

"When will you return, Your Majesty?"

"King Han, you won't take back the land you've given us, will you?!"

"King Han, after being removed from the lowest social status, will I be reassigned to the lowest social status again?!"

As Liu Jilong passed by, countless people asked the questions that concerned them most.

These days, they feel like they're dreaming.

Some people from non-local households, those from mixed households, and those who had been removed from the status of "lowly" were worried that they would be reclassified into their original household registration, while the most ordinary farmers were worried that their land would be taken back.

They weren't reluctant to let Liu Jilong leave, but rather they were reluctant to let him, who had shared his wealth with them, leave.

Liu Jilong didn't say anything, he just raised the back of his hand and waved at them.

Li Shangyin followed behind him, glanced at the crowd of people, and then looked at Liu Jilong, saying:

"Chengdu Prefecture has 147,652 households and 829,830 people."

"If we can recuperate and rebuild for a few more years, it will be extremely easy to restore the population to the 160,000 households and 930,000 people of the Kaiyuan era."

As he spoke, Liu Jilong continued walking forward, and people kept asking him questions.

Even after they had left the area outside the city of Beishi, a large number of people were still watching them from the north side of Beishi.

Tens of thousands of people watched them leave, and Liu Jilong looked at Li Shangyin.

"Chengdu Prefecture has a population of 820,000, but it has to divide more than 2.7 million mu of land equally. It is appropriate to relocate these people to Dongchuan and Shannan West Road and encourage them to cultivate the land."

"That's what I think too," Li Shangyin nodded in reply, adding:
"Now that we have recovered Xichuan, many people who were previously relocated to Maozhou, Yizhou, and Songzhou wish to return to their hometowns. Should we allow them to do so?"

"Of course," Liu Jilong replied without hesitation.
“In the past two years, they have reclaimed hundreds of thousands of acres of river valley farmland in the six prefectures of Jiannan. You can pass on the policy and tell them that the land in their original hometown has been divided equally. If they want to return to their hometown, the government is willing to first divide two or three acres of land equally among them, and then provide them with farm tools and animal power to reclaim wasteland.”

“The land in Sanchuan is fertile and has a dense network of waterways. It is no problem for each mu (unit of land area) to produce two to three hundred jin (unit of weight) per year, which is enough to feed them.” “In addition, reclaimed land will be exempt from taxes for three years. This measure must be thoroughly implemented.”

"The land of Bashu has no less than 50 million mu of arable land that can be cultivated, and the actual population at present should be no less than 5 million."

"Although Gao Pian currently controls a significant portion of the population, with the support of the government, the remaining population is sufficient to cultivate tens of millions of acres of farmland on top of the existing arable land."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Li Shangyin and said, "Taking Sanchuan is only the first step for our army in the southwest in the future."

"In the future, the migrant population will enter the Qianzhong Road, destroy the Nanman, and the migrant population will enter the Nanman... These are all things we will have to do in the future."

"What we are about to do is the second major undertaking since Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty to open up new frontiers in the southwest."

"The most important matter lies in the Three Rivers, and the most important thing in the Three Rivers is the people and population. Lei Yishan has worked hard for this."

"What are you saying, Your Majesty?" Li Shangyin chuckled and shook his head. Then Liu Jilong reined in his horse, and the three armies immediately stopped.

By this time they had left Beishi by several miles, and the official road was lined with paddy fields on both sides.

When the people were plowing in the fields in spring, they saw the army and the fluttering banners of "Han" and "Liu" in the distance. They were no longer as afraid of the government troops as before, but stood in the fields and looked at them curiously.

"I'll leave you here. You can go back now. I'll be heading south before winter."

Liu Jilong gave Zhang Wu and Li Shangyin a few instructions, then shook the reins and galloped north.

More than two thousand elite cavalrymen followed Liu Jilong's footsteps and galloped northward.

Li Shangyin, Zhang Wu, and more than ten cavalry and infantrymen stood still until they watched Liu Jilong's figure disappear before turning their horses around and returning to Chengdu...

[Zhang Huaishen, Deputy Protector-General of Anxi and Viscount of Shouchang County; Gao Jinda, Governor-General of Longyou; Zhang Chang, Governor-General of Hexi; Chen Jingchong, Governor-General of Shannan; Cao Mao, Governor-General of Shuofang; Cui Shu, Chief Secretary of the Protectorate of Longyou; Han Zhengke, Censor-in-Chief and Legal Advisor of the Censorate; Li Shangyin, Chief Secretary of the Governor-General's Office of Dongchuan and Xichuan, and seventy-eight others submitted a memorial;]

[Lord Liu Jilong was a man of exceptional wisdom and martial prowess, whose benevolence and virtue were widely known and whose power resonated throughout the land. In the past, he rose from the ranks with a three-foot sword, eliminating the wicked and bringing peace to the region; his achievements were truly magnificent.]

[The court is currently facing internal strife, and defenses against external aggression have yet to be established, which is disheartening. We, your humble servants, have therefore followed precedent and petitioned His Majesty to confer upon Ji Long the title of Prince of Hanyin, appoint him General of the Cavalry, and entrust him with command of the Longyou, Guannei, Jiannan, and Shannan West Circuits, with Hanyin County as his fief. The administrative structure will follow the precedent set by the early princes of the dynasty. This is a temporary measure, and if it benefits the state, it may be implemented arbitrarily.]

"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!!"

"Your Majesty, calm down..."

Inside the Xianning Palace in Chang'an, when Tian Yun read aloud the contents of the memorial sent from Longyou, Li Cui suddenly flew into a rage, overturned the table, drew his sword, and hacked the table to pieces.

Xu Shang and the others bowed and tried to appease the enraged emperor, but Li Cui still swung the table more than a dozen times before putting down his sword and questioning everyone.

"Liu Muzhi, this traitor, has already started a war against the court. Why then does he send me a memorial to humiliate me?!"

Li Cui was so angry that his chest heaved and his whole body trembled, while Xu Shang, seeing this, forced himself to speak:

"Your Majesty, up until recently, Liu Jilong has not taken any countermeasures against the proclamation issued by the court. This move is probably an attempt to curry favor with the court."

"If the imperial court agrees to grant the title of king, perhaps the war can be stopped..."

"absurd!!"

Li Cui interrupted Xu Shang sharply and continued, "He seized Sanchuan and Shuofang, and now he thinks he can make me submit with just a memorial?"

"I will not only refuse to yield, but I will fight him to the bitter end! I will kill him to the bitter end!"

Li Cui coughed angrily several times, covering his mouth with his sleeve a few times, and then continued:
"The matter of bestowing titles upon princes is absolutely unacceptable. I will not allow myself to be coerced by the rebels."

"With over 100,000 troops from the Three Rivers and Guannei regions, plus another 100,000 troops aided by the Kyrgyz, I do not believe we cannot defeat the rebels!"

Seeing his firm stance, Yu Cong and Xu Shang sighed helplessly.

If this battle can defeat Liu Jilong, that would be good. But if it cannot, the local warlords will become even more arrogant, and perhaps half of the regions will no longer transport money and grain.

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but miss Emperor Wuzong of Tang, Li Yan, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Chen.

Although the current situation is due to Li Chen's failure to resolve the Longyou issue sooner, if Li Chen were still alive, he would never have rashly started a war against Longyou, not to mention that Liu Jilong had already offered a way out, but he refused to take it because of his pride.

"Go back all!"

Li Cui could tell that the others were not satisfied with his answer, but Li Cui also had his own temper.

"We take our leave..."

Xu Shang and the other two bowed and left the hall, while Li Cui looked at Tian Yun.

Tian Yun knew perfectly well what was going on, and quickly summoned musicians and entertainers, and decadent music continued to resound in Xianning Palace.

Behind this decadent music, news spread like wildfire that the rebels in Longyou had submitted a memorial to the emperor requesting that Liu Jilong be granted the title of Prince of Hanyin.

Within a few days, the entire city of Chang'an knew about Liu Jilong's claim to the throne.

Although he was only the Prince of Hanyin, the connection between "Liu" and "Han" inevitably evokes memories of the Eastern and Western Han dynasties of the past.

Zhang Yichao, who was handling political affairs at the Right Divine Martial Army, returned to his residence and saw the servants whispering among themselves. He couldn't help but ask, "What are you saying?"

"Minister, we are talking about General Liu declaring himself King of Han."

The servants in the mansion were all descendants of the Guiyi Army that Zhang Yichao brought back from Hexi. Zhang Yichao treated them very well, so they dared to talk to him about this matter.

After hearing this, Zhang Yichao sat down in the main seat of the main hall, took off his turban, and said, "It is the Prince of Hanyin, not the Prince of Han."

He was not surprised by Liu Jilong's claim to the throne; he had always felt that Liu Jilong would be no ordinary person in the future.

He never imagined that in just over a decade, that handsome and unstoppable young man would become a figure who would shake the world.

"But rumors are circulating in Chang'an that General Liu is a descendant of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and that he is going to rebuild the Han Dynasty."

"It's not just in Chang'an, but I've heard that the whole of Guanzhong is talking about it. They say that wherever General Liu's troops have passed, the land has been distributed to the poor people, and the taxes are more than 40% lower than those of the imperial court."

The servants rushed to explain to Zhang Yichao that they did not have any ill feelings towards Liu Jilong and Longyou, simply because their fathers were also members of the Guiyi Army.

However, compared to what they found very interesting, Zhang Yichao's expression changed slightly after hearing it.

He was usually busy with government affairs and had never heard of these things.

Now that he's heard this, he feels that Liu Jilong has probably already made preparations.

"Can the Tang Dynasty last long...?"

Zhang Yichao couldn't help but ask himself the same question, but he couldn't find the answer.

"Aye!"

While Zhang Yichao was pondering, Zhang Huaiding's voice rang out. He looked up and, sure enough, saw Zhang Huaiding leading Zhang Huaiquan towards him.

The two brothers walked into the hall and sat down. Zhang Huaiding said smugly, "That Liu Jilong has really made a big fuss."

"I just came from the Southern Court and heard that many regional military governors have submitted memorials to the court, using various excuses to delay the shipment of this year's summer grain."

"If this battle continues, Liu Jilong may soon be marching on Chang'an."

Zhang Huaiding spoke with a grin, still basking in the benefits Liu Jilong had promised him.

Even though things were out of his control, he still felt that he was an indispensable part of Liu Jilong's plan.

Based on this, he didn't care about the war between the Tang Dynasty and Longyou at all; he only wanted to climb to a higher position.

"If you have nothing else to do, go to the military camp more often to train the soldiers!"

Zhang Yichao frowned, stood up, and walked steadily toward the central hall.

Zhang Huaiding wasn't angry at being scolded. Instead, he looked at Zhang Huaiquan and said, "Eldest son, when do you think Father will finally realize that the court is just using us as hostages?"

"Hehe..." Zhang Huaiquan chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

Zhang Huaiding, feeling awkward, immediately stood up and said, "Let's fight, let's fight. It would be best if we could invade Guanzhong and disrupt the situation."

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked outside, and Zhang Huaiquan also headed straight for the direction Zhang Yichao had left in.

The person who could best understand Zhang Yichao's dilemma at this moment was probably Zhang Huaishen, who had returned to Shazhou.

In late February, strong winds blew through Shazhou, forcing Zhang Huaishen to handle his official duties with the doors and windows tightly shut inside the yamen.

When he learned that Liu Jilong had been declared the Prince of Hanyin, he couldn't help but smile and say, "We've finally come this far."

"Father, he's just a prince, what's there to be happy about?"

A boy of about twelve or thirteen years old standing next to Zhang Huaishen asked a question. Zhang Huaishen looked at him and saw that the boy had a stubborn look between his brows and a heroic appearance.

“If there is one attempt to persuade someone to ascend the throne, there will be two, and if there is two, there will be three. The Prince of Hanyin is just the beginning.”

"With his abilities, I'm afraid even the Guannei Circuit and Guanzhong will not be spared."

"When Chang'an is in our hands, what do you think will happen?"

Zhang Huaishen asked the young man in return, and the young man frowned and said, "I don't understand."

"Then you just watch and see." Zhang Huaishen laughed heartily, then buried himself in his official duties.

The break between the Kyrgyz and the Hexi Corridor meant that the Western Regions would also become unstable.

Fortunately, their choice to change course was the right one, and Hexi and Anxi are likely to see development in the future.

He turned his gaze to the letter in his hand, which began with "Liu Muzhi" and was filled with countless numbers.

More than 40,000 were captured, selected, and then weeded out, including the elderly and weak from various towns, as well as more than 30,000 members of powerful and influential families.

Of these 70,000 people, at least nearly 10,000 are familiar with the article.

These people would cause chaos in the Central Plains, but in Anxi, they are the roots that stabilize the great tree of the Han people.

Once they've settled down, I can try to reclaim Yanqi and Kucha...

Thinking of this, Zhang Huaishen's laughter became even more hearty. At the same time as he laughed heartily, Liu Jilong led his army north back to Linzhou.

More than half a year passed, and he returned to Linzhou, but Linzhou had not changed much.

"King Han!!"

As Liu Jilong rode up in front of the Protectorate, more than a hundred soldiers chanted "King of Han" in unison. Liu Jilong dismounted and handed over the reins, saying, "No need for such formality, a bow will suffice."

"Yes!!"

The brigade leader quickly responded, while Liu Jilong also glanced at them.

They were almost all newly enlisted soldiers, aged between eighteen and thirty. Compared to the older soldiers who had only received literacy training, they possessed an indescribable quality.

Liu Jilong nodded and entered the yamen. Cui Shu also hurriedly came out and quickly bowed to greet Liu Jilong.

"General!"

"I want to see him in person."

Without delay, Liu Jilong immediately requested to meet with Heinanzhi.

He was puzzled as to why Khayinanzhi, a high-ranking official in Kyrgyzstan, would come south to seek refuge with him.

He walked into the main hall and sat down, then looked around the hall.

It must be said that after seeing the Chengdu government office, my own Longyou Protectorate inevitably seemed a bit petty.

But it doesn't matter, he has Xingyuan Prefecture in addition to Chengdu Prefecture, which he can use as an office.

As for Chang'an...

Liu Jilong's expression remained calm, but he had already become wary in his heart.

After he conquered Sanchuan, Li Shangyin and others persuaded him to become the Prince of Hanyin.

Although they were only princes of the county, everyone addressed themselves as the Prince of Han, which was no different from that of a prince of the blood.

If I were to actually conquer Guanzhong and enter Chang'an, would they urge me to declare myself emperor?

Liu Jilong felt he needed to think this through carefully. At least for now, he didn't believe that taking half the country would allow him to quickly sweep across the entire world.

The situation during the Qin and Han dynasties and the early Sui and Tang dynasties was different from the situation I am facing now.

He still hoped to secure Jiannan Circuit, Shannan West Circuit, Shannan East Circuit, and even Henan Circuit and Huainan Circuit before declaring himself emperor.

Although it might seem a bit too cautious, that's just Liu Jilong's personality.

He can use both orthodox and unorthodox tactics in warfare, but when it comes to politics, he prefers to move forward steadily.

The capture of Sanchuan this time shows that defeating the government troops and seizing Sanchuan is not difficult; the difficulty lies in dealing with the subsequent rebellions by powerful clans.

If we want them to stop causing trouble, we need to offer them tangible benefits, but if we give them those benefits, what will the people do?
After the profits are divided up, it's just another cycle.

"Bring the official documents from the Imperial Academy."

Liu Jilong gave instructions to Cui Shu, who immediately went to carry them out.

Before long, instead of receiving the official document from the Imperial Academy, he was greeted by Han Zhengke and He Yinanzhi.

Han Zhengke clearly had something to say, but Liu Jilong reassured him, "Go to the Six Departments to rest first. I will ask you to come over after I finish talking with He Yinanzhi."

"Yes!" Han Zheng bowed and withdrew, while Liu Jilong looked at the somewhat flustered He Yinanzhi.

"King Han..."

Heinanzhi looked at the man in front of him. He had praised Liu Jilong’s appearance countless times in his heart, but what truly impressed him was Liu Jilong’s strength.

He gradually figured out what the situation was like in Longyou during his time in Linzhou.

He knew perfectly well that Longyou's development to its current state was almost entirely due to Liu Jilong leading and pulling countless people forward; otherwise, with this group of people in Longyou, it would be easy to accomplish small things, but difficult to accomplish great things.

"Please take a seat."

Liu Jilong gestured for him to sit down, and He Yinanzhi hurriedly sat down in the first seat on the right.

Seeing that he was sitting in the first seat on the right, Liu Jilong chuckled and stood up, then walked up to him and extended his hand: "Come here!"

Despite her bewilderment, He Yi still reached out her hand.

Liu Jilong took his hand and led him to sit down next to the head of the table.

"We're all men, there's no need to be so coy."

“I am very grateful to you for giving up wealth and status to come south to Longyou to help me, and for bringing such important intelligence.”

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, your wealth will only increase."

“I just don’t understand why you, a high-ranking official in Kyrgyzstan, would abandon all of that to follow me.”

Liu Jilong asked what he was wondering about, and Heinanzhi replied, "Although the Kyrgyz are powerful, they are internally disorganized."

"The valiant and wise Khan is already sixty years old, but he has no successor who can win the hearts of the people."

"If he dies, the whole of Kyrgyzstan will fall apart."

"I originally hoped to support the sons of the mighty and wise Khan by having you, the King of Han, marry our princess."

"But you rejected my offer..."

He Yi could only manage a bitter smile, but Liu Jilong said, "Perhaps I should agree, but I am not willing to humiliate my own woman in order to gain the power of the Kyrgyz."

“You are right, I admire you very much.” Hainanchi nodded in agreement, then said:

"It is precisely because of your attitude that I chose to come south to serve you."

"You are a truly magnanimous ruler, more suited to be a monarch than the valiant and wise Khan and the emperors of the Tang Dynasty."

"Hahaha..." Liu Jilong laughed heartily, but he did not directly address He Yi's words.

His eyes were piercing, and after a brief eye contact with Hainanzhi, he looked away.

"Don't go back for dinner today. Stay at the yamen and have a few drinks with me before you go back, or you won't see me for a long time."

Liu Jilong gave the instructions, and He Yinanzhi, upon hearing this, asked, "Are you going to gather troops and send them out?"

"Yes!" Liu Jilong made no attempt to hide his feelings; he believed that Heinanzhi had genuinely come to seek refuge with him, rather than acting as a spy.

Seeing Liu Jilong's response, Heinanzhi felt a sense of trust and couldn't help but say, "With the help of the Kyrgyz, the court has at least two hundred thousand troops."

"Can you tell me who you plan to deal with first?"

When asked, Liu Jilong's eyes flickered: "I am very interested in the valiant and wise Khan you mentioned."

Heinanzhi understood the meaning behind Liu Jilong's words, and he looked embarrassed: "Before I went south, the valiant and wise Khan had already gathered troops from various tribes. Even if there were not 100,000 cavalry, there were at least 50,000. May I ask how many cavalry you have?"

“Nine thousand, of which five thousand are new recruits who have been in the army for less than seven months,” Liu Jilong answered without hesitation.

"Nine thousand?" He Yi Nanzhi stood up in astonishment, then forced himself to remain calm and asked, "How many troops are you planning to deploy?"

"No adjustment." Liu Jilong shook his head, while He Yi was utterly astonished.

"Is nine thousand enough?" He Yi felt his mouth go dry, but he saw Liu Jilong's eyes were bright and his face full of confidence:
"Nine thousand elite cavalry is enough!"

(End of this chapter)