Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 431 Smoke of War Erupts (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month)

"Screw rustle..."

In mid-September, with the autumn harvest approaching, the harvest was hampered by time constraints and a shortage of officials.

Gao Jinda, Cao Mao, and others could only organize the people to carry out the autumn harvest first, and at the same time send Bai Zhi and the army to the countryside to collect 35% of the land tax according to the amount of land.

The remaining grain was a burden to these people who had once been tenants of powerful officials. They wanted to hand it over to the imperial court and dared not keep it in their hands.

After discussing the matter, Gao Jinda and the other two decided to send troops to set up community granaries in various villages.

There are 567 villages in Gyeonggi Province and Gwannae Province, so it is necessary to mobilize the local people to build community granaries.

After the community granary was built, the grain from those unclaimed fields was still distributed according to the rent previously agreed upon between the powerful and wealthy and the common people.

Some powerful and influential families were still considerate of their tenants, generally paying a 4:6 ratio, with the family collecting 40% and the tenant paying 60%.

Therefore, after retaining 60% of the grain, tenants only need to hand over half of it to the community granary.

However, a powerful family with a 3:7 ratio of family members to powerful families is already considered to be an extremely benevolent and virtuous master.

In most parts of Guanzhong, the ratio of tenant farmers is five to five, or even six to four.

Upon learning of this, Liu Jilong stipulated that only half of the grain needed to be handed over, since he had no intention of using the community granary to exploit the people.

The symbolic removal of the extra grain from the people was merely a way to appease these "domesticated" people.

Once the equal-field movement began and they had adapted to the changes, Liu Jilong prepared to further reduce land taxes.

In addition, the community granaries in each township should also set standards for the retention and transportation of land taxes collected in the future.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong closed the Chinese book in his hand and turned his gaze to the official in front of him.

At this moment, he was sitting in the main seat of the Ministry of Personnel, with Gao Jinda, Cui Shu, and Han Zhengke sitting below him, and behind them were the four military advisors and the six officials.

The thirteen people remained seated, without needing to stand up; they only needed to bow and report the outcome, just as they were doing now.

"It is indeed quite difficult to govern such a large population in the capital region and within the pass with more than 3,000 officials and over 6,000 plainclothes officers."

"The number of Bai Zhi should be at least three to five times that of the officials."

Gao Jinda described the difficulties they were facing, and seeing Liu Jilong nod slightly, he continued:
“The autumn harvest is in full swing across the country right now, and the mapping and cataloging of Jiannan Road and Shannan West Road is nearing completion.”

"These books and records will be delivered to Chang'an in two months at most."

"I believe that the compilation of maps and registers for Gyeonggi Province and Gwannei Province can be carried out at the same time as the equal distribution of land."

"Following the old practice, after registering the household registration, the local land was measured at the same time. After the measurement, the land was divided equally according to the number of people, regardless of gender."

"Although this is a slow process, the combined number of officials in Guannei Circuit and Gyeonggi Circuit is only about 3,700, and the number of Bai Zhi is only about 8,000."

"If we wait for primary and university students to graduate this year, there will probably be more than 5,000 new recruits."

"With their involvement, the governance issues of the capital region and the Guannei region can be resolved."

"The task of compiling maps and registers for the capital region and the inner provinces can be completed as early as next winter."

As Gao Jinda finished speaking, his gaze turned to Liu Jilong.

The students who graduated from primary school were only thirteen or fourteen years old, which, in today's world, would already be considered little adults.

But ultimately they were still too young. If his own King of Han did not agree, he would have to find another way.

As he was thinking this, Liu Jilong also spoke up, saying, "Elementary school graduates are still a bit too young."

"However, many of them enrolled later and were a bit older."

"Having looked through the student register of the Imperial Academy, I found that there are more than 1,700 students aged 15 and above who will graduate this year."

"Let's select these 1,700 people to work in the government office for now, starting as ordinary staff."

"Although 1,700 people is not as many as 5,000, it is enough to solve the immediate crisis."

News came from Jiannan Road that Gao Pian had plundered more than 46,000 people in Pengzhou and then crossed the river to retreat back to Shuzhou.

“Zhang Wu and Yishan apologized to me, but the fault does not lie with them. Their troops are all new recruits who have not even finished literacy training and are not yet familiar with military drums and commands. It is already quite good that they were able to protect Chengdu and the cities outside the city.”

"Our army has fewer than 2,457 men in this battle, and Gao Pian's troops have no fewer than that number."

"This shows that Zhang Wu's training of troops was not a problem. Using new soldiers who had been trained for half a year to directly exchange with Gao Pian's elite troops was enough to offset his merits and demerits."

After Liu Jilong finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Liu Jilong couldn't help but feel satisfied.

Since he severely punished Li Ji, many problems within the army have been alleviated, and more and more students who have received education and joined the army have followed.

As time goes by, the arrogance left behind by the veterans of the Han army will gradually fade away, which is a good thing for the Han army.

"King Han..."

Han Zheng bowed to Liu Jilong, and seeing Liu Jilong look at him with approval in his eyes, he bowed again and said:
"A lot has happened in the Kanto region during this period."

"After Wang Xianzhi's remaining troops, Cao Shixiong and Liu Yanzhang, were separated from Wang Xianzhi while crossing the Han River, they scattered to Hunan and gathered with Dongting Lake bandits to cause trouble, eventually capturing Yuezhou."

"In addition, rebellions also broke out in Langzhou, Lizhou, Chenzhou and other places in Hunan."

"Huang Chao suffered a major defeat in Raozhou, Jiangxi, and fled to Fujian via Xinzhou. However, it was heard that his main force had not been lost, but the refugees who followed him were basically all slaughtered by the government troops."

"The army in western Zhejiang is in turmoil, and they have now captured Suzhou and Changzhou."

"A popular uprising broke out in Guang Prefecture, and the governor was driven out."

"The imperial court dispatched the Left and Right Divine Martial Armies north to Taiyuan, but the Hedong Army refused to allow them to enter. They are currently stationed in Huoyi."

Han Zheng could organize and report the intelligence sent by the spies from Longyou scattered throughout the Central Plains. Although this intelligence was known to everyone in Guandong and Jiangnan, it was not easy for the Han army to obtain this intelligence and send it into Guanzhong.

"General, it seems that war has broken out all over the world."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shu couldn't help but say, "Our army only needs to rest for a few months, and perhaps then we can launch a proactive attack on Gao Pian in the east or south of the river."

“No…” Liu Jilong shook his head, and Gao Jinda also explained:
"Currently, most of the soldiers in each army are new recruits, with fewer than 40,000 veterans."

"Our military officers are in short supply. We are already short-handed in governing local prefectures and counties, let alone instructing people to teach literacy in the army."

“If soldiers cannot even recognize five hundred characters, then when they go to the battlefield, they will not be able to recognize the military drums and commands, and our army will lose all its advantages.”

"Furthermore, are our troops too few? Perhaps we should continue to expand our forces."

Gao Jinda's last words were addressed to Liu Jilong, who shook his head and said, "Our army is already well-equipped; what we lack now is training and literacy education."

According to the troop quota he has set, there are seven governorates in Longyou, each with a different number of troops, but the total troop strength has reached 250,000.

If all 250,000 troops are fully trained, then sweeping across the Central Plains from the east will not be a problem.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at everyone and said:
"Of the 250,000 troops, 170,000 were illiterate, while there were only 1,800 instructors in the army, who were scattered in Guannei Road, Jiannan Road, and Shannan West Road."

"Given the current situation, it will take at least three years to train all troops to the same level of skill as veteran soldiers."

"If we mobilize literate soldiers to help with literacy campaigns, we can probably shorten the time to two years."

"This is a good opportunity for our army to thoroughly clarify the land and population in the Guanzhong Plain and the capital region, and to re-survey the mountains, rivers and waterways."

Two years may seem like a long time, but the Han army couldn't just sit idly by during that period.

For example, necessary harassment could be used to tie down the main force of the Tang army, keeping them constantly on the move.

"King of Han." Seeing that the topic had ended, Han Zhengke continued:

"The recruitment of the Left and Right Imperial Guards has been completed and training has begun. At the latest, they will be able to organize themselves and arrest those scoundrels and gangsters within three months."

The tasks performed by the Left and Right Golden Guards were not as dangerous as those performed by the military.

They didn't need a long training period to deal with a group of unarmored ruffians, thugs, and even some Tang officials who tipped them off.

Once you've mastered the small formations commonly used in teams of fifty men, that will be more than enough to handle the situation in Chang'an.

It's harvest time right now, so let's get through the harvest first, and things will be easier after that.

"The rules of the Golden Guard need to be changed. The Grand General should be abolished, and a General should be appointed to command the Left and Right Golden Guards, with the rank of Senior Fourth Grade. The Left and Right Golden Guards should be mainly composed of other generals, whose ranks remain the same."

"Who do you think is most suitable to be the General of the Golden Guard?"

Liu Jilong asked the crowd, and they looked at each other in confusion. After pondering for a moment, Gao Jinda said, "Dou Xian is brave in battle and meticulous in his thinking. Why not appoint him as the General of the Golden Guard?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Shu and Han Zheng nodded slightly, and Liu Jilong also nodded and said, "That's feasible."

After deciding on the candidate for General of the Golden Guard, Liu Jilong picked up a booklet and addressed the crowd:
"It has been nearly two months since this battle ended. The military merit record has been completed. You should all review it. If there are no questions, then let it be displayed to the entire army."

As soon as he finished speaking, the official standing beside him took the document and handed it to Gao Jinda and others for review.

The greatest credit for this battle naturally went to Liu Jilong, but Liu Jilong could not compete with his subordinates for credit, so the greatest credit after Liu Jilong went to An Pohu.

After An Pohu came Husi Guang, followed by Cao Mao, Dou Jingchong, Dou Xian, Wang Jian, Wang Chongrong, and others.

To be honest, when Liu Jilong saw Wang Jian's name, he didn't think much of it and just assumed it was someone with the same name.

However, after learning that he had defected from the captured Zhongwu Army, he realized that Wang Jian, the founding emperor of the Former Shu and known as "Bandit King Ba," had actually joined his ranks.

First it was Wang Wu, then Wang Chongrong, and now it's Wang Jian.

Liu Jilong felt like he was collecting stamps, but it was a pity that he failed to capture Li Keyong and his son, otherwise he could have added another great general to his collection.

As for Wang Jian, he led his troops to the front and then broke through the enemy lines. With the great victory of the three armies, he made seven merits and was promoted seven ranks.

Based on his seniority, Wang Jian should have been able to hold the title of Commandant at most, and take on the duties of a General.

However, with the expansion of the army in Gyeonggi Province, Sannamseo Province, and Gwannei Province, there were more positions available for captains.

Wang Jian accumulated merits and was appointed as one of the Swift Cavalry Commandants, in charge of 4,500 elite cavalry.

After the military achievements were publicized to the three armies, Liu Jilong prepared to transfer him to lead his troops back to Longyou. In addition to selecting military horses and riding horses, Longyou was also a place with a large area and a small population, which would be more convenient for cavalry training.

In comparison, Gyeonggi Province has a dense population and a lot of farmland, making it difficult to train.

"Your Highness, we have no objection."

After reviewing the military merit register, Gao Jinda and the others immediately expressed that they had no objections.

Liu Jilong nodded upon hearing this, and then instructed, "Since there are no objections, then everyone may proceed with their respective duties."

After he stood up and spoke to the crowd, they escorted him away from the Secretariat. Only after he mounted his horse and left did Gao Jinda and the others return to the Secretariat.

Meanwhile, throughout the entire territory under the Han army's jurisdiction, the people were working hard in the fields, rushing to harvest grain.

The community granaries in each village have been built. Although they are not as well-equipped as the official granaries, they can still store millet and wheat for three years without any problem.

Officials began to go to the countryside to collect taxes, but compared to the Tang Dynasty, the Han army officials went deeper into the countryside and started collecting grain from the villages, which eliminated the problem of village and neighborhood officials embezzling the people's grain.

In addition, the Han army's officials did not have as many "methods" as the officials of the Tang Dynasty's government offices.

They collected land taxes as usual, while supervising laborers to transport the portion of grain that the local people were unwilling to accept to the Xiangli granary.

Humans are not saints, and they naturally need to eat and drink as well. Although this is explicitly prohibited by the government, many people still violate the rules.

Liu Jilong and Han Zhengke were well aware of this, but they couldn't expect everyone to be like a saint, without their own ulterior motives.

As long as they don't go too far, Liu Jilong doesn't plan to let Han Zheng pursue these trivial matters.

After a hearty meal, the officials and clerks who had gone to the countryside began to tally the grain in each village. Then they requested the deployment of Han troops and recruited laborers at a rate of five coins per day to transport the grain to the official granaries in each county.

"These Han soldiers are really good. They not only left us food, but also paid us for our work."

"Yes, I heard that there will be no more corvée labor in the future, and people will be paid for their work."

“What’s this? I, Wang Bai, will speak frankly. After the autumn harvest, the government will begin distributing the land.”

"You scoundrel, don't talk nonsense..."

"You scoundrel, I went through so much trouble to get this information, and you still don't believe me."

"Just you wait and see, once the autumn harvest is over, the government will surely distribute the land!"

Along the official roads of various counties in Guanzhong, countless laborers were discussing the changes in the government offices, and many who learned that the land would soon be distributed also shared the information with their close relatives and friends.

The news spread like wildfire, and many people in the Guanzhong region learned that the government would soon be distributing land after the autumn harvest.

Some people believe this because the Han army was indeed different from the government offices of the past.

Many people didn't believe it; they didn't believe that the high-ranking officials would give such good land to them, these peasants.

Whether they believed it or not, the decree to distribute the land equally had already been issued, and all that remained was for the autumn harvest to be completed.

As time marches on, the burden on the people under the rule of the Han army has become much lighter.

However, for the people of Luoyang, their lives did not improve because the emperor moved east; on the contrary, they got worse and worse...

"Cough cough cough..."

In early October, sitting in the Zhenguan Hall, one of the three main halls of the Luoyang Palace, Li Cui looked at the memorial in his hand and felt a little relieved.

He looked up and saw Lu Yan, Yu Cong, Qi Yuanshi, Qi Yuanjian, Yang Xuanjie, and Ximen Jixuan standing in front of him, respectfully waiting for him to speak.

After drinking a sip of honey water and feeling better, Li Cui picked up the memorial and addressed the six men:

"Although Gao Qianli failed to recover the lost territory in this battle, it was one of the few times that the imperial court won against the rebels."

"In addition, the more than 40,000 people he saved are also my beloved children. I hereby issue an edict to Gao Qianli, instructing him to properly settle the people and not to treat them harshly."

"If there is an opportunity, we must seize it to recover the lost territory of Sanchuan, and we must not let the people continue to suffer..."

Li Cui spoke eloquently, but he didn't think about the people outside Luoyang who were starving to death on the roadside due to famine.

"Your Majesty, hundreds of thousands of people in the He and Huai regions are starving, and officials in both regions are pleading for relief for the victims..."

When Yu Cong heard Li Cui mention the common people, he had no choice but to stand up, bow, and report.

Li Cui frowned slightly after hearing this, and looked at Qi Yuanshi and Qi Yuanjian: "Have the Shence Army's troop registers been handed over to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance?"

"Your Majesty, it was handed over this morning."

Qi Yuanjian answered calmly, bowing as he said, "The Shence Army still has 52,467 soldiers, and the required funds and provisions are no less than 2.5 million strings of cash..."

Qi Yuanjian was a master at lying through his teeth; he could tell lies without batting an eye.

Unfortunately, Li Cui, with his troops in Shaanxi, Guo, and Dongji, was no longer as deaf and blind as he had been in Chang'an in the past.

According to the information he had, the Shence Army couldn't even muster 20,000 men, so where did the 50,000-plus troops come from?

The extra troop quotas and military pay are simply used to satisfy the greed of these people.

Back in Chang'an, Li Cui had to tolerate the fact that the entire capital region was controlled by the Shence Army.

But now that the army has moved east to Chang'an, Li Changfu has led 10,000 Shaanxi and Guo troops to garrison Tongguan and transferred the Shence Army to Hongnong.

With Tongguan Pass in hand, and seven thousand troops from the Eastern Capital region within Luoyang, and the ability to dispatch troops from Heyang and Hezhong to the south for reinforcements at any time, there was naturally no need for him to swallow his pride.

Thinking of this, Li Cui coughed and said, "But I have heard that the Shence Army has only about 30,000 registered soldiers."

He didn't expose Bei Si's true colors all at once, still saving them some face.

"His Majesty……"

Qi Yuanshi was about to say something when Li Cui said, "How about this: transfer the Shence Army to the military camps outside the city for training, and at the same time transfer troops from the Eastern Capital for training?"

"Once they are transferred to one place, we will know exactly how many troops the Shence Army has."

"This..." Qi Yuanjian, Qi Yuanshi, and the others frowned slightly, feeling annoyed.

Seeing that the time was right, Li Cui changed the subject, saying, "I know that you have also been misled by your subordinates. The military pay will be issued according to the quota of 35,000 soldiers. Go back and investigate carefully to find out how many bad apples have deceived you."

Li Cui's words forced Qi Yuanshi and Qi Yuanjian to suppress their tempers. Li Cui then looked at Yu Cong and asked, "According to past practices, how much military pay and how much food and supplies should be spent on the 35,000 Shence Army soldiers?"

"Your Majesty," Yu Cong replied dutifully, pleased that the emperor had so firmly rejected the Northern Division's request.

"The military pay is about 1.7 million, and to maintain daily needs, 250,000 strings of silk and grain are required every year."

Hearing the amount Yu Cong reported, Li Cui couldn't help but feel relieved.

With the military pay of no more than two million taels of silver for the Shence Army, plus the military pay for the other garrisons and the salaries of the officials, the court still managed to have a surplus of nearly one million taels of silver this year.

balance……

These two characters were so unfamiliar that Li Cui almost didn't recognize them anymore.

In this light, withdrawing from Chang'an was not entirely a bad thing. At least the court no longer needed to bear the high military pay of the towns in the northwest of the capital and the Shence Army, and it also avoided a lot of arrears.

Now that the imperial court is free of debt, Li Cui suddenly felt that the situation wasn't so bad after all.

Thinking of this, he looked at Yu Cong: "Reimburse the taxes of the disaster-stricken people in the He and Huai River regions, and allocate 200,000 shi of grain for disaster relief." "200,000 shi..."

Yu Cong looked troubled, knowing that the number of people affected by the disaster in the He and Huai River basins ranged from 500,000 to 1 million.

Even if each person only drinks half a catty of thin porridge a day, a mere 200,000 shi of grain can only last for three months at most.

"Your Majesty, isn't 200,000 shi too little?"

"I believe that 600,000 shi of grain should be allocated so that hundreds of thousands of disaster-stricken people can wait until the summer harvest next year."

“With my plan, these hundreds of thousands of people will not blindly follow the rebels, and they will be able to cultivate millions of acres of farmland again, and hand over millions of bushels of grain to the court around the summer harvest next year.”

As the head of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance, Yu Cong was well aware of how valuable these hundreds of thousands of people were to the vast tracts of farmland abandoned along the Huai and He rivers.

Although Li Cui was reluctant to part with the money and grain, he could only nod when he heard Yu Cong say this: "This matter will be handled by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance."

"In addition, the troops in Dongji and Shanguo are still too few, and Shannan East Circuit also needs to prepare enough troops to guard against the rebels."

"Issue an order to appoint Liu Zhan, the co-prime minister and military governor of Xuanwu and Zhongwu, as the commander-in-chief of the various circuits, to control the troops of Shannan East Circuit, Shaanxi-Guo Circuit, Henan Circuit, and the capital circuit and Hedong Circuit."

"He was ordered to lead his troops to suppress the Guangzhou uprising, release the Zhongwu soldiers to return to their hometowns, and transfer troops from Zhongwu and Xuanwu to Shannan East Road and Tongguan to guard the border, and recruit more soldiers."

As Li Cui spoke, Yu Cong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Zhongwu Army has returned to its garrison and should be rewarded."

"I believe that each of you should be rewarded with 100,000 coins and 100,000 bolts of silk."

"Furthermore, it is only natural that Your Majesty would like to recruit troops to defend against the rebels."

"However, the imperial court is short of funds and grain, and the current autumn harvest has not yet been recorded in the grain register."

"Moreover, the various authorities have been outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant for a long time, and the quantity shipped may not be the same as agreed."

"I believe that the matter of recruiting and training soldiers should be discussed after the New Year."

Yu Cong was very sensitive to money and grain, and he also knew that the court had suffered several defeats and lost its prestige, otherwise so many bandits would not have emerged.

After these bandits emerged, the various towns were not in a hurry to suppress them, which shows their attitude.

Although seven million strings of cash was already an underestimated amount by Yu Cong, whether this amount could be collected depended on how many loyal people remained in the country.

Honest advice is hard to swallow, and Yu Cong's words were not pleasant to hear, but the facts were there, and Li Cui had no choice but to listen, even if he didn't want to.

He had just been happy to suppress Bei Si, but now he felt depressed again because of Yu Cong's "suppression".

"If that's the case, then let's put the recruitment of new soldiers on hold for now."

Li Cui said with a sense of frustration, and then said, "Let Kang Chengxun, the commander of the various circuits, take charge of the Jiangnan West Circuit and the Jiangnan East Circuit, and quickly quell the bandits in Hunan and Fujian!"

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Seeing that the emperor was in a bad mood, Yu Cong tried to flatter him, but it was obviously to no avail.

Li Cui fell silent, and Tian Yun, standing beside him, immediately understood his thoughts, and thus sang, "Court adjourned..."

"We take our leave..."

Yu Cong and the others left Zhenguan Hall with varying expressions, while Li Cui also looked at Tian Yun.

Upon seeing this, Tian Yun immediately took out a wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to Li Cui. At the same time, he announced to the outside, "Summon musicians and actors to the palace."

Li Cui took the wooden box, opened it, and found a pill inside.

Without hesitation, he swallowed the elixir, and in less than half an incense stick's time, hundreds of musicians and performers entered the Zhenguan Hall.

The seductive music began, revealing the white flesh of her slender arms...

In less than a quarter of an hour, Li Cui's breathing became heavy, his gaze kept darting around the actors, and he began to feel a reaction in his lower abdomen.

Seeing his reaction, Tian Yun hesitated to speak, but ultimately kept quiet.

Before long, many soft voices came from inside the Zhenguan Hall, while outside Luoyang City, slender people were eagerly crowding around a city gate.

"Men aged 30 and above, and under 50, must know how to take care of livestock. They shall pay 50% of the rent. If you want to do it, stay; if you don't, leave. There are plenty of people who will!"

Outside Changxia Gate in Luoyang, thousands of people, with their families in tow, gathered together.

They were thin and bony, with heads that appeared to be enormous.

Hundreds of servants of powerful and wealthy families recruited tenants here, offering extremely harsh rents of up to 50%.

Not only that, they also secretly agreed that all rents would be 50%, and anyone who violated this agreement would be condemned by everyone.

While using extremely low grain prices to annex the land of disaster-stricken people, they also used every means to make the people who lost their land become their tenants, cultivating the land for their families generation after generation.

This situation was particularly cruel, but for the people suffering from famine at this time, being a tenant farmer was the best way to make a living in this chaotic world.

"How much land has your family bought..."

Standing in front of the city gate of Changxia, Zhang Yichao, who was already seventy years old, looked at everything outside the city with dim eyes and couldn't help but ask a question.

Standing behind him was Zhang Huaicheng, the second son of Zhang Yitan, who had already passed away.

Zhang Huaiquan followed Zhang Huaiding in leading the Shenwu Army northward. Now Zhang Yichao is free of trouble, but the number of Zhang family members around him has decreased significantly.

Some chose to stay in Chang'an, some chose to follow Zhang Huaiding north to Taiyuan, and others followed Zhang Yichao to Luoyang.

Of course, the reason they have so many choices is entirely because of Zhang Yichao.

Zhang Yichao, Feng Bangyan, and Zhang Huaicheng were all nominally subjects, but in reality, they were hostages.

After Zhang Yitan's death, Zhang Huaicheng became a tool used by the court to threaten Zhang Huaishen, and he was also granted the official title of Senior Grand Master of the Fourth Rank by the court.

Now that Zhang Huaiquan and Zhang Huaiding are gone, and few of their remaining offspring are capable, Zhang Yichao can only focus his attention on his nephew.

Although Zhang Huaicheng was not as outstanding as Zhang Huaishen, he was still skilled in archery and horsemanship, and proficient in both literary and martial arts.

He didn't have as many thoughts as Zhang Huaiding, and he was also clear about what his identity represented, so he could only rely on his uncle.

When asked by his uncle, Zhang Huaicheng, who was of medium height and had a handsome appearance, respectfully replied, "I acquired 754 mu of land."

"In addition, the people on these lands also borrow five bushels of grain per month as you instructed, Uncle, and the rent is collected at 30% from the government and 70% from the farmers."

After Zhang Huaicheng finished speaking, Zhang Yichao sighed and nodded: "This is all I can do..."

"If Liu Muzhi attacks, will the situation improve?" Zhang Huaicheng couldn't help but ask. He had never met Liu Jilong, but he knew about Liu Muzhi through correspondence with his brother.

"Although he was sometimes hesitant, he was always kind and generous to the people."

Zhang Yichao commented on Liu Jilong, sighing, "But he has just conquered Guannei Road and Jingji Road, and the south is unstable. I don't think he will immediately move east. It will take at least one or two years."

"Uncle," Zhang Huaicheng couldn't help but say, "If Liu Muzhi continues to attack, where will the imperial court go?"

"Where to?" Zhang Yichao pondered for a moment before replying, "If there is no trouble in Hedong, we will retreat there."

"If something happens in Hedong, then we will have no choice but to retreat to Jiangnan."

"However, since Jianye was destroyed by the Sui emperor, there have been few places in Jiangnan where palaces can be used."

"If the imperial court retreats to Jiangnan, it will not be a blessing for the people..."

After he finished speaking, he took one last look at the lifeless land stretching for miles outside Luoyang, then at the people who had come with their families, and shook his head before walking down from the city walls.

Zhang Huaicheng followed closely behind him.

Although Luoyang had been recuperating for decades, it could never compare to Chang'an.

Although the people in the city were not exactly pale and sickly, there were no plump people among them; they were all thin and weak.

On the return journey, one could frequently see many ordinary people whose homes had been taken away because they could not pay their taxes.

It's not that they can't pay taxes, it's just that they can't afford the taxes set by the government.

If officials take a fancy to their houses, they will naturally try to seize them by force.

Faced with these injustices, the uncle and nephew could only close their eyes and pretend not to see them.

If this is the case for officials even in the capital, imagine how it is for officials in remote areas...

"The sage is not unequal; he divides the land so that there is peace!"

"kill!!"

In late September, when most parts of the country were engulfed in war, Fujian, a region rarely contested by military strategists, also faced the ravages of war.

On the 18th, Huang Chao led 15,000 armored veterans, burned down the city of Xinzhou, and took tens of thousands of people south into Fujian.

On the 27th, Huang Chao marched triumphantly, burning villages along the way and taking the people with him to attack Jianzhou (Nanping). While opening granaries to distribute grain, he once again burned down Jian'an City, the seat of Jianzhou.

Hearing of the ongoing uprisings in western Zhejiang and various prefectures of Hunan, Huang Chao did not head to Hunan where the uprisings were raging. Instead, he turned his troops north to invade Chuzhou and Taizhou in eastern Zhejiang.

The soldiers of eastern Zhejiang had not fought for a long time, and even the common people led by Qiu Fu were able to defeat them last time, let alone Huang Chao, who had 15,000 armored veterans under his command.

After Chuzhou and Taizhou fell one after another, Pei Yanlu, the military commissioner of eastern Zhejiang, learned of the military situation and immediately sent people to western Zhejiang to request assistance, while also sending people to Kang Chengxun, who was pursuing Huang Chao, to request assistance.

At this time, Kang Chengxun had just led his army to pursue Huang Chao to Jianzhou. Upon learning that Huang Chao had turned his troops north, he urgently ordered the military governor of Liangzhe to surround and block Huang Chao.

However, Kang Chengxun overestimated the strength of Liangzhe. Huang Chao encountered almost no resistance and led his army north, successively capturing Taizhou, Mingzhou, and Yuezhou.

On the fifth day of the tenth month, Huang Chao led his troops to besiege Hangzhou. Upon learning the news, Kang Chengxun hurriedly sent troops to pursue him.

Huang Chao's faction, led by Shang Rang and Huang Kui, ambushed Kang Chengxun's vanguard at the Puyang River in Zhuji, resulting in their defeat.

Upon learning the news, Kang Chengxun could only first divide his troops to recover the three prefectures of Chuzhou, Wenzhou, and Taizhou, and then the main army marched north.

On the tenth day, Huang Chao learned that Kang Chengxun was personally leading troops to attack, so he immediately abandoned Hangzhou and went to Quzhou to break through the siege and head south, once again entering Jiangxi.

Just as Kang Chengxun was about to pursue, Li Cui's imperial edict arrived. After receiving the edict, Kang Chengxun decided to first annihilate the rebel army in western Zhejiang, recapture Suzhou and Changzhou, and then pursue Huang Chao.

Huang Chao thus retreated safely to Jiangxi, returning to Raozhou, where he had been defeated by Kang Chengxun.

"Screw rustle..."

"Damn it, Kang Chengxun has finally been shaken off."

"Haha, although we didn't get much this time, we got 20,000 sets of armor, which is the most important thing."

"That's right. With our dedicated training, we will surely defeat Kang Chengxun and seize Jiangnan in just a few months!"

Inside the government office of Poyang County, Raozhou, Huang Kui, Huang Ye, and others laughed heartily. Although Huang Chao also smiled, he knew that the situation he was facing was not optimistic.

"Alright, although our army has managed to seize armor, it is still inferior to the government army."

"You all know we need to train, but our army doesn't have enough food for three months. How can we train?"

As soon as Huang Chao finished speaking, everyone realized that they had taken too many people with them, numbering over 100,000.

These more than 100,000 people consume astronomical amounts of food and resources every day.

Before anyone could come up with a solution, Shang Rang, who had escaped death in the past and was now regarded as Huang Chao's chief strategist, also spoke up:

"General, our army is now strong and well-equipped, and we no longer need these hundreds of thousands of refugees for the time being."

"In my opinion, we should distribute money and grain and let them disperse."

"Many of them are used to looting and will certainly never be able to go back to the hard work of farming."

"When they take refuge in Jiangxi, Kang Chengxun will surely come to encircle and annihilate them, leaving them unable to pursue our army."

"What our army should do now is to select 20,000 strong and capable men from among them, train them, and then incorporate them into the army."

"At that time, you will have 30,000 armored soldiers under your command. Even if Kang Chengxun comes, he will have to be wary."

"Taking this opportunity, our army can request official positions from the court to deceive the court."

After Shang Rang finished speaking, Huang Chao's eyes flickered: "To mislead the court?"

“That’s right!” Shang Rang nodded, then explained:
"Now that the imperial court has recalled the troops from Xuanwu Town back to the Hehuai region, it is naturally because it is worried that the starving people in the Hehuai region who have suffered from the locust plague will cause trouble. Therefore, the Hehuai region must be fully prepared."

"If our army wants to force the court to grant you an official position, we must threaten the court so that it has no choice but to do so."

"I believe that our army can rest and train in Raozhou for a month, then disband the more than 100,000 refugees, advance westward along the Yangtze River, cross the river at Wuchang and head to Shannan East Road."

"Shannan East Road was attacked by certain people, and all the people fled to Hunan and Jingnan."

"The government troops in Shannan East Circuit are all guarding Guanzhong, while our army can take advantage of the situation to attack Luoyang and threaten the court to grant you the official position of Jiedushi of Tianping Army."

Shang Rang had been following Huang Chao for some time, so he naturally knew what official position Huang Chao longed for.

If Huang Chao could obtain the position of military governor of the Tianping Army, he could return home in glory.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, a look of joy flashed across Huang Chao's face.

However, faced with Shang Rang's words, he suppressed his temper and said in a deep voice, "No, we should immediately disband these refugees, and then our army will continue westward, plunder enough grain, and then train the troops in Yuanzhou for a year and a half."

“I’ve heard from those salt smugglers that Yuanzhou (Yichun) is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If our army encounters Kang Chengxun, we can retreat into Hunan and divert the disaster westward.”

"Kang Chengxun dared not pursue this time because of the military turmoil in western Zhejiang, and he was in a hurry to quell the rebellion."

"Once he enters Hunan, he will surely go to quell the rebellions in various prefectures, and by then our army will have already been trained."

"At that time, as long as our army defeats Kang Chengxun, we can seize Hunan, then head north to take Jingnan, and take Jiangnan to the east."

"Once all of the land south of the Yangtze River belongs to me, I will then lead my army northward and surely be able to capture Chang'an..."

At this moment, Huang Chao's mindset had changed; he had not forgotten the conversation he had with Chen Ying years ago.

If all you know is how to roam, then you're bound to be a bandit.

To contend for supremacy in the Central Plains, one must possess territories loyal to them.

The title of military governor of the Tianping Army is certainly tempting, but the desire to seize the entire country is even more alluring.

Of course, he dared not reveal such ambitions. After all, Liu Jilong of Guanzhong had not yet declared himself emperor, and his strength was still weak. Naturally, he could not openly declare himself king or emperor.

However, he already had this idea in his mind. He didn't believe that Liu Jilong, a mere servant, could achieve such a great career. How could his Huang family, a commoner family for generations, be inferior to a servant?

"This……"

Shang Rang saw through Huang Chao's ambition, but he was not happy. Instead, he felt that his commander seemed to be thinking too far ahead and too much.

The government troops were already suffering repeated defeats against the Han army, and now they were no match for the 30,000 government troops led by Kang Chengxun. How could they dare to have any thoughts of vying for the throne?

He dared not say these words aloud, fearing that Huang Chao would distance himself from him and that he would lose power.

Thinking of this, he could only remain silent, while Huang Chao's gaze swept over everyone before finally settling on Zhu Wen inside the yamen.

"Zhu San, tomorrow you will personally lead 5,000 infantrymen to attack Yuanzhou, while I will lead the army behind to attack Fuzhou and Hongzhou!"

"The last general takes command!"

Zhu Wen stood up, bowed, and accepted the order. Huang Chao said with satisfaction, "Today, there will be plenty of wine and meat. Except for Zhu San, I will not care if the rest of you drink yourself to death!"

"The righteous general is truly noble!!"

Huang Chao had banned alcohol for a long time, and now that the ban was finally lifted, all his generals cheered.

Zhu Wen's face was calm, displaying a composure beyond his years.

However, once the banquet began, he was still able to play drinking games and drink with Huang Kui, Huang Ye, and others until midnight when he pretended to be unable to hold his liquor and reluctantly left.

When he walked out of the Poyang government office, his second brother, Zhu Cun, had been waiting for him for a long time.

Upon seeing him emerge, Zhu Cun immediately stepped forward to help him mount his horse, and the two brothers rode towards the military camp outside the city.

"I heard that the General has sent you and me to attack Yuanzhou? That's a tough job. Why are all the tough jobs assigned to us, while his brothers and nephews are given easy tasks?"

Zhu Cun spoke with great dissatisfaction, but Zhu Wen remained silent after hearing it.

Seeing that Zhu Wen, who was usually very opinionated, remained silent for a long time, Zhu Cun became a little anxious: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I just think that General Jie is nothing special."

Zhu Wen's sudden words surprised Zhu Cun.

Seeing Zhu Cun's reaction, Zhu Wen then said, "However, the military commander is right about something."

"What?" Zhu Cun was confused, while Zhu Wen looked up at the thick, inky clouds.

"If Liu Jilong, who came from humble beginnings, could achieve great things, why can't we?!"

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The monthly pass target has been achieved, but I owe an extra chapter. I'll try to make up for it in the next day or two.

(End of this chapter)