Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 436 Constant Natural Disasters (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Sorry..."

Time flies like an arrow; the first month of the lunar calendar seems like yesterday, but when we come to our senses, it is already late spring in the third month of the tenth year of Xiantong.

While the snow in the Western Regions has not yet melted, spring plowing has already ended in the areas south of the Qinling Mountains.

The vast rice paddies make the Shuzhou Plain lush and green, but this greenery does not belong to the people.

This place, which should be known as the Land of Abundance, is separated by the Yangtze River, resulting in significant differences in lifestyle between the north and south.

"Look carefully, everyone! If there are any more people trying to escape north, this is what will happen to you!!"

"Pfft-"

Outside Jinyuan County, when more than ten ragged people were forced onto a high platform and beheaded in front of hundreds of people, fear flashed in the eyes of the people below the platform, but also anger.

Since the Han and Tang armies divided the country along the Yangtze River, the lives of people north of the Yangtze (Minjiang) have visibly improved, while those south of the Yangtze have become even more impoverished.

Originally, it was just envy, but after Gao Pian led his troops to plunder more than 40,000 people from Jiangbei and bring them south last year, these plundered people kept spreading the Jiangbei policies, which made countless people tempted.

When someone is tempted, someone will naturally take action; and when someone takes action, someone will naturally stop them.

On the south bank of the Yangtze River, almost every day a dozen or so civilians fleeing north were caught. They were often beheaded as a warning to others.

Standing before the city gate, watching the dozen or so heads fall outside the city, Zhang Lin looked at Gao Pian in confusion: "King Gao, this can't go on. Why don't you have me arrest all those who spread rumors about Jiangbei!"

“No…” Gao Pian narrowed his eyes, but a glint of light flashed in them: “What I want is for them to spread these messages.”

"Why?" Zhang Lin asked, puzzled. In his view, these rumors greatly affected their rule over the three rivers south of the Yangtze River.

Faced with his confusion, Gao Pian turned and walked down the city wall, saying as he went, "The rebels are arresting wealthy people who have committed crimes in Jiangbei, and they are especially harsh on powerful families."

“If one person commits a crime, the entire clan will be implicated, all their fields, houses, money and silk will be confiscated, and they will be exiled to the harsh and cold lands of the Western Regions.”

"These confiscated farmlands were distributed equally among the people, who naturally supported them, while the powerful and wealthy families were naturally afraid."

"Since I brought these 40,000 people from Jiangbei to Jiangnan, rumors have spread widely. Powerful families and wealthy clans in various prefectures and counties have all donated money and silk to ask my army to hold Jiangnan."

"Tell me, is this good or bad for our army?"

Gao Pian countered with a question to Zhang Lin, who suddenly realized his mistake, but then scratched his head and said, "But the people's support for the rebels is rather troublesome..."

"The common people?" Gao Pian scoffed. "The common people are all ignorant, cowardly, and treacherous..."

“If you put a knife to their necks, they will obey.”

"What is needed to govern the world is not the common people, but the learned scholars among the powerful and wealthy families."

"Although I do not know where Liu Jilong found so many scholars, the world is so vast, and his harsh treatment of powerful families will surely lead to his downfall."

Gao Pian spoke his mind, saying that to them, the people were like crops in the fields. Although they needed to constantly handle government affairs to manage the crops, it was all for the sake of that moment of harvest each year.

Although Liu Jilong did not completely offend the powerful clans, his harsh treatment of them was evident to all. Not to mention, the Han army abolished the slave and lowly status system, directly stripping the powerful clans of their privileges as superior people.

What those in power like most is for ordinary people to serve them, while they can punish these people at will according to their own whims.

Although the legal system has been continuously improved and human rights have been continuously enhanced from the pre-Qin period to the present, resulting in the fact that the head of the household cannot arbitrarily kill servants, the status of servants is still very low.

Now that Liu Jilong has arrived, he has directly abolished the slave system and also abolished the status of the lowest social class, which naturally infringes on the interests of powerful and influential families.

For this reason, the powerful families and clans south of the Yangtze River are now extremely worried that the Han army will cross the Yangtze River and attack Jiangnan.

To protect their own interests, they were very generous to Gao Pian.

For example, last autumn harvest, according to previous years, the dozen or so prefectures in Jiangnan would at most hand over 500,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), 100,000 guan (a unit of currency), and tens of thousands of bolts of silk.

However, in order to support Gao Pian, last year's tax revenue was increased to over 700,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), over 200,000 guan (a unit of currency), and over 70,000 bolts of silk.

Gao Pian offered the Sanchuan Army an annual salary of 20 guan. With the salary and daily food expenses, it would take 2.3 million guan to maintain the army's operations.

The total value of the various tributes from Sanchuan was only a little over 700,000 strings of cash, so Gao Pian kept demanding money and grain from the imperial court.

Although Li Cui provided hundreds of thousands of strings of cash and provisions, it still could not solve the problems faced by the Sanchuan army. Therefore, Gao Pian took the initiative to attack and plunder hundreds of thousands of strings of cash from the people north of the Yangtze River and sent them south.

Even so, there was still a shortfall in funds and provisions, and in order to fill this gap, he needed to put a lot of pressure on these powerful families.

Allowing the people to spread rumors about Jiangbei was one of Gao Pian's methods, and this method was quite effective.

Since the beginning of the first month, powerful families and influential clans in various prefectures and counties have made substantial donations, amounting to 300,000 strings of cash in just three months, which has greatly alleviated the problems faced by Gao Pian.

However, this method only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause.

Gao Pian also knew that Liu Jilong was unlikely to have digested Guanzhong and Guannei so quickly, and before he had digested Guanzhong and Guannei, Liu Jilong would certainly not easily launch an attack on Hedong, Hehuai and other places.

Given this, Sanchuan, which he acquired more than half a year earlier than Guanzhong and is now gradually getting on track, has become the only place where Liu Jilong can do without worrying about logistics.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian felt the pressure increase even more.

Although he commanded 90,000 troops from the Three Rivers region, only about 60% of them were armored. The rebels had trained no fewer than 90,000 troops north of the Yangtze River, but they benefited from Liu Jilong's several victories over the government forces in the north. Therefore, the rebels certainly did not lack armor, or the armor shortage was not that great.

In this situation, he could no longer gamble everything and leave his fate to Liu Jilong's control, just like last time.

He must ensure his own invincibility before focusing his efforts on dealing with Liu Jilong.

"Is everything ready on Liang Zuan's side?"

After dismounting, Gao Pian looked at Zhang Lin and asked, to which Zhang Lin bowed and replied, "Everything is ready."

"Ten thousand troops from Dongchuan, Qianzhong and other places have been assembled in Qianzhou, ready to march south at any time with the imperial edict."

"But King Gao, the Lingxi region is vast and sparsely populated, and its strength is weak. What use would it be to us if we took this place?"

Zhang Lin was puzzled, but Gao Pian mounted his horse and explained as he did so:
"Taking Lingxi is not only to protect Annam, but also to make it easier to control Guiguan and Rongguan in the future and take over Lingdong at any time."

"Although Lingnan Road is vast and sparsely populated, if we can control Lingnan Road and then control Hunan, Jingnan and Eyue, we can at least protect the entire Jiangnan region."

Gao Pian was well aware that Liu Jilong was currently lying low, preparing to advance eastward in one fell swoop and at least take over Jiangnan or the Central Plains.

Although he had a large army, he lacked money and supplies. Now that Huang Chao was causing trouble in Hunan, his target was either Jiangnan or Shannan East Circuit.

If Huang Chao were to actually invade Shannan East Road, the supply of provisions to the three rivers would be cut off.

Without the government's funds and provisions, he would not last long.

If Huang Chao cuts off the southwest, I can take the opportunity to attack Huang Chao from the flank and continuously expand my own power.

If there is any change in the north, I can take advantage of the situation to support the court's southward advance and establish a rule across the river.

However, if we want to govern from across the river, we need to make preparations as soon as possible...

"There are many bandits along the Yangtze River. Send someone to tell Wang Lang that if he can pacify the Yangtze River bandits, he should do his best to do so."

"Yes!"

Although Gao Pian also trained a navy in Sanchuan, the number was only about two thousand, while the bandits on the Yangtze River had anywhere from several hundred to several thousand men under their command.

If he could appease the bandits along the Yangtze River, it would be of great help to him.

With that in mind, Gao Pian led Zhang Lin back to the prefectural government office.

Soon after, Liang Zuan, who had assembled troops in Qianzhou (Pengshui, Chongqing), began to march south to aid Annam on the imperial decree.

Meanwhile, Huang Chao, who was expanding wildly in Hunan, also recruited Cao Shixiong, Liu Yanzhang and others who occupied Yuezhou through Shang Rang's self-recommendation.

Huang Chao's power spanned three towns: Hunan, Lingdong, and Jiangxi. Xiao Ye, the governor of Jingnan, stated in his memorial to the court that Huang Chao controlled three towns, commanded 100,000 troops, and governed a million people.

On the fifth day of the fourth month, Huang Chao declared himself the military governor of Jiangnan West Circuit and appointed Huang Ye as the military governor of Lingnan. He ordered Huang Ye and Huang Kui to lead 10,000 armored soldiers and 40,000 new soldiers to attack Guiguan, Rongguan and Lingxi.

This is the first time in Huang Chao's several proclamations that he has made no mention of Liu Jilong or Longyou, making his attitude very clear.

"That scoundrel is so smug. If our army hadn't been holding back the main force of the government troops, could he have been so unruly in Jiangnan?!"

In May, inside the Han Prince's mansion in Chang'an, Gao Jinda held Huang Chao's proclamation delivered to Chang'an by a spy, and was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

Liu Jilong sat in the main seat, quietly sipping his tea, with many pastries laid out in front of him.

Seeing that he didn't care at all, Gao Jinda couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, if this official wasn't flying our army's banner, how could he have mustered so many troops?"

"Now that you have defeated Kang Chengxun's mere tens of thousands of troops, you are so arrogant and do not take you seriously at all."

"Why get so angry?" Liu Jilong said casually, trying to calm Gao Jinda down.

"The imperial court has already dispatched Gao Pian to lead troops south to aid Annam."

"Huang Chao was unaware of Gao Pian's prowess and actually sent troops to attack Guiguan and Rongguan."

"If Gao Pian knew this, he probably wouldn't let this opportunity to show off pass him by."

"Huang Ye and Huang Kui are not well-known, so they are obviously not capable people."

"Gao Pian is probably very happy now, because he can use the opportunity of defeating Huang Chao to place his people in Lingnan Road."

Gao Jinda was already somewhat angry, and after hearing Liu Jilong's words, he became even angrier: "What about my army?"

"Gao Pian is not a easy person to deal with. Even Zhang Sanlang suffered a loss at his hands. Now that he has gained control of Lingnan, he will probably be even more difficult to deal with."

Liu Jilong put down his teacup, nodded, and said, "They are indeed difficult to deal with, but that's all."

"Moreover, the journey from Sanchuan to Qianzhong, and then from Qianzhong into Lingnan, is a winding and difficult one."

“If Gao Pian hadn’t traveled this route before, he probably wouldn’t have thought of using the Qianzhong Road to control Lingnan.”

"Even so, if we want to use Qianzhong to control Lingnan, we must build a major road from Qianzhong to Lingnan."

"Wouldn't it be good to have Gao Pian build official roads for us and protect Lingnan for us?"

Liu Jilong smiled, and Gao Jinda finally understood his commander's intention.

Just as Liu Jilong had deliberately let Gao Pian go, so that Gao Pian could defend the southern barbarians for the Han army.

What Liu Jilong is doing now is to drive Gao Pian south, and while Gao Pian is developing, he will focus on attacking north. Once the north is stable, he will then move south to take over Gao Pian's achievements.

It must be said that Gao Pian was indeed a great talent, skilled in both military affairs and governance.

The reason why the Han army did not encounter the large-scale abandonment of rivers, canals, and dikes that occurred in Guanzhong and Guannei after occupying the Three Rivers was that Gao Pian spent a lot of effort not only building the Luocheng of Chengdu, but also clearing the previously silted-up rivers, canals, and dikes in Xichuan.

If Gao Pian continues to demonstrate this spirit in the Qianzhong and Lingnan regions, the Han army can reap considerable benefits simply by defeating him on the battlefield.

Among these, the problems in the Qianzhong Road area are the most significant.

The Qianzhong Circuit of the Tang Dynasty encompassed parts of what later became Hunan, Chongqing, Yunnan, and Guangxi, and its area was larger than that of Guizhou in later times.

However, due to the lack of development by the Han people, the Qianzhong Road has not yet shown its potential as a transportation hub in Southwest China.

According to the normal procedure, it would have taken until the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, when Zhu Di established Guizhou Province and relocated 80,000 military households and more than 400,000 people from Huguang and Jianghuai to settle in the local area. With the cooperation of ethnic minorities such as Lady Shexiang in building post roads, the potential of Guizhou as a transportation hub was finally realized.

If Gao Pian could relocate Han Chinese into Qianzhong Road at this time and expand the local post roads, it would facilitate Liu Jilong's plan to occupy Qianzhong in the future, use the official roads of Qianzhong to attack Dali, and recover Yunnan.

The Han army was generally more lenient with the people, and forcibly relocating them was a thankless and arduous task.

However, if Gao Pian were to do this, and the Han army were to rescue the people who were forcibly relocated, then the people of Qianzhong would naturally be loyal to the Han army.

As for whether the people will return to Sanchuan after the rescue, there is no need to worry.

Shang Moyan forcibly abducted people and handed them over to the Han army, settling them in the former Jiannan Six Prefectures.

Later, when the Han army entered the Three Rivers region, many people hoped to return to their original homes, but their original lands were occupied and cultivated by later immigrants.

Apart from a small number of people who were willing to give up everything and stay in their hometowns to cultivate wasteland and rebuild their lives.

Most of the other people who were relocated to the six prefectures of Jiannan settled down in the six prefectures, with a retention rate as high as 70%.

If the people of Qianzhong were like this, it would save Liu Jilong a lot of effort in developing Qianzhong.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong said to Gao Jinda, "We don't need to worry about them now. As long as we train our troops well, repair all the official roads and irrigation ditches and embankments, and reclaim millions of acres of wasteland in Guanzhong, then no force will be able to resist us."

"Yes!" Gao Jinda nodded in agreement, while Liu Jilong inquired, "What is the situation at those two shipyards in Sanchuan? How large of a boat can they build right now?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jinda paused for a moment, and after a few breaths, he said, "The shipyards in Luzhou and Yuzhou currently have 4,200 shipwrights."

"After talking with the shipwrights at Pandi Shipyard, they can now build 1,200-ton warships, 15 zhang long, which are even stronger and taller than the warships of the Jingnan Navy."

"Moreover, twelve 1,200-ton warships and twenty 800-ton warships have already been launched in the shipyard."

"However, Dongchuan was under the command of Geng Ming, who was not good at naval warfare. Therefore, he also requested that the navy be handed over to Zhang Sanlang for command."

Geng Ming's lack of greed for power was something Liu Jilong liked very much about him.

Moreover, Zhang Wu has made a living on the water since he was a child, so entrusting the naval force to him is indeed better than entrusting it to Geng Ming.

Therefore, upon hearing Gao Jinda's words, Liu Jilong replied without hesitation: "Place the navy under the jurisdiction of Xichuan, and order Zhang Sanlang to train 5,000 naval troops. We will definitely need them when we attack Shannan East Road in the future."

"Yes……"

Gao Jinda agreed, and Liu Jilong, seeing this, also said, "Let Gao Pian and Huang Chao fight each other in Lingnan first, and by the time winter comes this year, the troops in Sanchuan will be almost ready."

"Let's take this opportunity to recover the entire Sanchuan region first, and then turn our attention to Dongdu and the Hehuai region."

"Yes!" Gao Jinda replied, and then asked, "Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with the Dangxiang tribes in Henan?"

"The Dangxiang?" Liu Jilong frowned. "They've caused trouble?"

"No, it's just that it has to be dealt with eventually, doesn't it?" Gao Jinda shook his head and explained, and Liu Jilong nodded in agreement.

Li Sigong and others occupied the nomadic lands of Henan. After the Han army occupied Guanzhong, Li Sigong sent someone to deliver a letter of surrender.

It's clear that he was badly punished by Liu Jilong and doesn't believe that the Tang court can defeat Liu Jilong.

At the time, Liu Jilong was busy governing Guanzhong and had no intention of dealing with them, so he could only put the matter aside for the time being.

Now that Guanzhong and Guannei Road are on the right track, it's about time to think about how to deal with the two hundred thousand Tanguts.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong remembered something else and couldn't help but look at Gao Jinda: "Years ago, when you went to Chang'an, you were kidnapped by the Dangxiang people and imprisoned for half a year before you were able to escape."

"If you wish, it's possible right now..."

Gao Jinda shook his head, interrupting Liu Jilong, and bowed, saying, "I have long forgotten the hardships of the past. Now they are all your subjects, and it is up to you to decide how to deal with them."

Seeing that Gao Jinda had no intention of seeking revenge, Liu Jilong pondered for a moment before speaking:
“I want to relocate them to the three provinces of Shannan East, Henan, and Huainan.”

Two hundred thousand Tanguts is not a small number. If they are settled in the frontier areas and there is not enough population to assimilate them, they will definitely rebel when the dynasty's power weakens.

Therefore, it was best to relocate them to places like Henan, Huainan, and Shannan East, which had just experienced war, had become sparsely populated, and were surrounded by Han people from all sides.

However, before migrating, Liu Jilong had to select men from their tribe to prevent the Tanguts from taking advantage of his absence while he was away fighting.

“Send an order to Cao Mao, instructing him to recruit men from the various Dangxiang tribes, with one man from every two households serving as light cavalry for the three armies.”

Liu Jilong explained to Gao Jinda, who understood his commander's meaning, but still reminded him, "Such a transfer would require at least 30,000 to 40,000 men, and that would cost a lot in military pay..."

"Twelve strings of cash per person, three strings less than our regular soldiers, is sufficient. They don't need to be fully equipped with lamellar armor; a breastplate and a hard bow will suffice. Let them bring their own horses."

Although it would cost hundreds of thousands of strings of cash to support this group, the peace and stability they provided, along with tens of thousands of light cavalrymen with their own horses, made it a pretty good deal.

"What if they are unwilling?"

Gao Jinda couldn't help but ask, but Liu Jilong calmly replied, "If they're unwilling... tell Cao Mao that his Shuofang Army isn't just for show!"

"Yes……"

Gao Jinda nodded, seemingly agreeing with this approach, and Liu Jilong, seeing this, didn't continue talking about political affairs, but instead started chatting about family matters.

While they were chatting about everyday matters, several urgent reports from the south were being sent to Luoyang almost every day.

"Does this scoundrel think I can't deal with him?"

In early May, as the summer harvest began, Li Cui, inside the Zhenguan Hall, looked at the memorials reporting the fall of various regions, his eyes twitching. Before Lu Yan and the others could speak, Li Cui questioned, "Has Gao Qianli sent troops?"

"Your Majesty," Lu Yan stepped forward and bowed, "Gao Qianli sent Liang Zuan from Qianzhong with 10,000 troops south to Lingxi a month ago, but the Lingxi military governor Cai Jing blocked the way, and the army could not enter."

"Gao Qianli submitted a memorial stating that Cai Jing intended to seize control of Lingxi and act as a king, requesting the court to allow him to send troops to quell Cai Jing's rebellion."

Yu Cong's words made everyone in the hall look rather unpleasant.

In the past, even if an official like Cai Jing, who was transferred from a high-ranking post, harmed his colleagues, he would have no choice but to submit and be arrested in Chang'an with a single order from the imperial court.

Now that the imperial court has lost several western routes in succession, even officials like Cai Jing, who are transferred from other regions, no longer take the imperial court seriously.

Cai Jing still had 20,000 troops under his command. He must have won over the generals, which is why he dared to openly obstruct Liang Zuan from passing through Lingxi.

"Asshole..."

Upon learning of Cai Jing's actions, Li Cui gritted his teeth and glared at the crowd, saying, "Cai Jing has repeatedly disregarded my orders. I cannot quell my anger if he is not executed!"

"Issue an imperial edict to Gao Qianli, appointing him as the pacification commissioner of Jiannan, Shannan, Qianzhong, and Lingnan. After pacifying Cai Jing, quickly repel the invading southern barbarians and expel the Yellow rebels from the country!"

Li Cui granted Gao Pian enormous power. Yu Cong, Qi Yuanshi, and others frowned slightly and expressed their dissatisfaction, but did not speak out to dissuade him.

Ultimately, Gao Pian is the only one in the southwest who can currently launch a simultaneous attack.

Kang Chengxun in the east had been training his troops for some time, but his forces had never crossed Hongzhou to attack the rebels.

Xiao Ye held firm in Jingnan, but the army there was small and could barely defend itself, let alone launch an offensive.

Currently, only Liu Zhan, who has trained 20,000 troops in Shannan East Road, is confident. However, Liu Zhan must divide his forces by 10,000 to keep a close eye on the rebels at Lantian Pass.

Although Gao Pian suffered a defeat against Liu Jilong, he was the only general in the court to achieve victory against the rebels in a local war.

Moreover, the southern barbarians fear Gao Pian. If Gao Pian can control Lingnan, the southern barbarians will not dare to invade and will have no choice but to retreat.

As for whether Gao Pian could defeat Huang Chao, Li Cui was not confident, but he could only take a gamble.

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Lu Yan had already received Gao Pian's gift, so naturally he needed to say a few words on his behalf.

Seeing that Lu Yan supported his actions, Li Cui breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to Yu Cong: "The summer harvest has begun. How much grain and money can we expect to harvest this year? Can we ask Prime Minister Liu to recruit some more soldiers?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Cong bowed and said, "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance estimate that they should be able to collect two million coins' worth of grain, but the exact amount will only be known after the grain is transported from various towns."

"Good!" Li Cui nodded and said nothing more, but urged the Southern Court to issue an imperial edict ordering Gao Pian to send troops to Lingnan as soon as possible to drive Huang Chao out of Lingnan.

Before long, a fast horse carried the imperial edict southward, and the entire south became lively because of Kang Chengxun's defeat.

Compared to the bustling South, the North is rather quiet.

After Wang Duo mobilized troops from various regions to garrison Datong, the Han army made no further major moves except for occasionally sending out several thousand cavalry and infantry to patrol.

As time passed and his funds and provisions dwindled, Wang Duo had no choice but to send the troops from nearby towns like Hedong and Yiwu back to their home base.

After this, only the troops of Yichang, Zhaoyi and Datong remained in the Datong area, numbering no more than 15,000, with several thousand Lulong troops stationed in Huai'an ready to provide support at any time.

Wang Duo's arrangements were fine, but as time went on, it seemed that the heavens felt that the north was too peaceful and monotonous, so starting in March, the rain stopped throughout the north.

From within the Great Wall to Guanzhong Plain, from Hedong to Hebei, from Hebei to Henan...

A severe drought swept across the area north of the Qinling-Huaihe line, with only the Hexi Corridor remaining unscathed due to its proximity to snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains and its sparse population.

As the weather grew hotter, the Han army in Shengzhou ceased its attacks.

"Pooh……"

"The watermelons from Shazhou are still the sweetest."

In Taiyuan, the northern capital, Zhang Huaiding, the general of the Divine Martial Army, was sitting in his newly purchased residence, leaning against a soft couch, with two delicate women beside him.

The woman was holding a watermelon, but this watermelon was different from those of later generations; the flesh was mostly white with only a few red spots, and this was the same watermelon that Zhang Huaiding was eating.

As Zhang Huaiding ate, he spat the watermelon seeds into another woman's hand and said to Zhang Huaiquan, who was receiving the same treatment in the hall:
“Brother, in this northern capital, apart from Yang Xuanshi and Cui Xuan, you and I are the most important people.”

"Although the chaotic situation in Beiping poses no threat, the training of the Shenwu Army under our command cannot be reduced."

“Of course!” Zhang Huaiquan replied with a smile, the two brothers embracing each other, looking very happy.

The two laughed heartily, causing the tables and chairs in the hall to shake.

The woman being held by Zhang Huaiquan rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things. But when she saw the chair shaking, her face turned pale: "The earth dragon... the earth dragon has turned over!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Huaiquan and Zhang Huaiding seemed to have been choked, and the teacups on the table fell to the ground due to the tremor.

"run!!"

Without a second thought, Zhang Huaiding pushed aside the woman beside him and scrambled out.

Zhang Huaiquan was also quite fast, but the women and the guards in the hall ran even faster.

A deafening rumble of thunder echoed from afar, as if a bolt of lightning had struck nearby, causing people's ears to ring.

"Damn it, this is truly a miracle!!"

"The earth is turning over! Watch your step!"

In an instant, the long-peaceful city of Taiyuan descended into chaos, with the wooden structures of many houses creaking and rattling as they shook.

Zhang Huaiding and Zhang Huaiquan were both deathly pale. They stood on the street, unsure whether to stand or sit.

No matter how high their status, they are nothing more than insignificant ants in the face of the earth dragon's reversal.

The shaking sensation lasted intermittently for about half an incense stick's time, and only gradually subsided after a quarter of an hour.

"Damn it, it stopped?"

"It doesn't look like the earth dragon is turning over here."

Zhang Huaiding and Zhang Huaiquan discussed their ordeal after surviving the ordeal, and Zhang Huaiding immediately pointed to a Shenwu soldier and ordered, "Send men out of the city to investigate and see where the earth dragon has risen!"

"Yes!" The Shenwu Army soldier was also pale, but he had no choice but to obey orders and send men out of the city to investigate the source of the earth dragon's reversal.

The tremors were felt not only in Taiyuan, but throughout the entire Hedong and Hebei regions, and even as far away as Chang'an, Liu Jilong felt them.

When the earthquake waves arrived, Liu Jilong was handling government affairs in the Prince of Han's mansion. When he saw the ink in the inkstone shaking, he immediately ordered his men to rush out of the mansion and onto the street.

Fortunately, the seismic waves lasted for less than half an incense stick's time before they ended. After the earthquake, Liu Jilong immediately sent people to inspect the situation in Chang'an and dispatched fast horses to find out where the earthquake had occurred.

In addition to Taiyuan and Chang'an, Luoyang, which is not far from both cities, was also affected.

The difference was that Li Cui had taken aphrodisiacs and was having sex with a woman at the time.

It wasn't until Tian Yun hurriedly pulled him away from the hall that he realized the earth had turned upside down. Lu Yan and the others from the Southern Office had also narrowly escaped the earthquake waves and sent people to search for the location of the earthquake.

A few days later, news came from Hedong: an earthquake had struck Linfen County, Jinzhou, Hedong Circuit, damaging thousands of houses, killing over a thousand people, cracking fields, and causing black water to gush from the ground...

Upon hearing the news, Liu Jilong could guess without a doubt that the earthquake was at least magnitude six. Many houses in Chang'an collapsed due to the aftershocks of the earthquake, but fortunately, no civilians were injured or killed.

Just a few days after the earthquake, An Pohu hurriedly rode back to Chang'an from Huayin.

"Your Highness, are you alright?!"

An Pohu shouted as he entered the Han Prince's mansion, carrying a burlap sack in his hand.

Liu Jilong, who was governing the hall and had emerged from the shadow of the earthquake, put down his brush, rubbed his temples, and said, "I am naturally fine."

"It's good that you're alright." An Pohu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then said solemnly, "Your Highness, this humble general saw these things in Huayin."

As soon as he finished speaking, he put the bag on the ground, tied the opening up, and found it filled with countless clods of soil, on which were also covered with countless yellowish-brown insect eggs.

Liu Jilong got goosebumps looking at it and couldn't help but wave his hand and ask, "What is that?"

"Locust eggs!" As soon as An Pohu finished speaking, Liu Jilong disregarded everything else, quickly got up, squatted down, and began to examine them.

On these clods of earth, there are sometimes more than ten locust eggs in a row, and sometimes as few as seven or eight.

Looking at the locust eggs, Liu Jilong couldn't help but look at An Pohu: "The land wasn't turned over in winter? Why are there locust eggs here?"

"The land has been turned over. These are mudflats left by the Yellow River flowing ashore. After the people discovered them, they immediately went to the officials of Huayin County. The officials then found me, and I led my troops to dig them up. That's when we saw these insect eggs."

"The mudflats along the river for several miles are covered with these insect eggs!"

An Pohu spoke hurriedly, and Liu Jilong's face turned ugly after hearing it.

He didn't know why the locust eggs appeared, but he knew that if these locust eggs hatched into locusts, it would inevitably cause a locust plague no less severe than the previous one.

The most crucial point is that the location where the insect eggs were discovered is very close to Guanzhong. If a locust plague were to ravage Guanzhong, Guanzhong would inevitably be harmed.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong stood up, dusted off his hands, and instructed An Pohu, "Sit down first, and eat if you are hungry."

After he finished speaking, he sent someone to find Gao Jinda and the others. It wasn't until half an hour later, when Gao Jinda, Cui Shu, Han Zhengke, Li Pin, Li Gunshi and the others arrived, that he explained the whole story.

After he finished speaking, everyone's expression changed drastically, and he continued:
"The summer harvest has already begun, but no one knows when this locust plague will start, or if it does, where the locusts will fly to?"

"Whether it flies to Guanzhong or Sanchuan, it will be very disadvantageous for our army."

"Even though the summer harvest has begun, locusts are everywhere. If they contaminate the grain, it will be unfit for human consumption."

"You all need to think of a solution. What should we do now?"

Liu Jilong couldn't help pacing back and forth, and Gao Jinda and the others also frowned.

"How about throwing all the locust eggs from the mudflats into the Yellow River?"

“That would be feasible, but if these insect eggs are washed downstream and then hatch again, they will still turn into a locust plague.”

"Why not send people to dig up the mudflats now and burn them down?"

"Why not just burn it directly with petroleum ash..."

The group shared their opinions, and Liu Jilong asked An Pohu to write them down.

This matter occurred where Anpohu was stationed, and no one was more convenient to handle it than him personally.

Seeing that An Pohu had recorded it, Liu Jilong also instructed: "Pass on my order that all officials in the prefectures and counties send out their officers to patrol along the river. If any locust eggs are found, they must be leveled and burned. The speed must be fast."

"Yes!!"

Gao Jinda and the others bowed in agreement and left the Han Prince's Mansion one after another. After having a meal, An Pohu quickly returned to Huayin and mobilized nearly 10,000 troops to level the mudflats.

In the following days, many locust eggs were found on the mudflats along the Yellow River in various counties of Tongzhou. After receiving instructions, the county officials immediately hired people to level the mudflats and burn all the locust eggs.

By mid-May, no more locust eggs had been found in Tongzhou, but the drought was getting worse.

Although the Guanzhong Plain is crisscrossed by waterways, the lack of rain for two and a half months has caused the water level to drop considerably, which makes Liu Jilong feel somewhat uneasy.

It seems that every dynasty is plagued by some kind of disaster at the end of its reign.

From the drought that began in March to the locust eggs and earthquake in May, Liu Jilong was anxious and would occasionally lead officials to the banks of the Yellow River to check whether there were still locust eggs in the mudflats.

Although nothing was found, his hands-on approach reassured him a lot.

However, compared to him, Li Cui, who was in Luoyang at the time, was indulging in nightly revelry and had no idea that there were locust eggs on the Yellow River mudflats.

As June arrived, Li Cui, lying on the couch in the palace, still held a wine pot in his hand.

In his dream, he dreamt of his father, who blamed him for failing to protect the world.

Li Cui felt very wronged, but her nose was itchy and she could hear a lot of noise around her.

When he groggily opened his eyes, what appeared before him was a large, yellowish-brown locust.

"Uh-huh!!"

Li Cui was startled. As he swatted away the locusts, he tumbled and fell off the bed, the sounds around him becoming clearer.

"Locusts! There's a locust plague!!"

"Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!!"

The entire Zhenguan Hall was noisy inside and out. Tian Yunru, just like last time, wrapped himself in a blanket and rushed into the Zhenguan Hall, quickly closing the doors and windows.

"Your Majesty! There's a locust plague outside the palace! Please, Your Majesty, come and take shelter here with me!!"

Tian Yun immediately knelt on the ground, while Li Cui belatedly exclaimed, "A locust plague?!"

He looked around and soon spotted the locust, which was about the size of his fingertip.

In addition, there were more than a dozen locusts flying around inside the hall, and several eunuchs inside the hall were chasing and swatting at them.

The doors and windows made a series of small but frequent knocking sounds. Li Cui's face turned ashen, as if he was thinking about the last locust plague.

"Send an imperial edict to the Southern Court: swiftly eradicate the locusts and prevent them from wreaking havoc in the countryside!!"

Li Cui issued an edict as if to mend the situation after the fact, but the scale of this locust plague was no less than the last one, and the palace servants were unable to leave the Zhenguan Hall at all.

Two hours later, as the sky gradually brightened, the faint, dense sounds of impact gradually disappeared, and Tian Yun boldly pushed open the palace door.

But outside the hall, there were locusts lying all over the ground. Li Cui had never seen such a sight before. He instinctively grabbed the door and window and vomited up all the wine he had drunk the night before.

Tian Yun stayed by his side and handed over the silk at the right time.

Li Cui wiped his mouth and casually threw it on the ground. At this moment, dozens of figures appeared outside the Zhenguan Hall.

They hurried over, and upon seeing Li Cui, they stepped over the corpses of locusts to ascend the Zhenguan Hall, shouting, "May he live for ten thousand years..."

"Ten million years old?" Li Cui scoffed, pointing with a furrowed brow at the pile of locust corpses on the ground.

"I would like to ask you all, why has such a massive locust plague broken out in the Eastern Capital?!"

"This……"

Lu Yan, Yu Cong, and the others were taken aback. After exchanging bewildered glances, Lu Yan could only brace himself and say, "Your Majesty, I have already sent people out of the city to investigate. I believe we will have results soon."

"Where have the locusts flown to?" Li Cui asked with a dark face. Lu Yan didn't know how to answer, so Yu Cong quickly explained:

"Your Majesty, the soldiers report that the locust plague is heading towards Guandong..."

Upon hearing this, Li Cui felt his breathing become hot and heavy, and he couldn't help but vent.

"Kanto... Kanto again! Why not fly towards Guanzhong?!"

Faced with his question, Yu Cong and the others lowered their heads, unsure how to answer.

In an era that valued destiny, the two locust plagues that ravaged the Hebei and Huai River regions were undoubtedly a severe blow to the prestige of the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Li Cui.

Coupled with the severe drought in the north in the past two years and the earthworm's resurgence this year, there are even rumors circulating among the people that "the Li Tang dynasty is about to fall and the Liu family will be restored."

Li Cui was naturally aware of these rumors, which is why he vented his anger.

Such rumors were naturally due to the court's repeated defeats at the hands of the rebels, while the constant natural disasters seemed to indicate that Li Cui was incompetent in governing the country.

Sitting on the golden platform, Li Cui recalled the dream he had last night.

In his dream, his father said that he had failed to protect the world. Does this mean that he will lose the world?

"No! Impossible..."

Cold sweat slowly seeped from Li Cui's forehead, his fists clenched tightly, and he vehemently denied it in his heart.

"This world belongs to me, it belongs to me..."

(End of this chapter)