Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 438 The Revival of the Liu Clan (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Pattering..."

In August, while the north faced a severe drought, the Lingnan region experienced continuous heavy rains, forcing various forces to temporarily suspend their wars in the face of the downpour.

The rain in Annam poured down like a celestial river, washing over both banks of the Tay Dao River, and even more so, the dilapidated city on the south bank of the Tay Dao River.

The once impregnable city of Luo is now ravaged by war.

Many of the parapets have disappeared, revealing the horse trails and gaps behind them.

The heavy rain washed away the bloodstains on the ground, and after the two mingled, they gradually formed a winding red "stream" on the horse trail.

Blood rushed down through the breach, cascading into the base of the city wall like a small waterfall.

As the blood washed away the soil, it gradually broke up, exposing the piled-up corpses of the barbarian soldiers to the air.

They lay piled upon pile of corpses, their skin whitened by the rain, while a few crows braved the downpour to land beside the heap, pecking at the still-unrotted eyeballs and making chilling swallowing noises.

Above the city gate, the characters "Jiaozhi" can still be faintly seen, but its dilapidated state makes it difficult to recognize.

Under the heavy rain, the remaining Tang soldiers huddled in the shadows of the arrow tower, their eyes numb.

In this oppressive environment, some wounded soldiers groaned softly, while others silently chewed on hard, dry flatbreads. But most simply sat there, waiting for orders to be given.

The military order was given to them by Cai Xi, the military commissioner of Annam. At this moment, Cai Xi was standing on the horse road, with a parapet in front of him and ruins behind him.

"My lord, please go back to the yamen and rest. The southern barbarians will not attack in the rain. You haven't slept for two days."

One of the officers held an umbrella for him, but the rain was too heavy, and the umbrella was already pounding and making a crackling sound. It couldn't block out much of the wind and rain, so the officer could only advise him to return to the yamen.

Despite the general's good intentions, Cai Xi remained silent and simply stood there quietly.

His fingers trembled slightly, not from the cold, but from anger.

He was furious at the sacrifice of his men, furious at his own inability to repel the barbarian army, and even more furious at being betrayed by his own allies.

He gazed angrily out of the city, where the Dali Army's tents were faintly visible through the rain, and the great banner was hung high like a peacock spreading its tail, constantly attracting Cai Xi to lead his army out of the city.

Cai Xi could easily see through such a blatant provocation, so he could only slowly close his eyes and feel the moisture being blown onto his face by the wind and rain.

It was just water vapor, but at this moment it looked like tears, and also like blood.

"How much food do we have left? How long can we last..."

"We still have enough food to last for half a month, but we've used up everything that can be burned in the city. Even the gun barrels, arrow shafts, and crossbows have been burned."

The words of Dudu saddened Cai Xi. He fell silent, feeling the sound of raindrops hitting the oil-paper umbrella, his thoughts swirling.

After a few breaths, when he opened his eyes again, his gaze had become resolute.

Sensing his change, Du Jun was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "My lord, should we... still hold out?"

"Hold on, hold on until the very last moment!"

Cai Xi's voice became strong and powerful, which also infected the surrounding generals, gradually pulling them out of the dejected atmosphere...

"Oh!"

"That scoundrel Cai Xi has obstructed my grand plan!!"

Inside the military tent of the Dali army, You Shilong slammed his fist on the table with a dark face. Outside the tent curtain, the city of Jiaozhi could be seen through the rain, and this city had become an insurmountable "mountain" for the Dali army.

Thanks to Wang Shi's ability to hold out in Annam for a few more years than in history, he had ample time to ease relations between the Tang Dynasty and the southern countries, and he also raised a considerable amount of money and silk to build the fortified cities of Jiaozhi and Luoping.

If it were just Luocheng, it would be fine, but the key issue is that Wang Shi trained 20,000 elite troops for Annam.

Even though many of these elite troops had been taken away in past wars, Cai Xi still made use of the remaining veterans to maintain the fighting capacity of the three armies as much as possible.

Their combat prowess was proven during the more than nine months of siege by Da Li's 150,000 troops.

For nine months, Cai Xi led the eight thousand elite Annamite troops he had gathered to garrison Jiaozhi and Luoping counties.

Nine months have passed, and the two counties are still in the hands of the Tang army, while the Three Stars Banner still flies in the air.

The three flags fluttering atop the city wall represented the beliefs of Cai Xi and others, but also the source of You Shilong's humiliation.

It seems that as long as the Three Stars Flag remains, You Shilong will never be able to completely occupy the entire territory of Annam.

"Susu..."

Footsteps approached in the rain, and Zhao Nuomei and Duan Zongbang entered the tent with solemn expressions.

Seeing the strange expressions on their faces, You Shilong immediately sensed something was wrong: "What happened?"

"His Majesty……"

The two knelt down one after the other to pay their respects, and then Zhao Nuomei presented a memorial to the throne.

Yu Shilong got up and stepped off the soft couch, snatched the memorial, and read its contents quickly. His face turned red at a visible speed.

"High, parallel!!"

He slammed the memorial in his hand to the ground, and the reason was quite clear.

"Your Majesty, Gao Pian has now sent troops to attack Lizhou and Rongzhou, which are under our control. With only a few Qingping officers, we are simply no match for them."

"Your Majesty, if our army does not quickly withdraw and return to the northern front, all the gains we have made over the years will be lost. Please make a decision, Your Majesty..."

Duan Zongbang and Zhao Nuomei's words kept provoking You Shilong. He thought he could easily take Annam, but he was thwarted by Cai Xi.

Although he had occupied most of Annam, he had not taken Jiaozhi and Luoping. After he withdrew his troops, Cai Xi would surely reclaim both banks of the Xidao River.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but close his eyes, tilt his head back and ponder, constantly weighing the pros and cons.

After a short while, You Shilong clenched his fist and said, "Order the army to withdraw once the rain stops..."

"Your Majesty is wise!!"

Duan Zongbang and Zhao Nuomei promptly flattered You Shilong. The reason they did not suggest that You Shilong leave troops to continue besieging Cai Xi was because Liang Zuan, a general under Gao Pian, was still stationed in Lingxi and could move south at any time.

After Liang Zuan led his army to defeat Cai Jing and forced him to commit suicide, he immediately gathered the troops in Lingxi, Guiguan, and Rongguan, and had as many as 40,000 men under his command.

Faced with this situation, leaving too few troops would be ineffective, while leaving too many would fail to provide the greatest support to the northern front.

Faced with a choice between the two, You Shilong and his men had no choice but to abandon Annam and instead select Lizhou and Rongzhou.

This is not only because Dali has devoted too much effort to Lizhou and Rongzhou, but also because of the loss of the western border of Annam. As long as Dali controls Fengzhou, he can easily invade the heart of Annam at any time.

Given this situation, Yu Shilong naturally chose to go north first and then south.

A few days later, the heavy rain gradually subsided, but since it was still the rainy season, You Shilong hurriedly led his army to break camp and retreat back to Fengzhou, and stationed 30,000 troops in the three western prefectures of Annam, namely Fengzhou, Wu'ezhou, and Fuluzhou.

With the sieges of Jiaozhi and Luoping lifted, the people, who had been eating cold food for days, rushed out of the city and cut down all the trees that could be felled.

Even if the trees are damp, they still find a way to peel off the bark to make firewood for cooking.

In the middle of the month, upon learning of Annam's withdrawal, Liang Zuan led his troops to recapture Rangzhou and Tangzhou in northeastern Annam, and sent messengers to deliver military orders, informing Cai Xi to come and take over the cities.

Naturally, some people don't understand this approach.

"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from Liang Dalang. Cai Xi has already sent troops to retake Rangzhou and Tangzhou."

"However, I don't understand why we should give up the two prefectures to Cai Xi. Although the population of the two prefectures is not large, they were captured by our army. Giving them to Cai Xi like this just doesn't feel right."

Inside the Shu Prefecture government office, Zhang Lin asked Gao Pian for the reason for his actions. Gao Pian stood with his back to him in front of the sand table, calm but with a hint of solemnity.

Before him lay a sand table depicting the current state of the world. Liu Jilong controlled nearly 30% of the land, Huang Chao controlled another 10%, and the imperial court seemed to control 60%, but Hebei controlled half of it, meaning the imperial court could only control 55% of the land.

Among these, many regional military governors outwardly complied but inwardly defied the emperor's wishes, transporting very little money and grain. As a result, although the imperial court controlled the largest population, it could only mobilize a small number of troops and civilians.

In comparison, although Liu Jilong's population was smaller than that of the imperial court, judging from the results of his attack on Jiangbei this year...

If Liu Jilong were to lead his troops south to invade, the Sanchuan region that I currently occupy would inevitably be taken over.

Even if it could inflict more casualties on the rebels, the rebels have trained so many soldiers that it's no longer a situation where a few thousand or tens of thousands of casualties would be enough to cripple them.

The situation before him seemed to offer only two options: going south or going east.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian took a deep breath and, while explaining to Zhang Lin, couldn't help but ponder where he should go from here.

"Now that the country is divided into many parts, our army occupies parts of Lingxi, Rongguan, Guiguan, Qianzhong, and Sanchuan, and its population has become too big to be controlled."

"If the court has no leverage over us, how can it feel at ease?"

"That's why I left Cai Xi of Annam behind, so that I could place a non-lethal pawn behind our army."

"The court can use Cai Xi to monitor our army, and our army can also use Cai Xi to reassure the court. It's a win-win situation."

“Cai Xi’s strength is too weak, which will inevitably make the court worry that it will not be able to restrain us. Only in this way can we ensure that Cai Xi is neither weak nor strong.”

After explaining, Gao Pian, without waiting for Zhang Lin to understand, took the initiative to give the order:
"The land of the Three Rivers is ultimately too flat. Even though the mountains to the east and the hills to the west are dense, they are still difficult to withstand the advance of the Han army."

"After much deliberation, I have decided to engage the Han army on the south bank of the Three Rivers. However, before that, to avoid our army's defeat, we must first relocate some people to Qianzhong, expand and repair the official road between Qianzhong and Lingnan Road, and set up more post stations to ensure our army's invincibility."

Gao Pian put it very tactfully, but Zhang Lin still sensed his lack of confidence.

"King Gao, our army's morale is high, and we have 90,000 troops. Unless Liu Jilong attacks with 100,000 troops, our army cannot possibly suffer a defeat!"

He blindly trusted Gao Pian, but Gao Pian had suffered too many defeats in the last campaign in Xichuan. He was confident that he could deal with Liu Jilong's subordinates, but it was a different story when it came to Liu Jilong.

Moreover, he could guess when Liu Jilong would launch his attack, which was why he felt such urgency.

"There is no need to discuss this matter further. Send someone to tell Lin Ruzhen that she, Wang Zhongren, and Lu Ruyue will first relocate the people near the Yangtze River to places such as Qianzhou, Sizhou, and Bozhou for resettlement."

"Anyone who obstructs this will be punished as a traitor!"

Gao Pian spoke coldly, and Zhang Lin, still unable to bear it, replied, "Your Majesty, this humble general..."

"Do as I say, without delay!" Gao Pian glanced at him and said earnestly:

“Brother, we don’t have much time left. Although Liu Jilong is from the north, judging from the fact that he left as soon as spring arrived this year, he is very familiar with the Three Rivers region. Therefore, he will definitely not choose to send troops in the summer or autumn.”

"Only by launching a campaign in winter and quickly capturing the prefectures south of the Yangtze River can he have a chance to return to the north and seize control of the Huai and Hedong regions."

"We have less than two months left for our army..."

Gao Pian's words made Zhang Lin understand why he was in such a hurry.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will immediately send people to relocate the people of the various prefectures in Jiangnan to Qianzhong!"

His tone was resolute, and that was exactly the kind of resolute person Gao Pian needed right now.

However, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he still took a deep breath and said, "First, gather the troops, and when the autumn harvest begins at the end of the month, take all the grain with us!"

Zhang Lin was taken aback upon hearing this and couldn't help but say, "If you take all the grain away, what about the people..."

Gao Pian's face darkened. He was well aware of the consequences of taking the people's grain away, but he also knew that once he decided to relocate the people to Qianzhong, the money and grain in his government would inevitably decrease, so he needed enough money and grain.

Moreover, with so many people under his command, it was impossible for him to relocate them all. Some would inevitably be left behind in Sanchuan. Therefore, he deliberately abandoned these people in order to increase Liu Jilong's burden by tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan.

At that time, all the money and grain in the three rivers under the Han army's control would need to be used to relieve the people, so they would naturally be unable to pursue the enemy into Qianzhong.

The terrain of Qianzhong is high and flat, so as long as many passes are set up in places like Nanzhou, Bozhou, and Qianzhou, it will be difficult for the Han army to invade Qianzhong, even with magic and catapults.

As long as the main force remains intact, I can take advantage of Liu Jilong's return to the north to advance eastward, deal with Huang Chao first, and then occupy Jiangnan.

If the north is lost, I can quickly support the court to march south to Jiangnan, rebuild Xuanye, seize Huainan, and at least strive to divide the country along the Yangtze River.

Although thinking this way might demoralize the troops, it was, in Gao Pian's view, the only viable way out.

He'd had enough of those eunuchs in the Northern Division; once the court moved south, he would definitely take action against them first.

Besides these eunuchs, the same was true of the prime ministers and ministers in the Southern Court who liked to scheme and plot.

How can we withstand Liu Mu's military might when we live in the imperial court with these swarms of insects?

Only by wielding absolute power can the Tang dynasty be continued!

With his eyes closed and breathing in, Gao Pian could already feel the pressure coming from the north, and he was releasing that pressure, trying his best to calm himself down.

But as he exhaled his stale breath, Liu Jilong in the north had already begun preparations for entering Sichuan.

"Sorry..."

"There isn't much bean paste in Sanchuan, so prepare more."

"Make sure the horse harness is ready. The draft horses don't need to be fed anything too fancy. Also, have Zhang Wu and Geng Ming collect straw from the people. If it's too late, the people will harvest it themselves to feed their livestock."

"The Ministry of Personnel is preparing to transfer at least two thousand officials to the south. In addition, students graduating from Longyou University this year, as well as primary school students of middle age and above, will be transferred to Sanchuan."

"Gao Qianli failed to defeat Zhang Wu easily this time. He must have realized the strength of our army and may very well lead the people to retreat into central Guizhou."

"But just in case, we should still send more officials."

"Yes!!"

It was also August, and Guanzhong was especially lively at this time. A procession of tens of thousands of people stretched for more than ten miles along the official road outside Chang'an. Liu Jilong rode forward while giving instructions to the people behind him.

Closely following behind him was Luo Yin, whom he had transferred to his side to temporarily serve as a sixth-rank court attendant, recording his words and actions and issuing decrees.

Luo Yin was ugly and thin, so when he followed Liu Jilong, who was handsome and over six feet tall, he looked somewhat out of place.

Even so, Liu Jilong didn't care. He valued Luo Yin's abilities, not his appearance.

Faced with Liu Jilong's frequent issuance of edicts of several hundred words, Luo Yin was always able to record these matters without missing a single detail, and rewrite the wording for Liu Jilong, delivering them perfectly to the Three Departments and Six Ministries.

In reality, many emperors did not always use "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "I") in their titles. It was not uncommon for them to use "某" (mou, meaning "someone") or "我的" (wo, meaning "myself"). There were even emperors like Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di who referred to themselves as "俺" (an, meaning "I" or "me").

However, when the emperor issued decrees orally, the court attendant and other officials responsible for recording would first write them down and then revise the wording for the emperor to make it more elegant and refined.

Liu Jilong didn't care about these things. What he needed was to quickly convey the government orders and make sure that the middle and lower-level generals could understand them clearly, so he spoke very bluntly.

After understanding Liu Jilong's personality, Luo Yin would selectively write his articles in a more straightforward or elegant style, depending on who Liu Jilong's decrees were intended for.

However, no matter how straightforward he is, Liu Jilong will basically change his self-reference to "孤" or "吾".

"Have you written it all down?"

Liu Jilong reined in his horse in front of a supply wagon and looked at Luo Yin and the officials behind him. The others wiped the sweat from their brows, unsure how to respond.

Only Luo Yin remained calm and composed, bowing respectfully: "Your Highness, rest assured, I have remembered everything."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Yin read Liu Jilong's words aloud again, while the other court attendants behind him quickly took notes.

Those who could serve as court historians naturally possessed exceptional memories; after Luo Yin reminded them once, they had memorized everything.

Liu Jilong nodded in satisfaction, then dismounted and went to the supply wagon. He lifted the oil paper covering the wagon and saw that it contained bags of grain.

Han army horse-drawn chariots were usually equipped with two horses and had two, four, six, or eight wheels to adapt to various terrains.

For flat plains, use six-wheeled or eight-wheeled carriages; for slightly rugged hilly areas, use four-wheeled carriages; and for rugged roads, use two-wheeled carriages.

As expected, these carriages will be converted to two-wheeled carriages after reaching Luogu Pass, and will only be converted to six-wheeled and eight-wheeled carriages after entering Mianzhou.

Liu Jilong used a bamboo pole to poke into the grain bag, and the grain that came out was mostly harvested in the summer and was of very good quality.

He inspected more than a dozen vehicles in succession, and after confirming that there were no problems, he looked at Luo Yin and ordered: "Send word that the convoy set off, and that the laborers' rations must not be lacking along the way."

"Yes!" Luo Yin replied respectfully, his heart moved.

Over the years, he has traveled all over the country and visited many places, but he has never seen an army as considerate of the people as the Han army.

After getting up, Luo Yin waved to the general who was following them from a distance. Soon after, a captain in charge of leading the army and escorting the supplies south appeared in front of Luo Yin.

Luo Yin instructed the man according to the military order given by Liu Jilong, and issued a military document, which Liu Jilong stamped and then handed to him.

After receiving the military dispatch, the captain immediately led 4,500 cavalry and infantry to escort 20,000 laborers and 10,000 supply wagons southward.

This is the fourth batch of supply trains heading south from Guanzhong to Sanchuan since the beginning of August, with 18,000 cavalry and infantry alone being sent to the south.

This wasn't the end of it. After Liu Jilong led Luo Yin and the others back to the Han Prince's residence, he continued to mobilize troops, the most important of which was to send the elite cavalry trained in the rear south to the Three Rivers region. Thinking of this, Liu Jilong instructed Luo Yin: "Issue the order that the two cavalry commanders, Wang Jian and Gao Huai, each take command of their respective elite cavalry to march south, station them in Chengdu, and be at the command of Commander Zhang Wu."

"Yes, sir." Luo Yin replied without hesitation, then looked at Liu Jilong and respectfully inquired:
"Your Highness, our army currently has over 27,000 elite cavalry, why are only 9,000 being sent south?"

Liu Jilong could tell that Luo Yin was just curious, so he explained, "These elite cavalry, along with the cavalry and infantry that went south before, were all used to quickly occupy the Li and Rong prefectures to prevent the southern barbarians from encroaching on our lost territory."

"I see..." Luo Yin nodded thoughtfully, and then saw Liu Jilong wave to them.

"It's noon. You should all go to the main kitchen for lunch. Don't overwork yourselves."

"Yes……"

The court attendants bowed respectfully, but one of them remained to record Liu Jilong's words and actions.

Liu Jilong didn't care about their records of him, after all, he also felt that history should be recorded correctly.

Moreover, it's hard to say whether the history recorded at this time can be truly passed down to future generations.

With that in mind, Liu Jilong calmed down and began to handle government affairs. Before long, the attendant who had gone to eat earlier returned to relieve him.

They brought Liu Jilong a food box, which was what Liu Jilong had instructed, and no one dared to disobey.

As far as he was concerned, he had eaten plenty of dry and tasteless military rations, so what was there to avoid eating in the kitchen?

When he was in Shandan, he endured for several months before he finally got to eat a bite of braised pork.

Now that he has no shortage of meat and vegetables every day, he naturally feels that he can eat however he wants.

Without a banquet, the food can't possibly be worse than before, and besides, he doesn't really support lavish meals.

Of all the habits he brought with him, not wasting food must be ingrained in his very being.

As the saying goes, "what the superiors do, the subordinates will follow." Liu Jilong's "frugal" eating habits forced officials to follow suit, no matter how unwilling they were.

For officials and generals from impoverished backgrounds, they could eat well no matter what they ate, but for those from powerful and aristocratic families, it was a different story.

In order to fit in and avoid being targeted by the Censorate, officials from the Three Provinces and Six Ministries could only eat in the main kitchen of their yamen every day.

In fact, the food served by the head chef was not bad. At least for officials and generals of a certain rank, they could still be guaranteed two kinds of meat and two kinds of vegetables every day.

In addition, pastries and tea are usually provided, which is quite nice.

However, for officials from powerful and wealthy families who are used to delicacies, the idea of ​​having to eat "simple meals" every day naturally makes them dissatisfied.

“Every day it’s either mutton, pork, chicken or duck, and I haven’t even seen donkey, beef or goose, let alone wild game. It’s really disappointing.”

"Stop talking. His Highness has eaten almost as much as we have. Don't gossip and attract the attention of the Censorate officials."

Inside the Ministry of Revenue, several officials from prominent families were eating lunch at their respective desks, venting their discontent.

Those who care might offer a few words of advice, while others simply remain indifferent, not caring about anything that doesn't concern them.

The practice of superiors setting an example for subordinates in the Han army displeased many officials from aristocratic families, but they also had to admire it.

"Although the food at this large kitchen is not great, it is still good for the body. At least in recent years, my gout has not flared up several times, which is really good."

"Arthralgia is truly a headache. I heard that after the Imperial Medical Academy changed its physicians, it was able to treat many difficult and complicated diseases, and most of them were treated with food and medicine rather than decoctions."

"It's not just about medicine and food. I've heard that the Imperial Medical Academy is compiling a book that discusses how to prevent many diseases and how to prolong life."

"Does such a booklet really exist?"

"If Your Highness can use magic arts, why can't you believe that he can prolong his life?"

Even if powerful officials look down on those officials from humble backgrounds, they have to admit that the environment is slowly improving.

Whether it's the environment of the imperial court and government offices, or the environment inside and outside Chang'an City, everything is steadily improving.

In the past, Shangguan liked to use riddles to make his subordinates guess. Those with powerful backgrounds could be ignored, but those without would be tormented and even made scapegoats.

The atmosphere in the government offices has changed dramatically. Everyone can simply complete their own duties without much infighting. The chaos in Chang'an has also become clean and safe because tens of thousands of scoundrels and thugs have been exiled.

Their salaries and military pay were not delayed, and they didn't have to bother dealing with those troublesome clerks.

If it weren't for the numerous rules and overly strict enforcement that limited their power, working under the Prince of Han wouldn't have been so bad...

Of course, those who have this idea are mainly the marginal scions of aristocratic families.

For Xiao Gou, Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and the others, this moment was truly agonizing.

In the past few days, the Han army has been constantly mobilizing troops and supplies, and sending laborers south. They can only pretend to watch calmly, but cannot do anything to stop it.

As expected, after this battle, the entire Sanchuan region will fall into Liu Jilong's hands.

Thinking of this, dozens of officials, represented by Xiao Gou and the other two, felt extremely distressed. Although they received salaries from the Han army, they were thinking about the affairs of the Tang court.

"We can't delay any longer..."

Xiao Gou's eyes flickered. After thinking for a moment, he summoned Pi Rixiu and instructed him to secretly inform Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and others that they would be meeting that night.

They remained silent throughout, but by observing each other's expressions, they could roughly guess each other's intentions.

Therefore, as night fell, Xiao Gou, Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and others appeared in the courtyard where they had last held a meeting.

The oil lamp was lit, revealing the faces of the three people in the candlelight.

Before Xiao Gou could speak, Pei Che said anxiously, "The Han army has already begun its southward march. This time, it will probably go south first and then north, first capturing the remaining prefectures and counties in the Three Rivers region, and then turning north to attack Hedong or Dongji."

"We must inform the court of this matter immediately, lest the court be unprepared and suffer a great calamity."

“Of course!” Pei Che said solemnly, “I have recorded all the money and grain that have been transferred from the warehouse in the past few days. I am just waiting to discuss it with you two before I will send the news of the transfer and expenditure of these money and grain to Dongji.”

"With this information, the imperial court will surely be better prepared."

Doulu Zhu nodded upon hearing this, then sighed and said, "It's a pity that we can't obtain the magical techniques from Longyou, otherwise the court would definitely be able to turn the tide with these techniques."

Upon hearing this, Pei Che and Xiao Gou both sighed, but then rallied their spirits and began to examine the important intelligence they possessed.

After filtering out some of the intelligence, they handed it over to Xiao Gou, who then passed it on to spies, who in turn sent it to Chang'an.

Three days later, Xiao Gou handed the intelligence to the spy, who then passed it on to Zhao Ying.

When Zhao Ying found Liu Jilong with the intelligence, Liu Jilong was already preparing to lead his army south.

"Your Highness..."

Zhao Ying entered the main hall of the Prince of Han's mansion, bowed to Liu Jilong who was sitting inside, and handed over the packaged military intelligence.

Liu Jilong took the book and looked through it, and couldn't help but chuckle, "They really investigated carefully, even noting down the smallest details."

"Unfortunately, they cannot save the court, nor can they save the world. Only you and I can save the world."

Liu Jilong packed up the intelligence report and instructed Zhao Ying, "I will lead my army south tomorrow. You stay in Chang'an and send someone to follow me."

"As for this military intelligence, it would be best to exaggerate the amount of money and supplies our army has mobilized, and at the same time add false information that our army will also attack Datong, Hezhong, Shannan East Road and Tongguan at the same time."

"The autumn harvest is about to begin. If the imperial court receives intelligence about this, it will surely conscript laborers, which will affect the harvest."

"Yes!" Zhao Ying immediately wrote down Liu Jilong's instructions upon seeing them, planning to return to his residence and send someone to revise the military intelligence before sending it to Luoyang to mislead the Tang emperor and his ministers.

With her thoughts settled, Zhao Ying looked at Liu Jilong, who had finished packing, and couldn't help but bow, saying, "Your Highness, our army now has more than 100,000 troops gathered in Sanchuan. Why do you need to take action personally?"

"In my humble opinion, Commander Zhang and Commander Geng are capable of dealing with Gao Pian; you need not go in person..."

"No!" Liu Jilong shook his head: "Gao Qianli is not a weak person. I will feel more at ease if I go there in person."

Because of Liu Jilong's appearance, Gao Pian's smooth-sailing growth was disrupted, so Gao Pian's resilience was much stronger than in history.

After the last battle in Xichuan, Liu Jilong thought that Gao Pian would be as dejected as he was in history because of his defeat by Huang Chao.

Unexpectedly, Gao Pian still had the spirit to plan a counterattack, launching a sneak attack on him while he was attacking Guanzhong.

The fact that Gao Pian was able to fight back shows that his spirits had not been broken.

Faced with such a powerful leader, Liu Jilong was still not comfortable entrusting his army of over 100,000 men to Zhang Wu and Geng Ming; he still needed to lead the troops himself.

Once Gao Pian's arrogance is broken, he will be no threat.

Seeing that his prince had made up his mind, Zhao Ying stopped trying to persuade him and respectfully left the Prince of Han's residence.

"Sorry..."

A few days later, Liu Jilong led 12,000 cavalry and infantry and 30,000 laborers south, and his departure caused undercurrents to stir throughout Chang'an.

Gao Jinda, Cui Shu, Han Zhengke and others were all on high alert, while An Pohu was also keeping a close eye on the situation in Chang'an.

At the same time, the intelligence, which had been tampered with by Liu Jilong, was also delivered to the Southern Office in Luoyang, the eastern capital, through spies.

After receiving the intelligence, Lu Yan immediately went to Ziwei City and met Li Cui in Zhenguan Hall.

However, Li Cui at this time had changed considerably compared to when the locust plague broke out two months ago.

His body has become noticeably fatter, and even without doing anything, two chins are visible under his chin.

Besides that, for some reason, his temples had turned a bit white.

It should be noted that Li Cui and Liu Jilong are the same age, but Liu Jilong is now full of vigor and vitality, while Li Cui is like rotten wood, listless and lifeless.

The fact that Li Cui could become so dejected in just two months was due not only to his own loss of morale, but also to the pressure from the people.

Since the locust plague broke out, grain prices in Donggi and Namnam provinces have skyrocketed, making it impossible for ordinary people to afford food, and many have turned to banditry.

The severe drought that followed for the next two months essentially cut off the livelihoods of the people in Henan, Hedong, and Dongji.

Since August, cannibalism has even occurred outside Luoyang, while rumors continue to circulate within the city.

"The deer running through Longshan is an auspicious sign; the Liu family will surely restore their former territory. The prophecy of Zhidao in the past has already come true; how can we not learn from past events and witness the vicissitudes of life?"

This simple 28-character rumor not only predicted the revival of the Liu family, but also explicitly stated that Emperor Li Cui would face the same situation that Emperor Gaozu of Han had when he accepted the surrender of Prince Ziying of Qin at Zhidao.

Emperor Gaozu of Han, surnamed Liu, and Emperor Taizong of Tang were often referred to as the King of Qin.

These events, coupled with the constant natural disasters of recent years, gradually made Li Cui himself become increasingly suspicious.

Seeing Lu Yan staring blankly at him, Li Cui couldn't help but say with disgust, "Does Prime Minister Lu intend to submit a memorial with his eyes?"

"Your Majesty is filled with trepidation..."

After being reminded, Lu Yan realized that he had been in a daze, and then quickly presented the information about writing a memorial to the throne.

"This is a military intelligence report written by righteous men in Chang'an. Your Majesty, please take a look..."

Upon learning that Lu Yan had brought intelligence about the Han army, Li Cui disregarded his disgust and immediately gave Tian Yun a meaningful look.

Upon seeing this, Tian Yun quickly stepped down the stairs, took the memorial, and presented it to Li Cui.

Li Cui quickly opened the door and soon learned that the Han army was launching a multi-pronged attack, attempting to annex Hedong, Hehuai, and the Three Rivers region in one fell swoop.

"Is my Great Tang Dynasty truly doomed?"

Li Cui was in a daze, but quickly shook his head and became firm again: "No! My Great Tang will not perish! The Great Tang will never perish in my hands!"

He picked up the memorial and placed it on the table, trying to remain calm, while looking at Lu Yan.

"What does Minister Lu think the imperial court should do in response to this provocation by the rebels?"

Li Cui described such a large-scale attack as provocation, which left Lu Yan speechless. However, he still forced himself to remain calm and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should immediately transfer troops from the He and Huai River regions to the eastern capital to protect Luoyang."

"In addition, orders should be given to the three key ministers, Gao Qianli, Liu Jizhi, and Wang Juesi, to do their utmost to hold back the rebel army."

Lu Yan did not offer any constructive suggestions, which caused a flash of disappointment in Li Cui's eyes.

He glanced at Tian Yun and, before Lu Yan could react, said, "Please come over, gentlemen."

"This servant obeys..." Tian Yun replied respectfully, while Lu Yan, sensing that the emperor disliked his previous answer, became uneasy.

A quarter of an hour later, Yu Cong, along with Qi Yuanshi, Qi Yuanjian, Yang Xuanjie, and Ximen Jixuan, arrived at Zhenguan Hall.

When they first arrived, they were surprised by Li Cui's change, but before they could react, Li Cui had Tian Yun tell them about the Han army's impending multi-pronged attack on the Tang Dynasty.

Compared to Lu Yan, Yu Cong was more straightforward and more concerned about the interests of the imperial court.

"Your Majesty, the rebels are attacking from four directions, with Hedong and Dongji being their most important targets."

"I believe that at present we should mobilize the towns of Lulong, Chengde, and Weibo to garrison Datong, and mobilize the towns of Zhongwu, Xuanwu, and Tianping to garrison Hezhong and Dongji."

"Furthermore, if Gao Qianli is unable to hold Sanchuan alone, he can be ordered to retreat to Zigui to garrison and assist Liu Xiang in guarding Shannan East Road."

Yu Cong quickly offered his advice, adding, "The national treasury currently holds over 700,000 coins, which can be used to mobilize troops."

Faced with Yu Cong's words, the four nobles of the Northern Division, who had already been weakened once because of Liu Jilong, immediately frowned.

“Lulong and Chengde have always been arrogant and domineering, while Weibo is weak when it is stationed. If the court wants to mobilize them, it will probably not be easy with just these money and silk.”

Qi Yuanshi spoke slowly and deliberately, and Qi Yuanjian echoed, "Moreover, whether the rebels will launch a four-pronged attack remains to be seen."

"Previously, Chang'an had also sent out military intelligence, saying that the Han army would definitely attack Datong, but the two armies were locked in a stalemate for several months, and in the end, they still didn't fight?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that we should not mobilize a large army. The troops from Shaanxi, Guo, Dongji and Shence Army are sufficient to protect Luoyang."

Upon seeing Qi Yuanshi and Qi Yuanjian express their stance, Yang Xuanjie and Ximen Jixuan bowed and clasped their hands in greeting, indicating their agreement to take sides.

Seeing the way the others were acting, Li Cui was so angry that his breathing became heavier.

If the Shence Army had even the slightest ability that these four men boasted about, he wouldn't have been driven to Luoyang by Liu Jilong.

Without these guys embezzling military funds, the imperial court could have trained at least 50,000 more soldiers. Now that the rebels have attacked, not only do they not offer any advice, but they even dare to try to fool us with the Shence Army.

Thinking of this, Li Cui really wanted to lash out and ordered the palace guards to deal with the eunuchs from the Northern Division first.

However, considering that the palace guards were all from the Northern Division, Li Cui swallowed his anger and said with a dark face, "How will we know if we don't try?"

He looked at Yu Cong, the only minister who could offer positive advice, and his tone softened.

"Prime Minister Yu, if we cannot mobilize troops from Lulong and Chengde, then what about Beidu and Dongji..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured!" Yu Cong quickly replied, glancing at the four nobles of the Northern Division and Lu Yan before continuing:
"I believe that Lu Long and Cheng De are not unaware of the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."

"Since the rebels invaded the east, all the towns have been destroyed."

“If the court loses Hedong and Dongji, the rebels can bring the war to Hebei, which is something the three towns do not want to see.”

"As long as we send eloquent people to the three towns to understand the situation, and then use money and silk to entice them, the three towns will have no reason not to send troops."

Yu Cong's words eased Li Cui's initial anxiety. He breathed a sigh of relief, then straightened his posture as much as possible, adopting the air of an emperor, and said:

"In that case, this matter will be entirely entrusted to Prime Minister Yu, and all the money and silk in the capital will be at his disposal."

"Your subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude. May you live ten thousand years..."

Yu Cong readily agreed, leaving the other five people to take on the responsibility without any sense of duty.

Li Cui was extremely disappointed with the Four Nobles of the Northern Division and Lu Yan. He looked at Tian Yun, who immediately understood and announced, "Court adjourned..."

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed and chanted a salute before leaving the Zhenguan Hall.

Watching their departing figures from Zhenguan Hall, Li Cui remained uneasy and couldn't help but ask Tian Yun:

"If the Northern Capital and the Eastern Capital are in danger, where can I go?"

"This, this..." Tian Yun clearly did not expect the emperor to ask him this. He stammered for a long time before finally saying, "Everyone is blessed with good fortune, and the Eastern Capital is as solid as a rock. There will certainly be no crisis."

Li Cui failed to get the answer she wanted, and disappointment flashed in her eyes. At the same time, the folk song couldn't help but resurface in her mind.

"The deer walking on Longshan Mountain is an auspicious sign; the Liu family will surely restore their former territory. The prophecy of Zhidao in the past has come true; how can we not learn from the vicissitudes of history?"

(End of this chapter)