Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 443 You should encourage him

"kill!!"

In mid-December of the tenth year of the Xiantong era, when Huang Chao's army swept through the sparsely defended Hehuai region, the entire country was thrown into turmoil.

Tang officials never expected that Huang Chao, a peasant, could suddenly rise up and attack the Central Plains amidst the conflict between the east and west. They could only scramble to arrange for the Tang army to defend the counties.

The only option left was to send Kang Chengxun and Gao Pian to act as saviors.

The Qianzhong region, which is far from the Central Plains, is now filled with the flames and smoke of war that rival those of the Central Plains battlefields. Thick dark clouds have blocked out the sun from reaching the entire Qianzhong region.

On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen died from their injuries. Many chieftains in Qianzhong were also aware of Gao Pian's intention in summoning them, so most of them did not obey the government's orders.

Gao Pian ordered the minor chieftains who came to Bozhou to survey the land, register the households, and pay taxes in accordance with Tang law.

For those chieftains who did not obey the government's orders, Gao Pian dispatched troops to search the mountains and valleys of the various tribes in central Guizhou and hunt them down.

Although the more than 40,000 Tang troops who retreated into Qianzhong Road were no match for the Han army, they were more than enough to deal with the various barbarian tribes in the southwest.

In half a month, Gao Pian's forces annexed more than 70 villages, established 86 townships, and resettled 250,000 people.

For example, Yiquan County (Guiyang) originally had only over 3,000 people, and the relatively flat areas within the county were occupied by various barbarian tribes.

After the Tang army searched the mountains and valleys, they settled the surrendered barbarians and Han people brought from Sanchuan in the area, and the number of registered households in Yiquan increased by more than 50,000.

Yiquan County was just a microcosm of the Qianzhong Circuit under Gao Pian's rule. Although 250,000 people who had moved there had been resettled, many more had not yet been resettled.

For this reason, Gao Pian directed Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen to vent their anger at the unruly barbarians of Qianzhong.

Under such circumstances, when the imperial decree finally reached Gao Pian after going through great hardships, Gao Pian had no choice but to quell his anger and deal with the current situation again.

"Your subject Gao Pian receives the imperial decree..."

Inside the Zunyi County government office, Gao Pian received the imperial edict from the angel, while the eunuch who served as the angel smiled with relief, cautiously urging him on:
"King Gao, the situation in the world is critical. You, along with Prefect Kang and Prefect Wang, are all trusted ministers of the sage. When will you be able to send troops to quell the bandits in Hunan and Lingdong?"

Standing behind Gao Pian, Gao Qin had never seen an angel so distraught, so he could guess how urgent the situation was for the court.

Upon hearing this, Gao Pian, who had just received the imperial decree, slowly raised his head.

In just over half a month, he seemed to have aged several years, and his voice sounded like dry wood being rubbed together.

"My generals Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen have just died in battle, and the situation in Guizhou is still unstable, so it is really inconvenient to send troops."

"However, the court is in distress, and its subjects cannot stand idly by. I urge the military governors Liang Zuan and Wang Chongren to send troops to attack Hunan and Lingdong, with an army of 40,000..."

The angel didn't care about Gao Pian's situation; he only heard what he wanted to hear.

"Excellent! I imagine that you gentlemen and His Majesty will be pleased!"

He was all smiles, a stark contrast to Gao Pian's gloomy expression.

From a political perspective, Gao Pian's two battles in Yibin and Bidao undoubtedly earned him greater trust from the imperial court, and he also preserved enough strength to occupy Hunan and Lingdong.

However, he couldn't be happy at all these days. It seemed that whenever he thought about it, he would always think of the times when he and Zhang Lin were playing and joking around in the Shence Army.

"Forty-three-year-old, the angel is tired. Take the angel down to rest."

Gao Pian couldn't help but turn and leave, instructing Gao Qin to take good care of the angel.

The angel's smile froze instantly, but Gao Qin quickly stepped forward and explained, "The magistrate Zhang who died in battle was a close friend of my father, like a brother."

"Now that my brother has just passed away, I am naturally saddened. Please forgive me, angels..."

"No problem, no problem..." Hearing Gao Qin's explanation and considering the current situation facing the court, the envoy didn't dare to put on airs and walked with Gao Qin toward the Yin Hotel with a forced smile.

Shortly after the two left, Lu Ruyue was summoned to the central hall by Gao Pian.

"King Gao..."

Lu Ruyue looked at Gao Pian, who looked somewhat haggard, and respectfully bowed.

Facing his respectful demeanor, Gao Pian sat in the main seat, his face expressionless: "How is the suppression of the various barbarians in Qianzhong going..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ruyue replied, "The various barbarians are hiding in the mountains, making them difficult to capture."

"There are more than two hundred tribes of various ethnic groups in central Guizhou. It would take decades of hard work to wipe them out."

Although the area of ​​Qianzhong Road in the Tang Dynasty was large, its agricultural technology was not as advanced as that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, so the local population was not as large as in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with only about 500,000 to 600,000 people.

These 500,000 to 600,000 indigenous people were divided into more than 200 tribes of varying sizes. Those with customs similar to those of the Han people had mostly entered into feudalism.

The areas closer to Lingxi and Dali were dominated by tribal alliances, feudal lord systems, and remnants of slavery, with varying levels of technology among the tribes.

Some could make bronze tools, while others were still using stone tools. Therefore, the Tang army could deal with them as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, as long as they could be captured.

The problem is that the Qianzhong Road area is too vast, and its terrain of nine mountains and half water makes it easy to hide.

Even though Gao Pian had hundreds of thousands of people in the Three Rivers region, it would have taken decades of hard work to completely conquer the various barbarian tribes in the provinces.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian pondered and said, "Leave 20,000 troops for you to slowly deal with these barbarians who do not submit to the king's rule. Send 20,000 troops to Wang Langjun to see if he can subdue the Dongman and bandits in Lizhou and Langzhou, and then attack into Hunan."

"Furthermore, tell Liang Zuan that there is no need to stop, and to deal with the bandits in Lingdong as quickly as possible."

"Finally, send troops to inform Xiao Ye of Jiangling Prefecture to strengthen the garrisons in Zigui and Yiling, and absolutely not allow Liu Jilong to occupy Jiangling."

"If he lacks troops, I will personally order the Forty-Third Prince to lead the navy to aid Zigui and Yiling."

Although Gao Pian was somewhat dejected, he knew he couldn't give up now.

The situation in the Tang Dynasty was already critical enough. If news of the defeat at Sanchuan and Huang Chao's invasion of the Central Plains were to spread, and if the court was unable to defeat Huang Chao, then the court's prestige would likely be completely undermined.

If various towns rise up at that time, and I cannot take control of Jiangnan in time, it will be difficult to take over Jiangnan later...

As Gao Pian pondered this, Lu Ruyue hesitated, saying, "King Gao, given the current situation, why must you..."

"Okay, back off!"

Gao Pian clearly knew what Lu Ruyue was about to say, but he was self-aware.

Gao Qin was not very capable, and Liu Jilong was powerful and strong, while Gao Qin was more than twelve years older than Liu Jilong.

If he were to plan for his own benefit, not only would it damage the reputation of the Gao clan of Bohai, but the situation of the Gao clan after his death would probably not be much better than that of the princes and nobles of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

"This humble general takes his leave..."

Seeing that Gao Pian truly had no idea, Lu Ruyue could only sigh and leave.

In the following days, the Tang army in Qianzhong began to split into two under Gao Pian's military orders.

Lu Ruyue led 20,000 Tang troops to remain in Qianzhong to suppress various barbarian tribes, while Wang Zhongren personally led 20,000 Tang troops to persuade Xiang Gui of Lizhou and Lei Man of Langzhou to surrender, and then sent troops to attack Hunan.

In addition, Liang Zuan, who was stationed in Lingxi, also left more than 10,000 troops to guard Lingxi, and led the remaining 30,000 troops to attack Lingdong.

While Gao Pian was advancing eastward, Kang Chengxun of Hongzhou left 10,000 troops to garrison the defense line between Hongzhou and Xushui, and led 40,000 troops across the Yangtze River to the north to occupy Chuzhou and Shouzhou, and then marched along the Grand Canal toward Wulao Pass to defend it.

"What did you say?!"

"Your Majesty, that old scoundrel Kang Chengxun has led his army across the Yangtze River and is currently stationed in Chuzhou and Shouzhou. Our army has launched several attacks but has been repelled. Now Kang Chengxun is dividing his forces and heading towards Luoyang!"

"In addition, Gao Pian launched a surprise attack on Shaozhou and Tanzhou. Lei Man of Langzhou and Xiang Gui of Lizhou surrendered to Gao Pian and joined him in attacking our army from both sides."

"When the officials and powerful families of Hunan and Lingdong learned that Gao Pian was leading his army, they all opened the city gates and surrendered. Our army has already lost several prefectures!"

Outside Nanyang City, Huang Chao saw that he had besieged Nanyang for nearly a month without taking it, and instead, Kang Chengxun and Gao Pian had the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on him.

Realizing the situation was turning against him, Huang Chao was understandably flustered. However, seeing all the generals in the tent looking at him, he quickly feigned composure and said:
"What is there to worry about in the gains and losses of a few border states?"

"As for the officials and local tyrants in Hunan and Lingdong who are causing trouble, I suppose they will know what to do."

"Although I am not afraid of Gao Pian, Nanyang is indeed well-defended. If we continue to stalemate with Liu Zhan, we will surely lose the initiative."

"Issue my military order: Commander Huo Cun shall lead 5,000 Hunan soldiers and 30,000 civilians to continue the siege of Nanyang City."

"The remaining troops will all follow me tomorrow to break camp, attack Ruzhou, and march into Luoyang!"

"Your subordinate obeys!!"

When Huang Chao spoke of storming Luoyang, he became uncontrollably excited, and Huang Cun, Zhu Wen, Ge Congzhou, and others in the tent rose and bowed to accept the military order.

After the military order was issued, Zhu Wen and others left the camp one after another, leaving only Huang Chao and Huang Cun behind.

Seeing Zhu Wen and his men leave, Huang Chao's expression darkened, and he looked at Huang Cun and said:
"Horse south quickly and tell my third and fourth uncles that if Gao Pian leads his troops to attack, we should immediately retreat to Hunan and hold Hunan with Shang Rang."

"If Hunan cannot be defended, then cross the river and head north to retreat into Huainan Circuit!"

"Yes!" Huang Cun had no objection after hearing this, and immediately agreed, bowing as he left the tent.

Before long, the fast horse emerged from the camp and galloped south.

At the same time, Hebei, Hedong, Henan, Huainan and Zhejiang all learned of Huang Chao's northward invasion of Luoyang, and grain prices in various places soared, making the people's burden even heavier.

In a short time, all sorts of strange and monstrous things emerged. Many bandits even dared to attack county towns with hundreds of men, while many more chose to join the army to make a living.

Wang Shu, the governor of Shangzhou, claimed that "the troops have consumed too much food, and the state treasury is empty, so he reduced the amount of money the people could use to buy grain." When the people learned of this, they were enraged and rioted, and beat Governor Wang Shu to death with sticks.

When the government troops outside the city learned of this, they sent troops to suppress the mutinous soldiers, resulting in the deaths of half of the people of Shangluo.

Upon learning of this, Husi Guang personally led 5,000 cavalry and infantry out of Lantian Pass, launched a surprise attack on Shangluo County, occupied Shangluo and Shangluo counties, and confronted the Tang army at Wuguan Pass.

On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Sitai and Li Chengyou, the generals of Tianping, swore an oath of brotherhood and raised an army to drive out Zhang Xi, the military governor of Tianping, and declared themselves acting governors.

A series of major events unfolded one after another, leaving Liu Jilong, who was in Chengdu, dazzled.

"Huang Chao knows how to seize opportunities, and fortunately our army also gained an advantage."

Inside Chengdu Prefecture, Liu Jilong praised Huang Chao lavishly and was pleased with Husi Guang's bold attack in seizing Shangluo and two other counties.

However, despite his joy, Huang Chao's attack on Luoyang did indeed disrupt his plans.

“Your Highness, Huang Chao now occupies more than ten prefectures in the He and Huai regions. If he were to conquer Ruzhou and enter Luoyang, he would be even more unstoppable.”

"In my humble opinion, even if the supplies in Guanzhong are running low, we must send troops now and seize Luoyang before Huang Chao does!"

Inside the main hall, Wang Jian took the initiative to stand up and offer suggestions to Liu Jilong, while Zhang Wu and the others were still unaware of what was going on, which shows that Wang Jian's political acumen was quite sharp.

Although Liu Jilong was not prepared to send troops to Luoyang, Huang Chao had pushed the situation to such an extent that it was no longer a question of whether he was willing or not, or whether he was prepared or not.

If Huang Chao were to actually capture Luoyang and cut off Li Cui's southward route, Li Cui would have no choice but to head north to Taiyuan, which would be detrimental to Liu Jilong's attack on Hedong.

The area east and north of the Yellow River must be leaderless, so Li Cui can only head south, not north.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong said in a deep voice, "Send an order to Gao Huai to speed up his journey back to Chengdu. He must arrive in Chengdu before the 24th!"

"Order Commander Gao Jinda to prepare money, provisions, and horses, and transfer them all to Huayin!"

"Yes!!" Upon hearing Liu Jilong's words, all the generals in the hall bowed and agreed.

"Wang Jian, Li Yangchun, Ma Yi!"

"The general is here!"

Liu Jilong looked at Wang Jian and the other two, who quickly stood up in response.

"The three of you must gather the Northern Army soldiers heading south, and the three armies will set off north at dawn on the 25th."

"Your subordinate obeys!!"

The three raised their voices in response, while Liu Jilong glanced at Zhang Wu and said, "Our army has just captured the entire Sanchuan region. The Southern Barbarians will surely take advantage of our troop redeployment to the north to launch an attack."

"If the southern barbarians invade, there is no need to restrain ourselves; we can send troops to retaliate."

"If we can recover the lost territory of Xizhou, or even capture Huichuan City, we will be credited with a great achievement!"

Zhang Wu dared not be negligent and quickly bowed: "Your Highness, rest assured, if the mere southern barbarians dare to invade, this humble general will not hesitate to drink our horses at the Yak River (Jinsha River)."

"That's excellent!" Liu Jilong was relieved to see that Zhang Wu was full of confidence and that he had noticed a lot of growth during this trip south.

He glanced at everyone in the hall, and seeing that no one raised any questions, he ordered everyone to step down and rest, waiting to break camp and head north.

Three days passed in a blur, and as the more than 30,000 Northern Army troops who had marched south embarked on their return journey north, the world became increasingly lively.

"kill!!"

"put!"

"Boom bang bang-"

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Huang Chao's Tianping Loyal and Filial Army and 30,000 Hunan troops, along with 100,000 civilian militia, launched a fierce attack on Ruzhou.

At this time, the troops stationed in Ruzhou were mainly 20,000 garrison soldiers from the Zhongwu Army and Xuanwu Army.

Seeing Huang Chao's overwhelming force, Zhou Ji, the commander of the Zhongwu Army stationed at Luyang Pass, simply abandoned Luyang Pass and fled east to Xuzhou to defend it.

After the fall of Luyang Pass, Huang Chao's army advanced with unstoppable momentum, successively capturing Lushan, Longxing, Xiangcheng, Jiaxian, Liangxian, Linru and other counties, and was less than a hundred miles away from Luoyang.

There were also 20,000 troops from Shence, Dongji, and Shanguo at places such as Yique Pass, Dagu Pass, and Xuanyuan Pass.

At this moment, the situation facing the court was precarious, and Li Cui could no longer maintain the habit of holding court meetings for only 35 minutes. Almost every court meeting lasted for more than an hour.

Even so, there was no better way to stop Huang Chao's army from marching north.

"If Your Majesty does not abandon me, I am willing to lead the Zhongwu and Xuanwu armies to fight the rebel army at Yique."

Inside the Qian Yuan Hall, seeing that none of the hundreds of officials spoke up, Zhang Yichao, even knowing the outcome, couldn't help but volunteer himself to Li Cui.

Faced with Zhang Yichao's self-recommendation, these officials, who were originally taciturn, began to discuss among themselves.

The things they were discussing were nothing more than the relationship between Zhang Yichao and Liu Jilong, and their concerns that if Zhang Yichao gained military power, it would be detrimental to the court.

Although Zhang Yichao was prepared for this, he still felt a sense of exhaustion.

If Liu Jilong had been the one leading the troops this time, he naturally wouldn't have volunteered.

But now the one leading the troops is Huang Chao, a man who used Liu Jilong's reputation to raise an army and then immediately established himself as independent.

Zhang Yichao did not believe that such a person's troops could have the same military discipline as Liu Jilong's.

Allowing such a person into Luoyang would only bring suffering to hundreds of thousands of its people; that was why he volunteered. "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops there!"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Yang Fuguang stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said:
"At present, the troops from Zhongwu, Xuanwu and other towns have gathered in Yique County, and there are still more than 12,000 elite troops."

"As long as Your Majesty allows me to act as I see fit, even if I cannot stop the Yellow Rebels, I can still buy Your Majesty time for your eastern hunt and northern tour!"

After Yang Fuguang finished speaking, Li Cui, who had been hesitant about whether to appoint Zhang Yichao, immediately became determined.

He covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and coughed a few times: "In that case, Yang Fuguang shall be appointed as the Grand Commander of the Armed Forces of the Realm, to supervise the armies of all regions and suppress the Yellow rebels."

"Your Majesty's grace will not be wasted!"

Yang Fuguang bowed respectfully and then returned to his seat.

He did not ask for military pay, which made Li Cui somewhat uneasy, and his expression was not very good.

Therefore, Li Cui specifically looked at Yu Cong and asked, "Prime Minister Yu, how much money and grain is currently available in the national treasury for use?"

"Your Majesty..." Yu Cong stepped forward, his face grim, and said, "This year, the various towns have transported very little grain. In addition, the Tianping Army is in turmoil, and Dong Chang, the general of Shijing Town, has rebelled and occupied Hangzhou. As a result, very little money and grain have been transported from various regions."

"Currently, the national treasury can only allocate less than two million in cash, silk, and grain..."

"Damn it! Cough cough..." Upon hearing that there were riots among the Taiping Army and soldiers in Hangzhou, Li Cui was so angry that he couldn't help but cough.

Seeing his coughing and weak appearance, the courtiers in the hall couldn't help but feel worried.

Although the Tang Dynasty still occupied most of the country, this part of the country seemed to be full of troubles and fragmented.

"Your Majesty, I suggest that Your Majesty take advantage of the fact that the enemy troops have not yet surrounded Wulao Pass and proceed eastward to Yangzhou."

Inside the hall, voices advising against moving the capital rang out. Everyone looked over and saw that it was Lu Xie, the Grand Counselor, giving his advice.

"Nonsense! The three passes are currently in the hands of the imperial court, and there are tens of thousands of troops in Hedong and more than one hundred thousand troops in Hebei that the imperial court can mobilize. How can there be talk of moving the capital?"

"Your Majesty, I suggest that Prince Duo of Hedong and Cui Xuan be dispatched to the capital with their troops. They will surely be able to defeat the Yellow rebels!"

"His Majesty……"

The ministers, who had been silent until now, began to rack their brains after hearing Lu Xie's suggestion to move the capital, and offered various suggestions to Li Cui, who was sitting on the Golden Platform.

Clearly, neither of them wanted to move the capital, after all, they had just gone through a relocation, and the lost wealth had not yet been recovered.

Moving the capital again now would mean that all their plans over the past year have been rendered useless.

In fact, these officials from prominent families were not as intelligent as their ancestors; most of them were able to stand out in the imperial examinations because of their family background.

They were not particularly talented, and many of them were short-sighted; otherwise, they wouldn't have bought so many fields and houses in Luoyang.

Truly intelligent people, such as the four nobles of the Northern Commandery and many important officials of the Southern Commandery, had long guessed that there would be another relocation of the capital. They just did not expect that this relocation would be forced by a group of peasants.

Although Liu Jilong came from a humble background, he was at least a legitimate military officer of the imperial court and had been appointed as the military governor of Longyou Circuit.

Although it was humiliating for the Tang Dynasty to be driven into the capital by the military governor, it wasn't the first time.

However, if a bunch of peasants were to break into the capital, that would truly be the first time since the Green Forest Army captured Chang'an at the end of the Western Han Dynasty.

Because they thought it was impossible, they never considered it, and their deployment in the south was mainly based on a pincer attack from the east and west.

Unexpectedly, Huang Chao abandoned Hunan and headed straight for Luoyang. Liu Zhan, who had confidently vowed to hold off Liu Jilong, ended up being besieged in Nanyang by Huang Chao.

Thinking of this, the faces of the officials all turned ugly, and although Lu Yan did not acquire many fields and houses, he did not want to easily abandon Luoyang.

He felt that Gao Pian and Kang Chengxun had not yet gained enough momentum, and he was hesitant to gamble on moving the capital south now.

"Your Majesty, there are still 60,000 troops in the Eastern Capital. Why worry about the enemy troops attacking Luoyang?"

Lu Yan had no choice but to step forward to stabilize the situation, and said, "The rebel troops have already followed Liu Jilong south to Sanchuan, and the so-called division of troops into multiple routes has not materialized."

"I believe that the so-called division of troops into multiple routes is a message that Liu Jilong deliberately leaked to the righteous men of Chang'an in order to mislead the court."

"Liu Jilong's original goal was Sanchuan. Now that Sanchuan has been captured, his goal has been achieved. Naturally, he will not launch another multi-pronged attack on Hedong and Hehuai."

"At present, 20,000 troops from Shaanxi and Guo can be transferred to garrison Yique Pass, Dagu Pass, and Xuanyuan Pass."

“The Wulao Pass in the east should be taken over by troops from the eastern capital.”

"Although the rebel army is said to number 300,000, only 30,000 to 50,000 are skilled warriors. Previously, we were able to win by using superior numbers to defeat the weaker enemy. Now that the imperial court is using superior numbers to defeat the weaker enemy, victory is inevitable!"

In just a few words, Lu Yan gave those who did not want to move the capital enough confidence, and they all echoed his words.

Li Cui was unable to make a decision for the time being, so he turned his attention to Yu Cong, Qi Yuanshi, Qi Yuanjian and others.

"Your Majesty, I believe the treasury is still quite full, so there is no need to panic for now."

Yu Cong's words acted like a weight, stabilizing Li Cui's wavering thoughts.

"Your Majesty, the Shence Army is brave and skilled in battle, and dealing with a few bandits is a piece of cake."

"The rebel army is like locusts; they do not cultivate the land, but rely entirely on plunder."

"As long as the imperial court holds out for more than a month, Gao Qianli and Kang Jingci will surely wipe out this band of rebels!"

At this moment, Qi Yuanshi of the Northern Division also gave his advice, which completely dispelled the slight wavering in Li Cui's heart.

"Okay...okay..."

Li Cui nodded repeatedly, praising, "If it weren't for you ministers, I'm afraid I would have already been misled by others."

"Issue an imperial decree to transfer troops from Shaanxi and Guo to garrison the three passes. I want to see how these mere bandits can breach the passes of my Great Tang!"

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Li Cui's words won over all the ministers who did not want to move the capital, but also made Lu Xie, who advised against it, hostile.

Lu Xie was furious at the sight, but dared not express it and could only follow the crowd in praising the emperor.

After Li Cui decided to defend Luoyang to the death, a fast horse quickly galloped out of Luoyang, heading east or west.

Of the 30,000 troops from Shaanxi and Guo, 20,000 were transferred to garrison the three passes south of Luoyang. At the same time, Kang Chengxun also received an urging from the emperor to quickly deal with the Huang bandits who had invaded the Central Plains.

Under Li Cui's calm leadership, Huang Chao's weak army indeed suffered a crushing defeat at Yique County.

"kill!!"

"Bang bang bang-"

Yique County, a city south of Yique Pass, has the Yi River flowing from its east side.

It was supposed to be the Lunar New Year, but what welcomed the eleventh year of the Xiantong era was not the sound of firecrackers, but the sound of shouts of battle.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, during the Spring Festival, Yique City was surrounded by a fortified area for miles around.

Huang Chao personally led the Tianping Loyal and Filial Army to supervise the battle, ordering the Hunan Army to lead 100,000 civilians to launch a strong attack on the small city of Yique, which was no more than two zhang high and three zhang thick.

However, Huang Chao's army was unable to cross this city, which did not appear to be very tall.

Yang Fuguang personally led 12,000 Zhongwu and Xuanwu soldiers to defend Yique County to the death. No matter how many militiamen there were, they still could not break through the pass.

From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the seventh day, seven days passed, and military intelligence reports kept coming from the south, which made Huang Chao furious.

"King Huang, Liang Zuan led his army to attack our army in Lingdong, and Governor Huang suffered repeated defeats."

Ge Congzhou led a fast horse to the front of the camp outside Yique City, where the horse relayed the situation in Lingnan.

Huang Chao got up, walked to the door, snatched the military intelligence report, and examined it. He then discovered that the report contained intelligence from half a month ago.

So, even if Prime Minister Huang hasn't retreated to Guangzhou yet, he's pretty much done for.

"Damn it..."

Huang Chao cursed under his breath, then looked towards Yique City to the north. He could still see his troops relentlessly attacking, but the city remained standing.

"We must capture Luoyang first. If Liu Jilong discovers this, the situation will be dire!"

Huang Chao's expression shifted between light and dark. After careful consideration, he looked at Ge Congzhou and said, "Order Zhu Wen to personally lead the Tianping Loyal and Filial Army to the front. They must take Yique City within three days!"

"This subordinate obeys!" Ge Congzhou replied without hesitation, but then added:
“Your Majesty, in fact our army can directly abandon the Yique and Yique Pass route and instead attack Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass.”

"Hmm?" Huang Chao frowned upon hearing this, then looked at him and said, "Continue."

"Yes," Ge Congzhou said, relieved that Huang Chao agreed to let him continue. He then explained:

“Yique County and Yique Pass have been difficult to attack since ancient times. On the contrary, Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass are easier to attack, and the passes are not high and there are fewer guards.”

"In my humble opinion, we can send troops to launch a strong attack on Yique Pass, and then wait for reinforcements to be sent from Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass. At that time, we can send troops to launch a surprise attack on one of the two passes. Perhaps we can achieve great merit..."

After Ge Congzhou finished speaking, he looked at Huang Chao nervously, while Huang Chao pondered.

In his view, what Ge Congzhou said was feasible, but they did not have enough troops for a surprise attack. If they wanted to launch a surprise attack, they could only transfer troops from the south.

He thought for a moment and realized that with Zhou Wei stationed in Huainan to the south, Lin Yan and his men had no chance of breaking through.

Instead of wasting troops on the eastern front, it would be better to concentrate forces and directly capture Luoyang to boost morale.

Thinking of this, Huang Chao nodded and said, "I have already thought about this matter. Go and pass on the order."

"This humble general takes his leave..."

Seeing that Huang Chao was tempted, Ge Congzhou did not continue to persuade him, but left without further persuasion.

After he left, Huang Chao looked at Ge Congzhou's back, lost in thought.

"uncle!"

Suddenly, Huang Cun's sudden appearance startled Huang Chao. He turned to look at Huang Cun, who was grinning. His face showed no change, but he couldn't help but frown inwardly.

Huang Cun was naturally aware of his self-proclaimed title of Little Huang King, but he had his own offspring.

Whether it was the eldest son who had been sent to Longyou and lost contact, or the second and third sons who were born while he was playing with women in Hunan, they were all his offspring.

That's why Huang Cun's presumptuous self-designation made him very unhappy.

But Huang Cun was his nephew after all, so he couldn't say anything. At least until he was able to stand up to Liu Jilong and his ilk, he didn't plan to clean up the internal problems in the army.

How long will our food supplies last?

Huang Chao walked into the tent, and Huang Cun followed, saying, "At least five months."

"However, news came from Lin Yan's side that their military rations are only enough for three months."

"Hmm?" Huang Chao sat down, looking at Huang Cun with a puzzled expression. Huang Cun seized the opportunity to speak:

“The places that we and the government troops used to plunder are now completely deserted, and there are very few places left for the brothers to plunder.”

"If this continues, unless we capture Luoyang, or break through Shou and Chu prefectures in Huainan and plunder the rich lands of Huainan, our army will run out of food in at most four months."

Huang Cun's words made Huang Chao's eyelids twitch twice.

He truly hadn't expected that the land he had seized would become barren. He had assumed that the imperial court would exempt the people from taxes and resettle them to cultivate the fertile land.

As a result, the imperial court did nothing, leaving them with nothing to plunder.

If things continue like this, even if they capture Luoyang, they won't last until the summer harvest.

Huang Chao felt a headache coming on, but still tried his best to make amends:

"Since Kang Chengxun has transferred troops north, there certainly won't be many troops left in Hongzhou."

"Send a message to Shang Rang, telling him and Sanlang to take advantage of the opportunity to go east from Yuanzhou into Jiangxi. It would be even better if they could capture Jiangdong!"

“Jiangdong is a prosperous region, with a population of over six million during the Kaiyuan era. It has rarely experienced war and must have had enough food.”

"At that time, our army will occupy the fertile land east of the Xiang River and Tongguan Pass and south of the Yellow River, and we will be able to fight against Liu Jilong."

When Liu Jilong was mentioned, Huang Chao belatedly lowered his voice, as he couldn't help but think of his wife and children whom he had sent to Longyou.

Did they fall into Liu Jilong's hands, or did they die on the way?
With the situation so chaotic, Huang Chao simply didn't have time to think about these things in the past few years.

Now that Luoyang was right in front of him, he felt that his great cause was about to be accomplished, and naturally he began to think about these things.

If a family member dies on the way, he will be in pain, but he can still bear it.

But if it were in Liu Jilong's hands, then he...

Huang Chao didn't know what to do. Perhaps when he got to that point, he would know what to do.

In short, the world was right in front of him, and he couldn't abandon it for the sake of a few women and children.

Thinking of this, he looked at Huang Cun with a cold gaze, which made Huang Cun's mouth go dry.

"Have Sanlang and Silang mentioned their wives to you in the past few years?"

Huang Chao spoke slowly, and Huang Cun breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head, saying, "No."

"Uncle, we are naturally at ease with the destination you have arranged. Besides, we have played around with quite a few women from noble families over the years."

“How can those aunts compare to these women…”

He laughed carefree, but Huang Chao patted him on the shoulder with great satisfaction:
“You’re right. A real man has no problem not having a wife, let alone children.”

"As long as we are alive, we have plenty of women and children."

“You should also think more long-term in the future. My family’s children are still young, and the Huang family still needs you to support it.”

Upon hearing this, Huang Cun couldn't help but let a glimmer of hope flash in his eyes, but he quickly lowered his head and said, "Uncle, please don't make fun of me. Even without me, there's still Young Master Lin..."

Huang Chao shook his head and sighed, "Although Lin Langjun is my nephew, he is surnamed Lin, not Huang, and cannot be compared to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Cun's thoughts became confused because of his words.

Before he could gather his thoughts, Huang Chao patted his shoulder again and whispered to him:

"Your children are still young, you must encourage them..."

(End of this chapter)