Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 444 The Nation is Facing Collapse (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)

"Screw rustle..."

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, while the fighting in Guandong was in full swing, Liu Jilong led the Han army into Shu, having just crossed the Bashan Mountains and entered Xingyuan Prefecture.

Xingyuan Prefecture was formerly Hanzhong. Liu Bang led his northern expedition here, and Liu Bei also proclaimed himself King of Hanzhong here. Now it is under the jurisdiction of Shannan West Circuit.

Chen Jingchong was stationed here and had managed the area very well. However, as the Han army led its troops into Xingyuan Prefecture, the Han generals who had returned from their southern expedition discovered that Xingyuan Prefecture was completely different from what it had been like when they marched south more than half a year ago.

In the first month of the lunar calendar, the people of Xingyuan Prefecture should have been tilling the fields before returning home to enjoy a moment of warmth.

But now, for some reason, many ragged people, disheveled and emaciated, have appeared on the official road.

When they saw the Han army coming along the official road, they immediately knelt down on both sides of the road.

The able-bodied remained silent, while the child was bewildered.

"Father, I'm cold..."

"Just hang in there a little longer, the officials in the government say they'll be distributing the clothes soon."

"Will they really give out clothes...?"

"Yes, yes..."

The Han soldiers who passed by looked at them with pity, but military orders were absolute, and no one dared to leave their ranks to help them. They could only suppress their reluctance and continue forward.

It wasn't until Li Yangchun, the vanguard commander, saw these starving people walking from east to west that he reined in his horse and said:
"What's going on? Where did these starving people come from within Xingyuan Prefecture?"

Li Yangchun questioned his left and right generals and the former army chief clerk, but the three of them were not very clear about the situation.

"Commander, don't worry, I'll go to the village ahead and ask the village head."

The former army commander bowed in agreement, then shook the reins and led his men toward the village not far ahead.

Li Yangchun paused in place, frowning as he looked at the people kneeling on either side of the official road.

They knelt on the ground, looking up at the Han army, their eyes filled with a hint of expectation, but mostly with fear.

Li Yangchun shook the reins and stepped forward, dismounted, and helped up a thin man who was about forty years old but was only a little over five feet tall due to malnutrition.

"Where did you come from? Did Xingyuan Prefecture suffer a disaster, or did something else happen? Why are you so hungry and cold?"

Li Yangchun, after all, graduated from Linzhou University. He had naturally studied Liu Jilong's ideological courses and knew the importance of the people to the country.

He was very polite to the people. When the man in his forties heard this, he spoke, but his words were somewhat unclear, which made Li Yangchun frown.

"Captain, they seem to be speaking the Jingchu dialect."

The left and right generals were from the western part of the mountainous region, so they could naturally distinguish between the Shu dialect and the Jingchu dialect.

Although the Tang Dynasty promoted the Central Plains dialect between Chang'an and Luoyang as the official language from the very beginning of its reign, most people still spoke with their local accents.

Even if they can speak Mandarin, their accents are so bad that their pronunciation is off-key and difficult to understand.

Are there any soldiers in the army who can speak the Jingchu dialect?

Li Yangchun relaxed his brows and asked, and upon hearing this, his left and right generals immediately dispatched fast horses to inquire at the front.

Before long, three or five Han soldiers who could speak the Jingchu dialect were brought before Li Yangchun.

Li Yangchun had them act as translators, and that's how he learned about the origins of this group of refugees.

A few days ago, seeing the chaotic situation in Shannan East Circuit, Chen Jingchong decisively sent troops from Fangzhou to attack Junzhou, which is northwest of Xiangyang.

At that time, Shannan East Circuit suffered greatly from Huang Chao's army, and many rural people fled Dengzhou and Tangzhou to Junzhou, Xiangzhou and Jiangling Prefecture in order to survive.

After Chen Jingchong recovered Junzhou, he discovered that a large number of refugees had poured into Junzhou, so he settled them in Xingyuan Prefecture.

However, due to insufficient preparation, although soup kitchens had been set up to provide them with porridge, they still lacked clothing.

How many refugees like you are there in Junzhou?

Upon hearing this, Li Yangchun inquired earnestly, and the refugee replied, as translated by a soldier:
“At least two hundred thousand people, with several thousand crossing the Han River every day and pouring into Junzhou.”

"I heard that Jiangling Prefecture and Xiangzhou are not accepting refugees, so the refugees are all fleeing to Junzhou."

Li Yangchun nodded upon hearing this, seemingly deep in thought.

At this moment, the former military commander, who had gone to the village ahead, also rode back and dismounted beside Li Yangchun, saying:
"I found out that these refugees were rescued and moved here from Junzhou by Governor Chen. The officials of Xingyuan Prefecture are currently settling them in, but there is not enough food and clothing in Nanzheng and other counties, so they can only be sent to Xixian."

What the former army commander said was roughly the same as what Li Yangchun knew.

Li Yangchun nodded after hearing this and said solemnly, "This matter must be told to His Highness immediately, otherwise, given the weather, several hundred more people will die every day of delay."

He looked at the chief clerk of the vanguard and the left and right lieutenants: "You lead the troops to continue the vanguard, I will go to see His Highness."

"Yes!" The three bowed in response. Li Yangchun did not delay and mounted his horse, galloping towards the central army.

Half an hour later, when Li Yangchun saw Liu Jilong talking with Luo Yin, Wang Jian and others from a distance, he quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness!"

When Liu Jilong saw Li Yangchun arrive, he was quite surprised. However, as Li Yangchun approached and explained the current situation in Xingyuan Prefecture, Liu Jilong immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Order all soldiers to distribute their spare old coats to the refugees at the front, and give them half of their grain."

"Yes!!"

Wang Jian, Li Yangchun, and others bowed in agreement and then went to carry out the military orders given by Liu Jilong.

After they left, Luo Yin rode forward and respectfully addressed Liu Jilong:

"Your Highness, I have a suggestion, but I don't know if I should say it."

"Speak," Liu Jilong said. He knew that Luo Yin had suffered discrimination since childhood, so he was somewhat cautious in his actions. He didn't say much else, but just listened quietly to his next suggestion.

Seeing that Liu Jilong agreed, Luo Yin was somewhat pleased, and then he continued:

"Your Highness, I believe you should not attack Luoyang too quickly, and you could even allow Huang Chao's army to enter Luoyang."

Liu Jilong frowned slightly after hearing this and explained, "I have thought about that as well, but if we leave it unattended, the hundreds of thousands of people in Heluo will be hard to protect, and the chaos in Hehuai will intensify, causing people to be displaced and the population to decline sharply."

As for Liu Jilong, he was naturally happy to see Huang Chao attack Luoyang and eliminate all the officials there, which would save him the trouble of dealing with them.

However, if Huang Chao were allowed to enter Luoyang, the prestige of the Tang court would be completely destroyed, and various towns would inevitably begin to fight for their own territory, leading to the rise of numerous warlords.

In the end, only the people of Hedong, Hebei, and Hehuai will suffer, and these people will all become Liu Jilong's people and subjects of the new dynasty.

Only a large enough population can realize his ambitions, so letting the population be slaughtered is neither what he wants to do nor what he should do.

Luo Yin was taken aback for a moment because he hadn't expected that his prince not only respected the people on the surface, but also valued them from the bottom of his heart.

But it was only for a moment, because after a short while, Luo Yin continued:

"Your Highness values ​​the people so much, you are truly worthy of being the ruler of the world."

"But Your Highness, have you forgotten that the common people also have legs, and they also know how to seek advantage and avoid harm?"

"If there is chaos in the Central Plains, the people will naturally seek safe places, just like the people of Shannan East Circuit are constantly pouring into Junzhou and joining Your Highness's ranks."

"I do not advise Your Highness to attack Luoyang now, but that does not mean I forbid Your Highness from accepting the people."

"On the contrary, I believe that Your Highness should send a general to reclaim the government-owned territories that have not been occupied by the rebels."

“The bandit army is good at moving around and relies entirely on plundering for its food, so it cannot stay in one place for long.”

"Your Highness could send a fast horse to Chang'an at this time and have Commander Gao and his men release some information about Your Highness's anxiety for the Emperor, in order to ease the tension between Your Highness and the court."

"If the court finds out, and given the current enemy forces' incursion into the capital, they will surely use this as a pretext to back down. In that case, Your Highness will no longer be seen as a rebel by the court, but as the Prince of Han who controls all the provinces."

"If the rebel army attacks Luoyang, Your Highness, you can decide whether to rescue Luoyang or push the court to the south of the Yangtze River depending on the situation."

"At that time, we will send generals to occupy various places in Shannan East Road. Shannan East Road is suffering from the chaos caused by the bandit army and the government army. When the people see our army entering the country, they will surely welcome us with food and drink."

Luo Yin briefly shared his suggestion with Liu Jilong, but Liu Jilong felt it was somewhat unreliable.

He frowned slightly, looking at Luo Yin with some hesitation: "Would the imperial court accept me so easily?"

Although Liu Jilong had considered taking advantage of the conflict between the Northern and Southern Offices during the Tang Dynasty's decline to use the emperor to command the disobedient, doing so would take too long and could easily lead to problems.

But if we follow Luo Yin's suggestion now, we can save a lot of time.

However, he was still somewhat worried that Emperor Li Cui, with his narrow mind, might not agree to his control over the various circuits.

Although the Tang Dynasty was about to fall soon, the reputation of the Li Tang Dynasty over the past two hundred years, especially the reputation accumulated by Emperor Taizong, was indeed very useful.

Historically, Li Keyong clearly rebelled against the Tang Dynasty, yet he was still regarded as a loyal subject of the Tang Dynasty because the Tang Dynasty itself cleared his name as a rebel. Liu Jilong also needed this clearing, so he did not go to extremes like Li Keyong from the beginning, and always left room for the Tang Dynasty.

However, Li Cui was too proud to admit his mistake and refused the way out offered by the emperor several times, which forced him to wage war to expand his territory, causing the prestige of the Tang Dynasty to plummet.

Originally, Liu Jilong only wanted to occupy Sanchuan and Guannei Road, and had no intention of occupying the capital region.

Now, not only do we have the capital region under our control, but we also have some prefectures and counties in Sannamdong Province.

The expansion was too rapid, forcing Liu Jilong to re-employ some former Tang officials, and even though he knew they were playing tricks, he could only turn a blind eye.

Ultimately, the problem stemmed from expanding too rapidly, resulting in a shortage of their own personnel, forcing them to rely on others.

Since we're using other people's people, we'll inevitably have to compromise on some things.

Compromise is what Liu Jilong dislikes most, but politics requires compromise.

If he could use this opportunity to clear his name as a loyal subject of the Tang Dynasty, it would make his plan to end the separatist rule of the Hedong and Hebei warlords much smoother.

However, Liu Jilong was still worried about Li Cui, that guy who was so concerned about saving face.

In response, Luo Yin chuckled and bowed, saying, "Why should Your Highness worry?"

"The current situation is no longer something that the Supreme Being can control."

As soon as Luo Yin finished speaking, before Liu Jilong could ask, he took the initiative to say:
"If Your Highness reconciles with the court, then our army will be no different from the three towns of Hebei. We can take this opportunity to properly govern the Guannei, the capital region, and the Three Rivers region."

“Once the various regions are properly governed, sending troops eastward will be far more effective than sending them eastward now.”

"If the imperial court can reconcile with our army, the various garrisons will not dare to rebel. Even if they establish their own independent regimes, they will still need to respect the emperor on the surface, so as not to repeat the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Warring States period."

"Moreover, if any regional warlords rebel, you can request permission to quell their rebellion. Even if the court is unwilling, it will have no choice but to rely on you. You can also gradually expand your territory, which is more secure than swallowing everything whole."

Luo Yin's words truly moved Liu Jilong.

He wanted more than just to bring peace to the world; he wanted to completely change the lives of ordinary people who had no chance to rise above their circumstances.

He wanted to sweep away all things like powerful families, influential clans, and the patronage and recommendations of scholar-officials into the dustbin of history.

Therefore, he could not conquer the world too quickly, nor could he be too slow.

If the war is fought too quickly, many problems left over from the mid-Tang Dynasty will remain unresolved, and in the end, it will just be a larger version of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Thinking back carefully, I realized that when I was in Chengdu, I was indeed a little flustered because Huang Chao disrupted my plans. But now that I think about it, Huang Chao's invasion of Luoyang was actually beneficial to me.

Thinking this, he looked at Luo Yin and praised him, "You do understand the court."

"It is not that I understand the court, but that I understand the powerful and influential families in the Southern and Northern Offices."

Luo Yin respectfully responded to Liu Jilong, who nodded and said, "In your opinion, I don't need to concern myself with the war in Guandong at the moment?"

“It’s not that I’m ignoring it.” Luo Yin shook his head and explained, “Opportunities are fleeting, but I believe Your Highness will be able to seize them.”

As soon as he said that, Liu Jilong understood the opportunity he was referring to.

If Huang Chao were to capture Luoyang, a power vacuum would emerge in the Hehuai and Shannan East Circuits, regardless of where Li Cui fled.

That would be the time when he could force the Tang court to back down, take the opportunity to expand his own power, and clear his name.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong nodded slightly: "I understand."

Before Luo Yin could speak, he ordered him, "Order the army to march forty li each day."

"Yes..." Luo Yin replied, knowing in his heart that his lord had adopted his suggestion.

Previously, the Han army marched 60 li per day, but now it has been reduced to 40 li, which shows that Liu Jilong is no longer in a hurry for Huang Chao to attack Luoyang.

Luo Yin breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that he didn't have many opportunities to offer advice, and if he failed, it would be difficult for him to bring glory to his family in this lifetime.

Fortunately, his first suggestion was successful, and as long as he comes up with another ingenious plan in the future, he will surely be able to squeeze into the Han army's command tent...

Luo Yin fell silent, but Liu Jilong continued to urge his horse forward.

As he approached Nanzheng County, the figures of the refugees along the official road gradually came into view.

Each group of soldiers was led by a squad leader, who took out their spare, worn-out battle coats and threw them to the ragged and thinly dressed civilians.

Liu Jilong observed that these people were about five feet two or three inches tall, but each person probably weighed less than eighty or ninety pounds. They were so thin that it seemed he could break their bones with a little effort.

The child's limbs were extremely thin, almost like a layer of skin covering bones, but his belly was bloated. He either ate clay and tree bark that he couldn't digest, or he had a parasitic disease.

"Leave two regiments of soldiers behind, have military doctors treat them, and get medicine from the Huimin Pharmacy in Xingyuan Prefecture!"

Liu Jilong looked at Luo Yin, not forgetting to give him instructions.

Luo Yin quickly wrote it down and sent someone to inform Wang Jian, Li Yangchun, Ma Yi, Gao Huai, and others.

As the procession moved forward, more and more people appeared ahead of them. By the time they reached Nanzheng, tens of thousands of ragged people were already living in tents outside the city, looking at them expectantly.

The spare coats for battle have been distributed to the last people, but there are still many people without anything to keep warm.

Liu Jilong walked up to the city wall of Nanzheng County, and the officials of Xingyuan Prefecture also rushed over.

He leaned against the parapet and looked down at the tens of thousands of refugees outside the city. He saw that they were now wearing the tattered battle coats of the Han army and had received some flatbread and military rations.

"How did Chen Jingchong arrange for these refugees?"

Liu Jilong asked without turning his head. The officials of Xingyuan Prefecture looked at each other, and finally one of them bowed and said:

"Your Highness, Governor Chen's original intention was to relocate them to Xingyuan Prefecture, gather them into villages, and hand over all the uncultivated slopes and wastelands in Xingyuan Prefecture to them for cultivation. The government would provide them with money and grain to support them until they could become self-reliant."

"However, eighty percent of the money and grain in Xingyuan Prefecture were transported to Chang'an. Now, Xingyuan Prefecture only has more than 200,000 shi of money and grain."

"Of these, 150,000 shi were military rations, but only about 86,000 shi could be allocated to these migrants."

After the official finished speaking, Liu Jilong asked again, "Were all the migrations registered and recorded?"

“It has already been registered, but due to the war in Guandong, people are being sent to Xingyuan Prefecture every day, and the number is increasing every day.”

"The documents sent to Xingyuan Prefecture now indicate that there are more than 56,000 households and more than 274,000 people who have been relocated."

The official replied respectfully, thus proving that he had not neglected his duties.

After all, using 86,000 shi of grain to temporarily feed these 270,000 people would only average out to each person three or four dou of rice.

This amount of grain can only feed them for a little over a month at most; in the end, they will still have to rely on Chang'an to distribute grain.

In response, Liu Jilong felt that he should perhaps change his "fiscal repatriation and retention" system.

Local government taxes were allocated as follows: 80% was transported out and 20% was retained. This system was established during the Longyou period.

Although Longyou was a large area at the time, there was surplus grain in various places, so the 20% reserve was enough for the daily expenses of the government.

The situation has changed. His territory has expanded, and the natural and man-made disasters faced by different regions are different, requiring different amounts of money and supplies. It needs to be adjusted accordingly.

However, the matter of preservation and transportation must be handled with care; otherwise, it could become a second Ming Dynasty.

Many of the systems in the Ming Dynasty were good, but the fiscal system undoubtedly had many problems.

The biggest problem with the fiscal system was that Zhu Yuanzhang required local governments to meet local needs first before transporting supplies, which gave local governments a lot of room for maneuver.

Whether for individuals or government departments, what constitutes meeting their needs?

People will never think they have too much money, and the same goes for government offices.

It's easy for them to get the money in their hands, but difficult to get it out again.

Although Ming Dynasty officials appeared poor, many of their personal expenses were actually accounted for by the county government. In fact, a sum of money called "regular silver" was even set aside to support the official's expenses.

Hai Rui once wrote that Chun'an, a poor county, was able to embezzle more than 2,700 taels of regular silver from its officials every year.

If, during the Ming Dynasty, there were more than 1,400 counties, and each county misappropriated more than 2,000 taels of regular silver, that is, more than 3 million taels of tax revenue was misappropriated by officials, and it was all done legally.

This is exploiting loopholes in the system, which is why Liu Jilong rarely left a lot of money and grain for the prefectural and county governments; he usually only left about 20% and would allocate more in case of emergencies.

However, now that the territory has expanded, the ratio needs to be adjusted. Temporarily adjusting it to 70% for shipment and 30% for retention is a better approach.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at Luo Yin and said, "In the future, all prefectures and counties will reduce the amount of goods transported to 70% and retain 30%."

"Yes!" Luo Yin replied. Liu Jilong then looked at the officials of Xingyuan Prefecture: "Is there any coarse cloth in the prefecture that has not yet been shipped?"

"Your Highness, there are 17,200 horses," the chief clerk of Xingyuan Prefecture stepped forward and bowed in response.

"Distribute them all to the people outside the city, and distribute all the coal they have as well," Liu Jilong said before walking down the city wall, leaving the officials looking at each other in bewilderment.

Luo Yin followed in his footsteps, and soon they arrived at the government office of Xingyuan Prefecture.

Shortly after they returned to the government office to rest, the city gates of Nanzheng were opened, and bolts of coarse cloth, bundles of straw to keep warm, and even a lot of coal were distributed to the people outside the city.

In order not to disappoint Liu Jilong, the officials of Xingyuan Prefecture ordered more grain to be transported out, and each person was given two catties of grain.

"Father, the government really issued us a bolt of cloth!"

"And coal and grain!"

Several children who had received cloth and food chatted happily. Even though their clothes were tattered, they were now in good spirits and no longer as listless as before.

"The King of Han is still the best..."

Looking at these children, the local people who received the gifts couldn't help but sigh, their voices trembling with emotion.

Since the rise of numerous bandits during the Great Zhong Dynasty, they have swept through the land like combs and soldiers like fine brushes. Even when there were no bandits or soldiers, there were still clerks from the government offices who came to extort money from people.

If they couldn't pay the extorted money and grain, their houses would be torn down and their sheds burned.

Now that they have entered the Han army's territory, even though the court calls them vicious traitors, these people have truly shown them what a real official and a real clerk are.

Whether the King of Han is good or not is not up to the imperial court; only the heavy loads of cloth and grain in their hands can determine his worth.

In any case, under the rule of the imperial court, they did not gain anything from the court, only lose something.

"Damn it! The King of Han has taken me in, and I will definitely repay him by farming hard and paying my taxes properly!"

"Me too!"

"I'm the same..."

With just a few bolts of cloth and a few thousand bushels of grain, Liu Jilong won the hearts of tens of thousands of people.

It wasn't that he was particularly brilliant or powerful; it was just that compared to the Tang court and the various military governors at that time, he was still considered a decent person.

Indeed, this was the case, simply because while he was distributing grain and supplies to the refugees, the court was thinking about the grain in the hands of the common people.

"Sing……"

"Living for tens of millions of years..."

Inside the Qianyuan Hall in Luoyang, as the officials gathered, Li Cui, sitting on the golden platform, looked sallow and unhealthy.

"Your Majesty, this morning the rebel army divided its forces to attack Yique Pass. Yique Pass is in danger, and we have no choice but to transfer troops from Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass."

The court assembly had just begun when Qi Yuanshi, as the Privy Councilor, took the initiative to speak, simply because Yang Xuanji was in charge of the defense of Yique Pass.

Despite Yang Xuanji's numerous defeats, he was still a member of the Northern Commandery, so Qi Yuanshi could only transfer troops from Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass to assist in the defense of Yique Pass.

But as soon as he spoke, a murmur arose in the hall, forcing the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to shout, "Silence!!"

The noise in the hall suddenly stopped, but the officials in the hall were filled with dissatisfaction with Qi Yuanshi's unauthorized mobilization of troops from Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass.

Even Li Cui couldn't help but complain, "Yique Pass has 10,000 soldiers, why are we drawing troops from Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass?"

"Your Majesty, the enemy's offensive is fierce. Only by diverting other troops can we defend Yique Pass!"

Qi Yuanshi raised his voice in response, which made Li Cui frown.

He had already figured out the true nature of the Northern Division. Now all the towns in the world knew what kind of people the Northern Division was, so he was too lazy to cover it up for them.

He had long since replaced the palace guards with troops from the Eastern Capital, and he was no longer worried about the Northern Division plotting against him.

Qi Yuanshi should know all this, so why is he so angry today?

Li Cui was pondering when Qi Yuanjian stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty, the three passes are consuming over a thousand shi of grain daily, and the soldiers are in dire need of meat. Meanwhile, the people of Luoyang are hoarding grain and refusing to sell it. Even if the court has money and silk, it will be difficult to buy grain.”

"Your Majesty, I request permission to issue an edict forbidding the people of Luoyang from hoarding grain, so that the army may be properly rewarded..."

Qi Yuanjian's words caused many officials in the imperial court to frown, because they knew who was really hoarding grain in Luoyang.

It is none other than the high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

Compared to the grain held by the more than 200,000 people in Luoyang, the grain hidden in the hands of these high-ranking officials was truly enormous.

However, no one dared to stand up and expose the matter, and the government troops did need food, so they all tacitly accepted the act of seizing food from the people.

Although Li Cui was not entirely clear about the details, he knew that in order to defend Luoyang, he had to meet the army's needs.

Therefore, when faced with Qi Yuanjian's request, he glanced around the hall and, seeing no officials stepping forward, nodded helplessly and said, "Let the Southern Office handle this matter."

"Your subject obeys the decree..." The officials of the Southern Court bowed and saluted. Seeing that the situation was turning in their favor, Qi Yuanshi and Qi Yuanjian immediately returned to their seats.

Seeing them retreat, Lu Yan stepped forward to claim credit, saying, "Your Majesty, Kang Jingci's troops have now arrived in Songzhou and will reach Wulao Pass in ten days at the latest."

"Great!" Li Cui was invigorated by the rare good news.

He had hoped to see if there was any more good news, but to his disappointment, all the ministers lowered their heads after Lu Yan finished the conversation.

Seeing that they remained unmoved, Li Cui immediately stood up, and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, with a keen eye, announced, "Withdraw..."

"Living to be tens of millions of years old!"

The officials bowed and saluted, waiting quietly for Li Cui to leave before withdrawing from court according to their assigned ranks.

As the court adjourned, the Shence Army and the Eastern Capital troops in Luoyang began breaking down doors and houses, coercing and luring the people to seize their grain.

In an instant, gates were broken down and cries of agony echoed throughout Luoyang City as cartloads of grain were loaded onto trucks, while the so-called purchase of grain was nonexistent.

The money for the grain was pocketed by the generals, while the grain was transported to Yique Pass by cartload.

Yique Pass, which is only about 20 miles away from Luoyang, soon saw carts of grain and cattle and sheep.

"Damn it, my mouth is so bland it's practically boiling over! Let's slaughter the cattle and sheep and feed the brothers in the army!"

Li Changfu, who was assisting Yang Xuanji in guarding Yique Pass, walked out of the city tower, looked at the cattle and sheep being transported into the pass, and gave orders while cursing.

The so-called attack on Yique Pass was something that happened yesterday.

For some reason, the rebel army outside the city was unusually quiet today, a quietness that made Yang Xuanji uneasy.

For this reason, he would look towards the area outside the pass from time to time, while walking towards Li Changfu.

Because he wasn't looking where he was going, he bumped into Li Changfu from behind. Li Changfu was about to curse, but when he saw that it was him, he quickly smiled apologetically and said, "I hope I didn't hurt the supervisor."

"What are you saying, Commander Li..." Yang Xuanji was also quite embarrassed, so he asked:
"Why are the rebel troops outside the city so quiet? Are they planning their next attack?"

Li Changfu also wanted to know the question Yang Xuanji asked, but he had not had much dealings with Huang Chao, so he could only lead Yang Xuanji behind the parapet and lean against it to look out over the pass.

On the plain in front of Yique Pass, Huang Chao's troops were encamped for several miles, with banners fluttering in the wind, but there was no commotion inside the camp.

Li Changfu didn't understand what Huang Chao was up to, but in order to show off, he pretended to know and said, "Supervisor, these bandits rely entirely on plunder for their provisions, and now they probably have no provisions left, which is why they are so quiet."

"We only need to hold out for a few days, and we will see them turn to plunder elsewhere because they have no food."

"I see." Yang Xuanji suddenly realized that although he had fought many battles in name, in reality, it was Yang Gongqing or Yang Fugong who were fighting, while he was only responsible for retreating.

He proved to be right. At least for now, Yang Gongqing was captured by the Han army, and Yang Fugong was distrusted because he had been captured before. Only his position remained stable.

All of this was due to his keen insight and extraordinary results.

Unfortunately, Luoyang is right behind Yique Pass, so he can neither withdraw his troops nor advance further this time.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look outside the city, as if trying to see what Huang Chao, who called himself "King Huang," was doing.

As he gazed into the distance, he was unaware that Huang Chao was also gazing at Yique Pass.

"This Yique Pass is truly fortified. If we were to launch a direct assault, many people would likely die."

Standing before his tent, Huang Chao, hands on his hips, gazed northwards at the Yique Pass, marveling at its formidable defenses.

Zhu Wen, Ge Congzhou, and others stood behind him, while Huang Cun stood beside him.

Seeing Huang Chao speak, Huang Cun also took the opportunity to report: "Uncle, Lin Yan's troops have already withdrawn to Tangzhou, and they will be able to enter Ruzhou territory in four days at the latest."

"Hmm!" Huang Chao nodded, then looked at Zhu Wen, Ge Congzhou and others behind him.

"That old scoundrel Liu Zhan, and that eunuch Yang Fuguang, won't they surrender?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty," Zhu Wen bowed and said, "these two traitors are still holding firm in the city, vowing never to surrender."

"Swear to die rather than surrender?" Huang Chao couldn't help but chuckle, his expression revealing a hint of disdain.

"Once I've captured Luoyang, I'll want to know whether they surrender or not..."

He was full of confidence at this moment, and even though he knew that Kang Chengxun was on his way to Luoyang, he remained calm and composed.

Since he defeated Kang Chengxun, he no longer takes the heroes of the world seriously. Even if Kang Chengxun continues to lead 40,000 troops to reinforce Luoyang, as long as he waits for the troops brought by Lin Yan, he will have 60,000 troops and 100,000 militiamen at his disposal. He has no need to worry about Kang Chengxun's mere 30,000 men.

Now, his only worries are Gao Pian, who keeps launching sneak attacks from behind, and Liu Jilong, who has yet to make a move.

Thinking of this, Huang Chao asked Zhu Wen and Ge Congzhou, "What do you think of the Han army?"

"Han army?" Zhu Wen frowned, while Ge Congzhou subconsciously looked at Zhu Wen.

"That's right, what do you think of the Han army and Liu Jilong?"

Huang Chao entered the tent, and several people followed him inside. After he sat down, they all sat down as well.

Zhu Wen pondered for a long time before speaking: "Liu Jilong is certainly a heroic figure, but he hesitated to send troops. Now that he has learned that Your Majesty's army is approaching Luoyang, he must be filled with regret."

Huang Chao nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Ge Congzhou and saw him say, "This humble general also holds the same view on Liu Jilong. As for the Han army, given that they have been able to defeat more than 100,000 government troops several times, they must be a formidable enemy."

Seeing that his two capable generals had said so, Huang Chao was slightly relieved and then asked them:

"What do you two think we should do after we capture Luoyang?"

"Naturally, we should declare ourselves emperors!" The two answered without hesitation, which pleased Huang Chao greatly.

In his view, as long as he declared himself emperor, those military governors would inevitably surrender one after another, and he only needed to pretend to agree first, and then accumulate strength to deal with Liu Jilong.

However, he was still worried. After all, Liu Jilong had taken Guanzhong a year earlier than him. Although he had heard that Guanzhong was also suffering from a locust plague, he wondered if he could defend it if Liu Jilong sent troops to attack.

Thinking this, Huang Chao continued to ask the two men, "If Liu Jilong were to lead an army of over 100,000 to attack, could our army defend Luoyang?"

"This..." Zhu Wen hesitated, just like Ge Congzhou.

Although they defeated the Tang army several times, Liu Jilong defeated the Tang army even more.

It can be said that if Liu Jilong had not attracted a large number of Tang troops and annihilated nearly 200,000 Tang troops, they would not have been able to enter the Hehuai region so easily.

Previously, the Hehuai tribe had routed them, but now they seemed to be in an uninhabited territory.

Liu Jilong was able to annihilate 200,000 Tang troops, which alone puts them far inferior to him.

If Liu Jilong were to launch a large-scale attack, they did not believe they could withstand it.

"Your Majesty, our army only has 60,000 troops. If Liu Jilong sends 50,000 to attack, our army will surely be able to repel him. But if it exceeds 50,000, then..."

Although Zhu Wen tried his best to exaggerate, he still dared not say too much, after all, he had never fought against the Han army, and Liu Jilong's reputation was so great that he dared not compare himself to Liu Jilong.

"It's okay, just tell me."

Huang Chao smiled, gesturing for them to speak boldly.

Zhu Wen still hesitated, but Ge Congzhou, seeing his hesitation and worried that he would be punished if he spoke up, took the initiative to speak up and share his burden:
“Your Majesty, if Liu Jilong sends more than 50,000 troops, our army may not be able to withstand them.”

"I have heard that Liu Jilong has a large cavalry force, while our army is backed by the flat plains of the He and Huai rivers. If we cannot stop his advance in Heluo, we will be routed to Huainan."

Ge Congzhou is right. The horses of Helong are famous, and Liu Jilong has repeatedly defeated Wang Shi, Zheng Tian, ​​Gao Pian and others, so his army must be strong and well-equipped.

If there were no passes or terrain barriers to hinder them, and the battlefield were to extend to the He and Huai Rivers, it would be even more difficult for them to defeat Liu Jilong.

Huang Chao's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he had already anticipated it, so although his expression was not good, he was prepared in his heart.

Capturing Luoyang brought fame, but defeating Liu Jilong established his reputation.

However, although Huang Chao was arrogant, he was not so arrogant as to think that he could defeat Liu Jilong.

In his view, to defeat Liu Jilong, at least 100,000 troops, such as the Tianping Loyal and Filial Army and the Loyal and Righteous Army, would be needed.

To train such an army, he must firmly control Huainan Province and then seize Jiangnan.

Once he seizes Huainan Circuit and Jiangnan, he can temporarily submit to Liu Jilong, then sow discord between Liu Jilong and the warlords of Hedong and Hebei, and secretly develop his power in Jiangnan while they are locked in a fierce battle.

When they are about to decide the winner, I will launch a surprise attack on Liu Jilong and seize the Central Plains!
After calming his thoughts, Huang Chao felt that this plan was feasible, so he looked at Ge Congzhou and said:
"Once Luoyang is captured, Ge Lang, you will personally lead 3,000 Tianping Loyal and Filial Army soldiers south to Shenzhou, where you will recruit 20,000 soldiers in Shenzhou and Guangzhou and incorporate them into the Tianping Loyal and Filial Army."

"This subordinate obeys!" Ge Congzhou replied without hesitation, then asked:

"Your Majesty, if I go to Shenzhou, what if the Han army attacks..."

"It's alright, I have a way." Huang Chao indicated that there was no need to worry, but a little joy flashed through his heart.

The fact that Ge Congzhou was so concerned about his safety shows that Ge Congzhou was still loyal to him.

If we can't fool Liu Jilong, nothing major will happen if we retreat to Shenzhou.

As for whether Liu Jilong would attack Shenzhou, he was not worried.

Shannan East Road was almost completely destroyed, and the people fled in all directions. If Liu Jilong were to send troops to Shenzhou, he probably wouldn't even be able to gather enough laborers.

From Guanzhong to Shenzhou, it's a distance of eight or nine hundred li, all by land. Liu Jilong could only muster a very limited number of troops, which were certainly no match for his own forces.

However, I still need to make proper arrangements before that.

Huang Chao looked at Huang Cun and asked, "Has the fast horse been sent to Hunan?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Cun looked surprised, as he hadn't expected his uncle to ask about this in front of Ge Congzhou and Zhu Wen.

It is important to know that instability in the rear is a major taboo in military strategy. If the generals find out, it will inevitably shake the morale of the army.

"Have you lost your voice?" Huang Chao urged him. Seeing this, Huang Cun could only honestly reply, "They've been sent out for three days already."

"Hmm..." Huang Chao nodded, then looked at Zhu Wen and Ge Congzhou, and said to them:

“Gao Pian, taking advantage of our army’s attack on Luoyang, colluded with powerful families to cause chaos in Hunan. Now, Lingdong is probably lost, and the loss of Hunan is only a matter of a few months.”

“I have already dispatched a fast horse to order Shang Rang to lead troops to attack Jiangnan West Road and seize both Jiangnan East and West Roads while the opportunity arises.”

Zhu Wen and Ge Congzhou were not surprised when they heard this, after all, they had long guessed that the government troops would launch a surprise attack on the rear, but they did not expect the rear to be lost so quickly.

Now that Huang Chao has revealed this matter, it is clear that he trusts them, so they quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"If we can capture the eastern and western routes of Jiangnan, we can train 100,000 troops."

"No matter how powerful Liu Jilong is, he will never be a match for our army!"

"Huang Wang is wise!"

Zhu Wen and Ge Congzhou kept flattering him, and Huang Chao nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Whether things will succeed or not, we'll have to wait and see."

"If we cannot capture Luoyang, even if we occupy Jiangnan, our army will have no legitimacy whatsoever."

"You two should go and rest. In a few days, I will need you to show your prowess so that I can gain recognition."

"This humble general takes his leave..."

Zhu Wen and Ge Congzhou rose, bowed, and then withdrew from the tent.

As the two men withdrew, Huang Cun looked at Huang Chao and asked, "Uncle, why did you tell them about this?"

"If we don't tell them, who will we tell?" Huang Chao retorted to Huang Cun, then stroked his beard and said:
“I observe that Ge Congzhou and Zhu Wen are both loyal and devoted. They will surely become my right-hand men and your right-hand men in the future.”

"Do not underestimate them; they are the key to whether the Huang family can make a name for itself."

Huang Cun was somewhat unconvinced, but under Huang Chao's intimidating gaze, he still nodded.

Just as he nodded, Zhu Wen and his companion, who had already left the main tent and returned to Zhu Wen's tent, had just sat down when Ge Congzhou spoke:

"King Huang wants me to go to Shenzhou after the war, at which time you and I, brothers, will probably have to part ways."

Zhu Wen didn't take it seriously, and with a smile, he picked up the wine he had secretly hidden and showed it to Ge Congzhou: "Look!"

"You bastard!" Ge Congzhou was both angry and amused. He clearly remembered that this guy had lied to him and said he had finished drinking, but there was still some left.

"If I had said so earlier, this wine would have been in your belly long ago, and you wouldn't be enjoying this wonderful moment."

Zhu Wen joked as he set out a bowl and poured wine for Ge Congzhou, raising his cup with a smile and saying, "To our future!"

Ge Congzhou smiled but didn't say anything, but still clinked bowls with him and then drank it all in one gulp.

After drinking the wine, Ge Congzhou wiped his mouth and said, "The King of Huang has treated us so well, we must repay him."

Ge Congzhou had expected to see approval on Zhu Wen's face, but to his surprise, Zhu Wen's lips turned down and he said coldly, "I don't think the King of Huang has treated you and me well."

“You… this…” Ge Congzhou was stunned and didn’t know how to answer.

Seeing his astonishment, Zhu Wen said coldly, "Have you forgotten that when the Yellow King was singing, dancing, drinking, and feasting, you, me, and the brothers could only eat water and porridge?"

"This..." Ge Congzhou didn't know what to say, and Zhu Wen also spoke up:

Throughout history, those who rose from humble beginnings like him have often been subjected to the same cruel treatment as birds and rabbits, or hunting dogs.

"Although we work under him, we must be careful and cautious, and protect ourselves as the main thing."

Zhu Wen's words left Ge Congzhou speechless. Throughout history, those who rose from humble beginnings and commoners have indeed been ruthless in their methods.

"Think about it yourself." Zhu Wen reached out and patted Ge Congzhou on the shoulder. Seeing that he was silent, Zhu Wen went to the bed and lay down.

Seeing him lie down, Ge Congzhou raised his bowl in surprise and said, "There's still wine left, aren't you going to drink it?"

Zhu Wen turned his back to him, waved his hand, and said nothing.

Seeing this, Ge Congzhou said sarcastically, "If you won't drink, I will..."

Although he was sarcastic and eccentric, he simply drank honestly, and after finishing, he lay down to rest in the tent.

Before long, his snoring began, but Zhu Wen was not asleep at all and glanced at him sideways.

Half an hour later, realizing that he was not faking it, Zhu Wen finally lay down with peace of mind.

Even so, his eyes were fixed on the top of the tent, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

"If Liu Jilong and Huang Chao could do it, why can't Zhu Wen do it?"

(End of this chapter)