Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 447 Breaking Through the Heavenly Palace (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Damn it, God really doesn't give ordinary people a way to survive!"

In early February, as spring plowing and seedling cultivation began, Gao Jinda also arranged for 500 Han soldiers to escort Xiao Gou and more than 120 officials through Pujin Pass to Hedong, preparing to detour through Hedong to reach Zhengzhou.

While Xiao Gou and his group's trip to Zhengzhou was important, the spring planting season was undoubtedly more crucial.

It should be the season of spring rain and revival, but this year there has been no snow, not even a light rain.

No rain fell in Guannei Road and the capital region, only Longyou, Shannanxi Road and Jiannan Road experienced a few showers.

With no rain for more than half a year, even in the Guanzhong Plain, which has abundant hydrology, spring plowing is facing difficulties.

On the Bailu Plain in the southeast of Chang'an, Liu Jilong stood up and dusted off his hands, while Wang Jian cursed the heavens all around him.

Looking out, Liu Jilong saw that the vast Bailu Plain was filled with countless people going down to fetch water and returning to the plain to cultivate seedlings.

With insufficient animal power, tens of thousands of people living on the plateau had no choice but to carry water up the plateau by shoulder and hand, walking five or six miles each day.

Even so, seedling cultivation remains difficult, and after that, the even more difficult task of watering awaits them.

Liu Jilong didn't know much about the natural disasters at the end of the Tang Dynasty, but he did know that it was a period of low temperatures.

Although it won't reach the devastation of the Little Ice Age at the end of the Ming Dynasty, natural disasters will certainly be frequent.

Looking back, the reason why Lun Kongre was defeated was because of the three consecutive years of severe drought in Longyou, which led to Lun Kongre being abandoned by his followers and the fragmentation of the entire Longyou, which gave Liu Jilong an opportunity.

If it weren't for that severe drought, I'm afraid I would have had to fight with Lun Konghe for several more years before I could finally find a winner.

The drought has returned, but its impact extends beyond the Kansai region.

"I've heard that places like Hedong and Hebei haven't had heavy rain for more than half a year?"

Liu Jilong asked Gao Jinda, Cui Shu and others who were following behind him. The two nodded: "Although the two circuits have not suffered from locust plagues, they have indeed rarely experienced heavy rain. However, there is still some rain occasionally, which is better than Guannei Circuit and Jingji Circuit."

Listening to the two of them, Liu Jilong looked at Wang Jian, who was still muttering curses to himself, and laughed, "Alright, this isn't the first time that fate has been so fickle."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the dozens of officials and over a hundred elite cavalrymen behind him and instructed them:

"If it doesn't rain by March, this year will probably be another year of drought."

"If that's the case, then we should suspend the transport of grain from Longyou to Chang'an and first transfer the grain from Longyou to Lingzhou (Ningxia), Fengzhou (Bazhuoyan'er), Shengzhou and other places in Guannei Road."

"In addition, grain will be transferred from Guanzhong to supply the prefectures of Xia Sui, Jing Yuan, and Bin Ning within Guannei Circuit."

As Liu Jilong finished speaking, Gao Jinda asked, "Your Highness, if that's the case, what should we do about the food shortage in Guanzhong?"

Liu Jilong remained calm, already having a plan in mind, and thus instructed:

"When Guanzhong was short of food, it was transported from Xingyuan Prefecture. When Xingyuan Prefecture was short of food, it was transported from Jiannan Circuit."

“I call this method the ‘transfer method,’ which uses segmented relay transportation and has key aspects.”

"This land route for transporting grain starts in Shuzhou and passes through Chengdu Prefecture, Hanzhou, Mianzhou, Lizhou, Xingyuan Prefecture, and Chang'an."

"What the government needs to do is to set up transit warehouses along the route as transit stations, purchase grain locally and store it in the transit warehouses, and then transfer the grain from the transit warehouses of each state to each state."

“Each prefecture is only responsible for transporting the grain to the next prefecture. The grain register is made in triplicate: one copy is sent to Chang’an, one copy is given to the next prefecture, and one copy is kept in the prefecture for easy inspection.”

The "transfer method" mentioned by Liu Jilong is actually the "transfer method" of the grain transport in the Song Dynasty.

Compared to the "direct route" of the Tang Dynasty, the "transfer route" could greatly reduce losses along the way, whether used on land or water.

After all, the biggest loss in grain transportation is not the food consumed by people and horses, but the "embezzlement" of officials along the way.

The later Song Dynasty changed the transit method to the direct route method, not because it was ineffective, but because the canal was silted up and officials were corrupt.

Although the Han army's bureaucratic system was relatively clean at the moment, Liu Jilong had to be wary of the future, so he added a system of making three copies of the grain register.

It's easy to falsify accounts, but getting several state officials to do it together is much more difficult.

Even if they were to collude, Liu Jilong was confident he could uproot them completely and perhaps even reap a considerable harvest from the people's wealth.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong looked at Gao Jinda and the others: "Have you memorized it?"

"I've got it." Gao Jinda and the others nodded, clearly having remembered what Liu Jilong had just said.

However, they still need to return to the government office to discuss the specifics of how to implement it.

"Since there is a drought, there are also disaster victims. Officials in all prefectures and counties need to honestly report the number of disaster victims within their jurisdictions."

"Disasters are a matter of God's will and have nothing to do with the governance of officials, but concealing them is disregarding human life and should be punished accordingly."

"For disaster victims, if there are water conservancy repair projects in various prefectures and counties, work-for-relief can be provided, with no limit on the number of workers."

"If the funds and grain reserves are insufficient, a memorial may be submitted to the Three Departments and Six Ministries. The Three Departments and Six Ministries must handle the matter properly and must not be negligent."

"If I hear of anyone being lax and negligent, causing disaster victims to be displaced..."

Liu Jilong paused, his gaze sweeping over the group of officials from the three provinces and six ministries, his tone suddenly turning icy: "Then I can only ask them to go to the Western Regions to support General Zhang in recovering the Western Regions."

His words sent a chill down the spines of many officials, after all, they had heard about what the Western Regions were like, even if they had never been there.

If I really went to the Western Regions, even if I survived, I would probably lose half my life.

Seeing that everything he said had been noted down, Liu Jilong withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, turned to look at the drought-stricken Bailu Plain, and then thought of the people in Guannei Road who were facing even greater difficulties.

Even with its new regime and its orders being effectively implemented, the Han army seemed powerless in the face of the drought that gripped the north. He dared not imagine what the people of Hedong, Hebei, Henan, and Huainan would have to endure.

"Hopefully there won't be another locust plague this year..."

With a slight frown, Liu Jilong led his men away from Bailu Plain and headed back to Chang'an City.

As he returned to Chang'an, Luoyang, a city nearly 600 li away from Chang'an, was almost reduced to ruins due to the war.

"put!"

"Boom bang bang-"

At Li Hanzhi's command, hundreds of catapults launched an attack on Luoyang City simultaneously.

Countless stones streaked across the sky, hurtling towards Luoyang City, hundreds of paces away.

Meanwhile, in Luoyang, which had been besieged by the rebel army for more than twenty days, almost all the houses in the city had been demolished and all the firewood had been dismantled to give priority to the Tang army defending the city.

As for ordinary people, they could only soak the grain in cold water, then endure the discomfort and drink it all in one gulp.

The cold rice made them feel unwell and difficult to digest, so the ruins of Luoyang were filled with people who were "pot-bellied".

The elderly could not bear it, and hundreds died every day from the suffering.

In addition, Huang Chao kept ordering corpses to be dumped in the Luo River, which polluted the river. As a result, diseases began to spread in Luoyang. Many people developed hard lumps on their bodies, and those who were sick had high fevers that would not subside until they died.

As for the people who died of illness, Yu Cong and Yang Fuguang ordered them to be thrown into the Luo River, which then flowed into the Yellow River.

As a result, countless corpses were soaked in the Yellow River and shaped into giant figures before being washed into the banks, creating a terrifying scene.

Even so, Yu Cong and Yang Fuguang still held Luoyang City, and at this time, the most critical supplies in Luoyang City were firewood.

"Screw rustle..."

The sound of armor plates clanging filled the air. Ziwei City was perhaps the only place in the city where the timber had not been dismantled, and this place became a safe haven for the soldiers to rest.

Yang Fuguang and Li Changfu, dressed in armor, entered the Secretariat within the Imperial City and saw Yu Cong sitting in the main seat with a gloomy face and a furrowed brow.

"Yu Xiang..."

The two men bowed respectfully. Upon seeing this, Yu Cong gestured for them to sit down and asked, "How many days' worth of firewood do you have left in the army?"

“Less than ten days.” Li Changfu answered without hesitation. Yu Cong then looked at Yang Fuguang and said, “The imperial city cannot be demolished.”

"If that's the case, then we have no choice but to lead the troops to break out of the encirclement." After hearing this, Yang Fuguang could only offer this suggestion.

Upon hearing this, Yu Cong nodded and then asked, "Lord Li of Shaanxi and Guo still has 20,000 troops under his command. If he is willing to send troops to attract Huang Chao's troops, the troops in Luoyang can at least break through to Yique Pass."

"If we can break through to Wulao Pass, our army should still have a chance of survival."

Yu Cong attempted a feint to break through the encirclement, and Yang Fuguang nodded after hearing this, saying, "If Governor Li knew this, he would certainly be willing to cooperate."

"Okay...cough cough!" Yu Cong couldn't help coughing, which made Yang Fuguang and Li Changfu's hearts tighten.

Fortunately, Yu Cong only had a cold and had not contracted the plague, which made the two of them lower their guard.

"If I had known that Huang Chao's methods were so ruthless, I would never have stayed in Luoyang. It's just a pity for the 300,000 people in Luoyang."

Huang Chao's dumping of his body in the Luo River brought disease and plague to Luoyang, something Yu Cong could never have imagined.

Seeing his distress, Yang Fuguang could only comfort him, saying, "Don't worry, Prime Minister Yu. As long as our army retreats to Wulao Pass and waits for the summer grain harvest, we will surely be able to regroup and return."

"I hope so..." Yu Cong sighed, then looked at the two of them: "I'll leave this matter to you two."

"Please rest assured, Prime Minister Yu." The two agreed without hesitation and then left the Secretariat with peace of mind.

Shortly after they left, countless carrier pigeons flew out of Luoyang, all heading towards the two prefectures of Shaanxi and Guo.

In fact, Li Changyan, who was stationed in Shaanxi and Guo, had already led his army eastward to the Han Dynasty Hangu Pass, which was only about 30 li away from Luoyang, blocking the way in front of Xin'an County.

After Huang Chao besieged Luoyang, his army launched attacks from all sides, attempting to seize key passes. However, apart from Mengjin Pass and Xuanyuan Pass, the other passes remained firmly in the hands of the Tang army.

Huang Chao's several attacks not only failed to capture the pass, but also resulted in significant losses of supplies.

More importantly, after Li Cui fled east to Zhengzhou, he immediately mobilized troops from Heyang Town to launch a strong attack on Mengjin Pass, forcing him to send Huang Cun to garrison Mengjin Pass and block the sneak attack from Heyang Town.

Seeing that Luoyang had not been captured for a long time, Huang Chao's mood gradually turned tyrannical.

"In the past half month, our army has suffered more than 5,000 casualties, and countless civilians and militia have also been killed or wounded..."

"Then go and catch them!"

Inside the tent, Huang Chao looked at Lin Yan and pressed him, "With a population of one million in the Eastern Capital, I refuse to believe we can't find a few hundred thousand militia!"

"No matter what, we must capture Luoyang within ten days!"

"Yes!" Lin Yan replied reluctantly, then hurriedly left the tent.

After he left, Huang Chao looked at the map on the table, and ignoring his disheveled hair, angrily scratched it before drawing his sword and stabbing it into the map.

At the same time, Meng Kai's voice rang out outside the tent: "Your Majesty, after conquering Gong County, I discovered two exceptional beauties and have come to present them to you..."

"Come in!" Huang Chao wanted to refuse, but he was really holding back at the moment, so he granted permission for him to enter.

As soon as he finished speaking, the tent flap was lifted, and Meng Kai, dressed in armor and with disheveled hair, walked into the tent, followed by two women who were pushed into the tent.

Huang Chao got up and approached, and saw that the two women were beautiful and voluptuous, truly rare beauties.

"You handled this matter well; I've noted it down."

Huang Chao was very satisfied with the appearance and figure of the two women. Meng Kai smiled upon hearing this and said, "This is my duty."

Having said that, seeing that Huang Chao's gaze lingered on the two women, he excused himself and left the tent.

Before long, the sound of a woman screaming in terror and clothes being torn came from inside the tent.

Meng Kai left satisfied. When he reached his own tent, the curtain was lifted, and he saw seven or eight women kneeling inside, looking at him fearfully.

Soon, decadent music began to emanate from the brothel again, and this scene was not isolated.

The capital region had a population of one million. Although it was not as wealthy as before the An Lushan Rebellion, Henan Prefecture alone had more than 400,000 people.

Now Huang Chao's army is constantly plundering the surrounding counties of Luoyang. Countless women are suffering, and men and the elderly and weak are being forcibly conscripted as militia to attack Luoyang.

While Huang Chao was forcibly conscripting laborers and abducting women, the already restless Tang army was also forcibly conscripting civilians, abducting women, and burning down villages.

Seemingly provoked by the emperor's escape from Luoyang, even the Hedong region, which was not previously at war, went into a frenzy.

"Hiss!"

"Crackling..."

Standing before the village reduced to ruins, Lu Guimeng, who had been sent to Zhengzhou to meet the emperor, stared blankly at the ruins.

The sight of a dozen or so corpses, hung and burned to death, hanging from the trees at the village entrance was constantly a stimulant to them.

Behind him, five hundred Han soldiers guarded more than a hundred officials, using materials that had not yet been completely burned to build a camp.

Xiao Gou, the chief envoy, paid no attention to the burned-down villages. He sat in the newly erected tent with Li Du, a staff member of Hezhong Town, and other officials.

Seeing that Xiao Gou remained silent, Li Du assumed that Xiao Gou was angry about the burning of the village outside the camp, so he quickly added:
"Most of these villages were burned down by the bandit army that crossed the river. Although our army has a large number of troops, they are all stationed in the west and are not strong enough."

No one would believe Li Du's words. After all, if Huang Chao had the ability to cross the Yellow River to attack Hezhong Town, how could he not have taken Luoyang?

For this reason, many officials in the tent looked at Li Du with particular disdain.

They didn't look down on Li Du because of the soldiers in Hezhong Town looting the local people, but because Li Du lost his composure, so they looked down on him.

Xiao Gou didn't care about the lives of ordinary people. He looked at an official, who understood and walked out. Soon after, the Han soldiers guarding the camp left the area.

The official did not return, but remained outside the tent to keep watch.

Seeing that the area around the tent was safe, Xiao Gou finally spoke up, "Is His Majesty still in Heyin?"

"Of course." Li Du answered without hesitation, and Xiao Gou breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"Liu Mu sent us on this mission, which shows that we have earned his trust."

"At present, Liu Muzhi has stockpiled 100,000 shi of grain and 3,000 bolts of brocade in Tongzhou. If Your Majesty is willing to confer upon him the title of Prince of Hanzhong, he is willing to reconcile with the court and send troops to suppress the bandits for the court."

Upon hearing this, Li Du's face showed disbelief. After all, the world was in chaos, and if Liu Jilong were to raise an army and march east, the strength of the He and Huai regions would certainly not be able to stop him.

Although the military forces in Hedong and Hebei are strong, they would find it difficult to contend with Liu Jilong if their supply lines to the Grand Canal were cut off.

In this situation, Liu Jilong's willingness to offer a way out is undoubtedly great news.

The current concern is whether the emperor will continue to stubbornly refuse the way out offered by Liu Jilong.

Xiaogou has figured out most of this along the way.

"Now, the provinces of Hedong, Hebei, Henan, and Huainan are all suffering from drought. Although it is better than Guanzhong, the court needs to support so many troops. In addition, the Yellow rebels are making great strides. The Ministry of Revenue will inevitably be unable to make ends meet."

"If we could borrow Liu Jilong's troops to quell the bandits, that would be a wonderful thing."

"Even if we can't borrow troops, we can take this opportunity to transfer troops from Hebei and Hedong to the south to quell the bandits. It's better than continuing the stalemate."

Xiao Gou still maintained his identity as a loyal subject of the Tang Dynasty. If he hadn't brought his identity as a "righteous man of Chang'an" to represent him, Li Du wouldn't have dared to trust him so easily.

However, given the current situation, Xiao Gou was indeed right.

Despite the abundant water resources in the Hedong and Hebei regions during this era, the continuous drought meant that water sources, like a river, still required human labor to irrigate the land.

The people irrigate their land themselves, and it takes time to fetch water. Before the water can even seep in, it evaporates under the scorching sun.

The severe drought will inevitably lead to a reduction in production in the north this year. If the imperial court fails to stand firm, even relatively loyal regional military governors such as Hezhong, Heyang, and Hedong will face problems, not to mention the more domineering regional military governors such as Yiwu, Zhaoyi, and Yichang, which are close to the three towns of Hebei.

If the east and north of the Yellow River were to fall out of control, the imperial court would be able to control the world in the same way as the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

"If that's the case, then that would be best."

Li Du also affirmed Xiao Gou's advice, and then said in a deep voice, "If Your Majesty is unwilling, I am willing to persuade the two magistrates of Hezhong and Heyang to submit a memorial."

Li Du said it was a memorial to the throne, but in reality it was a way to pressure the court, forcing it to agree to Xiao Gou's advice.

After all, if Hezhong and Heyang really fell into chaos, the officials in the Jiedushi's office would be the first to suffer.

Li Du believed that not only the military governors of the two towns, but also the military governors of Hedong, Hebei, and other towns directly under the imperial court would support the court in agreeing to Liu Jilong's conditions.

"it is good!"

Seeing that he agreed, Xiao Gou breathed a sigh of relief, and then celebrated with Li Du in advance with water instead of wine.

While they celebrated, many of the poor officials in the procession lamented the ruins outside the camp.

"Under the rule of the government troops, things remain the same; how pitiful and lamentable..."

Lu Guimeng and the others felt depressed, thinking that the so-called Tang Dynasty was far inferior to the rule of the one in the west.

"Along the way, we have seen refugees everywhere. If we can take this opportunity to reconcile with the court, we might be able to see the refugees heading west. That would be better than living in this world."

"Haha, that's wrong."

"Even if the imperial court bestows a title upon His Highness, he probably wouldn't be willing to let the refugees go west."

"Indeed, these people have not provoked anyone, yet they are being burned alive and hanged to death. Will the imperial court allow them to migrate westward?"

The officials of Chang'an, who came from impoverished backgrounds, were at this moment demystifying the Tang Dynasty.

After experiencing more than a year of peace and prosperity in Chang'an, when they returned to the areas under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty, they felt that the Tang Dynasty was nothing special.

They shook their heads and left the ruins, but Lu Guimeng remained standing there.

Perhaps the atmosphere inside the tent was too lively, so Pi Rixiu, who was not used to it, came out and met his friend Lu Guimeng.

Lu Guimeng knew what Pi Rixiu was doing, but he neither interfered nor reported him.

However, after seeing so many people whose families had been destroyed and who had died because of the Tang army along the way, Lu Guimeng couldn't help but look at Pi Rixiu.

"Xi Mei, is this the Tang Dynasty you all desired?"

“…” Pi Rixiu remained silent, unsure how to respond.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lu Guimeng sighed deeply and then turned and left.

The following day, the group continued eastward, encountering large numbers of displaced people along the way, as well as a vast expanse of giant statues on the south bank of the Yellow River.

Many people vomited along the way, and some even caught a cold from the fright.

Even so, the procession never stopped. Five days later, as the procession rested in Wuzhi County on the north bank of the Yellow River, the imperial court, which was only thirty miles away, also learned that Liu Jilong's envoy was about to arrive in Heyin.

Inside the Heyin County government office, Lu Yan stood with Qi Yuanjian, Qi Yuanshi, and Yang Xuanjie, bowing to Li Cui, who was in the main seat.

Less than a month had passed, but Li Cui had lost a lot of weight, and her face looked unhealthy.

"Your Majesty, I believe that if we can take this opportunity to reconcile with Liu Muzhi, the court will be able to free up its resources to deal with the Yellow rebels."

"If we can subdue the Yellow bandits and recuperate for a few more years, we will surely be able to return to the old capital."

Lu Yan knew that Li Cui was concerned about his reputation and was unwilling to bow down to Liu Jilong.

However, given the current situation of the Tang Dynasty, if it does not bow down to Liu Jilong, it will face the prospect of falling apart.

Zhang Sitai and Li Chengyou of the Taiping Army have declared themselves Taiping Jiedushi (military governors), and Hangzhou has been forcibly occupied by Dong Chang.

If Huang Chao is not dealt with quickly, Lu Yan really doesn't know how many more generals will drive out the military governors and seize the opportunity to establish themselves.

Now that Liu Jilong has offered a way out, it shows that Heaven has not forsaken the Tang Dynasty. If this opportunity is rejected because of Li Cui's personal reasons, then the Tang Dynasty...

"Your Majesty, I second my opinion."

Qi Yuanjian and the other two agreed to Lu Yan's suggestion without hesitation. After all, they weren't stupid and knew what the outcome of continuing the stalemate would be.

The days of being displaced are not easy. Just look at Ximen Jixuan, who was also one of the Four Nobles. He only fled for more than 300 miles and immediately caught a cold. Now he is bedridden and may soon pass away.

Now that we're not backing down, are we going to wait until Huang Chao drives us all the way to Jiangnan before shamelessly begging Liu Jilong for a reconciliation?

The four of them thought this way, but Li Cui did not.

"Ahem, I... I will never bow down to a traitor!"

Li Cui coughed as he spoke, but his words caused Qi Yuanshi and the others to turn pale.

"Your Majesty, the commanderies of Heyang, Hezhong, Hedong, Yicheng, and Zhaoyi have submitted a memorial requesting the imperial decree to confer upon Liu Jilong the title of Prince of Hanzhong!"

Qi Yuanjian stepped forward with a dark face and bowed to Li Cui. When Li Cui saw his gloomy face, a flash of anger crossed his mind.

However, seeing that Qi Yuanshi and Yang Xuanjie both had dark faces, he instantly suppressed his rage.

He knew very well how the late emperor had died.

Of the 5,000 soldiers in Heyin City, 3,000 belong to the Shence Army. However, I am physically weak, and if the three of them harbor rebellious intentions, I am afraid I will not survive.

Thinking of this, Li Cui shut his mouth and did not refute Qi Yuanjian.

Upon seeing this, Qi Yuanjian immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please confer upon Liu Muzhi the title of Prince of Hanzhong, recognizing him as a loyal and meritorious official who quelled the rebellion, and order him to lead troops to suppress the bandits!"

"Your Majesty, please bestow an official title upon Liu Muzhi..."

Qi Yuanshi and Yang Xuanjie spoke one after the other, making Li Cui's chest heave with anger.

Even though he was quite composed, he was still so angry at the three of them that he was on the verge of collapse.

"I will not allow it..."

He squeezed out three words through gritted teeth, but Qi Yuanjian and the other two stepped forward, trying to overpower Li Cui in terms of imposing manner.

Li Cui never expected that at this time last year, he was still suppressing the Northern Division because Liu Jilong had severely damaged it.

Now, just a year later, Bei Si has once again suppressed him and even attempted to force him to abdicate.

"I……"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."

Suddenly, hurried footsteps entered the county government office, and Tian Yun rushed into the hall, bowing and saying:
"Your Majesty, news has just arrived from Wulao Pass that Prime Minister Yu was no match for the Huang rebels and had to lead his troops to break through Wulao Pass. Luoyang has been occupied by the Huang rebels!"

"What did you say?!"

Li Cui suddenly stood up, but then suddenly felt everything go black.

Although he tried to reach out and steady himself on the table, the feeling of helplessness caused him to collapse to the ground.

"His Majesty!!"

"Summon the imperial physician!!"

Seeing Li Cui faint, even Qi Yuanshi and the other two, who had been threatening him just moments before, couldn't help but rush forward and help him to his seat.

When he slowly woke up, he saw Qi Yuanjian and the others surrounding him, and he looked relieved.

"Your Majesty, how are you feeling?"

"His Majesty?"

The three of them asked Li Cui about his well-being with concern, but they weren't really worried about him. They were worried that if Li Cui collapsed, the already messy situation would become even worse.

"I...I am fine..."

Li Cui spoke haltingly, but his hands and feet were especially cold, and his speech was slurred, which made Qi Yuanjian and the others nervous.

Before long, the imperial physician arrived, and the group quickly made way for him to examine the patient.

The imperial physician silently diagnosed the patient, and after a moment bowed to the group, looking at Li Cui.

"Tell me, tell me..."

Li Cui spoke somewhat incoherently, and the imperial physician, upon hearing this, carefully said, "Your Majesty's vital energy is weak and cannot reach the blood vessels. Without vital energy in the blood vessels, the energy stagnates and congests."

"In addition, with the liver yang rising and phlegm and blood stasis obstructing the collaterals, this symptom is somewhat like a syncope."

"This condition can manifest in mild cases as numbness in the hands and feet, stiff tongue and slurred speech, and temporary unconsciousness; in severe cases..."

"Speak!" Qi Yuanshi raised his voice, forcing him to speak.

The imperial physician was startled and quickly replied, "In severe cases, it can lead to sudden fainting..."

"Sudden fainting?!"

The imperial physician's words caused everyone present to gasp in shock.

Sudden fainting is a condition that can even lead to sudden death.

To put it simply, Li Cui's excessive indulgence over the years, coupled with the excessive use of aphrodisiac drugs, has blocked his blood vessels and meridians, which is why he developed these symptoms.

Upon hearing this, Li Cui's face appeared even paler.

He knew his body and that he had indulged in excessive sexual activity, but he never imagined that he could die suddenly at any moment.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel regret, but it was too late for regrets.

He could only watch as the imperial physician administered acupuncture to him, and it wasn't until half an hour later that his hands and feet gradually warmed up.

"I……"

Li Cui has returned to normal, but now he doesn't know what to say.

"Your Majesty, I request that Liu Mu be granted an official title."

"Your Majesty, Luoyang has now been lost. If it is not recovered quickly, it will surely bring disaster to the world!"

"His Majesty……"

Seeing that Li Cui had returned to normal, the group hurriedly began to urge him on. After what had just happened, Li Cui was now struggling with whether or not to bestow an imperial edict upon Liu Jilong.

Although Liu Jilong was arrogant and domineering, he was, after all, a military governor appointed by the imperial court, and he had not issued any proclamation to "purge the court of corrupt officials." As long as the imperial court appointed him, the two sides could reconcile.

In contrast to him, Huang Chao was quite different.

Huang Chao was just a commoner who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. If even commoners could be captured and the court could not expel them, then who knows how many people in the world would be called "acting governor" or "military governor"?

"This matter... allow me to consider it..."

Li Cui still couldn't make up his mind, but to express his stance, he spoke to Lu Yan:

"Issue the decree that Xiao Gou and the others cross the river and first study etiquette with the Ministry of Rites for a few days, awaiting my summons."

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Although Li Cui did not give an answer, his attitude spoke volumes.

Lu Yan and the others cheered his wisdom, while Li Cui waved his hand and said, "Step down..."

"I'm waiting to retire."

Seeing that Li Cui had dismissed them, Lu Yan and the others left the county government office one after another, while Li Cui, supported by Tian Yun, walked unsteadily toward the main hall of the county government office.

As he entered the main hall of the county government, Huang Chao's army had already marched into Luoyang.

"Damn it, Luoyang has been reduced to ruins, what's the point of it now?!"

"The surrounding area is all wood, and it only damaged a few houses. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Haha, as long as the imperial city is still standing, that's all that matters!"

On horseback, Lin Yan and his companions joked about the ruins of Luoyang, their eyes sweeping over the civilians kneeling on the ground, their bellies swollen, with disdain.

Surrounded by his soldiers, Huang Chao remained silent, seemingly unconcerned about Yu Cong's breakout.

His gaze remained fixed on Ziwei City, and as he drew closer, the city grew ever taller.

The city of Ziwei is 1,400 paces long from east to west, 960 paces wide, and has a circumference of over 4,800 paces. The city wall is 35 feet high and is covered with brick both inside and out, which is a sight to behold.

The Yingtian Gate of the palace was wide open, and Huang Chao shook the reins and galloped into the palace. Lin Yan, Li Hanzhi and others quickly spurred their horses to follow.

Before long, hundreds of people rode into the palace, where they were greeted by the magnificent Qian Yuan Gate.

Without the slightest hesitation, they rushed through the long road and into the Qian Yuan Gate. What appeared before them was the spacious Qian Yuan Hall Square and the magnificent Qian Yuan Hall.

Although the Qianyuan Hall, after the An Lushan Rebellion, was not as tall as it once was, which was twenty-seven zhang tall, its current height of ten zhang still shocked Huang Chao and his group of generals who came from humble backgrounds.

Huang Chao rode his horse up to the Qianyuan Hall, dismounted, and walked inside, feeling the grandeur of the hall.

The Qianyuan Hall is 10 zhang high, 20 zhang wide, and 15 zhang deep. Although the pillars inside the hall are not as large as those in Chang'an, they are still 8 wei (12 meters) in circumference, requiring six or seven people to hug each pillar.

"Damn it, wasn't it said that the Luoyang palace was destroyed?"

"Even after being damaged, it's still so magnificent. I wonder how much money they plundered from us!"

Lin Yan and the others cursed and swore, while Huang Chao was immersed in his own world.

He walked toward the Jintai, passing by the spot where the successful candidates in the imperial examinations were stationed.

Without hesitation, he stepped over the steps and walked up to the platform, finally sitting down without a second thought.

In an instant, it felt as if an electric current shot from his spine to his brain, or perhaps it was just his imagination.

He felt as if he could look down on everything in the world from his seat.

When Meng Kai saw Huang Chao sitting on the golden platform, he immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and said, "Long live Your Majesty!"

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

Not knowing how to address the emperor, they all knelt down, kowtowed, and shouted "Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Chao immediately stood up and shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"us……"

Everyone was taken aback, thinking that this was not what they had expected, and so they all turned their gazes to Lin Yan.

Lin Yan didn't know what to say, but Meng Kai suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, when I saw you sit down just now, a white dragon was circling around your shoulder, and that's why I blurted out what was on my mind."

"That's right, Your Majesty, we are all the same."

After addressing Huang Chao as "Your Majesty," the crowd began to speak in a more refined and scholarly manner.

Seeing the crowd's reaction, Huang Chao sneered, "We haven't even recovered Wulao Pass, Hangu Pass, Yique, and other places yet, and you're already proclaiming yourself emperor so quickly? What will the world think of me?!"

He was very happy inside, but he still declined on the surface, after all, it was a tradition to decline three times.

Unexpectedly, when he declined twice, the generals began to stammer and dared not continue to urge him to advance.

Huang Chao was getting anxious, thinking that if Shang Rang were here, he would not have put him in such a predicament.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask Lin Yan, "Has any military report come from Hunan?"

"Your Majesty, the bandit Gao has sent troops to occupy the area west of the Xiang River, and our army has retreated from Lingdong into Hunan."

"Kang Chengxun, this traitor, has deployed his troops in Hongzhou, and our army has been unable to enter Hongzhou for a long time."

Lin Yan answered honestly. Huang Chao frowned slightly after hearing this and said to everyone, "Send an order to Shang Rang to retreat into Huainan Road."

"Shang Rang led 10,000 troops to Luoyang, while the rest of the troops were placed under the command of Huang Kui and Huang Ye, and launched a fierce attack on Huainan."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Lin Yan still addressed Huang Chao as His Majesty, but made no move to urge him to ascend the throne.

Seeing that Huang Chao did not resist, Meng Kai boldly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the world cannot be without a ruler for a single day."

"Now that the tyrannical Tang Dynasty has collapsed, and you have led the people of the world to a successful resistance, you should rightfully be crowned emperor."

"If you do not declare yourself emperor, wouldn't our uprising be illegitimate and lack legitimacy?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you ascend the throne and become Emperor!"

After Meng Kai finished speaking, Huang Chao did not continue to refuse, because he knew that if he refused again, these fools might really stop trying to persuade him to go.

However, to save face for himself, he didn't immediately agree, but he also didn't scold Meng Kai.

Upon seeing this, Li Hanzhi and the others exchanged bewildered glances before boldly bowing and saying, "Please, Your Majesty, assume the title of Emperor!"

After everyone finished speaking, the Qian Yuan Hall fell silent.

After a long pause, a sigh rang out from Jintai.

"Alas...you have really caused me great suffering!"

"Very well, since you have recommended me, I will not refuse. I will leave the matter of becoming emperor to you."

"Yes!" Lin Yan and the others responded without hesitation, while Huang Chao stepped down from the golden platform.

The group followed him outside. Seeing Meng Kai's quick wit, Lin Yan immediately asked, "How should we handle the matter of his ascension to the throne?"

Meng Kai didn't hesitate and immediately bowed, saying, "Your Highness, rest assured, leave this matter to me. I will arrange it perfectly so that Your Highness won't have to worry about it!"

Meng Kai kept calling him "Your Highness" so much that Lin Yan was overjoyed and couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder.

"In that case, I'll leave this matter to you."

"Your Highness, rest assured!" Meng Kai replied, then broke away from the group and began a large-scale search within the city for those Tang officials who had failed to escape.

As expected, many Tang officials were apprehended during his search, including officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Meng Kai arrested these people, and under coercion and enticement, these officials quickly wrote an excellent proclamation and enthronement process for Meng Kai, and even came up with a name for the country and an era name for Huang Chao, and picked an auspicious day.

The following day, Meng Kai presented these items to Huang Chao, who was dressed in a yellow robe, and respectfully said:
"Your Majesty, the tyrannical Tang dynasty was associated with the element of Earth. Our army originated from the East, so we can use 'Qi' as our national name and 'Jintong' as our reign title, using white gold to cover the yellow earth."

"From this day forward, our army shall respect white and replace red with white."

Everything Meng Kai said perfectly matched what Huang Chao was thinking.

Whether it's the name of the country, the reign title, or replacing the current red with white, all of this is about severing ties with the Tang Dynasty and Liu Jilong.

In Huang Chao's view, his previous experience of recruiting soldiers under Liu Jilong's name was undoubtedly a disgraceful part of his history.

If we could just cut it apart like this, it would save us a lot of trouble.

"I've heard you've arrested quite a few Tang officials?"

Huang Chao sat in the main seat in the Zhenguan Hall, his gaze shifting from the proclamation to Meng Kai.

Upon hearing this, Meng Kai quickly bowed and explained, "Your Majesty, these officials are all people abandoned by the tyrannical Tang Dynasty. If our army can make good use of them, we can better govern the prefectures and counties under our command."

"In addition, many of these officials come from local powerful families. If they can donate money and grain, our army will not have to worry about money and grain."

Meng Kai's words were consistent with Huang Chao's thoughts before he attacked Luoyang. After all, Huang Chao had long thought that governing the world required scholars, and scholars were mostly from powerful families, or at the very least, wealthy households that had passed down the tradition of farming and studying.

That is why he issued an order early on forbidding any use of force against the powerful families and clans within Luoyang.

Now that Luoyang has been captured, although the common people's houses have been demolished, the houses of the powerful families and noble clans in Ziwei City are still well preserved.

Since they have been abandoned by the Tang court, we can take this opportunity to win them over, consolidate the prefectures and counties we occupy, and then continue to relentlessly pursue and attack Li Cui, who is fleeing eastward.

Thinking this, Huang Chao picked up where Meng Kai left off, and said in a deep voice:

"All officials of the third rank and above in the Tang Dynasty shall be suspended from their posts, while those of the fourth rank and below shall remain in their posts."

"The enthronement ceremony will be held in five days. All officials will pay their respects..."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Meng Kai agreed without hesitation, and then respectfully withdrew from the Zhenguan Hall.

Watching his departing figure, Huang Chao withdrew his gaze and began to examine the Zhenguan Hall.

"The Zhenguan era, the Tang Dynasty?"

"No, soon it will be the Great Qi and the Jin Dynasty..."

(End of this chapter)