Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 449: Thousands of Miles Away
"Damn it, how can you just settle things like that?!"

Inside the Zhenguan Hall of the Ziwei City in Luoyang, Huang Cun cursed Liu Jilong and the imperial court, simply because he couldn't believe that the two sides, who had been fighting fiercely, had now reconciled.

"This Liu Jilong is truly spineless; he actually made peace with the imperial court for the sake of a mere King of Hanzhong!"

Lin Yan couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks about Liu Jilong, and the other generals also chimed in with their own sarcastic comments.

The hall was filled with curses, but Shang Rang and Huang Chao, with grim expressions, remained silent for a long time.

Seeing that everyone had finished cursing, Shang Rang stepped forward, bowed, and said:
"Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task now is to withdraw our troops from Nanyang and move into Huainan and Henan."

"If possible, it would be best to take Hangu Pass and Wulao Pass first, then send troops to threaten Heyin and force the Tang emperor to flee to Hedong."

As soon as Shang Rang finished speaking, everyone fell silent. However, Huang Chao's expression shifted between light and dark. After a short while, he raised his hand and said, "No!"

"Send orders to withdraw the troops from Nanyang to Suizhou and lift the siege of Nanyang first, so that Liu Jilong will be unable to send troops."

"Our army can take this opportunity to train its troops in Suizhou, while continuing to wear down Kang Chengxun, Liu Zhan, and Li Changyan."

"This year, the area north of the Huai River is experiencing a severe drought, while the area south of the Huai River remains unaffected."

"There are only two and a half months left until the summer harvest. As long as our army holds out for two and a half months, we will surely defeat the Tang army, expand our gains, and occupy the entire Hehuai region."

Huang Chao's plan was well-thought-out, but Shang Rang, having followed Wang Xianzhi, knew that the Tang court still had many tricks up its sleeve.

Even though these remarks would displease Huang Chao, he still forced himself to speak:

"Your Majesty, the reason our army was able to enter Luoyang so quickly was because the Tang court's money, grain, and troops were mostly used to defend against Liu Jilong."

"Now that the court has reconciled with Liu Jilong, both sides will inevitably withdraw their troops to show their sincerity."

"Liu Jilong can take this opportunity to fight the drought, while the imperial court can send troops to attack us."

"Although our army currently has 90,000 armored soldiers, 40,000 of them have not been trained. Moreover, since the loss of Hunan, dozens or even hundreds of soldiers from the Hunan army have deserted every day."

"If this continues, our army will not be able to train elite troops before it dies in Luoyang due to desertion."

The problem of deserters is one that every army has to face, even the Tang Dynasty and the Han army were no exception.

The difference is that Liu Jilong implemented a rotation system, where soldiers would serve a two-year term and then return to their hometowns for a year before being rotated back to their posts.

Even so, there were still many deserters in the Han army, but Liu Jilong usually retired these people and prohibited their descendants from serving in the army for three generations.

If the descendants of martyrs escape, all benefits for the martyrs' families will be cut off, and in severe cases, the land and pension land distributed in the early years will be reclaimed.

Over time, the number of deserters in the Han army gradually decreased and stabilized, with only a few hundred deserters each year, and at most a thousand.

In comparison, Huang Chao's forces, which were in a period of turmoil, saw a greater number of soldiers deserting every day.

The Hunan Army that Shang Rang mentioned was only a part of the army; in fact, the Tianping Loyal Army, the Tianping Loyal and Filial Army, and even the militia were all fleeing.

With hundreds deserting every day, tens of thousands could escape in just a few months, so the only options were to constantly conscript men or improve their treatment to win over the soldiers.

Huang Chao was aware of all these things, so he felt that Shang Rang's mention of the Hunan army's escape was a reminder to him to be wary of deserters.

Thinking of the deserters, Huang Chao's face darkened, and he swept his gaze across the generals: "You can't even control the soldiers under your own command?"

"This, this..." The generals looked embarrassed, unsure how to answer Huang Chao, who simply snorted coldly:

"I don't care how many deserters there are, every army must be replenished. If anyone dares to take a place without a soldier, don't blame me for dealing with them according to military law."

"Your Majesty," Shang Rang couldn't help but continue upon hearing Huang Chao mention the vacant position:
"The current situation of our army is actually worse than the situation in Hunan."

"I believe that we should retreat to Shenzhou and completely take over Huainan Road. At the same time, we should train 50,000 soldiers, distribute their pay and land. In this way, even if the government troops attack after half a year, our army will be able to defeat them with ease."

Shang Rang still fondly remembers the time they spent managing things in Hunan. If they hadn't trained so many troops, but only 30,000 or 40,000, they might not have been forced to attack Luoyang due to lack of funds and supplies.

Luoyang has been captured, but Hunan has been lost.

Without the taxes from Hunan, and with the prefectures and counties they occupied ravaged by war, they were unable to provide even a little tax revenue.

Currently, only the eight prefectures of Huainan can provide tax revenue, with a population of just over 400,000. It is difficult to support an army of over 10,000, let alone the others.

In Shang Rang's view, the right path for them was to plunder all the money and grain in Luoyang and Henan, then abduct tens of thousands of able-bodied men to Huainan, seize the entire territory of Huainan, raise an army of 50,000 to confront the Tang Dynasty, and take the opportunity to march south and conquer Jiangnan.

Huang Chao was well aware of the loss he would suffer from losing Hunan, but he simply couldn't bear to part with Luoyang and Ziwei City.

"I will discuss this matter again. Right now, Ge Dalang is training 30,000 Tianping Loyal Army soldiers in Shenzhou. If Huo Cun also withdraws to Suizhou to train his troops, once the troops are trained, even if the Tang court comes with its entire army, I will be able to defeat them with ease."

Huang Chao continued to argue, but Shang Rang, seeing this, became anxious: "But our army is short of food supplies."

Once those words were spoken, even Huang Chao, who was reluctant to leave Luoyang, was at a loss for words.

The provisions are like a sharp blade hanging high, ready to fall at any moment.

"Our army's food supplies are only enough for 32 days at most, but there are still two and a half months until the summer harvest."

"During this period, our army needs to acquire at least 300,000 shi of grain. Where should we get this grain?"

Shang Rang questioned Huang Chao, who didn't know what to say. At this moment, Huang Cun spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, isn't this matter simple?"

"In my opinion, it would be enough to simply requisition 300,000 shi of grain directly from the households of the people in various prefectures and counties!"

"No!" Shang Rang quickly refused, explaining to Huang Chao, "If we do that, we might lose the hearts of the people."

"If we lose the hearts of the people, it will be even more difficult for our army to establish a foothold in the Hebei and Huaihe River regions."

"Absurd!" Huang Cun sneered upon hearing Shang Rang's words: "The common people are the most ignorant and cowardly. As long as you put a knife to their necks, they will obediently become compliant citizens."

"We've dragged the people here all the way, but we haven't seen any change in public sentiment. How can you talk about public sentiment now?"

Huang Cun's arrogant remarks made Shang Rang tremble with anger. He looked at Huang Chao, only to see Huang Chao nod and say:

"What you say is right, my lord. The current situation is unfavorable to our army. We must have food to stand against the Tang emperor."

"How about this, the land in each prefecture and county shall be distributed equally to the people, and at the same time, one shi of grain shall be levied on each household under the pretext of national crisis."

Huang Chao had a good idea. In his view, he had already distributed land to the people, so what was wrong with taking a shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain?
Shang Rang clearly understood that for the common people, a bushel of grain was their last hope to hold out until the autumn harvest.

If each household is taxed one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain, the wealthy might still be able to survive, but the poor will only face death.

At this point, distributing land or even gold and silver would be useless.

"His Majesty……"

"Alright! That's settled then."

Shang Rang tried to dissuade him, but Huang Chao interrupted him and slammed his fist on the table, deciding the matter.

"Your Majesty is wise!!"

Seeing that his idea had been adopted, Huang Cun immediately shouted that it was brilliant, and the other generals followed suit.

Seeing this, Shang Rang could only compromise and said, "If that's the case, I urge Your Majesty to send a general to attack Huainan, and strive to capture the entire town of Huainan to cut off the imperial canal's supply route."

"Of course." Huang Chao agreed without hesitation. After a moment's thought, he turned his gaze to Huang Cun, but then decided against sending Huang Cun and said:
"Issue an imperial decree ordering Zhu Wen to lead his troops to Huainan, under the command of the Third Prince, and to conquer He and Hao prefectures at all costs!"

"Your subject obeys the decree." Shang Rang took a breath, but Huang Chao had no intention of continuing the court discussion with him and said with a flick of his sleeve, "All of you may leave."

"I'm waiting to retire."

Everyone bowed and clasped their hands in greeting before leaving Zhenguan Hall.

Shortly after they left, more than ten fast horses galloped off in the southwest direction of Luoyang.

The following afternoon, Zhu Wen, who had just captured Lushi County, received an imperial edict and had no choice but to obey, leading his more than 4,000 Hunan troops to Huainan.

While Huang Chao was constantly deploying troops, Liu Jilong, who was in Chang'an, shifted his focus from external to internal affairs.

As summer gradually arrives in the north, the rivers in the Kansai region, which has been without rain for a long time, are visibly receding.

On the banks of the Wei River, Liu Jilong frowned deeply as he looked at the layers of eroded riverbank exposed by the receding water level.

"Can our waterwheels still cope with this situation?"

Liu Jilong asked in a deep voice, and Gao Jinda, who was behind him, replied without hesitation: "At the current speed, it shouldn't be a problem to last until after the summer harvest."

"However, after the summer harvest, farming will have to be done by the people themselves, carrying everything on their shoulders and by hand. Unless it rains during that time, it's hard to change that..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong looked to his left and right, and saw that the waterwheels that were being used for water treatment were constantly drawing water from the Wei River and pouring it into the irrigation canal.

The crisscrossing irrigation canals cover thousands of acres of farmland on the south bank of the Wei River, allowing the local people to draw water from the canals to irrigate their land at their leisure.

Currently, there is enough water, but if the rain continues, in three or four months, the water pump will be unable to draw water from the Wei River. At that time, the only way to irrigate the canals will be by carrying the water on shoulders and by hand.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong felt extremely troubled. After all, if the Guanzhong Plain, with its abundant hydrology, was like this, let alone the Guannei Road to the north.

"What is the situation in Guannei Circuit? How many people have been affected by the disaster? Has the local government submitted a report?"

In response to his question, Luo Yin, who was standing behind Gao Jinda, stepped forward and bowed: "The government offices of thirteen prefectures, including Yanzhou, Linzhou, and Qingzhou, have submitted a report stating that the rivers in fourteen counties have been cut off, and 390,000 people have been affected by the disaster."

"In addition, Li Sigong, the Dangxiang chieftain of Pingxia tribe, submitted a memorial requesting Your Highness to open horse markets in Lingzhou and other places so that they can sell horses and buy grain."

Luo Yin's words forced Liu Jilong to take them seriously. After all, the severe drought in Guannei Road affected not only the people of Guannei Road, but also the Dangxiang people who had been settled in Henan by the Tang Dynasty.

These Tanguts are nominally Liu Jilong's subjects, but if disaster strikes, they will definitely turn into rebels and plunder the surrounding area.

If Liu Jilong hadn't already taught Li Sigong the "truth" through his troops, based on past disasters in the Guannei Road region, the Dangxiang people of Pingxia would have already begun to deal with the Guannei Road region.

Their current desire to sell horses to buy grain indicates that they can still hold on.

"Grain was transported from Guanzhong and Longyou to these disaster-stricken prefectures and counties and stored in the Ever-Normal Granary. Once the grain price rose, the granary was opened immediately to stabilize the price."

"In addition, the work-for-relief program must not be stopped; we must give people a way to make a living."

"As for Li Sigong's memorial, we can agree to it. We will also send someone to Pingxia to deliver the message."

"The imperial court can allocate grain to them and relocate them to places like Shangzhou and Junzhou. As long as they are willing to relocate, each person will be given seven dou of grain first, and five shi of grain after they arrive. They will be settled in the local area and the land will be distributed equally."

It is not advisable to force all 200,000-plus Tangut people in Henan to rebel. The best approach is to relocate them in batches to other places and gradually assimilate them with the Han people.

This explains why the Tang Dynasty still has a relatively large population, while the surrounding countries have relatively small populations.

If the situation had progressed to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Liu Jilong would not have dared to try this method so easily.

In conclusion, the hundreds of thousands of Tangut people in Henan must be relocated; otherwise, if their overgrazing leads to an expansion of the sandy land, it will be difficult to manage the area.

Liu Jilong didn't want to eat sand from Henan every year in Chang'an; the sooner the better.

"Have the populations of Jiannan Road and Shannan Road been recounted?"

"The statistics are complete." Gao Jinda nodded and bowed, reporting:

"The nineteen prefectures that have been recovered have now been registered and recorded by more than two thousand officials over the course of more than half a year, and the fields have been measured."

"Jiannan Road has more than 695,000 households, more than 3,372,000 people, and more than 24,840,000 mu of land."

"There are more than 214,000 households in Shannan West Road, with more than 1,078,000 people and more than 7,870,000 mu of land."

"The two regions together have more than 910,000 households, more than 4.45 million people, and more than 32.7 million mu of land."

The registration and record-keeping of the land and population in Sichuan and Chongqing has finally been completed, with more than 700,000 more people and more than 8 million mu of arable land compared to before.

These people were basically those that Gao Pian couldn't take with him.

If we include the people who were taken away by Gao Pian, the combined population of Shannan West Circuit and Jiannan Circuit is at least five million.

The difference in numbers is not significant compared to the height of the Kaiyuan era, which is also due to the fact that Shannan West Circuit and Jiannan Circuit rarely experienced war.

If it weren't for the several mutinies and banditry during the Taihe, Huichang, and Dazhong periods, and the invasion of the southern barbarians, the local population might have reached six or seven million.

Although we haven't reached that number yet, the population of nearly 4.5 million is enough for the Han army to advance into the southwest and recover Yunnan in the future.

"Five days ago, Zhang Wu sent word that the Southern Barbarians had been defeated by his troops, with more than three thousand soldiers killed."

"I believe that once Yushilong learns of our army's strength, he won't dare to invade our borders in the short term."

Liu Jilong commented on the invasion of the southern barbarians more than a month ago, which undoubtedly ended in a victory for the Han army.

If it weren't for the severe drought in Guanzhong and the urgent need for grain transport from Jiannan Road, Zhang Wu might have taken the initiative to send troops to recapture Xizhou and drink water at Huichuan City.

"Our people are numerous and scattered in all directions, and now we are also suffering from a severe drought..."

"If we want to send troops, we can only wait for the right opportunity, or wait until the drought subsides before we can advance eastward."

Liu Jilong spoke to the crowd, his words filled with resentment.

A locust plague and two severe droughts completely disrupted his plans.

Originally, he planned to occupy the Hehuai region, but as a second choice, he also wanted to occupy the Hedong region.

As a result, locust plagues and droughts broke out, and with Huang Chao's invasion of Luoyang, he had no choice but to slow down and get through the immediate predicament first.

"How are the coal and iron ore mining operations in the north going?"

He turned and walked towards the cavalry, with Gao Jinda, Luo Yin, Cui Shu, and other officials following behind him.

“Mining is going very smoothly. Our army now produces 1.2 million catties of gunpowder annually, most of which is used for mining. Gold, silver and copper ingots are all used for making coins or utensils.”

"With this alone, the annual income would be no less than 400,000 strings of cash."

Gao Jinda responded to Liu Jilong's question, while Liu Jilong was still slightly dissatisfied with the amount of gunpowder produced by the Han army.

One million catties of gunpowder sounds like a lot, but in reality, it couldn't even compare to the Ming Dynasty, let alone later generations.

During the Wanli Emperor's campaign against Japanese pirates and aid to Korea, the Ming army used two million catties of gunpowder annually, not to mention the amount of gunpowder used in the Ming-Burmese War, the Bozhou Campaign, the Three Victories of Huangzhong, and other battles that broke out at the same time.

The Han army mainly used gunpowder for mining, and it wasn't used much on the battlefield. It was mainly used for shield carts to blow up walls, or for iron cannons to defend cities.

However, as the army marched eastward, the amount of military gunpowder would inevitably increase, so the Han army also had to increase gunpowder production and artillery technology.

"We've received a lot of good news from Linzhou recently. I believe that once our army advances eastward again, we'll soon be able to use the new weapons." "However, the new weapons consume a lot of gunpowder, so the gunpowder factories in Linzhou still need to be expanded in due course."

Liu Jilong explained things to Gao Jinda, and Gao Jinda wrote them all down. Only after Liu Jilong mounted his horse could he rest.

Gao Jinda and the others mounted their horses one after another. After they were settled, Liu Jilong continued to give instructions:

"Now that our army has reconciled with the imperial court, we can transport the brocades and silks of Shu to Jiangnan for sale, and at the same time test the strength of our navy."

"Now Huang Chao, Gao Pian and Kang Chengxun are all training naval forces, some with hundreds of ships and others with dozens. Our army cannot lag behind."

"The imperial court has ordered our army to lift the siege of Nanyang. I predict that Huang Chao will definitely withdraw his troops to hinder our advance."

"Let's ignore them for now and just take over Shangzhou. It's enough to take over Shangzhou first. Liu Zhan is probably too weak to defend it. If we take over it while he's withdrawing his troops, the court won't be able to say anything."

Liu Jilong was naturally not going to suffer a loss. He only occupied two counties in Shangzhou, while Wuguan and Zhuyangguan were still in the hands of the Tang army.

If we don't seize this opportunity to take these two passes, it will be difficult to occupy them in the future.

Since Li Cui agreed to the settlement, he should know that he would suffer a loss. He wouldn't take this matter seriously at this critical juncture.

"Your Highness," Gao Jinda asked, seeing that Liu Jilong only wanted to occupy Shangzhou.

"If the imperial court suppresses Huang Chao now and waits for him to make a comeback, wouldn't our army continue to be in a standoff with the Tang court from east to west?"

"East and West in a standoff?" Liu Jilong's words carried three parts surprise and seven parts contempt.

"Henan and Huainan were ravaged by war, and towns in Hedong and Hebei stood side by side."

"If it weren't for our army, the conflict between the imperial court and these regional military governors would have erupted long ago."

"As long as our army does not express its intention to send troops, and the various garrisons understand the relationship between our army and the imperial court, the number of those who want to establish themselves independently will only increase, not decrease."

"Moreover, if the imperial court wants to suppress Huang Chao, it has to consider who to use to suppress him and what the consequences of the suppression will be."

Liu Jilong was not very clear about the course of the struggle in the Central Plains during the late Tang Dynasty, but he vaguely remembered that after Huang Chao attacked Chang'an and the emperor lost face, the generals in the various garrisons continued to grow in power while they were besieging Huang Chao, which led to the chaos of war among the garrisons.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons for the chaotic fighting among the various towns; there are many other reasons as well.

However, in Liu Jilong's view, Huang Chao today is even more difficult to deal with than Huang Chao in history, and it will not be so easy for the imperial court to suppress Huang Chao.

If they suffer even the slightest setback, the number of local warlords rebelling will only increase, not decrease.

With this in mind, Liu Jilong composed himself and focused on getting through the severe drought in Guanzhong first.

When the army is strong and well-equipped next year, we will either attack Shannan East Circuit or Hedong Circuit.

As for the reason, he believes it will come soon.

"drive……"

He shook the reins and led Gao Jinda and others back to Chang'an in a hurry.

Two hours later, as he returned to the Prince of Han's residence, he chatted briefly with everyone before ending the conversation. Zhao Ying also entered the hall after everyone left.

"How is it?" Liu Jilong poured himself a glass of water and moistened his throat.

When Zhao Ying heard his question, she immediately recounted all the changes that had occurred during this period.

"Since the officials who went on the mission returned three days ago, many officials have resigned and gone east, but more officials have stayed."

Zhao Ying answered calmly. Liu Jilong pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are there any signs that the wealthy families in Chang'an have left?"

"Yes, but they are all afraid of your power and dare not express their opinions."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong took a deep breath: "I do think it would be better if they sold their property and left, so that we could buy their farmland at a low price in the name of the government and drive them into the hands of the Tang court."

"Why not just use force?" Zhao Ying asked, puzzled. In his opinion, it would be enough to just kill these people directly; there was no need to create so much trouble.

Liu Jilong frowned and explained, "Our army has not yet conquered the world. If we break ties with them now, it will be bad if they support the Tang court or other regional warlords."

"Before conquering the world, it's still necessary to put on a show of pretense."

"You should send someone to tell the three provinces and six ministries that if any wealthy households want to relocate, the government can purchase their land and houses at a low price and send troops to escort them out of the country. This will leave a good reputation for those powerful families in Guandong, making it easier for our army to advance eastward in the future."

“Yes…” Zhao Ying still didn’t understand, but that didn’t stop him from carrying it out.

After he left, Liu Jilong touched his mustache.

If he could, he would like to slaughter all the powerful and influential families, but doing so would undoubtedly increase the difficulty of advancing eastward.

The best approach would be to learn from Zhu Yuanzhang, who treated the scholar-officials, gentry, and wealthy households with kindness and gentleness before becoming the ruler. Once the country was stable, he simply relocated all the wealthy households in the country to Nanjing, thus severing their roots in the local areas.

Although wealthy local families were rich, their money and grain were nothing in Nanjing, where prices were soaring, not to mention Zhu Yuanzhang's method of exchanging paper money for silver.

The local gentry and wealthy households were relocated to Nanjing, and the use of gold, silver, and copper coins for transactions in the market was prohibited. They were forced to exchange these coins for paper money, which was then issued like waste paper, ultimately turning these thousands of wealthy households into impoverished people.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang also suffered retribution when the paper money collapsed, causing the Ming court's credibility to crumble.

For Liu Jilong, the good things are something he can learn, but the bad things are something he must avoid.

Zhu Yuanzhang's ability to learn from the gentry's pretense of benevolence is exactly what he should be learning now.

For a few years, we should be benevolent and virtuous to lull these powerful families into complacency. Once we have seized power, we must act decisively and without hesitation.

What would be the result of dragging things out? Liu Jilong has already learned from his predecessors what to do.

It's not easy to build a team, but it can get corrupt very quickly. The only way is to cut the Gordian knot and nip the seeds of corruption in the bud first, and then work both outward and inward to gradually cultivate a positive atmosphere.

Even if the final result is the same, at least there is a process, which gives future generations a chance to learn from it.

Thinking of this, he rubbed his temples. Seeing that he was no longer speaking, Zhao Ying went forward to pour him tea and then left the hall.

After he left, Liu Jilong continued to deal with government affairs, while the Three Provinces and Six Ministries became lively due to the return of Gao Jinda and others.

Inside the provincial government office, the officials, who came from humble backgrounds, best understood the feelings of the people as they watched Gao Jinda and his entourage return, covered in dust from their journey.

"This is the sixth time His Highness has gone out of the city to check the water level this month, isn't it?"

"Of course, I also remember clearly that every time Your Highness went out of the city, the heads of various government offices had to follow you out of the city."

"If the imperial court had paid as much attention to the people and natural disasters as the government, how could the Guandong region have ended up like this..."

"Upon hearing that the people of Guandong were suffering from famine and disaster, they killed people and dismembered them, calling it 'lucky meat' and selling it."

"Don't say anything more, it's extremely disgusting..."

Inside the yamen, officials discussed Liu Jilong's concern for the people, and also talked about the chaos in Guandong.

Many officials shuddered at the mention of Kanto-style braised pork.

It wasn't that they were too intolerant; it was just that after Lu Guimeng returned from his mission, he immediately wrote a satirical piece titled "Miscellaneous Satires on Northeast China" on the blackboard of the Secretariat.

In the article, Lu Guimeng described in detail how starving people in Guandong exchanged children to eat, and how they tricked friends into their homes to slaughter and share their flesh.

These words transformed into scenes, appearing frame by frame in everyone's minds, making them unforgettable.

Many people criticized Lu Guimeng in private, but Lu Guimeng's actions won Gao Jinda's appreciation.

From then on, Lu Guimeng was in charge of almost all the blackboard bulletins in the Secretariat. He wrote several satirical articles, which were basically mocking the officials in Guandong for their all-encompassing tax collection and exploitation, and how their generals and soldiers disregarded the lives of the people and wantonly slaughtered them in order to gain merit and money.

Although he was criticized by many people in private, Lu Guimeng's "Miscellaneous Satires" allowed officials from Longyou who had never been to Guandong to understand what the Tang Dynasty was doing in Guandong.

With Liu Jilong setting an example through his own efforts, and with Lu Guimeng's "Miscellaneous Satire" providing a comparison of the situation in Guandong, many officials were glad that they were in Guanxi rather than Guandong.

"What article did Lu Wang write today?"

As soon as Gao Jinda returned to his seat in the yamen, he couldn't help but ask the officials around him.

Standing beside him, Du Xunhe, a junior official in his late twenties, bowed respectfully upon hearing this: "The article you wrote today is..."

Du Xunhe slowly explained Lu Guimeng's article for today. Today's main point was that the Tang emperor did not value the people, which led to the conclusion that if the ruler disregards the people, the people will disregard the ruler; if the ruler regards the people as enemies, the people will regard the ruler as a powerful bandit.

Although Du Xunhe was young, he came from a humble background and failed the imperial examinations several times. It was not until Liu Jilong captured Chang'an that he passed the examinations and became an official.

For this reason, he was very clear about how powerful families exploited the people and how officials oppressed them, and he deeply abhorred it.

He often studied Lu Guimeng's "Miscellaneous Satires" and deeply agreed with them.

Riding on the wave set by Lu Guimeng, he also wrote a seven-character regulated poem, "On Encountering a Rebellion in the Prefecture While Traveling," which included descriptions of the soldiers' rampant looting of jewels, indiscriminate killing of civilians, and even the demolition of ancient temples and the digging up of abandoned graves.

Thanks to Liu Jilong's introduction of movable type printing and improved papermaking techniques, the price of paper and printing costs in Chang'an plummeted. Many officials began to pay for the printing of their own poetry collections, which they then placed in their offices or homes to spread their fame when their colleagues looked through them.

Gao Jinda did not try to stop this trend, but simply noted it down, thinking he would find an opportunity to tell His Highness about it after the drought ended.

"The people of Guandong are truly suffering. It's just that the weather is not on our side. Otherwise, if our army had set out earlier, we could have at least protected hundreds of thousands of people."

Gao Jinda sighed, then lowered his head to deal with government affairs.

While he was handling government affairs, an official sent someone into the yamen with a letter from Liu Jilong.

"Prime Minister, this is a letter written by His Highness."

Du Xunhe took the letter and, upon discovering the seal of the Prince of Han's residence, handed it to Gao Jinda without hesitation.

Gao Jinda dared not delay, took the document and opened it, only to find that it contained information about redeeming the farmland and houses of wealthy households and sending troops to escort wealthy households who wanted to leave the country.

Liu Jilong proposed the idea, but Gao Jinda and his team were responsible for refining the specific details.

He summoned officials from the Ministry of Personnel, and only after all the government offices had gathered did he explain the matter.

"As Your Highness suggests, even if wealthy families are not loyal to me, I cannot forcibly seize their property."

Therefore, redemption is a low-price purchase, not a forced purchase.

As soon as Gao Jinda finished speaking, the provincial officials under his command began to offer their suggestions.

"That being said, if these wealthy households were to take their money and provisions eastward, they would certainly help the court maintain stability, which is not a good thing."

Luo Yin was more opposed to buying the farmland of wealthy households at low prices; he preferred to confiscate the property of the wealthy, even those powerful and influential families in Chang'an.

However, he didn't dare to say it out loud, so he could only express his opposition in a roundabout way.

Du Xunhe was not as radical as Luo Yin. Regarding this matter, he simply frowned and said, "It is not that I am being harsh, but the treasury is insufficient. Merchants in Guanzhong own two or three tenths of the land. Even if the entire treasury were used, it would not be possible to buy up all the farmland."

Faced with this, Nie Yizhong and Li Shanfu, two officials from the Ministry of Revenue, exchanged glances, unsure of what to say. It was Lu Guimeng, known for his satirical remarks about the powerful, who spoke first:

"In my opinion, the situation in Guandong has already been spread to Guanzhong through articles. Anyone with a long-term vision should be able to know Your Highness's ambition. Therefore, although there are many people going east, they are not enough to seriously damage the government. Your Highness should also mean this."

Lu Guimeng's words pleased Gao Jinda and Cui Shu, who were seated in the main seats, and Chen Ying also stood up for Lu Guimeng at this moment:
“Among powerful and influential families, those who can become heads of families all have a long-term vision.”

"Given the current situation in the Guandong region, there will certainly be few who dare to go east. I believe that as long as we buy back the farms and houses of those who go east at a low price, there will be no problem with the treasury."

Chen Ying is now the Left Attendant Gentleman of the Palace in the Secretariat, in charge of reprimanding mistakes and serving as an advisor.

That's why, after he voiced his support, other officials quickly followed suit and expressed their support as well.

Luo Yin and Du Xunhe, being of low status and with public opinion leaning towards Chen Ying, simply remained silent and made no statement.

Seeing this, Gao Jinda nodded and glanced at Luo Yin: "Zhaojian, what do you think?"

Seeing that Gao Jinda insisted on asking him, Luo Yin could only lower his head and bow: "Prime Minister Gao, I believe that since Attendant Chen agrees, there must be a reason for it."

"Hmm." Gao Jinda knew that Luo Yin was proud and ambitious, so he gave him a special reminder so that he would know that he could rise to the top overnight just by successfully advising the prince.

Even though the officials in the Prince of Han's mansion all followed the rules, the struggle never stopped.

At present, his official position is not high. What he should do is humbly accept advice, rather than flaunt his position.

While it may be eye-catching to hang high in the wind, falling down after the storm can be fatal.

Seeing that he had become humble, Gao Jinda took the initiative to look at Cui Shu and said, "Since there are no objections, then the Ministry of Revenue will take charge of this matter. Do you have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Shu bowed and said, "Prime Minister, rest assured, there will be absolutely no mistakes in this matter."

"Very good." Gao Jinda nodded in satisfaction, then reminded everyone:

"At present, there is a severe drought in Kansai, and the people are suffering. Today, Your Highness announced the transfer of grain and fodder for disaster relief. The Censorate will surely keep a close eye on all the prefectures and counties."

"Most of you come from poor backgrounds and have experienced hunger, so you should know what people can do when they are hungry."

"This year there is a severe drought. The local governments of all prefectures and counties have an inescapable responsibility to comfort the starving people and not delay Your Highness's grand plan."

"If anyone tries to extort or demand bribes, even if the Censorate fails to find out, I will not let them off the hook!"

Gao Jinda slowly rose to his feet, and the other officials followed suit, bowing respectfully: "Prime Minister Gao, you are truly virtuous!"

"Step back." Seeing that the group had listened, Gao Jinda waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

The people left the hall one after another according to their official rank. Among them, many were led by Luo Yin, but even more were led by Lu Guimeng.

Gao Jinda frowned slightly as he looked at the clearly defined provincial leadership team.

Chen Ying hadn't left yet when she saw him sizing up his provincial team. She walked over to him and shook her head, saying, "It's only been a short time since things settled down, and now factions have already sprung up again."

"It's not that bad, they all come from poor families..."

Gao Jinda refuted Chen Ying's statement, but Chen Ying disagreed: "If people born into poverty don't know how to fight, then the people would have overthrown the Tang emperor long ago..."

"If the Secretariat is like this, I really don't know how many factions exist in the other three provinces and six ministries."

"This matter requires a proper discussion between the Prime Minister and His Highness. We cannot allow another General Li to appear in the government office."

Chen Ying strode out, and the General Li he mentioned was undoubtedly Li Ji, who was still under house arrest.

Gao Jinda stood there in silence for a moment. After thinking it over, he decided to put these matters aside for now and get through the drought first.

However, while he put these matters aside, the Guandong court was overjoyed by the news of Gao Pian's victory in recovering lost territories in Hunan and Jiangxi.

(End of this chapter)