Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 453 Westward Expedition and Southern Expedition
"Screw rustle..."

"Zhu San! Why aren't you attacking the city?!"

In mid-May, within the territory of Chuzhou...

With more than half a month passing and Zhu Wen, who was heading north, still unable to attack Chuzhou, Huang Kui, who was struggling to capture Jiangdu City, was getting anxious.

He sent Zhao Zhang north to urge Zhu Wen, but after Zhao Zhang went north and entered Chuzhou, he learned that Zhu Wen had not attacked Shanyang County, but had occupied Baoying County and remained inactive.

Upon learning the truth, Zhao Zhang hurriedly entered Baoying County and went to the county government office to question Zhu Wen.

Having already learned of Zhao Zhang's arrival, Zhu Wen, who was seated in the main seat, immediately asked upon Zhao Zhang's arrival, "I am short of supplies. How can we attack a city without supplies?"

"I urged you to provide provisions on the 27th of last month, but you refused and now you dare to cause trouble in Baoying?!"

Zhu Wen slammed his fist on the table and stood up, glaring at Zhao Zhang. Looking down at him, he said, "Do you mean I should lead all my brothers to our deaths?!"

"You..." Zhao Zhang was so angry at Zhu Wen's words that he trembled, but thinking that Kang Chengxun in the north was already mobilizing troops, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and say:
"Even the governor's funds and provisions are insufficient; hasn't an imperial edict already been issued ordering you to provide for them yourself?"

"Self-sufficient?" Zhu Wen scoffed. "What do you have to be self-sufficient with?"

"You've traveled all the way north; I don't believe you haven't seen what the situation is like in Chuzhou. Tell me, how will you support yourself?!"

Zeng Yuanyu had only a little over ten thousand troops, but he needed to garrison three prefectures. Therefore, when Song Wei in the south suffered a crushing defeat and retreated to Jiangdu, Zeng Yuanyu ordered his troops to implement a scorched-earth policy.

Although it was only a few dozen miles of barren land, it stumped Zhu Wen, since he had brought only a small amount of military rations, enough for the army to eat for half a month.

It wasn't that he didn't want to bring more, but Huang Kui only gave him half a month's worth of provisions.

Huang Kui's actions made Zhu Wen even more convinced of Xie Tong's advice. Therefore, after capturing Baoying County, he immediately chose to remain inactive, preparing to use the money and grain of Baoying County and waiting for an opportunity.

Now that Zhao Zhang has come to his door, it's as if he's brought an opportunity, so Zhu Wen naturally won't let it go.

He wanted to surrender to the Tang court, but he couldn't give the impression that he was fickle. Instead, he wanted outsiders to think that Huang Chao had forced him to submit to the court.

That's why he raised his voice just now, making the shortage of food supplies known to everyone.

With him speaking up, and Xie Tong adding fuel to the fire, the soldiers of the three armies will soon find out that Huang Kui is not giving them military rations and is sending them to their deaths.

Zhu Wen knew the temperament of these people all too well. As long as they knew there was no benefit to be gained, or that the road ahead was a dead end, they would definitely choose to backtrack.

Huang Chao transferred himself out of the Tianping Loyal Army and gave him to the Hunan Army to weaken himself, all because he was not a member of the Huang family.

Since they don't consider me one of their own, there's no need for me to show them any consideration.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen coldly looked at Zhao Zhang. Zhao Zhang wanted to lash out, but considering that he had only brought a little over a thousand men and was no match for Zhu Wen, he took a deep breath and said:
"As for the matter of provisions, Your Excellency is powerless to help. If you break camp and head north, I am willing to procure them for you."

Faced with Zhao Zhang's offer of a way out, Zhu Wen remained firm in his tone: "I will not move an army until I see provisions!"

"You!!" Zhao Zhang's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that Zhu Wen, who had once acted boldly and seemed to have no guile, had now revealed such a delicate mind.

He originally intended to lure Zhu Wen northward, then seize Baoying County and force Zhu Wen to submit.

Now that Zhu Wen is as steadfast as a tortoise, there's nothing he can do about it.

"Good, Zhu Sanlang, you're very good..."

Zhao Zhang clenched his fists inwardly and walked out with a cold face.

Seeing him leave, Zhu Wen quickly shouted, "We will move our troops when the grain arrives, and we will not move our troops when the grain does not arrive. I cannot let my brothers go without a full meal!"

Zhao Zhang didn't stop walking; he headed south without looking back.

He was not a fool; Zhu Wen's sudden inaction must have been premeditated.

He had to hurry back south and tell Huang Kui about this.

"Sanlang, why don't you just attack him directly?"

As Zhao Zhang left, Zhu Cun suddenly emerged from the side rooms on either side of the main hall of the yamen, his gaze fixed on the direction Zhao Zhang had disappeared in, his expression unfriendly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wen replied somewhat absentmindedly, "Sir, there has been no news yet. As long as you can persuade Zeng Yuanyu to recommend me, it won't be too late to break off relations then."

"Alright." Zhu Cun was somewhat unwilling. After all, Zhao Zhang often advised Huang Kui. If Zhao Zhang sensed something was wrong and Huang Kui turned his troops against them, things would be bad.

Thinking of this, he reluctantly sat back down in his chair.

Before long, news came that Zhao Zhang had led his troops back to Yangzhou.

Before the two could react, another officer rushed over, looking travel-worn, and excitedly said, "Commander, you have persuaded Zeng Yuanyu, and Zeng Yuanyu's memorial has been sent to the court!"

"Good!!" Zhu Wen's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and Zhu Cun quickly bowed, "If I lead troops to pursue and kill Zhao Zhang, I can use his head as a token."

"No," Zhu Wen stopped him. Zhu Cun asked, puzzled, "Why is that?"

"Let's wait for the imperial decree to come down before we talk about it. At least we should get some benefits."

Zhu Wen explained his idea, and Zhu Cun suddenly understood. He tentatively asked, "Sanlang, you want Huang Kui to conquer Jiangdu?"

"Of course!" Zhu Wen did not deny it, and nodded, saying, "The more critical the situation in Huainan becomes, the more valuable I become."

"Let Huainan remain in chaos; only then will we have our chance..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zeng Yuanyu dispatched a fast horse that was galloping towards Zhengzhou, and Zhao Zhang was also hurrying south.

Although troops cannot march as fast as horses, the proximity of Baoying and Jiangdu is irreplaceable.

On the third day after Zhao Zhang went south, he arrived in Jiangdu and hurriedly met with Huang Kui, telling him that Zhu Wen might have rebellious intentions.

"Hmph! Your Majesty is right, we should indeed be wary of this brat!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Kui, who was sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but slam his hand on the table and stand up, pacing back and forth, pondering how to take revenge on Zhu Wen.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhang said directly, "We should have killed them back then, and there wouldn't be so many problems now."

"It's a pity that Zhu San is fickle right now; he must have already pledged allegiance to the Tang emperor."

"If Zhu San surrenders to the Tang emperor, our army will be unable to break through in the north. We will then have no choice but to attack Jiangdu, seize the shipyard and craftsmen, and then head south to seize Jiangnan."

After Zhao Zhang finished speaking, Huang Kui couldn't help but curse, "That damned Zhu San, if he really dares to surrender to the Tang emperor, I will definitely cut off his head!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Zhao Zhang and said, "We can't delay any longer. We must capture Jiangdu and seize the boatmen."

"Our navy was defeated by that scoundrel Kang Chengxun. Without the navy, our army would not have been able to occupy the Yangtze River at all."

"Issue my military order: the three armies will attack the city tomorrow, and Jiangdu must be captured within ten days!"

Zhao Zhang dared not delay and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble general obeys!"

After agreeing, Zhao Zhang left the tent and immediately issued orders to the three armies, announcing that the city would be attacked the next day. He also promised that after the city fell, all the spoils except for those in the official granaries would belong to the soldiers.

Upon learning of this, the Qi soldiers, who had been demoralized by the prolonged siege, immediately regained some morale.

The following day, as shouts of battle arose, Huang Kui led 40,000 troops in a fierce attack on Jiangdu City.

With only a little over 5,000 troops, Song Wei barely managed to hold out for three days before being forced to lead his naval forces south to break through the encirclement.

Huang Kui ordered iron chains to be set up on the canal to stop the ships, but Song Wei ordered the ships to ram them. After several ships sank, Song Wei led more than a thousand remaining soldiers to break through into the Yangtze River and retreat to Runzhou in Jiangnan to rest and reorganize. At the same time, he sent a carrier pigeon north to report the news of the fall of Jiangdu to the court.

When the news of the canal being completely cut off reached Heyin, Li Cui coughed incessantly and summoned all officials of the third rank and above from the imperial court to the county government office.

More than sixty people gathered, including Zhang Yichao, a veteran official with a background in the Hexi Corridor.

"Sing!"

"Tens of millions of years old..."

Dozens of officials chanted "Long live the Emperor!" and then Li Cui was seen being helped out by Tian Yun and sitting in the main seat of the county government office.

He was much thinner than he had been a few months ago, having lost at least 30 or 40 pounds. Even his everyday clothes looked a bit loose on him.

Two cups of honey water were brought by eunuchs on either side. Li Cui picked up the honey water to moisten his throat, while Lu Yan took the opportunity to address the assembled officials:

"All the towns have reported that Huainan Town lost Yangzhou, and Song Wei, the military commander of Pinglu Army, withdrew to Runzhou, leaving only more than 3,000 remnants of his troops."

"Hunan reported to the emperor that Gao Qianli ordered the transport of 200,000 shi of grain, but the canal was blocked, making it difficult to transport the grain north."

"A memorial from Zhejiang states that after General Dong Chang occupied Hangzhou, he was angered that the court did not appoint him as a defense commissioner, so he sent troops to attack Yuezhou (Shaoxing) and Mingzhou (Ningbo)."

"Jiangling reported that the frost on the trees in April was indeed frozen."

"The Zhongwu Army General Qin Zongquan reported that Liu Jilong had sent troops to occupy Dengzhou, and Zongquan had already led his army to defeat the Huang bandits and recover Tang and Cai prefectures."

"Zeng Yuanyu, the military commissioner of Xusi, submitted a memorial stating that the rebel army in Huainan was in turmoil, and the rebel general Zhu Wen had fled north, expressing his willingness to surrender to the imperial court."

"Liu Jilong, the garrison commander of Chang'an, reported that Qin Zongquan, the general of Zhongwu Army, had rebelled and expelled Liu Zhan, the co-prime minister. He has now sent troops to recapture Dengzhou, and the traitor Qin Zongquan has fled east. He asked whether to continue to send troops to pursue him."

"The envoy Cui of the Northern Capital reported that the summer harvest in Hedong had begun, and 400,000 shi of grain would be transported south starting on the second day of the sixth month."

"Kang, the governor of Wulao Pass, submitted a memorial stating that the army is exhausted and hungry, making it difficult to send troops."

Lu Yan recited the memorials from various towns in a long and detailed manner, which gave everyone a headache.

Among these events, Qin Zongquan expelled Chancellor Liu Zhan, Liu Jilong sent troops to attack Qin Zongquan, and the news that Qin Zongquan fled east and recovered Tangzhou and Caizhou was even more of a mess.

However, even though it was a mess, with the memorial submitted by the officials sent by the court to Jiangling, the ministers were able to roughly sort out the whole story.

To put it bluntly, Qin Zongquan, seeing the court's decline, deliberately expelled Chancellor Liu Zhan, intending to sell him at a higher price.

Unexpectedly, when Liu Jilong sent troops, Qin Zongquan fled without even fighting and submitted a memorial to the court, shifting the blame onto Liu Zhan and Liu Jilong.

Meanwhile, it is true that in Jiangling Prefecture, forests froze and crops were killed in the early summer, but the court misunderstood Liu Zhan.

The whole affair was sorted out by the officials, and the most innocent one was Liu Zhan, who was currently being escorted to Heyin and was still in prison.

“Your Majesty, I believe that Prime Minister Liu is loyal and sincere, and that he is innocent in this matter. He should be reinstated to his original post.”

"Your Majesty, I second that..."

Dozens of officials in the hall spoke one after another, while Li Cui coughed a few times without saying a word, simply moistening his throat with honey water.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yan immediately chimed in, "Your Majesty, I believe that Chancellor Liu should be reinstated to his original post."

Upon hearing this, Li Cui slowly put down his water cup and nodded, saying, "In that case, release Prime Minister Liu and reinstate him to his original position."

"But what should be the punishment for Qin Zongquan's expulsion of Liu Xiang?"

A new question has arisen: after all, Liu Zhan was arrested because Qin Zongquan distorted the truth and framed Liu Zhan, which made the court suspect Liu Zhan.

The imperial court could not possibly be at fault; the one who was at fault must be Qin Zongquan.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Qin Zongquan has indeed recovered Caizhou and Tangzhou, which can be considered as making up for his mistakes. I believe that even Prime Minister Liu will not make things difficult for him."

"Furthermore, Zong Quan is a rough and impulsive military man with a violent and stingy personality, which is understandable."

Lu Yan took the initiative to guide public opinion, which left the officials in the hall looking at each other in confusion, unsure whether to follow Lu Yan or seek revenge for Liu Zhan.

Zhang Yichao stood in the crowd, but his mind was as clear as a mirror.

Qin Zongquan has a considerable number of troops under his command, and now he occupies Tangzhou and Caizhou. If the imperial court can take this opportunity to recover Chenzhou and Yingzhou, it can cut Huang Chao in half.

If Huang Chao had been prepared, he would probably have already been trying to win over Qin Zongquan.

If the imperial court were to punish Qin Zongquan at this time, it would inevitably push Qin Zongquan to the side of Huang Chao.

Therefore, for the sake of the overall situation, the best outcome at present is to let Qin Zongquan's merits and demerits cancel each other out and not to pursue the matter any further.

Although Lu Yan was insatiably greedy, he still had a sense of the bigger picture. He knew very well that if the Tang Dynasty fell, he would have nothing left to be greedy for.

That's why he took the initiative to speak up for Qin Zongquan...

Thinking of this, Zhang Yichao couldn't help but sigh in his heart, and at the same time thought of Liu Jilong, who was far away in Chang'an.

He had now witnessed the devastation in Northeast China, and thus he often thought of the words Liu Jilong had once spoken to him.

It now seems that the Tang Dynasty is on the verge of collapse, and only Liu Jilong seems capable of succeeding to the throne.

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal..."

Among the officials of the third rank and above, there were many with a broad perspective, and they all knew that now was not the time to pursue Qin Zongquan.

Therefore, after Lu Yan spoke, they all expressed their opinions, while the other officials remained silent.

"In that case, Qin Zongquan shall be temporarily appointed as the Prefect of Caizhou and concurrently the Defense Commissioner. Minister Xiao Ye shall be ordered to train the troops as soon as possible and govern Tangzhou well."

Li Cui spoke in a somber tone, his words implying that Qin Zongquan should be confined to Caizhou while Tangzhou was to be recaptured.

Tangzhou has been ravaged by Wang Xianzhi, Huang Chao, and Qin Zongquan, and there is probably not much population left. Qin Zongquan will not turn against the imperial court for the sake of Tangzhou. This is the best outcome Li Cui could think of.

As for Liu Jilong's occupation of Dengzhou, Li Cui did not mention it, and the court officials also wisely refrained from bringing it up.

Anyway, these states have already been ravaged by Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi, so let Liu Jilong have them if he wants them.

The most urgent task at present is to suppress Huang Chao, rather than offend Liu Jilong, with whom a reconciliation has been hard-won.

Thinking this, Li Cui continued, "Issue an imperial decree to appoint Zhang Sitai as the military governor of the Tianping Army, and to establish the Yisheng Army in eastern Zhejiang, governing Hangzhou, Yuezhou, and Mingzhou, with Dong Chang as the military governor."

Given this situation, Li Cui had no choice but to appease the rebellious Tianping Army and the Zhejiang East Army, while also deciding to show some goodwill towards Gao Pian in the south.

"Issue an imperial decree to temporarily appoint Gao Pian to control Hongzhou, train a naval force, and guard against the southward advance of the Yellow rebels."

"The local militia in Xuzhou was abolished and replaced by the Ganhua Army, which governed the four prefectures of Xuzhou and Sizhou, with Zeng Yuanyu as its military governor."

"Zhu Wen returned to power, deeply understanding the greater good, and bestowed upon him the name Quan Zhong, appointing him as the Prefect of Chuzhou and concurrently the Defense Commissioner."

"Order Zeng Yuanyu and Zhu Quanzhong to reorganize the troops and, after the grain from the north is transported to the south, to send troops to recover the prefectures in Huainan."

"Then send another imperial edict to Song Wei, appointing him as the commander of the Zhejiang West Expeditionary Force to suppress bandits, and ordering him to use the funds and provisions of Zhejiang West to recruit and train soldiers, and to prevent the bandit army from advancing south and invading Jiangnan."

In just a few words, Li Cui resolved the immediate problems facing the various towns.

However, this was all the result of his prolonged delay. If it had been dealt with earlier, there would have been no need for concentrated handling, which has led to a complete mess.

The ministers thought this, but dared not say it aloud.

Seeing that the situation was improving as the heavy rain ended, Li Cui's complexion seemed to have improved as well, and he looked towards Xiao Gou.

"Prime Minister Xiao, the summer harvest has already begun. We must ensure that enough money and grain are transported."

"For places like Jiangnan, where money and grain cannot be transported north, they shall be transported north together with the autumn harvest." "Your subject obeys the decree." Xiao Gou agreed without hesitation, and Li Cui nodded in satisfaction, then stood up shakily.

Upon seeing this, Tian Yun quickly stepped forward to help him up, while the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies immediately announced, "The court session is adjourned."

"Tens of millions of years old..."

The officials sang farewell songs to Li Cui, and waited until he had completely left the main hall of the yamen before respectfully withdrawing from the Heyin County yamen.

Zhang Huaicheng had prepared a carriage outside the yamen early on. When he saw Zhang Yichao come out, he quickly stepped forward and bowed to him.

"Let's talk in the car..."

Zhang Yichao rubbed his temples; at seventy-one years old, he was gradually becoming less and less capable.

He got into the carriage with Zhang Huaicheng's help, and only after the carriage started moving did he tell him about what happened at the yamen that day.

Upon learning that Liu Jilong had occupied Dengzhou, Zhang Huaicheng, who had been influenced by Zhang Yichao since childhood, couldn't help but say, "The Prince of Han's occupation of Dengzhou is probably preparation for a future eastward advance, isn't it? Can't the court even see that?"

“It’s no use figuring it out…” Zhang Yichao sighed and shook his head, pointing out:

"The three towns in Hebei are still relatively peaceful now, all because Zhang Yunshen (Lulong), Wang Jingchong (Chengde), and Han Junxiong (Weibo) are still relatively obedient."

"It's just that Zhang Yunshen is old, I heard he's 86 now, and could pass away at any time."

“Since Li Huaixian’s time, Lulong Town has been plagued by frequent mutinies. Almost every change of leadership has caused turmoil, and few people can truly control the situation in Lulong Town.”

"Zhang Yunshen served as the military governor of Lulong for twenty-one years. He governed the town effectively, resulting in bumper harvests year after year, peace on the border, and a peaceful and prosperous life for the people. This is why the arrogant and fierce soldiers and generals of Lulong became docile."

"If Zhang Yunshen passes away, Lulong Town will likely become unrest. At that time, the military and civilians will be unstable, which will inevitably lead to instability in Hebei."

"If the imperial court does not quickly quell the Yellow rebels and restore peace to the Hebei and Huai River regions, it may be difficult to intervene when chaos breaks out in Hebei..."

Zhang Yichao sighed as he spoke, but Zhang Huaicheng asked, "Uncle, if you were to lead troops, how many would you need to quell the Yellow rebels?"

Upon hearing Zhang Huaicheng's question, Zhang Yichao's originally cloudy eyes gradually brightened, as if he had returned to twenty years ago when he raised an army to recover Hexi and drive out the Tubo.

"If I were to lead the army, with only 40,000 elite soldiers and ample supplies, I could wipe out the Yellow bandits in three months."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yichao's eyes dimmed again: "It's a pity that the court will not believe me. And you, Buddha, should not think about serving in the court. When Liu Jilong marches east, you will have your chance to show your talents."

Zhang Huaicheng is only twenty-two years old and is also Zhang Huaishen's younger brother. He has many opportunities to showcase his talents in the future, and he is well aware of this.

However, this life, which feels like being "raised like a pig," makes him uncomfortable and gives him a constant unease.

"By the way, Uncle," Zhang Huaicheng asked as if he had just remembered something, "Wang Duo is transporting 400,000 shi of grain south. He should be dispatching troops to follow him in accordance with the previous imperial decree."

"If that's the case, my brother and the others should also head south. With them by your side, I'll feel more at ease."

The elder brother he mentioned was clearly Zhang Huaiding and Zhang Huaiquan, but Zhang Yichao did not want to see these two brothers.

When the two first went to Taiyuan, they claimed they were going to accomplish great things, but over time they became addicted to pleasure and were simply being played like puppets by Cui Xuan and Wang Duo.

Now that the two of them have returned in such a sorry state, he can already picture what they look like.

"I just hope they are safe and sound..."

Zhang Yichao sighed and closed his eyes. Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of a low wall.

The uncle and nephew got out of the car and walked into the Wutou Gate. The courtyard was not large and could not be described as luxurious, but it was enough for the family members to live in.

However, the mansion was bustling with activity at the moment, with many people carrying things and their faces beaming with smiles.

Seeing this, Zhang Yichao frowned and couldn't help but look at Zhang Huaicheng with a questioning gaze.

Zhang Huaicheng explained, "The messenger sent by the King of Han brought a lot of things from Chang'an, saying that it was sent by my elder brother."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yichao walked towards the warehouse not far from the kitchen. He saw that all three rooms were packed full, and there were still many things that couldn't fit inside.

It would have taken dozens of large trucks to transport so much stuff. It was obviously not arranged by Zhang Huaishen. It was most likely that Liu Jilong pretended to be Zhang Huaishen and arranged it under the pretext of taking advantage of the situation.

Zhang Yichao stepped forward to inspect the contents and indeed found items such as sugar cubes, candles, rice, fine flour, oil, salt, brocade, and silk.

The value of these items alone is probably no less than five thousand strings of cash. After all, although the price of grain in Heyin City has fallen, it still maintains a price of one thousand coins per dou of rice, and one shi of rice is worth ten strings of cash, not to mention scarce resources such as candles, sugar cubes, and fine grains.

"This stuff is enough to feed the household for more than half a year."

Zhang Huaicheng sighed, and Zhang Yichao also sighed, his back hunched as he walked unsteadily toward the central hall.

While he didn't know how to express his gratitude to Liu Jilong, Zhang Huaishen had already repaid him.

"Great victory in Anxi! Great victory in Anxi!"

As the news of victory rang out from afar, the people of Zhuque Tianjie in Chang'an all looked westward.

Dozens of elite cavalrymen galloped from the direction of Jinguang Gate, their bodies adorned with five-colored flags, and loudly proclaiming their great victory.

"Great victory! Zhang Anxi defeated the Uyghurs at Kucha, killing 30,000 and taking 5,000 heads!"

"A great victory..."

The soldiers who sang the victory song were fast horses dispatched by Zhang Huaishen. They galloped all the way from Kucha, crossing the Gobi Desert and traversing snow-capped mountains and grasslands, all for this moment.

They vented the emotions that had accumulated over the journey of more than four thousand miles and thirty days and nights, their voices like bronze bells echoing throughout Chang'an.

"Screw rustle..."

Half an hour later, the long-sealed Daming Palace slowly opened its city gates. More than 700 officials from Chang'an, regardless of rank, all wore ordinary clothes and entered Daming Palace through Danfeng Gate, ascending Hanyuan Hall.

"Enter the class..."

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial announced the rites, and officials outside the Hanyuan Hall entered their posts in turn.

"Sing……"

"Tens of millions of years old..."

As the chanting of ceremonies began, the golden platform remained empty.

After everyone finished singing, Liu Jilong, dressed in a purple robe with a gold belt, nine jade rings, and black leather boots, walked into the hall in a grand manner. He stopped at the fifth step of the golden platform and turned to face the crowd.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies did not stop, and announced: "Zhang Yanhui, the envoy sent by Zhang Huaishen, Deputy Protector-General of the Western Protectorate of Xuan'an, Duke of Shouchang County, Grand Master of the Palace, General of Huaihua, and Minister of War, and Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, hereby pays his respects..."

After the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies finished announcing the end of the ceremony, a young man who had just finished washing up, wearing a light scarlet robe and a gold belt, and standing about five feet three or four inches tall, entered the hall, carrying a wooden tray in his hand.

The wooden tray contained the former seal of the Anxi Protectorate, as well as military records from this battle and Zhang Huaishen's own memorial.

"Your subject Zhang Yanhui, Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Acting Attendant to the Crown Prince, pays respects to the Emperor and His Highness the Prince of Han."

Although everyone in the Han army refers to themselves as subjects, it is still better to respectfully address the emperor from afar when holding court in the palace.

"Rise..."

Liu Jilong looked Zhang Yanhui up and down. He had to admit that Zhang Yanhui was indeed good-looking, with thick eyebrows, long eyes, and regular features. He even had a resemblance to Zhang Huaishen in his demeanor.

"Thank you for your great favor, Prince Han!"

Zhang Yanhui bowed and stood up, while Zhao Ying had already taken the wooden tray from his hand and handed it to Liu Jilong.

With the seal and fish tally of the Anxi Grand Protector in front of him, if Liu Jilong remembered correctly, Kucha was probably conquered by the Tibetans more than sixty years ago.

The lone soldier from Anxi, along with the Prince of Wuwei and Guo Xin, the Grand Protector of Anxi, all perished in battle within the city of Kucha.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong couldn't help but sigh, and looked at Zhang Yanhui: "Have you found Guo Wuwei's tomb? Have you also found the tombs of the other Anxi soldiers?"

Zhang Yanhui hadn't expected Liu Jilong to ask this, but he still answered respectfully:

"After the Tibetans conquered Kucha, the people in the city were enslaved and forced to flee. Sixty-two years have passed, and their whereabouts have long been unknown."

"Furthermore, after the Uyghurs occupied Kucha and Yanqi, they became unkempt and many of them dug up graves to steal gold, leaving many corpses abandoned in the wilderness, making them difficult to identify."

"Guo Wuwei's tomb has not been found, but there are several mass graves around the city, burying thousands of people. It is impossible to identify whether they were soldiers of our army or soldiers of another army."

As Zhang Yanhui finished speaking, many officials in the hall couldn't help but feel disheartened.

One hundred and fifteen years have passed since the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, and the Hexi Corridor has been cut off for one hundred and five years.

Guo Xin led his army to the Western Regions and held out for 42 years. Some veterans even held out for more than 50 years. Unfortunately, they waited for reinforcements for a long time and eventually the city fell and they died.

Now that Zhang Huai has recaptured Kucha, even if they cannot find their bodies, they would surely be happy to see the Han banners planted atop the city walls of Kucha once more.

"The Western Regions of the Han Dynasty will not be interrupted for a thousand years..."

Thinking of Zhang Huaishen's heroic feat of recapturing Kucha, Liu Jilong took a deep breath and said:
"A memorial was submitted to the Emperor, recommending that Prefect Zhang be appointed as the Grand Protector of Anxi, concurrently serving as the Grand Protector of Beiting and the Military Governor of Hexi."

"The generals who recovered Kucha will be rewarded accordingly, and the treasury will allocate 200,000 coins, silk, and satin to be escorted to Anxi."

"Your Highness is wise..."

As soon as Liu Jilong finished speaking, praises rang out from the hall, and Zhang Yanhui took the opportunity to bow and say:

"Your Highness, the people of Kucha and Yanqi have been influenced by barbarians for a hundred years and lack education. Please send Confucian scholars to educate the local people and send prisoners to guard the border."

The main request was to send someone to the Western Regions, which was clearly not Zhang Yanhui's idea, but Zhang Huaishen's.

It seems that Zhang Huaishen is preparing to gradually extend his influence into Hexi and the Western Regions. I wonder what those powerful figures in Hexi think.

But no matter how much they thought about it, it was no use. As long as Zhang Huaishen spoke, Liu Jilong could easily crush these guys.

"By imperial decree, five hundred officials are dispatched to the Anxi and Beiting Protectorates, and another five hundred instructors are transferred to the Western Regions to educate the local people. Their salaries will be paid by the imperial court."

"In addition, three hundred officials were transferred to Hexi, Anxi and Beiting to set up transport warehouses, and three hundred thousand shi of summer grain from Longyou were transferred to Kucha."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jilong, without waiting for the officials to bow, looked at Yang Xin, who was serving as the Minister of Justice at the time: "Minister of Justice, how many prisoners are there in the five circuits now?"

“Your Highness…” Yang Xin stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, “There are approximately 13,000 prisoners in the five provinces, and more than 700 escaped soldiers.”

"They will all be stationed on the border of Kucha, and may not return for ten years. If anyone escapes and returns, their entire family will be implicated and sent to the border!"

Liu Jilong responded without hesitation, saying that more than 13,000 men was by no means a small number, not to mention the deserters among the Han army.

Even if these deserters didn't complete literacy training, they could immediately serve as junior officers in squads or gangs if they were sent to the Western Regions.

Zhang Huaishen would surely be happy if he gained their help.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Highness..."

Zhang Yanhui never expected his future father-in-law to be so generous. He only had to ask for a few words, and hundreds of thousands of coins and silk and the resources of tens of thousands of people were poured into Kucha.

Keep in mind that this only refers to Kucha and Yanqi, and the current population of Kucha and Yanqi is only 70,000, all of whom are Hu people.

More than 13,000 Han Chinese went there, and they were all men. This at least allowed the Han people to gain a foothold in Kucha and Yanqi.

Even at its peak, Anxi had no more than this number of Han Chinese in Kucha and Yanqi.

As he was thinking this, Liu Jilong continued:

"A few days ago, Zhang Wu defeated the Southern Barbarians at Qingxi Pass, killing 46,000 Barbarians and taking 7,500 enemy heads. He also recovered Xizhou and Huichuan City. The Southern Barbarian general Duan Zongbang led several thousand remaining soldiers across the iron chain bridge and fled south of the Yak River."

"A memorial was submitted to the Emperor, ordering the Chengdu treasury to allocate 200,000 coins and silk to reward the army. From now on, all prisoners in Jiannan Circuit will be exiled to Huichuan to guard the border."

"Your subject obeys..."

The officials inside Hanyuan Hall were clearly unaware that Zhang Wu had decisively defeated Duan Zongbang and recovered Huichuan, which had been lost during the Tianbao era.

Liu Jilong's decision to speak now is undoubtedly a double blessing.

If it weren't for the ubiquitous "Han" flags in Chang'an, they might have thought they had returned to the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

The current situation could only have been created during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Although there are still many lost territories in the Western Regions that have not been recovered, they believe that with the one on the Golden Terrace in power, it is only a matter of time before the entire Western Regions are recovered and even the surrounding areas are subjugated.

"Your Highness, what should be done about the kingdoms of Khotan and Zhongyun?"

Gao Jinda was, after all, an expert on the Western Regions and Hexi Corridor. He knew very well that Khotan and Zhongyun held the Tang Dynasty in high esteem. Now that the Han army had recovered Kucha and Khotan, the next step would definitely be to recover Shule, Khotan and other places.

It is not easy to attack Kucha from Xizhou, but it is much easier to attack Shule from Kucha, because of the Chihe River (Tarim River) in southern Xinjiang.

The climate and environment of the Western Regions in this era were far superior to those of later generations.

In later generations, rainfall in southern Xinjiang decreased, and the population increased, making the Chihe River unnavigable.

However, nowadays, global temperatures are higher than in later times, inland rainfall is not insignificant, and the Red River has abundant water, making it perfectly navigable for many small boats to transport grain.

It can be said that as long as Liu Jilong sends enough Han Chinese to Kucha to help Zhang Huaishen stabilize the local situation, the recapture of Shule and Khotan will be a very easy task.

"Let's leave that aside for now. Kucha and Khotan have been in the hands of the Hu people for a century, and all their water conservancy projects must have been abandoned. The most urgent task now is to restore the local water conservancy and carry out education."

When Liu Jilong explained the situation to his ministers, Gao Jinda expressed a different opinion.

"Your Highness, I believe that Khotan and Zhongyun are loyal to our Central Plains. We can take this opportunity to send envoys to open trade routes and establish exchanges."

"As for Khotan and Zhongyun, we can follow the old system and send troops to set up garrison cities to provide protection for the two countries."

Gao Jinda still held the same idea: to maintain the status quo among the Western Regions states, but these states had to accept the Han army's garrison and pay certain taxes to alleviate the pressure on the Han army.

This would not only help stabilize Kucha and Yanqi, but also allow for troop deployment to quell any unrest in the Western Regions in the future.

In fact, for countries like Khotan and Zhongyun, it would be best if Liu Jilong could station troops there, because the arrival of the Han army would not only bring security, but also consumption and development, as well as more advanced technology.

However, Liu Jilong has no intention of extending his reach that far now. He prefers to move eastward first and wait for the situation to stabilize before developing firearms.

If firearms could be developed, the Han army could control the Western Regions with fewer troops, thereby reducing costs.

"Let's leave that aside for now. First, let's stabilize Kucha and Yanqi. Once things are stable there, it won't be too late to send envoys to negotiate with Yanqi and Zhongyun."

Liu Jilong didn't take these two small countries seriously; he was more concerned with northern Xinjiang and Central Asia.

"Your subject obeys the order..."

Seeing that Liu Jilong was truly uninterested, Gao Jinda could only regretfully return to his seat. Liu Jilong also nodded after scanning everyone with his gaze: "Court adjourned."

"Scatter—"

"Tens of millions of years old..."

(End of this chapter)