Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 454 The Butcher's Blade of Luoyang (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch..."

"You dog-and-rat Zhu San, I have treated you well, yet you betray me!!"

Inside the Ziwei City of Luoyang, amidst the continuous sounds of smashing and looting, Huang Chao, trembling with rage, finally staggered and sat down in a chair.

Just then, Shang Rang and the others rushed into the Zhenguan Hall. Seeing that Huang Chao was safe and sound, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Faced with Huang Chao, who had calmed down, Shang Rang had no choice but to step forward and bow: "Your Majesty, Qin Zongquan is on the left side of our army, and Kang Chengxun is on the right side of our army."

"If we are reluctant to abandon Luoyang now, our army will be cut off from our retreat and become an isolated force."

"Abandoning Luoyang now is merely a temporary measure. Once our army returns, Luoyang will still be in Your Majesty's grasp."

"Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible..."

Shang Rang bowed deeply, and the many generals behind him followed suit, saying, "Your Majesty, please make a decision soon..."

The truth was harsh, and Huang Chao's chest heaved with anger, but he also knew that staying in Luoyang would mean certain death.

If we retreat south now, there might still be a chance to fight back. In any case, Ge Congzhou has been training his troops for three months, and Huainan has also harvested summer grain, so it's not impossible to fight back.

Thinking of this, Huang Chao suppressed his temper and said in a deep voice, "Since you are leaving, then none of the civilian houses built by my army shall be left behind."

"Issue an imperial decree: in three days, the emperor and his officials shall march south to Jiangdu. Anyone who does not retreat south with the army shall have their house burned and their home destroyed..."

"Yes!" Shang Rang and the others agreed without hesitation, while the palace maids and eunuchs in Ziwei City began to pack up their valuables under the supervision of the Tianping Loyal and Filial Army.

Half an hour later, with the issuance of military orders, the city of Luoyang, which had been painstakingly rebuilt, was thrown into chaos once again.

The Taiping Loyal Army moved through the various new neighborhoods of Luoyang, and would break down the doors of any residences that had open or slightly ajar gates.

"Bam—"

"who are you?"

Do you know whose residence this is?

The mansion gate was breached, and a dozen or so loyal soldiers of the Taiping Army rushed in. The servants in the official's mansion, who had intended to take advantage of the situation, were cut down by the soldiers who rushed forward before they could finish speaking.

Blood splattered all over his neck, and the servants around him were deathly pale, too afraid to move.

Seeing that the deterrent effect had been achieved, the team leader said sternly:
"By His Majesty's decree, all officials are to travel south to Jiangdu and depart at Chenshi (7-9 AM) three days from now. There must be no delays!"

As soon as they finished speaking, they turned and left, leaving behind a group of servants who were stunned with fear.

Shortly after they left, officials from various government offices returned home and, seeing the blood splattered on the spot, all rushed to spread the news.

Even though they were all officials abandoned by the court in Luoyang, they were mostly from prestigious families and had no intention of following Huang Chao south.

With a knife to their throats, they had no choice but to submit, so they sold their houses and mansions and waited for a chance to escape.

Huang Chao's plan was well-conceived. He withdrew from Luoyang in three days, headed south through Chenzhou into Huainan Road, and then, following the example of Hunan, waited for the autumn harvest before continuing his northern expedition.

His plan was good, but the Tang court wasn't prepared to give him the chance.

The next day at noon, before the valuables in Ziwei City had been packed away, Shang Rang rushed into Zhenguan Hall and found Huang Chao embracing two women to drown his sorrows.

"Your Majesty! Kang Chengxun has sent troops to capture Gong County. It seems he has secured supplies and is preparing to attack Luoyang."

"What did you say?"

Huang Chao roughly pushed aside the women on either side of him, his eyes darting left and right, and said sternly, "Issue the decree: at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, the three armies will clear the way and move the capital to Jiangdu!"

"But the officials in Luoyang..." Shang Rang started to say something, but Huang Chao interrupted him directly:
"Anyone who dares not leave will have their house burned down. I'll see who dares to stay in Luoyang!"

"Yes……"

Upon seeing Huang Chao's resolute determination, Shang Rang immediately turned and left Zhenguan Hall, while simultaneously mobilizing 20,000 troops from Luoyang to march south and pave the way.

Because Zhou Ji, a general of the Zhongwu Army, defected to Huang Chao, Huang Chao now had as many as 40,000 troops around Luoyang.

The 40,000 troops needed a considerable number of laborers to march south, so the Qi army began conscripting able-bodied men and forcibly requisitioning carts and horses near Luoyang.

The entire city of Luoyang was in chaos, but the Qi army only looted and did not cause much bloodshed.

This was not because the Qi army had good discipline, but because Huang Chao knew he would return to fight, and for the sake of the people's hearts, he did not want to escalate the situation.

Huang Chao didn't want to make a big fuss, but the people near Luoyang thought the Qi army was weak, and many local militias began to organize themselves and ambush the unarmored Qi army.

In just one afternoon, more than a hundred Qi soldiers were killed in the attack, which made Huang Chao's veins bulge.

"Foolish people! Foolish people!"

"I want to see if Luoyang can be appeased after the Tang army arrives!"

Huang Chao himself had suffered greatly at the hands of the Tang court, so he naturally knew that the Tang army was even more brutal than the Qi army.

He was still being patient, hoping to show the world his benevolent side so that he could return to Luoyang in the future.

While he was outwardly displaying his benevolent side, many threatened Tang officials gathered together.

"Are we really going to follow this yellow-robed traitor south?"

"If we really head south, we'll truly become thieves!"

"Absolutely do not go south..."

Inside a secluded ward, several officials were discussing matters in a small house. Most of them were scions of prominent families and naturally had no desire to submit to Huang Chao.

"Tomorrow, someone will incite the people to attack Huang's troops. If Huang orders the killing of the people, we will escape in the chaos."

"How...how do we escape?"

"The Yellow bandits have 40,000 troops around Luoyang; escaping will likely be difficult..."

"I have already thought this through. Now that the Yellow rebels' troops have marched south, Mengjin Pass in the north has been abandoned, and the Luo River can lead to Mengjin Pass."

"Tomorrow, when the bandits are attacked by the people, we will take a boat along the Luo River and head directly to Mengjin Pass, or go directly to towns such as Heyang!"

Several officials were discussing the matter, one of them looking distressed: "But if we incite the people, and they are killed, this..."

"Compared to the lives of us noble scions, the sacrifice of a few commoners is worthwhile!"

The official who made the suggestion interrupted them, then stood up and reminded the group: "We will arrange for boats to wait in Luoyang on the Luo River, and at the same time bribe the Qi army general at the water gate."

"This matter must not be leaked. If things get chaotic tomorrow, it will not be too late to remind our colleagues. We have enough boats."

“Alright!” The others agreed, then blew out the candles and left under the protection of their servants.

Shortly after they left, the sky grew darker, but the entire city of Luoyang was in an uproar.

Numerous officials were packing their belongings, making it difficult for the entire city of Luoyang to sleep.

As dawn broke, the chaotic city of Luoyang, which had been in disarray overnight, seemed to come alive again.

Countless officials began to drive their household slaves south by carriage, carrying easily portable gold, silver, valuables, and a small amount of grain. The Qi army in the military camps also began to assemble in Ziwei City.

Huang Chao rode in the emperor's chariot, pulling hundreds of carts of money and silk out of Ziwei City. He looked longingly at the receding Ziwei City, and finally suppressed his resentment. Under the escort of the Qi army, he crossed the Luo River that flowed through the city and arrived at the streets on the south bank.

Officials were waiting to depart on the streets of Jishanfang and Shangdefang, and for some unknown reason, Luoyang residents had gathered on both sides of the streets.

While Huang Chao's attack on Luoyang resulted in the destruction of many houses, he also sent people to repair them within six months.

Therefore, when he saw these people, he thought it was his benevolence that made the people of Luoyang believe in him as the Emperor of Qi.

He nodded in satisfaction, but gradually he noticed something was wrong on the faces of these people.

"What's going on with these people? Why are they here?"

Huang Chao summoned Shang Rang, but Shang Rang was puzzled and hesitated, saying, "Perhaps it is Your Majesty's benevolence in repairing the people's houses that has made them feel your kindness."

"Look at them, do they look like they're thanking me?"

Huang Chao coldly questioned Shang Rang, whose heart skipped a beat. He quickly scanned the people on both sides of the street.

They were blocked by the Qi army, and their restless appearance did not look like they were thanking Huang Chao at all.

"Your Majesty, should we have the soldiers of the Tianping Loyalty Army and the Loyalty and Filial Piety Army put on armor?" Shang Rang hurriedly asked.

Since it was a march, apart from the two thousand cavalry and infantrymen protecting Huang Chao, the rest of the Qi soldiers were only wearing battle robes and not armor.

Given the current situation, it's likely that someone with malicious intent is planning something, so we must be on guard.

"You arrange it..."

"I accept the decree!"

Huang Chao coldly gave the order, and Shang Rang hurriedly went down to make arrangements. Zhang Guiba, Meng Kai and others, upon learning the news, immediately dispatched more than 3,000 soldiers from the Tianping Loyalty and Righteousness armies to secretly don their armor.

Time passed slowly, and after Huang Chao deliberately slowed his pace, it took him a quarter of an hour to finally arrive at Dingding Gate on the central axis of Luoyang.

But as he approached Dingding Gate, a voice suddenly came from the crowd.

"Smash! Smash these bandits to death!!"

"Smash!!"

In an instant, dozens of young men threw mud and stones at the large carriage Huang Chao was riding in.

Upon seeing this, Huang Chao quickly drew his sword, and the Qi soldiers around him began to suppress the young men who were attacking Da Lu.

However, the assassination Huang Chao was waiting for did not occur for a long time. Instead, many people followed the example of those young men and kept throwing stones and mud at Huang Chao inside the carriage.

"Escort!!"

When Shang Rang arrived, he was terrified to see the people attacking the carriage. He quickly ordered his soldiers to form a battle formation around the carriage, but mud still ended up hitting Huang Chao's feet.

"Where is the assassin?!"

"Quickly capture all the assassins!"

Shang Rang angrily directed the Qi army around him to search for the assassin, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw Huang Chao's fierce face: "Where did this assassin come from?"

Shang Rang then realized that this was actually an "attack" organized by the people; if anyone was an assassin, it was these people.

He was about to say something when a clump of mud landed directly on the hand that Huang Chao had placed on his shoulder.

Mud splattered, splashing half of Shang Rang and Huang Chao's faces, turning their once luxurious casual clothes dirty.

Shang Rang's mind went blank as he watched Huang Chao's veins bulge.

"I repaired their houses, and they dared to rebel against me!"

"Prime Minister Shang, kill them all! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!!"

Seeing Huang Chao's crazed state, Shang Rang immediately abandoned any thoughts of persuasion and turned to order in a stern voice: "Kill! Anyone who dares to attack His Majesty, execute them all! Find the ringleader!!"

"kill--"

As soon as Huang Chao's decree was issued, the Qi army, which had long been holding back, immediately revealed their true nature and began to draw their swords and hack at all the civilians in front of them.

In an instant, blood splattered across the long street, and the terrified cries of the people rose and fell.

"The rebel army has gone mad!"

"Run!"

"Escape..."

In an instant, people scattered and fled along the long street, but no matter how fast they ran, how could they be faster than a crossbow?

"Fire arrows!"

Several officers spoke, and in an instant, Qi soldiers drew their bows and began to shoot.

Arrows pierced through human bodies and embedded themselves in walls or the ground, their blood-stained fletchings trembling slightly, killing countless civilians on the spot.

Chaos reigned in the long street as the Qi army slaughtered the civilians who had attacked the chariot. Huang Chao stood in the chariot, looking down at the slaughtered civilians, his fists clenched.

"I was paid to do this job, please spare my life, sir!"

"You sons of bitches! This is the emperor's carriage! How dare you attack it?!"

"Kill! Kill them all..."

The long street, stretching for miles, was in complete chaos. At this moment, several young men who had incited the people were brought before Huang Chao and forced to kneel down.

"Speak! Who gave you permission to lead the people to attack the Sage?"

Shang Rang jumped out to question them, but the men raised their chins and spat in Huang Chao's direction: "Pah! A bandit leader dares to call himself a saint!"

"you……"

"Bang!!"

Before Shang Rang could even make a move, Zhang Guiba arrived and smashed the man's head hard with his golden mace.

He collapsed to the ground, convulsing, while Zhang Guiba gritted his teeth and continued to pound his head, fiercely glaring at the other three.

Only when the man was completely still and blood splattered all three of them did Zhang Guiba get up, grab one of them by the collar, and prepare to attack.

"Don't lay a hand on me! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

The young man had never seen such a ruthless person as Zhang Guiba. Seeing the leader being beaten to death, he spilled everything like beans.

"It was Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of Rites who ordered us to distribute money to the people before dawn, inciting them to attack the Emperor at Dingding Gate, thus creating an opportunity for Vice Minister Wang and his men to escape."

"Vice Minister Wang and his men have arranged boats in Luoshui, preparing to escape by boat..."

"Shang Rang!" Huang Chao roared. Shang Rang turned around and saw Huang Chao stepping out of his carriage. He no longer held back: "Arrest him..."

"Yes!" Shang Rang dared not delay and immediately led several hundred Qi soldiers to Luoshui in the rear.

At the same time, Huang Chao took three steps forward, stood in front of the young man who had revealed the news, clenched his fists, and suppressed his anger:

"I sent people to build houses for the people of Luoyang, why are they rebelling against me?!"

“So-and-so, so-and-so…”

The young man stammered and couldn't speak, while the other two shouted, "You repaired houses for the people later, but when your army stormed the city, did you do anything about those marauding soldiers looting women?!"

"Besides, you are nothing but a stray dog ​​scared away by the court. Even if I die, I will still speak out."

"You, Huang Chao, are nothing but a bandit leader, yet you dare to presume to call yourself a saint... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Huang Chao snatched the hammer from Zhang Guiba's hand and smashed it hard on the man's head.

Seeing him scream in terror, the hammer was then smashed into the top of his head, sinking deep inside.

He was still shouting, but before Huang Chao could pull back his hammer, he fell to the ground, blood flowing everywhere.

"Your Majesty, these two people..."

Zhang Guiba bowed to Huang Chao, but Huang Chao, upon learning the truth, suddenly calmed down and said coldly, "Kill them all, including these people..."

The people he was referring to were the residents of Luoyang.

From the young man's words, he realized that he could not win the hearts of the people of Luoyang.

Since that's the case, it would be better to kill all of them, so that Kang Chengxun would not be able to obtain this manpower.

"The last general takes command!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guiba's face revealed a cruel expression, while the remaining two youths were dragged away amidst their pleas for mercy.

Huang Chao returned to Dalu, changed into clean clothes, and washed the mud off his face.

He sat in the grand carriage, neither sad nor happy, as if he were a person without emotions.

Before long, Shang Rang rode back to the chariot, dismounted and bowed to Huang Chao: "Your Majesty, more than two hundred officials have escaped, and we have captured more than five hundred officials and their families who were trying to escape."

There were only a little over nine hundred officials in Luoyang, and now more than seven hundred were fleeing. This made Huang Chao close his eyes and say, "Kill them all."

"Your Majesty?" Shang Rang was taken aback, but seeing that Huang Chao remained unmoved, he immediately guessed Huang Chao's thoughts.

These 700-plus people despised Huang Chao from the bottom of their hearts and wanted to break through the encirclement in the chaos. Keeping them alive would only cause trouble, but releasing them would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. It would be better to kill them.

"Your subject obeys the decree..."

Shang Rang gave a difficult response, then mounted his horse and left.

Meanwhile, the entire city of Luoyang seemed to have turned into a hell, with Qi soldiers hunting and killing civilians and raping any women they saw.

Officials and their families who failed to escape from the south bank of the Luo River were pierced through the body by Qi soldiers with long spears and driven into the Luo River, where thousands drowned.

The blood stained the Luo River and the city of Luoyang, and it also taught Huang Chao a lesson.

Even if he ascends the throne and becomes emperor, even if he treats scholars with respect and kindness, even if he pretends to be benevolent and love his people...

In the eyes of powerful officials, he was still just a peasant.

In the eyes of the common people, he was still that bandit leader.

"So what if he's a bandit leader?"

Huang Chao slowly opened his eyes, tearing away his pretense of benevolence from the past few days, and cruelly looked at the corpses scattered all over the street.

"As long as my army is strong and powerful, once I eliminate all the warlords, won't you all praise me as the Holy Emperor?!" Having figured this out, Huang Chao stopped worrying and left 5,000 Qi soldiers to handle the aftermath, while the rest of his troops began to withdraw from Luoyang and head south to Huainan.

While he was heading south, Zhu Wen of Chuzhou also received an imperial edict, and Li Cui thoughtfully sent him the imperial seal, fish tally, official robes, and armor.

The gleaming golden armor was placed before him, and he couldn't wait to put it on.

"Damn it, I've also transformed into a government soldier, hahahaha..."

Patting his bright armor, Zhu Wen laughed loudly in the Baoying County government office in Chuzhou. Zhu Cun, standing next to him, laughed along with him. Only Xie Tong looked at the imperial edict with satisfaction.

Seeing that the two brothers had almost finished laughing, Xie Tong finally spoke up: "His Majesty bestowed upon you the name Quan Zhong, which is tantamount to setting you up as a role model, so as to make it easier to recruit bandit generals in the future."

"In my opinion, after Your Excellency surrendered to the court, and with Qin Zongquan advancing eastward and occupying Tangzhou and Caizhou, Huang Chao had no choice but to lead his army south."

"What our army should do now is to take the lead in recovering Gaoyou, Hailing and other counties without seeking any reward, open up the Jiangnan region, and let the court see our army's sincerity."

"At that time, the money and grain from Jiangnan will inevitably have to travel north by land under your command, and you can also use the pretext of fire loss on the way to collect money and grain."

Xie Tong's words were very logical. Now, because the Grand Canal was blocked and Liu Jilong controlled the upper reaches of the Han River, the money and grain from Jiangnan could not be transported to the Central Plains at all.

However, if Zhu Wen were to capture Hailing and Gaoyou, the two counties east of the Grand Canal, then Jiangnan could transport money and grain to Zhu Wen via the Yangtze River, and then Zhu Wen would transport them to Chuzhou, and then north to Heyin via the Tongji Canal.

"What you say is true, sir. The money and grain of millions of people in Jiangnan all pass through my hands. Wouldn't it be easy for me to embezzle them?"

Having fought alongside the rebel army for three years, Zhu Wen was no longer the naive young man he once was, and naturally understood Xie Tong's meaning.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen looked at Zhu Cun: "Second Brother, how is the army's training going?"

"We have laid off more than two thousand old and weak soldiers, and now we have eight thousand elite troops, six of whom are fully armored!"

Zhu Cun bowed in response without hesitation, which meant that Zhu Wen's army had nearly five thousand armored soldiers, a considerable number.

A direct confrontation with Huang Kui is certainly not advisable, but capturing Gaoyou and Hailing, two cities that have suffered greatly, is not difficult.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen nodded and said, "The army's provisions are only enough for half a month. We must capture these two cities within half a month and reopen the connection with Jiangnan!"

"Your insight is brilliant..." Xie Tong praised generously, while also offering his suggestions:
"Your Excellency can inform Zeng Yuanyu of our army's plan and order Zeng Yuanyu to send troops to harass the rebel army and draw away Huang Kui's main force."

"Afterwards, the credit for opening up Jiangnan should also be shared with them; we must never let the relationship become strained."

"Don't worry, I understand." Zhu Wen nodded in response, then looked at Zhu Cun:

"Issue the order: tomorrow afternoon, break camp and march south. Take advantage of the dilapidated walls of Gaoyou and Hailing to seize the two cities!"

"Yes……"

Zhu Wen made up his mind to turn against them, and the entire city of Baoying began to act in an orderly manner.

As he led his troops south, figures such as Qin Zongquan, Wang Duo, and Gao Pian also received imperial edicts one after another.

Seeing that he had been pardoned, Qin Zongquan was immediately relieved and did not send troops. He simply held Caizhou and Tangzhou firmly, guarding against Huang Chao and Husi Guang from the west.

Wang Duo led an army of 30,000 and 200,000 laborers southward with 400,000 shi of grain. Gao Pian, however, did not react and continued to train his troops and forge armor.

When Liu Jilong received the news, it was already early June, and the situation in the Central Plains was indeed developing in an uncontrollable direction.

"Zhu Quanzhong, Qin Zongquan, Dong Chang... they've all come out."

In the main hall of the Prince's Mansion, Liu Jilong looked at the intelligence reports representing the general situation in the Central Plains and felt that life was truly a cruel joke.

Huainan, which Zhu Wen could not conquer, has now become the place where Zhu Wen made his fortune, while Qin Zongquan has gone around in circles and returned to Caizhou.

Dong Chang, who controlled eastern Zhejiang, has now made his move and been granted a title. It is unknown whether he has a general named Qian Liu to fight for him in all directions.

Of course, what surprised Liu Jilong the most was that after Huang Chao withdrew from Luoyang, he suddenly began to massacre the people of Luoyang and those officials who were loyal to the Tang court.

The original script should have been that Huang Chao treated scholars with respect, fled Luoyang, was humiliated by the people and officials, and then returned to slaughter Luoyang again. But now it has been completed in one go.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong couldn't help but sigh, and at the same time, a voice rang in his ears.

"Your Highness, if Huang Chao retreats to Huainan, can he still retake Luoyang?"

Liu Jilong looked up and saw Zhang Yanhui standing in front of him, flipping through a Kwantung Army document with a puzzled expression.

Faced with this question, Liu Jilong shook his head: "Impossible."

Although Huang Chao felt he still had a chance to retake Luoyang, Liu Jilong knew it was impossible.

The fundamental reason why Huang Chao was able to successfully enter Luoyang was that the Tang court had used all its military forces to confront the Han army, leaving its internal forces relatively weak.

Now Qin Zongquan has led the Zhongwu Army back to Caizhou. Given the nature of the military garrison troops of the late Tang Dynasty, they may not be good at fighting outside the city, but they are definitely good at defending their hometown.

Even the Wei Bo soldiers who made a fool of themselves during the Pang Xun Rebellion could still unleash considerable fighting power when defending Wei Bo.

"If it weren't for the locust plague and drought, the imperial court wouldn't have delayed advancing for so long."

"Now Wang Duo has set out to transport 400,000 shi of grain south. Even if only 200,000 shi can reach Zhengzhou, it will be enough for the more than 70,000 government troops on the eastern front to besiege Huang Chao."

"And don't forget, Gao Pian is stationed in Yuezhou, training the navy, and could launch a northward attack on Huainan at any time."

"Huang Chao only has about fifty or sixty thousand soldiers at his disposal. How could he possibly defeat Gao Qianli?"

Liu Jilong explained the situation clearly, and ultimately Huang Chao couldn't hold back.

If he had continued to focus on developing his career in Hunan, or instead of rushing to attack Luoyang, he had turned his attention to attacking Fujian and Jiangxi, he would not have ended up in a situation where he was surrounded on all sides.

With the encirclement complete, Huang Chao's defeat was only a matter of time.

When does Your Highness plan to send troops?

Zhang Yanhui probed, and Liu Jilong responded calmly: "If there are no changes, continue the rest for another year."

"However, according to military reports from the east, our supreme ruler's health doesn't seem to be so good, and he probably won't last until next year."

Liu Jilong revealed Li Cui's physical condition, which made Zhang Yanhui's heart tighten.

If Li Cui were to die now, given the age of the princes, trouble would surely ensue.

Li Cui's eldest son is Prince Wei, Li Yi, who is only fourteen years old now, a year younger than Zhang Yanhui.

At such an age, he simply couldn't handle such a complex recommendation process, not to mention that the conflict between the Northern and Southern Offices was constantly intensifying due to Liu Jilong's weakening of the Northern Office.

If there is infighting within the imperial court, the military governors of various towns will certainly begin to expand their territories.

When everyone expands their territory, Liu Jilong will naturally be able to make a grand eastward advance as well.

With Nanyang in his hands, he had no need to touch Luoyang, not to mention that Luoyang was already being ravaged by Huang Chao, and taking it would only be a burden.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong looked at Zhang Yanhui: "Request the Imperial Horse Administration's records."

"Yes!" Zhang Yanhui bowed without hesitation and then went to retrieve the records from the Imperial Horse Administration.

Before long, as the documents from the Imperial Horse Administration were delivered by its officials, Liu Jilong took the documents and quickly learned about the current situation of the Han army's pastures.

In addition to the 16,000 military horses in the army, there were 24,000 military horses in the local pastures and horse farms, as well as more than 70,000 riding horses and 250,000 draft horses.

In terms of sheer horsepower, the Han army was undoubtedly the best among all the garrisons, and even Lulong Garrison was no match for them.

The main constraints on the Han army now are food supplies and distance.

Many of the canals in Guanzhong have not yet been repaired, not to mention the roads within Guannei.

Only by repairing the canals and reclaiming the abandoned land could the Han army have enough money and supplies to advance eastward.

Among these, Dengzhou and Junzhou are undoubtedly very important. The recovery of production in these two prefectures will determine whether the Han army can gain a foothold in Shannan East Road.

"Have the maps and records for Dengzhou and Junzhou been delivered?"

Liu Jilong questioned Zhang Yanhui, who then got up and walked to Liu Jilong, finding a memorial and a document in the table.

"These are the memorials and documents sent by Governor Husi last night, which include the map and register of Dengzhou."

As he finished speaking, he took out another book from the bookshelf: "In addition, the maps and records of the seven prefectures of Shannan East Circuit that Governor Chen sent three days ago."

Seeing that he had become familiar with the procedures and environment of the palace, Liu Jilong nodded in satisfaction. At the same time, he opened the maps and records of various prefectures and looked at the maps and records of the eight prefectures of Shannan East Circuit, which were now under the jurisdiction of the Han Army.

These eight prefectures include Wanzhou, Zhongzhou, and Kuizhou in Badong, Jinzhou and Fangzhou in the eastern part of Xingyuan Prefecture, as well as Shangzhou, Junzhou, and Dengzhou in the Jingxiang region.

During the Huichang era, the eight prefectures had 100,000 households and more than 500,000 people, but now things have changed due to natural disasters and man-made calamities.

The combined population of the three prefectures of Badong is only about 50,000, likely due to Gao Pian's southward migration of many people, thus reducing the population.

The remaining five prefectures saw their population increase to 620,000 due to the outbreak of war in Shannan East Circuit and Henan Circuit, with Shang Prefecture having 100,000 people, Jun Prefecture having 70,000 people, and Deng Prefecture having 240,000 people, more than 70,000 more than at its peak.

However, although the population increased, most of them were recently resettled refugees, and many lands in Dengzhou were abandoned, so the summer harvest of grain was less than 400,000 shi.

It is clearly a pipe dream to feed 240,000 people with 400,000 shi of grain, not to mention that hundreds or thousands of refugees are pouring in from the east every day.

Fortunately, Liu Jilong reviewed Husi Guang's memorial, which stated that Li Yangchun had begun reclaiming wasteland immediately after Husi Guang recaptured Dengzhou, thus ensuring the autumn harvest.

Li Yangchun led the people to reclaim more than 700,000 mu of farmland, and hundreds of thousands of mu of wasteland were also reclaimed in the following process. However, due to insufficient time and lack of farming tools, it was difficult to produce any output.

Husi Guang requested that 200,000 shi of grain be transferred to Dengzhou to ensure that the people of Dengzhou could survive until the autumn harvest.

In addition, he requested that the people be exempted from taxes for the summer and autumn seasons this year, and for the summer harvest next year.

The following year, all 1.3 million mu of farmland recorded in the old registers of Dengzhou will be reclaimed, and autumn taxes will be paid in the fall.

"By imperial decree, Dengzhou is exempt from taxes for the next two years."

"Yes……"

Upon seeing Liu Jilong's order to exempt Dengzhou from taxes for two years, Zhang Yanhui agreed without hesitation, and Liu Jilong explained:

"The primary task in governing a region is to ensure that the people can survive. As long as the people survive, they will continue to reclaim and cultivate the land."

“As long as there is grain in the local area, it can be bought with money and silk.”

“The Guandong region is different from the Hexi region and the Western Regions. The Guandong region has suffered from disasters for several years in a row, and even if you have money, you can't buy food.”

"You've been watching a lot of military intelligence reports at the Prince of Han's residence these days, but do you know how much grain prices have skyrocketed in Guandong?"

Zhang Yanhui shook his head; he hadn't actually paid attention to these things.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong took out a military document from the table and handed it to Zhang Yanhui, saying, "The situation varies in different parts of Guandong, but in Henan Province, where the disaster is most severe, the price of a dou of grain has risen to between eight hundred and one thousand coins."

"Hedong Road and Hebei Road suffered from severe drought, and Huainan Road was occupied by Huang Chao, which prevented grain from Jiangnan from being transported north."

"If this continues, something bad is definitely going to happen in Henan Province..."

Liu Jilong's expression was solemn, and Zhang Yanhui could feel this solemnity as well, causing his mouth to go dry.

Since the uprisings led by Pang Xun, Wang Xianzhi, and Huang Chao, Henan and Huainan provinces have been devastated, and even the Qilu region has suffered, not to mention other places.

Restoring production is not easy, but disrupting it is not difficult at all.

In Henan Province, millions of people and tens of millions of acres of farmland died due to the war, and countless others perished from famine after being displaced.

When people die, the land is naturally abandoned. With more abandoned land, there will naturally not be enough food to eat.

The background of cannibalism during the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was not only that many soldiers contracted diseases due to war and had a liking for cannibalism, but also that there was no food to eat, so they had no choice but to eat people.

Lu Guimeng had previously stated that the people of Guandong had no food to eat and could only resort to cannibalism by exchanging children or deceiving others to kill and cook them.

The people running out of food is just the beginning; the worst will come when even the army runs out of food.

"People eating each other..."

Liu Jilong spoke slowly, startling Zhang Yanhui so much that his face turned pale, and he suddenly felt nauseous even when swallowing.

He had experienced quite a few battles in Hexi, especially since Zhang Huaishen had personally taken him to see the process of recapturing Yanqi and Kucha. So, while he couldn't say he was completely accustomed to the bloodshed on the battlefield, he was at least no longer disgusted by it.

But the three words Liu Jilong uttered today made him feel nauseous.

"How can people eat each other? That's the behavior of animals..."

Zhang Yanhui had not experienced the most difficult time for the Guiyi Army, so he naturally did not know the suffering of hunger.

In addition, Zhang Huaishen himself is quite idealistic, so he naturally absorbed some idealism from what he saw and heard.

Faced with this idealistic young man, Liu Jilong wanted to make him face reality.

"In a few days, I will be transporting 10,000 shi of grain to the imperial court. You can go east with the delegation under the pseudonym Liu Hui and visit your uncle and great-uncle along the way."

"I'll tell you about the situation in the Kanto region. If you don't believe me, then go and see for yourself in the east."

As soon as Liu Jilong finished speaking, he calmly picked up his brush and began to review the memorials, while Zhang Yanhui swallowed hard, unable to believe that he had only been in Chang'an for a few days before he was to be sent east.

However, he did want to see if the situation in Guandong was as described in the memorial, where people were exchanging children to eat each other and their companions were all thrown into the cauldron.

With mixed feelings, Zhang Yanhui sat down on the chair next to him, glancing occasionally at Liu Jilong, who was diligently processing the memorials.

Half an hour later, he finally managed to calm himself down, only to see Gao Jinda stride into the hall and bow to Liu Jilong, saying, "Your Highness, there is new news from Guandong."

"What news?" Liu Jilong quickened his pace, while gesturing for Gao Jinda to sit down.

Gao Jinda walked to the chair on the left and sat down: "Kang Chengxun led his troops into Luoyang and extinguished the fire in the city."

"However, apart from the palace, the houses and many residences were all burned down, and more than 200,000 people in Luoyang were killed, their bodies scattered all over the Luo River."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong's writing style changed slightly. He hadn't expected Huang Chao to be so decisive when he started massacring cities.

"Is the imperial court preparing to return to Luoyang?"

Liu Jilong guessed what Gao Jinda wanted to say, and sure enough, Gao Jinda nodded after hearing it: "Heyin is too small after all, and there is no food in Henan Province, so the court can only return to Luoyang."

"After returning to Luoyang, and with the substantial summer grain harvest in Hedong this year, we can directly cross the Yellow River into the Luoshui River to ensure that Luoyang has no shortage of grain."

"In addition, news came from Huainan that Zhu Quanzhong led his army to capture Gaoyou, Hailing and other counties, thus opening up the connection with Jiangnan."

"Although the canal is still in the hands of the Qi army, grain from Jiangnan can still be transported by land to Jiangbei, then transferred to Chuzhou, and then traveled north along the canal."

"The imperial court will not be short of food for the time being. If Huang Chao marches south, he will definitely launch a counterattack against Zhu Quanzhong immediately."

Gao Jinda explained the current situation and the possible scenarios one by one. After listening, Liu Jilong stood up and was about to say something when he saw Zhao Ying hurriedly walk into the hall.

"Your Highness..."

Liu Jilong knew that for Zhao Ying to come in such a hurry, something extremely important must have happened.

Seeing that Liu Jilong did not ask everyone to leave, Zhao Ying immediately bowed and said, "Governor Chen just sent a message by express horse that the earth dragon in Xingyuan Prefecture has overturned, destroying official roads in several counties, damaging thousands of houses and walls, and killing dozens of people. Rescue efforts are underway right now."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong felt that God never wanted him to have peace, but fortunately, the earthquake was not too strong and the casualties were still within a controllable range.

"The imperial edict tells Chen Jingchong that there may be aftereffects after the earth dragon's upheaval. All houses with damaged walls should be demolished and repaired with funds provided by the government."

"The Censorate has dispatched inspectors to execute anyone who embezzles disaster relief funds and grain, and exile their relatives to Kucha!"

"Your subject obeys." Zhao Ying decisively accepted the order and left the yamen. Gao Jinda, seeing this, also stood up and bowed, saying:

"Your Highness, this disaster occurred after the summer harvest, which is fortunate amidst misfortune."

"Hmm," Liu Jilong responded, then instructed Gao Jinda:
"Although the severe drought has passed, drought prevention cannot stop. We must speed up the repair of dikes, canals and rivers in various prefectures and counties within and around the Guanzhong Plain."

"In addition, 300,000 shi of grain were transferred from Guanzhong to Dengzhou to prevent more refugees from flooding into Dengzhou later."

"Your subject obeys the order." Gao Jinda dared not delay, bowed in response, and then turned to leave.

After he left, Liu Jilong looked at Zhang Yanhui, who was impressed by Liu Jilong's methodical handling of various matters.

"Your Highness's governance is indeed much smoother and more efficient than that of your father."

Zhang Yanhui didn't hold back in flattering him. When Liu Jilong heard him praising him like that, he couldn't help but think of Zhang Huaishen, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

“If your father had even a fraction of my shrewdness, I wouldn’t have to worry about him.”

"Worried?" Zhang Yanhui looked at Liu Jilong with a puzzled expression, not understanding what his father had to worry about.

To this, Liu Jilong shook his head: "You are just like your father, all you know is literature and martial arts, but not shrewdness."

"Your father invited officials to Anxi, so how should we compensate those powerful families in Hexi?"

"If no compensation is provided, resentment will inevitably arise, and trouble will surely follow in the future."

He pointed out the problem, and then tried to make amends for Zhang Huaishen: "Draft an imperial edict appointing Li Mingzhen, the prefect of Shazhou, as Grand Master of the Palace and Baron of Zhang County, with a fief of three hundred households."

"Cao Yijin, the governor of Xizhou, was appointed as the Grand Master of the Silver Seal and the Viscount of the Great Xia Dynasty, with a fief of five hundred households."

"You know the other powerful family heads better than I do. Give them ranks if they deserve them, and noble titles if they deserve them."

The fiefdoms that Liu Jilong granted to Li Mingzhen and Cao Yijin were both counties under his jurisdiction, meaning that he had to pay for them out of his own pocket to appease them.

This small amount of land grant was nothing to Liu Jilong, just a drop in the ocean, but to the powerful families of Hexi, it was enough to make them happy for a long time.

"Isn't this too much? Do we have to give it to every household?"

Zhang Yanhui clearly still didn't realize the importance of this matter. Liu Jilong glanced at him, feeling a sense of relief.

It's fortunate that I brought this person here, otherwise he would definitely have been raised by Zhang Huaishen to have a bad personality, and he wouldn't even know how he was schemed against and killed by the powerful people of Hexi.

He sighed, turned his back to Zhang Yanhui, and walked towards the head of the table. His voice came:

"Let them eat and drink their fill, for whatever they eat today they will have to vomit up later."

(End of this chapter)