Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 458 The Setting Sun (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Damn it! I asked for 200,000, and they only gave me 50,000 for shipping?!"

Inside Ruyang City, curses erupted from the government office. Qin Zongquan, his eyes bloodshot, tore the imperial edict into pieces and slammed it to the ground.

"Fifty thousand shi of grain would only be enough to eat for half a year, not to mention just the initial transport!"

Many of the generals sitting inside the yamen began to shout and curse, most of them with bloodshot eyes, only a few with relatively clear eyes.

Seeing the generals say such things, Qin Zongquan couldn't help but get angry.

Since he started eating people, his temper seems to have grown worse, and his methods have become increasingly brutal.

Now, seeing that the imperial court had repeatedly refused his request to be appointed as the military governor of Zhongwu Army, he was filled with anger and couldn't help but say:

"Damn it, if they won't give me the position of military governor, I'll just take it myself!"

"You mustn't!" Upon hearing Qin Zongquan's words, both generals stood up one after the other.

Qin Zongquan glared at them fiercely, and after recognizing their faces, he couldn't help but say, "Lu Yanhong, Han Jian, do you also want to defy me?"

Lu Yanhong and Han Jian frowned upon hearing this, disgusted by Qin Zongquan's direct address of him by his given name, but they had no choice but to express their opinions.

"My lord, even if our army were to capture Zhongwu, it would not be the time to send troops now."

"Although the imperial court and the Yellow rebels are still fighting, no clear winner has emerged yet. Neither side has suffered many casualties. If we send troops now, and the imperial court mobilizes a large army to besiege us, or if Liu Jilong attacks us, then things will go badly."

"Moreover, our army only has a few thousand bushels of grain. If we attack the city rashly now, we will definitely run out of food. It would be better to wait for the imperial court to deliver the grain, and then we can attack Zhongwu."

"That's right, Your Excellency. Why don't we wait until the imperial court delivers the grain?"

Lu Yanhong and Han Jian were among the few in the Zhongwu Army who did not eat people; they did not want to be forced to eat people when there was no food left.

They have all seen the consequences of cannibalism.

His former colleagues, one by one, had receding gums and bloodshot eyes, looking exactly like ghouls.

If they really turned into that kind of person, they would rather defect.

"Fine, even if what you two say makes sense, you have refuted me and undermined the morale of the army. Now I will take away your troops and punish you by making you garrison Tangzhou. Do you have any complaints?"

Qin Zongquan knew that Lu Yanhong and Han Jian disliked his order to eat people, and he had long disliked the two of them.

Now that the opportunity has come his way, he naturally won't let it slip by.

Lu Yanhong and Han Jian looked grim upon hearing this, but Qin Zongquan looked at his first general on the left without hesitation: "Sun Ru, properly train the troops of the two generals."

"This subordinate obeys!" A general with bloodshot eyes stood up and accepted the order, then looked at Lu Yanhong and Han Jian with a provocative gaze.

Both men were furious, but seeing that the situation was not in their favor, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

After the meeting concluded, the two men openly left their respective offices. However, on their way to Caizhou the following day, when Qin Zongquan transferred them there, they couldn't help but start discussing the matter.

"Damn it, they have food but they don't eat it, they want to eat human flesh and dogs!"

"Hmph, let him hit him. When the court is enraged, he will surely suffer!"

The two rode side by side, followed by hundreds of soldiers. These soldiers were loyal soldiers of the Zhongwu Army who resisted cannibalism, and Qin Zongquan took this opportunity to drive them all out.

"The people of Tangzhou have either fled or been killed. There are hardly any people left. If you and I go to garrison Tangzhou, it will essentially be an empty city."

Han Jian spoke to Lu Yanhong, who naturally knew that Tangzhou was not a good place, but he also knew that this was true for them, and not necessarily for others.

"Tangzhou may be a bit of a liability, but if we find the right buyer, we can still get a good price for it!"

Lu Yanhong's words made Han Jian's eyes light up, and he asked without hesitation, "You mean, we should hand over Tangzhou to Liu Jilong?"

"Liu Jilong?" Lu Yanhong frowned. He had originally intended to sell Tangzhou to the imperial court.

"You don't mean you're planning to sell it to the imperial court, do you?" Han Jian noticed his expression and immediately tried to dissuade him.
"If Tangzhou is sold to the imperial court, let alone what rewards the court will give you and me, the court is now in decline and may collapse at any time."

"Liu Jilong of Guanzhong is like the rising sun. If we take this opportunity to offer Tangzhou to him, he will surely reward us handsomely."

Lu Yanhong was persuaded by Han Jian, but to avoid Qin Zongquan's retaliation, he still cautiously said:
"There are other troops in Tangzhou, and I'm afraid you and I alone are not enough."

"Why don't we wait until that old dog Qin Zongquan invades Chenzhou and Xuzhou, and then secretly contact Liu Jilong? At that time, Liu Jilong can openly attack Tangzhou, and we will surely reward him handsomely."

"Okay!" Han Jian agreed without hesitation. He considered himself a cruel person, but compared to Qin Zongquan, he suddenly felt much more normal.

Following Qin Zongquan, he was truly afraid that one day the crazed Qin Zongquan would throw him into a cauldron and boil him alive.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shudder, and quickly shook the reins to catch up with Lu Yanhong.

The two walked further and further away, heading towards Tangzhou.

At the same time, Qin Zongquan followed their advice and honestly submitted a memorial to Luoyang, praising the court extensively.

Seeing that Qin Zongquan had become obedient, Li Cui sent people to transport grain and fodder south to Caizhou. At this time, the war in Huainan was also gradually becoming more intense.

Huang Chao led his army to Jiangdu. Zhu Wen, who was besieging Jiangdu, learned of this and quickly withdrew to Gaoyou.

Huang Chao did not let him off the hook, but instead ordered Huang Ye to lead an army out of Jiangdu to pursue Zhu Wen northward.

The two sides clashed at Xiashuixi. Zhu Wen fought and retreated, eventually leaving behind nearly a thousand corpses before retreating back to Gaoyou.

Unwilling to give up, Huang Chao immediately led his army to launch a fierce attack on Gaoyou...

"kill!!"

"Fire arrows!"

At the end of August, thick fog rising from the canal enveloped the entire city of Gaoyou, and tens of thousands of Qi troops advanced in layers like white waves.

In the thick fog, siege engines such as the Lügong chariot, cloud chariot, and nest chariot emerged like monsters, crossed the moat bridge, and came to the foot of Gaoyou City, launching a fierce attack.

"boom--"

When the siege equipment arrived at the city walls, countless Qi soldiers launched a charge, like the surging tides of the Qiantang River, as if they wanted to destroy Gaoyou City in one fell swoop.

"Damn it, do you really think I, Zhu San, am afraid of you, Huang Chao?!"

Before the city gate, Zhu Wen gritted his teeth, donned his iron helmet, and shouted, "Defend Gaoyou! For every hour you hold it, each man will receive a bushel of grain!"

“Woohoo!!”

In times of chaos, grain is far more appealing than gold and silver.

Zhu Wen's military order was issued in less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and it resounded throughout the city of Gaoyou with the shouts and running of the banner soldiers.

More than 6,000 soldiers who had changed their flags suddenly unleashed unprecedented fighting power.

Seeing the siege equipment collide with the Gaoyou city wall, which was no more than two zhang high, Huang Chao rode his horse to the front of the battle line and found the "Zhu" character banner on the top of Gaoyou city wall to be very glaring.

"By imperial decree, the first to reach the summit will be promoted six ranks and rewarded with 300,000 coins!"

Huang Chao issued his decree, and countless fast horses carried it among the various armies, spreading the message throughout the three armies.

"Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo..."

In an instant, the Qi army soldiers seemed to be injected with chicken blood, and their previously weakening offensive suddenly surged again.

"boom--"

“Shoot!!”

The cloud chariots' siege ladders shattered the rammed earth walls of Gaoyou City, and countless Qi soldiers went berserk, attacking the city along the ladders.

The brothers Zhu Wen and Zhu Cun, who were defending the city, acted like firefighters, constantly directing the three armies to defend and fight back.

"Uh-"

"kill!!"

Before the first wave of Qi soldiers who climbed the city wall could even stand still, they were drenched in boiling molten metal, their faces scorched and their flesh stuck to their armor and battle robes, eliciting screams as shrill as those of demons in hell.

Corpses kept falling into Gaoyou City, and the moat was filled with floating corpses.

Thirty thousand Qi troops surrounded Gaoyou City on all four sides and launched an attack from all four directions simultaneously.

Even though Zhu Wen was brave enough, he was still attacked by the Qi army in a frenzied manner. His brow bone was split open and bloody, and all he could see were distorted human faces.

At this moment, humans are far more terrifying than the vengeful ghosts in purgatory...

"You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch!!"

He roared as he ripped off his tattered cloak, which instantly wrapped around the handle of the golden mace. Ignoring the thick blood splattered on the soles of his boots, he gritted his teeth and continued his charge.

"kill--"

Before the first wave of Qi's attack had subsided, the second wave followed immediately, giving Zhu Wen no chance to react.

The Qi army, now twice its original size, began to scale the city walls, leaping down the parapet with ferocious expressions.

Before he could land, Zhu Wen arrived with his troops and slammed his golden mace into his face.

"Bang!!"

The moment the hammer struck his face, blood and foam exploded in the misty air, his cheekbone made a muffled sound like a ripe pumpkin being crushed, and the cartilage of his nose instantly shattered into dust.

The victim's face collapsed downwards like a melting wax figure, and the screams that escaped from his throat were "stabbed" into his throat by the hammer handle, turning into the gurgling sound of blood bubbles bursting.

"Damn it, I am Zhu San! Who's going to take my head?!"

Zhu Wen drew his golden mace and began to provoke the Qi soldiers who were leaping down from all sides.

At this moment, the soldiers behind him caught up and surrounded him to protect him.

"kill--"

The Qi soldiers, who had initially hesitated because of his bravery, now charged forward with all their might, which was exactly the effect Zhu Wen wanted.

Compared to the Qi army that marched in small groups, Zhu Wen's soldiers began to form ranks and charge, slaughtering all the Qi soldiers who had not formed ranks immediately.

The fierce battle raged from midday until dusk. By the time the Qi army retreated like a receding tide, Zhu Wen's hands were cracked and bleeding, his fingers had cramped countless times and were still twitching mechanically.

Even so, he still managed to climb up, leaning against the parapet, and slowly looked from the countless corpses on the ramparts on both sides towards the outside of the city.

As the Qi army retreated, Huang Chao's banner fluttered in the wind.

"Huang Chao..."

“Zhu San…”

At almost the same time, they called out each other's names, but Zhu Wen's face showed a sense of satisfaction, while Huang Chao's face showed embarrassment.

"If it weren't for Your Majesty's shelter, these two Zhu brothers would not be where they are today. They have actually betrayed Your Majesty. Tomorrow, I am willing to personally lead the three armies to take Gaoyou City!"

Xiao Ye and Zhang Guihou stood beside Huang Chao, cupping their hands in a gesture of respect and requesting orders, speaking with absolute certainty.

Faced with the two men's request, Huang Chao's face darkened, his eyes fixed on Gaoyou City, which was mostly stained with blood and corpses.

The boy who was once a child has now become a formidable opponent for him.

Of course, what he cared about more than that was Zhu Wen's resolute decision to abandon him and change sides for the sake of his future.

Such people are the most terrifying, because they can ruthlessly kill everyone around them for the sake of their future.

If he could, Huang Chao would love to finish off Zhu Wen here, but judging from the casualties on both sides today, it would be no easy task for him to take down Zhu Wen.

"Take a headcount for the dead and wounded!"

Huang Chao turned his horse around and returned to camp, entrusting the task of cleaning up the battlefield and counting the dead and wounded to Huang Ye and Zhang Guihou.

As he left, Xie Tong also went up to the blood-soaked city wall and found the brothers Zhu Wen and Zhu Cun being treated by a physician.

"how?"

Upon seeing Xie Tong, Zhu Wen couldn't help but ask him a question, to which Xie Tong calmly bowed and replied:

"Rest assured, my lord, there is enough firewood and provisions in the city for two months, and the fast horses have also broken through the encirclement before the Qi army besieged the city."

"The canal has only been reopened for five days before it was cut off again, and Huang Chao is leading his main force here, leaving other places vulnerable."

"The one who should be anxious is not us, but the imperial court..."

Xie Tong's words made Zhu Wen smile, but his injuries made him wince in pain.

"Very well... Without the Grand Canal, and with that scoundrel Huang Chao in Gaoyou, the imperial court's connection with Jiangnan has been severed once again. Those aristocratic families will surely be jumping up and down in panic, hahaha..."

Zhu Wen laughed heartily, while Zhu Cun, standing beside him, asked in bewilderment, "Third Brother, this is only the first day, and we've already suffered no less than a thousand casualties. If this continues, how many more days can we hold out?"

"Hmph!" Zhu Wen sneered, gritting his teeth, "We've lost quite a few, but they've lost even more!"

"If we can hold out for the first three days, I'll see how long Huang Chao can stay outside the city!"

Zhu Wen's words were true, because as the count was taken in the camp, Huang Chao discovered that the number of his troops killed or wounded far exceeded his expectations.

Zhu Wen was left with only five thousand men, while Huang Chao suffered over five thousand dead and over a thousand wounded in a pursuit and battle.

The original 30,000 troops, which were combined with those from Jiangdu, now have only 24,000 men available for deployment to the battlefield.

If Huang Chao really wanted to capture Gaoyou, he would probably have to pay a heavy price.

However, after thinking about Zhu Wen's betrayal, which had put him in a passive position, Huang Chao gritted his teeth and issued another decree.

"By imperial decree, whoever is the first to reach the summit will be rewarded with 500,000 coins and promoted five ranks!"

Five hundred thousand coins, converted to five hundred strings of cash, is already a considerable sum.

At least for ordinary Qi soldiers, this was a fortune they would have had to struggle for over twenty years to obtain.

Because of his decree, the Qi army, which had been somewhat demoralized, regained its high spirits.

However, Zhu Wen in Gaoyou City still kept his promise from earlier that day, distributing six dou of grain to each surviving soldier and providing enough firewood. He even ordered the slaughter of fifty sheep and three oxen to reward the army.

The aroma of rice and beef made the soldiers in the city forget the horrors of the day, and everyone stuffed mouthfuls of rice and beef into their mouths.

Compared to them, the Qi army, whose Huainan had been completely destroyed and could not find any supplies outside the city, could only eat dried vegetables and rice, as well as a small amount of river fish.

The two armies were still locked in a stalemate at Gaoyou, but Xie Tong's fast horse delivered the message to Sizhou under cover of night.

Upon receiving the news, Zeng Yuanyu of Sizhou immediately dispatched a fast horse to Shouzhou.

The following day at noon, while Zhu Wen and Huang Chao were fighting, Kang Chengxun finally learned that Huang Chao had gone east to rescue Jiangdu and besieged Gaoyou.

Seeing that Shouchun could not be captured despite the fierce attack, Kang Chengxun simply divided his forces, sending Wang Duo with 10,000 troops to attack Anfeng, while Li Keyong continued to lead his elite cavalry to keep watch for the two armies in Shouchun and Anfeng.

By the time the news reached Luoyang, it was already the third day of the ninth month, and Li Cui's health was already precarious...

"Crackling..."

Luoyang in September wasn't particularly cold, but the incense burner in the Zhenguan Hall was lit with a bonfire, and charcoal burned on the palace's fire walls.

At this moment, Li Cui was lying on the couch, with a screen separating the two sides. Lu Yan and others were presenting a report on the current situation to Li Cui through the screen.

"Your Majesty, the canal was cut off again after only five days of being reopened. The most urgent task at present must be to restore the canal transport."

“Except for the Shaanxi-Guo and Qi-Lu regions, all other prefectures and counties in Henan Province have either suffered from war or been abandoned due to the exodus of people.”

"With the taxes from Hedong, Henan, and Jiangling Prefecture alone, the imperial court simply cannot maintain such a large army to suppress the Yellow bandits."

"The only course of action now is to continue to send troops from Zhaoyi, Yichang, Yiwu and Heyang southward, under the command of Zeng Yuanyu, to cooperate with Zhu Quanzhong of Chuzhou to drive back the Huang bandits and force them away from the vicinity of the Grand Canal."

Lu Yan reported respectfully, and soon Li Cui's slightly tired voice came from behind the screen.

"Prime Minister Liu and Prime Minister Xiao, how much tax revenue can we collect from the north this year?"

"This one……"

The two looked at each other and then began to plan. After a long while, they gave a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Your Majesty," Xiao Gou pondered for a moment, then said after sorting out his thoughts, "Judging from the summer harvest, the court can collect a maximum of four million taels of silver and grain from Jiangling Prefecture, the various prefectures of Shannan East Circuit, as well as Henan and Hedong during the autumn harvest."

Four million coins' worth of grain sounds like a lot, but most of it came from the Hedong region.

The Hedong region is a land route, and transporting grain from the north to the south would inevitably encounter many problems. The losses along the way alone would cause the imperial court considerable financial pain.

The imperial court is currently powerless to do anything about it; however far the road may be, it is better than nothing.

"Four million..."

Li Cui's voice came through, seemingly sighing.

Before Xiao Gou and the others could answer, Li Cui continued, "If the money and grain from Jiangnan are transported north, how much money and grain can be raised?"

"It should be no less than three million," Xiao Gou speculated, but this result made Li Cui sigh.

After the loss of the five Kansai circuits, even under normal circumstances, the ten circuits under the control of the imperial court could only pay no more than 12 million taels of silver in taxes.

Now, Henan and Huainan are mostly destroyed, so they can't produce much money or grain to begin with.

Some of the results did not surprise Li Cui. He just felt regretful that the once prosperous Tang Dynasty had fallen to such a state after his own meddling.

"I'll leave the affairs of Chuzhou to you all to handle; I'm tired..."

Li Cui issued an order to leave and stopped urging the southern front to continue the war.

Lu Yan and the other two were surprised, but they quickly realized something and their hearts sank.

"We take our leave..."

The three left Zhenguan Hall with heavy hearts, each lost in their own thoughts. Only after they had left did Tian Yun emerge from behind the screen, and after confirming their departure, did he return to the screen.

At this moment, Li Cui was leaning against the couch, his body thin, but his face was swollen and oily, and he was sweating profusely.

"Your Majesty, all of you may leave..."

Tian Yun lowered her voice, but Li Cui nodded numbly, indicating that she had heard him.

His face was an unnatural red, and even someone without medical knowledge could tell that his body was failing.

"His Majesty……"

"I'm tired."

Tian Yun tried to say something, but was interrupted by Li Cui.

Helpless, Tian Yun could only nod and retreat, while Li Cui frowned, lay down in slight pain, and then closed his eyes.

Heavy breathing echoed in the hall, and Lu Yan and his two companions, who had just left the palace, bumped into Princess Tongchang, Li Meiling, who had come with many princes.

"Greetings, Your Highnesses..."

The three of them dared not be negligent and bowed respectfully.

Li Meiling nodded in acknowledgment: "Greetings, gentlemen."

She made a polite remark, and then led the thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy beside her and several other princes around seven or eight years old toward the Zhenguan Hall.

After they had gone some distance, Xiao Gou turned his gaze to the older boy: "That must be His Highness the Crown Prince, right?"

“Of course.” Lu Yan and Liu Zhan nodded in response.

Li Yi, formerly the Prince of Wei, is now the Crown Prince of Tang, but judging from his behavior just now, he certainly doesn't seem like a ruler.

All three frowned, then turned and left the palace.

Shortly after they left, a fast horse galloped out of Luoyang, but the farmland outside the city was only left with crops that were not yet ready for harvest.

This was not due to a change in climate, but because the Tang court recaptured Luoyang too late, and the people in the Luoyang area were massacred by the Qi army, which delayed planting and even the harvest.

In contrast to Luoyang, which was experiencing a food shortage, the Guanzhong Plain was bustling with activity due to the autumn harvest.

"Susu..."

On the Double Ninth Festival, when the autumn sun shines obliquely on the vast millet fields of the Guanzhong Plain, golden waves surge and the awns of the ears of grain shimmer like thousands of silver needles.

The iron sickle cut through the millet stalks without any resistance, and the aroma of millet in the air was even more intoxicating than incense.

Outside Chang'an, people harvested crops with bare backs and skillfully bundled millet stacks.

They swung the thick straw ropes with a loud cracking sound, and bundles of millet stalks slammed onto the oxcart's planks, raising fine golden dust that was intoxicating.

"Weigh it!"

"Your Highness, this batch of millet weighs 152 catties and 6.3 taels..."

On the official road, when Liu Jilong, dressed in plain clothes, put down the heavy shovel (a farm tool), two officials directed several young men to weigh the shovel and, after removing the weight, determine the weight of the millet.

"As expected of His Highness, he managed to collect over 150 catties of grain."

"It must be because the heavens saw His Highness personally harvesting that they sent down this bountiful harvest..."

"Your Highness is blessed with boundless good fortune..."

After the official reported the number, many officials dressed in plain clothes around him began to flatter him.

In response, Liu Jilong looked at them, shook his head and admonished them, "Today is the Double Ninth Festival to commemorate the autumn harvest. Everyone should finish their tasks and go back early."

The Double Ninth Festival originated in ancient times, became popular in the Western Han Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty.

On such days, government officials usually organize sacrificial ceremonies to worship heaven, earth, and ancestors, expressing gratitude for the autumn harvest.

To ensure that officials felt involved, Liu Jilong ordered all officials in Chang'an to change into plain clothes and assigned them tasks ranging from three to five acres of land, depending on their age and physical condition.

As for himself, in order to set an example, he harvested one mu of grain by himself, which is why he had the harvest of more than 150 jin per mu just now.

He finished the work on his acre of land, while many officials hadn't even finished the work on their three or five acres of land, clearly showing they had been slacking off.

Liu Jilong ignored them, as he was focused on studying the yield per mu in Guanzhong.

He took the newly registered register from the official, glanced through a few pages, and came to a conclusion.

It is true that Guanzhong is fertile, but due to the Tang court's incompetent governance, the water resources in Guanzhong were monopolized by powerful families, which led to a significant reduction in arable land and consequently, insufficient grain production in Guanzhong.

The powerful local magnates monopolized water resources, but were unable to maintain them, and the imperial court did not benefit from them, so they did not want to maintain them. As a result, despite the fertile land in Guanzhong, more and more land was abandoned.

Now, Liu Jilong has ordered the repair of canals such as Longshou Canal and Zhengguo Canal, and has vigorously reclaimed abandoned land in Guanzhong. Although production has been restored on a lot of wasteland, the yield per mu is uneven.

“The yield per mu of inferior fields is no more than 100 jin, that of medium fields is 120 jin, and that of superior fields is no more than 140 jin.”

Seeing Gao Jinda and the others come over after finishing their work, Liu Jilong gestured for them to look through the documents and began to explain.

In a situation where there is no chemical fertilizer and even irrigation is barely sufficient for cultivation, the yield of arable land is astonishing.

"We must repair all the canals as soon as possible this year so that we can plant rice with higher yields next year."

Compared to wheat and millet, which yield only one shi per mu, rice, which yields two shi per mu, is undoubtedly more attractive.

If the rivers and canals hadn't been abandoned, the people of Guanzhong wouldn't have abandoned rice cultivation in favor of millet and wheat.

Rice could be grown in parts of Guanzhong, Longyou, and Hexi during the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, but it became more difficult during the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

This is not only due to the effects of global cooling, but also to the decrease in water resources in the Northwest.

Now that rice can be grown in Guanzhong, Liu Jilong naturally wants to make good use of this condition.

"Your subject obeys..."

After Gao Jinda looked through the grain register, he quickly bowed and agreed to the matter. Liu Jilong also gave him repeated instructions before he finally sat down under the shade of the pavilion by the official road with peace of mind.

Zhang Yanhui was allocated five fen of land, and since he worked quickly, his progress was not slow.

As soon as Liu Jilong sat down, he went to the river to wash up and then walked to the shaded area.

"Your Highness, these are memorials and documents sent by Governor Zhang, mostly maps and records of Xizhou and Huichuan!"

Zhang Yanhui had good eyesight and found Zhang Wu's memorial among the many memorials. Judging from the label, it was clearly just delivered.

Liu Jilong took the document, opened it, and quickly read through Zhang Wu's memorial.

The content is not extensive, mainly explaining how, after recovering the lost territory of Xizhou and capturing Huichuan City, You Shilong organized 50,000 troops to try to retake Huichuan City, but was once again defeated by Zhang Wu.

The population and land records of Xizhou and Huichuan City have been registered and measured, and are therefore sent to Chang'an for Liu Jilong to review.

After reading the memorial, Liu Jilong opened the map and quickly learned about the situation in Xizhou and Huichuan City.

“Xizhou was once a populous prefecture, and with its plains, it should have been prosperous.”

"It's a pity that all the people were captured by the southern barbarians and taken to Yangjumei City (Dali) and Tuodong City (Kunming). Now there are only more than 30,000 barbarians left."

Liu Jilong sighed as he spoke, noting that Xizhou possessed the Anning River Plain and had a population of nearly 200,000 during the Kaiyuan era.

Time has passed, and now a century later, the population has dwindled to just over 30,000, which is far from enough to support the millions of acres of arable land on the Anning River Plain.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong instructed Zhang Yanhui: "The people settled in Xingyuan Prefecture are almost settled. If there are any more refugees coming in, we will arrange for them to go to Xichuan. At the same time, we will arrange for the people from Yazhou and other places to go to Xizhou."

“For every household that is willing to move to Xizhou, fifty mu of land will be provided, along with two oxen for plowing.”

"Yes!" Zhang Yanhui replied, inwardly marveling at Liu Jilong's generosity.

Meanwhile, seeing that Zhang Yanhui was handling the matter, Liu Jilong immediately buried himself in his official duties.

Two hours later, after the officials had finished their work, Liu Jilong walked out of the shaded pavilion after they had gathered in their positions.

Facing a group of officials stretching for hundreds of steps and numbering over three thousand, Liu Jilong didn't waste any words and looked directly at Gao Jinda.

"By imperial decree, all those who have worked today shall take their provisions back to their residences, and each person shall also take one grain of rice from their bag to offer as a sacrifice to Heaven and Earth."

"Your subject receives the imperial decree..."

Gao Jinda hadn't expected Liu Jilong to issue such an edict, and even more so, he hadn't expected that after he agreed, Liu Jilong would still be uneasy with him, saying:

"Crops must be purchased at market prices; we must never let the people suffer losses."

"Your subject obeys the order." Gao Jinda quickly responded. He knew how much Liu Jilong valued the people, so he naturally dared not neglect his duty.

The actions of the two men were observed by the officials in the front row, and it was not long after the imperial edict was issued that they learned of Liu Jilong's intentions.

The saying "every grain is hard-earned" is just a phrase, but the feeling is completely different when you actually harvest the crops and taste the fruits of your labor.

Although this approach may not allow everyone to feel the hardships of ordinary people, as long as a few people can feel it, then Liu Jilong's goal will be achieved.

Since both are sacrifices to Heaven, a hands-on autumn harvest sacrifice to Heaven is far more sincere than simply offering three or five sacrificial animals.

After doing all this, Liu Jilong dismissed the officials and led them back to Chang'an in a grand procession.

After two years, Chang'an City has undergone considerable changes.

The houses in the city were demolished and rebuilt. Although it was impossible to achieve the brick and tile houses that Didao had, it had at least progressed to mud and tile houses.

The streets are now paved with bricks, making them cleaner and more sturdy than the old rammed earth roads.

In the face of a major disaster, providing work relief is the most direct way to ensure that the victims have a way to survive.

The seemingly wasteful bricks and tiles actually represent industrial chains and the lives of every household affected by the disaster.

According to the work-for-relief standard set by Liu Jilong, plus the grain prices in Guanzhong and other areas, the wages of a strong laborer were basically enough to sustain a family of five.

Although the disaster has passed, the mining areas and mines in Weibei, as well as many brick and tile kilns, have been preserved.

However, the cost was that the treasury was constantly being emptied, and while revenue increased, so did expenditure.

"This year's autumn harvest should bring in no less than ten million in revenue, and hopefully it will reach twelve million."

Looking at the smiling people in Chang'an, Liu Jilong spoke with a hint of hope.

Gao Jinda, who was traveling with him, nodded upon hearing this and then began to talk about things in Kanto.

"Your Highness, the situation in the He and Huai regions is currently at a stalemate, but judging from the current situation, the imperial court still holds the upper hand."

"If the imperial court wins, will the opportunity you mentioned still arise?"

Gao Jinda didn't doubt Liu Jilong's judgment; he was just worried about too many variables.

Liu Jilong replied without hesitation, "The opportunity won't change, and the news from Luoyang won't be wrong."

Seeing Liu Jilong's certainty, Gao Jinda breathed a sigh of relief, and Liu Jilong continued the conversation:

"If the opportunity arises, we must ensure that funds and supplies are in place."

"In order to repair the dikes and embankments of the Guanzhong River and provide relief to the disaster-stricken people, the government treasury has already spent almost all of its money and grain."

"After the autumn harvest this year, take advantage of the off-season to recruit 100,000 laborers and mobilize 100,000 horse-drawn carts to transport 700,000 shi of grain to Nanyang County."

"I have ordered Qie Biao (Li Yangchun) to expand and renovate the granaries in Nanyang for several months, and they are now large enough to store 500,000 shi of grain."

“If you transport 700,000 shi of grain from Chang’an to Nanyang, there will inevitably be a lot of losses along the way. It will take at least a month and a half to go round trip. It will be enough to transport 400,000 shi.”

"Four hundred thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) is enough for an army of one hundred thousand to go out of the pass and fight for several months."

Liu Jilong was making arrangements with some unease when Gao Jinda spoke up, "Your Highness need not worry. I had already expanded and renovated the Shangzhou granary and stored 200,000 shi of summer grain there."

"Moreover, Shangzhou has resettled a large number of refugees, so we can take advantage of the work-for-relief program to have the people help our army transport grain to Dengzhou."

“The granaries in Nanyang will definitely be filled, and the granaries in the other counties of Dengzhou should also be filled.”

"What I'm most worried about right now is the issue of deserters..."

Gao Jinda brought up the matter of the deserters, and before Liu Jilong could speak, he said:
"Soldiers from the Hexi Corridor have mostly endured hardship and few desert."

"However, many of the soldiers recruited from Jiannan Province, Sannam West Province, and Gyeonggi Province are unable to accept transfers, let alone go beyond the Great Wall to fight."

"Right now, it's just a transfer, and there are already more than two hundred deserters every month. If we really launch an eastern expedition, there will probably be even more deserters."

"I suggest that the best troops for the eastern expedition should be selected from the brothers of Hexi and Longxi."

Gao Jinda had no selfish motives; it was simply that the desertion trend among soldiers in various regions was too rampant and could not be stopped.

Compared to his worries, Liu Jilong didn't think anything of it, and even took the initiative to reassure Gao Jinda:
"Since ancient times, desertion has been a persistent problem, which is something that can't be stopped."

"Our army has 260,000 soldiers, and there are only about 200 deserters every month. This is not a lot. After all, the soldiers in various regions are not resilient enough. If our army had not started literacy programs, the number of deserters would probably have been five or six times higher."

"At present, there are only a little over two hundred deserters per month, which I am already very satisfied with."

Liu Jilong wasn't lying. After all, he had read many files on deserters in his previous life and knew that desertion was something that couldn't be completely eliminated.

Not to mention his poorly literate army, even modern armies have a significant number of deserters on the battlefield.

After World War II, many armies experienced desertions of 20,000 to 30,000 people per year.

After all, fighting and war are two completely different things. Unless one is like the old soldiers of Hexi and Longxi who have experienced decades of oppression and constant fighting, it is normal to flee.

"Ugh……"

Gao Jinda was clearly still not optimistic. Seeing this, Liu Jilong chuckled and then said to Gao Jinda:
"You don't need to worry about these things too much. Instead, listen carefully to my next arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jinda perked up and said attentively, "Please give your instructions..."

Seeing his spirits, Liu Jilong took the initiative to say, "Although Tibet is in turmoil, and I also feel that without Lu Danzeng, Tibet cannot be restored to its former strength, the necessary measures must still be taken."

"What does Your Highness intend to do?" Gao Jinda asked calmly, while Liu Jilong took the opportunity to look out of the carriage.

Gao Jinda followed his gaze and saw a towering pagoda in the distance, with copper bells swaying in the breeze…

"The best way to eliminate the bloodthirstiness of the Tibetans is to influence them with Buddhism."

Liu Jilong spoke slowly, and before Gao Jinda could finish speaking, Liu Jilong continued:

“I would like to invite the Venerable Master Wuzhen of Dunhuang to Chang’an so that we can discuss in detail how to spread Buddhism in Tibet.”

Wuzhen was one of the few eminent monks whom Liu Jilong admired in both his past and present lives.

The reason for choosing him was not only because of his noble character, but more importantly because the monks of Dunhuang were quite influential throughout Tibet and the Western Regions.

If we could support Mulu Danzeng in unifying Tibet, and at the same time send Wuzhen and monks from Dunhuang and the five routes of Guanzhong to Tibet to spread Buddhism, we could undoubtedly weaken Tibet culturally and religiously.

Today, there are hundreds of Buddhist temples of various sizes in the five provinces of Kansai, with more than 20,000 monks.

Liu Jilong didn't touch them, not because he respected monks so much, but because he needed these people to contribute to the Western Regions and Tibet.

The religion of the Abbasid Caliphate has been rooted in the Transoxiana region for centuries, and many Buddhist and neutral countries west of the Pamir Mountains are now being affected.

Liu Jilong had no intention of allowing the religion of the Abbasid Caliphate to continue expanding eastward, leading to the situation that would occur centuries later.

He was hesitant to use Taoist priests, since they had never been easy to deal with since the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty and the Five Pecks of Rice sect. They would lead rebellions every now and then.

Moreover, although the Li Tang dynasty respected Taoism, the Taoist tradition did not develop well in the mid-to-late Tang period. Sending them to the Western Regions and Tibet to fight against the Abbasid Caliphate's religious tradition might not necessarily be successful.

In comparison, Buddhism's ability to become one of the world's three major religions in later generations is commendable in its efforts to spread the Dharma.

As long as he can drive all the monks from the Central Plains to the Western Regions and Tibet, the influence of the Han people in the Western Regions and Tibet will continue to expand, which will help Liu Jilong to control Tibet and the Western Regions in the future.

Whether these monks are willing to go or not is beyond their control.

"If Your Highness invites me, Venerable Wuzhen will certainly go, but to spread the Dharma in Tibet... is that feasible?"

Gao Jinda naturally knew how popular Buddhism was in Tibet, otherwise the Tibetan nobles would not have banned Buddhism twice in a row.

However, because the Tibetan nobles had twice banned Buddhism, he felt that these nobles were already wary of Buddhism, and Liu Jilong's idea might not succeed.

Although Liu Jilong was unaware of his thoughts, he was quite confident in himself.

“Lu Danzeng needs our support to end the chaos in Tibet, and he also needs people to support him and promote his legitimacy.”

“The people of Lhasa will not admit that Lu Danzeng did not exist, but the Venerable Wuzhen and his group are different.”

“They were highly respected among the slaves, and many slaves would revere them as long as they had Lu Danzeng’s support.”

"With the army and Buddhism combined, I don't believe that the people in Lhasa can cause any trouble."

Liu Jilong's words put Gao Jinda's worries to rest. After all, this was the first time he had ever seen a combination of "fist and reason".

If what Liu Jilong said is true, those nobles who twice tried to ban Buddhism really couldn't make any waves.

Thinking of this, Gao Jinda wiped the cold sweat that had appeared on his forehead without him noticing: "This matter still requires Your Highness's letter."

“It’s all ready.” Liu Jilong picked up a handwritten letter from the table.

Gao Jinda took the letter and said with a forced smile, "I can only give it a try. I hope Your Highness will not have any expectations."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong's lips curled up, and he withdrew his hand to stroke his mustache: "There will be absolutely no problem with this matter, don't worry."

As the two decided to use military force and Buddhism to influence the plateau and the Western Regions, the carriage gradually moved further and further away, eventually turning into Xuanyangfang...

(End of this chapter)