Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 461 A Tumultuous Time (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

In mid-October, while Liu Jilong was sending troops to escort Yang Gongqing back to Luoyang, shouts of killing broke out outside Shuzhou City in Huainan.

Twenty thousand soldiers, dressed in battle robes, were engaged in bayonet fighting on the drill ground, while Gao Pian, with a somber expression, paced back and forth on the drill platform.

"Screw rustle..."

Gao Qin hurriedly walked up to the platform, and after reaching Gao Pian's side, he bowed and said, "Father, news has come from the north."

"What is it...?"

Gao Pian's gaze was fixed on the more than 20,000 soldiers in front of him. Gao Qin, seeing this, reported: "The troops from the various towns of Songzhou have already marched south and arrived in Shouchun. Kang Chengxun now commands another 70,000 troops."

"Hmph! Seventy thousand..."

Gao Pian scoffed at this, clearly showing his disdain for Kang Chengxun's 70,000 troops.

Seeing his father's reaction, Gao Qin couldn't help but say, "Although the towns of Hedong and Hebei have not been through war for a long time, 70,000 troops should be able to defeat Huang Chao, right?"

"Is that what you think?" Gao Pian glanced at Gao Qin, and before he could speak, he coldly snorted:
"Among the troops of the various towns, those with any real strength are nothing more than the elite forces from the towns of Henan and Hedong who were used to suppress Wang Shouwen, Pang Xun, and Wang Xianzhi in the past."

"These elite troops were transferred by the imperial court to Longxi and Longdong, where they were all annihilated and captured by Liu Jilong. The rest were nothing but good-for-nothings."

"This traitor Huang has learned military strategy from who knows where. Although it is rudimentary, his generals are brave men who have experienced many battles."

"If Kang Jingci's hastily assembled 70,000 men could really quell the Huang bandits, he wouldn't have failed to take even a small city like Shouchun."

Gao Pian's words made sense, and Gao Qin couldn't help but nod in agreement, but then said, "The bandit general stationed in Shouchun is quite good; he has managed to hold out until now."

"I heard that this person is called Ge Congzhou, but I have never heard of him having any background. I suppose he is just an ordinary person."

Gao Qin commented on Ge Congzhou, but Gao Pian calmly replied, "There are no heroes in the Central Plains, allowing a mere upstart to gain fame."

"This..." Gao Qin didn't know what to say. After all, in his opinion, Ge Congzhou was quite good, and the saying that there were no heroes in the Central Plains was a bit of an exaggeration.

Based on his research on the Huaihe River campaign, Zhu Quanzhong, Ge Congzhou, and Huang Chao were all quite capable.

Of course, it's also possible that he judged these people based on his own abilities, while his father judged them based on his own abilities, and therefore thought they were inadequate.

"Father, when shall we march north to Luzhou?"

Seeing that his father wouldn't listen to anything else, Gao Qin could only calm himself down and ask about the important matter.

In response, Gao Pian calmly looked at the endless 20,000 soldiers on the training ground and said, "Let Kang Jingci suffer two more losses before we advance."

"If the court sends someone to inquire, tell them that our army is mobilizing troops and preparing to gather 40,000 soldiers to encircle and suppress the Yellow bandits."

After he finished speaking, he instructed Gao Qin: "Send an order to Liang Lang to transfer 10,000 infantrymen from Lingnan to the north, and then transfer another 10,000 troops from Hunan."

"Once these two armies arrive, we will send troops to recapture Huainan."

"As long as our army recovers Huainan, Liu Jilong will definitely be unable to restrain himself, and at that time the court will be powerless to target you and me."

After Gao Pian finished speaking, Gao Qin nodded, but then added worriedly:

"Liu Jilong has been resting and recuperating the people for a long time. If he were to send troops, the number would likely be no less than 100,000. Our army..."

He was unsure how to put it, worried about embarrassing his father.

Gao Pian's face darkened, but he did not reprimand Gao Qin. Instead, he calmly said:
"Liu Jilong is indeed difficult to deal with, but crossing the Yangtze and Huai Rivers is not so easy either."

Having suffered too many defeats in his battles against Liu Jilong, Gao Pian had to admit that he was no match for Liu Jilong.

However, relying on the Huai River and the Yangtze River, he was still confident that he could confront Liu Jilong.

While he was thinking this, Huang Chao, who had won the Battle of Hefei, was not having an easy time.

Although he captured a lot of soldiers and armor, Li Hanzhi, who led his troops to lure Li Keyong's elite cavalry from the direction of Chuzhou, was defeated by Li Keyong and forced to retreat to Dingyuan, losing more than 3,000 soldiers.

With Zeng Yuanyu's efforts in Haozhou and Sizhou, and Gao Pian's capture of Shuzhou, resulting in the beheading of thousands, Huang Chao's commandable forces shrank further to around 40,000.

Even more critically, Ge Congzhou has been holding out for nearly two months. If he doesn't come to the rescue of Shouchun soon, Ge Congzhou might not be able to hold out, and then Kang Chengxun could lead the army south.

At that time, Gao Pian would head north, Kang Chengxun would head south, and Zhu Wen would be watching him from the flank. No matter how you looked at it, the situation was not favorable for him.

"You bastard..."

Inside the Hefei Imperial Palace, Huang Chao rested his hands on the sand table, his eyes twitching, sensing that the situation was extremely dire.

Upon seeing this, Shang Rang, who had retreated to Hefei in defeat, cautiously bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, we currently have 30,000 troops in Hefei, only 12,000 in Chuzhou and Yangzhou, and just over 3,000 in Hezhou. Furthermore, Song Wei's navy is harassing us on the Yangtze River."

"It seems that holding Huainan is no longer a viable option, so we might as well take this opportunity to break out..."

"Break through?" Huang Chao interrupted Shang Rang, looking at the sand table in front of him, and said coldly:
"Given this situation, could you please tell me, Prime Minister Shang, where I should break out of this predicament?"

"This..." Shang Rang didn't know what to say.

Faced with multiple attacks from Kang Chengxun, Zhu Wen, Gao Pian, Song Wei, and Zeng Yuanyu, they seemed to have no way out.

Although there was Mount Fucuo behind them, Mount Fucuo was not comparable to Mount Tai or Mount Dabie. If they tried to hide in the mountains, they would be found by the Tang army in just a few days.

Thinking of this, Huang Chao couldn't help but feel anxious, and his temper gradually became uncontrollable.

However, no matter how impatient he was, he couldn't lose his temper right now. After all, morale was wavering, and he had to find a way to stabilize the army.

It seems that there is no other way to stabilize morale than to achieve victory.

Thinking of this, Huang Chao's gaze shifted back and forth on the sand table, finally settling on Zeng Yuanyu of the Hao and Si regions.

"Issue the order to leave 5,000 troops to garrison Luzhou, and the rest of the troops to march towards Haozhou tomorrow."

"Let's test the waters with Zeng Yuanyu first..."

As soon as Huang Chao finished speaking, Shang Rang, Meng Kai, and the others bowed and said, "Your Majesty, we obey your decree!"

Following Huang Chao's order, the Qi army in the Luzhou region was quickly mobilized.

While the Qi army was on its way, Kang Chengxun outside Shouchun City was hosting a welcoming banquet for the generals of various towns in Hedong and Hebei.

"Since you have come from afar, I shall raise a large toast to you all!"

Inside the tent, Kang Chengxun, though old, was still vigorous. He raised the earthenware bowl full of rice wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing his straightforwardness, the dozen or so generals in the tent also smiled and drank with him.

At this time, outside Shouchun City, Tang army camps stretched for several miles, almost completely surrounding the city.

Rice, which was somehow obtained from somewhere in the camp, was boiled in a large pot, and its aroma filled the air.

The cattle and sheep made noises, but they were quickly dealt with by the soldiers in the camp, and pieces of meat were thrown into the rice porridge.

A piece of brown coarse cloth, about a foot long, was thrown into the pot. After stirring it a couple of times, a faint smell of vinegar began to emanate from the pot, and the color of the coarse cloth gradually faded.

Once the coarse cloth was scooped out, the rice porridge had already changed color, and this was just the beginning.

In Huainan, even in October, there are plenty of vegetables. After washing them thoroughly, large handfuls of vegetables are poured into a pot, along with a piece of salt the size of a fingernail, and a pot of mixed vegetables is ready.

The soldiers who had been waiting around stepped forward and filled a pot to the brim with wooden bowls.

Just looking at this hodgepodge, the soldiers instinctively cursed.

"Damn it! Father traveled over a thousand miles south from Hebei just to feed him this?!"

"Even the horses in Zhaoyi eat better than this!"

"You bastard, what is this thing?!"

The cursing continued inside the camp, and it was soon discovered and reached Kang Chengxun's ears.

Upon hearing this, Kang Chengxun, who was drinking, slowly stopped smiling, but his tone remained amicable:

"Gentlemen, the Hehuai region has been severely ravaged by the Yellow bandits. We can only supply our soldiers with meat, vegetables, rice, and porridge. I hope you will all do your best to comfort our soldiers."

"Once Yangzhou is recovered, I will definitely send people to purchase enough meat to reward the soldiers."

Meat, vegetables, and rice porridge—this was already quite a good meal for the front lines, but the soldiers in the three Hebei towns of Zhaoyi, Yiwu, and Yichang were not satisfied.

Kang Chengxun had anticipated their disturbance, so he tried to appease them first before resorting to force.

Li Xiang of the Yiwu Army, Cheng Lin of the Zhaoyi Army, and Wang Gao of the Yichang Army all nodded in agreement with his explanation, indicating that they would appease their subordinates.

The three were not afraid of the imperial court or Kang Chengxun, but as they traveled south, they truly witnessed the desolation of Henan and Huainan due to the war.

"These thieves are causing chaos in the Yellow River and Huai River basins. On our journey south, we tried to find large towns to buy meat, but we couldn't find any."

"That's right, the Hehuai region has truly fallen into ruin!"

The words of the group made the townsmen from Heyang and Hezhong, who were traveling south with them, nod in agreement.

The He and Huai regions, once bustling with tens of millions of people, have never experienced such desolation, though the An Lushan Rebellion and the Huaixi Rebellion caused population flight and reduced their prosperity to the point of decline.

If their 20,000-strong army hadn't relied on the canal, they probably wouldn't have been able to gather enough food, fodder, meat, and vegetables to travel south.

"After the Yellow bandits are defeated, the Hehuai region will be at peace, and the people who fled famine will naturally return to their hometowns."

Kang Chengxun spoke politely, but everyone knew perfectly well that it would take several decades for the Hebei and Huai River regions to recover to their pre-Cholera epidemic state.

The imperial court's finances mainly depend on the four regions of Hebei, Huaihe, and Jiangnan. Now that the Hebei and Huaihe regions are in such a state, it is probably only a matter of time before the imperial court declines.

Thinking about this, many of them gradually began to have different thoughts.

Their eyes kept scanning inside the tent, while Li Keyong quietly ate meat and wine with Gai Yu and Kang Junli.

Only after Kang Chengxun dismissed the banquet did they return to their own headquarters.

Just as Li Keyong returned to his tent and sat down, Kang Junli took the initiative to speak:
"I just went to see the troops in the three towns east of the river and the three towns north of the river, and they don't seem like much."

"During the banquet, many of them were looking around at the generals of each town, presumably to observe their abilities."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gai Yu sat down and added, "The imperial court's two attacks on Hefei were thwarted, and with the Huai River region so badly damaged by bandits, it would be strange if they didn't have some designs on it."

"The reason why the imperial court was able to maintain the situation in Hebei before was mainly because the three towns needed to rely on the imperial court to transport money and grain."

"Now I hear that Zhang Yunshen of Youzhou is old and has been seriously ill several times. He even transported grain to the court. I guess he did this to please the court in order to protect his son."

"If Zhang Yunshen dies of illness, Youzhou will inevitably be in turmoil. If Youzhou is in turmoil, Hebei will be in turmoil. Your Majesty must be on guard."

Gai Yu tried to remind Li Keyong, but found that Li Keyong was distracted, so he had to continue reminding him: "My lord..."

"I understand!"

Li Keyong responded impatiently, which caused Gai Yu and Kang Junli to exchange a quick glance and then shut their mouths.

They knew what Li Keyong was troubled about: Kang Chengxun had received reinforcements, but had not expressed his intention to attack Huang Chao at the banquet, which made Li Keyong somewhat unhappy.

"My lord, there is no need to worry. The Yellow bandits are now surrounded by the imperial army on multiple fronts, and their morale is bound to plummet."

"If the Yellow thief doesn't want to be captured, he has no choice but to take the initiative."

“Even if Governor Kang is unwilling to send troops, if Huang Chao takes the initiative to attack, Governor Kang will have no choice but to send troops.”

"At that time, Your Excellency will be able to lead our army to great glory and secure a position for our army."

Gai Yu could tell from the demeanor of the officers today that they no longer respected the imperial court.

The three towns of Hebei were the bridgehead for the imperial court to control the three towns of Hebei. If even the three towns of Hebei did not take the imperial court seriously, then Hebei would be in turmoil.

With Hebei in turmoil, Liu Jilong in Guanzhong could not possibly remain indifferent.

If Liu Jilong were to also take advantage of the situation and advance eastward, the prelude to widespread chaos would be set off.

All Gai Yu could do was try his best to help Li Guochang and his son expand their power, since Liu Jilong would have to take Hedong first if he wanted to take Hebei.

At present, Li Guochang and his son are too weak. Unless they can control Hedong and Hezhong and use the power of Hedong Province to resist Liu Jilong, they will only face defeat or surrender.

That's why he had so much to say to Li Keyong, but Li Keyong wouldn't listen at all, which left him feeling very helpless.

"Yellow thief..."

Li Keyong snorted coldly. He was still young at heart, and all he wanted to do right now was to use the blood of the Qi army to avenge Wang Duo.

However, while he was talking about Huang Chao, Kang Chengxun inside the military tent did not make any move.

In the following days, Kang Chengxun continued to lead his troops to besiege Shouchun, while Ge Congzhou inside the city remained steadfast in his defense.

The city walls of Shouchun have been reinforced countless times, and the bloodstains on them cannot be washed away completely; they can only fade over time.

There are still more than 5,000 soldiers in the city, and the morale of the three armies is low. Every day, generals ask Ge Congzhou: "When will the reinforcements arrive?"

Faced with this question, Ge Congzhou did not know how to answer.

Standing in front of the city gate tower, he gazed at the Tang army camp under the night sky, a bitter taste in his mouth.

"If I had known this, I should have gone to Zhu San long ago..."

Ge Congzhou had not forgotten the time when Zhu Wen had helped him out of a predicament, and he could also sense that the Qi army was probably really doomed.

They held off Kang Chengxun's main force for nearly two months, but Kang Chengxun's troops actually increased instead of decreasing.

Ge Congzhou was very clear about the situation within the Qi army; every elite soldier who died was one less to lose.

In retrospect, Zhu Wen was the one with foresight in the army, having joined the Tang army early on and obtained a decent official position.

"If things are beyond our control, then I shall surrender..."

Ge Congzhou wavered somewhat, after all, he had to consider the soldiers and their families in the city.

As for loyalty and righteousness, they ultimately dissipated into sighs and vanished into the air.

"Drive! Drive! Drive..."

Suddenly, a fast horse galloped from the east under the cover of night. Because the rider was holding a torch, the Tang army's outer cavalry quickly identified him and let him into the camp.

"My lord, an urgent report from Haozhou!"

The sudden voice pulled Kang Chengxun out of his military treatise. He looked up at the tent flap and said, "Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, a general entered the tent, bowed to Kang Chengxun, and said, "My lord, an urgent report from Haozhou: the bandit Huang has led an army of 20,000 and launched a surprise attack on Haozhou!"

"Guo Houben, the Left Military Commander of Huainan, suffered a defeat in battle against the Huang rebels, lost Haozhou, and fled to the Huai River."

"Upon learning of the loss of Haozhou, Governor Zeng immediately changed his route to Haozhou and sent troops to request reinforcements."

Kang Chengxun's eyes were blurry, and he finally managed to make out that the person who came was Wang Yanquan. Before he could react, he heard the news that Guo Houben had suffered a bad defeat in battle and lost Haozhou.

"Asshole!!"

Guo Hou was originally a general of the Huainan faction. Logically, he should have been familiar with the terrain of Huainan, but he was unexpectedly attacked by Huang Chao and lost Haozhou.

Thinking of this, Kang Chengxun already imagined how the imperial court would view him after learning about this matter.

Originally, he had been thinking of keeping the enemy at bay to maintain his own importance, but now he could only give a solemn order: "Send word to leave troops from the four towns of Zhaoyi, Yichang, Heyang, and Hezhong to surround Shouchun. The remaining troops will break camp and capture it at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, and recover Luzhou!"

Kang Chengxun was naturally not going to be led by the nose by Huang Chao. Since he had decided to take the initiative to attack Huang Chao, he would not allow Gao Pian of Shuzhou to share the credit.

First, take Luzhou to isolate Huang Chao from any potential battles with Gao Pian, then gradually shrink the encirclement, and finally take down Huang Chao.

"The last general takes command!"

Wang Yanquan readily agreed and then began to send troops to relay orders to the three armies.

Upon receiving the news, apart from the troops of the four garrisons that remained to besiege Shouchun, the troops of the other garrisons began to prepare for breaking camp the next day.

Fortunately, in addition to the 50,000 soldiers, there were also 100,000 laborers in the camp that could be used; otherwise, they would have had to go out and capture laborers overnight.

The following day at dawn, Kang Chengxun mustered his troops and began his southward march. At the same time, Zeng Yuanyu was on his way to Zhongli in Haozhou when he encountered Huang Chao's forces.

The two armies clashed more than ten miles west of Zhaoyi County. Zeng Yuanyu had only 500 cavalry and 7,000 infantry, while Huang Chao led more than 20,000 troops.

After three battles, Zeng Yuanyu was unable to defeat Huang Chao and suffered heavy casualties. He had no choice but to retreat and recruit righteous men to defend the city. At the same time, he sent a fast horse to Zhu Wen, requesting him to send troops to his aid.

Zhaoyi is only two hundred li away from Gaoyou. Before Kang Chengxun's news could be sent back, Zeng Yuanyu's fast horse arrived in Gaoyou.

"Damn it, this Huang Erlang is really impossible to kill!"

Inside the Gaoyou County government office, Zhu Wen was astonished to learn that Huang Chao had defeated Guo Houben and Zeng Yuanyu.

Zhu Cun stood beside him, glanced at Zeng Yuanyu's handwritten letter, and then asked, "Sanlang, should we send troops?"

"Send troops?" Zhu Wen chuckled, crumpled the letter into a ball, and tossed it onto the table.

"Our army has just recruited many new soldiers, and their armor is incomplete. Why should we take the initiative to attack?"

"Take three thousand veteran soldiers to Jiangdu for a tour. When you arrive, send out fast horses and say that Huang Ye has sent troops to block our army, and that our army is weak and has suffered losses in battle, so we can only retreat to Gaoyou."

Zhu Wen revealed his plans; he wasn't really going to risk his life for someone else.

If Huang Chao hadn't been so persistent, he wouldn't have fought with Huang Chao for more than half a month.

"Wouldn't this be bad? What if the imperial court finds out something, then our army..."

Zhu Cun had many concerns, while Zhu Wen laughed and said, "Sir, you have been on your way for quite some time now, so you must have already arrived in Luoyang."

"It's not enough to bribe the court with gold and silver; you have to make the court need your troops."

"This matter is settled. Do as I say!"

“Okay.” Although Zhu Cun had some concerns, he couldn’t argue with Zhu Wen’s suggestion and immediately agreed.

As Zhu Wen agreed, Xie Tong, on whom Zhu Wen had placed high hopes, did indeed arrive in Luoyang and soon met Lu Yan, one of the current prime ministers, through the help of money and silk.

As the longest-serving prime minister during the Xiantong era, Lu Yan undoubtedly amassed a vast network of connections within the officialdom. This is why Xie Tong chose to pay him a visit; he knew that only Lu Yan would accept his gift.

Just now, two boxes of gold and silver, each about a foot in size, were placed on the table. Lu Yan only glanced at them before looking at Xie Tong, who was sitting at the head of the left.

"I've heard that you are the chief clerk under Zhu Quanzhong, the governor of Chuzhou. May I ask why you have come to pay me a visit?"

Lu Yan naturally knew that Xie Tong was definitely here for Zhu Wen's future, but he needed to know what Xie Tong wanted, and then see if he could do it before deciding whether to accept the gold and silver.

Accepting bribes was Lu Yan's weakness, but his strength was that he would do things for money.

If he chooses to take the money, he will definitely do a great job.

Xie Tong had been in Luoyang for several days and had already ascertained the prime minister's character, so he smiled and politely said:
"The Yellow Turban rebels wreaked havoc in the Jianghuai region, but they were ultimately short-sighted and even tried to emulate the sages."

"The magistrate is currently making every effort to suppress the bandits. It seems that the Yellow Bandits are nothing more than grasshoppers in autumn harvest, and they won't be able to jump around for long."

"Chuzhou and Yangzhou are strategically important. If there is any threat from bandits, my lord can guard them here and protect the Grand Canal for the Emperor. There will be no problem."

"However, the Yellow bandits have brought about their own destruction and cannot last long. Therefore, Your Excellency has specially sent me to Luoyang to meet with Chancellor Lu, hoping that Chancellor Lu can arrange a position for Your Excellency after the war where you can make the most of your talents..."

Xie Tong's words weren't particularly clever, and were even a bit blunt, which made Lu Yan look down on them.

But looking down on people and things are two different things. Judging from the places Zhu Wen is currently guarding, important places like Chuzhou and Yangzhou are indeed not suitable for him to guard, especially given that Huang Chao will be defeated soon.

Exchanging Chuzhou and Yangzhou for other vassal states is not a difficult task, as long as the demands are not too excessive.

Thinking of this, Lu Yan picked up his teacup, wiped away the tea foam, took a sip, and then said, "It is no wonder that the court recruited and cultivated Zhu, who has such insight."

Lu Yan was reminding Xie Tong to be mindful of Zhu Wen's identity. After all, Zhu Wen was a bandit who surrendered and rose to power, and there was no way he would have the opportunity to leave his post in some important places. Xie Tong himself was aware of this.

What he wanted was Lu Yan's attitude, and since Lu Yan reminded him to be mindful of his status, it meant that as long as the demands weren't excessive, Lu Yan could help Zhu Wen make arrangements.

Knowing Lu Yan's attitude, Xie Tong then revealed the place he had prepared long ago: "Yanhai is far from the Grand Canal. I wonder if you, my lord, could be appointed to govern Yanhai?"

Yanhai Town governs four prefectures: Yan, Hai, Yi, and Mi. Although it suffered from the war caused by the rebellions of Wang Xianzhi and Pang Xun, the four prefectures have been recuperating for three years, production has recovered, and the population is not small.

Choosing this place was a decision Xie Tong made after careful consideration.

If it weren't for Liu Jilong, he would have tried every means to secure the position of military governor of Xuanwu or Ganhua for Zhu Wen. However, now that the Hehuai region has been ravaged and turned into barren land, the Grand Canal is of greater importance, so he could only choose the position of military governor of Yanhai for Zhu Wen.

Yanhai Town is in a good location, has enough people, and its production has recovered considerably, which can save a lot of effort.

More importantly, Xie Tong had carefully investigated and found that although Wei Zhou, the military governor of Pinglu Town in the north of Yanhai, came from a prestigious family and had outstanding political achievements, he did not know how to lead troops into battle.

This means that if the situation becomes turbulent in the future, Zhu Wen could take the opportunity to head north and annex Pinglu.

Pinglu was the place in Henan that suffered the least from war.

As long as he annexed Pinglu, Zhu Wen would be able to secure the support of millions of people.

If they could continue north to annex the Taiping Army, or go south to annex Xuzhou, they might actually be able to establish their own independent regime.

Thinking of this, Xie Tong waited quietly for Lu Yan's reply, while Lu Yan pondered who the current military governor of Yanhai was.

After a long pause, Lu Yan finally spoke up: "Xue Wan, the military governor of Yanhai, comes from the Xue family of Hedong. He has been in office for five years and can be transferred, but I'm afraid the Northern Commandery will not be happy about it."

Xie Tong frowned. He knew that Xue Wan had the support of the Shence Army and had connections with the Northern Division, but he did not expect that the Northern Division was now in decline, yet Lu Yan still dared not offend it.

"If it's difficult..."

Xie Tong was about to speak when Lu Yan shook his head and said, "Never mind, since Prefect Zhu is so willing to serve the court, how can I not lend a hand?"

"It is still early, and I can make a trip to the outer court, but I need Governor Zhu to promise to help quell the rebels and recover Jiangdu."

Lu Yan explained his idea, which was simply to get Zhu Wen to help open the canal as soon as possible.

Xie Tong was prepared, so he quickly bowed and said, "My lord had long intended to do so, but unfortunately, the Yellow bandits personally led the expedition, and my troops suffered heavy losses, so I had no choice but to give up."

"Fortunately, the magistrate had already begun recruiting soldiers before heading north. Now, all that is lacking is money, provisions, and armor, which is enough to send troops to recover Jiangdu and even the entire territory of Yangzhou."

When Xie Tong headed north, he already knew that the imperial court had transferred another 20,000 troops south. After Kang Chengxun replenished his troops, Huang Chao would inevitably take the initiative to attack, which would then provoke Kang Chengxun to launch an attack.

If the two sides become entangled at that time, and Zhu Wen obtains money, provisions, and armor, then recovering Yangzhou should not be a problem.

"How much grain and how much armor are needed..."

Lu Yan frowned, thinking to himself that this money was not easy to earn, and there were so many requirements.

His expression was clear to Xie Tong that he was somewhat unhappy, so he quickly said, "Three thousand suits of armor, fifty thousand coins, and thirty thousand bushels of grain will suffice."

He reduced the amount of money, food, and armor he originally wanted, just to get Lu Yan to agree quickly.

Lu Yan did not immediately agree, but said to Xie Tong, "In that case, you can go back and rest first, and come to find me at this time tomorrow."

As Lu Yan spoke, his two servants accepted the boxes containing gold and silver. Xie Tong, seeing that he had accepted the gifts, thought to himself that things were almost done, and now it was up to Lu Yan to persuade the emperor.

"This junior takes his leave..."

Xie Tong adopted a very humble posture, and Lu Yan nodded in response. After watching him leave the main hall, Lu Yan got up to change his clothes after a long while.

Before long, a carriage was ready in front of the mansion, and Lu Yan walked out of the mansion and got into the carriage.

The carriage headed towards Ziwei City, while Lu Yan calmly pondered how to persuade the emperor.

Several months have passed, and Luoyang, which was mostly burned down by Huang Chao, has now regained some of its former prosperity.

The officials' residences have been almost completed, the streets are clean and tidy, and the streets are mostly filled with the children of officials, dressed in brocade and silk, exuding fragrance.

Compared to the prosperity of the north bank, the south bank, which is mainly inhabited by ordinary people, is quite "ugly".

In the neighborhoods on the south bank, the houses where people live are all kinds of different. Some are made of earth and wood and covered with cheap plain tiles, while others are covered with straw and mud.

The streets were incredibly chaotic, the people were dressed in tattered clothes, and the children were even running around naked, wearing straw sandals and eating wild vegetables and bran.

There weren't many jobs available for them around Luoyang. The only options they could do were to be tenants of powerful families or perform manual labor for a living.

The Luo River divides the Tang Dynasty in two, and Lu Yan, the prime minister, senses the carriage stop as he is deep in thought.

He slowly opened his eyes, stepped off the carriage, and walked into Ziwei City.

Upon seeing him, the Shence Army guarding the palace gates quickly bowed and saluted, while Lu Yan smiled and nodded in response.

No one would have guessed that Lu Yan, who was so amicable to ordinary soldiers, had countless private riches and hid millions of dollars.

"Lu Xiang?!"

Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from behind Lu Yan. Lu Yan stopped and turned around to look behind him, only to see Xiao Gou and Liu Zhan walking over in a hurry.

The two men were clearly surprised to run into Lu Yan here, and asked in astonishment, "Isn't Prime Minister Lu on his day off today? Could it be that you know about the matter in Huainan?"

"What happened in Huainan?" Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "What happened in Huainan?"

Seeing that Lu Yan was unaware, Liu Zhan then revealed the story of Huang Chao's attack on Haozhou, the fall of Haozhou, and Zeng Yuanyu's defense of Zhaoyi City.

After hearing this, Lu Yan felt even more confident in recommending Zhu Wen, but on the surface he pretended to be anxious: "Let's go see the Emperor first."

The two nodded, and then walked with Lu Yan toward the Zhenguan Hall.

Before long, the three arrived in front of Zhenguan Hall, and after being informed, they entered the hall.

Having not entered the Zhenguan Hall for several days, the three of them suddenly entered today and felt that the smell of medicine in the hall had become even stronger. Even the continuous burning of incense could not suppress the smell of medicine.

Li Cui was in poor health, a fact known to all the officials after Liu Jilong captured Chang'an.

However, judging from the current situation, it seems that his health has deteriorated to the point where it is difficult to cure.

The three of them were heavy-hearted, after all, they all knew what it would mean if Li Cui fell.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, we pay our respects..."

Half a month ago, after Li Cui learned of Wang Duo's defeat, he suspended court for several days and began to let Crown Prince Li Yi take charge of the government.

Although Li Yi was not particularly outstanding, he was quite diligent, and officials from the three provinces and six ministries could generally meet him.

From this perspective alone, the officials of the Southern Court were quite supportive of Li Yi.

"Gentlemen, please take your leave..."

Li Yi stood in front of the screen, facing Lu Yan and the other two.

Lu Yan and the other two got up and could see Li Cui lying on the couch through the screen, and could also smell the strong smell of medicine.

Clearly, Li Cui's physical condition was worse than they had imagined.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Huainan..."

Liu Zhan spoke cautiously, his gaze fixed on the figure behind the screen.

Fortunately, Li Cui's voice came through quickly, though very weak: "What is it..."

Seeing that Li Cui was alright, Liu Zhan and the other two breathed a sigh of relief and then slowly recounted what had happened in Huainan.

However, for Li Cui's sake, the three did not reveal how many soldiers were killed or wounded, for fear of upsetting Li Cui.

Even so, Li Cui could still guess the general situation in Huainan, so he suppressed the itch in his throat and the urge to cough, and said:

"Why is Kang Chengxun holding back his troops? The reinforcements dispatched by the imperial court should have already arrived in Shouzhou."

"Your Majesty," Liu Zhan continued bowing and replied, "Governor Kang has already dispatched troops to Luzhou, preparing to take Luzhou and then advance eastward to recover Chuzhou and Hezhou, trapping the Huang bandits in Haozhou."

"Where is Gao Qianli..." Li Cui continued to inquire. Liu Zhan withdrew upon hearing this, and Lu Yan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Gao Qianli's troops have suffered heavy losses and he is currently redeploying them, but unexpectedly, the Yellow bandits launched a surprise attack on Haozhou."

"I believe that with over 60,000 troops under his command, and Zhu Quanzhong of Chuzhou being loyal and devoted to serving the court, the Yellow rebels will surely have no chance of escaping."

As soon as Lu Yan finished speaking, Li Cui couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Zhu Quanzhong? Wasn't he just severely injured by the Yellow Turban rebels not long ago?"

"Your Majesty," Lu Yan hurriedly replied, "Although Zhu Quanzhong was defeated by Huang Chao, the people of Chuzhou and Yangzhou are loyal to the country and eagerly joined the army."

"Currently, Zhu Quanzhong commands 20,000 troops and over 5,000 armored soldiers."

"I believe that as long as we allocate 3,000 armored soldiers and 100,000 coins in grain to Zhu Quanzhong, he will surely be able to recover Jiangdu for the court."

Lu Yan demanded more money and grain, and instead of exaggerating his claim of recovering the entire Yangzhou region, he only mentioned recovering Jiangdu.

After all, once Jiangdu is recovered, the Grand Canal will be unblocked, which is the most crucial thing.

"Let Prime Minister Lu handle this matter... cough cough!"

Li Cui started coughing, and Lu Yan and the other two rushed over to see what was happening. They found that Li Cui was coughing very hard, and it was only after Tian Yun brought him a cup of honey water that his coughing subsided.

"The affairs of the state are fraught with difficulties, and we still need all of you ministers to devote yourselves wholeheartedly to this task..."

After calming down, Li Cui, as if he had survived a disaster, explained things to the three of them.

Before the three could speak, news came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, the Privy Councilor Qi and Lieutenant Yang request an audience..."

"Proclaim"

Li Cui spoke slowly, and then Qi Yuanjian and Yang Xuanjie entered the hall.

They glanced at Lu Yan and his two companions out of the corner of their eyes, then quickly looked away.

"What brings you two here..."

Li Cui asked very bluntly, his tone showing disdain for the two men, all because Qi Yuanjian and Yang Xuanjie did not agree to appoint Li Yi as crown prince.

However, the Northern Division is weak, and unless they are fully prepared to fight to the death, they cannot interfere with Li Cui's decision.

After Li Yi became the crown prince, the two rarely attended court, but their subordinates made things difficult for him, often writing difficult memorials for him to handle.

Fortunately, with Li Cui's help, Li Yi was able to handle government affairs safely for more than half a month.

Now that the two have come again, Li Cui is worried that they are here to make things difficult for Li Yi again, so he speaks first to ask them questions.

"Your Majesty, news has come from Shaanxi and Guo that Liu Muzhi has dispatched troops to escort Yang Gongqing, the deputy commander of the Right Shence Army, back to the capital, and plans to build a Jinzouyuan (a type of academy) in Luoyang."

As soon as the two finished speaking, everyone in the hall frowned, except for Li Cui, whose eyes flickered.

Liu Zhan and the other two frowned because Yang Gongqing's return would inevitably cause turmoil in the Northern Commandery.

Luoyang has only just begun to recover, and they do not want to see it fall into internal strife again due to the turmoil in the Northern Commandery.

As for Li Cui's smug expression, it was because he felt he could use Yang Gongqing to counterbalance the situation where the Northern Division held absolute power.

Putting aside everything else, the biggest reason for the defeat in Longdong was that Yang Xuanji abandoned Yang Fugong and retreated south, which allowed Liu Jilong to obtain a large amount of manpower and ensure the advance of troops and supplies.

If it weren't for Yang Xuanji, Wang Shi and his men would have had at least half a month more to deal with Liu Jilong, instead of watching Liu Jilong advance straight into the heart of Longdong.

Although Li Cui didn't know how much resentment Yang Gongqing harbored after being captured for nearly two years, he knew that Yang Gongqing would definitely not do anything.

More importantly, Yang Gongqing received Liu Jilong's protection; otherwise, Liu Jilong would not have sent troops to escort him.

It should be noted that Li Changyan of Shaanxi and Guo also harmed Yang Gongqing. If Liu Jilong had allowed Yang Gongqing to return alone, he might have been secretly killed by Li Changyan.

Now that Liu Jilong has sent troops to escort him, even if Li Changyan had eight hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to send troops to harm Yang Gongqing. Therefore, Yang Gongqing's return to Luoyang is a foregone conclusion.

Thinking of this, Li Cui couldn't help but say, "It's a good thing that Vice Envoy Yang is back."

"The position of Right Shence Army Lieutenant has been vacant for half a year. Now that Vice Envoy Yang has returned, then..."

"Your Majesty!" Qi Yuanjian and Yang Xuanjie raised their voices one after the other, bowing simultaneously.

"It is unclear what Vice Envoy Yang's current attitude is. It is not too late to wait until he returns to Luoyang before holding a regular court session to make a decision."

Li Cui's lips curled up; he knew the two would speak, and that was exactly the effect he wanted.

Only by creating checks and balances among the Northern Divisions can Li Yi's position be secure.

"In that case, let's put it aside for now and discuss it again when Vice Envoy Yang returns."

Li Cui readily agreed, which made Qi Yuanjian and Yang Xuanjie realize what was happening, and their expressions turned gloomy.

Liu Zhan and the other two were outsiders, so they understood the emperor's attitude from the very beginning.

The emperor simply wanted Yang Gongqing and Qi Yuanjian to fight each other so that the Northern Division could remain stable.

However, Yang Gongqing alone is clearly no match for Qi Yuanjian and Yang Xuanjie. If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor will arrange for others to get involved.

Liu Zhan and the other two composed themselves, and Li Cui also regained his composure, saying to everyone, "Do any of you gentlemen have anything else to report?"

Everyone fell silent. Li Cui coughed a few times upon hearing this, "If that's the case, then..."

Before Li Cui could finish speaking, they heard urgent announcements of rites coming from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Chenzhou!!"

"Summon" Li Cui's permission, and Tian Yun hurriedly walked towards the palace gate.

Everyone looked curiously at the doorway, and soon they heard hurried footsteps.

Before long, Tian Yun, looking flustered, entered the hall with a memorial in hand. He quickly walked to Li Cui behind the screen and presented the memorial with both hands.

"read……"

Li Cui had already sensed that something was wrong, and his breathing became rapid.

Upon hearing this, Tian Yun swallowed hard and quickly lowered her voice, afraid of disturbing Li Cui.

"Urgent report from Chenzhou: Qin Zongquan, the governor of Caizhou, has rebelled and dispatched troops; Chenzhou and Xuzhou are in grave danger..."

Upon hearing Tian Yun's words, Li Cui felt his blood rush to his head, but he quickly suppressed his temper.

Even so, he still felt a throbbing pain in his head, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

He gripped the blankets tightly, gritted his teeth, and tried to act as if nothing had happened: "Issue the imperial decree..."

Everyone bowed in greeting, and Li Cui continued, "Order Gao Pian and Kang Chengxun to send troops to quell this scoundrel!"

"Your Majesty, we obey the decree..."

Everyone readily agreed, but seeing Li Cui's pained expression, Tian Yun quickly raised his voice: "Court adjourned!"

"We take our leave..."

The crowd was puzzled as to why the emperor had so hastily announced the end of court, but they soon realized something was amiss.

A muffled groan could be faintly heard coming from behind the screen.

Not daring to delay, Lu Yan and the others left Zhenguan Hall one after another, while Tian Yun personally escorted them away before finally running back.

"Your Majesty, the ministers have already departed!"

"Um..."

Li Cui growled, grabbing his head with both hands, his expression ferocious.

Upon seeing this, Tian Yun quickly brought over the prepared medicine, while Li Yi stood there at a loss.

Before Li Cui could even drink the medicine, he suddenly leaned out of bed and vomited all over the floor.

"His Majesty!!"

The palace was dimly lit, and everyone rushed to take care of Li Cui, who fainted after vomiting.

The Zhenguan Hall, which should have been filled with imperial grandeur, was now filled only with the heavy, lingering smell of medicine...

(End of this chapter)