Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 469 A Stormy Era (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Bam—"

In the dead of winter, when the people of Heluo had won peace, a dark cellar in a river valley village in the territory of Zezhou, Heyang, was suddenly kicked open.

Dust was shaken off the narrow wooden door frame, and then soldiers wearing iron helmets and lamellar armor poked their heads out, taking in the half-sack of grain hidden in the cellar.

"Damn it, the rats are hiding pretty well!"

He bent down and crawled inside. Soon after, he lifted a half-empty bag of millet, weighed it in his hand, and grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth.

Carrying the grain, he turned and walked out of the cellar, where he found himself in a dilapidated courtyard with low earthen walls.

There was also a pile of firewood scattered on the ground and a thin old man lying at the door, half of his face covered in blood.

The old man was not dead; he could still let out faint groans from time to time, but he dared not resist.

The soldiers didn't even bother to look at him, carrying the grain and striding out of the courtyard, while the village outside the courtyard was already in ruins.

"What..."

"Haha, we're getting meat today!"

"So comfortable, so comfortable!"

Inside the village, soldiers in armor were emerging from the courtyards in twos and threes. Some carried grain sacks on their shoulders, some held struggling pigs and sheep in their hands, and others held thrashing chickens and ducks in their arms, with satisfied smiles on their faces.

Not far away, a woman's heart-wrenching cries came from a courtyard, mixed with a man's crude taunts.

Half an hour later, a soldier with a fierce face walked out of the courtyard, his face full of satisfaction. He was slowly tying his leather belt and casually wiping his blood-stained hands on his clothes.

They gathered in groups of three or five, numbering over two hundred, and reaped a considerable harvest, requiring dozens of horse-drawn carts and oxcarts to haul it away.

They left with satisfied smiles, while heartbreaking cries echoed through the village.

Ignoring the cries and wails, the soldiers, leading dozens of horse-drawn carts, gradually made their way along the village road in the valley to the main road.

On the official road, a procession of over ten thousand people was heading north, most of whom were laborers, with only a small number of soldiers in armor riding on horseback, their saddles still tied with the reins of lightly armed military horses.

"Damn it, they robbed us of a lot!"

When the soldiers traveling on the official road saw that this group had looted so much, they couldn't help but whistle and praise them.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers who had been looting immediately puffed out their chests, looking extremely proud.

On the official road, a cold wind blew, causing the banners to flutter loudly.

The words "Datong" and "Li" on the banners indicate the identity of this team.

At the central command post, Li Keyong calmly rode north, while Gai Yu beside him advised him:

"Heyang has just surrendered to Liu Jilong, and there hasn't been time to send officials to Zezhou in the north. It's not a big deal to plunder some small villages, but it's better to keep the larger towns and cities in line. It's okay to use the looted money to buy some things."

"Once we pass Changping Pass, we'll be almost in Zhaoyi territory."

"Once we enter Zhaoyi and Hedong towns, we still need to abide by some rules and avoid making enemies everywhere."

"I know!" Li Keyong said with slight impatience, and Gai Yu shut his mouth upon seeing this.

He knew that Li Keyong was in a bad mood these days, not only because he hadn't received many rewards for his southward campaign, but also because he felt disappointed by Liu Jilong's successful eastward advance and annexation of the three towns of Hezhong, Zhongwu, and Heyang.

At this moment, he did not want to provoke Li Keyong, but Li Keyong seemed to be making things difficult for himself.

As Gai Yu brought up the topic, he then brought it up again:

“These people from Hedong, Zhaoyi, and Yiwu are nothing but chickens and dogs, good-for-nothings.”

"If I could annex them, I might have a chance to challenge Liu Jilong!"

Faced with Li Keyong's slightly extreme ideas, Gai Yu opened his mouth, unsure how to persuade him to abandon such thoughts while preserving Li Keyong's dignity.

According to Gai Yu, Liu Jilong controlled the capital region, the capital region, Longyou, Guannei, Jiannan, Shannan West Circuit, and a small part of Shannan East Circuit and Henan Circuit, and his power had become so great that it was difficult to resist.

The only drawback is that the Dao that Liu Jilong controls either originally had a small population or had become small due to war, so that although the territory is large, the population is still insufficient.

The situation of vast land and sparse population has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the people have enough living space, and as long as taxes and levies are light, the people can quickly resume production.

The downside is that, due to the vast and complex terrain, transporting money and grain is not easy, which may be why Liu Jilong's eastward advance only stopped at the three towns of Zhongwu.

If Li Keyong could occupy Hedong, Datong, Yiwu, Zhaoyi and other towns, and gain the support of the three towns of Hebei, he might actually be able to rely on the terrain of Hedong to fight a tug-of-war with Liu Jilong.

However, Liu Jilong probably won't give Li Keyong that time, and Datong doesn't have the strength to quickly capture the three towns.

"Liu Jilong occupies seven circuits, and his power is enormous. Apart from the three towns of Hebei and Gao Pian, the rest of the forces are unable to resist him."

"If you want to develop your career, you can only wait for Liu Jilong's next move."

"If Liu Jilong goes east of the Yellow River first and then north of the Yellow River, then my lord can only lie low."

"If Liu Jilong attacks the Huai River region first and then the Hedong region, then you can take advantage of his conquest of Henan to launch a campaign against Yiwu under the pretext of disloyalty, then attack Hedong, and then head south to attack Zhaoyi."

"When Liu Jilong returns with his troops, the young master will have already occupied the four towns and have more than two million people. He can win over the Tatars, Tuyuhun and other tribes, train tens of thousands of soldiers, and continue to submit to Liu Jilong."

"When Liu Jilong advances eastward and engages in battle with the three towns of Hebei, you, my lord, can also take advantage of the situation to advance eastward. If you can occupy the land of Lulong in Youzhou, you can train tens of thousands of iron cavalry and wait for Liu Jilong to go south and recover Jiangnan before raising an army to march south."

Gai Yu's explanation was excellent, but the mindset he used was still that of a military governor controlling a smaller military governor after the An Lushan Rebellion.

At this moment, Li Keyong was young and even somewhat reckless, lacking strategic focus and goals, but he clearly understood that the Han army was different from the other garrisons.

Faced with Gai Yu's words, Li Keyong couldn't help but interrupt, saying, "Since Liu Jilong raised his army, he has never verbally submitted without launching a campaign."

“If I submit to him, he will surely transfer me to Luoyang or Chang’an, and I will have no chance to rise again.”

"This..." Seeing Li Keyong say this, Gai Yu was at a loss for a better solution.

In his view, it was almost impossible to deal with Liu Jilong, who was at the height of his power.

Thinking this, Li Keyong also fell into deep thought. After a long while, his face darkened and he said, "Liu Jilong has the emperor hostage. When he does, whoever he calls a traitor will be the traitor."

"Since that's the case, why not take advantage of his inability to advance eastward and I'll take the lead in conquering the towns of Yiwu, Zhaoyi, and Hedongzhen!"

Gai Yu wanted to stop him, but seeing that Li Keyong had already made up his mind, he could only shut up.

Harboring the idea of ​​establishing a separate regime in Hebei and Hedong, Li Keyong began urging his army to march north.

At the same time, Gao Pian, who had just withdrawn from Huainan and Guang Prefecture, soon received news that Liu Jilong had entered Luoyang, continued to send troops to force the surrender of Heyang, occupied the three prefectures of Zhongwu, and was ready to advance eastward to Yicheng and Xuanwu at any time.

"King Gao, Liu Jilong has seized three towns in one fell swoop, and now he wants to advance eastward to occupy Xuanwu and Yicheng. Are we just going to sit idly by?"

Inside the Guangzhou government office, Gao Pian sat in the main seat, frowning as he flipped through military reports, while Wang Zhongren couldn't help but ask a question.

Faced with this question, Gao Qin subconsciously looked at Gao Pian, who slowly raised his head and said:
"As I said, we should retreat to Jiangnan, seize Jiangxi and Fujian, and then advance into Zhejiang and Jiangdong!"

Occupying Jiangnan and establishing a separatist regime with Liu Jilong was the best solution Gao Pian could think of.

The Yangtze River is not like the Yellow River or the Huai River. The Yangtze River is often a mile or even twenty or thirty miles wide, and it has suffered less population loss.

If we could occupy the entire area south of the Yangtze River, we could have at least tens of millions of people to support the army.

Furthermore, most of Liu Jilong's troops were from the north, and even though they controlled Sichuan and Chongqing, their water skills were still inferior to those of people from the south.

The Sui Dynasty was able to conquer the Southern Chen Dynasty mainly because its population was several times that of the Southern Chen Dynasty, and because the Southern Chen emperors and officials were corrupt.

Gao Pian believed that if he could unify the south before Liu Jilong unified the north, and then restrain Liu Jilong so that he could not occupy Hebei, there would still be a chance to form a three-way checkmate situation.

Even if it only lasts for a little over ten years, Gao Pian will be satisfied. After all, he is about to turn fifty, and it's hard to say how many more years he can live.

"The imperial edict orders Liang Zuan and Yang Sun to transfer funds and provisions to the eastern border. After I march south, they will divide their troops to recover Jiangxi, Fujian, Xuanzhou and Shexian."

As soon as Gao Pian finished speaking, Wang Zhongren asked, "Now that the emperor is in Liu Jilong's hands, if we rashly launch a military campaign, we may give Liu Jilong a handle to use against us."

“It’s alright.” Gao Pian frowned slightly and continued, “Now that the Grand Canal has been cut off for a long time, if Liu Jilong wants to attack the towns along the Yellow River and Huai River, the reason he can use is nothing more than that the towns maliciously blocked the canal transport.”

"If Liu Jilong proposes this idea, our army will take advantage of the situation to advance eastward, and on the grounds that the various towns refuse to transport money and grain, we will attack the towns and transport money and grain northward to the court."

Wang Zhongren was taken aback, while Gao Qin couldn't help but say, "Transporting money and grain to the imperial court, isn't that a disguised way of transferring it to Liu Jilong?"

"It's just a temporary measure," Gao Pian said calmly. "Once we take Jiangnan, Liu Jilong will definitely break ties with us, and we can immediately stop paying taxes and provisions."

Seeing him say this, Wang Zhongren and Gao Qin barely suppressed their tempers, while Gao Pian continued, "By imperial decree, 20,000 troops are stationed in Guang and Shen prefectures, and the remaining troops are all sent south to Jiangxi."

"Yes!" The two bowed in response with complicated expressions. Gao Pian didn't expect them to understand him, so he simply waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

After they left the government office, Gao Pian got up and left the main hall. At this time, the world was in turmoil due to the chaos in the court.

"Damn it, troop reduction? My grandfather was a soldier back in the Yuanhe era. Is this troop reduction something that dog Liu can just do whenever he wants?!"

"Set it on fire! Burn the city down! Drive everyone out! Let's see who's going to put out the fire!"

As news spread that the imperial court was preparing to reduce the number of soldiers stationed in Hezhong, the Hezhong soldiers who had previously surrendered obediently suddenly became agitated.

The state soldiers and local militia stationed in various counties began to gather and cause chaos, burning down streets and houses and looting the people in the city.

For a time, the people in the city cried out incessantly, while the marauding soldiers in the river wished they had three heads and six arms, hoping only to plunder as much as possible.

"Beep--"

"Damn it, who blew that whistle?!"

The sudden whistle startled many of the river soldiers who were causing a disturbance, but then came the sound of orderly footsteps, which led countless soldiers to the streets.

"Damn it! The Kansai dogs are here! Come out and form ranks!!"

"Beep--"

Suddenly, fully armed Han soldiers appeared in the streets and alleys, wielding shields, maces, clubs, and other blunt weapons, and pressed towards the rebellious Hezhong soldiers.

Upon seeing fleeing civilians, they would loosen their grip and let the civilians break through first, then move towards the river soldiers in a heavy, orderly fashion.

"Damn it, if you're afraid of dying, you might as well be a ghost!"

"This is Hezhong, not their Kansai. Form ranks and charge!"

Hundreds of soldiers from various houses gathered together, formed ranks, and charged towards the Han army with spears and blunt weapons.

The Han army numbered only about three hundred men, significantly fewer than the soldiers stationed in Hezhong.

Even so, the Han army did not panic. Instead, as soon as the whistle blew, they rushed towards the soldiers in the river.

As the Hezhong army charged forward with their spears, the Han army suddenly parted to make way for them. Before the Hezhong army could react, several iron cannons pushed by wheelbarrows were placed in front of them.

The two-foot-long iron cannon had its fuse burned to the end, and before they could react, it suddenly fired.

"boom--"

In an instant, thousands of iron pellets swept across the area, killing the soldiers in the river within a dozen paces.

"Uuuuuu——"

After the cannons broke through the enemy lines, the Han army sounded the horns and launched a sudden attack.

When they rushed to the soldiers in the river, they immediately raised their golden maces and smashed them down.

The first blow was to smash the soldier's face, causing his flesh to swell and rot, and his teeth to fly out with blood at the root. Then, the soldier would wait for the other soldier to swing his big club down on his head.

The iron armor was dented, and the man was killed instantly.

Of the more than 500 soldiers in the river, 40 to 50 were killed in a single encounter and could only retreat continuously.

"Kill all of these scoundrels, leave no one alive!!"

In the midst of the battle, the Han army captain issued a military order without hesitation, and soon the soldiers of Hezhong retreated step by step, while the Han army pressed forward forcefully.

In less than half an hour, all five hundred of the river soldiers were killed, while the Han army suffered relatively few casualties.

Scenes like this are unfolding right now in the cities and towns of Hezhong, Heyang, and Shanguo.

"On the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Dong Chang, the military governor of eastern Zhejiang, ordered his general Qian Liu to capture Chuzhou, Taizhou, and Wenzhou."

"On the 21st, Zhang Yunshen, the military governor of Lulong, heard that the court had quelled the rebellion and donated 200,000 shi of grain, 50,000 guan of cash, and 20,000 bolts of silk to go south."

The former Crown Prince's residence in Luoyang has now been converted into the Prince of Han's residence. In the main hall, Zhang Yanhui is reading the contents of a memorial on the table, while Luo Yin, Lu Guimeng, Zhang Ying, Zhao Ying, and others sit quietly inside.

After a long pause, as Zhang Yanhui finished reading the memorials, Liu Jilong finally looked at Zhang Ying and asked, "How have things been handled with the rebels in Hezhong, Shaanxi, Guo, Heyang, and Zhongwu?"

"They were like chickens and dogs." Zhang Ying said without hesitation, "They caused a lot of trouble and burned down many neighborhood houses, but after our army entered the city, they were defeated like chickens and dogs."

"Currently, 3,795 rebels have been suppressed, and another 4,372 have been captured."

"Our army suffered 226 deaths and 795 injuries. After half a month of recuperation, they will return to the ranks immediately."

"In addition, 12,464 houses were burned down in Hezhong, Shaanxi, Heyang and other places. The court allocated more than 126,000 strings of cash to repair the houses for the people."

"The property of the rebelling soldiers has been confiscated, and about 97,000 of their relatives have been implicated. More than 2.57 million mu of land have been seized, and the value of money, grain, and silk is about 700,000 strings of cash."

At this point, Zhang Ying couldn't help but cautiously offer a suggestion:

"Your Highness, why not take this opportunity to dismiss all the soldiers in the river? After all, most of them are seasoned veterans."

Zhang Ying's words won Liu Jilong's approval; he had no intention of keeping these cunning and corrupt soldiers.

Even if they could be retrained and disciplined, these men were already used to petty theft and looting, which was not allowed within the Han army.

Previously, due to insufficient troops, they had to consider the thoughts of Li Changfu and Li Changyan. Now, with the 30,000 troops from Shannan East Road stationed in Chungmu and Ruzhou, they no longer have so many concerns.

Seemingly sensing Liu Jilong's thoughts, Luo Yin bowed and said, "Your Highness, too many people have been implicated this time. It would be inappropriate to exile them all..."

"At its peak, Hezhong Town had more than two million people, but after a century of turmoil, only one-fifth of them remain today."

"Many soldiers were related by blood or marriage, which is why it was possible to involve nearly 100,000 people with just over 8,000 men."

"If all 100,000 people are exiled, the river region will surely be weakened. Therefore, why not only implicate the fathers, sons, and wives?"

"If that's the case, the number of people implicated could be reduced to over 50,000, which would be enough to bolster the Western Regions."

"On the contrary, if too many people are exiled, given the current situation in Hexi and the Western Regions, it will be difficult to replenish enough food supplies..."

Luo Yin looked at Zhang Yanhui, who, after more than half a year of study, naturally understood that Luo Yin wanted him to speak on his behalf.

Normally, Zhang Yanhui would not have paid any attention, but today's topic was different, so after Luo Yin finished speaking, he bowed to Liu Jilong and said:

“Your Highness, what Secretary Luo said is true. Although Hexi, Anxi, and Beiting have prospered with Your Highness’s help, they still cannot accept 100,000 people to guard the border at once.”

"In my opinion, exiling around 30,000 people would be the limit that Anxi can take care of."

Zhang Yanhui suggested an even smaller number of people to be exiled than Luo Yin had suggested, which also indicates that agriculture in Anxi was not yet that strong.

After all, it would take at least half a year for 30,000 people to be sent to Kucha, and the 30,000 people would consume at least 100,000 shi of grain along the way.

If the settlement in Kucha fails to support the 30,000 people after arriving in Kucha, then grain will have to be transported from Xizhou or purchased from Khotan.

But whether it's transshipment or procurement, given the vast terrain of the Western Regions, it's possible that most of it would be consumed along the way.

Thirty thousand people would need to eat at least 160,000 to 170,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of food each year. If we factor in losses during the journey, that would amount to 300,000 to 400,000 shi.

For Anxi and the various countries of the Western Regions, three to four hundred thousand shi of grain was not easy to obtain.

Thirty thousand people was already the limit Zhang Yanhui had estimated; fifty thousand and one hundred thousand were even more out of the question.

Liu Jilong mentally calculated the consequences before nodding and saying, “Those who rebel will be punished in two ways. The lower-class offenders will be exiled to Kucha to guard the border, and anyone who tries to escape will be executed!” “The upper-class offenders will be 70,000 people, all of whom will be relocated to the three prefectures of Zhongwu to serve three years of corvée labor. All the harvests from the land they cultivate will be handed over to the government, and each person will receive five dou of grain per month.”

"Three years later, all the land he cultivated will belong to him."

“Those who have not rebelled will each receive twenty strings of cash and be sent away. Land will be distributed in accordance with the land system. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be exiled to the Western Regions!”

Liu Jilong took a deep breath and explained his arrangements.

The three prefectures of Zhongwu Town have been recovered by Husiguang's troops, but the situation in the three prefectures is so dire that it would not be an exaggeration to say that there is not a rooster crowing for a thousand miles and no human trace on the paths.

Hundreds of thousands of people were either forced to flee or died due to the continuous calamities committed by Huang Chao, Wang Xianzhi, and Qin Zongquan over several years.

Now that more than 70,000 people have been relocated to the three prefectures of Chungmu, some production can be restored.

Therefore, Luo Yin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after hearing Liu Jilong's arrangements, while Liu Jilong was also thinking about what had happened over the past half month.

It is now the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The matters in Hezhong and Shanguo have delayed him for more than half a month.

Liu Jilong had no intention of taking these 50,000 troops. Not only were their salaries high, but they were also prone to causing trouble and had low combat effectiveness. It would be far more practical to recruit miners from the Hezhong and Heyang regions.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at Zhang Ying and said, "Recruit 20,000 miners from places like Hezhong and Heyang, train them into an army, and organize literacy campaigns."

"Yes!" Zhang Ying replied without hesitation, then continued, "Your Highness, if we issue twenty strings of cash as a demobilization allowance, it would require allocating approximately 870,000 to 880,000 strings of cash, which would strain the imperial court's budget..."

"The imperial court is currently short of funds and provisions," Luo Yin said first, then explained:
“Since the turmoil in the court, no money or grain has been transported from the towns of Jiangnan and the Huaihe River region. The money and grain that were previously transported from Hedong and other places have been almost entirely consumed by the three traitors.”

"Currently, there are still over 800,000 strings of cash and over 2 million shi of grain in the Chang'an treasury, but after they are transported east to Luoyang, I'm afraid only 60% of the grain will be stored."

The distance between Chang'an and Luoyang is nearly 700 li. If you want to transport one shi of grain eastward, it would take at least 20 days to make a round trip by horse-drawn cart.

With food and supplies for people and horses along the way, plus wages for laborers, it would be quite good if 1.2 million shi of grain could be transported eastward out of the two million shi.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong had no better solution at the moment and could only nod and say, "Transfer the grain from the various regions into Guanzhong, and then from Guanzhong into Luoyang."

"If 1.2 million shi of grain can be transported eastward, it can stabilize the fluctuating grain prices in various prefectures and also bring some benefits to our army to disperse the rebels."

Luo Yin agreed upon hearing this, while Lu Guimeng bowed to Liu Jilong and said:
"Your Highness, more than 1,800 officials and more than 5,500 clerks from Guanzhong have been transferred to various prefectures and counties. They will soon begin to implement the government orders, register the officials, and measure the fields."

"Hmm." Liu Jilong nodded, not forgetting to instruct, "The taxes for next year shall be waived in Ruzhou, Tangzhou, Xuzhou, Caizhou, Chenzhou, as well as Zhengzhou and Yingzhou."

“All those who settle in the five prefectures will be exempt from taxes for one year, and each person, regardless of gender, will be given ten mu of land.”

"Yes!" Lu Guimeng replied without hesitation, and Liu Jilong took the opportunity to look at Zhang Ying: "Have the troops sent to accept the surrender of Zhengzhou already entered Zhengzhou?"

"Your Highness, we have already entered Zhengzhou," Zhang Ying replied, and continued:

"More than 3,000 remnants of the army, including Yang Fuguang and Yang Fugong, have surrendered and been dispersed. Li Ting, Yang Fugong, Yang Fuguang, and others have been sent back to Luoyang and placed under house arrest."

"Three days later, these eunuchs from the Northern Division will identify the land, residences, and villas belonging to the people, and all the residences and land they point out will be confiscated."

"However, they did not have the Imperial Seal of the State. It is said that it was stolen by a palace attendant named Tian Yun during the Zhaoti Temple rebellion."

Zhang Ying is currently in charge of the palace, and Yang Gongqing and Ximen Junsui are both under his control. It is also part of his job to communicate between the palace and the eunuchs.

He is currently in charge of persuading Yang Fuguang and others to surrender.

"So, the Imperial Seal is lost?"

Luo Yin, Lu Guimeng, and the others couldn't help but stand up, while Liu Jilong reassured them, "Don't panic."

"This eunuch holds a high position. If he steals the imperial seal, he will definitely hand it over to someone else in exchange for wealth and status."

“During the internal strife at Zhaoti Temple, there were only a few powerful figures around Luoyang. This eunuch was either looking for Kang Chengxun or Gao Pian.”

Liu Jilong looked at Zhang Ying and instructed him, "Send someone to investigate and find out what this person's relationship is with Gao Pian and Kang Chengxun, and who he is closer to."

"Yes!" Zhang Ying hadn't thought of that. She just felt that she had found a breakthrough and wasn't so anxious anymore.

Seeing that Liu Jilong had not given any instructions, he took the initiative to ask, "Your Highness, after Yang Fuguang and these eunuchs from the Northern Division identified the land, how should they be dealt with?"

Since Liu Jilong promised not to kill all the eunuchs in the Northern Division after their identification, Zhang Ying naturally wouldn't act on his own.

However, he still needed to ask carefully about how to arrange this group of people.

Liu Jilong pondered this for a moment, not wanting to waste these people, since the cultural literacy of the eunuchs of the Northern Division was still guaranteed.

Since these people are all eunuchs, they can be transferred to the Tuhun region and made to build Buddhist temples and become monks.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong said to Zhang Ying, "I want to build a Buddhist temple in the Tuhun area and set up missionary monks."

“These eunuchs are devoid of human desire and adept at scheming against each other. We can leave them here for now and wait for the Venerable Wuzhen to arrive in Luoyang before we discuss the matter further.”

Liu Jilong's initial idea was to spread Buddhism throughout the Tubo and Tuyuhun regions, establish Buddhist halls and build Buddhist temples to Sinicize the local people.

However, the nature of Buddhism must not change during its spread, especially it cannot be integrated with the Shaivism and Shakti schools of India.

The reason why Tibetan Buddhism engaged in many bloody sacrifices after the conflict between Buddhism and Bon was primarily because it incorporated the Shaivism and Tantric schools of Indian Buddhism, and then introduced rituals involving corpses and other supernatural beings.

This was not allowed in Liu Jilong's view. What he needed was for the Tibetans to experience the charm of Han culture, not to be afraid of it.

If the system of monastic officials is used properly, the Tibetan Plateau will remain peaceful for hundreds of years, and I will be able to support Meru Danzeng and unify the entire Tibetan Empire.

“The Venerable Master Wuzhen arrived in Qinzhou three days ago, and should arrive in Luoyang around the Lantern Festival.”

Zhang Yanhui explained to Liu Jilong: "As per His Highness's request, in addition to the monks from Sanwei Mountain, there are also monks from other famous temples in Shazhou who are going east this time, totaling 372 monks."

"How many?" Liu Jilong frowned upon hearing the number of monks, and then asked Zhang Yanhui, "How many monks are there in Hexi, the Western Regions, and Beiting now?"

When Liu Jilong asked Zhang Yanhui, who had studied maps and books in Shazhou since childhood, he naturally knew the number of monks in Hexi and the Western Regions. So he answered without hesitation, "About five thousand seven hundred."

Upon learning that Zhang Huaishen had so many monks under his command, Liu Jilong sighed helplessly.

Although he knew that there were quite a few monks within the Guiyi Army, and that the organization had developed in a somewhat abnormal way, he did not expect it to be this abnormal.

Today, the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions have a combined population of just over 300,000, but there are 5,700 monks, which means that one in every 50 people is a monk.

These monks, who did not engage in productive labor, relied mainly on donations from believers and subsidies from local government offices to make a living.

This resulted in the unique social status of the monastic community, who were not required to participate in labor, but at the same time did not bear any responsibility for social production.

This situation is only possible because Liu Jilong is supporting them; otherwise, with the manpower and resources of Hexi, it would be very difficult to even maintain the status quo.

With this in mind, Liu Jilong had already figured out how to reform Buddhism and Taoism, and how to make them more standardized and professional.

However, this requires Wuzhen to arrive in Luoyang and cooperate with him.

Setting the matter aside, Liu Jilong gestured for Zhang Yanhui to continue reading the memorial. However, the content of the next memorial moved Liu Jilong somewhat.

"On the 23rd, Zhu Quanzhong, the military governor of Yanhai, joined forces with Zhang Sitai, the military governor of Tianping. The two led their troops to defeat the Huang bandits at Dayeze, killing 7,000 enemy soldiers. The Huang bandits retreated to Caozhou."

After Zhang Yanhui finished speaking, Liu Jilong raised his hand to stop him from continuing, and at the same time looked at Zhao Ying, who was silent, and asked: "How many troops do Huang Ze and Zhu Quanzhong have?"

Seeing Liu Jilong's question, Zhao Ying immediately stood up respectfully: "Huang's army has about 30,000 to 40,000 men, while Zhu Quanzhong's army has about 30,000 men."

Liu Jilong was quite interested in Zhu Wen, but that was about it.

Once the supplies and provisions for Guanzhong are ready, he should be able to take over Hedong and Henan. When Zhu Wen surrenders, he can then take a look at this man.

If he doesn't surrender, Liu Jilong will have no choice but to send him down.

As he was thinking this, a soldier appeared outside the hall. Zhao Ying looked at Liu Jilong, who then gestured for him to leave.

After Zhao Ying left the main hall, Zhang Yanhui picked up the memorial that Zhang Yunshen had submitted earlier and handed it to Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong took the document and examined it, then nodded and said, "Zhang Yunshen's only request is that I protect his offspring, and I can guarantee that in writing."

"However, what our army needs to do right now is to capture the towns of Hedong and Datong."

When Liu Jilong mentioned Hedong and Datong, he thought of Li Keyong, who had shone brightly in the Central Plains but received no reward.

"An imperial edict was issued, summoning Li Guochang and his son Li Keyong to the capital to serve as Left and Right Feathered Forest Generals, based on their meritorious service in suppressing bandits in the Central Plains."

Upon seeing Liu Jilong's decree, Luo Yin bowed and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid these two will not come."

“I understand, that’s exactly what we want, for them not to come,” Liu Jilong said, as he stood up and looked at the map of the Tang Dynasty behind him.

He pointed east of the river, then upwards to Datong, and said:
"It is still quite cold in the north. Once it thaws completely in March of next year, we can use the excuse that the two men did not come to the court to subdue them. When we pass through the Hedong region to the north, we can send troops to occupy the Hedong region."

"There are still three months left. We will transfer 300,000 shi of the remaining 600,000 shi of grain from Chang'an to Hezhong. At that time, An Pohu will be the main force, and Wang Chongrong will be the deputy, leading 30,000 troops north to Datong."

Sending 30,000 Han troops north to conquer Hedong and Datong was perhaps overkill.

However, the opponent is Li Keyong, and this time Liu Jilong is not leading the army in person, so it is right to be well prepared.

"Your subject obeys..."

Seeing that Liu Jilong had already decided to recover the entire territory of Hedong Road by March of next year, Luo Yin shut his mouth and respectfully accepted the order.

At the same time, Zhao Ying, who had been outside for half an hour, returned to the hall, but her expression was not good.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong gestured for Luo Yin and the others to go eat first, leaving Zhao Ying behind alone.

"how?"

Liu Jilong looked at Zhao Ying, who, seeing that there was no one else in the hall, bowed and said, "Recently, rumors have been circulating in Luoyang that Your Highness is using the emperor to command the regional military governors."

"Hehe..." Liu Jilong chuckled: "Let them say what they want, there's no need to care."

"Right now, all we need to do is gather evidence of these people's wrongdoings, and then have our people impeach them at the grand court assembly the day after tomorrow."

"However, we should prepare more people in the palace to prevent these insects from resorting to desperate measures."

"Yes!" Zhao Ying replied. Liu Jilong then gave the following instructions:

"It's time for our spies, who were previously scattered in various places, to regroup and infiltrate areas such as Jiangnan, Lingnan, Qilu, and Hebei."

"You may allocate all the money and provisions needed for this matter from the government treasury."

"Furthermore, I need to find a way to send some troops to Qiongzhou under the pretext of sending envoys. I want to know why the people I sent earlier disappeared and whether the cotton I need still exists."

"Yes!" When Zhao Ying heard Liu Jilong mention Qiongzhou again, she immediately became interested again.

Previously, Gao Pian blocked the south, making it difficult for Liu Jilong to send soldiers disguised as merchant caravans southward.

Now that he has the emperor in his hands, he can use the name of the court to send envoys and troops to explore Qiongzhou, and Gao Pian will not stop him.

Liu Jilong was well aware of Gao Pian's intentions: to emulate the situation during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and create a situation of division between the North and South.

If Gao Pian's relationship with that eunuch was unusual, then Liu Jilong could be certain that Gao Pian was planning to use the imperial seal to support a member of the Li Tang imperial family as emperor after he ascended the throne, thus creating a situation of Northern Han and Southern Tang.

His idea was not bad, but once the artillery in Linzhou solved the problem of the caliber of the cannons, Gao Pian's idea of ​​relying on the Yangtze River to confront the enemy would become a joke.

"Send someone to Linzhou to take a look and see what the maximum caliber of the artillery can achieve."

Liu Jilong gave instructions to Zhao Ying, who nodded in agreement. Seeing that Liu Jilong had no further instructions, Zhao Ying bowed and left the main hall.

As he withdrew, rumors began to circulate in Luoyang, but Liu Jilong paid no attention to them.

As long as he doesn't make the same mistakes as He Jin, Erzhu Rong, and Gao Cheng, and instead firmly grasps military power to ensure his own safety, then this group of people are nothing but clowns.

Now, he only needs to wait a few months until the supplies from Guanzhong arrive in Luoyang, and then he can lead his army eastward.

As he was thinking this, Caozhou, more than 500 miles away from Luoyang, suddenly became extremely dangerous.

"kill!!"

"Kill the yellow traitor, and you'll be rewarded with a million coins and promoted three ranks!!"

"Smash it!"

"Bam—"

Caozhou Yuanju County, now the capital of the Great Qi Dynasty, Huang Chao never expected that he would have the opportunity to return.

What he didn't expect was that the young man who had asked to join them by the roadside years ago could now push him to such a point.

Hurried footsteps approached, and Huang Chao, sitting in the former Huang family courtyard, slowly raised his head. He saw Huang Kui stride into the hall and hurriedly bow: "Your Majesty, the three towns have gathered 50,000 troops to launch a fierce attack. Huazhou and Puzhou have been lost, and we only have Caozhou left."

"Since there are only about ten thousand government troops outside Yuanju County, let's take this opportunity to detour south!"

"There are still nearly 10,000 loyal and filial soldiers in the city. This is our army's only chance!"

After Huang Kui finished speaking, Huang Chao couldn't help but say, "Puzhou has Ge Dalang, how could it have fallen so quickly?"

Upon hearing Huang Chao mention Ge Congzhou, Huang Kui's eyes widened, and he raised his voice, saying, "Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba, Zhang Guihou, and Huo Cun, those scoundrels, seeing Zhu Sanlang's growing power, have all surrendered one after another!"

"What did you say?" Huang Chao asked, his tone still relatively calm, but his face was ashen and lifeless.

"Your Majesty, how about surrendering to Liu Jilong?"

Huang Kui suddenly had a brilliant idea, but Huang Chao smiled bitterly after hearing it: "He has established the court, and I have captured Luoyang. How could he possibly accept my surrender?"

"Fine, let's head south then. The south is in complete chaos, and Song Wei has transferred the navy to Zhejiang. Perhaps we'll have a chance to cross the river and head south."

Huang Chao slowly rose, took a deep breath, and glanced one last time at his old family home: "Heading south..."

"kill!!"

With Huang Chao's decision, he finally led Shang Rang, Huang Kui, Huang Ye and others to break out of Yuanju and head south.

Upon learning of his escape, Zhu Wen, who was heading south from Puyang, couldn't help but curse, "This Huang Erlang is quite the runner! I'd like to see where he can run to!"

Seeing that Zhu Wen was getting a little angry, Xie Tong immediately bowed to him and said, "General, there's no need to worry. Huang Chao has lost most of his elite troops. Even if he marches south, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to break through the towns of Xuzhou and Huainan."

"Now Liu Jilong is using the emperor to command the disobedient, and he has annexed three towns in the blink of an eye, which is enough to demonstrate his strength."

"I think it would be better to use the pretext that Wei Zhou, the military governor of Pinglu, is dissatisfied with the court, and take the opportunity to send troops to occupy Pinglu."

"Occupy Pinglu?" Zhu Wen frowned, somewhat uneasy. "Occupying Pinglu is good, but if we do it this way, wouldn't we be giving Liu Jilong a handle to use against us?"

“Of course.” Xie Tong did not deny it, so he took the initiative to say, “Liu Jilong cannot abandon Xuanwu and Yicheng Town, so the military commander can offer Huazhou to Liu Jilong in order to please him.”

"Good!" Zhu Wen did not hesitate at all upon hearing this, after all, Caozhou and Huazhou were the places where the locust plague had broken out before, and the local people had already been reduced to less than one-tenth.

Abandoning a desolate state and acquiring Pinglu Town is a very worthwhile deal.

However, if he simply abandons Huazhou, Liu Jilong will then border him, which is not in his best interest.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen looked at the army of up to 20,000 behind him, and then looked at Xie Tong: "Hand over Huazhou to Liu Jilong, return Caozhou to Zhang Sitai, and we will withdraw to Yanzhou."

"General's insight is brilliant!" Xie Tong immediately understood Zhu Wen's idea.

"Sanlang, what have we gained by doing this?"

When Zhu Cun heard that Zhu Wen was going to hand over the two prefectures that he had finally acquired, he became quite anxious.

Seeing his anxiety, Xie Tong could only explain to him, "Our strength is weak, and it is not good to face Liu Jilong's army head-on."

"If we can get Zhang Sitai to stand in front of us, then even if Liu Jilong sends troops to attack, he will attack Zhang Sitai first, and then it will be our turn."

Zhu Wen nodded, then added, "Losing two prefectures is indeed regrettable, but isn't it enough that we've recruited so many of the Yellow rebels' troops? Hahaha..."

With a hearty laugh, he turned his horse around and soon changed the military order, leading his troops to retreat towards Yanzhou.

(End of this chapter)