Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 497 Unifying the North (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)

“The ignorant Wang Jingchong tearfully pleaded: “My previous rebellious and defiant behavior was all due to the coercion of my soldiers and officers.”

"The Hebei region is suffering from a severe drought, and the soldiers and civilians are reduced to skeletons, with weeds reaching up to their shins beneath the beacon towers."

Even swallows know to return north in spring; how dare a disgraced subject betray his lord?

"I humbly request Your Majesty to grant a merciful edict, allowing the three armies to lay down their arms and return to farming, so that the old and weak may obtain grain to relieve their hunger."

"The people of Zhenji have all benefited from your kindness and blessings. This guilty subject is willing to take up the axe and halberd and kneel before the palace gates to await my judgment..."

On the sixth day of the fifth month of the second year of Qianfu, the banners of all the prefectures and counties in Chengde Town were lowered and white banners were hung at the city gates.

After Wang Jingchong executed the remaining thousand or so soldiers, the three prefectures of Chengde surrendered to Liu Jilong and submitted to the imperial court.

“Wang Jingchong, the military governor of Chengde, was brought to the capital and promoted to the rank of Grand Commandant and concurrently Chancellor, appointed as the General of the State, and enfeoffed as the Prince of Changshan.”

"Song Wentong, Governor of Jizhou, was appointed as Grand Master of the Palace, concurrently holding the titles of General of the Thousand Oxen and Right Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, Earl of Boye County, and granted a fief of seven hundred households."

"Li Gongquan, Military Commissioner of Chengde, Inspector-General of the Imperial Guard..."

On May 15th, as the summer harvest began, Liu Jilong stood in front of the city gate of Hejian County, gazing at the people harvesting wheat outside the city, while talking about the investiture of the main officials of Chengde.

Cao Mao stood behind him, his gaze fixed on the narrator who was constantly recording the daily events.

Only after the Imperial Recorder finished recording the events did Cao Mao bow to Liu Jilong and say, "Your Highness, Wang Jingchong is nothing but a fence-sitter. Why give him such a high official position?"

"Don't forget that there are still seven vassal states in the south that haven't been recovered, even if you spend a fortune on a horse's bones."

Liu Jilong responded to him, and at the same time said, "I have already read Gao Jinda's memorial. The number of troops in the Hebei Governor's Office will remain unchanged for the time being."

"The Xi people have just been defeated by our army and retreated to the northern part of Yanshan. The Khitan people have also finally occupied Yingzhou of the imperial court. They will not invade again in the short term."

"Furthermore, the imperial court has deployed 50,000 troops south of Youzhou. Once the matter of Chengde Town is resolved, it will be sufficient to incorporate 15,000 troops from Dingzhou, Yizhou, Cangzhou, and Dezhou into the Hebei Governor's Office."

"At that time, you and An Pohu can lead your troops back to Guannei and Hedong. As for the troops in your two towns, there is no need to replenish them for the time being."

"You and An Pohu will divide the troops in Chengde Town equally. You will also recruit some troops from Longyou to go there. Each of you should maintain three thousand elite cavalry. You can recruit more every year until you have five thousand elite cavalry."

Currently, there are 30,000 troops in each of the Hedong and Guannei regions. According to Liu Jilong, the troop strength in the two towns should be increased to a maximum of 35,000.

Cao Mao calculated in his mind that 5,000 elite cavalry, plus 30,000 cavalry and infantry, would be more than enough to defend against the Tatars in the southern desert.

The only source of unrest is the Tangut people in the southern part of the Hetao region.

“Your Highness, these troops are certainly enough for border defense, but the Dangxiang people in Henan…”

Cao Mao tentatively spoke, and Liu Jilong nodded in response: "There are still 20,000 infantry and 5,000 elite cavalry in the capital region. If anything happens in Henan, they can rush to our aid at any time."

"However, these Tanguts do need to be dealt with. Once the world is at peace, they must be dispersed and relocated to the He and Huai River regions."

The hundreds of thousands of Tanguts in Henan Province within the Guannei region are a ticking time bomb in Guanzhong, and Liu Jilong does not have the resources to deal with them for the time being.

Over the past year and a half, he has successively destroyed ten regional military governorships, not only exhausting the gunpowder supply but also depleting the national treasury's funds and grain reserves.

The army mobilized 180,000 troops in the Guandong region. Nearly 15,000 soldiers died in battle in Henan and Hebei, and more than 2,000 were disabled, totaling more than 18,000. The compensation alone would require 1.8 million guan.

In addition, the surviving soldiers also need to be rewarded. Although the 500,000 strings of cash that Gao Jinda brought was a lot, it was still too little compared to the number of soldiers who had made meritorious contributions.

Fortunately, the summer harvest will only last for half a month at most, at which time the imperial court will have enough money to ensure the soldiers' pensions.

"An imperial edict was issued to the Southern Palace, appointing Chen Jitong, the commander of the firearms department, as the Director of the Ordnance Bureau, and establishing the Artillery Department, Firearms Department, and Gunpowder Department within the Ordnance Bureau."

"The imperial edict ordered Chen Jitong to explore the world's sulfur, saltpeter and other mineral deposits after taking office, and for each military workshop to produce gunpowder and develop cannons and firearms."

"After the summer harvest, the imperial edict ordered the Southern Court to allocate 300,000 strings of cash to the Arsenal, which was then placed under the control of the Prince of Han's Palace."

"This subordinate obeys!" Upon hearing Liu Jilong's words, Cao Mao quickly agreed, while the recorder behind him kept taking notes.

Seeing their reaction, Liu Jilong finally felt relieved.

He had long wanted to expand gunpowder production capacity, but due to the fact that the north was not yet pacified, he feared that revealing the secrets of firearms to various places would risk them falling into the hands of bandits.

Now most of the north has been pacified, leaving only minor skirmishes by Zhu Quanzhong, Shi Pu, Zeng Yuanyu, and Kang Chengxun.

This situation presents a good opportunity to expand gunpowder production capacity, since the southern expedition should be put on the agenda once the court has had enough rest and recuperation.

"After the recent reduction of the military personnel in Lulong, Chengde and other places, have there been any unusual changes at the prefectural and county levels?"

Liu Jilong asked Cao Mao, who shook his head: "Tens of thousands of troops are still in Hebei, how dare they make any moves?"

"If that's the case, then transfer all 40,000 troops from the south bank of the Yellow River to Yizhou. Zhu Quanzhong has been causing trouble for long enough; it's time to deal with him."

Liu Jilong was still somewhat wary of Zhu Wen. Before he was careful, this fellow had colluded with various northern garrisons to attack the imperial court. Just when he was about to be defeated, he instigated Shi Pu to fight against Zeng Yuanyu.

If he doesn't deal with him soon, Liu Jilong will have a real hard time getting on his nerves.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Cao Mao readily agreed, and then dispatched fast horses to continue southward.

A few days later, troops from Tianping, Yicheng and other places, having received military orders, set off south.

Although the troops on the south bank of the Yellow River had already moved south, Liu Jilong and An Pohu were still in Hebei, and no unrest had yet occurred among the people.

Half a month later, as officials dispatched from Guanzhong began to be stationed in Hebei, some friction inevitably arose in the local area.

Liu Jilong entrusted Cao Mao, An Pohu, and Husiguang with resolving these conflicts.

He cannot leave Hebei until the officials of the imperial court have completely taken control of the province.

At the same time, troops that had received orders to be transferred south also arrived at the front lines.

Chen Jingchong and Wang Shi led 30,000 troops to launch a strong attack on Muling Pass, while Li Yangchun led 50,000 troops to launch a strong attack on Fei County.

Before June arrived, Muling Pass and Fei County fell one after another, and the Han army marched straight into Linyi...

"The government troops were only fifty miles away from Linyi, but there were only eight thousand garrison troops in the city."

"I would like to ask you all, does our army intend to surrender?"

Inside the Linyi government office, Zhu Wen's face was ashen, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Sitting in front of him were Xie Tong, Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba, Zhang Guihou, and others, who were either listless or injured.

Apart from Zhu Cun, who is still guarding Haizhou, all the main figures in the Yanzhou navy are here. They have just suffered four crushing defeats in Feixian, Mulingguan, Yishui, and Juxian, and their strength has been severely damaged.

Zhu Wen didn't want to admit defeat, but he didn't want to die either.

Therefore, when he made this proposal, it already represented his attitude.

"Where there is life, there is hope."

Xie Tong spoke in a refined manner, while Zhang Guiba, Ge Congzhou, and the others remained silent.

Seeing their attitude, Zhu Wen understood their stance and clenched his fists.

If Liu Jilong had given him two or three years, even if he had lost the battle, he wouldn't have lost so badly.

"With pen and ink, I personally submit a memorial of surrender..."

Xie Tong is right. Only when people are alive can they witness more possibilities.

Zhu Wen is only twenty years old now, and he still has enough time to lie low.

Liu Jilong was nearly forty years old, a full twenty years older than him.

No matter how heroic Liu Jilong was, he didn't believe that Liu Jilong's descendants could be as heroic as him.

Sima Zhongda was able to launch the Gaopingling Incident at the age of seventy. Zhu Wen is only twenty years old now, so what is there that he can't wait for?
With this in mind, Zhu Wen quickly wrote a memorial and sent Xie Tong to the north of the city to request surrender from Wang Shi and Chen Jingchong.

He did not surrender to Li Yangchun because he felt that he was not defeated by Li Yangchun, but by the imperial court behind Li Yangchun.

Since they were going to surrender, they naturally had to do so to Wang Shi, who held the highest official rank.

Shortly after he had this idea, Xie Tong also arrived at the government army camp more than 50 miles north of the city with a memorial.

"Your Majesty, I, the guilty subject and military governor of Yanzhou, bow my head in despair and plead my case with tears of blood before Your Majesty."

"I was originally a commoner from Dangshan. I was promoted from the ranks by the late Emperor, who bestowed upon me the name 'Quanzhong' and granted me the imperial insignia. His kindness was akin to giving me a second life... Now I have come to my senses and am filled with remorse. I humbly beg Your Majesty to have mercy on me and allow me to atone for my sins with my remaining body!"

Zhu Wen's memorial was over a thousand words long, but Wang Shi only glanced at it and could tell from between the lines that Zhu Wen was unwilling to accept defeat.

He didn't react, but slowly looked at Xie Tong, paused, and then spoke:

"This matter needs to be reported to the King of Han and His Majesty. You all must remain in the city and await His Majesty's decree."

"This guilty subject bows his head in gratitude..."

Xie Tong knelt down and kowtowed without hesitation, and then left the Han army camp at Wang Shi's signal.

After he left the tent, Wang Shi turned to Chen Jingchong and the others and said to them:

"Although Zhu Quanzhong surrendered, his memorial to the throne contained a hint of dissatisfaction with the court."

"This matter needs to be reported to His Highness for a decision."

"Of course!" Chen Jingchong replied without hesitation, and immediately sent someone to copy the memorial and dispatched a fast horse to send the original to Hebei.

The army did not stop its advance; instead, it took the opportunity to advance fifty miles and completely surround Linyi City.

Seven days later, Zhu Wen's memorial was delivered to Liu Jilong, along with a handwritten letter from Wang Shi.

After reviewing the memorial and the handwritten letter, Liu Jilong still agreed to Zhu Wen's surrender.

“Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba and others under Zhu Wen are all talents needed by our army, and Zhu Quanzhong has not overstepped his bounds or offended the court, so his crime does not warrant death.”

"If I were to execute him now, the obstacles to recovering the southern towns would be even greater, which would be detrimental to the people."

"For the time being, transfer him to Luoyang as a minor official and send people to keep an eye on him. As for his generals such as Ge Congzhou, first incorporate them into the army and demote them to the rank of colonel, and then dismiss all the soldiers."

Liu Jilong naturally cherished the talents of Ge Congzhou and others, but it was impossible for him to grant them high-ranking positions and generous salaries from the outset.

Starting as a captain is already a pretty good starting point.

Next, the imperial court will march south to recover the Xuzhou and Huainan regions. As long as they are talented, it is not impossible for them to be promoted to the rank of general or captain after the war.

As for Zhu Quanzhong, Liu Jilong would naturally send people to keep a close eye on him. If anything happened to him, he would take Zhu Quanzhong, Zhang Yunshen, Wang Jingchong, and their group away immediately.

The tolerance towards the military governors only lasted until the country was pacified.

Once the world is at peace, it will be time to settle scores with these military men, powerful families, and local tyrants.

After settling his thoughts, Liu Jilong sent a fast horse to convey his decision to the south. By the time Wang Shi received the news, it was already the tenth day of the sixth month.

Following Liu Jilong's instructions, Wang Shi sent someone to inform Zhu Wen that the court had accepted his surrender.

The following day, Zhu Wen led his troops out of the city and surrendered the banners and seals of the military governor of Yanzhou.

Looking down at Zhu Wen, who was bare-chested and with his hands bound, Wang Shi read out with a calm, still gaze:
"Zhu Quanzhong, the military governor of Yanzhou and prefect of Yanzhou, is hereby appointed as the Left Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, Grand Master of the Palace, and General of Guide, to enter the capital and meet the Emperor immediately."

“The soldiers of the Yanhai Navy were all dismissed, and each soldier was given five dou of grain as travel expenses. All the generals in the army were demoted three ranks and sent to the army.”

"Your subject, Zhu Quanzhong, receives the imperial decree..."

Zhu Wen listened to the court's arrangements for him. Although he had been prepared, he still felt resentful when he was asked to extend his hands to receive the imperial decree.

Unfortunately, no matter how unwilling he was, he still reached out his hands in a daze and accepted the imperial edict that was "as heavy as ten thousand pounds".

When Ge Congzhou and the others saw Zhu Wen accept the imperial edict, they felt resentful, but also felt that a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders.

Even though they had to start all over again, they ultimately did not become slaves to three masters, but instead followed Zhu Wen and surrendered to the imperial court.

"You shall send men to escort Attendant Zhu into the capital."

Wang Shi gave instructions to the two generals behind him, clearly distrusting Zhu Wen and worried that he might resort to some tricks.

Although Zhu Wen felt humiliated, he still managed a smile: "This humble official thanks Minister Wang..."

“No need.” Wang Shi nodded, then glanced at Chen Jingchong: “Let the army enter the city.”

Chen Jingchong hadn't exchanged a single word with Zhu Wen from beginning to end, only now nodding and looking at the army behind him: "Enter the city!!"

"Uuuuuu——"

After his military orders and bugle calls sounded, 30,000 Han soldiers entered Linyi City in an orderly manner, while Li Yangchun's 50,000 troops were stationed outside the city.

The following morning, Zhu Wen was "escorted" to Luoyang by 500 Han soldiers, and Zhu Cun, who was stationed in Haizhou, decisively surrendered Haizhou after learning the news.

Thus, the Yanhai Army, which had been causing trouble for more than half a year, was quelled. North of the Yangtze River, only Gao Pian's eight prefectures north of the river, Kang Chengxun in Huainan, and Zeng Yuanyu and Shi Pu, who were fighting amongst themselves in Xuzhou and Sishui, remained.

South of the Yangtze River, the main conflict was between Gao Pian, Dong Chang, and Song Wei. However, this conflict, supported by Liu Jilong in the north, appeared rather unsightly.

"The three towns of Hebei and Zhu Quanzhong, they were just wiped out like that?"

As July arrived, tens of thousands of troops were stationed in the valley amidst the beautiful mountains and clear waters, but Gao Pian's slightly suppressed voice could be heard coming from the tents inside the camp.

Gao Qin stood before him, head bowed, holding his breath, and said, "This is a message that just came through the Huainan dispatch."

"The three towns of Hebei, Zhaoyi, and Yanhai were all pacified by Liu Jilong."

"In addition, Shi Pu's generals Li Shiyue and Liu Zhijun defeated Zeng Yuanyu in Xiapi. After Zeng Yuanyu withdrew his troops, he seemed to have the intention to surrender to Liu Jilong."

Upon learning that Zeng Yuanyu, who controlled most of Xuzhou and Sishui, was also going to surrender to Liu Jilong, Gao Pian still couldn't help but feel somewhat agitated, even though he was already prepared.

He took a dark red pill from a box on the table and swallowed it. After a moment, he calmed down a bit and then asked, "How many soldiers have been killed or wounded in our army recently?"

"No less than four thousand people," Gao Qin answered truthfully, then continued:

"Yang Xingmin led his troops to harass our army's supply lines from the rear, while Qian Liu relied on the two strong cities of Changshan and Xujiang to hold them firmly."

"Father, why don't we try using fireworks? We can't keep putting this off."

Gao Qin's words would never have been enough to persuade Gao Pian before, but now that Gao Pian has learned that Liu Jilong is about to pacify the north, while he himself has not only failed to complete his plan to control the Huai River region, but has not even taken over the south of the Yangtze River, he cannot help but feel anxious.

"These fireworks are not easy to make. They were originally intended for Liu Jilong, but now it seems we have no choice but to take over Jiangnan first."

A hint of heartache appeared on Gao Pian's face. The reason for this was that the materials for making gunpowder were not easy to find. The Bohai Navy could only produce a little over 100,000 catties of gunpowder each year, and its power was much weaker than that of the Han Army's gunpowder.

For this reason, if used for siege warfare, the cost would be several times that of the Han army.

Gao Pian had not planned to use it before, but now, in order to occupy the entire Jiangnan region, he had no choice but to use gunpowder on the battlefield first.

"The last general takes command!"

Seeing that his father had finally agreed to use gunpowder on the Jiangdong battlefield, Gao Qin breathed a sigh of relief and then went out of the tent to make the arrangements.

A few days later, as gunpowder was transported from the rear to the front lines, Gao Qin decisively handed it over to Wang Zhongren.

Gao Pian boarded Lü Gong's carriage and gazed into the distance at Xujiang City, nestled between two mountains with a river flowing through it.

The Bohai army's front line now resembled a replica of the Han army, with shield carts covered with wet cowhide and soldiers carrying gunpowder pouches and wielding pickaxes.

Gao Pian did not hesitate at all and immediately waved the command flag, after which the flag soldiers beside him hurriedly waved the flags.

"Uuuuuu——"

As the bugle sounded, dozens of shield carts, propelled by hundreds of soldiers, began to advance.

Because Qian Liu had led his troops out of the city to clear away the corpses during the previous heavy rain, there were no corpses under Xujiang City to hinder the advance of the shield carts.

"What is this? A battering ram?"

In front of the Xujiang city gate, a tall, square-faced young general with thick eyebrows was examining the shield carts on the battlefield. This man was none other than Qian Liu, who was guarding Quzhou.

He observed for only a moment, then asked the man beside him, "Has a message been sent out? Has Yang Xingmin agreed?"

"Your Excellency, Yang Xingmin has agreed to send troops to harass Gao Pian's supply lines."

They all respectfully reported back, and Qian Liu, satisfied with what he heard, turned back and continued to observe the "battering rams" on the battlefield.

Under pressure from Gao Pian's eastward advance, Song Wei and Dong Chang temporarily put aside their grudges and chose to join forces to fight against Gao Pian.

Otherwise, Qian Liu would not have been able to hold off Gao Pian's troops in Quzhou for nearly half a year.

The Jiangdong and Liangzhe regions account for 30% of the population of Jiangnan. Especially after Huang Chao's rampage, the population of this area increased even more, which is how the two towns were able to maintain nearly 100,000 troops.

However, despite having a large army, there was a severe shortage of armor. As a result, out of the 100,000 soldiers in both armies, only about 50,000 were able to wear armor, with nearly half of the soldiers still undergoing training and waiting for their armor to be provided.

The longer Yang Xingmin and Qian Liu delayed Gao Pian, the more armored soldiers they could send to the rear.

This is why Qian Liu has held out until now, and he still has more than 20,000 soldiers under his command.

He believed that with 20,000 armored soldiers holding Changshan and Xujiang, cities that were easy to defend and difficult to attack, they could hold out until the autumn harvest.

If Dong Changneng could continuously send troops, he could even hold out until next year.

Looking at the advancing Bohai Army, Qian Liu even had some ideas: after the war, relying on his large army, he would take the opportunity to break away from Dong Chang and establish his own power.

However, if he wanted to establish his own power base, he needed a sufficient excuse. He had heard that many people in the rear were inciting Dong Chang to declare himself emperor. If Dong Chang did, then he would have an excuse to break away from him.

"Collide!!"

"boom--"

The moment the battering ram rammed into the city wall, Qian Liu snapped back to reality. Looking at the ram that hadn't even left a mark on the wall, Qian Liu couldn't help but shake his head.

"Gao Qianli is nothing special; he actually uses this kind of vehicle as a shield."

Before Qian Liu could finish speaking, soldiers rushed up the city wall and bowed before him.
"General, we can hear digging sounds coming from the ground; the enemy seems to be launching a tunnel attack!"

"Hmph!" Qian Liu snorted coldly upon hearing this, and then ordered his men to "send men to burn these battering rams with petroleum ash."

"Yes!" The officers on both sides responded one after another. Then, following Qian Liu's instructions, they smashed the jars of grease onto the shield carts outside the city. Once enough grease had been smashed, they immediately threw out torches and set the shield carts on fire.

The wet cowhide on the shield cart sizzled and burned, and many soldiers in the Bohai Navy could not withstand the high temperature inside the cart and fled.

Qian Liu ordered his men to use crossbows to suppress the fleeing Bohai soldiers. Many were wounded and fled, but some insisted on staying and blew their wooden whistles after completing their original mission.

"Beep--"

The piercing sound of wooden whistles echoed inside the shield cart. Qian Liu then realized something was wrong and quickly ordered, "Keep smashing the mortar and burn them all inside the cart!"

"Yes!" The officers on both sides hurriedly gave the order, but at that moment, a bugle call came from the Bohai Navy outside the city.

"Uuuuuu——"

When the bugle sounded, hundreds of soldiers rushed out from dozens of shield carts and fled frantically to the other side of the moat.

"Hahahaha! Keep burning!"

"You spineless bastards, keep attacking the city!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

As the enemy troops fled, the soldiers from Zhejiang on the city wall laughed and mocked them, but only Qian Liu sensed that something was wrong.

Although the enemy troops outside the city were fleeing, what they seemed to fear was not their own arrows, but rather...

"Boom!"

Suddenly, Qian Liu felt a deafening sound, followed by a blank mind, and he didn't even know how he squatted down.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already in the dust, his ears stinging and ringing, making him instinctively cover them.

"what happened?!"

Qian Liu covered his ears and squatted on the ground in pain. It wasn't until about twenty breaths later that his hearing slowly returned.

"Um..."

"Help! Help!!"

"Beep--"

"The enemy has attacked the city! The city wall has been breached! Quickly fill it with sandbags!"

"General! General!"

Amidst the surrounding noise and fear, Qian Liu only saw people rushing towards him and helping him into the city tower. It wasn't until he sat down that he gradually came to his senses.

"Damn Gao Qianli, he actually learned this city-breaking technique from Liu Jilong!"

As soon as Qian Liu finished speaking, amidst the surrounding noise, the sounds of horns and drums rang out continuously.

Those who remained on the ramparts scrambled into the city walls, bowing hastily and saying, "General, a two-zhang-wide breach has been made in the city wall! The enemy is attacking!"

"What did you say?" Qian Liu finally realized that a breach had been blown in his city wall, and quickly frowned as he gave instructions:
"What's the panic? It's just a two-zhang-wide opening. We can just fill it with sandbags!"

"Yes!" they all hurriedly replied and rushed out.

Seeing this, Qian Liu could only endure the discomfort in his ears and walk out of the city tower. He then saw a huge horde of Bohai troops pressing towards Xujiang City.

Moreover, this time the Bohai Navy also included dozens of shield vehicles like the previous ones, which made Qian Liu's expression change drastically.

"Its power is still a bit weak, not as good as Liu Jilong's methods."

On Lu Gong's chariot, Gao Pian launched a general attack after the dust settled, and at the same time saw the breach in the city wall that his own army had made with gunpowder.

The opening was only two zhang wide, still not easy to attack, but this was the result of him consuming five thousand jin of gunpowder just now.

"What exactly is wrong?"

Gao Pian frowned as he looked at the hole. If it had been Liu Jilong's soldiers who attacked the city wall just now, the rammed earth wall would not have been able to stop them at all.

He used the same number of shield carts, the same number of soldiers, and a similar amount of gunpowder as the Han army, but the result was unsatisfactory.

"Rumble--"

Suddenly, a deafening sound came again, and the opening that had been filled with sandbags by the defenders was blown open again, and the opening was expanded to more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters) wide.

Countless soldiers of the Bohai Army charged into the city, and Qian Liu had no choice but to personally lead his troops to stop them.

The battle cries continued from noon until dusk, and then from dusk until midnight.

It wasn't until Gao Qin returned from the front lines in a disheveled state that he bowed and reported the victory to Gao Pian: "Father, Xujiang has been recovered, and the garrison commander Qian Liu has led several thousand remaining soldiers to flee to Xin'an."

Gao Qin's report of victory brought Gao Pian back to reality. He nodded slightly: "We have captured Xujiang, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Behind us is the fertile plain of Wuqu. You should personally lead the cavalry to pursue and kill Qian Liu. If you can persuade him to surrender, that would be best."

"By taking Wuzhou and Quzhou, our army will gain at least a million more people under its control, and the mere Liangzhe region will not be difficult to conquer."

"Yes!" Gao Qin quickly agreed, then received the military order and led the few thousand cavalrymen of the Bohai Navy to pursue the two prefectures of Wu and Qu.

Upon learning that Xujiang had been captured, the garrison commander of Changshan immediately withdrew his troops and encountered Gao Qin's cavalry at Xin'an, where he was defeated.

In just ten days, Quzhou and Wuzhou were lost. Qian Liu led his troops to retreat to Taizhou and Chuzhou. Dong Chang's strength was greatly weakened, and he could only rely on the terrain of Shan County and Zhuji to hold on.

Upon learning the news, Song Wei, an ally, could only hastily reinforce Shezhou and order Yang Xingmin to act as he saw fit.

Gao Pian continued to command Wang Zhongren, Gao Qin and others to launch a fierce attack on eastern Zhejiang, preparing to first capture Dong Chang in the two Zhejiang regions, and then encircle and capture Song Wei in Jiangdong from multiple directions.

However, while the north was experiencing a severe drought, the south was also hit by heavy rains and floods, which washed away roads and made it difficult to continue supplying food.

Faced with this situation, the struggle between Gao Pian and Song Wei and Dong Chang had to be temporarily put to rest.

“Most of Henan and Hebei have not received rain from spring to summer, making it difficult for millet seedlings to survive. All prefectures are reporting food shortages, with Guanzhong, Hebei, and Huainan being the most severely affected.”

In mid-July, while Gao Pian broke through the defenses of Qian Liu and Yang Xingmin, Liu Jilong was secretly troubled by the numerous hardships caused by the severe drought following the war.

From the spring solstice until now, Hebei, Henan, and Guanzhong regions have not seen rain for four and a half months. Apart from the earlier melting of snow replenishing some water sources, the local people are suffering from drought, especially in June and July.

Although the war has ended, the consequences of the war and the severe drought have led to a shortage of grain in the granaries of nearly forty prefectures north of the Qinling-Huaihe line, and the local grain price has risen directly from 500 coins per shi last year to 800 coins.

In places like Chang'an and Luoyang, the price has risen to 1,200 coins per stone.

How is the summer harvest going?

Liu Jilong looked at the memorial sent from Luoyang, his brows furrowed, and asked Cao Mao in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Cao Mao shook his head and took the thick stack of nine books from the clerk behind him.

"The total summer grain collection in the ten provinces was 4.76 million shi of wheat and 3.46 million bolts of silk and cotton cloth. The production in the north was much lower, less than 70% of that in normal years."

The severe drought reduced grain production by 30%, and if the government's taxes are included, the people's harvest was only about 50% of what it used to be.

"How much grain needs to be allocated to stabilize grain prices in the thirty-eight grain-deficient prefectures?"

Liu Jilong questioned Cao Mao, but fortunately, Cao Mao had followed Liu Jilong in governing since childhood and was clear-headed.

"Each state is different, with a total shortage of more than 5.7 million shi of grain. If losses along the way are taken into account, even 7 million shi would only be barely enough."

"If the imperial court were to sell its silk and cotton cloth, it could only obtain a maximum of 1.8 million strings of cash. At the current grain price, if we were to buy grain from Jiannan, Longyou, and Hedong to stabilize the grain prices in Henan, Hebei, and Guanzhong, we could only buy a maximum of 3 million shi."

"After stabilizing the local granaries, the imperial court will only have a surplus of 760,000 shi of grain, or perhaps 300,000 guan."

After Cao Mao finished speaking, Liu Jilong questioned, "How much money and grain were confiscated from the various towns in Hebei?"

"The grain amounted to approximately 1.42 million shi, and the cash, silk, houses, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc., were valued at no more than 4 million guan."

Cao Mao responded to Liu Jilong's question. Liu Jilong frowned after hearing it, because Zhese was Zhese, and now that there was a food shortage, how many people would buy these mansions and antique paintings?

"First, ensure the supply of military provisions for the Hebei army, then transport them to the Changping granaries in various prefectures and counties, and transport all kinds of captured antiques and paintings to Luoyang for sale."

Human beings seem so weak in the face of natural disasters.

This was even after Liu Jilong had unified the north, allowing him to save a significant amount of money and grain that would otherwise be used to support the army, which could then be used for disaster relief.

Without him, countless people would have starved to death during these years of severe drought, especially this year.

"Your Highness, Commandant Zhao requests an audience."

A sound came from outside the yamen, and Liu Jilong replied without hesitation, "Granted!"

Not long after he finished speaking, Zhao Ying appeared in the yamen's guardhouse and walked towards the main hall.

He nodded to Cao Mao upon seeing him, then looked at Liu Jilong with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Just say what's on your mind. Cao Mao isn't an outsider."

Liu Jilong spoke up, and Zhao Ying, seeing this, took the initiative to say, "Gao Pian personally led the expedition and defeated Dong Chang. Now he occupies the fertile fields of Wuqu, but the Jiangnan region is plagued by continuous heavy rains and floods, so the three sides can only stop fighting."

"In addition, the Xu-Si and Huai-Nan regions suffered a severe drought, and the people could only survive by eating tree bark. Kang Chengxun petitioned the court to allocate grain and fodder for disaster relief."

"Zeng Yuanyu fought against Shi Pu and was defeated at Xiapi. He then submitted a memorial expressing his willingness to submit to the imperial court."

The severe drought in the north has affected not only Liu Jilong, but also other areas such as Xuzhou, Sishui, Huainan, and other places.

Compared to the northern people who had just achieved peace and were still able to eat grain, the people of Xuzhou, Sishui and Huainan were in a much worse situation, and could only eat wild grass and tree bark to survive.

"The heavens have lost their eyes; it's not raining where it should be."

Even with his good temper, Liu Jilong couldn't help but curse the heavens at this moment.

The Jiangnan region, which is not short of water, experiences heavy rains, while the North suffers from water shortages and severe droughts.

If a heavy rain could fall over the north right now, even if it only lasts for two or three days, the famine problems in the north could be alleviated.

However, his insults had no effect. He could do nothing but allocate grain to fill the food shortages in local prefectures and counties.

Although there is water underground, with the technology of this era, it is impossible to dig wells larger than four zhang (approximately 10 meters) on a large scale.

After calming down a bit, Liu Jilong changed the subject to the Xu-Si-Huai-Nan region.

"Zeng Yuanyu was returned to Luoyang, appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor and Grand Master of the Palace, and promoted to Marquis of Xinyang County."

"The imperial edict ordered Wang Shi to command the army to march south to Xuzhou and Sishui, recruit starving people from Xuzhou and Sishui as laborers, and quell the rebellion in Pingpu."

"An imperial edict was issued to Kang Chengxun, the military governor of Huainan, ordering him to return to Luoyang and to assume the titles of Grand Minister of Works, Chancellor, Pillar of State, Duke of Liang, and granted a fief of three thousand households."

"Wang Shi, Minister of War, was appointed Grand General of Yangzhou and Military Governor of Huainan, and was sent south with grain to provide disaster relief."

In the face of a severe drought, it would be inappropriate to mobilize troops, but if Liu Jilong did not take action, the people of Xusi and Huainan might suffer terribly.

By recruiting starving people as laborers and taking the opportunity to subdue the Xu-Si and Huai-Nan regions, which were already inclined to surrender, and then distributing grain to relieve the local people, the lives of the local people could be saved.

Otherwise, once Gao Pian occupies Jiangnan, he will definitely head north to attack Huainan immediately.

Without Huainan and Xuzhou, the regime in Jiangnan was basically doomed, and Gao Pian couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

Taking advantage of the severe drought in Xuzhou, Sishui, and Huainan, and while Gao Pian was currently preoccupied with other matters, Liu Jilong had to take a further step.

"The last general takes command!"

Cao Mao and Zhao Ying bowed in agreement. Then Liu Jilong looked at Cao Mao and said, "You should send someone to deliver the message by fast horse."

"Yes!" Cao Mao knew that Liu Jilong had something to discuss with Zhao Ying, so he left the yamen.

After he left, Liu Jilong got up and led Zhao Ying to the main hall of the Hejian government office. After dismissing the servants in the hall, he looked at Zhao Ying and asked, "Is there any movement in Luoyang?"

Zhao Ying nodded, then took out a thick stack of letters from her bosom and handed them to Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong took the letters and sat down in the main seat. He opened and examined the letters one by one, and found that most of them were letters between Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che and many of the powerful families under their command and their families.

Because there was so much content, it took Liu Jilong a full half hour to read through all the letters. He then pinched the bridge of his nose to process the information that had just flooded his mind.

"Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, Zhang Zhifang, Cui Xuan..."

"If I don't kill them, will they really think it's because I'm afraid to kill them?"

The letters Zhao Ying brought included those of 157 officials, and their plan was to assassinate Liu Jilong before he was to declare himself emperor.

When Liu Jilong saw the contents of the letter, he was so angry that he laughed.

He was just wondering what excuse to use to eliminate the powerful and influential families in the land, and then these people started giving him excuses.

"Keep a close eye on them, and don't take any action for now. It's not too late to make a move after the south has been pacified."

"Yes!"

There are still many powerful and influential families in the south, and Liu Jilong naturally wanted to use this as an excuse to launch a sweeping cleanup that would engulf the entire country.

Those things that should be swept into the dustbin of history should retire a few hundred years in advance.

"Are there any other problems in the towns and cities of Hebei right now?"

Liu Jilong continued to question Zhao Ying, who shook her head: "There are quite a few groups of three or five causing trouble, but they are very easy to suppress."

Most of the arrogant military men from the various towns in Hebei were left behind in the battles of Yecheng and Luxian.

Although many arrogant warriors survived, with Liu Jilong in charge of Hebei, they dared not cause too much trouble.

If they don't cause trouble, Liu Jilong will have no reason to deal with them.

"It seems I must return to Luoyang."

Liu Jilong stood up and looked at Zhao Ying: "These days, money and food are scarce. It's enough to just keep an eye on them. There's no need to expand the scale."

"Once we get through this year's drought, we'll expand with your men. All the money and grain you need will be allocated from the Prince of Han's residence."

"Yes!" Zhao Ying nodded in agreement. Then Liu Jilong continued to ask, "Has the cotton crop been affected by the severe drought in Guanzhong?"

“No,” Zhao Ying explained. “When we planted cotton in Danzhou, we followed His Highness’s instructions and chose Xianyang Plain, which has long hours of sunshine, is at a high altitude, and is less prone to flooding.”

"Cotton is drought-resistant, so it did not suffer any losses. On the contrary, it is growing well with regular watering."

"Six mu of cotton, and next year it should be expanded to forty mu. According to the yield of Danzhou cotton in Danzhou, each mu can produce at least forty jin of pure cotton."

"The cotton wadding used for cotton-padded clothes is two catties for thick ones and about one catty for thin ones. Even when making a big coat, it uses at most three catties of cotton."

"One acre of cotton can make more than a dozen overcoats."

Zhao Ying told him everything she knew, and Liu Jilong nodded repeatedly after listening, as this was much better than he had expected.

Based on his estimate that 250,000 troops were stationed in the north, the annual cost of cotton-padded coats would be at least several hundred thousand strings of cash. Now that cotton is available, this cost can be reduced considerably.

With better winter supplies, Han people will be able to explore the Northeast in the future, and the burden on the people will be reduced as a result.

"Plant for three years first, and in the third year, the seeds will be separated and sent to Guasha in Hexi and Hebei in Hedong to try planting."

"With this cotton-padded coat, fighting in winter will be much more comfortable."

"Yes!" Zhao Ying nodded in agreement, and at that moment, footsteps sounded outside the main hall, followed by chanting.

"Your Highness, Commander Cao requests an audience."

"allow!"

Upon learning that Cao Mao, who had just left, had suddenly returned, Liu Jilong was somewhat prepared, but he still did not know what had happened.

As Cao Mao entered the main hall, before Liu Jilong could ask any questions, Cao Mao bowed and said:

"Your Highness, You Shilong has led his army across the Yak River and launched a major offensive against Huichuan City. Commander Zhang has already led his army south from Chengdu to reinforce Huichuan."

"You Shilong?"

Upon learning that Yu Shilong was still determined to attack Huichuan, Liu Jilong scoffed:
“This fellow must have just learned that our army is at war with the towns in Hebei, so he came here to launch a sneak attack.”

"However, our army has already defeated the towns in Hebei, and Zhang Wu is capable of holding him off, so there is no need to worry."

"When the world is at peace in the future, I will definitely avenge the humiliation of the Tianbao era!"

(End of this chapter)