Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 499 A Long Song of Governing the North (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Screw rustle..."

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the second year of Qianfu, as Wang Shi led his army south, the six prefectures under Kang Chengxun's control quickly surrendered.

Even Li Hanzhi, who was known for obeying orders but not proclamations, chose to surrender when faced with tens of thousands of government troops.

The fully armored government troops continued to advance into the cities of Huainan. The rustling of armor plates and their discipline of never disturbing the people undoubtedly gave the people of Huainan a great shock.

By August 24th, the six prefectures of Huainan had been brought under the control of the imperial court.

In Huainan, apart from the few prefectures controlled by Gao Pian, all the rest surrendered. North of the Yangtze River, only the eight prefectures north of the river remained under Gao Pian's control.

The news of Xu Si and Huainan's surrender quickly reached Gao Pian's ears through spies.

At this moment, the rainy season in Jiangnan has passed, but Gao Pian is not happy at all.

"The loss of Xuzhou and Huainan will likely make this situation difficult to resolve..."

Inside the Jinhua County government office in Wuzhou, Gao Qin spoke of the matter with a somewhat unpleasant expression, while Wang Zhongren beside him also looked grave, unsure how to respond.

Gao Pian held the book in his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

He originally thought he could recover Jiangnan before Liu Jilong pacified the towns in Hebei, and control the entire Huainan region before Liu Jilong's southern expedition.

However, as it turned out, he overestimated himself, underestimated Liu Jilong, and also underestimated the generals under Song Wei, Dong Chang, and others.

"Yang Xingmin, Qian Liu, Li Shenfu..."

These names flashed through his mind one after another—the names that hindered his eastward advance.

Although he has now captured Quzhou and Wuzhou, he has also lost Chizhou.

Dong Chang and Song Wei each still held seven prefectures, with a population of at least five or six million, or even more.

In just the two prefectures of Wu and Qu, he gained a population of one million, comparable to that of a single prefecture.

The situation in Jiangdong and Liangzhe was even better than he had anticipated.

The advantage of this is that if I gain control of Jiangdong and Liangzhe, I can completely achieve a situation of north-south division with Liu Jilong.

The downside is that advancing eastward is difficult. Now that Liu Jilong has gained control of the Jianghuai region, he will likely only need a short rest for about a year before heading south to conquer these three towns.

How long will it take for the gunpowder from the rear to arrive?

Gao Pian turned to question the crowd, and Wang Zhongren bowed without hesitation: "It will take at least another fifteen days."

“The fifteenth…” Gao Pian frowned, then took a deep breath and looked at everyone with bright eyes: “The fifteenth it is, we will attack Jiangdong and Liangzhe in fifteen days!”

"Your subordinate obeys!!" The generals all stood up and bowed, while Gao Pian turned to look at the map behind him.

On this hanging map, the red color representing Liu Jilong already occupies six-tenths of the land, with less than a quarter belonging to Gao Pian, Song Wei, Dong Chang, and others.

Liu Jilong was like a colossal figure, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

This pressure was not only borne by Gao Pian; at this moment, Yang Xingmin was also in his military governor's office, holding his breath and intently studying the map.

"Of the ten parts of the world, Liu Muzhi alone controls six. I'm afraid it won't be long before Liu Jilong's army crosses the Yangtze River and marches south to fight us."

Yang Xingmin stood before the map and spoke his mind.

Seeing this, Li Shenfu, who was behind him, stepped forward and stood beside him, saying, "If he wants to recover Jiangnan, he must first cross the Yangtze River, and the Yangtze River is not easy to cross."

"Although Kang Chengxun also has a warship navy, it is still slightly inferior to us."

"Liu Muzhi will probably attack the eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River in Gao Pian's hands first, and then head south to fight us in a naval battle."

"Throughout history, when the Northern army marched south across the Yangtze River, they would only pass through Ezhou, Jiangzhou, and Caishiji."

"If Liu Jilong goes to Caishiji, he will inevitably be intercepted by our navy."

“If I were him, I would definitely go through Ezhou, because Ezhou is the narrowest point and the easiest place to cross the river.”

"At that time, when he clashes with Gao Pian, our army can march north to launch a surprise attack on Huainan and seize it."

In Li Shenfu's eyes, Liu Jilong was only slightly stronger than Gao Pian.

They had thwarted Gao Pian's attacks before, and using that as leverage, they had a good chance of succeeding in attacking Huainan from the north.

However, Yang Xingmin had a different opinion on his idea.

“If we head north, we probably won’t be a match for Liu Jilong either.”

"I heard that Liu Jilong distributed land to the people in Jiangbei, distributed grain to help them get through the famine, and resumed farming."

"If this continues, the people of Huainan will surely side with Liu Jilong. At that time, even if we march north to Huainan, we will lose it very quickly."

"In my opinion, we can wait until Liu Jilong and Gao Pian have settled their differences, and then pledge allegiance to either of them."

Upon hearing this, Li Shenfu's expression became somewhat unnatural: "To surrender before even engaging in battle is probably inappropriate."

Seeing his reaction, Yang Xingmin shook his head: "Since ancient times, I have never heard of anyone who could achieve anything simply by occupying Jiangdong."

Upon hearing this, Li Shenfu, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it, couldn't help but nod.

"I believe that General Song also has this idea, so it's best not to cause any unnecessary trouble."

Yang Xingmin reminded him, then looked at the map: "I just don't know what Liu Muzhi plans to do next."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jilong, who was more than a thousand miles away from Xuanzhou and had just entered Zhengzhou territory by carriage, received a series of memorials.

"The six prefectures of Huainan have been recovered. Minister Wang has submitted a memorial inquiring whether the court should recall him to Luodu?"

Inside the spacious carriage, Cao Mao received the memorial and began to inquire, while Liu Jilong, who was in the midst of governing, was multitasking, responding to Cao Mao while simultaneously handling state affairs.

"Let him recuperate in Jiangdu and appoint him as the Huainan Inspector to restore the livelihood of the people in Huainan as soon as possible."

"In addition, Li Yangchun should have also submitted a report on the famine situation in Huainan. All the grain in the Ever-Normal Granaries in Jiangling was transported to Huainan by waterway."

Upon hearing this, Cao Mao quickly found Geng Ming's memorial on the cluttered table and then said, "There are 320,000 shi of grain in the Changping Granary in Jiangling Prefecture. The price of grain in Jiangling is relatively stable, about 700 coins per shi."

"The Jiangling government can allocate 200,000 strings of cash to purchase grain, which will be transported to Huainan by waterway. Taking into account losses along the way, it should arrive with 400,000 shi."

"Four hundred thousand shi of grain is almost enough to sustain the people of Huainan until the autumn harvest. At that time, grain can be transferred from Jiangling to support Huainan."

"In addition, Chen Ying, the military governor of Shannan East Circuit, reported that since the spring equinox, Shannan East Circuit has transported 620,000 shi of grain to Henan Circuit, and more than 487,000 shi have been delivered."

Although Liu Jilong could not stop the disasters from happening, after unifying the north, he was able to transfer all the resources of the north to other places.

If Liu Jilong had not undertaken extensive repairs of dikes and canals in Hedong, Guanzhong, Longyou, Jiannan, and Shannan, the impact of this severe drought would likely have been several times more devastating.

Putting aside other issues, the fact that most of the water conservancy projects in Guanzhong were dilapidated and the problem of abandoned land was extremely serious.

However, after Liu Jilong managed Guanzhong for four years, seven or eight of the water conservancy projects in Guanzhong had been repaired, and the abandoned land had been reclaimed.

With the relocation of the Tang capital to the east, more than 200,000 people went to the eastern capital, further reducing the population pressure in Guanzhong. Therefore, despite the severe drought, Guanzhong not only did not experience famine, but even had the capacity to support other places.

"The number of people affected by the disaster in Hebei, Henan, Huainan... is probably no less than four million."

"The imperial edict ordered Gao Jinda to prepare enough money and silk to go to Jiannan Road, purchase enough grain after the autumn harvest, and transport it north along the Grand Canal and the Fourth Canal."

Liu Jilong gave instructions to Cao Mao, who quickly nodded in agreement.

To outsiders, it might seem that Liu Jilong had just taken control of the north when widespread droughts and famines broke out, which was clearly a sign that Heaven was making things difficult for him.

However, Liu Jilong was glad that he had taken control of the north; otherwise, the millions of people affected by the disaster would probably have been reduced to less than one in ten due to the drought and famine.

Without a sufficient population, Liu Jilong will have to spend much more time restoring the Han people's territory.

He would rather suffer a temporary headache from disaster relief than suffer a lifetime of headaches from population issues.

Liu Jilong would be overjoyed if even one-tenth of the people who survived the famine were relocated to Liaodong or the southwest.

As he was thinking this, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly came from outside the carriage. Then the carriage window opened, and the cavalryman delivered two memorials into the carriage.

Cao Mao took the memorial, opened it, and frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Liu Jilong glanced at him, while Cao Mao said, "The memorial from Hedong says that Li Keyong invaded Yunzhou and took thousands of Shatuo and Tatars with him northward."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong pondered for a moment, then said, "It seems that Li Keyong is planning to annex the tribes in southern Mongolia and then fight back."

"Should we send troops to attack him?" Cao Mao asked.

To this, Liu Jilong shook his head: "Let's solve the famine in the Central Plains first, and then send troops to attack Jiangnan next year."

"In a few months, the students in Kansai will graduate, and then there will be more than 20,000 students to govern the region."

"With 20,000 officials, the entire Jiangnan region can be governed well, and the war need not be delayed any longer."

Sending troops next year may seem a bit hasty, but the students from Guanzhong who are preparing for the unification of the country by Liu Jilong are about to begin graduating in succession over a period of five years.

If Liu Jilong so desired, the grain from Jiannan Road could be transported by water to Kuizhou, unloaded there, and then transported by land around the Three Gorges before being reloaded at Jiangling and shipped to Jiangnan.

This method would result in losses of up to 40% along the way, but at least 60% of the grain would still reach Jiangnan.

This is why Liu Jilong did not use much northern grain when attacking Jiangnan, but there was a prerequisite for doing so: a swift victory was necessary.

The terrain south of the Yangtze River is complex, and if a stalemate occurs, it will certainly be detrimental to the imperial court.

Only by quickly recovering the south and ending the war can we gain more people and prevent more people from sacrificing themselves in the war.

After recovering Jiangnan, Liu Jilong can then govern the country properly and wait for the day when he can send troops to recover all directions.

"Your Highness, we have arrived at Heyin County."

Suddenly, the carriage slowed down, and Liu Jilong said, "Stop the carriage."

At his signal, the carriage slowly came to a stop, and Liu Jilong got up and got off the carriage.

As he stepped off the carriage, he was greeted by vast fields of millet, but the millet seedlings in the fields looked rather withered.

This is a phenomenon caused by the severe drought, but fortunately, the three towns in Henan had already been managed by Liu Jilong for two years, and all the necessary rivers and canals were in place.

Although a bumper harvest is not possible, ensuring that people have enough food to eat is not a problem.

Looking at the people constantly pedaling waterwheels in the fields, drawing water from the canals into the gullies, Liu Jilong took a deep breath.

"By imperial decree, all counties and prefectures affected by disasters this year shall be exempted from autumn taxes."

"Yes!" Cao Mao seemed to have already guessed that his prince would say this, and quickly agreed.

After he agreed, he immediately instructed his subordinate not far away to send a fast horse to deliver the imperial edict to Luoyang.

After doing all this, he returned to Liu Jilong's side, bowed, and asked, "Your Highness, are we going back to Luoyang now?"

“No!” Liu Jilong shook his head: “We’ll stay in Heyin and not go anywhere else.”

Cao Mao was puzzled, but he still followed Liu Jilong's instructions and cleaned up a relatively tidy courtyard in Heyin County.

Liu Jilong did not continue by carriage, but instead rode a horse into Heyin County.

Along the way, he saw many people constantly shuttling between fields to water their crops despite the severe drought.

After arriving outside Heyin County, the towns outside the county were inhabited by many thin people covered in mud.

Even with the severe drought, their spirits remained high, all thanks to the imperial court's continuous efforts to stabilize grain prices.

In previous years, when drought struck, the imperial court rarely cared about the lives of ordinary people. Now, although there has been no change of dynasty, the people in charge have changed.

Although officials in Kansai may have some language differences with the people of Kanto, overall things are much better than when powerful families controlled the government offices.

At least under the threat of the Censorate, local officials still had to maintain some semblance of dignity on the surface, providing disaster relief and distributing grain as needed.

The exorbitant taxes and levies once imposed by the Tang Dynasty have disappeared, and local government offices have not been heard of lending money door-to-door for years.

Even if God doesn't grant us food, we can still get by.

Upon entering the city, Liu Jilong saw that most of the people were wearing old clothes. Although they were worn out, they could still cover their bodies, which was much better than their previous tattered clothes.

He intended to gather information, but almost every person noticed him wherever he went, so he had no choice but to find a tavern and send Cao Mao to gather information.

Although it was a tavern, due to the prohibition of alcohol issued by Liu Jilong's court in response to the famine, the tavern only served flatbread and meat dishes, and did not serve alcohol.

Compared to the Kansai region, where iron woks were already widely used, the taverns in the Kanto region had not yet come into contact with iron woks for cooking. Their main dishes were rice porridge, flatbread, grilled meat, and sashimi.

Liu Jilong was rather reluctant to eat sashimi, so he only ordered a bowl of mutton soup and a flatbread.

"These flatbreads have gone up to five copper coins each now?"

Liu Jilong held the menu and asked the waiter in front of him curiously. The waiter had small, long eyes and seemed to have some non-Han ancestry.

Liu Jilong was not surprised by this, because the Tang Dynasty liked to settle foreign tribes who had submitted to the Tang in places like Henan and Huainan, so Henan and Huainan had many people of mixed Han and non-Han descent.

Among them, Caizhou had the most Hu people settled there and the Hu culture was the most prevalent. Therefore, when Qin Zongquan ordered cannibalism, many Hu soldiers in Caizhou were not so resistant.

However, nowadays, only one in ten people in Caizhou survived, and most of the Hu soldiers were executed in Luoyang along with Qin Zongquan.

"After all, there's a severe drought. Previously, a flatbread only cost one coin, but now it's gone up to five."

"I heard from those grain merchants that this year's autumn harvest is probably not going to be good, and the price of flatbread will likely continue to rise."

The waiter, head down, was writing down the menu, curiously eyeing Liu Jilong.

He had lived in Heyin since childhood and had never seen such a handsome man in Heyin before, so he naturally wanted to take a good look at him.

Not only him, but everyone else in the tavern was also looking at Liu Jilong, but Liu Jilong behaved generously and did not restrain himself because of the gazes of others.

"Two more bowls of fermented vegetable soup and mutton soup, with some ice in the fermented vegetable soup, that's all."

Liu Jilong nodded in response. The waiter noted down what Liu Jilong ordered and then said, "It'll be eighty-five coins for you, and three coins for the ice."

Upon seeing this, Liu Jilong took out a string of copper coins and placed them on the table. However, the shopkeeper frowned as he took them and said, "Young master, these are your private coins. One hundred coins can only be exchanged for eighty."

"Private money? How did you figure that out?" Liu Jilong was slightly surprised. He hadn't really studied the copper coin; he had just taken it from the cart.

"Of course, it depends on the material and the feel of the material."

As the waiter spoke, he casually placed the copper coins on the table, while Liu Jilong took a few coins from another string of coins and placed them on the table.

Seeing this, the waiter put the money away and told the cook to go prepare the food.

Seeing him using his own money, those around him all shook their heads and whispered among themselves, "This man has so much personal money, could it be that he was cheated while traveling as a merchant?"

"It doesn't seem like it. With such an appearance, this person is definitely not an ordinary person. He might be an official returning to the capital."

"Shh, keep your voice down..."

The people at the neighboring tables lowered their voices, and at that moment Cao Mao rushed in from outside the tavern.

He sat down next to Liu Jilong, and at that moment the waiter brought the food that Liu Jilong had ordered to the table.

Cao Mao picked up the bowl of fermented rice water with a few ice cubes and drank it all in one gulp. He clicked his tongue and said, "It's a pity there's no wine. Although this fermented rice water is sweet, it's not as refreshing as wine."

"Once the drought is over, the alcohol ban can be lifted." Liu Jilong pushed his own bowl of fermented rice water towards him, then asked, "How did the investigation go?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Mao didn't even have time to drink his second bowl of rice gruel before saying directly, "All the policies and orders have been implemented well. After the land was distributed to the people of Heyin County, each person received five mu of cultivated land and five mu of wasteland according to population."

"The Ever-Normal Granary has also opened its granaries to release grain. The price of grain in the East and West Markets is around 700 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure), which is 30% higher than in previous years. And..."

Cao Mao recounted everything he had learned. In general, the people of Heyin County were doing quite well; if it weren't for the severe drought, they would probably have become wealthy long ago.

In just two years, the population of Heyin County increased from more than 27,000 to more than 58,000, abandoned farmland was reclaimed, and the registered farmland tripled.

Upon learning that the people of Heyin County were doing well, Liu Jilong nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "Have you found out anything about this private money?"

"Private money?" Cao Mao asked Liu Jilong. He quickly replied, "This private money mainly refers to the fact that in the past, the imperial court allowed private minting of coins. As a result, private minting merchants deliberately reduced the weight of copper coins and added lead, leading to the circulation of many inferior coins in the market."

"This private money can only be exchanged for eight hundred Kaiyuan Tongbao coins. In addition, there are also well-made short coins, eight hundred of which can be exchanged for one string."

Upon learning that many inferior coins were circulating in the market, Liu Jilong frowned, thinking to himself that he would have to mint new coins to stabilize the market in the future.

While he was deep in thought, Cao Mao lowered his head and ate heartily.

Seeing that he had almost finished eating, Liu Jilong got up with him and left the tavern, heading towards the courtyard he had arranged. Once they arrived at the courtyard, Liu Jilong entered and looked around, saying:

"This courtyard is quite similar to the one I had in Shandan back then."

"Haha, I thought it was similar to that courtyard, so I had it bought."

Cao Mao laughed heartily, feeling as if he had returned to twenty years ago while standing in this courtyard.

Liu Jilong smiled and nodded, then said to Cao Mao, "Give the imperial edict to Gao Jinda, ordering him to collect the inferior coins in the market."

"In addition, the mints in all the Guanzhong regions were ordered to open their furnaces and cast the Da Han Tong Bao, using the Kaiyuan Tong Bao as the standard."

Liu Jilong had the power of a Grand General, so he could openly mint coins.

Although casting the Da Han Tong Bao coin was somewhat presumptuous, he was too lazy to hide it. Since he was casting the Qian Fu Tong Bao coin now, he would have to recast it in the future anyway, so he might as well go all the way in one go.

How much copper was produced in the various regions of Kansai?

Liu Jilong asked Cao Mao, who replied somewhat awkwardly, "I'll go take a look."

He walked towards the inner courtyard, and Liu Jilong followed him. Soon they saw Han soldiers carrying memorials into the inner courtyard.

As Liu Jilong entered the inner courtyard, Cao Mao came out with the document: "Guanxi produces more than 2.7 million catties of copper annually, which can be used to mint more than 500,000 strings of coins."

"However, the arsenal uses a lot of copper to cast cannons, consuming at least tens of thousands of kilograms every year."

After Cao Mao finished speaking, Liu Jilong nodded slightly, feeling a little regretful.

The mining technology in Kansai was no less advanced than that of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but the copper production was not high.

Liu Jilong recalls that in the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty could mine nearly 10 million catties of copper ore annually in the Yunnan region, supplying more than 80% of the raw materials for copper coins.

The silver and copper mines in Yunnan, as well as the silver mines in Japan, were the cornerstones that would later stabilize the metal currency market in the Central Plains.

"First, collect the inferior coins, then exchange them for new coins at the market price."

Liu Jilong gave Cao Mao instructions, and then went to rest in the inner courtyard.

Cao Mao then sent someone to deliver the imperial edict to Luoyang, in accordance with his orders.

Shortly after the news reached Luoyang, Gao Jinda sent Liu Jilong's imperial edict to various government offices.

Half a month later, the imperial decree was sent to all the prefectures in Guandong. All the prefectures learned that the autumn tax for the disaster-stricken areas would be waived this year, and that local government offices would collect the inferior coins after the summer harvest next year.

Faced with these two decrees, the officials and people of the affected prefectures and counties were overjoyed, and the matter of recycling the inferior currency was nothing compared to them.

Liu Jilong did not return to Luoyang, but stayed in Heyin. It was not until officials from Guanzhong kept entering the territories of Henan, Hebei, and Huainan that Cao Mao learned of his intentions.

By staying in Heyin, one can obtain three complete population maps and land registers through the canal.

In addition, news from the south was constantly being sent into Heyin City via the canal.

On the fifth day of the ninth month, Gao Pian continued to attack Dong Chang. By October, Chuzhou and Wenzhou had been lost one after another. Yang Xingmin continued to lead troops to harass Gao Pian's supply lines from the rear.

In mid-October, Gao Pian captured Taizhou. Qian Liu, who was stationed in Taizhou, chose to retreat to Mingzhou, while Dong Chang led his troops to continue to garrison Muzhou and defend it at all costs.

While the fighting raged in Jiangnan, Liu Jilong had already obtained maps and records of the entire Henan province.

"In the past, during the Kaiyuan era, Henan Province had 1.4 million households and over 8.8 million people, but now it has less than 1 million households and only over 4.8 million people. Alas..."

Cao Mao, who held the map in his hand, couldn't help but speak, while Liu Jilong, upon hearing this, began to write on the white paper with the map drawn on it.

He wrote down 4.82 million people on the map of Henan Province, and then looked around at the other provinces.

"Judging from the memorials submitted by various circuits this year, the Longyou Circuit, including Anxi and Beiting, has a total population of 1.64 million."

"This number is three times that of the Kaiyuan era, and it is also the result of our efforts over the past ten years."

Liu Jilong looked at the population data of Longyou Province, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

From being enslaved by the Tibetans, resulting in a population of only over 400,000 in Longyou, with more Tibetans than Han Chinese, to now having a population of 1.64 million, nearly 70% of whom are Han Chinese, Liu Jilong spent a full 22 years.

Starting from when he was seventeen, he is now thirty-nine years old. He has finally seized the window of opportunity presented by the internal turmoil in the Central Plains and has managed to develop the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions.

The Longyou Road today is undoubtedly his most satisfying "achievement" over the past twenty-two years.

The population of Guannei Road increased to 1.24 million, nearly 350,000 more than when he first recovered Guannei Road.

Gyeonggi Province, with a population of 3.12 million, also saw an increase of several hundred thousand people.

The population of Shannan West Circuit was 1.44 million, the population of Jiannan Circuit was 3.76 million, and the population of Shannan East Circuit and Jiangling Prefecture was 1.27 million.

Donggi Province has 980,000 people, and Hadong Province has 2.3 million people.

Of the territories under Liu Jilong's control, only the Hebei and Huainan circuits had not yet completed their registration and census work. However, judging from the other circuits, even excluding the population of these two circuits, the number of people under the court's rule was approaching 20 million.

If Hebei and Huainan are included, the population is at least 26 million.

Liu Jilong still felt a little regretful about this number.

"In the past, the registered population of all provinces was no less than 40 million. Now, a century later, our army has abolished corvée labor and integrated land tax into poll tax, but the actual population found is at most 26 million. It is truly a pity..."

The integration of land tax and corvée labor and the abolition of corvée labor were among the most effective policies in feudal times for the imperial court to conduct population statistics.

If these policies had been implemented during the Tianbao era, it is estimated that the Tang Dynasty could have identified more than 80 million people.

But for Liu Jilong now, the population north of the Yangtze River is only 26 million. Even though the south of the Yangtze River is far from the war, the population is unlikely to exceed 20 million, or even less.

The period from the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty was only a hundred years, but the early Song Dynasty still had a population of over 38 million. Liu Jilong's situation was only slightly better than that of the early Song Dynasty.

However, every era has its own advantages, and the advantage that Liu Jilong was about to face was that the Khitan had not yet risen, the grasslands and Tibet were in chaos, the Abbasid Caliphate in the west was fragmented, and the only countries that could be called major powers around the Central Plains were Bohai, Dali, and Silla.

The good news is that all three countries are now facing internal turmoil and are on the verge of collapse.

Even if Liu Jilong does nothing, these three countries won't last long; that's the benefit he's facing.

All he has to do is seize the profits he can, and then see how his descendants manage it.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong asked Cao Mao, "Has there been any news about Li Keyong in the north lately?"

"Yes!" Cao Mao replied without hesitation, then took out a memorial and handed it to Liu Jilong.

"Our spies smuggled pottery and farm tools north of the Yanshan Mountains, and obtained quite a bit of information from them."

"Li Keyong and Xi Jie attacked the Heichezi tribe in the north. It is said that they had more than 5,000 followers, all of whom were Tatars and Shatuo people."

"His troops consisted of two thousand cavalrymen, five hundred of whom were known as the Crow Army. They were heavily armored and should be the elite cavalry that led them to break through the encirclement when our army attacked Daibei."

"He had only been exiled to the grasslands for a little over two years, yet he managed to gather five thousand followers. He was quite a hero."

"If given another ten years, he will probably become one of the most powerful tribes in southern Mongolia."

In just a few words, Cao Mao gave a general account of Li Keyong's situation in southern Mongolia.

However, for Liu Jilong, even if Li Keyong unified the southern and northern deserts, he would not pose much of a threat to him.

More than whether Li Keyong could unify southern Mongolia, he was curious about the Khitan in the north.

By all accounts, Yelü Abaoji seems to have already been born, but I obviously won't give him the opportunity to develop.

The Xi and Khitan people mainly lived in the Yanshan Mountains and the northern grasslands of the Gobi Desert.

Now that the Han army has firearms, once the south is pacified and they have a few years to recuperate, it seems they can send troops to drive the enemy out of the Yanshan Mountains and even allow them to drink from the upper reaches of the Liao River.

The Yanshan Mountains and the eastern grasslands of that era were perfectly capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of people.

If the Han people can settle here, they can completely transform this place into Han territory in less than a hundred years.

With that thought in mind, Liu Jilong simply instructed, "Just send someone to keep a close watch on them. There's no need to get too involved with them."

"Yes!" Cao Mao nodded in agreement, and then saw Liu Jilong continue to handle government affairs with his head down.

However, this quiet did not last long. Two hours later, someone announced outside the hall: "Your Highness, Luoyang has sent over documents regarding funds and provisions from various regions."

"Bring them in!" Liu Jilong said without hesitation, and then several soldiers carried more than ten trays of documents into the hall.

Upon seeing this, Liu Jilong raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit of a headache.

Fortunately, with Cao Mao's help, he quickly found the document summarizing the money and grain.

Although Liu Jilong exempted the autumn taxes of the disaster-stricken prefectures, the amount of money and grain this year was quite considerable due to the expansion of the territory and the fact that the prefectures of Qi and Lu were not affected by the disaster.

"At the end of the second year of the Qianfu era, the total amount of money collected in the empire was over 6,520,000 strings of cash and 14,000 taels of gold..."

Cao Mao read the contents of the document aloud, while Liu Jilong sat quietly beside him and listened.

In total, this year's tax revenue amounted to 5.52 million strings of cash, which included taxes on salt, tea, copper mines, and commerce.

In addition, they also acquired more than 180 million taels of gold and 570,000 taels of silver, as well as various textiles such as silk and cotton cloth worth more than 5 million strings of cash.

Finally, in terms of grain, a total of 15.64 million shi of grains were collected, along with more than 20 million bundles of hay and more than 700,000 shi of beans.

This year's autumn taxes, except for grain which was greatly reduced due to tax exemptions and severe drought, saw increases in all other categories.

"Your Highness, this is the memorial submitted by Prime Minister Gao."

Cao Mao handed over Gao Jinda's memorial, which Liu Jilong took and examined. The memorial mainly concerned Gao Jinda's allocation of two million strings of cash to Jiannan Road to purchase grain.

However, this year Jiannan experienced little rain, which damaged crops, resulting in slightly higher grain prices than in previous years, with each shi (a unit of dry measure) costing around 600 coins.

Gao Jinda planned to buy three million shi of grain, then travel by water to Kuizhou, then by land for three hundred li to Jiangling, and finally by boat to Huainan, Henan, Hebei and other places.

To transport three million shi (a unit of dry measure) to the Hehuai region, the Jiangling Navy would need to be deployed for escort, and Geng Ming would also need to allocate 20,000 men to act as a land-based grain escort team.

Besides, the number of laborers that could be recruited from Jiangling and other places would not exceed 100,000. It would take at least half a year for 100,000 people to transport 3 million shi of grain over a nearly 300-mile-long land route.

According to the estimates of the Southern Court, this batch of grain will suffer a loss of about 30% when it reaches Huainan, 40% when it reaches Henan, 50% when it reaches Hebei, and 60% when it reaches Youzhou in the far north.

The exact extent of the loss can only be known once the three million shi of grain have arrived in the various prefectures and counties, but it should not be less than 50%.

"He will handle this matter. The laborers of Jiangling will be given four catties of grain per person per day, which will be included in the loss."

It is cheaper to directly distribute grain to the people as wages than to give them money.

"Although the taxes for disaster relief have been waived in the Guandong region, the specific amount of grain harvested by each prefecture and county, and the extent of the grain shortage, must be reported to the court. This matter cannot be taken lightly or neglected."

"Yes!"

Upon seeing that Liu Jilong had issued another imperial edict, Cao Mao agreed and went outside the hall, sending someone to relay the news to Luoyang.

When the news reached Luoyang, it was already late October, and the atmosphere in Luoyang at that time seemed somewhat strange.

"I know."

Inside the Hall of State Affairs, Gao Jinda received the imperial edict and responded by fast horse. He then issued new decrees in accordance with Liu Jilong's order.

While the government decree was being relayed, various government offices outside the Hall of State Affairs were discussing Liu Jilong's decision to halt his journey to Heyin.

Some people had already guessed Liu Jilong's intentions, while others had not.

This also includes those defeated generals who were given honorary titles by Liu Jilong.

Zhu Wen was one of the many defeated generals, and at this moment he was in the East Market Restaurant in Luoyang, drinking and exchanging cups with Xie Tong, who was also an official.

"Sir, why do you think Liu Muzhi stopped in Heyin?"

"My lord already has the answer, so why ask me?"

Inside the private room, Zhu Wen feigned drunkenness and asked questions, while Xie Tong could only smile wryly, knowing full well that Zhu Wen's drunken appearance was all an act.

Because the imperial court had banned alcohol, merchants on the market now only dare to add a little wine to fermented rice water to make it taste like alcohol, which is not enough to make anyone drunk.

Seeing this, Zhu Wen's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and then he smiled bitterly and said, "This Liu Muzhi has managed the Eastern Capital very well. The hearts of the people in the region are all with him. No wonder his generals are so obedient."

Two full months have passed since he arrived in Luoyang.

In these two months, Zhu Wen has come to a clearer understanding of the situation.

Unless something happens to Liu Jilong, it will be very difficult for him to make a comeback.

He was somewhat unwilling, yet at times he felt that this kind of life was quite good.

Liu Jilong treated him fairly well, providing him with 500 shi of grain, 200 guan of cash, and a considerable amount of brocade and silk every year... This was his salary.

In addition, people like them were placed in Jiaoyefang in Luoyang City, and their residences were built according to the regulations of the Tang Huidian.

What Zhu Wen obtained was a mansion with a gate and walls, covering an area of ​​fifteen acres, with a three-courtyard layout, and also with stone bricks, stone slabs and gardens.

The only downside was that Liu Jilong prohibited the buying and selling of slaves, allowing only the hiring of servants.

Although Zhu Wen's salary was enough to hire a dozen servants to take care of him, the servants could not punish him privately; they could only verbally abuse him and deduct some of his wages.

Compared to the past when officials would frequently beat and scold servants, this represents a significant reduction in their power.

"Young master, you are now a third-rank official, why bother with these things?"

"Isn't the wealth and status you desire already in your hands?"

Xie Tong smiled wryly. He was already quite satisfied with his current position as a fourth-rank official.

However, a fourth-rank official was not qualified to open the gate of Wutou, so he still wanted to climb higher, but he didn't know if Liu Jilong would give him that opportunity.

Thinking of this, he picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and frowned slightly.

He naturally knew that the imperial court's ban on alcohol was undoubtedly a very correct policy for the food-deficient Guandong region.

However, the fact that even those in high positions of power could not get a drink made him somewhat melancholy.

"Alright, alright. If you're not going to say anything more, then I won't say anything more. Let's go home."

Seeing that Xie Tong was truly not going to help him, Zhu Wen had no choice but to get up and walk outside.

Seeing this, Xie Tong couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Before Zhu Wen could push open the door and leave, he said, "His Highness dares not enter Luoyang, probably because he is worried that the officials in Guanzhong will urge him to ascend the throne..."

Zhu Wen paused, a smile returning to his face, and then pushed open the door and walked out of the private room.

After he left, Xie Tong continued to sit in the private room, finishing all the drinks before getting up to leave.

When he came out, Zhu Wen had already gotten into his carriage and returned to Jiaoyefang.

However, on his way back, before he even left the market, he vaguely saw a familiar figure.

"parking!"

"Xu..."

Zhu Wen's words made the coachman immediately rein in his horse and stop, while Zhu Wen almost leaned out of the window, his eyes fixed on the figure in the distance inside Zhu Chai's shop.

He rubbed his eyes, somewhat incredulous, but after realizing he hadn't misread it, he hurriedly got up and headed towards the hairpin shop.

But when he entered the shop, the figure had already disappeared. Zhu Wen rushed to the counter and grabbed the shop assistant by the collar.

"Where has the extremely beautiful woman who bought the hairpin here gone?!"

The waiter, grabbed by the collar, was about to unleash a torrent of curses, but seeing Zhu Wen in his official robes, he quickly shut his mouth and smiled obsequiously: "The one you're talking about, is she Zhang Shaojian's daughter?"

"Is he Zhang Rui, the former governor of Songzhou?" Zhu Wen was very excited. He never expected that he, a poor boy in the past, would meet the woman he could only dream of when he was a child.

"I don't know, but Zhang Shaojian does indeed use this name."

"Good good!"

The shopkeeper was sweating profusely, but Zhu Wen simply loosened his collar, threw down two strings of coins, and walked out laughing.

Besides regaining power, he now has another goal...

(End of this chapter)