Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 500 Preparations for the Southern Expedition
"Shh... shh..."

In the dead of winter, while the fighting raged on in the south of the Yangtze River, the three provinces of the Northeast were suffering from food shortages due to a severe drought.

Those places far from the Central Plains, such as the Western Regions and Longyou, were very lively.

Kucha City, once an important town in Anxi and one of the Four Garrisons of Anxi, has gradually emerged from its former state of ruin compared to three years ago.

The houses in the city have been completely renovated. Although they are still rammed earth houses, they have a unique charm in this Western Region.

The severe drought in the Central Plains did not affect the towns in the Western Regions that relied on the Tianshan Mountains. Snowflakes fell from the sky, and the streets of Kucha were filled with countless people shoveling snow.

In this weather, dozens of cavalrymen were escorting a carriage out of the city. The people of Kucha City made way for the carriage as it departed.

"Is the King of Jiaohe going out of the city again?"

"That's for sure. I heard that the government is going to launch a western expedition to retake Shule this year, and they will probably set off for the western expedition next May."

"Once Shule is captured, the imperial court will definitely send many people here."

"That's not bad. I can marry a woman from the Central Plains, which is much better than these Uyghur and Turkic women."

The people were whispering among themselves, showing great joy at Zhang Huaishen's recapture of Shule.

These common people were mostly criminals who were exiled to the Western Regions after being defeated in the Central Plains or after suffering political purges by Liu Jilong.

Of the more than 50,000 people in Kucha, 40,000 were exiled from the Central Plains.

Their arrival initially brought a heavy burden to Anxi, but after more than two years, the abandoned land was recultivated, and Kucha gradually got back on track.

"How much farmland has been reclaimed in Kucha now?"

Zhang Huaishen, inside the carriage, opened the window and gazed at the boundless snowscape outside, but his mind was filled with thoughts of military and political matters.

When asked about the issue, Li Mingzhen, who had been transferred to Kucha ahead of schedule to carry out reclamation work, bowed and replied: "346,725.3 mu."

"Although it was only a two-year reclamation project, it could produce 270,000 shi of grain each year, and the government received about 50,000 shi each year."

“Nowadays, Yanqi and Xizhou can transport 100,000 shi of grain to Kucha every year. Although there is a 30% loss on the way, the Kucha granary can still store 110,000 to 120,000 shi of grain every year.”

"Your Highness, if possible, we could ask His Highness the Prince of Han to continue migrating people from the Central Plains to this place."

"There's no need to rush the western expedition to Shule..."

Li Mingzhen undoubtedly admired Zhang Huaishen's military capabilities, but he did not quite approve of Zhang Huaishen's ability to stabilize the rear.

If it weren't for Liu Jilong's support, Zhang Huaishen probably wouldn't have been able to maintain peace in the four prefectures of Hexi, because Zhang Huaishen was too militaristic and indulgent towards monks and nuns.

"Shule must be recovered. We can send troops to occupy it first to prevent them from colluding with the Karluks and the remnants of the Uyghurs."

Zhang Huaishen remained stubborn, which made Li Mingzhen somewhat uncomfortable, but he still tried to dissuade him:
"The Western Regions are so vast. Our army now occupies several prefectures in the Western Regions, but the population is only 260,000, the cultivated land is only 1.4 million mu, and the grain and fodder collected each year is only 200,000 shi."

"Although the four prefectures of Hexi can supply 300,000 shi of grain, the roads between the prefectures are long. If the 300,000 shi of grain transported from Hexi were to reach Kucha, only 80,000 to 90,000 shi would remain."

"Kucha is more than 1,300 li away from Shule. Although our army has the strength to pacify Shule, how much will be needed to maintain military supplies in the future?"

"It would be better to first relocate people from the Central Plains to populate the Western Regions, and then wait two years. At that time, we can not only attack and occupy Shule, but also send troops from Tingzhou to occupy the grasslands east of Huangcaobo, and continue to advance westward with the military fortress until our army can recover Gongyue City (Yili) and Suyab City."

Li Mingzhen's idea was undoubtedly more in line with Liu Jilong's steady and pragmatic strategy, but Zhang Huaishen couldn't wait.

"I am about to turn forty-two. If this continues, will I be able to retake Suyab in my lifetime?"

Zhang Huaishen was somewhat anxious, but in Li Mingzhen's view, Zhang Huaishen's anxiety was completely unreasonable.

"Your Highness, why are you in such a hurry? It's only about ten years. You'll surely be able to wait for it."

Li Mingzhen's words were not wrong. Although the Anxi and Beiting Protectorates had been destroyed for a century, many military forts were in ruins, and farmland was abandoned and turned into grassland, these grasslands were still lands that had been carefully cultivated.

Reclaiming this land eliminates the difficulties of cutting down trees, digging up tree roots and rocks, and it can be restored to its original state in just about three years.

Seeing that Zhang Huaishen was still not satisfied, Li Mingzhen could only say, "Now that the Central Plains are in turmoil, it is undoubtedly the best time for people to migrate to the Western Regions."

“In the past, the Han people of Xizhou and Yizhou all poured in during the war. Although you have seven prefectures and two towns under your rule, the population is only over 500,000.”

"To think that a population of just over 500,000 can govern the Western Regions is nothing short of a pipe dream."

"Taking this opportunity to explain the situation to His Highness the Prince of Han, and then relocating the population, is what our army should be doing right now."

Li Mingzhen felt he had made himself very clear, but Zhang Huaishen remained stubborn:
"Even so, our army has already assembled, and the countries of Khotan and Zhongyun have already promised to send troops. If our army breaks its promise, it will inevitably lose the dignity of the Celestial Empire."

"This battle cannot be ended, but the number of troops stationed here after the battle can be reduced as appropriate."

"To the imperial court, please deliver a letter on my behalf, requesting Liu Muzhi to relocate the people to the Western Regions."

"Furthermore, the Cui family of Ganzhou is powerful and loyal to the court. We can take this opportunity to withdraw the troops from Ganzhou and ask the court to transfer troops from Liangzhou to govern Ganzhou."

Zhang Huaishen had no intention of establishing a separatist regime and becoming king. In his view, the Han people were originally one, not to mention that the court was still in charge of Liu Jilong.

Taking this opportunity, he handed over Ganzhou, which was most affected by the imperial court, to the court for governance. Although this would reduce the taxes of tens of thousands of people, it would allow him to transfer thousands of troops from Ganzhou to the Western Regions, which suited his wishes perfectly.

Li Mingzhen was taken aback upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask, "Should we return to Shazhou and discuss this with the officials before making a decision?"

“No need!” Zhang Huaishen interrupted decisively, after all, in his view, the current situation was created by his uncle, himself, and Liu Jilong.

The powerful clans in Hexi had no choice but to accept this option. If they intended to cause trouble, they could simply lead their troops to quell the rebellion themselves.

His thinking was rather simple. Li Mingzhen didn't support him, but he was very clear that if Zhang Huaishen really made things worse, Liu Jilong would definitely step in to clean up the mess in Hexi.

Given the previous attitude of the powerful families in Hexi towards Liu Jilong, if Liu Jilong were to make a move, these powerful families would likely be in for a rough time.

"I will take care of this matter."

Li Mingzhen could only sigh, thinking to himself that Zhang Huaishen was lucky to have met a wise ruler like Liu Jilong who valued the Northwest and him.

If it were anyone else, Zhang Huaishen's actions would surely offend all the powerful figures in Hexi.

Although Zhang Huaishen cultivated many commoner officials and placed them in the army, he also brought in Liu Jilong's men from the imperial court to control Hexi and the Western Regions.

But in the end, the Zhang family rose to power by relying on the powerful families of Hexi, which is fundamentally different from Liu Jilong.

Of the more than 27,000 troops under Zhang Huaishen's command, the majority were in the hands of powerful local magnates.

If the two sides were to fight, it would inevitably give the Uyghurs, Karluks, and other tribes an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

In the past, Li Mingzhen would never have supported Zhang Huaishen, but things are different now.

He was Zhang Yichao's son-in-law and addressed Zhang Huaishen as his elder brother. Liu Jilong held both Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen in high esteem.

No matter how powerful the local strongmen in Hexi are, can they be stronger than Liu Jilong?
Therefore, he naturally wanted to follow in Zhang Huaishen's footsteps closely, hoping to find an opportunity to go to the Central Plains and enjoy wealth and honor in the future.

Thinking this, he and Zhang Huaishen went to the military camp outside the city, and soon saw the eight thousand Guiyi Army gathered on the training ground.

They didn't look particularly strong, but the wildness and murderous intent in their eyes were chilling, and their weaponry was among the best of the best.

Each person carries a dagger, a horizontal sword, a golden mace, a spear, a strong bow, several bowstrings, two quivers of fine arrows, a set of inner armor, a suit of iron lamellar armor, and one horse for riding and one horse for pulling.

Such 8,000 elite troops could have supported 20,000 or more garrison troops in the various towns of the Central Plains.

These soldiers, ranging in age from seventeen or eighteen to forty-five or forty-six, were all elite troops who had followed Zhang Yichao, Zhang Huaishen, Liu Jilong, and others in their campaigns in the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions.

After looking at them, Zhang Huai nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Li Mingzhen beside him: "Our army has eight thousand men, and with the five thousand troops from Khotan and Zhongyun, it will be easy to pacify the Uyghur tribes south of Tianshan. You don't need to be so nervous."

Li Mingzhen felt ashamed. His concern wasn't whether Zhang Huaishen could win the fight, but rather the subsequent governance issues.

In his view, even without Zhong Yun and Yutian's troops, Zhang Huaishen could still sweep westward all the way, but conquering is one thing, governing is another.

With that in mind, he could only pin his hopes on Liu Jilong, hoping that Liu Jilong could give them more support.

"Your Highness, since that is the case, I will go to the yamen to write a memorial."

"Go!"

Zhang Huaishen did not try to stop him. At this moment, he seemed to have already imagined the scene of him leading his troops to recover Shule, which would cause a sensation throughout the country.

While he was thinking this, Li Mingzhen hurriedly went to the yazhang (a government office) and wrote a memorial of nearly a thousand words, and then wrote a handwritten letter of more than two thousand words.

After writing this, he sent it to Luoyang by express courier, and the courier did not disappoint them, galloping day and night towards Luoyang.

Upon learning that Liu Jilong was not in Luoyang, he hurriedly rode to Heyin and managed to deliver the memorial and letter to Liu Jilong before the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.

"This Prince Zhang is as stubborn as ever."

Putting down the memorial in his hand, Liu Jilong then opened Li Mingzhen's letter with great interest, while the fast horse sat nervously in the chair, and Cao Mao got up to personally pour him a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Commander Cao."

"Do you recognize someone?"

Cao Mao looked at him with some surprise, after all, let alone ordinary Guiyi soldiers, even the old soldiers in Shandan City back then might not recognize Cao Mao.

In response, the man said, "My father was a veteran of Shandan in the past. He once said that Your Highness has a young man named Cao by your side."

"The soldiers outside the courtyard just now addressed you as Commander Cao, and that's how I guessed your identity."

The young man answered respectfully on horseback. When Liu Jilong heard that the newcomer was the son of an old friend from Shandan, he couldn't help but look at him and ask, "What is your name, and what is your father's name?"

"The soldier was called Guo Yue, and his father called him Uncle Guo. He was a squad leader under the Second Regiment of the Shandan Army in the past."

Guo Yue didn't think that this high and mighty Prince of Han would remember his father, especially after seeing Cao Mao's puzzled expression.

Before he could make an excuse, Liu Jilong laughed heartily and said, "I remember, it's Uncle Guo from Fulu County. He should be over fifty years old by now."

Guo Yue never expected that his father, such an ordinary person, could know the high and mighty Prince Han and even make the other party remember him.

"Your Highness is right, my father is indeed fifty-three years old."

Guo Yue suppressed his excitement and answered respectfully, but Liu Jilong leaned forward and asked happily, "How is he? What is his official position now?"

Liu Jilong trained many soldiers in Shandan in the past. Although not many brothers were willing to follow him on the eastern expedition, he still remembered the old brothers in Shandan.

Although Guo Shuzi was unremarkable, and even Liu Jilong couldn't recall his appearance, he vaguely remembered that there was such an honest and simple soldier.

"Father..." Guo Yue's face was a little embarrassed, but he still forced himself to say:

“When Aye accompanied the King of Jiaohe on his campaign against Yanqi, he lost his foot. Now he is busy with farm work at Fulu’s house…”

After Guo Yue finished speaking, Liu Jilong's expression froze, and the hall fell silent.

Liu Jilong's thoughts weren't solely on Guo Shuzi; he was instantly reminded of the veterans of the Guiyi Army from years past, as well as the wounded and disabled new recruits from the Hexi Corridor who were still at home.

Of course, he also guessed that Li Mingzhen seemed to be planning to use personal connections to bind him, in order to obtain more people and money for Zhang Huaishen and Anxi.

It must be said that Li Mingzhen is somewhat cunning. With his help, Zhang Huaishen can indeed save a lot of energy and Liu Jilong can worry less about Zhang Huaishen.

However, Li Mingzhen underestimated Liu Jilong to some extent. Even if he didn't resort to these underhanded tactics, Liu Jilong wouldn't sit idly by and ignore the Northwest.

"I understand. Go and rest well, and have a good time exploring Heyin County. I will write a letter for you to send back to the Western Regions in a few days." "This humble soldier obeys!" Guo Yue's posture was extremely humble, while Liu Jilong nodded to Cao Mao to escort him away.

After Cao Mao saw him off and returned, Liu Jilong had already reviewed the memorials and handwritten letters again before asking, "How many prisoners are registered with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review this year?"

"Your Highness, please wait a moment." Cao Mao turned and went to his study to search for documents. After a short while, he came out of the study with the documents and presented them with both hands, saying, "There are 8,652 prisoners on the list. More than 4,300 of them are soldiers who caused trouble in various towns, and the rest are corrupt officials."

"In addition, there are more than 3,000 criminals from the prefectures and counties. If we were to implicate them, at least 20,000 to 30,000 people could be forced to migrate to the Western Regions."

Cao Mao had already guessed that what Li Mingzhen and Zhang Huaishen wanted was nothing more than money, grain, and people.

“They will all be exiled to the Western Regions, and this will continue for the next few years; it cannot be changed.”

Liu Jilong indeed agreed to send people to the Western Regions. At the same time, he looked at Cao Mao and said, "Since the beginning of winter, there has been light snow north of the Qinling Mountains and the Huai River. I suppose this year will not be much better."

"Take advantage of this light snowfall to dig more wells and build more canals, lest you regret it when the drought comes next year."

“The Changping Granary in Longyou has 1.56 million shi of grain. 500,000 shi were transported to Guanzhong, and another 300,000 shi were transported from Liangzhou. 5,000 troops from the Governor’s Office transported the grain eastward to Hexi. The troops stayed in Ganzhou, and the grain was handed over to the Governor of Ganzhou, Jiujuyan, for transport to Kucha.”

"Yes!" Cao Mao nodded in agreement.

Transporting 300,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) from Liangzhou to Kucha would require at least 50,000 laborers and nearly 100,000 horses and camels, and would take three months to reach Kucha in the Western Regions.

Cao Mao roughly estimated that of the so-called 300,000 shi of grain, 100,000 shi of beans would be mixed in to feed the camels and draft horses, plus the laborers' needs.

Even if 300,000 shi of grain were transported by transshipment, the amount of grain that would arrive would probably only be 60,000 to 70,000 shi.

Although it may not seem like much, it was enough to support the relocated criminals for more than half a year.

With the severe drought in the north, Liu Jilong has to make two preparations. He can't possibly provide all the support he can to Zhang Huaishen; this is the limit of what he can do.

"Your Highness, this is Zhang Wu's memorial to the throne."

Seeing that Liu Jilong had finished talking about the Northwest, Cao Mao took the opportunity to hand over the memorial he had just received.

Liu Jilong took the memorial and quickly glanced through it. The contents were similar to what he had expected: You Shilong's plan to capture Lujin Pass had failed once again.

Before Zhang Wu could even reach the front lines, You Shilong had already retreated to the south bank of the Yak River.

After this incident, Yu Se-ryong's prestige will be further diminished, and internal conflicts within the Dae-rye organization will intensify.

"By imperial decree, Zhang Wu is hereby granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace and Minister of War for his meritorious service in defending the territory, and is awarded a thousand bolts of Shu brocade."

"As you command!" Cao Mao nodded in agreement, then ordered an imperial edict to be drafted and sent to Luoyang.

After he finished doing all this, Liu Jilong continued, "How is the grain transport from Jiannan Circuit going east?"

"We have already started purchasing grain and recruiting ships and laborers. The first batch of grain will arrive in Huainan as early as February."

Cao Mao answered the questions, and Liu Jilong got up and went to the study, where a sand table was placed.

The sand table is divided into north and south by the Yangtze River, but Gao Pian occupies eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River in western Huainan, and the two counties of Hanchuan and Hanyang on the Jianghan Plain are also in Gao Pian's hands.

It can be said that the most favorable location for the Han army to fight a decisive battle with Gao Pian was these eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River, and these eight prefectures were also the most favorable starting point for Gao Pian's northern expedition.

"What is the situation in Jiangdong and Liangzhe? Has Gao Pian made any further progress?"

Liu Jilong asked Cao Mao, who then stepped forward to observe the situation on the sand table. After confirming that everything was correct, he said:
"Gao Pian has now captured Wenzhou, and Dong Chang is left with only four states: Hangzhou, Yuezhou, Mingzhou, and Muzhou. His army numbers only 20,000 and his population is barely a million."

"Song Wei of Jiangdong did not lose too many troops. Of his 50,000 troops, it is unknown how many were armored soldiers. However, Gao Pian repeatedly tried to besiege Yang Xingmin, the governor of Xuan and She prefectures, but Yang Xingmin managed to break through the encirclement with ease."

“Song Wei has eight prefectures and the support of three to four million people, but if he loses Shezhou and Chizhou, or if Gao Pian attacks Hangzhou, then Jiangdong will be flat and indefensible, and the entire Jiangdong region could be captured.”

After Cao Mao finished speaking, Liu Jilong began to pull up troops from various northern routes, and then planted them in Shannan East Route and Huainan Route.

"By imperial decree, 10,000 troops each were to be transferred from Hedong, Dongji, and Henan to Huainan. Furthermore, 20,000 troops were to be transferred from Shannan West Circuit to Jiangling, and 10,000 troops were to be transferred from Jingji Circuit to Shannan East Circuit."

Under his decree, 150,000 troops along the border quickly gathered in Jiangling Prefecture, Shannan East Circuit, and Huainan Circuit on the sand table, along with 30,000 naval troops stationed in Huainan and Jiangling.

After the scribe in the corner finished recording, Liu Jilong continued to ask with unwavering focus: "How many cannons have been cast in Linzhou? How many warships and cannons does the Yangtze River Navy in Jiangling have?"

"Your Highness, the Yangtze River Navy of Jiangling has 20,000 sailors, 30 Fujian ships of 2,000 liang each, 60 Fujian ships of 1,500 liang each, and 80 Fujian ships of 1,000 liang each, with a total of 124 cannons, mainly concentrated on the 2,000 liang Fujian ships."

"Now Linzhou has assigned cannon-casting craftsmen to Jiangling to cast cannons. The cannons cast using the mud casting method are of the best quality, and twelve cannons can be cast each month."

"The other provinces have all built armories in their respective administrative centers, but due to the different quality of iron ore and materials in each province, they can only cast about 150 cannons per year."

"The artillery of today is more powerful and has a larger caliber ratio than the artillery used when attacking Hebei. It weighs 1,200 catties and can fire a five-catty iron ball 600 paces away. It can fire twice every 15 minutes."

Cao Mao's answer gave Liu Jilong even more confidence in the southern expedition. Although the 1,200-jin cannon was still cumbersome and the 600-pace distance was still very short, it was enough for Liu Jilong to recover the south.

"An imperial edict was issued ordering Geng Ming, Li Yangchun, and Chen Ying to each recruit 40,000 soldiers within their respective territories in preparation for the southern expedition following winter."

Liu Jilong chose to launch his southern expedition in winter mainly because the climate in the Jiangnan region at that time was truly unsuitable.

Not to mention Yunnan and Guizhou, even in the vast areas south of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, there is a risk of contracting miasma.

If the troops are mobilized in October or November of winter and the campaign continues until around February of the following year, there is generally no need to worry about the weather.

If the northern troops find it difficult to endure the southern climate, the main force of the northern troops will be withdrawn north, and the southern troops from Huainan and Jiangling will be transferred to the front line to continue the advance.

If the southern soldiers of Huainan cannot adapt to the climate of Hunan and Lingnan, then the only option is to recruit soldiers locally and then pacify the whole country.

"Your Highness, if we expand the army by another 120,000, I'm afraid we'll run out of money and supplies."

Cao Mao answered respectfully, and Liu Jilong then said, "When we take over the prefectures and counties in Jiangnan, we will have enough money and grain."

"Don't underestimate the states south of the Yangtze River. Although the north has suffered from the chaos caused by the warlords, the south has not."

"The population in the south is now smaller than that in the north, but not by much."

"Alright, you can go and take care of this matter."

“That young master Guo is an honest man. If you are interested, you can borrow him from our King of Jiaohe.”

Liu Jilong hadn't forgotten Guo Yue, and Cao Mao bowed respectfully upon hearing this: "Your subject obeys..."

Seeing that Liu Jilong would not say anything more, he withdrew and took the imperial edict to Luoyang to give instructions.

In just two days, a fast horse brought Liu Jilong's imperial edict to Luoyang. At this time, Luoyang City seemed calm on the surface, but it was already in complete chaos on the inside.

"If you ask me, Your Highness should be about to ascend the throne."

"Alas, if Governor Li were still alive, there would be no shortage of people to persuade him to take the throne."

"Gao Xiang, Cui Xiang, Li Xiang, and Cao Dudu have all not replied, presumably because none of them want to be the first to speak out."

"If they don't come out and make a statement, they might not get support because they don't hold a high position."

In the southern government office of Luoyang, many officials from Longyou were discussing the matter of urging the emperor to ascend the throne in their respective courtyards.

According to them, Gao Jinda, Li Shangyin, and Cui Shu all became prime ministers, which was clearly a result they approved of.

As for the so-called Xiao Gou, Liu Zhan, and others, they clearly looked down on this group of surrenderers.

In Luoyang, even people like Wang Jingchong, Zhu Wen, and Zeng Yuanyu seemed to have a higher status than Xiao Gou and Liu Zhan.

At least this group of people surrendered with their troops. Even though their troops were disbanded, many of their officers and soldiers still held minor official positions in local areas.

In comparison, Xiao Gou, Liu Zhan, and others had virtually no support, and their influence was even less than that of Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and others.

This is why these officials from Longyou did not restrain themselves at all; their discussions could be clearly heard even from next door.

Their words made Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and others who were eating next door look ugly, and one of them couldn't help but curse.

"After all, he was born a barbarian slave, and he is not fit for a refined social occasion!"

"Shh, you can't say that outside..."

This person's words can be described as having a double meaning, after all, the fact that Liu Jilong was once a Tibetan herdsman was widely circulated in the past.

Since his eastward advance, officials have dared not openly discuss the topic of slaves, for fear that others might think they were alluding to something, let alone mention the words "foreign slaves."

If we're really being serious, nine out of ten of the high-ranking officials in the court who hold military power are of "Hexi barbarian" origin.

If they heard these words, it would inevitably cause unnecessary disputes.

"What are we afraid of? Since they dare to discuss such treacherous acts in the government office, are we just going to bury our heads in the sand?"

Despite his words, the official lowered his voice.

Upon seeing this, Doulu Zhuo immediately said to everyone, "He must know the situation in the court, which is why he has stopped at Heyin and is not moving forward."

Pei Che and the others nodded: "If that's the case, I'm afraid he won't make any further progress in the short term, so we can all rest assured."

"We cannot let our guard down." Doulu Zhu shook his head, then lowered his head and began to eat his meal.

While they were discussing, Gao Jinda, sitting in the government office, was looking at the nearly one hundred handwritten letters on the table with a headache.

These letters were written to him by officials in Beijing and other local areas, including even powerful officials from Hexi.

The group of people were implying that he should either probe when Liu Jilong would declare himself emperor or urge him to do so, and that everyone should follow suit.

However, Gao Jinda knew Liu Jilong well. Liu Jilong did not want to become emperor at the moment, and in his own opinion, there was no need to do so.

"Since Your Highness has begun mobilizing and recruiting troops, it means that Your Highness is preparing to take further steps after pacifying the south. We should not hold Your Highness back."

Gao Jinda looked up and saw Li Shangyin and Han Zhengke standing in front of him, waiting for him to speak.

Hearing him say that, the two breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"There is really no need to be bound by the moment."

"I wonder how many troops Your Highness intends to deploy, and how much money and grain it will consume?"

Li Shangyin and Han Zhengke spoke up, and Gao Jinda responded, "Including recruited soldiers, the number of troops mobilized this time is no less than 270,000, which can be called the largest number of troops Your Highness has ever used."

"However, there is still a shortage of 30,000 armors in the treasury, so I must make a trip to the Armory."

Gao Jinda stood up as soon as he finished speaking, and then said to the two of them:
"Your Highness will certainly take this further; you can rest assured about that."

"To avoid unrest during the southern expedition, it would be wise to leak the news about the princess's residence."

"If those former officials learn that the princess is pregnant, perhaps some of them will change their minds."

Upon hearing Gao Jinda's words, Li Shangyin frowned inwardly: "This matter still requires His Highness's permission."

“Of course!” Gao Jinda nodded, then led the two out of the Hall of State Affairs.

Shortly after they left, a fast horse from the Southern Palace galloped eastward, heading straight for Heyin...

(End of this chapter)