Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 502 On the Way South (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Crackling..."

"Curfew... lifted!!"

"Boom, boom, boom, boom..."

On the fifteenth day of the first month of the third year of Qianfu, as dusk was falling and people should have gone home early to avoid the curfew, the sound of firecrackers rose and fell throughout the city.

Even though it had just experienced years of war and the people were exhausted, countless lanterns were still lit in the small city of Heyin under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou.

The drums of the Drum Tower continued to beat, and countless people who had finished dinner flocked to the streets, wearing their cleanest clothes to welcome the only festival of the year when the curfew was lifted.

"Shehuo, start!!"

When the head priest, adorned with various feathers, begins to beat the gong, more than ten strong men immediately lift up the firework. In front of them appear more than ten young children carrying lanterns, while behind them appear performers on stilts, playing music and dancing.

As Shebo strode forward, the entire procession of over a hundred people began to wander through the streets and alleys, while the onlookers on both sides of the streets watched the lively scene, holding up the torches they had prepared in advance.

These torches are made by binding hemp stalks or reeds with bamboo strips, soaking them in beef or mutton fat, and they ignite instantly.

As the folk performance passed by, the people stretched out their torches toward the performance, lit the torches, and then followed the procession.

The movement, involving tens of thousands of people, unfolded within the town of Heyin. Unlike the grand cities of Chang'an, Luoyang, and Chengdu, it lacked the various acrobatic performances and colorful lanterns, and there were no towering lantern towers reaching ten or twenty feet in height.

Here, all you see are the excited expressions on the faces of the people, the ever-burning firecrackers and torches, the cheers of countless people rushing about, and the sounds of gongs and drums from the troupe of entertainers.

The Shehuo procession resembled a long dragon, constantly weaving through the city of Heyin. At each street and alley it passed, dozens or even hundreds of people would hold torches and light the Shehuo, then join in.

The air was filled with the aroma of cooking, as if to dispel all disease, disaster and suffering, making the whole city look brand new.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

On the three-zhang-high drum tower, Liu Jilong gazed at the fiery dragon that kept weaving through the streets and alleys, his eyes faintly gleaming with fire.

In an era filled with wooden buildings, is such behavior dangerous? Of course it is.

However, the people would not give up this behavior because it was dangerous. At least in their view, it was the best way to boost the morale of the people in Heyin City and make them more hopeful and motivated for the future.

The emotions that had been suppressed for a year seemed to be completely released by the people in the few days since the curfew was lifted.

This release quelled the pent-up resentment in the hearts of the people and made the county town more stable.

In fact, they were very poor at that time, and many of them had not eaten a single piece of meat from the Lunar New Year to the present.

Even so, guided by the Shehuo (a traditional folk performance), they became increasingly exhilarated as they walked briskly and shouted.

This kind of joy and satisfaction cannot be replaced by eating a few bites or dozens of bites of meat.

"Are you all ready?"

Liu Jilong had his back to the crowd, while Cao Mao and many officials from Heyin County behind him bowed.

"Your Highness, rest assured, the meat strips are all prepared and will be distributed to the people as soon as Your Highness performs the Shehuo ceremony."

The magistrate of Heyin County cautiously began to tell Liu Jilong about his arrangements.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji nodded slightly, then gazed into the distance at the approaching darkness before turning his attention back to the people of Heyin City.

The Shehuo procession circled through all the streets and alleys of Heyin City before his eyes, starting from the main street and ending at the side street.

Finally, the Shehuo performance was carried to the county government office, and a procession of thousands of people gathered there.

Each household sent only one person, excluding the children who led the way; therefore, the number of accompanying persons was limited to four thousand.

"Your Highness, we should head to the county government office now."

The magistrate of Heyin County spoke cautiously, and Liu Jilong, upon hearing this, snapped out of his reverie and laughed heartily, "Let's go!"

At his signal, the magistrate of Heyin County led the way down from the drum tower. At this moment, the streets were filled with countless people. The Han army cleared the streets in advance and stood guard on both sides to protect Liu Jilong and ensure his safe advance.

The people craned their necks to look at him, and saw him walking from a distance, accompanied by more than ten officials who were rarely seen on ordinary days.

"Is that the King of Han?"

"Why do I feel a sense of familiarity with this Prince of Han?"

"Yes, yes, yes! He's that outstanding young man who lives in Linhefang!"

"That person is actually His Highness the Prince of Han?"

For the past two months, Liu Jilong has frequently appeared in various parts of Heyin, and the people of Heyin have long remembered his outstanding presence.

Now that they meet again, and learn that he is the famous King of Han, they are naturally agitated.

As Liu Jilong continued to approach the county government office, the number of people who saw him increased, and the commotion grew larger.

When Liu Jilong arrived outside the county government office, the street had already been divided into two sections by the Han army soldiers lined up in formation.

The people holding torches were astonished to find that Liu Jilong was the current King of Han, while Liu Jilong walked up to the folk performance set up at the entrance of the county government office.

"Your Highness, please invoke the gods..."

When the sacrificial ceremony began, Liu Jilong walked out of the procession without changing his expression and came to the front of the folk performance.

At this moment, twelve children, aged seven or eight, followed and came out, wearing wooden painted animal masks, and lined up around the firework display.

Several officials placed a drum in front of Liu Jilong and then handed him two drumsticks.

After Liu Jilong took it, fifty musicians wearing various painted masks came out, and the soldiers brought out all the musical instruments.

Once everything was ready, Liu Jilong began to slowly strike the small drum. As soon as the drum started to sound, the twelve children began to move, and the fifty musicians also began to play their music.

They played music according to Liu Jilong's drumbeats, while the children wearing animal masks moved according to the twelve earthly branches, making swallowing, tearing, and stomping movements in sync with the drumbeats.

"Don't be angry, folk patriarch and patriarch, listen to my lively songs; today we offer wine and burn paper money, hoping for a full pen of cattle and sheep..."

"Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo..."

As Liu Jilong began to chant the sacrificial inscription, the entire ceremony reached its climax. The strong men on the periphery, holding torches and carrying firecrackers, began to beat their chests and stomp their feet, shouting "Woo-hoo!"

After the eulogy of several hundred words was sung, Cao Mao hurriedly stepped forward with a wooden tray, flanked by soldiers holding long spears and wooden shields.

On the wooden tray was a bronze, golden-yellow four-eyed mask. Liu Jilong put down the drumsticks, put on the mask, and then took a long spear and a wooden shield with animal faces painted on it from the soldiers.

Cao Mao took over from Liu Jilong and began to rhythmically beat the drumsticks, while Liu Jilong put on a mask, held a shield in his left hand and a halberd in his right, and began to dance in exaggerated movements.

"As soon as the oak trees were cut down, the rain fell thickly; a thousand men worked the weeds, clearing the marshland and the plains..."

Beneath the mask, Liu Jilong's voice was calm, and his entire being appeared tall and divine under the light of the folk performance and the surrounding torches.

When the able-bodied men carrying torches saw Liu Jilong wielding his long spear with ease, they excitedly raised their shouts.

Thousands of people beat their chests and stamped their feet, shouting and roaring, which inexplicably stirred the blood of those who heard it.

As time went by, Liu Jilong, holding a long spear and wooden shield, danced and made music for more than half an hour without resting, which made the surrounding people feel that the so-called King of Han was the one who had been appointed by Heaven.

Even the most well-trained Shehuo chief dancer, wielding a long wooden shield, can only perform the dance for a quarter of an hour.

Even those elderly people, some as old as seventy or eighty, have never seen anyone last more than 45 minutes.

Now Liu Jilong can easily dance and play music for half an hour, and still looks full of energy. How can this not be shocking?

The people all believed that he had received divine assistance, which enabled him to tirelessly wage war.

"Governor Cao, how much longer can His Highness continue dancing?"

The magistrate of Heyin County swallowed hard and couldn't help but step forward and bow to Cao Mao.

Cao Mao kept beating the small drum, looking very proud: "With Your Highness's abilities, even another half hour of fighting wouldn't be a problem!"

The magistrate of Heyin County and the other officials all gasped in astonishment, realizing that their prince was indeed a person favored by heaven.

Throughout history, there has never been a case of someone being able to wield a heavy weapon weighing over ten kilograms for an hour.

They all stepped back in admiration, watching Liu Jilong continue his dance for the better part of an hour, until the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) arrived, when Liu Jilong finally stopped dancing.

"Send off the gods!"

A slightly weary voice came from beneath the golden four-eyed mask. The officials, in pairs, carried paper figurines forward and threw them into the fire to burn.

Cao Mao and the musicians all stopped, and then Liu Jilong and the twelve children wearing painted animal masks turned and left.

The dance ends with the dancers turning away, signifying that the evil spirits have departed. The people must not make a fuss and must sincerely send the gods off.

Liu Jilong carried the weapon back to the main hall of the county government office. After sitting down, he put the weapon down and took off his mask.

He was drenched in sweat and his throat felt like it was on fire, but he didn't feel tired at all; instead, he felt extremely refreshed.

"The most important matters of the state are sacrifice and war. Sacrifice involves offering meat, and war involves receiving meat; these are the great rites of the gods... and indeed it was so."

Recalling the appearance of the people around him, Liu Jilong felt that the sacrificial ceremony was not just a tradition and superstition, but a means to unite the army and the people and boost morale.

"Your Highness!"

Half an hour later, Cao Mao returned with all the officials of Heyin County. When they saw Liu Jilong, they all bowed and paid their respects.

"There's no need for that. Please rise and sit down. I hope I haven't disappointed you all in this sacrificial ceremony."

Liu Jilong spoke modestly, but Cao Mao and other officials shook their heads, saying, "Your Highness is too modest. After the people finished offering their New Year's gifts, they all believed that with Your Highness's hard work this year, there would surely be a bountiful harvest and favorable weather..."

In the eyes of the common people, the longer the fighting lasts during the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) ritual, the more bad disasters can be driven away.

Throughout history, Heyin County has never produced anyone like Liu Jilong who could wield weapons for more than an hour.

What we have witnessed today will not only be talked about by the people of Heyin County, but will also spread throughout the surrounding counties and even the entire Henan and Hebei provinces.

This is the best way to stabilize the hearts and minds of people in Hebei and Henan, and it also requires the least amount of effort.

Otherwise, Liu Jilong would not have wasted his time on this; he would rather allocate funds and supplies to prevent disasters.

"Have all the meat strips been arranged to be delivered to each household?"

Liu Jilong asked Cao Mao and the others, and Cao Mao quickly nodded: "We will send one jin to each household to celebrate the successful completion of the Shehuo sacrificial ceremony."

Upon learning that everything was arranged properly, Liu Jilong breathed a sigh of relief and then asked the magistrate of Heyin County, "Have any locust eggs been found on the banks of the Yellow River this year?"

"Your Highness, since Your Highness issued the order in the tenth year of Xiantong, all prefectures and counties have been searching for and clearing locust eggs in the riverbeds and mudflats in previous years, but no locust eggs have been found last year or this year."

Liu Jilong nodded in satisfaction at the words of the magistrate of Heyin County. Although natural disasters cannot be completely eliminated, disasters like locust plagues, which can be controlled by human intervention, can be prevented.

The main reason for the continuous locust plagues at the end of the Tang Dynasty was that the Tang court simply could not control the Yellow River. Even if it could solve the problem of insect eggs on a small part of the mudflats, it could not clean up the entire river section.

Now that Liu Jilong has arrived, only eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River are not under his control, and these eight prefectures are not important.

Locust plagues usually break out on the banks of rivers with calm waters, and are unlikely to break out on the banks of the Yangtze River. They usually occur on the Yellow River and many other rivers in the north, followed by the Huai River.

The three locust plagues that the Tang Dynasty had previously experienced were basically all outbreaks along the banks of the Yellow River and the Huai River.

If each state and county can perfectly implement its policies, even if locust plagues still break out afterward, these plagues will still be controllable and will not be as overwhelming as they were a few years ago.

"That's excellent. Thank you all for your hard work."

Liu Jilong slowly bowed to everyone, and they all stepped aside before quickly returning the bow.

They were all commoner officials from Guanzhong. Even the youngest among them had experienced the famine in Tang territory, where there was no food and they had to flee to Longyou.

For these commoner officials who had personally experienced famine and subsequently received education from the common people of Longyou, even if some of them were greedy, they understood one principle.

If you want to maintain your position, no matter how much you exploit people, you must always ensure that they have enough to eat.

Ideological and political courses are extremely important for students from Longyou who are about to graduate from university.

Failing other courses is not a big deal, but failing this course will seriously affect one's chances of entering officialdom after graduation.

When thinking about ideological education, Liu Jilong couldn't help but think of Linzhou University, which he founded.

Linzhou University has been established for sixteen years and has produced 2,423 officials.

However, in the face of the test of graduating and entering officialdom, more than 400 people have been investigated and dismissed by the Censorate.

These students were carefully selected by Liu Jilong, yet one-fifth of them still failed to pass the imperial examination, which is truly regrettable.

Because of the small number of people involved, Liu Jilong had not yet started to utilize them; they were still in the testing phase.

Once the world is unified, it will be their turn to step onto the stage of history.

"I will not stay any longer. In a few days, I will be preparing to head south."

Liu Jilong stood up and spoke to the crowd, who bowed to him and saw him and Cao Mao out of the county government office.

The street where the two returned to the courtyard had been cleared by the Han soldiers. Seeing this, Liu Jilong felt a little disappointed, and he couldn't help but recall those vivid faces under the firelight.

He intended to be close to the people, but his safety was equally important. Therefore, he did not find the soldiers' behavior inappropriate, but only felt some regret.

"Your Highness, when will we depart for the south, and where will we be going? I need to make preparations as soon as possible."

After returning to the courtyard with Liu Jilong, Cao Mao took the initiative to ask him about it, and he replied without hesitation: "The next battle will inevitably begin in Jiangbei."

"If that's the case, then let's head to Nanyang first. You can arrange the specifics."

"Yes!" Cao Mao nodded in agreement, then turned and walked out of the courtyard. After giving his instructions, he returned and continued to bow to him.

"Your Highness, Zhang Langjun, who is on his way to take up his post in Caizhou, has just arrived in Heyin. Should we summon him here?"

"Is this Dalang?" Upon hearing that Zhang Yanhui had arrived, Liu Jilong, though somewhat puzzled as to why he had come, nodded and said:

"Since there is no curfew these days, summon him and have the cooks prepare some food."

"In years of great disaster, we should not be extravagant. It is enough for the three of us to share a meal."

At Liu Jilong's instruction, Cao Mao sent someone to summon Zhang Yanhui, and then ordered the kitchen to prepare a meal.

After a quarter of an hour, Liu Jilong, who was sitting in the main hall in a daze, heard footsteps approaching. He then looked up and saw Cao Mao and Zhang Yanhui behind him.

"Your subject, Zhang Yanhui, Prefect of Caizhou, pays his respects to Your Highness."

"You've arrived, please take a seat."

He gave instructions to the two men, and then got up and sat down at the table.

Zhang Yanhui arrived in a bit of a hurry, but he still made sure to wash up before coming to see Liu Jilong.

At Liu Jilong's instruction, the two sat down at the dinner table, and Liu Jilong said, "Why not wait until after the Lantern Festival to go south to Caizhou?"

“There are many important matters to attend to in Cai Prefecture, and I dare not neglect them.”

Zhang Yanhui answered respectfully, while presenting a box he was holding.

"Your Highness, this is a tea leaf from Shandan that Your Majesty asked me to bring you."

Liu Jilong took it and opened it, finding tea leaves inside. He didn't think much of it at first, but after hearing that it was tea from Shandan, he realized...

Not only him, but even Cao Mao's eyes lit up.

Although Liu Jilong controlled most of the tea industry, many tea-producing areas began to adopt tea-frying techniques, resulting in countless tea plants sending tea to him every year so he could taste various different flavors.

But in his heart, Shandan, the place he governed and developed on his own, always occupies an important place.

The tea from Shandan may not be as good as the tea from other prefectures and counties, but the memories it evokes give it a unique flavor.

"Break this tea." He looked at Cao Mao, who had already prepared it and hurriedly had someone bring over new teaware.

While he was brewing tea, several cooks with physical disabilities and prosthetic limbs limped into the hall carrying wooden trays and placed several plates of meat dishes, a bowl of stewed mutton, and mutton soup on the table.

Did you leave some food for me?

Liu Jilong looked up at the four of them, and the four of them quickly nodded with honest smiles: "Your Highness, rest assured, we will certainly not treat ourselves unfairly."

Seeing their reaction, Liu Jilong smiled and nodded, then turned around and picked up his chopsticks.

Seeing Zhang Yanhui's puzzled expression, Cao Mao, who was at the same table, explained: "Your Highness's safety is of paramount importance to the world, so the kitchen staff must be carefully selected."

"Many of our old brothers were so disabled that they could not even complete the training to serve as soldiers in local areas after their retirement. Therefore, they had to go back to literacy after their retirement and serve as clerks or cooks and helpers in various state and county government offices."

"When you go to Caizhou in a few days, you will know how the court has dealt with these people."

Zhang Yanhui nodded in understanding, while Liu Jilong picked up the teacup from Shandan and took a couple of sips.

"Not bad, it tastes just like before."

The taste that was originally vague in his memory became clear at this moment, and Liu Jilong couldn't help but smile.

Although this tea wasn't as delicious as the tribute teas, it was the best in the world to Liu Jilong.

"How many acres of tea fields are there now in Shandan?" Liu Jilong remembered that when he left, there were more than 800 acres of tea fields in Shandan, but he didn't know how they had developed now.

His enthusiasm made Zhang Yanhui feel embarrassed, and he said with a little awkwardness, "In recent years, for some reason, the yield of tea fields has been decreasing day by day, and it is now less than 500 mu."

His words froze the expressions of Cao Mao and Liu Jilong, who were initially enthusiastic, but Liu Jilong was the quickest to react.

Shandan was originally a tea-growing area, but it was only due to the warm period of the Tang Dynasty that tea could be grown there.

Now, more than a decade later, the warm period is turning into a cold period. Even if the global temperature drops by only 0.1 degree Celsius, it will be enough to destroy the already fragile Shandan tea fields.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this Shandan tea plantation will disappear from the Northwest in just a few more years.

"Things have changed, but people are no longer here..."

Liu Jilong couldn't help but sigh, but he was not only sighing over the tea leaves of Shandan, but also over the various plants and animals that were active in the north at this time.

Today, rhinoceroses are still active in Jiannan, Hunan, central Guizhou, and Zhejiang, while elephants are also active in Lingnan and Dali. Bamboo can still be found in Guanzhong and Henan, and it is used to make paper.

However, in a few decades or even a hundred years, these plants and animals will gradually migrate south as the climate changes from a warm period to a cold period.

This situation has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that as many plants, animals, and fruits move south, they also bring related industries south with them, such as papermaking and textiles.

The drop in temperature has led to the southward shift of the economy and a decrease in food production.

If the Hexi Corridor was so greatly affected, one can only imagine how much more the various regimes on the Tibetan Plateau were impacted.

"Without Lu Danzeng, have there been any memorials submitted recently?"

Liu Jilong suddenly thought of Lu Danzeng, who hadn't submitted a memorial to him for more than half a year, so he couldn't help but ask Cao Mao about it.

Seeing this, Cao Mao shook his head and explained to Liu Jilong, "Lu Danzeng began his expedition to Qiangtang half a year ago, intending to wipe out the unruly tribes in Qiangtang, then concentrate his forces to drive the rebels in Tubo territory to attack Lhasa City, and finally he would quell the rebels."

“The situation in the snowy region is complicated, and he may have been delayed, but his eldest son, Lu Huaiguang, is still studying at the official school in Songzhou, and every year Duokang organizes herds to trade with the court.”

"Last year alone, the imperial court obtained more than 8,000 riding horses and more than 800 military horses from Duokang."

After ensuring that the relationship between the two sides remained unchanged, Liu Jilong stopped paying attention to matters concerning Dokham and Tibet.

After all, he believed that Tibet was bound to decline, and he only needed to manage Tibet as a horse breeding ground for the Central Plains, just like Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di did.

As for who ruled Tibet, that is not important.

In any case, given the future environment, if Tibet wanted to maintain a regime, it could only do so by continuously supplying grain and tea to the Central Plains, let alone launching military campaigns.

"Don't worry about the affairs of Tibet. If Lu Danzeng needs money and grain, as long as it doesn't affect the court's allocation, just agree to it. You can barter with cattle and sheep."

"Yes!"

After instructing Cao Mao, Liu Jilong turned to Zhang Yanhui and said, "Eat up, don't suffer. Your father might blame me later."

"No, Your Highness." Zhang Yanhui was a little embarrassed. He didn't know how to start the conversation, so he could only bury his head in his food.

Neither Liu Jilong nor Cao Mao spoke at the dinner table, so Zhang Yanhui could only eat the meal in silence. It wasn't until he was rinsing his mouth with tea that he finally took the opportunity to speak:

"Your Highness, when shall I and the lady of the house get married?"

He hesitated for a moment, and Cao Mao quickly looked at Liu Jilong, only to see his smiling face immediately fall.

If he hadn't already accepted Zhang Yanhui, Liu Jilong would have made it impossible for him to walk out of that door standing up, based solely on Zhang Yanhui's words.

His wife was only seven years old, but Zhang Yanhui already wanted to marry her.

These words might seem insignificant to others, but to Liu Jilong, they were a capital offense.

“You are still young, madam. Let’s wait until you have a few more years of experience before we talk about this matter.”

Liu Jilong replied with a dark face, while Zhang Yanhui, puzzled, pressed for details: "May I ask Your Highness, how many years exactly? I wish to prepare as soon as possible."

"You don't need to prepare," Liu Jilong interrupted him, and Cao Mao quickly smoothed things over.

“The eldest daughter-in-law is indeed still young. It would not be too late to wait five or six years. Moreover, the world is not yet settled and there are still many matters to attend to. The young master should also focus on political affairs.”

Upon hearing Cao Mao speak, Zhang Yanhui nodded repeatedly. Even though he didn't understand these things, he could tell that Liu Jilong was somewhat unhappy.

"With Your Highness's and Governor Cao's guidance, I will certainly focus on my duties and marry Madam in six or seven years."

Zhang Yanhui continued talking to himself, feeling that adding six or seven years to the five or six years Cao Mao had mentioned should be about right.

Despite his words, Liu Jilong's expression remained unchanged, and he even seemed slightly annoyed, saying:

"Alright, you must be tired from your journey. Go back and rest early. We'll head south together in three days."

"Yes, I will retire."

Zhang Yanhui was a little confused, but he still answered honestly, got up and took his leave.

After he left, Cao Mao saw that Liu Jilong still had a sullen face, so he couldn't help but go up to him and tease him:

"Young Master Zhang was unaware of His Highness's affection for his children, but His Highness's reaction was truly excessive, scaring Young Master Zhang until his face turned pale."

"Since Young Master Zhang just mentioned seven years from now, let's talk about it again in seven years."

Cao Mao spoke with a smile, and Liu Jilong was not angry after hearing it, but he was a little depressed.

In his opinion, if possible, he would even set the wedding date seventeen years from now.

His own wife was only seven years old, and seven years later she would be fourteen. It was natural for him to find it hard to accept that she would give birth at the age of fourteen.

However, he also knew that this kind of thing couldn't be dragged on for too long, otherwise it would easily cause unforeseen complications.

Fourteen is really too young; she should be at least sixteen or seventeen.

"Once the world is at peace, we will bestow marriage upon him, but the marriage will have to wait at least ten years."

"Whether he wants to take a concubine or something else, I will not meddle in his business."

Liu Jilong, being a man himself, naturally knew what Zhang Yanhui, at his age, thought about women.

He couldn't let Zhang Yanhui hold out until he was twenty-seven, so he had no choice but to relax the conditions for him to take a concubine.

Thinking about this, he also thought of his other children and couldn't help but feel fortunate that he hadn't married into other families. Otherwise, if everyone had to marry their daughters when they were seven or eight years old, like Zhang Yanhui, he would be furious.

As he was thinking this, someone hurriedly walked into the courtyard, carrying a memorial to the emperor, and rushed into the hall.

"Your Highness, an urgent report from the Southern Court!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong frowned, then gestured for Cao Mao to take the urgent report, which he then opened.

"You may leave," Cao Mao instructed the man before handing the urgent report to Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong took it, and his brows immediately relaxed.

"Your Highness, what happened?"

Seeing that he had relaxed his brows and seemed somewhat pleased, Cao Mao couldn't help but ask him a question.

"The princess is pregnant; a full-term baby has been born."

Liu Jilong handed the letter to Cao Mao, who took it and read it. He saw that it was Gao Jinda bringing good news to Liu Jilong.

Li Meiling was diagnosed with pregnancy shortly after Liu Jilong went to war. Liu Jilong knew about this, but he did not expect that Li Meiling, with her delicate body, could give birth to a full-term child.

"Nine catties?!"

Cao Mao was taken aback, knowing that his own child weighed less than six pounds at birth.

In this era, a baby weighing over six pounds at birth is definitely considered exceptionally gifted.

“He is full-term, there’s no need to be so surprised.”

Seeing his reaction, Liu Jilong couldn't help but laugh and pat him on the shoulder, but in reality, he himself gasped when he saw the weight.

Of his thirteen children, two were born at full term, but they weighed only seven pounds and seven or eight ounces.

Even someone as gifted as him was only born weighing a mere nine pounds and eight ounces.

"This child has been in the womb for a full ten months. It would be strange if there were no differences."

"Now that he has been born safely, it can keep those old officials in Luoyang in check, so that our army will not be unstable in the rear while we are on our southern expedition."

"If that's the case, let's call him Changdi, and let the princess choose his childhood name."

Changdi is a type of tree whose fruit is edible like cherries, symbolizing longevity and good fortune.

Liu Jilong only hoped that this child, who inherited the bloodlines of the Li Tang dynasty and the Liu family, could live a peaceful and uneventful life.

With his thoughts settled, Liu Jilong instructed Cao Mao, "Make preparations. We will head south to Nanyang in three days."

"Yes!" Cao Mao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Liu Jilong was happy, and then turned around to take care of the trip south.

Meanwhile, news of Liu Jilong wielding weapons for an hour during the Heyin Shehuo sacrificial ceremony spread among the merchants.

In the North during this era, the shamanistic rituals performed during Shehuo (a type of folk performance) were still very important, and the sacrificial rituals involving wielding weapons to ward off disasters were of great concern to the common people.

Liu Jilong not only personally presided over the Shehuo sacrificial ceremony, but also wielded weapons for so long, which inevitably led to many rumors that Liu Jilong was destined for greatness.

Many aspects of Liu Jilong's personal life have been mythologized because of this incident.

The fact that the Tibetans called him the Elephant King was also spread through the efforts of the merchants.

Liu Jilong was naturally aware that someone was fueling these things, but he did not stop them.

Regardless of the circumstances, once he has conquered the south, he will eventually declare himself emperor. Therefore, it is not inappropriate for him to build momentum a year in advance.

While some people were creating momentum, his team also set off south from Heyin.

After arriving in Xuzhou, Zhang Yanhui parted ways with Liu Jilong and headed towards Caizhou, while Liu Jilong went to Dengzhou, where Nanyang is located.

Traveling southwest from Xuzhou, the population becomes visibly sparse, and it is difficult to find many people after traveling dozens of miles.

There are many abandoned villages on both sides of the official road, which are overgrown with weeds and few people dare to enter.

Tangzhou used to have nearly 200,000 people, which was not a large number to begin with. Now, after the cholera outbreak caused by Qin Zongquan and others, although Liu Jilong moved in, the entire prefecture has only about 70,000 people.

The 70,000 people were scattered across various counties, with almost no villages visible outside the counties.

This situation, where there was not a rooster crowing for miles, seemed to transport him back to the road of the Guiyi Army's eastern expedition years ago.

"The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen, but it is all for the sake of the people's suffering."

"Fortunately, the world is about to be at peace, and the land of the Han people will not fall into chaos and bloodshed."

Inside the carriage, Liu Jilong, while governing with a brush in hand, couldn't help but look out the window at the desolate and uninhabited land of Jingxiang and sigh.

Dynastic changes always involve death, but because of his arrival, the number of deaths was much less than in history.

If that's all there is to it, then he has only completed half of his mission. His most important task should have been to enlighten the people and prevent the beautiful scenery from being ruined by filth and scum.

"Your Highness, the population register of Huainan Circuit has arrived."

Cao Mao spurred his horse to follow the carriage and handed a stack of documents to Liu Jilong.

The young clerk who was riding in the car with Liu Jilong reached out his hand, took the money first, and handed it over.

Before Liu Jilong could speak, the ordinary-looking recorder took out the summary and presented it to Liu Jilong with both hands.

"Your Highness, this is a compilation of maps and records..."

"Hmm." Liu Jilong was not short of observant officials around him, so he didn't pay any attention to it and simply took the document and started looking through it.

Liu Jilong controlled only six prefectures in Huainan Circuit. With no shortage of officials and the abolition of corvée labor, the population census could be conducted quickly.

"The population of 776,000 is a bit higher than I expected."

Liu Jilong glanced at it briefly, then closed the document and casually placed it aside.

Seeing this, the official in charge of daily life picked up his pen again and recorded the matter.

These were all things that Liu Jilong requested to be recorded. Therefore, his daily records are much more detailed than those of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, but they are not as complicated as the Ming Dynasty's Veritable Records.

Three hours later, the thousand-plus cavalry escorting Liu Jilong stopped beside an abandoned village on the official road. Hundreds of cavalrymen dismounted and began to prepare the place for camping.

After Liu Jilong stepped off the carriage, he saw several soldiers surrounding a few civilians dressed in plain clothes in the distance, and then walked forward.

As he stepped forward, Cao Maoxian blocked his way: "Your Highness, these are commoners who have heard of your journey south and are waiting for you here. The brothers are checking them, please wait for the time being."

"No need." Liu Jilong stepped forward and then saw the people bowing to him.

"Your Highness!"

Several soldiers saluted, and the seven or eight commoners who came in cloth clothes and led donkey carts also kowtowed.

They looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, and their clothes were quite old, but the donkey cart was loaded with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

"Why are you waiting for me here? And why have you prepared such fruits and vegetables?"

Liu Jilong smiled and asked the eight young men, but one of them looked up and said, "We want to join the army, but neither the military camps nor the government offices want us!"

"We heard you were coming, so we came here two days in advance to wait for you."

They were speaking the Jingchu dialect, which Liu Jilong could not understand, and the soldiers around him also looked embarrassed.

"Your Highness, we simply cannot understand what they are saying, which is why we have been questioning them for so long."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong turned to Cao Mao and asked, "Is there anyone in the team who understands the Jingchu dialect?"

"They seem to be speaking the dialect of Tang and Deng prefectures. Only one in ten people from the original population of Tang and Deng prefectures remains, and there are indeed very few people in the army who can speak it."

Cao Mao responded somewhat awkwardly, but at that moment the official in charge of recording the emperor's daily life stepped forward and bowed: "Your Highness, I once spoke with a friend from Jingchu in Tongzhou and was able to understand some of what he said."

"If that's the case, then tell me what they said."

Liu Jilong became interested, and the official in charge of daily life, seeing this, took on the role of translator.

After learning their purpose, Liu Jilong looked at them and then smiled, "Why can't you serve as soldiers?"

"It's all because we served as soldiers for that Qin dog for a few days, but we didn't eat people with him. We were young then, and we joined the army just to have enough to eat!"

"Yes, Your Highness, let us join the army!"

“If we are not allowed to join the army, we will not be able to survive. The village and township are targeting us in every way.”

“They allocated us the farmland, but they wouldn’t let us use the village’s oxen…”

"Furthermore, they always choose us to be militia members, which delays the farming season but doesn't provide any compensation..."

Liu Jilong hadn't expected that these young men, who looked only seventeen or eighteen, had actually served as soldiers for Qin Zongquan.

Judging by the time, they were probably only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time. Even if they joined the army, they would be cannon fodder, and they must have been bullied a lot.

Now that the war is over, they are being treated like this, so it's no wonder they come to them seeking justice.

Why didn't you report it to the county government?

Cao Mao suddenly spoke up, but Liu Jilong interrupted him, saying, "If reporting to the county government would be of any use, they wouldn't have come looking for me."

"Yes, yes, yes!" The eight young men nodded hurriedly, and then pushed the cart of fruits and vegetables that they had saved up over the years in front of Liu Jilong.

"Your Highness, we have nothing of value to offer but these things to thank you. Please help us!"

"Your Highness, we beg you, please let us join the army..."

They all knelt down and kowtowed to Liu Jilong. Upon seeing this, Liu Jilong signaled to his soldiers to help them up.

“I will take charge of this matter for you.”

His smile was very approachable, and the people who were still crying immediately stopped.

“Pay the money to buy the goods, then send someone to help them get things done, and see how many people are like them, whether the government is just letting them die or there are other reasons.”

Liu Jilong gave instructions to Cao Mao, but Cao Mao looked at the official in charge of recording the emperor's daily activities, and then at Liu Jilong: "Your Highness, no one in the army knows the Jingchu dialect. If we are to deal with this matter, I'm afraid I will have to borrow this official from you."

"That's natural. We need to do a lot of investigation and visit the villages before going to the county government. We can't just go there rashly."

Liu Jilong did not forget to instruct Cao Mao, and then looked at the recorder and said with a smile, "What is your name? Would you be willing to go on this trip for Lord Cao?"

Faced with Liu Jilong's consultative tone, the young court attendant quickly bowed, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
"The Imperial Recorder, Lang Jingxiang, is willing to go!"

(End of this chapter)