Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 506 Recapture of Eight Provinces
"I, being ignorant and foolish, have succeeded to this great undertaking..."

“It is appropriate to change the imperial name to conform to the established system; my original name was Yan, but I will now change it to Ye, which means ‘bright and harmonious’.”

“The fourteenth year of Xiantong was renamed the first year of Tianfu. Before dawn in the second year of Tianfu, all crimes punishable by death or less were pardoned.”

"May all people bear witness to my heart; this proclamation is issued far and wide, so that all may know: On the fifth day of the ninth month of the first year of Tianfu, by Emperor Ye..."

On the fifth day of the ninth month of the third year of Qianfu, while the Han army was marching south in six routes, Gao Pian indeed ordered someone to support Li Yan to ascend the throne in Tanzhou (Changsha) and change his name to Li Ye. He also gave Li Cui an extra three years of lifespan to demonstrate his legitimacy.

This action indeed caused quite a stir throughout the Yangtze River region, especially since Gao Pian had already prepared the paper for the imperial seal. Therefore, when this paper appeared, the local powerful families had already guessed that the imperial court did not have the imperial seal.

However, they naturally didn't believe that what Gao Pian said was true. They only cared about who could win and who could give them power. As for who would be the emperor, they didn't care.

Therefore, the scene of "former officials remembering the Tang Dynasty" that Gao Pian had imagined did not appear; instead, there was only the increasingly fierce offensive of the Han army...

"Raise the cannon muzzle by two points, deepen the ravine, and add heavy wooden wedges. We must not be careless!"

"Clean the cannon barrels in the correct order. All gunnery leaders must keep a close watch. Anyone who causes an accident will have their squad leader executed!"

"Beep--"

"Boom!"

On the tenth day, in the treacherous Dabie Mountains, thirty bronze cannons fired simultaneously at the distant Yinshan Pass. The supposedly impregnable pass was now shaking off stones under the cannon fire, and cracks were spreading from small to large.

"continue!"

On the artillery position, the general in charge of commanding the artillery gave orders without hesitation. The artillerymen began to correct the deformed gun positions, recalibrate them, clean the gun barrels, and load propellant and shells.

"Beep--"

"Boom!"

The double entendre refers to the fact that the artillery attacks on cities and passes were not limited to the Dabie Mountains, but more importantly to the land gateways to Jiangnan... Qianzhong Road.

In less than a month, Wang Jian's troops successively recovered Qianzhou and Sizhou. Only Feizhou remained in their way, followed by Yizhou, which is now the seat of the Qianzhong Circuit.

The speed of the Han army's advance exceeded Gao Pian's expectations, and even more so Lu Ruyue's.

He originally thought that the two prefectures of Qian and Si could hold off the Han army for at least half a year, but now they couldn't even hold them off for a month.

At this moment, the Han army led by Wang Jian was less than 300 li away from Suiyang City, where Lu Ruyue was located, with only five cities remaining between the two sides.

Faced with this situation, Lu Ruyue decided not to retreat, but to fight a decisive battle at Tada Castle, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

As the eastern gateway to Suiyang, Tada Castle is located in a valley where four mountain peaks meet. The surrounding mountains are steep, and it is the only castle stuck at this crossroads.

Lu Ruyue mobilized 24,000 infantrymen to hold the position and forcibly conscripted 20,000 barbarian soldiers to reinforce the area, leaving only 20,000 troops to confront the 20,000 detachments arranged by Wang Jian.

Therefore, when Wang Jian led his army to Tada Castle, what he saw before him was a castle built entirely of stone blocks, no more than ten feet high, yet which tightly sealed off the valley.

"The city walls aren't very high, should I lead my troops in a strong attack?"

Wang Zhi asked Wang Jian beside him, but Wang Jian narrowed his eyes and then shook his head, saying, "Governor Zhang sent word that there is plenty of gunpowder, so fire with confidence!"

After this news spread, the Han generals, who had been looking at Tada Castle with worried expressions, were now filled with fighting spirit.

"Set up camp and begin the assault on this city tomorrow!"

Wang Jian gave instructions to Wang Zhi, and then directed the army to set up camp.

Meanwhile, in Tata Castle, two miles away from Wang Jian, Lu Ruyue personally visited the location and gazed towards the direction of the Han army.

"The catapults in the hands of the Han army could smash heavy iron balls onto the city walls. In the past, cities fell because the city walls were destroyed. Even if they were filled with sandbags, they would still be breached."

The two military commanders standing in front of Lu Ruyue bowed their heads and reported, but Lu Ruyue said with a dark face, "The city wall is destroyed, but street fighting is still possible."

"Why did our army lose over five thousand men, yet they appeared to be completely unharmed?!"

Lu Ruyue pointed to the Han army outside the city, whose morale was high, and questioned his men, but the military commanders on the left and right stammered and could not give a clear answer.

We can't say that they were no match for the Han army in street fighting, can we?

"Hmph! I'll hold this position and see how these bastards manage to break into the city!"

Seeing that her left and right sides were stammering and unable to speak, Lu Ruyue naturally guessed what was going on.

For now, he can only defend Tada Castle with a large force and wait for Gao Pian's imperial edict before making any further plans.

With this in mind, Lu Ruyue began to order the more than 100,000 people who had migrated from the north to Tata Castle to prepare sandbags, and ordered the soldiers in the city to move the catapults to the back of the city wall, in preparation to use the catapults to severely damage the Han army when they approached the city wall.

However, his wishful thinking was clearly going to fail. Wang Jian had no intention of attacking the city walls by tunneling, and instead continued to use long-range artillery fire.

The following morning, when fifty cannons were lined up neatly outside Tada Castle, Wang Jian calmly ordered the bombardment to begin.

Under his orders, fifty cannons on the position began bombarding the low but sturdy walls of Tada Castle.

"Beep--"

"Boom!"

Fifty cannonballs suddenly appeared in front of Tada Castle. Several hit the low walls of Tada Castle, while the remaining forty-odd shells all missed and fell into the castle.

"Boom..."

"Uh-huh!"

The shells that fell into the city destroyed houses and even hit civilians, killing them on the spot.

Lu Ruyue, sitting behind the parapet, looked at the almost invisible cannons in the distance. At this moment, she could only grit her teeth and wait for her subordinates to report.

Before long, two military officers rushed to the city tower and reported the situation of the city wall to Lu Ruyue.

"The rebels used sorcery to attack the city wall about a hundred paces west of the city gate. Seven iron balls were thrown into the wall, and stones fell from the wall, but there was no major damage!"

"The east side of the city gate is unobstructed..."

After the two men reported, Lu Ruyue breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although the Han army's methods were unpredictable, this thing was probably similar to a catapult, only more powerful and easier to hit.

"Keep an eye on the condition of each section of the city wall!"

He gave a cold order and then waited for the Han army's next attack.

He didn't use the catapults to retaliate, because given the distance between the two sides, he could tell at a glance that his own catapults had no chance of hitting the enemy.

In other words, they can only passively take the beating now, waiting for the Han army to breach the city walls and for the distance between the two sides to begin to close before they can make their move.

"put!"

"Rumble--"

From dawn to dusk, almost every half-cup of tea's time, the artillery on the Han army's position would fire all at once, and then be wiped down with damp cloths to cool it down.

This would affect the lifespan of the artillery, but for the Han army, which controlled the entire north, the production of gunpowder and iron was constantly increasing as the Linzhou gunpowder factory began to be distributed to various provinces.

Moreover, the current artillery pieces do not actually meet Liu Jilong's requirements at all; they can be considered merely transitional products.

That's why Liu Jilong had the artillerymen use wet cloths to cool down the cannons, but even so, each cannon could still fire fifty to sixty shells.

The daily consumption of cannonballs ranged from two thousand five hundred to three thousand, and these cannonballs were not technically sophisticated; the craftsmen accompanying Wang Jian's army could cast them on the spot.

Although Lu Ruyue could relocate people and burn down granaries, he could not destroy the iron materials in the armory, let alone take them away.

All this iron went to Wang Jian, while at that moment, in a corner of the army camp, hundreds of blacksmiths and thousands of apprentices were constantly using the captured iron to cast iron cannonballs.

The burrs on the surface of the cannonballs were polished by the apprentices, and three thousand cannonballs could be produced every day, which could completely make up for the shortage of the Han army.

Unless Lu Ruyue can take the iron materials from the various cities with him, the Han army can continuously use the captured iron materials to cast cannonballs.

Even without iron, the Han army could use local materials, such as the stones that were readily available in the Qianzhong Road, to fire stone projectiles, although the power was slightly less than that of iron cannonballs.

How much gunpowder is left in the army?

Wang Jian gazed at Tada Castle under the twilight, and as he turned his horse back to camp, he inquired about Wang Zhi.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi quickly bowed and said, "Brother Xing, don't worry. There are still 60,000 catties of gunpowder in the army, enough for ten days' consumption."

"Governor Zhang has already sent people to Fuzhou to mine saltpeter for gunpowder. Our army will surely be able to take over the entire central Guizhou before the end of the year!"

Jiannan Road has saltpeter, sulfur, and vast forests for making charcoal, making it a very convenient region for gunpowder production.

Zhang Wu had long ago sent people to search for sulfur and saltpeter, and had already discovered a number of saltpeter mines of good purity in Fuzhou and Yuzhou, as well as sulfur mines in Emei Mountain, Yazhou and other places.

Although its scale cannot compare with that of Longyou, it is still one of the most prominent in the region.

Otherwise, Liu Jilong would not have chosen to allocate artillery to Wang Jian.

"We must urge the rear to transport artillery. Our army needs to capture the neighboring prefectures of Qianzhong, Jiannan, and Shannan in advance in order to attract Gao Pian to come back to reinforce."

"Yes!"

Wang Jian did not forget his mission: to capture Qianzhong while simultaneously drawing Gao Pian back to reinforce it, thus creating an opportunity for the Jiangbei army.

As he was thinking this, the Han army's offensive became increasingly rapid in the following days, with more than two thousand iron cannonballs constantly pounding a section of Tada Castle every day.

In just five days, this section of the Tada Castle wall had completely collapsed, and Lu Ruyue could only order the laborers to fill it with sandbags.

Wang Jian was not in a hurry, but continued to steadily widen the gap in the city wall with cannons.

The method of blasting through holes is not very effective against city walls made of rammed earth and brick or rammed earth and stone.

Therefore, Wang Jian had to first destroy the stone wall outside the rammed earth wall; the sandbags were not important.

Once the stone city walls are destroyed, the Han army can directly breach the sandbags and rammed earth walls through tunnels, and then storm the city.

Wang Jian's idea can be considered an old tactic of the Han army. However, the Han army used to use catapults, so it would take ten days, half a month, or even two or three months to take down a city made of rammed earth and brick.

Now that we have cannons, we can break through brick walls much faster and conquer cities much more quickly.

Lu Ruyue had already experienced the methods of the Han army, so when Wang Jian kept attacking the stone city wall with cannons, he knew Wang Jian's intentions.

Faced with this situation, he could only organize laborers to build sandbags to defend the city walls, while sending fast horses to Jiangdong to report on the situation in Qianzhong Road.

At the same time he sent out the message, Liu Jilong, who was far away in Jiangling City, also received a memorial from Luoyang amidst a series of reports of victory.

"Shenzhou, Guangzhou, and Suizhou have all been captured, and it's only a matter of time before the eight passes of the Dabie Mountains are taken."

"Gao Qianli's methods are not particularly clever, but Jinda falling ill is something I really didn't expect."

Inside Yanguang Pavilion, Liu Jilong stood in the spot where Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi once admired the river view, gazing at the Yangtze River scenery outside the pavilion, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Given Yishan's nature, since he has taken on the responsibility and agreed to Jinda's request, he certainly won't submit a special report to me."

"Send someone to investigate this matter and see who is targeting him."

Liu Jilong spoke with his back to Zhao Ying. Zhao Ying nodded and then bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I just don't know what will happen after we find out..."

"No need to take any action for now, but I do need to write a letter to Yishan so that he can govern in Luoyang with peace of mind."

He interrupted Zhao Ying, then turned around and sat back in the main seat. After pondering for a moment, he wrote a letter.

As he handed the letter to Zhao Ying, he specifically instructed, "Order Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu to encircle and suppress Li Sigong of the Dangxiang. If he continues to resist stubbornly, then show no mercy."

"The imperial edict ordered Husi Guang to send cavalry to reinforce Daibei, and not to let Li Keyong succeed in his invasion. As for the scoundrels of the Khitan, we can deal with them later."

"Yes!" Zhao Ying quickly replied. He knew that his prince was giving those people in the north something to do. Even if these villains hadn't invaded and caused trouble, his prince would have made arrangements.

Now that this group of people is causing trouble, we might as well take this opportunity to properly arrange for the generals of the northern frontier to deal with the invading foreign tribes.

"Have those people in Luoyang made any unusual moves lately?"

Liu Jilong asked Zhao Ying, who lowered her head and said, "Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che and others seem to be plotting something against you."

"Your Highness, should I send someone to take them away right now...?"

"No need." Liu Jilong shook his head: "It's not a big deal. Once we recover the south, we'll deal with them all at once."

Seeing that he had already made arrangements, Zhao Ying stopped saying anything and left Yanguang Pavilion after confirming that he had not given any further instructions.

After he left, Liu Jilong began to ponder matters concerning the court.

Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and other former officials were nothing but clowns; what he really needed to worry about were his old brothers.

After the country was pacified, the court had to reform the system, and the only models that Liu Jilong could refer to were the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Yuan system was too chaotic and not suitable for today.

Because the Song Dynasty was adjacent to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the lessons learned were too profound. The trend of de-military activities was too strong, and the restrictions on military generals were too heavy.

The Qing dynasty's system was not bad, but it was based on the Eight Banners system. Liu Jilong could not cultivate an Eight Banners to help him consolidate his central power, so the only system he could choose was the Ming dynasty's.

The Ming Dynasty's system can be broadly divided into two sets of systems: one established by Zhu Yuanzhang and the other by Zhu Di. Zhu Yuanzhang's system was clearly a system of strongman rule.

If an emperor doesn't have the same energy as Zhu Yuanzhang—enough to handle over four hundred matters a day, then return to the palace to create effigies, sleep for two hours, and then get up to continue governing—then his system would have significant flaws.

It's worth noting that Li Shimin, who did the same things as Zhu Yuanzhang, only lived to be fifty, while Zhu Yuanzhang lived to be seventy-one.

This kind of system, designed by a man of great energy, can only be effectively implemented by an emperor who is also a man of great energy. Therefore, Liu Jilong did not consider the system of Zhu Yuanzhang, and he did not even like the system left by Zhu Di.

His idea was to use the Ming Dynasty system from the time of Zhu Di as the main body, and to patch up the major problems of the garrison system, the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War system, as well as the problems of the lack of centralized finance of the princes and the Ministry of Revenue, and the conversion of officials' salaries into cash.

As for the Cabinet and the Grand Council, although these two systems are very different, they were both originally similar to advisory bodies.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Grand Secretariat was merely an advisor to the emperor and had no real power. However, as emperors after the Xuande Emperor became less interested in handling government affairs, and as the emperor began to appoint the ministers of the Six Ministries as Grand Secretaries, Grand Secretariat officials gained dual roles as both Grand Secretariat officials and ministers, thus increasing their power.

Especially after the Xuande era, the cabinet gained the power to draft proposals and, together with the Six Ministries, held the power to reject proposals. The cabinet's power became excessively large.

Similarly, the Grand Council initially served as an advisory body to the emperor, but starting from the Tongzhi Emperor onwards, it gradually evolved into a prime ministerial body.

Although the Grand Council did not have the power to reject proposals, the Grand Councilors often chose to shelve and let things stagnate in the late Qing Dynasty, which was essentially no different from other systems.

Ultimately, it's normal for various government departments to wield immense power in the later stages of a dynasty. No matter how well-established the system is, it will eventually cease to exist once the person dies.

How could Zhu Yuanzhang and Yongzheng have imagined that what started as an advisory body would gradually develop into an institution with immense power, even one that could overshadow the emperor?

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Jilong picked up his pen and wrote down the system he had envisioned one by one in the book in his hand. Apart from the sound of the wind, the only sound in the entire Yanguang Pavilion was the sound of his pen.

While he was devising the system for the new dynasty, 150,000 Han troops in Jiangbei were advancing triumphantly.

Chen Ying was the first to attack An and Ying prefectures, and Wang Shi's army successively captured eight passes in the Dabie Mountains. Chen Jingchong in the east also finally entered Shuzhou territory and marched straight in.

Faced with enemy forces on all sides, Liang Zuan, with only 50,000 troops, found himself unable to hold out. He began to consolidate his forces in Huangpi, Huanggang, Hanyang, and Wankou. Under his overall retreat, the Han army continued to pursue and occupy various prefectures.

By early October, only the four cities that Liang Zuan had annexed remained in the eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River, and his annexation efforts were gradually showing results.

Since the people of the eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River had long been relocated to Hunan by Gao Pian, the Han army gradually began to feel that the transportation of food supplies from the rear was not going smoothly after penetrating deep into the eight prefectures, and could only increase the recruitment of laborers from the rear.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate for a time, while Gao Pian, who was in Jiangdong, had already taken advantage of the situation to capture Wuxi, Suzhou and Huzhou, and was now facing off against the allied forces of Song Wei and Dong Chang across the Zhejiang River (Qiantang River).

"Do these scoundrels think that if they retreat to eastern Zhejiang, I won't be able to subdue them?"

On the west bank of Zhejiang, Gao Pian observed the allied army camp on the east bank of Zhejiang, then looked at the dozens of warships of various sizes on the Zhejiang River, his face deep in thought, as if he were thinking of a way to defeat the enemy.

While he was pondering, Gao Qin rushed over in a panic. Ignoring Gao Pian's deep thought, he hurriedly said, "Father, urgent report from the west!"

He sent out three urgent reports, one each from Lu Ruyue, Liang Zuan, and Cai Xi.

"The rebels have successively captured our troops in Qianzhong and Sizhou, and now the two armies are facing off in Feizhou."

"Most of the eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River have fallen, with only four key cities remaining in our hands."

"The southern barbarians invaded Annam, and Cai Xi requested aid."

Three urgent reports, each from a different direction, were read by Gao Pian with a frown. After gathering his thoughts, he gave the following instructions:

"The imperial edict ordered Lu Ruyue that if Feizhou and Yizhou could not be held, the people should be immediately relocated south to Juzhou."

"An imperial edict was issued to Yu Gongchu, ordering him to lead 20,000 troops to garrison the prefectures in eastern Guizhou, and to prevent the rebel army from invading Hunan."

"The imperial edict ordered Liang Zuan that if the enemy's casualties were too great, the situation would be hopeless and he should cross the river and retreat to Hunan, then rush to eastern Guizhou to garrison."

"An imperial edict was issued to Gao Jie, ordering him to use the navy to support Liang Zuan, and then blockade the Yangtze River to force Liu Jilong's navy to appear!"

Liu Jilong's navy had not yet shown up, which made Gao Pian somewhat unsure, especially given the sorcery of the rebels mentioned in Lu Ruyue and Liang Zuan's military reports.

He could conclude that if that kind of sorcery was indeed similar to a catapult, capable of hitting iron balls against city walls, it could certainly also hit ships.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian continued to look at Gao Qin: "Issue an imperial edict to Gao Jie, instructing him to inform all naval forces to be wary of the sorcery mentioned in Liang Lang's military report."

"Yes!" Gao Qin readily agreed, then turned and rushed back to his tent to send all of Gao Pian's edicts to various places.

While he was issuing the imperial edict, Gao Pian was observing the forces of Song Wei and Dong Chang, who were trying to block him from the west bank of Zhejiang by using their navy to protect Zhejiang.

Now that the two have submitted to Liu Jilong, they will inevitably resist to the bitter end.

His own navy is all in Jiangxia and Wankou, and there is no navy available to fight against him in Zhejiang.

Since that's the case, the only option is to head up the middle and upper reaches of Zhejiang, taking advantage of the fact that the navy can only operate downstream, and cross the river upstream to fight in eastern Zhejiang.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian instructed his men, "Leave 5,000 troops here to garrison. Order Sun Ru to lead 20,000 troops to attack Muzhou along the Zhejiang River. After Muzhou falls, gather troops to attack the remaining three prefectures of Hangzhou, Yuezhou, and Mingzhou in eastern Zhejiang!"

"This subordinate obeys!" Sun Ru replied without hesitation, but a hint of calculation flashed in his eyes.

Half an hour later, as Sun Ru led his troops toward Fuyang, Gao Pian looked at the generals behind him and asked, "Have all 30,000 new recruits from Jiangxi been transferred here?"

"They have already stationed themselves in various prefectures of Jiangdong." The generals' reply reassured him somewhat.

"Li Yangchun of Huainan hasn't made a move yet. He still has at least a navy and 20,000 to 30,000 troops, which cannot be ignored."

"If he crosses the Yangtze River and heads south, immediately order the Anhui naval forces to sail down the river."

"Yes!" The generals on either side responded, and Gao Pian returned to his own tent with satisfaction.

As he returned, Yang Xingmin, on the east bank of the Zhejiang River, saw Gao Pian leading his troops out of camp and heading upstream along the Zhejiang River. He secretly lamented the situation and said to Li Shenfu beside him:
"Send a message to Prefect Song of Muzhou: Gao Pian is leading a large army along the Zhejiang River towards Muzhou. Tell him to prepare for the worst."

"Yes!" Li Shenfu readily agreed and dispatched a fast horse to Muzhou.

Gao Pian had always intended to conquer them, and now that he had learned they had submitted to Liu Jilong, his desire to conquer them and then confront Liu Jilong had only intensified.

Yang Xingmin groaned and couldn't help but turn to Yuan Xi: "Sir, when exactly will the government troops in Huainan cross the river?"

Faced with his question, Yuan Xi also pondered for a moment before replying:
"If my thinking is correct, the imperial court must already be launching a strong attack on other places, forcing Gao Pian to return to defend."

"If Gao Pian returns to defend, Huainan will immediately send troops to Jiangnan, occupy Jiangdong, and then launch a pincer attack on Gao Pian's rebel army."

"Gao Pian is currently stubbornly trying to subdue our army. Our army must hold out until Gao Pian can no longer hold out."

Yuan Xi's words annoyed Yang Xingmin, stemming from his lack of confidence due to a lack of intelligence.

If he knew that the Qianzhong Road was in grave danger and that only four cities remained of the eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River, he would not be so worried.

While Yang Xingmin was worried about his situation, in the Yangzhou government office, which faced Jiangdong across the river, Li Yangchun stood calmly in front of the sand table, while Liu Song, Tan Kai, Deng Yan, seven or eight captains, and more than twenty lieutenants stood in the hall.

Among the generals, Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba, and Zhang Guihou stood out, simply because they were relatively young.

"His Highness instructed our army to wait for Gao Pian to withdraw his troops before crossing the Yangtze River southward, in order to achieve a two-pronged attack. However, it seems that Gao Pian will not leave until he has defeated Song Wei and Dong Chang."

"According to the information gathered by our spies, Gao Pian has likely dispatched tens of thousands of troops from Jiangxi to garrison Runzhou and Changzhou to guard against us."

"Their navy is stationed at Wankou, which is only about 600 li away from here. The Wankou navy can reach the section of the river between Yangzhou and Runzhou in just three days."

"With the ships our army currently possesses, we can transport all 30,000 troops to Jiangnan in three days. However, if Gao Pian does not withdraw, our army will face the problem of fighting with the Anhui naval forces and even being cut off from supplies."

"If we sit here idly, we may witness the downfall of Dong Chang and Song Wei."

"His Highness must be informed of this matter."

Li Yangchun explained the situation they faced, stating that he was not confident enough to lead 30,000 troops in a desperate battle against Gao Pian's 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers.

If he wins, all will be well, but if he loses, he will be a sinner to the court.

Whether to stand idly by and watch Dong Chang and Song Wei be destroyed, or to fight a desperate battle and cross the Yangtze River to the south, this choice can only be made by His Highness.

With that in mind, he ordered a fast horse to be dispatched to Jiangling.

At the same time, Li Shangyin in Luoyang also received a letter from Liu Jilong. He nervously opened the letter, but as the contents unfolded, his expression changed from nervous to blank, and finally he showed a helpless smile.

[Letter to Yishan: I received your letter today and am overjoyed; it has been more than a year since I last saw you, Zhiyi.]

[Knowing that Jinda is seriously ill, I am deeply worried; however, after reading Yishan's letters, I know that there must be villains plotting against you, causing you unease.]

[I am now a general on the front lines. I entrust all matters of state to you. Though the world may doubt me, how could I doubt Li Shan?]

[If anyone dares to speak ill of others, let him be beaten to death, and let no punishment be given.]

[On the tenth day of the ninth month of the third year of Qianfu (756 AD), Mu Zhi bowed twice.]

Faced with the concise yet self-considerate handwritten message, especially the self-reference Liu Jilong used at the end, Li Shangyin's worries vanished in an instant.

"The only ones who could make His Highness act this way are the Prime Minister and Father."

Lee Gon-seok read the letter with envy and couldn't help but sigh.

Although Li Shangyin was quite composed, he couldn't help but reveal a hint of pride upon hearing this.

"My memorial did not mention anything, yet Your Highness was able to see my worries and then offered words of comfort."

"In that case, I was just worrying unnecessarily and underestimated Your Highness's magnanimity."

Li Shangyin sighed as he spoke, but Li Gunshi shook his head after hearing this: "If it weren't for others instigating and threatening us, how could Father have acted this way?"

"Now that His Highness has written a letter, Father no longer needs to worry about those petty villains."

Li Shangyin disagreed with Li Gunshi's characterization of Zhang Ying and others as villains, and retorted:

"What Zhang Langjun and the others said was not meant to provoke, but merely to remind me."

"Since I entered the Council of State Affairs, you have all seen that those former officials have been coming and going here, all hoping that I will continue to support the Tang Dynasty because of our kinship with the imperial family."

"But they never imagined that if it weren't for Your Highness, I would probably still be just a lowly official in the military governor's office."

"Since the Tang Dynasty has treated me this way, why should I support the Tang Dynasty? Just because of a mere bloodline?"

Li Shangyin knew what those former officials were thinking. Zhang Ying's concern was nothing more than that Li Shangyin was asking for trouble, or even that Li Shangyin might be turned against him.

Li Shangyin had long since become indifferent to the so-called bloodline, and even rejoiced in seeing the Tang Dynasty collapse and a new dynasty rise.

Thinking of this, he looked at Li Gunshi and asked, "Have the Ministry of Revenue's maps and documents been sent over yet?"

"Just delivered." Li Gunshi placed the document on the Ministry of Revenue's autumn tax revenue in front of Li Shangyin, set it down, and said to him:

"This year, Guanzhong, Guannei, Hebei, Henan and other places are still suffering from severe drought. The imperial court has exempted fifty-one prefectures from autumn taxes."

"Therefore, this year's autumn harvest of millet amounted to more than 16 million shi, while the remaining silk and brocade items were valued at 6 million guan, and the revenue from various government-run enterprises such as tobacco, alcohol, tea, and iron mines was valued at 3.27 million guan."

Li Gunshi succinctly explained the autumn tax situation this year. Although it was lower than in previous years, it was the highest autumn tax in the Tang Dynasty since the Yuanhe era.

Li Shangyin opened the document and, after confirming that it was correct, said: "In counties with abundant grain, the grain should be transported to disaster-stricken counties in Guandong and Guannei through a transfer method, so as to stabilize grain prices and allow people to buy grain."

“In those disaster-stricken counties, officials from various prefectures and counties were ordered to recruit workers and wait for the grain aid from various prefectures and counties to arrive. The local people were then paid in grain to repair roads, embankments, and irrigation canals.”

"Under the work-for-relief program, each person was given three catties of grain per day. This was not only to ensure that the working people were fed, but also to take into account their families."

“In each of the affected prefectures and counties, porridge shall be distributed once a day at the city gates. The Censorate shall be ordered to inspect each prefecture and county and supervise the distribution of porridge.”

After giving his instructions, Li Shangyin continued to tell Li Gunshi, "In addition, when transferring grain, first transfer the grain from Henan and Shandong to the front line, and ensure that the supply of provisions to the troops at the front line is not interrupted."

"Yes!" Li Gunshi hurriedly replied, and then left the Hall of State Affairs in a hurry.

In the following days, the officials who came to observe Li Shangyin noticed his change; in short, he was now more confident.

Such a change inevitably brings to mind Liu Jilong, while Li Shangyin's behavior of never accepting invitations from former officials gradually reassured Zhang Ying and others, but made Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and others increasingly anxious.

They all knew that once Liu Jilong returned from his southern expedition, the Tang Dynasty would come to an end.

"We won't see anyone at the Princess's residence or the Hall of State Affairs, and even His Majesty is avoiding us everywhere..."

In the main hall of the mansion, Doulu Zhuo's beard trembled with rage, and he couldn't help but question, "Is this Tang Dynasty only our Tang Dynasty?!"

Pei Che sat beside him, silent, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

It seems that apart from those who were still unwilling to admit defeat, everyone else had accepted the reality that the Tang Dynasty was about to collapse.

"Why not head south? There is a court under the rule of Prince Pu in the south. Even if it inevitably collapses in the end, at least you and I have resisted!"

Doulu Zhu impulsively voiced his thoughts, but Pei Che shook his head after hearing them: "Both sides of the Yangtze River are filled with large armies, where can you and I go to head south?"

"Liu Jilong's sons are still young. If we can carry out the assassination as originally planned when he returns to Luoyang, even if it fails, we will still be remembered in history."

Seeing him say this, Doulu Zhuo clenched his hands with a hint of resentment: "Not to mention that Liu Jilong is heavily guarded, Liu Jilong is a man who can kill ten thousand men. He can kill generals and seize flags while riding his horse. Who could possibly assassinate him?"

Pei Che's face fell upon hearing this: "If the princess were willing to cooperate, Liu Jilong would probably have already..."

"She refused to see any visitors, clearly indicating that she had already pledged her allegiance to Liu Jilong."

Upon hearing this, Doulu Zhu interrupted him, angrily slamming his hand on the table.

"In the end, she's just a woman. What sense of national righteousness do these women have?"

"Once you submit to someone, it's as if you've lost your home; all you know is how to please them!"

"I disagreed with marrying this woman to Liu Muzhi from the beginning. Now it seems that it has only added another insult to Emperor Taizong's descendants for Liu Jilong!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Che was at a loss for words, only managing to open his mouth and say, "If the prince born to the princess could inherit the throne, it would be a fitting tribute to the bloodline of Emperor Taizong..."

Before he could finish speaking, Doulu Zhu sneered, "If it were feasible, why didn't the King of Wu succeed to the throne back then, but instead let Emperor Gaozong inherit it?"

Pei Che was speechless after being rebuked, and could only frown and say, "I will arrange the assassination. You should behave yourself these days."

Before Doulu Zhu could speak, Pei Che got up and left the main hall.

Doulu Zhuo didn't see his guest off; he just sat there, fuming.

The two spoke in secrecy, but as Pei Che continued to search for someone to assassinate Liu Jilong, the spies left behind in Luoyang vaguely guessed the general situation. So they sent a fast horse south to deliver the urgent report to Liu Jilong in early October.

Faced with urgent reports from Luoyang and Huainan, Liu Jilong frowned slightly.

Seeing this, Zhao Ying couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, their actions are so arrogant. Let me lead men to arrest them all!"

Faced with his words, Liu Jilong looked at him with displeasure: "I said, we'll discuss this after the southern campaign is over."

He put the news about Pei Che and the others aside and picked up Li Yangchun's urgent report to read it repeatedly.

Gao Pian's strategic resolve far exceeded Liu Jilong's expectations.

He thought Gao Pian was nearing the point where he needed to take elixirs and become confused, but he never expected that his past had dealt him such a heavy blow that the man was too lazy to even ask for longevity and looked like he was trying to cut off his tail to survive.

His plan to abandon Jiangbei to seize Jiangdong and Liangzhe, and then rely on the prefectures and counties of eastern Guizhou to block him, was indeed a good one.

But if he thinks he can only succeed from both Jiangdong and Qianzhong, then he is wrong.

"If he doesn't come to Hunan, then we will enter Hunan first."

Liu Jilong spoke calmly, and Zhao Ying's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Then, Liu Jilong looked at her and said:
"Imperial decree: Order all troops in Jiangbei to quickly pacify the remaining four cities in Jiangbei. Order Geng Ming to hand over his troops to Cao Mao, who will lead the navy to attack Zhijiang, Songzi, and Gong'an. The main force stationed in Jiangling will cross the Yangtze River and head south!"

"Your subject obeys!" Upon hearing that Liu Jilong planned to take advantage of the fierce fighting east of Jiangling to cross the Yangtze River and head south, Zhao Ying immediately perked up.

Once news of the Han army's successful crossing of the river spreads, Gao Pian will certainly be unable to sit still and will have no choice but to abandon eastern Zhejiang and retreat to Hunan.

Zhao Ying dared not delay and immediately sent a messenger on horseback to Hanyang to inform Geng Ming that he had handed over the troops to Cao Mao to command the attack on the city, and ordered him to retreat and command the navy to head south to Hunan.

Geng Ming dared not delay. After handing over military power, he quickly rode back to Jiangling. When he returned to Jiangling, his eyes were bloodshot, but he was very excited.

"If I hand over all 20,000 naval troops to you, how many days will it take to capture the three cities of Zhijiang, Songzi, and Gong'an?"

Liu Jilong looked at him, holding the naval fish tally in his hand, ready to hand it to him at any moment.

In response to Liu Jilong's question, Geng Ming bowed without hesitation and said, "Ten days, within ten days, we will capture three cities and force Gao Pian to return to defend Hunan!"

"If that's the case, then take the fish tally and lead the army. I'll be waiting for your good news in Jiangling!"

Liu Jilong handed the fish tally to Geng Ming, who accepted it without hesitation. Geng Ming then respectfully left the Sizheng Hall and hurried towards Yiling, the naval camp.

Watching his figure disappear, Liu Jilong turned back to look at the sand table covered with flags.

"Gao Qianli, what will you choose now..."

(End of this chapter)