Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

Zhang Huanran's tone was quite worried.

If the imperial court were to pin the blame for this peasant uprising on the officials of Xingyang, that would be extremely bad.

"This matter is quite serious, and it involves a prince. The decision rests entirely with His Majesty. You only need to appease the people and prevent further trouble, then the higher-ups will not blame you."

Zhang Huanran nodded, indicating his understanding.

While I understand, I also feel somewhat relieved.

Fortunately, the rebellion first broke out in Qizhou, and the governor Pei Hongpei was the one who directly faced the wrath of the King of Qi.

If this had happened in Xingyang, Zhang Huanran would have definitely suffered the same misfortune as Prefect Pei.

Just then, a clerk rushed over and whispered a few words to Governor Zhang.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huanran's expression changed drastically.

"General Li, someone is causing trouble in Yangwu under the banner of the King of Qi!"

"Is that so?"

"That's right, the land redistribution policy implemented by the King of Qi has made the people restless and anxious, always feeling that they have too little land... What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and call the local soldiers to quell the rebellion!" The last sentence was shouted by Governor Zhang at the clerks.

"Su Dingfang, take five hundred cavalry and go help them."

"promise!"

Upon hearing this, Governor Zhang's mood improved considerably, and he bowed respectfully to Li Ji.

"Thank you for your help, General Li."

"You don't need to do that. I brought my troops here to quell the rebellion."

Many famous generals in the early Tang Dynasty, including Li Ji, were multi-talented individuals.

They were capable of managing both soldiers and civilians, and their abilities were quite outstanding.

Li Ji knew that the emperor had sent him to Xingyang not only to quell the rebellion, but also to cooperate with the local government to quickly suppress the civil unrest.

"General Li, the imperial edict hasn't been issued yet. Aren't you in a hurry to leave? You can take this opportunity to experience the local customs and culture of Xingyang..."

Zhang Huanran was a seasoned bureaucrat, and he understood the crux of the matter. Although the King of Qi was dead, the public sentiment he had stirred up wouldn't disappear instantly. Moreover, many people had genuinely benefited this time, while those who hadn't inevitably felt resentful, their methods likely to become radical, and driven by their own restless desires, they were bound to take desperate measures.

Therefore, at this time, the longer the imperial army stays, the more stable the government in Xingyang will be, and the less pressure the government will be under.

……

Li You never imagined that after he was "killed," someone would still use the name of the Prince of Qi to cause trouble.

At this moment, his nerves were still in a state of high tension.

The convoy had been traveling for six days and was already 270 li away from Xingyang.

Provided that human and animal power were not exhausted, the speed at which the entire team moved forward was actually not very fast.

The only good news is that there were no pursuers behind them.

This shows that my arrangements have achieved the desired effect.

And to the predetermined destination, the desolate and bleak Suizhou region to the south, there were still five hundred li to go.

In order to avoid attracting the attention of the government, Li You avoided the villages and towns he encountered along the way and did not "requisition grain and fodder" again.

It would be a losing proposition to expose the entire team's whereabouts for such a small gain.

On the way, Li You often talked with the clerks, hoping to learn some survival and development skills in the mountains and forests, which would be crucial for the team's future development.

The problem is that they don't really understand this aspect of knowledge and practice.

The clerks had lived in the north for a long time and were familiar with the life there.

Moreover, they were merely staff members in the governor's office, not agronomists, artisans, or merchants.

The only certainty is that by this time, rice had become a major crop in southern China, with numerous varieties available. After the rebel army of several thousand entered the mountains of Suizhou, it's highly likely that many of them would be assigned to rice cultivation. Without a stable food supply, many would starve.

To find out exactly how to clear land, select seeds, germinate, sow, till, harrow, raise seedlings, transplant, fertilize, and hull the seedlings, you'll have to ask the local farmers when you get there.

As for whether the local government would interfere with their actions, Li You was not too worried.

His three thousand elite soldiers, all armed, along with the loyal followers, would certainly be no match for the regular army of the Tang Dynasty, but they could easily defeat the yamen runners and soldiers of the Suizhou government.

Furthermore, it's hard to say whether Suizhou, a prefecture with only 12,000 households, has a total of 10,000 young and middle-aged laborers.

Li You pondered to himself that if he arrived in Suizhou and the government didn't cause him any trouble, he wouldn't bother them. His immediate priority was to preserve his hard-won basic force as much as possible, minimize their casualties, and establish a small base of operations.

Li You carefully recalled the original owner's actions. He had planned the rebellion during a period when the dynasty was still relatively stable, so the success rate was inherently low. Furthermore, the original owner wanted to use the peasant army of a single prefecture to fight against the strongest military force of the Tang Dynasty. Not to mention him, even if Wu Anjun were reborn, he would not have succeeded.

As for how to proceed on the path of rebellion, Li You planned to relax after entering the mountains and think it over carefully.

"Hongxin, how much food do we have left?"

"It can last for another five days."

"Send soldiers to nearby towns to buy grain. Remember, the number of people should be small, and they should not cause trouble."

"promise!"

Most of the wealth accumulated by the Zheng family of Xingyang is now in Li You's pocket.

Money is worthless; you can earn more after you spend it. This wealth must be converted into usable resources immediately. Buy whatever you can, and as much as you can.

After traveling for another eight days, the group arrived at the side of a mountain range.

With no pursuers following, Li You's mood noticeably eased.

There were hardly any people around. Yan Hongxin sent someone to arrest a woodcutter and asked him, and learned that this place was called Dafu Mountain, under the jurisdiction of Guang Prefecture. Guang Prefecture is present-day Xinyang.

Further south from Dafu Mountain, there is another mountain range called Yunmeng Mountain.

In fact, both of these mountains are part of the Tongbai Mountain range.

Suizhou is located on the southern slope of the Tongbai Mountain range.

Further south from Suizhou, there is another mountain range called the Dahong Mountain Range.

In other words, the Tongbai Mountain range and the Dahong Mountain range are located to the south and north, respectively, with Suizhou sandwiched in between.

In other words, Li You's team has finally arrived at their destination.

Beyond the Dahong Mountains, further south and west lies the famous Jianghan Plain, which is today's Jingzhou and Wuhan area. However, during the Tang Dynasty, most of Wuhan was still submerged.

The next step is to enter the Tongbai Mountains and seek a way to survive.

Li You led his soldiers to a water source at the foot of the mountain, where they temporarily set up camp.

The woodcutter who had just been captured was also placed under strict protection.

During the subsequent journey into the mountains, woodcutters familiar with the terrain will be of great use.

Li You gave the order, commanding the soldiers to rest and recuperate.

But Yan Hongxin had a different opinion.

"Your Majesty, at this time, we probably cannot allow them to rest!"