The Great Tang General

Jinyun Governor Cai Yi, under the coercion of powerful people, joined forces with Liaoman to rebel, but was ruthlessly wiped out by the imperial army. This was the death knell for the Jiangnan region to eliminate the lowly and turn them into good people...

As more and more militias joined the battlefield, in just over half a year, all the counties, towns and villages in the Jiangnan region where people gathered were swept by the Tang army.

Unless a powerful person takes his family and flees to the deep mountains and forests, living in seclusion.

Those great families who did not take human lives lightly, or those great families and noble families who did not leave any evidence, were forced to surrender to the court after the death knell sounded. They were willing to give up their land, release their serfs, and burn their tenant contracts.

Let’s just talk about the east road of Jiangnan.

The super large counties with a population of over 500,000 include Dongyang County, Jinling County, Danyang County, Wu County, Yuhang County, Kuaiji County, Linhai County, Wuxing County, and Xin'an County.

The population of these counties exploded after the local tyrants were defeated and the land was distributed. Serfs and escaped households were recorded again in various places and the land was redistributed.

The entire Jiangnan West Road originally had a registered population of 600,000 and a population of 3.7 million.

By the winter of the second year of Qianyuan, the registered population had reached 4,578,621.

More than 10 million acres of land were added.

The entire Jiangnan East Province originally had 1.14 million registered households and a population of over 7 million.

The current registered population has reached 8,965,733.

The newly added land exceeds nearly 20 million acres.

Wujun.

This large county in the south of the Yangtze River, which originally had a population of only 630,000, now has a registered population of 785,430.

Jiaxing County, where there are almost no mountains or hills, is the most important production area in the south of the Yangtze River.

It is precisely such fertile land that is most coveted by the powerful.

In Jiaxing as a whole, more than 300,000 mu of arable land was newly acquired.

It is enough for each household to get 50 mu of mulberry fields and 20 mu of permanent farmland.

Today, the Qingtang Township in Jiaxing is counting the household registration and cultivated land, and under the leadership of Jiaxing Ling Fengjia, the land is distributed to the people.

Jiaxing magistrate Feng Jia was also very happy. In the huge Jiaxing County, this was the only township that was left unfinished.

Fengjia was the commoner number one in the imperial examination after Li Xuan reformed the imperial examination system in the seventh year of Tianbao.

He is originally from Yuyao, not far from Jiaxing.

After ten years of hard study, he traveled thousands of miles to Chang'an, and became so poor that he had to sell fish for a living.

If Li Xuan had not changed the imperial examination system, the top scholar that year would definitely not have been Fengjia.

Even whether one can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi is a question mark.

Because the questions for the imperial examination that year were set by Li Xuan and included math questions.

Even the theme is about change.

Therefore, Feng Jia was grateful to Li Xuan and admired Li Xuan's great talent and strategy.

Originally, Fengjia was granted the title of Zuobuque, but when Yang Guozhong was in power, he was demoted to Tangxingwei.

After King Li Xuan returned, he was demoted to the position of Jiaxing Magistrate.

Li Xuan hopes that he can become a local official, and if he can make the people live and work in peace and contentment, he will focus on promoting him.

Therefore, when Feng Jia was eliminating the lowly and promoting the good, he devoted all his energy and worked day and night.

There are a total of twelve townships in Jiaxing County, and he personally distributed land in each township.

So as to avoid any injustice.

When ideals become reality, a ray of light flows into the heart.

Endless motivation to drive.

Feng Jia believes that he is fortunate to be born in the best era.

Even though he was once demoted by Yang Guozhong, he believed that now the clouds have cleared and the moon is visible.

Yao and Shun, who are revered by the world, were not as good as they are today.

At this land distribution conference, not only land will be distributed, but also grain.

The powerful people's granaries were destroyed and all the grain was seized.

Those serfs who have no food will be given some food to help them so that they can live a normal life during the lean period.

This is not a frontier area; the oxen belonging to the powerful families are collectively owned.

In the Tang Dynasty, five households formed a neighborhood, and under normal circumstances, five households owned one ox for plowing.

The people were waiting for the officials to distribute the land according to their neighborhoods, their eyes were filled with tears and they were ecstatic.

God has eyes, and the people finally have hope.

Within a year and a half, the people in Jiangnan all knew that eliminating the lowly and promoting the good was the masterpiece of the current emperor Li Qilang.

This is countless times better than the new Changping Law.

When everyone has land, as long as there is no natural disaster, there is no need to borrow grain from the Changping granary.

The Fengjia also specifically lists those who lost their husbands, those who lost their wives, those who lost their parents at a young age, and those who lost their children at an old age.

The farmland distributed to these people is closest to their homes and of higher quality.

The Salesian Church's land is close to the river and is the most fertile land.

The people agreed with this and no one disobeyed Feng Jia's arrangement.

Those serfs turned over a new leaf, and suddenly, from having nothing, they had seventy acres of land.

Several more bags of rice were obtained.

Their faces flushed with excitement and even their steps were windy.

Countless people were talking about it when registering and dividing the land, and the one who talked the most was Li Xuan.

In the past, the powerful occupied the land, and the common people worked hard on the farm, but earned little. They often went hungry, and the young and old in the family all looked pale.

Now I look forward to the arrival of good days.

"Your Majesty is the true emperor. After the land is divided, our lives will be very different."

"That's right. Now we have our own land. We can grow some rice and wheat and no longer worry about our families suffering from cold and hunger. We are so lucky to be the people under the rule of the Supreme Lord."

"With the Supreme Lord here, there will definitely be good weather and good harvests. When we were tenants of the tyrant, we were exploited and the rent was too heavy to bear. Now we can not only relax, but if we manage the business well, there will definitely be a surplus."

"Having my own land is enough for my life. I must erect a monument for the Supreme, hoping that the Supreme will live a long and healthy life."

"Those powerful people used to be so arrogant and domineering, but now some are dead or some are on the run, and the land has been returned to us common people. This is really a matter of great joy. Now the county and the outside world are full of life, and life will surely get better and better in the future."

"Supreme! It should be called Saint!"

Two out of three sentences of the people cannot be separated from Li Xuan.

They cheered and celebrated the wonderful moment of dividing the land.

Some even called Li Xuan a "saint".

Do unto others, do not impose on others.

Respect the old and the young, not only your own but also others’.

Water carries the boat, and water overturns the boat.

Those who rejoice over the people's joy will also be rejoiced by the people; those who worry about the people's worries will also be worried by the people.

When great virtue prevails, the world becomes common to all!

Every powerful person understands this truth, but few will put it into action.

Li Xuan breaks the conventions and truly practices great ideas.

Compared to Li Longji's self-proclaimed "saint".

Li Xuan is more suitable to be the "saint" in the hearts of the people.

By dusk, the land in this township had been distributed.

It also represents that Jiaxing County has completely completed the process of eliminating low status and turning people into good people.

The people had not left yet, and Feng Jia gave a moving speech to the people in the afterglow of the setting sun.

"My fellow villagers, today, the imperial court has eliminated the tyrants who have been causing troubles in the village and bullying the people. The haze of the past has dissipated. I know that you have suffered for a long time, your land has been invaded, and your livelihood is difficult. However, the Supreme Lord is wise and will not allow the tyrants to become parasites of the country, and will not allow the laws of the country to be trampled upon..."

"From today on, under the bright and clear sky, there will be no more rampant bullies. I will work together with my fellow countrymen to attach importance to agriculture and restore commerce, so that the people of Jiaxing County can have enough food and clothing."

"The Supreme Emperor has now issued a decree to distribute the tax according to the amount of land, abolishing all the harsh taxes, including the tax on the charity warehouse. People only need to pay silk according to the amount of land they grow, and there will be no additional taxes. The elders and villagers don't have to bear any burden."

"If you have grievances in the future, you can come to the county government to appeal. I will make a fair judgment without any partiality."

"There are many charity schools in the county. If everyone knows how to educate and every household has a virtuous heart, I believe that the grand occasion of no one picking up things on the road and leaving doors unlocked at night will come soon. The decrees issued by the court are all wise decisions of the Supreme. From marriage to childbirth, from medicine to identifying dangers, you must obey them. I and the elders and fellow villagers encourage each other..."

After Feng Jia finished speaking, he was greeted with warm cheers and applause.

The people worshipped Li Xuan as a god and regarded his words as the golden words of a sage, which they would certainly follow carefully.

Feng Jia nodded and began to let the people evacuate home in an orderly manner.

In the past two years, due to the elimination of powerful people, it is inevitable that the land has become barren.

But after this year, there will definitely be a good harvest.

Although the county magistrates in the Jiangnan region are not as capable as Feng Jia, there is no shortage of knowledgeable and hardworking people among them.

Because of the policy of eliminating lowly people and promoting good people, the Jiangnan region was short of a large number of county magistrates, county magistrates and other official positions.

In the first year of Qianyuan, a total of one hundred Jinshi candidates were admitted.

After Li Xuan personally tested and lectured them, he promoted this group of Jinshi to the positions of county magistrates as an exception, allowing them to fill a large number of vacancies.

Among these Jinshi, the first-class Jinshi was appointed as county magistrate.

The second-class Jinshi was appointed as Zhong County Magistrate.

The third rank of Jinshi is the magistrate of a lower county.

The top scholar is no exception and must go to the local county to gain experience.

Under Li Xuan's rule, it was not enough to just pass the exams; one also had to have the ability to govern the local area.

Others who passed the examinations in classics, mathematics, etc. were appointed as county lieutenants or county magistrates.

Just as planned, he passed the arrest test, was appointed as the chief of police, and became an official appointed by the court.

This made some scholars and soldiers who had failed in the exams many times interested in the arrest department and prepared to try out the arrest department next year.

Those who can become a head constable through the arrest department will definitely have greater room for promotion than those ordinary head constables.

As for the military examination, a total of thirty military scholars and one hundred and fifty military candidates were admitted.

Along with 500 selected low-level generals and elite soldiers from various military governorates, they became the first batch of students at the Central Military Academy.

While the campaign to eliminate the lowly and to make the people good came to an end in Jiangnan, the campaign to eliminate the lowly and to make the people good had been largely completed in Lingnan and Qianzhong.

The main reason is that the area covered by Lingnan is too large, and now only counties with a population of more than 20,000, such as Nanhai County, Jiaozhi County, and Nan County, can be cleared.

With the cooperation of Xin Yunjing, the governor of Nanhai, he forcibly took down the rampant Lingnan tyrants.

There are more than thirty counties in Lingnan with a population of less than 20,000, covering an area of ​​thousands of miles, with poor mountains and bad water, and deep ravines on the mountain ridges.

It can only rely on the self-awareness of the local governors and county magistrates and be verified over time.

In addition, the Censors would also inspect counties with large areas and sparse populations.

Even if there are powerful people there, they cannot pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty for the time being.

The population of Lingnan County has now skyrocketed to 1.5 million, making it the region with the largest population growth rate since the Tang Dynasty eliminated the low-class people and made them good people.

There is also enough arable land for the people to cultivate.

During the Kaiyuan period, Zhang Jiuling opened Dayuling Mountain in Shixing County of Lingnan (now the border between Jiangxi and Guangdong), opening up a road from Jiangnan to Lingnan.

This deepened the imperial court's control over Lingnan. It also made Shixing County the second largest county in Lingnan. However, Dayuling was only a dozen miles long, and it only opened up the road to Lingnan.

The real main road is not complete.

Li Xuan ordered the Nanhai governor Wei Lun to take the lead in opening up a straight road from Dayuling to Lingnan during the slack season, so that the court could further control Lingnan.

At the same time, he ordered the governor of Jiaozhi, Chang Cui, to lead the construction of the road from Nanhai County to Jiaozhi County.

To facilitate the court's control over South Vietnam.

The captives captured during An Lushan's rebellion were still used to build the highway in the north.

It is impossible to connect Dayuling in a short time.

Moreover, even immigration to Lingnan is difficult, and it is not easy for outsiders to adapt to Lingnan's climate.

Therefore, it is most appropriate to let people from Lingnan build the roads.

Chang Cui and Wei Lun were both ministers who cared about the people's strength. Li Xuan sent secretarial officials to supervise and prevent the abuse of people's strength.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

The situation in Qianzhong is similar to that in Lingnan. It is impossible for the imperial court to control the barbarians south of Qianzhong now.

The total population of Qianzhong was 160,000, but after the people were eliminated and their status changed to good, the number increased to 243,666.

In the Jiannan area, the powerful are very rampant, and each of them is arrogant and domineering.

In particular, some wealthy people in the southwest region mixed with the Hu people and thought they were bandits.

It was just that the Tang Dynasty firmly controlled the three counties in Shu, and then urged other county governors and county magistrates to eliminate the lowly and promote the good.

A county magistrate who pretends to obey orders but actually disobeys them will be dismissed immediately.

Border troops have been dispatched to suppress the rebellion.

The probability of the powerful and wealthy families in Jiannan being executed is extremely high.

Many serfs were also liberated.

With swift and resolute actions, Shu County completed the task of eliminating low status and turning people into good people earlier than Jiangnan.

The current registered population has exceeded 5,378,040.

The last is the Hedong area, which is mainly composed of the Hedong Army and the Taiyuan Army's infantry.

Although there are many mountains, there are sufficient troops.

Led by Li Guangchen, it took a total of one year to complete the task of eliminating the lowly and turning them into good people.

The current population of Hedong is 4,815,200 households.

By the winter of the second year of Qianyuan, including the Han people in the Western Regions, the registered population of the Tang Dynasty was over 65 million.

More than before An Lushan's rebellion.

This does not include the numerous Hu tribes controlled by the Tang Dynasty and the illegal households hiding in the deep mountains and forests.

In addition, military households, lowly people, monks, etc. are not included in the household registration.

But after the people were freed from slavery and were given land, and were exempted from excessive taxes and levies, it was only a matter of time before the illegal residents could move out of the mountains and forests again.

What we are facing now is how to deal with the corruption that has grown out of long-term peace, as well as various natural disasters.

But one thing is certain, after being rid of his low status and becoming a good person, with the unremitting publicity efforts of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the release of each issue of the Tang Monthly, Li Xuan's prestige among the people reached an unprecedented height.

Countless young men from poor families fanatically pursued Li Xuan and regarded him as their god.

Even people in their seventies have been praising Li Xuan and calling him a "saint".

Children who are going to elementary school must first learn Li Xuan’s poems. The sound of reading “Who knows that the food on the plate is the result of hard work” floats throughout the land of China.

……

Time goes back to the autumn of the first year of Qianyuan.

Li Guangbi, Guo Ziyi and Wang Sili, each leading the cavalry of three military governorates, with the assistance of Khitan, Xi and Tongluo, and under the guidance of Mohe and Shiwei captives, they joined forces at the Pinglu Military Governorate.

A total of 50,000 cavalrymen marched towards the Bohai Kingdom.

Only after repeatedly confirming the news of An Lushan's death did the Bohai Kingdom and Shiwei surrender to the Tang Dynasty and submit their surrender.

He also claimed that he had no choice but to enter the Central Plains with An Lushan and was coerced by An Lushan.

The King of Bohai, Daqinmao, thought that the Tang Dynasty would accept Bohai's surrender and appease Bohai as it had done before.

However, Li Xuan was ruthless to the outside world and gentle to the inside. How could he allow the Bohai Kingdom to be fickle again when he was in power?
He flatly refused the submission of Bohai and Shiwei, and was determined to take advantage of their weakness and crush them to death.

When they arrived at the Andong Military Governor's Mansion in Liucheng County, Li Guangbi, Guo Ziyi and Wang Sili gathered together to discuss how to launch an attack on the Bohai Kingdom.

During the Tianbao period, the Tang Dynasty only expanded its actual territory to the Andong Protectorate in Liucheng County.

Originally, Liucheng County was handed over to Khitan and Xi by An Lushan.

Now that the Khitan and Xi have surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, it is natural for the Tang Dynasty to deploy its troops in Liucheng County.

Wang Sili deployed the White Wolf Army of 5,000 infantry and cavalry in the Pinglu Military Governor's Mansion.

"Our army has re-equipped in Andong Protectorate, and we are strong and should attack immediately. Bohai and other Mohe tribes are not united. If our army takes them by surprise and launches a sudden attack, we have a chance to defeat Bohai directly."

Wang Sili expressed his opinions to Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.

The situation between Bohai and Mohe was very complicated.

Bohai was a tribe established by the Mohe people, but there were seven major Mohe tribes, especially the Heishui Mohe, which had always been dissatisfied with Daqinmao.

There is also a saying that the Heishui Mohe were divided into sixteen tribes. Their leader, Wu Zuo, was very ambitious and had the ambition to annex the Bohai Kingdom.

The territory of the Heishui Mohe extended to the North Sea (now the Sea of ​​Okhotsk) in the north, to the Kushuo tribe (now Sakhalin Island), one of the sixteen tribes, in the west, and to the Yulou tribe (now the Sikhote-e-Tsarevitch Mountains) in the southwest.

The Bohai State reached Liucheng County in the west, Silla (now the Korean Peninsula) in the south, and the upper reaches of the Heishui River (now Mudanjiang) in the east.

When An Lushan went south, it was the Bohai Kingdom and the Heishui Mohe who joined the rebellion.

It’s just that the historians and military commanders of the Tang Dynasty collectively referred to them as Mohe.

Wang Sili meant that speed is of the essence in war. They are now only one step away from the Bohai Kingdom, and they will defeat the Bohai Kingdom, the Heishui Mohe, and the Shiwei one by one.

"Governor Wang, what you said makes sense. But would you be willing to listen to my humble opinion?"

When Guo Ziyi was lost in thought, Li Guangbi suddenly spoke.

Li Guangbi was the Duke of Yan, and Wang Sili was the Duke of Yuyang.

But Li Guangbi did not show any arrogance.

The current situation in the court is that the civil and military officials are completely separated, which weakens the power of military generals.

But the governors could understand that An Lushan's body was still warm and the Jiedushi was too deformed.

As a strong man, Li Xuan will definitely learn from the lesson and avoid separatist rule by local warlords.

Li Guangbi, Guo Ziyi and Wang Sili were all generals devoted to military affairs.

They only obeyed the military orders of the Tiance Mansion, which was centered around the emperor.

They will not interfere in the court's right and wrong or reforms.

Now they all want to work together in this era, achieve brilliant military exploits, and leave a lasting reputation.

"General Li, please speak. I still have a lot to learn from you about military strategies and orders. My ideas are just a drop in the ocean!"

Wang Sili became serious.

The two men were of similar age and were both old subordinates of Li Xuan. He admired Li Guangbi's military talents very much.

The four victories against Shi Siming in Hebei were fought beautifully.

"General Wang, General Guo, Emperor Taizong once conquered Bohai, and there are many changes. Although the people have changed from Goguryeo to Mohe, every prefecture in Bohai has at least one strong city. Although we carry a large number of crossbows and siege equipment, the significance of cavalry has been greatly reduced."

When Li Guangbi was telling the story to Guo Ziyi and Wang Sili, he pointed to the map on the table.

The easternmost Heishui Mohe, the Bohai Kingdom closest to Liucheng County, and the Shiwei to the north of the Bohai Kingdom and west of the Heishui Mohe.

"Now, the Black Water Mohe and Shiwei also know that the Supreme has sent troops to conquer them. If they fight on their own now, they will surely perish. Even if the conflicts between them were deep before, they will unite together, support each other, and trust each other."

"I suggest that the cavalry enter the Buyeo and Xianzhou areas of Buyeo Prefecture in Bohai State and plunder and feint. Let Bohai State send a request for help to the Heishui Mohe and Shiwei."

"When the time comes, we will send out our elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack and annihilate the nearest Shiwei reinforcements. Then we will fight the Black Water Mohe reinforcements."

"In this way, our army does not need to take the risk of attacking the cities of Bohai. As long as we annihilate the fresh forces of Bohai, Heishui Mohe, and Shiwei, they will have no soldiers to use, and even if they have cities to defend, they will collapse and surrender."

Li Guangbi revealed his plan in full.

Last year, Li Xuangang had Khitan, Xi, Tongluo, Bohai Kingdom and Shiwei fighting each other.

Although there was no victory, the vitality of the tribes was damaged again.

Although the Bohai Kingdom imitated the Tang Dynasty in building cities, planting grains, and raising livestock, it did not unify the Mohe people because its foundation was too weak.

Just like Goguryeo in the past, after its national strength was exhausted, it could only be controlled by the Tang Dynasty.

"This is a great plan!"

Guo Ziyi nodded, which was similar to the strategy of besieging a point and attacking its reinforcements.

But now Shiwei and Mohe are in the same boat, so they have no choice but to support each other.

Everyone knows that the Tang army will attack with the cavalry of the Three Military Governorates at all costs, and the current Bohai Kingdom will not be able to resist at all.

"General Li's plan is the best. My Pinglu Army will definitely assist you with all its might!"

Wang Sili felt inferior to him.

Li Guangbi was right, siege was not the cavalry's strong point.

Even though the cities of Bohai Kingdom were not as good as the county towns of the Tang Dynasty, attacking cities has been the worst strategy since ancient times.

Wang Sili knew that the Supreme was particularly averse to attacking a city by force.

If there is no strategic or tactical value, or time is of the essence.

The Supreme Being would never order an attack on a city.

"Good! In the past, Duke Ying destroyed Goguryeo, and today we will follow his story. It is not that our Tang Dynasty is tyrannical, but that the Shiwei and Mohe peoples did not remember our kindness and rebelled against our Tang Dynasty, raping and looting our Central Plains."

"Today, we will divide our troops into three groups and plan to enter Bohai State. We will work together and make concerted efforts..."

Guo Ziyi said solemnly.

He was appointed as the Northeast Marching Marshal by Li Xuan, and was in charge of the deployment of the entire army.

Li Guangbi was the deputy marshal of the Northeast, and Wang Sili was the military commander.

When the three military governorates march together, they must choose one governor as the chief commander.

Otherwise, if the orders are inconsistent, various irreversible hazards will occur.

“We must work together!”

Li Guangbi and Wang Sili also stood up and spoke in a sonorous and powerful voice.

Immediately, Guo Ziyi began to send scouts to the north and east to gather news from farther away.

Be sure to explore the main marching routes thoroughly.

After some discussion among Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and Wang Sili, Li Guangbi led the Fanyang cavalry and 10,000 Khitan, Tongluo and Xi followers out of Liucheng County and headed towards Fuyu Prefecture (now Changchun) on the border of Bohai State.

There is a city blocking Li Guangbi's way.

Gaimu New City (now in Shenyang)!
It would be better to call it a "garrison" rather than a city.

Its existence is mainly to monitor the Tang Dynasty.

Usually there are only about 200 soldiers from the Bohai Kingdom guarding it.

Li Guangbi decided to take the sentry city first. He sent Deputy Governor Pu Gu Huai En as the vanguard, led 500 cavalry, and 200 divine arm crossbows, crossed the Liao River overnight and raided the new city of Gaimu...

(End of this chapter)