The Great Tang General

Villager Niu Shi was a down-to-earth man. When he drank with Li Xuan, he often complained to Li Xuan about the difficulties of life.

"That old emperor, who usurped the throne, is worse than the old emperor Kaiyuan!"

"I always heard how wise and brave the emperor was and how he was invincible in battle, but what's the use? The barbarians are too far away from us and we can't even get enough food."

"Last year during the war, the old emperor increased our rent. More than a dozen people in the village died of starvation and freezing. This year there will be even more."

"When will this day end?"

"I can't live any longer..."

……

Under the dim candlelight, Niu Shi, under the influence of alcohol, continued to pour out his heart to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan listened quietly, with no expression of joy or anger.

I feel so sad that in the hearts of the people, I am not as good as Li Longji.

Hearing these words since he ascended the throne almost broke Li Xuan's defense.

Just a glass of wine to suppress it.

Local people exploited the people in his name and used the emperor's reputation as a sword to kill the people.

It also pierced Li Xuan's heart.

He finally understood why there were so many rebels during the so-called prosperous periods such as the Reign of Emperors Wen and Jing, the Reign of Emperor Taizong, and the Kaiyuan Period.

It can be summed up in five words by Niu Shi: I can't survive anymore.

If we put ourselves in the shoes of those desperate people who rose up in rebellion, what had they done wrong?
If there is a "strong man from heaven" among them, he will overthrow the imperial court.

Aren’t Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang also tyrants in history books?
Success makes you a king and failure makes you a bandit, good and evil are determined by man, sometimes, these words are really true!
Niu Shi even thought that the whole world was like Huaiyin County, where people were living in misery.

"The Tang Monthly" could not possibly reach here either.

The common people had no chance to see "Journey to the West" which was adapted with great care by Li Xuan.

Li Xuan did not plagiarize this novel mindlessly. He not only used metaphors, but also wanted to satisfy the public's entertainment, become a part of enriching people's lives, and make people colorful.

Li Xuan also couldn't help but sigh that the gap between Linhuai and Huaiyin, which can be reached in one step, is so huge.

Not to mention heaven and hell, the difference is as great as heaven and hell.

It also explains the saying "prosperity and decline are determined by man, not by God".

During this process, people complained about the officials in Huaiyin County.

Moreover, the officials of Huaiyin County are like invisible people.

The people thought that the county magistrate was the boss and didn’t know there was also a prefect.

At this point, Li Xuan didn't want to ask any more questions.

I thought the incognito visit would be a dramatic investigation, but I didn't expect it to be full of sins.

Like a lawless place.

He saw the true situation that he wanted to see, and he also saw the suffering of the people that he didn't want to see.

The endless plain is a mountain that the people of Huaiyin cannot cross.

These words touched Li Xuan deeply.

Therefore, Li Xuan ordered Liao Zhengrong to agree to let the hidden inner guards and cavalry go directly to Linhuai to transfer the Tiance Guard cavalry to Huaiyin.

At the same time, he issued an imperial decree ordering Xiao Xin, the Huainan governor who was in Xuzhou, to come to Huaiyin to see him.

The night is as quiet as water.

Li Xuan was lying in a small thatched hut on a bed as hard as a rock, covered with a reed-filled, barely warm quilt that smelled moldy.

Tossing and turning!

It's not that he was too rich to endure these hardships. During the march, Li Xuan often slept in the open air on the cold nights with the soldiers as his pillow.

Just thinking that in Xuanze Township, there are countless people who are in the same situation as he is now.

Winter is coming.

It's not like it won't snow in the Huai River area.

If a snowstorm comes, who can cover them with quilts?

How similar are snowflakes and cotton?
Only fire can keep you warm!

What if there is not enough food?
The country produces so much grain every year, and local governments contribute taxes every year, so everyone can talk about a good harvest.

In the end, some people even died of hunger.

The first five-year plan since ascending the throne was apparently completed.

Li Xuan still feels quite accomplished.

He also said complacently: Since the Yellow Emperor, who else but me?
When you realize the real suffering of the people, all sense of accomplishment is wiped out.

A long way to go!

This is also the Huainan area, the hub of the Grand Canal.

What if it is the mountainous areas in Qiantang Province, Fujian Province, Nanhai Province and Lingnan Province that are almost "isolated from the world"?

"I have to travel a lot more in my life..."

Li Xuan sighed as dawn approached, then got up and went outside the hut.

It was still half dark, but Niu Shi had already gotten up.

When he saw Li Xuan also "got up", he was surprised and said, "My dear, you got up very early!"

Niu Shi was very puzzled. Li Xuan, this businessman, was such a pompous person. Even when he was sleeping, there were always two men in black taking turns guarding the door, not moving.

However, Li Xuan gave him money, wine, meat, and spoke in a gentle and elegant manner, which made Niu Shi feel very good.

"Why did you get up so early, Mr. Niu?"

Li Xuan admitted that it was night time and asked back.

"My dear, you don't have to call me sir. I don't deserve it. The Xie family wants to build a house next to the lake. Today is the day to start construction. We are tenant farmers. Each family must provide a male adult, otherwise there will be no land to farm. The lake is quite a distance from here. It will be daybreak when we get there."

Niu Shi said helplessly.

He was drunk yesterday and didn't know what he said.

How could he, a lowly person, get drunk?

After waking up from the dream, do what you should do!

Niu Shi was actually quite happy today. Li Xuan and others stayed overnight in their house. If they could buy food with the money they gave, it would be enough for them for a year.

This year's winter has been settled.

"You don't need to go there anymore..."

When Li Xuan saw Niu Shi’s behavior, he thought of "Wild Goose".

When the swan geese are flying, their feathers must be kept in check.

The son goes on a campaign and works hard in the fields.

I also pity the widows and widowers.

The wild geese are flying and gathering in the marsh.

The son of Zhi built a hundred walls.

Although it is hard work, in the end it is a safe home...

A group of people who were hungry and naked built hundreds of high walls at the same time.

No one sympathized with them, they were so pitiful.

The things in the poem have shone into reality through thousands of years.

Niu Shi did not understand the meaning of Li Xuan's words. Before leaving, he said to Li Xuan: "I have asked my wife to prepare food for you. See you again if we are lucky enough!"

He knew that Li Xuan was just passing by and would leave tomorrow, which was quite a pity.

After saying that, Niu Shi picked up the hoe for planting crops and went to dig the foundation for the landlord.

Each neighbor also had a son.

In Xuanze Township, the township head is the patriarch of the Xie family.

The court formally established village heads, but this was only to serve the people, but it increased the authority of the big families.

In the name of village chief, they openly ran rampant in the village and bullied the people.

Li Xuan went out for a walk and specifically instructed the imperial guards not to wake up anyone else.

He was walking on the village road with only Wei Yingwu and a few personal guards.

There was no crowing of cocks, nor barking of dogs.

The nights here are longer, the sky is darker, and the vitality of fireworks has been lost.

All the villagers were tenants. When Xie failed to seize the property by trickery, he resorted to robbing them by force, and no one could escape.

The people are even worse off in terms of survival than some serfs before they were abolished as lowly people.

"Yingwu, Xuanze Township is waiting for Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, and General Tian Gong."

Li Xuan suddenly asked Wei Yingwu beside him.

Although Wei Yingwu was an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he was actually Li Xuan's eunuch, that is, a confidential secretary.

"I am ashamed..."

Wei Yingwu misunderstood Li Xuan's intention and felt ashamed. He was from the famous Jingzhao Wei family. When he was young, Wei Yingwu had the spirit of a chivalrous man. He was bold and unrestrained and ran rampant in the village.

At the age of fifteen, relying on his family background, he served as Li Longji's guard.

Li Longji did not take him with him when he fled west.

When he returned to his hometown, he found that the people didn't like him.

Wei Yingwu suddenly came to his senses and decided to follow Zhou Chu's example and change his ways.

Soon, Wei Yingwu was called back to serve as a guard of the imperial army.

Then he was selected by the Secretariat to be a Langwei.

Eventually, she was noticed by Li Xuan and became his concubine.

In the past, this position required one to castrate oneself.

However, Li Xuan did not use eunuchs. Instead, he used alert and capable people as servants. After a few years of training, they would be sent to local areas for further experience.

Wei Yingwu followed Li Xuan for several years and learned a lot of knowledge.

Just as Li Xuan advocated Confucianism, although Li Xuan was an emperor, he was a typical Confucianist.

He does what he says and puts benevolence and righteousness first.

But this benevolence and righteousness is not towards the officials, but towards the people of the world.

As an emperor, he suppressed the royal family.

Li Xuan used force to gain power and no longer relied on the aristocratic families, and he showed no mercy to anyone who broke the law.

Wei Yingwu was in awe of Li Xuan.

The events in Hongze Township reminded Wei Yingwu of his past.

He had never known what chivalry was before.

"I'm not talking about you. Who hasn't been young before? When I was young, I was also an unpopular knight. In the future, you should understand more about the sufferings of the people. I can't possibly see everything like today. To govern the world, you have to look at the officials of the world."

Li Xuan spoke slowly to Wei Yingwu.

"I will keep the words of the Supreme Being in mind."

Wei Yingwu responded heavily.

How can officials who don’t know the suffering of the people and who have never slept in a thatched hut govern the world?
Even the Supreme can do it!

Officials all over the world should be able to do this!
"I thought that this southern tour, along the river, would show me the lights of thousands of houses, the pastoral idyll, and the beautiful water towns in the south of the Yangtze River. I didn't expect it to be as desolate as the frontier..."

"This picturesque landscape is ultimately just imagination!"

"Alas! I am here, it is daybreak."

Li Xuan walked around the village. When the sky turned pale, Li Xuan muttered to himself and returned to the farmhouse with Wei Yingwu and other guards.

Looking at Li Xuan's lonely back, Wei Yingwu swore in his heart that in the future he would be as strong as the Supreme and bring any illegality to justice.

He made the people under his rule take the people around Chang'an and Luoyang as his standard.

Chenshi.

While Li Xuan was waiting for Niu Shi's wife to stew corn, there was a noise from the neighbors next door.

Zhang Xun, Wang Yu and others stayed in other neighborhoods.

"Your Majesty, there are people outside with dozens of slaves, who have surrounded our residence..."

Wei Yingwu entered the thatched cottage and reported to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan frowned slightly and walked out of the thatched hut.

After seeing Li Xuan coming out, Zhang Xun, Wang Yu and others immediately approached Li Xuan, and the imperial guards carried packages and were on high alert.

Li Xuan saw at least forty blue-clothed servants holding sticks surrounding their neighbors.

There were even a few people with knives.

The faces of the people in the surrounding households were pale. How did they provoke these bastards?

They immediately pushed the child into the house and hid the money in what they thought was a hidden place.

I hope these evil slaves leave quickly.

The villagers knew that businessmen like Li Xuan were in trouble.

Even Zhang Erhe, who was leading Li Xuan, said that Li Xuan had finished waiting.

He led the way for Li Xuan and others, and he was bound to suffer the consequences.

Fortunately, he left a gold coin for his family, which became his only comfort.

"Wow! There are indeed a lot of people!"

"Who is the boss?"

A young man in a blue shirt and a fur hat stood out with great pride and shouted with his nose pointed to the sky.

"I am, who are you?"

Li Xuan said in a deep voice.

"You don't even know me? I'm Xie Bian, and my father is Xie Chang, the head of Xuanze Township."

Xie Bian said some nonsense to Li Xuan.

"How ridiculous! Do you think you are the emperor? You must let the whole world know about you. Why are you blocking my door?"

Li Xuan sneered.

When you travel, you can encounter all kinds of monsters and demons.

He wanted to see what these people were going to do!
"Humph, if you say he is the emperor of Xuanze Township, it's not much different."

Xie Bian replied arrogantly.

"A bold lunatic... full of nonsense..."

Xie Bian's words angered everyone, and they were just waiting for Li Xuan's order to punish the evildoer.

"How dare you come to my place without even paying me a visit. If you dare to say another word, I'll chop you up and feed you to stray dogs..."

Xie Bian was angered by Pei Ying's words and warned her.

"What on earth do you want to do?"

Li Xuan stopped the ministers from acting impulsively and asked calmly.

"The roads and bridges here were built by my Xie family. If you pass by here, you must pay tolls."

Xie Bian's words were domineering and unquestionable.

The Xie family had servants at every intersection in Xuanze Township to prevent these unruly people from escaping again.

Last night, the servant discovered that more than twenty merchants entered Xuanze Township and stayed in Qingyangli.

How could Xie miss such an opportunity?

As soon as day broke, Xie Bian brought his servants to seek benefits.

In the minds of traditional powerful people like the Xie family, owning land and producing grain and silk from the land is a manifestation of nobility and superiority.

They are extremely attached to the land.

By controlling the tenants in Xuanze Township and raising serfs, the Xie family was the overlord of the area and would always be rich and powerful.

They hated the removal of the lowly and the Emperor Li Xuan.

It was Li Xuan who broke the "rules", causing them to spend more money on bribery, and thus treated the tenants and serfs even more harshly.

"The road I came from was trodden by generations of elders and villagers. It is a well-established road. I have never heard of such a rule."

Li Xuan replied to Xie Bian.

Xie Bian brought more than forty slaves with him. This was not collecting tolls, but clearly highway robbery.

What kind of trick is this “If you want to pass through here, you have to leave some money to pass through”?

"Stop talking nonsense. What business are you in?"

Xie Bian shouted loudly. He saw that Li Xuan and others did not have any carriages or horses. They only carried "packages" on their backs, wondering if there was any money to be made!
Ordinary merchants use either horses or ox carts. That's how business is done.

"We get beautiful jade from the Western Regions and sell it in Jiangnan."

Li Xuan answered Xie Bian expressionlessly.

As soon as these words came out, Xie Bian's eyes lit up.

Beautiful jade!

It was the first time he met a merchant selling beautiful jade. No wonder there were so many of them and no wonder they were only carrying small packages.

The Xie family is going to get rich.

"Hand over the beautiful jade quickly..."

Xie Bian lost his temper at all. After hearing about the beautiful jade, he stopped pretending and asked for it directly.

They have more people, so they are not afraid even if a fight breaks out.

And they have reinforcements...constables, county soldiers, and even the Imperial Guards, they are all their people.

In Huaiyin County, tigers have to lie down and dragons have to coil up...

(End of this chapter)