The Great Tang General

"It's been so long since we last met, are you all doing well, fellow villagers?"

Li Xuan arrived at Haiyou Township singing all the way, and greeted the people who wanted to give him gifts.

Once upon a time, the tyrants in Haiyou Township annexed land and seized it by force. They nurtured bandits and oppressed the people, causing them to lose the land they depended on for survival and live in misery.

From here, Li Xuan started to wipe out the pirate Wu Lingguang and eliminate the local tyrants at the same time.

"The Supreme Destiny has been bestowed upon us. Under His blessing, the weather is good and the crops are plentiful. There are no thieves in the sea and no robbers on land. This is a time of peace and prosperity!"

Countless people were so excited to see the different Li Xuan that they couldn't express it in words.

One of the old men spoke to Li Xuan with emotion.

He had the honor of meeting Li Xuan twenty years ago, but he never expected that at his old age, he would meet Li Xuan who had become the emperor.

This is the common ruler of mankind.

In the hearts of the people of Haiyou Township, only people like Li Xuan can stand up for the common people.

Due to the incident twenty years ago, no powerful people have appeared in Linhai County in the past twenty years, and no pirates have appeared.

Eliminate the lowly and promote the good, and wipe out those who revive from the ashes.

These were the most comfortable twenty years for the people of Linhai, who had enough food and clothing.

The quality of life is also gradually improving.

The people all remember Li Xuan's kindness.

"Seeing the villagers like this, I feel very relieved. I hope your life will get better and better."

Li Xuan said sincerely.

"This is a new melon from the ground. The weather is hot. Please taste it, Your Majesty..."

At this time, a strong man held a watermelon and shouted loudly.

After twenty years, watermelons are grown all over the country.

Now Li Xuan has ordered the selection and breeding of better watermelon varieties, striving to make watermelon a thirst-quenching fruit in summer.

After the strong man finished speaking, many villagers opened their backpacks and baskets, which contained various foods, as well as freshly made steamed buns and cakes.

Some people even carried jars containing freshly cooked chicken, duck, fish and meat.

When the villagers learned that Li Xuan was coming to Haiyou Township, they made preparations overnight.

"It's not right to ask for food that the villagers worked so hard for, but I can't refuse their kindness. I will buy it, and thank the villagers."

Li Xuan knew that many familiar things had been brought over, so he had no intention of taking them back.

In hot weather, rot may occur.

Some people make too much and they won’t be able to finish it when they get home.

He simply bought them all and tasted them together with the soldiers of the imperial guards.

"This is a small token of our gratitude. You must not ask for money from the imperial court. The villagers are very wealthy! They don't lack these... they don't lack these..."

After hearing what Li Xuan said, an old man quickly waved his hand in response to Li Xuan.

"I can smell the aroma of chicken, duck, fish and meat. These are very precious when piled up. I require local officials to perform their duties conscientiously and be honest and upright. How can I violate this? The villagers pay taxes and I work for their welfare. It is fair for both of us. Otherwise, the villagers can only take the food back home."

Li Xuan responded emotionally to the people of Haiyou Township.

"Your Majesty, the country folk are not as considerate as you are."

The people were still reluctant to accept the money, but the head of Haiyou Township was a reasonable man. After bowing to Li Xuan, he persuaded the people.

Even so, some people dropped their bamboo baskets and ran away.

Li Xuan understands what the people are thinking.

At this moment, his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Li Xuan specifically instructed the village head and the head of the village to deliver the money to the doors of the people.

After a hearty meal, Li Xuan visited the homes of the people living in Haiyou Township.

The next day, Li Xuan went out to sea on a ship belonging to Linhai County, followed by hundreds of fishing boats.

These are the fishermen from Haiyou Township.

Li Xuan watched the fishermen fishing near the coast and also cast nets in the sea himself.

In this era, long-distance voyages are impossible.

Set out at sunrise and return before sunset.

At the pier, there is a special market where people buy fish.

Most people dry sea fish, shrimps and seafood and store them as backup food, or sell dried fish in the city.

This time out at sea, all the fishing boats returned with full loads.

This rarely happened in the past.

The people even believed that this was a blessing brought by the Supreme Being.

Li Xuan left Haiyou Township two days later, and the people of Haiyou Township bid him farewell with tears.

He began to move further south and entered Yongjia County.

After inspecting Yongjia County, Li Xuan played another trick of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. He did not go to Fujian Province.

Instead, he patrolled westward and entered Jinyun County.

When the people were getting rid of the lowly and promoting the good, the barbarians joined in and the governor became desperate.

Li Xuan is relatively satisfied with the current recovery speed.

Afterwards, Li Xuan went north to Dongyang County, visited the Dongyang Military Governor's Office, and inspected the army.

Coincidentally, Li Xuan met a man named Lu Yu, with whom he discussed the tea ceremony.

Li Xuan believes that the way tea is consumed today can be taken a step further...

After Li Xuan read Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea", he invited him to the Palace of Wisdom and tried to promote the "tea brewing method" afterwards.

After leaving Dongyang County, Li Xuan went west to Xin'an County for inspection...

In early September, Li Xuan traveled to Yuzhang County in Jiangxi Province.

Li Xuan's whereabouts were erratic, and many local officials thought that Li Xuan was on another incognito visit, and they were all sweating profusely.

The mysterious Jinyiwei are omnipresent.

In fact, Li Xuan just stayed in one place and blocked the news.

Only letters from Chang'an could reach Li Xuan from time to time.

Every month, the five prime ministers would submit a briefing of more than ten thousand words to Li Xuan.

Let Li Xuan understand the situation of the court and current policies at any time.

Appoint these people as prime ministers, and everything will be focused on maintaining stability.

While recuperating, we should implement policies and orders as soon as possible and accumulate foundation.

After arriving at Poyang Lake in Yuzhang County, Li Xuan rested for more than ten days and then continued his southern tour.

His target was Dayuling Mountain, to enter Nanhai Province and reach the southernmost tip of the country.

This time Li Xuan quickened his pace and arrived at Nankang County in Jiangxi Province in early October.

When the prefect of Nankang was welcoming Li Xuan, a young man suddenly jumped out from the crowd.

When the guards thought he was an assassin and were about to draw their swords, the young man knelt down in front of Li Xuan and shouted "redress".

Obviously, this young man was desperate and, upon learning that the emperor was going on a southern tour, he risked his life to seize this opportunity.

Li Xuan remained calm and ordered the imperial guards to take the young man away.

Nankang prefect Xiang Jianshang suggested that the young man who disturbed the emperor's carriage be executed to serve as a warning to others.

Li Xuan was very unhappy with such words and just responded indifferently: Are you teaching me how to do things?

The Nankang prefect turned pale at that moment, and Li Xuan felt that there was something fishy about this matter.

When the Jinyiwei interrogated the young man and learned some clues, Li Xuan's blood pressure soared, just like in Huaiyin.

It turned out that the young man was Huang Xi, the son of the previous magistrate of Gan County.

Because of his efforts to eliminate the lowly and promote the good, the previous Gan County Magistrate Huang Guangxia was labeled as "in cahoots with the powerful and arrogant" and was executed by the previous Nankang Prefect.

During the stage of eliminating low status and promoting virtue, the imperial court granted the prefects the power of life and death in order to facilitate the implementation of policies and orders.

But Huang Xi insisted that his father was a staunch supporter of eliminating low-class people and promoting good people, and was a parent official in the hearts of the people.

This prefect of Nankang was the deputy governor of Nankang a few years ago.

The previous Nankang governor and this Nankang governor colluded with the powerful, deceived their superiors and subordinates, and eliminated dissidents.

More than a dozen court officials headed by Huang Guangxia, all upright people, were executed instead.

Those who colluded with the powerful suddenly changed their identities, ostensibly respecting the imperial court's efforts to remove the lowly and make them good, but in reality they manipulated the people in various ways, from openly to covertly.

They just gave up a small part of their interests and used small favors to satisfy the people.

The usual Datang Monthly News was also intercepted and would not be circulated in the countryside.

They were a group of wicked people who not only killed more than a dozen officials, but also wiped out their families.

Huang Xi claimed that he had been wanted for more than five years and had been hiding from place to place, taking refuge in a family that had once received favors from Huang Guangxia.

The emperor's southern tour is Huang Xi's only chance.

Li Xuan ordered Zhang Xun and Liao Zhengrong to start investigating the matter with all their strength.

Not surprisingly, the Jinyiwei here were also corrupt.

He also ordered the imperial guards to be on alert.

At the same time, Li Xuan ordered the Gan navy to march to Nankang County.

Today, the Gan Water Army is stationed in Taihe County in Luling County, north of Nankang County, only a hundred miles away from Nankang County.

With high efficiency, the truth was revealed in just three days.

Huang Xi’s words were almost correct.

The previous Nankang prefect, who had been promoted to deputy governor of Jiangxi, and the current Nankang prefect colluded with the powerful and murdered loyal officials.

The nature of this is worse than Huaiyin.

Since Nankang County has already turned black into white, it is no exaggeration to say that it is a separatist regime.

The prestige of the imperial court thus suffered a huge blow.

If it is not handled properly, it will discourage the loyal and upright.

If Huang Xi had no way to seek redress for his grievances, the people of Nankang, filled with resentment, would rise up and overthrow the Tang Dynasty.

No matter how great Li Xuan's achievements are, he will return to the starting point. At least in the next dynasty, Li Xuan will be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Because it was Li Xuan who indirectly caused all this.

Li Xuan never shirks his responsibilities.

When the Nankang governor learned that the conspiracy had been exposed, he knew that he would be killed. The Nankang tyrants also understood that their fate was death and annihilation of their clan, so they united together and prepared to fight to the death.

But Li Xuan had been on guard in advance and did not enter Ganzhou City, but stationed outside the city.

As long as they are in an open area, the one thousand Tiance cavalry under Li Xuan can easily defeat tens of thousands of mobs.

What's more, the Gan water army mobilized by Li Xuan will arrive soon.

The governor of Nankang also understood that Li Xuan was deploying his troops.

Now the only way to survive is to capture Li Xuan.

He had to form an alliance with the powerful people to attack Li Xuan's carriage.

Either way, it's death.

Although this idea is far-fetched, it may not be without a chance of success.

Immediately afterwards, the prefect of Nankang declared rebellion under the banner of respecting Li Longji's lineage as the orthodox one.

Trying to wait for the message to get out and get a response from other places.

When some county soldiers and constables learned that they were going to attack the emperor, they were almost scared silly.

Even though the Nankang prefect used threats and inducements, many soldiers still deserted.

The powerful people in Nankang did not have many servants gathered together, and there were also some ignorant tenant farmers.

As a result, as soon as they left the city, they were dispersed by the Tiance Guards in one round, and the Nankang prefect and other Nankang officials were captured.

Afterwards, Li Xuan ordered the Jinyiwei to arrest people in each county of Nankang County.

All officials will be arrested.

Knowing about something and not reporting it is also a crime.

Li Xuan still did not dismiss the governor of Jiangxi, because the geographical environment of Jiangxi was much worse than that of Huainan. Nankang was at the southernmost tip of Jiangxi, and the number of registered households was also average.

Not long after he took office, and because the previous Nankang prefect was appointed as deputy governor, his eyes were covered.

Li Xuan sent people to Yuzhang to arrest all the people involved in the case.

In early October, they were all beheaded in public in Gan County.

The entire family was exiled to Yunnan.

The officials who were killed by these treacherous officials were reburied with great honor.

Li Xuan paid tribute in person.

If there are descendants, they will be treated well.

In order to make up for Huang Xi, Li Xuan promoted him to the position of magistrate of Gan County, claiming that he was the descendant of a loyal and righteous person.

It is hoped that he can implement the new laws and policies of the Tang Dynasty in Gan County during his term of office.

The gloom in Huang Xi's heart was swept away, and he was grateful to Li Xuan.

He was loyal and righteous in his heart, and believed that his father's death had nothing to do with the court, but was caused by villains and treacherous ministers in power.

Now the Supreme One punishes the evildoers and avenges him, and personally offers sacrifice to his father. His father will surely rest in peace in the nine springs.

He vowed to be selfless and dedicated to the public so that Gan County could be revitalized.

It was not until late October that Li Xuan set out for Dayuling.

Prepare to enter the former Lingnan, now Nanhai County.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Yu Sheng built the fortress Yuling.

In the fourth year of Kaiyuan, when Zhang Jiuling resigned from his official position and was idle at home, he submitted a petition to the court to mobilize civilians during the slack season to cut through the mountains in Meiling and build the Dayuling Road.

At this point, Zhang Jiuling personally went to the site to survey the site, walked along the steps and cleared the bushes, and worked tirelessly to direct the construction.

After the Dayuling Ancient Road was completed, it was more than 30 miles long and nearly 60 feet wide, making it very convenient for vehicles and horses to travel.

The people also planted pine trees on both sides of the road.

After the construction of Dayuling Road, public and private traffic "transferred goods without complaining about the hard work, and lost their way on the high and deep roads. As a result, people with ears pierced with hammers and chests, and those with pearls and precious stones, had a place to stay and rest in places like Beijing and the islands."

It was along this road that Li Xuan passed by countless merchant groups and entered Nanhai County.

The road connecting Dayuling Road has been repaired in the past few years of Qianyuan and is now relatively smooth.

Li Xuan stayed in Shixing County for half a month and arrived at Nanhai City (now Guangzhou) in Nanhai County in late November.

The northern region is already covered with ice and snow.

It's still as warm as spring here.

Li Xuan arrived at the right time, so the soldiers accompanying him did not have to worry about overheating.

In this life, he also saw the magnificent South China Sea as he wished.

Nanhai City was a trading place for many small maritime countries. When they learned that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty had arrived, they offered treasures as a token of friendship.

Li Xuan also went to the trade market in person to see the various rare treasures from the South China Sea.

He also inspected various counties in Nanhai.

While reviewing the army and visiting the navy, Li Xuan took a warship and patrolled the South China Sea for three days.

Li Xuan advised Xin Yunjing that in the next few years, he should first use the navy to assist Fujian Province to capture Ryukyu and make it a territory of the Tang Dynasty.

In late December, after Li Xuan gave some instructions, he left Nanhai and began his journey back north.

First he returned to Shixing County and did not enter Jiangxi. Instead, he followed the western road into Hunan and inspected the area along the way.

In February of the eighth year of Qianyuan, Li Xuan went north to Baling County and summoned literati at Yueyang Tower to carry out ideological propaganda again and left behind poems.

Especially when he was at Dongting Lake, he wrote "After getting drunk, I didn't know that the sky was above the water, and the boat was full of sweet dreams that pressed down the starry sky."

In early April, Li Xuan entered Hubei Province.

In late May, Li Xuan arrived in Kuizhou, Badong Province, and met with Badong Governor Du Fu again.

Du Fu had already known the news of Li Bai's death. He was deeply saddened by the loss of an important friend in his life and wrote many poems to commemorate him.

He hoped that Li Bai had not really passed away, but had transcended the mundane world and returned to heaven.

Touring the northern part of Badong Province with Du Fu, Li Xuan was very satisfied with Du Fu's governance of the local area. Half a month later, he bid farewell to Du Fu and set off for Guanzhong Province.

Finally, Li Xuan returned to Chang'an in July of the eighth year of Qianyuan.

He traveled southwards by the Grand Canal, and then travelled light and light, completing his first tour of the country in nearly two years...

(End of this chapter)