Thief Emperor

Chapter 1169 A Flock of Dragons Following the Dragon
In the spring of the eighteenth year of Zhangwu, His Majesty the Emperor, along with Chancellor Du Qian, Minister of Rites Zhong Can, and other officials, left Luoyang and headed north.

In March, the imperial entourage stopped in Yanzhou. However, Emperor Li himself did not stop in Yanzhou. He temporarily placed his entourage and accompanying family members in Yanzhou, and then led a contingent of troops directly north on horseback.

In late March, the emperor led his personal guards to Liaodong Circuit. Luo Zhen, the defense commissioner of Liaodong Circuit, along with a group of generals stationed at Yuguan, respectfully welcomed His Majesty the emperor into Liaodong Circuit.

At this time, Luo Zhen was already over sixty years old.

He was a surrendered general of the Pinglu Army back then, and he was already quite old. In the blink of an eye, more than 20 years have passed, and even General Zhou from back then has passed away, so he is naturally no longer young.

Fortunately, although General Luo is old, he is still very healthy and can lead troops for a few more years without any problems.

Accompanied by Luo Zhen and officials from Liaodong Circuit, His Majesty the Emperor inspected the soldiers stationed in Liaodong Circuit and the Yuguan Pass, which he had personally built.

Compared to other circuit-level administrative divisions of the Tang Dynasty, Liaodong Circuit was relatively young, having only been established for seven or eight years at this time.

Fortunately, a certain provincial governor surnamed Huang was quite ruthless, and by this time, Liaodong Circuit, like Jiannan Circuit, was completely subdued.

Emperor Li stayed in the army for a full half month before finally arriving in Youzhou City, accompanied by Huang Chao, the Liaodong Provincial Governor, and a group of officials.

The Youzhou of this time was vastly different from the dilapidated Youzhou that Li Yun had seen years ago. After seven or eight years of construction, Youzhou City had been basically restored to its former appearance, and overall, it was even larger than the Youzhou City that the Fanyang army had taken over back then.

His Majesty the Emperor spent several days looking around Youzhou City, both inside and outside the city, and even wandered around the suburbs and villages outside the city. It wasn't until the fourth day that he smiled at Huang Chao in Youzhou City and said, "Minister Huang, your methods are truly remarkable. Liaodong is completely under your control."

"It won't be long before we can completely rule the land."

Huang Chao first bowed his head and thanked the emperor. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his head and sighed, "Your Majesty, I am already over sixty years old."

"My health has been deteriorating in recent years."

"After completing my term as the Provincial Governor of Liaodong, I wish to retire and return to my hometown of Caozhou to live out my days."

At this time, Huang Chao's hair had turned completely white. Although his eyes still had a sharp look, he was indeed an old man at first glance.

When he followed Li Yun, he was already in his thirties or forties. Over the years, he traveled around, suppressing local areas for Li Yun, which took a lot of effort.

They've grown old.

Emperor Li looked at Huang Chao and sighed: "I have seen how hard you have worked over the years, Minister Huang. Youzhou is indeed not a good place to stay. After you finish your term as the Governor of Liaodong, you should go to Luoyang to recuperate. I will reserve one of the fifty meritorious residences in Luoyang for you."

The residences of fifty meritorious officials in Luoyang have long been full, but in recent years, due to various reasons, some have become "empty".

These few empty rooms naturally have a lot of blood and tears behind them.

Huang Chao bowed deeply to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty's grace is etched in my heart. However, my reputation has been quite tarnished over the years. For the sake of Your Majesty's holy name, Your Majesty should not get too close to me."

"I am already content to return to my hometown and live out my remaining years in peace."

Since Huang Chao joined Li Yun's army, he has done most of the jobs that others were unwilling or unable to do. Before the founding of the country, things were alright, since people were killing people everywhere at that time, and his reputation was not too bad.

After the founding of the country, he first went to suppress Xichuan, and then went to Liaodong. Now both places are completely subdued.

How does it fit so well?
It was earned through fighting.

The common people have a saying about this "Master Huang": "Bloody Hand Butcher".

Over the years, the number of people who have died directly or indirectly at the hands of the Huang Dynasty has exceeded 50,000. Most of them were natives of Xichuan, and some were "rebels" from Liaodong.

The iron-fisted suppression was naturally not very meticulous. Most of the people Huang Chao killed were rebellious people who deserved to be killed, but there were still wrongful executions, which is why his reputation has indeed suffered in recent years.

It could even be described as appalling.

It's hard to say about other places, but in Xichuan and Youyan, the name of Master Huang is enough to stop children from crying at night.

Emperor Li was speechless and said, "My reputation isn't necessarily any better."

Huang Chao shook his head and said, "Your Majesty's holy name is known throughout the world."

He looked at Li Yun and continued, “Your Majesty, I am a rough man. I can handle local affairs and deal with those scoundrels, but I know very little about ways to enrich the people. After I leave my post in Liaodong, I hope Your Majesty will send a provincial governor who can manage the people’s livelihood.”

"To remedy the situation in Liaodong."

The emperor smiled and said, "It seems you also believe that there will be no war in Liaodong?" "Yes."

Huang Chao lowered his head and said, "After the completion of Yuguan Pass, it will be very difficult for the Khitans to enter the pass. As for the Liaodong region further east, I cannot see it and I have no ability to conquer it."

"In the Youyan area, there is a garrison at Yuguan in the east and the General of Taiyuan in the southwest. I think it is unlikely that chaos will break out."

The emperor stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "Over the years, you have indeed borne a lot of bad reputation for the court. After you finish this term as provincial governor, I will grant you permission to retire and live out your days in peace."

The emperor smiled and said, "But when you return to your hometown, be careful not to have any enemies come knocking on your door."

Huang Chao smiled and said, "My son has built a manor in our hometown. When I return, I will bring some of my retainers with me, and I will have no problem enjoying my old age in peace."

Emperor Li was speechless: "This is the first time I've heard of a civil official having his own retinue. You are probably the first person to do so."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him and said, "You've taken the blame for a lot of things over the years. Now that the chaos is over and the world is at peace, do you have any children or grandchildren who want to enter officialdom? If so, have them come directly to me, and I will grant them official positions through hereditary privilege and promise them a bright future."

Huang Chao lowered his head and said, "I haven't been back to my hometown for a long time. I only have two concubines by my side. I need to go back and see if there is anyone in my family who is suitable for an official position."

Upon hearing this, the emperor was quite moved: "Very well, in a few days I will write you a note. If any of your descendants wish to become officials, they can take this note to Luoyang to find me."

Huang Chao knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

Emperor Li helped him up and gently patted his shoulder.

"That's all for today, Your Majesty and I. In a few days, I will travel south to Hebei Province for an inspection tour, and then I will go to Yanzhou to prepare for the Fengshan ceremony."

"Take good care of yourself, my friend."

The emperor said earnestly, "If I am able to travel next time, I will go to Caozhou to find you."

With tears in his eyes, Huang Chao knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

…………

The day after his deep conversation with Huang Chao, His Majesty the Emperor, accompanied by his personal guards, prepared to leave Youzhou. Just as he left the city, he saw thunderclouds gathering in the sky.

The two young men standing before the emperor looked up at the sky and then turned back to report to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, it seems the weather is about to change. Shall we wait in Youzhou until the weather improves before we leave?"

Emperor Li looked at the two young men, both surnamed Li but not from the same family, and said with a smile, "At most it will just rain. Are you two scared?"

One of the two young men was Li Heng, the second son of the Prince of Jin, who was also Emperor Li's nephew. This time, he came out with His Majesty the Emperor to broaden his horizons.

The other is Li Zhong, the eldest son of the Duke of Xuan, who is also Meng Qing's eldest son and the future heir to the Duke of Xuan's title.

Both men were seventeen or eighteen years old. Upon hearing this, they immediately bowed their heads and clasped their hands in a fist salute: "We are not afraid!"

"I'm just worried that His Majesty might get caught in the rain."

The emperor laughed heartily: "What storms haven't I weathered over the years? Why would I be afraid of a change in the world?"

Having said that, the emperor, who was nearly fifty years old, leaped onto his horse, shook the reins, and his steed stretched its neck and neighed loudly. Then it accelerated and rushed towards the distance on the official road.

The two young men surnamed Li were startled and quickly mounted their horses, chasing after His Majesty the Emperor. As they spurred their horses, they shouted to the imperial guards behind them, "Hurry!"

"Follow His Majesty!"

Behind them, a group of nobles and the sons of meritorious officials, as well as the elite of the Imperial Guards, responded in unison. Hundreds or even thousands of them mounted their horses and galloped along the official road.

And so, a group of “future imperial warriors” dressed in black armor followed behind the emperor.

They sped towards Mount Tai.

Like a flock of dragons following a dragon.

(End of this chapter)