Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 239 The Situation is Chaotic

"..."

In the main hall of the government office, as soon as Zhang Yichao finished speaking, the room suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Liu Jilong's eyes flickered. He knew what Zhang Yichao meant, but he still needed to test it carefully.

"Hexi, I don't understand what you are saying."

"Haha..." Zhang Yichao couldn't help laughing:
"If you don't understand, you are not Liu Jilong"

After he laughed heartily a few times, he slowly put away his smile and then spoke:

"Whether Liangzhou falls into the hands of Suo Xun or the imperial court, it will eventually be occupied by the barbarians. By then, although Huai Shen can rely on the Dadouba Valley Road and the Sanxie Road to obtain your support, the commercial goods and materials that can be transported by these two valleys are too small, and his situation will still be unstable."

"But if you take control of Liangzhou, you will have to wipe out the barbarians in Baitinghai and Juyanhai. When the barbarians move west, Huaishen will only need to defend against the enemies from Shazhou."

"With Huai Shen in the west to help you contain the Anxi Uighurs, Tuhun and other foreign tribes, you can also focus more on the east."

"You care so much about your reputation. Huai Shen has done you a favor. If you harm him, you will be branded as a traitor. I don't believe you will do anything to Huai Shen."

Zhang Yichao hit the nail on the head.

From the beginning to the end, although Liu Jilian had thought about Hexi several times, he never took action against Zhang Huaishen.

After all, it is not nice to be a betrayer and be criticized, and it is not easy for him to forget Zhang Huaishen's favor in promoting him.

Although Zhang Huaishen was not a heroic leader, he was a famous and good general.

Liu Jilian wanted to take over Hexi even more, so he persuaded Zhang Huaishen to surrender and fight for him.

Although he had many generals under his command, there were not many who were capable of commanding an army.

If Zhang Huaishen could help him, he wouldn't have to go to the battlefield in person so many times.

It’s just a pity that he knows Zhang Huaishen. Zhang Huaishen has his own pride and will never do anything for himself.

Because of this, what Liu Jilian thought about most was to take over Gan and Liang and let Zhang Huaishen guard the border for him in the three states of Gua, Sha and Su.

Now, after Zhang Yichao's move, Guasha and Gansu will certainly be stable, but Liangzhou will be in his pocket, so it doesn't matter if Ganzhou is left to Zhang Yichao.

After pondering for a long time, Liu Jilong's eyes flickered, and he said:
"The imperial court will certainly use military force against me in the future. How will you deal with it then?"

"..." Zhang Yichao frowned and remained silent when he heard this. He didn't know why Liu Jilong was so sure.

In this regard, Liu Jilian could not possibly tell Zhang Yichao that he was planning to take advantage of the war between Nanzhao and Tang to plunder the population of Xichuan.

However, he knew in his heart that the imperial court regarded Sichuan as a forbidden delicacy, and if he plundered the population of Xichuan, the imperial court would certainly not tolerate him.

After all, the population he wanted to plunder was not a number of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, but tens or even millions.

After the plundering, Xichuan was not in ruins, but it was certainly exhausted, which the imperial court would certainly not be able to accept.

Even if the imperial court could accept it, it would have to consider other vassal states.

If they were not punished for plundering the population of Xichuan, other feudal lords would follow suit and the world would be in chaos.

Because of this, the imperial court will inevitably settle accounts with itself afterwards in order to maintain its own dignity.

Of course, this kind of thing depends on whether the emperor understands the Tang Dynasty in his hands.

If it was Li Chen, Liu Jilong was sure that he would not easily use military force against him.

But the next person to ascend the throne was Emperor Yizong of Tang, and his temper was not as tolerant as Li Chen's. He would even attack Nanzhao without hesitation, let alone himself.

However, as long as he plundered the money, goods and population of Xichuan to enrich Longyou, he would not be at a disadvantage even if the imperial court invaded.

If he wants to fight, he can fight and take advantage of the opportunity to occupy a lot of territory until the imperial court negotiates peace with him.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong bowed to Zhang Yichao and said, "Liangzhou, I will definitely take it!"

"Very good." Zhang Yichao nodded and chuckled, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"If Liangzhou falls into your hands, it will be much better than falling into the hands of the barbarians."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and pretended to walk out, and seeing this, Liu Jilong also stood up and followed him.

Next, the two did not say anything else until he sent Zhang Yichao to Yin Hotel, and then Zhang Yichao spoke first:

"Okay, let's send it here."

After saying this, he looked Liu Jilong up and down and said with satisfaction: "I am going to Chang'an this time. I don't know if I can see you again in my lifetime."

His tone revealed sighs and uneasiness.

Although Liu Jilong had many opinions in his mind, Zhang Yichao was his benefactor and elder after all, so he couldn't say anything.

"After Hexi goes to Chang'an, he must take good care of himself. We will definitely meet again in the future."

Although Liu Jilong knew in his heart that the two of them would most likely not meet again, he could not say it directly because there were too many unexpected changes in this world and no one could predict everything.

Even the direction of history has been completely changed because of Liu Jilian's butterfly wings.

"Let's go, you should go back and rest too."

Zhang Yichao turned and left, his back hunched and his footsteps alternating between deep and shallow.

Liu Jilong watched him walk into Yin Hotel until his figure disappeared, and then he returned to the inner hall to rest.

The next day, Zhang Yichao took the official road east of Wuquan to Yuanzhou, and Liu Jilian also went south to Didao after seeing him off.

When he arrived in Didao, it was already the fifteenth day of the winter month.

In the following period of time, there was no turmoil or change within Longyou.

Cao Mao was also leading officials from the Censorate to inspect the various prefectures in Longyou and investigate and arrest corrupt officials.

Liu Jilong managed both teaching and government affairs in Didao.

Gao Jinda was responsible for population migration, Cui Shu was responsible for the dispatch of military supplies, and Li Shangyin was responsible for Linzhou government affairs and academic affairs in Longyou.

Although the situation in Longyou is not as good as before, it is not as bad as imagined.

In comparison, the situation in Hexi became turbulent after Zhang Yichao left.

Since only Wang Jingyi, Wang Jingzhi, Zhang Huairong and others were in charge of Shazhou, and Liangzhou was too far away from Yizhou and Shazhou, Zhang Huaishen had to move to Ganzhou.

However, before moving to Ganzhou, he still needs to make sufficient preparations.

"Envoy, if you leave, Suo Xun will definitely take advantage of the opportunity to take over Liangzhou!"

"That's right, Lord!"

Inside the Guzang government office, Zhang Huaijian and Zhang Huaiman spoke to Zhang Huaishen one after another. Zhang Huaishen, who was sitting in the main seat, also nodded and said:
"My uncle is gone. If I want to govern Hexi, I must move the town."

"Under the current situation, I should move to Shazhou, then Guazhou, and finally Suzhou."

"It's just that Shazhou is too far away, and the population of Guasu and Suzhou is insufficient, so I can only temporarily move to Ganzhou."

After he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, and Zhang Yichao's instructions to him emerged in his mind, and then he continued:
"I plan to move from Changsong, Guzang and Hankou to Ganzhou and Suzhou after the spring."

"This time, I will lead the troops to Ganzhou, and Huaiman, you will lead the troops to escort them to Suzhou."

After hearing what Zhang Huaishen said, the three knew that Zhang Huaishen was going to give up Liangzhou.

His choice made the three of them very uncomfortable. Although Hankou was moved, the arable land could not be taken away, not to mention that Li Yizhong was in Ganzhou.

"Sir, Li Yizhong is showing off his power in Zhangye. How can we move the garrison to Zhangye?"

Jiu Juyan asked Zhang Huaishen, and Zhang Huaishen said coldly:
"Li Yi looks strong on the outside but is weak on the inside. This time I will lead 5,000 soldiers from Liangzhou to Ganzhou. If he causes trouble, he will be killed without mercy!"

Zhang Huaishen's words made the three of them look much better.

But there is still a problem that Zhang Huaishen needs to solve, otherwise migrating the population will only backfire.

"Sir, there are 20,000 people in Fanhe and Guzang in Hankou. If we move them to Suzhou and Ganzhou, how will they live?"

Zhang Huaiman asked Zhang Huaishen, after all, although the 20,000 people were of different ages, they would need at least 100,000 shi of grain to eat their fill.

According to the output of cultivated land, at least 120,000 acres of cultivated land are needed to solve the food problem while paying taxes.

The land that had been reclaimed in Ganzhou had basically been owned by someone else, so the 20,000 people in Hankou had to reclaim the land on their own.

Although hemp and beans can be planted during the early stages of land reclamation, they are not edible, and the output during the early stages of land reclamation will not be high. It can only make up for a small amount of the gap.

To support 20,000 people in Hankou for three years, that would require 300,000 dan of grain. The tax grain for the entire Hexi region is only 400,000 dan. After abandoning Liangzhou, I'm afraid that even 300,000 dan would not be enough.

Due to frequent wars, the warehouses in various states and counties were never full, with only 300,000 shi of grain in them.

Among them, 140,000 shi were military salaries that had not yet been paid, 40,000 shi were salaries that had not yet been paid, and only 120,000 shi were available.

Although it is enough for next year's expenses, how will they solve the problem of shortfall in military pay after losing Liangzhou?
Just because Zhang Huaiman couldn’t think of it doesn’t mean Zhang Huaishen couldn’t think of it.

Therefore, facing Zhang Huaiman's question, Zhang Huai took a deep breath and said:
"I can't stay in Liangzhou. After moving to Hankou, I plan to recover Xizhou, make friends with Yutian, Zhongyun, and Qarluk, obtain spices from them, and then trade with Liu Jilong."

"Even though the Dadouba Valley Road and Sanxie Road are difficult to travel, it is not a problem to sell spices at low prices and exchange them for food."

"We don't need much, and the imperial court has not closed the trade route with Longyou. Liu Jilong can buy and sell grain with Xichuan and Dongchuan."

The main reason why Zhang Huaishen did not want to stay in Liangzhou was that he did not want the Tang court to interfere with him. After all, he had given up on the Tang court and had long since given up hope of becoming the governor of Hexi.

Since they had been communicating with the Tang Dynasty, internal and external troubles had occurred frequently. Only by cutting off contact with the Tang court and using thunderous means to subdue the internal instability could he restore the original stability of the Hexi Guiyi Army. However, this was not enough, so he needed to use the tiger's skin, and this "tiger" was Liu Jilong of Longyou.

Use trade with Longyou to deter ambitious people in Hexi, and at the same time let them see hope for the further development of Hexi.

Even though the number of people migrating from Longyou to Hexi is not large and the volume of trade is not large, it always gives people hope.

Thinking of this, although Zhang Huaishen was a little arrogant, he had to speak:

"I will write a letter later, and you can send someone to deliver it to Liu Jilong."

"Yes!" Jiu Juyan bowed and saluted, but Zhang Huaijian suddenly said:

"General Jie, it would be better to invite Liu Jilong to Liangzhou and use Liangzhou as a condition to encircle and suppress Suo Xun!"

"Yes!" Zhang Huai's eyes lit up:
"Since Liangzhou is no longer ours, why not give it to Liu Jilong and let Liu Jilong and Suo Xun fight it out!"

The two had good ideas, but Zhang Huaishen snorted and frowned, "Do you think Liu Jilong is an incompetent person?"

"There are angels in Suo Xun's army. Even if we don't harm them, as long as they report to Chang'an, it will be considered a rebellion."

He stretched out his hand and rubbed his brows, feeling that there were too many things and too many concerns, and his energy was gradually failing.

It would be best if someone could give him some advice, but unfortunately...

He sighed, then waved his hand and said, "Go down and get things done first. I won't withdraw from Liangzhou right away. I'll have to wait until next year's autumn harvest."

"Yes……"

Zhang Huaiman and Zhang Huaijian had no choice but to retreat, while Jiu Juyan waited for Zhang Huaishen to finish writing the letter and then walked out of the yamen with the letter.

He gave the letter to more than ten light cavalrymen and asked them to go to Lanzhou.

Not long after the light cavalry left, Suo Xun learned the news.

"Did Zhang Huaishen go to find Liu Jilong?"

"He is Liu Jilong's benefactor. If he invites Liu Jilong to cool down, then we..."

"If Liu Jilong wants to come, he can come. Are you afraid of him?"

Inside the government office of Chishui City, Suo Xun sat in the main seat with a sullen face, while the angels in the hall, Wang Duanzhang, the deputy governor of Liangzhou, and Wang Shouwen and Wu Wei, the military commanders, each had their own opinions.

Wang Duanzhang was an angel after all. He knew more about the Guiyi Army in Longyou and was aware that even the imperial court did not dare to take action against them easily, so he was naturally cautious.

Although Wang Shouwen was conservative in his words, he was not afraid of Liu Jilong, he just didn't want to be buried in a foreign land.

Only Wu Wei was not afraid of Liu Jilong. Instead, he wanted to see what Liu Jilong was capable of.

Facing the different attitudes of the three people, Suo Xun said with a dark face:

"I'm not as good as Liu Jilong in single combat, but his marching and deployment are another matter."

"I'm not afraid of him, but I'm worried that he will occupy Liangzhou after he comes and disrupt my plan."

Seeing him say this, the three of them looked up at him, and he continued:
"Please ask the court to appease Liu Jilong."

"If the imperial court can appease Liu Jilong, then within two years at the latest, I will be able to seize Liangzhou and expand the territory for the imperial court!"

"Okay!" Wang Duanzhang nodded quickly. Seeing this, Suo Xun also stood up, bowed, and turned to walk towards the inner hall.

Wang Duanzhang stood up to draft the petition, but Wang Shouwen and Wu Wei walked out of the yamen.

The two men mounted their horses at the gate of the yamen and walked slowly towards their own courtyard.

On horseback, Wang Shouwen told Wu Wei, "Erlang, we are here just to make money, not to risk our lives."

"Think about your parents and wife at home. When a fight really breaks out, don't fight too hard."

"Don't worry!" Wu Wei comforted him, "I know what to do."

"I want to take over Liangzhou mainly for money and food. After all, there are 100,000 people in Liangzhou. Just plundering a little is enough for you and me to have enough food and drink."

Wang Shouwen nodded, then shook his head and said, "That's true, but our garrison period is only one year, why should we work so hard for Suo Xun?"

Both of them were thinking about returning home after their border guarding was completed next year. After all, they had saved up a lot of money, and they would have enough to live comfortably after returning home.

The two stopped talking and just waited quietly for Suo Xun to take action.

Soon, dozens of light cavalry escorted the memorial out of the city and galloped towards Chang'an.

While they were all preparing for this, officials from various prefectures and counties in Hexi also learned the news that Zhang Yichao was going to Beijing to serve as an official because of the expedited arrival of the light cavalry.

In this regard, officials from various states and counties had different attitudes. Among them, Li Wei and his son Li Yizhong were the first to receive the news.

"Now that Zhang Yichao is gone, the situation in Hexi will definitely become chaotic. Although you and I, father and son, will stay in Ganzhou, Ganzhou is adjacent to Shanzhou and Liangzhou. If Zhang Huaishen asks Liu Jilong for help, then we..."

Inside the government office of Zhangye County in Ganzhou, Li Wei paced back and forth, not optimistic about the outcome of the two.

In response to his words, Li Yizhong, who had 2,000 soldiers under his command, nodded and said, "Although I have 2,000 soldiers, Zhang Huaishen has more."

"If Zhang Huaishen invites Liu Jilong to Hexi, things will indeed become complicated."

"But I know Zhang Huaishen. He probably can't afford to ask Liu Jilong for help. Even if he asks for help, it will probably be for trade, not for direct military action."

"Besides, although Liu Jilong did not take Lanzhou from Zhang Huaishen on his own initiative, there is still this gap between them. I don't believe they can get along well."

After he finished speaking, Li Wei frowned and said, "Even if Liu Jilong is not here, with Zhang Huaishen's character, he will never let us go easily."

"In my opinion, we should contact your uncle and ask him to send troops to help us."

"If we join forces, the Li family will be able to resist Zhang Huaishen and even seize the four states of Guasha and Gansu!"

Li Wei was very ambitious, but Li Yizhong frowned and said, "I'm afraid my uncle and the others won't support us."

"We only want Ganzhou, and the other three states can be given to your uncle." Li Wei boasted, feeling that his suggestion to divide the four states would not be rejected.

Seeing this, Li Yizhong could only nod in agreement, and Li Wei also sent the news to Shazhou.

At the same time as the news reached Shazhou, the news that Zhang Yichao was going to Beijing to serve as an official was also sent to Chang'an from Liangzhou.

When the news reached Li Chen, he was about to take long-term medicine, so he was so surprised that he even forgot to take the medicine.

"What did you say?"

On the golden stage, Li Chen's brows were furrowed, but his eyes and tone were full of surprise.

In the palace, Ma Gongru repeated truthfully: "News came from Liangzhou that Zhang Yichao received the imperial decree and went to the capital, but he took the Lanyuan official road."

"It seems that he wants to explain something to Liu Jilong before leaving Helong."

Li Chen, who was originally surprised, relaxed after hearing the second sentence and said with a sigh of relief:
"Could it be that he was pretending to accept the order, but was actually planning something else with Liu Jilong?"

"This..." Ma Gongru hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"Probably not. After all, judging by Zhang Yichao's performance, he had the opportunity to eliminate Suo Xun, but he didn't do it."

"In addition, Zhang Yichao not only came to Beijing to serve as an official, but also brought his family with him. He did not leave his family to serve in Hexi. I'm afraid he decided to abandon everything in Hexi and come to Beijing."

As soon as Ma Gongru finished speaking, Li Chen felt a burning pain on his face.

He really didn't expect that Zhang Yichao was not testing him, but was really going to Beijing, and brought his entire family with him.

Li Chen didn't believe that Zhang Yichao didn't understand what this decision meant.

If something goes wrong, Zhang Yichao's lineage will be wiped out, without any descendants.

Faced with this situation, he still came, which shows that he is indeed loyal to the court.

Thinking of this, Li Chen could only cough and said, "The legend of Guanxi's God General is true."

"It's a pity that although he has the intention, Zhang Huaishen has no intention. Otherwise, Zhang Huaishen should also be an official in Beijing."

"If that were the case, I would definitely not lose the wealth of the Zhang family, but it's a pity..."

Li Chen thought of an excuse for himself, but Ma Gongru was speechless after hearing it.

If Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen both entered the court, Hexi would inevitably be torn apart and fall apart.

The "achievements in Hexi" that the emperor was proud of in the past would certainly be gone.

If this kind of thing happened, how could Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen, this uncle and nephew, become rich?
Of course, Ma Gongru only thought about this kind of thing in his mind but did not dare to say it out loud.

No matter what the Zhang uncle and nephew do, the emperor has his own opinion.

Even if they acted as loyal subjects, there are countless reasons to describe their actions as having ulterior motives, so why bother explaining?

"Well, buy Zhang Yichao's mansions and land as soon as possible, so as not to make him feel disappointed."

Li Chen slowly opened his mouth to give orders, Ma Gongru quickly responded, and then left the Purple Palace.

After he left, Li Chen just sighed and didn't say much. He just picked up the jade bowl and drank all the medicine in the bowl.

At the same time, news of Zhang Yichao's entry into the court also spread.

Some people were happy for him, some felt sorry for him, and some still despised him, thinking that he was a traitor and a bad seed who defected to Tubo.

Anyway, no matter what these people think, Zhang Yichao still went to Chang'an under various gazes...

(End of this chapter)