Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 486 Lu Long is in Danger (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"kill!!"

"Bam—"

"Uh-huh!"

On the fifth day of the first month of the second year of Qianfu, after Zhu Wen tricked Shi Pu into leading his army to Xuzhou, Shi Pu immediately went south and occupied Xiapi.

Upon learning of this, Zeng Yuanyu, who was unable to concentrate his forces to attack Shi Pu due to his need to defend various counties, could only watch as Shi Pu established his own independent regime in Xiapi, while simultaneously recruiting soldiers in various places.

While recruiting soldiers was easy, crafting armor was not so simple.

Seeing that the two sides had torn off their mask, Shi Pu simply stopped hiding his intentions and began to divide his troops to attack and plunder Suzhou in the south of Xiapi.

Upon learning of Shi Pu's actions, Zeng Yuanyu immediately led 3,000 troops to attack Xiapi.

At that time, Shi Pu was marching south to attack Suzhou. Upon learning that Zeng Yuanyu was coming to attack, he hurriedly ordered his subordinate Liu Zhijun to lead 1,000 troops back to defend Xiapi.

While Zeng Yuanyu and Shi Pu were locked in a fierce battle, Gao Pian, who was in Yuezhou, couldn't help but feel anxious.

"Although Zhu Quanzhong had many tricks up his sleeve, he had few soldiers and generals. Chengde and Zhaoyi were hesitant to restore order, and Zhu Quanzhong was defeated and killed in just a few months."

Inside Yueyang Tower, Gao Pian stood with his back to Gao Qin, facing the misty, inky scenery of Dongting Lake, taking a deep breath as he considered the situation.

Upon hearing this, Gao Qin immediately said, "Even if Zhu Quanzhong is defeated, there are still the three towns of Hebei and Zhaoyi in the north."

"Right now, Weibo is attacking the three prefectures of Zheng, Hua, and Pu under Liu Jilong's command. Liu Jilong can't possibly sit idly by after defeating Zhu Quanzhong, can he?"

"If he launches an attack on Weibo, it will inevitably alert the other three towns."

"If the three towns unite in order to protect themselves, Liu Jilong will inevitably be deeply involved in the war with the three towns."

"Father, is that the time for us to launch a military campaign?"

His words reached Gao Pian's ears, and Gao Pian nodded slightly, but then shook his head: "Liu Jilong won't give us much time. The most prosperous Jiangdong and Liangzhe regions are still in the hands of Song Wei and Dong Chang."

"Right now, we must eliminate one of them before they form an alliance against our army."

"Only by obtaining the entire Jiangnan region can I launch a multi-pronged attack to seize the Xu-Si and San-Chuan regions from Liu Jilong."

At this point, Gao Pian looked at Gao Qin and asked, "How did you do with the task I asked you to do?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Qin bowed without hesitation and said, "Li Hanzhi, the governor of Luzhou, has already recognized my father as the legitimate ruler."

"As long as Father sends troops, he will surely respond to Father and become an arm for our army to advance eastward into Huainan!"

In response to Gao Qin's remarks, Gao Pian did not refute them but simply nodded and said, "If that's the case, our army should also get moving."

"The imperial edict appointed Wang Zhongren as the punitive expedition commander of Liangzhe, with Yu Gongchu as his deputy, to command 40,000 troops to attack Liangzhe, and issued a document declaring Dong Chang a traitor."

"By imperial decree, Liang Zuan is appointed as the Jiangdong Expeditionary Commander, with Yao Guili as his deputy, to lead 30,000 troops to attack Jiangdong. A proclamation is issued declaring Song Wei a traitor!"

"The imperial edict ordered Lu Ruyue to summon the various barbarian tribes and lead an army of 20,000 men south to persuade Cai Xi to surrender."

Seeing the situation in the north, Gao Pian dared not delay. He knew that Liu Jilong was currently preoccupied with other matters, and if he did not take this opportunity to eliminate the warlords in the south, he would certainly not have much strength to deal with Liu Jilong's southward advance.

"The last general takes command!"

Gao Qin couldn't contain his excitement. After all, if he could capture Dong Chang, Song Wei, and Cai Xi, then the area south of the Yangtze River would be theirs.

Once we deal with Kang Chengxun and Zeng Yuanyu in the north, and restore the old territory of the Southern Dynasty, it will be much easier to wrestle with Liu Jilong between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers.

He respectfully withdrew from Yueyang Tower, and then began to issue imperial edicts to mobilize the 70,000-strong army in Jiangxi.

The news of Gao Pian's military campaign naturally did not escape the notice of Liu Jilong's spies planted in Hunan.

The 40,000-strong army required a considerable amount of money and supplies, and while Gao Pian was attacking Dong Chang, the Qi-Lu region was also reporting frequent victories.

Amidst these frequent good news, the former officials of the Tang court finally awaited the day when Liu Jilong would marry the princess.

"bye……"

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, after the Lantern Festival, Liu Jilong officially took Li Mei as his concubine.

Although the whole process was tedious, it was still worthwhile to use this method to temporarily appease the former officials of the Tang court.

Compared to Li Cui, who doted on Li Meiling, Li Yi seemed rather stingy.

Li Meiling's dowry was only tens of thousands of strings of cash, which was not only less than the million strings of cash promised by Li Cui, but also less than that of some prestigious families.

I wonder if Li Cui, if he knew this in the afterlife, would be so angry at Li Yi's actions that he would come back to life.

"The princess may proceed to the princess's residence."

As the welcoming ceremony came to an end, Minister of Rites Xiao Gou bowed apologetically to Li Meiling.

Li Meiling slowly raised her head. At this moment, she was wearing a floral hairpin with long sideburns. This was a ceremonial crown made of gold and silver jewelry, with long sideburns hanging down on both sides. It could not cover her face, but it could still make people see her vaguely.

Even so, when she looked at Liu Jilong, she could still make out the general outline of his face.

Although Liu Jilong was a few months older than Li Meiling's father, Li Cui, he was indeed as Li Yi and the court officials had said: Liu Jilong was exceptionally handsome, with the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix.

If one didn't know Liu Jilong's age beforehand, at first glance one would think he was a young man of only twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and he was indeed more handsome than the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations over the years.

"In that case, Princess, please return to your residence first. I will go there shortly."

Liu Jilong slowly opened his mouth and looked at Li Meiling, who was twenty-three years old and, from a modern perspective, was in the prime of her youth. Although he had seen many beautiful women before, he had never encountered a beauty like Li Meiling who had an air of nobility.

Both the former officials of the Tang court and the officials from Guanzhong felt wronged by Liu Jilong's marriage to the princess.

The former officials of the Tang court felt that marrying Li Cui's most beloved princess to Liu Jilong was undoubtedly an insult to Li Cui.

The Kansai officials felt that since Li Meiling had married their prince, she should not live alone in the princess's residence, but should live in the inner courtyard.

Princess Li Meiling's residence was right next to the Prince of Han's residence. Although it was only a few steps away, it was seen as a great injustice by the officials of Guanzhong.

Liu Jilong didn't care about these things. As long as he could stabilize the political force of the old Tang officials, walking a few steps or even hundreds of steps was nothing.

"This concubine takes her leave..."

Looking at Liu Jilong, Li Meiling's cheeks flushed red, but her grievances subsided considerably. She turned and followed the official outside.

As Xiao Gou watched Pi Rixiu lead Li Meiling out of the festive main hall of the Han Prince's Mansion, he couldn't help but feel a little wronged for her.

Princesses have always been revered, and their husbands have always considered them their masters. But now, they want Liu Jilong to be their master. I wonder how the late emperor would have condemned his own people if he saw this.

"Ugh……"

He sighed inwardly, then bowed to Liu Jilong: "Your Highness is busy with state affairs, so please keep the banquet simple."

"Hmm!" Liu Jilong naturally didn't have much interest in lingering at the banquet, since Zhao Ying had come to see him several times, but had to leave each time because he was personally welcoming her.

The fact that Zhao Ying has come so many times clearly indicates that she has a lot of information.

With that thought in mind, Liu Jilong began to walk out of the main hall and head to the various banquet rooms outside to exchange toasts.

Most of the former Tang officials were forcing smiles, while the officials from Guanzhong, though not entirely comfortable, still drank heartily in response to Liu Jilong's arrival.

After calming them down, Liu Jilong left the front yard and went to the main hall.

When he arrived, Gao Jinda and Li Shangyin were already sitting in the main hall.

"Your Highness..."

"Get up."

Upon Liu Jilong's arrival, the two men bowed. Liu Jilong gestured for them to rise, then sat down in the main seat and asked, "What has happened?"

"Laiwu, Xintai, Futang, Gaomi, Zhucheng... these five counties have already been acquired by Governors Qie Biao and Husi, leaving Zhu Quanzhong with only ten counties and one pass."

Gao Jinda bowed respectfully and reported on the new achievements of the Han army in Qi and Lu.

Zhu Wen, who once controlled almost half of Shandong, is now forced to retreat to Yizhou, nestled between the Yimeng and Wulian Mountains.

His once-powerful army of 20,000 was trapped in the cities of Zibo and Qingzhou, and over 10,000 were wiped out by Li Yangchun, leaving him with only 10,000 soldiers to defend the two prefectures.

"Zeng Yuanyu, the military governor of Ganhua Army, responded to the imperial edict and sent 10,000 troops to attack Zhu Quanzhong. However, Zhu Quanzhong sent envoys to sow discord, and General Shi Pu led his army to establish his own independent regime. At the same time, he attacked the counties of Suzhou."

"Currently, Zeng Yuanyu still holds the three prefectures of Xu, Si, and Hao, while Shi Pu occupies Xiapi and Suzhou. I'm afraid we can't count on the Ganhua Army."

As Li Shangyin spoke, he added, "Wei Bo is tying down nearly 30,000 of our troops. With only the troops under Li Yangchun's command, it would be difficult to defend Yanzhou and we would have to send troops to attack Yizhou."

"Governor Husi has nearly 10,000 elite cavalry and infantry under his command, with 2,000 stationed in Dengzhou and Laizhou, and only 8,000 troops in Mizhou."

"However, Zhu Wen has already led his army north to Ju County, where he has built trenches and set up camps along the Mu River, making it difficult to attack."

In response to Li Shangyin's words, Liu Jilong looked at the several court officials who were recording the events and said, "Bring over the sand table of Qi and Lu."

“Yes…” One of them got up and went to make arrangements. Soon after, soldiers carried in a sand table that was seven feet long and five feet wide.

Although it is impossible to perfectly replicate the current terrain of Shandong, this sand table allows Liu Jilong to understand the general situation of Shandong.

"The bathwater didn't freeze?"

Liu Jilong asked Li Shangyin, but Li Shangyin shook his head and said, "The upper reaches of the Mu River do not easily freeze, and even if they do, the ice layer is thin and difficult for marching."

Hearing him say that, Liu Jilong hadn't expected that the rivers, which only spanned four or five hundred miles from north to south, could have such a large difference.

Although it is already springtime, the temperature in the Qilu region is still relatively low. Unexpectedly, the upper reaches of the Mushui River cannot freeze, which increases the difficulty for the Han army to attack cities and capture strongholds.

If Wei Bo hadn't interfered, the best route of attack would have been to draw troops from the three towns in the Central Plains and have Li Yangchun attack directly through Fei County.

Li Yangchun's troops are currently insufficient; if we want him to launch an attack, we must first replenish his forces.

The best course of action now is to first defeat the Weibo troops who have invaded Henan, then send troops to Li Yangchun to defeat Zhu Wen, and finally recruit Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba, and others to surrender.

While pondering, Liu Jilong took the initiative to speak: "Ling An Po Hu led three thousand elite cavalry to Huazhou to replace Zheng Tian in command of the three armies. After defeating Weibo, he dispatched ten thousand troops south to aid Li Yangchun and returned to Li Yangchun's command."

Liu Jilong could naturally lead his troops out of the town, and he was confident that he could defeat the invading troops from Weibo in a very short time, and then march south to quell Zhu Wen.

However, he has just married a princess, and if he were to go to Zheng and Hua prefectures now, it would inevitably cause the old officials of the Tang court to have doubts.

Moreover, besieging Ge Congzhou and Zhang Guiba didn't really require as many people as An Pohu, Wang Shi, and Chen Jingchong.

By withdrawing Anpohu and waiting to quell Zhu Wen's rebellion, Anpohu could continue his northward advance to Yichang and Yiwu, thus controlling the three towns of Hebei.

"Your subject obeys..."

Gao Jinda and Li Shangyin respectfully agreed, but at that moment a captain came to the entrance of the main hall and bowed: "Your Highness, the Venerable Wuzhen requests an audience."

"Please!" Upon hearing that Wuzhen had arrived, Liu Jilong knew that Wuzhen had probably come to a realization.

When Wuzhen was in charge of the Hexi region of Tibet, he often accompanied the monk Hongbian to Lasa. Hongbian was a high-ranking monk who had been granted a purple robe by the Tibetan king.

If Wuzhen could be chosen to go to Tibet to spread Buddhism, it would certainly be beneficial to Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong's method of dealing with Tibet was to assimilate the Tibetans through religion and then support Meru Danzeng politically and economically.

As he was thinking this, Wuzhen led two monks, who were about the same age as Liu Jilong, into the hall and bowed to him.

"The monk Wuzhen, accompanied by his disciple, pays his respects to Your Highness..."

"Please rise, sir."

Liu Jilong raised his hand with a smile, and then, after Wuzhen and his disciples stood up, said, "What do you think, sir?"

“The great master only needs to stay in Hezhou, while his disciples go to Tibet to spread Buddhism.”

He did want Wuzhen to spread Buddhism, but Wuzhen was too old, and sending him to Tibet would be tantamount to sending him to his death.

“This humble monk has carefully considered this matter. Since it is beneficial to the court and Buddhism, this humble monk naturally cannot refuse.”

"There are currently over 156,000 registered monks in the country, and over 68,000 of them are under the jurisdiction of the imperial court."

"If Your Highness's request is met, I'm afraid only one in ten of these more than sixty thousand monks and nuns will survive."

Wuzhen was astonished by the number of monks and nuns in the Central Plains, and at the same time worried that Liu Jilong's decrees would damage Buddhism in the Central Plains, so he couldn't help but offer some advice.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong shook his head and said, "If they can't even pass the Ministry of Rites' examination, how can such monks and nuns be considered virtuous?"

"The examination was scheduled for the tenth day of the ninth month. The examination papers were prepared by a great master and required to include twelve classics, such as the Lotus Sutra, the Surangama Sutra, and the Diamond Sutra."

"The twelve classics encompass twelve examination papers. The imperial examination lasted for six days, with two examination papers each day, and each paper was graded out of 100."

"Since the exam is being held this year, anyone who scores 800 or above will be eligible for a certificate of ordination."

“From now on, only the top 1,200 people in the annual examination will be selected to receive ordination certificates. Other monks and nuns who fail the examination can go to Tibet to spread Buddhism, starting from the novice monk level.”

"Furthermore, the jurisdiction of the monks only includes the temple; all land outside the temple belongs to the local government."

“Monks who went to Tibet to spread Buddhism could not only receive offerings from believers, but also send someone to the nearest government office to receive money and stipends related to their Buddhist status by presenting their ordination certificate.”

“A novice monk can receive 15 shi of rice per year, in addition to salt, oil, tea and cloth and other supplies.”

“A monk’s annual stipend is fifty shi (a unit of dry measure), and the rest of his supplies are doubled, plus an extra supply of cotton cloth.”

“The Zen master’s annual salary was one hundred shi (a unit of dry measure), which, in addition to salt, oil, cloth, tea, and cotton, also included brocade, honey, and a red kasaya (monk’s robe).

“The Dharma King’s annual salary is three hundred shi (a unit of dry measure). In addition to the doubled treatment for Zen masters, he also receives meat, gold and silver ritual implements, and purple robes.”

After Liu Jilong spoke, Wuzhen knew that probably only half of the monks and nuns under the imperial court's rule would pass this imperial examination.

At that time, many monks and nuns will have to return to secular life, while a small number of people who are blinded by profit will go to Tibet to spread Buddhism.

Although it takes twenty years to advance from a novice monk to a Dharma King, the Dharma King's salary is enough to make them envious.

In terms of salary alone, the Dharma King's salary was comparable to that of a fourth-rank official, while the Zen Master's was comparable to that of a sixth-rank official.

Such generous treatment inevitably attracted many unscrupulous individuals who, under the guise of spreading Buddhist teachings, would travel to Tibet to enjoy wealth and luxury.

Wuzhen sighed inwardly, then bowed to Liu Jilong: "This humble monk will definitely complete the examination papers within three months."

"I will send someone to assist with this matter." Liu Jilong nodded in response, and then Wuzhen took his leave.

After he left, Li Shangyin and Gao Jinda also frowned and looked at Liu Jilong, respectfully saying, "Your Highness, with monks in the Tubo region receiving such generous treatment, I'm afraid many people blinded by profit will go to Tubo to spread the Dharma."

"If that's the case, then that's more like it." Liu Jilong's lips curled into a smirk. He didn't believe that the people of the Central Plains could tolerate the environment in the Tibetan region.

Even if, hypothetically, some people were able to accept the Tibetan environment and achieve the status of Zen masters or Dharma kings there, Liu Jilong would not be saddened; on the contrary, he would be happy.

If tens of thousands of people were to flock to Tibet to spread their religion, Bon and many other sects that originated in India would probably be driven to the southern Tibetan region.

As long as Lu Danzeng didn't interfere, Buddhism from the Central Plains would definitely have flourished in Tibet.

If Lu Danzeng hadn't wanted to resist, Liu Jilong would probably have sent Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu with troops to talk to him.

Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu's abilities were nothing special in the Central Plains, but they were more than capable of dealing with Lu Danzeng.

Given the current situation in Tibet, even if they joined forces with Mulu Danzeng, they would probably find it difficult to muster 50,000 armored soldiers.

Moreover, the Tibetan slave rebellion had not been completely suppressed. Liu Jilong remembered that this rebellion would severely damage Tibet's internal strength, making it impossible for Tibet to rise again.

"Your Highness, is it enough for monks to only spread Buddhist teachings?"

Li Shangyin seemed to recall Liu Jilong's past methods and couldn't help but inquire about them.

After hearing this, Liu Jilong shook his head and said with a smile, "Of course not."

"All Buddhist scriptures were written in official script, and the monks who taught them also used official language."

"Furthermore, it is necessary to discuss with Mulu Danzeng that slaves can also learn Buddhism, become monks, and be exempted from labor."

“Those who become monks in Tibet can be selected to study in the Ministry of Rites in Chang’an and Luoyang every year. Afterwards, they will be sent back to Tibet to build temples and continue to spread the Dharma. Their treatment will be the same as that of monks who spread the Dharma in the Central Plains.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shangyin understood his thoughts.

These monks, who originated in Tibet, would become the eyes and ears of the imperial court in Tibet, and they would also influence Tibet in the future during the process of spreading the Dharma.

If we can use religious sects to control public opinion within Tibet, it will be far more powerful than sending tens of thousands of troops deep into Tibet.

Slaves naturally preferred to believe monks who were born slaves rather than their high-ranking slave owners.

"If that's the case, then I have no objection."

Li Shangyin nodded and said nothing more. Gao Jinda, seeing the two of them say this, immediately understood Liu Jilong's idea and then bowed to him, saying, "Your Highness, I take my leave."

"Your subject takes his leave..." Li Shangyin also took his leave.

Liu Jilong nodded in approval. After the two left, he saw Zhao Ying walk into the hall from outside the door.

"Your Highness, Gao Pian has launched a military campaign against Jiangdong and Liangzhe."

Zhao Ying's news caused Liu Jilong's expression to change slightly: "How many troops were mobilized?"

"I'm afraid it's quite a lot. More than 50,000 laborers were mobilized in Hunan alone, and there should be even more in Jiangxi. However, we haven't planted any spies in Jiangxi yet, so we don't know." "But Song Wei and Dong Chang have at least 60,000 troops under their command, and Gao Pian's troops should be no less than that number."

Zhao Ying recounted all the intelligence she had gathered. Liu Jilong nodded in agreement, but then continued, "Let's wait and see. Our army is currently unable to intervene in Jiangnan. Let's pacify Hebei first."

"Yes!" Zhao Ying, as always, had no objections and simply carried out Liu Jilong's orders.

Seeing that Liu Jilong had no further instructions, he left the main hall. Liu Jilong then dealt with government affairs for two hours. When he felt that it was getting late, he went out to the princess's residence next door.

At that time, there were already many people watching outside the princess's residence. After seeing Liu Jilong enter the princess's residence at dusk, they all reported the matter to the people behind him.

This naturally included Li Yi, who was most concerned about the matter.

Li Yi, who had been unable to eat or sleep due to the memorials from Zhu Wen and Weibo, finally got a good night's rest after learning that Liu Jilong had stayed overnight at the princess's residence.

While they rested, the Han army continued its siege of Yidu and Zichuan.

After half a month of fierce attacks, the brick walls of both cities had been breached, but the walls were too thick, and Ge Congzhou and Zhang Guiba had prepared enough sandbags, so the Han army was unable to break through them even after half a month of fierce attacks.

Seeing that the gunpowder was almost used up, they could only continue to besiege the two cities and wait for the gunpowder to be delivered to the front line before launching an attack.

"This city is not easy to attack. We have been repelled several times. The road is full of people. The city is not big, but it has a lot of soldiers."

Inside the tent, many generals were grumbling, but Wang Shi, sitting in the main seat, said nothing, only reassuring them:

“Ge Congzhou and Zhang Guiba are not easy to deal with, so there is no need to rush to capture the city. Zhu Quanzhong in the south has suffered repeated defeats. We should wait for our brothers in the south to capture Yizhou and Haizhou. These two cities will surrender on their own without any need for attack.”

"Even if they don't surrender, it's already spring. If our gunpowder arrives, we can use tunneling attacks to completely blow up the city walls and then storm the city."

Wang Shi wasn't greedy for credit, after all, defeating Zhu Wen was just the beginning, the main event was the three towns of Hebei and Zhaoyi in the north.

Faced with his reassurance, the generals stopped complaining, but deep down they still felt somewhat resentful.

Wang Shi saw this and naturally knew what they were dissatisfied with, so he asked, "How many of our soldiers have been killed or wounded during this month-long siege, and how many brothers are still able to fight?"

"More than 1,200 were killed in action, more than 400 were wounded, and more than 8,300 people could still be mobilized."

Lu Yanhong bowed and spoke, and Wang Shi nodded after hearing it: "Our army has suffered so many casualties, Ge Congzhou's troops inside the city must be in a bad situation."

"Gentlemen, there is no need to be anxious. We will be able to breach the city once our gunpowder arrives."

Wang's words finally calmed them down.

However, while they were complaining, the situation inside Zichuan City was not good either.

"Um..."

"Kill me! Kill me..."

In the pitch-black alley, Ge Congzhou listened to the shrill wails that came from beside him, and his heart clenched uncontrollably.

Although the Han army's several attacks were repelled, the number of Yanhai soldiers who died or were wounded was not small.

"General..."

Two generals walked up to Ge Congzhou. Ge Congzhou looked up, his face, though only in his twenties, was full of vicissitudes.

Is there any way to save him?

Faced with his question, the two generals shook their heads: "Most of them suffer from severe hemorrhage and rotting wounds; they are beyond saving."

Upon hearing this, Ge Congzhou lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before finally making up his mind: "Give me a quick death!"

He felt extremely uncomfortable saying these words, after all, these were veterans he had trained for more than two years.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two generals turned around and went to give the order. Before long, the sound of chopping bones and flesh came from the houses on both sides of the alley, and the mournful cries gradually disappeared.

A moment later, the two generals returned to Ge Congzhou, who asked, "How many troops do we still have available?"

"Less than seven thousand..."

"The morale of the brothers is low, especially after learning a few days ago that Yanzhou had fallen. Many felt hopeless and wanted to surrender..."

The two men spoke with some trepidation, after all, the Han army had only launched five strong attacks in total, and although they had repelled the Han army all five times by taking advantage of the terrain, they had suffered many casualties each time.

Upon hearing this, Ge Congzhou took a deep breath. He had long been prepared for the deaths and injuries of so many brothers, but he had already surrendered to Zhu Wen. If he were to surrender to Liu Jilong as well, how could he face himself?

Moreover, Zhu Wen did not surrender, so wouldn't it be a betrayal of one's lord to surrender?
"If I had known this would happen, I would have fought the Han army at the Yellow River. Even if I had died in battle, it would have been a worthy death..."

Ge Congzhou couldn't help but feel a little regretful. In the past few days, he had led his troops out of the city to launch surprise attacks on the Han army, but the Han army was quick to react, and each time he had not caused many casualties to the Han army.

He and Wang Shi appeared to have roughly equal military strength, but the quality of the Han army far surpassed that of the Yan navy.

Facing direct confrontation, Ge Congzhou felt he wouldn't gain any advantage, so he decided to continue holding his ground and wait for the right moment to attack.

Although the exact number of Han soldiers killed or wounded is unknown, at least five hundred corpses have been seen on the battlefield in recent days.

The Han army had a long-standing habit of looting the bodies of fallen soldiers. If they were able to leave behind 500 corpses, the Han army must have suffered at least 1,500 casualties, if not 2,000.

The Han army outside the city probably hates him to the core, and even if he surrenders, he will probably be ostracized in the future.

Ge Congzhou gave a few bitter laughs. He could only try his best to hold Zichuan and buy Zhu Wen enough time.

If they still lost to Liu Jilong despite all that, then it can only be said that their loss was not unjust.

Lost in thought, he walked into the dark alley until his figure disappeared into the darkness.

The battlefield in Qilu remained deadlocked, while the Wei Bo soldiers, who had once clamored to plunder the Central Plains, could not even touch the city walls of the counties in Henan.

Le Yanzhen led 27,000 troops, dividing them into two groups to cross the river from Linhe and Liyang counties. Zheng Tian, ​​on Luo Yin's advice, led 15,000 troops to defend the area, relying on the canals in the northern and southern parts of Weibei.

Although Le Yanzhen successfully led his troops across the river, he was unable to break through the canal defense line that ran from the north of Puyang, westward through Weinan, and connected to the Yellow River.

"boom!"

"Damn it! They were all clamoring to storm the city, but these past few days, every time their assault failed, they retreated in formation, completely disobeying orders!"

"If this continues, you can all take this seat yourselves!"

In the camp stretching for miles along the south bank of the Yellow River, Le Yanzhen, the governor of Bozhou, was venting his anger on his generals inside the tent.

Normally, these guys would have cursed back or even punched Le Yanzhen.

However, given the circumstances and their own fault, they had no choice but to suppress their anger, though they still complained:

"The government troops deployed along the river canal. When our army attacked the south bank, it was attacked by the government troops. We could not stand firm at all and naturally retreated."

"That's right! The current government troops are worlds apart from the government troops of the past. How could we have imagined that the current government troops would be so valiant?"

"The Han army has those thunder-like things in their ranks. Before we even got close to the canal, they attacked us with them. Although they didn't kill many people, our morale was completely shattered. Everyone was in a panic. How can we lead troops like this?"

These yamen generals had read many military books in their youth, and Le Yanzhen could still communicate with them.

If he were surrounded by Wei Bo's personal guards, he would truly be a "scholar encountering soldiers," unable to reason with them.

Seeing that they were still reasonable, Le Yanzhen calmed down: "If we continue to fight like this, we definitely won't be able to break through."

"Let's just not fight anymore."

"That's right. This place in Henan looks dilapidated. It's been robbed countless times. They definitely couldn't have gotten anything good from it."

"Anyway, the locust plague is over, and the victims have fled to the south. Instead of wasting our energy here, we might as well go back to town and have some fun!"

Looking at the appearance of these guards, Le Yanzhen's temper, which had just been calmed down, was immediately stirred up again.

"You sons of bitches! You were the ones who said you'd fight, and now you're the ones who aren't. What do you want?!"

Le Yanzhen stood up and questioned them, but they were also somewhat embarrassed.

I thought going south would be easy, but I ended up picking a rock instead.

Eat this stone... it'll break your teeth, but if you don't eat it, you can't swallow your anger.

Thinking about this, even these teeth themselves were somewhat at a loss as to what to do now.

"Should we just withdraw the troops?"

"Withdrawal?"

Seeing them say that, Le Yanzhen was so angry that he didn't know what to say.

He had originally hoped to use this opportunity to enhance his prestige, but the war ended in such a disappointing failure that even the soldiers of Bozhou might dare to look down on him when he returned.

"Damn it! We'll set out from camp at dawn tomorrow and engage the government troops. I will break through their defenses!"

Le Yanzhen has a short temper, but his generals are unwilling to indulge him.

"Damn it! Over four thousand soldiers from the prefecture have died in the past few days, and more than three hundred of our brothers from Weibo have perished. What face do you have left to launch a full-scale attack?!"

"That's right, in my opinion, it's because you were incompetent in commanding the army that so many brothers died!"

"You dog-and-rat bastard, I let you say a few words, but you just keep cursing me endlessly, don't you?!"

The officers stood up one after another, leaving Le Yanzhen in an awkward position.

"I don't care, we'll break camp and head back to Hebei tomorrow anyway. Henan is in ruins, there's nothing to loot!"

"We will break camp and head north at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow. If you do not listen, then lead the state troops to attack yourself!"

They left the command tent one after another, completely disregarding Le Yanzhen's military orders.

If Le Yanzhen really dares to make a move, they wouldn't mind taking his head and sending it to Luoyang to surrender.

Then we can say that Le Yanzhen instigated Han Junxiong. If the court doesn't want to cause any more trouble, it will definitely accept it. After all, isn't that how it always has been?

"Dogs and rats! Dogs and rats!!"

Seeing that these generals had abandoned him, Le Yanzhen really wanted to grab them and tell them just how dangerous the situation Wei Bo was facing was.

However, none of the generals were willing to listen to his explanation, let alone the soldiers who only knew how to hone their martial arts skills and rarely studied military strategy.

At this moment, Le Yanzhen felt extremely frustrated, and Wei Bo's generals certainly did not disappoint him.

The next day at dawn, before he could give the order, the soldiers of Weibo began packing their belongings and had the laborers load the carts in preparation for their retreat back to Weibo.

Left with no other choice, Le Yanzhen could only use 5,000 troops from Bozhou to cover the retreat of the main army back to Weibo.

"What are they doing?"

In front of the Weinan County city gate, Zheng Tian, ​​who had gotten up early, was wearing armor and gazing at the Weibo camp to the north, his face full of doubt.

Luo Yin, who rushed over, was also puzzled by the situation: "It seems like they're going to attack, but this posture looks more like they're retreating?"

"Could something have happened in Weibo Town, and they're preparing to retreat north?"

Zheng Tian's eyes twitched upon hearing this: "The war has only lasted for half a month. Although Weibo has suffered many casualties, most of the soldiers seen on the battlefield are from the state. They should not have suffered serious injuries."

Zheng Tian was judging based on the Tang court's past experience with Weibo, but Luo Yin shook his head and said:

"What the Minister said would have been correct in the past, but it is far from the truth now."

“In the past, when the imperial court fought against the three towns, the army was weaker when it went abroad, but when both sides went abroad, they were evenly matched.”

"Now that Weibo has crossed the border and our army is full of fighting spirit, Le Yanzhen and his generals can naturally see that our army is different from the government army of the past. Therefore, they know that if they continue to fight, it will be the Weibo soldiers who will suffer casualties."

"If I were Yue Yanzhen, I would also choose to withdraw my troops at this time and wait for His Highness the Prince of Han to lead his army north and fight against our army from within the town, relying on the city walls."

Luo Yin learned a lot from Liu Jilong, and since he was good at understanding others, he could naturally guess Wei Bojun's current situation.

Seeing his words, Zheng Tian could only sigh and say, "If they retreat, our army can launch a full-scale attack on Zhu Quanzhong."

"However, our army is valiant. If Your Highness allows us to enter Weibo Town, we may not only be able to defeat this army, but also take more than 20,000 troops from three prefectures to the north and occupy Wei and Chan prefectures."

"His Highness will certainly not allow it." Luo Yin was certain of this, and Zheng Tian was well aware of it, but he really didn't want to give up the reputation of having led the troops to defeat Weibo.

Without Liu Jilong's approval, his more than 10,000 Han soldiers would never have obeyed his orders to march north.

This demonstrates the extent of Liu Jilong's prestige within the military.

However, Zheng Tian could also sense that as Liu Jilong's army absorbed more and more people from Guandong, the atmosphere in the army gradually became more arrogant.

Such was the atmosphere in the Kanto region that even ordinary people were influenced by it and became somewhat arrogant.

Fortunately, the Han army was mainly composed of 100,000 soldiers from Longyou, and it would be difficult for the rest of the troops to cause any trouble.

However, it is easy to win over these soldiers; all it takes is to offer them incentives.

Although Zheng Tian did not intend to do so, he felt that someone would eventually use this to turn against Liu Jilong.

Thinking about this, Zheng Tian couldn't help but feel undecided.

He is only forty-seven years old. If he were to resign from his post and return to his hometown, or be left idle, he would naturally not be able to bear it.

However, he was unwilling to report this matter to Liu Jilong.

While he was struggling with this question, Luo Yin suddenly spoke up: "Does the Minister know how much wasteland has been reclaimed in the three towns of Zhongwu, Xuanwu, and Yicheng?"

"Hmm?" Zheng Tian looked at Luo Yin with a puzzled expression, wondering why he was asking him about this, but he still shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"Seventy percent of the land has already been reclaimed." Luo Yin's words made Zheng Tian stop in his tracks.

He looked at Luo Yin in surprise, but Luo Yin said with a smile, "Since the Kaiyuan era, many people have fled from the three towns, and it goes without saying that during the Xiantong era."

"Now that Your Highness has been governing the three towns for only two years, the people of the three towns and nine prefectures are living in peace and prosperity, working hard to reclaim wasteland, and many people from other vassal states have also fled to the three towns."

"In two years, a million refugees entered the area, and now the population of the three towns and nine provinces has recovered to two million, and more than 12 million mu of land has been restored for cultivation."

Speaking of this, Luo Yin couldn't help but shake his head and say regretfully, "Back in the Huichang era, the population of the three towns and nine provinces was no less than four million, but now it's only two million."

"Fortunately, the peace that the people have been longing for has finally arrived, Minister Zheng..."

Zheng Tian naturally understood the meaning behind Luo Yin's words.

In the past, although the population of Henan Province was more than four million, the amount of arable land was not much. This was not because there was little arable land, but because the imperial court exploited the people too much, and the local government made a living by lending money.

If ordinary people are tenant farmers, it's fine, but if they want to cultivate the land themselves, even if the government has already designated the land as wasteland, they can cultivate it at will.

However, as soon as the wasteland was cultivated, the officials in the government would use all sorts of means to seize the land.

For ordinary people, this forces them to borrow money, which then accumulates rapidly with interest, before their farmland is seized.

Over time, the common people stopped cultivating the land and instead chose to become tenant farmers for powerful families, just to earn enough to eat.

Although the imperial court was aware of this, it did not pay much attention at first. It was not until decades later, when arable land became increasingly scarce in various regions, that local government offices became anxious.

They began distributing farm tools and seeds to encourage land reclamation, but the people had already suffered losses and refused to cultivate wasteland no matter what benefits they were offered. As a result, more and more land was abandoned, and the government was able to collect less and less tax revenue.

If taxes are reduced, they will increase them. Increased taxes will cause people to flee their homes due to famine. After people flee their homes, the taxes collected will be even less, so they can only continue to increase taxes, thus creating a vicious cycle.

Those in the imperial court knew about these things, but the court's credibility had long been ruined, and the people were unwilling to rebuild the land.

Now that Liu Jilong has been here for two years, the people are still so enthusiastic about reclaiming and restoring the wasteland, which shows how much they support Liu Jilong.

"Xunzi said that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Emperor Taizong also agreed with this. Now the people's hearts are like water, all belonging to Your Highness, hence the peace."

As soon as Luo Yin finished speaking, he chuckled lightly at Zheng Tian, ​​who naturally knew what he wanted to say.

His expression turned slightly unpleasant, but fortunately, a fast horse suddenly galloped from the direction of the government office.

"Minister, Yichang has sent an urgent report!"

The fast horse neighed below the city walls, and Zheng Tian looked at it from the steps: "Bring it up."

The soldier dismounted and hurriedly caught up with Zheng Tian on the horse path, handing him an urgent report.

Zheng Tian received the urgent report and initially thought it was about Weibo invading Cang and De prefectures. However, after reading the contents of the letter, he immediately closed it.

"What's the matter?"

Luo Yin was curious; he had never seen Zheng Tian so nervous before.

Zheng Tian ignored him and waved his hands to those around him, saying, "You may all step back."

The generals and soldiers following him retreated more than ten paces away. Only then did Zheng Tian solemnly hand the urgent report to Luo Yin.

Luo Yin noticed something was wrong from his expression, carefully took the urgent report and opened it, just as Zheng Tian's voice rang in his ears.

"Zhang Yunshen, the military governor of Lulong, is seriously ill. Your Highness, the opportunity you've been waiting for has arrived..."

(End of this chapter)