Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 527 The Soul Returns to Hexi
"kill!!"

"put"

"Rumble--"

Snow falls heavily in the border town in the twelfth lunar month; the Qiang and Hu tribes are in chaos, their horses galloping and their tumbleweeds flying...

As winter approached and rain and snow began to fall, the various Khitan and Xi tribes located in the Yanshan Mountains began to resume their old ways.

More than ten tribes invaded the Han Dynasty, and the battle line stretched from Liucheng in Yingzhou in the east to Longmen in Guizhou in the west, covering a distance of nearly a thousand miles. Both tribes invaded the Han Dynasty.

Faced with the invasion of Lulong by tens of thousands of barbarian troops, the Han army, which was well prepared, immediately used the artillery emplacements in the camp to bombard the barbarians who were trying to attack the city.

Artillery combined with grapeshot could often kill more than ten armored soldiers with a single shot, not to mention lightly armed soldiers without any protection.

With the combined fire of twenty cannons, the Khitans outside Liucheng were quickly driven back.

After leaving behind nearly a thousand corpses, tens of thousands of Khitans fled in panic, and Ma Yi, who was stationed in Liucheng, the capital of Yingzhou, quickly reported the matter to Youzhou by fast horse.

There were many victories like the one at Liucheng, but the Han army also lost many smaller camps.

"boom!!"

"These barbarians are so desperate for money, they're even robbing Beacon Tower!"

Inside the Hebei Provincial Military Commandery in Youzhou, Husi Guang angrily slammed his fist on the table, and everyone in the office also looked resentful.

In one invasion, the Han army suffered over 500 dead and over 1,000 wounded.

It was initially thought that the Battle of Yingzhou had dealt a heavy blow to the Khitan, but now it seems that it hadn't at all.

Thinking of this, Husi Guang couldn't help but say, "If we can't wipe out these barbarian rabble, they will definitely continue to invade, and the newly established military settlements will not be stable, and some people will inevitably flee."

"This matter must be reported to His Majesty immediately, as the efforts of one person alone are insufficient."

Husiguang looked at the generals in the hall and casually instructed, "Song Wentong, go to the Provincial Administration Commission and the Provincial Surveillance Commission and ask Provincial Administration Commissioner Luo and Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Cui to jointly submit a memorial to His Majesty, proposing to wage war against the Hu tribes!"

"This subordinate obeys!" Song Wentong, who had already been appointed as a deputy general, respectfully accepted the order and then left the military headquarters.

Shortly after he left, several troop of fast horses poured out of Youzhou City and galloped south.

However, at this time, the Han Dynasty was not only harassed by the Khitan and Xi people. The Li Sigong in the north, the Uyghurs in the west, and the Dali in the south were all taking advantage of the winter to make trouble for the newly established Han Dynasty.

Dozens of fast horses poured into Luoyang one after another, and the Five Military Commands received one urgent report after another.

As Liu Jilong said, although the foreign tribes of the four states were already "old and frail," they still wanted to tear off a piece of flesh and blood from the Central Plains to alleviate their hunger.

"Is You Shilong leading his troops to invade Annam because he has encountered too many setbacks in Huichuan and Qianzhong, or does he want to repeat his old tricks and return to Annam?"

"Deng Yan and Ge Congzhou were quite vigilant and prevented him from gaining any advantage."

Outside Luoyang, Liu Jilong and Zhang Huaishen rode horses across the city. In the distance was Shangyang Palace, where Li Yi was located, and all around were farmlands belonging to the common people.

Right now, people are turning over the soil in the fields, which will freeze many diseases hidden in the soil to death.

Even though the common people didn't know Liu Jilong and Zhang Huaishen, who were escorted by hundreds of elite cavalry, they knew they couldn't afford to offend these noblemen.

“This official You Shilong, once the world has recovered from its turmoil, I will definitely send troops to quell him and restore the Han dynasty.”

As Liu Jilong spoke about Annam, he also said to Zhang Huaishen beside him:

"You have only been gone from the Western Regions for a short time, and the Uyghurs have already invaded Tingzhou with more than 10,000 cavalry. Judging from your demeanor, are you not worried at all?"

Faced with this question, Zhang Huaishen said helplessly, "I am naturally worried, but being thousands of miles away, worrying is useless."

"Moreover, my uncle's health has been somewhat poor since the beginning of winter, and I am truly worried about him..."

He paused, seemingly unsure of what to say, or perhaps feeling that saying it directly was unlucky.

Seeing his reaction, Liu Jilong had no choice but to change the subject and turn to look at Jing Xiang:
"Send someone to tell Li Xiang and Husi Guang that they should hold their ground at the passes of Yanshan. Now is not the time to fight the Khitans and Xis."

"Your Majesty is wise." Jing Xiang nodded in agreement, and said at the same time:

"The Yanshan Mountains are wide and the forests are deep. The Khitan and Xi people often hide there and set up ambushes. Unless the court mobilizes a large army to encircle and suppress them, it is impossible to seriously damage them."

"The severe drought in Hebei has just ended, and the people just want peace and stability. It is indeed not advisable to wage war."

Liu Jilong nodded upon hearing this. The Yanshan Mountains of this era were not the barren landscape of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, but rather a primeval forest with towering peaks and dense forests that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Even if there were tens of thousands of troops, let alone hundreds of thousands, there would still be a risk of getting lost.

Setting fire to the forests would lead to the degradation of the forests in the Yanshan Mountains, making it easier for sandstorms from the northern deserts to invade Hebei.

Deforestation is easy, but restoration is extremely difficult, especially given the global temperature drop and the eastward shift of the precipitation line in the Central Plains.

Therefore, Liu Jilong preferred to mobilize a large army and steadily advance through military settlements against the Khitan and Xi people in the Yanshan Mountains.

With their living space being encroached upon, the Khitans and Xi people either migrated north or had no choice but to take the initiative to attack the Han army.

As long as they dare to come, the Han army can continuously wear them down by defending instead of attacking, until they can no longer stay in the Yanshan Mountains and retreat north.

Furthermore, by continuously expanding military settlements northward, all the arable river valleys in the Yanshan Mountains were reclaimed, making it easier for the Han army to become self-sufficient in the local area later on.

Although the initial investment will be relatively large, the local situation will improve as the land is continuously reclaimed.

More importantly, as the Han army began to equip itself with matchlock muskets and smoothbore cannons, it was able to resist an equal number of enemy troops with fewer men, greatly reducing logistical burdens.

In the early Ming Dynasty, it was necessary to establish the Daming Military Command with 80,000 troops to resist the invasion of the Uriyangkhai Three Guards in the north. However, if the Han Dynasty had an army of 80,000 equipped with matchlock guns, smoothbore cannons, and cotton clothing, it would have been enough to firmly control the vast area south of the Heilongjiang River.

The question is whether the Han Dynasty could relocate millions of people to Liaodong and develop the vast marshes that lie between western and eastern Liaodong.

Historically, Liaoze disappeared due to the change of the Liao River's course and the influx of refugees from within the Great Wall at the end of the Qing Dynasty. However, in just sixty years, tens of millions of people entered Liaodong and reclaimed the land near Liaoze, increasing arable land by hundreds of millions of acres.

It's obviously impossible for the Han Dynasty to have so many people migrating there, but it's still possible for millions of people to migrate.

The specifics of the migration depend on when Liu Jilong conquers Liaodong and when the migration will begin.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong steered the conversation back to the south and asked Jing Xiang:

"How many of the people who were relocated to central Guizhou, western Hunan, and Lingnan by the imperial court since last year have survived?"

When Jing Xiang saw Liu Jilong asking, he, who was always prepared, blurted out, "There are more than 300,000 rebels in Jiannan, Shannan and Jiangnan."

"More than 90,000 rebels from Jiannan Circuit were all relocated to Qianzhou, Zhenzhou, Guizhou and other places. Hundreds of people fled every month, but they were all captured by the state soldiers and exiled to places further south, such as Juzhou."

"More than 70,000 rebels from Shannan and other places were all relocated to Lizhou, Langzhou and Chenzhou west of the Xiang River. Although some escaped, most of them were captured by the state troops and relocated to more remote prefectures and counties."

"The remaining rebels were all exiled to Lingnan. The most were those who fled and fell ill. Only about 117,000 successfully reached Lingnan and have been exiled to Lingxi and other places by the military commander."

"At present, there are more than 540,000 people in Qianzhong Road, more than 2.2 million people in Lingnan, and 2.4 million people in various prefectures of Hunan."

The population of border prefectures and counties increased due to the large-scale relocations orchestrated by the imperial court.

Lingnan already had a population of one million during the Kaiyuan era. Since then, the population has continued to grow, with hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers, their relatives, and rebels pouring in. The population has now reached two million.

During the Kaiyuan era, the population of Qianzhong Road was only a few hundred thousand. Afterwards, it suffered repeated invasions from the southern barbarians, which further reduced its population.

With the forced relocation of people by Gao Pian, plus the influx of rebels this time, the population has exceeded 500,000.

If we include the various ethnic groups not listed in the imperial registers, the population of Qianzhong Road should be around one million.

As long as there is no war, it is only a matter of time before Hankou in the Qianzhong Road surpasses Mankou.

As for Hunan, needless to say, it only needs to continue to focus on development for a few more years, and it will soon have the hope of breaking away from Jiangnan West Circuit and establishing its own independent circuit.

Given the current situation, the population of the country should have exceeded 40 million by around the fourth year of the Hongwu reign.

“The population of the Central Plains grew rapidly. After all the rebels in Guanzhong migrated to the Western Regions, tens of thousands of people migrated to the Western Regions every year.”

"For the next twenty or thirty years, we will still need your protection to protect the people of the Western Regions."

Liu Jilong looked at Zhang Huaishen and entrusted the Western Regions to him directly.

Although Zhang Huaishen already knew that Liu Jilong would support the Western Regions, he did not expect that Liu would bring it up repeatedly, which was obviously to reassure him.

"Your Majesty, I will govern the region on your behalf. As long as the Western Regions are at peace, I will return to Luoyang with my family."

He made his statement at the opportune moment, and Liu Jilong nodded slightly. Then they continued to stroll around the area around Luoyang.

As they strolled leisurely, time flew by like a fleeting moment.

"Crackling..."

When the sound of firecrackers rang out again, the second year of Hongwu's reign ended, and the third year of Hongwu's reign began as scheduled.

It seemed that Heaven had sensed the great suffering of the people of the new dynasty, and the severe drought that had lasted for many years in the north finally subsided after a few spring rains.

From January to March, there are almost seven or eight days or even more of rain each month.

If this had happened under the rule of the Tang Dynasty, such a long drought followed by such heavy rain would have inevitably caused flooding in local prefectures and counties due to the disrepair of rivers, canals, and dikes.

However, in the Han Dynasty, these canals and embankments had already been repaired by order of Liu Jilong, and some were even deepened and widened.

The surging river water rushes downstream along its course, nourishing the land of the counties and prefectures along its way.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Yellow River would inevitably crash against the banks of its lower reaches during this heavy rain that has affected the north. However, thanks to the continuous dredging and reinforcement efforts undertaken by the Han Dynasty over the past two years, this suspended river can only obediently flow along its course towards the Bohai Sea, creating one shallow shoal after another.

Thanks to the constant treatment from imperial physicians sent by Liu Jilong, Zhang Yichao managed to survive the cold winter and the beginning of spring, which relieved Liu Jilong and Zhang Huai.

However, Zhang Yichao's health is clearly weaker, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he may not be able to survive this winter.

Liu Jilong was well aware of this, so after the busy spring season, he would often visit Zhang Yichao at the Dunhuang Prince's Mansion, trying to tell him about the peace and prosperity of the world to make him happy.

While Liu Jilong was frequently traveling around, the official schools that had been prepared for more than a year were also opened as scheduled in counties and villages throughout the country.

Countless people, hoping their children would become successful, gritted their teeth and sent their children, whom they believed to be talented, to official schools.

Those from wealthy families have no shortage of paper, brushes, inkstones, and other precious materials, and they use only the finest ones.

Those from poor families would follow the requirements of the official schools, bringing wooden boards, pens and ink, along with a bucket of water and a piece of coarse cloth, to write on and then wipe their writing, repeating this process.

Even so, the price of writing materials was not cheap, not to mention that once a young person went to school, the family would lose a laborer. Therefore, even though the imperial court waived tuition fees, the enrollment situation of official schools in various prefectures and counties was different.

"By the end of March 15th, the Imperial College had enrolled 476,457 new students nationwide."

As summer arrived in May, and the five months quickly came to an end, the number of students across the country, as compiled by the Imperial Academy, was presented to Liu Jilong.

This number is not much different from what Liu Jilong had estimated.

After the Ming Dynasty reformed the imperial examination system, Zhu Yuanzhang established the official school system from top to bottom as the Imperial Academy, prefectural schools, state schools, county schools, and community schools in rural areas.

Even so, the number of students in the Ming Dynasty, with a population of 60 million, was only about 400,000 under normal circumstances each year, and at most 580,000.

Although Liu Jilong was prepared to welcome a million students, he actually only recruited 470,000 new students. Even including other students who were already enrolled, the total number was only about 620,000.

This is assuming tuition is waived; if tuition were not waived, the number would likely be even smaller.

Fortunately, he didn't expect that all the people in the world would grit their teeth and send their children to school; this number was already quite good for the Han Dynasty.

Even though most of these students don't complete five years of schooling, they can still make a living locally and improve their family's situation by being literate and having basic arithmetic skills.

Thinking this, Liu Jilong looked at Li Shangyin in front of him and said, "I am already very satisfied to have such a student enrolled."

"With so many students enrolling, how much revenue does the Imperial Academy generate?"

In response to the question, Li Shangyin explained: "Now the court only exempts tuition and textbook fees, and the expenditure is nothing more than the maintenance of official schools and the salaries of teachers. The annual expenditure is no more than 1.5 million strings of cash."

Because of the low number of students enrolling, many instructors were transferred back to government offices, which reduced the expenses of the Imperial Academy.

Liu Jilong nodded upon hearing this, thinking to himself that, assuming productivity remained unchanged, maintaining an annual student population of around 600,000 should be the limit for the Han people.

Most people who have the means and determination to send their children to school do so, and many likely leave because they can no longer afford it.

He did not copy the Ming Dynasty's system of imperial examinations, which included the titles of Juren, Xiucai, and Tongsheng. Although it was extremely difficult to pass the examinations, the common people were not afraid of difficulties.

During the Wanli era of the late Ming Dynasty, the population exceeded 100 million, yet the common people managed to produce over 200,000 scholars and over 1 million students who passed the imperial examinations.

The privileges of being a child scholar (童生) were relatively good, as they did not consume too many resources. However, the privileges of being exempt from taxes and corvée labor for scholars (秀才) caused the Ming Dynasty's finances to suffer greatly in the later period.

If the Han Dynasty were to implement this system after abolishing corvée labor, it would only grant tax-exempt privileges, which would inevitably lead to tax evasion and fraud through affiliation.

To eliminate the root cause, he did not create such a system. Instead, he opened up a path for those who failed the imperial examinations to become officials, relying on hard work to rise through the ranks.

Although he knew that this system had loopholes and problems, it was undoubtedly the most suitable system for the Han Dynasty at the moment.

When problems arise, it depends on whether the successor ruler dares to implement reforms.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong closed Guan Xue's memorial and asked Li Shangyin, "What is the current state of the national treasury?"

“Your Majesty…” Li Shangyin paused, then continued:

“Since the beginning of the year, apart from a few counties and prefectures that have been affected by disasters, there have been no major disasters. The eight large granaries in the two capital regions, including Ruhan Jiacang, Taicang, and Luokoucang, still have more than 8.2 million shi of grain stored up.”

"The left and right treasuries contain more than seven million strings of gold, silver and copper coins, and countless treasures."

"The official granaries of various prefectures and counties have accumulated more than 5.6 million shi of grain, and the official treasuries have accumulated more than 2 million guan of grain; the Ever-Normal Granaries have accumulated more than 12.4 million shi of grain."

The entire Han Dynasty's financial and grain situation is laid bare before us: the two capital regions and the relevant officials have accumulated over nine million strings of cash and over twenty-six million bushels of grain.

This situation is enough to demonstrate how wealthy the Han Dynasty is today.

However, this wealth is based on taxes levied on the people. If this wealth cannot be transferred back to the people in other ways, the economy will stagnate, and the people's lives will only get worse.

Therefore, after Li Shangyin made his presentation, Liu Jilong, who was sitting on the golden platform, spoke up:
"The world is at peace today, and the national treasury is full, but there are still many poor people among the people, which must be taken seriously."

"The officials in all provinces are hereby ordered to repair the official roads in all prefectures and counties, and to recruit people to work for twenty coins a day, without fail."

If we want to distribute wealth more evenly, giving people a job to earn money is undoubtedly the best way.

Twenty coins can't buy much in Luoyang, but for people in remote areas, twenty coins are enough for a family of five to eat their fill for two days.

The wage set by Liu Jilong was just a normal wage for the two capital regions and the wealthy Jiangnan area.

But for people in remote counties, this is a high-paying job that people are scrambling to get.

"Your Majesty, with such a price, I'm afraid..."

Li Shangyin was worried that too many people would sign up for work, but Liu Jilong interrupted him, saying:
"The taxes levied by the imperial court are taken from the people and used for the people."

"If that were not the case, why would I insist on a tax rate of two-tenths?"

Seeing Liu Jilong speak, Li Shangyin could only nod in agreement, but then added, "The reserves of the various provincial authorities are probably far from sufficient."

"If there is not enough, we can keep 40% after the summer tax is collected and ship 60%."

Liu Jilong gave the instructions, and Li Shangyin noted them down. Then, seeing that Liu Jilong had no further instructions, he left the Zhenguan Hall.

Shortly after he left, Cao Mao, representing the Five Military Commands, arrived at the Zhenguan Hall, bowed three times to Liu Jilong, and then reported:

"Your Majesty, the Hebei Military Command reported to the court that the Shatuo and Dangxiang tribes in the southern desert invaded the Khitan Niela tribe. The two sides fought at Hucheer Mountain. The Niela tribe was defeated and fled eastward. The Shatuo and Dangxiang tribes occupied Hucheer Mountain and gained much."

Li Keyong, in alliance with Li Sigong, invaded and defeated the Niela tribe, one of the eight Khitan tribes. This was unexpected by Liu Jilong, since the Niela tribe, however weak, was still one of the eight Khitan tribes.

However, now that they have defeated the Niela tribe, their strength will surely increase greatly, and if nothing unexpected happens, they will fight against the eight tribes of Khitan next.

"Ignore them and let them fight each other."

"Your Majesty's decree shall be obeyed..."

With the arquebus soon to be successfully developed, once it can be equipped by the army, the Han Dynasty will only need to choose the right season to send troops to recover the vast territory south of the Liao River.

Whether Li Keyong or the Khitan wins, the vast area south of the Liao River will belong to the Han people.

While they are fighting amongst themselves, we can let the Han Dynasty recuperate and develop its people's strength.

As he was thinking this, Cao Mao did not leave, and Liu Jilong couldn't help but look at him: "Is there anything else you need to report?"

Upon hearing Liu Jilong's inquiry, Cao Mao took the initiative to say, "The Prince of Longxi has submitted a memorial inquiring of His Majesty when he may be permitted to travel to Longxi." Unexpectedly, before Liu Jilong could even get anxious, Li Yi, who resided in Shangyang Palace, was already in a hurry.

"Are you uncomfortable living in Shangyang Palace?"

Upon learning that Li Yi was in a hurry to go to Longxi, Liu Jilong couldn't help but ask Cao Mao, who simply smiled and said:
"Although Shangyang Palace is nice, it is still a bit small. Living there all the time would be quite depressing."

After understanding the reason, Liu Jilong nodded and instructed: "He is allowed to come and go within a hundred miles of Luoyang, so there is no need to keep such a close watch on him."

"Your subject obeys the decree..." Cao Mao respectfully replied upon hearing Liu Jilong's words.

Now that it is the third year of the new dynasty, even if Li Yi and those old officials wanted to rebel, it would be difficult for them to succeed. Indeed, there is no need to protect Li Yi so closely anymore.

Seeing that Liu Jilong had not given any further instructions, Cao Mao respectfully withdrew from the Zhenguan Hall.

After he left, Liu Jilong continued to immerse himself in handling government affairs.

Spring goes and autumn comes, time flies, and as the disaster subsides, the people of the Han Dynasty also grow up tenaciously.

Especially after the imperial court ordered officials to repair roads in various prefectures and counties and offered a daily wage of twenty coins, many people rushed to sign up to work after the summer harvest.

During this period, there was no shortage of officials who abused their power, and the Censors of the Censorate were constantly shuttling back and forth.

They were like cats that smelled fish; they would swarm to any place where something happened.

Time flies, and soon it's harvest time.

Compared to the Central Plains, the villagers in Shule had a much harder time, because most of them were former powerful families who were not good at farming and needed guidance from others to harvest crops.

"Hold the sickle in your right hand with the blade facing inward, and grab the wheat stalk with your left hand in the opposite direction, with your thumb and forefinger pointing downward, holding the lower middle part of the wheat stalk, being careful not to cut yourself."

"Align the wheat ears, tie them tightly at the bottom of the stalks with straw rope, make a slipknot, and set them aside. We'll come back to collect them later."

"Susu..."

Outside a village under the jurisdiction of Shule, a tall, dark-skinned boy is pointing out to a dozen or so slender villagers.

As the young man gave instructions, shouts came from afar: "Young Master Cao, how should we collect this cotton?"

"Here we are!!" Liu Lie, using the alias Cao Yuanren, quickened his pace, finished speaking with the surrounding villagers, and hurried towards the cotton field in the distance.

This is his second year of cotton planting, and the cotton plantation he brought has expanded to eight acres.

The snow-white cotton and its soft texture attracted many women to come and pick it.

Because Liu Lie had harvested a batch of cotton last year and used the techniques he had learned to remove the cotton seeds to make pure cotton, which he then used to make cotton clothes and quilts for the villagers to see, the villagers are helping Liu Lie take care of the cotton this year.

If it weren't for his outstanding facial features and physique, judging solely by the complexion he developed from working outdoors all day, probably no one would recognize him as a student sent to the countryside.

After arriving at the cotton field and teaching everyone how to pick cotton, Liu Lie said to the women, "After the cotton is picked, I will teach you how to make a gin to extract the seeds."

"I will also teach you the skills of spinning, weaving, and other crafts..."

Liu Lie taught earnestly, and the women around him learned diligently, while the younger women only focused on his facial features.

After giving his instructions, Liu Lie returned to the wheat field to harvest wheat, while Liu Mian, a student from the same class as him, approached him and said:

"Brother Cao, we should be leaving after next year's spring planting, shouldn't we?"

"So eager to leave?" Liu Lie couldn't help but tease him, to which Liu Mian responded with a dry laugh:

"Although the scenery in Shule is beautiful, life there is too hard. If we could join the army and receive a salary, life would naturally be better than it is now."

What Liu Mian said was true. As students sent to the countryside, all the livestock in Zhechong Prefecture belonged to Zhechong Prefecture, and only the things issued by Zhechong Prefecture were theirs.

Having been in Shule for over a year, Liu Mian and his companions had eaten less than five jin (2.5 kg) of meat in total.

If they wanted to eat meat, they had to go to Shule City to buy it themselves. Although Liu Mian and the others came from well-off families, they were all students sent to the countryside and dared not spend too much money.

If Liu Lie hadn't frequently bought meat to feed the whole team, Liu Mian probably wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer.

However, because Liu Lie didn't care about other people's opinions when buying meat, Liu Mian and the others thought he must have a high-ranking official relative, and they would come to him from time to time to inquire about information.

"Don't ask, I don't know either, there are still eight or nine months to go."

Liu Lie chuckled in response, then lowered his head and continued harvesting the wheat, swallowing hard as he said, "This wheat, ground into flour, will surely be delicious with a bowl of mutton noodles."

"You pig-dog, what you said is making me want to vomit acid..."

Listening to Liu Lie's rambling, Liu Mian couldn't help but complain.

Before he could even complain a few times, he felt a hard slap on his butt.

When he turned around fiercely, he saw Zhou Jidao, the student who had finished teaching the villagers how to harvest wheat, returning.

“You dare to say that? Each of our four acres of poor land can only produce a little over three bushels of wheat, and after turning it into third-grade white flour, there are only a little over two bushels left.”

"If you make it into second-grade white flour, you'll only have one stone left at most. Do you really intend to live on two stones of white flour for the next eight or nine months?"

Zhou Jidao was a student from Guannei Circuit. His family was not as well-off as Liu Mian's, who came from Longyou. Therefore, he was very familiar with these agricultural matters.

He taught Liu Lie, Liu Mian, and others how to do farm work, so he naturally knew how rare wheat flour was.

After Liu Jilong developed various agricultural tools and processing equipment in Longyou, techniques such as tea frying and vegetable cooking also emerged, and water-powered, animal-powered, and wind-powered mills also came into being.

Most mills in Shule are wind-powered. For example, their team has a wind-powered mill, but when the wind is not strong enough, they still need to rely on animal power to grind grain.

The white flour is divided into three grades, representing that it has been ground and sifted three times.

First, remove the bran; second, remove the aleurone; third, remove the germ...

If it's only third-grade white flour, ten pounds of wheat can yield seven pounds of white flour; second-grade flour is unlikely to yield three pounds; and third-grade flour is unlikely to yield half a pound.

The third grade of white flour was usually only available to high-ranking officials of the fifth rank or above and wealthy families. Ordinary people generally ate the third grade, and the bran left after grinding was often stir-fried with a little coarse salt to make cakes.

In Zhou Jidao's view, white flour was indeed a rare commodity. Even though the students had their own stipends, he couldn't bear to save the grain he grew for himself.

As for Liu Lie, although he knew that his family was well-off, he was still amazed by Liu Lie's behavior of making wheat flour from the fields every year.

He didn't criticize Liu Lie, after all, it was Liu Lie's own work, and he could do whatever he wanted.

Moreover, Liu Lie usually lets them eat together and never eats alone.

Thinking of this, Zhou Jidao said, "The lives of the villagers are indeed hard. In addition to cultivating four acres of land each year, they also have to continue to reclaim wasteland."

"Fortunately, the imperial court will still provide salaries and food; otherwise, I'm afraid few people would be able to survive these days."

As he said this, Liu Mian laughed and said, "I heard that the government will offer thirty coins to buy the cotton that Cao Lang brought."

“This acre of land yields thirty to forty catties of pure cotton. If sold, it can fetch over a thousand coins, which is much more comfortable than farming.”

"It is estimated that in another three to five years, the people in the surrounding area will all be growing cotton, and their lives will be no worse than those of some others."

He spoke optimistically, but Liu Lie shook his head and said, "Although the cotton production is high, when I went to Shule City a few days ago, the people from the military farm administration said that it cannot affect the reclamation and cultivation of farmland."

"I think that in the future the government will definitely designate the farmland that the villagers must cultivate, and cotton will be an extra one."

Zhou Jidao nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's how it should be. If everyone grows cotton, the price of cotton will inevitably fall and the price of grain will inevitably rise. The government will certainly not sit idly by."

Seeing that the two men had both offered their opinions, Liu Mian clicked his tongue and said, "I am not as thoughtful as you two. I just think that if farming can make life easier, that would be enough."

Upon hearing this, the two laughed heartily, and then continued to harvest the wheat and cotton.

This lively scene was not limited to Liu Lie's squad, but was prevalent throughout Shule and even the entire Western Regions.

As the autumn harvest came to an end, various towns quickly sent grain registers to Gaochang by horse.

For Zhang Yanhui, who had been governing the Western Regions for over a year, handling these matters was already second nature.

"This year, the cultivated land area has increased by 120,000 mu. According to this calculation, the cultivated land area in Anxi and Beiting will exceed 3 million mu in eight years."

Inside the Protectorate General's residence, Zhang Yanhui spoke happily, his gaze following the pages in his hand as he saw the situation in Shule.

When he saw that Shule had produced more than 200 jin of cotton, he couldn't help but nod and say, "Very good, more than four times that of last year."

"If this continues, in another five years we will be able to produce more than 200,000 catties of cotton, enough to make cotton-padded clothes for the soldiers."

He looked at Li Mingzhen, Cao Yijin and others in the hall: "I will submit a memorial to the court, requesting that the court send some cotton seeds."

"In addition, we can also plant cotton in the north. At that time, we can modify the spinning wheels and other spinning wheels used in textile production, which may allow the soldiers to wear cotton clothes more quickly."

“The Protector-General is absolutely right,” Li Mingzhen and Cao Yijin echoed.

Seeing the support of the two men, Zhang Yanhui immediately wrote down the difficulties of Anxi and Beiting in his memorial, and also made two mentions of this year's tax revenue.

This year, Anxi and Beiting collected 300,000 shi of land tax, an increase of tens of thousands of shi compared to last year, but the overspending was also greater.

For this reason, Zhang Yanhui specifically requested the imperial court to allocate grain and supplies to the Western Regions, and guaranteed that the Western Regions would be self-sufficient in five years.

After he finished writing his memorial, a fast horse carried it to Luoyang.

Meanwhile, as the disaster ended, the people of the Central Plains, who were able to catch their breath, also reaped a bountiful harvest through hard work.

The hardships of the past few years were diluted by this bumper harvest, and the imperial court's taxes were also pushed to new heights with the harvest.

"That year, there were households throughout the country... This autumn, the tax revenue was over 32,674,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), and miscellaneous items such as salt, iron, tea, brocade, and cloth were valued at over 9,460,000 guan (another unit of dry measure). According to the imperial decree, 40% was retained locally, and 60% was transported to the capital."

At the time of the winter solstice, with the arrival of maps and records of the entire realm in Luoyang, the grand court assembly commenced as scheduled.

At the grand court assembly, Feng Bangyan, the Minister of Revenue, reported on the year's bumper harvest through taxation, which immediately roused all the officials.

Liu Jilong, dressed in imperial robes, sat on the golden platform. He should have been happy, but at this moment he seemed somewhat absent-minded.

After waking up this morning, he felt a little uneasy and then thought of Zhang Yichao from the Dunhuang Prince's Mansion.

Since the beginning of winter, Zhang Yichao's health has been deteriorating. Even with the help of all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, they were unable to restore him to his former health.

The men Liu Jilong had sent to the Dunhuang Prince's Palace had not yet returned, so he glanced at the palace gate from time to time. Regarding the post-harvest tax situation, he only gave brief instructions:

"All taxes are taken from the people, so they should also be used for the people."

"The Ministry of Works and relevant officials shall survey the entire country. The dredging of waterways and the construction of canals and embankments shall not be neglected. The wages for the laborers recruited shall be 20 coins per day, and there shall be no delays."

"If any official is short of funds or provisions, he may report to the imperial court, and the Ministry of Revenue shall allocate funds and provisions..."

Liu Jilong paused, because he saw Zhao Ying rushing back, while the other officials had already noticed his absent-mindedness.

After he paused, many officials caught a glimpse of Zhao Ying entering the hall out of the corner of their eyes, and saw him walk past the assembled officials to the foot of the golden platform.

Ximen Jun, who had been waiting for a long time, hurriedly stepped down from the golden platform. After whispering to Zhao Ying, he solemnly walked back up the platform and bowed to Liu Jilong, saying:
"Your Majesty, the King of Dunhuang is probably..."

"Prepare the carriage!"

He didn't dare to continue speaking, but Liu Jilong understood his meaning. His expression changed as he ordered him to prepare the carriage, and then he looked at the assembled officials without making a sound.

"Do any of you gentlemen have any other important matters to report?"

Many officials among the court were preparing to submit memorials, but upon seeing Liu Jilong's demeanor, they all fell silent.

Upon seeing this, the interpreter in charge of presiding over the grand court assembly immediately announced, "Approved!"

Seeing this, the officials dared not delay and bowed in unison, chanting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Step back!" The interpreter continued the proceedings, and the assembled officials bowed again.

Liu Jilong rose and stepped down from the golden platform, while the assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances, all of them guessing the reason for the emperor's urgency.

Li Shangyin and others looked worried, while Liu Jilong had already walked out of the side gate of Qianyuan Hall and was heading to the Dunhuang Prince's Palace in a carriage.

While riding in the vehicle, Liu Jilong could feel it accelerating, but he still anxiously ordered, "Faster!"

"Yes……"

Ximen Jun, who had come with him, and Zhao Ying quickly agreed, and then urged the eunuch who was driving the carriage to hurry up.

The journey, which usually takes only half an hour, felt incredibly long today.

As time went by, when the carriage finally came to a stop, Liu Jilong couldn't wait to get off.

"His Majesty……"

The soldiers guarding the entrance to the Dunhuang Prince's Mansion hurriedly saluted him, but he, who would usually nod in greeting, rushed into the mansion and headed straight for his bedroom.

As he entered the courtyard where the bedroom was located, he indeed saw the Zhang family members and their relatives gathered outside the house.

"See Your Majesty..."

Upon the emperor's arrival, hundreds of people bowed in greeting, but Liu Jilong went directly into the bedroom and saw Zhang Yichao, who was barely breathing.

Zhang Huaishen, Zhang Huaicheng, and Zhang Yichao's sons were all waiting there. Upon seeing Liu Jilong, they quickly bowed.

Liu Jilong looked at them, and although he tried his best to remain calm, his tone was still somewhat anxious as he asked, "Where is the imperial physician?"

"This is due to physical weakness, which the imperial physicians cannot cure. Therefore, I have dismissed them."

Zhang Huaishen stepped forward, his expression tense, clearly forcing himself to endure.

After hearing this, Liu Jilong knew there was no way to change the situation, so he could only walk to Zhang Yichao's bedside and sit in the chair.

He reached out and grasped Zhang Yichao's hand, only to see that Zhang Yichao was covered in sweat, as if he were soaked in it.

"Hexi...I've arrived!"

He never addressed Zhang Yichao as the King of Dunhuang, but rather as Hexi.

Upon hearing the call, Zhang Yichao's eyelids twitched slightly, and he then opened them with difficulty, meeting Liu Jilong's gaze.

Liu Jilong instinctively tightened his grip on his hand, while Zhang Yichao stammered, "Your Majesty..."

"It's me! I'm here!"

Liu Jilong leaned forward, as if wanting him to see more clearly.

With his efforts, Zhang Yichao finally saw him clearly, nodded slightly, and said haltingly:
“I had a dream… I dreamt that my elder brother and second brother died of illness in Luoyang. After I entered Luoyang, I was sidelined by Emperor Yizong, and Liangzhou was occupied by the Wumo…”

"The rebel army stormed Luoyang, and several young men from a certain family fled to Hexi, causing chaos in Hexi..."

As he said this, he looked as far as he could towards the back of Liu Jilong, and upon seeing Zhang Huaishen's figure, he didn't continue, but simply said with a sigh of relief:
"Thank goodness it was a dream, thank goodness it was a dream... I have not let down my elder brother, nor have I let down the people of Hexi..."

Liu Jilong was speechless upon hearing this. He didn't know why Zhang Yichao would dream about these things, but he knew that these things were no longer possible.

He gripped Zhang Yichao's hand tightly, his voice trembling slightly but firmly stating, "It was a dream..."

"Yes, yes, it was a dream..."

Zhang Yichao didn't tell everyone what happened next in the dream, but after receiving confirmation from Liu Jilong, a smile appeared on his face.

His strength and breathing were weakening, but suddenly a force arose out of nowhere and he gripped Liu Jilong's hand tightly.

As their eyes met, Zhang Yichao felt a series of images flash before his eyes.

He saw his younger self in the image, and he also saw the Tibetans treating the Han people as slaves and humiliating them at will, while he himself copied the "Nameless Song" and vowed to drive the Tibetans away.

He saw himself following his father to Lhasa. The young man lacked the vigor and spirit he should have had; instead, he was filled with gloom as a Han Chinese kneeling before the Tibetan king.

In Lhasa, he witnessed nobles treating Han Chinese like fighting beasts, forcing them to fight to the death.

He could hear the mocking laughter of Tibetan nobles, and before him lay the scene of his own people being forced to kill each other in order to survive.

His anger surged, but before he could take any action, he saw the internal strife in Tibet, and how he, with his temples graying, resolutely united with the powerful clans of Shazhou to recapture Shazhou, planted the "Three Stars Banner" from the book atop the city walls of Dunhuang again, led his army on a campaign, and made a grand vow to recapture Hexi.

Thousands of scenes flashed by like a white horse galloping past a crack, encompassing his experiences of the past seventy years. He had not let down his younger self, nor the people of Hexi, nor his elder brother and Huai Shen...

"The beautiful scenery has finally returned to the hands of the Han dynasty."

(End of this chapter)