Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 549 On the Western Expedition
"Giddy up...giddy up..."

In mid-February, as Liu Jilong's entourage passed through Tongguan from Donggi and arrived in Gyeonggi Province after a long absence, the lives of the people in Kansai began to unfold like a scroll for Liu Jilong to understand.

Heading west from Tongguan, the official road is lined with cultivated land and people weeding after the spring planting season.

Most of them wore old, coarse linen clothes, but they were well-made and clearly made for work, showing that they lived a good life.

If life is extremely poor, then naturally they would not be willing to wear clothes to work, but would choose to go shirtless.

The people of Luoyang in the past, after the war, were like this. When they were poor, they worked shirtless. Unless it was freezing cold, they would never wear clothes, for fear of wearing them out.

The fact that they can now work in clothes and that everyone looks rather robust speaks volumes about their lives.

"The two capital regions have abundant water resources. As long as the imperial decrees are implemented effectively, the people can take good care of themselves."

On the official road, Liu Jilong rode a fine horse and talked with Husi Guang, Zhao Ying, An Pohu, Cao Mao and others on his left and right.

All four nodded in agreement. After all, they were people who had experienced Tibetan enslavement or fled famine due to war, so they naturally knew why the people were suffering.

Local powerful families and their clerks collected various taxes and levies, most of which went into their own pockets, while the remainder was transported to the capital region after being exploited at the county, prefecture, and circuit levels.

The clerks collected a full set of taxes, but the Tang Dynasty could only get two or three tenths of that. In the end, they had to use all the money and grain to supply the eight towns in the northwest of the capital, the three towns in Hebei, and the towns in the Central Plains.

The remaining funds were used to pay the salaries of officials, so there were naturally no funds left to repair and dredge water conservancy projects.

After the Han Dynasty dealt with all these regional warlords, it reformed the bureaucracy. With fewer corrupt officials and government officials extorting money, the people had to pay less tax, and the court's revenue increased.

Although the military expenditure of the Han Dynasty has long remained at around 15 million strings of cash, the total revenue of the various financial expenditures of the Han Dynasty is between 28 million and 30 million strings of cash.

Looking only at official taxes, the Han Dynasty's official taxes were more than five times that of the Tang Dynasty.

However, if miscellaneous taxes are included, the tax rate of the Tang Dynasty was nearly double that of the Han Dynasty.

Moreover, after the Han Dynasty collected taxes, it often distributed the money and grain through work relief programs.

In an agricultural economy, people's ability to protect themselves is very weak. If the heavens do not grant them food, even if they own fertile land, they will have no food to eat.

Moreover, the geography of different places is different. At the same time, people in Henan may not have enough to eat, but people in Jiannan Road may be worried about how to sell their grain.

What the imperial court needs to do is to rationally coordinate funds, grain, and supplies so that people in all regions can safely get through the disaster year.

The people in the two capital regions were doing well, but life was quite different in the north (Guannei and Longxi) and the south (Lingnan and Qianzhong).

The problems of unbalanced development and the gap between the rich and the poor have been difficult to change from ancient times to the pre-Qin period and to the present day.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong couldn't help but look at the banners held by the Han soldiers beside him. He saw the words "Great Han" fluttering with the banners, like the rising sun.

"How are the crops in Lingnan Road being planted?"

Liu Jilong asked the question, and Zhao Ying replied, "After the court planted those new crops according to His Majesty's 'New Book on Agricultural Administration,' there have been two consecutive years of bumper harvests."

"Currently, various crops have been planted on several tens to over three hundred acres, and the seeds have been saved and transported to Yunnan, Guizhou and other places for planting."

More than two years have passed since the eastern naval expedition returned in the first month of the twelfth year of the Hongwu reign.

Many of the crops they brought back took root and sprouted in Lingnan Road, subsequently demonstrating their advantages and yields.

Sweet potato yields fluctuate between 800 and 1,000 jin, potato yields fluctuate between 200 and 300 jin, corn yields are the lowest, ranging from 130 to 150 jin, while peanut yields are stable between 150 and 200 jin per mu.

In an era when there were no chemical fertilizers and only farmyard manure, achieving such a yield per acre was already quite good. After all, what Liu Jilong valued was that these crops could be grown in barren, arid sandy soil and mountainous areas, unlike the delicate crops such as rice and wheat.

"At the current rate, if the imperial court promotes them vigorously, these crops will at least cover Yunnan, central Guizhou, and Lingnan in five years, and then gradually spread northward."

Liu Jilong's words were not made without reason, but rather based on certainty.

After all, there were many troops stationed in the Zhechong Prefectures of Yunnan, Qianzhong, and Lingnan. As long as the imperial court gave the order, these troops could only work hard.

With the cooperation of the new crops and the garrison at the military headquarters, it's only a matter of time before the new crops are transported north.

Once the three layers of planting are nearly complete, these crops can be sown in Daning and Liaodong.

Combining cotton with these new crops, and given the currently favorable temperatures in the north, will surely create a promising situation.

Even if temperatures continue to drop for the next two hundred years, with these crops, the Han people can firmly control the Daning and Liaodong river basins south of the Liao River, not to mention Anxi and Beiting, where hundreds of thousands of people have already migrated.

"I really didn't expect these crops to have such high yields."

"Not to mention you, even I didn't expect this."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

An Pohu and the other two joked around, while Liu Jilong looked at them and then said:
"In the Far East, these crops are nothing special; what's truly precious is the gold and silver on the continent..."

"..." In an instant, An Pohu and the other two, along with Zhao Ying and the Han soldiers on either side, held their breath.

Ignoring their attitude, Liu Jilong spoke as if nothing had happened:
"There are risks in seafaring, of course, but the Far East produces gold and silver. The amount of gold and silver that the barbarians in the Far East pan for in the rivers alone is no less than a million taels every year."

"If they had the imperial court's mining technology, they could extract at least six or seven million strings of gold and silver every year."

Liu Jilong naturally exaggerated some of his words, but that was exactly the result he wanted.

"Your Majesty, if so much gold and silver can be mined in the east, why doesn't the court simply send troops?"

Husiguang spoke first, while the others kept their eyes fixed on Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong shook his head without hesitation and said, "The imperial court has too few people. Besides, the gold and silver mines in Japan and the South Seas are enough to keep the imperial court busy. The gold and silver in the Far East can only be mined when the imperial court's population is dense."

"However, before the court takes action, to prevent the Arabs at sea from learning of this, the court could send some small fleets to occupy coastal areas suitable for reclamation, and then explore inland."

"This matter..." Liu Jilong paused, his gaze turning to An Pohu and the others:
"When the time is right, the court will allow nobles, aristocratic families, and powerful clans to engage in overseas trade and collect taxes accordingly."

"Instead of focusing our energy on the court, we should think of a way to go east and bring back more gold and silver."

He finished speaking, but he didn't think that he could persuade most of the powerful families and nobles to go overseas with just a few words.

After all, shipbuilding and navigation technology is still immature. Moreover, as members of the privileged class, most powerful families and nobles would rather eat what they have than suffer the hardships of traveling to the so-called Far East.

However, this is not a problem. The Han Dynasty was large enough that among the many comfort-loving, privileged classes, there would always be a small number of people with pioneering spirit.

For the Han Dynasty, the number of such people was too small, but the Han Dynasty was too large to be underestimated.

Even if only one in ten thousand people want to explore the Far East, that would still amount to several thousand people.

An exploration fleet of this size is something that no other country in the world can match.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong glanced around, knowing that there were many spies among the nobles and powerful families in the group.

Once these messages are relayed back, his objective will be achieved.

The rest is up to them and the successor emperors of the Han Dynasty.

"drive……"

He flicked the reins, increasing the horse's speed, while An Pohu and the others behind him fell into deep thought.

After only a moment of contemplation, they came up with their own ideas.

Finding out if there is so much gold and silver in the Far East is simple; just send someone to "inquire" with the navy that returned to the Han Dynasty two years ago.

If there really were so much gold and silver overseas, even if they didn't send anyone there, they would still have a way out for their families.

I just don't know why His Majesty would tell them such important news. Perhaps...

After a moment's thought, Anpohu and the others quickly realized why their emperor had done this.

They looked at each other, but did not expose these things. Instead, they shook their reins and followed Liu Jilong's figure with their heads down.

Several hours later, as the troops set up camp in Huayang, countless fast horses took advantage of the darkness and headed east that night.

Within just a few days, many observant people learned of the news.

Some people realized the intention behind Liu Jilong's words but did not take any action; others were completely unaware but their eyes lit up and they sent people to inquire about the information.

As Liu Jilong had predicted, they preferred to stay in the Central Plains rather than travel across the ocean to mine gold and silver.

After all, the Central Plains was indeed in a uniquely advantageous position, with abundant gold and silver resources right at its doorstep, as well as countless spices.

Since the navy began exploring Southeast Asia, many maritime merchants in Jiangnan have intensified their exploration of the region.

This is why, in recent years, the Han Dynasty has been acquiring more and more spices from the sea, while the Silk Road on land, although still existing, has been declining in scale.

Several days passed, and as the inspection team arrived at the banks of the Wei River north of Chang'an, the distant city of Chang'an filled them with longing. Ximen Jun then spurred his horse forward and inquired:
"Your Majesty, will you be resting in Chang'an tonight?"

"Hmm..." Liu Jilong nodded in response, then looked at the still early sky and instructed, "You all take people to set up the palace first, while I and a few princes go to check out the remote villages."

“This servant obeys…” Ximen Jun then agreed, while Liu Jilong looked at An Pohu, Husi Guang and the others: “Let’s go, follow me to the village in the distance.”

"Yes!" Cao Mao, An Pohu, Husi Guang and others responded one after another. After selecting more than a hundred elite cavalry guards, they followed Liu Jilong to a remote place in the southwest of Chang'an.

After traveling for more than half an hour, and seeing that they had traveled more than 30 li from Chang'an, Liu Jilong chose a village and went in.

Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, several elderly people were sunbathing. When they saw Liu Jilong and his cavalrymen arriving, they quickly stood up and bowed to them.

Cao Mao rode forward and said to the crowd, "Please ask the elders to summon the village head."

"Yes……"

Seeing this, the group quickly sent someone to invite the village head.

A quarter of an hour later, a young man in his thirties, dressed in silk, jogged out of the village and began to bow from a distance.
"I was unaware of your arrival, and Li Banghua, the village head of Wangli Village, has failed to greet you properly..."

Seeing this, Cao Mao gestured to the elite cavalryman beside him. The cavalryman dismounted and whispered a few words in Li Banghua's ear. Li Banghua immediately became so nervous that he didn't know what to do.

Seeing his flustered state, Liu Jilong waved his hand gently: "No need for formalities, I was just looking around."

“Yes, yes…” Li Banghua was sweating profusely, wiping his sweat as he responded, while leading the way for Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong dismounted and led his elite cavalrymen into the village. He saw that the village houses were scattered in a staggered pattern, mostly earthen houses with thatched roofs, surrounded by earthen walls about six feet high.

These people lived in close proximity to each other, with almost every household keeping a dozen or so chickens and ducks and one or two dogs in their yards. Strong oxen or draft horses were tied up in the cowsheds, and even the poorest families kept mules.

Several women sat in the courtyard spinning thread, the shuttle flying back and forth on the loom. They occasionally cast curious glances at Liu Jilong and the others, but dared not speak.

After all, Liu Jilong and the others were dressed in brocade robes, and the village head was in a humble manner, so they must be nobles from the city.

Seeing the curious looks from the villagers, Liu Jilong smiled and looked at Li Banghua: "Village Chief Li, please take me to see the villagers' meals."

"No, no..." Li Banghua felt nervous, yet also a little proud.

At Liu Jilong's request, he quickly led Liu Jilong into the nearest house.

The elderly farmer couple stood awkwardly in the courtyard. Their coarse cloth clothes, though old and faded, were washed clean.

“Grandpa, don’t worry. This is a distinguished guest coming to see how we common folk are doing.”

Li Banghua smiled and comforted the elderly farmer couple, while Liu Jilong also greeted them with a friendly smile before walking around the courtyard.

The courtyard is quite spacious, covering at least half an acre, with chicken, duck, and dog sheds, a cowshed, a main house, left and right wing rooms, a side room used as a woodshed and kitchen, and a separate outhouse.

Liu Jilong walked into the kitchen, and the village women inside immediately stopped what they were doing when they saw him.

Ignoring everyone's reactions, Liu Jilong lifted the lid of the rice jar in the kitchen under everyone's gaze. There was still more than half a jar of millet left in it, and the earthenware pot on the wooden shelf was filled with less than half a jar of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Dried wild vegetables were also hanging from the beam.

He nodded, then looked at the elderly farmer couple: "Are taxes heavy these days?"

The old farmer was surprised that Liu Jilong would ask them questions, and subconsciously looked at Li Banghua.

Seeing Li Banghua nod, the old farmer chuckled awkwardly and replied, "Replying to your Excellency, we'll pay 20% of the yield as grain per mu, and that's enough to eat..."

"How many people are in your family, and how many acres of land do you have?" Liu Jilong personally picked up a chair and handed it to the old farmer. Li Banghua cursed himself for being tactless and quickly brought over two chairs for Liu Jilong and the old woman to sit down, while he stood beside Liu Jilong with a forced smile.

Seeing Liu Jilong's kindness, the old farmer and his wife felt relieved, carefully sat down, and replied, "There are six people in our family: my wife and I, and two pairs of daughters-in-law. We currently own thirty mu of public land and eight mu of private land."

After they finished speaking, Li Banghua bowed and added, "The smallest family in the village has at least twenty mu of land, and the largest has over eighty mu. Most of it is public land, and there is very little private land."

"During the off-season, the government also hires people to repair canals and build roads, paying them thirty yuan a day. Nowadays, most of the able-bodied men in the village have gone out to work for the government."

"If a man works every year during the off-season, he can save up one or two thousand coins, enough to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and cloth to have a good New Year."

Liu Jilong nodded upon hearing this, finally understanding why there were so few able-bodied young people in the village. At the same time, his gaze also fell upon the honeycomb briquettes and firewood piled up in the kitchen, and he couldn't help but nod: "It seems they've all started using coal stoves."

“Yes, yes, yes…” Li Banghua immediately perked up and quickly explained with a smile, “Since the official store started selling honeycomb briquettes and stoves, it has become much cheaper to boil water and keep warm on a daily basis.”

As he was speaking, Liu Jilong looked at the old farmer's daughter-in-law, the village woman from before: "I saw you cooking earlier, could you bring it out so I can take a look?"

"This..." The village woman looked at Li Banghua with difficulty. Seeing Li Banghua nod, she set up the table and brought out the food she had just prepared.

Before long, a bowl of millet rice, a dish of cabbage, a dish of salted beans, and a bowl of vegetable soup were placed on the table.

Although these dishes contain no meat, they are quite fragrant because they are rich in oil.

"This humble farm food is hardly something to be proud of."

Li Banghua smiled obsequiously, while Liu Jilong shook his head with a smile. Cao Mao, standing behind him, also said heartily:
"Twenty or thirty years ago, only wealthy families could afford such food; it could hardly be considered coarse food."

“Yes, yes, yes…” Li Banghua quickly chimed in, then added:
"Nowadays, although the people in the county do not pursue food and clothing luxury, they can eat their fill every day and have extra money every year."

“These things would have been unthinkable in the past; it was all thanks to the sage’s effective governance.”

Liu Jilong did not refute his claims, but simply smiled and asked him, "Are there any wealthy households in the village?"

"Yes! Yes!" Li Banghua nodded quickly, then understood what he meant, raised his hand in a gesture of respect and said, "This way, sir."

Upon seeing this, Liu Jilong nodded to the old farmer and his wife, then got up and, led by village head Li Banghua, walked out of the courtyard, through a winding path, and finally arrived at the village's drying ground.

Not far from the flat drying ground, two courtyards with green tiles and yellow walls are particularly eye-catching. They are much more luxurious than the thatched huts we had just seen, and can indeed be called wealthy households.

"Your Majesty, these are the two most respectable families in the village."

Li Banghua spoke in a low voice, and then Liu Jilong walked towards one of the houses on his own.

Seeing that he had made his choice, Li Banghua quickly ran forward and knocked on the door in advance.

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man wearing a silk robe. He was taken aback by the sight of the crowd and then tried to bow.

"There's no need for that. I'm just here on orders from the government to see how the people are doing."

Liu Jilong supported him with his hand, and the middle-aged man immediately turned to the side and opened both doors completely: "Please, sir."

As the door opened, the entire courtyard was laid bare before Liu Jilong's eyes.

This is a two-courtyard house, twice the size of an ordinary farmer's house. Inside the courtyard stood two women in coarse cloth dresses and three children.

This shows that although this family is wealthy, their wealth is rather limited.

"My name is Wang Pinggui. May I ask what you would like to see?"

The owner of the courtyard, Wang Pinggui, was nervously rubbing his hands, with beads of sweat on his forehead, while Liu Jilong, led by Li Banghua, entered the courtyard and looked around.

Seeing this, Li Banghua also took the initiative to introduce himself: "My lord, the Wang family has ten members, as well as forty-two mu of public land and thirty mu of private land, making them one of the wealthiest households in the village." Upon hearing Li Banghua's words, Wang Pinggui said with embarrassment: "It is all thanks to the imperial court that I was able to acquire such property."

As they were talking, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Liu Jilong strolled into the kitchen and saw that three bowls of coarse noodles, a pot of millet rice, a plate of scrambled eggs, a jar of cabbage, and two kinds of pickled vegetables had already been prepared.

The scrambled eggs, mixed with chives and glistening with oil, were the only meat dish on the table.

"Is this what you usually eat?"

Liu Jilong suddenly asked, and Wang Pinggui quickly replied, "Except for the little ones and my parents who can eat some coarse noodles, everyone in the family eats millet."

"We don't eat scrambled eggs every day; we only make a dish every two or three days."

"How did you manage to acquire so many private plots of land?" Liu Jilong asked curiously.

Before Wang Pinggui could explain, Li Banghua spoke first: "My lord, the Wang family was a poor household in the village in their early years. They fled to Weizhou in Longyou and stayed there for more than ten years. They only moved back to the village four years ago after exchanging their land for public land."

"Yes, yes." Seeing that Li Banghua spoke up for him, Wang Pinggui quickly wiped his sweat and explained, "My parents are getting old, so I exchanged the public land for private land and used my savings to buy some private land."

Upon learning of Wang Pinggui's background, Liu Jilong's gaze softened considerably, and he asked gently, "How is life now compared to when you were in Longyou?"

“Almost, almost, it’s just…” Wang Pinggui hesitated for a moment before continuing under Liu Jilong’s encouraging gaze:

“In the Longyou region, a harvest of 1.2 to 1.3 shi of grain per mu is considered a bumper year, while in the capital region, the harvest is at least 1.5 to 1.6 shi.”

"Although prices are higher, cloth and ironware are much cheaper than in Longyou, and each household can save a lot of money and grain."

"Although the villagers are frugal, there is a pig slaughtering in the village every month. You can buy a pound of meat for twenty-five or twenty-six coins, and every household can get some oil and meat."

Liu Jilong was surprised to hear this and looked at Li Banghua. He then saw Li Banghua nod and say, "That's right. On the fifteenth of last month, two pigs were slaughtered, and even the poorest family got a pound of meat."

Hearing the two of them say this, Liu Jilong breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought that even after ruling the country for so many years, the people in the prosperous Liangji region couldn't afford to eat meat.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Liu Jilong couldn't help but ask, "Do those wealthy households in the village who own hundreds of acres of land live in luxury?"

When asked, Wang Pinggui chuckled dryly and said, "You flatter me, sir."

“Pingshui Township is considered a large township in the surrounding area. Zhang Fu’s family in the township owns more than 30 mu of public land and nearly 200 mu of private land.”

Even so, we only eat meat once every two or three days, and usually we just have a fried egg.

"In the twelfth year of Hongwu, his eldest son got married and he was willing to kill a pig, and they ate meat for five or six days in a row."

"I don't know anything about the wealthy households in the county. I only heard from Zhang Fuhu that a few years ago, some noblemen in the county sent their stewards to buy private land everywhere, but they all disappeared without a trace not long after."

"Later, the imperial court wrote about this in the national gazette, and we learned that those people had been exiled."

Liu Jilong nodded after hearing this, knowing that it was the result of the Jingji Circuit's inspection. He then looked at Wang Pinggui and said, "Live a good life. If your family produces talented people in the future, do not bully the villagers."

"Yes, yes, yes... I understand." Wang Pinggui nodded repeatedly, not daring to show the slightest negligence.

In the village, he might be a wealthy household that was hard to reach, but in the township or county, he was just a farmer who could read a little.

"We've seen enough, let's go."

Feeling he had gained a lot, Liu Jilong slowly got up and left the village under the escort of Wang Pinggui and Li Banghua.

After they returned to the official road, Liu Jilong led An Pohu and the others back to Chang'an, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Although the lives of ordinary people are much better than in the former Tang Dynasty, they are still not easy."

"Even the wealthy families in the capital region dare not eat meat at will. What kind of lives do you think the people in those remote areas lead?"

Liu Jilong questioned the crowd, and Cao Mao, seeing this, rode forward to comfort them, saying, "Your Majesty should not only look at the bad parts, but also at the good parts."

“The village head is right. The government’s recruitment of laborers can help ordinary people save one or two thousand coins. This is His Majesty’s protection for those poor people.”

“Indeed,” Anpohu also spoke up. “When His Majesty set the wages before, most of the officials in the court opposed it. But now it seems that if His Majesty had not raised the wages, how could the people of the local prefectures and counties have benefited and lived in peace?”

Seeing that the two had already spoken, Husiguang looked at Liu Jilong and said, "If it weren't for Your Majesty's pacification of the world, the people wouldn't even have enough to eat. It's already good that they can eat their fill now, so why should Your Majesty blame yourself?"

The three spoke in turn, which made Liu Jilong laugh and say, "I don't feel guilty, I'm just a little sentimental."

"Take a good rest in Chang'an these next few days. The next time you take a good rest will be when you return to Linzhou. Don't blame me for not reminding you."

"Hahahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. After all, for a group of people who often endured wind and rain while fighting, these days were far from being considered difficult.

Liu Jilong naturally knew this, so he just changed the subject with that sentence.

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he led his men back to Chang'an. The once prosperous Chang'an, after events such as the capital inspection of the capital region and the relocation of the capital of the Han Dynasty, is still prosperous, but it has never been able to recover to the peak of the Kaiyuan era.

Liu Jilong went to Taiji Palace to rest, leaving Daming Palace to Li Yi, who accompanied him.

As news of their entry into Chang'an spread, many officials sought an audience outside the Taiji Palace, but Liu Jilong refused to see them all.

He knew what these people were thinking. If he were younger, he might have protected them, but now he was old.

If he doesn't resolve certain issues, fine, but if he also tries to cover them up, then he's bringing disaster to the country and its people.

After a few days of brief rest, Liu Jilong continued his inspection tour of Hexi, and his movements along the way were basically reported to Liu Lie in Luoyang.

However, without Liu Jilong's approval, Liu Lie wouldn't have been able to know such details.

"It seems Father is quite satisfied..."

Inside the East Palace of Ziwei City in Luoyang, Liu Lie looked at the letter in his hand and breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.

Before him, Guo Chongtao and the others, all of whom were high-ranking officials of the fifth rank, nodded in agreement.

"Although the capital inspection may implicate innocent people, it is nothing compared to the evils that have been eliminated."

As Guo Chongtao began to speak, Yan Keqiu continued, "News has come from the north that the Khitan and Shiwei are fighting in the plains and forests, and the Yaolian clan has suffered heavy casualties."

"However, the Diela tribe is not strong enough, and the Yishi tribe should gain the upper hand next."

In response to Yan Keqiu's words, Liu Lie said, "Regardless of which tribe has the upper hand, as long as they do not harass the territory and people of our Great Han, it is acceptable."

"That being said, we still need to keep the various departments in check and balance, preventing them from achieving peace," Yan Keqiu added, continuing, "and so on."
"The Shatuo and Tangut have merged, and now they are heading north to fight against the Kyrgyz."

"I believe that the Shatuo Li clan is inherently ambitious and should be guarded against. The court should perhaps choose to support one of the Kyrgyz tribes to control the Shatuo Li clan."

"Hmm..." Liu Lie nodded. He was still somewhat concerned about the Shatuo, after all, the Shatuo had indeed developed quite rapidly in recent years, and in the early years they had even encouraged the Xi tribe to invade the south.

If the Shatuo are allowed to unify the northern deserts, they will inevitably invade southwards in the future.

Although Liu Lie did not believe that the Shatuo could cause any harm to the Han Dynasty, it would be better to suppress them in the northern desert than to do nothing.

"I will instruct the cabinet to draft a plan tomorrow and send officials from the Ministry of Rites north to negotiate with the Kyrgyz."

"I've heard that the Uyghurs in the west have formed an alliance with the Karluks. Is this true?"

The alliance between the Uyghurs and the Karluks, a fact reported by merchants from Transoxiana (Central Asia), did indeed pose a challenge for Liu Lie.

If the Uyghurs and Karluks were to form an alliance, they could certainly send tens of thousands of cavalry to harass Beiting, while Beiting only had 15,000 Han troops.

Even including the troops stationed in Anxi and Khotan and Zhongyun, the entire Western Regions had only 30,000 soldiers. Naturally, they were not capable of defending such a vast territory.

However, maintaining an army in the Western Regions was too expensive, and 30,000 Han soldiers were the maximum force that the Han Dynasty could maintain.

"We have already sent people to investigate this matter, and we expect to make some progress before the end of the year."

Guo Chongtao answered Liu Lie, but also brought bad news: "Your Highness, after Nanzhao submitted, it began to march south to attack Pyu last winter."

"I believe that the court can take this opportunity to recruit the cities of Pyu as subjects of the court, thereby restraining Nanzhao."

"A restraint?" Liu Lie frowned. What he wanted was not to restrain Nanzhao, but to completely destroy Nanzhao by sending troops to annihilate it.

If Yunnan, under the rule of the Han Dynasty, had been strong enough to support a large-scale expedition, he might have already asked his father for permission to send troops.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel somewhat unwilling, while Guo Chongtao exchanged glances with Yan Keqiu and sighed inwardly.

It seems that as His Highness's position becomes more secure, many of his past shortcomings are gradually being magnified.

"Very well, let's leave this matter to the two gentlemen."

Liu Lie took in their every move, but could only pretend not to care, while Lu Zhi spoke up:
“Your Highness, now that there is peace both at home and abroad, the successor His Majesty desires should be one who prioritizes maintaining the status quo rather than one who seeks to expand it.”

"The court needs to expand its territory, but Your Highness must never reveal this desire for expansion."

"I understand." Liu Lie hadn't expected to be so obvious, and then nodded in agreement with Lu Zhi's suggestion.

His shortcomings were obvious, but so were his strengths. He trusted his four subordinates and was willing to listen to their advice.

Otherwise, Liu Jilong would not have chosen to appoint him as regent.

The inspection in the capital is a test, and the inspection in the capital is also a test. Thinking of this, Liu Lie asked, "How is Mr. Zhao's inspection in Jiangnan going?"

"Excellent!" Guo Chongtao raised his voice, instantly dispelling Liu Lie's earlier displeasure.

Seeing Liu Lie looking at him with great interest, Guo Chongtao continued:

“Jiangnan is a place where powerful families and clans are prevalent. In addition, many former officials of the previous dynasty were recruited in the past, so the problems are no less than those in the two capital regions.”

"Judging from Yanji's memorial, the court will surely gain a lot in Jiangnan. At that time, all those involved in Jiangnan can be relocated to Lingnan, while all those involved in Lingnan can be exiled to Annam."

"Although Annam has a population of 500,000, more than 60% are barbarians, while Han Chinese make up only 40%."

"If all the people of Hankou in Lingnan could be exiled to Annam, the court might be able to recover Champa in the south in the future, thus preparing for a future expedition to Southeast Asia."

Guo Chongtao's words quickly won the approval of Yan Keqiu and Lu Zhi.

As the naval fleet returned from its exploration of the Americas, Liu Jilong naturally posted the complete "Map of the World" in the Zhenguan Hall, and also sent a copy of the map to Liu Lie.

At this moment, this secondary map is hanging behind Liu Lie, and everyone can see the crucial Malay Peninsula.

With the rise of maritime trade, controlling the Malay Peninsula would undoubtedly mean controlling the spices of Southeast Asia and the gold and silver of the West.

Liu Jilong had discussed these matters with Liu Lie, and Liu Lie would naturally ask Guo Chongtao and the others about them in order to respond more appropriately.

It can be said that the future direction of the Han Dynasty was already determined in the conversation between Liu Jilong and his son Liu Lie.

“As Aye said, whether it is the South Seas or the East Asia (the Americas), it is best to let merchants go first, and after they have cultivated the land, the court can then move south and east under the pretext of protecting them.”

“However…” Liu Lie paused, then continued, “These all require population, and the imperial court’s immigration of local people also requires population.”

“Indeed.” Yan Keqiu nodded and then said, “That is precisely why we advised Your Highness not to reveal your ambition for expansion.”

“If Your Highness reveals a desire for expansion, His Majesty will surely ask many questions. Your Highness and I are not very knowledgeable about overseas affairs. To avoid saying too much and making mistakes, we should show a desire to maintain the status quo.”

"While maintaining the status quo may not satisfy His Majesty, it is still better than haphazard expansion."

"Emperor Yang of the former Sui Dynasty and Emperor Gaozong of the former Tang Dynasty were both like this, and neither of them were the kind of expansion that Your Majesty would like."

After Yan Keqiu finished speaking, Liu Lie's expression gradually became serious, and Guo Chongtao, seeing this, said:

"If His Majesty asks Your Highness how to expand the territory, Your Highness should answer by protecting the people and ensuring their peace."

"If Your Majesty continues to press for answers, then Your Highness may respond by sending a large army and establishing a settlement of immigrants in the territory."

Liu Jilong's preferred methods of territorial expansion had been thoroughly understood by his ministers over the years.

We will not proactively confront populous countries, and even if we do, we will only make minor moves and will never blindly annihilate them.

For example, the Han Dynasty's attacks on the Khitan, Bohai, and Nanzhao all followed this approach.

However, Guo Chongtao also had to admit that this approach was indeed good, at least in the territory that the Han Dynasty had expanded, the Han people had always maintained a dominant position.

As long as there are more Han people than barbarian people, the barbarian people will be assimilated into Han people without realizing it, and vice versa.

"I understand."

Liu Lie reluctantly agreed, and Guo Chongtao breathed a sigh of relief. He then discussed with Liu Lie sending the processed memorials to Longyou for the emperor to review before taking further action.

Before long, the fast horse galloped out of Luoyang City, while at the same time, the snow in the northern desert melted and tender green grass sprouted.

"Sorry..."

As the horses lowered their heads to chew and swallow the newly sprouted grass, more than a thousand cavalrymen galloped towards them from the west of Julunbo.

Li Keyong, dressed in plain clothes, sat on horseback, holding a small baby, also dressed in plain clothes, in front of him.

As the cavalry galloped back from afar, Zhou Dewei stood out from the crowd, rushed straight to Li Keyong, dismounted, and bowed to him, saying:

"Your Majesty, our army has utterly defeated Alp. Alp led his remaining troops westward, and our army captured over 100,000 men and hundreds of thousands of cattle and horses."

"The Xia king is currently accepting surrender, and this humble general has returned first to report the victory..."

Zhou Dewei's voice trembled slightly. This was the first time since they had been stranded in the southern desert that they had launched a direct attack and defeated a large tribe of more than 100,000 people.

Defeat Arp, seize the vast grasslands of the Gonglu River, and break the three-way power struggle in Kyrgyzstan...

They haven't achieved this kind of victory in countless years.

"Very good……"

Li Keyong nodded slightly. The 31-year-old had recently lost his father, which was why he was wearing plain clothes to observe mourning.

"Alp is nothing more than an insect, but his escape to the west this time will surely arouse the vigilance of Li Zheng and Li Gao."

"Only by defeating Li Zheng and Li Gao can we unify the northern desert and move south to the southern desert."

Li Keyong spoke in a loud voice, but his tone was somewhat forlorn.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Dewei immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble general will definitely join forces with the King of Xia to defeat Li Zheng and Li Gao, and assist Your Majesty in returning to the Central Plains!"

"The Central Plains?" Li Keyong fell silent.

The idea of ​​returning to the Central Plains seemed to have long since disappeared from his mind; now he only thought about unifying the northern desert and heading south to the southern desert.

If Zhou Dewei hadn't reminded him, he seemed to have completely forgotten about returning to the Central Plains.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look down at the child in front of him, and the child, feeling his gaze, couldn't help but look up and meet his eyes.

As the two looked at each other, Li Keyong, for some reason, couldn't help but say, "Ya Zi, A Ye has unified the northern deserts. You will take A Ye's place and march into the Central Plains in the future, is that alright?"

Li Yazi didn't understand his father's specific meaning, but he still nodded and said, "Yes!"

"Alright!" Seeing Li Yazi agree, Li Keyong's face showed a rare smile, and then he looked into the distance at Julunbo and the city to the north of Julunbo.

He was not as good as Liu Jilong, but he was younger than Liu Jilong, and his son was also younger than Liu Jilong's son.

If one generation isn't enough, try two generations; if two generations aren't enough, try three generations.

Sooner or later, the Li family will return to the Central Plains and raise the banners of the Tang Dynasty once more...

(End of this chapter)