The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 368 Youzhou
"Give me the money."

"No money."

He grabbed the arm and slammed it against the door, then chopped it off with a knife, sending five knuckles to the ground.

"Is it available now?"

The man clutched his severed hand, sobbing and shaking his head: "The money was handed over long ago, there's only mud money left."

"I don't believe it." Liu Fox kicked the man to the ground, held a knife to his neck, and shouted, "Bring his whole family here!"

There was clanging and banging in the dilapidated house.

After a commotion of rummaging through drawers and cabinets and shrill pleas, two white-clad warriors with gloomy faces emerged, scattering mud coins they had crumpled into yellow sand: "Get out here!"

From the main room behind them, several people, young and old, staggered out.

The whole family knelt down neatly in the courtyard.

Liu the Fox released her husband and went up to beat him with a knife. The family rolled on the ground, screaming: "We really don't have a single penny. We paid it all over long ago. All the neighbors can testify to that!"

"Then die!" Liu Fox cleaved down with both hands, the gushing blood turning the man's head bright red.

"How can we explain ourselves without money?" Liu Fox suddenly stared at his two comrades.

"Let's go to another village," one man said, looking around. "There's no more profit to be made here."

“This girl is not bad; she can serve in the Da’an Palace.” Another man grabbed his daughter, who was now terrified and incapacitated, and said, “Taking this woman back will be enough to deal with them. If any of the generals dare to say a word, kill them. They were captured by Liu Rengong anyway, so why are they making such a fuss?”

"Destroyed!" Liu Fox suddenly slapped his forehead and pointed at the headless male corpse, saying, "Although this person is not martial, he is still strong and fit. We can tattoo his face and designate him as a reserve soldier."

“It’s come to this, let it go.” One person said, “We should kill fewer people. If we kill everyone, where will the money come from? The higher-ups only told us to keep track of the number of people and collect money, not to kill indiscriminately.”

"I'm so angry, I couldn't hold back." Liu Fox sheathed his sword.

They kicked the woman who was slumped at the doorway away, and the three of them carried their daughter away.

Outside the village, soldiers wandered around in twos and threes, and men were occasionally caught and had their shoulders tattooed with numbers.

Because they were carrying a beautiful young girl, some soldiers on the roadside were looking at the three of them with ill intent.

These are all part of a ten-general unit.

There were quite a few people, probably several dozen.

The main force of the army was scattered across various states, extorting money and goods.

Gratitude education, military strengthening, immortal cultivation, and money making—ten days ago, apart from immortal cultivation, the four major political forces of Ren Gong suddenly exerted their influence. According to circulating rumors, they were planning to launch a military campaign across the seas and into Weibo—though that's not necessarily true. Even when there's no war, they do this all the time.

This was originally Ren Gong's personal ambition, but the army did not object.

The people of Youzhou love to fight!

For two hundred years, they have never refused to fight. If they don't fight externally, they fight internally; if they don't fight internally, they fight externally; if they fight neither internally nor externally, they fight the military governors.

They slowly arrived at Youzhou City.

The city was large, but the streets were deserted.

"Crack!" A row of craftsmen were beheaded beneath the city gate.

"This is the reward money." A civil official of the shogunate, whose face was emblazoned with the words "loyal to the lord," rode on horseback and handed over a bag of money, instructing him, "When you return, do not reveal the cause of death."

"That's a bit little." The sergeant weighed the food in his hand, clearly displeased. "Killing someone to silence them is a delicate job, and this is all you give us?"

"You need to pay more, otherwise I won't do it next time."

The civil official turned his horse around and said, "If you won't do it, there are plenty of others who will."

"You scoundrel!" the soldier roared.

"Riding a horse and carrying a sword, what kind of gentleman are you pretending to be?" Someone pushed down his comrade and laughed, "Last month you guys were licking the boots at the military headquarters, telling people to be so devoted to their master and completely loyal. You've never been this filial to your father or even to the sage, have you?"

"A bunch of good-for-nothings."

"If Liu Rengong dares to make me write something like 'Ten Sincere Loyalties,' I will send him to see Li Quanzhong and Zhu Quanzhong."

"To blindly obey and do whatever the governor says—what else is this but the behavior of a slave?"

"Please send me to the Khitan as a slave to perform my duties."

"Ha ha……"

This refers to the tattooing incident. Liu Rengong promoted a system of benevolent education, ordering scholars to write "loyalty" on their hands and faces. Anyone who wanted to receive money from his household had to have it tattooed, and the civil officials mostly complied, thus becoming the subject of much ridicule.

Beneath the city gate, amidst the laughter, Cui, his face flushed with embarrassment and anger, exclaimed: "If I gave the order to those people, they'd probably be kneeling down even faster than we are!"

The soldiers laughed even harder: "If it were up to us, we would have shot Ren Gong dead with an arrow long ago. Guess why he didn't order us to do it?"

"You lot can draw a two-stone bow, yet you don't know a single word!" Cui muttered under his breath before hastily turning his horse around.

"Hey guys, where did you get the reward money?" Liu Fox asked, blending into the crowd.

"Liu Rengong summoned craftsmen to repair his residence and build an underground palace, where he hid the wealth and beauties he had collected in various places." Someone said, "Send us to supervise the construction. Once the work is finished, kill them all to prevent the news from leaking out."

Liu the fox's heart skipped a beat.

If I were to stir up a commotion under the guise of searching for treasure, wouldn't I have a chance to become a military governor?

During the Taihe era, Li Zaiyi was hosting a banquet for his envoys at the ball field when suddenly his generals Yang Shicheng and others started a commotion, the reason for which was unknown.

Li Shuai was greatly alarmed and fled through the front gate to Yizhou.

The eunuch Wei Baoren and others were too slow to escape and were captured and imprisoned.

Although it sounds like child's play, it reflects that as soon as the drumming and noise started, the governor could be scared away.

The only difficulty lies in how to create a buzz?
He hurriedly asked, "Where is it hidden?"

"Hey, stop asking." The soldier patted him on the shoulder and said, "Shan Keji, Yuan Xingqin, Gao Xingzhou, and Gao Xinggui are keeping watch. Besides, the troops are scattered, how could they cause trouble?"

“Gao Xingzhou is just a young boy, barely twenty years old, haha.” Liu Fox chuckled. “I was just asking.”

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed from inside the city gate.

The soldiers gathered below the city adjusted their clothes and stood with their hands on their hips.

A short while later, a large group of beautiful women, monks, Taoists, civil and military officials, and ceremonial guards rushed out of the city.

Next came a dense array of cavalrymen, marching along both sides of the main road. Their armor was adorned with fine silks and brocades, their red saddles gleaming with silver, creating a formidable sight.

This is part of Wang Jingrou's Yin Hu Lu and Li Chengyue's mountain troops. Yin Hu Lu had 3,000 men. The latter had 2,000, all of whom were Hu (non-Han Chinese). Compared to the Han Chinese, the Khitan and other non-Han peoples were more obsessed with decorating their weapons and equipment with luxury items to show their status. Liu Rengong, for safety reasons, also treated the non-Han troops very well.

Fortunately, the people of Youzhou were relatively tolerant of the military governor.

Replace them with Weibo and Zhenhai.

You dare to be so confident in your own safety and replace the guard regiment? There's already a lot of private discussion in the army—"Does the commander-in-chief suspect us?"

Liu Rengong, the military governor of Youzhou, with disheveled hair and dressed in a black and gold Taoist robe, was surrounded by his female relatives and adopted sons. He leaned against a yellow-curtained palanquin, his hands hanging in the air, his face clouded with worry.

Soldiers and civilians coming and going from the city saw his entourage.

"General Liu is showing off his military might again." A soldier sighed, "With so many beautiful women, when will we ever finish circling them all?"

"I heard that his concubine, Luo Caihuan, was steamed by your son?"

"Yes, his youngest son, Shouqi, is probably not his own; he is his son, Shouguang."

"Hey, what's the big deal?"

Li Kuangwei had an affair with Li Kuangchou's woman, and Li Keyong had an affair with Li Kuangwei's woman. Eventually, Zhang Hui fell into the hands of the Emperor.

Zhu Quanzhong is having an affair.

The emperor was having affairs with his sisters-in-law and aunts. Zhu Quanzhong's wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter all entered his harem. Others might have affairs with three people, but he had affairs with three generations!
"Morally corrupt, utterly despicable!" A soldier pointed a finger and muttered, "If this continues, will there be any normal people left in China? Is this land of propriety going to be even more chaotic than the barbarians? I think it's time to revive the great Zhou rites and Confucianism."

Amidst the sounds of people eating melons, the ceremonial procession gradually faded into the distance. The soldiers dispersed, each going about their own business.

Liu Rengong went on an inspection tour to the countryside of Yuyang County.

Liu Rengong glanced around; the place was desolate and quiet, sparsely populated. He said with dissatisfaction, "I ordered the generals of Yingzhou and Pingzhou to send their troops back to capture the Hu and make them into soldiers. Why are there no troops under the walls of Youzhou, nor in Jizhou?"

"We received a report from the garrison commander of Yuguan; he's on his way," the aide said. "There's still no word from the other garrison commanders."

Liu Rengong's face darkened instantly: "These traitors!"

Yingping area was the frontier of defense. The Youzhou army established military cities here, including Xiashi, Luchou, Mizhuan, Changyang, Huanghua, Zimeng, and Bailang, to resist the mixed-race tribes. The garrison soldiers cultivated their own land for sustenance. Over time, they all acquired fields and houses, using the income to support their children and grandchildren, and steadfastly defending the area for their own benefit.

To put it bluntly, they are no longer on the same page as the military government.

Or rather, his authority was insufficient to exert its influence.

"Your Majesty," Military Advisor Han Xuanshao thought for a moment and still advised, "The generals of each garrison have important missions and it is not advisable to conscript them for civil war."

All signs indicate that the Hu people have become powerful again.

The chaotic rule of the reigns of Emperors Huo and Min caused the Tang Dynasty to lose face, the people harbored resentment, the ambitions of the regional military governors grew, and the myth of the invincible Tang Dynasty was shattered by the surrounding barbarian tribes. From the later years of the Xiantong era, the northeastern tribes stopped paying tribute and adopted an arrogant and distant attitude towards Youzhou.

The Khitan, in particular, had long been preparing for war, annexing other tribes in order to covet the Central Plains. In recent years, pro-Tang tribes such as the Xiaohuang Shiwei, Yuewu, Mongols, Liuxi, and Bishaqi were successively conquered by Abaoji. On the other hand, they took advantage of the situation to continuously harass Jizhou and Pingzhou.

The Tang Dynasty's authority in the Northeast can be said to have effectively disappeared.

The ensuing effect was that the Khitan people's national consciousness awakened, their desire to establish a state and enter the Central Plains surged, and far fewer Khitans went to Youzhou to join the army.

If the Youzhou army were to engage in another civil war, a victory would be acceptable, but a defeat would result in significant losses, including the loss of control over all the vassal states. The need to defend Jizhou in autumn would be foreseeable. The heavy pressure from border threats is also one of the reasons why the border troops are unwilling to participate in a civil war.

Seeing that Liu Rengong remained silent, Han Xuanshao assumed that he had taken it to heart and quickly pressed on, saying, "If Cangzhou and Wei are in trouble, the imperial court, with its strong army and abundant resources, will certainly not stand idly by."

"So what?" Liu Rengong's beard twitched upon hearing this, and he said with displeasure, "You dog-footed bastard, my army is strong and well-equipped, while ours is weak and poor?"

He had previously requested the appointment of Heng Hai Military Governor for his eldest son, but the Emperor refused. Therefore, he often called himself "Dog-Foot Emperor."

Han Xuanshao was speechless.

Liu Rengong rolled his eyes: "With such a vast empire, it would be better to die than not pull off a heist."

Just because Emperor Li is powerful doesn't mean the local authorities wouldn't dare to have any ambitions.

Was Quan Zhong's influence diminished in later generations? Li Keyong wasn't in his current half-dead state, and Liu Rengong still dared to march south.

In the first year of the Changqing era, a mutiny broke out in the army when Zhang Hongjing's subordinates cursed the people of Youzhou as bumpkins. They elected Zhu Tao's son as their leader, but Zhu Hui refused and instead elected Zhu Tao's grandson, Zhu Kerong, as the leader. They then attacked Yizhou and Weizhou. The court wanted to punish them, but after some discussion, they all felt it would be difficult, so they officially appointed Zhu Kerong as the leader.

Was the matter over? No. Even after joining forces with the rebellious Chengde, Pei Du had to secretly write letters to persuade the Youzhou army to withdraw.

In the first year of the Baoli era, spring clothing was bestowed upon Youzhou. Zhu Kerong, complaining of the poor quality of the military uniforms, imprisoned the envoy and threatened to go to Dongjing (Kaifeng) to welcome the emperor, demanding an advance on a year's worth of rewards from the court. The court dared not offend him and instead granted him the title of Prince of the Commandery to settle the matter.

Then there's Lee Jae-yi.

Next came Yang Zhicheng's usurpation of the throne. Dissatisfied with the low rank of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat appointed by the court, he imprisoned the eunuch and informed the prime minister: "If you don't give me the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, these eunuchs can forget about returning to Chang'an." The court did not back down and continued to appoint Ministers of the Imperial Secretariat. The eunuch refused and left.

This is not even the biggest thing; the crown was made secretly at home, and the clothing and bedding were all based on those in the palace.

The reverence of Youzhou for the Li Tang dynasty has always been limited. This was true even shortly after Emperor Xianzong's death; how much more so now, after the court has been thoroughly humiliated?
Am I afraid of you? A little.

How scared are they? Not necessarily.

“The border defense is the border defense; we can leave a portion of our troops to guard against them,” Liu Rengong said. “If we urge them to come and join forces again, the consequences are obvious. There are also barbarian troops; we can continue to subjugate them. It’s not like they’ve all surrendered to the Khitan. We must complete the preparation of provisions and troops before September. Now is the time to contend for the world.”

Indeed, earlier on, he hadn't yet ascended to power, had no foundation in Youzhou, and wasn't qualified. Later on, the thought of using the land of Youyan to resist the world was simply too much to bear.

"Although I have entered Liang, I am still suffering from its aftereffects. He will need some time to deal with the remnants of Quanzhong. The military preparedness of Weibo is in a state of disarray, and the former military headquarters of Henghai is also weak. Otherwise, once he has settled things in various places, we will have no choice but to obediently submit."

At this point, he said slowly, "If I could obtain Weibo, Henghai, and Hedong, and sit facing south, could I accomplish the things of an emperor?"

Everyone was silent.

Everyone here is a fence-sitter; if we start a conversation on this topic and fail, it'll be difficult to survive, even if we kill the leader.

"Hmph." Liu Rengong snorted twice.

"If I attack Wei, will the dog-footed emperor come to my rescue?" He continued, "Han Xuanshao speaks with certainty, and the court will not sit idly by. But I think the dog-footed emperor will act as Bian Zhuangzi, watching the two tigers fight, and using me to weaken Wei Bo. Although Youzhou is something he hates, Wei Bo is also something he fears."

"I've heard that of the remaining loyalists, only Ge Congzhou has submitted. Even if the Emperor wanted to save them, he wouldn't have the troops or time. Unless our army's progress is too slow, and the Emperor has already pacified the Central Plains, we still haven't captured the two towns," Li Chengyue said.

Liu Rengong then turned his attention to how to deal with the two towns.

"Xingzhou, what's your opinion?" Liu Rengong pointed to a young general and asked.

“Jingzhou, Dezhou, and Dizhou are in the south, and Cangzhou, the capital of the city, is in the way.” Gao Xingzhou thought for a moment and said, “They will definitely concentrate their troops to defend Cangzhou. The hardest nut to crack is probably Cangzhou. Once Cangzhou is captured, the forces of Jingzhou, Dezhou, and Dizhou will be weak and easy to subdue. Therefore, we need to raise more siege equipment. In addition, we are connected to Qi, Wei, and Zhao by the sea, so we must be wary of the three families coming to our aid.”

"That bastard Wang Shifan." Liu Rengong's evaluation was full of disdain: "He didn't even put in his full effort to save the emperor and eliminate the ambitious Zhu Wen next door. How can you expect him to sincerely help Heng Hai? Weibo has never won many battles, so there's no need to worry about it. If they dare to come, we'll take care of them all at once."

"What I'm worried about is still Dog-Foot Emperor. What if he really comes?" Liu Rengong sat up and said, "I'll distribute the rewards again tomorrow. The entire army will drill every five days and hold a military training session every half month, in preparation for any eventuality. The Western Army has been fighting for many years and its combat strength is not weak. In the Battle of Luoyang, it was Dog-Foot Emperor who defeated Zhu Dalang at Hengshui, and the loyalist army rushed in, which led to the victory. They should not be underestimated."

"Everything is proceeding normally. As for sending troops, let's wait until after the Double Ninth Festival. By then, they will have gained enough strength, and the generals of each town should have something to say."

After saying this, Liu Rengong jumped onto his horse and shouted to his soldiers, "Go! Horse archery! We won't be going to Da'an Palace anytime soon."

We need to work harder.

Once power is in hand, aren't noble ladies and imperial concubines just playthings in the palace?

The reason they seized Zhang Hui and then reluctantly offered her to Li Keyong was precisely because they lacked sufficient power and influence.

Then we can snatch Zhang Hui from Zhu Wen and play with her to see how charming she is.

******
On the third day of the seventh month, the Emperor was in Chenliu, inspecting the Mingyue Lake, which was under construction for training the navy, and the shipyard that was being established.

On the seventh day, 5,000 troops from Yuncheng Bian Army, which was named Zhaode Army, arrived in the capital and underwent reorganization in Chenliu County. Out of panic or opportunism, generals such as Qiu Hongli and Yin Zitong brought gifts to visit senior figures such as Wang Yanzhang, Zhang Xian, and Ding Hui, hoping to establish good relations with them.

The brothers Sun Xun and Sun En, who had sisters of marriageable age, sought to marry those who held power, whether military generals or civil officials.

Prior to this, marriage alliances between military generals, between military generals and civil officials, and between the imperial family and ministers were already common.

For example, the son of Marquis Wang Congxun of Changshan and the daughter of He Chuyu were betrothed as children.

For example, Zha Zhu, the military governor of Changsheng Army, was adopted by Wang Gui, the maternal uncle of the emperor, and was named Wang Zhu. He married Princess Li Yi.

For example, Li Zan's daughter made an appointment with Sima Kanwu's son, Sima Chu'e.

This caused deep concern for Dr. Wang Zimei, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

Were the military governors of Chengde and Weibo born puppets?

No.

After the "start-up" phase, generals and staff members began to form internal alliances through marriage and training.

This cycle repeated itself, generation after generation, forming circles where the military governors were bound by factions, bloodlines, and mentorship. Behind every official was a general, and behind every general were officials.

The military governor was gradually sidelined.

Of course, the process of the military governor being sidelined was complex and cannot be explained in just a few words.

But this is the most important reason.

You are in me, and I am in you; many things in the world go wrong because of this.

In Wang Zimei's view, this was also one of the root causes of the court's moral failings and mismanagement over the years.

Disunity between the ruler and his ministers, or between ministers and subjects, is detrimental to governance.

Too much unity will lead to widespread suffering.

Such entrenched political and interest alliances would override imperial power and national interests.

It blurs political boundaries and reduces the efficiency of the ruling machine.

Thus, a memorial reached the emperor's ears, even though it would put him in the eye of the storm and make him the target of public criticism: "Chen Yan prohibits marriage between the emperor and foreigners."

(End of this chapter)