Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 428 He really had it so tough.
Jiankang.

Taicheng.

"His Majesty is praying for the people; nothing is more important than this matter. Your Highness, please wait a moment!"

Xiao Gang received a report from the front lines and learned of Hou Jing's invasion. He rushed over to report it.

But at the door, he was stopped by a palace attendant.

Xiao Gang was worried, but he still kept it to himself.

After the start of summer, various regions of the Southern Dynasties reported disasters to Jiankang.

The yield per mu of paddy fields in the south is higher than that of dry fields in the north, but rice, the main crop in the south, is less cold-resistant than millet in the north.

It was unclear how long this disaster would last, and the sky was often overcast. This sight plunged the officials and common people of Southern Liang into panic, and the agenda of this year's campaign against Shu, which was originally planned, was put on hold.

The chanting of sutras continued in the palace as Zhu Yi, Wei Can, and other close ministers of the emperor arrived one after another. To Xiao Gang's surprise, Hebasheng was also summoned.

During the day, candles were lit in the palace. When a chime sounded, Xiao Gang and the others entered the palace one after another.

Inside the palace, the lights flickered, and there was a sandalwood scent in the air.

As everyone waited, Xiao Yan walked from a side hall into the main hall where the meeting was to be held. He looked at the people standing there and said something.

"Everyone, sit down!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After everyone was seated, Xiao Yan did not immediately listen to Xiao Gang's words, but instead looked at Zhu Yi and asked:
"What is the disaster situation in different regions?"

"Thanks to Your Majesty's benevolence, the people in all the prefectures and counties are still in a stable state, and the grain reserves in the treasury are sufficient to meet the needs."

Emperor Wu of Liang (Xiao Yan) was a devout Buddhist, so a large number of temples were built in Jiankang (present-day Nanjing). These temples were exempt from taxes, attracting a large number of people and concealing their household registrations.

Normally, the Southern Liang court couldn't collect taxes, and in years of famine, there was little need to worry about the monks and nuns who had renounced worldly life.

Xiao Yan was not a cruel, incompetent, or tyrannical monarch in the conventional sense; in his youth, he was a man of great talent and ambition. Now that he is old, his heart has softened, but he still has a remarkably accurate grasp of the strategies for court and military operations.

Since Sima Rui established the Eastern Jin Dynasty, for more than two hundred years, the Southern Dynasties received a large number of scholars and refugees from the north.

The so-called "migrants and officials moving south"!
These scholars and refugees not only brought literary classics from the north, but also provided a large amount of manpower and technology for the development of the south, transforming the originally uninhabitable and barren land of the south into fertile soil.

The most typical example is Changsha.

During the Western Han Dynasty, Jia Yi was demoted to Changsha and knew he probably wouldn't live much longer. At that time, Changsha was hot and humid, and malaria was rampant. People from Chang'an who went to the south simply couldn't adapt.

Changsha today was a rather nice place during the Southern Dynasties.

The Southern Dynasties expanded their territory beyond the Five Ridges, reaching as far as Guangzhou and Jiaozhou.

Thanks to the more than two hundred years of cultivation during the Southern Dynasties and the foundation laid by Xiao Yan in his early years of governance, the treasury of the Southern Liang Dynasty was quite full, and Jiankang remained a prosperous place.

"So, very good!"

Xiao Yan then asked:
"How are the northern barbarians?"

Zhu Yi replied:

"In recent years, the Northern Barbarian Da Yeshuang issued an order to local military governments to store grain, which led to repeated incidents of soldiers seizing grain from officials and civilians. Last year, he plundered a million shi of grain from various places, which aroused the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Guanzhong suffered a severe drought this year. Instead of reflecting on his mistakes, Da Yeshuang forced the people of Guanzhong to move to Sichuan and Chongqing, causing constant conflicts with the local barbarians. Chaos has broken out in the Sichuan and Chongqing region."

At this moment, Xiao Gang spoke:

"Your Majesty, Hou Jing also took advantage of the situation to invade and plunder various prefectures north and south of the Huai River."

Xiao Gang was also afraid that Zhu Yi's words would give Xiao Yan the idea of ​​attacking Shu. As the crown prince, he was already in charge of managing the Huai River defense line, so it was impossible for him to attack Shu. Therefore, Xiao Gang did not want to see his younger brothers control more troops and resources than he did.

Xiao Yan waved his hand and said:

"Hou Jing is a mere brat, not worth mentioning. With Qingzhi assisting in the Jianghuai region, he can easily control him."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gang remained silent.

However, Xiao Yan had not yet made up his mind to attack Shu. He was still unsure of the situation in Ba and Shu at the moment, so he decided to wait and see.

"Po Hu, what do you think?"

In his heart, Hebasheng actually held the Southern Dynasty officials' evaluation of the North in contempt.

You can't use common sense to judge the situation in the north. According to common sense, in years of disaster, it's best to rest and recuperate, and not to start a major war.

But Li Shuang is not a person who follows common sense.

Li Shuang had been in Guanzhong for so many years, and the Guanzhong army was no longer the second-rate army of the Northern Dynasty that the Southern Liang officials remembered.

The more chaotic the situation, the more urgent the circumstances, and the worse the situation, the more adaptable they may become.

"I believe that the situation in Bashu is still unsettled and the situation in Guanzhong is still unclear. If we want to attack Shu, we should wait and observe before making a decision."

Hebasheng's words hit Xiao Yan's nail on the head.

He nodded and said:

"We will proceed according to the plan to defeat the Hu."

……

Guangling City.

Standing before Hou Jing were a group of northern generals under his command.

"Are you all aware of the severe drought in Guanzhong?"

Jia Xianzheng and the others looked at Hou Jing with some confusion in their hearts.

Hasn't this news already been circulating? What does Hou Jing mean by saying this now?
"Currently, Guanzhong is suffering from a severe drought. The people are being relocated to Bashu, but they are being blocked by the barbarians, and the situation is chaotic. The three thousand people who entered Shu earlier, led by Elder Dongfang, are not making good progress. As a last resort, Your Majesty has led the people into Shu with the imperial troops to fight against the barbarians. The military strength in Guanzhong at this time is much weaker than before. The barbarians on the border may have malicious intentions."

Hou Jing said:

"In contrast, our army has recently attacked several prefectures in Southern Liang and has repeatedly achieved successes. We can say that our troops are well-trained and our supplies are plentiful."

The more Jia Xianzheng and the others listened, the more they felt something was amiss.

Guanzhong is weak, while Guangling has a strong and well-equipped army. What are you going to do?
"At this opportune moment, Luoyang—"

Before Hou Jing could finish speaking, Jia Xianzheng quickly stopped him.

"General, it would be better if you didn't say what you were about to say."

Hou Jing was already annoyed that he had been interrupted, and after hearing Jia Xianzheng's words, his face showed anger.

Seeing Hou Jing's appearance, Jia Xianzheng became even more terrified and said:

"We did not want to follow Hebasheng before, and we will not follow the General to enter Luoyang now. We hope the General will respect himself."

Hou Jing, upon hearing this, became even more enraged and cursed:

"You dare to falsely accuse me of treason? When did I ever tell you that I was going to march into Luoyang?"

Jia Xianzheng was also stunned.

You don't want to conquer Luoyang. You just said that Guanzhong is weak and your own army is strong.

"What did the General mean by the 'opportunity' he just mentioned?"

"When the world is in chaos, it is the time to use force."

As Hou Jing spoke, he looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle towards Guanzhong.

"The king needs grain, and those noble families should have personally delivered it to Luoyang. Instead, Your Majesty has to go to Hebei yourself. Tell me, are they even worthless!"

"..."

Jia Xianzheng and the others were speechless for a moment.

"When I think of how Your Majesty went through all that trouble, even to the bitter and cold land of Yingzhou, to obtain a mere two million shi of grain, I can't help but feel sorry for Your Majesty. How can we sit here and wait for the grain from Luoyang?"

"What does the General mean?"

"We loyal subjects must seize it ourselves!"

……

(End of this chapter)