Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 277 The Order to Head North
Zhu Wen had imagined many times what it would be like for the rebel army to set out from Lingnan and launch a northern expedition.

He had thought that this expedition would be well-prepared with ample supplies and gleaming armor, and that he would embark on the path of the Northern Expedition to overthrow the corrupt Tang Dynasty amidst the cheers of the people of Lingnan.

Huang Chao consistently emphasized that his opposition to the imperial court was a righteous war waged by the virtuous against the wicked.

The proclamation issued by the imperial army claimed that "eunuchs wield power in the court, corrupting the discipline and order. Officials and eunuchs bribe each other and conspire to frame each other, resulting in a lack of talent in the selection of officials," directly pointing to the problem of eunuchs and aristocratic families as one of the three major ills of the Tang Dynasty.

Eunuchs held power in the central government, and the aristocratic families colluded with them to control the imperial examinations, leaving no path for talented individuals from humble backgrounds to advance in their careers.

The issue of regional military governors was not explicitly stated, but Huang Chao vigorously promoted Han Yu's doctrines, emphasized the Confucian orthodoxy, suppressed Buddhism and Taoism, and published Liu Zongyuan's "On Feudalism," which also demonstrated his ambition to eliminate regional military governors and bring peace to the world.

Zhu Wen recalled a line from Zhuge Liang's "Memorial on the Expedition": "Now that the south is pacified and our military strength is sufficient, we should lead our three armies northward to pacify the Central Plains, and do our utmost to eliminate the treacherous and wicked."

Before he could harvest the new wheat he planted in Fengzhou, he had to obey orders to head north.

The rebel army has been operating in Lingnan for too short a time. If the entire army marches north, Lingnan will inevitably fall out of control soon, and the rebel army will once again become an isolated force without a base.

Zhuge Liang, despite having "pacified the south and fully equipped with troops," failed to achieve his goal. Could the isolated rebel army's northern expedition truly overthrow the Tang dynasty?

When Zhu Wen first learned of this decision, he was filled with disbelief.

"Many brothers have just settled down in Lingnan, why are they heading north so soon?" His face flushed, and he pressed down hard on the envoy's shoulder: "Is there some mistake?"

Zhu Wen simply couldn't believe that Huang Chao would make such a reckless decision.

"Many of those brothers are no longer here," the envoy said with a bitter smile.

After inquiring, Zhu Wen learned that a major epidemic, far worse than the last one, had broken out in the Guangzhou area this spring.

Of the soldiers from the northern Five Ridges, three or four out of ten died. Every family was filled with the pain of seeing corpses lying in the ground, and every room echoed with cries of grief.

The local people had much stronger resistance to the epidemic, but some still died from it. For a time, people in and around Guangzhou were in a state of panic, and they began to talk among themselves that the rebel army had brought the epidemic.

"The morale of the army is low, and most soldiers are demanding to return north. They are not afraid of death, but they do not want to die an untimely and mysterious death from the plague!" the messenger said. "If we do not head north, the army may collapse!"

Zhu Wen felt as if all his strength had been drained away.

In Fengzhou, he promoted the use of wheat, cracked down on local tyrants, built water conservancy projects, and planned to recruit local strongmen as soldiers.

All of this has been for nothing.

Furthermore, Huang Chao accepted You Di's surrender precisely because she could help manage Guangzhou's trade and market affairs. Were all the rebel army's extensive operations in Lingnan simply a waste of time helping others?
"Our army has already lost three or four out of ten men to the plague. How can we possibly fight against Commander Lei and Gao Pian now that we're heading north?" Zhu Wen asked through gritted teeth, "Why don't we grit our teeth and persevere?"

"Commander Yan said that this year, the Jianghuai region is suffering from severe locust plagues and drought, and famine is rampant. We can take advantage of our victory in conquering Lingnan to march north, and we will not lack manpower. Once we break through the Jianghuai defense line, we can penetrate the undefended Central Plains and take Chang'an directly. If we delay any longer, Commander Feng will not be able to hold on."

When Li Guochang, the military commander, rebelled in Daibei, the imperial court dispatched nearly 100,000 troops to suppress him, which indeed led to a situation where the Central Plains were left vulnerable. Even when the rebel army marched south, the limited number of troops available for pursuit was largely due to this.

Although Feng Shuai was skilled in battle and won several battles in a row at the beginning, he gradually became overwhelmed by the overwhelming strength of the imperial court's troops. If no unexpected events occur, he will probably be completely defeated this year, either captured and killed or forced to flee to the northern barbarians to survive.

Upon hearing the messenger's words, Zhu Wen finally understood.

Ultimately, it was Master Huang Chao's decision.

They were steadily and cautiously encroaching on the imperial territory in Lingnan, a method that was both prudent and slow. Moreover, once the imperial court dealt with Feng Shuai, the forces available to deal with the bandits would be significantly greater than before.

However, if we can seize this opportunity, march straight in, and behead Chang'an, we will have the chance to issue a proclamation to pacify the world, and then gradually weaken the local warlords.

This is a high-stakes gamble. Success could change the landscape within a few years, while failure could wipe out tens of thousands of heroes from the peasant army.

Zhu Wen thought to himself: The saying that the older one gets, the more stable one becomes is completely unrelated to my teacher.

Huang Chao was no longer young, yet he longed to unify the world before he died. This devastating plague finally gave Huang Chao the reason to make a desperate, all-or-nothing decision.

Huang Chao personally rejected his previous plan to establish a separatist regime in Lingnan and gradually expand his territory, instead opting for a more aggressive northern expedition, determined to make a decisive move to determine the fate of the nation.

Otherwise, even if many in the army clamored to return north, Huang Chao's prestige and skill would have been enough to suppress them.

Zhu Wen knew that he had no choice but to obey.

He summoned the troops of the capital and announced to the officials and people in front of the city gate that he was leaving Fengzhou.

A large crowd of people prostrated themselves on the ground to beg them to stay, and some even climbed onto the horses and wept bitterly.

Seeing these people, Zhu Wen felt somewhat relieved.

I've done a pretty good job as governor these past few months.

Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Even though ordinary people may seem ignorant, they know which officials treat them well and which do not.

"Once the righteous army has captured Chang'an and pacified the world, I will definitely come back to see you!"

If possible, Zhu Wen truly hoped to have the opportunity to return in the future.

Observe how well the double cropping of winter wheat and rice has been promoted in Lingnan. See if the barbarian tribes you have pacified have cultivated large areas of arable land. See if the irrigation facilities initiated and constructed by the rebel army have been completed completely…

This was Zhu Wen's first time serving as a prefect, his first time governing a region. He had so much to do, and hoped to return to see it someday.

Zhu Wen looked at Lan Suting beside him and noticed that the girl's eyes had reddened at some point.

Zhu Wen loved these people, just like a gardener who loves the flowers and plants he tends and takes good care of them to prevent them from being damaged by insects, wind, rain, or frost.

Prefects and governors were called "governors" or "governors of the provinces." Those who loved the people as much as shepherds loved their cattle and sheep or gardeners loved their flowers and plants were already rare and good officials.

Lan Suting, on the other hand, truly regarded the people as his friends, even family.

……

Later, Zhu Wen, who had already gained considerable power in the Central Plains, received the envoy sent by Liu Qian.

Not long after the rebel army left Lingnan, Liu Qian returned to Fengzhou, gathered his troops, drove out the group of gentry and pro-rebels left behind by Zhu Wen, reoccupied Fengzhou, and obtained the official position of Hejiang Town Inspector. He then expanded his influence to several surrounding prefectures and plotted to take Guangzhou.

Liu Qian sent a renowned painter from Lingnan to paint the prosperous scene of Fengzhou for Zhu Wen. In an instant, those past scenes came vividly to mind.

“When I govern Fengzhou, I use my elder brother’s methods, and the people benefit from them. They all remember my elder brother’s great virtues.”

Liu Qian was older than Zhu Wen, but he referred to himself as his younger brother to show his humility.

In his letter, Liu Qian vividly described how the people missed Zhu Wen, built shrines for him, and erected statues in his memory. He also specifically mentioned that he had these statues gilded to show his respect for Zhu Wen.

Of course, an important fact has been overlooked: when Liu Qian first recaptured Fengzhou, he destroyed all of Zhu Wen's statues and shrines, and even forbade the people from mentioning his name. It was only after Zhu Wen's power in the Central Plains had grown stronger that Liu Qian rebuilt the shrines and statues.

However, Liu Qian adopted and further developed the rice-wheat rotation method promoted by Zhu Wen and the water conservancy projects he initiated.

Finally, Liu Qian stated that if Zhu Wen could sweep through the Central Plains and his army reached Lingnan, he would immediately kneel before Zhu Wen's horse and surrender his territory. The officials and people of Fengzhou all eagerly awaited this, hoping to see Zhu Wen's countenance again.

By this time, Zhu Wen was already a cunning and ruthless warlord, but he was still moved by Liu Qian's letter, which was full of flattery.

Suddenly, I realized that everything I had done back then had not been in vain.

(End of this chapter)