Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

They first mobilized troops towards Jiangnan Road and Huainan Road.

Apart from Prince Yan, Li Yun, and Prince Chu, Li You, there is Emperor Zhenguan, who is currently sitting in Chang'an, and is currently running the Western Expedition Military Academy, enjoying the glory of being the principal and cultivating the emperor's disciples. He is living a very comfortable life.

He was certainly not as excited as the King of Yan and the King of Chu to participate in the war and help the Crown Prince pacify the region.

It was the contents of the letter that Empress Zhangsun sent later that made him restless.

Jiannan Road has a complex terrain with many towering mountains and steep ridges.

However, thanks to Li Shimin's orders to officials in various prefectures and counties to build official roads over the years, and the extremely ample funding provided by the court, when he led the Xuanjia Army and the Jiannan Road New Army, which he had personally trained, to the border prefectures and counties of Jiannan Road and Jiangnan Road, namely Chenzhou and Xizhou.

Prince Yan, Li Yun, had just arrived in Henan Province and was issuing orders to local officials to mobilize their assistance.

As for King Li You of Chu, he had just arrived at the coast and reached Zhangzhou in Jiangnan Circuit.

"Your subject, Subu, pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live long and be well!"

When Su Bu, the prefect of Chenzhou, saw the emperor arrive, he hurriedly led his officials to respond. However, Li Shimin frowned and showed no sign of politeness.

Get straight to the point.

"What is the situation in Jiangnan Circuit now? You have blocked the official roads, have any officials been sent to inquire?"

Upon hearing this, Subu's eyes also revealed a serious look of worry, and he shook his head repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, there may be a major change in Jiangnan Circuit! After we were ordered to block the official road, apart from some merchants and people from the area near Jiannan Circuit who came to try to pass through, only some county magistrates from small counties came to explain."

"None of the three prefectures near my Chenzhou—Langzhou, Fengzhou, and Shaozhou—have sent envoys to negotiate or inquire. I fear this will bring disaster to Jiannan Circuit, and in addition, I need to appease the people along the official road. Therefore, I dare not send anyone to inquire without authorization..."

Li Shimin had no intention of resting. Under the leadership of Subu, he arrived at Chenxi County in the eastern part of Chenzhou.

The magistrate of Chenxi County was a young official from a poor family who rose through the imperial examination system. He followed the path of the new policy of the imperial examination and his resume included his study experience at the first official school in Taiyuan Prefecture.

However, this official, whose official records show he is only twenty-three or twenty-four years old this year, now looks haggard and nearly thirty.

The dark bags under his eyes and the bloodshot eyes made Li Shimin feel sorry for him.

Just as he was about to bow, he personally stopped him.

“Magistrate Gu, there’s no need for such formalities. Just tell me directly what the situation is like in Chenxi County. I saw quite a few caravans along the way, all transporting daily necessities.”

When this matter was mentioned, the young county magistrate surnamed Gu's face showed a hatred so intense it seemed he wanted to tear the person to pieces.

He bowed to Li Shimin, his expression filled with sorrow: "Your Majesty, the people of Jiangnan are suffering! Those officials, without our knowledge, have become the henchmen of those merchants in Jiangnan, drawing salaries from the court while secretly colluding with the merchants to harm the people!"

"This is outrageous!!!"

He began to weep as he recounted the stories of the people from Jiangnan Road he had taken in during this period.

"Since the implementation of the new policies, various regions of our Great Tang have successively reduced or even abolished agricultural taxes. Furthermore, the land hoarded by landlords and powerful families has been forcibly nationalized by the court and distributed to the people. However, the Jiangnan region is paying lip service to this policy!"

"The people officially had their own land, but in just over a year, the government, in collusion with the merchants, began to instigate the people to mortgage these lands and properties under various pretexts..."

The county magistrate cried out, but Li Shimin frowned deeply.

"These lands cannot be sold by the people without their consent. This is clearly stipulated in the new policy and is frequently publicized in the newspapers. How can the people be deceived?!" Li Shimin interrupted.

However, upon hearing this, the magistrate's face became even more contorted with resentment.

"Your Majesty! These treacherous villains are cunning! They did not directly purchase those lands, and what the people mortgaged was not the land itself, but... the output they would produce from cultivating that land for decades to come! The people have been swindled out of everything. Although the land will eventually belong to the people, the grain and other produce grown on that land will all end up in the pockets of those thieves!"

"what?!"

absurd!

This is more than just absurd!

This is blatant disregard for the imperial court and brazenly exploiting loopholes in the law!

When Li Shimin arrived at the shelter set up by the official road outside Chenxi County.

What they saw were figures with sallow complexions and fearful, numb eyes. Most of these people had families with them, but even so, most of the women were ordinary-looking with little to no beauty.

Li Shimin walked silently among them. He had been worried that his crown prince would get angry and drag two innocent people into it, but at this moment, something terrible seemed to be accumulating in his chest.

how many years?

He had almost forgotten what it was like when the people of the Tang Dynasty were impoverished, poorly clothed, and starving.

Ten years into the new policies, the people of Jiannan Road have become relatively well-off, even able to eat meat regularly. But who would have thought that these people are from Jiangnan Road?

"Inhale...exhale..."

His expression shifted between anger and murderous intent, leaving the Chenzhou Prefect, Su Bu, speechless with fear.

"Jiangnan Road is rotten to the core! It's beyond saving, and there's no need to try to save it anymore!"

Li Shimin was no fool. He had shown his abilities since the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, pacified the world, unified the Tang Dynasty, and in the years that followed, he governed the Jiannan region, where he was able to see the lives of the most ordinary people.

Just from the refugees taken in Chenxi County, one can get a pretty good idea of ​​the situation in Jiangnan Circuit.

Although he didn't understand why those officials were so united in daring to confront the imperial court, he didn't want to know anymore!

"Zhang Liang!"

Beside him, Zhang Liang, the former Duke of Xun, whose face also showed a cold expression, quickly bowed.

He currently holds no noble titles, but after arriving in Jiannan Road, he was appointed by Li Shimin as the commander of the Qing Shu Palace Imperial Guards, equivalent to Chang He of the Qing Shu Palace.

"The general is here!"

"Take two thousand armored cavalry and two hundred fire cavalry, and bring to me the Prefect of Shaozhou, along with all the officials of Shaozhou's various government offices, as quickly as possible! Anyone who obstructs us... kill them!"

"Yes!"

The imperial court has taken action.

However, it was not Li You, who should have been the first to arrive in Zhangzhou, Jiangnan Province, to command the Chu King's navy, who took action; rather, it was Emperor Li Shimin, who received a letter of persuasion from Empress Zhangsun.

He ordered Zhang Liang to go and arrest the person.

On the other hand, the governors of several prefectures and counties bordering Jiangnan Road, such as Chenzhou, Xizhou, and Shizhou in Jiannan Road, were instructed to do their utmost to provide relief to the people at Guandaokou and to temporarily resettle those with clean records in various prefectures.

As for those who tried to slip through the cracks, they were all thrown into prison.

The case was handed over to the Hundred Cavalry Command for personal review.

Zhang Liang was very capable; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to be reinstated by Li Shimin even after being stripped of his title.

There is a barrier between Shaozhou and Chenzhou called Xuefeng Mountain. The pass is narrow, but after several years of repair and expansion, it is wide enough for Zhang Liang to lead his cavalry through.

There are also many "Wuxi barbarians" and Han people living together in the two areas.

However, when these barbarians heard that Zhang Liang and his men were acting on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, they not only did not obstruct them, but also sent their able-bodied men to assist them.

Over the years, Li Shimin had a very good reputation among the barbarians in Jiannan Road and the surrounding areas.

When Zhang Liang led his troops, traversing mountains and crossing bridges, and finally arrived at Shaozhou City, the general guarding the city walls trembled at the sight of the Emperor's Xuanjia Army banner.

"Open the city gates immediately, or you will all be punished!" Zhang Liang glared, and some of the two hundred fire cavalrymen he had brought with him had already pulled out explosive packs carried on the side of their horses.

If the city gates are not opened, they will be destroyed on the spot today.

"Quickly, open the city gates!" the garrison commander shouted in a panic.

However, when Zhang Liang led his men into Shaozhou City and arrived at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, he was quite shocked by the absurd and bizarre scene inside, even someone as knowledgeable as him.

With a pipe slung over his shoulder, the Prefect of Shaozhou, his dark eyes lifeless and as if possessed by a demon, barely moved, raising his eyelids to look at Zhang Liang who had barged in.

Who are you?