Chapter 284: People Relocate, Li Li Haoyang Declares Himself Emperor

The sky grew dim as Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked up at the starry sky and ordered Tu Tu Kesiluo, "Send one reliable messenger with this memorial on a flying horse back to the capital to deliver it directly to the Prime Minister for review."

"Everyone listed above must be thoroughly investigated. Those colluding with Li Li Haoyang need not be reported to me; execute them on the spot."

"Also tell the Prime Minister that all military matters in the north are under his command; I trust his judgment completely."

Upon hearing this, everyone showed relieved expressions. With the truth finally revealed today, they understood Jiang Jiang Mingyu even more deeply.

Tu Tu Kesiluo felt deeply ashamed, bowed his head to receive the order, and left. At this moment, Li Goudan approached quickly with red eyes, reporting, "Brother, after interrogating Peng Peng Guolong all night, he still insists he is the only spy. He is on his last breath and surely won't be lying."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled knowingly, "Since you have used your 'special methods' and he still won't confess, he must be the only one. Very well, we need not pursue this further; the Prime Minister and others will investigate everything clearly."

Li Goudan immediately ordered Peng Peng Guolong's execution and sent his head to Jizhou to give Li Li Haoyang a warning.

The next morning, Jiang Jiang Mingyu led the army to set out. After this battle, the morale of the One Da Jiang army soared, and everyone was exhilarated.

Meanwhile, in Jizhou City, Li Li Haoyang was still waiting for news with great pride. Suddenly, a subordinate ran into the main tent, terrified, shouting, "Report! Peng Peng Guolong's head has been delivered to the city walls; this is a note for you!"

Li Haoyan turned pale with shock, and after reading the note, flew into a rage, overturning the table. His grand plan had failed, the spy exposed, and the situation was extremely unfavorable for him.

Learning of Li Li Haoyang's reaction, Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered. With this lesson, he would never be deceived again. He knew the great cause of unification was just around the corner!

At the same time, in Jin City, at the Prime Minister's residence, Prime Minister Zhu Ge Yu frowned while reviewing the list sent by Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

"I understand the truth; our hearts are as one. Please rest assured regarding the northern defense and do not worry about my safety." After reading the note, a relieved smile appeared on Zhu Ge Yu's face.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu and he would surely fight side by side again to create the glory of One Da Jiang. Thinking of this, Zhu Ge Yu clenched his fist, his eyes firm beyond measure.

On the march, Tu Tu Kesiluo smiled, "Li Li Haoyang receiving Peng Peng Guolong's head will surely chill his heart. Combined with the previous rumors, he must be extremely vigilant."

Zhang Zhang Jiani worried, "Indeed, but Li Li Haoyang will surely be on high alert in Jizhou, viewing us as a thorn in his eye. Capturing the city will likely no longer be as easy as before."

Fang Hang also said, "Your Majesty, Li Li Haoyang is no pushover; he will surely bring out his entire force to fight us to the death. Taking Jizhou will likely no longer be an easy task."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu disagreed, "Precisely; the more he is on high alert, the better. What I fear most is that he is not actively defending. Rest assured, I have a clever plan."

The others did not understand his meaning, so Jiang Jiang Mingyu explained no further, only ordering an increase in the marching speed.

A few days later, the grand army gradually approached Jizhou. Along the way, common people fled with their families, fearing being caught in the war. The flow of refugees heading to One Da Jiang was endless. Dust flew on both sides of the road, pedestrians hurried, livestock cried mournfully, and ruts ran deep; clearly, years of war had left this land desolate and barren.

Li Goudan laughed, "Excellent! With the people fleeing, Li Li Haoyang's recruitment will be cut off; he is merely struggling in his death throes!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head, "No, Li Li Haoyang still has one path: to stake everything on a single throw and fight us to the death."

"But this will only hasten his destruction, just as it did for Fei Hou back then."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded, "Exactly. So we need to accelerate the relocation of the people, putting Li Li Haoyang in a dilemma with neither soldiers nor public support."

Having said this, he ordered Tu Tu Kesiluo to issue another edict, promising that southern people relocating to One Da Jiang would be exempt from taxes for five years, which would surely attract even more people.

The next day, Tu Tu Kesiluo led soldiers to the county town closest to Jizhou, sent someone to beat a large drum, and shouted, "Listen to the edict! Listen to the edict!" The people gathered in front of the county yamen, where Tu Tu Kesiluo cleared his throat and loudly read the edict:

"The Emperor knows the hardships of the world and the frequent warfare, deeply feeling that the people cannot survive. Today, he specially issues an edict to the world: from this day forward, any southern people relocating to One Da Jiang shall be exempt from taxes for five years to relieve the people's distress. May all living beings know this."

As soon as the words fell, a commotion arose in the crowd. Some whispered, "Really? Five years tax-free? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Others hesitated, "Is this trustworthy? What if it's a trap and we are tricked into going to One Da Jiang?" Still others sighed sadly, "My ancestors have lived in this house for eight generations; I can't bear to leave it behind..."

Tu Tu Kesiluo continued, "The Emperor speaks and acts; there are no empty words. If he breaks his word, may heaven strike him with thunder. This edict is sincere and does not deceive!"

The crowd erupted again, discussing whether to relocate. Coincidentally, at this very moment, several ragged refugees stumbled into the county town, saying they had fled from the front lines. They described the war spreading in the south, people suffering displacement, and fields lying barren, stating they could no longer live there. Hearing their account, the crowd finally made up their minds to migrate.

That night, the entire county town was bustling; people were busy packing luggage, preparing to depart north at first light the next day. Some were baking dry rations, others caring for the elderly and young, and others repairing carts, all wanting to leave before the grand army arrived.

Three days later, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's grand army entered this county. However, the county town was empty, leaving only a desolate ground. Seeing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but show joy; his scheme had succeeded.

Thus, while the grand army pressed down, the people in the counties surrounding Jizhou also migrated north to One Da Jiang under the influence of the edict. Li Li Haoyang faced a severe dual rupture of soldiers and public support, making the situation increasingly perilous.

Inside the county town,

suddenly a fast horse galloped straight towards Jiang Jiang Mingyu, rushing right up to him.

The rider was dressed as a commoner, but his true identity was a scout Fang Hang had sent to Jizhou.

This man was around thirty years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, looking sharp and strong. He flipped off the horse, knelt before Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, there is urgent news from Jizhou!"

Urgent news? Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned slightly and asked, "What happened? Tell me."

The scout's first sentence shocked everyone: "Report to Your Majesty: Li Li Haoyang declared himself Emperor in Jizhou three days ago!"

"What? Declared himself Emperor?" Tu Tu Kesiluo thought he had misheard and only reacted after a long pause, pressing, "What is going on? Explain the situation clearly!"

The scout quickly clasped his hands to reply, "Replying to the Marquis: Three days ago, Li Li Haoyang suddenly rushed back from the front line supervising the war in Huzhou to Jizhou, declared himself Emperor, established the state name Great Liao, set the capital at Jizhou City, appointed the military advisor Jinling as Prime Minister, and ordered Wang Wang Sichao to lead the nation's armies. Now Jizhou City is bustling, with lanterns and decorations everywhere to celebrate."

Tu Tu Kesiluo scoffed, "This Li Li Haoyang is truly interesting. Our grand army is almost at his doorstep, yet he has the mind to declare himself Emperor and review the troops? Does he still intend to lead his army north to decide superiority with our forces?"

Li Goudan also angrily interjected, "If he dares to come, I will chop off his dog head! A mere young upstart, thinking he can stand on equal footing with my brother? No way!"

However, Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head, "You are mistaken. Precisely because our army is pressing down, Li Li Haoyang had to declare himself Emperor immediately. He needs to reward his generals to boost morale and defeat our army in one stroke."

He recalled how Zhu Ge Yu had advised him to be careful of Li Li Haoyang using this very analysis that day.

Then he worried, "More critically, Li Li Haoyang dares to declare himself Emperor with such fanfare, which suggests the war in Huzhou is nearing its end. If that front were not nearly secure, he could not sit firmly on the dragon throne."

The scout nodded, "Your Majesty is wise. Huzhou is already largely occupied by Li Li Haoyang. He has also ordered the Huzhou campaign to end completely in three days, focusing all efforts on defending Jizhou."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhang Jiani could not help but worry, "Brother, if Li Li Haoyang occupies Huzhou and his morale soars, he might take the opportunity to attack Guizhou from the north. We only left fifty thousand troops there; they will surely be unable to hold."

Once Guizhou falls, Jin City in the west will be exposed to Li Li Haoyang's military edge. At that time, even Zhu Ge Yu, leading two hundred thousand troops, would likely be unable to resist.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered, "You make sense. It seems we must accelerate our advance, reach Jizhou as soon as possible, and force Li Li Haoyang to abandon his northward move to deal with us fully. Only by firmly controlling the initiative can we master the situation."

Having said this, he immediately ordered the grand army to speed up, heading straight for the walls of Jizhou. The majestic iron cavalry soon disappeared into the dust of the wilderness.

Meanwhile, inside Jizhou City, a scene of great joy prevailed. A huge banner reading "Great Liao State" hung at the city gate, while on platforms on both sides, gongs and drums roared and colorful flags fluttered. Inside the city, every household was decorated with lanterns, and the air was filled with joy and vitality. Three days prior, Li Li Haoyang had rushed back from Huzhou, successively ennobling Wang Wang Sichao and other great generals as kings, established the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers system, and declared himself Emperor in Jizhou, instantly boosting morale.

At this moment, Li Li Haoyang sat on the dragon throne inside the Zhenyuan Hall, with guards on his left and right displaying majestic dignity, exuding an imperial demeanor. Li Li Haoyang smiled slightly and said, "Gentlemen, I have appointed you as kings, first as a reward for your years of following me, and second to hope you will work together to overcome these difficult times. Relying on you all, I am certain we can resist the southern invaders and protect our homes and country!"

The ministers echoed through the hall, "Long live Your Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

Li Li Haoyang nodded in satisfaction and was about to deliver his accession edict when news arrived that Jiang Jiang Mingyu's grand army was approaching gradually, with speed increased significantly. Li Li Haoyang pondered briefly and immediately decided, "There is plenty of time; the celebration and ennoblement will be postponed for now. I will personally lead the army out to fight, determined to repel the southerners and stabilize the foundation of the state!"

Thus, a scene of inspiration filled Jizhou City. Li Li Haoyang and his ministers agreed that once the Huzhou campaign ended, they would lead heavy troops north to capture Guizhou directly. At that time, Li Li Haoyang, having been Emperor for only three days, could unify the world and secure his position as the supreme ruler!