Tibet.

Chapter 1375: Unexpected Retreat

On the fifth day after the 10,000-strong Guangming Army attacked the Yibao Army City, scouts sent to Suiye brought news that the Guangming Army had retreated from Suiye.

This news really surprised everyone. Guo Xin sent Yuchi Xian to inquire about the information. Two days later, Yuchi Xian reported that the troops had indeed withdrawn from Suiye.

Guo Xin hurriedly reported to Li Chenghua. Although Li Chenghua and Guo Xin were not in the same system, their military positions were placed here, and the difference was not just one or two levels.
Li Chenghua thought for a while and said with a smile: "It is probably what Commander Guo said before. The reasons why the Guangming Army attacked Suiye are quite complicated. Therefore, we may not be able to guess the reasons for their withdrawal. We don't need to worry about it. Let's recapture Suiye first, and then bring back the soldiers from Julan City and Gongyue City."

Guo Xin said with some worry: "I am worried that the emperor can't find an excuse to send troops to the Western Regions!"

Li Chenghua smiled faintly and said, "You don't have to worry about this kind of thing. The emperor's dispatch of troops to the Western Regions is a long-term strategy, not an impulsive one. He will send troops whether Suiye is lost or not. Besides, more than a thousand of your two thousand men were killed by the enemy. Can you just let it go? The Guangming Army has declared war on us, how can we not fight back?"

Guo Xin felt relieved and immediately led his men back to Suiye. He also sent people with hundreds of camels to Gongyue City and Julan City to recall the scattered troops.

The Tang army returned to Suiye City again. People of all ages in Suiye City came out to welcome the return of the Tang army. The streets of the city were empty and were crowded with tens of thousands of people.

Some old men pulled Guo Xin's sleeves and burst into tears, denouncing the Sogdian army's exploitation and persecution of them.

This time, the Sogdian army occupied Suiye for more than two months. Almost all Han families went bankrupt, and the wealth accumulated over many years was robbed. Many Han women were raped, and many families were destroyed.

Not only civilian warehouses, but also official warehouses were looted. The military cities around Reami were full of various warehouses, which were also robbed clean.

The first dilemma Guo Xin faced when he returned to Suiye was getting food. Not only the 1,000 troops in the city, but also the Han people who had been robbed clean, they also relied on official relief.

Guo Xin quickly found Li Chenghua to discuss the matter. Li Chenghua had just sent the second eagle letter back to Chang'an and was preparing to investigate some questions.

Guo Xin hurried over to discuss the food issue. Li Chenghua smiled and said, "I remember when I left, Han people accounted for about 30% of the population!"

“Now it’s 50% done!”

"Okay! Even if half of them are Han Chinese, what about the other half? Do they all have no food? Do the shops have any in stock?"

Guo Xin shook his head. "The other half of the people were also robbed, but not as ruthlessly as the Han people. All the shops were robbed clean, even the food stored in the restaurant and the iron pots and cans in the kitchen were taken away."

Li Chenghua frowned, "Are these bastards rats?"

Guo Xin sighed, "That's about right. The Sogdians have always had poor military discipline and plundered everything they went to. It's a blessing in disguise that the young woman wasn't taken away by them this time."

Li Chenghua nodded, "Then send someone to Anxi to ask for help, for troops and food, and let Yuchi Xian continue to complete his unfinished mission!"

That afternoon, Yuchi Xian led thirty soldiers riding a hundred camels to Anxi. They knew how to cross Lingshan and did not need a guide.

In Chang'an, in the imperial study, Liu Wutong, deputy commander of the inner guards, presented Li Ye with an eagle letter that had just been sent from Suiye. Li Ye took a quick look at it and was very happy. The key point was that Guo Xin was still alive, so he could give an explanation to Guo Ziyi.

Liu Wutong was previously responsible for clearing out smuggling and human trafficking in Dengzhou. After sweeping away the local tyrants, smuggling and human trafficking basically disappeared in Dengzhou. Of course, there was another reason. After the Tang army occupied Kyushu Island, smuggling and human trafficking from Japan naturally disappeared.

As for Silla, because of preparations for war, all supplies were under military control, resulting in shortages and soaring prices. The prices were much higher than in the Tang Dynasty, so naturally no one was willing to export.

"General Liu, how do you feel about taking office?" Li Ye asked with a smile.

Liu Wutong has been protecting Li Ye's parents for so many years. He is loyal and has no selfish thoughts. Naturally, he is someone who can be completely trusted.

Moreover, he and Li Chenghua are relatives, so it would be easier for the two to hand over their responsibilities. Li Ye was just worried that he would not be able to manage his subordinates since he had little experience after all.

"Your Majesty, General Li has formulated various rules. I have been doing things according to them and it has gone smoothly." "The Internal Guard must not only have rules, but also have its own characteristics. I hope you can make a difference!"

"Your Majesty, I will definitely perform better after I am familiar with the various rules. Now I am not familiar with the various rules, and I am still learning!"

This is a good attitude. Li Ye nodded and said, "Go! Send this eagle letter to General Guo. I hope you can finish your studies soon!"

"I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!"

Liu Wuzhou bowed and retreated.

Li Ye picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. At this time, the bell for the end of court rang, and the day's court affairs were over.

It was already December 26th, four days before the New Year. Chang'an had seen several heavy snowfalls and was already covered in snow, but as the New Year was approaching, the streets were exceptionally busy.

One after another, carriages drove out of the Daming Palace and returned to their respective mansions, or went to various restaurants for gatherings.

One of the ordinary carriages drove out of the palace, with only two mounted guards on both sides.

It was Li Ye in the carriage. Normally, he should have gone straight back to the harem, but he still wanted to see with his own eyes the street conditions before the New Year.

He had no intention of going on a secret visit, but just took a quick tour in the carriage and then returned to the palace.

Although it was just a quick tour, I could still see a lot of details, such as the beggars on the street, the clothes and complexion of the people, etc.

Generally, the end of the year is the time when every household is willing to spend money, and it is also easier to make money. However, after the New Year, household taxes must be paid, and most families have to pay several strings of cash. This makes every household want to spend money during the New Year, but they dare not spend it, which is very stressful.

But since the complete abolition of household tax, everyone is no longer under the pressure of household tax, and spending money this year has been particularly enjoyable.

The effect of the tax cut was immediate. Everyone responded that this year's Chinese New Year was particularly prosperous and lively. Of course, this was also related to the abundance and cheapness of goods. A large number of sheep were put into the Chang'an market, so that every household could easily buy a sheep for the Chinese New Year.

This is the benefit that war brings to the people of the victorious side.

The carriage drove out of the East City Gate, or more precisely, the East Inner City Gate. After the city was expanded, Chunming Gate became the Inner City Gate. However, unlike the West Inner City Gate, Chunming Gate involves a wall passage. In the past, a wall passage was also built in the city wall, with an additional gate in the city wall guarded by soldiers. Once the emperor's carriage arrived, the soldiers would immediately close the gate in the city wall, maintain order in the city wall, and not allow anyone to approach. They would reopen the gate after the emperor's convoy passed.

Li Ye's carriage drove out of Chunming Gate and entered the outer city. After a few months, the outer city had been completed. More than a dozen streets were built very straight, dividing the outer city into more than 20 blocks. People had already started building houses, but as the New Year was approaching, all construction sites had stopped working and the entire outer city was empty.

Several main roads were paved with stone slabs, which was also a result of the court's ample finances. They began to make some renovations in Chang'an, paving all thirteen streets in Chang'an with thick stone slabs. Of course, the project was huge and it would take several years to complete.

The same is true for the Tangzhi Road leading from Chang'an to the Western Regions. It took a year and a half to build and cost an investment of one million strings of cash, but only 30% of the work has been completed. It will take at least five years to finally complete the project.

After looking around, the carriage turned around and headed back to the palace. When it reached the easternmost part, it was the Qujiang Lake. The former Qujiang Lake had completely become a lake within the city and was surrounded by city walls, but this area was still dominated by gardens. There were no neighborhoods, and there were garden houses surrounding the lake.

The owners of the gardens and houses also underwent tremendous changes. They used to be royal relatives, but after the two removals of the title order, the ranks of most of the former royal relatives dropped to below the third rank and they were no longer qualified to live in the gardens and houses. The court took back 80% of the gardens and houses, and redistributed hundreds of them. Basically, they were all generals who had made great contributions and high-ranking officials of the court. This is what is called a new emperor, new ministers.

At this time, hundreds of guards came to meet them. The carriage entered the Jiaqiang Road from Furong Gate. Although it had to pass through Xingqing Palace, Li Ye's parents were not in Chang'an. The emperor took a boat to inspect education in various parts of the world, and the empress dowager also followed. Of course, the old couple were also traveling around the world, and they should be in Bashu now.

The carriage did not stop at Xingqing Palace, but drove all the way towards Daming Palace.

(End of this chapter)