A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 294 Doomed

South Gate of Lingshi City.

Li Yi and Li Zhongwen led their generals to greet the angel at the city gate.

Li Zhongwen was filled with anxiety, while Li Yi was quite calm. He believed that he hadn't made any mistakes since the start of the campaign. If Li Zhongwen suffered a defeat and Jiexiu fell, he, as the deputy commander, would also bear joint responsibility, which was unavoidable.

Before the edict, which had been delayed for so long, was read aloud, no one knew the outcome.

The angel arrived, weary from his journey.

Wu Junya accompanied him from Huoyi over the Hanhou Ridge. "This is Lord Lu, the Crown Prince's Attendant, Grand Master of the Palace, and Duke of Gu'an County."

The angel was an old man in his fifties, dressed in a green robe, yet he held the title of county duke.

"Lord Wuyi, we meet again. Congratulations on your great achievement once more." Lu Chisong greeted Li Yi with a smile.

However, he did not greet the steward Li Zhongwen first, which caused Li Zhongwen's smile to freeze on his face, becoming very stiff.

"I didn't expect it to be Lord Lu who came in person to deliver the imperial decree. It must have been a long and arduous journey for Lord Lu."

Li Yi knew him, since they both worked in the Eastern Palace, but they weren't close friends.

He knew that Lu Chisong came from the Lu clan of Fanyang, and like Cui Dunli, he was from one of the five clans. During the Sui Dynasty, Lu Chisong entered officialdom through family connections and once served as a clerk in Yang Zhao's government. After Yang Zhao's death, Lu Chisong's career was greatly affected, and he served as magistrate in four different counties, one more county than Li Jing, who had served as magistrate in three counties.

At the end of the Daye era, he served as the magistrate of Hedong County. He had a good relationship with Li Yuan. When he heard that Li Yuan had raised an army in Taiyuan, he immediately abandoned his post and fled to Taiyuan to join Li Yuan.

Li Zhongwen interrupted their pleasantries: "Lord Lu, please read the imperial edict."

Lu Chisong glanced at him, "Alright, let's get down to business first. Please receive the imperial edict!"

"The Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty issued an edict to the Chancellery, stating: 'I have heard the Book of Changes say that the king's ministers are diligent and resolute, and the Book of Documents says, "Strive, Master!"' Therefore, I hereby issue this edict to you, General of the Vanguard, Left Guard of the Crown Prince, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Bingzhou Army, and Grand Pillar of State, Li Yi..."
The eagle soars over Huoyi, surveying the West River with dominance.

He first trapped Huang Ziying in Sparrow Valley, and later refused Xun Xiang outside Lingshi City. Even Lian Po's defense of Changping and Zhou Yafu's garrison at Xiliu are not comparable.

He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Lingshi Road Army, holding the imperial insignia to oversee the military affairs of the three prefectures of Lü, Jie, and Hao, and concurrently serving as Inspector-General of Lü Prefecture. He was promoted to Duke of Anding Commandery, with a fief of two thousand households, and granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace, bestowed with one thousand bolts of silk and a gold belt.

As everyone heard Lu Chisong loudly proclaim the imperial edict and hear about Li Yi's rewards, they couldn't help but turn their heads to look.

Li Yi was also a little surprised. He thought that since the chief steward had suffered a major defeat first, his role in filling in the gaps was only to stabilize the spirit stones and trap Huang Ziying. It was not a great achievement, and there was even suspicion that he had lost Jiexiu and failed to rescue Taiyuan as planned.

Even if they aren't dismissed or demoted, they'd be lucky to escape punishment altogether.

Who knew the reward would be so high?

One's rank is increased by one level.

He was also appointed as the Inspector-General of the Three Prefectures and became the General Commander of the Army.

Upon hearing this imperial decree, Li Zhongwen turned deathly pale and broke out in a cold sweat. He had already anticipated that his fate would not be good.

Lu Chisong smiled and looked at him.

Then the imperial edict was proclaimed.

"The six generals, Li Zhongwen, Wang Xingmin, Liu Shirang, Yu Yun, Fan Detong, and Zhang Dezheng, disregarded the warning in the Six Secret Teachings that generals should not be too meticulous, and instead followed the mistakes of Sun Tzu's Art of War regarding the mismanagement of the army. As a result, the army was wiped out, the supply lines were cut off, Jiexiu was lost, and the beacon towers were darkened during the day."

He should be stripped of his post in accordance with Han law, and serve according to Zhou regulations.

He was stripped of all official titles and ranks, forced to wear white robes and a banner, as atonement for his past transgressions.

"The Lord carried out the decree on the 21st day of the sixth month of the second year of Wude."

After the imperial edict was read,
A silence.

Li Zhongwen's eyes were lifeless. Although he had been mentally prepared, he still found it hard to accept when the decree to strip him of his title and post and serve as a commoner in the army was announced.

"Congratulations, Lord Wuyi! You have been promoted from County Duke to Commandery Duke and are now in charge of military affairs in three prefectures and commanding a troop of troops. The Sage has great trust in Lord Wuyi."

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Li Yi quickly inquired about the matter of concern: "I wonder if the court has sent any reinforcements?"

"Yes, His Majesty has issued an edict appointing Pei Gong, the Right Minister of Works, as the Grand Commander of the Jinzhou Army, to mobilize 40,000 elite troops and 20,000 auxiliary troops to eliminate Wu Zhou."

"Pei Gong will personally lead the Jinzhou Circuit, Jiang Baoyi, the Left Martial Guard General, will be the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Jinzhou Circuit Army, Wu Yi Gong, you will be the Commander-in-Chief of the Lingshi Circuit Army, and Liu Hongji, the Right Valiant Guard General, will be the Commander-in-Chief of the Linfen Circuit Army."

Li Yi listened very attentively.

The emperor's latest deployment: Prime Minister Pei Ji is in charge.

In reality, the three chief administrators are: Li Yi is in charge of Lingshi Road, Liu Hongji is in charge of Linfen Road, and Jiang Baoyi, the deputy chief administrator, is actually in charge of Jinzhou Road.

Tang Jian was the Chief Clerk of the Army, and Li Xiaoji was the Military Advisor.

Li Zhongwen, Liu Shirang, and six other generals were all placed under the command of Pei Ji.

With 40,000 combat troops and 20,000 auxiliary troops, plus the more than 10,000 troops under Li Yi's command, the actual number of combat troops transferred was only 30,000, many of whom were transferred from Li Xiaoji of Shanzhou and Liu Hongji of Huaizhou.

This troop strength isn't very strong.
The most important thing is how they actually let Pei Ji take command.

He knows absolutely nothing about fighting.

We've been talking about this since last year,
Why can't Li Shimin be the commander-in-chief?

With an amateur like Pei Ji in command, coupled with the unruly Li Yuanji who was stationed in Taiyuan from Bingzhou, the situation became even worse.

Both the old man and the young man are complete laymen.

Li Yi was completely disappointed.
It seems we're doomed to fail this time.

He even considered taking the bucket and running away back to Chang'an.

It would be better to just let Liu Hongji take command than to let Pei Ji take command.

He was appointed as the Inspector General of Lüzhou and Military Commissioner of three prefectures, but now Jiexiu City has fallen, Haozhou is besieged, and Jiahu Fort in Queshu Valley is still occupied by Huang Ziying.

The emperor merely issued Lu Chisong an appointment edict and gave him a new military tally and seal, without adding a single soldier to his ranks.
Being a manager isn't easy.

"Lord Li, please hand over the military seal and insignia. From now on, Lord Li will serve under Lord Wuyi in plain clothes to atone for your sins," Lu Chisong said to Li Zhongwen.

Li Zhongwen gritted his teeth and reluctantly handed over the seal.

Half an hour ago, he was supposed to hand over Li Yi's seal and dismiss him from his post, but now he himself has been stripped of his post and reduced to commoner status.

"Chief Steward Li, please forgive me for my previous offenses." Li Zhongwen cupped his hands in greeting. Li Yi smiled slightly: "It was all for the sake of the imperial court. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Lord Li."

Li Zhongwen sighed deeply, feeling utterly helpless.

When will Prime Minister Pei's reinforcements arrive?

“We need to recruit troops from Guanzhong and Guandong, and also gather provisions. Tens of thousands of troops cannot be mobilized at will,” Lu Chisong calculated. “It will take at least until August for Prime Minister Pei to arrive here.”

"This has been going on for far too long!"

"It won't be long. It's the end of June now. We'll gather troops, collect money and provisions, and then march on the road. It will be around August soon."

“Lord Lu, Liu Jizhen of Lishi Hu has rebelled, killed the governor and seized Shizhou. Now the Ji Hu are joining him. He has already sent troops to Haozhou. Haozhou is in imminent danger and I'm afraid it won't last until August,” Li Zhongwen said from the side.

"The Lishi Hu have rebelled again?" Lu Chisong was also somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I just heard the news," Li Yi said helplessly.

Lu Chisong offered Li Yi some advice: "Prime Minister Pei's reinforcements won't arrive for at least another month. The closest reinforcement right now is Lord Wuyi. Before the court issues any new orders, it's up to Lord Wuyi to decide what to do."

The pressure was on Li Yi again.

I thought the reinforcements would arrive soon.

But who would have thought that Li Zhongwen's army suffered a defeat at Que Shu Valley at the end of April, losing nine thousand men. Now it's the end of June, a full two months later, and the imperial court has finally decided to send Pei Ji to provide reinforcements.

What exactly has the imperial court been doing for the past two months?
Reinforcements are still at least a month away from arriving.

Li Yi originally wanted to wait for reinforcements to arrive, and then leave the decision of whether to fight or defend to them. Unexpectedly, in the end, he had to shoulder everything alone.

Li Zhongwen cupped his hands to Li Yi, saying, "Steward, Haozhou cannot be lost, otherwise even if Prime Minister Pei comes, he will be unable to reinforce Taiyuan."

He reminded Li Yi,
The most crucial city in the entire Hedong region is still Taiyuan.
Not only is that the place where the emperor rose to power, but there is also the third prince born of the emperor's legitimate lineage there. If something happens to Taiyuan, no one can bear the responsibility. Not to mention that if Taiyuan is lost, Hedong may not be able to hold on either.

"The Grand Steward enjoys His Majesty's deep trust. Now that he is in charge of three prefectures, he has the responsibility to defend them. He cannot simply watch as Jie Prefecture falls and then Hao Prefecture is lost as well."

Li Yi also had a headache.
"Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice. I also want to send reinforcements, but I only have this many soldiers at hand. Even if you add up all the soldiers in the prefectures and all the auxiliary troops, we still can't gather 20,000 men."

"We can manage to defend the city, but in open battle, with less than two thousand cavalry, how can we contend with the Turkic cavalry, let alone fight against the Lishi Inspectorate?"

Li Yi was focused on maintaining stability.

But now he is not only the deputy commander-in-chief of the army, but also the governor of Lüzhou.

"General, I am willing to lead an army to Haozhou to provide reinforcements."

Li Yi looked at Li Zhongwen, the once spirited descendant of the Eight Pillars of State, whose eyes were now bloodshot, and who was also ready to make a desperate gamble.

“But it’s also important for you to guard Zhangbi Fort now. It’s not only an outpost for Lingshi City, but also an important stronghold for retaking Jiexiu.”

"The general can send another general to lead troops to garrison Zhangbi Fort. It is not large, but it is strategically important and has underground tunnels. With just one or two thousand men, it can be defended."

Li Yi found a map.
He and the generals studied it carefully.
If we don't send reinforcements to Haozhou, I'm afraid Liu Zhan won't be able to hold it, since Liu Zhan is, after all, a civil official.

Lu Chisong pointed to the north of Jiexiu City.

“There is a castle here called Zhangnan Fort, which is comparable to Zhangbi Fort. Zhangbi Fort is 20 li south of Jiexiu City and 60 li from Lingshi, while Zhangnan Fort is 40 li north of Jiexiu. I am quite familiar with Hedong. Lord Wuyi cannot ignore this fort. If Jiexiu City falls and there are no troops to take it back in time, then we must first send a force to reinforce Zhangnan Fort.”

“As long as Zhangbibao and Zhangnanbao are in Wuyigong’s hands, then Jiexiu will not be of much use to Liu Wuzhou. The two forts do not require many soldiers, only one or two thousand men can defend them. They can threaten Jiexiu’s supply lines at any time and can also support Haozhou.”

"And here, thirty miles northwest of Jiexiu, is Yong'an City. It is also a small city, but it is located on the banks of the Fen River, between Jiexiu and Haozhou, and its location is very important. Sending a force to garrison this city can threaten the logistics of the Wu Zhou army in Jiexiu and Haozhou."

Li Yi looked at the map. Jiehao and Liangzhou were mostly basin plains, unlike Lingshi, which was a mountainous area.

He wasn't really confident in his current forces for open field battles. But if, as Lu Chisong suggested, they were simply defending a few strong fortified bunkers and scattering a few spikes across the plains to threaten the Wu Zhou army's supply lines and logistics, that would indeed be a good strategy.

After some thought
Li Yi had to make some adjustments.
"Then Li Zhongwen and Wang Xingmin will lead 3,000 troops currently stationed at Zhangbibao to reinforce Haozhou. Your task is to find a way to enter Xicheng in Haozhou and assist Liu Zhan in defending Haozhou."

He then summoned Li Daozong: "I will give you a thousand soldiers, plus a thousand local militia, and a batch of provisions. Go to Zhangbi Fort to take over the defense. You must hold Zhangbi. Are you confident?"

Li Daozong patted his chest excitedly, "Please rest assured, General Manager, as long as the fortress stands, we will stand."

"Alright, let Ji Siwen assist you."

Dao Xuan,

"The end will be here."

“I will also give you a thousand soldiers, plus a thousand local militia, and a batch of grain. You will go to Zhangnan Fort to garrison, with Wu Junya assisting you, and Fan Botong and Zhang Dezheng accompanying you.”

Li Yi then sent Ji Sigong to guard Yong'an, with Yu Yun assisting him, and also gave him a thousand soldiers and a thousand local militia.

Zhangbibao, Zhangnanbao, Yong'anbao

Li Yi dispatched three thousand soldiers and three thousand local militia.

He then sent Li Zhongwen with 3,000 men to reinforce Haozhou.

His forces were also somewhat stretched thin for the time being.

Finally, he personally took command in Lingshi, with two thousand soldiers and one thousand local militia.

Li Dejiang, Qiu Shenyan, and Cui Dunli were respectively assigned to guard Lengquan Pass, Yindi Pass, and Fenshui Pass, each with 1,000 soldiers and 1,000 local militia.

As for Huoyi City, it was left to the two princes, Li Boyi and Li Fengci, to guard the rear, and they were mainly given auxiliary troops and local militia.

More than 10,000 men, divided into smaller groups in the east and west.
We need to defend two cities, three passes, and three forts, and also reinforce Haozhou. We don't have many soldiers left in any of these places.

"Lord Li, Haozhou is counting on you."

Li Zhongwen gave a helpless bitter smile. Li Yi had given him three thousand men, of which only fourteen thousand were combat soldiers and four hundred were cavalry. The remaining sixteen thousand were auxiliary troops and local militia.

Sending this small force to reinforce Haozhou is, frankly, tantamount to suicide, but Li Zhongwen has no other choice but to take the plunge.

"If there is really no chance to enter Haozhou City, then retreat to Yong'an City or Lengquan Pass. As long as we have our strength, we can always rebuild. Remember, if we save the land but lose the people, we will lose both. If we save the people but lose the land, we will save both."

"Gentlemen, grit your teeth and hold on! At the latest, Prime Minister Pei's reinforcements will arrive by August!"

(End of this chapter)