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

Chapter 295 Three Thousand White-Robed Warriors Defeate Ten Thousand Barbarians

Changan.

It was late at night, but Emperor Li Yuan was still reviewing memorials.

Consort Yuwen brought ginseng soup to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty is concerned about the world and works tirelessly day and night. You must take care of your health."

Li Yuan shook his head and smiled bitterly. He then opened another memorial, which was a report from the Ministry of War. It stated that the imperial decree had been issued to establish twelve armies in Guanzhong, which would be subordinate to the various chariot and cavalry prefectures within the Guanzhong region. All of them would be named after celestial stars. The memorial also included the candidates for the generals and deputy generals of the twelve armies, requesting the emperor's decision.

The emperor picked up his brush and wrote down the name he had long decided on: Wan Nian Dao Can Qi Jun Jiang. The emperor had written down the name of his son-in-law, Dou Dan, Duke of Anfeng and Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

After some thought, the emperor added Li Yi's name after Dou Dan's, making him Li Yi, the deputy general of the Banner Army.

He picked up another memorial, in which Xu Yuanlang, the bandit leader of Haidai, surrendered with several prefectures.

This man was originally a subordinate of Li Mi, and now he occupies the Yanzhou area. Li Yuan approved the appointment of Xu Yuanlang as the General Manager of Yanzhou and granted him the title of Duke of Lu.

Li Yuan's attitude towards these bandits and outlaws was always to use them if they could, and to recruit them if they could.

He was not stingy with the title of prince.
The cannibalistic demon Zhu Can surrendered after his defeat, and Li Yuan even bestowed upon him the title of King of Chu. This man not only ate people but also proclaimed himself Emperor of Chu. The ministers all said that he should be killed, but Li Yuan still bestowed upon him the title of King of Chu.

Li Yuan could distinguish between the primary and secondary enemies, and he figured he could settle accounts later. However, he didn't expect that Zhu Can would boil and eat the imperial envoy a few days later and then defect to Wang Shichong.

Xu Yuanlang, we'll get rid of him sooner or later.

Li Yuan picked up the memorial again, which stated that Ren Gui, the Duke of Guan and Prefect of Guzhou, had decisively defeated Guo Shiheng, a general under Wang Shichong, annihilating his entire army, capturing and beheading Guo Shiheng, and finally regaining control of Guzhou.

After this battle, Wang Shichong's Left Dragon General Xi Bian, along with Yang Qian'an, Li Junyi, and others, led their troops to surrender.

Huaizhou general Zhong Ruyuan attacked Wang Shichong's Heyang city, successfully destroyed the river bridge, and returned.

Li Yuan was very pleased and gratified to see these two pieces of good news.

Guzhou and Huaizhou were both bridgeheads for dealing with Wang Shichong. As long as these two places were held, Wang Shichong would be restless and attacked from both sides, and would have no choice but to attack again and again. The Tang army used the cities to continuously wear down the Zheng army.

"Your Majesty, please have some ginseng soup first."

When Consort Yuwen saw the emperor smile, she immediately reminded him.

“Alright,” Li Yuan picked up the ginseng soup and took a couple of sips. He then picked up the memorial to continue reading, but after just one glance, the emperor’s brows furrowed and he put the soup bowl down.

"On the tenth day of the sixth month, after besieging Jiexiu for two months, the city ran out of food. Prefect Liu Xun borrowed grain from Longquan Temple, but Abbot Daocheng was dissatisfied and secretly sent his disciple out of the city to defect to the enemy as an inside agent. At midnight, the disciple used a Buddhist banner to lower the enemy into the city and seize the gate, and the city fell. Zhao Xun died in battle..."

Li Yuan slammed his hand heavily on the table, his beard trembling with anger.

Jiexiu City, which had held out for two months, actually fell.

"Dao Cheng deserves to die, Li Zhongwen deserves to die..." the emperor roared.

Hedong, Lingshi City.

At the end of June, the weather was still scorching hot.

Li Yi escorted Li Daozong and his entourage northward.

We parted with willow branches as a farewell gift.

Faced with the current mess, all he can do is act as a patchwork maker, patching things up here and there, tearing down one wall and fixing another.

He had only five thousand elite soldiers, a thousand or so soldiers from the prefectural army, six thousand auxiliary soldiers, two or three thousand garrison soldiers from the local area, and several thousand local soldiers whom he had temporarily recruited and trained.

We not only have to defend two cities and three passes, but now we also have to garrison three forts and reinforce Haozhou.

Difficult.

He was meticulous in his planning, and all the elite troops were deployed forward. Three thousand soldiers were stationed at Sanbao, and Li Zhongwen also took fourteen thousand soldiers with him.

Li Yi only had 1,100 soldiers left from Guanzhong, and he even gave 600 to Lengquan Pass.

He was stationed in Lingzhou. Although he had 2,000 soldiers, only 500 of them were from Guanzhong. The remaining 1,500 were garrison troops from the prefectures and towns.

With the addition of some local militia, Ling Shi City became the largest general reserve force.

As for Huoyi, there are no soldiers left there, only auxiliary troops and local militia. If the front is breached, Huoyi will certainly not be able to hold out.

Li Daozong was only seventeen years old.

He took the tea Li Yi poured for him and drank it all in one gulp. Both were seventeen, but Li Yi, who had only recently joined the imperial family, had already been granted the title of Duke of Anding, appointed Governor-General of Lüzhou, and also the Commander-in-Chief of the Lingshi Road Army.

Li Daozong was the emperor's nephew, and although he held the titles of Grand Pillar of State and Duke of Lueyang, his official position was merely that of a Thousand-Bull Guard.

Finally having the opportunity to lead two thousand men to take over the defense of Zhangbibao, he couldn't wait to show his skills.

"Take care on your journey, stay calm, and don't get reckless!"

"As long as we live, the fortress stands!"

Li Yi then bid farewell to his brother-in-law, Ji Sigong, saying, "This is both a challenge and an opportunity; make the most of it."

"Thank you, brother-in-law. Judging by the time, my eldest sister should be about to give birth, right?"

"Yes, she was born around the beginning of August."

The two generals mounted their horses.

With a wave of his hand, a thousand Guanzhong soldiers and a thousand local militiamen, their flags fluttering, escorted a shipment of grain to Zhangbibao.

Li Zhongwen was also in the procession, but he was now a commoner.

"Lord Li!"

Li Yi called out to him.

Li Zhongwen jumped off his horse and strode over: "What else do you need, General Manager?"

"Take care. I'm entrusting those three thousand soldiers to you. Rescuing Haozhou is important, but the lives of these three thousand brothers are even more important."

Li Zhongwen gritted his teeth and nodded emphatically, "I understand."

"Go ahead and have a nice trip."

Li Zhongwen turned and rode away.

Lu Chisong should return to Beijing soon; he is quite optimistic about the situation in Hedong.

"Taiyuan is as solid as a rock. Liu Wuzhou has been unable to capture it after a long siege and it is unlikely to last. He may have to withdraw his troops soon."

"I hope so," Li Yi said, but he knew in his heart that Taiyuan probably wouldn't last much longer. With a brat like Li Yuanji in charge, who would abandon the city and flee at the first sign of trouble, no matter how capable the subordinates were, it would be useless. Moreover, although Li Yuan's son-in-law Dou Dan, whom he sent to assist, was already forty years old, he was still a playboy, all looks and no substance.

Li Daozong and Li Zhongwen returned to Zhangbibao.

Liu Shirang and the others were quite excited when they saw that Li Zhongwen had brought back two thousand men and a lot of grain.
Even the Han-Turkic troops outside Zhangbi Fort didn't dare to stop this fresh force from entering the city.

"Gentlemen, the envoy from Chang'an has arrived at Lingshi and has already read out the imperial edict," Li Zhongwen sighed, and summoned Wang Xingmin and other generals from the fortress.

After all the officers of rank of squad leader and above arrived,

He formally introduced Li Daozong to everyone, and Li Daozong also conveyed the emperor's edict.

Upon hearing the news that they had been stripped of their posts and forced to serve as civilians in the military, Wang Xingmin, Liu Shirang, and others found it difficult to accept.

Of the six generals, Fan Botong and Zhang Dezheng, who were the lowest in rank, were both fourth-rank generals, while the others were third-rank generals, governors, and so on.

Now he's been stripped of everything, even his titles, honorary ranks, and honorary positions are gone, and he's become a commoner.

"From now on, Zhangbi Fort will be defended by the Duke of Lueyang. I have requested an opportunity from the commander-in-chief to allow General Wang and me to lead these three thousand men to reinforce Haozhou..."

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat stagnant for a moment.
Wang Xingmin, Yu Yun, Liu Shirang and several other generals wanted to lash out, but in the end Li Zhongwen did his best to appease them.

"His Majesty has granted us, the commoners, permission to serve and atone for our sins. This is already a great act of mercy. The nine thousand soldiers of Sparrow and Rat Valley are indeed incompetent."

"Gentlemen, do your best!"

the next morning,
Li Zhongwen led three thousand infantry and cavalry out of the fortress.

The Wu Zhou army outside the city still wanted to intercept them, but this time Li Zhongwen spurred his horse, brandished his spear, and roared forward.

Three thousand infantry and cavalry advanced, and Li Daozong also specially led a thousand men out of the city to provide cover. The two sides tentatively engaged in combat.

Seeing that the Tang army was displaying a desperate fighting spirit, Wu Zhou's army realized that it was not easy to fight them head-on, so they slowly retreated towards Jiexiu City. Li Zhongwen did not pursue them, but instead headed straight for Haozhou City in the northwest.

They bypassed Jiexiu City midway and camped at Yong'an Fort for the night. After resting for a night, they continued their journey to Haozhou. That night, they stayed outside Xiaoyi County in Haozhou.

On the third day, they arrived outside Xicheng, the capital of Haozhou.

Li Zhongwen was seething with anger.

Faced with a coalition of 20,000 to 30,000 enemy troops surrounding Haozhou City, he carefully observed the situation and then chose to leave the southwest side where Shi Hu was blocking the city.

First, he sent light cavalry to escort Ren Zhi to the walls of Haozhou City to inform Governor Liu Zhan of the situation and ask him to send troops to meet him.

He deployed three thousand men outside the city.

He employed his family's ancestral diagonal attack tactic, a deadly move that alternated between fast and slow attacks. Facing tens of thousands of enemies south of Haozhou City, his three thousand men had to be quick, or they would be completely surrounded and annihilated.

Li Zhongwen did not choose to arrive outside Haozhou City at night, nor did he intend to launch a night raid to break through the enemy's defenses and enter Haozhou.

Night battle,

The requirements for soldiers are too high.
Facing tens of thousands of besieging troops outside Haozhou City, he only had three thousand men, with 1,400 elite soldiers and a mere four hundred cavalry.

Night raids are more likely to fail.

Three thousand men

He deployed his four hundred most elite cavalrymen on the far left flank, next to a thousand infantrymen, then six hundred auxiliary soldiers, and on the far right a thousand local militia.

A straight line formation of three thousand men.

Li Zhongwen ordered his soldiers to sound the battle horn.

He led his personal guard to the far left flank of the battle line.
Before the battle, he rode back and forth on horseback, repeatedly explaining the key points of the oblique attack tactic to his officers.

"Our enemies ahead are the Lishi Hu, descendants of the Xiongnu who have remained in these mountains for centuries, becoming backward barbarians."

Although they were numerous, their equipment was rudimentary; they lacked armor and shields, and were ignorant of military tactics and formations.

"In a moment, we will advance slowly, maintaining our formation. Once we are close to the enemy, I will lead four hundred cavalry in a charge, striking the enemy at top speed. A thousand soldiers will then move to the left flank, closely following the cavalry."
The cavalry will tear a gap in the enemy lines for you. We have 1,400 elite troops concentrated on the left flank; we can definitely break through their lines.

"The auxiliary troops in the middle and the local militia on the right flank, you 1,600 men, your task is to slow down when our left flank launches its charge, to draw the enemy's attention without engaging them in battle too early,"

Li Zhongwen unleashed his hidden skills. As a descendant of the Eight Pillars of State, and the grandson of Li Bi, one of the Eight Pillars of State of Western Wei, Li Zhongwen was usually very refined, but he had been influenced by his family since childhood and was not without merit.

"Six hundred auxiliary soldiers, slow down. One thousand local militia, slow down even more than the auxiliary soldiers."

"When my main force on the left flank breaks through the enemy's defenses, you must move towards my left flank. Your main task is to cover our flank and prevent the enemy, including our main force, from advancing."

"After my main force on the left flank succeeds, I will lead my troops to turn around and continue to attack the enemy's right flank, while you continue to follow."

This tactic is quite bold.

The enemy outnumbered them three to one, and there were more than ten thousand enemies nearby.

If they couldn't quickly defeat the enemy, they would be surrounded and wiped out. However, after observing the enemy forces, Li Zhongwen concluded that the enemy general in front of him couldn't withstand his deadly attack.

If they are fast enough, they can break through the defenses and enter Haozhou City before the enemy can fully react.

Li Yi said that if there was no chance, there was no need to force it, but Li Zhongwen was unwilling to give up.

Last time at Sparrow Valley, he underestimated his opponent and was careless. This time, he will show everyone that he, Li Zhongwen, is indeed worthy of being the descendant of the Eight Pillars of State.

The open wilderness
Three thousand men marched forward in formation.

The Jihu were also rapidly assembling, determined to crush this Tang army, which was far smaller than their own.

The bugle sounded.
The two armies continued to approach each other.

Three thousand to ten thousand
Li Zhongwen, dressed in white, battles Liu Liu'er, the Prince of Tuoding.

Amidst the urgent sound of bugles,
Li Zhongwen brandished his spear, spurred his horse, and took the lead.

As the commander, he charged ahead.

Four hundred cavalrymen followed closely behind, charging at full speed. Wang Xingmin led a thousand infantrymen, also running at full speed, moving to the left as they ran.

Taking an unconventional approach

The army attacked from the flank.

Although the Qi Hu numbered ten thousand, they were, after all, just a newly rebelled tribe. Their military formation was much looser, and their command and discipline were far inferior to those of the Tang army.

The Tang army was clearly deployed in a long, single-file formation.
As they ran, they suddenly formed a slanted battle formation.

Those four hundred cavalrymen were like the sharpest sword tip.

The city walls of Haozhou.

When Governor Liu Zhan met Ren Zhi, the military advisor who had rushed back to the city, he listened to Ren Zhi's explanation of the situation and immediately went up to the city gate tower.

The battlefield situation changed in an instant.

Almost the instant they made contact, one of Liu Liu'er's wing pierced through.

Although he had ten thousand men, three times the size of Li Zhongwen's troops, Li Zhongwen used oblique attack tactics to change the balance of power on the flanks and overtake the Ji Hu.

The central and other flanks of the Ji Hu were still advancing slowly as planned, but the left flank was already engaged in fierce fighting, while the enemy in the middle and on the right was still slowly getting close.

"Beat the drums and cheer for General Li!" Liu Zhan was also filled with excitement at the sight.

Ren Zhi personally led the charge on the battlefield.

"Quickly, send troops out of the south gate to meet General Li!"

The south gate of Haozhou opened, and three thousand infantry and cavalry rushed out to meet them.

Li Zhongwen's diagonal attack tactic was a great success. They concentrated their elite troops on one flank, broke through the enemy's flank in one fell swoop, and then launched a whirlwind attack on the enemy.

Ji Hu was completely stunned and had no idea what was going on.

Liu Liu'er was almost surrounded. Faced with the Tang army charging straight at him, he was so frightened that he fled in panic.

The commander fled.

The flag faltered.

Taking advantage of the situation, Tang soldiers shouted, "The Jihu have been defeated!" Many Jihu soldiers who were on the battlefield and did not understand the situation also fled.

Li Zhongwen did not greedily pursue them.
As the enemy scattered and fled, he decisively led his men toward the south gate of Haozhou.

They didn't even bother to cut off the heads.

The three thousand garrison troops of Haozhou rushed out to provide support, and took the opportunity to wreak havoc, reaping considerable gains.

The two armies met outside the city and successfully retreated into the city.

Meanwhile, Liu Liu'er's men were still running around in disarray.

The commander of the Qi Hu to his west was Liu Jizhen, who had once called himself the Crown Prince and now called himself the Tuli Khan. When he led a cavalry force to rush over, it was too late; the Tang army had already entered the city.

"waste!"

Tuli Khan Liu Jizhen angrily cursed his younger brother, even kicking him to the ground, "Your 10,000 troops couldn't even hold off two or three thousand Tang soldiers for a moment, collapsing at the first touch, making me lose face in front of the allied forces!"

Liu Liu'er got up from the ground. "Those Tang soldiers are really strange. The two armies were clearly arrayed and attacking each other, but they suddenly changed formation and all came to attack my left flank..."

"Shut up, you incompetent idiot, you're just a good-for-nothing," Liu Jizhen cursed, then turned and left.

Liu Liu'er stared at her brother's departing figure, her eyes filled with resentment.

(End of this chapter)