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

Chapter 303 Request for the Conferment of a Royal Title

Haozhou is 160 li from Shicheng, but only 80 li from Jiexiu.

Moreover, the route to Jiexiu is a flat plain, but the route to Lishi requires going deep into the Lüliang Mountains.

But Liu Liu'er told Liu Jizhen the truth: his uprising was hasty, and although many people responded, he lacked armor, weapons, and provisions. He also offered to be the vanguard and guaranteed to persuade some of the Qi Hu to surrender.

Li Yi held a cup of tea.

He sipped it slowly, adding salt, sugar, and even black pepper, ghee, orange peel, and chopped green onions. The taste was extremely unique, but he's gotten used to it now and it's not bad to drink it as an energy drink.

"Do you think it's possible to persuade Liu Jizhen to surrender?" Li Yi suddenly brought up a topic.

Liu Liu'er was stunned for a moment.

He actively advocated leading the way to attack Liu Jizhen, actually wanting to strike first, fearing that Liu Jizhen would attack him, and also wanting to gain more merit to show his loyalty.

Li Yi felt that this kid must also have his own selfish motives, such as thinking that he should lead troops to conquer Liu Jizhen, kill his brother, and then ask to stay in the town, so that Lishi would become his territory.

“Liu Jizhen and his son are fickle and untrustworthy,” Li Zhongwen warned.

“Yes, those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. Since those Hu people settled in this area of ​​eight hundred li, how many rebellions have they staged, and how many have claimed to be emperors? They are absolutely not trustworthy,” Liu Zhan also reminded.

They didn't take Liu Liu'er, this scoundrel, seriously at all.

Liu Liu'er looked rather unpleasant and quite embarrassed.

"That's not quite right. The situation in Hedong is complicated right now. Our primary enemy is Liu Wuzhou. As for the others, we should try to win them over if we can."

We should unite as long as they are willing to submit.

Li Yi truly grasped the essence of Li Yuan's philosophy. This was how Li Yuan had been doing things since he raised his army: whether someone genuinely surrendered or was forced to feign allegiance, he welcomed them all.

A half-hearted ally or subordinate is always better than an opponent who fights directly against you all the time.

The issue of loyalty can be addressed later.

Li Yuan could still bestow the title of King of Chu upon someone like Zhu Can, and he also bestowed the title of King of Liang upon Li Gui when Li Gui was willing to submit to him.

Liu Liu'er said with a flushed face, "Steward, Liu Jizhen is absolutely not loyal to the court. If this person is not eliminated, Lishi will not be at peace."

"Let's start with courtesy before resorting to force. Our Great Tang has always won people over with virtue. Let's first send someone to Lishi to pacify Liu Jizhen. As long as he is willing to submit to the court, I will recommend him to His Majesty as the prefect of Shizhou, or even as a general. All the things he did before, such as killing officials and rebelling, can be forgiven."

"Steward, Liu Jizhen cannot be trusted," Liu Liu'er said anxiously.

What would happen to him if Liu Jizhen became the governor of Shizhou in the Tang Dynasty?

Li Yi glanced at him and said, "I will immediately petition the court to recommend you for the position of Governor-General and Prefect of Lanzhou."

Lanzhou was the Loufan Commandery of the Sui Dynasty. It is now the territory of Liu Wuzhou. Li Yi's recommendation is a generous act of kindness that benefits others without costing him anything.

Upon hearing this, Liu Liu'er was overjoyed.

At that time, they were not so opposed to recruiting Liu Jizhen. If the two brothers each had their own province and territory, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

"We should first be polite and then resort to force. We need to be prepared for both scenarios and be strong in both."

First, send envoys to Lishi to offer amnesty and persuade them to surrender, while at the same time preparing to send troops to attack. Li Yi glanced at Li Zhongwen, then looked at Liu Liuer.

I am dispatching 10,000 troops, with General Li Zhongwen as commander-in-chief and General Liu Liu'er as deputy commander-in-chief. You are to go to Lishi. If Liu Jizhen does not surrender, then we will attack and subdue him. If he accepts the offer of amnesty, that would be even better.”

Li Zhongwen hesitated; he preferred to recapture Jiexiu.

"General, Lishi is located in the Lüliang Mountains, a very strategic and easily defended area. If Liu Ji really refuses to surrender, I'm afraid it will be difficult to attack."

"I know that your main purpose in sending troops is to intimidate. You will announce that you are leading 30,000 troops to conquer, and I will try my best to persuade him to surrender."

If they don't surrender, you can assess the situation. You don't necessarily have to launch a direct attack. You can sweep through the Jihu tribe in Lishi and seize their cattle, sheep, and grain.

Liu Jizhen was already short of supplies; if he were further ravaged and looted, how would he fight against the imperial court?

"If he dares to come out of the city to fight you in the open, you have 10,000 men, you should be able to defend yourself, right?"

Li Zhongwen patted his chest loudly, "If you asked me to lead 10,000 men to take down Lishi City, I wouldn't dare say I'm absolutely certain, but if it's open battle within Lishi territory, I'm not afraid of him."

Liu Liu'er then offered a suggestion: "To attack Lishi City, I can find someone inside the city to act as an accomplice and open the city gates."

In the Lüliang Mountains,
As a branch of the Ji Hu, the Li Shi Hu had both relatively independent tribes and tribes that had been scattered and mixed with registered people after their rebellion against the court was suppressed, becoming registered households.

For hundreds of years, the Lishi Hu people have mostly lived among the local residents and intermarried with the Han people.

But perhaps because the Lüliang Mountains are relatively closed, remote and backward, these Lishi Hu people have been difficult to govern for hundreds of years and have been constantly rebelling.

In addition to large-scale rebellions, the Lishi Hu people also frequently plundered the surrounding areas, looted residents, and blocked river routes.

Some tribal chiefs harbored ambitions to establish their own independent regimes.

Many were simply too poor. Poor mountains and bad waters breed unruly people. These Jihu people were never trusted by the Central Plains and often became places for border generals to rack their merits. When the Lishi Hu people encountered famine, they, like the nomads of the grasslands, would plunder the surrounding Han people.

Historically, the imperial court generally employed only one tactic to deal with these mountain barbarians: execute their chieftains to suppress rebellions, disperse the tribes and allow them to live among the common people, and appoint capable officials to supervise and pacify them. The court also frequently built fortresses around the Lishi barbarians, stationed troops and stored grain, blockaded them, and prevented them from rebelling.

Li Yi had no interest in going into the Lüliang Mountains to suppress the local barbarians; that wasn't the main issue at the moment.

If both suppression and appeasement are used, it will only deter the Ji Hu, force them to submit and be obedient, stabilize the rear, and allow us to concentrate on dealing with Liu Wuzhou's invasion.

As for whether Liu Jizhen would turn against them again after surrendering, Li Yi didn't really care.

If they rebel, suppress them again, until they are completely subdued.

On the same day,

Li Yi then ordered Liu Liu'er to send a group of wounded and veteran soldiers back to their hometown of Lishi. These people returned to Lishi and brought back news that the Tang army was about to launch a major offensive to conquer them.

Lishi City,
Surrounded by three mountains and meandering by three rivers.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu Rizhu King Bi sent envoys to Xihe to submit to the Han. In the first year of Yong'an of the Western Jin Dynasty, Liu Yuan rebelled in Lishi. The Xiongnu people continued to migrate south and lived among the Han people.

Centuries later, these Lishi Hu people are no longer pure Xiongnu people.

The former Shizhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion has now become the palace of Tuli Khan.

This was also the palace where his father, Liu Long'er, rebelled and declared himself emperor. "Those who returned all said that Li Yi appointed Li Zhongwen as the Grand Commander of the Lishi Road Army, and Liu'er as his deputy, giving them 30,000 infantry and cavalry,"

"They also said that Pei Ji's 60,000-strong army is about to arrive..."

Liu Jizhen listened to his subordinate's report and fell into deep thought.

This mountain barbarian, who called himself Tuli Khan, was tall and robust, with broad shoulders and long arms, prominent cheekbones, a high nose bridge, and dark red, chapped cheeks due to wind and frost. His thick beard was also very messy and unkempt.

"Damn Sixth Brother,"

Liu Jizhen narrowed his eyes, his gaze revealing murderous intent.

His sixth brother actually betrayed his own people and colluded with outsiders to attack him.

This expedition to Haozhou has essentially wiped out all our resources.

He gathered 30,000 troops and entrusted 10,000 of them to Liu'er. However, Liu'er was extremely incompetent in Haozhou and eventually surrendered to Tang with 7,000 men. Now, Liu'er is turning against him.

He wasn't afraid at all if it were just the sixth son attacking, but the commander was Li Zhongwen.

Recalling that day beneath Haozhou City, Li Zhongwen, with only three thousand men, instantly broke through Liu'er's frontal defense of ten thousand men, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, or a whirlwind sweeping away clouds.

He reviewed the battle afterwards.

To his surprise, he discovered that even if he had replaced Liu'er at that time, he might not have been able to withstand this guy's attack.

Li Zhongwen led his troops to attack.
The seventeen-year-old steward, Li Yi, was stationed in Haozhou, which was only 160 li away from Shi.

Pei Ji, the Right Vice Minister of the Tang Dynasty, was about to arrive with an army of 60,000.

A sense of despair rose in my heart.

Although he now occupies Lishi City, he has not been able to completely control the entire Shizhou. Now that the Tang army is attacking from all sides, what can he do?
We definitely can't win in a fight.

Did he abandon Shizhou and head north to join Liu Wuzhou, or was he a Turk?

He shook his head. Having abandoned Lishi, he was now a homeless dog. What kind of treatment could he expect from Liu Wuzhou? That was his true predicament.

In his unease and hesitation,
Li Yi's messenger has arrived.

"I am Ren Zhi, Military Advisor of Haozhou, and this is General Li Cunti under General Li of Lüzhou."

Liu Jizhen looked at the two Tang envoys in front of him.
That man named Li Cunti was clearly a non-Han Chinese.

“I used to be a member of the Chipai Qiang tribe in Longyou. After being defeated and captured, I became a slave of the Tang Dynasty. The emperor bestowed me upon Chief Steward Li…” Seeing that this guy was staring at him, Li Cunti explained his identity.

"General Manager Li is kind and benevolent, and he treats us foreign tribes and barbarians the same as everyone else."

General Liu, your younger brother was forced to surrender when he ran out of food and had nowhere else to go. Chief Steward Li has always treated him well. Now, he has recommended him to the court to be appointed as the Chief Steward of Lanzhou.

General Liu must also know that Chief Commander Li has appointed General Li Zhongwen as the Commander-in-Chief of the Lishi Road Expeditionary Force, who will soon lead 30,000 troops to conquer the enemy.

But General Liu pleaded for you, and Steward Li is willing to give you another chance.

As long as you submit to the Tang Dynasty now and change your allegiance, the past will be forgiven.

Chief Steward Li also petitioned the court to appoint you as the Chief Steward of Shizhou.

Ren Zhi listened with a smile as the Qiang general tried to persuade him to surrender, and finally added, "In three days, General Li Zhongwen's 30,000 men will arrive at this city."

Liu Jizhen stroked his beard, "It's not impossible to submit to the Tang Dynasty, but I have conditions."

"General Liu, please speak,"

"I heard that Zhu Can of Nanyang once called himself the Emperor of Chu. After surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, the emperor bestowed upon him the title of King of Chu. There is also Xu Shiji of Liyang, who was granted the imperial surname after surrendering to the Tang Dynasty."

I heard that your Chief Steward Li was also granted the title of Imperial Clan Official.

My request is simple: that the Emperor of Chang'an bestow upon me the title of Prince, grant me the imperial surname, and then appoint me as the Governor-General and Prefect of Shizhou, overseeing the four prefectures of Lishi, Loufan, Longquan, and Wencheng, located west of Fen and Jin and east of the Yellow River.

Ren Zhi did not refuse Liu Jizhen's outrageous demands outright.

He smiled and said, "Alright, I will immediately send this message back to Steward Li by fast horse and await his reply."

The messenger delivered Liu Jizhen's terms to Haozhou in half a day.

When everyone heard Liu Jizhen's request, they all felt it was extremely unreasonable.

Li Yi merely smiled slightly: "Liu Jizhen is not wrong. Zhu Can surrendered, yet His Majesty still bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Chu. It's not unreasonable for him to want to be granted a princely title, a surname, and be appointed as a Grand Administrator. Alright, reply to Liu Jizhen, and I will immediately submit his request to the Emperor."

He will also suspend sending troops to attack Lishi, but from now on he is also forbidden from plundering the state and county of the court, and from colluding with the Turks and Liu Wuzhou.

Otherwise, I, the Grand Steward, will immediately order General Li to lead 30,000 troops to quell the rebellion.

Liu Jizhen quickly replied, saying he would await the Emperor's response in Chang'an. Until then, he was willing to cease hostilities and his troops would not leave Shizhou. He hoped that the Tang army would not enter Shizhou either, and that everyone would keep to themselves.

Li Yi agreed, and the two sides reached an agreement.

In Haozhou City,

Li Yi said to his generals, "Liu Jizhen of Lishi is no longer a threat."

"General, shall we send troops to Jiexiu?"

Li Yi shook his head.

"Wait a little longer. Prime Minister Pei will arrive in another half month, and then we can launch a counterattack. There's no need for us to rush things now."

"First, repair the equipment, train the troops, gather supplies, and make preparations."

Facing the city of Jiexiu, defended by more than 10,000 men, Li Yi had no desire to attack. He didn't have a monk like Daocheng willing to act as an inside agent to seize the city, and in this sweltering summer, there was no need to risk his life.

Let's wait for Pei Ji to arrive.

He felt that he had already made a significant contribution during his trip to Hedong, so why work so hard?

Li Yi, the governor of Lüzhou, now commands a total of over 36,000 men from various factions, but their combat strength is actually quite worrying. If they are weak, they need to practice more and play cautiously. They cannot be hasty, or they will just be feeding the enemy.

(End of this chapter)