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

Chapter 314
How to defend the city

Li Yi had no experience; the only time he could be considered experienced in commanding the defense of a city was that night at the Feng family manor in Yusu Township.

But Li Yi was not afraid at all when facing the tens of thousands of Dingyang troops who were about to attack.

When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it.

Besides, he lacked experience, but there were many people in Haozhou who knew how to defend the city. Liu Zhan had previously held Haozhou for two months, not to mention Li Zhongwen, who, as one of the Eight Pillars of State, was full of military strategies and tactics.

Even Li Daoxuan, the young Prince of Huaiyang, was a master of theoretical warfare.

The sons of powerful families in Xicheng, such as Ren Zhi and Ren Xu, as well as the Guo and Cao families, had mostly followed Li Yuan south to Chang'an and returned after being awarded official titles. They also had experience in fighting.

Li Yi had Li Zhongwen and his men formulate several emergency plans for defending the city, and then had the soldiers of Haozhou practice them. He even had the garrison troops of the three passes and four forts train and practice, so that they would not be at a loss when the time came.

Not only soldiers need to be trained, but also various defensive supplies, and even the able-bodied people in the city need to be allocated in advance. Plans are being made for how to allocate various supplies, and even how to distribute food if the siege lasts for a long time.

Nothing can be accomplished without preparation.

Never fight a war you are not prepared for.

Li Yi is prepared for a protracted battle.

He was responsible for grasping the overall direction, while the experienced generals formulated the specific tactics.

What used to be a large villa belonging to the Ren family in the north of the city is now the headquarters of Li Yi's chief steward.

Li Yi now practices archery with Guo Yong'an every day, rides horses with Li Cunxiao, and learns the horse spear from Li Daoxuan.

When he had free time, he would even practice with the long mace that Li Jing had given him.

Chen Lingjiao and Song Yi also trained Li Yi's troops day and night. The thirty-six troops brought from Chang'an had been training for half a year and now they were starting to resemble elite cavalry. They were quite skilled in riding and archery, but they still lacked some practical combat experience.

Song Yi and his group expanded their ranks by another seventy-two in Haozhou, bringing the total to one hundred and eight.

Liu Heizi, Luo Dafu, and the other four have all been promoted to squad leaders, each commanding a squad of fifty light cavalry, who are Li Yi's personal guards.

Li Cunxiao's four Qiang generals each led two hundred cavalry as their personal guards.

Li Yi's personal guard was quite strong, consisting of 108 private retainers, 500 personal cavalry, and 800 elite cavalry.

Prince Li Daoxuan of Huaiyang was the newly reorganized commander of the central army, leading four thousand infantry and cavalry stationed in the city.

The four gates of Haozhou City were guarded by four garrisons, each with 2,600 men.

There were also two armies, each with 2,800 men, for left and right flanks, to serve as mobile forces and provide reinforcements at any time.

The Seven Armies of Haozhou were reorganized into a force of 20,000 men.

Their strength is quite good.

There were the four thousand soldiers left behind by Li Yi, the three thousand elite cavalry from Bingzhou left behind by Li Yuanji, the two thousand defeated soldiers brought back by Li Zhongwen, and the three thousand defeated soldiers subsequently gathered, plus the auxiliary troops in the original city and the troops of Li Zhongwen and Liu Zhan.

They reorganized 20,000 auxiliary soldiers and another 10,000 local militia to help defend the city.

With so many soldiers, Li Yi felt quite confident.

However, no matter how well prepared you are, you won't know if it will work until you actually try it.

After Liu Zheng sent someone to secretly report Liu Wuzhou's military situation to Li Yi, Liu Dewei and Jiang Baoyi also secretly sent people to Haozhou.

Liu Dewei and Jiang Baoyi were assigned by Liu Wuzhou to Huang Ziying, who was about to attack Haozhou.

Liu Dewei led his 8,000 old and weak veterans who remained in Taiyuan, while Jiang Baoyi led 12,000 surrendered soldiers.

This army of 20,000 men became one of the forces Huang Ziying used to attack Haozhou City.

"Could it be a scam?"

In the hall,

Li Zhongwen could hardly believe such a good thing.

Liu Dewei and Jiang Baoyi both said that once they reached the walls of Haozhou, they would defect to the enemy and cooperate with Li Yi to encircle and annihilate Huang Ziying, Liu Liu'er, and others.

"Why would Liu Wuzhou mobilize so many surrendered soldiers at once? Normally, even if surrendered soldiers were used, they would be scattered and deployed, right?"

"Perhaps time is tight, and we are afraid that if we break up the formation, it will affect command."

"I think Liu Wuzhou is just arrogant and conceited. He thinks that once Taiyuan is captured, and several prefectures north of Jinzhou are conquered one by one, it's only a matter of time before Haozhou City is left. Or maybe these 20,000 surrendered soldiers will just be used to fill the moat and attack the city, to wear us down."

Several generals expressed their opinions.

“I believe that Generals Liu Dewei and Jiang Baoyi are only feigning surrender to Wu Zhou for now. Once they reach Haozhou City, they will definitely lead their troops back if given the chance,” Li Yi said confidently, holding his teacup.

Liu Zhan was somewhat excited, "If Generals Liu and Jiang lead 20,000 men to defect when they arrive at the city, then we can easily defeat Huang Ziying."

Li Yi was also relatively optimistic.

With Liu Jiang and a few others secretly informing him in Taiyuan, he now has a complete grasp of the enemy's movements.

This feeling of having a god-like perspective to unravel the fog of war is fantastic.

In fact, surrendering is inevitable during wartime.

He had previously accepted the surrender of Huang Ziying and Liu Liu'er, and even tried to persuade Liu Jizhen to surrender, but in the end they all rebelled.

It wasn't that Li Yi didn't know these people might not be truly loyal, but under the circumstances, they were the better choice.

Liu Liu'er then captured Jiahu Fort and took Huang Ziying prisoner. Huang Ziying, who had surrendered, also joined him in reinforcing Haozhou, boosting his morale, scaring away Zhang Wansui and others, and relieving the siege of Haozhou.

September 23rd,
Seven days after the fall of Taiyuan, thirteen days after the defeat at Jiexiu.

Li Yi received an imperial edict from Chang'an.

It was Lu Chisong, a familiar face and attendant to the Crown Prince, who came to deliver the imperial edict. This time, Lu Chisong not only had a hard time, but the journey was also quite dangerous.
After crossing the Longmen Pass and entering Hedong, he had to head towards the Cixi-Xixi line to avoid the Lüjin war zone. This route was much more difficult than the Fenhe Avenue.

"His Majesty is very pleased to learn that the Duke of Rong has successfully defended the three passes of Haozhou and Queshu Valley." Li Yi summoned the officials and generals in the city to receive the imperial edict.

"I have heard that quelling rebellions requires force, and governing a country requires culture. Now, the bandits are rampant in Fen and Jin, and the common people are in turmoil in Bing and Dai. The traitor Liu Wuzhou, relying on the arrogance of the barbarian horses and the natural defenses of the mountains and rivers, has seized the royal city and is cruelly oppressing the people."

Li Yi, the Grand Master of the Palace, Governor-General of Lüzhou, Pillar of the State, and Duke of Rong, is loyal and upright, with wisdom and strategy that surpasses even the most discerning military strategist.
The former town, like a sparrow and a rat, thwarted the enemy's advance before it even began; now, defending the isolated city, it displays the might of Heaven even as the city crumbles.

They gathered defeated soldiers to form an army, protected supply lines to secure the foundation, and were truly the pillars of the nation and the limbs of my heart.

He should be granted special favors, so that he may command the army.

He was authorized to inspect and supervise the general administration of Bingzhou, and to hold the military authority over the seven prefectures of Bing, Hao, Jie, Lü, Shi, Xi, and Lan, and was appointed as the Right Grand Master of the Palace.

The garrison and conscription plans north of Jinzhou are all reported to the military governor, who is specially permitted to act expediently…

Hearing the imperial edict,

Everyone was envious; Li Yi had been promoted again, from a minor post to a second-rank official. This was nothing special, nothing of value.

He was granted the authority to inspect and supervise the military affairs of the seven prefectures north of Jinzhou, and was also specially granted the power to act expediently.

The emperor also issued an edict,
Li Yi's troops, who commanded the city, three passes, and four fortresses, were granted a general honor. His remaining records of merit were handed over to Lu Chisong to take back to Chang'an, where officials were instructed to assess their contributions and award them official titles.

Li Yi registered these 40,000-plus people in a roster and submitted it to the Ministry of War, whereupon they were all awarded a promotion.

Each person was also given twenty mu of land and ten bolts of silk.

The emperor was exceptionally generous this time.

The imperial edict also formally established Li Yi's command authority, placing him in charge of the military and civil affairs of the seven prefectures north of Jinzhou.

Even the three thousand cavalrymen that Yuanji left behind are now officially under Li Yi's command and are no longer borrowed.

The routed soldiers who were gathered together, needless to say, regardless of whether they were previously Pei Ji's subordinates or those of Jiang Baoyi, Liu Hongji, Li Xiaoji, etc., now all belong to Li Yi.

The emperor also instructed Lu Chisong to deliver an oral message to Li Yi, instructing him to defend Haozhou at all costs, even if it meant abandoning the three passes and four forts.

With Haozhou in place, Liu Wuzhou's troops could be tied down, threatening their supply lines, which was very important for the Tang Dynasty.

As for when reinforcements would arrive, and whether supplies of provisions and weapons would be available again, the emperor did not say.

Li Zhongwen and others were not held accountable for the defeat of the army. He remained the governor of Jiezhou and was appointed as the acting chief secretary of the Bingzhou General Administration Office. Liu Zhanhao was appointed as the governor of Jiezhou and concurrently the chief military officer of the General Administration Office.

Li Daozong was appointed as the Inspector of Lüzhou.

It was quite unexpected that neither Pei Ji nor Li Yuanji were punished. It was also rumored that Pei Ji was still ordered by the emperor to pacify the prefectures south of Luzhou in Hedong.

Many people looked disdainful.

Li Yi was also a little surprised. Even after such a defeat, the emperor hadn't dismissed his old friend from his post. Their relationship was truly good.

Only Zhao Wenge was unlucky enough to be ordered to commit suicide.

He and Liu Wenjing were sentenced to death on the same day.
The two meritorious officials from Taiyuan who possessed iron certificates of immunity from death did not use them.

"Duke Rongguo, from now on, the seven prefectures of Binghao will all depend on you," Lu Chisong said.

Li Yi knew that from now on, they were an isolated force, and would have to fight alone for at least six months without expecting any reinforcements.

If Li Shimin were to replace Pei Ji now, things would be more optimistic, but since Pei Ji still holds that position, expecting him to stop Song Jingang, or even defeat Song Jingang and launch a counterattack, is just wishful thinking.

Of the seven states now under Li Yi's command, apart from Xizhou in the southwest, the remaining six states consist of only Haozhou City and three passes and four forts.

Xizhou borders Haozhou and is located south of Shizhou, also in the Lüliang Mountains. Although there are roads, they are still less convenient than the main road along the Fen River.

"The imperial court appointed Liu Shishan as the military commander of Xizhou Road, to join forces with Yan Xun, the governor of Xizhou, to conquer Liu Jizhen of Shizhou, defend against Wu Zhou, and maintain a supply route for Haozhou."

Li Yi didn't have high hopes for this.

The imperial court also established Xide Prefecture in Shilou County, which borders Lishi to the north of Xizhou, and appointed Yang Min as its governor.

Li Yi had never heard of Liu Shishan, nor was he familiar with Yan Xun, let alone Yang Min, but he did not have any hope for them.

Relying on yourself is better than relying on anyone else; the only one you can count on is Li Shimin.

Li Yi hosted a welcoming banquet for Lu Chisong and sent his personal guards to announce the emperor's decree by striking a gong.

At the banquet,

Lu Chisong leaned close to him and whispered, "How many troops does the Duke of Rong have under his command now?"

"Haozhou City has reorganized 20,000 auxiliary soldiers and 4,000 cavalry. After gathering some defeated soldiers, the three passes and four forts now have a considerable number of troops. Zhangbi, Zhangnan and Yong'an forts alone each have 5,000 auxiliary soldiers, and the three passes of Queshu Valley and Jiahu Fort have 10,000 soldiers."

"Hiss!" Lu Chisong couldn't help but gasp. "So many? Wasn't it supposed to be over 30,000?"

"Among them, there were 30,000 combat soldiers and more than 40,000 auxiliary soldiers."

Lu Chisong was at a loss for words, and after a long while, he finally asked, "How much grain is in reserve, and how long can it last?"

"We just harvested the autumn grain. We collected some food from various places beforehand. If we eat it sparingly, it should last until next spring."

Hearing that there were such ample preparations, Lu Chisong was very excited, "Then Haozhou is safe."

"Lord Lu, how long do you think it will take for the imperial court to retake Haozhou?"

"It shouldn't take more than three months," Lu Chisong said optimistically.

Li Yi could only smile.

"Report,"

"Reporting to the commander, the scouts report that Huang Ziying has led his troops out of Jiexiu and is heading towards Haozhou."

(End of this chapter)