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

Chapter 320 Leading Troops to the Capital to Protect the Emperor
The autumn rain is continuous.

Li Yuan changed into casual clothes and walked out of the palace.

"Where is Your Majesty going?" Lu Kuan stepped forward.

"Last time, Consort Yuwen visited Li Yi's residence in Shengye Ward and saw his twins. She said they were quite good-looking. I've been saying I'd like to go and see them, so let's go today."

Qian Jiulong immediately went to arrange for guards.

"Go incognito, don't make a big fuss."

Li Yuan summoned Consort Yuwen to accompany him, and also specially invited Xu Xiuzhi, the wife of Chongyi, the tutor of the Sixth Prince.
Qian Jiulong, following imperial orders, led the Imperial Guards, who had changed into civilian clothes, to accompany him.

The emperor's sudden arrival caught the Rongguo Duke's mansion completely off guard.

"I am visiting in private, so there is no need for excessive formalities. Quickly bring Wu Yi's children to me for a look."

Du Shiniang and Ji Lingyi brought the babies over. The two-month-old babies were chubby. Li Yuan smiled and held one in each arm. "They both look like Li Yi. They have regular features and are very auspicious. They will surely be rich and noble in the future."

"I have always said that Li Yi is a lucky general, and some people even say that Li Yi is an auspicious omen."

These words left Du Shiniang and the others speechless. If it weren't for Consort Yuwen accompanying the emperor, they would have thought it was inappropriate for him to come in disguise, since the male head of the household was not at home.

The emperor drank a cup of tea at the Li residence.

After playing with the two children for a while, he didn't leave but offered to stay for a meal.

"Just cook some of the meals I usually eat when I'm at home,"

This relieved the cook of the Rongguo Mansion. She consulted with the Rongguo Lady again and again. After receiving Shi Niang's approval, she took out several home-style dishes that she had learned from her apprentice, A Lang Li Yi.

Three-delicacy tofu skin casserole, pickled vegetable and tofu stew, stir-fried bean sprouts, steamed sea bass, sweet and sour pork, eggplant with minced meat, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, smashed cucumber...

These are all relatively simple and common home-style dishes.
Li Yuan was quite satisfied with the meal, and his cousin, Consort Yuwen, also felt it was comparable to the imperial cuisine.

After the meal, the emperor stayed for a while longer before leaving.

"These dolls are so cute, I'd like to bring them to the palace to keep my little ones company."

The emperor left with a smile.

Two carts were left with gifts, including spices, tea, and silk.

Watching the emperor's carriage finally disappear into the distance,
Du Shiniang and the others breathed a sigh of relief and walked back from the street corner.

When they got home, the group sat together.

"What does the sage mean by this?"

Xu Xiuzhi, who had been given a three-day leave by the emperor, said: "I heard that the situation in Hedong is deteriorating, and the emperor has already issued an edict to abandon Hedong and guard Guanzhong."

Wu Yi led troops to defend Haozhou, repeatedly defeating the enemy, and was a pillar of the state.

Du Shiniang and Ji Lingyi were both from prestigious families and knew a little about national affairs. They understood the implication in Xiuzhi's words: Li Yi was in a special position, and the emperor was deliberately trying to win over his family so that he could stay in Haozhou and guard the city with peace of mind.

Those two large carts of goods were very valuable, especially considering that the emperor had come in disguise and even stayed for a meal.

"The situation in Hedong is so bad, what will happen to Alang in Haozhou?" Shi Niang asked worriedly.

"I heard that Alang currently has 50,000 troops under his command, so he should be safe for the time being. Although Lü Xiujin lost several prefectures, Xizhou is still intact."

Xu Xiuzhi also sighed, saying that when Li Yi found her in the Sanqiao refugee camp, she was selling her head for money, using the freedom of herself and her two sons to exchange for a thin coffin for her husband and a way to survive for her two sons.

At that time, Li Yi was just a Taoist priest who had just returned to secular life, with only a few dozen acres of land and a tofu skin workshop. Who would have thought that today he would become a national auspicious omen that even the emperor wanted to win over.

When the emperor's edict to abandon Hedong was issued,

The entire city of Chang'an was in an uproar.

The last time this happened was when Xue Ju defeated the Eight Chiefs at Qianshuiyuan. At that time, grain prices in Chang'an skyrocketed, and many nobles even desperately fled the city.

And now, almost the same thing is happening again.

Grain prices in Chang'an have skyrocketed.

Soon, grain stores began to impose purchase limits.
The imperial granaries also released a limited amount of grain, and within just half a day, the grain could only be bought with gold.

Many nobles began to arrange for their families to temporarily seek refuge in manors in Wugong, Qizhou, and other places.

Du Shiniang also discussed it with her family.

"Should we also leave the city and return to Wuji Fortress for a few days?"

The autumn harvest and planting have long been over, so there's really nothing to do going back to the countryside now. But the atmosphere in Chang'an is making people uneasy.

“It would be good to stay in the countryside for a while. The scenery in Yusu Township is beautiful during this time, and if the weather is nice, we can even go to Nanwutai Mountain to offer incense,” Xiuzhi said.

People wouldn't say it's just in case.

In the imperial court,
Some officials have even submitted memorials suggesting that the capital should be temporarily moved.

Some people suggested inviting the emperor to go hunting at Renshou Palace in Qizhou.

"Your Majesty, Lü Chongmao, a native of Xia County in Yuzhou, has rebelled, proclaimed himself King of Wei, and joined forces with Liu Wuzhou."

"Wang Xingben of Puzhou also submitted to Liu Wuzhou,"

Li Yuan couldn't stand hearing this.
But the bad news still couldn't stop it. Pei Ji, the Right Minister who had been retreating all the way, only knew how to report the defeats to the emperor and could only run away, was now in dire need of help.
He lost again.

This time, he was not defeated by Song Jingang, nor by Yuchi Gong, nor by Prime Minister Zhang Wansui; he was defeated by Lü Chongmao.

That's Lu Chongmao, the local tyrant and landlord from Xia County who just instigated a rebellion.

Pei Ji retreated to Yuzhou, and seeing that even Lü Chongmao dared to rebel, he led his troops to attack.

He probably thinks I can't beat Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang, I can't beat Xun Xiang Yuchi Gong, and I can't beat a country landlord.
In the end, he really couldn't beat them.

Lü Chongmao and his several thousand men routed them, leaving them fleeing in disarray and nearly taking them prisoner. In the end, they had no choice but to escape into the Zhongtiao Mountains.

When Li Yuan heard this news, he almost fainted from anger.

Now, Li Yuan had to admit that appointing Pei Ji as commander-in-chief was a decision he made in a moment of folly. "Your Majesty,"

"I believe that Hedong should not be abandoned, much less be discussed about moving the capital. Anyone who dares to propose moving the capital should be executed without mercy."

An old man with white hair and beard stepped forward.
Li Gang, Minister of Rites and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, spoke vehemently.

"The enemy's strength is such, what can we do?" Li Yuan asked helplessly.

"Change the commander. Your Majesty, I request that you change the commander. The Right Minister is not good at military affairs. Given the current situation, we must replace him with a general who is skilled in battle."

Li Yuan sighed, "Pei Ji and Yuan Ji are indeed not good at military affairs, but Li Zhongwen, Liu Hongji, Jiang Baoyi, as well as Liu Shirang, Yu Yun, Wang Xingmin and other generals have been defeated one after another."

"Your Majesty, what is needed now is a general who can oversee the overall situation."

"Who do you think can turn the tide?"

"No one but the King of Qin!" the old man declared loudly.

Li Jiancheng looked at Li Gang, his eyes narrowed, a murderous glint in them.

His own tutor, the Crown Prince's tutor, had now sided with the King of Qin.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead troops to attack Wu Zhou. Just give me 50,000 soldiers and horses." Jiancheng said.

Li Gang, however, retorted without hesitation, "Forgive my rudeness, but the Crown Prince is unsuitable." He did give Jiancheng some face, saying that the Crown Prince was unsuitable, not that he was not allowed to be.

Li Jiancheng's face turned red, and he almost lost his temper.

Li Yuan spoke up in time, saying, "It is indeed inappropriate for the Crown Prince to remain in the capital to assist in governing the country."

At this point, Li Yuan could not afford to make another mistake. Letting Yuanji be stationed in Taiyuan and Pei Ji take command was his biggest mistake. The Crown Prince went to Yuanzhou in April, but ended up going on an excessive hunting trip, which led to more than half of the soldiers deserting.

Although the crown prince later explained that he had conscripted local soldiers and sons of local powerful families under the guise of hunting for military drills, Li Yuan ignored the explanation and only cared about the result.

As a result, half of the soldiers in Jiancheng Lane deserted, and it almost caused a mutiny.

This shows that the crown prince still has shortcomings.

Li Yuan still had some concerns about the Prince of Qin going to war. His concern was not about the increased prestige the Prince of Qin would gain if he won, but rather what would happen if Li Shimin failed to win again.
Now, only about 30,000 new recruits of the newly established 12th Army remain in Guanzhong, along with the remaining 10,000 or so imperial guards in Chang'an.

Only 50,000 people remained in the entire Guanzhong Plain.

If we lose again, then Chang'an really won't be able to be defended.

Hesitating,
The eunuch reported,
The King of Qin sent a letter requesting permission to fight from Changchun Palace.

Li Shimin's petition for battle was strongly worded, and he resolutely refused to agree to abandon Hedong.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to grant you 30,000 elite troops to recapture Fen and Jin

Li Shimin only needed 30,000 soldiers.

Upon seeing this short sentence, Li Yuan felt a surge of energy.

After Li Yi went north to Hedong, he fought steadily and never suffered a defeat. He protected Haozhou and controlled Queshu Valley. Now, he even has more and more troops under his command, with 50,000 men.

But now Erlang Shimin is fearless in the face of war.

"I am going to Changchun Palace!"

The emperor's startling words inevitably led people to suspect that he was about to personally lead a military campaign.

"I will mobilize all the troops in Guanzhong and personally escort them to Changchun Palace to see Erlang off."

After deciding to fight again in Hedong

Li Yuan quickly adjusted his strategy, retracting his previous edict to abandon the territory. He immediately summoned Pei Ji back to the capital and ordered Prince Yong'an, Li Xiaoji, Minister of Works, Dugu Huai'en, Governor of Shanzhou, Yu Yun, Commander-in-Chief of the Shaanxi East Circuit, Liu Shirang, and Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Tang Jian, to gather the defeated troops and reorganize them into a new army. Their first task was to attack Xia County and eliminate the rebel force.

Then go and take Puban.

Remove these two spies that Liu Wuzhou had planted inside.

The troops in this camp were basically the remnants of Pei Ji's army that retreated after his defeat, plus the troops that Dugu Huaien had previously besieged Puban.

At the same time, Li Yuan issued an edict appointing Wang Xingmin as the commander-in-chief of the Luzhou Road Army and sending him to Luzhou to reinforce the area. Wang Xingmin was, after all, a member of the Luzhou militia and was quite familiar with the area. The current governor of Luzhou, Guo Ziwu, was a civil official, and if Liu Wuzhou were to invade, he certainly wouldn't be able to hold the city.

Li Yuan then issued another edict, granting Li Yi an additional 200 households as a true fief, bringing the total to 300 households, with each household consisting of three able-bodied men. This placed Li Yi in the second tier of true fief meritorious officials. The emperor instructed Li Yi to find a way to contain Liu Wuzhou's army, harass their supply lines, and provide some assistance to Li Shimin in his counterattack in Hedong.

The emperor also issued an imperial edict to Li Yi, addressing him directly as his nephew. In the edict, Li Yuan told his nephew Li Yi that if the situation in Pujiang became critical, he would be summoned south. At that time, Li Yi should disregard everything, lead his army, abandon Haozhou, and march south to rescue Pujiang.

Even going so far as to enter the capital to protect the emperor.

In any case, Li Yuan had prepared for the worst. If Li Shimin also collapsed, he would have no choice but to flee west to Renshou Palace. If all else failed, he could retreat to Longyou, Hexi, or even Hanzhong and Yizhou. As long as he was still alive, there would always be a chance to make a comeback.

In addition,
The emperor also dispatched Zheng Yuanzhu, the Minister of Ceremonies, to the Turks again to negotiate peace. Li Yuan had already stated that if the Turks were willing to cease supporting Liu Wuzhou, or even turn around and help the Tang Dynasty fight against Liu Wuzhou, then Li Yuan would directly cede the Feng and Sheng prefectures in the Hetao region to the Turks.

Except for Taiyuan and Lingzhou, which cannot be given, all other conditions are negotiable.

An imperial edict for the emergency troop mobilization has been issued.

The emperor ordered another 30,000 troops to be transferred from Guanzhong to Changchun Palace in Tongzhou, where they would be handed over to Li Shimin to lead across the Yellow River and save the war situation in Hedong.

Wang Shichong was too preoccupied to care, and Dou Jiande was even less so. If it weren't for the fact that the southern part of Sichuan and Chongqing was too far away, Li Yuan would have even considered drawing troops from there.

A cold autumn night,

Li Yuan sat alone in the Taiji Palace, playing the pipa. He was like a gambler who had lost everything and had already placed all his chips on the table.

When the song ended,

Li Yuan remained deeply worried.

The emperor put down his pipa, picked up his brush,
"Yang Gongren, the General Manager of Liangzhou, was appointed as a Grand Counselor."

"The governor of Youzhou, Luo Yi, was granted the imperial surname and the title of Prince of Yan."

"The Emperor bestowed upon Du Fuwei, the Pacification Commissioner of Huainan, the imperial surname, appointed him as the Right Vice Minister of the Southeast Circuit, and enfeoffed him as the King of Chu."

(End of this chapter)