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

Chapter 338 Mira River

Changan.

Crown Prince Jiancheng was appointed regent, while Li Gang remained in the capital to assist him.

When news of the complete annihilation of Yong'an Prince Li Xiaoji's army in Xia County reached Chang'an, the price of grain skyrocketed to ten bolts of silk per dou (a unit of dry measure). Many nobles even fled directly to Wugong or even Qizhou.

When Li Yi achieved a series of great victories in Haozhou, the imperial court posted notices to announce the results, which finally calmed the public's hearts a little.

East Palace.

Crown Prince Jiancheng looked at the imperial edict bestowing titles upon the princes and couldn't help but purse his lips. His three younger brothers, the eldest was only two years old and the youngest was just over one year old, yet they were being granted titles of nobility. Was it really necessary?

Of course, his own two sons are actually only two years old.

“To bestow the title of king upon Li Yi is a bit excessive,” Jiancheng said to Wang Gui. “He’s only beheaded a few thousand people and captured a county town, and he’s already being made a king?”

“Your Highness is mistaken,” said Li Gang, the Crown Prince’s tutor. “Since Liu Wuzhou’s invasion, his military might has been formidable. From Taiyuan to Huizhou, our Tang army has suffered repeated defeats, losing thousands of miles of territory. Song Jingang is almost invading Guanzhong. The Emperor himself is stationed at Changchun Palace, and the Prince of Qin is personally leading his troops to Baibi.”

The nation is in crisis.
At this point, Li Yi was not only able to stabilize the situation, but also kept winning, which was truly remarkable.

Moreover, Li Yi is registered under the Imperial Clan Court and is also a member of the imperial family. His current achievements are no less significant than Li Xiaochang's offering of Yongfeng Granary to welcome the emperor. Therefore, it is entirely justifiable for him to be granted the title of prince.

"Besides, if someone like Zhu Can could be enfeoffed as the Prince of Chu, why can't Li Yi, a member of the imperial clan, be enfeoffed as the Prince of Fenyang? The brothers Li Shentong and Li Shenfu, who are His Majesty's cousins, each have seven sons, and they have not made any contributions to the court, yet they were all enfeoffed as princes, weren't they?"

Jiancheng became increasingly dissatisfied with the old man. No matter what he did, it seemed he could never please the old man. He offered advice on this and opposed that.

Jiancheng said, "In my opinion, the King of Qin bears undeniable responsibility for the current situation in Hedong. He repeatedly requested troops, promising that with 30,000 elite soldiers, he could annihilate Wu Zhou and sweep away Fen and Jin. Yet, in November, he sent troops across the Yellow River..."
It's been over a month now, what has he done?
He led 30,000 elite troops, but stationed them at Baibi and did nothing.

It was precisely because of his inaction that Prince Yong'an was attacked by Yuchi Gong.

Li Gang raised his white eyebrows. "Your Highness is mistaken again. Although I am not an expert in military affairs, I can see that the King of Qin is right to station his troops at Bai Bi."

The Prince of Yong'an suffered a defeat at Xia County. Shouldn't the blame lie with the Prince of Yong'an, Dugu Huai'en, and other commanders? How can the blame be placed on the Prince of Qin?

The King of Qin and the King of Yong'an each commanded troops under the emperor's orders, and were not subordinate to each other.

The Prince of Yong'an made a mistake by underestimating the enemy and being careless. He stationed his troops outside Xia County without properly establishing a fortified camp or strengthening defenses. As a result, he was completely defeated by Yuchi Gong's army, captured, and suffered a humiliating defeat for his country.

Jiancheng looked toward Zheng Shanguo, the Left Vice Minister of the Crown Prince.

This Duke of Xingyang was in his early fifties and was a relative of the Crown Princess.

His father was Zheng Cheng, and his uncle was Zheng Yi, who forged an imperial edict to support Yang Jian. Zheng Shanguo is now the head of the five surnames of Xingyang Zheng clan in Shandong. He inherited his title at the age of nine and became a governor at the age of fourteen. He had a good official record in the Sui Dynasty and once ranked first in the performance evaluation.

He rose to the position of Minister of Justice during the Daye era, and later followed Yuwen Huaji north, where he was appointed Minister of Civil Affairs. He was captured by Dou Jiande, who, despite being of peasant origin, treated Pei Ju and others well, but was very dissatisfied with Zheng Shanguo, who came from a high-ranking family.

Zheng Shanguo was so ashamed by the insults that he committed suicide.

After being rescued, he was not given an important position, so he simply fled to Li Shentong and was sent to Chang'an. Li Yuan, on the other hand, liked these noble families the most. As soon as he arrived, he was granted the title of Duke of Xingyang, appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Crown Prince, and also served as the Acting Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Zheng Shanguo gained Li Jiancheng's deep trust as soon as he entered the Eastern Palace.

On the contrary, Li Gang, the Crown Prince's tutor, was increasingly disliked by Jiancheng.

"Lord of Xingyang, what do you think of me volunteering to lead the army in place of the King of Qin?"

Zheng Shanguo thought for a moment, "Changing commanders in the middle of a battle is a major taboo in military affairs. However, with the end of the year approaching, I think Your Highness can request to be stationed at Changchun Palace and request His Majesty to return to the capital."

Li Gang said bluntly, "Your Highness should stay in the capital and oversee the country properly. Why do you have to get involved in the war on the front lines?"
"Is Your Highness a better commander than the Prince of Qin? This old minister doubts it. The events of Yuanzhou in the summer are not far off; Your Highness should learn from those lessons."

Jiancheng was so angry at Li Gang's mockery that his face turned red. Li Gang was deliberately reopening old wounds. He said angrily, "I have already made it clear about the matter in Yuanzhou. I was not hunting, but training troops."

"Training soldiers until more than half of them desert?" Li Gang showed no mercy.

That's because...

"Your Highness need not bring up the past. I merely wish to remind Your Highness that the Prince of Qin is more adept at commanding troops in battle than Your Highness."

The situation in Hedong has improved slightly, but the outlook remains grim. Your Highness should focus on governing the country from Chang'an, rather than trying to pick the ripe fruit in Hedong.

"Your Highness is the Crown Prince; how can you be jealous of your brothers' military achievements and try to steal their credit?"

Jiancheng was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode. How could anyone say such a thing about him?

"Lord Li, you are an official of the Crown Prince's Palace."

"Your Highness, it is precisely because I also serve as the Crown Prince's tutor that I feel it is all the more necessary to offer my honest advice..."

Li Jiancheng angrily turned and left.

Li Gang, still relentless, shouted at his retreating figure, "My words are like water thrown at a stone. How dare I continue to defile Tiantai and disgrace the Eastern Dynasty? I beg to retire!"

Li Jiancheng left without looking back.

Li Gang directly wrote a memorial to the emperor in the Eastern Palace, requesting to resign.

Zheng Shanguo, the Left Vice-Minister of the Crown Prince, and Wang Gui, the Middle Advisor of the Crown Prince, could only offer wry smiles and words of advice, but Li Gang, in a fit of temper, simply wouldn't listen.

"The Crown Prince is suspicious of his brothers and favors petty people. As officials of the Eastern Palace, your failure to remonstrate with him is a serious dereliction of duty!"

Zheng Shanguo and Wang Gui stopped trying to persuade him and turned away.

When Zheng Shanguo and Wang Gui came to see the Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng was still furious: "Li Gang, as my tutor to the Crown Prince and in charge of all the officials in the Eastern Palace, is actually siding with the Prince of Qin in every way. This is outrageous!"

“Your Highness, there’s no need to be angry with Li Gang. He’s always been like this. He’s assisted many people and is a very loyal and upright person. That’s why His Majesty specially appointed him as the Crown Prince’s tutor,” Zheng Shanguo advised his nephew-in-law, the Crown Prince.

Jiancheng waved his hand, "Forget it, let's not talk about that old guy. I never expected that Li Yi would be able to achieve such great merit in Hedong this time." Wang Gui also sighed at Li Yi's achievements: "It is indeed unexpected, and the Prince of Huaiyang also performed outstandingly."

The Crown Prince said, “I have always treated Li Yi well, but I always feel that he is not close to me, but rather close to the Prince of Qin. This matter is very troubling to me.”

Zheng Shanguo had never met Li Yi, but after arriving in Chang'an, he had heard many things about Li Yi. "Your Highness is very kind and affectionate. Since he is away on campaign, Your Highness could send people to take good care of his family."

It could also allow his wives and concubines to frequently enter the Eastern Palace to accompany the Crown Princess for tea, flower arranging, and other activities.

A few people were chatting.
The Imperial Kitchen Attendant, Ren Can, came in to report.
"Your Highness, a victory has been reported from Hedong. The Prince of Qin has dispatched Yin Kaishan, the Minister of War, along with Generals Qin Wutong, Wei Xiaojie, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Yaojin, leading 8,000 infantry and cavalry, to ambush Yuchi Gong and Xun Xiang at Meiliangchuan. They have inflicted a great defeat on them, beheading over 2,000."

They rescued several thousand captured soldiers, including the Minister of Works, Dugu Huaien, and seized a large quantity of grain and supplies.

Upon hearing this news of victory, the crown prince did not show any joy.

Instead, he frowned.

"Hmph, beheading over two thousand is nothing, what kind of great victory is that? We've been out in the army for over a month, and this is the only small victory we've achieved? You dare to report a victory?"
In Haozhou, Li Yi broke through the siege of tens of thousands of enemy troops three times.
Every time, thousands were beheaded and tens of thousands were captured.
They even trapped Liu Wuzhou in Jiexiu City.

No matter how jealous Li Jiancheng was, the balance of the war began to tilt in favor of the Tang Dynasty.

Yin Kaishan inflicted a great defeat on Yuchi Gong, the Prime Minister, at Meiliangchuan. Qin Shubao's golden mace nearly made Yuchi Gong vomit blood, and he fled back to Wenxi in a sorry state, where more than two thousand people were beheaded.

This is Li Shimin's first victory since he launched his campaign against Hedong more than a month ago.

Following closely behind were Li Jizhen and Zhang Lun's southward-bound army, which advanced all the way and swept away the troops left behind by Song Jingang.

They traveled through Fenxi, Zhaocheng, Hongdong, and Yueyang, eventually arriving at the city of Jinzhou.

Song Jingang had previously pursued Pei Ji southwards, and after defeating Pei Ji and Liu Hongji again in Jinzhou, he swept through the cities one by one, but he did not leave many troops behind.

Now they've been easily wiped out by Zhang Lun and his team.

The southward-bound army arrived at the walls of Jinzhou.

There was some resistance here; Song Jingang had stationed several thousand men here.

Song Jingang had no choice but to call back his troops to provide reinforcements.

So he quickly dispatched Yuchi Gong and Xun Xiang, who had just suffered a defeat, to lead another force north to reinforce Jinzhou.

In order to avoid being ambushed by the Tang army, Song Jingang also sent the two men to secretly go north, because two thousand men had been beheaded at Meiliangchuan, and this time Yuchi Gong and his men did not have many troops.

However, Yuchi Gong's plan was still leaked.
Li Shimin, who was in Baibi City, learned of his movements. After a military discussion, Li Shimin decided that this time he would personally lead 3,000 troops to ambush Yuchi Gong again.

Li Shimin secretly crossed the Fen River at night, bypassed Jiangzhou, took a small road northward, and ambushed the enemy on the banks of the Fen River in Taiping County, on the border of Jiang and Jin.

A few days later, the King of Qin reported his victory.

"They ambushed and routed them, pursuing them for dozens of miles. Jingde and Xunxiang barely escaped with their lives, and their entire army was captured."

Li Shimin successfully ambushed them, pursuing them from Beitaiping County in Jiangzhou all the way into Jinzhou, capturing all of their thousands of men.

Yuchi Jingde was hit by Qin Qiong's mace several times this time. If it weren't for his youth as a blacksmith and his good horsemanship, he would have become a prisoner.

The victorious Li Shimin pressed on to the walls of Jinzhou and joined forces with Zhang Lun and Li Jizhen's army.

But somewhat unexpectedly, the few thousand people in Jinzhou held out tenaciously.

Li Jizhen and Zhang Lun's army had marched a long way south, but lacked siege equipment. They were also unable to defeat the Jinzhou defenders who refused to surrender.

After inspecting the situation, Li Shimin ordered Zhang Lun to lead 4,000 elite troops and 6,000 auxiliary troops to continue the siege of Jinzhou.

He then returned to Baibi with Li Jizhen's 10,000 Shanhu.

Although Song Jingang had suffered two defeats, his main force was still intact. Li Shimin decided to first remove the two thorns in Puban and Xia County.

Especially Puban, which has held out for three years since the Tang Dynasty started its rebellion.

The Tang army besieged and attacked Puban, and the defenders, from Qu Tutong to Yao Junsu, and now Wang Xingben, were as stubborn and unyielding as rocks in a latrine, and they just couldn't take it.

During the Sui Dynasty, Puban City, as the capital of Hedong Prefecture, was once a prosperous and wealthy city with a large population. But now, it's almost a ghost town, yet it's still stubbornly clinging to life.

Previously, after the Li Tang dynasty lost a prince consort here, they considered besieging the area rather than launching a direct attack that would result in heavy losses. However, now that Song Jingang is in power and Lü Chongmao has rebelled in Xia County, they have no choice but to resolve the situation.

Li Shimin reported his plan to the emperor: to besiege King Xingben of Puban and Lü Chongmao of Xia County, and to lure Song Jingang to send troops to their aid.

Besiege the city and attack the reinforcements.

If Song Jingang doesn't come to our aid, then we should defeat them one by one and recover the lost territory in one fell swoop.

Puban City has held out for so long, and it's already on the verge of collapse; it's basically just one step away from victory.

This plan was approved by Li Yuan.
Qu Tutong and Sang Xianhe led 10,000 troops to attack Xia County, while Yin Kaishan and Qin Wutong led troops to attack Puban again.

Liu Jizhen's 10,000 Shan Hu were divided into two groups by Li Yuan, who respectively assisted Qu Tutong and Yin Kaishan in attacking Xia County and Puban.

As the New Year approaches,

Emperor Li Yuan, still at Mount Hua, sent a secret edict to Li Yi, instructing him to take advantage of Liu Wuzhou's predicament in Jiexiu to send troops north to recapture Taiyuan. At the same time, the emperor once again dispatched his nephew, Li Chen, the Vice Minister of Justice and Prince Xiangwu, and Zheng Yuanzhu, the Minister of Ceremonies and General of the Right Wuhou, to the Turks, promising to cede the Hetao and Fengsheng prefectures and to make peace through marriage and pay tribute to jointly punish Wuzhou.

"The Prince of Fenyang, Li Yi, bestows upon his son Ping An the title of Duke of Qianshui County and his daughter Ruyi the title of Princess of Yong'an County. He also grants ten hectares of land in Hedong and a thousand pieces of colorful silk."

(End of this chapter)