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

Chapter 340 Princess Yicheng's Conditions

Whenever the holiday season, think twice.

New Year's Eve is a day for family reunion, but the soldiers on campaign could only spend the New Year in Hedong, thousands of miles away.

Li Yi summoned Liu Heizi, Luo Wu, and ten other soldiers from Luo Family Fortress, and also gathered the thirty-six of his men from the Li family to make dumplings for the New Year.

During the Lunar New Year, the military received special supplies of flour, mutton, and other necessities. Thanks to the successive victories in the war and the continued smooth operation of the Haoxi Passage, supplies are currently quite plentiful.

Not only did powerful figures like Ren, Guo, Yang, and Cao from Hedong actively coordinate the trade, but merchants from Guanzhong also delivered goods to Hedong. Outside Lingshi City, where Li Yi's six banners were erected, there were numerous caravans carrying various supplies. Even on the banks of the Fen River, a row of simple wooden houses was set up, known as Xiaopingkangfang, where people could listen to songs and watch dances, or even sleep.

These accompanying merchant caravans were like flies.

Wherever the army went, they followed. Each of them was incredibly resourceful and fearless. They dared to do any kind of business, from small things like soldiers sending letters and things home to big things like eating, drinking, gambling, and even lending money.

This parasitic caravan service was a win-win situation: the caravan risked their lives to earn blood-stained copper coins, the soldiers gained convenience, and it even served as a supplement to the army's needs.

The caravans accompanying the army included not only merchants and prostitutes, but also craftsmen and doctors.

The spoils captured by the soldiers can be quickly disposed of to them.

Throughout the military, everyone liked these military caravans, especially when the fighting was not intense, as they would go out to relax in groups of three or five during their leave.

Even on days like New Year's Eve, those guys are still holding their ground outside the military camp.
Everyone wanted to improve their meals, so they ate everything imaginable: beef, mutton, camel, horse, donkey, chicken, duck, rabbit, weasel, mushrooms, pickled vegetables, cured meat, salted fish—there was nothing they didn't have.

Even if you want to make some new clothes, like a sheepskin coat, there are tailors who can immediately make one for you.

Early in the morning, Liu Heizi and his men went to the camp of the military merchant caravan outside the city and made a big purchase. They bought live, fat sheep, fresh dried mushrooms, wild yellow sheep and pheasants, high-quality white flour, and even scallions, cilantro, carrots, and other items.

The group even went out of their way to find a barber to trim their hair and shave, and they also bought new peachwood charms.
A group of grown men made their own dumplings, and Li Yi even wrote Spring Festival couplets for his residence.

While everyone was busy, they chatted about their hometown in Guanzhong.

Fortunately, the ten villagers from Luo Family Fort and the thirty-six members that Li Yi brought were all intact.

After all, he was someone close to the chief steward, so there was no danger for him. On the contrary, by following Li Yi, he had also gained a lot of merits and rewards.

Liu Heizi was already a seventh-rank captain.
Luo Wu, Da Fu, and others were also promoted to the rank of brigade commander, a lower-ranking official of the eighth grade.

As for Zhao Yong'an, Li Yi's archery instructor, he had already risen to the rank of a sixth-grade chariot and cavalry general.

Li Cunxiao's four Qiang generals were all promoted to the rank of sixth-grade general of the Central Army.

Those who achieve real military merit are promoted the fastest. They have followed Li Yi in more than a dozen battles, both big and small.

Eating the dumplings I made myself, paired with the persimmon liquor that Luo San had brought over last time.
"Pockets and wine, the more you eat, the more you have. Come on, bottoms up!"

The first half of the New Year's Eve banquet was filled with laughter and joy, with everyone frequently raising their glasses. In the second half, some of the guests, slightly tipsy, began to express their homesickness and longing for home.

A group of grown men actually shed tears.

Liu Heizi kept saying that he hadn't seen his son since he was born.
Dafu also said that he had been away from home for almost a year and missed his new wife and children.

Li Yi also wondered, but what could he do?

"My lord, after the New Year, we'll take Jiexiu, recapture Taiyuan, and march on Mayi. Let's return victorious as soon as possible!"

"Yes, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home. If we drag this out any longer, by the time I get home, the kids will be old enough to run errands."

These men from Luo Family Fort had all distinguished themselves in service and earned official positions, receiving generous rewards and spoils of war, which they all sent home.

This year, my family will definitely have a prosperous year.

It's always a pity that the family can't reunite.

If you don't return home when you are rich and powerful, it's like walking in fine clothes at night.

Being on the battlefield in Hedong, a foreign land,

The New Year was fairly lively, and supplies were plentiful. Everyone had a peaceful and fulfilling New Year. Liu Wuzhou's wolf-head banner still stood atop Jiexiu City.

The city was quiet; no one was thinking of breaking out or seeking battle with the Tang army.

And so the New Year passed peacefully.

After the eighth day,
After several discussions, Li Yi and his generals finally made up their minds that they still had to fight; they couldn't keep dragging this out.

Since Jiexiu was besieged and no one from the Wu Zhou army came to the emperor's aid, the Tang army should attack.

Then,
The final decision was made with Li Zhongwen, the deputy governor of Bingzhou, as the head, and Li Daoxuan, the governor of Daizhou, as the deputy. Li Yi raised 20,000 men for them.

The figure of 20,000 is actually somewhat inflated.

Li Jizhen's son, Loufan Gong Li Boyuan, led 10,000 Shanhu troops to act together, while Li Yi mobilized 4,000 infantry and cavalry, and also drew 6,000 laborers as auxiliary troops.

Fan Tongbo, Zhang Manzheng, Qiu Yingqi, and Li Dejiang went together.

Li Yi's task for them was to head north along the Fen River and, taking advantage of the situation, first sweep through the surrounding cities of Qixian, Taigu, and Qingyuan, among others, to conquer Taiyuan.

If you can fight, then fight; if you can't, don't force an attack, just move on to the next opponent.

The primary strategy was to persuade the enemy to surrender and offer amnesty, with plunder as a secondary measure.

"His Majesty has decreed that as long as people abandon darkness and embrace light and submit in time, their past transgressions will be forgiven. This will allow the people of Taiyuan and other cities to wake up in time and not fail to live up to the Emperor's grace. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so do not miss it."

Zhang Lun's army marched south, while Li Zhongwen's army marched north.

Li Yi also readjusted the remaining troops.

The main garrison forces of Huoyi, Jiahubao, Lengquanguan, Haozhou and other cities were transferred to Zhangnan, Zhangbi and Yong'an forts around Jiexiu to continue the siege of Jiexiu, and to be ready to intercept Liu Wuzhou's breakout or block the enemy's reinforcements at any time.

The number of garrison troops in castles such as Haozhou, Xiaoyi, and Wenshui has been reduced. Li Yi still has more than 20,000 men, with more than 10,000 deployed around Jiexiu, and the main force of 8,000 infantry and cavalry deployed at Zhangnan Fort.

As Li Daoxuan set off, he smiled and said to Li Yi, "Brother Wang, let's have a contest and see if I can enter Taiyuan City first, or if you can break through Jiexiu first."

"Then you must have entered Taiyuan first."

The cold wind was biting in the first month of the lunar calendar.
Twenty thousand Han and Hu infantry and cavalry marched northward in a long procession.

Li Yi watched them depart into the distance, then looked back at the city walls of Jiexiu to the south, where Liu Wuzhou, the Emperor of Dingyang, still had his wolf-head banner fluttering in the wind.

Li Yi was momentarily confused by Liu Wuzhou.

There's no reason for it to just stand still; it's not like it's a turtle.

Liu Wuzhou, who was suspected by Li Yi,
At this time, they were in the Turkic Khanate at the foot of Yinshan Mountain.

Dingxiang

The Han Dynasty once separated Yunzhong Commandery from Dingxiang Commandery, with its capital at Chengle County. Later, in Horinger, it was established to counter the Xiongnu and relieve pressure on Yanmen and Yunzhong.

Emperor Wu of Han repeatedly attacked the Xiongnu, and Dingxiang became a base for advancing. During the Han Dynasty, Dingxiang Prefecture once governed twelve counties, 38,000 households, and 160,000 people.

The Turkic Khanate was initially located in the northern desert. Later, due to internal strife within the Turkic Khaganate, the Sui Dynasty united the weak and separated the strong, supporting Qimin Khan and ordering Changsun Sheng to build Dali City in Baidaochuan, where Qimin Khan's headquarters were located.

Because Baidaochuan is rich in water and grass and is close to the Central Plains, the camps of Qimin Khan, Shibi Khan and now Chuluo Khan have always been located in Dali.

Even before Qimin, Shabolue Khan and Dulan Khan had already moved their headquarters to Baidaochuan.

From Chengle in the Western Han Dynasty to Dali in the Sui and Tang Dynasties,
This land at the foot of the Yinshan Mountains, the Chule River Valley, a treasure trove where the wind blows the grass low and cattle and sheep graze, has always been a contested territory between the Central Plains and the grasslands.

More than 20 years ago, Emperor Wen of Sui bestowed the title of Princess Yicheng upon a member of the imperial clan and sent her to marry Qimin Khan. Upon arriving here, she had already married Qimin and his two sons.

"Qatun, Liu Wuzhou hopes that the Qatun can help him persuade the Great Khan, and said he is willing to reward him with a large sum of money."

Inside the Khatun's tent,
Princess Yicheng, over forty years old, sat on a Persian carpet, reading a scroll in her hands. Dried cow dung burned in a stove, upon which sat a copper kettle.

I'm making milk tea.

Although she had been in the borderlands for more than twenty years, the princess still wore the attire of a woman from the Central Plains.

"Liu Wuzhou has come to me for help. Isn't this like entering the wrong temple and worshipping the wrong bodhisattva? I am a princess of the Sui Dynasty, while he is the Emperor Dingyang, who wants to rule my Yang family. How can I support him?"

The princess snorted, "Now that the Yang Sui dynasty has been restored, why would I support a traitor who opposes the Sui?"

Sitting opposite the princess was Yang Shanjing, the princess's cousin, who had come to the borderlands with Empress Xiao and Yang Zhengdao, and was now a court attendant of the Sui Dynasty.

"The Great Khan seems willing to send troops to support Liu Wuzhou, but his defeat this time was too crushing, and the nobles of the Khan's court are no longer willing to support him."

Nibushe, in particular, said that the Tang Dynasty had always paid tribute with gold and silk, and the Turks also had large-scale silk and horse trade with them, so it was not advisable to really go to war with the Tang Dynasty. He also said that Liu Wuzhou was utterly incompetent.

The princess put down her book.
"Liu Wuzhou is truly hopeless. The Great Khan supported his southward campaign against all odds, but in less than a year, he has already shown such a disastrous state. How can we still support him?"

Princess Yicheng had previously instigated Shibi Khan to launch a major southward campaign, which resulted in his death in Xia Prefecture. The princess's support for Silifushe Khan was also due to her recognition of his ambition.

The Shibi Khan brothers had all personally experienced the strength of the Sui Dynasty and witnessed its decline, so they hoped more than anyone else that the Central Plains would continue to be divided and weakened.

Princess Yicheng was only focused on avenging the Sui Dynasty and wanted the Turks to attack the Sui rebels; she didn't care about anything else.

Many nobles in the Khan's court were short-sighted, only seeing the immediate benefits.

Chuluo Khan had just ascended the throne and lacked prestige, making it difficult to unify opinions, which resulted in very limited support for Liu Wuzhou.

Even the Turkic nobles sent there were not very dedicated; they only knew how to plunder and would run away as soon as a battle broke out.

Nibushe went even further, not only refusing to help Liu Wuzhou, but also becoming sworn brothers with Tang's chief steward Li Yi at the front lines, and then secretly trading tea, wine, sheep and horses, busy making money, completely ignoring the Khan's orders.

"Khatun, if Liu Wuzhou is defeated and killed, the Tang army will take advantage of the situation to advance into Daibei, and our Great Sui will also be in danger."

Princess Yicheng put down the book in her hand and fell into deep thought.

"There is another matter. Wang Shichong of Luoyang sent his brother as an envoy to meet the Khan, proposing a marriage alliance with our Turks and to purchase a large number of warhorses from our Turks. The Khan seems to be planning to agree."

Princess Liu raised her eyebrows. "Wang Shichong? Even if the Khan agrees to a marriage alliance and the purchase of horses, he is thousands of miles away from us. How does he plan to conduct the transaction?"

"Liu Wuzhou took the initiative to propose that he be willing to open up trade routes for the Great Khan. He was willing to lead his troops south from Taiyuan to attack Luzhou, while Wang Shichong would go north to attack Zezhou. Once Zezhou and Luzhou were captured, the Turks and Luoyang could travel freely between them."

"The various officials, special forces, and vassals are still reluctant to do this, so Liu Wuzhou wants to ask the Khatun to help him persuade the Great Khan. He hopes the Great Khan can give him 10,000 cavalry to help him open up the Zelu River."

Princess Yicheng walked to the bronze screen on the side, on which was a map of the Central Plains.

"Taiyuan, Luoyang, Zelu." The princess looked at the map and suddenly sneered, "Liu Wuzhou has quite the plan. This isn't to open up trade routes between us and Wang Shichong, but rather to use Luzhou as a route to the west into Huizhou."
This was to bypass the Sparrow Valley and Hanhou Ridge, which were blocked by Li Yi, and to find another route to rescue Song Jingang and reopen a grain supply line.
If successful, they could also join forces with Wang Shichong of Luoyang, achieving several goals at once—a clever scheme indeed.

Luzhou was Shangdang Commandery during the Sui Dynasty. To the south was Zezhou, which was Changping Commandery during the Sui Dynasty. Qinshui of Changping Commandery and Yicheng of Jiang Commandery were separated by the Huishan Mountains, but were also connected by a mule track through the mountains.

Even in Changzi County of Luzhou, there is a road leading west across Wuling Mountain to Linfen Prefecture, but that road is more difficult to travel.

But compared to the now completely blocked Sparrow Valley and Hanhou Ridge,

Attacking Shangdang on the east side, and then entering Jiang County to reopen the passage to Song Jingang, was indeed a brilliant move.

The main force of the Tang army is currently in the Haozhou and Jiangzhou areas, and there are indeed few troops in Zelu.

“If Liu Wuzhou really wants me to help him persuade the Great Khan, it’s not impossible. My condition is that he relinquishes his imperial title and submits to the Sui King. In return, I can have Zhengdao appoint him as the King of Han and the Grand Chancellor of Bingzhou.”

Yang Shanjing said, "I'm afraid Liu Wuzhou won't agree."

"Then let him wait to die. Once the Tang dynasty destroys Song Jingang and recovers Taiyuan, Song Jingang will be nothing more than a stray dog ​​to the Turks. What use will he be then?"

(End of this chapter)