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

Chapter 354 Do not worry about wealth and honor.
Feng Deyi was a master of the pen. Riding on his horse, he held a scroll in one hand and a pen in the other, and in a short while, he had drafted the imperial edict and presented it to the emperor for his review.

The emperor laughed and said, "Just read it aloud."

"Yes." Feng Deyi immediately bowed and began to read aloud from the scroll in his hand: "The fertile lands of Shu County are called Weijingluo, controlling Qiongzuo and ruling over Ba and Yu."

Seeking relief from suffering and spreading the word, the court placed great importance on this matter, appointing the governor of the countryside as a close relative.

Right Grand Master of the Palace, Right General of the Martial Guard, General of the Banner, Imperial Envoy, Governor-General of Bingzhou, Pillar of State, Duke of Jin, Yi
He possesses a profound and insightful character, and his understanding and judgment are clear. He has been instrumental in governing the region, achieving remarkable success. His administration of the capital and surrounding areas has earned him a distinguished reputation. He is hereby appointed Left Vice Minister of the Yizhou Circuit, with all other duties remaining unchanged.

Li Yuan nodded in the carriage, "Well written. Wu Yi is my cousin and a member of the imperial family. He has commanded troops several times and achieved remarkable victories."

At the beginning of his rebellion, the emperor placed high hopes on his relatives and members of the imperial clan, appointing Jiancheng and Shimin to command the left and right armies. After entering the pass and becoming emperor, he appointed the Prince of Qi to govern Hedong and sent his son-in-law Duan Lun to govern Jiannan.
His cousins ​​Li Xiaogong and Li Yuan managed the southern part of the mountain, while he sent his cousin Shentong to manage the Shandong region and Xiaoji to guard Shanzhou.

Let Li Shimin plan for Henan.

He personally oversaw operations in Chang'an, coordinating the overall situation.

He also heavily relied on his wife's family, the Dou family, and his maternal family, the Dugu family, among others.

Since they're all family members, it's natural to feel more at ease and reliable when starting a business.

However, things did not go as smoothly as planned. For example, Duan Lun and Dou Jin failed to manage Jiannan well, and in Shannan, Li Yuan was initially in charge, and he was appointed as the governor of Xinzhou. However, until the second year of Wude, Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang, could not make any progress. Instead, the situation became critical several times, with Xinzhou surrounded by enemies on all sides. Xiao Xian was about to break through Kuimen and advance into Bashu.

Li Yuan had no choice but to replace Zhao Jun Gong Li Xiaogong with Li Xiaogong, and changed Xinzhou to Kuizhou. Li Xiaogong was not good at first either. The Kaizhou barbarians repeatedly defeated the Tang army and even seized Tongzhou behind Xinzhou.

Fortunately, Xu Shao, an old classmate from Xiazhou, withstood the attack of Xiao Xian from Jingzhou, and Li Jing suddenly displayed great prowess, proving that even in his old age, he was still vigorous and repeatedly defeated the barbarians of Kaizhou, recovering Kaizhou, Tongzhou and other places, thus stabilizing the rear.

This stabilized the situation in Shannan and protected the rear of Sichuan and Chongqing.

Li Yuanji's campaign to govern Taiyuan and Li Shentong's management of Hebei both ended in complete failure. Yong'an Prince Xiaoji, who was originally stationed in Shanzhou, was eventually killed after several defeats.

Li Yuan was also quite helpless.

Of the relatives of the imperial clan on whom he had placed high hopes, only Erlang Shimin was truly capable; the others were not.

On the contrary, people like Li Yi, Dao Xuan, Dao Zong, and Xiao Gong came from behind and performed exceptionally well.

Pei Ji, Li Yuan's old comrade, almost ruined Li Yuan's foundation. When the Crown Prince was in Yuanzhou, he caused 10,000 of his 20,000 troops to flee without even fighting.

Horse-drawn carriages traveled on the roads of Guanzhong.

Local officials, soldiers, and civilians along the way had repaired the roads in advance, paving them with yellow earth and sprinkling clean water, so the ride wasn't too bumpy or dusty.

Li Yuan instructed Feng Deyi to submit the imperial edict to the Secretariat for review and to issue it as soon as possible.

"I've heard you're quite good at chess. Let's play a game, uncle and nephew."

The emperor's carriage was spacious and comfortable, but Li Yi felt a little constrained. "I only know the basics; I'm just a beginner."

"Actually, I'm not very good at chess, I'm terrible at it, only Pei Ji likes to make me happy."

Set out the chessboard, and the king and queen begin their game.

Li Yi was quite skilled, but he discovered that the emperor was even more skilled. Thinking about it, that makes sense; playing chess requires vision and strategic thinking, you have to be able to plan and strategize, you can't just move one step at a time.

Li Yuan was the founding emperor of the dynasty. No matter how much history books belittle him, Li Yi believes that Li Yuan's abilities were definitely above average among Chinese emperors.

Although the emperor was born into a good family, he lost his father at the age of seven. At the time of his birth, the Li family was already in decline, and he was raised by his uncle Yang Jian during his childhood.

He served as a bodyguard to his uncle, who became emperor, when he was around ten years old. He later served as the governor of Qiao, Qi and Long prefectures, where he gained experience. After his cousin Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, he served as the prefect of Xingyang and Loufan prefectures. Later, he was transferred to the positions of Palace Attendant and Junior Minister of the Imperial Guard, thus entering the military.

Yang Guang conquered Goguryeo, and Li Yuan transported grain and fodder.

With the empire in chaos, Li Yuan began to govern local areas, starting as the garrison commander of Honghua County, then as the military governor of Guanzhong, and later as the commissioner for the suppression and arrest of criminals in Shanxi and Hedong. He was then promoted to Right General of the Valiant Guard, and appointed as the pacification ambassador of Shanxi and Hedong, the governor of Taiyuan, and the supervisor of Jinyang Palace.
Li Yuan had a very rich career, navigating the officialdom for forty years, which was quite remarkable.

My uncle Zhang He said that the emperor had always been a man of great ambition and a heart for governing the world. He could remember people he met once, regardless of their status, for more than ten years.

This is a shrewd and cunning person.

This explains why, even though Li Yuan started his rebellion relatively late, many people actively sought to join him when he marched south. While he was still in Hedong, many forces in Guanzhong already supported him.

After entering Chang'an, they received support from many local officials and generals of the Sui Dynasty and nobles of the previous dynasty.

Actually, looking at the names Li Yuan gave his sons, Jiancheng and Shimin, it's clear they were very ambitious.

Li Yi lost three games in a row.
It's not that he's giving way, it's that he's really no match for him. He only learned a little from his girlfriend before, so he's a complete amateur. He's only slightly better than the monk Huile from Mati Temple.

Li Yuan was quite pleased with his victory, saying, "You played a very solid game, but you were too conservative and lacked ambition."

"I am already very proud that I have been able to stand firm before Your Majesty for so long."

"Hahaha."

When Li Yuan was in a good mood, he became more talkative.

"You are good at defense, and then you will look for weaknesses to attack, seeking stability. In this respect, you are somewhat like Erlang, but Erlang is not only good at defense, but also good at offense."

Erlang is also adventurous; once he finds an opportunity, he launches a fierce offensive and continuously expands his gains.

The same principle applied when fighting Xue Ju and his son in Jingzhou, and when fighting Song Jingang and Liu Wuzhou in Hedong: first, hold your ground and let them be complacent.
But once they seize an opportunity, they'll fight to the death.

Song Jingang's 30,000 troops, running out of food, retreated, only to be relentlessly attacked by Erlang's relentless assaults over the next few hundred miles.

Even in Changzi, Luzhou, he joined forces with Liu Wuzhou, but their 20,000-strong army was still defeated by Erlang in a single battle, just like in the Battle of Qianshuiyuan.

Once you reveal a weakness in front of Erlang, you will have no chance of escaping.

"Sometimes he's so bold that it even frightens me. I think he's too reckless and adventurous, and I'm always worried that something might happen to him. But since he started his rebellion in Taiyuan, he really hasn't been defeated once."

Li Yuan's expression actually showed great admiration for his second son.

Unfortunately, even in imperial families, the second son, even the legitimate second son, still suffers some regrets.

Li Yi listened quietly.

It's not his place to say anything.

"Can you play the pipa?"

Li Yi shook his head. “I used to travel the world with my master, Master Li. In Lingnan, I learned to play a six-stringed wooden zither from the barbarians on a ship from the East China Sea. They called it a guitar, which was simpler than our zither and pipa.”

"Oh, then you must bring your guitar and play a few songs for me later."

"The old guitar is damaged. I will find a craftsman to make a few more so that I can sing for Your Majesty."

The imperial guards escorted the emperor and his officials back to Chang'an.
Carriages and horses moved like dragons.

In the fields on both sides of the road, wheat seedlings are growing vigorously, with leaves that are even dark green. At this time, the wheat needs rain the most, and the yield depends on the amount of rain.

Thinking back to this time last year,
He was still marching rapidly through Sparrow Valley, experiencing the unease and fear brought on by the news of Li Zhongwen's disastrous defeat.

In the blink of an eye, the war in Hedong was quelled.
He has been lying low in Guanzhong for quite some time now.

"Zheng Yuanzhu, the Duke of Xin and Minister of State Ceremonies, was sent as an envoy to the Turks, but he was detained by Chuluo Khan. I have also detained Rehan Teqin. Now things are very tense with the Turks."

I have heard that Chuluo Khan is gathering troops and may launch a major southward invasion at any time. What strategies do you have to stabilize the border?

"Your Majesty, from a purely military perspective, we now need to seize the opportunity to recapture Daibei and take back Xinzhou, Weizhou, Shuozhou, and Yunzhou—all the prefectures within the outer Great Wall—in one fell swoop."
This would keep the Turks out of the Great Wall. By sending generals and troops to garrison the fortresses outside Yanmen Pass, the Turks could be prevented from raiding southward.
At least there should be a buffer zone, preventing them from easily entering Taiyuan and penetrating our plains, which are our grain-producing areas and major tax-paying regions.

Li Yuan held a chess piece in his hand: "Now the Turks are stationed at Shiling Pass and other places north of Taiyuan, and they have also sent my son Yusheshe to lead 10,000 Turks to Mayi. They are determined to protect Liu Wuzhou's territory in the north. What can we do?"

"Chuluo Khan has only recently ascended to the throne, and his prestige within the Khanate is still insufficient. He wants to move south, but he doesn't have many supporters within the Khanate. Most of the Turkic nobles only want to plunder, maintain the silk and horse trade with us, keep border markets open, and want tea, wine, salt, cloth, ironware, and other goods from the Central Plains."

The fierce cries of Chuluo Khan now are mostly threats.

Even if the imperial court were to send troops to Daibei, they might not necessarily fight to the death, and they were not prepared.

Li Yuan thought for a while and then shook his head.

"If it's just an attack on Liu Wuzhou of Daibei, that's fine, but if we're going to start a war with the Turks, now is not the time."

"Then let's try a different approach. Send generals to garrison Taiyuan and Loufan, stockpile plenty of gold, silver, and silk, and generously reward all those who surrender from Daibei. Meanwhile, send surprise troops to frequently raid enemy cities, cutting down their crops, plundering their cattle and sheep, and even taking their people, thus disrupting their production."

"Then in a few years, Daibei will run out of food, and Mayi and other places will fall easily."

Although Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang escaped back, they lost all their troops in the Central Plains. Yuchi Gong, Xun Xiang, Zhang Wansui, and Yang Funian all surrendered.

If it weren't for the protection of the Turks, a few thousand men could have swept through Daibei.

The emperor is still somewhat hesitant. He wants to take advantage of the victory to destroy Liu Wuzhou and reclaim Daibei, but he is also worried about the Turks. He is hesitant and afraid to act rashly.

a long time,

The emperor placed the chess piece in the center of the chessboard.
Although he remained silent, Li Yi understood that the emperor still wanted to take Luoyang first.

Before fighting the outside, make peace with the inside first.

It seems we'll have to make concessions to the Turks again.

Although this situation was frustrating, Li Yi could understand the emperor's thoughts, but he still did not approve of it.

After a few days,
The imperial carriage returned to Chang'an.

At this time, Qin King Li Shimin also led his troops to Taiyuan. Qin King originally planned to take advantage of the victory and attack Mayi in one fell swoop, and even capture Yunzhong.

However, an imperial edict was sent urgently from Chang'an.

The emperor ordered the King of Qin to return to Yuzhou and recapture Xia County.

Another secret edict was sent to the King of Qin.

After reading the secret edict, the King of Qin summoned Li Jizhen, the Prince of Pengcheng, and his son Li Boyuan, the Duke of Loufan, into the city. He then publicly announced that Li Jizhen and his son had secretly colluded with the Turks to plot a rebellion.

They were immediately dragged out and beheaded.
They also executed all their close confidants and trusted followers.

The two men dismissed and released some of their subordinates, who were mostly soldiers and soldiers.

At the same time, orders were issued to relocate many Lishi and Loufan Jihu tribes to other places and to resettle them in scattered locations.

Before their deaths, Li Jizhen and his son cursed Li Yuan for breaking his promise, but not a single civil or military official in the Tang army pleaded for their lives.

Whether Li Jizhen and his son truly colluded with the Turks or plotted a rebellion is no longer important. Perhaps they did, perhaps they didn't, but their previous fickle and capricious behavior had already sown the seeds of their impending doom.

Now that the imperial court has recovered Hedong, it is only natural that they must be dealt with. Liu Liu'er had already been killed by Li Yi, and now it is the turn of Li Jizhen and his son.

Li Shimin executed Li Jizhen, a Ji Hu who had been granted the surname and title of king, handed over Bingzhou to Li Zhongwen, and then led his troops south.

At this point in the war, there was still one city in Hedong that had not been recovered, namely Xia County.

Even after Lü Chongmao's death, his men continued to hold their ground.

Liu Dewei, the governor of Xizhou, was summoned to the capital and appointed as the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud. Li Daoxuan, the Prince of Huaiyang, succeeded him as the governor of Xizhou, while Li Daozong, the Prince of Rencheng, remained the governor of Jinzhou.

The position of Governor-General of Luzhou was awarded to Li Xiyu, the Duke of Ankang and Vice Minister of the Imperial Treasury, who was also a member of the Imperial Clan Court.

Originally, the position of chief administrator should have belonged to Wang Xingmin. Unfortunately, he had previously killed Guo Ziwu, the governor of Luzhou. It was later discovered that Guo Ziwu did not intend to surrender to Liu Wuzhou. Instead, it was found that Guo Ziwu and Wang Xingmin had a long-standing feud. One of them was a local official and the other was a bandit leader. Wang Xingmin undoubtedly intended to take advantage of the situation to settle his personal score.

The emperor's final decision was to recall Wang Xingmin to the capital and retain him as General of the Left Guard, while appointing Li Xiyu as the Governor-General of Luzhou.

Prince Qin, Li Shimin, still concurrently served as the Governor-General of Puzhou, while Li Yi's position as Governor-General of Bingzhou was merely nominal, with Li Zhongwen acting as the Acting Governor-General of Bingzhou.

The position of Governor-General of Daizhou was actually abolished, because the emperor did not intend to attack Daizhou.

The former governor of Shizhou, Li Jizhen, was killed, and Zhang Lun, the Duke of Xihe, took over the position.

Pu Jin, Lu Xi Shi Bing, and Hedong maintained six general administrations, all of which were subordinate to the Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Administration.

The emperor even issued a special edict, placing the area east of Tongguan, including Hedong, Henan, and Hebei, under the jurisdiction of the Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Secretariat.

However, in the entire Henan province, the Tang Dynasty now only controls Shanzhou, Guozhou, Xiongzhou, and Guzhou. In Huaizhou, north of Luoyang, only a few castles remain.

As for Hebei, only Li Yi of Youzhou and Deng Song of Yingzhou remain.

The situation is not optimistic.

Li Yi, the Prince of Yan in Youzhou, was a very capable general. During this period, Dou Jiande, unwilling to accept defeat, launched another fierce attack on Youzhou. After a prolonged siege, he was forced to retreat to Longhuo City, where Li Yi seized the opportunity to attack and behead 5,000 men.

At this point, instead of reflecting on why he couldn't defeat Li Yi, Dou Jiande listened to the slander of his generals and had Wang Fubao, the bravest general under his command, executed on charges of treason.

His prime minister, Song Zhengben, earnestly advised Dou Jiande, but Dou Jiande listened to slander and had him executed.

When Li Shimin returned south,
Li Yuan issued two more imperial edicts.

"Yang Shilin, the Left Vice Minister of the Xianzhou Circuit, was promoted to Minister of the Xianzhou Circuit and granted the title of Duke of Cai. His Chief Clerk, Tian Zan, was appointed Governor of Suizhou."

"Li Fuwei, the Right Vice Minister of the Southeast Circuit and Prince of Chu, was promoted to Prince of Wu, appointed as an envoy, commander-in-chief of military affairs south of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, governor of Yangzhou, minister of the Southeast Circuit, and pacification commissioner of Huainan Circuit."

Fu Gongshi was appointed Left Vice Minister of the Southeast Circuit and promoted to Duke of Shu.

The Tang Dynasty had four regional military commands: the Shaanxi East Circuit Commander-in-Chief, the Yizhou Circuit Commander-in-Chief, the Southeast Circuit Commander-in-Chief, and the Xianzhou Circuit Commander-in-Chief.

Two of them surrendered to local forces.

Among them, Yang Shilin, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Xianzhou, came from a family that had been chieftains of a barbarian tribe for generations. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he was a military officer in the Yingyang Prefecture. Like Liu Wuzhou, he seized control of the prefecture by killing officials. Later, he fought a fierce battle with Zhu Can and won. He then led the four prefectures in the eastern part of the Han River to surrender to Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang, who was then the governor of Xinzhou. These prefectures later became several prefectures in the Tang and Sui Dynasties. This place was quite important.

Li Yuan generously granted him the title of Xingtai (行台), but the territory was small and the army was not large. Therefore, although he was granted the title of Xingtai, he was neither given the imperial surname nor made a king.

Of course, there was another reason why he was not granted a surname and title: Yang Shilin, who was in the middle of various forces, had been secretly dealing with Li Mi, Wang Shichong, Xiao Xian, Lin Shihong and others for the past two years.

Li Yuan simply couldn't spare the time right now, so he could only try to appease them as much as possible.

Especially now, with the Tang Dynasty about to launch a formal attack on Wang Shichong in Luoyang, it is essential to first win over and appease Yang Shilin, who is in Wang Shichong's rear.

Li Yi returned to Chang'an
When visiting relatives and friends, and finally arriving at Li Jing's home, he learned that Li Jing, due to his repeated victories in Shannan, had been appointed Governor-General of Tongzhou and granted the title of Marquis of Yongkang County by the emperor. It is said that the emperor also sent a messenger with a personal letter to Li Jing, which read: 'Past events are forgiven; I have long forgotten the past. Do your utmost and need not worry about wealth and honor.'

(End of this chapter)