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

Chapter 358 The Banks of the Sanggan River
Xia County.

The Tang army surrounded the city like an iron barrel. The Prince of Qin returned with his army, riding the wave of his great victory, and swiftly breached the city.

"Massacre? Do you even know how many people are in this city? Over 30,000 people. The real rebels are just some local strongmen like Lü Chongmao and their retainers."
Most of them were just young and middle-aged people who were caught up in the situation.

Most of them were the unarmed, weak, women, and children, many of whom had their homes burned and were driven into Xia County by Pei Ji's scorched-earth order. Now they were to be slaughtered?

Inside the central army camp outside the city,
Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table in dissatisfaction.

Yuwen Ying, the Director of Tongyi Palace and Duke of Huazheng, smiled apologetically, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I am only here to deliver the order. The massacre of the city was His Majesty's decision."

“I will immediately write to the sage.”

Yuwen Ying said, "His Majesty's decree is to immediately massacre the city as a warning to others!"

"Who would dare to massacre the city without my permission?" Li Shimin glared angrily.

During the dispute,
General Chang He arrived.

"This humble general has come from Chang'an on imperial orders to convey the Emperor's decree to cancel the massacre of Xia County, enslave all those in Xia County who have sided with the rebels, and confiscate all their property."

"King Qin, please immediately send men to take inventory of the prisoners, confiscate their money, silk, land, and houses, and register them."

Li Shimin asked, "Why are the orders changed so frequently, from slaughtering people to enslaving them? What is the meaning of this?"

Chang He then briefly explained the situation: "His Majesty originally intended to massacre both Xia County and Puban, and the Crown Prince also said that they should be severely punished. Later, the Duke of Jin advised against it, saying that Puban had already surrendered and His Majesty had dealt with it long ago, and that it would be unbelievable to massacre the city again afterward."

"What about Xia County?"

"It was also the Duke of Jin who advised against it, saying that the massacre of the city was too cruel and brutal. He also said that the court had recovered Hedong, but the soldiers' rewards had not yet been paid, and the national treasury was empty. He suggested that it would be better to punish the rebels in Xia County by confiscating them into slavery and use the proceeds as rewards for the soldiers, offsetting part of the money and silk owed to them."

They also confiscated fields, houses, money, and silk from Xia County to reward meritorious officials. The Grand Secretary Feng Ye advised against this, and the emperor accepted his advice.

"The entire city of over 30,000 people, are to be reduced to slaves? Their land and wealth are to be confiscated?"

"Yes."

Li Shimin frowned deeply.

"Since that's the case, then this matter will be handled by Yuwen Ying and Chang He. I will return to the capital in triumph." The King of Qin flicked his sleeves and left.

Leave a force to them.

The next day, Li Shimin broke camp and returned to the capital, unable to tolerate such a harsh punishment.

On the way,

Fang Xuanling was still trying to persuade Li Shimin, saying, "At least Your Majesty can still listen to the Duke of Jin's words, otherwise the massacre of Xia County would have been a truly heinous crime."

"Now they've committed these sins, and all of them should be attributed to Pei Ji. If he hadn't been incompetent yet insisted on commanding troops, and hadn't abandoned Huoyi and Jinzhou after the defeat, retreating all the way to Yuzhou, forcing the people to move into the castle, burning their houses, and destroying their crops, how could Lü Chongmao and the others have rebelled if they hadn't been so pressured?" Li Shimin said indignantly.

"There's no point in saying all this now. Pei Ji is deeply trusted by the Sage, so it's best for Your Majesty to avoid too much conflict with him," Du Ruhui advised.

"Alas!" Li Shimin sighed, "Am I to follow Li Yi's example, abandoning the army and his duties just because Chuluo Khan gave him a wolf-head banner, and running straight back to Chang'an for a vacation?"

Fang Xuanling smiled and said, "Although the Duke of Jin is young, he is very sensible. He has actually made the right move. If he had only reported it to the court, it might have aroused suspicion in the court."
He voluntarily returned to the capital and even declined the title of Prince of the County. He is doing quite well now.

Moreover, unlike Pei Ji, he didn't abandon his army, cities, or even his own banner in a hasty retreat. Li Yi made all the necessary arrangements before heading south.

Du Ruhui also greatly admired Li Yi.

Who would have thought that in just one year he would achieve such great feats, and even be able to retire gracefully at the height of his career? It's truly remarkable.

"What's so great about being appointed as the Left Minister of Yizhou and the Governor-General of Bingzhou?" Li Shimin shook his head. "Those who are truly capable have to worry about this and that, while it is the incompetent who occupy high positions in the court."

"I just can't understand it. Pei Ji committed such a grave mistake—no, such a heinous crime—in Hedong, yet the Emperor still appointed him to the high position of Right Minister. What was he thinking?"

Spending the night in Anyi City

Du Ruhui knocked on Li Shimin's door, where the young Prince of Qin was reading a military book.

"Kemin isn't asleep yet?"

"Your Majesty, someone has come to my home in Chang'an."

"But what happened at home?" Li Shimin put down the book in his hand.

Du Ruhui went over and lowered his voice: "It was Wu Yi who sent him with a message that the Crown Prince is requesting His Majesty to lead the eastern expedition against Luoyang, and also recommends Wu Yi as the deputy commander to go out of Wuguan to recover Deng and Xiang, attack Yang Shilin in Xianzhou, and then surround Luoyang."

"Li Yi also said that His Majesty seems to be planning to launch an attack, possibly in July."

Li Shimin slammed the military treatise on the table, his two sword-like eyebrows raised. "Wang Shichong is not so easy to defeat. Does the Crown Prince really think that Wang Shichong is weak and easy to bully, and that we can let him pick up military merits and gild his reputation?"

"Has Your Majesty forgotten the lessons of Pei Ji and the Prince of Qi so quickly? And last year, when the Crown Prince was in Yuanzhou, his excessive hunting led to the desertion of more than half of the soldiers. Has he forgotten that as well?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Since His Majesty has not yet made a decision, there is still room for negotiation. The most urgent matter now is to return to the capital as soon as possible, otherwise, once the matter is settled, it will be difficult to reverse the situation."

Li Shimin asked, "Did Wuyi bring any news?"

"We should only send verbal messages, lest the letters fall into the wrong hands," Du Ruhui said.

Li Shimin got up and paced around the room, turning in circles repeatedly, his brow furrowed in worry.

“Kemin, actually I originally wanted to wait until I returned to the court to advise the emperor to first deal with Xiao Xian of Jiangling and clear out Jing and Han, so as to ensure the stability of Bashu and at the same time obtain the money and grain supply from Shannan.”

"Let the soldiers rest for a year or two before marching east to attack Luoyang, letting Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong fight it out first."

Du Ruhui also knew that this was a safer approach.

But time waits for no one. The Turks were pressing hard. This time, they defeated Liu Wuzhou, but Daibei was still in the hands of his old subordinate Yuan Junzhang. There was also Liang Shidu in Shuofang, not to mention that Chuluo Khan had established a Sui King in Dingxiang.

Various forces in the Central Plains were engaged in a fierce war of annexation.

How could the emperor in Chang'an sit idly by? If either Wang Shichong or Dou Jiande were to annex the other, it would be extremely detrimental to the Li Tang dynasty in Guanzhong.

Furthermore, the areas south of the mountains and south of the Yangtze River, as well as the areas south of the Yangtze River and south of the Lingnan Mountains, were still divided into separate territories.

"Once the weather turns cold, the imperial court will definitely send troops to Luoyang. We still need to fight for the military governorship. For both public and private reasons, we cannot let the crown prince take the command."

If the Crown Prince suffers a major defeat like Pei Ji, the Tang Dynasty cannot afford such losses again.

Moreover, Wang Shichong was far more capable than Liu Wuzhou. Wang Shichong fought countless battles in the Central Plains, whether against Li Mi, the Li Tang dynasty, or against various rebel armies and bandits. In fact, Wang Shichong often won more battles than he lost.

Wang Shichong was inherently disadvantaged. Of non-Han origin, he lacked a strong base of support. His northward march from Jiangdu to Luoyang was constantly hampered, compounded by Li Mi's relentless attacks. Furthermore, the Tang dynasty seized the opportunity to enter Guanzhong, further squeezing him from the east and north.

Even so, Wang Shichong was able to grow stronger with each battle, which shows how formidable he was. Crown Prince Jiancheng was definitely no match for him.

Last year, Wang Shichong took advantage of the battle in Hedong...
They killed Zhang Shanxiang, the governor of Yizhou, and seized several prefectures southwest of Luoyang. Now they have killed Xiong Silang, the governor of Dengzhou, and then captured Xiangyang, a key town on the Han River. They have already blocked the Wuguan Pass in Guanzhong and even made contact with Xiao Xian of Jiangling.

At the beginning of the year, Wang Shichong allied with Chuluo Khan and married his niece to the Turks, obtaining several batches of warhorses from them.

"I think the Crown Prince has a valid point,"

Wang Shichong seized Deng and Xiang in Shannan, and Yang Shilin of Xianzhou was also secretly colluding with him. It was indeed necessary to first send troops out of Wuguan to recapture Xiang and Deng, and then attack Yang Shilin of Xianzhou.

Moreover, Li Yi is indeed suitable to lead troops.

No one could question Li Yi's military talent after the military exploits he had made in Hedong last year. Although each battle seemed unremarkable, Li Shimin often analyzed Li Yi's battles when they were at Baibi.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how extraordinary Li Yi was. He was always well-prepared for every battle, never fighting unprepared, never taking risks, and always planning carefully before acting. He could turn the tide of battle, leading the enemy by the nose.

Fighting on his pre-determined battlefield.

There were no fancy or ingenious tactics, but they won by steadily advancing step by step, making small but steady progress.

He felt that Li Yi's military tactics could be summed up in one sentence: "A heavy sword has no edge, great skill appears effortless."

"Let Prince Xiaogong of Hejian, along with Li Yaoshi and Xu Shao, sail down the Yangtze River to attack and contain Xiao Xian, preventing him from allying with Wang Shichong."
Then Li Yi left Wuguan Pass, sailed down the Dan River, first recapturing Dengzhou and Nanyang, then taking Xiangzhou, and finally attacking Yang Shilin and others in Handong.
I will then send troops out of Tongguan and station them at Xin'an to tie down Wang Shichong's main force, holding back until Wu Yi has recovered Xiangyang and Dengzhou. Then we will advance to attack Hanoi and Xiangcheng, gradually clearing the outskirts of Luoyang.

"After clearing out the outer perimeter, we can besiege Luoyang for a long time. Luoyang has been short of food for the past few years. As long as we eliminate the outer perimeter, Luoyang can be besieged for a maximum of one year."

The main reason for adopting this tactic was to preserve strength and avoid excessive losses, so as to prevent Dou Jiande, Xiao Xian and others from taking advantage of the situation.

Li Shimin never dared to underestimate Wang Shichong, his opponent. He had studied dozens of Wang Shichong's battles, had a deep understanding of him, and was also very wary of him; Wang Shichong was a formidable opponent.

He believed that the Crown Prince might not understand Wang Shichong well enough, underestimate him, or be too eager for quick success. He feared that Wang Shichong would lead a large army straight to the walls of Luoyang and repeat the same mistake that Li Mi made when he attacked Luoyang.

"Kemin, you should get some rest too. We'll head back to Chang'an first thing tomorrow morning," Li Shimin said.

“Why don’t I go ahead tomorrow morning? I’ll go back to the capital and have a good talk with Wu Yi first, and give him a heads-up,” Du Ruhui said. “Although he has made great contributions and both he and his son have been granted the title of Duke, the fact that he sent a message today shows that he still has the King’s heart.”

Li Shimin smiled. He was actually very pleased that Li Yi was able to send him this message at this time, which showed that Li Yi was still the same Li Yi as before.

“Alright, you go back first, Xuanling and I will talk later.”

Daibei, Weizhou.

At the foot of Xiong'er Mountain, by the Sanggan River,

A Turkic army was stationed here.

South of here is the Flying Fox Road, which leads to the foot of the Taihang Mountains. There, one of the eight passes of Taihang, the Flying Fox Pass, leads to Yizhou in Hebei.

Heading northwest, one can reach Yunzhou and exit the village via Baideng Road. Alternatively, one can head northeast along the Sanggan River Valley into Huairong and exit the border from the Yehuling area.

Alternatively, one can travel east from Huairong and enter Youzhou via Junduxing.

“Reporting to Nibushe, we have captured a group of horse thieves who actually tried to steal our horses,” a wolf rider reported.

Li Yi's sworn brother, Nibushe, said with a smile that after leaving Taiyuan, he went north to Loufan County and plundered a lot. After leaving Loufan Pass, he followed the Sanggan River northeastward back to the Yazhang in the north of Youzhou.

But he wasn't in a hurry; he walked and stopped, grabbing whatever opportunity presented itself.
At this time, they were staying within the territory of Weizhou.

Unexpectedly, someone dared to steal his thunder.

When they arrived at the riverbank, they found that about several dozen people were surrounded, and seven or eight people lay on the ground, wounded by arrows.

"Where did these bandits come from, daring to rob me?" Nibushe strode forward.

Unexpectedly, one of the bandits opposite shouted, "Honorable Nibu She, I never expected to meet you here! I am Song Jingang, the brother-in-law of the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty! We have met before!"

"It's all a misunderstanding. I didn't realize it was your men herding horses here."

"Song Jingang?"

Shibobi asked, somewhat puzzled, "Weren't you dead?"

Song Jingang said, "After my defeat in Changzi, Luzhou, I returned all the way to Shanggu to recruit men, and then went back to Mayi."

Shibobi sneered a few times: "Liu Wuzhou's head was cut off by Chuluo Khan and sent to Chang'an. Now there is no Liu Han left in Mayi. Yuan Junzhang has led his troops to accept the investiture of the King of Dingxiang Sui and has become the Grand Administrator of Shuozhou Road of Sui State."

Song Jingang had been having a tough time lately. He first fled back to Shanggu, the place where he had started his career and fought his way through mountains and valleys, intending to recruit soldiers there before returning to Mayi to defend the emperor.
But now Shanggu is Dou Jiande's territory, and it's not so easy for him to recruit more soldiers. He has recruited some soldiers, but he is short of horses.

He heard that there was a Turkic tribe here with many horses, so he wanted to steal some. Little did he know that this was not an ordinary herding tribe, but several thousand elite cavalrymen from Nibushe.

“Nibushe, don’t joke around. My emperor was bestowed by Shibi Khan, and Chuluo Khan also strongly supported him before. How could he kill him?”

Shibobi squinted at Song Jingang and his group, noting their lack of armor, weapons, and even fewer warhorses.

"Song Jingang, I've also heard of your valiant reputation. Now that Liu Wuzhou is dead and Yuan Junzhang has sided with Yang Zhengdao..."
You'll have nowhere to stay even if you return to Mayi.

"Why don't you come work for me? I'll make you a special agent."

Looking at the troops set up in Nibu, Song Jingang recalled the news that Liu Wuzhou was dead and Yuan Junzhang had surrendered to the Sui Dynasty. After hesitating for a while, he nodded in agreement.

"Someone, go and slaughter some sheep, and bring some persimmon wine. I want to have a good chat with General Song."

A fine wine and meat were prepared to entertain the guests at the muddy steps.
While drinking and eating meat, Song Jingang inquired about the situation, but he knew little about many things that had happened after the defeat at Luzhou.

Nibushe also told everything he knew.

night.

Song Jingang secretly woke up his men. He finally decided to go to Mayi. It wasn't that he didn't trust Nibushe, but even if Liu Wuzhou was dead, he didn't want to follow Nibushe to the grasslands to become some kind of special agent.

Nibushe was fast asleep when he was awakened by his men.

“Nibushe, Song Jingang ran away, and he also stole a lot of our horses, armor and arrows.”

Awakened, Nibushe's eyes were red with anger. He was furious when he heard that Song Jingang had run away and even stolen his horse, armor, and weapons.

"Chase!"

Nibushe personally led his cavalry in pursuit.
Song Jingang and his group were mostly new recruits and did not escape far; they were caught up with at noon.

Enraged, Nibushe ignored his nonsense and surrounded the group, shooting them all dead with a hail of arrows.

Song Jingang's head was cut off.

“Send it to my sworn brother Li Yi in Chang’an. Tell him that this man is recruiting soldiers to launch a counterattack against the Tang Dynasty. He has already gathered several thousand men, but I discovered him, attacked and annihilated them. Send Song Jingang’s head to him in the hope of exchanging it for some rewards from the court!” Ni Bushe said, examining the head.

(End of this chapter)