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

Chapter 360 Appointed Commander
After the Battle of Hedong,
The court's soldiers were exhausted, and funds and provisions were scarce, but Li Yuan dared not stop to rest, for time was of the essence.

Prince Qin, Li Shimin, returned to the capital ahead of schedule.

This also disrupted the Crown Prince's plan, which was to seize the command seal while the King of Qin was still in Hedong.

Li Yuan summoned his senior officials for a court meeting.

"Speak freely and express your opinions!" The emperor leaned against the armchair, his voice tinged with weariness.

Jiancheng looked at Li Yi, having already promised him the position of deputy commander of the eastern expedition. He hoped that Li Yi would step forward and recommend the crown prince to take command.

But today, Li Yi kept his eyes closed, his nose focused on his mouth, and his mouth focused on his heart, sitting there motionless.

Jiancheng then looked towards Li Gang, the Minister of Rites and the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.
In the Eastern Palace, Jiancheng had repeatedly told the officials and staff that he would be leading the eastern expedition.

Li Gang glanced at the Crown Prince but ignored him.

Jiancheng was extremely angry, and then looked at the Crown Prince's Left Attendant with a meaningful glance.

Zheng Shanguo nodded slightly and was about to rise and step forward when Qu Tutong, the Minister of War and concurrently the Left Vice Minister of the Shaanxi-Eastern Circuit, stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I believe that after recovering Hedong, we can take advantage of the victory to attack Wang Shichong of Luoyang. I recommend that the Prince of Qin be the commander-in-chief, and let the soldiers who have made meritorious contributions in Hedong lead the expedition."

Li Jiancheng was seething with anger.

Li Shimin immediately chimed in, "Your subject is willing to fight against Shichong for Your Majesty and recover the Heluo region."

The Crown Prince gave Zheng Shanguo a quick wink, and Zheng Shanguo immediately stood up and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the King of Qin has just finished his campaign against Hedong and should be recuperating at this time. As for the eastern expedition, I would like to ask the Crown Prince to lead the troops."

At the beginning of last year, the Crown Prince led troops to rescue Guzhou and also inflicted a major defeat on Wang Shichong.

This year, the Crown Prince can again lead the army out of Tongguan and advance on Guzhou. Then, Li Yi, the Duke of Jin, who also achieved great victories in Guzhou and Hedong last year, can lead the army out of Wuguan and advance on Xiangdeng. With one force and one strategy, they can wipe out the Shichong.

"Your Majesty, I oppose the Crown Prince leading the troops into battle."

Li Gang, the white-haired Minister of Rites and the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, stepped forward and actually opposed the Crown Prince being appointed commander-in-chief.

Li Jiancheng almost cursed him out on the spot: "How can you, as an official of the Crown Prince, undermine him?"

He strongly suspected that Li Gang had accepted bribes from Li Shimin.

"Wu Yi, tell me your opinion." Seeing that the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin had started arguing from the very beginning, Li Yuan called on Li Yi.

Li Yi, dressed in a purple robe and jade belt, looked helpless.

He rose and stepped out of the ranks.

"Your Majesty, May is an inauspicious month and not suitable for launching a military campaign. We should wait until July, when the weather has cooled down, before issuing a formal edict to send troops."

After the battle of Hedong, our troops are exhausted and our supplies are insufficient. Please allow them to rest and recuperate until the summer harvest is complete and food is plentiful before resuming the fight.

Li Yuan stroked his beard and remained silent.

He couldn't wait until after July. The weather was hot now, but Wang Shichong wouldn't stop his offensive.

"Erlang?" The emperor looked at Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, I believe we should first prepare for the eastern expedition. The deployment of troops, funds, and provisions, as well as the repair of weapons and armor, all require time. Two months of preparation should be sufficient."

Li Yuan sat up straight.

“Wang Shichong has successively captured Yizhou, Dengzhou, and Xiangzhou, and we cannot sit idly by. Now, even Yang Shilin, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Xianzhou, and Tian Zan, the General Manager of Suizhou, have already made contact with Wang Shichong.”

If we don't launch an attack soon, these dozens of prefectures in Xianzhou could fall into Wang Shichong's hands at any moment.

"We can wait until July to launch the campaign against Luoyang, but the campaign against Yang Shilin and the recapture of Xiangyang and Dengzhou are of utmost urgency!"

The Crown Prince spoke again, "Your subject recommends Li Yi as the Pacification Commissioner of Shannan Circuit and concurrently the Military Commander of Xianzhou Circuit, to lead the army out of Wuguan Pass first."

Li Shimin thought for a moment and then voiced his support, "Your subject seconds this proposal."

Jiancheng squinted at Shimin, then looked at Li Yi.

"Your Majesty, I am not skilled in military affairs. I would like to entrust such a heavy responsibility to a great general. I recommend Li Jing, the Marquis of Yongkang County, or Li Shiji, the Duke of Cao, both of whom are more suitable than me."

Li Yuan stroked his beard.

Li Jing was almost killed by him last year, but Xu Shao, who admired his talent, wrote a letter strongly advising against it, thus saving Li Jing's life. This year, Li Jing repeatedly defeated the barbarian tribes of Kaizhou and Xiao Xian's army in Shannan, and his performance was extremely outstanding. Li Yuan sighed that it was better to use mistakes than merits, and finally granted Li Jing a marquisate.

"Li Jing is currently the governor of Tongzhou, assisting the governors of Xinzhou, Prince Xiaogong of Hejian, and Prince Li Yuan of Lujiang in their campaigns against the mountain barbarians and Xiao Xian. He cannot be transferred at the moment."

As for Li Shiji
Li Yuan had little confidence in this Henan general who had been granted the imperial surname, the title of Duke, and listed in the imperial register. This was because he possessed the former territory and troops of Li Mi, numbering over ten thousand, encompassing hundreds of cities and ten prefectures.

As a result, even his own father was captured by Dou Jiande, and he also lost the Prince of Huai'an, Li Shentong, the Shandong Circuit Pacification Commissioner, and Li Yuan's sister, the Grand Princess of Tong'an.

Almost the entire Hebei and Henan provinces were lost.

He's been running his business in Henan for so many years and has failed miserably. Can he really succeed in going to Shannan, a place he knows absolutely nothing about?
"Li Shiji is not familiar with Shannan, nor with the generals in Guanzhong. This time, you will lead the troops, and Li Shiji will be your deputy general," the emperor decided.

"Feng Xiang, drafted an imperial edict, appointed Li Yihan as the General Commander of the Waterway Army, concurrently the Acting Minister of the Xianzhou Circuit, and the Pacification Commissioner of Shannan Circuit, granting him special permission to act at his own discretion, and he was appointed to the post by imperial decree."

"I will grant you 30,000 infantry and cavalry."

Li Yi couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to agree.

Because Li Gang, the Crown Prince's tutor, opposed the Crown Prince leading troops on the eastern expedition, Li Yuan, after much deliberation, ultimately did not dare to act recklessly at this critical juncture.

"The expedition to Luoyang will be led by Erlang, and all the troops will be under Erlang's command. As previously agreed, we will now coordinate the allocation of troops, money and provisions, and then officially launch the expedition after the weather turns cool in July."

Qu Tutong, Minister of War, was appointed as the deputy commander, Tang Jian, Vice Minister of the Chancellery, was appointed as the chief secretary, and Yin Kaishan, Vice Minister of War, was appointed as the military commander.

Luo Shixin was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Shanzhou Road Army; Huang Junhan was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Huaizhou Road Army; Shi Wanbao was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Xiongzhou Road Army; Ren Gui was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Guzhou Road Army; Wang Junkuo was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Yizhou Road Army; and Liu Dewei was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Luoshui Road Army.

Meanwhile, generals such as Liu Hongji, Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, and Yuchi Gong followed Li Shimin and commanded various units.

The emperor first promised Li Shimin 60,000 troops.

Li Yi only had 30,000 soldiers.

It's immediately clear who the main force is and who the supporting force is.

However, Li Shimin's main force would not send troops for another two months, while Li Yi's army was ordered to send troops directly by drafting an imperial edict in the palace.

Prepare to depart immediately.

Crown Prince Jiancheng gained nothing today. Not only did he fail to win the command of the Eastern Expedition, but even the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, the head of the Eastern Palace officials, was able to oppose and question him in the palace.

An enraged Jiancheng met with the emperor after the court meeting and directly demanded that Li Gang be replaced.

“Li Gang is old and senile, and is completely unsuitable to continue serving as the Crown Prince’s tutor. Your Majesty, please consider this carefully.”

Li Yuan held the guitar presented by Li Yi, testing its sound as he casually said, "I know Li Gang very well. Although he is a bit stubborn, he has always been loyal and upright. As the crown prince, you will not lack flatterers, but what you lack most is someone who can remain loyal and upright."

Was Li Gang really wrong to oppose you leading the troops?

Jiancheng knew the emperor was bringing up his trip to Yuanzhou last year again. "After the uprising in Taiyuan, I followed you south, commanding the Left Army. I made no mistakes and repeatedly achieved military merits." Li Yuan plucked the strings of his zither. "When the uprising marched south, you commanded the Left Army, but what truly tough battles did you fight? And how many of those decisions were truly yours?"
Everyone has their strengths. In military affairs, you can only be described as average. You're fine as a general, but you're not quite up to the task of commanding a large army and taking charge of a single area.

"You are the Crown Prince, the heir apparent. You don't need to personally lead troops into battle. Do I, too, have to personally lead the army and fight every single battle?"

"You have to admit that Erlang is better than you and Yuanji at leading troops into battle, and not just a little bit better."

Jiancheng was very dissatisfied.

“Your Majesty, Erlang is a capable warrior, but we cannot rely on him for every battle. Even if I do not command the troops, it is not necessarily necessary for Erlang to lead them.”

Li Yuan stopped what he was doing. "So you think there's anyone more suitable than Erlang? In the Battle of Hedong, I underestimated the enemy and let Li Zhongwen, Pei Ji, Dugu Huaien, and Xiaoji lead the troops. You saw the result."
They almost lost Hedong, and even Guanzhong was unstable.

Making such a mistake once is bad enough, but it must not be repeated.

Jiancheng gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, if Li Yi's expedition can successfully recover Xiangdeng and pacify Xianzhou Road, then we can let Li Yi lead the troops to attack Luoyang directly, without needing Erlang to take command again."

Li Yuan shook his head.

"Can't you even tell who's close and who's distant? Although Wu Yi is a relative, he's long past the fifth degree of kinship. Li Yi is young but very sensible, but we can't keep using him forever."

The imperial court cannot rely on any one person.

"So we can only rely on the King of Qin?"

Li Yuan couldn't continue talking to him.

"Don't be anxious. You are the Crown Prince. What's the rush? Once Erlang takes Luoyang, the overall situation of the world will be basically settled."

If you still wish to lead troops then, I will appoint you as commander to conquer Dou Jiande in Hebei, or to pacify Jiangnan.”

Finally, the emperor continued to play the zither, not forgetting to add a warning: "Whether it is Wuyi's conquest of Shannan or Erlang's attack on Luoyang, both are extremely important to the Tang Dynasty and cannot be allowed to go wrong."

You mustn't do anything reckless.

"Go back."

He gritted his teeth and withdrew from the project.

Li Yuan played for a while, but his mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't play the unfamiliar Yiqin well at all, so he simply put it down.

With a long sigh, Li Yuan was also in pain. He knew what the Crown Prince was anxious about, and he was also very worried. But could he gamble now?
If not Shimin, are we really going to use the Crown Prince?
Even if Li Yuan himself were to personally lead the campaign, he wouldn't be very confident, let alone the Crown Prince.

Let's finish this battle first.

Unifying the world is the top priority at present.

If they lose, they and their son will suffer the same fate as Xue Ju, Li Gui, Liu Wuzhou, and others. What's the point of fighting for them then?

Li Yi took the imperial edict to the Ministry of War.
Receive the military seal and command token, and deploy troops.

Li Shiji and Guo Xiaoke were both under his command. There were also Li Wenxiang and his mother and son, Huo, who were from Henan. After their attempt to kill Cao Dan failed, they led their troops westward, but were pursued and defeated by Dou's army halfway. The mother and son could only take some light cavalry and escape all the way to Huang Junhan's Baiyabao.

Then head to Chang'an.

Li Yuan treated the mother and son quite well. Although they came to him in dire straits, he still bestowed upon them the title of Marquis of Wen County and granted their mother, Lady Huo, the title of Lady of Pingyuan County.

The four of them reunited in Chang'an, and it was quite a bittersweet moment.

The emperor appointed several key deputies to Li Yi's army: Deputy Commander-in-Chief Cao Guogong Li Shiji, Chief Secretary Li Daliang, Military Advisor Li Hongjie, and Army Commanders Guo Xiaoke and Li Wenxiang.

Li Daliang was the Sima of the Jinzhou General's Office. He was originally a military officer under the Sui general Pang Yu. He was captured during a battle with Wagang and was originally scheduled to be executed, but Zhang Bi, who particularly admired Li Daliang, spared his life and later brought him to join Wagang. However, after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Daliang surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and was appointed as a county magistrate. His political achievements were outstanding, and since he also came from a military family in Guanzhong, he was highly appreciated by Li Yuan.

Li Hongjie, a member of the Li clan of Zhao County, was originally a military advisor to Xu Shao, the governor of Xia Prefecture.

Li Yi sat in the Ministry of War for a while.
All of his subordinates arrived; they were all in Chang'an, as were Li Daliang and Li Hongjie.

To Li Yi's surprise, a female general also arrived. She was tall and her silk armor made her look even more heroic and extraordinary.

"Commander-in-Chief Huo Yu has come to await orders from Grand Commander Hou!"

Li Yi was a little confused for a moment.

Li Wenxiang quickly said, "This is my mother."

Li Shiji also explained: "My adoptive mother was known as General Huo in Hebei. She led the righteous army in Hebei in the eighth year of the Daye era. She was skilled in riding and archery and understood military strategy."

The female general Li Yi was a first in the Tang Dynasty, but since it was arranged by Li Yuan, Li Yi did not object.

"Let me introduce myself first. I am Li Yi, courtesy name Wuyi. This expedition to Shannan will rely heavily on the experience of all the generals."

Li Shiji and the others introduced themselves one by one.

After listening, Li Yi concluded that they all had a common characteristic: they had all been defeated in battle and taken prisoner. Even Li Hongjie, who was originally a civil official, was captured when the city was breached during the suppression of bandits in Yiling County at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

But they have another characteristic,
Each one was bolder than the last.

For example, although Li Hongjie became a prisoner, he eventually managed to persuade the bandit leader to accept amnesty by using his words alone.

When Li Daliang became the magistrate of Tumen County, a famine struck and bandits roamed the land. This magistrate actually went to borrow grain from the bandits, recruited the dead and helped the poor, and led everyone to cultivate the land. That year, there was a bumper harvest. He took the grain back to repay the bandits, and then he used his words to recruit and pacify the bandits. Then, he led the recruited bandits to besiege and wipe out the evil and stubborn bandits, and the banditry in the area was quelled.

Needless to say, Li Wenxiang and his mother, the Huo family, with only 3,000 men under their command, dared to attack Cao Dan, who had 50,000 troops. They even set up a trap, getting Cao Dan's 23 generals drunk and killing them all. They also falsely issued military orders to sail to the north bank to transport troops, killing them once they reached the middle of the river.

If no one had escaped, Li Wenxiang could have continued transporting troops boat by boat to the center of the river and killing them.

After the plot was exposed, Xu Shiji and Guo Xiaoke fled immediately. The mother and son even crossed the river and defeated the Xia army in succession. In the end, they even led their troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. Such was their fierceness.

On the contrary, Xu Shiji was able to be both flexible and assertive.

Back then, when Li Mi fought against Wagang, Zhai Rang was killed, and Xu Shiji was slashed, so he quickly surrendered to Li Mi. Dou Jiande captured Liyang, and Xu Shiji escaped with two hundred light cavalry, but then he remembered that his father had been captured, so he went back to surrender.

He even helped Dou Jiande conquer several cities.

But as soon as he turned around, he secretly plotted to kill Dou Jiande and seize his territory. Although he ultimately failed, he decisively fled to Chang'an.

It's disregarding the Huo family mother and son; that's a bit disloyal, especially considering they've become sworn brothers.

Compared to them,
Li Yi was indeed a consistently victorious general.

In fact, whether it was Xu Shiji, Li Daliang, or the Huo family, all of them respected and admired Li Yi.

After all, they're all seasoned veterans; what matters is winning, not age, appearance, or anything like that. Winning is what truly matters.

Li Yi's performance in last year's Battle of Hedong was enough to convince them.

"Following the Grand Steward is our good fortune; we're about to benefit from his influence and gain merit," Li Shiji said with a smile.

This one isn't actually that old, he's twenty-one this year, while Li Wenxiang is eighteen.

Li Hongjie was only twenty-eight, and Li Daliang was thirty-four.

Ms. Huo was only in her early thirties and still retained her charm.

(End of this chapter)