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

Chapter 364 The King of Qin Doubles the Price

The return performance by the Turkic Khan Chuluo suddenly heightened tensions in Chang'an.

A storm was brewing silently, and Li Yi was caught in it. Although no one questioned Li Yi during the court meeting, there were many in the court who wanted to step on Li Yi to rise to power.

After the verdict on Li Zhongwen's rebellion was set, many officials impeached Li Yi. After all, before the abolition of the Bingzhou General Administration Office, Li Zhongwen was only the Inspector General of Bingzhou, while Li Yi was still the official General Governor of Bingzhou.

Moreover, Li Zhongwen had served under Li Yi for over a year, and most of the soldiers and officers in Bingzhou were Li Yi's former subordinates.

Faced with the invasion of the Turkic Khan Chuluo, the 20,000 soldiers of Bingzhou dared not fire a single arrow. Li Zhongwen even treated Chuluo, who was under the city of Taiyuan, to good food and drink, and sent him money and silk. He even tacitly allowed Chuluo's men to take 2,000 horses and more than 10,000 cattle and sheep south to Wang Shichong.

They want to hold Li Yi accountable for these things.

Fortunately, the memorials were submitted to the palace, but in the end, they were all kept in the palace and not issued.

Li Yi, however, had already foreseen this immense danger.

One wrong move and he would be torn to pieces.

Before setting off,

Li Yi simply shut himself away from visitors and spent more time with his wife and children every day.

Previously, Li Daliang's plan for Li Xiaogong and his three forces to launch a simultaneous attack was submitted to the emperor and approved after court deliberation. The court has officially issued an edict to establish the Jingxiang Road Army in Xinzhou, Jinzhou, Tongzhou, Qianzhou and other places, with Li Xiaogong as the general commander of the army, Li Jing as the general commander of the army and concurrently the chief secretary of the army, Li Yuan as the general commander of the Xiangzhou Road Army, Tian Shikang, the prefect of Qianzhou, as the general commander of the Chenzhou Road Army, and Xu Shao, the general commander of Xiazhou, as the general commander of the Xiazhou Road Army, to jointly attack Xiao Xian.

When Li Yibing marched out of Wuguan, the imperial court also summoned Zhou Faming, the governor of Huangzhou, and Lu Zushang, the governor of Guang Prefecture, to send troops to assist him.

The imperial court was frequently mobilizing troops.

Because of the looting in Chuluo, Hedong was also in turmoil. The emperor sent the crown prince to garrison Puban and readjust the deployment of troops in Hedong.

Du Shiniang was finally appeased because Li Yi had finally agreed to take Zheng's daughter as a concubine after his triumphant return.

"When will this war end? My husband has only been back for a short time, and he's already off to war again. I've been married for almost two years, and I still haven't conceived."
Is there something wrong with your health? Should you see a doctor?

"Didn't we have Yang, the drug inspector, check you out before? You're in good health."

“But I also followed your method and kept track of the days. I didn’t rest for a single day during those three days last time.”

Li Yi comforted her, "There's a probability involved; no one hits on their first try."

"But my husband is away from home all year round, how can I possibly have the chance?"

"You're so young, why the rush?"

"Shuying is pregnant, and Sanniang has also been diagnosed with pregnancy. How can I not be anxious? Everyone else thinks I can't have children."

Shi Niang nestled in his arms, telling him how much she wished Ping An, Ru Yi, Li Shu, and the others were her own children when she held them in her arms.

“The Silla maid isn’t pregnant yet either. Those two Hu women have been serving me in Hedong for more than half a year, and they’re not pregnant either. There’s no rush.”

"You're not in a hurry. You already have two children, and now you're pregnant with two more." Shi Niang pinched the flesh on his waist.

Li Yi gasped for breath.

"Why don't we try it now?"

"But you're in your safe period right now."

"I don't think what you said might be accurate, but let's give it a try."

···
Young people are physically strong, so they can easily win two matches.

How many children do you want to have?

"I want to have ten children, eight sons and two daughters." Du Shiniang collapsed there.

Why eight sons and two daughters?

"A family prospers because it has many sons, and daughters are lovely. Two girls, with eight loving brothers, how wonderful."

Li Yi stroked her smooth, flat belly, saying, "Giving birth is very hard; your belly might tear and leave stretch marks."

Shi Niang didn't care. "Generals have fought a hundred battles and have scars, so what? Similarly, women always have to give birth, so having stretch marks is nothing."

"This time, Ah Lang, bring two more Hu women with you. You always need someone to serve you."

"No, this battle is different from defending the city last year."

"Then when Ah Lang is there, he can select a few daughters of local wealthy and powerful families to take as concubines, or when things settle down, I will have my third uncle send a few maids over."

There's something I need to tell you. You asked the women of the Dugu family to write letters home before, and now almost all of them have replied.

The two young concubines I originally chose for you, Yu and Guo, have had their fathers and brothers send word that they hope the Duke of Jin will remain in his household. They also said that it would be their good fortune if the young master took a liking to them.
Their family also brought some gifts, saying they would visit us later.

This result was somewhat unexpected for Li Yi. He had thought that their family would be willing to take them back. After all, they were once women from a prestigious and powerful family. It was tragic for them to have fallen into slavery. If they had the chance to be taken home, their family would certainly not lack food.

Who knew that her family would prefer her to stay?

"What about the Dugu family? Do they really want their women to become slaves?"

"Most of the unmarried women from the Dugu family who were given to our family as gifts instead of being enslaved were actually already engaged. Now that they have been convicted and enslaved, their original fiancés have all broken off their engagements."

Even if the Dugu family took them back, it would be difficult for them to remarry. They would likely only be able to become nuns or practice Buddhism at home. If the young master took a liking to someone and was willing to take her as a concubine, the Dugu family would be happy to.

If Ah Lang doesn't like it, they're willing to redeem it.

The attitudes toward the concubines and daughters of the Dugu family differed from those of the other families.

Many of Dugu Huaien's female relatives were confiscated, as his brothers, nephews, wives, concubines, daughters, and daughters-in-law were all implicated.

"Whether it's the Dugu family or any other family, and regardless of age, if they're willing to take them back, let them take them back. It's a way of making friends. There's no need for any ransom; our family isn't short of money."

If they are unwilling to take on the task, then let them stay and assign them tasks they are capable of doing.

Since the other families abandoned them, and Li Yi could no longer provide them with special supplies, they could only become slaves and maids in the Li family.

"After discussing with Lady Ji and the others, we decided that if they do not wish to take her back, then the young, beautiful, well-educated and courteous ones should serve by Alang's side for now. If they have children, then we will elevate them to be concubines."

The older women can be assigned to be nannies or housekeepers for the young men and women in the family, since they come from wealthy families and are generally well-educated and polite.

"You can arrange it as you see fit." Li Yi was aware of this kind of thing; it was a common practice among wealthy and powerful families.

"Will there be any dangers on this expedition to Shannan?" Shi Niang asked. "There shouldn't be any danger. Wang Shichong has only occupied Xiangdeng for a short time and his foundation is not deep. He also doesn't have many troops to spare. As for the prefectures in Xianzhou and other places, they are mostly controlled by local officials, generals, and powerful clans, and their power is even weaker."

"That's good. But Ah Lang, you must be careful while you're away. Take more retainers with you this time, and try to bring Luo Wu and the others from Luo Family Fort to your side. After all, they were promoted by Ah Lang, so they should be loyal and reliable."

On the eve of departure,

Wu Heita and Niu Jinda came to the door.

"The King of Qin specially arranged for us to accompany the Duke of Jin on his expedition south of the mountains,"

"Just call me Wuyi, there's no need to be so polite."

The two men also brought along a young general, both in their early twenties. "These are Liang Jianfang and Gao Zengsheng, both cavalry brigade commanders. The King of Qin has specially assigned two hundred light cavalry to assist you."

The Crown Prince sent Li Junxian and Chang He with two hundred elite cavalry to accompany him on the expedition. Now Li Shimin has sent Wu Heita and Niu Jinda with two hundred cavalry. Li Yi guessed that this was no coincidence.

It is highly likely that although Chang He and Li Junxian held positions in the Eastern Palace, they continued to secretly maintain contact with the Prince of Qin's residence. Li Shimin, knowing this, specially allocated two hundred cavalry to them and sent two former generals from Wagang.

"Don't worry, the King of Qin petitioned the sage and received his approval before sending us here," the old ox said with a smile.

Li Yi was quite pleased with the addition of four hundred elite cavalry.

He seemed to vaguely recognize the name Liang Jianfang. It seemed that during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, he had become a high-ranking military figure and made many contributions in the conquest of the Western Regions. He never expected that he was now only a brigade commander in charge of a hundred cavalry.

After the two brigade commanders, Liang and Gao, came in to pay their respects, they left.

Only Niu Jinda and Wu Heita remained in the room.

The two men each took out a bundle, opened it, and it gleamed with gold.

"These are sixty golden knives and sixty ingots of gold."

Li Yi looked at these, then looked up at Generals Niu and Wu.

“It’s quite a coincidence that the Crown Prince just sent me thirty gold knives and thirty ingots of gold a few days ago, telling me to distribute them as rewards to the generals in the army.”

Upon hearing this, Niu Jinda chuckled and said, "Yes, the King of Qin has also heard about it, which is why he specifically asked us to bring these along this time. We can't let the Crown Prince bear the expense alone; the King of Qin is willing to pay for them."

The King of Qin was very generous, contributing twice as much money as the Crown Prince.

This is worth over five hundred taels of gold!

"There's no need to be so formal. I believe that Deputy Chief Steward Li Shiji, Chief Secretary Li Daliang, Military Advisor Li Hongjie, and Chief Steward Li Wenxiang are not such greedy people."

Wu Heita said, "Why are you being so polite with the King of Qin? There are many places where money is needed when you're on a campaign. You've always been kind to your soldiers, so we can't expect you to pay for it yourself."

"Your Majesty is being too formal with me," Li Yi shook his head.

"The King of Qin trusts you implicitly and knows you are quite wealthy. This money is mainly for the soldiers in the army camp, and even for recruiting local strongmen and enemy soldiers in the south of the mountains." Old Niu also said frankly, "The King of Qin also gave me some gold knives and gold, so I didn't stand on ceremony."

“Yes, I’ve accepted them too,” Wu Heita said.

They accepted the bribes readily, which naturally earned them the trust of the King of Qin.

"Actually, Chang He and Li Junxian also accepted them. You should know that."

Li Yi could only chuckle. It seemed that Li Shimin truly didn't consider him an outsider, and perhaps he also knew that this matter couldn't be kept from him.

After Chang He and Li Junxian entered the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince tried very hard to win them over. Who could have known that their hearts were with the King of Qin?

Li Yi sometimes wondered why he favored the King of Qin because he knew the future of history, but Li Junxian and Chang He were different people.
Perhaps these generals also had their own way of judging people, just like when they abandoned Wang Shichong in Guzhou and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, they didn't even care about their families and children who were being held in Luoyang.

Perhaps Li Shimin's personal charisma was superior, and his behavior was more in line with the tastes of these Guandong generals.

Li Yi now possesses ninety golden knives and ninety ingots of gold, gifts from the Crown Prince and the King of Qin. He could practically start a wholesale business selling golden knives.

"My lord, the King of Longxi and the King of Bohai have come to visit," the steward reported.

Why did these two return to Beijing?

"Please."

Li Boyi and Li Fengci swaggered in, saying, "Brother Wuyi, we've missed you so much!"

"You're really not loyal. You ran back to Chang'an without a word, leaving the two of us brothers in Hedong."

The two immediately embraced warmly.

"Why have my two elder brothers returned to the capital?"

“You’re no longer in Hedong, and the war is over. What are we still doing there? The Emperor appointed us as governors, but we have no interest in managing affairs. We heard that you, Wuyi, are leading the expedition to Shannan again, so my brother and I quickly wrote to His Majesty to return to the capital and join you.”

The two brothers were in high spirits. Previously, their uncle Li Yuan had always been disappointed in them, thinking they were just wastrel sons who were good for nothing. But last year, they went to Hedong with Li Yi, which greatly enhanced their reputation. They didn't fight any battles, but they were, after all, generals in Li Yi's army.

Although they didn't perform as well as Dao Xuan and Dao Zong, they still put in a lot of hard work even if they didn't achieve great things.

He served as governor of Hedong for a period of time. After returning to the capital, the emperor rewarded his two nephews greatly, saying, "His Majesty has sent us to the inner treasury to choose our own rewards. We can take as much as we can afford."

“His Majesty has granted us permission to continue our campaign with you, and has appointed each of us as commanders of an army,” Li Boyi said with a smile. “His Majesty has also appointed me as the governor of Dengzhou.”

Li Fengci pointed to himself, "His Majesty has appointed him as the Prefect of Xiangzhou."

"Wu Yi, you'd welcome us brothers to join the expedition, wouldn't you?"

"Welcome," Li Yi said with a smile. After traveling together in Hedong, Li Yi also found that although the two brothers were not particularly good at either academics or martial arts, they were quite straightforward and had good execution skills. They also helped him a lot in Hedong.

Moreover, the brothers' status as princes was sometimes quite useful. When Li Zhongwen wanted to divide his troops to march north, the two brothers ignored the chief steward Li Zhongwen and insisted on leading their own armies to follow Li Yi. Later, when Li Zhongwen forced Li Yi to attack Jiezhou, the two brothers still resolutely stood by Li Yi's side.

"Our expedition to Shannan this time is full of talented people. With the addition of the two princes, it's like adding wings to a leopard."

The general manager of the expedition was Li Yi, the deputy general manager was Li Shiji, the chief secretary was Li Daliang, and the military advisor was Li Hongjie.

The army commanders were Guo Xiaoke, Li Wenxiang, and Huo Yu, followed by Li Fengci and Li Boyi.

In addition, there are Li Junxian, Chang He, Niu Jinda, Wu Heita, and even the brigade commanders of 100 men have future generals like Liang Jianfang and Gao Zengsheng.

With this lineup, commanding 30,000 troops, Li Yi was full of confidence in taking on those weaklings in Shannan.

With elite troops and strong generals, it doesn't matter whether his command is strong or not.

(End of this chapter)