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

Chapter 367 Heroes of Nanyang
North of Rang County, Dengzhou

The Niehe River, a tributary of the Tuanshui River, meanders like a ribbon, and the millet on both banks is in the process of flowering and budding. The slender ears of millet sway in the wind, creating waves of green.

The sun was blazing.

Under the shade of trees by the canal, Lü Sichou leaned on the handle of his hoe, gazing at the vibrant waves of millet. By October, these millet grains would be ready for harvest.

"Brother Lü."

Shouts came from afar. He looked up and saw his servants leading several riders over under the blazing sun.

"Why are you here?"

The group that came were several of his close friends: Zhang Jian from Zhangzhai in Nieyang, Cen Ning from Cenzhuang in Jiyang, Deng Yun from Xinye, and Zhao An and Han Li from Rangxian.

They were all young people around twenty years old.

Their families are all prominent families in Dengzhou.

For example, the Lü family of Nieyang, whose ancestor Lü Sheng was a cavalry commander under Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang). He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Nieyang for his meritorious service in killing Xiang Yu, and built Nieyang City on the banks of the Nie River.

The Cen family of Jiyang produced Cen Peng, one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations during the Eastern Han Dynasty, who was also the General Who Conquers the South and the Marquis of Zhuang.

The Deng family of Xinye, needless to say.

"How did you all end up meeting up on such a hot day?"

Looking at his farmer-like clothes, Deng Yun asked, "Brother Lü, how come you still have the mind to tend to the crops here?"

Lu Sichou looked at his cousin and asked, "Given the current situation, what else can we do besides farming?"

"Our great clan of Dengzhou is facing a life-or-death crisis," Deng Yun said.

Several people sat on the ground under the shade of a tree.

Lu Sichou even fished a cold melon out of the ditch, took a ring-pommel knife from the side, and cut the icy melon open. "Eat melon."

Ignoring the sweat that had soaked him up, Deng Yun took the melon and said, "Brother Lü, do you know that troops have been dispatched from Guanzhong?"

"heard."

"Do you know who is leading the troops this time?"

"I heard it's Duke Li Yi of Jin and Duke Li Shiji of Cao leading the troops," said Lü Sichou, spitting out seeds as he ate a melon. "The cold melon is delicious, but it has too many seeds."

"The King of Wei in Xiangyang has issued an order demanding that all the major clans in Dengzhou pay taxes and send their sons there. This matter is getting more and more urgent," Han Li said.

Deng Yun finished the melon in a few bites, wiped his face with the rind, and casually tossed it into the field. "I'll speak my mind directly, no beating around the bush," he said.

Chang'an has defeated Liu Wuzhou and recovered Hedong. Now it is going to send troops to attack Wang Shichong. The King of Qin has taken command and will send troops in July.

Now, the Duke of Jin has led an army of 30,000 to recapture Xiangdeng. I have heard that several generals from Jing and Xiang have also sent troops to attack Xiao Xian at the same time.

A storm is brewing.

Previously, when Wang Shichong sent troops to attack Deng Xiang, the powerful families in various prefectures of Nanyang did not offer much resistance. Yang Shilin, the Minister of the Xianzhou Circuit, even provided Wang Shichong with military provisions.

The imperial court did not have enough power in Xiangdeng, so why would these local tyrants fight to the death?

But things are different now.

With Tang about to launch a major offensive against Luoyang, Wang Shichong not only lacks the resources to reinforce Xiangdeng, but has also begun to withdraw troops from Xiangdeng to reinforce it.

Lu Sichou looked at his cousin, whose grandfather was Deng Song, the governor of Yingzhou in the Tang Dynasty, and naturally favored Chang'an, the Tang Dynasty.

"Brother Cen, what do you think?" he asked another young man, Cen Ning.

The Cen family began to rise to prominence after Cen Peng, with numerous descendants who all held official positions and inherited titles. His descendant Cen Shanfang served as Imperial Diarist and Minister of Personnel in the Southern Liang Dynasty and was enfeoffed as Duke of Changning.

Cen Shanfang's eldest grandson, Cen Wenben, is currently serving as a Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in the court of Xiao Xian in Jiangling.

Cen Ning is Cen Wenben's cousin.

Because Cen Wenben served as an official in Jiangling, the Cen family of Jiyang were biased towards Jiangling.

Deng Yun took out a letter and handed it to Lü Sichou.
Within their small circle of wealthy young men, Lü Sichou was the oldest and had always been relatively calm, earning him the respect of everyone.

"Take a look at this first!"

Lu Sichou opened it and looked at it, his face remaining expressionless.

Deng Yun said, “I think the court’s approach to Shannan this time is different from previous ones. It’s not just about recovering Xiang and Deng, but also about taking over the counties in eastern Han and even the counties in western Huai.”

The Duke of Jin's battle in Hedong last year made him famous throughout the land. Although he was younger than us, he was very experienced in warfare.

There is also Li Shiji, who, although he was defeated in Shandong, was once the third leader of Wagang and even guarded Liyang, commanding troops from ten prefectures.

Li Shiji might not be able to defeat Dou Jiande in Liyang, but with Li Yi's support and tens of thousands of elite Tang troops, what could Wang Honglie and his men possibly use to fight against him?

"Do you want to respond to Li Yi?" Lü Sichou asked directly.

“My great-grandfather had long since submitted to the Tang Dynasty in Liaoxi. Although he was still separated from Guanzhong and had not been able to enter the court, my family were Tang subjects.”

Lü Sichou did not refute this statement.
In fact, these days, it's common for members of prominent local families to hold positions in multiple factions simultaneously.

It cannot be said that one is completely loyal to any one person.

Deng Yun, however, said somewhat excitedly, "I think this time the entire Nanyang, Handong, Huaixi, and even the entire Jingxiang region are about to undergo a major upheaval."

Our clan elders are all too old. They only know how to guard the fortified villages and fortresses. No matter who comes, they have to pay money and grain, or even send hostages.

I cannot tolerate it.

This is our chance! Let's young people unite and launch an attack together. Let's drive out Wang Shichong's county magistrates and prefects, even cut off their heads, and then welcome the royal army.

"Even if we're not guaranteed positions like county magistrate, prefect, or governor, at least after the upheaval in Nanyang, we'll still be on the side of the victors."

Lu Sichou asked, "Are you really that confident that Li Yi can win?"

“I have studied the Battle of Hedong. Qin King Li Shimin’s final relentless pursuit was indeed remarkable. But Li Yi’s defense of Haozhou for a year, not only repeatedly defeating the enemy’s attacks, but also finally recovering Bingzhou in one fell swoop, was even more remarkable given his circumstances at the time.”

"What battles did Wang Shichong's nephew, Wang Honglie, fight, or even lead any troops? And what famous generals were Su Shichang and Doulu Bao?"

He further persuaded, "Now that Wang Shichong has withdrawn troops from Xiangdeng to defend Luoyang, Wang Honglie has also transferred his main forces to Xiangyang."

Dengzhou didn't have many soldiers, and the other prefectures and counties were even more sparsely populated. Many of the soldiers in these prefectures and counties were the retainers of our local powerful families, and even the officials in the prefectures and counties, as well as the able-bodied men guarding the cities, were mostly locals.

"As long as someone takes the lead and raises their voice, we can change the flag and change the government of Dengzhou overnight."

The Zhao family has been neighbors with the Lü family along the Nie River for generations. "I think Deng Liulang is right. Now that the situation is clear, we can't miss this opportunity."

"Lu Sanlang will be here soon; he also supports Brother Deng."

Lu Sanlang was also from a prominent family in Nieyang. His ancestors were originally Lu Ren, the prime minister of Joseon. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, they surrendered to the Han court. On their way to Chang'an, they died of illness. Emperor Wu honored them and enfeoffed his son Lu Zui in Nieyang. From then on, they lived in Nieyang for generations and became a prominent local family.

Lu Sichou looked at Cen Ning again.

“I also support Brother Deng.” Although Cen Ning’s cousin was a Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in Jiangling, his ideas differed from those of the elders in the clan. Or rather, it was precisely because his cousin served as an official in Jiangling that he knew more about the ins and outs of the Liang Kingdom.

After learning the truth about Xiao Xian's situation in the court, it was hard to believe that Xiao Xian could withstand the Tang Dynasty's attack.

Seeing that his companions all shared the same opinion, Lü Sichou nodded and said, "Alright, let's give it a try. If we succeed, we'll save our family. If we fail, at worst we'll die, or we can escape to serve in the army of the Duke of Jin. Sooner or later we can fight our way back."

"Yes, we are real men. How are we, the sons of prominent families in Nanyang, any worse than others?"
Li Yi was able to establish unparalleled merit in Hedong at the age of seventeen, the Prince of Qin was able to destroy two countries at the age of twenty, and Li Shiji was only twenty-one years old when he commanded the troops of ten counties.

"We can't just stay in this village," Deng Yun said passionately.

If they don't take action soon,

These people would then be summoned by Wang Honglie to Xiangyang as hostages, or sent to Luoyang to serve Wang Shichong.

Compared to the Li Tang dynasty, which had already pacified Xue Ju in Longyou, Li Gui in Hexi, and Liu Wuzhou in Daibei, none of the local powerful families believed that Wang Shichong could win.

Now that everyone knows the Li family is the victor, why doesn't everyone hurry up and stand on their side?

Of course, if it were a bandit king like Zhu Can who didn't keep his word, they wouldn't believe him no matter how sweet his words were.

But Li Yi has a pretty good reputation.

······
In early June, Rangcheng was as hot and humid as an oven.

In front of the Dengzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion in the city, Governor Zhang Fen walked out of the office, with a tall, strong man holding a parasol for him.

"My lord, the grain and fodder requested by the King of Wei have not yet been collected. Each household is making all sorts of excuses and has only handed over a small portion," a military advisor dressed in a light green official robe reported.

"Who dares to resist the King of Wei's requisition of grain? Do you really think I'm easy to talk to? Although I am also from this area and have relatives in various families, if the Xiangzhou governor investigates, I will be in deep trouble."

How is the matter of conscripting young men from various families to go to Xiangyang progressing?

"Reporting to Your Excellency, all the families have responded to this matter, and the young men from all the families have arrived today. They will be heading to Xiangyang along with this batch of grain."

"Go and call all the young men from each family here. I want to say a few words to them."

Zhang Fen's expression was not good. The Tang army had already set out, and although the commander was an eighteen-year-old young man, he dared not be careless at all. That young man had made great achievements in the isolated army in Hedong last year and became famous throughout the world.

The Zhang family of Nanyang in Dengzhou claimed descent from Marquis Liu, and to this day, the Nanyang Zhang family remains a prominent local clan. Previously, Zhang Fen served in the Sui Dynasty and later held office in Luoyang.

When Wang Shichong plotted to attack Xiangyang and Dengzhou, Zhang Fen sent his sons back to their hometowns to secretly plan the attack. In the end, he assassinated Lei Silang, the governor of Dengzhou, and opened the city gates to let Zheng's army into the city.

Zhang Fen was subsequently appointed as the Prefect of Dengzhou.

Zheng Jun captured Nanyang and then Xiangyang, but who knew that the Tang army could defeat Liu Wuzhou so quickly, recover Hedong, and now send troops to Luoyang and Shannan.

There was absolutely no buffer time.

Although the Luoyang court established the Xiangzhou Circuit Administration in the south of the mountains, with Prince Wei Wang Honglie as the Minister of the Circuit Administration, Doulu Bao as the Left Minister, Su Shichang as the Right Minister, and General Xu Yi as the Governor of Suizhou.

However, the time was too short, and Zheng Jun had not yet been able to take control of the area. Now, the emperor had withdrawn troops back to Luoyang, making the Xiangzhou Daoxingtai even weaker.

The governor had no choice but to order the requisition of grain and soldiers from various regions, and even to conscript the sons of powerful families to go to Luoyang and Xiangyang as hostages.

Deng Yun stood in front of the Deng family's grain cart, his clothes soaked with sweat. If they went to Xiangyang this time, they would be hostages from then on, and no one would be able to resist.

Not far away, Lü Sichou had a short knife hidden in his sleeve, and a crossbow was also hidden on the grain cart.

The green-robed military advisor came over and said, "Lord Zhang has sent the young men of each family to meet with me, as he has some instructions to give."

Lü Sichou and Deng Yun's eyes met.

Hundreds of sons of powerful local clans were taken outside the governor's office.
"You are all scions of prominent families in Dengzhou..."

Zhang Fen had barely uttered half a sentence when Luther, standing in front of him, suddenly launched an attack. His short dagger flashed with a dazzling cold light and pierced Zhang Fen's ribs.

Deng Yun also drew his short sword and rushed forward.

Lü Sichou rushed forward at the same time.

A dozen or so young men rushed forward and stabbed him repeatedly.

Zhang Fen collapsed in her own pool of blood.

Lü Sichou swiftly severed his head and held it high, proclaiming, "We are acting on the orders of Li Gong, the Pacification Commissioner of Shannan Circuit of the Great Tang Dynasty and Duke of Jin, to kill the false Zheng governor and welcome the royal army!"

In front of the yamen,
A chaotic battle ensued, with members of various families and their retainers rising up in rebellion. At the same time, many people also rushed out from the prefectural government office.
Instead of engaging in battle, he tied a white cloth around his arm and joined in hacking at Zhang Fen's men.

"Quickly, split up and seize all the gates of Dengzhou, and raise the Tang banners we prepared in advance!"

Lu Sichou, still holding Zhang Fen's head, loudly gave orders.

The young scions of powerful families were covered in blood, yet they were filled with boundless passion.

Smash the state government office,

Control the city gates,

Seize the treasury,

Open the armory and distribute weapons and armor.

Everything proceeded according to their pre-arranged plan. Dengzhou City was undefended; many of the state officials and soldiers were members of their own families. At this moment, they suddenly launched an attack, first beheading Zhang Fen, and then killing all the Zhang family members in the city.
Dengzhou was completely under their control.

At dusk,

The Tang flag was raised once again atop the city walls of Dengzhou.

"Quickly send men to the front lines of the Duke of Jin's army; we have taken Dengzhou."

(End of this chapter)