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

Chapter 369 Tao eats the pot of pulp to welcome Master Wang
The sky is blue after the rain.

After being trapped at Wuguan for five days, Li Yi led his army out again.
Huo Yu, dressed in leather armor and wearing a bright red cloak, rode a white horse along the mountain road.

"Grand Steward, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" With a practiced rein, the majestic white horse reared up and came to a steady stop.

Li Yi chuckled lightly, but didn't respond to her.

"Let me start with the good news. The powerful families of Dengzhou killed Prefect Zhang Fen and seized Rangcheng. Following that, the powerful families of various counties either killed or expelled the county magistrates appointed by Wang Shichong. All five counties of Dengzhou have raised the Tang flag again."

"A single proclamation from the Grand Commander is worth more than tens of thousands of soldiers."

Li Yi laughed heartily, "It is indeed good news, and it can be considered a sweeping away of the bad news of the past few days. What about the bad news?"

"Tian Zan led a hundred cavalrymen to Biyang in Xianzhou. Ten cavalrymen entered the city and killed Yang Shilin at the banquet."

Li Boyi, standing next to Li Yi, couldn't help but say, "Dogs fighting, this is good news!"

"Your Majesty may not know this, but after Tian Zan killed Yang Shilin, he sent people to Luoyang and Xiangyang to submit memorials, claiming that he had led the six general administrations and thirty-five prefectures of Xianzhou Road to surrender and submit to the emperor."

Wang Shichong has already appointed Tian Zan as the General Administrator of Xian Prefecture and bestowed upon him the title of Duke of Shu.

"How could this lackey surrender to Wang Shichong?" Li Boyi cursed.

Niu Jinda and Wu Heita were also puzzled.

Huo glanced at Li Yi: "Perhaps the Grand Steward used too much force and frightened Tian Zan."

Li Yi, however, remained unconcerned. "This is good news. Tian Zan killing Yang Shilin also eliminates an enemy for us. Even if Tian Zan surrenders to the puppet Zheng regime, he won't be able to completely control Yang Shilin's former subordinates anytime soon."
Once my army arrives, some of Yang Shilin's former subordinates will surely be willing to defect.

"Furthermore, Wang Shichong is too stingy. He only gave him the position of Governor-General of Xianzhou? What did Tian Zan get after all that work, going from Governor-General of Suizhou to Governor-General of Xianzhou?"

Huo said, "Wang Shichong established the Xiangzhou Circuit in Xiangyang, which encompassed the former Xianzhou Circuit. He appointed his nephew Wang Honglie as the Circuit Minister, and Su Shichang and Doulu Bao as his left and right ministers. How could he possibly appoint Tian Zan as the Xianzhou Circuit Minister?"

Wang Shichong appointed Tian Zan as the governor of Xian Prefecture, and immediately appointed his subordinate Xu Yi to succeed him as the governor of Sui Prefecture.

Li Yi rode on his horse, watching thousands of troops and horses winding their way through the mountain gorge, their banners fluttering in the wind.

Although it hasn't entered the Nanyang Basin yet, there's already a lot of good news coming in.

A pacification order sparked a rebellion among the powerful clans of Dengzhou, who seized control of the city. A divisive tactic led to a bloody conflict between Yang Shilin and Tian Zan.

Although Tian Zan has now surrendered to Zheng, the relationship between Tian Zan and Wang Shichong has already sown the seeds of future trouble. Taking advantage of this, Wang Shichong sought to seize power, transferring Tian Zan to the position of governor of Xianzhou and replacing him with one of his own subordinates as governor of Suizhou, which was bound to displease Tian Zan.

As long as the Tang army's offensive is slightly more aggressive and the Zheng army's situation becomes unfavorable, Tian Zan will inevitably defect to the Tang again.

Moreover, even if Tian Zan kills Yang Shilin, Yang's subordinates in Xianzhou may not all submit to him.

Not to mention the Huangzhou General Administration Office, the Guangzhou General Administration Office, and so on.

Now, the Dengzhou General Administration Office belongs to Tang, while the Yuzhou General Administration Office belongs to Zheng.

Zhou Faming of Huangzhou Prefecture and Lu Zushang of Guang Prefecture both stood on the side of the Tang Dynasty.

Only one Suizhou General Administration and one Xianzhou General Administration remained. After a fierce battle, they were even reassigned: Tian Zan went to Xianzhou and Xu Yi came to Suizhou.

What did Tian Zan gain?

Wang Shichong showed no sincerity whatsoever. Who was Tian Zan? He was able to kill the prefect and rebel to establish his own power, then he rebelled against Zhu Can, and now he can kill Yang Shilin. Is this the kind of person who can be manipulated by others?

"Just wait and see the show. I dare say that as long as my army forces Xianzhou to surrender, Tian Zan will surely surrender."

Tian Zan planned to kill Yang Shilin and become the governor of Xianzhou, thus controlling the six general administrations and thirty-five prefectures. However, in reality, Wang Shichong only gave him two prefectures: Xianzhou and Shenzhou.

June 21st,

Li Yijun left Lanwu Road and arrived at Neixiang on the banks of the Xishui River, entering the Nanyang Basin.

Neixiang County was originally named Zhongxiang. During the Sui Dynasty, it was renamed Neixiang to avoid a taboo. Later, it was named Xixia because it is located in the canyon area in the western part of Funiu Mountain, hidden deep in the vast forest. It is also the westernmost part of Nanyang and was called Xixiakou in ancient times.

"I never imagined this city would be so dilapidated; it's practically a ruin."

Looking at Neixiang City, where even the city walls had several large gaps, Li Yi couldn't help but sigh.

"It's all the work of that traitor Ke Dahan," Deng Yun, who had come from Dengzhou to pay his respects, said through gritted teeth. "Wherever Zhu Can went, human habitation vanished. He plundered between the Han and Huai Rivers, amassing a force of over 200,000, yet he did not engage in any productive activities. Wherever he went, it was like a swarm of locusts. Every time he conquered a prefecture or county, just as he was about to devour all the grain in the prefecture, he would move on again. When he left, he would burn all the remaining supplies of the prefecture or county and take away the able-bodied men with him."

Wherever they went, famine struck, and the bones of starving people lay exposed in the wilderness.

Neixiang City was plundered twice by Zhu Can, and the last time he even massacred the entire city.

After Zhu Can massacred the city and left, Neixiang was without officials for a long time and was occupied by starving people and bandits.

"Back then, Lu Congdian, a compiler of imperial edicts from the previous dynasty, and Yan Minchu, the son of the great Confucian scholar Yan Zhitui, both lived in Nanyang. Zhu Can forcibly recruited them as his advisors, initially treating them with great courtesy. However, later, when food became scarce, he had the two of them cooked and eaten..."

The people of Nanyang suffered greatly at the hands of Zhu Can. When he was at the height of his power, he declared himself Emperor of Chu in Guanjun County, Nanyang, and established his own state. Local powerful families were forced to pay taxes, send hostages, or even send women to fill his harem.

But what makes Zhu Can most hateful is that he is untrustworthy and can turn on you ruthlessly at any time. Moreover, his anger is unbearable; he is capable of cooking and eating your entire family at the drop of a hat.

Everyone trembled in his shadow; no one truly likes someone who acts completely without regard for the rules.

"Back then, the Emperor of Chang'an sent people to appease Shannan several times, and our local powerful clans in Nanyang responded positively. However, when Zhu Can made a comeback, we were also severely retaliated against. If it weren't for the fortified villages, we would probably have been wiped out long ago."

Li Yi knew the background of the powerful families in Nanyang.

They didn't survive by relying on their fortified villages to resist Zhu Can and others' attacks. Rather, these powerful figures survived by retreating to their fortified villages while paying taxes and sending hostages.

There's not much to say about this; in chaotic times, survival comes first. During the Sui Dynasty, Neixiang was not under the jurisdiction of Nanyang, but was part of Xiyang Prefecture, along with Danshui and Nanxiang west of Wuguan, as well as Yunxiang, Wudang, and Junyang along the Han River.

But nowadays,

The imperial court established seven prefectures in the Nanyang region. Some prefectures even only governed one county. For example, Lizhou only governed Xincheng, and Hongzhou only governed Jutan. These were all established during times of war to appease local military leaders and powerful clans.

After all, the title of governor is much higher than that of county magistrate.

When the world is unified in the future, those states will definitely be abolished, and even many counties will be merged, but for now, there is no need to worry about that.

More prefectures and counties would be better suited to resettle these local military leaders and powerful clans.

"I heard that an uprising has broken out in Rangcheng. Brother Deng has been running around making contacts. Your grandfather was the governor of Yingzhou and was extremely loyal to the court."

This chief official now recommends you for the position of Prefect of Yuzhou.

Deng Yun agreed with some excitement. Although Li Yi had previously issued a proclamation promising to capture and kill the bandit governor and magistrate, seize the city and surrender it, and appoint them governors and magistrates, he did not expect that Li Yi would actually fulfill his promise.

He didn't dare to aspire to the position of Prefect of Dengzhou, nor did he even consider the position of Governor-General of Dengzhou, since Li Yi held both the positions of Governor-General and Prefect of Dengzhou concurrently.

Yuzhou, located in northern Nanyang, on the upper reaches of the Yu River, in the area that later became Nanzhao, only governed Xiangcheng and Wuchuan counties.

Governor of a lower prefecture, a fourth-rank official.

"Thank you, Chief Steward."

Cui Min, the prefect of Xizhou, ordered a shipment of grain to be transported by boat from Xichuan downstream.
Cui Minling, dressed in a scarlet robe, hurried over to see him, his body covered in sweat.

"Xizhou is short of grain, and I am late in delivering the grain. Please forgive me, Grand Steward."

Cui Minling not only brought a batch of grain, but also a thousand soldiers and a thousand auxiliary soldiers gathered in Xizhou.

Li Hongjie reminded Li Yi
This Prefect Cui was born into the second branch of the Cui family in Boling. His cousin was Cui Mingan, a Gentleman Attendant at the Imperial Palace. Cui Mingan's mother was from the Lu family of Fanyang.

He was appointed Prefect of Xizhou after Zheng Yuanzhu defeated Zhu Can last year.

The amount of grain delivered by Cui Minling did not meet the requirements, but Li Yi, after seeing the devastation in Xixiang, understood Cui Minling's predicament. After all, Xizhou only had three counties, and two of them had been captured by Zhu Can.
It's quite an achievement that Prefect Cui managed to save Xizhou City, pacify the displaced people, restore production, and supply the garrison.

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, makeshift teams were everywhere.

Those from prestigious families, like Cui Minling, are relatively more experienced in governing local areas.

"The cities of Neixiang and Moshui must be renovated. Since the displaced people are unable to farm, we will organize them into settlements. The government will provide seeds, farming tools, oxen, etc. The displaced people will cultivate the land during the farming season and repair the city and roads during the off-season. The government will distribute food rations and provide work relief to ensure that the starving people can survive first."

Once things stabilize, we can distribute land to them, enabling them to be self-sufficient and contribute to the nation by paying taxes and performing military service.

“Governing troops can also be a form of military settlement.”

Cui Minling was somewhat surprised that this young chief steward was so experienced in this area, and he readily agreed.

"Try to prevent the refugees from Shannan from going to Guanzhong. If they all crowd into Guanzhong, there will be no food to eat. We still need to restore production and farming, and rely on self-sufficiency."

at night,

In the ruined city of Neixiang,

Li Yi convened a military meeting.

"Now, the seven prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Dengzhou General Administration in Nanyang have basically all rebelled and raised the Tang flag again. This is better than we expected."

Now Wang Shichong has withdrawn a portion of his troops back to Luoyang, while Wang Honglie has moved his main force to Xiangyang.
After Nanyang is recovered, the only remaining route between Xiangyang and Luoyang is Xianzhou. Our next step is to take Xianzhou first to cut off the passage between Xiangyang and Luoyang.

I plan to divide my forces into two groups. One group will go down the Xi River into the Han River basin and attack the outskirts of Xiangyang, thus tying down the garrison of King Honglie of Xiangyang and preventing them from sending troops to rescue Xianzhou.

I will lead the main force eastward through Nanyang to Xianzhou, first take Fangcheng, block the Fangcheng mountain pass, and then send troops to garrison Luyang Pass at the Funiu Mountain Pass in Yuzhou.

They then besieged Xianzhou again, forcing Tian Zan to surrender.

Once Tian Zan surrenders, we can march south to attack Suizhou, then advance on Shenzhou, and capture the three passes of Yiyang, thus completely isolating Henan.

Finally, they besieged Xiangyang.

Xiangyang is an important town, and Li Yi didn't intend to tackle the toughest challenges right away.

Li Shiji, along with Li Daliang, Huo Yu, Niu Jinda, and others, volunteered to lead troops south.

"How many soldiers does Chief Clerk Li need, and how confident are you?" Li Yi looked at Li Daliang, who had served as a Sima in the Jinzhou General Administration Office on the upper reaches of the Han River and was relatively familiar with the situation.

"Please grant me a thousand elite cavalry and four thousand combat soldiers. After I head south to Junzhou, I can gather the seven thousand combat soldiers and three thousand auxiliary soldiers gathered there. That will be sufficient."

"Hmm, I'll give you another thousand auxiliary soldiers. You have eleven thousand infantry, one thousand cavalry, and four thousand auxiliary soldiers, which should be enough to hold back Zheng's army in Xiangyang."

Remember, do not launch a direct assault on Xiangyang; simply clear out its surrounding areas. If the Xiangyang garrison dares to leave the city to reinforce Xian and Sui, intercept and block them.

"General Guo Xiaoke and General Li Wenxiang, listen to my command: you will accompany Chief Secretary Li."

After splitting his forces, Li Yi was left with 16,000 combat soldiers and 5,000 auxiliary soldiers, including more than 2,000 cavalry.

Although several thousand of them were his sons and retainers, it was still an elite army of 21,000 men.

(End of this chapter)