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

Chapter 372: Falling Cup as a Number
Bi Yang.

It borders Tongbai to the south and Fangcheng to the north, and is named for its location north of the Bi River.

Tian Zan fished under the shade of willow trees on the riverbank outside the city, just like an ordinary fisherman.

“Since the Han Dynasty, Biyang has been established as a prefecture seven times, a county eight times, and a county fifteen times.” Next to Tian Zan, a scholar also cast a line, but his mind was not on the fishing rod.

Nine hundred years ago, the four states of Qin, Qi, Han, and Wei attacked Chu, forming a pincer movement, and the Chu army suffered a great defeat.

Tian Zan kept his eyes fixed on the water. He knew Biyang very well. At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, Wuyang Prefecture was abolished and Huaizhou was renamed Xianzhou. In the third year of the Daye era, Xianzhou was renamed Huaian Prefecture.

The Xianzhou General Administration now governs the three prefectures of Xian, Chun, and Beili. Shenzhou is directly under the Xianzhou Administrative Office and is no longer under his control. He currently only effectively controls five counties across the three prefectures.

"Does Li Sima think that the current situation is similar to the joint attack on Chu by the four states of Qin, Qi, Han, and Wei back then?" Tian Zan asked.

“They are even more so than others. I have heard that Zhou Faming of Huangzhou and Lu Zushang of Guangzhou have each sent 5,000 troops and are heading towards Xianzhou.”

Even when Du Fuwei crossed the river to attack Li Zitong's Danyang, he was still following Li Yi's military orders and sent two generals, Xu Shaozong and Chen Zhengtong, with two thousand elite troops.

Meanwhile, the powerful local families of the seven prefectures of Nanyang have all killed the governors and magistrates appointed by Luoyang, seized control of the prefectures and counties, and submitted to Li Yi.

Tian Zan remained expressionless. This man, originally from Suizhou, had served as a military officer in Yingyang Prefecture. He was a powerful figure, both in terms of family background and personal connections. He was not only brave and strong but also loved making friends.

After Yang Guang was assassinated in Jiangdu, he rallied his followers in Suizhou and quickly seized control of the prefectures and counties, establishing a regional power. He also formed a blood oath alliance with Yang Shilin, forming a defensive and offensive alliance.

"You know, Yang Guang has only been dead for a few years, and it seems like the world is about to be unified."

“Yes, it seems that destiny is with the Tang Dynasty now,” Sima Li Yuanchao said.

Among the top ten families in Biyang, the Li family is the most prominent, originating from the Li family of Longxi. Then there are the Wu, Chen, Cao, Han, Jiao, Wang, and Lü families of Houma. Li Sima is from the largest family in Biyang, the Li family.

"Last year, Liu Wuzhou went south with the help of the Turks, but he was destroyed in just one year. Before that, there were Xue Ju of Longxi and Li Gui of Hexi. Next is Wang Shichong of Luoyang."

In my view of the world today, no one can stop the advance of the Tang Dynasty.

Tian Zan asked, "What about Xiao Xian, Lin Shihong, Li Zitong, Shen Faxing, Du Fuwei, Dou Jiande, Gao Kaidao, Luo Yi, and others?"

"We're practically neighbors with Xiao Xian, and Steward Tian knows this well. Xiao Xian was just someone pushed forward by a group of military leaders in Jiangling after their uprising. He's never really had any real control over the troops. For the past two years, Xiao Xian has been fighting amongst himself with Dong Jingzhen, Zhang Xiu, and other princes."

Xiao Xian actually came up with the idea of ​​disbanding soldiers and returning them to farming in order to take over the military power from the princes. However, the world was not yet settled, and all sides were annexing each other. His move was essentially a waste of his own strength. The struggle for the world was like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind.

I dare say that Xiao Xian will surely perish within a year.

As for Lin Shihong, Li Zitong, Shen Faxing, Wang Hua and others in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, they couldn't even defeat Du Fuwei, who had already submitted to the Tang Dynasty, been granted a surname and title, and appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Isn't this enough to explain the situation in the Jianghuai region?

North of the Yangtze River, the only real obstacles to unification were Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, but it was clear to everyone that neither of them were likely to achieve significant success.

Tian Zan shook his fishing rod, but the hook came up empty.

"You mean I should submit to the Tang Dynasty?"

"This is the best choice, and now is the best time. If we wait until Li Yi leads his army to surround Biyang, then the general will be at a disadvantage."

Tian Zan held the fishhook in his hand, lost in thought. He now regretted surrendering to Zheng, but Li Yi's letter at the time forced him to fight Yang Shilin. Then he couldn't trust Li Yi anymore and had no choice but to surrender to Zheng.

Looking back now, I realize I was indeed short-sighted.

"Is it too late?" he asked.

Li Yuanchao's fishing rod twitched, and with a strong pull, a large fish thrashed its body, spraying water droplets as it was lifted up.

"The general can see what these powerful families in Dengzhou are like now. Those young men in their twenties who are powerful families have been granted positions such as governor for killing Zhang Fen and others."
I think it's still not too late for the general to surrender now, but things might be different once Li Yi leads his army into Xianzhou territory.

Tian Zan sighed.

Who would have thought that after all this trouble, it would end up like this?

Only five counties remain.

"Please have Chief Secretary Li write me a letter of apology. I am willing to lead the three prefectures and five counties of Xianzhou General Administration to submit to you."

Li Yuanchao untied the fish, put it into the fish basket, and laughed, "General, you are mistaken. It is not the three prefectures and five counties that are surrendering, but the thirty-five prefectures of the six general administrations of Xianzhou Prefecture that are surrendering."

Tian Zan shook his head. "The Yuzhou General Administration Office was seized by Wang Shichong long ago. The Xianzhou Administrative Office is actually just the five General Administration Offices of Xianzhou, Dengzhou, Guangzhou, Suizhou, and Huangzhou. Now, the seven prefectures of Dengzhou General Administration Office have also fallen to Li Yi. How can I have the nerve to say that I am leading six prefectures and thirty-five prefectures to surrender?"

“Then we’ll remove the Yu and Deng General Administrations and say that the four General Administrations of Xianzhou Circuit and twenty-five prefectures have submitted.”

Tian Zan wanted to say that the two general administrations of Huangzhou and Guangzhou did not listen to his orders at all.

“We can’t just surrender all five counties like this, can we?” Li Yuanchao said.

"Alright, please put in some effort, Li Sima, to explain this to me properly."

After fishing for half a day without catching anything, Tian Zan got up, patted his bottom, and looked at the Bi River and the fields on both sides with a worried expression.

"Please rest assured, Steward Li, I believe you will be very happy to accept the letter of surrender."

"I will also need to trouble Chief Secretary Li to personally make a trip to Nanyang at that time."

"Obligated!"

Back in the city,

Tian Zan immediately invited several officials sent by Wang Shichong, who served as the Chief Administrator and Military Advisor in the General Administration.

"You've all been in Biyang for a while now, are you getting used to it?"

Tian Zan poured them tea.

Sima Yanglin said, "It's alright, but Tang general Li Yi is approaching. Does the commander have a plan to repel the enemy?"

"Hmm, that Li Yi is not easy to deal with. After much thought, I, the steward, have come up with only one solution."

"Oh, I'd love to hear your brilliant plan, Steward!"

Tian Zan picked up his cup and took a big gulp of tea: "I can only make things work by borrowing one thing from you."

"Just tell me what you need, Steward."

"I'll borrow your heads!"

"what!"

Tian Zan smashed the cup.

A group of armored warriors rushed in from outside, their iron armor gleaming, and they immediately attacked Yang Lin and his companions with their swords.

Yang Lin was alarmed. "What does the steward mean by this?"

Some people have already started begging for mercy.

Tian Zan kicked a soldier who lunged at him aside, saying, "This general has decided to submit to the Tang Dynasty."

"Tian Zan, you fickle scoundrel, you won't have a good end!" Yang Lin knew they had no way out and cursed them.

A samurai stabbed him in the ribs, and immediately two more followed suit.

After a while,
Those men all fell down.

"Cut off their heads, pickle them with lime, put them in a box, and give them to Chief Secretary Li to take to Nanyang to present to Grand Steward Li!"

Kill these officials sent by Wang Shichong.
Tian Zan then summoned his civil and military officials to discuss matters and announced his defection to the Tang Dynasty.

Someone sitting down breathed a sigh of relief.

Some of these people were former subordinates of Tian Zan who were transferred from Suizhou after Tian Zan killed Yang Shilin, while others were former subordinates of Yang Shilin from Xianzhou who had surrendered to him.
Clearly, no one wanted to confront the Tang army head-on.
Now that Tian Zan has surrendered to Tang, they all feel they have escaped a calamity.

Many people didn't really agree with Tian Zan's decision to surrender to Zheng. Now that the Tang army is pressing in, it has forced them back to the right path.

Looking at everyone's expressions, Tian Zan completely gave up any other thoughts and could only hope that Li Yuanchao would succeed.

The western border of Xianzhou

The Tang army camp on the west bank of the Zhushui River.

Li Yuanchao arrived with Tian Zan's letter of surrender, along with a batch of gold and silver.

He crossed the river by boat.
Upon entering the west bank, one could see Tang army camps stretching for miles in the distance, their camps well-organized.

Outside the light cavalry patrol camp,

"This is the Six Flower Camp." He had also read military books and knew a little about military affairs.

Upon arrival at the camp, they underwent rigorous inspections. Everything they brought was recorded.

A group of soldiers escorted them to the central army camp. The tents and soldiers they saw along the way were all extremely elite, which made him very nervous.

He once followed Yang Shilin to submit to Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang and Pacification Commissioner of Shannan under the Tang Dynasty, and also paid respects to later Pacification Commissioners Ma Yuangui and Zheng Yuanzhu.
Their military camps were not as well-organized as Li Yi's, and they didn't have as many soldiers.

"As expected, a great reputation is well-deserved. No wonder this Chief Steward Li was able to achieve such great feats in Hedong."

Inside the Chinese military tent.

Li Yi already knew that Li Yuanchao, the chief clerk of the Xianzhou General Administration, had come to surrender on Tian Zan's orders.

"The Grand Steward really did predict things correctly again; he's truly a master strategist." Huo Yu couldn't help but admire him greatly.

Li Yi smiled. He had always felt that warfare was mainly about mathematics, and of course, psychology, economics, and so on.

Local military leaders like Tian Zan and Yang Shilin might not even be able to muster 10,000 armored soldiers, let alone armored cavalry.

Li Boyi and Li Fengci stood on either side of each other, like two powerful generals, their bodies adorned in magnificent gilded silk armor.

"Are we really going to let that Tian Zan go? With our elite and strong troops, we can march straight to Biyang City in Xianzhou, capture Tian Zan alive, and then decide what to do with him as we please?"

"Exactly, people like that should be chopped off."

Li Yi believed that war was the worst possible means.

The best course of action would be to force Tian Zan to surrender now. War results in death, wastes money and supplies, and unexpected events can easily occur during confrontations.

The court's main target now is Wang Shichong, followed by Xiao Xian; Tian Zan is nothing to worry about.

There's no need to expend too much effort here. If we can get him to surrender, we can also consolidate the troops, money, and supplies of Xianzhou and quickly advance towards Yi and Yu in Henan to assist Li Shimin.

Or they could turn their horses around and attack Xiangyang, then head south to attack Xiao Xian in Jiangling.

This place has never been the main battlefield for them, so this Tang army cannot be tied up here.

Of course, Li Yi believed that Li Yuan would definitely deal with Tian Zan in the future.

"This humble official, Li Yuanchao, Chief Secretary of the Xianzhou Circuit, pays his respects to Grand Steward Li!" Li Yuanchao entered the tent and bowed with his hands clasped.

Li Yi just sat there watching him without replying.

Li Yuanchao introduced himself again and paid his respects.

"If I remember correctly, you were originally just the Prefectural Clerk of Xianzhou. When did you become the Prefectural Circuit Intendant?"

Li Yuanchao smiled awkwardly. He had given himself this identity while traveling, but there was nothing he could do if Li Yi didn't recognize it. His position as the Chief Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat was bestowed upon him by Tian Zan after he killed Yang Shilin and appointed himself as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

"Your humble servant Li Yuanchao has delivered a letter of surrender on behalf of Tian Zan, the Circuit Intendant of Xianzhou. He is willing to lead the four general administrations and twenty-five prefectures of Xianzhou to submit to the Great Tang. Lord Tian has already killed the false official of Wang Shichong, and his head has been handed over to me."

"When did Tian Zan become the Prefect of Xianzhou? He was originally appointed by the Great Tang as the Chief Administrator of Xianzhou and the Governor-General of Suizhou. Even after he surrendered to Wang Shichong, he was only granted the title of Governor-General of Xianzhou. He only had three prefectures under his command, totaling five counties. Where did this 'four governor-general prefectures and twenty-five prefectures' come from?"

Li Yi didn't even look at the surrender document that Li Yuanchao handed him.

"However, it is good that he can admit his mistakes and correct them. He has gone astray and turned back to the right path. I am willing to give him another chance."

I will reinstate him to his position as Governor of Suizhou, and you will be in charge of overseeing the Governor of Xianzhou. Go back and tell Tian Zan to hand over the three cities and five counties of the Xianzhou Governor's Office to you, and I will send troops to accompany you back to assist in the defense.

"Let Tian Zan lead his troops here to join forces, and I will send troops to escort him back to Suizhou to resume his post."

"Tell Tian Zan that I'll wait for him here for three days, only three days!"

Li Yuanchao was stunned for a long time, never expecting that he would be appointed as the Inspector General of Xianzhou and the Prefect of Xianzhou.

"Your humble servant obeys."

Li Yuanchao didn't have time to rest and immediately rushed to Biyang City. This was a rare opportunity. If he succeeded, he would be the governor of Xianzhou; if he failed, he would be nothing.

They rode swiftly back to Biyang City.

Tian Zan greeted them at the Xingtai residence, asking, "Was the matter successfully completed?"

"It can be said that more than half of it has been accomplished." Li Yuanchao's throat was parched and he was covered in sweat. He quickly explained the situation, naturally taking the court's side and persuading Tian Zan to accept the arrangement.

"General Manager Li is a really good person. He doesn't want to dwell on the past and is still willing to reinstate Lord Tian as the General Manager of Suizhou. He even said he would petition the court to grant Lord Tian the title of Duke."

"Just the Governor-General of Suizhou? No additional rank of Xingtai?"

Li Yuanchao shook his head. "Lord Tian, ​​don't hesitate. Do you know how astonishing the military might was when I saw it in the Tang camp? If war really breaks out, we have no chance of winning."

Tian Zan was dissatisfied with the position of Governor-General of Suizhou, but Wang Shichong had only given him the position of Governor-General of Xianzhou before. It was truly rare that Li Yi was still willing to accept him now.

Thinking that Li Yuanchao and his subordinates had lost their fighting spirit, Tian Zan could only sigh.

That same day, at Li Yuanchao's urging, he took only one hundred soldiers to the Tang camp at Duhe to pay respects to Li Yi, while his son led the rest of his troops to follow.

They traveled seventy li (approximately 35 kilometers) at full gallop, finally arriving at sunset.

But as soon as he entered the Tang camp and met Li Yi, he heard some bad news.

"At noon today, Xu Yi, the governor of Suizhou, surrendered. I have accepted his surrender and allowed him to remain the governor of Suizhou."

Upon hearing Li Yi's words, Tian Zan was stunned.

"Then shall I return to Xianzhou?" Tian Zan asked.

"The position of General Administrator of Xianzhou has already been assigned to Li Yuanchao, and it's not appropriate to change it. Thus, the Xianzhou Circuit Administration originally comprised six General Administrator's Offices: Xian, Sui, Deng, Huang, Guang, and Yu."
"I, the chief administrator, will then recommend you to the Emperor as the Chief Administrator of Yuzhou, holding the imperial insignia, and in charge of military affairs in Yuzhou, Yuzhou, and Xizhou, as well as the Governor of Yuzhou." Li Yi pointed to the eastern part of Xianzhou on the map and said.

Tian Zan tried very hard to control himself. "Grand Steward, Yuzhou belongs to Wang Shichong."

“I know, but Yuzhou used to be under the jurisdiction of Xianzhou Circuit. Later, it was taken over by Wang Shichong, just like Xiangdeng was taken over by Wang Shichong. But now, the Dengzhou General Administration has been recovered by me.”

"Let's take Yuzhou."

Tian Zan wanted to curse, but then he thought about it and realized that Suizhou was also in the hands of Wang Shichong's general Xu Yi. But who would have thought that Xu Yi would surrender even more readily than he had?

Originally, he was supposed to send troops to attack Suizhou after returning to his post, but now the target has changed from Suizhou to Yuzhou.

Forced by circumstances, this was the only explanation he could offer himself.

"General Tian, ​​temporarily appoint him as the military commander of my camp, the military commander of Yuzhou Road, and he will command your own troops."

"Xu Yi really surrendered?" Tian Zan couldn't help but ask, still somewhat incredulous.

"Yes, Xu Yi is a pragmatist. He has already led the two prefectures of Sui and Chang to officially change their flags and submit to the Tang Dynasty. He is in the camp. I will host a banquet tonight to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."

(End of this chapter)