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

Chapter 383 Sharing this Pure Light
Bianzhou.

Kaifeng City was originally named Qifeng, but was renamed Kaifeng during the Han Dynasty to avoid using a taboo character.

Inside the governor's mansion, the osmanthus trees were already laden with golden blossoms, their fragrance filling the air. In the pavilion, Wang Yaohan, the governor of Bianzhou, gazed at the box before him.

I hesitated for a long time before opening it.

A box of mooncakes, a letter.

Wang Yaohan knew who had sent the letter; it was none other than Li Yi, the Tang Dynasty's Attendant-in-Ordinary and Duke of Jin, who was now conquering forty prefectures south of the mountains and south of the Yellow River—a young man of only eighteen.

At that time, that extraordinary talent was only a hundred miles to the south, commanding tens of thousands of soldiers.

After a long while, he picked up the letter and opened it.

"To Prefect Wang Gongtai of Bianzhou: It is mid-autumn, the golden month is in full swing, the moon is full over the Yellow River and Luo River, and the osmanthus blossoms fill the courtyard. I am stationed at Weishi and gaze upon the scenery of Bianzhou. Moved by your hard work in guarding the city, I have specially sent an envoy with a box of seasonal flatbread, accompanied by pomegranates from Yiluo and honey dates from Xiangcheng, to express my heartfelt sentiments."

Recalling the time when Duke Wei raised an army, his brothers were renowned for their heroism. General Bodang, with his white horse and silver spear, cleaved rocks and pierced clouds at the Wulao Battlefield. Who in the world did not admire him?

However, destiny has its course, and the imperial power ultimately belongs to the Tang dynasty. Now, the sage reigns, the Prince of Qin leads an eastern expedition, and the forty prefectures in southeastern Henan are pacified with a single proclamation. This is not merely due to the advantage of military force, but also to the will of the people.

"The Duke commands a strategic position in Bianzhou..."

Wang Yaohan read the post aloud as he looked at it.
"Excellent writing, excellent calligraphy! This is the famous 'slender and sinewy' style of calligraphy in Chang'an. Its strong strokes and elegant lines are truly remarkable."

Wang Yaohan was Wang Bodang's elder brother. Their ancestral home was Jiyang, but they lived in Neihuang, Weizhou during their youth.

Wang Yaohan and Li Yi were from the same city and hometown as Wei Zheng, but the Wang family was much better off than Wei Zheng's in their early years. Wei Zheng's father died early, and he was so poor that he had to become a Taoist priest. On the other hand, the Wang brothers, Wang Bodang and Wang Yaohan, practiced martial arts from a young age and were proficient in riding and archery.

It is said that the poor study literature and the rich study martial arts. Without some family wealth, how can one learn martial arts, let alone be good at riding and archery?

Put down the post.

Opening the exquisite brocade box revealed eight mooncakes, each with a beautiful pattern pressed out by a mold, along with a label explaining the eight fillings.

Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching.

Wang Yaohan was not happy to receive the mooncakes from Li Yi at this time.

The enemy is at the city gates.

We should try diplomacy first, then resort to force.

When Li Mi was defeated, Wang Bodang accompanied him to Chang'an and was appointed as a general. Later, Li Mi insisted on rebelling in Shandong again, and Sanlang could not persuade him to stay, so he had no choice but to risk his life to accompany him.

In the end, it was Yuzaburo who was harmed.

He also knew that this was not the fault of the Tang Dynasty.

But Sanlang was, after all, his own brother, and his death at the hands of the Tang army was bound to affect him.

After hesitating for a long time, he carefully put away Li Yi's visiting card and closed the brocade box.

He didn't reply.

Weishi County.

Li Yi recently received and sent out many mooncakes. He sent mooncakes to the governors and prefects of Zhengzhou, Bianzhou, Songzhou, and other prefectures in Henan.

Of course, our own people can't be left out.

Especially the soldiers and young men from Guanzhong, they made contributions on this expedition, but it went too smoothly and they didn't fight much, so their contributions were actually not that great.

Most importantly, without breaching any cities, there was naturally no spoils or rewards to be distributed.

For two months, all they did was march and march, and everyone's morale started to wane.

The soldiers, especially their sons, volunteered for the war not entirely out of patriotism. Besides seeking fame and fortune, many actually wanted to fight and make money.

Those soldiers and their sons who followed Li Yi in conquering Hedong last year all made a fortune and received meritorious official positions.

But this year is different.

There were no battles to fight, no spoils of war, and Li Yi's military regulations were strict, prohibiting looting; they couldn't even leave the camp normally.

Even Liu Heizi had come to Li Yi more than once to complain about the soldiers' grievances.

Fortunately, the supply of food and provisions was sufficient along the way, and they could eat meat from time to time. There was also no shortage of fresh vegetables in the summer, which barely managed to maintain morale and military discipline.

"With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, we will reward our soldiers this time. Everyone will receive a share and a reward."

The emperor also issued an edict to commend Li Yijun, and all the soldiers were promoted two ranks and their merits were recorded.

But these things couldn't satisfy the soldiers. They wanted something more tangible, like money, silk, or land as a reward.

It would be even better if we could get some slaves, cattle, and horses.

These things cannot be arranged in Chang'an in a short time, so Li Yi will have to solve them himself on the front line.

Involving tens of thousands of people, the rewards would amount to a large sum.

But rewards are still necessary, otherwise it will affect morale and could even pose a hidden danger.

Although the soldiers in the early Tang Dynasty were not as arrogant as those in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, they risked their lives and left their homes to work for the country. Who would do it if there were no benefits?

The soldiers of the garrison did not receive military pay. They had to bring their own food and clothing to fight, neglecting their wives, children, and fields. They couldn't work for nothing.

Since there is no opportunity to seize spoils in war, and soldiers are not allowed to plunder, then rewards must be given.

Li Yi felt that rewarding was better than plundering, at least it was controllable.

If the army is allowed to roam freely a few times, it will become difficult to manage.

Li Yi's solution to this military reward was simple: he now directly controlled twelve general administrations and forty prefectures, encompassing a hundred cities.

Each prefecture and county levies a sum of money. If the prefecture or county lacks funds or grain, local powerful families will borrow from them first.

The repayment will be made by the various prefectures and counties in the future. This method is a bit simple and crude, but it is also relatively realistic and feasible. Li Yi can't possibly pay out of his own pocket. Not to mention that he can't afford it, even if he could, he wouldn't dare to.

How can you support the emperor's army? Do you want to rebel?

In preparation for this Mid-Autumn Festival military reward, all twelve prefectures, forty states, and over a hundred cities were mobilized. First, money and silk had to be raised, and then pork, mutton, chicken, duck, wine, water, rice, wheat, flour, oil, salt, and other necessities had to be purchased.

The standard reward for ordinary soldiers this time is one thousand coins, two bolts of silk, a new set of autumn clothes, and two pairs of boots. The rewards for other veteran soldiers such as squad leaders and flag bearers will be increased.

Officers at the rank of deputy captain and above are then promoted step by step.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, a feast will be held to reward the soldiers. Each person must have at least two catties of meat and two catties of wine, in addition to plenty of flatbread and noodles.

A thousand coins for two bolts of silk is actually quite a small amount.

Last year, during the Battle of Hedong, Li Yi defended Haozhou. He fought many battles, but each time he captured and distributed large spoils. The merchant groups that accompanied him made a fortune, and the powerful families of Haozhou divided up more than 10,000 prisoners in one go.

On the battlefield, capturing a horse could earn you ten or twenty bolts of silk, which is much better than this.

But Li Yi couldn't give too much, otherwise if he rewarded him for the Mid-Autumn Festival, would he reward him for the Winter Solstice, or for the New Year?

Seeing Li Yi's troubled expression, Huo Yu smiled and said, "You're being too kind to the soldiers. If you had just relaxed the military discipline a little, you wouldn't have had to make things so difficult for them."

Li Yi said, "Then I'd rather make things difficult. If military discipline is lax, the soldiers will become bandits. They can only fight battles when things are going well, but they won't be able to fight tough battles."

Huo Yu sat down next to him and said, "You now have sixty or seventy thousand men under your command. If each of them costs one thousand coins and two bolts of silk, that's sixty or seventy million coins and over one hundred thousand bolts of silk. You also need to buy wine and meat."

"I have an idea for you. We can't relax military discipline and let them plunder. So let's just find a city to attack. We can't just keep the soldiers around. You've also reorganized a lot of soldiers from Shannan and Henan. We provide them with food and drink, but they also need to practice in actual combat."

Wang Yaohan, the governor of Bianzhou, hasn't replied to you yet, so let's go and attack him. He doesn't have many soldiers, and his personal abilities are far inferior to his brother Wang Bodang. However, Bianzhou is located in the heart of the Central Plains, and it has the Grand Canal, so it's still better than other places.

"Once we capture Bianzhou, the spoils will be divided among the three horses, and the soldiers will each get a share. That will satisfy everyone, and their fighting spirit will be rekindled."

Li Yi said, "Wang Yaohan can still be won over, there's no need to rush into fighting him. I'm now considering attacking Guanzhou first."

"Why?"

Because Wang Shichong noticed us, he specially dispatched his crown prince Wang Xuanying to lead an army eastward from Wulao and station his troops between Xing and Zheng.

"If the false Prince Zheng dares to come, then we must attack him first."

Although Wang Xuanying was the son of Wang Shichong, his military skills were mediocre. He had already suffered three defeats in the west, including one against Luo Shixin, who knocked him off his horse at Cijian and nearly captured and killed him.

The second time was when Wang Shichong sent him across the Yellow River to Xiji Prefecture to reinforce and defend against Huang Junhan, but he was defeated by Huang Junhan, the governor of Huai Prefecture of Tang.

He had no choice but to retreat to Luoyang, where he was then sent by Wang Shichong to Shou'an, southwest of Luoyang, where he was defeated by Shi Wanbao, the Tang governor of Xiong Prefecture, at Jiuqu.

Wang Xuanying was like a firefighter trying to put out fires, but his abilities were lacking, and he lost wherever he went. Now Wang Shichong has sent him out of Xingyang again, clearly to guard against Li Yi.

I don't know if Wang Shichong was too ambitious, but the crown prince was clearly not cut out to lead troops, yet he kept ordering the crown prince around.

When are we going to attack Wang Xuanying?

"Let's wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival to boost everyone's morale and wait for Wei Lu, the governor of Xingzhou, to reply."

Wei Lu was secretly corresponding with Li Yi, thanks to Huo Yu's connections. Wei Lu wanted to submit to the Tang Dynasty, but he was guarded by the Prince of Jing at Hulao Pass to the west, Guo Qing to the south, and now the Crown Prince had arrived.

Wei Lu hesitated, after all, preserving his life was the most important thing.

Unless Li Yi comes to meet him, he can only wait.

"How about I go to Xingzhou myself?"

"It's too dangerous, and besides, I don't want you to leave." Li Yi smiled and slapped her on the shoulder.

Lu Chengqing entered from outside. "Your Excellency, His Majesty has sent an envoy..." He paused halfway through his sentence, not expecting to see Chief Eunuch Huo sitting on Li Shizhong's lap.

"I was in a hurry to report and forgot to ask for permission outside. I'll take my leave now." Lu Chengqing bowed his head and quickly withdrew.

Li Yi waved, "Come back."

Huo Yu blushed as she got up from Li Yi's lap and sat down to the side.

Lu Chengqing stood at the door with his head down. "What are your orders, Your Excellency?"

"It's nothing, there's no need to be so nervous."

"I understand, and I will not speak recklessly."

Li Yi knew he was a smart man, so he didn't bother with any more words and got up to greet the angel, "Manager Huo, come along."

The emperor sent an envoy from afar to deliver a box of mooncakes, a box of crabs, a basket of grapes from Gaochang, and a cloak to Li Yi.

There were also four jars of fine wine in gold urns and silver bottles.

"This is a Mid-Autumn Festival invitation personally written by His Majesty for the Attendant-in-Ordinary." The angel then handed over another invitation with gold lettering.

Li Yi took it.
The emperor's calligraphy is quite good, reminiscent of the styles of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. "With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the fragrance of osmanthus fills the room. I hereby bestow upon my nephew a box of sesame cakes, along with two kinds of golden minced meat and jade-like sliced ​​meat."

The dew is cold and the frost is heavy; it is advisable to eat an extra meal.

I wish to share this precious moment with my nephew, and extend my best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous time.

Looking at the mooncakes and the emperor's Mid-Autumn Festival invitation, Li Yi thought, "We send mooncakes every day, how could we forget to send one to His Majesty?"

Cui Shishu watched with some envy as the emperor bestowed mooncakes upon Li Yi from afar and even wrote a Mid-Autumn Festival greeting in his own hand, using such intimate language.

"The Chamberlain left Chang'an and within two months presented the Emperor with the registers of the twelve governorates and forty prefectures. These are the most sincere Mid-Autumn Festival gifts."

"Then the mooncakes are indispensable; quickly send them to the Emperor in Chang'an," Li Yi said.

Cui Shishu then reminded, "The Crown Prince's share cannot be omitted, and a share must also be sent to the residences of all the prime ministers in the court."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, Steward Cui. Remember to send a copy to the Prince of Qin in Luoyang as well."

(End of this chapter)