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

Chapter 412 Li Yi Resigns as Commander

Changan.

Li Yuan reviewed the memorials, sometimes frowning and sometimes smiling.

King Du Fuwei of Wu reported that Li Zitong had been defeated and fled to Taihu Lake, but had gathered more than 20,000 scattered men and attacked Shen Faxing in Wu County, inflicting a great defeat on him. Afterwards, he pressed his advantage and repeatedly defeated Shen Faxing.

Shen Faxing, once the most powerful warlord in the Wu region, was so impoverished that he drowned himself in the Qiantang River. Li Zitong took over all of Shen Faxing's territory, from Taihu Lake in the north to the Five Ridges in the south, encompassing Kuaiji in the east and Xuancheng in the west. Having lost his own territory, he crossed the river like a dragon and usurped the nest.

Du Fuwei occupied Huainan and also seized the area north of Taihu Lake.

Another major separatist force in the Jianghuai region has been eliminated.

Li Yuan was getting impatient. Du Fuwei was gaining more and more power, and he was afraid that if Du Fuwei seized control of Jianghuai, he would become too powerful to handle.

It seems that the campaign against Xiao Xian is imminent.

Even now, Lingnan is still in constant chaos. The bandit leader Gao Facheng of Guangzhou and the bandit leader Shen Baoche of Xinzhou killed Sui officials and took over the state and relied on Lin Shihong. Feng Ang of Gaozhou led his troops to attack and captured Baoche, Zhichen and others. In eastern Lingnan, Feng Ang became the only powerful force.

"His Majesty,"

"Liu Xiancheng, the chieftain of the Ji Hu tribe in Yanzhou, has been recruited by Liang Shidu and has gathered tens of thousands of troops to raid the border. Duan Decao, the governor of Yanzhou, requests the imperial court to send troops to rescue him!"

Qian Jiulong brought bad news.

"Damn those Ji Hu." Li Yuan frowned.

The Ji Hu have been causing trouble for the past few years. After the imperial court executed Liu Jizhen and his son, the leaders of the Ji Hu in Lishi, and Liu Shi of Longquan took over the aftermath, the Ji Hu became even more rampant.

Not only the Qi Hu in Hedong, but also the Qi Hu in the north of Guanzhong have started causing trouble again.

Just as Li Yuan was preparing to conquer Xiao Xian, Liu Xiancheng jumped out again.

The emperor summoned the prime minister, the crown prince, the Prince of Qin, the Prince of Qi, and others to a court meeting.

"Your Highness, Liu Xiancheng has gathered tens of thousands of followers and colluded with Liang Shidu to invade the border. You must lead the army to punish them!"

Li Jiancheng was overjoyed upon hearing this, finally getting another chance to lead troops into battle.

Prince Qin, Li Shimin, knelt in the hall, his face expressionless.

“Yuanji, you will accompany the Crown Prince on the expedition. Yu Jun, Wang Xingmin, and Sang Xianhe will also be transferred to accompany the expedition.”

The emperor gave the crown prince 20,000 troops, 14,000 combat soldiers and 6,000 auxiliary soldiers, mainly palace guards.

To mobilize 20,000 troops to fight a simple battle against the enemy seems like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The bronze beast-shaped incense burner in the hall emitted smoke, which, mixed with ambergris, made the hall smell rich and fragrant.

The emperor leaned back on his imperial couch, his gaze fixed on his second son.

"I am determined to send troops to destroy Xiao Xian and recover Jing and Xiang," Li Yuan declared loudly.

The ministers were not surprised by the emperor's plan. Originally, when Li Yi led troops to Shannan last year, the court had ordered Li Xiaogong and his men to lead troops to attack Xiao Xian. However, due to the pressure from the Turks, Li Yuan had to suspend the military campaign against Xiao Xian and instead send troops north to defend against the Turks.

Now that Wang Shichong of Luoyang has been defeated, and the Turkic Khan Chuluo has died suddenly, the situation has changed.
This was a very rare opportunity for the Tang Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Li Yi to lead the campaign against Xiao Xian." The Crown Prince immediately responded.

The King of Qin also supported this, saying, "I think what the Crown Prince said is very true. It is most appropriate for the Duke of Jin to lead the expedition against Xiao Xian. Last year, the Duke of Jin pacified Shannan, quelled Xiangdeng, and stabilized Hanzhong and Huaixi. If the Duke of Jin leads the army down from Xiangyang, with Prince Xiaogong of Hejian, General Li Jing of Tongzhou, Governor Tian Shikang of Qianzhou, and General Li Yuan of Lujiang of Jinzhou advancing in several directions, they will surely be able to destroy Xiao Xian in one fell swoop."

The crown prince frowned.

Li Yuan leaned against the armrest, saying, "Wu Yi is currently the ambassador for pacifying Henan and Hebei. He has to pacify Henan and guard against Hebei, so he can't spare the time."

Li Shimin immediately replied, “Your Majesty, as the Grand Chancellor of Shaanxi East Circuit, it is my duty to pacify Henan and Hebei.”

In my opinion, after Chuluo's death, there is no room for reconciliation between our Great Tang and the Turks. Now that Jieli is too busy to look south, this is the best time for our Great Tang to wipe out Dou Jiande in Hebei in one fell swoop.

If we wait until Jieli stabilizes the Khanate, he will inevitably interfere in the unification of our Great Tang Dynasty.

Your subject requests permission to lead troops to conquer Hebei; immediate dispatch is required.

The prince narrowed his eyes.

No wonder the second brother was unmoved by his suggestion to lead the campaign against the Ji Hu earlier, but now he's seconding him to support Li Yi's leadership in the campaign against Xiao Xian.

His ambition was far greater; he wanted to personally lead the campaign against Hebei.

Li Yi, as the pacification ambassador for Henan and Hebei, undoubtedly took away a lot of power from the Qin King's Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Chancellor.

The King of Qin sent Li Yi to Jingxiang, which was killing two birds with one stone: to seize the command of the Hebei campaign and to regain control of the Shaanxi East Circuit.

"Your Majesty, I believe it is not advisable to send troops to attack Hebei at this time," Li Jiancheng said on horseback.

Li Yuan asked, "Why?"

"The imperial court has been fighting for years and is unable to support continuous major battles. This year, we should first pacify Henan, only send troops to Xiao Xian, and incidentally quell the rebellion of the Ji Hu in the north of the capital."

Moreover, Dou Jiande had allied with the Turks, and now, with the death of Chuluo, the court had finally managed to end the war with the Turks. If they were to attack Hebei, Khagan Jieli would inevitably march south, which would be extremely inappropriate.

Li Shimin asked his elder brother, "Does the Crown Prince think that if our Great Tang Dynasty keeps showing goodwill to the Turks, the Turks will not attack again?"

The sudden death of Chuluo Khan was a blessing from heaven for the Tang Dynasty. How could we miss such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity?
Once Jieli has settled the Khanate, he will inevitably launch another southern expedition. We must seize this opportunity to strike first.

It has long been impossible for our Great Tang Dynasty and the Turks to make peace again.

The Turks would never sit idly by and watch our Great Tang unify the world. Shibi Khan did so, Chuluo Khan did so, and even if it were Jieli Khan, he would have done the same.

As the unification of our Great Tang Dynasty accelerates, the Turkic intervention will only become more direct and brutal!

The emperor remained silent.

The emperor understood the Turks better than anyone else, and his appeasement towards them had always been merely a temporary measure.

The emperor was considering when to take action and when he could win.

Now is not the time to take action against the Turks.
However, we cannot simply do nothing because of the Turks. There are some things that must be done, such as unifying the world. Even if the Turks oppose it, the Tang Dynasty still has to do it.

The Tang Dynasty's concessions to the Turks in recent years were ultimately aimed at unifying the country.

The Crown Prince was undoubtedly less insightful than Shimin.

"Does the King of Qin believe that now is the best time to conquer Hebei?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We must seize this chance while Jieli has just ascended the throne and is too preoccupied to look south, and take this opportunity to recover Hebei and destroy Dou Jiande," Li Shimin said excitedly.

"Your subject requests to lead the army to conquer Hebei!"

Li Yuan stood up.

"If you were to take command, how many troops would you need, and how long would it take to recapture Hebei?"

Li Shimin thought for a moment, "One year is enough."

The emperor shook his head. "A year is too long. Jieli won't give us that much time." "Six months. Your Majesty only needs six months."

How many soldiers do you need?

"Sixty thousand people should be enough."

The emperor paced back and forth in the hall, his hands behind his back.

The Crown Prince spoke up: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Qin is taking a gamble, betting the fate of the nation. The court has been engaged in constant warfare for the past few years, the imperial guards have been fighting year-round without rest, and the supply of armor, weapons, and arrows is insufficient, not to mention the severe shortage of food."

The imperial court cannot afford to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously; it's too risky. Your Majesty, please reconsider. We cannot allow the Prince of Qin to risk the fate of the nation for personal military glory!

"You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to fight one battle at a time. You can't rush things."

Li Shimin retorted, "Does the Crown Prince not know that opportunities in war are fleeting? Now that Jieli is too busy to look south, it is the best time to attack Dou Jiande. If the Crown Prince thinks that the war can only be fought one battle at a time, then we should not fight Xiao Xian for the time being, but concentrate our forces to destroy Dou Jiande and recover Hebei."

The two brothers argued fiercely in the hall, neither willing to give in.

Li Jiancheng believed that Hebei should not be attacked this year. Instead, he went north to conquer the Ji Hu and stabilize the area north of the capital. Li Yi went to conquer Xiao Xian and seize Jing and Xiang.

Start with the easy targets first, then move on to the difficult ones. Liu Xiancheng and Xiao Xian are relatively weak, so we can take them down first.

Li Shimin believed that they should seize the strategic window of opportunity and eliminate Dou Jiande, the most threatening figure, first. They should not allow Dou Jiande to join forces with the Turks, otherwise they would have to pay a greater price in the future, and it might even affect the safety of the Tang Dynasty.

The only thing the two could agree on was to let Li Yi lead the army to conquer Xiao Xian.

“Pei Ji, you all should also share your opinions.”

Among the prime ministers, Pei Ji and others supported first securing a peace treaty with the Turks, temporarily avoiding war with Dou Jiande, taking down Xiao Xian first, and simultaneously pacifying Henan. They advocated accumulating funds and provisions, resting the troops, and then launching a campaign against Hebei next year or the year after.

However, Qu Tutong, Xiao Yu, and others supported attacking Hebei first.

"Your Majesty might as well send someone to Luoyang to inquire about the Duke of Jin's opinion," Chen Shuda suggested.

The emperor nodded, and the court discussion was temporarily adjourned.

Three days later,
Li Yi wrote a reply to the emperor that was several thousand words long.

"Li Yi supports sending troops to Hebei now, believing it to be a good opportunity."

"He also supports sending troops to Xiao Xian now. He also supports the Crown Prince to take advantage of the situation after attacking Liu Xiancheng of Ji Hu and lead troops north to the Hetao region, station troops in Feng and Sheng prefectures, and send Zhang Changxun, the governor of Feng Prefecture, and Guo Zihe, the governor of Yun Prefecture, to the court."

Li Yuan was amazed by Li Yi's reply. The young Duke of Jin also felt that the Turks were currently unstable and unable to interfere in the Central Plains, which was the perfect time for the court to launch a major offensive.

Not only did they intend to eliminate Dou Jiande in Hebei, but they also wanted to take the opportunity to garrison troops in the Hetao region. This was to prepare for a full-scale war with the Turks in advance.

The last line of defense is offense.

The imperial court not only wanted to conquer Hebei, but also to take over the northern frontier regions such as Yanmen, Mayi, Wuyuan, and Yunzhong.
Defend to the north.

We cannot procrastinate. We must seize this rare opportunity and make a concerted effort to completely unify the world within one or two years.

Li Yuan was a little unaccustomed to this rapid pace, feeling that the young man was too sharp.

Two years?

Even after another five years of fighting, Li Yuan felt that he might not be able to unify the country.

What Li Yuan didn't expect was that Li Yi would relinquish the command of the campaign against Xiao Xian to Li Xiaogong, the governor of Xinzhou and the Prince of Hejian. He was willing to remain in Henan to pacify the local area, restore production, prepare for the transportation of money, grain, and equipment, and support the battlefields on both the north and south fronts.

Both the Crown Prince and the King of Qin recommended Li Yi to lead the campaign against Xiao Xian, but Li Yi declined the position to Li Xiaogong.

After several days of court deliberation,
Li Yuan ultimately decided to take a gamble. The opportunity was rare. If he didn't attack Dou Jiande now, the Turks would inevitably intervene again once they stabilized, or even directly invade.

"The Grand Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit moved its headquarters from Changchun Palace to Luoyang. Prince Shimin, the Grand Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit, was appointed to lead the expedition against Hebei. Prince Li Yuanji of Qi and Minister of War Yin Kaishan of the Grand Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit were appointed as his deputies to the expedition against Hebei."

Han Liang, the Left Vice Minister of the Grand Secretariat, served as the Chief Secretary of the Marshal's Office, while the Director of the Revenue Department of the Grand Secretariat was responsible for the transportation of money and grain.

The generals of the Qin Prince's Mansion, including Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Zhai Changsun, Shuang Shilu, Tian Liuan, Qin Wutong, Zhang Shigui, Niu Jinda, and Wu Heita, were transferred.
Generals Luo Shixin, Huang Junhan, and Li Shiji of the Grand Secretariat were appointed as commanders-in-chief of the expedition.

Li Yi of Youzhou in Hebei, Deng Song of Yingzhou, and Tu Diji of Yanzhou were transferred to lead their troops and placed under their command.

The emperor also summoned generals such as Li Shentong, Liu Hongji, Fan Shixing, Li Shou, Wang Junkuo, Guo Zihe, Wang Xu, Li Daozong, and Shi Danai from the court to lead the expedition.

When the Crown Prince was tasked with suppressing Liu Xiancheng of Jihu, the generals assigned by the Emperor were Li Anyuan, Qian Jiulong, Sang Xianhe, Yu Yun, Dou Cong, Wang Xingmin, Chai Shao, Dou Gui, and Li Junxian.

Li Shimin was given 60,000 troops. Although there were many generals, in terms of actual rank, the generals under the Crown Prince, who only had 20,000 troops, actually held higher positions. The generals in the Prince of Qin's mansion were more diverse, and many of them held relatively low positions.

Jingxiang battlefield

The commander-in-chief was Li Xiaogong, the Prince of Hejian; the deputy commander-in-chief was Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang; the chief secretary was Li Jing, the governor of Tongzhou, who also served as the general commander of the army; the military advisor was Ren Gui, the governor of Anzhou, who also served as the general commander of the army; and there were also general commanders of the army such as Zhou Faming, Lu Zushang, and Tian Shikang.

They were mostly local troops from the south of the mountains, and their generals were also local generals.

Li Yi did not join any of the three battlefields. He remained the Pacification Commissioner of Henan and Hebei, the Governor-General of Luozhou, and concurrently held the positions of Grand Councilor and Minister of Works. He also remotely held the position of Left Vice Minister of the Xiangzhou Circuit.

Of the seven generals of the Henan court, Li Shiji, Huang Junhan, and Luo Shixin joined the Hebei battlefield.

At the same time, the imperial court was also improving the twelve circuits and twelve armies in Guanzhong, and establishing seventy-two new military prefectures in Henan.

The Qin King's Palace and the Qi King's Palace were also improved. In addition to the permanent officials of the palaces, the Left and Right Six Protectorate Offices, the Left and Right Personal Affairs Offices, and the Left and Right Tent Offices were formally established.

The six guards on the left and right, like the prince's generals, commanded the guards.

The Left and Right Guards' Offices each have five commanders and ten lieutenants, responsible for the personal guards and outer troops, respectively. The Left and Right Guards' Offices, and the Left and Right Guards' Offices, each have three fewer commanders and six fewer lieutenants.

Li Shimin and Li Yuanji each had six military commanderies, each with eighteen military units, and each commanded approximately 20,000 troops.

This was the emperor's reorganization of the troops under the control of the two princes, transforming them from private armies into regular forces for the imperial court.

From now on, the total number of soldiers under their command can only be these eighteen military prefectures, with a limit of around 20,000.

It was less than the number of guards under the Crown Prince's command in the Eastern Palace, which numbered approximately 30,000.

This change,

The Qin army was reduced, while the Qi army was strengthened.

The excess troops under the King of Qin will be transferred to the Twelve Guards of the Imperial Court, or the Twelve Armies of Guanzhong, or assigned to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace Guards or the Qi King's Protectorate.

This time, the three princes went on the expedition.

Li Jiancheng's 20,000 troops were also prioritized for deployment to his Eastern Palace outer palace troops and Eastern Palace generals.

Li Shimin's 60,000-strong army that conquered Hebei was mainly composed of the guards of the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Qi, and also included troops from various prefectures and counties under the Grand Council of Shaanxi East Circuit.

The troop movements of the twelve imperial guards were relatively few.
Especially the 12th Army of Guanzhong, which is currently undergoing rotation and rest.
Through this round of intensive adjustments, the emperor finally had a usable army again.

It contains 30,000 Imperial Guards from the Northern Army.
The twelve armies surrounding the capital region maintained tens of thousands of troops in Guanzhong.

With the Imperial Guards and the Twelve Armies combined, the emperor had over 100,000 troops at his disposal. Even though the soldiers were engaged in farming during their leisure time, they were still in Guanzhong and could be conscripted at any time, which made the emperor feel much more at ease.

(End of this chapter)