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

Chapter 437 Observing the Stars at Night: Venus Offends Purple
Midnight

The night watchman's clapper had just struck three times.

In the dead of night, Pei Shiju, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was observing the stars at the Pei Tun Daozu Palace in the eastern suburbs of Mingzhou.

He looked up towards the direction of the Purple Palace Enclosure.
"Mars guards the heart, Venus offends the purple,"

Venus actually pressed down above the Emperor Star, drawing a bloody trail across the sky.

Pei Shiju frowned, his purple robe fluttering in the night wind.

He looked at the stars again, shook his head, and sighed inwardly, thinking that the Wanzu Palace was probably doomed to fail.

This is one of the two palaces built by Dou Jiande after he moved the capital to Mingzhou.

One is Wanchun Palace in Mingzhou City, and the other is Wanzu Palace in the eastern suburbs of the city.

This Wanzu Palace was originally a Taoist temple built by Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu. It is said that once Liu Xiu was defeated in battle and was pursued by Wang Mang. He fled through this place, exhausted and hungry. He dismounted to rest, but suddenly heard the sound of pursuit getting closer. He had no choice but to mount his horse and continue to flee. As a result, his horse's leg broke. He abandoned the horse and entered a Taoist temple, where he collapsed on the ground.

Strangely, when the pursuers arrived, they searched the entire Taoist temple but could not find Liu Xiu.

When Liu Xiu woke up, he found a statue of Laozi in the temple and offerings on the table. Liu Xiu ate his fill and escaped a calamity.

Later, when he became emperor, he sent people to repair the Taoist temple, recast the golden statue of Laozi, and expand it into the Taoist Ancestor Palace.

Dou Jiande initially chose Mingzhou City because it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it was also known as "Little Jiangnan". Therefore, he moved the capital there.

Dou Jiande was a Buddhist, so he planned to convert the Daozu Palace into the Wanzu Palace to enshrine thousands of Buddhas and ancestors. The Li family claimed that Laozi, the founder of Taoism, was their ancestor, so Dou Jiande decided to convert the palace to a Buddhist temple.

The Wanzu Palace here has been under construction for a long time, consuming a lot of manpower. It is a large-scale palace, but it has not yet been completed.

Pei Shiju observed the celestial phenomena and concluded that the Wanzu Palace might not be completed.

"Could the celestial stars foretell the Xia king's defeat in Weizhou? And could Venus be referring to the Tang general Li Yi?"

At this moment, firelight appeared on the western horizon.

At first it was just a dark red spot, but in the blink of an eye it had reddened half the sky.

The sound of war drums boomed from the west, like muffled thunder.

Pei Shiju turned his head in surprise and looked over.

quickly,

Knights arrived from Mingzhou City.

"What happened?"

"Reporting to the Right Minister, at the great dike two miles west of the city, there are over a hundred war drums beating, along with countless torches."
It must be the Tang army attacking!

Pei Shiju returned to Mingzhou City under the escort of knights. After entering the city through the east gate, he quickly headed to the west gate tower.
Leaning against the parapet, he saw that on the dike just two miles west of the city, countless torches had converged into a fiery dragon.
The enormous war drums boomed, hitting us hard and making our ears hurt.

"At least a hundred war drums, and judging by the flames, there are at least three thousand men."

Pei Shiju felt a bit confused as he listened to the garrison commander's voice.

What are you doing in the middle of the night?

Is this some kind of surprise attack, making such a big commotion? It seems more like a warning.

Mingzhou City is easy to defend and difficult to attack, especially after the capital was moved and its defenses were expanded and strengthened several times. It would be very difficult to launch a night raid to capture the city, let alone make such a big commotion.

"Perhaps the Tang army discovered that the Xia King had led his main force to Weizhou. Is this a deliberate attempt to force the Xia King to return?"

Although Pei Shiju was a prime minister and important official during the Daye Dynasty, he was good at diplomacy and not military affairs.

After a moment's thought, he still ordered that knights be sent to Weizhou immediately to report the situation there to King Xia.

As for how to make the decision, that's up to the Xia king.

But thinking of the stars he had observed tonight, his heart felt heavy.

Before Wang Shichong was defeated and died, he observed the stars at night and saw a similar constellation. Could it be that the Xia king was also going to fall?

More than a dozen light cavalry squads left the city under cover of night.

They set off for different places: some went to the Ye City camp, some to the Xia King's residence in Weizhou, and others to surrounding castles and military towns.

The sound of drums shook the heavens.

The entire city of Mingzhou was awakened by the noise, and no one could sleep that night.

Pei Shiju stroked the parapet, recalling the divination he had performed on his way back to the city.

The trigram Kan (坎) above Li (离) represents the unresolved relationship between water and fire.

On the border of Weizhou, at Huanshui City.

King Dou Jiande of Xia unfolded the sheepskin map. Although he had long since erected the imperial banners and issued edicts when he went out and came in, he was still wearing a linen robe, which his wife, Cao, had sewn for him by hand.

With a square forehead, a wide mouth, and skin as white as wheat, he looked more like a farmer. Even in the army, he was like a 200-man commander, without any airs.

When he looked up, his eyes revealed his imposing and extraordinary presence.

Huanshui originally belonged to Weijun. During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it was separated from Linzhang County to establish Huanshui County. During the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty, it was separated from Xiangzhou.

This city is located on the east bank of the Yongji Canal of the Grand Canal, 120 li southwest of Xiangzhou and only 40 li from Weixian.

"Where is Li Yi's unit?" Dou Jiande asked, his voice deep and resonant.

General Gao Yaxian of the Right Guard replied, "The scouts report that Li Yi has not discovered us and is still heading towards Weizhou. His vanguard of three thousand cavalry will reach Weixian in another day."

This tall general was also tall and had once been a horse trader. He was skilled in riding and archery and was exceptionally brave.

"That Li Yi is overhyped by the Tang people; I think he's nothing special."

Behind Gao Yaxian stood his adopted son, General Yingyang, Su Dingfang. Although he was only twenty-one years old, he had followed his father into battle since he was fifteen. He was exceptionally brave and was known as a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men in Hebei. He led the local militia in Xindu County, beheaded Zhang Jincheng, and defeated Yang Gongqing, making the rebel army afraid to approach.

Gao Yaxian greatly admired him and adopted him as his godson.

"King Xia, this humble general requests permission to march south and assist Duke Han Dong in annihilating these three thousand Tang cavalry," Su Dingfang requested.

Dou Jiande laughed, "Don't rush, we mustn't alert the enemy. Our target this time is Li Yi." "Report!"

A hurried report interrupted their conversation.

Pei Shiju sent an express horse from Mingzhou City, 160 miles away, and it arrived in half a day.

Dou Jiande read Pei Shiju's handwritten letter without expression.

"It seems that Li Shimin has seen through our plan."

Last night, two miles west of Mingzhou city, several thousand Tang soldiers appeared, beating a hundred war drums. Whether this was Li Shimin's main force bypassing the Yecheng camp to reach Mingzhou, or just a detachment, it doesn't matter.

Li Shimin must have known that his main force had left Ye City, and probably guessed that he had come here.

"It seems that ambushing Li Yi is not going to work. Li Shimin must have already informed Li Yi."

Dou Jiande sighed deeply.

This Li Shimin is indeed extraordinary; he saw through my plan so quickly.

"King Xia, Li Yi has already delivered himself to our doorstep. We should head south and eliminate him first. It will be too late to turn back to Ye City later," Cao Dan, the military governor, shouted.

This brother-in-law of the King of Xia held a high position and great power, but Gao Yaxian, Fan Yuan, and their old comrades did not like him very much. Back then, General Wang Fubao was unjustly killed because Cao Dan slandered him.

There was also Song Zhengben, who also died after offending Cao Dan.

If Cao Dan hadn't caused trouble in Henan, there wouldn't have been the cases of Li Shiji, Li Wenxiang, Meng Haigong, Wang Bu, and others who surrendered and then rebelled.

"Li Yi is renowned for his defensive prowess. When he first entered the military and was stationed in Haozhou, even Liu Wuzhou couldn't do anything to him."
Now that we've alerted him, it's impossible to defeat him quickly anymore. Li Shimin is only a hundred miles away and could arrive at any moment.

Dou Jiande's plan to defeat his enemies one by one had been exposed, so he no longer intended to stay.

"Let's go back to Ye City first."

"Then what if Li Yi continues north?" Gao Yaxian asked. Li Yi was not only good at defense, but also at offense. He was famous for his rapid attacks in Hedong, Shannan, and Henan.

"Leave some troops to defend Weizhou, and return the main force to Yecheng."

Dou Jiande was also quite helpless, but between Li Yi and Li Shimin, he dared not underestimate Li Shimin.

We must keep an eye on Li Shimin.

As long as an opportunity can be found to defeat Li Shimin, then Li Yi has nothing to worry about.

The standoff has lasted for almost two months, and he believes that Li Shimin cannot hold out indefinitely.

Upon receiving the order to retreat, Liu Heita immediately rushed back to Huanshui City.

"Your Majesty, please give me 20,000 men, no, 10,000 elite soldiers will suffice, and I will surely offer up Li Yi's head."

Dou Jiande patted his old friend on the back, saying, "I'll still have to rely on you to deal with Li Shimin."

After some discussion
The final decision was that Liu Heita's younger brother, Liu Shishan, would lead 10,000 troops to garrison Weizhou, with Zhang Junli as his deputy.

"Your mission is to defend Weizhou City. Do not underestimate the enemy and fight recklessly."

The plan to defeat the enemy piecemeal failed, and Dou Jiande could only divide his forces for defense. He hoped to use fortified cities to break the Tang army's momentum, deplete their supplies, and then look for an opportunity to counterattack.

If Li Yi's 20,000 men fail to capture Weizhou and dare to penetrate deep into the rear, his logistics and supplies will be in jeopardy, and he might even be surrounded and attacked by the Xia army. Even with the added 10,000 troops now assisting in the defense of Weizhou, a direct assault by Li Yi is not so easy.

This is the safest approach.
Dou Jiande dared not linger in Weizhou, fearing that Li Shimin might divide his forces to attack Mingzhou, or even launch an attack on the 70,000 men in Yecheng.

Cao Dan, Liu Heita, and even Gao Yaxian and his son Su Dingfang all hoped to march south and eliminate Li Yi first, but Dou Jiande remained cautious.

Li Yi is not Li Shentong, nor even Li Shiji. Although young, he boasts numerous achievements, single-handedly conquering over a hundred prefectures. Such a young man should not be underestimated. If a swift victory cannot be achieved and Li Yi manages to hold us back...
That's where trouble is likely to occur in Ye City.

You can't gamble.

Dou Jiande used to gamble frequently, back then he had nothing to lose and was fearless, since he had nothing to lose anyway. But now that he has a large family and business, there is no need for him to gamble anymore.

Before withdrawing troops,

Dou Jiande summoned generals Liu Shishan and Zhang Junli, saying, "You two will assist Governor Cui Lixing in defending Weizhou. You must not underestimate the enemy and fight recklessly."

On the same day,

Dou Jiande then hurriedly led his army back to Ye City. He had brought 50,000 troops, and returned with 40,000, leaving 10,000 to guard Weizhou.

Su Dingfang requested to join in defending Weizhou.

Dou Jiande initially disagreed, but after thinking about it, he said, "I will give you another three thousand men to guard Wei County and help Wei Prefecture."

After Dou Jiande left,
The governor of Weizhou, Cui Lixing, smiled and said to Liu Shishan, Su Dingfang, and Zhang Junli, "Generals, do not worry. I have a miraculous technique that can make the attackers defeat themselves."

The three men just sneered a few times and left, ignoring him completely.

They had witnessed Cui Xingli's extraordinary skills in defending the city.

His father-in-law, Qu Ling, was originally the Prefect of Xindu County in the Sui Dynasty. In the first year of the Wude era, he voluntarily submitted to Li Yuan and was appointed as the Governor of Jizhou.

Dou Jiande conquered Yi and Ding, but Qu Ling alone refused to surrender. Dou Jiande led his army to attack in person, and Cui Xingli told his father-in-law that he had magic powers to defend the city.

As a result, that night, Cui Xingli ascended the altar to perform rituals, put on mourning clothes, climbed the north gate tower with a bamboo staff and wept bitterly, and also ordered all the women in the city to go up the city wall and shake their skirts on all sides.

The garrison troops were told to remain seated and not move.

Dou Jiande's army launched a fierce attack. Qu Ling wanted to lead his troops to defend, but he wouldn't allow it, and as a result, the city was captured.

This sounds unbelievable.
But this Cui Lixing is from the third branch of the Cui family of Boling, a legitimate member of the five surnames.

Judging from the fact that Dou Jiande later appointed Qu Ling as prime minister and chief minister, and Cui Xingli successively served as governor of Jizhou and governor of Weizhou, it is clear that the father and son were actually putting on a show.

He wanted to surrender, but he was also concerned about his reputation and feared opposition from his generals. So he pulled this stunt, using the guise of magic to hand over Ji Province.

Who really believes that having a woman stand on the city wall and shake her skirt can defeat the enemy, or create a level twelve yin wind?

Liu Shishan and the others knew the inside story, so of course they didn't take Cui Lixing's words seriously. When the enemy attacks the city, don't even mention shaking your skirt. Even if you let all the women go up to the city wall and take off their skirts, it wouldn't make a difference. It would only provoke the enemy to howl and attack the city even more fiercely.

(End of this chapter)