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

Chapter 453 Gold-Inlaid Jade Seal
"How have you been doing in Hebei these past few years, senior brother?"

Li Yi invited Wei Zheng into the pavilion of the manor. It had been three years since they last met. Wei Zheng had been serving under Dou Jiande for three years but had only ever been a court attendant. It seemed that he was not going to be given any important positions.

“It would have been better if I had served as Li Mi’s secretary,” Wei Zheng said frankly. He had also offered Dou Jiande some advice on how to be a wise ruler, but honest advice was hard to swallow and Dou Jiande didn’t like to listen.

"Xiao Shisan is now serving as a military advisor in Liangzhou. Every time he writes to me, he feels very guilty for not protecting you properly."

Wei Zheng waved his hand, "Xiao Shisan is both literate and martial, a very capable person. His choice to go to Hexi was not wrong."

Li Yi asked Liu Heizi to fetch a watermelon and cut it.

Wei Zheng got married.

"Congratulations, senior brother! You've finally settled down. Who is your wife?"

“The Pei family of Hedong,” Wei Zheng said with a smile, “her family is a branch of the Pei family of Hedong. Her father was originally a military advisor in Renzhou, Hebei.”

Their union can be considered a matter of fate.
Wei Zheng's father-in-law was a local official in Hebei during the Sui Dynasty. He surrendered after Dou Jiande captured the city, but was not highly regarded in the Xia state.
Wei Zheng was not valued by Dou Jiande, and the two happened to be fond of drinking. Wei Zheng also had the family's traditional brewing recipe, and he would brew some at home during the winter solstice and Qingming Festival. Pei Laozhang liked to drink it very much. The two unsuccessful drinking buddies got along very well. Later, Pei Laozhang took the initiative to propose to Wei Zheng in marriage.

Wei Zheng was forty-one years old. Thinking about how he had wasted half his life and how his ambitions were now thwarted in Hebei, he couldn't help but feel disheartened. So, after drinking, he agreed to the marriage.

"You've already had a wedding?"

"Yes, we held it after the New Year. We just set up two tables at home and invited some colleagues and others."

"Is your sister-in-law pregnant?"

"not yet."

"Then you'd better hurry up, senior brother, I already have two sons and three daughters."

Dou Jiande was defeated and captured, and Cao and others disbanded their troops and surrendered.

Li Yi was not surprised by any of this; it was to be expected.

"What are your plans, senior brother?"

Wei Zheng was somewhat lost. These three years in Hebei had passed in a flash. At first, he was full of ambition and traveled around for the Tang Dynasty, but later he was captured in Liyang and wasted nearly three years of his life.

Before he knew it, he was over forty years old.

"I am now the Left Vice Minister of the Shandong Circuit. The war is over, and the next step is to appease the local people. If you are willing to stay and help, I can recommend you for the position of Left Vice Minister of the Circuit."

Wei Zheng was somewhat surprised.

"Am I, a mere commoner, unfit for such an important position?"

Wei Zheng was originally a secretary sent to Shandong, a fifth-rank official, but after being captured, he served as a sixth-rank official in the Xia state for nearly three years.

The rank of the Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is not low. The Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is a senior fourth-rank official, the same as the one in the central government, while the Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is a junior fourth-rank official, one rank lower.

The duties of the Left and Right Assistant Ministers of the Imperial Secretariat were also very important, mainly responsible for supervision and inspection, and their responsibilities were equivalent to those of the Registrar of a prefecture or the Registrar of a county.

Supervision and auditing are important powers.

"Senior brother, your performance in pacifying Shandong was evident to everyone. You're from Hebei and spent several years in Dou's unit, so you're familiar with this area."
Now, in the post-war era, we need capable people like you, senior brother.

"But after all..."

“These are all minor matters. Prince Li Shou of Huai’an was captured along with his senior brother, but he has returned to the court and still holds an important position. There is also Li Shiji. He escaped when Liyang fell, but later, out of consideration for his father, he took the initiative to return and surrender to Dou Jiande. Later, he ran back to Chang’an alone, and he was still given important responsibilities.”

Wei Zheng smiled and said, "I almost forgot that you're quite something now, holding the titles of Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary, Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince, Left Vice Minister of the Shandong Circuit, General of the Banner of the Wannian Circuit, and General of the Right Guard."

I've been in Hebei for the past few years, and I've heard so much about you. Sometimes I can't even believe it's you.

It is said that when a man has been away for three days, he should be looked at with new eyes.

When Wei Zheng returned to Chang'an with Li Mi, he saw Li Yi again. At that time, Li Yi was the Deputy Supervisor of the Palace Gardens in Qianshui County.
Who could have imagined that three years later, Li Yi would have risen to the rank of one of the Three Dukes and become the prime minister?

Nine years ago, also in this place in Hebei, Zhao County, on the banks of the Hutuo River, in Gucheng, at Ziyun Temple, Li Yi was still a young Taoist novice, traveling around with Taoist Li.

Hei Zi cut up the watermelon and brought it over.

Black skin with red sac,

The skin is a bit thick and there are a lot of seeds, but in this sweltering summer, having a few pieces is a treat; they're juicy and sweet.

After eating the watermelon,

Li Yi and Wei Zheng then returned to Mingshui City.

Wei Zheng had already met with Li Shimin and presented the surrender document written by Cao Shi and Pei Shiju.

"The fact that the Cao family and others are so pragmatic has saved them from the calamity of war."

"Wu Yi, the Shandong Circuit Office is located in Yongnian City, Mingzhou. The war in Hebei is coming to an end, and we will have to rely on you to stay and pacify the region."

Mingzhou surrendered voluntarily.

The soldiers in the camp were quite happy; after experiencing the Battle of Mingshui, no one wanted to continue fighting.

Li Shimin hosted a banquet that evening to entertain Wei Zheng, and also to celebrate the victory of the soldiers.

Three days,

News of the great victory at Mingshui was delivered by express courier, and it had almost reached Chang'an by now.

"Tomorrow, Wu Yi and I will go to Mingzhou City to accept the surrender."

Li Shimin's plan was for Li Yi to lead his 20,000 troops to Mingzhou, along with some light cavalry guards. The rest of his main force would remain there to rest for a few more days before being deployed to key locations in Hebei.
Many more were preparing to retreat. Dou Jiande was defeated and captured. Not only did the Cao family of Mingzhou surrender, but the remaining prefectures of Zong, Bei, Ji, Cang, Shen, and Ying also surrendered one after another.

With the Xia king and his hundreds of thousands of troops gone, who in Hebei still had the will to continue the resistance?

Previously, Zhang Gongjin had led his troops to besiege Ping'en City, but as soon as the Battle of Mingshui ended, Ping'en immediately surrendered.

Even after Li Yi and his men achieved a great victory at Mingshui, they immediately rushed to Jize County, north of Mingzhou. Li Shimin ordered Li Yi's troops to stop their southward advance.

Hebei was pacified by issuing proclamations.

July 20th,
Li Yi led his troops to accompany Li Shimin and others to the city of Mingzhou.

Pei Shiju, Cui Junsu, and others surrendered to the Cao family after they left the city. They presented the eight imperial seals of the Sui Dynasty that Dou Jiande had seized after defeating Yuwen Huaji, as well as various treasures brought by Yuwen Huaji from Jiangdu, and the map, household registration, and seals of the Xia Kingdom.

Of the eight Imperial Seals of the State, one genuine Imperial Seal inlaid with gold and jade is missing.

Li Shimin was somewhat dissatisfied.

"What about that gold-inlaid jade?"

"After Liucheng defeated Yuwen Huaji, they did not find the gold-inlaid jade seal. Yuwen Huaji confessed that he also did not find the jade seal after he murdered the emperor in Jiangdu," Pei Shiju answered Li Shimin on behalf of Cao Shi.

Li Yi interjected from the side, "I heard that the gold-inlaid jade imperial seal was actually hidden by Empress Xiao and taken to the Turks. It is now in the hands of Yang Zhengdao, the Sui King installed by the Turks?"

“We really don’t know that,” Pei Shiju said frankly.

Although one genuine imperial seal is missing, the other eight seals are still very valuable.

After accepting the surrender, Li Shimin took the imperial seal and other items, and ordered his men to inspect, register, and seal them.

Li Yi then had Dou Jiande brought out.

Dou Jiande suffered quite a few injuries that day, but fortunately they weren't serious. Today, he was specially dressed in a new purple robe.

Dou Jiande, clad in purple robes and jade belt, was a rare sight even for the people of Hebei. They were used to seeing the Xia king in his simple attire, as he was usually dressed in plain clothes.

Apart from looking a little pale, Dou Jiande looked quite well overall.

It was Li Yi who suggested bringing him to Mingzhou and having him make his debut. Li Yi always believed that the Tang Dynasty had many problems in pacifying Hebei after the war, especially in dealing with Dou Jiande's group, which led to the loss of the hearts of the people in Hebei and the two rebellions of Liu Heita.

To fill the vacancy now, it's certainly not as simple as just sending someone to arrest and behead Liu Heita.

Even without Liu Heita, Dou Jiande's former subordinates would still support Zhang Heita.

He advocated that we should try our best to appease Dou Jiande, treat him well, and let the people of Hebei see the benevolence of the Tang Dynasty.

When Cao and the others saw Dou Jiande, they all looked incredulous.

When they saw that Fan Yuan, Cao Dan, Qi Shanxing, and other generals and high-ranking officials from Hebei had also appeared with the King of Xia and were still alive and well, they were all amazed.

"I have already submitted a memorial to the Sage, requesting that the King of Xia be treated well and that I be allowed to serve in the court."

"The former subordinates of King Xia have all retained their ranks and will be given important positions in other areas."

Li Yi stepped forward and produced a list of Dou Jiande's former subordinates who, after discussing with Li Shimin, were temporarily retained in their posts.

Qi Shanxing, formerly the Left Minister of the Xia State, was appointed Acting Governor-General of Yizhou; Ju Leng, formerly the Grand Secretary, was appointed Governor-General of Weizhou; Pei Shiju, formerly the Right Minister of the Xia State, was appointed Right Minister of the Xia State; Cui Junsu, formerly the Attendant-in-Ordinary, was appointed Minister of Personnel of the Xia State; and He Chou, formerly the Minister of Works, was appointed Minister of Works of the Xia State.
Left Minister Fan Yuan was appointed Prefect of Mingzhou, and Cui Lixing was appointed Prefect of Weizhou.
Feng Shixian, the former prefect of Bozhou, remained in his post. Cao Dan, the acting prefect, was appointed prefect of Dingzhou, and Liu Heita was appointed secretary of the treasury department of the acting prefecture.

Half of the governors were retained or transferred.

Li Shiji was reappointed as the General Governor of Lizhou and concurrently the Minister of War of the Administrative Office, while Wei Zheng was appointed as the Left Assistant of the Administrative Office.

Of course, some Tang Dynasty officials were also appointed as governors of Hebei. Chen Binjun was reinstated as governor of Xingzhou, and Zhang Zhiang was reinstated as governor of Zhaozhou.

Dai Yuanxiang, Prefect of Beizhou; Pei Xi, Prefect of Shenzhou; Lu Shirui, Prefect of Yingzhou; Lei Debei, Prefect of Guanzhou; Zhao Yuankai, Prefect of Maozhou; Fang Huang, Prefect of Xiangzhou; Murong Xiaogan, Prefect of Yizhou; and Dugu Che, Prefect of Dizhou, were all officials of the imperial court.

Li Yi finished reading the long list of appointments.

Even Dou Jiande found it hard to believe, let alone Qi Shanxing, Cao Dan, Ju Leng, and others who were appointed as chief stewards.
Meanwhile, the other Dou Jiande subordinates who were retained as governors or transferred to other prefectures were also stunned on the spot.

Pei Shiju, Cui Junsu, He Chou, Ouyang Xun, and Yu Shinan, these former officials who accompanied the emperor in Jiangdu, never expected that they would become officials in Li Yi's administration in the blink of an eye, and all of them held important positions such as Minister, Secretary, and Gentleman of the Palace.

"The imperial court will establish forty-eight military prefectures in Hebei, of which 20,000 will be troops transferred from the imperial army under my command, and another 30,000 new soldiers will be selected from the local Hebei region."

This time, the selection of 30,000 new soldiers will prioritize those from the former Xia King's troops.

The new soldiers will receive 100 acres of fertile military farmland, as well as the right to be exempt from taxes and corvée labor...

The officials were mostly former subordinates of the Xia king, and the soldiers were also mostly his old troops. So, Hebei didn't change much after that.

Everyone found it incredible.

Li Shimin secretly observed the reactions of these Hebei people. He felt that Li Yi's idea of ​​taking things slowly, adjusting gradually, and prioritizing stability was correct. After the decision was announced, he saw that each of these Hebei people was surprised and then relieved.

With Li Yi, the Left Vice Minister of the Shandong Circuit, guarding and pacifying Shandong,
With control over nine general administrations—You, Ding, Xiang, Wei, Li, Xing, Heng, Ji, and De—Li Shimin felt that Hebei was secure.

"Are you willing to accept this appointment?" Li Shimin asked.

Fan Yuan, Cao Dan, Qi Shanxing, and other generals and high-ranking officials who had been captured after the defeat at Mingshui and had been eating thin porridge in the prisoner-of-war camp for several days, all nodded readily.

Pei Shiju, Cui Junsu, He Chou, Yu Shinan, and other former Sui Dynasty officials who had accompanied the emperor all nodded in agreement.

Wherever the King of Qin's gaze fell,
Dou Jiande's former subordinates all nodded and accepted their new positions.
Those who were demoted and dismissed from their posts but not on Li Yi's list of Hebei officials were somewhat disappointed, as most of them were going to Chang'an for selection.

(End of this chapter)