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

Chapter 506 Mutiny at the Gate
The wind flutters the red flag.

The Tang army's iron cavalry trampled across the frozen surface of the Pihe River, and the sounds of countless horseshoes striking the solid ice converged, like the resounding beat of countless war drums.

In the gloomy world, only the dull, monotonous sound of impact and the howling wind could be heard.

On horseback, Li Yi couldn't help but curse Li Yuan's incompetence and Wang Junkuo's damnation again in his heart. If it weren't for them, he should still be enjoying the winter leisure in the Grand General's Mansion in Yongnian City, Mingzhou, instead of having to travel a long distance in the cold wind.

Breath turns to ice.

His beard was frozen solid, and his face was numb.

The howling cold wind was everywhere, constantly taking away his body heat.

Li Jiancheng deserved to die too. If he couldn't do it, he shouldn't have tried to take credit. If Li Shimin had taken charge, he would have dealt with Gao Kaidao long ago.

Li Yuan also bears responsibility, as he was always thinking of suppressing the King of Qin, and even trying to suppress himself, constantly seeking a balance.

But his attempt to maintain balance was doomed to fail.

Now he is forced to take action himself, and in the future he will still have to rely on Li Shimin to take action.

It only harmed countless people in Hebei.

This delay caused unrest in more than ten prefectures of Hebei, and many people suffered from burning, killing, and looting by rebels and Turks.

Not far from the north bank of the Pihe River lies Tangchang County.

This area suffered greatly from the plundering by the Yan army and the Turks; most of the villages along the road were in ruins, and some were even deserted.

There were many corpses lying by the roadside, unclaimed.

"Some starved to death, some froze to death, and some were killed..."

Yun Shiduan said expressionlessly.

"Send auxiliary soldiers to dig pits and bury all the corpses along the way."

"The soil is frozen solid; digging a hole will take a lot of work," Li Yi's father-in-law reminded him.

“We are the royal army,” Li Yi sighed, “bury them all.”

He looked up at the sky.
It's still so cold. "Is today the second day of the second lunar month?"

"Yes, it's the second day of the second lunar month, the day the dragon raises its head. In a few days it will be the Awakening of Insects, but it's still so cold." Yun Shiduan had served as the Left Martial Guard General in Wang Shichong's Zheng Kingdom, but now he only has the title of Yunhui General. His father, Yun Dingxing, arranged for him to come to Li Yi's place as a senior advisor to make a name for himself.

"We hope to finish this battle as soon as possible so that we can catch up with spring planting and not miss this farming season."

Yun Shiduan bluntly stated, "With so many people fleeing south, there will inevitably be a famine this year."

A lone rider shot out like an arrow from a bow, breaking through the north wind.

"Report!"

Immediately, a lightly armored cavalryman dismounted, tumbling from his saddle and slamming his knee onto the ice, roaring as he reported the victory, "Report!"

Dianjun Sulie achieved a great victory at Shenze in Dingzhou, ambushing 3,000 troops under the rebel general Xie Leng, killing 600, seizing 3,000 shi of grain, and capturing over 1,000.

Li Yi's spirits lifted.

"Good, Su Dingfang is indeed a match for ten thousand men. A thousand light cavalry have achieved such a great result, hahaha."

Yun Shiduan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "Congratulations, Minister, on your resounding success."

The army continued to advance.

They finally arrived at Tangchang County before dark. The city gates were wide open, and the Yan army had already withdrawn the day before.

The vanguard who went into the city to scout reported that "the rebels have looted Tangchang City and abducted many able-bodied men and young women."

With a dark expression, Li Yi ordered his troops to enter the city and camp overnight.

Wang Xingmin and his generals went to arrange defenses and duties.

Li Yi entered the county government office, which had also been completely looted. The once sacred and inviolable government office in the eyes of the people was now a scene of utter devastation.

There were neither officials nor clerks to be seen.

The guards started a fire to boil water and make tea.

"Report!"

The knight entered, chilled to the bone, and reported to the Minister of Works: General Liu Heita, the commander of the army, had penetrated deep into enemy territory and launched a night raid on Yifeng, annihilating over a hundred Turkic cavalry.

Li Yi received the good news.
"You've worked hard. Quickly sit down and warm yourself by the fire, and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

Liu Shiche, who had just joined the army, marked the good news on the map and laughed, "A series of victories!"

The situation is indeed good.

Since Li Yi launched his campaign, both the rebels and the Turks have been retreating and have shown no intention of fighting him. However, the light troops that Li Yi has sent out have all achieved victory.

Looking at the markings Liu Shiche made on the map.

The Tang army is launching a full-scale counterattack northward, while the rebel army is retreating and withdrawing.

"Does Gao Kaidao intend to withdraw his troops to Dingzhou and fight us?" Li Yi asked him.

Liu Shiche shook his head. This hero from Xuzhou said, "I don't think Gao Kaidao has the guts. You, Sikong, are certain that the Turks are only here to plunder and don't want to fight us head-on, much less fight to the death for Gao Kaidao."
Without the support of the Turks, how dare Gao Kaidao fight us in Dingzhou?

Sikong, don't forget that Youzhou has been quiet all this time, but it still has 20,000 to 30,000 troops. Even though it was ambushed in Jizhou after a feigned surrender, it wasn't crippling.

Wang Junkuo must have been waiting for an opportunity.

"If Gao Kaidao dares to occupy Dingzhou and fight us, Wang Junkuo will definitely stab him in the back when he's at his most vulnerable."

Li Yi got angry as soon as he heard Wang Junkuo's name.

“If Wang Junkuo were responsible, he shouldn’t be hiding in Youzhou City right now. He should immediately send troops to Yizhou to recover it, or at the very least, take the opportunity to recover Juyong Pass on the Great Wall.”

Li Yi was already close to Dingzhou City, but Wang Junkuo still hadn't made a move.

But Li Yi believed what Liu Shiche said: if he really fought Gao Kaidao, Wang Junkuo would definitely come and take advantage of the situation.

We were chatting.

More good news has arrived.

"Li Cunxiao, the General of the Garrison Commander, led his troops to intercept and kill the Turks in Hengyang. They defeated two thousand enemy soldiers, captured the Turkic special agent Ashina China alive, and beheaded more than five hundred!"

The messenger continued, "Li Zhonglang intercepted and killed the main force of the Turks in Hengyang, beheading the Turks and killing more than 500!"

This news made Li Yi beam with joy.

They defeated two thousand Turks, beheaded five hundred, and captured one special agent.

Special agents—those are members of the Turkic royal family.

In the battle between the Longyou Chipai Qiang and the grassland Turks, Li Cunxiao was unexpectedly more formidable. He ambushed two thousand cavalry with a thousand cavalry, and still managed to behead five hundred and capture special agents.

Unfortunately, the Turks were all cavalry, and they were fast, so they were not completely annihilated, and there were no prisoners.

However, Li Yi was very satisfied with the result of defeating two thousand enemy cavalry and beheading five hundred.

"It seems that the Turks who came to Hebei, though said to number 15,000 cavalry, were probably mostly a patchwork of miscellaneous small tribes."

Liu Shiche laughed and said, "This is another piece of good news. The enemy has suffered three defeats in a row, and I'm afraid they have no fighting spirit left."

···
February 3rd

South Gate of Raoyang County

The suspension bridge slowly lowered amidst a piercing creaking sound.

Outside the city gate, hundreds of oxcarts loaded with straw lined up in a long procession. As soon as the city gate opened, the convoy started moving.

Zhang Shanhu, with a hunched back and wearing a tattered sheepskin coat, was driving the lead cart.

The Yan army captain guarding the gate shouted sternly to stop them.
Behind them, Yan soldiers, wielding spears, were poking and prodding the straw on the oxcart without any restraint.

“Sir, we are here on the orders of the Prefect of Raozhou to deliver hay. Please do us a favor. If the hay is messed up, we will have to rearrange it later, otherwise we will not be able to complete our mission.”

As he spoke, Zhang Shanhu took out a string of coins and handed it over.

The captain, seeing that it was only a few dozen coins, snorted disdainfully and let his men poke it several more times before waving his hand to stop them.

With a grim face, he snatched the string of copper coins and put them away. Even a mosquito's leg, however small, is still meat.

"Hurry up, don't let the cows poop here."

The hay cart swayed as it passed through the city gate.

Hidden beneath the tall haystacks of the oxcart were two fully armed soldiers lying in wooden crates. They breathed a sigh of relief as the oxcart continued to move.

For this mission, Su Dianjun arranged for one hundred leaping armored soldiers. Of the one hundred hay carts, fifty had soldiers on them, and the other fifty did not.

If the city gate guards had really checked every single cart carefully, they might not have been able to hide it. Fortunately, Zhang Shanhu was an experienced and shrewd man who knew how to deal with these rebels. None of the first ten hay carts had hidden soldiers, and he only gave the rebels thirty coins as a gift, which was just right.

If an old commoner who had completed the government's task of collecting grass were to offer a piece of gold or silver, that would arouse suspicion.

Raoyang County Government Office

At this time, it was changed to the office of the Prefect of Raozhou.

In the lobby, the stove was burning brightly, and the room was so stuffy that people couldn't even wear clothes.

The aroma of roasted meat mingled with the scent of wine, filling the room.

Xie Ling, the Left Guard General of Yan, sat in the main seat, with Cui Yuanxun, the Governor of Shenzhou, sitting beside him. The two of them were cutting up freshly roasted lamb legs with knives, enjoying the succulent mutton.

Behind the screen in the hall,

Eighteen warriors of the Yanshan Kumoxi tribe, clad in jet-black, gleaming armor and with iron masks covering their faces, stood silently in the shadows like statues, holding spiked clubs.

Cui Yuanxun sliced ​​off a piece of golden lamb leg and looked at General Zhuge Dewei, who was standing below the steps: "General Zhuge, I heard that there were deserters in your camp last night?"

Zhuge Dewei, clad in gleaming armor, stood there like a giant. He gave a deep reply, "Reporting to the commander, there were indeed a few cowards in my camp last night, which was due to my lax discipline. However, all those deserters have been beheaded by me, and their heads are now displayed outside the gate as a warning to others!"

Xie Leng stared at the burly giant.

"I heard you used to carry the flag for Dou Jiande's general, Gao Yaxian?"

"Reporting to the General, this humble general was indeed General Gao's standard bearer before."

"So you're quite familiar with Su Dingfang, Gao Yaxian's adopted son?"

"Yes, we are quite familiar with each other, but not very close. Su Dingfang became famous at a young age and comes from a local powerful family. He looks down on someone like me who came from a thieving background. Besides, General Gao has dozens of adopted sons."

Xie Leng snorted coldly, "I thought you two had a good relationship. If Su Dingfang attacks, would you dare to fight?"

"This humble general is willing to give it a try!" Zhuge Dewei replied.

Xie Leng laughed, "Everyone says Su Dingfang is a match for ten thousand men. You're just a flag bearer under Gao Yaxian. What makes you think you can fight him?"

"Just because I carried the flag for General Gao for three years, risking my life countless times, walking out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, I never dropped the flag in my hand."

"Good, you're a hero. When that bastard Su Dingfang arrives, I'll give you a chance to fight and kill him."

"General, I have a request."

"explain."

"Recently, rumors have been spreading, and the morale of the army has been somewhat unstable. The weather is cold, and the supply of food and firewood in the army is also insufficient, which has led some soldiers to desert."

"This humble general wishes to invite the General to the camp to inspect the troops, say a few words to the brothers, and reassure the soldiers. If you could allocate some more food and firewood, then all one thousand of my men would be willing to die for the General, for the Great Yan Kingdom, and for King Gao."

“Alright, I’ve had a good meal and need to digest, so I’ll go check on your camp.” Xie Leng readily agreed.

afternoon.

In Zhuge Dewei's cavalry camp south of the city,

A row of deserter heads still hangs on the gate.

Xie Ling, Cui Yuanxun, and others, along with a group of traitorous generals and several Turkic generals, entered the camp under the protection of their respective personal guards.

Zhuge Dewei invited them to the reviewing stand.

"Beat the drums!" Zhuge Dewei shouted, "Gather the troops!"

One thousand soldiers of the chariot and cavalry battalion gathered in formation to be inspected by Xie Ling and Cui Yuanxun.

Xie Cui and his personal guards were all asked to stand aside and watch.

After the third drumbeat, the chariot and cavalry battalion formed a neat and orderly formation.

Zhuge Dewei, clad in heavy armor, stepped onto the stage with his hand on his sword and invited Xie Leng to give a speech to the cavalry soldiers.

Xie Leng followed him to the front of the formation, and just as he opened his mouth,
Sudden changes occur.

Zhuge Dewei's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He suddenly drew his sword from his waist and thrust it fiercely at Xie Ling, the Left Guard General of Yan, who was wearing leather armor under a cloak.

The blade flashed like lightning.
Xie Leng realized something was wrong and turned his head to see a flash of cold light. "You scoundrel, how dare you!" He only had time to shout half of his angry words before the sword, like lightning, pierced through his armor.

The blade of the horizontal sword is extremely adept at stabbing.

The leather armor couldn't withstand this attack at all, especially since Zhuge Dewei was as strong as an iron tower, and his sword was specially made.

Xie Ling felt a sharp pain and spat out a mouthful of blood. All his strength drained away, and he couldn't even curse anymore. Zhuge Dewei drew his sword and swung it fiercely.

A slash,
Xie Leng's head was severed.

"Xie Leng, Cui Yuanxun, and others colluded with the Turks and wreaked havoc in Hebei. They are hereby executed on the orders of Minister Li!"

Zhuge Dewei picked up Xie Leng's head, raised it high, and roared throughout the entire chariot and cavalry camp.

After killing Xie Leng, he brandished his sword, and immediately more than a hundred of his trusted men charged out from the assembled cavalry and chariot formation, following him straight to Cui Yuanxun and others on the reviewing stand.

At this time,
The rest of the chariot and cavalry soldiers were still staring in disbelief at this sudden turn of events.

mutiny!

Cui Yuanxun on the stage had no idea that Zhuge Dewei would rebel and trick them into coming to his camp, where he would kill Xie Leng with a single blow.

He felt a chill run down his spine and even forgot to run.

"Attack! Slay the traitors!" Zhuge Dewei, clad in heavy armor, ran with earth-shaking force, yet remained swift and powerful.

"Light the fireworks!" he shouted as he ran.

Upon receiving the order, Zhuge Dewei's second son immediately ran to a pre-prepared tent, where a large amount of incendiary materials had already been piled up.

quickly,

Fireworks lit up the sky, sending three plumes of thick smoke soaring into the heavens.

Meanwhile, on the reviewing stand...
The high-ranking generals and Turkic commanders who had been invited to inspect the troops were being slaughtered by Zhuge Dewei, and their personal guards were kept at a distance and could not get close for the time being.

Cui Yuanxun roared, "Zhuge Dewei, how dare you betray me!"

He was met with a blow from Zhuge Dewei's iron whip. Finding his sword too light and ineffective against the armor of the generals, he simply switched to a bamboo steel whip.
Whether you're wearing iron armor or leather armor, whether you're wearing chainmail or lamellar armor, one strike with a steel whip will shatter your internal organs, causing you to vomit blood and collapse to the ground.

Cui Yuanxun was formerly the governor of Shenzhou under Dou Jiande, and is now the chief administrator of Shenzhou under Gao Kaidao. He comes from the Anping branch of the Cui clan of Boling. He is a skilled writer, an expert in horsemanship and archery, and a master swordsman, but ultimately he is a scholar.

How could they withstand the whip of the towering giant Zhuge Dewei?
He was immediately knocked down, bleeding from all seven orifices, and died instantly.

After killing Cui Yuanxun, he then raised his whip and charged at two Turkic generals who were trying to escape from the camp, shouting, "Turkic traitors, don't run! Take this whip!"

When three plumes of black smoke rose above the chariot and cavalry camp
Near the South Gate, Zhuge Dewei's eldest son walked towards Zhang Shanhu, "The signal has been given, it's our turn to make our move, follow me."

Zhang Shanhu immediately summoned the hundred soldiers under Su Dingfang who had been smuggling hay into the city in hay carts, and ordered, "Make your move!"

The two groups of men, totaling two hundred fully armed soldiers, immediately stood up.

Swordsmen and shieldmen in front,

Spearmen on the flanks, archers in the middle.

They suddenly burst out of their hiding place and rushed towards the south gate.

Eliminate any who try to stop you along the way.

They quickly reached the south gate. The guards, seeing Zhuge Dewei's eldest son riding at the front, assumed he was on orders to lead troops out of the city.
Just as I was about to say hello,
As a result, an arrow shot out with a whoosh and hit him right in the face.

The guards at the south gate were caught off guard.

They quickly cut him down.
The south gate was captured.

The city gates opened.

outside the city,

The thunderous sound of iron hooves echoed as an army of cavalry surged forward like a tidal wave.

Su Dingfang led nine hundred cavalrymen and charged in like a flood bursting its banks.

Almost instantly,

They had already rushed to the city gate.
The cavalrymen's iron hooves thundered across the drawbridge and roared into the city.

Raoyang City fell,

The red Tang flag was quickly planted on the south gate tower, then the east gate tower, the west gate tower, and the north gate tower.

The gates of Raoyang were captured by the Tang army, and three thousand Yan soldiers and eight hundred Turkic soldiers were blocked in the city.

(End of this chapter)