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

Chapter 508 Flying Fox
The red flag is fluttering.

Twenty thousand Tang soldiers marched straight towards Dingzhou City. Golden light pierced through the thick leaden clouds, gilding the army with a layer of gold and making the royal army even more sacred.

Li Yi felt the warm afternoon sun; finally, a nice day had arrived.

"Does Sikong really think Gao Kaidao intends to fight a decisive battle with Dingzhou?" Liu Shiche asked from his horse beside him.

Looking at the army with its high morale, Li Yi said confidently, "No matter what tricks Gao Kaidao originally had up his sleeve, he can only flee in panic now, otherwise he will lose his life in Dingzhou City."

It's only twenty li away from Dingzhou City.
A rider galloped in under the sunlight, shouting, "Report!"

"Reporting to the Minister of Works, the rebel army in Dingzhou is retreating north in panic!"

Liu Shiche looked north, seemingly asking himself, "Is this a real withdrawal or a feigned one?"

The knight said, "First, five thousand Turks in the city hastily retreated north. Half an hour later, twenty thousand Yan troops also began to retreat north. At this moment, the city gates of Dingzhou are wide open, and there are no rebels left to guard it."

Liu Shiche was surprised, "The retreat was so hasty? They didn't even arrange for anyone to stay behind and cover the rear?"

Yun Dingxing laughed loudly, "It seems that the Turks have temporarily abandoned Gao Kaidao. Gao is alone and has no choice but to retreat."

Li Yi felt the same way. Perhaps Gao Kaidao had previously wanted to let Li Yi fight at the city of Dingzhou, but now Li Yi's main force had not yet arrived, while the other detachments had won consecutive victories and even captured the cities on the left and right wings of Dingzhou.

The Turks ran away so decisively.

If Gao Kaidao had stayed in Dingzhou, they would have been surrounded.

He was still separated from Tanji's main camp by Youzhou. Although Wang Junkuo hadn't made any moves, he was a ruthless fellow, not just a weak Li Yuan.

Li Yi summoned Wang Xingmin, the Right Guard General.

"General Wang, the bandit Gao has already abandoned Dingzhou and fled. You will lead a thousand light cavalry to take over the defense of Dingzhou and maintain order in the city. Don't let the ruffians take advantage of the chaos to plunder and harm the people."

Wang Xingmin said excitedly, "Minister, I request to lead my three thousand infantry and cavalry to pursue and annihilate the bandit Gao."

Li Yi reined in his warhorse.
"My lord, we fought side by side in Hedong and know each other quite well. Although Gao Kaidao withdrew hastily, he still has 20,000 soldiers under his command, along with many Turks."
As the old saying goes, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy, don't stop a retreating army; even a rabbit will bite when cornered, and a dog will jump over a wall when cornered."

"You should recapture Dingzhou first."

Wang Xingmin looked somewhat unwilling.

Li Yi said directly, "If General Wang finds it difficult, then I will find someone else. Military Advisor Liu, please invite Generals Shuang Shilu, Qin Wutong, and Li Xuantong to come. I believe they will be happy to enter Dingzhou first."

"Wait a minute." Wang Xingmin said anxiously, "Minister, this humble general is willing to obey military orders and go to take over Dingzhou City now."

Li Yi nodded, his gaze meeting his.

"General Wang, do not disobey military orders, or you will be subject to military law."

That one glance sent a chill down Wang Xingmin's spine.

"The general will not dare."

"Go."

Before long, generals Shuang Shilu, Dugu Kaiyuan, Qin Wutong, Li Xuantong, Xue Zhong, and Liu Jun arrived one after another. They had all heard that Gao Kaidao had withdrawn from Dingzhou and wanted to pursue him.

Li Yi refused them all.

If Li Shimin were in command, he would have already personally led the cavalry to catch up, leaving the main force behind.

Just like when fighting Song Jingang in Hedong, they would chase him for more than 200 li in a day and night, fighting eight battles a day, giving the enemy no chance to breathe, wave after wave, and finally crushing the enemy on the beach, giving them no chance at all.

Although Li Yi also had many military achievements, he was far inferior to Li Shimin in terms of tactics, and even less capable than Li Shiji, who had not yet matured.

Li Yicai doesn't take risks.
If he keeps pressing forward like this, Gao Kaidao will have to retreat all the way, and then he can easily recapture Yiding.

Then we'll drive Gao Kaidao to Youyan.
Gao Kaidao would then have to face the constant threat of interception and ambush by the Youzhou army.

Moreover, Li Yi predicted that Gao Kaidao's retreat would not be easy; the further he retreated, the more panicked his troops would become, and when morale collapsed, many of those who had joined him along the way would desert.

Even some of his former subordinates may have to consider their future at that time.

One retreats, one pursues.
Along the way, which was five or six hundred miles long, there were pursuers behind and ambushes ahead. Many of Gao Kaidao's soldiers had plundered a great deal of wealth, and at this point, many of them would surely flee with their loot.

Holding on tightly will put immense pressure on the rebels, causing them to fall apart, with some fleeing and others surrendering.

If we rush in now to attack and intercept them, the rebels will fight like cornered beasts and risk their lives, which could backfire.

Li Yi didn't have Li Shimin's abilities, so he decided to play it safe.

He has no reinforcements behind him now, and who knows how many more Li Jiancheng has to go before they arrive? The army is also short of food and supplies. If the battle goes against him and Gao Kaidao launches a counterattack, it will be too late for Li Yi to regret it.

···
Gao Kaidao woke up to find himself in an extremely bumpy carriage.

I opened my eyes, still feeling a little dizzy.

"Godfather," a young captain called out quickly when he saw that he was awake.

"This is?"

His adopted son helped him up. "After his adoptive father fainted, General Zhang and the generals discussed the matter and decided to retreat to Yuyang in Jizhou first."

Gao Kaidao asked for a water pouch, drank several large gulps of water, and finally felt a little better.

Feeling the violent jolting of the carriage beneath them, they knew they were fleeing north in a panic.

A long sigh.

"Go and call Jinshu here."

He sat on a thick silk cushion, draped in a silk quilt, his mind racing.

It wasn't until Zhang Jinshu spoke up to pay his respects.

"Come sit in the carriage, it's warm here."

"Your Majesty, I may speak from outside. How is Your Majesty feeling?"

“Much better,” Gao Kaidao asked about the whereabouts of the Turks. “Those damned Turks are heading northwest. They’re going to Weizhou via the Flying Fox Pass, and then back to the border.”

We sent men to chase after them and order them to stay, but they ignored us completely.

Gao Kaidao remained silent.

He accepted the Turks' reaction.

"Are you planning to retreat to Yuyang?"

"Well, the Turks have fled. It's not safe for us to stay in Yiding any longer. We've discussed it and decided it's better to go back to our main camp in Yuyang first."

Gao Kaidao shook his head and firmly opposed it in the carriage, "We can't go back to Yuyang. If we go back to Yuyang now, we'll pass through Youzhou, and Wang Junkuo will definitely ambush us."

Moreover, even if they returned to Yuyang, the Tang people would inevitably send a large army to suppress them.

We must go to Beiyan Prefecture, to Huairong, which is outside the Great Wall and borders the Turks. If the situation becomes unfavorable, we can first evacuate the Turks, which would also be beneficial for their reinforcements.”

Zhang Jinshu was somewhat surprised and asked from outside the carriage, "What if the Tang court attacks Yuyang and seizes our Ji, Tan, and Ping prefectures?"

Silence fell over the carriage once more.

"Let's take one step at a time."

Gao Kaidao sat in the carriage and sighed. He had thought that Dou Jiande's sudden death in Chang'an and Li Yuan's reneging on his promise to keep Dou Jiande's former subordinates in Hebei would cause resentment and rebellion among the people of Hebei.

There were indeed some of Dou Jiande's former subordinates who rebelled before the New Year, but they were just small fry. Li Yi and other governors and prefects appeased and suppressed them, and surprisingly, they quickly stabilized the situation.

He never imagined that, faced with the famine and other problems of the people in Hebei after the war, Li Yi, together with several stewards, would come up with some kind of bond, reach a subscription agreement with many powerful clans, and manage to raise a large sum of money, as well as bring in a lot of grain from the Central Plains.

With the addition of policies such as equal land distribution, Hebei not only did not descend into chaos, but instead became increasingly stable.

He regretted not assessing the situation more carefully before making his move, hastily accepting Jieli's investiture and then raising an army. He thought Hebei was a pile of dry tinder, just waiting for his spark.

Who knew that even with over ten thousand Turkic troops, fire, and oil, they still couldn't light the firewood.

"Immediately change course to Wangdu County, take the Lingqiu Road, cross the Hengling Mountains to Lingqiu in Weizhou, then take the Feihu North Road to Anbian City in the north, and then return to Huairong in Beiyan Prefecture along the Sanggan River Valley."

This road traverses mountains and valleys. The Hengshan Gorge Passage is flanked by steep cliffs, with only a narrow passage. It meanders for over a hundred miles, and not only is the road difficult to travel, but it also requires taking a long detour.

Compared to traveling directly north from Yizhou to Youzhou, passing through Juyong Pass and crossing the Great Wall to Huairong, the route was both longer and more difficult.

If they take this route, they won't be able to take all the spoils they've plundered with them.

But Gao Kaidao has already decided to take this route.

The Turks also retreated along this route, and they dared not go north again. At this time, they did not know whether Juyong Pass had been cut off by the Tang army in Youzhou.

If they headed north, they would be unable to pass through Juyong Pass, and if the Feihu Road were blocked, the Turks would be unable to return and would be trapped and beaten. Therefore, the Turks disregarded everything and headed towards the Feihu Road.

The ruthless heroes who have survived the chaos of war are no fools.

He had already made the worst-case scenario plan, and even decided not to return to his old stronghold in Yuyang for the time being, but to evacuate the 20,000 men first.

The journey from here to Yuyang is five or six hundred li, and it's definitely not safe.

Taking the Feihu Road, just a few dozen miles from Dingzhou, leads to Wangdu County. Northwest of the county, one enters the Hengshan Feihu Road. Although the road is difficult to travel, it is not easy for the Tang army to pursue them, and there is no need to worry about being ambushed ahead.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun,
Li Yi led his troops into Dingzhou City.

Wang Xingmin entered the city half a day earlier and had already taken over all parts of Dingzhou. He also sent troops to restore and maintain order. Gao Kaidao and his men retreated in a hurry, and there were even a lot of supplies in the city that they did not have time to take with them.

"Sikong,
The scouts sent out reported that the Turkic troops and the Gao Kaidao rebels had not yet crossed the border into Wangdu.

Wangdu is located sixty li north of Dingzhou.

Li Yi saw the yearning in his eyes, but ignored it.

"The soldiers are exhausted after marching for days."

Li Yi was exhausted and cold. All he wanted was to take a hot bath, change into warm clothes that had been dried in the oven, have a delicious meal, and then have a good night's sleep and sweet dreams.

After drinking a cup of hot tea, Li Yi, despite his exhaustion, insisted on first inspecting Dingzhou City, and then checking the military camps to understand the soldiers' resettlement after entering the city. He reminded the generals not to disturb the people and to prevent looting, rape, or other such incidents from occurring.

Finally, in the camp, he ate a bowl of hot dumpling soup with the soldiers before going back to sleep.

I slept until the next morning.

He still felt very tired after getting up. While eating mutton soup and sesame pancakes for breakfast, Liu Shiche told him about the latest enemy situation.

"Both the Turks and Gao Kaidao turned northwest from Wangdu, passed through Feihu Road and Hengling, and headed straight for Weizhou."

Li Yi took a bite of the flatbread and a sip of the mutton soup. "Did they all go to Weizhou via the Flying Fox Road? Did they all go via the Gao Kai Road as well? Or is this just a ruse to escape?"

"Both the Turks and the rebels went to Hengshan. If Gao Kaidao didn't go, he wouldn't have more than a hundred men with him."

Li Yi chewed on a flatbread and pondered for a while.

"Since they've all fled to Hedong, let's ignore them for now and focus on recovering Yizhou first."

"Aren't you going to chase me?"

“The Flying Fox Road crosses the Hengling Mountains; it’s not easy to catch them. We might get ambushed instead.” Li Yi continued eating his flatbread. “After we take Yizhou, we’ll send an army north to block Juyong Pass. We don’t need to worry about Gao Kaidao; just block him outside first, and we can easily recover the three prefectures of Tan, Ji, and Ping inside the pass.”

At that time, Gao Kaidao will be nothing more than a stray dog; it will be easy to deal with him.

Yun Dingxing also brought over a bowl of mutton soup.

"Why is Master Yun only having breakfast now?"

"I'm getting old. After all this marching and trekking, even though I was riding a horse, I'm still old and my body feels like it's falling apart. I finally managed to fall asleep and woke up late," he said with a smile.

He had also heard about Gao Kaidao and the Turks fleeing to Weizhou in Hedong via the Feihu Road.
"There's no need to chase them into Feihu Pass, and even less need to pursue them to Weizhou for now. However, there are still quite a few Turks and Yan soldiers in Youyi, Dingshen, and other places. We can block Feihu Pass to prevent these people from escaping in."
Let's trap them and wipe out these rebels and remnants of the Turkic forces.

Li Yi laughed and said, "Old ginger is spicier, this is acceptable."

(End of this chapter)