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

Chapter 511 A Hero in a Chaotic World
Twelve thousand soldiers from Youzhou crossed the Baoqiu River and invaded Jizhou.

Wang Junkuo rode on the Ferghana horse, a gift from the emperor to Kangju in the Western Regions, watching the thousands of horses advance, his face revealing undisguised pride.

As he expected,
Although Gao Kaidao left troops stationed in Yuyang, when news of his defeat and escape in Dingzhou reached back, the rebel army in Jizhou did not dare to intercept him at the border.

General of the Cavalry and Marquis of Xinxing County, Wang Jun'e, rode up on horseback. This burly general from Wu'an was not only his deputy for many years, but also his sworn brother.

The two once roamed the Taihang Mountains, became sworn brothers, fought side by side, and shared life and death.

Back then, the two each led a group of men. They became acquainted because of their similar names, and later they simply became sworn brothers and merged their forces. Wang Jun'e, who came from a wealthy family in Handan, had a father who had served as the registrar of Xingtang County during the Sui Dynasty. He was much better off than the rogue Wang Junkuo.

However, after the two became sworn brothers, Wang Jun'e greatly admired Wang Junkuo, and the two complemented each other and cooperated tacitly.

The burly king was startled and fell off his horse, striding over.

"Brother, there's no sign of the rebels along the Baoqiu River. Scouts report that the rebels in Sanhe City have also withdrawn."

The rebels retreated to Yuyang in Jizhou.

Wang Junkuo gave a disdainful snort.

"The traitorous generals who were left to guard Jizhou are just Gao Kaidao's adopted sons, a bunch of nameless nobodys." He didn't take these people seriously. If it weren't for the previous concerns about Gao Kaidao and the Turks who were heading south, Wang Junkuo could have already sent troops to take Yuyang.

"Where are the Xi people?"

"Just as my elder brother predicted, the Xi tribe army that Gao Kaidao had painstakingly won over has abandoned the rebels and retreated to the outside of the Great Wall."

Several Xi tribe armies retreated, some heading towards Tanzhou, intending to cross the Great Wall via the northern pass; others retreated northeast, seemingly planning to exit through the Longlu Pass.

Gao Kaidao had a considerable number of Xi tribe soldiers under his command.
These Xi people were nomadic tribes living north of the Yanshan Mountains. Those in the Luan River basin, especially the middle and upper reaches, were known as the Northern Xi. They were nomadic hunters and quite fierce. The Xi tribes in the northeastern Huzhen River basin were primarily nomadic and had closer ties with the Khitan.

The Beishan Xi are close to Youzhou and have always had close ties with the Central Plains. They also have a tradition of serving as mercenaries for the Central Plains.

When the Central Plains were at peace, they would go south to guard the homes of nobles and powerful families, and serve as bodyguards for merchant caravans. During times of war, they would naturally act as mercenaries and also take the opportunity to plunder.

They are willing to risk their lives if the price is right.

Gao Kaidao ruled the area south of Yanshan for several years and had a lot of dealings with the Xi people, using both force and appeasement, resulting in a rather complicated relationship.

During this rebellion, he made promises and vows to the Xi people of Beishan, offering them gold, silver, and silk, and even promising to share the wealth and women of the conquered lands equally with them.

Few among the various tribes of the Northern Mountain Xi could resist such temptation. Many young men from various tribes carried bows and arrows, slung knives over their shoulders, mounted their horses, and crossed the Yanshan Mountains to work.

When Gao Kaidao attacked southward, these Xi people fought alongside the Yan army and were very fierce, no less so than the Turks who were focused on looting.

but now,

The Xi people who remained in Yuyang and other places, seeing that the situation was not good, also immediately fled.

The Xi people who were left behind were either latecomers or weaker, and hadn't gained much benefit. Seeing that things were going badly, they also ran away as fast as they could.

All of this was within Wang Junkuo's expectations.

He held his riding whip and pointed to Yuyang City in the north. "Yuyang is Gao Kaidao's stronghold, but there is no great general to guard it, nor many elite troops. The Xi people have also fled, and the morale of the army is unstable. We can take advantage of this opportunity to take this city first."

Once this city falls, the rest can be swept away in a sweep.

Let's tackle the tough challenges first.

Of the three prefectures of Ji, Ping, and Tan, Ji is in the middle, and Yuyang is in the middle of Ji. Taking this city will separate Tan and Ping.

The tactic of blooming in the center.

Wang Junkuo has always been bold in his military campaigns.

However, he was neither reckless nor cunning; rather, he was shrewd, resourceful, and adept at calculation.

This military deployment was the result of his careful planning.

Wang Jun's question echoed the sentiments of many generals: "Why doesn't our elder brother send troops to retake Juyong Pass first?"

"hehe."

Wang Junkuo looked at his sworn brothers and thought they were fierce in battle, but they were still lacking in the art of winning hearts and minds.

"Do you think Juyong Pass is so easy to take back?"

Furthermore, even if we capture Juyong Pass, will we be able to rest easy?

There are still several thousand Turkic soldiers remaining in the Youyan area, and several thousand Yan rebels, plus the Xi tribe, totaling at least seven or eight thousand people if not ten thousand.

They wouldn't come to Yuyang; they would definitely flee to Beiyan Prefecture via Juyong Pass.

Besides, Gao Kaidao is not dead. He will return to Beiyan Prefecture after going to Weizhou via Feihu Pass.

It's fair to say that capturing Juyong Pass will be a tough battle. If you're lucky, you might suffer heavy casualties but still manage to recapture the pass. If you're unlucky, you might lose many soldiers and generals and still fail to recapture the pass.

"But if we recapture the pass, wouldn't the tens of thousands of rebels trapped inside be driven to desperation? With nowhere to escape, wouldn't they have to launch a fierce attack on the defending forces?"

Wang Junkuo sneered, “How laughable is that Lu Shirui. I gave him 6,000 troops to Juyong Pass, and Li Yi had already sent 5,000 troops to the border of Youzhou to assist at Jundu Pass, but he sent people to block Li Yi’s men and prevent them from entering the country.”

"You tell me how stupid this guy is. Even the battle of Jizhou didn't wake him up. If Li Yi had sent the 5,000 troops of Shuangshi Luo, even with some casualties, they could still have recaptured Jundu Pass, and might even have been able to stop the Turks and rebels, though it would have involved more casualties."

Wang Junkuo sent Lu Shirui to Jundu Pass because he anticipated that the mission would not be easy, and that's why he wanted to take this opportunity...

Send those generals from Youzhou who refuse to submit to him to suffer this loss, thereby weakening their strength.

He, with his well-organized 8,000 elite infantry and cavalry, plus another 4,000 men drawn from elsewhere, totaling 12,000 elite troops, easily swept through the undefended Yuyang and two other prefectures, achieving a great victory.
He also led the generals who were loyal to him to achieve great merit.

Especially that old man, Tudiqi, who has always been ungrateful, used the Turks and rebels as a weapon to kill some of his three thousand elite Mohe troops.

Then he'll know to back down.

"That idiot Lu Shirui actually did me a favor. Without Li Yi's five thousand men, his and Tudiji's casualties would have been even greater this time."
By stopping him, Li Yi was also prevented from sending troops north, and no one came to Yuyang to compete with us for credit.

Wang Jun was taken aback by his elder brother's complicated thoughts and was secretly alarmed. After hesitating for a moment, he still spoke up: "Brother, what if Lu Shirui and his men are defeated, and what if they are completely wiped out?"
This would not only let the rebels escape, but also endanger Youzhou, resulting in the loss of troops and national disgrace. Wouldn't that also implicate us?

"What have you implicated us for?" Wang Junkuo sneered. "I am merely the Chief Secretary of the Youzhou Grand General's Office, not the Grand General. He and I split our forces into two groups, each responsible for one."

At that time, I will sweep across the three prefectures of Ji, Ping, and Tan.

What does it have to do with me that he suffered heavy losses?

If we're really talking about dereliction of duty, it's Li Yuan's fault. Who knows, if the court investigates and recalls Li Yuan, I might even get promoted to Grand Eunuch. Wouldn't that be even better?

Even though Wang Jun'e had known Wang Junkuo for several years, he was still somewhat surprised, "But the Prince of Lujiang has already betrothed his beloved daughter to Yong'an."

"So what? Even if Li Yuan is convicted and returns to the capital, he is the son of the emperor's sixth uncle, so he won't be severely punished. He can still become a high-ranking official in another place."

He's different from us. We've risked our lives all these years, fighting our way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Every step we took was a life-or-death struggle.

We don't have an emperor uncle.
Unlike Li Yi, who was initially thought to be a wandering Taoist priest but turned out to be the great-grandson of Li Jing, the Duke of Hua, from the prestigious Tianshui Li clan of Guanzhong, though he was an illegitimate child.
But in the blink of an eye, he was taken over by Prince Yi'an, Li Xiaochang, and adopted by his second younger brother. The emperor even listed him in the imperial clan register.

Hey,
It can't compare.

Li Yi enjoys the emperor's favor and trust, and the crown prince and the Prince of Qin are vying to win him over. We don't have his good fortune.

We can only rely on ourselves; one wrong step and there will be no chance to recover.

"Second brother, don't think too much. Come on, let's take Yuyang together. Your title of Marquis of Xinxing County is a bit too low. This time, your elder brother will help you get promoted to Duke of Xinxing County."

"Who knows, I might even get you a governorship."

Wang Jun'e smiled bitterly. Although he was Wang Junkuo's deputy general, he was quite satisfied with having the title of county marquis.

His family was just a minor aristocratic family in Wu'an County. Although they had been officials for generations, their official positions were not high. His grandfather served as the military advisor of Jizhou in the Northern Qi Dynasty, and his father served as the registrar of Xingtang County in the Sui Dynasty.

During the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he organized soldiers to protect his hometown. When Wang Junkuo plundered Handan, everyone was afraid, but he went alone into Wang Junkuo's camp and advised him to take in the dead and wait and see how things changed. Wang Junkuo appreciated his words and then pulled him into his gang.

Initially, Wang Jun'e was unwilling to join Wang Junkuo, after all, he was a bandit from Taihang Mountain with a bad reputation. However, in order to protect his hometown from being plundered, he had no choice but to temporarily join him. Unexpectedly, the two later got along very well and even became sworn brothers.

Years of fighting,

Wang Jun looked back in astonishment, never expecting that he could be granted the title of county marquis and become a fifth-rank general.

He had never considered being granted a title or appointed governor, nor did he have such great ambitions.

Wang Junkuo, however, was ambitious.
He pointed to the vast army and said, "Second brother, wealth and fame will be ours in no time. We'll command thousands of troops and hold sway over this strategically important region of Youyan."
Why can't they be granted titles and privileges for their wives and children, or even rise to high-ranking positions like generals or ministers?
Why can Li Yi do it, but we can't?

"If Li Yi can pacify the three prefectures of Yi, Ding, and Shen, then I, Wang Junkuo, can also recover the three prefectures of Tan, Ji, and Ping."

"This chaotic world is the perfect time for us to rise above others. If it were a peaceful and prosperous era, how could someone of my background ever have a chance to succeed?"
Today, among the newly appointed officials and nobles of the court, how many came from humble backgrounds, how many were like me, commoners? Some of the prime ministers were once just county magistrates, some even just village heads; those dukes and generals, some were once mere household slaves.

If they can do it, why can't we?

···
Dingzhou

Li Yi was copying the Zhongshan seal script on the bronze tripod and bronze pot he had bought from the market in his study. These seal scripts were truly beautiful, the most beautiful among the seal scripts of various countries, each one like a work of art.

While appreciating the beauty of this seal script, you can also learn about seal characters and the history of the Zhongshan State's great victory in attacking Yan.

Ma Zhou knocked on the door.

"Minister Sikong, General Shuang Shilu has sent back an urgent report: Lu Shirui led the Youyan army to attack Jundu Pass, but was defeated and killed in battle."

Tens of thousands of Turkic and rebel remnants from within the pass, together with the garrison of the pass, attacked from the north and south, defeated the Youyan army, and then left the pass.

Li Yi put down his brush. He hadn't expected that General Lu Shijun of the Right Valiant Guard would die in battle at Jundu Pass.

Do you have any specific information?

"Lu Shijun launched a fierce attack on Juyong Pass, but the Yan army defended it with its natural defenses. Lu Shijun suffered heavy casualties, while the three thousand Mohe cavalry led by Tu Diji, the governor of Yan Prefecture, were slow to join the attack."
When the rebels attacked from the rear, Tu Diji immediately led his 3,000 cavalry to retreat, thus trapping Lu Shijun's 3,000 Youzhou soldiers, who were subsequently annihilated.

Li Yi sighed deeply.

Later that evening, more news came.

However, it was news that Wang Junkuo had led 12,000 troops to attack Jizhou and had captured Yuyang in one fell swoop.

(End of this chapter)