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

Chapter 525: Success

On the city wall of Jundu Pass.

Wang Junkuo was eating horse meat, using a sharp cleaver to carve the meat off the large bones and eating it in large bites. Horse meat didn't taste nearly as good as mutton or beef, and even donkey meat wasn't good.

Especially in this army, horses with injured hooves lost their value and were slaughtered and skinned. The horse meat and bones were stewed in a large pot with only a little salt and no spices.

The meat not only had a fishy and gamey smell, but also a slightly sour taste.

But the dignified Duke of Peng ate with great relish.

He came from a poor family. As a child, he stole chickens and dogs, and as an adult, he stole cattle and sheep. In fact, it was all out of necessity to make a living.

Wang Jun strode in from outside, his armor still stained with blood.

"Second brother, come quickly! The horse meat is freshly stewed, eat it while it's hot!" Wang Junkuo called out.

Wang Jun'e put his lance aside, picked up a stool, and sat down heavily. After fighting for so long, he was indeed hungry.

He took off his helmet and put it aside, then took out a small knife from his waist, stabbed a large piece of meat with the bone in it, and started eating.

After eating three pieces in a row, my hunger finally subsided a bit.

“We suffered over a thousand casualties in this battle,” Wang Jun said in astonishment.

Wang Junkuo continued eating meat without stopping, saying, "In war, people always die. If we hadn't crossed the mountains and small paths last night and suddenly scaled the city walls and entered the North Pass, we might not have been able to take Jundu Pass even after another half a month of attack."

This fortress is indeed dangerous; Lu Shijun's death last time was not unjust."

Of the eight hundred elite soldiers Wang Junkuo selected yesterday, seven hundred and twenty entered the city, but less than three hundred survived.

Although they were elite troops, many died after breaking into the city without armor. The battle was particularly fierce when they covered Wang Junkuo's advance to the south gate.

One will be a million bones.

Wang Junkuo's remarkable achievement of capturing Jundu Pass in a single day and night was achieved at the cost of over a thousand elite soldiers from Youzhou.

"Send them back to Youzhou City wrapped in horsehide, and leave the wounded to recuperate in Jundu Pass."

"We will send out our troops soon, advance while we are ahead, and try to catch Huai Rong City in Bei Yan Prefecture off guard."

He tossed the cleaned horse bones aside. "Oh, right, have Wang Shen report our victory to Li Yi. Li Yi ordered us to break through Jundu Pass by the fifteenth, or face military punishment. I'm really looking forward to Li Yi's reaction when he sees our report."
It's a pity we're too far apart to see; he's probably still having a headache in front of Daoma Pass.

Wang Shen arrived.

He immediately fetched paper and pen and wrote a report of victory on the spot. He was from the Wang family of Taiyuan and his literary talent was quite good.

After writing it, he read it aloud to Wang Junkuo.

Wang Junkuo couldn't understand those ornate parallel prose, so he frowned and interrupted him, "We broke through Jundu Pass, but you wrote Juyong Pass instead."

Wang Shen inwardly despised Wang Junkuo's lack of culture.

"Duke Peng, Jundu Pass is also called Juyong Pass. Its name originated in the Qin Dynasty. Legend has it that when the First Emperor built the Great Wall, he moved prisoners, soldiers and conscripted laborers to this place. The name Juyong Pass means 'relocating the laborers to Juyong Pass'."

The Lüshi Chunqiu also records that there are nine mountain passes, and Juyong Pass is one of them.

During the Three Kingdoms period, this pass was also known as Xiguan. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, it was renamed Nakuan Pass. During the Sui Dynasty, it was also known as Jimen Pass and Jundu Pass.

Wang Junkuo didn't feel ashamed at all, and smiled, "Wang Sima is indeed worthy of being a member of the Five Surnames, his family's scholarship is excellent."

We fought a bloody battle and captured Juyong Pass. Next, we will strike while the iron is hot and seize Huairong City.

This task is left to Wang Sima to handle: return the bodies of the brothers who died in Youzhou, remember to return their belongings, and record their achievements.

The wounded soldiers should recuperate here first; please get some medicinal herbs.

Those Yan bandits who were captured, especially the seriously wounded, were all beheaded to avoid wasting food and medicine. Their heads were recorded as decapitations.

Those with minor injuries, along with the elderly and weak, should be sold to the Youzhou merchant group accompanying the army. They should be disposed of as quickly as possible, and any money they can fetch will be used to compensate the wounded and reward military merits.

As for the able-bodied men, I will organize them into an auxiliary battalion and accompany me to attack Huai Rong City.

Wang Junkuo's post-war treatment was very direct, especially his treatment of enemy prisoners of war. He made the most of them, beheading the seriously wounded as a military achievement, and selling the lightly wounded and the old and weak directly to save on food rations.

As for the able-bodied men, they were organized into auxiliary troops and used as cannon fodder in sieges.

There was no pity, no mercy.

If it weren't for the fact that the old, weak, and wounded soldiers could be sold for money, and if it weren't for the fact that the able-bodied prisoners could be used as cannon fodder in the siege, he would have chopped them all off and counted it as a meritorious service in battle.

"Someone, summon Tudiji."

After Wang Junkuo had eaten his fill of horse meat, he asked his personal guards to brew him a pot of tea. They used a knife to cut off some of the black, hard tea bricks and boiled them directly in the pot with salt.

Suddenly, Ji arrived upon hearing the news.

"Duke of Peng".

Wang Junkuo glanced at him, "You're here, have a seat."

He had tried very hard to win over Tudiqi, but unfortunately, the old, undead Dongyi always kept his distance from him.

That old guy,
He wore an exquisite bright fish-scale armor, spoke fluent Mandarin, and usually wore Han Chinese clothing and hats, so he didn't look like a Mohe barbarian at all.

The emperor settled him in Peach Blossom Valley, north of Youzhou, and established Liaoxi County and Yanzhou. Although the territory was not large, he commanded eight tribes of Mohe, with more than 10,000 households and 3,000 elite Mohe cavalry under his command.

Not only that,

This guy originally lived in western Liaoning and had been engaged in border trade. He was very wealthy and had thousands of servants.

He wanted to ask the Tudiqi for a woman as a concubine in order to win over the two of them, but the old man wouldn't take the bait.

"Duke Shi, today was a great battle, but unfortunately your three thousand elite Mohe cavalry, being cavalrymen, had no opportunity to use their skills and were unable to achieve any merit."

Tudiji was very wary of Wang Junkuo; the guy made him uneasy, just like a wolf.

"However, there is still a chance to make a contribution. We will be sending troops to Huairong City soon. I would also like to trouble Duke Shi to lead three thousand Yanzhou cavalry as the vanguard. Is that alright?"

Tudiji readily agreed.

"Okay, go and prepare."

Wang Junkuo watched his retreating figure, his smile turning cold. Li Yuan had been demoted to Luoyang, and Li Daoxuan would succeed him as Grand Steward.

This old guy is becoming increasingly distant from me.

He withdrew his gaze, turned to Wang Jun'e and said with a smile, "Second brother, let's make some preparations. Your elder brother will send you to take up your post in Beiyan Prefecture. You're definitely going to be the governor."

···
Southwest of Feihu County.

General Li Cunxiao led two thousand cavalry out of the Feihu South Road Valley and into the Feihu Basin, where the view suddenly opened up.

"Immediately dispatch twelve scout cavalry units to conduct reconnaissance and ensure the secrecy of our army's movements."

After parting ways with Liu Heisong at Daomaguan, Li Cunxiao led his army northward along the Feihu Road.

Before entering the Flying Fox Basin, we passed through White Stone Fort.

They still used the same old method as when they broke through Daomaguan, letting the caravan leader under Tuli's command lead him and a group of elite warriors, and brazenly entered Baishibao under the banner of Tuli Khan.

Baishibao is close to Feihu County and guards the northern entrance of Feihu South Road, but because it is located in the rear, there are not many soldiers here.

Due to insufficient supplies, many soldiers had to hunt and forage for wild vegetables.
After entering the fortress, Li Cunxiao drew his sword, slashed at people, and seized the gate.

As a result, after killing only a few soldiers, the defending troops surrendered without hesitation.

They threw them faster than anyone else.

This was somewhat unexpected for Li Cunxiao. He had thought there would be a bloody battle, but before he could even warm up his sword with a roar, it was over.

After capturing White Stone Castle and resting briefly,
He waited until dusk before heading out of the valley, intending to quietly bypass Baishi County and sneak into the valley north of Feihu without alerting the enemy, heading straight for Zhigu Pass.

He only had two thousand cavalry. Even though the surrendered troops from Baishibao said that there was a famine in Feihu County and the main force of the garrison had been withdrawn, leaving only the old and weak, he was still able to fight them.

But Li Cunxiao had no intention of causing any unnecessary trouble.

He left it to the main army to capture Feihu City; his mission was to head north, take Zhigu Pass, and block the northern border of Weizhou.

Leaving Zhigu Pass, one can either enter the Yu County Basin or head north over the mountains to enter the Datong Basin in Yunzhou.

Therefore, this pass was also among the first targets.

The man had a gag in his mouth, and the horse's hooves were wrapped in cloth.

Night came,

Li Cunxiao and his two thousand men quietly headed north.

We arrived at the banks of the Juma River.

It was the peach blossom season, and the water was still quite deep. However, they traveled west along the south bank and then upstream across the river.

Feihu County is located on the north bank of the Juma River.

In the deep darkness of night,
Suddenly, a whistling arrow rang out from ahead.

Li Cunxiao immediately ordered the entire army to halt their advance and prepare for battle. Because they were going to pass through Feihu City, they had already donned armor when they set off to prevent an encounter.

The cavalrymen quickly changed formation, from a long, single-file marching line...
It transformed into a defensive goose-wing formation.

Several scout cavalry units were dispatched to investigate the situation.

Soon, the cavalry returned.

They also brought several riders with them.

"Greetings, General Yunhui. We are under the command of Prince Wu'an..."

When Li Cunxiao saw the waist token they handed him, he examined it repeatedly before accepting the unexpected news with great shock.

Prince Wu'an clearly took a longer route than them, going through Baibi Pass and Puyin Pass to Feihu, so how did he end up ahead of them?

They have even taken over Feihu County.

"Both Baibi Pass and Feihu County surrendered without a fight, without losing a single soldier."

"The Prince of Wu'an is currently in Feihu County, and General Su has already entered the Northern Feihu Road."

Hearing these news,

Li Cunxiao was extremely impressed and ordered the entire army to rest temporarily on the banks of the Juma River. He then led several officers and a group of personal guards to the nearby Feihu County to pay his respects to Li Yi.

Li Yi, who was in the city, had already received a report from the scouts that they had met Li Cunxiao and his party on the banks of the Juma River.

"Okay, it seems they're doing well too. I thought it would take a while to see them."

Li Yi not only sent troops to wait on the banks of the Juma River, but also dispatched scouts to the southern route of Feihu to investigate. If they were indeed blocked at Baishibao or Daomaguan, Li Yi would send troops to attack from the north and south to help them clear the way.

Now that good news has arrived by the Juma River, that is naturally the best outcome.

Brew a pot of tea,

Prepare some snacks as well.

Li Cunxiao rushed over.

"It seems you've managed to overcome all obstacles without any delay," Li Yi said with a smile, patting his arm. "Have some tea."

Li Cunxiao didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down with a thud, took a sip of tea, and ate a piece of pastry. "It's all thanks to the Turkic caravan arranged by Sikong that we had the opportunity to seize the gates of Daomaguan and Baishibao. Otherwise, it would have been really difficult to get through quickly."

Quickly exchange intelligence,
Daomaguan and Baishibao were captured quickly with little casualties.

Li Yi and Su Dingfang took the Puyin Pass and captured Feihu City through the Zijing Pass, which went more smoothly.

"Okay, okay, very good."

"We launched our attack quickly this time, seizing the perfect opportunity and catching Gao Kaidao completely off guard."

Li Cunxiao ate a few pieces of pastry, finished his tea, and then got up to leave.

"Both General Su and General Liu are on a night raid, and I can't delay any longer. I must set off immediately. Commander, wait for my good news."
Tomorrow, we must capture Zhigu Pass.

"Alright, you continue to lead Tuli Khan's men. If you can trick the city gates open, that would be best. If not, you decide whether to launch a full-scale attack based on the situation."

The latest news I received from Flying Fox City is that there are currently only about three hundred elderly and weak people left in Zhigu Pass.

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao's confidence soared. "With only three hundred old and weak guarding the pass, even if we fight them head-on, I will definitely take this pass for Sikong."

(End of this chapter)