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

Chapter 544 Killing right under Jieli's nose
In the fifth year of the Wude era, in the fifth month of summer.

Grain in Ear.

After much hesitation, Sijie Awen finally decided to retreat. Although he had paid a heavy price to ransom his son and two thousand cavalry, those were all stolen anyway—from Chief Awen, the tribal leaders, and the tribesmen who had come south to plunder.
Everyone still gained quite a bit.

Let’s quit while we’re ahead.

The pressure from that young Li Yi was immense, and the Sijie tribe had already lost three thousand men while defending Fanzhi for Jieli. If those two thousand men weren't redeemed, the loss would amount to five thousand.

Even the Sijie tribe, with a population of 100,000, could not withstand such a loss of manpower.

What truly made Awen decide to withdraw was that Jieli wanted their Sijie tribe to block the Tang army in Weizhou, and even wanted them to attack Pingxing Pass, but he didn't send a single soldier.

Staying here would likely result in further losses.

The Sijie tribe crossed the Hengshan Mountains from the Ruyue Valley, entered the Hunhe River Valley in the Datong Basin, then turned north, branched off at Huanghuadui, went northwest through the Zihe River Valley, exited the western pass of the Great Wall, and headed north, crossing the Yinshan Mountains and the desert to return to their homeland in the northern desert.

They handed over money, silk, cattle, and horses in one hand, and prisoners in the other.

"The Thought Department is really quite trustworthy."

You traveled twenty miles east of the valley entrance to Nanyukou, to Li Yijun's camp.

One hundred catties of gold, three thousand horses, one thousand cattle, and ten thousand bolts of silk cloth—these things were piled up in the camp, taking up a large area of ​​land, especially the four thousand cattle and horses.

The gold included gold ingots and various gold jewelry, bowls, plates, and teacups, all clearly looted. Ma Zhou and Liu Xian, who had joined the army, even hired a goldsmith to authenticate the gold's genuineness and purity. Those gilded or silver-plated pieces certainly didn't count.

After the appraisal, Sijiebu added another package of gold artifacts.

"That's good enough, there's no need to be so serious." Li Yi looked at the various gold and silver items scattered on the ground, appearing quite magnanimous, which made Awen's face turn red with anger. If you really weren't going to be serious, you should have said so earlier. You insisted on making them make up the difference, and now you're saying it's not too bad. You're getting a good deal and still acting innocent.

Three thousand horses and one thousand oxen.

The military veterinarians also checked the horses; the quantity was correct, but the quality wasn't very good. Most were ordinary horses, suitable for draft work and some could be ridden, but most were unsuitable for use as warhorses. They were neither trained nor particularly outstanding, lacking in endurance and explosive power.

The cattle were obviously stolen from Daibei Township; there were cattle of all ages and genders.

Li Yi waved his hand, saying that as long as the Sijie tribe didn't deliberately mix in some sick cattle, the rest didn't matter.

Anyway, this horse only cost five thousand coins, and the ox only cost two thousand coins.

Ten thousand bolts of silk, all plundered from Daibei, are now being brought here in cartloads.

Li Yi was quite pleased with Awen's trustworthiness. For this reason, he specially asked Ma Zhou to talk to Awen aside and took the initiative to suggest that after Awen returned to the northern tribes, they could continue trading with the Li family's caravan.

The Li family traded salt, tea, sugar, wine, silk, porcelain, pots and bowls, and medicine with the Sijie tribe in exchange for cattle, horses, camels, sheep, furs, medicinal herbs, mushrooms, and even slaves.

Price is negotiable.

Awen was initially furious, but after being persuaded by Ma Zhou's silver tongue, he actually thought it was a good deal and verbally agreed to future trade cooperation.

The five thousand people captured by the Sijie tribe were also sent to the Tang camp. Most of them were young women and some able-bodied men.

Women who reclaim their tribes are allowed to have children, while able-bodied men are assigned to herding cattle and horses, and can also go to the battlefield to gather grass and guard the camp.

Li Yi also knew that besides the five thousand that Sijie tribe had handed over, they actually had a considerable amount of money left, but Sijie tribe preferred to use cattle, horses, and silk cloth as collateral rather than return it.

When Wu Sui left with his two thousand men...
With red eyes and a look of hatred, Li Yi simply smiled at him.

Having taken such a huge advantage from him, they should at least offer a smile. He brought three thousand men to attack him, but ended up being detained in Weizhou for half a month of hard labor. They were all exhausted and starved, transformed from robust, muscular men of the grasslands into skinny, bony figures.
Not to mention, they also contributed four thousand warhorses to Li Yi.
Even those injured or dead horses allowed the soldiers of Dingzhou to enjoy meat for several days during the Dragon Boat Festival, and the thousands of injured horses that were culled also became helpful to the military settlements.

Not to mention the three thousand sets of weapons and equipment they managed to take down; although the quality was a bit poor, they were still equipment nonetheless.

In the end, Wu Sui and two thousand surviving prisoners were sold for high prices; each prisoner of war could be sold for two horses, five cows, or fifty bolts of silk.

Li Yi felt a pang of regret. The encirclement and slaughter at Pingxing Fortress had been too brutal, resulting in the beheading of a thousand men. If they had all survived, they could have been exchanged for two thousand horses or ten thousand strings of cash.

at last,

Everything has been completed.
Si Jie led his seven or eight thousand men away from Ruyue Valley.

The scouts dispatched by Li Yi watched them all withdraw and learned that they had taken away many spoils of war, including young and beautiful women hidden among the troops, as well as some artisans.
In addition, they also took away a lot of livestock such as cattle, sheep and horses that they had stolen, as well as various carts and wagons, all of which were fully loaded with silk cloth and grain.

The warriors of the Sijie tribe each carried a lot of things back with them. These guys even took the pots and pans they had stolen, and they wished they could take the tables and chairs as well.

It's estimated that they emptied out Fanzhi County.

Li Yi had expected this, and simply gave a cold laugh.

"If you ask me, we should just besiege Fanzhi, breach the city walls, and all these traitors will become government slaves of our Great Tang!"

"Exactly, letting them leave like this is too easy for them."

Li Yi listened to the discussions among some of the generals but ignored them.

He was quite satisfied with the result of subduing the enemy without a fight. After all, the Sijie tribe still had six or seven thousand people and a city. Behind them, eighty miles away, was Yanmen, where Jieli's army of over one hundred thousand men was located.

Li Yi's aggressive attack on Fan Zhi Si Jie might actually allow Jie Li to outmaneuver him.

This way, the Sijie tribe can withdraw to the northern desert, Li Yibing can take Fanzhi City without bloodshed, get back 5,000 kidnapped civilians, and receive such a large ransom. It's a very profitable deal.

The primary task at present is still to relieve the siege of Yanmen.

When the entire Sijie tribe entered Ruyue Valley, Li Yi led his army to take over Fanzhi City.

Fanzhi County was originally located on the banks of the Hun River in Ying County, north of Hengshan Mountain. The present-day Fanzhi County was formerly Huoren County. However, the Jin Dynasty later ceded the area north of Yanmen Pass to the Xianbei people and relocated Fanzhi County to Yanmen. In the end, it was the cuckoo that usurped the nest, and now only Fanzhi County remains, while Huoren County is long gone.

"Sikong, Fanzhi is now just an empty city."

The city, which had been looted by the Sijie tribe, was located on the south bank of the Hutuo River, on a raised plateau.

The city's circumference is only a few miles.

But his geographical location is important.

To its north lies the Hutuo River, Mount Heng, and five valleys that traverse Mount Heng to reach the Hunhe River Valley in the Datong Basin.

All five passes belong to the Eighteen Passes of Yanmen. Pingxing Pass is also one of the Eighteen Passes of Yanmen, and all of them originally had fortified villages.

Li Yi led his army into the city.
Sure enough, it was empty.
The Sijie tribe occupied the city for more than two months, looting everything they could, both public and private, and they were just short of setting it on fire before leaving.

"The city and land have been recovered, and the captives have been exchanged for them. We have land and people, so we are not afraid of losing money, silk, cattle and sheep."

People and land are the most important things; everything else is external. "It's a pity that the wheat along the Hutuo River was used as pasture by the Sijie tribe. They ate it for two months, and now that it's harvest season, there's not much left."

Li Yi ordered the resettlement of the redeemed people.

We'll try to harvest as much wheat as we can from outside.

"General Liu, General Su, and General Li," Li Yi summoned his three vanguard generals and gave them a mission: to enter Xingbei from the valley in the north and take control of both banks of the Hun River.

The two counties of Yingxian and Hunyuan in later generations are now under the jurisdiction of Shuozhou and Yunzhou respectively.

The lower reaches of the Hun River flow into the Sanggan River. Although the lower reaches are connected to the Datong Basin through an opening, there is a continuous mountain range to the north of the Hun River, which is the Liuleng Mountain, the northern branch of the Hengshan Mountains. Its western section is also known as the Xiong'er Mountain, and its eastern section extends to Yu County, where it is called the Nanshan Mountain.

The Xiong'er Mountain and Hengshan Mountain enclose the Hunhe River Valley, forming a long and narrow pocket.

Li Yi planned to take advantage of the situation and send troops into this area. During the Han Dynasty, Guo County and Fanzhi County were established here, but now Guo County and Fanzhi County have long been moved from the Hunhe River Valley to the Xinding Basin.

Guoxian and Fanzhi are located to the east and west of Yanmen City, respectively, situated on the upper and lower reaches of the Hutuo River.

“You send troops to the Hunhe Valley and take over the former territories of Guoxian and Fanzhi. There is no need to attack Mayi and Shanyang. If you control the Hunhe Valley northeast of Mayi, you can also deter Mayi.”

Sending several thousand cavalry to the north of Hengshan would not only deter Mayi, but also protect the five valley passages to the north of Fanzhi, preventing Fanzhi City from being attacked from both sides.

At the same time, Li Yi also wanted to establish a connection with the Youzhou army.

“I have decided to establish Yingzhou in the Hunhe River Valley, and to establish Hunyuan County and Ying County in the former sites of Guoxian and Fanzhi respectively.”

Li Yi appointed Yun Shiduan, the General of the Cloud Banner, as the Inspector of Yingzhou. Yun Shiduan was of high rank and had good abilities. He was also the father of Li Yi's concubine.

Liu Heita and Su Dingfang were of lower rank and were temporarily only responsible for leading troops into battle.

"Thank you for your guidance, Minister!" The father-in-law, Yun Shiduan, was very grateful for the opportunity given by Li Yi. Even though Yingzhou was a temporary establishment and he didn't know how long he could serve as the Inspector General, it was still an opportunity.

"As you can see, Yingzhou has a terrain that is relatively easy to defend and difficult to attack. You have Hengshan Mountain behind you and five passages connecting you to my Fanzhi. East of Hunyuan are Weizhou Zhigu Pass and Anbian County in the Huliu River basin, and it is also connected to Pingxingzhai."

Li Yi was determined to take this opportunity to officially plant a stake in the Datong Basin.

"Military Advisor Ma".

Ma Zhou stepped forward and asked, "What are your orders, Minister?"

Li Yi picked up his pen and wrote a red edict appointing Ma Zhou as acting magistrate of Fanzhi County.

This military officer of the Wu'an Kingdom was somewhat surprised.

"Hurry up and take it. I admire your abilities. Now I'm giving you a chance to show them. You've seen the situation in Fanzhi County. It's been looted and is now empty. You'll have to shoulder this heavy responsibility from now on."

"Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything, and I'll have people accommodate you as much as possible."

“I will fight the battle. When Jieli comes, we will have 20,000 soldiers to hold the line. But the restoration and governance of Fanzhi County will depend on you.”

Ma Zhou's face flushed with excitement, and he accepted the imperial edict with trembling hands. "Your subordinate will certainly live up to your expectations, Minister, and will not hesitate to sacrifice my life."

Next, Li Yi appointed Ji Sizhong, the elder brother of his concubine Lingyi, and Liu Shiche, his military advisor, as acting magistrates of Hunyuan and Yingxian counties, respectively.

"You go and select officials and replenish the manpower of the county government, and get the government running as soon as possible."

Sitting in the empty county government office,
Li Yi knew that when Jieli learned that Sijie's tribe had retreated north, that he had occupied Fanzhi, and even sent troops to Hunhe, Jieli would never let it go.

Perhaps they will soon face the same situation as Liu Shirang, being surrounded by an overwhelming Turkic army.

We must intensify the defenses of Fanzhi, stockpile more grain, arrows, and even begin manufacturing cannons and crossbows.

He had over 20,000 troops. He deployed 5,000 at Pingxing Pass, 3,000 cavalry to Yingzhou north of Xing, and another 3,000 at the five forts including Ruyueyu.

I only have 12,000 left.

Twelve thousand men are enough to defend the small city of Fanzhi, but the food supplies are insufficient, so we need to mobilize them quickly.

After some deliberation, Li Yi sent men back to Dingzhou in Hebei with the 1,600 taels of gold and 10,000 bolts of silk that he had just extorted from Awenna, to request another batch of grain and fodder, and to conscript another 8,000 soldiers.

Never fight a battle unprepared.
Li Yi first prepared to fight a six-month siege of Fanzhi with Jieli.

He personally guarded Fanzhi and led 20,000 troops in battle.

The 5,000-strong reserve force at Bottle Pass is the general reserve force.

The three thousand cavalrymen of Yingzhou in Xingbei and the three thousand infantrymen of Wuyubao were the outer mobile forces.

With this deployment, he should have no problem attracting and holding off Jieli's 50,000 to 60,000 troops.

In this way, Liu Shirang's pressure in Yanmen City will be greatly reduced, and he should be able to hold out for a longer period of time. He also doesn't believe that the court can remain completely inactive at this point.
It really does n’t work.

There is also the Youzhou army of 20,000 men under Li Daoxuan and Wang Junkuo, who have already entered the Datong Basin.

Fanzhi is only eighty li away from Yanmen City.

This is all Li Yi can do now.

"Sikong can stay at Pingxing Pass; I'll guard Fanshi City."

"I'll guard it."

"I come."

Several generals who had reached the third rank all vied to take over Li Yi's post at Fanzhi.

“There’s no need to argue. I will personally oversee Fanzhi,” Li Yi waved his hand. “I’m not afraid of Jieli attacking Fanzhi now; I’m more worried that he won’t attack.”

The situation at Yanmen City is very critical.
However, Li Yi did not dare to rashly march directly to Yanmen City, enter Fanzhi, or even send troops to Xingbei, all in order to force Jieli to divide his forces to attack.

It's better for Li Yi to fight while relying on the city walls than to flee to Yanmen.

As long as Jieli sends a larger force, even fifty or sixty thousand, he can still hold the city and relieve some pressure on Yanmen. The real fear is that Jieli won't come, but instead establishes a defensive camp to the east of Yanmen and continues his all-out attack on the city, determined to defeat it piecemeal.

That's what's really troublesome.

We need to find a way to ensure that Jieli will be angry and send troops to seize Fanzhi.

"Gentlemen, do you have any good ideas to provoke Jieli into attacking?"

(End of this chapter)