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

Chapter 545 My Father and the Emperor Conquered the Empire

“My father once fought alongside the emperor to conquer the country. He started his rebellion in Taiyuan and fought his way into Chang’an.”

In the city of Fanzhi, a man was wolfing down a piece of flatbread, choking so hard his eyes rolled back, but what he said was quite bold.

Ma Zhou, who was acting as the magistrate of Fanzhi County, looked at him and said, "Drink some water, don't choke, eat slowly."

"It's true. My father followed the current emperor in raising an army, entered the pass with him, and after capturing Chang'an, he followed the King of Qin in conquering the north of the Wei River. He was killed in battle by a stray arrow. My elder brother was then appointed to the Imperial Guard. With his father gone, he took his place and remained in Chang'an."

As for me, I'm back in my hometown of Fanzhi, working as a registrar in the county government.

This man, who called himself Liu Hong, a man from a good family in the border region, said that his family was a prominent family in the county and that he was originally the county's registrar. He had previously led the villagers to defend Fanshi against the Turks, but unfortunately, without the assistance of government troops and lacking arrows and other supplies, the city fell and he was captured.

“If you send someone to inquire, you will know that what I said is true. Thanks to the Minister of Works for redeeming us from the Turks, the Northern Barbarians are still here. I am willing to assist you, Lord Ma, and do my part.”

The position of Sihuzuo was merely a low-ranking, miscellaneous post.

However, Fanzhi County was only a lower-level county, and its magistrate was only a seventh-rank official, while the county clerk, registrar, and county commandant were all ninth-rank officials.

Below the rank of county commandant, there were no official ranks, and the county only had two departments, namely the Department of Revenue and the Department of Law, each with two assistants.

This position of Sihuzuo may seem lowly, but it actually wields considerable power within the county.

Liu Hong's family was clearly a powerful and influential local family in Fanzhi. With the assistance of a former county magistrate, he could be of great help.

"Since the Turks invaded, many people have fled to Hengshan or Wutaishan, especially the wealthy and powerful families who have sought refuge in the mountains. Many of them have fortified villages and manors in the mountains, and they can lead their sons and servants to resist ordinary barbarians."

After finishing a few flatbreads, Liu Hong wiped his mouth and said, "I am a clerk in the county government, and I have my duties to perform."

"What about the former county magistrate, chief clerk, county assistant, and county commandant? Are they still alive?"

“They’re all dead. The Sijie tribe executed them all after they breached the city.” Liu Hong sighed; he had narrowly escaped death.

But if Li Sikong hadn't redeemed the five thousand of them, his fate would have been very tragic. He would have been taken to the northern grasslands to be a slave to the Sijie people. Perhaps because he was young and could read and write, he might have been given a minor steward position by Jielifa, but he would still be a slave and die in a foreign land.

“It was like a dream. Suddenly, the Turks swarmed in, the county town was captured, and we became slaves. Then suddenly, Li Sikong arrived, the Sijie tribe fled in panic, and we were freed.”

"Sikong is a true hero."

After Liu Hong had a hearty meal, Ma Zhou reinstated him to his position as the county clerk. Among the five thousand redeemed people, he found several former clerks from the Fanshi County government, two historians, three accountants, a market magistrate, an assistant instructor, several questioners and clerks, and a prison warden.

Most of the five thousand people who were redeemed were from Fanzhi County, and many were from Fanzhi City. The Turks entered the pass quickly this time, but some powerful and wealthy families were quick to flee and escape into the mountains.

Some people didn't have time to escape, or had nowhere to go. Some even fled into the county town, only to be wiped out when the town fell.

Some were captured by the Sijie people who raided for hay in the countryside, where news was slow or they had nowhere else to go. These 5,000 people were mostly able-bodied men and young women; the Turks were too lazy to capture the elderly and weak.
Even after the city fell, the Sijie people drove many of the elderly and weak out of Fanzhi City, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Most of Liu Hong's family members fled to Mount Wutai.

In the eyes of the common people, Mount Wutai is a majestic mountain range, considered a capital of immortals. The northern peak, covered in snow and ice year-round, is also known as Mount Qingliang (Cool Mountain). During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the monk Dao'an and his disciple Huiyuan were active in the Fanshi and Yanmen areas, establishing a Buddhist center on Mount Wutai, which led to the flourishing of Buddhist temples on the mountain.

It is said that there are more than 100 Buddhist temples in the Wutai Mountain area, of which 32 are large temples in Fanzhi County and 26 are in Wutai County.

Buddhist temples flourished on Mount Wutai, and the temple economy was very prosperous. Whenever there was famine or war, people would flock to Mount Wutai.
Borrowing grain and money from temples

Temples also provide porridge and loans.

Of course, besides temples, there are also fortified manors and strongholds of powerful families in the mountains.

With the help of Liu Hong to find a group of former clerks and officials, plus the temporarily conscripted able-bodied men, and some civil officials that Ma Zhou selected from the army, the Fanzhi County government office was quite well-organized.

Liu Xian, who joined the army, took over the position of county magistrate.

The biggest problem facing Magistrate Ma Zhou was that he had no grain. It was not easy to settle the five thousand redeemed people. Fanzhi had been looted and all five thousand people had become refugees.

Liu Hong, the registrar, suggested sending people to borrow grain from the monks and wealthy families in the mountain temples, fortified villages, and mountain estates.

“Fanzhi has become a ghost town. It would be better to send these five thousand people into the mountains to find their own way out.”

They each sought their own way out, which meant leaving them alone.

The Grain in Ear season has passed, so planting some early-maturing millet is still feasible. However, the Turkic army is only a few dozen miles away, making it difficult to focus on farming at this time.

Li Yi inspected the porridge distribution point.
The refugees who were queuing for porridge turned around when they saw him arrive, stood up respectfully, and greeted the young official with gratitude, saying, "Greetings, Minister."

Each greeting, "Hello, Master Sikong," was filled with gratitude for the rescue.

Li Yi not only rescued them, but also used his precious military rations to provide porridge. In the midst of war, a bowl of hot porridge was a chance to survive.

The governors of Yingzhou, Yun Shiduan, and Weizhou, Wang Xingmin, along with the magistrate of Fanzhi County, Ma Zhou, were all present.

"The porridge is still too thin, add some more rice."

Li Yi walked around and gave instructions.

Wang Xingmin, the governor of Weizhou, said with difficulty, "We need to stockpile grain to prepare for the Turkic attack. Grain is precious."

"Sikong, if you ask me, the Turks will attack soon. There's no point in keeping these people in Fanzhi City. It would be better to send them east of Pingxing Pass. They can farm or mine there, at least they'll have a job and food and clothing, and it'll be safer for them."

Magistrate Ma Zhou disagreed with sending everyone to places like Lingqiu and Feihu, saying, "These five thousand people really shouldn't all stay in Fanzhi City."

"I suggest that those with relatives in the mountains or in Weizhou should go and seek refuge with them. Those without relatives should be organized by the county to be taken to Wutai Mountain or Hengshan Mountain for temporary settlement. They can borrow some food from temples and estates in the mountains, then hunt and cultivate the land. The government will also provide them with some food relief to help them get through this difficult time..."

Li Yi has already dispatched scouts to scout forty li west of Fanzhi County.

Li Yi kept a close watch on the Turkic army's every move beneath Yanmen City. If they attacked, Li Yi would be informed immediately. For the time being, Jieli might not know that the Sijie tribe had already withdrawn from Fanzhi.

However, the news that Fanzhi City had been taken over by the Tang army could not be kept secret for long.

Li Yi is currently speeding up the transport of grain to Fanzhi County, but Weizhou also doesn't have much grain stored up, so it still has to be transported from Yiding in Hebei. The grain in Fanzhi City is extremely precious.

The five thousand people who were redeemed should not stay here.

“Select some craftsmen, carpenters, stonemasons and other artisans, and keep some to help build defensive equipment. If there are doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians, or people who can read, write and do accounting, keep them as well.”

"Let's disperse the rest," Li Yi said after thinking for a moment.

“Minister, why don’t we leave some able-bodied men to help defend the city? Most of these five thousand men are young men and women, and we can select two thousand men,” Wang Xingmin said.

Li Yi shook his head.
"Without training, they're not very useful. We also have auxiliary soldiers in our army, after all, they have experience. Let's just keep the craftsmen, doctors, and scholars, and relocate the rest."

"Those with relatives or friends in the mountains can go into the mountains to visit them; those with relatives in Weizhou can go to Weizhou."

The rest should be moved to Weizhou, as it's safer there due to the bottle-shaped pass.

Although the Sijie people of Fanshi County have left, this flat plain is not safe.

As for Liu Hong's suggestion to borrow grain from mountain temples and manors, Li Yi asked Liu Hong, a local, to give it a try.

I doubt he can borrow much. Even with his title of Minister of Works, it would be difficult to borrow much.

Li Yi doesn't have the energy to send people into the mountains to fight these people seriously. His primary task right now is to deal with the Turks.

After circling around Fanzhi a few times,
He also learned more about the local powerful figures like Liu Hong, and discovered that Fanzhi County was not only originally inhabited by people who migrated from Xingbei.

Even after the county seat was moved to the Xinding Basin, it was moved several times.

Today's Fanzhi County was the territory of the Huo people during the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Han Dynasty, Huoren County was established. During the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Wuzhou was established, governing Tujing Commandery, Qi Commandery, and Xin'an Commandery, with its seat of government in Fanzhi City. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, it was renamed Beilingzhou.

At that time, Fanzhi County was located in Shuitou Village, on the opposite bank of the Hutuo River from the present-day county seat.

In the eighteenth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty, Fanzhi County was moved to Dabao Garrison, sixty li to the east, because it was located on a flat plain with no natural defenses.

During the Daye Dynasty, it was moved to the earliest Wuzhou City.

Then, after Yang Guang's siege of Yanmen Pass, Fanzhi City was captured by the Turks, looted, and burned down.

So after the war, the county seat was moved eastward again, still on the north bank of the Hutuo River. This time, the location was more strategic, with the city surrounded by streams on three sides and connected to steep slopes on the east, making it extremely fortified. Previously, it had been separated from Daizhou and established as Jianzhou.

Later, Liu Wuzhou seized Daizhou. After his defeat, Li Da'en entered Daizhou from Weizhou. Fanzhi County was destroyed in the war. Li Da'en moved Fanzhi County to Shilonggang, where the city was situated at the foot of the mountain and surrounded by mountains.

The city today was originally a castle on the south bank of the Hutuo River. It was not very large. Even after expansion, it was only three li in circumference, 32 feet high, with a moat 15 feet deep and three city gates.

The county seat of Fanzhi, located on the banks of the Hutuo River, changed from Wuzhou City to Shuitou Village, then to Dabao Garrison, then to Jianzhou, and now to Shilonggang on the south bank of the river. This does not even include the earliest Fanzhi ancient city on the banks of the Hun River north of Hengshan Mountain.

This border county actually had four county towns.

It must be said that they are quite special, as they were all changed due to war.

“Wuzhou City, Jianzhou City, Dabao Garrison, and now Shilonggang City,” Li Yi said. “Except for the current Fanzhi County, I have been to the other three places. Apart from Shuitou Village in the old Wuzhou City, the other two places are in good locations. Although they have experienced war, they were garrisoned and defended before.”

I plan to utilize those three castles as well, stationing troops there. This way, if the Turks launch a large-scale invasion, these three old county towns on the north bank of the Hutuo River can serve as outer defenses and fortifications for our Fanzhi City.
It could protect Fanzhi City, threaten the flanks and rear of the Turks, and form a defensive triangle with the five fortresses connecting Yingzhou Wuyu, providing mutual support and protection.

Defend the city,

We cannot hold out indefinitely.

Just like defending a large city requires open field battles, and defending a city cannot involve blocking the city gates, it's the same principle.

If all 20,000 men retreat into Fanzhi City, they will be forced to passively defend against attacks. It would be more advantageous for them to defend the castles on the outskirts.

Although this also carries the risk of being defeated one by one, those three cities are not far from Fanzhi County. They are lined up in a row north of the Hutuo River, with the furthest distance between them being only sixty li.

Guarding a city alone,

It's definitely not as good as a multi-layered defense system. Outer castles can both delay and disperse enemy forces, reducing the pressure on the main city.
Most importantly, with an outer castle, the defending side is not just passively defending, but can also launch flexible attacks and gain more tactical initiative.

The Hutuo River is 60 to 70 zhang wide in Fanzhi County, but it is not deep outside the flood season, only about half a meter deep, and both infantry and cavalry can cross it directly.

But given its width, it would be relatively easy to delay the enemy during battles, serving as a defensive line for Fanzhi County. If Li Yi were to also divide his forces to guard the three old county towns on the north bank of the river...
The four cities are surrounded by the Hutuo River, so by relying on the cities and the Hutuo River, a multi-layered and more comprehensive defense system can be established.

"What do you all think of sending 1,500 infantrymen, 500 cavalrymen, and 1,000 auxiliary troops to each of these three cities?"

If the 8,000 reinforcements from Hebei arrive, Li Yi will still have 20,000 auxiliary troops in Fanzhi City.

Meanwhile, the three cities on the north bank had 9,000 auxiliary troops.

Further north are five fortified valleys in Hengshan, each with 600 soldiers, totaling 3,000 men.

Further out to the north of Xingbei Yingzhou, there were 3,000 light cavalry, and behind them, Pingxingzhai, there were 5,000 infantry and cavalry.

In this way, a multi-layered defense system with a total of 40,000 combat and auxiliary troops was formed within a range of more than 100 miles centered on Fanzhi.

After hearing Li Yi's plan, all the generals could sense that Sikong was really planning something big this time.

(End of this chapter)