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

Chapter 548 In the end, he chickened out.
"What is Jieli doing?"

In Fanzhi City, a group of generals gathered around the map, all of them expressing their doubts.

The Sijie tribe has been on the move for half a month, so why hasn't Jieli, who is only eighty miles away, made any move? It's impossible that they still don't know about it.
Li Yi, on the other hand, remained relatively calm.

In these fifteen days, Li Yi's defensive system of four cities, five forts, and one pass was completed. Outside the three-mile-long Fanzhi city wall, there were five layers of deer antlers, two layers of sheep and horse walls, and a barbican and a watchtower were also added.

Although the artillery pieces were still under construction, and especially the newly designed counterweight catapults were still in the model-making stage, a considerable amount of grain and fodder had been transported from Weizhou, which gave him the most confidence.

Li Yi had a premonition that Jieli should be arriving soon.

"Master Sikong, another large batch of grain has arrived, along with an imperial envoy from Chang'an."

Upon hearing that an angel had arrived, everyone's spirits lifted.

After so long, we finally heard news from the imperial court. They've been in Daibei for almost two months now.

"Let's go and greet the angels."

East of Fanzhi City,

Another massive grain transport team has arrived.

"Li Lang, this is five thousand shi of grain, newly harvested wheat from Hebei this summer. I have traveled over mountains and valleys all the way here. There are some sections of Feihu Pass that are impassable even by horse-drawn carriages, and can only be transported by mules. It was a very arduous journey."

To Li Yi's surprise, the person who delivered this batch of grain was neither Zhang Liang, the Grand Commandant of Dingzhou, nor Yang Gongdao, the Chief Clerk, nor Wu'an Wang Youyun Dingxing, who was left to guard the rear, nor the Chief Clerk Li Keshi.
The woman who arrived was as beautiful as a lotus flower, the enchanting widow of the Li family of Zhao County, and the daughter-in-law whom even the Lu family of Fanyang couldn't control.

"Li Lang seems quite surprised?"

“Indeed, there is a bit.” Li Yi really hadn’t expected it. “But I’m short of food here right now, so this batch of grain from Madam Li is a real lifesaver.”

“When I heard that Master Li was short of food, I volunteered to buy and transport the grain. How can Master Li thank me?”

"I am willing to purchase this batch of grain at 20% above the market price. Also, if Madam Li has any other requests, please feel free to make them, and I will try my best to meet them."

"Really? Can I make any request I want?"

Looking at this fox-like woman, Li Yi thought, "For the sake of these five thousand shi of grain, please speak freely, Madam Li."

Li Rulian simply smiled and said, "We happened to run into the angel from Chang'an on the way here, so we traveled together. Mr. Li, why don't you go see the angel first? I'll let you in on some good news."

The emperor's envoy set off from Chang'an, crossed the Yellow River at Pujin Bridge, passed through Jinfen to Taiyuan, then turned onto Jingxing to enter Hengzhou in Hebei, went north to Dingzhou, and then took the Feihu Road to Weizhou to arrive at Fanzhi, which can be said to be a roundabout route.

It took quite a bit of time to get here.

However, when Li Yi and others who received the imperial edict heard that the emperor had appointed Li Yi as the chief secretary of the Hedong Road Army and concurrently the general commander of the Hebei Road Army, to assist the crown prince in commanding the various armies of Daibei, Youzhou, Dingzhou, Bingzhou, Xizhou and Luzhou, and to receive the command, everyone was filled with joy.

Even Li Yi, though surprised, couldn't help but feel a surge of energy.

The emperor knew that the crown prince was incompetent and unable to command the battle, and he was unwilling to use Prince Qin, Li Shimin. So after much deliberation, he gave him the title of chief secretary, but actually commanded the troops of various garrisons to fight this battle.
Seal of office and military tally.

The angel was a sixth-rank civil official, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat. He came from the Li clan of Zhao County and was the elder brother of Li Shouxuan, who was the military advisor of the Tian Ce Mansion and one of the eighteen scholars of the Qin Prince's Mansion.

"The Sage has a secret edict to deliver to the Minister of Works. Please."

Secret edicts, of course, cannot be made public.

Li Yi invited him to his private quarters. There were only the two of them in the room, so Li Shouxuan stood facing north and read out the imperial edict in the tone of an emperor.

"Wu Yi, the Turkic Khagan Jieli's invasion this time was extremely fierce. The King of Dingxiang unfortunately died in battle, but fortunately you and others won several battles, which dampened Jieli's arrogance."

Now the court has made peace with the Turks and agreed to Jieli's request for a marriage alliance, sending a member of the imperial family to marry a Turk. Both sides have released the detained envoys, and Jieli has also agreed to withdraw from the Great Wall.

However, Jieli has never been a man of integrity, and we must be wary that he is merely using peace talks as a delaying tactic. Therefore, while you are in charge of the various armies in Daibei, you must neither provoke Jieli nor allow him to break his promise and continue attacking Yanmen and Xinzhou.

Your task is to ensure the safety of the cities around Yanmen Pass while provoking and angering Jieli, and to urge Jieli to withdraw his troops as soon as possible.

"Remember, the Turks are currently numerous and powerful, while our Great Tang has been engaged in wars for years and is temporarily unable to wage a decisive battle against them..."

Li Shouxuan, speaking in the tone of the emperor, went on and on, revealing the emperor's helplessness and inner conflict. He was furious at Jieli's large-scale invasion, but worried that he couldn't defeat the Turks and could only endure humiliation and compromise.

The Tang Dynasty bestowed the title of princess upon Li Xiaogong's sister and arranged a marriage between her and Jieli. It also promised that the Tang Dynasty would not attack Yuan Junzhang north of Yanmen Pass or Liang Shidu in Shuofang.

A very humiliating treaty.
But Li Yuan couldn't win, so this was the only option.

He appointed Li Yi as Li Jiancheng's chief secretary and placed him in charge of the various armies in Daibei. This was not to put Li Yi in a major position and lead the armies to fight against Jieli, but simply to act as a safeguard against Jieli breaking his promise and pretending to negotiate while continuing to attack Yanmen and Xinzhou.

The emperor needed Li Yi to exert some deterrence. For example, when Li Yi approached Yanmen, the emperor ordered Li Daoxuan and Wang Junkuo's Youzhou army to bypass the enemy and enter Yunzhou.

Zhang Lun, the governor of Xizhou, then sent troops to threaten Shuozhou.

Duan Decao and Liu Lancheng planned to launch an attack on Liang Shidu, while Li Daozong, the governor of Lingzhou, feigned an attack on Fengzhou.
All of these measures are aimed at forcing Khalifa to withdraw his troops as agreed.

If Jieli dares to deceive the Tang Dynasty and continue the attack, then the Tang Dynasty will retaliate.

Although these counterattacks may not be effective, it is still necessary to make some statement.

"Minister Li, His Majesty has repeatedly instructed that for the sake of the overall situation, you must not act impulsively and must exercise caution and restraint."

Li Yi sighed deeply.

Li Yuan ultimately backed down. In fact, there was no need to back down. Since they had already bullied him so much, he should have fought to the end. What good would it have been if he had backed down?
But the emperor would rather back down than send Li Shimin out.

At this critical juncture, they actually sent Li Shimin to Yunyuan Prefecture, saying he was to guard Xiaoguan Pass and oversee the Northwest.

But Jieli's main force is in Daibei, there are 200,000 troops here, how many are there in the northwest?

"When I came from Chang'an, I didn't know that Sikong had defeated Gao Kaidao and then the Sijie tribe. I certainly didn't expect that Sikong could snatch food from the jaws of death, capture Fanzhi City, and drive Jieli's ten thousand troops back to their homeland in the northern desert."
If His Majesty were to hear this news, he would surely be very pleased.

With a hero like Sikong, surely Jieli wouldn't dare to go back on his word?

Li Yi thought to himself, even if the imperial court sent the princess to admit defeat, Jieli would only take advantage of the situation and would not retreat.

There is only one reason why he would withdraw his troops: if he had made no military progress or suffered a major setback. Otherwise, if he could win, why would he withdraw his troops?

The emperor's wishful thinking was unfounded.

"Have the Turkic envoys, Rehan Tegin and others, been released?"

"Yes, they have been released. The Turks have also agreed to release King Xiangwu and the others."

"What about Princess Changping? She shouldn't have been sent there yet, right?"

Li Shouxuan shook his head: "Although the marriage alliance has been agreed to, Princess Changping will definitely wait until Jieli withdraws his troops before preparing to leave the border. Jieli must first send betrothal gifts, and all the formalities must be observed." He chatted with this Li from Zhao County for a while...
After inquiring about the latest situation in Chang'an, I learned that it was a turbulent time. The Turks in the north launched a large-scale invasion, while the Tuyuhun and Dangxiang Qiang also successively invaded the border prefectures of Longyou.

Jieli Khan's birth mother, of the Murong clan, was a princess of the Tuyuhun. The current incursions by the Tuyuhun and Dangxiang tribes in Longyou are undoubtedly due to Jieli's influence.

The newly unified south was not peaceful either.

First, Zhang Shan'an, the governor of Hongzhou, who occupied five prefectures including Hong and Rao in Jiangxi, surrendered but then rebelled again. The imperial court sent Zhang Zhenzhou, the governor of Shuzhou, to lead troops to suppress the rebellion. Zhang Shan'an then launched a surprise attack on Sunzhou and captured the governor Wang Rong.

Immediately following was the rebellion of Fu Gongshi, an old brother of Wu King Li Fuwei. He declared himself emperor in Danyang, established the Song Dynasty, and allied with Zhang Shan'an, appointing him as the Grand Administrator of the Southwest Circuit.

The imperial court then dispatched Zhang Faming, the governor of Huangzhou, to lead troops to suppress the rebellion.

The Prince of Wu, Li Fuwei, died suddenly in Chang'an. The official explanation was that Li Fuwei, filled with fear and anxiety, overdosed on elixirs and died.

He died from the same cause as Dou Jiande.

But everyone knows that Li Fuwei, who was only forty years old, could not possibly have died from an overdose of elixirs of immortality.

Although it was his old brother Fu Gongshi who rebelled, and Du Fuwei's adopted son Wang Xiongdan, who was left in Jianghuai to command troops, was killed by Fu Gongshi, the court could not possibly distrust Li Fuwei.

However, now that Fu Gongshi and Zhang Shan'an have rebelled one after another, most of Jiangnan is in chaos, and the court's dispatched Zhang Zhenzhou and Zhou Faming have both failed to suppress them.

The imperial court has now dispatched Li Xiaogong, the Grand General of Jingzhou and Prince of Hejian, as commander-in-chief, with Li Jing, Li Shiji, and Kan Leng as generals. They are currently mobilizing troops to quell the rebellion in Jiangnan.

Perhaps it was precisely because both the North and the South were in chaos that
The emperor became even more hesitant to engage in a decisive battle with the Turks.

Compared to the original history, it seems that many things happened ahead of time.

Send someone to take the angel to bathe and rest.

Li Yi then had Li Rulianhua invited over. The five thousand shi of grain transported from Hebei to this place was indeed a great help to him.

"What is your name, Li Tongshi?" Li Yi asked.

"That's Brother Nu." As soon as Lianhua was gone, she had changed into another set of clothes. In the heat of summer, the floral silk skirt was thin and sheer, revealing glimpses of her skin, making her look very charming and alluring.

have to say,

Although Li Rulian was a widow, she was only in her early twenties. Rumor had it that she was a promiscuous woman, and even kept male lovers while her husband was still alive.
But she is indeed beautiful, especially with her charming and alluring presence.

Li Yi didn't know much about Li Shouxuan, but he did know Li Shousu, the scholar of the Prince of Qin's mansion, who was known as the "Meat Register" because he had the most knowledge of the genealogies of the most prestigious families in the land—essentially a meat register. In this era that valued lineage,
Many people study genealogy, and it is considered as prestigious as studying the Nine Classics.

The two most famous people in the world studying genealogy today are Li Yan and Li Shousu. Unexpectedly, Li Rulianhua is actually Li Shousu's cousin.

"I wonder what Madam Li wants to exchange this batch of grain for?"

Li Rulian rested her chin on her delicate hand, gazing at Li Yi with her peach blossom eyes.

"I heard that Li Lang defeated the Sijie tribe, captured their young chieftain and two thousand cavalrymen, and in the end, the Sijie tribe's Jielifa had to spend a large sum of money to ransom them."

"You want gold?" Li Yi asked.

"Who doesn't like gold? Although it's a bit vulgar, vulgar things have their advantages. These days, it's only vulgar things like gold that are as useful as food."

"Gold is fine too," Li Yi readily agreed.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Li Lang. Are you really that unwilling to be with me?" Li Rulian actually reached out a hand and placed it on the back of Li Yi's hand, gently stroking it.

This vixen had previously told Li Yi frankly that she was willing to be his concubine.

Li Yi, of course, did not agree at that time.

Li Yi withdrew his hand. "If you have any other requests, Madam Li, please feel free to speak."

Li Rulian smiled gently, her soft breasts trembling with a captivating charm that drew attention.

"I heard that in addition to gold, the Sijie tribe also gave Sikong three thousand horses and a thousand oxen. How about exchanging these oxen and horses for me?"

Five thousand shi of grain is very valuable in Daibei today.

During the famine in Hebei this spring, grain was selling for four or five thousand coins per shi (a unit of dry measure). Although the summer harvest has just begun, the war has kept grain prices high.

Moreover, this is the front line in Daibei.

If each shi (a unit of dry measure) costs 4,000 coins, then 5,000 shi of grain would be worth 20,000 guan (another unit of dry measure).

Li Yi calculated the value of the three thousand horses and one thousand oxen of the Sijie tribe at five thousand coins per horse and two thousand coins per ox.

Of course, this is the price of horses in the border regions, not in the interior.

Due to the wars since the end of the Sui Dynasty, the price of horses in the Central Plains has been high, with warhorses costing anywhere from eight to twenty thousand.

If we consider the money Li Yi and Awen were to exchange, then these four thousand cattle and horses would only be worth seventeen thousand strings of cash, while Li Rulian's ten thousand shi of grain would be worth at least twenty thousand strings of cash, leaving a shortfall of three thousand strings of cash.

Li said with a smile, "One ox is worth half a shi of grain, and one horse is worth one and a half shi of grain. These three thousand horses and one thousand oxen can be exchanged for five thousand shi of grain. However, I have an additional request."

"Please say."

"I am but a woman, a young widow who has lost her husband, and I am quite beautiful. Moreover, I come from a family with five prominent clans, so many people covet me."
I know I am not worthy of Li Lang, and I am not even qualified to be his concubine. After all, Li Lang even rejected the legitimate daughter of Cui Yanling of Qinghe.

"I only wish to spend an unforgettable night with my beloved Li Lang tonight, nothing more."

Li Yi looked at her, wondering if she wanted to use him as a shield or borrow his power. It was obvious that she wouldn't keep her spending the night with him a secret; she would definitely make sure outsiders knew.

“Those three thousand horses are not fine horses. Three thousand horses and a thousand oxen in exchange for five thousand shi of grain, you have lost several thousand guan in this transaction.”

"No, how could I lose out if I could cooperate with Li Lang? Li Lang wouldn't let me lose out either."

“You’d be losing out even more by lending your body to me,” Li Yi said.

Li leaned forward, placing her right hand on Li Yi's hand again, saying, "How many people would be willing to serve Li Lang for one night?"

Li Yi did not pull his hand back this time.
He looked directly at Li and said, "To be honest, that batch of cattle and horses has already been taken to Weizhou for farming. I can get you 1,500 good horses. If you sell them in the Central Plains, you can sell each one for 20,000 coins."

Fanzhi County has many high-quality iron ore deposits; I can give you another one.

Li chuckled and gently stroked the back of his hand, then stretched out her slender fingers and intertwined them with Li Yi's. "Whatever you arrange, Li Lang, I'm willing."

(End of this chapter)