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

Chapter 554 Mandarin ducks playing in the water
Three thousand cavalrymen returned in triumph.

At sunset,
The knights, in a long procession, returned to Fanshi with great pride and high spirits.

On the banks of the Hutuo River,
Li Yi led a group of civil and military officials to the ferry to welcome the army, and many local people also came to welcome the triumphant return of the royal army.

"Hey, what's that thing on every one of these triumphant cavalrymen's lances?"

"It looks like a severed head!"

"hiss!"

The knights in front began to cross the river. It hadn't rained for a long time, so the river wasn't very deep.

When they crossed the Hutuo River and arrived at the south bank,
The welcoming crowd finally saw what was on their lances—it really was a severed head.

There are heads of Turks with braided hair, heads of Sogdians with deep-set eyes and high noses, and heads of mixed Hu and Bai Di peoples with green or blue eyes and gray or even red hair.

“Each knight’s lance was topped with a severed head,”

"Hiss, how many have been killed?"

There was much discussion and utter shock.

Li Yi, however, received the report of victory jointly submitted by Liu Shiche and Qin Wutong in advance, and learned the details of the entire battle.

More than 3,200 were beheaded and more than 5,300 were captured.
More than 6,700 warhorses were captured.

Although some big fish such as Zhishi Yan, Zhishi Sili, and Ashina Simo escaped, Li Yi was still pleasantly surprised by this result.

Liu Shiche and Qin Wutong both attributed the greatest credit to Li Yi, saying that the great victory was entirely due to the Shenji Battalion he had sent and their Shenji Arrows and Shenji Cannons.

However, the Shenji Battalion only sent one hundred men, and the explosive packs and gunpowder arrows they brought were not many.

This battle was won not only by the surprise attack of firearms, but also by the skillful command of Qin Wutong and his men, and the valiant advance of the three thousand soldiers.

Of course, the enemy, who was as good as a pig, was also an indispensable key to this great victory.

Anyway,

We won, and we won beautifully.

Three thousand knights, each with a severed head on his lance, one or two prisoners tied to the back of his horse, and even two or three captured warhorses, laden with armor, bows, and swords.

Every victorious knight returns with his head held high.

Li Yi stood at the ferry crossing.
He also spared no praise for Qin Wutong and his soldiers.

"In this battle, you defeated 20,000 with only 3,000 men, launched a night raid on the enemy camp, and utterly annihilated the enemy army."

This is a strategy of using fewer troops to defeat a larger force, a superior tactic.

More than 3,000 were beheaded and more than 5,000 were captured. The total number of beheaded and captured was nearly 9,000. The total number of beheaded and captured was 4.5, far exceeding 4.5, which is a top-notch achievement!
"Based on your performance in raiding enemy camps and breaking enemy lines, your individual military merits will be assessed separately. Those who achieve the first-class merit in battle will be awarded five ranks of honor. Those who achieve the second or third-class merits will each have their honor reduced by one rank."

"Furthermore, three of the vanguard who break through the formation will be given priority to learn the Leaping Skill, and six will be selected as the vanguard.

"The entire Shenji Battalion has been awarded First-Class Merit!"

"For each new conferment of honors, twenty mu of land will be granted as a permanent inheritance!"

Each announcement by Li Yi was met with cheers from the knights.

When the Minister of Works rewarded his merits, he did so promptly, announcing the rewards on the spot.

This achievement will earn at least a third-class medal.

They defeated 20,000 with only 3,000 men, and the most important achievement was killing and capturing nearly 9,000, bringing their total kills and captures to four and a half.

Such a record is truly astonishing.

Breaking through 20,000 with only 3,000 is already a rare feat, let alone not only winning but also achieving such an astonishing kill.

The nine people who received the titles of "Leaping" and "Vanguard" not only received five-fold merit, but each of the "Leaping" individuals also received two horses and one hundred bolts of silk as a reward, while each of the "Vanguard" individuals received one horse and sixty bolts of silk. In addition, the "Leaping" individuals also received one hundred mu of land, and the "Vanguard" individuals received an additional sixty mu of land.

In addition, ordinary soldiers who received medals could not immediately obtain a real position. They had to serve in the Ministry of War for several years, running errands and doing errands for dozens of days each year. Only after the term was up and they had to take an exam and pass it would they have the opportunity to be granted a real position.

Now, based on their outstanding performance and pioneering contributions, they are exempt from the steps of being promoted and selected as guards. Li Yi has made an exception and promoted these nine people directly.

Of the three who jumped ship, one was originally a captain and the other two were originally squad leaders, and each was promoted two ranks directly. The six who jumped ship were also mostly captains and squad leaders; they were the ones who instigated the fight and charged the fiercest.

He was promoted directly to the next level.

Each cavalryman will receive at least three promotions, which means at least sixty mu of permanent land. Li Yi will also reward them with twenty bolts of silk for each promotion, for a total of sixty bolts of silk.

This doesn't even include the many horses and weapons they seized; those should also be counted towards their share, and the final amount will be paid to them in cash.

It can be said,
Not only did they achieve victory in one battle,
Moreover, they made a fortune from the war.

Li Yi was generous with his rewards.

Not only will they receive the reward, but it must be paid out immediately.

As expected, morale soared after he announced the series of rewards.

Not only the more than three thousand victorious soldiers cheered with joy, but the other soldiers also cheered.

Only the more than five thousand prisoners, whose hands were bound with leather straps and who were tied to the knights' horses, felt the most bitterness and fear.

All one hundred members of the Divine Machine Battalion of the Fang Army received first-class merit and five-fold honors, but not one of them felt that Li Yi was being biased.

Qin Wutong even bluntly stated that they should also be given a few spots for the "Leaping and Vanguard Merits" awards.

He even stated bluntly that ten men should be assigned to the Jumping Cavalry, twenty to the Vanguard Cavalry, and at least half of them should be assigned to the Divine Machine Battalion.

But Li Yi still felt that with only three thousand men fighting, including three main fighters and six vanguards, it was already quite a lot.

"What should we do with these heads?"

More than three thousand heads were brought back to be inspected in person, but due to the hot weather, they had already begun to rot.

Li Yi's original intention was to simply dig a hole and bury him.

But Qin Wutong thought it was better to keep it.

"My suggestion is to remove the brain marrow, fill it with lime, then coat the outside with quicklime, and transport it to Puzhou by cart."

"Your Highness, please send someone to verify and record the merits, to avoid any future disputes."

Li Yi frowned as he looked at the rotting heads and recalled Qin Wutong's instructions on how to handle them. Was this an attempt to ensure those Turkic ghosts would never ascend to heaven?
The body was dismembered, and now it has to suffer this kind of treatment.
However, Qin Wutong was a veteran of many battles and had considerable experience in certain areas, leading to such a glorious victory.

Without solid evidence of the severed head, it is easy to arouse suspicion and even lead to future disputes.

"That matter should not be troubled by two masters. I will have to trouble General Qin to handle this matter again."

Old Qin patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, leave this to us. This is all our achievement, and we dare not be careless."

As for rotting and stench, those are nothing.

That is the achievement of the brothers, the reward of the brothers.

The warriors entered the city and were treated like heroes.

at night,

Li Yi held a celebration banquet.

"Ashide Jielifa, Dagan Kangsumi and others have retreated to camp forty miles away from us. It seems that the northern barbarians have lost their courage and will not dare to come over immediately."

Li Yi raised his glass, feeling relaxed.

That cut was deep enough; Jieli must have been in a lot of pain.

Judging from the fact that Ashide Jielifa and others dared not come, it was clear that the Turks were now truly suffering.

It all depends on Jieli's choice.
Should they continue their siege of Yanmen and persist in their course of action, or should they, seeing the situation turning unfavorable, quickly fulfill the peace agreement and withdraw their troops?

Deep down, Li Yi still harbored a faint hope that Jieli wouldn't back down.

If Jieli continues to be stubborn, then the Tang Dynasty may actually be able to turn the tide and win back the battle. What was lost at the negotiating table can be regained on the battlefield.

If Jieli were to take this opportunity to back down and withdraw his troops beyond the Great Wall, then it wouldn't be easy to directly break off relations and accept the conditions already agreed upon, such as the marriage alliance.

Liu Shiche was overjoyed and soon became half-drunk. He grabbed Li Yi's hand and said, "The Divine Machine Battalion of the Minister of Works is truly divine. I never imagined that there were such powerful weapons in the world."

"With this brilliant strategy, the Turks will likely have to retreat. It seems that our defenses of four cities, five forts, and one pass in Fanzhi will be useless."

Well, if Jieli really leads over 100,000 men to attack, I was genuinely worried that we wouldn't be able to hold out.

What we fear most is that other troops won't obey the commander's orders. If we fight alone, we'll find ourselves in the same predicament as Liu Shirang at Yanmen Pass.

I never expected Sikong to have such a trick up his sleeve; it seems I was overthinking it.

"Come, Master Sikong, let me offer you a toast."

Although Liu Shirang had followed Li Yi during the attack on Yanzhou, he did not participate in the Battle of Luoyang and was unaware that Li Yi had taken out gunpowder when the Prince of Qin asked him for advice on how to break through the fortified city of Luoyang.

The final earth-shattering event breached the walls of Luoyang's outer city and imperial city, forcing Wang Shichong to surrender ahead of schedule.

It was only after Li Yi entered Weizhou that he submitted a secret memorial to the emperor, requesting that a batch of gunpowder be allocated to him in case of emergency.

And it actually came in handy.

After acquiring gunpowder, his Dingzhou Grand General's Office selected elite archers and formed a new Shenji Battalion, which consisted of only 500 men.

But the battle at the Hutuo River was a resounding success.

Don't let the simplicity of this firearm fool you; it's the most basic gunpowder arrow and explosive charge, without even hand grenades or the more complex rockets like the "Hundred Horses Galloping" technique.

But it was still a great achievement.

The Turks were natural-born cavalrymen; each soldier had two or three horses, and their high mobility and skill in mounted archery were their natural advantages.

But this night raid, a hundred Divine Machine Soldiers, using only these very crude explosive packs and gunpowder arrows, managed to bring down a camp of 20,000 men.

It seems we still need to increase the number of firearms troops and expand the use of firearms.

Let's expand the Shenji Battalion to a thousand, on both sides.

While celebrating his victory, Li Yi did not forget to send more scouts to monitor the 50,000 Turkic soldiers.

night,
Li Yi returned to the back office reeking of alcohol.

As Lianhua greeted him at the inner gate, "My lord, you smell strongly of alcohol. I'll brew you some tea to help you sober up. Drink some quickly, and once you're a little more sober, I'll help you take a bath."

She took the initiative to help Li Yi into the inner courtyard hall.
He poured tea and fanned the air beside her.

Li Yi leaned back with his eyes closed, a beautiful woman beside him, a fragrant breeze wafting around him; she smelled wonderfully of gardenias.
However, he was thinking more about the Turks at that moment.

If Jieli doesn't withdraw,
Then we can seize the opportunity to achieve a great victory and launch a counterattack, but will the troops in each town be able to receive his orders and advance to encircle the enemy?

Li Yi wasn't very confident either.

But what if Khali retreats?

He thought that perhaps Jieli was currently struggling with whether to retreat, and maybe he could give Jieli another chance.

"My lord, let me help you take a bath."

Li Yi opened his eyes, smiled at the beauty, and let her help him to the bathroom to take a bath.

In a great mood, slightly tipsy and half-drunk.
In the steamy bathroom, a lotus flower, clad only in gauze, descended into the water.

The atmosphere gradually became alluring and ambiguous.

Like a lotus flower washing him.
Li Yi no longer held back, pulling her into his arms. She let out a shy cry like a lotus flower and fell into his embrace.

Suddenly, a pair of mandarin ducks were playing in the water.
Springtime colors filled the room.

a long time,

The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped.

The beauty's face was flushed, and her springtime charm lingered.

"So this is what it feels like, so intensely pleasurable!" Lotus bit her lip. "Even if I die now, it would be worth it. It would be worth coming to this world."

Li Yi asked in confusion, "Weren't you like that before?"

"Don't bring up the past; it's too painful to recall."

"You wicked man, you've made me feel like I'm dying and coming back to life." Like a lotus flower, her eyes were full of spring as she looked at Li Yi, her eyes filled with affection.

(End of this chapter)