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

Chapter 574 The No-Chief System Is Unnecessary

The eldest son is chosen as heir, not the most virtuous; the son of noble birth is chosen as heir, not the eldest.

Li Yi felt that this system of primogeniture was not very good, especially now that the country was in its early days and not yet unified, with serious external threats from the Turks and Tuyuhun. There was no need to stick to the primogeniture system.

Especially now that there is such a virtuous Prince of Qin, the emperor suppresses him in every way and strongly supports the crown prince simply because he is the second son of the legitimate wife, even to the point of disregarding the fate of the country.

Returning from Huanghuadui to Yanmen Pass
One hundred and sixty li is not a long distance.

The journey for merchant caravans only took two days, but for the large army escorting prisoners and transporting supplies, they had to set up camp early every day for defense, which took four days.

When passing through Mayi

Gao Manzheng hesitated.

He dared not disobey the Crown Prince's order, but he was also very unwilling to give up the territory he had just acquired. So he could only look at Li Yi with pleading eyes and ask him for help.

At this point, Li Yi had already handed over the military tally of the camp chief to Tang Lin. Since the troops had already withdrawn, there was no need to keep the tally any longer.

The moment Li Yi handed over the fish tally, he was no longer the commander of the armies in Daibei and had no authority to control them. He was only retained as the general manager of the Hebei Circuit.

Li Daoxuan was his deputy commander, but generals such as Liu Shirang, Li Gaoqian, and Gao Manzheng were no longer under his command. Even Wang Xingmin, who was now acting as the governor of Weizhou, Yun Shiduan, who was now acting as the governor of Yingzhou, and several generals such as Liu Heita, Su Dingfang, and Li Cunxiao who were stationed in Yingzhou...

It is no longer under his jurisdiction.

Of the more than 30,000 troops, only Li Daoxuan's 4,000 Youzhou cavalrymen remained under his command.

But on the way back,
After setting up camp each day, all the generals would gather at Li Yi's tent for discussions.

Xue Wanche had objections to this, but Tang Lin advised him not to interfere. In any case, Li Yi had cooperated by withdrawing his troops, so nothing else mattered.

"The Crown Prince ordered the abandonment of Mayi and instructed General Gao to evacuate all the soldiers and civilians of Mayi into Yanmen. However, the Crown Prince issued this order before the great victory at Huanghualiang, when Yuan Junzhang and Bu Lishe were leading an army of 50,000 to seize Mayi. The Crown Prince's order was also for the sake of prudence, to protect the soldiers and civilians of Mayi."

Now that Yuan Junzhang has suffered a crushing defeat and is hiding in Yunzhong City, barely clinging to life, he has neither the time nor the ability to retake Mayi.

I think Chief Steward Gao should accompany us to Taiyuan first to meet the Crown Prince and explain the situation in person. Then, whether to withdraw or defend, we can ask the Crown Prince to make a decision.”

Li Yi spoke.
He also did not want Mayi, this important outpost outside the pass, to be abandoned.

Xue Wanche objected and demanded that Gao Manzheng carry out the Crown Prince's decree.

Li Daoxuan glared at him angrily, "You're just a messenger, don't always think you're so important. My four thousand Youzhou cavalry will be temporarily stationed in Mayi City before returning to Youzhou."

"Prince of Huaiyang, the Crown Prince has ordered you to go to Taiyuan as well."

"I never said I wouldn't go to Taiyuan. I only ordered my four thousand cavalry to temporarily garrison Mayi. What, is there a problem with that? The Crown Prince didn't explicitly tell me to take these four thousand cavalry to Taiyuan as well, did he? Do you dare to falsely convey the Crown Prince's order?"

The wound on Li Daoxuan's face from the battle in the clouds has now become a long, dark purple scar. When he gets angry, the scar swells up even more purple, resembling a ferocious centipede, which adds to the fierce aura of the nineteen-year-old prince.

Tang Lin pulled Xue Wanche aside, smiled, and cupped his hands to Li Daoxuan, "Minister Li's suggestion is not wrong. Of course, it is also acceptable for the Prince of Huaiyang to temporarily station his troops in Mayi."

"Now that Yuan Junzhang and the Turks are neither able to attack Mayi again for the time being, let us wait for you all to pay your respects to the Crown Prince and then let him make a decision."

Then,
After the losses in the Battle of Huanghualing, Gao Manzheng's 5,000 troops and Li Daoxuan's more than 4,000 troops still had 9,000 men left to garrison Mayi City. With those left behind, there were 10,000 troops in the city for a time.

Liu Shiche, the acting magistrate of Mayi County, led the elders and residents of the city to welcome them, bringing sheep and food.

For the people of Mayi, the great victory of the royal army at Huanghuadui and the crushing defeat of Yuan Junzhang were good news, and they could finally have some peace and quiet for a while.

Li Yi ordered the army to camp outside Mayi City for the night, and the soldiers were not allowed to enter the city to disturb the people. Instead, he sent people into the city to buy pigs, sheep, wine, and other food to reward the army in the evening.

Soldiers and civilians did not commit any offenses.

However, news that the Crown Prince intended to abandon Mayi spread rapidly.
The powerful families, wealthy households, and merchants in the city all sent representatives to the military camp to request an audience with Li Yi, hoping that the court would not abandon Mayi.

Li Yi did not meet with them, but only sent someone to inform them that he had been relieved of his military command.

"You should go and find Tang Lin, the military advisor of the Crown Prince's Right Guard, and Xue Wanche, the general of the Crown Prince's Left Guard. They are here to deliver the Crown Prince's order. You should tell them your request and ask them to convey it to the Crown Prince on your behalf."

After Song Yi escorted the group out on behalf of Li Yi, he kindly revealed some information.

It also indicated the location of Xue Wanche and Tang Lin's military tents.
So the local representatives all went to the two men, surrounded them, and tearfully begged the prince not to abandon Mayi.

Liu Shiche did not go with them to find Xue Wanche, but instead went to see Li Yi.

Li Yi warmly received him.
He asked with a smile, "How is your performance as magistrate of Mayi County?"

He once proclaimed himself the General Manager of Northern Xuzhou, then was appointed by Xu Yuanlang as the Chief Secretary of the General Manager's Office of Yanzhou, then became Li Yi's Military Advisor, then the Military Advisor of the General Manager's Office of Dingzhou, then served as the Acting Magistrate of Ying County, and now serves as the Magistrate of Mayi County.

He held a low-ranking position, but he was deeply trusted by Li Yi.

"During the Daye era, Mayi was once a prosperous border town with a large population, especially under the governance of Prefect Wang Rengong and Prefectural Assistant Li Jing. However, after Liu Wuzhou killed Prefect Wang Rengong and seized power, Mayi declined year by year."
After Liu Wuzhou's death, Yuan Junzhang succeeded him as his subordinate, but Yuan Junzhang was far inferior to Liu Wuzhou.

Li Yi asked him about Gao Manzheng's reputation in Mayi.

"This man, like Yuan Junzhang, came from a powerful family in Mayi. Yuan Junzhang's father once served as the chief administrator of Daizhou, and Gao Manzheng's father and grandfather were both border generals for generations."

Gao Manzheng used to have a good relationship with Yuan Junzhang, but after Liu Wuzhou's death, Gao Manzheng fell under Yuan Junzhang's suspicion...

Liu Shiche asked worriedly, "Does the Crown Prince really intend to abandon Mayi?"

"Well, our Crown Prince, never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. You don't need to worry too much. I have already written a memorial to the Emperor. The situation is different now than before. How can we give up Mayi again?"

"Just focus on being a good magistrate of Mayi County. Make some achievements in a year or two, and then I'll help you get promoted." Liu Shiche smiled. "Whether I become the magistrate or not doesn't matter to me. I'm mainly worried about you, Sikong. You won a great victory at Huanghualiang, but the Crown Prince's attitude is quite troublesome."

"Don't worry about me, it's nothing serious. I won a great victory, not a defeat. The Crown Prince may be unhappy, but there's still the Emperor of Chang'an."

This time, Li Yi abandoned the attack on Yunzhou.

However, he will certainly do his best to protect Yingzhou, which he previously established over Hengshan, and of course, he cannot give up Mayi in Shuozhou either.

The crown prince, on the other hand, sells his grandfather's land without a second thought.
While Li Yuan was confused about his two sons, he was not confused about dealing with the Turks. His appeasement and compromise were not signs of weakness, but rather a strategy employed by Li Yuan.

The crown prince is the real coward.

Li Yuan, on the contrary, was flexible and adaptable, negotiating while fighting. If he won, he would push his luck; if he lost, he would quickly apologize and pay compensation.

If they can't win, they'll give away the princess; but if given the chance, they're ruthless enough to take a bite out of her.

If Li Yuan had previously toured north to Taiyuan and heard that Li Yi had led 30,000 men out of the pass and decisively defeated 50,000 enemy troops, Li Yuan would never have told Li Yi to withdraw his troops. Instead, he would have allowed Li Yi to seize Yunzhou to gain more leverage.

Li Yuan was shrewd and worldly-wise, not weak and easily bullied.

Li Shimin was not as tactful as his father; he was more direct.

Therefore, despite Li Jiancheng's current bluster, Li Yi wasn't actually that worried, as Emperor Li Yuan of Chang'an was still there.

"Sikong, do you think that after Yuan Junzhang and Bu Lishe's crushing defeat, Jieli will send troops to retaliate?"

"It will definitely happen, and I estimate it will be no later than August. Once the weather cools down a bit, Jieli will send troops south."

"Wouldn't that put Sikong in trouble? Someone would definitely use this as an opportunity to impeach him."

Li Yi smiled and said, "Actually, whether or not there was this Battle of Huanghualiang, or the last Battle of Yunzhongcheng, it wouldn't change the fact that the Turks will invade again this year."

This large-scale Turkic invasion was arguably the most lucrative plundering in recent years, forcing the court to agree to a marriage alliance with a princess, along with an annual gift of 3,000 taels of gold and 200,000 bolts of silk.

This will only embolden Jieli; after a period of rest, he'll come back again.

Liu Shiche said worriedly, "But some people don't think so. They only think that Sikong broke the alliance, which angered Jieli and caused him to invade again. Some people, especially the Crown Prince's people, will even make a fuss about it, even though they know that's not the case."

Li Yi wasn't too worried.
It might cause him some trouble, but there won't be any real danger. Li Yuan is someone who can see the truth, and the emperor also needs a capable minister like Li Yi.

Since he doesn't rebel and doesn't cross the emperor's bottom line, he won't be in any real danger.

At most, the emperor will use those people's impeachments to give Li Yi a warning; that's just the art of rulership.

"When autumn arrives and the horses are fat, the Turks will invade again. Will we be able to stop them then?" Liu Shiche frowned deeply. As the magistrate of Mayi County, he would be the first to bear the brunt of the attack.

"We don't need to take Jieli too seriously. Last winter, he besieged Yanmen City for more than a month, and this year he besieged it for almost half a year, but the result is that we have already broken through Yanmen Pass and have Yingzhou and Shuozhou outside the pass."

Next time, Jieli should attack Shuozhou and Yingzhou first. He won't even have a chance to touch Yanmen Pass again. Our Beiyanzhou and Weizhou can still threaten Yunzhou.

The situation is very different now.

Despite the large amount of looting they achieved this year, it was a slow and painful process. They suffered several defeats, and from the beginning of the year until now, from Hebei to Daibei, from Yanmen to Huanghualing, Khan Jieli has lost over 30,000 men.

Regardless of how many of them were vassal states like the Tiele, Sogdians, and Xiqi, or how many were auxiliary troops raiding for supplies,
In the end, he lost 30,000 people. Even if he redeemed 5,000, he still lost nearly 30,000.

Even the Turks, who boasted a million archers, suffered some damage from these 30,000.

The imperial court is now strengthening defenses in the north. If Jieli attacks again in the autumn, the casualties will only be greater. The Turks are scattered across thousands of miles, but their population and number are not large. They cannot withstand such bloodshed.

"Let's take a long-term view. In the end, we will definitely be the ones to win this abrupt war!"

Yunzhou.

Inside Cloud City,

After Yuan Junzhang returned from his crushing defeat, he fell seriously ill, filled with anger and fear, and vomited a lot of blood.

The eldest son, Xiaowen, was killed, and the stronghold in Mayi was seized.

Huanghualing suffered another ambush and a crushing defeat, and now only a few thousand men remain. If the Tang army attacks, Yunzhong City will be impossible to defend.

The most hateful one was Bulishe, who, after his defeat, led his followers to flee far beyond the border without any allies helping each other.

The third son, Yuan Xiaozheng, came to visit.
"Father, dozens more soldiers deserted yesterday, and several powerful families in the city also fled. Now the people in the city are in a state of panic."
Bulishe and his Turkic soldiers disappeared without a trace; in crucial moments, the Turks were utterly unreliable.
"It would be better to surrender to the Tang. If the Tang army really attacks, even Yunzhong will be lost. Even if Father manages to break through and escape to the Turks, he will likely suffer the same fate as Uncle Liu."

Liu Ajiu refers to Liu Wuzhou, Yuan Junzhang's brother-in-law. When he was in dire straits, he went to seek refuge with the Turks, but was killed by Jieli and his head was sent to Chang'an.

Yuan Junzhang lay there, weak and pale, hesitant.

“Father, now that we have lost Mayi and our troops, Yunzhong City is short of soldiers and food, and the people are disaffected. If we do not make a decision in time, things may change. I really cannot bear to see this tragedy happen.”

However, Yuan Junzhang remained hesitant.

Disappointed, Yuan Xiaozheng left and rode out of the city alone that day, heading south.

He left only a letter for his father, containing only four words: "Return to the Tang Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)