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

Chapter 593: The country’s foundation is shaken
The autumn wind is bleak and the weather is cold, and the grass and trees are shaken and dew into frost.

Chang'an

One autumn rain brings a chill, and the sudden drop in temperature caused Li Yuan to catch a cold, resulting in a persistent cough.

Ultimately, it's because I'm getting old.

Consort Yuwen brought the emperor some pear syrup, saying, "Your Majesty is still unwell. It is important for you to rest for a few more days and recover your health."

Li Yuan took the pear syrup and drank it down in a few gulps, then said with a wry smile, "The situation is difficult."

"A urgent report just came from Longyou: Tuyuhun has captured Taozhou."

Consort Yuwen tenderly massaged her cousin, the emperor's, head.

"The Prince of Hejian has been locked in a stalemate with the rebels in Jiangnan for a long time. Not only has he spent a lot of money and food, but the rebels have also become increasingly arrogant."

The rebellion in the south not only failed to be quelled immediately, but is now showing signs of worsening. Li Xiaogong and his men are blocked from advancing, and most of the area south of the Yangtze River has been occupied by Fu Gongshi.

The Northern Turks have advanced rapidly, the Tuyuhun in the northwest have acted as their accomplices, and now the rebellion in Jiangnan remains unresolved.
Beset by internal and external troubles, Li Yuan was extremely troubled.

He was already secretly discussing with Pei Ji whether to move the capital.

"His Majesty has already dispatched the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Wu'an to Hedong, and they will surely be able to repel the Turks," said Consort Yuwen.

"I hope so," Li Yuan sighed, closing his eyes. He was truly exhausted.

As you press,

Li Yuan fell asleep.

Lu Kuan, the Palace Attendant, hurried into the palace. "Your Majesty, a great victory! A great victory in Hedong!"

Li Yuan suddenly awoke with a start.

Consort Yuwen was helpless; she had originally wanted the emperor to sleep for a while.

“Brother Sengnu, come here quickly.” Li Yuanteng stood up.

"Good news, Your Majesty! The Prince of Qin has sent a messenger from Puzhou with news of a great victory. Prince Wu'an, Li Yi, has defeated the Turks in Fendong. He first fought at Yehutan and then at Shahe, defeating the Turkic tribes of Yilidagan and Songxie Nasijin, capturing and killing eight thousand!"

"What? Captured and killed eight thousand Turks?" Li Yuan's eyes widened with excitement. "I knew that kid Wu Yi was good at fighting, but I didn't expect him to achieve such merit so quickly."

"Please tell me the details quickly."

Li Yuan beamed with joy, excitedly taking small, quick steps around the hall.

Even Consort Yuwen was delighted to hear this.

Lu Kuan presented the proclamation.

This proclamation was written by Li Yi's secretary, detailing the entire process and results of the great victory. The secretary was Wu Xingzi of the second branch of the Cui family of Boling, and also Cui Renshi, who was the first-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) this spring.

His writing style is quite good. The entire proclamation is written in parallel prose, divided into several parts: Li Yi's pre-battle deployment, Cheng Yaojin's surprise attack and drive away, Li Daoxuan and Yuchi Gong's cavalry encirclement, the pursuit of victory at Shahe, and the post-battle handling.

He detailed how Li Yi, after rushing to Fenzhou without stopping, immediately launched an attack and decisively defeated two groups of eight thousand Turks in one day and two nights.
They captured and killed 8,000 men, beheaded two kings, and seized more than 6,000 warhorses.

The use of antithetical phrases such as "the curved arc and the collapse of the earth" enhances the battlefield description, while allusions such as the "northern elephants" highlight the legitimacy of the royal army.

This proclamation combines the factual nature of a military report with the rhetorical techniques of parallel prose.

It not only records the glorious victory of beheading more than 3,000 and capturing 5,000, but also expounds the idea of ​​winning people over with virtue and guarding the border with military force.

Li Yuan read it in one go and was very satisfied.

"Wu Yi fought a brilliant battle, and the proclamation written by the secretary is also excellent, making me feel as if I were there in person."

"They all deserve a reward."

When your mind is clear, your whole body feels comfortable.

Even the cold seemed to have lessened a lot, and I stopped coughing for a while.

Li Yuan was so excited that he was sweating profusely.

"Wu Yi is quite capable. With one move, he beheaded three thousand, captured five thousand, and seized more than six thousand warhorses. Hahaha, in this way, Sparrow and Rat Valley can be cut off immediately."

The more than 10,000 Turkic bandits who had marched south to Lüjin were now trapped like turtles in a jar.

Doulu Kuan laughed and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The traitor Jieli has just wiped out eight thousand men, and now these ten thousand-plus troops are about to be annihilated by the King of Qin."

A loss of 20,000 at once will cripple Jieli.

Li Yuan was overjoyed for a while, and then broke out in a sweat.

"We can arrange for someone to go north to meet with Jieli to negotiate peace. Let Zheng Yuanzhu go again. He has been an envoy to the Turks many times and is quite familiar with both the Turks and Jieli."

The emperor was still relatively rational at this point.

Although he had just annihilated 8,000 enemy soldiers, he did not forget the difficult situation he was in.

To force peace through conflict.

Li Yuan still hoped to persuade Jieli to withdraw his troops, so that the court could free up its resources to first quell the rebellion in the south and then deal with Tuyuhun.

"What do you think I should do to reward Li Yi?"

Doulu Kuan smiled and said, "Li Yi has already been promoted to the rank of three dukes and enfeoffed as a prince, so it is not appropriate to promote him further. However, his son can be granted a hereditary title, or he can be rewarded with money, silk, land, slaves and so on."

Li Yi had eight sons. His eldest son was enfeoffed as Duke of Rong, his second son as Viscount of Qianshui County, his third son as Baron of Lingqiu County, and his fourth son as Baron of Yanmen County. All of these were granted to Li Yi's sons as a result of his high merits.

"Then bestow upon Li Yi's fifth son the title of Baron of Fenyang County, and his sixth son the title of Baron of Jiexiu County, and grant Li Yi an additional 100,000 coins!"

“Send another messenger to Puzhou and tell Erlang to seize the opportunity to encircle and annihilate the more than 10,000 Turkic raiders south of Queshu Valley.”

With the victory at Fen River, if Erlang Shen were to annihilate this force, Li Yuan would be confident of forcing Jieli back to the negotiating table.
Then, if we give Jieli some sweet treats and some rewards, Jieli will have a way to retreat.

As expected, it still takes Erlang to take action.

His joy was quickly replaced by another worry. He had secretly promised Erlang that after defeating the Turks, he would make Erlang the crown prince. And when Erlang returned victorious…

How should he face this? Does he really have to keep his promise?
Li Yuan's headache returned.

The crown prince is the foundation of the state.

If the only problem is a lack of military leadership, then changing the heir apparent is absurd and would shake the very foundation of the state.

But what if I break my promise?

Taizhou, Longmen.

Li Shimin gathered his generals in his tent.
He was clad in golden armor, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

"Gentlemen, our deputy commander Wu Yi led only a thousand cavalry north, and upon arriving in Fenzhou, he fought a brilliant battle."

Qin Qiong, Duan Zhixuan, Zhang Shigui and other generals were all eager to fight.

Niu Jinda said to Qin Qiong, "Old Cheng really made a name for himself this time."

"Haha, yes, this battle was fought brilliantly. In one day and two nights, we fought across a hundred miles, killing three thousand and capturing five thousand, while suffering only three hundred casualties ourselves. This battle is truly remarkable."

Old Niu used to work with Cheng Yaojin and was his long-term partner. This time, he failed to go north with the vanguard and missed a great opportunity to make a contribution.

Li Shimin patted the table.

"Please be quiet, everyone. Don't just envy Cheng Yaojin and the others. You are all fierce generals capable of taking on ten thousand men."
Next, it's our turn.

He had a map hung up. "Now Wu Yi has entered Fenjie and blocked Queshu Valley. The more than 10,000 Turkic troops that have penetrated deep into Jinzhou have been separated from the main force of Jieli of Bingzhou."

They are surrounded, gentlemen. This is the perfect opportunity to devour them.

The generals shouted excitedly, eager to set off immediately.

Li Yi annihilated 8,000 enemies in the north, while they annihilated more than 10,000 enemies in the south.

Tens of thousands of Turks—not to mention Li Shimin didn't take them seriously, which of his generals, Qin Qiong, Zhang Shigui, Duan Zhixuan, Qiu Xingjian, and others, would have taken them seriously?

They huddled together and quickly devised several plans to annihilate the enemy.

The pockets are already tied up.

Now is the time to hunt.

···
Li Yi has taken up residence in Ling Shi City.
I revisited this small town.

It was almost the same old tactic used against Song Jingang: dividing troops to garrison various castles, relying on beacon fires and light cavalry to transmit messages, and coordinating the various armies within hundreds of miles of Fen, Jie, and Lü prefectures to watch over and help each other.

This made it difficult for the Turks to travel freely.

Li Yi blocked the Sparrow and Mouse Valley.
The retreat route of the more than 10,000 Turkic troops who had penetrated deep into the south was blocked.

Li Yi did not lead his army south to participate in the encirclement and hunt. That was Li Shimin's prey. He just needed to guard the north, secure the pass, prevent the prey in the south from escaping, and prevent Jieli's troops in the north from coming south to rescue them.

Zheng Yuanzhu was ordered to go north and secretly meet with Jieli.

He traveled day and night to reach Fenzhou, and then made a special trip south to Lingshi.

They came to read out the emperor's edict of commendation.

Li Yi led his generals to receive the imperial edict. When he heard that his two sons had each been granted the title of county baron and received a reward of 100,000 coins, Li Yi was not very moved.

In the early Tang Dynasty, these nominal titles did not actually have much real value.

The emperor was very generous this time, not only bestowing baronial titles upon Li Yi's two sons, but also rewarding generals such as Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Li Daoxuan, and Ren Zhi.
The thousands of soldiers also received rewards such as honors, silk, and money.

"Is Duke Zheng going to negotiate peace with Jieli?"

After receiving the imperial edict, Li Yi served tea and asked directly.

Zheng Yuanzhu gave a few helpless bitter laughs. "Currently, we are beset by internal and external troubles, and the imperial court is in a state of utter chaos. This is not only the case militarily, but also economically. The treasury is empty, and there is a shortage of food, supplies, and equipment."
This war cannot continue.

Fortunately, King Wu'an has won two consecutive victories and surrounded more than 10,000 Turks in the south, which is just the right time to negotiate peace with Jieli.

If a peace agreement can be reached again, turning hostility into friendship, it would be the best outcome for our Great Tang Dynasty.

Li Yi knew that the majority of the court was now in favor of peace.

They were worried about not being able to win the war, the treasury was empty, and the rebellion in the south was still unsettled.

Furthermore, the Tuyuhun, acting as accomplices to the Tuyuhun, attacked Longyou repeatedly and even succeeded in their attacks. The rebellion in Shazhou, a region in Hexi Corridor, which had lasted for three years, had just been quelled when another rebellion broke out. Under these circumstances, the court's prime ministers' desire for a more cautious and strategic approach is understandable.
However, Li Yi did not support it.

"Duke Xin, the situation at the front is just right now, so why is the court in such a hurry to negotiate peace?"
Do you think you can get something at the negotiating table that you can't even get on the battlefield?
What good would a peace treaty be if Jieli repeatedly invaded? Only by intimidating and terrifying them would the Turks dare not act recklessly.

Zheng Yuanzhu was sent as an envoy to the Turks five times. He was even framed by the Turks for poisoning Chuluo Khan and was detained in the Turkic lands for a long time. However, he also knew the strength of the Turks well. They were indeed very strong. "King Wu'an, military force is the last bargaining chip. If the war goes badly, we will not even have any bargaining chips left."

"War can be risky, but governing a country is also possible. How can one gamble on every little thing?"

Li Yi poured him some tea.
"Lord Zheng, this is not a gamble. With the King of Qin leading the army, the soldiers are confident that we can win this battle and drive the Turks out forcefully."

Why should we grovel and beg for peace with the Turks again?

At the very least, you should wait until the King of Qin and his men have annihilated those ten thousand or so people in the south before you go to see Jieli. Then you'll have more leverage and be more confident.

"You must be tired from your journey. Lord Zheng, please rest in Lingshi for a few days first."

Zheng Yuanzhu held his teacup and nodded after a long while. "Alright, I'll rest here for a few days. I hope to hear good news soon."

"Don't worry, with the King of Qin in charge, a mere ten thousand Turks will have no chance of escaping."

With the business concluded, Li Yi was preparing to leave.

Zheng Yuanzhu called out to him, "Is Rou Niang alright?"

(End of this chapter)