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

Chapter 603 Killing the Princess

Shiling Pass.

Jieli only stopped his escape once he entered the fortified city.

They fled 150 li in one go.

The Golden Wolf Banner was lost, the Golden Wolf Tent was lost, and even the Golden Wolf Armor and the Golden Wolf Sword were all lost.

Ashina Simo was left to guard Shiling Pass. Because of the previous defeat at Fanzhi, this Jieli clan uncle, Jiabiteqin, was assigned to the sinecure of guarding Shiling Pass during this trip south.

With nothing to do here and no opportunity for his men to go south and plunder freely, they were all full of complaints.

Simo was utterly shocked by Jieli's disheveled appearance.

"Great Khan, what has happened?"

Jieli was helped off his horse, his legs trembling slightly.

"Quickly get some food and water."

After wolfing down a roasted lamb leg, Jieli finally felt a little better.

In response to Simo's questioning,
The still-shaken Khan didn't know how to begin; last night had felt like a nightmare.

Behind him, a special agent cursed through gritted teeth, saying that the Tang people lacked martial ethics and were untrustworthy.

"They sent people to negotiate peace, but secretly launched a surprise attack."

Smo was puzzled.

Jieli Khan had 100,000 cavalry in Taiyuan.

Even if the Tang army launched a surprise attack, they were still able to strike directly at the central army and inflict such a crushing defeat on Jieli.

Jieli sat there in a daze for a while.

It was as if he had finally come back to his senses.

"Immediately issue me the Golden Wolf Command Arrow,"

"That damned Li Yi launched a surprise attack last night. His troops are not many. Order all units to surround this damned army and annihilate them. Do not let a single one escape."

Jieli gritted his teeth and said, "Whoever captures and kills Li Yi will be rewarded with a hundred horses and a thousand cattle."

"Furthermore, if Tang envoys Zheng Yuanzhu and Li Chen are discovered, they shall be executed on the spot."

Jieli now hates not only Li Yi, but also Zheng Yuanzhu and Li Chen. He is now convinced that the so-called peace talks are nothing but a charade staged by the entire Tang Dynasty.

Li Yuan feigned a ceasefire and sought peace.

They even sent two ministers as envoys to make the play seem more realistic. They haggled and bargained, numbing themselves to the illusion.

This made Jieli truly believe that Li Yuan was afraid and was wholeheartedly seeking peace.

Who knew that Li Shimin and Li Yi secretly mobilized troops and even used those mysterious firearms that were unpredictable and unpredictable.

This knife,

That was a really hard stab.

Li Yi deserves to die, and Zheng Yuanzhu and Li Chen deserve to die even more.

"If I don't avenge this, I swear I'm not a man!"

···
Jinci Temple

As the sun rose, the Tang army quickly cleaned up the battlefield and began to retreat towards Taiyuan City.

Liu Shiche, who was now acting as Li Yi's military advisor, came over with a roll of paper.

"Minister Sikong, a great victory! Last night, Minister Sikong led 5,000 cavalry on a forced march of 160 li to raid Jieli, and destroyed his camp of 20,000 men."

More than a thousand were beheaded and more than three thousand were captured.

They captured ten thousand warhorses, tens of thousands of livestock, and countless amounts of gold, silver, cloth, and grain.

"They also captured Princess Yicheng, the Khatun, and more than 30 Turkic Tegin, Dagan, and Sijin."

Li Yi was also delighted to hear this.
With this victory, Li Yi will be remembered in history.

His prestige in the Tang Dynasty military circles rose to new heights.

"What are the casualties of our troops?"

"About 800 were killed, seriously wounded or disabled, not counting the others who were slightly wounded, and more than 3,000 warhorses were lost."

The losses of horses were considerable. This time, 5,000 elite cavalry were mobilized, with each rider having three horses, totaling 15,000 horses. They marched 160 li (approximately 80 kilometers) for a rapid attack, and more than 3,000 horses were lost in the battle.

This figure represents a normal loss.

Fortunately, they won the battle and captured more than 10,000 warhorses, which completely made up for the losses.

The loss of eight hundred elite cavalrymen is even more heartbreaking; they were all top-notch cavalrymen, chosen from among hundreds.

More than a thousand were beheaded and more than three thousand were captured, totaling about five thousand.

About 15,000 enemies fled, including Khagan Jieli and Bulishe.

"Li Yi, come out here!"

In the distance, two men in purple robes rushed over, but were stopped by Chen Lingjiao and his personal guards, who then shouted loudly.

“It’s Zheng Yuanzhu and Li Chen. They were lucky last night and didn’t die in the chaos of battle,” Liu Shiche said.

"Let them come over."

Chen Lingjiao brought two people over.

The two looked rather disheveled, their purple robes stained and dirty.

Upon meeting Li Yi,
Zheng Yuanzhu pointed at Li Yi and began to curse, "Li Yi, how dare you send troops without authorization and destroy the peace agreement!"

Li Yi was not angry. "Lord Zheng, you were frightened last night, but thankfully you are alright. Lingjiao, quickly find a horse for Duke Xin and Prince Xiangwu to return to Taiyuan."

Zheng Yuanzhu was trembling all over.

He still angrily questioned Li Yi, "Li Yi, you must give me an explanation today, and give the court an explanation."

"Lord Zheng, I've spoken with you many times in Lingshi City. How many times have we negotiated peace with the Turks in recent years? Lord Zheng has been an envoy to the Turks six times, hasn't he?"
So, when did the Turks ever take peace talks seriously?

Li Yi pointed to the battlefield.

"Open your eyes again and look around. This was Jieli's tent last night. If he hadn't been lucky, he would be a prisoner of our Great Tang today, just like the Khatun."

Zheng Yuanzhu didn't want to hear any of this at the moment.

He was furious at Li Yi's audacity, "Are you still a subject of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yi? Do you still have His Majesty's respect, or the court's authority?"

Li Yi didn't want to hear any more of this. "Lingjiao, escort the two of you back to Taiyuan."

He turned and left, leaving Zheng Yuanzhu's accusations behind. Li Chen caught up a few steps, looking at Li Yi with a complicated expression.
"Please wait, Master Sikong."

"Is the Prince going to scold me too?"

Li Chen shook his head. "Although your surprise attack almost killed me last night, to be honest, I felt very happy to see Jieli defeated and fleeing."

I came here to thank you.

Last night's battle was excellent. I never imagined they could march 160 li in a single day and night, charging straight into an army of 100,000 with only 5,000 men, and routing Jieli's 20,000-strong camp.
This courage,

This skill,

I truly admire him.

Li Yi hadn't expected him to come here to say these things.

"I apologize for putting the Prince in danger last night."

Li Chen waved his hand, "Although you fought well, there is no imperial decree. You should quickly submit a memorial to the Emperor to explain."

He admired Li Yi and didn't blame him, but he was also worried that the court would punish him, and that the Crown Prince, Pei Ji, and others would definitely use this as an opportunity to attack Li Yi.

Li Chen turned and left, lamenting, "It's a pity Sikong failed to capture Jieli last night, otherwise I would have given him a good beating today!" Jieli's golden wolf tent was being dismantled.
This large tent, along with the Golden Wolf Banner, will be a significant spoil of war and will be sent to Chang'an to be displayed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

"Lord Sikong, Princess Yicheng has killed one of our warriors."

Yuchi Gong came over, his face showing anger.

"what happened?"

"She had secretly carried a dagger on her person. The soldiers guarding her, seeing that she was a woman, and a Han Chinese woman at that, didn't make things difficult for her. They didn't search her or tie her up."

However, this woman, taking advantage of the soldiers' inattention, ambushed and stabbed one of the guards to death with a dagger, then attempted to escape.

Li Yi followed Yuchi Gong to the Golden Wolf Tent, which was being dismantled.

Inside the large tent,
Princess Yicheng stood on a magnificent Persian carpet, holding a blood-stained dagger in her hand.

A large group of soldiers surrounded her.
Seeing Li Yi come in,
She glanced up, tossed the dagger in her hand onto the carpet, and carefully straightened the slightly crooked, jewel-encrusted crown on her head.

The crown has nine flowers, the same size as the Crown Princess's.

The tree was covered with golden, swaying flowers, its canopy filled with blossoms of all sizes. The tree and the flowers were all made of gold, silver, and jewels.

Li Yi looked at her floral crown and even the dress she wore, finding it somewhat strange.
Princess Yicheng wore this outfit in the Turkic camp?
Of course, the Khatun didn't usually dress like this. This outfit was a gift from Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty when he accompanied Shibi Khagan on his northern tour to pay homage. The flower crown was meticulously crafted by royal artisans.

There was chaos last night,

After Princess Yicheng saw that the camp had been breached, she calmly and composedly dressed up amidst the shouts of battle, changing into a nine-flower crown and a ceremonial robe.

Although the soldiers who came were from their homeland in the Central Plains.

But it was the Tang army that destroyed her Sui dynasty.

This is an enemy.

She was prepared to die.

The knife she concealed in her sleeve was actually intended for use in assassinating the Tang army's commander when he met her.

Unfortunately, the Tang general did not see her.

"Are you Yang, the Turkic Khagan?"

"I am Princess Yicheng of the Great Sui Dynasty!"

She raised her chin.
The pearly light reflected off her pale, yet still haughty face.

This face is no longer young, but it still maintains a royal demeanor.

"Kill me or torture me, give me a quick death, stop humiliating me!"

Li Yi looked at the soldier's corpse on the ground.

Why did you kill him?

The princess said coldly, "It was she who wanted to humiliate me. That knife was originally prepared for you."

Li Yi looked at the soldier's corpse on the ground. It looked to be in his thirties, with a dark and rough face and a burly build. It must have been an old soldier.

"Humiliate you?"

"This person not only tried to steal the nine-flower crown from my head, but also used obscene and disrespectful language."

Li Yi did not doubt the truth of what she said.

The local militia had a tradition of looting.

With the change of dynasties, the backgrounds of many soldiers became more diverse, including powerful landlords, merchants, peddlers, and even bandits.

After the great war,

The guards wanted to seize the valuable-looking flower-adorned crown, and even tried to take advantage of the still-attractive Turkic Khatun, perhaps even attempting to assault her.

All are normal.

There are always some incredibly audacious individuals.

"Please have Khatun return to Taiyuan with the army."

"Song Yi, you will personally lead a team to escort the princess back to Taiyuan."

Princess Yicheng sneered a few times.

"Back to Taiyuan? Does that mean you'll have to send me back to Chang'an next?"

"Indeed."

Princess Yicheng shook her head, causing the flowering tree above her head to sway.

"Chang'an, it has been twenty-three years since I left. My hometown that I once longed for."

The princess shed two tears.
She smiled, her head still held high with pride.

"Now that Chang'an is gone, my home and country are no more, so why should I go back?"

"You must be Li Yi, right?"

Li Yi nodded.

"Please give me three feet of white silk so that I can leave with dignity."

"I cannot agree to that. I will send someone to escort you back to Chang'an and hand you over to His Majesty for judgment."

Yang suddenly lunged at Li Yi.
"Be careful, Sikong!" Song Yi shouted, drawing his sword to protect Li Yi.

Yuchi Gong, however, delivered a powerful mid-air whip kick, sending Princess Yicheng flying as she lunged forward.
There was a roar,
Yang fell to the ground with a muffled groan.

The nine-flower crown on her head also fell off, and a few pearl flowers scattered, reflecting a cold and fragile light under the glint of the blade.

Yang was lying on the ground.

Vomiting blood,

My whole body feels like it's falling apart; I hurt everywhere.

Yuchi Gong was a warrior capable of taking on ten thousand men in the army. His kick was incredibly powerful, and her delicate body couldn't withstand it.

Li Yi looked at her.
The turn of events was so sudden that he didn't even have time to call a halt.

Yuchi Laohei held nothing back.
Even a strong soldier might not be able to withstand that kick, let alone her.

The princess coughed up blood.

That face, however, remained proudly raised.

Finally, her eyes gradually dimmed.

"go home,"

“Take me home and bury me next to the Tai Mausoleum of Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu Wenxian in Chang’an Xianyang.”

She made a final plea to Li Yi.
At this point, she was no longer the Turkic Khagan, nor was she Princess Yicheng of the Sui Dynasty; she was simply a girl who had been sent to the borderlands for a political marriage when she was a teenager.

A wanderer who has been away from his hometown for twenty-three years.

Fallen leaves return to their roots.

His soul returned to his homeland.

Her eyes dimmed.

His breath gradually faded.

Li Yi looked at the woman with mixed feelings, never expecting her to end up like this.

"May the princess rest in peace."

"Li Yi will send the princess's remains back to her hometown of Chang'an."

He summoned Song Yi and said, "Make a temporary coffin, encoffin the princess, transport her back to Taiyuan first, and then find a better coffin."

(End of this chapter)