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

Chapter 611 Holding Military Power
After the snow, the Great Wall at Yanmen Pass is covered in silver and white, resembling a giant dragon coiling around.

The army passed through Yanmen Pass,
Ahead lay the vast and desolate frontier region.

The wind was fierce and the snow was heavy, and the banners fluttered in the wind.

These were days when people should have been lying here warming themselves by the fire and burying their heads in the winter, but tens of thousands of Tang soldiers marched out of the pass through the snow.

A thousand peaks covered in snow at dusk, the Gouzhu Mountain stands tall; the Yanmen Pass stands majestic and imposing.

Li Yi stood in the howling wind.
This season was not a good time to launch a campaign beyond the Great Wall, but neither Li Shimin nor his allies had a choice. Pursuing victory was not only about military merit.

This further delayed the return of the troops.

Feng Deyi sent another secret message: the emperor had decided to withdraw his troops.

The Hedong military camp was disbanded, and the troops returned to base.

The King of Qin was transferred to the position of Marshal of the Jiangzhou Campaign to oversee the suppression of the rebellion in Jiangnan.

The Grand Administrator of Shaanxi East Circuit could also be dismissed at any time.

Once the rebellion in Jiangnan is quelled, the King of Qin will likely be left to govern Jiangnan.

When this news came,

Li Shimin's eyes reddened.

He found Li Yi and secretly discussed countermeasures.

"That day, His Majesty came to Hongyi Palace and ordered me to lead troops to conquer the Turks, promising that the day of victory would be the day I would be made Crown Prince."

"Actually, I know this private promise isn't credible,"

"But I still have a sliver of hope."

Even if there's only a one percent chance, Li Shimin has to try.

But now, hope has been dashed.

The emperor broke his promise.

Not only was Li Shimin's dream of becoming crown prince shattered, but he was also banished to Jiangnan, which was tantamount to exile. Far from the central government, he had even less chance to compete for the throne in Jiangnan.

If you have the ability and achievements, you won't be content if you don't strive for them.

After a private discussion,
Li Shimin decided to march north and take Yunshuo as planned, both to accumulate greater merit and to buy time so that their troops would not be scattered.

Once they've scattered, it's difficult to bring them back together.

Yuchi Gong rode up on horseback, followed by a man in a fur robe.

"Sikong, this man is Yuan Pu from Yanmen, and he is Yuan Junzhang's maternal uncle."

The middle-aged man stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"This humble commoner, Yuan Pu from Yanmen, pays his respects to the Minister of Works."

Yuan Pu was from a prominent family in Yanmen. His ancestors were also Xianbei Tuoba, a collateral branch of the Northern Wei royal family. His family was related by marriage to the powerful Yuan family of Mayi.

Yanmen and Mayi are not far apart, and the two families have been intermarrying for generations, maintaining a good relationship.

Yuan Junzhang's mother was Yuan Pu's cousin. Yuan Pu had even gone to Mayi with Yuan Junzhang to join Liu Wuzhou.

However, seeing that the situation was not good, he retired to the countryside, which was actually disembarking early.

"Lord Yuan, you are Yuan Junzhang's maternal uncle. We've summoned you here so that you can go to Mayi City and have a talk with Yuan Junzhang."

The King of Qin promised that as long as Yuan Junzhang led his army to surrender, the court would not hold him accountable for his past actions, would petition the court to grant him the title of Duke, and would still appoint him as the governor to continue guarding Yunshuo.

If he hesitates, the King of Qin can still request the sage to bestow upon him a decree of cinnabar and iron.

“I know that Daibei is short of soldiers and food. Jieli was defeated and retreated north in a panic. We can’t take care of him now. We should make plans as soon as possible.”

Li Yi also rewarded Yuan Pu.

He was recruited as a military advisor in the expeditionary force. Although the position was not high, it would allow him to enter the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty.

He handed the red edict for joining the army to Yuan Pu, and then took out the letter of persuasion to surrender from Li Shimin to Yuan Junzhang.

Yuan Pu took it, examined it carefully, and solemnly accepted it. "Thank you for your appreciation, Minister. I will earnestly persuade you."

Yuchi Gong said, "If Yuan Junzhang doesn't know what's good for him, I will lead my army to raze Mayi to the ground."

Yuan Pu left in a hurry.

"General Jingde, prepare to take up your post as the Governor of Shuozhou."

Li Shimin was determined to capture Mayi. If Yuan Junzhang wisely surrendered, he would naturally receive a dukedom, or even a governorship. But if he hadn't, the Tang army advancing north would have annihilated him.

Ashina Simo in Mayi City and his small number of miscellaneous barbarians were neither taken seriously by Li Shimin nor by Li Yi.

Yuan Junzhang only had so much of Liu Wuzhou's old territory and troops, and in the past two years, they had been almost completely wiped out by Jieli as cannon fodder.

There is still famine and food shortage.
If we don't take him down now, when will we?

"Does Sikong think Yuan Junzhang will surrender?"

"Hard to say."

Mayi City in the wind and snow
The economic situation is becoming increasingly sluggish.

Inside the Grand Chancellor's residence, the charcoal brazier was burning warmly.
Yuan Junzhang frowned as he looked at the letter sent by his son, Yuan Shiben.

Yuan Pu was his maternal uncle and had previously served as his subordinate, holding the position of Attendant Gentleman in Liu Wuzhou's Han Dynasty.

However, after Liu Wuzhou died, Yuan Pu, along with many soldiers from within the pass, either left them to join the Tang Dynasty or went into seclusion in their hometowns.

He still maintained contact with Yuan Pu and had sent people several times to invite his maternal uncle to come out of seclusion and help him, but Yuan Pu refused to come.

Now Yuanpu has arrived.

They came to persuade the Tang Dynasty to surrender.

After some hesitation, Yuan Junzhang said to his illegitimate son, Shiben, "Go and invite your maternal uncle over, but remember not to let anyone see him."

There are still 10,000 Turkic soldiers in this city.

The thought of those Turkic and mixed-race soldiers gave Yuan Junzhang an even bigger headache. Those mixed-race soldiers were now stationed in Mayi, and they were supported by Yuan Junzhang in terms of food and drink. They were also constantly clashing with the soldiers and civilians of Mayi.

This is like raising a bunch of ancestors.

However, Mayi has been plagued by constant warfare in recent years. In this remote and harsh northern region, the people are impoverished, the economy is collapsing, and there has even been a persistent food shortage.
People continued to flee to the interior of the pass.

Even his officials and soldiers, those whose families were inside the Great Wall, mostly deserted and went south. Before, at least they had the protection of the Turks, so they were relatively safe.

But now, not only are there insufficient funds and food supplies, but security is also not guaranteed.

Yuan Pu was brought here quietly.
Yuan Junzhang got up to greet him, saying, "Uncle, you've come through the wind and snow. You must be tired."

Yuan Pu also took Yuan Junzhang's hand, saying, "I'm getting old. The journey from Taiyuan to Mayi almost broke my bones."

But our two families have been linked by marriage for generations, and I can't just stand by and watch the Mayiyuan family perish.

Nephew, your Yuan family is facing a life-or-death crisis. Don't be foolish anymore.

"Khan Jieli has suffered defeat after defeat and is now too preoccupied to care for you."

Yuan Junzhang pulled Yuan Pu to sit down.

She personally brewed milk tea for her uncle.

The current situation is clear to Yuan Junzhang better than anyone else, without needing Yuan Pu to elaborate.

"Uncle, to be honest, I still have some concerns."

He first joined Liu Wuzhou's uprising, but after Wuzhou's defeat, he became an ally of the Turks. Now, nominally, he is the Grand Chancellor of the Sui Dynasty after Dingxiang.

Whether he was following Liu Wuzhou or the Turks, he had been fighting against the Tang Dynasty for the past few years.

They feared that if they surrendered, Li Yuan would settle scores with them later.

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. Zhang Changxun of Wuyuan and Guo Zihe of Yulin used to be like you, ruling their own territories. But after they submitted to the court, they both became dukes and governors. Guo Zihe was even granted the imperial surname Li."

There was also Luo Yi of Youzhou, who, after surrendering, was granted the title of Prince of Yan and given the imperial surname. Further back, there was Xu Shiji, who was also granted the title of Duke, the imperial surname, and appointed as a general…”

"The King of Qin said that if you hesitate, he may ask Your Majesty to grant you a certificate of merit and iron token."

Yuan Junzhang smiled bitterly, "Uncle, this iron certificate is just for show. If the emperor really wants to kill you, what use is this iron certificate?"
Didn't Liu Wenjing have an imperial edict granting her a certificate of merit? Didn't Du Fuwei have an imperial edict granting him a certificate of merit?

Seeing this, Yuan Pu

Let's just be frank and speak the truth.
"You should know that the King of Qin has already led his army out of Yanmen Pass and is heading towards Mayi, right?"

Yuan Junzhang nodded, his face bitter.

"Do you think that Jieli could not stop the King of Qin and the King of Wu'an from joining forces, and that he would be defeated in every battle? In the end, he took the initiative to seek peace, but the King of Qin ignored him and had no choice but to return to the grassland in a hurry."

"What will you use to resist the armies of the King of Qin and the King of Wu'an?"

Yuan Junzhang sighed, "Mayi City is quite fortified..."

Yuan Pu interrupted him, "Is Mayi City less fortified than Luoyang City? Wang Shichong defended Luoyang with his elite troops who had fought countless battles in the Central Plains, yet it was still breached by the combined forces of those two."

"Mayi is just a small city. Don't think we can take it by force alone. Do we really need to wait for the King of Qin's army to arrive?
In recent years, countless people have fled south from Mayi. Of those still remaining, how many are willing to fight to the death with you?

"I'm afraid that once the Qin King's army arrives, there will be plenty of people vying to open the city gates and surrender."

Yuan Junzhang had no way to refute these words.

“There are also Turkic soldiers of Ashina Simo in Mayi.”

"Those mixed barbarian troops? Even Jieli's elite troops couldn't defeat Li Yi. Twenty thousand of them couldn't withstand Li Yi's five thousand."
"What use is Ashina Simo's shabby hair? Don't forget, Simo already lost to Li Yi in Daizhou this summer."

“Then I will retreat to Yunzhong. Yunzhong has a strategic location, strong walls, and is backed by the Turks, so it can hold out.”

Yuan Pu shook his head.

"Foolish! At this point, what's the point of still holding out? Everyone in the world knows that the Central Plains have already fallen to the Tang Dynasty."
Even the Turks couldn't stop them.

Even if you ally with the Turks, you cannot hold onto this land of Yunshuo. If you delay in letting go, you will only end up with your own death and the extermination of your clan.

"While the main army hasn't arrived yet, if you surrender to the Tang Dynasty, you'll not lose a high-ranking official position and generous salary, and the Yuan family of Mayi will also be spared."

"Don't hesitate any longer, or it will be too late."

Yuan Junzhang was speechless after being rebuked by Yuan Pu, and pondered for a long time with his head down.

The milk tea was already brewed, but he didn't notice it at first.

Yuanpu picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea.

"Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. We should send someone to welcome the King of Qin immediately."

Yuan Junzhang looked up, “But there are still Simo and Turkic soldiers in Mayi.”

"That's easy. Just host a banquet for Simo and the other Turkic generals, then wipe them all out, open the city gates, and signal for the Tang army to enter."

What use are those Turkic and mixed-race peoples?

“Among my generals, there are also those who wholeheartedly submit to the Turks.”

"That's easy. We'll capture them all at the banquet, and if they resist, we'll just chop them up."

Yuan Junzhang was finally persuaded.
He is now at his wit's end.
Previously, he could rely on the Turks to preserve this corner of the land, but now that Jieli has suffered a major defeat, he has lost his support.

Yuan Junzhang secretly summoned his trusted confidants on several occasions, announcing his determination to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. These trusted generals were also willing to follow him.

After a secret discussion,

He sent his son Shiben to accompany Yuanpu out of the city to welcome the King of Qin, and they agreed to cooperate from within and without.

In the wind and snow,
On the march, Li Yi saw Yuan Pu returning, with Yuan Junzhang's son by his side.

"Your subordinate has successfully completed the mission and persuaded Yuan Junzhang to surrender." Yuan Pu excitedly handed over Yuan Junzhang's letter of surrender.
To show his sincerity, Yuan Junzhang even sent over maps and household registration books for the two prefectures of Daibei and Yunshuo.

They even specially sent three thousand taels of gold.

All of this demonstrates his sincerity in submitting.

"You are the son of Steward Yuan?"

"This humble servant, Yuan Shiben, pays his respects to the Minister of Works."

After inquiring, I learned that he was Yuan Junzhang's illegitimate son, and he was indeed tall and strong.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Lord Yuan, to make another trip to Mayi City. I’ll leave Master Yuan here and appoint him as a military advisor in the army.”

"General Yuchi."

Old Hei stepped forward and said, "Your subordinate is here."

"Get ready. Tonight, Chief Steward Yuan will open the city gates to provide backup. Lead your troops to advance quickly and make sure you take Mayi City."

(End of this chapter)