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

Chapter 613 Can Be Replaced

Facing the rising sun,
Li Yi arrived at Mayi City on horseback.

The wind stopped and the snow stopped.

Golden light shone down in countless rays.

Generals Yuchi Gong, Yuan Junzhang, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Yaojin led the way in welcoming them.

The warm sun felt nice on my face, and hearing the news of the great victory at Mayi warmed my heart even more.

Last night, they closed the door and beat the dog.
The officers and soldiers of the Turkic garrison, as well as the local pro-Turkic faction, were all wiped out by Yuan Junzhang, and the purge went very smoothly.

More than a thousand were beheaded and nine thousand were captured.

None of them managed to escape the city; they were all stuck at the city gate.

The beheading of over a thousand was actually due to the darkness and chaos; the Turks were running around like headless flies and many were killed.

The Mayi army and Yuchi Gong's 5,000 vanguard troops suffered little damage, with only a little over a thousand casualties.

Yuchi Gong's troops suffered fewer than three hundred casualties.

Cheng Yaojin looked a bit listless. Last night, he and Qin Shubao led 5,000 men to ambush the city from the northeast.
As a result, a northerly wind blew once.
They didn't even catch a rabbit, let alone the Turkic breakout troops; they were all trapped in Mayi City by Yuchi Gong and Lao Hei.

After staying up all night without any results, Lao Cheng was disheartened.

Ashina Simo, Guo Ziwei, and their group were brought up.

They were all tied up tightly.

Yuan Junzhang's soldiers forced them down to kneel in the snow.

“Jia Bi, it was a great pity that we couldn’t meet during the last battle at Fanzhi. I’m so glad to finally see you today.” Li Yi looked down at the prisoner from his horse.

This person has a fairly prominent reputation in history, not because he was the great-grandson of Ilkhan, nor because he was an uncle of Qa'i.

He is famous in history for his pragmatism. After the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, this Turkic special envoy, who didn't look like a Turk at all, remained loyal to the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin).
He was highly valued by Li Shimin and used to manage the surrendered Turkic tribes.

Even after the rise of the Xueyantuo in northern Mongolia, Li Shimin restored the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and appointed Simo as its Khan.

Simo was one of the few Turks who was granted the title of Prince by the Tang Dynasty and also given the imperial surname.

It's likely that the reason Sima Qian was so highly regarded by Li Shimin was not only because he was pragmatic, but also because of his Sogdian face.

Because of his face, Simo, a direct descendant of the royal family, was not accepted by Ashina and was constantly ostracized.

After Jieli was captured and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate was destroyed, whether it was Yusheshe, Tuli the Lesser Khan, or other top Turkic nobles such as Shaboloshe, Tuoshe, Yugushe, and Bulishe,
None of them could truly gain the trust of the Tang Dynasty.

But if Fusimo comes out, there's no need to worry about that; with his appearance, he won't gain the true support of the Turks.

Simo lowered his head in shame.

How can a defeated general speak of bravery?

Li Yi jumped off his horse, personally untied him from his bonds, and draped his own cloak over him.

“Jia Bi Teqin has led his troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. He is a wise and shrewd man who knows when to seize the opportunity. I will immediately send someone to escort Teqin and his men to Chang'an to pay homage to the Emperor. The Emperor will surely be very pleased with Teqin’s surrender.”

Simo did not want to go to Chang'an.
He wanted to return to the Dingxiang Khanate. Although he had never been able to establish his own power base, he still had his own small tribe, and wives, concubines, and children.

But he had no choice.

Mayi City has been completely taken over by Yuchi Gong.

After entering the city,
Yuan Junzhang voluntarily handed over the household registrations and account books of Mayi, as well as the entire administrative office, to Li Yi.

Li Yi glanced through it briefly and frowned.

Yuan Junzhang's separatist force has become nothing more than an empty shell.

Many people in Daibei fled, and many were captured by the Turks.

They fought every year, and with such a small territory, they experienced Liu Wuzhou's defeat in Hedong and Yuan Junzhang's invasion southward with the Turks. They were used as cannon fodder on several occasions, and their forces were greatly depleted.

In recent years, northern China has been experiencing either drought or early frost.
In addition, the long-term military campaigns and the conscription of able-bodied men disrupted agricultural work.

In the past, Mayi was a bustling border town that benefited greatly from trade, but in recent years border trade has basically stopped.

Yuan Junzhang held the two prefectures of Yun and Shuo, and held the title of Grand Chancellor, but even without the Tang army attacking, he himself could hardly hold on any longer.

This winter, famine will make things even harder in Mayi.

Now that they had surrendered, Yuan Junzhang breathed a sigh of relief.

There's no need to struggle anymore.

In fact, after Liu Wuzhou's defeat in his southward campaign, the small separatist force in Daibei was already terminally ill and could hardly be revived.

The last time Gao Manzheng surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, it dealt a fatal blow to Yuan Junzhang. Even though he managed to recapture Mayi with the help of the Turks, Mayi was still looted by the Turks.

This time, Jieli's decision to send Simo with 10,000 men to help defend Mayi only made things worse for him. He was already short of food, and now he had to prioritize supplying these 10,000 Turkic ancestors.

Now all the troubles can be handed over to the Tang Dynasty and to Li Sikong.

Li Yi looked at the empty shell and was indeed troubled, as it couldn't even supply enough provisions for the 30,000 Tang soldiers who had gone beyond the Great Wall.

"Take these nine thousand Turkic prisoners back to Yanmen in Daizhou."

"The more than 20,000 troops in Daizhou need to be reorganized and streamlined immediately. I think it is enough to keep 10,000 and the rest should be dismissed."

"Reporting to the King of Qin at Yanmen Pass, requesting that the King of Qin allocate and transport a batch of grain supplies."

Several arrangements were made in succession.

Yuan Junzhang voluntarily relinquished control of Mayi, and Li Yi, without any hesitation, said he would petition the court for merit and recognition on his behalf.
On one hand, Yuchi Gong was appointed as the governor and prefect of Shuozhou.
Liu Shiche returned to Mayi, but this time he was no longer the magistrate of Mayi County. Li Yi appointed him as the Sima of Shuozhou, a sixth-rank official.

Li Yiquan appointed Yuan Junzhang's several adult sons as military advisors, including those in the Hedong Military Camp, the Bingzhou Grand General's Office, and the Shuozhou Grand General's Office.

In the Grand Secretariat,
Yuan Junzhang gave the main seat to Li Yi.
The traces of last night's bloody banquet have been cleaned up, but there is still a lingering smell of blood.

"Sikong,
"This humble official is willing to lead my troops to Cloud City."

With Yuan Junzhang's surrender, Yunzhong City was no longer a difficult task; all Yuan Junzhang needed to do was send a letter to his son who remained behind.

Yuchi Gong said bluntly, "Your son is guarding Yunzhong, so you can just go and write a letter."

"Sikong, we should take advantage of the fact that Jieli hasn't reacted yet and launch a surprise attack on the Dingxiang Khanate to capture Jieli alive."

Cheng Yaojin, who had been dozing off, immediately perked up upon hearing this. "Yes, Sikong, let's do it again, just like the battle of Jinci."

Still five thousand cavalry, let's launch another long-distance raid to catch them off guard and capture their leader!

Li Yi shook his head.

The idea is good and bold, but the conditions are not right now.

It is four hundred li from Mayi City to Dingxiang Khan's Court.

The key is that this 400-mile journey is not easy. First, head north to Huanghualing, then split off at Qidao Village and head northwest, passing through Shahu Pass to exit the Great Wall.

The journey, spanning hundreds of miles, mostly traverses valleys.

It's after a snowfall in winter.

Most importantly, Mayi City had just been captured, and even supplies had to be transferred from Taiyuan.

Last time, the Turks seized all of Xindai, north of Taiyuan, and looted it all.

From Taiyuan to Dingxiang, there are still 400 li to go. This 800-li supply line is still in the dead of winter, which is too difficult.

Dingxiang was Jieli's old stronghold, and its situation was different from that of Jinci.

"It's precisely because of the difficulties that Jieli was caught off guard," Old Cheng shouted.

Li Yi, however, had no such thought at all.

The objective of this operation is to destroy Yuan Junzhang's separatist regime in the north and, taking advantage of the Turkic retreat, recover Yunshuo.

In the afternoon,

Li Yi pulled Simo to sunbathe under the eaves.

With my back to the wind, the sun was shining warmly.

Brew another pot of tea.

A rare moment of leisure in the afternoon.

Ashina Simo was somewhat apprehensive, as he would be sent back to Yanmen Pass the next day, where Li Shimin would meet with him before sending him to Chang'an to see the emperor.

The tea brick powder was boiling in the pot, and Li Yi added milk and salt to it.

Each person poured themselves a cup.

The tea soup has a beautiful color and a wonderful aroma.

Served with some cheese curds, fried rice, and roasted red dates, it makes for a wonderful afternoon tea.

"I heard that in the nineteenth year of the Kaihuang era of the previous dynasty, the Turkic Khaganate was ruled by Dulan Khan. Qimin Khan, the father of Jieli Khan, was known as Tuli Junior Khan. The Sui dynasty, disliking Dulan, fully supported Tuli Junior Khan Rangan and married a woman from the imperial clan to Rangan."
Du Lan deeply resented Ran Gan's friendship with Sui, and thus fought a great battle with him beneath the Great Wall.

After Ran Gan's defeat, his followers scattered and perished, leaving only five horsemen to accompany Changsun Sheng to the court. The Sui emperor bestowed upon him the title of Yilizhendou Qimin Khan and settled him within the Great Wall, where he built Dali City for his residence.

Li Yi recounted a past event in detail.

Simo, holding his teacup, couldn't help but drift into memories of the past.

The nineteenth year of the Kaihuang era was twenty-three years ago.

That year, the Khatun Princess Yicheng who was captured at Jinci was not yet a princess, nor was she married off; the one married off to Tuli was Princess Anyi. That year, Princess Anyi accompanied Qimin Khagan to Dali City in the south, where she died of illness.

The Sui Dynasty then sent Princess Yicheng to the grasslands again, continuing the marriage alliance to benefit the people.

Qimin Khan has one wife and two princesses from the Central Plains; such favor is unique to him.

With the full support of the Sui Dynasty, they later moved back to Wuyuan and roamed between Xia and Sheng prefectures. Their power grew stronger day by day. Dulan Khan, Datou Khan, and others were all defeated by the allied forces of Qimin Khan and the Sui Dynasty.

Thinking back to those grasslands,

The five Khans vied for the position of Great Khan, leading to years of chaotic warfare on the grasslands.

He was still young at the time.

Li Yi sipped his tea, looking at Simo's reminiscing expression, and said with a smile, "I heard that back then, Ran Gan was defeated and fled south..."

"All the tribes of the northern deserts have elected you Khan?"

Simo nodded.

This did indeed happen.

Simo's great-grandfather was Tumen Khan, the founder of the Turkic Khaganate; his grandfather was Daba Khan; and his father was Dulushe. In the nineteenth year of the Kaihuang era, the grasslands were embroiled in chaos.

After Tuli Khan's defeat and flight south, the tribes of the northern deserts enthroned Simo as Khan.

However, after Rangan gained the support of the Sui Dynasty and returned to the grasslands, Simo voluntarily relinquished his title of Khan. But under the four Khans of Rangan and his son, Simo was never given an important position and was never granted a Khanate.

One reason is that his appearance resembles that of a Hu (non-Han people), but another reason is certainly related to the fact that he was once supported by the tribes of the northern deserts to become Khan, which is why the Rangan father and son have always been wary of him.

Li Yi noticed that Simo had quite a few gray hairs on his head, yet he was still just a special agent, and he felt quite sorry for him.

“You are the great-grandson of the founding Ilkhan,”

"To be honest, Jieli's various actions have long aroused great dissatisfaction and deep hatred in our Great Tang."

Simo pondered Li Yi's purpose in bringing these things up with him, vaguely guessing a bit, yet still somewhat disbelieving.

"Jieli's father, Qimin Khan, was originally just Tuli Xiao Khan, who was enfeoffed in the eastern part of the Turkic Khaganate. Later, it was because Dulan Khan acted too badly and became hostile to the Sui Dynasty that the Sui Dynasty turned to Tuli for marriage and supported him to become the Great Khan of the Turkic Khaganate."

Without the strong support of the Central Plains, how could Tuli Khan have defeated Dulan and Datou Khan and become the Great Khan of the Turks?
Jieli has forgotten his roots.

The Sui Dynasty was able to support the Little Tuli Khan, appointing him as the Qimin Khan and helping him become the Great Khan of the Turks.

Now, in our Great Tang Dynasty, we can certainly support another Ashina to replace Jieli.

Simo licked his lips, his breathing becoming somewhat heavy.

"Does the Secret Service understand what I mean?"

Simo nodded.

"Twenty-three years ago, Tegin was able to be hailed as the Khan of the Turks by various tribes. Now, the Tang Dynasty can also support you as the Great Khan of the Turks."

"To replace Jieli."

(End of this chapter)