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

Chapter 620 Disloyalty Cannot Be Granted
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Heaven blesses the Tang Dynasty!"

Inside the Wude Hall of Taiji Palace, the prime ministers all offered their congratulations to the emperor.

In the cold winter of the fifth year of the Wude era, everything seemed to be getting better. The Turks, who had invaded every year, suffered a crushing defeat this year due to a counterattack from the Tang Dynasty.

Jieli Khan even sent Zhishi'an to propose marriage and peace, bringing with him a hundred fine horses and a thousand taels of gold.

In the past, the Tang Dynasty had always bestowed gold and silk upon the Turks; when had it ever received tribute from the Turks?
But now Jieli keeps saying that Tang Tu had already negotiated a peace agreement and formed an alliance with Qin Wang and Li Yi during the summer, and hopes that the Tang emperor will keep an eye on Qin Wang and Li Yi.

Seeing that the Turks had been defeated, the Tuyuhun immediately withdrew their troops from Longyou and sent envoys to offer gold, silver and fine horses as tribute, and also came to propose marriage.

With Tuyuhun admitting defeat,
The Western Qiang, Bailan Qiang and Baigou Qiang tribes, who were originally subordinate to them, were also immediately sent to the court to pay tribute.

These two Western Qiang tribes share similar customs with the Dangxiang Qiang, but their strengths differ. The Bailan Qiang borders the Duomi tribe to the right and the Dangxiang tribe to the left; they have ten thousand soldiers and are skilled in weapon manufacturing.

The White Dog Qiang are also quite powerful.

Li Yuan was naturally pleased to see these two Western Qiang tribes surrender.

An imperial edict established Weizhou with the surrendered Baigou Qiang people, and the old city of Jiang Wei was established there. Jiang Wei had campaigned against the Wenshan Qiang people here in those years.

Gongzhou was established with Bailan Qiang people.
Each of the Qiang chieftains was appointed as governor or general.

Even the Goguryeo Kingdom in Liaodong, under King Gao Jianwu, sent envoys to Chang'an to request a calendar to demonstrate their adherence to the correct calendar.

The impact of the Tang army's victory over the Turks surprised even Li Yuan.

The surrounding vassal states and ethnic groups of the Tang Dynasty had already felt the rise of the Central Plains Empire.

The ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring.
These foreign tribes all remembered the power of the Sui Empire at its peak, with a million armored soldiers conquering the south and north, attacking the east and west. Who had not trembled in fear under the military might of the Sui Dynasty?

Back then, even the Turkic Khan had to personally clear the way for the Sui emperor during his northern tours.

The ancestral golden statues of the Lin-yi Kingdom were all seized by the Sui army and brought back to Chang'an.

The Goguryeo Kingdom in Liaodong, which had always maintained a peaceful coexistence with the Tang Dynasty, took the initiative to send envoys to Chang'an to express goodwill. They were very worried that after the Han people of the Central Plains unified the country, they would suppress the Turks and then have designs on Liaodong.

"Goguryeo's initiative in requesting the almanac is quite pragmatic," Li Yuan laughed heartily, and immediately decided to send envoys to Liaodong, "to confer upon Gao Jianwu the titles of Grand Pillar of State, Prince of Liaodong, and King of Goguryeo."

The Goguryeo people in China were sent back to Liaodong with the envoy, while the Han Chinese in Liaodong were also sent back to China by Gao Jianwu.

Pei Shiju said, "The land of Liaodong was the state of Jizi during the Zhou Dynasty, and Xuantu Commandery during the Han Dynasty. Before Wei and the commandery, it was within the territory of the governor, so we cannot allow it to be disobedient."

Furthermore, China's relationship with the barbarians is like that of the sun to the stars; Goguryeo submitted to the Sui Dynasty, and our Great Tang Dynasty succeeded the Sui Dynasty. Goguryeo was also a vassal state of our Great Tang Dynasty; this relationship cannot be changed.

Wen Yanbo, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, also believed that it was time to re-establish the tributary relationship with Goguryeo.

In the past, we couldn't take care of it for the time being, so we haven't had any dealings with Goguryeo in recent years. But from now on, we must bring the three kingdoms of Liaodong back into the tributary system.

Li Yuan thought it made a lot of sense.

The Tang Dynasty does not have the resources to truly intervene in Liaodong for the time being, but it cannot lose this title.

"Then let us also bestow titles upon the kings of Buyeo and Silla,"

“He conferred upon Baekje Buyeo Jang the titles of Grand Pillar of State, Prince of Daifang, and King of Baekje.”

He conferred upon Kim Jinpyeong of Silla the titles of Grand Pillar of State, Prince of Raklang, and King of Silla.

“Shen Shu’an, Minister of Justice, was dispatched as ambassador to the three kingdoms of Haidong to confer titles upon the three kings.”

Li Yuan also sent Shen Shu'an to deliver a Taoist deity statue to the Three Kingdoms, along with a group of eminent Taoist priests, to promote Taoism and preach Lao Tzu to the Three Kingdoms.

As long as Goguryeo behaves itself and doesn't cross the Liao River...
Li Yuan has no interest in truly controlling Goguryeo, the barbarian state that once caused the Sui Dynasty so much trouble.

He came to request the almanac, so Li Yuan conferred upon Gao Jianwu the titles of Prince of Liaodong and King of Goguryeo. These two titles were quite significant. Prince of Liaodong was a princely title in the Tang Dynasty, while King of Goguryeo was a title bestowed upon him by the Tang Dynasty.

The fact that the king of Goguryeo was also granted the title of Prince of the Tang Dynasty indicates that the status of the Goguryeo king was only equivalent to that of a Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

The Turkic leader Jieli sent envoys to offer tribute and sue for peace.

Tuyuhun Khan Fuyun sent envoys to pay tribute, request peace, and propose marriage.

The King of Goguryeo sent envoys to present tribute and request the calendar.
The Bailan Qiang and Baigou Qiang even sent their chieftain's son to court, directly requesting to be incorporated into the Chinese empire.

This series of changes,
This made Li Yuan truly feel triumphant.

Meanwhile, news of victories in the rebellion in Jiangnan has been pouring in, with Li Xiaogong submitting a memorial stating that the rebellion of Fu Gongshi is about to be quelled.

A few months ago,
Li Yuan was still in a state of utter chaos.

The Turks advanced in two directions. The western route broke through Dazhen Pass and entered the Guanzhong Plain, while the eastern route, led by Jieli, personally besieged Taiyuan and captured Jinzhou.

The entire city of Chang'an was shocked and in a state of panic. Grain prices in Chang'an rose several times a day, and some officials even submitted a memorial proposing to invite the emperor to temporarily avoid hunting in Huayin.

The Tuyuhun also launched a large-scale invasion of Longyou, conquering several prefectures in succession.

The rebels in Jiangnan became even more arrogant and established the Song Dynasty.

But who could have imagined that the situation would reverse so quickly after he sent Erlang to lead the troops?

Not long ago, he even considered quitting while he was ahead, issuing an edict for the Prince of Qin to withdraw his troops, appointing him as the Marshal of the Jiangzhou Campaign, and sending Zheng Yuanzhu to negotiate peace with the Turks. He was even prepared to be extorted by Jieli again.

However, Shimin and Wuyi boldly sent troops north, successfully recruiting Yuan Junzhang and recovering Yunshuo. They then sent troops to Dingxiang, and with only 5,000 cavalry, they harassed Jieli so badly that he was in a terrible predicament.

The Turks' outward strength but inner weakness were fully exposed.
After several major battles, the Great Khan Jieli lost face and prestige, and was no longer able to command some of the powerful figures in the Khanate.

all of these,
It's all thanks to King Shimin of Qin and Wu Yi.

"Your Majesty, Zhishi'an comes to the Court of State Ceremonial every day to request an audience. Jieli wants him to bring Princess Changping back to Dingxiang."

They also want to revive the peace agreements reached during the summer.

Li Yuan laughed heartily.
"In recent years, the three Great Khans of the Turks, Shibi Khan, Chuluo Khan, and then Jieli Khan, have never kept any of the agreements they made with our Great Tang Dynasty."

At the beginning of Li Yuan's uprising, he cooperated with the Turks, seeking their help by purchasing horses, borrowing troops, and even leveraging their influence.
But it came at a great cost, with a lot of gold and silk given away.

However, the Turks' appetite was too great and could not be satisfied at all, and the relationship between the two sides has deteriorated in recent years.

However, Li Yuan remained very restrained and patient. Before unifying the country, he did not want to completely offend the Turks, much less engage in a full-scale war with them.
This strategy allowed Li Yuan to quickly seize control of Guanzhong in the early stages, and then, in just a few years, successively wiped out several forces. However, it also left Li Yuan feeling very frustrated as he was oppressed by the Turks, but he had no choice but to endure it for the sake of the overall situation.

They fought back a few times, but each time it didn't end well.

Ultimately, it comes down to a difference in strength.

If you can't win a war, you can only sue for peace, cede territory, pay reparations, or even agree to a marriage alliance.

But now,

The fight was won.

They switched to Jieli to sue for peace.

Pei Shiju said, “Your Majesty, this winter the Turkic grasslands suffered a severe white disaster, and many livestock froze to death. Meanwhile, Jieli’s southward campaign suffered heavy losses in both his troops and generals, and his prestige was greatly damaged.”

In particular, the four powerful figures in the khanates were Tuli Khan, son of Shibi Khan; Yugushe, son of Chuluo Khan; and Yusheshe and Tuoshe, sons of Chuluo Khan.
Now they're starting to disobey Jieli's orders less and less.

Jieli's current peace offer is merely a delaying tactic. They may break the peace agreement and invade again next year once they have had a chance to catch their breath.

In my opinion, we can now negotiate with Khan Jieli while allowing the King of Qin to continue to wait for an opportunity to act on the frontier.

We'll talk and fight at the same time.

And the conditions must be exactly as we stipulate.

Pei Shiju was in charge of diplomacy during the Sui Dynasty. When Yang Guang was besieged at Yanmen Pass, Pei Shiju bore a great deal of responsibility. He first plotted to appoint the younger brother of Shibi Khan as the Southern Khan, but the plan failed.

He also plotted to eliminate Shi Shu Hu Xi, the favored minister of Shibi Khan in charge of trade. They secretly arranged to meet at Mayi for trade, then ambushed and killed him. After the incident was exposed, he lied to Shibi Khan under the pretext of suppressing a rebellion. However, the plot was exposed, which led to the siege of Yanmen in the same year, and the relationship between the Sui and Turks was completely broken.

"If Jieli wants to make peace, he must first return the two prefectures of Fengsheng in the Hetao region to our Great Tang."

Secondly, all the remnants of the previous dynasty who are being held in Dingxiang must be handed over to our Great Tang.

"Thirdly, the Turks must return all the hundreds of thousands of people from the Central Plains that they have abducted and taken to the border regions over the years."

"And promised to restrain his people from crossing the border again and invading the territory of our Great Tang."

Pei Shiju also proposed to use Jieli's autumn invasion as a pretext to terminate all peace agreements reached during the summer peace talks, such as the marriage alliance.

The Tang Dynasty's silk-horse trade can be retained, but one horse must be exchanged for twenty bolts of silk. The number of horses traded will be determined by the Tang Dynasty's needs; the Tang Dynasty can buy as many as it wants, and the price will be based on the grade of the horse.
It was no longer possible to follow the previous demands of the Turks, where the Tang Dynasty would buy 10,000 horses from the Turks every year, with each horse costing 40 bolts of silk, and without even specifying the quality of the horses.

The Turks were required to pay tribute to the Tang emperor with a thousand fine horses every year.

The Tang Dynasty will also reward the Turks with a thousand taels of gold for these thousand horses.

Pei Shiju's latest peace treaty was extremely beneficial to the Tang Dynasty, giving it both prestige and substance.

It was a bit harsh on the Turks.

But who told Jieli to take the initiative to seek peace?

Originally, Li Yi boldly submitted a memorial proposing that the court confer upon Tuli the title of Great Khan of the Turks and bestow upon him drums and banners.

Then, the four powerful chieftains—Tuoshe, Yugushe, Yusheshe, and Shaboluoshe—were all appointed as Lesser Khans.
This caused internal strife within the Turkic Khaganate.

However, this proposal was not approved by Li Yuan, or rather, the prime ministers were not very supportive, feeling that it was too ambitious.

Only Pei Shiju was very supportive, and even suggested changing the marriage originally intended for Princess Jie Changping to Tuli Xiao Khan, in order to support Tuli in fighting a civil war against Jieli.

Just like when Emperor Wen of Sui supported Qimin Khan to fight against Dulan Khan.

Crown Prince Li Jiancheng remained silent.

In the somewhat cheerful atmosphere of the Wude Hall, he seemed to have been forgotten and ignored.

His gaze fell on Pei Shiju, a favorite minister of Emperor Yang of Sui, whose career had been smooth after surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, rising from Palace Attendant Censor to Right Vice-Minister to the Crown Prince.

Nowadays, whenever the emperor summons his ministers to discuss matters, he always invites Pei Shiju to participate.

Pei Shiju was proposing an alliance with the Western Turkic Khan, the Tongyagu Khan, saying, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, 'befriend distant states and attack nearby ones.' Although both the Eastern and Western Turks are Turks, they have long been enemies."

The marriage alliance with the Western Turkic leader, Yabghu Khan, would serve to restrain the Eastern Turkic leader, Jieli Khan. Even better would be if they could join forces with the Western Turks to launch a joint attack on Jieli.

Li Yuan stroked his beard.

In recent years, the Tang Dynasty had been sending envoys to contact the Western Turks, and the relationship was quite good. There was even a plan to jointly send troops to attack Jieli, but it was ultimately not carried out.

The Western Turks were far from the Tang Dynasty, making it difficult to form a real alliance. Li Yuan felt that he would not receive any real help by making a marriage alliance with them, so he hesitated for a while.

Pei Shiju, however, reminded the emperor,

As long as a marriage alliance is formed with the Western Turks, the Western Turks will not have to contribute a single soldier. This alliance will be just as effective in deterring the Eastern Turks.

Of course, he believed that after the two sides formed an alliance through marriage, the Western Turks would also have a high probability of joining forces with the Tang Dynasty to attack Jieli.

Li Yuan agreed to give it a try.

"After the Duke of Chen passed away, the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince is still vacant. Please promote Pei Gong to the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and assist the Crown Prince well."

As Li Yuan spoke, his gaze finally fell upon his eldest son, Li Jiancheng, whom he had ignored all day.

Li Jiancheng's gaze met his father's, but Li Yuan's gaze quickly shifted away. He then looked at Pei Shiju, who was seventy-six years old with white hair, and was not much better off than the previous Crown Prince's tutor, Li Gang.

Most importantly, Li Jiancheng sensed the same reaction from Pei Shiju that Li Yi had experienced back then.

Pei Shiju, despite being an official in the Eastern Palace, was not close to him.

Such a 76-year-old fellow, who was not close to him, was appointed as the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, becoming the head of the Crown Prince's officials.
What was the emperor really thinking?

He watched helplessly as Shimin grew powerful in Hedong, yet he was powerless to do anything about it in the court.

Li Jiancheng clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves as he thought about how such an old fellow was now being appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor.

(End of this chapter)