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

Chapter 638 Desperate
Su Yi is from Hebei, but he has now settled down in Daibei.

He was just over thirty years old this year, big and burly, but because of a long scar on his face, he was called Scarface, which made him look particularly fierce.

In the newly built village, he pushed open the door of his thatched hut. His neighbor, carrying a hoe, was about to go out to work in the fields. He noticed that the neighbor was wearing clean and tidy clothes without a single patch, and the clothes were very stiff from being starched.

"Su San, where are you going?"

"We're heading into Taiyuan City."

"Aren't you going to weed the fields today? The weeds are growing like crazy after this rain. What are you going to Taiyuan for?"

Su Yi smiled and said, "Now that the spring plowing is over, I'm going to the city to buy some things, ask someone to write some invitations, and take advantage of the off-season to hold a few tables of food and wine to get the wedding done. I'll need to ask Brother Hua for help then."

Hua Erlian responded.

A Turkic woman came out of Su Yi's house, handed him a satchel, and spoke and gestured.

"Okay, I understand. I'll be back soon."

Su Yi entered the city.

The main purpose is to see Su Lie. Su Lie, the governor of Yingzhou, has come to Taiyuan. Yesterday, I sent my personal guards to deliver some things to him.

Su Yi and Su Lie were both from Sujiazhuang, Wuyi County, Hebei Province.

In terms of seniority, Su Yi was Su Lie's cousin, only he was five degrees older.

Back when the Sui Dynasty was in chaos, Su Lie's father, Su Yong, organized a local militia to suppress bandits. Su Yi was Su Dingfang's personal guard, and he even saved the young Su Dingfang's life.

Twelve years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The brave young man Su Dingfang of yesteryear is now a marquis, the governor of Yingzhou, and a highly regarded figure by Prince Li Yi of Dai.

And he,

Su Yi touched the scar on his face and smiled bitterly. He was now just a villager in a village on the outskirts of Taiyuan City in Bingzhou.

Twelve years ago,

He also fought alongside Su Dingfang, who was just a greenhorn at the time, but was extremely skilled in using the family's traditional horse spear.

Su Yi didn't know how to use the horse spear; he had learned to use a long spear since elementary school, a six-section spear that was 10.8 feet long, and he was very skilled in blocking, seizing, thrusting, and parrying techniques.

The Six Harmonies Spear consists of six harmonies, each with six moves, totaling thirty-six moves, plus six additional flashes.

With this marksmanship honed since childhood,
Back then, with his great spear, he killed countless bandits and outlaws, earning him a formidable reputation.

Logically speaking, even if Su Yi wasn't as successful as Su Lie...
But after more than ten years in the military, one could surely become a General of the Cavalry or a General of the Chariots.

Unfortunately, although Su Yi was quite capable and dared to charge and kill on the battlefield, as Su Dingfang once said, he could never control the thing in his crotch.

His lower body always gets him into trouble.

He almost got his head chopped off several times because of this.

Take this time for example. In the battle to raid the Khan's court in Dingxiang, Su Yi was a captain in charge of several hundred men and made great contributions in entering the Khan's court.

But this guy's old illness relapsed.

After the battle, they stormed into a Turkic tent, killed the Turkic men inside, and raped the Turkic women.

This kind of thing is not allowed in Li Yijun's army.

When Wei Zheng, the secretary, learned of this, he demanded that military law be enforced and Su Yi be executed to uphold military discipline.

This wasn't Su Yi's first offense. He had made this mistake several times before when he was following Su Lie's father, Su Yong. Each time, he was punished with military rods, whippings, and demotion. But this guy couldn't change his ways and always made the same mistake again.

Later, he followed Su Dingfang to join Dou Jiande, but committed another offense. Dou Jiande, who also did not tolerate such behavior, almost had him beheaded.

He also enjoyed eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. By the time he joined Tang, he was only a deputy captain.

But this guy is indeed brave enough. He is very daring and aggressive in battle and can always quickly make merits and get promoted.

Su Yi was just a scoundrel from the old days. To be honest, if it weren't for Su Lie protecting him, he wouldn't have enough heads to lose.

This time, it was Su Dingfang who pleaded with Li Yi for help in Dingxiang.

Ultimately, considering his great contributions in the capture of Dingxiang, he was spared death but given forty strokes of the cane, stripped of all official positions, and expelled from the army.

Su Yi chose to settle in Bingzhou and was granted 100 mu of land.

Inside the mansion of the Grand General of Bingzhou in Taiyuan City,

Li Yi and Su Dingfang were having tea and talking when Chen Lingjiao presented Su Dingfang with an invitation.

He couldn't help but laugh after reading it.

"Does the Prince of Dai still remember Su Yi?"

"Scarface Su?"

"Yes, it's him. This guy is getting married. He sent over a wedding invitation and said he wants to invite the Prince of Dai to the wedding banquet."

Li Yi was quite impressed with Su Yi, not only because he was eight feet tall like an iron tower, but also because his body was covered in fat and muscles.

Moreover, the long scar on his face was unforgettable. However, what Li Yi could truly remember about him was that while this guy was incredibly brave and daring in battle, he was also constantly making mistakes. Not only did he indulge in all sorts of vices, such as drinking, gambling, and womanizing, but he also couldn't control his...things.

These kinds of thugs are quite a headache.

In the past, during times of chaos, most generals would beat and scold such subordinates, but they would still keep them around.

But now, Li Yi has still dismissed him.

Such a rogue soldier is not suitable to remain in the military.

"He's outside?"

"Ah."

Li Yi asked Chen Lingjiao to call Su Yi in.

After the man entered, he greeted Li Yi with a smile and a grin. "Tea or wine?" Li Yi asked with a smile.

"I can stand, I'm not thirsty."

Who is the bride?

"Turks."

"Turks?"

"Yes, she's the one the man I killed last time harmed. I ran into her again in Taiyuan recently."
She lost her husband, had several young children, and all her cattle and sheep were gone; she looked quite pitiful…

Li Yi was somewhat surprised, "And then you're going to marry her?"

"I delivered grain to her and her children a few times, and we got to know each other over time. I had just been allocated land and was now single, while she had three young children to raise, all alone and helpless..."

All Li Yi could say was "Holy crap!"

Su Yi is really bold. When he broke into the Khan's court, he killed all the men, including the Turkic woman's husband, father-in-law, and even her brother-in-law, and then raped her.

Now he's actually saying he wants to marry this woman.

"So the Turkic woman is willing? Let me warn you, even though you've been discharged from the army, you're still a citizen of the Tang Dynasty and must abide by the law."

If you dare to cause any more trouble, you'll lose your head.

Su Yi laughed and said, "Your Highness, I admit that I am not a good person, especially when it comes to fighting, I lose my mind and can't control myself after killing and seeing blood."
But this time I didn't act recklessly and didn't force her at all.

I felt guilty for bringing her and her children food, so she offered to help me with sewing, mending, laundry, and cooking. After a while, she offered to come and live with me...

Li Yi said, "I will send someone to investigate later. If it is really as you say, then this is a good thing. I will come to your wedding. But if you dare to do anything reckless, don't blame the law for being merciless."

“Your Highness can investigate at will. To be honest, I only did it out of pity for them. Otherwise, I would like to get married. I can pick any woman I want. I do have some savings, hehe.”

Su Dingfang cursed him from the side, "You don't have any savings at all. You've indulged in all sorts of vices over the years, and the little money you managed to earn has long been squandered. Otherwise, why would you need to be a villager here now?"
Why don't you just go back to your hometown in Wuyi, Hebei, buy land, and become a big landowner? You're too ashamed to even go back home."

Su Yi could only chuckle.

Li Yi looked at this guy and saw him as a complete tough nut to crack, a scoundrel, but he was indeed quite capable. If he hadn't been unable to control himself, although he wasn't as good as Su Dingfang, he would have been more capable than Liu Heizi and Luo Dafu.

Liu Heizi and the others were all granted the title of Founding Prince and appointed as General of the Cavalry.

Liu Heita and Su Dingfang have even become founding marquises and governors.

It's really a waste for someone like him to be farming now.

"Su Yi,"

“The Prince of Dai can call me Third Brother.”

"Third brother, now that you're getting married, you'll have to support a new wife and raise three children. That's a heavy burden, isn't it?"

You're thirty now, and you need to have your own kids. Relying solely on these hundred acres of land won't be enough.

Su Yi was quite carefree. "They say there's always a way out. I'm a grown man, how could I not support a woman and children? After I finish working in the fields, I can find some work. Whether it's trading cattle and horses or selling furs, I can always make some money."

Li Yi smiled and poured him a cup of tea.

"You started fighting in the army when you were a teenager, and you've been in the military for over a decade. You don't know anything else besides fighting, do you?"

"With your skills, it would be a real waste to use them to trade cattle and horses."

Although you've made many mistakes, I admire your abilities. For Dingfang's sake, I'm willing to give you another chance.
If you handle things well, you will enjoy wealth and honor.

Not to mention supporting a wife and children, there's a great chance he could even be granted an official position and a noble title.

Su Yi was taken aback.

Having spent over a decade in the military, crawling out of countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he knew all too well that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The higher the reward, the greater the danger.

This is like a suicide squad in the army; if you want a big reward, you have to risk your life.

"I don't think you're willing to be a farmer in the future. You're still young, only in your early thirties. You have a lot of skills, and it would be a waste to waste them in the fields."

Besides, expecting to live a life of plenty by cultivating only a hundred acres of land is very difficult.

These words touched him.
After being dismissed from the military camp, Su Yi settled in Bingzhou and was allocated a hundred acres of land. Putting down his sword and spear and picking up his hoe was not easy.

He's not good at farming.

Now there are four more people to support.

What are the Prince of Dai's orders?

“Zhang Sima is going back to Chang’an. You will go back to the capital with him and listen to his instructions.” Li Yi picked up a pen, wrote a note, and called Chen Lingjiao over. “Take this later and go buy three hundred acres of land for Su Yizhi, and give him one hundred strings of cash.”

Three hundred acres of land, one hundred strings of cash.

Su Yi knew that this mission to Chang'an would not be simple.

"This is just a settling-in allowance for you. There will be a bigger reward after the job is done."

Su Yi looked at Su Dingfang.

Su Dingfang nodded to him, "This is a very rare opportunity. It's a sign of respect for you that the Prince of Dai is willing to use you."

Su Ding did not hesitate.

"It is my honor that the Prince of Dai thinks highly of me, Su Laosan. I will take this job. No matter if it's going through fire or water, I, Su Laosan, won't even flinch."

I have only one request: in the unlikely event that something happens to me and I can't come back, please take care of Gisele and her children.

Li Yi patted his arm and said, "Go to Chang'an with peace of mind. Your skills shouldn't be wasted. Go and earn a high-ranking position, a title, and a prosperous future for your wife and children!"

(End of this chapter)