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

Chapter 702 The Rise of the God of War
In mid-July,

Li Jing, the governor of Daizhou and the Duke of Yongkang, rushed back to Chang'an from Yanmen. Upon arriving in the capital, he did not go home first, but went straight to the Inner Palace of the Eastern Palace to pay his respects to Li Yi.

"I heard that it was Situ who strongly recommended me to lead the expedition against Liang Shidu. I am very grateful." Li Jing was travel-worn, but his face was full of excitement.

This man is already over fifty years old, yet he still rejoices at the prospect of war.

Li Yi made him tea.
Li Jing readily accepted the tea. "I still remember six years ago, when you bought the villa next to mine, belonging to Yuwen Shiji, and we became neighbors."

You were summoned by the King of Qin to join the army, and you even specially recommended me to go on the expedition. It was that trip to Jingzhou that gave me the opportunity to go to the battlefield and make meritorious contributions.

Later, I had the opportunity to go to Shannan.

Speaking of these things, Li Jing was very grateful to Li Yi. Although he came from a military family in Guanzhong, his uncle Han Qinhu said he was a military scion when he was young, and Yang Su also greatly admired him when he was young.

However, his family later failed in the court's factional struggles, and he was implicated. He served as a county magistrate three times in more than ten years, wasting his life. He was even almost beheaded by Li Yuan for going to Jiangdu to report Li Yuan's rebellion. It was Li Shimin who saved him.

Li Yi was, in a sense, his mentor.

Without Li Yi's strong recommendation, he might have remained on the sidelines in Chang'an until his old age.

"Yes, I really miss the days when the two of us followed the King of Qin to conquer Xue Ju. We didn't have any official duties and were very free."

"During that time, besides studying food all day long, I also learned a lot about military strategy and tactics from you, and benefited greatly."
The Duke of Yongkang was my teacher of military strategy.

Li Jing smiled and waved his hand, "I dare not accept such praise. Some people are born to be generals, and Situ is one of them, with special talent. You have led troops many times over the years, and you have never been defeated."

"It's nothing to mention. The battles I fought were all unremarkable," Li Yi said with a smile.

Li Jing said very seriously, "A good warrior does not have illustrious achievements. The more unremarkable the battles you fight, the more it shows your skill in commanding troops. I have also studied your military tactics extensively. You never fight unprepared battles. Your victory is not limited to the battlefield."

"The sages were mighty in battle, but few could learn their fighting style."

Situ's military strategy, however, was successful because of its stability.

Receiving praise from the God of War made Li Yi a little smug.

Although Li Jing had helped the Tang Dynasty conquer almost half of the southeastern territory, his reputation among the generals in the court was not particularly high.

This is because the southern warlords have always been considered inferior.

Li Jing's failure to achieve any significant victories on the northern battlefield made it difficult for him to gain widespread respect.

In this respect, Li Yi actually had the advantage. Not to mention pacifying Shannan and Henan, and fighting in Hebei and Hedong, the fact that he finally joined the emperor in destroying Jieli and flattening the Khan's court was enough to convince the masses.

"Actually, although Liang Shidu has been ruling Shuofang for ten years, we all know that his strength is not that great. Especially in the last two years, he has been abandoned by his followers and his men have almost all left."

He also killed the leader of the Jihu tribe who had previously fled to him after his defeat, causing the various Jihu tribes to leave one after another.

Now that the Turks are no longer there to protect us,
It's just a dead dog.

Do you know why His Majesty specifically appointed you as commander?

Li Jing smiled and said, "Your Majesty and the Minister of Works want to use Liang Shidu to test my abilities. If this battle goes well, then the court may need to use me when it comes to fighting Tuyuhun next."

No wonder he's a future military genius.
They guessed it completely correctly.

"The Duke of Yongkang is truly remarkable, and indeed he is. This campaign against Liang Shidu is both a test of his generals and a training exercise for his troops."

It was also a test of the Turks' loyalty and sincerity after their submission.

We need to see how well the Tang Dynasty and the Turkic army coordinate.

Liang Shidu is easy to fight.
To be honest, even if we really put Changsun Wuji in command, paired him with Yuchi Gong as his deputy, and added Li Daozong of Lingzhou and Duan Decao of Yanzhou, that would be enough to destroy Liang Shidu.

But His Majesty summoned you specifically.
The hope is that this battle will not only result in the annihilation of Liang Shidu, but also be swift and with minimal casualties.

Most importantly, the Turks needed to cooperate tacitly.

therefore,

In this battle, you are the commander-in-chief.

However, the imperial court won't give you many Tang Dynasty soldiers.
You must use the Turkic troops to destroy Liang Shidu and recover Shuofang.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was not troubled at all and said with a smile, "It's nothing troublesome."

He truly didn't take Master Liang seriously.
In fact, if Liang Shidu hadn't always relied on the Turks, and the Tang Dynasty didn't want to offend the Turks too much, Liang Shidu wouldn't have been able to survive until now.

Xue Ju of Longyou and Li Gui of Hexi, these forces on the outskirts of Guanzhong of the Tang Dynasty, were quelled long ago.

The reason Master Liang has been able to hold on until now is not because he is so strong, but rather because he is the weakest.

It posed no real threat to the Tang Dynasty, which is why it was kept in place.

The Tang Dynasty launched military campaigns in Bashu, attacked Shannan, contested Guandong, and fought a major battle with Liu Wuzhou in Hedong, but they largely ignored Liang Shidu.

Each time, Liang Shi would lure the Turks to attack before the Tang army could launch a counterattack.

Liang Shidu's family was from Shuofang in Xia Prefecture. The family had been powerful and influential for generations. During the Daye era, Liang Shidu served as Yingyang Langjiang, similar to Liu Wuzhou, Guo Zihe, and others. He was a powerful and influential family in the border region and a border general.

Taking advantage of the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he killed the prefectural governor and rebelled, capturing Diaoyin, Honghua, Yan'an and other prefectures. He established the Liang Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor early on. He also accepted the wolf-head banner of the Turkic Shibi Khan and the titles of Dadu Bilge Khan and Jieshi Emperor, but in reality, he was completely dependent on the Turks.

Although he became emperor early,

However, Liang Shidu has been confined to Shuofang for many years.
He also repeatedly attacked Lingzhou and Yanzhou of the Tang Dynasty, but suffered repeated defeats, and the territory of the Great Liang Kingdom shrank with each battle.

The land of Shuofang and Yanxia was already poor in resources and sparsely populated. In recent years, the population has decreased sharply, and there have been frequent famines, with civilians and soldiers constantly fleeing.

Such an opponent,
Li Jing could win even with his feet.

"Does the Duke of Yongkang have any battle plans?" Li Yi asked. He was also serving as the Minister of War, which was why Li Jing met with him first upon his return.

"It would be very easy to destroy Liang Shidu. Shuofang is actually indefensible, and Liang Shidu has no strategic depth. It has few people and few soldiers, and no great generals."

Now that the Turks have lost their backing, and the Turks are even ordered by our Great Tang to attack them...
It can be said that even before the war began, the morale of the puppet Liang army had been completely shattered.

"When I see it, we can advance from multiple directions, utilizing our numerical superiority to strike at the gates of Shuofang City with overwhelming force."
Encirclement from multiple directions,

When the pseudo-Liangshan forces are at their wits' end, their people will inevitably be filled with fear and panic. At that time, they can be persuaded to surrender and be granted amnesty again, and there will surely be people willing to surrender.

There's even a possibility that an enemy general might behead Liang Shidu and surrender the city in order to save his life.

Li Jing fought his way from Bashan to Lingnan, defeating countless separatist forces along the way and witnessing countless instances of a powerful force collapsing and its members scattering.

With just a pardon or a promise of reward, there are plenty of people willing to surrender their former masters' heads.

"Is the imperial court really going to send troops to Tuyuhun? When?" Li Jing asked.

Li Yi picked up the silver teapot and brewed another pot of tea.

"How long do you think it will take to defeat Liang Shidu, and when is the best time to send troops to Tuyuhun?"

Li Jing held his teacup. "Destroying Liang Shidu can be done in three months. The main problem is the time-consuming march, especially the need to mobilize Turkic troops."

The aftermath can be handled by the Ling and Yan governorates.

It's the middle of July now, and the war should be over before winter.

However, it's definitely too late to send troops to Tuyuhun this year. After all, Tuyuhun is a powerful nation, so we need to make ample preparations.
I think the best time to deploy troops is next summer, around May or June.

Li Yi took a sip of tea. "If Duke Yongkang were to command the attack on Tuyuhun, what tactics would he intend to use?"

"Attack from different directions, capture the leader of the enemy, and annihilate their main force."

Although the Tuyuhun also built a royal city, they were essentially a nomadic people. If they could not capture the Khan and annihilate the main force, then their attack and occupation would be meaningless.

The Sui Dynasty failed to conquer the Tuyuhun because it did not annihilate their main force or capture their Khan; it only brought back a young prince.
What use would it be to establish several prefectures within the territory of Tuyuhun?

To defeat the Tuyuhun, we must do the same thing as we did with the Turks.

"actually,
For the campaign against Tuyuhun, Situ is the most suitable person to take command. You have a track record of defeating the Turks, so conquering Tuyuhun will be a piece of cake.

"If we dispatch generals from all directions, they will surely be convinced," Li Jing said.

He was naturally willing to lead the campaign against Tuyuhun, but in terms of prestige, he certainly couldn't compare to Li Yi. If they were to launch a multi-pronged attack...
At that time, the various military commanders might not be willing to submit to this old geezer.

Of course, Li Jing didn't think this was a problem for him.

If someone holds the seal of command and leads troops into battle, yet cannot control their subordinate generals, then what kind of commander are they?

"That damned place, Tuyuhun, is located to the southwest of the source of the Yellow River, but there are snow-capped mountains and glaciers there. It is said that Han people are prone to fainting when they go there."

I specifically had someone research it.

Actually, it's because that area is located on a plateau, at a very high altitude. The higher the altitude, the thinner the air, which is especially problematic for us Han Chinese from the Central Plains.

If you suddenly go there and cannot adapt to the climate, you may experience symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it can even lead to death.

This is like a pond before a summer thunderstorm, where all the fish are surfacing.

Both are due to oxygen deficiency; this condition is called altitude sickness.

Li Yi informed Li Jing of the symptoms of altitude sickness in Tuyuhun beforehand, so that he could be mentally prepared, since the goal was to capture the enemy's main force.
That would inevitably lead to pursuit and encirclement.
There are quite a few high-altitude areas in Tuyuhun.

When pursuing or outflanking enemy troops, it is easy to cross these areas, and if you are not prepared, the consequences can be very serious.

On the border between Longyou and Tuyuhun, there is the Red Ridge.
Along this ancient Chiling Road, there is a place called Hanku Mountain.

It is said that Han people would cry when they passed through this place, because it is a very dangerous place that Han people find difficult to adapt to. In fact, it is just that the altitude is too high. Han people who come from the interior of Longyou often suffer from severe altitude sickness when they arrive here.

"I'm having the doctors research a medicine to alleviate these symptoms. If we can successfully formulate such a medicine, it will be of great help to you."

Li Jing had never studied these things before, but he noted them down after hearing about them.

"Lord Yongkang, His Majesty has high hopes for you. Taking down Liang Shidu in three months is a very good plan."

However, in actual combat, don't be too demanding. As long as you can destroy Liang Shidu this year, that will be enough.

The key to this battle is to use the Turkic troops to destroy Liang Shidu. Next year, when we fight the Tuyuhun, we will also need to conscript Turkic troops.

Li Yi smiled and said to him, "After you destroy Tuyuhun next year, return to the court to take over the position of Minister of War."

It was quite remarkable that Li Shimin refrained from launching a military campaign against Tuyuhun this year.

As the Minister of War, he received a ton of letters from generals every day requesting to fight, all asking to relieve the emperor's worries, kill the enemy for the country, and lead troops to destroy Tuyuhun.

They all wanted to use Tuyuhun to gain military merit, and they were all a bit arrogant and overconfident.

Fortunately, Li Shimin was relatively cautious and pragmatic; otherwise, the disastrous defeat of 100,000 Tang troops at Dafeichuan during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang might have occurred much earlier.

Many people also suggested that Li Yi be appointed as the commander-in-chief to conquer Tuyuhun.
Li Yi would never agree. All the other generals were eager to fight, but Li Yi was determined not to go.

The emperor would not actually allow him to lead the campaign against Tuyuhun again.

This is the tacit understanding between the ruler and his subjects.

(End of this chapter)