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

Chapter 761 King Wei
"Good news!"

"Pingzhang, good news from Shuofang! The Duke of Yongkang County besieged Shuofang City. Liang Shidu was deserted by his followers. His cousin Liang Luoren beheaded Liang Shidu and surrendered the city. Shuofang is now pacified!"

In the Hall of State Affairs,

The chief clerk of the military headquarters excitedly ran over to report the victory.

The last rebellious warlord in the land was finally quelled.

Liang Shidu, who was bestowed the titles of Great Bilge Khan and Emperor by the Turks, ultimately met his end by being killed by his cousin.

Li Yi was not surprised to hear this news.

Liang Shidu survived for so many years not because he was particularly powerful, but because he initially relied on the Turks. When the Eastern Turkic Khan, Jieli, was captured alive and the various Turkic tribes surrendered, Liang Shidu was nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.

His recommendation of Li Jing to lead the army to suppress the rebellion was hardly unexpected.

Li Jing had been leading his troops for several months, but the imperial court hadn't paid much attention to the battle, and no one thought they would fail to defeat Liang Shidu.

In this battle, the imperial court even relied mainly on the Turks, while Li Jing only led more than 10,000 Tang soldiers to provide support.

Therefore, this battle has been going on for several months, but it has been the Turks doing all the work, advancing from the outside and gradually tightening the encirclement.
Without fighting any major battles, Liang Shidu's generals, including the chieftains of the Jihu tribe who were subordinate to him, kept surrendering.

Finally, they surrounded Shuofang City.

The Tang army besieged the area but did not attack.
It's only been a month or so since then.
Desperate and running out of food, the city's generals beheaded Liang Shidu and surrendered.

Li Yi sent someone to invite several prime ministers over for a meeting.

"Gentlemen, Li Jing has conquered Shuofang, and Liang Shidu's head will soon be sent to Chang'an. With Shuofang pacified and the world at peace, I offer this tea in place of wine to celebrate with you all!"

The prime ministers also happily raised their glasses in celebration.

Fang Xuanling sighed, "This Master Liang died young and was raised by his uncle Liang Pi from childhood. He and his cousin Liang Luoren grew up together like brothers. Who would have thought that he would be killed by Liang Luoren now?"

Liang Shi's rise to become a powerful figure at the end of the Sui Dynasty was inseparable from his uncle, Liang Pi. Liang Pi, known for his integrity and incorruptibility, was highly valued by Emperor Wen and Emperor Yang of Sui, rising to the position of Minister of Justice and acting Grand Censor.
With such an uncle in the court, Liang Shidu's life was smooth sailing after he grew up, and he eventually became the Eagle-like General of Shuofang.

At the end of the Daye era, the world was in chaos. Liang Shidu, who had been dismissed from his post and was at home, befriended heroes from all over the country, killed officials and rebelled. Then he attached himself to the Turks and attacked cities and seized territories everywhere.

Liang Shidu was one of the first emperors to declare himself emperor at the end of the Sui Dynasty, but unfortunately, he encountered Li Yuan's entry into Guanzhong, which completely blocked his path of expansion. Even with the support of the Turks, he could only live in a corner of the country.

With the support of the Turks, Liang Shidu fought a fierce battle with the Tang Dynasty for many years. However, under the defense of Tang generals such as Lin Xingcan and Duan Decao, Liang Shidu was unable to gain any significant advantage, and his territory shrank further. Shuofang was not a prosperous region to begin with, and its population was also small.

After dragging it out for a while, it eventually became a dead dog.

If Liang Shidu had been able to recognize the times, accept the steps offered by the Tang Dynasty, understand the situation, and submit to the court like Yuan Junzhang, Zhang Changxun, Guo Zihe, and others, he would have certainly earned a high-ranking official position and a generous title.

As a result, he remained stubborn and refused to listen to reason, and as a result, his head was chopped off by his cousin and sent to Chang'an.

"This time, the various Turkic tribes were quite cooperative and contributed their efforts, which deserves commendation."

"Yes, those who actively contribute should be rewarded. Those who shirk their duties or even take the opportunity to plunder should be punished."

Post-war relief and recovery
The prime ministers believed that a court official should be sent to appease the people of Shuofang, verify military achievements, reward merits, punish wrongdoings, and pacify the people.

The former territory of Liang Shidu was converted from a prefecture to a state, and the states were merged into counties.

They surveyed the land, conducted a census of the population, and distributed land equally among the people.

Similarly, the officials and soldiers of the pseudo-Liang Kingdom also need to be dealt with. Some of them will be sent to Chang'an for selection and appointment, some will be directly dismissed, and some may be retained locally.

The aftermath is very important.

Otherwise, it might trigger another rebellion by his former subordinates or local powerful figures.

The Tang Dynasty was quite experienced in this regard.

Du Ruhui smiled and said, "The Turks performed well this time. Since they are usable, why not take advantage of the clear autumn weather and launch another attack on Tuyuhun while we are riding the wave of our great victory?"

The Tuyuhun people of Qinghai were not always loyal; they were like troublemakers, constantly shouting for submission while always raiding the border.

He still has the nerve to send envoys to propose marriage alliances at the drop of a hat.

Longyou had very few peaceful days.
The entire court was disgusted with the Tuyuhun people. There was no other way to deal with such scoundrels except to subdue them by force.

“Mobilizing troops and gathering provisions and equipment will take time. I think it would be more appropriate to launch a campaign against Tuyuhun next year,” Li Yi said. “However, we can spread the word and make a show of it, pretending that the court is going to send troops to conquer Tuyuhun.”

Let's scare the Tuyuhun and make them behave themselves.

Of course, there's another meaning: they said they would attack this year, but they didn't.

If the imperial court announces its intention to send troops to Tuyuhun next year, they will likely become complacent and less vigilant. When the wolf finally comes, we can launch a surprise attack.

Upon hearing of Liang Shidu's defeat and death, the emperor was overjoyed and came to the Hall of State Affairs.

“Li Jing captured Shuofang in just a few months with almost no casualties. What a great achievement!” He looked at Li Yi. “Wu Yi recommended Li Jing, which is a merit of recommending someone.”

Li Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty is strategizing from behind the scenes, while Li Jing is commanding from the front lines with great skill."

"Li Jing is still as sharp as ever! What do you think he should be rewarded for?"

Among the several prime ministers, some said Li Yi should be promoted to a higher official rank, while others said he should be granted a higher title.

The emperor asked Li Yi for his opinion, and Li Yi believed that Li Jing should be promoted in rank and then appointed as the governor of Liangzhou.

"In recent years, there have been frequent rebellions in Hexi. The rebellion in Shazhou was only quelled after three years, and this year there is another rebellion in Guazhou. Tuyuhun has also been inconsistent in its submission and rebellion. If the court wants to conquer Tuyuhun next year, then Hexi will need a great general to guard it."

In my opinion, Li Jing's presence in Hexi will not only quell the rebellion and stabilize the region, but also prepare for the campaign against Tuyuhun next year.

Li Yi recommended Li Jing as the governor of Liangzhou to oversee the Hexi region, actually hoping that he could lead the campaign against Tuyuhun the following year.
Going to Hexi first would give them a significant advantage, as they would be closer to the source. Li Shimin hesitated.
Li Jing was getting on in years.

Although the performance in defeating Liang Shidu was good, Liang Shidu was just a dead dog. To be honest, any general could have won.

If it weren't for the opposition from the court officials, Li Shimin would have even wanted his brother-in-law, Changsun Wuji, to be in charge of the army. However, due to various reasons, Changsun Wuji, the chief military officer, never left Chang'an and was unable to complete this opportunity to gain experience.

Li Youliang, the former governor of Liangzhou, was recalled.
The position of governor-general remained vacant.

"Li Jing's victory over Liang Shidu and the recovery of Shuofang deserves a reward," the emperor pondered for a moment, "He is hereby promoted to Grand Master of the Palace, Duke of Dai, Acting Governor of Liangzhou, and concurrently Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince, with an additional 200 households in his fief, bringing the total to 600 households!"

The emperor looked at Li Yi again.
"Wu Yi was credited with the planning and execution of Liang Shidu, and he also deserves a reward for recommending Li Jing."

"He changed Wu Yi's title to Prince of Wei, and granted him 100 mu of salt fields in the Wu and Bai salt ponds of Shuofang."

The vacancy left by Li Jing as the governor of Daizhou was filled by Zhang Gongjin, the chief steward of the Crown Prince's household.

Shuofang Commandery was renamed Xiazhou, and Yanchuan Commandery was renamed Yanzhou.

Li Yi never expected that his title would change again, from the earliest Prince of Fenyang, to the later Prince of Wu'an, then to the Prince of Dai, and now to the Prince of Wei.

The title of nobility was changed repeatedly.

He didn't feel there were any major changes.
The Prince of Dai and the Prince of Wei were actually princes of the same rank, not kings.

The emperor was in a good mood.

They were having afternoon tea in the Hall of State Affairs.

They drank tea, ate snacks, and chatted.

"I have heard that there was a foreign man in the Western Regions who bought a precious pearl. Fearing it would be stolen, he cut open his own stomach and hid the pearl inside. Have you heard this story?"

Yuwen Shiji said, "I have indeed heard this story."

Pei Ju, who was well-versed in Western Regions affairs, also said he had heard of it.

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Everyone laughs at this foreign merchant for loving pearls more than his life, but in fact, aren't corrupt officials who embezzle and accept bribes, or emperors who are greedy for money and personal gain, the same as this foreign merchant who end up disgraced, ruined, and killed?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Wei Zheng also told a story.

"Duke Ai of Lu once said to Confucius that a man in the State of Song forgot his wife when he moved house. Confucius replied that Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang even forgot their own lives, which is worse than forgetting one's wife when moving house."

This is similar to the story of that foreign merchant.

Li Shimin, holding a giant shengnu (a type of glutinous rice cake), sighed, "Indeed, I and all my beloved ministers must know how to protect ourselves and work together with one heart and one mind, so as not to be laughed at by others."

Take Liu Hongji, for example. At forty, he was no longer confused and no longer thought about accumulating wealth. Changsun Shunde, as a meritorious minister of the court, was on night duty in the Secretariat when he discovered a palace servant stealing. However, he accepted a small bribe of gold and silver and forgot his integrity.

"A dignified Duke and Grand General, accepting a few taels of gold and silver from a palace slave who stole it—is his character and reputation really worth only a few taels of gold and silver?"

"Noble character is priceless."

Wei Zheng said, "Your Majesty should set an example for your subjects and be a wise ruler."

"How does a monarch determine what is bright and what is dark?"

"Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; listen to only one side and you will be misled. In the past, Emperor Yao went deep into the countryside to inquire about the situation, which is why the crimes of the Miao tribe were able to reach the court. Emperor Shun had eyes in all directions and ears in all directions, so bad people like Gonggong and Gun could not deceive him."

Qin Er Shi trusted Zhao Gao too much, and as a result, he was killed in Wangyi Palace.

Emperor Wu of Liang trusted Zhu Yi implicitly and eventually starved to death in Taicheng.

Emperor Yang of Sui trusted Yu Shiji too much, which resulted in a mutiny at Pengcheng Pavilion, where he was strangled to death.

It is evident that a monarch who listens to only one side or is easily swayed will either face danger or perish.

We must solicit opinions widely so that those around us cannot be misled, and only then can the truthful information from below be reported to the emperor.

"Well said," Li Shimin repeatedly praised.

"Both Emperor Gao Wei of Northern Qi and Emperor Yuwen Yun of Northern Zhou relentlessly exploited the people while indulging in luxury, ultimately leading to the exhaustion of their national strength and their eventual demise."

It's like a glutton eating their own flesh; once the flesh is gone, the person dies. How foolish!

Which of these two incompetent rulers was more foolish?

Wei Zheng replied, “The last emperor of Northern Qi was weak and incompetent, and his decrees came from the hands of several powerful ministers. Zhou Tianyuan was arrogant and cruel, and acted arbitrarily.”

Although both were rulers who lost their kingdoms, the last emperor of Qi was arguably worse.

Li Shimin thought what he said made a lot of sense.

"With you all assisting me, Wu Yi and Xuan Ling are skilled strategists, Ke Ming and Da Lin are decisive, and Xuan Cheng, Shu Jie, and Ren Ren are willing to offer advice, why should I worry about the flourishing of this prosperous era?"

Just as the emperor was in high spirits, Wei Zheng said, "I have heard that Your Majesty plans to go hunting in the Zhongnan Mountains?"

"I do have that plan, are you here to dissuade me again?"

"How dare I coerce Your Majesty? It is merely my duty to speak frankly. If Your Majesty can cherish the people's strength and restrain your personal desires, a prosperous era will not be far away."

Li Shimin originally wanted to relax in Zhongnan Mountain, but upon seeing this, he had no choice but to laugh and cancel his trip.

"Reward Prime Minister Wei with a basket of spinach and twenty bolts of silk."

(End of this chapter)