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

Chapter 813 Returning to the Scene

Qin Qiong is the newly appointed door god of the Tang Dynasty.
On the battlefield, no one could stop him. He followed Li Shimin in his campaigns to the east and west. If any enemy dared to show off or act arrogantly, Qin Shubao would spur his horse, brandish his spear, and charge straight into the enemy formation. Men and horses would be scattered, and he would take the enemy's head from among the thousands of soldiers and return.

His iron-bound spear, known as the Great Iron Spear, is still enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple of the Tang Dynasty, serving as a state ritual object.

In the past, Qin Qiong could charge in and out of the battlefield seven times, and after a great victory, he could drink seven or eight bowls of wine.

Even his mount, Huleibao, couldn't live without wine. Once, when it was drunk and attacked by the enemy in the middle of the night, it carried Qin Qiong and galloped wildly, leaping over several tents and high fences, displaying unparalleled swiftness.

But this door god, whose fame is now widespread among the people,
Holding the tiger bone wine, he merely smelled it.

"This wine smells really good."

Qin Qiong used to enjoy drinking, wielding a spear, drawing a powerful bow, riding a spirited horse, and drinking strong liquor—it was a truly exhilarating experience.

But now my health isn't good enough.

He, the Left General of the Martial Guard, had actually been recuperating at home for a long time.

He rarely even went to the Left Guard Office of the Imperial City on ordinary days.

"Second Brother, you're not drinking any more?" Li Junxian asked, looking at him. "It'll be alright if you drink a little, right?"

Qin Qiong laughed and said, "Last time His Majesty sent the old imperial physician from the Imperial Pharmacy to examine me. He said I had too many old injuries and needed to recuperate. I can't drink alcohol anymore."

“I joined the army when I was young and fought in more than two hundred battles, large and small. I was hit by arrows many times and had more than a hundred wounds on my body. The blood I lost in these battles was several bushels.”

"I should be in my prime now, but once I stop taking a break, my body can't take it anymore."

"You can't drink any more alcohol."

He waved his hand,
The bravest warriors always have countless scars on their bodies.

Qin Qiong said he fought in over two hundred battles, suffered over one hundred wounds, and lost several bushels of blood.
This is by no means an exaggeration.

His ability to survive countless battles is not only due to his bravery, but also truly to his luck.

In fact,
The battlefield is never short of fierce generals, but what it lacks most is luck.

Cheng Yaojin took a sip of wine. "This wine is really good, it's strong enough. It's a pity you can't drink it, Second Brother."

As Lao Cheng spoke, he tore open his clothes and counted the scars on his body, many of which were from when he fought alongside Qin Shubao.

Li Yi noticed a particularly gruesome wound on his waist.

"Where was this wound from? It must have been extremely dangerous at the time, right?"

Old Cheng finished his drink and pointed to the scar. "This scar has quite a history. I almost died here. My intestines were sticking out, but I managed to put them back in."

This wound,
Li Mi attacked Wang Shichong, but ended up being decisively defeated by Wang Shichong.
Wei's army camp, led by Shan Xiongxin, was under fierce attack by Wang Shichong. Cheng Yaojin and Pei Xingyan were ordered to provide reinforcements.

At the critical moment, Shan Xiongxin remained in his camp, watching helplessly as Cheng Yaojin and Pei Xingyan, who had come to their aid, were surrounded. In the chaos of battle, Pei Xingyan was struck by an arrow, fell from his horse, and was seriously wounded. He was in grave danger.

Cheng Yaojin charged into the encirclement, pulled Pei Xingyan onto his own warhorse, and fought his way out.

As a result, an enemy general suddenly appeared from the side and, taking advantage of the chaos, pierced through Cheng Yaojin's waist and abdomen with a spear, also impaling Pei Xingyan behind him.

In a critical moment, Cheng Yaojin actually grabbed the enemy's spear with his left hand, then used his right hand to break the enemy general's spear in half. He then spurred his horse forward and used the broken spear to stab the enemy general off his horse, fighting his way out of the encirclement in a bloody mess.

When he escaped, Cheng Yaojin's abdomen was pierced, and his intestines were spilling out. He simply stuffed them back in with his hands.

"Truly a divine being!" Li Yi exclaimed.
He didn't die! A bullet pierced his abdomen, yet no vital organs were damaged, not even his intestines. And he managed to stuff it back in by hand, without any infection.

It has to be said, he was incredibly lucky to survive, and his physical condition is truly remarkable.

Cheng Yaojin said that he and Pei Xingyan already had a good relationship, and after this battle, they became sworn brothers.

"Unfortunately, during the Battle of Guzhou, we abandoned Wang Shichong and returned to Tang. At that time, Xingyan and his brother, along with their father, General Pei Renji, did not leave."

Later, they attempted to kill Wang Shichong, who had murdered the emperor and usurped the throne, but their plot was exposed and they were killed.

Old Cheng's eyes reddened as he held Li Yi's hand, "Xing Yan only has a younger sister and a younger brother left now. They're both with you, so you must treat them well."

I'm from my sister's family; if you bully her, I'll beat you up.

Li Yi said, "Don't worry, I will definitely cherish my own wives and concubines."

After Pei entered the Li family, she gave birth to his seventh son, Li Rui. When Pei Renji and his son Pei Xingyan were killed, Pei Renji's wife was pregnant and resting in her hometown in Hedong. She escaped the calamity and later gave birth to a posthumous son, named Pei Xingjian.

After Luoyang was captured, Pei Renji's daughter was selected from the Luoyang Palace by Consort Zhang and Consort Yin and given to Li Yi on behalf of the emperor.

Later, she asked Li Yi to bring her mother and younger brother to Chang'an to take care of them, and Li Yi readily agreed.

Li Rui and his uncle Pei Xingjian are only a little over a year apart, one is a little over three years old and the other is a little over four years old. They live together and have a close relationship like brothers.

Li Yi, Pei Xingjian's brother-in-law, was absolutely devoted to him.

After a few cups of tiger bone wine,
The military officers began to take off their clothes.

They were all showing off their scars.
Knowing them like the back of one's hand,

This document was written in what year, month, and battle, and what amazing performance he made at the time.

A group of burly men took off their clothes.
The scene was a bit cringe-worthy.

However, the origins of the scars on their bodies are almost clear evidence of the series of wars that led to the transition from the Sui to the Tang dynasty.

Qin Qiong watched Cheng Yaojin and the others flex their muscles and sit to the side, looking somewhat forlorn.

These old brothers,
They are all still in their prime, and the emperor trusts them greatly and regards them as important.

Shi Xin was transferred back to serve as the governor of Luozhou, while Yao Jin went to Jiannan to serve as the governor of Luzhou, still to suppress the Tieshan Liao.

Niu Jin was appointed Governor of Songzhou, Li Junxian was appointed Governor of Lanzhou, and Wu Heita was appointed Prefect of Dengzhou...
Of the nine people, five were governors and two were prefects, but he became an idle person.

"Wu Yi, could you arrange a substantive post for me as well? Even a governorship in a remote area would be fine. I feel that a person can't be idle. Although I fought one battle after another before my old wounds healed and new ones appeared, I was never seriously injured."

Once the battle ended
When people are idle,
I actually collapsed and am now practically a cripple. I'm still young, only in my early thirties. I can't just stay home recovering like this, can I?

My old buddy, Huleibao, hasn't been very energetic lately; he's also longing to go to the battlefield.

"Second brother, you have fought for more than ten years, in more than two hundred battles, large and small, and have suffered more than a hundred wounds. The amount of blood you have shed must have been several bushels."

Now that the world is unified, it's time for you to lay down your arms, let your horses graze freely, and put away your weapons for a good rest.

Talented people emerge in every generation, and there are still many generals in the court. Let the younger generation take the lead.

You, a founding hero, should enjoy your retirement.

"Rest assured and recuperate. After some time, you can serve the Emperor, go hunting together, and help His Majesty instruct the Imperial Guards and the Hundred Cavalry in archery and horsemanship, explaining battle examples and formations."

Qin Qiong smiled bitterly.

"Pharmacist Li is actually a civil official, and he's already in his fifties or sixties, yet he can still command troops in battle. I, a military general, am young and still recuperating at home... sigh..."

Qin Qiong smelled the wine in his cup again.
"Wu Yi, what you just said makes sense, but I don't think that sending troops doesn't mean there's no chance of victory."

If you were to take command, we would all call upon our old brothers. What is a mere Tuyuhun worth mentioning?
Where can that old scoundrel Fu Yun escape to?
The swift and decisive blow left him with nowhere to escape.

The Tuyuhun people live on grasslands and are a nomadic tribe, which makes it easy for them to escape. However, this also makes it easy for us to launch surprise attacks. The enemy doesn't have any fortified cities to resist, so we don't need to fight a siege battle.

Just like when I followed General Zhang to suppress the bandits at the end of the Daye era, no matter how many there were, it was easier to launch a surprise attack and defeat them.

Wu Yi
You come out of seclusion again, you take command, and I'll be the vanguard. We'll head straight for Qinghai and capture that old traitor Fu Yun in one fell swoop.

These millions of cattle and sheep belonging to the Tuyuhun are all ours. Wouldn't it be just as helpful to bring them back?

"Since Lao Cheng went to Luzhou and was able to solve his own problems with food and supplies, and also fight the Tieshan Liao, then we can also quickly defeat Tuyuhun."

"Second brother, His Majesty and the ministers have already made a decision on this matter, so we won't discuss it further. Here, let me brew some health-preserving tea for you. Have some tea."

Qin Qiong watched Cheng Yaojin and Luo Shixin arm wrestling, his eyes filled with envy. "These guys are really fierce."

He envied their good health and their new positions, which would soon be assigned to various places to guard their territories.

Li Yi looked at his expression.

A line of poetry suddenly came to mind.

A beauty grows old, a general's hair turns white; the world's affairs are most unbearable.

Qin Qiong was only in his thirties, in the prime of his life, but he was already too ill to go to the battlefield. Looking at his comrades, he felt old.

Cheng Yaojin, with a waist ten spans wide, and Luo Shixin, short and strong, arm-wrestled and ended in a draw.

Cheng Yaojin, his face flushed red, was very unconvinced and shouted that he wanted to try again.

The next day,

At noon, the emperor summoned Li Yi to dine with him.

"Try this cornbread."

Li Yi looked at the plate of small cornbread in front of him. It didn't look like the imperial cornbread he had eaten before. Those were made with finely ground corn flour, soybean flour, and white sugar, and were steamed into small, cone-shaped pastries about the size of a thumb.

But this one looks completely different.

"Is this made from wild vegetables and coarse grains?"

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Try it first and then we'll talk."

Pick one up; it's a bit bigger, like a small teacup, but it's also rougher because of the wild vegetables mixed in. The vegetables even turned black after steaming, making the cornbread less appealing.

Take a bite,
It's definitely not as sweet and delicate as the previous palace-style steamed buns.

The texture is also very coarse; it contains not only wild vegetables but also what seems to be wheat bran.

Upon closer tasting, it seems to have a slightly fishy smell.

Not very tasty.

Li Shimin said, "This was made by the Empress herself. Cornmeal is the main ingredient, mixed with some bean flour, and then bran and wild vegetables were added."
One more thing was added: dried locust eggs ground into powder.

These cornbreads, made with bran and wild vegetables, are very coarse, and the main ingredient is coarse cornmeal.

It certainly doesn't taste as good as the three-ingredient steamed bun made from cornmeal, bean flour, and wheat flour, but it can save a lot of food during famines.

I have heard that the people grind acorn flour and elm bark into powder, mix it with some soybean and millet flour, add wild vegetables, and even add some clay to make life-saving cornbread during famines.

The Empress also made some acorn flour, which was very bitter. The imperial physician said she shouldn't eat too much, as it could easily cause constipation.

Compared to cornbread made from wild vegetables, tree bark, acorns, and clay, this cornbread made from corn, soybeans, wild vegetables, and locust egg powder is far superior.

"Wu Yi, the drought is very serious, and I'm afraid the wheat won't grow."

I intend to eat only two meals a day, starting today.

"We will not eat after noon; from now on, our staple food will be these coarse cornbread buns."

"Then I will also respond, and until the situation improves, I will not eat after noon, but only two meals a day."

"Your Majesty, could you please grant me the recipe for these cornbreads from the Empress? I would like to have my family learn how to make them," Li Yi said with a smile.

The emperor agreed and also bestowed upon Li Yi a basket of coarse grain buns made by the empress, a total of six.

Not only him, but the other prime ministers were also given a basket of coarse grain buns made by the empress herself.

Meanwhile, officials of the third rank and above in the imperial court, as well as the officials in charge of supplying the imperial treasury in the two provinces, received a basket of coarse grain buns made by the Guanglu Temple according to the Empress's method.

(End of this chapter)