Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 220 Li Yi

When Li Tiao learned of Li Yi's defeat, he did not immediately reprimand his beloved son.

This uncrowned king of Lingnan calmly summoned the defeated soldiers, held a banquet to appease their morale, and used past victories to boost their spirits. Li Tiao also bestowed money and silk upon the families of the fallen soldiers to provide them with relief.

The Guangzhou Navy slowed its attack pace and entered a period of rest and reorganization.

Li Tiao even invited Taoist priests and monks to perform rituals and chant sutras to pray for the fallen soldiers. The city of Guangzhou was filled with mournful music.

At this moment, a fine autumn rain began to fall, obscuring the view.

A cavalry unit waded through the mud and rain, silently advancing and bypassing the fortified positions like ghosts, and stormed into the rear supply depot.

A batch of completed siege weapons were doused with flammable oil, causing them to burst into flames.

The raging fire did not die out when it met water. Crimson fire snakes coiled and danced in the rain, engulfing all kinds of siege weapons, including pointed wooden donkeys, battering rams, trench bridges, and siege ladders, and devouring them into ashes, leaving only a mess.

As the ancients said: "Prepare your elite troops, take advantage of their laxity and fatigue, strike unexpectedly, and attack where they are unprepared."

Li Tiao had not personally led troops on the front lines for many years. When he made the decision to personally lead the troops in a surprise attack, the morale of the army was greatly boosted, and the elite soldiers were eager to fight to the death.

The wealthy merchants in the foreign quarters, knowing that the barbarian army harbored great hostility towards them, also offered brave warriors and strong horses to help them.

In a place like Guangzhou, there are certainly not many cavalrymen, but a cavalry force of several hundred men is mobile and flexible, and can be used to their advantage.

In his youth, Li Tiao once led a lightly armed cavalry raid, sneaking through shallow waters on the lake where boats could not pass, and directly attacked the rear of the bandits' stronghold. With only two hundred riders, he captured and killed more than two thousand bandits.

This happened so long ago that people often overlook the fact that even renowned naval commanders need to have solid land warfare skills.

The continuous autumn rain is the right time; the mud is not deep enough for horses to run on; Li Tiao inspires the soldiers and uses their fighting spirit; this is the right people.

The attacks over the past few days, and the various battle reports pieced together, allowed Li Tiao to roughly figure out the layout of the grass army's siege camps, enabling him to ride his cavalry through the city as if it were empty.

In an instant, morale in Guangzhou soared.

Only then did Li Tiao call his son Li Yi in, urging him to reflect on his mistakes.

In Li Tiao's view, this is the best example a father can teach by example.

But for Li Yi, this silent interrogation was an immense torment!

Who wouldn't want their student to surpass their teacher?

The fact that Lei Shuai and Gao Pian were so powerful that they surpassed their ancestors is considered a great story by the world.

But in the two hundred years of the Tang Dynasty, how many heroes like Gao Pian have there been?

Aristocratic families can provide better training, and their bloodlines may be slightly superior.

But top geniuses are always a tiny minority.

When Li Yi was a teenager, he knew that no matter how hard he tried, there was still an insurmountable gap between him and the most outstanding talents.

But he felt that was enough!

He was far superior to ordinary people and even surpassed his younger brothers, making him a highly qualified ruler who could maintain the status quo.

Given his father's business acumen in Lingnan, shouldn't the script have been that after the world descended into chaos, he naturally became the dominant force in the region?

How did these damned bandits manage to get to Lingnan?
While cursing Huang Chao, Zhu Wen, and others in his heart, Li Yi also began to criticize his father, who was as cold as iron in front of him.

Was Father's victory this time really such a significant achievement?
The cavalry, lightly armed and on a raid, could only carry a limited amount of fuel for their fire, and thus destroyed only a portion of the grass army's siege equipment. These items, however, could be rebuilt after being burned.

As for provisions and family members, Li Tiao didn't touch them at all due to the tight security.

Ultimately, this battle did little to actually harm the bandits; its symbolic significance outweighed its practical value. All that fuss was simply to restore morale and convince the soldiers and civilians in the city that the city was impregnable and that "Sea God" was as brave as ever.

"You old codger, you're nothing special after all," Li Yi thought to himself.

If you're so capable, why don't you take the enemy general's head from the midst of a massive army, retrieve Huang Jutian's head, and completely relieve Guangzhou's crisis?
Li Tiao watched as his son methodically reflected on his mistakes and analyzed his father's wisdom. He nodded slightly, but his expression remained stern, maintaining the dignity befitting a strict father.

After more than an hour of self-reproach, Li Yi walked out of the inner hall, dressed in inconspicuous plain clothes, and blended into the crowd.

He lowered his head, feeling utterly exhausted, his legs as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Li Yi would rather be scolded or even beaten than accept this so-called "teaching by example"!
Feeling a tightness in his chest, Li Yi, who was taking a short walk to clear his mind, suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar, alluring figure in the alley.

Golden hair flowing, a beauty as lovely as jade.

"Fool, what are you looking at? Don't you know that this is very rude to me?"

Yu Di spoke softly and sweetly to a handsome scholar.

A gentle breeze swept through the alley, lifting the sleeves of the beautiful woman's clothes and revealing a small, bright red mark on her virginity mark.

Li Yi suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

A fierce glint appeared in his eyes.

He had already foreseen the scholar's fate.

No matter how well You Di maintains her youthful appearance, she looks no more than twenty years old; after all, she is a thirty-year-old woman.

Of course, she'll get bored sometimes and need someone to cheer her up.

Scholars often believed that they would encounter a peerless beauty in a long pavilion or short alley, creating a romantic tale.

The red mark on You Di's wrist eased Li Yi's frustration and reassured him.

Li Yi knew, of course, that the concept of "virginity mark" was just superstitious nonsense for ordinary people.

However, the techniques practiced by You Di include Taoist Yin-Yang principles, which indeed link the virginity mark with true Yin and even destiny.

The bright red dot on Kao's arm is proof that she is still a virgin, waiting for the person she deems most worthy to entrust herself to.

Li Yi knew that when You Di got bored, the scholar, filled with beautiful dreams, would have his neck gently snapped by soft, boneless hands, then be buried in the garden, beneath a dry well, and forgotten silently.

"She's just playing a cat-and-mouse game. When the mouse gets tired of playing, it will be eaten."

Li Yi thought to himself.

He tried his best to convince himself that Youdi and those foolish scholars who walked right into his trap had not had any inappropriate relationship.

It's just something to fill the void in my spirit.

For a spinster like Youdi, her needs go beyond just emotional ones.

A courtesan like Zhuoying, who has only practiced her skills with women and has never been with male clients, cannot display the captivating charm and allure of Youdi.

After the scholars had caressed that flawless body, their expressions would suddenly shift from ecstasy to disbelief and despair.

In their daily interactions, Youdi gradually seduced her, like a spider sucking the last drop of juice from its prey.

With each prey it devours, Yu Di's radiant glow intensifies.

Li Yi was completely captivated by this dazzling light, unable to extricate himself.

He never wanted to think about how such breathtaking and unparalleled brilliance was created.

(End of this chapter)