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

Chapter 183 Li Yi's ingenious plan
The winter cold was as sharp as a knife, blowing through the streets of Chang'an and chilling the young King of Qin's passion.

"Wang Shichong led 30,000 men to besiege Guzhou. Governor Ren Gui requested assistance. Your Majesty did not allow me to lead the army, but instead agreed to allow Li Mi to lead his old subordinates. How can this be justified?"

The twenty-year-old Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, exuded resentment and made no secret of it towards Li Yi.

Could it be that his own son was not as trustworthy as his cousin Li Mi who had just surrendered?
Li Yi felt that Li Shimin's statement was a sign of entrusting him with a confidant. Anyone else would be flattered and would follow him wholeheartedly from then on.

Li Yi is fine.
But he has always admired Li Shimin, even though he is still very young and has not achieved many great achievements. However, the young Li Shimin still shows his heroism and courage, and is full of personal charm.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Li Mi is someone who will never be content to be inferior to others. He has harbored discontent since entering the court. If Your Majesty were to allow him to return to Guandong, he would never return.

Let alone asking Li Mi to rescue Guzhou, I'm afraid he'll even raise his own troops and establish his own state." Li Yi said firmly, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

Li Shimin frowned, "If Li Mi had that ambition, he wouldn't have had to come to Chang'an in the first place."

Li Yi smiled lightly, and that smile made Li Shimin feel that he had some insight into the world. "Li Mi, everyone praises him as a hero, but it is actually an exaggeration. If he really had the ability, he would not have defeated such a huge force so quickly.

He was just unwilling, but he couldn't make any waves.

In fact, Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Li Mi's departure is not necessarily a bad thing for the court or for Your Majesty."

"Oh?" Li Shimin was surprised. "What do you mean? If he really has second thoughts, wouldn't this be like a dragon returning to the sea? He still has so many old subordinates in Shandong. If he raises his arms and raises his flag again, I'm afraid he can make a comeback."

"Li Mi is at best a small dragon," Li Yi said, looking directly into Li Shimin's eyes. "The true dragon emperor was destined by heaven, and he doesn't deserve it. It's precisely because he has many old subordinates in Shandong that if Li Mi were to have second thoughts now, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the court. Even if Your Majesty lets him go to Shandong, he can never return."

"Oh?" Li Shimin's curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and he said eagerly, "Please tell me quickly."

"Your Majesty, you may tell Your Majesty that Li Mi will rebel, but Your Majesty may not believe it.

At this time, you suggest that Li Mi take only half of his old subordinates from Huazhou to Shandong. After Li Mi leaves Tongguan, you ask His Majesty to send a letter of condolence, asking him to hand over the troops to the general manager Wang Bodang, the chief secretary Zhang Baode, and the Sima Jia Runfu to continue the advance, and let Li Mi return to Chang'an alone for other important tasks.

Given Li Mi's suspicious nature and double-mindedness, he had finally left Guanzhong and would never return. Once this decree was issued, Li Mi would surely rebel.

But although Li Mi had entered the Pass with an army of 20,000 to 30,000 men, only a little over 10,000 of them were soldiers and horses, and half of them were left in Huazhou, leaving him with only a few thousand men. With just a few thousand men, how could he have succeeded in a hasty rebellion? The imperial court would then have sent troops to suppress the rebellion, with legitimate justification. Who among his former followers in Shandong could blame the imperial court? And with Li Mi dead, his former followers in Shandong would naturally no longer have to worry about joining Li Mi in a rebellion. Li Yi spoke eloquently and logically, each step meticulously planned.

Fang Xuanling, who was always famous for his wisdom, could not help but clap his hands and exclaimed: "Wu Yi's plan is very brilliant. Li Mi will definitely die."

Du Ruhui also nodded slightly and echoed: "Once Li Mi is dead, Guzhou will have no choice but to send reinforcements. Your Majesty has your chance."

Li Shimin shook his head, his expression showing a clear understanding of the situation. "Although Ren Gui is old, he is very capable. Even without Li Mi's reinforcements, Ren Gui can still hold Guzhou. Moreover, the closest person to Guzhou is the governor of Shanzhou, Prince Yong'an Xiaoji."

Li Yi turned to look at Du Ruhui and asked, "Who is this Ren Gui?"

"Ren Gui was born in Luzhou of Southern Chen. His father died early, and he was raised by his uncle and married to the daughter of Liu, a prominent family in Hedong. With the support of the Liu family, he became the magistrate of Lingxi County at the age of 19. Later, he was appreciated by Wang Yong, the governor of Hengzhou, and recommended as the Sima of Hengzhou. After the Sui Dynasty sent troops to conquer the Southern Chen, Ren Gui suggested that Wang Yong split Lingnan, but Wang Yong surrendered to the Sui Dynasty, so Ren Gui resigned and lived in seclusion in the countryside for decades. At the end of the Daye period, the impoverished Ren Gui asked Your Majesty for a job and became the teacher of Prince Jiancheng. Later, he followed Your Majesty to Hedong, first served as the household officer of Hedong, and then moved to Hancheng County Lieutenant. After Your Majesty started the army, he recommended himself to recruit armed forces in Hancheng, Fengyi and other places. After the success, he was appointed Zuo Guanglu Dafu, and then moved to Guzhou Governor, and was granted the title of Guanguo Gong." Du Ruhui recounted Ren Gui's resume in detail. Just by listening to these resumes, you can tell that this person is not simple.

"Ren Gui has a younger brother, Ren Can, who serves as the Minister of Food in the Eastern Palace. It was Ren Gui who initially advised Your Majesty to seize the Yongfeng Granary. Although he is over sixty years old, he is very strategic and well-versed in military tactics."

Li Yi suddenly realized, thinking to himself, this is a princeling. I'd never heard of him before, but a few years ago, he was Jiancheng's tutor, a poor scholar, and now he's the Duke of Guan, the Governor of Guzhou, and the Left Guanglu Doctor.

"With Ren Gui here, Wang Shichong can't do anything to Guzhou. What's more, the Xiongzhou next door to Guzhou has the former Duke Shi Wanbao and the General Manager Sheng Yanshi, and Shanzhou also has the General Manager Li Xiaoji."

"That's fine." Li Yi looked calm and spoke in a steady tone. "No matter how capable Ren Gui is, he's only a governor of Guzhou. This Guzhou was established when the king and the crown prince captured it during their return from Luoyang at the beginning of the year. The state is small and inhabited by few people, so Ren Gui can only protect himself at best. Wang Shichong has certainly gathered many of Li Mi's former subordinates over this period of time. If he fails to capture Guzhou this time, he will continue to use troops against other states and counties. It's impossible for all the governors of each state to be as capable as Ren Gui. Moreover, the Prince of Yong'an, the governor of Shanzhou, is definitely no match for Wang Shichong. I even dare to say that the Prince of Huai'an, the ambassador of appeasement of Shandong, together with Cui Minggan, cannot deal with Dou Jiande. When they all fail, or even can no longer hold on, this mess will still have to be cleaned up by the king."

Li Shimin was surprised by Li Yi's speculation, his eyes full of surprise, "Will the situation in Henan and Hebei really get worse?"

"That's inevitable. We can't just send a royal family member or a duke to guard a region, and it's even more impossible for just anyone to deal with Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. These two have been fighting since the end of the Daye period. Each of them has a glorious record of battle. They fought for their territories and troops with real swords and guns. Since the saint started his army in Taiyuan, who has truly made glorious military achievements in our Tang Dynasty? Only King Qin!" Li Yi spoke sincerely and passionately.

Li Yi's advice to Li Shimin was to not be impatient.

If the emperor wants to strip you of your military power and suppress you, you must obey first.

When they realize that no one else can replace the King of Qin and resolve the situation, they will ultimately have to ask him to step forward. Wait, patiently wait. For now, focus on governing Hedong, training the troops, and preparing. Once the order for the final outcome is received, they must strike with unstoppable force and achieve victory in one fell swoop. From another perspective, there's nothing wrong with the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and even Prime Minister Pei Ji working together to suppress and restrict the King of Qin.

There are no two days in the sky, and there are no two masters in the country.

Li Yuan was the emperor and Jiancheng was the crown prince. With one emperor and one crown prince, there was no place for Li Shimin.

If there were no restrictions and the King of Qin continued to make achievements, the court would have to keep rewarding him, but the consequence would inevitably be the emergence of a general king who would become too powerful or even uncontrollable, which would easily lead to trouble.

But to be honest, there are not many people who can replace Li Shimin. When there is no one in the court who can solve the crisis, the court has no choice but to use Li Shimin. Therefore, the current situation of uncertainty actually gives Li Shimin an opportunity to develop. If he had conquered the world earlier, when Li Shimin's prestige was not high enough, he would have been at the mercy of the emperor and would have had no chance to seize the throne.

It can only be said that in history, Li Shimin was able to succeed in the Xuanwu Gate Palace coup not entirely because of taking risks, but because he had accumulated enough merits and prestige.

"I plan to temporarily hand over the affairs of the Shaanxi East Road Grand Secretariat to Liu Wenjing, Qu Tutong, and Yin Kaishan. I will return to Beijing to recuperate for a while. I dreamed of my mother in Changchun Palace a few days ago." Li Shimin's eyes revealed a hint of tenderness and nostalgia, and his voice unconsciously softened. "My mother used to take me to the Sanguan Temple on the banks of Shenheyuan, which was burned down by Qiang soldiers, by the Yusu River. One year, my mother went to the South Wutai Mountain to make a pilgrimage. On the way back, her carriage broke down. The repairs took time, and we hurried on when it got dark. On the way, we encountered robbers. Some servants stayed behind while others protected the carriage and ran away. Later, we took shelter in the Sanguan Temple and survived the dangerous night. Since then, my mother has gone to the Sanguan Temple to burn incense every year."

Li Shimin planned to fund the construction of another temple on the site of the Sanguan Temple. He had already chosen a name: Changning Palace, hoping that his mother's spirit could rest in peace. "I will personally supervise the construction of Changning Palace."

This is a good reason. Dou dreamed about her mother and told her son about it in the dream. So Li Shimin rebuilt the Sanguan Temple for his mother. This is filial piety.

Who could object to the King of Qin fulfilling his filial piety and vow to Empress Dou?

Li Shimin also planned to build a separate courtyard on the banks of the Yusu River while constructing Changning Palace. "From now on, I'll be neighbors with Li Yi and Ruhui. Xuanling, you should also build a separate courtyard so we can have company," Li Shimin said with a smile, his eyes full of longing for his future life.

"Okay." Fang Xuanling agreed readily with a gentle smile on his face.

The carriage slowly entered the city. Li Yi got off first and went home to change into court clothes.

The servants at home had been waiting for a long time and quickly brought out new court robes for him and helped him put them on. Then he went to attend the winter solstice court meeting.

Thousands of officials look to Chang'an, and tens of thousands of nations pay homage to the Tang Dynasty.

The grand court meeting on the Winter Solstice was as lively and grand as New Year's Day. The palace was ablaze with lights, and civil and military officials, dressed in splendid attire, lined up according to rank. The ceremony was elaborate and solemn, with drums and music blaring and incense curling.

After the court meeting, a palace banquet followed. Table after table was filled with delicacies, and the aroma of wine filled the air. Li Yuan drew Li Mi and Jia Runfu to his couch, and with a genial smile, he toasted with them. He then agreed to Li Mi's request to lead his former troops back to Shandong. He publicly appointed Li Mi as governor of Henan Province, Wang Bodang as deputy governor, Zhang Baode as chief secretary, and Jia Runfu as military commander, allowing them to lead 12,000 troops out of the border.

Li Mi's face flushed with excitement, his eyes gleaming with excitement, as if he saw hope for a resurgence. Meanwhile, Li Yi, drinking persimmon wine with Wu Shiling below, sighed for Li Mi. He was leaving and never coming back. Li Mi was also a prominent figure at the end of the Sui Dynasty. What a shame.

Wu Shiling, the Junior Minister of Agriculture, also drank until his face flushed red. He said with a thick tongue, "This is the taste. I don't find other wines interesting now. Your persimmon-smoked wine is the best for me."

"Then I will send a few more jars to Wu Gong later." Li Yi said with a smile, with a humble expression on his face.

"Okay, then I won't be polite." Wu Shi Leng laughed heartily.

"I also have to thank Wu Gong for ordering a lot of vegetables and fruits from the greenhouse for me last time."

"It's just a small favor. There are many people in my Wu family in Chang'an. It's not easy to eat fresh fruits and vegetables in winter." The old and the young raised their glasses and drank together in a harmonious atmosphere.

"I have good news for you, kid. You're going to be promoted soon." Lao Wu blushed and whispered in Li Yi's ear.

"You're joking, Lord Wu. What merits have I deserved to be promoted? I've only been working as deputy supervisor for two months." Li Yi's face was full of confusion, with disbelief in his eyes.

"Your Majesty has upgraded the three former residences in Chang'an, Gaoling, and Wugong to palaces. The Li residence in Wugong will be renamed Wugong Palace, the residence in Chang'an will be renamed Tongyi Palace, and the residence in Gaoling will be renamed Fengyi Palace. As usual, each of the three palaces will have a Palace Supervisor and a Deputy Supervisor. The ranks of these three Palace Supervisors are all from the fifth rank down. I heard that Fan Fang will be transferred to become the Director General of Wugong Palace. You may become the Director General of Fengyi Palace or Tongyi Palace, or you may take over as the Director General of the Palace Gardens."

Li Yi was a little skeptical. Although he was currently the Deputy Supervisor of the Palace Garden, he was only a sixth-rank official, several levels below the fifth-rank Supervisor. Besides, he had only been the Deputy Supervisor for a short time and hadn't achieved much, so there was no chance of him getting promoted again.

"If you still don't believe me, let's make a bet. If you get promoted to director, you have to give me ten jars of persimmon."

"Okay," Li Yi agreed with a smile, but he was still skeptical in his heart.

(End of this chapter)