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

Chapter 243 Abandoned Pawn
"My brother went on the expedition to Liaodong and died of starvation beneath the green mountains. Now I am pulling the dragon boat and blocking the Sui embankment... How can I find a righteous man to burn this ownerless corpse, lead its lonely soul back, and carry its bones home?"

In the sick children's camp in the south of Guzhou City, Lao Lu Chen Lingjiao was humming the boatman's song again. Li Yi opened the curtain and stepped into the ward.

Luo Wu and other personal soldiers brought in mutton, carp and other items.

The room was very cold and there was no stove. The ward was filled with a mixture of decay and stench that went straight to the top of people's heads.

"Why isn't the stove lit?" Li Yi asked.

The singing stopped, and Chen Lingjiao sat up from the big bed, "Manager,"

The other wounded soldiers also looked over.

"Why don't you light the stove to keep warm?"

Chen Lingjiao laughed sadly twice, "People like us are now abandoned pawns with no love, no mother, and no one to care for us."

"The stove was taken away yesterday,"

"Why? Who took it away?" Li Yi frowned. This camp for sick children in the south of Guzhou City was something he had actively suggested to the Crown Prince after the war. On cold and snowy days, the wounded soldiers should be transferred to the city where the conditions would be better. He also found ways to find doctors and buy medicine from various places, and to arrange stoves, firewood, charcoal, food, etc.

Provide a good environment for the wounded to recuperate.
"Li Zongguan, you are the best official I have ever seen, but not everyone is as good as you. Yesterday, someone claimed to be the General of the Cavalry of the Prince's Mansion. I think his last name was Wei."

"Wei Ting?"

"Yes, that's the name. He said he was ordered by the Crown Prince to inform us that we are not Tang soldiers, but prisoners of the Zheng army. Now that the war is over, the Crown Prince will show mercy and not pursue our crimes."

Another wounded soldier said, "They just abandoned us and left us to fend for ourselves. They said they would let us go back home, but where can we go in our current state?"

The wounded soldiers complained about the injustice.

The Tang soldiers in the sick children's camp were taken away. Those with minor injuries were said to be transported back to Chang'an, while the seriously injured and disabled ones were sent to Shanzhou City in the rear for recuperation.

Wei Ting didn't care about these former Zheng army soldiers, or the civilians and village men who were not government soldiers.

With just one sentence, everyone should return to their hometowns and be left to fend for themselves.

"The stove charcoal was taken away yesterday, and no one even brought us food today."

Among these abandoned wounded soldiers, there were some former subordinates of Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin and others, who were also told to be dismissed on the spot.

Li Yi cursed Wei Ting in his heart for being a inhumane person.

There were more than 300 wounded soldiers like Chen Lingjiao, all of whom were seriously injured, and many were already disabled. Those with less serious injuries left one by one when they saw that no one cared about them, either going home or to make a living on their own, which was better than freezing and rotting here.

Chen Lingjiao had nowhere to go, one of his eyes was still rotten and one of his legs was not healed yet.

I can only wait to die here.

"Go find a stove and some charcoal, and then cook."

After experiencing the brutal battle of attacking and defending the city, Li Yi could not turn a blind eye to Chen Lingjiao and his men. He was a prisoner of the Zheng army in Luoyang, but his injuries were caused by defending the city as a soldier under Li Yi.

When he was injured, he had already been incorporated into his army and became a member of the Tang army.

Now that the war is over, how can Wei Ting say that they are not Tang troops and how can he abandon them like this?

When the stove in the ward was lit again and the mutton and millet stew was served,
All the wounded soldiers were filled with gratitude.

Chen Lingjiao didn't expect that Li Yi still cared about him even though he had been abandoned.

"You are my subordinates. If you get injured while defending the city, I have to take care of you."

Li Yi personally helped Chen Lingjiao change the dressing. He stroked the coarse linen bandage with his fingers and untied the blood-stained bandage. His left eye socket was a little red, swollen and ulcerated. He helped him clean the wound and applied new dressing.

"Butler, is my injury feeling better?"

"Well, there's some redness and swelling, but that's not a bad thing. It's your body fighting the inflammation, just like defending a city. It will quickly kill the invaders, and then you'll be fine."

His legs were in good condition.

Li Yi didn't know whether Chen Lingjiao's injured eye would heal, so he could only comfort him in this way, hoping that he could hold on.

"how old are you?"

"Twenty,"

This age surprised Li Yi. He had thought he was at least 30, but he was still not yet a man. However, he had heard of his rich experience before: fisherman, canal worker, helmsman, dragon boat driver, ration transporter, and even soldier. He was only 20.

"What are your plans for the future?"

With the charcoal stove, the room became warmer and not so cold. Chen Lingjiao ate the mutton porridge in big mouthfuls, feeling very satisfied and having a good appetite.

Although his injured eye was badly rotten and one of his legs could not move, he did not cry out in pain.

"I don't know." Chen Lingjiao was stunned for a long time, shook his head, and continued to eat mutton and millet stew.

"Have you ever thought about going home?"

"I've been away from home for four years and haven't heard from my family. I heard from my fellow villagers that our fishing village was burned to the ground by the rebels..." He was silent for a while, "Now the Jianghuai area is as chaotic as Henan, with fighting all the time and no peace."

"If you don't plan to return to your hometown in Jianghuai, you can come with me to Guanzhong. I have some farms and workshops, and you can choose a place to stay."

Chen Lingjiao was lost in thought.
"But even if I get better, I'll still be disabled. I've lost an eye, and maybe my leg will even become lame."

"Everything will be fine," Li Yi comforted him. "Is the steward really willing to take me in?"

"As long as you are willing to go, I can still accommodate you."

After hearing this, many of the other wounded soldiers who were eating millet stew also asked tentatively: "Boss, can I also go to your farm? I have one hand broken, but I still have one hand and can work. I can do farm work and I can't just eat rice."

In troubled times,

Many wounded soldiers have lost their homes and families long ago, and are now disabled and abandoned. They don’t know where to go in the future.

Now after hearing what Li Yi said, they wanted to go to Manager Li's farm. Although they had only known Manager Li for a short time, they all felt that he was a very good person and it would be a good idea to follow him.

Li Yi looked at the expectant eyes and couldn't refuse.

"As long as you're willing to go, it's all fine. Regardless of whether you're missing an arm or a leg, or even an eye, there's always a suitable job for you. You won't have any problem supporting yourself."

Li Yi's promise boosted the morale of the wounded soldiers.

"Take good care of yourself."

Li Yi felt heavy-hearted after leaving the wounded camp.

While asking his personal soldiers such as Luo Wu to take care of the stoves, firewood, medicine and meals in the wounded camp during these days, he began to write a memorial.

He suggested to the emperor that more military doctors should be appointed, and that when the army went out to war, a sick camp must be set up, and special personnel should be assigned to take care of the wounded. More mules, donkeys, stretchers and medicinal materials should be prepared to transport the wounded. He also asked about a series of issues, such as how to provide first aid to the wounded, medical treatment and nursing during war, and the recuperation of the wounded after the war.

The north wind howled,

My heart feels heavy and uneasy.

Although the Book of the Later Han Dynasty has already recorded that there were field hospitals such as Anlu in the army, there would be special medical officers, as well as special patient lists, military medical attendance books, and injury books to record military injuries.

But in fact, the Tang army is extremely weak in military doctors and medical treatment of wounded soldiers.

Some don't even have it.

A large army of 10,000 or 20,000 people often has only one or two doctors, or even none at all, and the medicines are even more limited.

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, although the military system was implemented, it was a makeshift team and many things were not complete, especially military doctors, medical treatment for wounded soldiers, and military medicines.
He suggested that when the army went to war, a soldier should be sent to inspect the sick children's camp, and there should be a doctor accompanying the army, and some soldiers or civilians should be arranged to assist the military doctor in treatment and medical care.
Regular inspections of the wounded and sick are required to arrange medical treatment and evacuation. Injured soldiers must not only receive timely treatment, but also receive regular observation and care.

During wars, we must strengthen joint treatment and recuperation of wounded soldiers with local prefectures and counties, and some wounded soldiers will be transferred to local areas for treatment and recuperation.

The court must take this situation seriously.

"Alang, the prince sent someone to inform you that he invites you to go hunting in the afternoon." Liu Heizi informed him.

Li Yi frowned. At this time, Li Jiancheng still had the interest to hunt in the snow?
"Okay, got it."

I revised a few parts of the petition I had written requesting the appointment of a military doctor.
Li Yi went to meet Li Dejiang, Zhao Yongan, Qiu Shenyan and others. These officers had previously served under him in the grain escort team. They were all rewarded with honors and were basically promoted this time.

Li Yi is still the commander-in-chief of the Gushui Road Army, and Luo Shixin is still his deputy commander-in-chief, but after he returns to the capital to meet the emperor this time, he will soon go to Jiangzhou in Hedong to take up his post.

After holding a small meeting with Zhao Yongan and other officers under his command, Li Yi demanded that the wounded soldiers should not be abandoned and should be well taken care of. Even those who were slightly injured and dismissed should be given some money, food and travel expenses.

"Brothers who share life and death, help each other if you can."

Li Dejiang and the others also agreed with Li Yi's approach. "We are still at the Gushui Camp, so we won't abandon them. As long as we have something to eat, we will definitely not let them go."

Li Yi said he was willing to take some of the disabled back to Guanzhong to resettle them in his farms and workshops. Li Dejiang agreed, saying, "Count me in. My family also has many farms and workshops. It shouldn't be a problem to resettle dozens of people."

They are all disabled, so there is no need to worry about anything. They are not elite soldiers who are just disabled and dismissed.

afternoon.

Li Yi took his own officers and soldiers to join the prince's hunting trip.
Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin and other generals also came. They are now directly under the command of the camp and are not in his army like Luo Shixin.

After the snow,

The prince was wearing brocade fur and riding a fine horse, holding a golden eagle bow and red feather arrows, and was in a good mood.

He was accompanied by a group of trusted attendants including Wei Ting.
A deer was driven out by the guards of the Eastern Palace. Jiancheng bent his bow and shot an arrow, and the wild deer fell down.

Wei Ting and others praised the prince's archery skills loudly.

An hour later, the prince, who had reaped a rich harvest, smiled and asked them to set up a tent in the snow and have a barbecue in the wild.

The picnic was very rich, with not only the newly captured wild deer, rabbits and pheasants, but also the mutton and fine wine we brought with us.
In the snow, barbecue around the fire,
Li Yi thought of the furnace in the wounded camp that was turned off by Wei Ting, and the wounded soldiers who were left to fend for themselves with no one caring about them.

He really wanted to ask Wei Ting in person who ordered him to do this.

But in the end I endured it. There was no need to spoil the mood in public and be that annoying person.

"General Luo, General Qin, General Cheng, I never thought that after this victory report was sent to Chang'an, the King of Qin would come so hard to seize you.
Now that the siege of Guzhou has been lifted, I will immediately lead my troops to Hexi to defeat Li Gui. I was thinking that the brave generals who will join me in the battle will be able to help me even more.
By the time we defeat Li Gui and recover Helong, several generals will be able to show their abilities and make great contributions. Then they will be granted titles of dukes and appointed as governors, which will be a natural outcome.

Unexpectedly, Shimin insisted on taking you to his place. He is now the Shangshu Ling of the Shaanxi East Road, but he has been staying in Chang'an to build the Changning Palace for Empress Mu.
If you go to his place, you will be useless as a hero, what a pity.

Li Jiancheng raised his glass,
Wei Ting said from the side: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really considerate of the generals. Without real military merit, it is difficult to be awarded a title or promotion. This expedition to Hexi is a rare opportunity. It will be a great achievement to destroy a country. When the generals return to Chang'an to meet the Saint, they must seize the opportunity to ask the Saint to let them accompany the Crown Prince on the Western Expedition.
Opportunities are fleeting, and if you miss this great opportunity, you won’t know when the next one will come.”

"The Crown Prince admires all of you generals very much. General Luo and General Qin, you must think carefully."

Li Yi sat there and watched coldly. He had to admit that Li Jiancheng was quite good at seducing people.

(End of this chapter)