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

Chapter 254: Xiangji Temple Inspecting Troops

In the soft drizzle, Li Yi rode back to his home in Pingkangfang.

He came back, packed his luggage, said goodbye to his wives and concubines, and went to the military camp.

"Didn't you say you were going to Yuanzhou? Why are you going to Zhouzhi to suppress bandits again?"

"It's just a few thousand bandits, don't worry, ma'am." Li Yi smiled and comforted Shi Niang, "Just take care of the family."

"Alang, please bring more followers and servants with you, and be sure to pay attention to safety. It's warm and cold today, so you should wear more clothes in the morning and evening, and don't catch a cold..." Shi Niang said appreciatively.

"Alang, Li Erlang is here with Li Yitong."

Outer courtyard living room,

Li Jing and his son came to the door, and Li Yi greeted them with a smile: "Mr. Li, are you just off duty?"

"Well, I just heard from my son that Wuyi has been assigned to suppress bandits in Sizhuyuan. I also just heard about the defeat and death of He Panren, Zhao Qin and others at the Youwuhou Yamen today."

Li Jing always remembered that Li Yi had recommended him to join the army in Jingzhou and appointed him.

"I also have a manor in Hu County, Zhouzhi. I've hunted there before, so I'm familiar with the terrain. Let me tell you about it."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Li."

"You're welcome," Li Jing pointed at Li Dejiang. "I have to thank you, Wuyi. Last time, I took this guy to Guzhou, and he made great contributions, received the Third Rank Medal, and was even promoted to Brigade Commander. This time, you took him along again. I'm deeply grateful for your support."

Li Dejiang sat to the side, chuckling. He had no right to speak in front of me. But he also admitted that he had really benefited from Li Yi's help during his last trip to Guzhou. He didn't fight much, and although he was assigned to guard a camp, he never encountered any enemy attacks from beginning to end. Afterwards, he was awarded the third rank honor and promoted to the eighth rank of brigade commander.

It can be regarded as a formal entry into official career.

If he did not take advantage of this opportunity, he would have to follow the arrangement of his father Li Jing and serve as a guard in the Three Guards as a rank-official. He would have to endure for at least several years and pass the selection of the Ministry of Personnel before he could be officially appointed as an official.

Now, he went to Guzhou for a month or so and directly got an eighth-rank official position and a third-level honor, saving ten years.

Li Jing asked for paper and pen,

He began to draw the terrain of the Cheese Bamboo Garden directly on the kang table in Li Yi's living room.

"On the south bank of the Wei River and east of the Black Water River, there is a vast forest of hundreds of miles, which is easy for bandits to hide. They may harass and attack. Further into the Black Water Valley, there are many sections of dangerous terrain. Bandits will certainly use the terrain to ambush, and they may also deliberately feign defeat to lure the enemy deeper.

And their real den of thieves must be deeper in the mountains.

Thirty miles southeast of Zhouzhi County, in the mountains, there is the Yishou Palace, a temporary palace of the Sui Dynasty. From the 18th year of Kaihuang to the 4th year of Renshou, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty toured various places and built twelve temporary palaces along the Zhongnan Mountains, including the Yishou Palace and the Wenshan Palace, for his travels and summer escapes.
Yishou Palace was built in Heishui Valley."

The former summer palace of the Sui Emperor has now become a lair for bandits.

This palace is nestled among the mountains and water, hidden in the green hills.

The rolling Zhongnan Valley provides a good hiding place for bandits.

Li Jing outlined the entire terrain from the bamboo sea of Sizhu Garden to Heishui Valley and then to Yishou Palace.

The county seat of Zhouzhi is located in the flat Guanzhong Plain. Entering the Zhongnan Mountains in the southeast, the terrain is completely different. At the foot of the mountain is a hundred-mile bamboo forest. The further you go in, the more dangerous the terrain becomes.

Li Jing studied the art of war for many years.

Although he had never actually practiced it, he had solid theoretical knowledge. He explained the tactics to Li Yi based on the map, speculated on the enemy's possible tactics, and then gave corresponding solutions.

He simply chewed the rice into pieces and fed it to Li Yi.

"Lord Li, you don't have much to do in the Right Marquis Yi Mansion anyway. How about I ask the Saint to second you to be my Chief of Staff? I'll be at your disposal when it comes to deploying troops and formations."

Li Jing put down his pen, sat upright,

"Is that okay?"

When Li Yi saw his expression, he was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized that Li Jing took the initiative to come to him to offer advice, not only to thank Li Yi for supporting Li Dejiang,
Li Jing has come here to recommend himself.

He was slow to react and didn't come to his senses for a long time.

Yes, he was the one who could discuss Sun Wu and Wu Qi with his uncle Han Qinhu since he was a child. Now, although he was a fourth-rank Right Marquis of Wu and Yifu Yitong, helping to manage the soldiers of a prefecture, how could he not be eager to go to the battlefield?

The time Qianshuiyuan went into battle with Liang Shi must have ignited the passion for leading troops in his heart.

"If I can get the help of Lord Li, won't this expedition be a piece of cake?" Li Yi immediately rode to the palace gate again and asked to see the emperor.

When Li Yuan heard his purpose, he didn't care.

"Li Jing, that guy, well, since you trust him so much, then let him go with you. But I advise you not to trust him completely. He's just a scholar and has never led troops in battle. His theoretical knowledge may not be truly practical."

"I heard that you also borrowed Qin Shubao and several other generals from Erlang. They are all brave generals with rich experience. You can rely on them more."

"Originally, I was planning to send General Sang Xianhe of the Right Marquisate to lead the troops to quell the rebellion, but the Crown Prince strongly recommended you. I also saw your performance in the battle of Guzhou.
This time, despite the opposition of Prime Ministers Xiao Yu, Pei Ji, and others, I still send you to lead the troops to quell the rebellion. Please do not let me down!"

Li Yi knew Sang Xianhe, a brave general.

The Tiger Tooth General of the Sui Dynasty was a general under Qu Tutong. He and Yao Junsu, who had previously defended Puyang, were both very brave. He assisted Qu Tutong in defending Puzhou, and later led several thousand brave soldiers to intercept Li Yuan from entering Guanzhong.

He once attacked Wang Changxie at night and defeated him.
At Tongguan, Liu Wenjing intercepted Qu Tutong. Sang Xianhe led his troops to attack at night and broke through two barriers. Liu Wenjing fought desperately and suffered thousands of casualties. Liu Wenjing was shot and wounded. At the critical moment, Liu Wenjing sent Turkic light cavalry to attack the Sui army from behind.

Liu Wenjing ordered his soldiers to shout that the reinforcements of the Turkic army had arrived, and they rushed out shouting. The Sui army was also exhausted at this time, and when they saw the Turkish cavalry appear behind them, they really thought that the Turkic army had arrived. They were defeated, and Sang Xianhe was captured.

However, his bravery was also recognized by Liu Wenjing and Li Yuan, who not only pardoned his crime but also appointed him as the third-rank Right Wuhou General.

In comparison, Li Yi certainly cannot compare with such a powerful general, but Li Yuan finally chose Li Yi.

"I will definitely capture Zhu Shanhai and other bandits,"

Beside Shenheyuan and Hehe River,

In the future, a majestic Xiangji Temple will be built here, and in the more distant future, the Battle of Xiangji Temple will take place here, which will determine the fate of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yi's military camp is here.
People from all walks of life gather here.

More than thirty miles away from Chang'an,
Four thousand six hundred people gathered.

The military flags are fluttering,

Li Jing, the chief military clerk, was wearing a suit of bright armor and reorganized the entire army according to Li Yi's military orders.

"The entire army has five battalions, front, back, left, right, and center, with 3,850 soldiers, totaling 77 battle teams. The front, back, left, and right battalions have 15 battle teams each, and the center has 17 battle teams.

Another 750 auxiliary troops, three teams each for each of the five battalions."

As soon as Li Jing arrived, he made clear the banner.

The central army raised six large banners, which were the symbols of the marching commander-in-chief, two red military gate flags, and five five-sided flags.

There are twelve drums and twelve horns. They advance when the drums are beaten and stop when the horns are heard.

Each team had a flag, which led the team when marching and stood in front of the team when stationary. The general manager raised ten or more flags, and the deputy general manager raised four flags. Each team's flag was embroidered with birds and beasts. Each team also had a flag to identify it, which was different from other teams and could be easily distinguished on the battlefield.

The chief general Li Yi used a flag as his commander's flag. The rectangular flag had a large "Li" written on it. The flags of the various generals were smaller, each with the general's surname written on it.

Li Jing also assigned flag bearers and flag guards for all the flags.

"When the drums sound, we attack; when the gongs sound, we retreat. We must obey orders. The military flag represents the morale and direction of the army. On the battlefield, we must pay close attention to the movement of the military flag. If it is in front, we advance; if it is behind, we retreat; if it is to the left, we go left; if it is to the right, we go right. We must follow the direction of the flag.

Anyone who disobeys the flag order will be executed!"

"As long as the army is there, the flag is there. If the flag bearer dies, the lieutenant will take over. If the flag is lost, both the flag bearer and the lieutenant will be beheaded. If a team loses its flag, the entire team will be punished. If a battalion loses its general's flag, the general manager and the entire battalion will be punished!"

"If you can capture the enemy's flag, it will be a great achievement, just like being the first to reach the enemy line, break through the enemy's formation, and kill the general, and it will be the first achievement!"

Li Yi admired him for being the son of a general from the Guanlong clan. He could discuss military affairs with the God of War since he was young. Regular army was different.

Although his army is also a patchwork, it is the most regular official army today.

Flags and everything else are available.

Soon, the soldiers set up a simple inspection platform on Shenheyuan as Li Jing requested. Li Yi sat on a small stool, facing south. There were six drums and six horns on each side, and a five-colored flag was raised.

Six large banners are in front, followed by rows of flags.

The officers on the left and right were stationed in a crescent-shaped formation as the rear cavalry, overlooking the plain, so that the soldiers could see the flags, hear the drums and horns, and remember the orders in their hearts.

Li Jing personally directed the drills.

There are five battalions in one army. Li Yi is the commander-in-chief, Li Jing is the chief military officer, and Luo Shixin is the military secretary and commander-in-chief of the front battalion.

Qin Qiong commanded the left camp, with Tian Liuan as the deputy general; Cheng Yaojin commanded the right camp, with Niu Jinda as the deputy general.

Li Yi took command of the central camp, with Chang He and Li Junxian as deputy generals.

Wu Heita commanded the rear camp, and Liu Demin was the deputy general.

"General Wei Ting,"

Li Yi appointed his generals.

"I am here." Wei Ting, wearing Ming Guang armor, stepped forward with a gloomy face.

"I am sending you, my men and my followers, to Zhouzhi to gather intelligence on the bandits, find guides, draw maps, and so on. Go ahead."

Li Yi did not give him any soldiers, and asked him to take his own children and family soldiers with him.

When the Tang people went to war, they would usually bring their sons with them, especially the officers. The sons could gain experience and have the opportunity to make merit, and of course they could also help protect themselves.

Wei Ting came from a prominent family, so he brought six of his own disciples with him. He himself led eight followers, and each of his disciples also led four people, for a total of thirty-nine people.

Kick out the annoying Wei Ting,

Li Yi, Li Jing, Qin Qiong and others discussed the marching and combat plan. He did not rely on Wei Ting's intelligence, but just wanted to find an excuse to kick him out.

"Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you fight a hundred battles without danger. I propose that we send people disguised as merchants, refugees, woodcutters, hunters, etc., to disperse into areas such as Sizhu Garden and Heishui Valley to gather intelligence on the enemy."

Li Yi, an outsider, respects the insiders very much.

He humbly accepted advice from these brave generals on the battlefield, or future military gods like Li Jing.

From small military affairs to big matters like deploying troops, he listened to them completely.

He held the military seal in his hand, the imperial edict in his arms, and sat on the commander's seat, but he did not emphasize his own ideas. He knew that although Jingzhou was with the army and Guzhou had made meritorious deeds, he was still a layman in military affairs.
If you are an amateur leader, you have to listen to your experts.

"What Li Changshi said is correct."

"What Luo Sima said makes sense, let's do it."

"General Qin, this is a good suggestion. Let's do as you say."

"General Cheng's idea is worth a try."

Li Yi had only one thing in mind: "We'll march tomorrow. Today we'll reward the soldiers with cattle and wine, so they can have a good meal. We'll cook at the fourth watch tomorrow, finish at the fifth watch, and march at dawn!"

(End of this chapter)