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

Chapter 260 The Emperor’s Favoritism
Changan.

Pingkangfang Zhongqu,
In a quiet and elegant courtyard, a young musician played the pipa, an exotic Western Hu girl performed the Huxuan dance, and a group of noblemen embraced her, listening to the music and watching the dance.

Holding a gold-inlaid rhino horn cup, Yang Siyue sneered and said, "Li Yi is just a brat, it's ridiculous that he led troops to suppress bandits. He is a wild man, how can he know how to deploy troops and formations, or how to command flags and drums?

He Panren was born into a Hu merchant family. Even if he was appointed General of the Left Tunwei, didn't he still end up defeated and killed?
I heard that Zhu Shanhai could push eight horses and pull nine oxen backwards, and he was also a tough guy. Zhao Qin was also considered an expert in riding and shooting, but he was also chopped down, and not even his body was recovered.

Yang Siyue, a bit drunk, complained, "We are from a famous family, both civil and military, but it's a pity that we are not even as good as Li Yi and He Panren. We don't even have the chance to lead an army.

If I were to lead the troops to suppress the bandits, people like Zhu Shanhai and Zhang Zihui would have been beheaded and sent to Chang'an long ago."

The fingertips of the musician playing the zither by the window paused slightly, and a hint of noise suddenly appeared on the strings. Sizhu Garden, a place name that made her unable to face it calmly.

Another young man said with a smile: "How about we open a bet and bet on how long Li Yi can last before losing?"

"Yes, let's open the market and place some bets, that's what makes it interesting. I say Li Yi can't last more than three days, I bet one hundred pieces of raw silk!" someone responded.

"Li Yi may not lose. Don't forget that this guy made great contributions in Guzhou last time. I heard that he specially brought the nine generals who surrendered in Guandong last time with him, and also called Master Li Yaoshi and his disciples.

As long as this guy doesn't give random orders, how can he lose against a bunch of bandits? "The speaker was also from the Hongnong Yang family, and it was Yang Hongwu who had dealt with Li Yi before.

He is the prince's assistant and should be more informed.

"Then you can bet on him to win. I don't mind winning against you." Yang Siyue said with a smile.

"Okay, then I'll bet fifteen taels of gold."

"Oh, you have great confidence in that peasant! Fifteen taels of gold can buy several Silla maids or Hu concubines."

Another person asked, "Why fifteen taels of gold?"

Yang Hongwu took a sip of Sanle Juice and said, "Because I bought an auspicious golden potato from Li Yi last time and spent fifteen taels of gold on it."

Everyone laughed at Yang Hongwu, saying that he would lose another 15 taels of gold because of Li Yi.

A group of young men were singing and getting excited because of the bet.

After a while, various odds were opened. Yang Siyue was the banker. He could bet on how many days Li Yi would hold out before being defeated, or he could bet on whether Li Yi would be captured or killed.

Of course, you can also bet on Li Yiwei.

Most people bet on Li Yi to lose. Some said he could last three days, some said five days, but most did not think he could last half a month.

Only one or two people were captured, killed, or victorious in the fight against Li Yi.

Yang Siyue smiled and asked someone to bring paper and pen to write down everyone's bets and the agreed odds.

He flicked the piece of paper he had written on it. "Looks like I'm going to make a small fortune."

I don't know who mentioned the incident of Wei Ting being captured.

"Li Yi is incompetent, and this Wei Ting is just a piece of cake. He is also called General of Cavalry and the son of Xiaoyao Mansion. He is just an armchair strategist. He was captured by bandits while going out for reconnaissance. It's shameful." Yang Siyue's comments on Wei Ting were also merciless.

"If it falls into the hands of thieves, I'm afraid it will be very dangerous."

"I heard that the Wei family is planning to send servants into the mountains to redeem the person with gold."

Yang Siyue said with a smile, "How about we all place a bet and guess what will happen to Wei Ting? Will he come back, or will he die in the mountains?"

The noble children smiled and placed their bets again.

"Shiro, how much do you plan to bet this time?"

Yang Hongwu smiled and said, "I bet Li Yi can rescue Wei Ting."

"How much is the bet?"

"Still betting fifteen ounces of gold."

Yang Siyue was surprised at his trust in Li Yi. "Silang, thirty taels of gold is enough to buy a team of skilled polo players."

"It's just a joke. Are you scared, Brother Siyue?"

"Hahaha, let's play."

Yang Siyue was also from the Hongnong Yang clan, from the Guanwang branch. He was the grandson of Guanwang Yang Xiong, and Yang Gongren and Yang Shidao were his cousins.

A few dozen taels of gold was not something he could not afford, and he felt that Yang Hongwu was going to give him money this time.

"Change the song, change to something cheerful. Don't keep playing Liangzhou music. Why make it so sad? Ah Lang, I'm going to make a fortune soon, hahahaha."

Yang Siyue generously gave each person a piece of silk as a reward.

"Bring another jar of the finest Sanle juice, and a few plates of fresh fruits from the palace greenhouse."

Then the music and the dancing,
After a few rounds of drinks,
Yang Siyue was already drunk, his face flushed, and he spoke more recklessly.
"I heard that He Panren had many young and beautiful concubines in his mansion. He was extremely wealthy, and yet he suddenly died. With all those beautiful concubines and maids, and all that wealth, I wonder who got the most for it."

"I heard that Li Yi's wives and concubines were all very beautiful. His wife was from the Jingzhao Du family, and his concubine was from the Henan Ji family. He also inherited tens of millions of yuan from his father-in-law."

A man named Pei nearby asked, "Brother Yang, are you planning to wipe out the whole family?"

Yang Siyue said, "If we brothers get a chance to get these, it would be a windfall."

Talking and laughing,

A Sogdian slave in a narrow-sleeved flowered jacket came up.
"Sir, I just heard a piece of news and quickly asked this slave to tell you."

"What news? Could it be that Li Yi died in Sizhu Garden?" Yang Siyue said with a red face.

Sugdenu tried very hard to control his expression and said with his head down: "There are bad guys in the street beating gongs and announcing,

It is said that the Lord of Qianshui County defeated the Sizhu bandits last night, defeating more than 13,000 bandits, destroying a bandit camp in Yugu and a palace in Yishou, beheading more than 300 people, and beheading the bandit leaders Zhu Shanhai, Zhang Zihui and others in battle.
The bandits were surrounded in Heishui Valley and could not escape. Most of the more than 10,000 bandits had already thrown down their weapons and surrendered.

Yang Siyue said nothing.
The young masters all looked extremely surprised.

Sogdian slave continued: "It is said that the Duke of Qianshui County also rescued more than a thousand officers and soldiers who were previously captured, including more than a hundred military officers of all ranks.
General Wei Ting and several members of the Wei family were also released. Wei Ting was only shot in the leg by two arrows..."

The room was silent.

There was no smile on Yang Siyue's face.
Yang Hongwu chuckled twice and said to Yang Siyue, "Brother Siyue, remember to send the gold to my house later. The odds on Li Yiwei are 3 to 1."

Yang Siyue's face turned pale.

Because no one bet on Li Yi to win, his odds were still 3 to 1. This meant that he had to pay Yang Hongwu a total of 60 taels of gold.
"Don't worry, you won't be short of anything." Yang Siyue picked up the wine glass and drank a large glass of Sanlejiang.

Sixty taels of gold was already a painful loss for him, but what made him even more unhappy was that he lost face in front of everyone.

He had just said that he would wipe out Li Yi's entire family, but now he had to pay sixty taels of gold because of him.

The other people didn't bet much, but this time they lost dozens of horses.

"What kind of shit luck do you think Li Yi has?"

"Yang Silang was right just now. This time, Li Yi brought along Li Yaoshi and borrowed the Nine Generals of Shandong. It's not surprising that he defeated a group of bandits."

"That's not right. Didn't they say that the Sizhu bandits only had over a thousand men? How come they say they defeated over ten thousand bandits and captured over ten thousand?"

Yang Siyue slammed the rhino horn cup in his hand onto the table. "Where did all these bandits come from? This guy must be killing innocent people to take credit for his achievements. He captured all the refugees fleeing from the mountains and treated them as bandits. I will definitely report him."

In Tai Chi Palace,

Li Yuan received two pieces of good news as soon as he woke up in the morning.
Erlang Shimin's princess gave birth to a boy, and Li Yi also sent back the good news on horseback.

The happy emperor went directly to the Chengqian Hall in the West Palace.

Li Shimin held his eldest son in his arms and showed him to his father.
"He looks like you," Li Yuan was very fond of this grandson. He took him in his arms and teased him, "Have you given him a name?"

"Please give me a name, Father."

Li Yuan held his grandson and paced in the hall. "Since he was born in Chengqian Hall, let's just name him Chengqian."

"Chengqian, Li Chengqian," Li Shimin said the name softly, liking it very much.

The emperor held his grandson in his arms in Chengqian Hall for a while and issued an order to reward Qin Wang's wife, Changsun, with many gifts.

Returning from Chengqian Palace,

The emperor specially summoned Prince Jiancheng.

"Take a look at this." Li Yuan handed a memorial to the prince.

Li Jiancheng took it and was very surprised after reading it.

"Li Yi impeached Wei Ting, accusing him of murder. He has been caned with forty military sticks and then shackled and imprisoned to await the Marquis's final sentence. Li Yi is now your man, and Wei Ting is also your man. What do you think?"

Li Jiancheng thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I think Li Yi may have had some personal revenge intentions, and Wei Ting's killing of Zhang Wu was indeed a bit excessive. However, Zhang Wu was in contact with the bandits and colluded with them to capture Wei Ting and others. Wei Ting's impulsive killing of him is understandable."

"Then what do you want to do?" Li Yuan asked.

"Zhang Wu colluded with the bandits. Although he led the imperial court after being apprehended, he still did not change his ways. Wei Ting is from a prominent family and was instrumental in suppressing the bandits. We cannot punish a meritorious official for the sake of one bandit."

Li Yuan looked at Jiancheng and just shook his head slightly.

"This is an inappropriate treatment. Li Yi's memorial clearly states that Wei Ting deliberately stabbed Zhang Wu to death in public even though Li Yi had told him that Zhang Wu had been pardoned and was a meritorious person in suppressing bandits.

He totally disregarded his superior Li Yi, and this matter must be severely punished.

"Wei Ting was demoted to Sima of Xizhou and sent to Yizhou to reflect on his actions. You asked him to go with Li Yi to suppress the bandits and earn some military merit, but this guy was ordered to scout the enemy and was captured. He's both incompetent and stupid. Why would you keep him around?"

"In comparison, this time, the Sizhuyuan bandit suppression campaign further demonstrated Li Yi's abilities. Although Li Jing may have been in command of the battle, and Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin and other generals were responsible for capturing the cities and strongholds, Li Yi was the general manager, and the other generals were seconded by him, which shows that he knew how to use people well.

He Panren, Zhao Qin and others were defeated and died, which is a stark contrast."

The emperor was clearly telling Jiancheng that since there was a conflict between his two subordinates, Li Yi and Wei Ting, he should support Li Yi.

Demoting Wei Ting was also a means of winning over Li Yi and showing him favor.

On the same day,

Several decrees were issued.

General Wei Ting was demoted to Sima of Yizhou.

Li Yi was awarded the rank of Shangzhuguo and a thousand pieces of silk.

Heishui Valley, Yishou Palace.

The imperial envoy arrived.

Li Yi led the generals to welcome the imperial edict.

"The Imperial Household, the Imperial Guard, the Commander-in-Chief of the Black Water Road Army, and the Founding Duke of Qianshui County, Li Yi, is a man of great loyalty and courage, gifted by nature, and possesses exceptional wisdom and strategy. He has defeated the bandit chieftain Zhu Shanhai at Black Water Valley, reclaimed the former Sizhu Garden, rescued captured court officials, and executed the traitor Zhang Zihui. His achievements surpass those of the three armies, and his virtue is known throughout the land.

In the past, when Wei Qing went beyond the border, the Dragon Court was terrified. Now you have wiped out the bandits and brought peace to the capital.

He could be promoted to the rank of Pillar of the State, granted the title of Silver and Green Guanglu Dafu, and rewarded with a thousand pieces of silk.

His Chief Clerk, Li Jing, was appointed as the advisor and made the plan. He was promoted to the rank of Kaifu and given the title of General.

Sima Luo Shixin was the first to climb the mountain, his son General Qin Qiong captured the flag, and Cheng Yaojin killed the general. They were each awarded the second rank of honor and 500 pieces of silk.

Niu Jinda and other generals were promoted one rank each and given a hundred pieces of silk.

The rest of the meritorious soldiers were rewarded according to their merits, and those who died in battle were given generous pensions by the officials. Zhouzhi County was exempted from rent and taxes this year, and its granaries were opened to provide relief to the refugees.

Zhang Wu was also posthumously awarded the seventh rank Xuanhui Wei.

The announcement was made at home and abroad, and the envoys heard about it.

The tenth day of the second month of the second year of Wude.

Cui Dunli, a clerk in a green robe, finished reading the imperial edict and congratulated Li Yi with a smile, "Congratulations, Chief Li."

"Thank you, Mr. Cui," Li Yi asked him. "Does Your Majesty have any instructions on how to deal with Wei Ting?"

When Cui Dunli told Li Yi about the result of being demoted to Sima of Yizhou, Li Yi felt relaxed and his thoughts became clear.

Of the more than 10,000 captives captured in Heishui Valley, all were pardoned except for the core leaders of the bandits.

"The saint is merciful," Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the result. They were just a group of poor starving people.

(End of this chapter)