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

Chapter 280 Li Yi’s Private Soldier

early morning,

When Li Yi opened his eyes, he saw Shuying staring at him with her chin propped up.

"Awake already?"

Shuying's face turned red instantly, and she stood up in panic, wanting to escape.

Seeing her fluttering heart, Li Yi laughed heartily. Yesterday, Li Yi went to the ancestral temple to worship his ancestors. When he came back in the evening, Shi Niang specially asked Shu Ying to help him bathe.

The girl Shuying is becoming more and more beautiful now.
The seventeen-year-old Li Yi really couldn't resist the naked temptation. What's more, Shi Niang had already said that she would let Shuying sleep with him. The seventeen-year-old's blood and vigor collided with the girl's hesitation, just like the fluttering willow catkins in Chang'an in April, which made people's hearts itch.

"I calculated the date according to the method taught by the lady, and yesterday was the right date."

Shuying whispered as she got dressed.

Li Yi smiled.

The women in the family are all eager to have children, and Li Yi is used to it now. He doesn't interfere or force anything, and lets nature take its course.

“I think it’s already been planted.”

"Boy or girl?" Li Yi asked with a smile.

"It should be a girl." Shuying said hesitantly, and Li Yi could tell that she was not being sincere.

Li Yuan was the most prolific father of children, having 22 sons and 19 daughters, 30 of whom were born after he became emperor. Unofficial histories claim that Li Yuan was forced to abdicate and fathered dozens of children as the retired emperor for nine years. In fact, Li Yuan only fathered three or four children after his abdication, most of whom were born while he was emperor.

He was fifty-three years old when he became emperor, and he could be said to be in good health.

Qiu He, the governor of Jiaozhi, was also very capable. He had fifteen sons, and each of his sons had more than ten children, one after another. This led to extremely fierce competition among the children of the Qiu family.
Qiu Shenyan now clings to Li Yi every day, and even his elder brother, the eldest grandson of the Qiu family, is going to join the expedition this time.

Just had breakfast,
There was a noise coming from the front yard.

"What's going on?" Li Yi was puzzled. The mansion has always been very well-behaved.

Shi Niang said, "I asked the housekeeper to call our tall, strong, young and strong retainers and tenants."

Her husband was about to go to war, and this time he might have to fight against the Turks. Shi Niang was very worried and specially prepared to select some strong and sturdy soldiers for her husband to accompany him.

"I heard that the King of Longxi and his men were accompanied by 320 knights each, and the Qiu brothers also brought dozens of their own men. Alang is the deputy commander-in-chief of the army and a county lord, so he can't be without his own men.

Our family doesn’t have the wealth of the Guanlong clans, but we can certainly gather a hundred or eighty mounted warriors.”

This is really a big tone,

One hundred and eighty horsemen went on the expedition. If each of the one hundred soldiers had two horses, then we would need two hundred horses, and another one hundred and eighty mules and donkeys.
Even the cheapest riding horse would cost at least thirty or forty pieces of silk.
These horses and mules alone cost more than ten thousand pieces of silk, which is worth several million yuan.

"There's no need to compare like this. We're fighting a war, not competing for wealth. I'm the deputy commander-in-chief of the march, and I'm in charge of the right rear army. I have over 2,000 men, so why would I need to bring so many servants with me?"

"That won't work. We have to be careful when we go to fight the Turks this time. Bring more troops with you so we can be more assured. Don't worry, our family can afford it now."

In the front yard, there are managers and heads of the various estates and workshops of the Li family in Chang'an. They come with qualified slaves, retainers, tenants and hired workers to report in the front yard.

All the people were taken to the polo field next door.

Li Yi now has many fields, many slaves, many followers and tenants. As soon as the mistress of the house gives an order, all the farms and workshops will start moving immediately.

The polo field was packed with people.

At first, Du Shiniang suggested taking 300 people, but Li Yi said that was too many.

"two hundred."

“It’s still too much.”

"one hundred."

"No, it's right that the government soldiers should provide their own money and food when they go to war. As the deputy general manager, there is no need for me to lead so many troops." With so many people, the court can only provide them with food. If they die or are injured, Li Yi will have to provide them with compensation in the end.

He also didn't think that so many slaves, farmers, and workers who had never been to the battlefield would be of much use if they went to the battlefield.

The couple was bargaining there.

In the end, Shi Niang reluctantly agreed to let Li Yi take only 36 people.

So, on the polo field, hundreds of strong men began to compete for 36 places.

The examination scene was very spectacular, even more lively than the selection of palace soldiers.

The first test is height, which must be at least six feet, that is, more than 1.8 meters. Then there is the weight-bearing test, which requires carrying 300 kilograms of rice and walking 50 steps. Then there is the running test.
The conditions are no lower than those for selecting government soldiers.

"As long as you can be selected as Alang's family soldier, you will be given one stone of grain per month to accompany him to Bingzhou. When he is away on the expedition, he will receive another stone of grain per month."

"Before departure, I will also give you one stone of grain to settle your family."

Once this condition was announced, the strong men became even more excited.

"If there are any casualties, the Li Mansion will provide compensation..."

"Our A-Lang is never stingy with those around him. Our Li family always rewards those who have made contributions!"

This is what everyone agrees with.
Especially today, there was a group of officers from the Li family standing on the polo field.

Li Cunxiao was a Qiang man from Si, who was once a Qiang slave of Li Yi. When the Qiang soldiers rebelled, he followed Alang to suppress the rebellion and fight against the bandits. Afterwards, he was appointed as the commander of the imperial army. Last time, he followed Alang to suppress the bandits in Sizhuyuan, and was promoted to a captain of the imperial army.

Today he was wearing a green round-collar official robe, standing there with his hand on his sword, looking so majestic.

There are also Liu Heizi, Luo Dafu, Luo Wu and ten other people who came from Luojiabao. Now they are standing there in military uniforms and look very impressive. They followed Alang to conquer Guzhou and Si Zhuyuan. Each of them has a third-class medal and a ninth-rank official position.

Even Zhao Yongan, the coach of the Yusu Township militia and a former imperial guard, followed Alang and taught him how to shoot arrows and use a slingshot. He took Alang with him and joined him on several expeditions. Now he has become a brigade commander.

A strong man,

In early summer, they took off their clothes and competed shirtless.

He is the master of the gate and the pillar.

Each one is more powerful than the other.

To lift the gate up means to grab only one end of the thick, long and heavy city gate bolt and lift it up.

This requires a lot of strength, and of course some skills. Finally, after several rounds of assessment,

Thirty-six strong men stood out,

They are all strong men picked from ten miles away, all of them are over 1.8 meters tall, and some of them are even over 2 meters tall.
Horses can run on fists, and people can stand on arms.
Several of them could carry five stone of rice and walk thirty steps.

Most of these powerful people were slaves of the Li family, including Qiang slaves from Longyou, Liao slaves from Hanzhong, and even Kunlun slaves.

He also specially selected a few Turkic slaves.

After all, this time when we go north, we have to deal with the Turks, so bringing a few Turkic slaves with us will be helpful. We are not worried that these Turks will surrender to the enemy, after all, they all have wives and children in the Li family.
These Turks have been living in the Central Plains for several generations.

The other strong men who were eliminated sighed repeatedly, regretting that they could not protect Alang and go on the expedition to Hedong.

Shi Niang is still very generous.

Announce in public.

Each of the thirty-six selected people was given a set of clothes, and as mentioned earlier, they were first given one month's food, one stone of monthly food, plus one stone of subsidy for going to the expedition, and one stone of food for settling down, a total of three stones, which were delivered directly to their homes.

Those who are not selected will not come in vain.

We had lunch at the polo field today, with mutton soup and steamed buns, and each person was given two liters of food to take home.

Everyone cheered and sighed that the trip was not in vain.

Li Yi looked at the people on the polo field. They were all slaves, retainers, and tenants of the Li family. These were the young and strong men who had been selected. There were many others who did not meet the requirements.

The Li family has truly become a wealthy family.

There are so many people.

This lunch alone could bankrupt an average small landlord.

Not to mention that Li Yi selected thirty-six followers and received dozens of stones of grain a month.

"Alang!"

Two acquaintances came over, they were Song Yi and Chen Lingjiao.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Yi was assassinated in Pingkangfang. His servant Song Yi risked his life to save him, but his leg was broken. After more than a hundred days of care, he is now fully recovered.

Chen Lingjiao was a wounded soldier that Li Yi brought back from Guzhou. He had his left eye shot out during the defense of Nangang Fort.

"Alang, Song Yi requests to go with us."

"Sir, Lao Lu also requests to go with us."

Li Yi looked at the two of them and said, "Song Yi, you need to take care of your legs. You're still rubbing your eyes, aren't they getting better?"

"Okay, everything is fine."

Song Yi said that his legs had been able to run and jump without any hindrance, and Lao Lu had already had a prosthetic eye installed in his left eye. Although it was carved from ox bones, it was not easy to notice that an eye was missing unless you looked closely.

Chen Lingjiao said, "It's boring for me to stay in the general camp clinic every day. After all, I have been in the army for a long time, so following Alang can be of some use."

Song Yi said that since he was the leader of the Li family's guard team, he naturally had to accompany Alang to the battle.

Li Yi wanted them to stay, but they insisted on going.

"Okay, then you guys go together."

Liu Heizi and ten others from Luojiabao naturally had to go too.
During the meal, Li Yi made a bowl of steamed buns, called them aside, and while squatting to eat the noodles, he talked about the expedition.

"After you mobilized the government troops, you went to support Guzhou in the battle of Sizhuyuan without stopping. This time, when you go to Bingzhou, I think you should stay. You have to take care of the fields at home and accompany your wives and children."

Liu Heizi was stunned for a moment, not even bothering to eat the fragrant noodles. "What do you mean, Alang? Do you think we are incompetent?"

"You are the government soldiers now, but the government soldiers are not always called up to fight. There must be a rest and rotation. This time you should just rest at home." Li Yi said. He knew that this journey north would not be easy, and he might even suffer a defeat.

Liu Heizi and the others have followed me for a long time, and letting them stay this time is also for their own good.

"Alang hasn't rested either, so why should we rest? Besides, if we follow Alang, we can get merits and honors. How can we miss such a good opportunity?" Dafu said firmly.

"I'm telling you the truth. This trip to Bingzhou is different from the previous two. We might have to fight a tough battle, or even lose, and there will be casualties."

Several people were stunned.

Liu Heizi put down his bowl, stood up suddenly, and patted his chest, "What do you think of me, Liu Heizi, as Ah Lang? You only know how to take advantage of others and enjoy the good things, but you can't share the hardships with me?

If this trip is truly a tough battle, or even involves casualties, then we must follow A-Lang. My Liu Heizi, weighing over 200 pounds, can still be quite useful at a critical moment."

Luo Wu and others also expressed that they were not afraid of tough battles.

"When we were selecting the soldiers, we never considered being afraid of fighting. Besides, we've always been with Alang, so how could we possibly be deserters this time?"

Li Yi was very touched to have such a group of grateful fellow villagers.

It’s worth the support along the way.

"Okay, then go ahead and serve as my personal soldiers."

Not only did the ten soldiers from Luojiabao still accompany them,

This time his archery coach Zhao Yongan, and old partners Li Dejiang, Qiu Shenyan, Ji Sigong, and Wu Junya will also go, and many noble sons such as Ji Siwen and Qiu Yingqi will also go.

Even his four former Qiang slaves, Li Cunxiao, Li Cunti, Li Cunzhong and Li Cunxin, who were now promoted to captains of the imperial guards, went.

This time, I was unable to borrow the Gate God Qin Qiong, the White Tiger Star Luo Shixin, and the Devil King Cheng Yaojin.
Li Yi could only strengthen himself, with thirty-six soldiers selected from ten miles away, led by Song Yi and Chen Lingjiao.

Li Cunxiao and the other four Qiang imperial guards captains,
The ten most trustworthy guards of Luojiabao.

After dinner, Li Yi asked Li Dejiang, "Has your master not returned from Lingnan yet?"

"No, I guess he's still looking for spices on an island in the South Pacific."

Li Yi was quite disappointed to hear this answer. The bearded guest Zhang San was a man of extraordinary martial arts. If he had this guest from Kunlun following him, even if he was surrounded by tens of thousands of enemy troops, Zhang San would be able to lead him out of the siege.

(End of this chapter)