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

Chapter 286 Difficult Choice

The fifth day of May is Dragon Boat Festival.

This was the most unlucky day in the eyes of the ancients, an evil month and an evil day, or a poisonous month and a poisonous day.

At this time, yin and yang are in conflict, life and death are at stake, and it is the month when poisonous insects sprout.

Early in the morning,

Liu Heizi and other personal soldiers went to pick calamus and mugwort, although some military rituals had to be followed.

The dexterous Chen Lingjiao also made mugwort into the shape of a tiger and cut cattail leaves into the shape of a sword.

"The Aihu Pu sword can protect your health." He said to Li Yi with a smile.

"Dragon Boat Festival requires eating zongzi." Li Yi instructed Yindiguan to make zongzi today. Although there was no glutinous rice, they could use yellow rice and add red dates or red bean paste. "Make more zongzi. Each brother must get at least four."

Having been away from home for over a month, Li Yi missed his family in Chang'an. Little La Jiao must have grown a lot. Did Shi Niang feel any better? Ji Lingyi calculated the time and realized it was over six months. Her belly with the twins should be as big as a watermelon.

Song Yi also went out early in the morning to collect patchouli, which can invigorate the spleen, white angelica, which can dispel dampness, as well as atractylodes and mugwort leaves. He sewed them into a sachet and asked Li Yi to hang it on his body. "The weather is getting hot. These fragrances can dispel turbidity and make people feel refreshed."

My brother-in-law Ji Sigong brought over a jar of realgar wine. He had bought it from a local villager. He had soaked the realgar in advance and dried it in the sun. He smiled and said, "According to the customs of people in Guanzhong, the Dragon Boat Festival is too unlucky. We have to apply realgar wine."

He applied some on Li Yi's face, nose tip, and ears.

"When people smear it, ghosts and spirits dare not approach; when entering the mountains and forests, tigers and wolves lie in wait; when crossing the river, poisonous creatures dare not harm them."

Their actions reminded Li Yi that there were indeed many poisonous insects, snakes and ants in this season, so he ordered some limestone, realgar powder, etc. to be sprinkled everywhere in the military camp.

Li Yi missed the salted duck eggs he had during the Lunar New Year more. The ones with red and oily centers were the most delicious. He could also eat rice dumplings of various flavors and watch the dragon boat race.

However, although he is now guarding the Fen River, there is no custom of dragon boat racing here.

"I don't know what Huang Ziying is doing in Jiahu Fort." Li Yi said to Zhao Yongan with a smile. He hasn't seen Huang Ziying since he withdrew from Yindi Pass three days ago.

He sent Zhao Yongan with scouts to investigate, and found out that Huang Ziying had retreated to Jiahu Fort, thirty miles away from Yindi Pass, and there was no movement.

noon.

Li Yi ate cucumbers and drank realgar wine, which was millet wine mixed with a small amount of calamus powder and realgar. It was said that this wine could make one immune to the five poisons.

Served with five poisonous cakes,
The steamed buns are printed with patterns of the five poisonous animals: snake, gecko, centipede, scorpion and toad. It is said that eating these five poisonous buns can make one immune to the five poisons.

"The summer solstice has passed, and the wheat in Guanzhong has been harvested long ago. This year's spring is cold and dry, so I don't know how the harvest will be." Liu Heizi was eating the Five Poisons Cake with garlic in his hand. He took two bites of the cake and then a bite of raw garlic.

"This year's wheat harvest in Guanzhong is estimated to be reduced by 30% to 40%. If we can retain half of the harvest, we will be lucky."

"I don't know when this war will end."

Several people ate and chatted,

The summer harvest is during the Grain in Ear season, and people are busy harvesting and planting. This year’s Grain in Ear season has been over for half a month, and the summer solstice was yesterday.

"I guess not only have they finished their summer harvest, but they've also planted what they need to plant."

During Grain in Ear, crops with awns can be planted, such as millet, sorghum, and rice.

Li Yi didn't have to worry too much about the summer harvest and planting. Although he had planted a lot of wheat last autumn, he had many slaves and tenants at home. When the wheat harvest came, many people from Shuofang and Longyou would come to Guanzhong to work as wheat pickers.

He now has a lot of land, and he has reserved some land for growing rice. He raises rice seedlings during the Qingming Festival and plants them during the Grain in Ear Festival.

Some fields are planted with rapeseed in the fall and then with rice or millet.

"The weather is getting hotter and hotter. We only brought spring jackets when we came here, and we have no clothes to change into." Luo Dafu complained.

Liu Heizi was more open-minded. "We are lucky to have food and drink here. Think about the 9,000 troops led by General Manager Li. How many of them are still alive?

Those who managed to survive would probably only be lucky enough to have a bowl of porridge a day, right?

When this was mentioned, everyone sighed.

Ji Sigong couldn't help but ask, "How did the six of them, Li Zongguan, escape?"

Qiu Shenyan continued, "Didn't the letter sent by Li Zongguan say that Huang Ziying had a horse servant who was originally from Guanzhong and missed his hometown? Huang Ziying treated him badly and often whipped him.
"When the horse servant heard that our county lord had led his troops into Lingshi City and Yindi Pass, and had surrounded them in Queshu Valley, he took advantage of this opportunity to rescue the six generals and help them escape."

"This horse servant is quite capable. He was able to rescue six generals from the enemy camp."

Several people were talking to each other, and they were all sighing at the good luck of Li Zhongwen and his six generals. They were captured but not killed, and someone rescued them.

But the 9,000 soldiers they had led into the pit and the survivors had to be imprisoned in the prisoner camp.

Li Yi was also extremely surprised when he first received the news.

But sometimes you have to admire some people's good luck.

Of course, the decision made by Ma Pu was absolutely right. The six generals, one county duke, the general manager, three provincial governors, and generals were all of the third rank, and the remaining two were also of the fourth rank, Generals of the Central Army.

This horse servant could be said to have no worries about food and clothing now, and he reached the peak of his life from then on.

Li Yi didn't care whether Li Zhongwen would take away the command if these people escaped.

What he is more concerned about now is the overall trend of the battle.

After Song Jingang captured Pingyao, he laid siege to Jiexiu for a long time but was unable to capture it. According to some scattered information he received, Song Jingang's main force was still under the city of Taiyuan.

It was just a detachment heading south, and half of the troops in this detachment were brought here by Huang Ziying, and are now being held captive in Queshu Valley by Li Yi.

There were not many Han troops under Jiexiu City.

If we are optimistic, Jiexiu may be able to hold on for another year or two without any problem.

After all, Puban City has been defended for a long time. When Li Yuan led his troops south, Yao Junsu was ordered to take over the post of staying behind from Qu Tutong. It has been the second year of Wude until now, and it has been almost three years.

Puban City stubbornly held out. Last year, they said they were running out of food and resorting to cannibalism, but even now, even with the siege of the Ministry of Works, Dugu Huai'en, the people are still holding out. Although Yao Junsu was killed by his men during the siege, Wang Xingben entered the city and killed hundreds of people, allowing them to continue holding out.

Jiexiu is the capital of Jiezhou. Although Jiexiu was just a county town before, if the defenders are strong and the military and civilians are united, it can still hold out for a long time.

Li Jiancheng's teacher Ren Gui was very good at defending the city. The old man was guarding Guzhou, which was only a hundred miles away from Luoyang and right under Wang Shichong's nose. Wang Shichong would attack it every now and then, just to get rid of the thorn in his side.

But from the first year of Wude to the second year of Wude, Ren Gui had also held out there for a year and a half. If Jiexiu could hold on, Li Yi could continue to trap Huang Ziying's 5,000 troops.

afternoon.

A group of people came from the north of Yindi Pass and marched along the Fen River.

A patrol had already returned to report.

"Chief Steward Li, Chief Clerk Wang, Commander Liu, and Chief Steward Yu are here."

The six generals from Queshu Valley were ambushed and then rescued by Huang Ziying's horse servant. After resting for a few days at Fenshui Pass, they followed Li Yi's footsteps, passed Huoyi, crossed Hanhou Road to Lingshi, and then went from Lingshi to Queshu Valley and arrived at Yindi Pass.

It can be said that it has gone in a big circle.

Li Yi came to the front of the pass to greet him.

Li Zhongwen was a little surprised when he saw the four newly added high walls under the Hundred-foot Tower of Yindi Pass.

When I saw Li Yi again, this descendant of the Eight Pillars of the State had a sallow complexion and a bandage wrapped around his left shoulder. Even in the hot weather of the Dragon Boat Festival, he was still wearing armor.

"Your subordinate greets the general manager!" Li Yi stepped forward and saluted.

"No," Li Zhongwen jumped off his horse and quickly stepped forward to support Li Yi. "I regret that I listened to the county magistrate's advice and rushed north. As a result, we were ambushed in Queshu Valley and lost nine thousand brothers. I am extremely ashamed.

If the county lord had not led the rear army north in time and found the Hanhouling trail, crossing the mountains and ridges to occupy Lingshi and Yindi Pass, I am afraid that the entire Jiezhou and Luzhou would have been captured by Huang Ziying. "

"Master, let's go inside the pass first."

Li Yi welcomed six generals into the pass,

Next to Li Zhongwen stood a short and thin young man. He introduced him to Li Yi, "His name is Yun Da, and his family is from Lantian, Guanzhong. Thanks to him, the six of us were able to escape this time."

Li Yi looked at the man, who looked quite young, probably under 20 years old.

Li Zhongwen had already appointed this man as his personal guard and had promised to give him one hundred strings of cash, two cows, three hundred mu of land, four hundred pieces of silk, and five slaves upon his return to Guanzhong. This was considered quite generous, and the other five generals also promised generous rewards.

"Thank you, Mr. Yun. I will immediately appoint you as a soldier in the field camp."

The Red Certificate is also a kind of temporary appointment. It is completely acceptable for Li Yi, the deputy general manager, to be appointed as the ninth rank.

"Mr. Yun thanks Deputy Chief Li for the kindness!"

Back in the Cloud Hall on the fourth floor of Baichi Tower, Li Zhongwen first praised Li Yi for his decisive action in trapping Huang Ziying.

"Our original mission when we led our army north was to relieve Pingyao, recover Yuci, and reinforce Bingzhou. Jiexiu is now under siege, and we cannot sit idly by."

Li Yi said frankly: "It's not that we are sitting idly by, but now we only have three armies of soldiers left, which add up to only 5,500. Now we are guarding Huoyi, Lingshi, Fenshui Pass and Yindi Pass, and our manpower is stretched to the limit.

Huang Ziying's 5,000 men were trapped by me in Queshu Valley. It was only because of the terrain and the dangerous pass that we were able to stop him. But if the pass wasn't defended by enough troops, we wouldn't be able to hold them back either."

"But we can't just sit by and watch Jiexiu City being besieged by the enemy. If Jiexiu is broken again, how are we going to explain to the Saint in Chang'an?" Li Zhongwen sounded a little unsure when he spoke, but he still had to say what he had to say.

Li Yi also said frankly: "Even if we can withdraw one or two thousand people to the north of Jiexiu, it will only be a drop in the bucket. If we are not careful, the enemy will come to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements.
Manager Li is confident that he can win the field battle?

If the reinforcements fail and we are defeated, or even annihilated, then the remaining troops will not be able to defend Lingshi, Huoyi, Yindi Pass, Fenshui Pass, etc., and even Huang Ziying's several thousand men will not be able to hold them back, right?"

Li Zhongwen looked very unhappy.

What Li Yi said was not without reason. At present, Li Yi only had five or six thousand combat soldiers, several thousand auxiliary soldiers, and the few local garrison troops, and could barely defend the two cities and two passes.

But it also mainly relies on the city walls to defend.

If it is a field battle, there are indeed too few troops, and if they are divided, they will be even weaker.

"But we can't just stand by and watch them die, right?" Li Zhongwen could only say this.

"So what does the steward mean?"

Li Zhongwen looked at Wang Xingmin and his generals and said, "How about Wuyi, you allocate 5,000 soldiers to me?"

Li Yi looked at him quietly.

Li Zhongwen quickly changed his words, "Three thousand combat troops and two thousand auxiliary troops."

Li Yi shook his head.

"What about the two thousand combat troops and three thousand auxiliary troops?"

"General, we simply cannot spare so many troops. With two cities and two passes, there are a total of 6,000 combat troops and 6,000 auxiliary troops. Adding the local soldiers, there are only 2,000 to 3,000 people in each place."

"Then how many soldiers can you give me?"

"Is the steward really going to reinforce Jiexiu?"

Li Zhongwen nodded.

Li Yi sighed, "I think it's better to wait for reinforcements from Chang'an."

"Can't wait." Li Zhongwen and the other six generals had already discussed that in order to atone for their sins, they had to ensure that Jiexiu was not lost.

"If the county magistrate is unwilling to reinforce Jiexiu, then we will mobilize our troops to attack Huang Ziying in Jiahu Fort, where we still have thousands of captured brothers."

Li Yi felt even more headache after hearing this idea.

Don’t think the defeat in Queshu Valley was bad enough? Now you actually want to attack Jiahu Fort with only a few thousand troops?
"Let me continue to surround Huang Ziying. If the General really decides to rescue Jiexiu, I'll try to gather 3,000 men for him: 1,400 combat troops, 600 auxiliary troops, and 1,000 local militiamen. How do you think that is?"

Li Zhongwen hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Okay, three thousand is three thousand."

"Master, please be careful and cautious. Beware of the enemy besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements!"

"Don't worry, I won't fall over twice in the same ditch!"

(End of this chapter)