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

Chapter 51 Go get Li Yi's medicine
Binzhou,

Changwu City,
Li Shimin inspected the city defense. After tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians worked day and night, the defense capability of Changwu City was greatly improved. The city walls were raised, the moats were deepened and widened, and many more bunkers were added.

Teams of civilians, like ants, continuously transported food, fodder, and weapons from Chang'an to the city.

Li Shimin's strategy of using defense to counter attack achieved good results. Xue Ju's army advanced deep into the city and divided its forces to attack Anding City and Gaocheng City in Jingzhou. However, Li Shuliang and Liu Shirang remembered Li Shimin's orders and defended the city to the death, allowing Xue Ju to plunder the area.

Even though Xue Ju had the advantage of cavalry, he was still unable to attack the two fortified cities.

The two sides entered a stalemate.
"Your Highness, the Angel of Chang'an has arrived."

When Li Shimin returned to Changwu City, Emperor Li Yuan sent an envoy, Gao Shijing, the Right Marquis of Wu and General of the Cavalry, to come.

"Your Highness,"

Gao Shijing brought a piece of news that made Li Shimin feel urgent: Henan Li Mi had accepted the title of Luoyang Huangtai Lord.

"Luoyang appointed Li Mi as Grand Marshal, Minister of the Chancellery, Marshal of the Southeastern Circuit, and Duke of Wei, and stated that after pacifying Yu Wenhuaji, Li Mi would be brought into the court to assist in the administration."

"Li Mi has already sent troops to attack Yu Wenhuaji."

Earlier this year, Li Shimin and his brother Jiancheng had marched to Luoyang and arrived at the city walls. At that time, Li Mi and Wang Shichong were engaged in a fierce battle at Luoshui. Li Mi was initially defeated but then won, leaving Wang Shichong with tens of thousands of casualties and only a few thousand remnants escaping.

Luoyang was in danger for the time being, and Li Mi could take over Luoyang at any time.

Li Yuan could not bear to see Li Mi seize the Central Plains, so he sent the brothers Jiancheng and Shimin to lead troops out of Tongguan. Li Mi also realized that the Li brothers had bad intentions, so he sent troops to intercept them tentatively. The two sides had a small-scale confrontation.
After Li Mi learned that Li Shimin's brothers were quite powerful, he thought for a while and suspended his plan to attack Luoyang. Attacking Luoyang at this time might end up making things difficult for the Li brothers.

The 300,000 Wagang troops withdrew from the Luoyang battlefield.
Many noble officials in Luoyang City sent people to meet with Jiancheng brothers secretly, willing to act as an insider to help them capture Luoyang. But Li Shimin reminded his brother that Li Mi had a strong army and was in a powerful position, while they had few soldiers and horses.
If he took control of Luoyang at this time, he would surely provoke a relentless struggle with Li Mi.

It would be better to stay in Luoyang and let them continue to fight and consume Li Mi.

So they withdrew their troops.

There was absolutely no problem with the original decision to withdraw troops. Keeping the Luoyang court to fight against Li Mi for the Li family and allowing the Li family to stabilize Guanzhong was the best strategy.

But no one expected that
Only a few months later, Li Mi, who had a strong army and powerful horses, actually accepted the enthronement from the Luoyang court.

What is he planning?
The variable comes from Yu Wenhuaji,

After Yu Wenzhi killed the king in Jiangdu, he headed north under the pretext of returning to Guanzhong. After arriving in Huazhou, Henan, he personally led the main force straight to Liyang.

Liyang was guarded by the Wagang general Xu Shiji. The Liyang Warehouse here was a military stronghold and grain center that Li Mi could not afford to lose.

Yu Wenhuaji surrounded Liyang,

Li Mi had no choice but to rush to reinforce.
At this time, Luoyang recruited and enthroned Li Mi. In order to avoid being attacked from all sides, Li Mi was overjoyed. He immediately wrote a letter to Yang Tong, requesting to surrender and expressing his willingness to help the court fight against the traitor who killed the king.

As a result, the situation in the Central Plains changed dramatically.

The crisis in Luoyang City, which was originally in a precarious situation, was resolved in an instant. Li Mi also gained tens of thousands of troops. Yuan Wendu, Duan Da and other Luoyang dignitaries held banquets and entertainment every day.

Li Mi no longer had any worries, so he led his elite troops and stationed them in Qingqi. The two sides fought a fierce battle around Liyang City.

This news reached Chang'an.

Li Yuan was very shocked and worried. He had never expected that Li Mi would be recruited by Luoyang. Once Li Mi defeated Yu Wenhuaji, he would bring the victory of eliminating the rebellion and enter the court as agreed.

If Luoyang was about to change at that time, it would be very likely that Li Mi would control the Luoyang court, or even follow the same path as him and force Yang Tong to abdicate.

This was a situation that Li Yuan absolutely did not want to see.

Time is very tight. The Tang Dynasty must defeat Xue Ju before Li Mi defeats Yu Wenzhi, and then it will have the strength to join the Central Plains battlefield.

"Your Highness, the King of Qin, time is running out. The Sage urges you to dispatch troops quickly and defeat Xue Ju."

"We can't delay any longer."

Li Shimin frowned.
The dramatic changes in the Central Plains battlefield were beyond his expectations.

But at this time, the confrontation with Xue Ju had only lasted for more than a month, which was far from achieving his plan of protracted confrontation and waiting for the enemy to run out of food.

It's too early to attack now.

Xue Ju's Longyou Corps is still sharp.

"Your Majesty is still very worried about the Turks and Liang Shidu. If this situation drags on for too long, I'm afraid the Turks will come again."

Li Shimin sighed, "Xue Ju is looking forward to a decisive battle with me, but the timing is not right yet. If we attack now, the chances of winning are too low."

Gao Shijing came here by imperial decree, not only to announce the decree to Li Shimin, but also to go to Zhang Changxun in Wuyuan.

Zhang Changxun was originally just a village head in the Sui Dynasty. He was skilled in archery and horse riding. Later, he participated in the war to pacify Chen and made great contributions. By the end of the Sui Dynasty, he had been promoted to the governor of Wuyuan County in Hetao.

He had previously been affiliated with the Turks and was granted the title of Gelitegin.

In April of this year, Zhang Changxun was persuaded by Li Yuan's envoys to submit to the Tang Dynasty with Wudu, Dangqu, Wuyuan and other counties, and was granted the title of governor and governor of Fengzhou.

When the war broke out this time, Xue Ju first sent his general Zong Luohou to march into Lingwu in an attempt to annex Zhang Changxun, who had surrendered to Li Yuan.

In Chang'an, Li Yuan was worried that Zhang Changxun would be isolated and helpless and would once again side with the Turks. He specially dispatched Gao Shijing to Wuyuan, Fengzhou, to confer upon him the titles of Guanglu Dafu and Duke of Anhua, and posthumously conferred upon his father the title of Duke of Suian.

Both sides are competing for time.

The situation is confusing.

"General Gao, have a safe trip. Tell Chief Steward Zhang that Xue Ju will be defeated soon. Tell him to hold on. If all else fails, he should temporarily abandon Lingwu and retreat to Wuyuan."

After seeing Gao Shijing off, Li Shimin sat alone for a long time, then opened the letter he brought.

Among these letters was one from his wife, Guanyinbi, saying that everything was fine during her pregnancy and that he need not worry. There was also a letter from Fang Xuanling saying that food, fodder, weapons, and troops were being dispatched and transported in an orderly manner.

Du Ruhui wrote to say that many of the Qin Wangfu's staff and officials had been transferred out by the Crown Prince to other posts.

Also talking about Li Yi,
Sun Fujia had previously recommended Li Yi to the sage for his talent, and Pei Ji then recommended him for the position of Crown Prince's Official. However, Li Yi arrived in Chang'an to receive his official notice and robes, and spent only one morning at the Eastern Palace's Finance Bureau. The next day, he resigned on the grounds of illness, leaving behind a poem.

I was born a fisherman and woodcutter in the wilds, and have lived a carefree life. I could sing wildly among the grass and marshes, but would I rather be an official in the dust? Li Shimin smiled when he saw the poem attached to the letter.

This Li Wuyi, a ninth-rank official of the Crown Prince, felt that his position was too low. No wonder he flatly refused when I recruited him to be the Secretary of the Qin Palace.

I was feeling quite depressed.

It seemed that he felt much better because of Li Yi's resignation from the Crown Prince's office.

Buzz buzz,
Li Shimin slapped the annoying mosquito on the neck and killed it.

at night,

Li Shimin suddenly started to have the shiver.
First, yawning and fatigue, followed by chills, cold all over the body, then heat inside and out, headache, red face, and sweat all over the body.

Chills and fever, accompanied by headaches, nausea and vomiting.

Guard captain Hou Junji discovered something was wrong and quickly summoned a military doctor.

"Your Highness has malaria. He was harmed by the heat in summer and the wind in autumn, which is why he got sick."

"Treat him quickly."

The white-bearded doctor said, "Malaria evil lurks in the Shaoyang meridian, entering and exiting the Ying and Wei, and the struggle between the evil and the righteous causes an attack. We should use Changshan, which has the effect of eliminating phlegm and stopping malaria."

The doctor prescribed a decoction of Radix Dichroae as the main ingredient.

Li Shimin drank the freshly boiled medicine, but he vomited even more violently. Hou Junji drew his sword and was about to kill the mediocre doctor.

"Changshan will inevitably cause vomiting when treating malaria. Don't worry too much. Take the medicine twice a day, rest and recuperate. You will be cured in at most half a month."

Although the doctor said so,

But Li Shimin really couldn't swallow the medicine. He vomited as soon as he drank it. He vomited very violently, with his stomach churning and his intestines almost vomited out.

However, the doctor said that the vomiting caused by Changshan was milder, and if Shuqi was used to treat malaria, the vomiting would be more severe.

"Is there no medicine to treat malaria without causing vomiting? Your Highness, if you continue to vomit like this, your condition will only get worse."

The doctor shook his head and said that the most effective medicines for treating malaria are Changshan and Shuqi.

In fact, Changshan and Shuqi are the same thing. The roots collected in autumn are Changshan, and the leaves collected in summer are Shuqi. The vomiting of Shuqi will be more severe.

Li Shimin was exhausted.
"Go and call Liu Changshi and Yin Sima."

Soon, the Chief Clerk Liu Wenjing and the Military Secretary Yin Kaishan arrived. They were shocked to see Li Shimin's appearance and asked him with concern.

"Nothing serious, just malaria,"

Li Shimin was very cold at this time. Even wrapped in a thick blanket, he was still shivering.

"Today, His Majesty sent General Gao to deliver his decree. You should know the reason, right?"

Liu Wenjing nodded, "Who would have thought that Li Mi would actually accept the title of Lord of Luoyang?"

"Your Majesty urged us to go into battle and deal with Xue Ju as soon as possible, but after much thought, I still feel that we cannot take risks at this time.

Xue Ju has come from afar, so a quick battle is in order. Longyou's troops are strong and our army cannot currently engage them head-on. We should continue the confrontation, engaging in a protracted battle. When their food supplies run out, we can strike back and ultimately win."

"My condition won't improve anytime soon, so I'll leave the military affairs to you two commanders for now."

"Remember, do not go out into battle. Continue to hold your ground until the enemy runs out of food."

After saying this, Li Shimin vomited violently again, until he was dizzy and dizzy.
Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan comforted him and then left.

the next day,
Li Shimin's condition still did not improve at all.

He would have malaria every once in a while, with alternating hot and cold temperatures. The military doctor prescribed yam, but he would vomit severely every time, and Li Shimin was exhausted.

"Your Highness, why don't you return to Chang'an for treatment and recuperation?"

Li Shimin waved his hand.
Another captain of the imperial guards, Xu Luoren, brought the King of Qin's beloved stewing cup and said, "Your Highness, the millet porridge is ready. Would you like some now?"

Li Shimin couldn't eat anything now, and couldn't stand the smell of meat.

But he couldn't not eat, so Xu Luoren specially cooked some porridge.

Li Shimin looked at the stewing cup and seemed to remember something important.

Yes, it’s Li Yi.

Last time at Du Ruhui's house in Duqu, Li Yi gave him some pills, saying that they were the common medicines he used when traveling around the world with his master, and they were very effective.

It seems that there is a cure for malaria in it?

"Luo Ren, where are the pills that Li Yi gave me last time in Duqu? Find them for me."

Xu Luoren quickly brought out a gourd containing the pills Li Yi had given him.

They were packed in small packages wrapped in oil paper, and one of them had the words "Cure Malaria" written on it.

The instructions for taking the medicine are as follows: take four tablets for the first dose, and two tablets three hours later. On the second and third days, take two tablets each.

Small white pills,

"Your Highness, is this thing really useful? The old military doctor is the imperial physician sent by His Majesty from the Shang Pharmacy." Xu Luoren asked.

Hou Junji was also a little skeptical. Just a few small white pills, and only need to be taken for three days?
Li Shimin said: "Give it to me quickly. We should try our best to save the dying horse. Besides, I think Li Yi's master is a very great master. This medicine may be effective."

Swallow four small white pills,

Li Shimin had prepared himself to vomit violently, but he did not feel sick at all.
The medicine was not bitter, and even seemed a little sweet.

(End of this chapter)