Chapter 91: Asking for a Strategy to Capture Pirates

"Why is Shichiro in such a hurry to leave?"

On the way to send Li Xuan out of Chang'an, Li Shizhi asked.

Li Shizhi was very reluctant to let go as he had to go out and fight the bandits not long after returning.

"Seize the day!"

Li Xuan really wanted to seize the time to accomplish his mission, and besides, all his relatives and friends had gathered together, so there was no need to waste any more time.

At this time, Li Xuan was wearing a jet-black Shanwen armor with special patterns on it. The helmet was gorgeous and looked more majestic and domineering than the previous Shanwen armor.

"Wu Lingguang has been occupying Linhai and other counties for eight years. He must be very cautious. The sea is not like the grassland. You have to be careful about everything!"

Li Shizhi said no more. Qi'er had great ambitions and was thoughtful.

Apart from leading by example on the battlefield, Li Shizhi felt at ease in everything else.

With Li Xuan's horse galloping ahead in the battle, Li Shizhi could not persuade him and could only believe in Li Xuan's bravery to crush the enemy.

"Don't worry, father. The march will take more than a month, which is enough time for me to find a solution."

The expedition was three thousand miles long, and although the entire army was on horseback, Li Xuan did not expect the imperial guards to march quickly.

Traveling eighty miles a day is considered very good.

Outside the Tonghua Gate of Chang'an City, 10,000 Niuwei Imperial Guards were already in place.

They were all riding tall horses, three thousand of them were wearing black armor, and the rest were all wearing the most exquisite black leather armor.

And at least half of the imperial guards carried bows and arrows.

At first glance, they seem to be well-equipped. If this group of cavalry appeared on the grassland, even if the enemy had 20,000 Hu cavalry, they would be scared and turn around and run away.

Li Xuan knew exactly what their true combat power was. In terms of fighting spirit, they were no match for the battle-hardened frontier troops.

But it should be enough to deal with thousands of pirates.

In the past, the Qianniu Guards were the imperial guards who wielded the imperial sword, but since the Kaiyuan period, the Beiya Imperial Guards had been perfected, and the imperial guards surrounding Li Longji were the Yulin Guards and the Longwu Guards.

The collapse of the military system made the Qianniu Guards become a mere formality.

There were also 5,000 pack horses accompanying the imperial guards on this trip, carrying military supplies.

There is no need to carry too much food, as food will be provided by the counties and prefectures you pass through.

Li Xuan brought his personal guards and Zhang Xing with him on this trip.

Chen Xuanli, the general of the Left Dragon Guard, followed Li Longji's order to escort Li Xuan across Guangyuntan.

Li Shizhi also followed, and only after seeing Li Xuan disappear from sight did he leave with Chen Xuanli.

On the march, Li Xuan met the general of Zuo Qianniu Guard.

There were two Lieutenant Generals of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard who jointly commanded the Left Thousand Oxen Guard.

One was named Chen Hu and the other was named Li Qiuming.

Li Qiuming was a member of the royal family and a descendant of Li Fengci, King of Bohai.

From the first moment Li Xuan saw him, she felt that he was drained of his body by alcohol and sex, and he even staggered when he got on the horse.

Although Chen Hu was not tall, he looked strong and was very respectful when he performed the ceremony to Li Xuan. He seemed much more reliable than Li Qiuming.

"General, the sun is about to set. Why don't you take a rest and continue tomorrow?"

Before reaching the border of Lantian, Li Qiuming came to ask Li Xuan to stop marching and set up camp.

"March for another hour, and all the horses will gallop quickly."

Li Xuan calculated the time. Every evening, he would make the horses run a distance, trying to march eighty to ninety miles.

The ancient road between the two capitals is wide and wide.

This should be an easy thing for them.

"After an hour, it was already pitch dark!"

Li Qiuming complained.

Everything was going well, he was living like a god in Chang'an, but suddenly he was called out to pacify the pirates.

That’s fine, I thought I would leave at the end of the month. I had to leave Chang’an not long after the Chinese New Year.

How could the imperial guards have no complaints?
Once the imperial guards lost their military spirit, even though Li Xuan was very famous, they would still be depressed and try to get by.

"Do you remember the consequences of disobeying military orders?"

Li Xuan stared at Li Qiuming and said in a deep voice.

In less than a day, the General of the Household would contradict him. If he gave in, how would he command the army after arriving in Linhai?
"Brothers, do you want to march again?"

Although Li Qiuming was afraid of Li Xuan's eyes, he still made up his mind and shouted.

"I don't want to... I'm too tired..."

"General, stop. We have come far enough."

"Look at the farmers on the roadside, they are all rushing home..."

"The horses also need a rest..."

A group of Qianniu Guards responded with a mix of words.

Li Qiuming had a very good relationship with all the Langjiang and officers of Zuo Qianniu Guard, and they often visited brothels together.

A group of soldiers also followed suit and fanned the flames.

In their view, Li Xuan was just a temporary general who would have to go to the frontier sooner or later.

Some people even slandered in their hearts, asking why Li Xuan was the General of the Left Qianniu Guard instead of the General of the Left Wuwei Guard or the General of the Left Weiwei Guard?

Li Xuan's personal guards were stunned. Are they tired after such a short distance?
They all came from frontier troops, and in their minds, the Imperial Guards were once a noble existence.

"stop!"

Li Xuan ordered the cavalry to stop marching.

"Come here, take Li Qiuming off his horse and give him twenty military sticks."

Li Xuan gave orders to his guards again.

He was trying to establish his authority. Li Qiuming happened to run into him, so he used him to intimidate Zuo Qianniu Guard.

"dare……"

Li Qiuming was panicked. He thought Li Xuan would compromise and let them march comfortably. He didn't expect Li Xuan to be so determined.

Isn’t it just going to bed early? Is that a big deal?
Li Xuan's personal guards only obey Li Xuan. As long as Li Xuan gives an order, they will dare to fight anyone.

Li Qiuming, who was drained by alcohol and sex, was about to turn his horse when he was pulled off by his bodyguards.

"Why don't you come and help me?"

Li Qiuming was at least a fourth-rank military officer and had his own personal guards.

But this personal guard was not a battlefield guard and was at a loss as to what to do.

Just when they were gritting their teeth to protect their general, they heard Li Xuan shout, "What? You want to disobey military orders, do you want to rebel?"

This was not only said to Li Qiuming's personal guards, but also to the Qianniu Guards who were causing the riots.

It is understandable to resist when oppressed, but if you want to resist just because you have to walk a little further, then you are really hopeless.

The Qianniu Guards were silent, their families were all in Chang'an.

Who dares not to respect the commander?

Moreover, it is said that Li Xuan killed people without blinking an eye, so let him walk for another hour, riding a horse is not tiring.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Li Xuan's personal guards picked up military sticks and started hitting Li Qiuming on the back.

Li Qiuming screamed in pain and begged for mercy.

All the Qianniu Guards watched with fear and trepidation.

After being beaten with twenty military sticks, Li Qiuming was almost killed.

Li Xuan asked the military doctor to apply medicine to him, then he lay on the horse's back with his buttocks facing the sky and continued the march.

Chen Hu was frightened. He restrained his subordinates and made them obey any orders from Li Xuan obediently.

He was also present at the banquet at Hua'e Xianghui Tower. Li Longji's favor for Li Xuan was unmatched.

What's more, Li Xuan is extremely brave and decisive.

After Li Xuan killed the chicken to scare the monkeys, the soldiers marched more than 85 miles a day, and in ten days, they arrived outside the city of Luoyang.

Li Xuan did not make excessive demands and let the Qianniu Guards rest for a day and set off again the day after tomorrow.

The Qianniu Guards soldiers suddenly felt that Li Xuan was still humane.

The way to govern an army is to alternate between looseness and relaxation.

Stopping in Luoyang City, Li Xuan wanted to visit someone.

Henan Yin Pei Dunfu.

Historically, it was Pei Dunfu who captured and killed the pirate leader Wu Lingguang.

When Pei Dunfu learned that Li Xuan had arrived with the imperial guards, he went out of the city in person to welcome Li Xuan.

And bring food to the imperial guards.

"Meet Pei Dayin."

When Li Xuan saw Pei Dunfu, he bowed.

Pei Dunfu was a third-rank official, equal in rank to Li Xuan.

"General Li, there is no need to be so polite. You are a young hero and a great talent. I am well-known in Luoyang."

Pei Dunfu smiled.

In the 12th year of Kaiyuan, Pei Dunfu ranked first in the "Class of Qualified Generals", and was named the top military scholar.

He has been an official for decades and has never had the opportunity to lead troops in battle.

Pei Dunfu was not aware of the coincidence of history that allowed Li Xuan to get his chance.

"Pei Dayin is a man of both literary and martial arts, and has rich experience. I still have a lot to learn from you!"

Li Xuan said seriously. In history, Pei Dunfu was also deceived by Li Linfu's sweet words and treacherous intentions, and defeated his clansman Pei Kuan, and then was repeatedly demoted.

Finally, the executioner Luo Xishe killed his way from Qingzhou to Lingnan and killed Pei Dunfu as well.

Li Xuan and Pei Dunfu talked as they walked into Luoyang City.

Luoyang City was second only to Chang'an in terms of prosperity, and its other streets and buildings were not inferior.

From Emperor Yang of Sui to Empress Wu Zetian, Luoyang City was continuously undergoing large-scale construction and was managed for quite some time.

Li Longji also ruled Luoyang for a long time. Many dignitaries still live in Luoyang, and there are countless literati and celebrities.

The great poet Du Fu grew up in Luoyang City. But now he is still a novice.

If it weren't for his military duties, Li Xuan would definitely go and see what Old Du looked like when he was young.

Before dark, Pei Dunfu and Li Xuan arrived at the Henan Yinfu Yamen.

The food and wine were ready. After a hearty meal, Li Xuan asked Pei Dunfu for advice: "Da Yin was ranked first in the list of generals and commanders, and he has outstanding military strategies. I would like to ask you, if you were to lead troops to eliminate the pirates, what would you do?"

"I think it will not work if we lead a large army to Linhai. The pirates have been able to survive for eight years, so they must have spies in the coastal counties. They know that the imperial court is coming to suppress the bandits, so they will hide in the sea and not come out."

"We should keep the army outside the county and send people disguised as merchant caravans to spy in the coastal counties. If we catch an informant, we should have him lead them out to sea to encircle and suppress the enemy. If we fail to catch an informant, we should use money, food and other means to lure the enemy out of their hole. When they come ashore, we should immediately send cavalry to help and kill them by surprise."

"Of course, this is just my worst plan. General Li may have a better plan."

After thinking for a while, Pei Dunfu told Li Xuan a method that he thought was feasible.

Li Xuan was well-mannered and polite to him, so he did not hide anything.

Li Shizhi was now at the peak of his career, and Pei Dunfu hoped to become friends with Li Shizhi and become a minister after entering the court.

"Da Yin's strategy is very helpful to me. Thank you for this." Li Xuan offered Pei Dunfu a glass of wine.

Li Xuan has thought of many methods during this period, and he also has a strategy similar to Pei Dunfu's.

Since Pei Dunfu in history was able to capture Wu Lingguang alive, we should follow Pei Dunfu's strategy.

On the second day, Pei Dunfu brought Li Xuan to visit Pei Rongxian, the governor of Luoyang. Pei Rongxian was an old official who had served as a third-rank official for thirty years. He was very experienced and wise.

Li Xuan benefited a lot from talking with him.

In the afternoon, Li Xuan replenished a batch of supplies in Luoyang City and stayed in the military camp at night.

At daybreak, we continued our march...

(End of this chapter)