Wang Shichong had his trusted subordinates spread rumors everywhere, claiming he had dreamed of the Duke of Zhou, who said that if he didn’t attack Li Mi, the Duke would bring down a plague to destroy the entire city of Luoyang. When one person said it, naturally no one would believe; when two people said it, it was the same; but when everyone around was saying the same thing, one couldn’t help but believe it.

Within just a few days, the entire city of Luoyang was abuzz with this story, especially in the military, where it spread like wildfire. Given the choice between dying on the battlefield and dying from plague, the soldiers unanimously chose the former. Their morale soared to unprecedented heights, with some soldiers even volunteering to fight.

This was exactly the result Wang Shichong wanted. After having someone build a so-called Temple of the Duke of Zhou, he led his army to Yanshi, preparing for a decisive battle with Li Mi.

Both sides fought desperately, and one can imagine how brutal the battle was. In the end, Li Mi was utterly defeated. He fled back to Luokou with over ten thousand men, joining the remaining forces stationed there. These “remaining forces” were actually only a few thousand men, which, combined with the men Li Mi brought back, totaled a mere twenty thousand.

The once hundreds of thousands strong army, the once powerful and invincible Wagang Army, had at this moment become stray dogs, chased everywhere by Wang Shichong.

The cities that had been firmly held by the Wagang Army were lost one after another. The only ones still under control, besides Liyang, was just Heyang. After Li Mi retreated to defend Heyang, he consulted with his remaining generals and finally decided to retreat to Guanzhong.

The so-called retreat to Guanzhong actually meant seeking refuge with Li Yuan. After all, it was Li Yuan who now occupied Guanzhong. Expecting the now militarily powerful Li Yuan to hand over Guanzhong was nothing but wishful thinking.

In the third year of Wude, Li Mi led twenty thousand troops to Chang’an to seek refuge with Li Yuan.

Li Yuan in the Taiji Palace was overjoyed to learn that Li Mi had come to seek refuge. He knew that Li Mi’s Wagang Army at its peak had once numbered a million, making it the strongest force opposing the Sui Dynasty at that time. Now that he had come to seek refuge and acknowledge his imperial position, the significance was self-evident. Moreover, Li Mi had under his command a large group of brave and skilled warriors who, now under his own banner, would be a good supplement. After all, in last year’s battle with Xue Ju, his side had lost many capable generals, suffering heavy losses.

Excited as he was, Li Yuan did not immediately summon Li Mi into the city. Instead, he summoned the three brothers Li Shimin, along with Pei Ji, Liu Wenjing, Chai Shao, and others to enter the palace immediately to discuss the matter.

When these men entered the palace, they had already heard about this matter and knew the urgency of Li Mi’s situation. Pei Ji spoke first: “Although Li Mi suffered a great defeat at the hands of Wang Shichong, with his once million-strong army reduced to only twenty thousand, his surrender has extraordinary significance. I believe we should send a prince to represent Your Majesty and welcome him outside the city.”

As soon as Pei Ji finished speaking, Li Yuanji said dismissively: “Chancellor Pei thinks too highly of him. He’s nothing but a defeated general under Wang Shichong’s hands. How is he worth such a grand gesture?”

“Fourth Prince must not underestimate this Li Mi. In his prime…” Before Pei Ji could finish, Li Yuanji interrupted: “I know he was remarkable in his prime, but that’s all in the past. As far as I know, he currently has at most twenty thousand soldiers under his command, not enough to stir up any trouble.”

Before Pei Ji could speak again, Li Jiancheng said: “Regardless, since he has come to surrender, we must treat him well and not be negligent. Otherwise, who would dare to surrender to us in the future?”

Li Yuan nodded: “Exactly, that’s the principle. Jiancheng, you go out of the city to welcome him.”

“Your son obeys the imperial decree.” After finishing the discussion about the welcome, Liu Wenjing frowned and said: “Your Majesty, what position do you plan to grant Li Mi after his surrender?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan’s brows, which had just relaxed somewhat, immediately furrowed even tighter than before. “This is indeed my greatest difficulty. With Li Mi’s talents, even making him chancellor would be sufficient, but… would he be content with that?”

At these words, everyone fell silent. Yes, welcoming someone was simple, but how to properly place Li Mi was the most troublesome issue. This man was accustomed to being the leader of the Wagang Army, with a million warriors following his every command. Now, although he was forced by circumstances to submit to Li Yuan, would he truly be content?

Liu Wenjing was the first to break the silence: “Forgive my boldness, but if Li Mi were made chancellor, I fear it wouldn’t be long before Your Majesty would become a second Zhai Rang.”

Although Liu Wenjing’s reminder was well-intentioned, Li Yuan was already displeased with him for repeatedly requesting rewards for Li Shimin. Hearing these words made them even more grating, and a cold glint silently passed through his eyes.

Pei Ji frowned: “But if we don’t give him important positions and only offer him empty titles, Li Mi and his subordinates will surely be dissatisfied.”

Li Yuanji said impatiently: “This won’t work, that won’t work either. In my opinion, it would be best to just kill Li Mi with one stroke.” Although he wasn’t as bloodthirsty as Xue Rengao, he similarly often felt that killing was the best solution to many problems.

Chai Shao said from the side: “Your Highness, please calm down. Let’s think slowly; we’ll surely come up with a solution.”

Li Yuanji pursed his lips, clearly disagreeing with his words. Meanwhile, Li Yuan said slowly: “Shimin, you speak as well. How do you think we should place Li Mi?”

Li Shimin returned from his continuous thoughts and bowed: “Reporting to Father Emperor, since Li Mi has come to surrender, entering the court is inevitable. But your son believes that, as Minister Liu said, this man absolutely cannot be given important positions, and especially cannot be allowed to command troops. Otherwise, there will be endless troubles.”

Li Jiancheng said: “So you agree with giving him empty titles?”

“Father Emperor can treat him with respectful courtesy, grant him high office and generous rewards, even form marriage alliances, so that Li Mi cannot find fault even if he wanted to. But this real power absolutely cannot be given.”

Li Jiancheng pondered for a moment and said: “This makes sense, but in that case, I’m afraid those under him cannot be used by us.”

Li Shimin sighed: “This is unavoidable, but we can try to break them down individually and make them truly surrender to our Great Tang.”

Li Yuan nodded: “What Shimin says makes great sense. Let’s do this for now. Jiancheng, you take people to welcome Li Mi outside the city to see me. As for his twenty thousand troops, they will camp outside the city. Without my orders, they are not allowed to enter the city.”

“Your son obeys the imperial decree.” After saying this, Li Jiancheng turned to leave. Before he could cross the palace threshold, he heard Li Yuanji’s voice behind him: “Father Emperor, your son also wants to go with elder brother to see this Li Mi.”

Li Yuan said with amusement: “Didn’t you just clamor about wanting to kill Li Mi? How is it that you want to see him now?”

Li Yuanji chuckled and scratched his head: “Your son was just speaking casually. How could Father Emperor take it seriously?”

Li Yuan waved his hand: “Fine, fine. If you want to go, then go. Remember, you must not be rude, or I won’t spare you!”