In February, Henan woke up from the winter, and the chaos seemed to be no different from when Wang and Li were fighting each other.
There are fewer and fewer people who can live a peaceful farming life. Although Li Mi was defeated and his head circled the north, it did not scare anyone. The effect was far from what Wang Shichong thought.
Therefore, the war is still not far away. With the arrival of spring, many people emerge from the caves. Bandits are everywhere. Some people even started robbing the rich and giving to the poor again in Wagang Mountain.
After Wang Shichong's troops expanded violently for a period of time, they became obviously weak, and their expansion came to a standstill.
Wang Shichong, who started his career by suppressing bandits, returned to his old profession, going out to suppress bandits and put down rebellions. He was very busy.
There is actually nothing surprising about this situation.
First of all, Heluo was originally the place of the Four Wars. Once it fell into war, it needed some support, otherwise the war would be difficult to calm down. Wang Shichong obviously did not have such a vision, and at the same time he also lost such an opportunity. He and Li Mi
The struggle took too long.
Secondly, Wang Shichong's credit has been almost used up before, and no one believes in his promises anymore.
Thirdly, his subordinates were roughly divided into three distinct groups. One part was the old troops he brought from Jiangdu, some were surrendered by Li Mi, and the other part were Luoyang courtiers headed by the Heluo clan.
These people all have profound conflicts, which can be described as incompatible with each other. What makes Wang Shichong even more heartbroken and troublesome is that the old Jiangdu troops he relied on most suffered heavy casualties in the continuous battles with Li Mi. After Li Mi was defeated, he would not be able to
Don't win over Li Mi and surrender to suppress the stubborn disciples of the noble family in Luoyang City.
At this time, it was not unreasonable for many people in Luoyang to call Luoyang City a nest of bandits. Once those lawless guys under Li Mi entered Luoyang City, they immediately turned Luoyang into a smoky mess, which was really hard to praise.
At the beginning of this year, there was no need to mention banditry. Most of Li Mi's subordinates defected to Wang Shichong, but many of them fell into the trap again.
By this time, the famine in Henan was already very serious, and banditry naturally became more severe. This was a vicious cycle that was very common in times of war. The people of Shandong and Hebei had already set a typical example, so there is no need to go into detail.
What's even more complicated is that some bandits are inextricably linked to Li Mi's old men, so they show some new characteristics. They move around and get supplies from time to time.
If it doesn't work out, just find an acquaintance nearby to take refuge with. After getting the food and grass, he will disappear again. He is much more cunning than those noisy bandits at the beginning.
When Wang Shichong saw that the bandits were in trouble, he was so angry that he immediately used the knife. Seven or eight local guards were recalled to Luoyang. Without allowing them to argue, they all fell to the ground.
Wang Shichong passed the news everywhere and issued strict orders to all ministries to kill those who collaborated with the bandits. The bandit leaders who fell into his hands no longer distinguished their talents, reputation, or family background, leaving only the word "death" to write.
Already.
In fact, the harsh suppression did not reduce the banditry much. Henan has been in chaos for too long. Today, when human life is as low as grass, the level of madness can only be described as the people are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of death.
There are fewer and fewer people with strong character, but there are more and more people who are not afraid of death. Once these contradictory characteristics show up, it becomes more and more difficult to quell the banditry.
What is even more frightening is that in addition to the rise of banditry, rebellions have also increased in various places. This is not surprising. When the local ministers see that you have few means of bringing peace, it is inevitable that they will change your mind.
The side effects of Wang Shichong's proclaimed emperor are also continuing to bother him. If the name is not correct, the words will not be correct. Li Mi's old subordinates are secretly missing their old master. Of course, this kind of nostalgia is not specific to Li Mi. They are just missing him.
Those good old lawless days.
Zhang Xutuo's old subordinates had completely lost their loyalty. The deaths of Pei Renji and others sounded the alarm for them. Moreover, they also secretly questioned the legitimacy of Wang Shichong's accession to the throne. Afterwards, some people went west to join the Tang Dynasty, which is evidence of this.
.
The people who are most disgusted with Wang Shichong's ascension to the throne are definitely not them, but the disciples of the world clan living in Luoyang. They have been hit hard one after another, and they still have to endure humiliation, and they have to deal with those bandit leaders who are extremely despicable in their eyes and deserve to be cut to pieces.
When they stood side by side and forced a smile, what followed was hatred for Wang Shichong, a man who had an unfair position.
As a result, one after another defections took place. Wang Shichong's Zhongshu family changed four times in one year. One lost his head during Pei Renji's rebellion. The other defected from Li Tang and was captured by Wang Shichong and skinned and dismembered.
The other two successfully staged a desperate escape.
One took his family to join Xiao Mian, and the other ran off alone to Chang'an.
This is just a microcosm. After Wang Shichong became emperor, it was impossible to count the number of disciples of the Henan clan who fled. At the most serious time, Wang Shichong had to strictly order the guards of the four cities of Luoyang to strictly investigate those who left the city, and also ordered the guards everywhere
He sent his wife, sons, heirs, etc. to Luoyang.
However, these methods were not very effective in curbing people's escape. It was not uncommon for people to abandon their families and children, which made Wang Shichong very embarrassed.
More and more people are dying, and if they keep killing like this, sooner or later he will really become a lonely man. Examples are easy to find. His old enemy Li Mi is a good example.
In February, Wang Shichong chopped off a few larger heads and hung them on the top of Luoyang City for public display. Among them were ministers who had offended him, so-called traitors, and moths who wantonly embezzled grain and rice.
Rounds of purges and seemingly endless political struggles and wars have made people numb. All kinds of evil spirits circle and roar over Luoyang and Henan, making the place full of hostility.
Looking at the princes in the world, the most chaotic one is probably under the rule of Wang Shichong of Henan.
So Wang Shichong is very troublesome. Of course, Wang Shichong himself will not admit it.
On the bank of Luoshui River, the Zhougong Temple is crowded with crowns and canopies on this day.
Emperor Zheng, Wang Shichong, and his ministers of civil and military affairs entered the Zhougong Temple, offered various sacrifices, and prayed for the blessings of the people.
Needless to say, the reason is very simple. It’s not that banditry is frequent or there are more rebels, but that the food shortage is getting more and more serious. The grain and rice in Dacang, Luoyang, have finally been exhausted, and starving to death is no longer new.
Not to mention the dignitaries in Luoyang tightened their belts, even the quality of life of the emperor Wang Shichong and his concubines began to deteriorate day by day.
The number of beggars in Luoyang City is increasing day by day, and it is estimated that it will not take long before the number of beggars will exceed that of the various garrison defenders.
This is really a more frightening thing than the emperor's capriciousness and his frequent threats to people's lives. Wang Shichong led his people out of the palace to offer sacrifices to Zhou Gong Temple.
The gods he believed in were a bit strange, and he didn't know if Duke Zhou had the magic power to protect the people.
The Zhou Gong Temple was built by Wang Shichong himself, and the original intention of the establishment was not simple. He and Li Mi jointly attacked Yu Wenji, but later found a reason for themselves to fall out, which was the dream of Zhou Gong.
From this point of view, the power of Duke Zhou is indeed open to question, because he failed to beat his old enemy to death with a stick, but was bitten in return, almost preventing the crazy Li Mi from attacking Luoyang City.
Of course, he didn't know who the guy was who changed the trajectory of history. He only knew that Duke Zhou probably didn't care much about him as a powerful minister who wanted to imitate his predecessors.
However, Zhou Gong Temple was built by him after all. According to the monks and Taoists, since it is necessary to pray for the people, Zhou Gong Temple is still the first choice.
So, a few days after he became emperor, there was a lawsuit on his head. Wang Shichong, who seemed to be hungry, absent-mindedly offered incense to Duke Zhou, offered sacrifices, read the memorial inscriptions, and went out without staying in the temple of Duke Zhou.
The temple gate, ready to drive back to the palace.
With everyone crowding around, Wang Shichong turned to talk to Sun Anshi, the commander of the internal history, and said slowly: "The war is about to begin, how is the morale of the army?"
Before Changsun Anshi could answer, someone beside him said: "Soldiers and soldiers are ready to fight, and they are all willing to die in the service of the Supreme Being."
The eldest grandson Anshi turned his head and cast a sidelong glance at the man. He cursed an old dog in his mind and nodded in agreement with a smile on his face: "Duan Gong's words have the sound of a golden sword... The supreme imperial chariot is personally marching, how dare everyone not rush to be the first?"
?This will definitely bring success, and the ugly people are ready to be restrained."
Wang Shichong's increasingly rounded face smiled widely, and he seemed to be very satisfied with the words of his ministers.
The man who just spoke glanced at the eldest grandson Anshi, pursed his lips, and cursed in his heart. The son of a bitch in the eldest grandson family is very good at making people happy.
Apparently he and his eldest grandson Anshi didn't get along very well, they just had mutual concerns and didn't want to quarrel with each other.
This man's name is Duan Da, a Kansai native, and he was born in the Duan clan of Wuwei. The threshold is not too high, but he has been passed down for many years. He started to rise to prominence in the Western Wei Dynasty, and gained some fame in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
It was extraordinary to come to Duan Da again. He inherited his father's title at the age of four, and later worked in Yang Guang's private residence, becoming one of the old people of Yang Guang's mansion.
Needless to say, Yang Guang's ability to recognize people is obvious. Tu Wanxu, Yin Shishi, Yao Junsu, etc. all came from the vassal palace of the King of Jin, and they are indeed talented.
Duan Da did not embarrass Yang Guang. Duan Da was involved in all the wars during the Daye years. From the counter-insurgency war in the early Daye years to the attack on Tuyuhun in the west, and then to the three expeditions to Goguryeo, Duan Da repeatedly made military exploits and won the trust of Yang Guangxin.
Great appreciation.
Especially during the struggle for the throne that year, Duan Da put in a lot of effort. If Yang Guang hadn't wiped out the Sui Dynasty, the day when Duan Da would rise to prominence would not be far away. He would become a general and become a prime minister.
The statement is likely to be verified again by Duan Da.
It is a pity that history does not say that Duan Da, Yuan Wendu and others were ordered to guard Luoyang, but what was waiting for them was Wang Shichong, a rebellious minister and traitor.