Chapter 5 Out of Zhen (Five Parts) On March 16th in the ninth year of Daye, His Majesty the Emperor set out from Luoyang, the eastern capital, and began his second personal expedition. On April 5th, the Sixth Army of the Emperor arrived at Zhuozhou.
On the 13th, His Majesty the Emperor placed six animals, water and wine on the beach to pay homage to the souls of the heroes who died in Liaodong last year.
On the same day, seventeen local officials jointly submitted a letter, asking the Emperor to carefully consider the conquest of Liao. The ministers believed that "China is exhausted, and it is not appropriate for ten thousand chariots to attack Liao frequently."
It is wasteful and will cause chaos in internal affairs.
"I can't defeat it personally, but who can defeat it but me!" The emperor of the Sui Dynasty threw his seal on the ground and angrily rebuked that night, the emperor stayed at the Haydn Palace to deal with all kinds of delayed government affairs.
At this time last year, Yang Guang was very arrogant, thinking that one battle could pacify Liaodong. In the end, more than 300,000 troops died in the battle, but all he got in exchange was the ridicule of the Goguryeo people. This year, the ministers do not want to fight anymore, and the people do not want to fight anymore.
went down, but he, the emperor, had to continue the war
Yang Guang believed that the Sui Kingdom relied entirely on its military prowess to suppress the chiefs from all directions. If they were weak in conquering Goguryeo, the surrounding tribes would follow suit one after another. In this way, there would be continuous military disasters, and there would be more wars around the Sui Dynasty.
Internal bandits will also become more and more rampant
"It's not that I don't care about the people, but I'm riding a tiger and it's hard to get off!" Yang Guang sighed, looking at the pile of memorials against the conquest of Goguryeo piled as high as a hill on the imperial court, and kept shaking his head.
"Long live, why should you pay attention to the nonsense of those people? They are just trying to gain a good reputation as someone who loves the people!" Pei Ju, the minister of Huangmen, who is always good at understanding the holy will, bowed to persuade him.
"They are all delusional people. Pei Qing is the only one who is straight. Why do I hear people say that Pei Qing is a traitor?" Yang Guang turned away from the memorial and asked with a wry smile.
"I was originally a treacherous man, but if I follow the saint, I have to be a straight man!" Pei Ju nodded and calmly flattered Yang Guang.
"In other words, if the saint is in the hall, there will be no evil in the court!" Yang Guang sighed and said
"Your Majesty's eyes are as bright as fire!" Pei Ju replied with a smile.
"You glib thing!"
Although he knew that what the other party said was all flattery, Yang Guang still felt a little relieved. Being an emperor is not just for scolding his ministers. The emperor must have the dignity of the emperor. Regardless of whether Pei Ju, the servant of Huangmen, is loyal or treacherous, at least he can
They were considerate of the emperor's difficulties and could think of the royal family at all times. Those who blocked the expedition to Liao, they patted their chests. How many of them really did it for the people?
"Forget it, I will listen to you, ignore those sycophants, seal these memorials, and send them back without approving a word!" Yang Guang kicked the imperial case with his toe and ordered, "What do you have to object to?"
"Those who are attacking Liao, if you listen to some of them, I won't believe that no one in the whole country understands the overall situation!"
"Hey, I still have a bunch of memorials from military generals. I will bring them to Your Majesty right now!" Pei Ju bowed slightly, turned around and ran out of the imperial study. After a while, he turned back with more than twenty memorials in his hands, panting and talking.
Said: "General Zuo Twelve Guards took the initiative to ask for battle, saying that they can tear Liaodong into pieces without your Majesty's presence! The navy was ready to set sail, and the general who came to protect the children said that heroes are always ready to avenge Zhang Xutuo, who died in the battle last year.
The general announced that he has defeated the bandits in Henan and is following them to kill them. However, the banditry is mostly caused by local officials' lack of consideration for the people. I hope that your majesty can send wise ministers to inspect the local areas and provide relief to the victims..."
"This Zhang Xutuo, he is also in charge of civil affairs!" Yang Guang shook his head and interrupted Pei Ju's report. "I issued an imperial edict to Dongdu, saying that Fan Zigai, the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, would use his discretion to provide disaster relief. I remember the grain in the warehouses in various places.
It can be eaten for decades, allowing the victims to eat porridge, but it will not destroy the Sui Dynasty!"
"Hey, hey, the emperor is wise!" Pei Ju praised repeatedly, "I would like to thank the emperor on behalf of the people of the world."
"All the people in the world are my subjects, what's the matter with Guan Qing?" Yang Guang reached out and slapped Pei Ju on the shoulder, joking, "Those local officials are becoming more and more timid, and they are blowing the rogues' military power to the sky with me.
As soon as General Zhang arrived, wouldn't everything be solved? Think again, are there any other tricks? Before I arrive in Liaodong, we can handle what we can! Lest we really wait for the war to start, even if I want to handle it, we can't.
No time!"
"Yes, yes!" Pei Ju turned over the memorial in a hurry and answered smoothly. Suddenly, his hand stopped for a moment, and he couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
"Hey, these memorials are so strange!"
"What's the blame? Has auspiciousness appeared in the sky again? Whoever told me auspiciousness should be killed for me. If they hadn't fooled me with auspiciousness last year, I wouldn't have made such mistakes every time!" Yang Guang sneered and asked.
road
After all, the war was defeated. Although Liu Shilong was killed to take the blame, the entire roundabout attack plan was made by himself. The order of "not to kill the enemy's civilians indiscriminately, and to treat the enemy kindly after surrender" was all because of his temporary kindness. This time,
The same thing will never happen again, Goguryeo is capricious, even if they surrender, the Sui Dynasty will never agree again!
"There is no auspiciousness in the sky, but it is the same as the batch of memorials a few days ago. Several generals recommended the same two people, including General Yuwenshu, and, ha, there is also Tang Gong Li Yuan!" Pei Ju pretended to be surprised.
He shouted, "This is really strange. Since I entered the court, I have never seen Tang Gong and General Yuwen have the same opinion!"
"Are they Liu Hongji and Li Zhongjian again?" Yang Guang grabbed the memorial with his hands, turned it over one by one, and threw it back into Pei Ju's arms. "Are these two people very popular now? Could it be that they really have three heads and six arms?"
"In my opinion, these two men may not be very capable. It's just that all the armies were defeated last year. These two men led three hundred warriors to fight thousands of miles and rescued a general and a lieutenant. It was a rare feeling of pride. Now that the army has entered Liaodong again, General
We need something to be proud of to boost our morale, so we picked the two of them out from the crowd!" Pei Ju calmly said the words he had prepared long ago.
He had read several memorials in advance and carefully arranged them together. He even sorted out which copy came first and which copy came last. Both Tang Gong Li Yuan and General Yu Wenshu gave him generous gifts and invited him.
After taking care of Liu Hongji and Li Xu and being an official for so many years, it is rare to see two old enemies working together. This is something that does not offend any wealthy family and is the icing on the cake. How can Mr. Pei refuse!
"It makes sense. In your opinion, it's time for me to give them a big reward?" Yang Guang nodded and asked.
"Last year, all the armies were defeated. It stands to reason that the two of them have little merit. Your Majesty does not reward them. There is a reason not to reward them. But for the purpose of boosting morale, it is a good idea for your Majesty to give them a few official positions!" Pei Ju!
He bowed his body and spoke with perfect accuracy.
"I told you both the good and the bad! How to do it, but you are so confused about it, damn it!" Yang Guang frowned, pretending to be very dissatisfied.
"Your Majesty's words are made into a constitution. There is no way for me to judge such a trivial matter!" Pei Ju smiled and replied.
"Yes!" Yang Guang nodded and told the story of Liu Hongji and Li Xu leading the three hundred warriors to the camp. Last year, he heard the prince-in-law, Wei Yuwenshi, describe that no rewards were given at that time, partly because of the various reasons.
The army was newly defeated, and all the generals were reduced from their posts and punished. The reason why the two low-level generals were not rewarded at this time was that both Liu and Li were born under Li Yuan. Thinking of the word Li, His Majesty the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty felt in his heart
awkward
However, unclear rewards and punishments are indeed not conducive to the plan of conquering the Liao Dynasty. Countless Xiaoguo joined the army with enthusiasm just to make contributions. With the examples of Liu Hongji and Li Xu in front of them, it is inevitable that everyone will be at a loss when fighting. Even if they are very strong,
Only six points
"I heard that the grain protection army now has more than 2,400 people. Liu Hongji leads so many soldiers as a cavalry general. His official position is indeed a bit small!" Seeing that Yang Guang looked like he was in danger, Pei Ju thought for a while and said,
whispered advice
Yang Guang turned his head slightly and glanced at his Huangmen servant with approval. To be fair, Pei Ju was not only too tactful, but also very capable. With a simple sentence, he solved a big problem that was scratching his head for him.
It doesn't matter if Liu Hongji has good relations with the Li family. I can just promote him to an official position without increasing the number of soldiers under his command. In this way, no matter how high his official position is, he won't be able to cause too much trouble.
"Tell me, I promoted Liu Hongji to the rank of Ying Yang Lang General based on his military exploits. Can I reward him for his contribution?"
"That's your Majesty's grace. I think Mr. Liu must be so grateful that he wept with gratitude!" Pei Ju answered in accordance with the emperor's wishes. He couldn't help but feel happy. He had fulfilled Li Yuan's entrustment. After he came to court, he could immediately repair the book and give it to Duke Tang.
, I guess the reply will come with another generous gift.
"Well!" Yang Guang paced and nodded, "I want the warriors in the world to see that I will never treat anyone who truly serves the country badly. As for that Li Xu..." He began to hesitate again, this time
It's not a good idea to have a surname of Li. I was very optimistic about him last time, but his relationship with Li Yuan is really worrying. "According to the old general Yuwenshu, before coming to Liaodong, this son didn't even know Tang Gong was Tang Gong'ai."
Only then, I specially recognized a clan nephew!" Pei Ju smiled beside him and explained to Li Xu as if he was telling a joke.
"Seriously?" Yang Guang raised his eyebrows and asked loudly
"One of their families lives in Longyou, and the other family of generations of ministers lives in Shanggu. They work as farmers. Their wealth is as high as heaven and earth. How can they be one family?" Pei Ju replied solemnly. He knew in his heart that another gift of his was safely in Yuwen's pocket.
The family members specifically warned him in the letter that no matter what, he should give Li Xumou a position no smaller than that of Liu Hongji. Based on Pei Ju's understanding of Yang Guang, once he likes someone, he will often make an exception and promote him. The more humble his background, the more
The greater the favor
"So that's the case. No wonder General Yu Wenshu also recommended him. I thought he was an external candidate and did not avoid enmity, and Li Yuan was an internal promotion and did not avoid relatives. It turns out that neither of them is as virtuous as I thought!" Yang Guang said as if he suddenly realized.
"When I saw him that day, I felt that he was simple and not as cunning as the Li family. It turned out that his roots were here!"
"Yes, Li Yuan loves talents so much that he insists on recognizing his nephew. How dare you refuse Duke Tang's kindness at such a young age?"
"Hey, I hope Li Yuan had good intentions at the beginning!" Yang Guangmao said with a smile, "You can draw up a decree for me, saying that I want him to have meritorious service in killing enemies, and I will grant him the title. I also grant him the title of a general, but not a food protector."
Isn’t it too much to arrange two generals in the army?”
"I think that His Majesty's kindness to him can be used to inspire all the heroes to work hard!" Pei Ju nodded and started working hard for the third gift. This gift was sent by General Xue Shixiong.
, General Xue Xin, who is worth thousands of dollars, was personally appointed as the ambassador of the Northeast Road by His Majesty. He and "Brother Kong Fang" both had a good reputation, and Pei Ju could not deny it. As for why Xue Shixiong asked him to replace Li Xumou as the commander of the first battalion of Xiaoguo, Pei Ju didn't know. He was bribed.
The code also prevents him from exploring the truth behind the scenes
"Commanding Xiaoguo, well, he is young and brave, and he is indeed worthy of this responsibility!" Yang Guang thought for a while, and said, "I have previously issued a decree to build ten separate battalions of Xiaoguo in the world, and we are lacking a few suitable leaders.
I will worship him as a fifth-grade Xiongwulang general and command a battalion of warriors. You can use your fast horse to send the order and ask him to enter the camp as soon as possible to refine the troops. When I arrive in Liaodong, I want to see for myself what the ministers recommend to me.
Not a talented person!" (Note 1) "Yes! I obey!" Pei Ju bowed and replied that the third generous gift had been received, and he was in a very happy mood. "Would you like to send a letter to those lucky guys to congratulate them?
, and ask for some gifts by the way?" Pei Ju was drafting an imperial edict for Yang Guang while thinking about it, "It's better to forget it. This kind of guy with no foundation always falls fast. If he loses power in the future, if he accepts the gifts, it's better not to take action.
Help!" Thinking of this, he drafted the edict with a smile and gently dried the ink on it.
The news that Li Xu was promoted unexpectedly arrived in Huaiyuan Town before the imperial edict. When they heard the news, some were disappointed, some were happy, and some frowned and felt sour, unable to express their attitude towards this result.
Among the several generals, the only one who was happy was that Xue Shixiong, whose life had been saved by Li Xu, paid a total of 10,000 yuan of meat to get this position for his savior. Before that, even for his own son, Xue Shixiong
No general has ever made such a large sum of money.
"What can we be happy about when it doesn't do any good to our family?" Xue Wanche asked angrily, not understanding his father's actions.
Although the Xue family was not as powerful as the Yuwen family, it was still considered a prominent family in the Sui Dynasty. Liu Hongji and Li Xu had saved their father's life. It was enough for the Xue family to recommend them in front of the emperor. Why should they lose their own property for others?
Planning?
"Do you know why the Xue family has continued to this day without producing any big figures or suffering any major disasters?" Xue Shixiong glanced at his son with his eyelids and asked with a smile.
"I don't know, my father, please let me know for sure!"
"They never do harm to others, and they help others when they can. They are a bunch of old foxes who have no good intentions. They pushed Zhongjian to such a high position just to see how he will fall down in the future. Let me find a hero for him."
With the position of General Wulang, he is the sole leader of a battalion of Xiaoguo, so the risk of him being stabbed in the back will be less, and the risk of falling will also be less! Xiaoguo is not a regular army, and he has won the battle, and it is gratifying to have lost the battle. Look, Xiaoguo is not a regular army.
For the sake of His Majesty the Emperor who created this system, who would be better off holding oneself accountable?" Xue Shixiong smiled and stroked his beard with his right hand.
"Since dad has done so much for him, why don't you let him know about it?" Xue Wanjun stepped forward and followed his father's topic.
"He is a smart man. Sooner or later he will know the truth. After knowing it, he will naturally repay you brothers. The world is going to be in chaos. Let's accumulate good karma. If we have one more friend, we will have one more way out!" Xue Shixiong sighed and replied quietly.
Note 1: In the first month of the ninth year of Daye (613), Yang Guang issued an edict to gather troops from all over the world and gathered them in Zhuo County. He also recruited the people to be Xiaoguo, and he was led by generals such as Zhechong, Guoyi, Wuneng, and Xiongwu.
