Chapter 3 The ups and downs (Part 5) The current situation in Luoyang, the eastern capital, is just as the imperial envoy who came to deliver the order said. The soldiers and civilians in Hecheng are looking forward to the arrival of reinforcements day and night. I don’t know whether it is deliberate, or there are other reasons to rebel against Yang Xuangan.
The way he used his troops was extremely unreasonable. On the third day of June, he took control of the city in Liyang and rebelled. He recruited Cao Fu and more than 10,000 people from the Minzhuang army. Immediately afterwards, he sent his troops to the west to take Hanoi. After two days of storming Hanoi without success, he rebelled.
The army turned around and headed east to attack Xiuwu. Wang Xuanyi, the magistrate of Xiuwu County, led the people to defend Linqing Pass. Yang Xuangan did not have a ladder, so he rushed a car and other objects to break through the pass. He turned around and continued eastward to the Ji County Ferry, from where he crossed the Yellow River south.
After crossing the river, the rebels abandoned the city fortresses along the way and headed west along the Yellow River embankment to attack Luoyang. As they went, they forcibly recruited the people to join the army. When they arrived outside Luoyang City, the total number of soldiers and horses had reached 100,000. Yang Xuangan ordered his younger brother Yang Jishan to lead 3,000 troops.
The left army marched westward along the Luoshui River from the south of Yanshi, and ordered another brother Yang Xuanting to lead 5,000 elite soldiers as the right army. From Bai Sima Ban (Note 1), he crossed the Mang Mountain and attacked Luoyang in a roundabout way. He led his own troops as the rear army and supported him in all directions.
Fan Zigai, the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs who stayed in Dongdu, saw that the enemy troops were coming fiercely, so he had to rush to the shelves. He sent Ling Daxi of Henan to lead 5,000 troops to resist Yang Jishan, and sent Henan Zanzhi and Pei Hongce to lead 8,000 soldiers to fight against Yang Xuanting.
However, five thousand elite soldiers were defeated by Yang Jishan's three thousand civilians. Pei Hongce was unable to survive alone, so he fought and fled. In the blink of an eye, he had lost four battles, from the suburbs to the base of the Luoyang city wall.
The veteran general Yu Wenshu received an urgent document from the Eastern Capital and ordered the troops to advance separately and supply supplies along the way. They must arrive in Luoyang before the end of this month. As early as when the Eastern Expeditionary Army returned, Yu Wenshu had searched the Xiongwu Camp.
There were more than 15,000 war horses, so among the reinforcements, the Xiongwu camp moved the fastest. They had crossed Laishui a few days ago and went up the Sui Dynasty official road from near Du County.
More than ten thousand soldiers galloped on horseback, and the official road rolled like a torrent. The official road built by the people under the leadership of the late emperor during his lifetime was flat and straight. From Tu County on the south bank of Laishui River to Jixian County on the bank of the Yellow River, it was unimpeded for thousands of miles.
Except for a few narrow sections over the mountains, most of the official roads are wide enough for six horses to march abreast at the current speed. Within ten days, the Xiongwu Camp will be the first reinforcement army to arrive from Liaodong near Luoyang.
After hearing the news that the officers and soldiers were about to pass by, the people near the official road had already stayed away. It was already early July, but there was still no one harvesting the wheat in the fields. The yellow wheat ears were beaten by the rain, and immediately there were
New wheat sprouts grew from the tips of the ears. Crowds of birds sang and jumped in the wheat fields. They heard the sound of horse hooves, flapped their frightened wings, and fled into the distance like clouds of smoke. During the march, everyone often saw all kinds of birds.
Such voles, hamsters, and small animals with short tails whose names I don't know drag their round bellies, staggering across the official road, and roll into the roadside fields at the moment they are about to be trampled into meat by the horses' hooves.
"I've seen people waste things, but I've never seen such a waste!" Zhou Daniu mumbled next to Li Xu. When he was in his hometown, he also touched a plow stick, and he knew to some extent how difficult it was for the people to farm.
Not harvesting the good wheat, but letting it sprout in the fields, and feeding the birds and mice. Isn't this a prodigal act? If we don't harvest grain, what will the government pay for next year's rent, and what will the common people chew? Is God merciful?
Will the strong wind blow the millet to the door of someone's house?
"There is no way, the men are still in Zhuo County, few can come back in time! Now the house is full of women and children, they are thinking about harvesting the autumn, but they don't have the strength!" Zhang Xiu shouted for himself next to him. The elders in his hometown argued that Tuoxian County was also under the jurisdiction of Shanggu County, which was only more than a hundred miles away from Yi County, his and Xuzi's hometown. In the past two years, in order to conquer Liao, the emperor had wiped out all the young men from several border counties, like the Zhang family. The heads of the big local households are forced to go to the fields themselves. The small households that cannot afford to buy servants or hire long-term or short-term workers can only watch the wheat rot in the fields?
"It's all Yang Xuangan's fault. If he didn't rebel in the rear, we would have settled the Liaodong affair this year, and the court wouldn't have to dispatch people to harvest the crops in the fields, and we wouldn't have to travel so hard!" Xiongwu Battalion Commander Shi Zhao Ziming vowed to explain to everyone
This was the rhetoric that he, Li Xu, Yuwenshi and several core generals discussed together. Old General Yuwenshu ordered all troops to resupply along the way. After more than 300,000 troops passed by like locusts, the local government treasury could not be expected to return. The officers and soldiers had no choice but to do whatever was left, so this bad debt must be put on Yang Xuangan's head
"When we catch that bastard, let's light him up as a sky lantern!" Zhou Daniu scolded angrily.
"His grandma, only the rebels in the nest have the ability to fight the Goguryeo people!" Several soldiers echoed loudly.
The sound of horse hooves was very loud, so the soldiers spoke loudly. Various complaints and discussions reached Asahi's ears in waves, making him feel particularly upset.
"This place is less than two hundred miles away from Yixian County and you can ride a horse back and forth in a day and night." The strong nostalgia kept attacking him, making him want to order the soldiers to stop several times. Although the excitement brought by the title and gold medal was still there, The closer we get to home, the stronger the feeling of homesickness becomes. She has not been home for more than half a year. Xuzi really wants Xiongwu Camp to repair in Suicheng for a day or two, so that she and Zhang Xiu can find excuses to sneak home. Let father and mother see the imperial edict and gold medal, and share the joy of success with themselves
The ancients said, "If wealth does not return to its hometown, it will be like traveling at night in brocade clothes!" Xuzi did not need to let his parents and fellow villagers boast that he was capable and promising. He just wanted to see the smile on his mother's face, or sit at the table and accompany his father. Drink another bowl of turbid wine. After becoming the general of Owuro, he tasted many good wines. So far, none of them was as strong as his uncle's private brew.
But the words Yu Wenshiji said yesterday morning weighed heavily on his heart, forcing him to muster up his energy and urge the soldiers to rush to the battlefield as soon as possible.
"In the short term, Zhongjian has to think carefully about what will happen to you in the future!" After the Battle of Wuming Valley, Yu Wenshiji no longer stuck out his tongue like a poisonous snake, but his words became more and more interesting to Xu Zi. I know that in front of so many soldiers yesterday, Yu Wenshiji only said half of many words, but the hesitant reminder and the analysis of Scale Claw have benefited him a lot.
Xuzi can't expect Yuwen Shiji to think about everything for him like Liu Hongji and explain everything clearly. His friendship with Yuwen Shiji is not that deep, and it is far from the point where they talk about everything. He is not a retainer of the Yuwen family. Yuwen Shiji did not have the responsibility to support him. Before going to bed last night, Xuzi synthesized the imperial edict and Yuwen Shiji's analysis, and came to the conclusion that certain wealthy families in the imperial court who have been in the imperial court for generations are likely to reject him, and the reason why His Majesty the Emperor Giving myself the gold medal is to remind those wealthy families that they have the royal family backing them.
"I am His Majesty the Emperor's retainer!" This conclusion once excited Xuzi for a while. As a citizen of the Sui Dynasty who had read many words of loyalty, at this moment he deeply felt His Majesty the Emperor's kindness to him. But after calming down,
, he began to worry vaguely about his future again
How long can His Majesty the Emperor's support for him last? Xu Zi has no idea of the Emperor's thoughts. This is not what he, a rookie who has just entered the officialdom, can guess. From Yu Wenshiji's hints, Xu Zi faintly felt that His Majesty the Emperor seemed to be happy.
People who ignore it, but easily forget their promises afterwards. Many children from wealthy families that Xuzi knows have this problem. Because life is too smooth, they tend to be ambitious when looking at problems. After encountering setbacks, they are particularly easy to give up on themselves and interact with friends. They like
They make promises easily, but when they should fulfill their promises, they are used to evading responsibility!
Xuzi knew that he should not speculate on an emperor through the eyes of ordinary people, and also understood that this kind of thinking was a bit treacherous, but when it came to his own destiny, he couldn't help but guess the worst about the situation.
After much deliberation, Xuzi decided that he would listen to Yuwen Shiji and try to leave as few excuses to others as possible. So, even though the door to his home was just around the corner, he decided not to go back for a visit. In the middle of the night yesterday, he got up and wrote something under the lamp.
He wrote a letter to his family and briefly introduced to his parents the good news that he had received a knighthood and a gold medal for immunity from death. Before the army set off this morning, he asked Zhang Xiu to send a team of trustworthy soldiers to quickly send the letter back home. Xuzi asked
The soldiers transported 1,500 horses as a reward from His Majesty the Emperor back to the Li family, and 200 horses were given to the Zhang family.
"With these strings, my father and uncle will be able to stock up on food to survive this winter and next year!" Riding on the horse, Asahi gloomily wanted to deduce based on the scenes he had seen along the way in the past few days that some places are likely to have food shortages next year.
In the counties of Hebei Province, a large number of young men and women have been conscripted into the army for two consecutive years. Only women, the elderly and children are left at home. Naturally, the output of the fields will drop significantly.
"I really don't know what they will eat next year? Even if every family has money, where can they buy food?" Zhou Daniu's voice sounded untimely around him again, and the people around him heard smoke rising in their hearts. He and his five
The brothers and sisters were all taken out of the prison camp by Zhang Xiu and became his own soldiers. Because they didn't know each other without fighting, Zhang Xiu arranged for Da Niu to be the leader of the team, commanding fifty people, and serving the general's food and daily life as he wished. After becoming an officer,
, Zhou Daniu did his best, but his mouth was always either bragging or nagging, and he never had a moment of leisure.
"Brother Zhou, shush--" Qian Xiaoliu, a soldier walking next to Zhang Xiu, stretched out his finger to remind Zhou Daniu not to be too arrogant. Although the sound of horse hooves around was chaotic, everyone's voices could still reach the commander's ears.
When Zhou Daniu was talking nonsense just now, Mr. Li frowned several times. If he continues like this and annoys the general, he might have to go back to the prison camp and suffer the consequences one day.
"What's the matter, Mr. Langjiang?" Zhou Daniu asked in a low voice, not realizing that Li Xu frowned because he was talking nonsense. "What's the matter, Xiao Liuzi, what do you say?" He took the reins of the horse forward and refused.
Rao Di asked the kind-hearted Qian Xiaoliu, who was afraid of being misunderstood for talking about the general behind his back. His face turned red with embarrassment, and he tried his best to hide by the roadside, but he couldn't escape Zhou Daniu's maggot.
"Whoever made the Lord unhappy, Liuzi, tell me, the Lord has been very kind to us. Whoever made him unhappy is with our brothers..." Zhou Daniu kept nagging, lest others not know his loyalty.
The two of them got so close that they unknowingly disrupted the formation of the cavalry formation. Captain Zhang Xiu rode up to him, raised his hand and was whipped with a whip. Daniel finally remembered that he was already a captain, and stood out from everyone.
Amidst roars of laughter, he ran back to where he should be, grinning and sucking in the cold air, while greeting Zhang Xiu’s parents in his heart.
"You son of a bitch, how dare you hit me if it wasn't for the sake of your kindness to me!" He 'killed' Zhang Xiu seven times in his stomach using different techniques, and on different battlefields.
After rescuing Zhang Xiu several times, he finally regained his balance in his heart. After being bored and silent for a stick of incense, he began to secretly study Master Lang Jiang's figure and weapons.
"No wonder he's so skilled. He's so tall and wide, so naturally he's very strong!" Zhou Daniu muttered silently in his heart, "If I were as tall as him, maybe I could be a general. That black armor is pretty good.
, I don’t know how much it’s worth, but the big horizontal sword is not bad. It seems that I have never seen such a wide and curved horizontal sword. I don’t know where he bought it. I don’t know where he bought it. I don’t know if it is pure gold or gold-plated.”
His eyes were shining, looking forward to the dream of getting a gold medal one day. Suddenly, his eyes were attracted by the long spear carried by another empty-saddled war horse following the general.
"This horse-stem looks good, but it seems that Mr. Lang Jiang has never used it before? Can he know how to use it? Why would he keep a long horse?" Zhou Daniu raised his head and looked around, looking for someone to ask this question.
However, they saw the army approaching the gap deliberately left on the left side of the official road, with several stage horses approaching quickly.
"Urgent military information. Urgent military information is sent to General Li on the order of General Manager Yuwen. The military situation in Dongdu has changed. The military situation in Dongdu has changed!" The messenger reported loudly while galloping on his horse.
Zhou Daniu's curiosity was immediately aroused. He stretched his neck and looked directly at the messenger. He saw the military book wrapped in red paint being taken by Zhang Xiu from the messenger's hand and held it to Li Xu. Then he saw Li Lang unfolding it.
Jun Shu, his face changed countless times in an instant
When setting up camp in the evening, Zhou Daniu's curiosity was finally satisfied. Outside the Chinese army's tent, he heard Zhao Ziming, who joined the army, relaying the latest news from the front to the generals who came to discuss matters, "Pei Hongce was defeated again, and Fan Zigai killed him.
Those who were defeated did not dare to enter the city, and they all surrendered to Xuangan. Among the surrendered generals, there were Han Shi, the son of the founding father Han Qinhu, Yang Gongdao, the son of King Yang Xiong, Yu Rou, the son of Yu Shiji, the internal history minister, and the general came to protect his son.
His son Lai Yuan, Pei Shuang, the son of the imperial censor Pei Yun, Zheng Yan, the son of Dali Qing Zheng Shanguo, Zhou Zhong, the son of Zhou Luohou, and more than 40 noble children.
Among the rebels, the seven ministers of the dynasty have been involved so far (Note 2). Luoyang is in danger
Note 1: That is Baima Mountain, at the northern foot of Beimang Mountain in Luoyang, Henan today. Note 2: Regarding the fact that Lai Yuan and others voted for Yang Xuangan, it is found in "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" but not in "New (Old) Tang Book". It may have been fabricated by Sima Guang.
