The valley where everyone camped was very large, but they found moldy grains in half of the valley bottom. Because the shelling was not clean, a few grains sprouted in each burial spot. Although the grains dug in each burial spot were
It's not much, only three or five kilograms, but after counting thousands of burial points, at least 30,000 stones of military rations were buried here. Everyone was talking about it, and they didn't know who buried this military rations. If it was the Sui army
The baggage camp was intercepted, so the Goguryeo people must have taken away all the food and grass. Even if they couldn't take it away in a hurry, setting it on fire or burying it together in one place would obviously save more effort than burying it scattered. Why bother digging so much?
Make a small hole to bury grain and grass like sowing seeds!
Liu Hongji winked at Li Jiancheng, grabbed Yu Wenzhong's wrist, and dragged him into the woods. Seeing that he was far away from the soldiers of the food protection team, he pulled out his sword with a sharp sound and placed it on the opponent's neck viciously.
He asked in a low voice: "Tell me, what's going on? Does the army still have food and grass?"
"General Liu, General Liu, don't, don't..." In terms of martial arts, Yu Wenzhong was not inferior to Liu Hongji at all. But after seeing the murderous look in his eyes, he couldn't resist at all. While begging for mercy,
While stammering, he said: "There is still more, at least, at least the general still has it!"
"Fart, when will the general run out of food!" Qian Jiulong, a guard of the Li Mansion, was also worried. He kicked Yu Wenzhong on his back, then stepped on the opponent's chest and cursed angrily: "Here we go.
Now you still refuse to tell the truth, believe it or not? I will kill you now, and then turn around and go back to Huaiyuan Town!"
"No, no" Yu Wenzhong waved his hands repeatedly, not knowing whether he was begging everyone not to kill him, or begging everyone not to turn around and go back west. After stammering for a long time, he finally took a breath and said: "When I was ordered to come back to ask for food,
The soldiers have already begun to kill horses. The captain and above can only guarantee two meals a day, and the brigade commander and team leader can only do one thing and one thing!"
"Grandma, that's still called food. Now that it's over, if your general doesn't retreat quickly, why are you waiting?" Qian Jiulong was so angry that he punched the tree, causing the pine tree as thick as a man's waist to swing back and forth.
.
"The nine armies are not subordinate to each other. Liu Shilong is the only supervisor of the army. Naturally, Master Liu will decide everything. Besides, the Goguryeo people have asked for surrender, so everyone has to retreat slowly to prevent others from seeing that the army is short of food and regenerate.
The thought of going back on my word!" Yu Wenzhong got up from the ground and explained in a low voice for his general. At this point, he also understood that he could not hide the truth from everyone, so he had to tell the whole story clearly like pouring beans into a bamboo tube.
It turns out that before the long-distance attack, according to the practice of fighting in the Central Plains, each soldier carried nearly three stones of rations. The soldiers were strong and there were pack horses in the army, so it was not a problem to carry this small amount of luggage with them. But who knew that the terrain in Liaodong was complicated
, the army could not find a suitable guide, and the road they traveled was either mountainous or swampy. On such a difficult road, three stones per person was too much. (Note 9)
After two days of walking, some soldiers secretly dug holes in the tents and buried grain to reduce the load. Generals at all levels believed that after crossing the Mazhai River, the army could collect grain on the spot, so they acquiesced to this.
This kind of behavior. As a result, the grain burying operation became more and more intense. Eventually, almost every soldier began to take the initiative to reduce his own burden.
After the army crossed the Mazhai River, they fought consecutive battles, and the Goguryeo army did not dare to join the battle. At this time, the army was on the verge of losing supplies. General Yu Wenshu advocated withdrawing the army, but Liu Shilong, the supervisor of the army, because he had let Goguryeo Prime Minister Eulji Moon go. De was afraid that his efforts would be in vain and he would be treated as a scapegoat after returning, so he firmly disagreed with the idea of withdrawing the troops.
The nine generals each had their own opinions, and no one could convince the other, so they had no choice but to follow Liu Shilong's arrangements, take advantage of the victory and cross the Sa River to intimidate Pyongyang. They planned to meet up with the navy of General Laihu'er and borrow some food from the other party. Unexpectedly, When an army of 100,000 troops approached Pyongyang City, Lai Huer was driven back by the Goguryeo people because of his greed for power and was unable to join the army at the designated place. At this time, the Goguryeo people still fortified the walls and cleared the fields, burning all the crops outside the city. Lost.
Hearing this, even Li Jiancheng, a noble man who had never fought before, knew that the prospects for the Sui army were not good. He stepped forward anxiously and asked loudly: "Then what are you waiting for? Or rush into the city with anger. Either retreat quickly and slaughter the pack horses along the way to deal with it!"
"Originally it was agreed that Goguryeo would be put to death and then live again, but at this time Goguryeo ceded territory and asked for peace. Before the expedition, His Majesty once said that once Goguryeo was willing to surrender, no more fighting would be allowed. So the army had no choice but to accept Gao Yuan's offer. He made a peace treaty, pretending that he had enough food and grass, and slowly retreated!" Yu Wenzhong smiled bitterly and shook his head. He also felt that this eastern expedition was just like a child playing in the mud.
"Where are you retreating to? Before you come back!" Liu Hongji pulled the sheepskin map that Li Xu painstakingly drew from the hands of the soldiers, pointed at the ink lines on the east and west, and asked incoherently. At this moment, he could no longer curse. Who is the bastard? Just as everyone on our side expected yesterday, the 300,000-strong Eastern Expedition Army pinned all their hopes of survival on these 10,000 shi of military rations.
"Liu Jianjun sent an advance envoy to report the victory, and then General Yuwen sent a few small ones back. They ran non-stop for six days. Including yesterday and today, eight days have passed. According to the speed of withdrawal at that time, the army should have crossed the border by now. Cross the Sa River and reach here..." Yu Wenzhong pointed his finger at an unnamed hill opposite Bopukou on the south bank of the Mazhai River and whispered.
For eight days, the army had been walking for eight days without food and grass supplies, and they had to ask God to bless the Goguryeo people for their credibility and be willing to recognize the alliance under the city! Liu Hongji was so angry that his eyes turned blue, and he wanted to arrest Yu Wenzhong and choke him with rotten millet. Death. But this is obviously not the time to investigate the responsibility. If the food protection team had arrived earlier, the 300,000-strong army might have returned with a few more people. Moreover, Yu Wenshu and others were pretending to retreat slowly. It cannot be wrong. If this move If you can really deceive the Goguryeo people, maybe there is still hope for the army to survive.
Thinking of this, he quickly ordered his soldiers to notify the soldiers to cook as quickly as possible and rush on their way immediately after eating. From the dug seedlings, some soldiers had guessed that the expeditionary force was on the verge of running out of food. Therefore, everyone He also understood Liu Hongji's thoughts. He made some half-cooked rice to fill his stomach, and then drove his horse over the mountains.
This area is already the source of Daliang River and Wugu River, and the mountains are quite steep. Halfway there, horses stepped on stones and broke their legs. No one cared about their feelings. They were busy unloading grain onto the backs of other animals. , and then pushed the injured war horse from the foot-wide mountain road into the deep valley. Listening to the scream of the horse before it died, everyone felt hairy in their hearts, as if they were the ones being pushed down. At the same time, everyone was looking forward to it. , I hope that after climbing over this mountain, I can see more than 300,000 robes appearing peacefully in the distant sky. For a moment, everyone was not as scared as when they first set off in the morning. Although their faces were ashen, their hands and feet did not move at all. Didn't fall.
Everyone risked their lives and hurried on. In the middle of the night, the large group of people finally succeeded in crossing the ridge. Although the mountains in this area are not very high, they are one after another. Just after descending the slope, they started to climb another mountain ridge. Finally, they encountered a slightly gentler mountain ridge.
On the mound, through the moonlight in the middle of the night, I saw a dark camp entrenched on the road that everyone must pass.
"Here it is, our own camp! I changed my mount here when I came back!" Yu Wenzhong shouted happily, and he tried to rush up the mountain, but Liu Hongji grabbed the reins and was caught off guard.
The man almost fell off his horse.
"Look at the cottage, why are there no torches!" Liu Hongji reminded in a low voice with a livid face.
Yu Wenzhong was stunned and instantly understood that something was wrong. He jumped off his horse, pulled out a pair of small horizontal knives from his waist, and touched them with tiptoe.
"Come here, hold up the torch, unfurl the Sui banner and follow me up the mountain. If someone provokes you, fight back immediately!" Liu Hongji jumped off the horse and ordered loudly. If the mountain stronghold was already occupied by the Goguryeo people at this time, people passing by in the middle of the night would shout
Hiss, the opponent already knew that the Sui army was approaching, and Yu Wenzhong touching it alone would have no effect at all.
Immediately some soldiers came forward and held up the flag for Liu Hongji. The one hundred veterans who were selected as the vanguard shouted loudly, holding a shield in one hand and a torch in the other. They dispersed into small groups in groups and slowly moved towards the hillside.
Press forward. Contrary to everyone's expectations, no one in the stronghold came out to greet the friendly troops, and no one fired arrows. Until Yu Wenzhong's figure rushed to the entrance of the stronghold, no movement was seen inside.
"Come in!" Liu Hongji pulled out his sword and jumped into the camp first. The huge camp was empty. On the ground, the discarded weapons reflected the cold moonlight, making people feel chilly. Someone threw a torch into the camp.
In the temporary shelter built of wood and thatch, by the light of the jumping fire, I could see all kinds of feathers and arrows stuck in the doors, windows and roof.
"This place was attacked by someone, and the enemy troops have withdrawn!" Yu Wenzhong rushed in, turned around half a circle, and ran back and said.
"Check the entire camp first to see if there are any traces left!" Liu Hongji ordered in a low voice.
The veterans agreed and went into the camp separately for inspection. After about half a stick of incense, several team leaders came back one after another to report that this place had become an empty camp. Not only were there no soldiers stationed there, not even a single body was found.
"First arrange for everyone to enter the camp, be careful not to drink the well water here. Later, send people to search around to see if there are any mountain springs nearby!" Although Liu Hongji was suspicious, he still ordered everyone to enter the camp for repairs. If there are enemy troops
Appearing nearby, the food protection team must first recover their strength. Otherwise, not only will the food and grass not be transported to the front line, but their own side will also be in danger of being annihilated.
Although this abandoned camp was a bit crude, it was still better than sleeping in the valley. After marching for a whole day, the soldiers were already exhausted. After hearing the general's order, they immediately entered the camp one by one and fell to the sound of snoring. Liu Hongji
, Li Jiancheng, Li Xu and other major generals were also exhausted and weak, but they did not dare to sleep. After arranging the manpower on duty and sending out veterans to explore nearby movements, everyone gathered in a relatively secluded house.
Discussing plans for tomorrow in low voices.
"Depending on the situation, the Goguryeo people have already started to fight back!" Qian Jiulong was the first to stand up and brought up a topic that everyone was unwilling to face but had to face.
"If the Goguryeo people near this stronghold start to fight back, I'm afraid the Bobi stronghold may not be able to be saved!" Li Jiancheng glanced at Yu Wenzhong, whose eyes were blood red, and said in a very low voice.
Being surrounded, it is difficult for 1,500 soldiers to hold on behind the wooden wall for two days. Since the Goguryeo people have made up their mind to trap the expeditionary force to death, they are bound to win the Bobi Village. According to this It was inferred that even if the grain transport team rushed over, they would definitely not be able to deliver the general grain to Yu Wenshu.
Whether to continue to advance or to retreat decisively, the answer is obvious. But no one is willing to speak first. No matter who first proposes the word "retreat", the lives of 300,000 troops will be sacrificed by him. Although this little military ration Even if it is safely delivered to the Mazhai waterfront, I am afraid that the Eastern Expeditionary Army will not have a chance to eat one grain of rice.
Before everyone could come to a conclusion, Yu Wenzhong knelt down on the ground with a thump. Without saying a word, he kept kowtowing to everyone with "dong, dong, dong." The ground in the barracks was very hard, and it only took a few times for him to kowtow. There was blood on his forehead. Seeing this, Liu Hongji and Li Jiancheng couldn't say anything about withdrawing their troops to the west. They reached out to help Yu Wenzhong stand up, but the opponent's knees seemed to have taken root, growing firmly on the ground. superior.
When the two sides were fighting and reaching a stalemate, suddenly, the wooden door of the room was kicked open with a "ping" sound. Li Liang, the brigade leader, rushed in. He didn't know whether it was because of surprise or anger. He didn't care about the military salute and pointed out the window with a look on his face. He was pale, his lips were trembling up and down, and it took him a long while to tremble and spit out a few words.
"People, people, heads, go quickly!" After saying that, he opened his mouth, and tears, snot, and the dry food he had eaten in the afternoon rolled down at the same time.
Seeing Li Liang so shocked, everyone knew that something big must have happened outside. They took his hand and walked quickly to the yard. After spitting out a mouthful of dinner, Li Liang wiped the stains on his face, finally took a breath, and cried and cursed. : "Behind the mountain, by the river behind the mountain, those damn Goguryeo bastards, they are not human, they are not human!"
"Don't cry, the morale of the military is paramount. Take me to see what happened!" Liu Hongji shouted to stop Li Liang from crying.
The latter was reminded that he was in a military camp, and most of them were new recruits who had never seen blood before. He gritted his teeth to stop his screams, took Liu Hongji's wrist, and pulled it outward. At the critical moment, everyone also paid attention. I didn't blame him for being rude, so I followed him and stumbled down the hillside. I first heard the sound of water flowing in the distance, and then I smelled a pungent stench.
"Raise the fire!" Liu Hongji knew something was wrong, stood still and ordered loudly.
Several guards of the Li Mansion who were following them stretched their torches forward at the same time. Through the jumping firelight, everyone saw a huge pagoda, covered with flies and maggots from the base to the top of the pagoda. At first sight of the fire, the flies were frightened. , rising like dark clouds, instantly revealing the material of the pagoda itself.
They were human heads, hundreds of them piled together. On each head, there was a pair of wide eyes.
Note 1: It is a nursery rhyme in the late Sui Dynasty. The original text is: Law exists, morality exists, the emperor comes out of the East China Sea with a white flag. Peach plums, Mo Lang said. Yellow swans fly around the mountain, wandering in the garden. Peach garden, wandering are banners. Peach plums Sons, swans circle Yangshan, wandering in the flower forest. Mo Lang said, who said yes. Peach plums, floods circle Yangshan. Willow trees in the south of the Yangtze River, plum blossoms in the north of the Yangtze River. Wherever the willows fly, plum blossoms will naturally bear fruit. A saying He did it for Li Mi, but ended up benefiting Li Yuan.
Note 2: Ji (ji), in ancient times, when a woman reached fifteen years old, she would tie up her hair and wear a hairpin, which was called Ji (ji), which meant she was old enough to get married.
Note 3: The deeds of Mai Tiezhang and others can be found in "Book of Sui: Biography of Mai Tiezhang". The original text is as follows: When Jiji arrived, the bridge was not completed, and it was still a few feet away from the east bank, and the thieves arrived. Tiezhang jumped ashore and fought with the thieves.
He died. Wu Benlang's generals Qian Shixiong and Meng Jincha also died, and the left and right were even more incompetent. The emperor shed tears for them and bought their bodies...
Note 4: Wanghaidun is located on the seaside of present-day Liaoxi County.
Note 5: Sa Shui means Qingchuan River.
Note 6: According to ancient rituals, after a woman gets married, she is not allowed to go home unless her family sends someone to pick her up.
Note 7: Juju is ancient polo. Its origin is unknown, but it was most popular in the Tang Dynasty. There were ten players on each side of the game, and the winner was to score a goal. Because it was conducive to the cooperation of the cavalry, in the martial Sui and Tang dynasties, the royal family,
It is very popular among nobles and rich people. To this day, there are bronze mirror patterns with Juju as the background handed down from the Tang Dynasty.
Note 8: Pei Ju, a famous official in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, was the main proposer of the three eastern expeditions to Goryeo. He once served as a high-ranking official in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Yu Wenhua and his subordinates and the Tang Dynasty. He became a model for future generations with his elegance, incorruptibility and honesty. (To be continued)
