"When the late Emperor first founded the Sui Dynasty, I thought I had achieved what I wished for. But I started to be disappointed when I was thirty years old, and I continued to be disappointed until I was fifty years old!" His smile was a bit bitter, but his tone was contradictory to the expression on his face. It seemed that
With a little pride.
"But I never feel sorry! General Li, do you know why?" This time, Zhang Xutuo did not raise the wine bowl in a hurry, but asked in a very, very solemn tone.
"Please give me your guidance!" Li Xu clasped his fists and saluted. These days, he has been very confused. After listening to Zhang Xutuo's confused words, his mood gradually became cheerful. He knew that the old general was giving him guidance, so he used
A very grateful attitude to be taught.
"Because I swore to protect this place. But not for their gratitude!" Zhang Xutuo brought his face close to Li Xu, pressed his arm on his shoulder, and said in a very low voice. "Look at them
, think about it, think about what is the most precious thing in your life. Think about it, have you remembered it?"
"What is the most precious thing in this life?" Xuzi couldn't think of it. Is it these warm memories in the tavern? He couldn't be sure. He knew that he was still young and could not understand Zhang Xutuo's mentality at this time. But he found that
He is not as troubled as before because he is now doing something equally meaningful.
I swore an oath to protect this place. That night, Zhang Xutuo said this.
Goguryeo surrendered. Li Xu was shocked when he first heard the news. Immediately, he felt a deep regret in his heart. He finally lost the chance to go to Liaodong to avenge his companions. His Majesty the Emperor forgot that he had ordered him last year.
According to the promise he made before coming to Qijun, he was not sent to serve in this expedition at all. But as soon as he thought about it, Xuzi's mentality became calm again. The life in Qijun was not bad, and the enemies here were far inferior to those hired by Goguryeo with huge sums of money.
The barbarians were ferocious, and more importantly, commanding the county soldiers in battle could easily gain the respect of the people. Unlike the Battle of Goguryeo, the people were very enthusiastic about the battle to exterminate the bandits. Every time the army returned in triumph, the villagers gathered at the city gate.
Welcome both inside and outside the family.
That kind of heartfelt cheering is very useful, and can even temporarily forget the dream of becoming a marquis and a general. Xuzi smiled and listened to the old eunuch Pei Caozhi continue to explain the official report of Ping Liao.
After more than four months, the Liao army was finally assembled last month. His Majesty the Emperor personally went on stage to worship heaven, vowing not to break Goguryeo and never return to the army. At the same time, the Sui Dynasty Navy set sail to sea under the leadership of General Lai Huer.
, braved the wind and waves to attack the traitor's lair. The resistance of the Goguryeo people was still fierce at first, but the navy that came to protect the general repeatedly defeated the stubborn enemy, fought steadily, and finally approached Pyongyang a few days ago.
The King of Goguryeo was afraid of the power of the Sui army, so he bound his traitorous minister Hu Sizheng and sent him to Liaodong, and sent an envoy to ask for his surrender. After discussing with all the officials, His Majesty agreed.
"Sir, are you saying that General Laihu'er has just approached Pyongyang and Hu Sizheng has been sent to Liaodong?" Although he knew that it was not polite to do so, Xuzi still had to interrupt the old governor's story midway. Considering that he participated in Liaodong twice
With the experience gained from the battle, he instinctively felt that this victory came unexpectedly.
"Yes, so the thief is frightened." Pei Caozhi, still immersed in excitement, answered casually.
"The territory of Goguryeo is mountainous, and Liaodong is nearly a thousand miles away from Pyongyang!" Li Xu said, shaking his head slightly. First of all, the time calculation is wrong. Even if you ride a horse from Liaodong to Pyongyang, it will take at least half a month. If the envoy is here
After a month of traveling back and forth, General Laihuer had already launched an offensive against Pyongyang City.
But these tricks that can be seen at a glance, the civil and military personnel accompanying the emperor are not aware of it? At this moment, unlike the previous two years, everyone has no idea about Liaodong and the terrain. After experiencing the first defeat in Liao, the army
The generals learned their lesson, and the map of Liaodong in their hands was much more precise. Any general who stood up and calculated the distance could deduce that Husizheng definitely did not come from Pyongyang.
"Perhaps Clown Gao Yuan knew that he was unreasonable this time and imprisoned Hu Si Zheng in Liaodong City beforehand!" After hearing Li Xu's words, Pei Caozhi was stunned and forced to explain.
The victory in Pingliao was the good news he had been waiting for for a long time. It meant that the local people could recover and thrive, and it also meant that he would no longer have to worry about the swarming bandits next spring. Therefore, the old prefect would rather believe in the honesty of the Goguryeo people at this moment.
Nor is he willing to carefully examine the flaws.
'Master Pei is just a civil servant after all!' After seeing the persistence of the old eunuch, Xuzi thought to himself. He looked at Zhang Xutuo, hoping to get support from him. But Master Tongshou turned his head away with a smile.
Ken met his eyes.
'It turns out that Master Tongshou also understands this truth, but why didn't he say it?' Xuzi hesitated a little, not knowing whether he should be stubborn. Time has gradually smoothed his edges and corners, and while he learned to be tactful, he also lost
The courage to speak the truth.
"Officials from all over the country are sending congratulations to His Majesty. Mr. Zhang and I thought about it. You are the only one who has received the most grace from the Holy Spirit here. So, I would like to hear your suggestions on what kind of congratulatory gift to send!" Pei Caozhi
Seeing that Li Xu stopped interrupting him, he thought he had been convinced and slowly got to the point.
"If Goguryeo can really be pacified, it will be your Majesty's most anticipated gift." Xuzi thought about it and tried to speak tactfully. He did not believe the promise of the Goguryeo royal family. The two battles in Liaodong gave him the impression that lying is a bad thing.
Goguryeo is the specialty of this peninsula nation. From the repeated surrenders of Liaodong City and the repeated battles, to the 300,000 troops led by Yu Wenshu and Yu Zhongwen being followed and hunted down, the behavior of the Goguryeo people has fully witnessed their
Credibility. But those in the court, including His Majesty the Emperor himself, don’t know what they think? They have been fooled many times and still don’t know how to guard against it!
"Back then, Marquis Zhuge Wu captured and manipulated the Southern Barbarian king seven times. Your Majesty has already invaded Liaodong three times. I think the King of Goguryeo must have realized the power of Sui Dynasty this time and knew how to change his mind!" Pei Caozhi, the old eunuch, was a little impatient. As an old man in officialdom,
, he easily followed Li Xu's words and found out what the other party really meant.
The young man was still full of energy, and for the sake of caring, the elder decided not to be as knowledgeable as Xu Zi. He sorted out his interrupted thoughts, and was about to emphasize the importance of preparing gifts when he heard a sigh in front of him.
"If Gao Yuan is willing to keep his word, we should naturally forgive him. I'm afraid..." Li Xu sighed and shook his head, not fully expressing what he meant. At this time, it was too late for him to say anything. Since the news of the class teacher had spread to everyone,
County, the army thousands of miles away must have turned back long ago.
"I just said this to the prefect, but since the beginning of spring, bandits have been everywhere. I think the ministers in the court do not want Wang Shi to stay in Liaodong for a long time, so as not to cause unexpected disasters!" Zhang Xutuo saw that Xu Zi was still a little confused.
, slowly added next to it. As a military commander, Asahi's point of view is very clear to him. From the perspective of a military commander, either you don't fight, or you should fight to completely defeat your opponent to avoid future troubles. Halfway through the fight like this
If you withdraw your troops, it will only encourage the enemy's arrogance.
But the Sui Dynasty could no longer bear the trouble. According to rumors, this year, the use of refugees as government soldiers to serve as soldiers on the front lines, such as in Qi County, occurred in various places. Some powerful local officials even openly boycotted the third conquest of Liao.
In May, the number of soldiers and horses assembled at Huaiyuan Town was less than half of the previous two times, and a large number of low-level officers used various excuses to evade military service. Of course, Zhang Xutuo could not take the initiative to communicate these rumors with his colleagues, but he believed that this was
The real reason why the imperial court had to agree to the surrender of Goguryeo. As for the troops coming to protect the children at Pyongyang, it was beyond the expectations of the courtiers. Therefore, the imperial court agreed to the surrender conditions of the Goguryeo people without even contacting the navy. Otherwise, it would never have been possible.
There will be strange things like the navy just conquering Bishe and Husizheng having been sent to Liaodong.
"Only by moving troops from Liaodong, the imperial court will have enough power to deal with bandits from all over the country. After all, we can no longer let them make more trouble like this!" Pei Caozhi saw Zhang Xutuo echoing his opinion and added very happily. As a local official
, they are more concerned about the people's livelihood in the local area, rather than the wild land thousands of miles away.
"I didn't think carefully! Thank you two adults for your advice!" Li Xu suddenly realized and thanked him again. At this moment, the expression on his face was very humble, but there was a turmoil in his heart.
He did not have many sources of information, and could not get the official secrets that Pei Caozhi and Zhang Xutuo had heard. But with several years of experience in different military departments, he saw the problem far better than Pei Caozhi and Zhang Xutuo at this time.
In the past three years, every time the imperial court withdrew its troops from Liaodong, the local chaos became aggravated. First, ordinary people rose up, and then some descendants of aristocratic families such as Li Mi and Yang Xuangan tried to seize the fire. If this conquest of Liao is successful, all regions will
The arrogance of the rebels will inevitably suffer heavy losses. If the third expedition to Liao still fails, and the prestige of the imperial court continues to suffer, I am afraid that the rebellion will be far more than the first two.
Xuzi, who has grown up, knows that his rebellious opinions can only be kept in his heart, and he cannot tell anyone unless His Majesty the Emperor himself asks. Therefore, he can only go with the flow and follow the words of his two superiors and say something against his will.
. This is his best way to protect himself. Otherwise, apart from a quick mouthful, it will not have any effect, but will inadvertently create a lot of enemies for himself.
"It's easy to say, easy to say, General Li Lang, don't be polite. The congratulations are very important, and General Li Lang has to help me carefully advise him!" Pei Caozhi was in a very good mood and had no intention of caring about Li Xu's reckless words just now.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, I think what he hopes for most is for the world to be peaceful and for the people to live and work in peace and contentment!" Xu Zi described Yang Guang as the ideal emperor in his mind, but he himself did not believe this sentence. The impression of Yang Guang was always
Appearing in different guises, the affectionate and righteous Majesty caressing the body of the Iron Staff on the banks of the Liao River, the His Majesty in the Huaiyuan Army who pointed at Liaodong and shouted loudly, the His Majesty who blamed others after the failure of the Liao campaign, and then desperately launched another war.
They are all the same person. Xuzi has never seen such a weird temperament, wisdom and stupidity, generosity and meanness, persistence and fickleness. Almost all different personalities are combined in His Majesty the Emperor. Sometimes, he looks like an eternal wise king.
, but most of the time, he is just a willful child.
"That's natural. Your Majesty has vast territory, and he doesn't lack a little courtesy from us ministers. But the expedition against Liao is a big deal after all. On this great day when the whole world is celebrating, we, Qijun, are the only ones who are lagging behind. It seems too conspicuous!"
The prefect, Pei Caozhi, was very good at talking. After a few words, he pointed out the reasons for preparing congratulatory gifts and congratulations.
This is a major event involving the future of colleagues in a county, so no one can be arrogant. In fact, the so-called officials are stupid or incorruptible, don't they all depend on the court? The king of Chu has a slim waist, and many people in the palace starve to death.
The old eunuch who had been in the officialdom for half his life did not pay attention to other things, but he knew the secrets of being an official very clearly.
"I think His Majesty has just returned in triumph, and he must need a lot of money to motivate the soldiers." Xu Zi looked at Pei Caozhi, who was full of enthusiasm, and then at Zhang Xutuo, who was smiling and silent, and sighed deeply in his heart. Except
Apart from the peace and prosperity of the country, His Majesty's favorite thing is probably his military exploits. But at the moment, he is definitely still immersed in the joy of conquering Goguryeo, and the meager achievements of the county soldiers in suppressing bandits may not be in his eyes. As for the third place,
This is the answer that Xuzi knows, but has never been willing to face. Yang Guang's hobby is so far from the good emperor in his mind that every time he mentions it, he can't help but feel depressed.
"If we pick out a few valuable pieces from the spoils of the last bandit campaign and present them to His Majesty, I estimate that Your Majesty will be very happy!" Xuzi lowered his head and added in a very low voice.
This is the truest side of His Majesty the Emperor that he knows. He doesn't like it, but he can't deny it. (To be continued)
