The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 617

After the court dispersed the next day, Li Yuan and his son and several ministers went to the imperial study to discuss matters.Li Yuan glanced at the people above the hall with falcon-like eyes, and said slowly: "Fang Xuanling's mission to the Tang Dynasty this time is because Yang Tong wants to use a one-year truce in exchange for our Xiangyang, Fangling, Chongling, The five counties of Jingling and Yiling. Please share your views."

Everyone frowned upon hearing this.

The emperor had passed this news to everyone's home last night, so that they could have a mental preparation in advance so that they could discuss it today.

"Xiao Xiang, can we come up with a plan ourselves?" Dou Gui looked at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu clasped his hands and replied, "Fang Xuanling said that he can represent the Sui Emperor with full authority, which implies that we can come up with different proposals."

With Xiao Yu's words, Dou Gui immediately said: "Your Majesty, since Fang Xuanling made such a statement, we don't have to consider exchanging the five counties for a one-year truce, we can exchange money, food, and other places, and then Go talk to him."

Liu Wenjing next to her shook her head: "Mr. Dou, I think there is a problem here!"

"Please make it clear to Liu Xiang."

Seeing everyone's attention, Liu Wenjing said calmly: "First of all, we don't have enough items to satisfy the other party; secondly, if we replace them with remote places like Luchuan, Qianwei, Yuexuan, Zangke, and Qian'an, they will definitely not be satisfied. Will agree, Fang Xuanling is not a fool."

"Liu Xiang thinks that the other party really wants to exchange the five counties for a one-year truce? The two sides are now in a state of hostility. If Yang Tong wants the five counties, he can just send troops to fight. Do you need to talk to us?" Dou Gui asked.

Liu Wenjing put out her own opinion: "I think it is Li Mi that Yang Tong wants to fight, not me, Datang."

Liu Wenjing's proposition caused an uproar.

"Why? What's the reason?" Li Yuan was excited, and he wanted to hear the good news now.

"There are five reasons!" Liu Wenjing stood up and shared what she was thinking last night: "First of all, although the Sui army moved frequently in Xiyang and Nanyang, there were no warships or merchant ships. If there were no such ships No matter how many troops they have, they will not be able to cross the Han River."

"Secondly, the city of Xiangyang is high and deep, and it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Therefore, in view of our situation in the Tang Dynasty, they proposed the condition of exchanging the five counties for a one-year truce. Once we hand over the five counties including Xiangyang and withdraw the army In Bashu, they only need to garrison our army in Yiling with a small army, and then they will be able to deal with Li Mi, Lin Shihong and others with absolute strength."

"Third, compared to my Tang Dynasty, the borders of Li Mi and the Sui Dynasty are in a criss-cross pattern. In particular, Henan County where Luoyang is located is only one Xingyang away from Liang County. If Li Mi's surprise attack can push the flames of war to the tiger prison At the same time, Li Mi's army can also go up from the coast of Donghai County to attack Qingzhou, which has an empty population and empty troops. Qingzhou is the longest chaotic place in the world today, and many anti-kings They were all born here. After more than ten years of war here, there are countless rogue bandits. The cruel suppression and massacre by the Ministry of Military Affairs in the Sui Dynasty made these people restless day and night. Li Mi, who started his career in Wagang, is famous in this area It is huge, if it is twisted into a rope, it will be a powerful army, causing the land of Qingzhou to be turbulent again. Whether it is for the safety of the imperial capital, or to cut off the connection between Li Mi and these people, Yang Tong will make Li Mi Fight to the south of the Huai River, so that Luoyang, Qingzhou and other places will not be poisoned by the flames of war again."

"Fourth, if Du Fuwei loses his hand in Liyang, Li Mi's army will occupy the Jianghuai land, and the Chongling of my Tang Dynasty will become a corner, and the Jingzhou land south of the Han River will be separated into one. It is known that Yang Tong unscrupulously suppressed the local tyrants and evil gentry in Jingzhou, and evenly divided the land. Although a group of these people were killed and fled to the territory of Datang and Lin Shihong, their influence in Jingzhou is difficult to eliminate in the short term. If they enter the country again, the land of Jingzhou will be raging with flames of war, which is also not allowed by Yang Tong."

"The fifth point is also the most important point; Li Mi's army was cut in half by the Huai River, and Du Fuwei in Huainan is like a sharp blade, ready to attack Li Mi's capital, Jiangdu, at any time. In addition, Li Mi was defeated by Yang Tong and Du Fuwei last year, and his elite division lost tens of thousands of people, so he did not have many troops to support Xu Shiji and Wang Bodang in Huaibei. ; and the two generals Xu and Wang each guarded one side, to a certain extent, they are a lone army fighting alone, Yang Tong only needs to defeat these two generals, and Huaibei is at his fingertips."

"Based on the above five points, I believe that Yang Tong beat Li Mi first. As for Fang Xuanling's five counties changing the one-year truce, it is actually blackmail." After Liu Wenjing finished speaking, she bowed to Li Yuan.

Liu Wenjing's analysis was very thorough, and everyone finally understood Yang Tong's sinister intentions. He was nothing more than intimidating the Tang Dynasty with a strong force, and then obtained the five Jingxiang counties out of thin air through negotiations, leaving the Tang army isolated in Bashu.

Li Yuan sneered brightly and said: "He wants Zhen Xiang, unless he defeats my army, he is daydreaming!"

"Could it be that Yang Tong's talk of expanding the army by 50 is just a pretentious thing?" Seeing Liu Wenjing's big show, Pei Ji said very displeased: "And with a million-strong army in the Sui Dynasty, it is completely possible to start a war with multiple parties, Liu Xiang..."

"Yang Tong has indeed expanded his army!" Before Pei Ji could finish speaking, Liu Wenjing interrupted him, "Yang Tong's main combat troops are all elite cavalry from outside the region, and their troops are quite single. They are indeed invincible in the plains. , but in the south of the Yangtze River where the water network is everywhere, there is not much room for fine cavalry. If hundreds of thousands of fine cavalry go south, I am afraid it is exactly what Li Mi meant. Similarly, cavalry is of little use in Bashu, where mountains and rivers are scattered. According to intelligence It can be seen that Yang Tong is also aware of this problem. This also shows that although the Sui army has millions of troops, half of the troops that can be deployed in the southern battlefield are already a lot gone."

Pei Ji retorted without showing any weakness: "It is difficult for infantry to become cavalry, but it is easy for cavalry to become infantry. Although the entire Sui army has cavalry, they have never neglected infantry training; One battle is enough to prove that after the Sui army got off their horses, their combat power was no worse than that of cavalry. The fortified battle at Zhuyangguan also fully demonstrated the Sui army's ability to fight on foot and attack fortified positions. Another crucial point is that At first, Liu Xiangguo forced the Sui army to give way by means of dams, but Yang Tong also threatened us in the same way. Now there are levees built on the east and west sides of Hanchuan. If the levee of Nanshui breaks, Qinghua County will become a state If the embankment of the Han River breaks, Xicheng County will be completely destroyed. If both sides break the embankment at the same time, the downstream city and barracks will all be destroyed in the flood, and the Sui army can take boats and bamboo rafts to enter the heart of our Tang Dynasty."

Liu Wen remained silent.

He wasn't the unreasonable Pei Ji who wanted to argue for a long time. He knew that what the other party said was an unavoidable fact, but he didn't refute anything.

"Liu Xiangguo, if the dike is breached, do you still insist that the Sui army will not attack us?" Pei Ji said triumphantly seeing that Liu Wenjing was speechless.

Although what Pei Ji said made sense, the appearance of this villain's success made everyone frown.

"Father!" Li Jiancheng got up and cupped his hands and said, "Liu Xiangguo's analysis is in place, and he has pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of Sui, Tang and Wei everywhere. From the current situation of the Sui Dynasty, before Huaibei is not occupied, it is estimated that it will not compete with the Tang Dynasty. For the enemy. And before the embankment burst, our Tang Dynasty dug ditches to irrigate the farmland. If the Sui army really broke the embankment, it could also play a role in flood diversion, so that the defense facilities in Xicheng and Qinghua could not Damaged by floods. Our army can still use the previous defensive methods to keep the Sui army out of the country."

Li Shimin interjected: "It is very necessary for the emperor to take precautions; but we must also recognize the strength of the Sui army. Yang Tong now has the strength to fight on two fronts, while the strength of Xu Shiji and Wang Bodang is not strong enough to make Yang Tong the whole country. Yang Tong only needs to dispatch 20 troops to take the seven counties of Huaibei into his pocket. Even if he dispatched 50 troops, he still has 50 million troops in his hands, and he can still attack from various places. Bashu. Therefore, I think it is necessary to change our defense plan that is tight on the outside and loose on the inside.”

Li Shimin's words made everyone realize how full of loopholes their defense is?They don't have a strong army to sit in the rear, but talk about defending the enemy outside the country, which is really ill-considered.

"Your Majesty, I fully agree with His Royal Highness King Jin's plan!" Liu Wenjing also stated: "The Sui Dynasty is too strong now, and our situation is very unfavorable. We must consider the issue of evacuation. If Fangling, Chongling, Jingling, If Yiling falls, Xiangyang will become an isolated city, we must build a second line of defense after Xiangyang, otherwise we will not be able to retreat into Bashu when the battle is unfavorable, and the whole army will be in danger of being wiped out."

Although Liu Wenjing's words were a bit of hindsight, Li Yuan's judgment that he could not withdraw into Bashu attracted Li Yuan's attention. Li Yuan pondered for a long time and said, "Then according to Liu Xiang, how should we deploy the second line of defense?"

"Yiling, Badong!" Liu Wenjing clicked two places, and then said: "Especially Yiling, it is the throat connecting Bashu and Jingzhou. From ancient times to Ling, Yiling, Zigui, Fengjie on the Three Gorges Road Both Badong and Badong must be garrisoned by heavy troops, but we only have county soldiers with insufficient combat power to defend these places. If the Sui army took advantage of the loophole and sent troops from Nanjun to occupy Yiling, the consequences would be disastrous."

Li Yuan was taken aback, nodded silently and said: "The king of Jin led the army in your hands and half of the recruits to Yiling to sit in Yiling. A powerful soldier."

"Here!" Li Shimin was very excited. He was defeated from Zhuyang Pass, and after the post-war distribution, he only had 10 direct line troops in his hands, and there were [-] new recruits, including refugees, monks, and Taoists. With the order of his father, he can choose [-] capable men to station in Yiling, so that there will be [-] troops. The key is that the food from Bashu must pass through Yiling when it is sent to Xiangyang, so there is no need to worry about the risk of food shortage.

"Although Yang Tong won't attack Datang before occupying Huaibei, but Yang Tong's strength lies in it. I don't know how long Xu Shiji and Wang Bodang can last. After he occupies Huaibei, he may not be able to adjust the direction of attack. Our preparation time is very short, and it is a matter of my life and death in the Tang Dynasty, so you must use this time for military affairs." Li Yuan ordered.

"My son obeys!"

"Wei Chen obeys!"

Everyone obeys.

At this time, Xiao Yu cupped his hands and asked, "Your Majesty, what about Fang Xuanling? Do we still need to talk?"

Li Yuan snorted coldly, "Xiao Xiang continued to talk with him. If we can't reach an agreement, just let him go. Didn't he say that he can represent Yang Tong with full authority? Then I will use Luchuan, Qianwei, and Yuexuan , Zang Ke, and Qian An have a one-year truce, let's see if he can represent Yang Tong."

Seeing everyone get up to leave, Li Yuan suddenly said: "Chen Xiangguo stay here."

"Here!" Chen Shuda sat down in response.

When everyone left the imperial study room, Li Yuan opened the confidential box and handed the Duguzheng secret letter "stolen by Li Xiuning" to Chen Shuda for viewing.

Before becoming the throne, Li Yuan trusted Pei Ji and Liu Wenjing the most, but now, Li Yuan has given this trust to Chen Shuda. Chen Shuda is shrewd and sophisticated. Although he competed with Xiao Yu for the leadership of the southern gentry and was classified as a prince, he kept a certain distance from Li Jiancheng and gradually won Li Yuan's trust. Therefore, Chen Shuda and the prince Li Jiancheng gradually drifted away. , became Li Yuan's confidant and important minister.

"This... is this true?" Chen Shuda quickly looked at the two letters on top, and his face was already pale with shock.In the former letter, Duguzheng revealed the secret of the great change in the Daxing Palace; in the latter letter, Duguzheng made a promise to Yang Tong to donate [-]% of the land, [-]% of the money and food, and act as an internal support.

"It's definitely Duguzhen's handwriting!"

"My lord, where did these letters come from?"

"It was Pingyang who stole it from Ziwei Palace, and hid it in a gift, and asked Fang Xuanling to bring it to me. If it wasn't for Pingyang, I still don't know where I lost."

Chen Shuda did not speak, but patiently waited for the emperor to express his position. Li Yuan stood by the window for a long time, and suddenly asked: "Besides, the Patriarch of the Dugu Sect visited Fang Xuanling collectively yesterday. When these people left, all of them were smiling. Some kind of agreement has been reached. Chen Xiang thinks how should I deal with the Dugu faction among the nobles in Guanlong?"

Chen Shuda was stunned. On the surface, Duguzhen’s betrayal angered the emperor, but he knew that the emperor had always wanted to deal with the Guanlong nobles. There is a serious shortage of military resources, and this serious problem has reached the point where it cannot be solved.The emperor was already worried about the coup d'état by the numerous Guanlong nobles who had private troops, but Duguzheng's promise to be the servant of the Sui Dynasty touched the emperor's rebellious scale.

"My lord, the situation in Tang Dynasty is not stable, and the nobles of Guanlong have become an urgent need." Chen Shuda looked at the emperor's face, and said: "Everyone thinks that Yang Tong will not attack Tang Dynasty before occupying Huaibei. This short period of time is just a good opportunity for the Holy One to eradicate internal troubles. As long as we cut off the rotten flesh, I, Tang Dynasty, can devote myself to the outside world. More importantly, I can use the money and food of the Dugu faction to make up for the lack of financial resources of the court; use the land of the Dugu faction to reward meritorious soldiers , in order to play a role in uniting the army and boosting morale."

Li Yuan asked again: "Where should I start?"

"Your Majesty, I remember that Yang Tong wrote a poem like this: 'When you draw a bow, you should draw your strength, and when you use an arrow, you should use it long. When you shoot a man, you shoot a horse first, and when you capture a thief, you first capture the king.'"

Although Chen Shuda said it very implicitly, Li Yuan knew that what he meant was to start with the Dugu family first. As long as the Dugu family was dealt with cleanly, the other Guanlong families of the Dugu faction would fall into a leaderless situation, and it would be much easier to clean up.

A complicated expression appeared on Li Yuan's face, and it took a long time before he said in a trembling voice: "I understand what to do!"

"If the Holy Majesty has nothing important to do, I will leave first!" Chen Shuda also understood Li Yuan's meaning.

"it is good!"

As early as when he saw these secret letters, Li Yuan had already had murderous intentions, but he was also worried that the Guanlong nobles would evolve into an uncontrollable position, which would eventually benefit Yang Tong.However, the conclusion of 'the Sui army first attacked Huaibei and then made strategic adjustments' gave him time to rectify the interior, and Chen Shuda's words prompted him to put this murderous intention into place.He didn't hesitate anymore, took out a note, wrote three words with a brush, locked it in a palm-sized box, and asked a confidant eunuch to deliver it to Li Yuanji.

(End of this chapter)