The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 988 Sui and Tang Dynasties, Emergency Deployment

The Chengdu Plain has always had plenty of rain, and it is very common for the weather to be sunny one moment and then downpour a moment later.When the rain stopped, the sun that broke through the clouds sprayed out a gorgeous sunset glow, dyeing the entire sky red.

The endless wilderness in the north of Qingcheng County is full of dense tents. This is the refuge for refugees from central Sichuan. Hundreds of young officials brought from Luoyang by Minister Yin Hongzhi of the Ministry of Civil Affairs are busy in the camp. They have rich The refugee resettlement experience has kept the entire refugee camp in good order. The roads in the camp are crisscrossed, like a huge chessboard placed under Mount Qingcheng.

Yang Tong, under the escort of the Xuanjia Army, came to watch on a hill west of the refugee camp, but he didn't intend to greet the victims kindly.There are tens of thousands of people here, and there is no guarantee that there will be no dead soldiers of the Tang army. If they are stabbed with a knife, it will be a big loss. Even if they are not stabbed to death, countless innocent people will be implicated in the army's investigation.If that's the case, the so-called act of being close to the people is not loving the people, but disturbing the people. Moreover, with his current status and reputation, he doesn't need to use "kind greetings" to increase his political achievements, so he just watched from a distance, so as not to give the army , officials, and common people bring trouble.

At this time, the smoke from cooking in the refugee camp was curling up, and the smell of food was coming from afar. Only teams of soldiers patrolled the camp to maintain order in the camp.

Yin Hongzhi pointed to the refugee camp and reported to Yang Tong: "My lord, as of yesterday, we have taken in a total of more than 26 people, basically from the counties of Shu County outside Chengdu. Most of these people are because of food prices. Skyrocketing, unable to buy food, unable to eat, and reduced to victims of disasters."

Speaking of this, Yin Hongzhi couldn't help laughing, "Actually, they have made a lot of money selling Shu brocade and wood in the past two years, even richer than the people in Jiangnan, but they just can't afford food."

"This is the most terrifying part of economic warfare and commercial warfare. Military victories can only destroy the enemy's army, but a few big victories cannot destroy the confidence of the enemy's nation, but the invisible knife of economic warfare and commercial warfare can. Let a country and a nation rot from the root." Yang Tong said: "That's why I want to set up a supply and marketing cooperative to keep the prices of grain, salt, and oil within the range that the common people can afford. If the sale of low-priced food, low-priced salt, and cheap cloth, those big businessmen have no way to make huge profits from these daily necessities, they have to operate luxury goods that have nothing to do with people's livelihood, so that cholera will never end. If the luxury goods industry is prosperous If it develops and prospers, it proves that the people have met the needs of life and have started to have spare money and spare money to enjoy.”

Yang Tong's economic and financial knowledge is pitiful, and that's all he can say. Instead, he asked: "How do the refugees feel? Are they still avoiding the Sui Dynasty like snakes and scorpions?"

"Received relief from the imperial court and preached by officials everywhere, the emotions of the victims are very stable." Yin Hongzhi said: "My lord, I think the population in Sichuan is relatively large. If they keep transporting grain to Shu, it will increase the financial pressure on the imperial court. The Central Plains and Jingzhou area are sparsely populated. If these people are relocated, it will not only allow them to buy food nearby, reduce the pressure on the imperial court for disaster relief, but also fill the population of the Central Plains and Jiangnan. In the long run, it can also avoid overpopulation in Central Sichuan and increase pressure on food."

Yang Tong was very moved when he heard it, and was about to speak, but he heard Fang Xuanling at the side say: "Yin Shilang's suggestion is indeed good, if other states are not a problem, but it may not be a problem for Central Sichuan."

"Why not in Sichuan?" Yang Tong asked.

"Reporting to the Holy Majesty, the key is that it is difficult to leave the old man." Fang Xuanling explained: "Since ancient times, whenever the world is in chaos, the wars have concentrated in Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Qingzhou. , Xuzhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou, so the people in these eleven states are naturally afraid of war, as long as they have a stable and peaceful refuge, they are willing to go; while Yizhou, in times of war, is often used by various places. Although they can rely on the danger of mountains and rivers to fend off the enemy, they can't fight out, so they don't participate in the world war, but wait for the result of the Central Plains competition, and then sell Yizhou to have a good background, so there are few people here. After the war, this also caused the people in central Shu to live a comfortable life. They miss their homeland more than people in other places. It is almost impossible to let them live in other places after the war. If they do it by force, it will not be beautiful. But What we want is not to let the Shu people move away, but to use this war to win people's hearts and lay a good foundation for us to govern Shu. As long as they trust the court and increase propaganda, there will be many enlightened people who will leave voluntarily. .”

"Xuanling's words are reasonable, but Hongzhi's suggestion is also very good. We will do it in a compromise." Yang Tong smiled and said to Yin Hongzhi: "In the future, try to persuade these refugees and encourage them to move, but one is one. , Two is two, you must not lie to them, I think you can start with convenient transportation, mature educational conditions, good culture and business atmosphere, and in the end, as many people leave as you want.”

"Here." Yin Hongzhi obeyed.

Fang Xuanling added with a smile: "The Liao people have longed for Han culture and farming life for a long time. I think they are just about to come out of the mountains, and they are far easier to persuade than the Shu people. Once they arrive in the culturally rich Central Plains, the speed of naturalization will be faster. quick."

"That's right, that's the way to do it." Yang Yu nodded his head and said, "When it comes to people's hearts, I would like to say a few more words. When there was a severe drought, millions of victims fled to the north with their families. We had a lot of food. At that time, many officials thought that the gain was not worth the loss, but in the end, although we consumed food, we gained people's hearts. The Central Plains used to be rampant with bandits and bandits, but now every family lives and works in peace and contentment. The reason why there are such good and fast results is that In addition to the effective suppression of bandits by the Ministry of Armed Forces and the proper management of officials, there are also many people who have returned to help the court speak well. This is the power of the people. As long as the people approve of the court, even if someone wants to participate in the rebellion, he will be dissuaded by his family, and the bandits will not survive. And the development of the soil has also stabilized the Central Plains, and the same is true for other places. So we should not be reluctant to benefit for a while, the greater the capital invested, the greater the future harvest."

"Here." Everyone nodded in agreement. Now that there are many cases with remarkable effects, everyone naturally does not object.

"Da da..." There was a sudden sound of horse hooves, and Yang Tong looked towards the sound, only to see Yang Qinfang galloping from behind with a dozen Shura guards.

She rode her horse to the front alone, flew off the horse, and handed a letter to Yang Tong: "My lord, there is an urgent military situation."

"Yeah." Yang Tong opened the military information, read the military information several times repeatedly, and a flash of excitement flashed in his eyes.He raised the military situation in his hand, smiled and said to the civil and military people beside him: "This is the military situation that just came from Chengdu. Li Shentong launched a palace coup this afternoon, and it was lively for nearly an hour."

"Li Shentong killed Li Shimin?" Fang Xuanling asked.

"When did you see Li Shentong win once?" Yang Tong shook his head speechlessly: "This guy was killed by Li Shimin."

Fang Xuanling said with a smile: "So, Li Shimin is also a guy who knows how to fight inside."

"That's right!" Yang Tong smiled and handed the military information to Fang Xuanling for everyone to circulate.

"It is also said that Li Shen kidnapped Li Yuan, and then a fake Li Yuan led 3000 yuan from the imperial guards to attack the East Palace. Although the real Li Yuan was rescued by Li Shimin, he was already deeply poisoned and fell into a severe coma, and it was difficult to wake up." Fang Xuanling He laughed and said, "Fake Li Yuan led Yuan to attack the East Palace from the imperial army? Who would believe this nonsense? Thanks to him, Li Shimin figured it out."

"He doesn't care about these things anymore. It's good to be able to say that. If there are no accidents, the one who was killed in the East Palace is Li Yuan, and the one who was poisoned deeply is the fake one. Maybe there will be news of his death tomorrow. When Du Ruhui said this, he said to Yang Tong: "My lord, the military said that not long after the palace mutiny was put down, a violent storm suddenly hit. Escaping from Chengdu City is a godsend opportunity for our army, so we should deploy it early in the morning."

Ling Jing also said: "Today was originally a day to worship ancestors, but there was a palace coup in the puppet Tang Dynasty, and then there was a storm, but Li Shimin's explanation was full of flaws. Look, these people don’t believe it, and have abandoned the heinous Li Shimin. It is enough to show that the foundation of the puppet Tang Dynasty has been destroyed, and it is time to end the war.”

"That's right." Fang Xuanling continued, "Because of today's incident, the defenders in Chengdu have lost their morale, and solving Hou Junji is the top priority."

"Bring me a map."

"Here." Two soldiers stepped forward, one stabilizing the bracket, the other took off the bamboo tube behind, pulled out the map, hung it on the bracket, and opened it slowly, revealing a large map of Yizhou.

Fang Xuanling stepped forward and introduced: "There are three roads from Ziyang Panshi to the north to Shu County. The nearest one is to go north along Mianshui, but the city of Ziyang that must be passed has been recovered by our army without bloodshed. In the city is the sixth road led by General Xue Wanjun. Army, Hou Junji will not choose this road. The second road is to go west to Longshan Shijian County, join forces with Zhai Changsun, and go north to Shu County together. This road is also the most likely one for Hou Junji. The third road is to go north along Mianshui, then bypass Ziyang City, and enter Shu County from Longshan Guiping County. This road is also very possible. If we can block the second and third roads that must be passed If Li Shangshu and General Xue Wanjun attack from north to south, then Hou Junji's army will not be able to enter Shu County."

Yang Tong's eyes fell on a military town called Longshuitun, which was located in the northwest of Panshi and southwest of Ziyang, at the junction of Ziyang County and Longshan County, just between the second and third roads. superior.

"Although Hou Junji has been closely watched by Li Shangshu and General Xue, if he retreats with a broken wrist, he may not be able to wipe him out in Ziyang County. Let's block him for a while." Yang Tong pondered and asked: " Where is the nearest army to Longshuitun?"

Ling Jing thought for a while and replied: "We have a Thousand Guards in Shijian County, Longshan County. This is a scout cavalry battalion deployed by General Shen Guang. They are now the closest to Longshuitun."

"Can we directly contact this army?" Yang Tong asked.

Ling Jing nodded: "There is also an Eagle mail sending and receiving point over there."

Yang Tong looked at the sky and said, "Immediately send them a letter, saying that this is my order to let them seize Longshuitun as quickly as possible. As long as they hold on for a day, I will reward you heavily."

"As far as Wei Chen knows, this Longshuitun is not a fortress, and it doesn't make much sense if they only defend it for a day!" Fang Xuanling said with some concern, "Unless there is a strong army to support it."

"I know this!" Yang Tong said to Ling Jing, "Inform Xue Wanjun to lead an army of [-] to quickly support Longshuitun. He must arrive before dark tomorrow. After receiving the letter, the main force also immediately went south to meet Li Shangshu will annihilate Hou Junji together."

"Here." Ling Jing agreed, and then suggested: "Your Majesty, I think that I can let Li Shangshu step up his attack and contain Hou Junji's army for this scout."

Yang Tong nodded and said, "Take care of it together!"

"I will take my leave first." Ling Jing saluted and left in a hurry.

Fang Xuanling asked: "Your Majesty, the time has come for us to send troops. When does Your Majesty plan to go?"

"Let's go tomorrow morning!" Yang Tong said.

. . . . . . . . . . .

When Yang Tong made emergency deployments, Hou Junji was also silently thinking about the countermeasures at the Tang army camp. In order to prevent the Sui army from attacking at night, he set up the camp in the northwest of Panshi County, forming a corner with the city.

Hou Junji also received information about the palace mutiny an hour ago, not because they also had Xinying, but because Li Shimin was well aware of Li Yuan and Li Shentong's conspiracy to seize power, so he sent someone to deliver a letter to Hou Junji in advance, and said in the letter Yang Tong will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to direct his troops towards Chengdu, so he asks Hou Junji to abandon Panshi City and bring his troops back to Chengdu as soon as possible.

At this time, Hou Junji had already assembled the army, and ordered the [-] soldiers under his command to bring weapons and equipment and ten days' rations, and prepare to go into battle lightly.

Marching Sima Zhang Gongjin heard the news and rushed from Panshi City to persuade Hou Junji. At this time, Chang Shi Duan Zhigan was already trying to persuade Hou Junji in the big tent, thinking that it was too dangerous to go into battle lightly. The army crushed, and the army without food collapsed without a fight.

Hou Junji's face was gloomy, and his eyes were always looking at the city of Chengdu on the map. After so many days of confrontation, he already knew that he was surrounded. When Zhang Shigui restrained Xue Wanjun for him before, Li Jing and Du Fu Wei and Duan De have no choice but to retreat. Now that Zhang Shigui has been defeated, his situation is a hundred times more difficult. It is almost impossible to retreat completely. Maybe he will be the same as Li Xiaogong, and the whole army will be wiped out. But if the stalemate continues here, the result will not be much better. Instead of this, it is better to break out of the siege before the Sui army's siege is completed. Even if they lose, they can return to Chengdu with a force.

Of course, Hou Junji could also lead a large army to surrender to the Sui army. With the contribution of contributing [-] troops, even if he did not gain fame and fortune, at least he could offset the crime of anti-Sui, but he never considered this plan.The reason is that he has the thought of 'a man who dies for his confidant' in his heart.

When Hou Junji was young, he was flamboyant, he didn’t know how to learn bow and arrow, and he proudly claimed that he had amazing archery skills. This also caused relatives and friends to treat him coldly, and everyone avoided him. As time passed, he began to feel inferior and feel sorry for himself. stand up.

In order to have a good meal, he joined the Tang army. After that, Hou Junji followed Li Shimin to fight in the north and south, made military achievements, gradually gained Li Shimin's appreciation, and was able to participate in the planning of various affairs.

Hou Junji did not disappoint Li Shimin's trust and appreciation. In the process of getting along with a group of colleagues, he could not brag about his level. Hou Junji, who was deeply ashamed, realized his own shortcomings. Encouraged by the allusion that "I will treat each other with admiration", he began to work hard, and with his hard work and outstanding personal talent, he finally became a character in Tang Junzhi with both Chinese and military skills.Wen Ke attended Li Shimin's plan, Wu Neng charged into battle, and Jun Neng commanded thousands of troops.It is no exaggeration to say that Li Shimin is his reborn parent, how could it be possible for Li Shimin to rebel against the Tang Dynasty and surrender to the Sui Dynasty when Li Shimin needed him the most?
But Duan Zhigan objected to Hou Junji's presumptuous behavior of leading the army back to Chengdu. Duan Zhigan was Duan Zhixuan's younger brother, and also a man of both civil and military skills.He said: "General, the more than [-] Sui troops are now peeping around. If the army goes into battle lightly and is surrounded and wiped out on the road, then Li Jing will be able to drive to Chengdu without hindrance. Please think twice before acting, General."

"Don't be stupid." Hou Junji took a long breath, and said with a wry smile: "Let's open up like this. I think we are here to die. If you think we are exhausted, the army will die." Can you escape the fate of being besieged?"

"This!" Duan Zhigan shook his head dejectedly, and said honestly, "I'm afraid not."

"It's not that I'm afraid, but that I can't at all." Hou Junji definitely cut off Duan Zhigan's fluke, and then said: "The northern Sui Army led by Yang Yu has a strong force. To him, Xue Wanjun's Sixth Army It doesn't matter whether Li Jing's Tenth Army goes to besiege Chengdu, but His Highness cannot do without us. As far as we are concerned, we are also in a predicament of isolation and helplessness. If we stay for one more day, the risk of being wiped out will increase tenfold. Since staying here is waiting to die, why don't we let go and fight for a way out?"

"Report to the General." At this time, the personal guard reported outside the tent: "Zhang Sima is back."

Hou Junji nodded, "Please come in!"

After a while, Zhang Gongjin quickly walked into the big tent, bowed and said: "Report to the general!"

"How's the situation in Pangu City?" Hou Junji asked.

"Reporting to the general, the situation in Panshi City is not optimistic." Zhang Gongjin, who is in charge of the defense of Panshi City, explained: "Our defense force in the city is insufficient, but the Sui army is increasing its strength. Passively dividing troops to guard, the weak defense force can't last long."

Hou Junji nodded silently. As the coach here, he was very clear about the situation in Panshi City.

Because it is a county government, the circumference of Panshi City is [-] miles long. If you want to defend Panshi City, at least [-] troops will be needed, and the Sui army has powerful and long-range Breaking Army Crossbows and City Breaking Crossbows, so They need to add another [-] to be safe, but there are only [-] troops in the city, and the number of troops is [-] less. How can they be optimistic?

"General, if we add [-] soldiers, the defense of Panshi City will be stabilized," Zhang Gongjin suggested.

Hou Junji sighed, and handed the letter from Li Shimin to him: "Zhang Sima read this letter first before we talk."

Zhang Gongjin read it again, and was also shocked. Although he had heard some gossip beforehand, he did not expect that Li Yuan would launch a court affair at this critical moment. Wouldn't this create opportunities for Yang Tong?His Highness used to say that the main hero behind the Sui Dynasty's victories against the Tang Dynasty was the Holy One. Looking at it now, it is true.

After reading the letter, he asked: "I see that the lieutenant soldiers are assembled neatly. The general is going to follow His Highness's order and rush back to Chengdu City?"

"If we don't go back, the country and society of the Tang Dynasty will be over!" Hou Junji said, "Ever since Yang Tong cut the East/Turk into pieces, he likes to use his absolute superiority in military strength to divide and outflank his hostile forces, piece by piece. If we don’t go back, it’s what Yang Tong is most looking forward to. To me, the Tang Dynasty is not only the Holy Majesty’s and His Highness’s, but also all of us. Every inch of land is filled with our hard work and sweat. I will definitely not sit back and watch Datang end like this."

"The general is right." Zhang Gongjin agreed, and then asked: "What about Panshi City and the defenders in the city?"

"Let them buy time for us to withdraw our troops!" Hou Junji waved his hand resolutely, and seeing Zhang Gongjin's unbearable expression, he comforted him very frankly: "Although Yang Tong is our life and death enemy, he is quite friendly to the outside world. Cruel and domineering, but this is the demeanor of our generation of warriors. Even if I, Hou Junji, were killed by him, I would still admire him. But he has always been broad-minded inwardly and never practiced killing methods, so Zhang Sima doesn't have to worry about the defenders in the city."

"That's true." Zhang Gongjin nodded, and said, "I have a plan that balances both worlds. Let's see if the general can adopt it."

The helpless Hou Jun said happily, "Zhang Sima, hurry up."

Zhang Gongjin said: "The general can write two letters, one to Zhai Changsun. I believe he has also received such a letter from His Highness. I am not asking him to send troops to respond, but to ask him to help us contain Shen Guang. After joining forces, we returned to Chengdu together. The second letter was written to Yin Xiangguo in Yang'an County, Shu County, asking him to send troops to Guiping City and Ziyang City. First, he can help us contain Xue Wanjun, and second, he can help us and General Zhai defend well. The way to retreat. If our three armies can retreat safely, there will be 15 troops, plus the army in Chengdu, there will still be [-]. Even if we are defeated in the end, we can welcome His Highness out of Chengdu, and then retreat to the south The imperial edict meets King Jing."

"Good way!" Hou Junji immediately wrote two letters, and dispatched fast horses to Longshan and Yang'an respectively.He also ordered Zhang Gongjin to lead [-] elite soldiers to go first, and himself and Duan Zhigan led the main force to leave quickly.

(End of this chapter)