At the end of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 237 The Second Eastern Expedition

Time flies like an arrow, the sun and the moon fly like a shuttle, half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the day has entered July, the eighth year of Daye. Although the weather is still very hot, there is already the coolness of early autumn in the morning and evening, and a piece of news that shakes the whole country With the spread of autumn from north to south, Yang Guang ordered to prepare for the second eastward expedition to Goguryeo. Troops and supplies from all over the country once again gathered in Zhuojun, and a new round of conquest was launched vigorously.

Last year, during the first Eastern Expedition to Koryo, most of the people who were conscripted into the army were from Shandong, Henan and Hebei. In order to obtain enough soldiers, the scope of the enlistment was expanded this time, and it almost spread to all parts of the country, so the weather has just entered autumn. , and the entire Sui Dynasty seemed to have entered winter in an instant. The cold was to the bone. In order to escape the conquest, the people abandoned their homes and fled. Some people simply joined the rebels in various places.

In an instant, wars broke out in the territory of the Sui Dynasty, and rebellion became a trend, and it became more and more fierce. The country of the Sui Dynasty also entered a precarious and eventful autumn, and its demise seemed to be a foregone conclusion. It seems that they didn't notice it, or turned a blind eye, and they were still determined to carry out the second Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo. They made every effort to regain the face lost on the battlefield and regain it on the battlefield!
It was obvious that Yang Guang would not give up if he did not beat Goguryeo. Having learned the lessons from the first failure, Yang Guang is now full of confidence. This time, he must win, and he will definitely win!
However, Gao Bufan knew that the Sui Dynasty was about to be over, he had to build the horse farm in Zhuojun as soon as possible, lay a good foundation for himself, and prepare for the coming of the magnificent end of the dynasty. With horses in hand, don't panic!

On the third day of July, Gao Bufan went to Liu'anli, carrying a few big boxes filled with five baht money, which was the embezzled money stolen from Yu Wenhuaji.These several boxes of five baht coins have been hidden in the pond behind the county government. During this period of time, Gao Bufan quietly passed through the waterway of the moat and transported out these five baht coins. After counting them, there were about 120,000 coins, which were exchanged for silver. The value is around 1000 taels.

Let's say that once Gao Bufan entered Liu'anli, the whole village erupted.

Almost all the adult men in the village were conscripted into the army, and most of the people left behind were the elderly, women and children. They lived in poverty, poorly clothed, sallow and emaciated, which made people feel sad.

"It's all the fault of Yang Guang, the fool!" Dou Xianniang said angrily with red eyes.

It is said that Dou Xianniang learned that Gao Bufan was leaving Yu County on the tenth day of this month to report to the Ministry of Officials in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and she was very sad, so she sneaked out without telling her father, Dou Jiande, and went to Feiying Racecourse to find Brother Gao. These days they have been together with Gao Bufan, and today they even came to Liu Anli together, but at the moment they are dressed as men, so they don't expect to be recognized.

Gao Bufan couldn't help but secretly sighed, the life of the villagers in Liu'anli was decent at the beginning, but he didn't expect that they would be impoverished in just one year, and without the young and strong labor force, the village might disappear completely within a few years. And Liu'anli is just a microcosm. I don't know how many villages in the Sui Dynasty are facing such a predicament.

"If you are poor, you will be alone, and if you are rich, you will help the world. You can help as much as you can." Gao Bufan shook his head and asked Liu Dapeng, the head of the village, to distribute copper coins from house to house. Five or six taels of silver, although not much, is already a huge sum of money for the villagers, and it can solve their urgent needs.

Gao Bufan didn't say that the money was paid by himself, he just said that the villagers conscripted into the army made meritorious service, and he just helped to bring back the rewards issued by the court to the village.

The villagers were overjoyed and surrounded Gao Bufan to express their thanks, while asking if their man or son was okay.Gao Bufan all answered very well, but Dou Xianniang's throat was choked, her heart was blocked, and she wanted to cry because she knew that most of the villagers in Liuyan had died, and there were only less than 30 people left. Outside Huaiyuan City, it is estimated that they will have to participate in the second Eastern Expedition, and I am afraid that no one will survive in the end.

Dou Xianniang fought side by side with Liu Gou'er and Liu Qijin. They had been together day and night for nearly half a year, and they had already developed feelings for each other. She cried behind her back and said to Gao Bufan: "Brother Gao, why don't you think of a way to get Uncle Han out of here?" Call Gou'er and the others back, Yang Guang is about to launch the second Eastern Expedition soon, and they will die."

Looking at the yellow and thin smiling faces, the pairs of eyes full of expectation, and the unkempt children in ragged clothes, Gao Bufan felt uncomfortable, nodded and said: "I heard that senior Yu has been reinstated, and he is in charge of this job. I will write a letter to the chief of the army for the next Eastern Expedition, presumably Senior Yu will sell me this face."

"Thank you, Brother Gao, you're so kind!" Dou Xianniang was so happy that she almost jumped up, if it wasn't for the sight of everyone, she might have hugged Brother Gao's neck and kissed her.

Gao Bufan smiled, but felt a little helpless in his heart. There are so many people who are suffering, and his ability is limited after all, how much he can help. Perhaps Li Zitong is right, the Sui Dynasty should indeed change its dynasty.

Gao Bufan saw a familiar face in the crowd——Han Xiaoyun, Han Laoshi's son, this kid is still barefoot, but he doesn't have a runny nose, he is half a head taller than last year, very thin, but his eyes are piercing There is spirit, and he has matured a lot, his waist is straight, and he is as stubborn as a little adult.

Gao Bufan beckoned and said, "Come here!"

Han Xiaoyun immediately ran over and said with a shy smile, "Master Bufan, are you looking for me?" After speaking, he took a weak look at Dou Xianniang, feeling a little embarrassed.

Dou Xianniang blurted out: "Brother Gao, who is this little brother? He looks a bit like Uncle Han."

Gao Bufan nodded and said: "His name is Han Xiaoyun, he is Uncle Han's son, Xiaoyun, please call Xianniang sister."

Han Xiaoyun immediately clasped his fists together and said, "Han Xiaoyun has met Sister Xianniang."

"Okay, the boy looks good now, like an adult!" Gao Bufan touched Han Xiaoyun's head, and the latter said proudly: "I am ten years old this year, and I am an adult."

Gao Bufan teased, "Master Han, why are you still barefoot? Are the shoes I gave you worn out last year?"

Han Xiaoyun looked down at his dirty little feet, and said embarrassingly: "I sold it for money to get medicine for my mother."

Gao Bufan froze immediately, Dou Xianniang's eyes were full of pity, she took Han Xiaoyun's hand and said softly: "What a filial and good boy, is your mother sick?"

The village chief Liu Dapeng next to him sighed and said: "Xiaoyun's mother is weak and sick. She is a medicine jar and has to take medicine all year round. Han Lao was better when he was real. With his hunting skills, the family can barely maintain his family. Now... This world doesn’t allow people to live at all.”

Liu Dapeng's eyes turned red when he said this. Although he is the head of the village, his life has not been easy this year. All the young and middle-aged people in the village have been expropriated, but the government's tax revenue has not been reduced much. The second Eastern Expedition is underway, and it is imperative to add gifts. These days are becoming more and more unbearable.

Dou Xianniang almost blurted out, if you can't make it through, join our rebel army, but thinking that Brother Gao is going to take office soon, she had to swallow the words back, so as not to cause trouble for Brother Gao, she will never forget Doujiazhuang The tragic scene of the whole village being slaughtered by officers and soldiers, I don't want this disaster to happen to Feiying Racecourse.

(End of this chapter)