Several close ministers such as Fang Xuanling and Yu Yunwen expressed their speculations that the next move of the Tang army would be to Luoyang, the eastern capital.
Yang Gaosui nodded slightly: "Luoyang, the eastern capital, must not fall into the hands of Li Yuan. He quickly sent an envoy to inform Wang Shichong, asking him to be careful about the movements in Guanzhong. He also sent an order to Xue Rengui and Chang Yuchun, ordering them to be alert and ready at any time. Prepare to enter the Eastern Capital to fight!"
After a pause, Yang Gao looked around at the people in the hall and asked in a deep voice: "Do you have any suggestions to deal with the Tang Army's upcoming Eastern Expedition?"
The minister Xu Wei took the lead and said: "Your Majesty, I think your Majesty can send a letter to Youzhou Luo Yi, ordering him to lead troops to attack Bingzhou and distract the Tang army."
"Although this move can be tried, it probably won't attract much attention from the Tang Dynasty."
Yang Gao sighed slightly: "Although Luo Yi calls himself a Sui minister, his essence is the same as Wang Shichong, and he is still far away in Youzhou. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and I can't command him at all. Secondly, there is an iron gate in the northwest of Youzhou Mu Zhen is eyeing you, and Zhu Yuanzhang of Hebei is also coveting Youzhou. And I heard that a powerful force has appeared in the north of Youzhou, calling itself the Jurchen tribe. It not only annexed the Liaodong rebel king Gao Kaidao, but also defeated the Goguryeo general Eulji. Wende captured most of Liaodong."
"What, defeated Eulji Munduk?"
Xu Wei was shocked when he heard this and said in a voiceless voice: "When the late emperor conquered Goguryeo, he was defeated by Ulji Wende. Who is this Jurchen clan and can actually defeat Eulji Wende?"
"Eulji Wende was able to defeat his father back then. One reason was that Yu Wenshu, Yu Zhongwen and others underestimated the enemy and fell into Eulji Wende's plan to surrender. The other reason was that his father hoped to weaken the family's power through the battle of Goguryeo. The forces in the army, so they did not pursue Goguryeo fiercely. Wen Chang (characterized by Xu Wei) should not think too highly of Eulji Munde!"
Yang Gao glared at Xu Wei displeasedly and said in a deep voice: "As for the Jurchen clan. According to Jinyiwei's information, they should be a branch of the Blackwater Mohe who came south from the Blackwater coast. They annexed many tribes along the way south. , the strength has greatly increased. Now the population of the entire tribe should be around one million, and the number of soldiers and horses is about 200,000."
Fang Xuanling said solemnly: "To be able to create such a foundation while surrounded by powerful enemies, it seems that the leader of the Jurchen tribe is not a simple person."
Yang Gao nodded and said, "What Xuan Ling said is true. According to reports, the Jurchen leader's name is Wanyan Aguda. Not only is he very capable, but he also has many talented people under his command. His younger brother Wanyan Loushi, and his sons Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Zongbi , Wanyan Zonghan are all rare generals, and his eldest grandson Wanyan Jindanzi is a fierce general who is brave enough to win the three armies. I heard that in the battle with Ulji Wende, he even killed six powerful generals of Goguryeo."
Fang Xuanling nodded thoughtfully: "It seems that Luo Yi is surrounded by enemies on all sides now. Even if he sends troops to harass Bingzhou, he can mobilize only 10,000 soldiers and horses, and it will have no effect at all."
Yang Gao sighed helplessly: "These so-called allies, as well as the separatist warlords who surrender on the surface are basically unreliable at critical times. It's okay to help you bluff, and you want them to go all out, unless they are really endangered. Interests."
Yu Yunwen came out and said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. Both Wang Shichong and Luo Yi are ambitious people. They are the same as Li Yuan's traitors. We must not count on them at critical times. The only one we can rely on now is our own court. Soldiers and horses.”
After a pause, Yu Yunwen continued to speak: "Your Majesty, I think your Majesty can pass an order to the two generals Qin Qiong and Di Qing, ordering them to suspend the offensive against Qingzhou and give the Qingzhou bandits some time to ask for help from Li Tang. Although Song Jiang in Qingzhou He died, but he had accepted Li Yuan's offer before his death. The Qingzhou rebels could barely be considered as Tang troops. The old thief Li Yuan had a great reputation. As long as Qin Qiong and Di Qing showed that they would not be able to fight for a long time, he would definitely send troops out of Guandong and enter. Qingzhou!"
Fang Xuanling immediately agreed and said: "Your Majesty, Yu Shangshu's strategy is indeed feasible. In addition, Wei Chen thinks that Bashu is a land of money, food and tax for Li Tang, and Li Yuan will never allow Bashu to lose. So Wei Chen thinks it is time to launch an attack The battle of Bashu."
Yang Gao nodded and said: "The words of my dear friends are all good words, and the strategies they offer are all conscientious. When I conquer the heroes and dominate the world in the future, I will never forget your help!"
Yu Yunwen, Fang Xuanling and others all raised their hands and said: "The emperor's salary is divided into the emperor's worries. We are just fulfilling our duties faithfully. How dare you be praised so highly by your majesty!"
Yang Gao smiled slightly and turned his gaze to Liu Bowen, who had been bowing his head and saying nothing: "Bowen, I see that you have been hesitant to speak. Is there anything you want to say?"
After hearing this, Liu Bowen slowly stepped out of the queue, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I think that although Master Yu and Master Fang's suggestions are good, they cannot fundamentally solve the problem. Bashu has been an easy-to-defend but difficult-to-attack place since ancient times. Li Xiaogong and Li Shiji With more than 100,000 elite soldiers under his command, it will be difficult for our army to make a breakthrough in Bashu in a short period of time. As for Qingzhou, although Li Yuan has a good reputation, I think Li Yuan can still tell the difference between Luoyang and Qingzhou. So Luoyang A battle is probably unavoidable!”
"So, Wei Chen thinks that whether it is Luo Yi or generals such as Qin Qiong and Li Jing, what they can do now is to attract some of the troops of the Tang army. The decisive battle between the Sui Dynasty and the puppet Tang Dynasty must be in Luoyang, the eastern capital."
A cold light suddenly flashed in Liu Bowen's eyes as he spoke: "Wang Shichong is very ambitious. The ministers thought that instead of racking their brains to cooperate with him to fight against the Tang army, it would be better to strike first and suddenly take advantage of Wang Shichong's main force to fight against the Tang army. Dongdu, take Luoyang into our own hands."
As soon as Liu Bowen said this, several other important officials in the Military Aircraft Department were obviously surprised. They never expected that Liu Bowen, who was usually kind to others, would actually say such a thing.
A foreign minister named Wang Xu, who was a Jinshi and had just joined the military department, was the first to lose his composure. He stood up and questioned Liu Bowen: "Master Liu, although Wang Shichong has ulterior motives, he is still your Majesty's minister after all. If we Seizing the Eastern Capital while he was fighting against the Tang Army cut off his retreat, and if word spread, it would be detrimental to His Majesty's reputation."
"You are not a gentleman if you are petty, and you are not a husband if you are not poisonous!" Liu Bowen gritted his teeth and said loudly: "Wang Shichong is ambitious and everyone knows that this thief will definitely turn against him in the future. Since sooner or later he will have a battle with Wang Shichong, let's take advantage of this thief's fledgling power. Destroying them at the right time can also avoid greater casualties in the future. What's more, since Wang Shichong is your Majesty's minister, then Luoyang is your Majesty's rule, so what's wrong with your Majesty sending troops into Luoyang?"
