In the Cheng'en Hall of the East Palace, Yang Guang continued the previous topic and said: "In the 10th year of the founding of the Emperor, my father issued a decree that 'all soldiers should belong to prefectures and counties, and their land reclamation accounts should be registered with the people...'. This is The purpose of the decree was two-fold. One was to break the hereditary system of military personnel since the Wei Dynasty. If the court needed to use troops externally, it could be selected from thousands of common people, rather than specific military households controlled by Guanlong nobles for generations; The second is to turn the army into the people of Qi, a country with strong folk customs. Even if someone rebels in the future, we will not be able to get an upright division that is good at fighting and well-trained in the short term. Our existing army is mainly concentrated in Guanzhong , Hedong, and Henan, and these armies have a close relationship with the Guanlong nobles. Inspired by your strategy of "drawing jade from other mountains to attack rocks", my father prepared to lead the "Qi Army" to control the "Zhou Army". If Appointing someone else to be the general manager of Jizhou may lead to the aristocratic influence of Guanlong, so my father is going to let you be the general manager of Jizhou and create an army that is loyal to the Sui Dynasty and to my father."
"Then why did I become the general manager of Liangzhou again?" Yang Ji asked with some confusion: "Although they are not completely opposite, the meaning and value of the two general managers seem to have completely changed."
"You're absolutely right!" Yang Guang nodded approvingly and said, "It was my good uncle Dugu Shun who took action. He recommended you to serve in the border area before my father gave the order. The reason is very good. , Our Yang family has produced good generals for generations, and since you are the King of Wei and are famous for your bravery in Guanzhong, only by going to the border areas can you show your talents and serve the country better. My father cannot refute this reason, because you have not joined the army or politics. If you rashly arrange him to Jizhou, which is extremely complex and important, I am afraid that not only will he not be able to do anything good, but it will also alarm the snake and arouse the joint vigilance of Qi forces and Guanlong nobles. Therefore, the next best thing is to let you go to Liangzhou, which is adjacent to Guanzhong, for experience. Ichiban.”
"Is there a war in Liangzhou?"
"Liangzhou... there is no big war, just a little war." Yang Guang remembered what he had said to deceive Yang Ji before, and said with some embarrassment: "After all, it is a border area, how can there be no war, don't you think so?"
"It's okay if there's no big battle. Xiaozhan is just for me to practice my skills." Yang Ji asked with a smile: "Where did Dugu Shun recommend me to go?"
Seeing that Yang Ji did not dwell on this issue, Yang Guang was visibly relieved and said with a smile: "He recommended three places, namely Shuozhou, Yunzhou, and Youzhou. These three places are all dangerous places to face the Turks."
Yang Ji snorted coldly: "Aren't you asking me to die?"
"Killing with a borrowed knife is probably his motive. This is actually an unavoidable bad habit in official circles." Yang Guang said with a smile: "He is the head of the Guanlong nobles, and He Ruobi is his relative and loyal follower. If he does not seek justice for him, he will How can others continue to cheer for him when they are so cold?"
Yang Ji was silent for a moment and then asked, "Brother, what's the situation in Liangzhou?"
"Say in front of the map." Yang Guang smiled happily, stood up and walked towards the Sui territory map hanging on the wall. Yang Ji's words were enough to prove that he had entered the role of the general manager of Liangzhou. Not to mention his ability, he could not refuse. The attitude of taking it seriously is quite good.
"You, the Grand Administrator of Liangzhou, govern twenty-two counties in Jiuzhou. The General Administrator's Office is not in Liangzhou, but in Zhangye County, Ganzhou. This Jiuzhou covers the entire Hexi Corridor. It is not only the only way for the Silk Road, but also for our great Sui Dynasty. The strategic passage to the Western Region. From west to east and from south to north, they are Guazhou in Tongsan County, Ganzhou in Tongsan County, Liangzhou in Tongfour County, Shanzhou in Tong2 County, and Kuozhou in Tong2 County. Prefecture, Hezhou in the fourth county, Lanzhou in the second county, Huizhou in the second county.”
Yang Guang pointed at the map with a wooden pole, introduced each one one by one, and then drew a line from west to east, and continued: "Liangzhou Jiuzhou is a narrow strip sandwiched between Tujue and Tuguhun. It is narrow in the middle and wide at both ends, shaped like a gourd. , Ganzhou is the narrow place of Hulu, and Liangzhou is the entrance to Hulu; the center of gravity of the Turks is now in the north of Yongzhou, but they cannot be careless because they have marched from the direction of Liangzhou many times. If Ganzhou and Liangzhou are lost, the Turks will move eastward If you can force Yongzhou and Xiangqi, you can occupy the entire Hexi Corridor. These two states are also the most important places in the Hexi Corridor."
"Tuyuhun in the south is not a good thing. Although Tuyuhun pays tribute every year, Murong Fuyun, who married Princess Guanghua, has been inquiring about the intelligence of our court and the military situation in Liangzhou, which shows that his ambition is not small."
"According to the intelligence gathered by General Changsun and Qimin Khan, Tuyuhun not only occupies a large area of territory in the Western Region, but also secretly formed an alliance with Nichuluo Khan, the Turkic Khan in the west. As long as we are in a protracted situation with Bujia Khan in the Eastern Turks, war, the two jointly attacked Liangzhou. After defeating the Sui Dynasty, the Western Region was owned by the Western Turks, while the Hexi Corridor was owned by Tuyuhun."
Speaking of this, Yang Guang couldn't help but think of what Yang Ji said to himself when he opposed the marriage - 'The Central Plains dynasty sent princesses, craftsmen, and wealth to foreign races. To kill him is simply to bribe a powerful enemy and feed a tiger into trouble. '
This sentence hits the nail on the head when applied to the ambitious Tuyuhun. It can be seen that when it comes to dealing with aliens, strong bows, crossbows and swords are directly effective.
"One day, I will lead a large army to kill all the grass in Tuyuhun, extending the territory of the Sui Dynasty to the southwest for thousands of miles. At the same time, I will widen the strategic depth of the golden channel of the Hexi Corridor to avoid the recurrence of intermittent incidents." Yang Guang vowed. Said generally.
Yang Guang, who was so excited even himself, suddenly noticed that Yang Ji looked indifferent and asked in surprise: "Why aren't you excited at all?"
"What's so exciting about this?" Yang Ji said speechlessly: "It's normal for you to annihilate Tuyuhun. If you can't annihilate them, then it's unreasonable."
Yang Guang was amused: "What's the reason?"
Yang Ji said matter-of-factly: "Because you are Yang Guang."
As soon as these words came out, Yang Guang was stunned for a moment, and then he became energetic. The simple words "Because you are Yang Guang" seemed to have supreme power, and they hit people's hearts more directly than all the beautiful praises. , laughed and said: "Well said, no matter whether I am the King of Jin or the Prince, I am always Yang Guang, the unique Yang Guang."
Yang Ji sighed and said: "Brother, after saying so much, I finally understand the meaning of 'no big battles, constant small battles', that is, all major battles with less than a million troops are small battles."
Yang Guang smiled and felt that he was a little unreasonable. He was about to explain when he heard Yang Ji say again: "It's just killing people, it's not that I haven't killed before. The difference is just the number. Since I have taken over the position of the general manager of Liangzhou, then I will If you work hard, you can open up territory for the Sui Dynasty, and this journey will not be in vain."
During the counterattack in the 20th year of the founding of the Emperor, Yang Ji served as a personal soldier beside Yang Guang, and followed him all the way to the depths of the desert. It was also the tradition of the Yang family to lead the new with the old. It's just that he was a private soldier who was not part of the establishment at the time, so he did not receive a reward from the court. Yang Guang rewarded him heavily with one thousand taels of gold.
Seeing that Yang Ji ignored the embarrassing question, Yang Guangxiao asked, "Have you guessed your mission?"
Yang Ji thought about the map for a long time and said: "Our main enemy now in the Sui Dynasty is the Eastern Turks led by Bujia Khan. I don't have the energy to look westward for the time being. Without considering a large-scale march into the Western Regions, I think the best option is to A good way is to cut off the connection between the Western Turks and Tuyuhun, and occupy the opening for the Western Turks to enter the Hexi Corridor. As long as the Western Turks cannot enter the Hexi Corridor, the helpless Murong Fuyun will not dare to act rashly."
"As expected of me, the son of the Yang family and the king of Wei in the Sui Dynasty, I really have a far-sighted vision." Yang Guang pointed to the northwest of Guazhou with a smile and introduced: "There are forty-two countries in the Western Region, some of which are surrendered to the Tiele Qibi tribe, and some of which are subordinate to the Tiele Qibi tribe. Surrender to Tuyuhun, and part of it surrenders to the Western Turks. The mouth you are talking about is Yiwu, a small country located in the northwest of Guazhou and surrendered to the Western Turks."
"The east of Yiwu State is Guazhou in the Great Sui Dynasty, the northwest is the Western Turks, and the south is the ancient Shanshan State occupied by Tuyuhun. It is also the only way for the Silk Road. If Yiwu State becomes a state in our Great Sui Dynasty, it will not only cut off the The connection between the two powerful enemies in the West also opened up a smooth path for us during the Sui Dynasty to move towards the Western Regions."
Yang Ji thought for a while and asked, "Do we have to win this Yiwu country?"
"Vajra slave, taking down the Yiwu Kingdom is an additional task I give you in addition to your responsibilities as the general manager of Liangzhou. Although this is my personal opinion, I hope you can take it!" Yang Guang solemnly said Said: "Its importance needs no elaboration. In addition, there are two important reasons: First, the Western Turks Ni Chuluo Khan governed the country unethically and his subjects were rebellious, especially the Tiele tribes who resisted from time to time, which made him temporarily unable to go east. Guess, it is the right time for our Sui Dynasty to capture the country of Yiwu, which has a small country and a small population. Secondly, after capturing the country of Yiwu, our Great Sui Dynasty will border the Western Turks, thereby containing the Western Turks and supporting Tiele. The effect will make their civil war last longer and reduce the pressure on our Sui Dynasty to march into the West in the future."
Yang Ji asked curiously: "Brother's idea is quite good. Why don't you just suggest it to your uncle?"
"It's useless." Yang Guang said with a wry smile: "Once I tell my father, he will definitely discuss it with the courtiers, and all civil and military officials are focused on the East/Turks, and they will definitely not agree to start another war. If If someone reveals this news, the surprise attack effect will be lost in the future."
"I see." Yang Ji nodded understandingly: "If I go to war with Yiwu without permission, how will I deal with it?"
"If you win, the credit will be yours; if the war doesn't go well, I'll take it." Yang Guang had always wanted to do this, but this action couldn't be circumvented by He Ruohuaikuo, the general manager of Guazhou, so he had to forcibly suppress the plan. Now that He Ruohuaikuo was finished, the biggest obstacle had been removed, and the chief manager of Liangzhou was his brother, so he spoke out without any worries and hoped that he could support the plan. At this time, when he heard that Yang Ji's words changed, Yang Guang Suddenly very excited.
"I have two conditions." Yang Ji said with a smile.
Yang Guang asked in astonishment: "What conditions?"
"First of all, I don't want to stay in that damn place for too long, so I need to prepare the governor, chief historian, Sima and Cao Cao of the 191st state of the Sui Dynasty in advance; secondly, write a poem to destroy me. National poetry, poetry must not only be domineering, but also coquettish." Yang Ji stated his conditions.
"No problem!" Yang Guang laughed heartily.
"When will I leave?"
"We can't miss this opportunity. Naturally, the sooner the better. How about ten days?"
"Yes." Yang Ji nodded, and suddenly thought of a crucial question: "How many troops do I, the general manager, have?"
"Ganzhou was the frontier of the war between our Sui Dynasty and the Turks in the west. There were 20,000 generals who were good at fighting and 5,000 state soldiers stationed there. Guazhou, where the situation was complicated, was the far west state of our Sui Dynasty, where there were five A thousand soldiers are stationed permanently, and the remaining seven states range from two thousand to five hundred." Yang Guang said with a smile: "But the defense task of the main battle army is extremely heavy. It is best not to move if you can. If you must mobilize, you We can only mobilize three thousand troops at most. If there are too many, I am worried that Ganzhou will not be able to withstand the sudden attack of the Eastern Turks. If the enemy forces break into Ganzhou and Liangzhou, both of us brothers will be in trouble. So in order to help you make achievements , I will draw five thousand iron cavalry from the East Palace for your use. How about it, am I interested?"
"Enough, that's enough." Yang Ji nodded fiercely with joy. The eight soldiers in the East Palace were all warriors of hundreds of battles. It would not be a problem to defeat ten of them: "Who are the assistant officers in the General Manager's Mansion?"
"I can't say for sure." Yang Guang pondered for a moment and said, "They will report to the palace tomorrow at the latest."
"Then I'll go home and wait." Yang Ji was full of expectations for the assistant officers. If there were some familiar figures, his extra tasks would be easier to complete.
