In August of the third year of Renshou's reign, the city of Daxing, which had been sweltering all summer, finally felt cool. Under the sunset, people who had finished their day's work dragged flatbed trucks filled with grain bags toward the city. Although they were so tired that they were sweating, The dark faces of the common people were smiling with joy of the harvest.
"Look over there!" In front of the Mingde Gate of Daxing's main south gate, a man who stopped to take a breath suddenly pointed to the distant sky.
Many people around subconsciously looked in the direction pointed by this man, but saw nothing. Someone was about to say something, but they were shocked to see at the end of their line of sight, where the sky and the earth met, a war fluttering in the wind. The flag gradually became clearer, but what came into my ears was a sound like a dull thunder "rumbling".
A large army soon appeared in everyone's sight, and more and more people were attracted by the team that could be called this army for the time being.
As the sun sets, the word "Sui" on the battle flag has become clear. There are hundreds of soldiers walking in front, and behind them, there are cattle, sheep and horses all over the mountains and fields. As far as the eye can see, the word "Sui" is heard one after another. Cows and horses neigh and sheep bray one after another. The Sui soldiers mixed among the livestock can no longer be said to be an army at this time. They are like herdsmen on the grassland, waving whips to drive cattle, sheep and horses towards this side.
This spectacular sight gives people the illusion of being born deep in the grassland.
"Could it be the victorious army of King Wei?" The good news of the Sui army's defeat of the Turks had already spread throughout the world, but the victorious army had not returned yet. The people who regarded three meals a day as a top priority gradually stopped paying attention to this matter. Now that this spectacular scene suddenly appeared on the outskirts of Daxing City, people thought again of the news previously announced by the imperial court.
"I haven't heard of any fighting recently. It's only King Wei's triumphant army." People stepped aside one after another and stopped to watch. After all, this is an era when entertainment is scarce. People living in Daxing City, in addition to caring about food and clothing issues, also like to pay attention to and talk about the current situation.
Yang Jian, Yang Guang and other big figures who regard the triumphal army as a top priority naturally know the itinerary of this army. After receiving the notification, Yang Jian had already asked the prince Yang Guang to lead the team to greet them. If Yang Ji had not been a junior, Yang Jian would have imagined that he would have Like Yang Shuang, he went to pick him up in person.
Yang Guang, who was waiting in the tower, saw this huge scene and knew that Yang Ji was back. He hurriedly ran down the tower and led the team to where the battle flag was. He had extraordinary eyesight and saw the leader from a distance. Yang Ji.
He is still the same person, but he has lost his former richness and handsomeness. Not only are his handsome cheeks darkened by the sun, but he is also so skinny that the flesh on his face seems to have been cut with a knife. It's just that he is a little more masculine than before. Even if he is riding on a war horse, his waist is still straight, and he has a tiger-like aura all over his body.
Yang Ji also saw Yang Guang leading the team. He reined up his horse and stopped at a distance. He walked up to Yang Guang with several generals and saluted solemnly: "General Yang Ji of the right guard, please see the prince."
"So polite? I'm not used to it." Yang Guang was very happy to hear this. He helped Yang Ji up with a smile and said, "I am here to pick up the Yang family on behalf of my father, on behalf of the Yang family, and on behalf of myself." Those who are heroes have nothing to do with the imperial court.”
"You should have told me earlier." Yang Ji relaxed completely, and his usual lazy smile returned to his face.
Yang Guang laughed dumbly and hit him hard.
"I've met my brother!" Yang Lun also stepped forward to salute.
Yang Guang asked: "I heard that you killed Bujia Khan and the Second Khan?"
"yes."
"Why not capture him alive?" Yang Guang stared at Yang Lun and asked.
Yang Lun was so stared at that he felt nervous and said with a smile: "They were running fast. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to catch up, so I had to shoot one arrow at a time."
"Yes!" Yang Guang nodded and did not pursue the matter further.
"The last general/humble post is to see the crown prince." Shi Wansui, Zhang Xutuo, Yin Shishi, Liu Quan, Yao Junsu, Gao Junya and others saw that the two of them had finished reminiscing about old times, and then they stepped forward to salute.
"No need to be too polite, no need to be too polite." Yang Guang smiled and helped the generals up one by one. The smile on his face was like the sunshine that could melt the ice and snow, giving people a feeling of spring breeze. Whether it's sincere or pretentious, it never feels artificial at all.
Everyone felt warm in their hearts and said one after another: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration. I am just doing what I can in my humble position."
Yang Guang laughed, raised his finger and praised: "You have defeated more than ten times the powerful enemy and torn the Turkic Khanate into pieces. This is "within your ability". I will definitely toast you a few glasses at the celebration banquet. Let’s express our respect.”
"Thank you, Your Highness." Everyone expressed their gratitude with excitement.
Yang Guang smiled and nodded. He looked at the slowly approaching army of animals and asked Yang Ji, "Where do so many cattle, sheep and horses come from?"
Nomadic people live in a harsh environment, and they are also very economical. Ordinary herdsmen regard their livestock as treasures. Their food is mare's milk and goat's milk with a little bit of highland barley grain. Unless there are animals that die of old age, disease, or falls, they usually They were reluctant to kill cattle and sheep to eat. The food for their expeditionary army included a large number of livestock, but more than half of the food was highland barley, dried meat and other foods.
Yang Guang also fought many battles with the Turks, so he naturally knew the way of life of the nomadic people and the Turkic army, but Yang Ji brought more cattle, sheep and horses than he imagined, so he asked.
"Some of them are military rations for the Turkic soldiers, some are from the Chuyue tribe; and some are from the Great Lakes area. I asked the wounded soldiers who were unable to fight to withdraw from the Great Lakes area first. Every time they retreated to a previously conquered tribe, I gathered a group of them. The cattle, sheep and horses gathered together to make a large number, and finally got a lot," Yang Ji said.
"How many cows are there?" Yang Guang cared most about cows, because the Sui Dynasty had no shortage of war horses, and sheep were also dispensable. However, cattle were extremely important to the Sui Dynasty, which was mainly farming.
"I don't know." Yang Ji answered simply: "We can't count these animals together. But there are more than 300,000 cattle and sheep at least. Except for those used to reward meritorious soldiers and civilians and to compensate the families of fallen soldiers and civilians, Everyone came here.”
At this point, Yang Ji reminded: "These animals eat whenever they see green, almost turning Ganzhou into a desert. The most disgusting thing is these mountain-climbing sheep. They even eat the grass and trees on the cliffs bare." , like locusts passing through the border, gnawing away wherever they go. I suggest killing them as soon as possible and selling them for meat, otherwise, Yongzhou will not see any greenery sooner or later."
"The imperial court sells mutton? You can't imagine it," Yang Guang said in a dumbfounded voice, "I will take care of it."
"How to deal with it?" Yang Ji asked curiously. This was something the soldiers exchanged for their lives. Although it had nothing to do with him, he would still not be happy if it was given to officials who had no merit.
"In the past, they were folded into lumi and distributed to officials." Yang Guang said with a smile: "The wool and the skin are quite valuable, and they also produce milk. Officials are rushing to get it."
"That's it." Yang Ji felt relieved and joked: "Brother, do rams also produce milk?"
"I suggest you catch a ram and ask." After Yang Guang finished speaking, he added: "If the ram can't answer the question, you can also ask the female rams in the city. They should be able to give you the answer."
The generals couldn't help laughing after listening to their conversation.
"The joke ends here." Yang Guang suppressed his smile and said: "Father attaches great importance to your victorious army and allows you to present prisoners in front of the Suzaku Gate. Not only are there officials from the capital, but as early as ten days ago, my father All the governors from the surrounding states in Guanzhong were summoned to Daxing City, and the chief officials of Guanzhong states and counties were also summoned."
"Isn't it too grand?" Yang Ji and others were shocked.
As far as Yang Ji knew, only Yang Guang had this honor. Yang Guang, who was still the king of Jin at that time, destroyed the Chen State, ending the hundreds of years of division between the north and the south and realizing the unification of the world. On the day when his class returned to the court, Yang Jian "personally controlled the triumphant troops of the Zhuque Gate. In order to celebrate the trip, he lined the door outside the gate with a collection of cloth and silk. It reached Nanguo and was awarded in turn. It cost more than three million pieces." The Zhuque Gate witnessed the moment when the world was unified, and thus kicked off the prosperity of the Sui Dynasty.
Since then, although Yang Shuang, Yang Su, Yang Guang, Shi Wansui, Da Xi Changru and other figures have achieved major victories, the prisoner presentation ceremonies were only held at the Guangyang Gate (Chengtian Gate) at the south gate of the palace city; it can also be seen from this that It is extremely difficult to offer prisoners at the Zhuque Gate, but on the other hand, being able to offer prisoners here is also a supreme honor for Sui soldiers.
This time, Yang Jian asked Yang Ji and others to sacrifice prisoners at Zhuque Gate, which was the highest recognition of this battle. This made everyone feel extremely honored and a little flattered.
"It's not grand at all." Yang Guang shook his head and explained: "Not only did you annihilate hundreds of thousands of Turkic troops in this battle, you also killed Bujia Khan, the Second Khan and other important figures, making the Ashina family no longer There is no powerful person who can rule the Turkic Khanate, and the Turkic Khanate is officially divided into two. From then on, unless there is a peerless genius like Maodun, Tanshihuai, and Ashina Tumen in the grassland, the Eastern and Western Turks will never be able to fight again. If you want to unify, if the Eastern and Western Turks are not unified, they will not pose a threat to the Sui Dynasty. It can be said that your great victory has a great impact and far-reaching significance on the Sui Dynasty, the Turks, and the relationship between the Sui Dynasty and the Turks. And these , and it is not what those previous great victories had.”
"That's it!" Yang Ji understood and asked again: "When will the prisoners be sacrificed?"
Yang Guang said: "Today! The time starts from when you enter the city."
Yang Ji was stunned, then smiled bitterly and said: "Uncle has summoned all the governors and county magistrates from all over the country. The scene should be lively, and we are all covered in gray. Isn't this too casual and hasty?"
"This is the most authentic style of the Sui soldiers." Yang Guang said with a smile: "And you are not civil servants, how can you be so particular?"
Yang Ji was speechless. It seems that Chinese soldiers of all eras are the same. Wearing formal clothes is accidental. "Mud covering trouser legs and sweat soaking the back of clothes" is the normal life. He asked again: "But...but what should we do in advance?" Don’t you know anything?”
Yang Guang asked, "Do you need to know?"
Yang Ji was confused: "Aren't we asked to sacrifice prisoners? Shouldn't we know?"
Yang Lun interjected in surprise: "This is a matter of the imperial court. To be precise, it is a matter of the Ministry of Rites. What does it have to do with you?"
Yang Ji seemed to have been struck by lightning, and said with a wry smile: "The imperial court asked me to sacrifice prisoners, but it has nothing to do with me?"
"Yes!" Yang Guang said: "You just need to sacrifice the prisoners, everything else is the matter of the court and has nothing to do with you."
"This is called everyone performing their own duties and not interfering with each other, right?" Yang Ji, who was confused, finally understood.
It's not that he hasn't participated in similar events and celebrations, it's just that he always thought that the imperial court had communicated with the military leaders in advance, and then followed the event procedures meticulously and put on a show in front of the people.
Now it seems that I have thought too much.
"That's right." Yang Guang nodded.
Yang Ji had a sudden thought: "Except for the ones used for grazing, we didn't bring many prisoners here. How about blasting these cattle, sheep and horses into the city?"
Yang Guang was shocked: "Absolutely not. If the firecrackers go off and hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep and horses run rampant, Daxing City will be in chaos."
Yang Ji said: "Then take the king's tent, the throne, the king's flag, the golden sword, and the heads of Bujia Khan and the Second Khan."
Although the Turks are not as particular as the Sui Dynasty, they still have inherited things. The royal tent, throne, royal flag, and golden sword mentioned by Yang Ji are symbols of power. Although the first three were inherited by the first generation, their specifications and styles are different. It's exactly the same, and ordinary people wouldn't dare to use it, otherwise it would be over the limit. So Yang Ji brought these things in a carriage.
Yang Guang nodded: "That's pretty much it."
…
After some preparations, the victorious army marched towards Guangyang Gate with the spoils and prisoners. As for the animals, they were handed over to the city patrol troops who were also in place.
As soon as we arrived at the city gate, the bell tower on the city began to ring with bells and drums.
On both sides of Zhuquemen Street on the way to Zhuquemen, strings of gorgeous silk flowers are hung on every locust tree. Every few dozen steps, there is an honor guard holding a bronze long sword, and some official slaves stand In the brazier, sweating profusely, I put firecrackers into it and burned them, making a crackling sound, which was very festive.
Of course there were people watching the excitement, but they were sparse and there were no scenes of cheering and crowds of people in film and television works. But think about it, after all, it was the autumn harvest season. How could Yang Jian force people to come out and put on a show without doing their job? Moreover, Zhuquemen Street, which consists of left and right side streets and royal roads, is 150 meters wide and 18 miles long. How could there be so many people watching without the imperial court organizing it?
After passing through the horizontal street that runs through Yanpingmen and Yanxingmen, and entering Beicheng District, where dignitaries gather, the number of idlers watching the excitement gradually increased, and the atmosphere became lively.
Arriving at Zhuque Gate, the victorious soldiers lined up to wait for the emperor's review. Looking at the small number of troops, Yang Ji felt quite regretful. The only troops that could come here were the "Central Army" led by Shi Wansui and Yang Guang. The Liangzhou soldiers who participated in the battle were frontier troops. The frontier troops could not leave the defense area without court orders. Otherwise, they would be punished for treason.
Although he also brought two thousand Ganzhou troops, they were very few compared with the soldiers participating in the war.
Before waiting for a moment, Yang Jian appeared on the terrace of the Zhuque Gate tower.
At this time, Yang Jian stood on the city tower facing the emperor's robe, wearing a flat crown on his head and a sword hanging on his waist. His thin body was as straight as a tall and tall pine. He saw the golden wolf head king's flag and the golden flag on the flat carriage. The throne, the king's tent, the wooden box and the golden knife on the king's flag.
In an instant, Yang Jian's eyes were intense and his breathing became rapid. He clenched his fists and tried his best to suppress his excitement.
"See the saint." At the moment when Yang Jian appeared, the victorious master clasped his fists in salute, and his voice soared into the sky.
Yang Jian looked at this mighty triumphant army and shouted loudly: "All the soldiers are safe!"
"Thank you, saint." The voice shook the nine heavens, causing the heaven and earth to change color.
"The vast sea in the east, the quicksand in the west, the hundreds of victorious troops, the masses across thousands of miles, stalking across the plains, looking at the cliffs of the sky and sweeping them away. Who can resist the enemy? How can we refuse to surrender? Today, the generals are controlling the Turks, and they are both righteous and righteous. With education, those who submit will accept it, and those who disobey will die. You know what I mean." At this point, Yang Jian's chest rose and fell sharply, and he could not calm down for a long time. He suddenly waved his arms and roared: "It's a strange place in a foreign land. I'm afraid of the power but not pregnant. Well, now the generals are controlling the Turks, hunting the grasslands, cutting off their roots, making them afraid to look south, suppressing them forever, and making them subject to punishment forever, you know what I mean!"
A short but powerful speech triggered a response like a roaring tsunami. The Sui soldiers, officials and people watching the ceremony roared in unison: "The might of the saint..."
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