The night sky was cloudless, and the piles of bonfires lit in the Sui army camp complemented the stars in the sky, making the sky and the earth one. After returning from victory, Yang Ji ordered the three armies to be rewarded. The soldiers happily cooked cattle and slaughtered sheep. Then they were ordered to move out thousands of jars of milk wine and enjoy the joy of victory under the moonlit night.
Although the night was late and the soldiers were tired, everyone felt happy and energetic. These returning soldiers drank a little wine and talked about today's battle. From then on, they began to brag about themselves, talking about big words such as "passing five passes and killing six generals"; when everyone mentioned the surviving Turkic army, , and even stretched out his arms and rolled up his sleeves, showing the courage to conquer Mrs. Fan's city that night.
Naturally, Yang Ji did not prohibit this.
They were preparing to have dinner before going on the expedition, but as soon as the soldiers heard the news of the enemy's invasion, they followed him into battle without saying a word to kill the enemy. The soldiers who died in the battle did not even have enough to eat, so they died on the battlefield. superior. Now that they have returned from a victorious battle, and there are no combat missions tomorrow, the soldiers can still eat some meat, drink some wine, and brag tonight.
The main tent of the Chinese army was also extremely lively. On the table were kumiss, dried fruits and golden-roasted mutton. Yang Ji sat in the middle, with more than a dozen generals sitting on both sides below him; while the chief sitting on the left hand side was Changsun Sheng traveled a long distance to get here.
After drinking for three rounds, Xue Ju said to Yang Ji: "Your Majesty, the Eastern Turks have lost hundreds of thousands of troops in the Great Lakes area and here. I guess that old man Qimin has been scared out of his courage. According to the general's opinion, we simply With one go, the Eastern Turks were uprooted. The Turks, like the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Rouran, who were at their peak, were annihilated in the long river of history."
All the generals nodded, Xue Ju's words touched everyone's heart.
As far as the current comprehensive national strength of the two countries is concerned, there is no comparison between the two sides. As long as the imperial court firmly restrains Qimin Khan's army in the east, Liangzhou alone can wipe out the Eastern Turks with blood.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Eastern Turks are weaker than we thought. Let's simply annihilate them." Yuchi Gong also agreed.
Yang Ji was also moved by what he heard, but did not express his position. Instead, he asked Changsun Sheng: "General Changsun is a Turk, do you think it is necessary for us to eliminate evil?"
Changsun Sheng pondered for a long time and said slowly: "Your Majesty, if I were more than twenty years younger, I might have the same thoughts as the generals, but now I am different."
"What's the difference?" Yang Ji asked puzzledly.
"Some things cannot be solved by war and killing." Changsun Sheng said: "The Weak River has been the dividing line between the Central Plains dynasties and the northern nomads since ancient times. However, the two sides of the Weak River have abundant water resources, fertile water and grass, and there is no severe heat in summer or severe cold in winter. , so it is regarded as a treasure land by the nomads. Even if we, the Sui Dynasty, uprooted the Eastern Turks now, it will not take a hundred years for other tribes to thrive here. In the past, they were the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Rouran, and now the Turks . If we in the Sui Dynasty annihilated the Turks, in the future we might be Tiele, Shiwei, Khitan..."
Yang Ji followed Chang Sun Sheng's words and thought of Xue Yantuo, Liao, Jin, Jurchen, and Mongolia in history. He suddenly seemed to have some enlightenment, but he couldn't think of a reason for it.
When Xue Ju saw that Yang Ji was silent, he couldn't help but ask: "If we kill more Turks, the strength and potential of the Hu people will be a little weaker, and I, the Sui Dynasty, will be a little safer, isn't it good?"
"It's not bad, but killing can't cure the northern barbarians." Changsun Sheng explained: "The main reason is that these places are too fertile and suitable for the development of nomadic peoples. As long as they recuperate here for a period of time, they will soon rise again. If we destroy the Turks now, what we will face in the future will be a brand new and powerful country."
"This unknown force may fear the Sui Dynasty and may not dare to go south on a large scale, but it has the courage to harm the north from time to time. The Turks have been defeated by us. They do not have the accumulation and momentum of two or three generations. Basically, he can only be a grandson. So relatively speaking, the frightened Turks are easier to control."
Xue Ju thought for a while and asked, "What if the Turks strengthen again?"
Changsun Sheng smiled: "As long as there is a slight sign of rising, just like now, pull one part and fight another, so that it will be unable to extricate itself in the war."
When Xue Ju heard this, he couldn't help but admire him and said: "General Changsun is still far-sighted."
Changsun Sheng chuckled: "General, you've given me the reward."
"General Changsun, is this the meaning of a saint?" Yang Ji knew that Changsun Sheng was obviously talking to the generals to answer their questions, but in reality he was telling himself that he hoped he would stop. In fact, as Chang Sun Sheng said before, after the end of the Eastern Turks in history, strong men such as Xue Yantuo, Khitan, Xixia, Jurchen, and Meng Yuan appeared in the north... The threat of these strong men to the Central Plains Dynasty was indeed Surpassing the old strong men in the north.
"No!" Changsun Sheng shook his head and said with an awkward smile: "The saint means that the king will decide."
"..." Everyone was speechless upon hearing this.
Yang Jili was amused: "Tell me, is this what you meant?"
Changsun Sheng said solemnly: "It is indeed my personal opinion, but can your Majesty deny my statement?"
"I very much agree with General Changsun's views and actions." Yang Ji gave Changsun Sheng a straightforward reply.
Changsun Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, and he said to Yang Ji seriously: "Your Majesty, there is serious anti-war sentiment within the imperial court, and this voice is very fierce."
"Hmph!" Yang Ji snorted coldly and asked with an ugly face: "What is their reason for resisting the war?"
Although Changsun Sheng did not say it explicitly, Yang Ji also knew that this anti-war voice was aimed at him. It's just because there are no wars in the current Sui Dynasty except Liangzhou and Jiaozhou, and the Jiaozhou battlefield in the far south is almost a negligible small-scale battle compared to Liangzhou.
Changsun Sheng smiled bitterly and said: "In order to support the king's arms race, the imperial court has invested a lot of manpower and material resources in Liangzhou. However, instead of killing Tuyuhun, the king started the war to the north. This increased the burden on the imperial court, so many The minister is deeply conflicted."
Yang Ji said calmly: "I also want to concentrate on dealing with Tuyuhun, but there are some things that are not up to me, and I can't give up the great fighter opportunity in vain because of the resistance of these people. The Great Lakes area and this area are Liangzhou's strategy Deep down, if we don’t level this place, I won’t be able to go south wholeheartedly.”
Although Yang Ji spoke with high-sounding words, he was sneering in his heart. He knew that some ministers in the court were following what others said, but he believed that the real intention of more people was not this. The reason why such people carry the anti-war banner is truly There are nothing more than two motives: first, he is jealous of his achievements in Liangzhou; second, he hopes that the East Turks will be strong, because as long as the East Turks are strong and as long as the north is never peaceful, Yang Guang will not dare to let go of his hands and feet to eliminate the ills. , and they will be able to stay high for generations to come.
It's just that there are so many people talking here, it's hard for him to say it to his face.
Changsun Sheng understood that it was not appropriate for him to stay here for a long time, so after giving some advice, he left.
"Your Majesty!" After the eldest son Sun Sheng left, Ling Jing raised his hands and asked: "First the imperial court impeached the king, and now there are many criticisms. Should we end the Northern War as soon as possible?"
Yang Ji shook his head: "The saint believes in me and lets me do what I want. How can we miss the opportunity because of criticism?"
Ling Jing frowned and said, "But you can't just ignore those ministers, right? Can't we just let them run wild?"
"Just treat the ministers' impeachment and criticism as farts." Yang Ji glanced at everyone and saw that everyone looked worried, so he smiled and comforted: "People have a rebellious mentality. Those ministers in the capital are The more violent the noise, the more the saints will hate them, and the safer I will be. Don't worry, everyone."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty is wise!" Everyone was stunned when they heard this.
"General Changsun's consideration is right. It seems that we can't burn the ancestral graves of the Turks this time." Yang Ji pondered for a long time and said to everyone: "Under this premise, what should we do?"
Although history has now turned a corner because of his appearance, the general direction has not changed much. Although the current strength of the Eastern Turks is far inferior to that in history, it is inevitable to unify the entire prairie.
After the death of Qimin Khan, the East Turks in history were successively governed by his three sons. Whether they were Shibi, Chuluo, or the last Jieli, they were all ambitious people, and the three brothers They are all very talented Khans. Especially the Shibi Khan after Qimin Khan brought the Eastern Turks to its peak moment.
But now that he is keeping an eye on them, the Eastern Turks can't even think of taking over Xi, Lin, Khitan, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties for their own use.
Seeing that Yang Ji had returned to business, Ling Jing no longer dwelled on the criticisms in the court, but instead discussed the current situation: "According to the military information sent by the scouts, the general in charge of the northern Turkic Khan's court is Ashi, the concubine of Qimin Khan. Nasmo, on the orders of Ashina Qilifushe, raised tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to support Madame Fan City, thus leaving the western and southern parts of the Turkic Northern Khanate empty of troops, not even many young men."
Speaking of this, he suggested to Yang Ji: "The Turkic Northern Khanate is located in Yanran Mountain, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, there are 20,000 shaman troops left behind. If our army forces an attack on the mountain, it will inevitably pay a lot of casualties. . But now that the king no longer aims at the Northern Turkic Khanate, our army has become more flexible, and some battles can still be fought."
Yang Ji understood what Ling Jing meant and asked with a smile: "Leaving aside the heavily guarded Northern Khan Court, other areas are empty of troops. Do you mean to send an army to bloodbath these places?"
Ashina Qilifushe lost more than 100,000 troops at once, and Qimin Khan's main force was contained in the east. Even if he recruited more troops, he would not be able to compete with the elite in terms of the number of troops and the combat effectiveness of the army. The army is comparable. The most important thing is that he lost not only elite soldiers in the Great Lakes region, but also many generals who were good at fighting. Even though he now has enough troops, he does not have many generals who can lead the troops.
He does not raise an army now, and can only watch Yang Ji kill one tribe after another. If he recruits an army, he will not have a general who is good at fighting to lead the army. This is perhaps the most embarrassing thing for Ashina Qilifushe. things.
"It doesn't mean that we have to do a bloodbath. We can definitely snatch these people away!" Ling Jing paused and said with a sneer: "Since the people in the court are accusing the king of being militaristic and vicious, then we should be more benevolent and righteous. , send all the old, weak, women and children, as well as disabled and wounded soldiers to Daxing to be raised by those 'moral gentlemen'. If they can't handle it well or arrange it properly, we will blame them in turn."
"This method is very good." Yang Ji nodded and ordered: "There are no leaders nearby. He immediately ordered Po Chaoqi to gather the five partial divisions. Yang Tie, Achi, Qibi Zuoyi, and Murong Yan were appointed as deputy generals. , and then clear out the western and southern parts of the Northern Khan Court."
"Huh?" Ling Jing's arrangement for Yang Ji was a bit unbelievable. Although the Po Chao weapon was strong, it was far inferior to Xue Ju. Even Yu Chigong was more suitable than the Po Chao weapon! He asked with some confusion: "Why not General Xue? Isn't General Xue more suitable?"
Yang Ji glanced at Xue Ju and then said to Ling Jing: "General Xue's command and force are very strong, but I'm worried that he is not ruthless enough."
Ling Jing's heart skipped a beat. He already understood what Yang Ji was thinking. He smiled and said nothing more.
Xue Ju and other Han generals are indeed very capable, but they are all deeply influenced by Han culture. No matter how ruthless they are, they still have some concepts of benevolence and righteousness in their hearts. But Po Chaoqi was different from Yang Tie, Achi, Qibi Zuoyi, and Murong Yan. What Yang Ji needs at this time is the kind of downright ruthless person, and these foreign generals are undoubtedly the most suitable candidates.
. . . . . . . . .
Before dawn the next day, a heavy rain came unexpectedly. The entire Madam Fan City was under the heavy rain. A layer of dense mist like a gauze floated on the grasslands inside and outside the city. This was very important to the grassland. It is rainwater that is more precious than oil and water. But for the Sui army who was about to attack the city, it was not a good thing. Just because of the heavy rain, the soft grassland outside the city turned into mud. Walking on the pulpy soil, almost all the people and horses had difficulty walking, let alone attacking the city in the rain.
The grassland in early summer is at the beginning of spring cold. The cold air brought by the heavy rain penetrated into the bone marrow, making the defenders shiver from the cold. Perhaps because they saw that the Sui army only sent a small group of cavalry to patrol, but did not besiege or attack the city, the defenders in the city became a little slack.
They sneaked into groups of bars and brothels near the defense area to drink, gamble, and sleep lazily. Especially at night, there was almost no sign of the defenders on the city. If Ashinaqi Lifushe and Shishu Huxi sent people to inspect, they would inform each other and take the lead in rushing back to the city to make a pretense of inspection.
The defenders were like this. Almost all the herdsmen who took refuge in the city but were forcibly recruited never made it to the top of the city. They used various connections to give money and gifts to the officers to avoid military service, and the officers turned a blind eye. When their superiors asked, they said these people were focused on training on defense.
The heavy rain lasted for three days. On the afternoon of the fourth day, instead of getting lighter, the rain became even heavier. It was also this heavy rain that delayed the arrival of the Sui army, and also delayed the arrival of Ashina Simo's army.
However, since Ashinabulishe was annihilated by the Sui army, the morale of the people in the city has become increasingly low and their pessimism has become stronger. And the 20,000 elite soldiers brought by Ashina Simo did not change the morale. On the contrary, as time went by, more and more people knew that the situation in Madam Fan City and the western region of East Turkestan was over. These miscellaneous soldiers were no match for the Sui army.
Everyone has this intention, naturally everyone is seeking to protect themselves and leave a way out. Almost everyone wants to leave this city that is about to become a battlefield. Unfortunately, since Ashina Simo’s reinforcements entered the city, the city gate has been closed. It was firmly closed.
Young people may be able to leave with a rope, but what about their parents, wives and children? What to do with the animals that are driven into the city?
What's more, the Sui army was already cruising around, and they couldn't avoid the Sui scouts at all. Therefore, if they escaped from the city at this time, they would die earlier and faster.
A wine shop with a Han atmosphere near the West City Gate was crowded with Turkic soldiers who came to drink, and there was a lot of noise. In a private room on the second floor, there were several tall and burly generals sitting. The young general at the head was Zong Luohu who had fled here. The Sogdian who was drinking with him was An Ming, who was sent as an envoy by Ling Jing. .
"Everyone knows that Mrs. Fan's city is over. Why did you escape back to the city?" Zong Luohu had business dealings with An Ming, so he was no stranger to him. He said half puzzled and half teasing: " Seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages has always been the nature of you Sogdians, why have you changed your style?"
An Ming smiled bitterly: "I don't want to come, but if I don't come, I will definitely die."
"But why?" Zong Luohu was surprised.
An Ming didn't say anything, but looked at the generals around him. When Zong Luohu saw this, he frowned and said, "They are all my people, there is nothing to say."
An Ming said calmly: "When I escaped from the city, I was captured by King Wei's people. I am acting on King Wei's order to persuade you to surrender."
Zong Luohu said in surprise: "King Wei knows about me?"
"King Wei didn't seem to know that I told you in order to survive!" An Ming sighed: "I told you two important pieces of information. The first is that there are insufficient weapons and equipment in the city; the second is your origin, After your deeds, King Wei knew that you were a descendant of heroes, he hoped that you would make up for your merits and live an upright life, so as not to embarrass the ancestor."
"Really?" Zong Luohu lowered his head and said nothing.
"Exactly!" An Ming said: "We are all familiar with the weather in the grassland. We know that after today's heavy rain, the weather will clear up, and the Sui army will attack the city within these few days. And the defenders in the city have no soldiers. With a fighting spirit and insufficient arrows, I think that even if another 200,000 soldiers come, they will not be able to match the Sui army and cannot defend the city. You are a Sui person, and you have a grudge against the Turks for killing your father, and you don’t want to share the same fate with the Turks. Survival or death?"
"I have always dreamed that the Turkic dogs would die. How could I be a lackey of the Turkic dogs?" Zong Luohu said bitterly, and then glared at An Ming coldly: "But you Sogdians are not good people either. How do I know you're not lying to me?"
An Ming smiled bitterly when he heard this, and handed over the letter written by Yang Ji: "This is a letter written by King Wei to you. If you still don't believe it, you can ask people outside. They are all close followers of King Wei, and the leader is Li Daliang, the son of General Li Chong, has been a good friend of King Wei since childhood."
Zong Luohu's eyes narrowed. After a while he shook his head and said with an extremely firm expression: "I can't trust the Sogdians. I won't discuss such a big matter with you! Invite General Li to me."
"Okay then!" An Ming said helplessly.
