The day passed and dusk came. The western horizon is trailing layers of red clouds, and the magnificent sunset shines through the clouds. Even the green grass on the vast grassland has a faint golden halo.
At the junction of the Turks, Li, Khitan, and Xi tribes, a group of white tents with a radius of several miles has been erected, and groups of soldiers are roaming outside. In the middle of the tent group, there are also soldiers patrolling. The closer you get to the middle, the more defensive you get. It's strict.
This is where the 6,000 Sui troops and 40,000 Turkic troops led by Yang Ji are stationed.
The leader of the Turks is the second prince Ashinaqilifushe. Like other Turkic tribes, he is also a figure who is motivated by profit. The cakes painted by Yang Guang and Yang Ji for him and the golden arrows of Qimin Khan are the same. The important thing is that this battle is profitable.
Without the Golden Arrow of Qimin Khan, he would not have dared to attack the Khitans without authorization. After all, the situation in their Eastern Turks was not good. Not only were they afraid of Khitan revenge, but they were also afraid that the Xi tribe, the Lin tribe, and the Northern and Southern Shiwei would join forces in fear. But at this time With the Sui Dynasty and Qimin Khan backing him, he naturally sent troops without any scruples and was willing to play dumb.
Of course, the Khitan's advantage was also secondary. The main reason was that Ashina Lifushu kept an eye on the 40,000 soldiers his brother sent to Yang Ji. The latter is the most elite standing cavalry of the Eastern Turks. Ashina is ready to take this army as his own. If his father is gone, even if he cannot return to his peak, he still has a certain way to protect himself. force,
He will also work hard to win over the other 30,000 herdsmen troops. If this battle is won and Yang Ji gives him the fourth-level population as promised, he decides to distribute all the spoils to these herdsmen troops so that the two sides can establish a good relationship. The basis of trust and friendship.
Ashina Qilifushe's idea was actually what Yang Ji needed, so after they gathered, Yang Ji gathered the chiefs, special agents, captains of thousands, and captains of thousands, and held a pre-war meeting to share the spoils.
First, he told them that the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty admired Ashina Lifushu very much and made him the Duke of the Sui Dynasty and Zhenbei Jiaojun. In this way, he instilled in everyone that the Sui Dynasty supported Ashina Lifushe as his successor. Khan's concept. In addition, he also promised to give 10% of the spoils of war to Ashina Qilifushe, who would divide them equally among the meritorious troops. The chiefs, special services, captains of thousands, and captains of thousands readily agreed and promised to cooperate fully in the next battle.
Ashinalifu had the right to distribute the spoils of war, and thus had a relationship of interest with the chiefs.
As for whether Ashina Qilifushe can win over these elders and generals in the future; whether he can have the strength to compete with Ashina Duji before the death of Qimin Khan depends on his own ability.
Yang Guang gave Yang Ji two main tasks this time: first, to teach the Khitan a painful lesson, and it would not matter if the Khitan was destroyed by accident; second, to try to turn the Turkic army into a Sui mercenary army and try to If the Turks are used to deal with other tribes, if it goes well this time, then the two sides will have a good foundation for cooperation, and it will be easy to continue in the future. They can even bypass the Great Khan of East Turks and cooperate with a certain tribe alone.
This method is not done by the Turks themselves as before, but must be led by the Sui Dynasty, and things must be done in the name of the Sui Dynasty. The Turkic army must obey all the commands of the Sui Dynasty generals, and the chiefs of each department must be subtly controlled. He and generals at all levels recognized the Sui Dynasty and felt that they were in trouble with the Sui Dynasty.
In terms of the army, because the Turks have a strict military structure, with corresponding generals for ten, one hundred, one thousand, and ten thousand people, and they also have their own fighting patterns, so Yang Ji did not make any superfluous rectifications, he only had to control It is enough to live in Ashinaqilifushe, Qigu Tiexian, chiefs, and captains of ten thousand men.
But Yang Ji also had his own ideas. The reason why he brought so many second-generation Liangzhou generals: on the one hand, he hoped that they would grow up in the war; on the other hand, he wanted to give them the opportunity to make meritorious deeds through this war. As long as they In this humiliating battle, any contribution made even a little bit will be rewarded by the court and loved by the people.
How could Yang Ji miss such an opportunity?
Therefore, the second generation of Liangzhou generals who accompanied him were all arranged by him to be commanders of thousands of people who commanded the Turks, and the former commanders of thousands became his deputies; what they wanted was just military merit and fame, and the spoils of war "distributed" to the Turks, Of course it has nothing to do with them.
The Turkic chiefs and generals did not want the military success of the Sui Dynasty, and the Sui generals were just in name, so they were willing to cooperate with Yang Ji.
After the Turkic generals left, Yang Ji handed over the combat tasks to the second generation generals.
"Except for those who are attached, the rest are herdsmen who are known as those who control strings. It is good to fight with the wind. I hope that you will use your own skills to become a real captain of thousands, rather than just a decoration."
Yang Ji glanced at Mai Zhongcai and saw that he seemed to have something to say, so he said, "If General Mai has anything to say, just say it."
Mai Zhongcai stood up and saluted Yang Ji and said: "Your Majesty, after joining the Turkic army, the last general and others followed the method given by your Majesty and defeated their commanders of thousands, commanders of centurions, and the so-called first warriors. ; For now, our soldiers are quite convinced of us. But in the end, we will have two questions to ask!"
"Please speak!" Yang Ji nodded.
Mai Zhongcai said: "The Turkic army is disorganized, so when we reorganized the army, we adopted the methods of our army, such as listening to drums to read orders and simple tactics. The general is worried that the Turks will learn from our army. This method will stab us in the future."
Everyone nodded secretly, this was also what they were worried about.
"The things you are worried about are actually nothing. First, the Turks are not unfamiliar with our army's training methods and combat methods; it is just because when Qimin Khan was protected by me in the Sui Dynasty, the late emperor specially sent generals to help them train."
"Second, the Turks, and even the previous Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Rouran all followed our example in the Central Plains and planned to establish a highly centralized country with unified military power, rather than a large tribal alliance that relied on profit and violent combinations. But they changed Without access to water and grass, their nomadic lifestyle makes their population unstable; and ordinary people also like the free and undisciplined nomadic life. If they demand excessive changes, fatal internal strife will occur. This is true for the country, and the tribal army too. However, their great khans and great chiefs do not have many standing elites except their direct descendants."
At this point, Yang Ji said in conclusion: "It's not that they don't want to change or won't change, but they can't. The first is the habit I mentioned before; the second is real wealth, which everyone likes to keep. A professional army that focuses on war, but with the wealth of our Sui Dynasty, it is still difficult to raise "700,000" Beijing soldiers. How can the poor and backward Turks afford it? Where do the weapons and equipment come from? Third, Turks, etc. The grassland peoples are at a loss. They not only have to fight against the heaven and the earth and wild wolves, but also against the surrounding tribes. What some small tribes fear most is not war, but the fear that after returning from the war, their families and tribes will be gone. Come on, the young men who miss their hometown and worry about their families naturally don’t want to concentrate on training in one place for a long time.”
After everyone heard the words, they suddenly became enlightened. This was the first time they had heard of analyzing the enemy's army from the perspective of the enemy's national situation, strength, living habits and civilians. They all had the feeling that "listening to your words is worth ten years of reading."
"General, I think too much!" Mai Zhongcai's face turned red, and he bowed again: "Your Majesty, the second problem with general is that it is difficult to communicate. The Turks speak Turkic, and even the captain can speak Chinese. , also stuttering."
"This is my negligence!" Yang Ji slapped his forehead and said to Zong Luohu: "General Zong, assign each of them ten soldiers who can speak Turkic dialect."
"General, I obey!" Zong Luohu responded and went to find someone.
"After these Turkic-speaking soldiers are in place, you arrange them to be next to the centurion and serve as the centurion's 'assistant'. If the centurion does not understand the order, these soldiers can explain it. This is their most important mission. Mission." Yang Ji said to the generals: "The war that belongs to us is about to begin. Everyone go down and prepare!"
"Here! I'll take my leave." The generals stood up and left.
. . . . . .
Not long after everyone retreated, Qigu Tiexian led a group of white people from a distance. They saluted Yang Ji who stepped out of the Chinese army's tent from a distance and said, "See you, Your Majesty."
Yang Ji stopped and asked with a smile, "Is there something wrong, General Qi Gu?"
"Yes!" Qi Gu Tiexian dismounted, strode towards Yang Ji, and said softly: "Your Majesty, I have something to ask Sui for help with."
"Go and talk inside!" Yang Ji turned his head and entered the side tent with the iron string.
After the two sat down, Yang Ji asked, "Tell me! What's the matter?"
Qi Gu Tiexian seemed a little difficult to speak. After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said to Yang Ji: "Your Majesty, I want to be the chief of Qi Gu. Please help me."
Yang Ji was stunned, and then asked doubtfully: "You want to kill your father? Usurp power?"
Qi Gu Tiexian said with shame: "That's not true!"
Yang Ji smiled and asked, "Why is that?"
Qigu is a tribe that is mainly white. They live in the Jianshui River Basin and have trade relations with the Sui Dynasty. However, since the world is now under the Sui Dynasty, they do not claim to be descendants of Li Ling, nor do they have any relationship with Longxi. Mr. Li talked freely about his family ties.
Qi Gu Tiexian sighed and said softly: "It's quite embarrassing to say it. In fact, our Qi Gu used to be a relatively powerful tribe. At the beginning of Xue Yantuo's rise, in order not to touch us, Yi Shibo married his sister. My father formed an alliance with Qi Gu and achieved the goal of non-aggression. After Yishubo stabilized our Qi Gu, he began to quell the civil strife and annexed the Xue tribe and nearby small tribes, thus calling it Xue Yantuo. Merely. For several years, its strength far exceeded our Qi Gu, and it launched attacks on us again and again in an attempt to annex us. My father was extremely upset at this moment and regretted forming an alliance with Heyi Shibo, allowing the weak Yantuo tribe to surpass us. , and threatens our existence.”
Yang Ji felt quite sympathetic to these words about raising tigers. He was not an emperor, but he could understand the inner feelings of Chief Qi Gu. It is indeed a depressing thing to personally support a hostile force that threatens your existence.
Qi Gu Tiexian smiled bitterly and continued: "It's just that the matter has come to this, and my father can't do anything about it. After all, we are not as strong as Xue Yantuo, and the East Turks want to surrender to us. If we openly fight with Xue Yantuo, the East Turks will eventually take advantage of me. The bone has no benefit at all. Therefore, I hope that the Great Sui Dynasty will recognize the Qi Gu and canonize the Qi Gu. As long as my Qi Gu becomes a vassal state of the Great Sui Dynasty, then when we have an outcome with Xue Yantuo, no matter whether it is good or bad, the Eastern Turks will not dare to annex it. us."
Yang Ji pondered for a long time and asked Qi Gu Tiexian: "Aren't you the son-in-law of Qimin Khan?"
"There is nothing we can do about it!" Qi Gu Tiexian explained: "My father is already old, and my brothers are either cruel and unpopular; or they do not have the ability to control Qi Gu and resist Xue Yantuo, so my father He will be regarded as the heir and plans to pass the chieftain to me. However, my brothers are too powerful and I alone cannot defeat them, so my father asked me to be the son-in-law of Qimin Khan, hoping that one day I could borrow some money to help him. The power of the Turks prevents my brothers from starting civil strife. But the East Turks are extremely powerful. If I rely too much on the East Turks, even if I become a chief in the future, Qigugu will be annexed by the East Turks."
Qigu Tiexian wanted to ask for something and did not dare to hide anything. He said in an indifferent tone: "And the Eastern Turks are not as strong and united as we thought before; although the Great Khan received help from the Sui Dynasty, He unified the Eastern Turks, but his previous tribe was too small to personally consume the captives given to him by the Sui Dynasty. Out of the need for stability, he either allowed the formerly hostile tribes to stand on their own, or gave the captives to his trusted generals. But after so many years, these people have grown into a powerful tribe."
"The former respected and feared the Great Sui Dynasty, and he did not like to listen to the orders of the Great Khan. While the latter was loyal to the Great Khan, the Great Khan was getting older and his health was getting worse day by day. He also realized this , so the troops and wealth were gradually distributed to several princes, hoping that one of them would stand out and become the most suitable heir. However, although his intentions were good, once the princes gained strength, they would obviously not surrender to one person, and it would be impossible to do so. If it goes well, a war will break out in the future, so everyone is taking a wait-and-see attitude now."
"The Fuli Army is the direct line of the Great Khan, with a total of 40,000 people. Before he went to the Sui Dynasty to apologize, he sent a letter to us, the captains of ten thousand, telling us to stick to our positions and not participate in the battles between princes. , we cannot be loyal to a certain prince, but after the Great Khan left, the Great Prince had the idea of leaving the army and made us loyal to him in various ways."
"The eldest prince is very generous and willing to spend money, so the other three captains have accepted his gifts and secretly pledged allegiance to him. As for me, I am an outsider. I can only follow the great khan and not participate in the battles between the princes. , in order to survive. Secondly, the eldest prince is extremely domineering and full of aggression in his bones. If he becomes the Great Khan as he wishes, the Qinggu will no longer exist, so no matter what aspects I consider, I don’t want him to become the Great Khan. Great Khan."
Speaking of this, Qi Gu Tiexian looked at Yang Ji sincerely and said bluntly: "The Great Sui Dynasty supports the second prince. If the second prince becomes the Great Khan, and we Qi Gu are a vassal state of the Great Sui Dynasty, then He will definitely not and does not dare to annex our Qi Gu. And the existence of Qi Gu will not do any harm to the Sui Dynasty."
"We, the Great Sui Dynasty, welcome every friend who is willing to coexist peacefully with us, and this includes Qi Gu. I will tell the saint about this." Yang Ji smiled brightly. He originally thought that this meant letting Qimin Khan The little sheep at his mercy never thought he was a wolf cub, but Qi Gu Tiexian’s last words were right; in terms of strength, Qi Gu was not qualified to be compared with the Great Sui Dynasty; in terms of territory, it could not threaten the Great Sui Dynasty; Practically speaking, the bones can contain Dong Turk and Xue Yantuo in the future.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qi Gu Tiexian was overjoyed and asked expectantly: "Your Majesty, what should we do to get the approval of the Sage Khan?"
Yang Ji said: "Ask your father to send a group of envoys to the court to see you! Your attitude and sincerity will be determined by rare treasures and rare things. The more you have, the more sincerity you will have."
This is not because Yang gathered good wealth and took advantage of it, but this is what the grassland people of this period did; they believed that sincerity and enthusiasm can also be measured by things, and the more, the better, the more sincerity.
Even though Qimin Khan became the Great Khan of the Eastern Turks, he still paid tribute to the Sui Dynasty every year. Even in disaster years, there were one or two million sheep. In the past, the emperors and ministers of the Sui Dynasty felt that Qimin Khan was loyal and deceived by him. It was not because everyone was stupid, but because Qimin Khan was too good at being a grandson.
On the other hand, Yang Guang, a well-known money-splitting boy and prodigal in history, gradually turned into a man who only ate and did not poop due to the influence of Yang Ji. However, it was not that he did not return the gifts, but the gifts were all replaced by Taoist and Buddhist gifts. Classics.
Of course, he is still so 'generous' and willing to invest in domestic infrastructure.
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Tell me about the time when the capital was moved.
[In August of the first year of Daye, Yang Guang started his first tour of Yangzhou. History books do not clearly record the number and scale of the tour. It was nothing more than "wasting people and money, arrogant and extravagant". What is certain is that he used Tongji Canal. At that time, Luoyang had not yet been completed. He first left Xianren Palace in Luoyang and took a dragon boat ride in Luokou. The time was between the opening of the Tongji Canal. It can be seen that Yang Guang's first visit to Jiangdu was also the "ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first voyage" of the Tongji Canal.
In the first month of the second year of Daye, the first month of the second year of Daye (606), Luoyang, the eastern capital, was officially completed. Yang Guang, who was patrolling Jiangdu, got the news and immediately set off from Jiangshu. According to "Zi Zhi Tong Jian": "In March, Gengwu, I went to Jiangdu. In summer, April, Gengxu, I came from Yique and prepared thousands of horses to enter Tokyo." In today's words: It was in 606. On March 16th, Yang Guang set off from Jiangdu back to Luoyang; on April 26th, an honor guard of thousands of chariots and horses entered Tokyo from Yique, announcing that the Sui Dynasty had officially moved its capital.
As for the return route, it is not to take the Tongji Canal, but to go upstream from the Huaihe River, then go backwards from Yingshui River to Yique, and finally turn overland and go north to Luoyang from Yique City, two hundred miles away. 】
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