As night falls, the bright moon in the sky fills the Tang River with silver light. The river surface is sparkling and the view is wide. Piles of bonfires were lit in the Sui army camp by the river. Large pieces of beef and horse meat were thrown into the cauldron for cooking. Small pieces of beef and horse meat were cooked in the bonfire. The roasted meat is browned and fragrant. The firelight reflected the faces of the soldiers who were full of expectation. Bags of wine were opened, and they talked, laughed and drank. The joy of victory filled the entire Sui army camp.
Part of the beef and horse meat came from Wang Xingben's fire cattle and horse formation this morning. These "martyrs", the dead horses on the battlefields on the north and south banks, and the seriously injured horses that were killed were all put on ships after the war and then transported along the Daliang River. After sending them down, the total amount was six to seven thousand head/horse.
Another part of the war horses died in the battles inside and outside Baiyan City; after the war, half of the horses were given to Yang Shanhui, who stayed behind in Baiyan City, to reward the three armies, and the remaining half was also sent to Tanghe Camp.
It was the scorching summer, and meat was easily spoiled, so the soldiers disembowelled the dead cattle and horses, as well as the dead donkeys and mules used by the Goguryeo army to pull carts, and cooked them all.
There’s definitely not enough food to eat, but as long as it’s cooked and dried, it’s top-notch dry food.
As for wine, it is actually a necessity for marching and fighting, because during battles, soldiers are prone to face the dilemma of insufficient food and grass, and no medical treatment for injuries and illnesses. When winter comes, we have to face the dual dilemmas of cold and hunger; under such circumstances, wine syrup can play a very effective role. It can be used to keep out the cold and keep warm, and to satisfy hunger. When no medicine is available, it can also As an emergency medicine to disinfect and treat injuries of soldiers, wine liquor has become an indispensable item for marching since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In addition, the alcohol content at this time was low and not intoxicating, so the imperial court did not issue a special prohibition on alcohol.
Alcohol prohibition usually occurs when the court or country encounters a food crisis, and alcohol is not prohibited all the time.
Of course, when the war is not completely over, the supply is usually limited, and soldiers are not allowed to drink it openly.
And Yang Ji has always been fast, accurate and ruthless in fighting. Of course he will not carry a large amount of cumbersome wine, but the problem is that he does not have it, but the enemy does!
As long as the enemy is defeated and killed, everything will be fine.
This time is no exception.
The Sui army did not have wine, but Baiyan City not far away on the east coast did.
When he reaches the level of Yang Ji, and because he has extremely high prestige in the army, he naturally does not need encouragement from tables and tables; if he really goes, ordinary generals and soldiers will feel uncomfortable and eat. Nothing smells good. So they ate and drank in the Chinese army's tent.
Originally, Yang Ji just wanted to eat and talk about military affairs with Yang Yichen and other generals, marching and joining the army. However, many middle and high-level generals in Liangzhou knew that his little wife and female soldiers were particularly good at cooking. Every time these tigresses go out with the army, they carry a lot of leftover materials; and most of the time they have nothing to do. Whenever Yang Ji and the generals discuss the military situation and fight, they go to the mountains to harm ferocious beasts and seasonal plants. When the army stopped, they began to prepare delicious food.
In addition, they also knew that the person with better cooking skills was actually Yang Ji's personal guard commander Zhu Can, and the one with the most tricks turned out to be the prince Yang Ji.
He even ate cows and sheep, which was unimaginable before. However, over time, they felt that this so-called "Baicao Soup" was quite good. It was hard to say whether it was really good at strengthening the stomach and dispelling heat. But it does help digestion and relieve fatigue.
In addition to the taste of the soup, the main flavor of this hot pot dish is numbing and spicy. The numbing is not a problem because the peppercorns are originally a local product. As for spicy, although there is no chili in Sui Dynasty, they can use Zhuyu powder and spicy Polygonum juice is precipitated into powder instead, especially the leaves and stems of Polygonum are more powerful than peppers.
Therefore, the various spicy dishes produced in the end still have a spicy taste. The Sui Dynasty and its previous dynasties had no shortage of spicy dishes because of these two spicy ingredients. It’s just a matter of eating habits, spicy dishes are not that widespread.
In comparison, pure stews and barbecues make people unable to eat much, and they become hungry again soon after. When the generals of the Liangzhou Army "accidentally" saw the Zhuque Guard filtering the grass juice in the cow's stomach and cleaning the tripe and intestines by the river, they knew that Yangji had delicious food again. So in the end, the open space in front of the Chinese army's tent was full, and there were more than two hundred generals who came to have a meal.
Yang Ji was also used to being spoiled for food. For occasions like this, he usually asked Suzaku Wei to prepare a lot. However, after all, there could not be so many people in the Chinese army's tent, so the generals who came to have a meal were arranged outside.
Inside, there were still people he wanted to entertain.
However, Tu Di Ji, Du Ji Bian, Hebi Komutuo and other foreign generals could not eat spicy food. After just a few mouthfuls, they became dizzy, as if they were drunk. After obtaining Yang Ji's consent, they all ran away.
At the end of the table in the big tent, only Yang Yichen, Yin Shishi, and several generals of the Liangzhou Army were left.
But this is also in line with Yang Ji's thoughts; because he has something important to announce, but if those foreign generals are here, it will be difficult to say.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Yang Ji said to Yang Yichen: "You will fight the next battle."
Hearing this, everyone put down their wine bowls and looked at Yang Ji.
"It is our duty to kill the enemy for the country." Yang Yichen thought that Yang Ji was talking about the defense system of Goguryeo's Changgong Ridge, and immediately clasped his fists and said: "With the king in charge of the camp, there is no need to worry. The general will lead the army tomorrow Go to Changgong Road and meet Yang Wanchun for a while."
Yang Ji understood that he had misunderstood, and added with a smile: "I'm not just talking about Changgong Ridge, but also Liaodong City."
Yang Ji's deputy marching commanders were Yang Lun, Yu Wenshu, Yu Zhongwen, Li Zixiong, Li Jing, Cui Hongsheng, and Yang Yichen.
Yang Lun is not only the prince-level Prince of Teng, but also the governor of Jizhou; he has captured Gaimou City and Anshi City and parts of the Liaodong Peninsula, and has made decisive military exploits. When the merits are rewarded in the future, the prose Officials, military officers, and honorary officers will all be promoted to one level. In the next war, Yang Lun only needs to follow the main army as a general, and it is not appropriate to perform dazzling military exploits alone.
After Yuwenshu finished this battle, it was certain that he would return to Beijing and take up a post. Yu Zhongwen also fought a beautiful ambush battle alone. As long as he and Yu Wenshu leveled the rear area and defended it, it would be a great achievement.
Although Li Zixiong has not accomplished anything yet, before that, he had successfully contained the main force of Goguryeo on the east bank of the Liao River, creating a winning foundation for Yang Ji's battle in the north. And the navy headed by Yang Lun is from the Youzhou Army, so he can definitely get a lot of military exploits from here. At the critical moment, Li Zixiong was able to take the overall situation into consideration, promptly sent Li Jing to lead his army to assist him, and sent the last 5,000 soldiers of the Youzhou Navy to support Yang Lun. Therefore, in Yang Ji's view, Li Zixiong's contribution at this stage is second only to himself as the coach.
Among the remaining three deputy general managers, Li Jing and Cui Hongsheng have really not accomplished anything, but when they arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, they will be able to participate in the Battle of Liaodong City and subsequent wars. As long as they are given more opportunities, they will be able to return with full military exploits. Full.
The last one, Yang Yichen, was actually the most dazzling among the seven marching deputy general managers. He single-handedly conquered the Nanying of Xifeng's third camp and Changchuntun, Nansu, Muti and Cangyan on the second line of defense. After that, he used lightning speed to push the Sui army to the third level. Shansong, Lijiabao and Ganwu to the north of the three lines of defense.
Yang Yichen's series of actions not only completely shaken Goguryeo's rule in the Liaodong Plain and caused chaos in Liaodong City, but also prompted Gao Yuan and Yuan Ziyou to make wrong decisions many times.
But comparing one by one, Yang Yichen's number of enemy kills is really limited. His contribution and role in the entire battle can only be compared with the unknown Li Zixiong at best. If he couldn't make a more dazzling contribution than Li Zixiong, it would be difficult for him to be promoted to a prince, let alone a county king.
Liaodong City is one of the three capitals of Goguryeo, and there are many important officials such as Gao Yuan and Yuan Ziyou in the city, so its symbolic significance is extremely important. If Yang Yichen can capture Liaodong City, even if he cannot kill Gao Yuan and Yuan Ziyou, it will still be a great achievement that attracts worldwide attention.
As for Yang Shanhui and Wei Yunqi, Xue Shixiong, Xue Ju, Yuchi Gong, Yin Shishi, Wang Xingben and other generals in the Wei Wang line, although they have outstanding abilities, they either have a weak foundation or a low background and insufficient qualifications.
In the Sui Dynasty, where famous generals emerged in large numbers, they still cannot afford the unprecedented feat of destroying the enemy's country Zuo and seizing the enemy's capital. They need to continue to build momentum and accumulate.
Taking the position too early is never a good thing.
Regarding the fact that "their foundation is insufficient and they need to save", everyone in the Weiwang family is well aware of it; Hao Yuan, Ling Jing, Song Zhengben and other think tanks have also talked with them on behalf of Yang Ji, and now there is no need for Yang Ji at all Dial one by one.
Yang Yichen also understood the significance of Liaodong City. He was stunned when he heard that Yang Ji asked him to attack Liaodong City.
After thinking for a while, Yang Yichen had already realized something in his heart. Seeing that Yang Ji's confidants were all around him, he lowered his voice and asked, "Is it possible that the king is worried that his great achievements will overwhelm the master and make him unbeatable? So he sent this unparalleled person to the world." Did you give up the merit to me?"
As early as the battle of Tuyuhun, Yang Yichen noticed that Yang Ji had lowered his presence intentionally or unintentionally. Whenever he encountered a fighter opportunity that could easily make a contribution, Yang Ji would let others fight; only when he encountered a battle where he was not very sure, he would Will personally command and go into battle personally.
This time, Yang Ji did the same.
Except for the big battle that opened the situation, he gave up all other battles, and he had almost no presence.
Yang Ji said: "It is true that I am worried that my great achievements will overwhelm my master and I will have no title, but it is just a trivial matter. As long as I can find a way, I can demote my official position without leaving any trace. "
Everyone couldn't help laughing. Considering Yang Ji's ability to toss and toss, he could indeed accomplish all his achievements; and the emperor seemed to particularly like to toss, and when they came together, they formed a "golden combination" of like-minded people who fought side by side. "; If Yang Ji doesn't bother anymore, then something really bad will happen.
"What's the crux of the problem?" Yang Yichen asked again.
"The key to the problem is that the saint plans to promote you to the county king. But your merits are not enough, so he asked me to give you a chance to make meritorious deeds." Yang Ji smiled and said: "I don't want military merit now. If I get it, it will be a burden. Instead of doing it afterwards If you have to find a way to get rid of it, don’t do it now.”
"Your Majesty, does the saint really want to promote me to the title of county king?" Yang Yichen looked at Yang Ji in disbelief. His eyes were red from the gratitude in his heart, and his voice was trembling.
"That's right!" Yang Ji nodded and said, "You are a member of the royal family and have a lineage of your own. However, there is no king in your lineage. This cannot be justified. What's more, you are a member of the previous dynasty and this dynasty. You have made great achievements, so the saint has long planned to promote you to the county king. However, the current method of title promotion is very strict, and the saint is an idealist who pursues perfection. He feels that you, Yang Yichen, are not only loyal, but also capable. , you have meritorious deeds, since you can use your true skills to win the title of county king, then you should use your military merits to get promoted."
Yang Guang actually didn't let Yang Ji talk about this matter and these intentions. He believes that things will work out as they come, and there is no need to talk about it or mention it. But Yang Ji didn't think so. He thought that since Yang Guang was so considerate of Yang Yichen, how could Yang Yichen know Yang Guang's painstaking efforts if he didn't tell him?
Afterwards, if Yang Yichen really became the county king, he might take it for granted that he deserved it. So it must be explained clearly in advance, otherwise how can others understand? How can we understand gratitude?
Since Yang Guang doesn't want to be pretentious, let him, Yang Ji, do the talking. He has always been shameless anyway.
Seeing that Yang Yichen was so moved, Yang Ji knew that he was right. He glanced at Yang Yichen, who was in tears, and then said: "If you use military merit to become a county king, it will be of far-reaching significance to you personally, and it will be countless times more powerful than the status of a royal family. And as a county king, your The weight is also heavy, far stronger than those who have obtained the title of king because of their royal status. For the royal family, you have become a role model, and in the future you will encourage the children of other branches to work hard and strive for the top."
In fact, there is one more thing that Yang Ji did not say. That is, the Sui royal family is not prosperous, and there are only eleven princes, namely Cai Wang Yang Zhiji, Teng Wang Yang Lun, Wei Wang Yang Ji, Dao Wang Yang Jing, Shu Wang Yang Xiu, Qin Wang Yang Hao, Qi Wang Yang Jian , Zhao Wang Yang Gao, Yan Wang Yang Tan, Yue Wang Yang Tong, Chen Wang Yang You. There are even fewer county kings, and now there are only Yang Xiong, king of Ande, Yang Qing, king of Hejian, and Yang Hao, king of Sui'an.
After excluding Yang Jian's line among the above-mentioned kings and nobles, there are only four princes and three county princes in the Yang family branch, and Yang Ji and his son account for two.
Yang Ji's second son, Yang Ming, and third son, Yang Chang, were concubines, and their titles started from the founding county. When Yang Ji destroyed Tuyuhun, the two little ones enjoyed and shared his achievements, and then they became He was the founding Duke of the Second Grade.
If Yang Ji returns after destroying Goguryeo this time, Yang Guang will definitely assign his credit to the second-in-command Yang Ming and the third-in-command Yang Chang. At the most, he would be given a civil and military official, at most, he would be promoted to the title of Duke; in the unexpected grade, Yang Guang was so happy that he jumped over the rank and promoted his second son to the title of county king.
If it is just awarded to civil and military officials, it doesn't matter; but if it is an unexpected level of reward, then it is not a good thing for the already dazzling Wei Wangfang.
If this were to happen, he would be so bright that he would have no friends or brothers!
If Yang Yichen was promoted to the county king due to his brilliant military achievements, his son would not be conspicuous even if he became the county king. And in the future, there will be one more powerful county king to take away the invisible pressure from their four princes.
