The Chi Road was built in the north, watermen were recruited from the south of the Yangtze River to the Huaihe River, 50,000 military chariots were built in the south of the Yangtze River, 300 seagoing ships were built in Donglai County, 100,000 war horses were recruited from the Taipu Temple, and the food from the four warehouses in Luoyang could only be brought in but not out. Everything indicates that the Sui Dynasty is planning a super war with the outside world.
The food supply in Guanzhong has been in short supply recently, food prices have soared, and the people are complaining endlessly.
Fortunately, the group of people from Southwest Daoxingtai have been in charge of Bashu for more than half a year. Various counties and counties sold their officials in exchange for a lot of money, and Yang Ming also asked Yang Gongren to exchange a lot of money from the local aristocratic families in Bashu in exchange for the scientific examination quota. They will all be exchanged for food locally to supply Guanzhong.
There is only one way to make money in peacetime, which is to pluck the hair from aristocratic families, but once the war starts, you can't do this.
Before a large-scale foreign war, domestic stability was first needed, so Luoyang issued an imperial edict to behead all bandits and bandits imprisoned in prisons at all levels in the Sui Dynasty, and their heads were hung on the city gates.
This method has the effect of shocking people's hearts and will make those wandering bandits in the green forest restrain themselves a little, and it will serve as a warning to others.
The Sui Dynasty's definition of banditry was very broad. It was not just strongmen who robbed houses, or gang-like organizations in counties, but also those who stole things. Stealing was stealing.
It is inevitable to use severe punishment in extraordinary times, otherwise there will be a war on the front line and a fire in the backyard. This is no joke.
For example, Yang Xuangan, he was the one who lit a fire behind Yang Guang's butt.
A few days after Su Lie got married, he returned to the East Palace to take up his post.
Yang Ming also called Wei Yunqi, Su Lie, Pei Xingyan, Liang Shidu, and Luo Yi to Cheng'en Hall.
There are all the officials from the East Palace in the palace.
Yang Ming was the first to speak: "Your Majesty has a decree. The five of you will go on an expedition with the Holy Master in the future. This expedition will be our battle for the Dingding in the Northeast of Sui Dynasty. You should do your best to serve the king."
Five people responded one after another.
Among the five people, four were recommended by Yang Ming. As for General Wei Yunqi, it was Yang Guang who wanted to use it.
Wei Yunqi conquered the Khitans back then and beat the Khitans to such a degree that they have not recovered yet, because Wei Yunqi kidnapped 40,000 Khitans and sent them to various places in the Sui Dynasty as slaves. How many Khitans were there in total? The total population is only six to seven hundred thousand, which is definitely a strain.
So after he came back, he was directly named a hussar general, and he was very popular with the emperor.
After Yang Ming asked the five people to sit down, he continued:
"Needless to say, General Wei, he is a man of great merit. His Majesty intends to put you in charge of the defense of Zhuo County. This is because he values you. Although His Majesty's expedition is still about a year and a half away, there are some things that need to be arranged as soon as possible. 伱I will leave Beijing tomorrow and go to Zhuojun to hand over the defense line with Yuan Hongsi, the governor of Zhuojun, to check the local situation and how to build the defense line. You can ask His Majesty to make a decision at that time to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Wei Yun nodded and said: "I will leave tomorrow. It's just that Yuan Hongsi has been running Zhuo County for a long time. If I want to take over the border defense in a short time, I might need someone's help."
Zhuo County is the former Fanyang County, the territory of the old Lu family. Wei Yunqi's words are hinting to Yang Ming, you have to make an agreement with the Lu family and let them help me.
Yuan Hongsi has been in charge of Zhuo County for a long time, and at least more than half of the local border guards are his people. It is not easy for Wei Yunqi, an outsider, to take over.
The Wei family is a big family, and the Yuan family is also a big family, so the Yuan family also has to say hello.
At this time, Yuan Wendu smiled and said: "General Wei, just don't worry. There is a letter from Yuyang County Duke (Yuan Hongsi) within the clan. He will fully cooperate with you. As for the Lu family, Lu Zhongshu will also make arrangements." It’s appropriate, and I hope General Wei can take over smoothly.”
Wei Yunqi was still worried and did not say a word, but looked at Yang Ming.
Yang Ming knew what he was thinking. As long as Yuan Hongsi did not leave, it would be difficult for Wei Yunqi to take over. After all, he was the prefect of Zhuo County, and all the civil servants and generals below only recognized him.
There is no room for two tigers in one mountain, and there is no room for two generals in one army. Wei Yunqi's concern is very necessary, because he cannot suppress Yuan Hongsi.
But it would be difficult for Yang Ming to replace a frontier governor.
"Let's do this. I'm going to ask your majesty to transfer Yuan Hongsi to Donglai County and be responsible for assisting Duke Rongguo in building warships. Duke Huaguo, Wei Baoluan, will take over as the prefect of Zhuojun. What do you think?"
Wei Yunqi immediately felt relieved, his tense face relaxed, and he smiled:
"The prince has a keen eye for fire and his judgment of the situation can be said to be sharp. I feel relieved in my humble position."
Wei Baoluan is the son of Wei Shou and the brother of the former Crown Princess Wei Ying. He used to be He Ruobi's right guard and was eliminated cleanly. Later, he and another general Zheng Yuanshou were raped by Yang Ming and are still idle.
Wei Baoluan and Wei Yunqi were our own people, so Wei Yunqi was of course relieved.
And he also knew that the prince could definitely convince his majesty to take over the defense after all. If he didn't replace the previous one, what would I do?
Next, Yang Ming looked at Su Lie and said with a smile:
"I recalled you after just four days of marriage. I'm afraid Pei Shu is resentful of Gu, right?"
The ministers burst into laughter.
Su Lie blushed and said, "No, no, no, no, national affairs are the most important thing. Zhuo Jing knows the general situation. In the past few days, he has often given instructions to his subordinates. This time, I will die to live up to the crown prince's cultivation."
Pei Xingyan immediately rolled his eyes, would my girl say that? Su Lie, have you learned how to lie to others?
Yang Ming smiled and said: "You and Shou Jing are now the long history of the Xiaoqi Army. Most of the Xiaoqi Army are children of Guanzhong, which is difficult to control. I will let Yang Qingzhi, the king of Xi, and Yang Xu, the third son of King Guan, hold the battle for you two, so that you can Good scheduling.”
Su and Pei stood up and accepted the order.
The main force of the Great Sui Dynasty were all the children of Guanzhong. The only people who could suppress the children of Guanzhong were the clan, especially the Xiaoqi Army. There were too many people with the surname Yang, many of whom were given the surname.
Being given a surname is a privilege, especially if it is given by a royal family, then you will be classified into the clan sect, and you will be considered a relative of the emperor.
The population of Lao Yang's family is declining, so giving a surname is a major means to maintain the family's fundamentals. If the lower level of the pyramid is stable, the upper level will be stable.
Yang Qingzhi is the eldest son of Yang Hong, the king of Hejian, and is currently the governor of Xingyang. He and Yang Xu do not know how to lead troops, but they have great restraint on the soldiers of the Qiaoqi Army.
For example, if there are soldiers in the Xiaoqi Army who violate the law and do not obey their orders, it will be difficult for Su Lie and Pei Xingyan to deal with them. But if Yang Qingzhi and Yang Xu deal with them, no one will dare to say anything. They are similar to political commissars and do ideological work. .
As for Liang Shidu and Luo Yi, they joined the army as clerks, and their ranks were very low. They were deputy generals next to the chief general. However, these two people started in the military government, had a network of connections, and were familiar with the military government's routines. Unspoken rules are easy to deal with.
Besides, their fathers are also pretty good, Liang Bi, the minister of punishment, and Luo Rong, the general of Zuojianmen.
Master Liang did not expect that the prince would suddenly use him, and he must have been flattered. He knew that the prince often went to Shengdaofang to meet beauties privately, and he happened to be in charge of that area. During that time, he was quite effective in regulating the public security in the square. The prince remembered him.
As everyone knows, Yang Ming uses him because he is famous in history.
"Everyone, please remember that Goguryeo invaded us during the Sui Dynasty and humiliated our country. Your Majesty raised the King of Justice to attack us. This is a righteous move for the sake of the country. It also eliminates hidden dangers on the northeastern frontier in order to bring peace to our north. You should prepare carefully and live up to our expectations. Holy grace.”
The five people came out one after another and said in unison: "The last general will remember the prince's teachings."
Yang Ming stood up and said: "After the meeting tomorrow, I will practice it for you."
Lai Huer was quite capable. He joined forces with Pei Ju, Yu Shiji, Yang Yue, and Yang Xuangan to argue with Yu Wenshu for several days at the Luoyang court meeting, and finally the five people requested by Yang Ming were put in.
Of course Yu Wenshu was extremely angry. I am the chief marching officer, and you have reached out to me from the capital?
But the emperor had already agreed, and it was useless for him to argue.
So he made an appointment with Zhongwen, Wei Xuan, Xue Shixiong and his brother-in-law Li Hun at home to discuss the matter.
"Tell me, what is this? The prince's arrangement will undoubtedly disrupt my plan. I can almost foresee that these five people will have problems in the future."
Yu Wenshu said angrily in the living room.
He was just pretending. When a person reaches his level, he has long been unable to express his emotions and anger. All facial expressions are just masks worn depending on the situation.
He had been planning a big defeat, and Yang Ming arranged for five people to come in, which undoubtedly gave him a good excuse for the big defeat.
So his first sentence was already laying the groundwork for the five people who would blame him in the future.
General Yu Zhongwen of Youtun Guard frowned and said: "It's not that serious. The positions of the five people arranged by the prince are not critical, and the five people are all outstanding young generals. They should not affect the dispatch of the army. Is Xu Guogong too Are you worrying too much?”
The general of Youtunwei was originally Yang Ming, but after Yang Ming became the prince, he no longer held the position. Yu Zhongwen, who was Yang Guang's confidant, was promoted from general to general, and now the two members of Youtunwei The two generals are Dugu Kai and Xin Shixiong.
Xin Shixiong was born in the Xin family in Longxi. He was the nephew of Xin Wei, the Duke of Su in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and also belonged to the Guanzhong Group.
Xue Shixiong also laughed and said: "Xu Guogong means that Pei Xingyan dares to disobey my instructions? He has the courage, but he doesn't have the ability."
The one who came to protect the children was General Youyiwei, but he was going to Donglai County, so Xue Shixiong and Yu Wenhuaji had the final say on Youyiwei at the moment, and Pei Xingyan, the Youyiwei Xiaoqi Chief Shi, belonged to him control.
Yu Wenshu shook his head and said: "You are thinking too simply. All levels of government, regiment, brigade, and team must obey the dispatch of the army. You all know that the prince is biased against me. He placed his confidant Su Lie in My subordinates, aren’t they spying on me?”
Wei Xuan, the minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the minister of the Wei Temple, laughed and said:
"How old is Su Lie? Duke Xu doesn't need to worry. On the contrary, I think this person is worth using. Just monitor him. There will be no problem with the prince's original intention. He just hopes that Su Lie can use this to gain military exploits. After all, the Pei family The matter is quite big, and now he is Pei Renji's son-in-law, so you should follow the prince's wishes and give him some power."
Yu Wenshu immediately sneered and said, "Even if I give it to him, he won't be able to hold it. How can a young boy like him control the Xiaoqi Army?"
"Don't look at the monk's face and look at the Buddha's face," Wei Xuan said, "Can the prince be able to control him?"
Yu Wenshu twitched the corner of his mouth and retorted speechlessly.
(End of chapter)
