Bei County, this county is full of large mansions, because it is the hometown of the Bohai Gao family.
There are many fortresses scattered around the county, which are like small cities. There are a large number of private armies inside, and they have all the weapons owned by the military government.
This phenomenon was very common in the Sui Dynasty. It mainly originated from the beginning of the Eight Kings Rebellion at the end of the Jin Dynasty. Wuhu disrupted China and the world was in chaos. Aristocratic families built fortresses to protect themselves.
Therefore, any family that is somewhat famous will have fortifications such as earth and stone forts at home.
As major families gradually accumulated sufficient armed forces in troubled times, the clans entered their heyday, occupying large amounts of land and dependent populations, farms and mountains, dominating the local economy, and occupying a dominant position at the national political level. This phenomenon, The Sui and Tang Dynasties were the most popular.
This was the first time Zhang Xutuo saw Gao Xi, and he felt excited and shy about meeting an idol.
The rebels on the border between Shandong and Hebei had been beaten to pieces, and the remaining troops were pursuing them. Zhang Xutuo took advantage of this opportunity and came to Bo County to visit Gao Xi.
With the support of his third son, Gao Biaoren, Gao Xi sat down on a chair, covered his legs with a blanket, and then asked his servants to open the doors and windows to let in some air.
"I'm old and can't stand a little wind. I used to close the doors and windows tightly, which made the air in the house turbid, which made you both laugh."
Yu Juluo said quickly: "What are you talking about, sir? We are both juniors. I am truly lucky to be able to listen to your teachings. To be able to sit here today is what I have been waiting for my whole life."
He was already a senior official, and he still had the title of Duke of Gaotang County, but in front of Gao Xi, he was no different from an ordinary general.
Yu Juluo followed Yang Guang south to destroy Chen. He had met Gao Xi, but he had never interacted with him because the identity gap was too big.
At that time, he was just a small general manager, while Gao Xi was the marshal Chang Shi of an army of 500,000, and the real commander-in-chief of the Sui Dynasty's battle to destroy Chen Dynasty.
Zhang Xutuo also smiled and said: "I came here this time because I am worried about your old health. I am worried about your humble position. Although I know that the rebellion is still pending and it is not appropriate to leave without permission, I still can't help but come."
Gao Xi smiled and motioned to his son Gao Biaoren to add tea to the two of them. They both stood up at the same time to show courtesy.
If Yang Yong were not on stage, Gao Biaoren's status would not be comparable to that of the two of them. He used to be the Duke of Bohai County, because his daughter-in-law is Yang Yong's daughter Princess Daning, but now she is a commoner.
"Wang Bo must die. This man is good at deceiving people with his evil words and has many followers. Have you sent any pursuers?" Gao Xi asked.
Yu Juluo nodded: "Gao Kaidao from your clan has led five hundred people to chase him. I believe there will be results soon."
Gao Xi nodded: "I am seriously ill and cannot be in charge. I leave the affairs of Hebei and Shandong to you. Don't be careless. The current chaos in the two places is just the beginning of a fire. Once someone adds more wood, the fire will only burn." The fever is getting worse and worse, but we still have to put the priority on appeasing the people.”
"Don't worry, Mr. Qi, we must be cautious and don't dare to be careless," Yu Juluo nodded.
Zhang Xutuo expanded the topic and said: "In the direction of Liaodong, everything seems to be going well. Liaodong City and Wuliluo City have been captured successively. Fuyu City is said to be coming soon. Xu Guogong's main force has gone south to break through. Pyongyang is only a matter of two or three months. By then my army will return south, and the chaos in Hebei and Shandong will naturally be resolved."
Gao Xi said with a smile: "Goguryeo is not that easy to fight. I and Yang Liang went on an expedition to Liaodong. Although they were defeated by the weather, I could still see the strong defenses and the strength of Goguryeo's military equipment. If it weren't for the prince, Liaodong’s refined weapons and Li Jing’s improvised tactics cannot be defeated.”
Yu Juluo nodded and said: "I've heard about the humble position. Although Tu Wanxu advanced frivolously, he also made mistakes and created a good opportunity for Li Jing to attack the city. Speaking of which, there was indeed some luck in winning Liaodong."
"So Qi Gong thinks, when can our army break through Pyongyang?" Zhang Xutuo asked.
Gao Xi pondered for a moment and said calmly: "The key lies in Yalu River and Sa River. These two places are mostly plains, which is conducive to Goguryeo's heavy cavalry operations. If the breakthrough is successful, Yu Wenshu can join forces with Lai Hu'er to attack Pyongyang. If things don’t go well, we need to withdraw our troops early, otherwise the water level in the coastal road will rise, and our army’s retreat will be cut off, and we may be in danger of being surrounded.”
Zhang Xutuo said doubtfully: "I have the advantage of armor and numerical superiority. Even if the attack on Pyongyang is frustrated, I won't withdraw my troops, right? There are still more than 400,000 troops in Liaodong City."
Gao Xi shook his head: "Your Majesty is going on an expedition with millions of people. Looking at the famous generals in ancient and modern times, who can command such a large army? The soldiers are better, not more. This is why only thirty people can really penetrate into the hinterland of Fan State. Fifty thousand, there are too many people, it is difficult to manage. Yu Wenshu is a talented general, but he is far inferior to Yang Su, Shi Wansui, He Ruobi, and Han Qinhu. These four people lead the army, and there are more than twenty Ten thousand, a small one is more than ten thousand. How can Yuwen Shu be so virtuous and able to control 350,000 soldiers and horses? He does not have this ability."
Gao Xi sat up straight and continued: "Once an army of 300,000 is defeated, its morale will inevitably be damaged. If it cannot be comforted in time, it may lead to a collapse. Yang Suruo is here, and he may have the ability to turn the tide. Yu Wenshu, he It’s really not possible, and it doesn’t have the prestige.”
Zhang Xutuo nodded: "Duan Wen Zhen in the north, Wei Xuan in the east, Li Jing in the west, plus Yu Zhongwen, with Xu Guogong's prestige in the army, it seems that it is really difficult to control."
Yu Juluo laughed at the side and said: "Forget about these people, Cui Hongsheng, Xue Shixiong, and Zhang Jin don't buy his account. Xu Guogong seems to have not been on many expeditions since he defeated Chen, and he is really prosperous in the court. The water has risen, but in the end, the army is still lagging behind."
In history, Yuwenshu also defeated Tuyuhun, but in this life, Tuyuhun was destroyed by Yang Ming. Therefore, although Yuwenshu, who had always been the emperor's favorite, had strong power in the government and the opposition, the military did not buy his account.
But Yang Su was different. Yang Su had been leading troops on expeditions since the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and he had been fighting for nearly thirty years until he followed Yang Ming to put down the rebellion of the King of Han.
For thirty years, even if you have been defeated, the control of the military is also very terrible.
In other words, half of the famous generals of the Sui Dynasty were out of Yue Gong.
Yang, Shi, He Ruo, and Han were the only four who entered the Martial Temple in the Sui Dynasty. Among them, Yang Su was the most popular, and the other three were almost the same. After all, Yang Su always commanded large corps in battles. Shi and He Ruo , Han, rarely have this opportunity.
Gao Xi was defined as a civil servant by history books because his contribution to state affairs far outweighed his military exploits.
Gao Xi smiled and said: "If this expedition were to be carried out by the prince, I would not be pessimistic at all. Sutuo is Shi Wansui's old subordinate, and Shi Wansui is the prince's teacher. You will still have to burn the prince's stove from now on."
Zhang Xutuo subconsciously glanced at Yu Juluo and found that the other party was also looking at him, so he smiled and said nothing.
Shi Wansui had already greeted him. If he had the opportunity to go to Beijing in the future, he would definitely go to the East Palace to meet the prince and establish the identity of master and servant.
But he couldn't answer Dugu Gong's words in front of Yu Juluo, because Yu Juluo was the emperor's man.
In fact, Yu Juluo didn't care, because Dugu Gong could give Zhang Xutuo such instructions in front of him, which showed that Dugu Gong was open-minded and did not treat him as an outsider.
Besides, doesn’t he want to curry favor with the prince? He is the prince, if you don't flatter him now, it will be too late in the future.
The two of them came to see Gao Xi today. In fact, they came with a learning attitude. A small witch can see a big witch. It is not easy for them to have the opportunity to deal with others. Don't they have to cherish it?
In the past, if you wanted to sit down and have a deep conversation with someone, you were not qualified.
Yu Juluo said: "Beizhi made His Majesty unhappy because of his younger brother Yuzan's incident, and it is still irreparable. You have been serving His Majesty for a long time. Do you think the future of Beizhi will be difficult?"
His younger brother Yuzan was originally Yang Guang's absolute confidant, but after entering the palace, he was too domineering and angered Yang Xiong, so he was sentenced to death by Yang Guang.
Because of this, Yu Juluo was also convicted.
This is the case in the Sui Dynasty. If one person makes a mistake, someone will always be implicated, but if the implication is not too wide, then it will be immediate family members.
You are the elder brother and it is your fault for not taking good care of your younger brother. Yu Juluo's crime at that time was that the family tradition was not strict.
In fact, this is a way for the emperor to manipulate his ministers. It stands to reason that Yuzan's crime has something to do with Yuguluo, but I am going to get you involved and convict you.
People who have sinned will naturally have a thought: How to eliminate sin?
How else can it be eliminated? Loyal to the king.
So sometimes, loyal ministers are hammered out.
Gao Xi has been in officialdom for decades, serving two generations of kings and one powerful queen. Still doesn’t understand this truth? So he smiled and said:
"Do things well and satisfy His Majesty, and the road will be easy. Isn't Hebei an opportunity now? Don't wait for His Majesty to teach you how to suppress rebellion. Think before His Majesty in everything. Everything can be done. If you do it well, there will be more and more things entrusted to you to do in the future, and won’t the road get longer and longer?”
Yu Juluo smiled and said: "The teachings given by the Lord are simple and easy to understand, but I am afraid that Your Majesty has already been prejudiced against me."
He knew Yang Guang well and knew that Yang Guang was a narrow-minded person and very vindictive.
When his younger brother Yuzan committed a crime, he refused to accept the punishment and felt that the punishment was too severe, so he was kicked by Yang Guang.
Gao Xi couldn't help but smile and said: "It's not something you and I can guess about the king's heart. You can't tell whether he has any prejudices. As a minister, he knows how to fulfill his duties and do what he should do. The chaos in Hebei If you can handle it well, the prince will help pave the way for you."
Yu Juluo was stunned, knowing that Gao Xi was hinting to him that he had better burn the prince's stove.
But he has no chance to get involved with the prince. Who is his acquaintance in the East Palace? It doesn’t seem like there is. There are a bunch of young people over there.
Um? No, there is someone who can help.
He once followed Yang Suping to rebel against Jiangnan and wiped out the rebel Gao Zhizhi. Therefore, he had a close relationship with Yang Yue. He might be able to entrust Yang Yue to introduce him to him.
Spend some money, Yang Yue, this old boy, if you don't spend money, he won't do anything for you.
On the other hand, as long as the money is available, there is nothing that cannot be done.
A person must be trustworthy, and Yang Yue is very honest in this regard. He deserves to be rich. (End of chapter)
