Luoyang, the eastern capital,
After Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty dug the Grand Canal, Luoyang has now become the core of the hub related to the world. Whoever can capture Luoyang will be able to expand in any direction.
It can be said that whether it is Yu Wenji, Li Shimin, or Li Mi, they all want to capture Luoyang.
The impact of the battle at Siming Mountain was actually extremely large.
The battle at Siming Mountain,
It's so tragic.
The Eighteenth Route Rebel King was basically slaughtered by Wang Ming. The remaining Wagang Army was also thanks to their fast running, otherwise they would still be in the cold in Siming Mountain.
The Eighteenth Route Rebel King was almost killed. Logically speaking, it should be more beneficial to the court and Wang Ming.
Just take over their territory and you can unite the world again.
pity,
At this time, the Li clan and the Yuwen clan, the four most powerful clans in the world, openly rebelled.
Although the Song clan did not raise a banner to rebel, the difference was not big.
The imperial court is powerful enough to deal with any of them, but it is definitely beyond its capabilities to resist the three forces at the same time.
So Wang Ming could only let the power of the Sui Dynasty shrink and cut off the strong men.
Avoid giving away experience to others.
Killing the Eighteenth Route Rebel King actually gave Li Shimin and the others an advantage.
This allowed them to receive a lot of property along the way, left behind by the dead Eighteenth Route Rebel Kings.
This made Li Shimin of the Li clan, Yu Wenji of the Yuwen clan, and Li Mi of the Wagang village extremely happy.
Excitedly collecting the forces left by the dead and alive Eighteenth Route Rebels in various places.
only,
They were not happy for long, and then they greeted the family of Sui Yang Emperor Yang Guang every day.
None of them expected it.
I didn’t expect that!
So cruel.
So absolutely.
Wang Ming gave up most of the world in one fell swoop, retaining only Luoyang and surrounding areas.
All other places have been abandoned.
And took away a lot of food and people.
To the population!
Wang Ming later ordered that ordinary people who were willing to come could bring them with them.
The method is also simple, and you will have food afterward.
then,
Most of the ordinary civilians followed the Sui army and evacuated.
The people who stay are basically not good people.
For example: bandits who gather in the mountains and forests, these people have lawsuits against them! Plus, I'm used to freedom and don't want to be restrained anymore.
There is also a group of people who have not chosen to leave.
That is the landlords and gentry.
They can't leave!
They couldn't leave either.
Because the place where they are is not just a hometown.
This is the result of their many generations of work.
Do you ask them to give up?
Are they so likely to give up?
How could you give up?
The land is their property, their life, and everything they have.
And they are confident.
These landlords and gentry had money, food, and a large number of servants and tenant farmers.
They are the local emperors of this place.
The truth these people believe in is: a strong dragon cannot overwhelm a local snake.
really,
After the imperial forces withdrew.
This creates a power vacuum.
Lost the control of the court and the constraints of the law.
This is simply tempting!
The temptation of Chi Luoluo!
then,
The fire of desire in the hearts of these landowners and gentry, who had no rebellious intentions and no great ambitions, was ignited.
Their ambitions were also ignited.
These landowners, gentry, and forest bandits all entered the government offices one after another.
I became the leader of somewhere, the local emperor there.
The Sui Dynasty was just laissez-faire and didn't care.
Basically I feel nothing.
Wang Ming was so focused on practicing that he didn’t even know about it.
People like Yang You, Dugu Sheng and Wang Shichong were very happy after hearing this.
Heard it as a joke.
but,
This would be a hardship for Li Clan King Qin Li Shimin who wanted to compete in the Central Plains, Yuwen Clan's Yu Wenhuaji, and Pushan Gong Li Mi of the Wagang Army.
It was also at this time that they really felt the terror of the local family's power.
At first, before the local families could react, they were swept away by Li Shimin and others.
But soon these local families reacted.
then,
They all evacuated the government offices and returned to their family territories.
When you come back, that's called a wicked person!
All the remaining people, food, and various materials in the entire place were swept away.
An empty city is left alone.
Li Shimin, Yu Wenhuaji, and Li Mi naturally couldn't bear this grievance.
So they attacked these families.
If you don’t fight, you won’t know.
As soon as I started, I discovered that the fortresses built by these landlords and gentry were easier than attacking the city, but they were very troublesome!
These fortresses were built by at least three generations of talent, and some of them have existed since the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Originally, when attacking a county, it was enough to occupy the county government office.
But now, there can be four or five aristocratic family fortresses in one county.
This greatly slowed down their progress in conquering the world.
actually,
It's easy to say that the aristocratic family that is stubbornly resisting can be defeated.
The most fearful thing is those who take the initiative to surrender.
If you surrender voluntarily, you can no longer kill him. Not only can you not kill him, but you can also not touch their property.
If you move, who will follow you?
Li Shimin and the others also had a headache.
If these people are not moved, there is basically no benefit in capturing a city.
There was not a single grain, gold, silver, or valuables left; they were all swept away by the aristocratic families.
The most important thing is that these unscrupulous local families have forced all the few people left to sign prostitution contracts.
People are also their property.
So whether it is Li Mi or Li Shimin, they are most afraid of surrendering now.
There are also some places where aristocratic families have begun to form alliances with each other.
besides,
There are also some new forces that have emerged. These forces are supported by Cihang Jingzhai, Yinkui Sect, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Anyway,
Now Li Mi, Li Shimin, Yu Wenhua and others are scolding Yang Guang every day.
It is simply a wicked thing, extremely wicked.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Luoyang, the eastern capital,
Luoyang is actually not monolithic.
Luoyang is now divided into three forces.
These three forces are: Imperial Power, Dugu Clan, and Wang Shichong.
right!
Wang Shichong is actually the largest force in Luoyang.
Wang Shichong, whose courtesy name is Xingman and whose original surname is Zhi, is a Hu from the Western Regions and lives in Xinfeng. His grandfather died young. His father's income was followed by his mother who remarried to the Wang family in Bacheng, so he changed his surname to Wang.
Wang Shichong dabbled extensively in classics and history, and was particularly interested in the art of war, divination, fortune-telling, and astronomical and calendar calculations.
The Dugu Clan's power in Luoyang is actually not strong.
Only the imperial guards of the imperial palace are under the command of Dugu Feng, and their strength is no more than five thousand.
Lang Feng and Song Mengqiu, who guarded the city, were both Wang Shichong's confidants. Wang Shichong had 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers and horses.
If he had not known how brutal the battle at Siming Mountain was, he would have directly rebelled to replace Yu Wenhuaji, kill the emperor, and take control of the government himself.
Wang Ming also had this consideration in giving up the territory around Luoyang.
As people from other places continued to gather towards Luoyang.
On the contrary, Wang Ming's strength changed from the weakest at the beginning to the strongest.
Suppressed Wang Shichong.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Luoshui divided the eastern capital city of Luoyang into two parts, the north and the south.
The imperial palace and imperial city are located in the northwest of the city; streets, squares, and markets are located in the south and east of the city.
Luoyang City's water conservancy is very developed. Not only can you reach the city by boat, but you can also reach anywhere in the city. In terms of the convenience of internal and external water and land transportation, no city in the world can be as good as Dongdu.
In addition to the Luoshui River running through it, there are also Dongxian River, Xigushui River, Beijin Canal, Nantongjin Canal, Tongji Canal, Yishui, Cao Canal, Daoqu, Chongjin Canal, Dan Canal, crisscrossing the streets and alleys. It is extremely convenient to connect cars and boats.
The city is at the end of Luoshui River, and in the northwest of the city is the magnificent Eastern Palace.
??The imperial palace is divided into two parts: the imperial city and the palace city.
??The imperial city is surrounded by the east, south and west sides of the palace city, and is in a "concave" shape. The north side is separated from the palace city by a city wall.
????????The walls of the imperial city are all double walls.
There are three levels on the north side, which further enhances its defensive capabilities.
There are four horizontal streets from east to west in the imperial city, intersecting with three straight roads from north to south. The central avenue is on the central axis. Government offices such as provinces, prefectures, temples, and eunuchs are arranged on both sides of the avenue. Like the moon, it is never far from the palace.
??To the north of the palace city, there are two more cities, Yaoyi and Yuanbi, which put the palace city under heavy siege. The tight defense is even better than the imperial city of Jiangdu.
Among these palaces is the Guande Hall.
Guande Hall was used by the emperor to summon officials and court meetings.
Sitting on the dragon chair at the top of Guande Hall is a handsome young man.
Although he looks delicate and frail, there is obviously a faint aura of superiority between his eyebrows.
This kind of momentum can only be born after years of cultivation.
This young man is Yang Yoo.
The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty.
at this time,
Yang You is handling government affairs in Guande Hall.
A few months ago, they came up with the idea of seeking foreign aid in this hall.
then,
Yang You sent out four groups of envoys to go to the Demon Sect, Tao Sect, Buddhism Sect and Confucian Sect respectively.
Find the talkers of these four forces.
Hope to get help.
Let them contribute their efforts to suppress the rebellion and dissatisfaction of all parties in the Sui Dynasty.
But,
After such a long time, no news was sent back, and Yang You was a little anxious.
Yang You said worriedly: "Dear members of the Qing family, it has been so long since I sent the envoy and I still haven't received a reply. I don't know what's going on."
Dugu Sheng straightened his robes and stood out of the queue. He said sternly to Yang You who was above him: "Your Highness Taisun, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Demonism are all some distance away from Luoyang. The mountains are high and the roads are far away. It is difficult to go back and forth." It’s a good time, but things are still not peaceful everywhere, and the news is not normal yet.”
Yu Shiji also stood up immediately and said with a smile: "Master Dugu is right. If you wait a little longer, the messenger will definitely bring back good news."
Yang You couldn't help but feel relieved after hearing this. I couldn't help but say in my heart: "Yes! There are rebels everywhere now, so it's normal to be delayed on the road."
But,
At this moment,
An untimely voice sounded, breaking the harmonious atmosphere in an instant.
The person speaking is not someone else.
It was Wang Shichong.
Wang Shichong looked respectful and humble. People who didn't know his character would think he was some kind of loyal minister.
Wang Shichong also tidied his clothes and walked out of the queue, saying loudly: "I think the envoy has not returned for a long time. It is probably not easy to ask for help."
Yang You looked at Wang Shichong who suddenly spoke below, and was a little wary of him at first. As soldiers and horses from all parties gathered in Luoyang, this wariness gradually disappeared.
Wang Shichong was a little arrogant at first, but Yang You didn't take him seriously.
After all, you are the most powerful in this city, and it may not be that simple for you to grovel.
Yang You showed a friendly smile and said gently: "What do Wang Qing's family have to say?"
Wang Shichong immediately said loudly: "Wei Chen thinks that going to these four gates for help is actually not a good idea."
Yang You, Dugu Sheng, and Yu Shiji were a little unhappy with Wang Shichong. Wasn't this trying to undermine them?
But none of them immediately refuted Wang Shichong's words. After all, Wang Shichong's power in Luoyang City was still number one no matter what.
Soldiers and horses from all directions gathered in Luoyang, but most of them were outside the city and in surrounding prefectures and counties.
Wang Shichong still needs to be given face.
Everyone only heard Wang Shichong say: "Although these four families are powerful and a force that cannot be ignored, they are not monolithic, and their mistakes are complicated.
For example: The Demon Sect is divided into two factions and six paths. There is only one Yinkui faction who is really capable of helping the court, and there are too few other powerful people.
The same goes for the Buddhist sect, whose power is even more dispersed than that of the demonic sect. A temple is a group
The Taoist sect is even more difficult. Everyone is pursuing immortality, and there are very few disciples. How can it help the court?
Although Confucianism is very influential, they have no substantial leadership.
Sui Weichen believes that asking for help from these four sects is unnecessary and is a waste of time. "
When the people in the court heard this, they couldn't help but nod, feeling that Wang Shichong's words still made sense.
Yang You couldn't help but fell into deep thought, thinking about whether there was something wrong with his decision to seek help from Simen.
Yu Shiji couldn't help it at this time, and said sarcastically: "Since Mr. Wang thinks that asking the four Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist and Demonic families for help is a gain, then I wonder if Mr. Wang has any wise ideas?"
Yu Shiji no longer wanted to give Wang Shichong face at this time, he just wanted to slap Wang Shichong in the face.
In fact, how could Yu Shiji not know that asking for help from the four gates was very difficult?
Not only him, but everyone in the dynasty knows this truth, but there is no law!
This is the only way I can think of.
Wang Shichong did not panic at all, and said in a very confident voice: "Wei Chen naturally has a way, otherwise Wei Chen would not stand up."
Yang You was a little confused when he heard the words, and immediately said: "Master Wang, please speak."
Wang Shichong smiled and said: "No matter whether it is Buddhism, Taoism, or Confucianism and Demonism, there are no soldiers and horses, so there is no point in inviting foreign aid. If you want to invite foreign aid, go to the Turks. The Turks not only have money and food, but also soldiers and horses." As long as they are willing to help, what do those rebels mean?"
