At this time, Gao Huan also led his army into Luoyang. As soon as he entered Luoyang, Gao Huan raised his butcher knife and went on a killing spree, killing all the ministers who had opposed him. Later, he elected Yuan Dan, Prince of Qinghe, who defected to him from Emperor Xiaowu Yuan Xiu, as the Grand Sima to temporarily preside over the government. He himself led the army to advance westward, and did not stop until he captured Tongguan.
Along the way, while marching, Gao Huan wrote more than forty letters to Yuan Xiu, all with the same content: inviting him to return to Luoyang and continue to be emperor.
But Yuan Xiu ignored him, and every letter written by Gao Huan fell into the sea.
After staying in Tongguan for a full month, Gao Huan led his troops back to Luoyang. Gao Huan's move was not aimless, but he set up a stage for himself and sang a big show. He wanted to prove to the world that Yuan Xiu was not forced to leave by him, but left by himself, and that he had done all he could to Yuan Xiu. In this way, if he rejoices and establishes a new emperor, the people in the world will be less critical of him.
After returning to Luoyang, the first task before Gao Huan was to establish a new emperor. Originally, Gao Huan's chosen candidate was Yuan Dan. Since he was promoted to be the Grand Sima, there was nothing wrong with making him the emperor.
But Yuan Dan didn't know what was good and what was good. After becoming the Grand Sima, he thought that the throne was his. He acted like an emperor all day long, which made Gao Huan very dissatisfied and angrily excluded him from the selection of emperor. Instead, he made his son Yuan Shanjian emperor.
In October 534 AD, with the support of Gao Huan, the 11-year-old Yuan Shanjian officially ascended the throne as emperor, known as "Emperor Xiaojing" in history. This Wei state, which was actually controlled by Gao Huan and with Emperor Xiaojing as the puppet emperor, was generally called the "Eastern Wei" in history.
Gao Huan's new puppet emperor ascended the throne, and Yu Wentai also knew "etiquette" well and gave Gao Huan a "big gift". He led his army to regain Tongguan, conquered Luocheng, gave Gao Huan a slap in the face, and then happily returned to Chang'an with thousands of prisoners.
Yu Wentai, who had made great achievements, was granted the title of Prime Minister by Emperor Xiaowu Yuan Xiu. His status was further improved and he was one step closer to his ideal of hegemony.
In this counterattack, Yang Zhong also participated in it and contributed a lot. Because of his bravery and proficiency in battle, he was appointed General Anxi and Doctor Yinqing Guanglu.
The two official positions of General Anxi and Doctor Yinqing Guanglu are very important. Just as he originally expected, Yang Zhong relied on his bravery step by step to make contributions on the battlefield.
Just when Yang Zhong was on the rise in his military career, another bad luck was about to befall Yang Zhong. However, for Yang Zhong, this bad luck can be said to be "a misfortune and a blessing." After overcoming this difficulty, Yang Zhong's future can be said to be "a happy spring breeze and a horse's hoof disease".
Go forward bravely, Yang Zhong! When heaven is about to entrust a great responsibility to this person, he must first strain his mind, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body and skin, and deplete his body... A bright future is waving to you!
Facing Yuwentai's fierce counterattack, Gao Huan felt deeply worried. Luoyang was always too close to Chang'an and was not safe. After thinking about it, Gao Huan moved the capital from Luoyang to Yecheng.
In the Yecheng court, Gao Huan used the old method, letting his four trusted ministers Sima Ziru, Feng Longzhi, Gao Yue, and Sun Teng take charge of the government. He himself led the army back to Jinyang and commanded remotely from Jinyang.
For those princes who hold military and political power, Gao Huan is not as kind as before. There is only one way for them to die. In the Eastern Wei Dynasty, he could only have one master, Gao Huan.
The first person to bear the brunt was He Basheng from Jingzhou.
At this time, He Basheng heard that Emperor Xiaowu had fled to Chang'an, so he led his army westward, preparing to go to Guanzhong, join Yuwentai, and work with him to deal with Gao Huan under the banner of "Emperor Xiaowu".
But halfway through, he hesitated again. Going to Chang'an is equivalent to working as a subordinate to Yuwentai, a former junior, which makes him, an old senior, a little hard to accept.
Just when he was hesitant and in a dilemma, Gao Huan sent Hou Jing to lead his army to take advantage of the situation, captured Nanyang, the capital of Jingzhou, and stole He Basheng's hometown.
How could He Basheng sit idly by and immediately led his army to return for reinforcements, but was beaten by Hou Jing and almost completely wiped out his army. With no way to go, He Basheng had no choice but to take hundreds of defeated soldiers southward to Nanliang.
Next, Gao Huan targeted Fan Zihu, the governor of Yanzhou in Shandong, and Hou Yuan, the governor of Jezhou (today's Qingcheng City, Shandong Province). The two of them were Er Zhurong's generals at the time, and they had always been obedient to Gao Huan. Under Gao Huan's attack, one of them was defeated and killed, the other was killed on the way to Nanliang, and his head was sent to Yecheng.
At this point, all the territory of the Eastern Wei Dynasty was firmly in Gao Huan's hands, and no one could oppose him anymore.
Compared to Gao Huan's complete control of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Yuwentai was not so lucky.
Yuan Xiu is still unwilling to be just a puppet emperor. He used to constantly add trouble to Gao Huan, but now he keeps adding trouble to Yuwentai, which makes Yuwentai quite angry. Compared with Gao Huan, Yu Wentai's attitude towards Yuan Xiu was tougher and his methods were more intense. A glass of poisonous wine made him the "first emperor".
Hu Sichun, Wang Sizheng and other ministers who followed Yuan Xiu to Chang'an saw that Yuan Xiu was poisoned and Yu Wentai took full control of the government. They also changed their previous opinions and joined Yu Wentai.
It's easier to say about the others, mainly Hu Sichun and Wang Sizheng. If they are willing to join forces, Yu Wentai must be willing to accept them! One is a duplicitous speculator, and the other is a confidant of the former Emperor Xiaowu Yuanxiu. It is strange that Yu Wentai can believe them!
Also unable to gain trust, Hu Sichun and Wang Sizheng made completely different choices.
Hu Sichun was depressed and anxious all day long, fearing that Yu Wentai would pursue his old debts, and his health became worse day by day. Soon after, he died of illness.
Yu Wentai was very polite to him and named him Shizhong, Da Sima, Lu Shangshu Shi, Thirty States Military, Hengzhou Governor, Changshan County King, and his posthumous title Wenxuan.
As for Wang Sizheng, he chose to use practical actions to win Yuwentai's trust and successfully joined Yuwentai's staff.
At a banquet held by Yu Wentai, in order to add to the fun, Yu Wentai suggested that the people attending the banquet play acanthus. Aipu is an ancient gambling method similar to throwing dice. If the roll is all black, it is called "Lu". This is the highest lottery, but it is also very difficult.
Everyone threw the ball one by one in order, but unfortunately no one threw "Lu".
When it was Wang Sizheng's turn, he first expressed his allegiance to Yu Wentai impassionedly, and then swore a poisonous oath, saying that if he couldn't throw "Lu", he would commit suicide to thank the world. Then, Wang Sizheng pulled out his saber, placed it across his knees, grabbed a handful of cattails, and threw an all-black "Lu".
Everyone present at the meeting was stunned, and when they realized their reaction, they cheered loudly.
Yu Wentai walked up to Wang Sizheng and believed in Wang Sizheng's loyalty in the most direct way - hugging Wang Sizheng tightly.
If Yuan Xiu dies, who will be the next emperor?
On Yuwentai's recommendation, Yuan Xiu's cousin Yuan Baoju, King of Nanyang, ascended to the throne of emperor.
In the first month of 535 AD, Yuan Baoju ascended the throne in Chang'an, and was known as "Emperor Wen of the Western Wei Dynasty" in history, and his reign name was changed to Datong. The Wei State, with Yu Wentai actually in charge and Yuan Baoju as the puppet emperor, was the "Western Wei".
At this point, the Northern Wei, the first dynasty of the Northern Dynasty 148 years after its founding, was officially declared destroyed, and the northern land entered a new era in which the "Western Wei" and the "Eastern Wei" coexisted.
Facts have proved that Yuwentai's choice was very correct.
Yuan Baoju is a sensible person, and he knows very well that he is positioned as a puppet emperor. As soon as he ascended to the throne of the emperor, he promoted Yuwentai's official position, and named Yuwentai the governor of the Chinese and foreign armies, Lu Shangshushi, and Daxingtai. He changed his title to the governor of Anding, and handed over all the military and political power of the Western Wei Dynasty to Yuwen. Thai.
From then on, Yuan Baoju became the "little fanboy" following Yu Wentai. What Yuwentai agrees with is what he agrees with; what Yuwentai opposes is what he opposes. He was anxious about everything Yu Wentai wanted and thought about what Yu Wentai thought, and became a model puppet.
After solving the internal stability problem, Yuwentai turned his attention to Jingzhou.
Jingzhou had just been captured by the Eastern Wei Dynasty. The defense was weak and the people were unstable. It was a good time to attack. Yuwentai appointed Duguxin as Shangshu Youpuse, Southeast Daoxingtai and Jingzhou governor, and led the army with General Yang Zhong of Anxi and other generals. Recover Jingzhou.
Duguxin has been an official in Jingzhou for many years and has high prestige in Jingzhou. When the people saw him coming with his army, they responded one after another. With the support of the people of Jingzhou, Duguxin was able to advance triumphantly, winning consecutive battles and capturing the entire Jingzhou. Even Rangcheng (now Dengzhou, Henan) occupied by Xin Zhuan, the governor of Jingzhou in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, was captured by Yang Zhong, Kang Luoer and Yuan Changsheng, the pioneers under Duguxin's command. Xin Zhuan was captured and killed on the spot.
The good times did not last long. Half a year later, Gao Huan sent generals Hou Jing and Gao Aocao to lead an army to take Jingzhou back. Duguxin and Yang Zhong were defeated, and seeing that their way back to the Western Wei Dynasty was cut off, they had no choice but to follow He Basheng's footsteps and go south to Nanliang.
Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, Xiao Yan, attached great importance to the generals returning from the Northern Dynasties, and gave He Basheng, Duguxin, and Yang Zhong very generous treatment. They were given official titles, gold, silver, and silk, and they were given whatever they asked for.
Seeing that Xiao Yan treated them so favorably, the three of them stayed in Nanliang. However, the three of them still miss their homeland very much and never want to return north.
At this time, a protracted drought struck the land of the Western Wei Dynasty. The grain harvest in the Western Wei Dynasty was poor, seven out of ten died, and the people were miserable.
For Yu Wentai, this drought is a huge disaster; but for Gao Huan, this drought is a huge opportunity.
After more than two years of careful preparation, in the first month of 537 AD, Gao Huan commanded the Eastern Wei army to divide into three groups and began the conquest of the Western Wei Dynasty.
The fierce general Gao Aocao was the commander of the southern route, starting from Jingzhou and marching to Shangluo (today's Shangluo, Shaanxi Province), with the troops pointing directly at Lantian Pass, the southeastern gateway of Chang'an;
In the middle route, Gao Huan's brother-in-law, the brave general Dou Tai, set out from Yecheng and attacked Tongguan along the Xuhan Ancient Road;
The North Road was personally commanded by Gao Huan. It started from Jinyang and stationed troops in Puban (now Yongji, Shanxi). It built a pontoon bridge and planned to cross the Yellow River at any time and attack Chang'an.
On the Western Wei side, Yuwentai, who was stationed in Guangyang (today's Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province), heard the news of the large-scale invasion by the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and immediately summoned the generals to hold a combat meeting to study how to respond.
The enemy was in front of him, and all the generals and the generals in the congregation were frowning and worried, but Yu Wentai's face was calm, as usual.
He analyzed: "There is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ours. Our army does not have many troops. If we divide our troops to resist, the already small number of troops will be even more stretched. This will easily allow the Eastern Wei Dynasty to defeat each other."
In my opinion, Gao Huan seemed to have great momentum in Puban, but he did not make the next move. He was obviously just suspecting troops along the way; Gao Aocao's journey was difficult due to the high mountains and dangerous roads, so he just deflected the troops along the way; the real main direction of attack should be Tongguan is what Dou Taibingfeng refers to.
Since Gao Huan raised his army, Dou Tai must be the vanguard in every battle, and Dou Tai has won many battles. Most of his troops are arrogant and fierce, so they will definitely not take us seriously. If we concentrate all our efforts on attacking Dou Tai, we will definitely succeed! "
Only a few people agreed with Yuwentai's suggestion, while most of the generals opposed it. They believed that it was a huge gamble, and once the gamble failed, the consequences would be disastrous. Dividing your forces to resist is the safest way.
However, Yu Wentai still insisted on his opinion. Seeing that he could not convince the generals for a while and the situation was very tense, he decided to put aside the dispute for the time being and return to Chang'an.
So Yu Wentai led 6,000 main cavalry back to Chang'an at starry night. He wanted to consult Yu Wenshen, the doctor of direct affairs.
Yu Wenshen is Yu Wentai's nephew and is known for his resourcefulness. Yu Wentai often praises him and says, "You are the Chen Ping of my family."
Yu Wenshen is good at analyzing psychology and looks at problems from a different perspective than Yu Wentai, but he reaches the same conclusion as Yu Wentai. He said to Yu Wentai: "Gao Aocao is just a partial enemy, don't worry too much. Dou Tai has an impatient personality, is brave and resolute. If our army abandons Dou Tai and uses all his strength to deal with Gao Huan, he will definitely support Gao Huan with all his strength after he captures Tongguan." Huan, our army will fall into a situation of being attacked from both sides.
Gao Huan is cautious and very suspicious by nature. If our army surprises Dou Tai by surprise, Gao Huan's character will not support Dou Tai until he gets specific information.
Dou Tai is Gao Huan's general. If Dou Tai suffers setbacks along the way, Gao Huan will definitely retreat without a fight. "
Yuwentai nodded repeatedly after hearing this, already having a good idea of what to do next.
The decision was made, Yuwen Taiming sent someone to send out news that he would retreat to Longyou, but in fact he had quietly led the main force of the Western Wei army to the east. Soon, the main force of the Western Wei army arrived at Xiaoguan (today's east of Tongguan, Shaanxi) and launched a surprise attack on Dou Tai's headquarters.
Dou Tai was caught off guard by the Western Wei army's surprise attack. Before he could react, the Eastern Wei army under his command had been divided into several sections by the Western Wei army and became a lamb to be slaughtered.
One side came prepared, and the other was unprepared. The result can be imagined. Dou Tai's tens of thousands of elite troops were almost completely wiped out, and only a few people were able to escape. Dou Tai was surrounded by the Western Wei army and was unwilling to be captured. He had no choice but to draw his sword and kill himself on the battlefield.
After dealing with Dou Tai, Yuwentai sent Dou Tai's head to Chang'an to report his victory, and then led his army to Puban to attack Gao Huan.
Dou Tai, Gao Aocao and Hou Jing are also known as the "Three Famous Generals of the Eastern Wei Dynasty". Compared with the other two, Dou Tai, who is Gao Huan's brother-in-law, is more trusted by Gao Huan. In this battle against the Western Wei Dynasty, Gao Huan wanted to use Dou Tai as the main force to defeat the Western Wei Dynasty. Now with the death of Dou Tai, tens of thousands of elites in the middle have been wiped out, and the battle plan against the Western Wei Dynasty has been in vain. Moreover, Dou Tai's death in battle was a huge blow to Gao Huan and the Eastern Wei Army.
The heartbroken Gao Huan no longer had the intention to continue fighting, so he withdrew his troops and returned to Jinyang in an attempt to preserve his strength and prepare to fight again in the future. Gao Aocao also led his army to retreat under Gao Huan's order.
This battle ended with the Western Wei's great victory. This was the famous "Battle of Xiaoguan" in history.
