The early appearance of an important crop, cotton, did not change the ten-year historical trend of Daye. Emperor Sui Yang, who worked hard to perform tricks to kill the Daquan, ignored the exhaustion of the people and frequent civil upheavals, and brazenly announced on the third day of February that he was going to launch the third personal conquest of Goguryeo. , asked civil and military officials to discuss the matter of entering the army, and then for several days, no one in the court dared to say a word, until Emperor Sui Yang was furious and threatened that those who remained silent would be executed, and all civil and military officials reluctantly opened their mouths to support Emperor Sui Yang. In the third personal expedition, following the wishes of Emperor Sui Yang, he formulated a conquest plan to mobilize the whole country's troops and horses to go north. Ever since, on February 20th, Emperor Sui Yang issued an edict without hesitation to conscript the national army to participate in the war.
The news spread, and the world was shaken. The soldiers of the Sui Army who were transferred to the war were afraid that they would go to Liaodong to die in vain. They fled the army and went into exile. Dingnan people who could not endure hard labor fled more frequently. From east to west, from south to north, from one hundred and ninety counties to one thousand two hundred and fifty-five counties in the Sui Dynasty, they sang the song "Death in the Waves of No Direction in Liaodong" almost everywhere. !
Like the previous two conquests against Goguryeo, Emperor Sui Yang's decision immediately triggered a new round of large-scale civil uprisings. The overwhelmed peasants rose up one after another, raised the flag of righteousness to rebel against the Sui Dynasty, and the world was full of wars, especially when the civil uprisings were serious. In the Qingxu area of the disaster area, there are so many bandits big and small. The uprising team is like a crucian carp crossing the river. Countless careerists and conspirators took the opportunity to make waves. Running around, suppressing everywhere, but still pressing the gourd and floating the gourd, taking care of one thing and losing another, it is impossible to curb the momentum of the spread of thieves.
This happened even in Qiao County, where the money and food situation was relatively good. Some people in Chengfu County raised their flags to rebel in the Jiangjunling area south of Chengfu because they were afraid of serving in Liaodong, and tried to contact the bandit leader in the neighboring county. Fortunately, Chen Yingliang responded in a timely manner. After receiving the news, he immediately dispatched Ma Sanbao to lead four regiments to the south to fight against the rebel army. The time and opportunity for the civil uprising to expand, but in the seven counties of Qiao County, there are still many soldiers and civilians who fled.
Thanks to Chen Yingliang's boss, Qiaojun prefect Xu Minlian, who is a relatively reliable official, his daily raids are not too vicious, and he more or less left a way for the common people to survive. The number of civilian husbands transferred was used as a bait of 80 acres of average land, and five regiments of government soldiers were added. Captain Fang Kuang led the government soldiers to escort the civilian husbands to the north, and it took a lot of effort to complete the task. Temporarily satisfying Emperor Sui Yang's appetite for a bottomless pit, it also temporarily restored tranquility in Qiao County. However, during the period, there were still many twists and turns, and many people were killed. Because many soldiers and people fled, no one cultivated the fields that had just been planted. It was also abandoned in large numbers, and it was a foregone conclusion that the income from money, grain, taxation and taxes would drop sharply after autumn.
Qiao County is a small county, and Xu Minlian, who is gentle and gentle, handles the civil affairs, and shows some mercy to the common people. There is also a famous executioner like Chen Yingliang, who is merciless to civil uprisings and thieves, and immediately suppresses them with iron fists , but barely guaranteed peace in the county, and did not allow large-scale civil uprisings to occur in the territory. The situation is relatively good, but the neighboring counties bordering Qiao County are not good. Bian uprisings came one after another, and the local government was overwhelmed and unable to cope.
The most serious situation is Pengcheng County. Although Pengcheng has far more soldiers and horses under Dong Chun's command than Chen Yingliang, and is also more experienced and better than the new army in Qiao County, Pengcheng County is already big, and it also has General Zuo Xiaowei. Dong Chun had to take care of the nearby counties of Langya, Xiapi, and Donghai, and the more than ten thousand troops under his command were destined to be insufficient to support him. Taking advantage of the opportunity that his main force was still restrained by Peng Xiaocai in the territory of Langya, not only was he just created by Chen Yingliang The famous Du Fuwei took the opportunity to re-strengthen his team in Xiapi, and Zhang Dahu and Zong Shimo, the two thieves who left their names in the history books, also took the opportunity to plunder the northern part of Pengcheng, and Dong Chun, who was fighting guerrillas with Peng Xiaocai in the Yimeng Mountains, was attacked by the enemy. He was so embarrassed that he had to let Peng Xiaocai go back to his teacher to settle accounts with Zhang Dahu.
On the Ruyin side in the south, with the help of Emperor Sui Yang, a master of death, the former Ruyin villain Wang Erhei took the opportunity to recruit exiled civilian soldiers. Fortunately, Wang Erhei also knew that Chen Yingliang was difficult to provoke, so he didn't dare to cross Jiangjunling to cause trouble for Chen Yingliang, so he chose to go south to attack Yingshang, Xiacai and other relatively rich places. After defeating Wang Erhei, but due to lack of troops, he was still unable to wipe out the thief. At the same time, a thief named Fang Xianbo appeared in the northernmost area of Yingyang. The five Yin counties are in a state of ups and downs, and the chickens and dogs are restless.
The situation in the north is equally bad. Several thieves such as Wang Dangren, Zhou Wenju, and Li Gongyi suddenly appeared in the north of Liangjun. The famous Wang Bodang in history also called out the prince General, would you rather be kind? ! Fortunately, the locations where they raised their flags and rebelled were all on the border between Liang County and Jiyin County, which was relatively far away from Qiao County, and they would not be able to threaten the safety of Qiao County for a while. —By the way, the current Governor of Liang County is none other than Yang Wang, the former Guozijian Jijiu and Yang Yuhuan's great-grandfather who had a few encounters with Chen Yingliang.
The situation in Huaiyang County due to the west is better, but it is not much better there. Also because Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty forced the three conquests of Goguryeo, there were also frequent civil upheavals and rebellions in the territory. It is said that some people killed the escort. The official messengers who went north to Liaodong coerced more than 200 civilians to rebel with flags, and their crimes were quite serious. Fortunately, the scale of these civil uprisings and uprisings is not large enough, and they will not threaten the safety of Qiao County for the time being.
In such a harsh environment, no matter how independent the seven counties of Qiaojun are, Chen Yingliang, the general guard of Qiaojun, is still worried about it. People scout the surrounding movement, and always guard against all rogue teams that may flee to Qiao County, so as not to be negligent and ruin their hard-won reputation as a capable minister for calming chaos.
At the same time, letters of help from neighbors began to be sent to Chen Yingliang one after another. When their own strength could not completely quell the rebellion, Fu Yong and Yang Wang both sent letters of help, inviting Chen Yingliang to send troops to help him put down the rebellion. Gao's Dong Chun also let go of his arrogance, and took the initiative to send envoys to contact Chen Yingliang, hoping that Chen Yingliang would send troops to help sweep up the southern part of Pengcheng where his troops were empty, so as not to give a big chance to the mobilization team there, and take precautions against Du Fu by the way. Wei went west again.
The request for help came as he wished, and they all agreed to provide him with military rations, but Chen Yingliang didn't dare to move, because Chen Yingliang didn't have many cards to play now, and Du Fuwei and Zhang Dahu, two big thieves, were also in Chen Yingliang's lair. Fleeing around the city, it is possible to attack in the direction of Yongcheng at any time, but patiently wait for the opportunity to appear, and then consider how to send troops.
Chen Yingliang had an opportunity to wait. In mid-April, the eyeliners sent by Chen Yingliang reported back one after another, saying that Dong Chun's main force had already returned to Teng County, and they were carrying the newly rising thieves Zhang Dahu and Zong Shimo head-on. At the same time, Du Fuwei's main force also rushed eastward into Donghai County, to fight for food with Zhao Pozhen, the big thief who was rampant in that area. He would not be able to turn around and harass Qiao County for a while, Chen Yingliang was relieved, and then began Discuss with Changsun Wuji and others how to send troops to help neighbors put down the rebellion.
It was also a coincidence that just when Chen Yingliang, Changsun Wuji and others were discussing to send troops, Zhao Tuo, the prefect of Huaiyang County, also sent a letter asking for help, asking Chen Yingliang to send troops to Huaiyang to deal with the rebels who had risen in Dan County team. The eldest grandson Wuji first read Zhao Tuo's letter of pleading for help, and immediately smiled, saying: "Brother, you must have relatives in Huaiyang, right? How can the two new thieves in Huaiyang be with you?" similar name?"
"It's similar to my name? What's it called?" Chen Yingliang asked in shock.
"One is called Chen Yingshang and the other is called Chen Yingjue. They are two brothers." Changsun Wuji replied with a smile: "Zhao Tuo said in the letter that he has found out that these two thieves are brothers. Last time It was the two brothers who killed the officials and coerced the peasants into rebellion. There was also Liu Zhiyuan, a poor schoolteacher by the Caishui River, in their team. It was Liu Zhiyuan who was able to grow the team to more than 3,000 people in just over a month."
"Chen Yingshang? Chen Yingjue?" Chen Yingliang was a little surprised, and hurriedly asked for the letter from Changsun Wuji. After carefully reading the letter, he saw that these two names were indeed on the letter, and he couldn't help laughing: "It really is these two names. , These two thieves, are they really of the same clan as me? Okay, if they are willing to surrender in the future, for the sake of their names, I can consider to spare their lives."
Changsun Wuji laughed, and even said that the names of these two thieves were well chosen, at least when they met Chen Yingliang, they could rely on their names in exchange for their lives, and Chen Yingliang wrote the names of Chen Yingshang and Chen Yingjue on the side On the flag, this small flag was inserted on the map sand table that Yuan Tiangang made for himself, so as to understand the surrounding situation.
The surrounding area of Qiao County on the sand table was already filled with small flags representing the enemy, surrounding Qiao County from all directions. Standing beside such a sand table, Chen Yingliang frowned slightly, and for a moment he hesitated to pull out the flag first. The eldest grandson Wuji pointed to the location of Yingyang in the southwest of Qiao County with a bamboo pole, and suggested: "Brother, send troops to clear the surrounding area. My younger brother thinks that Fang Xianbo, the traitor in Yingyang, should be killed first, because he is next to Jiangjunling. That area is high in mountains, dense in forests, and sparsely populated. Once Fang Xianbo is allowed to gain a foothold in this area, it will seriously threaten our Chengfu, Guyang, and Qiaoxian counties. Get rid of it to avoid future troubles."
"Killing Fang Xianbo first has another advantage." Changsun Wuji added: "That is to help Fu Yong, the prefect of Ruyin, get rid of the dilemma of fighting on two fronts, so that he can do his best to deal with Wang Erhei, and also let Wang Erhei Unable to threaten our most remote Shansang County, we can kill two birds with one stone, so that our southern line can avoid major threats for a long time."
"From a strategic point of view, this suggestion is good." Chen Yingliang nodded, then shook his head and said: "But from a tactical point of view, this suggestion is a bit risky. Fang Xianbo's territory is too vast, so we send troops to conquer him. If he runs with him in the deep mountains and old forests, we will have to play hide-and-seek with him in the deep mountains and old forests every day like Dong Chun, and once we are restrained by him in the southern mountains for a long time, problems will definitely occur in the north and east .”
Changsun Wuji was stunned for a moment, then nodded, agreeing with Chen Yingliang's worry, Dong You, the magistrate of Yongcheng County next to him, couldn't wait to say: "Chen Tongshou, then let's send troops to Pengcheng, and help Dong Liushou sweep up the south of Pengcheng. Thieves and bandits, please avoid thieves from taking over, threatening Yongcheng and the Tongjiqu Canal, and affecting our financial resources."
"Pengcheng is too big." Chen Yingliang still shook his head and said, "Divide Pengcheng County into two halves. The southern part alone is much bigger than our Qiao County. I will take all the twelve regiments in my hand there. Sprinkling a handful of salt in the sea won't do much, and even if it's easier to wipe out these small groups of rogues, it will definitely take time."
Dong You also kept his mouth shut. Although Dong You's suggestion was completely selfish, and he wanted to wipe out the recent threats so that he could be an official with peace of mind, since Chen Yingliang didn't nod, Dong You, whose assessment power was held by Chen Yingliang, didn't dare nonsense. At this time, another of Chen Yingliang's staff, Qian Xiangmin, also spoke up, saying, "Chen Tongshou, how about we go north to help Yang Tongshou? He is a relative of the emperor, and he was once the Imperial Academy's sacrificial wine. There are a lot of disciples, and I know you, so if we help him, the gains will not be small no matter what level he is."
Hearing Qian Xiangmin's words, Chen Yingliang stared at the flags of the civil uprising in Liangjun and was fascinated. He didn't nod or shake his head, because Chen Yingliang really wanted to send troops to Liangjun in his heart, to help his old acquaintance Yang Wang, and to collect some The Shandong soldiers who are capable of recruiting and fighting have grown their strength, and they will also try to surrender the future famous generals such as Wang Bodang and Shan Xiongxin who have already appeared. However, the densely packed flags of the militiamen in the northern part of Liang County, and the relatively long distance to march, made Chen Yingliang, who was not yet strong enough, flinch.
Thinking about it, Chen Yingliang's triangular eyes accidentally glanced at the small flag that he had just planted on the sand table with his own hands, and then glanced at the route of the army, a bad idea suddenly came to his mind, and then Chen Yingliang thought for a while, and said: "Everyone, How about we send troops to Huaiyang first, and kill my two brothers, Chen Yingshang and Chen Yingjue?"
Hearing Chen Yingliang's words, Changsun Wuji, Yuan Tiangang and others looked at each other in blank dismay, and then Changsun Wuji asked suspiciously: "Brother, why did you think of sending troops to Huaiyang first? Among our few neighbors, Huaiyang is the only one." The situation is the best, the Chen Yingshang and Chen Yingjue who just showed their heads are only a mob of about 3,000 people, and they hardly pose any threat to us, why use precious combat power on them?"
"Yes." Dong You also quickly echoed: "The Chen brothers are active in the Dan County of Huaiyang County. The Tongji Canal does not flow through Huaiyang County. It poses no threat to us, so there is no need for them A waste of effort."
"I also don't think we should waste our energy on them." Yuan Tiangang also said: "Although Dan County also borders our Qiao County, it is next to our county's Qiao County. Sitting there, they can block their eastward advance at any time, so there is no need to worry about it."
"Everyone, have you ever heard of the saying that persimmons are picky and soft?" Chen Yingliang smiled brazenly, and said even more brazenly: "Of course I know that we don't need to pay attention to such small thieves, but I hope that our army will cross the border." In combat, we can get off to a good start in the first battle, show confidence and prestige, and be the first to use troops against this rogue, there are two advantages for us.”
"Brother, those two advantages?" Changsun Wuji asked curiously.
"The first is that it is easy to supply." Chen Yingliang pointed at the sand table with a bamboo pole and said: "We sent troops from Yongcheng to fight against the rebels in Dan County. Counties and other places can provide us with food and grass supplies, and each other is a one-day march, which allows us to go into battle lightly with only one day of food and grass. For the new troops who are fighting across the border for the first time, there is nothing to lose but nothing to gain."
"As for the second one." Chen Yingliang smiled again, and said, "Huaiyang County has the least degree of civil unrest, and the money and food situation is naturally the best. After we helped Zhao Tuo get rid of this group of thieves, we wanted him to ask for money. If you want food, can't you just open your mouth and ask for more?"
Changsun Wuji, Yuan Tiangang and the others all laughed, and they all praised Chen Yingliang for his ability to plan and blackmail, and he was a complete profiteer. Then Changsun Wuji said again: "Brother, since you have decided to send troops to Huaiyang first, what should we do next? Should we inform the soldiers of the decision immediately, so that the soldiers can start to arrange the expedition immediately?"
"Okay..." Chen Yingliang wanted to agree, but suddenly changed his mind when the words came to his lips, shaking his head and said: "No! This news will not be announced for the time being! I have decided to send troops to Dan County, and you have to keep it secret from me. Leak."
"Why?" Changsun Wuji, Yuan Tiangang and others were stunned again.
"Of course I'm afraid that my two fellow clansmen will run away." Chen Yingliang said with a smile, "No matter how many mobs are under his command, there is nothing to fear on the battlefield. Being led around in circles by them, we announced the news of our invasion of Huaiyang County early on, and once we were found out by these thieves, it would not be so easy for us to defeat them in a single battle."
"Elder brother's words are reasonable, but after our army has assembled and marched eastward, it is impossible to hide from the eyes of the thieves?" Changsun Wuji continued to ask in doubt, and then suddenly understood something, and hurriedly asked: "Brother, Could it be that you want to break up the army into pieces and march to Dan County secretly?"
"Of course it's a way." Chen Yingliang nodded, and then said with a smile: "But, I thought of a better way, which can give my two fellow clans even bigger surprises."