"... During the march, unless you buy it with money, you are not allowed to eat the vegetables and fruits on both sides of the road without authorization. Anyone who violates the rule will be hit with a military stick twenty times, and the people will be double compensated for the loss."
"Every time a city is taken, the official treasury must be opened to release grain. In the autumn of the people, there will be no crimes. Those who plunder without authorization will be beheaded. Residents over the age of seventy will be given to scattered officials, rewarded with wine, meat and cloth. Regardless of scholars, farmers, artisans, rich or poor, everyone Elders with a skill are all accepted and hired, and appointed to official positions on the spot."
"All the palaces along the way will be demolished, the palace people will be dismissed, and all the maids will be released home. Those who have no family to welcome them back will be handed over to the place to choose a good marriage..."
Chen Sangliang, who was leading the army towards Tongguan, shook his head and sighed enviously, thinking of the rebel army's policy towards the people collected by spies and spies: "After all, it's easy to draw a picture on a piece of white paper. You can do whatever you want, and you can buy the hearts of those who can be bought with a few small tricks, no wonder everyone in Guanzhong's heart is for him, old thief Li Yuan."
"I don't feel bad for selling my son, and buying people's hearts with the money and grain of the emperor, Tang Guogong is of course generous." Fang Xuanling, who was next to Chen Sangliang for the first time, took the conversation and said with a smile: "But it can be regarded as the right medicine for this world. It will definitely have a lot of effect, brother, this time you march west to Guanzhong, I'm afraid it will be easy to defeat Li Yuan's rebels, but it will be as difficult as climbing the sky to regain the hearts of the people in Guanzhong."
"Not necessarily." Chen Sangliang smiled, and it was rare to have a disagreement with Fang Xuanling, and said with a smile: "What Li Yuan's rebels can do, I can do it, and I can do it better than him!"
"Brother, it's unlikely, isn't it?" Fang Xuanling glanced at Chen Sangliang, and said, "Brother Yu knows that you have strict restrictions on the army, and you strictly forbid soldiers to disturb the people at any time. The discipline of the army is definitely not worse than Li Yuan's traitor. But What about other aspects? There are precedents in Luokou Cang and Liyang Cang. Maybe you can find a way to open the warehouse and release the grain. Can you do this by rewarding officials and dismissing the maids? Or, do you dare to do it?"
"Why do I have to follow Li Yuan's footsteps? If I want to buy people's hearts, there are other ways." Chen Sangliang smiled again, and then said: "Brother Qiao Song, you will lead Mr. Xuancheng and others to play tricks on me later." There is an article on the list of thieves, and the condemnation of Li Yuan's crimes is too numerous to list. You can polish the words, and the key is to add a paragraph for me."
"Add that paragraph?" Fang Xuanling asked quickly.
"In view of the fact that Li Yuan's thieves are rampant at the moment, officials, generals, and civilian volunteers in various places in Guanzhong and East Rivers are either bewitched by him or threatened by his troops and forced to follow the thieves. This ambassador can understand their difficulties and sufferings." Chen Sangliang smiled. He said: "Therefore, this ambassador allows the officials and civilian volunteers from all over the Guanzhong to pretend to surrender to the enemy when they have to, and keep their useful bodies. When the time comes, they will cooperate with the soldiers under the ambassador's command in Mali and outside to defeat the bandits. At that time, the ambassador will Not only will everything be ignored, and he will be retained in his original position when he surrendered to the enemy, but he will also be rewarded for his meritorious service."
Fang Xuanling applauded and laughed loudly: "Wonderful! Brother, this plan is great! As soon as this list comes out, those who surrendered to thieves in Guanzhong will have a way out, and they will not go all the way. Hei, follow the Li Yuan traitor and fight to the end with us. It means that without a single soldier, the morale of the enemy's army will be disintegrated. Just set a few examples for these scumbags to see, and you won’t worry about them not rushing towards us like dogs and wagging their tails.”
Chen Sangliang smiled again, only to realize that Fang Xuanling's mouth is sometimes very mean. With a smile, He Er, who often did dirty things for Chen Sangliang, also came to Chen Sangliang to take orders, Chen Sangliang Sang Liang whispered in his ear, and told him to organize a special team to do dirty things. After entering the customs, he immediately collected the flags and clothes of Li Yuan's rebels, and then sneaked into the people to rape and plunder under the banner of Li Yuan's rebels, corrupting the elders. The reputation of the Li family, He Erchangnuo, who often does this work, immediately set about making arrangements.
At this time, the forward of the Sui army had already traveled 70 miles, and successfully arrived at the lakeside, the destination of today's march. There was only one day left before Tongguan. Although it was still early, Chen Sangliang did not want the soldiers to be overworked, so he ordered the The local army set up camp to rest, and at the same time sent scouts to scout the horses to patrol the surrounding mountains and forests to guard against accidents. During the period, rebel sentry cavalry was once found on the north bank of the Yellow River, and Chen Sangliang also once sent someone across the river to catch his tongue, but failed. He only confirmed that no trace of the rebel brigade was found on the north bank.
To Chen Sangliang's surprise, at dusk, the Sui army's scouts caught a rebel messenger on a small mountain road, and asked to meet Chen Sangliang by name. Chen Sangliang was very curious and immediately ordered to meet him. As a result, after the meeting, the visitor immediately identified himself to Chen Sangliang, saying that he was a confidant of Li Gang, a famous figure in Guanzhong, and came to meet Chen Sangliang by stealing a trail under Li Gang's order. A prisoner of the bandit army, for the sake of the lives of his wife, children, and children, he had no choice but to serve as a long history of the bandit army for He Panren, but he was trapped in the bandit camp, always looking forward to returning to the Sui court, so he was willing to serve as an internal response for Chen Sangliang.
He was overjoyed on the surface, but he accepted the letter from Li Gang's family with suspicion in his heart. He saw that Li Gang expressed his heart in the letter, saying that he had received great kindness from Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty Yang Jian. In addition to being for the sake of his family's life, He Panren was forced to appoint him, and He Panren was really kind to Li Gang. In order to repay He Panren's kindness, Li Gang wanted to pull him back and lead him back to the right path. Liu Gang, the former general of Pantong Pass, spread rumors that He Panren had an affair with Li Xiuning, and he also took the opportunity to point out the stakes to He Panren, pointing out that the Li family would not be able to accommodate He Panren in the future, and that He Panren would be killed sooner or later, encouraging He Panren to surrender to Chen Sang Liang, He Panren was also obviously tempted.
Next is the most critical text. Li Gang told Chen Sangliang that He Panren had set off on September 20th with a grain deposit and was due to arrive at the front line of Daxing before September 30th. However, the speed was slow, and he would do everything possible to make He Panren slow down as much as possible. Speed, took the opportunity to persuade He Panren to burn the follow-up food and grass of the main force of the rebel army, and then led the rebel army to turn around and fight back, sneak attack behind Li Yuan's side division, and joined forces with the Dongdu army to smash the rebel side division and recover the crucial Yongfeng warehouse. But the most critical issue now is that although He Panren has been extremely shaken, he has not made up his mind to do this for a long time, so Li Gang begged Chen Sangliang to come forward to recruit He Panren, and he will take the opportunity to persuade He Panren to surrender to the Sui Dynasty, and he will succeed.
Chen Sangliang, who did not have the perspective of God, was skeptical about the letter, and of course he was skeptical about it. After planning to pass the letter to Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and others, Chen Sangliang asked Li Gang's family about the specific situation. The confidants told Chen Sangliang very clearly, saying: "Chen Liushou, my master said that He Panren is indeed very shaken, but he just can't make up his mind. My master is only a civilian and has no military power, so he dare not be tough on He Panren. I can only try my best to persuade him, but if He Panren refuses to listen, not only will he not be able to accomplish what he said in the letter, but his life may be in danger, so the master asks Chen Liushou that you must send envoys to surrender, and work together to bring He Panren back to the right path."
Chen Sangliang didn't say anything, Wei Zheng, Yuan Tiangang and others didn't say anything, they were all silent and nervously calculating, only Fang Xuanling came to Chen Sangliang's side, and introduced Li Gang's identity to Chen Sangliang in a low voice, saying that Li Gang This year is seventy years old, with the word Wenji. As early as the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he was famous for his integrity and bravery. Later, he served as the crown prince for the deposed prince Yang Yong. After Yang Yong was deposed, none of the Eastern Palace officials dared to speak for Yang Yong. However, only Li Gang pointed out to his face that Yang Yong's depravity was because Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty did not teach his son well. After all, he resigned and retired to the present.
The pain of not having God's perspective is that you can't discern the enemy's true intentions. Although from various signs, Li Gang does look like a Sui soldier ruffian with his own dry food, but the outcome of the first battle after entering the pass is related to countless Sui soldiers. Chen Sangliang still didn't dare to take his life lightly, and asked Li Gang's family in deep thought: "Your master said that He Panren treated him very politely, how should he treat Fa?"
"This... how should I say it?" Li Gang's family was a little embarrassed, and after recalling it, they said: "In short, they are very kind to my master. He Panren usually listens to what my master says. I remember that last time He Panren took down the Taiping Palace, because those guards The officers and soldiers in the palace resisted fiercely, and He Panren wanted to kill them all to vent his anger. My master said that those officers and soldiers were loyal to their duties and did nothing wrong, so He Panren released them all. This happened several times, so He Panren If your subordinates have made any mistakes now, they usually first ask my master to intercede, and ask him to help them speak well."
After nodding his head, Chen Sangliang asked the key question, "How many troops does He Panren have now? What is Mr. Wen Ji going to do?"
"He Panren led an army of 6,000 troops to Chang'an, and the 6,000 troops are all his old troops, so they are reliable." Li Gang's family quickly replied: "Also, the main generals under Li Niangzi and Chai Shao, Li Zhongwen, Qiu Shili, Xiang People like Shansi and Liu Jiong actually formed an alliance with He Panren first, and then joined Mrs. Li. They are He Panren's old department, and they have a good friendship with He Panren, so my master wants He Panren to destroy the food and grass first, and then turn around and fight back. These generals cooperated internally and externally, defeated the bandit army and helped Chen Liushou to retake Yongfeng warehouse."
"Absolutely can't do that!"
Chen Sangliang suddenly raised his voice, which shocked everyone present, and then Chen Sangliang thanked again: "Fortunately, fortunately, He Panren is still wavering and did not immediately decide to kill the rebels, otherwise, he would definitely I can't save my life! Mr. Wen Ji can't save my life!"
"What do you mean by staying behind?" Wei Zheng asked curiously.
"Mr. Wen Ji underestimated Li Yuan's family." Chen Sangliang said with a sneer, "Li Xiuning, a woman of the generation, can pull up such a huge bandit army. How can he not have some means to control his generals? There are rumors that He Panren and Li Xiuning are having an affair, can the old fox Li Yuan prevent He Panren from having a different heart? Don't underestimate Li Jiancheng, he is also a ruthless man who pretends to be a pig and eats a tiger. He lied to him! On the night of Fan Liushou's death, Li Yuan was able to successfully initiate disease control in Taiyuan, and more than half of the credit should be attributed to Li Jiancheng!"
"So, I dare say that Li Yuan's family must have placed eyeliners around He Panren!" Chen Sangliang patted the table and said, "Li Zhongwen and Qiu Shili must have been bought by the old thief Li Yuan long ago. It is impossible to really help He Panren to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, and rebel against the rebels! Even if He Panren decides to surrender to us, he will be able to burn the food and grass in his hand. If he dares to turn around and fight towards Tongguan, he and Mr. Wen Ji will have their heads hit the ground within ten miles! "
The faces of Wei Zheng and others changed, and the faces of the family members sent by Li Gang changed even more. They trembled and said, "Chen Liushou, so my master's life is in danger?"
"If Mr. Wen Ji works closely, there is no danger for the time being." Chen Sangliang comforted him, and then said: "Don't worry, Mr. Wen Ji is loyal to state affairs and unswerving. I will do my best to protect the safety of his old man. You It’s been hard work from afar, go down and rest first, and after I’ve made arrangements, I’ll send you back with a letter to Mr. Wen Ji.”
Li Gang's family agreed, and Chen Sangliang sent someone to invite him back to the camp to entertain him. As soon as Li Gang's family left, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and others quickly asked: "Stay behind, is Li Gang's letter true or false?" ?”
"There is not enough information to judge whether it is true or false." Chen Sangliang replied solemnly: "But even if it is true, Mr. Wen Ji persuaded He Panren to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright with our help, and He Panren would not be fatal to Li Jiancheng's partiality. Threats, lack of strength, and road distance cannot guarantee the success of the surprise attack, Li Jiancheng has plenty of time to deal with it, and the result will only kill Mr. Wen Ji's life in vain."
"Then what should we do? Ignore it? Or ask Mr. Wen Ji to be patient for the time being and wait for the next opportunity?" Fang Xuanling asked.
"No!" Chen Sangliang shook his head resolutely, and said firmly: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We must let He Panren destroy the batch of grain and grass in his hand, cut off Li Yuan's grain and grass supplies, and force this old thief not to dare to be in Daxing. Opening warehouses to release grain, or even being forced to take food locally, completely lost the hearts of the people in Guanzhong! Then we have won the victory over annihilating one hundred thousand Li Yuan's bandit army!"
"That's right." Fang Xuanling nodded, and said, "Our army doesn't have to be afraid of Li Yuan's bandit army at all on the battlefield. The only thing to worry about is the support of the people in Guanzhong for Li Yuan's bandit. If we give food to the people, or even be forced to take food from the people, then we will have a solid chance of winning this battle!"
"Then what should we do? Can He Panren burn those grains?" Wei Zheng asked, and reminded: "Don't forget, Mr. Wen Ji has made it very clear in his letter that he only made He Panren waver, but did not make He Panren make up his mind. I'm afraid it will be very difficult for He Panren to make up his mind to burn food in the fields controlled by the rebels."
"It's okay, I've already thought about it." Chen Sangliang replied: "I want to make an agreement with He Panren through the line of Mr. Faji. After the main force of our army arrives in Tongguan, if I can defeat Li Jiancheng's subordinates within three days If the rebels are part of the division, then recapture or encircle Yongfeng warehouse, and open up direct contact with him, He Panren, then as long as He Panren destroys grain to invest, I will protect him as a high-ranking official, rich and rich! If I can't do this, then Let him do as he pleases, even if I defeat Li Yuan in the future, I will never kill him, and I will collect and reuse him!"
"Three days? Destroy the enemy within three days?" Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and others were stunned, and quickly reminded: "Stay behind, don't forget, your cousin has already reported to you, Li Jiancheng and Li Xiuning, brothers and sisters, but With deep trenches and high fortifications in the area of Yongfengcang, with a strong wall to protect ourselves, can we defeat them in three days? I’m afraid it’s impossible, right?”
"What? Don't you have confidence in me?" Chen Sangliang smiled, and said again: "I have achieved this, like a thunderbolt, wouldn't it cause a huge shock to the Guanzhong battlefield, wouldn't it be more beneficial to our next battle ?”
"If my brother has this confidence, then let's do it this way." Fang Xuanling nodded, then picked up Li Gang's letter and said: "Mr. Wen Ji made it very clear in the letter that Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng wanted He Panren Deliver the grain and grass to Daxing before 30 days. Today is the 21st, and we will arrive in Daxing tomorrow. We will defeat Li Jiancheng within three days, and He Panren will receive the news on the 26th or 7th. There is plenty of time Arranging the layout, coupled with Mr. Wen Ji's persuasion and instigation, it should be difficult for He Panren to refuse this agreement."
"Yes, that's the way to do it." Chen Sangliang nodded, and ordered: "Write a letter to Mr. Wen Ji and He Panren for me, telling Mr. Wen Ji that his plan is too risky and the chance of success is slim, please protect yourself For the sake of it, help me act according to plan. Write a letter to He Panren, tell He Panren that I don’t need him to take the risk of mutiny, as long as I fulfill my promise and he can help me destroy the food and grass in my hand, I will immediately go to the court to ask for rewards for him , guarantee him an official position above the fifth rank, I personally reward him with a hundred taels of gold and silver, and fifty horses!"
Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and others promised to write a book immediately, embellishing Chen Sangliang's confession and writing it into a letter. Then Chen Sangliang summoned Li Gang's envoy, rewarded him heavily, rewarded him with an official position, and ordered him to return to Guanzhong To deliver the letter, they sent someone to take him to Tongguan overnight on a fast horse, and asked Li Jing and Ma Sanbao to arrange manpower to send him to chase He Panren's grain delivery team.
Li Gang dared to send this family to deliver the letter. Of course, this family was somewhat superior. Coupled with the cover and escort of the Tongguan garrison, the family finally managed to catch up with He Panren's slow pace on the evening of September 23. The food team also successfully delivered the letter to Mr. Li Gang, a ruffian from the Sui army who brought his own dry food. After Li Gang saw the letter, he broke out in a cold sweat, and then he was very glad that he had not been able to persuade He Panren to act before. Then Li Gang found He Panren without any hesitation, and told He Panren that he had privately sent someone to talk to Chen Sangliang contacted him and handed over Chen Sangliang's letter to He Panren.
As Chen Sangliang and Fang Xuanling had predicted before, He Panren would not suffer from this agreement at all, at most it would deliberately slow down the speed of food delivery—anyway, there is plenty of time, even if Chen Sangliang fails to fulfill the agreement, He Panren can still deliver the food on time Arriving in Daxing, coupled with Li Gang's persuasion and instigation, He Panren, who had been hesitant before, finally made up his mind, gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! If Chen Yingliang can defeat Li Jiancheng within three days, we will get through the relationship with me." Contact him directly, then I will burn the 200,000 shi of grain and lead troops to join him!"
"General He, you have to pay attention to your left and right sides." Li Gang reminded in a low voice again: "Chen Liushou's words are very reasonable. It is impossible for Li Yuan's family not to guard against you, and they may have already planted eyeliner by your side." , These eyeliners, you have to find out quickly, just in case."
He Panren nodded, and subconsciously looked at the movement outside the tent, but immediately found that there was indeed a soldier of his own, who was quietly peeking at the movement inside his tent. He also made an obvious movement of listening attentively...