Let us return the location to Daxing, the capital of the Great Sui Dynasty, and return the time to the night of September 28 to see what happened there.
It was a night full of blood and killings, and even the air was filled with an indelible smell of blood.
Because the Sui army in the eastern capital had besieged Yongfeng Warehouse, the lifeblood of the Guanzhong battlefield, and cut off the supply of food and grass for the main force of the rebel army. Knowing that time is running out, in order to gain time and even the only chance to turn defeat into victory, since the morning of the 27th, the main force of the rebel army has not stopped attacking Daxing Palace City. , siege and kill enemies day and night, the stone bombs thrown by trebuchets, the wreckage of various siege weapons, and the corpses of soldiers from both sides were piled up more than ten feet high under the walls of Daxing Palace City, and the blood was full of blood. The ditch, which flows into the adjacent Guangtong Canal, dyes the Guangtong Canal pink.
Just like in history, Daxing's deputy left behind Yin Shishi and Jing Zhaoyin Guyi led the Sui army to resist tenaciously, constantly declaring that reinforcements from the eastern capital were coming, and constantly encouraging the soldiers to stand by and wait for help. The soldiers of the Sui army also sacrificed their blood and lives. He wrote a series of hymns of loyalty, which made the main force of the rebel army pay a heavy price.
However, it is a pity that when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty went south to Jiangdu, he had already taken away the essence of the Sui army in Guanzhong. The remaining elites were either taken to Huoyi by Pang Yu and Huo Shiju and were defeated by the weather and luck, or they were defeated by the older and weaker Qu It was useless to bring the breakthrough to the east of the river. The remaining soldiers either rarely went to the battlefield or never went to the battlefield at all. They were insufficient in combat effectiveness and seriously inexperienced. The main force of the rebel army has won consecutive victories and their morale is high, and there are also elite troops such as the Daxing Sui Army, Zuo Tunwei Sui Army, and Taiyuan Sui Army who surrendered as the core backbone. The combat effectiveness between the two armies is basically at the same level. Without a strong city to defend, it would have been impossible for the Daxing Sui Army to survive two days and one night.
The most terrible thing is the morale of the army. Although every Sui army knew that the Sui army in the eastern capital was coming to help, no one knew when it would come. They could only keep looking towards the east, hoping for a miracle. The Sui army in the eastern capital could come suddenly, and they had no confidence in repelling the rebel attack with their own strength. Fear of death, despair of the future, and worries about family members outside the city also greatly sapped the fighting spirit and confidence of the soldiers of the Sui Army. Coupled with the molestation of internal traitors, they continued to spread rumors that even if Miyagi was defended, they would be sent Going to the Liaodong battlefield to die in vain also dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the soldiers of the Sui army. Many Sui soldiers thought that it would be better to let the rebels enter the city than to die in vain in Liaodong.
Li Yuan was also very good at attacking mind tactics. He kept sending people to the city to scream, claiming that the Dongdu reinforcements had been wiped out on the Tongguan battlefield. But this is not the most ruthless, the most ruthless is still behind, sent people from the city to find many family members of the defenders, Li Yuan forced these family members of the defenders to come to the city to recruit their families, and the result was Yin Shishi and Gu Yi Although decisively ordered to shoot arrows to expel them, the mentality of the defenders was still greatly affected, and many soldiers of the Sui army couldn't help crying secretly behind their backs, without any fighting spirit.
At the same time as the attack, the main force of the rebels did not relax their siege at all. Various siege weapons such as trebuchets and ladder trucks went into battle together, throwing stones day and night to attack, and the people of Daxing who were deceived by the rebels and hoped to get rid of the oppression of the tyranny also took the initiative to move forward. Come to help, or rush to build weapons, or carry siege supplies, or deliver water and food for the rebel soldiers, or even take the initiative to take up simple weapons and charge into the battle, serving as siege cannon fodder for the main force of the rebel army. The huge pressure further shattered the confidence of the soldiers of the Sui army in defending the city, turning the splendid and majestic Daxing palace city into a lone boat in the vast ocean.
Finally, in the middle of the night of September 28th, Lei Yongji, the general of the rebel Ying Yanglang, rushed to the city wall first, killed the exhausted soldiers of the Sui army, and covered a ladder car to climb the city wall, so that the rebel soldiers could rely on The ladder car crazily climbed the city, broke into the top of the city, cut off the barriers, and the rebel soldiers swarmed into the city. The frustrated defenders put down their weapons and surrendered, and Miyagi fell.
Different from the history, because of Chen Sangliang's suggestion first, Yang You, the acting king who was more or less hopeful, did not sit still this time. Returning to the East Palace, he led a small number of Sui soldiers who were unwilling to surrender to escort Yang You out of the city from the only Xuanwu Gate that was not attacked by the enemy, and fled to the direction of Tongguan in the dark. Although Yi was unfortunately killed and hacked to death by the rebel soldiers in the rebel army, she also managed to cover Yin Shishi and others from leaving the city. Shi Shi, Yang You and others disappeared into the night together.
Upon receiving the news that Yin Shishi's guard Yang You had escaped, Li Yuan decisively dispatched his nephew Li Xiaogong to lead an army to hunt him down, demanding that Yang You be captured no matter what, but Yang You's life must not be harmed, so as not to fall into political passivity. However, although the rebel pursuers successfully caught up with Yin Shishi and others who fled in a hurry, they also hacked to death the Yin Shishi behind the Temple of Sacrificial Life. In the melee, there was an accident that no one could have imagined...
"What? Dead?!" After learning of the unexpected situation, Li Yuan was so shocked that the brush in his hand fell directly, staining a government document that had just been written, and asked with a face full of shock: "Didn't the old man repeatedly explain that no harm is allowed?" Why? Why didn't you obey the order? Who did it?"
"I don't know." Li Xiaogong replied with a mournful face: "He was shot to death by a stray arrow, which happened to hit the back of the neck, passed through the throat, and died on the spot. There was no way to rescue him, and there was no way to investigate who shot the arrow."
The faces of Pei Ji and Li Er who were present at the side began to turn pale, and Li Yuan's face was also a little livid. After a while, he clenched his fists and said: "Strictly seal the news, tell those who know the situation, whoever dares to speak out will be killed. Destroy the Three Clans! All the servants of Yin Shishi who were caught will be executed and silenced! After the news is released, it will be said that Yin Shishi has kidnapped him and ran away. County, offer a reward for arrest!"
Li Xiaogong and Pei Ji hurriedly agreed, but Li Er was unwilling to rest assured, and hurriedly said to Li Xiaogong: "Cousin, before executing those prisoners of war, you must ask clearly whether some of them have escaped, and those who escaped, do they know?" In this matter, we must not let any fish slip through the net!"
Li Yuan thought it was the same, nodded immediately, pointed at Li Er uneasy, and ordered: "Erlang, you are meticulous, so follow me to interrogate you, and you must ask clearly whether any fish slipped through the net!"
Li Er promised, and left in a hurry with Li Xiaogong. Li Yuan, who hadn't closed his eyes for almost two days, took the time to rest and prepare for the busy government and military affairs of the next day, but he couldn't sleep because of tossing and turning. Li Er and Li Xiaogong both came back in front of Li Yuan, Li Er was still clearly worried, while Li Xiaogong was devastated, and simply knelt down to Li Yuan, trembling in front of Li Yuan, not daring to say a word for a long time.
"What happened?" Li Yuan who knew something was wrong asked quickly.
"Father, two ran away." Li Er hung his head and replied, "It is Yin Yue'e, the fourteen-year-old daughter of Yin Shishi, and Yin Hongzhi, the ten-year-old youngest son of Yin Shishi. Knowing that, but they had been with the man when they fled, and there's a good chance they saw that with their own eyes."
Li Yuan was completely speechless, and he shouted after a long while: "Then why are you still in a daze? Why don't you send someone to chase them? No matter what, I must catch them back to the old man, and we must not let them fall into the hands of the thief Chen Yingliang!"
"They have already sent people to chase them." Li Er replied, "But their target is too small, and they are sure to have civilian clothes. Once they get mixed up with the people, it will be difficult to find them."
"It's hard to find, but you have to find it!" Li Yuan yelled viciously: "If they know what happened last night and escape to Chen Yingliang's little thief, then we will be in big trouble! Tell the following, just say that the old man is sympathetic to the orphans of soldiers and soldiers, and let the local governments Carefully search for the orphaned children, and send all found to Daxing to be taken care of by the old man's volunteer teacher!"
Li Er had no choice but to agree, and hurried down to act according to the order, leaving Li Yuan and Li Xiaogong's uncle and nephew alone in the room, and it was at this time that Li Yuan kicked Li Xiaogong's chest hard, and cursed: "Trash! It ruined the old man's great event! Do you know how bad it will be for the old man once this matter is revealed?!"
…
At the same time when Li Yuan scolded his nephew, Chai Shao, who had been separated from his family for a long time, was finally able to leave the rebel camp and took time to visit his parents and sister. Moved into Yiyangfang, moved into Chen Sangliang's house in Daxing, and Li Yuan, who loved his son-in-law, also ordered that all Chen Sangliang's property in Daxing be rewarded to Chai Shao's family as compensation for the son-in-law who went bankrupt and helped him hand over the atonement money. .
The family is safe, the wealth has returned, and all the family property of the big enemy has been confiscated. Of course, Chai Shao was quite proud when he stepped into the gate of his new home, but what surprised and angered Chai Shao was that he had met him several times before. Ergouzi, the butler of Daxing Chen Sangliang who was born in Yuanyuan, is still in this house, and even came to greet him as a housekeeper. Thinking of all the previous events, Chai Shao didn't even get angry, and immediately asked Er Gouzi: "Why are you still here? Why haven't you returned to Datongfang?"
Er Gouzi remained silent with an embarrassed expression, but Chai Qian's voice suddenly came from the courtyard, "It has nothing to do with him, I asked him to stay."
Looking up quickly, Chai Shao saw at a glance that his beloved younger sister, Chai Qian, was helping his white-haired mother out of the lobby and standing in the courtyard. Chai Shao was overjoyed and blurted out: "Mother, Qian How are you guys?"
After not seeing each other for a few months, Chai Qian obviously lost a lot of weight again. Although her clothes had returned to their former luxury, her expression became more and more haggard. Chai's mother seemed to be more than ten years old, her hair was as white as silver. With tears streaming down his face, he was choked up for a long time without being able to say a word. Chai Qian's tone was as cold as ever, and she said expressionlessly: "We are fine, brother, congratulations, you have returned to your hometown, please come in, this is your home now."
"You little girl, what's your attitude towards your brother?" Chai Shao scolded his sister first, then turned to Er Gouzi and shouted: "Pack up your bed and get out! You are not needed here, get out!"
Er Gouzi agreed awkwardly, and then Chai Shao stepped forward to greet Chai's mother, and quickly asked about his father, Chai Shen. After learning that Chai Shen was still alive, Chai Shao was relieved, and hurried to go again. After visiting Chai Shen in the back hall, he kowtowed to plead guilty to Chai Shen who was paralyzed in bed, explaining that he had no choice but to abandon his family and run away, and caused his parents and sister to go to prison.
Chai Shen, with crooked mouth and slanted eyes, has already become thin like a skeleton, humming and unable to make a complete sound, while Chai's mother wiped her tears and said that it's okay, as long as she comes back safely, she cried with Aizi However, Chai Qian kept standing by the side with a straight face and said nothing. Chai Shao knew that his sister was angry with him, so he didn't bother with her. He just ordered his servants to prepare wine and dinner quickly, so that he could have a meal with his family after a long absence. reunion dinner. Then, taking advantage of his family's busy schedule, Chai Shao pulled Chai Qian into the courtyard, and said to his sister in a low voice: "Qian'er, are you still blaming me? It's my fault that caused you to be sent to prison, but I can't help it either, you have to understand my difficulties."
"I didn't suffer, neither did my mother and my father." Chai Qian said with a straight face: "Although we have entered the sky prison, everyone in the sky prison knows my relationship with Chen Yingliang, and they dare not do anything to us. We The food we ate in the prison was better than when we lived in Changpingfang.”
"I made you suffer." Thinking of the days when he was in distress in Changpingfang, a famous poor workshop in Daxing, Chai Shao couldn't help but have a sore nose, and hurriedly said: "Qian'er, don't worry, brother swears that I will never let you suffer like that, no I will let you suffer like that, and I will definitely let you live a good life in the future, and will not let you be cold and hungry again."
"Really?" Chai Qian smiled, a rare smile in the past four years, but the smile was very mocking, and she quickly asked: "Brother, what if Chen Yingliang calls back again? What if he calls back again? What should we do if we are driven back to Changpingfang? The mansion we live in that is open to the street is his family property, if he wants to take back this mansion, he will have to settle accounts with his parents, what should we do?"
"No, he won't mind this..." Chai Shao answered smoothly, and quickly changed his words in the middle of the sentence, saying: "Don't worry! He doesn't have that ability! Not only will he not be able to call back, but Father-in-law will take us to Dongdu , capture him alive, and execute him Ling Chi! Exterminate the three clans!"
Chai Qian laughed again, even more contemptuously and mockingly. Chai Shao saw that Chai Qian's smile was wrong, and became alert, and asked, "Why? Are you still thinking about him? Don't forget, if it wasn't for that little thief , how can our Chai family have a life in Changpingfang?"
"I miss him, but it's a pity that I don't have the qualifications anymore." Chai Qian answered her elder brother directly, and then said with a sneer: "Brother, when we talked about the miserable days when we lived in Changpingfang, I always wanted to ask you, Who the hell made us do that?"
"Of course it's the little thief Chen Yingliang." Chai Shao replied smoothly.
"Isn't that right?" Chai Qian sneered even more, and said, "We never blamed you for helping your father-in-law, Tang Guogong, but I want to ask you a question. At that time, our family was already dragged down by Tang Guogong. , I don’t even have the money to buy medicine for my father, your father-in-law Tang Guogong, and my sister-in-law and your wife, why don’t you give a little money to our family and help us tide over the difficulties? If it wasn’t for that kid named Chen If you show mercy and give our family a sum of emergency money, can our parents survive to this day?"
"What stupid words are you talking about?" Chai Shao finally got a little angry, and said angrily: "Yue Zhang was framed by Chen Yingliang's thief at that time, and he was forced to pay a million pennies and 400,000 bolts of silk to atone for his crime, and he was forced to sell all his land and properties. Borrowing everywhere is much more miserable than ours, so how can the money come to help us?"
Chai Qian smiled again, and said with a smile: "Brother, there is a servant called Xie Mudong in the palace. You have met him. When you are free that day, you can ask him this question. When he sold the property to raise money, he accidentally discovered something, and then you will know."
"What do you mean by that?" Chai Shao's expression changed.
"You'll know if you ask." Chai Qian sneered, and then said coldly: "By the way, please don't betray him, and don't betray Princess Yu'er behind him. In addition to wanting to please the surname Chen, it is also because Mr. Xie said hello to Tianlao, sent us clothes and food several times, and also brought medicine to my father. It is thanks to him that my father can live to this day."
After all, Chai Qian turned around and left, and went back to the room to take care of her father, leaving Chai Shao in the yard staring at her sister's back in a daze, and murmured, "What do you mean? Could it be that Yuezhang deliberately treated our Chai family?" How can this be possible? Xie Mudong, what does he know?"
…
A few more people must be mentioned here. Outside the main camp of the rebels at about the same time, a few rich men in luxurious clothes were holding gifts, waiting for their old friends to come out of the camp to meet them. These rich men and friends should I still remember that one of them is Li Yangcheng, the youngest son of Li Zhongwei, Duke of Zhenxiang County, and the other is Yuan Qi, the precious grandson of Gongyuan Ya in Shunyang County. In addition, the members who beat Chai Shao to please Chen Sangliang were all present.
I don't know how long I waited until the other party, Li Yuan's cousin and Chai Shao's uncle, Dugu Huai'en, finally came out of the rebel camp. The young master also rushed up to greet him, nodding and bowing his head to present the precious gift to Dugu Huai'en, while flattering and flattering with a smile on his face, as if he was in front of Brother Yuwen and Chen Sangliang back then. Dugu Huai'en, whose relatives gained power and stood in the right place in time, was proud of himself. He accepted the gift calmly, and then urged: "If you have anything to say, just tell me. I'm very busy. My cousin may summon me at any time."
"Brother Dugu, we are here to ask to see the great general." Li Yangcheng said flatteringly, "I have heard for a long time that the great general is thirsty for talents and appoints people on their merits, and our brothers have always been unrecognized for their talents. We have titles but no real power. Especially If you want to serve the great general, please Brother Dugu, for the sake of our friendship in the past, wait for an introduction."
"No problem, you are all after Gongxun, who will you use if you don't need your cousin?" Dugu Huai'en was quite loyal, patted his chest and said: "The matter of meeting my cousin is up to me, but you have to wait Waiting for the volunteers to take Miyagi, my cousin is too busy to touch the ground, I have to wait a few days for a chance before I can introduce you."
Li Yangcheng, Yuan Qi and other evil young men were overjoyed when they heard that, and quickly thanked Dugu Huai'en, but Dugu Huai'en accepted it calmly, and then remembered something, and hurriedly said: "By the way, there is something I have to pay attention to with you. Chai Shao also came back to Daxing, and his cousin also rewarded Chen Yingliang's mansion in Yiyangfang. He was the elder of my cousin when he started the army, and you once had a feud with him. If you are smart, come to the door and apologize Otherwise, if he wants to care about the past, I can't speak for you."
"Chai Shao has come back?" Li Yangcheng, Yuan Qi and other villainous young men suddenly turned bitter faces, and they all said in their hearts: "Too bad, will Chai Shao forgive us when we hit so hard back then? If he just said a word, we will live forever in this life." Don't even think about having a successful person under the rule of the general!"