In fact, there was no need for Chen Sangliang to send people to Hedong to report the funeral. There was such a big commotion inside and outside Daxing City to mourn Emperor Sui Yang. How could there be no reason why Qu Tutong, more than three hundred miles away, could not hear the news? Not only Qu Tutong, but also Li Er, who was always paying attention to the situation in Guanzhong and waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, also detected this important situation a few days later through the remaining spy insiders.
Hearing this news, Qu Tutong was of course taken aback, and quickly sent Chen Sangliang and Changsun Xiaoluoli's matchmaker, Zhige Pang Yu, back to Daxing to find out the details. At the same time, the defense line was shrunk, and the troops were concentrated under the city of Fenyin to ensure the safety of the city of Fenyin and the ferry of the Yellow River, so as to prevent the second bandit army from taking the opportunity to attack.
Li Er was even more frightened, because at present, neither Li Er's public ally Li Mijun nor his secret ally Yang Tong in the Eastern Capital has yet to confirm whether the Jiangdu mutiny is true or not, let alone confirm the truth of Sui Yang's rebellion. Whether it is life or death, Daxing, which should have received the news later, suddenly and directly held a funeral for Emperor Sui Yang and made public the news of Emperor Sui Yang's death. Li Er was inevitably caught off guard by this, I don't know Is this because Chen Sangliang has a special fast information channel? Or did Chen Sangliang fabricate news about Sui Yang's death in preparation for his usurpation of power
Also frightened was Guo Wenyi, the secret envoy of the Eastern Capital who was currently in Li's Second Army. He had been ordered by Yang Tong to contact Qu Tutong and asked Qu Tutong to send troops to attack Chen Sangliang. Just when Li Mijun's envoy came down to Li's Second Army, Yang Tong sent someone to recover the order, bringing news of a possible mutiny in Jiangdu and the possible death of Emperor Sui Yang, and asked Guo Wenyi to give up trying to persuade Qu Tutong to send troops to attack Chen Sang. Liang's action was instead to ask Qu Tutong to lure Chen Sangliang to lead the army to Hedong in person, and take the opportunity to join forces with Li Er to kill Chen Sangliang. At the same time, Yang Tong also appointed Guo Wenyi as the recruiting envoy of Hedong, on behalf of Yang Tong to recruit the two brothers Li.
Li Er readily accepted Yang Tong's consolation, because Li Er was only superficially successful in southern Shanxi, and took a lot of advantage in the battle with Qu Tutong. Li Er knew very well that as long as his rival Chen Sangliang pulled out his hand a little, a slap would slap him all over the floor. Dong's line of becoming an honorary courtier of the Sui Dynasty again is what Li Er, who urgently needs time to recover and strengthen his team, wishes for. Is there any reason to refuse
It was also because he stood on the same front with Yang Tong, in order to deal with the common enemy Chen Sangliang and for his own future comeback, Li Er, who is extremely talented, urged Guo Wenyi not to get in touch with Qu Tutong for the time being, because it was not yet confirmed that the Sui Dynasty Before the news of Emperor Yangdi's death, Li Er worried that Qu Tutong, who was loyal to the Sui court, might not agree to help Yang Tong kill Chen Sangliang, who had not revealed his betrayal. Therefore, Li Er suggested that Guo Wenyi stay on the sidelines for the time being, wait until the death of Emperor Sui Yang and Yang Tong's succession to the throne are confirmed, and then contact and negotiate with Qu Tutong.
Considering that there is indeed a possibility of leaking the news, and Yang Tong also asked in the order to wait for the follow-up order before negotiating with Qu Tutong to cut off and kill Chen Sangliang, Guo Wenyi accepted Li Er's suggestion and arrived at the Fenyin battlefield. Hiding in Li's Second Army, he forbears and has never contacted Qu Tutong. Li's Second Army, who had defeated Qu Tutong's right-hand man Wang Xingben before, did not take advantage of the victory to continue to attack, but concentrated his main force on the Fenyin battlefield, preparing to join forces with Qu Tutong. Cleaning up Chen Sangliang will also allow Qu Tutong to have sufficient excuses to ask Chen Sangliang for help in the next step of his plan.
Seeing this, smart friends may have woken up. Qu Tutong asked Chen Sangliang for help before, and suggested that Chen Sangliang personally lead the army to Hedong to destroy Li Er. In fact, he was not planning to join forces with Li Er Kill Chen Sangliang, but his situation is indeed more critical. The Fenyin battlefield is indeed a rare opportunity to annihilate Li Er's main force. Qu Tutong proposed to Chen Sangliang in order to seize the opportunity. Everything is just an accidental coincidence.
This unexpected coincidence made Li Er and Guo Wenyi miserable. Since Chen Sangliang had already rushed to mourn for Sui Yang Emperor, the preemptive opportunity that Li Er and Guo Wenyi expected before had disappeared. As a last resort, after a hasty discussion between Li Er and Guo Wenyi, they had no choice but to quickly contact Yang Tong to report the situation, while ignoring the possibility of leaks, Guo Wenyi hurriedly came forward, holding Yang Tong's edict in hand, and went to the Sui Army's camp. Qu Tutong contacted and let Qu Tutong know that Li Er had surrendered to Yang Yu, and also let Qu Tutong come forward to lure Chen Sangliang to come to Hedong to die.
The opportunity has been lost, and it is of course even more difficult to persuade Qu Tutong to kill Chen Sangliang. After Guo Wenyi explained the incident to Qu Tutong alone, Qu Tutong lost his temper because of Yang Tong's private solicitation of Li Er. He was dissatisfied with Yang Tong not avenging his younger brother Yang You on behalf of Wang Yang and pardoning the enemy who killed the enemy. Guo Wenyi could only patiently explain that Yang You was killed by Li Yuan, and Li Er was just forced to follow his father in rebellion and had already harbored the intention to do anything wrong. The world is in chaos and gangs of thieves are rising together. Yang Yu recruited Li Er as a last resort in order to weaken the thieves and set an example of appeasement. Second, it has returned to the fait accompli of the Great Sui court.
Qu Tutong reluctantly accepted Guo Wenyi's explanation, and promised not to fight Li Er for the time being, but when Guo Wenyi asked Qu Tutong to kill Chen Sangliang, Qu Tutong immediately became furious, grabbed Guo Wenyi's neck and asked this Whose idea was it to kill Chen Sangliang who was loyal to Emperor Sui Yang? Guo Wenyi hurriedly showed Yang Tong's edict again, and listed Chen Sangliang's various crimes, pointing out that Chen Sangliang had actually rebelled against him a long time ago, and planned to separate himself from Guanzhong and establish himself as king. Yang Tong did this for the sake of the unification of the Sui Dynasty. .
If Qu Tugai hadn't sent a letter to Qu Tutong before, pointing out that Chen Sangliang's various behaviors in Daxing in Guanzhong were very suspicious, Qu Tutong might have pulled Yang Tong's edict on the spot. But even so, Qu Tutong still threw Yang Tong's edict back to Guo Wenyi, and said angrily, "Take it back and return it to His Royal Highness the King of Yue, and tell him that although Qu Tutong is old, he also knows that his family is poor and misses a good wife. The reason why the country is in chaos and thinks of a good general is that Chen Liushou is the Great Wall of the Sui Dynasty, the pillar of the country. When the world is in chaos, the old man will only join hands with him to go to the national calamity and wipe out the world's traitors. He wants the old man to kill him without any grounds. It is a dream !"
Li Er had worried about such a situation before. According to Li Er's instructions, Guo Wenyi immediately said confidently: "General Qu Tu, what if this is His Majesty's will? Are you following the order? Don't forget, old general. , Yu Wenhua and the rebels have already killed His Majesty the Emperor in Jiangdu. His Majesty was killed suddenly, and he must have not had time to leave a will. His Highness Qi Wang, Zhao Wang and Yan Wang are all by His Majesty's side, and they have also been killed in all likelihood. Even if he can survive, he must have become the puppet emperor in the hands of Yu Wenhua and the rebels! In today's world, only His Royal Highness Yue Wang can inherit the throne and command hundreds of officials. Old general, as a veteran of the two dynasties, do you still want to serve others? For the emperor?"
Qu Tutong was speechless, and Guo Wenyi took the opportunity to instigate and instigate again: "Old general, the current plan, if you step forward, kill the evil traitor Chen Yingliang, and lead all the officials in Guanzhong to support His Royal Highness the King of Yue to ascend the throne , then at the top it can preserve the Sui River, the country, and the royal family’s ancestral temple, and at the bottom it can benefit the common people and benefit the descendants.
After that, Guo Wenyi threatened again: "There is one more thing, old general, don't blame the officials for not reminding you. Chen Yingliang's traitor has shown his opposite, and he has heard of His Majesty's funeral. He will definitely take the opportunity to raise a flag of rebellion. Old general, you Veteran courtier, highly respected, Chen Yingliang will definitely regard you as a thorn in his flesh, and he must get rid of it quickly, and try his best to kill you! At that time, even if you are an old general with military power in your hands, your family in Daxing will definitely not be able to escape him The poisonous hand of the king of Yue! Instead of waiting to die, it is better to act first, kill Chen Yingliang according to the king of Yue, lead the army back to Daxing, support His Royal Highness the king of Yue to ascend the throne, and benefit the people of the world and all generations to come!"
Qu Tutong became even more silent and said after a long time: "Let me think about it."
Realizing that Qu Tutong was wavering, Guo Wenyi hurriedly agitated his tongue, continued to analyze the interests of Qu Tutong, and tried his best to encourage Qu Tutong to make up his mind as soon as possible, trap and kill Chen Sangliang and cut off the great harm to the country. , but never made up his mind, until Guo Wenyi was in a hurry, Qu Tutong said angrily: "What are you in a hurry? The letter suggesting that Chen Yingliang personally lead the army to Hedong, the old man sent someone to deliver it a few days ago. No delay, no need to rush!"
Guo Wenyi's eyes lit up, and he quickly and carefully asked Qu Tutong's willingness to invite Chen Sangliang to send troops. After Qu Tutong said it casually, Guo Wenyi was even more overjoyed, so he stopped urging him and left. Qu Tutong didn't try to keep him or send him off, and he was overwhelmed with thoughts, "Second brother said that Chen Yingliang might rebel. Will he rebel? Is there a funeral for His Majesty? If His Majesty is really killed, I will Who should I enshrine as emperor? If His Royal Highness the King of Yue proclaims himself emperor in Dongdu, should I accept his edict and kill Chen Yingliang without evidence? If Chen Yingliang really rebels, what will my family do?"
The more hesitant and hesitant, the more frightened things will be. Three days later, the unexpected news came again. Huben Lang, who stayed behind in Puban, sent Huo Shiju to send a horse to send the news, saying that Chen Sangliang sent Liu Heita to lead the army 20,000 people marched eastward to reinforce Qu Tutong. They have already crossed the Weishui River and headed northward, and quickly took over important military sites such as Zhongdan, Chaoyi, and Pujin Pass. Huo Shiju found it strange to send someone to contact Liu Heitai. Refusing to explain the reasons for taking over these important military sites, he also showed the official document issued by Chen Sangliang in the honor of arresting the ambassador in Guanzhong, demanding that Huo Shiju strictly guard Puban City, the governor of Hedong County, and that no one including Qu Tutong's army should be allowed without Chen Sangliang's order. Any army enters the city. Huo Shiju knew that something was wrong, so he quickly sent someone to contact Qu Tutong.
After hearing the news, Qu Tutong, an old sparrow on the battlefield, turned pale, because after Liu Heitai suddenly controlled Chaoyi, Zhongdan and Pujin Pass, he had strangled Qu Tutong by the throat. Not only cut off Qu Tutong's food road, but also blocked Qu Tutong's westward path. Qu Tutong had no chance to make a sudden attack. If Chen Sangliang wanted to clean up Qu Tutong, he didn't need to send troops to attack him. Qu Tutong could be starved to death by hunger alone. So Qu Tutong immediately suspected that Chen Sangliang might want to rebel!
Yang Tong's emissary, Guo Wenyi, was also quite lucky. That afternoon, Guo Wenyi came to Qu Tutong's camp again wearing a mourning filial piety to ask for an interview. The generals of the army wailed loudly, and said: "Old General Qu Tu, the bad news in Dongdu, the mutiny in Jiangdu has been confirmed to be true, the rebel Yu Wenhuaji launched a mutiny, killed His Majesty the Emperor, and also killed His Royal Highness King Qi , His Royal Highness Zhao Wang, His Royal Highness Yan Wang and many clan royals, court officials..."
Qu Tu stood up abruptly, and then sat down again with a bang, his wrinkled old face suddenly turned dead gray. Although the generals of the Sui army beside him had heard the rumor long ago, they got it. After the confirmation, all of them were struck by lightning. In Nuo Da's handsome tent, only Guo Wenyi's crying voice was left, "Na Yu Wenhua and his husband, also pretended to make Qin Wang Yang Hao the new emperor, and proclaimed himself the prime minister." , stealing the Great Sui court, and trying to steal the world..."
After a long time, Qu Tutong asked in a hoarse voice, "How did you confirm the news?"
"It was the news sent by an official loyal to His Majesty, and the traitor Du Fuwei also informed the Huainan regions of this matter with a bulletin." Guo Wenyi replied weeping.
Two turbid tears leaked from the corners of Qu Tutong's eyes, and then he couldn't help crying. All the generals of the Sui Army, no matter if they were sincere or not, all burst into tears. Guo Wenyi wiped his tears and observed the situation. Seeing that the time had come, he took out another edict and said loudly: "The imperial edict of the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, General Zuo Xiaowei and Qu Tutong, the ambassador for arrest in the pass, accept the edict!"
The crying stopped, and Qu Tutong also raised his cloudy and tearful eyes, and asked in doubt: "The emperor's imperial edict? Did your majesty send out a will before the funeral?"
"It's not the edict of the first emperor, it's the will of the new emperor." Guo Wenyi didn't dare to mess around in this regard, and explained honestly: "The world cannot be without a master. His Royal Highness the King of Yue ascended the throne and changed to Yuanhuangtai, and all civil and military officials in the Eastern Capital also bowed to the new emperor on the spot. So now the new emperor gave you the imperial edict to the old general Qu Tutong, which is called an imperial edict."
Qu Tutong and most of the generals of the Sui army were hesitant to say anything, but Wang Xingben, who had always defended Hedong with Yao Jun in history, stood up and asked Guo Wenyi, "Has your majesty left a will? No successor has been confirmed? Is it inappropriate for you to support His Royal Highness the King of Yue as your successor without confirming this?"
"This general, the first emperor was killed by Yu Wenhuaji, and all the rebels who were present at the time were rebels who killed the emperor. Not to mention that the late emperor had no time to issue a will, even if there was a will, Yu Wenhuaji and other rebels would not be able to announce it to the public. ?” Guo Wenyi choked up and asked back.
Wang Xingben closed his mouth, turned his gaze to Qu Tutong, Qu Tutong hesitated for a moment, and then said to Guo Wenyi: "Tell me the content of His Royal Highness Yue's will first, and then talk about it."
"Don't worry, old general, it's definitely not what you can do by force." Guo Wenyi replied, and quickly unfolded the imperial decree, reading aloud: "By God's blessing, the emperor's decree said: The late emperor was murdered, riots and thieves were rampant, and the foundation of the country was endangered. This is a great misfortune for the family and the country." , Qu Tutong, the general of Zuo Xiaowei, who is loyal to the country and unparalleled in loyalty and bravery, is actually the pillar of the country and the pillar of the court. Doctor, bestow upon Duke Hua Yuan. Qu Tutong’s officers and men will all be promoted to two ranks. This is your honor! In the fourth year of the first year of Huangtai.”
Even if the generals of the Sui Army were not very happy about being promoted to two ranks for no reason, they certainly would not refuse. They all turned their attention to Qu Tutong. Guo Wenyi also put down the imperial decree and asked Qu Tutong: "Old General Qu Tutong , you already know the content of the decree, now is the time to accept the decree and thank you?"
If he didn't know that Yang Tong would use himself as a knife to kill Chen Sangliang, Qu Tutong would have already obeyed the edict, but now it is different. Emperor, Guo Wenyi will definitely bring up the old story in his next step, forcing himself to kill Chen Sangliang. So Qu Tutong, who was getting older and weaker, hesitated for a long time, and asked again: "What about Li Shimin? How does His Royal Highness King Yue manage?"
The generals of the Sui Army went to see Guo Wenyi in surprise. Guo Wenyi did not expect that Qu Tutong would ask himself this question, so he hesitated for a moment before saying: "Li Shimin knew his way back when he lost his way. Before that, he took the initiative to ask His Royal Highness Yue to surrender. His Royal Highness Yue ascended the throne. Afterwards, I pardoned the world, pardoned Li Shimin and his father's rebellious actions, ordered him to succeed his father Tang Guogong, and took over the post of General You Xiaowei, and let him lead his troops to accept the command of the old general, and join hands with you to crusade against the world Thieves..."
"What?" Before Guo Wenyi finished speaking, Wang Xingben and several other generals of the Sui army roared angrily, "Li Yuan and his son rebelled against him and killed the Dai Wang. Return all the official titles to his son?"
"It was the old thief Li Yuan who killed His Royal Highness. The old thief has already subdued the law. Your Majesty pardoned the son of the old thief Li Yuan for the sake of the world." Guo Wenyi replied timidly, then turned to Qu Tutong and asked: "Old General Qu Tu , The reason and purpose of His Royal Highness to pardon Li Yuan's son, I have told you before I was dismissed. Now that His Royal Highness has officially ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, for the sake of stability in the world and the crusade against other traitors, he officially decreed to pardon Li Yuan's second son. You should Do you understand?"
Qu Tutong was still silent, hesitating and not speaking. At this time, a soldier came in outside the tent and reported to Qu Tutong: "General Qu Tutong, a group of people came to the ferry on the other side of the Yellow River, claiming to be Guanzhong to seek arrest. The envoy of Ambassador Chen Liushou has been ordered to report to you about the death of His Majesty the Emperor in Jiangdu, please receive him immediately."
Qu Tutong, who was already in a bad mood, was even annoyed when he heard that, and Guo Wenyi also sneered, saying: "Daxing has mourned for the late emperor on the eighth day of April, and today is April sixteenth. Only then did Chen Yingliang think of sending someone to report the funeral to you, old general Qu Tu, and his intentions, old general Qu Tu, can't you see it?"
This is the reason why Qu Tutong was so angry. After listening to Guo Wenyi's instigation, Qu Tutong became even more angry, and shouted: "Tell them to wait on the other side of the Yellow River. I will see them when I am free! By the way Ask them, even if they climb the three hundred and fifty miles from Daxing to Fenyin, they will not be able to climb it for eight days, right?"
Quite abnormal, seeing that Qu Tutong was already angry, not only did his soldiers not be timid and immediately sang promises to accept orders, but they also took the initiative to explain for Chen Sangliang's envoy: "General Qu Tutong, because Chen Liushou sent to report the funeral The envoy also brought many old and weak women and children, and they were traveling with the army, so they walked very slowly."
"Chen Yingliang's envoy also brought many old and weak women and children?" Qu Tutong was startled, and asked in surprise: "What is Chen Yingliang up to? Sending an envoy to report the funeral, why did he ask the envoy to bring the old and weak women and children?"
"General Qu Tu, the envoys sent by Chen Liushou are your two sons." The soldiers clasped their hands and replied, "The old and weak women and children brought by your two sons are all your family members in Daxing, including Your mother who is nearly eighty years old, and your great-grandson who is just half a year old. Your two sons said that this is a special confession from Chen Liushou, saying that your family has not seen you for a long time, so let them take your Bring your family members and let them meet you."
Everyone was shocked, Guo Wenyi opened his mouth so wide that he could stuff two eggs into it, and Qu Tutong stood up abruptly, his expression extremely dull.