"How is this possible? Chen Yingliang sent troops to take over Chaoyi, Zhongdan, and Pujin Pass. He made it clear that he was guarding against the old man and preparing to fight against the old man. Why did he send my family here? And all my family members Are they all delivered?"
"Could it be that Chen Yingliang is going to take the old man's family as hostages and force the old man to submit? If the old man refuses to agree to his request, he will kill the old man's family on the spot?!"
At first he was puzzled, then suddenly thought of this possibility, Qu Tutong was startled, and subconsciously shouted: "Wang Xingben, Xun Tianyu, immediately mobilize two thousand elite soldiers to follow the old man out of the camp."
Wang Xingben, Xun Tian and Chang Nuo, who were confused, rushed out of the tent to assemble the army. Guo Wenyi, who was in a stupor over there, quickly came to his senses, and thought of the same key issue as Qu Tutong. He hurriedly said to Qu Tutong: "Old General, if Chen Yingliang's traitor takes your family as a hostage and forces you to submit, you can pretend to agree, try to rescue your family, and then kill his lackeys. Your Majesty Shengming, I will definitely not blame you."
Qu Tutong kept a gloomy face and did not speak. The other generals of the Sui army on both sides whispered to each other, and they also suspected that Chen Sangliang sent all of Qu Tutong's family members to the Yellow River ferry. After a while, Wang Xingben, Xun Tian and the two generals entered the account to report that the soldiers and horses had assembled. Qu Tutong quickly arranged for the generals who stayed in the camp, and immediately went out of the account with Wang and Xun Tian to lead the army to attack. Volunteering to go with him, Qu Tutong didn't stop him.
All the way to the Yellow River Ferry not far from the camp, under the setting sun, on the ferry pier on the other side of the Yellow River, there was indeed a group of Sui soldiers surrounded by some old and weak women and children waiting on the pier, and saw Qu Tutong’s handsome flag appearing on the Yellow River East On the shore, a few children were still jumping and jumping on the wooden pier, and the captain of the Sui Army who was guarding the pier on the east bank immediately greeted him, and happily said to Qu Tutong: "Ambassador Qu Tu, the ferry is ready. Let the sailors steer the boat?"
Qu Tutong didn't answer, but just carefully observed the situation on the other side, but Qu Tutong was puzzled that although there were indeed Sui soldiers from the Eastern Capital guarding his family, those Sui soldiers who belonged to Chen Sangliang But they didn't draw their swords and raise their guns to prepare for battle, and most of them had already set up a bivouac camp on the shore highlands, and they didn't look like they were ready to fight at all. Suspiciously, Qu Tu asked the captain guarding the pier, "Do you understand? Who is the leader of the people coming from the opposite side?"
"Ambassador, I understand the question. Your eldest son, Qu Tushou, is the leader." The captain guarding the pier answered truthfully.
Surprised, he glanced at the situation on the other side again, Qu Tutong thought for a while, and then ordered: "You take the ferry over by yourself, and tell the people on the other side that no one is allowed on the boat except the old man's family members. Waiting for orders on the west bank, wait for the old man's family to cross the Yellow River."
The school captain sang Nuo, and when he was about to gallop aboard, Qu Tutong ordered again: "Wait, if the people sent by Chen Yingliang detain the old man's family members, they are not allowed to board the ship, ignore the old man's family members, turn around and come back immediately! "
The school lieutenant of the Sui army opened his mouth wide, until Qu Tutong emphasized this order again, then the school lieutenant sang his promise in despair, and hurriedly boarded the ship and set sail. Guo Wenyi beside him couldn't wait to bow his hands to Qu Tutong, and said with great admiration: "The old general is not afraid of violence, has a clear distinction between public and private, and is loyal to the Sui court. I really admire him."
Thanks to the efforts of the sailors of the Sui Army, the two ferries quickly crossed the Yellow River in the Fenyin section, which is as wide as a thousand miles, and gradually approached the pier on the west bank of the Yellow River. Seeing this scene from a high place on the east bank, Qu Tutong’s The heart also gradually rose to the throat, and he was so nervous that he wanted to close his eyes, not wanting to see the terrible result. Guo Wenyi gradually showed a grim smile on his face, and secretly said: "Hurry up, it's best to kill Qu Tu on the spot." Tong's sons and grandchildren, even if you can't trap and kill your traitor Chen Yingliang, Qu Tutong will be able to go south and cut off the Daxing grain road immediately."
Guo Wenyi's sinister smile quickly froze on his face, and the expression on Qu Tutong's face quickly fell into a state of stupor again, because the two ferryboats he sent across the river came directly to the pier, and his The family members also boarded the boat impatiently, but the soldiers of the Daxing Sui Army sent by Chen Sangliang left the pier without hesitation and retreated to the high ground on the shore without detaining any of Qu Tutong's family members. Seeing this scene, Qu Tutong and Guo Wenyi couldn't help but have a thought in their hearts, and said to themselves: "Chen Yingliang, what are you doing?"
Several soldiers of the Daxing Sui Army suddenly came down from the high ground on the bank and walked towards the pier. Hope was born again in Guo Wenyi's heart, but when he saw that the soldiers of the Sui Army handed over a sedan chair to the pier guards, Guo Wenyi suddenly into despair. Qu Tutong was also a little confused at the beginning, but when he came to his senses, a warm current gushed out of Qu Tutong's heart, and he suddenly understood one thing - the three hundred and fifty miles from Daxing to Fenyin, Chen Sangliang's subordinates He used this sedan chair to carry his elderly mother here.
Two ferryboats full of Qu Tutong's family members returned to the pier on the west bank. Before the boats were pulled to the pier by Sui soldiers with ropes, Qu Tutong, who had just met his family more than half a year ago and left in a hurry, couldn't wait. He rushed directly to the pier, and when he saw his two sons and his white-haired mother appearing beside the side of the boat, Qu Tutong could no longer restrain the emotion in his heart, and knelt down on the pier with a plop As soon as he opened his mouth, tears welled up in his eyes, and wept loudly, "Mother, forgive me, the child is unfilial...!"
Qu Tutong's mother, his wife and children, daughter-in-law and son-in-law, grandsons and grandchildren, dozens of people, all crying and laughing, scrambling around Qu Tutong to salute and greet, several young grandsons The grandson was still scrambling to let Qu Tutong hug them, his grandfather and grandpa kept screaming, and the eldest grandson Qu Tuzhong also hugged Qu Tutong's great-great-grandson in front of him, and asked Qu Tutong to hug the great-great-grandson he had never seen before. Grandson, the whole family cried together.
Seeing the reunion of Qu Tutong's family, Wang Xingben, Xun Tian and other soldiers of the Sui Army on the battlefield laughed and couldn't help but think of their family members who hadn't seen each other for a long time. The tumbling and boiling made these tall men unknowingly burst into tears, and many of them even shed tears on the spot and cried out loudly.
Only Guo Wenyi, who was sent by Yang Tong, was not emotional, on the contrary, he looked very ugly, and his eyes were rolling rapidly, thinking of ways to offset the impact of Chen Sangliang's actions on Qu Tutong. After thinking about it for a while, Guo Wenyi called a follower of his own, and whispered a few words in his ear, telling him to return to Li Erjun's camp in the north immediately, and report the situation to Li Erjun.
Laughing and crying, Qu Tutong finally remembered to lead his family back to the camp to rest. In order to repay the Daxing soldiers who escorted his family to this place, Qu Tutong immediately sent a boat to meet the Sui soldiers sent by Chen Sangliang Crossing the river, it's a pity that the soldiers of the Sui army declined Qu Tutong's kindness, saying that they would leave after a night's rest, and they didn't want to go back and forth to the trouble of crossing the river. Qu Tutong didn't force them, but ordered someone to reward them with some wine and meat, and then he personally led the army to escort his family back to the camp. Along the way, Qu Tutong naturally had to talk about his farewell with his family, and kept crying and choking for it.
The arrival of Qu Tutong's family naturally caused a huge commotion in Qu Tutong's army. Since Li Yuan raised his troops, the Sui army soldiers who followed Qu Tutong to Hedong County to fight have not been able to go home for more than half a year. It was very strong, seeing the reunion of the head coach of the self-armed army with his family, these Guanzhong soldiers were envious and jealous, and naturally missed their relatives in their hometown even more, and wanted to go home as soon as possible. —Although these feelings will not affect the morale and cohesion of the army, if Qu Tutong dares to order the east to enter Luoyang and fight for Yang Tong, then even if there will be no mutiny in the army, at least desertions will definitely appear one after another .
After settling down his family members, it was already dark, and Qu Tutong finally remembered that Chen Sangliang sent his two young masters for official business. Out of gratitude and respect for Chen Sangliang, Qu Tutong lit a large number of candles in the tent of the Chinese army in accordance with the court system, and summoned the Chinese and Chinese generals of the army to meet the two sons who served as envoys to Chen Sangliang. He had the cheek to enter the Chinese army's big tent to find out the news, but luckily no one stopped him.
Qu Tushou and Qu Tuquan knew their father's temper, and they didn't dare to address Qu Tutong as father and son in the central army camp. Tushou said: "General Qu Tushou, my subordinate Qu Tushou came to report your funeral under the order of General Youwuwei and Chen Yingliang who stayed behind in Dongdu. The traitor Yu Wenhua and the king were killed. His Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Emperor. He was murdered and died, Chen Liushou asked General Qu Tu to order the whole army to mourn for His Majesty in accordance with the imperial court code."
"Understood, the old man has ordered people to arrange mourning, and tomorrow the whole army can wear mourning." Qu Tutong nodded, and asked again: "Aside from reporting the funeral, what else can Chen Liushou say?"
"General Qu Tushou, Chen Liushou also ordered the officials to invite you back to Daxing on his behalf to discuss the important matter of supporting the new emperor." Qu Tushou replied respectfully: "Chen Liushou also said that if you don't mind, General Qu Tu, You can be temporarily replaced by a subordinate official, who will be in charge of the Hedong Army, so that you can return to the Eastern Capital with peace of mind."
Of course, Chen Sangliang did this to appease and please Qu Tutong, and Qu Tutong knew it well. Seeing that the situation was not good, Guo Wenyi stood up and said, "Old General, you must not be fooled." , Chen Yingliang deliberately sent your family members to invite you back to Daxing. On the surface, it is to show sincerity, but in fact, it is just to lure you to Daxing for house arrest, take the opportunity to confiscate your military power, and even take the opportunity to kill you to sweep away his usurpation. Obstacles to seizing power, if you fall for it, you will regret it later."
"Let's talk about it." Guo Wenyi hurriedly added: "His Majesty the Emperor was killed, and His Royal Highnesses King Qi, King Zhao, and King Yan were also killed together. His Royal Highness Dai Wang also passed away before. The bloodline, inheriting the name of Datong is justified, so there is no need to discuss it? Chen Yingliang made it clear that he wanted to support a hypocrite and seize the opportunity to usurp power!"
Both Qu Tushou and Qu Tuquan came to see Guo Wenyi in doubt, and then went to see his father's reaction. Qu Tutong hesitated again. Qu Tutong was very grateful to Chen Sangliang for being honest, but Qu Tutong was not blind. What Sangliang did in Daxing, Qu Tutong had already inquired clearly through various channels, and he had already seen that Chen Sangliang didn't hold back any good farts, and Chen Sangliang would still be Yi Yin and Huo Guang in the future The conscience has not been eaten up by dogs, and it is very possible to follow the example of Wang Mang, Cao Pi, and Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty! At the same time, after the death of Emperor Sui Yang and his other descendants, Yang Tong was indeed the undoubted heir to the throne. Chen Sangliang didn't hurry to send someone to invite Yang Tong to succeed him, but he wanted to invite himself back to Daxing for a discussion. Even if it is not a rebellion, the behavior of supporting the emperor is not much worse.
So Qu Tutong knew very well that the reason why Chen Sangliang showed his favor to him was because he was afraid of the army in his hands and wanted to solve his troubles with gentle means. According to Chen Sangliang's words, he would keep the high-ranking official and high salary, and his glory and wealth. If he helped Chen Sangliang seize power and usurp the throne, he might be treated like a founding father in the future. But if you dare not listen to Chen Sangliang, then... Hehe, if Chen Sangliang can send Qu Tutong's family to Huairou today, then he will definitely be able to send Qu Tutong's family to Huangquan Road to be Qu Tutong's companions.
Seeing Qu Tutong's hesitant expression, Guo Wenyi knew he was wavering, but fortunately, he took two steps forward, walked up to Qu Tutong, and said in a low voice, "Old General, there is another matter, don't blame me. The official did not report to you. Three days ago, after returning to the camp of the current Tang Guogong, Li Shimin, the next official reported to Tang Guogong about the passage of the envoy. After knowing that you, the old general, happened to have sent someone to invite Chen Yingliang to send troops to Hedong, someone immediately made a suggestion. If, old general, you insist on refusing to accept the imperial edict of the Eastern Capital, please ask Tang Guogong to deliberately leak to Chen Yingliang your plan to lure and kill Chen Yingliang, old general, so as to cut off your retreat, and force you to do whatever you want."
Qu Tutong looked at Guo Wenyi furiously, and Guo Wenyi quickly smiled and said, "Don't worry, old general, Tang Guogong is a man of righteousness. Not only did he not accept this suggestion, but he immediately reprimanded the person who made the suggestion, and issued a strict order to prohibit anyone from acting without permission." , Those who disobey the order will be beheaded!"
Qu Tutong was even more furious, and he understood Guo Wenyi's meaning in his heart. He knew that Guo Wenyi was threatening him. If he refused to accept Yang Tong's edict, then Li Er would definitely take advantage of the coincidence of asking for help before and take the opportunity to spread the news of his plan. Colluding with Yang Tong and Li Er to kill Chen Sangliang's rumors, alienating his relationship with Chen Sangliang and killing people with a knife, even if Chen Sangliang can't afford to kill, he will hardly have a bright future under Chen Sangliang in his life .
At this time, Qu Tushou just remembered another important event, he quickly took out a letter from his bosom, held it up with both hands and said: "General Qu Tushou, this is a letter written by Chen Liushou, please read it."
The soldiers immediately stepped forward and presented the letter to Qu Tutong. Qu Tutong glared at Guo Wenyi angrily, and then took the letter. After breaking the wax paint, he took out the letter paper and looked at it, and after only two glances, Qu Tutong suddenly stood up, first looked at his two sons in disbelief, and then looked at his own hands in disbelief. At the end, he cried out in surprise, "Shou'er, Quan'er, did Chen Liushou really give you this letter?"
"Yes." Qu Tushou and Qu Tuquan nodded together, and then Qu Tuquan added: "Chen Liushou handed it over to us."
Qu Tutong was probably the most shocked and surprised today in his life, and then quickly lowered his head to read the contents of the letter, and read the letters over and over several times before Qu Tutong said in a daze: "Under the whole world, there are still people like this. A person with a big heart?"
"Old General, what's the matter?" Guo Wenyi sensed that something was wrong, and asked cautiously.
Smiling, Qu Tutong handed Chen Sangliang's autographed letter to Guo Wenyi, and Guo Wenyi quickly took it to read it, but only read half of it, and Guo Wenyi collapsed on the ground on the spot, screaming in disbelief: "This, How is this possible? He knew about it long ago? How did he know about it? He knew our plan, yet he sent all your family members here, and asked them to bring this letter, saying that he knew about it a long time ago? "
…
At the same time, at Li Erjun's camp fifteen miles to the north, after Guo Wenyi's entourage learned that Chen Sangliang sent all Qu Tutong's family members to Hedong, Li Er immediately knew that Chen Sangliang was going to buy people's hearts with hypocrisy and hypocrisy. Now, I covet the Guanzhong soldiers under Qu Tutong's command whose morale is not high enough but their combat effectiveness is quite strong, and even more covet the key cities and food, grass and military equipment controlled by Qu Tutong's army. Li Er only thought about it for less than five minutes, and immediately made up his mind. He decided to take a gamble no matter what, and immediately and completely blocked Qu Tutong's retreat.
At the same time that Guo Wenyi collapsed to the ground, Li Er's younger brother, Cucumber Lord Li Baiju, came to visit Li Er according to his order. Li Er didn't greet him, and immediately led him to the sand table of the map, pointing to the Yellow River Fen Yindu's west bank wharf said: "At this wharf, there is an army coming from Daxing. The number is unknown, but it must not be many. I have prepared fifty elite soldiers in official uniforms for you, and I will take them over immediately. Yellow River, go south to attack this army. Remember two points, first, act under the banner of Qu Tutong, and second, let some Daxing soldiers flee back to report."
Li Baiju agreed without hesitation, and immediately led the 50 fake Sui troops prepared by Li Er to leave the camp and cross the river at the ferry of the Yellow River. Li Er personally sent him to the ferry and gave him detailed instructions on the way. How to fake Qu Tutong's identity, how to let the soldiers of the Daxing Sui Army know about this situation, in order to put the shit pot on Qu Tutong's head completely, Li Er also gave Qu Tutong a new official title and a new title from Yang Tong He also told his brother Li Baiju.
…
The screen returns to the Sui army camp in the south. The appearance of Guo Wenyi slumping and screaming on the ground naturally made all the generals of the Sui army curious and asked why. Qu Tutong did not hesitate this time. In the presence of the generals of the Sui Army, he gave a detailed introduction to the ins and outs of the matter, and also showed Chen Sangliang's letter in public. The result is also very natural. The more Qu Tushou brothers listened, the more pale their faces became, and the more they listened, the more they sweated profusely. He became more and more frustrated and disappointed, but he was full of admiration and longing for Chen Sangliang.
It took a lot of time to tell the story to everyone in the tent, and let everyone calm down for a while, Qu Tutong cleared his throat, and then said: "My lords, His Majesty was killed in Jiangdu. It is His Royal Highness the King of Yue who inherits the Datong, but..."
"Boom!"
A sudden explosion interrupted Qu Tutong's words. Everyone was surprised to identify the source of the sound, and soon they were extremely shocked to find that the explosion sound came from the direction of the Yellow River in the west, and then there was another explosion sound of a gunpowder bottle The sound also came from the direction of the Yellow River in the west. When Qu Tutong and the generals of the Sui army were shocked, Wang Xingben was the first to wake up and exclaimed: "No! The Daxing soldiers sent by Chen Liushou may have been attacked unexpectedly. !"
…
The distance was too far, blocked by mountains and forests, and disturbed by the sound of the river. The fifty fake Sui soldiers led by Li Baiju did not hear the explosion of gunpowder bottles fifteen miles away, but carefully drove the boat to the west bank of the Yellow River and sent After going ashore and finding nothing abnormal, Li Baiju gave an order, and all fifty fake Sui troops disembarked and quickly assembled into a team. Li Baiju ordered in a low voice: "Don't light the torches, go south quietly. Remember, from now on, we are the soldiers under the command of General Youyiwei of the Great Sui Dynasty and Duke Huayuan Qu Tutong! Under the orders of General Qu Tu, we will crusade against the rebels Chen Yingliang!"