Although Zuo Qianwei's soldiers crossed the Yellow Niu River, contrary to Fang Xie's expectations, the rebels did not counterattack and allowed Zuo Qianwei to build a stockade on the north bank of the river. Fang Jie thought that even if the Left Front Guard and the rebels didn't want to start a war, but the Left Front Guard crossed the river even if he just built a camp, it was equivalent to a big step. This is the first time that the imperial army has set foot on this land after the independence of the Three Northwest Provinces. According to reason, the reaction of the rebels should be very fierce.
Letting people from the imperial court come in would definitely be a big blow to the morale of the rebels.
Although Li Yuanshan has not proclaimed himself emperor yet, he claims to be the king of Dingxi, and the three northwestern regions are his territory. When the imperial army first attacked, Li Yuanshan must have fought back fiercely. According to Fang Jie's understanding of Li Yuanshan, this person's ambition is definitely not as big as Northwest Sandao.
It has been more than half a month, and the Left Front Guard camp in Hebei and the rebel camp are only less than 20 miles apart, but they live in peace.
Sitting under the big tree, Fang Jie watched the training of the soldiers and horses of the Shanzi Camp, his brows furrowed deeply. What he was most worried about was whether Luo Yao secretly colluded with the rebels. If Li Yuanshan formed an alliance with Luo Yao, then Da Sui would really be in a precarious state. It is said that the bravery organized by the imperial court has exceeded one million, and another 300,000 soldiers have been mobilized, and they are ready to set off. If Li Yuanshan and Luo Yao joined forces, then the imperial court's war against the rebellion would be more or less ominous.
At the beginning, Li Yuanshan hooked up with the Mengyuan people to raid the imperial court's army from behind, but Li Yuanshan stabbed too hard in the back, which directly caused the 700,000 army to collapse within ten days. And this time, will it be Luo Yao who stabbed the knife
While he was thinking, Zhuo Buyi walked over quickly.
"There's been something wrong with the recent situation."
Zhuo Buyi said in a heavy tone after sitting down beside Fang Jie.
"What's wrong?"
Fang asked.
"In the past few days, there have been constant conflicts between the left front guard and the Huangyang Road's county soldiers and minyong. This morning, it was said that several left front guard soldiers were killed by the minyong. Cavalry broke into the camp of Minyong, captured dozens of people and chopped off their heads on the spot. If the governor of Huangyang Road, Yang Yanye, did his best to suppress it, Minyong would be blown up today... Thousands of Minyong blocked Wen Xiaodao in the camp, and their swords were on the verge of breaking out If it wasn't for Yang Yanye's quick rush, the fight would not be a small-scale incident."
"Why do I always feel that the soldiers at the left front guard are deliberately provoking trouble?"
Zhuo Buyi frowned and said: "It is said that Luo Yao first urged Yang Yanye to deliver the grain and grass used by the left front guard for a month, but Yang Yanye really couldn't make it up, so he borrowed grain from the local gentry. This batch of grain and grass was only delivered, and Luo Yao immediately sent someone to buy it again. It will take three months to open his mouth to urge the food. If we continue to be forced like this, Yang Yanye's patience may soon come to an end."
Fang Jie sighed: "This is what I am most worried about. I am afraid that Luo Yao's purpose in going north is not the rebels at all. It is Huangyang Dao. The four roads in the southwest are all his territories, but Huang Yang Dao is within his control range. Outside. Although the Southwest Four Daoes are rich, Luo Yao has been expanding his army and using troops against the He people over the years. No matter how rich the place is, it cannot support him. If he wants to expand his army again, the Southwest Four Daoes will not be able to support him at all... And Huangyang Road has Xinkou warehouse, one of the largest granaries in the Sui Dynasty, if Luo Yao wins Xinkou warehouse, it will not be a problem even if he raises an army of one million."
Speaking of this, Zhuo Buyi's face suddenly changed: "Xinkou Cang is on Huangyang Road, and Huangyang Road has no soldiers guarding it. The defenders of Xinkou Cang are less than 5,000 people, and the combat effectiveness of the grain guards is not comparable to that of the soldiers. ... The rebels have divided the Northwest for two years, and they haven't made any plans to make a move in the past two years, why is that?"
Fang Jie said: "Yang Yanye formed the Minyong to fight against it is part of it, I'm afraid there are other secrets."
Zhuo Buyizai thought about it carefully, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes: "You mean, Luo Yao has been eyeing Xinkou Cang for a long time, and the reason why the rebels didn't take Xinkou Cang was not Huang Yangdao's brave resistance. However, they already knew that Xinkoucang was what Luo Yao wanted, so they didn't dare to snatch it. At this moment, Li Yuanshan didn't dare to easily offend Luo Yao, who had 400,000 soldiers. The battle between Luo Yao and the rebels The tacit understanding is that he will not interfere with Li Yuanshan's affairs, and Li Yuanshan will not interfere with his affairs... "
"More than 400,000..."
Fang Jie shook his head: "You haven't seen it clearly yet? If Luo Yao is willing, the number of troops that can be pulled together in the four southwest roads in an instant is definitely larger than that of Li Yuanshan. In the past twenty years, the court of the Sui Dynasty has treated the four southwest roads, especially It’s true that Pingshang Dao has taken care of them and kept reducing money and food, but the people’s lives are not very rich, where did the food and money go? They were all conscripted by Luo Yaoqiang!”
"The left front guard reported to the imperial court that the number of troops was 200,000, but we all know that it is no less than 400,000. Now it seems... it is more than 400,000. Luo Yao has completely turned the Southwest into a huge military camp in the past 20 years in Yongzhou .”
"Oh My God… "
Zhuo Buyi said: "You mean, Luo Yao is determined to turn against you? Since you have noticed it, why don't you leave? We should return to Chang'an City to meet His Majesty as soon as possible. Jun and Luo Yao join hands, the imperial army will be attacked by the enemy..."
"Walk?"
Fang Jie smiled: "These are just our conjectures, there is no evidence at all. Besides, how do we go now? All the roads are blocked by the troops of the left avant-garde. If you want to go, you have to cross the river and go to the rebels." The territory of Huangyang Dao is now allowed to enter and not allowed to leave, and our people can't be sent back at all."
"Then what to do?"
Fang Jie was silent for a while and said, "It would be the best if the tacit understanding between the rebels and the left front guard can be broken and Luo Yao fights with the rebels... Luo Yao sent troops across the river, but the rebels did not move. This is unusual. In fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see it. I can guarantee that Yang Yanye, the governor of Huangyang Road, noticed it earlier than us, because Luo Yao has been forcing him since he arrived... I don't believe that he won't find a way to send news to the court, so I plan to find opportunity to meet him."
"He believes you?"
"After all, I am from Chang'an City, not Luo Yao's."
Fang Jie got up: "If it really doesn't work, I have to lead a team to go. I have already started to handle Shanziying, so I can't just lose it. If I can't go back to Chang'an, then I will go to Xu Junwang. "
"Have you already planned it?"
Zhuo Buyi asked suspiciously.
Fang Jie nodded: "From the day I was left behind by Luo Yao, I have been thinking about how to get out."
…
…
Zhuo Buyi and Fang Jie stood on the south bank of the Yellow Niu River, looking at the rushing Yellow Niu River, the big camp on the north bank of the river, and the nine pontoon bridges on the river, both of them fell silent.
"If the emperor had not secretly dispatched troops to the west, but brought this matter up for discussion in the court... I am afraid that the Sui Dynasty would not be in the current predicament. Thinking about it now, the root cause of this matter is the mobilization of troops. The emperor actually intends to hide such a big matter from everyone."
Zhuo Buyi sighed.
"The emperor was too confident. He felt that he could put all the great Sui Dynasty on his shoulders by ignoring those courtiers and bypassing the court's disputes. In the eyes of the emperor, none of those courtiers were Let him feel at ease, so he wants to do everything by himself. From the beginning, he didn't feel that there is nothing that cannot be separated from the court. He knows that once such a big matter as the expedition to the northwest is brought up for discussion in the court, it will be dealt with immediately. It's going to be a storm, so he wants to do it himself."
"I have to say that the emperor is a wise man who is rarely matched by others. He does have the ability to control the overall situation when he is calm."
Fang Jie's words became more and more disrespectful, but Zhuo Yiyi took his words seriously.
"And after the emperor ascended the throne, everything went smoothly. Those in the court who supported the prince and other princes were all taken down by the emperor without making a sound. The disharmony in the court disappeared, and the courtiers obeyed him. Then he secretly established Huo Tong Tian Xia, relying on a firm to repair the city wall that had not been repaired in the century since the founding of the Sui Dynasty. This incident alone is actually enough to leave a strong mark in the history books."
"But because the emperor's everything went so smoothly, his thoughts became more and more serious... He used goods to travel around the world to quietly transport troops and food, and only after he transferred 700,000 troops to the northwest did he make this matter public. Everyone, it was too late for the courtiers to know about it. And the huge state machine, which is only now in operation to support the war in the Northwest, has actually had its drawbacks..."
Fang Jie paused and continued: "Even without Li Yuanshan's rebellion, I am not optimistic about the Northwest War. The Mongolian Yuan Dynasty has been established for nearly a thousand years, with a solid foundation, a huge army, strong national strength, and solid popular support. Can it be easily defeated? Without Li Yuanshan's rebellion, the army deployed by the imperial court in the northwest would also have problems due to many problems in the rear."
"After the defeat in the Northwest War, the emperor did not listen to the advice of his courtiers, and made a series of muddled decisions... Huang Yangdao did not send troops to station, and recruited civilians without restraint, all because of his guilty conscience..."
"Guilty?"
Zhuo Buyi was puzzled.
"Yes, because he was defeated, he felt that those courtiers must be ridiculing him and laughing at him secretly. So he became more and more withdrawn, and he didn't like to listen to people's words. He felt that he was right in everything and others were wrong. He felt that whatever the courtiers said about the Battle of the Northwest was deliberately embarrassing him."
Zhuo Buyi said: "Perhaps, your thinking is too arbitrary and too pessimistic. After all, we are not in Chang'an City, so we don't know what happened in the capital."
Fang Jie shook his head: "I hope so."
"The emperor's affair with the Northwest... just because he felt guilty, he wanted to show his composure. As a result, he didn't deploy troops in the fastest time, and wanted to hide this matter, so that Li Yuanshan gradually hid the Northwest three ways. Firmly control. The people had no choice but to obey the rebels. Since the troops were not deployed immediately, they should be done step by step, first recovering their vitality, and then spending a few years to arrange and gradually deploy troops. It is the right way to plan slowly, but In fact, the emperor was more anxious than anyone else. He pretended not to care. After a year of pretending, he could no longer pretend, and began to mobilize troops again... In order to gather troops as soon as possible and recruit civilians, the hidden danger was too great... either fast or slow, two He doesn't walk the avenue..."
Zhuo Buyi sighed: "These things, don't the courtiers remind the emperor?"
"Who can the emperor listen to? Pei Yan?"
Fang Jie sneered and said, "The first time I saw him, I vaguely guessed what this man's temperament is. He will only follow the emperor, and never go against it."
Zhuo Buyi was stunned, and sighed secretly in his heart, he knew that Fang's explanation was correct, Pei Yan would never say anything to obstruct the emperor from his mouth.
At this moment, several flying fish robes supported a person and walked towards this side quickly.
"My lord, there are people from the capital!"
A flying fish robe lowered his voice.
Fang Jie hurried forward to support the exhausted man who was almost empty-handed: "Your Majesty's will?"
"no!"
With difficulty, the visitor took out an iron box from his arms and handed it to Fang Xie: "San Jin Hou... San Jin Hou, I must hand it to you."
"Help him down to rest."
Fang Jie gave an order, and then removed the wax from the iron box. There was only one text message in it, a few dozen words. But Fang Jie's complexion changed immediately after reading it. The corners of his mouth trembled, and he couldn't help taking a deep breath: "So... so, now I understand why the emperor kept making such foolish moves."