Emperor Sui Yang

Chapter 368
Zhang Xutuo guarded Qi County and was in charge of watching the four counties of Wuyang, Qinghe, Pingyuan, and Bohai.

This person is very pragmatic. After serving as an envoy, he knew that this errand was not easy to do, so he contacted the rich merchants of the local family early to raise money, recruited a team of 2000 people, and the armory and horses were also supplied by the local family.

In this way, the number of soldiers he can mobilize right now, including the guards of the military mansion, is as many as [-].

Every day, he personally trains soldiers. Although Qi County is full of complaints and called him a cruel official, it has to be said that because of his existence, the four counties in the southeast of Hebei are still relatively stable.

4000 people practice daily, which consumes a lot of money. After all, working and not working have different appetites.

In order to ensure the supply of food and grass for the guards, Zhang Xutuo directly confiscated the charges indiscriminately at the beginning, ransacked the homes of three wealthy businessmen in Qi County, and swallowed [-] shi of grain in one go.

If it is big and slow, it can be plundered by the people; if it is small and urgent, it can be plundered by the merchants.

Now, the rest of the aristocratic families were frightened, and when Zhang Xutuo went to negotiate with them, it was much easier, and everyone became more active.

After all, he was an envoy, so it was impossible for the locals not to be afraid of him.

Chijie, what is held is Jingjie, Jing is a flag, for rewards, Jie is a copper stick, used for killing, Shi Chijie is also the prototype of the later Jiedushi.

However, there were too many envelopes suing Zhang Xutuo, but Yang Ming and Yang Hao turned a blind eye to them.

Doing extraordinary things in extraordinary times, Zhang Xutuo did the right thing.

There is an old saying: "Father and son soldiers in battle, why do you have this sentence, because many famous generals in ancient China brought their sons into battle."

Yang Su took over, Shi Wansui took over, He Ruobi took over, and Li Yuan was even more so.

Because having a son by his side will give him a sense of security, after all, he is already too old to be a father.

Zhang Xutuo has only one son, Zhang Yuanbei, who is also a fierce general now.

Zhang Yuanbei sent an urgent military message to Zhang Xutuo at the county guard's yamen.

The county magistrate of Rao'an County, Bohai County, welcomed Gao Yingnian's rebels into the city. The county magistrate Gao Chu of Yangxin County, the capital, privately detained Gao Shengdao, the prefect, echoing Gao Yingnian.

Zhang Xutuo slammed the table and said angrily: "This kind of rebellious ministers and thieves eat the king's salary, how can they do such a treasonous thing?"

"What do you think, father? Right now, Bohai County has been captured by the rebels without bloodshed. If we can't go north to suppress it, we are afraid that the King of Qi will be punished," Zhang Yuanbei frowned.

Zhang Xutuo's face was gloomy and fearful, and he said in a deep voice: "The rebel army must have plans for attacking the Bohai Sea. Recently, fishermen have reported that Koguryo ships are often dragged around in the sea. I am afraid that they may be connected with the rebel army. The foreign affairs are serious, so we must send troops .”

Zhang Yuanbei asked: "What about the sea? We don't care?"

"Inform the prefect of Donglai and ask him to send sailors to drive away the ships at sea. Don't fight unless it is absolutely necessary," Zhang Xutuo ordered.

Donglai County is the Yantai and Weihai area in Shandong. This is the largest coastal naval base in the Sui Dynasty, with more than [-] warships.

The navy of the Sui Dynasty has a problem, that is, there are not many ships at ordinary times, and only when they plan to start a war, they will build some temporarily. .

The ship in Donglai County was also built when Yang Liang attacked Goguryeo in the 18th year of Kaihuang. At that time, the chief of the navy was Zhou Luohou.

The governor of Donglai is Shi Yun, the younger brother of General Zuo Xiaowei Shi Xiang, who has a good relationship with Zhang Xutuo.

Next, Zhang Xutuo began to reorganize the army. All the soldiers from several military mansions were recruited, and a batch of grain and grass were quietly sent to Sunjia Town in Gaoyuan County (Zouping City) in advance for hiding.

Gao Yingnian's rebel army is not easy to fight, so Zhang Xutuo thinks that most of them will not be suppressed quickly, so they must have enough food and grass.

Right now in the entire Qi County, nobles and commoners are saving money, but only the 4000 people in the military mansion are well fed.

Five days later, Zhang Xutuo personally led the army northward.

The Left and Right Guards are the two largest military mansions of the Sixteen Guards, with the highest quality soldiers and the best equipment, with a full staff of 6000.

Yu Wenshu is in a hurry, he knows that this mess in Hebei must be cleaned up as soon as possible, who let himself be tied to a rope with Yang Hao?
So he invited Yang Guang, hoping to change positions with Lai Huer, he went to Zhuojun, and Lai Huer went to Jinyang.

Yang Guang agreed.

So Yu Wenshu took the reorganized [-] elites and marched quickly to Zhuojun.

After Yuan Hongsi, the prefect of Zhuojun, received the news, he directly dispatched [-] troops from the border to the south and went straight to He Ruomi's tribe in Hejian County.

After he left, there would be a short period of vacuum in Zhuojun. It took about ten days before Yu Wenshu led the army to arrive.

It’s not that he’s not cautious enough, it’s because he’s calculated the time well. After all, if Goguryeo wants to break the border, it must first attack Liaodong County and cross the Hexi Corridor. In less than half a month, Goguryeo can’t get in. Even if it comes, Yu Wenshu said at that time The army has also arrived.

In Hejian County right now, He Ruomi has not left yet. Although he has recruited some peasants who ran down the canal and gathered thousands of people, he is no longer able to go to Changlu County to harass him. He stayed to monitor Zhuo County. movement.

The main reason is that he can't run anymore, and now he is waiting for the pursuers to kill him, and then he will run in the opposite direction. Now he can't run randomly, lest he will run into Wei Fengnian in a daze like last time.

Yu Juluo, Qiao Zhongkui, and Shi Huaiyi joined forces in Xindu County and dispatched scouts to inquire about the news of the rebels.

"He Ruomi is still in Hejian County, and Gao Yingnian and Hulu Shanye have gone to Bohai Sea. It seems that King Qin's guess is correct. These rebels should have colluded with Goguryeo." Shi Huaiyi pointed to the map and said: "That Gao Ying Nian claims to be the orphan of the old Qi clan, the great-grandson of King Gao Shi of Kangmu in Gaoyang, and I don’t know if it’s true or not, but now someone with the surname Gao dares to misidentify his ancestor.”

"So what if it's true? If it's true, it should be killed more," Qiao Zhongkui looked at Yu Juluo, and said, "Duke Gaotang (ranking title) thinks that Zhang Xutuo will send troops if the rebels went to Bohai Sea?"

After pondering for a moment, Yu Juluo nodded and said: "Probably yes, Gao Yingnian is the only one left in the current Hebei rebellion. After killing this thief, after one and a half months, the canal will be completed. The three of you and I will also We can make a difference."

Shi Huaiyi said: "Then should we go east as soon as possible, and attack Zhang Xutuo from north to south?"

Yu Juluo nodded and said: "Now that the decisive battle is in place, the fight against the rebellion will be within a month. Huaiyi and I led 5000 people eastward to the Bohai Sea, and Zhong Kui led troops northward to wipe out that He Ruomi. "

"The last general takes orders!" Qiao Zhongkui said.

Both of them were prefects, but Yujuluo had the title of Gaotang County Duke and was an envoy, so he was at least two ranks higher than Qiao Zhongkui, but equal to Shi Huaiyi.

Because Shi Huaiyi is now the magistrate of Taiping County.

The overall situation is basically settled, and it is only a matter of time before the Gao Yingnian rebellion in northern Hebei is suppressed.

In Ji County to the south, the troublemakers were purely ordinary people. The 4000 people in Yuhuaji were almost like bandits crossing the border.

The food and livestock in the people's homes were basically looted, and the name was called: borrowing.

And it was indeed an IOU issued to the township, it depends on whether the township dares to let the court pay it back in the future.

This approach is also to block the mouths of the upper class, not the mouths of the people below, because the people below are not human.

Yu Wenhuaji couldn't help it, Yang Hao didn't give him food, and he couldn't let the soldiers under his command go hungry, and his own personal safety was in danger.

As soon as he left Jijun, the back of his butt was on fire. After thinking about it, Yu Wenhuaji decided to return to Jijun to suppress the civil unrest.

Because the chaos in the north has nothing to do with him, he didn't provoke it, but the chaos in Ji County, he is the chief culprit.

Yang Huang, the chariot general under his command, had just slaughtered three villages. After returning to Yu Wenhua and his side, he said with a bitter face:

"If you continue to kill like this, once the incident is revealed, the humble official may lose his head."

Yu Wenhuaji, who lives in Linxia Town, Tangyin County, said with a smile, "Remember, those people were all killed by bandits. It has nothing to do with you. You killed bandits."

Yang Huang was taken aback, and nodded quickly: "The general is right, bandits are raging in the countryside and slaughtering the people."

Yu Wenhuaji knew in his heart that although he was protected by his father and King Qi, but in the future, if King Qin insisted on punishing him, the matter of Ji County might leave an excuse. The suppression of civil unrest also slaughtered all the villages that had issued IOUs.

In this way, people will not be caught.

Killing so many people, and most of them are civilians, he doesn't care at all. It's nonsense for people to be kind at first. Conscience is something that you have when you are born, so you have it, and if you don't, you won't have it in the future .

At this time, a scout sent an urgent delivery, which was an urgent letter from outside the Great Wall.

After reading it, Yu Wenhuaji told the generals in the house: "Tangyin County is almost done, let's continue to go south, settle the matter of Ji County as soon as possible, and return to Dong County."

A general asked, "Don't you go to the capital?"

Yu Wenhuaji nodded and smiled, "Mr. Xu has already led Zuo Yiwei to Zhuojun, and Hebei will stop soon. We have nothing to do."

The generals were overjoyed and felt relaxed.

As long as there is no war, it is a good thing. Who wants to take this risk?
"Our military rations are only enough for three days. We must leave now, or we need to borrow some more," said a general.

Yu Wenhuaji waved his hands indifferently: "After borrowing so many times, it's not bad for these few times, but remember, the tail must be cleaned up, and the canal is about to be completed, and the real hard days have just begun."

Yang Huang asked curiously: "Isn't it a good thing that the canal is completed? At that time, everyone will have no burden on them, and it will be easier."

Yu Wenhuaji twisted his neck, and said: "The chaos in Hebei, the king of Qin will definitely catch it, we have already mixed in, and will be targeted by the king of Qin in the future, you are all prepared, remember, the matter of Ji County, Leaking out is death, and no one can protect you."

When the generals heard the words, they looked at each other, they felt cold all over their bodies, their lives were at stake, even if they were killed, they dared not speak nonsense.

Yu Wenhuaji looked at everyone's expressions and felt relieved.

Among these people are his confidantes, but there are also generals of the local military government. We must let them know their interests so as not to get burned in the future.

He knew that King Qin and King Qi would definitely settle the account of Hebei.

(End of this chapter)