Emperor Sui Yang

Ju County, this county is full of big mansions, because it is the old nest of the Bohai Gao family.

There are many fortresses scattered around the county seat, just like small cities, there are a large number of private troops inside, and they have all the weapons that the military mansion has.

This phenomenon was very common in the Sui Dynasty. It mainly originated from the beginning of the Eight Kings Rebellion at the end of the Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, any well-known family has fortifications such as earthen castles and stone castles.

As the major families gradually accumulated sufficient armed forces in the troubled times, the clans entered their heyday, occupying a large amount of land and dependent population, farms and mountains, dominating the local economy, and occupying a dominant position at the national political level. This phenomenon was most prominent in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

It was the first time for Zhang Xutuo to meet Gao Yan, and he was excited and shy about seeing an idol.

The rebel army on the border between Shandong and Hebei has been beaten to pieces, and the rest of them are chasing and suppressing them. Zhang Xutuo took this opportunity to come to Ruo County to visit Gao Yan.

With the support of his third son, Gao Biaoren, Gao Yan sat down on a chair with a blanket on his legs, and then ordered the servants to open the doors and windows to let in the air.

"I'm old, and I can't bear a little wind. In the past, the doors and windows were closed tightly, so that the air in the house was turbid, which made the two of you laugh."

Yu Juluo hurriedly said: "What are you talking about, old man? Both of us are juniors. It's a great honor to be able to listen to your old teachings. Being able to sit here today is the lifelong expectation of my humble job."

He is not a small official, and he still has the title of Gaotang County Duke, but in front of Gao Yan, he is no different from an ordinary general.

Yu Juluo followed Yang Guang to the south to destroy Chen. He had met Gao Yan, but he had never dealt with him because the status gap was too great.

At that time, he was just a small general manager, and Gao Yan was the marshal Chang Shi of the 50 army, and the real commander in the battle of Sui and Chen.

Zhang Xutuo also said with a smile: "I came here this time because I was worried about your old body, and I was worried about your humble job. Although I know that the rebellion is still pending and it is not appropriate to leave without authorization, I still can't help coming."

Gao Yan smiled and motioned for his son Gao Biaoren to bring some tea to the two of them, and they both stood up at the same time as a sign of courtesy.

If Yang Yong does not come to Taiwan, Gao Biaoren's status cannot be compared with the two of them. He used to be the Duke of Bohai County, because his daughter-in-law is Yang Yong's daughter, Princess Daning, but now she is a commoner.

"Wang Bo must die. This person is good at deceiving people with demonic words and has many followers. Have you sent any pursuers?" Gao Yan asked.

Yu Juluo nodded: "Gao Kaidao from your old clan has led 500 people to chase after him. I believe there will be results soon."

Gao Yan nodded: "I am too ill to manage the affairs. Please leave the matter of Hebei and Shandong to the two of you. Don't be careless. The current chaos between the two places is just the beginning of the fire. Once someone adds firewood, the fire will only burn more and more. It is still important to appease the people."

"Don't worry, Duke Qi, we must proceed with caution and not be careless," Yu Juluo nodded.

Zhang Xutuo extended the topic and said: "In the direction of Liaodong, everything seems to be going well. Liaodong City and Wuliluo City have been taken down one after another. I heard that Fuyu City is coming soon. Xu Guogong's main force has already gone south to break through Pyongyang. It will only take two or three months. At that time, our army will return south, and the chaos in Hebei and Shandong will naturally be resolved."

Gao Yu said with a smile: "Gaoguryeo is not that easy to fight. Although I was defeated in the expedition to Liaodong with Yang Liang, I can still remember Goguryeo's strong defense and strong military equipment. If it weren't for the crown prince's refined weapons and Li Jing's impromptu response, Liaodong would not have been able to win."

Yu Juluo nodded and said: "I've heard about the humble job. Although Tu Wanxu was frivolous and aggressive, he made a mistake and created a good opportunity for Li Jing to attack the city. Speaking of it, there is indeed some luck in winning Liaodong."

"Then Qi Gong thinks, when will our army break through Pyongyang?" Zhang Xutuo asked for advice.

Gao Lin pondered for a moment, then said lightly: "The key lies in the Yalu River and the Sa River. These two places are mostly plains, which are conducive to the heavy cavalry operations of Goguryeo. If the breakthrough is successful, Yu Wenshu can join forces with Lai Huer to attack Pyongyang. If it doesn't go well, we need to withdraw our troops early. Otherwise, the water level along the sea will rise, and our army's rear will be cut off, and we may be in danger of being surrounded."

Zhang Xutuo asked suspiciously: "I have the advantage of having a large number of soldiers, and I have an advantage in numbers. Even if the attack on Pyongyang is frustrated, I will not withdraw my troops, right? Liaodong City still has more than 40 troops hoarded."

Gao Yan shook his head: "Your Majesty, there are millions of people in this expedition. Looking at the ancient and modern famous generals, who can command such an army? The soldiers are good, not many, which is why there are only 35 people who really penetrated into the hinterland of Fanbang. If there are too many people, it will be difficult to manage. Yu Wenshu is a general, but he is far inferior to Yang Su, Shi Wansui, He Ruobi, and Han Qinhu. How can the text describe He De and how can he control 20 troops? He does not have this ability."

Gao Yan sat up straight, and continued: "Once the 30 army suffers a major defeat, their morale will inevitably be damaged. If they cannot be appeased in time, they may become defeated. If Yang Suruo is here, he may have the ability to turn the tide. Yu Wenshu, he really can't do it, and he doesn't have the prestige."

Zhang Xutuo nodded: "Wenzhen in the north section, Weixuan in the east, Li Jing in the west, and Yu Zhongwen, with the prestige of Xu Guogong in the army, it seems that it is really hard to control."

Yu Juluo laughed at the side and said: "Let's not talk about these people, Cui Hongsheng, Xue Shixiong, and Zhang Jin don't buy into him either. Since Xu Guogong defeated Chen, it seems that he hasn't gone to war much. He has indeed flourished in court, but in the army, he is still inferior after all."

In history, Yu Wenshu had fought against Tuyuhun, but in this life, Tuyuhun was wiped out by Yang Ming, so Yu Wenshu, who had always been the emperor's favorite, had great power in the court and the opposition, but the military did not buy him.

But Yang Su is different. Yang Su has been leading the army since the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and has been fighting for nearly 30 years until he followed Yang Ming to put down the rebellion of the King of Han.

For 30 years, even if you keep losing, the control of the military is also very terrifying.

In other words, the famous general of the Sui Dynasty was half out of Yue Gong.

Yang, Shi, He Ruo, and Han, these are the only four who entered the Martial Temple during the Sui Dynasty. Among them, Yang Su was the most, and the remaining three were almost the same. After all, Yang Su always commanded large troops to fight, and Shi, He Ruo, and Han rarely had this opportunity.

As for Gao Yan, he was defined as a civil servant by history books, because his contribution to state affairs far surpassed his military exploits.

Gao Yan said with a smile: "This expedition, if I were the prince, I would not be pessimistic at all. Xu Tuo is Shi Wansui's old department, and Shi Wansui is the prince's teacher. You still have to burn the prince's stove well in the future."

Zhang Xutuo glanced at Yu Juluo subconsciously, and found that the other party was also looking at him, so he smiled and said nothing.

Shi Wansui had greeted him a long time ago, and if he had the opportunity to go to Beijing in the future, he would definitely go to the East Palace so that he could meet the crown prince and establish the status of master and servant.

But Dugu Gong couldn't answer Dugu Gong's words in front of Yu Juluo, because Yu Juluo belonged to the emperor.

But Yu Juluo actually didn't care, because Duke Dugu could order Zhang Xutuo like this in front of him, which showed that Duke Dugu was open-minded and didn't treat him as an outsider.

Besides, doesn't he want to curry favor with the prince?He is the crown prince, if you don't fawn on him now, it will be too late later.

The two of them came to see Gao Yan today, but they came here with an attitude of learning. The little witch sees the big witch, and it's hard to have the opportunity to deal with him. Don't you have to cherish it?

In the past, you were not qualified enough to sit down and have a deep talk with others.

Yu Juluo said: "Because of the matter of my younger brother Yu Zan, I have offended His Majesty, and now I can't make up for it. You have been serving Your Majesty for a long time, do you think that the road ahead for the humble position will be difficult?"

His younger brother Yu Zan was originally Yang Guang's absolute confidant, but after entering the palace, he was too arrogant and offended Yang Xiong, and was bestowed to death by Yang Guang.

Because of this, Yu Juluo was also convicted.

This is the case in Da Sui. If one person makes a mistake, he will always find someone to implicate you, but if the involvement is not too wide, then the immediate family members should be the ones.

It's your fault that you are the elder brother who didn't manage the younger brother well. Yu Juluo was charged with lax family traditions at the time.

In fact, this is a way for the emperor to manipulate his courtiers. It stands to reason that Yu Juluo has something to do with Yuzan's crime, but I'm going to get you involved and convict you.

People who have sinned will naturally have a thought: how to eliminate sins?

How else can it be eliminated?Loyalty.

So sometimes, loyal ministers are beaten out.

Gao Yu has been in office for decades, served two generations of kings, and a queen, still doesn't understand this truth?So he laughed and said:

"Do things well and satisfy His Majesty. The road will naturally go away. Isn't Hebei right now the opportunity? Don't wait for His Majesty to teach you how to counter the rebellion. If you want to do everything well before Your Majesty, then there will be more and more things entrusted to you in the future, and the road will become longer and longer?"

Yu Juluo said with a smile: "Your Majesty's instructions are easy to understand, I'm afraid that Your Majesty will have a prejudice against me."

He knew Yang Guang well. He knew that Yang Guang was a narrow-minded person who held grudges.

When his younger brother Yu Zan committed a crime, he refused to accept it, thinking that the punishment was too severe, so he was kicked twice by Yang Guang.

Gao Yan couldn't help laughing and said: "The king's heart is not something you and I can guess. You can't tell if you have prejudices or not. As a courtier, you know how to be loyal to your duties and do what you should do. If you can handle the chaos in Hebei, the prince will pave the way for you."

Yu Juluo was taken aback for a moment, knowing that Gao Yan was implying to him that he had better burn the prince's stove as well.

But he has no chance to get involved with the prince, who is his acquaintance in the East Palace?It doesn't seem to be there, there are a bunch of young people over there.

Um?No, there is someone who can help.

He once followed Yang Suping to rebel against the south of the Yangtze River and wiped out the traitor Gao Zhizhi, so he has a close relationship with Yang Yue. Maybe he can entrust Yang Yue to introduce him.

Spend some money, old boy Yang Yue, if you don't spend money, he won't do anything for you.

Conversely, as long as the money is in place, there is nothing that others cannot do.

To be a human being, you have to be trustworthy. Yang Yue is very honest in this regard, and he deserves to be rich. (end of this chapter)