On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 622
When Xu Shiji came to Jiangling, it was already winter.

Because the climate is in the warm period, Gangneung is still sunny and there is no wind or snow.

Cui Che stood on the tower, looked at the Yangtze River in the distance, and said to Xu Shiji without looking back:
"Do you know why I want to leave you in Jingnan?"

Xu Shiji replied:

"I don't know. I only know that I need to establish a foothold in Jingnan for Your Majesty to resist the Sui invasion."

Cui Che withdrew his gaze, turned to look at Xu Shiji, and said seriously:

"The Sui people knew that I had taken over Shu and returned to Jiangling, so they no longer thought of attacking Jingxiang.

"However, the soldiers want to return home day and night, and I cannot stay in Jiangling for long.

"As soon as I leave, the Sui army will come back sooner or later.

“Although the naval armies of Xiangyang and Jiangling are being reorganized, in the short term, it will still be difficult to compete with the Sui people for supremacy on the Yangtze River.

“Once the Jiangdong navy blocks the Yangtze River, Jingnan may fall into an isolated and helpless situation.

"You have not been with me for a long time, but I know very well that the only one who can defend Xiang and Yuezhou for me in a critical situation is you, Xu Maogong (Xu Shiji's nickname is Maogong)."

Xu Shiji solemnly said:

"Your Majesty has great trust, so how dare you not do your best to repay your Majesty?"

Cui Che patted his shoulder and continued:

"The army will return to Luoyang and rest for a while. After next year's spring plowing, I will launch a second southern expedition to attack Huainan and use a partial force to capture Handong.

"What you have to do is to hold on to Xiang and Yuezhou before spring plowing. I believe that this is not difficult for you.

"But my expectations for you don't stop there. Once the second southern expedition is launched, everyone's attention will be on Huainan and Handong.

"The defenders in Jiangdong, Jiujiang and other places will be restrained. I hope you can take this opportunity to capture all the land in Jingnan for me.

"I can't give you too many soldiers and horses, I need you to appease the soldiers and use them for your own use.

"If you have any requests, just say so."

Xu Shiji's face was solemn. The quality of these soldiers was obvious to all. It was okay for them to defend the city, but if they were really used to attack the city and fight in the field, they were just a bunch of rabble.

Fortunately, what he faced would also be a group of government soldiers.

The Sui Dynasty's main field force of [-] Xiaoguo troops will undoubtedly stay in Huainan to resist Cui Che's second southern expedition.

"The humble minister has nothing to ask for, except that his officers and men will have sufficient food, adequate pay, and adequate clothing, so that they can use their fingers like arms."

Cui Che agreed without hesitation:
"Okay, there is still a lot of accumulation in Jiangling City. When you cross the river, you can send soldiers to the river bank to meet you and deliver supplies."

Xu Shiji did not stay in Jiangling City for long. He only rested for a night and crossed the river south early the next morning. Cui Che also ordered people to open the Jiangling treasury and use the ships that had previously transported troops to transport supplies south.

When the time came to late October, Cui Che finally left Jiangling, went up the Han River, and returned to Xiangyang.

He originally thought that Yang Guang would attack Jingnan, Jiangling and other places while he was away, but perhaps it was the follow-up influence of Yu Wenji, Yu Wenzhi and the rebellion that made the suspicious Yang Guang transfer back the Xiaoguo Army to defend Jiankang, and did not dare to easily Handle them to others.

When Cui Che was passing through Xiangyang, he met Qin Qiong who was heading to Jiangling to take up his post. With the relationship between the two, Cui Che did not need to spend more words to appease him.

"Zhang Xutuo, the governor of Jiujiang, is brave and good at fighting and can win the support of the soldiers. Shu Bao guards Jiangling and should not be underestimated."

Cui Che reminded him not to say goodbye to Qin Qiong on the bank of Han River.Under Qin Qiong's watch, the army crossed the Han River north via the pontoon bridge.

Cheng Yaojin, the governor of Xiangzhou, also came to the south bank of the Han River to see him off. After all the main force of the Yan army crossed the river, Cheng Yaojin smiled at Qin Qiong and said:
"I never thought that Shu Bao and I were both generals, but now we have to command the navy."

Qin Qiong was also worried about this matter. If he were to lead a group of cavalry to charge, Qin Qiong would still be fearless even if the enemy was ten times more powerful than him.

But when it comes to water fighting, he really has ten pains and nine pains, and he knows nothing about it.

Qin Qiong sighed:
"The generals in the army are all from the north, and few are proficient in water warfare. Your Majesty had no choice, so he let the two of us command the Jingxiang navy."

Cheng Yaojin suddenly put his arms around Qin Qiong's shoulders and said:
"Li Xiaogong, the Sima of Jingzhou under Shubao, I worked with him in Luzhou before, and I think we have similar temperaments. Why don't Shubao write a letter to His Majesty and transfer him to Xiangzhou? I, Old Cheng, will also owe you a favor. .”

The two were family friends. When Cheng Yaojin defected to Cui Che, it was Qin Qiong who wrote a letter to recommend him, so their relationship was naturally close.

This is why Cui Che asked the two of them to guard Xiangzhou and Jingzhou respectively, hoping that they could watch and help each other, instead of being immobile when friendly forces were in trouble.

Qin Qiong pushed Cheng Yaojin's hand away and smiled:

"Listening to what you said, I'm afraid this Li Xiaogong is a talented person, so how could I let you do it?"

With that said, he ignored Cheng Yaojin's shouting, clapped his horse and whipped his horse, and ran towards Jiangling.

At the same time, after Cui Che arrived in Luzhou, he immediately issued an edict to transfer a total of [-] elite cavalrymen from the Qianxiaojie Army, Yinanma Khitanzhi, and Boling cavalry back to Luoyang for rest.

Li Jing, Sima of the Prince Wu Palace, was appointed governor of Xuzhou, and Cui Yanqing, the king of Wu, was renamed king of Shu. He was summoned to the court and returned to Luoyang with Liu Fang, the chief historian of the previous king of Wu.

Cui Che abolished the county system in Shu and replaced it with the state and county system, merging thirty counties into 24 states.

The 24 prefectures in Shu were designated as Jiannan Road, and Shu counties were restored as Yizhou. The other counties also restored their names three years ago.

Cui Che planned to appoint Cui Yanqing, king of Shu, as the governor of Yizhou and the observer of Jiannan Road.

He was in charge of the military and political affairs of Yizhou and also supervised the officials of the 24 states in Shu.

Of course, as the father-in-law of Cui Yanqing, Liu Fang, the former chief historian of the King of Wu, naturally could not follow him into Shu.

Cui Che considered that Cui Yanqing is now 22 years old, Yizhou is not Xuzhou, and is not on the front line of the battle between Yan and Sui, so he should be allowed to use his own skills instead of leaving everything to Liu Fang and Li Jing as usual in Xuzhou.

Therefore, Cui Che was not prepared to send important ministers to Cui Yanqing this time and allowed him to recruit his own staff.

There is no better son than a father. Cui Yanqing's performance in recent years, especially this time guarding Xuzhou, did not interfere in the military affairs, and gained Cui Che's trust.

And allowing Cui Yanqing to form the shogunate by himself is exactly the reward Cui Yanqing deserves.

Moreover, if Cui Yanqing's talent is only to govern Yizhou, there is no need for ministers to come to Shu to give him advice. After all, Cui Yanqing has done a good job in Hebei before.

In early December, the envoys rushed to Xuzhou and conveyed the order to Cui Yanqing, Liu Fang and Li Jing, ordering Cui Yanqing, Liu Fang and [-] elite cavalry to enter the court, with Li Jing as the governor of Xuzhou.

After learning that he had changed his title to King of Shu, Cui Yanqing said helplessly:

"I am a prince, but I have no fixed place to live and can only wander around."

Liu Fang comforted and said:
"The most beautiful place in Shu, the land of abundance, cannot be used except by close relatives. His Majesty uses His Highness to guard Chengdu, and also allows His Highness to appoint his own staff, which shows the trust in His Majesty."

When Cui Yanqing thought about it, it seemed that this was really the case, and his worries turned into joy.

(End of this chapter)