Chapter 537 Luo Yi's Choice
Chapter 537 Luo Yi's Choice
Yu Gongli encountered an ambush by Zhang Xutuo and his entire army was almost wiped out. Yu Gongli fled north in panic with thousands of remaining troops. Li Chengzhi, the defender of Liyangcang, knew that the situation was hopeless, so he led 10,000 defenders to surrender to Zhang Xutuo.
The news that Zhang Xutuo defeated 40,000 defenders on the north bank of the Yellow River and captured Liyang Warehouse greatly encouraged the Sui army.
At this time, Luo Yi had led 30,000 Youzhou troops into Hejian County, and the army was stationed in Gaoyang County in the north. Luo Yi was extremely cunning, and he was watching the changes in the situation.
Luo Yi had already been recognized by the emperor as the governor of Youzhou, so he had already gained face, so he obeyed the court's arrangement and sent troops to Hejian County.
The next step is to decide on the inside, which means which side he should take. Will he stand on the side of the imperial court or the side of the King of Qi?
At this time, King Yang of Qi sent an envoy to see Luo Yi. The envoy walked into the tent, bowed respectfully, and handed a letter to Luo Yi, saying, "This is a letter from my master to the general. Please take a look."
Luo Yi took the letter, read it, and said to the messenger, "Go down and have a rest first. I'll think about it and get back to you later!"
After the messenger left, Luo Yi called in Zhang Gongjin, the chief secretary, and handed him the letter, saying, "Sir, take a look at this letter from Yang Ling!"
Zhang Gongjin opened the letter and read it carefully, then laughed, "The King of Qi has only two tricks. One is to warn you by reducing the number of vassal states, and the other is to win you over by offering you an official position. In my opinion, it would be better for the King of Qi to throw away both of these tricks!"
"Why?" Luo Yi was puzzled, but he was actually a little tempted.
"Let's talk about the title! He promised to confer the title of Prince of Beiping on the envoy. Does this title make sense? If he has the power to confer titles, then the envoy also has the power to confer titles. He can just confer the title of Prince of Yan. Since the court won't recognize him anyway, wouldn't it be better to confer the title of Prince of Yan?"
Luo Yi nodded slightly. He was just a little vain, but he also knew that this prince was worthless.
Zhang Gongjin said, "There is also the reduction of vassal states. Your Excellency is afraid of the reduction of vassal states, but why are Yang Yichen, Yin Shishi, Yuwen Chengdu, and Yang Gongren not afraid of the reduction of vassal states? Your Excellency should not be scared by the words "reduction of vassal states". Some vassal states will be reduced, and some will not. I think the Jiangnan Road and Jiannan Road will be reduced, but the border generals will not be reduced. If the border generals are reduced, who will deal with the Turks and Goguryeo?"
Luo Yi lowered his head and said nothing. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I am worried that the court will investigate Li Jing's case!"
Zhang Gongjin laughed and asked, "Did the general kill Li Jing?"
Luo Yi shook his head, and Zhang Gongjin smiled again and said, "In that case, what is the general worried about? If the general is still a little worried, then send a generous gift to Yu Shiji. I heard that this man is very greedy for bribes, and he will speak well of you. I think you will have no worries."
Zhang Gongjin whispered again: "Also, we can accuse Zhao Shizhu of collaborating with the enemy and find some evidence of Goguryeo to pin it on him, so that Yu Shiji can speak for the general."
Luo Yi's knot in his heart was finally untied a little, he nodded, "The Chief Secretary is right, it's easier to be an official if you have someone in the court, I have to hold on to Yu Shiji's thigh tightly!"
At this time, a soldier came to report, "General Manager, urgent news has come from the south. Zhang Xutuo has captured Liyang Warehouse and wiped out 40,000 enemy troops!"
This news came too timely. Luo Yi made a decision immediately. He ordered the envoy to be beheaded and sent the envoy's head and Yang Ling's handwritten letter to the emperor. He immediately led his army south to seize Hejian County, Boling County and Xindu County.
At the same time, Yang Yichen also led his army south and captured Zhao County and Xiangguo County, cooperating with Luo Yi in the east and the west, putting great pressure on King Yang Liang of Qi.
The two armies of Yang Yichen and Luo Yi advanced rapidly southward, like two elephants running wildly on the grass, threatening not only opponents like King Yang of Qi, but also many rats and snakes living in the grass.
Dou Jiande is a rat snake hiding in the grass.
After the defeat of Gaotang, he and his fellow general Sun Anzu led more than 1,000 people to flee north to his hometown, Zhangnan County, Qinghe Prefecture. The county magistrate Song Zhengben was also a member of the Baohui Association and had a good relationship with Dou Jiande. Under the protection of Song Zhengben, Dou Jiande led more than 1,000 people to hide in Zhangnan County.
At this time, news came that the Youzhou army had occupied Wudu County. The vanguard of the Youzhou army was only 150 miles away from Zhangnan County. Dou Jiande was really a little panicked.
He asked Sun Anzu to lead the army, and he ran into the county town to find Song Zhengben.
In the back hall of the county government, Song Zhengben asked Dou Jiande to sit down and asked with a smile, "How come the general has time to come to see me today?"
Dou Jiande said worriedly: "I got the news that Luo Yi's Youzhou army has occupied Wudu County and is heading towards Qinghe County. It is not far from Zhangnan County."
Zhangnan County is located in the northernmost part of Qinghe County, which is exactly the junction of Qinghe County, Wudu County and Pingyuan County. It is also a must-pass place on the official road.
Song Zhengping nodded and said, "If that's the case, it's indeed a bit dangerous. Hebei is mostly plains, with no mountainous areas to hide in. Zhangnan County is also a must-pass place for the army to go south. The general must lead the army to leave Zhangnan County as soon as possible."
Dou Jiande sighed and said, "That's the problem. Where can I go?"
"I heard that Master Gao Hui is in the Donglai County area. Is General Dou there?"
Without waiting for Song Zhengping to finish, Dou Jiande shook his head decisively and said, "I have severed my relationship with the Baoguo Association. Even if I stay at home and farm, I will never join the Baoguo Association again."
Song Zhengping smiled slightly and said, "In fact, I have also withdrawn from the National Protection Association. These people are timid and can't accomplish anything big. Northern Qi has long been destroyed and it is impossible to restore it. After so many years, the National Protection Association has never let go of its burden. One day, they will be crushed by the Northern Qi's idea of restoring the country."
Dou Jiande no longer had any interest in protecting the country. He only cared about his own life and death. After a while, he said, "If it doesn't work, I will also go to Wagangzhai."
"Going to Wagang Village is just adding fuel to the fire. General, you'd better learn from Liu Badao and occupy Douzigang and claim the throne. The officers and soldiers will not be able to attack us. Wait for the right time to raise an army and expand it."
Dou Jiande smiled bitterly and said, "Wagangzhai is a good place, Douzigang is also a good place. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a similar place again."
Song Zhengping laughed, "General Dou is just riding a donkey to look for a donkey. Didn't you think of Gao Jibo?"
Dou Jiande suddenly woke up as if from a dream.
Gaojipo is located in the southwest of Zhangnan County, about eighty miles away. It is composed of a large swamp with a radius of hundreds of miles. It is located right between Qinghe County and Wudu County. To the north is Zaoqiang County, to the south is Wucheng County, and to the east is Zhangnan County. It is also a no-man's land.
As early as the Northern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties, this place was a gathering place for thieves. In the Sui Dynasty, many desperate criminals who were wanted by the government also hid in Gaojipo.
Two days later, Dou Jiande and Sun Anzu led more than a thousand soldiers into Gaojipo, built fences and camps, reclaimed wasteland and cultivated land. From then on, they settled down in Gaojipo, waiting for the situation in the Sui Dynasty to change.
(End of this chapter)