Chapter 607: Clear Attitude
Chapter 607: Clear Attitude
Xiao Xia has returned to Jingkou. In the official residence, Liu Wenjing is reporting to Xiao Xia on the recent changes in the situation.
"The former crown prince Yang Yong ascended the throne again and established a new court, which really shocked everyone."
This news was indeed very sudden, and it was normal for everyone to be surprised. However, Xiao Xia was not surprised at all. This was within his expectations. He knew very well what the Guanlong nobles had done. It was also normal for the Chang'an royal family to support Yang Yong. They had been marginalized and had lived in Chang'an for a long time, unable to join the center of power. How could they not feel resentment in their hearts?
Yang Yong's disappearance four years ago doomed the outcome of today. Yang Yong was in Chang'an, and his sons were living a life of debauchery and extravagance. It was easy to find out, but the emperor did not send anyone to investigate, nor did he take it seriously, which eventually led to the situation today.
You must know that Yang Yong is different from others. He is the legitimate crown prince, and he is the legitimate monarch only after he ascends the throne. Once he ascends the throne again, he will be recognized by many forces. If the emperor does not kill Yang Yong in time, it can only be said that he was too careless.
"How many troops are there in Chang'an now?" Xiao Xia asked again.
"It's close to 200,000. They have been recruiting soldiers during this period, mainly from Bashu and Longyou. It's difficult to recruit soldiers in Guanzhong now."
"Where is Yang Xuangan? Is he dead?"
Liu Wenjing nodded. "He was hit by a poisoned arrow while attacking Hangu Pass and died of the poison in Shangluo County. Before he died, he handed over his army to Dou Dexuan, who later pledged allegiance to Chang'an. Yang Xuangan's 60,000-man army was eventually annexed by the Guanlong nobles and is now in the hands of Dou Wei."
"Who controls Wuguan now?" Xiao Xia asked again.
"In the hands of the Western Sui army!"
"Western Sui?"
Xiao Xia frowned and asked, "Does the Chief Secretary also call the Chang'an regime the Western Sui Dynasty?"
Liu Wenjing immediately knew something was wrong. His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin did not recognize the Western Sui Dynasty. He quickly explained, "This is just a folk name, not our official name. We are still waiting for His Royal Highness to define the Chang'an court."
Xiao Xia said slowly, "We only recognize the Luoyang court. I will never recognize the Chang'an side. From now on, you can call them the Chang'an pseudo-regime. In addition, I need to issue the Jin King's Order and spread it to the world, resolutely not recognizing the so-called Western Sui Dynasty. I don't care about the people, but the words "Western Sui" must not appear in official documents, and Eastern Sui cannot appear either. My Great Sui Dynasty has only one court."
Liu Wenjing nodded, "I understand!"
Xiao Xia asked again: "How is the situation with Li Yuan?"
"Li Yuan has rebelled. They used the excuse that Gao Junya and Wang Wei were colluding with the Turks and killed them and their families in a night raid. They have taken control of the entire army. He has now established his own regime. I heard that Chang'an has appointed him as the Prince of Taiyuan and the Governor of Hedong Road, and has also sent troops into Hedong."
Xiao Xia was silent. It seemed that Li Yuan had completely controlled the army in Taiyuan, so he dared to recognize Chang'an.
"He doesn't have any family in Chang'an!"
"No, I heard that his third son Xuanba and fourth son Yuanji, who were left as hostages in Chang'an, took advantage of the emperor's expedition to Liaodong to escape back to Taiyuan. It is estimated that the Guanlong nobles helped them escape."
Liu Wenjing sighed and said, "Now heroes from all over the Central Plains and Hebei have risen up and accepted the title from Chang'an. They are basically all named princes. Even Luo Yi was named the Prince of Beiping. People here are a little uneasy and are all looking forward to your return as soon as possible."
Xiao Xia nodded, "I know everyone is emotionally unstable. If I go on a campaign in the future, the princess can act on my behalf as the king of Jin, and I can report important government affairs to her."
"I understand the humble position!"
Xiao Xia immediately said: "Gather all the officials above the seventh rank in Jingkou City. I want to explain something to you!"
The meeting hall of the General Administration's Mansion and the courtyard below the hall were filled with officials. The various changes during this period made everyone deeply uneasy. They didn't know how long the Sui Dynasty could last, and where the Jiangnan Road would go.
Fortunately, Prince Jin has finally returned. He will make a public speech at this most critical moment, which will surely stabilize the morale of the people and the military.
"I just came back and heard the news of the split of the Great Sui Dynasty. I can't accept it at all. How many years has it been since the world was unified? How many years has it been for the people to enjoy peace? Are we going back to the era of the Five Barbarians' Invasion? Or the era of confrontation between the Northern Zhou and Northern Qi? Today I want to make my attitude clear. The regime in Chang'an is a pseudo-regime and a traitor. I will never admit it. It is our enemy. From now on, I will not allow anyone to call the pseudo-regime in Chang'an the Western Sui Dynasty. There is only one Great Sui Dynasty, and that is Luoyang." Xiao Xia issued another order from the King of Jin, and spread his speech to the counties and prefectures in Jiangnan Road, requiring officials in each county to carry out his orders and resolutely reject the solicitation of the pseudo-regime in Chang'an.
Xiao Xia's clear statement finally calmed the anxious mood in the Jiangnan General Administration's Mansion.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Xia commended the meritorious soldiers who attacked Goguryeo, including the two armies that attacked Yang Xuangan. All the generals were promoted one level in rank, and one million pieces of cloth were given as rewards to the soldiers.
The commendation letter specifically named and commended three civil servants, Wei Zheng, Li Jingqiu and Zhang Zhenzhou. Wei Zheng was commended for his contribution to the resettlement of refugees, while Li Jingqiu was commended for his contribution to the promotion of yam planting. Zhang Zhenzhou's contribution was special in that he discovered a mistake made by Xiao Xia and rescued it in time, thus avoiding major losses.
Xiao Xia sent 100,000 civilians back to Hebei. He didn't know that among the 100,000 civilians, there were 3,000 military equipment craftsmen who would follow the army to the war. He ignored this key information.
As a result, when the laborers were being repatriated and registered, they were discovered by Zhang Zhenzhou, who immediately detained the 3,000 craftsmen and finally sent them to Donglai County and then to Jiangnan.
Now the families of the 3,000 craftsmen are still in Luoyang Prefecture, and they have to find a way to bring them to Jiangnan. In addition, to show his attitude, Xiao Xia ordered to support the court with 1 million dan of grain, 500,000 strings of money, and 30,000 war horses. These are actually materials from Liaodong. Xiao Xia's offering of gifts to Buddha is actually a way to show his attitude.
At the same time, Xiao Xia wrote a letter to the emperor, urging him to reconcile with the Guanlong nobles. After all, after the two eastern expeditions to Goguryeo, the court had completely lost the support of the Shandong gentry. If the Guanlong nobles and gentry no longer supported the court, the court would not be able to last long.
He was willing to act as a go-between to ease the relationship between the imperial court and the Guanlong nobles.
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia met with Yuan Wenzhen. Yuan Wenzhen, as the representative of the Guanlong nobles in Jiangnan, had been living in Jingkou. Last year, they established a pigeon message route from Jiangnan to Chang'an and set up pigeon message transfer stations in Jiangxia and Xiangyang respectively. This was also the only unofficial pigeon message usage qualification approved by Xiao Xia.
"Congratulations, Your Highness, for defeating Goguryeo and recovering the lost territory of the Han Dynasty!"
Xiao Xia smiled and waved her hands, "I've been back for more than a month, and the Goguryeo incident has become old news. Not many people care about it anymore."
"But we are still very concerned. Keeping Liaodong is vital to the entire north!"
Xiao Xia nodded, "We have something important to do today, so let's not talk about Goguryeo."
"Please speak frankly, Your Highness. I am all ears!"
Xiao Xia said slowly: "I firmly oppose the attitude of the Chang'an regime. I believe you have also told the head of the family!"
"I have already informed the head of the family, and he replied, expressing his understanding. Of course, the son will support his father."
"It's not just a father-son relationship, but my own position. Back then, I sent troops to overthrow Yang Yong. This was the power given to me by the late emperor. I am a warrior of Lingyan Pavilion. Regardless of whether it exists now, I have sworn to resolutely defend the Great Sui Dynasty. The Great Sui Dynasty is in Luoyang, not in Chang'an."
Xiao Xia took out a scroll and handed it to Yuan Wenzhen, "Look at this!"
Yuan Wenzhen took the scroll and opened it. He was stunned. It turned out to be an edict from the late emperor, designating Xiao Xia as the crown prince.
"This is the decree given to me by my royal grandfather before his death, stating that the orthodox lineage of the Great Sui Dynasty is in Luoyang, not in Chang'an."
Yuan Wenzhen returned the imperial edict to Xiao Xia and said after a moment of silence, "What does Your Highness need me to do?"
Xiao Xia looked at Yuan Wenzhen and said, "I hope the Guanlong nobles will bet on both sides. While supporting Chang'an, they will also reconcile with the emperor. This is my attitude. I have already persuaded the emperor. He will definitely listen and will arrange people to go to Chang'an. I hope the Guanlong nobles will take a long-term view. With my support for Luoyang, the Chang'an pseudo-regime will definitely fail!"
(End of this chapter)