Chapter 626: Empty City Strategy
Chapter 626: Empty City Strategy
Dugu Lan brought back the news that 50,000 cavalrymen had invaded Guanzhong, and the city of Chang'an was suddenly in chaos.
The royal family of Western Sui Dynasty urgently discussed countermeasures in the palace. They were actually making a decision, whether to defend or escape. It was a very difficult decision, but they had to make a choice.
The city of Chang'an was filled with running soldiers. Every household closed its doors, including the East Market and the West Market. All restaurants and inns were closed. Chang'an became extremely desolate, yet tense.
At dusk, Dugu Tuo and Dugu Zan took a horse-drawn carriage to Yuan Mansion. Hundreds of mounted warriors escorted the carriage as it sped along the empty streets. The uncle and nephew in the carriage had stern looks in their eyes and no one spoke.
At this time, a carriage drove over from the opposite direction. The carriage stopped and someone asked loudly, "Excuse me, is this the head of the Dugu family?"
The warrior leader whispered to Dugu Tuo: "Master, it's Prime Minister Su!"
It turned out to be the Left Prime Minister Su Wei. Dugutuo ordered the carriage to stop and opened the window. A minister in a purple robe came forward. It was indeed the Left Prime Minister Su Wei.
Dugu Tuo asked, "Where is the Prime Minister going?"
Su Wei bowed and said, "I am going to the palace to get information. Is Patriarch Dugu also going to the palace?"
Dugu Tuo sighed, "I advise the Prime Minister to go back home! Pack up some belongings, wait for the city gates to open, and take shelter outside the city!"
Su Wei was shocked. "Does the Patriarch mean that we can't defend it?"
Dugu Tuo smiled and said, "If you want to defend the city, you must mobilize all the officials, and everyone must work together to boost morale. But now, only the royal family is behind closed doors to discuss in secret. Do you think they still have the heart to resist?"
Su Wei felt sad, as he was about to be punished by the emperor. He sighed softly and said, "Thank you, Patriarch!"
He turned back to the carriage. Dugutuo saw his thin and lonely figure and felt a little pity for him, so he shouted, "Prime Minister Su, please stay!"
Su Wei stopped and turned around to ask, "Master Dugu, what else do you want?"
"Let me show Prime Minister Su a way out! Prime Minister Su can go to King Jin."
"Ah! Patriarch Dugu wants me to flee to Jiangnan?"
"No need to go to Jiangnan. The King of Jin has also sent troops this time. Prime Minister Su can find them as long as he goes to Gaoling County. They will protect the safety of Prime Minister Su and his family."
Su Wei was grateful in his heart and bowed again, "Thank you for the guidance of Patriarch Dugu!"
Su Wei left in a hurry, and the carriage continued to move forward. Dugu Zuan whispered, "If the Eastern Sui Dynasty wins this time, will the emperor conduct a purge?"
Dugu Tuo nodded. "If the emperor doesn't dare to touch the Guanlong nobles, he will definitely vent his anger on others. Su Wei will definitely be the first to be hit, followed by Yun Dingxing, Han Sengshou, Liu Ti, He Ruohuailiang and others. If they can't escape, they will definitely be liquidated."
"Why did Uncle Six help Su Wei?"
"When your father returned to Chang'an, he was in dire straits. Su Wei gave him fifty strings of cash. Although the money was not much, it was a timely help at the time. I will always remember this favor."
"I see!"
The carriage soon arrived at the Yuan Mansion, and Yuan Hongsi personally went to the door to greet them. Everyone went to the back hall, where Yuan Xiaoju and Yuan Shou were already waiting.
Dugu Tuo sat down and asked, "Any news?"
Yuan Xiaoju nodded, "I just received news that the Tongguan garrison has been defeated. Song Laosheng fled to Pujinguan, was surrounded by the Jinwang army, and has surrendered."
"what!"
Dugu Tuo was startled and asked anxiously: "When did this happen?"
"It happened yesterday. I just received a pigeon letter from Huayin County."
Dugu Zuan beside him said, "The royal family should also know about this."
"They should have known about it earlier than I did. I guess they held an emergency meeting when they got the news."
Dugu Tuo frowned and said slowly: "I didn't expect that this offensive would break through so quickly!"
Yuan Xiaoju smiled faintly, "The key is that the King of Jin has sent troops. As long as the King of Jin sends troops, I know that Wuguan will definitely not be able to be defended. Their iron fire thunder is so powerful that it completely subverts the siege." Yuan Shou asked: "Brother Dugu, where do you think Yang Yong will take the royal family to retreat?"
Dugutuo thought for a moment and said, "Longyou and Hexi are relatively difficult places, so they won't go there. I estimate that they will most likely withdraw to Bashu."
At this moment, the housekeeper came in hurriedly and whispered something in Yuan Xiaoju's ear. Yuan Xiaoju nodded, stood up and said to everyone, "Please sit down for a moment. I'll be right back."
When Yuan Xiaoju went out, everyone guessed that there must be important news. Not long after, Yuan Xiaoju walked in with a strange expression.
"Everyone, there is no one in the palace anymore. The group of royal family members who were discussing the matter have disappeared."
Everyone looked at each other, and Yuanshou asked anxiously, "Did they go back to their respective homes?"
"They did not leave the palace. They most likely escaped through Xuanwu Gate."
Yuan Shou couldn't sit still any longer, so he stood up and said, "I will go back to the barracks immediately. Yuan Min is alone in the barracks, and I'm afraid he can't control the soldiers!"
Dugu Tuo also said urgently: "We must immediately notify each family to control the army."
Yuan Xiaoju and Dugutuo jointly wrote a letter to notify a dozen Guanlong nobles who held military power to control the army and not to leave Chang'an.
Outside the Xuanwu Gate, more than 20,000 troops were ready, with a large number of horses and camels loaded with various supplies.
When the news came that 50,000 Eastern Sui cavalry broke through Lantian Pass and entered Guanzhong, it triggered the migration plan drawn up by the royal family last fall.
This is a secret plan known only to the royal family of Chang'an. The core of the plan is that once the Eastern Sui army enters Guanzhong, they will immediately abandon Chang'an and retreat south.
Around the core, there are other dependent plans, such as property transfer plans, family advance plans, etc. In fact, most of the families and properties of these royal families moved to Chengdu first.
They entered the palace to retreat.
It was already dark, Yang Qing shouted, "Let's go!"
More than 20,000 soldiers surrounded Emperor Yang Yong's dragon carriage and marched towards Chengdu in a mighty procession.
Su Wei's mansion is located in Shengyefang in the east of the city. It is an official residence covering an area of ten acres. Su Wei followed Dugutuo's advice, returned to the mansion to pack up his belongings, and prepared to wait for an opportunity to leave the city.
The Su family is also a famous family in Chang'an, with many descendants and a large family. Su Wei himself has six sons, but most of his descendants are not in Chang'an. He only has two sons and three grandsons around him.
It was already dark, and Su Wei, dressed like an ordinary person, sat in the hall in a daze. At this time, his eldest son Su Kui asked in a low voice: "Father, will the emperor and the royal family really run away?"
Su Wei nodded and sighed, "Now that I think about it, it's no coincidence that Yang Qing appointed several of his sons as officials in Bashu. They actually started to retreat a long time ago, but we were kept in the dark. Now that the Eastern Sui army has entered Guanzhong, how can they defend Chang'an and resist? They will definitely flee to Bashu. They have either already left or are retreating."
Just then, the housekeeper came running over and said, "Master, a eunuch has been sent from the palace."
"Where is the person? Bring him to me!"
Soon, an eunuch came running over and said, "Prime Minister, the emperor has moved to Bashu, and I have been sent here to inform you to pack up and go to Bashu."
Su Wei nodded and asked, "Has the emperor left yet? Or is he waiting for me to leave together?"
"The emperor has already left. Tell the prime minister to meet him in Chengdu."
Su Wei smiled and said, “Please inform me more, father-in-law. I know, I will find a way to go to Chengdu.”
The eunuch left in a hurry. The eldest son Su Kui uttered a loud "Pah!" and said angrily, "What is this? He only informed us after he left. Is he afraid that we will eat his food on the way?"
Su Wei waved his hand and said, "Forget it. It's good enough that he can send someone to inform us."
At this time, his youngest grandson Su Lie came running and said, "Grandfather, the city gates are open, and a large number of people are leaving the city. Let's leave quickly!"
(End of this chapter)