Chapter 742: Seizing Pingzhou at Night
Chapter 742: Seizing Pingzhou at Night
The time chosen by the Sui army was very precise, which was the eve of the freezing. The sea ice in the Bohai Sea was fresh water, and the seawater was under a half-meter thick layer of ice, so it was impossible to boil salt. Unlike the south, salt could still be boiled in winter.
After ten days of hard work, the river began to freeze, but there was no sign of the salt fleet. At this time, Dou Jiande suddenly reacted and hurriedly sent people to the beach to pump seawater, but it was too late. The sea surface had begun to freeze.
Dou Jiande had no choice but to order the collection of salt from government warehouses and private homes in each county.
There was no salt in the government warehouse, so they had to search for it in people's homes and in the market. The soldiers broke into people's homes and rummaged through their boxes and cabinets. The people and merchants complained bitterly, and many of them even poured the salt into water tanks to avoid searches.
After searching for several days, they only managed to collect 200 stones of salt, which was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket and was only enough to feed his hundreds of thousands of troops for about ten days.
Dou Jiande was upset and had to order his soldiers to break ice on the sea to get water. This was a last resort, although the effect was not great, but it was better than completely cutting off salt supply.
At this time, Song Zhengben made a suggestion and asked Dou Jiande to send someone to Beiping County to buy salt.
But Dou Jiande didn't know that the situation in Beiping County had changed at this time.
Since the Sui army in Jiangnan defeated Goguryeo and captured Liaodong and the Liaodong Peninsula, there were basically no garrisons in Liaodong, only on the Liaodong Peninsula.
That morning, hundreds of merchants driving mule carts suddenly arrived in front of Yumen Pass. The soldiers guarding the city knew at a glance that the merchants had entered the pass.
Before the heavy snow comes every year, more than a thousand ginseng merchants who make a living in Liaodong will enter Youzhou one after another to sell goods and spend the winter.
The pass here is not Shanhaiguan, which was not built until the Ming Dynasty. However, there was also a pass in the Sui Dynasty that blocked the Liaoxi Corridor, called Yuguan, which was located 30 miles south of Shanhaiguan. It was also a pass where one man could block the pass and ten thousand men could not break through.
There are 500 defenders at Yuguan, who are under the command of Luo Yi, the governor of Youzhou, who is currently named King of Yan by Li Yuan.
The commander was called Sun Lianyun, a Lang Jiang. He was Luo Yi's personal soldier, and that's why he got the lucrative job of guarding Yumen Pass. When he heard that the guest had entered the pass, he was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling, and immediately ran to the top of the city wall.
Every year, ginseng traders would bring in large quantities of ginseng furs and skins, which made Sun Lianyun a fortune.
According to convention, every ginseng participant who entered the pass had to leave three ginseng roots as a fee. A thousand ginseng participants would leave three thousand ginseng roots. In addition, the property of any ginseng participant who died outside the pass had to be handed over to the government, which was also a huge source of income.
You can also take advantage of your proximity to the water and buy ginseng and furs cheaply, and then sell them to merchants in the Central Plains at high prices, making a fortune.
Therefore, the arrival of the pilgrims every year is the moment that the defenders look forward to the most. Of course, Sun Lianyun cannot keep all the money for himself, and 70% of it has to be handed over to Luo Yi. Even so, he can still make a fortune.
On the top of the city wall, Sun Lianyun looked at the mule carts carrying the visitors, which were carrying flags. He quickly gave the order, "Open the gates to welcome the distinguished guests!"
The gate of Yuguan was opened, and Sun Lianyun led more than a hundred soldiers out of the city to welcome them. The leading ginseng guest was none other than his familiar Boss He, who had dug up three thousand-year-old ginsengs and was known as the Ginseng King.
Sun Lianyun laughed and said, "Boss He, did you dig up any thousand-year-old ginseng this year?"
"Boss He didn't find it, but I did!" A clear voice came from behind Boss He.
"Who is it?" Sun Lianyun asked.
Boss He moved aside awkwardly. Behind him appeared a very tall young man holding a large iron spear. Although he was wearing the same leather jacket as the guest, his temperament was completely different.
Sun Lianyun held the hilt of the knife and shouted, "Who are you? You are not allowed to bring long weapons into the customs."
The young man sneered and said, "I am Luo Shixin, Duke of Qi and General of the Right Guard. Have you heard of me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the spear stabbed him. It was too fast and Sun Lianyun could not dodge it. "Puff!" The spear pierced his neck and Sun Lianyun died instantly.
Luo Shixin raised his spear and shouted, "Kill!" Hundreds of elite soldiers suddenly appeared and rushed up with lances in their hands. Dozens of soldiers were stabbed to death on the spot, and the rest were so scared that they knelt down and surrendered.
Luo Shixin took the lead and led hundreds of soldiers into Yuguan. At this time, tens of thousands of soldiers appeared in the distance, led by Qin Qiong, and came in a mighty force.
Before the Bohai Sea froze, Luo Shixin and Qin Qiong led an army of 30,000 by boat to Liucheng County in Liaodong, the only county in Liaodong. Just as the visitors were about to enter the country to sell goods, Luo Shixin led the army and followed the visitors south.
After capturing Yuguan, Luo Shixin continued to lead his army southward. Beiping County was later Pingzhou, the seat of the Pinglu Jiedushi, which was later Tangshan and Qinhuangdao. The current governor of Beiping County is Luo Shou of Luo Yi, who is also the commander of the Pingzhou Bingmashi. He has 10,000 troops under his command and is guarding Pinglu County, the only county town in Beiping County.
At this time, the defenders of Pinglu County did not know that Yuguan had been lost. At night, the soldiers guarding the city all found a place to sleep. Dozens of soldiers gathered in front of the city wall, lit a bonfire, drank and barbecued all night.
At two o'clock in the morning, Cheng Yaojin led hundreds of soldiers to the northeast corner of Pinglu County. The moat had frozen, and hundreds of soldiers ran across the moat and stuck close to the city wall.
Cheng Yaojin waved his hand, and a thin scout swung his grappling hook and accurately hooked the top of the city wall. The scout pulled the rope and quickly climbed up.
Soon, a rope ladder fell from above, and dozens of soldiers climbed up the city wall using the ladder, while a thin scout waited for them on the top of the city wall.
"There are no defenders here!"
The absence of defenders was expected by everyone. In winter, even people on the city walls would gather around the towers and use the towers to block the cold wind. If the soldiers were stupid enough to sleep on the city walls, they would be frozen into popsicles overnight.
Dozens of soldiers climbed up the city wall and dropped down a few rope ladders. The remaining hundreds of soldiers also climbed up the city wall. At this time, there were only a hundred defenders on the top of the city wall, and most of them were sleeping in the city tower. There were more than twenty soldiers outside, gathered around a campfire.
The leading general was also warming himself by the fire. Before he could react, a cold flash of an axe swung by, and the general's head flew off, blood spurting out. The other soldiers were frightened out of their wits, but dozens of spears were pointed at their necks, and everyone was so scared that they raised their hands obediently.
Luo Shou's residence was also behind the governor's residence. He and his concubine were sleeping soundly in the inner house when suddenly there was a hurried knock on the door. "General, get up quickly. Something terrible has happened!"
"What happened?" Luo Shou sat up.
"The Sui army has entered the city!"
Luo Shou was startled. At this time, he heard screams outside. He hurriedly put on his clothes, drew his sword and rushed out of the door, but suddenly stopped.
In the yard, hundreds of soldiers pointed crossbows at him. "Who are you?"
A general came out and clasped his fists and said, "I am Duke of Qi County, General Qin Qiong of Yunhui, and I am here to take over Beiping County on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty."
Luo Shou was confused, and asked after a while: "Didn't the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty pass away?"
"What year are you talking about? His Royal Highness the Regent ascended the throne a month ago. General Luo didn't know?"
Luo Shou shook his head, "I really don't know!"
"But now you know!"
Qin Qiong said calmly: "I will give you a choice. Will you be loyal to the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty or to the Turkic Khan?"
Luo Shou's face turned pale. At this moment, he saw his wife and two sons were also brought here. He immediately knelt on one knee and swore: "I, Luo Shou, have always been a general of the Sui Dynasty. Now that the emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty has ascended the throne, from now on, Beiping County will return to the Sui Dynasty. I am willing to be loyal to the emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty!"
(End of this chapter)