"This is an urgent report sent by Liu Zhenghui of Kaiyang County, Mayi County, saying that after Liu Wuzhou killed Wang Rengong Taishou, he led the Turkic army into the White Wolf Pass, and now the whole territory of Mayi, Yanmen, and Loufu has been lost. He himself and Hu Benlang withdrew Zhou Shaozu from Yanmen Lingqiu County to Shanggu County. ”

Looking at Liu Wuzhou's urgent report of rebellion, Yang Tong smiled bitterly: "People are not as good as heaven!" ”

Everyone sighed!

Li Jing sighed and said: "Li Yuan is afraid of His Royal Highness, and he is afraid of Wang Taishou!" Now Li Yuan not only has one less strong enemy, but also two more allies, Liu Wuzhou and Turkic. ”

Yang Gongren said: "The facts are already facts, and there is no point in talking about these anymore!" Your Highness, how should we respond? ”

Yang Tong pondered for a while, and took stock: "Zhuo County has 30,000 standing troops, 30,000 Xiaoguo troops, 10,000 county soldiers, Ji County, Wuyang, Qinghe, and Pingyuan standing 20,000, Bohai County is more special, not only has Douzigang, a strongman haunted place, but also is divided into two by the Yellow River, so its county has 40,000 troops, which are stationed in the north and south of the Yellow River by Gao Yaxian and Jia Wuben!" Li Jing commanded 15,000 troops in Beiping, Deng Wei commanded 20,000 troops in western Liaoning, and Wei Yunqi commanded 20,000 troops in eastern Liaoning! ”

"Yuyang, Anle, Shanggu, Hejian, Boling, Hengshan, Xindu, Zhaojun, Xiangguo, Wu'an, and Wei counties each have 5,000 county soldiers, and Linyuguan garrison 2,000. All of them add up, Jizhou has an army of 300,000. ”

"In addition, each county has a militia similar to the government soldiers, with countless numbers, and if there is a big war, they can pull out two or three hundred thousand troops at any time."

"There is no shortage of war horses, and during these days, our army has traded with the Khitan, Xi and Turkic people, and hoarded 100,000 good war horses."

Li Jingda was surprised.

First of all, Li Jing didn't expect that there were 300,000 troops in Jizhou, and they were all professional soldiers.

Secondly, Li Jing didn't expect that there were so many war horses in Jizhou.

Not only Li Jing was surprised, but even Yang Tong and others were taken aback, and before they knew it, Jizhou had actually developed so many troops!

"Can Jizhou afford such a large army?" Li Jing asked.

Yang Shidao, who was in charge of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, immediately smiled and said: "After re-counting, the population of Jizhou totals more than 8.95 million, and 25 people raise a soldier, which is no problem at all. ”

Li Jing was surprised: "Where did so many people come from? ”

Yang Shidao replied with a smile: "The five counties on the north bank of the Yellow River are too guarded, and the recruitment of victims is set up in Henan Province; Shanggu, Hengshan, Wu'an, and Wei counties, which are convenient for flying foxes, Jingcheng, Fukou, and Baicheng, are robbing the population of Hedong. ”

"Among them, the most powerful performance is the old general Pei of Ji County, who not only robbed the population of the Central Plains, but also looted all the poor people in Hanoi County, and after Ji County was full, he sent them all to Xindu." Yang Shidao did not hesitate to praise Pei Renji.

"Good, good, good! Everybody is doing well. Yang Tong suddenly smiled: "This is very good, there are talents with vitality!" It's just that the original intention of the county soldiers was to exterminate a small group of bandits and prevent the rebellion of the victims, and Jizhou is now completely settled! There is no need to raise so many county soldiers! I think keeping 2,000 men plus militia soldiers is enough to suppress a small rebellion. ”

Yang Gongren said: "Weichen agrees with His Highness's decision, but after more than half a year of training, the county soldiers have good combat effectiveness, and now that the world of chaos is coming, we must not abandon our martial arts!" ”

"Naturally not!"

Yang Tong said: "What I mean is to transfer General Li Jing, the Taishou of Beiping, to Hengshan, lead the 10,000 troops of Beiping and the 3,000 soldiers of Boling to support Hengshan County, and firmly grasp the Jingcheng leading to Hedong in the hands of my Great Sui!" ”

Among the eight Taihang Mountains, the Jing Cheng got its name very early. "Lü's Spring and Autumn" summarizes the nine most important mountain passes in the world, the so-called "nine stops in the world", and Jingcheng is one of them. The terrain there is "high and flat on all sides, and the middle and bottom are like wells", so it is called Jingcheng. Connecting the Shanxi Plateau and the North China Plain, Jingcheng Road has a very important military strategic value and is a battleground for soldiers of all dynasties.

As for Li Jing, the Taishou of Beiping, he is a famous general who is brave and good at fighting and has great achievements!

He rose to prominence in the battle to destroy the Northern Qi Dynasty and was awarded the post of Yitong Sanji. Later, he participated in the rebellion of Wei Chi Hui, was promoted to Kaifu, and was awarded the title of Duke of Pingkou County.

After the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, he participated in the battle of Sui to destroy Chen, and after Gao Zhizhi and others rebelled, Li Jing followed Yang Sujiang to quell the rebellion, and later awarded the history of the Yanzhou Assassin. Later, he sent troops to Liaodong with Wang Shiji and served as the commander of the horse army. Although this expedition was not won, he later fought with the Turks many times, when Han Hong, the governor of the state of the times, was defeated by the Turkic invasion, Li Jing took hundreds of people to the rescue, fought for three days, killed a large number of Turkic soldiers, and killed the Turks. Awarded the history of Hanzhou Thorn and the acting governor of the school.

After Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, the Han King Yang Liang rebelled, and Li Jing led his troops to participate in the counterinsurgency.

After that, he led his troops to pacify the rebellious barbarians, defeated Tuyuhun in Qinghai, and was promoted to Guanglu doctor.

When Yang Guangdong conquered Goguryeo, he captured Wuli City and annexed this city, and the emperor rewarded Li Jing as the Marquis of Yuanqiu County, and promoted him to the Duke of Huaguo.

After the defeat of the Third Goguryeo War, Yang Guang ordered him to be the Taishou of Beiping and protect Beiping's mountains and equipment. Youzhou thief Yang Zhongxu led 20,000 men to attack Beiping County last year, and Li Jing led his troops to break the thief army and beheaded Yang Zhongxu.

Li Jing is different from Xue Shixiong and other fierce generals, not only offensive and defensive, but also good at governing places, and is a commander who is not weaker than Yang Yichen.

"Your Highness is wise!" Regarding Yang Tong's decision, Yang Gongren held a supportive attitude, and said: "Jingcheng Road, there are two passes across the mountain, Jingcheng and Weize, they are in danger by the mountain, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they are the main road of Jingcheng. If you can control it in your hand, it will threaten Hedong Taiyuan, like a sharp sword against Li Yuan's back. ”

Yang Gongren then suggested: "Your Highness, Shangdang has Zhangshui, Qishui and Chidao leading directly to Wei County, and their importance is not weaker than that of Hengshan County, so it is reasonable to send people with both culture and martial arts to sit in the town!" ”

Yang Tong thought for a while and said, "What will happen if Qinghe guards Yang Shan too much?" ”

Yang Gongren said with a smile: "Weichen also belongs to Yang Shanhui!" Now that the center of gravity of Jizhou is in the west, and there is a natural danger of the Yellow River in the south, it is most appropriate to transfer him to Weiqun! At the same time, Yang Yuanhong, the commander of Pingyuan County, was ordered to take over Qinghe! As for the plain county guard, it doesn't hurt to be empty, if something really happens, Yang Yuanhong and Gao Yaxian can quickly march into the flank. ”

Yang Tong said to Fang Xuanling: "Order Yang Shanhui to lead 15,000 troops to enter Wei County, and Yang Yuanhong to lead 10,000 troops to sit in Qinghe!" If there is something in the plain, Yang Yuanhong and Gao Yaxian will be given the right to cross the border to quell the rebellion. At the same time, 10,000 Bohai navies were transferred to Zhuo County for use. ”

After Fang Xuanling finished the appointment, Yang Tong stamped it with a big seal and handed it to the messenger to send to Li Jing, Yang Shanhui, Yang Yuanhong, and Gao Yaxian overnight.

Yang Tong said to Li Jing: "Pharmacist, the 30,000 standing troops of Zhuo County, plus the 10,000 Bohai Navy that is about to go north, are under your control!" In addition, another 10,000 will be selected from the militia groups to build a total of 50,000 standing troops. ”

"How does this work?" Li Jing was surprised, he knew that Qin Qiong was the main general.

Qin Qiong, who understood his concerns, said with a smile: "Lord Shangshu doesn't need to think about it, compared with commanding the army, the last general likes to lead troops to fight more, and does not like complicated military affairs, and the last general is a rough person, not as delicate as Lord Shangshu." ”

Seeing that Li Jing still had excuses, Yang Tong laughed loudly, "Pharmacist, don't worry too much, what Uncle Bao said is definitely what he says!" Moreover, there is a place that is more suitable for Shubao. ”

"Oh?"

Everyone wanted to hear Yang Tong's arrangement.

"I have 30,000 Xiaoguo Army, and the Xiaoguo Army is best at fighting tough battles, if there is a fierce general as the main general, then, the combat power of the Xiaoguo Army has doubled, and now among the three battalions, Xing Yan, Jinda, and Dingfang each lead an army. That's not bad! It's just that I think the line and the fixed side have more room for growth! Speaking of this, Yang Tong said sincerely to the two: "The pharmacist has a military talent that is not weaker than that of Yang Taifu, I hope that the two of you will become deputy generals under him and learn his ability to march and deploy formations!" I hope that in the near future, you will be able to command hundreds of thousands of troops and fight alone. Would you two like to? ”

"The last general is willing!" Pei Xingyan and Su Dingfang couldn't imagine that Yang Tong had such expectations for themselves, and they were immediately moved to tears.

Yang Tong smiled with relief, and said to the Xue brothers: "Wanjun, Wanche, Wanbei!" The three of you brothers also have the talent to become commanders! Let's go to the pharmacist to learn the skills of being a commander! ”

"Thank you, Your Highness, for cultivating!" Xue Wanjun, Xue Wanche, and Xue Wanbei were also very excited!

"Shubao took over the first two armies, and Jingde took over the Jinda army! The three of you and Shixin should also hold the heart of a student and learn the way to lead a soldier from the pharmacist! ”

"Whoa!" The four generals answered the order loudly.

"Your Royal Highness Xie trusts, Li Jing will never live up to expectations, and I am willing to share what I have learned all my life with all the generals!" Li Jing's eyes flashed with deep emotion.

"Good!" Yang Tong was overjoyed, Li Jing taught Hou Junji and Su Dingfang two military gods in history, and now he may not be able to teach five or six.

Appointments continue!

"Xue Wanshu, you are the county guard of Shanggu Inspection School, in addition to the five thousand county soldiers in this county, I will transfer three thousand county soldiers from Yuyang and Hejian for your use, after you take office, you must not only defend Feigu, but also train elite soldiers, train militia regiments, and govern the place! Trial for one year......"

The flying fox in the Taihang Eight Mountains is located in Shanggu County, with two cliffs and cliffs, a line of micro-communication, and more than 100 miles of winding. It is a key pass between Jizhou and Hedong and the prairie, and it is also an important channel leading from inside the Guanxi to the outside of the Guan.

Xue Wanshu is both civil and military, steady, and one of the most suitable guards.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness! Minister, swear allegiance! Xue Wanshu solemnly responded.

"Xue Wanshu, appoint you as the county guard of the Wu'an Inspection School, and lead the county to sit in Wu'an with 3,000 soldiers from believing in religion, Zhao County, and Xiangguo, so as to prevent the future enemy army from advancing eastward from Shangdang through Fukou. The same is to train elite soldiers, train militia groups, and govern the locality! Trial for one year......"

"Your Highness!" Xue Wan responded excitedly,

The five tigers of the Xue family suddenly had two of them as one party's officials, which was not only a step to the sky, but also infinite grace and trust in the Xue family.

The five brothers glanced at each other, and saluted together: "The Chen Xue clan swears allegiance to His Royal Highness, protects the territory and the people, and never abandons it!" ”

At this point, the five brothers knelt down together.

Da Sui did not kneel, here pay attention to kneeling to the sky and kneeling to the parents. For kings, too, they only need to bow instead of kneeling. Even standing salutes are not prevalent here. No matter how big or small the position is, as long as there is a seat in the court. However, when talking to the emperor, the courtiers need to stand up and answer as a sign of respect.

The kneeling of the five tigers of the Xue clan is obviously not Yang Tong, the king of Qin, who is kneeling, but when he swears allegiance for the 'lord'.

"Minister Yang Gongren swears allegiance to His Royal Highness, protects the territory and the people, and never abandons him for the rest of his life!"

"Chen Yang Shidao swears allegiance to His Royal Highness, protects the territory and the people, and never abandons him!"

"Minister Wei Zheng ......"

"Minister......

"Minister Kong Yingda ......"

"Chen Jiang Xingben ......"

"Chen Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin, Pei Xingyan, Niu Jinda, Su Lie, Li Jing, Wei Chigong, ......"

"Swear allegiance to His Highness, protect the territory and the people, live and never give up!"

"Swear allegiance to His Highness, protect the territory and the people, live and never give up!"

Yang Tong looked at the people kneeling on one knee, couldn't help but be stunned, and said with a wry smile: "You guys are ......"

After everyone kowtowed, Yang Gongren, who was the leader, hugged his fists and said: "My Jizhou can become a pure land where people can live and work in peace and contentment, all of which are the work of His Royal Highness." Now the Great Sui is stormy, and it is about to fall apart! And Shengshang, King Qi and King Zhao are trapped in Jiangdu, and King Yan and King Dai will also do nothing. Except for His Royal Highness, no one can save the Great Sui Dynasty! ”

"What Yang Servant said is very true, we have long regarded His Royal Highness as the Lord, and I have expressed my position today in order to be able to work together to revitalize the community in the future!" Fang Xuanling agreed.

After Yang Tong was silent for a while, he slowly stood up and said, "In the past, the world was not chaotic, I just wanted to be a carefree king." But now it's obviously not going to work! ”

"Now Da Sui is terminally ill! If you want to save it, you can only break it and stand up! Maybe it's nothing now, if the emperor's grandfather makes a mistake, the Great Sui will definitely fall apart. I am the King of Great Sui Qin, if others want to take it, ask me first if Yang Tong agrees! ”

If you are content with the status quo and have no ambition for the great cause, then what is the goal of your struggle? Yang Tong was already suffering from being unable to express his position, but when he saw everyone worshipping the lord at this time, he responded to the situation: "It is my Yang Tong's luck to have a civil and military general like you." ”

Everyone was overjoyed, knowing that Yang Tong had expressed his intention to take the throne, Yang Gongren took the lead and said loudly: "Minister Yang Gongren, please see His Highness"

"Meet Your Highness!" The crowd bowed down excitedly!

Yang Tong felt the difference between everyone before and after, and sighed: "Among the three of us brothers, I have always been an existence that I don't value, and the emperor's grandfather only has the eldest brother and the third brother in his heart!" But now even the emperor's grandfather can't command the world, and the crown prince is even more worthless, so it doesn't matter whether he can be the grandson or not. As long as our lords and ministers work together, we can still create a great cause with our strength. ”

Fang Xuanling nodded approvingly, "The future monarch must be respected by the strong, His Royal Highness is not a self-made prince, not only the righteousness, but also the people's desire for Jizhou as the base, and countless Han scholars follow, the future world will definitely belong to His Highness." ”

"It's good that everyone understands, the most important thing now is to keep Taoguang in obscurity, so that the emperor's grandfather, eldest brother, and third brother don't feel threatened, and let me develop in Jizhou with peace of mind." Yang Tong said solemnly.

"Your Highness, rest assured, no third person other than your ministers will know about today's events." Yang Gongren made a lot of promises.

"I believe that."

Looking at the jubilant military generals, Yang Tong was deeply touched, thinking that in his previous life, he was just one of the many beings who were rushing for life, how could he have imagined that there would be today's power and glory, which not only changed Yang Tong's fate, but also controlled the life and death of nearly 10 million people according to the land of Jizhou, with 300,000 elite soldiers in charge.