The kingdom is about to perish, and there will be demons! This sentence is not false at all, the middle reaches of the Yellow River in the thirteenth year of the Great Cause became a disaster in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, but the Jianghuai area was a severe drought, and as early as the twelfth year of the Great Cause, because of the drought and the grain production was reduced in the strict zhòng, and then in the spring famine of the thirteenth year of the Great Cause, the counties of Huainan fell into a terrible famine, the hungry people first ate the bark and leaves, and then boiled the soil for food, and then - everything was exhausted, it was cannibalism!

In desperation, a large number of people rose up and raised their banners to rebel, as a result, this also gave Du Fuwei, Li Zitong as the representative of the Jianghuai rebel army a good opportunity to develop and grow, twice Chen Fuliang was beaten to the end of the road Du Fuwei even grew the team to more than 100,000, directly under the nose of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty rampant, constantly attacking the city and plundering the land, even taking Gaoyou, Liuhe and Liyang and other important places in the Jianghuai River, the momentum was greatly boosted, and the nest was directly built in Liyang City, which was only two hundred miles away from the Jiangdu, and despised Emperor Yang of Sui to the extreme.

Of course, Emperor Yang of Sui could not swallow his anger about this, in order to exterminate Du Fuwei, Emperor Yang of Sui successively sent Gongsun Shangzhe, Chen Ling and other famous generals of the Sui army to suppress, but it was a series of defeats, first Gongsun Shangzhe was killed, and then Chen Ling's whole army was annihilated, only to be spared, and then Laihu'er's most powerful son Laiquan was beaten out of temper, and he did not dare to confront Du Fuwei head-on. Emperor Yang of Sui was helpless, so he had no choice but to continue his ostrich tactics, out of sight and out of mind, and let Du Fuwei mess around Jiangdu, as long as he didn't come to harass Jiangdu.

Here I have to say a fair word for Chen Ling, Lai Cheng and others, it's not that they can't fight, it's not that they are greedy for life and afraid of death, they are afraid of Du Fuwei, it's the general environment of hunger and hunger everywhere is placed here, no matter how they attack and crusade, Du Fuwei's army is fighting more and more, but they can't get the support of the people at all, the intelligence is not smooth, the road is not open, and the enemy is fighting less and less, so even if it was the famous general Chen Ling, who slapped Yang Xuan and felt the same party Yuanwu all over the place, in the case of once having the upper hand, was also ground to death by Du Fuwei's sea of men tactics, and finally drowned completely.

Ostrich tactics are still useless after all, how Emperor Yang of Sui entertained himself with wine, refusing to worry about the bad situation, bad news and bad news still reached his ears one after another, in addition to the rebellion and uprising that have been counted in countless numbers, the most furious thing for Emperor Yang of Sui is the situation that the Tiger Prison Pass is lost, and the Luokoucang and the Eastern Capital are in an emergency together - after the Wagang Army invaded Xingyang and endangered the Tongji Canal, the contact between Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and the East and West was already very difficult, and now the Tiger Prison Pass was also lost by Pei Renji, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty wanted to command the northern counties remotely, and of course it was even more difficult.

Fortunately, as Yuan Wendu, Duan Da, Yang Tong and others said, seeing Chen Fuliang's three horsemen retreating from the enemy's strength to protect Luokoucang, Emperor Yang of Sui did not hold Chen Fuliang accountable for not being able to quickly recapture the Tiger Pass, but also praised Chen Fuliang's quick decision and wisdom and bravery, and issued an edict to award rewards. However, for Pei Renji, Emperor Yang of Sui, who was like thunder, issued a strict decree, ordering Pei Renji to be deprived of a qiē official title, and to remain in his original position regardless of the crime for the time being, and to recapture the Tiger Prison within 30 days from the receipt of the edict, otherwise the two crimes will be punished concurrently, and the crime will be seriously investigated!

In the face of this unrealistic will issued by Emperor Yang of Sui in a rage, Pei Ju, the patriarch of the Pei clan, made a final effort to save, pointing out that the military strength in Pei Renji's hands was limited, and the Wagang soldiers were numerous and occupied Xiongguan, and it was not possible for Pei Renji's strength alone to succeed in recapturing the Tiger Pass, and there were too many important city warehouses that the soldiers and horses in the eastern capital needed to guard, and there would definitely not be much help for Pei Renji, so he strongly advised Emperor Yang of Sui to act calmly and reconsider. However, Emperor Yang of Sui roared angrily: "The troops in his hands are insufficient, won't he send troops and horses from other counties?" He was appointed as the ambassador of Henan, and he could dispatch troops and horses from the seven counties south of the Yellow River, so wouldn't he transfer troops from these places? ”

Seeing Emperor Yang of Sui's pale face, Pei Ju swallowed a mouthful of saliva, not daring to say anything, and while honestly obeying the order, Pei Ju could only quickly write a letter to Chen Fuliang, asking his distant nephew to help Pei Renji recapture the Tiger Prison Pass as scheduled. Fortunately, Pei Ju also knew that Chen Fuliang's current situation was also not good, he had to guard the important places of Dongdu, Luokoucang and Shangluocang, and he had to shoulder the military and political affairs of Dongdu, and at the same time he had to guard against the threat of thieves from all directions, so Pei Ju did not force Chen Fuliang to do it, but just asked Chen Fuliang to keep Pei Renji as much as possible - it really didn't work, and Pei Ju couldn't force it, so he could only give up Pei Renji, an unsuccessful clansman.

After officially receiving the edict from Emperor Yang of Sui, Pei Renji's face was of course how ugly and ugly it was, and how anxious and anxious his mood was, under anxiety and fear, Pei Renji not only hurriedly began to arrange preparations for the counterattack, but also immediately asked his distant nephew Chen Yingliang for help, explained the situation to Chen Yingliang, and asked Chen Yingliang to send troops as soon as possible to help him recapture the Tiger Prison Pass and complete the task assigned by Emperor Yang of Sui.

Emperor Yang of Sui, Pei Ju and Pei Renji teamed up to give Chen Fuliang a big problem, although when he received Pei Ju's letter and Pei Renji's plea, Chen Fuliang's body had recovered, and it was no longer a problem to lead troops to fight, but the flood problem in Luoyang City was still very strict, and at the same time, because of the heavy rain for several days, eight of the fourteen counties in Henan County were affected by the floods, and the disaster was not light, and the affected people were 100,000. In addition, the weather is also a big problem, the continuous spring rain has not completely stopped, and the land soaked too softly by the rain is still not suitable for fighting with troops, which adds a lot of difficulty to the Sui army to capture the Tiger Pass.

What's more, Chen Fuliang now doesn't want to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Wagang Army, because the soldiers and horses in the eastern capital are not strong enough at present, and there are 100,000 troops in reputation, but in fact, there are only a handful of elites who can play the role of the core backbone. The Wagang Army has a firm foothold in the Tiger Prison Pass, and the number of garrisons is at least more than 50,000, including tens of thousands of veterans of a hundred battles.

Pei Renji is also very good at making it difficult for others, knowing that he has too many contradictions with Chen Fuliang, Chen Fuliang may not agree to his pleading, so he asked his wife to come forward to find Pei Hongce's daughter-in-law, and begged Pei Hongce's wife to intercede, begging Chen Fuliang to help Pei Renji win this battle at any cost. And the relationship between Chen Fuliang and Pei Hongce knows that after Pei's wife led Pei Hongce's son Pei Xingfang to Chen Yingliang to make a request in the name of visiting Chen Fuliang's body, Chen Yingliang could only promise to help as much as he could with a bitter face, and scolded Pei Renji in his heart for being thicker than himself, and even Pei Hongce's wife could move out.

After saying what should be said, Pei's wife was quickly invited to the back hall by the eldest grandson Xiao Luoli and Wang Xueji to talk, and Pei Xingfang, who was already nineteen years old, found an excuse to stay, and as soon as the old lady left, Pei Xingfang immediately said to Chen Yingliang: "Brother, do you really plan to personally raise troops to help Uncle Renji?" ”

"I haven't made up my mind yet." Chen Fuliang replied: "But since your mother and my uncle have opened their mouths, I will give it a try no matter what." ”

"Brother, junior brother thinks you can't agree." Pei Xingfang's words were shocking, and he said in a low voice: "In the current situation, brother, even if you win this battle and recapture the Tiger Prison Pass, you will only cheapen others!" ”

Chen Fuliang looked up at Pei Xingfang in surprise - of course, if Chen Fuliang could know that Pei Xingfang was actually one of the fifty-nine famous generals who had emerged in the Pei clan in the past thousand years, and his achievements in military and political affairs were actually far greater than those of Pei Renji and Pei Xingyan, who were in vain, then Chen Fuliang would definitely not be so surprised.

Seeing Chen Fuliang's surprised expression, Pei Xingfang, who was still young, twisted a little and said: "Junior brother is presumptuous nonsense, brother is not strange, but the younger brother still thinks that brother, you must not fight the battle of Tiger Pass, the terrain of Tiger Pass is dangerous, the city is high and the moat is deep, and the momentum of Wagang thieves is flourishing, and now there are too many new recruits in the army of the Eastern Capital, and there are too few elite veterans, brother, even if you barely win this battle, you must be greatly injured, and you will cheapen others in vain." ”

"Cheap who?" Chen Fuliang asked quietly.

"Cheap thieves who peep into the Eastern Capital all over the world, especially Li Mi!" Pei Xingfang peeked at Chen Fuliang's expression, and expressed his opinion a little timidly: "Little brother once heard from your brother that among the thieves in Wagang, only the traitor Li Mi is the most cunning and difficult, insidious and vicious, although Li Mi is a traitor and Zhai Rang, but his thief army is still at the root, and the strength is still not to be underestimated, brother, if you and the Wagang thieves are defeated, Li Mi will inevitably come one after another, and challenge you again, brother, at that time, brother, your corporal is tired, and the elite is injured, how to deal with it?" ”

Chen Fuliang's expression was even more surprised, and only then did he realize that he was lacking in talent, staring only at the historical celebrities of the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties, and completely ignoring those talents who were buried by history, such as Zhang Jixun in Luokoucang, and Pei Xingfang, who was right under his nose, were actually talents who could be cultivated and useful, and he didn't even notice it before. While secretly regretting it, Chen Fuliang asked again: "Brother Xian, what should I do in your opinion?" ”

"Don't bother with the tiger prison, tidy up the interior first." Pei Xingfang said: "For the army of the Eastern Capital, there is nothing lacking in the Luoyang area, how much military grain and grass are needed, weapons and armor are piled up, and they are all the best equipment that ordinary armies dream of, the only thing that is lacking is time, as long as you don't rush to fight the thieves, first concentrate on training the army with all your might, then with your brother's ability, plus your elite old department, it won't take much time, and you can train a combatable soldier in a row, and then send troops to fight a decisive battle, and it will be easy to win." ”

After looking his distant cousin Pei Xingfang up and down, Chen Fuliang asked, "Then what about your Uncle Renji?" ”

"I don't want to care about him." Pei Xingfang's face was a little gloomy, and he clenched his fists and said, "My mother is good-hearted, but I don't know a lot of things, so I came to beg you for Uncle Renji." But the last time Sister Cuiyun came to live with you, my father refused to see Uncle Renji, and told me a lot of things in private, my uncle in order to get promoted and make a fortune, in the Li Hun case, the so-called Li Hun conspired against the party, and it turned out that all of them were arrested from my father's general prison yamen, and almost involved my father, and I still call him uncle, also because of the blood of the Pei family. ”

Chen Yingliang smiled, patted Pei Xingfang's fist, and said with a smile: "It's good to know blood and family affection, you have to be a big belly, and you have to be broad-minded to do great things, don't learn from it, learn my attitude towards the Chai family, no matter what, he is also your uncle, blood is thicker than water, and he has done a lot of wrong things because of his desire for profit, but he has repented, and even your father has forgiven him, those of us who are juniors, don't worry about him." ”

Pei Xingfang nodded, and then let go of his clenched fist, and Chen Fuliang said again: "Brother Xian, you are right, in fact, I don't want to fight this battle, but there is no way, Your Majesty has issued a strict decree, and the Tiger Prison must be recaptured within a month, otherwise the two crimes will be punished together, and Uncle Renji's head will have to fall to the ground, I don't look at the face of the monk to see the face of the Buddha, for the sake of your father and Cuiyun's face, I have to pull him up." If I sit back and watch his head fall to the ground, how can I explain to your father and your sister Cuiyun? ”

"Brother, then you can't think of a way? You don't have to risk sending troops to fight the Wagang thieves, but you can save Uncle Renji's head? Pei Xingfang asked.

"How to find a way to solve a contradictory problem?" Chen Fuliang smiled bitterly and said, "Don't look at your brother, I am now staying in the Eastern Capital, but if I want to plead with His Majesty and beg His Majesty to open up or grace time, I don't have the courage yet." ”

Pei Xingfang smiled, smiling like a little fox, and said with a smile: "Brother, then why don't you ask me if there is a way?" ”

"Do you have a way? What's the solution? Chen Fuliang asked in surprise.

Pei Xingfang smiled again, then attached it to Chen Fuliang's ear, and said in a low voice: "Actually, the younger brother was also inspired by your brother to come up with this trick, brother, you can send someone to secretly guide Uncle Pei and let him ......." ”

Before Pei Xingfang finished speaking, Chen Fuliang had already opened his mouth wide, and then looked Pei Xingfang up and down again, until Pei Xingfang showed a twisted demeanor under his forced gaze, Chen Fuliang was stunned and said: "Brother Xian, why didn't I find out before, you can still have such a hand?" You're tougher than me. ”

"I came up with it by accident, my brother." Pei Xingfang said twistedly: "I just don't know if it can be done, if the younger brother's plan is ridiculous, don't blame the elder brother." ”

Chen Fuliang pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "It can be done!" After doing this, plus your Uncle Pei Ju helped to intercede, His Majesty should not want your Uncle Renji's head! However, this method cannot be sued by me to your Uncle Renji, this precedent has been set, and the consequences will be endless! ”

"Brother, how about I go?" Pei Xingfang immediately volunteered: "The great-grandfather of the younger brother is a brother with Uncle Pei's grandfather, and the blood relationship is very close, and there are often contacts, so it is most convenient for me to go and offer advice." ”

When Chen Yingliang heard this, he smiled and said, "Are you willing to serve in the army?" Over there in Luokoucang, Liu Changgong's subordinates are short of clerical positions, I have been friends with him for a long time, if you go, he will not treat you badly. ”

"Little brother is willing to go." Pei Xingfang knelt down on one knee to Chen Fuliang without saying a word, and clasped his fists, Chen Fuliang hurriedly picked up his distant cousin, shook hands with Pei Xingfang and laughed.

The young and vigorous Pei Xingfang volunteered to join the army to serve, and took risks with his head tied to his trouser belt, and Pei Hongce's wife, whose husband was driving in Jiangdu, was of course a little reluctant, but fortunately, Pei Hongce's wife also knew that her son would never grow up under the wings of his elders, for the sake of his son's future, and heard that Chen Fuliang arranged for Pei Xingfang to work in Luokoucang, which was relatively safe, Pei's wife finally nodded and agreed to Pei Xingfang's request, and Chen Fuliang also quickly arranged for Pei Xingfang to join the army with an eight-grade household, and completed the procedures of the Ministry of Officials. Then immediately arranged for Pei Xingfang to go east to serve under Liu Changgong's account.

Out of various considerations, Chen Fuliang specially explained that Pei Xingfang must not be in a hurry, and he should wait for Pei Renji to come forward to offer advice when the mountain is exhausted, so as not to cause accidents due to leakage, Pei Xingfang promised to go, Chen Fuliang also had a wishful thinking in his heart, and said secretly: "If you follow the words, not only can I keep Pei Renji's head this time, but the elite of Qi County left by Zhang Xutuo must also be mine." Uncle Pei, don't blame me for not saving me when I die, it's because you can't support the wall in the mud yourself, and it's inconvenient to occupy the pit, so I have to do this. ”

The next morning, Chen Fuliang officially forwarded Pei Renji's request for help to Yang Tong, the king of Yue, and the result was similar to Chen Yingliang's estimate, a group of old officials in the Eastern Capital Court were all not interested in helping Pei Renji get rid of his crimes, but he didn't dare to be too resolute about the relationship between Chen Yingliang and Pei Renji, but after seeing that someone came forward to oppose Chen Fuliang but didn't say anything, Yuan Wendu and Duan Da and other old officials also had a bottom in their hearts, and they all tried their best to persuade Yang Tong to only supply Pei Renji with grain, grass and ordnance, and not to directly send troops to reinforce. Leave the limited army to hold the more important Luoyang City, Shangluocang and Luokoucang, and guard against the possible civil unrest after the flood.

Of course, Yang Tong also asked Chen Fuliang's opinion, but Chen Fuliang did not express his position directly, but only reported to Yang Tong the scale of the flood in Henan County and the number of victims, and begged Yang Tong to give some rations to the victims to prevent these victims from rebelling from thieves in desperation. Hearing Chen Fuliang's roundabout words, Yang Tong and the hundred officials of the Eastern Capital also had a bottom in their hearts, and understood that Chen Fuliang was worried about the internal instability of the Eastern Capital after the troops were too drained, and he did not want to use the precious Eastern Capital army to serve as cannon fodder for Pei Renji's attack on Tiger Pass. At that moment, Yang Tong also came forward to be a villain, categorically refused Pei Renji's plea, and only agreed to supply grain and grass to Pei Renji, and Pei Renji himself was responsible for the battle against Tiger Pass. In addition, after thinking about it again, Yang Tong also sent a seal to Emperor Yang of Sui, asking Emperor Yang of Sui to allow him to help the victims - although Yang Tong, who was a grandson, knew that it was almost impossible for his grandfather, Emperor Yang of Sui, who liked to get into the water, to agree to such a request.

Using Yang Tong as a shield to push away the drudgery of helping Pei Renji, Chen Fuliang himself was quite relaxed, and immediately focused on the training of the new army in the Eastern Capital, but Chen Fuliang's chief think tank Fang Xuanling didn't think so, and just seized the opportunity to talk alone, he said to Chen Fuliang: "Brother Xian, you are unwilling to help Ambassador Pei recapture the Tiger Prison Pass, of course, for the sake of the overall situation of the Eastern Capital, but have you considered it, after Ambassador Pei's counterattack on the Tiger Prison Pass failed, how should you deal with this situation?" ”

"Brother refers to His Majesty's punishment?" Chen Fuliang asked rhetorically, and said: "Brother, don't worry, I have arranged this, even if Uncle Pei fails, at most he will lose his official position and resign, and it is unlikely that his head will fall to the ground." ”

"No, no." Fang Xuanling shook his head, and said with a smile: "Ambassador Pei is your uncle of Brother Xian, not my uncle, whether his head falls to the ground is a matter for you to worry about Brother Xian, I don't need to bother to think about it, what I'm worried about is another layer?" ”

"Another floor?" Chen Fuliang was stunned for a moment, and then he came to his senses and said, "Brother refers to the direct threat we face from Wagang thieves after Uncle Pei's defeat?" ”

"Not bad." Fang Xuanling nodded and said: "Ambassador Pei's chance of recapturing the Tiger Prison Pass is very small, after he fails, whether it is the landing of the head or the resignation of the official, Luoyang will lose the barrier of the Henan Arresting Army, and then the eastern capital Luoyang will directly face the threat of Wagang thieves, and there is no danger to defend, what should you do at that time?" In this matter, if you don't make arrangements early, you will definitely be in a hurry and at a loss. ”

"Of course I've considered this matter, but it can only be garrison prevention." Chen Fuliang said helplessly: "I am really not sure to recapture the Tiger Prison Pass to do this, if the strength in my hand is enough, I also want to recapture the Tiger Prison Pass to ensure the safety of the Eastern Capital, but now the Wagang thieves are stationed in the Tiger Prison Pass, and they also rely on the weather to help Shun Lì stand firm, and the Eastern Capital Army is mostly recruits, and the combat effectiveness is insufficient. ”

"Then why didn't Brother Xian think about borrowing his strength?" Fang Xuanling suddenly asked: "The current strength of the Eastern Capital army is not enough to ensure that the Tiger Prison Pass is taken back, but if you borrow a strong reinforcement to attack the Tiger Prison Pass, before you lead the army to attack the Tiger Prison Pass, wouldn't it be a great hope to recapture the Tiger Prison Pass?" ”

"After borrowing a strong reinforcement to attack the Tiger Prison Pass?" Chen Fuliang once wanted to ask where to borrow, but after the words came to his lips, Chen Fuliang suddenly came to his senses and blurted out: "Wang Shichong! ”

"Yes, if you join forces with Wang Shichong, you will have a great chance of regaining the Tiger Prison Pass." Fang Xuanling pointed out: "Although Wang Shichong is now appointed as the guard of Pengcheng, which is equivalent to your authority, it is completely a stall, and there is nothing to rely on for grain and grass supplies and military supplies, and Wang Shichong will definitely be helpless for this." Tiger Prison Pass is only thirty miles away from Luokoucang, and the best armor and weapons in the eastern capital are piled up, if you can ask for the edict of Your Majesty, let Wang Shichong lead the army to reinforce you, Wang Shichong will definitely personally lead the main elite to come. At that time, the Tiger Prison Pass will be recaptured, not only can the east rest assured, but at the critical moment, you can also ask Wang Shichong to guard the eastern capital for you, freeing up your hands to do more important things. ”

Although he knew that Wang Shichong was not a good bird, in order to deal with the more dangerous changes in Taiyuan, Chen Fuliang only thought about it for a moment, and immediately nodded and said: "I will write to Wang Shichong immediately, explain the situation to him, let him have a bottom in his heart, and quietly prepare, and he can come faster when the time comes." ”

"You might as well let Wang Shichong also put on a seal and take the initiative to ask for reinforcements from Tiger Prison Pass." Fang Xuanling said again: "In this way, even if Your Majesty does not agree, you will have an impression in your heart, when you ask Your Majesty for help again, you will have a greater chance of success." If His Majesty can agree to be better, with Wang Shichong's help, even if Ambassador Pei can't recapture the Tiger Prison Pass, he can contain a considerable number of Wagang thieves from behind and share a lot of positive pressure for us. ”

"I'll try." Chen Fuliang nodded, and said with a wry smile: "But the possibility of letting Wang Shichong take the initiative to be on the table is very small, what kind of person is my father-in-law, he would rather die than suffer a loss, and try his best to take advantage!" Give me a help to my son-in-law, who has money and food, and he will definitely agree, and immediately come and knock on my bamboo pole. Let him promise to help Uncle Pei, who is so poor that he has to rely on the eastern capital for help, unless the sun comes out from the west. ”

As Chen Fuliang expected, when Chen Fuliang's letter was delivered to Pengcheng and delivered to Wang Shichong, Wang Shichong was happy that he could escape from the mess of Pengcheng, and then directly sneered: "Take the initiative to ask for help from Pei Renji?" The old man is crazy to do this? From Pengcheng to Tiger Prison Pass, it is not a mess beaten by thieves, the old man went to help, but I am afraid that the old man will have to bear the military rations himself! It's okay to help fight the Wagang thieves, and I'll talk about it when Pei Renji is finished! ”

So, under Chen Fuliang's death and Wang Shichong's inaction, Pei Renji, who was forced by Emperor Yang of Sui, became a motherless child in the Huanglian field, and he couldn't be more bitter, his own strength was not enough, and he had to take the initiative to attack the famous city of Xiongguan, Pei Renji had no choice but to cry without tears. However, what Chen Fuliang, who only waited for Pei Renji to fail and immediately took over the elite of Qi County, forgot that in addition to recapturing the Tiger Prison Pass as scheduled and waiting to be killed, Pei Renji actually had a third choice...... Leave the limited army to hold the more important Luoyang City, Shangluocang and Luokoucang, and guard against the possible civil unrest after the flood.

Of course, Yang Tong also asked Chen Fuliang's opinion, but Chen Fuliang did not express his position directly, but only reported to Yang Tong the scale of the flood in Henan County and the number of victims, and begged Yang Tong to give some rations to the victims to prevent these victims from rebelling from thieves in desperation. Hearing Chen Fuliang's roundabout words, Yang Tong and the hundred officials of the Eastern Capital also had a bottom in their hearts, and understood that Chen Fuliang was worried about the internal instability of the Eastern Capital after the troops were too drained, and he did not want to use the precious Eastern Capital army to serve as cannon fodder for Pei Renji's attack on Tiger Pass. At that moment, Yang Tong also came forward to be a villain, categorically refused Pei Renji's plea, and only agreed to supply grain and grass to Pei Renji, and Pei Renji himself was responsible for the battle against Tiger Pass. In addition, after thinking about it again, Yang Tong also sent a seal to Emperor Yang of Sui, asking Emperor Yang of Sui to allow him to help the victims - although Yang Tong, who was a grandson, knew that it was almost impossible for his grandfather, Emperor Yang of Sui, who liked to get into the water, to agree to such a request.

Using Yang Tong as a shield to push away the drudgery of helping Pei Renji, Chen Fuliang himself was quite relaxed, and immediately focused on the training of the new army in the Eastern Capital, but Chen Fuliang's chief think tank Fang Xuanling didn't think so, and just seized the opportunity to talk alone, he said to Chen Fuliang: "Brother Xian, you are unwilling to help Ambassador Pei recapture the Tiger Prison Pass, of course, for the sake of the overall situation of the Eastern Capital, but have you considered it, after Ambassador Pei's counterattack on the Tiger Prison Pass failed, how should you deal with this situation?" ”

"Brother refers to His Majesty's punishment?" Chen Fuliang asked rhetorically, and said: "Brother, don't worry, I have arranged this, even if Uncle Pei fails, at most he will lose his official position and resign, and it is unlikely that his head will fall to the ground." ”

"No, no." Fang Xuanling shook his head, and said with a smile: "Ambassador Pei is your uncle of Brother Xian, not my uncle, whether his head falls to the ground is a matter for you to worry about Brother Xian, I don't need to bother to think about it, what I'm worried about is another layer?" ”

"Another floor?" Chen Fuliang was stunned for a moment, and then he came to his senses and said, "Brother refers to the direct threat we face from Wagang thieves after Uncle Pei's defeat?" ”

"Not bad." Fang Xuanling nodded and said: "Ambassador Pei's chance of recapturing the Tiger Prison Pass is very small, after he fails, whether it is the landing of the head or the resignation of the official, Luoyang will lose the barrier of the Henan Arresting Army, and then the eastern capital Luoyang will directly face the threat of Wagang thieves, and there is no danger to defend, what should you do at that time?" In this matter, if you don't make arrangements early, you will definitely be in a hurry and at a loss. ”

"Of course I've considered this matter, but it can only be garrison prevention." Chen Fuliang said helplessly: "I am really not sure to recapture the Tiger Prison Pass to do this, if the strength in my hand is enough, I also want to recapture the Tiger Prison Pass to ensure the safety of the Eastern Capital, but now the Wagang thieves are stationed in the Tiger Prison Pass, and they also rely on the weather to help Shun Lì stand firm, and the Eastern Capital Army is mostly recruits, and the combat effectiveness is insufficient. ”

"Then why didn't Brother Xian think about borrowing his strength?" Fang Xuanling suddenly asked: "The current strength of the Eastern Capital army is not enough to ensure that the Tiger Prison Pass is taken back, but if you borrow a strong reinforcement to attack the Tiger Prison Pass, before you lead the army to attack the Tiger Prison Pass, wouldn't it be a great hope to recapture the Tiger Prison Pass?" ”

"After borrowing a strong reinforcement to attack the Tiger Prison Pass?" Chen Fuliang once wanted to ask where to borrow, but after the words came to his lips, Chen Fuliang suddenly came to his senses and blurted out: "Wang Shichong! ”

"Yes, if you join forces with Wang Shichong, you will have a great chance of regaining the Tiger Prison Pass." Fang Xuanling pointed out: "Although Wang Shichong is now appointed as the guard of Pengcheng, which is equivalent to your authority, it is completely a stall, and there is nothing to rely on for grain and grass supplies and military supplies, and Wang Shichong will definitely be helpless for this." Tiger Prison Pass is only thirty miles away from Luokoucang, and the best armor and weapons in the eastern capital are piled up, if you can ask for the edict of Your Majesty, let Wang Shichong lead the army to reinforce you, Wang Shichong will definitely personally lead the main elite to come. At that time, the Tiger Prison Pass will be recaptured, not only can the east rest assured, but at the critical moment, you can also ask Wang Shichong to guard the eastern capital for you, freeing up your hands to do more important things. ”

Although he knew that Wang Shichong was not a good bird, in order to deal with the more dangerous changes in Taiyuan, Chen Fuliang only thought about it for a moment, and immediately nodded and said: "I will write to Wang Shichong immediately, explain the situation to him, let him have a bottom in his heart, and quietly prepare, and he can come faster when the time comes." ”

"You might as well let Wang Shichong also put on a seal and take the initiative to ask for reinforcements from Tiger Prison Pass." Fang Xuanling said again: "In this way, even if Your Majesty does not agree, you will have an impression in your heart, when you ask Your Majesty for help again, you will have a greater chance of success." If His Majesty can agree to be better, with Wang Shichong's help, even if Ambassador Pei can't recapture the Tiger Prison Pass, he can contain a considerable number of Wagang thieves from behind and share a lot of positive pressure for us. ”

"I'll try." Chen Fuliang nodded, and said with a wry smile: "But the possibility of letting Wang Shichong take the initiative to be on the table is very small, what kind of person is my father-in-law, he would rather die than suffer a loss, and try his best to take advantage!" Give me a help to my son-in-law, who has money and food, and he will definitely agree, and immediately come and knock on my bamboo pole. Let him promise to help Uncle Pei, who is so poor that he has to rely on the eastern capital for help, unless the sun comes out from the west. ”

As Chen Fuliang expected, when Chen Fuliang's letter was delivered to Pengcheng and delivered to Wang Shichong, Wang Shichong was happy that he could escape from the mess of Pengcheng, and then directly sneered: "Take the initiative to ask for help from Pei Renji?" The old man is crazy to do this? From Pengcheng to Tiger Prison Pass, it is not a mess beaten by thieves, the old man went to help, but I am afraid that the old man will have to bear the military rations himself! It's okay to help fight the Wagang thieves, and I'll talk about it when Pei Renji is finished! ”

So, under Chen Fuliang's death and Wang Shichong's inaction, Pei Renji, who was forced by Emperor Yang of Sui, became a motherless child in the Huanglian field, and he couldn't be more bitter, his own strength was not enough, and he had to take the initiative to attack the famous city of Xiongguan, Pei Renji had no choice but to cry without tears. However, what Chen Fuliang, who only waited for Pei Renji to fail and immediately took over the elite of Qi County, forgot that in addition to recapturing the Tiger Prison Pass as scheduled and waiting to be killed, Pei Renji actually had a third choice......