On the 16th day of March of the ninth year of the Great Cause, His Majesty the Emperor set off from Luoyang, the eastern capital, and began the second imperial expedition. On April 5, the Sixth Army of the Son of Heaven came to Zhuozhou. On April 13, His Majesty the Emperor placed six animals, water and wine on the seashore to commemorate the souls of the heroes who died in Liaodong last year.

On the same day, 17 local officials jointly signed a letter, asking His Majesty the Emperor to carefully consider the matter of conquering Liao. The ministers thought that "China is tired and detrimental, and it is not advisable to move repeatedly", and the Son of Heaven personally attacked Liao with the body of ten thousand times, which would not only cause a waste of national strength, but also lead to chaos in internal affairs.

"I can't overcome my relatives, if it's not me, who can overcome it!" The Emperor of the Great Sui threw his seal to the ground and reprimanded angrily. That night, the Holy Driver was stationed at the Haydn Palace to deal with all kinds of delayed government affairs.

At this time last year, Yang Guang was full of ambition, thinking that the First World War could pacify Liaodong. In the end, more than 300,000 troops died in battle, but in exchange for only the shameful laughter of the Goguryeo people. This year, the ministers don't want to fight anymore, and the people don't want to fight anymore. And he, the emperor, had to continue the war.

Yang Guang thought that the Great Sui State completely relied on the might of the army to suppress the chieftains of the four directions. If they were weak in the conquest of Goguryeo, the surrounding tribes would follow suit. As a result, the war disasters will continue, there will be more wars around the Great Sui, and the internal rogues will become more and more rampant.

"It's not that I'm inconsiderate of the people's power, but it's hard to ride a tiger!" Yang Guang sighed, looked at the pile as high as a hill on the imperial case, and shook his head constantly.

"Hooray, why bother with the rhetoric of those fools, they are just trying to gain a good reputation for loving the people!" Pei Ju, the waiter of the Yellow Gate, is always good at understanding the holy will, and bows down to persuade on the side.

"They are all fools, just Pei Qing is a straight person. However, how can I hear that Pei Qing is a traitor? Yang Guang turned his face from the fold and asked with a wry smile.

"The minister was originally a traitor, but following the saint's side, he had to be a direct minister!" Pei Ju nodded, and slapped Yang Guang quietly.

"In other words, the saint is in the church, and there is no evil in the court!" Yang Guang sighed and said.

"Your Majesty's eyes are like torches!" Pei Ju replied with a smile.

"You flamboyant thing!"

Although he knew that what the other party said was all flattery, Yang Guang still felt a little more relaxed in his heart. When the emperor is not to scold the ministers, the emperor must have the dignity of the emperor. Whether the Yellow Gate squire Pei Ju is loyal or treacherous, at least he can understand the emperor's difficulties and think about the royal family everywhere. And those who blocked the Liao, they patted their chests, how many of them were really for the people?

"Forget it, I'll listen to you and ignore those servants. Seal these folds and don't forward them word for word! Yang Guang kicked the imperial case with his toes and ordered. If you have anything that is not against attacking Liao, pick a few copies and listen to them. I don't believe that my whole country knows the big picture! ”

"Hey, the minister still has a bunch of generals, so the minister will bring it to His Majesty!" Pei Ju bowed slightly, turned around and ran out of the imperial study. After a while, he turned back with more than 20 letters, and while breathing, he said: "General Zuo Twelve Wei took the initiative to ask for battle, saying that they can tear down Liaodong into white ground without His Majesty coming in person!" The sailor is ready to sail, and General Laihu'er says that the strong man is always ready to avenge the robe who died in battle last year. General Zhang Xutuo played, he had already defeated the Henan bandits, and was following and killing. However, most of the causes of the bandits are caused by the inconsiderate inconsiderate nature of the local officials, and I hope that Your Majesty will send virtuous ministers to inspect the localities and provide relief to the victims......."

"This Zhang Xutuo, he is also in charge of civil affairs!" Yang Guang shook his head and interrupted Pei Ju's report. "Give the Eastern Capital a holy decree, and say that Fan Zigai, the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, will provide disaster relief as appropriate. I remember that the grain in the warehouses in various places can be eaten for decades, so that the victims of the disaster can eat porridge, how can they not eat the Great Sui! ”

"Hey, hey, the emperor is sage!" Pei Ju praised repeatedly, "The minister thanked the emperor for the people of the world." ”

"The people of the world are my people, what's the matter!" Yang Guang stretched out his hand and slapped Pei Ju on the shoulder, quipping, "Those local officials are getting bolder and less daring, and they are blowing the force of the rogues to the sky." As a result, as soon as General Zhang arrived, wasn't it all solved? Again, if there are any other excerpts, while I haven't arrived in Liaodong yet, let's deal with some if we can! Lest I really wait for the battle to start, even if I want to deal with it, I don't have time! ”

"Yes, yes!" Pei Ju flipped the fold in a hurry and replied casually. Suddenly, his hand stopped, and an involuntary exclamation came out of his mouth.

"Hey, these few pieces are so strange!"

"What's the blame? Is there auspiciousness in heaven again? Whoever tells me Xiangrui, you will kill him for me. If they hadn't fooled me with Xiangrui last year, I wouldn't have repeatedly made stupid moves! Yang Guang sneered and asked.

After all, he was defeated, and although he killed Liu Shilong, the entire roundabout attack plan was formulated by himself. The order that 'you must not kill the people of the enemy country indiscriminately, and that the other party must be kind after surrendering' was all because of his own mercy. This time, the same thing will never happen again, Goguryeo is capricious, even if they surrender, the Great Sui will not agree again!

"There is no auspicious weather in the sky, but just like the batch of recitals a few days ago, several great generals have promoted the same two people. Including General Yuwenshu, and, ha, and Tang Gong Li Yuan! Pei Ju pretended to be surprised and exclaimed, "This is really strange, since the minister entered the court, I have never seen Tang Gong and General Yuwen have an agreement!" ”

"Liu Hongji and Li Zhongjian again?" Yang Guang snatched the folds with his hand, turned them over one by one, and threw them back into Pei Ju's arms one by one. "Are these two people in the limelight now? Is it really impossible to give birth to three heads and six arms? ”

"According to the minister's opinion, these two people may not have much ability. It's just that all the armies were defeated last year, and these two took 300 strong men to fight thousands of miles and saved a general and a governor, which is a rare raising of eyebrows. Now that the army has re-entered Liaodong, the generals need to take something proud to boost their morale, so they picked out the two of them from the crowd! Pei Ju was not in a hurry, and said the words that he had prepared a long time ago.

After reading several letters in advance, he carefully arranged them together, and even which ones came first and which ones came later, were carefully arranged. Tang Duke Li Yuan and General Yuwenshu both gave him generous gifts and asked him to take care of Liu Hongji and Li Xu. This is not to offend any wealthy family, and it is the icing on the cake, how can Master Pei refuse!

"It also makes sense, according to Qing's opinion, I should reward the two of them greatly?" Yang Guang nodded and asked.

"Last year, all the armies were defeated, and it stands to reason that the two of them have no credit, and His Majesty does not reward them, so naturally there is a reason not to reward them. But for the purpose of boosting morale, it is not a good idea for His Majesty to give them a small official position! Pei Ju bowed and said without leaking.

"The good and the bad are all for you to say! What exactly to do, you are covered in clouds, damn it! Yang Guang frowned, pretending to be very dissatisfied.

"Your Majesty's exit into the constitution, such a trivial matter, how can the minister point fingers!" Pei Ju smiled and replied.

"Yes!" Yang Guang nodded and said. The story of Liu Hongji and Li Xu taking 300 strong horses to the company camp was described by Yu Wenshi, the commander of the horses, last year. At that time, no rewards were given, one was because of the new defeat of the armies, and all the generals were cut to their posts, and there was no reason to reward the two low-level generals at this time. The second is that Liu and Li were both born under Li Yuan, and thinking of this Li character, His Majesty the Great Sui Emperor felt awkward.

However, the lack of rewards and punishments is indeed not conducive to the plan of cutting down Liao. Countless Xiaoguo came to join the army with enthusiasm, just to make contributions. With the examples of Liu Hongji and Li Xu in front, it is inevitable that everyone will be discounted when they fight, and they will only take out six points if they have a lot of strength.

"I heard that there are now more than 2,400 people in the grain protection army, and Liu Hongji has brought so many soldiers as a chariot general, and his official position is indeed a little smaller!" Seeing that Yang Guang's appearance seemed to be in danger, Pei Ju thought about it and suggested in a low voice.

Yang Guang turned his head slightly and glanced at his Huangmen squire with a appreciative gaze. Speaking from the heart, in addition to being too tactful, Pei Ju is still very capable. In a simple sentence, he solved a big problem for himself. Liu Hongji is good friends with the Li family, it doesn't matter, I can only promote his official position, and not increase the number of soldiers under his command. In this way, no matter how high his official position is, he will not be able to set off too much storm.

"You say, I promoted Liu Hongji to the rank of Eagle Yang General with my military exploits, can I get his credit?"

"That's Your Majesty's grace, I think Liu Shizi must be grateful and crying!" Pei Ju replied in accordance with the emperor's meaning. I couldn't help but be happy in my heart, Li Yuan's entrustment he did, and when he went down to the court, he could immediately repair the book to Tang Gong, and it was estimated that it would be another generous gift with the reply.

"Hmm!" Yang Guang nodded as he paced, "I want to show the warriors of the world that I will never treat those who sincerely serve the country." As for that Li Xu...... "He began to hesitate again, what is this person's surname is not good, but his surname is Li, I was very optimistic about him last time, but his relationship with Li Yuan is really reassuring" According to the old general Yuwenshu, this son did not know Tang Gong at all before coming to Liaodong. It's Tang Gong Aicai, who specially recognized a nephew! Pei Ju smiled beside him, explaining to Li Xu like a joke.

"Really?" Yang Guang raised his eyebrows and asked loudly.

"One of them has a home on the right side of the ridge, and they have been ministers for generations. A family is in the upper valley, farming is a business, the noble and the lowly are simply heaven and earth, how can it be a family! Pei Ju replied solemnly. He knew in his heart that his other gift was safely in his pocket. The people of the Yuwen family specially told him in the letter that he would give Li Xumou a position no smaller than Liu Hongji no matter what. Based on Pei Ju's understanding of Yang Guang, once he likes someone, he will often be promoted exceptionally. The more humble the other person's background, the heavier the favor will be imposed.

"I see, no wonder the old general Yuwenshu also recommended him. I also thought that he was acting externally and not avoiding revenge, and Li Yuan was acting internally and not avoiding relatives. It turns out that neither of them is as virtuous as I thought! Yang Guang said as if he suddenly realized. As soon as I saw him that day, I felt that he was simple, not as treacherous as the people of the Li family, it turned out that the roots were here! ”

"Yes, Li Yuan's love is so sincere that he has a nephew. You said that he was young, how dare he refuse Tang Gong's good intentions! ”

"Hey, I hope Li Yuan was kind at the beginning!" Yang Guangda said with a smile. "You draw up a will for me, saying that I remember that he has killed the enemy, and I will make him a general. However, is it too much for a grain guard to arrange two generals? ”

"The minister thinks that His Majesty has shown him such a generous kindness, which can just be used to motivate all the Xiaoguo to work hard!" Pei Ju nodded and began to work hard for the third generous gift. This gift was sent by General Xue Shixiong and was worth 10,000 yuan. General Xue was personally appointed by His Majesty as the ambassador of Northeast Province, and he and the 'Brother Kong Fang' could not help but give face. As for why Xue Shixiong asked him to take command of a battalion of Xiaoguo for Li Xu, Pei Ju did not know, and his criteria for accepting bribes also prevented him from exploring the truth behind the scenes.

"Commander Xiaoguo, well, he is young and brave, and he really deserves this responsibility!" Yang Guang groaned slightly and said. "I once issued an order to build ten separate battalions of Xiaoguo in the world, and there is a shortage of a few suitable leaders. Just worship him as a general of the five male warriors, and lead a battalion of Xiaoguo. You send the order with a fast horse and ask him to enter the camp as soon as possible. When I arrived in Liaodong, I had to see for myself whether the ministers recommended me to be a virtuous person! (Note 1) "Yes! Obey! Pei Ju bowed and replied. The third generous gift had arrived, and he was in a very happy mood. "Why don't you send a letter to those lucky fellows to congratulate him and ask for some gifts by the way?" Pei Ju drafted the holy decree for Yang Guang while considering it. "Forget it, this kind of guy with no foundation has always fallen quickly, in case he loses power in the future, if he receives a gift, it's not good not to come to the rescue!" Thinking of this, he smiled and prepared the decree and gently dried the ink on it.

The news that Li Xu was unusually promoted arrived in Huaiyuan Town before the Holy Decree. Hearing the news, some people were disappointed, some were happy, and some frowned, their hearts were sour, and they couldn't say their attitude towards this result.

Among the several generals, the only one who was happy was Xue Shixiong, who had been saved by Li Xu. In order to get this position for his life-saving benefactor, he paid 10,000 pieces of meat. Prior to this, even for the sake of his own son, General Xue had never invested so much.

"What is there to be happy about something that is not good for our family!" Xue Wanche didn't understand his father's actions, and asked angrily.

Although the Xue family does not have as much power as the Yuwen family, it can be regarded as a prestigious family in the Great Sui. Liu Hongji and Li Xu have a life-saving grace for their father, and it is enough for the Xue family to recommend them in front of the emperor, why should they lose their family property and plan for others?

"Do you know why the Xue family has continued to this day, and there have been no big names, but they have never suffered a big disaster?" Xue Shixiong glanced at his son with his eyelids and asked with a smile.

"The child doesn't know, please let the father know!" Xue Wanche angrily bowed his hand and made a gesture of humbly seeking advice.

"It is to never hurt others, and to help others when they can help them. A group of old foxes didn't have any good intentions, and pushed Zhong Jian to such a high position, just to see how he fell down in the future. Dad gave him a position as a martial arts general, and he led a battalion of Xiaoguo alone, and the risk of him being stabbed in the back would be smaller, and the risk of falling down would be smaller! Xiaoguo is not a regular army, and it is gratifying to win the battle. After losing the war, for the sake of His Majesty the Emperor who created this system, which one is better to hold accountable? Xue Shixiong smiled, brushing his beard with his right hand.

"Since Dad has done so much for him, why don't you let him not know?" Xue Wanjun stepped forward and followed his father's topic to ask.

"He's a smart guy and he'll know the truth sooner or later. After knowing this, I will naturally repay you brothers. The world is about to be chaotic, let's accumulate good karma, one more friend, one more way out! Xue Shixiong sighed and replied faintly.

Note 1: In the first month of the ninth year of the Great Cause (613), Yang Guang issued an edict to recruit the world's troops to gather in Zhuo County, and recruit the people as Xiaoguo, and put Zhichong, Guoyi, Wu Neng, Xiongwu and other generals to lead it.

[Remember the URL . 三五Chinese网]