On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 294 Internal and external disputes

In the first month of the seventeenth year of Kaihuang's reign (AD 597), on the Monan grassland, flags covered the sky.

The soldiers who returned from the victory were laughing and laughing all the way, but Cui Che, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, had his brows furrowed and seemed absent-minded.

The younger brother of Dulan Khan, Du Suliu, came to Cui Che many times and asked for the command of the Turks to surrender their troops. Cui Che bothered him so much that he had no choice but to promise that after returning to Daxing, he would advise Yang Jian on this matter.

However, what really made Cui Che irritated was not the ownership of the Turkic troops, but a piece of news he heard after returning to Monan.

Goguryeo invaded western Liaoning last year, which made Yang Jian angry and prepared to retaliate.

Cui Che knew clearly that if he really wanted to launch a campaign to conquer Goguryeo, the 80,000 cavalry under his command would definitely not be able to escape.

Compared to mobilizing troops from Guanzhong and Jiangnan, Yang Jian is more likely to recruit government troops on the spot in Hebei.

Whenever he thought of the Sui Dynasty's record against Goguryeo, which had not suffered heavy casualties, Cui Che couldn't stop eating.

'That's all! Just act according to the situation!'

Cui Che thought.

Eighty thousand cavalry arrived at Shuofang, preparing to march from there to Guanzhong, just like the old days when Chen was victorious and the army returned to Beijing to receive rewards.

However, on the way, Yang Jian sent someone to pass the order and ordered the army to return eastward to Youzhou. Only Cui Che and other meritorious generals came to the court to receive their rewards.

This filled the army with complaints, and Yang Jian's defense against them could be felt in connection with the weapons that had been collected from the people in Guandong.

Cui Che relied on his own prestige to calm the emotions of the soldiers and assured them that the rewards they deserved would not be short of a penny.

The soldiers then stopped talking and followed Cui Che to the east, near Baidaochuan, passing Daizhou, and arrived in Hengzhou in early February of the seventeenth year of Kaihuang (AD 597).

Thirty thousand Turkic prisoners were temporarily detained in Hengzhou, and the soldiers from six states and fifty towns were dismissed on the spot. Cui Che ordered the Boling cavalry to stay in Hengzhou to guard the prisoners for the time being, while he led a group of generals back to the court.

On February 24th, everyone arrived at Daxing at high speed, and Du Suliu was also present at the court.

Without time to go home to visit his wife and children, Cui Che led the generals through the imperial city and arrived outside the palace to wait for the summons.

Soon, a eunuch rushed to Guangyang Gate. When he saw Cui Che, he smiled flatteringly:

"Oh! Congratulations, Duke Yan! Congratulations, Duke Yan! Another great victory in Mobei. The Supreme Being has been thinking about you these days!"

Cui Che smiled and said:

"The chief inspector is here to greet you. Please lead the way."

The eunuch agreed, the smile on his face not diminishing.

Cui Che and others followed him to Daxing Hall.

At this time, the court meeting had already dispersed. Cui Che came in and led everyone to bow their heads in greeting. Yang Jian sat on the throne and laughed loudly:

"The consort is finally back. He traveled thousands of miles away from the fortress and crossed the Xian'e River to the north to cut off any news. Not to mention Princess Leping having trouble sleeping and eating, even I am worried about you, and the queen often prays for you in the palace."

Cui Che said gratefully:

"Fortunately, thanks to the protection of the two saints, I was lucky enough to make a great contribution."

Yang Jian's smile became even brighter. He waved his hand and ordered someone to read out the reward edict that had been prepared.

Cui Che himself only received three thousand pieces of cloth and five hundred fine horses. The reward mainly fell on his third son Cui Yanqing.

Cui Yanqing received the influence of his father and was granted the title of Duke of Anping County. He was promoted to the fifth rank of Yi and the third division at the age of six.

As for Cui Qiji, the eldest son, long before Cui Che put down the rebellion of the Five Religions in the South of the Yangtze River, he had already been awarded the title of Yitong Sansi from the third rank. He had the title of Duke of Yan to inherit, so naturally the title fell to the second son.

On the body.

The rest of Liu Fang and others were either granted the title of County Duke or promoted to County Duke. Yang Jian also had various rewards for meritorious officers and soldiers.

The reward of 80,000 cavalry will be sent directly to Youzhou and distributed by Li Jing, the general manager of Youzhou.

After the generals thanked En and left, Yang Jian left Cui Che behind.

Immediately, he ordered people to summon Yang Su, Gao Jun and Yu Qingze from the Imperial City Government Office.

The four nobles of the imperial court gathered together, and Yang Jian said:

"Goguryeo invaded western Liaoning and despised the power of heaven. I want to conquer it.

"But there were Cuan people in the southwest who rebelled, and Li Xian in Lingnan took over the state and rebelled.

"I don't know where to put my priority. Now I also want to hear the opinions of my four beloved ladies."

Cui Che felt a chill in his heart and said first:

"Reporting to your Majesty, Goguryeo is not a small country, and it is not advisable to act rashly without complete preparations.

"In the previous expedition to Mobei, the soldiers of Youzhou were exhausted and could not bear to be driven.

"Besides, they have been separated from their families for a long time, so please show mercy to them.

"I believe that in order to fight against foreign aggression, we must first stabilize our country. It is better to postpone the war in the north and put down the rebellion in the south first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Qingze smiled and said:

"What Mr. Yan said is really pedantic.

"The rebellion of the Cuan people and the rebellion of Li Xian are all caused by scabies, and they cannot be brought to an end.

"But Goguryeo took advantage of the civil strife in the Central Plains to invade Liaodong. Not satisfied with occupying the old land of our Han family, it also coveted the land in western Liaoning. Its ambition is obvious and it is a serious problem."

After saying that, Yu Qing cupped his hands to Yang Jian and said:

"Your Majesty, I have millions of soldiers in the Sui Dynasty. How can I only treat minor illnesses and ignore major ones just because the soldiers in Youzhou are exhausted?"

When Cui Che heard what he said, he became energetic.

What he opposed was not the expedition to Goguryeo, but that he did not want the Youzhou soldiers to suffer heavy losses.

Yang Jian was silent.

Gao Jiong saw this and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that a large army should not go against the weather when traveling. If Your Majesty intends to send troops at this time, then the enemy will be fighting in the summer. There is a lot of miasma in Lingnan, so Goguryeo should be attacked first.

"If we send troops after autumn and fight the enemy in winter, we must abandon Goguryeo and put down the rebellion in the south."

Seeing Yang Jian nodding involuntarily, Cui Che, Yang Su, and Yu Qingze also agreed.

Yang Jian did not make an immediate decision, but called Niu Hong, who had previously replaced Cui Che as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, to ask whether the national treasury's reserves could supply the war.

Niu Hong previously served as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. After his term expired, he succeeded Cui Che and took charge of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on his behalf.

Niu Hong replied:

"Reporting to your majesty, Duke Yan returned victorious and awarded a reward to the army, which cost nearly a million pieces of cloth.

"But the treasury is abundant and there is more than enough wealth and wealth to support the war."

Cui Che was not surprised at all by this answer. After all, he had also been in charge of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and was deeply impressed by the wealth of the Sui Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian stood up and said:

"My decision has been made! Conquer Liaodong in summer and attack Lingnan in winter!"

As soon as these words came out, Cui Che, Yang Su, Gao Jiong, and Yu Qing all asked for orders, willing to be the main generals in the conquest of Goguryeo.

Yang Jian's eyes swept across the four people, and finally landed on Gao Jiong's face, and said:

"Gao Xiang, I regard you as the Marshal of the Han Dynasty and the Chief of the Palace, and give you the power to make decisions when the opportunity arises. You can recruit 300,000 troops from Hedong and Hebei to assist the King of Han in the expedition to Goguryeo!"

After many years, Gao Jiong once again felt Yang Jian's trust, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and responded:

"I obey the decree!"

Yang Jian's eyes turned to Cui Che again:

"Prince-in-law! I order you to go to Youzhou again and command the soldiers and horses of Youzhou as a backup to support the Prime Minister at any time!"

"I obey the decree!"

Cui Che replied loudly.

(End of chapter)