On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 313 By the Xiliao River

When the Sui army marched eastward, 50,000 Goguryeo soldiers and 10,000 Mohe cavalry, known as one hundred thousand, also rushed to the aid of the five Khitan tribes under the command of Eulji Wende.

This is a routine operation. You can't let others bluff just because Cui Che says it's eight or ten.

Eulchi is not a Goguryeo surname, but its pronunciation is highly similar to that of Yuchi in Medieval Chinese.

In fact, Eulchi Wende came from the Yuchi family of Xianbei, also known as Yuchi Wende.

His ancestors went to Goguryeo to escape the war in the Central Plains and settled here.

During the Liaodong War two years ago, Eulji Mundeok was in the city. He even participated in the blocking battle when the Sui army crossed the Liao River.

The bravery of the Sui army also left a deep impression on Ulji Mundeok.

If given the choice, Eulji Munde would rather stick to the city and wait for the Sui army to come and gnaw hard bones, rather than fight Cui Che in the wild to rescue the Khitan people.

But war ultimately serves politics, and the Khitans were unwilling to move inward, so the only other option left was to send troops to rescue them.

We cannot hope that the Khitan can defeat Cui Che's Eastern Expedition army with its own strength alone.

That's not looking down on Cui Che, but insulting the Eastern Turkic Shabolu Khan, Dulan Khan, Western Turkic Apo Khan, Nili Khan, and Western Turkic Datou Khan.

A large part of Cui Che's current power was created by stepping on these five Turkic Khans.

The five Khitan chiefs were all excited when they learned that Eulji Wende led an army to come to the rescue. They had previously been worried that Cui Che would defeat them one by one, so they had already gathered north of the Xiliao River where the Xiwandan tribe was located.

The Xiliao River is the largest tributary of the Liao River. It is formed by the confluence of the Laoha River in the south and the Xilamulun River in the north. It runs east-west.

Eulchi Wende followed another tributary of the Liao River, originating from the Dong Liao River in the Changbai Mountains, and moved westward, joining the five Khitan tribes in the Horqin Grassland in later generations.

At the same time, after Cui Che crossed the Laoha River, he learned the whereabouts of the five Khitan tribes and quickly moved eastward along the Western Liao River.

On March 16, the nineteenth year of Kaihuang (AD 599), the Sui army arrived in Tongliao, a later city, and faced off with the Khitan and Goguryeo armies across the Western Liao River.

On the same day, Eulji Mundeok sent envoys to the Sui army camp on the south bank to try to persuade Cui Che to withdraw.

“It is certainly a crime for the Khitan to invade western Liaoning, but it is also true that Duke Yan attacked the Khitan and plundered countless humans and animals.

"What crime did the soldiers commit? If I want them to bleed and die in vain, why don't we just stop the army? The five Khitan tribes will definitely be grateful to Duke Yan for his kindness and will not dare to do it again."

The Goguryeo envoy talked eloquently.

Cui Che was not surprised that the Goguryeo envoy was fluent in Chinese. Since the turmoil in the Central Plains, many people from Hebei had fled to Goguryeo, not just Eulji Wende's family. There was nothing surprising about the arrival of an envoy who was fluent in Chinese.

But the request of the Goguryeo envoy made Cui Che's face sink. He snorted coldly:

"I sent troops before, just to understand the difficulties in Yingzhou and to surround Wei and rescue Zhao Ce'er.

"Today's Eastern Expedition is based on the emperor's order to attack unconquered subjects. How can the two be confused?"

The Goguryeo envoy disappeared calmly:

"General Eulchi led an army of 100,000 troops out of the east, and joined forces with the 100,000 troops of the five Khitan tribes, for a total of 200,000 people. Isn't it true that Duke Yan is afraid of being destroyed together?"

It is somewhat believable that Goguryeo sent 100,000 troops, but to say that the five Khitan tribes could muster an army of 100,000 troops is simply a fantasy.

Judging from the situation of the Dahe, Tuliujin, and Pilier tribes that were attached to the Sui Dynasty, three of the remaining five Khitan tribes were plundered, and they only had 70,000 to 80,000 people, and their combat effectiveness was mixed.

, at least inferior to the Turks.

Knowing the truth and falsehood of the other party, Cui Che sneered:

"I am worried that my merits are not enough to be shared among the soldiers."

In fact, just as Cui Che had guessed, although the coalition claimed to have 200,000 troops, it actually only had 130,000 troops. Among them, the five Khitan tribes had an army of 70,000, Goguryeo had 50,000 infantry and cavalry, and Mohe cavalry had 10,000.

The Goguryeo envoy said anxiously:

"Yan Gong mobilized the elite of Youzhou to expedition to Khitan to confront us. Aren't you afraid of a fire in the backyard?"

Cui Che seemed to have heard the big joke, and he looked at the generals in the tent.

Everyone understood and laughed.

Cui Che then said:

“Ten years ago, the Sui Dynasty destroyed the Chen Dynasty and raised an army of 520,000 people. There were still enough troops left to defend the northern frontier.

"The Chen Dynasty was destroyed, and the saints took over all the land south of the Yangtze River. They supported the people for ten years. The number of soldiers in the country was countless. Why do I need an envoy to worry about Youzhou for me?"

The Goguryeo envoy also knew that what Cui Che said was true. It was an indisputable fact that the Sui Dynasty had strong soldiers and horses. Otherwise, Gao Yuan would not have won the battle and would have surrendered.

Seeing that the messenger was speechless, Cui Che continued:

"I heard that Eulji Wende's surname is Yuchi. Although he comes from Xianbei, his ancestors have long been integrated into China. Why bother to bend the knee and become a slave to a foreign race? It is better to take off his armor and surrender. Cui will definitely play the role of the emperor of tomorrow, and he will not lose his position as a prince.

."

The envoy's face changed drastically, he did not dare to stay in the Sui camp for a long time, and hurriedly left.

Back on the north bank, the envoy did not hide Cui Che's solicitation intention, but Eulji Mundeok was indifferent. In front of the generals, he laughed loudly and said:

"Cui Che likes to use these tricks the most. When he said this to you, he didn't really want to recruit me, but he just wanted this matter to be reported back to Pyongyang and arouse the king's suspicion."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The relationship between Eulji Mundeok and Gowon was unusual. He had been serving Gowon long before he came to the throne, and he was an upright minister.

He was both civil and military, and resourceful. He was deeply trusted and loved by Gao Yuan. He commanded the attack and defense of Liaodong City.

It was precisely because he had verified Eulji Mundeok's military ability and knew his loyalty that Gowon would trust him with the 60,000-strong army.

In the eyes of everyone, if Cui Che wanted to drive a wedge between Go Won and Eulji Mundeok, the monarchs and ministers, it would be nothing more than wishful thinking.

Eulji Wende summoned all the chiefs of the five Khitan tribes and asked the envoys to tell them that Cui Che was unwilling to retreat and vowed to avenge Yingzhou.

The five chiefs no longer took any chances and decided to follow Eulji Mundeok and compete with Cui Chel on the banks of the Xiliao River.

When Eulji Wende was discussing strategies with them, Cui Che also summoned the lieutenant generals in the Sui army camp more than ten miles away from the south bank of the Liao River in the west.

Among them were Cui Qiji and Mai Mengcai, who were serving behind Cui Che on the left and right. Mai Tiezhang smiled sincerely when he saw his eldest son being approached by Cui Che.

The two young men participated in a pre-war military meeting for the first time in their lives, and they were both a little excited.

Especially Cui Qiji, watching the people in the tent expressing their opinions, Cui Qiji wanted to express his own opinions several times.

However, due to Cui Che's previous explanation, he was only allowed to observe. If he really wanted to say something, he would have to say it in private.

Cui Che listened to the generals' thoughts and was thinking hard about how to defeat the enemy.

No more tonight, I'll try to figure out the details of the battle, and I'll update an extra chapter from the old book tomorrow on Friday.

(End of chapter)