On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 483 Disbursement of pensions

In the second year of Zhenyuan (AD 607), September 24th, it was the season of autumn and winter, and the climate was cool.

The powerful officials of the Eastern Sui Dynasty are about to return to Jinyang, where they are loyal.

Pei Xiu, the servant, came to the Daming Palace and spoke to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, King Yan has made great achievements in his expedition to the desert. Now he returns to the court in victory. Please come out of the city to welcome him."

Logically speaking, this is also a matter of agreement, but Yang Hao is unwilling to be manipulated by others. He said in a waning tone:

"It's enough to have hundreds of officials waiting for you. I'm ill and it's difficult for me to travel."

Pei Xiu saw that his face was rosy and he didn't look sick at all. Of course he didn't believe his refusal, so he said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty is so negligent, aren't you afraid that King Yan will blame you?"

These words angered Yang Hao, and he said angrily:

"King Yan! King Yan! Your King Yan once said to Emperor Gaozu (Yang Jian): 'Thunder, rain, and dew are all your kindness.'

"Now that I can't go out to greet you, it's my fault!"

Pei Xiu was shocked when he saw the young emperor suddenly getting angry without warning, so he had no choice but to kowtow and plead guilty.

Yang Hao is still angry:

"You go back and tell Cui Che that since ancient times, the emperor has only been able to question his ministers. If he really wants to punish me, please take the throne first. By then, whether life or death, I will be at his disposal!"

After saying that, Yang Hao tossed his sleeves and robe and went straight back to the palace.

Pei Xiu, still frightened, immediately left the Daming Palace and went to Shangshu Province.

It's not that he's afraid of being blamed by Yang Hao, he's just a puppet with no real power.

When he arrived at Fang Xuanling's wing, Pei Xiuping stepped back, told him about today's events, and sighed:

"The emperor has deep resentment towards King Yan, and will definitely have the intention of murdering him. The lesson of Yu Wenhu's predecessor is clear to his mind, and he must not repeat the same mistakes."

Fang Xuanling knew what Pei Xiu meant, but he did not take the initiative to point it out. Instead, he asked:

"What does Shizhong Pei want?"

Pei Xiu said seriously:

"I would like to unite all civil and military officials and ask the emperor to imitate the ancient sages and meditate on King Yan."

Fang Xuanling shook his head and smiled:

"Shizhong Pei can do whatever he wants. All he has to do is trouble King Yan to submit his resignation."

Pei Xiu, his cousin who had grown up since childhood, understood Cui Che's ambition very well, otherwise he would not have rushed to Fang Xuanling to discuss forcing him to have a wife.

But Fang Xuanling was sure that Cui Che did not want to accept Zen, which made Pei Xiu very confused:

"Now that the scholars and people of Guandong have returned home, the common people only know about the King of Yan, but they don't know that there is an emperor and ministers of the border areas, and they are all the wings of the King of Yan. The time is ripe.

"Delay in making a decision will lead to changes. I also ask the servant She to join me in lobbying the king."

Fang Xuanling had no choice but to explain to Pei Xiu:

"After the spring plowing next year, your Majesty will have something to do with Guanlong. If you make a concession now and reward hundreds of officials and soldiers afterwards, the national treasury will be tight and it will be difficult to supply next year's war.

"Please also ask Mr. Pei not to act too hastily."

Pei Xiu suddenly realized that he no longer urged Fang Xuanling to force the palace with him.

The next day, Cui Che arrived in Jinyang. Although the young emperor Yang Hao was unwilling to welcome him, it did not hinder Pei Xiu. Fang Xuanling prepared a grand triumphal celebration for him.

On the same day, Pei Xiu found an opportunity and told Cui Che about Yang Hao's attitude yesterday. He also wanted to give Cui Che a warning, lest he let down his guard and let the little emperor find an opportunity to imitate Emperor Wu of Zhou Yuwen Yong.

Kill powerful officials.

Cui Che was not very surprised by this. For the little emperor, he was the enemy who forced his father and mother to have sex with him. He was a sworn enemy. It would be abnormal to greet him with a smile.

He also knew that allowing Yang Hao to continue to be the emperor was feeding a tiger into danger.

But Yang Liang only left such a son, and Yang Jian's other grandchildren were either killed by Yang Guang or taken away to Jiangnan by him. Cui Che really couldn't find any other candidates.

Seeing Pei Xiu's worried look, Cui Che comforted him:

"Don't worry, cousin, we will be able to unify the north by sending troops next year. I would also like to ask you to work with me to plan the founding of the country."

With Cui Che's statement, Pei Xiu felt a little relieved.

My cousin would not follow in the footsteps of Gao Huan, who was obsessed with unifying the north and founding the country, but could not see Chang'an for the rest of his life.

The first thing Cui Che did when he returned to the court was to reward the soldiers for their merits.

Since Cui Che pardoned the prisoners in this battle and leased all the plundered livestock to them, even if he gained a lot from this expedition, it was only a long-term benefit and could not directly enter the national treasury.

And Cui Che's Northern Expedition went deep into the land near Mobei and consumed a lot of materials and livestock.

After the war, he had to award rewards to the soldiers and build the Shuozhou Palace. The Jinyang treasury, which finally had a little surplus, was drained by him again.

Fortunately, by November, the autumn taxes will be gradually put into the warehouse, enough to supply the next year's war.

All the soldiers who went out to the fortress received corresponding rewards regardless of their merits. Only Su Dingfang and Yuchi Jingde had equal merits and demerits, so they were left empty-handed.

Cui Che called the two of them to Prince Yan's Mansion and gave them a task, which was to distribute pensions to the fallen soldiers.

In particular, the two men underestimated the enemy and fell into an ambush, resulting in the death of 1,500 knights of the Kuomintang Army. Cui Che even told Su Dingfang and Yuchi Jingde to personally deliver the pensions to their families.

The two of them were extremely reluctant, but they couldn't refuse.

In the following days, they suffered psychological torture every day.

The old parents, the white-haired man, sent the black-haired man away, nearly blinded by tears, and the young children asked them when their father would come back.

Su Dingfang and Yuchi Jingde could not answer, so they often hid their faces and walked away.

After distributing all the pensions to 1,500 households, Cui Che asked the two of them:

"After this incident, what did you understand?"

Su Dingfang felt the deepest feeling. He was the first to speak:

"In the past, generals only knew kindness but did not command troops, and did not care about the life and death of their soldiers.

"Now that I have experienced this, I know that they all have parents, wives and children who are looking forward to them earnestly.

"When they asked the general for a son, a husband, and a father, the general felt ashamed and could not do the right thing.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, from today onwards, the general will definitely remember the lesson, be cautious, and will never underestimate the enemy again."

Yuchi Jingde only felt that Su Dingfang spoke to his heart, he raised his hand and agreed:

"The same goes for the last general."

Cui Che nodded and said:

"I am very happy to have such an experience.

"You are brave and good at fighting, and you will definitely be a general who will go down in history. I have high hopes for you.

“This time I ask you two to provide pensions to the families of the fallen soldiers, I am not asking you to be cautious and fearful in the future.

“But I hope you won’t get carried away easily by other people’s bait beforehand.

"During these days, Gu Ye sent someone to observe secretly. You two distributed the pensions truthfully and did not do anything corrupt. If you do things well, you will naturally be rewarded. Later, you will each receive three thousand pieces of cloth and silk ribbons from the accountant of the palace.

go back."

Su Dingfang and Yuchi Jingde also knew that this was Cui Che's excuse to privately reward them for their contribution to the battle in the desert.

After the two thanked each other, Su Dingfang suddenly said:

"I request your Majesty's permission to transfer these silk cloths to the families of the fallen soldiers."

Yuchi Jingde was caught off guard, but seeing the admiration in Cui Che's eyes, he quickly agreed:

"This general also has this intention, please give me your permission, Your Majesty."

Cui Che smiled and said:

"Since the reward has been given to you, it is up to you two to decide how to deal with it."

Su Dingfang and Yuchi Jingde led people to transport 6,000 pieces of cloth out of the palace. The two of them combined, regardless of whose tribe they belonged to, four pieces of silk cloth were distributed to each household of the 1,500 soldiers who died in the battle.

I have been sorting out my thoughts and my brain is going to be shut down. I only have one short chapter today and I will write more tomorrow.

(End of chapter)