On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 511 Loyal ministers and righteous men

Sang Xianhe's envoy was quickly discovered by sentinels after leaving the city. After taking the initiative to identify himself, he was sent to the Eastern Sui camp.

After hearing the other party's explanation of his purpose, Cui Che did not have any doubts. At this time, there were already scouts watching with binoculars on Tushan Mountain and reported the commotion in the city to Cui Che.

The opportunity was right in front of him, and Cui Che couldn't help but seize it. He made a prompt decision and sent Qin Qiong to lead 30,000 single-horse cavalry, bypassing the west gate, and first controlled the city gate. After dividing his troops and staying behind, he crossed from the west gate to the east of the city to support Sang Xianhe.

After Qu Tutong failed to commit suicide, the defenders gave up completely, and Sang Xian and Qin Qiong, who arrived in cooperation, completely controlled the situation.

In an instant, the city changed hands.

That night, Cui Che did not enter the city, but Sang Xianhe, Qu Tutong and others were also brought to Cui Che's handsome tent.

"General Sang is able to clearly distinguish between right and wrong, comply with the requests of the people in the city, rise up, offer Feng Yi to me, and protect the soldiers and people of the city.

"I will ask the Emperor for merit for the general, and I will be promoted to the first rank as the governor of Tongzhou."

Cui Che laughed loudly.

The name of Feng Yi County in the Eastern Sui Dynasty was Tongzhou.

Sang Xianhe was very excited when he heard this. He also knew that he had not been working in Tongzhou for a short time, but even if it was a horizontal transfer, whether he was appointed as a governor in another place or as an official in the court, obviously his grade would not be lowered.

What's more, Cui Che promoted him to a higher rank, indicating that his county earldom in the Western Sui Dynasty was also recognized by Cui Che.

In the past, Cui Che would only acknowledge the title given by Yang Jian in the Western Sui Dynasty.

Naturally, the title conferred by Yang Guang would not be recognized by the Eastern Sui Dynasty.

Sang Xianhe's position as county boss followed Yang Su and made military exploits when he defeated Yang Liang's Hedong Army in Shayuan, and was awarded by Yang Guang.

If we follow the usual practice, Sang Xianhe's title will no longer exist.

But Cui Che was obviously in a good mood tonight, and he also intended to use Sang Xianhe as the bone of a thousand-mile horse. Not only did he retain his title as an exception, but he also promoted Sang Xianhe to a higher rank and became a county marquis.

"Your Majesty is so kind to me, but I will never be able to repay you even if I die."

Sang Xianhe kowtowed excitedly.

Cui Che personally helped Sang Xianhe up and said:

"General Sang doesn't need to do this. I also ask the general to return to the city at night to help Shu Bao appease the people in the city. Gu will lead his troops into the city early tomorrow morning."

Sang Xianhe immediately accepted the order and said goodbye to Cui Che with excitement.

Cui Che insisted on sending Sang Xianhe out of the tent. Before leaving, Cui Che asked Sang Xianhe:

"What does General Sang think of Qu Tutong?"

Sang Xianhe did not answer immediately, but thought about it in his heart and replied:

"Sang has always admired Duke Qu Tu for his civil and military skills and his loyalty.

"If your Majesty can subdue this man, he can be kept for great use.

"If you cannot make him surrender, you should kill him as soon as possible.

"Otherwise, once this person escapes to Daxing or Jiangnan, he will be in serious trouble."

Cui Che felt the same and said:

"Qu Tutong served Yang Guang very foolishly, but his behavior was indeed as General Sang said and can be called loyal.

"I can't bear to kill Gu Ruo.

"I want to keep him here, but I am afraid that General Sang will misunderstand me, so I ask this question.

"Now General Sang has awakened the dreamer with his words. If Qu Tutong repented, Gu would certainly be able to tolerate him. If Qu Tutong persisted in his persistence, Gu would not spare his life."

Sang Xianhe was deeply moved when he heard this. He didn't expect that Cui Che would really think from the perspective of a surrendered general. He bowed again:

"No matter whether the king kills or retains Duke Qutu, it will not change the loyalty of the general to the king. A soldier will die for his confidant. The general is willing to ride in front and behind to serve the king."

Cui Che was overjoyed, and immediately walked out of the camp hand in hand with Sang Xianhe, watching him disappear into the night before returning to the commander's tent.

At this time, Qu Tutong and other captured generals had been waiting for a long time, and they were escorted over by Sang Xianhe.

Cui Che did not immediately pay attention to Qu Tutong, but looked at Yao Junsu, the general of Yingyanglang who had rescued Qu Tutong before:

"The surname Yao is not common. Yao Xiong, the general who served as the Shenwu Emperor Gao Huan in Yuzhou and defeated Chen Qingzhi twice, is related to you?"

When Yao Junsu heard Cui Che talking about Yao Xiong, he couldn't help but puff up his chest and said loudly:

"It's the ancestor."

Cui Che pretended to be surprised:

"It turns out it's after Duke Yao. Someone is coming. Please loosen your bonds quickly."

In Yao Junsu's shock, Changsun Wuji personally untied him. He didn't know what Cui Che was planning.

Cui Che explained:

"Yao Gong and Gu's grandfather once served as ministers in the same palace, and they worked together to assist the Gao family. My grandfather had many praises for Yao Gong, and I also respected him. Now that I meet Yao Gong's descendants, how can I treat him lightly."

However, Yao Junsu said seriously:

"Thanks to the king's kindness, but loyal ministers will not serve the two masters. When the sage (Yang Guang) was a latent vassal, Yao was the guard of the Jin Palace. He was deeply favored by the sage, so how could he have two minds."

Cui Che naturally knew that this man was a loyal minister. In the original time and space, Qu Tutong and Sang Xianhe came to persuade him to surrender on Li Yuan's order, but he retorted and ridiculed him, making him ashamed.

His wife came to persuade him to surrender, but he was shot to death with an arrow. Because Yao Jun was good at mobilizing the army, even though he was surrounded by heavy siege, his subordinates did not rebel.

Until the food in the city was exhausted, the soldiers and the people exchanged their sons for food, and there was no way to survive. Yao Junsu finally committed suicide for his country, instead of just shouting slogans like Qu Tutong.

Now that he knows that he is such a person, Cui Che will naturally not be angry because of Yao Junsu's attitude.

He sighed:

"How can your friendship with Yang Guang compare to mine? We have known each other since childhood, and we are brothers and sisters. We are also sons and daughters. When Yang Guang was established as the crown prince, Cui also contributed a lot.

"Why are you taking the risk of annihilation and raising troops to rebel against him now? Isn't it because Yang Guang killed his father, his brother, and his concubine's mother? His crimes are too heinous to be described.

"The situation is now clear. No one can stop me from unifying the north. In the future, I will send my troops to the south and unify the world. It will be just around the corner.

"You claim to be a loyal minister, but how will future generations view you? They will only laugh at you for turning your back on yourself and dying for a treasonous patricide.

"Your descendants will also blame you, why can't you obey the destiny and support justice, but have to die for the tyrant, which will bring disaster to your descendants."

These words left Yao Junsu speechless. Previously on the city tower, he had obeyed Qu Tutong's order to put down his weapons, not just to surrender to Cui Che, but even to scold him face to face for being ungrateful.

Now Yao Junsu could no longer curse.

He is not afraid of death, he just wants to leave a clean name.

But if it is true as Cui Che said, leaving a name that will only arouse ridicule and resentment from future generations, is it still necessary to keep this name?

Seeing that Yao Junsu was struggling, Cui Che did not force him to make an immediate decision. Instead, he ordered people to take him down and temporarily detain him, hoping that Yao Junsu could think carefully.

After Yao Junsu was taken away, Cui Che had time to look at Qu Tutong.

There are only three updates today. There will be no more in the early morning. Let’s degenerate first and then evolve tomorrow.

(End of chapter)