On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 587 Issued an edict to march to the south

Not only Yang Guang, but also many Dayan elders who followed Cui Che in raising armies were worried about the father-son relationship between Cui Che and Cui Qiji.

After all, only a few people know the inside story.

Luoyang, East Palace.

King Cui Youzhi of Wei and his second brother Cui Youming came to pay their respects to their parents.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when his mother-in-law took his second brother to play in the garden, Cui Youzhi whispered:

"The imperial grandfather wants his son to accompany the army in the southern expedition and increase his knowledge, so he asked me to ask his father what he wants."

Cui Qiji was filled with envy. He had never wanted to follow his father in the wars in the north and south. However, due to his status as the prince, he had to stay in Luoyang to supervise the country while Cui Che was on his way to conquer the country.

"This is a good thing. In the military camp, learn more and ask more questions. If you encounter something you don't understand, humbly ask your imperial grandfather for advice. The gains from this trip will surely benefit you throughout your life."

Cui Qiji is also a veteran. When he was young, he was taken to the military camp by Cui Che to teach him through words and deeds. Now it was his own son's turn, which made him feel a little sad.

When Cui Youzhi heard this, he couldn't suppress the joy in his heart, and it all showed on his face.

On February 14, the fourth year of Kaiping (AD 612), after three years of rest and recuperation, Cui Che officially issued the edict of the Southern Expedition.

Zu Junyan, the assistant minister of Zhongshu, drafted an appeal for Cui Che and once again denounced Yang Guang.

Although the edict and the message did not clearly indicate the direction of Yan's southern expedition.

But everyone firmly believes that Huainan will be the focus of competition between the Yan and Sui Dynasties.

Cui Che, Cui Qiji, Cui Yanqing and his son personally performed in this big drama, which lasted for more than half a year.

It includes dramas such as brothers seizing the heir, father and son turning against each other, etc. Who would have thought that all of this was Cui Che's strategic deception against the Sui Dynasty.

On February 15th, Cui Che ordered the recruitment of more than 100,000 horsemen around Luoyang.

In just three days, various ministries gathered in the camp outside the city.

The soldiers were all inquiring about the Huainan area, and no one doubted the purpose of their trip.

It was not until the night of February 19th that Cui Che went up to his tent to gather his generals and confessed his true purpose to Dou Jiande, Liu Heitai, Qu Tutong, Xu Shiji and others, which shocked everyone.

In the early morning of February 20th, Emperor Yan and his ministers were supposed to leave the city to send off the southern expeditionary army.

But Cui Che appeared in front of people wearing armor, and even the young King of Wei Cui Youzhi was also dressed in fancy clothes.

On the contrary, it was the prince Cui Qiji, but he was wearing court clothes.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Cui Che led Wei Wang Cui Youzhi, followed by Prince Cui Qiji, and slowly climbed onto the high platform.

The whole place was silent, and everyone waited with bated breath, thinking that Cui Che was going to inspire the three armies when seeing him off.

Cui Che looked at the faces in the audience and could not see their faces clearly, but this did not prevent him from standing in front of a simple tin speaker and shouting to the more than 100,000 soldiers facing him:

"I am your emperor! This battle! I, the emperor, will fight in person and be with you!"

In an instant, cheers like a roaring tsunami erupted from the audience.

There is no need to doubt Cui Che's prestige among Dayan's soldiers.

These people followed him in the north and south, and were accustomed to obeying Cui Che's command.

Previously, the soldiers had heard that Cui Yanqing, King of Wu, was the commander. Even with the help of two famous generals, Liu Fang and Li Jing, they could not help but murmur in their hearts.

The so-called saying that you serve your country by joining the army is too noble.

The vast majority of soldiers still hope to take advantage of the opportunity of war to get promoted and make a fortune, or even change their own destiny.

And if you want to achieve this goal, you can only achieve it through winning one victory after another.

They had doubts about whether Liu Fang and Li Jing could lead them to gain wealth.

Now that they heard that it was Cui Che who was conducting the expedition in person, everyone's belief in victory was rising in their hearts. How could they not be excited about it?

In sharp contrast to the reaction of the soldiers, it was the officials who came out of the city to see him off.

Obviously, this sudden imperial conquest exceeded everyone's expectations.
Zhongshu Ling Douluyu was dumbfounded. He quickly asked Fang Xuanling beside him:

"Prime Minister, what's going on? Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to go on a personal expedition?"

Fang Xuanling naturally knew the inside story, but he still pretended to be surprised and shook his head:

"Fang also doesn't know."

Immediately, Fang Xuanling turned around and asked Pei Xiudao:

"Does Prime Minister Pei know the inside story of this matter?"

Pei Xiu is the chief provincial officer and also heads the Observation Department. He is Dayan's spy chief. With his close relationship with Cui Che, he also falls into the category of an insider.

But when Pei Xiu saw Fang Xuanling pretending not to know, he imitated him and said:

"The Sacred Heart is unpredictable, and Pei really doesn't know."

Douluyu felt much better when she saw that neither of them seemed to know anything about it. Otherwise, among the three prime ministers, she was the only one who was kept in the dark, which would really hurt people's self-esteem.

Just as the three of them were about to ask Cui Che how the state affairs should be arranged after he leaves.

Prince Cui Qiji had already walked towards the three of them holding an edict and said with a smile:

"My father personally conquered the country and left me alone to supervise the country. I still need the help of three prime ministers in the affairs of the country."

The three people hurriedly knelt down to receive the order.

At the same time, Cui Che had already stepped off the platform and was saying goodbye to Queen Yang Awu.

Yang Awu complained:

"I saw your majesty insisting on wearing armor earlier, and I put you in fancy clothes, so I knew that your majesty couldn't stand being lonely."

Cui Che did not disclose this matter to Yang Awu in advance, and he couldn't help but feel guilty at this time:

"I should have told you earlier."

Yang Awu hummed:

"Your Majesty really thinks that I am stupid. Although I am not the prince, I have watched him grow up.

"Why are father and son at odds with each other? This kind of thing can only be deceived by outsiders. How could I be fooled?"

With that said, Yang Awu tidied Cui Che's clothes and said:

"Even if Your Majesty tells me in advance, I can't help. If I talk in my sleep at night, the maids who serve me will listen and leak the news."

Cui Che was very moved when he heard this.

He had previously thought that Yang Awu did not want to get involved in the conflict between himself and Cui Qiji, so he would stand by and watch. It turned out that he had already seen through all this.

Before leaving, Cui Che said reluctantly:

"You have to take care of yourself in Luoyang."

He has lost Yang Lihua and doesn't want Yang Awu to make any mistakes again.

No matter how favored the Gao family, Li Xiuning, Gu family, Dou family and others are, their status in Cui Che's heart will never be compared to that of the Yang sisters, who are Cui Che's wives.

Yang Awu felt equally reluctant to leave, but she forced a smile and said:

"I should be the one to say this. If I stay in Luoyang and enjoy myself, there is no danger.

"On the contrary, Your Majesty, you are out on an expedition and you need to take care of yourself even more."

Before he finished speaking, Yang Awu glanced at Cui Youzhi beside him.

Cui Youzhi understood and walked away sensibly.

Yang Awu then said softly:

"Don't forget that I am still in Luoyang waiting for my husband to come back."

Hearing this, Cui Che held Yang Awu in his arms and whispered:

"This battle won't last long. I will definitely return safely, waiting for me."

There are only two chapters today, and there will be four chapters guaranteed tomorrow.

(End of chapter)