Chapter 189 Court Meeting
Luoyang, the Eastern Capital,

After Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty dug the Grand Canal, Luoyang has become the core of the world. Whoever can capture Luoyang can gain the convenience of expansion in any direction.

It can be said that whether it was Yu Wenzhi, Li Shimin, or Li Mi, they all wanted to capture Luoyang.

The impact of the battle in Siming Mountain was actually extremely great.

The battle at Siming Mountain,
It's so tragic.

The eighteen rebel kings were basically massacred by Wang Ming, and the remaining Wagang Army was lucky to escape quickly, otherwise they would have died in Siming Mountain.

Most of the eighteen rebel kings had been killed. Logically, this should have been more beneficial to the imperial court and Wang Ming.

All we need to do is take over their territory and we can unite the country again.

unfortunately,

At this time, the Li and Yuwen clans, two of the four major clans in the world, openly rebelled.

Although the Song clan did not raise the banner of rebellion, the gap was not big.

The imperial court is powerful enough to deal with any of them, but it is definitely unable to resist three forces at the same time.

Therefore, Wang Ming could only reduce the power of the Sui Dynasty and take drastic measures.

Avoid giving experience to others.

Killing the eighteen rebel kings was actually a good thing for Li Shimin and his men.

This allowed them to receive a lot of property left behind by the eighteen dead rebel kings along the way.

This made Li Shimin of the Li clan, Yu Wenhuaji of the Yuwen clan, and Li Mi of the Wagangzhai very happy.

They excitedly took over the forces left behind by the eighteen rebel kings, dead or alive, in various places.

just,

They were not happy for long, and then they started to greet the family of Emperor Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty every day.

None of them expected it.

I didn’t expect that!
So cruel.

So absolutely.

Wang Ming gave up most of the world in one go, retaining only Luoyang and the surrounding areas.

All other places were abandoned.

And they took away a large amount of food and people.

To the population!
Wang Ming later instructed that ordinary people who wished to come could be brought along.

The method is simple, just follow it and you will have food to eat.

then,

Most of the ordinary people followed the Sui army and evacuated.

Those who stayed behind were basically not good people.

For example, the bandits who gather in the mountains have lawsuits against them! In addition, they are used to freedom and don't want to be bound again.

There is also a group of people who did not choose to leave.

Those are the landlords and gentry.

They can't possibly leave!

They couldn't leave either.

Because the place where they are is more than just a hometown.

This is the result of their efforts that have lasted for several generations.

You asked them to give up?

Is it possible for them to give up?

How can I give up?
The land is their property, their life, and everything to them.

And they have the confidence.

These landlords and gentry had money and food, and had a large number of servants and tenants.

They are the local tyrants of this place.

The philosophy these people believe in is: A strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake.

really,

After the imperial forces withdrew.

This created a power vacuum.

They lost the control of the imperial court and the constraints of the law.

This is simply a temptation!

The temptation of Chi Luoluo!
then,

The fire of desire in the hearts of these landlords and gentry, who originally had no rebellious intentions and no great ambitions, was ignited.

Their ambitions were also ignited.

These landlords, gentry, and mountain bandits all walked into the government offices.

He became the leader of a certain place and the local tyrant.

The Sui Dynasty court just let it go and didn't care.

I basically don't feel anything.

Wang Ming was so focused on cultivation that he didn't even know about this.

People like Yang You, Dugu Sheng and Wang Shichong were delighted to hear this.

Just treated it as a joke.

but,

This was a tough time for Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin of the Li faction, Yu Wenhuaji of the Yuwen faction, and Li Mi, the Duke of Pushan of the Wagang Army, who all wanted to compete for the Central Plains.

It was also at this time that they truly felt the horror of the local family power.

At first, the local families had no time to react before they were swept away by Li Shimin and his men.

But these local families soon reacted.

then,

They evacuated the government offices and returned to their family territories.

When he came back, he was so wicked!

The entire place, all the people who had not left, as well as food and various supplies were swept away.

Only an empty city is left.

Li Shimin, Yu Wenzhi and Li Mi naturally could not accept this injustice.

So they attacked these families.

You don't know until you try.
As soon as they started, they discovered that the fortresses built by these landlords and gentry, although easier than attacking a city, were very troublesome!

These fortresses took at least three generations to build, and some of them existed as early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Originally, when attacking a county, it would be sufficient to occupy the county government office.

But nowadays, there can be four or five aristocratic family strongholds in one county.

This greatly slowed down their progress in conquering the world.

in fact,

It’s easy to deal with the aristocratic families who are resisting stubbornly, just defeat them.

What we fear most is someone surrendering voluntarily.

If they surrender voluntarily, you can no longer kill them. Not only can you not kill them, you also cannot touch their property.

If you move, who will follow you?
Li Shimin and his men also had a headache.

If we don't move these people, there will be basically no benefit in capturing a city.

There was not a bit of food, gold, silver or valuables left, as they were all taken away by the wealthy families.

The most important thing is that these unethical local families forced all of the few remaining people to sign indentures.

People are also their property.

So whether it is Li Mi or Li Shimin, what they are most afraid of now is surrender.

Similarly, some local families began to form alliances with each other.

Other than that,

There are also some new forces that were supported by Cihang Jingzhai, Yinkui Sect, Taoism, and Confucianism.

Anyway,

Now Li Mi, Li Shimin, Yu Wenzhi and others are scolding Yang Guang every day.

It's simply a wicked thing, extremely wicked.

Luoyang, the Eastern Capital,

Luoyang is not a monolithic entity.

Luoyang is now divided into three forces.

These three forces are: imperial power, the Dugu clan, and Wang Shichong.

Correct!
Wang Shichong is actually the most powerful force in Luoyang.

Wang Shichong, courtesy name Xingman, was originally surnamed Zhi and was a Hu from the Western Regions, living in Xinfeng. His grandfather Zhi Tuinuo died young, and his father Zhi Shou followed his mother, who remarried to Wang's family in Bacheng, and thus changed his surname to Wang.

Wang Shichong read widely in classics and history, and was particularly interested in the art of war, divination, fortune-telling, and astronomy and calendar calculations.

The power of the Dugu clan in Luoyang was actually not strong.

Only the imperial palace guards were commanded by Dugu Feng, and their strength was no more than 5,000 soldiers.

Lang Feng and Song Mengqiu, who were guarding the city, were both Wang Shichong's confidants. Wang Shichong controlled 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers and horses.

If he had not known how brutal the battle at Siming Mountain was, he would definitely have rebelled directly, killed the emperor on behalf of Yu Wenzhi, and taken control of the government himself.

Wang Ming also had this consideration when he gave up the territory around Luoyang.

As troops from other places continued to gather towards Luoyang.

Wang Ming's strength has changed from the weakest at the beginning to the strongest.

Suppressed Wang Shichong.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Luo River divides the eastern capital Luoyang into two parts, north and south.

The imperial palace and the imperial city are located in the northwest of the city; the streets, alleys and markets are distributed in the south and east of the city.

The water conservancy of Luoyang City is very developed. By boat, you can not only reach the city, but also reach any other place in the city. In terms of the convenience of internal and external water and land transportation, no city in the world can compare with Dongdu.

In addition to the Luo River running through it, there are also the Dongchan River, Xigu Shui, Beijinshui Canal, Nantongjin Canal, Tongji Canal, Yishui, Caoqu, Daoqu, Chongjin Canal and Danshui Canal crisscrossing the streets and alleys, making it extremely convenient for vehicles and ships to travel.

The city is located at the end of Luo River. In the northwest of the city, there is the magnificent East Palace.

The imperial palace is divided into two parts: the imperial city and the palace city.

The imperial city is surrounded by the palace city on the east, south and west sides, forming an "concave" shape, and is separated from the palace city by a city wall on the north.

The walls of the imperial city are double-layer walls.

There are three layers on the north side, which further enhances its defensive capabilities.

There are four horizontal streets running from east to west in the imperial city, intersecting with three straight streets running from north to south. The central avenue is the central axis, and government offices such as provinces, prefectures, temples, and prefectures are lined up on both sides of the avenue, like stars surrounding the moon, never far from the imperial palace.

To the north of the palace city, there are two cities, Yaoyi and Yuanbi, which surround the palace city tightly and have stricter defenses than the imperial city of Jiangdu.

Among these palaces is the Guande Hall.

Guande Hall was used by the emperor to summon officials and hold court meetings.

Sitting on the dragon throne at the top of the Guande Hall was a handsome young man.

Although he looks delicate and frail, there is an obvious aura of a superior between his brows.

This kind of momentum can only be born out of years of cultivation.

This young man was Yang You.

The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty.

at this time,

Yang You was handling government affairs in Guande Hall.

A few months ago, they discussed in this hall the idea of ​​seeking external assistance.

then,

Yang You dispatched four groups of messengers, one to each of the Demon Sect, the Taoist Sect, the Buddhist Sect, and the Confucian Sect.

Go find the person in charge of these four forces.

Hope this helps.

Let them contribute to the Sui Dynasty's efforts to suppress rebellions and disobedience from all sides.

but,

After such a long time, there was still no news, and Yang You became a little anxious.

Yang You said worriedly, "My dear nobles, it has been so long since we sent out the envoys, but we still haven't received a reply. I don't know what is going on."

Dugu Sheng straightened his robes and stood out of the queue. He said to Yang You above him in a serious tone, "Your Highness, the Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, and Demonic sects are all quite far from Luoyang. The mountains are high and the roads are long. It takes a long time to go back and forth. Right now, there is still unrest in various places, and there is no news yet."

Yu Shiji also stood up immediately and said with a smile: "Master Dugu is right. If we wait a little longer, the messenger will definitely bring back good news."

Yang You couldn't help but feel relieved when he heard this. He couldn't help but say in his heart: "Yes! Nowadays, there are rebels everywhere. It's normal to be delayed on the road."

but,

Just at this time,

An untimely voice rang out, instantly breaking the harmonious atmosphere.

The person who spoke was no other than this.

It was Wang Shichong.

Wang Shichong looked respectful and humble, and people who didn't know his character might think he was a loyal minister.

Wang Shichong also straightened his clothes and walked out of the queue, saying loudly: "I think it will be difficult to ask for help since the envoy has not returned yet."

Yang You looked at Wang Shichong who suddenly spoke. At first, he was a little afraid of him. However, as troops from all parties gathered in Luoyang, this fear gradually disappeared.

Wang Shichong was a little arrogant at the beginning and did not take Yang You seriously.

After all, you are the most powerful person in this city, and it is not so easy for you to bow down to him.

Yang You showed a friendly smile and said gently: "What do you think, Wang Qing?"

Wang Shichong immediately said in a loud voice: "I think it is not a good idea to go to these four sects for help."

Yang You, Dugu Sheng and Yu Shiji were somewhat unhappy with Wang Shichong. Wasn't this sabotaging their plans?

But they did not immediately refute Wang Shichong's words. After all, Wang Shichong's power in Luoyang City was still the first no matter what.

Troops from all directions gathered in Luoyang, but most of them were outside the city and in the surrounding states and counties.

We still have to give face to Wang Shichong.

Everyone only heard Wang Shichong say: "Although these four families are powerful and a force that cannot be ignored, they are not a monolithic entity and there are complexities among them.

For example: The Demon Sect is divided into two factions and six paths. Only the Yinkui Sect has the real ability to help the court, and the other forces have too few people.

The same is true for Buddhism, whose power is even more dispersed than that of the Demonic Sect.

It is even more difficult for the Taoist sect, as everyone is pursuing immortality, and very few disciples are accepted. How can it help the court?

Although Confucianism has a great influence, it lacks real leadership.

Suiyi Weichen thinks that it is unnecessary to seek help from these four sects, it is just a waste of time.

When the people in the court heard this, they couldn't help but nod their heads, thinking that what Wang Shichong said made some sense.

Yang You couldn't help but fall into deep thought, wondering if there was something wrong with his decision to ask the Four Gates for help.

Yu Shiji couldn't help himself at this time, and said sarcastically: "Since Lord Wang thinks that asking the four schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Demonism for help is a gain, I wonder if Lord Wang has any good ideas?"

At this time, Yu Shiji no longer wanted to give face to Wang Shichong. He just wanted to slap Wang Shichong in the face.

In fact, how could Yu Shiji not know that asking for help from the four gates was extremely difficult?

Not only him, everyone in the court knows this truth, but there is nothing they can do about it!

This is the only solution I can think of.

Wang Shichong was not panicked at all, and said confidently: "Of course I have a way, otherwise I would not have stood up."

Yang You was a little confused when he heard this, and immediately said, "Master Wang, please speak."

Wang Shichong smiled and said, "Whether it is Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism or Demonism, if they don't have soldiers and horses, there is no point in inviting them. If you want to seek foreign aid, go to the Turks. The Turks not only have money and food, but also soldiers and horses. As long as they are willing to help, those rebels are nothing."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a sudden silence.

Dugu Sheng said in a deep voice: "The Turks have evil intentions. If we allow them to enter the Sui Dynasty, there will be endless troubles!"

Wang Shichong smiled and said, "This is a strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf. It will lead the Turks to fight to the death with Li Yuan, Yu Wenhua and others. Fang Zheng is not a loss to us anyway."

Actually, Wang Shichong had no good intentions. He was planning something bad!

Wang Shichong just wanted to create chaos in the world. How could he fish in troubled waters if there was no chaos?

Similarly, the Turkic Khan Jie Li was also not holding back.

For Jie Li Khan, the more chaotic the Middle-earth is, the better. It would be best if it were divided into pieces and there were endless wars. Then he would have an opportunity to take advantage.

One of Jie Li's subordinates was a man named Zhao Deyan.

Zhao Deyan is the descendant of the Demon Sect's Demon Xiang Sect, nicknamed "Demon Marshal". He is a Han Chinese who serves as the DTZ National Master. He is also one of the eight great masters of the Demon Sect, ranking third.
Zhao Deyan's plan was to support everyone who came to ask for help and try his best to prevent any one party from becoming too powerful.

Therefore, he supported Liu Wuzhou and Liang Shidu in attacking the Li clan, and also supported the Li clan in rebelling against the Sui Dynasty and attacking Guanzhong. Jie Li continued to raid the border and plunder, fighting to support the war and waiting for the opportunity.

Yang You was not a fool. He naturally knew the dangers of this matter and naturally disagreed with it.

(End of this chapter)