In February of the eighth year of Daye, Zhuojun's million-strong army finally swore to fight.
Again, Sui Emperor Yang Guang is qualified to be proud, because this is a unique army since ancient times. No emperor has ever formed such a huge army.
In fact, whether it was before or after, this was a unique expedition in the history of world cold weapons.
This shows the strength of the Central Plains dynasty, and also shows the determination and courage of Sui Emperor Yang Guang.
Of course, in many subsequent annals of history, this almost unscrupulous, reckless determination and courage were replaced by terms such as arrogance and arrogance.
In such a large army, anyone, whether you are a famous general or a wise minister, will appear extremely small.
Because of the lack of hardware conditions in this era, no one can fully control such a huge army.
But Sui Emperor Yang Guang completely disagreed with this point.
The army was divided into twenty-four armies, and the generals leading them were all famous battlefield veterans.
This is completely modeled on the military structure used by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty during his northern tour. Anyone familiar with history will understand what this means.
Sui Emperor Yang Guang told the world nakedly that he surpassed Emperor Wu.??
Just like a few years ago, he dug the Grand Canal, built Chi Road, and rebuilt Luoyang City. This series of projects not only wanted to let people know that he was more capable than his father Yang Jian, the former Qin Shi Huangdi
, will also be eclipsed by his light...
Yes, this is a king with very lofty ambitions. From the moment he ascended the throne as emperor, he set his ambition to surpass all the wise kings in ancient times.
He wanted to be the emperor for eternity. In his own imagination, he had already deified himself.
He controls a vast territory, and he dominates the life and death of hundreds of millions of people. Among all living beings, who can compare with him? There are only those wise monarchs who have passed away.
Therefore, everything he did had an explanation.
If he was given a magic axe, he would probably be able to create something new again.
The Twelve Army on the left and the Twelve Army on the right, with nearly a million people, all set up camp in Zhuojun, spread over the mountains and fields, and headed towards Yuguan.
The forward has passed Yuguan, but the tail is still in Zhuojun.
There is no beginning in front and no end behind, stretching for hundreds of miles. Looking from the sky, there is a thick and long black line in the north of Hebei.
After the forward troops left Yuguan, tens of thousands of Turkic servants joined the army.
During the march, some Khitan tribes and some Mohe tribes that had surrendered to the Sui Dynasty sent troops to join them.
The origins of these wild people outside the Great Wall are very complicated, and their lineage has long been unable to be traced clearly.
The Turkic servant armies were Turkic tribes that had attached themselves to the Qin Dynasty over the years. They struggled to survive between the Sui Dynasty and the Turks, but they were not recognized.
When the conscription order of the Great Sui Dynasty was passed outside the Great Wall, they had no choice. In fact, many people were even happy to serve for the powerful Great Sui Dynasty in order to receive more protection and rewards from the Great Sui Dynasty in the future.
As for the Khitan and Mohe people, these are typical Northeastern savage tribes, and they are almost the ancestors of the later Khitan Liao Kingdom and Jurchen Jin Kingdom.
Of course, at this time, although the Sui and Turks gave them a name, in fact, they did not form a unified ethnic group.
They exist scattered in the eastern areas of the northern grasslands and some places in eastern Liaoning.
Most of the tribes among them were under the rule of the Turks, and the remaining tribes were shared by the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo.
Because of the region where they live, as well as their living habits, customs, etc., they are temporarily classified into two wholes.
In fact, this is also the beginning of the origin of each ethnic group.
When they gradually began to identify with titles like Khitan and Mohe, they also had the conditions for integration.
By this time, even the people with the best memories in the Sui War Department could not accurately know how many troops there were in the army.
What's more, the military department of the Sui Dynasty was already in chaos.
Because Duan Wenzhen, the Minister of War of the Sui Dynasty and the leading general of Zuohou Wei Mansion, died.
This was a truly capable minister and good general, but later his reputation was not known simply because he did not live long enough. If he had lived ten more years, perhaps there would not be a prosperous Tang Dynasty in the world, because with him here,
The outcome of the Battle of Liaodong is likely to be very different.
But as the old saying goes, there are no ifs in history.
He devoted himself to the battle of Liaodong and exhausted his last energy, and died on the expedition to Liaodong.
This veteran general once accompanied Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty to conquer the Northern Qi Dynasty, and accompanied King Yang Guang of the Jin Dynasty to annihilate the Southern Chen Dynasty. He was present in many wars, including the Rebellion of the Three Kings and the rebellion of Han Dynasty King Yang Liang.
He also led troops to defeat the Turks, conquered Tuyuhun, and put down the Southern Barbarian rebellion.
It can be said that he participated in all the famous battles from Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty to the Daye period.
Such military exploits, a series of achievements, and a family background that was not inferior to any clan, made him one of the most respected ministers of Yang Guang in the early years of the Great Cause, and almost the most respected general of the Sui Dynasty.
He was almost entirely responsible for the preliminary planning of this expedition to Goguryeo.
Such a large army could survive the whole winter in Zhuojun and successfully set off to Liaodong beyond the Great Wall. This man deserves the greatest credit.
And the price he paid was his own life.
In February of the eighth year of Daye, he finally passed away on the march with all his oil and lamps exhausted.
Before he died, he still remembered Yang Guang's kindness.
He left a posthumous note, urging the emperor to lead the army to march without stopping for a moment, and to end the war before the autumn rainy season in Liaodong. He also said that if the emperor and ministers of Goguryeo, the snake and the rat, wanted to surrender, they would definitely be delaying the attack and should not be credulous.
As long as Pyongyang City can be captured, Liaodong will be at peace.
But after Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty heard the news, in addition to crying over the painful loss of his thigh, he ignored the words of the veteran minister.
The news that such a great minister passed away in the military could not be concealed, and it also cast a shadow over the expedition.
Fortunately, the Chinese army has not yet left the fortress at this time.
Emperor Yang Guang had no choice but to take care of so much. He ordered the entire army to be under the jurisdiction of the Zuohou Wei Mansion and serve as Shangshu of the Ministry of War. Duan Wenzhen, the general of Zuohou Wei, saw him off.
Doctor, wait.
As a result, Li Po also put up a white flag and a white belt, and became a filial son and grandson.
What is frustrating is that, except for the soldiers of Zuo Houwei Mansion who sent Duan Wenzhen's coffin home, after two days of waiting, the others had to continue moving forward with the army.