After Li Mi moved to Jiangnan, he first faced the four major forces entrenched in Jiangnan, Jiangdu Chen Leng, Kuaiji Li Zitong, Wujun Shen Faxing and Jianghuai Du Fuwei.
Li Mi suppressed the city with an army of 200,000 men, forcing Chen Leng to surrender the capital of Jiang. He then recruited Li Zitong to surrender on favorable terms, including being granted the title of King of Yue and having his troops and horses duplicitous.
Li Mi also ordered Wang Bodang to lead an army of 50,000 and Li Zitong's army to attack from the north and south and annihilate Shen Faxing of Wu County. However, Li Mi took advantage of the emptiness in Kuaiji and ordered Shan Xiongxin to lead an army of 30,000 to attack Kuaiji City successfully and beheaded Li Zitong. At the head of the city, Li Zitong's army was recruited.
In just two months, Li Mi regained a large area of land east of Jianghuai. However, Li Mi suffered heavy setbacks when he attacked the western part of Jianghuai. Du Fuwei and Xiao Xian joined forces to resist Wei and defeated Shan Xiongxin's troops in Lujiang County. , annihilated more than 50,000 Wei troops, and Shan Xiongxin fled back to Jiangdu.
But Du Fuwei's army also paid a heavy price in this battle, losing more than 30,000 people, and Fu Gongyou was seriously injured. Moreover, although Du Fuwei and Xiao Xian defeated Li Mi's army, Li Mi's army was powerful and forced Du Fuwei to They had to abandon Liyang County and retreat to Hefei.
After Du Fuwei surrendered to Yang Yuanqing because of his mother's kindness, he was named King of Huaihe. However, he did not dare to be named king together with Yang Yuanqing, so he demoted himself one level and was granted the title of King of Lujiang County.
Despite this, Du Fuwei was still a little uneasy. Among Yang Yuanqing's many subordinates, no one was named king, but he was the only one who was named county king.
Although Du Fuwei did not read much, he also understood the principle that people with different surnames should not be crowned kings. Although he was famous for a while, the problem was that he could not last long.
As the Sui Dynasty became more and more powerful, Du Fuwei's concerns became more and more serious. Early in the morning, Du Fuwei came to Fugongyou's mansion. Since Fugongyou was seriously injured, his injuries have been recurring, and his life has been in danger several times. , but relied on his physical strength to survive, but he is still not out of danger.
The light in the room was soft. Fu Gongyou was lying on the bed, his complexion was like gold paper, and his body was so thin that there was only a handful of bones left. He met Shan Xiongxin on the battlefield, and his spine was broken by Shan Xiongxin's stab, and the broken bones were injured. It hurt his internal organs and almost killed him on the spot.
Although he has delayed until now, everyone knows that Fu Gongyou's vitality is getting weaker day by day, and he has gradually reached the point where his life is exhausted.
Du Fuwei sat next to the bed, holding Fu Gongyou's hand tightly, feeling extremely sad. Although they had different opinions on the overall situation, they were brothers, sharing weal and woe and struggling step by step until now. The deep love between them Emotions are conflicts and differences that cannot be concealed.
Looking at Fugongyou's skinny face, Du Fuwei couldn't help but burst into tears, and big drops of tears rolled down Fugongyou's hand.
Fugongyou woke up slowly. He opened his eyes and saw it was Du Fuwei. He smiled laboriously, "Dignified man...why are you crying?"
"Brother, when will you get better?" Du Fuwei asked with choked sobs.
Fu Gongyou sighed slightly and said in a low voice: "I can't survive. I'm dead. The only one I can't worry about is you. Alas!"
Fugongyou sighed deeply and said in a low voice: "Now that the Sui Dynasty has eradicated the Turkic troubles, there is no need to worry about the future. It is estimated that they will soon attack the Tang Dynasty in a large scale. The world is over. Your surrender to the Sui Dynasty seems to be a wise move now, but I still want to advise you..."
"What do you want to say?" Du Fuwei asked, squeezing his hand.
At this time, Fugongyou's spirit improved a little and his eyes brightened. He grabbed Du Fuwei's hand and said hastily: "You just surrendered, Yang Yuanqing will not touch you, but what about in the future? If you want to join the officialdom,
I don’t want this county prince, but I still advise you to become a rich man and hide your name in order to have peace in the rest of your life."
Fu Gongyou's words touched Du Fuwei's mind. He thought for a moment and nodded solemnly, "I listen to my elder brother. I don't want this county prince."
Just as he said this, a report from the soldiers came from outside the door, "To the general, a businessman named Xiao came from outside the military office. He said that he had visited the general in Liyang County."
'A businessman named Xiao?'
Du Fuwei was slightly startled, but as soon as his mind changed, he immediately understood, "It's Xiao Jing, the envoy sent by Yang Yuanqing last time."
He patted Fu Gongyou's hand and said, "Brother, please rest in peace and recover. I know what to do. Don't worry about these things."
He turned to leave, but Fu Gongyou grabbed him, his eyes full of reluctance and nostalgia.
Du Fuwei also felt a little sad in his heart, and smiled reluctantly, "Brother can rest in peace and recuperate. I will visit him from time to time. I will hire the best doctor in the world and he will definitely cure his injury."
He gently broke away from Fugongyou's hand and walked out quickly. Fugongyou stared blankly at him as he walked away, his eyes suddenly became extremely dim...
Du Fuwei's military office was actually not far from Fu Gongyou's residence. It was right next to it. Du Fuwei quickly walked into the military office and asked, "Where is the businessman named Xiao?"
"Reporting to the general, we are already waiting in the guest room."
Du Fuwei strode towards the guest room. If Yang Yuanqing sent Xiao Jing here at this time, there must be something big going on.
In the room, Xiao Jing slowly drank tea with a teacup and patiently waited for the arrival of Du Fuwei. At this time, Xiao Jing was already the prefect of Liang County and was in charge of the largest county in the Central Plains. Because he was on a mission last time, this time
After another detailed discussion with Du Fuwei, Yang Yuanqing gave him the important task again.
Of course, it was much easier for Du Fuwei to negotiate with Xiao Mian. After all, he had surrendered to Yang Yuanqing, and he did not proclaim himself emperor, not even king. He was just the leader of a rebel army. But in order to prevent accidents, it affected
Xiao Jing still needs to take the entire strategic deployment seriously.
At this time, there was a sound of fast footsteps outside the door, and then the door opened and Du Fuwei walked in with a serious look on his face.
Xiao Jing quickly stood up, bowed and saluted: "See your Royal Highness!"
Du Fuwei waved his hand, "The first thing I want to say is this, I don't want His Highness the County Prince."
"This..." Xiao Jing was stunned, not understanding what he meant.
"Xiao Shijun, please take a seat. Let's sit down and talk."
Xiao Jing sat down and looked at Du Fuwei in confusion. Du Fuwei sighed. "It is important for a person to be self-aware. I, Du Fuwei, am so virtuous and capable. I dare to call myself the king of the county. I have decided to give up."
As for the title of Duke, I only retain the position of Jianghuai General Manager. I hope Xiao Shijun can tell His Highness the King of Chu to understand my difficulties."
Only then did Xiao Jing understand what he meant. It was not that the title was too low, but that the title was too high, which was quite interesting. He smiled slightly and said: "I can tell your highness for you, but I still hope that you can write a letter yourself and express yourself directly.
wishes.”
"Okay! I will submit a letter to His Royal Highness the King of Chu."
After a pause, Du Fuwei asked again: "I wonder what important matter Xiao Shijun has come to me this time?" Tian is attacking Li Mi. I hope General Du's Jianghuai Army can cooperate and attack Li Mi's troops from the west."
After Xiao Jing finished speaking, he took out Yang Yuanqing's autographed letter and handed it to him. Du Fuwei took the letter, opened it and read it slowly. Yang Yuanqing made it very clear in the letter that he was indeed asked to prepare to assist the Sui army in attacking Li Mi.
This news surprised Du Fuwei. Didn't it mean that the Sui army was preparing to attack the Tang Dynasty? Why did it turn into an attack on Li Mi? He was not prepared at all.
Du Fuwei lowered his head, and after a while, he sighed: "I only have 70,000 troops at my disposal. I'm afraid I won't be able to exert a big effect on my own."
Xiao Jing smiled slightly and said: "Of course it's not General Du and his family who are attacking. There will be Xiao Mian by then, and he will also send 80,000 troops to join General Du in attacking from the west."
Du Fuwei was overjoyed. If Xiao Mian was willing to send 80,000 troops, and combined with his 70,000 troops, there would be 150,000 troops. It would be enough to exert strong pressure on Li Mi. If Xiao Mian was willing to send troops, there would be no problem at all.
He quickly asked: "I wonder when we will send out troops?"
"The letter has also been written. The official date for dispatching troops is set for the first day of February. I can make it clear again that this date will not change." Xiao Jing said slowly.
Du Fuwei raised his head and thought for a while. In fact, there were only forty days left. He needed to start preparations. He finally replied clearly, "Please tell His Highness the King of Chu that on the first day of February, my 70,000-strong army will attack Li on time."
Yangjun.”…
Xiao Jing said goodbye and left. Du Fuwei paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. He was also thinking about the same problem as Xiao Mian. If Li Mi was destroyed, his days of separatist rule would be over. He could either join the court as a
As an official, he can either stay in his post or resign and live in seclusion. In any case, he needs to make a choice.
Just when Du Fuwei was sighing in his heart, suddenly, a soldier rushed in from outside the door, knelt down and cried, "General, auxiliary general, he...he is gone!"
Du Fuwei felt a burst of pain that struck his heart. He screamed, his vision went dark, and he fainted on the ground...
When Yang Yuanqing returned from Mayi County, it was already December 25th, and there were only five days left before the New Year. The atmosphere of the New Year was getting thicker and thicker, and he kept hearing firecrackers exploding in the fire.
Yang Yuanqing entered Taiyuan City from the east gate under the escort of three hundred soldiers. This time he put away his flag and changed into the attire of an ordinary officer, trying not to let the people recognize him.
As soon as I walked into the city gate, I saw a row of tables, about seven or eight, sitting close to the city gate, with more than a dozen sergeants sitting there. A large wooden sign was erected next to the table with the words "
The two big characters are "recruiting soldiers".
Even though the New Year is approaching, there are still many people signing up to join the army. There are about a thousand people, and they line up hundreds of steps away.
The registration at the table is actually just a simple review, including name, address, age, parents and brothers. Sui Jun's conditions are more stringent, such as age. Those over forty and under sixteen will not be accepted.
Those who have only sons or have brothers and fathers who are in the army will not be accepted. However, this time Yang Yuanqing ordered each county to recruit 150,000 new soldiers before the Lantern Festival. The task was very urgent, so when the Ministry of War issued the recruitment order to each county, the conditions
It has been obviously relaxed. Except for the age limit, other restrictions can be temporarily ignored. Behind the table, there is an open space with more than a dozen stone locks. Each stone lock weighs forty kilograms. After signing up for the throne, everyone needs to
Passing the test here actually means lifting the lock ten times. This rule is not relaxed. You must pass the lock lifting test before you can officially join the army.
In addition, near the city wall, there was a large flock of sheep, about a thousand of them. This was the most attractive thing. As long as they successfully joined the army, each soldier could receive a sheep as a reward for joining the army.
This caused many people who were planning to sign up to join the army after the Chinese New Year to sign up in advance in order to get a sheep for their families to celebrate the New Year.
"Your Highness, do you want to go take a look?" a soldier asked softly.