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Volume 3: Once you enter the capital, it is as deep as the sea. Chapter 71: The Battle of Sui and Tang Dynasties (1)

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    The end of the war in Hanzhong meant that the time for the decisive battle between the Sui and Tang Dynasties was ripe. It was April, the wind was sunny and the weather was comfortable, which was the best time to launch a war.

    This morning, in the semi-circular hall of Ziwei Pavilion in Jinyang Palace, more than thirty senior officials of the Sui Dynasty gathered together to discuss the most important decision in the past two years, the beginning of the Sui-Tang War.

    There was a tense and exciting atmosphere in the semicircular hall. This was the day that all the ministers had been looking forward to for a long time. The south had been unified. The occupation of Hanzhong cut off the Tang army's retreat from Bashu. Now the Tang army only had Guanzhong left.  A trapped beast pattern was formed.

    In front of the semi-circular hall, there is a wooden frame. On the wooden frame hangs a huge map, which is a map of Guanzhong and Guan Nei. Yang Yuanqing stood next to the map and explained the situation at hand to many senior officials.

    "Now the Sui army has 120,000 troops in the North Pass, mainly distributed in Yan'an County and Shangjun in the east and Huining County in the west. For this Sui-Tang war, I will mobilize another 200,000 troops, plus Hanzhong  The Sui army had 40,000 soldiers. In fact, our military strength will reach 360,000 people, and then look at the Tang army."

    Yang Yuanqing moved the wooden pole to Guanzhong and continued: "Currently, the Tang army has about 130,000 troops in Guanxi, which are very unevenly distributed. There are 80,000 elites in Fufeng County, Guanxi, which is Li Shimin's main force, and Chang'an  There are 40,000 defenders in the city, but there are only more than 10,000 in the Guandong area, guarding Tongguan and Pujin Pass. The troops in Guandong are empty, but I heard that Li Shimin has taken over the military power, so I estimate that the Tang army will mobilize 30,000 troops to Guandong, and more  The important thing is that the Tang army has been recruiting troops in the Guanzhong area for many years, which has depleted the area's military resources and left no troops to recruit. It can only recruit 20,000 troops. As a result, the Tang army can only recruit 150,000 troops at most.  We have an absolute advantage in military strength in this battle. We do not seek a quick victory. As long as we fight steadily, we can capture Chang'an and unify the world within two months at most."

    Yang Yuanqing's force analysis caused a murmur in the semicircular hall. The ministers were extremely excited. 360,000 versus 150,000. This was an absolute military advantage. As long as nothing unexpected happened, it would be easy to win Guanzhong. But everyone also knew that  The trapped beast is still fighting. This final battle will not be easy, especially when the Sui army dispatches more than 300,000 troops, which will consume a huge amount of food and materials.

    In fact, this is also the reason why Yang Yuanqing held this pre-war military meeting. Launching this Sui and Tang war required huge logistical support, including food, grass, civilians, and various military supplies. These cannot be solved by the army alone. They must rely on the support of the court and local officials along the way.  Support, it can be said that this Sui and Tang battle was fought with all the strength of the country, and it took a month to prepare for the war.

    At this time, Du Ruhui walked up to the front desk, nodded to Yang Yuanqing, and smiled at everyone: "This battle will empty out our warehouse again."

    His frowning face attracted a burst of understanding laughter, and Du Ruhui slowly said: "Currently, there are still 200,000 shi of grain in Taiyuan, and another 25 shi in Liyangcang. In addition, there are about 200,000 shi of grain in the local government granaries.  There are about 100,000 shi, which adds up to 550,000 shi. Considering that it is now a time of drought, it is necessary to use 150,000 shi to provide relief to the farmers affected by the disaster last year, and to leave another 100,000 shi to stabilize food prices, then  There is no problem in providing 300,000 shi of military rations, and the remaining 3 million sheep can also be used as military rations."

    Yang Yuanqing next to him smiled and said: "It's already April now. In two months, there will be a bumper harvest of summer grain and there will be enough food. Don't be stingy. Just take it out with confidence and boldness. I still know your background."

    There was another burst of laughter in the semi-circular hall, and Du Ruhui smiled bitterly again and said: "Actually, food and materials are fine, the key is manpower. I estimate that I can mobilize 300,000 people in one month. Do you think it is enough, Your Highness?"

    Yang Yuanqing thought for a while and said: "Mobilizing 500,000 civilians takes half a month. It's just that preparations for war require civilian strength. The subsequent war only requires 100,000 civilians. Is there a problem with this?"

    Du Ruhui looked at the several prime ministers, and they all nodded together, indicating that it was feasible. Du Ruhui agreed, "Okay! That's it, it's a deal."

    The weather in April is also a season of change. Just after the imperial court made the decision to mobilize civilians to prepare for war, the entire Hedong, Hebei and Central Plains regions entered a season of continuous spring rains. However, the Sui army's war preparations were not affected.  It still started as planned.

    On the wide, muddy official road of Xihe County, grain trucks covered with tarps, carts loaded with straw and hay, baggage trucks, and huge flat-bottomed boats rocked and creaked along the Fen River.  Squeaking forward.

    There is drizzle in the sky, it is the rainy season in the Central Plains, and the cultivated fields and ditches on the roadside are full of rainwater.  The dense forest in the distance shows a vague outline.

    The Sui army marched south through the mud and drizzle, accompanied by shouts and curses, the crackle of whips and the creak of axles, with a mighty momentum like a sea tide.From time to time, you can see dying animals or animal carcasses lying on both sides of the official road, and occasionally a large cart with its wheels upturned.  Sometimes a group of cavalry rushed into this crowd, and the soldiers kept shouting and cursing, and the horses stood up and kept neighing. A cart full of grain and grass would roll down the slope, and the people on the cart would follow.  Get out.

    Ahead, in the middle of the torrent of vehicles, soldiers lined up in a long queue, trudging through the slimy mud.

    Mixed in the flow of people were carriages carrying knives, guns, crossbows and other light weapons. The escorts were lying on the hoods of the carriages. People kept running out of the team, getting into the fields and squatting down.

    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????: A large group of soldiers supporting their generals. From time to time, you can see dozens of medical carriages slowly heading north, with soldiers suffering from acute illnesses lying inside.

    Tens of thousands of troops lined up and marched southward. One moment they passed through a dense forest and rioted over fighting for a resting place. The next moment they spread out and crossed the river. Then new carriages loaded with grain and hay poured in from both sides. Occasionally, they even  A small group of scout cavalry rushed to the front of the queue.

    Further ahead is an abandoned town. Last winter, this town was looted by the Turks who ravaged the east of the river. More than 400 people in the town were killed. It has not recovered yet. The survivors have been moved to villages two miles away.  .

    The town still presents a scene after the tragic military disaster. A broken gable wall is crumbling among the rubble and charred wood; a broken oil lamp, a tattered oilcloth fluttering in the wind on the deformed window, and several  Two elderly people who had returned home to visit their hometown sat side by side on a collapsed cart, looking at the troops passing through the town with gloomy and sad eyes.

    "Two miles away parallel to the official road is the canal. Thousands of people are struggling to pull a fleet of large boats, making low, rhythmic, and soul-stirring chants.

    The big ship is loaded with various heavy siege engines and armor. Ladders, nest carts, and floor carts have not yet been assembled. There are also rows of huge cannons on both sides of the ship. There are also grains, fodder, and barrels of kerosene on the ship.  , were heavily guarded.

    This team is a new recruit from Hedong, with about 80,000 people. The leaders are Li Jing, who has just returned from the grassland, and Pei Xingyan, who has just recovered from his injury. Their destination is Pujin Ferry, Hedong County, 400 miles away in the south.  , the march was extremely slow, and the team had been walking for four full days.

    At this time, a cavalry team of several hundred people galloped past the team. The horses' hooves stepped through the mud and splashed large amounts of sewage. Several soldiers were unable to escape, and their bodies and faces were splashed with mud.

    "**Your mother!"

    One of the soldiers cursed before he finished, ¡®Pah!  ¡¯ There was a crisp sound, and there was another blood-red whip mark on the face covered with mud.

    Dozens of horses galloped past him, creating a commotion.

    "His Royal Highness the King of Chu!" Someone recognized the golden-helmeted general in the cavalry and shouted in horror.

    The cavalry team that was flying by was Yang Yuanqing, but Yang Yuanqing was not going to Hedong County, but to Wenxi County of Jiang County. Yang Yuanqing got the news that Pei Ju was critically ill, so he rushed to see Pei Ju for the last time, and then turned around and headed to Guannei Road.

    The team ran forward for several more miles, and a temporary tent was set up in a forest in front of them. The tent was surrounded by soldiers on patrol.

    The cavalry arrived at full speed. An officer saw the red eagle flag in Phnom Penh and was so frightened that he turned and ran towards the tent. After a moment, the East Route Army commander Li Jing, deputy commander Pei Xingyan and dozens of civil and military generals came out to greet them.

    Yang Yuanqing turned over and dismounted and said with a smile: "I thought I missed you, but this team is actually fifty miles long."

    "The main reason is that there is too much baggage, which lengthens the team."

    Li Jing stepped forward and saluted, and asked with a smile: "Didn't Your Highness go to Guannai Road? Why did you go south again?"

    "Let's go check on Xiangguo Pei first. He seems to be dying."

    Pei Xingyan next to him was shocked, is the owner of the family dying?  He actually knew nothing. Yang Yuanqing glanced at him and said, "General Pei will go with me later! It won't hinder the march south."

    Pei Xingyan shook his head, "In the current war, I cannot leave my post without permission. When I pass by Wenxi County, I will stop by to visit the head of the family."

    Military discipline was strict, and Yang Yuanqing also understood Pei Xingyan's difficulties, so he no longer forced him and followed them into the big tent. There was a sand table in the middle of the big tent, and everyone was discussing the military situation just now.

    "Are there any difficulties?" Yang Yuanqing walked to the sand table and asked with a smile.

    Everyone looked at each other and Pei Xingyan scratched his head, "It's just that the marching speed is too slow. It will take at least three days to reach Hedong City."

    Li Jing added: "Your Highness, we were just saying that there was no shipping supplies this time, and a lot of manpower and animal power were used, so the march was a bit inconvenient."

    Yang Yuanqing smiled helplessly and told everyone:He explained: "In fact, there are more than 3,000 flat-bottomed boats in Taiyuan. One boat can transport 20 shi of grain. At that time, it can only transport 60,000 shi of grain. It takes at least three trips back and forth and takes more than a month. Originally, it was  That's enough, but the court and I have reached an agreement that we only have one month to prepare for the war, so time is a bit tight, so I mobilized the civilians to transport part of it with animal power, so that it only takes two trips. I hope to end the Guanzhong Campaign before the summer harvest."

    (To be continued)
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