The imperial army left a small number of troops to garrison Xiangcheng, and the 400,000 brave men with high morale marched in high spirits. Those who are still alive after the war feel that they have lifted the layer of fog and gradually see their bright future clearly. They are just ordinary people. What they think about is how to perform meritorious service on the battlefield every day and survive. They can't think about any conspiracy, nor can they think about the country and the country.
They only know that Xiangcheng has been destroyed, and Li Yuanshan has retreated with hundreds of thousands of remaining soldiers. There is no reason not to pursue them at this time. They only see victory in sight, not any pitfalls.
There was a lot of grain and grass in Xiangcheng, because Li Yuanshan was worried that transporting all the grain and grass would arouse the emperor's suspicion. After replenishing supplies, the 400,000-strong army divided into three groups and continued to march westward.
The emperor was sitting on a tall and magnificent imperial chariot, and he specifically ordered people to open the windows and look at the still depressed scenery outside. This royal chariot is also called a palace and requires hundreds of horses and manpower to pull it. Jin Shixiong sat next to the emperor nervously, lowering his head and looking at his toes.
The emperor slowly returned his gaze from the window. He felt that the temperature of the hand stove was already slightly cold, but he did not bother to hand it to Su Buwei to change the charcoal. He stuffed the hand stove into his sleeve, not knowing whether he wanted to warm himself or to keep the hand stove for a while longer. temperature.
"Do you know why I want to take you with me?"
The emperor asked.
Jin Shixiong nodded first, and then immediately shook his head: "I don't know."
The emperor sighed slightly: "I took Su Buwei to let him follow me until the end. I took you not to let you die, but to entrust you with an important errand. I won't tell you. Where is the knife I have hidden in this battle, but I can tell you that I cannot lose this battle. After the chaos is over, the endgame in the northwest is too messy and terrible, and there must be someone with stronger skills to control it After the decisive battle. , I asked you to sit in the northwest and help the prince clean up this mess."
"My lord"
Jin Shixiong stood up and knelt down: "I ask your Majesty to reconsider. Your Majesty has already secured victory in this battle, so why take the risk yourself I am willing to lead 400,000 brave men to pursue Li Ni, and I will never betray your Majesty's trust."
"It can't be that easy."
The emperor smiled, seemingly a little bitterly.
"If I don't chase him in person, Li Yuanshan will not fight with all his strength. But the most important thing is not this, but the knife that I have hidden in advance. I have to go in person to reveal it. I can't show it yet. Tell you, you don¡¯t need to ask. There is no room for reversal of this matter, you just need to remember my explanation.¡±
"I obey the order."
Jin Shixiong bowed his head.
The emperor said: "Get up, you and I have been monarchs and ministers for more than ten years, and we have never been so restrained. Don't cry and look sad. The chaos in the northwest will be put down in just a day. I have cut out most of the moths and tumors in the court, so there is nothing to be unhappy about." Unhappy things, if you think that I did this out of necessity and determination, then you are wrong I have no intention of hiding anything anymore. My body can no longer carry it for much longer. No matter what, I will die. It is better to curl up on the sick bed and moan than to walk magnificently, I am really happy."
He asked Jin Shixiong to sit down: "In the northwest, it is especially difficult to govern after chaos. You are a military commander, but you are careful and prudent in your actions. You can rest assured that I will leave the stalls in the northwest to you. You must remember that although the people in the northwest will be thieves, they will not be counted. However, don't be strict with the law and show more kindness. The purpose of a country is not to kill the people until they are docile, but to support them and let them live and work in peace and contentment. For the remnants of Li Ni, the country will be stable. Kill. For the people, do you understand?¡±
"I understand"
"Um"
The emperor seemed a little tired and shrank back into the large chair: "Looking at the uneasy look on your face, I know what you are thinking. Now I have told you how to control the chaos, but you have no way to let it go. You are full of confidence in victory, right?¡±
"My lord"
Jin Shixiong opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
"Just watch."
The emperor waved his hand lazily: "I made such a big bet, and I know what I will exchange for my life. I thought that if I can still be healthy after annihilating Li Ni, I will go to see Langru Mountain. . When I met Brother Kuoketai, I was in a hurry and didn¡¯t take a good look at the scenery at the far west of the river. Maybe if I walked around more, I might be able to get better if the beauty of the world nourishes me. Woolen cloth?"
He smiled and said: "I used to look at the bad side of things. Now my mind has changed a little, and I want to look at the good side."
 "Your Majesty will definitely be fine!"
Jin Shixiong said as if he swore.
"Ha ha"
The emperor smiled freely: "I hope so By the way, there is another thing you may not know yet. You don't know Fang Jie, and you may have heard his name before."
"I know the first place in the Yanwu Academy entrance examination."
"Well, now he is leading your team."
The emperor turned his eyes to the window again and said in a natural and calm tone: "After the war, I will let him return the military power to you I always have a feeling."
The following words were spoken too softly, and Jin Shixiong did not hear them.
"We can't let him lead the troops for too long"
The emperor said.
¡¡
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270 miles southwest of Xiangcheng
With Sipan Town as the center, there are camps covering a radius of more than ten miles. Hundreds of thousands of fine armor have been stationed here for more than ten days, and the nearby people have stayed away to avoid the disaster of war. At first glance, there were soldiers with murderous intent everywhere, so much so that the weather was affected and became even colder.
Patrolling soldiers wearing thick leather armor walked past in an orderly queue, and the ice shards hanging on the front could chill people's hearts.
A general in iron armor walked quickly, ran outside the tallest military tent in the camp, shouted, then opened the heavy curtain and got in.
"General, Xiangcheng has been destroyed!"
The person who came in was a man who looked to be in his twenties. The armor on his body made a dull sound when he cupped his fists. Just like his voice, it was low and slightly hoarse.
His name is Luo Xiaotu.
A cold and arrogant man who rarely speaks, but today, he could not hide the joy on his face.
The middle-aged man sitting behind the table stopped what he was doing and glanced at the half-written words. There were three large characters written in thick ink on the rice paper, but these three words seemed inconsistent.
Allow
Seize
Expand
Hearing the news that Xiangcheng had been destroyed, he paused for a moment and then finished writing the last word.
Certainly
Luo Xiaotu looked at the four words on the rice paper, and the joy on his face gradually calmed down.
"Xiaotuyou are still not calm enough."
The middle-aged man who was writing hung the wolf hair on the pen holder, turned around and walked to the map to look at it: "You look very happy, so tell me where you should be happy?"
Luo Xiaotu pondered for a while and said: "Back to the general, Xiangcheng has been defeated. The emperor led an army of 400,000 to pursue the remnants of Li Yuanshan. They have been ambushed by Li Yuanshan. Things are going smoothly, so I feel relieved. It is beyond words, it is a subordinate. Practicing is not enough.¡±
"Four hundred thousand?"
Luo Yao was slightly startled: "According to calculations, the number of people left in the imperial court is far more than this number."
"Back to the general, according to the news reported by the spies, the emperor, with Gao Kaitai as the chief general, led an army of 200,000 to garrison in the Qinchuan area. The emperor led more than 400,000 horses across Xiangcheng and headed west."
Luo Yao was silent for a while and couldn't help but smile: "The emperor is still worried about me. Gao Kaitai is calm with his troops. The emperor asked him to lead 200,000 people to garrison in Qinchuan. The one he is guarding against is me The emperor is worried about him. I led the troops to pursue Li Yuanshan, but I led the troops to cut off the retreat of the imperial army. Haha If you don't trust your ministers and your ministers don't respect you, the power of the Sui Dynasty is really coming to an end. "
"General, what should we do?"
Luo Xiaotu asked further.
"Do you think Li Yuanshan's plan will succeed so easily?"
Luo Yao looked back at Luo Xiaotu and said calmly: "I told you that the emperor is an unparalleled wise king. For the first time, Li Yuanshan deceived the imperial court's 700,000-strong army at Mandu Banner. Did the emperor fall into his trap? Wrong. But the emperor is not the kind of person who stumbles on the same stone twice. It would be a joke if he couldn't see through Li Yuanshan's arrangement, and Li Yuanshan set up the ambush circle so large, with a range of 270 miles. , with the men and horses he has now, there is no way he can trap the emperor to deathPutting his hope on me, on the Meng Yuan people, in fact, Li Yuanshan has been defeated. "
He kicked an opponent out of the game with an understatement: "He is no longer qualified to stay on the chessboard because he is too arrogant. Meng Yuan people will not be willing to just make swords. Although the temptation to kill the emperor is The Yuan people couldn't resist, and Kuoketai Meng Ge had been waiting for more than ten years, but the Meng Yuan people's thoughts were not only on the emperor. As long as the emperor died, the Meng Yuan people would also get rid of Li Yuanshan before returning to the grassland. "
"Why?"
Luo Xiaotu asked.
"Because Kuoketai Mengge canI don¡¯t want to have a neighbor with a strong army. "
Luo Xiaotu was silent, and then asked: "Then shall we send troops or not?"
"Enter"
Luo Yao smiled and said: "Of course we have to march in the army, otherwise what would I do if I brought troops to the northwest? Whether Li Yuanshan is plotting against the emperor, or the emperor is plotting against Li Yuanshan, until now I am still an outsider. Only by marching in the army can I truly enter the game. No matter what the emperor's plan is, he only has those troops. No matter what Li Yuanshan's plan is, he doesn't have many people I haven't taken it seriously yet."
"Send someone to tell Kuoktai Menglie to fight Gao Kaitai. More than 200,000 wolf cavalry fighting 200,000 infantry should be a spectacular scene."
"Then where shall we march?"
"Another game"
Luo Yao smiled calmly and said: "The situation I set upI have ordered Yongzhou's troops to mobilize, and they should have crossed the Yishui River by now. As long as they cross the Yangtze River again, 700,000 troops will march to the Central Plains. I will lead the troops to the Central Plains. After crossing the river eastward and joining forces with Yongzhou, I never set my sights on this tired place in the northwest, but on the city called Chang'an."
Luo Xiaotu was stunned for a moment, and then he clasped his fists: "I am willing to follow the general and create great achievements that will never be forgotten!"
Luo Yao smiled and said no more.
He picked up the pen again and wrote a line of small words on the rice paper.
The west becomes the east and the east becomes misty and has no trace; the south is determined and the north is determined. It has a beginning and an end.