Chapter 201: Jiaozhao

Chapter 201: Jiaozhao

  Chapter 201 Correction

   Exit Qizhou and enter Binzhou.

  Going north along the Jinghe tunnel, Qin Lang felt the precipitousness of the northwest gateway in the middle of the pass. The farther to the northwest, the less fertile plains, and the narrow and deep valleys are more obvious.

  The Jinghe River is difficult to transport by boat and water, so Qin Lang and his party traveled along the rugged and winding road in the valley. I don't know how many Hu tribes have traveled along this road until they approached Chang'an in Guanzhong. I don't know how many Qin and Han armies gathered from Chang'an again and again to go on expeditions beyond the Great Wall.

   But at the moment, Qin Lang doesn't have thousands of troops around him, but only a hundred men and horses from the Zhenfu Department. They did not go on an expedition beyond the Great Wall to open up the Western Regions, but they also had heavy responsibilities.

   Li Shimin asked Qin Lang to go to Jingzhou to see what Li Yi was doing at this time, which actually showed that Li Yi had been stabbed in Li Shimin's throat for a long time.

   As a hero of the separatist regime at the end of the Sui Dynasty, although he joined Li Tang very early, he was never really trusted by the Li family and his son.

  When Li Yuan was in charge, his methods were more gentle, but when it came to Li Shimin, because he had an old grudge with Li Shimin, Li Shimin couldn't tolerate him even more.

  A lot of information detected by the Zhenfu Division also showed that Li Yi has been restless.

The last time the Turkic soldiers came to Chang'an, Li Yi guarded Jingzhou. He made a strange move at that time. Although the court quickly reached a white horse alliance with Jieli, forcing Jieli to withdraw his troops, Li Yi did not have time to make more changes, but at the critical moment Those actions still deeply stimulated Li Shimin.

   "Sanlang, Zhao Cihao, the governor of Binzhou, is here to greet you!"

   Captain Dugu Yanyun reported.

  Qin Lang's thoughts were interrupted, he nodded.

  Zhao Cihao is the Zhizhong of Binzhou, his full name is Zhizhong Engaged, a state assistant official, and he is second to Biejia. In the Sui Dynasty, Biejia and Zhizhong were changed to Changshi and Sima.

   "Zhao Zhizhong also brought Yang Ji, the commander of Binzhou, with a lot of troops." Dugu Yanyun had something in his words.

  Qin Lang smiled, "It's okay, these two are our own."

  Binzhou belonged to Jingzhou in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was called Xinping County in the Sui Dynasty. It was renamed Binzhou in the Tang Dynasty. It only governed Xinping and Sanshui counties.

   Originally, Binzhou could have been subordinated to Jingzhou, but the imperial court still established Binzhou independently, because of the special location of Binzhou.

  Jingzhou originally occupied the important Jingzhou channel gateway in the northwest of Guanzhong. If such a key place of victory is included, if the southern exit is also included, it will not be conducive to the needs of military guards. Therefore, Binzhou is established separately and is not affiliated to Jingzhou.

Li Yi was originally guarding Binzhou. He considered that once Binzhou came out, it would be the Guanzhong Plain, so the imperial court transferred Li Yi to Jingzhou in the north. It is an important military state, and Binzhou is guarding the gate in the south. Li Yi is actually trapped in Jingzhou.

  Because of the importance of Binzhou, after Li Yi was transferred away, Li Shimin didn't send any more governors, not even a second car.

   During the administration, Zhao Cihao and Yang Ji, the commanding army stationed in Binzhou, belonged to Li Shimin.

  When Zhao Cihao saw Qin Lang, he immediately felt relieved.

   "Duke Yi, you are finally here."

   But when he saw Qin Lang coming with more than a hundred riders, he was a little disappointed.

   "But what happened?" Qin Lang noticed the change in his face and asked.

   "Li Yi wants to rebel!" Zhao Cihao said worriedly. During this time, all the prefectures in the pass were busy catching locusts for disaster relief. While Zhao Cihao was in charge of catching locusts in Binzhou, he had to keep an eye on Li Yi all the time, not daring to relax at all.

  Hard work pays off, his watch is still useful, he found a lot of abnormal behavior in Jingzhou recently. For example, in the name of disaster relief, Li Yi recruited government soldiers and even requisitioned food and grass.

   "The Department of Zhenfu also has a grasp of what you said, but it is not enough to show that Li Yi will rebel. After all, Li Yi, as the governor, has the right to mobilize and requisition during the special period of locust hunting and disaster relief."

   "Duke Yi, Li Yi will definitely rebel, I dare to guarantee it with my head!"

  Qin Lang smiled.

   "Zhao Zhizhong is loyal to the imperial court. His Majesty knows it well, and I understand it too, but how can the imperial court punish Li Yi for treason just because of these things?"

   This is actually telling Zhao Cihao that everyone knows that Li Yi is not a good bird, but in this matter, unless the court has more evidence, it cannot act first.

   "I am here to investigate this matter at the emperor's will."

  Zhao Cihao smiled a little reluctantly, "But Lord Yi only brought a hundred horses here, if Li Yi rebels and makes trouble, I'm afraid he won't be able to control it."

   "Li Yi has long been a trapped bird in a cage. If he doesn't fight back, he will die. If he does, he will find his own death. To deal with Li Yi, only a hundred horses are enough."

  Qin Lang's words are of course not bragging.

  If Li Yi is in Youzhou now, then Qin Lang dare not say such big words. Li Yi has ruled the roost in Youzhou for many years, and his power is strong. Back then, even Dou Jiande could not attack Dou Jiande with 100,000 soldiers for a long time, but after all, it is not the past.

   Li Yi was attached to Datang. After Wude put down Liu Heita five years later, he was also conscripted by the court, and he never returned to Hebei after that.

Now, although it is said that the governor is outside the town, Jingzhou is a prison. In front of it, there is the gate of Xiaoguan in Yuanzhou, and there are two towns of Liang and Ling to block the connection with the outside of the Great Wall. In the south, there is Binzhou to block, and Chang'an is only three miles away. Only a hundred miles.

  The most important point is that the imperial court has been guarding against Li Yi for a long time. Li Yuan was guarding against him, and Li Shimin was even stricter after he took power.

  At the time of Li Yuan, Li Yi was still General Tianjie at any rate, commanding one of the twelve forces in Guanzhong.

   This Tianjie general is very important. Based on Li Yuanshi's military system, the Guanzhong area was divided into twelve military regions, which were led by twelve generals.

  This military region system is completely different from the Twelve Guards system.

  Li Yi, who was envoy of the military region, has the power to command and deploy troops, as well as the power of civil affairs, finance and taxation, which is greater military power than the general governor of border states.

Compared with the original system in which the twelve guards commanded the generals, the commanding army mansion commanded the troops, the Ministry of War was in charge of dispatching orders, and the emperor had the right to choose generals, the military region system of the Twelve Routes in Guanzhong allowed Datang to face difficulties at the beginning of the founding of the country. When the military situation around Chang'an is complicated, the generals have higher decision-making and mobilization rights, and they don't have to ask for instructions in everything and obey the imperial court's mobilization, so as not to delay the war opportunity.

  Based on his status as General Tianjie, Li Yi could mobilize the troops and horses of the commanding army mansions under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou, Yuanzhou, Binzhou and other important gateways in the northwest of Chang'an, and he could also mobilize the money, grain, wealth and taxes of the states.

  But this important position was directly dismissed after Li Shimin became the prince.

  The entire Guanzhong Twelve Taoists and Guanzhong Twelve Generals were dismissed at once.

   Then Li Yi was transferred from Binzhou to Jingzhou, and then he was the deputy commander of the Northern Expedition, and the post of marching commander was also dismissed, so only the post of governor of Jingzhou was left.

  The governor of Jingzhou is just a civilian job, and he can't even mobilize the soldiers of the local commanding army in Jingzhou, let alone the soldiers and horses of Yuan, Bin and other prefectures.

  Jingzhou is not Youzhou, Li Yi doesn't have much prestige here, without the status given by the imperial court, he is just a tiger in Pingyang.

  Although there are still some confidants around, but what kind of waves can they make?

  Qin Lang's composure and self-confidence surprised even Zhao Cihao.

  After all, Li Yi's name is very famous. During the previous dynasty, he guarded Youzhou and prestiged the barbarians outside the Great Wall. This kind of famous general still poses a great threat to civil servants like Zhao Cihao.

   "Let's go, enter Xinping City. Zhao Zhizhong, the news of my arrival hasn't been revealed?"

   "No, only my subordinates and Yang Tongjun know."

   "Very well, continue to keep it secret and block the news. We will enter the city disguised as a food team in a while."

  After entering Xinping City in Binzhou, Qin Lang stopped and did not go. He did not go to Jingzhou.

  After Qin Lang entered the city, he stayed in the backyard of Binzhou Yamen, and began to collect information on Li Yi in Jingzhou. After analyzing a lot of information, Qin Lang summoned Zhao Cihao and Yang Ji successively.

  On the third day after he entered Binzhou City, Zhao Cihao came to see him in a hurry.

   "Duke Yi, Li Yi is here."

   "He has come to Binzhou with 8,000 troops!"

  Qin Lang wasn't surprised at all, he smiled calmly, "I knew he was coming, I've been waiting for him for a long time."

   "What should we do now? Should we immediately call Yang Commander's Army to assemble the government soldiers?"

   "No need!"

  Qin Lang chuckled.

   "But Li Yi is going to the city soon, and there are not many soldiers in the city."

  After Qin Lang arrived in Binzhou three days ago, he stopped and didn't leave because he received a secret report from the hidden post in Jingzhou of the Zhenfu Division three days ago, saying that Li Yi was rebelling.

  Li Yi couldn’t hold back after all, he was about to rebel when the Turks invaded last time, but unfortunately he wasn’t ready yet, as a result Xieli actually signed the Weiqiao Alliance with Li Shimin and then withdrew.

   This made Li Yi very angry.

   But there is no way, things are in a hurry, and he is not ready at all.

   But there are some things, once you start, you can't stop.

  After Li Shimin launched the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Yi has been in a state of panic. He knew that Li Shimin would eventually come to liquidate him, and that day would come sooner or later.

  When the old subordinate Wang Shen was killed in Youzhou, and dozens of his former confidantes were also purged in Youzhou, Li Yi became more urgent and critical.

  Originally he thought that the Turkic invasion was a good opportunity, and he happened to send troops south to join Xieli. Who knew that his mother Xieli was a coward.

  After Xieli left, Li Yi prepared and planned for a long time, and finally took advantage of the locust plague in Guanzhong and the uncertainty of people's hearts.

  Li Yi and his confidantes summoned Jingzhou's government soldiers and local tyrants, pretending to follow the secret edict to order troops to enter the court!

  He didn't even dare to openly rebel and raise the flag, because he didn't have many prestige and confidantes in Jingzhou, so he could only use this method to coax and coerce soldiers to raise troops. He didn't even dare to pretend to obey Li Yuan's imperial edict, but pretended to obey the new emperor's secret imperial edict, saying that he was required to lead troops into the court to kill the rebels who conspired to cause chaos.

  After Li Xiaochang and Li Youliang rebelled against the two kings, the generals in Jingzhou really believed it.

  So Li Yi deceived Jingzhou generals and powerful families, recruited thousands of government soldiers and many village braves, and brought 8,000 troops to Binzhou.

   This is the result of Li Yi and his confidantes conspiring for a long time. They fought desperately and went directly to Chang'an City while all parties were not paying attention. If there was no chance, they would lead the troops back to Hebei.

  He didn't choose to go out to the northwest because the three towns of Yuan Liangling blocked his way.

   "Report, King Yan has led his troops outside the city!"

  Qin Lang sneered twice, and said to Zhao Cihao, "Zhao Zhizhong, please go to the gate of the city to welcome the King of Yan!"

  (end of this chapter)