Chapter 1157: Fighting to the West

Chapter 1157: Fighting to the West

Duan Shao knew Li Tai quite well, or it was obvious. Originally, we were fighting each other well, but in the end, you abandoned me and started fighting among yourself. Are you looking down on others?

As for the Western Wei Dynasty, although Li Tai had long expected the civil strife in the Northern Qi Dynasty, the situation on both sides has changed drastically. It can only be said that the trend is still there, but the occurrence and development of the specific events were not something he could predict in detail. . Therefore, we can only strengthen our intelligence work and strive to learn about the events in Northern Qi as soon as possible.

Nowadays, the balance of power between the Western Wei Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty has undergone great changes, especially in the previous battles between the two sides, this change has been announced and proved to the world with facts.

Although the Western Wei Dynasty is not yet strong enough to crush the Northern Qi Dynasty, the situation of a strong west and a weak east will be established. If Northern Qi cannot reverse this by winning another war of similar scale in the future, then this perception will always exist and continue to be strengthened, and it is very likely that it will end with the demise of Northern Qi.

The powerful image of the Western Wei Dynasty was established, and some personnel influences were also changing for the better.

The most obvious change is that the flow of people from east to west has increased. Although there is a tradition of settling down and relocating in ancient society, living in troubled times, the so-called tradition is still no match for reality. People must survive after all. Only when you live a better life will you consider things other than survival.

Many people from the Northern Qi Dynasty poured into the territory of the Western Wei Dynasty. Some were forced by the war and the situation, and some made active choices, hoping to rely on the strong to obtain a safe and stable life. With the flow of people, related materials and information also flowed into the Western Wei Dynasty.

I recall that when the Battle of Mangshan had just ended, He Basheng's family was killed. Because the Western Wei Dynasty had limited ability to obtain information, it took a long time to reach the Western Wei Dynasty. For a person with a distinguished status like Dugu Xin, the news of his parents' death could only be found out by chance.

But now with the strength of the Western Wei Dynasty, many important messages do not even need to be searched deliberately, and someone will naturally take the initiative to pass them over.

After the news of Li Tai's victory at the mouth of the Tongtian River spread, in addition to the joy of the people of the Western Wei Dynasty, it also caused quite a stir, even a sensation, among another group, that is, those in Yecheng A group of Kanto aristocratic clans.

The Guandong clan enjoyed certain political resources and privileges in the Northern Qi Dynasty, but relatively speaking, they were still a relatively frustrated group.

Although there were Han ministers such as Yang Min and Gao Dezheng in power, these people were unable to assume the role and responsibilities of a family leader either due to their character, ability issues, or under the control of the emperor's mind. The political connections and responses among the Kanto clans are relatively loose and insufficient to form influential political alliances and factions.

In addition, they have almost no influence and control over the army, and the sound they can make becomes weaker and weaker. In most cases, they can only play a marginal role in lubrication and adjustment. Compared with the Luoxia period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Completely different.

The rise of Li Tai in Kansai can be said to have provided them with a new version of the answer, and also allowed them to find a new spiritual idol and guide like a soldier.

Therefore, when the news of the Western Wei Dynasty's great victory in the Battle of Tongda River reached Yedu, many people secretly rushed to tell each other, and they were deeply encouraged. Some people even took action directly and planned to escape to the Western Wei Dynasty.

Nowadays, due to the expansion of the territory of the Western Wei Dynasty, the number of routes available for scholars to escape westward has increased. Either detour through Qingxu, go to Huainan, and then go west from Huainan to Shannan Mianbei, or directly cross the Yellow River from Fangtou and other places to the south of Hulao City in northern Yuzhou, or go directly west from Yedu and pass through the Taihang Mountains. Xingdao rushed to Jianzhou. In short, as long as you have the courage and dare to take risks, you will have no way to reach the territory of the Western Wei Dynasty.

Such escape operations to the west were mostly carried out in private, lacking in organization, and were inconsistent in time. The information transmitted was also highly timely.

The chaos that occurred in Yedu in the Northern Qi Dynasty was immediately transmitted to the areas controlled by the Western Wei Dynasty. The first news that came was that the troops in Ye were mutinied, but by the next day it was reported that a palace coup had taken place in Yecheng. .

Faced with this situation, Liang Shiyan, who had just succeeded Yang Zhong and arrived in Jianzhou to take charge, was a little confused for a while. Therefore, in order to find out what happened as soon as possible, he intensified his efforts to investigate eastward. At the same time, he followed the instructions of Tang Wangdong In order to report any changes immediately, soldiers were dispatched to deliver the news to the west at full speed.

Soon after, the Wei army discovered a group of relatively important people on the east side of Jianzhou Prefecture. They were relatives of the Yuan clan of the Eastern Wei Dynasty who had fled from Yedu. The leader was Jing Hao, Chen Liu AD of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

The Wei army's cavalry did not dare to neglect after discovering this group of troops, and hurriedly escorted all the personnel to the capital city of Jianzhou Prefecture.

Liang Shiyan in the prefecture city was overjoyed when he learned about this. He hurriedly went out of the city to greet him. After they met and exchanged their identities, he clasped his fists towards Yuan Jinghao and said, "I have been ordered by the King of Tang to march eastward to defeat the bandits and liberate the people." Hanging upside down, I am still trapped outside Yecheng, and I have to travel a long way to surrender. I am really ashamed."

After Yuan Jinghao heard this, he quickly waved his hands and said: "Your words are serious. The old king Xishou and others did not follow suit, but stayed in the enemy's territory to be ruled by thieves. Until now, they have only come to join the righteous army. I feel like this in my heart." I feel deeply ashamed, and how dare I blame Master Wang for the late rescue."

After the group entered the city, Liang Shiyan quickly asked what happened in Yecheng, Hebei Province, and Yuan Jinghao and his group also told them in detail what they knew.

According to Yuan Jinghao and others, the leader of Qi, Gao Yang, was afraid that his younger brother Gao Yan, who was still in his prime, would threaten his son's throne, and wanted to save the Yuan Dynasties from disaster, so he forced Gao Yan to return to Yecheng to kill the Yuan Dynasties.

Gao Yan did not want to be manipulated by this, so he ordered his disciples to join forces in Yecheng to cause chaos. At Yuan Jinghao's home, Gao Yan's subordinates came to comfort him, saying that he just had to endure the disturbance and commotion in front of him, and then It will ensure safety.

"But the Lord of Qi is cruel and unkind, and his ministers are ambitious. How can such a state have a long-term rationale? Moreover, a man would rather live in pieces than in ruins. In the past, it was already shameful to live in surrender to the thieves, but now he has to endure humiliation to beg for a living. . The old man had no choice, but now the king of the Tang Dynasty preaches righteousness to Guanlong and governs the world with benevolence. If he still doesn’t surrender quickly, he will be willing to be humble! "

Yuan Jinghao first briefly described the situation in Yecheng, and then spoke in a deep voice.

As the clan of the Yuan and Wei dynasties, although they lost their power, some of their past contacts were still preserved, giving them more channels to obtain information. Therefore, the information they could provide was more detailed and credible than hearsay.

Although their explanation still did not involve the inside story of the military operation, based on the personnel clues provided at the moment, it can be inferred that the turmoil in the Northern Qi Dynasty must be very profound and intense, and I am afraid it will not end in a short time.

After listening to the stories of all of them, Liang Shiyan couldn't help but his eyes widened for a moment, and he clapped his hands and praised: "It's really admirable that you have such insightful words. Now that you have entered our country, you no longer have to worry about being a thief." If it is helpful to the king, the king of Tang will definitely reward him and praise him!"

After that, he temporarily placed this group of people in the state capital, and then started to inquire about the Northern Qi Dynasty that he had come into contact with elsewhere. After summarizing and comparing the information obtained from various channels, he gradually pieced it together. A general outline of the incident was revealed, and soon the troops were sent west again.

In less than two days, the relevant report was placed on Li Tai's desk in Shangyang Palace.

Because Li Tai specifically told him that any progress in this direction must be staged and submitted to the military affairs as soon as possible, so when he got up early in the morning, he didn't even have time to have breakfast. After being informed of this, he quickly grabbed the letter on the direct case. After a quick glance at the newspaper, my face suddenly lit up with joy, knowing that the opportunity I had been waiting for for so long had finally appeared.

So he immediately summoned the people under his command to announce the news, and while the people were discussing in surprise, he issued an order to restart the war with Northern Qi and begin the second phase of the battle.

This time, no one in the government had any objections. First of all, the great victory in the previous stage had proved the strength of the Western Wei Dynasty's own military power, and also made the people in the country correctly aware of its own strength. Secondly, there was such a big turmoil in Northern Qi. It would be unjustifiable if we did not take the opportunity to attack and attack!

Although the Western Wei Dynasty consumed a lot of its national power in the previous stage of the war, as the victor, it was not just a matter of consumption, but it still gained a lot. Moreover, after Li Tai returned to the country, he made some urgent internal affairs adjustments, especially ordering the states in Shannan Province to send Qiu Fu to the pass in advance, which restored the material savings in the pass and allowed the army to continue to carry out military activities for a period of time. .

The divisions and brigade that had been on the expedition did not withdraw to Guanzhong, but rested on the spot in Hedong. Although less than a month's rest was not enough to restore Sly to his peak level, he was no longer as exhausted as before.

Li Tai had already made adjustments to his military affairs before returning to the court. The next direction he chose to attack was no longer Jinzhou and Shangdang areas, but to advance from Jianzhou and Henan west across the river, with his troops pointing directly at the river. Luo, Hanoi areas and even Yecheng further back!

This time, he did not choose to lead the army in person for the expedition. Instead, he led the expedition with General Yang Zhong. At the same time, Lu Shuhu, Li Chao, Li Licheng and other members of the Bafu followed the army to conduct some operations other than military operations.

As for him, although he did not go to the front line in person, in order to grasp the development of the situation on the front line and make timely arrangements, he still had to go to Hongnong to take charge.