Chapter 1285 Let bygones be bygones

Chapter 1285 Let bygones be bygones

Langya County City is not a large city, but it is also difficult to attack.

This area is full of hills and rugged terrain. It has often become a battlefield in previous years. There are also many strong bandits and robbers in the territory. In order to guard against enemy threats, the people in the countryside often build fortifications. Large fortifications and small cities are widely distributed between Yishan and Yishui.

Such fortifications are very difficult to attack, just like the cities built between the east and west in the south of Luoxi Pass in the past. Langya County City is surrounded by these large and small fortifications. If you want to attack Langya City, you must remove these outer fortifications one by one.

After arriving in Langya County, the Tang army sent people to the fortifications with closed gates to persuade them to surrender, but the effect was minimal.

This southern Shandong region was far away from the traditional war zone between the East and the West. The people didn't even know the origin of the Tang army. When the soldiers were shouting outside the fortress to persuade them to surrender, people in the fortress were still shouting loudly: "The Huai bandits and island barbarians are coming to kill us!"

In such a situation, there was naturally no effective communication. These villagers not only didn't understand the origin and strength of the Tang army, but were also full of rejection and hostility towards their fellow villagers. It should be noted that the Huai bandits and island barbarians they were shouting about were even their fellow villagers a few generations ago.

Seeing that persuading them to surrender was fruitless, Ruo Ruofeng decided not to waste his words and immediately ordered an attack on these fortresses. And those villagers who had surrendered in Huaibei before once again took on the role of pioneers and began to attack the fortresses with all their strength.

Although these fortresses were not large in scale, they were densely distributed. There were several fortresses distributed in front and behind a valley. The smaller ones could only accommodate a dozen people, and the larger ones could only accommodate a hundred people. It looked a bit crude, but it was very difficult to fight. The villagers held homemade hooks, chains and other modified weapons, and some were simply bamboo and wooden spikes. They used these crude walls as their bases. If they could win, they would fight, and if they couldn't, they would retreat. When the Tang army went deep into the valley, they fought back.

After such a battle, the Tang army finally broke through a valley road several miles long, and the Huaibei villagers who acted as the vanguard suffered hundreds of casualties. The villagers who were repelled did not flee in defeat, but retreated to the valley behind and gathered again, looking at the movements of the Tang army and choosing another suitable place to block.

"These Lunan mountain people are really tough. Aren't they afraid of death?"

Although it was just a small-scale battle, Ruo Feng also realized the difficulty of these villagers and frowned.

It is not true that these villagers are very combat-capable. After all, they lack even the basic bows, swords, armor and staffs. They can only rely on the repeated gathering and dispersal of the mountain terrain to cause any obvious damage to the Tang army, but it greatly slows down the army's advance.

If there is enough time, it is not difficult to suppress these rural people. After all, the two sides are not opponents of the same level. But the most important thing at the moment is undoubtedly to rush to Qingzhou and eliminate the remaining forces of the Northern Qi headed by Gao Zhan, rather than staying on the way to entangle with these villagers.

Although the court did not stipulate a specific military period, there is no doubt that the sooner you arrive at the battlefield, the better. Ruo Ruofeng really doesn't want to be trapped here and waste too much time.

"Don't continue to entangle with these rural people, gather elite soldiers, and take several counties and cities directly!"

After weighing the pros and cons, Ruo Ruofeng gave up the idea of ​​​​the army pushing forward all the way, and prepared to concentrate on eliminating several key strongholds first.

Although the southern part of Shandong is full of mountains, it is not completely without plains. The areas where the Yishui River and Shushui River flow through are flat. However, if the Lianwu strongholds along the way are not removed, the armed forces of the local people may rush out from the walls at any time to harass and attack the army, seriously affecting the military operations.

It is time-consuming and laborious to attack these walls, so Ruo Feng first led the army to camp by the river and no longer rushed to advance. Instead, he gathered elite troops and directly bypassed those small walls and then attacked those large cities. As long as these cities are removed, even if the surrounding Lianwus are still defending, they can only defend their own areas due to the lack of overall coordination and dispatch, which is not enough to hinder the actions of the army.

Then, Ruo Feng ordered Yang Hun, Yuwen Xin and other generals to lead the army forward, while he gathered a thousand elite cavalry in the camp and stood by at any time. Once he found signs that the surrounding fortresses were mobilizing troops to attack, he immediately led the elite cavalry to intimidate and stop them, making it difficult for the soldiers in the fortresses to support the attacked city.

In this way, the advantages of the Tang army were brought into play again, and the local people could no longer cause trouble by relying on the terrain. The Tang army successively captured Wuyang, Feixian and other cities in the territory, allowing the army to smoothly advance to Jiqiu, where the city of Langya County was located.

When the Tang army advanced to the city of Jiqiu, the defenders in Langya County were as anxious as ants on a hot pot, and asked the governor how to deal with the crisis.

Although Jiqiu was the city of Langya County, Yang Lie, the governor of Langya, led his troops to station in Xintai City, northwest of the county city. The reason is very simple, because Xintai is his hometown and the seat of the Taishan Yang family.

After the fall of Yedu and Jinyang, the Northern Qi regime can be said to have perished. As for the small court established by Gao Zhan in Qingzhou, its prestige and appeal were very weak.

Officials from other nearby states and counties chose to join Gao Zhan's small court in order to maintain control over their rulers. However, the Taiyang family from which Yang Lie was born is currently the leading powerful family in Shandong and does not need an order from the court. They can also have great control and influence over the countryside.

Therefore, when Gao Zhan proclaimed himself emperor in Qingzhou, Yang Lie was not eager to surrender. Instead, he temporarily retreated from the county seat to Xintai Township. On the one hand, he gathered the township righteous tribes to strengthen their power. Wait and see how the situation develops in the countryside.

However, the development of the general trend of the world will not be affected by the thoughts of a powerful enemy. He hopes to be able to defend his hometown and remain uncontested. However, when the Tang army in Huainan advances northward, Langya County where he is located is helpless. Avoid the impact.

"Your Majesty, the Tang army has already attacked several cities. Although the villagers tried their best to obstruct it, they could not stop their army from advancing. If Qiucheng is captured again, most of the country will be invaded! Now the elders in the city have entrusted The official came to ask, if there is still a need to fight, please ask your troops to send reinforcements quickly. If there is no more fighting, please quickly tell the father to open the city and ask for surrender, so as to not lose the trace of returning to justice. Otherwise, if the city is destroyed, the city may be full. Both father and mother are prisoners!”

Some county officials who came from Jiqiu came to Xintai City. After seeing Yang Lie, they paid homage and said.

After Yang Lie heard this, he couldn't help but look sad, and he was in a dilemma. Previously, he wanted to wait until the situation became clearer before thinking about where to go. Originally, he thought that even if the Tang army wanted to conquer Gao Zhan, who was entrenched in Qingzhou, they would just march eastward along the river and take Qingzhou directly, which would not affect the mountains. Between Xintai City too much attention.

If Gao Zhan could not withstand the Tang army's offensive and was defeated, he would naturally surrender to the Tang Dynasty, so that the situation would be spread, and both he and the villagers could try to avoid being affected by the war.

However, he did not expect that the Tang army would launch an attack directly from Huainan, and Langya County, located in southern Shandong, would bear the brunt of the attack. Originally, he had not thought about surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, but a few days ago, Qingzhou suddenly sent an envoy here to convey the edict of the puppet leader Gao Zhan, and he was granted the title of Duke of Taishan and governor of North Xuzhou, which directly eliminated him. dilemma.

Although the elders in the countryside are not yet very aware of the changes in the general trend of the world, Yang Lie's identity naturally has its own channels for information. The people of the Li clan in Zhao County, Hebei Province were severely punished for rashly accepting the title of the puppet master Gao Jun. Almost The whole family was beheaded, and Yang Lie had heard about it for a long time.

He originally did not intend to stir up Gao Zhan's muddy waters, but now trouble has come to him. Even if he says that he is unwilling to accept Gao Zhan's title, will Tang Jun be willing to listen to his explanation?

Faced with the request for help and instructions from his subordinates from Jiqiu City, Yang Lie didn't know what to answer for a while. Of course, he was unwilling to lead his troops into a war with the Tang army, and he was unwilling to allow himself to have no way out, sacrificing his clan members and strong men to protect Gao Zhan from disaster.

But if he surrendered directly to the Tang army, he was a little worried that he might not receive any courtesy, especially since Gao Zhan had just awarded him a title. Would this be a reason for the Tang army to attack him?

Just when Yang Lie was still confused and didn't know where to go, his subordinates came to report that there were envoys from the Tang Army outside the city asking to see him.

"Please invite Tang Envoy quickly!"

After Yang Lie learned about this, he was also happy in his heart. Although he was still not sure about the purpose of Tang's envoy coming here, since sending the envoy here meant that the other party was also willing to communicate. As long as they could talk, they might be able to talk. Come up with a result that satisfies both parties.

Soon, a tall and muscular man in his thirties was introduced into the mansion. After seeing Yang Lie, he clasped his fists and said, "The last general is the Duke of the Tang Dynasty and the general manager of Yangzhou. The Duke ordered me to come to see Mr. Sheep. I have admired Mr. Sheep for a long time, and when I saw him today, he was really extraordinary!"

"Your Majesty, you don't need to be polite, please take a seat!"

Yang Lie was not arrogant. He stood up from the table and said to the envoy with a smile. But when his eyes fell on the envoy's face, he felt a vague sense of familiarity and couldn't help but ask: "May I ask where your envoy comes from? He seems to be so kind, and he seems to be vaguely acquainted with me."

After hearing this, the man suddenly looked solemn, raised his hands and bowed to Yang Lie, and then said: "We met on official business, so we didn't have time to describe our life experience in detail. I have made it clear to you that I have already seen some clues. He was famous as Yang Kun, and he followed his father south to Liang when he was a baby. Many local people and things were unfamiliar to him, but unexpectedly, my uncle could recognize them at a glance..."

"You, you are... the son of Brother Zu Xin? You actually followed the Tang army and returned to your hometown?"

When Yang Lie heard this, his eyes widened immediately. After several breaths, he was able to confirm the identity of this person. It turned out to be the son of his cousin Yang Kan, but soon his face showed surprise again, and there was no trace of his relatives being reunited. His happy look turned out to be more worrying.

Yang Kun took in the changes in the other party's expression, and leaned forward and said, "Yes, I am currently serving as a general under the command of Duke Dai. This time I came to see you on official business and did not have the courtesy to pay homage. Please forgive me, uncle."

Yang Lie stared at Yang Kun for a while without saying anything, and the atmosphere in the hall became quite awkward. After a while, he looked at Yang Kun again and said in a deep voice: "The Lord of Tang will send you here, what do you say?" Sue me?"

After learning Yang Kun's identity, Yang Lie not only did not act more cordially, but his attitude became a bit distant and cold, and there was deep wariness in his eyes. This is because when Yang Kan, Yang Kan's father, rebelled against Wei Nantou, Yang Lie did not support it and even went to Luoyang to report. After that, the Northern Wei Dynasty sent a large army to encircle and suppress. Although Yang Kan still broke through and went south, there was no relationship between them. Naturally, the relationship is no longer familial.

Yang Kun naturally knew what Yang Lie was thinking. After hearing this, he leaned over and said, "When my late father started the uprising in Nantou, I was still an infant. Although Yun was from this clan, I was not familiar with the local people. Today When I followed Duke Dai on the road, he asked me about various things in my hometown, but I couldn't answer them at all. I thought that my uncle had been living in the village for a long time, so I invited Miao to see me, hoping to introduce my uncle to Duke Dai. "

Yang Lie was still frowning. He was anxious and in a dilemma before. When the Tang envoy arrived, he was willing to communicate, but it was Yang Kun who arrived. This made him feel suspicious and embarrassed. He couldn't figure out what kind of person Tang Jun was. attitude.

When Yang Kun saw that Yang Lie was silent, he said again: "Although I personally experienced the story back then, the personnel and personnel were unknown. Most of the information was learned from other people's mouths. Now times have changed, and the right and wrong may not be finalized, but the personnel and affairs have been settled. Please, my late father. Being benevolent, my uncle is still living in peace in his hometown. It can be considered that his long-cherished wish has been fulfilled, and there is no need to worry about it. It is a pity that my uncle has not made all the choices, so that he is harmed, which makes people regretful!"

The Taiyang family is a famous family in Shandong, and they are also prosperous. When Yang Kan was preparing to start an uprising in Nantou, not only Yang Lie and others opposed it, but Yang Kan's biological brother Yang Shen also opposed it. Yang Shen was then Xu Yanxingtai. When he received the letter sent by Yang Kan, he actually killed Yang Kan's envoy and took the initiative to apologize.

Later, when Yang Kan talked about Nantou, although Yang Shen was implicated to a certain extent, because the Taiyang family had great power and influence in Shandong, he was appointed to an official position soon after. During the Yuan Xiu period of Emperor Xiaowu, he was once an official and wrote orders. But not long after, Yang Shen and Fan Zihu rebelled against Gao Huan in the countryside, and were annihilated and executed.

After Yang Lie heard what Yang Kun said, he couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, Yang Kan was determined to defect to the Liang Dynasty, and many years ago he defended Taicheng in Nanliang during Hou Jing's rebellion, and eventually died of illness. It can be said that benevolence is rewarded.

As for himself, when he chose to report Yang Kan, it was indeed because of his disagreement that he decided to save his life and survive by breaking his arm. Now that he can still save his life and stay in the countryside, it can be considered that his wish has been fulfilled.

"Your father has a stubborn temperament and is hard to bend. He will never regret anything if he has a plan. Although he is admirable for his resoluteness, he is also stubborn. Your views are much more open-minded than your father's. We have such a good heir in our family. It is gratifying to continue. Even if I am not affected by the changes in the world, I don’t have to worry about losing the inheritance of my family. "

After thoughts circulated in his mind, Yang Lie looked at Yang Kun and sighed.

After hearing this, Yang Kun waved his hand and said: "Uncle, there is no need to make such decadent remarks. Today, regardless of the past grievances, I came here to ask for an audience, just hoping to lead a bright and prosperous road for my uncle! In the old days, there were constant disputes in the world, and even the closest brothers and sisters could not help but fall apart in the court. , everyone is looking for a way out, the sorrow of human feelings is countless, the chaos and hatred are filling the rivers and lakes. Human feelings are longing for peace, and the world has been thirsty for a long time. However, good strategies are rare and heroes are rare, and people in the world are still immersed in suffering for a long time.

My lord, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, has established the Kansai region and has the great ambition to unify the world. He has already conquered all the bandits and bridged the gap between the east and west. Now he only needs to capture some remaining bandits so that he can build up troops and armor, move south and east of the Yangtze, unify the whole world, and prosper the country! This is the general trend of the world and the wish of the benevolent and righteous people. Anyone who blocks this general trend will be abandoned by heaven and hated by the world!

Although a certain person is not talented, he can meet the British master and enjoy this great cause. My uncle is mature, prudent and considerate. He naturally understands that if you follow the general trend, you will have good luck, but if you sail against the current, you will be in vain and be destroyed at every turn.

I sincerely ask my uncle not to waste his life in order to resist the general trend and bring disaster to my family and bring infamy for a thousand years! I am here now, whether it is possible or not, but I really can't bear to spill the blood in the countryside and expose the Daizong to shame, so I come here to cry and ask my uncle not to continue to be obsessed with it, to pursue good luck, avoid bad luck, and obey nature and people! "

Yang Lie's face changed after hearing these words. After a while, he spoke slowly and said: "To surrender to the strong and ally with the powerful is something that everyone can do to the weak. Today, Erlang, regardless of the past grievances, persuaded me to return to justice. If I don't show anything, I will be living up to my hard work.

But if you surrender in a hurry, I'm afraid it won't be enough to compensate for the hesitation and delay. I will stay here temporarily until I prepare a meritorious contribution, and then I will go to the camp with you to apologize on behalf of the Duke! "