The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 175 Wuguan
On the third day of March in the first year of Qianning, more than 5,700 surrendered soldiers of the Bian army were organized to destroy the Bian capital.

Don't think about differentiation.

This kind of army has a complex composition and bad habits, with all kinds of people. Whether you disperse them or select your own troops to mix with them, they will spread the bad habits, and it is best to die on the road of "renewing yourself".

Talents... we don't need too many smart warriors. How can we manage them if they are not stupid? The dumber the better. If they are all "wise men" like Wei Bo, there is no need to be an emperor, and we can all move towards the medieval republic.

The surrendered Jinzhou soldiers of Yao Chang's army and Shangzhou soldiers of Lu Chongju's army totaled 7,000. Excluding the fat guys who were just eating for a living, all of them were assigned to the four armies of Lunjiqiong, Gadbei, Ashina Luoxue, Yesi Changming's Wulu, Jinjian, Moli, and Pingyi, forming an independent army of mixed Han and Tibetan infantry and cavalry. Speaking of independence, it was neither under the Imperial Guards nor under the Tiance Chinese and Foreign Army, but was directly led by him.

It's nothing, just stupid. Let's not talk about nobles like Lun and Ka. Ordinary barbarians are illiterate and have never seen the world. Their minds are almost blank except for the fear of their leaders and gods. If they don't lead by themselves, they will easily be led astray. In other words, let the trusted ones lead, it is not difficult for them to cultivate their own followers. By the way, it will weaken the appeal of Lun and Ka to the tribes.

We must learn from the tragedy of the Turks next door who played with the Caliph at will.

Taking advantage of the war, the envoys of the four armies also need to make some adjustments.

Ji Qiong, Debei, Changming and Luo Xue are not suitable to continue to serve.

He hasn't decided on a replacement yet.

Xiao Wang is not suitable.

He and the He family have been deeply connected. His son Wang Quanjie was engaged to He Chuyu's daughter just after his first month of life. The saint is not well. He is less than thirty years old, and his subordinates are doing these. And He Chuyu. Second brother, are you so anxious to protect your nephew's throne? And as Jingshen grows older, more and more ministers will flirt with him.

The saint began to feel threatened by this boy.

Don't be superstitious about prestige.

Ying Yong, Shi Hu, Gao Cheng, Tuoba Gui, Liu Yilong, Li Shimin, An Lushan, Shi Siming, Wang Yanjun, Li Yuanhao, all these people have no prestige. If you meet a madman, he will kill you for his own sake. Power is hot, but family affection is worth less than the throne. I hope Jingshen will know what to do when he grows up, and don't let the father and son turn against each other.

After careful consideration, I decided that I couldn't use relatives as the four envoys. As the kings grew up, it was inevitable that the uncles' loyalty would shift to their nephews. And they were right beside me, holding the power of the guards, and the palace had sisters as accomplices, so it would be easy to kill the king.

It is true that he has evil intentions, but sitting in this position, one can only assume the worst of everything.

Whether it's Concubine Shu, Zhao, Yang, or Zhuye, a wife's heart is hidden beneath her belly. Don't trust a woman's panting in bed. Beat her into submission, and she'll certainly say nice things, but the truth is often not what she means. Even between husband and wife, there are calculations and struggles.

Li Cunxiao is a newcomer. He is also excluded by his relatives Kang Lingzhong and Helian Weihuan for some reason, and feels lonely in Chang'an. In addition, he is not taken seriously, which makes him very depressed. You can try to let him lead the Moli Envoy, which is mainly composed of Turks.

Liu Xianyuan has made great contributions. When he first came to power, he made as much effort as anyone else. Because his mother was mourning at home, the young king was already the Marquis of Changshan at the same time, but Liu Xianyuan was still working outside; the saint felt ashamed. Moreover, although his uncles Chong Lu were treacherous ministers, Chong Wang and Chong Gui, the former served in the court for many years. The latter held the imperial seal in Guangzhou and continued to collect taxes. It is the saint's wish to make the thieves extinct and let the loyal and good have a good end, rest in peace in the nine springs, and not worry about their descendants.

He can be an envoy to pacify the barbarians.

Zha Zhu'er, needless to say, a die-hard supporter of Li Sheng, had already been expelled from the Jin clan by the officers who had married him. It wasn't that he betrayed Li Keyong's family, but rather that he understood the proper way of serving a minister. In the court, who is more important, the emperor, Li Shuai, or the virtuous concubine? The emperor. Which comes first, the state or Hedong? The state. Since entering the court, he has been involved in the defeat of the eunuchs at Danfeng Gate, the Mibei Lake, and the Changchun Palace... He also endured the burdens and complaints during last winter's sweep across the Central Plains. He is not rebellious, but rather a lover of learning and a man of integrity. He also personally imparted the sage's military knowledge to him; truly a treasure.

It can be used as a messenger of fog and dew.

After a while, I will take Zhu'er to meet the Zongzheng Li Neng and introduce him to a daughter of the Li family.

The sage originally wanted to give the Golden Sword Envoy to Fu Cunshen, but his son Fu Yanchao was studying with Prince De, and there were already two generals from Taiyuan who were appointed as the Fourth Envoy, which was not a good idea. Think about it again, anyway, it must be a person without party affiliation, and Cui Yi, the eldest son of Cui Gong, could consider it.

The feeling of rising like the sun is addictive.

From now on, I will practice inner strength to achieve the constancy of the moon.

After receiving the deposit, it’s time to think about the next strategy.

Go down Kuimen, control the waterway into Shu, and maintain the pressure on Shuzhong? Hanzhong is already in hand. If we control Kuimen, we will completely eliminate the possibility of the Shu lords expanding outward. The central government continues to cheer up, kill a few jumping mules, and get rid of the foreign warriors. Then it will not be enough to pacify.

Or should he take Jingzhou, capture Zigui, Yiling, Gong'an, Baling, Jiangxia, and eliminate the two major separatist forces of Chengli and Wutao, and lay the foundation for managing Hunan, Jiangxi, and Huainan? Or should he try to annex Zhao Kuangning, go north from Xiangyang, and stab Zhu Wen in the ass twice in Caizhou?

Each choice has its advantages and will produce a unique historical path, but each also has its disadvantages. Saving the country as an emperor and conquering the world as a powerful vassal are two different things, and the thinking is also different.

On the ninth day of March, the emperor led the captives and surrendered people, numbering 100,000 infantry and cavalry, and headed for Wuguan Pass.

Sima Qian wrote: "Qin was a state with four barriers." When the Tang Dynasty ruled, the Five Passes were Wu, Pu, Tong, Xiao, and San. Pu connected Hedong and Hebei, Xiao to Liangzhou and the Hetao region, the Chencang Road to Shu, and the Xiao-Han Pass to the Central Plains. The Wuguan Pass was the only vital point of entry from Guanzhong to the Jianghan Plain; Qin and Chu fought over this route for a long time. After the Jiannu occupied China, scholars of the Ming Dynasty reflected on the lessons of their demise. Wang Fuzhi diligently studied the Comprehensive Mirror for Preserving the State, Guan Si lived on wild vegetables while wearing fur coats, Zhu Shunshui lectured in Japan, and Gu Yanwu and Gu Zuyu surveyed the terrain, commenting on the Wuguan Pass: "If Qin were to block it, Xiangyun, Jianghuai, and Huaihe would be cut off. It is truly a dangerous route."

There is nothing much to say about this kind of place, and there is no strategy for you to play. In a word: bite hard, do it recklessly, and rape!
It shouldn't be difficult. After the tragic news of Wang Yanzhang's annihilation at Juyangchuan spread, the Jin and Shang armies lost all hope of resistance and surrendered. Feng's forces were now confined to Junzhou, their forces in a state of panic. Over half of his soldiers had fled, leaving only three or four thousand followers still daydreaming about him. The situation was hopeless. Hmm, I forgot to count, he also recruited a number of strong men into his army, perhaps ten thousand.

The saint did not count them. When we capture a few villages, kill and wound thousands of people, and see the blood flowing like a river, it will be fun to watch.

Eleventh, the royal army attacks. Numerous strongholds have been built along the thoroughfares east and west of Wuguan Pass. In winter, and in the months-long autumn when the rains are heavy and the sky remains dry, these are just blockhouses. But in spring and summer, the enemy, rising from the hills on either side, sets fires from their high position, piling kerosene, gunpowder, and cypress branches beneath your walls to create a thick cloud of smoke. What will you do?

The troops that captured the stronghold were mainly composed of the two wings of the evil army, the soldiers who destroyed Bian Du and the surrendered Jin Shangzhou soldiers.

Their fighting spirit was low and their spirits were scattered. When they heard that Emperor Li was using them as scapegoats, they were furious and clamored to rebel on the spot. However, under the comfort, persuasion and example set by the evil people, they had no choice but to go ahead; they were in a very bad mood.

"Saint, I am your beloved. I want to see the emperor, I want to see the emperor!"

"I regret surrendering to the Li family. I should have fought to the death."

"Commander Qin, right? Go talk to the saint and ask him to spare us all. Really, we are all miserable people."

"You dog emperor, I curse you to die of bleeding from all seven orifices tonight!"

"You wantonly beat your subjects to death and abused the rebels. Are you a human being?"

"How pitiful! He abandoned Zhu Wen and joined the thief Li, unexpectedly escaping from the dragon's den and falling into the tiger's den again. Alas!"

"Why are you crying? Wait till I smash his head in 20 years."

The intensity of the first day's camp capture was extremely high.

The dead ghosts were ants and moths, and they died in the gullies. Their bodies were broken into pieces in front of the building, and the blood flowed into a trickle, dyeing the river blood red. By night, three villages were captured, and the Jinshang soldiers could no longer hold on and needed to rest.

The saint remained indifferent. After killing more than a hundred troublemakers, he fed them dinner and replenished their tools. He then divided them into groups of 900 people, with five groups making a batch. He ordered them to take turns to capture the camp all night long, continuously, without stopping for a moment.

The generals turned a blind eye to this.

The success of an emperor is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of people. The meaning of these people's lives is to die at some point. If you want to blame someone, blame them for having stood on the opposite side. Can the crime of aiding the usurpation of power be offset by surrender? Let them die, let more of them die, so that people will start to weigh the cost before rebelling, and they will be afraid of being defeated and killed in battle and think about switching sides. Then the arrogant vassals will have no foundation for survival.

On the 12th day, after the sunrise, the evil army of Guai Xun was withdrawn and had hot meals. They cheered for their hard work and full stomachs. The zombies of Mie Bian Du and Jin Shang continued to attack the camp. With the cooperation of the warrior army, they nibbled all the way to the gate of Wuguan Pass. They really couldn't hold on any longer. They were disheveled and greasy, and could fall asleep while standing.

At noon, the sage replaced the four armies of Jian, Yi, Wu, and Mo, and also drew out the three capitals of Juesheng, Yingwu, and Bawang, rewarding each person with 70 strings of cash, and the first person to reach the city with 2,000 strings of cash, and then ordered them to do it again. It was impossible to drive these killers to attack the city without bleeding.

If you don't have money, why are you ordering people around? What city are you attacking?

Huichang Reward: If you kill one person in the front line, you will be rewarded with ten silks. If you break the enemy's formation, the general can select ten to forty brave warriors to sign up for the list, and the court will directly grant them honorary positions such as Supervisory Censor, Regular Attendant, Doctor, etc., and you will also have face.

If you capture the bandit leader, you will get 300 horses. A regular general will get 150 horses; a deputy general and a chief officer will get 100 horses. These are usually hard to catch, but don't worry - 10 generals will get 70 horses, a deputy general will get 30 horses, and a yamen soldier will get 10 horses.

According to the median price of silk after the Anshi Rebellion in the "New Book of Tang Food and Money Records" - "a piece of silk was 1.6 coins, and after that one piece was 16 coins", a rough conversion means that killing a yamen soldier cost coins, or strings of cash.

few?
Just ask the Song army and the Ming army how much money they can earn by "working".

To be honest, the price offered by the saint is a bit low.

The soldiers of Yingwu and Sandu were not very happy. But they remembered the promise of the saint: when the treasury of Feng thief was raided in Pingzhou, the soldiers would be rewarded. Seventy strings of cash was fine, after all, he always kept his word.

The attack lasted until the evening, and the four armies and three cities suffered more than a thousand casualties before they were ordered to rest. After two days and one night, the remaining defenders were exhausted, their physical strength was seriously overdrawn, and their defense equipment was exhausted.

In the second half of the night, when the defenders thought that Wang's army was asleep, Li selected 10,000 soldiers and launched a surprise attack. The bandits dragged their eyes and rushed to defend themselves. When they saw the dense crowds of Li's soldiers holding torches and howling, climbing up one after another, their heads were empty.

At dawn, a mixed Hu man named Murong Cong was the first to gain a foothold in the city gate.

There is chaos in Wuguan, and the traditional performances that are popular among the lower-class warriors are being prepared with great fanfare.

(End of this chapter)