The gates of Hefei County were as bustling as usual, with pedestrians and merchants coming and going, which was quite lively. At this time, a cavalry rushed from a distance and entered the city and shouted: "Du Fuwei rebelled again, and is coming to Hefei, and quickly pass the gate!"

The people at the city gate were stunned at first, and then they cried like a burial nest. The people cried and shouted, and they stumbled and fled. After a moment, a team of county soldiers rushed over quickly and began to quickly close the north and south city gates, not allowing anyone to enter and exit.

The news that Du Fuwei raised his troops again soon spread throughout the city, and the entire Hefei County was in panic. In the afternoon, an army of more than 10,000 people appeared outside Hefei City under the banner of Du Fuwei, but they did not attack the city. After nightfall, they left Hefei City and went south. Soon after, Chao County was captured and the county government warehouse was looted by Du Fuwei's army. That night, the news that Du Fuwei led tens of thousands of troops to occupy Siding Mountain reached Hefei County again.

There was also news about Du Fuwei's army in Liyang County and Huainan County. The letters of help from counties in Jianghuai were sent to Zhongdu in the form of a 800-mile express and asked for help from Zhongdu. Jiangdu also implemented martial law, the city gates were closed, and the fleet on Tongji Canal was temporarily stopped to prevent it from being looted by Du Fuwei's army.

There is a wealthy mansion covering an area of ​​about 40 acres at the gate of Hefei County. The owner is Jin Shirang. He was about fifty years old. He was originally a famous businessman in Guanlong. He has been in Jianghuai for five years and has a wealth of 100 million yuan. He has many talents in all counties in Jianghuai.

In the inner hall, Jin Shirang paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and seemed quite anxious. Du Fuwei raised his troops again, and the biggest influence was the merchants. He was doing the brocade business. If the tens of thousands of brocades he acquired in Jianghuai were not transported out of Jianghuai and were looted by the rioters, he might have lost all his money.

At this time, a servant in the hall reminded him, "The third young master is here!"

Jin Shirang turned around and saw his nephew Jin Yan walking quickly. Jin Shirang had three sons, one in Chang'an, one in Zhongdu, and the other in Jiangdu. They each guarded a large shop. Jin Shirang brought his nephew Jin Yan to various counties in Jianghuai. His nephew was as famous as his name, very smart and capable. He was Jin Shirang's capable assistant, especially at dealing with the government.

Jin Shirang quickly approached and asked, "Have you heard the news?"

Jin Yan nodded, "My nephew met Wang Junzhu and got the latest information about Du Fuwei from him."

“How to say it?”

"Du Fuwei's troops are about 20,000. One of the troops in Lujiang County is Du Fuwei's main force, with about 12,000 people. They snatched the granary of Chao County this afternoon. When they heard that they had lost tens of thousands of stones of grain, Prefect Li was very panicked and had sent three letters of help to Zhongdu."

"Where is Du Fuwei's army now?"

"I heard that after going to Siding Mountain, it turned out to be Du Fuwei's nest."

Jin Shirang heard that Du Fuwei did not turn around to attack Hefei City, which made him feel a little relieved. The 30,000 pieces of brocade he had in the Hefei warehouse were temporarily saved.

Jin Jian said again: "Mr. Wang asked us not to transport cargo out for the time being. The waterway is very dangerous now and it is easy to be intercepted by Du Fuwei's army. At least we have to wait for the arrival of the Zhongdu army or the Yangtze River Navy to head north before shipping can resume."

Jin Shirang frowned, "But Chang'an urgently needs eight thousand pieces of brocade, what should I do if I can't deliver it?"

"Tell me the situation and let me think of other ways! See if I can transfer goods from Bashu."

Jin Shirang thought for a while and said, "You can find a way to tell your brother about the situation here. Please understand the guests. We will try every means to transfer the goods elsewhere."

"My nephew understands it, so I'll send a pigeon letter."

Jin Ming left in a hurry, Jin Shirang sighed, Jianghuai was in war again, and when will it take to settle down?

On the Yangtze River, a warship fleet that came from Jiujiang County was sailing in a row. This warship was very large, with at least hundreds of warships, two thousand stones and three thousand stones of large warships abounded. A battle flag was hung on the warship led by the warship, with a huge word "四" written on it, indicating that this fleet was the main force of the navy led by Lai Huer himself.

The warships were divided into two groups at the mouth of the Zhanjiang River. One was composed of 300 warships and continued to go east. They were responsible for completely blocking the river between Jiangxia and Qichun County to prevent the Tang army from taking advantage of the opportunity of civil strife in Jianghuai. The other was led by Lai Huer and drove along the Zhanjiang River to Chaohu Lake. It was obvious that it was to support Hefei's defense. Before the Zhongdu suppression army arrived, the navy could only strengthen the defense of important cities.

Du Fuwei's re-emergence in Jianghuai was greatly affected. Affected by it, the Liyang County mine was forced to stop production, and all the pig iron and crude copper in stock were transported to Jiangning on the other side. The water transportation of Jiangdu was suspended, and the market was in panic.

Even Zhongdu was shocked by the chaos in Jianghuai. The eight hundred miles of prefects sent by the prefects of Qichun, Tong'an, Lujiang, Huainan, Liyang, and Jiangdu appeared on Zhongdu Street continuously. The rapid sound of horse hooves caused panic. The grain prices soared overnight, forcing Ziweige to order Changping the warehouse to sell grain to stabilize the price of grain.

The King of Qi ordered the troops to be stationed in Qingzhou, 20,000 troops, 10,000 troops in the Central Plains, and 30,000 troops in Zhongdu, totaling 60,000 troops. General Luo Shixin was commanded by General Luo Shixin to quell the rebellion.

In the Wude Hall of Tai Chi Palace in Chang'an, Li Yuan was discussing the final strategy of the Eastern Expedition with a group of important officials. Due to Li Shimin's strong opposition, the Eastern Expedition plan was delayed. Of course, not only Li Shimin, but also Li Yuan himself was also a little worried. This was the first time that the Tang army took the initiative to attack the Northern Sui Dynasty, which was of great significance. Li Yuan did not want to end in failure.

The premise of the Eastern Expedition was Du Fuwei's uprising in Jianghuai, and Li Yuan had been paying attention to Du Fuwei's actions in Jianghuai.

Judging from the information sent by Zheng Shanguo, Du Fuwei's uprising in Huangmei Mine was very successful. He had ended his activities in Qichun County and entered Lujiang County. Zheng Shanguo didn't know much about the information of Lujiang County, but it was said that it had developed well, which made Li Yuan feel a little relieved.

Pei Ji bowed to Li Yuan and smiled at everyone, "According to the latest information obtained from Zhongdu, all the six counties of Jianghuai sent emergency requests to Zhongdu. The mines in Liyang County have been stopped, and the water transportation in Jiangdu have stopped. Even the rice prices in Zhongdu have soared by hundreds of people per bucket, forcing the Zhongdu court to use Changping warehouses to distribute grain to stabilize the price of grain. According to reliable news, Zhang Xuan has ordered the transfer of Qingzhou, and the 60,000 troops from Zhongyuan and Hebei rushed to Jianghuai to quell the rebellion. The main force of the navy who came to protect the army has gone north from Jiujiang County."

Li Yuan nodded and asked again: "These are all the impacts. I really want to know if there is any specific situation of Du Fuwei."

At this time, Li Jiancheng said: "You have reported to your father and your son will get some news."

"Oh? Where did the emperor get the news?"

"It is a silk shop in Xicheng City. The owner's father is Jin Shirang. He is currently purchasing brocade in Hefei. He sent a pigeon letter to Chang'an's eldest son from Hefei two days ago, which involves Du Fuwei's specific activities in Jianghuai."

Li Jiancheng presented a letter to his father, "This is a copy of the letter, please check it out!"

Li Yuan looked at the letter carefully several times, and obviously breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled at Li Jiancheng and said, "Your son, let me tell you!"

Li Jiancheng said to everyone: "This letter was written five days ago. The businessman who wrote the letter was named Jin Shirang. He had a good relationship with the Lujiang government. He got the news from the Lujiang County Magistrate Wang Ji. After Du Fuwei entered Lujiang County, his troops expanded rapidly. There were nearly 20,000 people. He currently occupied Siding Mountain as the foundation. In addition, there were also troops responding to Du Fuwei in Liyang County and Huainan County. The people in Hefei were panicked and had closed the city gates and were not allowed to enter and exit. The water transportation also stopped. Jin Shirang was very worried about being trapped in the city."

At this time, Li Shimin, who had been silent, asked: "Why didn't Du Fuwei conquer Hefei City? But he passed by."

Pei Ji smiled and said, "Your Highness has no idea that the moat in Hefei City is very wide. If the city gate is closed, you must rely on ships to attack the city. Du Fuwei obviously cannot do it. This is one. Secondly, Hefei City also has a thousand county guards, and it is definitely not unprepared. It is not easy to capture it. Thirdly, the Northern Sui naval army rushed to help at night. Relying on Hefei City to resist defending the naval army is obviously not the best choice. Therefore, Du Fuwei chose Siding Mountain, where both attack and defense are both good. It is difficult for both naval and infantry to attack the mountain. As long as Du Fuwei prepares sufficient food, he can confront the Sui army for a long time. This is a long-term move. Although he has gained temporary benefits in capturing Hefei, it is not long-term. Du Fuwei should have learned the lessons of the previous failure."

Pei Ji's analysis was reasonable and thorough, which attracted unanimous praise from everyone. Li Shimin could not refute it, so he had to remain silent."

At this time, Li Yuan said excitedly: "Since Du Fuwei has invaded the Jianghuai River and destroyed the military deployment of the Northern Sui Dynasty, the conditions for the Eastern Expedition have matured. I have officially decided to go to Yuzhang County. I hope all my dear friends will fully support them and strictly observe the secrets." (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!