Beiping County of the Sui Dynasty was located east of today's Tangshan, which is the Lulong Jiedu Prefecture of the Tang Dynasty. To the north is Linyu Pass, which is the main throat road connecting Hebei and Liaodong. Beiping County also belongs to the boundary of Youzhou, but today it is occupied by Gaokaidao.

Gao Kaidao has more than 100,000 troops and calls himself the King of Yan. Like Wei Daoer, he also fished out of the waters. Men over 14 years old in Liaodong and Beiping County must join the army. The agriculture was abandoned and hungry people were everywhere. The reason why he could survive was that on the one hand, Luo Yi gave him some food subsidies, and on the other hand, it was also due to the little food left in Liaodong after the Battle of Goryeo.

Gao Kaidao had no source of troops, and one of his 100,000 troops died was missing. When the news of his 20,000 troops being wiped out, Gao Kaidao felt extremely heartbroken, and also made him feel a little afraid of the Sui army, and his intention to fight with Luo Yi was a little shaken.

What made Gao Kaidao even more sad was the death of his brother Gao Wentong. Gao Wentong was his younger brother and his only relative in the world. Now his brother was not seen in life or in death. Luo Yi sent someone to tell him that his brother died in the chaos army ambushed by the Sui army. This result made Gao Kaidao unacceptable, but there was no news about his brother so far. Gao Kaidao understood that in fact, the brother had been killed.

In the military yamen in Lulong City, Gao Kaidao was paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. Gao Kaidao was over forty years old. He was tall and big, with a fierce appearance, and had a strong martial arts skills. He looked very similar to his brother Gao Wentong, but unlike Gao Wentong, Gao Kaidao was very cunning and as careful as his hair, not as stupid as his brother.

On the side, his plotter Sun Jiayan was persuading him with great thought, "Prince, your lips are gone, and if Luo Yi is finished, it will be the next turn of the Liaodong Army. For our own life and death, our subordinates believe that the general should indeed join forces with the Youzhou Army to deal with the Sui Army."

Sun Jiayan was Bohai County and was the first to join the army of Ge Qian's Records. After Ge Qian was defeated, he retreated north with Gao Kaidao, and gradually gained Gao Kaidao's trust and became his plan. Gao Kaidao annexed another army of Liaodong rebel Gao Tansheng last year, which was the Hongmen Banquet plan set up by Sun Jiayan. Since then, Gao Kaidao has almost followed Sun Jiayan's suggestion.

This time, the alliance between Gao Kaidao and Luo Yi was also promoted by Sun Jiayan, but the annihilation of 20,000 troops hit Gao Kaidao an extremely heavy blow. His heart of unity began to shake.

Gao Kaidao sighed and said, "But Luo Yi knew that my brother was going to die. He did not stop him, nor sent reinforcements. He watched the 20,000 troops be wiped out. But he did not apologize to me. Now he asked me to continue sending troops. How could this make me feel sorry for it?"

"My subordinates think that Luo Yi must have dissuaded the second general. But the second general didn't listen to his advice. The prince should understand the second general's character, and it was night..."

Sun Jiayan saw Gao Kaidao's thoughts and kept saying that it was because Luo Yi was unkind and righteous, but in fact he was afraid that the Sui army would be exhausted.

Sun Jiayan hurriedly advised him: "The defeat of 20,000 troops is not because our combat effectiveness is not strong. On the one hand, it is night battles and ambushed in a narrow valley. No army can turn defeat into victory in such adversity. It is just a matter of more defeat than less defeat. On the other hand, the 20,000 troops are just the local army in Liaodong, with insufficient training and low morale. If it were the Yan army in the hands of the prince, the situation might be different again."

Gao Kaidao has two armies. One is the 30,000 veterans he brought from Douzigang. He has been fighting for many years. He is extremely brave and good at fighting. He is called the Yan army. The other 70,000 are the army taken over by Gao Tansheng, the Liaodong army. He is called the Liaodong army, and his morale and combat effectiveness are very weak. The 20,000 people who were wiped out this time were the Liaodong army.

Gao Kaidao sighed again, "Maybe the sir is saying something makes sense."

Seeing that Gao Kaidao had been told, Sun Jiayan used his trump card, "The second general was killed, and the whole army was mourning. Doesn't the prince want to avenge the second general and let him die in vain at the hands of the Sui army?"

A trace of anger flashed in Gao Kaidao's eyes. Gao Wentong was his younger brother and his only relative. How could he give up just by dying at the hands of the Sui army?

At this moment, a personal soldier reported at the door: "Your Majesty, the Sui army envoy is coming, right outside the city."

This sudden news stunned Gao Kaidao. What did the Sui army envoy do? Sun Jiayan stood up and said anxiously: "The prince must not see the Sui envoy. They must be here to sow discord and must kill him!"

The personal soldier walked up and whispered a few words in Gao Kaidao's ear. Gao Kaidao's eyes gradually narrowed, and he stood up and said, "I'd better go and have a look!"

He ignored Sun Jiayan and walked out the house quickly. Sun Jiayan didn't know what happened, so he hurriedly followed him out.

Outside the Xicheng Gate, a group of more than a dozen Sui troops were waiting quietly on the official road. Not far behind them was followed by a carriage. More than a thousand soldiers from Gaoxingdao surrounded them, as if they were facing a great enemy.

"The prince is here!"

There was a loud shout at the top of the city. Gao Kaidao rode out of the city surrounded by hundreds of personal guards. The soldiers dodged a way, Gao Kaidao turned over and dismounted. He did not say hello to the Sui envoy and shouted sternly: "Where is my brother's body?"

He saw the carriage behind him, walked up quickly, pulled off the curtain, and the carriage was the body of his brother Gao Wentong. He slowly uncovered the curtain and stared at his brother's body, his eyes gradually turned red.

After a long time, he got off the carriage and asked hoarsely, "Who is the messenger?"

A civilian officer stepped forward and bowed to salute, "After he is Shi Rong, deputy general of the Sui army, who was ordered by the general manager to send a letter to General Gao."

He took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Gao Kai and said, "This is my supervisor's handwritten letter!"

Gao Kaidao took the letter, and the envelope reads: "The Minister of the Great Sui Dynasty, the King of Chu Announced the General of Bingzhou, Yang Yuanqing, sent Gao Kaidao General's Officer. Gao Kaidao opened the letter, and there was only one sentence in it, "Although the Liaodong Army was annihilated by the Sui Army, his brother was not killed by the Sui Army."

At this time, Sun Jiayan also arrived. He leaned forward and glanced at the letter, and immediately shook his head and said, "It is impossible, it must be killed by the Sui army!"

Gao Kaidao sighed, "I have seen Wen Tong's body. It was not killed on the battlefield, but was attacked and killed by someone. And Yang Yuanqing also said it was not killed by him."

Sun Jiayan said anxiously: "Of course Yang Yuanqing will not admit it. He said that it was not killed by the Sui army, so would the prince believe it?"

Gao Kaidao turned around and glared at him fiercely, and said angrily: "Who is Yang Yuanqing? He is the emperor of the Sui Dynasty. Do you think he will reduce his identity? Since he said that it was not killed by the Sui army, it must be that it was not done by the Sui army. What can you not believe in this!"

Gao Kaidao snorted heavily, his eyes shot out fierce light, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I understand, this must be Wentong who has escaped from the battlefield, but was intercepted by Luo Yi halfway, trying to blame the Sui army and force me to send troops again. Otherwise, why wouldn't he go to rescue?"

Sun Jiayan sighed inwardly. He finally convinced Gao Kaidao, but was destroyed by a letter from Yang Yuanqing. He was really unwilling to accept it. He advised: "Prince, the Sui army is a tiger, and they destroyed Youzhou. The next one is us. We should put the overall situation first, deal with the Sui army first, and then settle accounts with Luo Yi."

Gao Kaidao shook his head, "The Sui army is a tiger, Luo Yi is a wolf. I don't want to be eaten by a tiger, and I don't want to be eaten by a wolf. I have decided. No one will help."

He turned around and ordered: "Transfer my order, the army will withdraw from Beiping County and retreat to Liaodong!"

...........

Gao Kaidao's 50,000 troops retreated to Linyu Pass that day and gave up Beiping County. Gao Kaidao ordered his confidant general Zhang Jinshu to lead 10,000 elite Yan Army to guard Linyu Pass and cut off the Sui army's passage north to Liaodong. He himself led the army back to Yan County.

With Gao Kaidao's withdrawal, the Sui army also began to launch an offensive eastward. Yang Yuanqing left 5,000 troops to guard Yi County, and he personally led a 50,000 army to march towards Laishui County step by step.

At this time, Luo Yi had temporarily returned to Youzhou, and Laishui County was led by general Xue Wanche to garrison. Under the strong pressure of the Sui army, Xue Wanche was forced to give up Laishui County and retreat to Zhuo County.

In the afternoon, 50,000 Sui troops arrived in Laishui County and set up a camp outside the county town.

The Sui army's site selection and camping place was still the original Beidaying. The camp was particularly busy. Tents were built and flagpoles stood on the open space. The Red Eagle Army Flag of the Great Sui Dynasty fluttered in the wind.

Under the escort of thousands of personal soldiers, Yang Yuanqing entered Laishui County. As soon as he entered the county town, he saw the county magistrate, county magistrate and chief clerk tied up on the back of the rope, kneeling naked at the city gate to apologize.

"The criminal minister, Laishui County Magistrate Zhou Zhiping, apologized to His Highness the King of Chu!"

Yang Yuanqing glanced at them and asked coldly: "Where is the county magistrate?"

County Magistrate Zhou Zhiping shed tears and said, "Mr. Zhang said that he surrendered to Luo Yi and betrayed the Sui Dynasty. Wuyan saw Your Highness again. He had hanged himself this morning, and only the three of us were left to live in vain. The criminal wanted to say something to Magist. Even though he died, he would have no regrets!"

"Tell me!"

"Report to Your Highness, when Xue Wanche left, he asked the magistrate Zhang to go to Zhuo County. The magistrate Zhang refused. He said that surrender was just to protect the people, not to rebel against the Sui Dynasty. Now the people have been saved, but his reputation has been defiled. He is willing to die to clear his stigma and only begs Your Highness not to regard him as a treacherous minister."

Yang Yuanqing nodded silently and turned around and ordered his personal soldiers, "Let them loosen their ties and put on their clothes!"

Yang Yuanqing waited for them to put on his clothes and said slowly: "Where is the home of Zhang County Magistrate? Take me to see it."

The county magistrate took Yang Yuanqing to the back house of the county government. This was the residence of the county magistrate. He heard crying from afar. Yang Yuanqing turned over and dismounted and walked into the gate quickly. He saw a thin-skinned coffin in the yard. A woman with three or four children wearing mourning clothes was kneeling in front of the coffin and cried sadly.

When several children saw the large group of soldiers coming in, they were so scared that they hid behind their mothers. Yang Yuanqing walked to the coffin. The coffin was not covered. There was a dead official lying inside. He was about thirty years old, his court uniform was worn and his boots were worn off. He was a poor official. He looked at the woman and several children, all of which were clothed in a civilized dress. Yang Yuanqing couldn't help but sigh and asked her: "Are you the wife of the county magistrate?"

The county magistrate hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law, this is His Highness, the King of Chu!"

The woman knelt in front of Yang Yuanqing and cried, "Your Highness, my master is a loyal minister. He has no choice but to surrender. He shows his ambitions by his death and begs His Highness to leave him a name behind!"

Yang Yuanqing nodded and turned to the county magistrate and said, "From now on, you will be the magistrate of Laishui. Give Zhang a grand funeral to the magistrate. His wife and children will be raised by the county. Then, a temple of love for the magistrate Zhang will be built so that the people of Laishui can remember his kindness."

.........

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