Chapter 261 The ruthless plan

The emperor did not continue on Wu Yidao's topic. He turned to look at Mu Xiaoyao, with unconcealed appreciation in his eyes: "You are the only person from the Great Inner Guard Department that has not disappointed me so far this year. In fact, before you come back, I already knew about the disastrous defeat in the Northwest. I am glad that there are not only loyal guards like you, but also loyal soldiers."

He paused for a moment and ordered Su Buwei: "Let Zhuge Zhan come in, and the news about him and Mu Xiaoyao complement each other. You can understand what happened in the northwest."

Fang Jie lowered his head and took a few steps back, thinking that it would be strange if Mu Xiaoyao was loyal to you, the emperor. But since the emperor said that, Fang Jie would not be stupid enough to say that it was all because of me, and he had nothing to do with you, the emperor!

Soon, Zhuge Zhan, who had completely recovered, walked in quickly, first saluting the emperor, and then looked at them curiously.

The emperor pointed to Mu Xiaoyao and said, "She is the second person to come back from the northwest after you, and she is the Qianhu of the Great Inner Guards. You two will tell you what you see and hear in the northwest. I want to know the clearest truth from your words."

Zhuge Zhan said the order and then said what he saw and heard in the northwest again. When he mentioned that he could see a pagoda piled up with the heads of the Great Sui soldiers every ten or even a few miles on the grassland, Fang Jie's face couldn't help but change. He knew that this was the custom of the Mongols and Yuan people, they would cut down the heads of the enemy into the shape of the pagoda. Because they believed that if the heads were piled up in this way, the souls of the human soul would not be reborn, but would be suppressed by the pagoda forever. This was an extremely vicious method, although Fang Jie did not think that such an effect was really effective.

Chen Qingshan nodded and said, "Maybe we retreated earlier than General Zhuge, so the officials in the war are not very clear. They just know that the army was defeated very quickly, and almost all the front line collapsed within ten days."

"In less than ten days!"

Zhuge Zhan said: "Our left-leading guard is the last one to persist. But from the time when the right-leading guard is surrounded and defeated, to the time when our left-leading guard is surrounded, it has only been four days. Our left-leading guard is besieged by more than 300,000 Mongolian Yuan troops, and on the way to march, the enemy's cavalry has an absolute advantage, and many battalions are defeated before they can form a formation... We... persisted for four days."

It only took eight days in total, and the 700,000 army collapsed completely.

But this is just a big battle. I believe that the Sui army must have many small-scale troops scattered after being defeated. Maybe there are still many Sui army hiding on the grassland now and cannot form a counterattack. After all, it is definitely not something that can be done in eight or nine days if we want to kill the 700,000 army and millions of civilians.

"I discovered Li Yuanshan's conspiracy and immediately sent someone to report to Hou Wenji, the governor of the Immortal Court, but the people I sent never came back..."

Mu Xiaoyao was silent for a while and said, "That night, I found that there were many people around the camp, and immediately rushed out with my subordinates. More than 100 elite soldiers led by me came out, most of them were injured when I came out. I knew that Hou Wenji must have a problem... I was sneaking all the way and avoiding the pursuers. I happened to discover Li Yuanshan's secret."

"What's the secret?"

The emperor seemed a little anxious.

Mu Xiaoyao said: "Li Yuanshan discovered a large iron ore in the northwest and sent heavy troops to guard it. When Chen and his wife retreated, they happened to find it and ventured to check it out. They found a large number of craftsmen gathered there, not only migrant workers who mined iron ore... There, Chen and his wife discovered a large number of weapons, armor and weapons, as well as heavy siege equipment, and a heavy siege hammer that had been assembled, as well as many ladders, stone throwing cars, and even siege tower cars."

The emperor frowned and his face changed immediately: "Li Yuanshan... had been planning a rebellion for a long time. I sent troops to the northwest, but I gave him a chance... If there was no battle in the northwest, with his right Guard's strength, he would not dare to make trouble no matter what, even if he had prepared so many things."

His tone was a little painful. Obviously, this man, who could definitely be called a wise ruler, regretted his troops to the northwest for the first time.

"There are left and right guards in the northwest and left guards. If Li Yuanshan wants to cause trouble, he must first get rid of these three guards. I issued an order to conquer the northwest, which was originally a major event for the expansion of territory for the Great Sui Dynasty, but he used it... This scum has forgotten that he is a Sui man and actually bowed to the Mongolian Yuan barbarians!"

This sentence is exactly the same as Prince Yi's evaluation of Li Yuanshan.

"More than that"

Mu Xiaoyao said: "The three northwest roads have been blocked, and the official roads are all guarded by county soldiers. The Minister of War, Lord Mou Liangbi, is in charge of the logistics supply of the army, but most of the supplies are in the Shandong road, and Lord Mou's orders are difficult to implement. Most of the supplies of the army were detained by Yuan Chongwu and others. When the army annihilated the people of Mandu Latu, they advanced westward, the supplies could not keep up. But no one thought at that time that Yuan Chongwu and the others were not just trying to force Mou Liangbi away, but intercepted materials for rebellion."

"I have arrested several people in Li Yuanshan's iron mine for interrogation. They said that Li Yuanshan had started secretly recruiting people six or seven years ago. These people were summoned by him in the name of military farming, but they have been training."

"How many people are there?"

The emperor asked in a deep voice.

Mu Xiaoyao said: "It is said... not less than 100,000."

...

...

The emperor sighed, holding a teacup in his hand but forgot to drink: "I think that Yuan Chongwu sent his son Yuan Chengshi to Chang'an just to numb me. He might have made plans long ago. Once the matter in the northwest started, he would take Yuan Chengshi back from Chang'an. But he did not expect that Yuan Chengshi would be killed... It is precisely because of this that he was determined to rebel."

He took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his mood. He was an emperor and did not want to show anxiety in front of his ministers.

"Yuan Chongwu has been writing a letter asking me to allow him to rest for three more months due to the loss of his son... I thought that he was just testing my bottom line for their northwest officials, but now I understand that he kept writing a letter and was still numbing me... It's so calculating, and my ministers are all very calculating."

Fang Jie didn't know whether he should interrupt, so he subconsciously glanced at Su Buwei. When he looked up, he found that Su Buwei happened to be looking at him too.

Su Buwei showed up with Fang Jie, who was not afraid of the traces. Fang Jie was stunned and nodded.

"I think... Your Majesty doesn't need to be too angry."

Fang Jie cleared his throat and said.

The emperor glanced at him and said, "What do you mean is that they are rebelling and treason, should I still feel happy?"

The voice was cold, and it was obvious that the emperor was in a bad mood.

Fang Jie sorted out his words and said, "Your Majesty... Please give me an example. The Sui Dynasty is a towering tree. Emperor Taizu planted the seeds. More than a hundred years later, this tree has become the highest existence in the world. The people and court officials are all insects that depend on this tree. Most of the insects just regard this tree as their home and rely on the tree to shelter from the wind and rain. There are too many insects, so naturally there are insects. They drill holes in the tree tree to try to gain benefits... They think that this tree is too tall and too big, and you can't see everything clearly when you sit on the canopy."

"The northwest is like a branch of this big tree. It has been eaten by pests, but they have covered it up very well. You can't find anything when you look from afar. If these pests don't jump out by themselves, you may not be able to see them at all."

Fang Jie paused for a moment and continued, "Your Majesty, you are angry. You are angry with a few pests and destroyed a large branch. But since the branch has been broken, it will be cut off. After cutting off, a certain part of the big tree will definitely look bare and ugly, but it won't take long to grow new branches and become stronger and stronger."

The emperor understood what Fang Jie meant. After he was silent for a long time, he sighed and said, "I know what you mean...but those are three whole territories. If you cut them down, I will feel pain."

Fang Jie lowered his head and said, "It is better to have short pain than long pain... If these insects are not in a hurry to jump out, they will borer more and more holes in the big tree. If they break, they will not be a branch, or a trunk. If it takes longer, they may bite the roots."

"What do you think of the war in the northwest?"

The emperor couldn't help asking.

Fang Jie walked to the front of the map and pointed to a thick line that was heading north and south on the map: "This is the Wei River, like a knife mark, cutting the northwest. Even if the rebels have prepared for a long time, they are not short of food, soldiers, and supplies, they lack warships... If His Majesty issued an order, mobilizes the navy to block the river and do not allow anyone to sell food and grass to the northwest. Then send elite troops into small teams to enter the northwest, burning the granary and grain fields... In just one year, the rebels in the northwest will be short of food. If the Mongolian Yuan people cannot get rewards for a long time, they will not continue to support the rebels. As short as two years, as long as three or five years, the rebels will be defeated."

"But there are millions of people in the northwest."

The emperor frowned.

Fang Jie said: "In a year or two, after the dilemma in the northwest was formed, the people would be angry. They would think, if it weren't for the rebellion of traitors such as Li Yuanshan, how could they suffer such suffering? The northwest climate is cold, and there is little food. The people usually have enough food and drink, but there is no food reserve. If the three northwest roads are sealed, people will be confused by the time they will be confused. When the people's hearts are confused, the rebels will have no soil for rebellion, and the branch will die."

The emperor was silent for a long time, but still shook his head: "If you follow your plan, at least hundreds of thousands of people will starve to death in the northwest in two years!"

"I also feel sorry for the people, but if the war is not controlled within the three northwest roads, more people will suffer. If the food road is not blocked, the rebels in the northwest will benefit them, and no one will resist."

"I will order the navy to block the Wei River, but it will not stop the people from crossing the river."

The emperor thought for a while and said, "Fang Jie, I know that you are thinking this way for the Great Sui Dynasty. But I am the king of a country, and the people of the world are my people. I cannot forgive them for making mistakes. If I force the people to the point of being anxious, how do you know that they will not rebel with the rebels?"

"As long as you can't cross the river..."

Fang Jie was interrupted by the emperor before he finished speaking: "Are I still afraid of those clowns? When the matter of Chang'an City is over, I will personally lead the army. I want to fight back to the three northwest roads, why do I need two or three years?"

Fang Jie was stunned and silent.

He knew that his plan was indeed a bit ruthless. In ancient times, it was not that no one had done this... Nian Gengyao was ordered to quell the Qinghai rebellion. This Nian General just surrounded and blocked all roads, blocked all grains of food, and sent people to sneak into the forage and granary to burn the grass and granaries. More than 100,000 people starved to death?

But, Your Majesty’s personal expedition really pacified the northwest in an instant?

Suddenly, Fang Jie was shocked.
Chapter completed!