Chapter 5 Joining the Army
Li Yuan submitted another memorial, this time in secret.

As one of the Nine Ministers, and responsible for guarding the rear and supervising the transportation of grain and grass, he must have the power to make secret reports, without going through the three ministries, and directly to the emperor.

But in general, whether it was the provincial governors, military governors, or the three dukes and nine ministers of the court, they rarely used secret memorials to avoid criticism.

In the secret report, Li Yuan was not as cautious as usual and directly stated his "slander" and that Yang Xun had ulterior motives.

Otherwise it would be impossible to explain why no military rations and supplies had been delivered from Liyang for two months.

He then wrote a letter home, urging his eldest son Li Xiaoyan at home to be careful with his family members, as there might be major changes in the near future.

By the time this letter arrived in Luoyang, it was already July.
As if to prove his guess, on the third day of July, Yang Xun raised an army from Liyang. He falsely claimed that Murong Ju, the Prince of Qi who stayed in Luoyang, was plotting a rebellion, and led his troops to occupy Liyang, close the city gates, and search for males.

He also sent letters to nearby counties, ordering them to gather troops in Liyang in the name of attacking Gao Huang. He selected more than 5,000 strong men and more than 3,000 boatmen, killed three animals and swore an oath to start a rebellion against Yan.

Gao Shi, the left servant of the Yan army who stayed in the Eastern Capital, received the news of Yang Xun's uprising and immediately strengthened the defense of the Eastern Capital. The people of Xiuwu County also helped the government troops to defend Linqing Pass, making it impossible for Yang Xun's army to pass through, so they had to cross the Yellow River from Ji County to the south and continue to advance towards the Eastern Capital.

The rebels encountered no resistance along the way and soon reached Yanshi. Then Yang Xun ordered his brother Yang Shancai to lead 3,000 troops to advance westward along the Luo River from the south of Yanshi, and Yang Xi crossed the Mang Mountain from Bai Sima Slope to attack Dongdu from the south, and he led more than 5,000 troops to follow closely behind.

Luoyang also responded quickly. Gao Shi sent Henan's Assistant Governor Pei Hongce and the Junior Supervisor of Works Yuwen Qi to fight against Yang Xun.

At this time, most of Yang Xun's rebels were civilians who had not received formal training. They were armed with single swords and willow shields, and had no bows, arrows or armor, but their morale was high. Although the official army of Dayan was well-equipped, its morale was low. Both armies were defeated in one battle. Yuwen Qi died in the battle, and Pei Hongce fled back to Luoyang alone.

Gao Shize, the governor of Dongdu, was furious but helpless about the situation. He was from the Gao clan of Bohai, which was the first Han Chinese clan to cooperate with the Murong clan. During the Great Yan dynasty, the Gao clan of Bohai and the Xianbei Duan clan were the left and right arms of the Murong family and were the most prominent clans in the world.

Prince of Qi Murong Ju was the brother of Emperor Murong Ying.

The two were important ministers left behind by Murong Ying to assist Crown Prince Murong Chang in regulating the country, and both were stationed in Luoyang.

But Murong Ju's post as governor was just a figurehead, as all real affairs were handled by Gao Shizhe.

As for the Crown Prince who is the regent, he is only ten years old. What can he do? What can he do?

Gao Shize, who was nearly sixty years old, was tall with a stern beard and a serious face. He did not look like a pampered prime minister, but more like a warrior with an extremely hot temper. There was a man kneeling on the ground, and it was Pei Hongce who had just escaped.

"Eight thousand soldiers and horses were lost in one battle. Pei Hongce, what else do you have to say?"

Gao Shize's face flushed as he yelled and cursed, slapping the table with his hands. Except for Murong Ju who was sitting opposite him, no one in the lobby of the Shangshutai dared to look up.

Murong Ju originally did not come to the Shangshu Tai to work, but because he was the governor of the Eastern Capital and there was a rebellion, he moved to the Shangshu Tai to act as the head of the state affairs together with Gao Shizhe.

In fact, it was also to avoid suspicion. After all, Yang Xun's rebellion was under the banner of "Prince of Qi's Rebellion", and his appearance in the Secretariat was very clear, as it was right under Gao Shize's nose.

Compared to Gao Shizhe, Murong Ju, who was only in his thirties, was much thinner and had a pale face. He coughed from time to time and was wearing a cloak even though it was almost summer. It was obvious that his physical condition was not very good.

Gao Shize cursed for a long time, and his anger was almost gone. He waved his hand and told Pei Hongce to get out.

"I should have killed you to uphold military law, but now that I need you, I will allow you to make up for your crime and make meritorious service."

Because he had said too much, he felt a little dry in the mouth, so he drank a sip of tea to moisten his throat and then said: "My king, you are a royal family member, you can't sit idly by at this time. I don't know anything about military affairs, how can I suppress the rebels? I need you to come up with a strategy."

Gao Shize was not being modest. He has always been known for his loyalty, integrity and diligence. He has never held a military position and indeed knows nothing about military affairs.

As a prince in his early years, Prince of Qi Murong Ju had fought many battles with the previous emperor and the current emperor Murong Ying, and was well versed in military affairs. Therefore, Gao Shizhe could not care about Murong Ying's instructions before he left, which hinted that he should keep an eye on Murong Ju.

After all, the rebels are almost at the gates of the city.

"Ahem, Lord Gao, you know that my body is not good enough for me if I'm weak all day. Besides, the Yang bandit is powerful now, and many officials have responded to it. Luoyang has no soldiers or generals who can fight. We should wait for the saint to lead the army back. By then, the bandit's power will be gone and it will be easy to capture him."

Gao Shize could not find any fault with Murong Ju's words.

When the emperor led a large army to war, the Gao Shi who was responsible for staying behind could only do a great deed as long as Luoyang was not lost.

But now, as the actual ruler of Dongdu, Gao Shize has never fought in a war. Even if he is just defending a city, he doesn't know how to deploy personnel and assign tasks.

As the prime minister, he was very clear about the current situation of Dayan. The manpower and material resources consumed in building the canal, building the Eastern Capital, and conquering Goguryeo were incalculable, and millions of laborers died.

Although Dayan was prosperous, the people were suffering. There were "bandits" causing chaos in Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Guangzhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, Jizhou, Yuzhou and other places.

Although most of the "bandits" were quelled in the early stages of the "rebellion", the root cause of the problem has always existed.

And it's getting worse.

As prime minister, I have given advice and remonstrances.

But unfortunately, although the current emperor is a man of great talent and strategy, he is not someone who can listen to advice.

Wisdom is enough to stop criticism, and words are enough to cover up mistakes.

People who are too smart are sometimes blindly confident and always only trust their own judgment and decisions.

The great Emperor Tiansheng did not think that these common people could really overthrow his country. As long as he struck a balance between the royal family and the aristocratic families, his country would be stable.

But Gao Shize didn't think so. If Yang Xun's turmoil lasted too long, it would have far-reaching consequences. If it could be suppressed as soon as possible, the people would suffer less from the war.

However, the current emperor's vigilance and suspicion towards the royal family is also in line with his predecessor, Emperor Wen.

As for the attitude towards the royal family, we should use them while being on guard against them.

Therefore, Murong Ju did not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes. He was also the emperor's brother, and his position was even more sensitive, so he did less and made fewer mistakes.

"Your Majesty, you were known for your wisdom when you were young, and you followed the previous emperor to fight. Now is a time of national crisis. I hope Your Majesty will give me some advice. How should we defend against the enemy in this situation?"

Hearing Gao Shize's question, Murong Ju also sighed and said, "Mr. Gao, why do you have to drag me into this?"

Gao Shize said sternly, "I know that Your Majesty wants to protect yourself, but if we let Yang the thief enter Luoyang, not only us, but also the people in the city will suffer. How will Your Majesty face the ancestors of the Murong family?"

Murong Ju frowned again after hearing this, then sighed and said, "Yang the bandit started his army from Liyang, so he has no shortage of food. By the time he reaches Luoyang, he will have at least 100,000 people. He can recruit refugees at any time, but there are only tens of thousands of imperial guards in Luoyang, and they are all old and weak. We need an army that can fight now."

Gao Shize was stunned when he heard this. "But the saint personally led a million troops to fight. Now the defenses near Luoyang and even Guanzhong are empty. Where can we find troops that can fight?"

Murong Ju said leisurely: "There are already some in the city, ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands, all of them are strong warriors with superb martial arts skills."

Gao Shize didn't understand. He stared at Murong Ju for a long time before he thought of something.

"Your Majesty, are you talking about the guards and servants of the major families in the city?"

Murong Ju didn't say anything, but blinked as a sign of agreement.

Gao Shize made up his mind and said, "Well, I will be the villain. I will tell the military officials registered in the Ministry of War to bring their own troops and wait for the king's orders."

Murong Ju said: "This king cannot touch these soldiers and horses."

"That?"

"Zhao Jiuzhong, the Left General, is extremely brave and well-versed in military strategy. He can be appointed as a general to organize the new army."

"Just as the king said."

Gao Shize and Murong Ju decided on the conscription in just a few words.

When the official in charge of conscription came to Li's house with the list and read out the order to stay behind, Li Yuanhui was stunned.

"Li Yuanhui, the commander of the Cloud Cavalry, is from Chengji, Longxi. His father is the Duke of Longxi and the Minister of the Imperial Guard. He will lead 30 of his men to the main camp of the Left Army on July 10th and will be dispatched later. If he fails to do so, he will be punished by military law."

What the hell? I'm only fourteen, not yet an adult.
(End of this chapter)