Chapter 106 Oh Chapter Zhishilang

In the seventh year of Daye, Li Jiancheng began to prepare for receiving the emperor just after the New Year. After the emperor visited Jiangdu, he would ride a dragon boat across the river and enter the Yongji Canal directly to Zhuo County.

The emperor did not enjoy himself in his beloved Jiangnan, but had to come to Zhuo County to prepare for the expedition against Goguryeo. Yuwen Shu had already been ordered to rush to the Donglai seaport to build 300 ships.

Because the emperor felt that he should advance both by water and by route, but since there was no preparation last year, he was urged to do so urgently. Yuwen Shu was not a man who pitied the people, he only cared about whether he could complete the imperial edict.

He strictly ordered his subordinate officials to supervise the labor, and passed the pressure down level by level. When it came to the shipbuilders, if they failed to complete the work on time, their entire family would be executed.

So the shipbuilders worked in the water day and night, not daring to rest at all. The long-term immersion caused maggots to grow from the waist down, and three to four out of ten people died as a result.

The emperor issued an edict in Jiangdu, gathering all the troops in the world, no matter from the north or south, far or near, to gather in Zhuo County and wait for orders.

He also ordered 10,000 sailors, 30,000 crossbowmen from the south of the Yangtze River and Huai River, and 30,000 spearmen from the south of the Lingnan Mountains, all of whom were the elite among the elite.

On the way to Zhuo County, Henan, Huainan, and Jiangnan built 50,000 chariots and sent them to Gaoyang to load clothing, armor, curtains and curtains. Civilian laborers were also conscripted to provide military supplies.

After arriving in Zhuo County and staying in the palace, he issued an edict to recruit laborers from the south of the Yangtze River and Huai River and to transport rice from the warehouses in Liyang and Luokou to Zhuo County by boat.

With so many orders and such a huge mobilized force, the ships on the river stretched for more than a thousand miles, loaded with weapons and tools for attacking.

There were hundreds of thousands of civilians traveling back and forth on the road for a long time. They crowded the road, moving day and night. Those who died of illness and exhaustion lay on each other's shoulders. The corpses were strewn everywhere, and the stench filled the road, causing unrest in the whole country.

No one cared whether the emperor could win as usual. The people's tolerance had been completely broken. Anyone who went out and walked along the official road could see corpses that had been stripped naked and were beginning to rot everywhere.

The village elders of each village and county had to organize people to bury the corpses every day to prevent the plague. While doing this, a group of young and strong people just left, while some secretly discussed that as long as there were conscriptions, they would go there together to become bandits.

By the autumn, more than 1.13 million people had gathered in Zhuo County, and the number of civilian laborers was twice as many. Problems arose every moment, and Li Jiancheng was almost exhausted from his work. Even Yang Guang could not help but persuade him to take a break.

If Li Jiancheng was just an ordinary prefect, he would not be able to handle these things at all. Fortunately, he had a noble status and many children of nobles came to help, which made it possible to barely stabilize all parties and protect the local people of Zhuo County from being bullied.

At this time, floods occurred in Shandong and Henan, submerging more than 30 counties. Local officials requested the court to dispatch food and fodder to provide disaster relief, but the emperor rejected their request and asked them to find a solution themselves.

They even conscripted civilians to transport rice and stored it in the towns of Luhe and Huaiyuan. More than 600,000 rickshaw drivers were recruited, and two of them were required to push three stone of rice. The road for transporting grain was difficult and dangerous, and these three stone of rice were not enough for the drivers to eat on the way. When they arrived at the towns of Luhe and Huaiyuan, the drivers had no grain to pay, so they had to flee for fear of being punished.

The farming season was delayed throughout the country, and many fields were barren. In addition, there was famine, and the price of grain soared. A bushel of rice cost a hundred coins. From then on, bandits swarmed in and became countless.

…………

In the Diaowo Valley of Changbai Mountain, a tall and strong man in a red robe stood on a high place and sang to the ragged people below: "We must resist the army and the election. Every family must collect iron tools and make guns. Kill all the corrupt officials and tyrants!"

"Resist the soldiers! Resist the election!"

"Rebellion! We are rebelling!"

"Kill the tyrant!" The voices of hundreds of people filled the valley. The man drew out his sword like a tiger and roared to the sky. Although the sword was made by himself, he could not afford to use it with his status. But now it is different.

The world really could not tolerate the emperor anymore, especially the ordinary people, so the people near Changbai Mountain responded to the call of the blacksmith Wang Bo. Within half a month, there were tens of thousands of people.

Wang Bo had a few more people under his command who were knowledgeable about literature, so they composed the "Song of No Death in Liaodong" and presented it to him. Wang Bo immediately asked people to sing it.

"In front of Changbai Mountain, Zhishilang, wearing a red silk back crotch,
The spears reach the sky, the wheel swords shine in the sunlight.

Go up the mountain to eat roe deer, and go down the mountain to eat cattle and sheep.

Suddenly, he heard the government troops approaching, and he rushed forward with his sword raised.
For example, if Liaodong dies, what harm will come from beheading him? "

This is certainly not as good as the emperor's literary talent, but fortunately it is easy to understand. Even an illiterate person can understand its meaning after listening to it twice. Therefore, more people think that Zhi Shilang is a great hero, and more people come to become his vassals.

Wang Bo wrote three poems in a row, such as "Don't go to Liaodong, the road is long, old relatives are waiting for you, young women are staying at home. You have land but can't farm it, who will help you if you need help? Once you leave, you don't know when you will return. When the sun rises over Longdui, I miss my hometown."

However, none of them received as good a response as before. Seeing that he could not rely on his poetic talent to gather a million-strong army, Wang Bo began to prepare to gain a foothold.

At this time in Pingyuan County, there was a precious place called Douzihang, which was backed by the sea and surrounded by rivers. The terrain was deep and dangerous. It had been a gathering place for thieves for hundreds of years.

At this time, there were as many as 70,000 to 80,000 people gathered, but before they started the rebellion, they had several fightings because no one was willing to submit to anyone else and everyone had their own small gangs.

But after fighting for a long time, even if they won, they would soon be defeated by others. They were wary of each other and could only sit down to discuss. In the end, a local tyrant named Liu Badao emerged victorious. His family had been in officialdom for generations and had great wealth. Even during peacetime, he had hundreds of retainers.

For the group of bandits, such a background was already very noble. In addition, he was a relatively law-abiding person who did not deprive or divide the power of others, so they supported him as their leader and formally rebelled.

However, Zhai Rang in Wagang was law-abiding and did not openly rebel. He was still waiting for Li Jiancheng's orders.

But it was not that he did nothing. He built magnificent walls around the high hill, which was very impressive. He then recruited heroes from nearby counties and prefectures. Even if they were unwilling to submit to him, he promised to help them hide their young and strong men.

Although he had not rebelled in name, there were more and more young and strong men in the village. He had to find a way. He could not rely solely on Li Langjun's supply. So he led his people into Xingyang and Liangjun and robbed public and private ships.

There were also Dou Jiande, Gao Shida, Zhang Jincheng and others who openly rebelled in various places, and the news continued to reach the emperor's ears.

Facing the ministers who had come rushing over, the emperor smiled and said, "It's just a few bandit troubles. Don't worry. I have ordered the commanders, eagle-winged generals and counties to cooperate with each other in hunting down the thieves and killing them as soon as they are caught."

Not long after the emperor's edict was announced, the pillar of the Yellow River collapsed, blocking the river and causing the water to flow backwards for dozens of miles. This made more people firmly believe that the Sui Dynasty had lost its mandate of heaven and they enthusiastically rebelled.

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(End of this chapter)