Chapter 107 Preparation
The emperor actually knew very well the reasons why the people rebelled. He had always been a very smart man, otherwise he would not have achieved such great achievements in these seven or eight years.

He loved his own achievements, but not his own people. His subjects were merely stepping stones to his achievements. If he wanted to surpass the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and go far beyond the Zhou and Han dynasties, then naturally he had to use the people as consumables.

Although the rebellion of the common people could not cause much trouble, the emperor decided to show kindness and appease them while suppressing the rebellion. He issued an edict to reward the elderly people over 90 years old in Hebei counties, as well as Shanxi, Shandong and other places as prefects, and those over 80 years old as county magistrates. They could wear robes of corresponding grades and receive court salaries.

Under the emperor's instruction, auspicious signs began to appear in various counties and prefectures, such as the appearance of a three-legged crow in Shu County, the capture of a black fox in Zhangye, the appearance of a cloud dragon in Zhuo County, and the cry of a phoenix in Dongdu...

In addition, jadeite as tall as a person and Ganoderma lucidum as big as a millstone were also sent to the emperor in Zhuo County, and the emperor specially held a banquet to invite all officials to watch.

But the officials all looked unhappy, and the flattery was not as pleasant as before. The emperor's expression gradually became ugly, and the atmosphere became dangerous.

Countless civilians and soldiers in the country worked hard for the emperor's will. From the perspective of the common people, they made sacrifices, so they had complaints and were qualified to complain. From the perspective of the emperor, this was in the national interest and they would do it even at the cost of blood.

The emperor could understand why he did not forgive the rebellious people, but in the eyes of the emperor, these officials had no right to complain. They enjoyed high positions, generous salaries, wealth and glory, so why would they complain?

Li Jiancheng was sitting behind Yang Xuangan. He noticed that Yang Xuangan was trembling slightly, but it was obviously not because of fear. It was probably because he was so happy that he couldn't control himself. The big show was about to begin.

The emperor looked coldly among his ministers, and finally landed on Yu Zhi, the governor of Heshui. He asked, "The people of Goryeo cannot match one of our counties. Now I am going to attack them with this army. Do you think we can win?"

Yu Zhi stood up and replied, "We can defeat them by attacking them, but I have a humble opinion and do not want Your Majesty to go there in person."

Several others stood up and agreed without waiting for the emperor to ask: "Your Majesty should lead a million troops back to the Eastern Capital to take charge, leaving behind 200,000 troops to conquer Goguryeo. There is really no need to mobilize so many troops and waste people's money and resources."

"Your Majesty, bandits have suddenly emerged throughout the country, which shows that the people have reached the limit of their patience. The more than two million young and strong civilians in Zhuo County should be dismissed and returned to the fields. Only in this way can the world be peaceful."

The emperor ignored the others and continued to question Yu: "I have led the army here, how can I retreat before I even see the enemy?"

"It is precisely because Your Majesty is leading the army personally. If you fail in the battle, Your Majesty's reputation will be damaged, which would be a huge matter."

"I will not retreat."

Yu Zhi was silent for a moment and said, "If Your Majesty insists on staying here, then we should immediately order our brave generals and strong soldiers to go out to fight. Your Majesty will give us the strategy to double the speed and advance at the same time. We will surely defeat the enemy by surprise."

"Speed ​​is the essence of war, and speed is the key to success. Slowness leads to failure!"

This was a very insightful statement, and even some generals could not help but agree with it. However, the emperor sneered and suddenly ordered the beheading of Yu Zhi and Geng Xun, the supervisor of the Right Shangfang Office who had just spoken.

All officials have become somewhat numb. Your Majesty has been wielding these three axes for so many years, but now their deterrent effect is getting smaller and smaller.

Yang Guang angrily rebuked his ministers, but he was very calm in his heart. Killing the chicken to scare the monkey was no longer effective, and he still had to rely on a brilliant victory to restore his authority as the supreme ruler of the world.

Although he was still full of confidence, after all, it was a real million-strong army, but he couldn't help but miss Yang Su. How great it would be if there was still an undefeated general in the court. At this time, Yang Xuangan stood up and said: "My family has received the emperor's grace for generations, and the grace and honor we have received are more than we deserve. If I don't make contributions to the frontier, how can I fulfill my responsibilities?
Now that there is a warning of a storm on the border, I am willing to take up arms in the battle array, charge into the enemy lines for Your Majesty, and go through fire and water to repay Your Majesty's great grace!"

Yang Guang was very surprised. He stood up and sighed, "A general's family must have a general, and a prime minister's family must have a prime minister. You and your son can be role models for other officials."

Yang Xuangan was rewarded with tens of thousands of pieces of silk and thousands of pieces of brocade on the spot, and was asked to accompany the army to guard the emperor the next year.

The emperor dismissed all the ministers and only kept his confidants. Yang Xuangan, who had been excluded for a long time, finally had the opportunity to participate.

There is no need to talk about those rebellious bandits, because as long as we win this battle and return with a victorious million-strong army, the whole world will be at peace in a blink of an eye.

But everyone also vaguely felt that if His Majesty did not change his nature of being ambitious and greedy for pleasure, the country would be in chaos sooner or later, even if he could suppress it for a while.

However, the emperor already had a plan in mind on how to conquer Goguryeo and did not want to discuss it with them. Except for Li Jiancheng, the others had some doubts but did not ask any further questions.

After all, Your Majesty has led a large army before, and with an army of 1.3 million and more than 2 million civilians, it is impossible for you to lose against a mere Goguryeo.

When the emperor inquired about the Turkic affairs, Li Jiancheng reported: "Your Majesty, neither of the two Turkic Khans sent troops to help as ordered. Shibi Khan only sent a thousand horses, and Cholu Khan only sent some gold and silver ceremonial objects."

The emperor narrowed his eyes and smiled, "You want to reap the benefits while sitting back and waiting. What ideas do you have? Tell us what you think."

Pei Ju said: "It is time to check and balance, Your Majesty, Shibi Khan has a younger brother named Chijishe. I suggest that you marry him to a princess and then appoint him as Southern Khan to divide the Eastern Turks.

As for the Western Turks, I heard that there is a chieftain named Shekui, who is very powerful and has been dissatisfied with Choro Khan for a long time. We can enthrone him as Khan and make him fight with Choro. "

It was an old method, but it always worked, so the emperor ordered Pei Ju to arrange it.

A month later, the news came back that Chijishe from the Dong Turkic side had no courage to fight with his brother Shibi Khan. After hearing the news, he directly drove away the envoy.

The situation on the Western Turkic side was quite smooth. After receiving the promise from the Sui Dynasty, Chief Shekui could not wait to send troops to attack. Choro Khan was caught off guard and was naturally defeated. He abandoned his wife and fled eastward to Gaochang State with thousands of cavalry.

The emperor was not particularly satisfied with this result. After all, a great war was about to begin, and if the Turks still retained their full strength, it would be difficult for him to sleep well.

Pei Ju was worthy of being an expert in dealing with Turkic issues after Changsun Sheng. He immediately proposed a way to deal with Shibi Khan's adviser, the Sogdian Shi Shuhusi, and he could also provoke fighting among several tribes. In addition, Princess Yicheng could help appease Shibi.

...............

(End of this chapter)