Chapter 142 Yanyun
With the situation in the city like this, it was natural for them to seek help from outside. Some people asked Yang Xuangan, some asked Li Jiancheng, and some asked Zhou Fashang, the approaching navy. No matter which of the three groups of people entered the city, the problem could be solved.

But undoubtedly, Yang Xuangan still has the best chance at the moment. The other two routes need to remove the obstacle of Yang Xuangan, and the only thing blocking Yang Xuangan is a city gate.

In the camp outside the city, Yang Xuangan felt puzzled by the flattery of the crowd. If he had been prepared and deployed so many people, he could have killed Fan Zigai and the sons of several other prominent figures in the dynasty, and he would not have been blocked here for so long.

Since the death of Yang Su, the Yang family was no longer considered to be the emperor's confidants. They only served as officials in the court because of their size. Naturally, it was difficult for them to leave much power in Luoyang City, which was the emperor's confidant.

"This was not arranged by me. I have never been so mean."

Everyone immediately responded, "That's right. Yang Gong naturally disdains to do this. This is a tyrant who has lost his virtue, and God is helping him!"

Yang Xuangan knew that he couldn't explain himself clearly, so he stopped caring about it. This was indeed a good thing for him, and it would be even better if the situation became even more serious.

So he ordered Han Shigao, Yang Gongdao and others to lead the troops to attack the city. Yu Rou, son of Jinzi Guanglu doctor Yu Shiji, Zhou Zhong, son of You Wuhou general Zhou Luohou, and Lai Yuan, son of You Xiaowei general Lai Huer, tried to find a way to contact the city and open another city gate.

They followed Yang Xuangan in rebellion for no other reason than that the emperor, when recruiting the brave and fruitful army, had dared to issue an edict restricting them, the nobles, from joining the army and not allowing them to make achievements.

First of all, most of them are not the eldest sons of the family, so it is not their turn to inherit the title or family property. It doesn’t matter originally, because they have a family anyway, and after serving in the army, they will always have an official position.

With an official position and real power, one can naturally gain a foothold in the court and the clan and continue to enjoy wealth and glory.

But the emperor blocked their way and even planned to be more harsh on them in the future, using vacant positions to bribe the children of aristocratic families in Shandong, Hebei, Jiangnan and other places.

How could this be tolerated? Since the emperor has forgotten his origins, they should replace him with an emperor who knows where he came from.

…………

As for Li Jiancheng, he was defeated repeatedly by Li Zixiong and Yang Xuangan, but fortunately he had reinforcements everywhere, so he did not suffer a total defeat, but just fought and retreated.

Occasionally, with the bravery of Shan Xiongxin or Qin Shubao, they would be able to turn the tide, but it was still difficult to break through the rebels' formation.

Li Jiancheng was not too concerned about victory or defeat at this time. The most important thing was to transform those civilians and recruited good-family sons into qualified soldiers through fighting.

Obviously, this level of fighting is the best opportunity to train the troops. It is not so intense, allowing them to slowly adapt to the advance and retreat of the army, as well as the commands of the flags.

But Li Jiancheng would write letters to the emperor every day, apologizing if he lost and bragging if he won. In short, he looked like a man who really wanted to make achievements but had no strength and could only fight again and again after repeated defeats.

There was no way. After Yang Xuangan, the emperor would inevitably be more suspicious, so it was necessary for both father and son to hide their incompetence.

But in addition to submitting memorials every day, Li Jiancheng was also in contact with Zhang Huli, but he did not ask him to harass the emperor, but to lead troops to target Goguryeo.

Again, the emperor's policy of attacking Goguryeo was not wrong. As an agricultural country, Goguryeo, which occupied most of the Liaodong region, was no longer a small country.

Zhang Huli and his men had no shortage of food, horses, weapons, or even armor. They were idle anyway, so they might as well attack Goguryeo, which would be considered a training exercise. The Sui Dynasty was in dire straits because of the attack on Goguryeo, but the same was true for Goguryeo. Liaodong was not a suitable place for farming, and they had been fortifying the city and forcibly conscripting civilians to defend it for two consecutive years.

Goguryeo was now facing internal and external troubles, and Li Jiancheng certainly did not want to see them recover, so he ordered Zhang Huli's cavalry, known as the Yanyun Iron Cavalry, to plunder Goguryeo, Khitan and other countries.

Of course, the Sui Dynasty cannot be let off either. If they want to pretend, they have to pretend to be more convincing. By the way, they can also annex those wolf cubs that Li Jiancheng has raised in the north.

Letting them out to find food and grow meat, there was no hope that these so-called grassroots heroes could achieve anything. With internal and external collaborators, they could provide location information and even strike back at the critical moment. There was no other outcome for them except being swallowed up.

Soon Li Jiancheng's Yanyun Cavalry will grow into a problem that no country can solve.

The reason why it was called the Yanyun Iron Cavalry was simple, because on this day, Li Jiancheng met with Luo Yi, the General of the Tiger Guards, who came to provide assistance in accordance with the emperor's order.

This man is also a brave and skilled fighter. His specially made spear is not something that ordinary people can wield. Although his subordinates are not numerous, they are well-organized and capable of advancing and retreating.

As soon as they met, he bowed deeply to Li Jiancheng, expressing his willingness to obey his orders. He hardly concealed his ambition to climb up the ladder. This kind of person has no loyalty and only has himself in his eyes.

However, Li Jiancheng still entertained him warmly. Not only did he not take away his military power by force, he even gave him 5,000 civilian soldiers. This was already beyond what Luo Yi had hoped to get after risking his life.

"My dear lord, your reputation is well-deserved. I will serve you wholeheartedly and will never dare to disobey you in the slightest!"

Li Jiancheng said with a smile: "I have contributed to the country, so why should I talk about other things? General Luo is a hero, I will not make a mistake in him. As the saying goes, a man should achieve fame and honor right away. Now it is time for us to ennoble our wife and children."

After drinking together, he introduced Shan Xiongxin and Qin Shubao to Luo Yi. After a brief exchange among the three, it happened that Li Zixiong led his troops to arrive. The three of them met the enemy together, fought fiercely, and then withdrew their troops.

Shan Xiongxin and Qin Shubao both praised Luo Yi's abilities. Luo Yi was polite on the surface, but his pride was hit. He thought he was a rare hero in the world. From childhood to adulthood, no one could compare with him in martial arts or leading troops.

Therefore, when he saw Li Jiancheng, a great nobleman who was well-known throughout the country, he still retained some arrogance, thinking that the other party treated him so well because he hoped to rely on him to defeat the enemy and gain merit.

But he didn't expect that the two generals under the opponent's command, the one with the surname Shan was as good as himself in martial arts, while the one with the surname Qin could definitely surpass both of them. I guess the once famous Shi Wansui was also like this.

Are there so many heroes in the world?

"General Qin's martial arts are truly amazing. I admire him."

Qin Shubao smiled generously and said, "General Luo is too modest."

Shan Xiongxin looked at Luo Yi with some displeasure and said, "We have traveled extensively. We once followed Your Majesty to conquer Goguryeo and fought against bandits under Zhang Xutuo. My brother's martial arts skills are unmatched."

Luo Yi was not only not unhappy, but also seemed relieved: "As expected, General Qin's ability is worthy of being a match for ten thousand men. I'm afraid only the invincible Shi Wansui in the past can be compared to him."

(End of this chapter)