Chapter 187 Fang Du Liu Wang
The next day, Zhai Rang summoned all the people from Wagang and asked Li Mi in front of everyone whether he wanted to break away from Wagang and establish his own regime. Li Mi thought that Zhai Rang wanted to kill him and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Zhai Rang sat in the main seat and said, "We in Wagang can only be where we are today because of Pushan Gong's plan to defeat Zhang Xutuo, so I called the brothers in the camp together and explained the matter to them in front of them.

I, Zhai Rang, established Wagang Camp originally to protect myself and to protect my brothers who were forced into a corner by the imperial court. I never expected that now I would occupy Luokou and besiege Luoyang, becoming one of the heroes of the world.

This is the credit of Lord Pushan, so I have always respected him and entrusted him with all the military and political power. I really don't know why Lord Pushan abandoned his brothers and left. "

Li Mi bowed to Zhai Rang and said, "I am really ashamed of my brothers, but the situation is urgent and I cannot delay. I have to abandon Wagang, but Luoyang will take a long time to capture, so it is better to divide the troops and attack it."

The two men flattered each other and reflected on themselves, but the fact was that Wagang officially split. Li Mi led his confidants such as Wang Bodang, as well as 70,000 troops and a huge amount of food and grass to separate from Zhai Rang, which caused the reputation of Zhai Rang and Li Mi to plummet.

Although the situation did not escalate to war, in the eyes of the people of the world, Li Mi was ungrateful and Zhai Rang was incapable of commanding others, which were both taboos in the struggle for supremacy.

But Li Mi no longer cared about these things. Li Jiancheng was moving too fast. If he was a step slower, there would be no hope at all. He was unwilling to accept this.

He immediately distributed food and fodder, and hungry people from all over the country, bringing their elderly and children, came to the army to get food. They were naturally grateful and did not want to leave. In this way, Li Mi completed the expansion of the army in the shortest time and had nearly 200,000 soldiers.

Li Mi called himself Duke of Wei and set the reign title as Yongping. Although he did not directly proclaim himself emperor, he had already set up government offices, changed the era name and established a system.

He also asked Zu Junyan to write a manifesto for him, listing the emperor's ten major crimes, such as killing his father and brother, indulging in wine and sex and building many pavilions, levying heavy taxes, touring without restraint, refusing advice and being jealous of others' abilities.

In short, it is the emperor's fault. The bamboos in Nanshan Mountain are piled up to record his endless sins. The waves in the East China Sea are bursting to record his evil deeds.

After completing all this, it was finally time for Li Mi to make his own decision. Luoyang had been under siege for a long time, and there was also Zhai Rang on the side. He couldn't just take Luoyang and take half each.

Li Mi's adviser Chai Xiaohe advised: "The mountains and rivers of Qin are the solid foundation of the Qin and Han dynasties. My lord, select your best troops and attack Chang'an in the west. Once you have conquered the capital, your army will be strong. Then, head east to pacify He and Luo. Once the order is issued, the world will be settled!"

Li Mi was somewhat reluctant to give up Luoyang. The battle had already come this far, and it was really hard to accept giving it up to Zhai Rang for nothing.

Chai Xiaohe was from Guanzhong, and he immediately continued to advise: "Now that the Sui Dynasty has lost its power, heroes are competing for it. If we don't act early, someone will surely surpass us, and it will be too late to regret it!"

Li Mi thought about it for a long time and finally refused. He knew very well that although there were not many troops stationed in Chang'an, it was too close to Taiyuan, and it was too dangerous to snatch food from Li Jiancheng's mouth.

It is not a good idea to confront him so early, and he is not sure of winning.

And there is another point. Li Mi said to Chai Xiaohe: "This is indeed the best strategy. I have been thinking about it for a long time. However, my troops are all from Shandong. Who will be willing to follow me to the west before Luoyang is conquered?"

It is easy to distribute food and gather soldiers, but it is difficult to command them as one would do. If he captures Luoyang to boost morale, he may be able to attract troops to enter the pass with fame and fortune. But if he forces it now, I am afraid that half of the 200,000 soldiers will be dispersed on the way.

Another strategist, Xu Hongke, said, "Although Duke Wei has many soldiers and horses now, I am afraid that they will run out of food and disperse. If we don't take advantage of this time when morale is high and conquer the four directions, what will happen in the future?"

Li Mi asked, "Do you want to persuade me to attack Luoyang?"

"No, no." Xu Hongke shook his head and said, "You want to be the king of the world, why do you only see the city of Luoyang? According to me, you should take advantage of the opportunity to advance, take advantage of the sharpness of your soldiers and horses, head east along the river, straight to Jiangdu, capture the tyrant, and command the world!" Li Mi had a complicated expression after hearing this. He had offered three strategies to Yang Xuangan that year. The best strategy was to go to Youzhou to capture the king first, the middle strategy was to go directly to Guanzhong, and the worst strategy was to capture Luoyang.

Yang Xuangan chose the worst strategy back then, but as time goes by, he still has these three paths before him. He can't help but recall what Yang Xuangan said to him before his death.

Master, some things seem simple to you, but I am the one wasting opportunities because of my hesitation. However, once you really get to the right position, you will realize how difficult it is.

It is a bit difficult, Xuan Gan, Li Mi sighed. Just as it is impossible for the soldiers under his command to follow him to Guanzhong, it is even more impossible for them to follow him south to Jiangdu before Luoyang is settled.

Therefore, we still have to attack Luoyang. Only by capturing Luoyang can we boost morale and advance westward and southward.

But Li Mi was a man who cared about his reputation, and it was impossible for him to turn around and join forces with Zhai Rang again. So Li Mi first led his troops to capture Xiangcheng, Fangling and other counties around the Eastern Capital.

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

Wang Long advised: "My dear, it's time to enter the pass."

Fang Xuanling also said: "It is indeed a top priority to enter Chang'an, issue a proclamation to the whole country, send the righteous army to recover the prefectures and counties of the whole country, save the world and the people, and establish a new dynasty."

Liu Wenjing said: "Now Li Mi is besieging Luoyang, the emperor is far away in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are tens of thousands of rebels in various places, crossing states and counties, blocking the mountains and swamps. If you follow the will of heaven and raise the banner of rebellion, it will not be difficult to pacify the world."

Du Ruhui smiled and said, "My lord, you control most of the northern border. Who dares not to obey your words? Follow the will of heaven and the will of the people. Stay in Chang'an and command the world. In less than two years, you can become an empire!"

After Li Jiancheng returned to the Central Plains, the reputation he had accumulated in his early years was immediately realized. There was no need for him to visit his thatched cottage three times to seek favors. Talented and ambitious people who were interested in career advancement naturally came to him.

Zhang Liang, who was dashing and resourceful; Xue Shou, who was quick-witted; Li Daliang, who was well-versed in etiquette and could be relied upon for major events; Liu Wenjing, who was a strategic strategist; Du Ruhui, who was intelligent and knowledgeable and could assist the king; Fang Xuanling, who was well-read in classics and history, good at calligraphy and writing; Yan Shigu, who was fluent in learning and had elegant words; and Chen Shuda, who was talented, eloquent, and had brilliant articles.

A considerable number of these people had been friends with Li Jiancheng in their early years and they often exchanged letters with him, but it was not until now that they made up their minds to come and join him.

Almost everyone was urging Li Jiancheng to return to Chang'an as soon as possible to establish his system, but he himself was not in a hurry because he had to solve the Turkic problem first. Shibi Khan's ruthlessness enabled the Turkic problem to be solved as quickly as possible.

Although many hidden dangers have been left, it must be admitted that the Turks still have the strength to move south, and the secret letter sent by Princess Yicheng also verified this.

No one is a fool, especially those who can sit firmly on the throne of the Turkic Khan. Shibi Khan killed his most trusted adviser Kang Tan, which shows that he had discovered the problem, so it was not difficult to investigate the connection between Li Jiancheng and Kang Tan.

In fact, when Li Jiancheng left the Turks, he invited Kang Tan, but the businessman was profit-oriented and reluctant to give up his power in the Turks, so he tried to have it all, but ended up losing his life.

Based on Li Jiancheng's understanding of Shi Bi, Kang Tan must have died miserably.

…………

(End of this chapter)