Chapter 1363: Vulnerable

Time reached March, the earth thawed, and spring flowers bloomed.

The hardworking commoners were once again working on their not-so-rich fertile land.

The fighting in the north was also more intense than in winter. Of course, this was for Goguryeo.

After a winter passed, Wang Yan had already sent troops to fight into the hinterland of Liaodong. Under his command, Goguryeo was beaten back step by step, but Goguryeo was unwilling to fail, constantly rolling back more crazily, constantly increasing troops, and the resistance was still very firm.

Of course, while being firm, they also began to send people to engage in diplomacy, asking to see Wang Yan and Yang Guang.

Wang Yan naturally didn't see them, but he didn't kill them either, but sent them to Daxing. Anyway, it wouldn't be finished for a while, let them play with Yang Guang.

Even if Yang Guang agreed to stop the war as soon as he saw people, the two-month time was enough to push the situation of the war to a new situation.

The troops commanded by Wang Yan were in line with the highest mystery of military strategy, fast as the wind, slow as the forest, invading like fire, and immovable like a mountain. Fast in suddenness, fierce in fighting, and stable in guarding.

And in the process of fighting, most of the time Wang Yan could predict the enemy in advance, playing Goguryeo's troops like fools.

At the same time, Wang Yan rarely fought hard battles. Except for the key locations that had to be fought, other places adopted various feints, harassment, in order to force Goguryeo's troops to mess up their own positions, panic in dispatch, and eat them one by one.

However, Goguryeo's commander was not stupid. After this means was performed countless times, they also learned their lesson. So many times, some troops found they couldn't fight, and reinforcements couldn't come, so they acted like turtles, shrinking their forces. Except for a few self-confident generals who refused to admit defeat, most generals were determined not to divide troops.

For such a situation, Wang Yan basically ignored it and wouldn't use human lives to fill it. Just mobilizing some troops to surround, if someone came to rescue, it was better; if no one came to rescue, they were trapped.

It didn't take long at all. In three or five days, the military heart was turbulent, in ten days, there was internal chaos, and in less than fifteen days, someone took the general's head and came out to surrender.

After fighting for more than half a year, there was no situation where they held on for a month, grain was cut off, and people started eating people.

It was also fighting while absorbing Goguryeo's surrendered soldiers, repairing roads and doing construction in the back, or taking them out as dare-to-die troops to fight bloody battles with their own people.

Of course, Wang Yan was also quite generous to the captives. He sent a large number of people to the prisoners of war to preach how good the Great Sui was, how Goguryeo was not good, and tell them the treatment of sincerely surrendering to the Great Sui, etc.

After all, it was impossible to really kill all the people of Goguryeo, just like the Turks, they all had to be absorbed. Even in the places already occupied by the Great Sui, some soldiers who had retired due to injuries on the battlefield had already started living with Goguryeo women.

They were all unwilling to go back. They couldn't find wives at home, and they didn't live well. There was plenty of land here, and wives were distributed, directly living a life, and many young soldiers were willing.

And Wang Yan was constantly repairing roads, building post networks, ensuring the smoothness of information and roads...

Yuguan, which was the Shanhai Pass, was Wang Yan's commander's tent.

He didn't go to the front, because he had to guard the rear and deal with political affairs. At the same time, more importantly, it was to guard against rebellion in the Central Plains.

Undoubtedly, his guard was effective.

"General, our messenger has been delayed for two days, and not a single person has returned. And the land supplies have also been delayed for a day."

The staff officer looked at Wang Yan, who was standing with his hands behind his back by the sea, and reported dutifully.

Wang Yan gave an "en", the wind blew his lapels, and his half-dried hair that had just been washed.

In the old days, Old Cao conquered Wuhuan, and there was a famous article here.

Two thousand years later, there was still a famous article here.

The bleak autumn wind is here again, the world has changed...

Of course, it is early spring now, not autumn. The world has changed two thousand years later, but it is still the same world now, and it is still the same group of people who have never changed.

Wang Yan looked at the sea with waves rising due to the spring breeze, and was silent for a long time.

The staff officer stood straight behind, quietly watching the General's immovable, broad back...

"People are cheap, only allowing them to plot others' wealth and harm others' lives, but not allowing others to treat them the same."

Wang Yan's laughing voice sounded, and he turned around to look at him, "Pass the order, the whole army stops fighting, order Li Jing's department... mobilize 100,000 troops, march south, and pacify the Central Plains!"

Watching the staff officer take notes with charcoal, Wang Yan laughed, "Repeat it once."

"... March south, pacify the Central Plains!"

"Go."

"Yes!"

The staff officer stood at attention and shouted with a trembling voice, his voice cracking.

Things developed very quickly. When Wang Yan was contracting his troops here, the Central Plains had once again set off a turmoil.

With the experience of the last time, the great clans of the Central Plains were widely connected, secretly formed societies, and prepared in secret.

At the start, they gathered 200,000 troops, and unlike the last time when they were scattered, they gathered together very organized and quickly, fully exerting the advantage of large numbers, and wantonly sweeping up the commoners on both sides of the Yellow River.

The local troops couldn't even suppress them in the first time, but instead became experience babies who sent equipment.

Of course, the military strength of a hundred or so people in a county couldn't do anything big. At the first moment of the great clans' rebellion, the county's troops were wiped out. Although the casualties were not small, they weren't them, and no one cared.

The thousand-plus military strength of a county was different. They were all professional soldiers who ate well, drank well, and practiced well. Their combat effectiveness was not comparable to the peasant army stirred up by the great clans of the Central Plains.

Especially the armor and armaments of the great clans' army were not rich. A thousand-plus Great Sui regular army could chase and beat 10,000 great clans' army.

And the army in the county was not only a thousand people. They had the power to requisition militia. At the first moment of the great clans' trouble, the county requisitioned militia, opened the armory, and the people who could be pulled out at the first time were three or five thousand. Later, with the fighting, after beating the great clans' army, they absorbed other militia who were involved, and the military strength grew bit by bit.

However, obviously, they didn't grow faster than the great clans of the Central Plains who were completely crazy. They didn't dare to spread out too much, and could only combine the adjacent counties, strike the great clans' army in a targeted manner, but when the great clans' army swept over, they had to close the door and not go out, ensuring the safety of the county city, and supporting it with difficulty.

But it didn't have much effect. As the saying goes, ten thousand people, boundless. With hundreds of thousands of troops sweeping over, few could hold on for a long time.

And in the process of constant marching, sweeping, and attacking cities, the peasants in the great clans' army who were burning, killing, and looting were also driven crazy by this collective atmosphere, and their combat effectiveness was increasing day by day, and their soldiers and armor were constantly increasing.

This couldn't be blamed on those peasants who were involved. They were innocent, and they had no self-control. Under the leadership of the great clans, they amplified the evil in their hearts step by step.

Of course, there was no lack of various dissatisfactions suppressed in peaceful life. They were bullied, they had to pay various taxes, they had to sell their children and daughters, and they had to be slaves.

At the same time, they were involved in the rebel team, and they didn't dare not listen. If they didn't listen, they would die directly. If they listened, they could burn, kill, and loot before dying.

This was not a multiple-choice question.

So the sin was all on the great clans, including the suppression of the commoners, which were all created by the great clans.

Of course, the imperial court couldn't get rid of it, it was just the biggest great clan. At the same time, there was a certain consciousness to maintain balance. From this aspect, the imperial court was still a good imperial court.

The great clans' army blossomed everywhere, they constantly gathered, constantly swept up more people, and caused greater destruction. Especially the most important thing was that the Central Plains were in spring plowing. This catastrophe was swept up, and the Central Plains would have no harvest and fall into famine.

But the great clans were obviously not caring. They were just crazy to sweep people everywhere, grab armaments, open warehouses to distribute grain, and spend wantonly. Especially targeting Wang Yan's territory, Wang Yan had many farms in the Central Plains.

Just like the last time, the great clans who rose in rebellion came to Wang Yan's industry to wreak havoc at the first time.

However, Wang Yan had long expected them to rebel, so how could he give them a chance? He didn't even raise pigs. When fighting, he purchased them all to the army. The villagers had also moved to Liaodong, protected by the great army, very safe, continuing to raise them here, and it was the same, basically not delaying production much.

Don't know how many people were scolding Wang Yan.

Because of Wang Yan's actions, they also knew that Wang Yan had long known, so Yang Guang must have known, and must have preparations. Fighting Goguryeo was specifically for them to fight, letting them think they saw an opportunity.

But they had no retreat either. It was Wang Yan who set it off last time, but this time they sent it up themselves. Either Wang Yan died, or Yang Guang died.

They obviously wouldn't go to find Wang Yan's trouble. There were hundreds of thousands of troops there, and Wang Yan was invincible in the world. They dared to go, that was throwing themselves into the net. So they used everything to quickly grow, and then marched west to Hangu Pass, wanting to kill to Daxing.

They were naturally not smooth.

Because when they were sweeping toward Hangu Pass, the great army had already marched out of Luoyang. The southern army had also assembled and crossed the river north. The 100,000 troops mobilized by Wang Yan in the north had also retreated and pressed south. The eastern coastal navy also blockaded the coastline. The border troops in Bingzhou and the Northwest had long since contracted and crossed the Taihang Mountains.

The entire Central Plains region was wrapped in dumplings.

In addition, it thinned out the energy to fight Goguryeo, giving more than half of the power to Li Jing, letting Li Jing command the 100,000+ troops on the front line. The requirement was not high, just to stabilize the results achieved, and even if they couldn't hold it, retreating a hundred or eighty miles was also fine. Without hurting the retired soldiers who had started to settle in Liaodong, they could even retreat to the Shanhai Pass, which was still very loose.

Li Jing was far from mature now, but he was Li Jing, and Wang Yan had confidence in him. At most, the battle line would retreat dozens of miles, and it would absolutely not reach the level of retreating to the Shanhai Pass.

Most of Wang Yan's energy was naturally put on fighting the great clans' army.

This time was even more efficient than the last time. The great army gathered, and it was over with one push. Of course, there were naturally various dispatches and various blockades in the process, and the great clans' army could not be allowed to bypass back to the area that had already been pushed.

Wang Yan personally commanded the armies in all directions, coordinating the overall situation.

The combat effectiveness of the great clans' army was truly vulnerable here. Don't look at the fact that when they really responded, the great clans' army had already developed to a scale of 500,000+, but the time was too short.

From the last catastrophe to now, it was only a year. Yang Guang stared at them tightly. Even if they were privately casting armaments, they couldn't build many. After all, iron mines were supervised, transportation had to be checked, and production and operation had to look at account books and pay taxes.

Although they grabbed some armaments of local troops and broke through several city armories to get armaments, they absolutely didn't have that many. They couldn't arm so many troops.

At the same time, they were anxious to attack Daxing and kill Yang Guang, so the soldiers were not well trained. Among the involved militia, few were really selling their lives for them. Participating in killing was a last resort, but it was just self-protection.

They had previously been instructed by Wang Yan to participate in the attack on the great clans, their thoughts had been washed once, and many were beneficiaries of distributed land, having only hatred for the great clans. So in the process of fighting, from time to time, there were militia connections, leading people to surrender.

The overall fighting will was not strong, and no one wanted to fight.

Even the commoners who had burned, killed, and looted enough, after calming down and thinking about it, didn't have so many thoughts.

Overall, it was peaceful and stable, and social contradictions were not so prominent. Rebellion was very difficult. It was easy for Wang Yan, but it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for the great clans.

Because the class of the great clans was there, they were unwilling to share, and they were unwilling to lower their noble heads...

So fighting these rebellious great clans' army was not as intense as fighting Goguryeo. Wherever the great army went, they surrendered with the wind, and there was little resistance.

If Wang Yan hadn't ordered to clear up those who did evil while taking the opportunity, the few resistances wouldn't even exist.

To talk about the original sin, it must be on the great clans. To talk about the culprit, it must be his Wang Mouren. After all, both Central Plains catastrophes were launched by him. If he didn't launch them, there wouldn't be these opportunities for these people to be coerced into doing evil.

But doing it was doing it, and they had to pay the price.

Wang Yan had sins, and no one could judge him. Others had sins, and Wang Yan could judge others.

This was the difference.

However, his clearing was not too intense, and he still left considerable room, otherwise, no one would be willing to surrender, and they would have to fight the Great Sui government army to the end.

They were all sentenced to labor, and they would just do heavy work for a few years.

Wang Yan wrote to Yang Guang about this point, and it was properly resolved. Because Yang Guang was worried that no one would do labor.

Yang Guang had not conscripted labor for two years, and two years were enough to verify many things. However, the labor system was not explicitly abolished, and it was used at this time.

Punitive labor and forced labor naturally had essential differences.

This bunch of people who made mistakes and were punished, no matter how bitter or tired they were, would not say anything about the imperial court, but would only regret the evil they had created. But forced labor was different. Everyone gathered together to scold the officials, and they relied on this to lift their spirits when working.

So after pacifying the great clans' rebellion, many projects had been planned, and these people and Goguryeo's prisoners of war were to do them. The difference was that Goguryeo's prisoners of war would die more than half, and the commoners who created evil themselves would die less than half.

Wang Yan was still quite particular. He left a way for many people to live, but only the great clans of the Central Plains didn't...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who tipped, voted for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and read silently for their strong support!

? (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1364 =====