The next day, Chen Pojun issued several orders of the prime minister and made a major transfer to many officials in the imperial court. One of the most striking is the change in the official positions of Princess Chen's elder brother, Changsun Wuji, and her uncle, both of whom were withdrawn from their previously crowned positions as state dukes and demoted to county dukes. In addition, the eldest grandson Wuji's internal history shì lang also became the provincial official department shì lang, and Gao Shilian was also changed from the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites to the Shaoqing of Weiwei Temple.

As soon as this news came out, it immediately made hundreds of officials and people in Beijing look sideways, speculating whether Princess Chen had made some mistake and lost Chen Pojun's favor. But not long after, Chen Pojun personally explained that this was because Princess Chen did not want her brother's uncle to be in a high position and attract attention, and she didn't want the world to misunderstand King Chen's nepotism. After hearing this reason, whether it was the officials, the scholars, the literati, or the peddlers and pawns in the capital, they all looked sideways at the young Princess Chen. Everyone praised each other, the prime minister was unparalleled in heroes, and Princess Chen was even more virtuous and wise, and immediately won the admiration of countless people.

In the midst of the bustle of Princess Chen's brother and uncle's demotion, the six departments of the three provinces of the imperial court and the major yamen, as well as the eight guards and horses of the imperial court, have also made a large increase in the official transfer of the imperial court. Especially in this southern expedition, the original plan was to be led by Li Jing.

But in the end, it was led by Chen Pojun himself, and the southern expeditionary army had a total of 150,000 horses, including 50,000 tribal coalition troops, 50,000 Hebei troops, and 50,000 Liaodong troops. Chen Pojun led himself as the generalissimo of the Southern Expedition, Li Jing was the deputy marshal, Xue Shixiong was the marching Sima, the eldest grandson Wuji was the marching chief, and Luo Yi was the vanguard of the march. He also mobilized dozens of generals, including Qin Shubao, Cheng Bingjin, Luo Shixin, Wei Chixue, Wei Chiren, Zhang Jin, Luo Lin, Li Chengyi, Li Chengli, Li Chengzhi, Daniel Zhang, Wang Junkuo, Zhai Wushuang, Xue Dingguo, Luo Cheng, Xue Wanche, and Xue Wanjun.

Chen Pojun personally led the army to the expedition, and Yang Wei, the son of heaven, led the Chinese military officials to the bank of the ten-mile canal outside the city to send them off. Chen Kefu went south and dragged the affairs of the rear of Hebei to everyone, Wen Ze was shot by the left servant of Shangshu Mao Xi, and Wu had Li Benlei, the general of Jin Wuwei, and the state affairs were paid to these two people.

After leaving Beijing, Chen Pojun's army marched south along the canal and entered Hejian County in just one day. Before dark, the army rushed to the city of Wen'an. The Sui Dynasty officials of Fang'an City were killed when Gao Shida breached the city, and this time Dou Jiande's army went south to meet Zhang Jin, and Gao Shida contracted the soldiers and horses north of Hejian to return to Hejian County to defend. At this time, Wen'an City had become an empty city, and even the people in the city were captured and went south when Gao Shida's men and horses retreated.

In the county office of the marshal's mansion in the city, Chen Pojun discussed with the generals.

When Su Wei went to Beijing to surrender, Chen Pojun and others certainly did not believe in his strategy of delaying the army. However, Chen Pojun did not say anything at that time, for them, his soldiers and horses had just arrived in Hebei at that time, and the counties occupied by the Guanguan had not yet taken care of the matter of recruiting Hebei troops, so of course they would not venture south.

Knowing that Zhang Jincheng led the army north, they still wished that these peasant armies would fight each other, so that they could reap the benefits of the fishermen, how could they interfere. However, two days ago, the Secret Service Department sent an urgent report from Pingyuan County, which still surprised them a little and did not expect it.

According to the speculation of the General Staff Headquarters, Zhang Jin said that he was going north with the power of a great victory, and he had more than 200,000 horses.

And Dou Jiande went south, but there were only 70,000 soldiers and horses. The soldiers and horses on both sides are very related, although the staff headquarters has been reminded by Chen Kefu several times, saying that Dou Jiande cannot be regarded as common sense, but everyone calculates that Zhang Jin's victory rate in this battle is more than seventy percent. Moreover, Dou Jiande's three-percent chance of victory must be abandoned, and the imperial court will flow guerrilla warfare to defeat Li Jincheng.

But in fact, if you don't count the preparations before the battle, Dou Jiande and Zhang Jincheng only fought for two days. In two days, the fighting in several counties in southern Hebei had ended. With 50,000 horses, Dou Jiande took the initiative to attack Zhang Jincheng with 250,000 people, defeated Zhang Jincheng's army day and night, and even Zhang Jincheng who had been on both sides of the Yellow River for many years could not escape, and finally died tragically under the arrow of Dou Jiande's daughter.

The General Staff Headquarters couldn't believe it when they got this information, and it was only after receiving two identical pieces of information in a row that it was finally confirmed. For a while, everyone couldn't help but be impressed by this little-known Dou Jiande.

After Chen Pojun heard the result of the battle, he had to lead the army south in advance. If he waits any longer, Dou Jiande will inevitably take this opportunity to pocket Pingyuan, Bohai and other counties. If they wait for the reorganization of those troops that Zhang Jin said, then this will undoubtedly be a difficult team. …,

The staff officers of the accompanying army in the hall have already set up the sand table, which is a Hebei sand table, mountains and rivers

The river is all in it. Looking at this precise terrain sand table, Xue Shixiong, who was silent on the side, couldn't help but have a strange color in his eyes. He knew the situation in various parts of Hebei, and he looked closely at the mountains and rivers on the sand table, and he actually found no mistakes. In all dynasties, maps were symbols of political power, and ordinary people could not have them at all.

Even if Chen Pojun used to be a general, he could not have a detailed military topographic map of various places. And now, Chen Pojun can actually pile up the detailed mountains and rivers of Hebei on the sand table. From this point alone, he already understood that Chen Pojun must have already rebelled, otherwise how could he do this overnight. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel gloomy in his heart, although he had to surrender Chen Pojun due to the situation.

But in fact, he still has hope for the Great Sui, and he has always hoped in his heart that when the imperial court soldiers and horses reach Hebei, it will be his day of rebellion. Now, he is single-mindedly in Cao Ying's heart in Han, and he has made up his mind that Xu Shu will enter Cao Ying without saying a word.

Several staff officers quickly planted small red basket flags on the sand table, marking in detail the current situation in Hejian, Pingyuan and other counties.

The eldest grandson Wuji pointed to the sand table, "Your Highness, according to the report of the Secret Service Division, after Dou Jiande defeated Zhang Jin, the casualties of the department were also very heavy. At present, Dou Jiande has just conquered the city of Gonggao, and now he is sending several soldiers and horses to seize the cities of the plains and Bohai counties. On the other hand, they are also stepping up their recuperation and reorganizing the three troops of Zhang Jincheng, Liu Badao, and Sun Anzu. It is estimated that in another three or five days, Dou Jiande will be able to completely occupy the plains and the two counties of Bohai. According to our estimates, as long as it takes half a month, Dou Jiande will be able to organize at least 200,000 horses. ”

"It's a pity that I won't give him half a month!" Chen Kefu shook his head, "Dou Jiande is indeed not simple, it can be seen from this battle alone that this person not only has a very high prestige in the Hejian army, but also does not have the bad habits of those peasant rebel army leaders, and his strategy of leading troops is indeed extraordinary." Such a character, we must not give you room to grow, and we will inevitably strangle him as soon as possible. ”

Luo Yi stood aside and couldn't help admiring Chen Kefu's ruthlessness and spiciness, but it was rare to see his appreciation for Dou Jiande in his words. But after weighing the pros and cons in his heart, he was able to decide to eradicate Dou Jiande without hesitation, which is really admirable.

He secretly looked at the generals in the hall, except for Chen Pojun and Xue Shixiong, most of the generals here were some rising generations of the Liaodong Army. Even the deputy marshal Li Jing, before defecting to Chen Pojun, was just a small county in the Sui Dynasty. When he was in Chongqing Pass, he was the deputy marshal of the Liaoxi camp outside the pass, and as a new general, he led the army to take on the heavy responsibility of resisting the imperial court Hebei army.

This time he went south, Chen Pojun did not transfer a general of the Liaodong Army, but he transferred Li Jing as the deputy marshal, and this value couldn't help but make him envious. He knew that Chen Pojun was very defensive against the generals of the Hebei Army, but he hoped that he could be reused as soon as Li Jing. He thinks that his ability to lead troops is good, no worse than Xue Shixiong and Li Jing, but for so many years, he has been pressed under Li Jing. Now that he has voted for Chen Pojun, he naturally hopes to establish military achievements in the new dynasty and win fame and wealth.

Thinking of this, without hesitation, he strode forward and said loudly, "What His Highness said is very true, Dou Jiande does have a few moments. Although this skill can't enter the eyes of His Highness, it can't give him this opportunity, so as not to delay His Highness's plan. The last general asked for an order, asking His Royal Highness Xu Mo to lead the vanguard soldiers and horses of his headquarters to the south, and break the nest of the Hejian rebels in Gao Shida first. As long as Gao Shida is captured, the morale of the Hejian Righteous Army will inevitably drop greatly, and when His Highness arrives with a large army, it will definitely be able to calm down. Li Jing on the side also nodded, "What General Luo said is reasonable, now we can't give Dou Jiande a chance at all." In my opinion, General Luo can lead the vanguard of his headquarters to bypass the county town of Hejian,

Went straight to Dou Jiande's headquarters in Pingyuan County, and took advantage of the fact that after the battle, when the army was exhausted, he was caught off guard, and Dou Jiande must not be given a chance to rest. ”

The generals in the hall are basically from the regular army of the imperial court. The regular army pays attention to being well-prepared, well-trained, and well-commanded. They have always looked down on the peasant army, and in their eyes, the peasant grass has only one tactic.

However, the peasant army's crowd tactics were okay against those local counties, but their regular generals were not afraid of crowd tactics at all. At present, they have an army of 150,000, all of which are the elite of the Liaodong Army and the Hebei Army, and the rest of the grassland coalition army are also cavalry archers who grew up on horseback. Such an army, not to mention Dou Jiande's tens of thousands of horses, is doubled, and they will never take it seriously.

They all knew very well in their hearts that in the battle with the peasant army, as long as they blocked their tactics of crowds all over the mountains, then the next step would be when they could easily defeat the peasant army. In such a battle, let alone 150,000 people, as long as they are given 350,000 people, they are absolutely confident that they will wipe out these peasant armies one by one. At that time, Zhang Xutuo crisscrossed Shandong and Henan, and the Bafeng Battalion in his hands was only 20,000 or 30,000 at its peak, but he defeated all the way one after another, and the peasant army known as 100,000 and 200,000 at every turn.

And in their opinion, this Dou Jiande and his peasant army not far away are just a group of local chickens and dogs.