From 611 to 614, that is, from the seventh year of Daye to the tenth year of Daye, the Sui Emperor launched three wars of invasion of Goryeo in succession. This has brought another catastrophe to the people of the whole country.
The Sui Emperor recruited 3.4 million troops at a time, and also recruited migrant workers to build 300 ships in Haikou, Donglai (present-day Ye County, Shandong Province). Because migrant workers stood in the water day and night, their bodies from waist to waist down were rotten and maggots, and 34 out of 10 were tortured to death. After the migrant worker died of illness, the body was dumped on the side of the road, and the stench was overwhelming. Emperor Sui also requisitioned and sent military food to the people, and the two people pushed a small cart, which could only hold three stone grain, the road was far away, and the three stone grain was only enough for the rations of the people and the people, and they were transported to the designated place, the rice had been eaten, and the people could not afford to pay, so they had to flee.
In order to evade military service and conscription, the people even cut off their hands and feet, and named them "Fushou" and "Fuzu". Unable to bear it, the peasant uprising finally broke out.
In the seventh year of Daye (611 AD), Wang Bo first rebelled in Changbaishan (present-day Zhangqiu, Zouping, and Changshan) in Shandong, and was active in the area of Qi County (present-day Jinan) and Jibei County (present-day Qiping). Wang Bo, who called himself "Zhi Shilang", composed a song called for an uprising. The lyrics say:
Changbai Mountain front Chi Shilang, pure red Luo brocade back crotch. Long and a half invaded the sky, slashing the knife to shine the sun. Go up the mountain to eat roe deer, and down the mountain to eat cattle and sheep. Suddenly hearing the arrival of the official army, he swung his knife forward. For example, Liaodong died, how to be injured by beheading!
The general meaning of this lyric is: Zhi Shilang in front of Changbai Mountain, handsome and bold in a red dress, with a spear raised to the sky, a big knife shining, going up the mountain to eat roe meat venison, going down the mountain to eat cattle and sheep. Suddenly saw the officers and soldiers coming, raised the knife and rushed to them, to Liaodong to fight Goryeo (North Korea) is also death, rebellion against the imperial court, even if killed, why not!
The Sui Emperor mobilized a large army to suppress it, which aroused the anger of the vast number of peasants even more. Soon, the rebel armies from various places converged into three powerful teams, one was the Hebei Rebel Army led by Dou Jiande, one was the Wagang Army led by Zhai Rang, and the other was the Jianghuai Rebel Army led by Du Fuwei. Among them, the Wagang Army was the most powerful.
The leader of the Wagang army, Zhai Rang, was a native of Weicheng (present-day Hua County, Henan Province) and a minor official in charge of a prison in Yamen in Dong Commandery (present-day Puyang County, Henan). Later, because of a minor offense, he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. The jailer Huang Junhan admired Zhai Rang very much on weekdays, and when he saw Zhai Rang's sudden disaster, he sympathized with him very much.
One night, while it was dark and no one was there, Huang Junhan secretly said to Zhai Rang: "Now that the general trend of the world has been clearly seen, can a talent like you wait for death in prison like this?"
Zhai Rang said: "I am like a pig in a pen now, I can't help myself, whether I die or live depends on you!"
Huang Junhan hurriedly opened the shackles on Zhai Rang's body and let him escape.
While thanking him, Zhai Rang cried and said, "With your help, I was able to escape death." But what will you do when I'm gone?"
Huang Junhan said angrily: "What are you talking about!" I see that you are an ambitious person, who can do something to save the people in the future, so he released you regardless of his personal safety, why do you cry like a child? You just go for a big business, don't worry about me. After that, the two broke up.
Zhai Rang escaped from Dongjun and returned to his hometown in Weicheng. At this time, the peasants in his hometown were brewing an uprising, and he, his brother Zhai Hong, nephew Zhai Mohou, and the young warriors of the same county, Xu Shixun (later renamed Li Xun), Shan Xiongxin, and others went to Wagangzhai and raised the banner of the uprising. The rebel army was active in a vast area of more than 200 miles between the north and south canals, killing the rich and helping the poor, and the ranks continued to grow.
One day, a ragged man suddenly came to the gate of Wagangzhai to see Zhai Rang, and the guards took him to Zhai Rang. It turned out that he was the famous Li Mi. Li Mi was a very talented man, he also served as an official of the Sui Dynasty, and his experience in political struggle and command of operations were better than those of Zhai Rang. He saw that the Wagang army was growing in strength, but it only attacked officers and soldiers and robbed ships carrying goods on the canal, and did not have a big political goal, so he analyzed the situation for the generals of the rebel army.
Li Mi said to Zhai Rang: "Now Yang Guang is faint and cruel, and the people are full of complaints, which is exactly the same as the situation when Liu Bang and Xiang Yu raised troops at the end of the Qin Dynasty. With your talents, and with elite soldiers and horses, you can completely sweep Luoyang and Chang'an and overthrow the Sui Dynasty!" Li Mi's analysis opened the eyes of the leaders of the peasant army, who greatly admired and trusted Li Mi.
Li Mi then persuaded the small peasant rebels around the Wagang Army and the Wagang Army to form a joint army and fight together. In this way, the Wagang army grew stronger and stronger, becoming a powerful anti-Sui force.
In the twelfth year of Daye (616 AD), the Wagang army, under the command of Zhai Rang and Li Mi, defeated Jindi Pass (in present-day southern Hua County, Henan Province), captured several county towns near Xingyang, and approached Xingyang City.
Xingyang has a treacherous terrain and is the hub of the Yellow River of the Tongluo Qu people, and has been a battleground for soldiers since ancient times. The Wagang army besieged Xingyang, frightening Yang Qing, the supreme governor of Xingyang, who hurriedly appealed to Emperor Sui. Emperor Jiao of Sui appointed Zhang Xutuo as Rongyang Tongshou (deputy governor of a county) and led 20,000 elite soldiers to rescue Yang Qing.
Zhang Xutuo was a famous general of the Sui Dynasty, very sinister and cunning, and the peasant rebel army led by Wang Bo was suppressed by him. In the past, he had defeated Zhai Rang several times, so Zhai Rang was nervous when he heard that Zhang Xutuo had led troops to rescue Xingyang. Li Mi studied with him and decided to "outwit", with Zhai Rang leading part of his troops to meet Zhang Xutuo, Li Mi ambushed most of his troops in the woods north of Xingyang Great Sea Temple, and Xu Shixun and Wang Bodang ambushed on both sides of the Great Sea Temple, posing in pocket-shaped formations, waiting for Zhang Xutuo's arrival.
Zhai Rang acted according to the plan, retreating while fighting, and led Zhang Xutuo into the ambush circle. Only listening to the three drums of knock, knock, and knock, Xu Shixun on the left, Wang Bodang on the right, and Li Mi behind him, killed together and surrounded Zhang Xutuo.
Zhang Xutuo hurriedly ordered a retreat. However, the retreat was cut off long ago. The Sui army was in chaos, and was killed by the Wagang army, and the army could not be defeated. Zhang Xutuo also died. Since then, the Wagang army has been greatly enhanced.
In the spring of the following year, Li Mi led another 7,000 elite troops to capture Luokoucang (also known as Xingluocang), the largest grain warehouse of the Sui Dynasty near the eastern capital Luoyang, and opened the warehouse to distribute grain to the common people. People rushed to tell each other, thanked the Wagang army, and sent their children to join the rebel army. The Wagang Army grew to hundreds of thousands in a very short period of time.
Zhai Rang saw that Li Mi had great political vision and repeated battle achievements, so he ceded the leadership of the Wagang Army to him. Therefore, Li Mi called Duke of Wei and Marshal of March, and changed his name to Yongping. Li sealed Zhai Rang as Situ (equivalent to Prime Minister). Luokoucang was expanded into Luokou City and became the seat of government.
The Wagang Army issued a crusade against Emperor Sui (a document denouncing the enemy), listing the ten major crimes of Emperor Sui, stating: "The bamboo of the southern mountain, the sins of the book are endless; The waves of the East China Sea are inexhaustible. "It means that the sin of the Sui Emperor made all the bamboo on the South Mountain into a bamboo simple, and he couldn't finish writing; Break open the East China Sea, wash it with seawater, and call on the people to rise up and jointly overthrow the Sui Dynasty. After the Wagang Army established power, the northern and southern rebel armies responded one after another, came to be annexed, and Li Mi became the leader of the Central Plains rebel army.
Under the fierce attack of the rebel army, the rule of the Sui Dynasty had collapsed, many rebels and relatives left, and many local officials rose up against the Sui.
Emperor Sui, who was frightened by the peasant rebel army, hid in Jiang and did not dare to return to Chang'an, and his heart jumped every day. At this time, the Right Tunwei general Yu Wenhe took the opportunity to launch a mutiny. One day in March of the fourteenth year of Daye (618 AD), a palace maid came running to report: "It's not good, Yu culture and rebellion!" I'm about to enter the palace!"
Emperor Sui trembled, hurriedly changed his clothes, fled to the West Pavilion, Yu Wenhe came to the palace, Emperor Sui saw the dangling knife in the hand of the mutinous soldier, and said in a hurry: "What crime have I committed?" The soldier said, "You started a war, you are debauched, and you say that you are not guilty?" The people of the whole country hate you, a comatose king, and everyone will kill you!"
Fearing a knife, Emperor Sui untied a ribbon from his body, and the soldiers hanged him with this ribbon.
After Emperor Sui was killed, Yu Wenhe proclaimed himself Prime Minister and established Yang Hao the Prince of Qin as emperor. At this time, the Sui Dynasty was not far from its final demise.