The late Sui general Zhang Sutuo

First, the mainstay of the Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty emperor Yang Guanghao was very happy and violent, causing bandits to breed all over the country, especially in Shandong, which echoed the old saying 'Shandong makes a horse', which also shows that the people of Shandong are the most fierce and full of spirit of resistance.

In 610 (the sixth year of Daye), Yang Guang sent Zhang Sutuo to serve as the commander of Qi County. Qi County is today's Jinan, Shandong, is the center of Shandong, according to the rank of the county is the assistant of Taishou, but Qi County Taishou is named by the honor of Xun Gui and does not take office, Zhang Sutuo is the highest military and political chief in the Qi County.

Zhang Sutuo came from a military family, and his father was an official to the county order. When he was young, Zhang Sutuo followed Shi Wanzai, the commander-in-chief of the Jiannan Province, to Yunnan to fight the rebellion, encountered the enemy's elephant array, the Sui soldiers lost their color, Zhang Sutuo charged forward with a fifty-pound large knife in his hand, cut off the elephant trunk, causing the elephant to flee in pain, encouraging the Sui army to defeat the enemy army, and thus gaining the prestige of Sai Xu Chu. After that, he made many military achievements, was promoted to Yi Tong (正五品), and ranked among the ranks of intermediate generals, so he was selected by Yang Guang and entrusted with heavy responsibilities.

The late Sui general Zhang Sutuo

In 611 (the seventh year of Daye), Yang Guangzheng dispatched soldiers and horses from all over the country to conquer Goguryeo, which made the people's suffering worse, and Wang Bo and Meng Rang of Zouping County, Shandong, taking the Changbai Mountain at the junction of Zouping and Zhangqiu as their base, openly pulled up the anti-Sui banner and opened the prelude to the overthrow of the Sui Dynasty, as if blowing a spark in a fierce and dry land, and the whole of Shandong was filled with smoke.

Wang Bo often went to Qi County and township to plunder, and with the arrival of winter, grain prices soared, and the number of hungry people in Qi County increased, and there was a great tendency to get out of control. Zhang Sutuo decided to open a warehouse to release grain and provide relief to the victims.

The officials all believed: "We must report to the imperial court and wait for the emperor's edict, and we must not open a warehouse to provide grain without permission." ”

Zhang Sutuo said: "Now that Your Majesty is far away in Liaodong to attack Goguryeo, it will take several months to send emissaries to and fro. The people are in a hurry to hang upside down, and if they wait for the results of the report, the people will starve to fill the pit. If I am guilty of this, I will die without hatred. ”

So I cut first and played later, and opened the warehouse to release the grain. After stabilizing the people's hearts, Zhang Sutuo led three thousand county soldiers to set out to pursue Wang Bo.

After The uprising, Wang Bo's successive victories against the officers and men had grown to more than 10,000, and seeing that there were only three thousand officers and men, he decided to face the battle head-on, occupying a high ground in a hilly undulating place at the foot of Mount Tai, in order to wait for work and meet the incoming enemy.

Zhang Sutuo encouraged his subordinates: "The enemy has the potential for geographical advantages, and the number of personnel is three times that of our army, but the enemy is an untrained rabble, the equipment is rudimentary, and there is no doubt that he will lose in a field battle with our army." ”

When the two armies clashed, Wang Bo's rebel army rushed up, but Zhang Sutuo's soldiers and horses suddenly changed their positions, gave way to the middle road, and became a sharp arrow array in the shape of two arrows on the left and right, charging the enemy counter-charge along the left and right sides.

Wang Bo's army was divided into three by Zhang Sutuo's soldiers and horses, and the soldiers on the second flank were attacked by the Sui army's neat formation of soldiers and horses, making the entire rebel army a scattered sand, and soon collapsed and scattered.

Wang Bo and Meng Rang led the remnants of the army to Defeat Zhangqiu and retreated into the Changbai Mountains, where Zhang Sutuo did not spare and led the troops in pursuit. Wang Bo and Meng Rang returned to the base area in the Changbai Mountains, they had not yet gained a firm foothold, the pursuing troops had arrived, and after another battle and defeat, the base area was also breached, so they had to cross the Yellow River north to continue to escape, Zhang Sutuo personally led a thousand people across the Yellow River in a desperate pursuit, chased to Linyi, the two sides fought again, Wang Bo was defeated again, and only led a hundred and ten people to escape.

This battle lasted for tens of days, Zhang Sutuo led his troops from the south of Qi County, east to north, around most of Qi County, chasing Wang Bo had nowhere to hide. Since then, the rebel rebels all over Shandong have known that Zhang Sutuo of Qi County, the soldiers are fierce, and they dare not enter the area of Qi County to loot. The people and gentry of Qi County also supported Zhang Sutuo, and for a while the people were at peace and production resumed, which made the land of Qi County contrast strongly with other regions.

Yang Guangyi returned from a great defeat in Goguryeo and saw that there were bandits in Shandong, Hebei and other places, but qi county was able to suppress bandits, so he did not punish Zhang Sutuo for opening a warehouse without authorization, but praised Zhang Sutuo's exploits in suppressing bandits.

Yang Guang did not think bitterly, as if his head had been caught in the door, and he thought of conquering Goguryeo again, just in response to the sentence 'Heaven wants to make it perish must first make it crazy'. Yang Guang counted on Zhang Sutuo to pacify him, promoted him to the post of Tongshou of Qi Commandery (Qi Commandery) and the ambassador of the Six Counties of Shandong (四品), and sent an additional 2,000 soldiers and horses and a member of the fierce general --- Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong's official lieutenant (六品), originally a fierce general who came to protect Er'er, came to protect Er'er during a campaign against Goguryeo and caused a major defeat, it was Qin Qiong who showed his courage to protect Lai'er to escape safely, and Qin Qiong was sent to Zhang Sutuo. Qin Qiong was a native of Qi County, his father Qin Ai had served as the king of Xianyang in Northern Qi, but he was a large household in Qi County, and the two thousand soldiers and horses brought by Qin Qiong were also Shandong people, although there were not many personnel, but they were all Sui regular troops, much stronger than the local van soldiers, making Zhang Sutuo like a tiger.

Luo Shixin was also a native of Qi County, a soldier of the qi dynasty, and his father died in battle at an early age, and Luo Shixin was only fourteen years old when he asked Zhang Sutuo to join the army. Zhang Sutuo looked at the young man's courage and smiled, "You can't even bear the weight of your armor, how can you fight?" Luo Shixin was greatly dissatisfied, and immediately put on two pairs of armor, hung two pots of arrows, and flew onto the horse. Zhang Sutuo praised and allowed him to join the army and become a general of love.

It is said that Wang Bo fled to the border area of Hebei in Shandong, joined forces with Sun Xuanya, Hao Xiaode and other rebels, and attacked the countryside and county, and in only one year, the number of soldiers reached tens of thousands.

In 613 (the ninth year of Daye), Wang Bo gathered 100,000 rebels and expanded south again, crossing the Yellow River, entering Qi County, and besieging the county seat of Zhangqiu.

Zhang Sutuo informed Zhou Fashang, the commander of the water army, that he would send the water army to cut off the enemy's water transportation and return route at the Yellow River, and he himself led 20,000 soldiers and horses to attack Wang Bo.

Zhang Sutuo once again defeated Wang Bo, and when the scattered army collapsed to Jinliang, he was rejected by the water army Zhou Fashang. Zhang Sutuo and Zhou Fashang once again defeated the rebels by land and water, and their families were overwhelmed and invincible, and they also issued a victory document to let the imperial court hear about it.

In the same year, Pei Changcai, Shi Zihe and others led 20,000 rebels to attack Licheng and plundered them. Zhang Sutuo did not have time to gather soldiers at that time, so he personally led Luo Shixin and five other horsemen to fight against the rebels. Attracted by it, the rebels led troops to besiege them. Zhang Sutuo was under siege, with many injuries on his body, and his courage was strong. When reinforcements arrived in the city, the rebels retreated slightly. Zhang Sutuo's army fought again, defeated the rebels, and Pei Chang fled in defeat.

In the same year, Guo Fang, a native of Beihai Commandery (北海郡, in modern Yidu, Shandong), gathered a crowd of 30,000 people, called himself Lu Gong, and captured the county town. Guo Fangqian also jointly besieged Beihai County with Qin Junhong and other rebels, and the army was powerful. Zhang Sutuo said to his subordinates, "The thieves think that they are strong in strength, thinking that I cannot rescue them, and now that I am rushing to the rescue, I will definitely be able to break them." "The generals did not dare to speak, only Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin asked for battle." Zhang Sutuo ordered Qin Qiong to be the commander and Luo Shixin to be his deputy, and selected three thousand elite soldiers to quickly go to the rescue. The rebels were defenseless, and the Sui army took the opportunity to launch an attack, defeating the rebels, killing tens of thousands of people and gaining 3,000 vehicles. Si Li assassinated Shi Pei Caozhi to ask for credit for his petition, and Yang Guang again sent someone to treat Zhang Sutuo's army.

The Sui Emperor Yang Guang learned of Zhang Sutuo's accumulated battle exploits and Luo Shixin's youthful bravery, sent envoys to offer condolences, and asked the painter to paint the scene of Zhang Sutuo and Luo Shixin's battle, and presented it to the Chang'an court. Zhang Sutuo was temporarily powerful in Shandong, and was promoted to the post of ambassador of the Twelve Counties of Henan Province. (Note: During the Sui Dynasty, the country was divided into ten provinces, and Henan Province included Shandong, Henan and part of Hebei)

In 614 (the tenth year of Daye), Zuo Xiaoyou, a native of Qi County, rebelled against the Sui and occupied the Squat Dog Mountain (present-day northeast of Zhaoyuan, Shandong), and the ranks grew to 70,000 or 80,000 people.

In November of the same year, Zhang Sutuo commanded his troops to suppress the rebels, and the Sui army pressed Zuo Xiaoyou and divided his troops to guard the key points. Zuo Xiaoyou had no way to escape and was forced to lead the crowd to surrender.

In December of the same year, Lu Mingyue, a native of Zhuo County, led an army of 70,000 to 80,000 people in Tunzhu'a (present-day southwest of Yucheng, Shandong). Zhang Sutuo commanded 10,000 troops to suppress it. Lu Mingyue relied on a strong camp and could not hold out, and the two sides were separated by more than ten days, and the Sui army was about to retreat. Zhang Sutuo did not want to lose the fighter, so he said to his subordinates: "When the thief army sees me retreating, it is bound to pursue the nest, and if there are elite soldiers who can sneak into the enemy camp, they will surely make a profit, and who will attack the camp for me?" Everyone did not answer, and still only Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin asked for a battle. Zhang Sutuo then ordered the two men to lead a thousand elite soldiers to ambush the grass and trees, and he himself led his troops to abandon the camp and pretend to flee, and Lu Mingyue led the whole army to pursue. Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin took the opportunity to lead an ambush into the rebel camp and set fire to more than thirty fences, the enemy camp guards were in chaos, Lu Mingyue led his troops to quickly return to the rescue, and was attacked by Zhang Sutuo's hui division, the rebels were defeated, and they were killed countless times, and Lu Mingyue only broke through with hundreds of horses.

After that, Zhang Sutuo defeated Lü Xingxing, Shuai Rentai, Huo Xiaohan and other rebels.

The most powerful momentum in Henan was the Wagang army led by Zhai Rang and Li Mi, and when Zhai Rang expanded to Shandong, Zhang Sutuo led the army to stop it, and after more than thirty battles, each battle defeated the Wagang army, so that the forces of the Wagang army could not enter the Qi County area. However, the area outside Qi County became more and more chaotic, and Qi County gradually became an island.

Second, Yang Guang dug his own grave

The capital city of Luoyang was four hundred miles away from Wagang Mountain, and repeated raids had failed to work, and Yang Guang, thinking that he was too close to the mountain thieves and was not safe, led the Wen and Wu officials to drive Jiangdu (present-day Yangzhou), and also took away 100,000 Xiaoguo troops. Then, Yang Guang appointed Zhang Sutuo as the defender of Xingyang and led an army to attack Wagang Village, and Yang Guang regarded Zhang Sutuo as an omnipotent King Kong.

To the north of Luoyang was the natural barrier of Mount Wushan, and to the east of Luoyang was Xingyang (present-day Zhengzhou), with thick walls and 20,000 heavy troops, and Xingyang was directly south of Wagang Mountain, blocking the passage of the Wagang army to the south, let alone attacking Luoyang. Yang Guang was purely suspicious of the dark ghost and scared himself, but Yang Guang went south to take away 100,000 soldiers and horses, wasn't he just helping the Wagang Army?

The situation in Shandong was barely maintained, and Zhang Sutuo had no choice but to leave Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin, and all the soldiers and horses behind, and went to Xingyang alone to take office. Zhang Sutuo's task was to clear and suppress the Wagang army, and after arriving at his post, he did not stop, leading Xingyang's 20,000 soldiers and horses into Wagang Mountain, Zhang Sutuo went deep into the mountainous areas, and there was no reinforcement behind, and the grain and grass could not last long, and could only seek the enemy for a decisive battle as soon as possible. Zhang Sutuo personally led 10,000 soldiers and horses as the former army, and asked the deputy general Wei Cheng to lead 10,000 soldiers to protect him.

In the vicinity of the Great Sea Temple, which was deep into the Wagang Mountains, it met with the waiting Wagang Army, where the terrain was undulating and overgrown with trees, and the Wagang Army was already surrounded by ambushes, suddenly rising to meet the battle, shouting to kill the heavens. Zhang Sutuo saw that the mountains were full of Wagang troops, as many as 40,000, and ordered the whole army to form a defensive formation to wait for the rear army.

Wei Cheng saw that Wagang's army was powerful, and if he dared to rush to the rescue, the leader of the army would turn around and run, even ignoring the heavy military supplies. When Zhang Sutuo learned that the rear army had fled, he could only order the whole army to retreat. Zhang Sutuo had already escaped, and in order to rescue the trapped soldiers and horses, he turned over again and killed back, and finally died in battle.

Zhang Sutuo was tragically killed in battle, and the soldiers who fled back to Xingyang wept bitterly, and they were sad that such a sympathetic general had died in battle. Upon hearing the news, Yang Guang ordered Wei Cheng, who had fled the battle, to be beheaded and posthumously awarded Zhang Sutuo the title of Grand Master of golden purple Guanglu and Xingyang Commandery.

Zhang Sutuo represents the last insistence of the Sui Dynasty soldiers, and he was killed by Yang Guang, marking the demise of the Sui Dynasty not far away.