In the chaos of the last years of the Sui Dynasty, a rebel army that would be powerful in the future appeared in Henan, the Wagang Army. The founder of the Wagang Army is Zhai Rang, a native of Dongjun, who was born at the bottom and once openly criticized Emperor Yang of Sui. Zhai Rang was grateful to the jailer for saving his life, he not only let him go, but further regarded him as a hero, opened the shackles, and let him live.
Zhai Rang fled to Wagang, a hill on the southeast bank of the Yellow River, located on a major transportation route. The undulating sand dunes and bushes here make it easy to defend and difficult to attack. In the seventh year of the Great Cause (611), Zhai Rang rebelled in Wagang. Subsequently, Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shixian, from Caozhou, and Wang Bodang from Shanxi, joined one after another, and Wagangzhai soon gathered into an army of tens of thousands of people.
The appearance of Li Mi further upgraded the strength of the Wagang Army. Li Mi was once Yang Xuangan's subordinate, but after Yang Xuangan's defeat, he chose to flee. After several journeys, Li Mi came to Dongjun, where the Wagang army was entrenched, and was introduced to Zhai Rang by Wang Bodang. Li Mi analyzed the situation in the world for the Wagang army, and proposed a strategy to follow Liu Bang and Xiang Yu in the late Qin Dynasty, sweep through Erjing, exterminate the tyranny, and replace the Sui Dynasty with the world.
Li Mi's addition brought new vitality to the Wagang Army. He led the Wagang Army to march to the Central Plains, and repeatedly defeated the famous generals of the Sui Dynasty, Zhang Xutuo and Pei Renji, with excellent strategy and command skills. He took advantage of Zhang Xutuo's pride to underestimate the enemy, successfully defeated the famous general in a battle, and became famous in the fight.
With the passage of time, Zhai Rang elected Li Mi as the leader of the Wagang Army, known as the "Duke of Wei". Li Mi led the Wagang army to achieve great victories one after another, and the Sui generals Pei Renji, Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin and others surrendered to the Wagang army. With his talent and courage, Li Mi realized the counterattack of the Wagang Army.
However, just as Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty embarked on his last trip to the capital of Xiajiang, the prestige of the Wagang Army had already spread far and wide. In this chaotic era, the Wagang Army, with its firm faith and heroic soldiers, dropped a bombshell for the end of the Sui Dynasty. Their stories will leave a deep mark on history and be part of that turbulent era.
Overall, the rise of the Wagang Army is a story full of challenges and opportunities. With firm conviction and fearless courage, they faced the oppression from the imperial court and the local government, and gradually grew from a small rebel army to a powerful military group. Their stories teach us that with faith and courage, nothing is impossible.