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Chapter 167: Solving Difficulties
Yuwen Shu's confidant pointed at Li Jian Cheng and exclaimed, "You traitor, how dare you come here!"
"The General should immediately capture this villain. After rescuing His Majesty, we can deal with him."
"Li Jian Cheng, surrender your military authority. Considering that you came here voluntarily today, we will plead for you before His Majesty."
However, Li Jian Cheng had his own supporters, and someone immediately stepped forward: "Silence! General Li is a pillar of the court, here to protect the emperor. Without His Majesty's decree, how dare you arrest the Right General of the Imperial Guards?"
There were also those who only thought about rescuing the emperor: "Now is the time for us to unite and overcome difficulties together; other matters can be discussed later."
Li Jian Cheng ignored them and walked directly to Yun Dingxing. He nodded at the agitated Li Shimin, then locked eyes with Yun Dingxing. Among those present, they were the two with the highest ranks.
"How many troops did General bring?"
"Originally fifty thousand, but now only over thirty thousand remain. Liaodong City is besieged, and I could only take the risk of leading the cavalry to break through and come to rescue."
Yun Dingxing nodded slowly. "General has traveled a long distance to come to the rescue; this shows your unwavering loyalty. The General admires you."
After saying this, Yun Dingxing surprisingly left his main seat, seemingly indicating that he did not wish to compete with Li Jian Cheng for position. The crowd continued to argue below, but he sat quietly in the upper left position without saying a word.
He was well aware of his own abilities and understood those of his old rival Li Jian Cheng. During their struggle for power years ago, although Li Jian Cheng was young, his influence was second only to Yang Su.
More than ten years had passed, and he found it even harder to see through Li Jian Cheng now. How could he be an enemy under such circumstances?
In his view, the Sui Dynasty was nearing its end anyway; any credit for rescuing the emperor would likely be of little use and could easily lead him into danger. Thus, it was better to remain stable.
If the rescue succeeded, he would share in the credit. If the emperor sought accountability, he could argue that the priority was saving His Majesty and that stepping back was merely for unity.
If the rescue failed, there would be nothing to explain. Moreover, he vaguely felt that it was time for him to place his bets; perhaps there truly was a destiny with the Li Family and Peach and Plum.
As for Li Jian Cheng, there was no need for further words; his reputation was known far and wide. Throughout this journey, he had witnessed the prowess of Duke of Tang Erlang. Although his military tactics were ordinary, he had managed to survive to this age and had some ability in recognizing people.
With Yun Dingxing's stance made clear, Li Jian Cheng slowly took his original seat of authority. The officials who had been shouting earlier looked grim; with both the emperor and Yuwen Shu absent and without Yun Dingxing's support now, no one could do anything about Li Jian Cheng.
Li Jian Cheng had no intention of suppressing anyone. After sitting down, he immediately said, "The call to arms for the sake of the kingdom is of utmost importance for the survival of our Sui Dynasty. We have long enjoyed the Imperial Favor, and gathering our forces here today is to serve our country.
A snake cannot move without a head, and a bird cannot fly without wings. Only when our troops unite can we resist the army of Shibi Khan. I am the Right General of the Imperial Guards, appointed by His Majesty, and there is no one in this hall with a higher rank than mine. Therefore, I shall not hesitate to take charge!"
Li Jian Cheng's relatives and old friends stood up without hesitation to support him, which naturally influenced some officials. After all, Li Jian Cheng was still an official of the court at this moment and had not raised a banner of rebellion; he had come specifically to offer assistance. They began to believe that perhaps they had misunderstood him.
However, there were still quite a few who shared Yun Dingxing's perspective. From every angle, Li Jian Cheng seemed to be the most suitable candidate for this critical moment.
Thus, aside from a small minority, nearly everyone supported Li Jian Cheng as their leader to protect the emperor. The situation was such that the opinions of the remaining few became insignificant.
Standing behind Li Jian Cheng, Li Shimin trembled with excitement. Their family had been on the brink of collapse, but with his brother's return, the situation had turned around instantly.
Li Shimin couldn't help but think that they shouldn't have rescued Yang Guang; that man was ungrateful and even if they saved him, he would likely harbor suspicions in the future. His brother shouldn't have returned.
"First, we will follow my brother's plan to create confusion, then send someone to persuade Shibi Khan to withdraw his troops. The Turkic forces are mobilizing hundreds of thousands; they cannot sustain this for long.
Additionally, we will send someone to meet with Princess Yicheng and various tribal leaders to persuade them to also urge Shibi Khan to retreat. Otherwise, our Sui Dynasty will not hesitate to fight back; at that point, negotiations will not be in their hands!"
"Understood!"
Li Jian Cheng then commanded everyone to return to their duties and ordered his guards to block anyone who wished to see him privately, even relatives were turned away. This conveyed that he had no ulterior motives and indeed calmed many officials who were worried that Li Jian Cheng intended to harm the emperor and seize military power for himself.
"Brother, do we really need to save His Majesty?"
Li Shimin did not mention how anxious their family had been because he did not see it as a significant issue. He understood from the matters concerning Li Hun and Li Min that as long as Yang Guang was in power, this situation would never change; it was only a matter of time.
Li Jian Cheng removed his helmet and said, "We must save him. Reputation may seem useless at times, but sometimes it is stronger than an army of ten thousand. What troops cannot achieve through force can often be accomplished through high reputation and prestige."
Li Shimin frowned. "Given the Tyrant's nature, even if you save him, he might disregard your kindness and turn against you."
"Rest assured, I have my own plans for escaping and breaking free from our family's constraints. After this incident, the emperor will inevitably be unable to regain control; he will only be able to retreat to Luoyang or Jiangdu as chaos begins."
"Shimin, I will hand over the thirty thousand troops to you. They are all members of Qin's Clan, brave and skilled in battle. Once this matter is settled, the Emperor will surely reward the soldiers who came to aid. You may request to lead the attack against Li Shanfei, who is currently assaulting Taiyuan."
...
Under the command of Li Jian Cheng, the army united as one. Although their numbers were still inferior to the Turkic forces, the implementation of deceptive strategies had caused the Turkic troops to gather, loosening their outer defenses.
With great effort, the reinforcements surged forward and reached a point not far from Yanmen County City, where they could already see the city from a high vantage point.
Inside the city, the Emperor and his courtiers finally saw a glimmer of hope. However, they soon faced despair as Shibi Khan abandoned the siege and gathered his troops to directly engage the reinforcements. He was certain that the garrison within the county would not dare abandon the Emperor and would instead come out to flank him alongside the reinforcements.
Clearly, he was correct in his judgment. The Emperor issued a decree forbidding any soldier from leaving the city; those who disobeyed would be executed.
As a result, the reinforcements were predictably defeated in battle against the cavalry. However, they managed to hold their formation. The Turkic forces primarily consisted of cavalry, and their charges did not break through the infantry phalanx without suffering significant casualties themselves.
A considerable portion of the reinforcements were from Chang'an and Luoyang, remaining loyal to the Emperor and thus displaying remarkable resilience. This was also partly due to promises made in the Emperor's request for aid.
Meanwhile, Shibi Khan began to feel pressure from behind. Not everyone supported his attack on the Emperor of Sui. After decades of conflict with the Sui Dynasty, the Turkic forces had been on the losing side, both politically and militarily.
...
(End of Chapter)
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