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Chapter 116: Ambition
Yang Xuangan lowered his head, afraid that Li Jian Cheng would notice his joyful expression, and muttered softly, "If the high officials and nobles raise their voices, the State will be in danger."
Li Jian Cheng seemed to casually remark, "His Majesty has indeed been somewhat harsh on us Noble Families of Guanlong, always favoring the Shandong Gentry and Southern Aristocracy."
Indeed, Guanlong had been suppressed for a long time. Although the Shandong Gentry had received some promotions, they still largely remained beneath Guanlong, leaving both sides dissatisfied.
Only the Southern Aristocracy enjoyed the Emperor's favor and many held high positions, yet they wielded little military power.
If Your Majesty truly made the mistakes Jian Cheng mentioned, then not only would he have a chance for revenge, but his own family could also advance further by replacing Yang with Yang.
Yang Xuangan looked up and met Li Jian Cheng's gaze, his voice rising with excitement. "Jian Cheng..."
Li Jian Cheng asked, "What is it, brother?"
"Nothing much, just worried about whether His Majesty might get angry."
Yang Xuangan restrained himself from directly expressing his desire to ally with Li Jian Cheng; it was still too early. Moreover, Li Jian Cheng was too noble; he had little to offer in return.
After all, Li Jian Cheng could inherit the title of Duke of Tang without doing anything. To form an alliance and make promises, one must aim higher. He did not hesitate to offer the title of Prince; however, he himself was merely a Duke at present—how could he make empty promises of nobility?
The following days passed as usual, even lacking the previous fervor in their siege efforts. The three commanders were on edge; although they felt that Li Jian Cheng's words were quite reasonable, their lives and fortunes were at stake, leaving them no choice but to think carefully.
But as days went by without the Emperor imposing any punishment or even inquiring about them, the meaning became clear—they had evidently made the right choice.
Under the leadership of Li Jian Cheng, they presented their apologies. A few days later, the two generals deliberately inflicted arrow wounds on themselves. Once the news reached the emperor, they received his reward, and thus the five began to take turns getting injured.
In a strange atmosphere, the army was halted by a mere city, Liaodong City, while the emperor continued to feast and revel with numerous emissaries.
...
Everyone was waiting for the good news from the third army. However, Yuwen Shu, the Left General of the Left Wing Guards, who was nearing the capital of Goguryeo, discovered a significant problem: they had run out of food.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Before we set out, every soldier was given enough rations for a hundred days. How could we have run out in less than two months?"
"Speak! Has someone embezzled the supplies? I will have him executed immediately!"
The deputy commander replied grimly, "General, the mountain roads are difficult to traverse. The supplies were too heavy. While we were setting up camp, the soldiers secretly buried the food underground."
Due to the rugged terrain along their front line and insufficient supply from the rear, they had no choice but to let the soldiers carry their own bedding, food, armor, and weapons.
The mountain paths were already hard to navigate. Each soldier struggled under such heavy loads; those who were weak were barely able to endure it. Meanwhile, Yuwen Shu had issued a decree: "Anyone who abandons military supplies shall be executed!"
The strong and honest followed orders without question, but those who were weak and cunning thought that with so much food available, they could simply borrow from their comrades if they ran out. They believed they might not even reach Pyongyang before Your Majesty had already conquered it; then they would return home directly. Thus, they secretly buried their rations.
As it is often said, when everyone harbors thoughts of taking shortcuts, disaster slowly begins to unfold.
Who would have thought that the Emperor would be trapped in Liaodong City, and the Naval Forces had already lost their combat capability? In the end, they really had to rely on this detour troop to attack the capital of Goguryeo.
However, those who sought to take advantage of the situation were not mistaken; they had arrived here easily, and the commander could not simply watch them starve to death, nor could he execute them, as the law does not punish the masses.
He could only order the confiscation of everyone's food supplies and begin to unify the transportation and distribution. The opportunists were pleased with themselves, while those who played by the rules deeply regretted their lack of ambition.
After crossing the Yalu River, Yuwen Shu joined forces with several other armies. Although they were nominally of equal rank, without the Emperor, Yuwen Shu was effectively the commander.
Just as they were preparing to advance, they heard that Eulji Mundeok, a newly appointed Chancellor of Goguryeo who had defeated Come to Protect the Child, was coming with numerous Gold and Silver Treasures, claiming he hoped for peace talks.
Yuwen Shu was an extremely greedy person; having reached such a position, he could still adopt many merchants as his adopted sons for money, which shows his character.
Upon seeing those Gold and Silver Treasures, his eyes lit up. However, Right Wing General Yu Zhongwen hurriedly advised, "We should capture this person and escort him to the Imperial Decree for His Majesty's judgment. This would also sever one arm of the Goryeo King."
But Comforter and Minister of Rites Liu Shilong opposed him, saying, "His Majesty has decreed that since Goguryeo has shown sincerity and wishes to surrender and plead for forgiveness, how can we capture him? Moreover, in battle, we do not execute envoys. How can our Celestial Empire lose face in front of Barbarians?"
Yu Zhongwen insisted urgently, "This person is no ordinary Emissary; he is a minister of Goguryeo's Duke!"
Liu Shilong pointed at Yu Zhongwen and said, "Do you wish to defy the decree?"
No one had the courage to do so, including Yu Zhongwen. Over many years, the Emperor had carefully selected his civil and military officials.
Eulji Mundeok stood before Yuwen Shu, submissively promising to return and persuade the Sovereign to submit to the Sui Dynasty and seek forgiveness from the Great Sui Emperor.
After being detained for three days, Eulji Mundeok finally left Yuwen Shu's camp and hurried towards the capital without delay.
Meanwhile, Yuwen Shu and Yu Zhongwen began to regret their decision. They secretly sent someone to pursue Eulji Mundeok, hoping to coax him back to the camp without Liu Shilong's knowledge.
However, it was too late. Eulji Mundeok paid them no mind; he had already obtained the information he sought. His daring venture into the tiger's den was not in vain. The Sui Army's long expedition was fraught with internal discord, and they were even beginning to run low on supplies. Heaven favored Goguryeo!
…………
Yang Xuangan and Li Jian Cheng thrived in the front lines. In terms of archery within the Military, few could match their skill. Yang Xuangan was even more formidable, like a living warlord, commanding respect among the troops, undefeated in mounted combat.
Currently, Liaodong City was merely a facade of attack; over time, the officers began to understand that while they were unsure of the purpose behind it all, it did not hinder their relaxation.
The Military's ability to relax was limited. Yang Xuangan intentionally lowered his stance, while Li Jian Cheng had always been this way. Their shared history allowed them to get along exceptionally well.
Li Jian Cheng also noticed that while there were occasionally fierce generals from humble backgrounds within the Military, 95% of the officers hailed from noble families. The combat readiness of ordinary soldiers was alarmingly low; they were akin to farmers just setting down their plows. The flaws of the Provincial Troops were glaringly evident.
………
(End of Chapter)
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