Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 134: Waiting
Come to Protect the Child's expression shifted, clearly realizing why His Majesty had summoned him back so urgently. "Your Majesty, since I withdrew my troops, I ordered my two sons to rush to Hong Lai Zheng to inform you of the situation. Your Majesty... did you not see them?"
As he spoke the latter part, Come to Protect the Child's voice trembled uncontrollably. It had been several days, and their absence left only one possibility.
Yang Guang immediately understood the situation. What a cunning scheme! Yang Xuangan had such foresight?
"I have not seen either of them."
Come to Protect the Child felt as if he could barely stand. He had twelve sons, each one dear to him, especially the one he valued most, Come Together, who was now missing.
Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Come to Protect the Child said, "That traitor Yang Xuangan must have anticipated this and sent someone to ambush my sons on their way to Hong Lai Zheng, delaying our forces from encircling him. Your Majesty, I request permission to return to Naval Forces immediately."
The Emperor was not worried about Come to Protect the Child's loyalty but was concerned that his anger might lead to rash actions. "Naval Forces is under Zhou Fashang's command; that is sufficient. You should rest for a while, and then wait for me to gather supplies before we march together against the rebels."
Come to Protect the Child wanted to say more, but the Emperor was preoccupied and had no time to comfort him.
Come to Protect the Child found himself at a loss for words. Naval Forces were all his men; although Zhou Fashang held the title of deputy general, he could not control those primary commanders. While Yang Xuangan had not proven himself on the battlefield yet, everyone knew that Yang Su's pride lay in this Legitimate Eldest Son, whom he believed could inherit his legacy. Such a person leading Naval Forces would be manageable, but if Zhou Fashang took command, it would be uncertain.
However, Come to Protect the Child could not directly tell the Emperor that he was sidelining the deputy general specifically sent to balance power in camp due to his lack of authority.
The next day, news from Chang'an arrived. Yang Guang felt slightly relieved after reviewing it; he realized he had not misjudged Wei Wensheng—resolute and decisive.
Not only did Wei Wensheng make an immediate decision for reinforcements, but he also placed strict surveillance on Yang Su's former relatives and acquaintances.
The Emperor understood all too well how both the previous dynasty and his own realm came into being. If the Noble Families of Guanlong united their efforts, they could easily bypass him and change dynasties.
Otherwise, he would not have been so eager to relocate the capital and promote families from Shandong and Jiangnan as a counterbalance.
Soon after, news from Luoyang arrived: Come to Protect the Child's Three Sons Lai Yuan had surrendered Yang Xuangan. This forced Come to Protect the Child to go before the Emperor with several colleagues to plead for forgiveness.
However, at this moment, the Emperor displayed remarkable tolerance and did not pursue any inquiries. Yet his expression and the fire in his eyes indicated that this matter would not simply be overlooked.
Come to Protect the Child knew that this son would likely not be saved.
...
Li Jian Cheng was confined in the manor, while Dai Wang Yang You was generously rewarded, as if to compensate him, which seemed quite childish.
Calculating the days, Wei Wensheng should have engaged in battle with Yang Xuangan. Although he had the advantage in numbers, how could he possibly contend with Yang Xuangan?
Wei Wensheng had also led troops in the morning, but after all, he was now a seventy-year-old man. His loyalty could not change the gap in capability. If even Wei Wensheng could not handle it, how could Yang Xuangan dare to rebel?
As the days passed in waiting, Dai Wang Yang You finally summoned him to the palace. Li Jian Cheng, dressed in coarse robes, stepped out of the manor. He had aged considerably and looked much thinner.
Accompanied by the Imperial Guards into the palace, the officials left behind in Chang'an had already arrived. They discussed how formidable Yang Xuangan was, almost like a living tyrant, unstoppable on the battlefield.
There were no particularly clever strategies; Wei Wensheng personally led forty thousand vanguard troops intending to directly attack the rear of Yang Xuangan, who was besieging Luoyang. However, having received news of this, Yang Xuangan arranged his own twenty thousand elite troops to prepare for the Sui Army.
With superior numbers, Wei Wensheng thought that once battle commenced, forces from Luoyang could also emerge from the city to flank him and ensure victory.
However, there were disadvantages to having a numerical advantage. Unlike his father's habits, Yang Xuangan chose to lead his Soldiers into battle first. After engaging with infantry, he personally commanded the Cavalry, charging forward with his Steed Spear, causing all who faced him to tremble; no one could stand in his way.
Meanwhile, Wei Wensheng merely stayed back to coordinate and command from a distance. The morale was naturally vastly different. Moreover, Yang Xuangan had set ambushes; suddenly emerging from the side was Yang Jishan, who decisively turned the tide.
Ultimately, most of the fierce generals capable of battling Yang Xuangan had been taken by the emperor to campaign against Goguryeo. Those left within the borders were either under Zhang Suduo, suppressing bandits or had connections with the Yang Family, rendering them unable to reach the front lines.
Furthermore, Wei Wensheng had cut off any chance for his officers to surrender. However, ordinary soldiers bore fewer burdens; aside from a few dozen digging graves and tombs, most saw the situation and simply dropped their weapons to sit on the ground and watch.
The emperor's harsh treatment of the realm meant that since there weren't enough young commoners available for service, even women were forced into labor for riverbank repairs. Thus, lower-tier soldiers believed that changing emperors wouldn't be such a bad thing.
As the situation deteriorated so rapidly on the battlefield, within Luoyang City, Fan Zigai immediately abandoned plans for a coordinated attack from outside. Whether Wei Wensheng died or he himself perished was inconsequential; what mattered most was protecting Luoyang City.
While everyone else discussed matters during the consultation, Li Jian Cheng stood silently with his hands at his sides, showing no inclination to speak. Many felt it unnecessary to mention him at all.
The only matter at hand during the court consultation was whether or not to send troops to aid Luoyang, how many would be appropriate without affecting Chang'an's defenses, and who would lead those troops?
Some remained silent like Li Jian Cheng, while others, like Mao Sui, offered themselves up, but who among them could truly take charge? The Prince was unavailable, Wei Wensheng was absent, and the other officials were equally incapable.
First, they ruled out the group that Mao Sui had self-nominated from. There was no choice; Yang Xuangan already had sixty or seventy nobles under his command, and even several prefectures around Luoyang, including the garrison at Hulao Pass, had surrendered.
At this moment, Yang Guang also received the news and found himself in a dilemma. His efforts to gather supplies were not going well because the grain from the nearby prefectures had already been forcibly requisitioned two years ago.
The able-bodied commoners had all been conscripted to transport grain and had never returned. With only the elderly, weak, and sick left at home, how much food could they possibly produce? They barely managed to scrape by.
The Emperor did not care about these commoners, but their meager rations could not alleviate the urgent situation. The requisitioned supplies would last barely two days, and it would inevitably provoke civil unrest. The Emperor understood that during such extraordinary times, he could not incite rebellion.
The supplies he managed to gather were only enough to keep the army from mutiny. However, relying on such limited provisions to force the army into battle made him fear for their morale at night.
The soldiers lying idle required far more supplies than those carrying weapons and heavy loads for a campaign. To make matters worse, both waterways and mountain paths were being watched by bandits, leaving only a small portion of supplies able to reach Zhuojun.
He could only order Zhang Suduo to eliminate the bandits and secure the supply routes.
(End of Chapter)
Comment 0 Comment Count