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Chapter 164: Refusal of the Edict
Goguryeo was not Turkic; it had its own customs, similar to those of the Central Plains. The three brothers of Gao Yuan had already seen Jianwen slain by Qin Shubao.
According to tradition, if a king had no heirs or if his children were too young to bear the responsibilities of the state, a brother could succeed him. Before Gao Yuan sent Gao Jianwu to Liaodong, he had already named him Crown Prince.
Although Gao Teng was part of the royal family, he had long been distanced from the main bloodline. Moreover, he had taken advantage of the chaos to commit regicide. At that time, other royal family members and local officials would not recognize him, leading to internal strife.
Thus, Gao Teng sought to use Gao Jianwu's name to claim a legitimate inheritance of Goguryeo's ancestral state. After all, all the prominent families in Pyongyang City had perished. As long as he could establish a fact under the guise of legitimacy, he could gradually plot his next moves.
Furthermore, with the endorsement of the Emperor of Sui, Gao Teng believed he would inherit his ancestors' state. His ancestors would witness that it was not unfilial for their descendants to aspire to the position of Sovereign; rather, it was Gao Yuan and Gao Jianwu who were disloyal and unfilial, unworthy of being rulers.
Facing the hundreds of thousands of troops from the Sui Emperor and leading his men in defending Liaodong for three years through unimaginable hardships, it was unforgivable that these two traitors would offer up Liaodong's gates.
Gao Teng lowered his head and gritted his teeth in silence, constantly reassuring himself that this was merely a temporary facade. Once he regained strength, he would surely accomplish a great undertaking.
Luo Yi ordered someone to take care of Gao Yuan's head since it was a gift meant for the emperor.
To Li Jian Cheng, there was little difference between Gao Teng and Gao Jianwu. Ultimately, he chose Gao Teng simply because it would be easier to incite internal conflict when launching an expedition against Goguryeo in the future.
It was somewhat amusing; Li Jian Cheng had long been in contact with Gao Teng, yet this man was quite stubborn and remained focused solely on defending Liaodong City.
It wasn't until Gao Jianwu came to see him and promised Liaodong City to Li Jian Cheng that Gao Teng secretly approached him. After verifying this matter's authenticity, he immediately sought an opportunity from Li Jian Cheng.
Thus unfolded today's situation. Li Jian Cheng did not say much to Gao Teng; after plundering Goguryeo's capital city, he led his troops out of Pyongyang as promised.
After collecting the remains of Come to Protect the Child and consolidating Naval Forces and troops, they began their withdrawal. Pyongyang was a difficult place to conquer; even the Sui Dynasty could not hold it now, let alone Li Jian Cheng. Therefore, they left decisively.
On their way back to Liaodong City, Li Jian Cheng reported to the court that he had occupied Liaodong City and joined forces with Come to Protect the Child to capture Pyongyang, beheading Goguryeo's Sovereign. The newly appointed Sovereign submitted a surrender document; however, General Come to Protect the Child unfortunately died in battle.
The next day, Li Jian Cheng piled up the spoils taken from Pyongyang in the camp while nearby lay the severed heads of disobedient commanders.
With General Come to Protect the Child dead and Zhou Fashang still recuperating in Eastern Capital, all remaining positions were low-ranking. Additionally, with Qin Shubao and Dan Xiongxin—two former commanders of Naval Forces—Li Jian Cheng smoothly gained control over Naval Forces' military power.
He then began distributing rewards and silver among his troops like slaughtering pigs and sheep while promoting confidants in an effort to win over people's hearts as much as possible.
Meanwhile, he sent someone to deliver a secret message. Li Jian Cheng was now strong and powerful, and Yuwen Shu and others would surely slander him to the Emperor. He did not want to tear his relationship with the Emperor so soon, and he also needed the court's supplies, so he required the support of relatives and old friends to speak on his behalf.
...
The Emperor looked at the severed head before him with delight, lowering himself to examine it closely. "Good thief, this is the consequence of your disrespect towards me!"
While everyone else congratulated and flattered the Emperor, Yuwen Shu suddenly said, "Young Jian Cheng has achieved such merit at such a young age; it is truly remarkable. Your Majesty must reward him generously!"
Liang Guo Gong Xiao Cong immediately added, "All of this is due to Your Majesty's might and virtue, and the bravery of Come to Protect the Child. I believe we should first posthumously honor the great general."
Hearing this, the Emperor remembered that Come to Protect the Child was dead. Although he wanted to mourn, looking at Gao Yuan's head made it difficult for him to feel sorrow.
However, he still issued an edict: "Posthumously honor him as Taizi Taibao, Prefect of ten counties, with forty Ban Jian. The Ministry of Rites will draft a posthumous title, Chancellor of the Yellow Gate Pei Ju will offer a grand sacrifice, and Honglu Temple will oversee the funeral arrangements."
Come to Protect the Child's sons remaining in Luoyang thanked the Imperial Favor. As for Li Jian Cheng's reward, the Emperor was indeed uncertain; after all, his official position was already quite high.
After bestowing rewards, the Emperor couldn't help but regret having promoted him so high last time.
At the same time, he thought that if Li Jian Cheng were to die like Come to Protect the Child, it would save him trouble; he could simply posthumously honor a Minister of Rites. What was there to fear about bestowing high honors upon someone who was already dead?
However, failing to reward merit and not punishing wrongdoing were equally problematic. Reluctantly, the Emperor had to grant rewards. The next day during court assembly, Yuwen Shu eagerly ordered his confidant, Minister of Justice, to impeach Li Jian Cheng, claiming that he had deliberately delayed reinforcements, which led to Come to Protect the Child's death.
This caused a stir in the court. Although Li Jian Cheng was not present, someone still stepped forward to ask for evidence. The Minister of Justice recounted what he had learned; through his narration, many irregularities became apparent.
Yuwen Shu finally stated, "Your Majesty, Li Jian Cheng is merely a general of one guard unit; yet now he commands over a hundred thousand troops. He has stationed them without orders and has not commanded the Naval Forces to return. This indicates his disloyalty."
This statement caused the Emperor's earlier joy to fade away as Yang Xuangan's figure immediately flashed before his eyes, causing him some uncontrollable anxiety.
Yuwen Shu's confidant quickly said, "We must summon Li Jian Cheng back at once. If he returns, we can investigate thoroughly; if he does not return, it indicates guilt!"
The Emperor immediately issued an edict. Despite Liang Guo Gong and others' attempts to dissuade him, once suspicion arose in the Emperor’s heart, he would not feel at ease until he saw Li Jian Cheng surrender his military authority.
As soon as the decree was issued, a plea for help arrived from Li Jian Cheng, stating that the Yan Yun Bandits had rebelled again and were secretly colluding with Goguryeo's Sovereign. He was trapped in Liaodong City, refusing to surrender, and requested assistance from the court.
Yuwen Shu and others immediately reported to Li Jian Cheng, claiming this was a deliberate act and called for the execution of Duke of Tang Li Yan.
The Emperor was furious and wanted to send someone to Chang'an to execute Li Yan immediately. However, he was persuaded by the Queen and others. The most important point made was that Li Jian Cheng had over a hundred thousand troops outside; if he were forced to rebel, joining forces with the Turkic and Goguryeo would truly shake the foundations of the State.
Li Jian Cheng's years of connections were coming into play, especially under the leadership of the Dou Family and Xiao Family, which subtly suppressed Yuwen Shu, forcing the Emperor to reconsider.
After his anger subsided, the Emperor struggled to contain his fury while contemplating how to eliminate Li Jian Cheng. What if he rebelled? How should he handle it?
Should he send troops to conquer Liaodong City?
With over a hundred thousand elite Sui Dynasty soldiers defending Liaodong City, how could it be taken without four or five hundred thousand elite troops?
Forcing his parents, wife, and children to bring him back to the capital could be considered, but that would completely sever ties. Moreover, the Emperor suddenly realized—would Li Yan just wait for him to capture him? Could he even be captured?
Even Li Mi and others had not been caught yet. With the connections of the Li Family and Li Jian Cheng's solitary position outside, Yang Guang suddenly realized that he could no longer wield life and death as he had in the past.
………
(End of Chapter)
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