novelSusiti Chapter 114 I fear my days are numbered, and all your efforts will have been in vain.
Chapter 114 I fear my days are numbered, and all your efforts will have been in vain.
"Yes."
Yuwen Chengdu moved closer to Yang Guang.
"Your Majesty, it's finished."
Yuwen Huaji put down his brush and said.
"Then I'll trouble the Prime Minister to personally deliver it to Liaodong City."
"Huh?" Yuwen Huaji was taken aback. He's delivering it personally?
"Didn't the Prime Minister say before the expedition that he wanted to be the first to scale the walls? Has he forgotten so quickly?"
"How could I possibly forget!"
Yuwen Huaji put away the letter, already cursing Yuwen Chenglong a thousand times in his heart.
If it weren't for this rebellious son holding him back, would he have gotten to where he is today?
With things having come to this point, Yuwen Huaji still left the camp and arrived at the city of Liaodong.
He was dressed in three layers of armor, completely covered by his armor.
On the city wall, Gao Yuan, who had picked up the bow and arrow, silently put it back.
He even wanted to shoot the Sui Dynasty envoy, but unexpectedly, an old turtle appeared.
"Gao Yuan, this is His Majesty's reply to you!"
Yuwen Huaji shouted and quickly dropped the letter.
Accompanied by the Golden Gourd Warriors, they quickly returned to the main camp.
Gao Yuan retrieved the letter, and when he saw Yang Guang's careful rear defenses, he couldn't help but laugh.
learn from mistakes.
Will he fall for it again?
There's no need to be careful at all; with both water and land fortifications, it's as solid as a rock.
Even after the Sui Dynasty people landed, Pyongyang was still defended by troops, and Gao Jianwu was stationed there, so he was still worry-free.
Yang Guang was at his wit's end. He had broken through so many passes, but was blocked by Liaodong City.
These are all I can say now, trying to influence myself.
As night fell, the Sui army camp was brightly lit, and the aroma of wine and food mingled together, creating a lively scene.
Upon receiving Yang Guang's order, the members of the aristocratic families rushed to the scene.
But the moment they stepped into the main tent, everyone froze, their confusion instantly turning into astonishment and anger.
What does this mean?
They led their clansmen in bloody battles, suffering heavy casualties and countless losses in manpower and resources.
Yang Guang, however, held a grand victory banquet in the camp, which was clearly a blatant humiliation of them!
"My dear ministers, you must be tired from your journey." Yang Guang stood up, a fake smile on his face, and greeted them in a servile tone.
"You have achieved great success in your campaigns these past few days, breaching several of Goguryeo's passes in succession. I have specially prepared a victory banquet. Please take your seats, everyone!"
He threw this victory celebration banquet precisely to disgust the powerful families.
In his previous campaign against Goguryeo, he sought assistance from powerful families.
But these people were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, sending only the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, and even the grain and fodder were moldy.
He heard that after the Sui army's defeat, these aristocratic families had secretly held a banquet to celebrate.
Now that fortunes have turned, it's his turn to retaliate.
"Your Majesty, may I ask when Prince Shuo will come to our aid?"
A member of the Lu family stepped forward and voiced the sentiments of all the prominent families.
Their participation in the campaign against Goguryeo was partly due to Lü Xiao.
As everyone knows, Lü Xiao was the God of War of the Sui Dynasty.
With Lü Xiao leading the way, their battles will be easier.
But who could have known that Lü Xiao had been traveling by water for months?
Even if the raid on Goguryeo's rear fails, it should still make a splash, right?
As a result, there was not even a word from them!
So, after months of fighting, it was all their bloodshed.
Although the imperial army also went into battle, they suffered the greatest losses.
Yang Guang glanced at Yuwen Huaji and said, "I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself."
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Huaji wiped the sweat from his forehead and realized he was being made to take the blame again.
After hesitating for a moment, he still came out.
I've recited it so many times, one more time won't hurt.
"Gentlemen, do not worry, the Prince of Shuo is on his way."
"Yes, yes, yes," Yang Guang echoed.
As for where he is, he has no idea.
Anyway, don't ask, the answer is it's coming soon.
"Your Majesty, without the personal arrival of Prince Shuo, I fear we will be unable to breach Liaodong City."
"Why don't we wait for the Prince of Shuo to arrive, and then join forces to attack the city?"
Then another person came out and said.
Liaodong City was extremely fortified and was heavily fortified with Goguryeo troops.
If anyone wants to breach the city, they'll have to sacrifice lives.
Even if they win, they will suffer heavy losses in the end.
"I think it's unnecessary," Yang Guang waved his hand, feigning regret.
"This Liaodong city is impregnable; our army has been unable to capture it despite a prolonged siege."
"In a few days, Liaodong will be freezing cold, and the transport of grain and supplies will be hindered. It would be better to withdraw the troops as soon as possible and make plans for later."
He had already planned these words in his mind.
If the powerful families could swallow their anger and agree to withdraw their troops, he would be happy to do so.
This attack on Goguryeo resulted in losses compared to the previous campaign that involved a million-strong army.
The court's losses are negligible; it's best to stop while the damage is done.
"Your Majesty, you must not!" The noble families immediately became anxious and voiced their opposition.
"Our army has already broken through numerous passes and is at the gates of Liaodong City. If we withdraw now, wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?"
If it were before the war, they would have preferred to withdraw their troops immediately.
But now, with heavy losses and countless resources wasted, if they were to retreat in such a sorry state, the aristocratic families would lose all face.
If Yang Guang were to propose attacking Liaodong again, would they come or not?
We cannot retreat! We absolutely cannot retreat!
Li Shimin stood at the back of the crowd, silently watching the farce unfold before him, with only two words in his mind.
Shameless.
In order to take revenge on powerful families, Yang Guang was able to resort to such unscrupulous means.
Using a victory celebration banquet to humiliate someone and threatening to withdraw troops to force them to retreat, they have no shame whatsoever!
Li Yuanji, standing to the side, kept his small eyes darting around, secretly pleased.
Yang Guang's actions clearly indicated his intention to completely sever ties with the powerful clans.
For the Li family, isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
At this moment, all you need to do is stand up and speak for the aristocratic families to win their favor and trust.
If the Li family were to rise up in the future, they would be able to gain the support of powerful families, making their efforts twice as effective.
Thinking of this, Li Yuanji no longer hesitated, quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said loudly:
"His Majesty is blessed with good fortune, and the dragon body has recovered."
"If Your Majesty could personally lead the army to the front lines and command the troops, boosting morale, our soldiers would surely be greatly encouraged and capture Liaodong City in one fell swoop!"
Li Shimin's expression changed drastically, and he cursed Li Yuanji inwardly for being insane.
This statement, seemingly an admonition, was in fact a way of coercing Yang Guang.
If you don't go to the front lines, we won't be able to break through the city.
This is undoubtedly a challenge to imperial power, and if not handled carefully, it could backfire.
"What Young Master Li said is very true. If His Majesty could lead his troops to come in person, it would surely boost the morale of our soldiers."
When members of powerful families saw that someone was standing up for them, they were grateful but also took the opportunity to cause trouble.
Yang Guang glanced at Li Yuanji, thinking, "This kid is really bold."
They dared to force me to deploy the imperial army and fight alongside them in Liaodong City.
Humph.
Since that's the case, then don't blame him for being shameless.
"cough……"
Immediately afterwards, Yang Guang coughed violently in front of everyone.
The cough gradually became more rapid, and the movements became more exaggerated.
He coughed so hard that he collapsed onto the table.
"I...I'm afraid I'm not going to make it. I have to withdraw the troops..."