Chapter 114 Liaodong
After Yang Xuangan passed away, Li Jiancheng met a group of old friends. They gathered together to slaughter sheep and roast deer, as if they were back in Chang'an.

During the conversation and drinking, Li Jiancheng also sorted out the news from the front line. Although there were setbacks at present, the balance of victory was still tilted greatly towards the Sui Dynasty.

After all, they couldn't get drunk until dawn, and there wasn't enough wine, it was all gathered together. The military drinking order couldn't control them, but they were also not allowed to occupy the grain route to transport enjoyable things, except for the emperor of course.

"Jiancheng, in order to welcome you, we have contributed all our treasures. What should we do if you get greedy in the future? You have to think of a solution for us."

Li Jiancheng drank the last glass of wine, closed his eyes and leaned against the soft table, looking calm and silent.

Seeing that they were rushing him, he opened his eyes and said in surprise, "I didn't ask you to take it out. I didn't drink much. Why do you want me, a guest, to cover the cost?"

"Hey, you are the chief of grain transport. Everything has to be transported through Zhuo County. Without your approval, we can't transport the good stuff even if we have it."

Li Jiancheng waited until they were dry with words before he smiled and said, "Since I came here in person, how could I come empty-handed? I have brought everything you want. You can choose it later."

Everyone laughed and made noises again, then sat down to drink tea and chat. They talked about business, but their words were full of praise for His Majesty.

"If everything is ready, why haven't you started the siege yet?"

In response to Li Jiancheng's question, Yang Xuangan replied: "Your Majesty is waiting for Hesana Khan and Gaochang King Qu Boya to witness the might of our Great Sui Dynasty.

It is not surprising that this is something that Your Majesty could do, making millions of people wait for a few people, knowing full well that the people in the country are starving because there are no young and strong people who can't farm, and knowing full well that the laborers transporting grain are constantly killed and injured.

At dusk, during the curfew, Li Jiancheng returned to the tent arranged for him by Wang Yi. His next-door neighbor was Pei Ju, from which we could see that he had intention.

The next morning, Li Jiancheng was awakened by the noise. He thought that the emperor had finally realized that waiting like this was a waste of the country's foundation and was going to launch a large-scale attack on the city.

But after going out for a look, he found out that the emperor felt that a tough battle could not demonstrate the majesty of the Celestial Empire, so he ordered the Junior Supervisor He Chou to build Liuhe City immediately with the assistance of Yuwen Kai. Anyway, leaving the laborers alone would be a waste of food, so it would be better to let them do something.

Thus, the city wall of eight miles in radius, ten ren high, with flags flying all over it, gatehouses built at the four corners of the city, and three gates on each side, was built right under the eyes of the Liaodong City guards.

It has to be said that this left the Koreans and representatives from other countries dumbfounded, and they all expressed their highest respect to the emperor of the Central Plains.

Seeing that his army had established its might, the emperor wanted to demonstrate his ability to defeat the enemy without fighting, so he issued four edicts to the three armies that were about to attack Liaodong.

First, the three generals are not allowed to fight alone, and they must coordinate and discuss with each other. Second, the three armies are not allowed to advance deep into the enemy's territory alone, and they must advance in three directions at the same time. Third, they are not allowed to make decisions on their own, and every move must be reported to me first. Fourth, if the enemy surrenders, the three armies must stop the attack and wait for me to send an envoy to accept the surrender.

After hearing this, Li Jiancheng knew that it was all over. There was no shortage of wise men among the civil and military officials, and some of them immediately advised against it. However, when the emperor showed a look of choosing someone to devour, they all backed off.

This makes people all over the world dare not speak but dare to be angry; the dictator’s heart becomes more arrogant day by day.

The emperor said in a cold voice: "Today, we are punishing the criminals for the sake of honor and fame. The generals may not understand my intention and want to attack with light troops, fight alone, and establish a reputation for themselves in order to win honors and rewards. I will punish them!"

"I will obey the Holy Will!"

Only then did the emperor order the army to march forward. Even with the first three restrictions, the Sui army was so brave that within two days, Liaodong City was on the verge of collapse. Just when the city was about to be captured, the people in the city shouted for surrender. The commanders of the three armies gathered together and looked at each other in bewilderment. In the end, they called off the troops and waited for the emperor's envoy to come over to accept the surrender.

The soldiers who originally thought they would gain merit by breaking into the city and plundering and killing to vent their anger were also in a commotion, but were suppressed by the commander.

Just as the news was passed back, the defenders of Liaodong City were trying their best to repair the city defenses. The Sui army under the city watched helplessly as the gap that their own people had risked their lives to break was repaired.

The smell of boiling golden juice could be smelled from inside. They all knew that this was not a sign of surrender, but they had no say in the matter.

At this time, the emperor was entertaining the kings and envoys of Western Turkic and other countries in the Western Regions, and the dancing skills brought by the emperor finally found their place to be used.

Those people praised the great power and civilization of the Celestial Empire on the one hand, and the wisdom and bravery of His Majesty the Emperor on the other.

It was already night when the envoys of surrender arrived at the city of Liaodong. As expected, they went back on their word, but it was already dark and the Sui army could only wait until dawn the next day to attack.

This has been repeated countless times. I only remember that it was only May when we first attacked Liaodong City, and now it is already June.

The emperor was getting impatient, and the kings and envoys racked their brains but could not find any good words to praise the Celestial Empire.

The emperor then led Yang Xuangan, Li Jiancheng and others to the front line and summoned the generals of the three armies. The emperor pointed at their noses and scolded them, saying, "You think of your high positions and your family backgrounds, and want to deceive me by being negligent in secret?

No wonder you were unwilling to let me come with you when we went to war. It turns out you were afraid that I would see your malpractices and corruption. It was just a small city, but it took so long to capture it, wasting the people's money.

I have come here in person, and if you still cannot capture the city, I will kill all of you!"

The generals had no choice but to kneel down and kowtow, asking for forgiveness.

Then the emperor suddenly pointed his finger at Yang Xuangan and Li Jiancheng and said: "You two are from high-ranking families and noble families, and you eat vegetarian food and receive my salary. Are you afraid of death and lazy to me, thinking that I dare not kill you?"

Li Jiancheng bowed and said: "Your Majesty is able to exercise power and wealth. How dare we, your subjects, deceive you? I am willing to be the first to reach Liaodong City for Your Majesty to repay Your Majesty's kindness!"

After saying that, he was about to take off his official robe and put on armor. Yang Xuangan beside him could only follow suit, but he felt uneasy.

But it was obvious that Li Jiancheng understood the emperor better. The emperor actually came to test his loyalty. He knew very well why Liaodong City could not be captured for a long time, but he refused to admit that he was wrong, so he changed his order and withdrew his order every day.

They could only place their hopes on Yuwen Shu's army, but they were afraid that the generals here would complain, so they deliberately said these frightening words. Yang Xuangan and Li Jiancheng were not only top-level nobles in Guanlong, but also talents who had clearly expressed their loyalty and demonstrated their value.

It's not like Yang Su, who made the emperor wary of him, and there was no rebellion or anything like that. The emperor was a smart man, and if he was willful or wanted to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, he would choose some unimportant or useless people.

...............

(End of this chapter)