Chapter 115 No Attack
As Li Jiancheng had expected, the emperor ultimately did not let the Duke of Chu and the future Duke of Tang personally climb the city wall to serve as the first to climb the wall, but he also ordered them to stay behind to supervise the army and urge the three armies to capture Liaodong City.

In the end, the emperor returned to Liuhe City, leaving Li Jiancheng, Yang Xuangan, as well as the Right Guard General Xue Shixiong, the Left Guard General Zhao Xiaocai, and the Left Guard General Cui Hongju in the tent.

Xue Shixiong waved away the chief of staff, deputy general and other people. After a quick greeting, the five of them were about to take their seats. They all pushed Yang Xuangan to sit in the main seat. Everyone of these people had served under Yang Su, and none of them had a higher title than the Duke of Chu.

After Yang Xuangan pushed it several times without success, he just sat down. No one was in a hurry to speak. They were all trying to calm down and think about the emperor's intentions.

After a moment, Cui Hongju looked up at Yang Xuangan and said, "Your Majesty is angry. We must capture Liaodong City as soon as possible."

Pei Wanxiong snorted coldly: "As long as Minister Yang drives away the envoy who deserves to be cut into pieces, I will be willing to die if I don't take Liaodong City in just two days!"

"Hey, don't say such angry words. We are now in a state of advancement and retreat."

General Zhao Xiaocai of the Left Guards eased the atmosphere, but still put pressure on Yang Xuangan secretly: "After all, we military generals are foreign officials, unlike the Shangshu, who is your Majesty's close official with a high position and a prominent title. As long as Lord Yang can keep us from being disturbed by the surrender, the first credit will go to you."

Yang Xuangan was also weighing the pros and cons. He really wanted to return to the army. If he could take this opportunity to regain control of the military power, that would be perfect. Moreover, the envoy sent by the court to accept surrender was an official from the Ministry of Rites and his subordinate.

Yang Xuangan was silent for a moment, then looked at Li Jiancheng and said, "Jiancheng, what do you think? The envoy to accept the surrender is Chen Xun, and I remember he is also an old friend of yours. Let's go together and talk to him. I think he will definitely give us face."

Li Jiancheng looked at everyone and said, "If it's up to me, there's no need to attack Liaodong City anymore. Let's just pretend and wait for news from Yuwen Shu."

Cui Hongju said angrily, "Not attacking anymore? That's easy for Li Taishou to say. Your Majesty will chop off our heads when the time comes!"

"Oh, so we suppressed the envoys who came to accept the surrender and captured Liaodong City just to prove that the reason why this war was delayed for so long was ultimately because Your Majesty was wrong?"

The three people's faces turned from red to white, and then they all stopped talking. Yang Xuangan hesitated and said, "But if we don't conquer Liaodong, how can we explain to His Majesty?"

"It's better for us to be incompetent than for your Majesty to be wrong."

Pei Wanxiong gritted his teeth and said, "Grandmaster Li is indeed extraordinary. No wonder he is in such a high position at such a young age."

Li Jiancheng spread his hands and said to him: "If the general thinks Jiancheng is wrong, then Jiancheng should shut up. Everything is up to you."

"Well, Mr. Li, please don't blame us. Don't bother with us, you are right, we must obey you. Besides, you are the military supervisor appointed by His Majesty, and no one has the right to tell you to shut up."

Zhao Xiaocai didn't want to see Li Jiancheng get away with it, so he really didn't let him speak. If Your Majesty investigates it in the future, he can explain it himself.

After all, now that the five of them are on the same page, they feel quite safe.

He signaled Pei Wanxiong with his eyes to be honest. The three of them combined were not as important as one of these two, so how could he offend them so easily?

Even if I pass this test, if these two really hold a grudge against me, not only I, but even my children and grandchildren may not have a good ending.

Pei Wanxiong stood up and bowed to Li Jiancheng: "I lost my composure in a hurry, please don't blame me, my dear."

Li Jiancheng also stood up to return the greeting, and then said to the crowd: "Your Majesty is so heroic, how could you not know that this battle was not the fault of the three generals, but mainly because of that decree, but the emperor's words are golden, how can he change his order in front of the envoys of various countries?
Therefore, the order cannot be changed, and Liaodong City cannot be captured. Of course, if there is a general who is willing to sacrifice his life for the country and bear the guilt of disobeying the order and deceiving the emperor, and ordering the capture of Liaodong City by force, it is also a solution. "No one said anything again. The emperor's character has been clearly seen over the years. If he really slaps His Majesty in the face and makes him lose face in front of envoys from various countries, then his life alone will not be enough to appease the emperor's anger, and he must sacrifice his three clans.

"Then let's follow Governor Li's advice first."

"Ah."

This time, Yang Xuangan and Li Jiancheng lived side by side as they had wished. He was eager to do so. If he had Li Jiancheng's assistance, would many things be possible?
Originally he just wanted to try to win him over, but now he has the idea that he has to have him. The more he thinks about it, the greater Li Jiancheng's role becomes, and it is definitely not just about giving advice.

"Jiancheng, thanks to you, otherwise something serious might have happened."

Li Jiancheng sighed, "I would rather see Your Majesty withdraw the order and the army be stopped here. The navy that attacked Pyongyang directly can only defend itself. Your Majesty is pinning his hopes on Yuwen Shu's army. Oh, it would be fine if it was led by Lord Gao or Lord Yang.

Yuwen Shu is such a mediocre person, brother, in my humble opinion, this battle will most likely end in failure."

Yang Xuangan was not so good at political affairs, but he did inherit Yang Su's talent in military affairs. His judgment on victory was gradually declining. It was already June and the rainy season was about to come.

The two entered the tent, and the guards stood guard at the door. Yang Xuangan whispered, "Your Majesty has become more and more arbitrary in recent years. Millions of people have been doing endless corvée labor all year round. It is only natural that bandits have suddenly emerged."

"Yes, the corvée is too heavy, and this war is so wasteful. If we still can't win a great victory, the bandits will become more rampant, and the Turkic countries in the Western Regions will also take the opportunity to provoke us."

"In your opinion, are there any signs of chaos in the world?"

Li Jiancheng shook his head and said, "Your Majesty still has a million troops at his disposal. The people are fleeing and banditry. It may seem like a big deal, but we only need to appoint a few generals to suppress the bandits. It will take several years to settle the matter, unless..."

"Unless what!" Yang Xuangan was a little excited: "Jiancheng, we brothers will talk in private and will not let anyone else know."

"Unless Your Majesty does not want to stabilize the country, you must immediately prepare the army to attack Goguryeo again."

At first glance, I felt that His Majesty would never do this, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that if it were the current His Majesty, he would really act like this. Being unconventional is his characteristic.

"Then... then my country of Great Sui will be in danger. Because of this military expedition, the whole country will be forced to rebel. If it happens again, I'm afraid even local officials and noble families will rebel."

Li Jiancheng sat down and said, "Of course, let's not talk about other places. In Zhuo County alone, within the seven counties, apart from the direct descendants of those noble families, there is only me, the governor, left, and there are some young and strong guards in the palace.

If next year, Your Majesty asks me to recruit young and strong men for corvée labor and to pay the grain tax as I did this year, I don’t know how to report it.”

Yang Xuangan said silently: "If I cannot deliver the task, Your Majesty will definitely punish me severely."

"A good cook cannot cook without rice. I can still find a way to get by, but the other counties are not only likely to rebel."

………………

(End of this chapter)