novelraw Chapter 386 - 4: Kyushu’s Blood and Tears, Moving Mountains
Chapter 386 - 4: Kyushu’s Blood and Tears, Moving Mountains
"Your Majesty is wise!"
No one dared to speak up in refusal. Even though they knew that the expedition to Goguryeo would be highly detrimental to the current Great Sui, they chose not to offer any advice.
This was the survival strategy the ministers had realized.
Advising Yang Guang would be choosing death!
However, someone still brought up another matter.
"Your Majesty, the people of the world are singing praises of Your Majesty’s benevolence, and your prestige surpasses that of ancient and modern times."
"There’s no need to worry about the Gu Clan. Why not take this opportunity to eliminate the Gu Clan before dispatching the troops?"
It was Yuwen Huaji.
He had now become one of the most trusted ministers of Yang Guang.
Although the Gu Clan had no grievances with him, and could even be said to have benefitted his ancestors,
Yuwen Huaji was still greatly concerned about the Gu Clan.
Especially after the incident where Gu Zhe’s blood stained the palace walls, which had only intensified this concern.
This matter had even become a mental burden for him.
As soon as these words were spoken, someone among the ministers immediately expressed agreement, and their attitude towards the Gu Clan was surprisingly unified.
Perhaps people are just like this.
Gu Zhe’s blood-stained palace walls this time made them all feel humiliated.
The smile on Yang Guang’s face didn’t diminish in the slightest; this time, he didn’t refuse and instead nodded, agreeing directly.
However, he still set the day for after their triumphant return.
The Gu Clan still had influence.
Only if he returned victorious could he completely overshadow everything.
Indeed, he would not let the Gu Clan go.
To him,
there can only be one sun in the sky, and on earth, only one family worthy of everyone’s respect.
This matter was completely settled.
Yang Guang began his draft throughout the entire world.
The eighth year of Daye.
Yang Guang personally led an army of more than a million, divided into twenty-four routes, to campaign against Goguryeo.
The main force moved from Zhuojun.
Advancing by both land and water.
The army marched directly towards Liaodong City by land and attacked Wang Jian City by water.
The vast army was endless wherever it went.
In May,
the land forces besieged Liaodong City, but the false surrender of Goguryeo affected the momentum of the troops.
The most crucial factor was Yang Guang’s command not to allow soldiers to act on their own, keeping all power in his own hands.
This, in turn, completely destabilized the morale of the Sui Army.
Such has always been the nature of expeditions.
Let alone Gu Ye, even Gu Chen back then dared not lead too many troops on an expedition.
This was not because of Gu Chen’s lack of ability, but because the manpower and material resources consumed by an expedition were unimaginable.
From the moment the Sui Army stopped, the war was essentially over.
The entirety of the Central Plains was strewn with the dead and starved.
A million civil workforce transported grain, and too many of them perished in the process.
Yet Yang Guang still did not realize.
His arrogance made him always believe he could win this war.
Under such circumstances, he even tacitly allowed Yuwen Shu to advance recklessly to the Sasui River.
A whole 300,000 troops were completely annihilated.
The blood stained the Sasui River red, completely announcing Yang Guang’s defeat.
In August,
the navy was defeated again at Wang Jian City, completely reversing the situation.
Yang Guang was forced to retreat.
An expedition involving the entire Kyushu was a complete failure.
Nearly 500,000 men remained in the land of barbarians, and countless civilian workers perished along the way.
A catastrophe for living beings, tears of blood for Kyushu.
The impact on the entire Sui Dynasty’s court was unimaginable.
But how could Yang Guang give up so easily?
He even put aside the matter of the Gu Clan, immediately seeking to conscript troops and invade Goguryeo again.
No one dared to stop him!
Faced with the furious Yang Guang, who saw this as a disgrace, no one in the imperial court dared to stop him!
Yang Guang raised troops again and reopened the Liaodong battlefield.
In the ninth year of Daye.
He launched another attack on Liaodong City.
This time he personally supervised the battle, even employing all the siege machinery from the Central Plains.
But still found it difficult to capture Liaodong City.
The most crucial factor was Duke Chu, Yang Xugan, who, fearing Yang Guang’s suspicion, finally took advantage of this opportunity to take that step.
He rebelled!
It’s actually hard to blame Yang Xugan; as Yang Su’s son, it was difficult for him not to consider the methods Yang Guang might use.
———Sudden change of situation!
But it was not only Yang Xugan who was uneasy; many nobles shared this concern.
They joined forces, amassed troops in Li Yang, threatening to cross east to Luoyang.
Yang Guang had no choice but to retreat.
And Goguryeo switched from defense to offense, slaughtering the Sui Army, causing them to abandon their helmets and armor, with countless casualties!
Although Yuwen Shu, who was reinstated, managed to pacify Yang Xugan and others in the end,
the entire Liaodong battlefield was also a great defeat!
———Kyushu shaken!
Consecutive defeats in two expeditions were impacts on the entire Kyushu that were unimaginable.
Not only was there the depletion of various resources,
but also the confidence of the people in the court.
Although this generation had not experienced the era created by Gu Chen and Gu Ye,
they had heard about it from their elders at home!
The most crucial part was, when had a war with the barbarians in Kyushu ever resulted in such a great defeat?
The situation plunged into chaos!
Across the land, uprisings erupted everywhere!
Zhangqiu.
Du Fuwei and Fu Gongtuo rose in rebellion.
They first attacked Shangqiu with their forces, then moved on to Jianghuai.
Yuhang.
Liu Yuanjin rebelled, gathering a crowd of 100,000, declaring to restore the Han and overthrow the Sui.
Zhu Can of Chengfu, Xu Yuanlang of Lu Commandery, Meng Haigong of Zhou Bridge... great heroes from all sides emerged one after another.
But even when things had come to this point, Yang Guang still hadn’t forgotten Liaodong, where he had once been thwarted.
He decided once again to conscript troops and continue the assault on Goguryeo.
The pressure of the court was like a towering mountain, looming over all of Kyushu.
Everyone felt despair.
And this time, under a reminder from Yuwen Huaji, Yang Guang once again thought of the Gu Clan.