The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 505: It’s Not That I Don’t Want to, But I Can’t

It has to be said that although Yang Guang was a tyrant, he was definitely very wise. Just the bait he casually threw out was enough to make several aristocratic families rush to take the bait. The Yuwen clan even sent out their clan leader Yuwen Shang, and the Li clan sent out their top master Li Shentong. Only the Cui and Wang families were slightly worse, and they also sent out capable scholars to all be appointed as the Marquis of Liaodong.

If they were to ask what place in the Liaodong area between the Liaohe River and the Yalu River excited them the most, it would be Liaodong City.

Liaodong City is close to the Liao River and far away from the Yalu River. It is a strong city with abundant supplies. Because it is close to the Liao River, it is convenient to transport supplies from the Sui Dynasty. Moreover, because of its geographical location, it will not be the first to face the counterattack of the Goguryeo army.

Yes, seeing the coming of winter, the Goguryeo army not only did not stop its operations, but instead made great preparations to counterattack west of the Yalu River during the ice period of the Yalu River. At this time, the weather was cold and the river was frozen. If there was heavy snow, carriages and boats would not be able to move, and supplies could only be transported by sleds. It was difficult to dispatch a large army, and if one was not careful, heavy losses would occur.

However, they were the landlords and had natural geographical advantages, so they were more adaptable to the climate. However, the newly arrived Sui army was even less adaptable. Although the soldiers and civilians chosen by Yang Xuyan and others to stay were all from the north and could resist the cold in winter, they could not compare with the local people of Goguryeo.

Seeing that the winter was getting colder day by day, floating ice had appeared on the Yalu River. In a while, the river surface would be frozen, allowing the army to pass through. The leaders of several families who had just arrived at the city where they could have complete autonomy could no longer sit still and came to Liaodong City one after another.

As for their goals, they were basically the same. If Liaodong City was strong and tough, they would form an alliance; if it was weak, they would annex it. To this end, they dispatched the top talents of their respective forces, especially the Yuwen and Li clans, who sent out their top masters.

But when they saw Pei Ju (Shi Zhixuan) and An Long, they automatically gave up the idea. They were two masters, one of whom was even stronger than them. They saw more than ten thousand soldiers along the way, and all of them had ruddy complexions and were well-trained. Even the 30,000 civilians were armed by them and could fight against ordinary Goguryeo soldiers.

Equipped with forts, crossbows, catapults and other conditions, even if they were given an army of 100,000 for a whole winter, they would not be able to capture the city. Yang Xuyan invited everyone to take a seat and set up a banquet, which even included fresh vegetables and fruits, which made everyone look at each other in surprise.

Yang Xuyan chuckled and said, "There are countless luxurious things in the world. There is nothing that cannot be bought with a cart of copper coins. If there is, then two carts of copper coins are enough."

Yuwen Shang, Li Shentong, and the others all turned their gazes to Anlong, who chuckled, "It's just a slightly specialized winter storage method and convenient river and sea trade routes. We can still guarantee supply now, but it won't be very convenient once the Liao River freezes over. The East China Sea won't freeze, but the Liao River is different."

Everyone asked him to buy a lot of things, but Yang Xuyan showed them the hanging stove hot pot and asked them to take a closer look at the stoves and honeycomb coal in the banquet hall, which made everyone marvel at the sight.

This boy's inheritance might not be inferior to that of their family. Yuwen Shang and Li Shentong became alert quietly, but they ate and drank as they pleased, and did not miss out on anything they could enjoy. They even wanted to find out the source and replicate it in their respective cities.

Feast time. Yang Xuyan invited everyone into his study. A nine-foot-long map of Goguryeo on the wall suddenly wiped away their smiles. Yuwen sighed, "We admire the hard work and contributions of the Liaodong Marquis in this expedition to Goguryeo. Your Majesty has awarded him Liaodong City. Although we are envious, we are also convinced. However, Pyongyang has not conquered Goguryeo. With the arrival of winter, the imperial army has retreated, and the expedition has come to nothing. Your Majesty has left us these cities that are neither worth eating nor worth abandoning, leaving us, the aristocratic families, to face the hatred and counterattack of the Goguryeo army. Is it..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xuyan looked at them deeply and thought to himself that if you don't want to, you can just give up or sell it to someone else. Yang Guangyuan can't do anything to them in Luoyang. It's just that they were blinded by the huge profits and their eyes were red.

"Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy. You campaign in every direction, always planning carefully before acting, and are invincible in every battle and every attack." Having said this, Yang Xuyan carefully surveyed the expressions of the crowd. Noticing that while they seemed a little uncomfortable, they didn't deny it. He continued, "However, Your Majesty is sometimes not generous enough when you should be, and not stingy when you should be."

"Linyi is far south of Lingnan, with a hot and humid climate. Your Majesty, after conquering it, abandoned it. So much manpower and supplies wasted, and nothing was gained except prestige. Tuyuhun in the Western Regions was nearly destroyed, and the court seized four counties. Your Majesty, focused solely on expanding the territory, completely neglecting how to govern across vast distances. He lost the four counties he had captured, and pushed Tuyuhun into opposition, constantly plotting to harass the western border."

"The Ryukyu Islands are isolated and isolated overseas. Your Majesty conquered them with divine might, and now what?" Everyone looked at each other in surprise. Yang Xuyan continued, "I'm sure you're all familiar with military chess games. I just want to ask: Can a tiny nation like Goguryeo truly withstand the imperial might? Simply relying on strategic depth and freezing weather can only hold out for a bit, but what about a second or third time?"

At this point, Yang Xuyan suddenly asked, "Goguryeo will surely be defeated. Then what? How will Your Majesty deal with this disrespectful villain? If the King of Goguryeo is killed, what will become of the Goguryeo land?"

Yuwen Shang, Li Shentong, and the others exchanged bewildered glances. The Cui family scholar hesitated briefly before speaking in a deep voice, "Given Your Majesty's past behavior, I'm afraid he'll appoint a governor to govern Goguryeo. However, Goguryeo is a barbaric land, and court officials might not be willing to endure the bitter cold. I'm afraid this will be like another four counties in the Western Regions."

"Pah!" Yang Xuyan praised. "That's right. If Your Majesty doesn't make changes, Goguryeo will inevitably become the next Tuguhun. Within a year, it will be restored and continue to cause trouble for Your Majesty and the Sui Dynasty. All Your Majesty will gain is a great victory and the huge losses of a million-man army and two million civilians."

"Perhaps Your Majesty saw this and changed his mind, awarding this worthless land to a meritorious official." Yang Xuyan looked around and said, "If Liaodong belonged to the imperial court, would we have devoted all our efforts to managing it?"

Yuwen Shang thought carefully and couldn't help but admire him, "Your Majesty is wise and far-sighted. By awarding us the Liaodong cities now, you're killing two birds with one stone. First, it demonstrates our great victory, proving that the expedition to Goguryeo wasn't in vain. Furthermore, by capturing so many cities, Goguryeo was defeated and its territory was lost. Secondly, it lays the foundation for the second expedition to Goguryeo next year."

What basis?

If they held the city, they could advance directly from the Yalu River the following year, saving a lot of time. If the city fell, they could just fight it back, but that would still significantly deplete Goguryeo's manpower and material wealth. Compared to the vast territory and abundant resources of the Sui Dynasty, could Goguryeo really afford years of war?

You should know that this year, Goguryeo could be said to have not harvested a single grain of food. Either the crops were destroyed in the war or they were robbed by the Sui army. Goguryeo suffered heavy losses in its battle to fortify its defenses and clear the countryside. When it counterattacked, it was tricked by Yuwen Shu and was unable to obtain the large amount of food and supplies from the Sui Dynasty.

After some discussion, everyone finally understood the situation clearly. They were not worried about the Goguryeo army as there were many restrictions on marching in winter. However, there was one thing they could not help but worry about: the assassination of Grand Master Fu Cailin!

"If he didn't want to die suddenly, he wouldn't have set out again while gravely wounded." Yang Xuyan shared the intelligence he had obtained. Fu Cailin's assassination attempt on Yang Guang was unsuccessful. He was first injured by the Tiangang Big Dipper Sword Formation, then faced an assault by five powerful Grandmasters, including Zhu Yuyan. Adding to his injuries, he escaped the siege and encountered the Evil King of the Saint Sect. The two engaged in a fierce battle that lasted for hundreds of miles, further aggravating Fu Cailin's injuries.

This was also the reason why he was injured but not killed when he later tried to assassinate Lai Huer. He originally planned to kill Lai Huer, the chief of the navy, but ultimately failed.

It’s not that I don’t want to, but I really can’t.

Afterwards, nine armies gathered in Pyongyang City. When they attacked in turns, Fu Cailin attacked again. He had no chance to recuperate and recover from his injuries. At this time, the imperial army retreated. If he continued to be unaware of himself, the consequences would be disastrous. Even if he really took action by force, it would be difficult for him to kill the master.

Everyone was delighted to hear this. Yuwen Shang suddenly asked, "The Liaodong Marquis is well prepared. Does he have any experience with winter marches?"

"Pa~" Yang Xuyan pulled out a small booklet from a pile of books on the desk, which read: Thirty-six Strategies for Defending a City in Winter.