sovbooks Chapter 23 All in on Liaodong, Data Speaks No Word
Chapter 23 All in on Liaodong, Data Speaks No Word
Inside the Daxing Hall, the candlelight flickered, stretching and distorting everyone's shadows.
Su Wei could certainly see that Yang Jian wanted to fight. As a founding emperor, who wouldn't yearn for the achievement of being a "great emperor for all ages"?
Therefore, he dared not not "fight," but he opposed "chaotic warfare," the kind of high-stakes gamble that would shake the foundations of the nation.
"Your Majesty!" Su Wei spoke again, his tone increasingly sorrowful.
"Yingzhou and Youzhou have been plundered by Goguryeo every year, and the people have been displaced and are already like frightened birds."
"The court's failure to send troops to rescue them at that time was already a mistake. If a large army were to pass through, it would be one thing if they didn't pacify the region, but to actually turn their swords inward and forcibly requisition grain from powerful families would surely incite a popular uprising!"
"While powerful local magnates are hateful, how many tenant farmers and displaced people depend on their fortified villages? Once a conflict erupts, it will be a raging wildfire!"
"Why has Goguryeo hesitated to launch a large-scale military campaign? It is precisely because the people and army of our Great Sui are of one mind, leaving them no opportunity to exploit! If we truly follow the Duke of Yue's words, and Gao Yuan takes the opportunity to fan the flames and collude with the rebels, Liaodong will be reduced to ashes in an instant!"
"At that time, our supply lines will be completely cut off, and our army will be attacked from both sides! Even if we manage to achieve a swift victory, we will lack the strength to sustain the attack and will have no choice but to retreat in disarray! Your Majesty must carefully consider this trade-off!"
These words were extremely harsh, almost directly accusing Yang Su of "bringing disaster to the country and the people."
Hiding in the shadows behind the screen, Yang Yan nodded secretly, his opinion of Su Wei rising.
Historical records generally describe Su Wei as "quite timid," but at this moment, it seems that this old man has an astonishing clarity and integrity in the face of matters of principle.
Crucially, he accurately pointed out the most fatal flaw in Yang Suna's "extermination plan"—political risk.
Kill a thousand enemies, but lose a thousand and two thousand of your own.
Only a power-hungry madman like Yang Su would do something so stupid.
Suddenly, the wind direction inside the hall seemed to change.
Yang Jian stroked the account book, lost in thought. Gao Jiong and Niu Hong exchanged a glance, both seeing approval in each other's eyes.
However, just as this delicate balance was about to tip, a cold laugh broke the solemn atmosphere in the hall.
"Lord Su is far too pedantic! And Duke Yue is also worrying too much."
"Master Su's insightful remarks sound perfectly comprehensive."
Yuwen Shu's voice was rough and powerful, with a metallic quality.
With a soft clanging sound from the friction of the armor blades, he took a step forward.
This man, who would later become Yang Guang's number one contributor to the succession, didn't even bow to Yang Jian first, but turned directly to Su Wei with disdain in his eyes.
"Lord Su only knows how to manipulate money and grain on the abacus of the Ministry of Revenue, but he doesn't understand how to calculate life and death on the sand table!"
"Transporting grain by sea? It seems convenient, but it's incredibly foolish! In Liaodong, winter brings biting winds; a sudden storm could destroy ships and kill people. Who could bear that responsibility? Moreover, opportunities for the army at the front lines are fleeting. How can we entrust the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the wind and the whims of the heavens?!"
Yuwen Shu snorted coldly, gesturing with his thick fingers: "Does Lord Su know that Liaodong is bitterly cold, with freezing temperatures? To withstand the harsh winter, soldiers have to eat 30% more than they would in the Central Plains! What will happen then?"
"Moreover, the grain supplies in Liyang Granary are the lifeblood of the nation, and we must simultaneously supply both the north and the south! Although the Li people in Lingnan have been pacified, their remnants have not been eliminated, and a large army is still needed to quell them. Where will the grain supplies come from there? Although Tuli Khan in the northern desert has proposed marriage, Dulan Khan is eyeing us covetously. Can the garrison troops in Hebei and Bingzhou dare to go without food for even a day?!"
His words directly labeled Su Wei's plan as "armchair theorizing".
Su Wei was so angry that his face turned pale and his lips trembled, but he couldn't find the words to refute her for a moment.
He really doesn't understand military affairs.
Yuwen Shu ignored him, turned around abruptly, knelt on one knee in front of Yang Jian on the throne, and slammed his armor onto the gold bricks with a loud crash, the sound echoing around the area.
"Your Majesty! Speed is of the essence in war! Since the transportation of supplies is fraught with difficulties, there is only one way—to obtain supplies from the enemy!"
"To deal with such barbarians, you can't reason with them or settle scores! Only by cutting through the Gordian knot and breaking their backbone in one battle will they truly be afraid!"
Yuwen Shu's words were full of seductive power.
Unlike Yang Su, who was sinister, he possessed a pure, soldierly fervor and confidence.
This very quality was precisely what could touch Yang Jian's long-dormant martial spirit.
As expected, Yang Jian's brows, which had relaxed because of Su Wei's strategy, furrowed again, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I request permission! There is no need for 300,000 troops! No need for a thousand-mile transport! I am willing to pledge a military order: only 50,000 elite soldiers, lightly armed and simple, will be needed, emulating Huo Qubing, to march straight at Liaodong City!"
"Although Goguryeo boasts an army of hundreds of thousands, its elite forces are all concentrated in the capital. The rest of its troops are mere chickens and dogs, utterly vulnerable!"
"If our army can swiftly and decisively capture Liaodong City, behead its king, and burn its temples, then the entire nation of Goguryeo will surely surrender without a second thought!"
"At that time, all the money and grain in the city's treasury will be at our disposal! This is what is meant by 'using the enemy's grain! Using war to sustain war!'"
These words stirred the blood of many young military officers in the hall.
Even Yang Jian, whose fingers were stroking the armrest of the dragon throne, unconsciously increased the frequency of his tapping.
Behind the screen, Yang Yan listened to Yuwen Shu's boastful words, but felt a chilling sneer in his heart.
madness.
This is no longer a military adventure, but utter folly.
Huo Qubing seized the enemy's supplies because the Xiongnu were a nomadic people whose tribes, cattle, sheep, and baggage were constantly on the move, making them easy targets for cavalry.
Your Goguryeo was an agricultural people, with strong fortified cities and high walls, and soldiers and civilians working together as one.
Do you want to use 50,000 lightly armed infantry and cavalry to take down a military stronghold that has been in operation for a century?
What gives you the right?
Where are your siege weapons? Where are your reserve troops? Where are your food supplies?
Yuwen Shu's plan, seemingly bold, was actually a gamble on three strokes of luck.
First, it's a lucky break that the Goguryeo people are all fools who would engage you in open battle outside the capital instead of fortifying the city and holding their ground.
Secondly, even if you manage to achieve victory in one battle and quickly capture the city, what about your heavy siege equipment? Are you going to send 50,000 light cavalry to ram the city gates with their heads?
Third, there is plenty of food in the city of Jiaoxing waiting for you to collect.
How can a battle for the fate of a nation be built on the luck of gamblers?
Yang Yan had already foreseen that if Yang Jian really adopted this strategy, the fate of the 50,000 elite Sui troops would be to starve and freeze to death in the icy snow of Liaodong, ultimately resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.
Just as the atmosphere inside the hall was once again being driven to the brink of fanaticism by the radicals.
A composed figure, almost unnoticed by everyone, slowly emerged from the train.
It was Niu Hong, the Minister of Personnel.
This old minister, known for his "generosity and erudition," lacked Yang Su's domineering nature, Yuwen Shu's arrogance, and Su Wei's earlier intensity.
He walked with ease and remained calm, as if the heated debate concerning the fate of the nation was merely an ordinary lecture.
He walked to the center of the main hall and first bowed to Yang Jian.
"His Majesty."
Then, he slowly took out a neatly arranged document from his wide robe sleeves.
He held the document up with both hands.
"I am in the Ministry of Personnel, and my duty is to evaluate officials. In order to thoroughly investigate whether the officials in Liaodong are diligent or not, I ordered someone to compile a 'Memorial on Agricultural Affairs in Liaodong' a month ago. Some of the figures in it may be able to dispel General Yuwen's doubts."