Chapter 67: To Leave or to Stay

  On the battlefield of Broken Army Camp, Chen Kefu sat upright on his horse, watching as the Sui army retreated from Liaodong City like a receding tide.

  The sound of the golden horn to retreat had been echoing on the battlefield for a long time, Chen Kefu was still sitting on his horse, looking at everything in front of him with some incredulity. Just now they were still warming up, thinking that the infantry brothers who had been fighting on the city wall for half a day would soon take over the gate, and it was time for them to make their move. But now that they had warmed up, the whole army had just been mobilized, and they were ready to charge forward and fight bravely, but then the sound of retreat came.

  The moon crept quietly into the sky, and the earth illuminated by Yu Fa's light was bright. Under the starry lights that were like torches, the entire battlefield looked solemn and stern.

  "General, the big camp is sounding the gold to retreat, we should also withdraw to the big camp." Li Jie looked at Chen Kefu and other generals sitting still on their horses like sculptures, waited for a long time, seeing that most of the infantry on the battlefield had retreated, and hurriedly spoke up.

  Chen Kefu did not respond to Li Jie, but instead looked at the soldiers retreating from the city below. These brave infantrymen had charged forward under a hail of arrows, stones, logs, hot oil, long spears and big knives, without anyone shrinking back. They trampled over their fallen comrades, advancing one after another.

  But now, just as victory is in sight, the troops are suddenly ordered to retreat. The infantrymen, who had been advancing with such spirit and enthusiasm, now turn back one by one, their vigor gone, their banners no longer held high, their spears no longer bristling, their footsteps no longer swift, and even the light in their eyes has dimmed.

  In the past, when reading military books, it was always said that a single incompetent general would lead to the death of three armies. Even if there were elite soldiers, if they encountered an incompetent commander, they would only be left with no achievements. However, at this moment, he had a deeper understanding of these words. No matter how incompetent a general might be, it was still not as terrifying as the emperor standing behind him giving arbitrary orders.

  He knew that during the second expedition against Liao, the emperor had done things that made people's eyes drop several times in situations like today. Several times when the city of Liao was about to be broken, as long as the Liao people said they wanted to surrender, he would order the siege to stop, and wait for the enemy to rest and repair their walls before starting to refuse the Sui people again.

  What's going on today? Is it that the Goguryeo people are resorting to their old tricks again? But if that's the case, from the Emperor down to all the officials and military officers in the imperial court, shouldn't they be able to see through the situation right before their eyes? Chen Kefu has been by Yang Guang's side for so long, he doesn't believe it could be due to such a reason.

  Something very important must have happened, otherwise Yang Guang would not be able to withdraw his troops at such a critical moment. As far as he knew, today was the day of the final battle, and the hundreds of thousands of earth-filled sacks in the big camp were only waiting for the emperor's order to instantly form a flat road eight people wide under the city of Liaodong, like a carp's backbone.

  Moreover, the Sui army had a secret weapon, and the many tunnels that had been dug through were also an excellent opportunity. As long as the Sui army suddenly broke into the city, he did not believe that Goguryeo could still hold on.

  Was it not Yang Guang's intention at the time to see the infantrymen on the city wall and the Goguryeo people fighting and sacrificing in vain? Did Yang Guang plan to wait until nightfall before making a surprise attack from Fish Liang Road and the secret path, taking down the Goguryeo people in one fell swoop and minimizing losses?

  Chen Kefu didn't quite believe that Yang Guang would have such thoughts, but at this moment he really hoped that Yang Guang was thinking that way. As a soldier, he simply did not want to think about anything else.

  "Dang, dang, dang! ~~" A horseshoe sound came from a not-too-distant direction. A heavenly guard rode his horse to the front of the Broken Army Camp array. The knight fell off his horse and loudly said to Chen Kefu and other generals: "Pass on the imperial edict of Emperor Sui, all officials above the third rank in the Broken Army Camp must immediately go to the emperor's tent. If there is any disobedience, military law will be enforced!"

  Chen Kefu turned his head and glanced at Li Benlei and the others beside him, seeing deep worry in their eyes. It seemed that something big had indeed happened. Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have urgently summoned all officials of the third rank and above.

  Did Yang Guang suddenly have some physical problem? If Yang Guang really had something on his mind, then the previous urgent withdrawal of troops and now the urgent summoning of ministers would be reasonable. However, he remembered that Yang Guang was clearly killed by Yuwen Huaji many years later. He hadn't heard that Yang Guang had any major health problems.

  Chen Kefu took out a jade pendant from his bosom and handed it to the guard, asking in a low voice, "Brother, do you know why His Majesty has summoned us so urgently? I'm just asking casually, so we can be prepared. Otherwise, if His Majesty asks me something, I won't know how to answer."

  The knight glanced at the jade pendant, then looked at Chen Kefu, who was now a favorite of the emperor, and hastily put it away. He whispered, "Leaking secret information is punishable by death, but I don't know why the emperor urgently summoned the ministers either. Just now, when the emperor was drinking with the ministers on the palace tower, he suddenly received an urgent report from Luoyang in the east, eight hundred miles away. The emperor's face turned very bad after reading it, and even kicked over the table in front of him. Then he urgently summoned all the ministers, Minister Chen, you'd better hurry up, be careful not to be late, or the emperor will vent his anger on you." After finishing speaking, the knight quickly mounted his horse and rode away.

  Chen Kefu thought carefully for a moment, the capital, Luoyang, the urgent report, Yang Guang's anger, all of these connected together, Chen Kefu felt that he had grasped something. But for a moment, he couldn't remember what it was, the urgent report from the capital, and it was something that could make Yang Guang so angry at the banquet that he didn't care about his image, what could it be? The capital, the capital, ah, Chen Kefu slapped his forehead, finally remembering something important.

  Historically, when Yang Guang launched his second expedition against Goguryeo, the son of Chu Guo Gong Yang Su, Li Bu Shangshu Yang Xuan Gan rebelled. As the Minister of Rites and the eldest son of the late Chu Guo Gong Yang Su, who was the most powerful minister in the Sui Dynasty, Yang Xuan Gan had some abilities himself. Yang Guang also treated him well, not only allowing him to inherit the title of Duke of Chu from his father but also appointing him as the general logistics officer responsible for transporting grain and fodder in the Liyang area during this expedition against Liaodong.

  At first, he rebelled and immediately broke the momentum of the Sui Dynasty's peasant uprising. The aristocratic families of the world also began to rebel from that time on. Judging from the current situation, it is undoubtedly Yang Xuangan who rebelled. Otherwise, Yang Guang would not have been so furious.

  Having figured out the cause of this matter, Chen Kefu's brain also started working.

  "Old sir, you are now a first-class national duke. This time the emperor summoned you to go with me. General Li, take charge of breaking up the military camp and return to the main camp. Let everyone be more vigilant, in case those Goguryeo people want to take advantage of the situation and do something, we can respond early."

  Li Jie smiled and said, "General Chen, please be at ease. The two generals can go ahead, I will take care of things here."

  Chen Kefu nodded and followed the old man to the imperial tent. Along the way, Chen Kefu kept thinking about this matter. Since he was no longer willing to be an ordinary person, now he had to think more with every step he took.

  Looking at the current situation, Yang Xuangan's rebellion is likely to prompt Emperor Yang Guang to lead his army back to China. What will he gain from this trip? Goguryeo has been weakened by three Sui campaigns and although they have repelled the Sui army outside Liaodong Castle, they too have suffered heavy casualties in several major battles, severely weakening their national strength. In particular, the key military stronghold of New City has fallen, and nearby cities such as Nansu, Cangyan, and Mudi have also been captured by the Sui army.

  Even the city of Liaodong in front of us has almost been exhausted, and taking down the city of Liaodong will not cost much. In this land of Liaodong, the Goguryeo people have lost nearly 200,000 soldiers over the years, and even if all citizens are mobilized for war, a small country like Goguryeo cannot muster strong military power. From now on, the Goguryeo people will inevitably switch to strategic defense in Liaodong, and may even abandon some mountain cities in Liaodong and retreat to the second line of defense.

  There are two options in front of Chen Kefu now. One is to continue as the commander-in-chief of Yang Guang's imperial guard, follow Yang Guang on his western expedition back to the country, and quell Yang Xuangan's rebellion. However, this option doesn't make Chen Kefu very willing, as he has been following Yang Guang all along, which makes him feel somewhat insecure, and also unable to develop his own power. Everything under Yang Guang's control is in his grasp, he can let Chen Kefu lead the army or not lead the army.

  Moreover, the rebellion in the Central Plains has become increasingly severe. It is likely that Yang Guang will send him to suppress the rebel army at some point. He currently only has 10,000 men, and for those sea-like nomadic rebel armies who wage war with human waves, although they can certainly win, they cannot be completely eliminated. At that time, his own broken army may also be consumed bit by bit in that vast ocean.

  And now he has another way, which is to take advantage of the current opportunity and stay. Stay in Liaodong, even if it means relying on the 10,000 people in his hands, he is confident that he will be better off than returning to Central Plains. As long as he can capture Liaodong City and use it as a base, then in the first few years when Yang Guang still holds the power of the world, accumulate strength.

  However, Liaodong is bitterly cold, and in such a place, it goes without saying that one would have to face the entire Goguryeo. At that time, it wouldn't be easy, and it might even be better to return to the Central Plains to wait for an opportunity. As for how to choose, Chen Kefu couldn't make up his mind for a while. And such things he definitely couldn't discuss with others, even if he could talk to people he trusted like Mao Hui and Lu Shide, but those two didn't know much about the current situation, asking them would be no different from asking the blind.

  But to ask others, such as the Li Benlei old man in front of him, he did not dare to ask. Now people all over the world still only recognize the Sui Dynasty, and now he goes to ask, undoubtedly revealing his rebellious mind, which is very dangerous, no one knows what kind of mind Li Benlei old man has.

  Vote for recommendations...