Chapter 30: The Thunder and Rain are All Imperial Favors (Part 2)

  After all, the Sui Dynasty's army is known as a two-million-strong army. Even if it's not two million, there are still over one hundred million. Now, the grain and grass that fall in one day don't know how much they need. No wonder someone said that fighting is just about capital.

  As long as the grain and grass of the Great Yu are almost exhausted, it will be the time for Goguryeo to haggle over prices. After Xiao Shouren understood the key to this, he directly discussed with Yu Shen Nan to go to court together to see Yang Guang. After telling Yang Guang about this matter, Yang Guang also thought that Xiao Shouren's analysis was very reasonable. Therefore, he issued an order that all troops except those under the command of Yuwen Shu and Lai Hu'er would return to the capital first.

  As soon as the order was passed down, Pei Chen knew that his side had no more chips to play with. Although the Great Yu had retreated many soldiers, their military strength was still much stronger than his own, and it was impossible to win. The only option was to negotiate a peace treaty, and the sooner the better, as his side couldn't afford to drag things out either.

  So the next day, Pei Chen came back to negotiate with Xiao Shouren. After a fierce quarrel between Xiao Shouren and Pei Chen in the morning, they finally reached an agreement. First, Goguryeo must surrender in front of envoys from various countries and swear eternal allegiance to the Great Sui. Second, every year, Goguryeo must offer tribute as a vassal state, and the crown prince must stay in the Great Sui to receive cultural education. When the Great Sui army returns, the crown prince will follow them back to the Great Sui, and 1.5 million taels of silver must be paid as compensation for the military expenses of the Great Sui's expedition. Third, the Lelang Commandery of Goguryeo and surrounding cities will be returned to the Great Sui Dynasty.

  This time's negotiations can be said to have achieved a great victory. Originally, the laborious and costly expedition against Goguryeo has now been redeemed with silver, which can greatly reduce many expenses, greatly reducing the burden of taxes on the people. It can be said that it is a good thing for the common people. The surrender letter won Yang Guang face, and Yang Guang was very happy, preparing to reward Xiao Shouren greatly after returning to Dongdu Luoyang, at least making his title as the fourth-grade official of the Honglu Temple truly deserved. After recovering the land of Lelang Commandery, Yang Guang sent his trusted subordinates to lead troops to receive it. After everything was completed, Yang Guang sent Yi Jeung back to Goguryeo unharmed. However, Goguryeo at this time sent Yang Guang another grand gift, returning the captured Sui dynasty's Minister of War, Shi Zheng, which made Yang Guang extremely angry.

  At this time, the ministers in the court were even stupid and guessed that Xiao Shouren had no foundation, was born clean, had no faction, and Yang Guang must have been planning to cultivate him well, making him his confidant, and using him to restrain the gatekeepers and factions in the court. The future is boundless! So these days, the small courtyard of Xiao Shouren has also been bustling with cars and horses coming and going, and people coming and going without end.

  Some people sent down people to say that they were serving Xiao Shouren, some used gold and silver, and others directly sent houses in Luoyang. Xiao Shouren was considered to have seen the world and couldn't help but sigh, being an official is good, especially those who have received the emperor's favor are even better.

  On the eve of Ban Shi's return to the capital, Yuwen Shu's birthday arrived as scheduled. A few days ago, Xiao Shouren had already received a gift from the Yuwen family, and the invitation to the birthday banquet was inserted among them.

  Xiao Shouren didn't want to embarrass Yuwen Shu, so he had no choice but to appear in Yuwen Shu's military camp. This old guy didn't have a house in the city, and he always lived in his own large tent, which was his place of rest.

  This was supposed to be a longevity feast, but Xiao Shouren didn't look like it at all. Instead, it looked like the Hongmen Banquet, because everyone here was wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, each with an arrogant face, as if they were the number one in the world. Only Xiao Shouren was wearing a green long shirt, looking like a scholar who had just finished reading books, very elegant and refined.

  Inside the tent, six tables were arranged on both sides. Each table could seat two people, which means there were twenty-five people in the tent. Yuwen Shu sat at the top, while Xiao Shouren's position was relatively forward, sitting in the second seat on the left side of the second table, along with a stout general with a full beard. Xiao Shouren looked at the roasted whole lamb on the table, as well as the fine wine and sparkling fruit, and couldn't help but salivate, wishing he could start eating immediately. This was his first time having roasted whole lamb in his life.

  But everyone didn't start eating, and Xiao Shouren was also embarrassed to take the lead in eating alone. So, he chatted with the short and stout general next to him during this time. This rough man had no guard against Xiao Shouren, who easily got him to reveal his secrets with just a few sentences. The short and stout general's name was Yun Lai Xing. His family had some prestige in Jiangnan, and Yun Lai Xing himself had great physical strength. Once on the battlefield, he would charge forward like a tiger entering the forest or a dragon entering the sea, always being the first to kill the enemy. He was deeply admired by his fellow soldiers, so he quickly rose through the ranks. Now, under Yuwen Feng's protection, he was stationed in a county near Yanmen Pass, guarding it. This time, he had been ordered by the court to join the expedition against Goguryeo, and after returning, he would have to go back to his own territory.

  Xiao Shouren could tell at a glance that this was a straightforward and bold man, although he had excellent martial arts skills, his brain was not good enough to use, in plain language, he was a bit silly. If it weren't for his martial arts skills and the operation of his own family, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been promoted to general no matter what.

  Yuwen Shu actually liked this silly general, as long as it was something he had ordered, Yun Lai Xing never asked why, and always carried it out resolutely, and could be considered Yuwen Shu's confidant. When Yuwen Shu entrusted things to Yun Lai Xing, he could also feel at ease.

  Yuwen Shu arrived, and everyone raised their cups to toast his longevity. After saying some words of blessing, they started drinking. Xiao Shouren and Yun Lai Xing were actually quite talkative, and their personalities were quite compatible. It was a pleasant thing to socialize with such an uninhibited gentleman. After three rounds of wine, Yuwen Shu surprisingly invited in a group of singing girls who danced gracefully.

  Xiao Shouren had to admit that Yuwen Shu was quite capable, as there were even a group of female entertainers hidden within the military camp. Since ancient times, it has been forbidden for women to enter or exit the military camp, and anyone who saw a woman would be beheaded, according to military law.

  After the dance, the dancers stood still, and Yuwen Shu ordered them to serve Xiao Shouren and his men, pouring wine for them. The implication was already clear: they were meant to entertain Xiao Shouren and his men in a more intimate way, which was a common occurrence in wealthy families like this one. Xiao Shouren understood what was about to happen next and suddenly became flustered, unsure of how to react. But just then, something unexpected happened.

  The tent's curtain was lifted, and a young man in white robes walked in. Xiao Shouren saw very clearly that this was not the Yuwen Cai who had been looking at him with disapproval the other day. It turned out that this kid was also one of Yuwen Shu's confidants. Such a private gathering could not be notified, and he could come in directly, which explained the situation. Only his own confidant could enter so freely.

  Yuwen Cai whispered something in Yuwen Shu's ear, and then Xiao Shouren found that Yuwen Shu's face was changing continuously. After waving his hand to let Yuwen Cai go down, everyone stared at Yuwen Shu, knowing that something must have happened, otherwise Yuwen Cai wouldn't have come up to whisper to Yuwen Shu at this time, and it must be a big deal.

  "You can all go down now, there's nothing for you to do." Yuwen Shu opened his mouth and called all the song girls down.

  "Gentlemen, I just received news that His Majesty was attacked by an assassin and suffered minor injuries. The assassin is also injured and will not be able to escape far without leaving the city. Everyone please return and dispatch your soldiers to search the city. We must find the assassin even if we have to turn the entire city upside down!" As soon as Yuwen Shu finished speaking, all the courtesans quickly retreated, leaving behind a large group of men. Then, Yuwen Shu blurted out a shocking piece of news: Yang Guang had been assassinated!

  As soon as Yuwen Shu spoke, the tent burst into an uproar. Everyone was shocked by this news. Someone actually dared to come and assassinate Yang Guang, which was clearly a death wish.

  Everyone dispersed and went back to gather their troops to search the city. At this time, Xiao Shouren also bid farewell to Yuwen Shu and returned alone to his own small courtyard in the commercial city.

  On the road, Xiao Shouren was still thinking about who would be so bold as to dare to attempt to assassinate Yang Guang. Not to mention that Yang Guang had thousands of skilled men by his side, it would be difficult for him to succeed, and even if he did, he would definitely not be able to escape, just like Jing Ke said, "A brave warrior goes out and never returns."

  It can be inferred from various situations who assassinated Yang Guang, don't get tangled up in the reasons, just think about it from the results and everything will come out.

  If Yang Guang was assassinated, who would benefit the most? The person with the greatest possibility is also the one who benefits the most, but Yang Guang has too many enemies, which makes it extremely difficult to find the murderer or the mastermind behind the murder.

  Firstly, when Yang Guang was still the King of Jin or the Crown Prince, he had already offended many people. Among his advisors, there were those who were killed along with their families due to some matters, and some high-ranking officials in the court were also murdered by him because they were close to Yang Yong. However, it is inevitable that there would be some survivors, so it's possible that this assassin was seeking personal revenge.

  Secondly, if Yang Guang died at this critical moment, Goguryeo would undoubtedly have a great advantage. Not to mention that the results of the talks may not be followed, but with Yang Guang's death, the Central Plains would inevitably fall into chaos, and Goguryeo could take advantage of the situation to launch an attack, seize wealth and land.

  Third, it is possible that Emperor Yang of Sui has already grown beyond the control of his father, Emperor Wen of Sui. He is no longer the puppet emperor he once was, but a powerful eagle ready to soar beyond the reach of his father's grasp. This height is very dangerous, so Emperor Wen wants to get rid of him.