Chapter Sixteen: Rift Between Siblings

Not killing people? In a foreign land, how could one gain enough profit without taking lives? Just as herders on the grasslands never expect cows and sheep to offer up their hides and meat of their own accord—if you want something, you must take it yourself. Li Wenyuan originally intended to refuse this impossible proposal, but then he reconsidered; if he rejected Yuan Gaesujeong’s suggestion here, who knew what further trouble might arise? So, under the astonished gazes of those present, he nodded in agreement, but insisted she must first be sent across the Yalu River back to the Sui army camp.

Li Wenyuan ordered his cavalry to disperse the Goguryeo laborers and soldiers within the camp, but Yuan Gaesujeong’s personal guard of female warriors refused to leave no matter what. With time pressing, Li Wenyuan did not hesitate further—he had them disarmed and bound. After replenishing supplies from the camp’s provisions, he ordered the tents and the remaining grain to be set ablaze, burning everything to the ground. Yuan Gaesujeong and her five female bodyguards, their hands tied, followed Li Wenyuan’s cavalry westward and north toward the Yalu River.

With a sharp crack, an exquisite teacup shattered as Yuan Gaesomun hurled it to the floor.

“You’re saying the grain convoy commanded by my sister has vanished?” Yuan Gaesomun roared in anger.

“Yes, General. The convoy had horses and oxen, and the journey from Pyongyang to here should have taken little more than ten days. Now nearly a month has passed, and no one has seen any sign of them,” a deputy general replied.

“Dispatch more scouts southward to search for my sister. Whoever finds her will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with a thousand taels of gold.” Yuan Gaesomun’s face was dark as water.

That very night, five thousand scouts began combing the southeastern peninsula for any trace of Yuan Gaesujeong, yet none discovered the group of several hundred cavalry just upstream from the main camp, quietly crossing the river.

Meanwhile, Xue Ju was hiding in the forests west of Yuan Gaesomun’s camp, keeping a close watch on the army’s movements. If Yuan Gaesomun made any move toward Liaodong City, Xue Ju was to follow his orders and attack with his entire force, buying time for the troops in Liaodong.

At that moment, he saw Li Wenyuan returning with his cavalry, accompanied by several women. Curious, he called out, “Brother Wenyuan, who are these people?”

“This is Yuan Gaesomun’s own younger sister, Yuan Gaesujeong. The five others are her personal guard—female warriors who refused to leave her side out of loyalty and honor, so I brought them along as prisoners,” Li Wenyuan replied.

“General Xue Ju, you are truly formidable now. My lady asked me to thank you for saving her life.” Before Xue Ju could respond, one of the female guards, speaking fluent Chinese, addressed Xue Ju directly.

Xue Ju returned the courtesy, then had his subordinates escort the prisoners to a larger tent, and briefed Xue Ju on the situation.

At that time, Xue Ju had only just inherited his father’s title and become commandant of Jincheng. By rights, he should have gone to the capital to report for duty and receive his appointment. Bandits had not yet been thoroughly suppressed, and during a spring outing beyond the city, Yuan Gaesujeong was kidnapped by a gang of thieves. Young and impetuous, Xue Ju led a dozen guards in pursuit, stormed the mountain stronghold, and rescued Yuan Gaesujeong—who had nearly been forced to become the bandit chief’s wife.

When Li Wenyuan heard the story, he clapped his hands and laughed. “I never thought you had such exploits, Brother Xue! Beauty admires the hero—though I suppose you were already married at the time?”

Xue Ju’s face flushed as Li Wenyuan’s words struck home. He chuckled and replied, “Indeed, my father, wishing to strengthen ties with his old friend, arranged my marriage before I went to the capital.”

As they chatted, sleep overtook them, and soon it was dawn. Xue Ju said to Li Wenyuan, “I was anxious about how to hold back two hundred thousand Goguryeo troops with just five thousand men, but now I see a way.”

Li Wenyuan seemed to understand. “You mean Yuan Gaesujeong?”

“Exactly. I’ve heard from Sui merchants in Goguryeo that Yuan Gaesomun, though skilled in military affairs, is still a pampered aristocrat at heart. If his own sister tries to persuade him to retreat, his pride will not allow him to withdraw, but her opposition will surely disturb his composure and lead to rash decisions,” Xue Ju explained, intentionally leaving the thought unfinished.

“Then, at that moment, we can concentrate our forces and strike his central camp. If he cannot command his whole army to encircle us, these hundreds of miles will become our battlefield,” Li Wenyuan added without hesitation.

Xue Ju nodded. After breakfast, they summoned Yuan Gaesujeong. Li Wenyuan said to her, “You don’t wish to see any more Goguryeo deaths, do you?”

“That’s right. Which is why I cannot understand why your emperor insists on launching two costly and exhausting eastern expeditions,” Yuan Gaesujeong replied honestly.

“Very well, let me explain. Your father, Yeon Taijo, has repeatedly sent envoys to the Eastern Turks, seeking alliance to invade and seize all the counties north of the Yellow River from the Sui. How many of my fellow countrymen will die then? And when that happens, you will hardly grieve—you will simply lament the loss of life. Yet these Chinese, like your Goguryeo people, are living men with families.” Li Wenyuan revealed what history would later confirm, though now it was a closely guarded secret.

Yuan Gaesujeong was stunned by Li Wenyuan’s words. She did know her father frequently traveled to the Turks, and had once asked him why. He only said he was on good terms with their khan and that it was necessary to maintain contact.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you to your brother’s camp today and you can ask him yourself. If I am wrong, return and take my head to claim your reward. But if I am right, will you try to persuade him to withdraw?” Li Wenyuan spoke as he couldn’t help feeling like a sly old man luring a young girl into mischief.

Yuan Gaesujeong nodded in agreement, took up her arms, donned her gear, mounted her horse, and, with her five female guards, rode with Li Wenyuan to the outskirts of her brother’s camp. Word had already reached Yuan Gaesomun, who came out with his troops to meet his sister.

Without waiting for him to speak, Yuan Gaesujeong spurred her horse forward and demanded, “Brother, tell me—why has Father visited the Turks so many times?”

“Father has told you, hasn’t he? He is on good terms with the Turkic khan—” Yuan Gaesomun began, but Yuan Gaesujeong impatiently cut him off.

“Isn’t it true that Father seeks to ally with the Turks to invade the Sui?” Her brows arched angrily.

“Sister, have you forgotten who you are? Don’t let your years in the Central Plains make you forget your roots!” Yuan Gaesomun retorted, equally incensed.

Yuan Gaesujeong looked at her brother’s furious face, feeling a chill in her heart. She said, “If you persist in your delusion, you will bring destruction to Goguryeo!”

Hearing her accusations, Yuan Gaesomun, who had been so worried for her, now flew into a rage. “Then go! Go into the Sui and live content as a Han. The people of Buyeo have no place for such traitors.” With that, he withdrew his troops and returned to camp, leaving Yuan Gaesujeong standing there in a daze. Only at Li Wenyuan’s urging did she finally return to Xue Ju’s main force.