Chapter Twenty-Four: Leading the Troops to Aid the King

After Li Wenyuan led his troops across the Yalu River, he set fire to the great vessels that had carried the army. Xue Ju asked him what he intended to do next—whether he would return with him to Jincheng to properly train their newly acquired tens of thousands of soldiers, or if he had other plans.

Li Wenyuan smiled and replied, "Rest assured, elder brother, my wife Qiuniang is still waiting for me at home. Jun Tai and I will take a thousand cavalry to meet Yang Xuangan and march to the capital to serve the emperor."

Seeing Li Wenyuan had made up his mind, Xue Ju said no more, simply wishing him well before leading his forces back to Jincheng. After seeing Xue Ju off, Li Wenyuan turned around and, without preamble, asked Zhang Juntai, "Jun Tai, when did you see through my identity?"

Zhang Juntai was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "That was simple. In this campaign against Goguryeo, no local sixth-rank generals were summoned here."

Li Wenyuan laughed heartily at this. "Jun Tai, you are clearly not here merely as a dutiful son serving in your father's stead. Your earlier claim to be a general was just to rally the scattered soldiers—after all, in foreign campaigns, unity means survival, division means death." Then he added, "Now that you know I am no general, just call me Wenyuan. What do you plan to do next?"

Zhang Juntai smiled and cupped his hands. "Wenyuan? That doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as 'General.' Let me continue to call you General for now. There are countless generals under Wang Bo in Shandong. Regardless of the reasons, the fact that you dared to personally lead troops to block the Goguryeo army is admirable. I respect your righteousness and wish to serve under your command."

Li Wenyuan smiled and said no more, leading his troops along the Zhuo Commandery toward Xingyang. On the road, Li Wenyuan racked his brains pondering Zhang Juntai's background. No founder of a dynasty would ever allow the generals of the previous regime to retain command—unless, of course, the person in question could not be easily removed. According to Juntai, he was from the former Chen dynasty. But if he was someone who could not be disposed of, could he be of royal blood?

No, if he were of royal descent, granting him a title and keeping him in the capital would suffice for surveillance and to display magnanimity—why continue to entrust him with military power? Unable to make sense of it, Li Wenyuan put the matter aside and turned his thoughts to his next move. He was determined to answer the call to serve the emperor, yet he could not pit himself in a life-or-death struggle against Yang Xuangan.

If it had been Yang Xuangan just after raising his banner in Liyang, there would have been little to fear. Emperor Yang’s campaign against Goguryeo had drained Shandong—a populous region—almost to exhaustion. When Yang Xuangan rose, he conscripted five thousand young men from Liyang, took three thousand sailors from the grain transport fleet, and then drew more soldiers from neighboring counties, finally mustering barely ten thousand men.

Moreover, most of the government’s military supplies and equipment had already been sent to Liaodong, leaving Xuangan’s ten thousand with insufficient armor and weaponry. Each soldier had only a single saber and a willow-shield, no bows or arrows, and very few possessed armor.

But once Xuangan’s proclamation spread and as he marched toward Luoyang, the counties along the way responded enthusiastically—especially moved by his words: "I, as Supreme Pillar of State, possess immense wealth, but today I ruin my family for this cause, all for the people suffering under tyranny." This call drew countless officials of conscience to his side.

Now, as Yang Xuangan prepared to march on Luoyang, his army had seized all the military supplies and provisions from the county treasuries along the way, and at this moment his force was well-equipped and high-spirited—a foe not to be confronted directly.

Li Wenyuan’s contingent, being all cavalry, moved much faster than Emperor Yang’s cortege, and finally they encountered the imperial procession in Weijun. Emperor Yang was inside the Pavilion of Winds carriage, consulting with Minister of State Su Wei about how to deal with Xuangan’s rebellion. "Minister Su, the late Duke of Chu, Yang Su, always said this Xuangan was clever. Now that he has rebelled, what should we do?"

Su Wei, half consoling and half frank, replied, "Do not be troubled, Your Majesty. I once saw this boy at the Duke of Chu’s mansion. Yang Su claimed he was wise in appearance but actually foolish within. In my view, he is shallowly clever but lacks true strategic vision, and is no real cause for concern."

Just then, a messenger reported, "Your Majesty, a cavalry unit approaches from the rear, claiming to have come from Liaodong to serve the emperor."

Emperor Yang frowned. To abandon an army of a million in Liaodong and withdraw first was not an easy thing to justify. He had hoped the Goguryeo forces, left leaderless, would be annihilated, yet now a cavalry unit claimed to have come from Liaodong—this did not please him.

Having been at court for decades, Su Wei understood the emperor’s mood perfectly and inquired, "Which unit is this, and who commands it?"

"Minister Su, the leader calls himself Li Wenyuan. He originally followed the Jincheng troops to Liaodong and was later ordered by General Yuwen to return and aid the Eastern Capital," the attendant replied truthfully.

At the name Li Wenyuan, Su Wei smiled. "So it is this man."

Emperor Yang, sensing Su Wei recognized him, asked, "Minister Su, do you know this man?" As an old minister, Su Wei deserved respect, and furthermore, stories of countless routed soldiers returning from Liaodong had reached the emperor. That a unit had marched unceasingly from Liaodong to serve the emperor and quell rebellion was a testament to their loyalty and righteousness.

Since the emperor had asked, Su Wei answered, "Your Majesty, I only heard of this man recently. He is a deputy in Xue Ju’s army from Jincheng, and fought twice in Liaodong, twice defeating Yeon Gaesomun’s reinforcements. Most impressive was when he held Dijinkou with a small force, saving countless laborers’ lives—that was how his name reached my ears."

Emperor Yang frowned in thought. Indeed, some days before, Luo Yi of Liaodong had mentioned this in a memorial, but at the time he had regarded it as a mere curiosity. Now, hearing that the man himself had arrived, he became intrigued. "Let the procession continue. Minister Su, summon this man to see me. As for the cavalry accompanying him, let them follow behind and treat them well—they are all heroes of the Sui."

Su Wei accepted the order, dismounted from the imperial carriage, mounted a horse with the help of an attendant, and rode to the rear of the procession to find Li Wenyuan. Without a direct imperial command, no other army could approach within half a li of the imperial cortege—otherwise, it would be considered an assassination attempt, and the Imperial Guards would be justified in killing without consequence.

Under the guidance of the Imperial Guards, Su Wei reached the front of Li Wenyuan’s troops and asked, "Which of you is General Li Wenyuan?"

Li Wenyuan was, in truth, no general—his earlier claim to be General Who Pacifies the West had been exposed by Zhang Juntai, and now, summoned by a man from the emperor’s side, he felt a sudden tension but still rode forward and said, "I am Li Wenyuan. And you, sir?"

Seeing that Li Wenyuan did not recognize him, Su Wei was not offended—this man, after all, had lived on the remote Longxi frontier and had not come to the central plains. "General Li, I am Su Wei, Minister of the Imperial Court."

On hearing the name of the white-haired, white-bearded elder before him, Li Wenyuan hastily clasped his hands and bowed deeply. "So it is Elder Minister Su—I beg your pardon for my lack of manners."