Chapter 149: Killing You Is Exactly What I'm Doing

The person recommended by Yuwen Shu was a civil official of mediocre ability.

After hearing this, Yang Guang was very displeased. He waved his hand and said, "Let us discuss this further!"

The civil official recommended by Yuwen Shu was a close personal friend of his. Secretly, Yuwen Shu wanted to arrange for his own son to reap the rewards without doing any of the work, thereby transforming him into the true power behind Goguryeo. Yuwen Shu's intentions were completely transparent to Yu Zhongwen. Without spelling it out openly at the time, Yu Zhongwen simply offered his own perspective, saying, "In this campaign against Goguryeo, whoever makes the greatest contribution and possesses the sharpest mind is best suited to garrison Pyongyang."

Yu Zhongwen was implying that Li Dong had boosted morale during the Liaodong campaign, pioneered a unique approach to besieging Pyongyang, and presented Yang Guang with a strategy favoring peace. His achievements surpassed those of everyone else; he was the one who truly devised strategies within the tent that secured victory on the battlefield.

Although Li Dong had not explicitly revealed to him that the peace strategy was his own idea, during the transmission of the imperial decree, Yu Zhongwen's probing and extensive questioning had already uncovered the truth.

Naturally, Yuwen Shu disagreed with Yu Zhongwen's arrangement, especially since Yuwen Shu had not even put forward a specific candidate. Instead, Yuwen Shu resorted to flattery, declaring that during the campaign against Goguryeo, His Majesty Yang Guang had made the greatest contribution, one that no one else in the entire army could rival. However, His Majesty could not garrison the place in person, as mountains of affairs in Chang'an and Luoyang were waiting for him to handle.

Yu Zhongwen replied, "Since General Yuwen also knows that His Majesty cannot garrison the place in person, why utter such remarks? Isn't that a willful misinterpretation of my meaning, just asking to be humiliated?"

At that moment, Yuwen Shu was left speechless and thoroughly disgraced. He thought to himself, *How strange today is! Everyone else has managed to divine the imperial will, leaving only me out in the cold, subjected to this mockery and that rebuttal. Could it be that Dang Yuqian leaked the news to everyone else while deliberately ignoring me alone?* With these thoughts, he cast a suspicious glance at Li Dong.

Li Dong stood in an unoccupied corner, turning a deaf ear to the heated dispute within the tent. It was not that he hadn't heard; on the contrary, he had heard every single word clearly. Until Yang Guang spoke, he had no standing to express an opinion.

Having listened to the various discussions and finding none of them satisfactory, Yang Guang swept his gaze around everyone inside the tent, including Li Dong, before slowly stating in an unquestionable tone: "My mind is made up. We must fight for Pyongyang. Only through war can we secure our leverage at the negotiation table; and only by accepting Gao Yuan's surrender, using barbarians to govern barbarians, and reducing expenditures can we ensure the long-term stability of the Great Sui Dynasty."

"However, I have not yet decided whom to appoint as the ultimate garrison commander. Allow me to ponder this thoroughly before making a final resolution. All generals, hear my decree..."

As his voice trailed off, everyone inside the tent dropped to their knees to receive the decree. Before the lingering echo of the word "decree" had faded, Yang Guang issued his next command: "At the beginning of the noon hour, launch the final fierce assault. You must capture Pyongyang in one stroke within three days. Those who cherish life and fear death shall be beheaded! Those who flee the battlefield shall be beheaded! Those who hold back their forces shall be beheaded! Those who stir up chaos in military morale shall be beheaded!... Any action detrimental to the capture of Pyongyang shall be punished by decapitation!"

He reeled off more than a dozen instances of "decapitation," sending a sudden chill down the necks of everyone present. It felt as though sabers and axes were already pressed against their throats. They knew crystal clear in their hearts that Yang Guang meant business this time and was determined to take the city of Pyongyang with irresistible force.

After receiving the decree, the assembly quickly dispersed from the dragon tent to make arrangements for the siege. Only then did Li Dong step out from the corner toward Yang Guang, looking as though he had more to say.

Yang Guang said, "Speak your mind if you have something to say. Don't hesitate and stutter!"

After a moment of reflection, Li Dong said, "If it pleases Your Majesty, the siege of Pyongyang has lasted nearly a month. Every tactic has been tried, yet no significant results have been achieved. This shows that if we wish to successfully capture Pyongyang, we must not rely on conventional methods."

"Oh?" Yang Guang asked with a trace of surprise, querying quizzically, "Could it be that you possess extraordinary methods beyond the ordinary?"

Li Dong proclaimed, "The only thing the defenders of Pyongyang rely on to wage war is their city wall. If we find a way to destroy a section of the city wall, our foot soldiers will swarm in, and the city can no longer hold out!"

Yang Guang asked doubtfully, "That logic is obvious, and everyone knows it. But the city wall is about two zhang thick; how can it possibly be destroyed?"

Li Dong bowed and said with a fearful expression, "I beg Your Majesty to pardon this humble servant's capital crime, otherwise I dare not speak plainly!"

Yang Guang laughed heartily, completely unconcerned, and stood up to say, "Speak freely without worry, I pardon you of any crime!"

Seeing Yang Guang rise from the dragon throne, Li Dong hurriedly stopped him: "No! Don't get up, just stay right there! Don't move!"

Yang Guang was utterly bewildered, unable to fathom what Li Dong was up to. Hesitatingly, he sat back down on the dragon throne.

Li Dong walked around from the front of Yang Guang, came behind the dragon throne, grabbed the back of the chair with both hands, and using all his strength, shook the dragon throne violently.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Yang Guang was shaken until his head spun and his body trembled like a leaf in the wind. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he stood up and bellowed, "Dang Yuqian, have you lost your mind? Aren't you afraid I will exterminate your entire clan?"

Li Dong hurried from behind the dragon throne to the front of the tent, threw himself face down on the ground, and repeatedly declared, "Your Majesty just said you would pardon this servant. This is my strategy, the strategy to breach the city wall! I beg Your Majesty to examine it!"

At first, Yang Guang was stunned. After rolling his eyes a few times, he quickly grasped Li Dong's meaning. He burst into laughter, pointed at Li Dong's nose, and scolded, "You fearless, clever rascal, you gave me quite a shock! If we weren't facing the enemy in battle, I would surely have your head chopped off!"

A city wall two zhang thick—roughly six meters and six centimeters—was something that not even the Redcrowned cannons of the Ming and Qing dynasties could reduce to anything more than a patch of broken bricks. In the era of cold weapons, there was simply no way to break through such a wall. Shaking the dragon throne made Yang Guang realize the most fundamental principle: city walls were also built upon the ground and had foundation layers. If the foundation layer was unstable, the city wall would inevitably collapse.

Following that, Li Dong explained his method for attacking the city wall.

Hearing this, Yang Guang's eyes lit up, and he offered high praise. However, at that moment, all the generals were busy making arrangements, and recalling them would be extremely troublesome. Yang Guang complained, "With so many generals present just now, why didn't you voice this brilliant strategy sooner? If this delays the siege now, I shall hold you accountable!"

Li Dong said solemnly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, when the grand generals are discussing matters, how could I dare interrupt? Wouldn't that be overstepping my bounds?"

Yang Guang nodded, pleased, and said, "Very well then, I will assign you eight hundred personal guards, operating independently outside the assaulting armies of the generals. If you successfully breach the city wall, I will reward you with a major military post! But if you fail to take it, what crime shall you bear?"

This was something Li Dong had not anticipated. What if he couldn't take it? Would Yang Guang charge him with delaying military operations? That would not do; he needed to extract more troops from him. Perhaps upon success, he would be rewarded with the post of a personal imperial guard commander. Why not seize this opportunity to fleece him a bit more and secure some real power?

To ensure foolproof success, Li Dong explained the situation to Yang Guang, who then added another four hundred personal guards, bringing the total to one thousand two hundred—equivalent to the strength of an entire military garrison prefecture. Thus, with a stipend of the third rank, Li Dong commanded a force equivalent to a fourth-rank captain, operating completely independently of the old generals' armies as he set off toward the walls of Pyongyang.

Most of these personal guards were the scions of wealthy families who usually lived lives of idleness, knowing nothing of farming or the five grains. Now, arriving at the battlefield for the first time, every single one of them was frightened out of their wits.

Seeing their cowardly appearances fully exposed, Li Dong flew into a rage. With a *clang*, he drew his meteorite sword, raised it high toward the sky, and shouted sternly, "Everyone, regardless of whether your background is aristocratic, official, or imperial, you must obey my unified command. Those who disobey orders shall be beheaded! Those who cherish life and fear death shall be beheaded! Those who hold back their forces shall be beheaded!"

At that moment, a man suddenly stepped out from the ranks of the personal guards, bearing a mole on his face that gave him a rather unpleasant appearance. He sneered coldly, "I am also a captain, a fellow military captain of the guards. Why should I submit to your command alone?"

Lu Lao San was also among the personal guards. Upon seeing that man, his face drained of color. He hurried to Li Dong's side and whispered, "He is General Yuwen Shu's nephew, Wang Dabao. We can't afford to offend him, so let's just leave him be. One less person won't delay things all that much."

Li Dong took a step back, looked at Lu Lao San, and asked in astonishment, "Are you sure you aren't mistaken? Is he really Yuwen Shu's nephew?"

"There's absolutely no mistake! Which of these personal guards didn't get commissioned through connections? The court is just feeding them anyway; they aren't normally expected to march or fight, so they all have a deep-seated fear of battle. You must pacify them properly and make sure not to stir up any major trouble!" Lu Lao San worried for Li Dong and repeatedly urged him to exercise forbearance.

By then, Li Dong was also somewhat dumbfounded. *Yang Guang actually assigned me a bunch of good-for-nothings like this; how can I possibly achieve a smooth victory?* He strode over to Wang Dabao and asked amiably, "You are also a third-rank guard captain?"

"I wouldn't dare claim to be third rank, but fourth rank I certainly am..." Wang Dabao looked coldly at Li Dong, glancing sideways at the long sword concealed behind Li Dong's back. There was not a shred of fear on his face; rather, he looked as though he deliberately wanted to provoke Li Dong.

Li Dong smiled and said, "That means you are also capable of leading these personal guards to successfully complete the military task assigned by His Majesty, is that correct?"

"No!" Wang Dabao took half a step back, casting a look of disdain. "This Wang doesn't have your grand talent, nor would I dare make wild boasts about taking Pyongyang. All I want is to go back earlier, holding beauties in my arms—that is quite enough! Don't get in my way, step aside!"

Before his voice had even faded, Li Dong's meteorite sword flashed forward, coming to rest right against his throat. With a voice cold enough to freeze ice, Li Dong asked, "Yet I am a third-rank captain appointed by His Majesty's own imperial words to lead personal guards in service to the court. Unless you confess with your own mouth that you do not belong to the personal guard camp, you must charge forward to the front lines with me!"

"Yo, yo, yo! Look at that, so high and mighty just because you're a third-rank! General Yuwen is my maternal grandfather, and he's a first-rank! What can you possibly do to me? If you've got the guts, strike! Go on, chop my head off!" Wang Dabao's demeanor was arrogant and aggressive, pressing Li Dong to cut him down.

All the personal guards burst into laughter! They laughed gleefully and smugly, watching with their own eyes as Li Dong, their guard captain, was pushed to the point where his face turned pale and his eyes stared blankly.

Li Dong had originally intended only to frighten him so that he would understand the gravity of the situation. Who could have known that the fellow would be completely devoid of fear and utterly arrogant? Right in front of all the personal guards, Li Dong's authority was facing a severe challenge.

*You brought this upon yourself!* Li Dong roared inwardly, *What I'm about to kill is precisely Yuwen Shu's nephew!*

With that thought, the meteorite sword in his hand swept mercilessly toward Wang Dabao's neck with all his might. Beneath the brilliant sunlight, the meteorite sword seemed to realize it was about to feast on blood once again, instantly emitting a mysterious dark gleam that sent a chilling shiver through everyone present.