The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 550: Xu Yan is crowned Duke, Yang Guang grants marriage

The battle of Yanmen finally came to an end. It lasted for more than 20 days and the Sui army won a great victory, killing and capturing more than 200,000 Turkic soldiers and seriously injuring Wu Zun Bi Xuan. Shibi Khan was rescued by the national teacher Zhao Deyan and his 30,000 trusted soldiers to escape. The rest suffered heavy casualties and countless escaped.

Zhang Xutuo led the army of Luoyang, the eastern capital, and Wang Shichong led the army of Jiangdu. Together with the army of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, they combined their forces of 300,000 and swept through Yanmen Pass, seizing countless cattle, sheep, and horses. The Liaodong generals pursued them for 300 miles into the grasslands and returned with a full load.

The Sui Emperor led his army into the grassland, and the Mohe, Tiele, and Khitan peoples came to pay tribute one after another. Shibi Khan sent envoys to offer gifts. After a lot of face-saving work and presenting a large number of gifts, the Sui Emperor was overjoyed and returned to the Eastern Capital.

This battle made the country famous beyond the borders, weakened the two major rebel forces in Shanggu, dealt a blow to the prestige of the Turks, and obtained countless cattle, sheep, and horses. The Sui emperor lavishly rewarded them in the Eastern Capital. Zhang Xutuo and Wang Shichong gained real power, and Yang Xuyan, the Marquis of Liaodong, was promoted to the Duke of Liaodong, the Governor, and the General, and was granted the territory of Liaodong and the supervision of Zhuo County.

Yuwen Shu, Su Wei, Fan Zigai, Pei Ju, Yuwen Huaji and others were all rewarded, but Li Yuan of Taiyuan did not mention a word about it, and even showed some vague rejection in the court.

There were too many lucky factors in this great victory, and Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was really scared. He did not know that Pei Ju (Shi Zhixuan) was already a grandmaster. When Yanmen City was besieged, the Yingui Sect masters headed by Zhu Yuyan were absent, and there was no grandmaster team like Liaodong Hou who could set up the Big Dipper formation. Facing the assassination attempt by Martial Master Bi Xuan at any time, how could he not be afraid?

Especially when a spear appeared three feet behind him, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was almost scared out of his wits. Fortunately, the appearance of Taoist Bi Chen gave him some confidence. Faced with the choice of escaping alone or resisting to the end and fighting together, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, who was unable to give up everything around him, chose to fight a big battle. This prevented him from completely ruining his state of mind and retained the strength and background of a senior master.

Although the Sui Dynasty won this battle, it was not Yang Guang's victory. The reinforcements came first from Liaodong, followed by the troops from the eastern capital Luoyang and Jiangdu. Not only were the other troops delayed, but Taiyuan, which was so close, had not even made any movement. The entire north was so quiet that it made him feel scared.

It was the Turks and Shibi Khan who were completely defeated in this battle. Of the 500,000-strong army, only the 30,000 elite soldiers around Shibi Khan, which were the Golden Wolf Army that was being vigorously trained now, returned to the grassland in an organized manner. Most of the other Turkic soldiers were killed or captured. There were also more than 100,000 to 200,000 defeated soldiers who fled back to the grassland one after another, but most of them were discouraged. It is hard to say whether they will still have the courage to invade the Central Plains in the future.

The Turks were badly defeated, and the Mohe, Tiele, and Khitan took advantage of the situation to loot and plunder much of the Turkic people's wealth. Chaos was clearly imminent on the grasslands, and there was no need to worry about the safety of the border for a while. This was a mixed blessing for Yang Guang, as the Turks not only consumed his own energy, but also the energy of northern clans such as Li Yuan. The weakening of the Turks actually benefited the northern clans.

Yang Guang intended to transfer Yang Xuyan to the Eastern Capital, but was strongly opposed by his ministers. He then tried to let him go to Chang'an in Guanzhong, but was rejected by the aristocratic families. In the end, he was compensated by Zhuojun, a remote and cold place adjacent to Liaodong.

In this battle, Liaodong Marquis Yang Xuyan used seven masters to set up the Big Dipper Sword Formation and defeated Martial Honored Bi Xuan, which attracted the attention of the world. Yang Guang was very tempted and planned to reward the remaining six people and transfer them to the Royal Guards. After careful questioning, he found out that these people actually had their own problems.

The two oldest ones were also small overlords in Tuyuhun. They suppressed Fuyun and prevented him from invading the Sui Dynasty with all his strength. They inherited the remaining territory of Tuyuhun conquered by Pei Ju. Although it was only a small area, it was like a nail nailed in the west. It was a bit reluctant for the two masters to be in charge.

Of the remaining four masters, two were naval commanders who traveled between Jeju Island and Ryukyu Island, and also benefited from the war fought by Emperor Sui in those days. The other two were under the command of Marquis Liaodong, and worked with him to deal with Goguryeo.

Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty became excited when Goguryeo was mentioned. However, his proposal to attack Goguryeo again was rejected by his ministers. They only agreed to increase support for the Marquis of Liaodong and let him handle the invasion of Goguryeo with full authority. They firmly disagreed with another national war.

Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty commanded a million troops, yet with over ten Grand Masters, he still hadn't achieved his goal. How could he possibly transfer two Grand Masters under the Liaodong Marquis? If the lack of experts allowed Goguryeo to seize Liaodong, Yang Guang would surely be furious. The three expeditions to Goguryeo have always been criticized, but fortunately, Liaodong was finally conquered, rather than being completely defeated. This saved Yang Guang some face. If Liaodong fell, he would have been completely humiliated.

After taking a closer look at the power of these people, Yang Guang couldn't help but smile, secretly praising Pei Aiqing as a wonderful person who knew how to take care of his own aftermath. The territory conquered by the court had to be lost because the emperor was far away and difficult to govern. Pei Aiqing turned around and accepted several disciples and trained them vigorously, using his private power to help the country suppress foreign races.

Pei Aiqing also had his reasons for choosing the right people. They were actually members of the royal branch. These people were born with the Yang family's imprint, and because they were from a branch, their status was not high and they were unlikely to be promoted. The biggest beneficiary was the Emperor Sui, the head of the Yang family.

Pei Aiqing was so loyal to the emperor and patriotic, how could he not show any appreciation? When he heard that the Marquis of Liaodong, oh, now the Duke of Liaodong, was in love with Pei Aiqing's daughter, he personally granted the marriage in court, which made Pei Ju (Shi Zhixuan) very upset but he didn't dare to object in court. He could only accept it with a pinch of his nose when he saw Yang Xuyan's smug expression.

This move was a brilliant one, immediately dispelling the thoughts of many wealthy families who wanted to marry into the Liaodong County Duke. The Liaodong County Duke, who owned two counties, had a strong army and was talented in both civil and military affairs, making him a suitable candidate for their wooing.

Originally, his background was a big obstacle, and Liaodong was a cold and bitter land that Goguryeo was determined to obtain. It was not valuable and the risk was great. The wealthy families were reluctant to put in a lot of effort to win him over, and they also believed that he was not of such value.

The role played by Liaodong Marquis Yang Xuyan in the Battle of Yanmen was clear; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was the primary contributor. The elite troops and formidable generals under his command surpassed those of ordinary aristocratic families, rivaling the four great clans. Beyond his foundation, his power was already comparable to that of the four great clans, at least not to that of the Dugu clan. This made him truly worthy of their efforts to win him over, regardless of the royal family's supporting branches, and marriage was the best way to do so.

Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty arranged a marriage, a move as ingenious as an antelope hanging by a horn, catching many people off guard. How should they proceed with the marriage at this time? They couldn't just send their legitimate daughter to be a concubine, right?

A wife was a marriage of convenience, so what was a concubine? Furthermore, how could the legitimate daughter of a prominent family be a concubine? But offering a concubine's daughter was not good enough. The Sui Emperor's casual move was truly difficult to resist.

But if it came down to coercion and inducement, how could he possibly use coercion and inducement? The current Duke of Liaodong, backed by the Sui Emperor and Pei Ju, had so many experts and troops at his disposal? If he made an enemy, wouldn't he be afraid of retaliation later? Didn't you see the fall of Goguryeo across the river and the collapse of the Turkic hegemony, all due to this guy? No matter how powerful they were, could they ever compare to Goguryeo or the Turkic Shibi Khan?

After the court meeting, Yang Guang privately summoned Yang Xuyan and, in the presence of several Yang clan elders, established his own clan and became the patriarch of the Liaodong Yang clan branch. This move seemed to elevate Yang Xuyan's status, but in fact it severed his close relationship with the Hongnong Yang clan branch, making them two separate families from then on.

Even more outrageous, he also made Yang Yu and Yang Yun, who presided over Tuguhun, a separate branch of the Yang Clan of Tuguhun, severing their close ties with the Liaodong Yang Clan. He also rewarded them with large sums of money, official positions, and numerous privileges. If Yang Yi, Yang Ke, Yang Gai, and Yang Ying had not been closely located in Donghai and Liaodong, or had been directly under the Liaodong wing, Yang Guang would have established two more Yang Clan branches.

Yang Guang was very familiar with the art of emperorship and the policy of enfeoffment and favor, but he had no idea about the true identities of the seven brothers Yang Xuyan. If they were really just geniuses from a branch of the Yang family, he would have probably succeeded. However, the seven brothers Yang Xuyan were different. They would not make a fuss about splitting up the family at this time. They would only accept the benefits brought to them by the Sui Emperor with a smile, make a fortune in silence, and say nothing about the rest.