LFHYB -Chapter 146 Both the Common People and the Nobles Have Lost Their Hearts

Let us turn the clock back a little, to when Yang Guang was planning his northern tour.

In the original timeline, in the second month of that year, after the rebellion of Yang Xuangan had stirred some of the people to rise up, Yang Guang—who believed the reason for unrest was that there were simply “too many people under Heaven”—once again issued one of his so-called wise and mighty decrees to reduce banditry:
all commoners were to be relocated into cities and reassigned farmland nearby.

In Yang Guang’s view, this served two purposes: first, people would no longer be able to leave the cities and become bandits; second, it would be easier for officials to find them to collect taxes and corvée labor.

Anyone in court with a functioning brain was once again stunned by the emperor’s “brilliance.”

Not to mention whether the cities could even hold that many people, or whether there was enough land outside the cities to reassign—just the act of relocation alone was something that even when the Sui was at its strongest, it had never been able to accomplish, forcing all rural residents into cities.

In this timeline, because the rebel armies were even stronger and had even raised the banner of Crown Prince Yang Xian, Yang Guang became even more ruthless about enforcing the relocation.

In the original timeline, since Yang Guang’s order was impossible to carry out, local officials treated it like a fart from the emperor—only pulling it out when powerful families wanted to seize commoners’ property, using it to ruin households and destroy families.

But now Yang Guang demanded quick results from all officials. Even men like Zhang Xutuo, who were in the middle of suppressing rebels, were assigned the task of forcibly relocating the population.

The Central Plains were filled with wails and curses. Even Zhang Xutuo—who had once opened granaries to relieve famine and thus enjoyed a fairly good reputation among the people—was now hated to the bone.

Yang Guang’s three campaigns against Goguryeo had all relied on the Sui’s professional fubing troops.

After he had exhausted the empire’s core military strength, the forces now under the various Commissioners for Suppression and Pacification were almost entirely newly recruited local militias.

When the families of these militia soldiers were also forcibly relocated, no matter how great a general’s reputation was, or how strict his discipline, it could not suppress the wavering of the troops’ hearts.

In the end, local officials quietly altered the policy while carrying it out: the families of soldiers they had personal ties with were not relocated; those who knew to bribe them were not relocated; and powerful families with connections at court were not relocated either.

After all, the emperor had no idea how many people there were under Heaven. As long as he saw some commoners being moved into cities, that counted as a report.

This practice did not reduce chaos at all—it only gave ammunition to the court’s habitual mudslingers.

Although the ministers knew perfectly well that the policy was impossible to implement, when they wanted to attack their political enemies, they simply accused them of “harboring treasonous intent.”

Yuwen Su had once gone to great lengths to help Li Hun—who had arranged the murder of his own nephew in order to seize a title—obtain the rank of Duke of Shen.

Li Hun had originally promised to give Yuwen Su half of his ducal stipend each year. But after becoming a duke, he broke his word: he paid for two years and then refused to give any more.

This had happened back when Yang Yong was still Crown Prince.

Yuwen Shu was a corrupt official who valued promises. As long as the money was in place, he always did his job beautifully. Li Hun’s deception made him nurse a grudge for many years.

Li Hun came from a powerful family. He himself was re-enfeoffed as Duke of Cheng during the Daye era and was greatly respected by Yang Guang. His nephew Li Min was married to Yuwen Eying, the only daughter of Princess Leping Yang Lihua. Before her death, Yang Lihua’s only request was that Yang Guang take good care of her daughter and son-in-law. Because of this, Yuwen Shu had never been able to find a chance for revenge.

Now, however, members of the Li clan had also exempted the families of their own militia soldiers from relocation to maintain morale. Yuwen Shu finally found his opening.

People of the time believed deeply in prophecies and portents, so Yuwen Shu wove a chain of schemes around them.

First, when Emperor Wen of Sui abandoned the old Chang’an and built Daxing City nearby, he had used as his excuse that he had “dreamed the old capital would be flooded.”

Yuwen Shu combed through Li Hun’s genealogy and discovered that Li Min’s childhood name was Hong’er—“Flood Boy.”

After seeing this, Yuwen Shu spent heavily to arrange for the mystic An Jiatuo to appear before Yang Guang, babbling nonsense like: “The Li clan shall produce the Crown Prince. Your Majesty should kill all under Heaven who bear the surname Li.”

There were countless people surnamed Li. Not to mention the nobles at court, just the great Li clans of Longxi and Zhao Commanderies were far beyond anything Yang Guang could possibly exterminate.

Yang Guang, of course, drove the babbling mystic away.

These two matters left little impression on him—until Yuwen Shu produced his final move, accusing Li Hun of defying imperial orders and plotting rebellion. At that point, the earlier portents resurfaced in Yang Guang’s mind.

Feigning that it was the first time he had heard of it, Yuwen Shu said, “That Li Hun is surnamed Li, and his nephew Li Min’s childhood name is Hong’er… Could it be…? Ah—please forgive this minister for speaking too much!”

Yang Guang believed it.

He believed it!

He believed that Li Min was the prophesied Li-surnamed Son of Heaven.

And so Yang Guang exterminated Li Hun and Li Min’s entire families. Li Hun’s wife—Yuwen Shu’s own sister—and Li Min’s wife, Yuwen Eying, the only daughter of Princess Leping, were both ordered to die as well.

To avenge Li Hun’s failure to pay him, Yuwen Shu had even his own sister and niece killed—showing just how obsessive his greed was.

The two things Yang Guang rushed to do before his northern tour produced two results.

First: The people of the Central Plains were completely unable to go on living.

The morale of the Sui army plummeted. Commanders of the local Yingyang garrisons, pushed by the elders of their communities, also began raising rebel banners one after another.

Originally, prefects could still keep things under control. Even though every time the rebel forces were scattered, they could quickly regroup tens of thousands again with a single rallying cry, the Sui armies still held a very high win rate—almost undefeated.

But now, not only did the rebel armies include mid- and lower-level Yingyang officers, local scholars also quietly joined them. Into those mobs that once only charged blindly were now mixed battle-hardened veterans and literati well-versed in the art of war.

At the end of the Sui dynasty, the peasant uprisings were rapidly transforming into the mature stage they would otherwise only reach two years later—changing from scattered mobs into real armies capable of competing for the throne.

Second, the aristocratic merit families fell into panic.

When Yang Xuangan truly rose in rebellion, and no matter how much Yang Guang targeted him, the court officials had not actually been too frightened.

As long as they followed Yang Guang’s temperament—never remonstrating and only flattering him—they believed they could keep themselves safely out of the chaos.

But Li Hun was the son of Li Bin, Duke Ming of Shen, one of the founding heroes of the Sui, Grand Pillar of State, Grand Preceptor, and holder of the posthumous title “Ming.” His clan possessed a dan-shu iron certificate—a charter granting the privilege of “being allowed to be addressed without stating one’s name in court, and immunity from execution unless for rebellion.”

Li Hun himself had pacified Yuchi Jiong and defeated the Turkic Awu Sijin. Even before he schemed for a higher noble rank, he was already Duke of Anwu Commandery and General of the Left Martial Guard.

The Li Hun clan was among the very top of the Sui dynasty’s power-holding aristocracy, the leading house among the Guanzhong–Longxi military nobility. Their status was even higher than that of Yang Xuangan, Duke of Chu, after Yang Su’s death.

If they had not possessed such a pedigree, Yang Lihua would never have chosen them when she sought a husband for her only daughter, Yuwen Eying.

Yuwen Eying was a princess of the fallen Northern Zhou. Yang Lihua was deeply worried about her daughter’s safety after her own death. That the Li Min clan held a dan-shu iron certificate was the primary reason Yang Lihua selected Li Min—not simply because he was handsome.

Although Li Hun’s character was extremely poor, he had no rebellious intentions toward the Sui and had committed no rebellious acts. In fact, he knew his family’s prestige was too great, so in recent years he had deliberately lain low, resting on his family’s record of merit. His entire clan behaved in a very low-key manner.

Yet even after doing all this, Li Hun was annihilated along with his entire clan because of a bizarre prophecy and Yuwen Shu’s false accusations. Even the only daughter of Princess Leping—who had once supported Yang Guang in the succession struggle—was executed. How could the great aristocratic houses not panic?

Before Li Hun’s extermination, the aristocratic families had still stood on Yang Guang’s side. They had done everything possible, even using their own money, to organize local militias in Yang Guang’s name to suppress the peasant armies.

Now, however, the aristocrats began to sit on the fence.

If even Li Hun, holder of a dan-shu iron certificate, could be wiped out at will, could any of them withstand Yang Guang’s suspicion?

Li Yuan of Taiyuan was especially terrified.

Although Li Yuan held the title Duke of Tang, among the Li-surnamed aristocrats of the Sui he was not actually ranked very high.

His father, the old Duke of Tang Li Bing, had won great military merit—but that was in the Northern Zhou. Li Yuan inherited the title at age seven. From the Sui’s usurpation of Northern Zhou through Emperor Wen’s unification of the realm, Li Yuan had been too young to gain any real achievements.

Although his mother was a sister of Lady Dugu, which allowed Li Yuan to gain Emperor Wen’s favor and later hold provincial posts, his standing at court was still not high. His position depended entirely on imperial favor; he was a thoroughgoing member of the “emperor’s party.”

That was why, in the original timeline, Yang Guang appointed Li Yuan in the thirteenth year of the Daye era as Defender of Taiyuan and Pacification Commissioner of Shanxi and Hedong.

And in the very year he became Defender of Taiyuan, Li Yuan rose in rebellion.

But in this timeline, Li Yuan was different. Not only had he himself accumulated great merit—he also had a son serving as Pacification Commissioner in Longxi Circuit. Father and son both commanded troops.

Now that Yang Guang had begun to distrust even his loyal ministers, Li Yuan was left with only two choices. Either he or Li Shimin must voluntarily resign, so that only one of them held military power and Yang Guang could feel secure—or else…

Li Jiancheng urged him: “His Majesty is now jumpy at every sound of wind and slaughtering loyal ministers. Father should persuade Second Brother to return to Taiyuan as soon as possible. That will reassure His Majesty, and with our father and sons united, we can make plans for the future.”

Li Yuan’s trusted aide Liu Wenjing argued: “General! Only when you have troops in hand can your heart be at ease! His Majesty deeply hates Yang Xuangan but dares do nothing to him, while Li Hun meekly accepted death—why? Because Yang Xuangan had troops, and Li Hun did not! To hand over military power voluntarily is no different from tearing out your own claws and fangs!”

Li Yuan was torn.

He went to complain to his closest friend, Pei Ji, Deputy Supervisor of Jinyang Palace: “If I’d known this would happen, I never would have let Second Son run off so far away.”

Pei Ji comforted him: “If His Majesty suspects someone, even the Duke of Cheng—who has long kept himself out of trouble—can be falsely executed. If His Majesty trusts someone, even when Yuwen Shu monopolizes both internal and external armies, His Majesty still dotes on him. Shude, you should start preparing to raise troops. This is a good opportunity.”

Li Yuan hesitated. “Xuanzhen, do you mean I should take advantage of His Majesty’s northern tour…?”

Pei Ji replied, “Shibi Khagan has long despised His Majesty.”

The two spoke in half-sentences, but they both clearly understood what the other meant.

Pei Ji was suggesting that Li Yuan coordinate with Shibi Khagan—inside and out—to assassinate Yang Guang.

In the original timeline, Li Yuan only became Defender of Taiyuan in the thirteenth year of Daye. Taiyuan lay south of Yanmen Commandery. When Yang Guang traveled from Luoyang to Yanmen, he had to pass through Taiyuan, giving Li Yuan a perfect chance to cooperate with Shibi Khagan to strike him.

But after hesitating for a long time, Li Yuan still shook his head and refused.

“I am still a minister of the Sui,” Li Yuan said. “How could I collude with the Turks? Besides, the Turks have long submitted to the Sui. Shibi Khagan may not dare to send troops. If he not only fails to act but hands my letter over to His Majesty, I will be doomed.”

Pei Ji thought about it and had to admit the danger was real.

He was not particularly skilled in strategy. Seeing that Li Yuan had analyzed the matter more thoroughly, he gave up pressing the idea. “Then Shude, what do you plan to do?”

Li Yuan said, “Wait and watch. My son is in Longxi, far from the Central Plains. The troops in his hands absolutely cannot be lost. I am well-informed at court. If His Majesty truly becomes suspicious of me, I can rise in rebellion at once. Even if I am defeated, it will be easy to flee north to the Turks and then go west to join my son.”

Pei Ji said, “Second Young Master Li’s position is our retreat. It must not be touched.”

Li Yuan smiled. “What you are thinking is exactly what I am thinking.”

Pei Ji asked, “So when His Majesty tours the north, will we really do nothing?”

Li Yuan replied, “Of course not. I will continue to campaign against the rebels and show my loyalty to His Majesty.”

Pei Ji admired Li Yuan greatly. Only with such calm and steady bearing could one become the next ruler.

In truth, although Li Yuan spoke of waiting and watching, he had already prepared to raise troops at any moment—ready to rebel whenever an opportunity arose or whenever Yang Guang lost his mind again.

He was not anxious at all now.

Although Taiyuan lay under Yang Guang’s gaze and was indeed somewhat dangerous, Longxi—where Li Shimin was—was not only isolated outside Yang Guang’s power base centered on Luoyang, it was also very close to Daxing City. Li Yuan’s real base was not Taiyuan, but Longxi. As long as Longxi did not fall, he had nothing to fear.

“‘To get revenge for being used for free, Yuwen Shu helped Yang Guang ignite the paranoia of all the Guanzhong aristocratic clans of the Sui. Truly worthy of being Sui’s number-one traitor—Pei Yun, Yu Shiji and the rest are far behind him,” Li Xuanba said. “What does Father intend to do?”

The visitor replied, “The commandery deputy has already persuaded the Duke of Tang. The Duke of Tang will not proactively submit a memorial to resign on behalf of Second Young Master.”

Li Xuanba let out a breath. “That removes the last concern. Thank the Commandery Deputy for me.”

The man hurriedly said, “How can one speak of thanks when working for our lord?”

Li Xuanba smiled. “Precisely because you are working for our lord, if you’ve done a good job you deserve a word of thanks. Tell Commandery Deputy Liu this: if chaos breaks out in Yanmen, Father will be holding Taiyuan and cannot leave lightly. He should dispatch trusted troops to come to the rescue.”

The man asked, “How many does Third Young Master need?”

“One thousand crossbowmen will be enough.”

The man hesitated. “That will be a bit difficult… the Commandery Deputy will do his best.”

Li Xuanba soothed him, “As long as he does his best, it’s fine. Even if there are none, it doesn’t matter—I can still win.”

Looking at the skeletal Li Xuanba sitting in his wheelchair, the man nodded heavily. “I will definitely deliver the message!”

After seeing off Liu Wenjing’s envoy, Li Xuanba said to Luo Shixin, “You go infiltrate Yanmen City first. When I signal from outside the city with smoke, pretend you’ve just slipped in through the gate and deliver my letter to Yang Guang. After that, you’ll have to fight your way out of the city. Are you confident?”

Luo Shixin laughed. “When have I ever lacked confidence?”

Li Xuanba hesitated for a moment, then turned to the person beside him. “Xiao Wu, do you have confidence?”

Luo Shixin’s smile stiffened. “Jihong is going too? That’s not such a good idea, is it?”

Li Zhiyun flew over and kicked Luo Shixin, then hopped in front of Li Xuanba. “Yes! I’m confident! I want to go!”

Li Xuanba said, “If it’s just a minor general, Yang Guang might not trust him. With you going, the chances that Yang Guang will agree to my request are much higher.”

Li Zhiyun grinned. “No need to explain—I’ll go! You’re so weak and you can still follow Second Brother on campaigns. I’m way stronger than you. What’s a little risk?”

Li Xuanba: “…You don’t have to compare yourself to me.”

Li Zhiyun folded his arms. “I only have Second Brother and Third Brother. I can’t beat Second Brother, so if I don’t compare myself with you, who should I compare with?”

Li Xuanba: “…?” This younger brother is getting less and less lovable!

Helpless, Li Xuanba said, “Fine, you’re stronger than me. I’ve never been injured on the battlefield—so you’d better not get hurt either.”

Li Zhiyun said, “Definitely no problem! But if we’re both gone, who will protect Third Brother?”

The burly man standing next to Li Xuanba silently looked at Li Zhiyun.

Li Zhiyun smacked his own head. “Ah, I forgot about you, Tieniu. Now that you’re back with Third Brother, Shixin and I can go running around.”

Chen Tieniu took a heavy breath, tears welling up in his eyes.

Li Zhiyun stepped back a few paces and deliberately stomped on Luo Shixin’s foot. “Don’t cry, don’t cry! You’ve already seen Third Brother—what are you crying for!”

Luo Shixin cursed, “Why did you step on me!”

Li Zhiyun said, “I didn’t mean to. Who told you to look down on me just now!”

Clenching his fists, Luo Shixin said, “I was worried about you! Are you asking for a beating?”

Li Zhiyun dragged Luo Shixin toward the door. “Then let’s fight—come on, let’s compete in archery!”

Luo Shixin swore, “Not archery—spear technique!”

Li Zhiyun yanked Luo Shixin out the door. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

The two of them vanished in a flurry of pulling and shoving, leaving Li Xuanba alone, flustered, trying to comfort Chen Tieniu.

Chen Tieniu had been Li Xuanba’s personal guard since very early on. He obeyed only Li Xuanba’s orders—if Li Xuanba told him to, he would even dare to defy Li Shimin.

Back in Zhangye, whenever Li Xuanba wanted to “drag” Li Shimin back from drilling troops or hunting to deal with maddeningly tedious paperwork, it was always Chen Tieniu who personally led the men and did it himself.

Whenever Li Shimin saw Chen Tieniu coming, he knew his younger brother was angry and could only surrender, obediently returning to work.

When Li Shimin and Li Xuanba returned to Taiyuan, Li Xuanba left behind many of his trusted men. Chen Tieniu was among those left behind, while Luo Shixin was temporarily assigned by Li Shimin as Li Xuanba’s guard.

Chen Tieniu had been longing every day for his young lord to return, but instead received news that his life or death was uncertain.

Now that they were finally reunited, Chen Tieniu cried whenever he mentioned it, making Li Xuanba wonder whether staying too long with Second Brother had infected him with Second Brother’s bad habit.

When Li Xuanba reached the vicinity of Yanmen, he contacted merchant caravans to send messages to Zhangye and summoned his own confidants.

Zhangye was too far away to send many troops. Li Xuanba didn’t plan to use Zhangye’s soldiers anyway—so long as the caravans brought money, he could recruit troops locally.

Moreover, he knew that a certain sycophantic General Yun would be the first to arrive near Yanmen, so he had Li Zhiyun and Luo Shixin go to request an imperial edict from Yang Guang, having the reinforcements around Yanmen placed under his command.

Though he wasn’t like Second Brother, able to charge into battle himself, with careful planning against an unprepared enemy, forcing the Turks to retreat would be easy enough.

Chen Tieniu, Xiang Gu, and the others all returned to Li Xuanba’s side and brought him good news.

When Li Xuanba had sent the caravans to deliver his message, Li Shimin had already guessed that Li Xuanba was still alive—and even guessed what he was about to do. He had already gone to the grasslands in advance to look for the Eastern Turkic khagan’s main camp.

Although this was something Li Xuanba had once mentioned to Li Shimin before, he was still delighted that Second Brother could react so quickly.

As expected of Second Brother! Now Yang Guang wouldn’t die!

“Stop crying. If you cry your eyes out, who’s going to be my bodyguard?” Seeing that Chen Tieniu couldn’t stop, Li Xuanba used his trump card.

Chen Tieniu immediately sucked in a breath and forced his tears back.

Li Xuanba changed the subject. “I can’t fight on the front lines, so I’ll have to rely on you to serve as a general and boost morale in my stead. You can do it—I’m entrusting this to you.”

Chen Tieniu slammed his chest hard. “Fighting the Turks is what I’m best at!”

Li Xuanba said, “Call Xiang Gu over. He can’t just be a caravan guard forever.”

Chen Tieniu ran over, dragging Xiang Gu along.

Xiang Gu shouted, “I can walk by myself! Don’t drag me! Langjun! Look at Tieniu!”

Li Xuanba couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time: “Let go. If you don’t hold him, Xiang Gu will run even faster.”

Chen Tieniu released his grip. Xiang Gu adjusted his clothes while muttering curses under his breath.

Li Xuanba waited until Xiang Gu finished his rant before asking, “Can you serve as a general?”

Xiang Gu grinned: “Leading the charge at the front? That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Li Xuanba said, “Good. You and Tieniu will train with my newly recruited soldiers. The key is to make them obey my orders—if they don’t understand something, they don’t ask questions.”

Xiang Gu and Chen Tieniu seriously clasped their fists: “Yes, sir!”

After arranging Xiang Gu and Chen Tieniu, Li Xuanba went to the backyard and asked Yuwen Zhu, “Zhuniang, how’s the Thunder Bomb preparation coming along?”

Yuwen Zhu replied, “Sixty percent done.”

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she said, “Is this formula really for a Thunder Bomb? It feels a lot like the pill recipes the teacher used to make.”

Li Xuanba’s eyes were as calm as still water: “It’s similar. That’s why I’ve always told you, don’t make pills.”

Yuwen Zhu whispered, “The medicine you said could save you… making it could very well blow me and the teacher into the sky. You weren’t joking? It’s even more powerful than a Thunder Bomb?”

Li Xuanba silently nodded.

Yuwen Zhu took a step back, clutching her chest.

Li Xuanba said, “Don’t make pills.”

Yuwen Zhu smiled wryly: “I’ll try to persuade them… but, sigh, I can’t guarantee success.”

Li Xuanba also smiled bitterly. After he tried to persuade them, Doctor Sun still moved the pill furnace to a remote, uninhabited place but continued making pills as before. Indeed, it was impossible to stop him.

…

Although Li Shimin led only a thousand cavalry, the remaining two thousand were infantry. By the time they had cleared two Turkic tribes, the two thousand infantry had mounted horses.

While these horses weren’t very powerful for charging in battle, they were enough for transportation.

Ye Hu, leading the elite of the merchant caravan disguised in Sui armor, guided Li Shimin. Five days after setting out, they still had seven days’ worth of rations, sealed and not to be eaten.

The rations were kept for emergencies. They were currently driving the Turkic cattle and sheep, and would eat meat if hungry.

“Master, won’t driving so many cattle and sheep slow us down?” Ye Hu asked, still reluctant to part with the animals but worried about the pace.

Li Shimin shook a leg of mutton in his hand: “The purpose of a forced march is, first, not to miss the battle opportunity; second, not to be discovered by the enemy. In other words, as long as the battle opportunity isn’t missed and the enemy doesn’t detect us, my ‘forced march’ is successful.”

He bit into the mutton, wiping grease from his face: “Now that we’ve hidden our banners, removed our armor, and disguised ourselves as Turks, driving cattle and sheep—how’s this different from the migrating Turkic tribes? Since Khagan Shibi has taken the young and strong from the Turkic tribes, leaving only the elderly and weak guarding cattle, how could the Western Turks or Tiele not seize the opportunity to raid?”

Pei Xingyan added: “Although Shibi Khagan’s elite soldiers have left, the Turks can ride and shoot. Our three thousand can’t compete in attrition. These cattle and sheep can serve as a defensive buffer if necessary.”

Ye Hu was confused. Cattle and sheep as a defense? Could they really charge with the animals?