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Chapter 352: Guangshen's Three Expeditions to Goguryeo

Li Nian said: "Yang Guang not only likes to enjoy himself, but also likes to show off his achievements. At that time, there was a country called 'Goguryeo'. This country was located in the northeast of Sui Dynasty, which is where Jizi Joseon is today!"

"Goguryeo existed during the Han Dynasty and had many interactions with China. However, this country was ambitious and feared power but not virtue. When the Central Plains dynasty was strong, they were as obedient as dogs, wagging their tails and submitting. When the Central Plains dynasty declined, they took advantage of the situation to rob."

"During the Han Dynasty, they once invaded Liaodong, Lelang, Xuantu and other counties, and occupied our Chinese land."

"After the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, they also had grievances with the Sui Dynasty: In the 17th year of Kaihuang, the King of Pingyang of Goguryeo joined forces with the Mohe to attack the Liaoxi military station, but was repelled by Wei Chong, the governor of Yingzhou of the Sui Dynasty."

"When Yang Jian learned about this, he was furious. In the 18th year of Kaihuang, he ordered Han Wang Yang Liang and Shangzhu Wang Shiji to be the marching marshals and led a land and sea army of 300,000 people to attack Goguryeo. However, this battle was not successful due to weather, lack of food, and plague. Eighty to ninety percent of the Sui army died, and they had to retreat."

"This defeat also laid the groundwork for Yang Guang's third expedition to Goguryeo!"

The First Emperor and others naturally noticed the number "three" in Li Nian's words.

There is nothing wrong with Yang Guang's attack on Goguryeo:

From the perspective of the country, Goguryeo was a major threat to the border. It was neither compliant nor loyal to the Sui Dynasty. It had been invading the border for many years. It should be dealt with so that it would not dare to do it again.

From Yang Guang's personal perspective, this is not only to wash away the shame for his father Yang Jian, but if he can succeed in the conquest, it will also be a demonstration of his personal martial arts: Look, the late emperor did not do it, but I did it, I am better than the late emperor!

But the problem lies in this "three"!

There was a third expedition to Goguryeo, which proves that the first two were not very successful. It was likely that he failed just like Yang Jian. Otherwise, if the first two were successful, why would there be a third time?
This kind of war involving hundreds of thousands of troops consumed a huge amount of supplies. One war could cause a country to suffer heavy losses. Yang Guang launched three wars...

Could he have launched it continuously?
After launching a failed campaign, without giving the country enough time to recuperate, they quickly launched a second and third campaign?

So, we may not win the third time, and we may lose?

Just the thought of this made the First Emperor and others think that Yang Guang was really crazy. Even the Qin Dynasty had never done such a thing.

The Qin Dynasty's conquest of the six kingdoms was divided into stages and took ten years to complete. The Qin kings of all generations had been accumulating wealth, and finally in the generation of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, they had accumulated enough wealth to unify the world.

But Yang Guang actually launched three such wars to conquer the country in a row!

To what extent would the national strength of Sui be consumed by Yang Guang? Under such circumstances, what kind of life would the people of Sui live?
I'm afraid it won't be too good, and the people will have no way to survive, and they will rise up and make those who make them unable to survive also unable to survive!
Compared with the three national wars, building the eastern capital Luoyang, constructing palaces and dragon boat races, and building the Grand Canal may not seem like much.

No wonder even though the Sui Dynasty reached its peak under the rule of Yang Jian, it was still destroyed by Yang Guang in the second generation.

Wang Ben asked: "Yang Guang failed in his three expeditions against Goguryeo? After one failure, he launched another expedition soon after?"

Li Nian nodded and said, "That's right! In the seventh year of Daye, Yang Guang decided to attack Goguryeo on the grounds that the King of Goguryeo did not follow the vassal etiquette. He issued an edict to mobilize all the troops in the world, regardless of distance, to meet in Zhuo."

"There were countless civilians who were conscripted. History records that 'ships were lined up for more than a thousand miles, carrying weapons and equipment for sieges. There were often hundreds of thousands of people traveling on the road. The roads were filled with corpses day and night. The dead were lying on top of each other, the stench filled the roads, and the whole country was in turmoil.'"

"In order to conquer Goguryeo, Yang Guang ordered the construction of a large number of warships, but the deadline was tight. In order to complete the construction smoothly, the shipbuilders worked in the water day and night. Many people died. Due to being soaked in the water for a long time, some people's bodies even rotted and maggots grew."

This is the Guangshen who "committed sins in the present but made contributions to future generations" and "was wise and great, but failed to accomplish his great cause due to the drag of the aristocratic families, which made people sigh and lament"!

"In the eighth year of Daye, the Sui army was assembled. It is said that there were more than one million soldiers alone, and twice as many civilians transporting supplies for the Sui army."

By this calculation, Yang Guang mobilized more than three million people to fight a national war?
The First Emperor and others were also shocked. This Yang Guang was definitely a madman!

More than three million people, all young and strong, were the main working population of the Sui Dynasty. They were all recruited by Yang Guang to attack Goguryeo. Whether they won or lost, it would have a very serious impact on the Sui Dynasty.

It would be better if I won, but if I lost, the consequences would be unimaginable...

And this first crusade obviously failed!

"At the end of March in the eighth year of Daye, the Sui army arrived at the Liao River, but there were many problems. For example, the Sui army wanted to cross the river and build a bridge, but the bridge they built was still some distance away from the shore."

Is this Sui army really a proper dynasty army?

Such an outrageous thing actually happened. The distance was not measured in advance and the bridge was not built long enough.

When Li Nian was talking about Yang Jian sending troops to attack Goguryeo, Wang Ben wanted to complain. Not to mention the plague, the reasons for the Sui army's failure also included weather and food.

How are preparations made before war?

Didn't they collect information about Goguryeo's climate and geography before the war, and didn't they plan the army's food and fodder?
If the generals leading the Sui army were under his command, he would definitely chop off their heads!
Now Yang Guang led his army here, but the situation was still outrageous. The bridge for the army to cross the river was not long enough.

What a makeshift group!
"Because the bridge was not long enough, when crossing the river, the Sui army had to go into the water to fight the Goguryeo army. Many people died, including the left garrison general Mai Tiezhang, the tiger guard general Qian Shixiong, Meng Cha and other Sui generals who died in the battle."

These Sui generals also died in battle because of such an outrageous reason...it's not unfair, it's because these people didn't pay attention.

"Yang Guang was to blame for the failure of the first campaign against Goguryeo. He personally told the generals of the Sui army: 'Today, we are punishing the criminals for the sake of comforting the people, not for fame. The generals may not understand my intention and want to attack with a light force, fight alone, and establish a reputation for themselves to win honors and rewards. This is not the way to conduct a large army. When you advance, you should divide the army into three groups. If you attack, the three groups must know each other. Do not advance lightly alone, which will lead to loss. In addition, all military advances and retreats must be reported to me and not be taken on your own.'

Wang Ben sighed, shook his head and said, "My lord, you said before that Yang Guang had been ordered by Yang Jian to attack and destroy the Southern Chen. I thought he was a man who knew military affairs, but I didn't expect that he was just a man with a false reputation."

"War is a matter of great importance to a country. It is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction. How can we treat it as a joke?"

"The battlefield situation changes rapidly, and the generals should have the power to make decisions on the spot. Otherwise, not only will the opportunity be fleeting, but the enemy will also seize your weaknesses."

"This man divided all the generals into three groups, and asked them to pass messages through three channels before the battle, and also to report to him. They can only march after his reply. Even if there is an opportunity for battle, it will be missed!" As military generals, Wang Ben, Wang Jian, Meng Tian, ​​and Meng Yi were extremely dissatisfied with Yang Guang's approach. This Yang Guang was probably not an amateur.

If we follow his command, how can we not be defeated?

Fortunately, when they were leading the troops to fight, His Majesty did not make such abnormal demands on them, otherwise even if Wu An Jun were resurrected, they would not be able to win.

Li Nian smiled and said, "Not only that, Yang Guang believes that he has the advantage in this battle. With a million troops against Goguryeo's hundreds of thousands, how can he not win?"

"So, he also issued an order to the Sui army generals: If Goguryeo wants to surrender, they should appease and accept it, and not allow the troops to attack again."

Wang Jian and Wang Ben were both amused. Is this an order that a normal person can issue?

You've started dreaming before you've even won the fight or even gained the upper hand?

This is even more outrageous than popping champagne at halftime, "I think we're going to win, so let's pop the champagne."

After all, no matter how you look at it, the military strength in the battle is a million troops against hundreds of thousands, and the advantage is on my side!
Even the chairman who likes micromanagement has never issued such an outrageous order.

"So in this war, another absurd scene occurred: once the Goguryeo army was defeated and the city was about to be lost, it immediately sent envoys to the Sui army to surrender. However, with Yang Guang's order, as long as the Goguryeo army surrendered, the Sui army could not attack, and could only report the news of the Goguryeo army's surrender to Yang Guang, and let Yang Guang make the decision."

"By the time Yang Guang's reply arrived, the Goguryeo army had rested and was ready to fight the Sui army again. This situation repeated many times, but Yang Guang still did not wake up, making it difficult for the Sui army to capture the Goguryeo city."

"Like Liaodong City, it was not conquered by the Sui army. Even after Yang Guang personally went there to command, he was still unable to do anything."

The First Emperor said: "Yang Guang was not unaware of his mistakes, but he was unwilling to admit his mistakes and pretended not to know. He also had a fluke in his heart, hoping that the Sui army could capture the Goguryeo city."

This is Yang Guang. Even though he knew he was wrong, he was unwilling to admit his mistake and correct it for the sake of his own face and self-esteem.

Unfortunately, many soldiers and civilians of the Sui Dynasty died in this war, which they had a great chance of winning, because of Yang Guang's extremely face-conscious character.

Li Nian also said: "'One incompetent general can kill the whole army'. Although Yang Guang was not a general, he was a king. He was incompetent and caused even more harm. In this battle against Goguryeo, the Sui army was defeated miserably and suffered heavy losses!"

"Right Guard General Lai Huer led 40,000 elite troops to land and attack Pyongyang, but was defeated by the Goguryeo army, and only a few thousand soldiers returned. The nine armies led by Yuwen Shu and others had 350,000 men when they crossed the Liao River, but when they returned to Liaodong City, they only had 2,700 men. The loss of supplies and equipment was even greater, with tens of thousands of men lost and utterly wiped out."

Meng Tian said: "Given Yang Guang's character, this defeat will be regarded as a lifelong shame for him. If he can't wash it off, he will not be able to sleep or eat well."

A person who is so concerned about face, competitive and has such a strong sense of self-esteem will not calm down after failure. Instead, he will be like a gambler who is desperate to lose, and will frantically bet everything he has on another game, hoping to win back the lost face in this game.

He did not consider whether the national strength of Sui could still bear it, nor did he care about how the people of the world would live if he continued to attack Goguryeo. He only thought about making himself happy.

The Sui Dynasty is not important, the people are even less important, Yang Guang’s face and self-esteem are more important!
As for the price he would have to pay in the process of regaining his face, he didn't care. After all, the soldiers and civilians who died on the battlefield were not him, Yang Guang.

Li Nian said: "After the failure of the first expedition to Goguryeo, Yang Guang was very dissatisfied. In the ninth year of Daye, Yang Guang wanted to invade Goguryeo again. In the spring, on the first month, Dingchou, he issued an edict to summon troops from all over the country to gather in Zhuo County. He began to recruit civilians to be brave and repair the ancient city of Liaodong to store military supplies."

Meng Tian thought he had misheard and asked, "Sir, the first expedition against Goguryeo was in the eighth year of Daye, right?"

Li Nian said: "It was in the eighth year of Daye, but Yang Guang believed in revenge and would not wait until Goguryeo was conquered successfully. How could he be content?"

The First Emperor and others increasingly realized that Yang Guang was indeed a madman.

He suffered a disastrous defeat in the eighth year of Daye, and without even a year to recuperate, he immediately organized a second expedition. No matter how rich the wealth Yang Jian left him, he could not withstand such a defeat!
Isn't he worried that all parties will rebel and seize his throne?
Perhaps Yang Guang believed that as long as he defeated Goguryeo, he would be able to suppress all dissatisfaction in the world with the momentum of a great victory.

If this is true, then Yang Guang is indeed both arrogant and conceited!

"Yang Guang's expedition to Goguryeo still failed, but the main reason for this failure was not his reckless orders to Goguryeo, but the rebellion of some people within the Sui Dynasty. In fact, due to Yang Guang's various actions, some people revolted in the seventh year of Daye, such as Wang Bo of Shandong and Dou Jiande of Hebei..."

"But this time the rebels are different from Dou Jiande, Wang Bo and others. The rebel is Yang Xuangan, the son of Yang Su! His father Yang Su was an important official of the Sui Dynasty. Yang Guang was able to ascend the throne with the help of Yang Su. Therefore, after Yang Guang ascended the throne, Yang Su's power became even greater, but Yang Guang also suspected him because of this!"

"After Yang Su died, as his eldest son, Yang Xuangan naturally inherited Yang Su's status, connections, and influence, and of course was also suspected by Yang Guang."

"Yang Xuangan also knew that he was suspected by Yang Guang. If he did not respond, he would be harmed by Yang Guang sooner or later."

"So, when Yang Guang was on his second expedition to Goguryeo, Yang Xuangan rebelled. Given Yang Xuangan's influence, once he became powerful, it would cost a lot to suppress him. Yang Guang could only secretly summon his generals and order them to withdraw their troops."

"The Sui army suddenly retreated, and many of the materials prepared for the attack on Goguryeo were difficult to take away. The military supplies, equipment, and attack tools left behind piled up like a hill. The camps, tents, and tables were all abandoned."

"The Sui army suffered few casualties. Only a few thousand were killed at the end of the retreat."

Wang Wan sighed: "Although the number of casualties was not high, the material losses were extremely heavy. Many of the materials were originally prepared for the conquest of Goguryeo, but they were useless and were abandoned."

Supplies do not appear out of thin air. Grain needs to be grown by the people, and weapons need to be made by the people. But if they are discarded in large quantities like this, the next time the Sui people prepare to invade Goguryeo, the situation will become even more difficult.

Compared with the first time, the second expedition to Goguryeo resulted in fewer deaths but heavy material losses, which was not much better.

After these two incidents, the First Emperor and others seemed to see that the once prosperous Sui Dynasty was rapidly declining and becoming terminally ill.

"After Yang Guang withdrew his troops and returned to his homeland, the rebellion started by Yang Xuangan was quickly suppressed. After Yang Xuangan was suppressed, in the tenth year of Daye, Yang Guang once again issued an edict to mobilize troops from all over the country to attack Goguryeo."

Regarding this, the First Emperor and others were very calm, without any surprise: Yang Guang really did not give Goguryeo any chance to breathe, nor did he give the people of the Sui Dynasty any chance to breathe, for fear that the people would survive if they took a breath!

We must destroy it to the death. If the wealth of the Sui Dynasty is not completely destroyed and the whole country is not filled with uprisings, it will be considered that we, Guangshen, are incompetent!
(End of this chapter)