A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

The main point is that although I don't know what your plans are, as long as I don't send troops, I will absolutely not step into the trap you set.

Upon returning to the city, Yang Guang immediately summoned Xue Shixiong.

"Xue Shixiong delayed military operations and failed to advance due to fear of the enemy. He is to be executed immediately! Hang his head on the flagpole so that all the soldiers of the Sui Dynasty can see what happens when they fail to advance due to fear of the enemy!"

"Your Majesty, I have wronged you! I have wronged you!"

Xue Shixiong immediately begged for mercy.

"Injustice?"

"You led your army on a stroll outside, and then came back. Tell me, are you innocent?"

"Then tell me, what were you doing taking a million troops out on that trip?"

Yang Guang said coldly.

"Your Majesty, when the Xia army saw our army leave the city, they all avoided battle and returned to their camps. Our army has no siege equipment and is powerless to attack the camps, Your Majesty."

"I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

Xue Shixiong felt wronged, even more so than Dou E, though he didn't know who Dou E was.

"Is that so?"

Yang Guang looked at Yuwen Chengdu.

Yuwen Chengdu nodded, and Yang Guang then spared Xue Shixiong.

"Immediately build siege weapons for me; I want to raze the Xia army's camp to the ground."

Xue Shixiong: "..."

"I obey your decree."

Xue Shixiong dared not oppose Yang Guang's opinion now, knowing that if he did, Yang Guang would find an excuse to kill him.

The city's resources and military equipment were all used to make defensive weapons, leaving almost nothing.

Xue Shixiong had no choice but to piece together the remaining materials, have people cut down trees nearby to collect resources, and rebuild the siege equipment.

As you can imagine, the efficiency was extremely low, and progress was incredibly slow.

Yang Guang was greatly dissatisfied with this and directly ordered the dismantling of defensive siege equipment and its conversion into siege equipment.

Despite the advice of his ministers, Yang Guang refused to listen and insisted on his own way.

Xue Shixiong had no choice but to dismantle the defensive siege equipment and convert it into siege equipment.

But he knew in his heart that if the fighting continued like this, these defensive weapons would definitely be needed in the future.

So he and the other generals in the city secretly salvaged some of the city's defensive equipment, to be used when needed in the future.

The rest were demolished and renovated in response to Yang Guang's orders.

After the siege equipment was modified, at Yang Guang's urging, Xue Shixiong once again led his troops out of the city and took the initiative to attack the Xia army camp.

During this time, Xia Jun had learned of Yang Guang's outrageous orders in Wulei City through spies.

Faced with Xue Shixiong's attack, they felt blessed by heaven and decided to play along, strengthening the defenses of their camps, preparing a large amount of supplies for the city's defense, and ordering the cavalry in the camps to conserve their strength.

Because the Xia army was well prepared, Xue Shixiong fought an extremely difficult battle.

In siege battles like this, even the best commanders can't exert much of their command power, and large numbers of Sui soldiers were killed by the Xia army's defensive siege equipment.

By evening, the siege had ended, and the Sui army had made no progress whatsoever. When assessing their losses, they discovered that the casualty ratio between the two sides was a terrifying 10:1.

When the Sui army retreated, the Xia army's cavalry did not charge out.

Even Xia Kang could tell that there was an elite heavy infantry unit in the Sui army camp, quietly waiting there, and it had never been mobilized.

"This Xue Shixiong is indeed extraordinary, with the demeanor of a famous general, it's just a pity that he followed such an incompetent emperor."

Seeing that the Sui army retreated in an orderly manner, with no disorder in their formation, and that the heavy infantry that was left behind was the last to cover the rear of the main army, giving them no chance to attack the Sui army, Xia Kang couldn't help but admire them.

"If His Majesty is pleased, we might as well try to win over General Xue."

The scholar beside Xia Kang chuckled softly.

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Grand Commandant?"

Xia Kang asked in surprise.

"Given the Sui Emperor's cruelty, if General Xue fails to achieve his goals several more times, he will surely be beheaded and his head displayed to the public. However, given General Xue's merits, there will certainly be ministers who will try to dissuade him. In that case, although General Xue may save his life, he will be stripped of his entire rank and will still face the risk of death later."

"If we express our intention to recruit General Xue at this time, and offer him high-ranking positions and generous salaries, we might be able to win him over to our side, given the choice between death and extermination of his clan on one side and high-ranking positions and generous salaries on the other."

"If we succeed in winning him over, and General Xue surrenders to our Great Xia with his status, it will be enough to shake the entire Great Sui. The entire Great Xia will also be united and of one mind because of General Xue's surrender. Your Majesty can then use this unparalleled achievement to directly establish an empire, and then take advantage of the army's peak morale to defeat the Sui Emperor and occupy the entire Western Regions."

"The whole world will think that Your Majesty is blessed by Heaven. First, a great general from the Sui Dynasty came to your aid, and after ascending the throne, you defeated the Sui Emperor and conquered the entire Western Regions. Isn't this a sign that you are blessed by Heaven?"

Xia Kang's eyes lit up as he listened, deeply enticed by the scene described by the Grand Commandant.

Who can resist the allure of the eight words: "By the mandate of Heaven, may you live a long and prosperous life"?

"This matter will be entrusted to the Grand Commandant. If successful, he will be the greatest contributor to the founding of the nation! He should be granted the title of Duke or Marquis, and his glory will be intertwined with that of the country!"

Xia Kang wrote the check without hesitation, but his check had a high probability of success.

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

The Grand Commandant's face lit up with joy, and he quickly expressed his gratitude.

Although he wasn't granted a fiefdom, becoming a nobleman who shared the fate of the nation was already a very good outcome.

"Emperor Sui is incompetent and tyrannical. You may also try to persuade other ministers and generals of the Sui state to defect. If you succeed, I will not hesitate to reward you handsomely."

Xia Kang made the promise to the others.

"Your Majesty, we thank you."

These people now call His Majesty so fluently that they can hardly speak, and Xia Kang is indeed generous. In addition, the temptation of being a founding hero is too great, so these people are already gearing up to poach Yang Guang's men.

One particularly clever man even approached Yuwen Shu directly. They believed that Yuwen Shu, stripped of his official position, must hate Yang Guang intensely, and that his grandson held considerable military power, making him extremely valuable to win over.

Because of this great intelligence, he found Yuwen Shu, who then immediately told Yang Guang about it.

When Yang Guang learned that the people of the Xia Dynasty were trying to win over his ministers and generals, he sat there chuckling to himself.

"Our Great Sui Dynasty is a divine empire, with a vast territory spanning thousands of miles, boasting millions of people, abundant talent, and rich resources. How could that mere, rebellious Xia Dynasty, confined to a small area, possibly compare?"

"Minister Yuwen, if it were you, would you abandon your official position in the superior state and go to seek refuge with a barbarian kingdom?"

Yuwen Shu immediately knelt down on the ground, "Even if I am now just a commoner, I am unwilling to give up the glory of the Divine Empire and go to that tiny country to serve as one of the Nine Ministers."

"I'd rather be a commoner in China than a high-ranking official in a small country."

"Therefore, after being won over by them, I immediately reported to His Majesty through Chengdu."

"My loyalty to the Sui Dynasty is as clear as the sun and moon!"

"Haha, well said!"

Emperor Yang Guang was overjoyed, but his expression changed immediately, and his face darkened.

"My dear minister, tell me, besides yourself, who else would be truly loyal to me and report this matter?"