Chapter 89 A Difficult Decision
Living in troubled times, if an old man just lives a mediocre life, he will probably never get ahead.
Even if you are from an aristocratic family or a noble family, if you survive in troubled times, in the end you will be just a handful of earth.
A man should establish his reputation in life. To establish his reputation will comfort his life. To comfort my life, I will get drunk. I will get drunk and chant like crazy.
Chai Xiaohe remembered a saying from Zhou Lang of the Three Kingdoms, and he decided to rely on Li Ai and accomplish great things in his lifetime.
He was the county magistrate of the Sui Dynasty. When he saw that Li Ai had become the Duke of Wei in Wagangzhai, he could no longer calm down. He took the household registration book of Gong County and went directly to Li Ai.
When Chai Xiaohe first arrived at Wagangzhai, he was eager to make achievements and increase his status.
He gave advice to the new leader of Wagang and proposed a strategy of marching directly westward to Chang'an to seize the initiative.
Li Ai thought that General Chai’s idea was indeed the best strategy.
The defense of Dongdu was getting closer and closer, and Yang Guang in Jiangdu gave three orders a day and directed the command remotely.
The Sui army continued to gather troops to rescue the Eastern Capital. As the number of troops increased, it might be very difficult to capture the Eastern Capital immediately.
In other words, it’s not that Chai Xiaohe’s idea was bad. In fact, Li Ai also made this suggestion when he was planning Yang Xuangan’s coup in Dongdu.
Yang Su's son Yang Xuangan took advantage of Yang Guangdong's expedition to Goguryeo to raise an army and start a rebellion in Liyang.
He asked Li Ai for advice, and Li Ai gave Yang Xuangan three strategies.
The best strategy is to take advantage of the fact that the emperor is away fighting in Liaodong so that you can attack him unexpectedly, march straight in, capture Jizhou, and strangle him by the throat.
When Goryeo hears of the rebellion within the Central Plains, it will surely pursue from the rear.
Within ten days, the food supplies of the various armies heading east would be exhausted. Even if they did not surrender, they would surely be defeated.
The middle strategy is to march westward to Chang'an.
Li Ai gave a very thorough analysis for Yang Xuangan at that time.
Guanzhong is the location of the capital of the Sui Dynasty. If we lead our army westward now, we will not attack the cities along the way, but will go straight to Chang'an.
Even if Your Majesty comes back, the most fundamental thing has been lost.
You occupy a dangerous position to defend against the enemy. You can fight close to the enemy and defend when you retreat. This is a moderate strategy.
At that time, Yang Xuangan did not follow Li Ai's advice, but chose Li Ai's worst strategy.
Li Ai’s worst option was to attack Dongdu.
If you want to take the nearby city and directly attack the Eastern Capital, and march into Luoyang in one go, that will be enough to command all directions.
Li Ai went on to analyze and said, can you guarantee that the news will be blocked?
As soon as you take action, Tang Yi, the Hanoi chief who was unwilling to accept your appointment, would have already leaked the news.
Dongdu has already taken precautions. If we lead our troops to attack, it will inevitably delay the attack.
If we fail to capture it within three months, troops from all over the country will gather to surround us from all sides, and our situation will be over.
Whenever Li Ai thought of this, she felt like there was a stone blocking her heart.
Yang Xuangan was eager to advance rashly, and he actually believed that the worst strategy was the best strategy.
His meaning was very clear. Now the families of all civil and military officials are in Dongdu. If I capture Dongdu, I will be taking the initiative and they will definitely be terrified.
He thought that taking the risk of attacking Jizhou would be a gamble, and changing his target to Guanzhong would be too far away.
Moreover, if I do not attack the counties I pass through, how can I show my power? I do not want to take these two paths.
Yang Xuangan did not follow Li Ai's advice and led his army towards Luoyang.
He first attacked Hanoi, and just as Li Ai had expected, Tang Yi had already entered the city and refused to defend it.
He arranged for a fast horse to report to Yang Tong, the King of Yue who was staying in .
Li Ai sighed and lamented that Yang Xuangan did not listen to his own advice and believed the treacherous people. In the end, he was defeated and killed, and his entire family was brought into disaster.
Emperor Yang hung Yang Xuangan's head in the palace for public display, and left his body in the streets of Dongdu to dry in the sun for three days. He then cut off some of Yang Xuangan's flesh and threw it into the fire, burning it to ashes.
All of Yang Xuangan's remaining followers were wiped out, and he was the only one left, hiding his identity and wandering around.
Li Ai suddenly took a breath of cold air and thought to himself that he was lucky to be able to escape.
Since Chai Xiaohe proposed the same strategy as himself, it shows that he has his own way of looking at things.
However, no matter how good the strategy is, it cannot be implemented at the current situation .
Now is not the best time to attack.
What's more, General Chai intended to alienate the relationship between superiors and subordinates, so he could not adopt his suggestion.
He suddenly drew out his sword and shouted:
"General Chai, don't talk nonsense. Lord Li is the backbone of the Wagang stronghold. Don't make up stories out of nothing."
When Chai Xiaohe saw that Li Ai was eager to protect his master, he secretly came up with a plan.
He rolled his eyes and whispered:
"Since the army cannot go west now, I will go west now and observe the situation on behalf of Duke Wei to see if there is any opportunity to take advantage of."
Seeing that Chai Xiaohe was determined to march west to Chang'an, Li Ai had no choice but to ease the atmosphere and nodded in agreement.
He thought, you are going there just to test the situation. How can a small force shake the Sui Dynasty's defenders?
Li Ai said loudly: "General Chai is eager to go west, so I will let you take a small group of troops and set off quietly. Remember not to confront the government troops, let alone have direct friction."
Chai Xiaohe bowed and said, "Duke Wei, please rest assured. I will be back on time within half a month."
After Chai Xiaohe left, Li Ai came to the Xingyang County Government Office and reported his decision to Li Ji.
Li Ji smiled and said, "In fact, General Chai's idea is correct, but it is outdated."
Li Ai replied: "I think so too. If we march directly westward to Chang'an, relying solely on the Wagang New Army, it will probably be difficult to succeed."
"Yes, Guiguzi said: 'Success depends on the fact that the matter is in line with the strategy, and that is the main thing.' The success of the matter depends on the fact that the strategy is practical and that one side is the main thing."
"'If a plan is not loyal to both sides, there will inevitably be discord.' A plan cannot be loyal to both sides. If you are loyal to one side, you will inevitably betray the other side."
Li Ai responded: "My lord, you are right. I also think that it is not realistic to march west to Chang'an."
"If General Chai goes west under the banner of Duke Wei, he will be able to gather some bandits in the mountains and fields to join him, and the reputation of Wagangzhai will surely spread."
"My lord, even if General Chai gathers some bandits, it will not be able to achieve anything."
Li Ji took a sip of tea and said slowly:
"Without a foundation, it is difficult for ordinary bandits to start a rebellion. Yang Xuangan, who came from a prominent family, was devoured by Yang Guang's army, let alone a small county magistrate."
"I have a feeling that a strong army is emerging in Guanzhong, and that person's surname is also Li."
Li Ai was stunned. His lord's calculation was very accurate. Li Yuan in Jinyang had already raised an army.
"Our current foundation is not stable. You have just taken the main position, and it will take time for people to win over. Lord Zhai may still be watching your actions. Can you rashly go west?"
Li Ainuo said: "I haven't had time to ask for Zhai Gong's opinion yet."
"It's useless to ask him. He is timid and will not agree to go west."
"My Lord, what should we do now?"
"Gather your strength and choose the right time to attack Dongdu."
Li Ai did not follow the advice of the guard Chai Xiaohe and was eager to advance westward to Chang'an. Following Li Ji's instructions, he launched an offensive near the Eastern Capital.
At that time, the Wagang New Army was very aggressive and often entered the Western Garden to fight with the government troops.
During the battle with the government troops in Xiyuan, Li Ai was unfortunately hit by a stray arrow and had to stay ill in the military camp.
