SEC Chapter 89 A New Option: Destroying the Japanese Pirates
Chapter 89 A New Option: Destroying the Japanese Pirates
Unfortunately, he had his own brilliant plan, and even powerful families had their ways of helping him.
In terms of manpower, the aristocratic families provided them, but they were all old, weak, sick, or disabled, with no fighting ability whatsoever.
In the end, he could only swallow his anger and suffer in silence.
"Your Majesty, since the purpose of this eastern expedition is to deplete the military and financial resources of the powerful families, shouldn't I proceed with a slower pace?"
Lü Xiao instantly understood Yang Guang's thoughts and asked.
If his main objective remains to deplete the powerful families, then he might have to resort to some match-fixing and not fight as quickly as he did against the Eastern Turks.
"Indeed, we cannot act as we did when fighting the Turks."
Yang Guang nodded.
If conquering Goguryeo were too easy, wouldn't all his plans have been in vain?
This must be a bloody battle, and the members of the aristocratic families must be at the forefront.
If all else fails, he turned to look at Lü Xiao.
They then announced to the public that Lü Xiao was seriously ill and temporarily unable to lead troops.
Once the powerful clans had fought to the death on the Goguryeo battlefield, Lü Xiao returned to clean up the mess.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'm a professional at this!"
Lu Xiao patted his chest and assured him.
He's an expert at slacking off; it's practically an instinct ingrained in his bones.
He's the kind of person who puts in the effort but doesn't actually do the work.
At that moment, a thought suddenly popped into Lü Xiao's mind.
Since we're heading to Goguryeo's territory, we're not far from the Japanese islands.
Since we're already here, we might as well take care of the Japanese islands while we're at it, so they won't cause trouble in the future.
However, this is no small project.
Crossing the sea is a major problem; wind, waves, and reefs are all huge hidden dangers.
After all, Yang Guang's main goal was to conquer Goguryeo, and it was unclear whether he would agree to Yang Guang's proposal.
Just as Lü Xiao was about to give up and wait for the next opportunity to destroy Japan, a voice rang in his mind.
[Select system trigger, now give your choice!]
[Option 1: Focus on attacking Goguryeo, then seek opportunities to attack the Japanese islands. Reward: Zheng He's treasure ship blueprints!]
[Option Two: Destroying the Japanese is a great act of merit. Land on the island by sea, and you'll be rewarded with smooth sailing and unimpeded naval operations!]
Choose two!
In the past, when faced with the choices presented by the system, Lü Xiao might have hesitated and weighed the pros and cons.
But this time, faced with two choices, he had to doubt his own worth if he hesitated for even a second longer.
"Your Majesty, since the main purpose of this eastern expedition is to deplete the wealth and manpower of the powerful families, I will take the water route."
Lu Xiao's eyes lit up, and a plan came to mind.
He originally intended to slack off and not put in any effort.
Since we're going to Japan by water, we can take this opportunity to avoid even having to send anyone out.
He cleared his throat and continued:
"Your Majesty led the main force by land to attack Goguryeo head-on."
This way, the main forces of the powerful families can also have a good chance to demonstrate their strength on land.
The sea is so vast, it's perfectly reasonable to be slow because you're lost.
It's also plausible that the fleet accidentally drifted to Japan to the east due to the strong sea winds and dense sea fog.
Then, we'll first wipe out Japan, and then leisurely return to support Yang Guang. Perfect!
"Great plan! A brilliant idea!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Guang's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap his hands.
He automatically imagined that the sea route was treacherous and difficult to navigate, and that Lü Xiao's journey by water would definitely take a considerable amount of time at sea.
In this way, he could effectively weaken the power of the aristocratic families without relying on Lü Xiao's strength.
Once the powerful clans have fought their battles to the last man, Lü Xiao should be able to return from the sea, and then we can conquer Goguryeo in one fell swoop.
"If Your Majesty thinks it's good, then it truly is good."
Lu Xiao chuckled inwardly; he merely wanted to use the imperial army to carry out his own private mission of destroying the Japanese pirates.
Since Yang Guang had already agreed, he had no objections.
It's a real pity that we couldn't get the blueprints for Zheng He's treasure ships.
But then I thought, this regret is nothing.
Compared to treasure ships, the ability to conduct unimpeded and smooth-sailing naval operations is clearly more valuable.
After all, no matter how good a ship is, it is still at risk of capsizing on the unpredictable sea.
This ability, however, would completely eliminate his worries about crossing the sea.
Yang Guang was always decisive and efficient in his actions.
After finalizing the strategy for conquering the East, he immediately summoned his ministers and formally proposed attacking Goguryeo in the court.
"My lords, the previous defeat in the eastern campaign was a great regret for me and a disgrace to the Sui Dynasty!"
"This attack on Goguryeo is not only to avenge our past humiliation, but also to demonstrate the might of our Great Sui Dynasty!"
Yang Guang stood on the throne, his voice authoritative and resounding.
He paused, then threw out the bait he had prepared beforehand: "Compared to previous battles, the military merit in this battle is doubled! Killing one Goguryeo man is equivalent to the merit of killing three in the past!"
For the first time ever, Lü Xiao also attended court, standing below the hall and quietly listening to Yang Guang's empty promises.
It must be said that Yang Guang truly understood the concept of involution.
It is common knowledge that fighting is the best opportunity for promotion.
Yang Guang tripled the military merits in one fell swoop, intending to force aristocratic families to contribute both manpower and effort.
The powerful clans might disdain this kind of infighting, but the second-class aristocratic families that have always been suppressed will definitely not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As long as they can seize this opportunity, achieve military merit, and be promoted.
Then they could enter the imperial court with dignity and stand on equal footing with the top aristocratic families.
Ultimately, clan records categorize aristocratic families into three classes.
However, if they stagnate during this eastern expedition, countless second-class aristocratic families will rise to prominence through military achievements and become the new third class.
Once there are too many third-class aristocratic families, the status of these old-established families will really become worthless.
"Your Majesty is wise! We will certainly exert all our strength to annihilate Goguryeo in one fell swoop and uphold our national prestige!"
Sure enough, as soon as Yang Guang finished speaking, an official from a lower-ranking aristocratic family stepped forward, speaking with great enthusiasm.
"I am over seventy years old, yet I still have the strength! I am willing to join the army on the expedition and serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty!"
Immediately afterwards, an elderly man dressed in civil official robes stepped out from the crowd.
His hair and beard were all white, but he stood up straight and shouted loudly.
"This old man!"
Lu Xiao was secretly startled. Sure enough, involution doesn't discriminate by age.
"Impressive!" Yuwen Chenglong, standing to the side, couldn't help but whisper his praise.
Speaking of which, his father, Yuwen Huaji, was only in his forties, the perfect age for making his mark.
Although the Yuwen family produced a prince consort, making them relatives of the emperor, they are now ranked second in rank.
But we still have to fight, and we absolutely cannot let others outdo us.
"Your Majesty! Chancellor Yuwen is also willing to don armor and wield weapons, and join the army on the eastern expedition!"
Yuwen Chenglong immediately stepped forward and signed his father up.
"Huh?" Yuwen Huaji, who was watching the show in the hall, was instantly stunned and froze on the spot.
He's not even in the war!
He was the prime minister of the current dynasty, a true civil official.
Moreover, his brother married Princess Nanyang, making him a member of the imperial family. According to the clan records, he was classified as a second-class member, just like Lü Xiao.