The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 785 A complete showdown
As night fell, the Sui army set up more than twenty launch platforms a mile away from the city gate. These launch platforms were used to launch fire kites.

The terrain of Dazhen Pass has a unique feature: to the north are cliffs and steep walls, while to the south are gently sloping mountains covered with dense forests, almost all of them pine forests, with shrubs below. To the east or west, this tree-covered mountain is also a cliff.

As night fell, hawks filled with oil flew into the mountains and forests, resembling burning phoenixes in the night sky. The garrison inside the city shouted and scrambled to dismantle their tents, fearing they would be attacked by the Sui army's fire.

However, the Sui army's target was not the canyon at all, but the mountains and forests to the south. Soon, the mountains and forests began to burn rapidly, as more and more fire kites landed in the mountains and forests and bushes.

The fire spread wider and wider, with flames soaring into the sky and thick smoke billowing out. The heatwave scorched the surrounding area, and large amounts of larger dust particles fell into the valley, filling the valley with thick smoke.

The soldiers were almost dried out by the heat, and what was worse, the thick smoke made it hard for them to breathe. Finally, the city gates opened, and countless soldiers rushed out of the city, gasping for air. Many soldiers were so weak that they simply collapsed to the ground.

Groups of escaped soldiers were escorted to an open space. At that moment, even being a prisoner of war seemed like a wonderful thing.

The fire gradually died down by noon the next day. An unexpected moderate rain came and extinguished the fire on the mountain. The entire mountain was blackened by the fire, and there were charred trees everywhere. As the smoke dissipated, thousands of Sui soldiers entered Dazhen Pass.

More than 700 people died from suffocation and burns in the fire. Many soldiers went up the mountain to fight the fire but never returned. More than 2,200 soldiers who escaped were all taken prisoner, including the commander Chen Gui, who was Li Xiaogong’s trusted general and was ordered to guard Dazhen Pass. He was also the first to open the pass and escape.

The Sui army captured Dazhen Pass with three hundred fire hawks. This was Xu Shiji's personal hobby; he liked using fire. In addition, he could also impersonate a grain delivery team heading to Longxi to pass through the pass, and he could also use large iron fire bombs to directly destroy the pass.

They could capture the pass relatively easily, and in both siege warfare and naval battles, the Sui army had completely overwhelmed them.

The soldiers cleared the burned forests to prevent a second fire, and the Sui army set up camp on the spot. Two days later, news came that Anyi Pass and Anrong Pass had been captured. From then on, the Sui army completely cut off the eastward return route of the 50,000-strong army and also cut off the food supply.

Pei Ji's worst fears came true.

The news reached Chang'an, but this time it was calm, far less panicked than when the Sui army attacked Fengyi County. Perhaps everyone had given up, since occupying Fengyi County was the same as occupying Fufeng County, so it didn't matter. Or perhaps it was all within everyone's expectations; if Fengyi County was occupied, Fufeng County would be no exception.

But Li Yuan was in despair. His only bargaining chip was his 70,000 troops, but now that chip was gone. All he had left was the capital city of Jingzhao and 20,000 troops. How long could he hold out? Would all that would be left be Chang'an?

His opponent pressed on relentlessly, taking away his chips one by one, and finally pushing him into the abyss of despair.

At this moment, Li Shentong rushed into the official room and burst into tears. His most beloved son, Li Xiaoci, had been killed, and he was on the verge of collapse.

Li Yuan was overwhelmed with anxiety and frustration. Suddenly, he shouted sternly, "Stop crying!"

Li Shentong's crying stopped abruptly, and he dared not cry anymore. Li Yuan sighed after a long while, "What's there to cry about? You can cry properly after I die!"

Li Shentong wiped away his tears and whispered, "Brother, is there no hope at all?" Li Yuan shook his head. "I really can't see any hope. They deliberately left Longxi and Tianshui counties, which were actually two traps. We stepped into them and our army was scattered. Otherwise, with my 100,000 troops concentrated in Guanzhong, we would still have the strength to fight. Now we've been cut off and nothing is left."

Li Yuan now realized that Pei Ji was absolutely right, but it was too late for regrets.

At this point, all they could do was wait for Chai Shao and his wife to return from Luoyang and bring back the final news.

Just three days after the Sui army captured Fufeng County, Chai Shao and his wife returned from Luoyang with an official decree issued by the Sui emperor, which was also an ultimatum.

The imperial edict was written rather vaguely. In reality, they had three options: one was to resist to the bitter end and perish together; the other was to surrender completely and have their entire families relocated to Lingnan, just like other leaders who surrendered.

The third option was to allow them to establish their own countries overseas, but they had to acknowledge the Sui Dynasty as their suzerain state. This third option piqued Li Yuan's interest.

The instructions were rather vague and lacked detail.

Inside the official residence, Li Yuan's family, along with high-ranking officials such as Chief Secretary Pei Ji, Sima Gao Shilian, and Registrar Wu Shiyue, as well as the Li Shentong brothers and more than twenty others, gathered together to listen to Chai Shao recount the details of the third point.

"Liu Wenjing specifically discussed the details of establishing a country overseas with me. He said that there are many small countries overseas, each with a million people, and even some large countries with tens of millions of people. All of them are extremely backward in terms of military strength. The Sui Dynasty allows us to take a thousand troops with us, and we can take our weapons and armor, as well as our family wealth. The Sui Dynasty's navy will send us ashore in foreign countries and leave us with some food. The rest is up to us to fight for and establish our own country."

Li Jiancheng asked worriedly, "Are a thousand soldiers enough?"

Chai Shao slowly said, "Liu Wenjing said that the armies of small overseas countries are extremely backward. A hundred men are enough to defeat their ten thousand troops. The Han people can fight ten against one. The emperor's intention is to send us to Ceylon, which is a necessary stop on the way to the Abbasid Caliphate. It is rich in Kunlun slaves and has a population of over one million. They all believe in Buddhism. To its north is India, which is currently in a state of division. Their army's fighting strength is about the same as that of our children. The emperor said that if we go to Ceylon, we can establish a country through trade and become a bridge between the East and the West."

Li Yuan nodded. "This is a matter of great importance. Let's all consider it carefully."

After everyone left, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin stayed behind. Li Jiancheng asked his father, "I don't quite understand the Emperor's intentions. Other powerful leaders, such as Dou Jiande and Du Fuwei, were sent to Lingnan or Jian'an County, but we are allowed to go overseas to establish a country. Can you understand this, Father?"

Li Yuan nodded slightly. “I can understand a little bit. We are different from other rebel leaders. Others go out and continue to be pirates or bandits. We go out to truly establish a dynasty, with a court and various systems. We will use propriety, righteousness, benevolence and filial piety to establish order and expand the rule of the Han people to the whole world. This is what the emperor hopes for. The emperor’s thinking is broader than ours.”

Li Shimin whispered, "Father is tempted?"

Li Yuan sighed, "I am truly unwilling to be destroyed like this. I have always dreamed of establishing my own dynasty. Since the Emperor has given me this opportunity, I am willing to go to the far west!"

Li Yuan turned to look at the two brothers and said slowly, "This is the only chance for our Li family to establish a dynasty. We must seize it no matter what!"

(End of this chapter)