My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 351 Estrangement
Camp.

Yang Guang couldn't sleep well all night.

He never imagined he would fall to such a state. Su Wei had not returned since he left yesterday.

The attendants took their positions again, but those guarding outside were still the outer army, not the Imperial Guards. Sima Dekan and the others were nowhere to be found, and Yang Guang was not even sure if they were still alive.

As emperor, he was unable to communicate with the outside world.

He tried to order the soldiers to send their personal attendants out. The attendants did go out, but they never came back and disappeared without a trace.

Yang Guang was so angry that he couldn't even eat.

Just then, Yuwen Shu came to pay his respects again.

Yang Guang recalled his conspiracy with Su Wei, suppressed his anger, and maintained his usual friendly demeanor. He had Yuwen Shu brought in, greeted him warmly, and even had him sit next to him.

Yuwen Shu also appeared very respectful, and the way the two interacted was the same as before, showing no difference.

"Your Majesty, everything outside has been taken care of, so you need not worry anymore."

"The soldiers returned to their training grounds in various locations. General Li Jing also reassured the situation in Liaodong City. The soldiers received the imperial edict to return home, and they were all very happy! They were all grateful for His Majesty's benevolence!"

Yang Guang was taken aback. "An imperial edict?"

Yang Guang did discuss the withdrawal of troops with Su Wei, but he never issued an imperial edict to withdraw them!
Yuwen Shu looked at Yang Guang in surprise, "Your Majesty, yesterday the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat brought an imperial edict, saying that His Majesty wants us..."

"Which Minister of the Imperial Secretariat are you talking about?!"

Yang Guang was instantly caught off guard.

There were three most powerful official positions in the Sui Dynasty.

These were the Minister of State Affairs, who was in charge of the Six Ministries; the Grand Secretary, who was in charge of decision-making; and the Grand Counselor, who participated in political discussions.

These three official positions are considered the three most central positions in the court. The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is the direct executor, managing the six ministries of rites, civil affairs, public works, justice, and military affairs. The Minister of the Interior is responsible for obtaining memorials and issuing imperial edicts. The Grand Counselor directly participates in state affairs and formulates policies and strategies.

Of these three official positions, the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat has always been vacant.

Because this position held so much power, encompassing all six ministries, two people had previously served as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

One was Yang Xuanzong's father, Yang Su, who, needless to say, was the most powerful of all ministers, unmatched by anyone. The second was Yang Guang, who had not yet ascended the throne.

After Yang Guang persecuted Yang Su to death, he never dared to appoint the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat again, and it remained vacant.

The other two positions are already filled.

The position of Grand Councilor was held by Su Wei, allowing him to stay by the emperor's side, offer advice, and decide on strategies. The position of Grand Secretary was held by Yuan Shou, a veteran nobleman from the Guanzhong region. However, he was no longer important; he had been brought to the front lines at a young age and died of illness a few months prior.
He was probably the highest-ranking official to die on the front lines. Oh, and there was also Prince Yang Xiong, who was roughly the same rank. Historical records do not explicitly state the number of soldiers and civilians who died non-combat during this campaign, but we can get a rough idea from the death rate of the officials.
After Yuan Shou died of illness, Yang Guang handed over the authority of the Grand Secretary to Pei Yun and Su Wei. Now that Pei Yun is dead, Su Wei has two major powers.

But now, Yuwen Shu actually spoke of being the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?!
This caused Yang Guang to be instantly breached.

Yuwen Shu hurriedly got up and apologized.

"Your Majesty, the officials of the Six Ministries have suffered heavy casualties, either from illness or rebellion. The court is no longer able to maintain order, and there are problems with food and logistics. After discussion, the ministers all feel that Su Gong should be appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat to temporarily manage the Six Ministries and restore order!"

"When Lord Su came yesterday, he said that he had already received His Majesty's approval, but I was unaware of that."

Yang Guang's face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

Was I out of my mind to appoint Su Wei as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?

He's already served as Grand Councilor and then as Grand Secretary. If he were to become Grand Secretary, wouldn't all three departments and six ministries be under his control? What the hell would be the point of having an emperor like me then?
Besides, I didn't even give the order, so what right does Su Wei have to issue a decree to withdraw the troops? Although he can make decisions, shouldn't he consult me ​​first?

Yang Guang became increasingly confused as he thought about it, but soon he realized that this might be a scheme by Yuwen Shu to sow discord!

Yuwen Shu deliberately said that to sow discord between me and Su Wei, hoping to distance myself from Su Wei.
Yang Guang gradually calmed down and said in a seemingly calm tone, "Although I am unaware of this matter, it is indeed necessary to restore order as soon as possible. I am at ease with Lord Su handling these matters."

Yuwen Shu nodded, finally smiling. "Your Majesty is absolutely right!" "With Lord Su in court, what does Your Majesty need to worry about?"

"Lord Su has always been highly respected, and officials throughout the land hold him in high esteem. Moreover, he hails from Guanzhong and is the son of the Prince of Pi. Generals are in awe of him. With him here, the matter will be resolved quickly!"

Yang Guang maintained his smile and nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with Yuwen Shu's words.

Yuwen Shu then said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat has already explained everything to me. I am willing to obey Your Majesty's orders! I will do whatever Your Majesty commands!"

Yang Guang hesitated for a long time before tentatively asking, "Where is General Sima now?"

Yuwen Shu was taken aback. "Isn't General Sima Lang in the mansion?"

He stood up with trepidation, walked outside a few steps, called over a soldier, and inquired about the situation. A moment later, Sima Dekan, dressed in a turban, hurriedly entered the camp and bowed to Yang Guang in greeting.

Yuwen Shu frowned and asked unhappily, "General Sima, you are in charge of the Imperial Guards and should be by His Majesty's side. Why have you left the camp?"

Sima Dekan glanced at Yuwen Shu, his lips trembled, and he hurriedly apologized to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I have caught a cold, and the physician advised me to rest outside, so I dared not approach Your Majesty."

Yang Guang asked, "And now? Is it any better?"

Sima Dekan nodded hurriedly, "It's alright, it's completely healed."

"Then let Qianniu Bei return to the camp. It's not suitable for foreign troops to stay in the camp. What does Duke Xu think?"

Yuwen Shu said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I will obey your every command! Whatever Your Majesty says goes!"

"General Sima! The important matters within this camp are entrusted to you. You must protect His Majesty!"

Hearing these words, Sima Dekan felt extremely bitter. Fortunately, Li Xuanba had spared him and hadn't killed him with a single blow. But after that blow, Sima Dekan was completely afraid to approach the camp again, for he was genuinely afraid there would be a next time.

Unexpectedly, this was brought up again.

Sima Dekan dared not refuse and could only bow his head and agree.

The camp soon became noisy as the foreign troops withdrew one by one, and the Imperial Guards slowly entered to once again protect the emperor.

Seeing this, Yang Guang finally felt a sense of security. If something really happened, these people might not be able to protect him, but at least they were his own people. With foreign troops guarding the camp, Yang Guang couldn't sleep at night.

Yuwen Shu looked at the emperor's face with eager anticipation.

"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

Yang Guang pursed his lips. "The Duke of Xu has done a very good job. I have nothing else to say, but the climate in Liuhe City is dry, and I am not comfortable staying here. I want to return to Zhuojun as soon as possible. The Duke of Xu can start preparing for the withdrawal of troops."

"Here!!"

Yuwen Shu bowed, then turned and left.

After he left the camp, he called Duan Da over again and said in a low voice, "Continue to guard this place. If anyone inside wants to leave, let them leave. But if anyone wants to come in, report to me first, and then I will decide what to do."

"Here."

Yuwen Shu looked at Duan Da, as if he had remembered something. He patted Duan Da on the shoulder and said, "Now that things have come to this point, there is no need for any more worries. If this great undertaking succeeds, I will reward you with the best horse, even better than the one you secretly hid before!"

Duan Da was shocked and looked up at Yuwen Shu.

Yuwen Shu laughed, "Don't be so surprised. As the commander of the army, what can be kept from me? I just don't want to say more. If we really let those villains like Pei Yun take over, where will our good days be? Pei Yun has investigated a lot of people. I've already burned the relevant documents, so don't worry."

Duan Da trembled and bowed deeply to Yuwen Shu.

"Thank you, General!!"

(End of this chapter)