Yang Yi's personality was perhaps the most lenient among all the emperors in the history of the Sui Dynasty, but this did not mean he was a coward. In fact, the most rare thing about the Sui Dynasty in its hundred-year history was that it had never had a weak emperor. Perhaps this was related to the Sui Dynasty's lack of a tradition of primogeniture; emperors would always choose the most aggressive among their sons to inherit the throne.
Although the process of determining which son was more aggressive... was somewhat cruel.
Perhaps this was also the fundamental reason why the Sui Dynasty had not declined for over a hundred years. While it was undeniable that corruption, bribery, and even abuse of power existed in both local governments and the imperial court, at least the Sui Dynasty's national strength remained formidable, especially its military power. The Sui emperors' greatest pride, and what they hoped to maintain in their pride, was the undefeated nature of the Sui army.
Perhaps the Sui emperors had not forgotten the history of the previous dynasty's decline, and therefore maintained a relatively high regard for the military. Before being overthrown by Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, the previous dynasty was once hailed as the most powerful nation in the Central Plains. However, this nation, also founded on military might, after a century of peace, saw its emperors gradually forget the importance of sharpening the sword in their hands.
They became accustomed to wielding a pen to write magnificent verses, forgetting that this hand should also hold a cold, sharp blade.
To guard against military uprisings, the previous emperors, who heavily relied on civil officials, ultimately couldn't find a single competent general to lead the army when facing Yang Jian's rebel forces. The former dynasty's army, boasting a million men, crumbled rapidly under the overwhelming offensive of Yang Jian's initial few thousand rebel troops. Yang Jian's formidable army won every battle against the former dynasty's forces with resounding success.
On the wall of the imperial study in the Taiji Palace hung a calligraphy scroll, a work by Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty.
Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire, immovable as a mountain, unfathomable as the shadows, and powerful as thunder.
This is a passage written in the blood of the previous emperor on Xuan paper by Yang Jian when he led his army to defeat the last army of the previous dynasty. Even today, the calligraphy, framed and hung on the wall, remains vividly red. If carefully examined, it is a description of military strategy. However, Yang Jian's descendants believe it is the founding emperor telling his descendants how to be a good emperor.
Yang Yi stood beneath this blood-written inscription, looking at the kneeling Minister of War, Yu Donglai, who dared not raise his head, and coldly snorted, "If it weren't for the thorough investigation by the intelligence agency, this matter would have been covered up by a mere report from the Ministry of War. What chills me most is not that Li Xiaozong, whom I valued, has betrayed my hopes, but that so many people in the court have helped him lie, helping him blind me!"
Yu Donglai felt somewhat wronged, because he truly had not received any favors from Li Xiaozong. If it weren't for the report of merit submitted by General Li Yuanshan of the Right Valiant Guard, he would have long forgotten about the young, illegitimate general from the Li family who had been transferred to the border as a military officer. However, he did know about the Fan Gu incident. His not accepting the money didn't mean General Li Yuanshan hadn't offered it. Two gifts were initially presented to the Ministry of War: one was his, and the other was from Hou Junci, the Vice Minister of War.
And the victory at Fan Gu was orchestrated entirely by Hou Junci.
Therefore, he didn't know how to defend himself; although he was somewhat wronged, he had undeniably neglected his duties.
Seeing that Yu Donglai remained silent, the Emperor's expression softened somewhat: "Hou Wenji, tell our Minister of War what exactly happened at Fan Gu. I can't have him explaining himself for so long and still not know where he went wrong!"
Hou Wenji, the Garrison Commander, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I obey."
He walked a short distance from Yu Donglai and whispered, "In February of the eleventh year of Tianyou, the Mongol Yuan army attacked the pass. Li Xiaozong, the garrison commander of Fan Gu, was defeated, leading to the fall of Fan Gu and the influx of..." Eight hundred border soldiers and two thousand civilians were all slaughtered by the Mongol invaders. Emperor Xiaozong, fearing punishment, fled and sought refuge in the Right Valiant Guard. Upon hearing the news, General Li Yuanshan of the Right Valiant Guard led his troops to the border, and after a night of fierce fighting, recaptured Fangu City, killing thousands of rebel soldiers. However, to cover up Emperor Xiaozong's dereliction of duty in the defeat, Li Yuanshan concealed the fact that all the civilians and border soldiers of Fangu City had perished in his memorial to the court.
"Ah?"
Hearing this, Yu Donglai couldn't help but let out a very soft gasp in surprise. Why was Hou Wenji's story so different from the truth he knew? He knew perfectly well what had happened in Fangu City. So when he saw the words "Importing the Ministry of War for knowing but failing to investigate" on the memorial, he was too frightened to continue reading. But why did he know nothing about what Hou Wenji was saying?
So he subconsciously looked up at Hou Wenji, trying to find some clue on his face. Hou Wenji, however, remained expressionless and continued calmly, "On the day Fan Gu fell, the imperial envoy who had just arrived in Fan Gu for inspection was also surrounded by rebel soldiers. After a fierce battle that lasted until midnight, they were ultimately outnumbered and all perished. After the battle, General Li Yuanshan of the Right Valiant Guard, valuing Li Xiaozong's talent, bribed officials in the Ministry of War and Gao Tianbao, the commander of the intelligence agency responsible for investigating the matter, to change the story of Li Xiaozong's defeat to one of fighting valiantly and achieving a great victory."
Several key points are present here: Li Yuanshan protected Li Xiaozong because he valued his talent, not because Li Xiaozong was also from the Li family of Longyou. Seemingly innocuous words often conceal intriguing information.
Hou Wenji looked at Yu Donglai expressionlessly and said, "This is the truth. Does Lord Yu understand?"
Yu Donglai was neither a fool nor an idiot; otherwise, how could he have risen to the position of Minister of War? Years of experience navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom had given him an extremely accurate grasp of court affairs. Hearing Hou Wenji's words, "Have you understood? Ask away," he knew what to do.
"This guilty subject understands."
He bowed again to the emperor and said, "This guilty subject was greedy for credit. Knowing full well that this matter was suspicious, I failed to investigate. This is dereliction of duty and malfeasance. I beg Your Majesty's punishment. I dare not deny it."
"I ask you..."
Emperor Yang Yi sat cross-legged back on the earthen bed, looking at Yu Donglai and asking, "How much silver did you receive?"
...
...
"This subject confesses, but I truly did not receive a single copper coin in return."
Yu Donglai bowed his head earnestly and said, "I am guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty, but I truly dare not accept bribes or bend the law. Regarding the matter of Li Xiaozong of Fangu, I failed to discover the hidden truth, and I am ashamed of Your Majesty's trust in me. However... although my family is not extremely wealthy..." "But we are not short of money... Your subject would never dare to deceive Your Majesty for some gold and silver."
Yang Yi took a sip of tea and nodded, saying, "That's true... Your Yu family certainly doesn't lack money. Even compared to Wu Yidao, the Yu family isn't much worse off. Then let me ask you, do you know how many people in the Ministry of War have accepted bribes from Li Yuanshan?"
"Your subject truly doesn't know... For the past two months, I've been busy secretly mobilizing grain and recruiting civilians. Other matters in the Ministry of War are being managed by Vice Minister Hou Junci."
The Emperor grunted and turned to Hou Wenji: "I never imagined that someone in the intelligence department would betray me."
He used the word "betray." Hou Wenji knelt down, removing his official hat from his head and bowing deeply. "Your Majesty, I have disappointed you. I am unworthy to continue commanding the Intelligence Bureau."
"You remove your own hat so easily? Aren't you afraid I'll think you're threatening me?"
The Emperor asked coldly.
Hou Wenji raised his head and said, "I dare not, I am ashamed."
His words were extremely simple, offering no explanation.
The Emperor snorted. "If I removed the hat of a person in charge every time someone made a mistake, the ministers and vice-ministers of the various departments of the Great Sui Dynasty wouldn't be sitting so comfortably. You are responsible for your subordinates' mistakes, but no one else can do the job of Intelligence Bureau Commander well; you have to continue. Your salary will be reduced for three years, and you will be demoted one rank. Write a memorial of apology later."
"Your Majesty, I thank you."
Hou Wenji kowtowed. "That commander... since he's so eager to collect silver, bury him alive at the entrance of the Ministry of Revenue's treasury. Let him see countless amounts of silver every day, yet he can't grasp a single coin. His male family members should be exiled to the frontier as slaves, and his female family members... sent to the weaving workshops as slave laborers. Each person will receive one copper coin a month. When they've saved enough silver to cover the amount collected, they can be released from slavery."
Everyone felt a chill. The punishment of burying him alive at the treasury entrance meant that the commander would be constantly trampled underfoot. And how could he possibly save that much silver in this lifetime with only one copper coin a month? Let alone in this lifetime, it would be impossible for his descendants to ever rise above his station.
The Emperor leaned back against the wall, rubbing his furrowed brow, and continued, "General Li Yuanshan of the Right Guard, for his favoritism, perverting the law, and deceiving the Emperor, is unforgivable. However, considering his military achievements over the years, I will grant him leniency. He is demoted to a fifth-rank general, retained in the army awaiting further service, his fiefdom reduced by three hundred households, and his salary suspended for three years."
"Li Xiaozong, the general of Fan Gu, though he fought valiantly, abandoned the city after his defeat and attempted to conceal his loss by bribing officials in the Ministry of War… Outnumbered, I do not blame him for his defeat. Can I possibly reprimand a general who fought to the last man? When you arrest Li Xiaozong, ask him for me… If he had the courage to face an enemy twenty times his size, why didn't he have the courage to face me?!"
"I paid special attention to Li Xiaozong when he was at the Martial Arts Academy."
The Emperor opened the thick talent registry on the table and began searching… Turning to a page, he took a vermilion brush and crossed out Li Xiaozong's name: "What a pity... I've lost a general with a promising future."
"Let the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review handle the matter. Convict him of whatever crime is warranted."
The Emperor put down his brush and said calmly, then looked at Yu Donglai and said, "Go back and investigate yourself. How many people in the Ministry of War took Li Yuanshan's money? It wasn't just this time, nor was it just Li Yuanshan's bribe. If the people in the Ministry of War dared to take Li Yuanshan's money this time, wouldn't they have dared to take others' before? This isn't the first time, and I have no magnanimity or patience to forgive and forget. After the investigation, compile a list. Some people have been in their positions for too long and have forgotten the reverence they should have... In that case, why should I hesitate to use the executioner's blade?"
"Your subject obeys."
Yu Donglai quickly replied. "Wait, I haven't finished!"
The Emperor's gaze lingered on the register of talented individuals, flipping through the names he had personally written as he spoke: "Yu Donglai, dismissed from his post as Minister of War, demoted to Vice Minister of War, acting as acting Minister of War. Go back and reflect in seclusion for a day. I want to see what you can reflect upon. Also… a three-year salary deduction. Li Yuanshan, calculate the amount of bribes received by the Ministry of War officials, and then report the figure to me."
"I want him to produce another copy of that amount, plus the amount he used to bribe officials, and the deducted salaries of the rest of you. Send this all to Fan Gu by special envoy. I want to build a mausoleum in Fan Gu for the fallen border soldiers and civilians. The remaining money will be given to the families of those border soldiers as compensation."
"They were the most loyal and courageous soldiers of the Great Sui. They used their lives to show me their loyalty to me and their love for the Great Sui. In short…" "It is I who have failed them, and I feel remorseful. After Hou Wenji reported this matter, I specifically investigated how much the border soldiers received in monthly pay, and it was heartbreakingly low! They served the country for such meager wages while they were alive; how can we not give them a grand funeral after they die?"
"Furthermore… Yu Donglai, after you return to the Ministry of War, have someone compile a count of all the border troops of the Sui Dynasty. I need accurate figures; there are certainly those receiving salaries without working, but don't let me know. After the count is complete, I will discuss with the Ministry of Revenue whether we can double the border soldiers' pay. They defend the border for the country; I cannot allow them to go hungry and cold."
"To put it bluntly, that's the border soldiers' life-risking money!"
As he said this, the emperor raised his head, his eyes sharpening: "If I find out again that anyone dares to embezzle this money, I will slaughter their entire family. If the number of living people doesn't reach nine generations, I will desecrate their ancestral graves!"