NOVEL NEXT Ch. 46
Chapter 46: Yuwen Yong
The unification of the Three Kingdoms by Northern Zhou.
That prediction was accurate.
‘To be precise, it wasn’t Northern Zhou, but the Sui dynasty founded by Yang Jian, who staged a coup in Northern Zhou and became emperor.’
But if Eulmunduk had even predicted that, then he wasn’t just clever—he’d be a person from the future.
Even just predicting this much was already remarkable.
Of course, from the perspective of someone from the future, it might seem obvious that the stronger Northern Court would absorb the Southern Court.
However, people of this era couldn't speak so easily.
The Wei–Jin–Northern and Southern Dynasties period had lasted nearly 300 years.
Even the Former Qin of the Di, which unified all of the North, and the Northern Wei of the Xianbei, which extended influence even into the Western Regions, had failed to destroy the
Southern Dynasties and unify the Central Plains.
So predicting the unification of the Central Plains wasn’t something one could easily claim.
I, who knew the future, could speak of the unification of the Central Plains casually,
But how did Eulmunduk, who wasn’t from the future, know this?
“Well, it’s a bit strange to answer like this after giving such a long explanation earlier… but to be honest, I’m not entirely certain either. Former Qin and Northern Wei were both just as strong as the combined Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, yet they still couldn’t break through the Southern Court.”
The answer was that he wasn’t certain.
“However, someone needs to be certain.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I believe that Former Qin and Northern Wei both could have destroyed the Southern Dynasties within ten years. There was definitely a possibility. It just didn’t happen.”
Said Eulmunduk.
“Even now, among today’s high officials, I believe some may foresee this possibility. But they would consider it too slim. Because they have so much to lose, it’s hard for them to risk it on low odds.”
“True.”
“But I only have my body. What’s so hard about staking that one thing? If my prediction is wrong, then so be it. If it’s right, then I’ll protect Goryeo and leave behind my name.”
This guy… he’s the real deal.
If he’s wrong about anything, it’s that his name would be remembered not with three syllables, but four.
“By the way, you’re not surprised. Most people are shocked when I talk about the unification of the Western Land.”
“That’s because I think the same.”
“Well, I had a feeling. After all, even though you had a bright future in Pyeongyang as a Royal Son-in-law, you volunteered for the northern dispatch. That’s not a simple prediction—that’s conviction.”
Well, saying I had a bright future is questionable, but the latter part is true.
I was certain about this war.
And the difference between prediction and conviction is huge.
Anyone can say, ‘Bitcoin will rise later.’
If the prediction turns out right, they can say, ‘See? I told you.’
But someone with conviction would’ve already thrown their entire fortune into Bitcoin.
Just like I volunteered for the north.
And—
“I entered the National Academy at thirteen for a similar reason. My mentor told me that going at such a young age would only invite envy and wouldn’t gain me anything, and that I should wait three more years… but based on my own judgment, Goryeo’s situation seemed urgent, and I couldn’t afford to delay.”
Just like Eulmunduk, who chose to enter the National Academy early, even at a loss.
‘Does this even make sense?’
I could make that decision because I was from the future, But this guy wasn’t a regressor, and yet he made this hard choice.
“…What if your prediction is wrong?”
“Then I’ll be a boaster, but Goryeo will be fine. That’s a far better outcome than me becoming a hero. Besides, you’d be a boaster too, so I wouldn’t be the only one getting blamed.”
That decisiveness, the conviction that he alone could make Goguryeo strong…
It was in a realm incomprehensible to ordinary people.
If a god existed, they surely would have blessed Eulmunduk with both foresight and decisive action.
“Therefore, I suggest we revise the Western Land factions a bit in this
And perhaps because of all the balance patching, it felt like he intentionally left out things like political or social skills.
That was the impression I had of the person named Eulmunduk.
But that’s okay.
After all, you’re Eulji Mundeok, aren’t you?
“If you’re willing to help, I’d be grateful.”
Hyung can… accept everything.
And so, a year passed.
In the winter of 574, the final stage of the second year.
The Southern Chen finally recaptured about 20 southern forts of Northern Qi, Successfully reclaiming most of the southern banks of the Huai River, which they had lost during the Rebellion of Hou Jing.
But that was as far as they got.
They couldn’t overcome their disadvantage in cavalry, and thus reached what’s known as the ‘culmination point’ of their offensive.
Northern Qi’s emperor, Gao Wei, instead of grieving, was elated.
“Southern Chen has retreated! Didn’t I say so? How could those southern barbarians ever conquer our Northern Qi?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty’s virtuous power reaches the heavens—surely they were struck with fear.”
Those who say things like ‘The glass is still half full’ and call that positivity need to reflect.
This was what true optimism looked like.
Then in the winter of 575, as Ondal and his friends were wrapping up their third year—
“Northern Qi is faltering, and Guk Ryulgwang is no more. Now is the time to recreate the former might of Northern Wei. Overthrow the Gao regime and firmly establish ourselves as the true successors of Wei!”
Yuwen Yong, who had been quietly gathering strength while Southern Chen and Northern Qi clashed, struck with a powerful blow.
“Quick, break the ice of the Yellow River before the Northern Zhou army crosses!”
“Th-they’ve already crossed! Aaargh!”
In an instant, Northern Zhou’s emperor Yuwen Yong succeeded in seizing over 30 of Northern Qi’s forts, And mocked the retreating soldiers of Northern Qi.
“When Guk Ryulgwang was alive, we feared them and broke the Yellow River’s ice.
Now, they fear us and break the ice themselves.”
The last real defensive wall of Northern Qi had been their great general Guk Ryulgwang, who commanded the Northern Zhou front.
But he had been purged by his own emperor, Gao Wei.
While Wei Xiaokuan’s divisive songs played a large role, Yuwen Yong didn’t believe that was the sole reason.
“Gao Wei must’ve feared Guk Ryulgwang. Afraid he’d become another Cao Cao or Sima Yi, rise above him, and proclaim a new dynasty.”
This too was one of the contradictions of the Wei–Jin–Northern and Southern Dynasties era. A nation needed talented people to function, But in this era, the most dangerous people to an emperor were the talented ones.
So Gao Wei chose to keep the incompetent close and kill the competent.
However, Yuwen Yong was different.
“The reason such things happen is because the emperor is not the strongest.”
He chose to become the greatest himself.
If the emperor were so great that no vassal could challenge him, then there would be no threat of losing the throne.
“Wouldn’t you agree, in-law… no, General of Chariots?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
The General of Chariots nodded.
The General of Chariots, Yuwen Yong’s in-law, was originally from a noble family of Wuchuan, one of the Six Garrisons.
There were two types of noble families in Wuchuan.
The families of the Eight Pillar States, who held real power in Western Wei, and the families of the Twelve Great Generals who led under them.
In that sense, the background of this General of Chariots was too grand to be simply called “noble.”
He was from a direct line of the Twelve Great Generals, and his wife was from the Dugu Clan of the Eight Pillar States.
He was a true noble among nobles, with exceptional talent, and close in age to Yuwen Yong—only three years older.
Had it been Gao Wei, he would have seen him as a potential rival and obsessed over cutting his throat immediately.
But unlike Gao Wei, who feared the capable, Yuwen Yong loved those with talent.
Yuwen Yong married his daughter to the general’s son and made them in-laws, And despite opposition from his ministers, he appointed this man, now his in-law, as the General of Chariots.
The General of Chariots repaid the emperor’s trust by crushing the Northern Qi army and capturing thirty fortresses.
Yuwen Yong asked the General of Chariots:
“What about the remaining military provisions?”
“They overflow from the Buddhist relics.”
The Buddhist relics referred to Yuwen Yong’s massive anti-Buddhist campaign.
There was some background to this.
Out of a national population of roughly ten million, one million were monks, and there were ten thousand temples.
To Yuwen Yong, these monks were a social evil who did nothing but beg without producing anything.
He looted the temples for grain to feed his army and conscripted the monks into the military after forcing them to return to lay life.
The monks condemned him, saying he’d fall into Buddhist hell, but Yuwen Yong’s response was as sharp as a blade.
“Worry about what you can’t achieve while alive, not about going to Buddhist hell after you’re dead. It was truly a bold cry.”
“Hahaha! My in-law flatters me. But don’t you like Buddhism?”
“I do, but it’s not what matters most to me. What matters more is this nation.”
As Yuwen Yong demolished Buddhism and filled the void with Confucianism, Han Confucian scholars were moved and came under Northern Zhou’s influence.
Yuwen Yong granted them Xianbei surnames and permitted Xianbei customs, treating them with great respect.
By destroying just one thing—Buddhism—he gained both provisions for his army and a fresh talent pool to command and manage them.
In addition, he implemented the military guard system and accepted the Han people—previously the ruled class—into the army.
If they achieved merit, they were recognized as Xianbei.
An elevation policy that made Han into Xianbei.
The results were remarkable.
Northern Wei’s Sinicization policy, which tried to suppress the Xianbei and turn them into Han, had failed.
But Yuwen Yong’s luxurious elevation policy, which raised the Han to Xianbei, succeeded.
Thanks to this, the talents of Wuchuan absorbed both the nomadic strength of the steppe peoples and the culture of agricultural peoples, becoming skilled in both civil and military affairs.
And thus Northern Zhou gained the foundation to wage war against Northern Qi, whose population was over twice its own.
All of this was accomplished in just five years after Yuwen Yong eliminated the powerful minister Yuwen Hu.
The General of Chariots humbly said:
“Your Majesty pulled the fish out of the water, and all I did was cut off its head—how could that be considered merit?”
“What kind of talk is that? I know well the hardships of the battlefield. Now that my in-law has achieved such great merit, you’ll need a better title.”
“…I am content with being the General of Chariots.”
“Don’t be absurd!”
Yuwen Yong shook his head.
“I am not a weak man like Gao Wei. I don’t commit foolish acts like using a worn blade out of fear of getting cut, instead of a sharp sword.”
Yuwen Yong spoke with pride. And he had every right to be proud.
He had begun as a puppet under the powerful minister Yuwen Hu.
But after thirteen years of patience, he had killed Yuwen Hu and seized real power.
He gained the throne not with anyone’s help, but by his own hand.
To Yuwen Yong, losing power to a minister was no different from being incompetent.
Therefore—
“Your father, Yang Chung, captured ten Northern Qi fortresses and became one of the Twelve Great Generals, and was granted the lands of Sui and the title Duke of the Sui State.
Now you’ve captured over thirty Northern Qi fortresses.
Then I can only give you one thing.”
Yuwen Yong looked at his in-law, his trusted general, and his close friend.
“From this moment on, I appoint General of Chariots, Duke of the Sui State, Yang Jian, as the Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven.”
To this, Yang Jian was moved to his knees and said:
“I, Yang Jian, shall become the straight path to the world of Yuwen!”
“Good. What’s the plan going forward?”
“Kill the soldiers, and push the farmers east. As they’re driven further, they’ll stir chaos and anxiety. We’ll turn their overwhelming numbers against them.”
“And the Göktürks and Goryeo will be troubled too.”
“That’s part of the plan. Once we seize Northern Qi, we’ll share a border with them. So if we weaken them with refugees in advance, we lose nothing.”
If they accept the refugees, internal chaos will follow.
If they don’t, they’ll have an excuse to tighten control or apply pressure.
At this, Yuwen Yong laughed.
“I’ve always enjoyed running alongside my in-law.
I’m glad you’re my dear friend.”
And so, as he watched Yang Jian leave, Yuwen Yong’s vision spun.
“…Have I not slept?”
If a doctor had been present, they would have immediately begged, “Please rest right away.”
But—
“Pull the carriage faster. There is much to do.”
Yuwen Yong could not rest.
Because he had to be the perfect emperor.
* * *
The news that Northern Zhou had invaded Northern Qi reached Goguryeo quite quickly.
“What? Northern Zhou’s invasion?”
“Yes, after capturing over thirty fortresses in a flash, they launched an attack on Luoyang…”
This was quite a surprising event.
Given the state of communications in this era, information didn’t flow easily.
Moreover, Northern Zhou didn’t even share a border with Goguryeo.
Yet Goguryeo obtained this information quite swiftly, and the source was the stream of refugees crowding into Liaoxi.
“Refugees from Northern Qi have flooded into Liaoxi…?”
Liaoxi was Northern Qi’s easternmost edge and the border region adjoining the western part of Goguryeo.
Even the shortest distance from the war zone was thousands of li.
For refugees to reach even here meant that Northern Qi was, quite literally, out of its mind.
In times of war, it was natural for refugees to be accommodated within the country, or at least utilized as military labor, But Northern Qi failed to do even that—their administration had long since collapsed.
Gao Wei had killed all the capable and left only the treacherous, And because of this, no talented individuals moved toward the capital.
In such conditions, it would be stranger for the nation to function properly.
Of course, even in wartime, the proportion of refugees who would abandon their own country to travel all the way to distant Goguryeo wouldn’t be high.
But no matter how small the percentage, if the subject was a great empire like Northern Qi with over twenty million people—comparable to all of modern Europe—that changed everything.
“According to a report from Southern Division Leader Maeng Jong, over ten thousand refugees have entered through Liaoxi!”
“What? Over ten thousand?”
At this, people clutched their heads.
“It may still be early spring, and the ice has yet to melt—so they won’t cross the Amnok and reach Pyeongyang.
But they can certainly move through the west and the north.
Refugees can cause all kinds of issues, from disease to banditry, so we should deal with this swiftly!”
“Furthermore, this is with Northern Qi not yet fallen. If they do collapse, the damage would be unimaginable. What we need is not just response, but preparation.”
“Shall we raise the army and slaughter them all?”
“They’ll be scattered across the land with no fixed settlement, making them difficult to kill.”
At this, Go Yangseong spoke.
“If you brandish a blade, refugees will scatter and hide. But if you bring grain, they will gather of their own accord. Thanks to the spread of the Agricultural Light Law, there was a greater harvest than last year near Pyeongyang. Through this, wouldn’t we be able to absorb some of the refugees into Goryeo?”
People of the Western Land were already well-known for their skill in farming and building embankments.
To Go Yangseong, it felt like a waste to simply slaughter them, and the nobles also found it a plausible idea.
Among the nobles present, Go Yangseong turned his gaze to the one most familiar with the troubled Western and Northern regions.
“Middle Head of Nobility Council Go San, what do you think?”
“It seems entirely feasible. If you entrust it to me, I will make sure it’s done.”
Even Yeon Jayu couldn’t object to this.
Wasn’t the reason Yeon Jayu had ousted Wang Godeok and seized power because Wang Jun had messed everything up by going where Yeon Jayu should’ve gone?
By that same logic, if he blocked Go San from heading north, he’d be a hypocrite and might as well be asking for a knife fight.
Besides, wasn’t the whole point of summoning the Domestic Fortress Faction in the first place not for political games,
But to flexibly manage the northern crisis?
Not sending Go San now would be missing the forest for the trees.
“Since the refugees are entering through Liaoxi, the closest base would be Geonan Fortress.
Moreover, Geonan Fortress is well-suited for transporting Pyeongyang’s rice via the sea route.
I hereby appoint Middle Head of Nobility Council Go San as Governor of Geonan and grant him full authority over the northwestern issue. Tell me what else you need.”
After some thought, Go San spoke.
“…For this, I will need Ondal, the one who wrote the Agricultural Light Law.
He recently graduated from the National Academy with excellent grades, so I ask permission to take him with me.”
“Permission granted.”
In truth, even if Go San hadn’t asked, Go Yangseong would’ve found a way to get Ondal assigned there.
What unsettled Go San, however, was that the situation had changed.
He had already planned to bring Ondal for agricultural reasons, but now, Ondal’s prediction of Northern Zhou’s invasion of Northern Qi had actually come true.
If, by chance, his prediction of Northern Zhou invading Goguryeo also came true,
Ondal’s value would skyrocket overnight.
And taking such a person not to the Northern Domestic Fortress area, Go San’s domain, but to faraway Geonan in the west,
Might be like raising a tiger with his own hands.
Still, if he was a tiger anyway, it would be safer to keep him close than to leave him in the forest…
More than anything, the northern crisis needed resolving now.
If he failed, his title as Northern Division Leader would become meaningless.
So in a way, this moment could be seen as the first success of Go Yangseong’s plan to harmonize the Domestic Fortress and Pyeongyang Factions.
That day, Monk Hyeja formally issued the royal edict.
[Middle Head of Nobility Council Go San is hereby appointed as Governor of Geonan, granted full authority over the northwestern crisis. Proceed swiftly and resolve the unrest.]
[Also, the attendant Ondal is appointed Junior Elder and assigned as subordinate to the Governor of Geonan.]
The Eight Pillar States were Yuan He (Tuoba He), Yuwen Tai, Li Hu, Li Bi, Dugu Xin, Zhao Gui, Yu Jin, and Houmochen Sungsu (Houmochen is the surname).
At the time, Yuwen Tai was effectively the de facto ruler of Western Wei, and Yuan He, who was of the imperial family, was just there for appearances.
Therefore, excluding the figurehead Yuan He and supreme commander Yuwen Tai,
Each of the remaining six Pillar States commanded two of the Twelve Great Generals.
Among these Eight Pillar States, Yuan He died during the Western Wei–Northern Zhou transition,
And the Zhao and Houmochen clans were eliminated in internal Northern Zhou power struggles.
So at the time of the story, only five families remained: the Yuwen imperial family, Dugu Xin, Yu Jin, Li Hu, and Li Bi’s descendants.
The reason Northern Qi and Europe had similar populations in the 6th century was partly because Northern Qi had a large population…
But also because Europe’s population was unusually low during that period.
In 536, about 40 years before the story, a volcano erupted in Iceland.
The aftereffects were so strong that they reached as far as China, Silla, and Goguryeo, causing droughts.
It was such a massive eruption that the global temperature dropped by about two degrees.
On top of that, the Eastern Roman campaigns in Europe and the Justinian Plague—a variant of the Black Death—struck at the same time.
Some scholars even call this era “the most difficult time for human survival” in European history.
Here are the current fortresses of Goguryeo.
To the west lies what is commonly known as the Liaodong Defense Line.
Ansi Fortress is the most famous, but in fact, the largest and most important fortress was Liaodong Fortress.
Ansi and Geonan were treated as secondary.
Each fortress had a Yoksal (governor-level official), And judging by records like the epitaph of Go Heumdeok, who served as Governor of Geonan for generations, It seems the post of Yoksal was often hereditary, much like other Goguryeo offices.
However, as seen when the Yoksal of Chaek Fortress in the East changed from the Go Clan to the Lee Clan, It could also be appointed flexibly depending on circumstances.