The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 591 I don’t have that much time to waste with a fool

"The world is in chaos. Although I am a branch of the royal family, I am still just a branch, not the line of the Sui emperor, so..."

Yang Xuyan swept his gaze around and said solemnly, "I want Hebei. I will eliminate the traitor Dou Jiande and make all the land I take my own. Furthermore, Liaodong and Jiaodong face each other across the sea, making them crucial locations for blockading Goguryeo. Jiaodong has an 800-li radius, and I want it!"

Many representatives of wealthy families in the north were in an uproar when they heard this. Not to mention the 800-li hilly seaport in Jiaodong, Dou Jiande's territory in Hebei was no small matter. Originally, Dou Jiande was just a small thief. Not long ago, the Hebei gentry responded to Li Mi and secretly supported Dou Jiande, and he accidentally became powerful. Now, Dou Jiande's territory includes many wealthy families in the north.

Although a small Dou Jiande is a threat, he may not be able to defeat them. However, the Duke of Liaodong is different. The opponent's strength and power can be seen in Liaodong and Zhuojun. He is really difficult to deal with.

And they all noticed that the control in Liaodong was extremely strict, especially for civilians, who would not be spared. The hidden land controlled by the aristocratic families was their foundation, and the hidden land among them was much more than what they openly owned. If they were really thoroughly investigated, the losses would be extremely huge.

But the Duke of Liaodong said very clearly that his territory would be conquered by himself, not from them, but from the traitor Dou Jiande. What could they say?

Could it be that Dou Jiande was supported by them?

If they really dare to say so, the Duke of Liaodong would not mind executing them on the spot as traitors.

Some things cannot be spoken of, and Yang Xuyan did not play tricks with them. He said very clearly that Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was deserted by his relatives and friends and abandoned by the powerful families in Longyou, so he had to move south to avoid disaster. However, the Sui Dynasty was in turmoil and the world was about to fall into chaos.

As Yang Guang's control over the Sui Dynasty became less and less, there were more and more ambitious people, and war was inevitable. Whenever the Central Plains was in chaos and the Han people's strength was greatly damaged, it was the time for foreign races to invade and harass the Central Plains.

Qin Shi Huang conquered the six kingdoms and unified the world. When he was alive, the Qin Dynasty was extremely powerful. But after his death, the remnants of the six kingdoms rebelled. The Han Dynasty was rebuilt on the basis of the Qin Dynasty, but was defeated by the Huns and forced to pay tribute.

The late Han Dynasty was so powerful that the suppressed foreign tribes were left in a state of disarray. The aristocratic families and the imperial family clashed for power. Both sides, with ill intentions, tacitly pushed Zhang Jue, a fool, to plead for the people and attack the other side. As a result, the fishermen profited from the quarrel, and the Han imperial family was devastated. The Han national strength declined to the extreme. Although the Sima family eventually won the world, they were invaded by the Five Barbarians and the people suffered misery.

Yang Xuyan said it very clearly, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was a man of far-sightedness and outstanding ability. As long as he was around, foreign races dared not invade. His reputation was earned through fighting, but once Yang Guang passed away and the Sui Dynasty was gone, the deterrence of the Han people in the Central Plains would disappear in an instant.

"Forget about the famous Sui generals Zhang Xutuo, Mai Tiezhang, and Lai Huer. If they were still here, would you dare to rebel openly?" Yitang Xuyan sneered. "You destroy the pillars of the Central Plains for your own selfish reasons, causing foreign enemies to lose their fear and invade the Central Plains, causing great suffering to the Han people. Even if you eventually gain power, you will inevitably become a vassal and become a puppet emperor."

Yang Xuyan, a puppet emperor, shamed many people to death, especially the envoys of the Eagle and Yang heroes, who were blushing and dared not say a word. The others looked at each other in confusion. Those sitting here were not fools, but were blinded by the huge benefits.

In their view, what they got was theirs. Even if they had to kowtow to the outside world and become emperors, so what? They were still emperors, rulers of the Central Plains. Even Emperor Gaozu of Han was humiliated by the Xiongnu, and ultimately Emperor Wu of Han exacted revenge for the three generations of humiliation. No one ever overly belittled them, let alone these people.

Some things are impossible to negotiate a conclusion. Yang Xuyan just announced what he was going to do next, and even said very clearly that he welcomed them to stop him, allowing this group of people to witness the mighty and domineering power of the Duke of Liaodong.

Among the aristocratic families, the least ambitious is the Dugu family. Their family has a serious imbalance between women and men, and they bet on Yang Xuyan early on. Dugu Feng even secretly became Yang Xuyan's apprentice. If possible, they would rather let Dugu Feng marry into the Liaodong County Duke's Mansion rather than just be a disciple.

However, Dugu Feng had the strength of a master at the age of twenty, which made the Dugu family reluctant to marry her off and they were quite hesitant for a while. However, because of her own strong strength and the support of You Chuhong, Dugu Feng had more autonomy in her marriage. Otherwise, why did she still have no marriage contract and was free?

After seeing off this group of representatives from aristocratic families with different thoughts, the Liaodong County Mansion welcomed two special guests: the Taoist Ning Daoqi, and the holy lady Shi Feixuan from Cihang Jingzhai.

Shi Feixuan transformed into Qin Chuan and met Yang Xuyan. After greeting him, she directly asked what she was concerned about: "What does the Duke of the County think is a wise ruler?"

Yang Xuyan looked at her deeply and couldn't help but shook his head slightly. "I'm an expert on self-cultivation, family harmony, state governance, and world peace. Master, as a monk, do you really want to discuss the emperor with me, an official appointed by the court?"

Shi Feixuan was not surprised that her identity was exposed. If the Duke of Liaodong couldn't even do this, she would really doubt his identity.

In response to Yang Xuyan's question, Shi Feixuan said very confidently that since she was young and sensible, she had learned a lot of knowledge under the careful guidance of her master, and her understanding of national affairs and people's livelihood was three times better than that of ordinary sons of wealthy families. Even if she was not as good as Yang Xuyan, it was absolutely impossible for them to not get along with each other.

Yang Xuyan looked at the confident Shi Feixuan with a playful smile on his face. He was more than happy to give this fledgling a bloody thrashing. "Many things about the ancient Ming Emperor and the incompetent emperor are no longer verifiable. It's impossible for so-called historians and scholars to record everything completely without bias. Even the unparalleled Shang Emperor Zhou, who abolished slave blood sacrifices and expanded the territory, was vilified. Boyi and Shuqi, who refused to eat Zhou rice, were both noble and steadfast. They would rather die than have anything to do with unjust or unkind people, which shows their personal charm."

"But how does history describe him?" Yang Xuyan looked at the stunned Shi Feixuan. Seeing that she was about to refute him, he couldn't help but shake his head and smiled. "If you believe in history instead of carefully studying and analyzing allusions, and don't read carefully, then you have no right to discuss ancient history with me. Why don't we talk about the life of the current Sui Emperor Yang Guang? This is something we can study and research today. At the very least, we can go to Jiangdu and ask the people involved."

Shi Feixuan: ..., the Duke of Liaodong is so overbearing. Doesn't he know that being in a superior position is a matter of humiliation? He even confronts the person involved and asks them directly whether the truth is true or not. Do you think that the Sui Emperor, who is gradually losing popularity, is truly a pushover?

However, when he thought of the hermits in Liaodong City today, he stopped talking and asked Yang Xuyan to explain in detail.

"From his birth, upbringing, succession, accession to the throne, consolidation of power, civil governance, military achievements, all the way to the current situation of being besieged on all sides, this detailed analysis of his abilities, actions, and reasons reveals how this incompetent ruler gradually reached his current predicament. It also explores what ails the current Sui Dynasty, causing such unrest and war."

Yang Xuyan's words startled Shi Feixuan. "Isn't the chaos in the world caused by a tyrannical ruler who is arrogant, extravagant, and obsessed with ostentation?"

Yang Xuyan was speechless for a moment, then angrily said, "Girl, if you are so short-sighted and ignorant, just following the crowd without thinking, then get out of here. I don't have that much time to waste with a fool."

Seeing Yang Xuyan's astonishing aura, Shi Feixuan couldn't help but shudder and woke up immediately. This statement was very popular, and even Shi Feixuan herself believed it. But deep in her heart, she also admired the ability of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty.

"I apologized for my words," Shi Feixuan said hastily. Yang Xuyan sneered, "If your brain is as thin as the soup in the refugee camp, with only three or five grains in it, then there's no point in talking to you, because you might not understand what I'm saying."

Shi Feixuan was speechless for a while. I just said something subconsciously and unintentionally, but I was despised by the other party to such an extent. I couldn't help but straighten my back, take a deep breath, and prepare to perform well next time to persuade the Duke of Liaodong to stand on my side.

On the contemporary kings, let’s begin!