The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 551 Yang Guang's Strategy on the Duke of Liaodong

The eleventh year of Daye was a very busy year for Yang Xuyan. He first withdrew from Chengdu to overseas as Xiaoyaozi, then dealt with Ryukyu affairs, and after the weather warmed up, he personally led a large army into the grassland to hunt.

After the Sui Emperor was besieged at Yanmen, Yang Xuyan was kept busy daily, mobilizing troops from all directions. Wang Shichong and Zhang Xutuo were relatively easy targets, as the Yang brothers were his own people. However, the Tiele, Mohe, Weishi, and Khitan were more difficult to deal with. While these factions weren't as cunning and treacherous as the people of the Central Plains, they were also known for their determination to seize the opportunity. To lure them into his trap, Yang Xuyan's Liaodong cavalry endured considerable hardship.

He coordinated with Yang Guang through the Demon Sect and mobilized the Luoyang Army and Jiangdu Army in the name of the court. While working together, he took personal risks and made precise calculations. In the end, he won a beautiful victory, then delayed the retreat of the Turkic army and strangled the enemy's vitality.

Because everything went too smoothly, he became somewhat careless, so when he wanted to complete the final battle, he was ambushed by the awakened national teacher Zhao Deyan, and ultimately failed. However, he also killed many young and strong Turks, seriously injured the Turkic martial arts master Bi Xuan, and frightened Shibi Khan.

The Sui Emperor Yang Guang's entry into the grassland also prevented Shibi Khan from retaliating against the Tiele, Mohe, Weishi and Khitan who took advantage of the situation. When these parties paid tribute, Yang Guang shamelessly affirmed the achievements and efforts of the Tiele, Mohe, Weishi, Khitan and others, redivided the territory on the grassland, and severely suppressed the power of the Turkic Shibi Khan.

Afterwards, Yang Guang returned to the capital, but instead of going to the capital Chang'an, he went to the eastern capital Luoyang. When he was conferring titles on his ministers, Yang Xuyan, as one of the few meritorious officials, had to accompany him. While he gained many benefits, he also got into a lot of trouble.

Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty rewarded him with a mansion in Luoyang City. After he moved in, there was an endless stream of visitors from all parties. Not only civil and military officials, but also local wealthy families and even many wealthy businessmen. Not to mention Liaodong, there were countless stakeholders in the newly acquired Zhuo County.

The previous Marquis of Liaodong might have been just a pawn of the Sui Emperor to resist Goguryeo and had little to do with the Central Plains. But the current Duke of Liaodong is different. His tentacles have reached Zhuo County, and further to Hebei. This person has extraordinary strength and strong soldiers and horses under his command, and he cannot be ignored.

The Li, Yuwen, Cui, and Wang families all felt somewhat regretful. In the past, they had a good relationship with the Marquis of Liaodong, but it gradually faded after the Sui Emperor schemed against them in Liaodong. Only the Dugu clan had consistently supported them and had made good progress, forcing their daughter Dugu Feng to enter Liaodong Prefecture.

The former Marquis of Liaodong's residence has become the current Duke of Liaodong's residence, and many of the servants and maids in the Duke of Liaodong's villa in Luoyang also come from the Dugu clan. The Dugu clan leader, Dugu Feng, personally visited the family, and the Duke of Liaodong returned the favor afterward, treating the old lady, You Chuhong, for her injuries. This delighted the Dugu clan, and they never mentioned Dugu Feng again.

Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty intended to keep Yang Xuyan in Luoyang for two months, which made it impossible for "Dugu Qiubai" to challenge on the river. He had to let Yang Xuangan fight on his behalf. Yang Xuangan not only did not refuse, but was very excited. This was probably because he really liked the character of Dugu Qiubai. The feeling of being invincible but only wanting to be defeated made him feel elated and he almost broke through to become a grandmaster.

It's a pity that fake is fake, and he is not a sword master who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Although he has learned the Dugu Nine Swords, it is not enough for him to break through. His foundation is still the martial arts of generals. He challenged for nine days on the river, and with the protection of the Liaodong navy, he killed some blind scoundrels from Goguryeo, and it ended hastily.

However, this experience, and the feeling of integrating himself into Dugu Qiubai, still brought him a huge improvement. He was even a little obsessed with it. He wrote a letter to Yang Xuyan, telling him that if possible, he wanted to be Dugu Qiubai's substitute in the future, which made Yang Xuyan very upset.

How could such a good thing be reserved for you alone? If it weren't for the fact that your brothers were less powerful and hadn't yet made it far enough down the Grandmaster path, they would be the best choice. After all, both Yang Yi and Yang Ke specialized in swordsmanship, and the Exorcism Sword Technique was still a swordsmanship, and a rather advanced one at that. Upon reaching the Grandmaster realm, the Exorcism Sword Technique was no longer sufficient for their growth. They needed to integrate the martial arts of the Bu Tian Dao, drawing on the strengths of various schools and forging their own path to achieve the Grandmaster realm.

Yang Xuyan had a library in the Liaodong Marquis Mansion, which contained hundreds of martial arts books and quite a few secret manuals of magical skills. These martial arts had no restrictions on the Yang brothers, and Yang Xuangan could read and practice them at will.

Only two months after the victory of the Battle of Yanmen, Yang Xuyan had to rush back to Liaodong. It was not Goguryeo's fault. With Yang Xuangan there, Liaodong was not a big problem. What's more, Yang Yi, Yang Ke, Yang Gai, Yang Ying and others were there. Even if the master of Yijian Fu Cailin ignored his oath and came out despite his injuries, he could not take Liaodong.

The problem is in Zhuo County!

The details of Yang Guang's victory at Yanmen were inevitably exposed by the northern aristocratic families. This wasn't truly Yang Guang's conspiracy, but rather the foresight of the Liaodong Marquis, Zhang Xutuo, Wang Shichong, and others. They had foreseen the potential crisis from the Turkic invasion of Shanxi in June, and had prepared for it before Yang Guang's northern tour, keeping a close eye on the situation. They ultimately resolved the crisis and took advantage of the situation to severely suppress the Turkic rise.

The Sui Dynasty still had loyal ministers, but the emperor's authority was gone. His repeated rejections only emboldened the northern aristocratic families. When Emperor Yang Guang wanted to keep Yang Xuyan by his side, how could they agree? They would carefully consider and oppose anything the emperor desired. Consequently, a rebellion broke out in Zhuo County, and Yang Xuyan, Duke of Liaodong, was forced to leave the Eastern Capital.

Yang Guang admired Yang Xuyan's talent very much, but the lesson of Yang Xuangan forced him to be cautious. Keeping Yang Xuyan by his side was the best option. If not, he would need to put him in shackles.

"Master, what do you think?" Yang Guang summoned Master Bi Chen. The master of the Demon Sect almost pulled out his beard and thought to himself, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, don't you think it's a bit strange that a master of the Holy Sect like me is asking for the method to control the power of the Holy Sect?

Wait, it seems that Your Majesty still doesn’t know that Yang Xuyan is the leader of my Holy Sect’s Bu Tian Dao. I see.

"I believe that Liaodong is bitterly cold, and Zhuojun is in ruins. If we can control the trade routes to and from the Central Plains and seize the vital food supply, the Duke of Liaodong will not dare to act rashly." The old Taoist Bi Chen flicked his whisk and said, "I have a chamber of commerce in Luoyang that can help Your Majesty."

Yang Guang thought carefully and nodded, saying, "Good, I will open the door for you. The Taoist priest's subordinates should be the number one chamber of commerce in Luoyang, and there will be no obstacles for the flow of goods from north to south."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Does the Daoist Chamber of Commerce have a name?"

"Not yet. Originally, it was only for the convenience of daily life and was small in scale. Now that we are shouldering the heavy responsibility of Your Majesty, we should expand it."

"Well, in that case, let's call it the Luoyang Chamber of Commerce. The number one chamber of commerce in Luoyang should be named after Luoyang."

"Thank you for the name, Your Majesty. I will do my best to live up to your trust."

Taoist Bichen left, and Wang Shichong arrived to answer his call. Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty once again asked for advice. Wang Shichong pondered for a moment before speaking seriously, "The Duke of Liaodong is a young man of many talents, both civil and military. He commands a strong army and is assisted by several powerful masters. It will not be difficult for him to suppress the region. If we want to stop his ambition, we should start by addressing his character."

"Oh, my dear, please tell me in detail." Yang Guang became interested when he heard this unique opinion.

"Liquor, sex, money, and power. The Duke of Liaodong holds immense power. If we don't want him to continue to expand, we should start with liquor, sex, money, and goods. Liaodong is cold and desolate. We can order people to build a mansion for the Duke of Liaodong and give him many luxury goods. Then, with the temptation of beauty, his ambitions will fade over time. At the very least, we can make him addicted and unable to extricate himself, thus leading to his own downfall."

Yang Guang's mouth twitched slightly when he heard this. Looking at Wang Shichong's serious expression, he no longer suspected that this minister was alluding to him. "Does your beloved Wang have any specific plans?"

"I have a niece who is quite charming and has met the Duke of Liaodong a few times. Perhaps we can give it a try. After all, the Duke of Liaodong is not an ordinary man. Ordinary women might not be attracted to him..."

Yang Guang: "My dear Lord Wang, you are truly a loyal and virtuous person. I will never forget your sacrifice. Is your niece truly a beauty? Could she possibly attract the heart of the Duke of Liaodong?"

Wang Shichong: Your Majesty, you are too old to think about harming my Nini. She is a beauty and likes handsome guys rather than handsome uncles.

"If we were not both surnamed Yang, Your Majesty marrying the princess would be more likely to win the heart of the Duke of Liaodong."

Yang Guang: Actually, if you think about it carefully, it is not impossible to consider it. After all, he is just a side branch, and his second daughter is not a legitimate daughter and has no title.

Yang Xuyan: Uncle, I am your nephew. My cousins ​​are too closely related to me, so we really can’t be a couple.