Chapter 150: One Emperor Falls, Many Emperors Reborn
The thin clouds are like gauze, making the stars dim in the winter night, but adding a hazy tenderness.
Dugu Feng snuggled in Zhou Yi's arms, no longer worrying about what she wanted to say before.
Being too talented is suddenly not a good thing.
Seeing that she was motionless and looked quite worried, Zhou Yi wondered to himself if he had said something a bit too much.
Putting himself in her shoes and thinking about her experience in Jiangdu, he couldn't help but reach out and stroke her hanging black hair to her back, his movements gentle and caring.
"Xiao Feng, don't worry, it's still early."
Dugu Feng was a little distressed: "You are advancing too fast. It hasn't been long since Shanmu was no match for you. I have tried so hard, but I still can't catch up with you."
"There is a way."
"What method?"
Zhou Yi looked up at the night sky: "If I really shatter the void, it will be like this."
"What?"
The girl barely responded when he hugged her tightly.
"Let's not let go and escape into another world together. How about that? Isn't it a kind of breathtaking romance?"
Zhou Yi looked down at her and found that the little phoenix did not follow his idea.
Obviously, he doesn't believe this method can succeed.
He just nodded and then remained silent, immersed in the warmth of the moment.
After a while, when Zhou Yi's chest rose and fell and he coughed, she woke up in shock and broke away from his arms.
I just had a fierce fight with Shanmu, and the injuries I suffered were real.
However, this method of transforming the real and the virtual to condense the spirit and integrate it into the vital energy is really attractive.
Nearing midnight, the winter evening breeze became even cooler.
That night, almost no one slept inside or outside Linjiang Palace.
Zhang Xutuo sent people to deal with the aftermath of the military affairs, and also to guard against Yu Wenhuaji's trick to return. At one o'clock in the morning, he listened to the report from the scouts and learned that the Xiaoguo Army was heading north overnight. Only then did he feel at ease to return to Chengxiang Palace.
The fighting in the city subsided, and the officials who had previously left Linjiang Palace naturally knew about it.
They were well aware of the chaos going on in Jiangdu, but the Sui Dynasty had fallen into this situation and had no ability to change the world, so they could only go with the flow.
After confirming that the city was safe, they began to contact and inquire.
Upon learning that Zhang Xutuo had defeated the Yuwen clan and fled north, most of the court officials from the Six Ministries, the Censorate, the Nine Temples and the Five Institutions were very excited.
On ordinary days, more people rely on the Yuwen clan, but at critical moments, they know who they can rely on.
However.
As the chaos subsided, another piece of news surfaced, causing huge waves in Jiangdu.
The emperor died!
When the court officials learned of this great change, everyone felt uneasy, not knowing who the new ruler would be.
Lights were lit in every house, and all the court officials who were afraid to sleep at night rushed out of their homes, calling their friends.
Finally, the imperial road outside Linjiang Palace was lit up by lanterns.
All the ministers in the court gathered outside the imperial city and were stopped at the city gate by the weapons of the imperial guards.
Dugu Xiong, who temporarily held the post of General of the Left Guard, followed orders and blocked all the officials.
Many court officials recognized him and knew that he was from the Dugu clan.
Several people who had close ties with the Dugu clan came forward to establish relationships and wanted to enter the palace to pay homage to His Majesty, but they were not allowed.
However, he heard some of the things that happened in Chengxiang Hall from Dugu Xiong.
There were many astute people among the court officials who vaguely judged the future situation of Jiangdu, guessed who would be in charge, and even thought about the changes in the Sui Dynasty.
However, no matter how calculating one is, one will still feel confused about the world at this moment.
Yang Guang was ambitious and self-willed, but he was orthodox.
Now that he has died at the hands of the shadow assassin, the chaos in the nine provinces and four seas will never stop.
Thinking of this, some old ministers burst into tears outside the Linjiang Palace, extremely sad.
They shouted "Your Majesty", seemingly missing Yang Guang and unable to get over his death, but in fact they saw the fate of the Sui Dynasty and felt bitter, confused and sad for the dynasty that might perish in the second generation.
All kinds of emotions were fully expressed in those cries.
Zhou Yi, who was meditating in the imperial city, felt his ears hurt by the noise, so he hid on the roof of the imperial kitchen to recuperate.
When the chaos broke out, the royal chefs fled for their lives.
The imperial kitchen, which was once bustling, was now deserted in the second half of the night.
How can you bear to go hungry three times a day?
Dugu Feng found some food, lit a fire and heated it up. Zhou Yi finally had a full meal today.
The second day after Emperor Yang Guang of Sui passed away.
The morning mist dissipated and the sun rose as usual.
"Are you feeling better?"
"I'm fine now."
Sensing that his breathing had completely stabilized, Dugu Feng felt relieved.
In the morning, the fleeing imperial chef emerged from somewhere.
Upon learning that they were from the Dugu family, several imperial chefs prepared for them some of Yang Guang's favorite Jiangnan dishes, so Zhou Yi finally had a taste of the palace breakfast.
I also heard from them that all the people left in the imperial kitchen are locals.
The imperial chefs from the north who had accompanied the emperor south have already fled for their lives and are heading north to return home.
These people had no choice but to go to Yangzhou. Now that Yang Guang was dead, they were free. They were overjoyed and carried away several large pots that were handy in the imperial kitchen.
Zhou Yi chatted with the imperial chefs for a while and then wandered around the water palace.
After the Chengxiang Palace became less noisy, he went there with Dugu Feng.
All the court officials gathered in the square outside the hall.
The bodies left over from yesterday's battle have been cleared away, but one person was beheaded in public.
He was the Internal History Secretary Feng Deyi, who was in cahoots with the Yuwen clan. Compared with Pei Yun and Yu Shiji who died at the hands of Yuwen Chengdu, his reputation was much worse this time.
Previously, he stood up for the Yuwen clan in Chengxiang Hall and criticized Yang Guang, and was later reprimanded.
Now he was beheaded as a token of consolation, and many court officials cursed him harshly.
He was once relied upon by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yu Shiji, and they colluded with each other, causing the government to become increasingly corrupt. He deserved this end.
Just as the court officials were cursing, they saw a young man dressed as a scholar walking past Feng Deyi's body towards Chengxiang Hall.
Everyone was puzzled and couldn't recognize it even after looking carefully.
The officials from the six ministries looked at each other, and then looked at the people from the nine temples and five prisons.
After that, it was even more confusing.
However, when the generals of the twelve guards of the palace saw the person coming, they immediately straightened their backs, and the commander of the camp saluted with his fists, with a very respectful attitude.
The people from the Left and Right Wing Guard Camps directly under the Sui Emperor had an attitude that was even worse than that of the people from the Beishen Mansion and the Left and Right Wuwei outside.
The court officials were very suspicious, but they had never seen such a face before.
When he arrived at the gate of Chengxiang Palace, it was Dugu Sheng who came out to greet him.
Now, everyone seemed to understand.
Pei Qiantong, Sima Dekan, and Yuwen Zhiji, the three protectors of the emperor, rebelled and were all killed.
Yu Wenzhi fled north with Qin Wang's son Yang Hao, and only Dugu Sheng was left among the five guards. The palace guards basically obeyed his orders alone.
In this light, the attitude of the Twelve Guards is not surprising.
But Dugu Sheng looked very strange, and seemed to be at a disadvantage compared to this young man.
Is there anyone in Jiangdu City who deserves his attitude?
Most of the court officials who did not flee with the Yuwen clan planned to stay in Jiangdu and establish a southern court.
How can we not take seriously the sudden appearance of such a person?
When Eunuch Li arrived from the direction of the Water Palace, Fan Yibai, the Minister of the Imperial Household who was in charge of the treasury, stepped forward to inquire.
He is on good terms with the Dugu clan, so he is the most appropriate person to ask.
Eunuch Li had been staying near Chengxiang Palace, saving his life by pretending to be dead.
At this time, I briefly talked about what happened around Yang Guang, so that they could finally understand the general situation.
He turned out to be the hidden master of the Dugu family and a loyal minister of the Sui Dynasty!
From Eunuch Li's obscure words, everyone heard an important piece of news.
Without this person, both Linjiang Palace and Jiangdu City would have changed hands, and the Sui Dynasty would have no place to stand.
He was not only the key figure in saving the collapsing empire, but also the one who saved the last bit of dignity for His Majesty.
There was still sadness on everyone's face, but they knew one thing in their hearts: the Dugu family's status in Jiangdu City had to be raised.
There was a murmur of discussion outside, and there was also a lot of discussion inside the Chengxiang Hall.
They are discussing how to hold the funeral.
Zhou Yi knew how to play dirty, but the royal etiquette was complicated, so he was too lazy to care.
"Your Highness the Queen~!"
Outside Chengxiang Hall, court officials saluted.
Although Empress Xiao looked haggard, she was still able to maintain some of her former majesty when facing her ministers.
After signaling them to stand still, he walked into Chengxiang Hall with an imperial edict.
Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng looked closely and saw only a yellow scroll on the jade tray held by the palace maid.
Dugu Sheng asked, "Your Majesty, didn't you say there were two imperial edicts?"
Empress Xiao shook her head. "Your Majesty did say something, but I only found this one letter in Liuzhu Hall."
"Generals, please open it and take a look."
Eunuch Li took the imperial edict and handed it over with both hands.
Zhang Xutuo glanced at Dugu Sheng, and the old man did not refuse. As Yang Guang's bodyguard, he knew Yang Guang's handwriting and seal very well, and it would be impossible for others to forge them.
The Sui Dynasty had eight seals, including the emperor's seal of trust and seal of travel, each with different uses.
Among them, the divine seal and the imperial seal are the least used.
And the imperial seal was printed on this edict.
Dugu Sheng looked serious, and saw the words written above:
"I have inherited the spirits of the Seven Temples and received the talisman of the Five Movements. Now I rest my body in the mausoleum. Heaven has no relatives, only virtue is my support. Prince Gao of Zhao is endowed with benevolence and filial piety. I will let Gao succeed me to the throne and carry on the ancestral worship."
Dugu Sheng wanted to read on, but it was gone.
The handwriting was correct, and there was a smell of alcohol on the edict, as if it had been wetted with alcohol and then dried.
There is no mistake about it, it was written by Yang Guang.
Your Majesty, why are you so frugal with words and ink?
What should I do?
Dugu Sheng handed the imperial edict to Zhang Xutuo. General Zhang just glanced at it and immediately returned it to Empress Xiao.
No one could make up their minds.
Prince Zhao Yang Gao was the most favored by Yang Guang, so he was brought to Jiangdu, and it was no surprise that the throne was passed to him.
But he was killed by the traitor Pei Qiantong.
In this case, wouldn’t the imperial edict be invalid?
"Your Majesty, please find the other imperial edict."
Empress Xiao shook her head. "I have had people search the Liuzhu Hall thoroughly, but have found nothing. Your Majesty was drunk that day and his words were unclear, so perhaps he left no further instructions."
After Empress Xiao said this, Dugu Sheng and Zhang Xutuo were helpless.
If they were traitors, it would be very easy, but now they are tied up.
Seeing their hesitation, Zhou Yi didn't want to delay any further, so he said directly, "Prince Zhao has accompanied Your Majesty. Now in Jiangdu, only Prince Yan Dan meets the imperial edict. To stabilize people's hearts, why not make Prince Yan emperor before Your Majesty finds the second edict?"
Zhang Xutuo and Dugu Sheng nodded secretly.
Empress Xiao would have no objection.
The Prince of Yan was young, but he was the son of Prince Yuande Yang Zhao, and Yang Dan was her grandson.
If there is no King of Zhao, it should be the turn of King of Yan.
However, among these three people, one is thinking about her husband, and the other two are loyal, so it is not easy for them to change the emperor's order privately.
Now that Zhou Yi mentioned it, the three of them stepped down and agreed.
Empress Xiao gave the order and then summoned all officials into the palace, where Eunuch Li read out the will.
The Prince of Yan was made emperor, Zhang Xutuo was in charge of the army, and Dugu Sheng was the chief of the imperial guards.
The young emperor was young, so he obviously regarded Dugu Sheng and Zhang Xutuo as ministers to be entrusted with the care of his son.
Inside the Chengxiang Hall, Yang Guang lay quietly in the coffin. Zhou Yi glanced at him and no longer paid attention to the subsequent trivial matters in the Chengxiang Hall.
After much discussion, it was decided to bury Yang Guang so that he could rest in peace soon.
The next day.
The entire city of Jiangdu was filled with mourning clothes as they prepared ceremonial guards for Yang Guang, and buried him at the foot of Wugong Terrace.
When the people in the city heard the news, they were not sad at all. Instead, many of them smiled with a sense of revenge.
Apart from the officials and soldiers, no one came to see him off.
This is a real and simple scene. He made the people suffer so much that they naturally hated him to the core.
Some people even thought that Jiangdu was originally called Guangling.
Ling means "the emperor's tomb", and adding the word "Guang" means that Yang Guang liked this place but did not like the name of the place.
So the word "Yangzhou" was no longer used and was changed to Jiangdu.
But he didn't expect that God was always watching over him, and it was useless for him to change his name, as he still became "Guangling".
Before and after Wu Gongtai's funeral, General You Hongda was grieving the whole time and stayed with Yang Guang the whole time.
They covered his coffin and carried him into the mausoleum. For some time afterwards, they often stood guard in front of the mausoleum, and people praised them for their loyalty.
With the funeral of Wu Gongtai over, in just seven or eight days, the Chengxiang Hall was repaired and completed by a group of craftsmen who knew martial arts. All officials paid homage to the young emperor Yang Tan and regarded him as the orthodox.
but
The so-called orthodoxy is nothing more than the opinion of the Jiangdu court.
The news of Yang Guang's death spread like a tide throughout the country, with Jiangdu as its center.
The people of Jiangdu are still somewhat oppressed, but people outside can't care so much.
Especially those people who lost their loved ones because of his three expeditions to Goguryeo and the digging of the canal all felt relieved and shouted "It's a good death."
For the rebel forces in various places, this was even more of a carnival.
The forces that were originally somewhat cautious no longer need to hide their intentions.
After its establishment, the Jiangdu court, headed by Prince of Yan Yang Dan, made its first attempt by distributing imperial edicts to nearby rebel kings, urging them to submit.
However, they did not receive any good news.
Li Zitong of Hailing only accepted the official position given by the court, but did not go to Jiangdu.
Shen Faxing occupied Piling and Wujun and threw the Sui Palace edict into the garbage dump.
What's so good about being a county governor?
Shen Faxing took advantage of Yang Guang's mourning period and fought all the way from Wujun to Yuhang, and proclaimed himself King of Liang.
Xiao Xin, who was also the Prince of Liang, took it one step further. He followed the old system of the Liang Dynasty, set up hundreds of officials, posthumously named his cousin Xiao Cong as Emperor Xiaojing, and with an army of 100,000, he proclaimed himself emperor in Baling and established the reign name Mingfeng.
Moreover, with a wave of his hand, he conferred titles on seven kings.
His general Zheng Wenxiu was named King of Chu.
After hearing the news, good neighbor Lin Shihong felt offended.
Are you also the King of Chu?
He then tore the imperial edict into pieces, proclaimed himself emperor in Yuzhang County, and named his country Chu.
On the day he was proclaimed emperor, Lin Shihong's face turned purple, and he felt as if purple air was coming from the east.
The south received the news faster. After the news of Yang Guang's death and Jiangdu's support for Prince Yan reached the Central Plains, how could the officials in the Eastern Capital accept it?
Why is it the King of Yan? Why not the King of Yue?
We haven't seen the imperial edict, so even if Empress Xiao said it, it doesn't count.
Besides, if a new emperor is to be established, it should be in the Eastern Capital.
Therefore, the ministers in Luoyang supported Yang Guang's grandson, King of Yue Yang Tong, as emperor, and posthumously named Yang Guang Emperor Ming, with the temple name Shizu.
When the news reached Guanzhong, Li Yuan, the leader of the Li clan, supported Dai Wang Yang You as emperor and changed the era name to "Yining".
Xue Ju, the overlord of Western Qin who lived next to the Li family in Lanzhou, was not to be outdone and proclaimed himself emperor and established Western Qin.
Li Gui, who controlled all the land west of the Yellow River, also proclaimed himself emperor and established the Liang Kingdom.
In just over a month, six emperors emerged and the number of rebel kings was countless.
In the north, there are also two Turkic lackeys, Liang Shidu and Liu Wuzhou.
The chaotic situation in Middle-earth has made the thieves outside the Great Wall ready to make a move.
The noble families and sects in the world also placed their bets, and wave after wave of people rushed to those neutral forces, seeking more support in order to achieve hegemony.
There are countless people who go to Bashu to look for the three major forces: Duzun Fort, Bameng, and Chuan Gang.
The forty-first day of the emperor's death.
Two middle-aged scholars in gray cotton robes stopped in front of Fenglin Palace, which is also one of the ten palaces in Shugang.
As the name suggests, there is a maple forest in front of the palace.
The two are Fan Yibai and Qiu Hui, who are the Taifu Qing and Taifu Shaoqing of the Taifu Temple.
One is of the third rank, and the other is of the fourth rank.
The scholar following behind them was looking up at the gate of "Maple Forest Palace". The three words were written in vigorous and powerful strokes.
The palace guard was about to step forward to ask questions, but Fan Yibai took out a token from his arms and the guard retreated.
"Mr. Zhou, please come with us."
"good."
Zhou Yi smiled at the two of them, and as he walked forward, he asked, "Aren't the two High Lords in charge of the treasury? Why are you walking around in Maple Forest Palace?"
His tone was casual, but Fan Yibai and Qiu Hui did not dare to be negligent.
Fan Yibai said, "Sir, you may not know this. After the two of us followed the late emperor to Jiangdu, he knew we had this hobby and had us sorting books in the Maple Forest Palace library. Even when he was in the Eastern Capital, although he had the responsibility of managing the library, he did the same thing."
Qiu Hui showed a touch of reminiscence:
"When the late emperor was serving as governor of Yangzhou in Jiangnan, he recruited scholars to compile ancient books. Before the chaos in the city, the two of us even brought people here. Maple Forest Palace was once a place the late emperor often visited, but he gradually became less so, and the library was left to us."
Zhou Yi nodded: "I see."
Led by Fan and Qiu, Zhou Yi traveled through several courtyards and arrived at a huge library.
The two of them introduced it one after another, starting from "Changzhou Jade Mirror" and talking about "Quyu Tuzhi".
These two books alone have a total of 1,600 volumes.
"This volume, 'Records of Local Customs and Products of Various Counties,' took a lot of effort. It was commissioned by the emperor to compile a map of all the counties in the country based on their local customs and products."
With Qiu Shaoqing's introduction, Zhou Yi also saw the three volumes of "Records of the Western Regions".
It contains information about the mountains, rivers, customs, etc. of the Western Regions.
When you open the book, you will find maps, records, and colorful drawings of people of various ethnic groups wearing ethnic costumes.
This book was collected and compiled by Pei Ju, covering information from forty-four countries.
The evil king put a lot of effort into creating this book.
While telling stories, they also talked about Yang Guang, for example, they mentioned that "in the prosperous Sui Dynasty, books are published frequently."
Yang Guang was sitting in the palace when he suddenly thought of this. He gave his subordinates some instructions and asked them to do it.
As a result, more than 17,000 volumes were completed, and the number of lost and scattered books found was nearly 400,000.
This was a very successful thing and he was very satisfied.
One day, he had a flash of inspiration and thought of a canal, and immediately asked people to dig it.
If you think of Goguryeo, then attack it.
It seemed as if everything was as simple as he had imagined.
If he succeeds in all of this, he will be the Holy Emperor that he dreams of.
The truth is, it is a fantasy that has angered the people and has been despised by everyone.
So he left Dongdu in a hurry to escape reality and came to Jiangdu to make trouble.
Zhou Yi felt that he seemed to understand Yang Guang a little better. This guy deserved to die. He caused chaos in the world, but he was also a bit pathetic.
At least from the perspective of these two people in Taifu Temple, they have a lot to remember Yang Guang just because of their hobby of writing books.
Along the way, Zhou Yi saw books on engineering technology, astronomy, calendar calculation, medicine, etc., which were all Guangshen's hobbies.
There is even a "Flying Fairy" mechanism in the library.
Fan Yibai walked up to the second floor and stepped on the wooden board on the ground. The curtain rolled up and the door of the bookcase opened automatically.
I have seen the cozy nest mechanism where Lu Miaozi buried himself.
Faced with Yang Guang's little trick, he was naturally not surprised.
"Mr. Zhou, here is what you want to see."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi looked into the bookcase and his eyes immediately lit up.
He is worthy of being the emperor.
The first book he read was "The Yellow Emperor's Nine Cauldrons Magic Elixir Classic", followed by "Peng Zu's Theory of Health Preservation".
The later volumes also include Wuchengzi, Laozi, Guanyin, Gengsangzi, and Laolaizi.
Guiguzi's Heavenly Marrow Spiritual Text.
"You two, Lord Gao, please go and do your work. I will just stay here and watch."
Fan Yibai and Qiu Hui exchanged a glance and were about to say goodbye and leave when Zhou Yi suddenly asked:
"Are all the books that Your Majesty has collected here?"
Fan Yibai said: "There are still many in Dongdu."
Qiu Hui coughed and said, "There's an alchemy furnace over there, but it hasn't been opened yet."
Zhou Yi couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
As expected, all emperors wanted to live forever. He also had some evil thoughts that Guangshen's alchemy furnace was left in the east and was useless. Maybe it was taken away by Erfeng, so that he could use it in his later years.
Fan and Qiu felt that Mr. Zhou was a bit presumptuous.
You should avoid people who make fun of the late emperor.
After saying goodbye to Zhou Yi, the two walked to the first floor of the library and stood at the door looking back.
"Old Fan, what exactly is his relationship with the Dugu family?"
Fan Yibai pulled him away and whispered, "The Dugu clan leader has a daughter in Jiangdu, and it is said that she has a close relationship with him."
"Doesn't the Dugu clan leader have only one daughter?"
"That's the one."
Fan Yibai pondered and said, "If you want to know more about him, I don't know. However, his martial arts skills are extremely high. I'm afraid he can be considered the best in the world. He has the potential to become a figure like the three great masters in the future."
Qiu Hui smacked his lips and said, "The Dugu family is really amazing. How can they be so picky? Even if Grandma Dugu is gone, with this person in charge, we can still rest assured."
He added:
"The world is in such a mess these days, a strong fist is more effective than a hollow reputation."
Fan Yibai nodded in agreement and sighed, "I heard that Yu Wenhuaji took Yang Hao to Weijun and let Yang Hao proclaim himself emperor. What a mess."
Talking about this, Qiu Hui couldn't help but think of one thing.
He showed a trace of caution and nervousness:
"Your Majesty's edict to Qingliu fell on deaf ears. On the Jianghuai side, Li Jing and a general named Xu joined forces to attack Yong'an County westward. Just ten days ago, Jingling County and Nan County sent troops to Anlu, where the prefect, Yu Jurong, surrendered without a fight.
This Yu Taishou even sent an urgent letter to General Zhang asking for help, eh~!"
He sighed:
"Things are changing so quickly. The entire Jianghuai region is under the control of the Grand Commander. He's truly patient, having not yet proclaimed himself emperor."
Fan Yibai stroked his beard with a worried look on his face:
"This man is no small matter. He has a fierce record of slaying a Demon Sect master with a single sword strike. Among all the rebels, he has the greatest influence and the best reputation. You may not know this, but I heard from the people in the Internal History Department that the person sent from Nanjun to Anlu to persuade him to surrender was from Pegasus Ranch."
When he heard about Pegasus Ranch, Qiu Hui's face became even more serious.
"That ranch is extremely wealthy, with countless war horses, but they have always been business-minded. If they also turn to the Jianghuai Army, then..."
He sighed and said, "The future of our Great Sui Dynasty is truly extremely difficult."
Fan Yibai understood his friend's mood and didn't want to say anything discouraging, so he didn't continue.
It’s more than just “extremely difficult”?
Anyone with insight knows that the three Sui emperors in Luoyang, Chang'an and Weijun who competed with Jiangdu for legitimacy were just puppets of others.
At that time, the Great Sui Dynasty only had Jiangdu left, surrounded by bandits.
No matter how powerful General Zhang and General Zhenkou are, they cannot take back the world.
A city is a country. The Sui Dynasty may have come to an end.
The two were in a heavy mood, so they changed the subject.
For example, let’s talk about the guy in the library. I heard that someone saw him and the young lady from the Dugu family being quite ambiguous on the tower of the imperial city.
Talking about this, I feel a lot more relaxed.
Zhou Yi stayed in the library of Maple Forest Palace for seven or eight days, immersed in Taoist classics.
There were many books among them that he had never read before.
Perhaps due to the improvement of his martial arts level, he had a new feeling when he read the Taoist scriptures again.
Especially in the secret methods of the Louguan School.
Zuo You's immortal spirit is separated from his soul, while Shanmu's spiritual essence is combined with vital energy.
Various thoughts intertwined. Originally, he only saw the path of the sword energy flowing together, but now he has taken a big step forward.
Three more days passed while I was healing and practicing.
The fifty-second day after the emperor's death.
Dugu Feng came to find someone and brought him back to Dugu Mansion.
Just like the first time they met Zhang Xutuo, everyone was drinking in the hall of Dugu's house.
You Hongda, Luo Shixin, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao and others were all there.
Nearly two months have passed, and Jiangdu City has completely stabilized.
Without the Xiaoguo Army, people's lives returned to normal and the security in the city improved a lot.
Zhang Xutuo came here, firstly to express his gratitude, and secondly to ask for advice.
He knew how big the crisis the Dugu family faced in Jiangdu this time, and it was not just Dugu Sheng who could avert the danger.
"Sir, Zhang has something I would like to ask you."
"General Zhang, please speak."
Zhang Xutuo gestured towards Zhou Yi with his wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then said:
"Although Jiangdu has been stabilized, it is still surrounded by numerous enemies. I want to turn the passive situation into the active one and wipe out the bandits, but I am confused."
"Is it because of the Jianghuai Army?"
"yes."
Zhang Xutuo said in a deep voice, "Sir, what do you think, should we send troops to Liuhe City?"
Zhou Yi did not respond immediately, but looked at You Hongda: "General You, what do you think?"
You Hongda's face was gloomy. "I want to destroy Li Zitong first. This bandit is isolated in Hailing. There is hope that he can be destroyed in one blow, which will strengthen our army. The Jianghuai army is powerful, so we must take our time."
Zhang Xutuo asked, "What do you think, sir?"
"Li Zitong should be killed."
Zhou Yi looked at Zhang Xutuo, shook his head, and said bluntly:
"General Zhang should also know that Liuhe City cannot be taken. That's the entire Jianghuai military force, not just Jiangdu. Unless the general can repeatedly create miracles, win every battle, and defeat the larger force with a smaller one."
Dugu Sheng said: "This is too difficult."
Zhang Xutuo poured himself a drink. "The Jianghuai Army's growth rate is alarming. I'd like to wait until they fight Xiao Xing and Lin Shihong before deciding on a fight, but I'm worried they won't be a match for the Jianghuai Army."
Dugu Sheng suddenly looked at Zhou Yi and said, "It is said that the Jianghuai Grand Commander is also a peerless master. Sir, are you confident that you can defeat him?"
"not sure."
Hearing Zhou Yi's response without hesitation, Dugu Sheng's face suddenly changed.
This person is so terrifying that even Mr. Zhou is not sure about him?
The little phoenix who was eating nearby almost choked on his food.
You Hongda remained calm and poured Zhang Xutuo another glass of wine.
"General, you've already done enough. Why burden yourself further by being so obsessed?"
He advised very tactfully.
Everyone knows what the world is like these days. Zhang Xutuo wants to help the Sui Dynasty change its destiny, but he has basically no conditions.
Zhang Xutuo drank the wine and did not mention the attack on Liuhe anymore.
Dugu Sheng suddenly thought of the issue his colleagues had been discussing recently, and asked Zhou Yi:
"Sir, can you guess why that Jiang Huai man didn't declare himself emperor? Lin Shihong and Xiao Xin, who fought against him, both declared themselves emperors and founded their own kingdoms."
Dugu Feng also looked over curiously.
Zhou Yi smiled and said, "How would I know? Or maybe he doesn't want to join in the fun with Xiao Xin and his gang. Claiming the title of king or emperor is nothing new these days."
"One more thing."
"Being an emperor is also very hard, with all the political affairs and the harem struggles. Not everyone likes it so much."
After hearing this, You Hongda lowered his head and drank alone.
Dugu Sheng nodded seriously: "That's true. It reminds me of the late emperor."
"On the day of the Linjiang Palace riot, the late emperor told me, 'Being an emperor like this is very tiring.' But that was the late emperor. The Jianghuai rebels, fighting for world dominance, wouldn't think so. They must have some conspiracy we're unaware of."
He added, "As for the harem, the emperor has many concubines, and harem fighting is just a common occurrence."
For the first time, Dugu Sheng did not agree with Mr. Zhou's words.
You Hongda glanced at Dugu Sheng and sighed in his heart, "courage."
Zhang Xutuo also smiled and said, "Sir, your ideas are indeed different from those of ordinary people. I have never thought about it this way before."
He praised it and said:
"I wonder if you are willing to serve in the imperial court. If you can help me, I will be more confident in helping Your Majesty to eliminate the thieves in all directions."
Zhou Yi said tactfully, "This time, I've been delayed for a long time. In a few days, I will return to Dongdu to find the old lady. Next time I come to Jiangdu, I will join forces with the general."
Zhang Xutuo did not try to persuade him any further. When he heard that he was leaving, he sighed deeply and stood up.
Holding the wine, he said, "Sir, you have done me a great favor. I had intended to repay you slowly, but now it seems I don't know if I will have the chance in this lifetime."
Zhou Yi also raised his glass: "General, you are too kind. I am helping you, but I am also doing this for the sake of Jiangdu's stability."
"Two months ago, I had a meal at a roadside stall. The old stall owner talked to me about the hardships of life, which touched me deeply."
Zhou Yi said slowly:
"I sigh deeply and wipe away my tears, mourning the hardships of people's lives. Although I don't have such great sorrow and anger, I can't bear to see suffering. I hope these people can live a better life. If General Zhang can protect this area, why should he talk to me about favors?"
A look of surprise appeared on Zhang Xutuo's old face.
He stared at Zhou Yi with a hint of respect: "Now I can say that I have finally gotten to know you, sir."
You Hongda stood up, and Qin Shubao and others also stood up: "A toast to you, sir!"
Zhou Yi also said, "Please."
After that, everyone drank the wine.
…
(End of this chapter)
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