Chapter 566 Ambitious
Chapter 566 Ambitious
The late Emperor Yang Jian once told Xiao Xia that the biggest hidden danger of the Sui Dynasty was that it came to power illegitimately and was despised by the people of the world. Once the ruler made a big mistake, the people of the world would lose confidence in the Sui Dynasty, the country would be shaken, and many spymen would rise up.
Especially in a dynasty like the Sui Dynasty, which was a combination of Han and Hu peoples, with abundant military force, people would rise up in rebellion at the slightest disagreement.
Historically, the establishment of the Sui Dynasty and the Song Dynasty were very similar. Both dynasties were usurped by powerful ministers. However, the Song Dynasty obviously learned the lesson of the Sui Dynasty's demise in the second generation. It first released military power with a cup of wine, and then implemented a national policy of emphasizing culture over military. The military force was abandoned, and the status of military officers was like dogs. In the end, the million-strong army was defeated by tens of thousands of Jurchens.
The root cause was that the Zhao Song Dynasty came to power illegitimately, and the rulers were afraid that the military generals would rebel and replace them.
Yang Sui also came to power illegitimately. Yang Jian could still keep the situation under control, but Yang Guang could no longer do so. The ambitions of many people began to slowly sprout.
Yang Xuangan was one of them. Yang Xuangan was the eldest son of Yang Su and was an excellent martial artist. If we only talk about martial arts, his martial arts could be ranked among the top five in the Sui Dynasty, but people in the court and the country did not look down on him.
One reason is that he was overshadowed by the halo of his father Yang Su. People only knew Yang Su but not his son. Another reason was that Yang Xuangan was simple-minded, impulsive, had abundant military power but insufficient intelligence. Naturally, the court officials looked down on him.
Yang Xuangan was born into the Hongnong Yang family, a famous aristocratic family in Guanzhong. Their ancestor Yang Xi was awarded the title of Marquis of Chiquan for his contribution in snatching part of Xiang Yu's corpse, and the Yang family started from this.
The Yang family has produced many talented people throughout the dynasties. Some of the more familiar ones include Yang Xiu, who was killed by Cao Cao, and Yang Su of the Sui Dynasty.
Yang Su was an ambitious person, but he concealed it well. In addition, the previous emperor Yang Jian was relatively strong. Although Yang Su was ambitious, he kept it hidden. It was only once when he had an argument with his wife that his ambition was revealed to the emperor. Fortunately, Yang Jian did not pursue the matter, and Yang Su escaped.
Yang Su passed away two years ago, and the Yang family was headed by his eldest son Yang Xuangan. Compared with his father's hidden intention, Yang Xuangan's intention to rebel was much more obvious. He often boasted to his friends after drinking that he could replace the Sui Dynasty.
Of course, everyone knew Yang Xuangan's emotional intelligence and intelligence, and no one took his arrogant words to heart. However, few people knew that Yang Xuangan not only said a few arrogant words after drinking, but he actually did so after he sobered up.
That morning, in a manor about thirty miles away from Hongnong County, hundreds of carts were slowly driving into the manor. Yang Xuangan was followed by dozens of servants and warriors on both sides of the carts. Yang Xuangan was very tall, nearly two meters by today's standards, and his physique was extremely sturdy and huge.
Hundreds of carts stopped in front of a large warehouse. Yang Xuangan gave a few instructions to the manager of the manor, who immediately called the drivers to eat. After the drivers left, Yang Xuangan gave a few instructions to a warrior, who galloped away and brought more than a thousand warriors in a moment. This manor was actually a training manor of Yang Xuangan, with more than two thousand warriors training here.
Everyone worked together to lift the tightly wrapped oilcloth, and inside were bundles of straw. Upon closer inspection, they found that they were all spears. Although they were old spears, they were well preserved with sharp tips. In addition to spears, there were also bows, crossbows, arrows and leather armor.
The warriors moved all the weapons from the hundreds of carriages into the warehouse. The warehouse was already stockpiled with a large number of weapons and armor, including tens of thousands of spears. This was just a new batch of weapons delivered.
At this time, a horse-riding servant came to the outside of the manor. He ran to the warehouse, dismounted, clasped his fists and said to Yang Xuangan: "Master, Lord Pushan is here!"
Pushangong was Li Mi, one of Yang Xuangan's close friends. Yang Xuangan originally wanted to watch the warriors training, but since Li Mi had come, he ordered his men to lock the warehouse door and left with the warriors.
Yang Xuangan hurried back to the clan residence and saw Li Mi waiting for him with a smile in front of the living room in the courtyard, with several large boxes behind him.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, brother Lingbo!"
Li Mi bowed and said, "I heard that my brother was at the ancestral home, so I came all the way from Luoyang."
He turned around and opened the box, which was full of silver. "I sold a shop and raised 10,000 silver coins to support you, brother. Please don't think it's too little!"
Yang Xuangan's nose was sore and he was deeply moved. Many of his friends only expressed their support for him verbally, but only Li Mi supported him with actions. "Thank you for your timely help, brother. Please take a seat in the hall!"
Yang Xuangan invited Li Mi to sit in the VIP Hall. Yang Xuangan said, "The emperor is unkind and the people are full of resentment. I want to save the people of the world from the dire situation, but there are many people who sneer at me and few who truly support me. I am disappointed!"
Li Mi smiled and said, "To do great things is like sailing a boat in water. When the wind is calm, it is indeed difficult for the boat to sail, but once the wind blows, great things will be accomplished."
Yang Xuangan suddenly realized, "My dear brother, what you said makes sense, but I wonder when the wind will blow?"
"It will be soon. If this Eastern Expedition fails, the whole world will be in turmoil, and the foundation of the Great Sui Dynasty will be shaken. Then the wind will rise."
"Is it that serious?"
Li Mi said calmly, "Although victory and defeat are common in the military, it also depends on who you are fighting against and what kind of war you are fighting. If you are fighting against a foreign race, it will be different. If you fail in a small-scale battle, everyone can forgive you. But this time, the emperor sent out 500,000 troops and conscripted a million civilians to attack Goguryeo with the whole country's strength. If you fail miserably in such a battle of national destiny, how many people will take it lightly?"
"That's right! The war of the whole country represents the dignity of the Sui Dynasty. If we return in defeat, the emperor will not be able to explain to the people, and it will not work even if he issues an edict of apology."
Li Mi sneered and said, "Given his character, would he issue an edict to the world to accuse himself of his crimes? He would never do that. It's always other people's fault, and he is always right."
Yang Xuangan nodded, "If that's the case, the wind will really pick up."
Li Mi added: "But what you need to do now is to keep a low profile, be patient, accumulate strength, and wait for the right time to come. In particular, you must not let the emperor discover your intentions."
Yang Xuangan nodded silently, "He also feels that he must keep a low profile as much as possible."
In late May, Emperor Yang Guang led an army of 200,000 to Yan County in Liaodong. Since then, 500,000 troops and 1.1 million civilians have all arrived in Liaodong.
The situation in Liaodong was very complicated. The Central Plains dynasty only occupied a small piece of land and established two counties, Liucheng County and Yan County. Liucheng County is today's Chaoyang City and Jinzhou City, and Yan County is the area around today's Fuxin City.
To the north and west of Liucheng County were three major tribes, the Khitan, the Xi and the Xun. Further north were the Shiwei and the Mohe. Further west were the Turks. To the east was Goguryeo, a dynasty established by the Buyeo people.
It had always been ambitious to invade the land of the Central Plains Dynasty. It not only annexed four counties of the Han Dynasty including Lelang, but also continued to collude with the Turks in an attempt to completely squeeze the Central Plains Dynasty out of Liaodong.
It was precisely because Goguryeo was too ambitious, invaded Liaodong and threatened Hebei that the Sui and Tang dynasties decided to use military force against Goguryeo.
In the 17th year of Kaihuang, Yang Jian ordered an army of 300,000 to attack Goguryeo, but due to plague and insufficient logistical supplies, Emperor Yang Jian was forced to cancel the war plan.
Time passed quickly and it was the seventh year of Daye. More than ten years later, Emperor Yang Guang once again launched an attack on Goguryeo.
An army of 500,000 was deployed on the east bank of the Liaohe River, while on the east bank of the Liaohe River, Goguryeo's main general Yi Ji Wende also led an army of more than 100,000 to fight. Both sides deployed their troops and a war was about to break out.
(End of this chapter)