Chapter 143: The World in Chaos, Fanning the Flames (Double Update, Requesting Monthly Votes)

Li Shimin had truly changed.

He was completely different from the version of him in original history, as if he had evolved, possessing clearer goals, more decisive judgment, and courage.

This was also the difference brought about by the emergence of the Gu Shizi.

It was not just Li Shimin; the other warlords of the world were the same.

Gu Kang;

Gu Chen.

The influence these two people had on the entire world was unimaginable to others!

In fact, this was a decision Li Shimin had only made after long deliberation.

If he could, he would even be willing to rush to Julu in person.

Li Yuan had spoken to him more than once about his childhood, including Gu Yu’s assessment of him.

Perhaps this was also a turning point of fate.

It was precisely because he heard of this that Li Shimin began to understand the Gu Shizi little by little, which led him to where he was today.

He had always wanted to go to Julu to take a look.

It was just a pity that he was truly too young back then.

Later, as he grew older, Yang Guang began monitoring Li Yuan, and he, as a son, was also affected.

As for now—

The world was in complete chaos, and he could no longer spare the time to head to Julu.

However, he had never cared about that.

He had always firmly believed that the current situation in the world was creating opportunities for him, Li Shimin.

And all of this would eventually be resolved by him!

Li Shimin had clearly already made his decision.

Although Pei Ji was still somewhat hesitant about this, he could not interfere with Li Shimin’s choice.

And the result of the matter did not exceed Li Shimin’s expectations.

Upon hearing that the Gu Shizi were willing to assist, Li Yuan was finally moved, and finally intended to take this crucial step.

"The Gu Shizi are willing to assist?"

Looking at Li Shimin before him, Li Yuan’s face was full of excitement, "This is not a matter to joke about, Erlang, can this be true?"

He found it somewhat hard to believe.

Why had Li Yuan been unable to make a decision all along?

It was not just because he could not overcome the hurdle in his heart; in fact, his greatest concerns were the Turks and the Gu Shizi.

There was no need to say much about the Turks.

For these years, he had been clearing out the Turks south of Taiyuan.

He feared that if he suddenly rose in rebellion, the Turks would launch a sneak attack on him, leading to the destruction of the entire Li clan.

As for the Gu Shizi.

It was exactly as Pei Ji had said.

He was, after all, Yang Guang’s cousin.

Although Yang Guang had completely suppressed the matter of Gu Zhe, that was only to the outside world; Gu Zhe’s death was no secret within the imperial court.

He worried that if he suddenly rose in rebellion, it might lead the Gu Shizi to support someone else.

The impact of that on them would also be unimaginable.

He was actually just like Gu Yu, forced to consider the survival of his entire family.

After all, there were some things.

Once done, there was no turning back.

But now, it was different.

If he could obtain the support of the Gu Shizi, it would be of unimaginable help to his reputation.

The risks of rising in rebellion would be greatly reduced.

But Li Yuan still found it hard to believe; after all, the Gu Shizi had not emerged for many years, so why would they need to help their Li clan?

"Overturn the case!"

Li Shimin did not hesitate at all, looking at Li Yuan and saying immediately: "I promise to overturn the case for Gu Zhe and those seventeen Gu Shizi disciples!"

Since he had already made this decision.

How could he not have thought everything through?

Although Li Shimin was still young, his thoughts were extremely clear.

"Overturn the case?"

Li Yuan was stunned for a moment, then fell into a brief contemplation, and finally nodded slightly: "Truly a brilliant plan!"

As Yang Guang’s cousin.

If one day he could clear the names of Gu Zhe and the others, this would indeed provide an inherent advantage.

And according to Li Yuan’s understanding of the Gu Shizi.

This move could indeed earn the goodwill of the Gu Shizi.

With his "Li clan" name, added to Gu Yu’s evaluation of Li Shimin in the past, it was not absolutely impossible for the Gu Shizi to help the Li clan.

People naturally tend to think in a positive direction.

Li Yuan was exactly like this.

How could he not have the heart to rise in rebellion?

It was just that for him, such a decision was very difficult to make.

Some things—

The truly difficult part is taking the first step, especially since Li Yuan had not yet reached a dead end!

"Good! Good!"

Just like that, in an instant, a smile appeared on his face, and he praised Li Shimin before him: "Erlang, you have done well in this matter!"

As he spoke, his tone paused slightly.

He walked slowly to Li Shimin, reached out to pat his shoulder, and said solemnly: "If one day, my Li clan can truly rule the world."

"Erlang, you—"

"Shall be the Ten Directions Conquest Envoy of my Li clan!"

He naturally knew Li Shimin’s ideals, and his tone was incomparably solemn!

Hearing this, Li Shimin was also stirred, and he bowed earnestly to Li Yuan.

Li Shimin’s methods went far beyond these.

Although he had never received an education from the Gu Shizi, he had learned many things from his studies over these years.

Subsequently—

He forged an imperial edict from Yang Guang, claiming that he was conscripting the people of Taiyuan to suppress a rebellion, once again infuriating the public.

Just as the complaints of the people were boiling over.

With the two brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji returning to Jinyang one after another.

In the eleventh year of the Daye era, in the fourth month, Li Yuan;

Officially raised his army in Jinyang.

Under the banner of "Yang Guang’s improper accession," he set out to rectify the state!

—The world was in an uproar!

The chaos triggered this time was far greater than that of the North-South Han period.

In fact, this was inevitable.

During the North-South Han period, under the influence of the Golden Blade Prophecy, even if the warlords of the four directions had ambition, they dared not take this crucial step.

Not to mention the constraints of the Gu Shizi.

But now, it was completely different.

Yang Jian’s success had thoroughly told the people of the world that this world had always belonged to those with the ability to hold it!

And Yang Guang had thoroughly incited public anger!

The ambition of the warlords and the anger in the hearts of the people destined this chaotic era to be extraordinary.

But who could be blamed for this?

When Yang Guang did all those things without treating the people of the world as human beings, his ending was already destined.

It was just that it was now completely different from history.

Perhaps it was precisely because there was no third expedition to Goguryeo that Yang Guang still had some strength; compared to the warlords rising in the four directions, his strength was still the greatest.

But the problem lay in the fact that.

The current Sui army was divided in heart.

Yang Guang’s mood swings, stubbornness, and cruelty had caused everyone to lose confidence in him.

Such an army could not possibly exert its full strength.

Even if Yang Guang could continue to hold on, it was only a slow death.

He had indeed tried to use a series of methods.

In fact, although Yang Guang could not be compared to those top-tier talents, the fact that he could go from being a second son to where he was today already showed that he still had some ability.

As he gradually discovered that he could not suppress the rebel armies from all directions, he had already attempted various methods.

He allowed local forces to quell rebellions, offered amnesty and pardons to rebel kings, and even used various tactics to sow discord among the rebel kings, letting them slaughter one another.

In fact, regarding the current situation.

Some of Yang Guang's methods were still able to have an effect!

But—

The problem was that there were too many rumors about him, and the anger of the common people had been thoroughly ignited!

If not for these rumors.

Yang Guang's current predicament would absolutely not have ended in such a state!

Because whether it was his recruitment or the discord he sowed.

No one dared to believe it.

Who would be willing to work under Yang Guang?

Even the generals currently under his command were gradually harboring ulterior motives.

As for sowing discord, it was even more so.

The anger of the people under heaven had been thoroughly incited; the current Nine Provinces were not the Nine Provinces where morality had completely decayed.

Although they were not as good as the Former Han period.

But "patricide" was still one of the unforgivable sins, not to mention that Yang Guang had also committed so many other wrongdoings.

Before eliminating Yang Guang, how could these rebel kings dare to engage in infighting?

As for the truth of all these rumors, no one would care at all.

This was the terrifying nature of gossip.

Yang Guang's tyrannical image had long since been deeply ingrained in the hearts of the common people, and no one would even consider these things.

Of course, it was not that Yang Guang had never banned the spread of rumors and prophetic superstitions.

For this matter, he even executed quite a few people.

But unfortunately.

Once such things spread, it was impossible to stop them!

The twelfth year of the Great Enterprise era.

Yuwen the Strategist—this general who could be called the one Yang Guang relied on most at the time, died of illness on the way to suppress a rebellion.

This seemed to announce that an era had completely ended.

Yuwen the Strategist had extremely high influence within the Sui Army.

His death once again dealt a fatal blow to the entire Sui Army.

And looking at the various rebel kings.

Under these circumstances, their offensives became increasingly fierce.

In the same year.

Sui General Zhang Xutuo died in an ambush at Dahai Temple in Xingyang due to underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly.

The Sui Army under his command suffered countless casualties.

The great generals under him, such as Qin Shubao and Luo Shixin, even surrendered to the Wagang Army.

The situation of the entire world became increasingly turbulent.

Under this series of blows, Yang Guang seemed to have already smelled the scent of death.

His entire temperament became increasingly volatile.

He clearly issued orders to prohibit the spread of prophetic superstitions and told his ministers that they must absolutely not believe in these things, yet he himself was deeply influenced by them.

Just because of the rumor that "Heaven's mandate lies with Li," he successively executed nobles like Li Hun and Li Min, and because of "eyes with double pupils," he executed the Right Guard General Yu Julao.

A series of methods.

Caused the ministers under him to become increasingly alienated.

Besides this, Yang Guang refused to look at battle reports from various regions, and he no longer even cared about news of where rebels had appeared.

The various systems of the imperial court collapsed one after another.

The Guanlong noble families defected one after another, and local officials either declared independence or surrendered to the rebel kings.

With the successive passing of several key generals.

The state of the entire Sui Dynasty was collapsing at an astonishing speed.

No one could reverse it!

Having reached this point, no one could stop the collapse of the Sui Dynasty's empire.

No—

Perhaps there was this opportunity.

As long as Yang Guang could obtain the support of the Gu Shizi, then pass the throne to his heir and commit suicide to apologize, winning back the hearts of the people, the state of the Sui Dynasty might still have a glimmer of hope.

But would Yang Guang do it?

If he could, Yang Guang would even want to go and slaughter the Gu Shizi right now.

He could no longer care about so much.

It was just a pity that—

With rebels appearing constantly all over the world, he currently had no chance at all.

Even he himself had given up.

Under these circumstances, Yang Guang made a decision that shocked everyone.

—Flee to Jiangdu!

He intended to completely abandon the entire Central Plains and the North.

What fame and wealth;

What being the only one in history;

By now, Yang Guang no longer thought about those irrelevant things; he just wanted to survive.

Regarding this idea of Yang Guang's, no one stopped him at all.

The current imperial court had rotted to the core.

Moreover, they also wanted to survive.

Yang Guang left the two key strongholds of Luoyang and Daxing to be guarded by his two grandsons, Yang You and Yang Tong, who were not yet fifteen, while he himself took the vast majority of the court's key ministers and elite troops south to Jiangdu.

The Great Sui—

Completely drew its curtain on this day!

Regardless of what the future holds, just looking at the current impact alone.

Yang Guang had effectively tacitly acknowledged that the Great Sui had become a divided regime like that of the Northern and Southern Han periods.

But what else could he do?

He had already lost all pillars of governance, and retreating to Jiangdu was also a way to gamble for a path to survival for himself.

This move undoubtedly further exacerbated the chaotic situation in the Central Plains.

The great trend was about to change completely!

Julu.

Compared to the chaos and turmoil of the world, Julu had completely become a holy land.

Whether it was the rebel kings from various regions.

Or the bandits.

Almost all of them tacitly left Julu alone.

Although the prestige of the Gu Shizi had dropped to its lowest point over these years, the existence of Julu had already been carved into the bones of all the descendants of Huaxia.

And whose ancestors had not received kindness from the Gu Shizi?

The most critical point was—

Through how many chaotic times had Julu never been affected in any way.

No one would be willing to set this precedent under the current situation; the impact on one's reputation would be unimaginable.

And on the surface, the Gu Shizi had never made any moves; everything was just as it had been in the past.

But in the shadows, the Gu Shizi was absolutely one of the greatest catalysts of the entire chaotic era.

Gu Yu had arrangements for the rebel kings in all four directions.

He was very clear.

No matter what, the Gu Shizi would eventually have to emerge into the world; this arrangement was also for the sake of the entire family, and he even gave these rebel kings great secret assistance.

Even the battle where Zhang Xutuo died had Gu Yu's pushing behind it.

Having someone offer a strategy; having someone secretly provide weapons.

The foundation of the Gu Shizi allowed Gu Yu to use far too many methods.

It could be said that it was Gu Yu who was pushing the great trend to accelerate forward.

Of course, all of this was in the shadows.

The Gu Shizi did not lack the manpower to execute the plans!

Every single commoner in Julu was a death soldier that Gu Yu could use; their loyalty to the Gu Shizi was beyond question.

But on the surface, Gu Yu had never made a choice.

At this moment, inside the Gu Mansion.

Gu Yu was personally instructing the next generation of the Gu Shizi, telling them his views on the world and explaining the foundation of the Gu Shizi.

"A chaotic world is the greatest protection for our Gu Shizi."

"But our Gu Shizi—"

"If we wish to remain glorious, we can only do so in a prosperous age."

"."

His expression was extremely calm; this state of mind was truly astonishing, for despite secretly manipulating the trends of the world all along, he could maintain absolute rationality and composure.

The group of descendants listened with great focus.

Gu Yi watched all of this silently, his own heart equally undisturbed.

As history once again marched forward along the correct path, the attributes of this generation of descendants were also excellent; they could all be considered seeds worthy of cultivation.

They would certainly achieve something in the coming trends.

This was something he could be certain of.

Just then, a shout suddenly rang out.

"Xue San requests an audience with the Family Head!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yu set down the book in his hand, walked out slowly, and immediately saw Xue San, who had already strapped on his travel pack.

"Have you decided?"

Without needing to ask, Gu Yu already knew Xue San's intentions.

"Indeed."

Xue San did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately knelt down, his face solemn: "I want to avenge Young Master Zhe!"

"Go to Taiyuan."

Gu Yu did not waste words, nor did he offer any dissuasion; he simply gave Xue San a destination: "Yang Guang has retreated to Jiangdu, which is a heaven-sent opportunity for the Li family."

"I predict the Li family will surely rise to great power next."

"You should go and see for yourself."

Xue San had no doubts whatsoever and bowed deeply to Gu Yu once more.

——————

(PS: Begging for double monthly votes; there will absolutely be no missed updates this month. I ask my brothers to lend me a hand. We are less than two thousand away from ten thousand monthly votes. With the double event, one thousand monthly votes will reach the goal, and I can obtain that badge. I have to consider this; this might truly be the only chance in my life, so I can only kneel and beg for my brothers' support!)

(End of chapter)