Chapter 1351: Suppressing the Rebellion

The impact of Yang Guang's ascension to the throne was, of course, enormous, and it provoked dissatisfaction among many people.

Those who disliked Yang Guang were predominantly powerful aristocratic families and civil and military dignitaries, especially those from the Shandong and Hebei regions.

After all, based on Yang Guang's previous series of actions and the multitude of things he had done, it could long ago be deduced that Yang Guang understood his duties as Emperor and had found his historical mission: to deal with the powerful aristocratic families of Shandong and Hebei.

Furthermore, Yang Guang was relatively young, and his growth process had been very smooth; he lacked Yang Yang Jian's skill in cultivating patience and employing conciliation. Therefore, although his goals were the same as Yang Yang Jian's, his style of action was inevitably different, undoubtedly much more direct.

This was a shared understanding among the powerful aristocratic families.

Especially since Yang Guang had under his command a loyal and highly capable general, a commander with brilliant military achievements: Wang Yan, Duke of Danyang. This was also a crucial factor the great families had to consider.

Because for over ten years, Wang Yan had loyally followed Yang Guang, making meritorious contributions during Yang Guang's rise to power; indeed, among all of Yang Guang's subordinates, he was the one with the greatest achievements.

Now that Yang Guang had ascended, the suppression that the great families had long exerted upon Wang Yan naturally ceased to exist.

Yang Guang was, after all, the Emperor; if he insisted on having his own way, with Wang Yan standing beside him holding a knife, who would dare to express a differing opinion? Moreover, Wang Yan had followed Yang Guang for over ten years and finally endured until today; if Yang Guang did not arrange a good position for Wang Yan, how would others loyal to Yang Guang view it?

There was no need to elaborate on how formidable Wang Yan was; on that one night, wielding a fake imperial edict written by Yang Guang along with Yang Guang's private letter, he single-handedly suppressed the armies inside and outside Daxing City and secured command authority.

For such a major event, from beginning to end, not a single hint of disorder emerged from the Daxing armies, which already explained many things.

Therefore, the powerful aristocratic families and the civil and military dignitaries had no choice but to submit even if they were unwilling, and once submitted, they had to submit even more thoroughly.

Apart from these people, there was still a small handful who were dissatisfied: namely, Yang Guang's numerous brothers stationed outside the capital. Prince Shu Yang Xiu and Prince Han Yang Liang, these two good brothers of Yang Guang, were both unconvinced.

Originally, only Yang Liang had rebelled, while Yang Xiu had been summoned back to Daxing by Yang Yang Jian earlier that year and placed under house arrest.

However, the situation had now changed; because there were too many matters and his power base was too large, Yang Guang actually felt little sense of crisis and paid less attention to the affairs of his good brothers. Although his subordinates occasionally played dirty tricks, they did not exert much effort. Thus, Yang Xiu was still doing well, living carefree in the Shu region.

Although Yang Liang had previously failed against Goguryeo, he later gained considerable credit during the campaign that destroyed the Turks, and he too was living carefree in Bingzhou.

Besides these two, there were other members of the imperial clan and various local officials who were not entirely convinced.

However, all the local officials who were supposed to arrive had done so; those unable to come due to official duties had all submitted memorials explaining their reasons. Only Yang Liang and Yang Xiu, these two bold individuals, upon hearing the news of Yang Yang Jian's death and Yang Guang's ascension while halfway on their journey, directly turned their horses around and fled back to their own fiefdoms.

This clearly indicated an intention to rebel.

But before they actually rebelled, Yang Guang could not take action; otherwise, it would become a case of him forcing his two biological brothers into rebellion. Therefore, after learning that his two good brothers had turned back halfway to their fiefdoms, Yang Guang issued an edict reprimanding them and demanding a clear explanation.

"Tell me, these two brothers of mine are experts at causing trouble for Me. Tell Me, what should be done?" Yang Guang looked helplessly at the drafted edict and spoke to the group of people kneeling and sitting nearby drinking tea.

Yuwen Huaji spoke first: "Your Majesty, this subject believes we should make preparations early. Although we must avoid the infamy of forcing the two princes into rebellion, we should first mobilize troops and prepare military supplies, so that when the two princes raise the banner of revolt, we will not be caught off guard."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this subject believes Yuwen Huaji's words are extremely correct." Seeing Yang Guang look over, Yang Su nodded in agreement.

He felt somewhat regretful for supporting Yang Guang, because after Yang Guang ascended, compared to before his rise, the change was simply drastic.

Yang Guang nodded, then looked at a certain person sitting cross-legged without any regard for etiquette, drinking tea and eating pastries.

"Wang Yan, you speak."

"This humble one can go to Bingzhou to suppress the rebellion; with only one thousand elite cavalry, the rebel army led by the Prince of Han can be pacified morning or evening." Wang Yan offered no analysis, stating directly the course of action.

Yang Guang was very satisfied, so he continued to ask: "What about the Prince of Shu?"

Wang Yan held the lidded bowl he had created, which had become all the rage, to drink tea, swept his gaze around the assembly, and finally rested it on Yang Su.

"Lord Yang has been famous for a long time; he is mature and prudent, contributed to establishing the nation under the late Emperor, destroyed Chen, defeated the Turks; regarding the matter of pacifying the rebellion in Shu, aside from Lord Yang, who else could bear this heavy responsibility?"

"Why does the Duke of Danyang not go?" Yang Su countered.

"This humble one is familiar with Bingzhou; the generals there all recognize His Majesty, and this humble one also has some connections there. As long as I bring His Majesty's edict and kill a few who stick their heads out, the Prince of Han will be pacified. However, this humble one has never been to the Shu region, unlike Lord Yang, who has campaigned north and south throughout his life and possesses excellent strategies within his belly. This matter requires Lord Yang to go before anyone can feel at ease. Does Your Majesty agree?"

Yang Guang remained silent, merely smiling as he looked at Yang Su.

Thus, Yang Su let out a long sigh, accepted his fate, cupped his hands, and said: "Your Majesty, this subject requests to go!"

"Good, then let it be done this way..."

Yang Guang clapped his hands in praise, then arranged some logistical matters, spoke some pleasant words about the upcoming New Year, and concluded the meeting.

As everyone walked out, Yang Su glared furiously at Wang Yan, but meeting Wang Yan's smiling gaze, which carried a hint of expectation, he ultimately did not dare to curse aloud; he snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and departed, while in his heart he sincerely greeted Wang Yan's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Wang Yan smiled indifferently, and under Yuwen Huaji's gaze filled with sympathy for Yang Su, he swayed leisurely away to return, select troops, and receive military supplies.

Sending Yang Su to suppress the Prince of Shu's rebellion was, of course, because the Shu region was relatively farther away and the situation more complex; Yang Su was old, so sending him on a trip to tire his old arms and legs was undoubtedly a good thing.

However, in this drama, Yang Su actually died quite quickly, because he had allowed Gao Jiong to escape and secretly hid Yang Yang Jian's last testament; Yang Guang suspected him of harboring treacherous intentions and straightforwardly ordered the execution of his entire family.

On the surface, it appeared that Yang Guang trusted Yang Su by sending him to suppress the Prince of Shu's rebellion, but in reality, it was merely a final utilization. Sending Yang Su to fight the Prince of Shu would reveal Yang Su's network of connections during the process, allowing them to later round up Yang Su's faction in one net.

In short, Wang Yan was simply deliberately teasing Yang Su; whether he lived or died later did not matter, for now, let him be exhausted half to death first...

Perhaps considering it was exactly the time of the New Year, or perhaps Yang Liang and Yang Xiu, these two, discovered that raising an army to rebel was not as easy as they had imagined, and they did not have as many followers as they had assumed.

Moreover, raising an army required preparing many things; at the same time, they could not loot arbitrarily, because their rebellion was intended to succeed, or even if they did not intend to succeed, they could not indiscriminately kill the innocent, as that would be incorrect.

Of course, due to military discipline not being strict enough and the soldiers' ideological standards not being high enough, even if the upper echelons did not wish to harm the common people, once a large army passed through, the people could hardly escape a tragic fate; a considerable amount of murder, robbery, harming women, and so on were bound to occur...

Since they had not launched their attack, Wang Yan naturally would not directly lead troops to kill them; instead, he merely wrote letters to some people, intimidating them so they would not dare to follow Yang Liang in his recklessness, hoping they would bind Yang Liang and bring him to Daxing to beg for forgiveness, sparing him the trouble of personally going out.

Therefore, Wang Yan managed to have a fairly good New Year, at least better than Yang Su; after all, he only led one thousand troops and could leave whenever he wished, whereas Yang Su had to newly conscript some Fubing soldiers, prepare military supplies, and dispatch a portion ahead to Hanzhong, becoming immediately busy.

As for Yang Guang, he made no major moves either, merely waking early and sleeping late to handle official business, continuously receiving various people, busy as a dog.

Ascending the throne was not the end; Yang Guang had only roughly stabilized the Guanzhong region, roughly securing the support of the Guanlong faction. There were still many local big shots outside that Yang Guang needed to win over, and many key positions that required Yang Guang to replace with his own people.

This was a massive project, not something that could be completed in a short time. Yang Guang's orders were issued one after another; every day, a huge number of relay station riders sped out from Daxing, transmitting to various places through the Sui Dynasty's relay station system. Simultaneously, a huge number of riders ran from various places into Daxing, delivering local information to Yang Guang.

At the same time, under Yang Guang's authorization, Wang Yan also began a purge of the troops currently stationed in Daxing.

Originally, Yang Guang intended to postpone the purging of the army, since with Wang Yan guarding, the military was secure. However, because Wang Yan needed to personally go out to suppress the rebellion, the purge of the army had to begin.

Although Yang Guang had only just ascended, the monarch's ailment of lacking a sense of security had already penetrated deep into his bones. Even regarding Wang Yan, whom he trusted the most, it was only half trust, or rather, slightly more than half.

This was because Yang Guang possessed humanity, remembered kindness, and bore in mind Wang Yan's loyal and hardworking service over the past ten years.

Now that Wang Yan was about to leave, and with Wang Yan no longer in the capital to guard the army, Yang Guang did not trust others as much; he authorized Wang Yan to purge military officers at all levels within the army, making them understand for whom they were fighting and whose rice they were eating.

Wang Yan, of course, handled matters without causing anyone worry, acting very decisively and cleanly.

Previously, to appease the majority and quickly gain control of the army, he had only dealt with high-ranking generals; apart from those truly seeking death, he had basically not moved against mid-to-high-level officers.

This time, Wang Yan was like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves; he had controlled the army for over a month and understood almost everything that needed understanding. Coupled with Yang Guang's special instructions, he showed no mercy when dealing with people.

Those who deserved punishment were severely punished; those who could be punished or left alone were also punished with an added degree of guilt. In the short month after the New Year, including the several hundred previously arrested or killed, Wang Yan dealt with over two thousand people in one breath.

It could be said that the structure of an entire army had been destroyed and reshaped by him.

Nevertheless, in this process, the upward mobility channels within the military were opened up, and Yang Guang's and Wang Yan's political capital was increased.

After all, with two thousand positions suddenly vacated, the high-ranking military officers were definitely appointed by Yang Guang; this was the benefit Yang Guang could promise others. For the vast majority of mid-to-low ranking posts, Wang Yan could decide with a single word, and for the few mid-to-high ranking positions, Wang Yan could recommend appointments, which Yang Guang would not be stingy about.

As for the people Wang Yan arranged, it could not really be called "arranging," since he harbored little selfish intent. He adhered to the principle of promoting the capable when assigning officers at all levels; everyone's service records and military merits were clearly documented, so as long as he strove to be fair and impartial, the benefited officers and the common soldiers in the lower ranks all acknowledged his kindness.

Thus, combined with the good reputation he had consistently marketed for himself, this behavior of his was amplified, allowing him to easily gain the recognition of tens of thousands of troops.

Moreover, among them were numerous people coming to pledge their loyalty to him; regardless of whether he truly trusted them, as long as he did not lose power, he could certainly get things done through them, and if he asked them to raise banners in support, they would do so without hesitation.

To achieve this much was already sufficient.

At the same time, while purging the army, Wang Yan also carried out certain ideological construction. Borrowing the name of loyalty to the monarch and love for the country, he elevated the common people, letting these soldiers know what they were fighting for, and ensuring that in future battles, they would treat their own populace better.

In any case, when the spirit of his speeches was conveyed, Yang Guang was very satisfied; after all, Wang Yan spoke with "Your Majesty" on his lips at every turn, which was absolutely staying true to his original aspiration, proving he was still the Wang Guang he had known before.

By this time, Yang Guang felt reassured, so he proposed constructing the Eastern Capital at Luoyang, conscripting a million corvée laborers, assigning Yuwen Kai to be in charge, with completion expected in three years.

This marked the beginning of squandering the family fortune.

Constructing Luoyang was a matter of great positive significance. Relatively speaking, Guanzhong was enclosed, not as flat and open as Luoyang had been in the past. Moving the capital outward by eight hundred li was not merely an issue of eight hundred li regarding the suppression of the aristocratic families; thus, building a massive city to expand the boundaries of power could suppress the powerful clans of the Central Plains.

At the same time, this was also an extension of the Guanlong Group's influence to confront the powerful clans of the Central Plains.

On another front was the issue of urban supply; Daxing was growing larger and larger, and the cost of sustaining Daxing was rising higher and higher, whereas Luoyang boasted more developed water and land transportation. If the capital were moved to Luoyang, it would be more advantageous for the city's expansion.

The downside was that the consumption was too great.

In fact, this was already the result of Wang Yan's remonstrance, for Yang Guang's original plan had been to conscript two million corvée laborers and complete the project in one year; seen in this light, Wang Yan still held some sway with Yang Guang, having cut the figures by more than half.

At the same time, Wang Yan also suggested that the corvée laborers be treated leniently and not oppressed too severely, otherwise the people's strength would be exhausted excessively, eventually leading to rebellions erupting everywhere.

He indicated to Yang Guang that they could draw lessons from the advanced experiences gained during his past governance of Yangzhou: pay the corvée laborers some money, provide them with good food, and distribute cold-weather clothing so that people would not have to work on empty stomachs.

The Great Sui now possessed mature conditions; cotton, naturally, had long been brought back and cultivated, and after years of improvement, although its quality could not compare to that of fifteen hundred years later, its cold-resistant properties were flawless.

Meanwhile, after years of development, coupled with Wang Yan's continuous overseas expansion of land and the retrieval of massive amounts of grain, domestic land had been freed up to plant cash crops, making the cotton harvest quite substantial.

Currently, the only condition missing to initiate a domestic economic cycle rather than relying on various life-threatening taxes was a means of state-level regulation.

The most direct point, of course, was to vigorously develop the economy and prosper commerce, and thereafter impose additional commercial taxes.

The Great Sui had enjoyed stability for many years and had vigorously pursued maritime trade; goods were already abundant, and commercial affairs were already very prosperous, so the conditions for this were met.

This was something Wang Yan had long explained clearly to Yang Guang, and under Wang Yan's persuasion, Yang Guang was naturally moved.

Thus, after deciding to construct Luoyang, Wang Yan, in his capacity as one of the Great Sui's largest merchants, voluntarily submitted a memorial stating that for the sake of the Great Sui's common people and for the sake of the Great Sui's Jiangshan and altars of soil and grain, commercial taxes should be increased, and he would take the lead in supporting this.

Yang Guang, taking advantage of the situation, asked the court officials for their opinions; unsurprisingly, they all opposed the measure, so Yang Guang assembled a group to specifically study how commercial taxes should be collected.

Before the court officials could even curse Wang Yan's ancestors for eighteen generations, Yang Liang and Yang Xiu, who had been preparing for two months, finally raised the banner of rebellion, leading tens of thousands of troops to crusade against Yang Guang.

Wang Yan withdrew from the situation, and carrying Yang Guang's instructions, he bid farewell to his family and personally led one thousand elite cavalry to suppress the rebellion...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who generously donate, cast monthly tickets, recommend tickets, and silently read the book for their strong support!

? (End of Chapter)