Chapter 1364: Guard

"Hahaha~"

Daxing, Yang Guang happily opened his arms, tiptoed, hugged Wang Yan, and patted Wang Yan's back forcefully.

"Ziyan, I didn't misread you, well done! Well done!"

"It's all because of Your Majesty's trust and full support that I have achieved today. As long as we kill every few years, the Central Plains will be worry-free."

Yang Guang laughed again, riding a horse with Wang Yan toward the city. The people behind were all separated by a distance, unable to hear what the two were saying, but they all had different thoughts.

Wang Yan continued, "This time, Your

"Such a trivial matter, not worth mentioning. A group of rats in the gutter, yet they dare to call themselves nobles and have the audacity to ride on top of My head?"

Yang Guang let out a cold snort, followed immediately by cheerful words. He said, "You wouldn't know, Ziyan. When the operation first began, the court was filled with righteous indignation. By the time the great army surrounded them and the situation was already decided, there wasn't a single discordant sound in the court. The various departments began digging up old accounts, and officials from the Central Plains were heavily attacked. I protected them!

I just wanted them to know whose world this Great Sui is, and whose word is final. If I want them to die, they must die! If I want them to live, only then can they live!"

"Your Majesty is truly brilliant!" Wang Yan cupped his hands, his face full of admiration, "Not only have you set the minds of the Central Plains officials at ease, but you have also intimidated the people of Guanzhong and the South. From now on, the court will surely be of one mind with Your Majesty."

"I knew you would understand. I don't want to lose the Central Plains only to let the great families of Guanzhong and the South become a major climate again, and then ride on My head to shit and piss!"

Yang Guang was very happy, truly very happy.

He was eager for quick success and instant benefits, ambitious but lacking in talent; he was a man who held grudges, and also a man who was lawless.

Fear of death is certain; everyone fears death. But Yang Guang was an emperor, and an emperor with lofty ideals who wanted to be the emperor of all ages. Compared to fearing death, he feared losing his empire even more—that was the world he had spent over a decade plotting to win back after killing his father and brother.

His sense of shame had made it impossible for him to sleep well in the past, his heart set on destroying the great clans of the Central Plains; he had to take revenge.

So even though he knew he would still encounter assassination attempts and various forms of resistance, he still had to act.

Just like his stubbornness in the three campaigns against Goguryeo.

The result did not disappoint Yang Guang. From the beginning of spring to the end of winter, in just over half a year, this catastrophe was completely quelled, and the great families of the Central Plains were emptied out. Regardless of the prefecture or county, the landlords who had any name for themselves were basically gone, once again releasing a large amount of land.

Some of these landlords were killed by the great families' armies as they passed through; their organizational cohesion was not strong, and they could not restrain everyone. The common people, who had already gone mad with killing, didn't care about that much; everyone swarmed up, burning, killing, and looting.

There is a difference between landlords and powerful great families; how could small landlords catch the eyes of the great families? The great families united to raise an army in rebellion, while the small landlords were just food on the plate.

On the other hand, when Wang Yan led the great army to suppress the great families' armies, the army also grasped both military and political affairs as it passed through, quelling the chaos while restoring production and life.

In this process, the great families of the Central Plains were purged once again, and the landlords were naturally wiped out along the way. As for whether innocent good landlords were killed by people, or bad landlords escaped a disaster because they bribed the executors, this was not within the scope of consideration. Because overall, this purge could be called thorough.

Numerous century-old clans, including the Kong family, had their influence cleared away. Of course, it was impossible for everyone to die; some were deliberately left behind, such as the Kong family, some escaped by luck, and some were indeed meritorious officials, so their bloodlines were still preserved.

Most of these people could no longer become a major climate, though they might still manage to continue the tradition of farming and reading, becoming fallen humble scholars. As for whether their descendants could rise again, the result was definitely negative.

Because Wang Yan could still live for more than a hundred years, cutting a crop of leeks every ten years, the probability of these people surviving was only ten percent, not to mention it wouldn't just be ten years; it would be a round every three to five years, which would be three to five percent. If some changes were made to the harvesting mode, the denominator would be a thousand...

Wang Yan did not express much more, echoing the happy Yang Guang, listening to Yang Guang talk about how awesome he was now.

An emperor is also a human, and he needs someone to share his joy; without a doubt, the person Yang Guang trusted most was Wang Yan. Or rather, the only person he trusted was Wang Yan.

The key was that Wang Yan did not disappoint him; he could truly get things done, and his work was truly reliable and efficient...

After chatting for a while like this, Yang Guang asked, "How is it over in Goguryeo?"

"Li Jing is commanding the great army. With inferior forces, the front line has retreated thirty miles in over half a year, and casualties are still within an acceptable range."

"You really did discover a talent."

"After all, he is a scion of a noble family with a deep family heritage. Han Qinhu's evaluation of him was very high back then."

"Han Qinhu..."

Yang Guang thought for a moment, then smiled, "He is already a person of the past; from now on, it will all be you, Wang Ziyan."

"It is only because of Your Majesty's promotion that I have today."

"It's been over a decade, and you always say these things." Yang Guang waved his hand with amusement and turned to ask, "Can Goguryeo still be fought?"

Because of the two catastrophes in the Central Plains, each more violent than the last, the damage to production and life was enormous. Years of accumulation, filling the Ever-Normal Granaries everywhere, were all emptied out. The decrease in population, the epidemics after large numbers of deaths, and the destruction of various resources—all these were problems.

The Central Plains are undoubtedly wealthy; seventy percent of the Great Sui's output is here. With the commercial environment that has developed in recent years, the Central Plains region is also a key area for commercial taxes.

Although the great families have been beaten out of existence for the moment, the Central Plains have also been broken; wealth has been beaten away, and the Great Sui has been beaten into poverty.

So when Yang Guang asked if Goguryeo could still be fought, he was asking if the Great Sui could still hold up.

"It all depends on Your Majesty's will."

Wang Yan said, "If we don't fight, we can restore the vitality of the Central Plains and save expenses. If we fight, with the supplement of overseas grain, we can actually support it. As for the Central Plains, after planting a crop of crops next autumn, we can recover. If Your Majesty reduces taxes and collects grain with money, it can also promote commerce and activate the economy. In less than three years, the Central Plains will return to their former prosperity."

Yang Guang laughed, "I understand; you mean that even if we have to live through two years of hardship, we must destroy Goguryeo."

"It's not that bitter. After all, we have money but no grain, while overseas there is grain. The great families of the Central Plains have all been destroyed, and the fleets are all in the hands of the navy. If we don't transport anything else for these two years and focus on transporting grain, we can basically transition smoothly. If Your Majesty issues an edict to build roads and canals in the Central Plains, using work as relief, and distributes the confiscated money to the common people, letting them spend money to buy grain, this will revitalize the situation in the Central Plains.

As for Goguryeo, an army of three hundred thousand is enough; counting all other personnel, it's no more than a million. Although the cost is not small, the South, Guanzhong, Shu, and the grasslands have no wars, and all can spare some money and grain; supporting the military needs for a year is not a big problem. After this year, it will be a different situation."

"That is exactly what I think." Speaking to his heart's content, Yang Guang nodded with satisfaction, "Goguryeo has been jumping around for many years, and now we have been fighting for over a year. Goguryeo is a tiny place; can it outlast our vast Great Nation? If there is an opportunity to destroy them, we should naturally strike in one go and end it in one battle, which will also save Goguryeo from disturbing our borders in the future."

Having set this tone, the group returned to the city, and Wang Yan went home to wash and bathe—naturally, he washed with Xiao Mei.

Having not seen each other for a long time, Xiao Mei, who was in her thirties and even more sensitive, was also very enthusiastic.

Scrubbing Wang Yan's back, Xiao Mei said, "Does my husband not intend to rebel?"

"Look at you, being impatient again. I've said it before: as long as there is peaceful and stable development, and as long as they don't want our lives, there's no need to be in a hurry."

"Does my husband have confidence in fighting Goguryeo?"

"Two more years will be enough to destroy their country."

"Then I think we should prepare early. When a subject is strong, the ruler is suspicious. My husband destroying the Turks, pacifying the Central Plains, and then destroying Goguryeo will surely be a merit that shakes the master. If there is no foreign threat from Goguryeo and the four directions are worry-free, I'm afraid my husband will have no place to use his skills.

Over the years, my husband has worked loyally for Yang Guang and offended I don't know how many people. Without the Central Plains, there are still Guanzhong and the great clans of the South. My husband will find it hard to escape the fate of the birds being gone and the bow being put away, the rabbit being dead and the dog being cooked..."

"My wife is far-sighted."

Wang Yan said with a chuckle, "Let's make preparations on a small scale first, and we'll see when I return to court after destroying Goguryeo. Perhaps Yang Guang will remember old feelings and not make things difficult for me. Even if he wants to kill me, he can't kill me as soon as I return; it won't be too late to act then, there will be time. The main thing is to prepare for the safety of our family; a family must be safe and sound. If one becomes a lonely person, being an emperor is not very interesting."

"Would it be interesting if you had a son like Yang Guang?" Xiao Mei couldn't help but complain, "Husband, to be an emperor is to be lonely and widowed."

"To be heartless and emotionless is not what a real man is; let's talk about it after truly sitting on that dragon chair."

With a faint smile, Xiao Mei asked, "How long will you stay at home?"

"Three days. I must hurry back; I won't return until Goguryeo is destroyed. You must look after things at home."

Wang Yan's time at home was indeed not long; he hadn't even been able to interact with all the concubines left behind. After attending two banquets and holding a few small meetings, he hurriedly packed his bags and went to Yuguan.

For pacifying the rebellion in the Central Plains, Yang Guang promoted him to Pillar of State, added some fiefs, and granted titles to several of his children. The title of Duke of Wu that Yang Guang had long promised had still not been realized. Yang Guang said the title would not be moved for now; it would be granted after destroying the Turks, which was reasonable and fair.

This was indeed the truth; the title of "Wu" was still very heavy, and it wasn't something that could be used for just any merit. Moreover, Wang Yan had sworn to destroy Goguryeo, so it wouldn't have any impact sooner or later, and it wasn't that Yang Guang was stingy.

Yang Guang had always been quite generous.

It was just that, as Xiao Mei said, without foreign threats, whether Yang Guang would be willing to continue being generous was uncertain.

However, this question was not worth deep thought; when the time came, everything would be clear...

Wang Yan rode fast to Yuguan and recalled Li Jing, who had lost two circles of weight.

This was the pressure on the Regional Commander. To get information quickly, Li Jing had gone directly to the front line to command. He didn't have Wang Yan's ability to efficiently dispatch troops from hundreds of miles away and avoid traps; he could only watch at close range.

At the same time, he lacked mature experience and such powerful coordinating ability. At first, he was flustered, and even after adapting, he was like walking on thin ice, trembling with fear.

In the half year he was in charge, he didn't sleep for two hours a day, dealing with military affairs at high intensity every day, and his hair had turned quite white.

"General!"

Seeing Wang Yan, Li Jing, who looked like a beggar, shouted, his voice full of relief.

He was indeed relieved. After shouting "General," he fainted. The pressure had been too great, and with no one to discuss things with—and even if he did, he was the one who made the final decision—a slight carelessness meant the lives of thousands of soldiers, and a slight negligence meant the collapse of the entire front line.

Now, General Wang, who was like a mountain in his heart, had returned, and the burden on him was finally lifted; he was finally at ease. With this relaxation, his tense spirit finally collapsed.

Wang Yan reached out to lift Li Jing up, had people carry him to rest, took his pulse, and prescribed medicine to replenish his body's deficiency.

This sleep lasted three days. Of course, he must have woken up in the middle, eaten and drunk simply, and then continued to sleep. Only then did he recover, but his body was extremely weak.

Wang Yan didn't bother him anymore, but let him stay by his side to do staff work. After understanding the progress of the war, Wang Yan made some targeted adjustments and turned directly from defense to offense.

Right before Li Jing's stunned eyes, Wang Yan used the same forces to make Goguryeo dizzy, showing a huge gap.

Of course, this was only the initial stage; the gap in overall forces was too large. But after holding on for this moment, the one hundred thousand troops that had been transferred away were in position and directly thrown into the battle. Taking advantage of the winter, they pushed the front line to where it was before the Central Plains rebellion and continued to advance...

Yang Guang was right; the situation in Goguryeo was indeed bad. The place was small and the output was low. Even though they occupied a part of the fertile Northeast region, development was insufficient.

After more than half a year of fierce defensive battles and more than half a year of tug-of-war, Goguryeo's finances were almost on the verge of collapse. The reason it hadn't collapsed yet was, of course, because of high-pressure rule, constantly exploiting and oppressing the Goguryeo people to cover military expenses. Various internal construction projects were basically completely stopped, and production and life were all centered around the war; there wasn't much time for farming.

Now that Wang Yan, who had pacified the Central Plains rebellion, was commanding the troops again and directing the battle, and the one hundred thousand troops that had been transferred away were refilled, and more importantly, Wang Yan didn't need to be distracted by guarding the Central Plains region and could exert the true power of the three hundred thousand-strong army, it was a true catastrophe for Goguryeo.

They found the intensity of the war unprecedentedly fierce and the rhythm unprecedentedly fast, so fast that they were overwhelmed and had no way to seek peace, so they had to grit their teeth and endure, suffering Wang Yan's ruthless whipping.

At the same time, as time passed, the problems of long-term high pressure were constantly exposed, and the blow of constant defeat destroyed internal unity and disrupted military morale. Various problems in Goguryeo continued to erupt, leading to a continuous decline in fighting will, and combat effectiveness naturally continued to decrease.

Thus, the weaker they became, the weaker they were, and the stronger they were, the stronger they were. The Great Sui army, under Wang Yan's command, sang and advanced, creating a new miracle for ancient dynasties...

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? (End of chapter)