plumnovel Chapter 102 Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; one must be placed in a life-or-death situation
Chapter 102 Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; one must be placed in a life-or-death situation
Yuwen Huaji and Yang Xuangan, leading five hundred imperial guards, swept away like a wild whirlwind, leaving behind only a mess and the lingering arrogance in the air.
The training ground was deathly silent.
All eyes were on the young figure standing below the reviewing stand.
Yang Yan slowly turned around.
He looked into those bloodshot eyes, which were filled with unease and anticipation, and said nothing grand.
He calmly straightened his slightly disheveled sleeves and said softly, "You heard everything?"
No one spoke, only the sound of rapid breathing.
"They will also send us five hundred warhorses and one hundred and fifty sets of fine iron armor."
Yang Yan suddenly laughed, a laugh that carried a chilling madness and confidence.
"What a kind benefactor! He was worried that we wouldn't have enough equipment for our trip to Lingnan, so he rushed to give us gifts."
"Qin Qiong! Li Jing! Li Mi!"
"Your subordinate is here!" the three shouted in unison, their voices booming like bells.
"Li Jing will be the commander, Li Mi will assist him, and Qin Qiong will be the general. Immediately conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the thirty-mile stretch of mountains and forests on the south bank of Kunming Pool, and carry out sand table simulations. If we are going to fight, we must win. Enough with the nonsense, everything is at Li Jing's command!"
Yang Yan suddenly clenched his fist and roared out the words that weighed heavily on everyone's chests: "One last sentence!"
"Five days later, at Kunming Pool, we'll skin them alive, steal their armor, and make them kneel on the ground, calling us 'Grandpa!'"
"roar--!!!"
The roar of 1,500 soldiers was like a long-suppressed volcano finally erupting at dusk, shooting straight into the sky and shattering the evening glow.
Even the usually composed Li Jing felt his blood boiling with excitement. Looking at Yang Yan's retreating figure, the thought in his mind grew clearer: This prince might truly be able to change the world!
……
Daxing Palace, side hall of Liangyi Hall
The scent of ambergris in the hall was heavy and somber, but it couldn't suppress the chilling aura emanating from Prince Yang Guang of Jin.
He stood with his hands at his sides below the steps, his posture respectful as ever, only his slightly clenched fingertips betraying the turmoil in his heart.
"...It's not that I can't tolerate my nephews and nieces, but this matter concerns the laws and regulations of the country, and I have no choice but to investigate it." Yang Guang's voice was calm and clear, and every word was carefully considered.
"The 'Changning Breaking Formation Army'... Father, this name is not in accordance with the regulations for a prince's guard; it is tantamount to a private army. Yan'er is young and impetuous, eager for achievements. I fear that he will be misled by the unscrupulous people around him and go astray. I also fear that if this precedent is set, brave men throughout the land will follow suit and establish their own private armies, which would endanger the national military system. I beg Father to issue a decree to issue a warning and set the record straight."
After sitting down at his desk, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, did not review the memorials as usual.
He leaned against the armchair with his eyes closed, his fingers unconsciously stroking a warm, smooth jade pendant, a gift from Empress Dugu years ago. The only sound in the hall was the ticking of the water clock.
After a long while, Yang Jian slowly opened his eyes. His eyes, which had witnessed countless vicissitudes and created a unified empire, held little emotion, only a deep and unfathomable calm.
"Have you finished speaking?" The emperor's voice was not loud, but it carried an invisible pressure.
Yang Guang's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed even lower: "Your subject... speaks from the bottom of his heart, hoping only for the eternal peace of the nation."
"Yong'an?" Yang Jian suddenly chuckled, his laughter revealing neither joy nor anger, yet it instantly made Yang Guang's back straighten. "Yang Yan is at the drill ground outside the city, selecting soldiers for our Great Sui Dynasty, promising them the honor of expanding the country's territory. For a mere child to dare to personally venture into a pestilent land as a grandson of the emperor, I do admire his courage."
Yang Guang suddenly looked up, a look of disbelief and astonishment flashing in his eyes: "Father! But is it that name, 'Breaking Formation Army'..."
"What's wrong with the name?" Yang Jian interrupted him, his gaze sharp as lightning, piercing straight at him. "A mere name can shake my empire? I think you, as my uncle, are too scheming."
These words, though spoken lightly, carried immense weight, striking Yang Guang's heart like a hammer blow. His face instantly paled.
"If he truly has the ability to train a force in Lingnan capable of 'breaking through enemy lines,' that is his skill and a blessing for the Sui Dynasty." Yang Jian closed his eyes again, as if weary. "It's far more practical than some people who only scheme against their own nephews and nieces in the capital."
"Father, I had no such intention!" Yang Guang hurriedly knelt down, his inner robe soaked with cold sweat.
"Whether you have this intention or not, you know it in your heart." Yang Jian waved his hand, as if brushing away an annoying fly.
"Yangzhou is a vital city of the nation and cannot be left behind for long. Now that you have completed your report, you should set off for home tomorrow. Manage the affairs of Jiangnan diligently and do not disappoint my expectations."
Back to Yangzhou!
Yang Guang felt as if struck by lightning, a chilling mix of fear, resentment, and rage rising from the depths of his heart.
His carefully prepared attack not only failed to bring down Yang Yan, but also drew such a blunt warning and expulsion from his father!
"...Your subject obeys the decree." He touched the ground with his head, his voice hoarse, suppressing all the surging emotions into the deepest shadows in his eyes.
The suffocating silence inside the Liangyi Hall was broken by a muffled thud only after the corner of the prince's robe had completely disappeared into the corridor outside the hall.
"Bang!"
Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, slammed his palm heavily on the imperial desk, causing the brush holder and inkstone to jump. The unfathomable expression on the face of this founding emperor was gone, replaced by a chilling anger that came from having his bottom line crossed.
"One or two...do they all think I'm old and senile?!"
"I sent him to Lingnan to gain experience and show him the hardships of governing the country, not to make him a mountain bandit and use the banner of the 'Breaking Formation Army'!"
Yang Jian tapped his fingers on the imperial desk again: "Privately establishing titles, arbitrarily promising generous rewards, and now even making such a childish bet with the Imperial Guards... Which of these isn't a taboo? Which of these isn't giving others ammunition against you?"
"He thinks that having a bit of quick wit and being able to incite the army means he knows how to govern a country and how to command troops? How naive!"
Yang Jian suddenly opened his eyes: "How did Yuwen Hu fall? How did I gain my empire? It all started with those eight words: 'privately establishing titles and secretly amassing followers'! He's my grandson, is he going to follow in the footsteps of those dead bones in their tombs?!"
……
As night fell as dark as ink, the hustle and bustle of Daxing City gradually subsided with the sound of the curfew drums.
Inside the study of the Prince of Changning's mansion, candlelight flickered.
"Changning Breaking Formation Army..."
Yang Yan sat at his desk, toying with a warm, smooth Duan inkstone in his hand, a bitter, self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.
At that moment, on the training ground, his blood boiled, and in order to intimidate Yuwen Huaji and to win back the hearts of the 1,500 scattered people, he shouted out this name.
At that moment, it was truly exhilarating, and the eyes of those guards did indeed change.
Beneath the surface of this "prosperous Kaihuang era," in this sensitive period where even having an extra suit of armor made for the Crown Prince's palace would be considered treason, a grandson of the emperor born out of wedlock dared to privately give his troops a "military" title, and even call them "Breaking the Formation."
What did this mean in the eyes of the suspicious Emperor Yang Jian?
It's ambition.
It is an overstepping of authority.
Do they want to emulate the powerful ministers of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, or do they want to follow the example of the Guanzhong aristocratic families who are now eager to make their move and start their own private armies?
"This step was too big, so big that it almost tore my balls off."
Yang Yan took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Instead of waiting for others to skin me alive, I'd rather peel off a layer of skin myself first and show them!"
"Not only should we admit our mistakes, but we should also turn these 'mistakes' into 'acts of national concern' that we have no choice but to make."