novelraw Chapter 389 - 5: Who Can Take the Wondrous Head?
Chapter 389 - 5: Who Can Take the Wondrous Head?
Just some rebels, what can they do?
The flames of war ignite across the land!
With the Gu Clan’s involvement, the entire situation of the world has spiraled out of control.
Yang Guang no longer has the mind to target the Gu Clan.
He must quell the rebellion!
If he cannot completely suppress this momentum, then the tranquility of his Great Sui will likely be lost forever!
Yang Guang stood up again.
He even faintly felt once more, as if he was leading the army like in his days as King Jin.
But what does it matter?
As they say, pulling one hair moves the entire body, especially in the current situation where fires burn across Kyushu.
Yang Guang wants to strike Yifang with a thunderous force, but that is impossible.
The heroes of the four directions may have their different desires.
But as long as Yang Guang stands, he remains their common enemy!
They will exhaust every means to completely defeat Yang Guang!
The entire world is engulfed in a bloodbath.
Naturally, someone has come to find the Gu Clan!
In fact, for the heroes of the world, seeing the world reach this point in such a short time, they already harbor some suspicions.
Who in the world, if not the Gu Clan, could strike such a ruthless blow from all angles against the court?
But this is just a guess.
They seek the Gu Clan to gain its support!
The current situation is such that whenever the world descends into chaos, the influence of the Gu Clan rises!
If they can win the support of the Gu Clan.
That would be a tremendous boost for all of them!
But Gu Yu has yet to make any decision.
Toward the various lords.
He maintains the same attitude.
As the Patriarch of the Gu Clan, every choice he makes relates to the rise and fall of the entire family, leaving him little room for imprudence.
The situation becomes increasingly turbulent.
Although Yang Guang has focused his mind on internal affairs.
The domestic situation still makes the entire Sui court’s affairs increasingly difficult.
The key issue remains the instability of the military’s morale!
Yang Guang’s temperament has been completely formed.
A person accustomed to lavish living cannot return to frugal days.
Yang Guang is just like this now.
He has become used to controlling everything, and cannot revert to the state of King Jin, who endured everything to fight for the Crown Prince’s position.
Whenever the situation slightly goes against his wishes, he would execute generals to vent his anger.
This causes the entire Sui Army, from top to bottom, to live in fear day and night, unable to fully commit to quelling the rebellion.
The foundations of the Great Sui have rapidly deteriorated.
The fall of the nation—
These two familiar yet strange words have unconsciously appeared in everyone’s minds.
In just a few short years.
The Great Sui has reached a point of no return.
....
Taiyuan.
Li Yuan has had a particularly difficult time these past years.
Ever since Yang Guang ascended to the throne, his days have never been peaceful.
Yang Guang does not trust him.
If not for a series of self-abasing measures and the situation at hand, Li Yuan might not have been able to assume power even today.
But even so, Yang Guang persistently sends people to monitor Li Yuan.
This makes Li Yuan very uneasy.
Especially with the situation in recent years, it has made him feel anxious.
He is, after all, Yang Guang’s relative by blood.
Under the current circumstances, whether or not Yang Guang can successfully quell the rebellion, Li Yuan cannot see any path for survival for himself.
It seems his only path to survival is to fight for it himself, as many have already advised him to do.
But Li Yuan has never taken that step.
Nonetheless, Li Yuan is making a series of preparations, encouraging his eldest son Li Jiancheng to associate with capable talents, while also using the pretext of quelling the rebellion to continuously recruit soldiers and accept the surrender of rebel forces.
This provides many with food for thought.
However, Li Yuan indeed needs another support!
Either truly forced to the brink, or imbued with full confidence!
Only thus.
Li Yuan might truly take that step!
At this time, in Jinyang.
Li Shimin, clad in armor, quickly walked into the government office. The assistant director of Jinyang Palace, Pei Ji, first cupped his hands in greeting, then asked, "Lord Pei, about my father..."
"Sigh."
Pei Ji sighed deeply and shook his head before Li Shimin could finish.
He naturally knew what Li Shimin wanted to ask.
Just a few days ago, Li Shimin had already found him, and what they talked about naturally was helping Li Yuan take that official step.
As one of Li Yuan’s absolute confidants.
Pei Ji still held considerable influence with Li Yuan.
But unfortunately—
Perhaps because this matter was too critical, even Pei Ji had not said much to urge Li Yuan.
Seeing this, Li Shimin’s face flashed a look of helplessness.
Although he was still young, only sixteen, the sharpness in him was not diminished in the slightest.
Over the years.
Li Shimin had already achieved some merits.
He was no longer the child in swaddling clothes, but had gradually become a very sharp sword.
Moreover, unlike in original history, as Li Shimin grew older, Gu Yi had also paid close attention to him.
Li Shimin greatly admired Gu Chen.
And was deeply influenced by him.
The current chaotic world was a fortunate event for Li Shimin, giving him the opportunity to emulate the past when Gu Chen swept through the world!
He wanted to push Li Yuan to rise also because he saw through the current world.
The Sui Dynasty was destined to perish.
This was Li Shimin’s very certain judgment.
Yang Guang had already thoroughly enraged the entire world, and coupled with those rumors from all sides, he could no longer continue to be the Emperor.
Even if he suppressed rebellions now, it would only be the last struggle.
As a relative of Yang Guang.
If they did not rise, waiting for the future when the country had a new ruler, their Li clan was destined for a tragic end.
He believed that Li Yuan could also see all this.
But he didn’t know why Li Yuan still hesitated to take this step.
The flickering candlelight cast changing shadows on the two men in the tent.
Pei Ji’s eyes moved slightly, as if a sudden inspiration broke the silence: "Young master, I do have a plan."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin’s eyes immediately brightened. He folded his hands together and bowed solemnly to Pei Ji, sincerely saying, "Lord Pei, I humbly request your guidance from your profound insights!"
Pei Ji, however, did not rush to speak and slowly paced to Li Shimin’s side.
He lowered his posture and whispered a few words in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Before he finished speaking, Li Shimin’s expression instantly turned cold like frost, and after a long pause, he slowly shook his head: "This matter requires careful consideration."
"This..." Pei Ji was slightly stunned, his eyes full of confusion, "What do you mean, young master?"
Li Shimin gazed at the flickering candle flame, his throat moved slightly as if weighing his words: "If we could obtain the assistance of the Gu Clan, do you think my father would be determined to raise the banner of justice?"
"The Gu Clan?!" Pei Ji’s face suddenly changed.
He lowered his gaze to his clasped hands, fingers unconsciously rubbing the lines on his palm: "Young master may not know, the Gu Clan has hidden from the world for many years. Moreover, the matter of Gu Zhe back then..."
He didn’t finish speaking, but the implication was already clear.
Li Yuan, as Yang Guang’s cousin, had old grievances with the Gu Clan and no bargaining chip sufficient to move them. How could this matter be easy?
Moreover, compared to other feudal lords under heaven, what advantage does Li Yuan have now that could make the Gu Clan willing to help?
Li Shimin took a deep breath, his sleeve brushing over the table as the bamboo slips on the table trembled lightly: "Lord Pei, as the saying goes, those who achieve great deeds do not concern themselves with minor details."
"If we can make my father take this crucial step, no matter how difficult the obstacles, we should not fear!"
Hearing this, Pei Ji was greatly shaken, finally understanding the determination in the boy’s eyes—
He intended to set up a scheme in the name of the Gu Clan to push Li Yuan to rise!
This could certainly work.
In the current situation, gaining the support of the Gu Clan would be like having a stabilizing force.
But such a move would surely come at a cost.
Why hasn’t any hero under heaven borrowed the name of the Gu Clan?
Because once this is done, it will certainly come with a cost, and a slight misstep could push the Gu Clan further away, causing an unimaginable chain reaction.
Pei Ji’s expression was extremely serious as he carefully weighed the gains and losses of the situation.
But Li Shimin seemed to have already made up his mind and, looking seriously at Pei Ji, said: "If our Li Clan can bring about a peaceful and prosperous era, why would a family like the Gu Clan harbor ill will towards us?"
Li Shimin’s tone was exceptionally firm, his resolute face full of ambition.
In fact, he always had the desire to make connections with the Gu Clan.
Whether it was for what Gu Chen left behind or for the sake of the entire world.
Li Shimin harbored endless ambition in his heart.
He had long set his goal, which was to recreate the past feats of Gu Chen.
To make the Ten Directions Expedition Envoy reappear in the world.
To fight until this chaotic world was stable again; to fight until no one in the entire world dared to proclaim themselves king!...
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