I Can Control My Ancestors

Chapter 391 - 6: Chaos Sweeps the Land, Fanning the Flames

And Yang Guang completely incited public anger!

The ambitions of the feudal lords and the anger in the hearts of the people predestined this chaotic era to be extraordinary.

But who could be blamed for this?

When Yang Guang did all those things without regarding the people of the world as human, his fate was already sealed.

However, now it is entirely different from history.

Perhaps it is precisely because there was no third expedition against Goguryeo that Yang Guang still possesses some power and, compared to the feudal lords rising in rebellion, he remains the strongest.

But the problem lies in.

The current Sui Army is disillusioned.

Yang Guang’s fickle temper, obstinacy, and cruelty have made everyone lose confidence in him.

This kind of army cannot possibly unleash its full strength.

Even if Yang Guang can continue to hold on, it’s merely a slow death.

He did indeed attempt a series of strategies.

In fact, Yang Guang, although not comparable to those top talents, reaching this point from being a second son shows that he does have some abilities.

When he gradually realized he couldn’t suppress the rebelling armies all around, he tried various methods.

Allowing local forces to suppress revolts, negotiating peace and granting amnesty to rebel kings, and even using all sorts of tactics to sow discord among the rebel kings, causing them to kill each other.

In fact, in current circumstances.

Some of Yang Guang’s methods could have been effective!

But—

The problem is there are too many rumors about him, and the people’s anger has been completely ignited!

If not for these rumors.

Yang Guang’s current situation definitely wouldn’t have ended up like this!

Because whether it’s his recruitment efforts or sowing discord.

No one dares to trust.

Who would be willing to work under Yang Guang?

Even the generals under his command have gradually developed disloyalty.

As for sowing discord, it is the same.

The anger of the people is fully aroused; the current Kyushu is not the completely morally degenerate Kyushu.

Although not comparable to the Former Han period now.

But "patricide" is still one of the unforgivable sins, not to mention that Yang Guang has done so many wrong things.

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

As for the truth of all these rumors, no one really cares.

That is the terrifying aspect of rumors.

Yang Guang’s cruel image has long been deeply rooted in the people’s hearts, with no one even considering these things.

Of course, Yang Guang did not refrain from prohibiting the spread of rumors and millenarian beliefs.

For this matter, he even executed many people.

But unfortunately...

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

In the twelfth year of Daye.

Yuwen Shu — this general whom Yang Guang relied on the most, died of illness on the way to suppress rebellion.

This seemed to declare the end of an era entirely.

Yuwen Shu had a high influence in the Sui Army.

His death dealt another fatal blow to the entire Sui Army.

On the other hand, the attacks of the various rebel kings became increasingly fierce.

Within the same year.

Sui Army’s general Zhang Xutuo fell into an ambush and was killed in battle at Xingyang’s Daxisesi due to being careless and advancing rashly.

Numerous casualties befell his Sui troops.

His subordinate generals, Qin Shubao, Luo Shixin, and others defected to the Wagang Army.

The entire situation of the world became more turbulent.

Under such a string of blows, Yang Guang seemed to have smelled the scent of death.

His moods grew increasingly erratic.

Despite ordering to ban the dissemination of millenarian beliefs and superstition and admonishing his ministers not to believe in these, he was deeply affected himself.

Because of the rumor "Celestial Mandate over the Lis," he successively executed nobles like Li Hun and Li Min, and because of "eyes with double pupils," he executed the Right Guard General Yu Juro.

A series of actions.

Led to the increasing disillusionment of his ministers.

In addition, Yang Guang refused to view reports of defeats from various places, nor did he manage the reports of rebels appearing here and there.

Each system of the court fell apart one after the other.

The Guanlong clans switched allegiances one by one, and local officials either declared independence or surrendered to the rebel kings.

With the successive passing of several major generals.

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

No one could reverse it!

To this point today, there was no one who could stop the collapse of the Sui Dynasty’s rule.

No—

Perhaps there was a chance.

If only Yang Guang could gain the support of the Gu Clan, then pass the throne to his heir and commit suicide to apologize, winning back the people’s hearts, the Sui Dynasty’s social order might stand a slight chance.

But would Yang Guang do so?

If possible, Yang Guang would even want to slaughter the Gu Clan right now.

He couldn’t care less anymore.

But regrettably—

The rebels everywhere continued to rise, giving him not even the slightest chance.

Even he himself had given up.

It was under this situation that Yang Guang made a decision that shocked everyone.

—to escape to Jiangdu!

He planned to completely abandon the entire Central Plains and the north.

Any fame and fortune;

Any uniqueness through the ages;

By now, Yang Guang no longer thinks about such things, he only wants to survive.

No one opposed Yang Guang’s idea.

The current court had decayed to the bone.

What’s more, they too wanted to survive.

Yang Guang left the major towns of Luoyang and Daxing to be defended by his two grandsons, Yang You and Yang Dong, who were both under fifteen, while he took the majority of the court officials and elite troops southwards to Jiangdu.

The Great Sui—

From this day forth came to a complete end!

Regardless of how things turn out in the future, just looking at the impact now.

Yang Guang had already tacitly acknowledged that the Great Sui had become a divided regime akin to the North and South Han.