ATPnovel Chapter 138 Internal Strife in Wagang is About to Begin
Chapter 138 Internal Strife in Wagang is About to Begin
Fortunately, Lü Xiao now holds the high position of Prince of Shuo and commands a large army, so finding a recluse is not difficult for him.
According to his subordinates, Du Ruhui has been found and will be sent to Luoyang today, arriving at the Prince of Shuo's residence.
Sure enough, less than half a day later, Gao Le, the general of the Red Vanguard Army, hurriedly arrived at the Prince's residence, bowed, and said:
"Your Highness, the person has been brought back."
After saying that, he turned to the side and pointed behind him.
Two Red Guard soldiers were standing to one side, carrying a bulging sack.
Fang Xuanling, standing next to Lü Xiao, was stunned when he saw this scene, and his lips twitched slightly.
No, when the Prince of Shuo's mansion seeks out talented individuals, can't they simply invite them?
"Outrageous! This is robbery!"
"I told you, I don't want to serve as an official in the imperial court, don't you understand? Let me out right now!"
Amidst the struggle, an extremely angry voice rang out.
Before Lü Xiao could speak, Yang Ruyi interrupted, hugging Lü Zhen and saying with a smile:
"No one asked you to serve as an official in the imperial court. We want to invite you to be my son's tutor."
"..."
The struggle inside the sack stopped instantly, and Du Ruhui poked his head out of the sack, his face full of astonishment.
He was, after all, from the Du family of Jingzhao, even though he had now resigned from his official post and gone into seclusion.
But it shouldn't have come to the point of being a teacher to an unknown child.
Whose son is so noble that he would deign to be a teacher?
He composed himself and tentatively asked, "Whose child do you want me to tutor?"
"This is the Shuo Prince's residence," Lü Xiao said calmly, then turned to Fang Xuanling and waved his hand.
"Xuanling, this person is yours."
He is straightforward and not good with words.
He usually dealt with military officers, but when it came to dealing with scholars, he still had to let Fang Xuanling handle it.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Immediately afterwards, Fang Xuanling led Du Ruhui to a side hall for a talk.
Before long, Fang Xuanling returned with Du Ruhui.
At this moment, Du Ruhui had already straightened his clothes, bowed to Lü Xiao, and spoke sincerely:
"My name is Du Ruhui, courtesy name Keming, paying my respects to Your Highness Prince Shuo!"
Clearly, after Fang Xuanling's conversation and persuasion, Du Ruhui was convinced and decided to stay at the Prince of Shuo's residence for the time being.
However, he also had his own considerations.
He wanted to take the opportunity to observe whether Lü Xiao was like those corrupt and incompetent court officials.
If Lü Xiao were also someone obsessed with power and indifferent to the lives of ordinary people, he would still secretly leave.
Lu Xiao looked at Du Ruhui, who was bowing respectfully, and smiled, his tone solemn:
"From now on, Zhen'er's studies will be entrusted to you and Xuanling."
"Please rest assured, Your Highness!"
Seeing the two men's respectful demeanor, Lü Xiao felt completely relieved.
With the guidance of two top scholars, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, he no longer needed to worry about Lü Zhen's studies.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were wise ministers who were remembered throughout history for their strategic planning and decisive actions.
With their careful guidance, Lü Zhen will certainly not be too bad off in the future.
Having resolved his son's academic issues, Lü Xiao was finally able to free up his mind to concern himself with matters of state.
He never expected that Yang Guang would start causing trouble again less than a month after returning to Luoyang.
And this time, it's more ruthless than ever before.
Yang Guang showed no mercy to the powerful families who had made contributions in the past, and once again launched a fierce crackdown.
The construction of the canal forced powerful families to contribute money and grain, sharing the costs.
The imperial examination system was vigorously promoted, and this time the examination was completely different from the past.
Yang Guang specially dispatched a large number of his trusted confidants to various regions to supervise matters related to the imperial examinations.
It was strictly forbidden for powerful and influential families to interfere in the imperial examinations or engage in favoritism and corruption.
If any aristocratic family is found to have interfered with the imperial examinations, at the very least, their members will be stripped of their official positions.
In severe cases, the family property is confiscated and the entire family is executed; the methods are ruthless and leave no room for compromise.
Looking at Yang Guang's series of actions, Lü Xiao sighed inwardly.
He finally understood why powerful families were so determined to kill Yang Guang.
However, for Lü Xiao, this is actually a good thing.
The world is like a game of chess. The more fiercely Yang Guang fights with the powerful clans, the more chaotic the game becomes.
If the battle drags on to the point where it's completely out of control, we can simply overturn the chessboard.
If Huang Chao could do it, why couldn't Lü Xiao?
He was eager for powerful clans to openly rebel and defy Yang Guang, as long as they dared to plot a rebellion.
He then had a legitimate reason to lead troops to suppress them, confiscate their homes, and exterminate their clans.
Then let Yuwen Chenglong take his Guanshan Taibao to dig up the ancestral graves of those aristocratic families.
……
As a result of Yang Guang's repressive measures, various regions of the Sui Dynasty gradually became unstable.
Meanwhile, within Wagang Village, the Zheng family members interacted more and more frequently, and the two sides became increasingly close.
At this moment, inside the main hall of Wagang Village.
The group gathered together, their expressions solemn, discussing important matters concerning the future of Wagang Village.
"Berkham, tell everyone what we agreed on before."
Li Mi sat upright in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and slowly began to speak.
"Master Shan, there is something I must tell you. Please forgive me."
Wang Bodang stood up, his gaze first falling on Shan Xiongxin, a hint of apology on his face.
Shan Xiongxin frowned, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind, and asked, "What do you mean by 'commonplace' or 'uncommon'?"
"Although Wagangzhai is growing stronger, it is still extremely difficult for us to overthrow the Sui Dynasty."
Therefore, we want to sound out Lijiakou in Taiyuan. If we can form an alliance with them, we can help each other and work together for a greater cause.
This decision was made after much discussion among Li Mi, Xu Maogong, Wang Bodang, Qin Qiong, and others.
Although Yang Guang pacified the northern deserts and destroyed Goguryeo.
However, internally, they continued to do things their own way, using the people's resources to the extreme.
In the imperial court, the suppression of powerful families became increasingly ruthless, leading to a complete loss of popular support.
With chaos looming, Wagangzhai needs a powerful ally if it wants to gain a foothold and even conquer the world.
Previously, Li Mi had secretly sent people to contact Chai Shao and learned that the Li family also harbored thoughts of resisting the Sui Dynasty.
If an alliance could be formed with the Li family, it would be entirely beneficial to Wagangzhai.
However, the unstable factor of Shan Xiongxin still needs to be addressed.
"Why must it be the Li family?" Upon hearing the words "Li family of Taiyuan," Shan Xiongxin's expression instantly changed. "I can join my brothers in rebellion, but I will never agree to join forces with the Li family!"
"Master Shan, please reconsider this matter. Our shared ambition is paramount!"
Xu Maogong, who was standing nearby, quickly got up to persuade him.
"Yes, Master Shan!"
"We are all people destined for great things; how can we let personal grudges hold us back?"
The other Wagang generals also spoke up to offer their advice.
"I, Shan Xiongxin, will never join forces with my enemies!"
Shan Xiongxin's eyes were bloodshot, and he felt that these brothers had become completely unfamiliar to him.