The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 601: Shanglin Garden, Yang Guang sits up in shock in his coffin

Li Gongzifan led hundreds of elite cavalrymen to destroy a temple outside Luokou City, killing over 200 monks and seizing a fortune...

Li Gongzi Fan led hundreds of elite cavalrymen to destroy a temple outside Luoyang City, killing over 300 monks and seizing a fortune...

Li Gongzi Fan led hundreds of elite cavalrymen to destroy a temple outside Tongguan, killing over a hundred monks and seizing a large amount of wealth...

Li Gongzi Fan led hundreds of elite cavalrymen to destroy a temple outside Chang'an, killing over 300 monks and seizing a fortune...

Temples were destroyed one after another, a large amount of wealth disappeared in full view of the public, and the lives of nearly a thousand monks made Li Gongzifan famous. He came and went without a trace, and no one knew where he came from or where he went.

He appeared suddenly and disappeared inexplicably, as if he had appeared out of thin air. He accomplished great feats that countless people could only imagine but not do, and then disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only his legend and a short poem.

I am a guest from heaven, and I came down to the mortal world with a sword.

Eradicate harmful insects and save the world and the people.

This short poem often appears on the walls of destroyed temples, eye-catching, dazzling, and meaningful. At the same time, the evidence of the destroyed temples' crimes will also appear on the scene in the form of documents, and the wealth that was robbed is only enough to feed tens of thousands of people for three to five months or even a year.

For the first time, the vast wealth of Buddhism was so clearly displayed before the eyes of the world. Just a few unnamed temples in the Great Sui Dynasty had so much wealth, how could it not make people jealous? Others might not understand, but the Wagang Army who actually robbed Li Gongzifan knew clearly how astonishing the treasures and food were.

Li Mi even thought about imitating Li Gongzi Fan. If he did it two or three more times, it would be enough to keep the 100,000 Wagang soldiers busy for a year. However, he just thought about it and did not dare to really do it. He was very clear about the power of Buddhism. After all, it was an existence that could suppress the Demon Sect, so it could not be overemphasized.

On the other side, the former King of Shu, Yang Xiu, led 8,000 guards, 3,000 eunuchs, more than 10,000 palace maids and a group of Yang Guang's concubines, and set off from Yangzhou, Jiangdu, on a dragon boat, escorting the coffin of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty all the way north. Wherever they passed, countless rebel troops surrounded them, and then they returned in defeat.

Du Fuwei, Fu Gongyou and Li Zitong were the first to take action and were also beaten the hardest. Yang Xiu had many elite soldiers under his command, and with excellent military equipment and masters in charge, he easily defeated the attacking enemies, allowing countless rebels to see the strong foundation of the declining royal family.

The petty thieves and villains in the underworld wanted to take advantage of them, but they found that this team was not only invincible in land battles, but also in water battles. The ships were huge and solid, with secret compartments, and thousands of elite players were also amazing at swimming. The Haisha Gang, Shuilong Gang, Jukun Gang, and Yellow River Gang all suffered heavy losses, and their entire army was almost wiped out when they sent out their men.

Seeing Yang Xiu's powerful strength, Li Mi did not dare to act rashly. Even if he wanted to, he did not have the strength. Wagang had no navy, and Zheng's fleet in Xingyang was destroyed by Yue Buqun early on, so he just escaped a disaster.

Wang Shichong of Luoyang was different. He directly led the important officials of Luoyang and the emperor's grandson Yang Tong to stop the huge dragon boat fleet.

"Your Majesty, Wang Shichong, respectfully invites you to Shanglin Garden (i.e., Xiyuan)." Wang Shichong was not a fool. On the contrary, when he saw Yang Xuyan appear at the front of the fleet, his mind suddenly turned, and countless ideas ran through his mind.

Yang Xuyan is the son of the former crown prince Yang Yong. He and the Sui Emperor Yang Guang have a deep hatred. If he had not saved his seven brothers, he would have fought with Yang Guang to the death. But how did he treat Yang Guang?

The three expeditions to Goguryeo ensured the invincibility of the Sui Dynasty, and the occupation of Liaodong and suppression of Goguryeo left a bit of face for Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty.

In the Battle of Yanmen City, he traveled tirelessly, took risks to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Turks, disguised himself as a rebel and attacked from both sides, contacted the Jiangdu and Luoyang armies in advance, and faced the Martial Master Bi Xuan head-on without giving an inch, ultimately turning Yang Guang's defeat into a complete victory.

Yang Guang never treated Yang Xuyan badly. Although it is not known whether he knew Yang Xuyan's true identity, the result was that Yang Xuyan was promoted from Marquis of Liaodong to Duke of Liaodong County, and his territory was increased to include Zhuo County, which doubled.

What Wang Shichong could not have imagined was that Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, for some unknown reason, actually sent his youngest daughter, Princess Ruyi, to Liaodong City. It was said that she was raised quite well by Yang Xuyan as his younger sister. There, she was a real little princess and was doted on. Almost no one treated her badly.

Yang Xiu and Yang Xuyan walked slowly over, and the emperor's grandson Yang Tong stepped forward respectfully and kowtowed to them, calling them "Fourth Emperor Grandpa" and "Uncle Xuyan". As the grandson of Yang Guang, his status was very high. If Yang Xiu and others had not come, Wang Shichong would have planned to make him emperor soon.

However, Yang Xiu, Yang Xuyan and their entourage were too ostentatious. Li Yuan, the boldest of all, had already established Dai Wang Yang You as emperor the previous year and remotely honored Sui Emperor Yang Guang as the Supreme Emperor. When news reached Jiangdu of Yu Wenzhi's rebellion and Yang Guang's murder, he eagerly pressured him to abdicate, naming the country the Great Tang and the reign title Wude.

Wang Shichong was jealous, but he also knew that Luoyang was no match for Chang'an. He was surrounded by enemies, and if he rashly proclaimed himself emperor, he would be torn to pieces by the vicious wolves on all sides. Moreover, he knew Yang Xuyan's true identity, and if he rashly proclaimed himself emperor, he would probably be backed by this ally.

But the throne of the emperor was too tempting, which made him have evil thoughts. Just as he was wavering, Yang Xiu's mighty dragon boat fleet arrived in Luoyang. The moment he saw Yang Xiu, Yang Xuyan and the elite army behind them, he knew that his hope was slim. He immediately suppressed his ambition, stepped forward to pay his respects, and expressed his thoughts.

Invite Yang Xiu and his group to settle in Shanglin Garden in Luoyang.

Shanglin Garden was the imperial garden built by Yang Guang, considered the most luxurious and magnificent in Luoyang. After the news of Yang Guang's murder reached Luoyang, some people in the city were tempted to take over, but a shadowy force thwarted them all. Those who dared to move in were slain, their hands cut off, those who moved were broken, and anyone who dared to live there was exterminated!

At this time, Wang Shichong began to have many speculations, and his heart became heavier. He suspected Yang Xiu, Yang Xuyan, the Dugu clan, and even Li Yuan, Li Mi, and even Buddhism. However...

Yang Xiu was not unfamiliar with Shanglin Garden in Luoyang. As a member of the royal family imprisoned by Yang Guang, he had basically been to every place Yang Guang had been to, and Shanglin Garden was no exception. The fleet sailed there in a swagger, and the guards, eunuchs, and palace maids disembarked and settled in an orderly manner. People kept emerging from the dark in Shanglin Garden and saluted them, which made Wang Shichong even more frightened.

Among them were eunuchs, gardeners, cooks, and grooms, but all of them were skilled in martial arts. Even the boy sweeping the floor looked extraordinary. He had never known that Yang Guang had such a trick up his sleeve in Shanglin Garden.

Yang Guang's coffin was dyed gold and carried into Shanglin Garden by four eunuchs of the innate level. Wang Shichong and Yang Tong were blocked at the periphery and were not allowed to enter the core.

When they reached the main hall and the coffin was opened, a middle-aged man in black fine clothes slowly sat up, stretched himself, and casually took the tea handed to him by his personal eunuch. He glanced at the dozen or so confidants below and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Fourth Brother, Shanglin Garden couldn't have been your doing, right? If that were the case, you wouldn't have been imprisoned by me for so long." Yang Guang's gaze swept past Pei Ju and landed on Yang Xuyan's face. "To be able to do this, I think it must be you. But when did you start planning this?"

Yang Xuyan nodded slightly and waved his hand gently around the area. With a whoosh, figures vanished without a trace. After a moment, he spoke, "Ever since Your Majesty built Shanglin Garden, I've been sending people there through the Buzhou Trading Company. During the first expedition against Goguryeo, I gained control of most of Shanglin Garden. After the Battle of Yanmen City, I completely infiltrated Shanglin Garden."

Yang Guang looked at him deeply and said, "Have you been certain that I would lose since that time?"

Yang Xuyan nodded confidently, looking at Yang Guang without giving in, and said, "Your Majesty may be powerful, but you have made too many enemies. Luoyang is also home to the Buddhist holy land of Jingnian Zen Temple. It is impossible for you to gain a permanent foothold."

"I can't, but you can?"

"I am the head of the Xiaoyao Sect of the Taoist sect, the master of the Bu Tian Dao of the Holy Sect, and a relative of the Sui Dynasty royal family. Why can't I do that?"