Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

"Li Mi sent Zu Junyan to issue a proclamation to the world, listing the ten major crimes of the tyrannical emperor."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall immediately became lively, and many people surrounded the scholar, showering him with criticism.

Left with no other choice, the middle-aged scholar stood on the counter and shouted, "Quiet! Quiet! Everyone, listen to me. I'm going to read it to you now!"

Once everyone had quieted down, the scholar nodded in satisfaction and immediately read...

"A Proclamation to Luoyang on Behalf of Li Mi"

"This is the question, which means..."

"Below is a list of the ten major crimes committed by that tyrannical ruler!"

"First, his ascension to the throne was illegitimate! When the late emperor was critically ill, he attended to the emperor in the palace, and the emperor, like a tyrant, poisoned him. This means..."

"Secondly, it corrupts human ethics! The behavior of beasts is characterized by mating, while the principles of human ethics are distinguished by their internal and external aspects. This means..."

"Third, he indulged in wine, wielded absolute power, and lived a secluded life in the deep palace, rarely seen by the emperor! What does this mean? It means that he held absolute power, treated all officials like servants, and ordered them around at will..."

"Fourth, they were ambitious and eager for quick success! They conscripted a million people to build..."

……

"Tenth, cunning and deceit! The foolish ruler, though holding the highest position, does not set an example for the people. Instead, he deceives his subordinates, fails to reward those who have rendered meritorious service, punishes the innocent, controls his officials, and fools the people, causing disunity throughout the court and the country..."

"Therefore, even if all the bamboo of the Southern Mountains were used to record his crimes, they would not be exhausted; even if the waves of the Eastern Sea were poured out, his evil deeds would not be completely washed away. Today, there are many who oppose the Sui Dynasty, and Lord Mi is a virtuous and capable man...!"

After the scholar finished reading, seeing Su Yuchen's gloomy face, Song Yuzhi gave him a look, and the warrior next to him quietly stepped forward and bought the "Proclamation to Luozhou on Behalf of Li Mi".

………………

Su Yuchen took the manifesto, glanced at it, and handed it to Song Yuzhi, asking, "What do you think of this manifesto?"

Song Yuzhi was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Does Master Shi think there's something wrong with this?"

Seeing that Su Yuchen didn't answer, she stuck out her tongue, carefully examined the proclamation, and asked in confusion, "Please enlighten me, Master Shi!"

Su Yuchen said calmly...

"This manifesto is biased."

"Firstly, this article is actually promoting Li Mi and is completely unjust; secondly, it is obsequious to powerful families and clans, and Zu Junyan has a servile look on his face, which makes people feel disgusted."

"Although Yang Guang had many flaws, his achievements were immense!"

"He conscripted laborers to build the Tongji Canal and the Yongji Canal, and dredged the Grand Canal. This made the Central Plains connected from north to south, and prevented the powerful families and clans of the world from having the opportunity to divide up Lingnan and become kings of the land."

"And to be honest, the Song family's ability to control Lingnan and maintain an army of 100,000 depends on this Grand Canal for its military expenses!"

"Not to mention your Song clan, which of the officials in the court isn't smuggling and selling goods from the north and south through the Grand Canal?"

"The biggest beneficiaries of this canal are first the powerful families like yours, then the merchants traveling between the north and south, and finally the ordinary people who suffer the most."

"And what about you people? You pick up your bowls to eat, and as soon as you put down your chopsticks, you start cursing. The ugliness of your faces is evident."

After he finished speaking, not only was Song Yuzhi filled with shame, but everyone in the inn also lowered their heads. They were able to travel between the north and south to sell their smuggled goods thanks to the Grand Canal.

Even those who were indignant couldn't voice their objections, only daring to mutter under their breath. The steward of the Song clan also looked unconvinced, but Song Yuzhi glared at him fiercely, cupped her hands, and said, "I will certainly remember Master Shi's teachings."

Su Yuchen shook his head and said:

"Whether you remember or not is none of my business. I just hope you understand that you shouldn't think too highly of yourselves. Compared to Yang Guang, none of you aristocratic families are innocent."

“You have used just as much of the people’s hard-earned money as Yang Guang, and you are even more despicable.”

………………

"Furthermore, Yang Guang built the Great Wall not only to defend against the Turks in the north and to protect the northern lands from the scourge of the grasslands, but his achievements were no less than those of emperors throughout history."

"Since Yang Guang ascended the throne, have the Northern Turks and Tiele tribes ever crossed the Great Wall and invaded southward on a large scale?"

"As for doing these things, the so-called conscription of laborers. I ask you, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the First Emperor establishing the dynasty, which dynasty did not conscript laborers?"

"How did Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, become the emperor? Wasn't it because the First Emperor conscripted laborers that he had the opportunity to gather his first group of followers?"

"Your Song family monopolizes Lingnan, without conscripting soldiers or collecting grain. What do you rely on? Isn't it those insignificant common people?"

"Can Li Mi succeed? Can he do it all by himself? Does he rely on the common people who form his army? Without the laborers and the people, what is Li Mi?"

"If your Song family gains control of the country in the future, will you stop conscripting laborers?"

"Who suffered the greatest losses in the three campaigns against Goguryeo? Yu Zhi should understand! That's right, it was the likes of the Yuwen Clan, Dugu Clan, and Li Clan, just like your Song Clan."

"Yang Guang intends to use the conquest of Goguryeo to weaken you powerful clans and eliminate your power to threaten the imperial authority."

"Yang Guang's goal was actually to eliminate you powerful clans. His goal was right, but his methods were too drastic."

"Because the methods were too drastic, the foundation accumulated at the beginning of the founding of the country was exhausted in a short period of time, and the national treasury was unable to provide disaster relief. You aristocratic families and clans were also fueling the fire behind the scenes."

"It can be said that half the responsibility for this chaos in the world lies with you aristocratic families, because you are unwilling to give up the power in your hands, and because of your greed and wickedness."

"If he could calm down and do these things over thirty or fifty years, he wouldn't give you ambitious people such an opportunity."

………………

After these words were spoken, the inn fell silent. Even those who had been discussing the matter a moment ago couldn't help but show thoughtful expressions.

"As for wielding absolute power and oppressing officials! Do you think we're going to hand over power to ambitious people like you? If your Song family gains power, would you just hand it over to someone else?"

Su Yuchen's questions left Song Yuzhi speechless.

Su Yuchen flicked his sleeves and said disdainfully, "Zu Junyanxing is a despicable man. His ugly face is so ugly, how dare he comment on the emperor of a country? Li Mi is shameless and a piece of trash. If we meet again on the road, I will kill him!"

Su Yuchen's undisguised disgust and murderous intent finally enraged the group in the inn. A burly man with a full beard stood up and said, "May I ask who you are? And what right do you have to comment on Master Mi!"

You bumped into Wang Bodang.

Su Yuchen said calmly:

"Yangzhou, Shilong!"

"What is Li Mi anyway? He's nothing but an ant that I can crush with a flick of my wrist!"

"If you are not convinced, let Li Mi make his statement and see if he can live for three days."

Upon hearing Su Yuchen's words, the man froze, his face turning deathly pale. Even today, the name of Shilong of Yangzhou is known to everyone in the world.

Thousands of miles away, a sword intent crippled Fu Cailin, and a blade intent entered Lingnan, making even the Heavenly Blade Song Que dare not claim to be number one. This was a figure surpassing even the three grandmasters. If he were to make a move, even Li Mi himself wouldn't be able to guarantee he would survive for three days.

Wang Bodang didn't dare say a word, and slunk out of the inn without looking back, heading far away.

Su Yuchen didn't even bother to glance at such a clown. He simply ordered, "Prepare pen and ink for me."

Song Yuzhi got up and asked the shopkeeper for some writing materials. Su Yuchen picked up the brush, concentrated for a moment, and wrote on the paper...

Everyone says that the Sui Dynasty fell because of this river.

Even now, thousands of miles away, the Tongbo River still flows through the region.

If there were no water palace and dragon boat event

Gong Yu's merits are numerous.

Song Yuzhi stared at the poem on the paper, mesmerized. Some bold and curious merchants glanced at it but couldn't understand it yet found it impressive.

Su Yuchen took the envelope from the side, signed his name, and handed it to Song Yuzhi, saying, "Send someone to deliver this letter to Linjiang Palace and give it to Yang Guang. With my signature, I believe no one will dare to intercept it; otherwise, they will have to bear my wrath."

Having said that, Su Yuchen had no further interest in talking and got up to return to his residence. His words and the half-finished poem spread like wildfire throughout the land.

Chapter 368 The Strange Man of Jingling

The next morning, Song Yuzhi delivered a message: "Li Yuan has raised an army in Taiyuan to rebel against the Sui Dynasty. He has submitted to the Turkic Shibi Khan and promised to offer all the spoils of his wares to the Khan in exchange for the Turks not invading south."

“Very good! This gives me another reason to hate the Li family,” Su Yuchen said calmly.

Song Yu said:

"Master Shi need not worry too much."

"Although Liu Wuzhou is allied with the Turks, he will not listen to them in everything. If Li Yuan marches his troops to Chang'an, Liu Wuzhou will definitely take the opportunity to attack Taiyuan."

"Moreover, the passes along the Guanzhong route are guarded by two Sui generals, Song Laosheng and Qu Tutong, so taking Guanzhong will not be so easy."

Su Yuchen stood up and said, "Yuzhi, you are wrong. I don't care if the Li clan submits to the Turks, as long as they don't let the Turkic cavalry into the pass. But if they hand over the common people of the Central Plains to the Turks as valuables, they are courting death."

Having said that, Su Yuchen didn't bother to say another word and got up to head towards the riverside dock. There, the Song Clan's merchant ships had already unloaded their cargo overnight, waiting for Su Yuchen to set sail for Jingling.

………………

Su Yuchen traveled south by boat and arrived near Jingling in just over twenty days.

Interestingly, when Su Yuchen was on the river, he saw the Jianghuai Army's navy from afar. According to the narrator's hint, the leader was Li Zitong, who was ordered by Du Fuwei to cut off the waterway.

For some unknown reason, Li Zitong glanced at the Song Clan's merchant ships from afar, then suddenly led his naval forces away. This was completely different from what Song Yuzhi had said.

Su Yuchen was unaware that, thanks to the propaganda of certain individuals, his appearance and attire had already spread to various factions, making him known to everyone. Furthermore, the Jianghuai Army, based in Liyang, naturally knew that 'Shilong' was no longer in Yangzhou but had headed north.

Therefore, upon seeing the figure on the ship, Li Zitong immediately chose to flee. After all, no one was confident in facing him alone. Of course, if Li Zitong had five or six thousand men in his navy, he might have dared to try a head-on confrontation.

Looking at the gates of Jingling from afar, this place was a rare haven of peace. Along the way, we rarely saw the bandits and soldiers who wreaked havoc like in other places, the narrator said...

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, when the world was in chaos, Fang Zetao, the general who guarded Jingling City, occupied Jingling and established Duba Manor, awaiting a wise ruler.

Fang Zetao, with his clan brothers as the core and the Jingling garrison as the foundation, built a semi-martial arts, semi-official force that radiated outwards from Jingling, protecting the territory and its people, and driving out rebel soldiers and bandits.

However, his fate was fraught with misfortune. He encountered Wanwan, a member of the Demonic Sect who wanted to seize power in Jingling. Between the throne and the beauty, which would he love more?

[With the witch Wanwan stirring up trouble outside, and brothers secretly admiring her from within, the political landscape of Jingling City is about to change.]

"You came at just the right time!"

Su Yuchen stepped into Jingling City, where the city was much more lively. Although there were still many worried faces, the people's spirits seemed to be quite good.

Su Yuchen's purpose in coming here was to abduct someone, namely Xu Xingzhi, who worked at Fang Zetao's Duba Manor. In his first life, Su Yuchen had occasionally heard from a friend that this man was a rare talent for governance, with strategies comparable to the "Fang Mou Du Du Du" under Li Er's command.

Whether it's consolidating Yangzhou first or leaving it to Song Shidao, this person is Su Yuchen's only choice.

[Xu Xingzhi, a native of Jingling, came from a poor family but was fond of learning. He traveled to many places to study. Later, Fang Zetao established the Duba Manor, and Xu Xingzhi went there to apply for a job, but his talents were not recognized. He is currently working as a clerk under Fang Daoyuan, the Right Vanguard of the Duba Manor.]

Xu Xingzhi possesses the talent to govern the world, and he has already noticed the abnormality in Jingling, feeling deeply worried. Today, he will remind Fang Daoyuan that, due to a lack of recognition, he has decided to leave Jingling and live in seclusion.

You can go to the 'Apricot Blossom Restaurant' in the east of the city to wait. He will go there in the evening to drown his sorrows and make up his mind to leave Jingling.

"It seems I can abduct this peerless talent without breaking a sweat." After reading the narration, Su Yuchen stopped a passerby to find out the location of the 'Apricot Blossom Tavern' and headed there.

Sure enough, as evening approached, Su Yuchen saw a middle-aged scholar walk in. He walked with composure and his eyes were sharp, clearly indicating that he was proficient in martial arts. There was a trace of sorrow between his brows and eyes. Although he had something on his mind, he was not flustered.

You have encountered Xu Xingzhi.

The middle-aged scholar glanced at Su Yuchen, walked over, sat down opposite him, smiled faintly, and calmly cupped his hands, saying, "Were you waiting for me, sir?"

"Oh?" Su Yuchen asked with a hint of curiosity, "Why is Mr. Xu so sure I'm waiting for you?"

Xu Xingzhi laughed and said, "I wasn't sure before, but now I am. Xu Xingzhi greets Master Shi!"

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, could you please elaborate?"

Xu Xingzhi remained calm and composed, and said...

"Then I, Xu, will try to say it! If there is anything wrong, Master Shi can point it out."

“First, I am a frequent visitor to the ‘Apricot Blossom Restaurant’, so I have a general idea of ​​what kind of people there are. This is Master Shi’s first time here, so I will naturally pay special attention to him.”

"Secondly, the bowl and chopsticks placed opposite Master Shi indicate that he is waiting for someone. The people who frequent this place are either rough men or ordinary people with a little spare money. Master Shi is not waiting for them."

"Thirdly, Master Shi himself possesses a unique charm. Sitting here, he is like a pearl among the sands, drawing people's attention involuntarily. Yet, it doesn't feel out of place. This contradictory and unusual quality is enough to prove that he is a martial arts master."

"Fourth, the details of Master Shi's clothing and appearance have already been known to those who are interested. If one is willing to investigate, one can naturally find out. And I happen to be that kind of person."

"Fifth, the remarks made by Shi Shi and the young lady of the Song clan regarding Yang Guang in the north have already reached Jingling. And it's not far from here. Judging by the time it takes, if you take a boat, you can reach Jingling in no time."

"A series of coincidences led me to naturally think that Master Shi had come to Jingling City."

Su Yuchen couldn't help but exclaim, "Brilliant reasoning, bold assumptions, and careful verification. Mr. Xu has not disappointed me."

Xu Xingzhi was slightly surprised and muttered to himself, "Make bold assumptions, verify carefully. I understood the meaning of these eight words instantly."

He then cupped his hands and said, "Master Shi, you have come here hoping that I, Xu, will serve the Song Clan."

Su Yuchen asked in surprise, "Does Mr. Xu have any objections to the aristocratic families?"

Xu Xingzhi shook his head: "I have no prejudice against any power, and besides, I myself intend to go to Lingnan to avoid trouble."

Su Yuchen asked knowingly, "Is it because of that woman in Fang Zetao's mansion?"

Xu Xingzhi was slightly taken aback, then smiled: "I didn't expect Master Shi to know this person as well. This woman's appearance was too unusual back then; I always felt she was no ordinary person. I warned Fang Daoyuan, but unfortunately..."