The Villain's Counterattack

"The Buddhist Dharma Assembly is about to be completed. Why did Ziling leave in such a hurry during this grand event?" Fifty miles outside the city of Chang'an, Shi Feixuan successfully intercepted Xu Ziling.

The moment he saw Shi Feixuan appear, Xu Ziling took a deep breath and felt a little incredible about his sharp intuition. Ever since he left his senior sister Dugu Feng's residence, he had an inexplicable feeling that he was being watched.

His intuition told him that if he didn't handle it properly, there would be big trouble, but if he did, there would also be great benefits. After nightfall, he hurried to find Kou Zhong and discussed countermeasures. He split up into several groups, and he followed his instincts, half hiding and half ignoring, to divert attention until...

"It's precisely because the Buddhist Dharma Assembly is about to end that I have to leave in a hurry." Xu Ziling looked deeply at the slightly exhausted but still stunningly beautiful Shi Feixuan in front of him, and sighed softly: "Chang'an City is full of demons, rebel kings, demon sects, and alien races are everywhere. If it weren't for the Buddhist Dharma Calling that attracted so much attention, my body would have been cold long ago."

Shi Feixuan's expression froze slightly when she heard this. The Buddha's call to action and the impact of the Grand Master had indeed attracted many people. When Martial Master Bi Xuan appeared in Guanzhong, the whereabouts of Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun and Evil King Shi Zhixuan were inevitably discovered.

No one had ever thought that the Gentleman Sword, who was supposed to be a half-step grandmaster, would actually show such a powerful fighting force that could suppress the Turkic Martial Lord Bi Xuan. It was obvious that he had already stepped into the realm of the grandmaster, and was not the bottom one.

However, the evil king Shi Zhixuan acted out of character. Not only did he not snipe Yin Zhao, but he took the initiative to help him stop the Turkic national teacher Zhao Deyan, which made Shi Feixuan both annoyed and helpless. The rumors he spread also left her speechless: Yin Zhao is a pure Han Chinese. No matter whether he is good or evil, a Buddhist or a demon, he should not sacrifice public interests for personal gain and let foreign villains ruin his practice.

This immediately made Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Zen Temple look down upon them. After all, Cihang Jingzhai remained silent on this matter, and even secretly dispatched Master Feixuan to sabotage it. The abbot of Jingnian Zen Temple, Master Kong, even directly tried to stop them, but was badly slapped in the face and became a stepping stone for Yinzhao Buddhist disciples.

"Zi Ling seems to be quite hostile to Li Tang?" Shi Feixuan didn't want to say more about the matter of Yin Zhao Fomen, so she turned the topic to Li Tang. After all, Xu Zi Ling said the word "anti-king" in person.

"How could a fake Sui Dynasty possibly win the favor of the people? Master Fairy, how could you possibly think that the people would have a favorable impression of the Li Tang Dynasty?" Xu Ziling's words made Shi Feixuan's eyes narrow suddenly. "What do you mean, Ziling?"

"The Li Tang Dynasty is like the Sui Dynasty, or can be said to be a miniature version of the Sui Dynasty. Li Yuan's background is similar to Yang Jian, an indirect royal relative, and a powerful official from a real aristocratic family. He has power, influence, money, connections and troops. The eldest son Li Jiancheng is like the former crown prince Yang Yong, with close ties between civil officials and aristocratic families. Qin Wang Li Shimin is like Jin Wang Yang Guang, with ambition and military power." Xu Ziling's description made Shi Feixuan look at him differently. This Taoist descendant who came from a low-level gangster background and became a monk halfway through his life actually had such vision.

But is it inappropriate to compare Li Shimin to the foolish emperor Yang Guang?

Xu Ziling nodded slightly to indicate that he was merely making a metaphor. "Yang Guang was a tyrant, not a fool. In terms of ability, he was superior to Li Shimin in both civil and military strategy. While the two resemble each other, a knockoff is still just a knockoff. A mere prince serving under the rebellious bandits of Guanzhong, who lost a few battles and won a few against thousands of men, how can he compare to the Heavenly Khan of Sui, Yang Guang, who pacified the Southern Chen Dynasty, fought in the Western Regions, suppressed Linyi, intimidated the Ryukyu Islands, and crushed the Turks?"

"His military achievements are so great, not to mention Yang Guang's amendment of laws, creation of the imperial examination system, construction of the canal, and reconstruction of the Eastern Capital. If he had not been held back during the three expeditions to Goguryeo due to someone's scheme, the world would have entered a prosperous era long ago. How could there be so many villains who claim to be kings and emperors?" Xu Ziling's blunt words made Shi Feixuan's eyes widen. Is this the overall situation that an ordinary person can see through?

This kid is so terrifying!

"Alas," Shi Feixuan sighed softly, standing with her hands behind her back. "Zi Ling's prejudice runs deep. Coming from the lower classes, how can you not see that the people of the world are suffering, starving and starving?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziling laughed heartily and said, "Master, the Immortal, comes from a distinguished and upright family. She has lived a life of luxury since she was young. She admires magnificent buildings and listens to the teachings of sages. But as she travels around the world, she sees only desolation and the people's miserable lives. After all, they only eat meat once a month and two meals a day. This kind of life, worse than that of pigs and dogs, is a tragedy no matter how you look at it."

"So, in order to ensure a good life for the common people, you resolutely stood up, raised the banner of rebellion, and vowed to fight for the people!" Xu Ziling said sternly, "But the ones who actually fought bravely, their families destroyed, were the very people who only had two meals a day and meat once a month. They went from being hungry one day to being homeless refugees, losing their land and homes, and were ultimately forced to become perpetrators of violence, or even just corpses!"

"In times of chaos, the people are worse than dogs. For the selfish interests of those in high positions, the people of the world live worse than dogs. In the fierce fighting on the battlefield, the skinny soldiers are treated like grass, while the fat and fat so-called generals and officials are filled with gold and silver when they win, and are treated to delicious food and drinks by others when they lose. Master Fairy, do you think such a rebel king can be accepted by ordinary people like me and Kou Zhong?"

Xu Ziling said sternly, "When they use the blood and flesh of the people to buy their own extravagant and licentious lifestyle, they are doomed to be no longer on the same side as us."

Shi Feixuan looked at Xu Ziling deeply and said calmly, "Since ancient times, the rise and fall of nations have always involved sacrifices. However, brothers fight against each other, and we must defend ourselves from external aggression. The Han people of the Central Plains cannot waste too much energy internally, otherwise we will end up like the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, repeating the tragic situation of the Five Barbarians' invasion of China."

"There are countless people who have conquered the world, but those who rule it must be from aristocratic families. After all, you can conquer the world by force, but you can't rule it by force. Whoever controls knowledge controls the world." Shi Feixuan saw it clearly. "The threat to the Central Plains comes from outside the Great Wall. Those who can resist it are the aristocratic families in the north. If we use the south to rule the north, the focus will be on the difficulty, and the north will fall soon."

"Master Fairy, what you mean is that the Duke of Liao, who terrorized the grasslands, suppressed Goguryeo, was invincible in battle and conquered every battle, and was able to bring stability and prosperity to the people under his rule, is the true ruler of the world? Only he can hope to bring long-term peace and stability to the Han people in the Central Plains?" Xu Ziling's words left Shi Feixuan speechless.

I also want to be a supporter of the most powerful man in the world, the Duke of Liao, but he looks down on me, or he cannot satisfy the ambitions and desires of Cihang Jingzhai and Buddhism, so in the end he can only choose Li Tang as the second best choice.

Because of the previous experience of Yang Yong, they did not choose Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, but instead made Li Shimin, who controlled the military power, their secular spokesperson.

The result of this was that it provoked internal strife between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, or in other words, it provoked the conflict between Buddhism and the Confucian faction of traditional aristocratic families.

"The Duke of Liao's military and literary skills are indeed astonishing, but as he was born into the imperial family of the Great Sui Dynasty, he is destined to not receive the support and recognition of the various forces under the world. If he only governs one side, it would be fine, but if he truly strives to conquer the world, he will surely be attacked by many heroes. At that time..."

If Yang Xuyan, the Duke of Liao, really marched south and west, would he really be besieged by heroes all over the world?

definitely will!

Shi Feixuan was very sure because she was the one who contacted most of these people, and even Wang Shichong in Luoyang and the royal family had her traces.

King Yang Xiu of Shu: Little nun, you don’t seem to know who has the final say in Xiyuan?

Wang Shichong: If you want to die, don't drag me along. I am a loyal minister of the Sui Dynasty. When the royal army comes, it's fine for me not to open the door, but how could I possibly fight with them? You underestimate my loyalty.