The Villain's Counterattack

"Everyone says that in order to resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the country, but they never thought that the Duke of Liao did the opposite. The Sui Dynasty lost its power, and all the heroes chased it, but the Duke of Liao guarded the border and sent troops abroad, gaining power throughout the country." In the secluded residence of Pyongyang Yijian master Fu Cailin, the 90-year-old Fu Cailin has a chessboard in front of him, and is seriously playing the left-right game.

A slender figure appeared quietly, sat down on the opposite side without a word, picked up a white piece casually, and dropped it on the chessboard with a "pa" sound.

Fu Cailin looked at it carefully. This move was neither the best nor the worst. To say it was moderate didn't make sense either. For a moment, he was unsure and indecisive.

Masters always have some quirks. I am like this, and I believe that Duke Liao is also like this. He developed Liaodong, monopolized the trade with the grassland, strengthened the cavalry to sweep across the surrounding grasslands, established the reputation of Liaodong, and even used the grassland overlord Turks as a stepping stone to achieve the great reputation of Liaodong.

He attacked Hebei and defeated Dou Jiande. He seemed to be no different from ordinary princes, but he never proclaimed himself king or emperor, and always adhered to the orthodoxy of the Sui Dynasty. But in the blink of an eye, he took over Baekje and Silla and completed the siege of Goguryeo.

No one had expected this sudden change, including Fu Cailin himself. He had always known the tyranny of Yang Xuyan, the Duke of Liao, and the strength of the Liaodong forces, but he was a Han Chinese after all, and should have valued the Han people's country. Why did he suddenly make foreign enemies at this time?

There are no fools or idiots who can become a grandmaster. Fu Cailin's wisdom is also extraordinary. In the original work, he was able to keep Goguryeo from being destroyed. In this world, he can also allow Goguryeo to continue to exist despite suffering heavy losses, which is enough to show his extraordinaryness.

"How are my two disciples, Fu Junchuo and Fu Junyu?" Fu Cailin suddenly asked when he saw that Yang Xuyan was just playing chess.

Yang Xuyan nodded slightly and said, "I eat well and sleep well, and I have many Central Plains masters as sparring partners. Now they have all been promoted to the Grandmaster level. It's just that my state of mind is a little bit off, so it's a bit difficult to make further progress."

"Does the Duke of Liao want to destroy Goguryeo?" Fu Cailin remained calm, but his words were extremely cold.

Yang Xuyan's chess piece landed with a thud, and he said with a smile, "There will be a day like that, but not now. If Goguryeo survives, it will still be of some help to Liaodong. At least it can confuse many people and draw out many."

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Liaodong's spies. Jun Qiang is still too naive." Fu Cailin sighed sadly, "Goguryeo is just a tiny nation. Is the Duke of Liao really unwilling to show any mercy?"

"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed? Goguryeo has demonstrated its covetousness and hostility towards the Central Plains dynasty through its own attitude. If such a small country can be easily crushed, why keep it alive? What's the point of keeping it alive? Is it disgusting?" Yang Xuyan's words made Fu Cailin's mouth twitch wildly, and his aura slowly rose. "If we can't easily crush it, what will the Duke of Liao do? The defeat of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty is not far away."

"Haha." Yang Xuyan smiled faintly, glanced at him and said, "Build high walls, store up abundant food, slowly become king, until you can crush the enemy."

Fu Cailin's expression suddenly changed when he heard this, and he spoke word by word, "Five Hermit Elders!"

Yang Xuyan laughed heartily and shook his head, "When have you ever seen the Five Hermit Elders take the initiative to attack? Oh, Mr. Gentleman Jianyue doesn't count. He was only doing it out of favor to protect General Zhang Xutuo, so he was basically on the defensive."

Fu Cailin's mouth twitched slightly, with a smile on his face: Do you think I believe it?

Yang Xuyan said confidently: Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway.

"The Sui Emperor is not dead yet." Fu Cailin and Yang Xuyan stared at each other, and suddenly a sentence blurted out.

"Oh, why do you think so?" Yang Xuyan looked at Fu Cailin with a smile, thinking that this man was worthy of being a great master from the tiny country of Goguryeo. His talent and wisdom were even higher than that of Martial Master Bi Xuan and Turkic State Master Zhao Deyan. He was probably not inferior to Li Yuan at all.

"There's no direct evidence, but there's plenty of supporting evidence," Fu Cailin said calmly. "The city of Yangzhou was in chaos. The Sui Emperor died, and King Yang Xiu of Shu led his guards, eunuchs, palace maids, and concubines back north. It seems reasonable, but the King of Shu was just a prisoner. Did he really have such prestige?"

"The army returned north by sea, then traveled west to Luoyang. Wang Shichong personally went to greet the emperor and took up residence in the Western Garden. Wang Shichong defended Luoyang and provided support to the Sui imperial family. As far as I know, Wang Shichong is an ambitious man who refuses to be outdone. Despite his powerful army, why didn't he dare to rebel? Instead, he always treated himself as a minister of the Sui Dynasty, and he still does so today."

"The Sui Dynasty lost its power, and heroes across the land scrambled to regain it. Some claimed the title of king, some claimed the title of emperor. Let's not even talk about Wang Shichong. You, a powerful governor who dominated the northern border, fought off the foreign invaders to the north, marched south to Hebei, and recaptured Mayi. You have made remarkable military achievements, and many of the Sui Dynasty's civil and military officials have joined your ranks. Why have you always served the Western Garden in Luoyang instead of establishing your own?"

Fu Cailin looked at him deeply and said, "There is only one answer. There is a person who can suppress everything. In my opinion, this person is only Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty."

Yang Xuyan: Uncle will definitely be very happy to hear this. The conclusion is correct, but there are some discrepancies in the process. The person who really controls and suppresses everything is either far away or right in front of us.

"Looking at the expression on Duke Liao's face, my guess was correct." Fu Cailin suddenly let out a long sigh, and his entire spirit seemed to have waned in an instant. "Emperor Sui, Emperor Sui, Emperor Sui!"

Yang Xuyan was shocked when he saw this. He flashed and instantly appeared behind Fu Cailin. He slapped him with one palm, and the immortal energy gushed out. Fu Cailin spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly woke up.

"I'm old, old!" As the oldest among the three great masters, Fu Cailin has entered a period of declining strength. During Yang Guang's three expeditions to Goguryeo, he tried to capture the king and assassinate the emperor. Although he failed, he fought for several days and finally suffered a great loss at the hands of Shi Zhixuan and Yang Xuyan. He was seriously injured and had never received good treatment and recuperation.

Yang Guang's three expeditions to Goguryeo not only greatly consumed his own prestige, but also pushed Goguryeo to the point of exhaustion. Especially with the presence of Yang Xuyan and Shi Zhixuan, Goguryeo hardly gained any advantage. Not only was the treasury empty, but Goguryeo's people lost more than 70%, and most of its territory was lost.

Not to mention, Yang Xuyan specifically launched the Dugu Qiubai public challenge to Fu Cailin, the pillar of Goguryeo, and made loud speeches on the Yalu River year after year, gradually weakening the morale of the people of Goguryeo, while also absorbing Fu Cailin's fame and fighting spirit to achieve his own goals.

Doesn’t Fu Cailin know the huge impact these methods have on Goguryeo and himself?

He knew it, more clearly than anyone else, but for the sake of Goguryeo, he had to endure it all, silently bearing it all alone. The misunderstanding of his countrymen, the suspicion of the king, the threats and pressure from Liaodong, Fu Cailin never really rested after the war, and even when his two closest disciples disappeared, he never left.

He was waiting, waiting for the Central Plains to really fall into chaos, but what he finally waited for was the arrival of the Duke of Liao, who brought the news that the Sui Emperor was still alive and that he had finished storing up grain. This became the last straw that broke the camel's back and completely overwhelmed him.

"It turns out that Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty has personally chosen the Duke of Liao as his successor. With Yang Guang and the Duke of Liao, the Great Sui Dynasty is destined to prosper. The Duke of Liao has come to my humble residence in person, but is he trying to persuade me to surrender?"

"Will you surrender?"

"maybe."

"I accept."

Fu Cailin: Young man, don’t you want to listen to my conditions?

Yang Xuyan: If a weak person surrenders to a strong person, can he bargain for the surrender?

Fu Cailin: Who would do it if there is no benefit?