"Tyrant! What a tyrant!"
In the square in front of the largest and most luxurious temple in Yangzhou, which was usually bustling with worshippers and filled with the scent of incense, a large number of monks now lay in pools of blood. The temple's abbot, whose once pristine white robes were now stained crimson, looked around at his fallen disciples and pointed at Yuwen Huaji, who stood not far away, shouting in indignation.
"Kong Xing, your Buddhist sect has such audacity! How dare you claim to choose the emperor on behalf of heaven? Utter nonsense!" Yuwen Huaji snorted coldly but did not continue his attack. The abbot was already severely injured and would not survive. There was no need to deliver a final blow.
"Huh? Look at this. Kong Xing, is this what your Buddhist sect calls 'emptiness of the four elements'?" Just as Yuwen Huaji was about to say more, he noticed soldiers carrying out numerous boxes from the temple. Seeing the contents, he couldn't help but sneer with a mocking smile.
At the same time, Kong Xing also saw this scene. The abbot, who had been loudly denouncing Yang Guang as a tyrant, immediately closed his eyes and began chanting Buddhist prayers in a low voice. Now, even if he had a thousand words to say, he could not utter them.
The boxes carried out by the soldiers were filled with gold, silver, and jewels of various colors. The sheer volume of wealth displayed in the square made it glitter and shine, overshadowing the earlier bloodshed.
The soldiers, officers, and even Yuwen Huaji couldn't help but show greed in their eyes as they looked at the wealth. If not for the presence of a certain someone, Yuwen Huaji would have likely taken all the wealth for himself.
Similarly, the onlookers standing behind the soldiers' blockade, who had initially been pointing fingers and criticizing the army's sudden attack on the temple, now wore the same expressions as the soldiers when they saw the immense wealth.
There was no helping it. The wealth was simply too dazzling. Even Daniel, who had tried his best to estimate the wealth of the Buddhist sects, was shocked by the amount. He had greatly underestimated it.
Although this temple was the largest in Yangzhou, and other temples might not have as much wealth, even so, if all the temples in Yangzhou were looted, the total would be an astronomical figure.
"Room, scan. Good heavens, with this much wealth, if Yang Guang could rally his forces, he might actually have a chance to turn things around."
Out of curiosity, Daniel used the power of the Ope Ope no Mi to roughly estimate the amount of wealth. The result startled him. The wealth looted from this single temple could support an army of 20,000 for a year.
The biggest problem with Yang Guang's forces now was low morale and lack of discipline, which stemmed from the lack of military pay. Not only were the armies outside unpaid, but even his imperial guards had not received their salaries for two months.
Even the daily rations had been reduced from two meals to one solid meal and one thin porridge.
Three or four meals a day were only for the wealthy and nobles. Ordinary people, even soldiers, typically only ate two meals a day, and even then, they might only get a full meal before a battle.
Although Yang Guang's orders could not leave Yangzhou, in terms of strength, among all the rebels or those preparing to rebel, only the Li family or the Song family could surpass him. Other forces, even Wang Shichong, who controlled Luoyang, could not match Yang Guang's current strength.
With tens of thousands of imperial guards, if morale could be boosted and military discipline restored, they would not fear the likes of Du Fuwei, Shen Faxing, or Li Zitong.
"Count all the wealth and make it public, especially the land deeds. Then you can handle the wealth as you see fit. Oh, start with the land deeds." After scanning the wealth, Daniel's voice suddenly whispered in Yuwen Huaji's ear using his "Heavenly Sound Transmission."
To ensure that Yang Guang's orders were carried out without delay or deception, Daniel personally supervised Yuwen Huaji and Sima Dekan, the commander of the imperial guards, as they executed the orders.
Yuwen Huaji was not someone who would easily submit, and neither was Sima Dekan. Moreover, the two were currently allied, and out of fear of the Buddhist sects, without Daniel's presence, Yang Guang's orders would not have been carried out.
Yang Guang was about to die, and he could afford to go crazy in his final days. However, Yuwen Huaji and Sima Dekan did not want to join him in his madness.
After leaving the court, the two immediately gathered their personal guards to attack Daniel. Not only did they not want to carry out Yang Guang's orders, but they also coveted the edict appointing Daniel as the Governor of Luoyang. With Yang Guang still representing legitimacy, possessing this edict, combined with the strength of the Yuwen family, might allow them to seize control of Luoyang.
The Yuwen family had long coveted Luoyang.
However, Yuwen Huaji and the others soon learned what true power was. Daniel single-handedly suppressed all their personal guards.
"Yes." Hearing Daniel's command in his ear and learning that he could handle all the wealth, Yuwen Huaji immediately responded in a low voice.
With this wealth, he could better win over the military commanders. Yuwen Huaji had also figured out Daniel's intentions: his actions were primarily aimed at Cihang Jingzhai and its allies, with no intention of protecting Yang Guang. This was undoubtedly good news for Yuwen Huaji.
Yuwen Huaji's ambition to rebel was now clear. If Daniel had been on Yang Guang's side, Yuwen Huaji's plans would have been thwarted.
Yuwen Huaji had grand ambitions of becoming emperor, but his luck was not great. In the original story, all his plans were disrupted by the Twin Dragons. Of course, his personal abilities were also somewhat lacking.
"Men, immediately organize those land deeds." Yuwen Huaji then ordered his men to sort through the land deeds, and as they did so, someone loudly read out the contents of the deeds.
"Yang Guang, you are truly vicious."
After the contents of the land deeds were read out, Kong Xing, who was already severely injured, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He managed to utter one sentence before collapsing and dying, overcome with rage.
"Yang Guang, you are truly ruthless."
Not only Kong Xing, but some of the smarter onlookers also changed their expressions and couldn't help but mutter to themselves.
Most people might not understand the implications of this, but for those who were clever, they could already foresee what would happen next.
This was Yang Guang's ultimate plan. If this scene spread, the reputation of the Buddhist sects would be utterly destroyed. For the Buddhist sects, whose survival depended on their reputation and followers, this would be a fatal blow. Unlike the demonic sects, which cared little for reputation, the Buddhist sects relied on their followers.
"I never expected the Buddhist sects to be so wealthy. This is truly surprising."
In a secluded corner of the crowd, Du Fuwei, with his stern and rigid expression, couldn't help but start plotting something after seeing this scene.
The Jianghuai Army was about to attack Yangzhou. To seize Yangzhou before Li Zitong and Shen Faxing, Du Fuwei had personally come to investigate the situation within the Sui army.
However, he had not expected to witness this scene. The wealth of the Buddhist sects made Du Fuwei's heart race. After all, compared to other rebel armies, the Jianghuai Army was lacking in resources and wealth. With such a large fortune now within reach, how could he not be tempted?
Before this, Du Fuwei would never have considered such a thing. No matter how clever he was, he could not have imagined that the Buddhist sects were so wealthy. Moreover, given the power and influence of the Buddhist sects, Du Fuwei would not have sought trouble.
But now things were different. First, the wealth of the Buddhist sects had stirred his greed. Second, Yang Guang had set a precedent. The Buddhist sects would soon face another wave of attacks.
None of the rebel armies lacked financial resources, not even the Li family, though they were better off than most.
Previously, they had been unaware, but now that they knew, and with Yang Guang providing a legitimate excuse, few would resist the temptation. Even those afraid of offending the Buddhist sects would not dare to act openly, but they might still act in secret.
If accused, they could simply deny it. With the Buddhist sects so wealthy, who could say it wasn't some greedy martial artist who had acted? There were so many martial artists in the world, not to mention those from beyond the borders. Couldn't they have been the ones who did it?
This plan was a combination of Daniel's knowledge, real-life examples, and simulations run by Red Queen to predict the subsequent developments. It was a complete and utter scheme to cut off the enemy's lifeline.
"Brother Shen, this is too ruthless."
On the opposite side of Du Fuwei, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged glances and whispered in unison, their hearts filled with trepidation. The two were naturally gifted and exceptionally intelligent. Combined with Daniel's teachings, which had broadened their horizons, they immediately thought of Daniel when they saw this scene.
"Brother, the Buddhist sects have many innocent people." Xu Ziling, with his compassionate nature, couldn't help but feel downcast when he thought of the consequences of this action.
"Ling Shao, you're right, but in these troubled times, there are too many innocent people who die unjustly. Were the Sui soldiers who died in Goguryeo not innocent? They were just following orders. And what about the refugees we saw on our way here? How many of them will survive? Are they not innocent?
And here, a great battle is about to take place. This is our hometown, Ling Shao. How many innocent people do you think will die then? The Buddhist sects may have many innocent people, and there may be many virtuous monks. That Kong Xing, I remember, was one of the most respected monks in Yangzhou. But look at the result.
Ling Shao, other things might be fake, things Brother Shen might have lied to us about, but the wealth and land deeds are right in front of us. Those are not fake.
Ling Shao, you should remember what Brother Shen said about why farmers have such heavy taxes. It's because only the poorest of them pay taxes, while the wealthy never pay. Look at all that wealth. If it were used, how many people could be saved? But they would rather let it rot in storage than help the common people.
Brother Shen once said that if everyone, regardless of whether they were nobles, aristocratic families, Buddhist sects, or Daoist sects, paid taxes, the farmers' taxes could be very low, or even nonexistent."
"I remember that, but I also remember that you wanted to be emperor. Have you given up on that dream?"
"We'll talk about that later. But for now, it seems we won't have a chance to kill Yuwen Huaji. Should we go find Brother Shen? He should be here."
The Twin Dragons had come to Yangzhou to avenge Fu Junchuo. Although Daniel had killed Xiang Yushan and others beforehand, preventing the Twin Dragons from interacting with them, the two still wanted to see if they could use the account books to kill Yuwen Huaji.
They had originally planned to use the Zhuhua Gang in Yangzhou to infiltrate the palace and meet Yang Guang to hand over the account books, but they ended up witnessing this event.
"Do you want Brother Shen to help us take revenge? I disagree. We must avenge Mother ourselves. Besides, Brother Shen might not even be in Yangzhou now. Didn't he become the Governor of Luoyang? He should be on his way to Luoyang now. No wonder he said we'd meet in Luoyang."
"That's true. But that means we'll have to give up on revenge for now. And I hope Father doesn't kill Yuwen Huaji, or we might not have a chance to avenge Mother."
Kou Zhong's words made both of them fall silent. War was brutal, and even though their strength had improved significantly, they were still powerless in the face of it.
"Then it's up to Yuwen Huaji's luck. Alright, Ling Shao, we should leave. If we run into Father's men here, it won't be good." Kou Zhong patted Xu Ziling's shoulder firmly.
"Luoyang will be very lively next. But according to Brother Shen, only the top figures will be able to participate. Our strength is still too weak. We're not even a match for Feng Shihan. We probably won't be much help to Brother Shen."
"Then let's work hard. Brother Shen said we have the best talent. Given time, even the three great Grandmasters will have to step aside for us. This trip to Luoyang will be a good training journey. I hope those people, and Feng Shihan, don't disappoint me."
With that, the two took one last look at Yuwen Huaji, who was supervising the counting of the wealth in the square, and then quietly left.
"The four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many towers stand in the misty rain? This is truly an understatement."
Standing on the balcony of a restaurant closest to the temple, Daniel looked at the square ahead and shook his head slightly. This era was indeed the peak of Buddhist influence. The number of temples far exceeded his imagination.
Just in Yangzhou alone, there were nearly a hundred temples, large and small. Although this was partly due to Yangzhou's prosperity, it still gave a rough idea of how many temples and non-productive monks there were in the entire Central Plains.
Among these monks, how many were Grandmasters, how many were Xiantian experts, and how many were first-rate experts? No one could say for sure. But just suppressing this one temple had cost the Sui army dearly, with nearly three hundred skilled warrior monks inside.
It was only after Yuwen Huaji brought in experts that they managed to subdue them.
"Without the mechanical arts of the Mo family and the Gongshu family, the military's methods for dealing with experts are still lacking."
(End of Chapter)
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