Yang Yuzhi shook his head slightly, patting the withered tree he was leaning on, and said, "The Xia Kingdom is like this old tree. It is too old, and its decay is not just in its branches, but the entire trunk has already rotted!"
Ling Hao squinted his eyes slightly and remained silent.
Yang Yuzhi continued, "If I want to save this tree, I must cut down its trunk completely, so it can sprout and branch anew. However, the Ling Family and the Dugu Faction are like those two branches. If I want to cut down the trunk, they will inevitably perish, and they won’t agree, so I must cut them off first!"
Yang Yuzhi sighed and said, "Honestly, this death plan of mine is very foolish, not clever at all, a tactic that harms the enemy by eight hundred but damages oneself by a thousand, extremely stupid.
But there’s no other way. The Xia Kingdom has grown so old that even the roots are starting to rot. If I don’t do this, there’s no way to save it. Without breaking, there is no establishment. If I want the Xia Kingdom to be reborn, I must cut down the entire trunk!"
Ling Hao said in a low voice, "Do you really think the Xia Kingdom can still be saved?"
"I don’t know," Yang Yuzhi shook his head and said, "I don’t know. Since forty years ago, when I decided to implement the death plan, I’ve not known whether the Xia Kingdom can be saved. I just met the current Emperor, who shares my aspirations. He dares to gamble with the entire dynasty. Why shouldn’t I, Yang Yuzhi, dare to gamble?"
After speaking, Yang Yuzhi pondered for a while and said, "Marquis Ling, a corrupt dynasty, a dynasty that has existed for hundreds of years and rotted down to the roots, do you think there is any other way to save it? Apart from rising in ruin and reviving in extinction, is there any other way?"
Ling Hao was silent for a while and said, "The Ling Family and Dugu Faction are just the beginning."
"Yes," Yang Yuzhi said, "The Ling Family and Dugu Faction have been controlling Qingzhou and Liangzhou. These two regions are practically the gateways of the nation, but the Court’s orders cannot be implemented in these two regions due to the immense influence of the Ling Family and the Dugu Faction. The Court cannot control these regions at all.
However, the Court has rotted to an extreme and must undergo comprehensive reform from top to bottom. But once the reform starts, the first to be impacted will be the Noble Families and Clans. They are all blood-sucking parasites, clinging to the Xia Kingdom like maggots that continuously feed.
They don’t care whether the Xia Kingdom has been drained, nor do they care whether the people of the world can bear it. In their eyes, as long as there is profit to be extracted, it’s fine. Once it’s sucked dry, they’ll just switch to another dynasty, another world to continue sucking!
So if the Xia Kingdom wants to save itself, the first thing to do is to remove these parasites. The current Emperor has the ambition to break and then establish, but the Ling Family and Dugu Faction control Qingzhou and Liangzhou. If all the Noble Families and Clans retaliate, the Ling Family and Dugu Faction just need to open the nation’s gateways, and the Xia Kingdom will have no chance of survival!
Even if the Ling Family and Dugu Faction don’t open the gateways, as long as you control Qingzhou and Liangzhou for a day, the Court will hesitate to act, and all reforms will become nothing but empty talk. You have seized the Court’s throat!"
Ling Hao closed his eyes slightly and said, "So, you ignore all risks and pay such a significant price to remove the Ling Family and Dugu Faction, just to bet on an uncertain future?"
Yang Yuzhi pondered for a moment and said, "The death plan is merely a prelude to the Xia Kingdom’s reform. How can I be sure if this tune can be completed?
However, my mission is complete. Now, the Ling Family and Dugu Faction have lost their absolute control over Qingzhou and Liangzhou. The Court’s lifeline is no longer under the absolute control of the Noble Families and Clans. Now, in the upcoming struggle, who will win or lose is up to Your Majesty!"
Ling Hao sighed heavily and said, "Yang Yuzhi, you were once so charismatic. You should have been the most dazzling person of your era. How did you... for the sake of this so-called reform, to save a dynasty rotted to its roots, become such a solitary figure, a forgotten small character? Is it worth it?"
Yang Yuzhi closed his eyes slightly, and after a long time, he said, "I used to think I was doing it for the people of the world. Until recently, I realized I was doing it merely for an obsession. Is it worth it? I also want to know, is it worth it?"
Ling Hao said solemnly, "I can tell you the answer, it’s not worth it!"
Yang Yuzhi looked puzzled.
Ling Hao said, "Because the prelude to rescuing a collapsing building didn’t succeed. The Ling Family and Dugu Faction have fallen, but another person has appeared in Yunzhou—Gu Zhan!"
Ling Hao sneered and said, "I had long regretted not killing that kid Gu Zhan to avenge my son, but now, I’m quite glad I didn’t kill him because his existence will turn your and the Emperor’s plans into empty talk!"
Yang Yuzhi said slowly, "I know what you’re thinking because Gu Zhan is strong. He alone can stand as a faction, and now he holds military power and can establish a military faction of his own.
However, I’m not worried because Gu Zhan is different from the Noble Families and Clans. He doesn’t have a direct conflict of interest with the reform of Great Xia; on the contrary, he is naturally aligned with the Court. For the Court to weaken the influence of the Noble Families and Clans, Gu Zhan needs to leverage this to truly rise!"
Ling Hao chuckled, "Yes, your analysis is correct. In theory, Gu Zhan should naturally be allied with the Court. It’s just a pity, Yang Yuzhi, you miscalculated one thing."