In the seventeenth year of the Kaihuang era, I wrote my will in the examination hall.

Chapter 48 This place is a battlefield

Yang Xuangan's voice was devoid of emotion, yet it sent chills down one's spine even more than his previous chilling tone.

"Li Xuansui, I really underestimated you. I never expected that your Pusan ​​Duke's Mansion, now that it is deserted, would have nurtured such a... passionate and impassioned character in you."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone sharp like a viper's tongue: "But is everything you're putting on now your own idea, or your Li family's?"

"To publicly humiliate the sons of the Duke of Yue and the Left Guard General... Even your father, the Duke of Pushan, wouldn't dare to do such a thing. Who gave you the audacity? I heard someone from the Eastern Palace came today. Could it be His Highness the Crown Prince? Are you sure you don't want to go back and discuss this with your father again?!"

Yuwen Zhiji, realizing what was happening, added in a sinister tone, following up on the conversation.

"Li Mi, don't push your luck! Do you still think you're the young master of the Eight Pillars of State? Don't you know what state your Longxi Li Clan is in now? Are you really going to offend us for the sake of these soldiers?"

Li Mi turned around and glanced at everyone: "The ground beneath their feet is no different from the frozen soil beyond the Great Wall that my grandfather trod when he followed Emperor Taizu (Yuwen Tai) to conquer the Turks in the third year of the Kaihuang era!"

"This is the battlefield, the battlefield of our soldiers, where not an inch of land will be yielded."

"Without their years of guarding the border, without their sacrifices to protect it, where would the prosperous Kaihuang era have come from, and where would you be today, riding in your fine clothes and spirited horses?!"

After he finished speaking, there was a deathly silence, except for the sound of heavy breathing.

The scarred man abruptly turned his head away, the bulging muscles in his neck twitching violently. This tough guy, who hadn't shed a tear even when his intestines spilled out on the battlefield, was now clenching his teeth tightly, not letting a single sob escape his throat.

In the corner, the gray-haired old soldier who had been sharpening his knife stopped. His hands trembled as he repeatedly stroked the chipped blade of the horizontal sword in his hand.

Many of the soldiers, their eyes red, stared intently at Li Mi's not-so-broad, yet seemingly capable of carrying mountains, back. In their gazes, something long extinguished was reigniting wildly.

"Yuwen Zhiji, let me tell you, the Sui Dynasty wasn't built on the backs of a bunch of pretty faces like you!"

"It's them, that's it!"

Standing to the side, Yang Yan watched the figure standing tall in the cold wind, facing more than a dozen nobles alone. The meaningful curve at the corner of his mouth finally turned into a satisfied smile.

Faced with the overwhelming pressure from the powerful aristocratic family that could crush the courage of ordinary people, Li Mi seemed not to hear it at all.

He simply took a step forward, and under the gaze of those two pairs of eyes that seemed to spit fire, asked a question that struck like a thunderbolt.

"Yang Xuangan, Yuwen Zhiji, let me ask you—where did the titles you hold on your heads come from?"

Both of them were taken aback, not expecting him to ask such a question.

Li Mi gave them no time to think, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Yang Su, Duke of Yue, led his navy out of Badong in the ninth year of the Kaihuang era to attack Chen, capturing Jiankang and taking Chen Shubao prisoner. His achievements were unparalleled!"

"General Yuwen Shu of the Left Guard, who followed Prince Jin in resisting the Turks in the north and pacifying the barbarians in the south, fought across thousands of miles and also achieved great military exploits!"

With each word he spoke, he took a step forward, his imposing presence overwhelming the dozen or so tall horses.

"Now tell me, did you obtain these illustrious military achievements by bullying your comrades on your own training ground?!"

"Is this immense wealth and power manifested by driving these soldiers, who shed blood and fought alongside our fathers, like livestock?!"

"The brocade robes you wear, the fine horses you ride—aren't they all paid for by the imperial court, supported by the blood and sweat of the soldiers across the land? Today, instead of showing compassion for your soldiers, you treat them like pigs and dogs, bullying them at will. Do you have even the slightest bit of honor befitting sons of military families?"

"If the Duke of Yue and General Yuwen were to find out about such behavior, they would probably be so ashamed that they couldn't lift their heads in the ancestral hall!"

These words were piercing and incisive.

Yuwen Zhiji's face flushed red and then turned pale, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

The group of noble young men who had initially joined in the commotion behind them now looked at each other in bewilderment. Some lowered their heads in shame, while others nervously reined in their horses, their previous arrogance completely gone.

Scarface's bloodshot eyes were now somewhat moist.

As he watched Li Mi's retreating figure, he seemed to see something long lost, something called "justice".

So the world isn't completely dark after all...

Yang Yan, standing to the side, kept his hands tucked into his sleeves and watched the scene quietly.

Looking at the figure standing tall in the cold wind, facing more than a dozen nobles alone, he smiled with admiration.

The knife has finally been sharpened.

Although he still retains some idealistic bookishness and his methods are not yet smooth and shrewd enough, this spirit of daring to make a big fuss and this boldness that can unite people's hearts are exactly what he needs most!

At this moment, the wheels of history seem to have turned, thanks to the flapping of his butterfly wings.

On this unremarkable winter afternoon, on this dusty training ground, Li Mi, the future leader of Wagang, completely broke with Yang Xuangan and Yuwen Zhiji, the two biggest rebel kings at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and went their separate ways.

It should be noted that Li Mi had previously assisted Yang Xuangan.

This play is more exciting than any history book.

However, the climax of a play is often also the most dangerous moment.

"presumptuous--!!!"

A furious roar shattered the brief silence.

Yang Xuangan was struck where it hurt most. He considered himself a peerless hero and hated it most when others used his father's achievements to overshadow him, and he hated it even more when others questioned his glory.

"Clang!"

"Li Mi, you dare to lecture me? You're asking for trouble!"

"Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of Master Pushan, you arrogant and ignorant fool!"

As the blade was drawn, the surrounding air instantly froze to freezing point.

The dozen or so knights behind them also put down their weapons, and the hundred or so guards subconsciously raised their old weapons.

A bloody conflict that could shake Daxing City is about to erupt!

Facing the blade so close at hand, Li Mi didn't even blink. His hand slowly rested on the hilt of his sword, his gaze as cold as a knife, and he didn't retreat even half a step.

At this critical moment.

"Cough...cough cough."

A soft cough came from the side and behind the crowd.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was certainly too abrupt.

Everyone—Yuwen Zhiji, Yang Xuangan, Li Mi, and even the group of breathless guards—instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

Yang Yan took half a step forward, still keeping his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face calm, as if he had only been choked by the wind.

His brocade robe with a qilin design stood out conspicuously among the crowd of people dressed in coarse linen.

He simply walked at a leisurely pace, as if strolling in his own backyard, and went straight to the middle of Li Mi and Yang Xuangan, who were facing off.

This is actually an extremely dangerous move.

If Yang Xuangan were to tremble even slightly, this eldest grandson of the emperor could be killed on the spot.

But he walked in like that, even slightly turning his body to the side, just in front of Yang Xuangan's blade.