Yang Guang's Ruthlessness, Cihang Monastery Coughing Blood (Part One)

"Childe actually thinks Yang Guang was a wise ruler?" Wan Wan's voice rose unconsciously. In this era, whether righteous or demonic, everyone had only one assessment of Yang Guang: a tyrant. Likewise, Shi Zhixuan had destroyed the Sui Dynasty through his own efforts, and the demonic sects saw it the same way.

"Why couldn't he have been a wise ruler? Do you think the chaos across the land was Yang Guang's responsibility alone?" They said an emperor's word was law, that he stood above all others and could do whatever he wished. In truth, that was simply impossible. Not even Ying Zheng could have done that.

"Wasn't it? If Yang Guang hadn't exhausted the people and squandered resources building the Grand Canal, then launched three campaigns against Goryeo that caused countless deaths and injuries, how could the entire realm have become like this?"

"Hahaha, that's absolutely hilarious." After hearing Wan Wan's words, Shen Fei suddenly burst out laughing.

Strictly speaking, Yang Guang's construction of the Grand Canal had indeed caused many casualties, because he had made the same mistake Ying Zheng once did: he had been too impatient. He wanted to accomplish, in the shortest possible time, goals that should have taken at least ten or twenty years. That had indeed stirred up much resentment among the people, and even Shen Fei acknowledged that.

No one was perfect. Even sages had their own desires and pursuits. Shen Fei had never judged others, or himself, by the standards of a sage.

But there had been nothing wrong with the campaigns against Goryeo. Relations between nations differed from interactions between individuals; there was no room for mercy between states.

If they did not strike Goguryeo now, were they supposed to wait until it grew stronger before attacking? It was like splitting the