Refined and dignified, majestic and imposing, he seemed destined to conquer all beneath heaven. His achievements would last through the ages; he brandished his spear and composed poetry, laughing proudly at the past. Yet who could have guessed that years of southern campaigns would drain the people, and that his arrogance and cleverness would cost him their support? He watched as the land, beautiful as a painting, slipped away, and his own head was severed from his body!
In the end, a generation's hero returned to the yellow earth, a few rows of misty willows veiling his lonely grave. Such is the way of it: the Grand Canal flows on, linking past and present, while those who bear up the boat and those who overturn it are all ordinary people!
I like Yang Guang very much and admire him very much. It's just a pity that all the plans have been made for others. When it comes to the three campaigns against Goguryeo, I feel regretful. He campaigned for Goguryeo for the second time. If Yang Xuangan hadn't rebelled and cut off the food route, Yang Guang would have had no choice but to send his troops back to the court and suppress the rebellion, giving Goguryeo some time to breathe. But the third time, before the battle started, Goguryeo surrendered. It's just a pity that he was smeared by future generations.
What a pity that Yang Guang, Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, was a brilliant and suave young man, a romantic young man, a man of literary and military skills, ambitious, hardworking, and well-organized. However, he was headstrong, radical and impatient, and worked hard all his life to marry others. Instead, he became the founder of the Li and Tang dynasties. From a historical perspective, maybe we can still talk and laugh, and we can sigh. From a political perspective, I am afraid there is only infinite regret.