At that time, the Sui Dynasty (581 AD - 618 AD) controlled northern and big part of central region in the main land. After the reign of Three Kingdoms (221 AD - 265 AD), China was engulfed in never ending civil war. The country was torn apart. Each governor or general ruling a region formed his own kingdom, and the establishing small kingdoms clashed with each other. A chaotic civil war ensued, fighting for territory and power.
This situation opened the way for foreign nations from the north and west make their way to main land. These included the Sui Nu, Turks, Tibetans, and Tuoba. Many other small, nomadic peoples invaded and occupied small territories.
The people became the victims of the power struggles among these rulers. This chaos and civil war lasted for centuries, and historical records were lost in the chaos.
In 581 AD, a warlord named Yang Cian successfully united the rival kings, establishing a new dynasty called the Sui Dynasty.
Emperor Yang Cian began to consolidate his power and successfully secured the entire region, restoring order and peace to the people after generations of continuous suffering due to never ending civil war.
Emperor Yang Cian was a wise emperor. He abolished the burdens that imposed on the people by taxes, which had previously been arbitrarily imposed by local rulers to feed their own families. He was replacing them with fair and even moderate taxation regulations.
State laws were enacted and implemented effectively. This wise emperor prioritized the needs of the peasantry, pioneering the digging of canals to connect the Yellow River with the Yangtze River.
This was not the only effort of Emperor Yang Cian made, he also strengthened the state and restored its sovereignty by reconquering areas previously seized by foreign powers.
Among other things, he sent a large army and reconquered the Goguryeo and An Nam regions in the south. Thus, China once again became a great nation with a vast territory.
Emperor Yang Cian died in 604 AD, and the government was continued by his son, Yang Ying. This new emperor continued the efforts that started by his father, in fact more active than his father. He expanded the excavation canals between Yellow River and Yangtze River, even continued all the way to Huangzhou.
Not only this, even deeper matters of expanding territory and reclaiming territories in he was also very active in the outskirts that were previously controlled by foreign nations. He often led large armies himself, fighting against the Tuoba, Turkish and Mongol tribes.
Emperor Yang Ying was renowned as a mighty emperor who loved his people. He believed that a government was like a tree. The tree's fundamental strength lies in its roots, which must be firmly planted deep in the soil. Likewise, the government's strength lies in the common people.
A government that is loved by the people, and that has a deep connection with them, will undoubtedly be a strong government. This strength will nourish the tree through its roots. And if the tree is fertile, its branches will also be fertile, producing excellent flowers and fruit.
Likewise, if the government is strong, if its supreme leader is wise and loved by the people, wise and good officials will emerge, and the government will be healthy, fertile, and bring prosperity and well-being to the people.
It's been said that sometimes people forget themselves when they become intoxicated by power. It's not just alcohol that intoxicates, but anything that brings pleasure can intoxicate a person.
Wealth, fame, and power can make people become intoxicated and forget themselves. This was also the case with Emperor Yang Ying. He was so enthusiastic, so happy to see the progress and results he achieved, that he forgot himself and began to act excessively.
To build the grand canals, which was a large, arduous, and difficult task, in order to see immediate results, he put pressure on his subordinates, causing them to put pressure to the lower level and so on.
As a result, many people were forced to work hard to build the canal. A kind of forced labor. Of course, this was unknown to the ever-busy emperor. A group of people began to disagree, and even resented the government, especially among the warriors who always cared about the plight of the common people.
It's true that the grand canal was built for agricultural purposes, but the method of construction displeased the warriors, as many people were oppressed, and many even became victims and died during the massive construction.
And a kind of folk tale arose among the people that a dragon would emerge from the Yellow River. Usually, when something major happens, a dragon will emerge in a part of the river called the Dragon's Whirlpool!
This place is a pool, a deep part of the river, at a bend, and there is a whirlpool with a very strong current.
Fishermen don't dare cross this whirlpool when the tide is high, and even under normal circumstances, fishermen always stay away from the whirlpool in the middle of the river where it bends.
Some say this whirlpool extends all the way to the eastern sea. It's unknown how many boats have been suddenly struck by the swirling waters and vanished with their passengers, sucked into the whirlpool and carried on down to who knows where.
It's also rumored that a dragon appears in that place every few decades, or that something major happens that shocks the people. Each time, the sign is that the whirlpool is rising and at its strongest, causing the water to swirl violently in that area.
Of course, there are unknown reasons why the waters swirl so violently at certain times. It's likely related to the changing seasons, the rainy season replacing the dry season, or the winter replacing the hot season. There may also be movement underground, right beneath the swirling waters of the Yellow River.
What's clear is that news that a dragon would appear this year quickly spread throughout the martial arts world, and of course, those most interested in this news were the figures in the martial arts world.
Only those in the martial arts world with advanced martial arts skills and great skills were interested and dared to visit that place. And only those in the martial arts world were interested in the appearance of the dragon, fighting over it, as it was believed to possess miraculous properties.
For the common people, just hearing news of the dragon was enough to instill fear. Moreover, everyone knew how dangerous the whirlpool in the Yellow River, which they called the Death Whirlpool.
Furthermore, with the gathering of many prominent figures from the martial arts world, including many heretical figures as well as martial artists, the common people became even more reluctant to approach.
Normally, if the two sides met, whether the dragon was present or not, a massive fight would ensue, and the people felt safer staying away from such places.
It's like a fairy tale, but it's real because one day, both banks of the big river seemed busy with lots of people people came and went, and then they were all that towards the edge where there is the whirlpool that is being talked about.
Tomorrow night is the night of the full moon, the night when the dragon will appear, according to the story passed down through word of mouth.
However, the day before, many people had already been wandering around the area! And all sorts of people had appeared there. Many of them looked scary, with strange and eccentric faces and clothing. Some were dressed as beggars, monk, and even scholar.
However, it was easy to guess that these were no ordinary monk, beggars, or scholar, because usually anyone who dared to come to that place was someone with advanced knowledge or at least someone who thought they possessed some skill.
Among the strange martial art people who seemed to be wandering around the area, there is a tall, powerful, middle-aged man, dressed very simply. Unlike the others, this tall, large man had simply sat on the riverbank since his appearance. In addition to a large bundle slung from his back and placed on the ground nearby, he also carried two thick planks.
He sat cross-legged and his eyes were closed, sometimes opened to look towards the river where it begins to appear people boat, but always guard the boat they did not enter the extremely dangerous whirlpool area, which is in the middle of the river.