Chapter 72: The Two Pheasants Dig a Pit

  I'm terribly sorry, I just discovered that the 71st chapter I sent earlier was incorrect. It has been re-sent now, please take a look at it again, sorry about that...

  Looking at Pei Yun, who was wearing a Jin Xian crown and a purple imperial robe, Chen Kefu had never wanted to trample this guy like he did today. The turmoil in the imperial court was something he had long been mentally prepared for, but facing the current situation of kicking someone while they were down made Chen Kefu extremely angry. This kind of person was no longer a politician or an official, but had completely become a political opportunist, and it could be said that this kind of person did not have even half a bit of good intentions towards the imperial court.

  People like Yang Su of the Chu State, although they also exclude dissidents, have the ability to govern the country. He drove others away and managed the country's prosperity and strength himself. But as for this Pei Yun in front of us, he is simply a petty politician who only knows how to manipulate power. Apart from excluding dissidents, he completely disregards the overall situation and has no real skills, making him look down on him with contempt.

  Chen Kefu raised his head, and with an unusually sharp gaze, he looked at him for a moment. The cold light in his eyes suddenly startled Pei Yun, this kind of gaze was like the gaze of a wolf wandering in the dark night. As soon as it came into contact, it made people's hearts tremble.

  "Your Majesty, considering General Li's entire family has been loyal and dedicated to the public, please spare General Chen this once. If Your Majesty is still not satisfied, I am willing to take his punishment for him. Since I was young and entered Liaodong, after forming the Broken Army Camp, General Li has always been helping me, as I didn't have any elder family members to care for me. General Li treated me like a relative, now that he has made a mistake, I am willing to take his punishment."

  Chen Kefu no longer thought about those other things at this time, he truly treated Li Benlei as his grandfather, and now completely regarded him as his own family member, thinking of saving him.

  Yang Guang's face turned dark and he fell silent for a while. "Chen Pojun, as the commander of an army, you should know military law and discipline. Li Benlei may have treated you well, but in the army, you are the commander, don't let personal relationships interfere with official duties. Today's matter will be overlooked due to his family's loyalty and your face, but I hope such things won't happen again. If they do, I'll definitely not show mercy. Take him away and go back to prepare, at the third watch, follow me back to the capital."

  "Thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

  Pei Yun saw that the Emperor had let this matter go so easily, and he was very displeased in his heart. He quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, there is a saying that those who have merit should be rewarded, and those who have faults should be punished. Chen Pogun has achieved many military merits, but Your Majesty has also heavily rewarded him before. Now that he has committed a fault, if Your Majesty does not punish him, how can you expect other officials to view this? Isn't this going to make those meritorious officials become arrogant and conceited? If things go on like this, they will no longer have Your Majesty in their hearts, and they will become self-aggrandizing and disobedient."

  Yang Guang nodded, "What Pei Ai said also makes sense. Today, Chen Pojun's management of his subordinates was not strict and he should be punished for that. However, since Chen Kefu has done a good job analyzing the three possible choices Yang Jue will make in the future, I consider it a meritorious act. So today, let us just balance out his merits and demerits, neither rewarding nor punishing him further. This matter is now closed, and the Imperial Censor should not say anything more about it."

  The emperor's words were tantamount to openly shielding Chen Kefu, which made Pei Yun extremely displeased, but he had no choice. As the Imperial Censor, he indeed had the power to impeach officials for wrongdoing, but if the emperor himself was willing to let it go, and he continued to pursue the matter, then he would not be doing his duty, but rather seeking personal revenge, which would ultimately harm him instead.

  However, Pei Yun did not intend to let it go like this. After getting up, he made another eye contact with Pei Shiwen. Pei Shiwen also understood the meaning of Yang Guang's gaze and knew that Yang Guang would not be able to do anything to Chen Kefu today. After thinking for a moment, a plan emerged in his mind.

  "Your Majesty, although Goguryeo has been defeated by our great Sui and dare not show its head, the morale of the army is exhausted. However, it's not easy to retreat with a million people at once. Especially since there are so many civilian laborers in the army, we still have to cross several rivers on the way back to the capital. This is exactly the time when the enemy would attack our rear, and if they follow us while we're crossing the river and strike when we're halfway across, it will be extremely disadvantageous for our army."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Your Majesty previously ordered the main camp to remain stationary, with all troops on high alert. This is a good strategy. However, if Your Majesty could dispatch another general to lead a contingent to guard the rear, and leave the civilian laborers in the main camp for now, then Your Majesty and the main army can depart first. The remaining people in the main camp will still number in the tens of thousands. As long as we have the laborers wear armor, take up arms, and defend the camp, making the Liao people believe that our main army is still here, if they can hold out for just ten days or half a month, by then our main army would have already returned to Ping Province. At that time, Your Majesty can send someone to lead troops to escort them back to the capital. Wouldn't this be a strategy that achieves two goals at once? On one hand, our main army can quickly return to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion; on the other hand, we can also prevent the Liao people from launching a surprise attack from behind."

  Yang Guang nodded, stroking his beard. The million-strong army left in unison, although they could do so quietly. But within half a day at most, the Liao people would discover this. With so many civilians on this road, the speed of the march would inevitably not be faster. If the Goguryeo people came out of the city to follow the army and took advantage of the army's crossing of the river to attack while they were halfway across, it was indeed possible to cause great chaos. Wasn't the defeat at the Sa Water last time precisely because they were attacked by the Liao people while retreating and crossing the river?

  "What you said makes sense, but who do you think is suitable for this task?"

  "In response to Your Majesty, the remaining troops do not need to be too many. It would be best if the remaining troops could also take over the four cities including Xin City. Otherwise, if the enemy finds out that the garrison of the four cities has abandoned their posts, they will definitely be suspicious. Leaving too many troops would defeat the purpose of withdrawing troops. Therefore, I think it is best to dispatch a capable general with a small elite force to take command of everything. Within ten days at most or half a month at latest, the task can be accomplished. Of course, it would be even better if the remaining troops were cavalry. Only then could their mobility be stronger and they could both defend and fight."

  Chen Kefu knew what Pei Shiqi was going to say as soon as he came out. Although he couldn't calculate, he also guessed that it must be to deal with himself. Unexpectedly, he really thought of it and actually wanted the main army to withdraw completely, leaving only one branch of the army. Leaving a single branch of the army is not a big deal, after all, if it's cavalry, they can come and go as they please. But this guy actually wants tens of thousands of civilians to stay behind and pretend, and also wants to divide them to guard four cities, isn't that pushing people into the pit?

  Thinking again about the requirements he mentioned, what's left is a cavalry, and it must be an elite one, not too many in number, and it must be led by a great general, and the general must have a majestic appearance. What Chen Kefu heard sounded like Pei Shiming was tailoring it for himself. His own Broken Army Camp was a cavalry, and it was an elite cavalry, and the number wasn't that many, 10,000 people, not too many, not too few.

  The commander-in-chief is the great general, and he himself is now a second-grade pillar of state and one of the four generals who command troops in the Left Bodyguard. Moreover, not long ago, Yang Guang praised him as having not only military talent but also leadership talent. This guy, Pei Shiming, was completely tailored to his specifications.

  Chen Kefu looked up and exchanged a glance with Pei Shiming and Pei Yun, all three of them had an unspoken understanding in their eyes. Chen Kefu's face was expressionless, calm as still water. However, at this moment, Chen Kefu was carefully considering and calculating in his heart.

  If he wants to stay, now is undoubtedly a great opportunity for him to borrow a bridge to cross the river, and he doesn't even need to bring it up himself. Moreover, he can pretend to be unwilling to stay, believing that the more he shows his reluctance to stay, the more Pei Shiming and Pei Yun will want him to stay.

  At that time, even if he made some demands, they would definitely agree. Chen Kefu had already guessed that if he stayed, these two guys would have a follow-up move. They said to wait for the arrival of the main force and then send troops to respond, but it was estimated that he would not be able to wait until then.

  In less than a month, Liaodong will enter the rainy season, followed by heavy snow in winter, which will last until May next year. None of these are good times for marching. By then, those two must have found ways to stay here, and before next May, it is impossible to have any reinforcements or supplies such as food and grass. Eight long months, and eight months under harsh weather conditions.

  Chen Kefu believed that after the Sui army left, those Goguryeo people who finally knew the intelligence would definitely come back for a final counterattack. At that time, he had 10,000 men, but what could they use to deal with the Liaodong people? However, Chen Kefu had been in Liaodong for so long, and his views on the city of Liaodong were not the same as those of Pei Yun and Pei Shiming.

  To stand firm in Liaodong, the most crucial point is still whether or not to take down Liaodong City. As long as Liaodong City is taken into hand, it doesn't matter if it's eight months or a year, Chen Kefu also believes that he can hold on to it. As long as the initial wave of Liao people's counterattack is held off, the situation here will be more or less fixed afterwards.

  Yang Guang stroked his beard and said, "Does Commander Pei have a suitable candidate in mind? The Left Wing Guard General Yuwen Shu and the Left Wu Hou General Yang Yichen are going to be the vanguard this time, so they can't stay behind. Which of these generals do you think is suitable to stay: Left Xiuwei General Jing Yuanheng, Right Wing Guard General Xue Shixiong, Right Yuwei General Zhang Jin, Right Wuhou General Zhao Xiaocai, Gaoyang Taishou Jiandu Left Wuwei General Cui Hongsheng, Left Wuwei General Pei Renji, Vanguard General Wang Rengong, and Left Tunwei General Yuwen Huaji?"

  "Your Majesty, the several generals you mentioned are indeed top-notch in the imperial court, but they're not getting any younger. They may have stability to spare, but I fear they lack vigor. To be left alone in Liaodong, one needs a general who can both charge into battle and strategize from behind the scenes. Moreover, it's not just about the commander being capable, the soldiers also need to be robust."

  Yang Guang nodded, "Zhang Xu of Henan is indeed suitable for your requirements, unfortunately, he is now responsible for suppressing bandits and is in Henan."

  Seeking recommendation votes, seeking rewards to comfort myself...