Chapter 26: The Reinforcements Suffer a Setback

  Chen Yingliang convened a meeting of the two battalion commanders, four brigade commanders and sixteen deputy regimental commanders to discuss matters. Of course, it was about the problem of grassroots leaders in the newly formed two divisions. The new two temporary battalion commanders were decided by Chen Yingliang from among the four brigade commanders. The selection method was also very simple: let the four brigade commanders report the number of enemies they had personally killed in the last major battle, and the two brigade commanders with the largest numbers would be promoted to battalion commander.

  Although the method was a bit absurd, all four generals had already gotten used to Chen Yingliang's way of doing things and were not surprised at all. They quickly reported their own numbers of enemy killed, but what was surprising was that the general who looked the most gentle, Chen Ci, who had also volunteered to give his reward to the families of fallen soldiers, reported the highest number of enemy killed, even more than Zhao Yu, the second-highest, by two people. He had personally killed an astonishing eleven enemies.

  When he heard this, Chen Yingliang couldn't help but feel a little suspicious and wondered if Chen Ci was lying, but without evidence, it wasn't good to say anything. However, the straightforward and honest squad leader Guo Feng wouldn't let it go and spoke up: "Chen Ci, you personally killed eleven enemies, is that true or false? In the last big battle, I remember I only personally killed ten enemies, how can you kill one more than me?"

  "I never lie! I just have evidence!" Chen Ci's face turned red, and he said loudly: "My fourth brother became a monk at the Jingtu Temple twenty miles south of Luoyang City. This time, during the rebellion, he followed the abbot back to the city to avoid the war fire. A few days ago, he came to visit me and asked me to remember the number of enemies I killed on the battlefield. He said that for every enemy I killed, he would recite a certain number of scriptures in front of the Buddha to help the dead souls ascend and to atone for my sins. So, I remembered this matter on the battlefield. The day before yesterday, my fourth brother came to see me again, and I told him how many enemies I had killed. He immediately returned to the city's Buddhist hall to recite scriptures. If you don't believe me, you can call my fourth brother right away and ask him in person."

  "I can testify to this." One of Chen's guards stepped forward, cupped his hands and said: "When General Chen's fourth brother came to visit him, I was present, but I didn't hear what they were talking about."

  Guo Feng shut up, and Chen Yingliang also smiled and said: "Monks don't speak falsely. My fourth brother is a kind-hearted high monk in the Chen Temple. I believe he won't lie. Alright, Chen Ci will be the lieutenant of the Third Battalion of the Baoguo Army, and Zhao Yu will be the lieutenant of the Fourth Battalion. Do your best and strive to become like Guo Feng and Chen Zhihong, who were promoted from temporary battalion commanders to formal lieutenants."

  Chen Ci and Zhao Yucheng performed the ceremony of gratitude, loudly guaranteeing that they would do a good job as camp lieutenant. Then Chen Yingliang followed suit, using this method to select six new brigade commanders from among the sixteen deputy team leaders, and then letting everyone recommend their brave soldiers, selecting twenty-two deputy team leaders from among them. Soon, all the grassroots generals of the expanded Baoguo Army were finalized. As for the aspect of partners, Chen Yingliang didn't worry about it either, handing it over to the four lieutenants to take charge of the matter. At the same time, Chen Yingliang also ordered that new and old soldiers be mixed together in their formation, with the old leading the new to strive to form combat effectiveness as soon as possible.

  "Tell the new recruits to respect the experienced old soldiers, and tell the old soldiers not to bully the new recruits just because they have more experience and battle credits. They must unite and be friendly with each other. If a new recruit is found to be disrespectful to an old soldier or if an old soldier bullies a new recruit, both will be severely punished without exception!"

  After finishing this sentence, Chen Yingliang, who was ill, was already exhausted, with cold sweat rolling on his forehead. Guo Feng and Chen Zhihong also understood the situation, hurriedly bid farewell and left to let Chen Yingliang rest, and expressed that they would continue to train new soldiers in accordance with Chen Yingliang's method of discipline, so that Chen Yingliang did not have to worry. Chen Yingliang, whose body was really unable to hold on, smiled and nodded in response, and bid farewell to everyone.

  The commanders of the troops had all gone out, and the servant sent by Pei Hongce hastily handed the medicine bowl to Chen Yingliang. Just as Chen Yingliang was drinking the medicine, Chen Ci, the newly promoted commander, poked his head into the room and said to Chen Yingliang: "Chen Jishi, I forgot to tell you something. My fourth brother, Chen Yun, also recited a prayer for your speedy recovery, asking the Buddha to bless you and get well soon. Don't look down on my fourth brother, who is only thirteen years old, but the abbot of the Jingtu Temple said he has a wise root and will definitely become a high-ranking monk in the future, so his recitation of the sutra will certainly be effective."

  "Thank you, I'll definitely thank him in person when I meet your fourth brother." Chen Yingliang nodded with a smile, and wondered to himself: "Chen Yun? Why does this name seem familiar?... Can't think of it, don't know if he's one of the famous people from our old Chen family."

  It was probably because of the many things and still reciting sutras to pray for blessings that Chen Yingliang's condition improved greatly after resting for another night, at least his legs were no longer soft when walking. Originally, Chen Yingliang wanted to go to the training ground to lead the team in person, but he was stopped by Guo Feng and Chen Qi and several other school officers who joined forces to prevent him from continuing to ruin his body. Chen Yingliang had no choice but to accept the good intentions of these accomplices and found a stool to sit in the shade beside the training ground to watch the reorganized Baoguo Army troops train.

  There are old soldiers who think that training is good, and although they have only been in the newspaper for three or four days, more than 400 new recruits have already shown a qualitative improvement in their organizational discipline under the leadership of the old soldiers. This is particularly evident in the formation and regular marching aspects, where the neat formation can no longer see the lazy and sloppy soldiers of the Right Guard, and there are few deviations during regular marching. Occasionally, when someone makes a mistake, they can correct it with the help of their companions, without misleading or affecting their companions.

  What delighted Chen Yingliang the most was still the spiritual appearance of the Reporting Army, after a big victory over the rebel army in the torrential rain, the Reporting Army's confidence had clearly been established, and the generous reward without any discount also made the Reporting Army soldiers see the rich return for their efforts. Therefore, during training, not only did the old soldiers work harder, but they also motivated the new recruits to strive upwards with all their might, shouting slogans that shook the sky, marching in unison, and forming a sharp contrast with the dull and lifeless Right Guard Camp nearby.

  Just as Chen Yingliang nodded in satisfaction, he suddenly caught sight of Pei Hongce leading a few bodyguards into the camp from outside. Chen Yingliang didn't dare to be slow and quickly ran to Pei Hongce's side to pay his respects. Pei Hongce also hastily supported Chen Yingliang and smiled, saying: "There was no enemy situation on the north gate today, so I took some time off to come see you. How is your illness?"

  "Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I've already recovered." Chen Yingliang replied: "If Uncle needs me to, I can lead the troops out of the city at any time and engage in a decisive battle with Yang's rebel army!"

  "Don't worry, don't worry, let's talk about it after you've fully recovered." Pei Hongce waved his hand and pulled Chen Yingliang to a shaded area to sit down. With loving concern, he instructed: "The imperial physician said that although your illness was triggered by the torrential rain, its root cause is still due to your weak body. You need to rest more and eat nourishing food. Your uncle has sent someone to deliver ginseng to you; you must take it every day. Once you've finished, just let me know and your uncle will send someone to bring more."

  The Great Sui has completely fallen out with Goguryeo in the past two years, and the land route to Silla is impassable. The price of ginseng has skyrocketed, which Chen Yingliang is aware of. He was grateful for Pei Hongzhi's cheap gift, so Chen Yingliang hastened to express his sincere gratitude to Pei Hongzhi. Pei Hongzhi smiled and waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to thank him. Then Pei Hongzhi continued: "Nephew, Uncle came here today not only to see how you're doing but also to tell you something so you can be prepared."

  "Please instruct me, Uncle." Chen Yingliang replied respectfully.

  Pei Hongce's face was somewhat serious, he first looked around and then lowered his voice to say: "Don't leak this out, lest it affects the morale of the troops. We just received news that our reinforcements from Daxing were defeated, suffering heavy losses. Yang Xuangan, the rebel leader, won a great victory. Perhaps in a few days, he will lead the main force back to Luoyang. At that time, your pressure will definitely be very great. You must prepare for a bitter and brutal battle."

  "Was the Da Xing relief army defeated?" Chen Yingliang was somewhat surprised, and quickly lowered his voice to ask: "Uncle, wasn't it because of that mistaken report from Fan Liushou? Later, didn't the ten warning messengers sent by Fan Liushou deliver the news of the rebel army's division to Wei Xuanwei?"

  Among the ten messengers, three delivered the alarm message to Wei Xuan's face, and the other seven were unknown. Pei Hongce's expression was solemn, and he introduced in a low voice: "Wei Xuan knew that Yang Ni might have set up an ambush on the steep terrain of Xifeng Road, so he set up an ambush in turn, sent out a decoy army to advance eastward, trying to lure out the rebel troops and lead them into the killing zone. However, something unexpected happened, and Yang Ni's rebel army unexpectedly knew about Wei Xuan's ambush beforehand. Just as they were about to enter the killing zone, they suddenly stopped advancing and set fire to the mountains on both sides of the road with many torches. Wei Xuan's ambush was in great chaos, and they were forced to escape from the forest. Yang Ni's rebel army took advantage of the situation and launched a large-scale attack, and our reinforcement army suffered a disastrous defeat."

  "It's 99% likely that there is a traitor!" Chen Yingliang, who had been analyzing the case for a long time, said quickly and decisively: "If it was Yang Xuan's scout who discovered our ambush troops, Yang Xuan's army would not have had time to prepare firewood and oil. Since Yang Xuan's army was able to quickly produce firewood and straw, just based on this point alone, we can conclude that 99% of the time, there is a traitor in Wei Xu's troop who secretly informed Yang Xuan about our ambush plan!"

  Pei Hongce's eyes rolled a few times, and he nodded quickly: "Makes sense. Yang Su, that old guy has been in charge of the military for a long time, and there are countless old friends and comrades-in-arms in the Guanzhong army. It would be easy for Yang Xuangan to find some internal traitors."

  "Uncle, what's the current military situation?" Chen Yingliang hastily asked: "After our reinforcements were defeated, what countermeasures did we take? What actions did Yang's rebel army take?"

  "Wei Xuan is just like Fan Ziga, a stubborn old man who refuses to admit defeat." Pei Hongce lowered his voice and said: "He sent a messenger to tell us that he has reorganized his troops and set out for Luoyang again. However, the road through the Hangu Pass is too treacherous, and Wei Xuan, having suffered losses before, does not dare to move too quickly. So we need to wait patiently for a few more days. As for Yang's main force, the useless scouts from the Right Wuwei have not yet discovered their latest movements."

  Knowing himself but not the enemy, Chen Yingliang was again resourceful and clever, for a moment he couldn't think of any way to deal with the enemy. After careful consideration, Chen Yingliang whispered to Pei Hongce: "Uncle, can you make a suggestion in front of Fan Liuzhu, responding to the current situation?"

  "This is the purpose of my visit, Fan Ziga that old stubborn asked me how to deal with this situation, I just couldn't think of it so I came to find you." Pei Hongce muttered secretly in his heart, but said very beautifully on his mouth, "Worthy nephew please speak directly, all for the great Sui court, as long as worthy nephew is right, uncle will definitely speak for you."

  "Thank you, Uncle." Chen Yingliang bowed his hands in gratitude and said in a low voice: "Please ask Uncle Fan to persuade Fan Liuzhu to send a letter to Wei Xuanwei, suggesting that Wei's troops be stationed west of Hangu Pass, dig deep trenches and build high walls, only defend and not fight, block the western route of Yang's rebellion, so within a month, Yang's rebel army will surely be defeated under Luoyang City!"

  "Should Wei Xu's reinforcement troops be stationed west of Hangu Pass in the Han Dynasty? Only defend and not fight? Why?" Pei Hongce was taken aback.

  "Because General Wei's army is also unreliable." Chen Yingliang replied in a low voice: "As the nephew of the great Xing, I have personally witnessed the situation of the Great Xing army and know that the left and right Wuwei armies are about the same. It is likely that there are internal spies from Yang's side within the army. If General Wei leads such an army to fight against Yang's rebel forces in the open field, to be honest, it will still be a situation where danger outweighs luck."

  "The garrison in the Han Dynasty was different from the west of Hangu Pass." Chen Yingliang explained with a stroke: "This road has been walked by Xiao Shu, and it is known that the roads to the west of Hangu Pass during the Han Dynasty are still narrow and difficult to navigate, which is not conducive to the deployment of troops. Wei Daren's troops stationed on this road can serve three purposes: first, avoid the enemy's sharp edge, and do not take risks to engage in a decisive battle with Yang Jueze's army; second, replace us to hold back Yang Jueze's main force, which has already been divided, and share the pressure of our Luoyang garrison; third, block Yang Jueze's westward advance, making it impossible for him to threaten Guanzhong, waiting for our other reinforcements to arrive, and then annihilate Yang Jueze's army will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

  Pei Hongce was indeed a bit sorry in military affairs. After thinking for a long time, Pei Hongce finally woke up and asked in a low voice: "Xianzhong, your meaning is that you didn't expect Wei Xuan's reinforcements to break through Yang Jiao's rebel army, but only hoped that he could hold back Yang Jiao's main force and gain time for our other reinforcements to return?"

  "It's exactly so." Chen Yingliang nodded and said in a low voice, "Uncle, don't have any illusions about the Left Wuwei Army. They are just like the Right Wuwei Army - young masters who haven't fought a war in over ten or twenty years. The last bit of elite troops were taken to Liaodong by the Emperor. In a field battle against Yang's main force, they basically have no chance of winning. Only by hiding in the easily defended and hard-to-attack Tongguan Pass can they exert their greatest effect."

  "Moreover, there is another advantage of hiding in the Tongguan Pass, that is, it can be attacked and defended, and there are opportunities to take advantage of on the battlefield. At any time, they can launch a surprise attack. If they lose the battle in the Tongguan Pass, at least they can retreat westward, with the possibility of defending themselves at the waters of Hongnong and the pass of Tongguan. The possibility of being completely annihilated is not great. However, if they leave the Tongguan Pass and engage in a decisive battle with the rebel forces on open terrain, that would be troublesome. The rebels only need to send a few hundred soldiers to block the Tongguan Pass, and the 40,000-strong army will be unable to fly even with wings. Although whether or not Wei You is defeated is no longer our concern, this is after all the lives of 40,000 people, so please think thrice, Uncle."

  After listening to Chen Yingliang's words, Pei Hongce considered for a few more minutes and soon nodded, saying: "Wise nephew, you are right, this is indeed a foolproof plan. For the sake of the 40,000 imperial troops, I will go see Fan Zhuguo now to persuade him. You take care of yourself, Uncle will leave first."

  After finishing speaking, Pei Hongzhe quickly got up and left in a hurry. Chen Yingliang sent off Pei Hongzhe at the camp gate and watched him rush to the imperial city to present his plan to Fan Zigai. At the same time, Chen Yingliang secretly thought to himself: "Uncle, considering your share of human life, this time I really did come up with a good idea for you. I remember that in history, Wei Xuan almost got captured alive by Yang Xuan Gan, but luckily, a stray arrow shot and killed Yang Xuan Ting, the younger brother of Yang Xuan Gan, which allowed him to narrowly escape a complete defeat. Now that history has changed, will Wei Xuan still have such good luck? I really dare not guarantee it."

  After muttering to himself, Chen Yingliang was about to turn around and head back to camp when he saw a small, thin little monk standing beside him, clasping his palms together in greeting. His attitude was very respectful, and Chen Yingliang guessed that he must be Chen Ci's younger brother, Chen Yun. He returned the courtesy with a smile, saying: "You're Chen Yun, right? I heard you've been reciting sutras to pray for my good fortune - thank you, little monk! Are you here to visit your older brother Chen Ci? He's currently on the training grounds leading his team in drills; I'll help you go call him."

  The little monk was still a bit shy, and he bowed to Chen Yingliang again. Just as he wanted to say something to Chen Yingliang, Chen Yingliang had already taken big strides into the school field to look for Chen Ci. The little monk could only helplessly make a hand gesture towards Chen Yingliang's back and said in a low voice: "The Buddhist monk... thanks to the benefactor for helping to pass on the message. May Buddha bless this Chen benefactor, may his military career be prosperous, may he have no disasters or difficulties, and may he live a long and happy life."

  "I really don't want to bless this hypocrite who buys mobile phones with public funds, even if you open your mouth it's useless!" A roar of anger echoed from 108,000 miles away.