Chapter Sixteen Give Them Courage

  The morale, this invisible and intangible thing, is so strange that when it's low, the archers defending the Chunmen Gate couldn't even perform the most basic action of drawing their bows without losing balance due to straining their waists and falling to the ground in a ridiculous manner.

  However, after winning a defensive battle, although it was only a small victory of killing less than 500 enemies, the morale, that mysterious and unpredictable thing, suddenly returned to the Eastern Capital's garrison. Seeing the rebel army's siege troops retreating like a tide, for the first time since the new city of Dongdu was built, the city wall above the Spring Gate burst into thunderous cheers. Without orders from high-ranking generals like Pei Hongce and Xie Zichong, or instructions from mid-level officers, the originally exhausted garrison soldiers suddenly recovered as if they had been reborn. With their lives on the line, they drew their bows and shot arrows, using all their might to throw stones and javelins, sparing no effort to expand their gains. Even after the rebel army had escaped beyond range, the city wall continued to shoot out arrows with strong force, as if they had not just experienced a major defensive battle.

  The affected also included all the defending troops in Dongdu City. After learning that the defenders of Shangchunmen had repelled the rebels' attack on the city, the other eleven gates of Dongdu also erupted in cheers of varying sizes. The reserve troops gathered in Beishi, from Commander Liu Changgong to ordinary soldiers, all let out a sigh of relief and celebrated their victory, as well as their own good fortune at not having to fight on the city walls.

  The news was immediately transmitted to the imperial city, and Fan Zigai and Huangfu Wu Yi, who were accompanying and comforting Yang Zong, also had joyful faces. They immediately requested an order to reward and commend the soldiers guarding the Spring Gate. Huangfu Wu Yi, who had been bedridden for a long time, personally went to the Spring Gate and publicly announced that each soldier would be rewarded with one string of coins, while the squad leaders and deputy commanders would receive double, the squad commanders and brigade commanders triple, and so on. At the same time, they were awarded wine, meat, and fine food. Pei Hongce and Xie Zichong also received verbal praise from Huangfu Wu Yi in person.

  As a staff member of Pei Hongzhi, Chen Yingliang, who was not part of the Youwu Guard's roster, did not receive any rewards from Huangfu Wu Yi. However, Chen Yingliang didn't mind and instead focused on the reward distribution situation. As he had feared, the internal corruption within the Youwu Guard was indeed severe. The Eastern Capital Court's reward of one guan (a unit of currency) per soldier was reduced to only half after being deducted by various levels of commanders, leaving each soldier with only 500 wen (a smaller unit of currency).

  What made Chen Yingliang even more incredulous was that after receiving the reward, which had been deducted by half, the soldiers of the garrison not only did not make a big fuss, but instead thanked their superiors with beaming faces. It wasn't until Chen Yingliang inquired further that he discovered that this time's situation was already considered the best. Previously, the rewards given to the soldiers by the Right Wuwei were at most only 30% or 40% of what they should have received, and this time being able to distribute half was already an unexpected joy for the soldiers of the Right Wuwei.

  After a thorough investigation of the situation, Chen Yingliang found Pei Hongce with an attitude of trying to see if he could intervene in this matter and strive to distribute all the rewards, so as to boost morale and prepare for better performance in the next battle. However, the result was still the same as Chen Yingliang's concerns, Pei Hongce smiled bitterly and said: "Xianzhong, you are talented and intelligent, but you lack experience and experience, I am a civil official, not a right guard general, this kind of thing, has no right to intervene, nor is it convenient to intervene."

  Chen Yingliang lowered his head and said, "Uncle, I also know that this matter has put you in a difficult position. However, if we ignore such things, the morale of our troops will remain low, their combat effectiveness will not be improved, and they will always be in a passive position. How can an army that deducts half of its rewards and bonuses achieve victory in every battle and capture every city?"

  "Good nephew, the reason you speak is of course understood by your uncle, but your uncle really has no way." Pei Hongce smiled even more bitterly and said: "Do you think your uncle didn't know about these situations before? Your uncle holds the concurrent position of Director of Works, often commanding tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers and laborers to construct buildings and earthworks. He's been aware of such things for a long time. But what's the use of knowing? Should he impeach the generals who embezzle military rations and deduct rewards? If he offends them to death, how will your uncle be able to command the army to construct buildings and earthworks in the future? Won't they intentionally slow down the construction period?"

  "There's more." Pei Hongce pointed again in the direction of the Eastern Capital Imperial City, lowering his voice as he spoke: "Worthy nephew, do you think that sickly Right Wuwei General Huangfu Wuyi doesn't know about these things? Do you think Fan the Defender doesn't know about these things? They're well aware of them in their hearts! But why haven't they dared to intervene, why haven't they taken action? It's because they still have to rely on these generals to lead troops and defend the city, still have to rely on these generals to take to the battlefield and kill the enemy. If they were to push them too hard, what would happen? Besides turning a blind eye, what other choice do they have?"

  Pei Hong Ce didn't need to explain so much to Chen Ying Liang, as the latter was not a good person himself and understood these things better than Pei. The methods of corruption and bribery that had been leading for over a thousand years were far more sophisticated than Pei's. However, as an ambitious transmigrator, Chen wanted to rise above others and gain wealth and glory, so he was willing to temporarily correct his shortcomings. After some thought, Chen suddenly knelt down on both knees in front of Pei, clasped his fists together, and said: "Uncle, I, your nephew, dare to ask you to arrange for me to command an army, to charge into battle and fight against the rebels for you!"

  "What made you think of leading an army, young master?" asked Pei Hongce.

  "Tell Uncle, I want to create an invincible and unbeatable army for you, to turn around the current passive situation." Chen Yingliang replied in a low voice: "Today, I carefully observed the battlefield situation and found that the Eastern Capital garrison is far superior to Yang's rebel army in terms of equipment and training. The only thing they lack is high morale, determination to win, and the courage to fight to the end! I think I have a way to change this, so I beg Uncle to give me an opportunity to independently command an army, for you, Uncle, and for the Great Sui Dynasty, to create an invincible and unbeatable army!"

  "Your ambition is commendable!" Pei Hongce praised, then shook his head and said: "However, it's unrealistic! Don't forget, you're only seventeen years old, not even qualified to join the imperial guard, let alone lead an army. Although your uncle is a noble man of high rank in the Eastern Capital, he can't make you a commander."

  "Uncle, I've noticed that your household has a lot of servants. Can you lend me 200 of them?" Chen Yingliang wouldn't give up and continued: "I don't need to command regular troops, just a volunteer army will do. Give me a little time and I can turn your household servants into an elite army."

  "You're such a clever kid, how come you sometimes say such foolish things?" Pei Hongce said with a bitter smile: "What time is it now? When the rebel army surrounded the city, Uncle was in this situation in Dongdu City, organizing the household guards into an army and distributing weapons and armor to them. If the King of Yue and Fan Liuzhou found out, wouldn't they have skinned Uncle alive?"

  Chen Yingliang thought for a moment and could only helplessly withdraw his request. Pei Hongce helped Chen Yingliang up, patted him on the shoulder and said: "Nephew, I understand your eagerness to serve the country, so I won't blame you for speaking nonsense. Listen to me, calm down, wait until the rebellion of Yang is put down, I promise to get you a formal official position, whether it's civil or military, you can choose."

  "Thank you, Uncle Xie." Chen Yingliang responded with gratitude, but in his heart, he was secretly thinking: "Should I give up and follow Pei Hongce to make some small contributions in Yang Xuangan's rebellion? No, I won't miss this opportunity. My time is running out, and I must do something in this campaign to lay the foundation for my future success! Is there a way for me to lead troops into battle and show off my skills?"

  …………

  The method of commanding troops was still not thought of by Chen Yingliang, and the situation on the Luoyang battlefield had already changed. On the second day at noon, a messenger from Jinying City rushed into Dongdu City, bringing Liu Ziyuan's second letter to Fan Zigai and Huangfu Wuyi, saying that the main force of the rebel army had gathered under Jinying City and launched a fierce attack on this fortified city in Luoyang! What made Fan Zigai and Huangfu Wuyi furious was that not one of the scouts sent by the Right Wuwei reported this situation, nor even the news that the main force of the rebel army marched towards Jinying City.

  He beheaded several scouts who were afraid of death and hastily reported military information, and severely punished their superiors. Fan Ziga sent a messenger to contact Liu Ziwei, requiring him to defend the Golden Gate City to the death. The city would live or die with its people. At the same time, in the letter, he clearly told Liu Ziwei that the rebel army was fiercely attacking the Golden Gate City, aiming to surround and attack the reinforcements. In order not to give the rebels an opportunity to ambush, he absolutely would not send any troops to reinforce Liu Ziwei, everything could only rely on Liu Ziwei himself.

  Luck was on the side of the rebels. What Fan Zigai did not expect in his dreams was that the messenger he sent out of the city was intercepted and attacked by the rebel scouts on the road, and the messenger chose to surrender to the rebels for fear of death. The letter written by Fan Zigai to Liu Ziyuan also fell into the hands of Yang Guangyan and others.

  As the future outstanding rebel leader, Li Mi, the military advisor of the rebels, would not waste this lucky letter. He immediately had the messenger brought to the foot of Jinyong City and publicly read out Fan Zhen's letter, telling the defenders that they would not have any reinforcements and continuing to defend the city would only lead to certain death.

  It can be imagined that the reaction of the defenders of Jinyong City after learning this news was that the morale of the defenders, which was already extremely low, suddenly became chaotic when they heard Fan Ziga's decision. If it weren't for Liu Ziwei's military talent and wisdom, who immediately declared that the letter was a fake created by the enemy and announced that reinforcements from Luoyang would arrive before sunset on the third day, the desperate defenders of Jinyong City might have opened the city gates and surrendered to the rebels on the spot.

  That night, Liu Ziyuan again dispatched his own commander of the Imperial Guards to secretly leave Jinyang City and rush to Dongdu, where he reported the events to Fan Zigai. He clearly told Fan that if no reinforcements were seen by sunset on the third day, he would be unable to control the garrison at Jinyang anymore and could only prepare for martyrdom.

  What else can Fan Zigai say? Apart from scolding the messenger for being unlucky and incompetent, Fan Zigai could only spend the whole night discussing with Huangfu Wuyi, deciding to send a supporting army to Liu Ziyuan, helping him to stabilize the morale of the defending troops in Jinying City.

  Considering that Pei Hongce had done well in the battle at Shangchun Gate the day before, Fan Zigai finally did not force Pei Hongce to lead his troops to rescue Liu Ziyuan this time. Instead, he chose to let Hu Ya Lang Jiang Yuanxun lead an army of 3,000 to execute this order. At the same time, Fan Zigai only gave Jiang Yuanxun a simple task that couldn't be simpler: just let Jinyong City see the rescue troops from Luoyang! Whether Jiang Yuanxun could break into Jinyong City to provide reinforcements, or whether he could help Jinyong City defend against and repel the rebel army's siege forces, was of no concern. As long as Jinyong City could see the rescue troops from Luoyang, that would be enough!

  The reason why Fan Zigai assigned such a light task was that he had completely lost hope in the field combat capability of the You Wuwei Army and did not dare to entrust them with any more expectations. However, the cruel reality made Fan Zigai thoroughly desperate. The three thousand troops led by Yuan Xuangong had just left the city for ten miles when they were suddenly attacked head-on by Yang Xuan's rebel army, led by Yang Xuan himself. Yang Xuan, who was invincible in bravery, took the lead in charging into the Sui army with a long spear, venting his anger and fury. The rebel army was inspired by their commander and launched a fierce attack, while the Sui army collapsed instantly. As the main general, Yuan Xuang led the escape, and the three thousand Sui soldiers threw away their armor and weapons and fled in disarray, with most of them fleeing in all directions. Only a small number of troops followed Yuan Xuang back to Dongdu. Yang Xuan pursued and killed all the way to the city wall of Dongdu, showing off his military prowess under the city wall. The defending soldiers on the city wall were trembling with fear and did not dare to send any soldiers out of the city to fight.

  Although Fan Ziga did not hesitate to behead Yuan Chuangun and display his head at the gate to demonstrate military law, he could not stop the chain reaction that followed. First, nearly half of the 3,000 Sui soldiers who had left the city with Yuan Chuangun defected to the rebel army. Then, the defenders of Jinying City did not see any reinforcements arriving, and their morale completely collapsed. On the fourth day, Yang Xuangan launched another fierce attack on the city's defenses, which were far inferior to those of Dongdu's Jinyingwei City. Some of the defending soldiers in the city, who were extremely fearful, opened the gates and surrendered to the rebels. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Liu Ziyuan could only lead the remaining defenders who were still under his control to break out of the siege and escape back to Dongdu. The rebel army easily captured Jinying City, gaining a large amount of military equipment and supplies stored in the city. Yang Xuangan once again personally led his troops to pursue and attack Liu Ziyuan all the way to the outskirts of Dongdu.

  Liu Ziyuan fled back to the Anxi Gate, which was adjacent to the Shangchun Gate, with only over a dozen riders. Although there were still more than 100 Sui soldiers outside the city who had not yet entered, because Yang Xuangan had already chased and killed them to the foot of the city wall, the garrison at the Anxi Gate still closed the gate, and the Sui soldiers who could not enter the city wailed and cried under the city wall, begging bitterly, but did not dare to take up their weapons to drive back the rebel soldiers who were just a short distance behind them.

  Two senior officials of the Eastern Capital, Fan Zigai and Huangfu Wu Yi, happened to be passing by nearby while inspecting the city walls. When they arrived at the Anxi Gate to investigate, they also witnessed this tragic scene with their own eyes. They saw the crudely equipped rebel soldiers, like tigers descending a mountain, slaughtering the Sui army soldiers who had not yet entered the city. They also saw the well-equipped Sui army soldiers, like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, kneeling on the ground and wailing in despair, allowing the rebels' blades to strike them without daring to make even the slightest move of resistance. Fan Zigai's heart was as if being strangled by a knife, while Huangfu Wu Yi, who had been ill, looked as pale as death, yet they were both equally helpless.

  Liu Ziyuan, covered in sweat and mud, was escorted to the Anxi Gate and appeared before Fan Zigai, tearfully recounting the fall of Jinyong City. This time, Fan Zigai did not explode in anger, but instead listened carefully to Liu Ziyuan's report before weakly waving his hand and saying: "Jinyong City has fallen, your responsibility is not great, go down and rest, I will truthfully report to King Yue and ask him to deal with you leniently."

  Liu Ziyuan choked back tears and thanked them, then retreated from the city with the support of the soldiers. Fan Zigai turned his gaze to the rebel army in the distance, many soldiers holding willow wood shields with sail-like armor, then looked back at the defending army, all wearing iron helmets. Suddenly, he became enraged and shouted at the surrounding generals: "How can you still have the face to eat the imperial court's salary, how can you still have the face to take the imperial court's pay? What kind of soldiers did you bring out? With such excellent equipment, such abundant military rations, such a long period of training, why can't you even defeat the Yang rebels who only hold single swords? Are you ashamed or not?"

  No one dared to speak, all the defending generals lowered their heads, including the current Right Wuwei's old leader Huangfu Wuyi, whose face was burning with shame, but more of the Right Wuwei generals didn't even have a flush on their faces.

  "Don't you forget, you are the generals of the imperial court, the generals of the Eastern Capital Right Wuwei! You should let the soldiers of the Right Wuwei bravely kill the enemy and fight for the country. This is why the imperial court gave you high positions and generous rewards. Why can't you even do this?"

  Still no one dared to speak, and they all lowered their heads even more. Fan Zigai saw this and became even angrier, roaring: "All of you, lift your heads! I want you to work together with the soldiers, lift your heads and fight a bloody battle to the end with Yang's rebel army! Tell me, what can you do to make the soldiers under your command fight bravely, no longer fleeing at the slightest touch, no longer running away at the sight of the enemy?!"

  Of course, no one could answer Fan Zige's question, and many generals were already trembling slightly. Fan Zige noticed this situation and was thoroughly desperate. Just as he was about to shake his head and sigh, he suddenly heard a loud voice say: "Give them courage! Give our soldiers courage!"

  Fan Zige suddenly turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, and the right Wuwei generals led by Huangfu Wuyi also turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound. To their surprise, they saw that the person who opened his mouth to speak was a young man wearing a civil servant's uniform, with a childish face. A few people recognized that this young man was Chen Yingliang, the new nephew of Pei Hongce, a senior official of Dongdu.

  "Chen Yingliang, how did you get here?" Huanfu Wu Yi, who knew Chen Yingliang, shouted: "Fan Liuzhu is giving a speech to the right Wuwei generals, what are you interrupting for? Do you want to lose your head?!"

  "Magistrate Fan is pardoned, General Huangfu is also pardoned." Chen Yingliang flashed the document in his hand and replied: "I was ordered by Pei Zan to deliver a document to Anxi Gate, and I happened to hear Magistrate Fan ask, so I couldn't help but answer one sentence."

  Huangfu Wu Yi was somewhat angry and just wanted to continue scolding Chen Ying Liang, but Fan Zi Gai waved his hand to stop him. Then he walked up to Chen Ying Liang in big strides, slightly lowering his head to ask: "What did you say earlier?"

  "On the battlefield, our generals face not only the enemy's swords and spears but also the executioner's axe of our own disciplinary troops. Without courage to confront these, even the best equipment is useless." Chen Yingliang spoke loudly without fear: "To make our generals spirited and full of fighting spirit against the enemy, we must give them courage! Let them love Great Sui, be loyal to Great Sui! Let them be willing to sacrifice for the court, for the emperor, for Great Sui. Let the generals yearn for battle, hope for battle, be brave in battle. Only then can our Eastern Capital army defeat the enemy and annihilate Yang Xuangan's rebels!"

  Fan Ziga hesitated, and suddenly asked again: "What should we do to make our soldiers yearn for battle, hope for battle, be brave in battle? Be willing to sacrifice for the court, be willing to sacrifice for the emperor, be willing to sacrifice for the Great Sui?"

  "Establish a model, establish a model army!" Chen Yingliang replied: "I think that now we should have an outstanding army, a brave and fearless elite force, a vanguard that yearns for battle and is not afraid of sacrifice. The number doesn't need to be too many, three to five hundred people are enough. Then let them go fight against the rebel bandits, defeat the enemy forces time and time again. Our other generals will have a model to learn from, an object to imitate, a backbone on the battlefield, as well as the courage and hope to defeat the enemy. In this way, it would be hard for us not to win!"

  "It's all nonsense!" Fan Zige suddenly burst into anger, roaring: "You still think you have any brilliant ideas, it's all nonsense! If I had such an elite troop, would I need you to come here and spout arrogant words?!"

  "Lord Fan, I dare to ask another question, do you want such an army?" Chen Yingliang asked suddenly.

  "What do you mean by this?" Fan Zigai was taken aback.

  "If the adults want." Chen Yingliang replied: "Let me lead three to five hundred soldiers, and provide me with some necessary things. Half a month later, or even ten days later, I can give you such an army!"

  Everyone in the room opened their mouths wide, and Fan Zige also stared with his eyes wide open. After staring at Chen Yingliang for a while, Fan Zige said viciously: "You little brat, there's no joking around in the army!"

  "I, Chen Yingliang, am willing to sign a military order. If I fail, I beg for my head to be cut off!" Chen Yingliang replied: "Is it better to passively endure the beating and let the rebels rampage outside the city, or to build an elite army that makes the rebels tremble with fear, and in the counterattack, cooperate with the imperial court's reinforcements to quickly and thoroughly eliminate the rebels? Please decide, Lord Fan."

  After hesitating for a long time, Fan Zige asked slowly: "You, what do you need?"

  "A military flag, three to five hundred white cloaks, necessary weapons and equipment, and some money and grain rewards will be enough." Chen Yingliang replied.

  Fan Zige hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said: "Your military order is not enough, if you can't do it, killing your head is a small matter, the grain you pay is also a small matter, my lifelong reputation is the big deal."

  Chen Yingliang, who was full of expectation, began to lose hope, but Fan Zigai's next words reignited his hopes. Fan Zigai said solemnly: "Alright, considering your minor contributions over the past few days, I'll give you an opportunity. Tell me, how do you plan to transform a fine army for me? If your words are reasonable and your method is feasible, I can stake my reputation on you."