Chapter Thirteen: Behind-the-Scenes Confrontation

  On the day when Yang Xuangan's rebel army arrived at Dongdu, another major event occurred in the afternoon. Yang Xuangan, who was full of confidence and pride, sent a trusted envoy into the city to deliver a personal letter to Fan Zigai, the defender of Dongdu. The content of the letter was, of course, a lengthy diatribe against Emperor Yang of Sui's cruelty, tyranny, and misrule, followed by a demand for Fan Zigai to open the gates and surrender.

  It can be expected that the stubborn and obstinate Fan Zige, upon seeing this letter of persuasion, immediately ordered the execution of the envoy and commanded the imperial guards to take the envoy to the top of the Shangchun Gate and execute him in front of the main force of the rebels below!

  When Chen Yingliang, who was assisting Pei Hongzhi in handling official documents in the city building, heard this news, he wanted to persuade Pei Hongzhi to come forward and stop it. Unfortunately, the Imperial City Forbidden Army soldiers were too quick to act, and Chen Yingliang had not yet had time to ask Pei Hongzhi to intervene when the messenger's head had already fallen to the ground. The bloody head was even hung on the city wall by the Forbidden Army soldiers to demonstrate their power to the rebel army outside the city, and to issue a warning that they would not coexist. Chen Yingliang could only sigh and say: "Governor Fan, Governor Fan, you really are willing to give up this good opportunity."

  "What did you just say, young master? Did Fan the guard miss a good opportunity?" asked Pei Hongce curiously.

  "Uncle, have you interrogated the prisoner?" Chen Yingliang, a former head of the criminal police brigade, asked in response. Seeing Pei Hongzhe shake his head in denial, Chen Yingliang then replied: "Since ancient times, when interrogating prisoners, the most effective way to get them to confess is not only through severe torture, but also by giving them hope for pardon and forgiveness. The prisoner will obediently confess and betray their accomplices in order to survive and receive a lighter sentence. The stupidest method is to intimidate them, making them think that if they confess, they will not survive, so they will stubbornly resist to the end in order to survive, and even intentionally cover up for accomplices who have not yet been exposed."

  "Fan Liushou used the most foolish method." Chen Yingliang spread his hands and sighed, "A small messenger, whether to kill or not, has no relation at all. If we let him go, he can return to the rebel army and spread the message that as long as they surrender, they will be pardoned. This would have some effect on shaking the enemy's morale. But Fan Liushou pushed him to the city wall and beheaded him in public, hanging his head on the wall as a warning. Isn't this equivalent to telling the rebel army that they have no other way out but to follow Yang Xuangan's rebellion?"

  Pei Hongce was also a clever person, and after listening to Chen Yingliang's analysis, he immediately stomped his foot and exclaimed in regret, "You're right, my wise nephew! This is a good opportunity. Yang Ze's rebel army must have many people who are being forced to follow him. If we let them know that surrendering will spare their lives, there may be many who will turn against him! Why didn't Fan Yuqi think of this with his impulsive temper?!"

  Their heads have already been cut off, and Chen Yingliang and Pei Hongce can't regret it anymore. As a result, just as Chen Yingliang expected, the news of Fan Zigai beheading the envoy was transmitted to the rebel army, and the leaders of the rebellion, Yang Xuangan and his brothers, Wang Zhongbo and others, not only did not jump into rage but also applauded together. Then Yang Xuangan praised Military Advisor Li Mi: "Xuan Suans plan is indeed brilliant, Fan Zigai, this old thing, has indeed lost his temper and killed people, with this, we don't have to worry about the army being unstable anymore."

  "Thanks to your praise, I am ashamed and dare not accept it." Li Mi humbly said, then quickly continued: "Chu Gong, the matter should not be delayed. We should immediately spread the news of Fan Zhen's execution throughout the three armies, and then spread rumors that the tyrannical court has issued an order to exterminate all those who have joined our army, regardless of their identity or status. Let us strike while the iron is hot, stabilize the military morale, and boost the soldiers' spirits."

  Yang Xuangan, apart from not listening to Li Mi's strategy, was quite obedient to Li Mi in terms of tactical details. He immediately followed the plan and let his younger brother Yang Xuanting and Yang Su leave with Wang Zhongbo, a trusted old subordinate left by Yang Xuangan, to execute this plan. Then Yang Xuangan asked Li Mi again: "Xuanxuan, can your one arrow double shot plan shoot down another eagle? Will that old thing Fan Zigai get angry because of our provocation and send the main force of the defending army out of the city for a decisive battle?"

  "It's hard to say." Li Mi, who was known for his wisdom and strategy, rarely showed hesitation on his face, and hesitated before saying: "If Fan Zigai wants to go out of the city and fight a decisive battle, today is the best opportunity. Using our army's weakness of being tired from traveling far and not having a stable foothold, seize the opportunity to fight a decisive battle. But it's already afternoon, and the defenders of the Eastern Capital have shown no signs of going out of the city for a decisive battle, which makes me very hard to judge. Logically speaking, with Fan Zigai's temper, he shouldn't be willing to die defending the city."

  "It doesn't matter if the old thing doesn't come out of the city, we can just attack the city then." Yang Xuangan said lightly: "I'll pass the order to the rear army right now, and work hard to build siege weapons. We'll launch the attack in two days!"

  "This fool, why is he always thinking of attacking Dongdu City by force? Is this city so easy to attack?" Li Mi muttered in his heart and cursed secretly. But on the surface, he said: "Chu Gong, I think we should make two preparations. In addition to preparing for a military attack on Dongdu City, we should also try to lure the defenders of Dongdu out of the city to fight a decisive battle."

  "What other clever plan does Fa Zhu have?" Yang Xuan asked hastily.

  "Take advantage of the city's strong defense, Dongdu's Weicheng Jinyong City." Li Mi smiled and replied: "Use the surrendered government troops to our advantage again, that old thing Fan Zigai is almost ready to come out of the city for a decisive battle!"

  …………

  On the second morning after arriving in Luoyang, the main force of the rebel army stationed outside Donghua Gate made its first major move, dividing into tens of thousands of troops to head north, with the target being Jinduicheng, which was also the location of the East Capital Wei City and the county seat of Luoyang. The commander-in-chief of Jinduicheng, Luoyang Prefect Da Xianshi, had gone missing on the battlefield, and Liu Ziyuan, the acting prefect of Luoyang who was later sent by Fan Zigai, did not dare to engage in battle and closed the city gates to defend it. At the same time, he sent a messenger to ask for help from Fan Zigai.

  Liu Ziyuan's messenger brought the letter of appeal into Luoyang City. Fan Zigai and Huangfu Yi, etc., the important officials on both sides of the Eastern Capital, were in a dilemma. They had the intention to send troops to rescue Jinying City, but they suspected that this was Yang Xuangan's plan to lure the city's defenders out of the city and ambush them. If they didn't rescue, they feared that Jinying City would fall, and the enemy's momentum would increase, making Luoyang City even more isolated. In a state of indecision, Fan Zigai took advantage of the opportunity to inspect the enemy situation and came directly to the main battlefield at Chunmen Gate, seeking the opinion of Pei Hongce, who had been expressing excellent views over the past two days, to understand his views on this matter.

  Pei Hongce was already following orders to eat and live in the Shangchun Gate Tower, so Fan Zigai naturally saw Pei Hongce very smoothly. However, when Fan Zigai told Pei Hongce about the situation of seeking help from Jinyong City, Pei Hongce did not immediately express his opinion, but secretly looked at his nephew and new secretary Chen Yingliang beside him. Chen Yingliang nodded slightly to Pei Hongce and gestured slightly towards the door. Pei Hongce let out a sigh of relief and quickly said to Fan Zigai: "Fan, please wait for a moment, I have an urgent military matter to attend to, I'll go take care of it first and then come back, also consider the military situation in Jinyong City, and then immediately give you a reply."

  Fan Ziga didn't suspect anything, and let Pei Hongce temporarily leave the city tower to attend to military matters. After Pei Hongce led his nephew out of the city tower, he really didn't take long to return to the city tower again. He bowed his hands to Fan Zigai and said: "Fan, the defender, I have a humble opinion. It's completely unnecessary to go rescue Jinyong City. Jinyong City is just a small fortified city, gaining it will not bring any benefits, losing it will not cause any harm. Just order Liu Yushi to hold on tight, there's no need to take risks and send troops to rescue. If we take risks and go rescue, the bandits may set up an ambush, and the consequences are unpredictable."

  "What if Jinbi City can't hold on?" Fan Zigai was still a bit worried, saying: "There are more than 3,000 defenders in Jinbi City, we can't just watch them all be defeated, can we?"

  "If Jin'gang City can't be defended, what if Yang Jue takes it?" Pei Hongce's words shocked everyone, and he smiled, saying: "If Yang Jue takes Jin'gang City, his confidence will surely increase, and his determination to capture Dongdu will become even stronger. Therefore, if Jin'gang City falls, it may not necessarily be a bad thing for our army's overall plan."

  Fan Zhenwu's expression remained stubborn, but a hint of deep thought was revealed. Pei Hongce hastily added another sentence: "If Fan leaves the defenders of Jinyang City to their own devices, he can also give them an order allowing them to break through and return to Dongdu in times of crisis. After all, even the Luokou Granary, which stored nearly 10 million stones of military rations, has been lost; what's the point of being particular about the gain or loss of a small garrison city? Since ancient times, those who are skilled at using troops have never been bound by the gain or loss of one city or one place."

  After deliberating for a long time, the old stubborn Fan Zigai finally nodded and said: "It makes sense to let Liu Ziyuan defend the city firmly, but it is not possible to issue an order allowing him to break through the siege. The enemy's forces are strong, and the morale of the government troops is low. If this order is issued, Jinbi City may not even be able to hold out for three days."

  "Indeed, that's the way it is." Pei Hongce hastily nodded and then said: "Lord Fan, regarding the Luoyang defense war, I have a humble opinion, would you like to hear it?"

  "Marquis of the State of Li speaks frankly without any harm, I will listen respectfully with an open mind." Fan Zigai intentionally or unintentionally changed his way of addressing Pei Hongce.

  "Then the official spoke boldly." Pei Hongce was also straightforward and immediately said: "In my opinion, our army should find a way to infuriate Yang Xuangan's rebels and prompt them to attack the city as soon as possible, the earlier the better!"

  "Why?" Fan Zige asked in surprise.

  "It's simple, the rebels are attacking the city now, but they have no chance of winning." Pei Hongce analyzed: "Yang Yan has marched 600 miles in eleven days, which proves that his army did not carry heavy siege weapons. Although some heavy equipment was captured on the battlefield later, there were no heavy weapons that could be used to attack the city. The temporary manufacture of siege weapons such as cloud cars, cloud ladders, hook cars, and catapults cannot be completed in just over a month. At most, only light weapons like flying ladders and trench cars can be made. In the face of the 4.8-meter-high eastern capital city wall, such siege weapons will not have any effect at all. Therefore, as long as our army can provoke Yang Xuan to attack the city as soon as possible, it will be easy to win in the defense of the city. This can also boost morale and lift the military spirit, and then drag Yang Yan into a quagmire of siege warfare."

  "That's absolutely right! What we need now is a victory to boost morale and lift the spirits of our troops! It can also have the indirect effect of reinforcing the defense of Jin'ge City!" Fan Zigai excitedly waved his hand, extremely satisfied with Pei Hongce's suggestion. Then Fan Zigai quickly asked: "So how can we provoke Yang Jue to attack the city as soon as possible? Does the Duke of Li have any brilliant ideas on this?"

  "It's simple, one word, scold." Pei Hongce smiled and replied.

  "What's wrong?" Fan Zige was taken aback.

  "Yes, scold!" Pei Hongce nodded and said with a smile: "Yang Xuangan was born into a famous family, relying on his father's influence to have a smooth career, and had never encountered setbacks in his life. He must have developed a proud and arrogant personality. People who are proud and arrogant cannot bear humiliation the most. Therefore, Your Excellency only needs to write a letter to Yang Xuangan, using extremely humiliating language to scold him until he is furious, unable to bear it. Then Yang Xuangan will certainly ignore the consequences and immediately launch an attack on the city!"

  "What a wonderful plan!" Fan Zigai burst out laughing and said, "I didn't expect that Lord Li of the State of Lei had never been on a battlefield before, yet he could come up with such an ingenious plan! Indeed, I have dealt with Yang Jishi before, this rebel is indeed a proud and arrogant person. What a wonderful plan! I will write a letter now to scold Yang Jishi until his face turns pale! To provoke him into attacking the strong city of Luoyang immediately!"

  "It's too kind of you." Pei Hongce was humble and modest, but he couldn't help sneaking a glance at Chen Yingliang standing beside him. In his heart, he thought: "I didn't expect that my 17-year-old nephew would have so much evil intentions in his mind."

  "Yang Zhiji, sorry about that, I stole your clever plan a little ahead of time, but I'm protecting the Yang family's empire, and you're also a member of the royal family, so I suppose you won't mind?" Chen Yingliang muttered to himself without expression, then continued to mutter in his heart: "Did I make a mistake by letting that stubborn old man Fan Zigai write a letter scolding Yang Xuangan? This bookworm who's read too much and gone stupid, will he actually go and scold Yang Xuangan with a bunch of nonsense? That would be completely useless!"

  Fan Zige had already taken up his brush to write, but Chen Yingliang was still a bit uneasy. He also inherited the memory of the dead ghost Chen Yingliang's ancient calligraphy. Just as Chen Yingliang was about to ask someone to write on his behalf, a soldier rushed in from outside the city gate and reported: "Report to Commander Fan, report to Lord Pei, a large number of enemy troops are approaching from the east, their target seems to be Shangchun Gate!"

  The messenger's words had barely fallen when Fan Zigai and Pei Hongce had just turned their heads, Chen Yingliang had already rushed out of the city gate like a rabbit, rushing to the top of the wall to observe the enemy situation. The soldiers guarding the Shangchun Gate controlled by Pei Hongce knew that Chen Yingliang was Pei Hongce's confidant and did not block him. Only Fan Zigai frowned and said to Pei Hongce: "Pei, your nephew is too impulsive, isn't he? He dares to be so reckless in front of you and me?"

  "Leave the redemption to me, and I'll teach this official a lesson." Pei Hongce humbly apologized, then coldly snorted in his heart, "Old thing, you think you can find someone more steady than my genius nephew? Bring it on!"

  "There's no need to scold, being so eager about national affairs is also your good fortune, I suppose in the future you'll be able to share some of my burdens." Fan Zigai added with a smile, then ordered: "Go, go out and take a look at the situation. If Yang Jue is here to attack the city, it would save me the trouble of writing a letter to scold him."

  What happened outside the city was extremely unexpected for Fan Zigai and Pei Hongce. A large rebel army had arrived, causing the low-spirited Eastern Capital garrison to be in a state of panic, rushing around and shouting. This also made Fan Zigai furious, and he slapped a panicked Sui army Eagle Strike Lang general on the spot. However, when the rebel army approached the city wall, Fan Zigai and Pei Hongce were shocked to discover that the vanguard of the rebel army was actually flying the flag of the Sui army's Right Wuwei, and the team leaders riding horses were still wearing the attire of Sui army generals!

  "What is Yang planning to do?"

  Fan Zigai and Pei Hongce were covered in mist when Chen Yingliang suddenly ran over, saluted Pei Hongce and asked: "Uncle, please confirm whether the vanguard of the rebel army is the same as the team that took Bai Sima to the slope?"

  Thanks to his nephew's reminder, Pei Hongce finally came to his senses and carefully observed for a moment before immediately shouting in anger, "That's right! There are many former Right Guard soldiers who defected at the beginning of the battle, and the Eagle General Yuan Jinhui walking at the front is the same Eagle General who led the rebellion at Baishi Ma Slope!"

  "You're quite something, Yang Xuangan. I really underestimated you. I didn't think a fool like you would use psychological tactics." Chen Yingliang sneered.

  "What tactics did Yang use to attack the heart?" someone asked beside him.

  "Send our surrendered soldiers to persuade them to surrender." Chen Yingliang replied, "These surrendered soldiers are old comrades of the Right Wuwei Army, and those who guard Dongdu are also generals of the Right Wuwei Army. They are all very familiar with each other. Sending these old comrades of the Right Wuwei Army to persuade the defenders of Dongdu to surrender, and then proclaiming the rebel Yang Xuangan's amnesty order, can deal a blow to our morale and determination to defend the city, and achieve twice the result with half the effort..."

  Just as they were talking, Chen Yingliang suddenly discovered that Pei Hongce was quietly pulling his sleeve. When he came back to himself and took a closer look, Chen Yingliang suddenly realized that the person who had opened his mouth to speak to him was none other than Fan Zigai, the current leader of Luoyang. Caught off guard, Chen Yingliang hastily paid his respects and begged for forgiveness, "Your humble servant was reckless, speaking wildly and disrespectfully in front of Your Excellency, please forgive me."

  Fan Ziga didn't change his expression, first glancing at Pei Hongce who looked a bit embarrassed, before saying: "You're not wrong, if Yang Inverse does this, it will have a great impact on our military morale. Since you can guess Yang Inverse's intention, do you have a way to break it?"

  "This......" Chen Yingliang somewhat awkwardly stole a glance at Pei Hongce, who was even more embarrassed than Chen Yingliang and didn't dare to make eye contact with his nephew in front of Fan Zigai.

  "No need to let your uncle tell me, just say it to me directly." Fan Zige said with a cold smile, already understanding the underlying meaning.

  Chen Yingliang still didn't dare to make a sound, and continued to sneak a peek at Pei Hongce. Pei Hongce smiled awkwardly, pushed Chen Yingliang, and said: "Xianzhong, if you have something to say, just say it directly, time is urgent, don't waste it."

  "So the little man spoke bluntly." Chen Yingliang finally opened his mouth and said cautiously: "When I was young, I read a few foreign books and knew a trick that could make Yang's heart-attacking plan lose its effect, or even backfire. However, this trick is somewhat ruthless and may be too much..."

  "What are you afraid of?!" Fan Zigai, who was loyal to Emperor Yang of Sui, waved his hand and said viciously: "When dealing with these rebellious and treacherous officials, even the most ruthless means are not excessive!"

  Note: The insult to Yang Xuangan was a ploy to provoke him into attacking the city, this plan was not fabricated, it was devised by Yang Zhiyi, the cousin of Emperor Yang of Sui, as a means to deal with Yang Xuangan in Hongnong.