Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 494 Everyone has their own agenda
Mr. Li's arrow wound has basically healed.

After hearing that Wanyan Lvti was elected as the leader of the alliance, he patted the armrest of his chair and excitedly said to Wanyan Hongkang: "Kang'er, has the news been sent to Dading Prefecture?"

Since there was no one else present except Yang Yuan at the moment, Li Taigong was not afraid to call him by his real name.

Wanyan Hongkang smiled and said, "Before we left the Holy Mountain, Scholar Yang reminded me to write a letter to my father."

"Good, good."

Li Taigong looked at Yang Yuan with satisfaction and said, "Young Scholar Yang, tomorrow morning, I will arrange for people to go into the mountains to cut down large trees to make battering rams, ladders, trench ladders, catapults, well siege equipment and so on.

Don't worry, the major tribes in the north may not be good at making these siege weapons.

But my Li family is a big family in Bohai, and we have skilled craftsmen in this field, and they will definitely not delay our attack on Shangjing."

Yang Yuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "Grandpa, don't waste your energy on this. It would be better to send more people to level the road all the way from Dun'en City.

We don’t need to fight to get to the capital. I deliberately spread this rumor in the Holy Mountain just to cover up the truth.”

Grandpa Li and Fourth Aunt were all stunned after hearing this. They and their family were looking forward to going to the capital city to celebrate the New Year on New Year's Day, and now... they are not going to fight anymore?

The Sixth Uncle couldn't hold back his anger and said, "Are we not going to attack the capital?
Wanyan Yan's presence there is like a knife stuck in our hearts.

As long as he is around, we are tied up with each other and can't do anything, so how can we not fight?"

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "I only said that we don't have to fight, but I didn't say that we won't take Shangjingcheng."

The fourth aunt heard the hidden meaning in his words, and hurriedly signaled the sixth child to calm down, and humbly asked: "What does Master Yang mean?"

Yang Yuan said: "Earlier, I said that we needed to send someone to investigate the details of Shangjing City. Do you have any news now?"

The fourth aunt nodded and said, "I have sent people to the place and have obtained accurate information. It is just as we expected before. The remaining food in the city can only last until the end of the year at most."

Yang Yuan said, "That's it. Shangjing City has high walls and thick trenches. The northerners are not good at attacking cities. If we force an attack, how many people will die before we can capture Shangjing City?"

Li Taigong asked, "Does Young Scholar Yang mean to surround it without attacking, and wait for it to surrender without a fight?"

When Sixth Uncle heard this, his brows immediately furrowed: "Surrounding them without attacking, exhausting their food supplies, and making them surrender without a fight, this is of course a good idea.

However, there are still about a hundred days until the end of the year.

If we have to spend these hundred days in Shangjing City with Wanyan Yan, how can we help Donkey Ti?

Wasn't it said that Wanyan Liang was drawing troops from all sides and even transferred his beloved general Yelu Yuanyi back to the north?
What if Donkey Hoof can’t hold on and they capture Dading Prefecture…”

The fourth aunt pondered and said, "Now that Scholar Yang has revealed Wan Yanyong's true identity, Liaodong has gained another rebel force.

Donkey Hoof no longer has any worries, so he should be able to hold out against the imperial army, right?"

Yang Yuan shook his head and said, "I have revealed Wanyan Yong's true face. Now he has no other choice but to take advantage of the situation and rise up.

But although he had to rebel, he and the King of Yue were not on the same page. "

The fourth aunt said: "So what? Would he dare to..."

Having said this, Fourth Aunt's voice suddenly stopped and her face gradually became gloomy.

Regarding the ownership of the throne, does Wanyan Yong really not dare?
Wanyan Yong had clearly harbored rebellious intentions for a long time, but even after they rebelled, he still tried hard to create an image of being loyal to the court, deceiving those Liaodong nobles who were unwilling to join the rebellion and making them hand over their property, soldiers and women to him.

For such a cunning and sinister villain, if he really wanted to cheat Donkey Hoof, would it be difficult?
Yang Yuan said: "Wanyan Yong is a man of deep scheming and many tricks.

His Royal Highness the King of Yue has a rough, straightforward and frank temperament. How could he be a match for a sinister villain like Wanyan Yong?"

Wanyan Lvti's family members agreed with this. Princess Li was the most anxious and asked hurriedly, "Xiaoxueshi Yang, what do you think we should do?"

Yang Yuan glanced at Wanyan Hongkang, and Wanyan Hongkang understood what he meant immediately. It was probably because he and Yang Yuan had developed a tacit understanding during this period of time.

Wanyan Hongkang immediately lowered his palm and said murderously: "Kill him!"

Princess Li said angrily, "Shut up, you brainless thing. Listen to what Young Scholar Yang has to say."

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "The young prince is right this time. If we cannot outsmart such a scheming person, we will be finished if we act rashly.

"Force can defeat skill. Sometimes, it is very useful. This is what we call a random punch that kills a master."

When Wanyan Hongkang heard this, he immediately gave his mother a look and raised his chin proudly.

Yang Yuan said: "Of course, we must kill him cleverly and not let anyone know that he died in our hands."

The room suddenly became quiet.

What they wanted to kill was not a chicken or a dog, but a prince with a large army.

If you fail, how to deal with it.

It succeeded, but it was exposed, and we don’t know how to deal with it.

Successfully and without exposing himself, how to receive his troops.

No matter which situation occurs, you need to make appropriate arrangements in advance.

There are too many issues involved here, it's not as simple as just killing a person.

Yang Yuan waited quietly for them to digest this problem, but Wanyan Hongkang was on pins and needles, twisting his buttocks and wanting to speak, but he didn't know what to say.

After a long while, Li Taigong said slowly: "In this case, we really need to lead troops into Liaodong, under the pretext of joining forces with the Liaodong righteous army to resist the imperial court, in order to have contact with Wanyan Yong.

Once the incident occurs, we will be able to deal with it promptly.”

Sixth Uncle said: "But, we know that there is not much food in Shangjing City, and Wanyan Yan himself knows it too. Will he just sit there and wait for death?
As soon as our army leaves, he will certainly send troops to raid various tribes to raise food and grass.

By then, not only will he cut off our retreat, but even our hometown will be destroyed by him."

Yang Yuan said: "Therefore, we must station heavy troops outside Shangjing City and build fortifications to trap Shangjing into a dead city!"

Sixth Uncle spread his hands and said, "Then we won't be able to mobilize enough troops to Liaodong."

Yang Yuan said: "Old man, have you forgotten that there are still Wanyan Darui's troops in Liaodong?"

Li Taigong pondered and said, "Wanyan Darui..., ever since Donkey Ti was stationed in Dading Prefecture, he has been able to call the shots in Liaodong.

However, he had no idea how many small towns and villages he had swept through, and he had never fought a single battle in the several large cities controlled by Wanyan Yong.

This sly guy is trying to preserve his strength. Will he be used by us?"

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Now that His Royal Highness the King of Yue has become the leader of the alliance, will Wanyan Darui not be anxious?
In addition, if Wanyan Yong raised the flag of rebellion, Wanyan Darui would have no reason to contain Wanyan Yong, so he would have to do something, right? "

The reason why Yang Yuan was so sure that he could make use of Wanyan Dari was because Yu Jiguang and Fei Tianlu were now under Wanyan Dari's command.

Yang Yuan can now not only use Wanyan Dari's "brain", but also his "hands", which gives him a lot of room for maneuver. However, he certainly won't tell Li Taigong about this.

Use Wanyan Darui to achieve your goal?

Li Taigong thought about it and thought this was a good idea.

If the plan fails or is exposed, it will be Wanyan Darui who will bear the vengeful wrath of Wanyan Yong's subordinates.

They only need to consider how to borrow Wanyan Dari's power, and if successful, how to ensure that Wanyan Yong's forces will not be annexed by Wanyan Dari.

Now that their minds were opened, everyone offered suggestions and started a heated discussion.

The final result of the discussion was that Li Taigong led his troops to Shangjing at the time agreed upon by Yang Yuan and the various Bojilie.

They will meet there and jointly build fortifications outside Shangjing and besiege this fortified city.

The fourth aunt is responsible for contacting the Wanyan Dari family in the ancient city of Longquan, and is jointly responsible for maintaining and operating the upcoming trade route starting from Dun'en City.

The mere circulation process of this trade route can bring huge benefits to all the villages and towns along the way. Not to mention the benefits that can be obtained by those who are responsible for maintaining, operating and managing this trade route.

The Wanyan Darui family was brought in because although the two sides were potential competitors, they were also a pair of comrades who first raised the flag of rebellion.

Giving some benefits to Wanyan Darui's family is also a means of winning them over.

Considering that the King of Yue was already in Dading Prefecture and there were too many uncertainties in going to Liaodong, the Crown Prince of Yue, Wanyan Hongkang, could only stay in Huanxiling.

Therefore, it was finally decided that the trip to Liaodong would be led by Yang Yuan, Li You, Shangguan Luo, and two thousand cavalrymen.

After the meeting, people in the room gradually left, leaving only Grandpa Li and Fourth Aunt at the top.

Mr. Li took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "Auntie, what do you think of this young scholar Yang?"

"He is a first-class talent in both civil and military affairs."

The fourth aunt's face was filled with a happy smile: "Grandpa Li, you have a good vision. You have brought back a great treasure for our family."

Li Taigong sighed softly and said, "But now that the position of Dubojilie has been obtained, once we take Shangjingcheng and that two-faced villain Wanyan Yong surrenders, he should retire after completing his mission."

The fourth aunt said happily: "That's nothing, by then, won't we have to let Donkey Hoof withdraw from Dading Prefecture and take charge of the overall situation?
Once Donkey Ti comes out to take charge of the situation, even Kang'er, the real prince, will have to hide, not to mention Xiao Yang Xue Shi, the fake prince.

Our family will not treat him unfairly. We can give him everything he wants, including wine, women, money and power. We will also remember his great contribution.

When the day comes that Donkey Ti ascends the throne and becomes emperor, we can give him the position of the head of the civil officials in the Golden Palace.

The first portrait hanging in the Hall of Meritorious Officials could also be of him. Isn’t that enough?”

Mr. Li sighed and said, "Fourth Aunt, you didn't understand what I meant.

When I say "retire after success", I mean Scholar Yang... going back to the Song Dynasty."

"What?" The smile on Fourth Aunt's face suddenly became stiff.

The fourth aunt said: "Hongkang has always been a stubborn child, but now he is very obedient to Scholar Yang.

Hongkang is the eldest son of Luti. Once our family takes over the throne, one day, Hongkang will be the emperor.

If Hongkang becomes the emperor, how can he treat Xiao Yang badly? If Xiao Yang returns to Song, will he have such status and position there? "

The fourth aunt became more and more excited as she spoke: "Besides, we were rebels before, and we were helpless every day. It is understandable that Master Yang looks down on us.

But what about now? Even if we can't fight to Yanjing, and only establish a country in the northeast, this huge territory is not much smaller than the Song Dynasty that lives in peace in the south, right?

Here, he can become a founding hero and can be crowned king.

He is a real prince with fiefdoms and subjects, and can be hereditary, not a useless king like the Song State..."

Li Taigong said: "This is the principle, but it is not the case."

The fourth aunt was silent for a moment and then said, "When he comes back from Liaodong, we should be able to get Shangjingcheng.

When the time comes, I will call out all my granddaughters and granddaughters for him to choose from. Even if he picks a few, I will give them all to him."

The fourth aunt paused with her cane and said in a deep voice: "In short, he must hold a grand wedding in Shangjing City, a wedding known to the world, and from now on he will be our son-in-law!"

If money, profit, fame, and even a hereditary throne cannot shake Yang Yuan's determination to return home, then marriage will certainly be of no use.

However, the establishment of a marriage relationship is an absolute reason for political opponents to attack you.

Moreover, no matter how magnanimous a monarch is, it is difficult for him to trust and reuse a son-in-law from an enemy country.

This is why this method, although ancient and simple, has always been an effective means of building alliances.

Just like those political marriages, even if the two parties become a pair of resentful lovers, it doesn’t matter.

The combination of the two families' political resources was established because of the existence of a marriage relationship.

As for the parties involved in this marriage that connects the two parties, it doesn’t matter whether you are willing or not, or whether the relationship is harmonious.

As long as this marriage relationship exists, the resources of both parties can be shared, and other forces will draw a clear line between themselves and you.

This is the rule for being a human being and also the rule for doing things.

Li Taigong said: "What if he refuses? Can we still tie him up and make him marry?"

The fourth aunt asked, "So... Grandpa, what do you mean?"

Li Taigong said: "If we let this kind of person go back to Song, he will be a great threat to us.

How can we be sure that one day we won’t be able to destroy Wanyan Liang, then go south to destroy the Song Dynasty and unify the world?
But this person is not only a man of both literary and military skills, but also knows us very well..."

The fourth aunt was silent for a moment, then said, "The maritime trade that we rely on so heavily was also brokered by Young Master Yang, right?"

Li Taigong said: "As long as there is profit, when the Korean merchants also gain huge benefits, does it matter whether there is a young scholar Yang?
What's more, Kang'er likes him very much, and Shangguan Luo was recruited because of him. If we want to touch him, we must not let the world know.

He was a southerner, caught a cold in the cold winter in the capital, and he fell ill and died. Is this reasonable?"

The fourth aunt slammed her cane on the brick floor twice, making two "thump thump" sounds. No one knew who she was angry with:

"Master Yang is a good boy, but if he wants to leave our home, all his good qualities will turn into bad ones."

Fourth Aunt pursed her toothless mouth and said in a deep voice, "Just do as you say!

If he still refuses to stay despite our sincerity, then he is asking for trouble, and we cannot be blamed for his death."

(End of this chapter)