Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 625 A Sudden Storm

After figuring out the pros and cons, Yang Sichang realized he had no way out.

Originally, with his own maneuvering and the Emperor's tacit approval, the peace talks could have been gradually leaked out, with a group of officials instructing others to create public opinion and proceeding slowly, which might have made it acceptable to the majority. However, Liu Ye saw through his intentions and chose the sensitive moment of the Tartar invasion to expose the talks. Coupled with the unclear nature of his secret assistance to Abatai's northward advance, this put him in a completely passive position, potentially even leading to accusations of colluding with the Tartars, resulting in his disgrace and even implicating the Emperor. As the other side said, at that point, a simple edict of self-reproach wouldn't be enough to resolve the situation.

A murderous glint slowly appeared in his eyes, and he made up his mind: since the other party was not giving him a way out, he might as well go all the way and take advantage of the loyalist army being outside the city to uproot this man and his army to eliminate future troubles.

At this moment, a eunuch rushed to Yongding Gate and conveyed Chongzhen's instructions: "Lord Yang, His Majesty was furious upon receiving your report. Such a lawless and arrogant person must be severely punished. He has specially ordered me to deliver an oral decree: Yang Wenruo shall have full authority to handle all matters outside Yongning Gate."

Yang Sichang was overjoyed. The imperial edict had arrived, and now he had a legitimate reason to deal with Liu Ye.

In fact, when he sent someone to report to the palace, he was careful not to reveal that troops from other regions were causing trouble outside Yongding Gate, threatening to bombard the city gate, without explicitly stating that it was the Qionghai Army. Sure enough, upon hearing this news, Chongzhen immediately flew into a rage. However, if he had specified that it was the Qionghai Army, Chongzhen might not have so readily authorized him to deal with them, because the Qionghai Army's fighting strength had already been proven by the deaths of thousands of Tartars. Chongzhen's attitude towards such a powerful military leader had always been weak. Moreover, the Tartar army was nearby and could arrive in the capital at any time. Dealing with the Qionghai Army at this time could easily allow the Tartars to take advantage of the situation, which would be tantamount to playing with fire.

However, for the sake of the grand strategy of securing internal stability before resisting external threats, and to turn the tide and ensure his place in history, this risk was worth taking. Yang Sichang stared intently at Liu Ye below the city walls, his heart shouting: Anyone who stands in my way must be eliminated, and you are no exception!

He whispered to his men, "Go out of the city and send orders to all the camp leaders. According to the Emperor's decree, I am authorized to handle the Qionghai Army causing trouble outside Yongning Gate. I now order them to surround them and annihilate them!"

Liu Ye was waiting for Yang Sichang's attitude to soften so he could take the opportunity to propose negotiations and then present his own conditions. However, Yang Sichang remained silent. Instead, several baskets were lowered down from the city wall, and several minor officials in blue robes came down and ran to both sides in a flash, disappearing into the camp of the loyalist army.

Liu Ye didn't know what these people were up to, but he instinctively felt something was wrong. He said to Xu Yifan, Shi Ying, and the others, "Go back to your units and be prepared. I have a feeling that the guy surnamed Yang is up to something."

He turned around and shouted at Yang Sichang, "Lord Yang, are you trying to pull some trick to cover up your despicable behavior?"

Yang Sichang sneered: "General Liu, you are arrogant and domineering because you have troops at your disposal. You are like this in Nanjing and you are still like this in the capital. Do you really think that no one can deal with you?"

At this moment, several cannon shots rang out from the south, east, and west. The banners of the loyalist army on the outer perimeter began to move, and countless soldiers ran out of the camp, formed ranks, and slowly approached the Qionghai Army.

The troops supporting the emperor were originally encamped together, and the Qionghai Army had to clear the way from the Datong garrison to reach Yongding Gate. It would have been easy to form an encirclement at this point; they could simply line up and move towards Yongding Gate. In less than half an hour, the troops from Shanxi, Xuanfu, Datong, and other garrisons had completely surrounded the Qionghai Army. As far as the eye could see, there was a forest of swords and spears, and a wall of men and horses, with no way to pass through on three sides.

Liu Ye snorted and shouted at the wall, "Lord Yang, I underestimated your ruthlessness. The Tartar army is right here in the capital region and could attack at any moment. You actually sent the loyalist army to besiege us at this critical juncture. Aren't you afraid that the Tartars will suddenly appear and reap the benefits? My Qionghai Army has killed so many Tartars for the court and has made outstanding contributions. Why would we do something that hurts our friends and pleases our enemies?"

Yang Sichang coldly replied, "Even if you have made some minor contributions, that is not a reason for your arrogance. An army that dares to set up cannons at the gates of the capital is not worth the court's attention! Let's see if the Qionghai Army, which has made outstanding military achievements, can escape from the siege of 100,000 troops."

"No matter how high-sounding your words are, it's nothing more than an attempt to silence you and cover up your crimes," Liu Ye sneered. "Fine, let's settle this with our hands and see if your 100,000-strong army can shake my Qionghai Army!"

At this time, the three regiments had already formed ranks, and the cannons were dragged away from the city gate and returned to their respective positions according to the artillery organization, aimed at the loyalist troops in three directions.

Directly in front were the troops of Datong Town. Wang Pu, dressed in bright armor, shouted loudly at the front of the formation: "Lord Pingnan, I'm sorry. It's not that I want to be your enemy, but Minister Yang of the Ministry of War has the Emperor's decree. We are just following orders. There's nothing we can do."

Liu Ye replied, "It's alright, let's see who's better based on their skills. I also want to see the strength of the major border towns."

Yan Guang asked in a low voice, "General, are we really going to fight?"

“Otherwise what? Do you think Yang Sichang would give up halfway after making such a big decision?” Liu Ye stared ahead. “I’m not afraid of these so-called major border towns, but killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of our own is meaningless for us. It will only make the Tartars happy.”

Qin Tian said bitterly, "What are these officials in the capital thinking? They've actually caused infighting among the soldiers. Is there no one who can control them?"

“Besides the emperor, I’m afraid no one can stop him. However, there’s another card outside the city that can suppress Yang Sichang.” Liu Ye smiled slightly, looking towards the central army where Zhang Fengyi and Liang Tingdong were located.

Yan Guang followed his gaze and suddenly realized, "How could I not have thought of him! No matter how incompetent he is, he is still the Minister of War, and nominally Yang Sichang's superior."

"More than that, Zhang Fengyi is the commander-in-chief of the loyalist army, and the command of the army is still in his hands. As long as he's not dead, if he comes out and says something, even if he can't make the army retreat, he can at least throw the command into chaos. These generals won't know who to listen to, and that's our opportunity." Liu Ye pointed to the central command tent. "Qin Tian, ​​while the loyalist army is currently without unified command and holding back, you lead your men into the tent. Whether you use coercion or bribery, get Zhang Fengyi to come out and give orders for the army to retreat."

Qin Tian replied, "Yes, sir."

Yan Guang volunteered: "General, it's easier for scholars to talk to each other. I'll go with Qin Tian. Zhang Boqi is incompetent and easily swayed. Maybe I can persuade him."