weaving

Chapter 1449 Countermeasures

After dismissing everyone, only four people remained in the command tent: Li Zicheng, the rebel leader; Liu Zongmin, the chief sergeant; Niu Jinxing, the teacher; and Song Xianze, the strategist. Even Li You quietly left after pouring tea.

"Mr. Niu, is it possible for this 'counter-espionage' plan you've mentioned to succeed?"

Liu Zongmin's face was full of doubt: "With just these few letters, can the dog emperor really kill Zhang Cheng?"

"These few letters alone only show that Zhang Cheng was 'raising bandits to enhance his own power,' and are certainly not enough to make the dog emperor kill him."

Niu Jinxing's lips curled up into a wicked smile, and he said, "However, we can embellish and modify it further to make it evidence that Zhang Cheng colluded with Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong to plot to wipe out our rebel army and Zuo Liangyu's government troops, and attempted to rebel and become emperor."

"Ah. Mr. Niu's move is really... really... amazing!" Liu Zongmin stammered, as if he wanted to say something else, but he swallowed it back.

"Hahaha……"

At this moment, Song Xianze spoke up to defuse the awkward situation for him and Niu Jinxing: "Our 'counter-espionage plan' was able to be implemented entirely because Qidong has excellent handwriting. If he hadn't been able to imitate the handwriting of Zhang Cheng, Luo Rucai, and Yuan Shizhong, even if we had the idea, we would have had difficulty taking action."

Li Zicheng ignored their pleasantries and asked directly, "Qidong, with your connections in Beijing, is it possible for you to report this matter to higher authorities?"

"Grand Marshal, this matter cannot be started directly from the capital; we must begin in Henan."

Niu Jinxing smiled and continued, "Relying solely on rumors is unlikely to convince the court and may not be enough to prove Zhang Cheng's crimes. Therefore, we need concrete evidence to succeed. And this concrete evidence... we must start in Henan."

"How do I do it?" Liu Zongmin pressed.

"I have already written several letters in imitation of their handwriting, in Zhang Cheng's tone, to persuade the Grand Marshal to join him and help him achieve great things, promising the Grand Marshal that he will be granted the title of Earl in the future. In order to gain the trust of the Grand Marshal, Zhang Cheng also sent over his correspondence with Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong."

These things... must contain both truth and falsehood to achieve the effect of making the false seem real.

Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong had already led their troops to surrender to Zhang Cheng, which is true; while Zhang Cheng's intention in subduing them was to rebel against the court and declare himself emperor, which is false.

When Zuo Liangyu and Ding Qirui stationed their troops in Zhuxian Town, Zhang Cheng was right there but did not come to their aid, which is true; however, his intention to swallow up the officers and soldiers under Zuo Liangyu and Ding Qirui was false.

Zhang Cheng's correspondence with our Grand Marshal is a veneer of patronage to enhance his own prestige—this is true; however, his attempt to exterminate our rebel forces after failing to win them over is a pretense—this is a lie.

Niu Jinxing smiled smugly: "With so much truth and falsehood mixed together, it's impossible for even gods and Buddhas to tell the difference. Why should the court not believe us!"

He took a sip of tea before continuing, "After we withdrew from Zhuxian Town, we sent a grain-gathering team deep into Nanyang Prefecture, deliberately leaving these letters behind with Zuo Liangyu's subordinates."

Now, consider this: after Zuo Liangyu's defeat at Zhuxian Town, he was worried about the court's punishment and resented Zhang Cheng for not coming to his aid. What would he do upon receiving these letters?

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Liu Zongmin exclaimed loudly.

He said loudly with a hint of excitement, "That scoundrel Zuo Liangyu will definitely report this matter to the court. This will not only divert the court's attention but also strike at Zhang Cheng, so that Zhang Cheng will not become too powerful and threaten his position."

"This 'counter-espionage' plan should only be known to us few. Don't spread it around, and especially don't let Lin Quan know about it, lest he keep nagging me about it," said the rebel leader. Song Xianze's heart sank, and he couldn't help but worry for Li Yan. Clearly, the rebel leader had begun to show impatience and even suspicion towards Li Yan.

Niu Jinxing disagreed, saying, "The details are fine for us to know, but the matter of Zhang Cheng's growing ambition and his intention to commit treason should be communicated to all the soldiers so that it can be spread wherever he goes in the future."

Once the whole of Henan was abuzz with the story, the imperial court, and even the emperor in the capital, would have no choice but to believe it!

"Alright. Let's do it this way." The rebel leader made the final decision.

He then brought up another matter: "What do you think about Li Yan wanting to stay in eastern Henan?"

Knowing that this matter was not easy to discuss, Song Xianze remained silent, wanting to hear what Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing had to say before he could express his opinion.

Although he didn't say anything, Song Xianze couldn't help but worry about Li Yan again.

“We are all about to withdraw from Kaifeng Prefecture. It will be very difficult for Li Yan to propose staying in eastern Henan at this time.” Liu Zongmin was worried about this matter.

Niu Jinxing also spoke up, saying, "Lin Quan meant well. He is a local from eastern Henan and is quite familiar with the area. He wanted to stay with his troops for two reasons: first, to distract the government troops and prevent them from pursuing our main force with all their might; and second, to leave a spark for our rebel army in eastern Henan."

As the rebel leader listened to their conversation, he frowned deeply. His gaze lingered on Song Xianze, and he asked him, "Strategist, what is your opinion on Li Yan staying in eastern Henan?"

Song Xianze originally didn't want to speak, but since the rebel king had personally called his name, he couldn't refuse. So he said, "From the bottom of my heart, I don't want Li Yan to stay alone in eastern Henan. Once the main force of my army leaves Kaifeng, the government troops will definitely do their best to annihilate him."

If that's the case, under the combined pressure from Zhang Cheng, Luo Rucai, and Yuan Shizhong, I fear Li Yan will be unable to hold out. Not only will we fail to preserve the seeds of our rebel army in eastern Henan, but we will also lose a valuable general in vain.

"The strategist's words make a lot of sense. Now that I think about it, it really does make sense," Liu Zongmin said, expressing his strong agreement.

Niu Jinxing smiled but remained silent, observing the rebel leader's attitude. In situations where the situation was unclear, Niu Jinxing rarely spoke out, which was why his statements always pleased the rebel leader.

"Back then, Yuan Shizhong also said he was going to southeastern Henan to collect grain," the rebel leader said slowly, mentioning Yuan Shizhong.

Although these words were few, they startled the three people present, especially Song Xianze, who almost dropped his teacup.

He stared at the rebel king with disbelief. Although his expression did not change significantly, he was terrified inside. The fact that the rebel king could say such a thing was enough to show how deep his suspicion of Li Yan was.

"Chuang Wang, Yuan Shizhong's troops have become their own, and they have been in charge for a long time. They are unwilling to be controlled by others, so they broke away from my Chuang army. Their original intention was to go it alone, but they were afraid of our retaliation, so they submitted to Zhang Cheng's command. They just wanted to find a big tree to shelter under."

Li Yan, however, was different. He had been imprisoned for a crime, but Hong Niangzi killed officials and broke him out of prison to rescue him. It was then that he resolved to rebel and joined the Grand Marshal from the beginning, becoming a leader under his command. He had no intention of following in Yuan Shizhong's footsteps.

The rebel leader narrowed his eyes into slits, but said calmly, "I don't want him to follow in the footsteps of Yuan Shao's camp."

"Qidong, you and the strategist should try to persuade Lin Quan again. If he still insists on staying in Yudong... then... let him have his way!"