I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 361 The funnier it is, the more real it is

Cheng Li sought confirmation from his informant again, who said that they really didn't have any backup plans. All he had heard was about the "final battle," and they hadn't discussed in detail whether there would be any problems with the battle.

They didn't even discuss the details of how to take control of the army after the incident, as if as long as they captured Yuan Feng, they could smoothly take control of the military and those arrogant and fierce generals would seamlessly switch to their loyalty.

That's hilarious.

However, the informant believes that, based on what he saw and heard during his two-and-a-half-year undercover mission, the funnier it is, the more real it seems.

Because Yuan Ji and the people around him are all like that; from top to bottom, inside and out, you can't find a single reliable person with a delicate mind.

So much so that even his informant managed to rise to the position of the de facto head, wielding immense power and influence within the Imperial Stud, even controlling major matters like logistics procurement.

He arranged everything the Taipu Mansion had to eat and drink every day, and he was responsible for serving all the food and drinks to everyone in the mansion.

To put it bluntly, even if he poisoned these things, everyone in the Imperial Stud would eat them and be poisoned to death without even knowing how they died.

He also knew that Yuan Ji had indulged himself when he was young, and now that he was almost thirty, his physical functions had seriously declined, to the point that he needed to take tonics every day in order to continue his sexual relations with his wives and concubines.

He even knew that some of Yuan Ji's concubines had complaints about him because they were not satisfied for a long time. They often complained in private that Yuan Ji was useless and that things would end as soon as they got excited.

If even something like this can be known by informants, what else can't be known?
Upon learning this, Cheng Li felt speechless. Since things had already come to this point, he could only quickly inform Yuan Feng of the news.

Cheng Li did not explicitly tell Yuan Feng how many spies he had placed in Yuan Ji's residence, nor did he explicitly tell Yuan Feng how large his intelligence network was in Luoyang City. He believed that he could only be loyal to Yuan Shu in such matters, and even if Yuan Feng was Yuan Shu's father, he could not say so.

To justify how he obtained the intelligence, Cheng Li directly brought out one of the informants he had placed in Yuan Ji's residence, and constructed a story of "a servant betraying his master for the greater good of the country."

That's rather far-fetched.

But Yuan Feng didn't care about such things.

He was mainly shocked by the naivety, arrogance, stupidity, and unfilial piety of the plan devised by Yuan Ji, Yuan Shao, and others.

These two unfilial sons actually dared to plot such a rebellious and outrageous thing.

How dare these two unfilial sons target him?

How dare they target him, wanting to capture him and force him to give up power?
This……

This is simply rebellion against Tiangang!

Even if Yuan Feng had indeed done something similar to Liu Hong before, Liu Hong and the eunuch group were deeply resented by both heaven and man. Since Yuan Feng came to power, he had been cautious and diligent, and had not done anything immoral or heinous, nor had he even killed many people.

Is it really necessary to be treated like this?

And it was actually his own two sons' scheme?

Even putting all that aside, the naivety and foolishness of his two sons made him feel very uncomfortable.

With only a little over a thousand armed forces under his command, even including the private militia of those useless party members, the total number is only about fifteen or six hundred. With so few people, how dare they launch a coup?

He and Yuan Shu had to expend the resources of over 10,000 people to dare to take action, and it was only with the addition of the Northern Army that they were able to successfully capture the palace and eliminate the eunuchs.

And now, they dare to do the same thing with only a little over a thousand people?
Just how confident are you in yourselves?

The only aspect that Yuan Feng felt was somewhat strategic was that they didn't choose to act in the palace, but instead planned to do so when Yuan Feng returned to his residence to rest. This more or less demonstrated the "wisdom" of Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao.

At least they knew that Yuan Feng wouldn't bring too many guards when he went home, and that the Tiger Legion and the Imperial Guard wouldn't directly oppose them. If they could find a way to transfer their armed forces into the city, they could at least create a numerical advantage in the area around the Three Dukes' Mansion.

It was fortunate that they knew this, otherwise Yuan Feng would have really doubted whether his two sons were actually his sons.

My son isn't that stupid!

Even so, they are still very stupid.

If they fail to manage the people around them, leading to a leak of information, they will inevitably fail. Yuan Feng will definitely mobilize his forces to take targeted measures against them, leaving them with absolutely no chance of turning the tide. Is this a good thing for them?
Even if the information hadn't been leaked, what makes them think they have the upper hand in this matter?

Does this mean that Yuan Feng will become an easy target after returning to the Sikong Mansion, allowing them to manipulate him at will?
Not to mention that an elite guard was protecting Yuan Feng's safety, just mobilizing armed personnel to enter Luoyang was a very difficult task in itself.

The city gate command system guarding Luoyang was under Yuan Shu's control. The city gate commanders and the Twelve Commanders were all Yuan Shu's men, their duty being to ensure Luoyang remained under his control and prevent any unpredictable elements from entering. Therefore, after the coup, they imposed even stricter requirements on those entering Luoyang.

Officials and their armed personnel must provide reliable proof of their identity before they can enter Luoyang City.

Unofficial personnel were required to pay a head tax and obtain a certificate issued by the local government before entering Luoyang City.

In those days, the extremely strict household registration requirements and the restrictions on people's free movement played a significant role. It was virtually impossible for people from different places to move freely. Officials, businessmen, and other special groups had to present a certificate issued by the local government to prove their identity whenever they arrived in a new place.

Most counties and prefectures might not be so strict in their regulations.

However, Luoyang, especially after the coup, implemented this requirement in an almost harsh and rigid manner. As a result, starting from the first year of the Zhengshi era, every year there were hundreds of people who tried to sneak into Luoyang but were arrested and punished.

This was a serious crime, punishable by beheading. In the second year of the Zhengshi reign (1112), the most offenders were executed, totaling thirty-nine people.
There is a verification system in place for official personnel and armed forces to enter Luoyang City.

When civilians from other places entered Luoyang City, they not only needed a certificate from the government of their place of origin, but also had their personal belongings inspected and had to pay a head tax.

Furthermore, once inside the city, it is absolutely impossible to find lodging or food without official certification.

Luoyang City also has a strict curfew and patrol policy, so it is extremely difficult for someone without proof and a place to stay at night to stay in Luoyang City for a long time.

This alone would eliminate the difficulty for most out-of-town armed forces to enter Luoyang City in an organized manner. That's why Yuan Shu and Yuan Feng's armed personnel were stationed outside Luoyang City rather than inside it, precisely to avoid this problem.

As for entering Luoyang City, unless they can bribe someone in the city gate captain system like Yuan Feng and Yuan Shu did before and sneak in at night, it is basically impossible.

Moreover, the current city gate captains are all people from Yuan Shuyi's faction, and they have never been on the same side as Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao. It is unlikely that they can be bribed.

So how did they arrange their deployment to enter Luoyang in large numbers?

If it takes a long time, it might be possible, but how can they manage three days from start to finish?

Even if some people could sneak in through a loophole, it would be impossible to bring all of the more than a thousand people in; the chances of being exposed would be too great.

So, how many men could those two idiots possibly mobilize to carry out their plan to behead Yuan Feng?

Yuan Feng thought and thought but couldn't come up with any possibilities. In the end, he could only helplessly admit that as a normal person, he couldn't empathize with idiots or understand their thought processes.

He could only ask Cheng Li to organize and notify the city gate captains, so that the city gate captain system would be on alert and not let people in casually.

Then he summoned Yuan Wei and told him about the matter, asking Yuan Wei to discuss with him how to handle it.

At first, Yuan Wei was hesitant to believe it. Later, he began to doubt whether Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao were actually Yuan Feng's children. Finally, he realized why Yuan Feng had summoned him.

"These two unfilial sons may be foolish, but they are still my sons. I want to give them one last chance. If they can turn back from the brink, I will let them go this time. If they remain obstinate, then there's nothing I can do..."

Yuan Wei understood Yuan Feng's thoughts, so he discussed it with Yuan Feng and decided to use the most direct method to warn Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao not to act recklessly.

Yuan Feng gave Yuan Wei a warrant, and Yuan Wei took the warrant to the Northern Army camp. He then made arrangements for the Changshui Battalion, which was under the command of Yuan Shao, easily stripping Yuan Shao of his military power and taking away their greatest and strongest reliance.

The Changshui Battalion was a highly trained elite force, a long-established central standing army, and a top-tier fighting force. Every single one of them was a potential officer. Yuan Feng was unwilling to let this army be lost to Yuan Shao, that fool.

So it served as both a warning and a protection for Changshui Camp.

Then Yuan Wei played his cards openly, giving Yuan Shao a stern warning, which led to Yuan Shao's current fear, unease, and slight despair.

Yuan Shao now strongly suspects that his and Yuan Ji's plans have been leaked, otherwise why would Yuan Wei have transferred the Changshui Camp troops ahead of time?

This……

How is this possible?
The decision was made just yesterday, and it was leaked today. Then, after a series of actions, their biggest support was taken away. Isn't this just a dead end?
How could Yuan Shao possibly remain calm in this situation?

He looked up at Yuan Kui with trepidation, but seeing Yuan Kui's frosty face, he couldn't help but lower his head again, suppressing his fear, and slowly spoke.

"Uncle, did you...did you hear...some rumors?"

(End of this chapter)