The hall was full of Liao dignitaries in the capital, almost all of them Khitans. As soon as Fan Zhongyi finished his narration, some people started to make a noise: In the Liao Dynasty court, how could a man talk nonsense
Xiao Siwen spoke immediately. His voice was not loud, but it was full of weight. He spoke the truth and reasoned with the facts. The official of Fan Fushi was an official of the Liao Dynasty.
Yelu Xizhen glanced sideways, paying close attention to Xiao Siwen's casual words. He knew that Fan Zhongyi's words didn't have to convince everyone, as long as one key person believed it: Xiao Siwen. Even if Fan Zhongyi didn't have Xiao Siwen as a backer, he wouldn't have the opportunity to talk endlessly here.
At this time, Yelu Dilie took the lead and stood up to ask Fan Zhongyi: What evidence do you have about the Fan Mansion? It is said that the two Dukes of Xu State, Li Chuyun and Luo Yanhuan, both died in the purge of internal generals.
Fan Zhongyi said calmly: Li Chuyun was the first general of the Xu Kingdom's imperial army and a relative of the emperor, but he was poisoned to death at home. He looked around and asked loudly with great momentum, "Who dares to poison Li Chuyun? Who can poison Li Chuyun?"
No one could answer this question, even Yelu Dilie who asked the question was confused.
Fan Zhongyi said: The Xu Kingdom court claimed that the poisoner Zhongli was dead and there was no evidence; and Zhongli was a traitor in the Liao Dynasty, so they framed the Liao Dynasty with the conspiracy. However, who knows Zhongli? It is obvious that it was done by Guo Shao, the false emperor of Xu Kingdom.
I know that you will say this is speculation. Yes, Li Chuyun's death is the only speculation that is completely reasonable. Then what about Luo Yanhuan? Luo Yanhuan died in the Dali Temple and committed suicide. Who in the country of Xu, in the whole world, could force Luo Yanhuan to commit suicide
Yelu Dilie asked the key question of the whole incident. It was obvious that he could not refute Fan Zhongyi, so he could only shake his head and retreat to where he was standing without saying a word.
Another person immediately stood up and asked: "Fan Mansion's matter was said to have been discovered by Zhe Dejian first, and then he reported it to Yang Ye. How did you know this?"
Fan Zhongyi spoke without hesitation, as if he had thought it through long ago. The conspiracy of the Xu State court was to start with Zhe Dejian and then implicate Yang Ye. But why did Zhe Dejian dawdle and not set out when Yang Ye had already arrived in Beijing? Even if the journey was far or near, the Xu State court must have had some calculations, and there was no reason to let Yang Ye arrive so long in advance. If it had not been delayed like this, how could Yang Ye have had time to see the danger in Tokyo
The person who asked the question sneered: guess, guess again
Fan Zhongyi said calmly: "Please don't be impatient, I haven't finished speaking yet. We have already planted spies in Pingxia and bribed Zhe Heige, a confidant of Zhe Dejian. We got two pieces of accurate information from Zhe Heige: First, Zhe Dejian did receive an imperial edict to summon him to Beijing, but when Yang Ye escaped, he was suddenly told that he didn't need to go to Beijing. Second, when Yang Ye's wife Zhe gave birth to a child, Zhe Dejian ignored her. Zhe was Zhe Dejian's own daughter, and they had such a close relationship that they didn't even exchange courtesies. It would be too far-fetched to say that it was a mistake.
There was only one reason. Zhe Dejian was very afraid that he would not be able to get rid of the involvement in Yang Ye's rebellion. After all, they were relatives and the relationship was too deep. But he also wanted to distance himself from Yang Ye because Zhe Dejian's current strength was far inferior to Yang Ye's, and most of his generals were not his confidants, like fish on the chopping board.
Yang Ye's escape and Zhe Dejian's murder are proof that Yang Ye was forced to rebel. What other explanation do you have for this? Please tell me.
The man still refused to accept it. I admitted that what he said about the Fan family affairs made some sense, but most of it was just speculation.
Fan Zhongyi immediately said: Not long ago, I went to Hedong and saw with my own eyes that the troops in Daizhou were surging and the people were in panic; the front camp of Hedong was blocked by Yang Ye. Seeing is believing.
If you do not believe me and think that I lied to report military intelligence, then why did I lie to report military intelligence? I am irreconcilable with the State of Xu and I set up a trap to poison the blacksmith Guo. Isn't this enough to prove it
The man was speechless.
More people came out to question, but none of them could defeat Fan Zhongyi.
At this time, Yelu Xizhen finally stood up. He was an important figure in the power center of the Great Khan Yelu Xian. Yelu Xizhen's grandfather Yelu Helu was good friends with Xiao Siwen's ancestors, so they were from the same faction. In the grand plan to overthrow the tyrant Yelu Jing, Yelu Xizhen also stood on Xiao Siwen's side, so his words carried more weight.
Yelu Xizhen said: The speculation about the Fan Mansion incident is well-founded and reasonable. But there is another reasonable speculation.
Fan Zhongyi's attitude became much more respectful. He bowed and said: I am all ears.
Yelu Xizhen said: The poison in Guo Tiejiang's body has not entered his five internal organs. Guo Tiejiang has been acting since Dachao fainted. The signs we have are just bait.
Fan Zhongyi immediately disagreed after hearing this and clasped his fists and said: Marshal, there are too many signs of this matter, and there are too many people involved. It seems impossible for Guo the blacksmith to get so many people to play tricks on him in a short period of time without any loopholes.
He thought about it and shook his head. I'm afraid no one in the world can plan this kind of thing sitting in the palace, unless it's a god.
The people of Xu State were already in a panic, and Yang Ye was a surrendered general. How could Guo the blacksmith trust Yang Ye when he asked him and Zhe Dejian to pretend to rebel? How could Yang Ye dare to believe Guo the blacksmith's intention? Moreover, the death of two dukes in order to set up bait was too high a price to pay.
Yelu Xizhen glanced at Xiao Siwen and said, "It is better to be cautious."
Yelu Dilie asked again: If what Fan Fu suspected was true, what should the Liao Dynasty do? What should it do
Fan Zhongyi said: The Liao Dynasty cannot sit idly by and do nothing. We must ensure two things: first, let Yang Ye start an army. Second, support Yang Ye so that he will not be destroyed by the troops of the Xu State who are suppressing the rebellion, or at least not be defeated too quickly.
He looked back at the ministers around him, like the first counselor of the Liao Dynasty, and said that if Yang Ye did not rebel, Guo the blacksmith would have been able to clean up the situation and make up for the accident. Yang Ye might not want to rebel, as he felt that the chances of success were too small, and he might have chosen to plead guilty to save his family after weighing the pros and cons.
Whether Xu State will continue to be a major threat to Liao in the future depends on today.
Fan Zhongyi went on to say that even if Yang Ye rebelled, as he was worried about, it would be possible for the Xu State's imperial army to quickly suppress him. So what we need to do is, first, to persuade Yang Ye, and second, to reinforce Yang Ye. Neither of these two things can be done by persuasion alone, but troops must be sent.
Yelu Xizhen said: What if it is a trap? Wouldn't that mean the Liao soldiers will die
Fan Zhongyi said: Of course we must plan ahead and take a long-term view to ensure the safety of the Liao reinforcements. The Liao aid is like a life-saving straw for Yang Ye, so he must be willing to let the Liao army be protected.
After he finished speaking, he patted his chest and said, "With my many years of experience, I have a clear idea of this matter. There will be no problem. If I am not right today, please cut off my head and make it into a wine vessel in the future."
Saying such words in front of the Liao emperor and his civil and military officials was no joke, and no one was willing to stand up and ridicule Fan Zhongyi.
Yelu Xizhen looked at Xiao Siwen for a moment, and said to Fan Zhongyi meaningfully, "I don't necessarily want to oppose Fan Fushi's strategy, nor do I want to make things difficult for you."
However, from a general perspective, we have to admit that the strength of Liao and Xu has been reversed, and neither side has gained any advantage on the battlefields in the past few years. If we continue to be hostile to Xu, the territory and power that can be controlled will continue to shrink, and our strength will be consumed.
For now, the proper approach is to ease the situation and preserve strength, wait and see what happens, and don't act too hastily. The Fan family had previously planned to poison Guo the blacksmith, which was a very violent act of desperate struggle. This general has always been worried, and such a national policy may not be the best one.
Xiao Siwen, who had always used Fan Zhongyi as a pawn, finally spoke up himself. The commander-in-chief's words made sense. However, since things have come to this point, it would be better to send another envoy to Hedong to try it out. If there is anything strange or dangerous, it will not be too late for us to stop.
After hearing this, Yelu Xizhen put his hand on his chest and bowed, not wanting to further escalate the conflict with Xiao Siwen.
Yelu Xizhen actually understood Xiao Siwen's thoughts very well. He wanted to turn the situation around so much that he could not only wash away the shame of losing Youzhou and consolidate his position in charge of national policy, but also realize his ambitions.
Therefore, Xiao Siwen was even more willing to believe that Xu State was in internal turmoil and there was an opportunity to take advantage of it. And the situation at the moment did seem to be so, even Yelu Xizhen did not doubt his persuasion, just considering the overall situation.
Yelu Xizhen stood back calmly and looked at Xiao Siwen's face. Xiao Siwen's well-groomed face showed some excitement and some worry.
Yes, Xiao Siwen's faction, or Liao Yizong's lineage, has become the temporary winner of the internal struggle of the Liao Dynasty. However, the bloody struggle over the past decades is not so easy to resolve. If Xiao Siwen can make the Liao Dynasty rise steadily and maintain his prestige and strength, everything is possible; on the contrary, Xiao Siwen and others will become the second tyrant Yelu Jing, and there is a risk of being overthrown by a counterattack.
At this time, the Liao emperor Yelu Xian spoke up: Xiao Gong thinks, who should be sent
Xiao Siwen was somewhat comforted by the emperor's obedience, and he bowed and said: "I think that since I have been to Fan's mansion before, it would be convenient to go again and avoid complications. In addition, Yang Gun can also go with him, and it would be more appropriate for the two of them to investigate together."
Yelu Xian said: Let's follow what Mr. Xiao said. What do you think
Fan Zhongyi volunteered to go to Xu State, Yang Gun had lost his power and was not present. No one wanted to go to an enemy country, and the candidate was chosen. The ministers agreed and said it was a good idea.
Today's meeting lasted a long time, and by the time the court was dismissed, it was already dark. Everyone was so hungry that they left the hall. Xiao Siwen first sent someone to notify Yang Gun and asked him to get ready.
He then informed Yelu Xizhen and others, and went to Xiao's mansion again to discuss matters before leaving, in order to deploy strategies and conditions in more detail.
Looking at the sheep returning to the fold on the grassland and the tents like clouds, it seems peaceful and tranquil, but Xiao Siwen's heart is already in turmoil.