Chapter 82: Settle on Revenge

  "After a moment of contemplation, Yue Yun said: 'This year, the Jin army attacked our Great Song. Under the joint defense of my father and several other generals such as Han Bo, Zhang Jun, Liu Qi, and Yang Yi, they were defeated in battle after battle. Wuzhu also had to send an envoy to negotiate a peace treaty with our Great Song. Once the peace talks are successful, the greatest threat to the imperial court will become generals like my father, Han Bo, and Zhang Jun who command troops on the front lines. The Great Song has always had a tradition of emphasizing civil officials over military officers, often using civil officials to suppress military generals. Now, setting up the Proclamation Pacification Commission and allowing several troop commanders to take control of local power is also an expedient measure. Only by stripping them of their military power will the imperial court be at ease.'"

  She paused for a moment, then continued: "Han Bo had saved the imperial family during the Miao-Liu mutiny and was a rough but loyal man. The emperor should have some affection for him and wouldn't kill him. As for Zhang Jun, he was greedy and lecherous, with poor military skills, but he listened to the emperor and Qin Hui's words. The emperor wouldn't possibly harm him first. In comparison, my father would be seen as a threat to the emperor's position. He had repeatedly declared his intention to retake the Central Plains, march straight to the imperial capital, welcome back the two emperors, and disobeyed military orders multiple times. Three years ago, he even petitioned to establish an heir apparent. All this made the emperor wary. Furthermore, Qin Hui and my father were at odds over their differing views on war and peace, while Qin Hui was now all-powerful and trusted by the emperor. He would likely persuade the emperor to get rid of my father through treacherous means. I fear that once the peace talks succeed, the emperor will have no more worries and will strike down my father!"

  Yue Yun's words stunned Yu Yunwen. Although he had to admit that Yue Yun's analysis made some sense, he still didn't quite believe that Zhao Gou could do such a thing as killing a great general, after all, from the Taizu Emperor to now, except for treason, no minister or general had been killed by the emperor like this.

  Yu Yunwen said with some doubt, "According to the laws of our great Song Dynasty, even if the imperial court wants to execute General Yue, they must go through a trial and conviction first! General Yue is a man of integrity, loves and protects the people, cares for his subordinates, is clean and honest in his duties, and has repeatedly achieved military merits. What reason can the imperial court use to convict General Yue?"

  "Can't you just fabricate a crime?" Yuen Yun retorted, "And if you really want to harm someone, wouldn't it be easy to forge evidence? For example, bribe some of our generals to falsely accuse my father of treason, then forge a few letters and even create some imperial regalia, and have them planted in our home. These are not difficult things to do... Moreover, even if this were a capital offense that required investigation and trial, with the emperor's edict from above and Qin Hui's pressure from below, would the officials of the Ministry of Justice still bother to carefully examine whether the evidence was fabricated or not?"

  Yue Yun's words left Yu Yunwen speechless. Although he still didn't believe the government would kill Yue Fei, he couldn't help but consider the possibility of it happening.

  Yu Yunwen thought for a long time before saying, "If indeed the fake evidence you mentioned appears and falsely accuses General Yue of treason, then it's really hopeless. After all, from top to bottom, they are all officials and Qin Hui's people, and it would be easy for them to manipulate things. For now, we can only start by preventing the peace talks."

  "How can we stop the peace talks?" Yue Yun asked anxiously.

  "There are many ways to prevent a peace treaty, for example, provoking the Jin army into attacking us, then expanding the scale of the war... thereby forcing either the Jin or our own country's warmongers to take power. These are all possible methods, but given Gongzi's current strength, they are all very difficult to achieve." Yu Yunwen shook his head and said.

  Yue Yun also smiled bitterly. With only about 300 people by his side, what could he do? What kind of large-scale war could he provoke?

  "But! Sometimes we think the problem is too complicated. I know of a way, even if it can't stop the peace talks, it can greatly delay them!" Yu Yunwen said with some confidence.

  "What's going on?" Yue Yun immediately became interested.

  "Yi Naban has gone too far! He killed the Jin State Envoy!" Yu Yunwen said with a faint smile.

  "What? Assassinate the Jin State Envoy?" Yue Yun was shocked upon hearing this.

  "Yes! If the Jin State envoy dies, it will cause a huge shock. The Jin State will be enraged and humiliated, and they will definitely ask the imperial court to investigate and apprehend the murderer, and then make some harsh demands. Whether or not to accept these demands will inevitably lead to great controversy in the court, and investigating the murderer will also take up a lot of time. Perhaps it can win us some buffer time. And during this period, if there is a major change in power within Jin State or our own Song Dynasty, then the development of the situation may undergo some changes." Yu Yunwen analyzed.

  Yue Yun thought carefully and felt that Yu Yunwen's words were reasonable. Moreover, Jin Shi Xiao Yi was originally one of his suspects, and killing him would only bring benefits without any harm, both in terms of justice and personal feelings. Of course, the premise was that no one could know it was he who killed him, otherwise, he would inevitably be handed over to the Jin State by Zhao Gou to atone for his crime, which would also implicate Yue Fei and even the entire Yue Family Army.

  Moreover, Yue Yun also knew that assassinating the Jin State Envoy Xiao Yi was not an easy task. As a special envoy, he had many guards by his side; and he would also receive protection from troops dispatched by the Song State military.

  He nodded and agreed: "Yunwen, the assassination attempt is indeed worth a try. With only thirty-six men, Ban Chao dared to attack the Xiongnu envoys. Now we have more than three hundred elite soldiers. How can we not give it a try? Only..."

  He said this, paused for a moment, then turned to Yu Yunwen and continued: "It's just that this assassination plan must be meticulous and detailed, and at the same time, we can't let others know it was us who did it. Yunwen, do you have any good ideas?"

  Yu Yunwen heard this and thought for a moment, saying: "If Xiao Yi is always in the city's residence, we will have very little chance of making a move. Even if we can kill him, we will inevitably pay a heavy price. Therefore, the best way is to ambush on the road."

  Yue Yun also knew that Yu Yunwen was trying to come up with a comprehensive ambush strategy without understanding the actual situation of the opponent, which was too difficult for anyone.

  He nodded and said, "Let's wait until I secretly return to Chu Zhou tomorrow before considering it."

  Yu Yunwen asked after hearing: "Does the young master need me to accompany you back to Chu Zhou?"

  Yue Yun listened, originally intending to agree, but after careful consideration, he helplessly said: "With you by my side, I can indeed put my mind at ease. However, if we all leave, it would be difficult to explain things to General Yang and General Cheng. You'd better stay here and cover for us!"

  "Yes! Yun Wen obeys!" Yu Yunwen bowed his hands and paid a courtesy.

  Yue Yun thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea and said: "Yun Wen, I actually have a way to completely clear our suspicion, and it might even cause the Jin people to quarrel among themselves."

  "Oh? What plan does the young master have?" Yu Yunwen was also somewhat surprised this time.

  "This gold makes Xiao Yi's identity special. He is now a trusted confidant of Wanyan Zongbi, who holds great power in the Jin State, but previously he was a member of Wanyan Zonghan's faction, which was at odds with Wanyan Zongbi. However, this person is good at adapting to circumstances and seeing which way the wind blows. When he saw that Wanyan Zongbi's power was on the rise, he defected and joined his camp, even offering strategies for dealing with his former master. As a result, all those who were originally part of Wanyan Zonghan's faction hate him to the bone..." Yuke Yun then recounted the news she had heard from Wu Linde on Four Seas Island."

  Then he continued, "If we were to kill Xiao Yi's people, wearing masks and occasionally speaking a few words of Jurchen language, using only the wolf-toothed clubs and curved knives commonly used by the Jin people. What do you think others would determine the killer's origin to be?"

  Yu Yunwen listened and immediately slapped the case, exclaiming: "Young master's plan is wonderful! It seems to be true but false, and after careful consideration, it can be seen that there are flaws. It will definitely make Wanyan Zongbi and even the imperial court suspect the Yu family."

  "Alright, let's do it! Tomorrow I'll have Niu Tong and Guan Ling choose soldiers skilled in using wolf-toothed clubs and curved knives to return with me to Chu State. Yun Wen, you go back and rest too! Also, help me think of a way to deceive Cheng Min and Yang Zhongye, making them believe we're still in Hao State."

  "Please be at ease, young master! Yu Yunwen will definitely cover this up for you!" Yu Yunwen smiled slightly and whispered something in Yue Yun's ear.

  "Ah! Is this also okay?" Yue Yun was also shocked upon hearing it.

  "This is also an unavoidable matter. Only in this way can Yang Zhongye think that we are still in Huaiyang, and you can leave smoothly!" Yu Yunwen said seriously.

  Yue Yun's face turned gloomy: "Yun Wen, if you put it that way, I'm doomed. Others will be scared off just by seeing me?"

  Yu Yunwen smiled slightly and said, "Young master, those who want to achieve great things must not be bogged down by trivial matters. If you think there are other illnesses that can prevent Yang Zhongye from coming to visit, you may also propose them."

  "…Forget it, I'll endure! Then let's do as you said, tell him I've got leprosy! Whether he believes it or not, scare him first and talk later!" Yu Yun said helplessly.