The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 569: Mr. Yue's Clever Calculation of Three Parties

When Xingyang fell and Zheng rebelled, Zhang Xutuo set up camp outside the city and surrounded it. Suddenly, news came that Yang Qing, the governor of Xingyang, had retreated to Luokou. The whole army was in an uproar and their morale was unstable. They watched helplessly as the Wagang army continued to arrive and quickly entered the city. The situation was reversed in an instant.

Zhang Xutuo was not a stupid man. While he was fighting against the approaching Wagang army, he sent Qin Qiong to quickly clear a passage and lead his troops to leave Xingyang and rush to Luokou, where there was the imperial court's granary that could supply tens of thousands of troops for more than ten years.

Li Mi took advantage of the situation to pursue the enemy, but was defeated by Zhang Xutuo. Luo Shixin, Cheng Zhijie and Pei Renji ambushed Li Mi's troops on three sides, and Li Mi's troops were defeated and fled all the way back to Xingyang City, where they were saved.

Zhang Xutuo showed off his power at the foot of the city, made a loud noise to intimidate the enemy, and then left. Li Mi, Zhai Rang and others did not dare to follow them and could only watch them go away. The glory of capturing Xingyang City instantly became dim.

The Sui army marched all the way to Luokou. Wherever they passed, the Wagang army retreated and dared not to meet them. However, Zhang Xutuo knew that Xingyang City was a strong city that was easy to attack and difficult to defeat, and Li Mi was no ordinary man. If it were not for Mr. Yue's brilliant strategy, the well-informed scout team, and the harrier hawk in the sky controlling the overall situation, he would not have been able to achieve such a record.

Seeing Zhang Xutuo sighing, Yue Buqun couldn't help but laugh. "The general's defeat wasn't due to the strength of his troops, his martial arts, or his intelligence, but rather to a higher level. The enemy was so powerful and far-reaching, and it's understandable that the general was outnumbered. Even I didn't expect the Zheng family of Xingyang to dare to openly rebel at this time, which led to today's defeat. However..."

"This defeat is not entirely a bad thing for the general." Yue Buqun's words shocked Zhang Xutuo slightly, and then he reacted. Mr. Yue had said many times before that he had fought against the rebels and was invincible. The deterrent effect on the rebels and many ambitious people in the world was too strong. If they want to achieve great things, they must eliminate me first. This time, his failure was just the loss of Xingyang City. Not only did he not suffer excessive casualties, but he also forced out the Zheng family of Xingyang. It was definitely a blessing.

Zhang Xutuo sighed deeply, "As the commander of Xingyang, I've lost my entire base. This is truly disgraceful. Li Mi has only recently joined the Wagang Rebellion. He first rallied and subjugated many small rebel groups to strengthen Wagang's reputation and power, then launched a series of battles to wreak havoc on towns. Now, he's captured Xingyang City. His reputation is skyrocketing. I'm afraid he's become a force to be reckoned with, and it's difficult to stop him."

He fought battles in the south and the north and defeated many uprisings. If it was just Zhai Rang and Li Mi, he would not have taken them seriously, but the problem lay with the Zheng family of Xingyang. He was not sure he could compete with them. This might be the first wealthy family that came forward to test him, or to test the court.

Yue Buqun pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "General, the situation isn't critical. Judging from our apparent strength, we're not at a disadvantage. We only need to be wary of the Jianghu forces. Regarding the situation, I have a few strategies for your consideration."

"The rebels appear powerful, but they harbor hidden dangers. The Zheng clan of Xingyang surrendered the city to the enemy, seemingly quietly, but they actually posed the greatest threat, yet they remained silent and didn't make a big fuss. The Wagang Army boasted a massive army, but its true strength was only modest. Furthermore, the latecomer Li Mi usurped the throne, and sooner or later, he and Zhai Rang would inevitably clash."

"Zhai Rang is of humble origin and mediocre ability, while Li Mi comes from a wealthy family, possesses great prestige and reputation, and is far superior to Zhai Rang in ability. Therefore, my first strategy is to attack Li Mi, let Zhai Rang go, and expose the Turkic Wolf Riders."

Zhang Xutuo froze at Yue Buqun's words. "Turkic Wolf Riders?"

"Yes, they are the Turkic Wolf Riders. They are Li Mi's trump card. Even Zhai Rang is unaware of them. There are only about 2,000 Wolf Riders, hiding in the dark and assisting Li Mi's troops in burning, killing and looting. Li Mi ambushed the general before, and there was actually a third wave of these Turkic Wolf Riders. However, because Zhai Rang retreated so completely, Li Mi did not let them take action because he saw that they could not succeed."

Zhang Xutuo gnashed his teeth and said, "What a traitor, Lord Pushan Li Mi! I never thought he was such a traitor! Humph, I wasn't afraid of the 500,000-strong Turkic army back then, let alone a mere 2,000 Turkic Wolf Riders. Wait, could those Wolf Riders' leaders be the two Grandmasters who tried to kill me earlier?"

"He's just one of them. The other is a Demon Sect expert hired by Li Mi." Yue Buqun continued, "We'll implement the first strategy on the Wagang front. Regarding the situation, the infantry will defend Luokou, while the cavalry will attack from all sides, cutting off access to the towns and villages of Xingyang County and depriving them of their food and fodder. This will force the enemy into a field battle and prevent a siege."

Zhang Xutuo's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he laughed heartily, saying, "This is a brilliant plan. How could those fools possibly stand up to the elite troops of the Great Sui Dynasty? Not to mention using infantry to fight against elite cavalry."

"The third strategy is to wage a war of public opinion, praising and criticizing the Zheng family of Xingyang, thus causing discord between the Wagang and Zheng families."

"Please give me some advice, sir."

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and smiled, "Xingyang City, the Zheng family's king, traces its roots back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. With a flip of his hand, he chased away Sutuo, and with a reversal of his hand, he crushed the Wagang. Li Mi kneeled in the hall, and Zhai Rang lay at his feet. He has a fortune of millions of taels, and ten warehouses full of food and fodder. What do you desire, Yang Jialang of Northern Zhou?"

Zhang Xutuo was not a vulgar and ignorant man. After listening to Yue Buqun's poems, cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He had truly experienced this time that this scholar could kill people without a knife. If this poem was widely circulated in Xingyang City, Li Mi and Zhai Rang would probably not be able to sleep and would not stop until they had killed Zheng of Xingyang.

"If the Zheng family of Xingyang is really so powerful, I'm afraid the Wagang rebels may not be able to get away with it." Only then did Zhang Xutuo truly realize the huge influence of the aristocratic families and couldn't help but frown.

Yue Buqun laughed heartily and said, "General Zhang, you're worrying too much. The power of aristocratic families lies in their excessive branches and tangles, like a vast web that's difficult to shake. If we sever their connections and only partially defeat them, it won't do much. Within the thousand-mile radius of Xingyang, the Zheng family as a whole is powerful enough to rule the land. However, if we only consider the Zheng family within Xingyang City, they can't match the might of the Wagang rebels. The other branches of the Zheng family scattered across towns and villages may seem powerful together, but individually they are nothing."

"Sir, you want to take action against the Zheng family. Aren't you afraid that they will completely surrender to the Wagang rebels?" Zhang Xutuo knew that the wealthy and powerful families looked down on Zhai Rang, who came from the grassroots, and that it was more unnecessary to support him in cooperating with Li Mi, at least before Li Mi really became powerful. If he accidentally pushed them too far and let the Zheng family of Xingyang really support Li Mi with all their strength, that would be disastrous.

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and smiled, "It's easy now. We can first spread rumors about the Zheng family, praising and killing the Zheng family in Xingyang, so as to arouse the rebellious thoughts of the Wagang rebels. Then, we can lead the two sides into a conflict and exacerbate the discord. From now on, the cavalry will cut off the traffic in Xingyang town, cut off the food supply and cut off the communication. Then, we can use soldiers disguised as Wagang rebels to wipe out the Zheng family's roots and branches in the countryside."

"Sir, this plan is brilliant! But the Zheng family is a wealthy and aristocratic family with many wise men among them. I'm afraid they might notice something strange."

"General Zhang, you're talking about the mixed quality of the Wagang rebels, and their inability to capture the manor castle? Haha, General, you've probably forgotten that Li Mi has a 2,000-man Turkish Wolf Riders unit behind him. What would the Zheng family do if there were Turkish Wolf Riders' corpses and armor in the ruins of the battlefield?"

Zhang Xutuo: That’s really hard to explain!