"Encourage those upright censors to submit memorials and even risk their lives to remonstrate!"
"Contact our former subordinates in the army, especially those generals who have a blood feud with Zhao Muyun, and have them jointly submit a petition requesting His Majesty to send troops to avenge the humiliation. We must not compromise with our enemies!"
“Also,” Yang Yan lowered his voice, his tone chilling, “send a message to Chao’er in Jiannan Road, telling him not to hold back anymore and to create some friction on the border. It doesn’t have to be large-scale, but it should make Xijing feel the pain.”
"Let the court see that Zhao Muyun is not in a position to rest easy, and the western front remains unstable!"
He wanted to employ a multi-pronged approach, simultaneously exerting pressure on public opinion, the military, and even border military affairs to create a situation of widespread public outrage and a precarious border situation, thus forcing Li Jingang to refrain from easily reaching an agreement with Zhao Muyun.
"Furthermore," Yang Yan added, a complex look flashing in his eyes, "have someone pass a message to Madam Huang, reminding her that General Li Hu is still in Zhao Muyun's hands. If the peace talks are successful, Zhao Muyun will definitely use this to blackmail her and demand huge benefits."
"Let her whisper sweet nothings in the Empress's ear again."
He was trying to exploit Madam Huang's eagerness to save her husband, to turn her into the camp opposing peace talks, and to undermine Li Jingang's resolve from within.
Yang Yan's clandestine actions quickly caused quite a stir in the capital.
Within days, some students from the Imperial Academy began discussing politics in restaurants and teahouses, criticizing the "peace faction" for surrendering national sovereignty and humiliating the country.
Several censors, unaware of the truth, indeed submitted a memorial, eloquently citing classical texts, opposing any form of contact with the "traitors."
He demanded that Li Jingang immediately issue an imperial edict ordering Ma Zongliang, Niu Desheng, and other troops to intensify their attack in order to demonstrate Heaven's will.
Some lower-ranking officers in the army, either incited or out of sympathy for their comrades who had been defeated in Xijing, jointly petitioned the Ministry of War to fight, causing a temporary commotion.
The more direct impact comes from Jiannan Road.
After receiving his uncle's secret letter, Chao understood immediately and dispatched several elite small units, dressed in civilian clothes or carrying the banner of bandits, to cross the Ziwu Road and launch surprise attacks and harassments on several counties and post stations in the southern part of Xijing, near Jiannan Road.
Although the scale was small, it still caused casualties and material losses, and aroused tension among the local garrison.
These messages, through various channels, converged on Li Jingang's desk in the imperial study.
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