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Li Yuan shook his head and said, “Your Highness Feng, you are thinking too simply. In the case of Li Shimin, if I do not fulfill my promise, he will have no recourse; he will only be unhappy. But if Yang Wengan truly rebels, what reason do I have to release Li Jiancheng? How can I silence the voices of the people?”
Feng Deyi seemed confident and calmly replied, “Your Majesty, I have thought of a strategy for this issue. Do not characterize Yang Wengan’s rebellion as aimed at the court or against Your Majesty, but rather as a personal conflict between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin. This way, Your Majesty has a reason to release Li Jiancheng and also a justification for not fulfilling your promise to Li Shimin.”
“This plan is brilliant!” Upon hearing this, Li Yuan slapped his thigh, his earlier troubled expression fading away.
“However, what if Yang Wengan insists that it is aimed at the court?” Li Yuan pondered the potential problem.
“Your Majesty need not worry! Prince Qin will certainly return with Yang Wengan’s head rather than bringing him back alive. Since Yang Wengan is dead and cannot provide evidence, Your Majesty can define the situation however you wish. Even if Yang Wengan is not killed, Your Majesty can send someone to suggest to him that targeting the Emperor or Prince Qin carries different weights; surely he would understand,” Feng Deyi responded.
“Hmm, that makes sense. Let’s proceed as you suggest!” Li Yuan nodded in agreement.
“Then I take my leave!” Feng Deyi naturally chose to exit while the going was good.
“Very well.” Li Yuan did not try to keep him. His mood had improved significantly. It seemed that Feng Deyi, this Zhongshu Ling, was quite capable!
Li Shimin was unaware that his father, Li Yuan, had changed his mind about making him the crown prince and was still eagerly leading his army towards Ningzhou.
Li Shimin’s reputation was well-known; wherever he went, those who had initially planned to support Yang Wengan quickly switched sides. Without any hindrance, Li Shimin arrived at the gates of Ningzhou on the fifth day of the seventh month of the Wu De Year Seven.
Meanwhile, Yang Wengan had already captured Ningzhou on the first day of July. After taking the city, he drove out corrupt officials and commoners and occupied the city fortress. Knowing that Li Shimin was coming, he prepared for a tough battle. As for advancing towards Ren Zhi Palace or Chang'an, that would have to wait until after defeating Li Shimin.
When Prince Qin Li Shimin’s army arrived at Ningzhou, Yang Wengan understood Li Shimin’s strength and ordered his men to stay behind closed doors and prepare for a strong defense.
Standing at the city gate, Yang Wengan shouted to Li Shimin, “Prince Qin, I am not rebelling; I only ask the Emperor to release His Highness the Crown Prince! If the Emperor releases him and pardons me, I will immediately open the gates to welcome you into the city!”
Li Shimin pointed at Yang Wengan with a kick of his boot and scolded, “Pah! Bold rebel! How dare you presume to discuss how the Emperor handles the Crown Prince? Surrender at once, and I will spare your life!”
Yang Wengan no longer held back and shouted back, “Li Shimin! You are the one who conspired against His Highness! It is common knowledge that you desire the position of Crown Prince. I only recognize His Highness; I will never surrender to you!”
“Yang Wengan! You are an official of the court, not my brother's private soldier! What you are doing is merely rebelling under the guise of seeking justice for the Crown Prince! If you persist in your delusions, there is only death awaiting you!” Li Shimin attempted to persuade him again.
“Li Shimin! To obtain the position of Crown Prince, you have already slandered him before the Emperor by accusing him of colluding with me in rebellion! You have branded me with a charge of treason; do I still have any chance of survival? You are right; now I am left with no choice but death. Since that is so, let us fight it out!” Yang Wengan remained unmoved.
Li Shimin laughed in anger: “Yang Wengan! You refuse my offer and instead slander me. What qualifications do you have as a rebel to fight me?”
Yang Wengan laughed as well and gestured around him: “Li Shimin! Look closely; my soldiers are not fewer than yours! Do you think I lack the qualifications to fight?”
Li Shimin sneered: “Yang Wengan! They are merely deceived by you; they follow you without understanding the situation. Once I arrive and expose your treachery, who would be willing to fight for you? If you don’t believe me, shout three times: ‘Who dares kill me?’ Some among them will surely kill you!”
“Haha! Don’t say three times; even if I shout ten times, what of it?” Yang Wengan replied arrogantly.
With that said, Yang Wengan raised his head and shouted: “Who dares kill me! Who dares kill me! Who dares kill me!”
After shouting three times, Yu Wen Ying rushed forward from behind with a knife in hand and swiftly struck down Yang Wengan's head.
In the reenactment of the scene from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," where Ma Dai kills Wei Yan, the onlookers were astonished, yet none dared to stop Yu Wen Ying. After slaying Yang Wengan, Yu Wen Ying addressed the crowd, saying, "Yang Wengan was a traitor. I killed him to save everyone. You are all loyal ministers of the court and cannot associate with traitors. Now, let us open the city gates and welcome Prince Qin into the city!"
"Alright, we will follow Lord Yuwen!"
"We will go open the gates and welcome Prince Qin into the city!"
The crowd agreed and rushed towards the city gates. Yu Wen Ying shouted towards Li Shimin outside the walls, "Prince Qin, I have already killed the traitor; you can enter the city now!"
"Good! Lord Yuwen has done a great service for the court!" Li Shimin replied joyfully, then waved his hand, "Let us enter the city!"
Upon reaching the gates of Ningzhou, they found them already opened. The people inside shouted, "We welcome Prince Qin!"
Li Shimin walked in proudly at the front. Yu Wen Ying had gathered with other officials at the gate to greet him.
"Prince Qin, you must be weary from your journey; please come in and rest!" Yu Wen Ying said leadingly.
"Thank you for your hard work, Prince Qin!" the other officials echoed.
Li Shimin waved his hand dismissively, "No need for formalities; you are all loyal ministers of the court! With Yang Wengan dead, the rebellion is quelled. I need to report this good news to my father immediately. Prepare Yang Wengan's head in a box; I will send someone back to Chang'an with it!"
Immediately, someone complied and packaged Yang Wengan's head in a box, presenting it to Li Shimin. A guard beside him quickly took it.
Li Shimin promptly arranged for someone to hasten back to Chang'an with Yang Wengan's head. Of course, while it was said to be sent back to Chang'an, it was actually headed for Ren Zhi Palace since Li Yuan was still there for summer retreat. However, since Ren Zhi Palace was part of the Chang'an region, it was not incorrect to say it was being sent back.
Next, Li Shimin followed Yu Wen Ying and others to the governor's residence in Ningzhou. The previous officials had been killed; for these past few days, Yang Wengan had treated this place as his own residence.
With the rebellion quelled and Yang Wengan dead, Li Shimin needed to arrange for follow-up matters including appointing a new governor. However, he did not wish to linger on this issue for too long. His thoughts were still on securing the position of Crown Prince; returning to Ren Zhi Palace as soon as possible to claim that title was his priority. Other matters were not at the forefront of Li Shimin's mind at this moment.
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