Chapter 3: A Corpse with No Place to Rest

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

  Yang Guozhong walked into Yang Hui's room surrounded by several attendants.

  "Son has seen his father!" Because of the many memories left from his previous life, Yang Hui didn't feel any strangeness when he saw Yang Guozhong come in. He naturally went forward to pay his respects and greet him. Yang Guozhong was able to return at this time and came to see him, so he was of course very happy.

  Many things can be said directly to Yang Guozhong, and he is thinking about how to say them without making Yang Guozhong feel too suspicious.

  He, who was born in the south, later got used to being called "Dad", feeling that "Dad" is a more intimate term of endearment. Compared to "Father", it feels more formal and lacks that special affectionate feeling. It doesn't feel unnatural at all to call Yang Guozhong "Father".

  Of course he is "recognizing the enemy as his father", but it's also an unavoidable situation, who made him cross into Yang Guozhong's son's body?

  "Yang Hui, you've finally woken up! I'm overjoyed!" Yang Guozhong hastily stepped into the house and saw that Yang Hui had already regained consciousness and was standing up to pay his respects.

  The young son was in a coma for two days after an accidental injury, although the imperial physician said there would be no danger to his life, but Yang Guozhong, who was busy with court affairs, was still very worried. This morning, he saw that Yang Hui had signs of waking up and wanted to stay with him until he woke up, but the palace sent a summons, and the emperor ordered him to enter the palace immediately, so he didn't dare to delay and went into the palace right away. After finishing the court affairs and arranging everything properly, he returned to his residence, and upon hearing from the servants that Yang Hui had woken up, he immediately came over to visit.

  Four days ago, as he had suggested, the imperial court ordered Geshu Han to lead all his troops out of Tong Pass to attack. This morning, news arrived that after Geshu Han made contact with the enemy, the enemy was unable to withstand and retreated, and Geshu Han led his army in pursuit. Yang Guozhong, who thought this move could achieve a double success with one move, felt delighted and, upon hearing that Yang Hui had also come around, couldn't help but show extraordinary concern in his words.

  "Thank you, Father, for your concern. I'm fine now. The other day when I fell into a deep sleep, it was just because my head suffered a heavy impact, but I didn't suffer any major harm. After waking up, everything is okay, and I feel even better than before. Some things that I didn't quite understand in the past are also clear to me now!" Yang Hui and Yang Guozhong spoke with extremely respectful attitudes.

  After all, as the Tang Dynasty's top-ranking official, Yang Guozhong had a very strong presence. Although he showed a caring side when facing Yang Hui, Yang Hui still felt somewhat oppressed, but he was in good spirits and didn't show any signs of nervousness.

  In this era, some people, including Gao Lishi and Yang Guozhong, were recorded in history as power-hungry and treacherous individuals who brought calamity to the country and its people. Yang Hui deeply despised them from the bottom of his heart, but due to the trials and tribulations he had undergone since his rebirth, he would not reveal any sign of disgust towards these people. He knew that in ancient times, there was a strict hierarchy and order among people, so he would show sufficient respect to them. Moreover, Yang Guozhong was currently still the father of this body!

  Yang Guozhong was probably very handsome when he was young, and now that he's older, he also looks quite comfortable and dignified, completely without the hateful flavor of a treacherous official as portrayed in movies and TV shows, which also makes Yang Hui's "uncomfortable" feeling somewhat less.

  Yang Hui couldn't help but think of the famous Yang family woman, Yang Guifei's cousin, who was known as one of the "Four Great Beauties" of ancient times - Yang Yuhuan. I wonder how beautiful this legendary beauty is.

  It seems that the Yang family's inheritance of good looks is quite excellent, and their offspring are either beautiful women or handsome men, and he also benefited from it.

  Nor did he know what reason, after seeing Yang Guozhong, the anxiety and tension that Yang Hui originally had in his heart disappeared, and he didn't rush to explain to Yang Guozhong what he wanted to say about how to defend Tongguan. Of course, he didn't know it was due to the residual memory and temperament of the original body!

  Facing the gaze of many people around him, Yang Guozhong also put away the affection that had unknowingly flowed out and replaced it with a serious expression. He instructed Yang Hui: "Hui'er, as long as you're fine, it's good for your father to worry less. You just woke up and need to rest more, don't stand up yet. When you've rested well, go see your mother! Your father has many things to attend to, I'll come visit you again when I have time."

  Yang Guozhong's wife, Yang Hui's mother Pei Rou, had caught a cold some days ago and hadn't recovered yet. When she heard that Yang Hui was injured and unconscious, her loving heart made her stay by Yang Hui's side continuously, until she herself fainted from exhaustion. However, Pei Rou only fainted due to overexertion from grief, and after lying down for a day, she had already woken up, but couldn't get out of bed, or else she would have come to visit Yang Hui earlier!

  "Obeying father's orders!" Yang Hui bowed again, but before Yang Guozhong turned around, he hastily said: "But father, I have an urgent idea that I want to tell father, and I hope father can listen to me for a few words!"

  "Oh?" Yang Guozhong, who was about to turn around and leave, stopped in his tracks, looking at Yang Hui with a puzzled expression: "Hui'er, what do you want to say?"

  Yang Hui glanced at Yang Guozhong's side, and Yang Guozhong understood, immediately letting all the miscellaneous people in the house retreat.

  "Now it's just the two of us, father and son, Xiaoyu, if you have anything on your mind, feel free to tell me!"

  Since Yang Guozhong did not refuse his request, Yang Hui was overjoyed and hastily said: "Father, a few days ago I heard some things about the current situation. Today, after waking up early, I also thought about this matter and had some ideas. I want to talk to Father about it, hoping that Father will listen to me!"

  "What's with the current situation?" As soon as Yang Hui mentioned this, Yang Guozhong furrowed his brow, looking at Yang Hui in confusion. "Hui'er, how did you become interested in the current situation? Do you have any insights to share with your father? Come, let's sit down and talk!"

  Yang Guozhong had four sons: Yang Huan, Yang Yi, Yang Xiao and Yang Que, all of whom were born to his wife Pei Rou.

  Yang Qi was appointed as the Minister of Taipu and concurrently as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, while Yang Xiang, who married Princess Wan Chun, was appointed as the Minister of Rites. Yang Xiao was appointed as a low-ranking official in the Ministry of Works, but only 17-year-old Yang Hui was given an honorary position as a ceremonial attendant. Yang Guozhong would often discuss state affairs with his sons, but mainly with Yang Qi and Yang Xiang, who held important positions, and never discussed such matters with Yang Hui, the youngest son. Among his four sons, Yang Guozhong thought that Yang Hui was the most intelligent and capable in both literary and martial arts, but he was too young and overly spoiled by his wife Lady Pei Rou, often doing things that were out of line and causing headaches. Yang Guozhong had always felt that his youngest son was not yet ready to be given responsibilities and had never discussed state affairs with him. Today, hearing Yang Hui speak so seriously, he was surprised but in a good mood, decided to listen to what Yang Hui had to say.

  "Father, is the court preparing to have Geshu Han lead troops out of Tong Pass to fight against the rebels?"

  Yang Guozhong heard Yang Hui ask this question, and frowned slightly: "Hui'er, what's wrong with you? Don't you agree that we should take advantage of the great victory in the north to order Geshu Han to lead the army out to battle, and defeat the enemy before they can gain a foothold?"

  The court had ordered Geshu Han to go out of the pass and engage in battle two days earlier, but at this time Yang Guozhong did not want to tell his son about it.

  "Father, you are right!" Yang Hui looked at Yang Guozhong without avoiding his gaze, with a resolute expression that Yang Guozhong had never seen before: "In my opinion, the imperial army's abandonment of Tongguan's natural defenses and engaging in battle outside the city is truly the worst strategy! It absolutely cannot be done this way!"

  "Tell me, what makes you think so!" Yang Guozhong's face turned ugly and he was furious in his heart. If it weren't for Yang Hui's recent recovery from illness, he would have loudly scolded him or stormed off!

  "Father, the rebel army led by An Lushan is composed of elite border troops who have been fighting for years and have a wealth of combat experience. They are especially skilled in mobile warfare, with infantry and cavalry working together seamlessly - this kind of coordination can't be formed overnight. Facing such an elite force, even if we gather tens of thousands of new recruits to confront them, we will still be defeated miserably! Even a capable general like Gao Xianzhi has been repeatedly defeated, and after joining forces with him, he doesn't dare to launch a counterattack, instead choosing to garrison at Tong Pass, hoping to use the natural defenses to block the enemy. I know this is just an effective way to defend against the enemy in a desperate situation. In a field battle, the government troops defending Tong Pass are no match for the rebel army!" Seeing Yang Guozhong's displeased expression, Yang Hui hastily added, "If the garrison at Tong Pass were elite border troops, they could engage the rebels in a decisive battle outside the city!"

  Yang Guozhong remained silent, but he was also thinking about what his son had said. His son's words were of course different from those of the people on the side!

  Since Yang Guozhong did not explicitly rebuke him, Yang Hui's courage grew and he spoke harshly again: "I suppose Father also knows that this time the rebel army's banner is aimed at you. An Lushan wants to 'clear the imperial court', and the person he most wants to eliminate is you! You have always been at odds with An Lushan, with deep grievances and hatred. If the rebels attack Chang'an, Father, you will be the first person the rebels want to eliminate! There's also a possibility that if the rebels threaten, if the imperial court orders your execution, they will retreat. What do you think the Emperor will do? How will other ministers advise?"

  Yang Qi's words made Yang Guozhong's facial muscles twitch involuntarily, his face twisted a bit!

  Yang Guozhong's expression changed, and Yang Huan continued with a sigh of relief: "Therefore, I think that what Father should do now is to think of every possible way to keep the rebel army outside Tongguan. Tongguan is the last gate of Chang'an, if Tongguan falls, Chang'an will not be safe. If Tongguan is still in the hands of the imperial army, then relying on the natural danger of Tongguan to defend it, Chang'an will have nothing to worry about. In my opinion, Father should now think of every possible way to gather all forces and defend Tongguan, rather than going out of the pass to fight! Otherwise, Chang'an is in danger, Father's life is also in danger, and our whole family will die without a place to bury us! Father, for the sake of our family's lives, you must make thorough considerations and think of every possible way to defend Tongguan and keep the rebel army outside the city!"

  Yang Hui finished speaking, his eyes shining brightly as he stared straight at Yang Guozhong, waiting for his reaction. He knew that to move Yang Guozhong, the most effective method was to use Yang Guozhong and their family's future and lives as bargaining chips. This was the only way to persuade Yang Guozhong, as from other angles, from the perspective of national and ethnic righteousness, it was impossible to change this "father's" mind.

  Yang Guozhong still didn't respond, but instead stared straight at him with his eyes.