Tibet.

Chapter 1291 An unexpected encounter
The current situation in Liaodong is extremely tense. Although the Tang army has not yet launched the Northern Expedition to Liaodong, the Tang army's garrison in the Liaoxi Corridor has brought tremendous pressure to the Khitan.

In order to obtain war resources and strategic space, the Khitan joined forces with Silla and Heishui Mohe to launch an attack on the Bohai Kingdom.

The Bohai Navy was unable to fight against the three-party coalition forces and was defeated in three battles. The Buyeo Prefecture, Zhengjie Prefecture and Changling Prefecture in the west were captured by the Khitan, the Nanha Prefecture and Yalu Prefecture in the south were captured by Silla, and the Huaiyuan Prefecture, Tieli Prefecture and Anyuan Prefecture in the north were captured by the Heishui Mohe.

The Bohai Kingdom had lost more than half of its territory. In extreme panic, King Daqinmao sent envoys to Japan and the Tang Dynasty for help.

That afternoon, on an official road south of Xiande Prefecture of Bohai State, an ox cart was hurrying along.

Sitting in the ox cart were a family of five, a middle-aged couple and their three children. The man from Central Plains was called Gao Hongyuan, the governor of Longyuan Prefecture. After the Japanese army landed in Longyuan Prefecture, they burned, killed and looted everywhere. Gao Hongyuan's father was also killed by the Japanese army. He and his wife and three children escaped from the city with the desperate protection of their men.

Gao Hongyuan was a Han Chinese whose ancestors were the branch of the Bohai Gao family in Yingzhou. He did not dare to go to Beijing, so he fled directly to his hometown in Yingzhou with his family.

In addition to the family of five, there was also an old servant driving a bullock cart. Several of his men went to resist the pursuers, but they never came back and were probably killed by the pursuers.

At this time, a caravan appeared in front of them. It was composed of a middle-aged businessman, five or six assistants, and a dozen donkeys. The donkeys were fully loaded with goods. Judging from their direction, they were heading towards Longyuan Prefecture.

Gao Hongyuan couldn't bear it and quickly shouted, "Stop the car!"

The bullock cart slowly stopped, and his wife was startled, "Husband, what are you going to do?"

"I'll go give them a heads up, otherwise they'll be killed by the Japanese army."

Gao Hongyuan jumped off the ox cart, waved his hands and shouted, "Wait a minute!"

The caravan came over, and the leader of the merchant looked at Gao Hongyuan and asked in surprise: "Brother, are you Han Chinese?"

"That's right, you are Han Chinese too!"

Gao Hongyuan saw the appearance of these people and they did not look like Donghu people.

The leading merchant nodded and smiled, "We came from Yingzhou and went to Longyuan Prefecture to do some small business!"

Gao Hongyuan waved his hands quickly, "You can't go, you can't go. The Japanese army burned, killed, and looted in Longyuan Prefecture. They were extremely cruel and killed countless people. If you go there, you will definitely be killed and robbed."

The merchant laughed and said, "Could it be that you escaped from Longyuan Mansion?"

Gao Hongyuan's youngest son shouted, "My father is the governor of Longyuan Prefecture."

The merchant clasped his fists and said, "It turns out to be the governor. My apologies! My apologies!"

Gao Hongyuan smiled bitterly and said, "I have abandoned my post and fled. I am no longer a governor."

At this time, a waiter suddenly said: "Boss, just ask him directly, we don't have to take the risk of going to Longyuan Mansion."

Gao Hongyuan was shocked. Why call him butler?

The middle-aged businessman then took out a silver plate and said with a smile, "To be honest, brother, we are scouts of the Tang army. I am Jia Yun, and I have been ordered to go to Longyuan Prefecture to gather information. I wonder if the governor is willing to provide us with information?"

Gao Hongyuan was stunned. How could he meet Tang Jun here?

After a while, he said, "Of course I am willing, but why are you here? Has the Tang army captured Yingzhou?"

"The Tang army has not yet marched north, and Yingzhou is still occupied by the Khitan army. The inspections there are extremely strict. We are coming here through another route."

At this time, Gao Hongyuan's wife said, "Husband, ask them if they can go to Pingzhou?"

Gao Hongyuan immediately clasped his fists and said, "My wife is from Pingzhou. I wonder if you can take us to Pingzhou?"

Gao Hongyuan also had doubts. After all, the Khitan was now at war with the Bohai Kingdom, and Yingzhou was occupied by the Khitan, so it was not safe for them to go to Yingzhou.

Jia Yun smiled slightly and said, "Brother, can you prove that you are the governor of Longyuan Prefecture?"

Gao Hongyuan nodded and took out his official seal of the governor, as well as his ivory tablet and silver fish from the ox cart. He was a fourth-rank official of the Bohai State.

Jia Yun was overjoyed, it was really a case of looking for something without any effort. He hurriedly said, "It's not safe here. There will be Khitan scouts. Let's go to the woods to rest for a while and leave at night." Gao Hongyuan went back to discuss with his wife. The couple both believed that they were Han Chinese and it would be safer for them to go to the Tang Dynasty. They had two daughters, one aged fifteen and the other thirteen, who could easily be harmed by the Khitan army.

Gao Hongyuan quickly clasped his fists and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Manager Jia!"

Jia Yun was overjoyed and immediately led everyone away from the official road and took temporary shelter in a pine forest not far away.

Sure enough, not long after entering the pine forest, a group of more than 20 Khitan scouts on horseback galloped past on the official road, scaring Gao Hongyuan into a cold sweat.

Jia Yun whispered, "This place is very close to Changling Prefecture. There are 3,000 Khitan troops stationed in Changling Prefecture. They will attack Xiande Prefecture next, so they will definitely send scouts to check on the garrison and other conditions."

Gao Hongyuan said with lingering fear: "Luckily I met Manager Jia, otherwise I would have encountered Khitan cavalry a little later. These Khitans are very cruel and have no military discipline. My wife and daughter would definitely not escape their clutches. It's really God's will!"

Jia Yun smiled and said, "We are the Guanlong Army, not ordinary Tang troops. Please don't worry, Governor Gao!"

Jia Yun turned around and ordered his men to distribute dry food and water to Gao Hongyuan's family.

Gao Hongyuan thanked him again and again, and he asked in confusion: "Do we have to go through Yingzhou to go to Pingzhou?"

Jia Yun shook his head. "The Liaoxi Corridor has been blocked by the Khitans. We can't go back by land. We actually came here by water."

"Ah! You have a boat?"

Jia Yun smiled slightly, "When we reach Liaohe River, Governor Gao will see it!"

Hope ignited in Gao Hongyuan's heart. Although this place was still far from the Liaohe River, at least he didn't have to go to Yingzhou.

As night fell, Jia Yun's men found a local farmer. They offered him an ox cart and a dozen donkeys as reward. The farmer called his son, and the father and son led everyone onto an abandoned official road. The road was very hidden and completely covered with weeds. If you were not familiar with it, you would not be able to find it at all. The ox cart and the goods had been left at the farmer's home. Gao Hongyuan and his wife and children rode donkeys, and the team headed west.

This path was indeed hidden, and they did not encounter any Khitans along the way. They even saw the brightly lit camp of the Khitan army from afar, but they still managed to bypass the Khitan camp from the north without any danger.

After the team had walked for two full days, a wide river suddenly appeared in front of everyone. This was the Liaohe River.

Jia Yun asked someone to give more than a dozen donkeys to the father and son. The father and son thanked him profusely and left with the donkeys.

After they rested for about an hour, two of their men found a large ship to pick them up and guided it towards their resting place.

The Tang army's ship was just a 3,000-stone chariot ship, with its wheels and oars turning, it was sailing quickly in the middle of the wide Liao River. Even if it was discovered by the Khitans, they would be unable to do anything to them.

There were more than thirty soldiers on board, all holding craftsmen in their hands, standing vigilantly on both sides of the ship.

Gao Hongyuan's wife, children and two daughters were all placed in the cabin, along with the old servant and the boatmen. After fleeing for more than ten days, they had become frightened birds, and it was not until this moment that they felt safe.

In the cabin, Gao Hongyuan slowly told Jia Yun about the situation of the Japanese army. Longyuan Prefecture is the estuary of the Tumen River and is also the location of the port of the Bohai Kingdom.

The Japanese army chose Longyuanfu to land, and their intention was obvious: to control the ports and ships of Bohai State.

"They had about 30,000 troops, nominally under the banner of supporting Bohai. At first, they pretended to have strict military discipline, but when they tricked the gates of Gyeongju open under the pretext that the soldiers were sick and needed to be sent to the city for treatment, their brutal nature was exposed. The 30,000 troops rushed into the city, raping, burning and killing. The entire Gyeongju city became a hell. I had dozens of men who desperately tried to protect me, my wife and children and let us escape from the city. They are probably dead too."

"Why didn't Governor Gao go to the capital?" Jia Yun asked puzzledly.

Gao Hongyuan sighed, "The Bohai court believes that the Japanese army is coming to rescue them. If I tell them that the Japanese army is burning, killing and looting, they will never believe it. Instead, they will execute me for the crime of spreading rumors and misleading the people."

"Is it that serious?"

Gao Hongyuan sighed, "There are Japanese envoys in Shangjing, they will never allow me to disrupt their plans. I am originally from Yang Chengqing's faction, and those ministers who are hostile to him will certainly not miss the opportunity to kill me."

Jia Yun nodded and said, "We have a logistics base on Juehua Island. My ship is currently heading back to Juehua Island. Your family will temporarily live in the temple on the island. I will guarantee your safety and life. When our army marches north, I'm afraid there will be many things that will trouble Governor Gao."

Gao Hongyuan nodded silently. He also hoped that he could play a role so that his wife and children could be safely protected.

"I will do my best to help the Tang army!"

(End of this chapter)