Ji Tang

Chapter 847 Undercurrent
Xue Li stood on horseback not far outside Pingxiang City, with three thousand fine cavalry behind him.

After parting ways with Liu Rengui and others, he led three thousand cavalry non-stop all the way south to the outside of Pingxiang City.

Looking at the tall city wall and the slightly panicked Goguryeo soldiers above, he frowned slightly, but he was shaken in his heart about taking the city.

There were less than 4 of them, half of whom were from the four-nation coalition. Although they had been training for more than a month, he knew exactly what kind of combat effectiveness they had.

It's okay to fight a smooth battle, but if you encounter this kind of tough battle, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it!

"Commander!"

A school captain stepped forward on his horse and said, "We have arrived at Pingxiang. Please give me the commander's orders on what to do next!"

Because there was no imperial appointment, even if Tang Jian had a blank imperial edict, he would not dare to confer official positions at will at this time, so he could only use the all-in-one title of commander.

"Exit thirty miles away, eliminate all armed forces within a hundred miles, collect grain, grass and other supplies. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed!"

Hearing Xue Li's murderous words, the captain was shocked, but having experienced Yin Di, he didn't say anything about such an order.

"promise!"

Xue Li took a deep look at the man in gorgeous clothes on the city wall. If his guess was correct, this man should be the puppet King of Goguryeo and King Goyang created by Yeon Gaesumun.

The old man wearing armor and holding a sword next to him must be the Mo Zhili left behind by Yuan Gaisuwen!
He had no intention of going forward to show off his power. They were cavalry and they were of little help in attacking the city. Even if they went to the city, they would most likely be humiliating themselves and it would be meaningless!
Turning the horse's head, he quickly led the people towards the southern seaside, where the Tang Dynasty Navy fleet was waiting to meet them. Once the army was dispatched to encircle and suppress Pingxiang City, they immediately retreated to the ship, and the Goguryeo people had nothing to do with them.

In this way, even if they are defeated, they can still be invincible!

The elite cavalry of the Tang Army came and went in a hurry. If it weren't for the smoke and dust everywhere, no one would have believed that just now, thousands of elite cavalry appeared here!

Mo Zhili was a little confused. What did Tang Jun mean?

When he came to Pingxiang, he neither attacked the city nor wandered around, but turned around and left. Even he couldn't figure out what the Tang army meant!
"Go ahead. No one is allowed to leave the city without my warrant. I will only send scouts to follow them to see where they have gone. If you have any clues, report them immediately!"

He didn't know what the Tang army meant. He was worried that there were other Tang armies outside the city, so he didn't dare to send a large army out of the city. Once he was ambushed by the enemy, things would be terrible.

There are more than [-] elite soldiers in the city, plus the city guards and a large number of young men. If necessary, at least [-] city defenders can be raised in a short time.

Therefore, he is not worried about the Tang army attacking the city. The location is favorable and the people are on their side. As long as they can't hold on, the Tang army can't do anything to them.

As long as they wait for winter, the cold world will cause heavy casualties to the Tang army.When the time comes, they will strengthen their walls and clear the country. Unless the Tang army is crazy, they will launch a war in winter.

The only way is to fight again next year and temporarily withdraw from the territory of Goguryeo.

"Bring the king back to the palace!"

After saying that, he ignored Gao Baobao, whose legs were trembling, and turned around and walked down the city wall.

Now he has no time to deal with this puppet. Tang Jun's appearance here must be reported to Da Mo Zhili immediately.

Da Mo Zhili led 15 elite soldiers of Goguryeo to fight against the Tang Emperor. Together with the direct troops from the north and reinforcements from various ministries, there were at least more than [-] soldiers.

Even if such a large number of soldiers could not destroy the Tang army, the defense could still be accomplished.

Soon, dozens of riders were dispatched from the four city gates, heading in different directions.They took Mo Zhili's handwritten letters and headed to their destinations respectively.

Some are just trying to deceive others, and some are simply going to die. The real messengers are among them. If they can't be caught all at once, someone will always escape.

But Mo Zhili probably didn't expect that less than an hour after the messengers left the city, they were all intercepted by the Tang Army's cavalry, including every one of them!
Xue Li is not a fool, how can he let the news here be spread out easily?

If Yeon Gaesomun couldn't think about it anymore and suddenly returned to the army, how could their mere 4 people be a match for the 15 army?

Therefore, after withdrawing from Pingxiang City, he sent people to patrol within a radius of thirty miles, and also sent people to keep an eye on the Goguryeo Royal City. As long as someone came out, he would immediately send a signal to notify him.

All the dozens of messengers were quickly captured, and no one escaped.

Opening Mo Zhili's letter, Xue Li was embarrassed to find that he couldn't understand it. It was written in Goguryeo script. He had never studied it, so of course he couldn't understand it.

But it doesn't matter if you don't understand. There are many talents in the Tang army. Some of them are simply Han people living in Liaodong and know some Goguryeo writing.

When he only knew that the news was to inform Yun Gaisuwen, he was not surprised at all.But when he heard that everything was fine in Pingxiang and that he and others were just suffering from a disease like moss and there would be no accidents, he immediately laughed angrily.

"We are actually looked down upon by others. They treat us like bandits who thresh the grass in the valley. But with such a loud tone, are you not afraid of flashing your tongue?"

Xue Li sneered.

"Send the order! Tell the soldiers that from now on, no flies will fly out of Pingxiang City. No matter who they are, anyone who leaves the city will be killed without mercy."

Just when Xue Li started to sweep the surrounding areas, the seemingly calm situation in Pingxiang City was actually undercurrent.

In a seemingly inconspicuous wine shop, a group of people dressed in silk, who looked like they were rich or noble, were gathering together to discuss something.

"Lao Cheng, how are you preparing for it?"

A middle-aged man who looked quite wealthy asked in a low voice.

If Ji Song were here, he would definitely recognize this person as one of his shopkeepers.

In addition, he also has another identity, that is, he is a big businessman in Goguryeo. His surname is Lin, which is one of the famous surnames in Goguryeo.

"Don't worry, the tunnels were dug a year ago, and there are still three. The exits are in hidden places outside the city, and our people are stationed there. There won't be any problems."

The person who spoke was the steward of Lu Guogong's palace, but he had been in Goguryeo for four or five years. He specialized in fur and business and was very influential in Goguryeo!

Several other people are also members of the Chang'an Xungui family, but without exception, their identities at this time are all genuine Goguryeo people. Even if they were checked, nothing could be found.

Maybe his ancestors were of royal blood from Goguryeo!

Because they themselves are Goguryeo people, but the only difference is that their families have been in decline in their early years, and they are not much worse than the common people.The people who originally lived to the west of the Liao River have been living under the rule of the Tang Dynasty since they were recaptured by Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty. They have already registered in the Tang Dynasty.

At the beginning, Ji Song also wanted to smoothly open up Goguryeo's business channels and situation, and these people were just right.With a pure identity and relationship network, he quickly opened up the business routes in Goguryeo and earned a lot of wealth for his family.

They have a family in Chang'an, their children study at Taibai Academy, and their wife is also a Han woman.The family has good farmland and a house in Chang'an, so it is impossible to betray Ji Song and the others.

Besides, if Ji Song hadn't helped them out, they would probably still be at the bottom, and how could they be where they are now?

Even the Goguryeo nobles treated them with courtesy and did not dare to neglect them at all!

After hearing Lao Cheng's assurance, Lao Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

Originally, according to the wishes of the Marquis, he would personally bring people to Pingxiang City. When the time comes, they will use the tunnel to bring the gunpowder in. As long as it is lit, it will be easy to break down the city wall.

Even in order to communicate smoothly, the Marquis even gave them a falcon, a precious baby at home, to carry with them, just to communicate in a timely manner so as not to miss the opportunity.

But they waited and waited but did not wait for the Marquis to come. What they waited for was the news that the Emperor had pinned him down in Anshi City and could not move.

Originally they thought that was it and were ready to give up.Without a large army coming, no matter how much noise they make, they will not cause any harm to Pingxiang City.

But who would have thought that things would take a turn for the worse. The Marquis did not come, but other armies of the Tang Dynasty did.

Although they don't know who is leading the army, this does not prevent them from preparing.As long as there is a chance, they can cooperate inside and outside and inflict heavy damage to Goguryeo!

"In addition, immediately send people out to search for traces of the army, and find out who is leading the army."

Lao Lin still felt that it was not safe and frowned and said: "That shouldn't be the case. If the Marquis and his people don't know about our existence, it's impossible. But now no one has contacted us. This doesn't make sense!"

"If it weren't for the Marquis and his people, should we still take action?"

Here they refer to the nobles of Chang'an, especially the heads of several families.

"I heard the news that the banner they were flying had the word Xue on it. Do you think it could be the one from my family who came in person?"

Lao Xue, he didn't feel happy at all when he said this.

Being unhappy does not mean that he has been disloyal or betrayal to his family leader, but that he really feels speechless towards his family leader!

The head of the family would send letters of greetings every three days, or show concern for his subordinates, and win over a wave of people's hearts.

But this person is different. It has been five years. I haven't received any letter from my head for five years.

If it weren't for the letters from Marquis Ji that comforted him every time, he would have thought that he could just stand on his own. No one would care anyway!
That's right, the unreliable family head he was talking about was Xue Wanche, the current Duke of Wugong County.

After this guy married Du, he somehow became interested in money that he had never cared about.

If Lai doesn't leave Hao Jiehou Mansion, he must ask his brother Ji Song to give him some advice and find him a business!
If this were placed in other people's homes, they would have been kicked out a long time ago. Who wouldn't hide it if they had a profitable business?These are all family heirlooms. You shameless person wants it so confidently. Who gave you the face?

If Ji Song hadn't known that this guy had a weak brain, he would have thrown him out a long time ago. In the end, he had no choice but to find a manager for him and let Lao Lin take him to Liaodong to do some medicinal materials business.

But this guy stopped talking to him after meeting him once. He said that if he could trust his brother Ji Song, he just needed to pay him dividends every year. He didn't want to care about it and couldn't care about it.

Therefore, poor old Xue obviously had his own family master, but the family master never paid attention to him.

"It's unlikely!"

Old Lin frowned and said: "It cannot be Duke Wugong. I just got the news a few days ago that the head of the Qin family is following His Majesty's orders. It is impossible to come here."

"But there don't seem to be many generals named Xue among the generals who came this time, and there aren't many who can lead troops independently. Who are they?"

Shaking his head, Lao Lin really couldn't figure out who came to Pingxiang.

Logically speaking, this person's status is definitely not low, otherwise he would not be able to lead troops independently and carry out the arduous task of going deep behind enemy lines!
"Forget it, no more!"

The steward of the Changsun family said: "Let's wait first. Since they are here, they must have a mission, but 3000 people are too few. Although they are all cavalry, they will be useless in attacking the city. We can't take risks. There is only one chance. Once Failure, our life and death is a small matter, if we ruin the big things of the family heads, then we will die forever!"

After hearing his words, everyone nodded in approval.

Indeed, there is only one chance. Once they fail or are exposed, they will definitely die.Yeon Gaesumun was going crazy killing people during this period, and all the people or forces that threatened him were under his attack.

The reason why they were able to stay safe was that they jointly spent a large amount of money to bribe Mo Zhili, so that they could protect themselves.

Lao Lin also nodded and said: "Then wait! It's a pity that Falcon just went out to deliver the letter yesterday. Otherwise, we can ask the Marquis to avoid missing the opportunity."

Ji Ren discussed for a while and then left through the secret passages one by one.

This is the place where they usually gather. In the eyes of outsiders, they are all competitors. It would be nice if they don't fight when they meet. How come they sit together and talk?
The wine shop here is just a small wine shop. It is run by an elderly couple. There are usually no people here, so no one will notice it.

The couple did not know the identity of the person behind them, but they only received a large commission every month. Their task was also very simple. They just ran the wine shop normally. They would not live here at night, but would return home. Sleeping at home.

At this time, in a huge mansion in Pingxiang City, Mo Zhili looked at the general who was kneeling on the ground and frowned: "Why did you kill the old man today? Or did you kill someone in the hall?"

The general kneeling on the ground was the general who carried out a killing spree in front of the King of Korea today, but at this time he no longer had the majesty he had in the morning. He was kneeling on the ground like a quail, not daring to raise his head!
"That old man was a veteran of four dynasties after all. He had countless disciples and old officials. Today you killed him happily, and also killed several of his students."

Mo Zhili stood up and walked around him, as if talking to himself: "You disappoint me so much. What did Mo Zhili tell you before? Have you forgotten everything?"

The general was trembling all over and didn't even dare to say a word.

After an unknown amount of time, Mo Zhili's voice sounded again.

"For the sake of your loyalty, let's let this matter go! But if there is a next time, what will happen to you?"

He raised the general's head and said quietly: "You have seen this before."

(End of this chapter)