roccoschili Chapter 5457 Confident
Chapter 5457 Confident
Chapter 5457 Confident
Under the cover of night, the governor's mansion was ablaze with flames and billowing smoke. The leaders of the various Khitan tribes looked at the bloody, grotesque, and unseeing head on the altar in front of the mourning hall. They first felt a chill in their hearts, shocked by the Li brothers' reckless and barbaric behavior, and then a burning ambition rose within them.
Since the Sui Dynasty, the Dahe clan has held sway over the Khitan people, possessing great power and producing many heroes. Other tribes could only grovel before them and be ruled by them.
However, even though they share the same origin and race, the eight tribes of the Khitan have long since become separated by bloodlines and have developed into different groups with varying degrees of closeness and distance. Who would want to be ruled by the Dahe clan forever?
Now is the chance.
The most powerful Dahe clan was embroiled in internal strife, and regardless of the final outcome, it was bound to suffer a loss of strength. This gave the other clans hope of taking its place.
After the funeral tomorrow, the leaders of each department will return to their headquarters to observe the situation in order to make the next move.
……
Inside the side hall.
The Li brothers took the hot towels handed to them by the servants, wiped their hands and faces, then picked up their wine cups and drank the hot wine in one gulp. They exhaled in unison, looked at each other, and saw the undisguised excitement in each other's eyes.
Then, they all bowed deeply to Mr. Zhao, who was standing to the side.
"Thanks to your wise strategy, sir, we were able to personally kill the traitors and preserve our family's property. This is a great achievement for the Dahe clan!"
“My brother treats you as an honored guest, and we will never forget your great kindness! We will be generous with money, silk, and beautiful women. Your descendants will also be guests of the Dahe clan forever. As long as the Dahe clan exists, we will share wealth and honor!”
They were genuinely grateful to Mr. Zhao for his advice during their time of crisis, and for eliminating Abugu and securing their chance to succeed him as the governor of Songmo. They were determined to repay him handsomely.
Mr. Zhao quickly rose to return the greeting, and after taking their seats, he smiled and said, "The reason I am willing to assist the two young generals is firstly because of the kindness of the Grand Commander, and secondly because your bravery is unparalleled in this world. As for what I will repay, I do not seek anything. I am already old and can no longer enjoy any wealth and honor. My only son died early and now I only have a grandson. As long as I can be under the protection of the two generals and live a peaceful life, I will be content."
The Li brothers, of course, patted their chests again to express their sincere friendship.
Later, Li Jinzhong asked, "Although Abugu has been killed, the position of Governor of Songmo will most likely return to the Li family, but his followers will certainly not give up. In particular, the tribal leaders may not be willing to continue to submit to the Dahe clan. They all have their own ulterior motives, and a slight mistake could trigger internal strife within the Khitan."
The governor of Songmo desires it, and so does the Khitan chieftain. If both can be obtained, it would be perfect and the best of both worlds.
Li Kucaoli also expressed his concern: "Yingzhou Governor Zhou Daowu seems to value Abugu highly. The two may have even reached a secret alliance. Now that we have killed Abugu, we don't know how Zhou Daowu will react."
The Governor of Yingzhou also served as the Commandant of the Eastern Barbarians, nominally in charge of all ethnic groups in eastern Liaodong. He was the direct superior of the Songmo Governor's Office, wielding great power and representing the will of the Tang Dynasty.
Now that Zhou Daowu's preferred candidate for governor of Songmo has been killed, how can we remain indifferent?
These considerations had been made before Abugu was killed, but the most urgent task was to kill Abugu to eliminate any future troubles. Otherwise, the entire Li family would suffer a devastating disaster if they lost the position of Governor of Songmo. How could they care about anything else?
Now that Abugu has been successfully killed, all the hidden dangers are right in front of us, and we can no longer ignore them.
Mr. Zhao took a sip of warm wine, calm and composed, seemingly already having a plan in mind: "Abugu died in the Governor's Mansion, and his clansmen will naturally not let it go. What we need to do now is to block the news, secretly gather troops, and then quickly raid Maquanzi when the Grand Governor's funeral is tomorrow, annihilating them before they receive the news and eliminating any future troubles."
Li Kuge had served as the governor of Songmo and the leader of the Khitan for decades, and had long since managed Raozhou City so thoroughly that it would not have been difficult for him to keep the news of Abugu's death a secret overnight.
Abugu is the largest force within the Dahe clan besides Li Kuge. Their settlement is located in Maquanzi, thirty miles northeast of Raozhou City. Even at full speed, a fast horse can launch a full-scale attack in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. If they launch a sudden and all-out attack, their chances of winning are at least nine out of ten.
With the annihilation of Abugu's clan, the entire Dahe clan came under the leadership of the Li brothers. Although their strength was somewhat diminished, they remained the strongest of the eight Khitan tribes. As long as the position of Governor of Songmo remained with the Li brothers in the future, everything would continue as before.
Li Kucao said, "So the key still lies with Zhou Daowu."
As the governor of Yingzhou and concurrently the commander of the Eastern Barbarians, Zhou Daowu held the power of life and death over the Khitan, Xi and other tribes. Now that his preferred candidate for governor of Songmo had been killed, he should be furious and enraged. How could he obediently return the position of governor of Songmo to the descendants of Li Kuge?
Mr. Zhao stroked his beard, looking like a wise and sage: "Generals, do not be fooled by the fact that Zhou Daowu seems to hold great power and intimidate Liaodong. In reality, he is in a difficult situation and his life is in danger. He is more unwilling than anyone to see internal strife in the Khitan."
The Li brothers' eyes lit up, and they said in unison, "We'd like to hear the details!"
Mr. Zhao took another sip of wine, his tone steady: "Although Zhou Daowu is Emperor Taizong's son-in-law and His Majesty's sister's husband, when Emperor Taizong was campaigning against Goguryeo, he ordered Zhou Daowu to escort tens of thousands of Goguryeo prisoners back to the Tang Dynasty. However, due to the cold weather and difficult roads, Zhou Daowu allowed tens of thousands of prisoners to freeze to death on the way. As a result, he was once stripped of his post as Governor of Yingzhou. Although His Majesty later reinstated him, the trust in him was far less than before. It is equivalent to him making amends for his crimes. Once the Khitan are in turmoil and the situation in Liaodong deteriorates, Zhou Daowu will be the first to bear the responsibility."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "That's only one reason. Secondly, the relationship between Zhou Daowu and Fang Jun is extremely bad. In fact, when Emperor Taizong hosted a banquet for his sons-in-law in the Taiji Palace, Fang Jun beat Zhou Daowu up. So if any disorder in Raozhou affects the current national policy of developing Liaodong, Fang Jun will definitely target Zhou Daowu."
Li Jinzhong was excited: "Sir, even if Zhou Daowu is dissatisfied with our killing of Abugu, he will not dare to sit idly by and watch the Khitan in internal strife."
Li Kucaoli added, "In other words, since Abugu is dead, in order to consider the overall situation, Zhou Daowu has no choice but to reluctantly return the position of Governor of Songmo to us!"
Mr. Zhao nodded: "That's right! So the most important thing right now is to be quick. As long as we act decisively before Zhou Daowu can react, the situation can be settled!"
Li Jinzhong excitedly stood up: "I will go and gather the elite troops right away. Tomorrow, when the funeral is held, we will leave the city first and rush straight to Maquanzi, and slaughter all of Abugu's people!"
After he strode out, Li Kucaoli said with a smile, "With your help, sir, my brother and I are like tigers with wings!"
He now treats Mr. Zhao like a god.
This is also where the nomadic tribes are at a disadvantage compared to the Han people. When it comes to archery and horsemanship, and bravery and fighting, the nomadic tribes who grew up in the harsh and cold lands beyond the Great Wall are naturally extremely brave and fearless. However, such courage without strategy makes it difficult to achieve great things.
On the contrary, the Han people are quick-witted and knowledgeable, and can draw on the experience of their ancestors from historical books and classics. They can follow rules and laws in any situation, and their grasp of the situation is unmatched by the Hu people.
Now that we have the bravery of our brothers leading the Dahe clan and the strategic wisdom of Mr. Zhao, what is there to worry about in achieving great things?
One could even imagine taking advantage of the imperial court's large-scale development of Liaodong to expand the Khitan territory and surpass their ancestors...
Mr. Zhao smiled reservedly and shook his head slightly: "This old man, in his remaining years, can only offer suggestions. Such a great undertaking still requires the two young generals to overcome obstacles and forge ahead with determination."
*****
The next day, before dawn, Raozhou City was already bustling with people, and countless torches illuminated the streets as bright as day. Li Kuge's coffin was carried out of the Governor's Mansion by eighteen strong young men, heading towards the North Gate, where he would be buried on the hillside north of the city.
Dressed in mourning clothes, Li Jinzhong led two thousand elite cavalry out of the north gate first, then quickened his pace and disappeared into the vast night.
The tribal leaders who attended the funeral then left the city and found that the blockade on both sides had been relaxed. They quickly sent their trusted confidants to their respective camps and were surprised by the disappearance of Li Jinzhong's troops.
Escorting a coffin requires protection along the way to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble, so why did it gradually go further and further away until it disappeared without a trace?
Some people reacted quickly and immediately realized Li Jinzhong's possible purpose. They were surprised and incredulous: killing Abugu was already incredibly audacious, how could he possibly dare to exterminate Abugu's entire tribe?
Aren't you afraid that this will plunge the entire Khitan into internal strife?
Do you really think that the governor of Yingzhou is some clay idol who lets you brothers run rampant?
After the funeral, the leaders of various departments, who had been unable to contain themselves any longer, took their leave one after another. Li Kucao did not stop them and respectfully saw them off.
The tribal leaders rode swiftly back to their respective camps to gather their people and assemble their armies.
Some tribes simply waited for news of the Abugu tribe's extermination before raising the banner of "eliminating the traitors and pacifying internal strife" to assist Zhou Daowu in attacking the Dahe clan; other tribes waited for the Li brothers to send people to negotiate a price before sending troops to help...
……
The sound of hooves thundered like muffled thunder, shattering the silence of the morning. A cavalry force of more than two thousand men broke through the morning mist and galloped forward, rushing along the river below the hillside, heading straight for the tribal settlement located between the south of the mountain and the north of the river.
A sentry spotted the cavalry that had launched a surprise attack, but before he could warn them, he was struck by an arrow that pierced the air.
Li Jinzhong brandished his steel saber and charged ahead, followed closely by two thousand elite cavalry, who swept into the tribal camp like a whirlwind.
With swords slashing and horses trampling, the old and young were killed, and not even chickens or dogs were spared.
The Dahe clan members in the tribal camp cried and begged, unable to understand why they had been brutally murdered by their own people.