"Since Taizu founded the Tang Dynasty, His Majesty Taizong has worked hard to govern the country, and the Tang Dynasty has become increasingly powerful. The eight Khitan tribes at that time immediately formed the Dahe Alliance, abandoned the Turks, and submitted to the Tang Dynasty."
"In the sixth year of Kaiyuan, the leader of the Dahe clan alliance, Pogu, was afraid of the brave Ketuyu and wanted to get rid of him, which led to Ketuyu's rebellion and counterattack against Pogu, and the Khitan fell into civil strife. In the eighteenth year of Kaiyuan, Yaonian Qulie was elected as the leader of the Khitan. From then on, the Yaonian clan began to rule the Khitan."
"Until now, among the eight new Khitan tribes, the Yaonian tribe is the most powerful, followed by the newly rising Dara tribe. The brothers Yelu Sala and Yelu Shilu are from the Dara tribe, and Yelu Xiadi is from the Yaonian clan. The three of them have joined forces to form the two strongest Khitan tribes, and their combined forces are menacing and of great significance."
"In addition, there are the Xi people and Tuhun participating. Their momentum is the greatest in a hundred years. If you send reinforcements to Lulong, you must be mentally prepared for a tough battle." Guo Qizuo has been in Shuozhou for more than four years. He must have figured out the details of the ethnic minorities on the grassland a long time ago. He even knows the history of Khitan like the back of his hand. Who would believe him if he said he had no plans
But Guo Qizuo said so much, and at the end, he just said that if reinforcements were sent to Lulong, we must be prepared for a tough battle. He didn't even give any suggestions. What does this mean
"Sir, is there no way you can deal with the Khitans?" Zhu Li frowned, still not believing it.
Upon hearing this, Guo Qizuo bowed calmly and said, "I am your strategist. If I have a good plan, why wouldn't I offer it?"
After hearing this, Zhu Li completely lost his temper, turned to look at Guo Chongtao, and asked: "Mr. Chongtao, do you have any good advice for me?"
Guo Chongtao hesitated for a moment when he heard the question, and then said earnestly: "Sir, Lord Li has been kind to us. Now that Lulong is in danger, it is only natural for you to lead the troops to support it. However, could you please wait a moment?"
"Wait a minute?" Zhu Li was surprised. Reinforcements are like putting out a fire, how can he wait
He can wait, but Lord Li cannot, and the people of Lulong cannot wait either. Those brothers and their families who still live in Beikou cannot wait even more. Now Guo Chongtao actually asks him to wait, which is unbelievable.
Guo Chongtao looked up and saw Zhu Li's expression. He said helplessly, "I also know that this will put you in a dilemma."
"The Khitan invaded and headed straight for Fanyang. The Guangbian Army and the Qingyi Army in Guizhou were vulnerable. Fanyang held Juyongguan. In this critical moment, the court would definitely not sit idly by and would certainly call on the nearby vassal states to provide support."
"Are there any vassal states more powerful than us near Lulong? If the imperial court orders us to go and provide support, we will certainly vindicate the envoy. Then, wouldn't it be more legitimate for the envoy to send troops to Lulong?"
After Guo Chongtao said this, Zhu Li completely understood why Guo Qizuo was so lukewarm and didn't offer any plan.
He knew that he could not stop Zhu Li from sending troops to reinforce, but even without a clever plan, the Khitan threat would be quelled quickly. This time difference gave him just enough time to mediate with the court.
It was not for himself, but for Zhu Li and the entire Heshuo. Guo Chongtao also agreed with this point.
From Heshuo's point of view, there was nothing wrong with what the two of them did. Living in a society where imperial power was above all else, no one wanted to walk around town labeled a rebel all day long.
Honor and reputation are more important to noble people than their lives.
It is impossible to take it lightly. Whether it is now or in the future, there are many people who commit suicide or go crazy because of damaged reputation.
Therefore, Zhu Li understood the considerations of the two wise counselors very well and did not comment on it.
But although Zhu Li understood them, it did not mean that he would follow their advice. He was just a commoner from a grassroots background, and the biggest truth he understood was that "the sky is big, the earth is big, and human life is of paramount importance."
He believes that as long as they live on this Chinese land, all lives with yellow skin, black hair and a strong sense of belonging to the nation are their own people. What does reputation matter
With the natural barrier of Juyongguan, Fan Yang might be able to rely on the pass to hold off the Khitan for a while, but Zhu Li did not dare to take the risk.
Even if his reinforcement can save one more Han person, it is worth it and the sooner the better.
Zhu Li could only ignore Guo Chongtao's earnest advice and looked at the Er Guo, Wang Yueyao, Li Hanzhi and Yang Zaixing with their burning and earnest eyes. His answer was bound to disappoint these people.
What is the difference between watching someone in danger and committing murder
Although he is not a great hero, a great man, or a wise man who "worries about the world before he worries about himself and is happy about the world after he is happy about himself", he has his own code of conduct.
Finally, Zhu Li spoke up, and he said with great determination: "Zaixing, you lead 5,000 guards to Piantou Pass and replace Gao Yuan to garrison there. Let Gao Yuan come to Shanyang as soon as possible, bringing his trap camp and all the guards."
"Yes," Yang Zaixing said, bowed and agreed without hesitation. He was a general who followed orders and disciplined the generals. In this regard, Yang Zaixing had always done very well.
"Hanzhi, urgently gather the guards. Tomorrow morning, when Gao Yuan arrives in Shanyang, we will send troops to the north gate." Zhu Li looked around at the two gentlemen, as well as Wang Yueyao and others with a complicated expression.
He didn't want to pretend to be a hero or a great man, but he really couldn't do it and watch someone die without helping. What's more, he couldn't ignore the relatives of his comrades.
He believed in Er Guo and also believed in Wang Yueyao. He believed in their considerations, which was understandable, but he also had his own persistence.
The expedition will begin tomorrow. Zhu Li stands on the training ground, ready to test his martial arts skills.
Recently, he has been practicing diligently. He even did not let go of Xingchenzi and Dong Ningyang, who lived in the governor's mansion. He went to visit them whenever he was free and constantly fought with them to seek improvement.
The martial arts training ground was full of people, including parents, younger sister, younger brother, uncle and nephew of Master Yanshan, and a group of soldiers led by Li Hanzhi, all looking at Zhu Li with burning eyes.
Zhu Li's martial arts have improved rapidly in recent times due to his body being transformed by the elixir of immortality. The improvement is all-round. With the war approaching, he wants to test his recent achievements.
Around the martial arts training ground, more than a hundred targets made of hay were erected at a spear's distance. Zhu Li stood there with a steel spear in his hand, concentrating. The scene of Wang Zhixing drawing his sword flashed through his mind from time to time.
The silver knife was like a curtain, and everything was silver and white. Only the knife light could be seen, but no human figure.
The extremely fast speed of the knife kept flashing through his mind, like overlapping images that kept replaying. After experiencing it for a long time, he naturally gained something in his mind.
Zhu Li's originally motionless body suddenly moved, and his whole figure was like a floating cotton wool, as light as a feather, yet extremely fast.
Fit and save
At the same time, the steel spear in his hand was swung immediately. In Xingchenzi's eyes, the steel spear was unremarkable, and it was just a simple straight stab.
That’s right, Zhu Li didn’t make any unnecessary movements, just a straight stab, a swift, precise, and extremely sharp stab.
But in the eyes of Dong Ningyang and Li Hanzhi, they saw a ray of mysterious light. No, that was definitely not a ray of mysterious light, but a ray of mysterious light that had not yet ended. Rays of mysterious light appeared one after another.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the entire training ground, and with it a sky full of dark light, it pierced towards the straw target like a torrential rain.
It seemed like just a moment, yet it seemed like a thousand years had passed.
From the time the mysterious light suddenly appeared to the time it faded away, the time would not exceed one breath.
Everyone looked at the straw target again, but found it strange that it was still standing there intact. With such a big fuss and such a long time of preparation, the target was not shaken at all. Was Zhu Li playing a joke on everyone
"Puff"
"Ha ha"
The first one who couldn't hold back her laughter was naturally the innocent and cheerful Zhu Ning'er. Her eyes were filled with smiles, her pretty face turned red, and suddenly she couldn't help laughing.
Next was the little bastard Zhu. He couldn't see what was going on. He just thought his elder brother was acting very funny. When he saw his sister laughing, he naturally joined in the fun.
But it would have been better if they hadn't laughed. Once they laughed, a drastic change occurred. The straw targets that were intact suddenly exploded as the two children burst into laughter.
The laughter of the two children was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. The straw target could no longer maintain its original appearance and exploded. In just a moment, grass debris flew and fell like snow in front of everyone's eyes.
Seeing this scene, Zhu Ning'er and Zhu immediately widened their eyes, closed their mouths, and looked indescribably surprised.
The others around were also shocked, especially Li Hanzhi, whose eyes were wide open and he kept muttering, "Legendary martial arts skills, this is a legendary martial arts skills!"
Zhu Li didn't know what martial arts skills were. He had been taught by his master Wu Dao how to cleverly use dark energy and internal breath. On the way to the north exit, he figured out the first level of using dark energy on his own.
Not long ago, on the bank of Shuo River, Wang Zhixing was stabbed in the chest, which made him understand the importance of speed of attack and the fear of sudden stabbing.
In addition, in recent times, he has been constantly discussing and verifying with Xingchenzi and Dong Ningyang, and his accumulated experience has finally led to a qualitative change. On the night before the battle, he finally combined dark power, internal breath, speed, and piercing together, and created a move that is completely his own.
In less than a breath, he moved the spear quickly and stabbed 108 straw targets in succession.
After being stabbed by him, these straw targets seemed to be fine on the surface, but under the dual effects of hidden power and internal energy, the insides had actually exploded long ago.
Others may not know the exact number of straw targets on the martial arts training ground, but Zhu Li, who practices martial arts here every day, knows it very clearly: there are a total of 108.
Even though his master Wu Dao taught him everything he knew, he still couldn't understand the shockwave attack; and by referring to Wang Zhixing's sword strike, he also didn't understand Wang Zhixing's rapid piercing.
But in the end, he still figured out a new move, a move that was unique to him, and it was also his strongest killer move at this stage.