Chapter 77

Luo Shixin heard that the voice was coming from the next room. As he moved closer, the words of the young and heroic man flashed through his mind again: "Uncle You, we have received news that Gao Huizhen plans to take Uncle Dazhu and Doctor Sun to Pyongyang and hand them over to King Yeongnyu. Uncle Er, let me ask for your opinion."

"Is this Doctor Sun referring to Sun Simiao?"

Luo Shixin had been focusing on the accent of the two men, not paying much attention to their conversation. After a moment of thought, he became somewhat alarmed and uncertain. He had been hoping to intercept Sun Simiao in the small village and ask him to return to Dingzhou to treat Pingyang. But if Sun Simiao was captured by Goguryeo, wouldn't all their efforts be in vain?

He immediately put aside his curiosity, moved closer quietly, and listened intently.

"Your guess is very reasonable, and I have the same feeling. Gao Huizhen has been responsible for suppressing our group of foreign invaders for many years without success. Now that he has a chance, he won't let it slip. Desperate measures are the worst choice and should only be taken as a last resort. After all, we are facing a country, no matter how small, it is still a country." The innkeeper's voice came again.

Luo Shixin's mind raced, quickly grasping the key words: "foreign invaders." The innkeeper had said these words with obvious sarcasm.

Could it be?

Luo Shixin thought of a possibility: survivors from the Sui Dynasty's expedition to Goguryeo.

When Yang Guang launched three campaigns against Goguryeo, the number of troops and the cost were unprecedented in China's thousand-year history, especially the first campaign, which was the largest in Chinese history. According to historical records, 1.13 million troops were mobilized, stretching 400 kilometers.

It's worth noting that the most glorious foreign wars of the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties, such as the Han's campaign against the Xiongnu, the Tang's conquest of Tuyuhun, the Eastern and Western Turks, Gaochang, and Goguryeo, and the Ming's northern expeditions, involved no more than 200,000 to 300,000 troops, far fewer than Yang Guang's. However, the results were disastrous, with Goguryeo defeating the Sui forces, and only 2,000 out of 300,000 vanguard troops returning.

The appearance of the "Song of the Wasted Lives in Liaodong" caused widespread resistance among the people to the campaign against Goguryeo. Despite this, Yang Guang insisted on using the full power of the nation, forcing the people to join the second and third campaigns, leading to widespread desertion and countless refugees.

Goguryeo, in turn, mercilessly captured and killed Sui soldiers and civilians, piling their bodies to build mounds to display their military might.

Now, thinking about the rugged terrain of Goguryeo, with its many mountains and dangerous paths, it would be easy to escape into the forests, making it impossible for even a million-strong army to find them.

Goguryeo could not have killed all 300,000 to 400,000 Sui troops. If they could support and help each other, they might have survived even in such a harsh environment.

They were all Chinese, so they naturally spoke Chinese.

"Go back first, don't draw attention. We still have some time to think. If we have a perfect plan, we will contact you. If we can't think of anything in three days, we will gather all our forces and forcibly rescue Left Leader." The innkeeper's voice came again.

Luo Shixin thought to himself, "The innkeeper's voice is firm and resolute, showing great respect for Left Leader. He must be their leader!"

"That's the only way! Uncle You, I'll go first. At this time, if new faces appear in the village, they might be spies sent by Gao the old dog."

Luo Shixin was startled by the young and heroic man's words and quickly hid behind the house, holding his breath and listening intently.

The sound of the door opening and footsteps followed, and the young and heroic man left the inn.

Luo Shixin waited a moment, hearing no further sounds, and silently leaped over the wall.

On the street, the young and heroic man braved the wind and snow, walking quickly towards the end of the street, in the direction of Mount Taibai.

Luo Shixin looked around; the direction the young and heroic man was heading was opposite to where they were staying, one east and one west. After a moment's thought, he decided to follow the young and heroic man without hesitation. Given the time it would take for the young and heroic man to return and report, it would be enough for Luo Shixin to lose his trail.

Luo Shixin had no tracking experience, but it wasn't difficult to follow someone in the vast snowstorm.

The snowstorm obscured his vision but did not cover the deep footprints on the ground. The snow wasn't heavy enough to immediately erase the footprints.

"Following the footprints, I can't go wrong. He can't fly away, after all."

Outside the small village, the surroundings were open and barren, with no cover. Luo Shixin didn't dare to follow too closely, for fear of losing sight of the young and heroic man. He remembered that the young and heroic man was wearing a straw cloak, which, covered in snow, blended with the surroundings. He had no choice but to follow the footprints from a distance.

As the sky grew darker, the road became steeper and more treacherous. The only sounds were the howling wind and snow and the sharp cries of eagles circling overhead, perhaps mistaking him for prey.

"Call, call, call! If you keep calling, I'll shoot you and eat you!" Luo Shixin muttered, feeling somewhat annoyed.

Following the footprints, Luo Shixin reached the edge of the forest. The rare trees stood tall and straight, some so tall that their tops were out of sight, reaching the height of ten-story buildings.

Luo Shixin thought for a moment. The old saying goes, "Do not enter the forest," so it was better to stop here. He turned and walked away.

**********

"Be prepared, this person is not an ordinary man. We must be cautious!" The young and heroic man, whom Luo Shixin had been following, named Yuncong, was now alert and urging the ambushers hidden in the trees to be ready, waiting for Luo Shixin to fall into the trap.

"Brother Li, don't worry. Once he enters this forest, whether he's a man or a ghost, he won't get out." A monkey-like figure hung nimbly from a tree, grinning.

The young and heroic man was indeed named Li Yuncong.

He had long noticed that Luo Shixin was following him, so he deliberately took a roundabout route. Using the advantage of the mountain, he subtly changed direction, making it difficult for Luo Shixin to determine the cardinal directions. He planned to lure him into a forest full of traps and capture him in one fell swoop.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..." A loud and clear eagle's cry echoed in the sky.

Li Yuncong looked up in amazement and said, "Gone, what's going on?"

Li Yuncong's ability to detect Luo Shixin was not due to his keen eyesight, which could see through the snowstorm.

The true possessor of keen eyesight was the eagle above. The Changbai Mountains of Liaodong were the birthplace of the divine eagles. Li Yuncong had trained a very intelligent male eagle that could understand human intentions and scout for enemies.

The snowstorm could not block the eagle's vision, and Luo Shixin's movements could not escape the eagle's notice, thus falling into Li Yuncong's plan.

Li Yuncong couldn't help but say, "What a cunning guy..." He paused and continued, "Follow me. The terrain here is very similar, and even we can get disoriented. I don't believe he can find his way out. We'll wait until he's tired, and then we'll make our move!"