Chapter 88

Chaos!

This night, the city of Guonei could only be described with this one word.

Assassinating Li Zicheng and his son was originally part of the plan, aiming to leave the city of Guonei leaderless, without a commander to guide the troops, making the soldiers in the city act like headless flies, unsure of how to respond.

However, as Luo Shixin gained a deeper understanding of Li Zicheng and his son, he felt that assassinating Li Zicheng alone would be more effective than assassinating both.

Li Zicheng was an experienced old general, known for his bravery, but he had been through countless battles and was experienced and rational in handling all emergencies. His son, Li Yu, was different. Li Yu was a hothead and a filial son, the type who would lose his temper and dare to challenge heaven and even the emperor, completely disregarding the bigger picture.

The actions of such people are the easiest to predict and control.

Indeed!

Seeing his father die a tragic death, Li Yu was severely shocked, acting as if he had gone mad. He ignored any orders and disregarded the complaints of the citizens, directly leading a thousand soldiers from the barracks to search house by house.

Guonei had been the capital of Goguryeo for over four hundred years and was now a secondary capital. The city was filled with high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and a large number of residents.

Li Yu, in his madness, completely disregarded these factors, causing the entire city to be in chaos, with the people's resentment boiling over and attracting all the attention.

When the civil officials in the city tried to dissuade him, Li Yu beat them instead.

Finally, when someone reported that a woman resembling the assassin had climbed onto the city wall and left the city using a rope, Li Yu, after cursing them as useless, ordered all the city gates to be closed, preventing anyone from leaving. He then led a thousand soldiers out of the city in pursuit. Thus, the city, which originally had fewer than eight thousand soldiers, lost another thousand.

Luo Shixin left Pei Qingyi to guard Jin Deman and Jin Shengman, and leisurely came to the military camp near the palace to meet Li Yuncun and Sun Zengyou.

A middle-aged man, short but robust, led Li Yuncun and Sun Zengyou forward in large strides.

"General Luo, I, Zhao Dezhu, will never forget what you have done for us." Zhao Dezhu was the second-in-command of Taibai Mountain, like Zuo Tiancheng, a former commandant of the Sui Dynasty. In terms of bravery, he was even more formidable than Zuo Tiancheng. He was a key figure in the Sui remnants establishing themselves on Taibai Mountain.

Luo Shixin nodded and said, "Let's save the formalities for after we achieve our goal. Monkey has lured Li Yu away, leaving Guonei with only seven thousand soldiers. Two thousand are scattered at the gates, one thousand are maintaining order and patrolling the city, leaving only four thousand in the barracks. As long as we take the barracks, we can attack the four gates one by one, giving us a numerical advantage."

Sun Zengyou added, "To take the barracks with minimal casualties, the key is to control their armory. Controlling the armory means controlling victory. However, the task is heavy and the number of people should not be too many."

"I'll do it!"

"I'll do it!"

Luo Shixin and Zhao Dezhu said in unison.

The military system of Goguryeo was different from that of the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, soldiers provided their own weapons during wartime, while in Goguryeo, the military was controlled by warlords. The small country's smelting technology was far inferior to that of Central China, so weapons and armor were controlled by the ruling generals. Soldiers received weapons from the armory during training and had to return them in the evening according to the quota. Private possession of weapons in the barracks was a capital offense. Therefore, controlling the armory was like cutting off the enemy's arm and removing their claws.

Luo Shixin had always taken on such key roles, without hesitation.

Zhao Dezhu also held a similar position in the Sui remnants, feeling that he was the only one suitable for the task.

Seeing Zhao Dezhu actually competing with him, Luo Shixin smiled and said, "Let's go together. Whoever reaches the armory first will take the lead."

"Agreed!" Zhao Dezhu, a man from Yan, had the straightforward and bold spirit of a northern hero.

The sky gradually darkened, and except for the brightly lit military camp nearby, the surroundings were already quiet.

Due to the unrest in the city, no one dared to wander the streets at this moment. Every household had their doors tightly closed, and they were all sleeping soundly.

The time had come!

The three thousand Sui soldiers scattered around slowly gathered, gradually converging in one place.

"Charge!"

Zhao Dezhu and Li Yuncun looked at each other and shouted, leading all the soldiers to attack the city's military camp.

Zhao Dezhu remembered the agreement and was not willing to fall behind, rushing to the front with his heavy-backed saber flying.

Luo Shixin, however, calmly shook his head, leisurely mounted his horse, and squeezed his horse's sides.

The hooves clattered, and the wind blew!

Before Zhao Dezhu had taken twenty steps, a black shadow had already leaped forward.

Luo Shixin's horse, though small and from the northeast, was not fast, but it was still much faster than human legs.

"You..." Zhao Dezhu was about to curse Luo Shixin for being despicable, but the next scene made him swallow his words: the black shadow rushed to the camp gate at lightning speed, and with a long spear, lifted a heavy wooden barrier weighing over two hundred pounds and threw it like a projectile at the guards outside the camp.

Lifting a two-hundred-pound barrier with one arm was already impressive, but Luo Shixin, on horseback, used his long spear to lift the barrier from a distance and threw it as a weapon. Was this something a human could do...

Zhao Dezhu, who was at the front, had planned to show off his strength by lifting the barrier and using it as a weapon to break through the camp's defenses.

But the other person had done it with one hand on horseback...

Apart from being impressed, Zhao Dezhu had no other thoughts.

"Hey! That's not right! Where is he!"

Zhao Dezhu followed the gap opened by Luo Shixin and rushed into the camp.

At this moment, the alarm bells for the camp attack finally rang, but Luo Shixin had already disappeared. From the bodies lying on the ground, it was clear that someone had passed over them, heading for the armory in the northwest.

"This is too intense!"

Luo Shixin, after lifting the barrier with his spear, charged forward without hesitation. He was skilled in horseback combat, and once he gained speed, no one could stop him. Moreover, at this time, most of the soldiers were resting, and the camp had only a few patrol teams of ten to fifteen people, offering no real resistance.

With Luo Shixin's bravery, how could a few dozen people stop him? He rode past, leaving behind a dozen bodies, and nothing could slow him down.

It was only at the armory gate that Luo Shixin encountered some resistance.

The armory was the most important place, guarded by over a hundred soldiers. The alarm had already sounded, and the hundred soldiers were ready for battle.

High Commander Gao Jie, seeing that the attacker was only one rider, did not dare to be careless. Anyone who could charge in alone was not to be underestimated. He remained calm, waiting. The moment Luo Shixin came within range, he suddenly shouted, "Fire!"

A dense rain of arrows flew, with a hundred soldiers shooting at one person. However, in that split second, Luo Shixin's spear moved like the wind, and the spear shadow seemed to break through the defense, allowing him and his horse to charge into the enemy ranks.

PS: Waking up to find a new patron, I'm overjoyed. Even a hundred patrons used to make me happy for a while, now I'm floating on cloud nine. I need to take my medicine, or I'll be too cute. Thank you for the support.

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