Chapter 96

While escorting Tian Cheng and Sun Simiao, Gao Hui Zhen had been dreaming of eradicating the remnants of the Sui Dynasty and securing her position.

When she learned that her stronghold, the Inner City, had been taken and that the savior and military god of Goguryeo, Eulji Mundeok, had died in the city, she was stunned, her mind blank, standing there like an idiot for several cups of tea before she finally came to her senses.

"Worthless, a bunch of good-for-nothings!" In a fit of rage, Gao Hui Zhen kicked the messenger soldier in front of her, sending him flying several feet away. Even the usually respected Eulji Mundeok was now called worthless by her.

After a bout of reckless venting, Gao Hui Zhen felt drained, sitting on the ground and muttering to herself, "It's over, everything is over!"

Goguryeo's territory was vast, but most of it was poor and remote, with the economy and culture concentrated in the three major cities: Pyongyang, Inner City, and Han City. Among them, Pyongyang was the capital, while Inner City and Han City were secondary capitals, collectively known as the Three Capitals of Goguryeo. These three cities were crucial to Goguryeo, serving as the economic lifelines.

Now, due to her negligence, she had lost Inner City. If she were to be held responsible, it would be enough to cost her her head and her family's destruction.

"Never mind, I'll take back Inner City first!" Gao Hui Zhen steeled her resolve, thinking that she still had over twenty thousand troops under her command and another ten thousand nearby that could be mobilized. With ten times the number of the Sui remnants, even if she couldn't escape death, she would take some with her. Perhaps by minimizing the losses and making up for her mistakes, she might have a chance to survive.

"Retreat the army! Immediately attack back!" Gao Hui Zhen roared, her eyes blazing with fury, almost ready to burst.

On the way, she happened to run into Li Yunchong.

Seeing Li Yunchong bound and helpless, Gao Hui Zhen drew her sword and approached him with a menacing gait.

Li Yunchong, though unable to move, showed no fear and said, "Sir, don't you want to reclaim Inner City smoothly?"

Gao Hui Zhen stopped in her tracks. Simple words, but they struck a chord in her heart: she knew the sooner she reclaimed Inner City, the less severe her punishment would be.

"Release my uncle Zuo Tiancheng and Doctor Sun Simiao... and we will return Inner City to you!" Li Yunchong, seeing Gao Hui Zhen's hesitation, offered a deal.

Gao Hui Zhen sneered, "Even if I don't release them, I can still take back Inner City."

"I know!" Li Yunchong smiled indifferently, "Inner City is at the heart of Goguryeo and one of the Three Capitals. Even if the Goguryeo king mobilizes the entire country, it's not impossible. We only have a few thousand troops and can't possibly hold it. However... since we've come this far, we never intended to return alive. It's noon now, and in two hours, it will be dusk. If my people don't hear from me, they will set the city on fire, turning Inner City into a graveyard. This will also avenge our comrades who died tragically at the Salsu River."

Gao Hui Zhen shuddered, as if doused with ice water, feeling a bone-chilling cold all over her body. She couldn't imagine the terrifying impact if Inner City were to be burned to the ground.

That outcome was something she couldn't bear, let alone the Goguryeo king, Gao Jianwu.

There was no choice but to exchange.

Li Yunchong then made several demands, their goal being to retreat to Changbai Mountain, all of which were related to their safety.

Gao Hui Zhen, unwilling to waste time, agreed to all the demands without any tricks. The longer Li Yunchong and his group stayed in Inner City, the more damage it would suffer. Everyone was smart enough not to be easily fooled, and if they were pushed to the brink, setting the city on fire would be enough to ruin her.

******

The fall of Inner City was like a bolt from the blue for Goguryeo, but what truly terrified them was the death of Eulji Mundeok.

There was a sense of the sky falling and the earth crumbling.

Especially for Goguryeo's King Gao Jianwu.

Gao Jianwu was a king with great ambition and talent. He was the younger brother of the previous Goguryeo king, Gao Yuan.

When the Sui Dynasty's 400,000-strong land and naval forces attacked Pyongyang, Gao Jianwu led a few thousand troops to defeat the 100,000-strong naval force led by General Lai Huer, achieving the first victory. This was followed by Eulji Mundeok's decisive defeat of 300,000 Sui troops. Without a doubt, the 400,000-strong Sui forces were defeated by Gao Jianwu and Eulji Mundeok.

Gao Yuan died early, and Gao Jianwu ascended the throne as King Goguryeo, but his reign was not free. The powerful minister, Yeon Jaesu, who had forced Eulji Mundeok to retreat, dominated all state affairs, reducing Gao Jianwu to a puppet despite his great ambitions.

To ensure the longevity of the Yeon family, on his deathbed, Yeon Jaesu used his power to "break the rules," making the position of Dae Dae Lu, which controlled military and political power, a private possession of the Yeon family, passing it smoothly to his son, Yeon Dae Su.

Yeon Jaesu, as a famous minister of Goguryeo's rise, held a status akin to Xiao He and Zhang Liang of Han, and Zhuge Liang of Shu. Even though Eulji Mundeok had achieved god-like status in one battle, he could not match Yeon Jaesu in popularity.

However, Yeon Dae Su was far inferior to Yeon Jaesu. Although he held the position of Dae Dae Lu and controlled Goguryeo's military and political power, he could not prevent Gao Jianwu's rise.

Gao Jianwu continuously gathered strength, planning to first seize the military power and then force Yeon Dae Su to step down.

Gao Jianwu's greatest support was Eulji Mundeok, the most revered savior of Goguryeo.

Now, this savior was dead.

There was much joy and much sorrow.

Compared to Gao Jianwu's sorrow,

The Yeon family, who held power in Goguryeo, was naturally elated.

Yeon Dae Su, holding the military and political power of Goguryeo, had been unable to suppress Gao Jianwu because of Eulji Mundeok. He dared not act rashly, for any rash move would leave a handle for Eulji Mundeok to take his place as Dae Dae Lu. He could only watch as Gao Jianwu slowly gained control of the political situation.

Now Eulji Mundeok was dead!

Yeon Dae Su felt his blood begin to boil, as if he had a chance to vent years of frustration.

"Father... Gao Jianwu is too outrageous. Our Yeon family is the pillar of Goguryeo. For the greater good, we have made concessions, but in return, they have become more and more arrogant! Now there is no more room for retreat, why should we retreat further?" A spirited young man, his eyes filled with a fierce look, called Gao Jianwu by name, showing no respect, only arrogance and tyranny.

Gao Jianwu had not touched the Yeon family, but the young man spoke as if they had suffered great injustice. Clearly, he was seizing the opportunity for his own ulterior motives.

Yeon Dae Su looked at his eldest son, Yeon Gaesomun, with satisfaction: he was brave, cunning, and fierce, just like his idol, Cao Cao. The Yeon family would surely flourish under his leadership.

"What do you think?"

Yeon Gaesomun said arrogantly, "If Gao Jianwu doesn't listen, we'll depose him and replace him with someone who does."

Luo Shixin never imagined that his search for someone would lead to internal strife in Goguryeo.

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