Chapter 52

Although it was not yet to the point of suspecting that Li Shimin and the Twin Dragons were secretly colluding and plotting together to kill Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, Li Yuan still summoned Li Shimin. Without any investigation, he first gave his son a severe scolding, then ordered Li Shimin to be placed under house arrest. All the people of the Tian Ce Mansion were also arrested and imprisoned for review.

Fortunately, despite suffering such unfair treatment from his father, Li Shimin still understood the bigger picture. So he obediently accepted the punishment and continuously comforted the generals of the Tian Ce Mansion. The situation gradually stabilized.

The members of the Twin Dragons Gang, who remained on the ground, thoroughly investigated all the circumstances and reported them to the Twin Dragons in the underground treasure vault every day. Although obtaining the treasure was good, the Twin Dragons felt gloomy and somewhat guilty because their friends from the Tian Ce Mansion were also suffering in prison due to their actions.

Five days after the treasure was discovered, all the gold, silver, and weapons had been completely moved. Standing in the now empty treasure vault, Xiao Sheng looked around for the last time, smiled slightly, and said to the Twin Dragons, "It's time. Let's go."

With a single command, the already prepared group immediately sprang into action. Kou Zhong went to the control center of the treasure vault and shut down all the mechanisms, completely sealing the vault. Then, Hou Xibai blew out the candles in the round stone room, held a torch, and led the way. The Twin Dragons followed closely behind, with Xiao Sheng bringing up the rear.

The group quickly advanced along the secret passage leading outside of Chang'an. The passage was lined with iron tracks, and there were over a dozen sturdy iron carts on the tracks. It was thanks to these iron carts that the Three Righteous Men of the East Sea and others were able to move all the weapons and treasures from the vault in just five days. Otherwise, even with ten times the manpower, it would have taken ten times as long to complete the task.

After a while, the secret passage reached its end. In front of them was a naturally formed boulder, over two people tall, about seven or eight feet wide, and seven or eight feet thick, weighing at least ten thousand pounds. Unless a large amount of explosives were used, no one in the world could move it. Even if the three great masters of the world joined forces, they would be powerless against this boulder.

Kou Zhong stepped forward and activated the mechanism beside the boulder. With a grating sound, the boulder moved aside by about four or five feet. The mechanism was indeed ingeniously designed.

The group filed out. Looking around, they found themselves in a dense grove of trees on a small hill. Kou Zhong activated the mechanism again, moving the boulder back to its original position. Who would have thought that beneath this ordinary hill lay the Yang Gong Treasure Vault?

Xu Ziling whistled three long and two short notes, a total of five. Immediately, a whistle responded from the dense forest. Then, Gao Zhanda, the leader of the Three Righteous Men of the East Sea, appeared with the other members of the Twin Dragons Gang, bowing to the Twin Dragons. Gao Zhanda said excitedly, "Leaders, all the gold and weapons have been packed and boxed. Please give your orders."

Kou Zhong, full of spirit, shouted, "Great! Everyone, follow my command and set off immediately!"

Gao Zhanda saluted and turned to the gang members, shouting a few commands. Immediately, a large group of people loaded numerous large boxes onto over a hundred large carts and set off down the hill in groups. Of course, this was only for this section of the journey. Once they left the boundaries of Chang'an, the Three Righteous Men of the East Sea would split up, each leading a group to act secretly. Their destination was Hongnong, east of Chang'an.

After reaching Hongnong, the members of the Twin Dragons Gang would regroup, load all the goods onto the docks, and transport them via the Jing River into the Yellow River, then out to sea, following the coastline to their final destination, Pengliang, the base of the Young Marshal's army.

After descending the hill, the group immediately turned east. Soon, a pavilion appeared on the side of the road, with a stone tablet beside it inscribed with "Three Li Pavilion." Kou Zhong subconsciously relaxed and said with a smile, "We should be safe here. Li Yuan mobilized his army to seal off Chang'an so tightly that not even a drop of water could get through. But he never imagined that the treasure vault had a secret passage leading outside the city. Hmph, no matter how cunning Li Yuan is, he can only drink the water I used to wash my feet!"

Xu Ziling pushed Kou Zhong with a smile and said, "What water you used to wash your feet? Did you build the treasure vault? Clearly, it was Master Lu Miazi's achievement, and you're taking credit for it. How shameless."

"Actually, there's no need to talk about shame. On the battlefield, when two armies face each other, winning is winning, and losing is losing. No one can say anything about it. As for who helped you win, that's not important at all."

As he spoke, several people suddenly stood up from the grass on the side of the road.

The leader was a young man about the same age as the Twin Dragons. He had a square face and large ears, a majestic appearance, and a calm and composed demeanor that inspired respect. But when Kou Zhong saw him, he was shocked, his pupils contracting, and he blurted out, "Li Xiaizi, it's you?"

"Also, Li Dage, Hong Fozu, Yuchi Xiong, Pang Xiong, you all came." Xu Ziling scanned the others, his gaze growing colder with each name he called.

It turned out that this young man was none other than Prince Qin, Li Shimin. Behind him were Li Jing, Hong Fozu, Yuchi Gong, and Pang Yu, all major generals of the Tian Ce Mansion.

When the Tian Ce Mansion group appeared, Kou Zhong immediately knew things were bad. But he quickly calmed himself using the Jing Zhong Yue technique and asked with a grin, "Brother Li, it's been a while. How did you end up here? Weren't you told that your old man had you under house arrest and that your people were all thrown into the imperial prison and tortured?"

Hong Fozu, with a fiery temper, was even more enraged by Kou Zhong's words and screeched, "We were thrown into the imperial prison, all thanks to you, you little thief! How dare you still have the nerve to talk about guilt!"

Li Jing sighed beside her and said softly, "Hong Fozu, let it go. Each of us serves a different master; this can't be blamed on them."

"That's right. Brother Kou is a rival to our Tang Dynasty. In war, all means are fair. There's no need to blame them, Sister Hong Fozu." Li Shimin paused and then said solemnly, "Brother Kou, you are indeed skilled. After my father occupied Chang'an, he ordered the ground to be dug up, but it was all in vain. He never found the Yang Gong Treasure Vault. But you managed to bring the long-sealed treasure to light.

However, it's a pity that you underestimated my father's love for his sons. The so-called house arrest and the imprisonment of the Tian Ce Mansion were just a ruse to deceive you. As expected, you took advantage of the chaos in the city to dig up the treasure and try to transport it away."

"So it was all an act. Hmph, Brother Li, you really have good acting skills. We were all fooled by you." Kou Zhong laughed again and said, "But so what? Do you think you can stop us from leaving with just a few of you here?"

Li Shimin said calmly, "With just a few of us, of course not. But if you want to transport the treasure back to Pengliang, you can only go east after leaving the city. So..." He stopped speaking halfway. Behind him, Li Jing took a cylinder from his chest, pointed it at the sky, and pulled the trigger.

With a "bang," a dazzling meteor shot into the sky and exploded, sending brilliant sparks flying in all directions, visible from far and near.

Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Hou Xibai, and the Three Righteous Men of the East Sea all changed color at the same time. Before their shock could subside, the sound of galloping hooves came rumbling from the distance. In no time, a large, black-armored cavalry force approached from the northwest. As they got closer, it became clear that this was Li Shimin's elite Black Armor Cavalry!

Each member of this army wore heavy iron armor that could withstand any weapon, rode the strongest and most selected horses, and wielded the powerful Zhuge crossbows that could pierce iron plates. Each was a fierce warrior, capable of fighting ten men at once. On the battlefield, they were an invincible force that could decide the outcome of a battle. The leader of this elite force was none other than Li Shimin's brother-in-law, Chai Shao.

Chai Shao's wife, Li Xiuning, had once had a relationship with Kou Zhong. Even Kou Zhong's vow to fight for the empire was deeply related to Li Xiuning. Enemies like sworn foes, and now that they met, their enmity was even more intense. Chai Shao, leading his troops, eyes red with anger, roared, "Kou Zhong, you dog! Even if you grow wings today, you won't escape. Being trampled to death by the Black Armor Cavalry is your destined end!"

Li Shimin raised his hand to calm Chai Shao and then asked solemnly, "Brother Kou, Brother Xu. Where are my elder brother, my fourth brother, and my uncle? Hand them over and surrender the treasure, and I, Li Shimin, will let you go today. We can settle our final battle on the battlefield."

Kou Zhong still grinned and said, "Hand them over? No. Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and Li Tongshen have all been killed by us. Li Xiaizi, you don't need to pretend to be sad. With Li Jiancheng dead, the position of Crown Prince won't slip out of your hands, will it? We've solved a big problem for you. How about, in consideration of our past friendship and this achievement, you let us go?"

In fact, Kou Zhong knew that it was impossible for Li Shimin to let them go. He was just stalling for time, hoping for a turn of events.

Li Shimin sighed heavily and said, "The conflict between my elder brother and me is a private matter of the Li family. Since my elder brother is dead, I must avenge him. Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, I'm sorry."

——

Unfortunately, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, there are many things to do. Today, I also have to visit my uncle's house, so I won't have much free time. I can only update once today. Please understand. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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