About an incense stick later, the Chu general who truly held power in the city slowly walked out of the city gate.
"Tell me, what are your conditions?"
The general immediately asked Gu Yifeng.
"Conditions? They're simple. Return the four counties of Daqian to me, withdraw your troops immediately, and pay reparations of 50,000 taels of silver and 100,000 taels of gold. In addition, I want 3,000 fine horses that you have raised."
Gu Yifeng sneered, then spoke directly.
Upon hearing this, the general returned to the city without looking back. Gu Yifeng immediately issued the order to attack the city, and 50,000 troops swarmed forward, equipped with catapults, siege towers, and ladders, and charged straight in.
The enemy clearly did not expect Gu Yifeng to launch such a decisive attack on the city. Caught off guard, the city was captured in less than half an hour. The Chu army inside the city was slaughtered, and the general naturally did not escape either.
After recaptured a city, the group rested there temporarily. It must be said that the Chu army's attack was truly brutal; many civilians in the city had been slaughtered, leaving only the elderly, women, and children—the only remaining survivors.
Even so, Gu Yifeng witnessed this scene firsthand, and a surge of anger welled up in his chest. Based on this alone, he had no intention of letting Da Chu go.
He could let the people of Chu continue to live, and try to influence and convert them in other ways, which was fine. But he would not let any of those who had slaughtered thousands of people go unpunished.
After settling the remaining people in the city and reorganizing the army, Gu Yifeng wrote a letter and sent a carrier pigeon to the remaining 13,000 troops who had crossed the western pass ten miles away.
He roughly determined his route and ordered the generals and centurions among them to lead their troops and follow secretly from the side, ready to provide reinforcements at any time.
Only after the carrier pigeon had flown away did Gu Yifeng feel relieved, only to see a group of generals kneeling down outside the tent.
"We are guilty of a capital offense! We caused Your Majesty to face danger alone and almost fall into the villain's trap, this is our first crime; we doubted Your Majesty's plans and were unaware that Your Majesty had a spy, this is our second crime! We beg Your Majesty to determine our punishment!"
As Gu Yifeng emerged, the group of generals, including Qin Shan, knelt below him, and one of them shouted loudly.
"Enough! Are you trying to force me to reveal the origins of this army? If I were to say that I secretly raised this army in Bozhou long before I ascended the throne, would you all go and impeach me before the Emperor Emeritus?!"
Gu Yifeng narrowed his eyes slightly and instantly guessed the intentions of the group of generals below. They thought that by bringing Qin Shan into the picture, they could clear themselves of suspicion. What a joke.
Ultimately, it all boils down to questioning the origins of the Mo Dao team and fearing that their existence would take away their current status.
"None of you are getting up? Fine, fine! Then I'll say it: this force is my private army. Wherever they came from today, I will take them back to the palace to be my imperial guards. How about that? Are you satisfied now?"
Seeing that the group of people showed no sign of getting up, and Qin Shan was on the verge of tears, Gu Yifeng immediately shouted angrily and spoke. Only then did the expressions of the group of people relax.
Only after confirming that Gu Yifeng's words did some of them slowly raise their heads, stand up, bow again, and then take their leave.
"So, have you found out their background?"
After everyone left, Gu Yifeng led Qin Shan into the tent, set up a soundproof array, and then asked in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, everything is as you suspected. These people are the Second Prince's spies in the army. They are very well hidden and have never revealed themselves before. However, since the battle with the Chu army, they have taken the initiative to show themselves more than once."
Qin Shan, with a smug smile on his face, couldn't help but say something.
"This is exactly the effect I wanted. I had already guessed that Gu Ran would do this. Now there is nowhere for him to stay in Da Gan. In addition, he has not yet recovered from his previous serious injuries, so he will definitely have to go to Da Chu as soon as possible."
"Once we dig out these fleas in the military, the future campaign will be like an iron barrel, and there will be no chance for infiltration."
Gu Yifeng chuckled twice and then suppressed the matter. After all, it was still wartime, and dealing with these generals' affairs was not urgent. He simply asked Qin Shan to bring the map, and after some discussion, they determined the main direction of the next march.
According to his plan, he would first fight his way back from one prefecture to another, then slowly move towards the direction from which the Korean army had launched its attack, and finally join forces with King Seung. Once the two forces were combined, it would be much easier to launch a major attack on any country.
After receiving Gu Yifeng's order, Qin Shan left the camp and, with his prepared explanation, mingled with the generals to continue infiltrating the camp in order to obtain more information about the Second Prince, Gu Ran.
Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, Gu Yifeng led his army to continue their march. After a night of rest, the soldiers had all recovered and headed towards the next city.
Unlike the first city, the cities that were later occupied by the Chu army were truly transformed into hell, as the Chu people poured all their desires onto the people of Daqian.
With each counterattack, Gu Yifeng's rage intensified. What difference was there between these invaders and the soldiers of that island nation on Earth in his previous life?
But these realities also brought him to his senses. What he was experiencing now was a premeditated and naked war of aggression.
Fortunately, the Mo Dao team was strong enough, with 10,000 men under their command. Gu Yifeng deliberately disrupted their organization, breaking them up into smaller units and integrating them into another 50,000-strong army.
This power is unimaginable. One in six people is capable of fighting two or even ten opponents at once, and can lead the entire army to unleash a combat power far exceeding 60,000.
In just one day, Gu Yifeng led them to recapture three cities and rested in the last one.
During this time, the other generals wanted to kill all the Chu people, but he stopped them and deliberately sent a few spies back to the rear to report the news.
These generals wanted to ask more questions, but Qin Shan stopped them.
About three days later, scouts quickly brought back battle reports that the Chu state had completely withdrawn its troops, retreating to the border of Daqian and directly back to its own frontier.
Half of the three counties occupied by Chu and Han were instantly returned. This feeling is indescribable. In short, it's awesome!
As is often the case, good things come in pairs. Just as the main camp was bustling with activity, another carrier pigeon flew back and landed directly in Gu Yifeng's arms. He took out the letter and unfolded it to see that it was a military report from Prince Cheng.
"Your Majesty, my brother is in excellent condition. With no Chu people eyeing us and with Your Majesty's treasures, we drove back the Han army three days ago."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
