Chapter 509 "Enemy Attack! Close the City Gates!"
(Thanks to Sibu for casting 4 monthly votes.)
While the people of Lijiatun were busy figuring out why an assassin had come to kill Li Wangtian;
Li Shiyue, leading a large group of people, was taking a letter from the claws and legs of a golden eagle.
The letter was written by Sun Xiaoliu.
On the second day after departing from Jinzhou, Sun Xiaoliu followed Li Shiyue's instructions and led about ten people as an advance team to Jian'anzhou ahead of time.
According to the information obtained from Liu Tan, there were many Japanese pirates coming and going along the coast of Jian'an Prefecture, causing great disturbance and financial losses to the coastal fishing villages.
Although Jian'an is quite far from Jinzhou, Jian'an Port outside Jian'an City is a sizable port.
Not only is this place garrisoned by nearly a thousand soldiers, but also, whether it was when the old Zhenbei King was alive or in recent years after Liu Tan became the Zhenbei King, he would come to Jian'an every year to patrol the border.
But every time I come, Jian'an is a peaceful and harmonious place.
The news that Jinzhou received about Japanese pirates in Jian'an could not possibly be false!
This matter was discovered by Li Shiyue when he led troops to suppress bandits in Zhao Youjia, Jinzhou.
At that time, Li Shiyue only found out that the magistrate of Qingshiling Town was colluding with the Japanese pirates. He beheaded the magistrate, seized the embezzled taxes, handed over the task of killing the pirates to the local garrison, and returned to Jinzhou.
However, Liu Tan later reported that after Li Shiyue left, the Japanese pirates in Jian'an were not only not eliminated, but the situation became increasingly serious.
This information came from Liu Tan's own sources.
That means that news of Japanese pirates in Jian'an was not only blocked!
Even more egregiously, higher-ranking officials have come to support the Japanese pirates!
But who has the ability to block news about Jian'an?
Besides the Prefect of Jian'an, Li Shiyue couldn't think of a second suspect.
Therefore, in October, Li sent Sun Xiaoliu and his men to Jian'an to investigate and find out what the real situation in Jian'an was like.
After all, Li Shiyue has a golden eagle!
With the golden eagle, Li Shiyue would have it fly back and forth every day to relay messages between her and Sun Xiaoliu.
In this way, she could know the true situation of Jian'an that Sun Xiaoliu had investigated every day, and arrange the next investigation content for Sun Xiaoliu and his team.
In this way, before Li Shiyue and his large group arrived in Jian'an, she could find out whether it was really the governor of Jian'an who was colluding with the Japanese pirates.
If so, then Sun Xiaoliu and his group can investigate the evidence in advance.
If not, then the information gathered in advance can also prepare Li Shiyue for his investigation after arriving in Jian'an.
Li Shiyue felt that if she led a large number of troops there, she might end up like Liu Tan, seeing only a facade created by the people behind the scenes.
Sending Sun Xiaoliu and his men to investigate the matter in advance not only saved time but also allowed them to uncover the truth, making it a win-win situation.
Thirty li outside Jian'an City, the area outside the official post station was densely packed with tents.
Li Shiyue led more than two thousand men to set up camp here.
As dawn approached, Li Shiyue, standing outside the tent, unfolded the secret letter sent by Sun Xiaoliu.
The thin strip of paper was densely covered with the truths that Sun Xiaoliu had discovered in Jian'an City over the past few days.
Looking at what was written on the paper, Li Shiyue's slender fingers gripped the paper tightly. If she hadn't been restraining herself, she probably would have torn the paper to shreds long ago to vent her anger.
What was written on the note?
Sun Xiaoliu and his group have been in Jian'an City for more than half a month, and the contents of their message this time are simply outrageous!
They discovered that Huang Wanchang, the governor of Jian'an, was actually colluding with Japanese pirates to engage in the abduction and sale of innocent people!
The secret letter stated that Sun Xiaoliu and his group followed Huang Wanchang's steward and, after investigating all the way, found dozens of blindfolded and hand-tied women being herded onto small boats like livestock in a fishing village on the coast.
The small boat sailed into the deep sea, boarded the Japanese pirates' ship, and left!
Isn't this human trafficking?!
And they're all women!
Huang Wanchang deserves to die!
Li Shiyue suddenly crumpled the note in her hand into a ball.
The pre-dawn wind, carrying snowflakes, lashed her face, but the cold could not extinguish the raging anger within her.
She turned to Chen Yong, who had been standing beside her, and said, "Order the entire army to break camp immediately."
"General!"
Chen Yong bowed deeply to Li Shiyue, saying, "We have a large force, and we haven't even informed the garrison commander of Jian'an Town. Is it really appropriate for us to rashly enter the city with only two thousand troops...?"
Faced with Li Shiyue's gaze, Chen Yong couldn't continue speaking.
After tossing the crumpled letter to Chen Yong, Li Shiyue said only one sentence: "Before noon, I want to be sitting in the main hall of the governor's mansion."
Seeing that Li Shiyue had already strode into the tent, Chen Yong then lowered his head and smoothed out the crumpled piece of paper.
Even though it was still early morning, Chen Yong could still make out the message on the note.
After reading it, Chen Yong only thought to himself, "This...this is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!"
The morning light pierced through the clouds and shone on the snow-covered ground, reflecting a cold, silvery light.
Li Shiyue mounted her horse and shouted, "All troops, listen to my command!"
Her voice, amplified by her inner strength, pierced the cold wind, making it clear enough for every soldier to hear.
"Upon entering the city, proceed directly to the governor's residence. If resistance is encountered..."
Li Shiyue's whip cracked in the air with a loud bang, "Kill them all!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Shouting "Kill!", more than a thousand soldiers followed behind Li Shiyue, braving the biting cold wind, and galloped along the official road toward Jian'an City.
Li Wangchun (Li's mother) stood beside her family's carriage, gazing ahead. This morning, she had only heard one of Li Shiyue's personal guards come over and say to her, "The general said he wants to enter the city ahead of schedule, and asked me to tell the old lady. You can follow behind the auxiliary guards and walk slowly."
Along the way, from Jinzhou to the outskirts of Jian'an City, Li Wangchun, Li Qiutian, and Qin Fen, who was driving the cart, followed behind the auxiliary soldiers driving the grain carts, all according to Li Shiyue's arrangements.
The auxiliary soldiers were slow because they were escorting grain and such, which was just the right speed for Qin Fen, who was driving the cart, to keep up.
It was probably because Li Shiyue and his group had a large number of people, and they were all government troops in armor, so no one dared to disturb them on their journey.
After all, they outnumbered each other and were regular soldiers, each armed with a long sword. Who wouldn't be afraid of their lethality?
Anyway, apart from one time when they missed the official post station and encountered snow, forcing them to stop and camp in the suburbs, their journey was generally smooth.
Moreover, whenever they passed through a city, the locals treated them very well, and even local gentry would send them grain.
If it weren't for the fact that the leading general, Li Shiyue, was a woman, and Li Wangchun was watching from the side, they probably would have wanted to send a few more young girls to Li Shiyue.
Li Qiutian was helped by Qin Fen to walk towards their carriage. "Aunt, let's get in. As I said before, we're about to set off."
The moment Li Wangchun saw Li Qiutian, his heart leaped into his throat.
She quickly stepped forward and supported Li Qiutian's other arm, saying, "You child, it just snowed, you have to be careful!"
Half an hour later, at the south gate of Jian'an City, the guards were yawning when they suddenly felt the ground beneath their feet tremble slightly.
Another older soldier suddenly rushed to the edge of the rampart, only to see billowing dust at the end of the road, and a black line surging towards them like a tide.
"Enemy attack! Close the city gates!"
The heavy city gates cannot be closed so easily.
Before the city gates could close, Li Shiyue had already charged to the city walls on horseback. Behind her were thousands of light cavalrymen in black armor. Who wouldn't be afraid of such a sight?
The soldiers standing on the crenellations of the city wall were so frightened that they couldn't move an inch; they were completely frozen in place.
"The Xuanjia Army is handling this case!" Chen Yong shouted from behind Li Shiyue, holding up the Xuanjia Army's "Xuan" flag. "Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be punished for treason!"
The heavy city gates swung open before Li Shiyue, and she charged into the city on horseback, her hooves clattering on the bluestone pavement.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
