Cheng Yaojin's words, "surrendered general," almost broke Li Jue's guard.
Although Cheng Yaojin did indeed surrender from the enemy, he was different from the others. He surrendered voluntarily, rather than being forced to surrender after being captured.
In this respect alone, he is better than Yuchi Jingde.
The fact that Cheng Yaojin speaks of himself in this way shows how much his recent imprisonment has affected him.
"Uncle Cheng, you can't say things like that!"
"Guards, help General Cheng change his clothes. I'm taking General Cheng away!"
Upon hearing Li Jue's words, not only was Cheng Yaojin stunned, but even the guards who opened the door for him were dumbfounded.
"Your Highness, there is no imperial edict from His Majesty..."
"roll!"
"What imperial edict? I just prepared nearly 100,000 dan of grain for His Majesty. Can't I even protect General Cheng?"
"this……"
The jailer hesitated for a moment, then nodded with difficulty.
"All right!"
"Since the eldest grandson has given the order, we will naturally obey!"
Before long, the jailer came over with Cheng Yaojin's clothes and armor and personally put them on him.
"General Cheng has been wronged..."
"I'm not wronged!"
"If it weren't for you little brats taking care of me, I would have lost my life long ago!"
"When we get back to Chang'an, remember to come to my residence for a drink!"
"promise!"
Cheng Yaojin changed his clothes and rushed out of the cell, then stood in the snow, greedily breathing in the fresh air.
"Eldest grandson, if you hadn't come soon, I would have been suffocating!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue sighed inwardly.
"General Cheng has suffered!"
"well!"
"Actually, this matter cannot be blamed on His Majesty. I also bear some responsibility. If I hadn't wanted to give the new Goguryeo soldiers some experience, I wouldn't have entrusted them with guarding such an important place as the granary."
"But these guys really let me down, they actually caused a mess!"
"Oh, by the way, has Your Majesty found out who started the fire?"
Li Jue shook his head upon hearing this.
"No!"
"His Majesty has killed many people. All the new Goguryeo soldiers on duty that day were executed by His Majesty. However, the specific cause of the fire has not yet been reported in detail. It has only been dismissed as dereliction of duty."
"this……"
Cheng Yaojin was known for his shrewdness, and he immediately sensed something was wrong after hearing Li Jue's feedback.
Logically speaking, His Majesty would never be so perfunctory about such a serious matter as a grain warehouse fire. Even if His Majesty didn't investigate thoroughly, he certainly wouldn't have killed all the people on duty that day without finding out the truth.
Has His Majesty already guessed who it is? Is he protecting that person?
"Uncle Cheng, if His Majesty won't investigate this matter, we two will!"
"I refuse to believe it! Pyongyang is such a tiny place, we can't even catch a petty arsonist!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin shook his head in disappointment.
"Eldest grandson, there's no need for that trouble..."
Why?
"I'm afraid it's not that His Majesty can't find out, but that His Majesty doesn't want to..."
"Don't you want to investigate?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue suddenly understood and then personally helped Cheng Yaojin up.
"I see!"
"Uncle Cheng, I'll escort you back to your residence!"
"Thank you for your trouble, eldest grandson!"
The Royal Palace in Pyongyang.
Li Shimin and Li Shiji were quite tipsy when they got drunk.
One boasted about his great achievements in seizing grain, while the other showed off his proud feat of defeating 100,000 with only 3,000 men at Hulao Pass.
As they chatted, both of them grew a little lonely.
The reason was simple: they had stayed in Goguryeo for too long.
"Your Majesty, when shall we return to Chang'an?"
Li Shimin was also troubled by this matter, after all, he had never expected to achieve such great results from the beginning. Not only did they easily conquer a series of Goguryeo's fortified cities, but they also captured Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, in one fell swoop.
Now he is worried whether he advances or retreats.
Adding to the problem, heavy snow blocked the roads, making it impossible for him to enter the city. He could only live a life of idleness and waiting to die in the small city of Pyongyang.
However, retreating would not be easy. Not to mention the immense damage that marching in the current frigid weather would inflict on the army, if they encountered an ambush or other accident along the way, the entire army could be wiped out halfway there.
"Let's wait and see, and get through this winter first!"
"well!"
"It's all that rebellious grandson Li Jue's fault! If it weren't for the gunpowder he invented that blew up Liaodong City and Anshi City, I would have retreated long ago!"
Li Shiji rolled his eyes when he heard this. His Majesty was shameless. He was just being hypocritical after getting the benefit!
etc!
What did Your Majesty just say?
gunpowder?
"Your Majesty, I have always been curious about what those two thunderclaps over Liaodong City and Anshi City were?"
Li Shimin trusted Li Shiji very much; otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed him to use the character "Shi" without having to avoid using his own taboo name.
"oh!"
"Gunpowder is a new contraption invented by Li Jue. Once ignited, it has tremendous power, capable of destroying the world!"
"This...this..."
Li Shiji was so excited upon hearing this that he became somewhat incoherent.
"Was this really something the eldest grandson concocted?"
"The eldest grandson is truly mighty!"
"With this divine weapon in our Great Tang Dynasty, what fortified city can possibly stand in our way? Hahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin shook his head in frustration.
"Maogong, you need to know one thing: this thing can blow up Anshi City, Chang'an City, and even Taiji Palace..."
Upon hearing this, Li Shiji felt a chill run down his spine. He then glanced uneasily at Li Shimin, wondering if His Majesty had become wary of his eldest grandson.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
