Thief Emperor

Chapter 997: The New Generation of Team
Liaodong, on the banks of the Taru River.

Under the moonlight, Li Zheng, covered in blood, was lying on the grass, motionless, his eyes fixed on the front, where a group of Khitans were watering their horses by the river.

He stared for a long time, until these Khitans began to set up camp by the river, he retracted his gaze, looked back at Su Zhan beside him, and said in a trembling voice: "Su Laosi, it's almost done!"

If an ordinary person was here, they would probably think that His Royal Highness the King of Yue was afraid. However, Su Zhan, who had been with him for some time, knew very well that the second son of the Li family next to him was not trembling out of fear.

But because of excitement!

Since he was a child, Su Zhan has heard from his family that when the current emperor was young, he was like a killing god on the battlefield, killing anyone who stood in his way, even if it was a Buddha.

But among the younger generation, no one has ever seen it, they have only heard of it.

Su Zhan had never seen him before, but after following Li Zheng for the past few months, he had seen some shadows of the current emperor when he was young in the second prince.

Whenever there is a war, his eyes will light up and his whole body will be filled with intense fighting enthusiasm!

Hearing what Li Zheng said, Su Zhan turned his head to look at the brothers lying nearby, took a deep breath, and reminded in a low voice: "Erlang, we are scouts..."

Scouts usually do not directly participate in combat, they only need to gather intelligence.

Li Zheng looked at the Khitans not far ahead and said with a smile, "I know we are scouts. Scouts are mainly responsible for gathering information. These Khitans appear in this location. Maybe they have some important information. If all else fails, we can capture one or two of them alive and interrogate them to get some information."

As he spoke, Li Zheng whispered, "If we can find the main force of the Khitans and report to the commander, we can defeat them in one fell swoop and advance into the entire Liaodong. By then, you and I will have made great contributions!"

When they were inside the Great Wall, the battles with the Khitans were mostly head-on combats, but now that they were outside the Great Wall, the situation was different.

The area outside the Great Wall is too large, and there are no important cities to speak of. These Khitans will not stick to one place. Now the biggest problem for the Tang army is that they cannot find where the main force of the Khitans is. If they can fight a head-on battle with the main force of the Khitans, the progress of the Tang army in Liaodong will take a big leap forward!

Su Zhan was still a little worried. He whispered, "Erlang, our central army is too far away. The commander-in-chief must be worried about you."

"Don't worry about me."

His Royal Highness the King of Yue was very brave and said in a careless manner: "These Khitans are only about twenty people. We caught them by surprise with a dozen people. We scared them to death."

"All right."

Li Zheng made up his mind and whispered, "It's not easy for the scout battalion to be assigned to investigate. This is one of the few opportunities for us brothers to make meritorious deeds. If we are always trapped near the central army, what's the difference between us and guards?"

"By that time, both you and I will have come here for nothing!"

At this time, the two spoke in low voices so as not to be heard by others in the team.

Su Zhan whispered, "I'm fine, I'm just worried that something might happen to you, Erlang."

The King of Yue patted his chest and said with a smile: "My father fought all the way from Jiangdong to Guanzhong! I am his son, I cannot bring shame to my father!"

"There are only a few Khitans here. Even if I die here, I can only blame myself for being incompetent and bringing shame to my parents!"

Having said that, he grasped the knife at his waist, ready to take action.

After Su Zhan heard this, he thought of his father Su Sheng. His father Su Sheng was the only general in the court. He also fought in battles in the south and the north. Most of Hebei Province was taken by General Su!
Thinking of this, Su Zhan took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll go with Erlang!"

Li Zheng patted his shoulder with appreciation, then turned around and gestured to his teammates lurking nearby.

Under the cover of night, everyone immediately followed him and moved towards the Khitan camp little by little.

Because they had to be very careful, even though the distance was only a few dozen feet, they still moved for half an hour before they got close. Li Zheng looked at a patrolling Khitan from a distance, took out a longbow from his back, and whispered: "As soon as my bowstring sounds, we will charge at them immediately!"

Su Zhan and others all nodded in agreement.

Li Zheng pulled the longbow, the bow was like a full moon, and with the sound of an arrow whistling, he didn't have time to see if he had hit it, he just shouted: "Charge!"

More than a dozen people drew their weapons, shouted in unison, and rushed towards the Khitans.

Under the moonlight, a bloody battle dyed the water of the Taru River red.

…………

It was already the next morning when Su Zhan led a team of cavalry to find Li Zheng and others.

At this time, the morning mist that filled the banks of the Taru River was already filled with a hint of blood. When Su Zhan approached the river, he saw more than a dozen corpses lying on the riverbank.

After a careful search, Su Zhan finally saw his own people. Following a familiar voice of "Uncle Wu", Su Zhan looked up and saw a tall young man not far ahead, waving at him.

When he walked in front of Li Zheng, he quickly looked up and down at His Royal Highness the King of Yue. He saw that Li Zheng's body was covered in blood and his shoulder was simply bandaged. It was obvious that he was injured.

At this moment, Li Zheng was the only one around. Su Zhan looked at him and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"

"We encountered a group of Khitans and had a battle with them."

Li Zheng replied: "There were more than twenty Khitans in total. We killed fourteen or fifteen of them and captured the rest alive."

Su Zhan frowned and said, "You know that's not what I'm asking." "I'm fine."

Li Zheng looked at Su Zhan and whispered, "Several of my brothers have been injured or killed, and... Silang was stabbed twice and is seriously injured. He is now in the Khitan camp."

As he spoke, he pointed to the Khitan camp not far away, which had been occupied by them.

Li Zheng whispered: "Last night, Silang was on my flank..."

Hearing this, Su Zhan closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and said, "On the battlefield, swords have no eyes. I'm glad you're okay. Even if Silang dies on the battlefield..."

"It's just that he has no ability."

After saying that, Su Zhan led his men to the tent set up by the Khitans, ordered them to clean up the battlefield, and then carried the unconscious Su Zhan back to the central army.

On the way back, the second prince rode on his horse, looked at Su Zhan who was near him, and asked in a low voice: "Uncle Xiaowu, how am I compared to my father?"

Su Zhan looked back at him and shook his head slightly: "If these twenty people were...if they were your father back then."

"He's alone, and he can kill them all in a short time."

Li Zheng was stunned when he heard this.

In the melee last night, he killed six Khitans by himself. Although he was also injured and encountered many dangers, he thought that he was not much different from his father.

did not expect…

His Royal Highness the King of Yue was stunned and said nothing, then shook his head and said: "These Khitans are very fierce."

Su Zhan looked at him and said sternly, "When your father was on the battlefield, he could knock over a warhorse with a sideways charge."

"General Gongsun, who is now under General Meng's command, his father, General Gongsun Hao, was in the Pinglu army and led a few cavalrymen to besiege the enemy. He was... killed by your father, who shot his horse to death with a spear. He was dragged off the horse and taken back to the camp alive."

At this point, Su Zhan shook his head slightly and did not continue. Instead, he looked at Li Zheng and said, "But Erlang, you are already quite good. Even in the entire army, you can be called a brave warrior. It's just that your father..."

Su Zhan thought about it, and finally said slowly: "He is not an ordinary person."

Upon hearing this, the second prince couldn't help but be fascinated.

Everyone went back to the central military tent. Li Zheng was taken to meet General Meng and the Duke of England, but Su Zhan did not go to the central military tent. Instead, he brought his nephew to the wounded camp.

After some treatment, Su Zhan, who had lost too much blood, finally woke up. Su Zhan was sitting next to him, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him wake up.

"Why are you making such a fuss?"

Su Zhan looked at Su Zhan and said in a low voice: "If this knife wound is one inch off, even gods can't save you!"

Su Zhan's face was pale. He held his uncle's hand and whispered, "Fifth Uncle, Erlang, Erlang..."

"Save...save my life."

In the fierce battle last night, Su Zhan almost died at the hands of the Khitans. It was Li Zheng who risked his life to save him. The wound on Li Zheng's arm was caused by a Khitan.

After Su Zhan heard what his nephew had said, he was silent for a long time. Then he looked at Su Zhan and sighed, "I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let you join the Second Prince's team. How are you going to repay this favor now?"

If the Second Prince is down-to-earth and becomes a prince, that would be good, but if the Second Prince also wants to become an emperor in the future.

How should Su Silang deal with himself?
Su Zhan coughed twice, and after Su Zhan fed him a few sips of water, he finally felt better. He also understood what his fifth uncle meant. He lowered his head and said, "Fifth Uncle, I am neither the eldest son nor the legitimate son."

“What will I do in the future…”

He looked at Su Zhan and said silently: "It has nothing to do with the Su family."

Su Zhan felt mixed emotions when he heard this. He turned his head and looked outside the tent, not saying anything for a long time.

The ten years of starting a business were difficult, but when we were starting a business, everyone was united in purpose and did not have too many worries.

And now...

Now the business is complete, and the Jiangdong Group now controls the world. What’s worse is that the kids who were very young when the business started have gradually grown up, so the current situation…

It gets complicated again.

Su Zhan sighed in his heart, then turned his head to look at his nephew and whispered, "When you return to Luoyang in the future, remember to have a good talk with your father."

Su Zhan nodded silently.

"My child understands."

(End of this chapter)