Martial Arts World Assassin

Chapter 393: General of Liao
Since Song Que's surprise attack on the capital last year, more than half a year has passed, but the situation has not been stabilized.

This is because the nobles in Guanzhong have always been exclusive to the Song clan. They secretly flirted with the Li clan, all expecting the Li clan to lead their troops to attack Guanzhong and drive the Song clan back to Lingnan.

The Li family also knew that speed is of the essence in war. They took advantage of the fact that Huang Sixi was on an expedition to Goguryeo and had no time to worry about the situation in China, and launched a strong attack on Guanzhong, hoping to eliminate Huang Sixi's influence in China before he returned.

Once the Li clan captures the capital, captures the core generals of the Song clan, and occupies the Guanzhong area, they will be able to take advantage of the situation to sweep across most of the Central Plains and have an endless supply of troops, horses, and food.

Even if Huang Sixi returned from Goguryeo, it would be difficult to save the situation unless Huang Sixi led the foreign cavalry outside the Great Wall into the pass.

But the foreign cavalry were all brutal and cruel, and often left thousands of miles of barren land wherever they passed. If Huang Sixi really led the foreign tribes outside the Great Wall to attack the Middle-earth territory, then the title of "True Dragon Emperor" would lose its prestige in Middle-earth.

This is also the overall consideration of the Li family. No matter how strong Huang Sixi's personal martial arts are, he cannot dominate the world. Their only worry is that Huang Sixi will incite the people of Middle-earth in the name of the real dragon.

Therefore, they absolutely could not wait until Huang Sixi completely conquered Goguryeo before sending troops to Guanzhong, because after Huang Sixi returned to the capital with a great victory, they would no longer have the chance to unify the world.

It is the perfect time for them to send troops now. As long as they occupy the capital, they can intercept Huang Sixi in the northern border. Then they can use the national treasure 'He's Bi' to counter the influence of 'Little Demon Dragon'.

By telling the people that Huang Sixi is a "foreign Khan" and that the "Dragon Subduing Army" he leads is a foreign army, and that Huang Sixi's march southward is an invasion of China, the Li family will be able to reverse the unfavorable situation.

Of course, before conquering the capital, the Li clan temporarily refrained from slandering Huang Sixi's identity, because up to now, Huang Sixi had not revealed any ambition to fight for the Central Plains, and had always supported the Song clan to ascend the throne.

If the Li clan does not eliminate the Song clan first, there is no point in them slandering Huang Sixi.

After Huang Sixi listened to Zhai Jiao's talk about the confrontation between the Li and Song clans, he sat on his horse, frowning and thinking.

The people around fell silent. It was the first time for many of them to see the true face of the legendary figure, True Dragon Emperor Khan, and they couldn't help but look at him curiously.

Seeing that no one said anything, Saimo Gang leader Jing Kang boldly suggested: "Your Majesty is commanding all cavalry. You can go along the Great Wall to Shuofang, and then go south from Shuofang to Guanzhong. You should be able to catch up with the battle in the capital!"

He knew that Huang Sixi had occupied the northern border territories of Shuofang and Mayi counties as early as last year. Mayi was adjacent to Jinyang, the birthplace of the Li family, in the south, and was not easy to cross.

However, the territory of Shuofang had already been conquered by Xu Shiji and connected with Guanzhong, so it was no problem for Huang Sixi to lead his troops south.

Huang Sixi disagreed. "I don't want the war in China to get more intense. Since Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty ascended the throne, he has been abusing the people for a long time. The people of the world are suffering. We should try to let them recuperate instead of letting them get involved in the war! I will ride south alone to talk to the Li family and persuade them to stop the war!"

He glanced at Jing Kang and said, "I have not ascended the throne to become emperor, so don't call me Your Majesty anymore!"

When Jing Kang heard this, he felt that he had just said too much, and quickly said, "I obey your command!"

He immediately stood aside, not daring to say another word.

Shi Feixuan was surprised when she heard Huang Sixi's statement. She never expected that Huang Sixi would put the people first.

In fact, long before Huang Sixi assassinated Shibi Khan and Wu Zun Bi Xuan, rumors were spreading all over China that Huang Sixi was a massacre of tens of thousands of people. He had single-handedly slaughtered four bandits and killed people everywhere. Shi Feixuan naturally believed that Huang Sixi was a tyrannical person who would resort to force when encountering problems.

But now Shi Feixuan has changed her mind.

She praised him, "Jiang Long Lang cares for the people. This is a blessing for the people of the world. Fei Xuan admires him very much! But now that the Li family has proclaimed themselves emperors, I'm afraid no words can dissolve their determination to capture the capital!"

Huang Sixi heard her introduce herself and asked, "Are you a disciple of Master Fanzhai?"

After Huang Sixi helped Song Que capture the capital last year, Fan Qinghui decided to summon all the righteous martial arts masters to go to the border to block the possible Turkic invasion for the sake of the overall situation.

After Huang Sixi conquered the Turkic royal court, Fan Qinghui also led hundreds of his companions to Dali City. Unfortunately, the Turkic tribes were frightened by Huang Sixi's assassination attempt and did not even have time to evacuate, let alone the courage to go south again.

Fan Qinghui and hundreds of righteous masters had no place to use their skills. This was only the first batch of masters mobilized by Fan Qinghui. She originally wanted to send out heroic invitations to all the old senior masters who had lived in seclusion in the entire Middle-earth martial arts world, but later, when she saw that the situation had stabilized, she stopped mobilizing.

At that time, her apprentice Shi Feixuan was ordered to guard the Heshi Bi in Luoyang and was not accompanying her.

Shi Feixuan said: "Yes, my master is Master Fanzhai! I have brought bad news to Master Jianglong. The Heshi Bi has been taken away by the Li family. They have now taken over the world!"

She knew that Huang Sixi had a real dragon, and his righteousness was more powerful than the Heshi Bi, but when she looked around Huang Sixi, she did not see any dragon shadow.

She further explained: "The Heshi Bi was kept by me at the beginning. This time the precious jade was lost, and I am actually to blame..."

Huang Sixi suddenly interrupted her: "Let's talk about this later!"

Huang Sixi had learned last year that the He Shi Bi was hidden in Luoyang. It should be that the Li family found out the whereabouts of the He Shi Bi when they conquered Luoyang and then took it for themselves.

The process must have been dangerous and complicated, otherwise Fan Qinghui would not have sent Shi Feixuan to explain it to Huang Sixi in person.

Huang Sixi felt that it would take a long time for Shi Feixuan to finish explaining the whole story, so he did not let her continue. Besides, Huang Sixi did not care too much about the importance of the He's Jade. Neither the He's Jade nor the little dragon were decisive factors in the fight for the world.

The only thing Huang Sixi was interested in the He's Jade was the strange power hidden inside the jade. Even if he tried to snatch the He's Jade in the future, he would use it to practice martial arts, not to gain power.

Seeing this, Shi Feixuan nodded without saying anything. Huang Sixi turned his eyes away from her and looked at the unfamiliar faces in the crowd. He suddenly jumped off his horse and walked to the left of the high platform built by Tu Shufang. There stood four rough-looking generals. Zhai Jiao followed by the side and introduced the identities of the four people to Huang Sixi.

When Huang Sixi heard the names of Shan Xiongxin, Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin and Pei Xingyan, he knew them all.

These four people were all famous heroes in history, but Huang Sixi did not show any respect to them. He just asked casually, "Where are your troops?"

To go north from the Wagangzhai territory, one must pass through the territories of Dou Jiande and Gao Kaidao, and it is difficult for a large number of troops to cross the border.

Shan Xiongxin clasped his fists and replied, "We had a battle with Yu Wenhuaji in Tongshan before. We could have won, but we were shamelessly ambushed by the Tang army, which led to our disastrous defeat. We followed Marshal Pei to gather the defeated soldiers and head north across the Zhang River into Wu'an County. Further north is Dou Longtou's territory. It is inconvenient for the army to move, so Marshal Pei led us to temporarily defend Dou Longtou against the Tang army's invasion!"

The Wagang troops under their command are currently stationed at the southern end of Dou Jiande's territory. Marshal Pei refers to the former Sui general Pei Renji, who was also Pei Xingyan's father. They were generals under the command of Sui court marshal Zhang Xutuo and surrendered to Li Mi together after Zhang Xutuo was killed.

The four of them came to visit Huang Sixi with a simple packing. If Huang Sixi had no intention of taking them in, they would go south to meet Pei Renji and then find another way out.

When the four saw that Huang Sixi did not show any expression after hearing their reputations, they felt that they were not valued. However, Huang Sixi's next words made them flattered. They all felt that the important task Huang Sixi had entrusted to them was too much for them to bear.

Huang Sixi pointed back and introduced to them: "I have already eliminated all the forces of Goguryeo in Liaodong and Liaoxi. Currently, there are no government offices in the counties and cities. I would like to ask you to garrison there. When we recruit refugees from the interior in the future, we can lead the people north to Liaodong and Liaoxi to return home!"

After hearing this, the four of them all took a deep breath. Back then, Yang Guang commanded a million people but failed to recapture Liaodong. How could Huang Sixi defeat Goguryeo in just a few months?

Qin Qiong looked calm and asked cautiously, "Excuse me, Mr. Jianglong, there are rumors in the martial arts world that you have conquered the capital of Goguryeo. Is this true or false? What is the current situation in Goguryeo like?"

Huang Sixi replied, "I did massacre their royal city. The Gao royal family no longer exists. The entire Goguryeo territory is currently in chaos. I ordered the Mohe tribes to station troops on the border river of the peninsula to prevent the Goguryeo army from moving north. After you are stationed there, you will not encounter many battles. Your main task is to protect the people who migrate north!"

If the Li clan had not suddenly attacked and breached Tongguan, heading straight for the capital, Huang Sixi would never have withdrawn his troops so quickly.

To the south of Goguryeo were the small states of Silla and Baekje, which had already sent people to visit Huang Sixi and expressed their willingness to join Huang Sixi in attacking from both the north and the south.

Huang Sixi's original plan was to completely disarm the entire territory of Goguryeo and deprive them of the ability to invade Liaodong in the future.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. After receiving the news that the capital was in danger, Huang Sixi could not allow the Li family to expand without limits, so he withdrew the Mohe troops back to the border river of the peninsula.

In this way, Goguryeo would get a chance to catch its breath, and once the noble generals among them replaced the Gao royal family and stabilized the situation on the peninsula, it would be possible for them to raise troops again.

It was a helpless move that we were unable to completely eradicate the threat from Goguryeo this time.

However, the territory that had been conquered had to be defended firmly, and Goguryeo must not be allowed to recapture it easily, otherwise it would become a bridgehead for Goguryeo's invasion within a few years.

Originally, Huang Sixi planned to send Tu Shufang, a group of former Wagang generals with governance experience under Zhai Jiao, to garrison in Liaodong. However, he met Shan Xiongxin, Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin and Pei Xingyan, and it was more appropriate for them to guard Liaodong.

These four men are all brave generals with long experience in battle and can suppress the chaotic situation in Liaodong.

Shan Xiongxin was a hero of the outlaws. He didn't want to be looked down upon by Huang Sixi, so he patted his chest and shouted loudly: "Lord Jianglong can single-handedly massacre the capital of Goguryeo. I, Shan, don't have such ability, but I am more than capable of defending a few cities. As long as Lord Jianglong is trustworthy, I, Shan, will be the first to enter Liao!"

His call inspired Luo Shixin and Pei Xingyan, and they expressed their willingness to go north.

The two were known for their bravery when they first joined the army. They were not afraid of fighting the Goguryeo people at all. However, they were more concerned about Fu Cailin, the Goguryeo master who was famous outside the region. A master of this level was capable of stabbing them to death in the tent. Before entering Liao, they had to find out the information about Fu Cailin in order to make plans.

The two men asked Huang Sixi, "Did you kill Fu Cailin when you conquered the Goguryeo royal city?"

Huang Sixi shook his head: "When I entered the Goguryeo palace, I first killed its king Gao Jianwu. After Gao Jianwu's death, Fu Cailin directly evacuated the palace. His disciples risked their lives to cover his retreat and helped him escape from the peninsula. He crossed the sea and disappeared! But he was injured by my sword energy and it will take more than half a year for him to recover!"

After saying that, he pointed to the sky and said, "If you are willing to go to Liaodong, I will give you a few of the eagles I have raised. If you encounter an assassination attempt by a master while in Liaodong, these eagles will warn you and help you prepare in advance. They can also send messages over thousands of miles. If Fu Cailin shows up in Liaodong again, I will come back to deal with him personally!"

Luo Shixin and Pei Xingyan looked up into the sky and had no more objections. If they stayed in Middle-earth, the danger would be just as great. If they had to die in the future, it would be better to die in a war against foreign races outside the Great Wall.

Qin Qiong did not object to guarding Liaodong, but asked: "My lord, you must know that the Wagang troops led by Marshal Pei are far away in Zhangshui. It should be no problem to go north through Dou Longtou's territory, but if we go further north, it will be Gao Kaidao's territory, and I am afraid we will encounter trouble!"

Zhai Jiao frowned and immediately said to Huang Sixi: "In the past few months, Gao Kaidao has often prevented refugees from coming to Shanhaiguan and extorted merchants from all over the country to pass! Brother Haohan, Gao Kaidao is a cancer that seriously affects our plan to recover Liaodong..."

She wanted to continue saying that they should take advantage of the time when the Wagang troops were heading north to attack Gao Kaidao from the north and south together with the Jianglong Army, but she thought it was inappropriate to do so as it might lead to a conflict with Dou Jiande. Since she had received favors from Dou Jiande before, she did not say it too bluntly.

Huang Sixi originally disagreed. He went south to resolve the issue of the Li family and would not deal with Gao Kaidao for the time being. This rebel leader had not been operating in Hebei for a long time and the territory he occupied was not large, but a move could have a far-reaching impact.

To the west of Gaokaidao is the territory of Sui general Luo Yi, and to the south is Dou Jiande. If Huang Sixi takes military action against Gaokaidao, Luo Yi and Dou Jiande may also raise troops at the same time, and the fighting will not end for several months.

Huang Sixi only told Zhai Jiao: "Last time you led people from Doulongtou's territory to Mayi, you should still remember the route. Send someone to follow General Shan and his men to guide Marshal Pei, and go from Mayi into the grassland and take a detour to Liaodong!"

Last time, Zhai Jiao led thousands of Wagang veterans and traveled over mountains. This time the journey is even longer and there are more soldiers. It may take half a month to arrive.

Huang Sixi was unwilling to wait any longer. He would go south to Guanzhong today and let Zhai Jiao go to pick up Marshal Pei first. After the troops arrived, they would all stay temporarily in Shanhaiguan. Huang Sixi would then come back and personally lead them to Liaodong to deploy defenses.

(End of this chapter)