Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 414 The Great Tang Army Has Arrived!

The court meeting in Sibi City has been going on for three days.

When the Buyeo people ruled Baekje, there were eight major Buyeo noble families.

These eight noble families were the most steadfast supporters of Buyeo Uija, and naturally suffered the greatest blows, and have now all declined.

Coincidentally, the eight Mahan noble families that have risen to power in Sabi City today were originally subordinates of the eight Buyeo noble families.

They knew best the distribution of their former master's businesses and resources.

When Heichi Changzhi entered Sibi City, they were among the first to surrender, annexing the original owners' properties and becoming the new eight noble families.

These eight noble families originally planned to follow Jin Yan, surrender to the Tang Dynasty, and live a life of luxury.

These people all had the airs of nouveau riche, believing that without their support, Kim Yeon could not possibly hold her position as Queen of Baekje.

After they took control of the Baekje court, they did only two things every day.

First, they would take bloody revenge on the Buyeo people, repaying them a hundredfold or a thousandfold for the humiliation they had suffered.

Secondly, he went to Jin Yan to demand the Tang Dynasty's investiture, and his attitude was extremely domineering.

Unexpectedly, the Buyeo people suddenly fell into internal strife due to their retaliation, plunging the country into turmoil once again, and the situation became increasingly volatile.

What's even more infuriating is that the Tang Dynasty didn't send any troops to support them, which led to the arrogance of the Buyeo nobles and the precarious situation of the Mahan nobles.

These Mahan nobles initially questioned Jin Yan arrogantly, asking why the Tang Dynasty had not sent troops to help, and even went to Xiongjin Port to find Jiang Ke.

Unlike Jin Yan, Jiang Ke didn't spoil them. He wouldn't see them at all, and if they caused trouble, he would beat them up with sticks and drive them away.

Over the course of several months, the power of the Buyeo nobles began to spread from the northernmost corner in all directions, continuously expanding towards Sabi City.

Every time Hei Chi Changzhi suppressed one place, three more uprisings would break out, making it impossible for him to suppress them all. He had no choice but to guard Sibi City.

As a result, the rebellious Buyeo forces grew stronger and stronger, forming five armies that surrounded Sabi City.

The Mahan nobles finally started to panic. They had been consulting with Kim Yeon for days to come, but after much discussion, they could only ask the Tang army for help!
After all this turmoil, these newly enthroned Mahan nobles finally realized their true status and no longer believed that it was only right for the Tang Dynasty to help them.

"Her Royal Highness the Queen..."

Call me Grand Commander!

"Yes, Grand Commander, what do you think? Why don't you go to Chang'an yourself and plead with His Majesty the Emperor? If the Tang Dynasty doesn't send troops soon, we won't be able to hold out!"

Jin Yan glanced at the nobleman surnamed Jin and said, "You should know that His Majesty has already helped us defeat Buyeo Boksin. If we can't even deal with a bunch of traitors, what use are we to His Majesty?"

"Even if the Tang Dynasty sends troops, you will not be granted titles, and I will lose my position as governor."

The nobleman surnamed Jin said anxiously, "But the five armies are already heading towards Sibi City. If the Tang Dynasty doesn't come to our aid, we won't even be able to save our lives!"

“Yes, yes!” the other Mahan nobles echoed.

Jin Yan said, "General Black Teeth, what do you think?"

Hei Chi Changzhi said, "They're just a bunch of rabble. It's good that they're all gathered together so that I can wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

Jin Yan praised, "With the general's words, I can rest assured."

Another nobleman surnamed Sha said urgently, "Your Majesty, don't listen to him..."

Call me Grand Commander!

"Ah, yes, Grand Commander, don't listen to Hei Chi Changzhi's nonsense. The rebel army has more than 100,000 troops in five routes combined, while there are only 30,000 garrison troops in Sibi City. How can they possibly resist?"

Hei Chi Changzhi snorted, "They claim to number over 100,000, but in reality, there are only 70,000 to 80,000, and most of them are refugees. There's no need to worry!"

The nobleman surnamed Sha sneered, "Who can believe the words of a mere Buyeo man like you? I'm afraid you'll be the first to surrender when they attack!"

Hei Chi Changzhi flew into a rage: "You..."

Jin Yanjiao shouted, "I warned you beforehand, anyone who mentions General Black Tooth's identity as a Buyeo person will be executed without mercy! Guards..."

Before he could finish speaking, the other seven noble families all spoke up to plead for him.

The nobleman surnamed Jin hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the situation is critical. We must not panic!"

Just then, a guard rushed in to report that a rebel army of Buyeo people had arrived sixty miles away.

Jin Yan quickly looked at Hei Chi Changzhi and said, "General Hei Chi, the defense of the city depends entirely on you."

Hei Chi Changzhi said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Commander, Hei Chi Changzhi will never let a single thief into the city!"

Several days later, several more Buyeo rebel armies arrived at Sabi City and surrounded the city on the east, south, and north sides.

Hei Chi Changzhi led his troops out of the city and fought for a while, but did not gain much advantage.

Recently, Sibi City has been in chaos.

Those Mahan nobles who rose to power were even worse than the original Baekje officials, frantically seizing wealth and exploiting the people, especially the Buyeo people.

The middle and upper-level officers of Heichi Changzhi's army were all Buyeo people. They had also been suppressed and ostracized, and had lost their fighting spirit.

Two days later, a rebel army surrounded the West Gate as well, and the rebels began their attack on the city.

A fierce siege lasted for half a month. Hei Chi Changzhi and his soldiers fought desperately to defend the city, and he was wounded in three places.

Jin Yan also went up the city wall to comfort the soldiers, and was almost hit by a stray arrow.

The entire city of Sibi was stained red with blood.

Under the leadership of Heukchi Changji and Kim Yeon, the Baekje soldiers and civilians in the city gradually united to defend the city together.

As for the Mahan nobles, on the third day of the siege, they led their private soldiers and servants to break out from the south gate.

The breakout attempt failed, and the Buyeo general guarding the city gate ordered the gate to be closed again, preventing them from entering.

As a result, all of them were killed, and their heads were piled up into a small mountain outside the south gate.

Their deaths did not dampen the morale of the defending troops; on the contrary, they boosted their spirits.

That evening, the sun set as usual, its afterglow like blood, making Sibi City seem even more like a city soaked in blood.

The Buyeo rebels, who were besieging the city, suddenly stopped their attack and retreated earlier than they had in the previous days.

On the city wall, a woman wearing a cloak and soft armor kicked a corpse off the wall; it was Jin Yan.

She was constantly protected by several guards, one of whom even died protecting her from an arrow, so she was not injured.

However, the situation had already spiraled out of the control of the inner guards.

The highest-ranking officer among Jin Yan's inner guards was a captain, who was responsible for protecting Jin Yan's safety and also secretly tasked with monitoring her. Now that the city was about to fall, Xiongjin Port had yet to react, so he had no choice but to pull Jin Yan aside and whisper, "Commander, it is too dangerous to stay in the city now. It would be better to break out of Sibi City for the time being and then make further plans."

Jin Yan asked, "Is this General Wang's order?"

"No."

Jin Yan snorted, "Then I won't leave."

"But the general has ordered that you must not be put in any danger!"

Jin Yan said with a sullen face, "Why didn't the Tang army in Xiongjin Port come to help me?" She also felt a bit resentful at this moment.

With the situation having reached this point, the Tang Dynasty is still standing idly by. What exactly are Your Majesty's plans?
The captain was about to speak when he suddenly saw Black Tooth Changzhi running over from a distance, so he shut his mouth.

Despite his blood-stained face, Hei Chi Changzhi exclaimed with delight, "General, the Tang army has arrived!"

Jin Yan perked up and asked urgently, "Where?"

Hei Chi Changzhi said, "Outside the West Gate!"

On a hillside west of Sibi City, Tang cavalry stood in a line, their golden spears and silver armor gleaming in the setting sun, resembling a torrent of armored warriors.

Upon seeing the might of the Tang army, the Buyeo rebels outside the West Gate lost all will to resist and scattered, shouting, "The Tang army is coming! Run!"

When the other rebel groups heard that the Tang army was coming, they all retreated to a place a hundred miles away and set up camp. They didn't know what the Tang army was there for, and they didn't attack the rebels either!
So let's wait and see how things develop.

Before long, the west gate opened wide, and Jin Yan and Hei Chi Changzhi led the city's garrison out to greet them.

The Tang army quickly arrived at the city walls.

The army split into two groups, and a delegation of envoys emerged from the ranks, led by King Wu, Li Ji, followed by Jiang Ke and Wu Minzhi.

Both Li Ji and Wu Minzhi were seeing such a bloody scene for the first time. Their faces turned pale. The city wall looked as if it had been brushed with blood and flesh, and the smell of blood was overwhelming.

However, both of them were proud warriors of the Tang Dynasty, and they quickly composed themselves, dismounted, greeted Jin Yan, and explained their purpose.

Actually, their arrival was quite coincidental.

Jiang Ke had long known about the situation in Sibi City. He had received orders from the emperor not to let Jin Yan get into trouble, and was preparing to send troops to rescue her.

As a result, waiting for the two of them delayed the rescue by a few days.

When Jin Yan heard that the emperor had sent them, she breathed a sigh of relief and was about to express her gratitude when she suddenly shuddered and stared blankly at an attendant behind Li Ji.

The attendant was An Lie. He was lucky enough to arrive just in time for Li Ji and his companion to be sent on a mission to Baekje, and King Jiseon sent him to accompany them.

An Lie kept Wang Jishan's instructions firmly in mind, daring not to reveal the slightest flaw, and kept his head down, avoiding looking at Jin Yan.

Jin Yan quickly came to her senses, her eyes red, and invited Li Ji and the others into Sibi City.

On the way into the city, Jiang Ke carefully observed the streets of Baekje. When the people in the city saw the Tang army enter the city, they brought food and drink and shouted loudly, clearly delighted by the arrival of the Tang army.

Jiang Ke was stationed in Baekje for a long time and knew the Baekje people best.

Their initial rejection of the Tang army, followed by wariness, familiarity, acceptance, and now support, reflects the constantly evolving public sentiment.

The Tang army never participated in the Baekje civil war; every time they appeared, it was with the intention of ending the war, which explains why the people of Baekje welcomed them.

After arriving at the palace, Jin Yan hosted a banquet for Li Ji and the others.

Li Ji and Wu Minzhi gained a lot of experience along the way: blood-stained cities, armies like refugees, people like beggars, and even this imperial banquet couldn't compare to what the servants of the Wu family ate.

The two of them suddenly felt fortunate to have been born in the Tang Dynasty.

Their sense of national identity deepened at this moment, which reminded them of their mission.

After the banquet, they left the palace and, right outside, told the people of Baekje about the grain relief provided by the Tang Dynasty.

An interpreter was present to convey their message to the people.

Upon hearing this, the people cheered and knelt down to kowtow. However, when they learned that the grain had to be collected from Xiongjin Port, they all looked troubled.

A burly Baekje man shouted, “Your Excellency, as you can see, the Buyeo rebels have surrounded Sabi Fortress, and we have no way to get to Ungjin Port!”

Another person shouted, "Please, Your Majesty, convey our plea to save us! We will be loyal to Your Majesty forever!"

The interpreter relayed public opinion.

After listening, Wu Minzhi said, "Brother Li, I think what they said makes sense. His Majesty doesn't know the true situation in Sibi City, so why don't we distribute the grain here?"

Li Ji then asked Jiang Ke, "What does General Jiang think?"

Jiang Ke smiled and said, "His Majesty instructed us to release grain at Xiongjin Port because he was afraid that the people of Baekje would not know that the grain was from our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Given the current situation in Sibi City, and the fact that these people have witnessed the Tang army entering the city, I believe there is nothing wrong with distributing grain within the city!"

Li Ji nodded and said, "Alright, we'll do as you two suggest, but we should also inform Governor Jin."

At this moment, Jin Yan had no time to care about what Li Ji and the others wanted to do; she only hoped to meet An Lie as soon as possible.

After hearing Li Ji and the others' request, he agreed without asking any further questions.

As evening approached, Jin Yan, under the arrangement of her inner guards, quietly left the palace and arrived at an abandoned house in the north of the city.

Upon arriving at the backyard of the house and entering a room, An Lie was already waiting for a long time.

After they met, they embraced tightly, as if they wanted to merge into each other's bodies.

After a long while, Jin Yan looked up and asked, "Why are you here?"

An Lie smiled and said, "General Wang came to me and told me about your situation. After hearing that you were in danger, I was very worried and begged him repeatedly. That's why General Wang arranged for me to come and see you."

Jin Yan didn't say anything more, but hugged his neck tightly and opened her lips.

An Lie could no longer hold back and bit down hard, and the two of them soon rolled to the ground.

After a short while, An Lie sat up first, put on his clothes, and said, "Yan'er, I promised General Wang that I wouldn't let you expose your identity. We can't meet for too long."

Jin Yan, panting, said, "I understand. I will complete the mission as soon as possible and then return to Chang'an to find you. I will never come to Baekje again."

An Lie grasped her hand and said seriously, "Among the things the delegation brought this time, there are two boxes of gold and silver jewelry, which are my personal money. You can take this money; it might come in handy."

Jin Yan exclaimed in surprise, "You didn't sell the Chamber of Commerce, did you?"

An Lie laughed and said, "Don't worry, I've left some money for you to live on. I won't let my Yan'er suffer for the rest of her life."

Jin Yan let out a soft "Ying Ning" and threw herself into his arms again, and the two rolled around in each other's arms once more.

(End of this chapter)