Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 436 For the Honor of the Wu Clan
After receiving Li Zhi's decree, Wang Jishan immediately began selecting capable individuals to go to Goguryeo to carry out the mission.

According to intelligence from the front, after being driven out of Pyongyang, Quan Nansheng hid in a place called Wandushan.

This place is extremely remote, nestled between the Qianshan Mountains and the Changbai Mountains. As long as you continue north, you can escape to the Mohe people.

Because it is located east of the Qianshan Mountains, it would not have been easy to get around it. Fortunately, Zhao Chiman's army, one of the four northern armies, marched north, which opened up a passage that allowed the inner guards to pass.

Over the past six months, Wang Jishan has thoroughly investigated the situation of the Quan brothers.

The eldest son, Quan Nan, is rather timid and lacks assertiveness, while the second son, Quan Nanjian, is a decisive and ruthless person, somewhat resembling Quan Gaisuwen.

Therefore, it is not difficult to win over Quan Nansheng. Just point out the advantages and disadvantages, make him understand that Goguryeo is doomed to defeat and that only by surrendering to the Tang Dynasty can he survive. He will then naturally be willing to submit.

The difficulty lies in how, after winning him over, we can maximize his value and make him better serve the Tang army, only then can we truly fulfill the task assigned by the emperor.
To do this, you must find an experienced spy.

Wang Jishan thoroughly examined the spies listed in the rosters of the capital and the various prefectures in Hebei, and quickly identified three individuals.

Just as he was pondering which of the three to choose, his subordinate reported that Cheng Wuting was requesting an audience.

Wang Jishan ordered someone to invite him in and asked, "Wu Ting, what brings you here?"

Cheng Wuting, with a solemn expression, cupped his hands and said, "General, this humble general wishes to go to Goguryeo."

Wang Jishan raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't forget, there are many Goguryeo spies in Chang'an now. That's your job!"

Cheng Wuting said, "General, do you remember when I went around to the heart of Tibet to contact the various tribes of Supi? Now that the Quan brothers are at odds, I want to try to persuade Quan Nansheng to defect and serve our Great Tang!"

Wang Jishan was taken aback for a moment and said, "You came for Quan Nansheng?"

Cheng Wuting said, "That's right. I believe he is extremely valuable. If we can win him over, we can greatly undermine the morale of the Goguryeo army!"

Wang Jishan was silent for a while, then said, "Your suggestion is exactly what His Majesty wanted. His Majesty just issued an edict ordering me to select someone to persuade Quan Nansheng to defect!"

Cheng Wuting was overjoyed and said, "General, if that's the case, you should send this humble general there even more!"

Wang Jishan stared at him for a while and said, "I trust your abilities and experience. I only have one concern."

Cheng Wuting was taken aback: "What are you worried about?"

Wang Jishan asked, "Your father is also in Goguryeo. What would you do if he encountered danger or was ambushed?"

Cheng Wuting calmly replied, "My father has his duties, and I have my mission. As long as it is for the country, my father and I are willing to give our lives!"

Wang Jishan nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright, I'll leave this matter to you. I'll give you another hint."

Cheng Wuting said, "Please speak."

Wang Jishan said, "Go find Chief Steward Li first. He has a man named Gao Funan by his side who knows more about the situation in Goguryeo. You can ask him for advice before you go to Quan Nansheng."

Cheng Wuting cupped his hands and said, "This subordinate understands!" He then took his leave.

As they walked along the corridor of the Inner Territory, a man suddenly approached them. He was handsome and strode confidently; it was Wu Minzhi, who had recently joined the Inner Territory.

Cheng Wuting had dealt with Wu Minzhi before, regarding the matter of the Great Food Plot.

Later, Wu Minzhi joined the Inner Commandery. Since he was close in age to Wu Minzhi and they were old acquaintances, Wu Minzhi was determined to befriend him.

Cheng Wuting didn't have many friends in the inner court, but when he saw that Cheng Wuting often invited him to drink, he naturally reciprocated. Over time, the two became quite familiar with each other.

When Wu Minzhi met him, he asked him why he came to the General Headquarters. At first, Cheng Wuting refused to say, but Wu Minzhi kept pestering him until he finally said that he was going to Yingzhou on official business.

Wu Minzhi's eyes lit up, and he said, "I know, you're going to the Goguryeo battlefield, aren't you?"

Cheng Wuting said in a low voice, "Brother Wu, although we have a good relationship, when working in the Inner Commandery, you can't just ask about other people's missions."

Wu Minzhi snorted and said, "Fine, I won't ask. I'll go find the General!"

His anger was justified, because after Li Zhi declared war on Goguryeo, he had requested several times to go to Goguryeo to gather intelligence for the army, but Wang Jishan had refused each time.

Now that even Cheng Wuting can go to Goguryeo, but he can't, he's naturally dissatisfied. He immediately went to Wang Jishan's office and clamored to go to Goguryeo!
Wang Jishan, annoyed by his daily nagging, waved his hand and said, "How about this, as long as Her Majesty the Empress allows you to go to Goguryeo, I will no longer object!"

Wu Minzhi was overjoyed and said, "Then please wait for my news, General."

He strode out of the Inner Palace, passed through the Xuanwu Gate to the inner palace, and went all the way to the Lizheng Hall. There he found Wu Meiniang and asked to go to Goguryeo.

Wu Meiniang was holding a jade pen, standing behind her desk, studying the matter of simplified characters. She didn't have time to pay attention to him and just waved her hand.

"Go find your superior, don't bother me."

Wu Minzhi hurriedly said, "Aunt, the General said that sending me there is no problem, but he was afraid that you would not agree, so he asked me to come and ask for your consent!"

Wu Meiniang finally raised her head and asked, "Did he really say that?"

Wu Minzhi said, "If Aunt doesn't believe me, she can go and ask General Wang!"

Wu Meiniang thought for a moment and said, "Minzhi, you are still young. The battlefield in Goguryeo is too chaotic and it is a bitterly cold place. You should train for a few more years."

Wu Minzhi said urgently, "Aunt, His Majesty has sent three princes to Laizhou to hone their skills. If the princes are doing this, I, your nephew, cannot fall behind!"

Wu Meiniang frowned upon hearing this.

Wu Minzhi pressed on, saying, "Think about it, in this war against Goguryeo, all the civil and military officials sent their outstanding sons to share the burden of the court. Only our Wu family didn't have a single person who could contribute. This is a disgrace to you!"

Wu Meiniang remained silent for a while, but she also felt that what he said made sense.

Despite having so many descendants, not a single one was capable of going to the Goguryeo battlefield. To outsiders, it was clear that she, as the empress, was incapable of educating her clan's members.

"Minzhi, the battlefield is dangerous. Not only is your life in danger at any time, but you may also be captured by the enemy, subjected to torture, and have your army's intelligence extracted. Have you thought about all of this?" she asked sternly.

Wu Minzhi said loudly, "Aunt, please rest assured, there is only Wu Minzhi who died in battle, not Wu Minzhi who was captured. Your nephew will never bring shame to the Wu clan!"

Wu Meiniang glanced at him and said, "Since you have this awareness, then go."

Wu Minzhi was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Aunt!" He knelt down and kowtowed before heading to find Wang Jishan.

Wu Meiniang stopped him, saying, "Go out of the palace first and tell your maternal grandmother and mother."

Wu Minzhi responded and left the Lizheng Hall.

After he left, Wu Meiniang wrote a letter and instructed, "Duohai, take this and give it to Wang Jishan."

Immediately, a palace attendant took the letter to the inner palace and handed it to Wang Jishan.

After reading it, Wang Jishan frowned deeply.

Empress Wu then agreed to let Wu Minzhi go to Goguryeo, but asked him to assign Wu Minzhi a less dangerous task, which was clearly a way of making things difficult for him.

Two hours later, Wu Minzhi persuaded Wu Shun and Madam Yang to come to the Inner Palace and report to Wang Jishan.

Wang Jishan handed him a letter and said, "Take this letter and go find Cheng Wuting. Go with him to Goguryeo."

Cheng Wuting was experienced and capable, so with him looking after her, Wu Minzhi's safety was guaranteed.

Moreover, the route to Wandu Mountain has already been cleared by Zhao Chiman, so this mission is actually not very dangerous.

Wu Minzhi immediately left the palace and went to Yi Mansion to find Cheng Wuting.

When Cheng Wuting saw that Wu Minzhi was setting off with him, he immediately felt a headache coming on, as it was like taking a burden on the road.

There was nothing they could do; Wang Jishan had given the order.

The next morning, he handed over his duties, mounted a fast horse, took Wu Minzhi with him, and selected four or five capable veteran spies, and set off for Yingzhou. In order to save time, the group crossed the river at Fenglingdu near Tongguan.

After entering Hedong Road, crossing the Taihang Mountains, and entering Hebei, we rode our horses at full speed and soon arrived at Yingzhou.

Cheng Wuting was quite tired from his hurried journey, so he ordered everyone to rest for a day in Liucheng before heading to Goguryeo in high spirits.

That night, while having a meal in Yingzhou, his men learned that Xue Rengui had made rapid advances, breaking through Mashou Mountain and capturing three small cities, and had already reached Wugu City.

On the other side, his father Cheng Mingzhen and Qibi Heli were not to be outdone. Taking advantage of their route, they had also reached Anshi City.

After arriving in Yingzhou, Wu Minzhi was extremely excited and inquired about a lot of military information from the front lines.

He whispered, “Brother Cheng, I heard that the garrison commander of Anshi City is named Yizhi Chen. When the late emperor attacked Anshi City, he was one of the garrison commanders. He is quite famous in Liaodong and is known as the Tiger General.”

Cheng Wuting glanced at him and said, "Is Anshi City our target?"

Wu Minzhi was taken aback: "No."

He inquired about Anshi City only because it was Cheng Mingzhen's target city, which is why he told his friend.

Cheng Wuting said, "In that case, it's not something we should worry about. Let's talk about the situation on General Zhao Chiman's side!"

Wu Minzhi laughed and said, "That General Zhao is indeed worthy of his reputation. He has conquered three cities along the way and is now attacking Cangyan City. Once this city is captured, we can go directly to Wandu Mountain without having to take a detour."

Cheng Wuting nodded and said, "That would be best. Where is Chief Steward Li now?"

Wu Minzhi said, "In Baiyan City."

The next day at dawn, Cheng Wuting left Liucheng and traveled at a rapid pace, first arriving at Xincheng, where the yellow battle flag of the Tang Dynasty had already been hung on the city wall.

Heading east, the cities along the way were adorned with Tang Dynasty flags, making their journey smoother.

Three days later, they finally arrived at White Rock City.

Li Ji chose to stay in Baiyan City because the city was located in the center of the four armies, so that news could be transmitted to it as soon as possible, which would facilitate his overall command.

Cheng Wuting arrived at the city gate first and paid his respects to Li Ji.

When Li Ji heard that he wanted to pay his respects to Gao Funan, he immediately knew his purpose. He smiled slightly and said, "General Cheng, you've come for Quan Nansheng, haven't you?"

Cheng Wuting said, "Yes, this humble general is ordered by the Emperor to go to Wandu Mountain to persuade Quan Nansheng to defect."

Li Ji stroked his beard and said, "I have heard some of the stories of General Cheng's deeds in Tibet. I was just a little worried about Zhao Chiman, but with General Cheng's arrival, I have nothing to worry about."

Cheng Wuting was stunned and said, "Lord Li, this humble general did not understand what you mean."

Li Ji pointed to the map hanging on the wall and said, "Do you know the direction Zhao Chiman's army is heading?"

Cheng Wu shook his head.

Li Ji pointed to a place in the north of the map and said, "That's Wandu Mountain!"

Cheng Wuting exclaimed in surprise, "So you had planned to turn Quan Nansheng against us all along?"

Li Ji smiled and nodded, saying, "You don't need to see Gao Funan. I have already relayed what he said to Zhao Chiman. You can go directly to him."

Cheng Wuting hesitated for a moment, then remained silent.

Li Ji asked, "Do you have any other questions?"

Cheng Wuting took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said, "I wonder if Lord Li trusts me?"

Li Ji squinted and said, "Speak your mind."

Cheng Wuting said, "I request that Lord Li entrust me with the task of persuading Quan Nansheng to defect, and have General Zhao detour south and continue his advance towards Pyongyang. I will then join General Zhao after I have persuaded Quan Nansheng!"

Li Ji said in a deep voice, "Do you know how risky it is to do this?"

Cheng Wuting said, "This humble general knows that if Quan Nansheng refuses to return to Tang and cuts off General Zhao's retreat, General Zhao will be in danger!"

Li Ji said, "If that's the case, I have a sure way, why should I take the risk?"

Cheng Wuting said, "Because this is faster! If the attacks on Wugu City and Anshi City fail, General Zhao can break through the Qianshan Mountains and head straight for the Yalu River, which will surely change the course of the war and plunge Goguryeo into chaos!"

Li Ji said, "Zhao Chiman didn't bring much food. Even if he reaches the Yalu River, he will be without food. How will he cross the river?"

Cheng Wuting said, "Quannan has food!"

Li Ji looked at him and said, "You want me to entrust the life and death of an army of 20,000 men to a barbarian?"

Cheng Wuting stood firm, his gaze intense, and said, "Lord Li, think about it. If General Xue, General Qibi, and General Zheng's three armies all suffer setbacks, then General Zhao's army will be the key to turning the tide. At this time, taking a little risk is worthwhile in my opinion!"

Li Ji snorted and said, "You really dare to say that. All three groups of troops have been blocked by the enemy. Do you think my plan is so useless?"

Cheng Wuting cupped his hands and said, "This humble general is merely saying that such a possibility exists. All possibilities on the battlefield should be considered, shouldn't they?"

Li Ji asked, "What if the other three armies advance smoothly?"

Cheng Wuting said, "If that's the case, General Zhao's troops can join forces with the other routes at the Yalu River, and there's no need to worry about the supply of provisions."

Li Ji nodded and said, "That's quite comprehensive."

Cheng Wu asked happily, "So you agree?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "No, I still can't agree to that."

Cheng Wu was stunned and asked, "Why?"

"Because you overlooked one point."

"Which point?"

"The Mohe people!"

Cheng Wuting was slightly startled. His attention was indeed focused only on Goguryeo, and he had not considered external forces.

Li Ji slowly said, "The Mohe people have withdrawn their troops from Japan and have already deployed heavy troops on the border. They even wrote to me saying that they want to help the Tang Dynasty to attack Goguryeo."

Cheng Wuting asked, puzzled, "If that's the case, aren't they friendly forces?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "Don't underestimate the Mohe people. They also understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' If our army advances smoothly, they won't dare to act rashly. They will definitely take the opportunity to invade Goguryeo and plunder it."

"However, if our army is blocked on multiple fronts and the situation becomes unfavorable, which is the situation you just described, they will definitely help Goguryeo and launch a surprise attack on Zhao Jiman's army. At that time, even if you persuade Quan Nansheng, Zhao Jiman's 20,000-strong army will definitely be annihilated!"

Cheng Wuting broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

Fortunately, Li Ji had a comprehensive view and a clear understanding of the situation; otherwise, if his advice had been adopted and such a situation had actually occurred, he would have been guilty beyond redemption even by the death of a thousand men!
Li Ji slowly said, "You should follow my plan and go with Zhao Chiman to persuade Quan Nansheng to surrender. Then you should take Quan Nansheng to join Xue Rengui's army."

Cheng Wuting asked, "What about General Zhao?"

Li Ji said calmly, "He will be stationed at Wandu Mountain, not giving the Mohe people any opportunity to take advantage!"

Cheng Wuting nodded, thinking to himself that Li Ji was indeed as sharp as ever, no wonder His Majesty chose him as the Grand Eunuch.

The next day, Cheng Wuting set off from Baiyan City and chased after Zhao Chiman's army.

……

(End of this chapter)