Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 156 Uncle and Nephew
Li Tiao, the military governor of Lingnan East Circuit, was born into the imperial family, a descendant of the late Crown Prince Li Jiancheng. His ancestor was Li Jiancheng's posthumous son, born six months after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and was subsequently pardoned by Emperor Taizong.

Two hundred years have passed, and the imperial court will naturally no longer be wary of Li Jiancheng's descendants.

However, the Xuanwu Gate Incident remains an indelible scar in the history of the Tang Dynasty. If a descendant of a hidden crown prince were to use military strategy and tactics to overthrow the central government of the Tang Dynasty and be crowned emperor, the local military governors would undoubtedly submit to him without hesitation.

If You Di's plan succeeds, the Demonic Sect's power accumulated overseas for two hundred years will surely return, infiltrate the empire's very fabric, and become a new dynasty still bearing the name of the Great Tang, a group that controls the core interests.

"I heard about the reputation of Li Yi, the young master of Lingnan, for his association with chivalrous heroes ten years ago. It seems that not long after Pang Xun's downfall, this woman You Di has already hooked up with the eldest son of the Li family."

Zhu Wen sneered, "But she's trying to seduce Brother Yang. I suspect that Young Master Li Yi has at most touched her hand."

Yang Xingmi said calmly, "The people of the Demonic Sect have the art of preserving youth; she can wait."

The Demonic Sect has been absent from the Central Plains for two hundred years, yet their miraculous methods of preserving youth still circulate in the martial arts world. It is said that in the past, Empress Zhu Yuyan, even at over seventy years old, looked like a young woman in her prime.

Such extraordinary feats that seize the very essence of heaven and earth come at a price. Besides the difficulty in reaching the highest level, demonic martial arts also have an unstable foundation. One careless mistake can lead to a mishap, resulting in hemiplegia or death from ruptured blood vessels.

Even the once peerless demon lord Qiao Beiming was caught off guard by Wang Xianzhi, who triggered a backlash of demonic energy, damaging his dantian. Only then did he suffer a swift defeat despite having the upper hand.

Ordinary women of the Demonic Sect view matters of the heart quite casually. But someone of You Di's status would certainly cherish her virginity and sell it for a high price. In this respect, the disciples of the Demonic Sect are remarkably similar to the courtesans of brothels.

The secret that Flower King Youdi came from the Demonic Sect was unknown even to Ge Jian, the Wing King, who was also one of the Four Kings of the Ming Cult. In the past, the only one who knew the truth was probably Pang Xun, the leader of the Ming Cult.

Zhu Wen and Yang Xingmi learned of this by chance, which is why they had to dismiss their personal guards to talk, so as not to spread the news and alarm You Di himself.

After discussing all matters, Yang Xingmi bowed to Zhu Wen and took his leave, boarding a boat and disappearing into the vast expanse of Taihu Lake.

The light boat has already passed; the journey ahead is long and arduous, stretching to the ends of the earth. When the two meet again, it remains to be seen whether they will be friends or foes!

……

"Within five days, with one-tenth of our forces, we will defeat the powerful enemy and leave no one alive." Inside the command tent, Lei Shuai Gao Pian looked disdainful: "Jia Xu and Jia Wenhe are too petty. No wonder they could only be strategists all their lives. They were appointed as Grand Commandant by Cao Pi and ridiculed by Sun Quan of Jiangdong."

Gao Pian was nearly sixty, but due to his good maintenance, he looked no more than forty. With his sword-like eyebrows and prominent nose, his face was very three-dimensional, possessing both the masculine air of a battlefield warrior and the dazzling elegance of a noble young master.

A handsome young man stood to the side, his appearance resembling Gao Pian's by six or seven points, but his face was slightly thinner and his eyes were a little smaller, so he was ultimately a little less handsome.

The Gao clan of Bohai was known for producing beautiful women. Gao Changgong, the Prince of Lanling, was gentle in appearance but strong in heart. His feat of breaking through the enemy lines at Mangban is still praised to this day.

Lei Shuai Gao Pian and his nephew Gao Yan were both direct descendants of the Prince of Lanling and were both recognized as handsome men.

Gao Yan knew that what Gao Pian was commenting on was the "Prince's Head Offering" strategy from the dark military tactics used by Jia Xu, the cunning strategist of the Three Kingdoms period.

“Uncle would never push himself to the brink alone,” Gao Yan said respectfully.

Gao Pian tapped his knuckles on the table: "To put oneself in a desperate situation and then live is nothing more than the Chu King's burning of the boats. When the army's food supplies are exhausted, the three armies collapse on their own."

Gao Yan said, "The reason why the court likes Uncle's fighting style is because Uncle has won every battle and consumes less military rations than others each time."

Previously, Gao Pian quelled the rebellion of Yuan Chang and Wang Ying in Jiangdong in just one month because he had only prepared one month's worth of military rations. "But when facing a formidable enemy like Huang Jutian, plans often can't keep up with changes," Gao Pian said leisurely. Although he acknowledged Huang Chao's strength, he showed no sign of defeat: "If our army were to pursue them now, our military rations would certainly be insufficient."

A barely perceptible hint of joy appeared in Gao Yan's eyes.

He hasn't had the opportunity to lead independently for many years.

“I believe that the bandits will advance eastward from Xuanzhou and travel along the southern edge of Taihu Lake. Pei Qu, the military governor of Zhenhai, and Cui Qiu, the military governor of Zhejiang East, will both lead troops to intercept them. Our army can attack from both sides without needing many troops.”

Gao Pian's eyes suddenly turned piercingly bright.

His gaze fell on Gao Yan's face, but it seemed as if he wanted to see into Gao Yan's heart.

“Yanwei, you must be very upset that people say you are ‘promising as a child but not necessarily successful as an adult’.”

Yanwei is the courtesy name of Gao Yan.

"You were only sixteen years old when you took the alias Zhang Gao and infiltrated Pang Xun's rebel army alone. In just a few months, you became one of the 'Five Scattered Demons' of the Ming Cult. When Pang Xun's power weakened, you made a decisive move and devised a plan to persuade 'Ghost King' Ming Shiyin to surrender to the imperial court. The Ming Cult's rebel forces collapsed in an instant."

"But ten years later, you haven't achieved any greater success. Even your childhood friends are gossiping about you behind your back, aren't they?"

Gao Yan's body stiffened: "Your nephew dares not have any complaints..."

Gao Pian's expression was unusually kind, completely unlike the cold-blooded and ruthless Lei Shuai who was seen by others: "Life has its ups and downs, just like the waxing and waning of the moon. Opportunities don't come all the time. The key is whether you can seize them. If your uncle hadn't met your grandmaster, he would have been just an ordinary person in this life."

Gao Yan was overjoyed.

He knew that the grandmaster his uncle Gao Pian mentioned was none other than his uncle's teacher, the last war god of the Tang Dynasty, Shi Xiong, the military governor of Fengxiang and the inspector of the Ministry of Works.

Gao Pian was so fascinated by Xiang Yu's military strategy of "breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats" because Shi Xiong had used the same military tactics passed down by Xiang Yu when he defeated 100,000 with only 3,000 men at Shahu Mountain and destroyed the Uyghur Khanate.

When Shi Xiong took the head of Wu Jie Khan, the proud son of the northern desert, with a single spear thrust, he used the final move of the Overlord Spear Technique – Overlord Sea Dragon Slayer!
For Gao Pian, Shi Xiong was both his mentor and his benefactor.

A fine horse is common, but a discerning eye is rare. Gao Pian, whose courtesy name was Qianli, was able to fully display his talents and roam the world thanks to the guidance and support of Shi Xiong, a discerning eye.

And now, is my uncle finally willing to be my mentor?

“You will lead my elite troops and follow slowly behind. This will save on military rations and give Pei Qu and Cui Qiu a chance to make a name for themselves.” Gao Pian said calmly, “The troops in Liangzhe are weak, but if they can’t even intercept us properly, they can’t blame us.”

Gao Yan prostrated himself and said, "As your nephew, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

"Get up," Gao Pian said casually. "Regardless of victory or defeat, keep our casualties below ten. If you can do that, you will be entrusted with important responsibilities in the future."

To the average person, this would seem like deliberately making things difficult.

However, as the head of the Four Great Generals of the Tang Dynasty, Gao Pian believed that such a demand was a matter of course.

(End of this chapter)