Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

"Sanwa, how many brothers like you, who followed me from Shandong back then, are left in our army?"

"There's still over two thousand left. Everyone's doing alright, it's just... it's just that everyone's a little bit thinking about going back to their hometown in Shandong to visit."

"Alas! It's all my fault! Separating flesh and blood, father and son unable to reunite... Sanwa, go back to visit your family now, take your travel expenses, and lead the soldiers under your command. Spend the New Year at your home this year, and have a lively reunion dinner with your parents."

"Very well, thank you, my lord!"

Wang Sanwa was very happy to hear Li You's arrangement.

"My lord, I was thinking, could we bring my parents and sisters over to celebrate the New Year with us?"

"I've learned a lot from my lord. Now I know that those landlords are all Brahmins. They're no good. Our family used to be bullied by the landlords' lackeys all the time. One of my older sisters was even forcibly taken to the landlord's house. If we could bring my parents and sisters over, they wouldn't have to suffer those bastards anymore."

"Okay, bring them all over. I'll send more people to bring your sister back too. Be careful on the road."

"Very well, thank you, my lord!"

"Sanwa, at your age, it's time to find a wife. Are there any girls you like in our village?"

"Uh...yes, there are, but...it's not easy to choose..."

"What? You've got your eye on more than one?"

"Uh... my lord, you're mistaken. It's that among those women, more than one has taken a liking to me."

"...Alright, once your family arrives, get the wedding done as soon as possible, understand?"

"Yes! I will obey your orders, my lord!"

"Okay, go and get ready. Let's see if you can bring your whole family over during the New Year."

Wang Sanwa left excitedly, but Li You felt quite uneasy.

He had lost interest in reading and began to reflect: were the things he had done along the way right or wrong?

They plotted a rebellion, annihilated powerful families, distributed land extensively, opened up forests, executed the monk Yuanjue, burned the imperial warships, mined copper and silver mines, established the Huimin Bank, implemented movable type printing, liberated monastic slaves, stole Confucian classics, and promoted simplified Chinese characters.

Many things are things that should be done, but it's actually difficult to distinguish right from wrong.

Sugarcane can't be sweet at both ends; being too rigid can easily lead to problems at both ends.

Of all the things he did, Li You felt that the most dishonest thing he did was to make Wang Erwa his stand-in.

He owes the Wang family a life for this.

Apart from this incident, everything else, including the lives he himself had taken…

Some people will definitely die, but at the same time, many more people will be able to live.

It's true that powerful families control land and monopolize knowledge.

Is it right for the monk Yuanjue to prey on the common people and imprison slaves?

That's definitely wrong. Since it's wrong, then we should punish them!

As for rebelling, they've already come this far; if they don't continue, Li You feels he'd be letting down the people around him.

In the end, he was just an ordinary transmigrator with the identity of a prince.

Li You had no idea what the mysterious force that had caused him to travel through time was trying to achieve.

But now that so many people have gathered around me, and they are willing to work with me, and many things have already achieved considerable results, I might as well just tough it out and keep going.

Li You sighed deeply, stepped outside, looked up at the mountains on the horizon, and gradually calmed down.

How many times has the world been wounded by past events, yet the mountain remains unchanged, nestled against the cold current.

Today, when all under heaven are our home, the old fortress stands desolate amidst the autumn reeds.

Wang Sanwa was overjoyed at the thought of bringing his brothers home in glory.

Before leaving, Li You called him over again, gave him some instructions, and sent more than twenty brothers to go with him.

However, this year's Spring Festival will inevitably be a time when some people will not be able to go back and reunite with their beloved families.

For example, the soldiers and civilians who participated in the war in the northern border of the empire.

North of the Tang Dynasty, within the territory of Goguryeo.

A troop of 300 Tang cavalrymen was galloping at full speed, chasing after the fleeing Goguryeo cavalrymen.

Leading the pack on horseback was a young general.

The man held a lance and stared intently at his "prey."

He was none other than Li Ke, the King of Wu, who had volunteered to lead the troops into battle.

After Li Ke joined the Youzhou army camp, he performed exceptionally well in all aspects.

The commander-in-chief Niu Jinda and deputy commander Cheng Zhijie, who were in charge of this battle, were even more impressed with the King of Wu.

Cheng Zhijie is now old and his energy is waning. Moreover, he is somewhat impulsive. Therefore, Emperor Li Shimin issued an edict appointing Niu Jinda as the commander-in-chief.

Actually, it's already considered good that veterans like Cheng Zhijie can still make appearances.

Li Jing and Yuchi Jingde, these old heroes of yesteryear, are now either sick or paralyzed, unable to fight any longer.

After the Tang army officially launched its harassment campaign against Goguryeo, Prince Li Ke of Wu always took the lead in every battle, and his long spear was stained with the blood of Goguryeo people.

These fierce generals also earned the respect and trust of the border troops.

This is precisely the goal that Li Ke aims to achieve on this trip.

To be honest, the King of Wu really enjoyed the feeling of galloping on horseback, cutting down and reaping enemy troops, as if it were some kind of innate instinct.

As the two cavalry forces closed the distance, Li Ke controlled his horse with his left arm and suddenly hurled his long spear with his right. The weapon arced through the air and accurately pierced the back of the enemy knight.

This drew cheers from the surrounding Tang soldiers.

"Continue the pursuit!"

As Li Ke passed by the corpse, he forcefully pulled out the spear that was stuck in it.

A quarter of an hour later, the Goguryeo cavalry at the front could no longer hold on. Some soldiers who did not want to die broke away from the ranks, stopped their horses, threw away their weapons and bows and arrows, and lay on their backs, waiting for the Tang army to capture them.

Those who stubbornly resisted were still urging their horses forward.

Unfortunately, Li Ke was not prepared to let them go.

After a fierce battle, the Tang army that caught up with them slaughtered all the Goguryeo people and even captured more than twenty prisoners.

The warhorses that were scattered in various places but still had strength were also gathered back and taken as spoils of war.

As for the horses that died from exhaustion, their saddles and stirrups were removed, and the horse carcasses, along with the enemy corpses, were left on the wasteland.

If circumstances permit, the horse carcass should actually be taken back. Dried horse meat is a delicacy in the army.

But within enemy territory, danger lurks everywhere.

The cavalry led by Li Ke is now the hunter, but in the future, they may become the prey; it's all uncertain.

Warhorses galloped past, and the burned houses, trampled farmland, and murdered corpses of the Goguryeo people all testified to the Tang army's "achievements" over the past two or three months.

If they encountered any Goguryeo civilians hiding, Li Ke and his men would capture them and send them back to camp.

Those who resist and refuse to leave will be killed on the spot.

War is so cruel and ruthless; the future will be anything but easy for these Goguryeo people and prisoners.

The task the emperor assigned to Niu Jinda was to destroy Goguryeo's agricultural infrastructure and weaken its national strength.