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

Li You led his troops across the plains, and only after meeting up with the nearby fraternal units did they slow down and head towards the main camp.

The Goguryeo leadership had already noticed the harassment tactics launched by the Tang Dynasty and sent troops to suppress them, but with little success.

The Tang army consisted of several thousand elite cavalrymen who were highly mobile, able to move quickly and easily. Although the Goguryeo cavalry could capture small groups of Tang soldiers, the main force of the Tang army was never encountered.

Li Ke led his troops on a journey that lasted a day and a night before the attacking Tang army finally entered the main camp.

The captured horses, men, women, and weapons, as well as the number of enemies killed in this battle, were recorded by the military clerk in the marching office and then taken into the supply camp for further distribution.

The military clerk was a low-ranking civilian employee in the army, responsible for recording the merits of small-scale battles.

The higher-ranking military civil servants were called clerks, who were responsible for managing military documents in addition to compiling statistics on military achievements.

Therefore, an army needs not only soldiers skilled in combat but also literate personnel to assist the commander in managing the entire force. This demonstrates how useful cultural knowledge was in ancient times.

Li Ke ignored these trivial matters and, together with his lieutenant general, went straight into the central command tent.

Generals such as Niu Jinda and Cheng Zhijie were discussing military matters.

"Greetings, Commander-in-Chief, greetings, Duke Lu."

"Where are you planning to lead that enemy force you're chasing?"

Niu Jinda was very straightforward, without any nonsense, and asked the question directly.

Li Ke stepped forward and pointed to the map: "This is a small town in Goguryeo. There must be an ambush here. To ensure safety, we haven't found out the exact number of people."

Niu Jinda laughed and said, "These Goguryeo people aren't stupid; they've been digging traps for us all along."

It turns out that Li Ke's pursuit a few days ago was not without reason, but was accompanied by some intentions of the commander-in-chief Niu Jinda.

Cheng Zhijie asked, "Should we wipe them out?"

"Let's forget it. His Majesty only ordered us to harass them, not to engage the Goguryeo army in direct combat. We've done enough here; let's move on to another place..."

"You scoundrel, all you've done all these years is run away! Fighting with you is so uninteresting!"

"If I had 20,000 men under my command, I would have charged in long ago. Would you need to tell me?"

Seeing the two veteran generals arguing again, all the generals in the tent, including Li Ke, laughed.

Despite their arguments, Niu and Cheng are actually very good brothers. They have been hanging out together since the Wagangzhai days, for more than 30 years now.

In comparison, Niu Jinda was more cautious, so Li Shimin handed over command to him.

"Send the order: in two hours, break camp, turn southeast, and continue the burning and killing. After this operation, we'll return to Youzhou to rest!"

"promise!"

At Niu Jinda's command, thousands of Tang soldiers suddenly changed positions and marched towards the next agricultural area of ​​the Goguryeo people.

The enemy's ambush naturally became ineffective.

Three days later, the Tang army stormed into the towns of Goguryeo, killed and ate their livestock, burned their grain, destroyed their farmland and irrigation ditches, and took men, women, and children together to Youzhou.

The Tang army has carried out the aforementioned actions seven or eight times recently, causing great distress to the Goguryeo leadership.

Upon receiving the news, Yeon Gaesomun, the powerful minister of Goguryeo, was furious and prepared to send 50,000 elite troops to wipe out the Tang army.

At this time, Goguryeo had already swallowed up Silla and Baekje and was at the peak of its power.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain.

There can only be one hegemon in the Far East.

Yeon Gaesomun already had a premonition of a possible major war with the Tang Dynasty in the future.

Therefore, the entire Goguryeo state was also preparing for war.

Yeon Gaesomun issued a strict order to implement a wartime system of "men serving and women farming" throughout the country, which meant that all men would serve in the army and women would be responsible for cultivating the land.

Goguryeo also built "mountain fortresses" in important locations in preparation for a possible Tang army offensive.

However, Niu Jinda perfectly executed Li Shimin's orders, and after completing the last job, he escorted the male and female prisoners back to Youzhou. Yeon Gaesomun's 50,000-strong army ultimately found nothing.

It will take several more days to retreat from enemy territory back to Youzhou.

As night fell, the Tang army set up their defenses and then established their camp.

The subordinate general of King Li Ke of Wu was named Qiu Shiheng.

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), Li Ke was about to rest when Qiu Shiheng, along with two soldiers, escorted several Goguryeo female captives into the camp.

"Your Majesty, the north is cold. These beautiful female slaves are perfect for warming the bed."

Li Ke frowned, slightly displeased.

But his expression remained unchanged, and he smiled, "Old Qiu, I appreciate your kindness. These women are for the brothers to deal with."

Qiu Shiheng waved his hand, and the two soldiers led the Goguryeo female captives out.

"Old Qiu, have a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"How long have you been in the Youzhou army?"

"It has been twelve years in total."

"Your martial arts skills are excellent, and you're intelligent, so why haven't you been promoted?"

"Well... it's hard to be an official without connections in the court, and the same goes for us military officers."

Li Ke laughed and said, "You're a capable person, and you're willing to risk your life on the battlefield. We've also developed a bond as comrades these past few days. I'll find someone to transfer you to the General's Office in Luoyang. What do you say?"

Qiu Shiheng was overjoyed, feeling that his days of flattery had finally come to an end.

"Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

"The personal guards you brought are quite good. Find a way to bring them to Luoyang as well, and I will settle them all in peace."

"promise!"

Li Ke's performance in requesting to lead the troops was outstanding on the surface, and he also secretly made friends with many military generals.

There aren't many rules on the battlefield. As long as you can fight and are loyal, people will naturally be willing to follow you. Not to mention, Li Ke can also indirectly influence the future of these warriors.

After chatting with Qiu Shiheng for a while, the man left.

Li Ke blew out the lamp, and without taking off his armor, he simply covered himself with the animal skin quilt, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

From time to time, screams of Korean women could be heard from the surrounding tents.

Li Ke was upset and confused. His second brother had regained his moral high ground, and he began to regret his earlier decision.

He got up again, lit an oil lamp, and took out a sky-blue gem from his saddlebag, examining it for a long time.

This gemstone is called turquoise, and it was bought and given to Li Ke by his beloved concubine, Su Chuyi. It is very valuable.

Looking at the gem, Li Ke smiled, and his mind gradually calmed down.

He then blew out the oil lamp again and fell into a deep sleep.

After traveling for five days, the group finally entered Youzhou City.

During the Tang Dynasty, Youzhou was an important military town in the north with a population of around 100,000, including a significant number of non-Han people.

Some of these Hu people were prisoners of war, some had lived here since childhood, and a small number were merchants from the Western Regions who came from various places to do business with the border troops.

As the year draws to a close and the north is cold, goods such as milk crisps, cured meat, felt blankets, and spirits are selling very well.

Especially strong liquor, which is a great way to warm up, and many border soldiers and civilians enjoy it.