Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

"Is the enemy attacking?"

Gao Yi frowned slightly.

It wasn't the so-called enemy that Protector Bai mentioned.

After this period of exploration, Gao Yi still couldn't access the core secrets of the Maitreya Sect.

However, he was already very familiar with the general strength and situation of the Maitreya Sect.

Well, under the leadership of Zhu Faqingni Huihui, the Maitreya sect flourished immensely and was considered one of the strongest sects of its time.

However, with the deaths of the two, the Maitreya sect was immediately purged.

Even today, it would not be an exaggeration to describe them as a homeless dog.

As the actual controller of the Maitreya Sect, that is, the White Protector in front of Gao Yi.

From the fact that the other party arranged for Gao Yi to become the reincarnation of Maitreya, it can be seen that this person is not one to be content with mediocrity; on the contrary, he can be described as ambitious.

But often, having ambition alone is not enough to achieve success.

Without the corresponding strength, ambition in one's heart will only bring disaster.

Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, due to the pursuit by the forces of the Central Plains, the Maitreya sect fled into the territory of the Turks and took root in the border region.

Unfortunately, life in the borderlands wasn't so easy either.

Especially for religious forces like the Maitreya sect, competition in the border regions will be even more intense.

The Turks controlled an incredibly vast territory through continuous conquest and annexation.

However, in contrast, the power within the Turkic Khaganate was actually extremely fragmented.

Besides the various Turkic tribes led by the Ashina royal family, there were many other tribes and ethnic groups that either actively or passively chose to submit to the Turks.

Countries like the Xueyantuo in the north, and the Uyghurs, Gaochang, and Tuyuhun in the west, were all, in principle, under the rule of the Turks.

In reality, these forces each had their own agendas and schemes, including the Turkic tribes themselves, apart from the Ashina royal family.

This is precisely why numerous forces and religions sprang up within the Turkic territory.

For example, the Demonic Appearance Sect and the Extinction of Emotions Sect, two of the six sects of the Demonic Path, have a large part of their forces rooted in the Turkic Khaganate.

In terms of religion, besides the widely spread Tantric Buddhism and Shamanism, there are other religions.

Within the Uyghur territory, there is the Great Mingzun Sect, which originated from Manichaeism and has grown increasingly powerful in recent years.

In addition, there is Zoroastrianism, which originated from fire worship, and Nestorianism, which originated from Christianity.

Of course, these sects vary in strength, but none of them are ones that the Maitreya Sect, which has now been reduced to a minor force, can afford to provoke.

"Who are these enemies?"

Gao Yi squinted at Protector Bai.

To be honest, Gao Yi was genuinely curious.

He also had some understanding of the White Protector's personality.

Ambitious, but with average abilities. In addition, he tends to be cautious in personality, which means he is not very bold.

For religious forces like the Maitreya sect to expand, the most important thing is to spread their teachings. Besides the Central Plains, the most suitable place for them is naturally the core area of ​​the Turkic Khaganate. At the very least, they can aim at the small countries outside the core Turkic Khaganate.

Of course, once you get there, you'll inevitably have to compete with other forces.

The White Protector in front of them clearly did not choose the path above, but instead chose a small tribe in the border area.

As far as Gao Yi knew, Protector Bai chose this place not because he was driven away by other forces, but because he took the initiative to avoid them.

In this situation, someone actually came to kill them.

Gao Yi was naturally curious.

The Demonic Sect? The Buddhist Sect? Or the Great Ming Sect?

In terms of strength, these forces are like elephants compared to Maitreya Sect; they seem unlikely to target them, and Maitreya Sect is not worthy of their large-scale attack.

However, if we take historical ties into account, it seems that either side's actions are justifiable.

Faced with Gao Yi's question, Protector Bai did not answer, nor did he even care about Gao Yi's overstepping his bounds. He simply roared softly with a livid face.

"Enough with the nonsense, come with me."

His gaze swept across Protector Bai's face, and the other's anxiety was clearly visible.

Gao Yi pursed his lips and didn't say anything more.

The White Protector before them was like an ant on a hot pan; the situation was obvious.

They followed the White Protector out of the tent.

But the expected shouts and fighting did not come; instead, the sounds of chaotic footsteps and horses' hooves filled the air.

Gao Yi opened his mouth.

The scene before them didn't resemble an encounter with an enemy at all; rather, it looked like they were fleeing a famine.

Horses, cattle, sheep, soldiers, women, and children were huddled together like a swarm of headless flies.

"Quick, quick, quick! The Sui soldiers are coming! Quickly bring the cattle and sheep!"

Shouts rang out in my ears.

"Sui army?"

Gao Yi's eyes widened slightly, a look of surprise on his face.

"You two stay by the leader's side, and remember, never leave his side."

The White Protector completely ignored Gao Yi's doubts and simply waved to the distance.

Soon the two arrived at Gao Yi's side. One of them was Rou Rou, whom he had met before, and next to her was a man with a blank expression.

"Master, let's go quickly! The Sui army is coming fiercely, and it will be too late if we wait any longer."

Rou Rou came to Gao Yi's side, her face filled with anxiety.

"The Sui army has really attacked?" Gao Yi frowned, looking puzzled.

Rou Rou nodded quickly.

"Yes, some disciples of the sect have seen that a large contingent of the Sui army has already crossed the Yin Mountains."

"Who is the commander?" Gao Yi pressed.

Rou Rou was taken aback upon hearing this, and a look of hesitation flashed across her face.

"Rou Rou doesn't know, but the protector is so panicked, it must be that powerful prince of the Sui Dynasty."

"King of the Mountain... Yang Lin."

Gao Yi narrowed his eyes.

Rou Rou is right. The tribe where the Maitreya sect is located is situated on the border between the two countries, close to the Yinshan Mountains.

The Sui army closest to this location was under the command of the Prince of Kaoshan.

This great Sui emperor, who was in charge of the country, had been in charge of 100,000 troops and stationed south of Yinshan since the Kaihuang era.

Even when Yang Guang personally led an expedition against Goguryeo and suffered a major defeat, he did not mobilize this part of the troops.

Its most important purpose was to defend against the Turks.

Of course, in Gao Yi's view, Yang Lin's garrison here was not just for defense against the Turks.

Guan Yanglin deployed his army of over 100,000 men in three routes: one stationed at Dingxiang, another at Yanmen, and the third heading east to the Taihang Mountains.

The Dingxiang tribe was undoubtedly there to guard against the Turks, but the other two tribes were clearly not.

Yanmen is located near Taiyuan, which is the stronghold of the Li clan, one of the four major clans.

As one of the four great clans in the land, and a long-established giant within the Guanlong Group, the Li family has been feared since the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

The two emperors, Yang Jian and Yang Guang, placed Yang Lin in Bingzhou, which was like placing a retired emperor on the head of the Li family, firmly locking up this behemoth.

The last route also had the same purpose, except that it was to guard against Hebei in the east and even the Youzhou region.

After all, from the Qin-Zhao rivalry during the Warring States period to the Zhou-Qi rivalry during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Hebei had always been a major enemy of Guanzhong.

The conflict between Hebei and Guanzhong has been a recurring theme throughout history.

Even during the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties, Hebei was never truly at peace. Historically, this turmoil even extended into the Tang dynasty.