Late at night in Chang'an, in addition to the sound of Zhi Jinwu's footsteps as he patrolled and walked, and the sound of armor rubbing against each other, there could also occasionally be heard the sound of a watch.
One after another figures appeared near Chengjia Winery.
The leader looked around for a while, found nothing unusual, and waved to the others.
After receiving the order, the remaining people quickly jumped over the wall and entered the Chengjia Winery.
Except for the occasional sound of unknown insects, the Chengjia Winery was quiet.
"Half of us are on guard, the rest are following me," the leader said in a low voice.
The others said nothing and consciously divided into two teams.
A group of people spread out to be on guard, and the leader took the remaining people into the winery.
At this moment, rapid footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
Torches were lit on the roofs around the Chengjia Winery, illuminating the surrounding area like daylight.
The leading man in black looked outside and saw a large number of soldiers in armor appearing on the roof, holding bows and arrows, surrounding the Chengjia Winery.
"You've been discovered, run!" the leading man in black shouted.
After he finished shouting, he quickly broke the window and entered the room.
When the other men in black heard what the leader said, they quickly ran away.
"Fire the arrow!"
The soldiers obeyed the order, and arrows rained down from the sky.
"ah!"
There were more than thirty men in black. Except for a dozen who ran fast and found cover, all the others were shot to death by arrows.
Some were shot into hedgehogs on the spot and died without even letting out a scream.
After a round of arrow rain, the leading primary school waved their hands to stop firing arrows, and shouted: "Enter the attack, and don't let anyone escape!"
"yes!"
Not only the Chengjia Winery, but also the glaze-burning kilns and paper mills outside Chang'an City had a large number of men in black sneaking into them.
However, after they sneaked in, they were surrounded by a large number of soldiers.
These people were all dead soldiers, so it was impossible to capture them without mercy. Suddenly, there were shouts of killing from both inside and outside Chang'an City.
It has only been five or six years since the Xuanwumen Incident. The people of Chang'an City still remember the shouts of killing that rang out in Chang'an at that time. Therefore, there was a lot of noise and no one dared to go out to investigate.
But when those noble ministers heard the shouts of killing, they were shocked.
When they realized that the killing cry was not loud, they felt relieved.
Li Shimin was writing with a pen, as if he was not aware of the sounds outside.
"Your Majesty!" Li Mu walked in and bowed.
Li Shimin didn't seem to hear Li Mu's shout and continued to write.
When he finished writing the last word, Li Shimin put down his pen and asked, without raising his head, "How was it?"
"Your Majesty, all the people who sneaked into the Chengjia Liquor House have been eliminated. There is no one alive. There is no news from outside Chang'an City." Li Mu said.
Li Shimin nodded and said: "Remember, I don't want anyone alive, and I'm not allowed to leak anyone!"
These people don't need to think about it to know that it was someone from a noble family who did it.
Even if he is caught alive, he may gain leverage from the family.
But now is not the time to deal with the aristocratic family, so Li Shimin has no plans to survive.
Wang family
Wang Ze's expression changed when he heard the shouts of killing outside.
"Dad, did you fail?" Wang Qingyun looked panicked.
If the city gate hadn't been closed now, he would have planned to escape now.
Wang Ze scolded: "Why panic? What will happen even if they are discovered? Those are dead soldiers. There is no evidence. So what if we know it was us?"
Wang Qingyun's nervousness eased a lot and he said, "Dad, what should we do now?"
Wang Ze said expressionlessly: "Just do whatever you have to do, just don't get into trouble."
…
"How long until we get to Gaochang?" Lin Xuan asked listlessly.
It had been more than a month of marching, and Lin Xuan was already numb.
June signed in and gave him a drawing of a loom. Lin Xuan knew nothing about looms and didn't know how different this was from the looms of the Tang Dynasty, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.
As for the usual sign-in items, they are nothing more than some small items and snacks.
Cheng Chumo looked at the map and said: "At the current speed, as long as there is no major accident, it should not take more than a few days."
"I hope so." Lin Xuan sighed.
When marching in the desert, you may encounter any situation.
The enemy didn't see it, but thousands of people died due to sandstorms, quicksand, illness, etc.
Another seven days passed like this. After setting up camp at night, Lin Xuan summoned Xue Rengui and others to the camp.
"Everyone, according to the map, you can enter Gaochang in about three days." Lin Xuan said.
Cheng Chumo said excitedly: "General, the city closest to us is Tiandi City, and there are only two thousand people in the city at most. How about we just knock down Tiandi City?"
Lin Xuan glared at Cheng Chumo and said angrily: "If the general manager didn't give the order, even if we captured Tiandi City, not only would we get no credit, but we would be guilty, so do you still want to fight?"
It is a big taboo to send troops privately. Even if Tiandi City is captured, at most it will be an overdue achievement.
As a general, Hou Junji would be punished if he took revenge for personal gain, let alone using his merits to offset his fault.
Lin Xuancai didn't want to give Hou Junji a reason to catch him.
"Uh!" Cheng Chumo smiled awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed.
Lin Xuan was too lazy to pay attention to Cheng Chumo and said: "The chief general sent a message and asked us to wait for him to arrive and march together. There is no need to break camp so early tomorrow."
We are now approaching Gaochang. If we continue to divide our troops, Lin Xuan and his vanguard may be noticed by Gaochang in advance.
Hou Junji did not intend to let Lin Xuan attack the city first, so he sent someone to pass the order and asked Lin Xuan to wait for him and march together.
This was also the reason why he refused Cheng Chumo's proposal without even considering it.
…
Gaochang Royal City
Qu Wentai hugged the beauty beside him and drank wine, feeling very unhappy.
The ministers sitting here all hugged the disheveled woman, and the scene was very ugly.
However, there was one exception. Not only did he ignore the beauties around him, he also didn't even drink.
Qu Wentai squinted his eyes and said with a smile: "Prime Minister, do you not like this? Do you want me to change it for you?"
"Haha~" Others laughed.
The Prime Minister of Gaochang frowned deeply and said: "I heard that the Tang Dynasty has sent troops to attack Gaochang. Your Majesty should have made plans in advance."
"Prime Minister, these are all rumors. I have asked you to ignore them." Qu Wentai said nonchalantly.
"Yes, Prime Minister, although the Tang Dynasty is strong, it is not without enemies. We have already formed an alliance with the Western Turks. How dare the Tang Dynasty come to attack us."
"That's right. The Tang Dynasty is thousands of miles away from Gaochang, and there are more than two thousand miles of desert in between. Why would they bother to go on an expedition?"
As soon as Qu Wentai finished speaking, other ministers spoke out in support.
When Qu Wentai said that he wanted to block the trade route, the Prime Minister stopped him.
Later, when he got a lot of money, he didn't want it at all.
If a person does not fit in with the group, he will naturally be ostracized by everyone.
"Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty is very powerful. Gaochang offends the Tang Dynasty. How can the Tang Dynasty swallow this breath? The Western Turks have just ended their civil strife and are internally unstable. They will not mobilize troops for Gaochang and the Tang Dynasty. If they had not made plans in advance,
Gaochang is in danger of destroying the country." The Prime Minister said sadly.
"Bang!"
Qu Wentai threw the wine glass at the Prime Minister and shouted: "How presumptuous!"
The so-called loyal advice is harsh to the ears. Qu Wentai is not a wise king in the first place, so how could he listen to it?
After blocking the Tang Dynasty's negotiations and getting a lot of money, Qu Wentai still fantasized about unifying the Western Regions.
The Prime Minister has always stopped him from talking, and now he is pouring cold water on him. How can he not be angry?
"Your Majesty, think twice." The Prime Minister still did not give up.
Qu Wentai said angrily: "Okay, you said that the Tang Dynasty is coming, then you go and guard Tiandi City."
"Your Majesty, I am a civil servant and have no military skills. How can I defend the city?" The Prime Minister looked at Qu Wentai in disbelief.
He was dedicated to serving his country, but he didn't expect that Qu Wentai would treat him like this.
Qu Wentai sneered: "Didn't you always ask Gu Faction people to guard against Tiandi City? Now Gu Faction goes to you, but you don't go. Since you don't want to go, don't bother Gu."
He didn't really want to send the Minister of State, but he made him impatient.