The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 329 Achievements

Li Ye said this in an assertive tone and continued with a smile, “Although the Black Office lost some people in Taiyuan city, it’s only a small price we will inevitably pay for the big action.”

“There is no intelligence and assassination yamen under Li Keyong. With only yamen runners and ordinary officials, he can’t uproot the Black Office in Taiyuan city. I’m sure you will agree that the Black Office is well hidden in Taiyuan city. Even if Li Keyong’s subordinates dig deep, they can’t distinguish them from ordinary people.”

After listening to Li Ye’s words, Song Jiao gave him an angry stare.

Li Ye continued, “It does not matter if there is no rumor that Li Cunxiao will defect in Taiyuan city. A rumor does not have to last forever if it existed once. It has successfully caused instability among the various powers of Taiyuan. And, Li Keyong’s prestige has declined a lot. Most importantly, Li Keyong now has doubts about Li Cunxiao.”

Every time Song Jiao saw Li Ye coping with all matters that involved schemes and strategies, she could not help but retort, “How can you be sure that Li Keyong no long trusts Li Cunxiao?”

It was worthwhile to ruminate over his smile. He picked up the jade scripts in his hand and said solemnly, “I received news that Li Keyong has issued an order to allow Li Cunxiao return to Taiyuan city under the guise of counterattacking Fenzhou, and he plans to lead the troops to battle. Meanwhile, he ordered Li Siben to replace Li Cunxiao to manage the war situation in Yizhou. In addition, he sent Li Sien over to help.”

Song Jiao’s dark red and sexy cherry lips gaped a little, but in the end, she said nothing.

Li Ye walked out of the tent at the outskirts of Yizhou city, and looked at the city. Zhao Polu quickly ran over and reported with excitement, “Another 190 people came over last night. Up till now, the guards who came from Yizhou city numbers about 1,000 already.”

It did not seem worth mentioning when you compare 1,000 people with 70,000 people. In terms of defecting in the face of a battle, it was already an extremely atrocious number. If the amount was any larger, it would cause chaos in the whole army.

Li Keyong was finally determined to recall Li Cunxiao. This was an important reason. It was the last indication that Li Keyong no longer trusted Li Cunxiao.

The reason why those soldiers would desert their camp in the face of a battle was not entirely because of Li Ye’s order to capitulate. A group of monks from the demon clan, who were good at luring the people, also played an important role.

Zhao Polu said, “Li Keyong thought that he could prevent the Yizhou guards from defecting to us by replacing Li Sien as the leader, in the middle of a battle. Once Li Cunxiao leaves, the morale of the Yizhou troops will be greatly affected. Until then, more people will defect to us! Won’t we win the battle?”

Li Ye said with a smile, “Yes.”

He came to the front of the city and stood upright. While facing the Yizhou gate tower, he loudly said, “I heard that General Li is about to return to Taiyuan. Since I can’t meet you anymore, I feel a sense of loss, and thus, I am here to send you off.”

In front of the gate tower, Li Cunxiao stared at Li Ye with a sullen look. He was anxious to kill Li Ye at once.

When Li Ye came out to call him for a meeting, he said a few more words because he admired Prince An’s prestige. However, now he was caught off guard, and it caused a disturbance. Now, he was forced to leave Yizhou. When he was about to leave, Li Ye did not quiet down, but repeated his stock tricks. How could Li Cunxiao not be angry?

Without a clenched-fist salute, Li Cunxiao said in a deep voice, “Prince An, you don’t need to bother to send me off. Let’s meet on the battlefield next time. I’ll fight with you to death!”

Li Ye laughed, “General Li, you’re narrow-minded. You seek revenge for the smallest grievance, like a woman from the marketplace. It’s a disgrace to the general’s majesty!”

Li Cunxiao was as mad as a wet hen. However, he was not good at quarreling, so he merely snorted coldly.

Li Ye stopped smiling and giving him a stern look, said, “I came to inform you that I won’t change my original intention about you. I hope that you will wake up soon and forsake darkness for light. I won’t change my commitment, and I won’t change it forever. Li Keyong transferred you from Yizhou because he is suspicious of you. Surely, I don’t think I need to say more about what will happen to you, if a senior general is not to be trusted.”

Li Cunxiao’s expression kept alternating between shades of blue and pale. He was not hesitant, but he was so angry that he could not hold back.

Li Ye no longer teased him and said goodbye by cupping his hands, “General Li, I won’t stop you from leaving. The Zhaoyi Army in the northwest will make way for you, indicating my feelings for you. I’m sorry I can’t see you off.”

Li Cunxiao climbed the parapet wall and was going to jump down and fight with Li Ye. Fortunately, the people around caught hold of him. He struggled, roared, and accused Li Ye of being nasty and shameless.

It was imaginable how Li Keyong would treat Li Cunxiao if he was permitted through and returned to Taiyuan. Although the Zhaoyi Army conquered the three counties in the east, the northwest, and the north, as well as held the channels, they could not stop Li Cunxiao. However, it was different between being held back and letting go.

After he returned to the camp, Li Ye immediately convened a military meeting to arrange the next move.

The results came soon. The army decided to fill the trenches to trap the enemy outside the city. That meant that the troops would attack the city when the trenches had been filled and leveled up.

For a few days, the Imperial Army were kept busy outside the city. Seeing the scene, most of the Yizhou officers and soldiers felt uneasy. After Li Cunxiao left, the Imperial Army was ready to attack the city. Thus, they were anxious about their fate.

Li Sien and Li Siben did not think so. As the generals who replaced Li Cunxiao, they needed to prove that they were as good as Li Cunxiao. As the Hedong Grand Guardians, they also believed that their strength was not any weaker than his. Perhaps the battle was fierce, but under the right circumstances, it was not difficult for 70,000 people to keep the city safe.

On the other hand, after he returned to Taiyuan city, Li Cunxiao was idle at home. Li Keyong called him back on the excuse of counterattacking Fenzhou. When he came back, Li Keyong did not greet him. After he returned, Li Keyong did not even summon him.

To many people, Li Cunxiao was strong enough, but the Hedong Army could get things done without him. There were many generals in the Hedong Army, but all Grand Guardians were not easy to deal with. Moreover, Li Keyong assumed personal command in the overall situation. Could the Hedong Army operate without Li Cunxiao? That was too ridiculous.

After that, Li Keyong mobilized a part of the reinforcements to assist Yizhou. At least, the military strength should be able to conquer the three counties which isolated the two places, and contain Li Ye’s forces. However, Li Keyong could not do much. Once he mobilized too many forces, Liu Dazheng in Fenzhou, who had hundreds of thousands of troops, could attack Taiyuan city at any time.

As for the counterattack on Fenzhou, if the war situation in Yizhou was stable, the Imperial Army of more than 200,000 would not be able to take Yizhou city. Instead, they would be detained there. Then, Li Keyong could mobilize his forces to counterattack Fenzhou and open up a new prospect.

But at the moment, Li Keyong dared not act rashly. If they had not taken Fenzhou before breaking through Yizhou, the Imperial Army could reach Taiyuan city and confiscate his property.

Outside Yizhou city, the Imperial Army, who had filled the crisscross trenches, began to attack the city on the day.

Li Sien and Li Siben, neatly dressed, stood side by side, in front of the gate tower. They were upset as they looked at the sweeping armored soldiers, from outside the city.

They were upset not from fear but excitement and a raging, fighting spirit. As the Hedong Grand Guardians, both were veteran generals on the battlefield and had gone through all kinds of wars. From the scene in front of them, it seemed to be a good opportunity to achieve their goals and become world-famous.

Li Siben, who replaced Li Cunxiao and became the commanding general in charge of guarding the city, stared at the outside and licked his lips. He seemed to be a little anxious , saying “Everyone says that the Pinglu Army is elite. I want to see who is more capable in comparison with my direct troops.”

Li Sien sneered, “If the Pinglu is so elite, they won’t spend too much time besieging the city.”

Li Siben drew his sword and yelled, “A hero makes great achievements right at this moment. Heroes achieves fame on their horses. Those who fight the enemy bravely will be rewarded, while those who try to escape will be killed!”

Li Siben and Li Sien were eager to fight and show their capabilities. But soon, they were not so optimistic because the gap between the armies showed, as soon as the war broke out.

The Pinglu Army had excellent armored weapons. Based on Li Ye’s power and influence in the Tang Empire, the Pinglu Army, as Li Ye’s direct troops, had a higher level of armaments than the ordinary Vassal State Army.

Li Ye’s troops were valued for their quality rather than their numbers. However, the Heidong Army recruited men and bought horses without restraint. He did not enlarge the military forces after the Huang Chao Uprising. Because of this, the Pinglu Army’s armaments and cultivators ranked the top among the armies in the world.

After Li Ye reorganized the Son of God, the overall force of the army improved.

Confronting the Pinglu Army, Li Siben and Li Sien immediately discovered that the Shatuo elites, whom they thought would be victory tools to determine the victory on the battlefield and invincibility, became weak soldiers, who were brave but not bellipotent.

They were overwhelmed by the Pinglu Army. Not to mention counterattacks, they could not breathe. The casualties increased rapidly. They could not hold the position and were forced to retreat.

Due to the pressure of the war situation, Li Siben and Li Sien had to go to battle in person, soon after noon. They led elites to save the defensive lines that were about to be broken and the defensive walls that were about to be seized.

However, their efforts were in vain. The defensive pressure was not from a single point, but a whole line. Even if they could go hither and thither, they only ended up getting tired from running around.

About the eleventh hour, under the leadership of the Pinglu Army, the Imperial Army attacked the city walls from all sides and gained a foothold. The guards were surging everywhere. The Hedong Army, whose morale was already low, was now being driven from the top of the city wall.

“Go back! Defend the top of the city wall. No one is allowed to retreat!” Li Siben, whose armor was blood-stained, stopped a group of retreating guards and shouted in a loud voice and stern expression.

The crowd in front of him paused for a while, but soon, more defeated troops flooded in and pushed them forward. Guards from the Pinglu Army chased after them. With a crash, the crowd scattered.

Li Siben was furious. He killed a score of men with his sword. He led the guards to rush forward to intercept the Pinglu Army. Meanwhile, he yelled at his men to fight the enemy and render meritorious service. No one was allowed to step back.

At dusk, Li Siben died on top of the city wall. Then, Li Sien led his troops to escape. That night, the Imperial Army captured Yizhou city.