Chapter 173 Zhiyuan
Li Xiaogong said: "Zhuo County is relatively stable, but it is rumored that the dictator also intends to appoint someone else as the governor. Liaodong City has already sent an envoy, but he was stabbed to death on the spot by General Shan."

Li Jiancheng nodded. There was no need to say much about the relationship between him and Li Jing, and it was not surprising that Yang Guang wanted to take back Liaodong City and the soldiers inside. However, he did not expect Shan Xiongxin to be so decisive and leave no way out.

Li Jiancheng thought for a moment and asked, "How are Qin Shubao and Luo Yi? Have they made any unusual moves? Have they had any conflicts because Shan Xiongxin killed the imperial envoy?"

"No, even the envoy's head was chopped off by Luo Yi and hung on the top of the city wall by General Qin himself. It seems that the three of them gathered and talked before the envoy entered the city."

It should be Shan Xiongxin who forced him, otherwise it would be fine for Luo Yi, but given Qin Shubao's character, he would not easily take the initiative.

"Have they arranged everything for their families?"

"They have all been received in Zhuo County."

Li Jiancheng ordered: "Zhuo County cannot afford to lose anything. If the court wants to replace the governor, then kill him secretly. I will write a few letters and you can take them to the governors of the counties next to Zhuo County."

"Yes."

The remaining 100,000 soldiers and horses in Liaodong City must be gradually moved back to the Sui Dynasty. Although the troublemakers have been sent back to Luoyang, the rest are unlikely to be willing to stay in such a cold and bitter place for a long time.

Moreover, the supply of food and fodder for 100,000 soldiers and horses did give Li Jiancheng a headache. Too much was lost during the transportation back and forth, and sometimes they had to face looting by Khitan horse thieves.

Although Li Jiancheng had hidden a lot of money, he could not afford such squandering.

Therefore, it is enough to leave 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers in the city to defend it, and the rest can go to Zhuo County. This will not only allow the soldiers to respond quickly, but also avoid unnecessary loss of food and fodder.

Goguryeo definitely would not be able to gather hundreds of thousands of troops to retake Liaodong City in the next few years. The agreement between Li Jiancheng and Gao Teng had ended long ago, so there was certainly no need to help him hide it.

Therefore, although Gao Teng officially ascended the throne using the identity of Gao Jianwu, Li Jiancheng spread the truth before he ordered the officials from all over Goguryeo to come to Pyongyang for an audience.

Although a considerable number of them still went, there was still a small number of them who held their own troops and wanted to depose and enthrone the emperor. As a result, Goguryeo was still plagued by internal and external troubles and had no chance to recuperate, let alone recapture Liaodong City.

The two brothers talked until late at night. The next day, Li Jiancheng went out of the city to hunt with the Turkish nobles as usual. His riding and archery skills were quite good among the Turks, and his level was far higher than that of ordinary Turkish nobles.

.........

"Brother Zhiyuan, with your literary talent and military strategy, why are you willing to waste your time here teaching a few children? The world is in such a state, you should be excited and achieve something!"

Li Mi shook his head and smiled bitterly while just drinking the cheap wine. After Yang Xuangan's defeat, he went back with Hao Xiaode and wanted to use him to hide his identity and wait for the opportunity.

But after only one month, he ran away to this place because of a disagreement with that fool, a small county under Huaiyang County, and became a teacher under the pseudonym Liu Zhiyuan. After all, he also needed to eat and live.

Although he still had a few trustworthy relatives and friends, he was too embarrassed to ask for help after falling into this state, so he would rather find a way to make a living on his own.

But with his talent, even if he tried to keep a low profile, he was like a needle in a bag, unconsciously attracting some local talents. Seeing Liu Zhiyuan shaking his head, everyone was puzzled. Now the situation has deteriorated to this point, those who have a little ability are looking for a way to the sky, who would want to stay in this county.

But they also knew that they could not climb onto the big ship regardless of their family background or talent, so they were overjoyed to meet Liu Zhiyuan. The combination of the two was at least a force, so they could choose one to bet on.

But seeing that he had no intention of speaking, they could only talk about other things. One of them said, "I wonder what happened to Mr. Li. The Turks were brutal and barbaric. It's a pity that such a talented person ended up in a foreign land."

After that, he sang a few lines of Li Jiancheng's poems, and the others nodded: "He was loyal and brave, and rushed to help from a thousand miles away, but was eventually killed by that stupid... Humph, it can be seen that the court is not without loyal ministers and righteous men. The world has come to this point, and it is all the fault of one person!"

"I heard that the emperor is planning to go to Jiangdu and is building dragon boats again. The previous ones were burned by Yang Xuangan, and the ones he ordered to build now are said to be bigger than the previous ones, with a total of 4,800 boats. Oh, I wonder how many people will be forced to rebel again."

"Li Zitong from the East Sea ambushed Du Fuwei from Qi County. I heard that Du Fuwei was seriously injured and it is hard to recover. No one knows whether he is dead or alive."

"The imperial army is watching them closely, yet they are still willing to fight each other. I don't think either of them can accomplish great things."

"Have you heard that Chengfu Zhu Can was originally just a county clerk, but now he calls himself the Garuda King, and he also has 100,000 soldiers and is rampant in the area."

"Zhu Can is a villain who has achieved success. He is the same as Zhang Jincheng. He led his troops to fight and plunder in Jingzhou and Mianyang. Wherever he passed, there was no one living. They are not even worthy of being human beings. They will die sooner or later."

"Have you heard of Wagang Village? Its leader Zhai Rang is said to be a great hero. He has a strong army but has been waiting for the right opportunity. He only started to expand this year and even General Zhang Xutuo was repelled."

Everyone then put down their wine glasses. Zhang Xutuo was now recognized throughout the world as a pillar of the imperial court. He had fought in numerous battles and suppressed numerous rebellions in the past few years, but this was the first time he had been repelled.

The village that they had originally despised immediately became more important and began to ask detailed questions. Li Mi, who was standing nearby, was well aware of Zhang Xutuo's abilities and was therefore attracted to his attention.

When the crowd was about to leave at dusk, Li Mi, who was already drunk, became interested. He held the crowd and asked for the brush and ink, and then he wrote on the table: "The golden wind blows the early spring, the jade dew withers the late forest, this evening, the poor scholar, depressed and heartbroken... Fan Kuai was a street vendor, Xiao He was a clerk, one day they met their destiny, their names will be passed down through the ages, I send a message to the heroes of the world, it is really shameful to live in vain."

After finishing writing, Li Mi burst into tears. Even some unknown little people began to emerge, but he was still living in the countryside in anonymity.

How confident he was in the past. He thought that there were few heroes in the world who could compare with him. But now he realizes that life in this world is difficult.

Just as everyone was about to comfort her, they saw a man dressed as a servant running in from the door. He said a few words breathlessly in her ear, and the man stood up in horror.

It took him a while to come back to his senses, and he rushed to Li Mi and said, "I'm sorry."

He took the cold tea beside him and splashed it on Li Mi's face. Seeing that he was awake, he knelt down and said, "Mr. Li, the governor Zhao Tuo has learned your identity. The soldiers will be here soon. Run away quickly!"

Li Mi was frightened continuously and broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately regained consciousness and tried to run away. The man hurriedly said, "My horse is in the yard.

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(End of this chapter)