Chapter Ten: Down in One Battle

  A great battle had passed, and the summer sun had also set in the west, leaving only the last wisps of sunset. The southern wind blew through the forest, making the cavalrymen of the broken army camp feel refreshed and comfortable after experiencing a great battle.

  Chen Kefu looked up and down at the captive in front of him, his exquisite armor, and a white sable cloak. If it weren't for meeting on this battlefield, one might even think that he was a noble from the Great Sui, exuding an air of nobility all over his body.

  "I heard you're a traitor, so you should also know what's at stake. Now I'll give you two options to choose from: one is that you die for the country and I'll make it quick and painless for you. The second option is that you bring this letter to open the gates of Xin City, not only will I spare your life, but I'll also guarantee you a life of wealth and honor in front of the Emperor, and you can live as a true noble in the Central Plains."

  Gao Qi himself and the current Goguryeo king, Gao Yuan, are also considered to be of the same ancestral lineage. However, by their generation, the blood relationship between the two had already become quite distant. Although he bore the title of a royal family member, he actually held no real power; otherwise, he wouldn't have been banished to this new city on the border with Sui. But for him to surrender to Sui, he couldn't bring himself to make up his mind at that moment, and his family members were still in Pyongyang. If he surrendered to Sui, his family would definitely not survive either.

  Looking at Gao Qi, who had not reacted for half a day, Chen Kefu pointed to the wounded soldiers of Goguryeo who were lying on the ground and screaming. Luo Lin immediately led several soldiers to walk over like wolves, beheading each soldier with one knife, and finally throwing their heads at Gao Qi's feet.

  Looking at those who were still fresh lives not long ago, but now they have become dead skulls scattered under their own feet, Gao Qi's heart is also filled with hesitation.

  "Since you chose to be loyal to your country, I'll grant your wish, Luo Lin. Cut off his head and exchange it for a few taels of gold." Chen Kefu waved his hand nonchalantly and said.

  Luoling walked over and kicked Gao Qi to the ground, knocking off his helmet and grabbing his hair, about to pin him down. Facing the threat of death, Gao Qi struggled and shouted, "I am a prince of Goguryeo, you can't kill me, you must take me to see Emperor Yang of Sui."

  Under the sunset, Gao Qi's struggling figure was also stretched out, but Chen Kefu remained unmoved by his struggles and said indifferently, "Sorry, we didn't know you were a member of the Goguryeo royal family. You might as well wait until you get to the underworld to file a complaint with King Yan, maybe he'll listen to you."

  Luolin raised the curved knife in his hand and deliberately drew a few strokes on Gao Qi's neck. The icy steel knife slid across his neck, and Gao Qi finally couldn't hold on anymore.

  "I'm willing to surrender, I've surrendered! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

  Chen Kefu gave Luo Lin a glance, and Luo Lin picked him up and threw him to the side. Gao Qi's body was shaking uncontrollably as he hovered between life and death. He was only a Beisa who relied on his royal bloodline, not one of those ruthless Goguryeo generals who had tasted blood on their blades, and had never experienced anything like this before.

  "Now that you've surrendered, tell me in detail about the situation in New City. How many soldiers are left and who is in charge?"

  Gao Qi was already frightened out of his wits, and at this time, facing the young general who seemed very gentle on horseback, he didn't dare to be careless again. He immediately told the situation in the city in detail. According to him, there were originally 20,000 people in the new city, with 15,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. This time, it was said that only 3,000 cavalry came to attack the new city, so Gao Qi was overconfident and brought only 10,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry. Now there are still 5,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry in the city, with a general equivalent to the great general of Sui, and nine guests, each leading 1,000 soldiers. However, although the new city has an army of 20,000, most of them are second-line troops composed of slaves and civilians, not the elite soldiers who fought against the Sui army several times under the city of Liaodong.

  Just as he had inquired about the situation in Xincheng, Li Benlei arrived with two teams of cavalry. Seeing Chen Kefu's situation here, he rushed up and said, "General, most of the Goguryeo people on that side have surrendered, only a small number of cavalry are still fighting, but they will be solved soon. I heard that the lord chased the Goguryeo general to this side, so I came in a hurry. Did the Goguryeo general run away?"

  Chen Kefu pointed at Gao Qi, who was still crouching on the ground, trembling nonstop, and said, "You didn't run away, you were right in front of my horse, and you're a prince of the royal family. Ah, I've thought of a plan - we'll put on the clothes of the people of Goguryeo, bring this Prince Gao Qi with us, pretend to retreat, and deceive them into opening the city gate. Then we can take New City in one battle."

  Li Benlei participated in the two expeditions to Liaodong, and had previously seen only high-ranking Goguryeo generals like Yebun Dera. Now, suddenly seeing a Goguryeo prince crouching before his horse like a startled bird, he couldn't help but feel greatly surprised, and even felt some hidden contempt in his heart.

  "Sir, can he be trusted?"

  "If he deceives us, he will be the first to die. If he helps us capture Xin City, I will guarantee his safety and wealth in front of His Majesty, and he can choose one of two options: either live a life of luxury as a rich man under the great Sui dynasty." Chen Kefu said calmly while sitting on his horse, although his tone was flat, everyone could hear that if Gao Qi dared to deceive them, he would definitely be the first to die.

  Soon everyone put on the armor and flags of Goguryeo, fortunately more than 10,000 Goguryeo troops were either dead or surrendered, nothing else, but these armors and flags were not lacking. After finishing the change, the last ray of sunlight on a summer day also fell. A team of three hundred people surrounded a small number of Goguryeo generals who had already agreed to surrender to Sui, heading towards Xin City more than ten miles away.

  The new city of Goguryeo is a mountain castle, not only the new city is a mountain castle, but most of the cities in Goguryeo are also mountain castles. The people of Goguryeo make their living by farming and hunting, but the yield of crops is not much, and they still rely on the mountains to eat, gradually becoming a nomadic nation that builds its city relying on the mountains.

  When a group of people carrying torches arrived at the south gate of Xincheng in a sorry state, Gao Qi did not do anything that would sacrifice his own life for the sake of national righteousness. He faithfully followed Chen Kefu's previous instructions and loudly shouted to the soldiers guarding the city gate, "Open the door quickly, I am Gao Qi!"

  Luolin was riding his horse, falling behind Gao Qi by half a horse's head. At this moment, a dagger was pressed against the back of his heart. If Gao Qi didn't obey, he would take his life immediately. The soldiers on the building recognized the several hundred defeated soldiers who had abandoned their armor and helmets below, using the torches from downstairs. They were shocked and exclaimed, "Your Highness, how did it come to this?"

  A tall and robust man standing beside Gao Qi, who had also surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, shouted, "Hurry up and open the city gate, or else I'll cut off your dog head once I enter the city!"

  The Goguryeo soldiers defending the city didn't even think that their own king had already surrendered to the Sui army. Hearing the curses of the commander below, they quickly put down the pulley and asked other soldiers to open the south gate. However, in their hearts, they were also shocked by the defeat of their own army, which seemed to have lost despite being told that the Sui army only had 3,000 men.

  In the dark of night, with the running and bustling of Goguryeo soldiers, the high suspension bridge was slowly lowered through the pulley. The tightly closed new south gate also made a creaking sound, opening bit by bit, and the impregnable mountain fortress of New Castle finally began to remove its defenses towards Broken Army Camp, embracing them with open arms.

  Brothers, vote, everyone has worked hard to cast their votes...