Chapter 4: Enemy on the Banks of the Yalu River (Part 1)

  "Brothers, I know you're all exhausted from the past few days of rushing, but I hope you can all perk up. Although we've managed to bluff our way through all the questioning so far, now that we're getting closer to the Great Sui army, we're in greater danger. Ahead of us are countless Goguryeo soldiers, among whom are many cunning individuals, not like the scattered soldiers we met on the road who were easy to deceive. So, the more it's like this, the more we can't be careless, the more we must be cautious and careful." Xiao Shouren saw that everyone had an excited look on their faces and couldn't help but pour cold water on them again.

  Xiao Shouren's words still carry weight, and his performance along the way has thoroughly conquered everyone. If it weren't for Xiao Shouren's methods, I'm afraid we would all be a handful of yellow earth on some unknown small mountain by now.

  Xiao Shouren's words had just finished when the sound of horseshoes came from behind, and more Goguryeo soldiers passed by.

  At first, everyone was a bit nervous, but now after so many actual combat drills, everyone is no longer nervous, and even stands on the side of the road waiting for the Goguryeo soldiers to interrogate them.

  As they wished, the small team of fifty or so people really stopped when they passed by them and surrounded them. A short fat man jumped off his horse and stared at them all the time.

  Everyone was stunned, not knowing where they had exposed their flaws. Only a few people remained calm, including Xiao Shouren, Yang Cheng, Mu Yi, Mu Yu, and the little guy who had been taken in last night.

  "Which big camp are you from? Who is your general? Why have you come here?" The short and stout man asked in a string of questions.

  Xiao Shouren quickly lowered his face as soon as he saw the fatty, not because he was ashamed to show his face after seeing the short and stout figure, but because he recognized the fatty.

  This man is none other than the one who has been on Xiao Shouren's mind day and night. It was this man who caused the great defeat of the Sui army, with tens of thousands of soldiers falling overnight. It was this man who caused General Xue Shiying to be buried in Baishi Mountain, his body never to be found. It was this man who single-handedly plotted this war, and all of it started from Xiao Shouren's contact with him.

  This man was the Prime Minister of Goguryeo, Yi Jeung-bu. Xiao Shouren found it hard to forget that day when it was drizzling and General Xue Shiying was discussing with Yuwen Shu, Yu Zhongwen, Cui Hongyu, and Liu Sidao, the comforter and Secretary of the Right, on how to directly take Pyongyang Castle because the army's food and grass were almost exhausted and if they didn't fight quickly, they would have to retreat. At this time, a scout from the front came to report that someone claiming to be the Prime Minister of Goguryeo was asking to see them.

  It was this fearless Weizhidewen who had long since figured out Yang Guang's temperament, especially his policy of not killing those who surrendered with false benevolence. That's why he dared to come alone to scout the camp.

  After both sides exchanged a series of opinions on surrender, it was Xiao Shouren who received Yi Zhongwende. In name, it was a reception, but Xue Shi-xiong had secretly instructed him beforehand that in reality he was to keep an eye on him and prevent him from probing into military information within the army. Xiao Shouren strictly adhered to military orders and did not leave Yi Zhongwende's side for a moment. However, despite this, things still went awry. Unbeknownst to them, Yi Zhongwende somehow managed to gather intelligence on the Sui army's lack of provisions, which led to the series of fake surrenders and defeats that followed. This ultimately caused the four great generals to become complacent and underestimate their enemy, leading to a disastrous defeat in battle.

  "You, that man, lift your head!" Yizhi Wende discovered that the man in front of him looked very familiar, although he was wearing Goguryeo armor, but that air, that heroic spirit was so familiar, yet he couldn't quite recall where he had seen him before.

  Xiao Shouren heard Yi Zhongwendu call himself to lift his head, and he knew that today was likely to be difficult to end well. He secretly made a ruthless decision, clenched his fists tightly, took a step forward, and knelt down, saying in a low voice.

  "Father, I am Xiao Yu!" Xiaorou learned that Yizhi Wende had a younger son who was about the same age as himself and similar in build when chatting with Yizhi Wende during a reception. However, he had eloped with a commoner woman many years ago and his whereabouts were unknown.

  Yizhi Wende heard Xiao Shouren's shout, and for a moment he was stunned. It had been many years, almost five years, since his most beloved youngest son had asked about his well-being. He truly missed him.

  Not only was Yizhi Wende stunned, but also the eighteen brothers around Xiao Shouren were stunned, and they didn't know what happened. Xiao Shouren suddenly knelt down in front of this short and fat enemy, and even called out "Father".

  Before they could come to their senses, in the moment when Uijeongbu and his brothers were stunned, the Goguryeo soldiers heard Xiao Shouren shouting "Prime Minister! Father!" and for a moment also relaxed their vigilance.

  At this moment, Xiao Shouren suddenly burst out, the moment he knelt down was to paralyze the enemy, it was to cover himself pulling out the big knife from his waist.

  Dazzling light, swift as lightning, and in the next moment everyone was stunned.

  The big knife cut through the disguise, and at this moment it was already hanging on Yizhi Wende's neck. Xiao Shouren also stood behind Yizhi Wende, slowly taking one step at a time towards himself, leaving his back to his brothers.

  Just a moment ago, they were still warm and affectionate, one was a filial son who suddenly came to his senses, the other was a kind-hearted father who missed his son dearly. Suddenly, their roles changed so quickly, in the blink of an eye, they were already at each other's throats.

  They soon reacted, and the eighteen people surrounded Xiao Shouren tightly. On the side of Goguryeo, there were still people who didn't know what was going on. They couldn't understand why Prime Minister Xiao and his son would turn against each other.

  "Yizhi Wende, it's been a few days since we last met, and you seem even more elegant than before! You're wearing a brocade robe and hurrying along the road. Are you preparing to receive your reward or are you preparing to enter the bridal chamber?" Xiao Shouren sneered, pinning Yizhi Wende down maliciously.

  "Xiao Zhuang Shi is indeed a man of great wisdom and bravery, I've said it before that you're no ordinary person, I didn't expect you to come up with such a brilliant plan in this short moment, and caught me off guard." Yi Zhi Wen De sighed. On the surface, he was praising Xiao Shou Ren's quick wit, but in reality, he disapproved of this method of kneeling down and using familial relationships to gain trust and numbness.

  "All this is thanks to you! Without you, how could we have today?" Xiao Shouren also retorted without hesitation.

  "Hmph! Although you used a clever trick, disguising yourselves as our Goguryeo soldiers and escorting the prisoners of war here, there are still many layers of defense ahead, let's see how you get past them!" Yee Ji-won was still his usual stubborn self, even in enemy hands, he didn't forget to threaten the enemy.

  "Oh? It was indeed as you said, I was worried about this matter just a moment ago, but it's really like having a pillow sent to me just as I'm about to sleep. Your timing is truly impeccable, Elder. With the Grand Preceptor of Goguryeo in my hands now, do I still need to worry about such a small problem?" Xiang Shouren asked with a smile.

  "Hmph! I'm just a humble prime minister, after all. If I die, another will take my place. There are many in the court who can't wait for me to die. Your trick won't work!" He asked with an arrogant expression on his face.

  "Oh? Is that so! I heard that the old man used to be the Minister of Revenue, and eight out of ten officials in Goguryeo were his disciples. It's like the whole country is filled with his protégés. And wasn't he also the Crown Prince's mentor back then? Now the Crown Prince has become the King of Goguryeo, does that mean he's a master who doesn't cherish old relationships?" Xiao Shouren said slowly, staring intently at Yi Sa-bun, with a gloomy smile on his face, looking like he had him right where he wanted.

  "Don't any of you move, or else if you move, I'll move too, and it won't be good for your master. Even with ten heads, you can't afford to take responsibility!" Xiao Shouren shouted sternly.

  The soldiers of Goguryeo were at a loss, unsure of what to do.

  "Dismount and hurry up!" Xiao Shouren ordered.

  The soldiers of Goguryeo saw that when Xiao Shouren spoke, the blade was pressed in a bit more, and blood threads could be seen seeping out from the neck of Yi Jiwon. They all hastily dismounted their horses.

  "Throw down all your weapons, put your hands on your head, gather together, squat on the ground, and hurry up!" Xiao Shouren continued to give orders.

  The soldiers of Goguryeo had no choice but to obey.

  Xiao Shouren saw that the Goguryeo soldiers were so obedient, nodded in satisfaction, and turned to instruct Mu Yu and Mu Yi.

  "In the past, we selected the best nineteen horses and killed all the rest."

  At this time, Xiao Shouren's words were more effective than Yang Guang's imperial edict. Mu Yu and Mu Yi immediately executed Xiao Shouren's orders, and quickly picked out the nineteen sturdy horses from the fifty or so horses, and killed or crippled the rest with a single knife per horse.

  Just as Mou Yi was about to knock down the last old horse, Xiao Shouren suddenly remembered something and hurriedly spoke out to stop him.

  "Alright, leave one of them to report back, tell that Goryeo king that their beloved Prime Minister is in our hands, so they won't make any rash moves."

  After settling the worries, Xiao Shouren and others all mounted their horses one by one. Xiao Shouren rode with Yizhi Wende on the same horse, which was also the best and most spirited among the nineteen horses.