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Xu Zhen has always been loyal and values her Brothers. Gao Renwu, having learned from past experiences, knows that rebellion is to be avoided at all costs. With the Tang army and the rebels joining forces, they rushed from Tuolang without stopping, and Xuantu City was utterly defenseless.
The military presence was overwhelming, and the Garrison could not organize an effective defense or resistance. Eulji Nawi, Gao Yanshou, and the soldiers who could not be evacuated surrendered one after another, leading to the fall of Xuantu City.
Gao Renwu led the rebels to search the lord's mansion and captured the servants and surrendering soldiers to inquire about Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi, learning that they had fled to Hengshan City. Without time to report back to Xu Zhen, he took the rebels to pursue them.
Eulji Nawi and Gao Yanshou were left with just over a thousand remnants of their troops. They dared not turn back to resist and had no choice but to sacrifice some warriors, leaving a hundred determined soldiers every five miles to block the enemy. However, these soldiers were terrified; upon seeing the enemy surge forward like a tide, they fled or surrendered, achieving no hindrance at all.
Gao Yanshou, being an experienced general, realized that continuing this way would lead to capture. After a brief discussion with Eulji Nawi and others, they dispersed their forces and created false trails to escape, managing to return safely to Hengshan City.
Eulji Nawi was frightened by Xu Zhen's troops. Although it was already late at night when they entered the city, they still managed to take half of the Garrison with them and hurried towards Gaimu City, which was solidly fortified. They also sent intelligence about Gem to Cheon Gae Su Mun for recognition and assistance.
Gao Yanshou feared that Eulji Nawi would take all the credit for themselves, so he naturally accompanied them while leaving the unfortunate Western Martial General behind in Hengshan City.
Upon meeting Zuo An and Zhang Suling, Xu Zhen listened as they recounted events. Seeing her disciple Zuo An severely injured filled her with deep hatred for the traitor Eulji Nawi. She ordered her foot soldiers to stay behind to recruit surrendering troops and reassure the populace while instructing Zhang Jiunian to oversee matters. She then took her Cavalry straight towards Hengshan City.
Although Silver Pearl Prince Gao Renwu was absent, Princess Min'en Gao Huizhen remained. Many citizens saw Rongliuwang's rightful return; having suffered enough under Cheon Gae Su Mun's oppression, they did not need persuasion or mobilization to rally around Gao Huizhen.
The cleanup and reconstruction of the city proceeded exceptionally smoothly. Zhang Jiunian did not need to expend much energy as he retained the original personnel of the city for governance while he dealt with military affairs.
Though Gao Huizhen was merely a woman, she had gained considerable reputation during her three years in exile among rogues and rebels. Having received court education from a young age, she had insights into governance, allowing Xuantu City to stabilize.
She also felt inspired by Jin Shu's great righteousness and ordered the construction of Flame Cave Palace to create an image of Jin Shu as a Divine Maiden. The deeds of Jin Shu were inscribed on a monument for the public's admiration and worship.
Xu Zhen led her Cavalry unit and quickly caught up with Gao Renwu's rebels, slaughtering their way to Hengshan City. The city lord was horrified and hurriedly gathered people to discuss countermeasures.
Although Hengshan City is larger in scale, most of the Garrison has been taken away by Eulji Nawi and Nosa Gao Yanshou. The Tang army and the rebels are advancing like a hot knife through butter, leaving no chance of victory.
If it were just the Tang army attacking, the Garrison might have put up a fight, but Silver Pearl Prince Gao Renwu is extremely popular among the people, boldly calling out from below the city.
In the past two or three years, Regent Cheon Gae Su Mun has continuously waged wars to seek prestige and intimidate the populace. The Soldiers are already weary and fearful of war; seeing Silver Pearl Prince come to persuade them to surrender, they have begun to feel apprehensive.
The city lord and many officials came up to the City Wall and saw Silver Pearl Prince standing boldly below, calling for the Garrison to return to the Royal Family's legitimacy.
Gao Renwu spoke passionately, enumerating Cheon Gae Su Mun's crimes with a fierce voice. The noble aura of the Royal Family's bloodline and the confidence of its legitimate heritage spread out, and his scathing remarks left many in the Garrison who had sided with the rebels feeling ashamed. Thus, the city lord ordered the gates to be opened.
Without shedding blood, Gao Renwu captured the city and won over the hearts of the people with his fervor and righteousness, earning respect from the soldiers under Xu Zhen!
However, after entering the city, the city lord and many officials proactively reported that Eulji Nawi and Gao Yanshou had already retreated with most of the Garrison into Gaimu City. Xu Zhen could only set up camp for now while sending reports back to await Li Jue's arrival with a large army and siege equipment.
At this time, Li Jue had already led his troops across the Liao River. Tuolang had become Xu Zhen's rear headquarters, garrisoned by Governor of Yingzhou Zhang Jian. To facilitate troop movements and future visits from Holy Presence, Zhang Jian mobilized both military and civilian personnel in the city to construct a floating bridge over the Liao River, allowing Li Jue to cross smoothly.
Just as they settled in, reports from the front indicated that Xu Zhen was advancing rapidly, having consecutively captured Xuan Tu and Hengshan cities, greatly boosting troop morale!
Xu Zhen has been diligent as a vanguard, pushing all the way to Gaimu City. If not for the lack of siege equipment, he might have dared to attack Gaimu City!
Li Jue was also concerned that Xu Zhen was being too reckless. After several days stationed at Tuolang, they officially advanced towards Gaimu City. At this time, Xu Zhenbu's forces had already cleared all scouts and sentries around Gaimu City!
With Gao Renwu and the rebels acting as guides, Goguryeo could not hide any scouts at all. Gao Renwu also recruited defectors from Xuantu City and Hengshan City; now there were over eight thousand rebels. Although their combat strength could not compare to that of the Tang army, it gave Gao Renwu real hope for restoration!
Meanwhile, within Gaimu City, Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi were anxious and restless. They had sent all intelligence back to Marudo Castle. Logically speaking, since Cheon Gae Su Mun was concerned about his daughter's safety, he should have dispatched a large army for rescue; however, they were still waiting for news without any updates.
By the end of May, they finally received intelligence that the Tang army, led by Military Governor Zhang Liang, was advancing with over forty thousand troops and more than four hundred warships from the sea. Under his command, Chief of Military Operations Cheng Mingzhen launched a night attack through the west gate and captured Shabei City (present-day Dalian, Liaoning), taking more than eight thousand men and women as prisoners!
No wonder Cheon Gae Su Mun was unable to dispatch troops to rescue Gaimu City; it turned out that the Tang forces had already launched an attack from the sea and achieved a significant victory!
However, Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi were not discouraged, as reinforcements would soon arrive at Gaimu City!
With the warships supervised by Yan Lide, the Tang army's naval operations were smooth, and their mobility was far superior to that on land, allowing them to choose landing points freely and open breaches. Thus, Your Majesty had ordered Zhang Liang to set sail from the sea early on.
Yet, Zhang Liang was ultimately just a mediocre leader without military talent. He was timid and worried that advancing too deep into the interior would leave him vulnerable to attacks from behind. Therefore, he only allowed his fleet to dock at the Yalu River estuary and did not advance further toward Pyongyang as Sovereign intended.
It was precisely because of Zhang Liang's cowardice and hesitation that Goguryeo gained a breathing space. Cheon Gae Su Mun was a general second only to Eulji Mundeok, possessing both courage and strategy. Now that he had an opportunity to counterattack, he gathered over forty thousand infantry and cavalry from domestic cities and New City to station at Liaodong City to prevent the Tang army's land forces from advancing rapidly.
Liaodong was an iron fortress of Goguryeo, known for its strength. The city was square-shaped with double walls inside and out, featuring defensive structures such as watchtowers, crenellations, and parapets. The Emperor of the Sui Dynasty had repeatedly suffered defeats at Liaodong, making it a crucial barrier for Goguryeo against powerful enemies!
Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi initially intended to send Gem to Liaodong City; however, after suffering consecutive defeats with no achievements to speak of, they realized that if they only returned Cheon Gae Su Mun's daughter, most of the credit would likely be taken away from them. Thus, they resolutely chose to remain at Gaimu City while waiting for reinforcements from Liaodong City.
Gaimu City was situated atop Mount Ta in Liaodong, commanding a high vantage point over the northern Sha River. Its position was quite perilous. The city walls were constructed of earth along the ridge, stretching about two or three miles long. The east side was lower than the west side, forming a scoop shape. The southeastern part of the city had a gate, making it a stronghold that was easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi dared not neglect Gem; however, she felt increasingly anxious. She sought out Qingxiazi to confirm her identity. Yet throughout her journey with Gao Renwu, she had been constantly indoctrinated with the belief that her father Cheon Gae Su Mun was a treacherous regent who murdered kings—cruel and tyrannical—pushing the Goguryeo people into dire straits. Such a villain deserved to be punished by all!
She had always been concerned about her status as an orphan; now she finally learned that her father was still alive and wielding immense power but ultimately was a great villain. How could she not feel conflicted?
Moreover, during this time, Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi's attitudes toward her made Gem increasingly realize that being Cheon Gae Su Mun's daughter might not be so bad after all. Instead, it seemed Gao Renwu had deliberately concealed her true heritage from her, which left her feeling somewhat disdainful.
With this thought in mind, Gem felt relieved and enlightened as she enjoyed wealth within Gaimu City while reminiscing about her time wandering in Tang with Gao Renwu and others. It felt like worlds apart, yet she found herself somewhat looking forward to being sent back to her father's side!
Qingxiazi felt the changes in Gem and sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, "This girl carries the bloodline of Cheon Gae Su Mun. No matter how I guide her, she will ultimately walk her own path..."
With such thoughts in mind, when Qingxiazi faced Gem, he found it difficult to maintain his composure. The bond between the two, who had relied on each other through life and death, had become somewhat estranged. Wasn't this bloodline gap the hardest chasm to cross?
Perhaps this was the fate of the Jewel Girl. From now on, she would no longer be that innocent little girl but the daughter of Cheon Gae Su Mun, Quan Nanru!
Regarding Gem's transformation, Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi naturally expressed great joy and were always at her service. It seemed that Gem's change also brought them good fortune. A few days later, over ten thousand reinforcements arrived at Gaimu City with various defensive equipment!
In recognition of Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi's contributions in finding Gem, Cheon Gae Su Mun indeed entrusted the defense of Gaimu City to Nosa Gao Yanshou, while Eulji Nawi was also promoted and officially entered the ranks of generals!
Gaimu City immediately began to prepare for defense vigorously, while in Hengshan City, Xu Zhen finally awaited her mentor, Lieutenant General of the Liaodong Military, Duke of England Li Ji!
This meant that the siege of Gaimu City was about to commence!
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