Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

While they were talking, Su Dingfang had already finished reading out the rewards for the Black Armor Army.

300 Black Armor Soldiers, each of whom was rewarded with 30 taels of silver, and a woman as a reward.

The soldiers also had no objection to the huge reward received by the Black Armor Army. Without the help of the Black Armor Army, this battle would not have been so easy.

Su Dingfang then announced loudly: "Cheng Huailiang, you killed one enemy general and 1 enemy soldiers. You will be rewarded with 58 taels of silver and a beautiful woman!"

Cheng Huailiang was the only one, besides Xue Rengui and Xi Junmai, who annihilated the generals of Baiyan City on the battlefield.

Because of this brilliant achievement, Cheng Huailiang walked with the wind, and he even showed off in front of Yuchi Huan for a long time this morning.

Later, Yuchi Huan couldn't stand Cheng Huailiang anymore, so he gave him a beating.

Cheng Huailiang, with a bruised face and nose, stood up. He first looked at Yuchi Huan smugly, then strode over to accept the reward.

After receiving the silver, Cheng Huailiang walked up to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, can I give the reward to one of the brothers below?"

"In order to save me, he was seriously injured shortly after the battle began, which resulted in him not making any contributions later."

Hearing Cheng Huailiang's words, Li Chengqian frowned and asked, "But what about the young soldier named Goudan?"

"Correct!"

Cheng Huailiang nodded solemnly.

The prince had Goudan sent for medical treatment on a sedan chair, and Du He used a red-hot sword to stop Goudan's bleeding. The guards told him everything.

Therefore, it is normal that the prince remembers Goudan's name.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "I agree!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Cheng Huailiang's face was full of excitement. He then turned and shouted to his soldiers, "Bring up Goudan and select the Goguryeo women!"

Soon two soldiers lifted up Goudan who was lying on the wooden board.

Cheng Huailiang followed them to the group of Goguryeo women and said to Goudan with a smile.

"Goudan, the concubines of the Lord of Baiyan City are all here. Which one do you want to choose as your eldest brother's wife?"

Goudan tilted his head and glanced at the women who were dressed seductively and wearing rouge and powder.

He whispered, "These women are too fancy-looking, not suitable for my brother."

After looking around, Goudan took a fancy to a young woman who was dressed simply but had a good-looking appearance.

He asked seriously, "Girl, I have a big brother whose left arm is broken. He is 25 years old, tall, and has not yet married."

"Although my eldest brother's left arm was broken, it did not affect his farm work."

"Are you willing to go back to the Tang Dynasty with me and become my elder brother's wife?"

Everyone on the platform was stunned when they heard Goudan’s silly words.

But no one laughed at him.

The young woman chosen by Goudan had a surprised expression on her slightly dark face.

She thought that after being captured by the Tang army, she would live a miserable life worse than death. She didn't expect that the young Tang soldier lying on the bed would respect her opinion so much.

She nodded quickly and said, "I do!"

She was a maid in the city lord's mansion, usually responsible for washing clothes for the concubines. It was a great blessing for her to marry into a family that was honest and would not bully her.

Goudan smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. My mother and elder brother are very kind people and will definitely treat you well."

"Thank you."

The woman quickly bowed to Goudan.

"Hahaha, Goudan, you have good taste!" Cheng Huailiang laughed a few times, then said loudly: "Goudan, I will give you 20 taels, and the remaining 40 taels will be divided equally among the brothers under my command."

Hearing Cheng Huailiang's generous words, thousands of soldiers under his command screamed excitedly.

Goudan said quickly: "General, you have already given me a Goguryeo woman, how can I ask for the money you have worked so hard for?"

Cheng Huailiang said seriously: "Not only will I reward you with 20 taels, I will also make you one of my personal guards!"

Seeing that Goudan wanted to speak again, Cheng Huailiang stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "It's settled!"

As he said this, Cheng Huailiang asked the soldiers to carry Goudan down, while he walked back to his position.

Because Cheng Huailiang rewarded his soldiers with silver in front of all the officers and soldiers, Xue Rengui and Xi Junmai, who each received 100 taels of silver as a reward, could no longer sit still.

This passive moral kidnapping made them both feel uncomfortable.

After some inner struggle, Xue Rengui and Xi Jun also wanted to stand up and divide the silver.

At this time, a hand appeared on their shoulders.

Du He said softly: "Sit down, the rewards are what you deserve, and the soldiers below will also have a lot of rewards."

"Cheng Huailiang's father is Duke Lu, and his stepmother is one of the legitimate daughters of the Qinghe Cui family. Don't compare yourself with a second-generation kid like him who has no shortage of money."

Xi Junmai and Xue Rengui both came from grassroots backgrounds. Although they had made a lot of money under Li Chengqian during this period, they still had a long way to go before they could make a fortune.

After hearing what Du He said, they both felt relieved.

The subsequent rewards lasted for nearly two hours, and Su Ding only stopped after all the women on the platform had been distributed.

Next, rewards for the soldiers under their command were the responsibility of Zhang Jian, Xi Junmai, Cheng Huailiang and Yuchi Huan, the generals in charge of the march.

Anyway, they have the list of rewards in their hands, so they can just read it.

In the evening, Li Chengqian ordered a grand celebration banquet.

Du He also fulfilled his promise and roasted ten fat sheep for the Xuanjia Army.

Smelling the delicious roasted lamb, Li Chengqian, Hou Junji, Cheng Huailiang and others all came over and pestered Du He to help them roast a whole lamb.

Listening to the constant buzzing sound in his ears, Du He had no choice but to agree to their rude request.

...

Noon the next day.

In the lobby of the City Lord's Mansion.

Du He, Li Chengqian and Hou Junji were drinking comfortably around a stove.

Hou Junji said softly, "Your Highness, the silver has all been distributed. The soldier who got the least has received two taels of silver."

Li Chengqian frowned and asked, "Do the soldiers who received two taels of silver have any complaints?"

The 5000 soldiers who followed Su Dingfang to attack the city were the first to come into contact with the enemy, and all of them had military merits.

This group of soldiers received an average of about 12 strings of cash.

As for the soldiers who followed Hou Junji to attack the city, they couldn't even contact the defenders, and only made some contributions in the subsequent cleanup.

Hou Junji shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness, the soldiers are all reasonable people."

Great merits like being the first to reach the enemy line and breaking into the enemy's formation are accompanied by huge risks and not every soldier can achieve them.

"That's good." Li Chengqian nodded, then picked up the wine glass and said, "General Hou, Du He, let's have a drink."

"Your Highness, please."

Du He and Hou Junji raised their glasses in greeting.

Just as they were drinking and chatting, the prince's personal guards shouted at the entrance of the hall.

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, a scout wants to see you!"

"He said he had important news to report!"

Hearing this, Li Chengqian, Du He and Hou Junji all turned around.

Li Chengqian said quickly: "Please come in!"

"promise!"

After the guard saluted, he turned around and left quickly.

Not long after, a scout dressed in the clothes of ordinary Goguryeo people walked quickly into the hall led by his personal guards.

"I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Chief Steward Hou, and Deputy Chief Steward Du!"

After the scout completed his salute, he continued to report.

"According to the investigation of the brothers below, there is a Goguryeo cavalry of more than 200 people coming from Wugut City, and now it is less than miles away from Baiyan City."

"Based on their marching speed, they will probably arrive the day after tomorrow!"

If it were a day ago, this would have been bad news, but now that Baiyan City has been captured, this group of cavalrymen are like fat sheep that have been delivered to their doorstep.

Hou Junji slapped his thigh excitedly and said, "You came just in time!"