Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Town East City.

Eight hundred cannons.

Although these artillery pieces were not only equipped with shells, but also not the kind of exploding shells.

Instead, they were solid bullets.

Moreover, these cannons were not the breech-loading cannons of Li Chengqian's later generations, but rather muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons, but with specially produced and formulated gunpowder.

Even at a firing angle of six or seven degrees, the projectile can travel more than 1,100 meters from the barrel.

If the firing angle is increased to eleven or twelve degrees, it can reach a range of nearly two kilometers.

Eight hundred cannons—Li Chengqian had already mobilized all the artillery factories in Taiyuan Prefecture and the new army's artillery for this western expedition.

And at this moment, these cannons are showing their effects.

That's quite astonishing.

Li Yuan, Li Jing, and the generals who were currently in the other army formations each had a monocular telescope.

At this moment, I see the tragic scene unfolding on the city wall of Dongzhen in the distance.

Those generals who always boasted about their personal strength felt a chill run through them from head to toe.

Even the second brother was so frightened that he shrank back.

"This, this firearm, is it really that terrifying?"

"This general thought it was just a catapult made of iron, but..."

Qu Tutong swallowed hard. He was not a Han Chinese from the Central Plains, but a foreign general who was not uncommon in the court of the Tang Dynasty.

He was a former general of the Sui Dynasty.

Now nearly sixty years old, he was a brave and skilled warrior in his youth, and even obtained the title of Duke of Jiang during the Tang Dynasty.

He was a veteran of the Wude era and a loyal minister who participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

It's impossible to say that you don't feel a little proud.

however.

At this moment, watching the East Town city wall collapse under the fierce bombardment of shells, amidst the panicked and chaotic running of Gaochang soldiers, one side of the city wall collapsed with a crash.

He no longer knew how to describe the complex emotions he felt at that moment.

"With such a powerful siege weapon, what use will this city wall be in the future?"

Although the Gaochang Kingdom was small and sparsely populated, its construction techniques and city wall building capabilities were nowhere near as advanced as those of the formidable cities and passes of the Central Plains dynasties, but...

These are eight hundred cannons.

If there were eight thousand gates, or eighty thousand gates... even Chang'an City, or Taiyuan City, would surely be unable to withstand them.

"Father, we're about to attack the city!"

Beside him, his son Qu Tushou, who had accompanied him on the expedition against the Western Turks and served as his personal guard officer, shouted excitedly.

Qu Tutong was taken aback, then nodded.

Looking at the army behind him, he felt that this battle was utterly boring.

"Hahahaha! This is the true might of my Great Tang Dynasty! Hahahaha!"

Li Yuan laughed heartily, watching as the artillery battalion blasted down the city wall on that side, his heart filled with excitement and exhilaration.

He pointed his long sword at the enemy.

"Fight in!"

Li Jing immediately gave orders to the messenger behind him.

As the bugle call resounded within the Tang army's ranks, the once silent army was suddenly filled with the thunderous sounds of hooves and footsteps, and began to trample on the territory of the Gaochang Kingdom.

Dongzhen City, in some ways, is similar to several other border cities such as Yancheng and Liupo City.

In terms of city size and population.

It can already be considered a "second-tier city".

now.

The city not only had a large number of wards and markets established and separated in the style of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, but also a large number of merchants from various Western Regions countries, or spies from other countries.

With a loud rumble, one side of the city wall suddenly cracked open and then collapsed straight down.

These merchants from the Central Plains and spies from the Western Regions were completely dumbfounded.

What kind of terrifying power could possibly be used to destroy a city wall that is more than ten meters high?

They couldn't figure it out.

However, the wealth behind them, and their own lives, made them instinctively rush back.

When they emerged from the shops or residences again, each person was now carrying a rather simple-made Tang Dynasty Star and Sun Flag.

Moreover, it wasn't just these merchants from the Western Regions.

Even the local people and merchants in Dongzhen City planted Tang Dynasty flags on their walls or doors.

When Li Yuan, the retired emperor, excitedly led his generals and officers, he was overjoyed.

They stormed into the city through a breach in the city wall.

The sight of the Tang Dynasty banners that came into view momentarily stunned his excited old face.

what's the situation?

Isn't this the East Town City?

Even Pei Ji, Li Jing, and the others behind them were taken aback.

Especially when they saw a large number of people dressed as foreign merchants on the street, standing in front of each shop as if welcoming the king's army.

Everyone couldn't help but look at each other.

Several figures rushed out from a house on one side of the city.

Before they even got close, shouts rang out.

"Steda, Commander of the Foreign Affairs Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Hundred-Household Commander of Zhendong City! Paying respects to the Emperor Emeritus!"

After their waist tags were checked, the figure who was released was astonished by the appearance of the Hu people, which made Li Yuan and Li Jing and others beside him realize how powerful the Embroidered Uniform Guard had become.

"There are actually people from your Embroidered Uniform Guard in this Zhendong City?" Li Yuan asked.

The Jinyiwei commander named Zhisiteda bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty, when the Embroidered Uniform Guard was first established, His Highness the Crown Prince ordered His Highness the Prince of Han to set up Embroidered Uniform Guard outposts in important cities such as Gaochang, Tuyuhun, and Tujue!"

"I have been under orders to monitor the eastern part of Gaochang Town for two years now!"

Li Yuan: "...And who are these people in the city...?"

Zhisiteda: "Reporting to the Emperor Emeritus, before the New Year, the Commander was ordered to observe and bribe some wealthy households and officials in the city, in order to prepare for the future of our Great Tang!"

"Although these people dare not say they are absolutely loyal to our Great Tang, our Great Tang is currently at the height of its military might. With them in Zhendong City, we will surely be safe and secure!"

Li Yuan: "......"

hiss!

Li Yuan's expression was somewhat awkward, and seemed to carry a hint of disappointment.

Upon hearing this, Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and the others' eyes lit up instantly.

"General, if that's the case, we might be able to take over Zhendong City, and even the entire Gaochang, much faster!"

Zhisiteda added a further explanation.

"My lords, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has limited manpower. Apart from the capital and a few border cities, the affairs of Gaochang still require the assistance of the Emperor Emeritus and all the generals..."

Only then did Li Yuan's expression soften slightly.

A look of joy returned to his face.

"Hahaha! Good! Duke of England, order the army to enter the city, and immediately divide the troops to go to the other cities in the surrounding area. My Chengqian said that I should take these border cities of Gaochang within a month."

"Why would we need a month?"

"Ten days! Within ten days, take all the key towns of Gaochang!"

Qu Yijie is lucky.

After three rounds of shelling, the city wall where this guy was located collapsed, but he still managed to survive.

Inside the Lord's Mansion of Zhendong City.

Covered in blood, with a broken arm and leg, Qu Yijie gasped for breath, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at the retired Emperor Li Yuan.

Despite being glared at with such rudeness, Li Yuan felt a sense of exhilarating pleasure throughout his body.

"Despicable! If it weren't for that sorcery, even if my Zhendong City couldn't withstand your 100,000-strong army, it would never have been so easily taken by you!"

People like Qu Yijie, members of the Qu royal family.

The Tang Dynasty would definitely not spare them.

This guy clearly knew this too; he was baring his teeth, his face full of resentment.

Li Yuan laughed heartily.

His eyes were playful and full of mockery: "You don't actually think that all my children and grandchildren prepared for me this time, when I personally led the expedition, was that all?"

Qu Yijie was taken aback.

This damn feeling of being crushed by pay-to-win players left him speechless, unable to find the words to express the venom in his heart, even if he wanted to curse.

Li Yuan waved his hand, and immediately someone dragged the other person away.

"Even if your Great Tang Dynasty destroys my Gaochang, you will never be able to gain a foothold in this Western Regions!"

"You will all die a horrible death! No..."

Li Yuan had no interest in seeing beheaded heads.

He hummed a tune as he strolled around the city lord's mansion.

At this moment, Xiao Yu, the Duke of Song, is personally leading people to count the harvest, holding an account book and leading dozens of accountants to do the accounting.

Amidst the clattering of abacuses, chest after chest of gold and silver was carried in from outside by the Imperial Guards and Tang soldiers.

Within the town of Zhendong.

"Search thoroughly with me! Don't leave a single copper coin behind!"

"Hey! You scoundrel, whose subordinate are you?! This jade agate screen is worth far less if you take it off the shelf, do you even have a brain? Get it out of here! Get the whole thing out of here for me!"

Pei Ji's voice was a little hoarse, and a member of a collateral branch of the Pei family from Hedong immediately offered him a cup of hot tea.

Pei Ji downed the drink in one gulp, and then once again threw himself into the liquidation of the assets of the foreign merchants in the entire town of Zhendong.

A fat, shrewish-looking foreigner stood to one side, nervously and obsequiously rubbing his hands together.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the group, the relatives of the mansion's owner, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Gaochang, were cowering nervously as they watched their once-belonging wealth being carried out piece by piece, box by box.

Everyone's heart is bleeding.

however.

Faced with the sharp swords and fierce-looking soldiers of the Tang army around them, they didn't dare utter a single word.

Seeing that the entire mansion was about to be emptied, the other party cautiously moved closer.

"My lord, everything here now belongs to you, and I have nothing to keep for myself... Could you please let us leave?"

He clasped his hands in a humble and pitiful manner, pleading.

however.

Upon hearing this, Pei Ji, who was holding an account book and looking at it, turned his head and his old face immediately fell.

"Leave? What do you mean by leaving?"

The family's faces turned pale instantly.

“Sir, we really have nothing left to hide. We’ve even changed our clothes into linen. You can continue searching. All the valuables in the entire mansion are here.”

The male homeowner was so nervous that he kept bowing and making obeisances.

However, Pei Ji only looked at the other party with a gloomy expression, and then glanced at the other party's wife and daughter behind him.

He gave a cold laugh that had no clear meaning.

Nothing was said.

A while later, a group of people wearing armbands walked in through the gate of the mansion behind them.

After entering, he bowed to Pei Ji.

He led his men directly to the family amidst their panicked screams and pleas for mercy.

The male homeowner was held down by two men, while another man held down his head, pried open his mouth to look inside and observe him, and then pried open the other man's eyes to measure his height, waist circumference, and other things.

A Tang soldier nearby spoke up: "He speaks Tang language, and he's a relative of a high-ranking official in Gaochang."

Upon hearing this, the man raised an eyebrow.

He scribbled and drew on something that resembled a contract in his hand.

"An adult male, slightly frail, speaks Chinese, can read... does he understand arithmetic?"

The male homeowner was so frightened by the other party's fierce appearance that he shook his head in panic.

"Tsk... In that case, the price is 30 strings of cash!"

Upon hearing this, the man instantly realized what was happening and hurriedly began to struggle.

"No! No! You can't do this! I... I've already handed over all my possessions! You...aren't you people of the Central Plains supposed to be the most benevolent and righteous? How could you..."

The burly man sneered disdainfully, "All your property? Even you are now the property of my Great Tang! If you don't want to suffer, you'd better stay quiet and I might give you the status of a government slave. If you don't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences..."

"Many families in our Great Tang Dynasty are still lacking labor to cultivate the land!"

Behind him, amidst the wailing and weeping of his wife and daughter, several elderly eunuchs had already completed their examinations and assessments.

“This woman is still fertile and can be sold back to the country. She is also quite beautiful and can be sold for 18 strings of cash. If you include her daughter, the price can be even higher at 34 strings of cash.”

Pei Ji nodded in satisfaction.

"Good! Men, seal off this mansion for me! The major merchant guilds will arrive in a few days, and the auction will officially begin!"