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

Lu Zhaojing was burned to death.

But the fire wasn't started by anyone else.

The moment Cui Jun and others' rebellion became a fait accompli, there was no longer any need for him to continue, not even for the reasons he often mentioned: to secure a dignified exit for his family and clan.

He didn't care at all when he wrote that "Proclamation Against the Traitors".

The three families of Fanyang Lu, Zhaojun Li, and Qinghe Cui, like the Boling Cui family who were all executed years ago, have their reputations as traitors and rebels firmly cemented.

Furthermore, as the changes that the Tang Dynasty brings to the world become more terrifying and the lives of ordinary people become more prosperous, the reputations of these families will become increasingly filthy.

Perhaps, they could even surpass the Sima clan, who usurped the throne of Cao Wei.

A raging fire engulfed the Zongxiang Mansion and quickly spread.

Apart from Lu Wenjie, who was struggling to save him, no one paid any attention to the fire. At this moment, Wang Qingyun's army had already surrounded the entire city of Pyongyang.

Cui Jun's face was extremely gloomy.

"How did they get here so quickly? Didn't our people say that Wang Qingyun was still in Shengjing Prefecture on the day we started our uprising?!"

Cui Guangshou shook his head: "Patriarch, that Shengjing Prefecture official must be an imposter! We have only been in rebellion for one day, and the Liaodong army has already arrived at our city. They must have been stationed in cities bordering Liaodong, and yet none of the three major cities along the route have sent reinforcements or messages."

"That scoundrel Wang Qingyun has been incredibly loyal ever since he married his sister to that scoundrel Li Chengqian!"

He slammed his fist fiercely onto the sand table in front of him.

In their expectations, Wang Qingyun and his men would definitely be the first to send out troops. But even if the enemy troops were prepared, it would still take a long time to drive directly to Pyongyang, considering the defenses they had set up along the way.

It should take at least ten days.

A dozen days is enough time for them to make many adjustments in response to Wang Qingyun's army's attack.

However, now, the entire plan has been disrupted!

Li Zizheng, the son of Li Xing, the current head of the Li family of Zhao County, looked solemn.

“Brother Cui, now is not the time to talk such discouraging words. Although we have been preparing for a long time, and the grain supplies in Pyongyang are enough for us to hold out for a year or two, and even longer if we seize the grain from the people, but... that scoundrel Wang Qingyun will never give us such a chance to catch our breath.”

"Li Chengqian clearly doesn't trust Wang Qingyun to command the firearms army. There are no firearms among the troops outside the city today. But now that we've lost contact with Anshi City, once Silla breaks through Anshi City, Silla's Tang allied army will be equipped with firearms."

"We must break through! We must not be surrounded on all sides!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Guangshou frowned: "Wang Qingyun only brought two thousand cavalry this time, but even if we break out, we won't be able to escape completely..."

"We can't all be trapped and die here in Pyongyang! Right now, we're all stuck here, unaware of the situation in Ahnsil Castle, and our hands and feet are tied. In the end, we'll just be waiting to die! Our cavalry must break out!"

Li Zizheng's words made Cui Jun ponder for a moment before he nodded.

He turned his gaze to Cui Guangshou beside him: "Guangshou, you must immediately lead two thousand cavalrymen from the city to break through the siege. First, send out scouts to investigate the situation in Anshi City. Anshi City must not be lost!"

......

"Let them go..."

When two thousand cavalrymen rushed out of the city gate and headed in one direction to break through, Wang Qingyun, as the commander, calmly gave the order.

Of course, a proper farewell ceremony is indispensable.

Clusters of crossbow bolts whistled through the air, and amidst the screams of the two thousand cavalrymen assembled by the aristocratic families, many were instantly killed.

Just as Cui Guangshou led his cavalry in a charge, Zheng Wuyang led two thousand cavalry in pursuit.

On the city wall of Pyongyang, Choi Jun witnessed this scene with a solemn expression.

"This Wang Qingyun hasn't attacked the city yet. It seems he's really determined to wait for Silla's firearms to arrive..."

Li Ziming: "We can't let him sit back and relax like this!"

The two exchanged a glance, and immediately made up their minds.

That night.

Aristocratic families and powerful clans from more than a dozen counties surrounding Pyongyang came to reward the army with carts full of grain and meat. The leaders of the group were so fearful that they carried thorns on their backs to apologize.

Kneeling before Wang Qingyun, she wept bitterly, listing the numerous crimes committed by Cui Jun and the others.

In conclusion, he said, "Lord Wang, we were all forced into this. If they hadn't forced us, how dare we rebel against the court?"

Wang Qingyun looked incredulous, and then everyone started trying to establish connections and offering their family wealth.

Finally, even those families with daughters sent their daughters to the camps of generals like Wang Qingyun, saying they wanted to keep them by their side to serve them.

One day, two days, three days...

On the fifth day, Wang Qingyun finally seemed to soften and ordered that the supplies sent by these people be accepted.

Then that night.

"Kill!!!"

Late at night, Lu Wenjie and Li Ziming led a group of men, dressed in black, out of Pyongyang through a secret passage and quietly sneaked into Wang Qingyun's camp.

Unfortunately, when they lifted the tent flap and saw Wang Qingyun sitting inside, with his personal guards in full armor on both sides, waiting for them for a long time...

Li Ziming and Lu Wenjie's expressions changed drastically in an instant.

Before dawn, all the hundreds of elite family warriors and their followers that Li Ziming and his men had brought were either killed or captured; not a single one escaped.

When Li Ziming, the current head of the Zhao County Li Clan, and Lu Wenjie, the current head of the Fanyang Lu Clan, were pushed out bound hand and foot, Cui Jun and the others finally turned pale.

Wang Qingyun coldly stared at Cui Jun atop the city wall.

Both being members of the five prominent families and seven prominent clans of today, the two have known each other since childhood.

"The interrogation at the secret passage exit has yielded results..."

Cui Xiaoguo, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had many ways to get these people to open their mouths; he could even pry out some information from among the most ruthless assassins.

Soon, just as Wang Qingyun and Cui Jun on the city wall were silently staring at each other across hundreds of meters,...

He walked up to Wang Qingyun and spoke softly.

Wang Qingyun nodded: "You take eight hundred men and proceed according to plan tonight..."

The uniforms of the Embroidered Uniform Guards were too conspicuous. When the Lu family general, who was also responsible for guarding the city, saw this scene, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

"My lord, could it be that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has discovered the location of our secret passage exit during interrogation?"

Cui Jun pursed his lips and gritted his teeth inwardly. In his line of sight, Wang Qingyun, who was standing on horseback below the city in the distance, was still looking at him calmly.

There was no provocation, no insults, no offer of surrender, and no threats...

But it was precisely this silence that repeatedly stirred up and provoked the anxiety he was trying to suppress through self-hypnosis.

At night, Cui Jun, his eyes bloodshot, looked through binoculars at the situation at Wang Qingyun's camp outside the city.

There is still no news about Cui Guangshou's cavalry who broke through the encirclement, but fortunately, Wang Qingyun's cavalry has not returned either, which is good news.

Suddenly, through the telescope's view, behind the dimly lit camp, several indistinct dark figures seemed to be heading in a certain direction.

It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but you could definitely see shadowy figures leaving.

The direction they left in was none other than the exit of the secret passage outside the city.

Cui Jun was shocked.

"Quickly, destroy that secret passage!"

Hidden beneath the city walls, in a secret passage, a group of noble family retainers were anxiously filling in or completely collapsing and sealing off the passage.

The following day, there was no fighting during the day.

As night fell, the general in charge of guarding the city, like Cui Jun, saw the dark figure leaving the camp.

"My lord, could that fellow be planning to have someone dig the secret passage again, or perhaps even dig a new one?" The garrison commander couldn't help but speculate about Wang Qingyun's intentions.

As day broke, everyone keenly noticed that the number of soldiers in the outer camp had decreased.

Moreover, nearly a thousand people were missing.

Cui Jun had no choice but to order the burial of urns beneath the city walls, and to send people to constantly monitor any activity underground.

His gaze fell upon the city below.

Wang Qingyun's figure, which seemed to appear there every day, once again stood on horseback at a distance below the city, silently gazing at him.

"grass!!!"

Another day passed, and the number of soldiers lined up outside the city decreased by another thousand, and even the amount of smoke from the cooking fires was noticeably less.

Cui Jun and the others were completely bewildered by Wang Qingyun's behavior.

But I just can't understand why this guy keeps sending troops out every day... wait...

Cui Jun seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes widened instantly.

What if this guy isn't digging tunnels, but instead splitting his forces and sending them to other places?

He clenched his fists, staring intently at Wang Qingyun below the city, his heart filled with anxiety and turmoil.

Should we launch a night raid on the enemy camp outside the city?