Chapter 252: Huge Harvest
"Hahaha, wonderful! With all of you elders here, we won't have to worry about being unable to subdue the Goguryeons!" Wang Chong burst into laughter.
At this moment, he couldn't feel any happier about his previous decision. Only with Ma Yinlong and his group could his plan be truly perfected.
These people had fought with the Goguryeons for more than a decade now, and this had given them a deep insight into how they operated and their habits. With them on the team, the probability of success in the operation against the Goguryeons had increased immensely.
"With Old Eagle here, it won't be a problem uncovering the base of the Goguryeons. However, this is still insufficient." Ma Yinlong wasn't as optimistic was Wang Chong.
"It doesn't matter how many Goguryeon warrior or assassins die—the Goguryeon empire has more than enough troops to send over. This damage is truly insignificant to them. The main problem we have to deal with is King Sosurim."
A frown etched itself deeply into Ma Yinlong's forehead.
"Just as the saying goes, 'shoot the horse before the rider, capture the chief before the bandits'. Even if we were to ruin this operation of theirs, I don't have the absolute confidence that we will be able to capture King Sosurim. As long as he remains, the Goguryeons will be able to make a comeback time and time again... or perhaps, they might even go on a rampage to exact vengeance. We cannot bear this kind of damage," Ma Yinlong said.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Even the less intelligent guards from the Zhuang Clan and Chi Clan could understand the meaning behind Ma Yinlong's words.
King Sosurim was the brain of the Goguryeons in Great Tang. If he wasn't captured, this operation couldn't be considered as a success. These kinds of assassinations would only be carried out again and again in the future.
"Brother Ma is right. Gongzi, you have never fought against King Sosurim before, so you don't know him well. He might seem like a careful person usually, but there's an extremely demented side to him as well. He's definitely capable of doing such stuff." Steel Arms stepped forward and spoke with a grim expression at that moment.
"Back then, we actually managed to achieve significant success in our operations. We managed to kill a huge portion of the core team of the Goguryeons in the capital. However, after the incident, King Sosurim began to exact his vengeance. Most of the brothers who fought alongside us back then were killed or crippled by relentless and frenzied assassinations from the Goguryeons, leaving behind only the few of us. My left arm was also taken away by them then."
The other two didn't say a word, but their faces indicated their agreement to Steel Arm's words.
Wang Chong frowned as he recalled the assault on Kunwu Training Camp that night. The Goguryeons there were vicious, and they were willing to die just to kill an additional enemy.
Given that tenacity of theirs, they were definitely more than capable of doing such stuff.
Only then did Wang Chong realize that he had placed his priorities wrongly.
In truth, the very criterion for success in their operation would be whether they could capture King Sosurim or not. As long as the brain remained, the Goguryeons would remain as a thorn stuck in the flesh of Great Tang.
Even if this assassination attempt was foiled, they could always conduct another one. Furthermore, what was truly scary was that there was no saying when the Goguryeons would strike. Great Tang might be able to keep its guard up for a month or two, but what if they were to exact vengeance a year or two later?
At this point, destroying the bases of the Goguryeons and killing their men was already a secondary concern. The main issue was whether they would be able to capture the chief spy King Sosurim or not.
"Elders, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Wang Chong raised his head to look at them.
"Simple! The reason why gongzi is reluctant to attack the Goguryeon bases is to avoid alarming them, right? However, the current situation is different—what we will do is to alarm them!" A cold glint gleamed in Ma Yinlong's narrowed eyes.
"It's about time to cause some chaos in the bases of those Goguryeons in the capital. In this operation, gongzi need not hold back. Only after destroying all of the Goguryeon bases in the capital will we be able to mess up King Sosurim's plan, and he will be forced to appear.
"I know him. As the chief spy of Goguryeo, he is an extremely arrogant person. He wouldn't terminate a plan just because something goes awry; instead, he would bring it forward. As long as his plan could succeed, he has no qualms sacrificing any number of his men!" At the very end of his sentence, Ma Yinlong struck the table forcefully, and his face was so livid that even Wang Chong's heart skipped a beat.
His will to slaughter King Sosurim was stronger than anyone else's.
"Don't worry, leave this matter to me." After a short moment of silence, Wang Chong nodded.
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After leaving the Royal Jade Pavilion, Wang Chong headed straight for King Song’s Residence, and from there, he obtained several tokens that granted him the rights to mobilize various battalions of the Imperial Army.
Only a qinwang like King Song would have the right to do such a thing.
After that, Wang Chong went to find Uncle Li Lin. Dealing with the Goguryeons was an important affair; if they were to do well, it would be a huge merit on their part.
“Rich meat goes not to outsiders”. There was very little benefit that Wang Chong could obtain from this matter, so he would rather pass on the chance to his family member.
Uncle Li Lin was also very decisive about it. After hearing Wang Chong's words, he immediately went on to discuss the matter with Imperial Army Marshal Zhao Fengchen, and eventually, a huge number of Imperial Army soldiers were placed under Li Lin's command.
With these, there were around four thousand experts under Wang Chong's grasp. At his request, there were also quite a number of master archers within the group.
Needless to say, when clearing out the bases of the Goguryeons, with these troops, they could even fight a small-scale battle.
The capital stood beneath the Son of Heaven's feet. In order to prevent fear and panic amongst the populace, as well as to prevent the Goguryeons from noticing anything beforehand, they gave up moving in the day, the time which it would be the most suited for them to move, and decided to operate deep in the night instead.
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"Are you all ready?"
Late at night, Wang Chong stood beneath a tree, gazing at a residence far away. The rooms of the residence was brightly lit, like a lighthouse guiding everyone's way.
"Gongzi, we're ready. Master archers are planted at every single crucial escape route, and the only fate that awaits any who dares to leave the residence is death," a messenger Imperial soldier reported quietly from where he knelt behind Wang Chong. From his angle, fully-armored Imperial soldiers stretched all the way to the horizon, encircling the residence tightly.
These troops were all elites, and at Wang Chong's request, the front row was equipped with thick armor and a shield.
The encirclement slowly narrowed, but without Wang Chong's orders, no one dared to make a move easily.
"Ready! Release the signal!" Gazing coldly into the distance, Wang Chong abruptly chopped down with his hand.
Boom!
Responding to Wang Chong's gesture, a brilliant firework shot into the sky, leaving behind a long trail of smoke. It looked exceptionally conspicuous in the middle of the night.
——This was the signal to attack!
"Charge! ——"
The next instant, war cries shook the air. Above the land, many Halos of Thorns bloomed magnificently like beautiful flowers beneath the dark sky.
Throughout the Great Tang capital, from the first base that Wang Chong was in, the second base, the third base... all the way to the fourteenth base, every single base that the Goguryeons had established in capital, with the exception of the gathering point beyond the walls, had all come under attack.
Four thousand Imperial Army guards of the royal court and the wall patrol charged forward as ferociously as ravenous tigers, leaping over the residence walls and into its courtyard.
Shield-wielding troops, master archers, cavalry... All of the various troops cooperated with one another, covering all aspects of battle, be it defense or offense. In an instant, all of the Goguryeon bases were tightly surrounded.
"Enemy attack! ——"
From afar, these words, spouted in Koguryoan, rang loudly in the air. The Goguryeon sentries had finally noticed the advancing Imperial Army guards.
【Congratulations to user for killing 21 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded by Wang Chong's ears. Boom, frenzied winds blew in accompaniment to the voice, and a surge of energy gushed into his body from his surroundings.
"What's going on?"
Sensing the changes in his body, Wang Chong was stunned. The operation had just barely begun, and he hadn't killed a single Goguryeon. How could he receive such a notice?
However, before Wang Chong's doubts could be resolve, an even more shocking scene occurred.
【Congratulations to user for killing 22 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 23 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 24 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 25 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
A series of familiar, cold voices echoed in his head, leaving Wang Chong dumbfounded. Dense Origin Energy gathered from all around and turned into Wang Chong's strength.
Within a short moment, Wang Chong's Bane of the Battlefield grew by an amount far greater than it had in the past few months. However, what was even more baffling was that it was still growing at an insane pace.
Shocked!
Perplexed!
Everything that was happening before Wang Chong had exceeded his understanding, but the growing Bane of the Battlefield aura clearly reassured Wang Chong that everything was real.
【Congratulations to user for killing 35 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 36 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 37 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
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【Congratulations to user for killing 49 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 50 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 51 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
Under this series of notices, Wang Chong was delighted. He subconsciously released the Bane of the Battlefield aura within him.
Weng! In the dark night, a massive ripple that was privy only to Wang Chong's eyes spread into the distance.
This time, at a distance of more than 1200 meters away, Wang Chong could see a white ripple abruptly appearing beneath the feet of the Goguryeon troops.
Different from the very first time the halo appeared, the Goguryeon troops inflicted with the white halo found their strength declining sharply.
Fear slowly spread across the Goguryeons as they sensed the abnormalities happening within them.
In an instant, the pace at which the Goguryeons died increased.
【Congratulations to user for killing 81 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 82 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 83 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
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【Congratulations to user for killing 101 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 102 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 103 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
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Countless notices bombarded Wang Chong, and the vortex that had gathered around him grew even larger and more intense.
In every moment of this battle, Wang Chong was growing at a pace which he dared not imagine in the past!