Chapter Seventy-Four: Sudden Outburst

The path was not particularly long, perhaps three or five li at most. Yet it was so narrow that by the time Li Kong and his companions led their horses out, nearly two hours had passed, and the moon hung at its zenith, midnight approaching.

Under the moonlight, everything before them was clear. It was a village of barely a dozen households, but as they arrived, not a single soul could be seen. The air lingered with traces of blood.

“Send a few men ahead to see what’s happened,” Li Kong said, his expression darkening as he growled the order.

The thousands of cavalrymen accompanying him were all hardened by battle, their senses keen to the scent of blood. Even before Li Kong’s command, they had already smashed through the doors of the village houses.

Suddenly, corpse after corpse, long since cold, appeared before their eyes. Blood had congealed into icy shards, crisscrossing the rooms.

The villagers wore Tang attire, the eldest perhaps forty or fifty, the youngest mere infants. In his previous life, Li Kong had witnessed images of the Nanjing Massacre—deeply moved, though never having seen such horror firsthand. Now, however, he was confronted with a vivid, bloody reality. These were his own people, subjects of the Great Tang. When had it come to pass that the Goguryeo barbarians dared to wreak such havoc?

In that moment, his murderous rage surged. He drove his long spear deep into the cold, hard earth, his face shadowed and grim, a fierce aura radiating from him. Even his eyes seemed to redden.

It was not only him; all the thousands of cavalrymen trembled with fury. If not for the demands of their mission, they might have already erupted into furious shouts, the stifled rage burning in their chests nearly unbearable.

“Head south from here, move secretly. Tonight, I will show these Goguryeo cavalrymen what it means to incur the wrath of heaven!”

Li Kong mounted his horse, cracking his whip, and sped ahead.

Behind him, five thousand cavalry followed, long blades gleaming coldly.

The Goguryeo camp was only a few li from the village. As the thunder of hooves echoed, they had already reached within a li of the enemy tents. At their pace, it would take less than half a tea’s time to close the distance.

Such commotion could not escape the notice of the Goguryeo soldiers. Gao Yanshou quickly mounted his horse, though the wine he had consumed earlier left him somewhat dazed. He saw a mass of cavalry charging toward them, yet could not immediately discern their identity.

But sensing the murderous intent, he promptly recognized the adversaries and shouted, “All men, mount up—kill!”

His deep roar carried through the night. Thousands of Goguryeo horsemen vaulted onto their mounts, swinging their curved blades as they charged to meet the oncoming cavalry. The entire process took less than a minute, leaving Li Kong astonished. Such speed, such discipline—even the field units of his past life might not match this!

But he was not one to retreat before formidable foes. In fact, encountering such a force stirred an almost feverish excitement in his eyes.

“Brothers, ahead lies the Goguryeo barbarians. Are you afraid?”

“Kill!”

“You may die here—no one may even collect your bodies. Tell me, are you afraid?”

“Kill!”

“These barbarians have slaughtered our people. Blood debts must be repaid in blood. Tonight, no prisoners—only heads!”

“Kill!”

Boom! The two forces collided fiercely. Li Kong’s two-and-a-half-meter spear swept sideways, decapitating five or six Goguryeo soldiers, their bodies crashing heavily to the ground.

Blood splattered, casting brilliant patterns under the moonlight. Roars and screams echoed back and forth, the battle tangled and ferocious.

Though reluctant to admit it, Li Kong had to acknowledge reality: these thousands of cavalry fought well. He found himself curious about the leader of this force.

Yet it was only a passing curiosity. After all, he had brought the Tang’s finest—soldiers who had followed Emperor Li Shimin from the beginning, the Black Armored Guards and the Chang’an Imperial Guard. Most had faced the Turkic cavalry head-on. The Goguryeo horsemen were fierce, but still inferior to the Turks.

“General, why don’t we have the gate commander join us for a combined attack?” a deputy shouted, having dispatched an enemy and rushing to Li Kong’s side.

Li Kong struck down another foe, glanced toward the city walls, and replied, “The gate commander here is called Liu Rengui, I believe? Consider this an opportunity I’ve gifted him. If he acts decisively, I’ll see him introduced to His Majesty. If he cowers...”

Before he could finish, the city gates swung open. Hundreds of cavalry, led by a young man, galloped swiftly toward the fray.

“Ha! As I thought—this man is a talent!” Li Kong laughed loudly, quickening his slaughter.

While Li Kong dominated the field, Gao Yanshou still reeled in a drunken haze, narrowly escaping death several times at the hands of the Tang army. Though he survived, his personal guard dwindled from fifteen to three.

“Damn it! Do you think I’m so easily bullied? Die!” Spurred by the bloodshed, Gao Yanshou found a moment of clarity. With a roar, he charged at the nearby Tang soldiers. His martial prowess was formidable; during the sixteenth year of the Zhenguan era’s conquest of Goguryeo, he had fought fifty-seven rounds against Xue Rengui before showing weakness. The Tang soldiers before him were fierce, yet could not withstand his brute force.

He cut down five Tang soldiers like chopping vegetables, his mind finally clearing. Just as he prepared to slaughter more, a long spear suddenly blocked his curved blade.

“You command your troops well. State your name and I’ll see you buried whole,” Li Kong said coldly.

“No one left in Tang? They send a wet-behind-the-ears boy? Remember this! I am Gao Yanshou. I will kill you here and now!” Gao Yanshou snarled, raising his blade to strike.

“Gao Yanshou? So it’s you!” Li Kong paused, dodging Gao Yanshou’s attack, then burst out laughing. “If you wish to kill me, you’re far from capable!”

Li Kong was a master of the killing arts, whether from the combat of his past life or the martial discipline of this one. Every move was deadly. His long spear whirled like a fierce wind, forming a three-meter web of attacks before him.

Under normal circumstances, Gao Yanshou might have managed to withstand him. But his mind, still dulled by alcohol, lagged behind his body. Thus, within less than a tea’s time and barely twenty exchanges, Li Kong left three wounds on him, one dangerously close to his heart.

“Ah—damn you! Die!” Gao Yanshou roared, leaping from his horse straight at Li Kong.

His plan was sound, but his body refused to obey, veering nearly a foot off course and crashing hard to the ground.

The pain forced a muffled groan from him, and his body froze for a moment. In that instant, the long spear pierced his neck. With a twist and a pull, his head was severed from his body.