In this night raid, Kunwu Four Camps — Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise — had lost at least fifty men each. It would only be more, not less.
The other two Great Training Camps, Longwei and Shenwei, were in a similar situation as well.
In total, the Three Great Training Camps had lost at least six hundred men. With so many casualties, it was no wonder that the losses were severe!
Yet, the lord before him said that this number was still within the range of the death quota!
In that instant, the young man felt a completely different feeling.
The existence of the death quota wasn't a secret in the Three Great Training Camps. All along, he thought that the death quota would only be two or three, or at most, twenty to thirty.
But at this moment, he realized that he had severely underestimated this name list.
He did not know why, but when he heard those words from the Lord he respected, he suddenly felt an incomparable fear in his heart.
The might of the heavens was fearsome!
This was the only thought in his mind.
"… What the royal court needs are wolves, not sheep! On this point, His Majesty and I share the same thoughts. War isn't a game. This night raid might seem cruel in your eyes, but in the eyes of His Majesty and I, it's already the greatest mercy. "
From the darkness, the lord's voice sounded.
"Several hundred master archers, several hundred Goguryeon warriors, and a few Turkic wolves in the northern plains … This little bit of strength is insignificant in the face of the true cruelty of the battlefield. If they can't survive this night raid, they will be even less likely to survive on the larger and crueler battlefield in the future! "
"At the very least, dying here is better than dying on the battlefield in the future. At the very least, their corpses will remain intact! The sooner they understand this, the better it will be for them. This is also the reason why His Majesty and I allowed them to sneak into the Three Great Training Camps and launch an attack despite knowing about this night attack. Even though the Three Great Training Camps have lost five to six hundred students, in the future, there will be even more who will survive because of them! "
"This is the first lesson that His Majesty and I are going to teach them!"
The lord's voice was calm and composed. From start to finish, it felt as though he had everything under control.
"Do you know that Zhao Qianqiu obtained a dozen tigers from His Majesty to teach his students a lesson?"
"Ah!"
The latter looked surprised.
"This is the 'Fierce Tiger' that we gave to the students!"
That person said with a meaningful tone.
The young figure was finally speechless.
"Report!"
In the midst of the silence, a rustling sound suddenly came from the forest. In the blink of an eye, an Imperial Army general dressed in heavy armor walked out from the dense shrubs.
A thick murderous aura emanated from his body. The mountain breeze blew past. Before he even got close, the two of them could smell the thick stench of blood on his body.
"Reporting to the two lords, all of the Goguryeons and Turks have been eliminated. Other than a single Goguryeon who managed to escape our encirclement, none of the others survived! "
The commander of the Imperial Army who appeared later knelt on one knee on the ground. His voice was sonorous and forceful. Drops of thick blood gathered from the gaps in his armor and dripped onto the grass.
The battle ended much faster than anyone could have imagined. Under the combined might of six Imperial Army members, there was no one who could have survived.
The Goguryeons and Turk master archers didn't even have the chance to launch a proper attack before they were annihilated.
"To think that he still managed to escape!"
In the darkness, the person on the boulder suddenly let out a long sigh. But it only took an instant for him to regain his senses.
"Pass down my order to clean up all traces of the battle. We mustn't leave any traces behind, including bloodstains. We mustn't let anyone know that we made a move here! "
"Yes, lord!"
The Imperial Army general quickly responded and left.
"Li Tong, you should leave as well. Inform His Majesty that that person has already escaped! "
He turned his head and looked at the young man still kneeling on the ground. It was Li Tong.
"But lord, we haven't confirmed it yet, right?"
Li Tong lifted his head. Only he knew that other than exterminating the Turks and Goguryeons, the mission tonight was to capture an important person.
"Hmph, that person was still able to escape from the encirclement of six Imperial Army members. Do you think that an ordinary person is capable of such a feat? There's no need to look anymore. That person has already escaped. That Goguryeon sure is cunning! "
The commander on the boulder said as he swiftly left, disappearing from sight.
Behind him, Li Tong hesitated for a moment before leaving as well.
The entire mountain peak was empty, and a gentle breeze blew past.
To the people of the Three Great Training Camps, what had happened here was bound to be a secret. No one would know of the appearance of the six Imperial Army members.
Even more so, no one would know that these three people had appeared here.
…
Peng!
A huge wolf corpse with a hideous appearance fell straight down the cliff in a straight line in the wild wind. At the foot of the mountain, corpses were piled up like a mountain.
The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise were piled with corpses. If they weren't dealt with quickly, the stench of corpses would spread, and within three days, these mountains would become uninhabitable.
The battle had already ended, but there was still a long way to go. At this moment, everyone was busy dealing with the corpses, including Wang Chong and Wei Hao.
Even Marchioness Yi and the other ladies had joined in.
"Wang Chong, don't you find those women terrifying?"
Amidst the crowd, Wei Hao nudged Wang Chong lightly with his elbow and whispered.
Wang Chong followed Wei Hao's gaze and saw Marchioness Yi and the others.
"You must be tired of living. If they hear you, you'll suffer. Think about how Marchioness Yi would stab you with her spear. It can't be that you want to be stabbed by her, right? "
Wang Chong chuckled.
Wei Hao's face turned cold. Recalling how Marchioness Yi and the others were able to kill them with their spears, he felt goosebumps rising all over his body.
"Bastard! How dare you scare me! "
But soon, Wei Hao recovered from his shock and knocked into Wang Chong.
"Hehe, who asked you to be so spineless? You left me alone in the day. "
Wang Chong said.
"You can't blame me for that! Didn't I … Didn't I lose to them? "
Upon hearing Wang Chong's words, Wei Hao immediately felt embarrassed.
Wang Chong didn't hold it against Wei Hao. Instead, he raised his head and glanced at Marchioness Yi and the others. At the same time, Wang Chong fell into deep thought.
Even though Wei Hao described Marchioness Yi and the others as savage, arrogant, and fearless, that wasn't how Wang Chong felt.
Even though they were clearing the corpses like the others, it was clear from their expressions that they were extremely uncomfortable. In fact, they were even on the verge of throwing the corpses away. This was a stark contrast to their image as war goddesses.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was deep in thought, Wang Chong suddenly caught sight of something that made his heart skip a beat.
"Wei Hao, wait a moment. Put the corpses down. "
Wang Chong suddenly stopped Wei Hao.
"Why? Are you interested in corpses as well? "
Wei Hao had a teasing look on his face.
Chi la!
However, Wang Chong didn't play around with Wei Hao. Instead, he walked over, grabbed the black pants of the Goguryeon warrior, and tore it forcefully. Chi la! In the next instant, a bizarre tattoo appeared on the right leg of the Goguryeon warrior.
Upon seeing this tattoo, Wei Hao's expression also warped. Putting away his playful thoughts, he put down the corpse and walked over.
It was a circular tattoo, and within it was a snake and a golden crow. The scaled snake was at the bottom, and the golden crow was at the top. When their eyes met, there was an indescribably bizarre feeling.
"This is … the symbol of some power?"
Wei Hao's reaction wasn't slow either.
Wang Chong didn't say a word. Instead, he stared intently at the symbol as a thought flashed through his mind.
He recognized this symbol!
Initially, Wang Chong thought that this night assault was just a simple alliance between the Goguryeons and Turks to probe the Three Great Training Camps and lower the morale of the Tang dynasty.
But upon seeing this symbol, Wang Chong realized that his thinking was too simple.
"King Sosurim!"
Looking at the bizarre tattoo, a name flashed across Wang Chong's mind.
Even though the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganate and Ouzan had attracted all of the attention of the Tang dynasty, the Goguryeon Empire in the east had never let up on its intelligence gathering on the Tang dynasty.
And 'King Sosurim' was Goguryeo's' spy king 'in the Tang dynasty, a thorn that Goguryeon King Yeon Gaesomun had planted in the Central Plains.
Even though he wasn't of noble birth, it was rumored that Goguryeon King Yeon Gaesomun had conferred him as a member of the royal family, and the title 'King Sosurim' was coined by Yeon Gaesomun. From this, it could be seen how highly the king regarded him.
And this golden crow and snake tattoo was the symbol of his subordinates.
Even though his job was to gather intelligence, King Sosurim's deeds in the capital were far more than that.
Sabotage, assassinations … Anything that could damage the Tang dynasty and benefit Goguryeon, he would do them all.
His most infamous deed was the assassination of a high-ranking official of the Central Plains.
Almost all of the officials in the royal court who had advocated for war against Goguryeon had been assassinated by him. This assassination wasn't limited to the person in question, but the maids, servants, women, and children in the residence as well.
Censor Tang Zhao, who had advocated for war against Goguryeon, died in his hands. Not a single person in the residence was spared. This incident had once caused a huge uproar in the Tang dynasty eight years ago.
Even though the royal court was infuriated, and many of the Goguryeon spies were captured and executed. However, the mastermind behind the assassination, King Sosurim, was never caught.
The reason was simple. No one had seen him before, and no one knew what he looked like. Even the name 'King Sosurim' was only known through bribing the officials of the Goguryeon Empire.
As for his appearance, no one knew anything at all.
All they knew was that he was fluent in the language of the Central Plains, and he was extremely familiar with the Tang dynasty, just like a Han. Even if they were to meet face to face, it would be impossible to tell whether he was a Han or a Goguryeon.
"To think that it would be him!"
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