Ang Lee's five guards and Mu Yangguo's eight guards didn't know what was going on inside. They rushed in directly when they heard the noise and glared at each other with weapons in their hands. The air was suddenly filled with a strong smell of gunpowder, and a fight was about to break out.
Mu Yangguo overestimated his judgment. He didn't expect that Ang Lee would suddenly turn hostile. He thought he understood human nature, but he underestimated Ang Lee's loyalty to the Tang Empire and his strong Hua Xia national pride.
In Ang Lee's heart, the Tang Empire was his motherland, the most powerful and civilized super empire in the world. Tubo was just a barbaric tribe in a remote mountain area. How could he abandon his motherland of the Tang Empire and join a barbaric tribe for the so-called position of the Great Emperor?
Tubo's military power was indeed strong, but its technology, culture, and historical heritage were far inferior to the Tang Empire. Compared with the Tang Empire, Tubo was a backward barbaric tribe.
Mu Yangguo knew that Ang Lee was strong. Even if he had more guards, they were no match for Ang Lee. Moreover, this was the Queen's City of Dongnu Province. Once a fight broke out, it might be difficult to end it. Ang Lee seemed to have the same concerns.
"How dare you! Who let you in?"
Mu Yangguo angrily rebuked his guard and grinned. "Li Xiaowei, I am just a merchant, not a lobbyist. What I said just now was just my personal opinion. There is indeed something wrong with it. Please don't take it to heart."
Ang Lee nodded gently. "Okay, then I'll take it that Mu Yangguo drank too much and was confused for a moment. If you want me to betray the Tang Empire, don't say it again. Otherwise, the sword at my waist won't have eyes."
"Haha, I was speechless for a moment. Forgive me, forgive me."
Mu Yangguo's face was full of smiles, and he waved his hand, motioning for his eight guards to retreat.
Ang Lee also waved his hand and asked the five guards to guard outside. He said with a smile, "Mu Yangguo invited me to drink with so many guards. Is it a Hongmen Banquet?"
"Hongmen Banquet? Haha, Captain Li is really funny. There is a saying in the Tang Empire that a gentleman is innocent. I'm a businessman and quite rich. If I didn't have enough guards, I'm afraid that I would have been buried in the wilderness. Besides, with Captain Li's bravery, how can my eight guards be a match for you?"
Mu Yangguo smiled faintly and looked quite sincere. He continued, "Captain Li, you escorted the King of Dongnu Province all the way to Queen's City. You must be tired from the journey. I think you will stay in Queen's City for a few more days. In this way, I can see you often."
Ang Lee grinned. "More than a few more days. In addition to escorting King Guichang back to Queen's City, I have another task, which is to escort the officials of the Ministry of Rites of the Tang Empire to inspect various places in Dongnu Province and promote the prestige of the Tang Empire. There are 80 cities in Dongnu Province. I'm afraid that I can't finish this task without three to five months. If Mu Yangguo wants to see me, there will be plenty of opportunities."
After that, he observed Mu Yangguo's expression. This task had begun, but it didn't need three to five months at all. He just needed to find some important places to promote the prestige of the Tang Empire. The people of Dongnu Province would also spread it by word of mouth. The reason why Ang Lee said so was to use this as a cover to hide his real purpose of eliminating the spies in Dongnu Province.
Hearing this, Mu Yangguo's face darkened slightly, and then returned to normal. He eagerly invited Ang Lee to a banquet.
The wine and dishes in the Nu Nu Restaurant were the best in Dongnu Province. However, compared with the restaurants in Chang 'an City of the Tang Empire, it was much worse. Moreover, the cooking level of this era was very limited. For this reason, Ang Lee didn't think these dishes were delicious. He just wanted to deal with Mu Yangguo's enthusiasm.
Ang Lee was sure that Mu Yangguo had something to do with Tubo, but he was not sure who Mu Yangguo was in Tubo. He pretended to be polite with Mu Yangguo in the Nu Nu Restaurant in order to test his background. Of course, Mu Yangguo's purpose was the same. Both of them knew each other's purpose, but neither of them pointed it out. The struggle between the wise men was so interesting.
After drinking and eating to his heart's content, Ang Lee left. Mu Yangguo pretended to watch Ang Lee leave. He didn't return to the room until Ang Lee's figure was far away from the Nu Nu Restaurant.
"It seems that Da Lun guessed wrong. Ang Lee won't betray the Tang Empire for a high position."
The middle-aged man walked out of the secret door accompanied by Ha Mi Guo.
Obviously, the middle-aged man who claimed to be Nanzhao's merchant, Mu Yangguo, was Tubo's Da Lun Yangguo. He wanted to persuade Ang Lee to join Tubo, but he was mercilessly defeated.
Wulun Yangguo sneered as he stared at the direction where Li An had left. "Looks like I've underestimated this Li An. This person is not moved by high positions and is a terrifying opponent. However, to be able to have a long talk with such an outstanding rising star like Li An is also something that makes me happy. Although I wasn't able to convince him to submit to my Tubo Empire, I still gained quite a lot." Wulun Yangguo sneered as he stared at the direction where Li An had left.
"What Da Lun means is that the Tang Empire's officials will stay in my Dongnu Province for a long time. But this is not a good thing for us. Now, the officials of my Dongnu Province are already loyal to the Tang Empire. If the Tang Empire's officials continue to show kindness to the people, I'm afraid that the people of my Dongnu Province will also be loyal to the Tang Empire. As a result, Da Lun's plan will be ruined."
The middle-aged man looked worried.
He was now tied to Tubo's warship. Tubo's interests were his interests. Seeing that the situation was developing more and more in favor of the Tang Empire, he was naturally very anxious.
The corner of Wulun Yangguo's mouth twitched. A trace of killing intent flashed in his eyes, causing the air in the room to freeze.
"The enemy has been working hard. How can we just sit and wait for death?"
The middle-aged man was happy, "So, Da Lun already has a way to deal with Ang Lee."
Wulun Yangguo beckoned the middle-aged man to come closer and whispered a few words in his ear.
"Da Lun, isn't this too ruthless? If the matter is exposed, the consequences will be unimaginable."
The middle-aged man's mouth showed a cold smile, "If you don't sacrifice the child, you can't trap the wolf. What's the big deal about the death of a few civilians? You can't be soft-hearted."
The middle-aged man wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and nodded, "For our common goal, it seems that this is the only way. I hope God will forgive our sins.
Wulun Yangguo's eyes showed a trace of disdain. He clenched his fists and said, "Don't worry, God only recognizes the strong. As long as you eventually ascend to a high position and do your best to govern the country so that the people can live and work in peace, who will know what you have done?"
The middle-aged man nodded again and again. He agreed with Wulun Yangguo's words.
####
Since leaving Nu Nu Lou, Ang Lee had been thinking about Mu Yangguo's identity. He always felt that Mu Yangguo's speech was quite impressive. He was definitely not an ordinary person. As for what kind of person he was in Tubo, Ang Lee couldn't be sure.
After returning to his residence, Ang Lee walked into the study, picked up a pen and paper, and drew Mu Yangguo's portrait on the paper. Although he had never learned painting in this life, with the understanding of painting in his previous life, he could draw a portrait that was not too far off. Ang Lee was surprised by this.
After drawing the portrait, Ang Lee wrote the three words Mu Yangguo at the bottom right of the portrait and then walked out of the study.
"Captain Li, Captain Zhang is back."
As soon as he walked out of the study, Ang Lee saw Erniu walking over. Needless to say, he must have a good grasp of the military situation inside and outside Dongnu Province.
"Erniu, come with me."
Ang Lee strode into his room. Before listening to Erniu's report, he had to get a map first. Only by looking at the map could he understand the situation around Dongnu Province more directly.
After returning to his room, Ang Lee immediately spread the map on the table and waved his hand. "Erniu, come here. Look at this map and tell me what you found out."
Erniu nodded, pointed at the map, and reported, "Captain Li, I have a good grasp of the situation. Dongnu Province does have ten thousand elite soldiers. They are led by five External Ministers, two thousand men each. The Grand Minister and Fourth Minister's men are deployed in the west, the Second Minister's men are deployed in the north, the Third Minister's men are deployed in the south, and the Fifth Minister's men are deployed in the east. However, each of the five External Ministers has left three hundred soldiers stationed near the Queen's City to protect the safety of the Queen's City. Each of the five External Ministers has deployed a total of one thousand seven hundred soldiers at the border. In addition, there are more than five hundred soldiers under the direct command of Prince Chang.
"Dongnu Province has deployed the Grand Minister and Fourth Minister's men to the west. It seems that they are mainly guarding against the Tibetan Empire."
Hearing this, Li An smiled and nodded lightly.
Erniu pointed at the map and continued, "Captain Li, this is the western border of Dongnu Province. The Tibetan army of ten thousand is deployed here."
Ang Lee frowned, "This place is less than five miles away from Dongnu Province's border. The Tibetan army is deployed so close to Dongnu Province. They obviously have bad intentions. If the Tibetan army launches an attack, won't the Grand Minister and Fourth Minister's three to four thousand soldiers be in danger?"
Erniu shook his head, "Captain Li, you don't have to worry at all. As long as the Dongnu Province's soldiers resist, not to mention ten thousand Tibetan soldiers, even a hundred thousand Tibetan soldiers might not be able to break through the Dongnu Province's defense line easily."
"Oh, Dongnu Province's western defense line is very strong."
Ang Lee was very curious.
Erniu nodded, "It's not just strong, it's practically impregnable. Not only do they have tall and sturdy watchtowers, but they also have the geographical advantage of the mountains and rivers. After so many years of painstaking effort, their defense is flawless. The Tibetan army will not be able to break through the Dongnu Province's defense line without sacrificing tens of thousands of soldiers."
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