Uncle Detective Di Renjie, I build a crime-solving team

Chapter 1026 The Loyal Yu Zhou

Karls looked up at the top of the military tent.

“If we don’t listen to the Zanpu and stand in confrontation with Guo Yuanzhen’s army here, our families will surely suffer a terrible fate once the Zanpu finds out.”

“The men are trapped here. Supplies are not coming. Sooner or later, they will all die.”

"Either way, it's death!"

He spoke in despair, beginning to doubt whether he was really cut out to be a soldier.

If he were truly a capable commander, he wouldn't have allowed his entire army to fall into such a predicament.

The lieutenant's eyes flickered for a moment, then he actually walked out, letting two soldiers see the tent and forbidding anyone from entering. Afterwards, he looked around as if he had a guilty conscience.

Noticing the lieutenant's outrageous behavior, Karls asked:

"Cook, what are you doing?"

Lieutenant Cook returned, as if he had made up his mind, and pulled an envelope from his pocket.

“Half an hour ago, I went to patrol the camp. Among the defeated soldiers we gathered, there was a junior officer who found a secluded spot and slipped this letter to me.”

He didn't hide anything and told them what had happened.

"This letter was written by Guo Yuanzhen, the deputy Grand Marshal of the Jiannan Road Army. It was originally meant for you, but the junior officer was of low rank and couldn't see you, so he had to give it to me."

"I thought it might be useful, so I didn't kill the traitorous junior officer, but just kept him in the tent and forbade him to go out."

He then said in a sincere tone, "I know I did something wrong. Whether you want to cut off my head or do whatever you want to me, I will accept it."

"I just wanted to make sure that not all of my brothers died."

Carls frowned, opened the envelope, and read on.

The letter was simple. Guo Yuanzhen analyzed the current situation for him and concluded that Qi Nuxi would order him to lead troops to Lhasa.

Guo Yuanzhen pointed out Karls' predicament and stated that nearly 300,000 troops were guarding Karls's southward route.

If Kars dares to march south, given the remaining forces in Stone Castle, none of them will survive to reach Lhasa.

The more Karl looked at it, the more he frowned, and he felt terrible.

Only at the very end did Guo Yuanzhen offer him a way out, which was...

……

Within a few days, the Tang army surrounded the city of Lhasa from all sides.

Amidst the panic in the city, only a 10,000-strong garrison managed to stand precariously on the city walls.

Guo Yuanzhen moved his central army camp to the east gate of Lhasa, with Hongji City, where Qinuxi was located, a hundred miles behind it.

Inside the commander's tent, Lun Ke, who had changed into the clothes of a commoner from the Tang Dynasty, sighed for a long time.

"Don't sigh." Quan Shancai chuckled. "You were able to persuade Kars to hold back with just a letter. When you return to court, His Majesty will certainly not treat you badly."

Lun Ke lowered his head and continued to sigh.

Indeed, it was he who sent the young general to deliver the message to Karls a few days ago. That young general was his confidant, and he also chose to surrender after Karls surrendered.

That letter was also written by him. Having dealt with Qinuxi for over a decade, he knew exactly which option Qinuxi would choose in any given situation.

So, after using Guo Yuanzhen's name to explain the advantages, he chose a direction for Karls.

Then their army arrived safely at Lhasa.

News of the siege of Lhasa has already been sent to Hongji City. The Tibetan king will certainly receive the news in half a day, and half a day is enough time for four armies to break through Lhasa.

On the east gate city wall, civil and military officials such as Yu Zhou and Barkley were looking at the Tang army camp, but the more they looked, the more depressed they felt.

The Tang army was on high alert, and all siege equipment was ready, just waiting to launch an attack on Lhasa.

"What should we do, Your Excellency?"

Barkley was extremely anxious: "The emperor is currently in Hongji City. General Lun Ke's army of over 100,000 men was defeated in Supi, and the army in Shibao City cannot advance south."

"Could it be that my Tibetan kingdom is about to perish?"

Although Yu Zhou was happy, he dared not show it on his face.

He looked at the soldiers on the ramparts, most of whom had fear on their faces, as if they had seen the devil descend.

"Chong-"

Yu Zhou suddenly drew his sword, the Zhanlu sword that Li Cunxi had gifted him and that Wulezhi had personally delivered to Tibet.

The clear sound of the sword attracted the attention of all the ministers.

"Everyone!"

"One who eats the king's food must serve the king faithfully!"

"The king trusts us, so we must repay his trust!"

“I know many of you are dissatisfied with me. You privately call me a dog from the Tang Dynasty, only good at licking the emperor's ass to please him. Some even say I am the emperor's male concubine, otherwise I wouldn't have become the Grand Minister!”

As Yu Zhou spoke, he looked around at everyone.

Barkley never expected that someone would use such vicious language to insult his colleague.

He quickly followed Yu Zhou's gaze and looked around, and sure enough, he saw many civil and military officials who had lowered their heads because they felt guilty.

Yu Zhou, however, maintained his composed and magnanimous demeanor and continued:

"Even worse, some people have intentionally or unintentionally claimed that I, Yuzhou, am a spy sent by Emperor Li Cunxi of the Tang Dynasty!"

"I came to Tibet to sow discord between the Tibetan king and his ministers, and to put Tibet in a dangerous situation, so that the Tang army could come and attack!"

"All I want to say is, no matter how much you curse me, how much you slander me, or how much you hurt me behind my back..."

“I will accept it all in this state.”

His tone suddenly softened, and he leaned against the edge of the battlements, showing a rare moment of relaxation.

Do you know why?

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "My ancestors in Yuzhou were descendants of high-ranking officials of the former Sui Dynasty. They were implicated in the defeat of their ancestors. During the Tang Dynasty, they were even less popular. My grandfather was demoted to Lingnan simply for opposing Empress Wu Zetian's offer of a princeship in court."

The Tibetan officials and civil servants were unaware of Yuzhou's past. They exchanged glances and decided to listen to what was going on.

Yu Zhou became more and more excited as he spoke: "By my generation, my family was so poor that we could barely make ends meet."

“I stayed in Lingnan for decades and almost starved to death. Later, I joined the Serpent Spirit organization of the former Zhou Dynasty, intending to overthrow the former Zhou. However, Li Cunxi repeatedly thwarted our plans. With no other choice, I then sought refuge with Prince Liang of the former Zhou, Wu Sansi.”

"But in the end, man proposes, God disposes. The Three Kingdoms' plan to attack Zhou failed. I was advising Helu Khan in the Turkic Khaganate, while my lord Wu Sansi suffered a crushing defeat and was taken to Luoyang to be beheaded."

"Later, the Tang Dynasty attacked the Turks, and the Khitans were incorporated into the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty and the Khitans attacked the Turks from two sides. My army suffered a crushing defeat and was sent to the Western Regions before the Turkic Khan Helu was defeated and killed."

“I firmly believe that one day I will defeat the Tang Dynasty and avenge my ancestors. So I gathered tribes in the Western Regions and raised an army again, but Wang Xiaojie killed me in a terrible battle and caused heavy casualties.”

"After that, I came here."