At the beginning, the people in Goguryeo did not notice anything. They believed that this fight would come sooner or later, so it would be better to end it early so that everyone would feel more at ease.
But later, many knowledgeable people discovered that there were external people involved in this fight. They helped the King of Goguryeo, and at the same time, these people were ruthless and had no mercy at all.
Whether it was the King of Goguryeo or the Prime Minister of Goguryeo, they had to keep some face when doing things, that is to say, they had a bottom line when doing things, but this mysterious force had no bottom line at all.
They just wanted to make this matter bigger and bigger. When these knowledgeable people found out, there was no turning back. The entire palace was covered with blood and so many people died. If you want both sides to stop, is it still possible?
Zhang Qixiong recalled all this, and suddenly he felt cold all over.
Could it be that all this was the work of the Tang Dynasty? He still remembered what the previous King of Goguryeo had said: if the Central Plains dynasty were to send a large number of troops to fight us head-on like Emperor Yang of Sui, then they would never be able to win. But if the Central Plains dynasty were to engage in conspiracy and intrigue, then we, Goguryeo, would never be their opponent.
Normally, Zhang Qixiong couldn't calm down and think about this matter. Now that he was imprisoned in the Sky Prison, he had nothing else to do. Thinking about it, it was indeed the case. Since Li Shimin's last defeat, the Tang Dynasty had not made any major moves in the border areas. It was after they stopped fighting that the entire Goguryeo fell into chaos.
If that's true...
The Tang Dynasty changed their strategy...
Zhang Qixiong finally understood what was going on. This time they came to visit the Tang Dynasty, and it was probably impossible for them to go back. The Tang Dynasty had been preparing for this matter for such a long time, and it was unknown how much manpower and material resources had been mobilized. They just found a reason to start a war. They were just some small people. How could anyone care about their life or death?
Consider the recent events on the Goguryeo border. Because the imperial court was caught up in an unrestricted struggle, no one cared about matters on the border. While the Tang army hasn't arrived in large numbers during this period, small groups of cavalry have been everywhere, causing all sorts of trouble along the border. The biggest problem is the lack of food in the fields...
The area near the Tang Dynasty border in Goguryeo was a vast plain, a major grain-producing region. Normally, there were large numbers of troops surrounding it, but the Tang army did not assemble. Instead, they were divided into hundreds of small cavalry squadrons. Led by military captains, they relentlessly drove away Goguryeo farmers, especially during the farming season...
The border guard also reported this matter to the King of Goguryeo, but that guy was not available at the time. He was busy fighting for power with the Prime Minister and creating various elections in the capital of Goguryeo. The two sides fought back and forth and had no time to take care of border affairs.
Zhang Qixiong sighed helplessly, then shook his head. He thought about his family and realized that it was basically impossible for him to meet them again in this lifetime. If it were possible, he would have to take action now.
"I want to see your commander."
No one knew what to say. When the silence lasted for about an incense stick of time, Zhang Qixiong suddenly stood up with difficulty and slapped the wood of the cell hard.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who do you think you are now? Are you still an envoy of Goguryeo? We in the Tang Dynasty should treat you with great courtesy, but now you are our prisoner. Even bugs would avoid you. And you still want to see our commander? Do you have the qualifications?"
The old man in the cell came over with a torch and smashed it on the wood of the cell. The people inside were so scared that they ran inside quickly. If the oil on the fire board dripped down, it would instantly burn a small hole in the person's body. In this environment with a lack of medical care and medicine, if you have any injuries on your body, you can just wait to report to the King of Hell. Don't expect the people here to be kind enough to treat you. That's not going to happen at all.
"I have something important to discuss with your commander. You know who I am. If you delay, you'll be dead. Tell him I can tell him everything he wants to know about Goguryeo."
Zhang Qixiong also understood that in this situation, you are a prisoner, with nothing of value on you. You must make the other party interested in you. Only then will the commander of the Imperial City Department come over. Otherwise, do you think they are crazy? Come to the cell to see you, a waste.
At first, the others didn't know what Lord Zhang was going to do, but they soon understood that Lord Zhang was going to betray Goguryeo and sell it out for his own life.
"Why are you looking at me? Don't you understand? If we want to survive now, we can only rely on ourselves. There is no point in relying on the country. The people in the country can do nothing but fight. They have already lost their chance. Even if they turn over a new leaf now, Goguryeo will have no chance. The only thing to blame is that Goguryeo's enemies are too strong."
When Zhang Qixiong turned around, everyone in the cell looked at him in surprise. You know, Zhang Qixiong is a very patriotic person, otherwise he would not have been allowed to come on a diplomatic mission to the Tang Dynasty. In fact, only Zhang Qixiong himself knew that he was not patriotic at all, and it was basically all pretended. As long as there was a chance to survive, he could sell out everything.
"Kill him, don't let him see the commander..."
There are still many loyal people in the cell. They were selected to be sent as envoys to the Tang Dynasty, so they are naturally loyal enough to Goguryeo. At this moment, they have no other choice but to kill Zhang Qixiong.
“Help, help…”
Zhang Qixiong did not expect that these people would commit insubordination. There were seven or eight people in his cell, and four of them had already started fighting. With his skinny arms and legs, it was basically impossible for him to survive among these four people.
"Release the arrow."
The jailer saw this and knew what to do. He quickly ordered his colleagues to shoot arrows. They all carried bows and arrows because they could hit people from a distance. The cells were all ventilated, so they could control the situation without entering the cells.