Chapter 255: Plotting in the Middle of the Night (1/2)

Chapter 255: Plotting in the Middle of the Night

Hong long!

When news of more than a dozen of Goguryeon bases being destroyed spread out, a huge uproar was incited in the capital.

It was no secret that there were spies from the other countries in Great Tang, but never had there been a power who established such a huge spy network in their country like the Goguryeon empire.

Especially when the corpses came into public view, an even larger uproar broke out.

An army of five to six hundred soldiers—this was already at the scale of a small rebellion’s army.

Furthermore, based on the news from the royal court, the bases they had established had more than a dozen years of history behind them. It was unimaginable how much destruction they had caused with these bases of operation. In fact, the night assault at Kunwu Training Camp was likely to be their handiwork, as well!

The large sabers these Goguryeon soldiers were equipped with proved the greatest evidence of their identities. It solidified the rumors of the vile plans the Goguryeon warriors had in the capital.

The Imperial Army was mobilized to comb through the capital to capture those who had managed to escape from their net that night. This was especially so for the city's west, where most of the Goguryeons lived. A huge army was dispatched to search the entire area thoroughly.

Against the rage of the citizens, the usually ferocious Goguryeons chose to keep a low profile and cooperated docilely with the army. Time and time again, they assured the authorities that they were proper merchants, and they were very different from assassins and warriors who caused destruction in the capital.

Within a single day, a huge number of Goguryeons were captured. Oddly enough, the merchants from the Western Regions and the other nations chose to maintain silence.

They had also noticed that the nature of this incident was very different from those that had happened before. Destruction and assassination, this wasn't the scope of work a proper merchant should be involved in. Not to mention, a nation's security had been severely breached.

The usual protests they had used couldn't and shouldn't be applied to this event.

As the matter regarding the Goguryeons created a huge storm throughout the capital, more and more details of the clean-up were being revealed. Rumor had it that the one in charge of that operation yesterday night was an Imperial Army commander known as Li Lin.

Due to this matter, he was complimented in the Imperial Army and was even promoted to a grade-5 Dragonfang Commander. However, the person who broke into the network of Goguryeon spies within the capital was a name which the citizens couldn't be any more familiar with: Wang Chong!

It was him who found some clues from the Kunwu night assault and tracked down the Goguryeon's hiding spot and bases. Eventually, he brought in the Imperial Army to clear them out.

It could be said that Wang Chong was the true meritorious subject behind the veil!

---

”Bastard!”

At the gathering point on an unknown mountain beyond the walls of the capital, an austere figure smashed his fist into a table as a fearsome aura flowed out from him.

Six trembling figures kneeled before him in fear.

”Such a huge operation, and you all didn't notice a single thing beforehand?”

There wasn't any light in the room. That austere figure leaned forward slightly, and a cold gleam could be seen in his eyes even in the deep darkness. The powerful pressure that he exerted would leave anyone trembling in fear.

”Reporting to Your Highness, their operation was very abrupt and there wasn't any news beforehand. Furthermore, they mobilized the Imperial Army for the operation and attacked all of the bases simultaneously in the middle of the night, when our brothers were laxest. As such, we didn't have any time to make any countermeasures and escape!”

”The person who planned the operation is a formidable strategist. He made sure to seal every single possible path of escape,” one of the black-robed assassin kneeling on the floor reported.

There was only a person who could be addressed as “Your Highness” by the Goguryeons outside the Goguryeon empire. Without a doubt, the austere man in the room was the chief spy in Great Tang, “King Sosurim”!

”Our base couldn't possibly be exposed that easily. Did anyone find any signs of involvement from the Fang of the White Tiger?” King Sosurim uttered coldly in the darkness. A chilly aura seemed to cover the entire room.

Having more than a dozen bases destroyed in a single night, this was truly disastrous.

His first thought was that perhaps the experts from the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments had been involved in the operation. Only those old foes could possess such an in-depth understanding of their operations.

”None at all. When the incident happened, our men investigated the surroundings and they saw no hints of the Fang of the White Tiger or his peers,” another Goguryeon assassin reported.

Even though more than a dozen bases were destroyed overnight, they still had men scattered throughout the city.

However, it was indeed true that the bulk of their manpower was stationed in those bases.

When the matter happened, most of the bases were set ablaze, so it was impossible for the others located throughout the city to be unaware of the matter. Even though they dared not approach the scene, they still scouted the area from afar.

As such, they managed to gather significant intelligence on the operation yesterday night.

”Could this really be just a coincidence?” King Sosurim narrowed his eyes and different emotions flickered across his face. However, his actions seemed to induce even more fear in the Goguryeon assassins as they lowered their heads even lower.

”Even though we can't confirm the matter, based on the news we have received, it is likely that this is just a coincidence. Also, we have some results regarding the matter which Your Highness had us look into previously,” the third Goguryeon spy said as he took out a book from his chest and passed it forward respectfully.

Each of the Goguryeons stationed in the capital had their own scope of responsibility, and his was clearly intelligence.

The entire room was silent. King Sosurim paused for three seconds before grabbing the scroll from the Goguryeon assassin's hands, and upon the very first glance, his expression immediately warped slightly in astonishment. He continued spinning through the pages silently as he read on.