Chapter 5085: Missing Soldiers

Chapter 5085: Missing Soldiers
Although Zhang Liang had never participated in naval battles, he often saw naval battle reports when he was in Chang'an. Often a team of soldiers could destroy a tribe, and a regiment of troops could overthrow a foreign country, and they were invincible.

The Tang army’s armor and weapons are the best in the world!
So after hearing what Cheng Gongying said, Zhang Liang also felt that with the hundreds of soldiers under his command, they would be able to annihilate the "Witch Clan" and intimidate the island. Even if they did not have firearms, with strong bows and crossbows, fine iron furniture, and long swords and spears, how could the native savages who ate raw meat and drank blood and had no clothes to cover their bodies resist them?

In the evening, Zhang Liang sent someone to call Xi Junmai, who promised not to sell the goods on the ship in Luzon Island and to return to Chang'an by his own people.

Xi Junmai was suspicious.

Although maritime trade is now escorted by the navy and is much safer, the navy can only guard against pirates and robbers, but cannot guard against weather changes, strong winds and huge waves. Both Huating Town and Guangzhou are thousands of miles away from Luzon Island, and the risk of going back and forth is extremely high. Therefore, anyone with a normal mind should pay the commercial tax and sell the goods locally.

However, the navy had no good feelings towards Zhang Liang, and he was no exception, so he didn't bother to meddle in Zhang Liang's affairs...

At night, Gongsun Jie, who was in charge of guarding the merchant ships, came to the governor's headquarters.

Zhang Liang relied heavily on this adopted son and asked with concern, "Did those bastards in the navy give you any trouble?"

A few years ago, Gu Zhu led his assassins to sneak into Huating Town to assassinate Fang Jun. After the failure, they could not escape. It was Zhang Liang who instructed Gongsun Jie to rescue him during the heavy rain. Afterwards, Gongsun Jie did not dare to show up in public, so he hid in the Duke's mansion under an assumed name. This time when he went out to sea, Zhang Liang had no one available, so he brought him out.

On this voyage, Gongsun Jie was in charge of escorting the merchant ship. His skin was tanned and his muscles were strong under the wind and sun, which added a bit of toughness to his appearance.

Gongsun Jie drank a large glass of water, wiped the water stains on his beard, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, foster father, even if there are some small grievances, I can bear it!"

Zhang Liang said happily: "As long as there is green mountain, there will be no shortage of firewood! This time, we father and son will do something big together!"

Gongsun Jie's eyes lit up, and he said hurriedly, "If you have any orders, I will go through fire and water and obey them!"

"it is good!"

Zhang Liang called Cheng Gongying in: "Tell him our plan!"

"Here!"

Cheng Gongying brought Gongsun Jie to the map and explained the plan in detail.

Gongsun Jie was so excited that he shouted, "Damn it! I've had enough of those bastards in the navy. This time I must follow my foster father to expand our territory and carve out a kingdom of our own!"

Cheng Gongying was extremely speechless to this idiot: "Where are you going to conquer your own world? The whole world belongs to the Tang Dynasty! Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever the mountains and rivers reach, it is all Tang territory! As long as the Tang Dynasty wants to occupy a place, it will be conquered! All the islands on this ocean are under the threat of the royal navy! There is still a large piece of your own world, do you want to rebel?"

"Rebel if you want to!"

Gongsun Jie was not afraid at all, staring with eyes wide open: "I don't believe that even if we hide on that island, the navy will still use its fleet to attack us? There are reefs and tidal waves everywhere. Even if they dare to come, they can't leave!"

Cheng Gongying was too lazy to waste words with this idiot. He was afraid that Zhang Liang would be bewitched by this, so he quickly advised: "General, don't listen to his nonsense. We can attack the islands, but we must not have the intention of establishing ourselves as kings! The strength of the navy is obvious to all. How can we, with only a few hundred people, resist their strong ships and powerful guns?"

Since Fang Jun reorganized the navy, he spent a lot of money on shipbuilding and equipping firearms. He has been on the oceans in battles of all sizes without losing a single battle. In the past, Emperor Taizong led a million troops to conquer Liaodong and besieged Pingrang City for dozens of days without success. He had no choice but to return to the court. As a result, Su Dingfang led the navy to bombard Pingrang City with cannons and destroyed Goguryeo...

On the sea, the navy is invincible and unbeatable.

Zhang Liang stroked his beard, thinking, "Let's not talk about anything else for now. Conquering this island is the top priority right now! Gongsun Jie, immediately buy water, food, and medicine, and organize our boats. When the weather is fine in the next two days, we will set off!"

"Here!"

"Control the brothers below and never let the news leak out!"

"Don't worry, godfather!"

"I've told you so many times, in the military, don't address each other as father and son. Address each other by their positions!"

"Here! Marshal!"

"Go do it!"

……

Xi Junmai sat on his ship, the hull rose and fell slightly with the waves, but he did not move at all. Several years of experience in the navy had already made him a master of naval warfare. Sometimes he even thought about retiring in the future and going to the Jiangnan Shipyard to buy a few fishing boats, and then follow the Japanese route all the way north to the seas with whales and crocodiles to hunt whales. Perhaps he could also witness the grand occasion of "the great roc soars with the wind".

When Yang Zhou walked into the cabin, Xi Junmai quickly stood up and saluted.

Waving his hand casually, Yang Zhou sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp, then asked with a smile, "I heard that our governor has been doing something behind people's back these days?"

Xi Junmai sat opposite him and nodded, "They bought a lot of daily necessities, added a lot of fresh water to those cargo ships, and even hired a few fishermen near Luzon Island."

Wherever the Tang army arrived along the sea route, the first thing they did was to spend huge sums of money to buy local spies. No matter which force it was, they would adopt an infiltration approach to ensure that any changes in the situation and any disturbances in the area were under the control of the Tang army.

Relying on such methods, with force and money paving the way, they were invincible. While the tribes and chiefs in various places were still confused, the entire force had already been infiltrated like a sieve.

A strong intelligence system is also one of the basic factors that make the navy invincible.

While Zhang Liang and his personal soldiers were moving around near the dock in what they thought was a secret operation, the news had already reached Xi Junmai.

“Haha, this is going to be a big deal!”

Yang Zhou clicked his tongue, thought for a moment, and asked, "What do you think he wants to do?"

Xi Junmai shook his head and poured tea from the pot: "Duke Yun has always been unruly and talented. If it weren't for someone reporting him for raising assassins and having bad intentions during the Zhenguan period, and thus being suppressed by Emperor Taizong, his achievements today would definitely not be limited to this. I have no idea what he wants to do."

Among the meritorious officials of the Zhenguan period, Zhang Liang and Duan Zhixuan were the youngest, several years younger than Li Ji and Zhang Gongjin. In many cases, age is extremely important in officialdom; if the old ones are outlasted, one's status will naturally be improved.

Unfortunately, Zhang Liang made mistakes repeatedly, and was even confused on such important matters as choosing sides, which led to his current predicament.

But his talent should not be underestimated. After all, he was appointed as the general manager of a route by Emperor Li II. How could he be an incompetent person?
Yang Zhou took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Then let's not guess. Let him do whatever he wants. As long as he doesn't betray the country or rebel, let him do whatever he wants."

After all, he was the Governor-General of Luzon, governing a region for the emperor, so he had to have dignity and power.

……

Two days later, Zhang Liang sent someone to invite Xi Junmai to the governor's headquarters. He was surprised to see Yang Zhou also traveling with him.

The news of the Persian naval battle had long been known throughout the Tang Dynasty. Yang Zhou's performance in this battle was outstanding. Not only did he almost annihilate the Arab navy in a resounding victory, he also forced the Governor of the port of Shirov to sign a humiliating treaty. This made Yang Zhou a very important figure in the navy, and he was known as the "twin pillars of the navy" together with Liu Renyuan, and their reputations were unparalleled.

When did this man come to Luzon from the Persian Sea? He was totally unaware...

Because they were secretly preparing for something big, when such an unexpected event occurred, they couldn't help but feel uneasy, fearing that the other party would do something bad to them.

After greeting each other and sitting down, Zhang Liang said to Yang Zhou, "I wonder when the general will arrive in Luzon? Alas, you didn't tell me in advance. I'll prepare some wine to show my hospitality."

Yang Zhou said politely, "How dare I trouble the Duke of Yun? I am returning to the capital to report on my duties. The fleet stopped in Luzon for a short rest. I was not able to come to visit the Duke of Yun the first time. Please forgive me for my impoliteness."

The two exchanged pleasantries.

Xi Junmai was a little impatient and asked bluntly, "I wonder what instructions the Duke has for me?"

Zhang Liang's face was straight and serious. "One of my personal soldiers has been missing for two days. I have searched everywhere for him but couldn't find any trace of him. Today someone reported that he was captured by the 'Witch Clan' and they were trying to blackmail me."

He turned around and said to the outside of the door: "Bring the person in!"

Cheng Gongying came in from outside, holding a man's neck in his hand.

Yang Zhou and Xi Junmai looked at each other. The latter stood up, walked forward to take a look and shook his head.

This man was thin, with dark skin and curly hair, typical features of a Nanyang person. His body was covered in blood and was in tatters. It was obvious that he had suffered extremely cruel punishment and could not survive and had died.

Cheng Gongying threw the man to the ground, took out a piece of paper and handed it to Xi Junmai.

Xi Junmai took it and looked at it carefully. The crooked Chinese characters on it were indeed a letter of extortion, mentioning that if the Tang people wanted to redeem the soldiers, they would have to pay a ransom of 10,000 strings of cash...

Xi Junmai disagreed. He handed the letter to Yang Zhou and sat down to drink tea.

Yang Zhou took a quick glance and understood what was going on.

Kidnapping? Blackmail?
There is no evidence, so Zhang Liang can say whatever he wants.

Moreover, Zhang Liang's intentions were already very clear...

As expected, Zhang Liang asked with a serious face: "The soldiers have followed me for many years, just like my nephews. I can't just stand by and watch them die. We still have to get rid of the two generals and send troops immediately to save my Tang soldiers from danger."

Yang Zhou sighed and said, "This is a strange thing. There is no evidence. The navy has its own military discipline. How can they send troops so rashly? Duke Yun, tell me, what exactly do you want to do?"

What do you want to do? Just tell me openly.

Zhang Liang did not hide his true feelings: "Since the navy won't rescue them, I will go and rescue them myself! A mere barbarian tribe actually captured Tang soldiers for blackmail. If we don't strike them with lightning speed, it will surely greatly undermine the prestige of the Tang Dynasty!"

The dead body and the letters are just excuses.

Just give the navy a way out and a reason to stay out of it, that's all.