Chapter 83: An Unexpected Visitor

Liaodong, Willow City.

Snow had been falling for an entire day. By evening, it had mostly settled, leaving only a few sparse flakes drifting freely through the air. The snow on the ground was deep enough to reach above the knee, crunching sharply underfoot.

A ruddy glow spilled faintly from the broken-down houses, while the sizzle of oil crackled like firecrackers in the night.

Li Kong stood at the doorway, hands clasped behind his back, watching the wild wind sweep outside. His expression was grave—the weather was harsher than he’d imagined. In such cold, one’s hands would freeze just by extending them outside, let alone gripping icy iron weapons.

Yet the plan was set. Zhou Han and the others were prepared; after midnight, they would slip away under cover of darkness, each heading toward their chosen destination.

“General, it’s getting late. Come inside, have something to eat, and get some rest,” a bodyguard approached, head lowered.

Li Kong shook his head, pushing away the tangled thoughts in his mind, then turned toward the fire at the back.

The flames, over a meter high, scorched his face, yet his back remained chilled by the biting wind. Li Kong couldn’t help but think that those tales of ‘ice and fire’ from his previous life were nothing compared to this—this feeling was vivid, sharp, almost exhilarating.

With a creak, the battered door was shut. The room warmed instantly, and the wind, howling around the house, could only slip in through the cracks, where it was swiftly vanquished by the heat.

On the fire, over a dozen freshly caught deer and other game were roasting—just as in the other rooms. Most of it was cooked by now, but none of the dozens of soldiers inside made a move to eat, though they swallowed hungrily, unable to hide their craving.

Seeing this, Li Kong shook his head with a wry smile, picked up a piece of venison, blew on the steaming thigh, and took a bite. “Don’t wait on my account. Eat your fill, then get some sleep. At the third watch, we leave Willow City.”

The soldiers grinned and, at his word, quickly divided the roasted game, eating heartily with bowls of boiling snow-melt.

Meanwhile, some three miles from Willow City, a fully armed force was making swift progress across the desolate plain. Judging by their attire, they were of the northern nomadic tribes.

At their head rode a man cloaked in heavy sable, a deerskin cap on his head, long fur ties hanging past his ears. Even so, his eyebrows were encrusted with frost.

“Second Brother, are we truly heading south?” A middle-aged man, about forty, asked bitterly beside the leader.

The leader shot him a dark look. “Then what do you suggest? Goguryeo has chosen its own doom. Our Heishui Mohe tribe cannot be buried with them. The north is unbearably cold—if you don’t wish to head south, take a few men and go north.”

“That’s not what I meant. I just think, if we go south, it’s either to the Tang or into Eastern Turkic lands. The Turks, as you know, would never accept us—they’d likely turn us all into slaves. We have less than ten thousand people left; even if we wanted to resist, we could not.

“But if we go to the Tang, what if they treat us even worse than the Turks? Our elder brother refuses to leave Goguryeo. Doing this, I can’t help but feel uneasy.”

The leader fell silent. Their group was the last stronghold of the Heishui Mohe; in the far north, a few scattered tribes remained, but together they numbered fewer than five thousand. If they perished, the Heishui Mohe would truly vanish from history.

Yet Goguryeo had provoked the Tang, and though distant, the leader knew that Tang’s might was not something Goguryeo could withstand. Leaving Goguryeo was necessary.

But as the man said, where would they go? It was a grave question.

“Hanpu, there’s an old city ahead. Should we rest there for a while?” Suddenly, a horseman galloped up, reining in less than ten meters away and calling out.

An old city?

The leader’s eyes lit up. “Go and scout the city. If it’s empty, we’ll rest there tonight, eat, and move on tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir!” The man wheeled his horse and vanished into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

The leader drew a deep breath and the heaviness on his face eased. “Everyone, quicken your pace! There’s shelter ahead. Tonight, we can truly rest.”

A thunderous shout answered him, thousands of voices together—if listened to closely, some were clearly women.

This time, the Heishui Mohe had sent forth only young men and women. Among their tribe, men and women fought equally; women rode, shot arrows, and wielded blades as fiercely as the men. Though few in number, their reputation for ferocity was such that other tribes rarely dared provoke them—they fought like madmen.

Willow City loomed in the distance. Seeing the towering walls, a hint of hope shone in the leader’s eyes. But his scouts had not returned, and he could not risk his people’s lives out of carelessness, so he halted the group several hundred meters from the city.

Inside the city.

Engrossed in eating, Li Kong’s ear suddenly twitched. He tossed aside the venison, grabbed his spear, and stood.

With a creak, the door opened and a soldier entered, rubbing his hands. “General, there’s a group outside—seems to be the Heishui Mohe. Around seven or eight thousand people. What are your orders?”

Heishui Mohe? Aren’t they the ancestors of the Jurchens?

Li Kong was momentarily stunned. The others seized the moment to snatch up their weapons, eyes alert and fixed on the door.

Just then, Li Kong called out sharply, “Who’s there at the door?”

As his voice fell, the door crashed open. Several soldiers marched in, pushing before them a strangely dressed young man and threw him to the floor.

“General, this man appears to be a scout sent by the Mohe outside,” the original reporting officer said quietly.

Li Kong understood. He stepped forward, crouched, and stared coldly at the man. “Why have you come here?”

“Tang people?” The man did not answer, but looked around at Li Kong and the soldiers in astonishment, his face full of shock.