742. A Big Unknown Suprise

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"Yes," Dal Gae continued, his tone like tempered steel. "At that meeting, Your Majesty must reaffirm your position as the rightful sovereign and supreme commander of the Goguryeo military, also ensure a direct oath of loyalty from each of them. Make it clear that any orders not coming directly from your seal are to be treated as treason."

King Sansang furrowed his brow. "Would that not provoke Li Wei? If he learns of such a meeting..."

"He will," Queen Woo interjected, her voice gentle but resolute. "But let him be provoked. You must act, my king. Not with violence, at least not yet, but with resolve. Your strength now lies not in confrontation, but in assertion. You are the King of Goguryeo. Remind them. Remind yourself."

There was silence in the room for a time, broken only by the crackling of the oil lamp and the faint rustle of fabric as the King shifted.

"Ansi," he murmured, nodding slowly. "Yes. Ansi Fortress. A symbol of our strength, of our heritage. Let it become the crucible in which I forge my return."

Mo Du allowed himself a faint smile. "Then we shall begin making the arrangements. But you must be careful, Your Majesty. The Bureau's spies are everywhere. We must use only the most trusted messengers. No carrier pigeons, no open letters. Word must be passed mouth to ear, hand to hand."

Dal Gae added, "And when you meet with the generals, you must not only command them, you must inspire them. Speak of the kingdom, not just of power. Speak of Goguryeo's future, and how its survival depends on unity under a true king, not a shadowed bureaucrat."

King Sansang felt a strange sensation rise in his chest, something he had not felt in some time, that is determination. The path ahead was fraught with peril, but it was a path nonetheless, and he would walk it.

"Make the preparations," he said at last. "Summon only those we trust implicitly. If even one word reaches Li Wei before I'm ready, it could spell the end for us all. Especially the two of you, so please be extra discreet and careful."

As Mo Du and Dal Gae bowed and made to leave, Queen Woo remained. She continued to massage his neck, but her eyes were focused elsewhere, as if seeing the future unfold in fragments and fears.

"You must also prepare yourself, my husband," she said softly. "Li Wei is not merely a man of cunning. He is a man who believes in his lord and would do anything for Lie Fan to reach his destiny. That makes him dangerous beyond measure."

King Sansang turned his head slightly to look at her. "And what do you believe, my queen?"

Queen Woo smiled faintly, though it did not reach her eyes. "I believe you are still the king. And it's time you started showing yourself like one in front of your army, so that they would remain loyal to you."

Outside, the night deepened. In the palace corridors, the servants walked in silence, their steps hushed and wary. Beyond the palace walls, in alleys and taverns, whispers swirled like mist, whispers of disappearances, of secrets, of a power unseen.

But far to the east, near the borders of the kingdom, Ansi Fortress stood tall and unmoved. There, the first seeds of rebellion or perhaps reclamation were about to be sown.

The Snake of Lie had swallowed Gungnae whole, but it had not yet digested its prey fully, as it was still being processed inside him. And a cornered king, though weakened, was still a king at the end of the day.

If he dared to rise, if he dared to strike, he might yet find allies in unexpected places and perhaps, just perhaps, Goguryeo could be his once more.

So after leaving King Sansang's royal study, Mo Du and Dal Gae began the painstaking preparations for the King's secret meeting at Ansi Fortress, a meeting that, if successful, could reassert the royal authority long eroded by the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau and its mastermind, Li Wei.

The two advisors parted ways as the palace gates closed behind them.

Mo Du rode a carriage toward Ansi Fortress under the cover of dusk, forcing his elderly body to push through, arriving at the ancient bastion of Goguryeo strength well past midnight.

The fortress loomed like a silent giant in the dark, its ramparts shadowed under the moonlight. The captain of the gate guards, an old veteran named Chun Yu, recognized Mo Du immediately and ushered him inside without a word.

Within the walls of Ansi, Mo Du spent the next two days vetting every individual. He observed quietly, talked personally to commanders and stablehands alike, and kept an especially close eye on the servants and attendants.

Each person was evaluated not only by their words, but by their eyes, their posture, and their reactions when the King's name was mentioned.

The fortress's commander, General Seo Gun, an old ally of the royal family, pledged his unwavering loyalty and promised that any trace of the Bureau within the walls would be rooted out.

Under Mo Du's meticulous watch, anyone with even the slightest link to Li Wei or the Lie Clan was quietly detained and replaced. Messages were relayed only by Mo Du's personal men, veterans from the northern campaigns who had fought shoulder to shoulder with King Sansang himself.

Meanwhile, Dal Gae worked in the shadows of Gungnae. He pored over sealed military records, intercepted correspondences, and met with trusted spies hidden across the city.

Each general's name was followed by a deep investigation, not just into their current loyalties, but their past decisions, debts, and even private rumors whispered in tea houses and bathhouses.

Even those who had confessed that Li Wei or his agents had approached them were scrutinized closely. Dal Gae trusted none of them at face value. Was their confession genuine? Or had it been designed to bait trust and report back to the Bureau?

One by one, he approached these generals personally, sometimes appearing at their homes late at night, sometimes summoning them to unmarked temples under assumed names. He asked questions only someone who knew the truth would ask, and gauged their reactions with the precision of a surgeon.

When he was satisfied, truly satisfied, that each general summoned to Ansi could be trusted, Dal Gae finally moved to the next stage.

Together, Mo Du and Dal Gae orchestrated the summoning. No letters. No messengers. They went themselves, cloaked in plain robes, blending into markets, forests, and alleyways. They spoke directly into the ears of the generals.

"You are summoned to Ansi Fortress, three nights hence. The King will be there. This meeting does not exist. Tell no one, not your wife, not your servant, not even your own men. You will travel in disguise, as a merchant, a pilgrim, or a wandering monk. If you are followed, you turn back. If you are caught, say nothing. If you are loyal, come."

Every man nodded. Every man swore on his life, on the graves of his ancestors, on the land of Goguryeo itself.

Finally, when all was set and the wind still held its breath, Mo Du and Dal Gae returned to the royal palace. The palace guards allowed them entrance with barely a nod, they were ghosts to most now, moving on the edge of power and shadows.

Inside the royal study, King Sansang stood staring at a map laid across the table, fingers tracing the paths toward Ansi.

"The two of you've succeeded?" he asked without turning.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Dal Gae said, bowing low. "All generals are informed. All loyal. And none but they know of the meeting."

"Ansi fortress is secure, Your Majesty." Mo Du added. "From stableboy to commander, they serve you and only you. No ears of Li Wei remain within those walls. We ensured it with our own hands."

Queen Woo was present as well, leaning against the window frame. Her eyes lingered on the winding paths outside, but her ears missed nothing.

"Your Majesty," Mo Du continued, "we have identified a secret path for your departure. You will leave the city in the robes of a monk, through the old shrine gate near the southern edge. From there, you'll follow the river path into the hills, then cut through the forest trail to Ansi. It will take two days, but no spies can follow you unnoticed."

"I've walked that trail before," Queen Woo said calmly. "But there is a hidden bend near the Ravine of Crows. If you double back there and take the hunter's route through the pine woods, it will throw off any pursuit."

Mo Du blinked, then nodded in appreciation. "Thank you for the information, Your Majesty. We'll adjust the route."

Dal Gae added, "We'll station two riders at separate points along the path. If either one doesn't report, we'll know something is wrong."

King Sansang finally turned to face them, a flicker of steel in his gaze. "Good. Then we are ready. May the gods walk with us."

Mo Du and Dal Gae bowed once more, then took their leave.

Queen Woo helped her husband remove his royal garb that evening. Her fingers were gentle, her touch lingering, but her mind was elsewhere.

"I will rest alone tonight, my wife." King Sansang said softly. "My mind is too burdened."

"I understand," she said, placing a hand over his heart. "Be safe, husband."

They parted silently.

When the palace grew quiet, when the moon was high and the oil lamps burned low, Queen Woo slipped from her chambers.

The palace was silent in the dead of night, the only sound the faint rustle of silk as Queen Woo moved through the shadowed corridors. The guards who saw her bowed deeply, she was still their queen, after all, and none questioned her presence. She had every right to walk these halls, even at such an hour.

She emerged into a small, windowless room hidden deep within the western wing of the palace, a place forgotten by most.

Inside sat a lone man, his dark robes immaculate, his fingers wrapped around a porcelain cup of steaming tea.

Li Wei.

He rose smoothly at her entrance and bowed.

"Your Majesty."

"Li Wei," she said, curtly but without malice.

He gestured to the seat across from him. "You honor me with your presence, please take a seat."

She sat without a word.

"Well?" he asked, his voice light, almost amused.

"They've succeeded," she replied. "The meeting at Ansi will happen in three days. The generals have been summoned. The fortress is secure. And the King will travel in disguise through the forest path. Mo Du and Dal Gae believe no one knows. They believe it was all done perfectly."

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains

Age: 34 (201 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 1325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 951 (+20)

VIT: 613 (+20)

AGI: 598 (+10)

INT: 617

CHR: 96

WIS: 519

WILL: 407

ATR Points: 0