On the first morning of the seventh lunar month in the 17th year of Zhenguan, Gao Huizhen, the commander of the northern Goguryeon army, led the remaining 36,800 men to surrender to the Tang army. The reason why there were so few men left in the 150,000-man army was that other than the 20,000 men who were killed that night, the rest had fled in the darkness. With so many people fleeing, no one could stop them, let alone the darkness.
However, Li Jing and the other old men were already very satisfied. If there were more people, the logistics of the Great Tang would be difficult to deal with. At that time, it would be inevitable to secretly kill some of them. Although this kind of thing had been done many times before, it was not a big deal to do it a few more times. However, it was inevitable that the hearts of old people would soften. It was better to be amiable and make money. Killing prisoners was not good.
In the words of the Crown Prince," Prodigal, this is all money. You really don't know how expensive rice is unless you're in charge.”
However, it was obvious that Li Jing had other plans for these prisoners of war.
Thirty-six thousand and eight hundred Goguryeon soldiers kneeled in front of the Tang army camp in a black fan shape, shocking the hearts of the people. Every Goguryeon captive had a Tang soldier standing behind them with a saber in his hand and an unfriendly expression on his face. In the camp behind the surrendered soldiers, Lee Zhi was giving them a thumbs up and praising them with a mouth full of nonsense."I say, Old Master, you are indeed worthy of being a veteran general in the army. Excellent, truly excellent. With just this move, isn't Quangai Sumen still in a terrible state of mind? He's busy comforting the injured hearts of his messy alliance army.”
" Hahaha, I don't deserve such praise from the Crown Prince, hahaha." The old man stroked his beard and laughed, saying that he didn't deserve it. However, anyone could see the smugness in his eyes.
The other old men looked at the Goguryeon soldiers kneeling outside the Tang army camp with satisfaction on their faces. Look, this battle was fought with great honor.
Dozens of miles away from the Tang army camp, Quangai Suwen, who had set up his camp, was furious. He did not have his usual gloomy calmness. He roared angrily in the commander's tent, and the veins on his neck popped out. He had the demeanor of shouting at Di Jingtao's brother when he was young.
" Scoundrels! A bunch of scoundrels! What bullshit is this Celestial Empire? They are all scoundrels! If you have the ability, come out and fight with my Goguryeon soldiers! What is this? What is this?!" The furious Quangesomun pulled out his sword and ruthlessly hacked at the table filled with documents.
After suppressing their surprise for the first time, the generals in the tent were furious at Gao Huizhen's surrender. However, they were helpless against the Tang army's helpless move.
The Great Tang had placed tens of thousands of Goguryeon soldiers at the front, and they were at a loss whether to attack or not.
Attack?
If the Tang army really did behead tens of thousands of Goguryeon soldiers in an instant, the terrifying scene would immediately strike fear into the hearts of the allied forces, and their morale would plummet. Although the Tang army had fought for an entire night, they were all new here, and they were all exhausted.
Not attacking?
Could it be that the remaining 200,000 soldiers were here to do nothing? Fortunately, An Shicheng was still safe and sound. Otherwise, they could only retreat carefully. As long as An Shicheng was safe and sound, it was still possible for them to launch a pincer attack.
Just as everyone was thinking aimlessly in their hearts, the guard in front of the tent reported,"Marshal, Prince of Baekje, Fuyu Yici, and Queen Silla Zhende are outside the tent.”
"They're finally here!" The generals in the tent looked at each other, their hearts tightening. Goguryeo had suffered heavy losses, and Quengesomun's strength was no longer enough to suppress the two of them. On the contrary, the Baekje King who had invaded Silla, Fuyu Yichi, was the strongest.
Gaesomun, who was jumping around and throwing a tantrum, narrowed his eagle eyes. A cold glint flashed across his eyes as he curled his lips and said coldly,"Pass it on."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the tent was opened by the guards, and a man and a woman entered.
The man wasn't very tall, only about 1.5 meters tall. He had a pail-like waist, and his tanned face was covered in pimples. He had a big mouth, but his eyes were lively and fierce. At this moment, he was smugly sizing up the Goguryeon generals in the tent.
On the other hand, the woman who had just entered the tent was extremely beautiful, and her eyes were filled with affection as she smiled. If it was any other time, the Goguryeon army would have been staring at such a charming woman, but at this moment, all the Goguryeon officials lowered their heads. Although this woman was only in her prime, she had an illustrious status: the newly crowned Queen of Silla.
Originally, this was not a big deal, but this Queen Zhen De was Yao and Shun among women. Her cousin, Queen Shan De, died on the way to crusade against the Vidam Rebellion, and she took over the throne.
As soon as she ascended the throne, Queen Zhen De displayed extraordinary methods. She put Jin Chunqiu and Jin Yuxin in important positions and put down the rebellion of Pi Tan in just nine days. Unfortunately, they had coincidentally encountered Baekje attacking Silla. Even so, this young queen's subsequent counterattack had left a deep lesson for Baekje. This time, due to the circumstances, she had no choice but to join the coalition army. Now, for some reason, she had formed a secret alliance with the King of Baekje, who had invaded her territory. It seemed that she was here to force Baekje to abdicate.
Now that the situation was stronger than the people, the civil and military officials did not dare to offend the two of them. Everything depended on how Governor Quangai Sumen handled it.
"Hahahaha, so it's brother Yi Ci and sister Sheng Man. Men, quickly take a seat. Serve tea, serve good tea.”
Quangai Suwen smiled like a spring breeze, as if he was a good friend who had not seen this person for many years. There was no trace of the gloominess that had appeared on his face just now.
Prince of Baekje, Fuyu Yici, and Queen of Xinluo, Jin Shengman, both sat down as instructed. However, their expressions were different. Prince of Baekje, Fuyu Yici, raised his head high with a contemptuous and rude expression, while Jin Shengman sat upright with a refined and detached demeanor.
"May I know why Brother Yi Ci and Sister Sheng Man have come to discuss this matter?”After the guards served the tea, Quangai Sumen asked gently.
"Hmph, Brother Quan, you still want to hide it from this king? Your Goguryeon army has been defeated time and time again, and there are now tens of thousands of them kneeling in front of the Tang army. I hope that Brother Quan can give me an explanation for this battle. Otherwise, hmph!"Fuyu Yici looked at Quangesomun with disdain, not caring about the anger and killing intent of the generals in his tent.
Quangai Suwen also stopped smiling. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. Jin Shengman, who was sitting on the right, smiled lightly. Her exquisite and pure face was very cute and seductive. The words she said were as pleasant as the spring water."The Viceroy is a peerless hero who roams Liaodong. Although Sheng Man is a woman, she often takes the Viceroy as a role model when she was young, encouraging herself to make such a glorious and great achievement one day and benefit the people of her mother country. However, what Big Brother Yi Ci said made sense. Now that the war had come to this point, Sheng Man's incompetent generals were full of resentment. Therefore, Sheng Man boldly asked the Viceroy to come forward and explain it so that Sheng Man's subordinates could be at ease.”
Looking at Jin Shengman's youthful yet beautiful face, he sneered in his heart. However, he replied calmly,""Before I came, the King of Goguryeo gave me the authority to make a decision, but Governor Gao Huizhen actually dared to surrender to the Tang army. His crime is unforgivable, and if I don't kill his entire family, I won't be able to pacify the hearts of the people.”
The generals in the tent were all shocked, and they stared at Quangesomun with their mouths agape. Then, sensing Quangesomun's gaze, they quickly turned their heads and examined the patterns on the ground to see if they were any different from those of Goguryeo.
"Brother Quan, you're not going to use this to send this king away, are you? If your Goguryeon has Gao Huizhen, it's hard to guarantee that there won't be a second or a third. How can this king be at ease handing over the warriors of Baekje to you? This king thinks that the agreement we made before we sent out our troops needs to be revised. Hmph, a bunch of trash.”
" What did you say? How dare you! Are you courting death?" The Goguryeon generals in the tent were enraged. Seeing how the Fuyu Yici who had always stood before them was so arrogant and dared to insult them, they unsheathed their swords and prepared to teach King Baekje a lesson.
"Stop, are you trying to rebel?" He slammed the table and stood up. Quangai Suwen raised his eyebrows and shouted.
Everyone's hearts trembled under the accumulated power. They hurriedly put away their swords and swords and re-made them.
Looking at this tense situation, Jin Shengman, who was in her twenties, covered her mouth and laughed. The crisp and pleasant laughter of a young girl was particularly eye-catching in the tent. Everyone looked at Jin Shengman with displeasure.
"Generals, there is no need to be angry. Brother Yici's words are harsh to my ears, but his words are not rough. When the alliance army set off, they gathered at Liaodong City with a magnificent momentum. 450,000 troops were enough to sweep through the world, but now there are only 200,000 or so. Even if we search for the defeated troops, it will only be 300,000 or so. How much manpower and material resources will we have to spend in the process? The most important thing is that we don't have that much time. Other than Rouran and Shiwei, Big Brother Yi Ci is the most powerful. Therefore, I think it's most appropriate to let Big Brother Yi Ci be the commander and change the alliance agreement. The strong are respected. What do you think, Governor?”
For a moment, the tent was so quiet that one could hear each other's heavy breathing and heartbeats. The strong were respected, and this was a law of survival passed down from ancient times in the northern steppe. These Goguryeon generals had secretly acknowledged this, and although they were indignant, they weren't as excited as before.
Quan Gaesomun had already shifted his gaze from Fuyu Yici to Jin Shengman. When he heard Jin Shengman's words, a strange smile appeared on his face."Women are really not inferior to men. However, Sister Shengman's words now make sense.”
"Then what does Brother Quan mean?" Fuyu Yi Ci was ecstatic, but he still tried to suppress his excitement and cautiously probed.
An inexplicable smile hung on the corner of Quain Gaesomun's mouth.""Since Sister Shengman said that the strong are respected, then fine. As long as Brother Yici sends another 50,000 soldiers, they will naturally be a notch above my Goguryeo. I am willing to give the position of commander to Brother Yici and re-establish the alliance. After the war, my Goguryeo is willing to become a vassal state of Baekje.”
"This?"
Fuyu Yichi was not a heroic ruler, but he still understood the situation in his own country. Although it was barely possible to send 50,000 soldiers, it would have a huge impact on the country's strength. However, he was extremely tempted by the position of the commander of the alliance army and the subordinates of Goguryeo and Silla. Ever since Baekje was founded, Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo had been like the three countries of the Central Plains before. They had endless disputes, and each country hoped that the other would bow before them. Silla had always been subservient to Goguryeo, and now that there was such a good opportunity to make Goguryeo a Subordinate Kingdom, he would be the greatest ruler in Baekje's history.
Before Fuyu Yiji could react, the other Goguryeon generals in the tent were already shouting and protesting against Governor Quangaesomun's suggestion. Fuyu Yiji, who had been unable to make up his mind, saw the righteous indignation of the Goguryeon generals and immediately understood. Instead, he made up his mind and agreed to do it.
"Since Brother Quan is so modest, I will accept it. I will immediately get people to recruit soldiers in the country and have a good fight with the Tang army in An City. After saying that, he ignored Jin Shengman's frantic laughter and left the room, as if he was afraid that the Goguryeon generals would go back on their words.
Jin Shengman's eyes flickered as she looked at Quangai Suwen. She bowed and left the tent. However, after she left the tent, her smiling face turned frosty. Her willow-like eyebrows were tightly furrowed as she walked towards Xin Luo's tent.
Not long after, the noisy Goguryeon camp strangely returned to peace after the two of them left. The guards in front of the tent were also dismissed, but from time to time, uncontrollable laughter could be heard from within the tent.
Soon after, the tent was pulled open, and the Goguryeon generals walked out with sorrowful expressions. However, even though some of the generals also wore sorrowful expressions, the joy in their eyes could not be concealed.
All of this was clearly seen by Jin Shengman, who was quietly hiding in the distance. She quickly withdrew her gaze and revealed an imperceptible smile. She muttered,"As expected of Gaesomun, he is truly ruthless. However, hmph hmph, this is also an opportunity for my Silla to rise. Liaodong is such a big place, and three countries are too many.”
The lovely dividing line.
No matter how dangerous the alliance army was, it was not something that ordinary people cared about and could not be bothered with. Ordinary people only cared about their own food and sleep.
Xue Rengui and the other two, who had set off from Xiu Village in Jiangzhou, Shanxi Province, didn't have to worry about drinking or sleeping, but they had a headache when it came to food.
Niu Hu and Tie Dan were easy to deal with. They were not picky about how much they ate. They ate wild vegetable soup and steamed buns with coarse flour. However, after a month, Xue Rengui, the big eater, had lost a lot of weight. He could not eat enough every day and still had to travel. It was no wonder.
"Brother Xue, according to what the fellow villager said just now, we will reach An City after crossing the mountain peak in front. After walking for more than a month, we will finally reach it.”Niu Hu sighed loudly, his words revealing a hint of surprise.
Xue Rengui looked up at the distant mountain peak and couldn't help but laugh. They were finally here. As long as they joined the army, they wouldn't have to starve anymore. They wouldn't be conferred the title of Marquis or General, but at least they wouldn't have to live penniless and bitter lives like before.
"Oh my god, we're finally here. If we don't get here soon, I'll become a coward. I haven't had a good night's sleep all this time, and I'm almost out of salt.”With his hunched body, Bruiser was cursing listlessly.
Niu Hu and Xue Rengui also sighed when they heard this. For poor people like them, traveling far away was too hard. Not to mention tiredness, wind, frost, thunder, and rain, just the coarse salt was a big burden.
"Alright, cut the crap. Let's go. After we cross that mountain and join the army, we might even be able to eat a hot meal tonight.”
"Haha, let's go, let's go, haha.”Niu Hu grabbed Bruiser and the three of them strode toward the last mountain peak.
As the saying went, a horse would die if it ran when it saw the mountain. The mountain in front of them made the three of them run for a full six to eight hours before they finally climbed to the top.
"This... Brother Xue, what's going on?" Bruiser stared at the kneeling Goguryeon soldiers with a dazed expression.
"Could it be that the Tang army has been defeated?”Niu Hu gulped and looked at Xue Rengui worriedly.
As a top-notch archer of this era, Xue Rengui's temperament and eyesight were extremely sharp. At this moment, he used all his strength to look into the distance. After looking for a while, he finally relaxed and smiled at Niu Hu and Bruiser."Don't worry. Those kneeling are all Goguryeons, right? The ones wearing the Mingguang Kai are the soldiers of our Great Tang.”
Niu Hu and Bruiser let out deep breaths. If the Great Tang had already been defeated, then what was the point of them joining the army? They should just go back to where they came from.
"Then why did you make those Goguryeons kneel in front of the gate? Humiliation?" Niu Hu asked in confusion.
He shook his head." From the looks of the situation, they should be in a stalemate. Making these prisoners kneel in front of the front lines should be to strike down the enemy's morale and cause internal discord. However, this might also unite the hearts of the Goguryeon soldiers and cause them to be terrified of their enemies. It all depends on how they are handled.”
"Alright, alright, let's go down now. The sooner we become soldiers, the sooner we eat something good.”Bruiser was getting impatient. He had planned to sleep in the tent tonight. The climate in Liaodong was getting colder and colder.
"Alright, let's go." Xue Rengui smiled and was a little excited.
"Let's go. Our target is the Dragon Cavalry." Niu Hu and Bruiser laughed, picked up their bags, and rushed down.
The lovely dividing line.
Little Demon Dream Whisper: " Oh, recommendation tickets! Xue Rengui is coming! Jin Shengman, the queen, is coming too! Are the gifts coming?" What about recommendations? There had to be a collection, right? Could there be a check-in?
Haha, you can have all these, hahaha
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