Changsun Chong thought for a while, shook his head and said: "The power of heaven is unpredictable. Who can know what your majesty thinks? But in my opinion, if Da Molizhi really negotiates for peace, your majesty will probably not pursue it."
The Tang Dynasty conquered the world and established the country with benevolence and righteousness. It adopted gentle and gentle policies towards all the attached kings, ministers and nobles. Many of them were even allowed to continue to command the old troops and serve the Tang Dynasty, such as Ashina Simo. What Your Majesty wants is to be called the One Emperor through the ages, and he must be recognized by all the tribes in the world. If Yeon Gaesumun really pulls back from the brink and surrenders for peace, your Majesty will not kill him, but will treat him generously to show the benevolence and virtue of the Tang Dynasty. The magnanimity of the emperor.
"What should I do?"
Boy Yuan looked sad, as if he was sitting on pins and needles.
He had been planning for a long time, hoping to save his life with the help of the Changsun family's connections, and become the eagle and dog of the Tang Dynasty in ruling Goguryeo, continuing the power of the Yuan family, and he could replace his father and become a great hero of the Yuan family.
But he didn't expect that in the end, his father suddenly wanted to surrender and negotiate for peace. All his plans came to nothing, and he still couldn't escape the desperate situation of being deposed...
Seeing Mr. Yuan's fear and uneasiness, Changsun Chong was also filled with confusion.
He didn't care whether Yuan Boyan was abolished, whether he lived or died. He only cared about what Yuan Gaisuwen thought. After thinking about it, he said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be anxious. In my opinion, Da Mo Li Zhi is not necessarily Seriously surrender to the Tang Dynasty. Negotiating peace has always been done while fighting and talking, with each other constantly testing each other's bottom line, fighting and fighting, stopping and fighting, which is normal. There is no intention to negotiate peace at the moment. On behalf of Da Molizhi, we really want to negotiate for peace. Even if we really want to negotiate for peace, the development of the situation will be full of variables, and we still don’t know what will happen in the end. Your Majesty, please be patient and don’t be impatient."
He never thought that Yeon Gaesumun really wanted to negotiate peace, and it must be a delaying strategy to delay the war. He took advantage of the Tang army's unwillingness to increase casualties and delayed the war until winter. At least, he could calmly deploy more troops. The army came to Pingrang City to participate in the decisive battle.
However, this kind of speculation is just a guess. He cannot rely on this to conclude that Yeon Gaesomun is just a delaying tactic. He must truthfully report it to his father, who will then relay it to His Majesty, who will make a decision.
Boy Yuan cheered up a bit. He now obeyed Changsun Chong's words and felt that his words made sense.
After all, with my father's temperament, it is really unbelievable to make such a move of surrender and peace...
Changsun Chong took a sip of tea and pondered: "Besides, the most important point is that the 'Wang Zhuangjun' under Da Molizhi has never shown up. He doesn't know where he is lurking. He must be responsible for Da Molizhi's last hope." . If this army does not come out, Da Molizhi still has hope in his heart, so how can he be willing to bow down and surrender to negotiate peace?"
"Wang Zhuangjun" has always been a lingering hidden danger in Changsun Chong's heart. Such a powerful army has been unaware of its movements to this day. It must have been carrying the orders of Yeon Gaesumun and waited until the critical moment to suddenly attack and reap unexpected results.
The "Wang Zhuang Army" had not shown up for a day and had not been defeated. Chang Sun Chong did not believe that Yuan Gaisu Wen would sincerely surrender and negotiate for peace.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Mr. Yuan's face full of resentment and said, "When my father called me to discuss it last night, he said that as long as I can get the permission of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, my Yuan family will not be harmed." The foundation of the clan, he is willing to hand over all the 'Wang Zhuang's Army' and disarm them to stop the war..."
Changsun Chong: "..."
This sentence overturned all his judgments.
What's going on?
Is it possible that Yeon Gaesumun has really changed his temper and is willing to bend his knees for the sake of the family's reproduction and inheritance?
It can't be possible...
*****
Liaodong.
After the Tang army captured Anshi City, they massacred most of the defenders in the city. This is not because of the brutality of the Tang army, but because the logistical supplies for the hundreds of thousands of troops were already overwhelmed, and it would be unsustainable to maintain tens of thousands more prisoners.
You can't let the tigers in the army scrimp on food and clothing to support the prisoners, right?
Therefore, the British Duke Li Ji ordered that 10,000 able-bodied men be selected from the captives and escorted to the seaside. The navy would transport them back to the country to serve as a "construction corps" to enrich the construction of technical facilities such as water conservancy and roads. Under construction.
The rest, the old, weak, sick and disabled, will all be killed.
Afterwards, the Tang army made a brief reorganization and divided its troops into separate groups to go south and attack several Goguryeo mountain cities on the banks of the Yalu River.
When the army arrived at the banks of the Yalu River and looked at Bobi City, which was built near the mountains and rivers, the generals in the army fell into silence.
The Yalu River has rough waves and fast currents. Bobi City is built on the mountain. The terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, this place is firmly defended by the famous Goguryeo general Jian Moucen. He has tens of thousands of troops and has a strong city behind him. If he wants to capture it, there is no other way. Another fierce battle.
A fierce battle would be fine. The morale of the Tang army was high and they were not afraid of casualties, so why should they be afraid of a fierce battle?
The problem is that Bobi City is built not far from the Yalu River Ferry. To attack from the road, you have to bypass several rivers, making it difficult to take advantage of the military strength. However, if you order the navy to send small warships up the river, you can Artillery bombardment of Bobi City can easily break through its city defenses, just like a turtle that has peeled off its shell, and is no longer able to resist.
However, if that were the case, who should be credited with the feats of capturing Bobi City and forcibly crossing the Yalu River?
In order to exclude the navy from the Eastern Expedition so that it could not get involved in the meritorious service, all the forces reached a tacit agreement to exclude it. During the many fierce battles during the Eastern Expedition, they knew that it would be more effective if the navy participated, but everyone was greedy for merit and would rather take the risk of losing troops than to involve the navy.
Then everyone suddenly discovered that whether it was Anshi City before, Bobi City in front of them, or even Pingrang City in the future, although these fortified cities were surrounded by mountains, none of them were built on the banks of large rivers. The navy is invincible above the water. It only needs to go upstream and bombard it with artillery. These so-called strong cities in the world are simply vulnerable...
Inside the Chinese military tent.
Li Ji was also in trouble, so he simply asked to see His Majesty Li Er and expressed his hesitation in his heart.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that the prosperity of the navy is the natural enemy of Goguryeo. It is restrained by nature. As long as the navy is reused, it can achieve twice the result with half the effort. However, the army is extremely resistant to the navy now. If the navy is rashly assigned the heavy responsibility of siege, , I am afraid that it will shake the morale of the army and depress morale... I don't dare to be expert, so I beg your Majesty to make a decision."
Although he is the leader of the prime minister and his military power is not low, whether to allow the navy to participate in the siege involves many interests, and once launched, it will inevitably affect the whole body. It would be fine if everything went smoothly, but if all the forces were in conflict, it would be troublesome.
It affected the plan of the Eastern Expedition. Who can bear this responsibility?
Therefore, Li Ji felt more and more deeply that His Majesty Li Er's unswerving policy of suppressing aristocratic families was actually a good strategy to stabilize the country. Otherwise, if the power of domestic clans and factions is allowed to continue to develop, and everyone is divided, I will oppose whatever you agree with, no matter what is right or wrong. If things go on like this, the roots of the country's subjugation will inevitably be sown.
The Sui Dynasty was strong and prosperous for a while, because the forces in the DPRK and China were mixed, each had their own demands, and it was difficult to reconcile. Therefore, civil strife continued frequently. In the end, wars were everywhere, and the Nuo Empire overturned and collapsed.
His Majesty Li Er sat behind the desk, holding the tea cup in one hand and sighing.
He looked haggard at the moment, his cheeks were sunken, his whole person was becoming more and more old, his energy was listless, and he didn't look good...
After pondering for a while, His Majesty Li Er shook his head and said: "The morale of the army is the most important thing. We must not make the lieutenant general feel conflicted just because of a temporary success. The navy certainly has an advantage, but after all, the navy cannot go ashore. On land We have to rely on these hundreds of thousands of tigers to fight the wars in the world. If the morale of the army is unstable and morale is low, how can we overthrow Goguryeo? This is definitely not feasible."
As a king, he has to consider the whole situation and focus on balance.
Over the years, the navy was invincible across the seven seas. It not only destroyed countless countries, but also occupied countless ports at key points. It also allowed the caravans of the Tang Dynasty to travel across the oceans, and countless wealth continued to flow into the country of the Tang Dynasty.
Such achievements are unprecedented.
For this reason, all the top and bottom ranks of the navy were awarded many awards, and numerous military officers were promoted to lieutenant generals. They were deeply envied and envied by the army all over the country.
Therefore, the navy was excluded from the main force of the Eastern Expedition.
If the navy is included as the main force at this moment, once the navy is unstoppable and continuously attacks Bobi City and Pingrang City, what will the rest of the army do?
You need to know that under his continuous suppressive policies, the families of the aristocratic families have gradually restrained and recognized it, and the merits of this Eastern Expedition are his reward for the families of the aristocratic families.
Although the two parties did not express it clearly, they already had a tacit understanding with each other.
If he orders the navy to serve as the main force at this time, the merits after the war will be claimed by the navy. How can those aristocratic families who are counting on the merits of the Eastern Expedition to gain promotions and be willing to eliminate some of their forces and return all power to the center? Give up and give up?
