To be honest, Li Chengqian thought that Goguryeo would abandon its capital.
And he also thought that Gao Jianwu would lead people to rush towards him, trying to break through his own defense line and escape westward.
He even thought that Gao Jianwu would lead his men to break through his own defense line and flee north.
But what he didn't expect was that Gao Jianwu would choose to lead people eastward to the Japanese country in Japan.
After all, the current navigation industry is not developed, and there is a possibility of a ship being destroyed and left hanging at sea at any time.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for a certain monk to go to Japan, and he wouldn't have to go through so much trouble.
However, I didn't expect it.
These guys are indeed not doing well either.
In addition to Cheng Hualiang, who discovered their movements, he led people to pursue them, and Li Xiaogong's troops also pursued and intercepted them.
At the beginning, there were tens of thousands of ministers who ran out of Pyongyang City with Gao Jianwu, along with their family members and soldiers.
But now, less than a third remains.
The remaining two-thirds were either captured by Datang or killed on the way.
But Gao Jianwu really didn't expect that after they went through hardships and went to Silla, they would be rejected by Silla.
King Baijing of Silla did not expect that Goguryeo would be defeated so quickly.
Moreover, he sincerely did not want to bring this trouble to himself.
Therefore, when Gao Jianwu came over, Jin Baijing simply adopted a policy of turning a blind eye.
He ignored Gao Jianwu at all, let alone allowed Gao Jianwu to take refuge in the capital of Silla.
And the most egregious one was the Prime Minister of Silla.
After Gao Jianwu entered Silla territory, he immediately ran to the palace and met with King Jin Baijing of Silla.
He said directly: "Now, the Tang Dynasty has shown its kingly attitude, which is to eliminate Goguryeo in one fell swoop and never have future troubles."
"If our country allows Goguryeo to enter the country at this time, it will clearly be a challenge to the authority of the Tang Dynasty."
"In this case, the Tang Dynasty will definitely be hated by the Tang Dynasty. Maybe after the Tang Dynasty destroys Goguryeo, its troops will be directed at Silla's head."
“Instead of doing this, it’s better to just drive them out of the country.”
"No!"
Before Jin Baijing could speak, his eldest daughter Kinderman stood up and said: "If they are not allowed to enter the country at this time, they will definitely jump over the wall."
"If they cause harm to our military and civilians, it will be more than worth the loss for our country."
Kinderman is Jin Baijing's eldest daughter and his only child.
If nothing else happens, she will become the first queen of Silla in this year.
She has a kind and kind personality, is smart and alert, and can certainly understand the current situation.
She said directly: "Instead of not allowing them to enter, it is better to inform the city lords and county lords to turn a blind eye to Gao Jianwu and his party, let alone allow them to enter the city."
Hearing this, Jin Baijing also nodded his head and said: "That's very good, just do as you say."
Jin Baijing's words completely shattered Gao Jianwu's wish to cross to Japan through Silla.
In fact, Gao Jianwu and the ministers of the DPRK and China did not even have a place to stay in Silla, so they could only continue to flee westward.
But now, the Tang Dynasty is like a tiger descending from the mountain. Who dares to take them in?
Even now, when the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty entered their country to pursue Gao Jianwu, they didn't even dare to fart.
Tens of thousands of soldiers from the Tang Dynasty pursued Gao Jianwu unscrupulously in the Silla territory.
But Silla was just indulgent and did not go so far as to assist Datang in capturing Gao Jianwu.
If not, no matter how fast Gao Jianwu ran, he would still fall into Silla's hands.
Of course, Datang's military discipline was not lax. They simply pursued Gao Jianwu and did not harass the local soldiers and civilians.
This is also the only place where Silla feels happy.
If you lose face, lose face.
It's not too bad to be embarrassed in front of a powerful country.
It’s better than being destroyed like Goguryeo, right?
It felt like there was a tacit understanding between the two parties. One side was chasing Gao Jianwu, while the other side was indifferent.
Since we can’t go to Silla, we can always go to Baekje, right?
Gao Jianwu and others had no choice but to take a detour across the Silla border and escape to Baekje in the west.
Silla did not dare to be enemies with the Tang Dynasty and accept Gao Jianwu, and the king of Baekje, Buyeo Chang, was even more clueless.
As soon as he heard that Gao Jianwu had fled to Baekje and had attracted soldiers from the Tang Dynasty, he immediately ordered the closure of the border between the two countries to prevent Gao Jianwu from entering Baekje.
But at this time, the ministers of the Baekje court, who had always been at odds, all stood up together.
And their opinions were surprisingly consistent.
That is, even if Baekje cannot be an enemy of the Tang Dynasty, it cannot shut out Gao Jianwu.
The best way is to follow Silla's example and allow Gao Jianwu to enter.
But we refused to accept it, and of course we did not prohibit Datang's troops from entering.
As for where Gao Jianwu will flee in the end, it has nothing to do with Baekje.
Fuyu Zhang did not hesitate and immediately adopted their opinions.
Moreover, Buyeo Chang immediately issued an order to various places to follow the example of Silla and not allow Gao Jianwu to enter any city or town in Baekje.
The Tang Dynasty pursued and fought fiercely, and the affairs of Silla and Baekje had nothing to do with them.
Gao Jianwu was really disappointed.
The king of Goguryeo, who was aloof at first, is now running away like a bereaved dog.
What’s even more tragic is that now everyone regards them as a plague and avoid them.
The huge Goguryeo was destroyed by him.
The majestic king of Goguryeo actually had no place to stay.
Is there anything more tragic than this in the world?
After escaping to Baekje, he was completely desperate.
Rather than being a lost dog and being slaughtered by others, it would be better to kill him head-on.
However, the ministers below did not want to give up just like that, and they poured chicken soup into him one after another.
"Your Majesty, you can save the green hills without worrying about having firewood. Let's hurry up and find a boat to cross the sea."
"Your Majesty, when we become bigger and stronger in the future, it will be too late for us to settle accounts with these people."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please don't be discouraged. If you are discouraged, what will we do?"
When the ministers said this, it was not because they were loyal to the emperor or patriotic.
They just don't want to die.
These people are the best among people. How could they not figure it out clearly? Once Datang's pursuers catch up.
As the King of Goguryeo, Gao Jianwu will probably survive, but what will happen to these losers is not certain.
But now, the most critical issue is not the pursuit of troops.
But they have run out of food.
From Gao Jianwu to the ministers and their families, there were more than a thousand people together, and more than 2,000 palace guards accompanied them, making a total of more than 3,000 people.
But they were running for their lives all the way, not even finding a place to rest, not even a chance to eat safely.
The food they brought out from Pyongyang has long been eaten up.
Even Gao Jianwu hasn't eaten for two days.
Now without food and water, they can last up to three days.
If there was nothing they could do after three days, they would have to starve to death, not to mention waiting for the Tang Dynasty's army to come after them.
"There is no way forward, and there are pursuers behind."
Gao Jianwu looked up to the sky and sighed: "If there were no gods descending to earth, my life would be at an end..."
