During the Kaihuang period, the Sui Dynasty and the Turkic Khanate were at war with each other. The northeastern regions that had surrendered to Rouran and the Turkic Khanate successively lost the jurisdiction of their "masters" and were ready to move. Goguryeo took advantage of the situation and took up the banner of marching into the Central Plains. Formed a "military alliance" with the ambitious Mohe, Khitan, Lin and Xi tribes. At the beginning of the 18th century, Gao Yuan, then a prince, saw that the Sui Dynasty was actively preparing for war and preparing to fight the Turkic Khanate. He thought that the Sui Dynasty was incompetent, so he asked his father, King Pingyuan, to lead an allied army to invade the western Liaoning region.
However, Yang Jian did not "act" according to Goguryeo's "script". First, Wei Chong, the general manager of Yingzhou, repelled the coalition forces, and then dispatched land and sea troops to fight back. Therefore, the war against Goguryeo in the 18th year of Kaihuang's reign was aimed at the "military alliance" including Goguryeo, not just Goguryeo.
Although Goguryeo later apologized and declared itself a vassal, Yang Jian still did not understand his hatred and did not give up. He ordered Yang Liang and Gao Jiong to kidnap hundreds of thousands of people from the Liaodong area of Goguryeo and then move them to the Huanghuai area to serve as civilians. . 【historical facts】
Although Sui soldiers suffered numerous casualties due to wind, waves, weather, and plague, they scared off Goguryeo, broke the Liaodong "military alliance" headed by Goguryeo, and frightened the "descendants of the six towns" living in the hometown of Northern Qi. If the captured Goguryeo population and intangible "assets" are accumulated, Yang Jian's expedition itself was not a loss.
The important thing is that while ensuring the tranquility of Jizhou and Youzhou, it also laid a good domestic and international environment for the war against the Turkic Khanate in the 19th year of the founding of the Emperor.
Eight years later, the Sui Dynasty once again came eastward. The Sui soldiers led by Yang Ji not only destroyed the Khitan who invaded Yingzhou, but also incorporated the Khitan into the territory of the Sui Dynasty. This move by the Sui Dynasty caused the eastern part of the Liaoshui Plain occupied by Goguryeo to be under the military front of the Sui Dynasty. When the news spread, Goguryeo was in chaos and was quickly divided into two major factions: the main war faction and the main peace faction.
The main fighting faction is represented by the big brother Lu Yuanziyou and the eldest brother Yuan Zicheng. They believe that the new emperor of the Sui Dynasty has insufficient prestige for the first time in his power. Moreover, due to civil war, capital relocation, and military reform, the country is in turmoil; in a short period of time, The Sui Dynasty was unable to carry out a large-scale war. Goguryeo should take this opportunity to fight a big war with the Sui army, seize Liaozhou, Yanzhou, and Yingzhou with all its strength, and drive the Sui Dynasty forces back to Linyu Pass (Shanhai Pass). .
Even though the Sui Dynasty still controlled Linyu Pass, Linyu Pass, which had lost the Liaoxi Corridor, lacked geographical depth protection, and its strategic significance was no longer as good as before. By then, even if the Sui Dynasty sent millions of troops, there would not be enough open terrain for them to set up their positions.
This is the public intention of the Yuan brothers, but they have two selfish motives: First, the territory north of the Yalu River belongs to the Yuan Group, the richest area in the eastern part of the Liaoshui Plain. After the Sui Dynasty occupied Khitan, it became undefendable. . If the Sui army attacked Goguryeo, the core interests of the Yuan Group would bear the brunt.
Second, the core force of the Yuan clan is the army, which controls 60 to 70% of Goguryeo's military power; but they know that the Gao clan's regime is deeply rooted in the marrow and soul of every Goguryeo person, so they have no intention or conditions to change the dynasty, but for the long-term survival of the Yuan clan , we can only treat the powerful ministers all the way to the end, otherwise the Yuan family will perish.
As the king of Goguryeo, it was impossible for Gao Yuan to allow Yuan to become an unpredictable powerful minister and to evade the royal power step by step. Although he did not attack Yuan's children, disciples, and subordinates, he still blocked Yuan's leadership. military pay, weapons and equipment. If Goguryeo and the Sui Dynasty went to war and had a long-term confrontation in the Liaoxi Corridor, the value of the Yuan family would be reflected, and the trouble would be resolved without a break.
Therefore, in the view of the Yuan brothers, Goguryeo's war with the Sui Dynasty was a good thing that was beneficial to the country and the family, so they advocated launching an attack.
The Juhwa faction was represented by the Eulji Mundeok, Danhwan, and Go royal families. They first believed that the Sui Dynasty was at its peak and could not be defeated by Goguryeo. Even if the Sui Dynasty lost the Liaoxi Corridor, the Sui army could still move out of Danzhou and bypass Goguryeo. After crossing the northern foot of the Yanshan Mountains, they then took advantage of the Xi tribe to reach Khitan. Then they divided their troops into two groups, taking the Liaoshui plains directly and attacking the Liaoxi corridor from behind.
If this is the case, Goguryeo will lose its troops and generals, and at least lose its territory north of the "Changbai Mountains-Qianshan Mountains", so it is not advisable to take the initiative to provoke the Sui Dynasty.
Secondly, there are Silla and Baekje to the south of Goguryeo. Once they try their best to fight the Sui Dynasty in the north, Silla and Baekje, who have a feud with Goguryeo, will definitely go north. By then, Goguryeo will be attacked on both sides, and the country will be destroyed. Now that the Sui Dynasty had no intention of attacking Goguryeo, why bother provoking this behemoth? Instead of doing this, it would be better to obediently pay tribute to the Sui Dynasty, stabilize the Sui Dynasty, and then concentrate on unifying the peninsula.
The two viewpoints of the Zhuhe faction, whether intentional or not, implicitly accused the Yuan brothers of overestimating their capabilities and having impure motives in an attempt to drag Goguryeo into a desperate situation. But the Yuan brothers couldn't refute it, because every word of Zhuhepai occupied the word "reason".
The fact is that although war can spread its power across the world and open up territories, it can at least consume a huge amount of national power and make it difficult for the people to keep up with it. At worst, it can put the country in danger of subjugation. Although peace can develop the economy and stabilize national power, it will always make a country's strength and combat power low.
War and peace each have their own advantages and disadvantages. In the end, Goguryeo's monarchs and ministers weighed the strengths of the enemy and ourselves one by one. Most people believed that Goguryeo was not comparable to the Sui Dynasty, which dominated the world. If they had to fight rashly, Goguryeo would have no chance of winning. Even if the Sui Dynasty army could not defeat the "Changbai Mountain Range-Qianshan Mountain Range" in the end, Goguryeo would lose most of its life.
As they debated one by one, there were more and more masters and officials.
But whether it is a main battle or a peace, they have reached a high degree of consensus on one thing, which is to strengthen the defense of Liaodong.
Liaodong refers to the plain east of the Liao River. Except for the Sumo Mohe in the north, which accounts for a very small part, more than 80% of the south belongs to Goguryeo. And west of the Liao River is western Liaoning; when the Khitans were still there, 60 to 70% of the northern land west of the Liao River was Khitan territory, and the remaining very small part belonged to Liaozhou and Yanzhou in the Sui Dynasty. Since the land south of the Liao River was The water in this section was turbulent and it was difficult for the Sui army to cross the river.
But now the western part of Liaoning belongs to the Sui Dynasty, and the newly established Da'an County in the north is adjacent to Goguryeo, with endless grassland without obstacles in the middle. Once the Sui army crosses the weak Luoshui River in the upper reaches of the Liao River and gathers in Da'an County, they can directly advance into Liaodong. If they send their troops southward again, they will not be as lucky as the 18th Emperor. As for them along the border and along the The defense line of "Nanfu Yucheng - Xincheng - Xuantu City - Liaodong City - Anshi City - Jian'an City (Gaixian area)" built by Liaoshui will not be able to stop the enemy in the slightest.
Therefore, Goguryeo's monarchs and ministers decided to invest huge manpower and material resources in building a thousand-mile Great Wall that started from Nanfuyu City in the north and ended at the mouth of Jian'an City in the south.
The southern boundary facing Dongshan County of Liaozhou and the eastern part of Yanzhou is also the main stream of the Liao River. Goguryeo has already established a "New City-Jian'an City" defense line on the east coast, with small towns and beachhead fortresses interspersed in the middle. The outside of the defense line can be connected with city walls, and since there is a natural moat in the Liao River, the Great Wall can be built later.
The boundary line from Xincheng in the south to Nanfuyu City in the north not only does not have the Liao River as a boundary, but also is flat grassland. Therefore, this section of the Great Wall must not only be repaired as soon as possible, but also be built tall and thick.
If this project is completed, the Liao River and the Great Wall will complement and rely on each other, forming a defense line that combines nature and nurture. If the Sui army wanted to invade Liaodong and regain its territory, the Liao River and the Great Wall would be the problems they encountered.
Liaodong City was the center of the northern region of Goguryeo. It was located in the old city of Liaoyang in later generations and was also the Xiangping City of Xiangping City in the Han Dynasty. After Goguryeo occupied Liaodong, Xiangping City was renamed Liaodong City and re-expanded.
Today's Liaodong City is square in shape, with a perimeter of ten miles, and three gates in the east, south and west. The overall scale is grand, tall and solid, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, the interior of this city is the same as Pyongyang City. It is divided into the inner city and the urn city by two layers of walls. This is also a powerful feature that is difficult to conquer in Liaodong.
Yuan Ziyou is the oldest general in Goguryeo and has the most illustrious military exploits. Although he is the leader of the Yuan clan and Gao Yuan is extremely afraid of him, when the news of the Sui army's conquest of Khitan reached Pyongyang City, Gao Yuan's first thought was Yuanzi traveled and sent him to Liaodong to take charge.
The relationship between their king and his ministers is similar to that between Li Shimin and Li Jing, Zhao Gou and Yue Fei. When the king and the country are in need, the first thing that comes to mind is the "God of War" who is usually feared. Once the battle is over, he immediately takes the "God of War" "Shut it up in a high cabinet and discard it like a pair of worn-out shoes.
After Yuan Ziyou arrived in Liaodong, he deployed his troops and sent out witnesses and witnesses to detect the movements of the Sui army. Judging from the recently obtained intelligence, the Sui army has also deployed heavy troops on the other side of the river.
"Is there any movement in the Sui army in Dongshan County, Liaozhou and Yanzhou? For example, going north..." Yuanzi You is over fifty years old. Although he is not tall, he is extremely strong. Surrounded by dozens of civil and military officials, he rode on horseback to patrol the outer walls of the West City.
Most of these civil and military officials were capable ministers and officials promoted by Yuan Ziyou, and they were very convinced of Yuan Ziyou.
"Dai Lu, the Sui armies from the two states have not gone north, and more troops have been sent to Yanzhou in the direction of Yingzhou." After hearing Yuanziyou's question, a military general in his thirties quickly answered that this man looks like Yuanzi You are somewhat similar. It is his eldest son Yuan Taizuo who is responsible for the three cities of Liaodong, Xuantu and Xincheng.
Yuan Taizuo has mediocre ability and poor talent. He is the "dog son" in the "tiger father and dog son". However, he has a father who cannot afford a son and a great uncle; and these two people not only support each other, but also work hand in hand. He has been leading him for decades, so he is much more powerful than the civilian and military generals in front of him. In particular, his vision, experience, and experience are beyond the reach of other noble children.
Yuan Taizuo was not as good as his father and uncle in terms of talent, culture, skills and military skills, but what his father and uncle appreciated was his calm and steady temperament that was good to his people.
After all, the Yuan clan has already flourished and prospered in the hands of their brothers. What the Yuan clan needs next is to digest and consolidate, eliminate the waste and retain the essence, rather than start a decisive and arrogant creation; otherwise, not only will they be destroyed All his hard work will be ruined, and even his family and tribe will be destroyed.
It is precisely because of this that the 'unremarkable' Yuan Taizuo has long been designated as the next head of the Yuan family.
"This little King of Wei is amazing! With such a great reputation, he is truly a worthy person." A solemn look flashed in Yuan Ziyou's eyes.
The commander-in-chief of Liaodong was Yuan Ziyou, and the commander-in-chief of western Liaoning was Yang Ji. Although the two did not send a single soldier, let alone fight a single battle, the battle between the commanders had actually begun.
He deployed heavy troops on the border. On the surface, he was heavy on the north and light on the south, and was aggressive towards the old Khitan territory. But in fact, he was doing the opposite. The secret defense in the south was much heavier than that in the north.
The reason why he did this was that firstly, because the Liao River was frozen, he was worried that the Sui army would cross the Liao River on the ice and go straight to Jian'an City. If Jian'an City was lost, Goguryeo would be split into northern and southern parts by the Sui army. What's more, The soldiers of the Sui army could directly go south along the coast and kill the "Liaoshui-Yalushui" area where the troops were empty and poorly deployed, leaving corpses everywhere.
The second is to conduct tactical deception on Yang Ji. If Yang Ji follows Yuan Zi's rhythm and rushes to the north to protect the new land, then he can completely cross the ice to the west, seize Dongshan County and Yanzhou in Liaozhou, and will The war broke out in the Sui Dynasty.
However, Yang Ji did not send more troops to the north. Instead, he seized the key points and put on a posture of harming each other and perishing together.
If a fight really breaks out and the Goguryeo army captures Khitan, the damage to the Sui Dynasty will be almost negligible. But if the Sui army from the south comes across the river and breaks through Liaodong, this will be a huge blow to Goguryeo. Not only is it irreparable, but it is also a loss of old capital.
Therefore, Yuan Ziyou thought that this time he lost to Yang Ji in a secret fight from afar.
Yuan Taizuo didn't know why his father felt like an enemy, but he didn't ask. Instead, he said: "Da Duilu, our scouts sent two important military reports from Yanzhou yesterday. One is that the Sui people have peach blossoms in the Bohai Sea. It is said that a large number of warships will be stationed in the island to build docks and military ports; secondly, the Sui Dynasty mobilized a large number of craftsmen to build ships in Laizhou." [Note]
Yuan Ziyou's face changed slightly, and he frowned and asked, "Is the information accurate? Did the scout find it out by himself, or was it hearsay?"
"Hearsay!" Yuan Taizuo said with a bitter smile: "According to the scouts, these two news have spread throughout Yanzhou and Dongshan County of Liaozhou. Although some people ventured south, they disappeared without exception. I think they were captured by the Sui Dynasty. The army arrested him. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether the news is true."
Yuan Ziyou remained silent!
These two pieces of news were obviously deliberately released by the Sui army, but the Central Plains people liked to play with this kind of false and true methods best, and he did not dare to be careless.
"Da vs. Lu!" Seeing that Yuan Ziyou was silent, a general asked, "Will the Sui army attack from Haima Road this time?"
"Once a fight breaks out, the Sui army will definitely attack from the sea. However, we have too many places near the sea and rivers. No one is sure where the Sui army's target and landing point are. But no matter what, we can't be careless!" Yuan Ziyou felt a headache. The western part of Goguryeo was mainly located on the Bohai Sea and the Wuhu Sea (Yellow Sea). Everywhere could be the target of the Sui Dynasty naval attack. He did not dare to be careless about this.
Yuan Ziyou frowned and thought for a while, then added: "If the two reports are true, the Sui Dynasty naval forces may attack from the north and the south and land on the Liaodong Peninsula. Beishe City, Muyang City, Caucheng, and Shicheng in the Liaodong Peninsula are all very important. If the four If any part of the city is lost, our Goguryeo will be in danger of being cut in half; of course, it is also possible to land at the entrance of Yalu River, Sa River, and Xishui River. In this way, its navy can go upstream and sail northward on the ship. Can hit the towns along my coast."
"But neither side is ready for a full-scale war. I think the Sui Dynasty navy is more likely to land from the Liaodong Peninsula. This is because when the Sui Dynasty navy went directly to Pyongyang, it encountered strong winds and waves and many ships sank. If it were to land from Taohua Island If you go to Laizhou via the Bohai Strait, it will not only be closer than going straight to the south, but it will also have less wind and waves and less danger. So everyone should be more vigilant, ask the Beishe City defenders and nearby fishermen to be more careful, and also remind other coastal towns."
Everyone bowed and saluted together: "Yes!"
"Go!"
"Here!" Everyone dispersed together, leaving only the Yuan family and his son.
"General Wu, wait a moment, I have something to tell you." Yuan Ziyou stopped a general.
This person's name is Wu Yan, and the surnames Wu and Shao are also one of the earliest surnames in Goguryeo. He is an important member of the Guilou tribe, and can be regarded as the founding father of the Gao family. He is still loyal to the Gao family; from What comes from this is that he is extremely inconsistent with the powerful Yuan family in Taotian. He is now the Laisa of Jian'an City and is stuck at the very critical point of going south and north. Hearing Yuan Ziyou's voice, he quickly came back and saluted expressionlessly: "What are your orders to Lu?"
"General Wu," Yuan Ziyou said to Wu Yan, "Jian'an City is of great importance. You must not take it lightly. If there is any situation, you must report it in time!"
"The general will understand!" Wu Yan said.
Yuan Ziyou heard the alienation and indifference in Wu Yan's tone and ignored him. As long as he didn't use Goguryeo's national destiny to hold him back, it didn't matter if he was dissatisfied.
He turned to Yuan Taizuo and said, "The king asked you to supervise the battle of the Great Wall. You must handle this matter well."
"Here!" Yuan Taizuo responded, and said with some embarrassment: "It's just that the king asked me to build the northern Great Wall in two years, and the requirements are extremely high. It will use countless human and financial resources. If there is a large-scale corvee, it will definitely affect People's livelihood in Liaodong, this is too..."
"There is nothing we can do about this! Whether it is for the country or our family, this matter must be done as soon as possible." Yuan Ziyou waved his hand, thought for a while, and then said: "There are not many Khitan people who came to seek refuge. ? Let these people take over first, and then mobilize the people."
"After you leave, supervise Sumo Mohe for me."
"Yes!" Yuan Taizuo bowed and retreated.
At this time, a group of soldiers rode into the city and marched to Yuanzi with a salute: "To report to Lu, the soldiers of the Sui Army asked our patrol to deliver a letter, saying that it was a letter written by Yang Ji, King of Wei, to you."
"Oh?" Yuan Ziyou was surprised and said, "Where is the letter? Give it to me!"
————————
[Note: Peach Blossom Island is Juehua Island in the Bohai Bay, named after the peach trees everywhere; it was called Peach Blossom Island before the Song Dynasty, and was called Juehua Island in the Liao and Jin Dynasties. 】
(Asking for monthly votes and recommendation votes.)
7017k
