A victory in the battle did not make Yang Ji inflated. During the rest period in Liaodong City, Yang Ji did not have any leisure time. Not only did he want to investigate Goguryeo's reaction to the complete loss of Liaodong, he also asked people to investigate the attitude of the people in Liaodong toward the Sui Dynasty. , in order to provide information for future management.
The task of investigating the movements of the remaining Goguryeo forces in the south was mainly handed over to the generals on the front line; the situation of the people in Liaodong was mainly handled by the marching commander Shi Weijin, assisted by Hu Lujin, Wu Ning, Dong Jun and other surrendered generals.
In addition, the appointment letter from the imperial court has arrived: Yang Ji's proposal to establish the Andong Protectorate to manage Mozhou, Xuantu, Xiangping, Changli, Lelang, Anping, and Daifang has been approved by the imperial court, and Yang Yichen has been appointed as the general protector. Han Hong is the deputy governor, and Wei Jin is the governor of the governor.
The proposal to retain Goguryeo's kingdom was also passed, but the name of the country was changed to Goryeo. Gao Jianwu, who had made great contributions, was canonized as Daifang Gong and King of Goryeo. Tan Yun, who had provided military intelligence to the Sui Dynasty, was appointed as Dadu Lu and Songzun. The eldest brother in charge of national affairs, Yuan Zicheng, was demoted to ambassador. In this way, Goryeo formed a situation where the royal family, the south and the north were weighing each other.
As for Gao Yuan who had just become a prisoner, Yang Guang must not have received the news yet. However, judging from his appointment, Yang Ji knew that the fate of Gao Yuan, a dog who had repeatedly made enemies of the Sui Dynasty, was already doomed, and he would probably spend the rest of his life. He was going to be placed under house arrest in the Sui Dynasty until his death.
While Liaodong was resting, Yang Ji got the news that Zhou Fashang had conquered the inner city.
The inner city is located on the Tonggou Plain on the north bank of the upper reaches of the Yalu River. It has been the political, economic, and cultural center of Goguryeo for 425 years until the capital was moved to Pyongyang in the fourth year of Shiguang of the Northern Wei Dynasty (427 AD). Although it has Yushan Mountain in the north, Yongshan Mountain in the east, and Qixing Mountain in the west, it is essentially a plain city. After Zhou Fashang crossed Fushui and annihilated Eulji Inde's army in Wafanggou, the inner city had no troops left. Defended, and was eventually easily captured by the Sui army.
"Great fight!" Yang Ji handed this military information to Pei Ju and said excitedly: "The end of the battle in the inner city not only represents Lelang County in the "Qianshan-Yalushui" area, "Yalushui-Sa" Anping County in the "Shui" area was completely recovered by the Sui Dynasty; and it also shows that among the seven counties of the Anle Protectorate, only Daifang County in the "Sashui-Xushui" area has not yet been recovered. Judging from the current deployment of the enemy's troops, The troops are concentrated in Pyongyang, the capital, and as long as our army fights, the war will be over."
Pei Ju looked at it repeatedly and suggested to Yang Ji energetically: "Your Majesty, Pyongyang is also a strong and majestic city no less than that of Liaodong. If Goguryeo fights as a whole, it will definitely be a tragic war. If Goguryeo is allowed to Yuan He and Gao Jian will recruit the garrison defenders in the city to surrender, which will surely resolve the issue without a fight and reduce unnecessary casualties."
"Pei Gong's method is indeed beneficial for the immediate future. Together with us, we will end this war soon. However, in the long run, it is detrimental." Yang Ji shook his head and explained his reasons: "Pyongyang belongs to Goguryeo." The capital of the country is the county that we have governed after the Sui Dynasty. However, not only is the capital of Goguryeo, Seoul, not far away, but it is also close to Silla and Baekje. If this city is solved peacefully, it will not be able to challenge the southerners of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje. Even if I show my great Sui power, I cannot annihilate the anti-Sui forces."
"If we cannot establish our prestige, it will be difficult to govern in the future, and we will be coveted by Goryeo, Silla, and Baekje for a long time. Therefore, this battle must be fought, and it must be fought fiercely. The only way is to use the autumn wind to sweep away the fallen leaves. Only by wiping out the anti-Sui forces in the war will the three southern kingdoms be honest and the people of the south be at peace. Otherwise, endless disasters will surely be left behind."
At this point, Yang Ji made the final conclusion: "For long-term peace and stability in the future, some sacrifices are unavoidable; killing and sacrificing at this time is not to gain merit, but to avoid killing and sacrificing in the future."
Pei Ju smiled bitterly when he heard this. He understood all the principles and interests Yang Ji said; but since ancient times, generals who have fought abroad have often been criticized for fighting wars that could be resolved peacefully.
The critics' arguments were largely the same. They simply accused the generals at the front of sacrificing the lives of soldiers for personal military exploits. If there were too many casualties, even the previous military exploits would be wiped out.
The reason why he suggested a peaceful solution was mainly because Yang Ji was his son-in-law. He didn't want Pei Shuying to come to ask for an explanation after Yang Ji was criticized. However, Yang Ji, as the head coach, planned to put aside his personal interests and resolve many hidden dangers.
"General Manager Yang, General Han!" Yang Ji had already taken out a command arrow at this time and said to Yang Yichen and Han Hong: "You two are the Chief Protector and Deputy Protector of Andong. You need to have the reputation of frightening all evil spirits. In Pyongyang, The battle will be fought by you two as the commander and deputy commander. Now lead an elite cavalry south immediately."
"General, I obey!" Yang Yichen and Han Hong stepped forward and bowed their hands, and Yang Yichen took the order arrow from Yang Ji.
Yang Ji then warned: "If I remember correctly, the water on the edge of Pyongyang City is very large and can be passed by large ships. You can let the Wuga warship enter Pyongyang waters and launch stones from the river from a high position; of course, this It’s just an idea of mine. As for how to fight specifically, you can fight at your own discretion.”
After pondering for a while, he added: "Tan Yun is an important member of the Goguryeo Southern Faction. He must have his own power in the city. When you two go south, let him lead you. It may have an unexpected effect. "
"Here!" The second general saluted and left.
When the second general left, Pei Ju asked, "Isn't the king going south?"
"I'm definitely going, but here in Liaodong, we can't have no one in charge." Yang Ji asked Yang Yichen to go to the south to be the coach. Firstly, he wanted to take credit, and secondly, Liaodong was not yet stable.
The former is secondary, and the main one is the latter. Yang Ji has some concerns about Liaodong, just because the Sui Dynasty killed too hard in Liaodong, which caused many people to not be so friendly and even harbor hatred. This shows that the Sui Dynasty It was less popular in Liaodong than he imagined.
If he puts aside his affairs in Liaodong and goes to fight in the south, there might be a fire in the backyard.
Yang Ji was actually prepared for the hostility of the people in Liaodong. After all, Liaodong was ruled by Goguryeo for hundreds of years. During this long period of time, even the local people with Han blood regarded themselves as members of Goguryeo, and Consider the Sui Dynasty as an invader.
Although this war happened because of Goguryeo's provocation, how could the beaten Liaodong people care about such details? They only knew that the one who broke their stable life was the Sui Dynasty who sent troops to enter the country. They only knew that the Sui army killed their husbands and children. As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the prince of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Ji had to consider issues far beyond those of the deputy general managers.
The status and power of the deputy general managers and generals were not as high as his. They were just passers-by in Liaodong, and their only consideration was to defeat the enemy. As for subsequent governance and other issues, they did not care. However, Yang Ji had to consider the overall situation and the future. If he did not solve the hidden danger of unstable people in Liaodong, it would be difficult to continue the southern expedition with confidence.
Pei Ju was the prime minister of the Sui Dynasty, and his status and ideas were not much different from Yang Ji's. He understood Yang Ji's mood and concerns at this time. After thinking for a long time, he said: "Liaodong has been occupied for too long, and the people have long regarded themselves as a member of Goguryeo. Now, Relatives and friends died in the war, and their hatred towards me, the Sui Dynasty, must be far greater than before. It will take more than a lifetime to change their thoughts and opinions."
"We, the Sui Dynasty, can treat us more favorably than Goguryeo in terms of policies and systems, but it cannot be achieved all at once. However, Your Majesty, some things can still be changed."
Yang Ji was stunned, and then asked: "Does Mr. Pei have a solution?"
"Indeed!" Pei Ju smiled while stroking his beard and said to Yang Ji: "This war was actually started by Gao Yuan, and we, the Sui Dynasty, were forced to fight. The best evidence is that Gao Yuan kept moving troops to Liaodong. Everyone in Liaodong knows about this. If we put the responsibility for this war on Gao Yuan and position ourselves as being forced to fight back, and he jumps out and pleads guilty, we can definitely transfer the people's hatred to Gao Yuan. On the head. After that, if it is supplemented by good governance, it will have an unexpected effect."
The words woke up the dreamer. Yang Ji's eyes lit up, he nodded and said, "Mr. Pei, this method is very wonderful."
