A wry smile appeared on Liu Renyuan's lips: "Sanlang, do you know when my first expedition was?"
"My subordinates don't know!"
"That happened in the 18th year of Zhenguan (AD 644)!" Liu Renyuan walked to the window, looked at the heavy snow outside the window, and fell into memories: "My father was an official to the right Xiaowei general. With the help of the door, I As soon as he became an official, he was able to hold a sword and guard beside the late emperor. We heard that the late emperor was going to personally lead the army to conquer Goguryeo and avenge the grievances of his father and brother for the Chinese people. We were all excited and packed up our armor, soldiers, bows and horses, intending to make great achievements and leave a name in history. When we arrived in Liaoze in February of the following year, we discovered that we were in front of a vast white boundless swamp lake. The late emperor ordered all armies to leave behind their baggage and dig earth and cut trees to build earthen beams. I remember that we walked in Liaoze for seven days in total. Skeletons looked at each other along the way, all over the wilderness. The late emperor ordered the corpses to be collected and transported back to China for burial——" At this point, Liu Renyuan lowered his head, covered his eyes with his thick palms, and his shoulders twitched slightly.
After hearing this, Wang Wenzuo also understood. The "first emperor" Liu Renyuan mentioned was Tang Taizong Li Shimin, and the bones in Liaoze were the Chinese children who were buried in Liaoze when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty conquered Korea decades ago. At that time, the population of China was only 50 to 60 million. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty mobilized millions of troops, most of whom died in Liaodong. Since the core forces of the Sui and Tang armies were all descendants of Guanzhong, it can be said that almost all the soldiers of the Tang army who accompanied Emperor Taizong on the Eastern Expedition at that time were His father and brother died in the battle of Liao. Looking back at the time when he saw the bones of his relatives exposed in the wilderness for decades without anyone burying them, even a brave man like Liu Renyuan could not help but shed tears.
"The late Emperor was kind-hearted and was indeed the Bodhisattva Emperor!"
"Yes!" Liu Renyuan wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes: "By the way, where did I just talk?"
"You just said that you saw many bones when you crossed Liaoze, and the late emperor ordered them to be transported back to the country for burial!"
"Oh! After crossing Liaoze, the late emperor ordered the destruction of Heliang to strengthen the morale of the soldiers. He first defeated Liaodong City and killed ten thousand Korean bandits. Then he defeated the enemy like a bamboo and defeated more than ten cities in a row. His troops reached Anshi City. The Goryeo thieves came to the rescue with an overwhelming army. The late emperor set up an ambush with surprise troops, defeated the reinforcements, and killed tens of thousands of prisoners. The remaining thieves clung to the mountains. The late emperor ordered them to cut off their return route to Heliang and surrounded them on all sides. The thieves had no choice but to surrender. It is a pity that An The city was strong and well-armed, but it could not be attacked repeatedly. It was delayed until the weather got cold and the army ran out of food, so the late emperor had to withdraw his troops. When he withdrew his troops to cross Liao, the Liao River happened to rise, and the original soil beams were washed away. We had no choice but to withdraw our troops. Instead of renovating, in order to buy time, the late emperor even took out his own horse to carry bundles of firewood. When crossing Liaoze, it snowed heavily, and the clothes of many robes were soaked. There was no way to keep warm in the lake, and many of them froze to death. Yes, His Majesty also specially issued an edict asking the prefectures and counties to light bonfires at the entrance of Liaoze for the soldiers to warm themselves. This saved the lives of most people, but many of the war horses froze to death. One hundred thousand horses went out, but only eight came back. Thousands." At this point, Liu Renyuan lifted up his left sleeve: "Look, these two fingers were amputated due to frostbite on the way back to Liaoze!"
Wang Wenzuo took a closer look, and sure enough, the ring finger and the last finger of Liu Renyuan's left hand were missing. Although Liu Renyuan's words just now were only a few words, he expressed his ambition to avenge his father and brother when he crossed Liaoze, the joy of defeating the enemy's city after crossing Liaoze, the worry of Goguryeo's overwhelming army coming to help, and Emperor Taizong's desire to set up an ambush and defeat the enemy. The pride, the helplessness of having to retreat in the end, and the sadness of losing his comrades in the wind and snow when returning to Liao, all appeared vividly, as if they were reflected in front of his eyes.
"I wish I had been born more than ten years earlier, so that I could follow the late emperor across the Liao Dynasty and kill thieves side by side with the general!"
"Okay, okay!" Liu Renyuan laughed: "If the late emperor had seen a talented person like you, Sanlang, who is both wise and brave, he would definitely like him very much! Hey, when the late emperor went out to conquer Liao, how many young heroes prepared their own armor and horses? He went to the army, not seeking any reward, but only to die for the emperor and avenge his father and brother! It’s a pity that such a heroic atmosphere is rarely seen again today!”
"General, I have something I don't know whether to say or not!"
"Sanlang, feel free to speak out!"
"When the late Emperor sent troops to attack Anshi City, why didn't he surround it with partial troops, while the rest marched straight in to attack their inner circle?"
Liu Renyuan glanced at Wang Wenzuo in surprise: "At that time, Goguryeo surrendered its generals to offer advice. The city of Yan'an was small but strong, and the generals who defended it were brave and won the hearts of the people. People fought on their own and it was difficult to break the city. It was better to take reinforcements to break the city. People's hearts were shaken. He went out of the world to break through Wugu City, crossed the Yalu River, and approached Pyongyang. The late emperor also thought it was true, but it was a pity that at that time, Changsun Wuji said that the emperor's personal expedition should not be called a danger and a fluke, but a safe and sound strategy should be sought! Only then could he attack Anshi for a long time! The late emperor returned The master also often regrets it! I never thought that you would be in cahoots with the late emperor!"
"The general is ridiculous!" Wang Wenzuo lowered his head: "But what Changsun Wuji said is reasonable. What I said is just an afterthought!"
"Hindsight? Sanlang's analogy is very good!" Liu Renyuan laughed: "So you understand why I said that this time the troops will return in vain when they see the heavy snow, right? This Liaoze lies across the border between Liaodong and the Central Plains. The time is more dangerous than the vast sea. Once it snows heavily, the army will not be able to advance or retreat, and will have no choice but to be captured. Even with the power of the late emperor, he returned without success, let alone the generals?"
"So, wouldn't it be worse here?"
"Yes, we are in the heart of the thieves. No matter how poor the Goguryeo people are, as long as the army returns, they will fully support the Baekje people. Otherwise, they can escape this time, but they will not be able to guarantee the next time! "
"What about next year and the year after that? Can the Tang Dynasty send out troops to conquer again?"
"Next year? The year after next?" Liu Renyuan smiled bitterly: "One soldier fights, ten people transport goods, and a hundred people plow and weave! In order to supply the 300,000 troops, thousands of sails raced in the Yongji Canal, and hundreds of boats competed for the water. Trackers on both sides of the strait No less than one million. In order to prepare for this mission, the emperor has ordered that the taxes from Jianghuai and Hebei areas will not be transferred to Guanzhong, but will be transported to Youzhou. Do you know what this means? Guanzhong can only rely on food from Hedong and Henan. During the spring famine, the emperor will have to Taking the harem and hundreds of officials to Luoyang for food, the soldiers in Beiting and Anxi Protectorate had to live frugally. Do you think it can continue to be like this for several consecutive years? The people can carry the boat or capsize it. Lessons from the Sui Dynasty It’s not far!”
When leaving the Duhu Mansion, Wang Wenzuo's footsteps were heavy, and Liu Renyuan's last words echoed in his ears. As a time traveler, no matter how much knowledge we get from later generations of books and the Internet, those are just lines of text and numbers, while what Liu Renyuan and his colleagues see are bloody facts. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty's three expeditions to Korea left behind not only the unburied bones of Liaoze, but also the Central Plains land full of thorns and sparse villages. All of this was a constant warning to the carnivores in the early Tang Dynasty - —The Lord must not raise an army in anger.
