"Escape? Where else can you escape now?"
"Silla, didn't the Silla people secretly recruit them before? If you flee to Silla, that's also a way out!"
"I just defeated the Silla people, and countless of their fathers, brothers, sons and nephews died in my hands. Wouldn't it be asking for death to join Silla now?" Quan Yuan male guide sighed: "Besides, I am in this tent now. I am still the leader of an army. If I escape, I will be a fugitive prisoner. A common man can capture me alive and send me to the Tang people to receive the reward. Rather than doing this, it is better to directly beg for surrender to the Tang people! Hurry up and get a pen and paper!"
"Paper and pen? Do you want it?"
"Of course I have to write a letter of surrender!" Quanyuan Nanjian said with a wry smile: "I hope that for the sake of these tens of thousands of surrendered troops, our brothers will be able to live happily in Chang'an for the rest of their lives!"
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Anshi City, Liaodong (Nanyingchengzi area of Haicheng, Liaoning Province).
The bulging mountain city of Anshi looked like a crawling giant beast in the moonlight. It was huge and mysterious. Li Ji couldn't help but stop, his legs were so sore.
This place is still the same as it was more than 20 years ago! Li Ji couldn't help but let out a sigh, and couldn't help but recall the past in the 19th year of Zhenguan that he accompanied the late emperor to conquer Goguryeo. It was also so overwhelming, and it was also the same way that he ordered his troops to attack Anshi City. However, the difference was that the late emperor who commanded the army was already there. Resting under the mausoleum, he has also transformed from middle age to an old man with white hair. If he cannot break Anshi City and pacify Goguryeo this time, he may not have another chance.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but subconsciously turned around and looked at the behemoths at the foot of the mountain behind him. The Thunderbolt Chariot presented by Wang Wenzuo was indeed very useful. He had never thought of any siege machinery that could destroy more than a hundred people. The stone bullets were fired three to four hundred paces away. If the late emperor had had this when he besieged Anshi City, it would not have been delayed to this day. But even with this terrifying combat machine, how long will it take to capture Anshi City?
Ten days? Twenty days? Or a month? In order to exert the huge power of this trebuchet, it must be placed in a suitable location. Disassembly and transportation will take a lot of time, and there are more than one mountain city on the road to Pyongyang!
Suddenly, Li Ji decided to climb to the top of Tushan to see the situation of Anshi City with his own eyes. With the support of his grandson, Li Ji climbed to the top of Tushan Mountain with difficulty and looked towards Anshi City.
Anshi City seemed to be right under his feet, carved in the moonlight. From a high position, Li Ji discovered how rigid and hollow its windowless fortresses, stone walls built along the mountains, and gravel-strewn slopes were. In the distance, he saw ridges of hills, like rushing waves, with twists and turns appearing and disappearing between these solidified waves, and behind him was a vast plain and a surging river that ran through the plain. Otherwise, the world is an endless wasteland of wind-torn hills, jagged rocks, and wilderness.
"Ah Weng, Ah Weng! An urgent military situation has arrived!" Li Jingye's voice was a bit flinching. No matter how he was outside, when he returned to Li Ji, he would always feel an inexplicable fear. It seemed that in front of Li Ji's dim old eyes, all his secrets no longer existed.
Li Ji exhaled a long breath, forming a white mist in the cold air. He turned around and saw his grandson looking at him, with fear in his eyes rather than concern. He was a little disappointed in his heart. To be honest, Li Jingye was already considered very good among the three generations of officials. He had ambition, government, and strategy. He also had the courage to stand up and fight at critical times. He just lacked the ability to see clearly. He has a vision of the current situation, but without this vision, the things in front of him will actually harm him. Among the late emperor's sons, those who died the fastest and met the worst fate were those who were talented and talented, but those who were mediocre and inactive were much happier.
"Aweng! It's an urgent military situation. News about the southern front. The messenger is waiting in the tent!"
Li Jingye's urging made Li Ji's scattered thoughts refocus. He nodded and stretched out his right hand. Li Jingye hurriedly extended his hand to support him. He walked down the earth mountain and returned to his tent. A warm feeling hit his face. Li Ji sat comfortably on the brocade couch and asked his servant to knead his sore calf muscles and asked: "Where is the military situation? When will it be?" Arrived?"
The kneeling envoy took out the letter from his arms and presented it: "We arrived at Chengshan Port five days ago, then crossed the sea to Bisha City (today's Dalian area), and then rushed to the front of the army!"
Li Ji nodded. He calculated the mileage in his mind and knew that the Tang army used the fastest speed to pass the route, and even took the risk of being intercepted by the Goguryeo army - because the Beisha City area was captured by the Tang army seven or eight days ago. There are still many areas around the area that are under the control of the enemy. In order to deliver this letter, I am afraid that not more than ten lives have been lost.
Li Ji opened the letter and just read two lines. He seemed to see something scary. He almost fell off the brocade couch. Li Jingye hurriedly reached out to help him, but Li Ji threw his arm away and shouted: "The light is too dim, lift me up." candle!"
Li Jingye hurriedly raised the candle and came to Li Ji's side. Li Ji leaned close to the candlelight, stared at it for a long time, and finally sighed: "Heroes emerge from youth! We are old! It's time to go into the dirt and make room for young people!"
Li Jingye listened with itch, but did not dare to ask. Li Ji seemed to see what he was thinking and handed the letter over: "You should also read it! The big thing has been decided, it's time to prepare for the class!"
"The last general led his troops to attack Pyongyang City. It happened that King Gaozang of Goguryeo rebelled in the city. He killed Quanyuan Nanjian, Quanyuan Nanzang's brothers and their families. They opened the city and tied their bodies with their faces uncovered, and begged for surrender. Now that Pyongyang City has been conquered, the army Entering the city, the treasury and the wives of the generals and generals of the Goguryeo army are all in hand, waiting for the general's army -" Seeing this, Li Jingye couldn't stand it any longer. His mind was in chaos, as if the whole world had been turned upside down. Come over, everything tumbles and spins, mixed together.
"Aweng, is this the end of the Liao campaign?" Li Jingye asked.
"Otherwise?" Li Ji said with a self-deprecating smile: "The city of Pyongyang is already in his hands, and the King of Goguryeo is also in his hands, so why fight? Everyone got up early, worked hard to chop wood, make fire and make noodles, and finally But he is the one eating the cake! Is there any way? There is no way!"
"Don't the brothers Quanyuan Nanjian still have a large army at their disposal? Mountain cities such as Anshi City and Wugu City have sufficient reserves and stretch for hundreds of miles!"
"None of this matters!" Li Ji sighed: "Didn't you read the letter? Goguryeo has a proton law. When generals command troops outside, their wives must stay in Pyongyang City as hostages. Wang Wenzuo was the first to take Pyongyang City. The thing is that he has all these hostages in his hands, and the family members of the Goguryeo generals are in his hands, so why fight? If Brother Quanyuan Nanjian is smarter and surrenders, he can still save his life; if he moves a little slower, It becomes a certificate that my subordinates use to ask for merit! As for those mountain cities, no matter how steep the city is, it still requires people to defend it. Now that Pyongyang has surrendered, why are these cities still defended? For whom?"
"Then there's no need to fight Anshi City and Wugu City?"
"If this news is true, we will know in half a month or ten days at most!" Li Ji sighed: "The unfulfilled wishes of generations and two dynasties of emperors, and the great achievements that millions of people want to accomplish, will be revealed. It can only be said that it was luck that he won it so easily!"
"Luck?" Li Jingye chewed this simple word. He had read this word countless times in books, but he had never felt the way he did today. It was like a sour plum that had been chewed countless times. Tasteless and seemingly endless aftertaste.
"Dedication!"
"Ah Weng!" Hearing his grandfather's voice, Li Jingye hurriedly gathered his energy.
"You have to learn to accept it!"
"Accept?" Li Jingye replied blankly. He didn't understand why his grandfather suddenly mentioned this irrelevant word.
"Do you know who I first followed during the chaotic times of the late Sui Dynasty?"
"Zhai Rang!"
"Yes, that's him!" Li Ji smiled, with the characteristic expression of an old man recalling the past: "At that time, I was less than twenty. It was said to be an uprising, but in fact it was just leading my tribe to plunder and approach the imperial court. To put it bluntly, the merchants in the river were just bandits. Later, Duke Wei also came. He reorganized the army according to the laws of the Sui army, set up an ambush and defeated Zhang Xutuo, led us to capture Xingluo Cang, and used the food in it to provide relief to the people in all directions. The Wagang army suddenly numbered hundreds of thousands. At that time, I felt that I had met the Lord Ming, and I was determined to serve him loyally. Even though Wei Gong killed Zhai Rang and chopped me with a knife, I did not change my mind."
Having said this, Li Ji brushed the hair off his forehead, and there was an obvious mark on his forehead. Li Jingye knew that his grandfather had experienced hundreds of battles, so he didn't pay much attention to the scar on his forehead, but he didn't expect that it was Li Mi who killed Zhai. Let the time stay.
"Later, Wei Gong defeated many powerful enemies and became more and more powerful. The Sui army lost consecutive battles and could only be trapped in Luoyang City. But at this time, Yu Wenhuaji killed Sui Yang Emperor who was hiding in Jiangdu, and took one hundred thousand Xiao Guo's army returned to the west. In order to avoid being attacked from both sides, Wei Gong had no choice but to surrender to Luoyang and join forces to deal with Yu Wenhuaji.
Yu Wenhuaji is a mediocre person, but the 100,000 Xiaoguo army under his command is indeed very powerful. The war was very difficult. Many of us died, and Wei Gong himself was injured. In the end, we defeated Yu Wenhuaji through trickery, but our energy was severely damaged. Soon after, Wang Shichong launched a coup in Luoyang, abolished the alliance with Wei Gong, and the war broke out again. I originally thought we could win. Duke Wei was ten times more talented than Wang Shichong and our troops were more powerful than Wang Shichong. But what I didn't expect was that we lost this time.
Many people surrendered to Wang Shichong. I persuaded Duke Wei to flee to Liyang with me and then regroup. We still have a large number of prefectures and counties in eastern Henan, so we have a great chance. However, Wei Gong went west to Guanzhong and attached himself to Li Yuan. He must not trust me and is afraid that I will betray him in times of crisis! You must also know what happened behind Duke Wei! "
"Wei Gong later escaped from Guanzhong and was killed!" Li Jingye replied.
"Yes, the world-famous Duke Wei died so mysteriously. He was only 37 years old!" Li Ji sighed: "Jingye, you are the most outstanding one among my children and grandchildren. But luck is the most difficult to understand in the world. No one knows when it will be with you and when it will leave. People in the world say that I am a British prince and a pillar of the Tang Dynasty, but I know that I have always been the little robber by the canal. The road is too difficult and dangerous, and I don’t want you to walk it again!”
"Ah Weng!" Li Jingye's lips trembled slightly. This was the first time in his memory that his grandfather spoke to him like this. He just felt his chest rolling, and he didn't know what to say for a while. Li Ji smiled and patted his grandson on the shoulder: "Anyway, it's a blessing for me, an old man like me, to finally be able to see the fall of Pyongyang with my own eyes, so don't be unhappy!" At this point, the two of them said Tears welled up in Xing Lao's eyes.
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Pyongyang City.
"Quanyuan Nan proposed that the entire army beg for surrender?" Wang Wenzuo frowned.
"That's right!" Igillenbod took out the letter and said, "The envoy is outside. Can you tell him to come in?"
"Wait a minute!" Wang Wenzuo took the letter, opened it, read it, and said with a smile: "No wonder, I was originally worried that he would lead troops to surrender to Silla. It turned out that he had just defeated the Silla people and was worried about the Silla people's revenge. , so just surrender to us!”
"It was also the Commander-in-Chief who made a decisive decision, otherwise the situation would not have turned out like this all of a sudden!" Yijilianbode said with a smile: "Since Izumi Yuono surrendered, the small towns around Pyongyang probably won't be able to hold on!"
"Yes, otherwise I always feel like there are needles under my butt, and I can't sit still!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "I will disappear as the messenger. Just ask Quanyuan Nanjian to disperse the troops, and then persuade the nearby city to surrender!"
"Missing the messenger? Will this make Izumiyuan Nanjian suspicious?" Yiji Lianbode asked.
"Don't be afraid. If you are too enthusiastic about him in the current situation, he will become suspicious!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Let him do it! The only one left is Quanyuan Nanzheng. He is in Wugu City, but this should be I’ll just be lazy about the things that the British father-in-law is worried about!”
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Goguryeo military camp.
"What, you haven't seen the general of the Tang Army?" Quanyuan Nanjian looked surprised.
"Yes!" said the messenger: "Only a Japanese guest came out to give a few instructions and then let me go back. I am so arrogant! This is too much!"
"Hey, how can a defeated general speak bravely!" Quanyuan Nanjian sighed: "The situation is like this. If we were to change places, we would be much more arrogant than him! But this is also a good thing, indicating that the Tang people should not have any plans. What a trap!"
"Yes!" the messenger responded: "What should we do now? Should we act according to the instructions of the Tang people? Or should we simply flee to Wugu City and meet up with the general before making any decisions?"
"Of course we obey orders! What's the use of going to Wugu City? It's just tens of thousands more soldiers and horses, and it can't change the overall situation! The longer the time is delayed, the worse it will be for us. It's better to do what the Tang Dynasty said as soon as possible, so as not to Provoke them and cause great trouble!"
