"All the Tang generals who conquered Goguryeo died?" Dahe Huaien was stunned when he heard this: "Where did you hear this news?"
"Don't you know yet?" The young and strong man said with a smile: "Li Ji, Xue Rengui, Wang Wenzuo, and Qibi Heli were ordered by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to attack the Tubo Kingdom in the northwest, but they were defeated by the Tubo people. These days Everyone was beheaded by the Tubo people, and the Tang Dynasty’s 200,000-strong army was completely wiped out!”
"Where did you hear this news?" Dahe Huaien couldn't help but dumbfounded: "Not to mention the others, Li Ji is indeed dead, but he died of illness on his way back to Chang'an from Pyongyang. What does it have to do with Tubo? ? He was already seventy when he died, and do you know how many 200,000 people there were? The Longyou and Anxi military towns of the Tang State combined did not have 200,000 people. How could there be 200,000 troops all at once? Conquer the Tibetans!"
When the young and strong men heard Da He Huaien's words, they couldn't help but look at each other. Obviously, what they heard before was far from what Da He Huaien said. A few minutes later, the leading man asked: "Dare I ask, who is Lang Jun?" What status?"
Before Dahe Huai'en could speak, the boy servant on the side rushed to say: "My husband is the leader of the Khitan Dahe clan, why don't you come and see me as soon as possible!"
After hearing this, the young and strong men hurriedly knelt on the ground. Although the Khitan tribe at that time was far less powerful than when later generations established the Liao Kingdom and dominated the north, they still had more than 100,000 troops and could pull out tens of thousands of cavalry. Being granted an official position by the Tang Dynasty is a world of difference from these small tribes of savages who are struggling to make ends meet in the wild meadows. In addition to what they just said, if we look into it deeply, it would not be unfair to kill them with one knife.
"Everyone, get up!" Da Hehuai'en did not have an attack. He looked at the dark faces of these wild men mixed with fear and confusion, and said in a deep voice: "The power of the Tang Dynasty is beyond your imagination, not to mention that it did not lose twenty soldiers. Ten thousand, even if the loss of 200,000 troops is really nothing more than an edict from the emperor, it can be made up by recruiting a group of troops! As for the people you just mentioned, Li Ji, Xue Rengui, Wang Wenzuo, and Qibi Heli, except for Li Ji Except for those who have died of old age and illness, the rest are still alive. If you listen to rumors and seek wealth in vain, you will only lose your life in vain!"
Those wild men kowtowed repeatedly and begged for mercy. Dahe Huaien waved his hand and left with his men. Not far away, a close servant asked: "Mr. Lang, these guys are obviously going to join the Goguryeo remnant party and have evil intentions. Why didn't you kill them all just now?" killed!"
"You have also seen along the way. There are so many people who have gone to join the rebels. Can they all be killed?" Dahe Huaien sighed: "You have also seen these guys. The weapons in their hands are very crude. Even this Waiting for all the rough and savage men to rebel, people are in a state of confusion! The Tang Dynasty lost the battle to Tubo at the wrong time!"
"People are confused?" The boy servant touched his chin. He was still young and did not understand the meaning of He Huaien's words. In the eyes of today's Chinese people, a unified multi-ethnic country is a matter of course, but they have forgotten that a unified multi-ethnic country is not something they are born with, but is the result of the people of all ethnic groups who have lived on this land for thousands of years. formed by mutual exchange and integration.
For a Northeast Asian living in the mid-seventh century AD, the last Central Plains Dynasty that ruled this land was more than 400 years ago, and the history of the four Han counties has long been forgotten. For these people who live in forests, swamps, and wilderness, Chang'an, Luoyang, Yecheng, and Jinyang are similar to how today's Chinese feel about Tokyo, Frankfurt, London, and New York, and Heshenggu City (the legendary ancestor of Goguryeo) The place where Jumong established his capital), Wandu Fortress, and Pyongyang were the capitals of the Kingdom of Heaven in their minds. King Ping An, who spread thousands of miles and conquered Buyeo, Baekje, Silla, Japanese, and Mohe people, was Emperor Wu in their minds. King Changshou who moved the capital to Pyongyang, cherished the people's strength, and cultivated literature and art was their Emperor Wen. King Gaoyuan of Goguryeo who refused to submit to a big country like Sui and defeated Sui's invasion of millions of troops three times was their Emperor Zhen. Even the last King of Goguryeo and The great Moli Zhiquan Gaisuwen who usurped power also resisted the most powerful empire in East Asia for more than 20 years. Even Tang Taizong Li Shimin had to withdraw his troops from Anshi City.
Yes, the Tang army has indeed captured Pyongyang City, and the royal family and nobles of Goguryeo have also been moved away, but it is impossible for the Tang army to move everyone away, and these resounding names still exist in their minds. Once the situation changes, a thought will flash in the minds of these originally humble people - why can't we raise the flag of Goguryeo again, drive away these Tang people, and re-establish this country that once ruled this land for nearly five hundred years? What about the country?
This is the problem that Wang Wenzuo must face. In real history, the Tang Dynasty's attack on Pyongyang and the elimination of Goguryeo were not the end, but the beginning of a new war of conquest. Almost at the same time as the fall of Goguryeo, a new restoration movement broke out with the support of the Silla people. Although the restoration movement was suppressed under the suppression of the Andong Protectorate, the Silla people also took the opportunity to embezzle the country. The homeland of Baekje and Goguryeo's large land on the Korean Peninsula, the military front was approaching Pyongyang City, and the Tang Dynasty had to move the Andong Protectorate's seat from Pyongyang to Liaoyang, and then the establishment of the Bohae Kingdom, the Xincheng Rebellion, Yingzhou The rebellion made it more and more difficult for Tang Dynasty to operate in Northeast Asia, and finally the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion ruined everything.
It is not difficult to see from the real history that centrifugal tendencies in border areas will always exist. It is undoubtedly a beautiful fantasy to hope for once and for all. Managing the border and maintaining the unity of the country is a long and arduous process that requires constant bloodshed. If you sweat, all your efforts will be wasted if you are not careful.
A big reason for Tang's strategy of winning first and then losing in Northeast Asia was the rise of Tubo on the western frontier. The Battle of Dafeichuan was undoubtedly a node in Tang's offensive and defensive changes in the east: after this battle, Tubo captured all Yangtong and Dangxiang. As well as the Qiang land, it borders Liang, Song, Mao, and other states in the east, reaches Brahman in the south, captures four towns including Qiuci and Shule in the west, and reaches Turks in the north. It covers an area of more than 10,000 miles and has directly threatened Sichuan and Guanzhong. Once the two places incited rebellion against the Turks, they would form a three-sided attack on the Tang Dynasty. In this case, the Tang Dynasty would invest less and less force in Northeast Asia. In this long-term war of attrition, the generals would also You can only fight and retreat, and finally give up.
Of course, these people in Northeast Asia don't know so much, but they can personally feel the ebb and flow of the Tang Army's local power, which further boosts their courage and ambition. Faced with this surge of power, Dahe Huaien couldn't help but feel helpless.
On the evening of the fourth day, Dahe Huaien and his party finally arrived at Heshenggu City. This is the old capital established by the ancestor of Goguryeo, but it has been abandoned for hundreds of years. Dahe Huai'en could see the stone piers made of white stones, which were the few traces left by this ancient city. It was not far from the destination. He ordered his men to camp and rest.
Before diving into the hornet's nest, Dahe Huaien wanted to find a few local barbarians and learn from their mouths who the leaders of the rebels were, how many men and horses there were, how much food they had in stock, and how many Silla people were involved. How deep. But his subordinates told him that they could not find anyone. Several nearby villages were empty, and no one knew where they had gone. Dahe Huai'en had to ask his subordinates to come back to rest. People lit bonfires and put some interesting things into them. Plants with mosquito repellent effects leave the scouts behind and then fall asleep.
Most of the night, Dahe Huaien was half asleep and half awake. He always felt that there was something inexplicable spinning around him and making weird noises, but when he opened his eyes, there was nothing there until dawn. , he was woken up by the sentry on duty.
"What's wrong?"
"somebody is coming!"
"who?"
"There are everyone there, about fifty of them, they say they are the big boss's begging for four feathers!"
"Begging Si Biyu?" Dahe Huaien frowned, but couldn't remember such a person. He stood up, drew his sword and said: "Blow the trumpet, wake up everyone, and turn up the fire!"
When the soldiers heard the sound of the horn, they all got up from the ground. The bonfire with firewood suddenly rose up and illuminated everyone. Da He Huai'en put on his armor and walked towards the place where the yelling came from.
"Who are you?"
"We are from the Dahe clan, soldiers and horses of the Songmo Governor's Mansion!"
"Bah, the Songmo Governor's Mansion is just a dog of the Tang Dynasty!"
"Be careful what you say, or I will ventilate your throat with the tip of a spear!"
"Then fight, we are not afraid. If you chop off your heads, we will receive a reward. The armor you are wearing will also belong to us!"
As the distance got closer, Dahe Huaien gradually saw the people who were scolding his subordinates. They were basically not tall. Some were wearing fishskin jackets, and some were wearing leather holsters inside out. The down was connected to their hair and beards. They formed a group, more like a group of beasts than people. The weapons in most people's hands were only hardened wooden spears, long-handled scythes, clubs, bows and arrows, and slings. The leader was a big old man. The face covered with tattoos and scars was ferocious and ugly: "Who is the leader here!"
"It's me!" Dahe Huaien said arrogantly: "Are you robbers or horse thieves?"
"Bah!" the old man spat: "I was ordered by the big leader Qi Sibiyu to patrol here. What are you doing here? Are you gathering information for the Tang people?"
"This has nothing to do with you!" Dahe Huaien frowned. The smell on the old man's body was not ordinary, and even he couldn't help it: "When I go to see your leader, I have something to say to him. explain!"
"I am standing here under the orders of the leader!" The old man said arrogantly: "If you want to see the leader, just put down your weapons, tie them up and send them over!"
"Put down your weapons? Just you?" Dahe Huaien laughed.
"It's okay if you don't want to be tied up!" The old man said with a smile, "It's okay if you let me hold your beard and walk!" After saying that, he stretched out his hand to grab Da He Huaien's beard. Almost the next second, he fell to the ground, but was knocked unconscious by Dahe Huaien's punch.
"Kill, kill!" the barbarians shouted angrily.
"Kill, kill!" The sound of bowstrings echoed with the clang of swords, and a fierce battle began. The bonfire was stepped on by countless feet and was quickly extinguished. The two sides were in the darkness before dawn. When fighting begins, because the distance between the two sides is so close, let alone spears, sometimes swords and bones cannot be used. People struggle with each other, waving their fists, knees, elbows, and even biting with their teeth. At this time, in the distance New shouts were heard, and it was obvious that more enemies were approaching.
"Mount!" Dahe Huaien chopped down the nearest enemy and shouted loudly. His men retreated one after another, got on their horses, and rushed towards the enemy. The barbarians were suddenly in confusion. They fled towards the thorn bushes in panic, not caring that their faces, hands and feet were torn apart by the thorns. Those who did not have time to escape into the thorn bushes were overtaken by the knights of Oga tribe and knocked down. He fell to the ground, twitching, as if he had just caught a fish and thrown it onto the shore.
Dahe Huaien did not speak. He calmly observed the enemy situation in front of him. At this time, reinforcements came from behind the enemy. They were holding spears. Judging from the formation, they were much more orderly than these rabble. They had obviously received certain training.
"Retreat to the west, let's retreat to the west!" Dahe Huaien said.
In the camp cabin.
A dozen men in different colors sat around a long table. Next to the table was a large wooden barrel filled with light wine brewed from corn. The locals liked to mix this light wine with fermented birch sap. drink. Almost everyone's face smelled of alcohol. They held the big wooden cups in front of them and drank non-stop. Whenever they finished drinking, someone would immediately refill them with a big wooden spoon.
"Why don't you bother?" A man with red eyes suddenly paused his cup, and the wine splashed: "Aren't the Tang people already defeated by the Tubo people? Xue Rengui and Wang Wenzuo also had their heads chopped off by the Tubo people. , why don’t you do anything with such a good opportunity?”
"Yes, why don't you do anything?" shouted another ferocious man. His forehead hair was shaved, and the hair on both sides was tied into many small braids. As his head shook, he looked a little funny: " Qi Sibiyu, are you afraid?"
"Because it's not the time yet!" Qi Sibiyu also drank and his face turned red, but he was still conscious, with a cunning light in his eyes.
"It's not the time yet, when will it be?" Someone at the long table shouted: "Are you afraid?"
"Are you afraid?" Qi Si Biyu sneered: "Let me ask you, where did you hear the news that the Tang people were defeated by the Tubo people, and that Xue Rengui, Wang Wenzuo, and Li Ji were beheaded by the Tubo people?"
"Where did you hear it?" A drunk man scratched the back of his head: "I heard it from a traveling businessman. What happened? Is this news false?" (End of Chapter)
