Chapter 3042 The army presses the territory
"Drive!"
The war horse neighed loudly, its hooves tumbled, and it rushed out like arrows.
Three thousand black-armored cavalry launched together, and for a moment the sound of hoofbeats roared like thunder, and dust flew up, gathering into a torrent, running straight towards Jian'an City in the north.
Along the way, Goguryeo people carrying their families and luggage could not help but change their colors in shock when they saw such a mighty and majestic army from a distance.
How could Goguryeo resist such a powerful army?
At this moment, in the Royal Palace of Pyongyang City, Goguryeo King Gobo Bo and Yeon Gaesumun were sitting opposite each other, silent and speechless.
After a long while, the tea on the table had become lukewarm, and then Gao Baobao sighed and said dejectedly: "Having occupied this place of corruption, is there any good plan for Da Molizhi?"
Yeon Gaesumun didn't answer. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip. When he found that the tea was lukewarm, he knocked on the table and asked the standing waiter to bring a new pot of tea. He poured a cup and drank it slowly.
The news of the fall of Jian'an City made the atmosphere in the entire palace solemn.
Hundreds of thousands of Tang troops came to attack Goguryeo, which indeed put huge pressure on Goguryeo. However, there was an inexplicable self-confidence in the government and the public. This was the self-confidence brought about by Emperor Sui Yang's three personal expeditions, all of which failed. Sui Yang The emperor failed to conquer Goguryeo with all his might, and neither could the Tang Dynasty!
Of course, no matter how confident you are, you are fully prepared for the hardships of the upcoming war. After all, the national power has grown by leaps and bounds since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, especially as all domestic forces are closely surrounding His Majesty Li Er. The domestic power of the Sui Dynasty is no longer the same. The political situation was turbulent and there were constraints from all sides, but if they launched an attack without any spare power, it would be difficult for Goguryeo to resist.
Therefore, Yeon Gaesumun still adopted the previous strategy of resisting the Sui Dynasty from the beginning, which was to clear the country with strong walls, fight and retreat, trade space for time, and lure the Tang army into the heart of Goguryeo step by step, and then wait for the harsh winter to come. , causing the Tang Army's soldiers who could not tolerate the severe cold to rapidly reduce their numbers. At the same time, the extremely cold weather and heavy snow cut off the Tang Army's logistical supplies, making it difficult for the Tang Army to continue and voluntarily withdraw from Liaodong.
Emperor Sui Yang's three eastern expeditions almost all failed like this.
However, Yeon Gaesumun suddenly discovered a problem. The strategy was correct. Goguryeo had no chance of winning in a head-on field battle. A few battles could wipe out all the country's troops. But he never expected that the Tang army would advance so fast.
The Tang Army claimed to start the war in March. In fact, before that, the Tang Army's vanguard had already broken through Goguryeo's defense line in the Xincheng area, crossed the Liao River, and entered the heart of Goguryeo. By the time His Majesty Li Er came to Liaodong for his personal expedition, the Tang army had successively conquered several mountain cities such as Xincheng, Tongding Town, Nansu City, Xuantu City, Gaimou City, Far East City, Besha City, etc. Most of Liaodong City had been captured by the Tang Army. , the troops reached Anshi City, an important town in Liaodong.
The Tang army advanced too fast!
Wherever the troops came, they were invincible. The "Liaodong Great Wall", which had been built for decades and had high hopes from the Goguryeo people, was like paper in front of the Tang army and could be broken with a single poke.
If it is at this speed, I am afraid that before the harsh winter arrives, the Tang army will still march across Liaodong and break through Pyongyang City...
Facing Gao Baobao's question at this moment, Yeon Gaesoo Moon, who had always been confident, was a little frustrated and sighed: "I'm afraid I will disappoint the king. I don't have a better plan."
Gao Baobao's eyes were burning, looking at the most powerful official in Goguryeo, he couldn't tell whether he was happy or worried.
The reason why he became the king of Goguryeo was entirely because of the support of Yeon Gaesumun, who was regarded as his "benefactor" in this regard.
However, Yeon Gaesumun was arrogant and domineering and monopolized power, which made him the king of Goguryeo useless. In addition to being submissive, he had to be extra careful not to disobey this powerful minister and be killed by him with a single sword, and establish a new king.
If the Tang army could not resist until they broke through Pyongyang City, Yeon Gaesomun would undoubtedly die, but he, the King of Goguryeo, would most likely survive. After all, it was impossible for the Tang Dynasty to annex the entire Goguryeo territory and establish new prefectures and counties. In the end, he would still need himself Only by sitting here and stabilizing the people's hearts for them can they calmly digest this vast river and mountains.
Therefore, he was not in a hurry in his heart, and his face was filled with sadness and resentment, but in fact he was determined to watch Yeon Gaesumun's joke...
Hearing Yuan Gaisuwen's words, Gao Baobao sneered in his heart, but comforted in his mouth: "The so-called soldiers will block it, and the water will cover it. The Sui Dynasty has invaded several times before, with millions of troops and fierce momentum, but it was not just once that we were defeated. Fighting back once, but shaking the country and overthrowing the country? The Tang Dynasty seems to be strong, but it may not be stronger than the Sui Dynasty back then. If we can defeat the Sui Dynasty, we can also defeat the Tang Dynasty! "
Yeon Gaesumun remained silent.
How could he not know that Gao Baobao was waiting to see his joke? I'm just waiting for the critical moment and don't bother to argue with him.
He can support Gao Baobao to come to power, and if he wants to depose him, it will be effortless...
He even sneered at Gao Baobao's words.
He once thought like a high treasure. Although the Tang Dynasty was powerful, could it be stronger than the Sui Dynasty? During the Sui Dynasty's southern and northern campaigns, they successively surrendered the Turks, conquered Linyi, tamed the Khitan, recovered Ryukyu, conquered Yiwu, and attacked Tuguhun, thus establishing a huge territory.
Today, most of the territory of the Tang Dynasty was inherited from the Sui Dynasty.
Its domestic economy is prosperous and its grain is abundant. The grain stored in Xingluocang, Huiluocang, Changpingcang, Liyangcang, Guangtongcang and other warehouses exceeds one million dan. Its treasury in Xijing became the inventory of the Tang Dynasty, which has not yet been exhausted.
The Sui Dynasty had been destroyed for twenty years, but the food and cloth had not been used up yet...
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty conquered Goguryeo three times, sending more than one million troops twice and more than 600,000 troops once, and the number of civilians recruited was twice the number of troops.
Although the Tang Dynasty's Eastern Expedition is said to have an army of one million, Yuan Gaisuwen speculates that it will actually never exceed 500,000. The national power of the Tang Dynasty is still far behind when compared to the peak of the Sui Dynasty.
All things considered, it seems that the Tang Dynasty was much easier to deal with than the Sui Dynasty.
However, the reality is that it only took the Tang Dynasty less than a month to capture more than half of the mountain cities in Liaodong. Not only was the Liaoshui natural moat unable to stop the Tang army, but the Great Wall of Liaodong was also useless. The Tang army's cavalry drove straight in, unstoppable...< br>
Anshi City has gathered more than 200,000 Goguryeo elite troops, which are well-equipped and well-trained. However, once the Tang army cuts off the supply route and cannot get support from Pyongyang City, how many days can it withstand the Tang army?
The most powerful castle in the world did not dare to say "impregnable" in front of the Tang Army's firearms that could make earth-shattering noises and crack mountains and rocks. This made Yeon Gaesumun's heart full of gloom...
After a long time, he managed to squeeze out a smile and said calmly: "Your Majesty, you can live in peace in the palace. I will have my ministers to take care of the border troubles. I must ensure that Goguryeo will last for thousands of years and the throne will be passed down from generation to generation! There are still military affairs that need to be taken care of in the palace. , Resign first.”
Without waiting for Gao Baobao's permission, he stood up, bowed slightly and saluted, turned around and strode out of the palace.
Gao Baobao knelt down behind the table. He was not angry at Yeon Gaesumun's rudeness. Instead, he took a sip of tea and smiled.
What if Goguryeo was overthrown by the Tang army?
He is the King of Goguryeo conferred by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. The golden seal and jade seal are still there. How can the Tang Dynasty still deny it? In addition, Datang needed someone to stabilize the people's hearts for them, so his throne was almost as secure as Mount Tai.
As long as the throne can be kept, what else do the others have to worry about?
Yeon Gaesumun is here, and he is just a puppet. He has to be careful at all times to avoid angering this violent man and being killed. Even though he is being cautious now, with the ambition shown by Yeon Gaesumun, sooner or later he will depose him as the King of Goguryeo, ascend the throne himself, and spread his family name throughout the world.
It's better to switch to Datang, at least your life is guaranteed...
……
Yeon Gaesumun came out of the palace and rode down the street, closely guarded by his own soldiers.
The originally quiet street in front of the palace was now bustling with people. Countless merchants and their families rushed to the city gate. People neighed, horses neighed, and children cried, which made Yuan Gaisuwen worried.
In the spring and February of the 21st year of King Dongchuan's reign, "Wang Yiwandu City was in chaos and could not be restored to the capital, so he built Pyongyang City, immigrated and established temples." Until now, even when the Sui Dynasty launched a large-scale attack, Pyongyang City has never been what it is today. So confused.
Obviously, the people in Pyongyang are afraid...
There was a violent fire burning in Yeon Gaesomun's heart. Since he was born as a subject of Goguryeo, he should serve the country with all his loyalty and rest with the country. At this time when the national crisis was approaching, these ordinary people did not know how to serve the country with death. Instead, they fled with their families, which led to military morale. Collapse, damn it! (End of chapter)