Chapter 3426 A successful battle
The palace fell, Yeon Gaesumun committed suicide, the imperial guards were defeated, and the defenders dispersed. In one day, Pingrang City, which had been besieged by hundreds of thousands of Tang troops, finally fell into the hands of the Tang troops.
Ordinary people and merchants did not yet understand how the situation was going, but they were trembling and panicked under the bombardment of the Tang army's artillery. When it got dark, the sound of artillery completely disappeared, and groups of Tang troops took to the streets to maintain order. First, they strictly ordered the people and merchants not to harbor soldiers or go to the streets without permission. Then they issued notices to calm the people and plastered them all over the streets and alleys of Pingrang City.
Although the country fell, the merchants and people of Goguryeo soon calmed down. Looking at the murderous Tang troops coming and going in the streets, they did not feel much hatred, let alone the sorrow of "subjugated slaves", but rather a few Shared joy.
Since Yeon Gaesomun came to power, Goguryeo has been implementing a high-pressure rule. There are numerous orders from the Daemoliji government. Anyone who dares to disobey will end up miserably. Merchants are often assigned and donated, and the wealth of the entire family is at risk. The people are not getting better either. The "Liaodong Great Wall" in the north has been built for decades to prevent the Han people from going south. The mountain cities seem to be impregnable, but in fact they are all built with the blood, sweat and lives of the Goguryeo people. There is almost no end to the increase in corvee every year...
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As for the Tang Dynasty, the Goguryeo people had a mentality of bowing their heads and worshiping him.
From ancient times to the present, no matter how Goguryeo flaunts its civilization and touts its inheritance, there is no doubt that the center of world civilization has always been China. Looking up at the splendid civilization of the Han people, both the Goguryeo people and the Buyeo people could only bow and worship.
As the ruler of Goguryeo, he naturally did not want his country to be overthrown by the Han people and his rule to be ruined. He could no longer break the bones of ordinary people and suck out their marrow to support their extravagant lives. However, for the people of Goguryeo, it didn't really matter who ruled them.
Goguryeo was built by the Fuyu people who lived in the Far East since ancient times. They were under the rule of the Han people for a long time and had a strong sense of identity with the Han people. Even the domestic nobles wrote Chinese characters, spoke Chinese, and wore Hanfu. Rong, regarded these as a manifestation of class differences, which shows the Goguryeo people's strong admiration and identification with Han culture.
Now that the tyrant Yeon Gaesomun is dead and the incompetent Gao royal family has been completely annihilated, what's wrong with everyone succumbing to Han rule?
Anyway, no matter who becomes the king, I will still have to farm and fish...
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Compared with the lives of ordinary people, officials are too proactive.
Goguryeo fell, Yeon Gae Suwen died, and the entire Goguryeo political structure collapsed. The Tang people had just arrived and had no idea about the local customs and customs. In order to appease the Goguryeo people, they had to support and reuse a group of Goguryeo officials to help them manage government affairs and rule the people, right?
The Go royal family has ruled Goguryeo for hundreds of years, but it has not been able to win much loyalty and support from the people in the country, let alone Yeon Gaesomun who rules the country with tyranny and cruel methods? As soon as Yuan Gaisu Wen died over there, countless officials here flocked to the Tang Army camp, begging to see Su Dingfang, trying to leave a good impression in front of the Tang Army general. In the later reorganization of the power structure, they could have themselves a place. He even did not hesitate to send countless gold and silver treasures, hoping to bribe the Tang army generals so that he could become the spokesperson of the Tang people in Goguryeo, and his power, status, and official positions would all be improved...
In this regard, Su Dingfang naturally refused to accept anyone who came.
As many Goguryeo officials thought, it would be easy to overthrow Goguryeo, but it would be difficult to rule this land for a long time.
If there are too many Han officials, it will inevitably create a sense of alienation in Goguryeo, which is not conducive to the long-term peace and stability of Goguryeo's homeland. Only by appointing more officials in Goguryeo can the transition of power be smooth, and the situation will not become too tense and trigger confrontation in Goguryeo.
However, how to select Goguryeo people to serve in official positions at all levels requires screening from countless Goguryeo people who took the initiative to seek refuge. Whoever has outstanding ability and who is committed to the Tang Dynasty must make a decision.
This kind of ability is something Su Dingfang does not possess, and even if he could recognize people with his keen eye, he would not do it like this.
He always remembered what Fang Jun once said to him, "Soldiers should gallop on the battlefield, fight without regrets, and stay away from politics." He had been suppressed for several years because of Li Jingzhi's drag, and had experienced the warmth and coldness of human nature. The cruelty of the power struggle made him well aware of the stakes.
Especially now that he has disobeyed Li Ji's military orders, attacked Pingrang City brazenly, and accomplished such a feat of destroying the country, he has already suffered countless jealousies. If he takes control of Goguryeo's reestablished political power, countless people will hate him to the bone.
The charge of "exceeding the limit" alone was enough to make him miserable...
He received all the letters of self-recommendation submitted by Goguryeo officials one by one, and also accepted all the gold and silver treasures "donated", but recorded each transaction in detail, including the value, list of amounts, and all the items. Whoever sent it was recorded on the throne and handed over to the commander of the army without any mistakes. If something goes wrong in this matter in the future, there will naturally be well-documented evidence, so that the mute will not be unable to explain the pain of eating Coptis chinensis.
In the officialdom, one must be cautious, and there is no need to be polite when taking credit, but one must not leave too many clues when doing things.
If you are not careful, it may become an excuse for your political opponents to criticize you...
At nightfall, Su Dingfang finished handling the government affairs in the camp. Just as he was about to have dinner, a scout came in to inform him that the tens of thousands of Goguryeo cavalry chasing the Tang army to the north had returned and were about to arrive at Pingrang City. Two hundred miles away.
At this time, it was snowy and windy, and the road was slippery in the dark night. Even if the enemy cavalry were all elite, it would take at least four or five hours to rush back to Pingrang City, which meant that there was no danger until tomorrow morning.
Su Dingfang had already planned for this matter. As long as the Goguryeo troops in Pingrang City were wiped out, he would be confident to defend the city even if twice as many cavalry came to attack the city. Moreover, he had already sent someone to deliver a message to Li Ji. No matter how dissatisfied Li Ji was with him, there was no way he would allow himself to risk being attacked by the defenders inside the city and the cavalry outside the city, so he would definitely send an army to close the door. They stayed behind the Goguryeo cavalry, preventing them from fully counterattacking Pingrang City.
If he can't even take this step, then Li Ji will falsely claim to be the number one coach in the dynasty after Li Jing...
Su Dingfang was about to order the task of defending the city, but Xi Junmai had already stepped inside. It's snowing continuously, it's freezing cold, it's night again, the temperature is getting lower and lower, the armor is already covered with frost, and the stubble on the beard is covered with frost.
He took two steps forward to salute, and when he was about to report something, Su Dingfang had already waved his hand, poured a glass of wine with his own hands, and handed it to Xi Jun to buy.
Xi Junmai took it with both hands: "Thank you very much, Commander!"
He raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy wine went into his throat, as if it was carrying a line of fire straight into his organs. The coldness all over his body immediately dissipated a lot. He let out a long breath and then said: "I am reporting to the Commander-in-Chief. I have been ordered to go there." Chasing Yuan Nanzheng, they found him in a mountain valley thirty miles south of the city. After searching the place for the corpse, no sign of the national seal as mentioned by Mr. Yuan was found. There were many traces of people and horses, but they had obviously been gone for a long time. The general did not dare to pursue him. On the one hand, he was afraid of being ambushed by mistake, and on the other hand, there was a war in the city, so he had to stabilize his defense. The most important thing is to wait for the enemy’s cavalry to come back for reinforcements.”
Su Dingfang nodded and said: "That's right. Since Yuan Nanchan is dead, I guess with the prestige of Jian Moucen and others, even if they have the national seal in their hands, it will not be enough to command the remaining forces in Goguryeo. As for the attempt to restore the country, Or King Gao Either he is a descendant of the Yuan clan or he is just a wishful thinking. Even if he holds the national seal, if he does not have the royal bloodline to raise the flag, it will only cause scabies, so don't worry about it. "< br>
He stretched out his hand to ask Mr. Xi to take a seat, and asked his soldiers to bring dinner to him, inviting him to eat with him.
Xi Jun was not polite to buy, and sat opposite Su Dingfang, eating and discussing strategies to defend against the enemy.
"The damage to the city gate is serious. It is impossible to repair it in this kind of weather, and there is no time. But if it is left alone, it will become a breakthrough point for the Goguryeo army. Once it breaks through and enters the city, it will be in big trouble. .”
Su Dingfang ate the food slowly and pointed out the most important part of defending the city.
At that time, the west city gate was blown open, allowing the navy soldiers to rush into the city, ringing the death knell of Yeon Gaesomun's defeat; however, now, this scene is probably going to happen again, but the position is reversed, and it is the navy who suffers .
It was freezing outside, and it was impossible to repair the damaged city gate. However, if some bricks and stones were randomly piled up to block the gap, it would be difficult to withstand the charge of the Goguryeo army. (End of chapter)