Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 643: The King of Goguryeo’s Thoughts

As he spoke, Minister Jin signaled his attendants to bring up the gifts and show them to the King of Goguryeo and his ministers one by one. These gifts were all treasures of Baekje and were extremely valuable, which immediately made the King of Goguryeo and his ministers look surprised and excited.

"Your Majesty, we are also willing to share the fruits of victory with Goguryeo after the war, jointly divide spheres of influence, and ensure the interests of both countries." Minister Jin continued.

The King of Goguryeo hesitated for a moment and said, "This matter is of great importance. I need to discuss it with my ministers. You go down and rest first and wait for news."

Minister Jin was delighted, knowing that the King of Goguryeo had already wavered. "Thank you, Your Majesty. We are waiting for good news."

After leaving the palace, one of Minister Jin's attendants asked worriedly, "Sir, will the King of Goguryeo agree to our request?"

Minister Jin smiled slightly: "Judging from their reaction, there is still great hope. We have already put our interests and sincerity in front of them. Now it depends on their decision."

In the next few days, Minister Jin and others waited anxiously for news in the Goguryeo posthouse. While they had private discussions with Goguryeo officials and nobles to further explain the benefits of cooperation, they also kept an eye on the dynamics of the Goguryeo royal palace.

Finally, the King of Goguryeo summoned Minister Jin again.

"Baekje envoy, after discussion with my ministers, we have decided to agree to Baekje's request for an alliance," said the King of Goguryeo.

Upon hearing this, Minister Jin was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise! This is a great thing that will benefit the people of both countries!"

The King of Goguryeo nodded slightly: "However, it will take some time for our army to be mobilized, and you Baekje must also make corresponding preparations. We will send an envoy to discuss the specific details of the cooperation with you."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will go back and report immediately and inform the King of Baekje of this good news." Minister Jin said excitedly.

After leaving Goguryeo, Minister Jin led his team back to Baekje without stopping. Along the way, he was both excited and nervous. He was excited because he had finally succeeded in persuading Goguryeo, but he was nervous because he didn't know what new actions Jia Changsheng would take during this period. But in any case, he knew that this war concerning the fate of Baekje was about to enter a new stage.

In the majestic palace of the King of Goguryeo, the atmosphere was solemn and serious. The King of Goguryeo sat high on the throne carved with dragons and phoenixes, staring deeply ahead, as if thinking about a major decision concerning the fate of the country. The Crown Prince of Goguryeo stood aside, with a trace of doubt and confusion on his face. He had just heard that his father had decided to form an alliance with Baekje, and his heart was full of questions. At this moment, he finally couldn't help but ask.

The Goguryeo prince bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Father, I heard that you have decided to form an alliance with Baekje to fight against Jia Changsheng. Baekje and Goguryeo have always had a gap and frictions have often occurred. I really don't understand why you made such a decision, father?"

The King of Goguryeo raised his head slightly and glanced at the Crown Prince, his eyes revealing a trace of vicissitudes and wisdom from having experienced the world. He was silent for a moment, as if considering how to explain the interests involved to the Crown Prince, and then slowly said:
"My son, you are superficial in your view of things. You only see the superficial disputes, but fail to perceive the deep crisis hidden behind them. The situation in the world is turbulent now. The rise of Jia Changsheng is like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up waves. The balance of power in the entire region has been broken."

The King of Goguryeo stood up and walked towards a huge military map in the palace. He pointed to the location of Baekje and continued, "Look, although Baekje has had conflicts with Goguryeo, it is now under fierce attack from Jia Changsheng. Jia Changsheng's army has been unstoppable and has captured a large area of ​​Baekje's territory. His power is expanding rapidly and his ambitions are obvious. If Baekje is destroyed by Jia Changsheng, do you think Goguryeo will be able to remain unscathed?"

The prince frowned slightly, with a thoughtful look in his eyes. He followed his father's finger and looked at the map. He seemed to have some vague ideas in his mind, but he still didn't fully understand.

The King of Goguryeo saw the Prince's expression and knew that he did not fully understand, so he further explained: "Jia Changsheng is definitely not an ordinary person. Once he annexes Baekje, his power will increase greatly. At that time, the next target will most likely be our Goguryeo. Although our Goguryeo has a strong military force, we should not underestimate Jia Changsheng's military talent and his wolf-like and tiger-like army. Moreover, if Baekje falls, Jia Changsheng can concentrate all his forces to deal with us without any worries. Our Goguryeo will be isolated and helpless, facing a powerful enemy with no worries. How dangerous is this situation? Do you understand?"

The prince nodded thoughtfully, but still asked with some concern: "Father, I understand what you said about the principle of "the lips and teeth are cold when they are gone". However, if we ally with Baekje, how can we guarantee that they will not harm us in the war? After all, we have had conflicts before. What if they turn against us at a critical moment, or secretly collude with Jia Changsheng after the war, wouldn't we be inviting a wolf into the house?"

The King of Goguryeo smiled slightly, with a hint of confidence in his eyes: "My son, you can think of these things, which means that you have begun to think about military and political issues. This is good. But before I agreed to the alliance with Baekje, I naturally took these factors into consideration."

He turned around and walked back to the throne to sit down. He picked up a cup of tea, took a sip and said, "First of all, the envoy sent by Baekje this time, Minister Jin, was sincere in his words and attitude. The gifts they brought were also very generous, which shows their sincerity. Moreover, in their conversation with us, they clearly stated that they are willing to share the fruits of victory with our Goguryeo after the war and jointly divide the sphere of influence. This is not without benefits for us." "Secondly, in the process of the alliance, we will sign a detailed covenant with Baekje to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties and the consequences of violating the covenant. At the same time, we will also supervise each other in military operations to ensure that both parties can act in accordance with the agreement. Furthermore, Baekje is now at a critical juncture of life and death. They urgently need our help. In this case, they dare not betray the alliance easily, otherwise they will face Jia Changsheng's wrath alone, which is a consequence they cannot bear."

After listening to his father's explanation, the prince's doubts gradually dissipated. He nodded slightly, indicating that he agreed with his father's point of view: "Father is wise, I understand. It seems that the alliance with Baekje is indeed the wisest choice at the moment. However, how should we formulate a battle plan after the alliance? Jia Changsheng's army is so powerful, we must be cautious."

The King of Goguryeo put down his teacup, put his hands on the armrests, and his expression became serious: "This is the important issue we need to discuss with the Baekje envoy next. We must give full play to the military advantages of our Goguryeo. For example, our cavalry is brave and good at fighting, and can raid Jia Changsheng's army in the plains; Baekje is familiar with the local terrain and can use the terrain advantages such as mountains and rivers to set up defense lines and contain the enemy. Both sides need to cooperate closely and form an organic whole to win this war."

The prince's eyes sparkled with excitement. He clenched his fists and said, "Father, I am willing to lead the elite cavalry of Goguryeo to charge into battle and fight for the glory of Goguryeo!"

The King of Goguryeo looked at the prince's fighting spirit and nodded slightly, with a gratified smile on his face: "My son, it's great that you have such an ambition. But war cannot be won with just passion. You need to learn military strategies with an open mind, obey the orders of your generals, and don't act rashly. This war is related to the life and death of Goguryeo. We must go all out and deal with every detail carefully to have a chance of winning."

"Yes, father. I will follow your teachings and live up to your expectations." The prince replied respectfully.

In the following time, the King of Goguryeo, the Crown Prince and the ministers began to discuss in detail the battle plan after the alliance with Baekje, including the mobilization of troops, the storage of supplies, the collection of intelligence, etc. The whole palace was filled with a tense and hopeful atmosphere. They knew that a war related to the fate of the country was coming, and they had to be fully prepared to preserve Goguryeo's country in this chaotic world and continue to write the glorious chapter of the country.

In Jia Changsheng's secretive and heavily guarded intelligence headquarters, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it. In the dim room, the flickering candlelight reflected the large map hanging on the wall. The intricate markings and lines on the map outlined the spheres of influence and strategic points of the surrounding countries. Jia Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back, his posture was upright but he could not hide the murderous aura emanating from his body. His eyes were fixed on the areas of Goguryeo and Baekje on the map like a hawk, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

After a long while, Jia Changsheng slowly spoke in a low and cold voice: "Everyone, the latest intelligence shows that Goguryeo and Baekje have formed an alliance. This is both a challenge and a rare opportunity for us. They thought that they could stop us from moving forward by joining forces, but they didn't know that this was exactly what I wanted. I called everyone together today to discuss a foolproof response strategy, how to take advantage of this alliance to attack Goguryeo in one fell swoop and bring it into our territory!"

Below, a group of intelligence backbones were whispering to each other, with different expressions. A man with a sturdy figure and sharp eyes stood up first. This man was Zhao Feng, a capable general in the intelligence organization. He clasped his hands together, saluted, and said in a deep voice: "General, in my opinion, although Goguryeo and Baekje have formed an alliance, they have long-standing grievances. In a hasty alliance, there must be many contradictions and gaps. We might as well start from within their alliance, spread rumors, provoke suspicion and disputes between the two sides, and make their alliance disrupt itself."

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly, motioning him to continue.

Zhao Feng cleared his throat and continued, "We can send people to pretend to be Baekje's envoys and pass on some specious news to Goguryeo, such as Baekje secretly colluding with other forces, intending to monopolize the fruits of victory after the war, or Baekje's military deployment is reserved for Goguryeo, ready to sacrifice Goguryeo to save itself at a critical moment. At the same time, we can also spread rumors to Baekje that Goguryeo has ill intentions and intends to reap the benefits of the alliance. In this way, the two sides will inevitably have a rift, the cohesion of the alliance will be greatly reduced, and we can take advantage of the opportunity to move in."

Jia Changsheng's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible sneer: "This is a great plan. However, rumors alone are not enough. We also need to be fully prepared militarily."

At this time, Li Xuan, a strategist who was proficient in military strategy, stepped forward and pointed to the map and said, "General, Goguryeo has a complex terrain with many mountains and rivers, but their military strongholds are mainly concentrated in several key river valleys and plains. We can pretend to attack Baekje with all our strength to attract Goguryeo's main force to the Baekje border for support, and then we will send out an elite surprise force to bypass Goguryeo's rear and raid these military strongholds. At the same time, the frontal troops will also launch a strong attack at the appropriate time, so that they can't take care of both ends and fall into chaos."

Jia Changsheng pondered for a moment, frowned slightly and said: "Although this plan is good, the secret troops will go around the rear, the road is long and dangerous. Once they are discovered by Goguryeo, I am afraid they will be in a desperate situation."

Li Xuan smiled confidently and said, "General, rest assured. I have already considered this. We can use some local bandits and robbers. They are familiar with the terrain and are greedy for money. We promise them a lot of money and ask them to lead the way for us and help us hide our whereabouts. Although these people are not strong in combat, they are more than enough to confuse the enemy and create some minor chaos."

Jia Changsheng's eyes flashed with admiration: "Well, Li Xuan, you have considered it very carefully. However, once the war starts, logistical supplies are crucial. How can we ensure the supply of materials?"

Fatty Qian, who was in charge of logistics, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said quickly: "General, we can set up multiple temporary supply stations in hidden locations near the Goguryeo border in advance to stockpile enough food, weapons and medicine. At the same time, we can organize an elite transport team to continuously replenish supplies during the war. In order to prevent being attacked by the Goguryeo army, the transport team can adopt dispersed transportation, night operations and other methods to avoid the enemy's eyes and ears as much as possible."

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly: "Okay, Fatty Qian, I'll leave the logistics to you. Make sure everything goes well."

Then, Sun Wen, an intelligence analyst in the intelligence organization, stood up and said solemnly: "General, before we take action against Goguryeo, we need to further strengthen intelligence collection. We must have a clear understanding of Goguryeo's troop deployment, military facilities, the whereabouts of important officials, and their specific combat plans for the alliance with Baekje. Only in this way can we know ourselves and the enemy in the war and win every battle."

(End of this chapter)