Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 645: The King of Baekje Summons the Southern Army
On the way, they were attacked by some bandits. These bandits had always lived in this chaotic world and committed all kinds of evil. Seeing the Baekje king and his officials fleeing in panic, they became even more evil.

"Haha, I didn't expect to meet such a big fat sheep today! Hand over all your property and I will spare your lives!" The bandits waved their weapons and said viciously.

The King of Baekje said angrily: "How dare you, you bold bandits, be disrespectful to me! When I return to Baekje, I will cut you into pieces!"

However, the bandits ignored his threats and approached him step by step.

At this moment, a civil servant stepped forward and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I am willing to negotiate with these bandits and delay time, so that you and other officials can escape."

The King of Baekje hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "My dear, be careful."

The civil servant took a deep breath, walked towards the bandits, and said, "My dear friends, we are all in trouble and don't have much money. But if you let us go, we will definitely repay you handsomely in the future."

The bandits laughed when they heard this: "Do you think we are three-year-old children? Stop talking nonsense and hand over your property!"

Seeing that the negotiations were fruitless, the civil servant suddenly drew out the dagger from his waist and rushed towards the bandits. The bandits raised their weapons and hacked the civil servant to death.

The King of Baekje and his officials took the opportunity to flee the scene, but they were in an extremely heavy mood because another loyal minister sacrificed his life to protect them.

After several days and nights of arduous journey, the King of Baekje and his officials finally arrived at a small town in the south. This town was once prosperous, but now it has become depressed and dilapidated due to the impact of the war.

The King of Baekje looked at the small town in front of him, feeling deeply moved: "I never thought that Baekje would fall to such a state. But we cannot give up. We must reorganize our forces here to fight against Jia Changsheng and regain the lost territory."

All the officials nodded in support.

Therefore, the King of Baekje began to gather the remnants of his army in a small town in the south, collecting food and supplies, preparing to establish a new stronghold here, waiting for the opportunity to make a comeback.

In the slightly desolate land of southern Baekje, the sun was scorching the earth. The king of Baekje, wearing a faded but still noble royal robe, stood on a simple parade platform, his eyes revealing a complex expression of fatigue and determination. Below the platform, there were a few soldiers from various places standing sparsely. Their armor was tattered and their weapons were uneven, but every pair of eyes was staring at the king on the stage, with both confusion and a hint of expectation in their eyes.

The King of Baekje cleared his throat, his voice was slightly hoarse but he tried to maintain his dignity: "My fellow soldiers, although the capital of Baekje has fallen, our Baekje bloodline cannot be cut off! Jia Changsheng's invasion has made us lose our homes, but we still have this land in the south and you brave warriors. Today, I stand here to call on everyone to unite, for the revival of Baekje, for our loved ones, take up arms and fight to the death with Jia Changsheng!"

The soldiers in the audience began to whisper and discuss. A young general stood up. He was wearing a slightly worn-out armor, but his posture was straight and his eyes were full of heroism. He clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I have 300 soldiers under my command. Although the number is small, they are all strong and capable. I am willing to obey your orders and fight for Baekje to the end!"

The King of Baekje nodded slightly, with a hint of relief in his eyes: "Okay! You three hundred soldiers are the spark of Baekje's revival! I will not treat you unfairly."

Then, a middle-aged general stepped forward, his face showing the vicissitudes of war: "Your Majesty, I have a thousand soldiers under my command. They have followed me for many years and have rich combat experience. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, we will rush to the battlefield immediately!"

The King of Baekje was inspired: "Great! With loyal and brave men like you, there is no need to worry about not being able to restore our country!"

At this time, an old general slowly walked out of the ranks. His hair and beard were already gray, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle. "Your Majesty, I have brought 500 elite soldiers with me. These are my brothers who have been with me through thick and thin. Their loyalty is evident to all. We are willing to die for you, Your Majesty!"

The King of Baekje's eyes were slightly moist, and he said excitedly: "My dear ministers, your loyalty has deeply touched me. Although we don't have many troops now, as long as we work together, we will definitely be able to defeat Jia Changsheng!"

In the days that followed, the King of Baekje and his generals began to travel around to recruit more soldiers. They went deep into villages and towns, posted conscription notices, and told the people about Baekje's crisis and the hope of restoring the country.

In a small village, the King of Baekje personally gave a speech to the villagers: "Fellow villagers, Jia Changsheng's army has committed all kinds of evils, such as burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of atrocities. Our homes have been destroyed by them. If we do not take up arms to resist, our loved ones will always live in pain and fear. Now, I need your help, and I need your sons and husbands to join our army, for the future of Baekje and for our homes!"

A simple farmer stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I don't understand much, but I know that if we don't drive away those invaders, we will have no way to survive. I am willing to let my son join the army and fight for Baekje!"

His words were echoed by other villagers, and many young people expressed their willingness to join the army. In this way, new teams were gradually formed.

However, the process of recruiting soldiers was not smooth sailing. Due to the destruction of the war, the people's lives were in great difficulty, and many people were worried that their families would not be able to support themselves after joining the army. In response to this problem, the King of Baekje took a series of measures. He ordered the opening of granaries in various places to provide relief to the poor people, and at the same time promised to give generous treatment and subsidies to the families of the soldiers who joined the army.

At a conscription point, a young man said hesitantly to the conscription officer: "I want to join the army, but I'm worried that after I leave, my parents and sister will have no one to take care of them."

The official smiled and replied, "Young man, don't worry. The king has issued an order to take good care of the families of every soldier. Your parents will receive food and clothing, and your sister will also be taken care of. You can go and fight for Baekje with peace of mind!"

After hearing this, the young man showed a determined look in his eyes: "Okay! Then I will join the army right away!"

As time went on, the king of Baekje recruited more and more soldiers. But new problems arose. These soldiers came from different places, their training levels were uneven, and they lacked unified command and discipline. In order to solve this problem, the king of Baekje summoned all the generals to discuss a plan for training soldiers.

A counselor suggested: "Your Majesty, we can group the soldiers according to their regions and combat experience, and then have experienced generals serve as instructors to provide them with systematic training. At the same time, we should establish strict military discipline and severely punish soldiers who violate it. Only in this way can we build a disciplined and combat-effective army."

The King of Baekje nodded in agreement: "As you say. Generals, the task of training soldiers is now handed over to you. You must set strict requirements and let our soldiers grow into an elite army as soon as possible!"

The generals took the order and began to conduct arduous training for the soldiers. On the playground, the soldiers practiced day and night, learning tactics, fighting skills and queue discipline. During the training process, it was inevitable that some soldiers would retreat because they could not bear the hardship.

One day, a young soldier came to his captain and complained: "Captain, this training is too hard. I don't want to train anymore."

The captain looked at him sternly: "Do you think this is a joke? We are fighting for the survival of Baekje! If you don't train hard, you will die on the battlefield! Think about your family, think about the homeland that was occupied by Jia Changsheng, what reason do you have to retreat?"

The young soldier was filled with shame after hearing this. He gritted his teeth and said, "Captain, I understand! I will train hard and live up to everyone's expectations!"

After several months of hard training, the Baekje army gradually improved. The soldiers' fighting capacity was significantly improved, and their discipline became stricter. At this time, the Baekje king reviewed the army again, and seeing the neat formations and the determined eyes of the soldiers below the stage, his heart was filled with hope.

"Soldiers, now we have an army of 50,000 people! This is our hope for the revival of Baekje! Jia Changsheng, just wait, we will definitely take back the land that belongs to us!" The King of Baekje stood on the high platform and shouted loudly.

The soldiers shouted in unison: "For Baekje! For the king! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The passionate shouts echoed in the sky, as if announcing to the world that Baekje had not been completely defeated, and they would continue to fight on this land for freedom, for dignity, and for the revival of the country.

The atmosphere in the slightly shabby but still dignified tent was heavy and oppressive. The Baekje king sat on a simple wooden chair with a gloomy face, his hands tightly grasping the armrests, his knuckles turning white from the force. His eyes burned with anger and unwillingness, staring at the ground in the tent, as if he wanted to see through it.

Inside the tent, a small number of civil and military officials stood sparsely. Their court robes were no longer neat and shiny, but were covered with dust and wrinkles, and their faces were tired and frustrated, but at this moment, their eyes also revealed their dissatisfaction and resentment towards the King of Goguryeo.

After a long while, the King of Baekje suddenly raised his head and shouted in a trembling but powerful voice: "My dear ministers! Look at the miserable situation of our Baekje now! The capital has fallen, the people are displaced, and we are forced to flee to this southern land, living under the protection of others, and living in fear all day long! And all of this has a lot to do with the inaction of the King of Goguryeo!"

An old minister stepped forward, his beard trembling slightly with anger, and said with great sorrow: "Your Majesty, when we formed an alliance with Goguryeo, we thought we could fight against Jia Changsheng together and protect the peace of Baekje. But who would have thought that at this critical moment, the King of Goguryeo would shrink back and not move his troops! He watched us fall into a desperate situation. This is a treacherous act!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" A general also echoed with grief and indignation, "We fought desperately on the front line, but the Goguryeo army has not been seen for a long time. If they could send troops in time to form a pincer attack with us, how could Jia Changsheng break through our capital so easily? Now, our Baekje has suffered such a heavy blow, but Goguryeo just sits there and does nothing. It's really disheartening!"

The King of Baekje gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the armrest. "What on earth is the King of Goguryeo planning? Does he think that after Jia Changsheng destroys our Baekje, he will let Goguryeo go? Doesn't he understand the principle of the lips and teeth being cold?"

At this time, a counselor frowned slightly and said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty, I think the King of Goguryeo may have his own considerations for this move. Maybe he wants to preserve his strength and reap the benefits; or maybe he is afraid of Jia Changsheng's power and dare not send troops rashly. But in any case, his behavior has seriously damaged the interests of our Baekje and violated the morality between allies."

"Hmph! Morality?" The King of Baekje snorted coldly, his face full of disdain. "In this chaotic world, what is the value of so-called morality? The King of Goguryeo has abandoned us for his own selfish interests. This behavior is really shameful!"

There was a sudden chorus of agreement in the tent, and everyone condemned the King of Goguryeo for his cruelty and injustice.

"Your Majesty, we can't just let this go!" a young official shouted excitedly, "We must take action to make the King of Goguryeo pay for his actions!"

The King of Baekje nodded slightly, with a hint of determination in his eyes: "My dear minister, what you said is very true. But now our troops have been damaged and our vitality has been greatly damaged. I am afraid it is not a wise move to go to war with Goguryeo directly. We need to take a long-term view and find a suitable time and method to retaliate against Goguryeo's betrayal."

Everyone fell into deep thought. After a moment, the old minister said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan. We can secretly contact other forces that are dissatisfied with Goguryeo and unite with them to put pressure on Goguryeo. At the same time, we can also spread rumors in Goguryeo, stir up conflicts and disputes within them, and weaken their strength."

After hearing this, the King of Baekje's eyes lit up: "This is a great plan! My dear old minister, I'll leave this matter to you. Please be careful and don't let the news leak out."

"I obey your order!" The old minister took the order and left.

Then, the general suggested: "Your Majesty, we can also strengthen the defense of the southern border to prevent Goguryeo from launching a surprise attack on us when we are weak. At the same time, we should speed up the training and recruitment of the army to enhance our military strength in case of emergency."

"Okay! I'll do as you say." The King of Baekje nodded and said, "My dear ministers, although we are facing many difficulties now, our Baekje bloodline cannot be cut off! We must cheer up and try every possible way to restore the glory of Baekje!"

(End of this chapter)