Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 655: Combine vertically and horizontally
"Then how should the Goguryeo army on land respond? When they see the island country's navy coming to support them, their morale will be boosted and they will attack us again." General Sun Zhen expressed his concerns.

Xu Shu smiled slightly, with a glimmer of wisdom in his eyes: "Although the Goguryeo army on land has the potential to counterattack, they have just suffered a heavy blow and have not yet recovered. We can deploy decoy troops in the border areas and bluff them, so that they will mistakenly think that we are going to launch a large-scale attack and dare not act rashly. Then, we will secretly dispatch the main force to raid their weakly defended cities and catch them off guard."

At this time, Qian Feng, who was in charge of intelligence, stood up and said, "My lord, according to our spies, the alliance between the island country and Goguryeo is not as solid as a rock. The island country sent troops this time mainly to seek benefits, and they are also wary of Goguryeo. Can we take advantage of this and adopt a strategy of alienation to destroy their alliance?"

Jia Changsheng's eyes lit up: "Qian Feng, tell me about your specific plan."

Qian Feng said: "We can spread some rumors, such as Goguryeo will monopolize all the spoils after the war and will not share a penny with the island nation, or Goguryeo secretly colluded with other forces in an attempt to turn against the island nation after defeating us. At the same time, we can deliberately let some Goguryeo soldiers we captured escape and let them bring these rumors back to the Goguryeo army, causing suspicion and conflict between the two sides."

After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Jia Changsheng pondered for a moment and said, "This plan is feasible, but we cannot rely entirely on the strategy of alienation. In terms of military affairs, we must also be fully prepared. Military Advisor Xu, continue to talk about the plan of raiding the Goguryeo city."

Xu Shu pointed to a city on the map and said, "My Lord, this Liaodong City is a major military town of Goguryeo, but because it is close to the coast, most of their troops have been transferred inland to deal with the two-pronged attack from us and the island country, resulting in the relatively weak defense of Liaodong City. We can select an elite cavalry unit, bypass Goguryeo's main defense line, and raid Liaodong City from a small road. Once we capture Liaodong City, we can cut off Goguryeo's north-south connection and disrupt their military deployment."

"But, my lord, the journey to raid Liaodong City is long and requires crossing some dangerous terrain. If we are discovered by the Goguryeo patrol, our plan will fail." Zhao Meng expressed his concerns.

Xu Shu replied confidently: "General Zhao, rest assured. We can send some soldiers who are good at camouflage and reconnaissance in advance to eliminate the patrols of Goguryeo along the way, and set up some hidden signal stations to transmit intelligence in a timely manner. At the same time, let the main force march at night, using the cover of darkness to reduce the risk of being discovered."

After listening to Xu Shu's plan, Jia Changsheng secretly praised it in his heart: "Okay, let's do as Xu Shu said. Zhao Meng, you select 5,000 elite cavalry and prepare to attack Liaodong City. Qian Feng, you are responsible for spreading rumors and implementing the strategy of alienation. Make sure to create a rift between the island country and Goguryeo. The rest of the generals, strengthen the defense of your respective defense zones and do not slack off in the slightest."

"Yes!" Everyone obeyed in unison.

In the following days, Jia Changsheng's army began to move intensively. The coastal fortifications were further strengthened, and crossbows and catapults were continuously transported to the coastline. Soldiers stood guard on the city walls day and night, vigilantly watching the movements on the sea. Small groups of elite troops also frequently attacked, harassing the supply lines and landing forces of the island nation's navy, preventing them from launching a smooth attack.

Qian Feng spread the carefully fabricated rumors through various channels. These rumors quickly spread among the armies of Goguryeo and the island country, causing suspicion and dissatisfaction on both sides. Goguryeo's generals began to doubt the motives of the island country, fearing that they would reap the benefits of the war; the soldiers of the island country also expressed concerns about Goguryeo's sincerity, fearing that they would be doing wedding clothes for others in vain.

At the same time, Zhao Meng led 5,000 elite cavalrymen to attack Liaodong City. They followed the pre-planned route, carefully crossing the steep valleys and dense forests, avoiding the main defense line of Goguryeo. Along the way, thanks to the outstanding performance of the scouts, potential threats were eliminated in time, ensuring that the troops' whereabouts were not discovered.

After several days of hard march, Zhao Meng's troops finally arrived at Liaodong City. At this time, the defenders of Liaodong City seemed a little relaxed because of the withdrawal of troops. Zhao Meng saw that the time had come and immediately ordered an attack.

The cavalry rushed towards Liaodong City like a tiger, and the defenders on the city wall panicked. Although they fought desperately, they gradually became unable to hold on under the fierce attack of Jia Changsheng's elite cavalry. After a fierce battle, Zhao Meng's troops successfully broke through the gate of Liaodong City and poured into the city.

The fall of Liaodong City put Goguryeo in a greater crisis. They had to draw troops from other defense lines to try to recapture Liaodong City, which made their overall defense line loose.

As for the island country, due to the deepening suspicion between them and Goguryeo, the intensity of their attack also weakened. Jia Changsheng took the opportunity to adjust his strategy and launched a series of counterattacks against the coalition forces of Goguryeo and the island country, gradually reversing the disadvantage on the battlefield.

In this turbulent war, Jia Changsheng successfully coped with the crisis brought about by the island countries' participation in the war with his calm mind, decisive decision-making and the concerted efforts of his generals and advisers, allowing his forces to survive and develop in difficult situations and continue to move towards the goal of dominating the world.

In the main tent, Jia Changsheng stared at the sand table, which marked the situation of confrontation with Goguryeo and the island country. Now, although he was attacked from all sides, his eyes were burning with the flame of fighting spirit, and a carefully planned strategic layout was about to unfold.

"Generals, listen up, the situation is serious now, but we cannot sit and wait for death. Although the island nation's navy is strong, they have come from far away and have a long supply line, which is their fatal weakness. We will first build strong fortifications in the coastal areas, deploy layers of defense, and use catapults and crossbows to make them pay a heavy price every time they land. At the same time, send a small fleet to harass their supply ships and cut off their support." Jia Changsheng's voice was steady and firm, and the generals obeyed the order in unison.

The counselor Xu Shu stepped forward and said, "My Lord, as for Goguryeo, we can pretend to fight with the island country with all our strength to let Goguryeo relax its vigilance, while secretly gathering troops to prepare for a surprise attack on their eastern defense line. I have sent people to investigate and found that although the ten cities in the east of Goguryeo have some defense, they have transferred some of their troops to the coalition forces with the island country, so the interior is relatively empty."

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly, his eyes revealing approval: "Military Advisor Xu is right. We will first send some soldiers to disguise as civilians and sneak into these ten cities to spread rumors, create panic, and disrupt their military and civilian morale. When the time is right, we will strike with thunder and lightning."

In the following days, there were frequent battles in coastal areas. Jia Changsheng's army relied on strong fortifications to repel the attacks of the island navy again and again. Every time the waves hit the coast, they were accompanied by shouts and roars of catapults. The soldiers fought bravely on the city walls, and the arrows rained down, making it difficult for the island navy to get close to the land. Under the cover of night, the small fleet frequently attacked and successfully attacked several supply ships of the island country, making the supply of materials for the island army gradually tight and the pace of the attack was forced to slow down. At the same time, Jia Changsheng's soldiers who had mixed into the ten cities in the east of Goguryeo began to act. They spread various rumors in places where people gathered, such as markets and taverns: "Jia Changsheng's army is about to flatten Goguryeo, no one can stop it, so let's run away early!" "Goguryeo's army has been defeated on the front line and is unable to protect us." These rumors spread quickly in the city like a plague, and the people were panicked, and the morale of the army was also affected to a certain extent.

In Andong City, the capital of the eastern part of Goguryeo, Li Wei, the garrison commander, was somewhat uneasy when he heard these rumors. He tried to strengthen the city defense and appease the people, but found that the city's military strength was stretched to the limit, and many soldiers were also confused by the rumors, and the morale of the army was unstable.

At this time, Jia Changsheng had assembled an elite division and quietly marched towards the eastern defense line of Goguryeo under the cover of night. The vanguard general Zhao Meng led a light cavalry unit as the vanguard and quickly broke through the outer strongholds of the eastern defense line of Goguryeo. The defenders of these strongholds were already understaffed and unprepared, and were quickly breached under Zhao Meng's fierce attack.

When the news reached Andong City, Li Wei was horrified and hurriedly ordered the city gates to be closed and the defense to be strengthened. However, Jia Changsheng's army had already surged in like a tide and surrounded Andong City.

Jia Changsheng stood at the foot of the city, looking at the nervous defenders on the city wall, and shouted loudly: "Li Wei, you are now trapped in a jar, surrender! This general can spare your life and treat the people in the city well. Otherwise, the day the city falls, you will die!"

Li Wei stood on the city wall, pretending to be calm: "Jia Changsheng, don't be so complacent! Our Andong City is impregnable, how can you break through it so easily!"

Jia Changsheng sneered and waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to start attacking the city. Immediately, siege equipment was pushed up, ladders were set up on the city walls, and the soldiers shouted and climbed up. The defenders on the city walls fought desperately, and rolling logs and stones fell one after another, but Jia Changsheng's soldiers did not retreat and launched the attack one after another.

In the fierce siege, Jia Changsheng's army gradually gained the upper hand. Their numerical advantage and high morale made it difficult for the Goguryeo defenders to resist. After a hard fight, Jia Changsheng's soldiers finally broke through the gate of Andong City and poured into the city. Li Wei saw that the situation was hopeless and had to lead the remaining troops to surrender.

After Jia Changsheng successfully captured Andong City, he did not stay for too long, but marched to the next city without stopping. He knew that the eastern defense line of Goguryeo was in chaos at this time, and he must take advantage of this opportunity to quickly expand the results of the battle.

When attacking the second city, Liaoyang, Jia Changsheng changed his tactics. He first had his soldiers dig tunnels outside the city to the inside. At the same time, he continued to pretend to attack the city to attract the attention of the defenders. The defender Wang Hu in the city was deceived by Jia Changsheng's illusion of attacking the city, and concentrated most of his troops on the city wall, but ignored the danger underground.

When the tunnel was dug under the city wall, Jia Changsheng's soldiers placed a large amount of gunpowder in the tunnel and then lit the fuse. With a loud bang, a large hole was blown open in the city wall, and Jia Changsheng's army took the opportunity to pour into the city through the gap. Wang Hu panicked and organized troops to resist, but it was useless, and Liaoyang City soon fell into Jia Changsheng's hands.

In this way, Jia Changsheng's army was unstoppable and successively conquered many cities in the eastern part of Goguryeo. Every time he conquered a city, he would adopt different strategies, either using internal forces to open the city gates, or raiding the food and supplies of the defenders, making it difficult for the Goguryeo defenders to defend themselves.

When attacking the seventh city, Pingshan City, Jia Changsheng encountered some trouble. The city's walls were tall and strong, and the defenders in the city were well prepared and fought desperately. Jia Changsheng's army attacked the city for several days in a row but failed to break through the city gate.

Seeing this, counselor Xu Shu offered Jia Changsheng a plan: "My lord, we can pretend to retreat and have the soldiers leave a large number of tents and supplies outside the city, pretending to retreat in a hurry. Seeing this, the Goguryeo defenders will surely go out of the city to pursue us. We can set up an ambush on the way, annihilate them in one fell swoop, and then take advantage of the situation to attack the city."

After hearing this, Jia Changsheng's eyes lit up: "This is a great idea!"

So, Jia Changsheng's army began to pretend to retreat. Sure enough, the defender of Pingshan City was deceived by the illusion and thought that Jia Changsheng's army was no longer able to attack the city, so he led his army out of the city to pursue. When they chased to a valley, suddenly shouts of killing were heard all around. Jia Changsheng's ambush troops rushed out from all directions and surrounded the Goguryeo defenders. After a fierce battle, the Goguryeo defenders were almost wiped out, and the defenders also died on the battlefield.

Jia Changsheng's army took the opportunity to return to Pingshan City, easily broke through the city gate and occupied the city.

As cities fell one after another, the situation in the eastern part of Goguryeo became precarious. The defenders of the remaining cities were in panic and had no intention of resisting. Jia Changsheng seized this opportunity and continued to march westward, eventually successfully taking ten cities in the eastern part of Goguryeo, greatly expanding his sphere of influence.

In this arduous war, Jia Changsheng, with his outstanding military talents, decisive decision-making and flexible tactics, achieved the strategic goal of eastern Goguryeo while resisting the attacks of the island countries, becoming an awe-inspiring overlord of this land, and his legendary story continues to be written on this land.

Jia Changsheng was not so satisfied with this progress. For Jia Changsheng, the most important thing now was to take over the entire Goguryeo as soon as possible, so he summoned all his men again and prepared to continue the action?

(End of this chapter)