Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 668: Conquering Ten Cities
Gao Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "Emissary, this is absolutely true. Now the situation of Goguryeo is precarious. I hope your country can make a decision as soon as possible and form an alliance with us to fight against Jia Changsheng together."

Abe Haruaki pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, when I return this time, I will report the situation of your country to His Majesty the Emperor truthfully. But regarding the alliance, Your Majesty will have to wait patiently for a few more days."

Although Gao Yuan was anxious, he knew that he couldn't push too hard, so he could only say, "Okay, I hope the messenger can give me a reply as soon as possible."

After Abe Haruaki said goodbye and left, Gao Yuan looked at his back, feeling helpless and expectant. He didn't know whether the island nation would eventually form an alliance with them, nor did he know whether Goguryeo could survive the war.

In Dongxu City, Jia Changsheng was not carried away by victory. He knew that this was just the beginning, and there were more difficult tasks waiting for them. He began to deploy the next battle plan, preparing to continue to advance into the hinterland of Goguryeo and completely destroy Goguryeo's resistance. The balance of this war seemed to be tilting towards Jia Changsheng's side, but the road ahead was still full of variables and challenges.

After Jia Changsheng successfully captured Dongxu City, the situation in the eastern part of Goguryeo suddenly changed. At this time, he keenly noticed that the envoys of the island country and Goguryeo were discussing the alliance intensively. If the two sides reached an alliance, the situation would be very unfavorable to their side. Jia Changsheng made a prompt decision and decided to take advantage of the fact that the other party's alliance was not yet solid, and divided his troops into ten groups to launch a thundering offensive against the remaining ten cities in the east of Goguryeo at the same time, destroying Goguryeo's eastern defense line with lightning speed.

Inside the central army tent, the atmosphere was solemn and full of fighting spirit. A huge sheepskin map was hung in the center of the tent, on which were detailed the locations, terrain, and troop deployments of the eastern cities of Goguryeo. Jia Changsheng, wearing a black general's armor, stood tall in front of the map, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, scanning each target on the map one by one. Inside the tent, a group of battle-hardened generals lined up neatly, their expressions focused, waiting for the commander to issue combat orders.

Jia Changsheng spoke slowly, his voice low but full of power, echoing clearly in the tent: "Generals, we have now conquered Dongxu City and opened up a corner of Goguryeo's eastern defense line. But Goguryeo and the island countries are planning to form an alliance. Once they unite, the situation we face will become extremely severe. Therefore, we must seize this fleeting opportunity and take down the remaining ten cities in eastern Goguryeo before they form an alliance."

At this point, Jia Changsheng picked up a thin wooden stick, pointed to the ten cities on the map, and continued: "I decided to divide the troops into ten groups and launch an attack on these ten cities at the same time. Although these ten cities have their own defenses, they are far away from each other and it is difficult for them to support each other. We must take advantage of this and give full play to our army's advantages of rapid action and efficient coordination to defeat them one by one in a blitzkrieg manner."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lieutenant General Li Meng took a step forward, clasped his fists and asked for battle loudly: "General, I am willing to lead a group of troops to take the most difficult city! I will definitely not fail in my mission!" Li Meng was a brave and fearless person. In previous battles, he always charged at the forefront and made many military achievements.

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly, his eyes revealing his trust in Li Meng: "Li Meng, you are brave in battle, I naturally trust you. But this operation is different from the past, every route is crucial, and there can be no mistakes. Although these ten cities are strong or weak, the Goguryeo defenders will fight to the death. You must act cautiously, follow the established plan, and cooperate closely with other routes."

Then, staff officer Zhao Wen stepped forward and said with concern: "General, if we divide our troops into ten routes and stretch the battle line too long, our forces will be relatively dispersed. Moreover, the communication and coordinated operations between the various units will face huge challenges. Once a problem occurs in one route, it may affect the overall situation." Zhao Wen is meticulous and good at analyzing the battle situation. He can always come up with key insights at critical moments.

Jia Changsheng had considered this long ago, and he responded calmly: "Zhao Wen, you are absolutely right. But if we don't take this opportunity to strike decisively, when Goguryeo and the island country form an alliance, we will face a more difficult and protracted war. As for the problem of dispersing troops and coordinating operations, I have arranged elite messengers equipped with fast horses and pigeons to ensure smooth communication between the various troops. At the same time, before each general sets out, he must understand the combat plan in detail, clarify his respective tasks and coordination methods."

Afterwards, Jia Changsheng began to deploy the troops, marching routes and attack strategies of each route in detail. He rationally deployed the troops according to the terrain, defense characteristics and distribution of enemy troops of each city to ensure that each route had enough strength to complete the task. The generals listened attentively, and raised some questions and suggestions from time to time, and Jia Changsheng patiently answered them one by one.

After careful discussion and deployment, the battle plan was finally finalized. Jia Changsheng once again glanced at everyone, his eyes firm and encouraging: "Generals, this battle is about our survival, and whether we can establish immortal merits on this land. I believe that with the bravery and wisdom of our soldiers, we will be able to capture these ten cities and completely destroy Goguryeo's eastern defense line!"

"We are willing to serve the general!" The generals shouted in unison, their voices resounding through the sky, and their morale reached its peak.

The next morning, before dawn, Jia Changsheng's army had already assembled outside Dongxu City. Ten teams were lined up in an orderly manner, with flags fluttering. The soldiers were wearing armor, holding sharp blades, and their eyes revealed a firm fighting spirit.

Following Jia Changsheng's order, the ten armies, like ten sharp blades, marched towards their respective targets at the same time. For a moment, the sound of horse hooves and footsteps intertwined, and the earth seemed to be shaking.

The vanguard troops led by Li Meng rushed all the way to the city with the most dangerous terrain and the strongest defense. This city was called Rock City because its walls were tall and thick, like a rock that could not be shaken. The city was surrounded by mountains, and there was only a narrow mountain road leading to the city gate, which made it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Li Meng knew that this mission was arduous, but he was not afraid. He rode on a tall horse, waving his sword, and encouraged the soldiers loudly: "Brothers, the Rock City is ahead! Although this city is dangerous, we are invincible! Today, we must take it down and make the first contribution to the whole army!" The soldiers shouted in unison, and their morale was high.

When Li Meng's troops arrived at Panshi City, the Goguryeo defenders on the city wall were already ready for battle. They were high above the enemy and threw stones and arrows at the enemy below. Suddenly, huge rocks rolled down and arrows rained down, forcing Li Meng's troops to temporarily retreat.

Li Meng looked at the enemy on the city wall and thought about countermeasures. He found that although the enemy's defense was tight, the defense on both sides of the city gate was relatively weak. So he decided to use the tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking the west. He first sent a part of the troops to pretend to attack from the front to attract the enemy's attention, and then he personally led the elite troops to go up the hillside on the left side of the city gate.

Under the fierce attack of the frontal troops, the Goguryeo defenders on the city wall really concentrated most of their forces on the front. Li Meng took the opportunity to lead his troops to quickly climb up the hillside. The hillside was steep, and the soldiers used their hands and feet to move up with difficulty. But with their tenacious will and superb fighting skills, they successfully avoided the enemy's sight and approached the left side of the city gate.

Suddenly, Li Meng shouted, "Kill!" and led his troops to rush to the city gate like a tiger descending from the mountain. The defenders on the city wall only then discovered them and immediately panicked. But Li Meng's troops had already arrived in front of them. They brandished sharp blades and engaged in fierce close combat with the enemy. At the same time, the other nine armies also engaged in fierce battles with their respective target cities. In some cities, Jia Changsheng's troops adopted fire attack tactics. Taking advantage of the night, they piled a large amount of flammable materials under the city gate and then set it on fire. The city gate was quickly burned down by the fire, and the troops took the opportunity to attack the city; in some cities, the troops used ladders, siege vehicles and other equipment to forcibly attack the city and fought a desperate battle with the defenders on the city wall.

In this fierce battle, Jia Changsheng's troops fully demonstrated their excellent military qualities and tenacious fighting spirit. They were not afraid of hardships and dangers, and marched forward bravely, engaging in one thrilling contest after another with the Goguryeo defenders.

In the capital of Goguryeo, when the news that Jia Changsheng had divided his troops into ten groups and attacked ten cities in the east at the same time was learned, the entire palace fell into chaos. Goguryeo King Gao Yuan was pale and slumped on the throne, his eyes full of fear and despair.

"How is this possible? How could Jia Changsheng be so bold as to attack ten cities at the same time? Where is our army? Why can't we stop them?" Gao Yuan roared angrily.

The ministers knelt one after another, not daring to speak. The great general Lu Yizhi Wende stood up and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, Jia Changsheng's move is really beyond our expectations. But we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must immediately mobilize the surrounding troops to support the eastern cities. At the same time, urge the envoys of the island country to reach an alliance agreement with us as soon as possible and ask them to send troops to help."

Gao Yuan nodded helplessly and said, "Okay, do it immediately. No matter what, we must defend these ten cities and not let Jia Changsheng's conspiracy succeed."

However, Yi Zhiwende knew that it was too late to mobilize troops to support the eastern cities. Jia Changsheng's attack was too sudden, and the ten armies attacked at the same time, leaving them no time to make an effective response.

In this fierce battle, time passed by minute by minute. Jia Changsheng's troops gradually gained the upper hand. One city after another fell under their fierce attack.

After a fierce battle, the troops led by Li Meng finally succeeded in conquering Panshi City. When the gate was breached, Li Meng rushed to the front with his sword in hand, leading the soldiers to pour into the city like a tide. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the Goguryeo defenders laid down their weapons and surrendered.

Li Meng stood on the wall of Panshi City, looking at the curling smoke rising from the city, his heart filled with joy and pride. He knew that they had gnawed down this most difficult bone, which would be a great boost to the morale of the entire army.

At the same time, other armies also reported victory. Cities were captured one after another, and Jia Changsheng's strategy of dividing his troops into ten routes was a huge success.

In just a few days, Jia Changsheng's army successfully captured the remaining ten cities in the east of Goguryeo. At this point, Goguryeo's eastern defense line completely collapsed, and Jia Changsheng's sphere of influence was greatly expanded.

In the capital, when the news of the fall of the last city came, Gao Yuan was completely desperate. He looked at the ministers in the hall, tears welled up in his eyes: "Is my Goguryeo really going to perish at the hands of Jia Changsheng?"

Ministers knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly. The entire palace was immersed in grief and despair.

At this time, Jia Changsheng was not carried away by victory. He knew that although they had achieved a major staged victory, the capital of Goguryeo had not yet been conquered, and the main force of Goguryeo had not yet been completely destroyed. Moreover, although the alliance negotiations between the island country and Goguryeo were temporarily frustrated, they were likely to make a comeback.

Therefore, after occupying the ten cities in the east, Jia Changsheng immediately set about consolidating the defense line and appeasing the people. At the same time, he mobilized troops and prepared to launch a more fierce attack on the heartland of Goguryeo.

The balance of this war has clearly tilted towards Jia Changsheng. But Jia Changsheng knows that the real challenge is still to come. He will lead his army to continue to write their legend on this land. And Goguryeo, this once powerful country, is gradually approaching the brink of decline under Jia Changsheng's fierce attack. No one can accurately predict how the situation will develop in the future. But this thrilling war will undoubtedly become a magnificent chapter in the long river of history.

In the ancient and majestic palace of Goguryeo, the atmosphere was as solemn as the dead silence before a storm. On the huge candlesticks, candles were burning, emitting a weak and swaying light, but they could not dispel the haze that permeated the palace. Goguryeo King Gao Yuan sat on the throne, his face haggard and anxious, his eyes revealing deep fatigue and helplessness. Below him were the ministers of Goguryeo. Their usual majesty and composure had long gone, replaced by panic and confusion.

"Now Jia Changsheng's army is unstoppable and has conquered many cities in the eastern part of Goguryeo one after another, and is about to arrive at the royal city. My dear ministers, Goguryeo is now at a critical juncture of life and death. I have called you all here today to discuss whether to move the capital to the southern coastal city in order to preserve our strength and then fight back." Gao Yuan's voice was low and hoarse, as if he had used up all his strength to pronounce every word.

As soon as the words fell, the court exploded, and the ministers whispered to each other and discussed the matter.

(End of this chapter)