Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 686 Strong walls and clear fields
Cries, shouts, and the cries of livestock intertwined into a sad song. Many people looked at the homes where they had lived for many years, their eyes full of reluctance and despair. A white-haired old man hugged the idol in his home tightly and was reluctant to leave. The soldiers came forward to urge him, and the old man burst into tears: "This is my home. I have lived here all my life. How can I just leave..."

The officials in charge of organizing the migration were also filled with reluctance, but the military order was as strong as a mountain, so they could only harden their hearts and keep urging the people to speed up. In the chaos, some lawless people took the opportunity to rob the people's property, and the soldiers had to devote their energy to maintaining order.

At the same time, the burning of houses and filling of wells were also in full swing. Raging fires shot up into the sky, engulfing villages one after another, and thick smoke blocked out the sky. The once peaceful and tranquil countryside was instantly turned into ruins.

In a village that was about to be burned down, a young mother hugged her child tightly and cried, "Don't burn my house. My child is still young. What will happen to him in the future..." Although the soldiers felt reluctant, they still ruthlessly lit torches and the house was soon engulfed by fire.

When the Sui army learned that the island nation was implementing the policy of clearing the countryside, the generals gathered to discuss countermeasures. Gao Jiong frowned and said, "This island nation does have some tricks. Clearing the countryside has indeed caused us a lot of trouble."

Han Qinhu's eyes were firm: "What are you afraid of? Do they think they can stop us like this? We can try to find other ways to get supplies, or surround them and see how long they can hold out."

While the Sui army was discussing countermeasures, the island nation's scorching-wall and clearing-out operations continued. Although the process was full of hardships and pain, under the strenuous urging of Suzuki Jiro, it was finally completed before the Sui army advanced further.

In the city, people were crowded into a small space, and their living conditions were extremely poor. The food supply was tight, and many people had to endure hunger. Diseases also began to spread among the people, and in the absence of medical care and medicine, people died every day.

After learning about these situations, the emperor felt guilty and helpless. He came to the people and tried to comfort them: "People, I know you have suffered. But this is for our country and for everyone's future. As long as we get through this, we will be able to rebuild our homes."

The people looked at the haggard emperor, and although their hearts were full of resentment, in this difficult time, they could only place their hopes on him.

Outside the city, the Sui army had already begun to move. They sent out scouts to search for water and food, and at the same time launched a tight siege on the island city. A brutal war of attrition quietly began on the land of the island country, and the fate of the island country was hanging in the balance between the siege and the confrontation.

The Emperor's Personal Expedition: The General Attack of the Sui Dynasty
The imperial capital of the Great Sui Dynasty was a scene of solemnity and bustle. On the wide Suzaku Street, 100,000 elite troops were lined up in neat formations, their armors gleaming coldly in the sunlight, their flags rustling, and the large flags with the word "Sui" written on them fluttering in the wind. Jia Changsheng, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, a pair of exquisite armor with gold trim, and a purple-gold helmet, stood majestically on the reviewing platform, his eyes like torches, scanning the army in front of him.

"Soldiers!" Jia Changsheng's voice was deep and powerful, with innate majesty, echoing in the empty parade ground, "Today, I will go to the battlefield of the island country with you. This trip is to promote the prestige of our Great Sui, protect the peace of our people, expand our territory, and go down in history forever!"

"Long live! Long live! Long, long live!" The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the sky, and their morale reached its peak.

With an order, the army set out in a mighty procession. The team stretched for miles, with infantry, cavalry, and baggage soldiers moving forward in an orderly manner, wheels rolling, horses clattering, and raising dust all over the sky. Jia Changsheng rode on a tall white warhorse, in the center of the team, with a group of battle-hardened generals beside him. They had firm eyes and were always ready to charge for the Sui Dynasty.

After a long march, the army arrived at the island battlefield. At this time, the situation in the island country had fallen into a stalemate due to the dual influence of the previous war and the policy of clearing the countryside. The original army of the Sui Dynasty had surrounded the main cities of the island country, but due to the resistance of the island country and the difficulty of supply caused by the policy of clearing the countryside, it was difficult for the attack to make a breakthrough.

After Jia Changsheng arrived, he immediately called all the generals to hold a military meeting. Inside the tent, the atmosphere was tense and solemn, and the generals reported the current battle situation one after another.

"Your Majesty, the island country's cities are well defended, and they have implemented a policy of scorching the walls and clearing the fields. It is becoming increasingly difficult for our army to supply food and fodder," said a general worriedly.

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly, his expression calm: "I already know. I had anticipated these difficulties before I came. But since I am here, I will not return empty-handed."

He stood up, walked to the center of the tent, unfolded a huge map of the island country, pointed at the marks on it, and said: "Although the island country is small, the terrain is complex. They think they can stop us by clearing the land, but they don't know that our army has its own strategy to defeat the enemy."

"Your Majesty, please explain clearly." The generals said in unison.

Jia Changsheng smiled slightly, with a glimmer of wisdom in his eyes: "They are fortifying their walls and clearing the fields, so we will cut off their water supply. The water sources of several major cities in the island country all come from this river. We only need to cut off the water flow upstream, and within a few days, the city will be short of water, and the morale of the army and the people will inevitably be in chaos."

After hearing this, the generals nodded in praise, with expressions of admiration on their faces.

"In addition," Jia Changsheng continued, "we need to divide our forces into multiple groups and launch a full-scale attack on the island nation's cities. This will make it difficult for them to concentrate their forces to resist."

He began to deploy a detailed battle plan, dividing the 100,000-man army into four routes. The first route was led by Gao Jiong, who would attack the capital of the island country from the front and attract the main force of the enemy; the second route was led by Han Qinhu, who would go around the rear of the capital and attack the enemy's food and grass storage area; the third route was led by the newly arrived general He Ruobi, who would attack an important port city of the island country and cut off the island country's maritime connection with the outside world; the fourth route was led by Jia Changsheng himself, as a reserve force, ready to support various battlefields at any time.

After the deployment was completed, Jia Changsheng looked at the generals with a firm gaze: "This general offensive concerns the glory and dignity of our Great Sui Dynasty. Soldiers must fight bravely and return victoriously!"

"Yes, sir!" All the generals responded in unison, their voices filled with fighting spirit.

The next morning, with the sound of drums, the Sui army launched a general attack on the island country. The first army led by Gao Jiong rushed towards the gate of Kyoto with siege vehicles, ladders and other equipment. On the city wall, the island country's defenders had already been waiting for them. They shot arrows and threw stones to try to stop the Sui army's attack.

"Soldiers, charge! For the Sui Dynasty!" Gao Jiong waved his long sword and shouted loudly. Encouraged by him, the soldiers rushed towards the city gate without fear. The siege vehicles hit the city gate again and again, making a loud noise; the ladders were leaning against the city wall, and the soldiers bravely climbed up the ladders and engaged in fierce close combat with the enemy on the city wall.

At the same time, the second army led by Han Qinhu quietly bypassed the rear of Kyoto and found the enemy's grain and grass storage area. "Brothers, burn it!" Han Qinhu gave an order, and the soldiers lit torches and rushed to the grain and grass warehouse. In an instant, flames shot up into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and the enemy's grain and grass were devoured by the fire.

When the island defenders learned that their food and grass had been burned, they were immediately in chaos. The defense of Kyoto City was loosened, and Gao Jiong took the opportunity to launch a more fierce attack and finally broke through the gate of Kyoto. The Sui army poured into the city like a tide and launched a fierce street battle with the enemy. In the port city, the third army led by He Ruobi was also fighting fiercely. The island defenders relied on their solid coastal fortifications to resist tenaciously. Seeing that the strong attack was difficult to work, He Ruobi ordered the soldiers to dig tunnels and approach the enemy's fortifications from underground. After some hard work, the tunnel was finally dug through. The Sui soldiers poured out of the tunnel, attacked the enemy unexpectedly, successfully broke through the enemy's defense line, and occupied the port city.

The reserve troops led by Jia Changsheng provided flexible support on the battlefield. They appeared wherever the fighting was fiercest. Jia Changsheng rode a white horse, shuttled across the battlefield, personally commanded the battle, and boosted the morale of the soldiers.

As Kyoto and the port cities were captured one after another, the situation in the island nation took a sharp turn for the worse. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the defenders of other cities gave up resistance. The emperor was in the palace, and upon hearing the news that the cities had been captured one after another, he turned pale and collapsed to the ground.

"It's over, everything is over..." The emperor muttered to himself, his eyes full of despair.

Finally, the emperor of the island country had to lead his civil and military ministers out of the city to surrender to the Sui army. Jia Changsheng sat high on the temporary throne and accepted the emperor's surrender.

"From today on, the island country will be incorporated into the territory of our Great Sui Dynasty. I will send officials to govern this place so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment." Jia Changsheng's voice was majestic and solemn, announcing the victory of this war.

The cheers of the Sui army echoed across the island nation. This war, led by the emperor himself, ended with a complete victory for the Sui. Jia Changsheng's reputation also spread across the world with this victory, becoming a glorious chapter in the history of the Sui Dynasty. The island nation also began a new historical process under the rule of the Sui Dynasty.

When the Sui army conquered the island country and became famous, the news spread like a gust of wind to the four empires of the Tang Dynasty, Southern Song Dynasty, Northern Song Dynasty and Han Dynasty. For a time, the courts of the four empires were all filled with shock and heated discussions.

The Golden Palace of the Tang Dynasty was magnificent with carved beams and painted buildings. The sun shone through the gaps between the glazed tiles, casting golden beams of light on the faces of the ministers in the palace. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin sat high on the dragon throne, his face solemn, holding tightly in his hand the war report from the Sui Dynasty.

"My dear ministers, the Sui Dynasty actually took over the island country in one fell swoop. What do you think about this?" Li Shimin's voice was low and powerful, echoing in the empty hall.

There was an uproar in the hall, and the ministers were whispering and discussing.

"Your Majesty, this move by the Great Sui Dynasty is beyond our expectations. Although this island country is small, it is isolated overseas and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The fact that the Great Sui Dynasty was able to conquer it shows the strength of its national and military power." Prime Minister Fang Xuanling stepped out and said with a worried look on his face.

"Hmph, the Sui Dynasty has always been ambitious. After taking over the island country this time, there is no guarantee that they will not turn their attention to our Tang Dynasty." General Li Jing frowned, his words full of vigilance.

"General Li is absolutely right. Our Tang Dynasty borders the Sui Dynasty, and the border is long, so we have to be on guard." Another minister echoed.

Li Shimin nodded slightly and glanced at his ministers: "The rise of the Sui Dynasty is both a challenge and an opportunity for our Tang Dynasty. We cannot be blindly arrogant, nor can we underestimate ourselves. The most urgent task is to strengthen border defense and pay close attention to the movements of the Sui Dynasty."

"Your Majesty is wise." All the ministers responded in unison.

At this time, Wei Zheng, who had been silent all this time, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think that while we are strengthening our defense, we can also engage in diplomatic negotiations with the Sui Dynasty. Sending envoys to the Sui Dynasty to congratulate them on their victory and to test their intentions may help avoid unnecessary conflict."

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "What Wei Aiqing said makes sense. I'll leave this matter to you to arrange. Be sure to select an envoy who is eloquent and witty."

"I obey your order." Wei Zheng accepted the order and withdrew.

Afterwards, the court held an in-depth discussion on how to strengthen border defense and develop the domestic economy. In a solemn atmosphere, the Tang Dynasty began to prepare for the upcoming changes.

Lin'an City in the Southern Song Dynasty was still prosperous and peaceful. However, the news that the Sui Dynasty had conquered the island country was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, breaking the tranquility of the court.

Song Gaozong Zhao Gou sat on the dragon throne, his face full of worry. "How did the Sui Dynasty suddenly take over the island country? What impact will this have on our Southern Song Dynasty?"

"Your Majesty, this move by the Sui Dynasty will probably cause a major change in the situation in the world. Their strength has greatly increased, and our Southern Song Dynasty is in a corner. I'm afraid our situation will become even more difficult." Prime Minister Qin Hui said with a flattering face, but there was a barely perceptible flash of panic in his eyes.

"Humph, Qin Hui, you only know how to boost others' morale and destroy your own prestige!" General Yue Fei could not help but retort, "Although our Song Dynasty is only in the south of the Yangtze River, we also have a million strong army. If the Sui Dynasty dares to invade, we will fight to the death!"

"General Yue, having said that, the Sui Dynasty is now in its heyday, so we still need to act with caution." A civil servant said cautiously.

In the court, the war faction and the peace faction held their own opinions and argued fiercely. Zhao Gou was upset and rubbed his temples and said, "Stop arguing! I think we should strengthen the Yangtze River defense line first and send people to the Sui Dynasty to explore its strength."

"Your Majesty is wise." The ministers obeyed the order one after another.

During this debate, the Southern Song court was filled with an atmosphere of uneasiness. Living in a corner, they seemed a little overwhelmed under the strong pressure of the Sui Dynasty, and could only seek a chance of survival between strengthening defense and diplomatic probing.

(End of this chapter)