The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 358 Military Morale
The city of Anshi is exceptionally quiet today. The Tang army, which has been fighting for a day and a night, is resting, and the sparse guards on the city walls are patrolling.

Li Ke walked to a small house. The house was very small. Since the army captured Anshi City, most of the Tang army had been hiding in the house to avoid the cold. As for the captives, they either slept in the stables or in the dungeons, and many were placed in the villages outside the city.

Most of them were arranged in tents outside to pave the way for the Tang army's advance.

Li Ke pushed the door open and a gust of snow and wind blew into the quiet house. He walked into the house and saw Liu Rengui who was eating a cake.

Liu Rengui put some pickled mustard greens on his cake. Now this kind of pickled mustard greens has become the main food in the army. Pickled mustard greens are very salty and are an important military ration for soldiers to replenish their physical strength.

Moreover, this kind of pickled mustard greens is easy to transport, and there is also some dried meat.

Liu Rengui said: "In the past, this kind of military rations would have been really great."

Li Ke lay down on a wooden board nearby, closed his eyes and recovered his strength, and said, "You have been in Liaodong for so long, how many enemies have you killed?"

Liu Rengui looked at the bloody armor beside him, which he had just taken off. He thought carefully and said, "More than twenty people, fifty? I can't remember clearly."

Li Ke felt heavy and tired as soon as he lay down. The most tiring thing since he started the expedition was marching. In fact, fighting and killing people were not a big deal, but the tiring march was what was the most torturous to one's will.

After Liu Rengui finished eating the cake, he took up his armor and cleaned it.

On the third day of the Tang army's rest, heavy snow fell in Liaodong again. Xue Wanche came to the city of Anshi with carts of food, fodder and cotton clothes.

It's deserted here. If you're outside the city, you won't be able to tell where the emperor's army is.

Xue Wanche led his troops to the front of the city, with 10,000 armored soldiers, 2,000 cavalrymen, and a convoy of carts that stretched as far as the eye could see, loaded with food and fodder.

The city gate opened a crack, and a soldier ran out quickly. He staggered a little on the thick snow, and said, "General Xue, His Majesty has been waiting for a long time. Take all the soldiers into the city to avoid the snow."

"Yes." Xue Wanche answered loudly while riding on his horse, and then dismounted.

The city gate was fully opened, and what came into view were wisps of smoke and a lot of shouting. The Tang army, who had recovered their energy, were seen gathering in groups of three or four, laughing or making noise.

Someone else ran over quickly and kicked over a pot of hot water, causing shouts and curses.

Seeing the bustling situation in the city, Xue Wanche smiled with relief and led the team into the city.

Another group of Tang troops entered the city, making Anshi City seem even more crowded.

Xue Wanche was taken directly to a large mansion in the city, where he met his brothers in the army.

Su Dingfang laughed and said, "Wan Che!"

"Ding Fang!"

Walking closer, Su Dingfang patted him on the shoulder and said, "I heard that you brought 100,000 shi of grain?"

Xue Wanche said: "150,000 shi."

Su Dingfang smiled and said, "It's really amazing, but the army is not short of food and grass."

"His Royal Highness said that no matter whether the frontline troops are short of food or not, we must give them as much as possible. The frontline troops must be fully stocked with food and fodder, even if they can't eat any more."

Su Dingfang led him and said, "Let's go! Let's go see His Majesty."

"it is good."

In the main hall, Li Shimin was looking at a map. Since the pre-Sui Dynasty, Goguryeo had been building cities and passes to resist attacks from the Central Plains.

To this end, Goguryeo recruited strong laborers to build cities and connect them together, which led to the decline of people's livelihood.

As we marched eastward, we saw vast expanses of wasteland, and we can understand why.

"Your Majesty, Wan Che has arrived."

Hearing Su Dingfang's report outside, Li Shimin said, "Well, come in."

Xue Wanche walked quickly into the main hall and saluted, "Your Majesty."

"You came at the right time. I want to ask about the situation in the Central Plains."

"Yes." Xue Wanche said in a clear voice: "I came from Laizhou across the sea. Now Laizhou no longer builds ships. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince exempted Laizhou from taxes for one year to appease the villagers of Laizhou, and also sent Xiao Rui to Laizhou to appease the people's livelihood."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "It has only been thirty years since Yang Guang's expedition to Guangdong. If the Central Plains is unable to continue, I would rather withdraw my troops now."

Li Ke stood outside the door and said, "Father, please don't think like that. If the army wants to retreat, please give me a thousand soldiers and I will go to annihilate the capital of Goguryeo."

It's good that Ke'er has such a heroic spirit.

But Li Ke would not be allowed to do so, as heavy snow had blocked the mountains and roads, and some roads outside Anshi City had a foot of snow deep.

The city of Anshi was also separated from the city of Wugut to the east by heavy snow.

Liu Renyuan handed over the file and said, "Your Majesty, Gao Yanshou's confession."

Li Shimin took the paper and looked at the contents on it.

Liu Renyuan reported: "Your Majesty, Gao Yanshou said that his 150,000 troops were drawn from all over Liaodong. The remaining troops east of Ugut City are at most 50,000. If the King of Goguryeo draws troops from all over the country and gathers them in the royal city, then Yeon Gaesomun will have at most 200,000 troops, no more."

As he was speaking, another guard came quickly and said, "Your Majesty, someone from Luoyang is here."

Li Shimin was still looking at Gao Yanshou's confession, sitting on a stool, one hand on his knee and the other holding a paper.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Let someone in."

The visitor was none other than Cui Dunli, the current Vice Minister of War in the court. Ever since he expressed his loyalty to the crown prince and drew a clear line between himself and the Cui family of Boling, Cui Dunli had been highly valued by the crown prince and came to Liaodong to assist the emperor in handling logistics.

In the past, when the army attacked Tuyuhun and Gaochang, he was also in the rear of the army to handle logistics and manpower.

"Your Majesty, Cui Dunli is here on the orders of the Crown Prince to deliver supplies to Your Majesty."

Li Shimin put down the paper in his hand, looking thoughtful. Now the Central Plains was approaching the end of the year, and the 18th year of Zhenguan was about to pass.

"Why? Is there anyone in the court advising me to withdraw my troops?"

Cui Dunli replied: "Many people have advised Your Majesty to withdraw the troops, but they were all rejected by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This expedition to the east is for the Tang Dynasty to make its will known to the world. Men in the Central Plains have always been revengeful. Whether it is land or dignity that has been lost, we must take it back."

"Even if Your Majesty wants to withdraw the troops now, Your Royal Highness will cooperate. When Your Majesty is away on a campaign, all military matters are decided by Your Majesty."

Li Shimin lowered his head, he understood what Cheng Qian meant.

It is freezing cold in Liaodong now, so we can withdraw our troops. But if we withdraw now, our descendants in the future will definitely send troops to attack Goguryeo again.

Li Ke had been standing outside the door, thinking about what his elder brother had told him before he went to the battle. He must not let his father have any regrets in this battle.

Cui Dunli added: "Your Majesty, I have brought not only food and fodder, but also more than 30,000 family letters, more than 20 carts of medicinal materials, 600 doctors, and 500 teachers."

Su Dingfang looked suspicious and asked, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has prepared these?"

Before His Majesty could speak, Cui Dunli said, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ordered teachers from all over the country to help the families of the soldiers write letters home. His Royal Highness knows that the army is away from home and misses their hometown. In addition, it is a cold winter and he is afraid that the army's morale will be unstable, so he did this." Li Shimin suddenly smiled, and smiled with relief, and said, "My son is not good at marching and fighting, but I admire him very much when it comes to governing people. I am old and I have to rely on my son."

In other words, with such a father and son, there is no doubt that the Tang Dynasty will become powerful.

Su Dingfang said: "Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty has such a crown prince. Even if Your Majesty is on a military expedition, the Central Plains can be stable and safe."

Outside the main hall, Li Ke opened a piece of paper from a leather case, and a eunuch whispered, "Your Highness, Prince Wu, this is a letter from Concubine Yang, and there is also a letter written by His Highness the Crown Prince himself."

Li Ke's eyes welled up when he saw the letter from his mother. His mother still lived in Chang'an, taking care of his younger brother Yin and her own child Li Ren. His mother said in the letter that Li Ren could speak now.

Cui Dunli walked out of the main hall and began to arrange matters.

When letters from home were delivered to Anshi City, the whole city fell silent. Teachers from the volunteer army helped read letters to the illiterate soldiers, and faint cries could be heard in the city.

Letters home are meant to report safety, and when the teachers arrive here they also have to help the soldiers write reply letters home.

Doctors came into the city one after another to treat the soldiers there. After noon, the smell of medicinal soup wafted through Anshi City.

Cui Dunli stood on the city wall and looked at the situation in the city, which calmed the army's morale.

Li Shimin came over wearing a cloak and said, "Thank you for your help."

Cui Dunli bowed and said, "Your Majesty, these are what I should do."

"Well, now the soldiers can put their worries aside. I thank you on behalf of all the soldiers."

Cui Dunli bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, please don't do this. I am only following the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It is the end of the year and the New Year is approaching. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince feels that tens of thousands of soldiers should spend the New Year in Liaodong, so he made such arrangements."

Now all the soldiers in the city will remember the crown prince sitting in Luoyang. Even though everyone in the court and the public knows that the crown prince is strict, a letter from home is enough for them to sacrifice their lives for the Li Tang country.

Tens of thousands of family letters are something that others would not be able to accomplish, but for the prince it was not too difficult. Chongwenguan was opened in Hebei, and there were thousands of teachers teaching in Guanzhong, Luoyang, and Hebei.

The ability of a crown prince depends on his appeal, and the level of his governance depends on how many people are willing to work for him.

In the past two years, Your Majesty has hardly cared about state affairs. It is also in these two years that the prince's growth rate has been astonishing.

The Tang army was stationed in Anshi City, where the Silla envoy Kim Chunchu was also stationed. This time he followed the Tang army to attack Goguryeo and witnessed the bravery of the Tang army with his own eyes.

The bravery of the Tang army did not lie in its numbers but in its wisdom and bravery.

Most of Goguryeo's soldiers were fishermen or strong laborers, and they were far from being ordinary soldiers. The Tang army was not only brave as a whole, but also had outstanding individual bravery.

In comparison, the Goguryeo army seemed so weak.

That night, Jin Chunqiu found the house where Cui Dunli lived. There was another person there, who was Wen Ting, an official from Jingzhao Prefecture.

Jin Chunqiu bowed with a smile and said, "I greet Minister Cui and Secretary Wen."

Cui Dunli was discussing Liaodong affairs with Wen Ting. When he saw the visitor, he was displeased and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Jin Chunqiu bowed and said, "Our queen has ordered that she is willing to buy soap from Jingzhao Prefecture. The queen has prepared two carts of gold and silver."

Wen Ting said: "Now is not the time to discuss these things."

Jin Chunqiu smiled and said, "Both carts of gold and silver have been loaded onto the ship and will be sent to Luoyang in the spring. Jingzhao Prefecture can give us the soap at any time."

After saying these words, Jin Chunqiu left very consciously without waiting for the two to reply.

Wen Ting said with a straight face: "I hate this person."

Cui Dunli said: "Keep him, he is useful."

"Well, I won't bother with it for now."

On New Year's Eve, the teachers from Luoyang and the soldiers from Anshi City sang ballads or danced and sang with drums and music.

The emperor sat on the top of the city wall the whole time, watching this scene. Looking at this harmonious scene in winter, he felt warm in his heart.

Who could have imagined that in the camp of the iron-blooded Tang army, there would be such a scene of singing and dancing.

The Tang army trapped in the city of Liaodong celebrated the New Year. Although they did not have their families around them, they were still happy enough.

No one could have imagined that the Tang army that went to Liaodong could live so well here.

After Cui Dunli came, the Tang army lived better.

Eighteen years of Zhenguan passed. On New Year's Eve, Li Shimin stood on the city wall, looking far to the west, missing his family who were now in Luoyang.

After New Year's Eve, it was already the nineteenth year of Zhenguan.

The Tang army escorted the Goguryeo prisoners and cleared the snow. Cui Dunli and Wen Ting began to arrange personnel to manage the situation in various cities in Liaodong. If the army continued to advance eastward, this would be the rear.

Under the leadership of Cui Dunli, the Tang army transferred its logistics lines to various cities in Liaodong, where they stored food, fodder and equipment.

Until March of the 19th year of Zhenguan, the weather finally turned warmer.

On this day, the Tang army gathered at the foot of Anshi City. The emperor stood on the city wall, and Li Shimin told the 50,000 soldiers the pre-war oath of this expedition.

"After this battle, I will go home with you all!"

"Go home!" the generals in the army shouted.

"go home!"

"go home!"

The shouts echoed in the mountains.

Li Ke stood among the generals, his eyes were determined but also a little lost. This might really be the last battle of his father's life.

The ice and snow in the mountains and forests have not melted yet and the air is still cold, but it is enough for marching.

Before the Goguryeo people made any move, the Tang army divided into three routes and began a thousand-mile raid. The three routes attacked the Yalu River. The army fought in the hinterland of Liaodong, aiming at the royal city of Goguryeo.

For a month in a row, good news came in from all directions. The Tang army conquered dozens of cities, beheaded more than 40,000 people, killed countless enemies, captured more than 70,000 soldiers, and captured Maigu, Yinshan, Houhuang, Gaimu, Wugu, Baiyan and other places.

They obtained countless amounts of food, livestock, equipment, and war horses, and captured 240,000 people, who were relocated to Liaoxi.

The Tang army lost only over a thousand men, many of whom were frostbitten and had to leave the battlefield.

Tian Khan went on an expedition and flattened all areas west of the Yalu River with an extremely horrific casualty ratio.

In April of the 19th year of the Zhenguan reign, the generals saw the Jingguan built by the Goguryeo people using the corpses of former Sui soldiers at the Yalu River.

Li Shimin looked at the other side of the Yalu River with red eyes, and said in a trembling voice: "Whoever captures Yeon Gaesomun and King Go Zang alive will be rewarded with ten thousand gold and made a Duke!"

(End of this chapter)