The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 359: The Last Battle of Tian Khan

In late April of the 19th year of Zhenguan, Xue Wanche led 5,000 soldiers and horses to cross the sea and bypass the Yalu River, and took the south bank of the Yalu River. The Tang army ordered Gao Yanshou to take the prisoners to build a pontoon bridge.

In May of the 19th year of Zhenguan, the Tang army crossed the Yalu River and was only three days away from the capital of Goguryeo.

On the east bank of the Yalu River, the Tang army set up a large tent.

Li Shimin sat in the tent, looking at the map in front of him. This map was drawn by the Literature Museum. The maps before the Sui Dynasty and the Two Jin Dynasties were no longer usable.

The map of the Literature Museum is more detailed.

Liu Renyuan stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, the remains of the former Sui soldiers have been recovered."

Li Shimin nodded silently, his eyes still on the map.

Not long after, Wang Xuandu came back to report, "Your Majesty, our scouts discovered that Yeon Gaesomun has gathered all his troops in the royal city. It seems that they want to unite their forces to resist."

Li Ke said: "Father..."

Li Shimin raised his hand to interrupt his son and asked, "How is the morale of the army?"

Liu Renyuan said, "Your Majesty, the soldiers were very angry when they saw the Goguryeo people's Jingguan, and they threatened to skin Yeon Gaesomun and King Gojang alive."

Li Shimin walked out of the big tent. The Jingguan, which was built with the corpses of tens of thousands of former Sui soldiers, had been demolished and the corpses had been collected.

"I am ashamed that I have left the remains of the former Sui soldiers here for more than 40 years."

Liu Renyuan stood beside His Majesty in silence.

The Tang Dynasty was established in the chaos of war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and the soldiers who went to Liaodong at that time were all men from the Central Plains.

How can we not be infuriated by the Goguryeo people's behavior?

The Tang army rested for two days and had been collecting information about Goguryeo. Now Yeon Gaesomun had gathered a large army in the city.

Inside the big tent, Li Shimin said, "Qibi Heli, Ashina She'er, and Li Simo will lead their respective Turkic cavalry to clean up the villages around the Goguryeo royal city."

"Here!"

"Chengfan."

Li Dao Zong stood up and said, "I will be here!"

Li Shimin ordered: "You and Xue Wanche join forces to lead 20,000 troops to besiege the capital of Goguryeo."

"Here!"

Li Shimin ordered again: "Ke'er."

"My son is here."

"You and Cheng Fan will go with me to the capital of Goguryeo to meet Yeon Gaesomun."

All the generals said in unison: "Yes."

As the pioneers in the war to destroy Goguryeo, Qibi Heli and Li Simo spoke in Turkic. They were somewhat dissatisfied with Tian Khan for not allowing them to attack the Goguryeo royal city.

Qibi He urged: "After we have cleared the area near the royal city, we will return and attack the royal city together with Tian Khan."

The Tang army began to move again. The royal city of Goguryeo was a large black city. Goguryeo had fortified the royal city and cleared the countryside. The surrendered general Gao Yanshou led the Tang army all the way.

Xue Wanche and Li Daozon led their army on galloping, raising a large cloud of dust. The Tang army came in a black mass and surrounded the Goguryeo royal city.

Looking from a distance, you can see teams of people swaying on the enemy's city walls.

Wang Xuandu accepted a task he was very reluctant to take. He took the emperor's decree and got on his horse very reluctantly, muttering, "Just kill them all. Persuading them to surrender? Isn't that tiring? Too tiring..."

Then he noticed the person following behind him, Wang Xuandu asked in surprise: "Who are you?"

"I am Liu Rengui."

Then Wang Xuandu remembered and said, "You are the general beside His Royal Highness the King of Wu."

"Exactly."

Wang Xuandu walked slowly towards the capital of Goguryeo and complained again: "I used to have a good memory, but it has been getting worse recently."

"You used to be a county magistrate, didn't you?"

"You were chosen by the King of Wu to fight in the war? How many people have you killed?"

"say something!"

"..."

"fine."

Liu Rengui followed behind him, listening to Wang Xuandu's mumbling without saying a word.

The two men, riding two horses, arrived at the foot of the Goguryeo royal city. Wang Xuandu first cleared his throat.

"Do you know Wang Xuance?"

Before he could open his mouth, Liu Rengui in the back suddenly spoke.

Wang Xuandu looked unhappy and asked, "You just didn't say anything, why are you asking me this now?"

Liu Rengui said: "I heard from Cui Dunli that there is a general named Wang Xuance who is guarding Songzhou."

"Songzhou is tens of thousands of miles away from here. What does it have to do with my family?"

"Oh, you don't know him."

"you……"

Wang Xuandu muttered in dissatisfaction, "It's inexplicable!"

Afterwards, Wang Xuandu shouted loudly to the Goguryeo royal city: "The order of the Heavenly Khan, King Gozang, Yeon Gaesomun has caused chaos in Liaodong. If you care about your people, you can open the city and surrender. I will definitely not harm the people of Goguryeo!"

After the words were spoken, the royal city remained silent and did not respond.

Wang Xuandu simply put away the decree and shouted, "Listen carefully, you evil beasts! Whoever can capture the King of Goguryeo and Yeon Gaesomun and surrender to the Heavenly Khan will be rewarded with ten thousand gold and be made a marquis!"

The voice was once again shouted towards the royal city of Goguryeo, but after waiting for half an hour there was still no response.

Seeing this, Wang Xuandu smiled with satisfaction and said, "Very good, now these evil beasts should die."

After saying this, the two men and their two horses returned to the army.

When Wang Xuandu passed by, Liu Renyuan asked, "Is this how you read His Majesty's decree?"

Wang Xuandu said impatiently: "I have never been to school and don't know many words. This kind of thing should be left to Cui Dunli!"

Xue Rengui said: "That makes sense."

Wang Xuandu and Xue Rengui stood together and nodded heavily.

Wang Xuandu was not a civil official, but had always been a rough general. However, his words were indeed inspiring, and the soldiers in the army enjoyed listening to them.

On the first day that the Tang army besieged the Goguryeo royal city, the other side did not respond at all.

But something strange happened that night.

After learning that the King of Goguryeo was unwilling to surrender, a team of eunuchs around His Majesty ran to the royal city of Goguryeo under the cover of night, and then some explosions were heard.

No one knew what had happened, nor could they see the situation outside the Goguryeo royal city. They could only hear the sound of explosions.

The first time, twenty eunuchs went to the royal city, and when they came back, six of them were killed.

Xue Rengui and Liu Renyuan each had a Hu stool.

Liu Renyuan was sitting on a bench, holding a spear in his hand, with a confused look on his face.

Xue Rengui also looked puzzled and tangled. He sat on a stool, holding a halberd in one hand and asked, "What are they doing?"

Liu Renyuan shook his head and said, "I don't understand. I can't see clearly."

On the second night of the siege of the Goguryeo royal city, the same situation occurred again. This time, more than ten eunuchs went to the city, and three of them were killed when they returned.

There was the familiar explosion again, this time louder than the night before.

On the third night, there were several more explosions. Xue Rengui was originally looking at the Goguryeo royal city, but when he heard the explosions stop, he suddenly stood up and said, "The city has been broken!"

Liu Renyuan also stood up and said, "Damn it!" A gap was opened in the Goguryeo royal city, and fire could be seen inside.

A group of eunuchs were running when arrows were released from the Goguryeo royal city, and the eunuchs were shot to the ground one after another.

“Pah!” Wang Xuandu spat out the chicken bones in his mouth. He handed the remaining half of the chicken to the general beside him, then he dismounted and said, “Kill!”

"kill!"

There were loud shouts in the army.

When the last eunuch was about to be shot to the ground by an arrow, he fell to the ground, looked back, and saw the arrow coming towards his face and the Goguryeo people in the distance.

Suddenly, a rider on a fast horse came and knocked away the arrows with his iron-clad warhorse.

Before the elderly eunuch could come to his senses, a number of galloping horses passed by him.

The Tang cavalry charged towards the exploded Goguryeo royal city.

The old eunuch was still in the posture of lying on the ground. The war horses circled around him, forming two arcs with him as the center.

The soldiers didn't know how the city wall was breached, but they were sure it was related to this old eunuch.

Liu Renyuan and Xue Rengui rode at the forefront of the army, one in a white robe and the other in black armor. They bore the brunt of the attack and rushed into the Goguryeo royal city through the gap like lightning.

Within two breaths, the army from the rear arrived, and the war horses crossed the low area of ​​the gap and rushed into the royal city of Goguryeo.

The south of Goguryeo City was in chaos.

Wang Xuandu rushed into the city and shouted, "Die, the evil beast!!"

After he had just chopped down one of them, he calmed down and cursed Xue Rengui and Liu Renyuan in his heart for only caring about killing the enemy and almost forgetting the important matter. He shouted, "Follow me to take down the city gate."

"Yes!" Several teams of cavalry headed towards the west gate.

At the same time, Qibi Heli arrived and he grinned and said, "Finally I caught up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ashina She'er rode his horse and rushed forward.

Qibi Heli cursed inwardly and rode his horse to catch up.

At the other end of the besieged royal city, Li Ke received the news sent by the scout and asked, "Really?"

"The city has been breached, and General Liu Renyuan has charged into the city."

Hearing this, Li Dao Zong shouted: "Attack the city!"

"Here!"

The entire army rushed towards the Goguryeo royal city like a tide.

Tens of thousands of Tang soldiers rushed into the royal city one after another. Li Ke rushed to the foot of the royal city. Wang Xuandu, who was already covered in blood, struggled to open the city gate. He shouted, "Enter the city!"

The Tang army rushed into the royal city without hesitation.

Li Ke stabbed a Goguryeo man who was heading towards him with his long spear, and blood splattered three feet away.

The Tang army continued to charge in, and they were killing people in every street and alley in the royal city.

The Goguryeo people in the entire royal city had long lost track of directions, and they had no idea where the Tang army had entered the city from.

Qibi Heli rushed into the royal city. He looked around, looked towards the royal palace in the north, and rode away.

After a night, when it was just getting light, the Goguryeo royal city finally quieted down. The Tang army broke into the royal city, and the army gradually gathered outside the walls of the Goguryeo palace. In front of tens of thousands of troops, there was only one palace left to be taken.

The young King Go Zang stood on the city wall. Facing the mighty Tang army, his legs suddenly went weak and he fell to the ground. He cried and begged Yeon Gaesomun to surrender.

This feud had nothing to do with him. He was held hostage by Yeon Gaesomun and took the throne of King of Goguryeo.

Wang Xuandu once again walked in front of the army and shouted, "You evil beast, I have tolerated you for a long time, surrender immediately!"

Yeon Gaesomun looked at the Tang army under the palace wall in silence.

The former royal city was now in ruins, with thick smoke filling the houses.

Wang Xuandu shouted, "Aren't you the Great Molizhi of Goguryeo? Come down if you have the guts! I will fight you single-handedly!"

Yeon Gaesomun on the palace wall gnashed his teeth and commanded with his knife raised, "Shoot!"

But no one paid any attention to Yeon Gaesomun, and the only sound on the palace wall was King Go Jang's crying.

Yeon Gaesomun kicked down a guard, snatched his bow, drew the bow and shot an arrow at the Tang man who was shouting below.

Unfortunately, the arrow missed, and Wang Xuandu was shouting again under the palace wall.

Su Dingfang came to the front of the army and ordered: "Prepare to throw fire."

"Here!"

Catapults were sent to the front of the army, and fireballs were lit, ready to be thrown into the palace at any time.

Upon seeing this, King Gao Zang was about to descend from the palace wall to open the door for the Tang army.

King Gao Zang, who had just stood up from the ground and ran three or two steps, suddenly stopped. He suddenly felt a chill in his abdomen.

He looked down and saw a long knife had stabbed into his abdomen.

He turned around again and saw Yeon Gaesomun's face.

Yeon Gaesomun drew his knife and let King Go Jang fall to the ground.

Su Dingfang sighed and said slowly: "Throw fire and attack."

"Here!"

Fireballs were thrown into the palace by catapults, burning everything that could be burned.

The Tang army only had the last step left in this war to annihilate the country, but at this moment the Tang army was very calm under the command of various generals. They did not rush to charge, but waited for the other side to open the door and surrender.

At this point in the battle, the Goguryeo people no longer had any need to struggle.

When the gate of the palace wall was also burned, the Tang army finally rushed into the palace.

Yeon Gaesomun pointed a long sword at Wang Xuandu who rushed into the palace, indicating that he should fight alone.

Wang Xuandu looked at the other party with disdain. Now he didn't want to fight alone and hadn't opened his mouth to speak.

An arrow came from behind, and with a sound of breaking through the air, it pierced Yeon Gaesomun's throat.

Looking back, the person who shot the arrow was Xue Rengui.

Liu Renyuan rode his horse forward and looked at the Goguryeo general who was covering his throat with a very calm gaze.

There was still a look of unwillingness in Yeon Gaesomun's eyes.

Liu Renyuan swung his sword and chopped it off.

Li Ke rushed into the palace and saw that Yeon Gaesomun's head was in Liu Renyuan's hands.

The setting sun cast a red glow on the royal city. Li Shimin rode his horse into the city, slowly entering the royal city, the hooves of his war horse stepping on blood.

Goguryeo was destroyed.

That day, Khan pulled the reins, and the warhorse neighed and raised its front hooves in front of the main hall of the Goguryeo palace.

The cheers of the entire army resounded throughout the royal city, "Great Tang will win!"

Yeon Gaesomun died, and the King of Goguryeo also died. Whether you say it was their own fault or how brave the Tang army was, after this battle, there was no foreign enemy east of the Tang Dynasty for a hundred years.

Li Shimin pardoned the surrendered general Gao Yanshou and appointed him as a general.

The Tang army entered the Goguryeo royal city and confiscated everything they could get. The emperor also ordered that the soldiers in the army should not plunder ordinary people in Goguryeo.

The heads of Yeon Gaesomun and King Go Jang were hung on the city wall of the royal city.

Cui Dunli hurried to the royal city and told the emperor about the strategy for governing Goguryeo.

All wealth, food, livestock, and most of the population had to be taken away, unless there was something that could not be taken away.

(End of this chapter)