Late Tang

Weiba Mountain City, Chengshan Mountain City, Goryeo City Mountain City, Baiyun Mountain City, two mountain cities with a circumference of five miles, and two mountain cities with a circumference of six miles, plus [-] horses, Gao Bing, the envoy of the Goguryeo City of Jili, rushed to the next day. It turned out that for Li Jing's request, he agreed without haggling at all.

Moreover, [-] war horses were sent to Weiba Mountain City on the same day.Next, on the same day, the soldiers and horses from the three cities of Chengshan Mountain City, Gaoli City Mountain City, and Baiyun Mountain City were withdrawn and handed over to the Zhendong Army.After Li Jing divided his troops to take over the three cities, he released Gao Zhaokang and the three thousand Goguryeo Mountain City soldiers who dominated the mountain city the next day.

Li Jing didn't expect that the Goguryeo people would agree to his conditions so happily.Although five thousand soldiers and horses are expensive, they are nothing compared to the four mountain cities.Although the other three mountain cities are not as dangerous as Weiba Mountain City, they are also very easy to defend and difficult to attack.If there is a strong attack, Li Jing thinks that the current [-] soldiers and horses can be captured one by one, but it will definitely have to pay a big price.Now that the Goguryeo people handed over the three mountain cities so happily, Li Jing was really surprised.

With these four mountain cities, the east side of Jili Mountain City was completely exposed to the horseshoes of the Zhendong Army.The area around the Biliu River is completely under the control of the Tang army.

The Goguryeo people were willing to hand over the four mountain cities, and it was definitely not just Gao Zhaokang, which shows that they encountered a more serious threat than Li Jing.If it hadn't been for a more severe threat, the Goguryeo people would never have given up the east gate of Jili City to Li Jing.Losing these four mountain cities, if Li Jing turned his back on his word and didn't keep his promise, he could come to Jili City at any time.

"Five thousand soldiers from the Khitan Liansa tribe and the Yelu family from the Diel tribe have just broken through Longtan Mountain City, which is sixty miles north of Jili City, and now the soldiers are pointing directly at Jili City." Li Wei, the tenth general of the Feiying Battalion in charge of scouting information He rushed to Weiba Mountain City and reported loudly to Li Jing.

"No wonder!" Li Jing smiled lightly, "The Goguryeo people don't want to fight on both sides, and they think the Khitan people are more threatening than us."

"This is a good opportunity. Now the Goguryeo people are trying their best to deal with the Khitan people. Why don't we stab the Goguryeo people in the back and take Jili City directly?" Qin Zongshou can be said to be completely with the Goguryeo people now. Falling out, so more anxious to take the opportunity to beat the dog in the water.

"Not right!" Li Jing smiled, glanced at the generals, but saw that Liu Xun seemed to be thinking, so he waved to him: "Bohu, tell me why I agreed to Goguryeo's offer at this time." Please make peace, instead of taking the opportunity to attack the Goguryeo people?"

Liu Xun took two steps forward, clasped his fists at Li Jing's luggage, and said calmly: "The general thought that the reason why the Duke didn't make trouble at this time was to avoid taking advantage of the Khitan people. This should be what the Duke often said Strategic layout, for the sake of strategic layout, sometimes some tactical opportunities have to be let go."

Li Jing smiled and nodded: "Go ahead, speak clearly."

"Your Majesty, Xun believes that the strategic purpose of our entry into Liaodong is to recover Liaodong. The recovery of Liaodong is a three-step process. The first step is to integrate the forces of the Tang people in southern Liaoning. To achieve this step, the deterrence of the East Army alone is not enough. Yes, we still need external help. Since we captured Qingni and Beisha, the forces of the Tang people in southern Liaoning have been sandwiched between our Zhendong army and Liaozhong, where the Goguryeo people occupy. The county prince was not in a hurry to march into Liao South, but chose to send troops when the Goguryeo people were fighting with the Khitan people and looting around southern Liaoning. I thought this was the right time. The power of the Tang people in southern Liaoning was oppressed and threatened by the Goguryeo people. At this time, we entered Liaonan In the end, under the appeasement strategy of the overbearing Goguryeo and the governor, the Tang forces in southern Liaoning could only fall to our Zhendong army."

"That's right, what about the second and third steps?" Li Jing was really impressed by Liu Xun. Liu Xun's first step in recovering Liaodong was exactly what Li Jing wanted to do now.Many high-ranking generals of the Zhendong Army have not figured out such a problem at the strategic level. Liu Xun is only serving as his bodyguard now, and he has thought of it so far. This has to make Li Jing amazed. The number one wise general of the Five Dynasties, Liu Xun, who is known as one step and one hundred tricks.It is gold, and it will shine wherever it goes.

Encouraged by Li Jing, Liu Xun, who was only 15 years old at this time, was also very excited, his face was slightly flushed, and his face was full of excitement. "Xun believes that integrating Liaodong is the main goal of this entry into Liaodong, while the second step should be to weaken the Goguryeo people, and the third step should be to curb the growth of the Khitan people in Liaodong. These two steps should be integrated. In our future Before the complete integration of southern Liaoning, it is not suitable to completely defeat the Goguryeo people for the time being, but to gradually weaken them."

"Wouldn't it be better to kill the Goguryeo people directly? Why keep them, it's too troublesome!" Qin Zongshou was confused, wondering if he could keep the Goguryeo people in Jilizhou if he could kill them.

Liu Xun explained: "If we send troops to deal with the Goguryeo people in Jili Prefecture now, we can certainly defeat them, but we will definitely have to pay a lot of price. The most important thing is that the Khitan people are now penetrating into Liaodong. If people are there, they will be able to resist the Khitans’ eastward and southward movement for us. In this way, we can fully integrate southern Liaoning. Only after the southern Liaoning is stabilized, can we go northward with all our strength. Therefore, let the Goguryeo people resist for us now Khitan people. When Goguryeo and Khitan fight, the result is that the two tigers will lose both. The Goguryeo will be weakened by the Khitan, and the Khitan will be contained by the Goguryeo. Going north, it will be much easier to deal with the Goguryeo and Khitan people."

Li Jing smiled and clapped his hands, expressing his appreciation for Liu Xun's words.The young general Liu Xun's wisdom is indeed extraordinary. With just a few moves by Li Jing, he has basically guessed Li Jing's strategic plan for entering Liao.

"Bohu's words are very kind, and they are exactly what I meant. Langya, do you understand now? Wars are not only based on brute force, but also on resourcefulness. Although our army in the east of the town is strong, Liaodong is in chaos. Yu Nian, it is not so easy to recover. We have to find an entry point and find the most appropriate opportunity. Right now, the dispute between the Goguryeo people and the Khitan people is an excellent opportunity. Goguryeo was originally a country of Balhae A dog, now that the Bohai State is playing weak and losing control of the Goguryeo people in Liaodong, this dog has become a ferocious wild dog. And the Khitan people are wolves from the grassland. Now there are only a few lone wolves, but the ones behind The wolves will follow sooner or later. Now, we are going to take advantage of the fierce battle between the Goguryeo dogs and the Khitan wolves, and first integrate and pacify southern Liaoning. Then we can talk about going north."

If it weren't for the Khitan and Goguryeo people fighting, and Li Jing wanted to enter Liaonan, the Goguryeo people would definitely intervene. Without strong external pressure, those Tang forces in Liaonan would definitely not easily surrender to Li Jing.

This is the node, and this is what Li Jing said about the general trend.

"Then we are so cheap Goguryeo people?" Qin Zongshou still said a little unhappy.After finally bringing down Gao Zhaokang, Li Jing let him go again.

"Of course it won't be so cheap for them." Li Jing spread out the map of Liaodong, pointed to the map where Jili Prefecture is located, and said, "Now we have occupied the four mountain cities in the east of Jili Prefecture. As for the Goguryeo people, we The soldiers and horses have already directly threatened the hundreds of miles to the east of Jili City, and they can send troops to Jili City at any time. Therefore, before we take the initiative to deal with them, they have no courage to deal with us now. Now, we will While the Goguryeo people are going all out to deal with the Khitan people, they will integrate all the Tang territories south of Jili City."

"How to integrate?"

"Duli Town is the same as Qingni City and Beisha City. All the ministries in southern Liaoning were placed under the Governor's Mansion in Southern Liaoning. In addition to the existing three counties, five counties were established. In addition, Weiba Mountain City, etc. Dangerous mountain cities and strongholds need to set up military towns and garrisons, and station troops and horses. The former leaders of the various ministries in southern Liaoning have conferred official positions on the Anton Duhufu and the Liaonan Dudufu. The soldiers and horses of the southern ministries will be reorganized into two divisions, and apart from the Wolf Fang Battalion, the other soldiers and horses will be reorganized into nine battalions. The officers of each battalion in the new division will be officers from the original ministries."

Li Jing initially only planned to give five battalions to southern Liaoning, but he was also worried that the various ministries in southern Liaoning would rebound strongly, so he only gave two divisions and ten battalions first.The plan is to come step by step, first integrate these forces together, and merge southern Liaoning into eight counties, then gradually map it out, and finally integrate all the southern Liaoning forces thoroughly.

Of course, apart from integrating the ministries in southern Liaoning, Li Jing didn't intend to stop there.He has issued a military order to Qingni City, and immediately dispatched Zhenhai and Nutao Ernaval battalions to Liaodong, and Zhendongying to the east sea of ​​Weiba Mountain City and Shirenzhu Port. There are Changshan Islands, with more than 50 large and small Among them, there are more than 20 inhabited islands, with an area of ​​more than 170 square kilometers and an area of ​​25 mu, comparable to the Daxie Islands in Dengzhou.Moreover, the archipelago is also located under the sea route from Dengzhou to Bohai Sea, Silla, and Japan.

The Changshan Islands are now occupied by a Goguryeo force, with only a few thousand soldiers. In the past, Gao Dexin was attached to Jilizhou City. Because Weiba Mountain City is very close to the coast, so although Shirenzhu Port is closer Changshan Islands, but they have never dared to move this islands.Of course, Li Jing didn't intend to let go of this territory now. Taking advantage of Jili City's overwhelmed self, although Li Jing didn't plan to attack Jili City for the time being, he didn't say he wouldn't attack his vassal forces.

The Zhenhai Battalion will join the two infantry battalions in Qingni City and head to the Changshan Islands, while the Nutao Battalion will join the two battalions from Dengzhou and head directly to Changxing Island to the west of Jili City.

Changxing Island is located in the sea to the west of Jili City. It is the largest island north of the Yangtze River and the seventh largest island in China.The area is more than 250 square kilometers, reaching an area of ​​nearly 40 mu.The whole island is 22 miles long from east to west, 180 miles wide from north to south, with a coastline of 2 miles around the island and [-] mu of tidal flats.

In addition, next to Changxing Island, there are five large islands: Exchange Island, Fengming Island, Xizhong Island, Camel Island, and Ping Island. The area is comparable to the Changshan Islands, covering more than 170 square kilometers and covering an area of ​​more than 25 mu.Including Changxing Island, these six islands have an area of ​​65 mu.

Li Jing had always coveted the Changshan Islands and Changxing Islands when he was in Shamen Town, but the time had not come. Now, Li Jing would never miss this great opportunity.Jili City can temporarily keep them to contain the Khitan people, but Li Jing wants all the dozens of islands on the east and west sides.

(To be continued)