The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 847: Why did the Liao River stop flowing?

Changsun Wuji also knew that he had been a little obsessed and lost his composure just now, and Hou Junji was trying to help him out by making jokes.

With a slightly grateful look at the rough man opposite him, Changsun Wuji took a deep breath and no longer took those people's words to heart.

Tang Jian was nearly sixty years old, a generation older than Changsun Wuji and Hou Junji. In front of him, the two were just juniors. Seeing the two teasing each other, Tang Jian stroked his beard and smiled, with a flash of reminiscence in his eyes.

The three stopped talking and continued to listen.
"Alas, Zhangsun Wuji and Tang Jian are both civil officials, and Hou Junji did not participate in the Battle of Dingxiang five years ago."

The middle-aged man said with some regret: "They have no experience in fighting against the Turkic cavalry. I wonder why the emperor sent these people to command such a big battle this time? Generals such as Li Jing, Li Ji, and Cheng Yaojin in the court all have rich experience in dealing with the Turks."

"We have won the Battle of Dingxiang again, why doesn't Your Majesty use it?"

"The deployment of troops was like a child's play, resulting in the death of 60,000 to 70,000 men of the Tang Dynasty on the battlefield. It is really heartbreaking."

As soon as these words came out, a young man in the crowd suddenly showed a surprised expression: "Is the loss so great? Why don't I feel that?"

Then, ignoring the middle-aged man's expression, he counted on his fingers and said, "Yingzhou Prefecture used to have 30,000 troops stationed there. Later, in order to deal with the pressure from the Turks, the court gradually transferred 70,000 troops from Hebei Province and Datong Province."

"There are only 100,000 in total, and more than half of them died in this battle?"

"When I came in this morning, I came in from outside the city. The camp on the south bank was pretty much the same as before, with a huge crowd of people. And the soldiers were still laughing and joking. It didn't look like there were heavy casualties, did they?"

After hearing this, the teahouse, which had been noisy just now, suddenly became quiet. Everyone looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

Changsun Wuji, who was listening with great interest nearby, didn't care about the embarrassment anymore. His expression became serious and he looked at Hou Junji with a questioning look.

Hou Junji's expression froze, and he said seriously, "I will issue an order when I get back, not a single soldier is allowed to leave the camp."

"Ok!"

Nodding, Changsun Wuji whispered, "We also need to temporarily stop the training and let the soldiers stay in the tents to create a quiet and solemn atmosphere."

"Yes."

Tang Jian frowned and thought for a while, then suggested: "Even if this is the case, there is no guarantee that the news will not be leaked. I suggest that the soldiers be divided into several teams, leave Yingzhou at night, and then return in a big way the next day. We can tell the outside world that we have additional forces transferred from other provinces."

"This way we can conceal our tracks. From now on, we just need to prevent the soldiers from leaving the camp at will."

Changsun Wuji nodded silently and glanced at Hou Junji, who also agreed: "Well, this is very appropriate, I will do it when I get back."

The middle-aged man in the center of the hall, who was being watched by everyone, looked stern, as if he was very displeased with the young man's questioning. He said in a loud and disdainful voice: "Huh, what do you know?"

"It's nothing more than a trick. Changsun Wuji and Hou Junji must have deliberately set up false flags and frequently mobilized them in order to stabilize the people's hearts, creating a noisy appearance in the camp so that the soldiers can go out normally and avoid unrest in Yingzhou."

"If you don't believe it, cross the river and see for yourself."

"The vast land on the north bank of the Liao River is now littered with corpses, a scene like hell; broken limbs and arms are everywhere, and it is unbearable to see them. It is said that when the fierce battle was in full swing last night, the soldiers who fled from Huaiyuan City were blocked by Jie Li's cavalry at the ferry on the north bank."

"Under the siege of the army, countless soldiers were forced into the river and drowned."

The middle-aged man was probably a storyteller in the past. He was also involved in the story, and the more he spoke, the more fluent he became. He slapped the folding fan in his hand on the table and said loudly: "The river dyed red with blood is full of the bodies of the Tang army who were pushed into the water."

"Under the mountain of corpses, the Liao River stopped flowing."

After hearing the description of this tragic scene, the young man who had just raised his doubts was even more shocked. He stood up and looked out the window in confusion.

The Liao River in the distance was rippling with green waves, and a gentle breeze was blowing, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The surface of the water was empty and boundless, with no sign of floating corpses.

The young man asked in a serious tone, "Dead bodies everywhere? The Liao River stopped flowing? Is that so exaggerated?"

"Who did you listen to?"

"The Liao River is green, so how can you tell it's red? Uncle, are you dazzled? Although it's too far to see clearly here, I can see that the Liao River flows slowly from west to east. How can it be blocked?"

The middle-aged man seemed to have been offended, and stood up angrily and said, "I was talking about last night. The Liao River was flowing so hard that no matter how many corpses there were, they would have been washed downstream. If you ride your horse downstream now, you will definitely see countless corpses and the river water dyed red with blood."

Before the young man could ask again, a shrill and sorrowful voice suddenly sounded: "Oh my God, what have the people of Youzhou done to us?"

The old man with white hair and beard pounded his chest and said with great sorrow: "Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty led three expeditions to Goguryeo and suffered a disastrous defeat in Liaodong, with countless casualties. The Former Sui Dynasty was destroyed because of this, and countless men in Yingzhou died on the battlefield."

"Now we are faced with mediocre people like Zhangsun Wuji and Hou Junji. What should we do in the future?" For a moment, the lively teahouse fell silent. The emotions of the crowd were aroused by the old man's words, and they became even more excited.

There was a mixture of resentment and frustration in their hearts, their faces turned red, and they were suppressing unspeakable anger in their hearts.

The middle-aged man calmed down, and seeing that something was wrong, he quickly changed the subject and said, "What do you know? In fact, the emperor knows the situation in Liaodong. I heard that the emperor had no intention of participating in this war. The Turks are fighting against Goguryeo, not our Tang Dynasty."

"It was because Goguryeo repeatedly asked for aid from the Tang Dynasty, and offered tribute and acknowledgment of its loyalty, that the Emperor sent some soldiers and several important officials here."

"We just want to contain the Turks. We never thought of starting a big war."

"Originally, everything was going smoothly. The main Turkic army was trapped deep in the heart of Goguryeo. Jie Li led a small army, some of which were destroyed some time ago. They were no match for our Tang army. No matter how powerful Jie Li was, he had no ability to counterattack."

"But for some reason, the Turkic army that was clearly in the hinterland suddenly appeared on the north bank of the Liao River overnight?"

"I think the people of Goguryeo are malicious. After seeing that the Tang Dynasty sent troops, they wanted to divert the trouble to the south. They deliberately allowed the Jie Li army to attack the Tang Dynasty so that they could be free. Maybe they have some dirty tricks in private."

The scholar also agreed, "Yes, I think the Turks and Goguryeo must have reached a tacit understanding. Maybe the Turks' attack on Goguryeo was a trap to lure the Tang Dynasty into taking the bait. They are like Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai, one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten."

"Pretend to have a fierce battle, lure the Tang army to leave the fortress and march north, then set an ambush to surround our army."

"Yes, Goguryeo was never a good thing."

The young man who spoke first also added fuel to the flames: "Twenty years ago, I don't know how many people in the Central Plains died at their hands. Every time the Turks attacked our Tang Guanzhong, they not only did not help, but also took the opportunity to nibble away at our Youzhou land."

"Now it's their turn. Why should the Tang Dynasty help them?"

"I think it would be better for us to discuss with the Turks and jointly attack this shameless country that is indecisive."

"That's right. Goguryeo is a dog and the Turks are wolves. Let them bite each other. Why bother to meddle in their affairs?"

"The Emperor is kind-hearted."

"."

When the people in the hall thought that the Tang Dynasty might fall into the trap of the Turks and Goguryeo despite their good intentions in saving people, they became very angry. They all blamed Goguryeo and were very angry about the actions of the court.

Seeing that the wind direction began to change, Changsun Wuji and Hou Junji breathed a sigh of relief.

By now, both of them have realized that the few people taking the lead were the ones Tang Jian hired to stir up trouble and stir up public opinion.

While everyone was arguing, Changsun Wuji complained, "Master Tang, the people you hired are too unprofessional. They almost set us on fire. And that middle-aged man was exaggerating too much."

"That's right, shouldn't we have put the blame on Goguryeo from the beginning?" Hou Junji also complained.

"This is Yingzhou, not Chang'an. Where can we find such capable people?"

Tang Jian smiled bitterly and said, "That middle-aged man was originally a storyteller. I found him from Jizhou and gave him a lot of money. The old man, the young man, and the scholar were probably his listeners and hired by him as his protégés."

Changsun Wuji felt a surge of black lines on his forehead. He didn't expect that he had white hair on his face and was not so reliable in doing things.

Hou Junji asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Master Tang, what exactly did you order about this matter?"

"I just gave him some basic information, and then asked him to discredit our commanders, exaggerate the losses in this battle, and finally point the finger at the conspiracy of Goguryeo and the Turks. These are the principles, and the rest is up to you."

"I think they did a great job. Look how excited the crowd is."

Tang Jian was neither anxious nor impatient. He shook his head slowly and looked at the scene in the teahouse with a smile: "You two are still too young. Do you know what it means to suppress before you praise? A little exaggeration is nothing. Anyway, no one will verify it."

"Only bloody and tragic scenes can stir up the emotions in the hearts of the people. The more they see, the more frustrated and angry they become."

"The subsequent rebound will be stronger and the emotional outburst will be more intense."

"If public opinion is one-sided and all the dirty water is thrown on Goguryeo, how can we make the people of Goguryeo believe that our Tang Dynasty is really sending troops to rescue them? How can we win people's hearts after the war? You know, there are still many people left in the Three Kingdoms of Korea?"

"Don't these people need to be appeased?"

"If we want to accept the Three Kingdoms of Korea with a clear conscience, be understood by the people of both sides, and stop the people from complaining, appropriate sacrifices are necessary. Don't talk about you, don't you see that even the emperor and the court are eating melons and being complained by the people?"

(End of this chapter)