Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 627: Imitating Cao Mengde’s tactics in conquering Ye City (Part )
Inside the big tent, dozens of generals stood solemnly on both sides.

Li Ji looked to the left and said, "Su Dingfang!"

"I am here." Su Dingfang stood up with a cold expression and bowed solemnly.

"I order you to lead 10,000 infantry and cavalry to attack the eastern mountains." Li Ji looked at Su Dingfang and said, "Kill as many Goguryeo soldiers as possible in the mountains, or drive them deeper into the mountains. Then cut off the passage down the mountain, ensuring that they cannot descend and intercept the grain trains this autumn."

"Yes!" Su Dingfang bowed seriously.

"And more!" Li Ji placed his hand on the black-sheathed long sword on the table and continued, "When the army attacks Pingrang City, the biggest fear is that the Goguryeo people will store water in the mountains. Then, during the heavy rains of summer and autumn, they will open the dams to release the floodwaters. The dams will contain wooden piles and rocks. Once the water rushes down, the warships on the Taedong River will be greatly affected. Therefore, you must find these water storage areas as much as possible and destroy them as much as possible."

"I obey your command." Su Dingfang bowed with a serious expression.

To be honest, Su Dingfang had done such things in previous years, but the result was that they found everything they could find and destroyed everything they could. However, every summer and autumn, the surface of the Taedong River would always be visible to the naked eye.

What’s different this year from previous years is that Su Dingfang has more manpower, and even a lot of mountain soldiers from Bashu and Jingxi.

"After all this is done, we will dig as many new tributaries as possible in the upper reaches of the Taedong River. If there are any accidents, we can use these tributaries to discharge floodwaters." Li Ji looked up and looked at Su Dingfang.

Su Dingfang nodded and saluted: "I will obey your orders."

The meaning of Li Ji's words was very clear. He wanted to destroy the hidden dams as much as possible. If that didn't work, he could use tributaries to relieve flood pressure.

"Qiu Xingyan, come and assist him." Li Ji looked at Qiu Xingyan behind him.

"I obey your command." Although Qiu Xingyan was the Minister of the Imperial Household, he spoke like a military general.

Li Ji looked at the two men and earnestly instructed them, "These tributaries don't need to be dug into canals. It's enough to drain floodwaters. At a critical moment, we can use these tributaries and the floodwaters to block the Goguryeo people's path down the mountain."

"Yes!" Su Dingfang and Qiu Xingyan bowed respectfully, then retreated.

Li Ji looked at Ashina Zhong who was standing to the side and said, "Duke Xue!"

"I am here!" Ashina Zhong stood up and bowed.

"Your mission is to follow Su Dingfang's rear, cross the Taedong River from the upper reaches, and sweep through the cities along the edge of the mountains to cut off their connection with Pingrang City. At the same time, tell them that the Tang Dynasty is not sending troops to Goguryeo to destroy the country. You just need to let Quan Gaisuwen return the power to Gao Baozang, and the Tang Dynasty will withdraw its troops." As soon as Li Ji finished speaking, the generals in the tent couldn't help but smile slightly.

How is it possible not to destroy Goguryeo?

Since the previous emperor, the Tang Dynasty has aimed to destroy Goguryeo.

At that time, the emperor followed the will of the previous emperor and also made the destruction of Goguryeo his main goal.

It's just that the emperor took a step back and used more subtle means.

Capture Pingrang City, kill all resistance forces of Goguryeo, then plunder all the wealth of Goguryeo and retreat north, leaving this mess to Gao Baozang to deal with.

The Tang Dynasty withdrew calmly and at the same time provoked internal strife among Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla.

The Tang Dynasty stood by and watched coldly, and even added fuel to the fire, which eventually led to the demise of the Three Kingdoms.

Of course, the first to perish in civil strife must have been Goguryeo.

Because the emperor said that the Tang Dynasty would not destroy Goguryeo, but no similar promise was made to Baekje and Silla.

Only if Goguryeo is destroyed, Baekje and Silla can the Tang Dynasty destroy Baekje and Silla.

Although it is time-consuming, it actually greatly reduces the cost of war.

When in Chang'an, many people may have doubts in their hearts.

But when they all arrived at the banks of the Taedong River after a 5,000-mile journey, looking back at where they had come, everyone understood that the emperor was right.

……

Hearing someone's uncontrollable laughter, Li Ji raised his head and glanced at everyone coldly, and everyone immediately fell silent.

Li Ji then turned to look at Ashina Zhong and emphasized, "Remember to sweep first, then cut off, and finally tell them that the Tang Dynasty will not destroy Goguryeo. The order cannot be messed up."

"I understand." Ashina Zhong bowed seriously.

Li Ji nodded, looked to the right and said, "Liu Demin!"

Liu Demin, the chief of the navy, stepped forward and said, "I am here!"

"Summer is almost here, and it's time for the navy to mobilize." Li Ji looked outside the tent and said calmly, "Except for one portion of the navy heading north along the Taedong River to assist the army in attacking Pyeongrang City, the rest of the navy will follow the coast and completely eliminate all ships at sea, whether civilian or warships."

"I obey your command." Liu Demin bowed seriously.

Li Ji nodded and looked at Niu Jinda: "Duke of Langya County!"

"I'm here!" Niu Jinda stood up and bowed.

"You lead the remaining generals and march across the Taedong River." After a brief pause, Li Ji said, "Lead the troops to surround Pyeongrang City from all sides, and then drive the civilians outside the city!"

The generals couldn't help but look up. Are they going to use the people of Goguryeo as siege tools?

"At the same time," Li Ji tapped the table gently and said, "Dig a trench outside the city, one zhang deep and one zhang wide, around the city walls, divert the water from the Taedong River, and cut off all communication between the city and the outside world. Even if a bird flies out of the city, it must be shot.

"I obey your command!" Niu Jinda understood what Li Ji was going to do. It turned out to be the same tactic that Cao Mengde used to capture Ye City.

"Yan Liben!" Li Ji looked to the side.

Yan Liben immediately stood up and said, "I am here."

"You will assist the Duke of Langya in completing this task." Li Ji saw Yan Liben's surprise and said, "Digging a ditch to divert water is only the first step. There will be follow-up."

"Yes!" Yan Liben immediately bowed.

Li Ji turned around and looked at Xue Wanche, Xue Wanbei, and Xue Rengui. He said in a deep voice, "The three of you will be responsible for leading the remaining troops and coordinating the support. If any soldiers break out of the city, they will be killed immediately."

"Yes!" The three of them bowed in unison.

Li Ji looked to the left and nodded, "Protector Su!"

"Marshal!" Su Xu immediately stood up and bowed.

Li Ji was very polite to Su Xu, not only because he was the son-in-law of Princess Nanchang, but also because he was the deputy protector of Andong Protectorate.

The post of Protector of Andong was held concurrently by Zhao Yuankai, Minister of Rites, but he stayed in the court for most of the year and had little to do with the affairs of Andong. The affairs of the Andong Protectorate were mainly handled by two deputy protectors: Niu Jinda, who was in charge of military affairs, and Su Xu, who was in charge of logistics and transportation.

In fact, the person who really controlled the logistics was Su Xu, the son-in-law of Princess Nanchang, the daughter of Emperor Gaozu, the uncle of the empress, the father of Concubine Zhaoyuan Su, the grandfather of the King of Liao, the governor of Shenzhou, one of the eighteen scholars of the Former Qin Palace, and the deputy governor of the Andong Protectorate. He was the second most important person in the entire army after Li Ji.

Li Ji nodded and said, "Duke E will be the general manager of logistics and will be stationed in Dandong Prefecture to transport grain and grass. As for the Liaodong areas, I'll leave it to the Protector General!"

"I obey your command." Su Xu bowed seriously.

Yuchi Jingde was the commander-in-chief of the rear army and seldom came to the front.

It was not because there was any conflict between him and Li Ji. Firstly, the logistics and transportation were already busy. Secondly, his status was no worse than Li Ji's. If he came to the front of the army, it would be too easy to affect the major military affairs. If he had a different opinion on everything, it would be too easy to affect Li Ji's command, so he simply did not show up.

When Su Xu returned to Liaodong, he had many things to discuss with Yuchi Jingde.

Given Su Xu's status, Yuchi Jingde should also show him some respect.

Li Ji took a deep breath, looked at Liu Rengui who was standing slightly behind him, and nodded, "Liu Changshi."

"I'm here!" Liu Rengui stood up.

"Last year, you built hundreds of forts in Jiangbei, which was a good job. But this year, I demand that we build forts on the south bank of the Taedong River, ten feet from the south bank. Build one fort every hundred meters. This will serve as a node and base for the army to blockade Pingrang City. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Liu Rengui bowed and accepted the order.

Li Ji looked at Liu Rengui and nodded with satisfaction. If he were to ask who among all the people in front of the army made him most satisfied, there was no one else except Liu Rengui.

When they were in Chang'an and Luoyang, the emperor did not say many things, but Li Ji could see that the emperor attached great importance to Liu Rengui, even more than anyone else present.

During the six months along the Taedong River, Liu Rengui built hundreds of docks in the shortest time, far exceeding Li Ji's expectations.

He originally thought that these things would take a year, but now it seems that the time to capture Liaodong City can be accelerated.

Of course, this incident fully demonstrates Liu Rengui's ability.

After the army breaks through Pingrang City in the future, Li Ji may still be in charge for a few years, but after that, Su Xu should probably be in charge. However, Su Xu will not be in charge for long, and then it should be Liu Rengui.

The current Liu Rengui is the Secretary of the Central Secretariat and concurrently the Chief Clerk of the Andong Road Military General Administration.

After the war, he should be appointed as the assistant minister of the six ministries, or even directly appointed as the local governor. After a few years, he will have accumulated enough merits to be promoted to the deputy protector of Andong.

At that time, Su Xu would be the Protector General of Andong, but Liu Rengui would be the real Governor General of Andong.

A burst of hurried footsteps interrupted Li Ji's thoughts.

Sima Wei, the general manager of the Andong Road army, entered from outside the tent. He bowed to Li Ji and said, "General, Quan Gaisu Wen has sent someone here."

"Oh?" Li Ji was slightly surprised, then he looked up and said, "Bring him in."

……

Jin Xuancheng strode into the tent. Facing the crowd of powerful Tang generals, he solemnly bowed and said, "Your humble servant, Jin Xuancheng, is here to greet the Duke of Ying by order of the King."

"Gao Baozang's men." Li Ji sat in the commander's seat, holding the black-sheathed Thousand Ox Sword beside him, and said with a smile: "Can Gao Baozang's men leave the city now?"

"Yes!" Jin Xuancheng bowed and said, "Yesterday, Da Duilu sent someone to meet with our king, saying that he did not want to see Pingrang City reduced to ruins, with corpses piled on the city walls. Therefore, he was willing to return power to our king and ask the Tang Dynasty to withdraw its troops."

what!
In an instant, all the generals in the hall looked at Jin Xuancheng in surprise.

Is Quan Gaisuwen willing to return power?

But everyone immediately understood that this was just a delaying tactic.

If Quan Gaisuwen was willing to hand over power, he would have done so long ago. Why would he drag everything on until today?

Not to mention, he killed King Rongliu and imprisoned Gao Baozang for ten years. How could he easily return power?

"Quan Gaisuwen wishes to see peace between the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo, and I, too, wish to see it." Li Ji spoke to the astonished eyes of the crowd. "How about this? Three days from now, I will meet with the Treasure King here. If he comes, then peace can be established between the two countries."

Jin Xuancheng's expression changed slightly.

Li Ji sneered and said, "Why? I don't even need Quan Gaisu Wen to come. I can just let Gao Baozang come. Why is he still unwilling?"

"My king comes alone, how can his safety be guaranteed?" Jin Xuancheng couldn't help but look up.

"What? Gao Bao is hiding in Pingrang City and there is no general who can protect his safety?" Li Ji leaned forward slightly with a cold look in his eyes.

Jin Xuancheng's mouth twitched slightly, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Go back. I have no intention of playing any games with Quan Gaisuwen. Yang Guang is stupid enough, but I don't have any." Li Ji waved his hand. Wei Daijia had already stood beside Jin Xuancheng. Jin Xuancheng could only stand up helplessly and said, "Yes!"

After Jin Xuancheng disappeared from the tent, Li Ji looked at everyone and said, "Just wait and see. As soon as this man returns to Pingrang City, Quan Gaisuwen will immediately tell everyone that the Tang Dynasty will not end the war unless he is killed. They may even kill him and the Goguryeo general who is most capable of resisting the Tang Dynasty. After that, the Tang Dynasty will kill Gao Baozang and destroy Pingrang City."

Only then did everyone understand the sinister intentions behind Quan Gaisuwen's actions. They also realized that Li Ji had seen through Quan Gaisuwen's plan at first sight.

"Quan Gaisuwen will show no mercy to the people of Goguryeo. This is why I didn't attack the city in winter. Firstly, it's difficult to attack in winter, and secondly, Quan Gaisuwen would simply drive the people into a deadly fight with us in Pingrang City, which is full of traps." Li Ji sneered, "He's doing this just to get the people of Goguryeo to fight us to the death."

Everyone in the tent looked solemn.

Li Ji looked at everyone and said seriously, "Let's get to work. The difficulty of this battle is far beyond your imagination. I have been here for four years and have not been able to capture Pingrang City. Quan Gaisuwen's caution is extraordinary."

"Yes!" Everyone present bowed in unison, then turned around and filed out.

Li Ji turned around and looked at Li Yiyan, the military officer who was standing beside him. "Write a memorial. Quan Gaisuwen's men have come. Although they are plotting something, we still need to report this to Your Majesty."

"Yes!" Li Yiyan immediately bowed.

At this time, Li Ji looked at Wei Daijia on the other side and said, "It's time for Sima to show his skills. The Hundred Cavalry Division's people in Goguryeo need to be mobilized. Tell them that it is Quan Gaisuwen who wants to fight to the death, not the Tang Dynasty."

Wei Daijia bowed silently, then turned and left.

Li Ji looked towards the curtain on his left and said, "Master Wei, it's summer now. We should start testing those things."

"I obey your command!" Wei Daijia, the young eunuch in the palace, stepped forward and bowed.

(End of this chapter)