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

Chapter 634: The Late Emperor, Your Servant Li Ji, Conquered Goguryeo Today (Part )
After a night of fighting, the smell of blood lingered in Pingrang City on a rainy night.

The sky is getting brighter and red light is blooming.

Li Ji, dressed in black clothes and black armor, rode on a tall black horse and slowly entered Pingrang City.

The long street in front was already filled with Tang Dynasty soldiers holding spears and on guard.

The moment everyone saw Li Ji enter the city, they bowed and shouted, "General!"

Li Ji smiled gently and urged his horse forward.

Throughout the entire Pingrang City, one could still hear the sounds of shouting and killing.

Pingrang City is a rare large city. If there is no war, the population of the city is around 300,000 all year round, which is definitely not inferior to some Tang Dynasty cities.

So even now, there are still many areas that have not been cleared.

Liu Rengui, Li Yiyan, Wei Daijia, Wei Hongji and all the other officials of the Grand Administration followed Li Ji closely.

Others such as Niu Jinda, Su Dingfang, Ashina Zhong, Xue Wanche, Xue Wanbei and others also continued to fight in this huge city.

……

Before he knew it, Li Ji had arrived at the end of the long street, at the gate of the royal palace in Pingrang City.

Xue Rengui, wearing silver armor and a white robe, holding a long spear, stood beside the palace gate.

Beside him, a body covered with a white sheet lay on the ground.

Quan Nansheng, Quan Nanjian, Quan Nanchan, and many more civil and military officials knelt on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.

Li Ji's horse slowly stopped, and Xue Rengui immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "General, I have already killed Quan Gai Suwen, and all his soldiers have surrendered."

Li Ji looked at everyone deeply, and his gaze couldn't help but fall on the body of Gai Suwen from Laiquan. A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

So many people surrendered without much resistance.

Moreover, Quan Gaisuwen did not run away, but ended everything completely with his death.

He saw through it.

He saw through the emperor's ultimate means of destroying Goguryeo.

So, he died.

He used his death in exchange for the emperor's forgiveness of his son.

As expected of Da Duilu, who has been in charge of Goguryeo for many years, he has a sharp vision.

The emperor did discuss with Li Ji how to use Quan Gaisuwen's family after his death.

After all, the people who hate Gao Baozang the most are indeed his family. Using them to destroy Goguryeo and even the three countries of Dongdao will be the most labor-saving way for the Tang Dynasty.

However, the emperor also said that Quan Gaisuwen had three sons, and the emperor did not need too many. It would be enough if one of Quan Gaisuwen's sons could survive.

one is enough.

Li Ji raised his head and said, "Take them all to Jiangbei and lock them up in the dungeon."

"Yes!" Xue Rengui bowed solemnly.

Soon someone came forward and escorted all the people to the north bank of the Taedong River.

Li Ji raised his head, looked towards the palace, and asked, "Have you found Gao Baozang?"

"I have found him. He is in a side hall of the palace. If you want to see him, I will bring him to you immediately." Xue Rengui said solemnly.

"Not for now. I will see him again in three days." Li Ji shook his head slightly. Now is not the best time to meet Gao Baozang.

Li Ji turned his horse around, looked across the entire Pingrang City, and then said, "Pass on my order!"

"Yes!" Everyone present bowed solemnly.

"Order all units to completely wipe out all resistance in Pyongyang within three days," Li Ji said coldly. "After three days, not a single person in the entire city of Pyongyang will be allowed to resist the army with a knife or a stick."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed solemnly. Some sensitive people could even hear some special smells.

"Send a message to the Duke of Langya County and let him take charge of the cleanup in the army." Li Ji looked to the side indifferently, and a Qianniu Guard had already rushed out quickly.

"Order all the generals outside the city to immediately spread the news of the fall of Pingrang City to all the cities of Goguryeo." After a brief pause, Li Ji said, "See who will surrender before the news of Gao Baozang spreads, and see who will still refuse to surrender after that."

"Yes!" A Qianniu Guard immediately took the order and ran out.

"Send a message to Liu Demin, tell him to enter the city immediately and lead his troops to transport the grain in Pingrang City to Jiangbei as quickly as possible." Li Ji looked at Wei Hongji and said, "Wei Shaojian, you will be responsible for assisting with this matter."

"Yes!" Wei Hongji's eyes jumped, he bowed casually, then turned around and left quickly.

Everyone present was in awe. The remaining food and grass in Pingrang City was not enough to feed the people of Pyongyang City for four months. But even so, Li Ji still had to cruelly grab as much food and grass in the city as possible and take it to Jiangbei.

The means are extremely cruel.

Li Ji nodded calmly, then turned sideways and said, "General Xue." "I'm here!" Xue Rengui immediately stood up.

"I order you to lead your troops to guard the royal palace and official treasuries at all levels. You guard the palace all year round, so you should know where to go." Li Ji raised his eyes.

"Yes!" Xue Rengui bowed.

"Wei Daijia will go with you. Let's start moving from now on." Li Ji looked at Wei Daijia on the side.

"Yes!" Wei Daijia, dressed in red and golden armor, stood up and bowed to receive the order.

Li Ji waved his hand slightly, and the two of them immediately turned and left.

Li Ji pulled out a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Liu Rengui, who was standing beside him. He said, "Chief Secretary, go find Su Dingfang immediately and seal off all the mansions according to this list. Anyone who attacks will be killed immediately."

Some things cannot be touched lightly.

What belongs to the emperor belongs to the emperor; what belongs to the court belongs to the court; the rest belongs to the officers and soldiers in the army.

The boundaries here must be clearly defined.

"Here!" Liu Rengui took the memorial and turned away quickly.

Li Ji raised his head and looked at Li Yiyan beside him. He said, "Go and prepare the memorial. The fall of Pingrang City requires immediate notification to Chang'an. Otherwise, one memorial per day should be submitted to Chang'an."

"Yes!" Li Yiyan immediately bowed.

"Also, have someone prepare a sacrificial altar." Li Ji raised his head slightly.

"Here!"

……

In a palace on the left side of the palace gate, countless officials from the Grand Eunuch's Office delivered reports to Li Ji's desk.

He handled all matters inside and outside the city in an orderly manner.

Li Yiyan placed a memorial on Li Ji's desk. After reading it, Li Ji lowered his head and signed and sealed it.

He handed the memorial back to Li Yiyan and said, "Send it back to Chang'an immediately. At the same time, send someone to tell the Duke of E and the Protector General Su that Pingrang City has been captured, and ask them to rush to Pingrang City as soon as possible."

Pingrang City was broken, no matter what, Yuchi Jingde and Su Xu had to go and take a look.

"Yes!" Li Yiyan quickly sent someone to deliver the memorial and the message.

When he came back, Li Ji had already packed up and headed to the rear of the palace.

Li Yiyan followed him, and when there were few people around, Li Yiyan couldn't help but say, "General, I'm afraid that after I return today, the censor will impeach me."

Today, although Li Ji did not make some things clear, the soldiers in the army will definitely do them.

Within three days, all enemies will be wiped out.

This is equivalent to allowing the army to plunder for three days.

Of course, everything would not be done so obviously, and the character of the Tang soldiers would not be so bad as to bully women and children. However, the property of these families, as well as those of the wealthier families, except for those places on Li Ji's list, would most likely all be looted.

"Are you worried about the affairs of Duke Weiguo and Hou Junji?" Li Ji glanced at Li Yiyan.

"Yes!" Li Yiyan nodded, sighed softly, and said, "Let's not talk about Hou Junji. Even the Duke of Wei destroyed the country several times, but he was impeached and dismissed every time."

"You!" Li Ji shook his head slightly, then said, "You always look at things halfway, and you will suffer in the future."

"Please give me some advice, Marshal." Li Yiyan bowed seriously.

"Hou Junji's death is self-evident. The Duke of Wei was impeached twice. The second time was for treason, which is another matter. The first time, he was simply impeached for failing to exercise proper restraint. Afterward, the Duke of Wei confessed his guilt and went into seclusion. Yet, within six months, the late Emperor appointed him Shangshu You Pushe, second only to Fang Xuanling. This demonstrates the late Emperor's love for him."

Li Yiyan began to understand a little.

Compared with Hou Junji, the things here are clearer.

"Besides, he has been fighting outside for a long time, and the emperor asked him to rest for half a year, so this is even more obvious." Li Ji sighed lightly.

Li Yiyan nodded slowly.

After Li Ji finished speaking, he strode towards the back of the hall.

An altar was placed in the center.

The white candle is burning lightly, and the three animals are ready.

There was no spirit tablet on the altar, only a piece of imperial silk.

Li Ji took a deep breath and walked to the altar, picked up the tall incense beside it and lit it.

Then he bowed three times seriously to the yellow silk.

Finally, Li Ji raised his head and gazed towards the boundless, clear sky. Then, with tears in his eyes, he solemnly reported to the heavens, "Emperor, your servant, Li Ji, has today conquered Goguryeo."

(End of this chapter)