Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 117: The Battle Across Liaoze Begins

On the bank of Liaoze, Li Daozon stood on the shore, looking deeply into the muddy water covered with weeds.

A floating bridge was built, making it possible for pedestrians to cross the Liaoze Lake, which was previously impossible for pedestrians to cross.

"Reporting to the deputy chief steward, the Korean army in Huaiyuan has withdrawn. They must have been attracted by Chief Steward Li. Now is the time to cross the Liaoze."

A tall general bowed and said, he was Gao Kan, the General of the Right Guard of Liaodong Road.

Gao Kan was also one of the famous generals in the early Tang Dynasty. Like Cheng Mingzhen, he was overshadowed by the brilliance of the big guys.

But after Li Ji, Li Daozon and Li Jing withdrew from their era.

Gao Kan’s highlight moment finally came. He was a famous general who destroyed the Tang Dynasty and had a place among them.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, his reputation was not as famous as Su Dingfang, Liu Rengui and Xue Rengui, but in terms of defeating foreign enemies, he was comparable to these three.

He has a very low reputation, and perhaps people don't even know that there was such a famous general in the Tang Dynasty.

But when it comes to Gao Shi, people may all be familiar with him. Gao Shi is the grandson of Gao Kan.

Gao Kan's military achievement was the destruction of the Chebi Kingdom, which was the successor of the Eastern Turks. After the demise of the Eastern Turks, the people of the Eastern Turks came together again, established a Yazhang, and established their country with its capital in Jinshan.

The power of Chebi State was still very strong. They often plundered Xueyantuo, and even Xueyantuo could not do anything about it.

Afterwards, Xueyantuo was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, and Chebi Kingdom naturally became a hidden danger on the Tang Dynasty's border.

A war to annihilate a country began again, and the leading commander was Gao Kan.

"Gao Kan, you lead 2,000 soldiers as the vanguard, cross the floating bridge, cross the Liaoze, and capture Huaiyuan. If you succeed, this general manager will record your merit."

Li Daozon said that he was good at rapid warfare and was famous for his blitzkrieg.

"promise!"

Gao Kan took the order and waved his hand, and many soldiers carried wooden boards and stepped onto the pontoon bridge.

The floating bridge is still under construction and it will only take half a day to reach the other side.

The Liaoze is 200 miles long from east to west, and building a floating bridge across the swamp is not a one-day job.

After three days of Gao Kan leading his troops to build a bridge and pave the road, they finally reached Huaiyuan Town on the other side of Liaoze.

The Goguryeo military thought that the Tang army had penetrated into the heartland of Goguryeo, and there were only a few hundred guards in Huaiyuan.

After a fierce battle, Huaiyuan changed its owner.

"Messenger, immediately send a message to Deputy Chief Li that Huaiyuan has been occupied by our army."

On the top of the city wall, two soldiers retreated.

"Leave one hundred men to guard this place, and the rest of the soldiers, follow me to attack the Liao Great Wall."

Gao Kan led his troops along the Great Wall without stopping.

Huaiyuan City is the southernmost end of the Liao Great Wall. By occupying the Liao Great Wall, the Tang army can advance and retreat freely. It is a very important strategic location.

Two days later, all the troops led by Li Daozon had entered the territory of Goguryeo.

After learning that Gao Kan had led his troops to the upper reaches of the Liao Great Wall, Li Daochen did not choose to wait, but instead drove straight in and joined Li Ji's main force.

The best time to use military force against Goguryeo is from April to July.

From September to March, it is still basically cold, while from July to September it is the rainy season.

Once this golden period is missed, it will become extremely difficult. Now the army has crossed the first line of defense of Goguryeo, Liaoze and Liao Great Wall.

The second line of defense is the mountain city built near the mountains and rivers. Once the rainy season comes, the roads become muddy and it is very difficult to march.

Since then, Li Chengqian's strategic deployment of attacking Goguryeo from the north and the south has been completed, making it difficult for Goguryeo to defend itself from both ends.

In Pyongyang, Goguryeo's high-ranking officials gathered in the palace.

Sitting on the throne was the new king of Goguryeo, Gao Zang, but he was only a nominal king.

The real person in power in Goguryeo now is Yeon Gaesomun, the Daemok branch who sits on the side, and he alone holds both military and political power.

Yeon Gaesomun was sitting upright, his face expressionless, with a very strong beard and a tall and handsome figure. He carried five swords on his back, revealing his iron-blooded spirit.

"Your Majesty, Baekje has surrendered to Tang and deployed its troops on our territory. We need to send troops to resist and prevent the capital from being put in danger."

Gao Yanshou stepped out of the line. He was the younger brother of Gao Jianwu, the powerful prince of Goguryeo, and a kind-hearted man who traveled thousands of miles just to deliver Li Shimin's head.

At the same time, he was still a powerful official who could compete with Yeon Gaesomun.

When the army was approaching, he put aside his grudge with Yeon Gaesomun for the sake of the Goguryeo royal family and the interests of the country.

Yeon Gaesomun launched a coup, killed King Go Geonmu, and established the puppet King Go Jang, all of which violated the interests of the Go royal family.

They had attacked each other before.

"Silla and Baekje are unimportant. The main force of the Tang army is in Liaodong. I think we should transfer heavy troops to Liaodong." Yeon Gaesomun said.

"Yeon Gaesomun, remember your identity. I am asking your Majesty now." Gao Yanshou couldn't help but curse.

"I am Molizhi and Dadulu of Goguryeo. I control the military power of the entire country. Of course, I am qualified to ask about this." Yeon Gaesomun responded tit for tat, and his momentum was not weakened at all.

"Why bother? The people of the Central Plains just love to save face. We should treat Goguryeo like we did to the Sui Dynasty. We should first admit defeat and surrender to them. After they return, we can rebel. This way, they will be exhausted and will be pulled down by us like the Sui Dynasty."

Gao Huizhen said, another person from the royal family.

Yang Guang's three expeditions to Goguryeo were also caused by this group of fickle villains.

The first Eastern Expedition inflicted a heavy defeat on Goguryeo, which surrendered and Yang Guang accepted its affiliation.

But as soon as he arrived in Chang'an, he received news of Goguryeo's rebellion.

So, Yang Guang, in a rage, gathered a large army and marched against Goguryeo again. Halfway through the battle, a fire broke out in the backyard. Yang Xuangan, who was in charge of transporting grain, rebelled.

Yang Xuangan was the representative of the Guanlong Group and it was also the clan that was causing trouble, so his second expedition to the east failed.

After pacifying Yang Xuangan, Yang Guang was still unwilling to give up and launched an attack on Goguryeo for the third time.

Because the previous two expeditions to the East consumed endless manpower and material resources, the people of the Sui Dynasty suffered terribly, and then the rebel army spread all over the country.

The Turks invaded and the food supply was cut off. Under the influence of external and internal factors, the Third Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo was defeated at the Liao city, and hundreds of thousands of Sui troops were killed in Goguryeo territory.

This time, Gao Huizhen wanted to use the same old trick again, hoping to continuously weaken the national strength of the Tang Dynasty.

After all, wars are fought with money and food. The Tang Dynasty’s expedition must have consumed a lot. Even the most powerful dynasty could not afford such waste.

"Is this a possible plan?"

Gao Yanshou also nodded. This was indeed a good idea. He could admit defeat without losing anything.

"Isn't this a bit shameless?"

Yuan Nansheng said, this is too weak, how do you know that Goguryeo is no match for the Tang army without even fighting?
(End of this chapter)