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

Chapter 118: Buying off the Baekje Army with Money
"What do you know? The art of war is cunning. The best strategy is to defeat the enemy without fighting."

Gao Yanshou scolded angrily.

Yeon Nansang is Yeon Gaesomun's eldest son. Gao Yanshou is at the same level as Yeon Gaesomun, and is not someone that a junior like him can question.

"Decades ago, the fathers of the people of the Central Plains all died in the territory of Goguryeo. This time, the Tang army even massacred the city. They are seeking revenge. How can they retreat so easily?"

Yeon Gaesomun said angrily.

"There is only one war. No matter how powerful the Tang Dynasty is, I want to ask the men of Goguryeo if they are afraid."

Yeon Gaesomun was ambitious and had shown his political ambitions since he came to power.

He was preparing to swallow up Baekje in the south and secretly allied with Mohe in the north in an attempt to expand his territory.

"Yes, the Tang army was strong, and so was our army. The end of the Sui Dynasty was the same for the Tang Dynasty."

In the main hall, a group of pro-war factions shouted.

"The Tang Dynasty massacred our Goguryeo soldiers and civilians. This hatred is irreconcilable. Tell the news to each city. Only by defending to the death can we resist the Tang army. Otherwise, whether you surrender or not, you will be massacred by the Tang army."

With just one word from Yeon Gaesomun, the military and civilians of Goguryeo were united and determined to defend the city to the death.

"Gao Yanshou, Gao Huizhen, listen to my orders. As the Grand Commander, I now order you to mobilize your troops to the front line and block the Tang army within the second line of defense."

"But remember, you can't fight the Tang army outside the city. The Tang army is good at field battles. You should avoid their sharp edge and defend the city. When winter comes, the Tang army will collapse without a fight."

Yeon Gaesomun had a clear understanding of the overall situation and made the most appropriate arrangements.

In some historical novels, Yeon Gaesomun is more powerful and is also known as Gaesomun and Cheolsumon.

He is an existence that no one can defeat except Xue Rengui.

It is undeniable that Yeon Gaesomun was indeed a hero with unique strategic vision.

It was only after his death that the Tang Dynasty conquered Goguryeo. During his reign, Goguryeo's military defense was very strong and the city defenses were impregnable.

"We are all out on the expedition, what are you doing?"

Gao Yanshou retorted that how could he not know that Yeon Gaesomun was intentionally using the Tang army to weaken his own strength.

"I, Lu, will personally lead the army to pacify Baekje and Silla in the south and capture the Tang crown prince Li Chengqian alive."

Yeon Gaesomun said loudly, his majesty was unquestionable. In his eyes, the Tang army was world-famous, so what? They were no match for him.

Its confidence came from Goguryeo's natural environment and the defense system built long ago.

In addition to the mountain city defenses built on the mountains, there is another natural barrier, the Yalu River, which is Goguryeo's third line of defense.

Especially during the rainy season, the river is turbulent and even boats cannot pass.

"For the future of Goguryeo, I will not argue with you for now. I will lead the army westward to resist the Tang army."

Gao Yanshou took the overall situation into consideration and chose to obey Yeon Gaesomun's arrangements.

"Where has the Tang army attacked yet?"

Yeon Gaesomun asked.

"The Tang army is invading like a fire. They have already conquered Fuyu City, Beisha City, Xincheng City, and Xuantu City, and are besieging Gaimu City and Jian'an City."

Gao Yanshou replied that the military operations of the Tang Dynasty were also followed up in real time.

Yeon Gaesomun's face showed a chill. It was true that Goguryeo's city was strong, but the speed of the Tang army's attack was not slow at all.

"Send the military order and send troops to support us. We must stop the Tang army outside Gaimu City."

Yeon Gaesomun gave the order.

Gaimu City is different from other cities. It is a grain city on the border. Once the Tang army breaks through it, they will be able to fight to support the war.

"If you can't defend it, burn the food."

The Tang army attacked so quickly that the logistics supply could not keep up. As long as Goguryeo could hold out for a month or two, the Tang army would be forced to retreat.

Yeon Gaesomun also knew the shortcomings of the Tang army, and now he has issued such an order. Even if the Tang army captures the city, they will only get an empty city.

Gao Yanshou and Gao Huizhen also nodded at the same time.

They are politicians, and they are all cruel people.

This time, they all agreed to Yeon Gaesomun's military order.

"It will not be difficult for the Tang army to defeat them. In the past, the Sui Dynasty had millions of troops but could not defeat Goguryeo. This time, the Liaodong City area will be the place where they will suffer a great defeat."

Gao Yanshou was full of confidence. As long as he defeated the main force of the Tang army, his popularity in Goguryeo would increase greatly, and he would not be at a disadvantage in the political struggle with Yeon Gaesomun.

He sneered and looked at Yeon Gaesomun as if to provoke him.

Then he flicked his sleeves and left the hall.

"Sir Lu, Gao Yanshou is a traitor. Now that he has finally arrived in Pyongyang, he should be killed on the spot to prevent future troubles."

Yuan Nansheng had a murderous look on his face.

"Yes, Dad, Lu, it should be so."

All the confidants also spoke up.

"Short-sighted, Gao Yanshou and I are just political enemies. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, we should unite against the enemy. Do you know how many cities will surrender to the Tang army if Gao Yanshou is killed now?"

Yeon Gaesomun slammed the table, expressing his disappointment with his son Yeon Nanshen and a little bit of worry.

Yeon Gaesomun's children lived up to his expectations. After his death, they fought for power, causing Goguryeo to disintegrate from within, which became the fuse for its demise.

"Everyone go down and prepare. Soon, I will personally attack Baekje."

Yeon Gaesomun said that Pyongyang is close to Baekje and Silla, and Pyongyang has no defense system in the south.

What they feared was the Tang Dynasty in the west, but they did not take Baekje and Silla in the south seriously.

But now the Tang army has appeared in Baekje, which is extremely fatal to Pyongyang.

He wanted to lead the army personally to completely eliminate the two hidden dangers of Silla and Baekje.

"Your Highness, the Baekje Provincial Camp has a total of 30,000 soldiers."

In the southern city of Jingyuan, Heichi Changzhi bowed and reported.

During this period of time, Heichi Changzhi gathered the scattered soldiers in Long and regrouped them.

Li Chengqian stood up and looked at the huge crowd of people. These soldiers hardly had a complete set of armor, and even their spears and lances were very simple, most of which were homemade.

Compared with the Tang army equipment that Li Chengqian looked down upon before, it is still far behind.

"Soldiers, from today on, you are all Tang soldiers!"

Li Chengqian shouted.

Except for a few generals who shouted a few times, the other soldiers were extremely dull and stared blankly at Li Chengqian.

This is just another change of leadership.

For them, the change of dynasties made little difference; they all had to perform military service, do labor service, and work hard for the ruling class.

Li Chengqian continued, "According to the rules of our Tang Army, every ordinary soldier can receive 300 coins after serving in the army for one month. The higher the rank, the more monthly salary they will receive."

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, those dim eyes suddenly became extremely bright. They all raised their heads and looked at Li Chengqian with suspicion in their eyes.

In such an era of low civilization.

Money can indeed buy off the hearts of the troops.

(End of this chapter)