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

Chapter 182 Lure the enemy deeper
On the sea surface at the mouth of the Xiongjin River, thousands of sails are racing past in a mighty manner.

"coming!"

Dao Chen stood at the bow in armor and pointed forward.

"Follow the established plan and meet the battle!"

Heichi Changzhi waved his hand and gave an order, and dozens of warships came forward. Although the number was small, each giant ship was several times larger than the Japanese warships, and they were not at a disadvantage in momentum.

The beating of drums was deafening.

The fleets of both sides collided head-on.

When it got close, the Japanese ships immediately dispersed and did not choose to collide head-on with such a huge object.

That's simply seeking death.

In an instant, dozens of Tang army warships were surrounded by numerous small boats.

Japan has mastered the use of naval tactics.

Small boats were harassing them from all sides, and from time to time rockets would fly up and land on the ships, causing large fires.

The battleship was so huge that there was no way to escape.

On the contrary, the Japanese pirates' warships were small and only a few were hit.

Although their own equipment and manufacturing skills were superior, they were still passively beaten, which made the Tang army soldiers extremely annoyed.

Countless iron hooks were shot out from the pirates' small boat again, and the pirates ran quickly, trying to board the boat to rob.

"That's enough, call it a day!"

Seeing that several huge warships had already caught fire and many ships were also in danger of being fought over, Heichi Changzhi spoke calmly.

On the main ship, flags fluttered and the sound of gongs was deafening.

The Tang army warships retreated quickly, and several warships were unfortunately engulfed by the raging fire.

However, several small boats managed to break through the waves, and although the ships were engulfed in flames, the crew members were safe and sound.

All of this was carefully prepared in advance.

There are several small boats attached to the hull of each giant ship as a means of escape.

There was no plan to win this battle, and there was no tactical deployment.

The Tang Dynasty's current manufacturing technology is far superior to that of Japan. It is not difficult to win at sea, but it is obviously unrealistic to completely annihilate the enemy.

"The Tang army is no better than this! Tell the warriors to charge forward and capture Li Chengqian alive!"

Azumi Hirafu laughed triumphantly and commanded the fleet to pursue with all their might.

However, how could the Japanese small boats catch up with the Tang Dynasty's carefully developed warships?

Whether in terms of speed, cargo capacity or defense, the Tang Dynasty warships had an absolute advantage and crushed the Japanese warships.

No matter how hard the Japanese fleet tried to pursue, it would be in vain.

Azumi Hirafu could only watch dozens of warships quickly disappear at the estuary.

"What a pity! The Tang army had such powerful warships, but they still fled. This is simply a waste of resources."

The eyes of the rear army general Mao Ye Zhizi showed greed, as if he saw the scene of these warships falling into the hands of Japan. What a grand occasion that would be, and they would be truly invincible on the sea.

"The fighting power of the Tang army does not seem to be as strong as imagined. They occupy the rich mainland land, which is a waste. Our great country of Japan should take their place and become the master of that land!"

Atumihirafu suddenly became full of ambition and desire, and he wanted to point his sword at Chang'an.

"On the sea, the warriors of our Great Japan are invincible. But once they land on land, I'm afraid they are no match for the Tang army. The envoys who have been to the Tang Empire all said that the Tang Empire is powerful and its army is elite, and it must not be underestimated."

Mao Ye Zhizi said solemnly that they were the overlords of the sea and were good at naval battles, but they were not completely sure about land battles.

"General Mao Ye, I think the Tang army may be just as powerful as it is boasted. In fact, their real combat power is just like what we see now. Whether on the sea or on land, they can never be the opponent of our great Japanese warriors."

Azumi Hirafu was mysteriously confident, and the victory in this battle led him to misjudge the strength of the Tang army.

In this sea area, Japanese soldiers were invincible and once beat Silla and Baekje so badly that they could not even raise their heads.

It also made the Japanese soldiers more arrogant. Before, when there was no large-scale fighting, they still maintained a certain degree of awe towards the Tang army.

But now after the battle, the myth of the invincibility of the Tang army was shattered.

"Send a message to the warriors, the time to rejoice has come. Rush into the interior of Baekje as quickly as possible and grab all the most valuable things onto the ship."

Azumihirafu brandished his sword and let out a strange shout.

The Japanese pirates were so excited that they made strange sounds like ghosts crying and wolves howling.

Fu Yufeng's face twitched. Isn't this also a disguised form of robbery?
On the main battleship, several people had different expressions and their own thoughts.

"The Central Plains believes that warfare is about movement. It is wrong for the Tang army to be defeated so easily. During this period, we have fought against the Tang army many times, and their combat power is even better than that of our warriors."

Mao Ye Zhizi still felt uneasy after thinking about it carefully, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

Small-scale city defense battles that lasted for many days all ended with the defeat of the Japanese pirates.

It was also because they were unable to seize supplies and were in a dilemma that the Japanese pirates decided to launch a large-scale battle and defeat the Tang army with their numerical advantage.

However, the situation was going too smoothly, which was a far cry from the combat effectiveness shown by the Tang army before.

"That was on land. The Tang army is good at land battles, but we are good at naval battles. The Tang army's defeat was expected, wasn't it?"

After hearing this, Mao Yezhizi's uneasiness disappeared. He realized that he was just overthinking it.

If you use your own weakness to attack others' strengths, you will never fail.

"The Ungjin River leads directly to the interior of Baekje. As long as we don't abandon our ships and fight, we will be invincible. Even if we have to fight on land, our warriors will not be afraid."

The Japanese pirate army rushed into the mouth of the Ungjin River with great momentum and headed towards the inland of Baekje.

The Tang army garrisoned in Jialin City fled at the sight of the enemy, abandoning the city and fleeing, as if they were terrified by the Japanese army.

Within a few days, the Japanese pirates captured several cities without bloodshed, and the towns, residents and supplies in the south all moved north.

Even if the Japanese pirates captured the city, they would only get an empty city.

This undoubtedly made the situation even worse for the Japanese pirates, who were already facing logistical difficulties.

They had to speed up the pace of the invasion and seize supplies before the Tang army withdrew, otherwise they would be exhausted to death.

In this cold season, if supplies cannot keep up, everyone will freeze to death.

Little did they know that the faster they advanced, the closer they were to despair.

The fact was just as Liu Rengui and Heichi Changzhi predicted, and it fell into the pocket they had woven.

But accidents always happen. A rebellion broke out in Zhouliucheng, an important city in the south, before the garrison was evacuated.

The remaining aristocratic forces in Baekje wanted to restore the monarchy and enthrone Buyeo Feng, who had returned, as emperor in order to rebuild the Baekje Kingdom.

"General Andumi, General Maoye, there are men approaching on the shore claiming to be former Baekje officials, and they want to bring back Prince Buyeobong."

On the main ship, a warrior with a mustache knelt on one knee and reported to the two main army generals.

"Baekje troops? Could they be Tang troops pretending to be them? According to the news, the king of Baekje has surrendered to Tang. Could the old ministers still be there?" Mao Ye Zhizi had a suspicious look on his face and obviously didn't believe it.

"It doesn't matter whether they are former Baekje officials or Tang soldiers, as long as they are on the warships, we have the final say. Let them get on board."

Azumihirafu was very calm, and his consecutive victories made him even more arrogant.

No matter whether it was the Tang army or the Baekje army, they were all vulnerable in front of him.

"Who are you? We have never seen you before among the officials of Baekje. Are you a spy of the Tang army?"

Azumi Hirafu shouted loudly to the people who got on the boat.

"I am Buyeo Bok-sin, Baekje Japyeong, a member of the Baekje royal family."

Fu Yu Fu Xin raised his head and looked at the two of them.

Buyeo Boksin, also known as Guishi Boksin, was the cousin of Buyeo Uiji and served as Japyeong, a first-rank official in Baekje at that time.

He was also one of the few famous generals in Baekje. In Baekje, he was a general comparable to Heichi Changzhi.

After Tang and Silla joined forces to destroy Baekje and captured Buyeo Uija, it was Buyeo Boksin who used his prestige to contact his old subordinates, organized an army, and resisted the Tang army, in an attempt to reclaim his homeland and rebuild Baekje.

So they asked Japan for help. The Japanese Emperor Qi Tian believed that there was an opportunity to gain benefits and agreed to send troops to Baekje.

After welcoming Buyeo Pong back, Yu Zhouliucheng helped Buyeo Pong to become emperor, sounding the clarion call for Baekje's restoration.

Fuxin of Buyeo made many achievements and made outstanding contributions in the war with Tang. However, because his achievements were too great, he was feared by Buyeo Feng after he ascended the throne, and was killed by him instead.

Baekje's restoration movement was also seriously affected by this civil strife.

In addition, the Battle of Baekgang broke out later, and Baekje had no hope of restoring its country, so Buyeo Feng fled to Goguryeo.

"Buyeo Fuxin, you were the one who asked our emperor for help to send troops?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Azumihirafu's eyes.

"Yes, it's me. According to the agreement, we are allies. Please let Prince Buyeo Feng return home. Soon, we will hold a coronation ceremony for Prince Buyeo Feng and call on more anti-Tang forces."

Fu Yu Fuxin said calmly that now they had a common enemy.

"Since our army is here to help, shouldn't you give us the military supplies?"

Azumi Hirafu asked.

"That's as I should. I know a thing or two about the difficulties your army is facing. I have sent people to transport the military supplies to the river bank. General, please send someone to count them."

The Buyeo royal family has been working on the land of Baekje for hundreds of years and has a deep foundation.

Even though they had suffered several purges by Monk Daochen, they still managed to preserve a large amount of property and food.

"Someone, go and count the supplies immediately!"

Azumi Hirafu said excitedly, no longer doubting Fuyu Fuxin's identity.

"Can you please let me meet Prince Buyeo Feng?"

Fu Yu Fu Xin asked appropriately.

"Of course, Prince Buyeo Feng please."

With the addition of the old Baekje army, it means that their Japanese warriors no longer need to take the lead, food and grass are no longer a problem, and the situation has become very good.

The Japanese Kingdom joined forces with the old forces of Baekje, and the army suddenly swelled to more than 50,000 people.

Five days later, Buyeo Feng was crowned in Zhouliu City and became the new king of Baekje.

He issued an order calling on all places to resist the oppression of the Tang Dynasty.

However, the situation this time is completely different from that in history, and there are very few responses.

After all, under Li Chengqian's current governance, the people of Baekje have finally experienced what it means to live and work in peace and contentment.

He hated the rebellious people of Buyeo Feng even more.

Historically, when Buyeo Feng ascended the throne, people in Baekje responded because the people of Baekje were suffering under the military oppression of Su Dingfang.

At the most serious time, in the entire Baekje territory, only the original capital Sabi Castle remained controlled by the Tang army, and the Tang Dynasty had lost control of Baekje.

The commander of the Tang army at that time was Liu Renyuan, who wrote a letter to Li Zhi requesting him to send troops to suppress the Baekje rebellion.

The pale-faced scholar Liu Rengui thus embarked on his journey to become a general and a prime minister.

Liu Renyuan and Liu Rengui do not have much relationship.

Liu Renyuan was a descendant of the Xiongnu Liu clan, while Liu Rengui was a descendant of Liu Bang.

Liu Renyuan was able to become the leader of Baekje because he had a private friendship with Su Dingfang, but of course, his ability cannot be denied.

When the whole territory was surrounded by enemies, he led the Tang army soldiers to defend the city of Sibi and waited for the support of Liu Rengui, which was enough to show his ability.

We can’t expect everyone to reach the level of Su Dingfang, Liu Rengui and Pei Xingjian to be considered a hero.

Historically, the Tang Dynasty's suppression of Baekje evolved as follows: in order to attack Goguryeo from both sides, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, appointed Su Dingfang as the commander-in-chief of the Shenqiu Road Army, and led tens of thousands of troops from the mountain city to attack Baekje by water.

Su Dingfang won victory after victory and in less than a month he captured the Baekje capital Sabi Castle and captured the Baekje King Buyeo Uija.

However, he was negligent in the management of Baekje and did not discipline his soldiers strictly.

As the victorious side, the soldiers looted the territory of Baekje and killed any resisters.

The period during which Su Dingfang ruled Baekje is also known as the Bloody Reign.

This aroused the whole nation of Baekje's resistance. Heichi Changzhi and Daochen also rebelled during this period and organized the people of Baekje.

Buyeo Boksin was also not idle, asking Japan to send troops for help.

Buyeo Feng followed the Japanese army back to Baekje and proclaimed himself emperor. This was the restoration of Baekje. All parts of the country responded, capturing cities and strongholds along the way. In the end, only Sabi Castle was left and belonged to the Tang army.

Faced with such a situation of inevitable defeat, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi unintentionally appointed Liu Rengui to rush to the aid of Baekje.

In fact, he was just pretending. He did not expect Liu Rengui to be so fierce. He was able to turn a situation of certain death into a resurgence.

After Liu Rengui arrived in Baekje, he used his scholarly qualities to sow discord.

Because there were conflicts between Baekje and Wa, and there were also conflicts between Buyeo Feng and Buyeo Boksin, both of them actually wanted to be the new king of Baekje.

Buyeo Feng became the new king due to the situation, while Buyeo Bok-sin was the will of the people.

Under Liu Rengui's plan, Fu Yu Feng successfully killed Fu Yu Fu Xin, a general with command ability.

Buyeo Feng's murder of Buyeo Boksin disheartened many Baekje generals, and civil strife broke out.

Liu Rengui took advantage of the victory to pursue the enemy, made solemn promises, and successfully persuaded Heichi Changzhi and Monk Daochen to surrender. The Baekje restoration forces thus collapsed.

After that, the Battle of Baekgang was fought to compete with Japan. Japan was defeated and Baekje once again became the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

However, the situation at this time was far different from what had happened in history, and the only people who responded were a handful of noble sons and daughters.

Zhouliu City became an isolated city.

Attack and defense are easy.

(End of this chapter)