The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 813 Taking advantage of the situation
Queen Tamna was thin and pale, and spoke weakly. Although she was only in her early forties, her hair was gray, and she looked like an old woman in her sixties or seventies.

"I am grateful to the General for not massacring the Tamna people, but as the Queen of the Tamna people, I am also very worried about the future of my tribe. General, could you please tell me frankly what the fate of the Tamna people will be?"

Luo Shixin smiled slightly and said, "It is a good thing that the chief can speak fluent Chinese. It allows us to communicate and reduce misunderstandings. The chief may not know that there are many tribes like the Tamna people in the Great Sui Dynasty. They have their own territory and their own way of life. The Great Sui court never interferes with them. But they all have one thing in common: they recognize themselves as subjects of the Great Sui Dynasty and can live in harmony with the Han people."

Queen Tamra nodded gently, "We are also willing to become subjects of the Sui Dynasty. Can the Sui court accept this?"

"Of course you can. Once you become citizens of the Great Sui, Tamna Island will be part of the Great Sui territory, and there will be troops stationed there. In the future, a small number of Han people will come to farm and live there. Your children can also study in the Great Sui. As long as you are loyal to the Great Sui, the court will definitely allow you to live on Tamna Island for generations to come."

"Will the taxes be too heavy?"

Luo Shixin laughed, “A small tribe of only a few thousand people, I believe the imperial court will not ask for your taxes, but it will need to pay tribute. For example, your area is rich in citrus fruits, so you will have to pay tribute to the imperial court with citrus fruits every year.”

"I can rest assured that!"

The Queen sighed, "Our greatest crisis as Tamna people is our short lifespan. Children are very prone to dying young, and even our royal family is on the verge of extinction. I really don't know how to solve this problem."

“I will have the military doctor treat the child. I suspect it’s related to the lack of medical care and medicine in Tamna. As long as you become citizens of the Great Sui, the court will not abandon you. They will build schools and clinics on Tamna Island, teach you how to farm, and provide you with good seeds and farming tools. The Emperor of the Great Sui will protect every one of his citizens.”

"If my health improves, I will definitely go to the capital to pay homage to the Emperor!"

Back in the main tent, Luo Shixin arranged for the military doctor to treat Queen Tamna's illness. He then went to check on the warhorses. They had brought in three thousand warhorses, which were currently being grazed on nearly ten thousand acres of grassland on Tamna Island to recover and adapt.

Meanwhile, 50,000 soldiers began their final pre-battle training, and a major battle was imminent.

Three days later, thousands of warships sailed in from the south and anchored in the north of the island. Soldiers began to assemble and board the ships, and three thousand warhorses also boarded the ships under the leadership of cavalry.

The fleet soon arrived at the mouth of the Nakdong River and entered the river. Thirty thousand Sui soldiers disembarked and assembled on the west bank, while five hundred warships carrying twenty thousand naval soldiers continued northward.

The Sui army's tactics were very clear: take the East Luo River as the boundary, the 60,000 troops west and north of the East Luo River would be annihilated by the main force of 30,000 Sui troops, and the capital city of Jincheng east of the East Luo River would be taken by the navy.

The King of Silla was named Kim Jinpyeong, and he was the twenty-sixth king of Silla.

When 20,000 Sui soldiers suddenly arrived at the city gates, King Kim Jin-pyeong and the nobles were terrified. Kim Jin-pyeong hurriedly sent Grand Chancellor Park Yeong-soo to negotiate with the Sui army.

Soon, Park Yeong-soo arrived at the Sui army camp, where he was received by Fei Qingnu, the naval commander.

"We have always had a deep friendship with the Great Sui Dynasty, and we regard the Great Sui as our father. Why has the Heavenly Army suddenly descended upon us? Please enlighten us, General!"

Fei Qingnu coldly said, "Many years ago, you have been minting counterfeit coins to plunder the resources of the Sui Dynasty, and deceiving the people of the Sui Dynasty by kidnapping them to Silla as slaves. You have committed many evils. Have you never thought that retribution would come one day?"

Park Ling-soo was speechless. He still remembered the jubilant scene when the first batch of Sui Dynasty slaves arrived. He never expected that retribution would come so quickly, in just a few short years.

After a long pause, Park Ling-soo said, "If we return all the people to the Sui Dynasty and repay the wealth with gold and silver, will the Heavenly Army withdraw its troops?" Fei Qingnu shook his head, "The Sui Emperor has ordered the troops to be dispatched; whether or not they withdraw is not up to me!"

Park Ling-soo's eyes darted around as he said, "We'll go to the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty immediately to apologize. General, could you grant us a few months' grace and temporarily halt the attack on the city?"

Fei Qingnu saw through the other party's thoughts and said with a faint smile, "I can temporarily refrain from attacking the city, for a period of three months. If I do not receive an imperial decree after three months, then don't blame me for being impolite!"

"sure!"

Park Yeong-soo rushed back to the city and reported his mission to the king.

Kim Jin-pyeong immediately summoned several senior officials to discuss countermeasures.

Park Yeong-soo said to everyone, "I have bought three months, enough time for our 60,000 troops to return from the border. During this time, we must also recruit and train troops as much as possible, and we must not be discovered by the Sui army."

Several ministers looked at Kim Jin-pyeong, who nodded. "Strength is the foundation of negotiation. Without the guarantee of strength, we will ultimately be at the mercy of others!"

"Your Majesty, should we send someone to Luoyang at the same time?"

Jin Zhenping shook his head, "We'll go to Luoyang after we defeat the Sui army!"

A Silla army of 30,000 men was rushing back to Jincheng along the official road. When the commander-in-chief, Kim Seong-gyeong, received the king's order, he learned that the Sui army had reached Jincheng. He was extremely anxious and wished he could grow wings and fly back to the capital.

In the afternoon, the army passed through a canyon. The canyon was full of bare rocks, with cliffs on one side and slightly lower rocky mountains on the other. The canyon was a crack in the mountain. It was about five or six miles long, more than thirty feet wide at its widest point, and only a few feet wide at its narrowest point.

Soon the entire army entered the canyon, where countless Sui soldiers appeared on a slightly lower rocky hill, with a large amount of rice straw piled up behind them.

At this moment, Deputy General Wang Junkuo gave an order, and hundreds of rockets were launched into the valley. The soldiers who were marching were caught off guard and were frightened into dodging, but the rockets were not aimed at them.

In an instant, flames burst forth beneath the feet of the Silla soldiers. Terrified, they scattered in all directions. At that moment, tens of thousands of kilograms of rice stalks rained down from the sky, spreading across the valley, where they burst into a raging inferno.

The canyon was filled with screams and cries as soldiers desperately ran in both directions. However, both ends of the canyon were blocked by giant trees, which were also burning fiercely. Countless logs tumbled down from the mountaintop and fell into the flames. The entire valley was filled with thick smoke and raging fire, turning it into a living hell.

Luo Shixin stood on the mountaintop, looking down at the valley ravaged by thick smoke and raging fire, his face unmoved. The best way to deal with the alien army was to exterminate them on the battlefield, not accepting surrender and leaving no future troubles.

The Sui army kept pushing logs down the cliff, and the fire burned for two whole days before it finally ended. All 30,000 Silla soldiers were burned to death in the valley, with no one surviving.

The Sui army then buried the bodies deep and continued north to deal with another large Silla army.

(End of this chapter)