The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 818 The Demise of Baekje
Two days later, the Sui army equipped itself with a heavy catapult. Having learned from Silla's experience, the Sui Dynasty gained a deeper understanding of how to conquer Baekje.

The Silla regime cruelly exploited its people. After the Sui army killed the Silla rulers, it implemented a policy of treating the common people as equals, which won widespread support from the lower classes. The Sui army did not commit any offenses against the people of Silla, and was warmly welcomed by the people of Silla.

Baekje went even further, implementing a three-tax system to maintain the rulers' extravagant lifestyle and the enormous military expenditures, all of which had to be squeezed from the people.

The Buyeo royal family and nobles had exploited the people to an extreme degree. The mountains of taxes and military expenses were suffocating the people, who had no choice but to sell their children to the nobles to make a living.

The Sui army's strategy was to force Baekje to surrender, then kill the Baekje rulers and leave the people alive.

As it turns out, the people of both Silla and Baekje had a strong sense of identification with the Sui Dynasty and were proud to be subjects of the Sui. As long as their language and customs were gradually changed, the assimilation of the peninsula would be successful.

Currently, the Sui Dynasty levies a tax of one-twentieth on the people of Silla, which is much more lenient than the previous Silla rulers' tax of one-fifth. Moreover, the tax is linked to language and customs; wearing Hanfu and speaking Chinese can further reduce the tax. Ultimately, like the people of the Sui Dynasty, the household tax will be abolished, and the tax will be reduced to one-thirtieth.

The Sui army also changed its strategy and began to use methods of forcing surrender to break through the capital of Baekje.

Outside Sicheng, a monstrous heavy catapult slowly advanced, capable of hurling 250-pound iron fire bombs 250 paces away.

In front of the catapult, there was a huge wheeled baffle that also propelled it.

As the catapult approached to about 150 paces, arrows rained down from the city wall. The dense arrows shot towards the catapult, but unfortunately, they were all blocked by the shield, which was covered with arrows.

"Ready, ignite!"

Three burly men carried a large iron trebuchet, resembling a giant pumpkin, and placed it on the catapult. The fuse was lit, hissing and burning until it reached the red line. With a command, the catapult was launched.

The large catapult's launcher drew a high arc, sending the dark iron-fire bomb flying towards the city wall. This time, the launch line was marked further inward, mainly to ensure that the iron-fire bomb could explode in mid-air.

The Sui army chose the time at noon, so that everyone in the city could hear it.

"Boom!"

The 250-pound iron fire bomb suddenly exploded above the city, causing the entire capital to tremble as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had split open. Hundreds of soldiers on the city wall closest to the explosion were killed by the shock, while most of the remaining thousands of soldiers were stunned, and a few soldiers covered their ears and fell to the ground groaning in pain.

The hundreds of nobles who were arguing fiercely inside the palace were stunned by the huge explosion. Everyone stared in horror at the massive fireball in the sky outside the palace.

"Heavens!" Hundreds of nobles knelt down facing the fireball, groaning in anguish. How could they possibly defeat such a Sui army?
After a long while, King Wu of Fuyu Zhang lowered his head helplessly and said, "Surrender!"

The massive iron-fire bombs of the Sui army were like two atomic bombs striking Japan, terrifying the Baekje nobles who surrendered.

King Wu of Fuyu Zhang led the way, with the imperial seal hanging around his neck, and led hundreds of members of the royal family and nobles out of the city to surrender.

Immediately following were tens of thousands of soldiers who laid down their weapons. Luo Shixin then ordered all the nobles to be taken away, and the army entered the city and took over the capital of Baekje.

The Xiongjin Grand General's Office was established, with Luo Shixin concurrently serving as Grand General and Pei Shiqing as Chief Secretary.

The Grand General's Office, in the name of the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, ordered the abolition of all the exorbitant taxes levied on the people of Baekje, reduced the land tax to one-twentieth, and ordered the pardon of all slaves in the mansions of the powerful and wealthy, allowing them to return to their parents.

For a time, cheers resounded throughout Baekje.

While maintaining goodwill towards the people, he also intensified the purge of the nobility and powerful, including members of the royal family, nobles, ministers, prominent families, and generals, totaling more than two thousand people. On a dark and windy night, they were sent on ships to sea, and two days later they disappeared silently on the surface of the ocean.

Like in Silla, the noblewomen who remained were betrothed to Sui soldiers who were to be stationed there long-term.

Hundreds of low-ranking Baekje officials were given important positions. They came from humble backgrounds but could all speak Chinese and use Chinese characters. After converting to the Sui Dynasty, they became deputy officials in various regions, assisting the officials sent by the Sui Dynasty.

Tens of thousands of Baekje soldiers were converted into agricultural colonies and settled in the vast wilderness on the south bank of the Han River in the north. After three years of agricultural colonization, they could be released and go home, or they could bring their families to join them in agricultural colonization.

In mid-April, nearly 500 large ships carrying 10,000 shi of grain returned to the Sui Dynasty, laden with the wealth seized by Silla and Baekje, mainly from the national treasury, the royal palace, the residences of the royal family and nobles, and the mansions of princes and ministers.

..........
In early May, in the Imperial Study of the Luoyang Palace, Emperor Xiao Xia was listening to a report from Privy Councilor Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Silla and Baekje have been captured one after another. Should we send reinforcements to take Goguryeo in one fell swoop?"

Xiao Xia pondered for a moment and said, "I would like to know about the changes in Goguryeo over the years. Has the Liaodong Governor's Office reported on this?"

Your Majesty, there is no report yet, but at the beginning of the year, an official from Liaodong came back on business and talked with me about the situation in Goguryeo. He said that Goguryeo's agriculture has been doing well in the past two years, but other aspects have plummeted. Goguryeo's bows and arrows used to have a range of 150 paces, but now they can't even reach 100 paces. This is mainly because our weapon craftsmen have been intercepted. Now Goguryeo can only make weapons based on blueprints, but they lack experience and technology.

Goguryeo used to have iron mines, but now they're gone. The entire country strictly restricts iron use; agricultural tools are all made of wood, and five households share a single kitchen knife. Not only is iron gone, but copper has also been completely plundered. Even currency is now in the form of cloth. Adding to this, the states of Baekje and Silla impose strict blockades on Goguryeo, making life very difficult, and its population has essentially stagnated.

"But we still have trade relations with Goguryeo."

“There are exchanges, but we have strict restrictions on them. We don’t give them strategic materials such as copper and iron. We mainly export medicinal herbs and daily necessities, while they export ginseng, gold and grain.”

"Goguryeo could still export grain?"

"Your Majesty, their population is less than two million. The land on both sides of the Han River is fertile and produces a lot of rice, so they do have a surplus of grain."

Xiao Xia nodded slightly, "The Liaodong Governor's Office has 10,000 troops, Luo Shixin has 30,000 troops, and there are also 20,000 naval troops. That's enough to destroy Goguryeo."

Currently, Goguryeo's territory has been compressed to the area between the Daedong River and the Han River, with a population of just over 1.5 million, half the size of its peak population of 3 million. War, plague, and territorial losses have severely weakened Goguryeo, leading to its collapse.

Restoring national strength is not something that can be achieved by shouting a few slogans of striving for good governance and by the rulers putting on a show; it requires gradual accumulation.

Seven years have passed since the end of the Goguryeo War, but Goguryeo's national strength has been unable to recover. The reason is that Goguryeo has a major weakness: it must always be on guard against a joint attack from Baekje and Silla.

In fact, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla had fought each other in recent years, but on a smaller scale, with each side experiencing victories and defeats.

At present, the most scarce resource in Goguryeo is iron. The whole country is desperately thirsting for iron. Zhang Liang said that every five households used one kitchen knife, but that was ancient history. Now, every ten households use one kitchen knife, which is a copper knife.

With Silla and Baekje both destroyed, Goguryeo knew very well that it would be next, so it desperately prepared for war, investing all its pig iron and copper resources into the war effort.

At the same time, they sent envoys to Luoyang to beg for mercy, pleading with the emperor to spare them.

However, the national will of the Sui Dynasty would not be swayed by emotions; what was destined to happen would happen, and Goguryeo was destined to face its fate.

(End of this chapter)