Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 170 Ravaging through Liaodong, Slaughtering Through Goryeo (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
That night, Li Shimin inquired in detail about the battle situation at Wugu City.

He didn't say much about the series of arrangements made by Gu Jing.

After determining Gu Jing's location...

He immediately summoned his generals!
In this battle, Gu Jing must work well with Li Shimin to break through the entire Liaodong defense line.

This is also why Gu Jing did not take direct action.

The matter of Wugu City could not be kept secret for long. He had already pushed the marching speed to its limit, and Yeon Gaesomun would definitely receive the news in one or two days at most.

Li Shimin had to make a detailed plan to cooperate with Gu Jing.

The generals and soldiers arrived one by one, initially thinking that Li Shimin had finally decided to retreat.

But as soon as they entered the border of the main camp, they immediately sensed something was wrong.

Whether it was Li Shimin or Changsun Wuji, their gazes were somewhat mismatched.

In an instant, the soldiers guessed what had happened.

"Your Majesty, has the war against Wugu ended?" Some soldiers couldn't wait any longer and asked directly.

Li Shimin made no attempt to hide anything and simply nodded.

A series of gasps of shock rang out instantly.

The expressions on the faces of all the soldiers lit up at that moment.

Having come this far, how could they not know what the fall of Wugu City would mean?
The opportunity for the Tang army to completely break through Goguryeo's defenses has arrived!

Li Shimin was not in a hurry. Instead, he waved his hand to silence everyone. Only after all the generals had arrived did he have someone recount the details of the Battle of Wugu City.

The expressions on the soldiers' faces grew increasingly complicated.

Listening to the various arrangements made by Gu Jing, their eyes were filled with shock and complexity.

It's not that Gu Jing's abilities are particularly extraordinary.

The tactics he used in this battle were not particularly sophisticated to the people present.

Rather, it was his courage and his composure and calmness in the face of the big picture.

With these additions, it was enough to alarm everyone.

This is a brilliant strategist!
It is the pillar supporting the future of the Tang Dynasty.

No one would doubt that at all.

The next moment, cheers and congratulations rang out.

"Gu Anzhi truly lives up to his reputation as the son of a great general; he certainly possesses the demeanor of one!"

"Your Majesty, I congratulate you! Our Great Tang Dynasty has gained another brilliant commander!"

"."

Li Shimin also had a faint smile on his face. How could he not be happy about this unexpected turn of events?
The group discussed the matter.

There's actually no need for discussion.

In the current situation, Li Shimin only needs to proceed step by step to take the next step.

And what's next?
The strategy was to launch a frontal assault—attracting all of Goguryeo's elite troops to create an opportunity for Gu Jing.

The ministers quickly finalized the matter.

The very next day, the Tang army changed its formation instantly, with its elite troops marching out of the camp in a grand display, without any attempt at concealment.

The message was immediately sent to Pyongyang.

When Yeon Gaesomun heard about this, he immediately burst into laughter.

"Li Shimin has gone mad!"

"He has lost his mind; he is destined to retreat after this battle!"

—Now he doesn't even call himself emperor anymore.

The geographical advantage of Liaodong gave him great confidence, and naturally he had no scruples.

After his analysis, the generals were all reassured.

Li Shimin's action did indeed resemble a fit of rage, so they naturally didn't think much of it.

"Issue my decree—" Yeon Gaesomun immediately ordered, "Immediately mobilize the surrounding armies to meet Li Shimin in battle, so that the garrison of Ansi City can rest assured."

He had to send out some troops, whether to contain the Tang army or to reassure the garrison of Anshi City.

These are all things he has to do.

Yeon Gaesomun was not concerned about the potential casualties.

As long as we can hold the Liaodong defense line.

From that moment on, the entire Liaodong Peninsula belonged to him!
—A great war has broken out!
Tang Junjie has fully mobilized his forces to cover the entire city of Anshi.

They had been besieging Anshi City for some time, and the garrison inside was used to it.

But this time, it's completely different!

Li Shimin didn't put on any more show and launched the siege on the same day.

"kill!!!"

"kill!!!"

"kill!!!"

"."

The battle cries, as loud as thunder, resounded continuously, officially commencing the siege.

The guards quickly noticed the anomaly.

The Tang army was completely different from before; they were now launching a full-scale assault.

This action further convinced Yeon Gaesomun that Li Shimin must have gone mad.

Although Anshi City's terrain is not as good as Wugu City's.

However, it was built against a mountain, so it was not so easy to break through. Li Shimin's actions all seemed like madness.

He didn't care at all.

Even if Anshi City were lost, it wouldn't matter. Li Shimin was destined to suffer enough casualties and would not be able to continue fighting.

Of course, he also had to send people to rescue him.

However, the equipment gap between the Goguryeo army and the Tang army meant that this was a suicide mission.

All eyes in Liaodong were now on Anshi City.

Under these circumstances, Gu Jing finally made a move.

He did not choose to go directly to help Li Shimin. On the battlefield, times change, and he could not always rigidly follow the original plan.

He has already abandoned Blackbone City.

The plague is raging in Wugu City; we must not allow our army to remain there.

What he needs to do now is to take advantage of this opportunity to make his cavalry force play its role.

Gu Jing's goal was also very clear.

He divided his army into three parts.

One of the objectives was to blockade Liaodong Bay and cut off Anshi City's supplies;
The second part involves a feigned attack on Bozhuo City to distract the defending troops on the Yalu River.

He personally led the third main force, with the objective of launching a frontal attack on Jian'an City, severing the backbone of the Liaodong Peninsula, and seizing its granaries.

Once successful, the entire Liaodong Peninsula can be completely torn apart.

At that time, Pyongyang will have no one to rely on.

Under normal circumstances, such a strategy would not have succeeded, because the army could not possibly cross Goguryeo's Liaodong defense line.

But not now.

All eyes were on Anshi City; this was the opportunity Gu Jing needed.

—The army surged forward like a torrent.

Jian'an City is quite different from Wugushan City or Anshi City.

Its city walls were made of rammed earth covered with bricks, not relying on natural defenses, and the city was defended by a mere five thousand soldiers.

When Gu Jing personally led his main force to the border like thunder, the city's garrison was completely unprepared!

Who would have thought that the Tang army would cross thousands of mountains and dangers to appear right here?
"Tang...Tang army?!"

"It's the Gu family! It's the Gu family's banner!"

"The Gu family is here again! Run!!!"

Panic spread like a plague. The mere sight of the black banner bearing the character "Gu" fluttering in the wind was enough to terrify the defending troops, nearly causing them to collapse.

"Kill! Leave no one behind!"

Gu Jing's voice was as cold as iron, and his spear pointed forward as if a god of death had issued a decree.

He ordered his men to plant the Gu family banner deep into the ground beneath Jian'an City once again.

Then——

He personally led his daredevils, who transformed into the sharpest spearheads, and charged straight at the city gate!

"boom--!"

The first dull thud was the sound of a massive chariot being pushed by dozens of shirtless, burly men, slamming into the heavy city gate with tremendous force.

The city gate shook violently, and a dull echo reverberated above the city walls, as wood chips and dust fell in a flurry.

"Hold on! Hold the gate!" came the hoarse, desperate roar of the defending general from the city wall. Sparse arrows were weakly shot at the Tang soldiers pushing carts below the city, but were easily deflected by the shield formation.

"boom--!!!"

The second impact! With even greater force! The door panel near the point of impact dented inward, making a teeth-grinding sound.

Huge cracks spread across the door like a spider web, and the top pillar behind the door creaked under the weight.

The panicked screams within the city were clearly audible.

"Give it your all! The door's about to open!" Tang soldiers roared in unison, their sweat and blood mingling as they pushed the heavy battering ram backward, gathering their strength once more.

"Bang------!!!"

The third impact! A devastating shockwave!

With a deafening crash, like a giant tree breaking, the battered city gate finally collapsed completely!

The heavy door panel collapsed inward with a loud crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Broken pieces of wood, twisted iron hoops, and broken door bolts flew everywhere!

Inside the gate, the faces of the terrified and desperate defenders were instantly revealed. They tried to block the gap with their bodies and makeshift debris, but they were as fragile as paper in the face of the flood that breached the city.

Before the dust had settled, Gu Jing's figure shot out like an arrow, stepping over the collapsed city gate ruins, spear in hand, and charging in fiercely!
Asura has arrived!
No one was left alive.

Even the defending soldiers who had already thrown down their weapons and surrendered were instantly killed.

This move was not only to establish authority, but also to boost the morale of the Tang army. Blood was the baptism of the soldiers.

Not to mention the subsequent contributions.

All of this was enough to excite the Tang army, and they followed Gu Jing's command to wreak havoc throughout Liaodong.

In just two days, Jian'an City was pacified!
There were nearly 200,000 dan of grain and fodder piled up inside the city.

Gu Jing ordered the supplies to be replenished.

Then a great fire completely burned everything to the ground, weakening Goguryeo's strength from all angles.

—The army set off again.

He didn't even send anyone to occupy the city; he immediately marched to the next place and began to wreak havoc in all directions.

Goguryeo's Liaodong defense line was not just about those cities.

Among them are camps built using various terrain features. Gu Jing's current goal is to completely resolve all the crises facing the Tang army.

Simple destruction and rampage.

Unlike those cities, these camps could be easily burned to the ground.

Gu Jing maintained the same attitude throughout.

That means leaving none behind.

In the end, even some generals began to feel sorry for Gu Jing and wanted me to persuade him.

But Gu Jing's answer was always the same simple one.

"Barbarians fear power but do not appreciate virtue. Our mission is to terrify them and weaken their strength at the same time!"

Otherwise—

"Within twenty years, Liaodong will surely rebel again!"

The Tang Dynasty no longer has the extra energy to educate and civilize Liaodong.

This was his only option.

As for any so-called bad reputation, Gu Jing didn't care.

The Gu family members have never been moral gentlemen. Whether it's Gu Xi or Gu Ye, they have killed far too many people.

Gu Chen even killed the fake emperor in the street.

The Gu family members have always been moving forward on the path they believe in.

The Gu family used to be loyal to the country.

And now it is the entire Kyushu.

Since Goguryeo poses a threat to Kyushu, Gu Jing will seize every opportunity to eliminate this threat.

All the soldiers were completely convinced of Gu Jing's abilities.

After hearing this, they completely let go of their inhibitions.

—The entire Liaodong region was in complete chaos.

Inside Pyongyang.

The news of the fall of Wugu City was sent along with the news of the fall of Jian'an City.

This is not to say that those people were stupid and didn't know how to send messages.

But they were also helpless.

The medical level in Liaodong is indeed far behind that of Kyushu. The corpses that Gu Jing left in Wugu City were not only for intimidation, but also to leave trouble for them.

And most importantly—there's also the human element.

After witnessing that horrific scene, these people no longer wanted to continue fighting.

Their actions were perfunctory.

Add to that the constant fear of Gu Jing and the horrific scenes along the way, and it was all truly chilling.

The news naturally arrived a little slower.

When these news were heard, the entire city of Pyongyang was thrown into complete chaos.

—Yeon Gaesomun was furious.

He immediately ordered the messenger to be beheaded, and then immediately ordered scouts to be dispatched and troops to surround and intercept Gu Jing.

He couldn't stay calm.

If Gu Jing is allowed to continue his rampage, not to mention the fate of Anshi City, the Liaodong defense line is destined to collapse completely.

But as long as the Tang army breaks in.

Without the help of the terrain, it's uncertain whether they can hold out until winter!
Yeon Gaesomun even mobilized the troops stationed inside Pyongyang.

But what can we do about it?
It's too late!

On a battlefield involving both the north and south and spanning the entire situation, it was already difficult to maintain a balance on the border by making use of the terrain, given the completely inferior equipment.

Not to mention that signs of collapse have already appeared.

Goguryeo's defenses were structured in a series of interconnected sections, utilizing the terrain. Even if a minor mishap occurred, they could still maintain their position and gradually tighten their defenses.

But now, it's a massive collapse!
And it's from the inside out!

A collapse of this scale is now impossible to stop.

The key is--

Gu Jing never tried to hide the news from beginning to end, and he left behind banners of the Tang Dynasty and the Gu family wherever he went.

It stood there amidst countless corpses and the ruins of the city.

"Where this flag stands, scorched earth, ruins, and corpses bear witness. Anyone who does not surrender the Great Tang Dragon Flag and the Gu Family Black Banner will be slaughtered in the entire city!"

This rumor gradually spread from the four locations and grew more and more widespread.

Under these circumstances, Yeon Gaesomun could only continue to gather troops, hoping to trap and kill Gu Jing.

But still the same sentence.

The battlefield is always a place where a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

While the entire Liaodong region was thrown into complete chaos because of Gu Jing, and Yeon Gaesomun was still constantly mobilizing troops.

Anshi City is destined to be in chaos!

At the end of July, the Tang army officially broke through Anshi City and began cooperating with Gu Jing.

The entire Liaodong defense line began to collapse from both the outside and the inside.

Pyongyang is in grave danger!

Yeon Gaesomun didn't even dare to continue deploying troops; he could only keep moving all his forces towards the entire city of Pyongyang.

The threat of death and annihilation permeated the entire city of Pyongyang.

No one could have imagined that the entire battle situation would change like this in such a short time.

Without the help of the terrain.

The troops of Goguryeo and Baekje were as fragile as paper in front of the Tang army. In addition, as the rumors spread, no one dared to fight against the Tang army.

In addition, Yeon Gaesomun continued to shrink the territory.

Almost instantly, the entire Liaodong region surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

King Uija of Baekje eventually succumbed to the pressure and surrendered first.

He withdrew all his troops.

He personally led a group to pay respects to Li Shimin, and, imitating the "bearing thorns to plead guilty" ritual from the ancient Chinese story of "the man who carried thorns to plead guilty," had himself bound and brought there.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, the unparalleled Heavenly Khan."

"I am willing to surrender."

"I hope you will forgive my sins. I am willing to give anything to gain your forgiveness."

Inside the Tang army camp.

With tears streaming down his face, Buyeo Uija knelt before Li Shimin, kowtowing repeatedly.

He was really scared.

Baekje was already weaker than Goguryeo, and the pressure of fighting against the Tang Dynasty was immense. Under the weight of those rumors and defeats, Baekje had no choice but to surrender.

If he didn't surrender, all the nobles under his command would kill him.

Li Shimin's gaze was icy as he looked down at Buyeo Uija, making no attempt to conceal his murderous intent.

But he was Li Shimin after all, and he wouldn't lose his mind because of a little anger.

He could certainly see why Gu Jing did this, and he also understood that the Tang Dynasty at present did not have the extra power to educate Liaodong.

However, completely destroying Baekje and Goguryeo and allowing Silla to become the sole power was also not in the interest of the Tang Dynasty.

He certainly wouldn't let the King of Baekje go.

Whether it's to give an explanation to the people of Kyushu or to establish authority in Liaodong, Buyeo Uija must die.

In fact, for him, sparing Buyeo Uija now would be the best option. This move would definitely tempt Yeon Gaesomun, who might then come to surrender, thus greatly reducing casualties.

But Li Shimin would not do that.

He would spare the Baekje nobles and further pressure Goguryeo.

Li Shimin didn't even bother with words, and simply waved his hand at Fuyu Yici: "Execute!"

"Send the head to the three armies to proclaim the crimes of Fuyu Yici!"

In an instant, Buyeo Uija collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to even beg for mercy.

He only started crying again when he was taken away by the Tang army.

But all of this was ultimately in vain.

The death of Buyeo Uija did not elicit any other reaction from the Tang army.

Now that things have come to this point, whether it's Li Shimin or the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, they all have only one goal.

That is Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, Gu Jing was also advancing towards Pyongyang.
------

"In the twentieth year of the Zhenguan era, Liaodong was in turmoil."

Gu Jing, the eldest son of General Gu Quan, Left General of the Imperial Guard, and Acting Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army, broke through Wugu and attacked Jian'an, achieving resounding victories wherever he went.

They rampaged through Liaodong, capturing more than a dozen cities and fortresses in succession. Wherever their arrows reached, blood flowed across the land.

Tens of thousands were captured, and the corpses filled the rivers.

The entire Goguryeo kingdom was terrified; even the common people trembled at the mere mention of the name "Gu Clan."

—From the Biography of Gu Jing in the Book of Tang

(End of this chapter)