Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 435 The Sweep Across Goguryeo

Li Mutang also wanted to enter this cavalry battalion.

He is now assigned to the infantry, but not as a main combat force; his role is to escort supplies.

Li Mutang's squadron was responsible for escorting the two supply wagons.

These two supply wagons were strange; they were covered up completely, and judging from their weight, they didn't look like fodder or military equipment, but rather grain.

However, a foul odor wafted from under the tarpaulin, which was definitely not the smell of grain; it smelled more like dog excrement.

The group of guards stood beside the supply wagon, wrinkling their noses in confusion. When someone asked Xiong Dashan, he simply told them not to ask any more questions.

Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to know either.

The army's advance was unexpectedly slow. It took them three days to travel from Liucheng to Huaiyuan County, advancing less than twenty li per day.

If it weren't for Xue Rengui leading the troops, everyone would probably have started complaining and doubting that their commander was capable of fighting.

When they crossed the Liao River, the other three armies had already crossed it and penetrated deep into the heart of Goguryeo.

I fear that one of the armies has already begun its attack on the city.

After the Liao River, Goguryeo's first barrier was Xincheng.

Because this city was too close to the border and the surrounding terrain was flat, it was not defensible and was therefore used by Goguryeo as a lookout city, that is, a city to monitor the movements of the Tang army.

When Qibi Heli's army crossed the Liao River first, the two thousand garrison troops in the new city withdrew, surrendering the city without resistance.

Several days ago, all the people in the city were evacuated, and no supplies were left behind.

Goguryeo implemented a scorched-earth strategy on its borders, so outside Xincheng, there was only marshland with no crops.

Xue Rengui's army did not enter the city, but bypassed the new city and headed towards their first target, Chifeng City.

Chifeng City is also a mountain city, with half of the city embedded in the mountain wall. This city serves the same purpose as Anshi City. After conquering this city, there is no road to continue forward. You need to go north and detour towards Mashou Mountain.

However, if they do not attack this city, he will cut off their retreat, and the Tang army will then face the predicament of being attacked from two sides.

Therefore, the Tang army had to remove this thorn in their side before they could continue their advance.

The siege will be extremely fierce, but the morale of the soldiers in the camp is very high, and Li Mutang is especially eager to try.

Upon arriving outside Chifeng City, Xue Rengui did not immediately attack the city. Instead, he divided his army into several camps and surrounded the city.

Then they sent an army to a high mountain north of Chifeng City and piled up supply wagons there.

Two of the supply wagons were the same two that Li Mutang and his men were escorting.

Only then did they finally realize what was in the car: wolf dung. No wonder it smelled so bad.

Under the orders of a captain, Li Mutang and others mixed wolf dung, firewood, wormwood, hemp, and other materials together, divided them into nine piles, and burned them on the mountain.

Veterans like Xiong Dashan had already understood Xue Rengui's intentions.

He was using the characteristics of wolf dung to create smoke rising straight upwards, attracting Goguryeo troops from elsewhere to come to the rescue of Chifeng City.

Goguryeo is mostly mountainous, and now it's autumn with strong winds, so ordinary smoke won't rise very high before being blown away.

Only the smoke signals could rise straight up, piercing through the barriers of mountains, allowing the Goguryeo army elsewhere to see what was happening outside Chifeng City.

The Goguryeo army's defenses were centered around three major towns, with more than a dozen mountain fortresses serving as nodes, forming an impenetrable defensive line.

These three important towns are: Anshi City, Wugu City, and Liaodong City.

Anshi City has the largest military force, with 50,000 troops stationed there. Wugu City has 40,000 troops stationed there. Liaodong City has 30,000 troops stationed there.

Mountain cities like Chifeng City are located between Anshi City and Wugu City, and their garrison numbered only five thousand.

Despite having only 5,000 troops defending the mountain city, it was not easy for Xue Rengui to capture it, even with the city's mountainous terrain.

Moreover, as long as Xue Rengui is caught up in a siege, Wugu City will send troops to his aid.

So when the smoke signals rose near Chifeng City, the news quickly reached Wugu City.

The commander of Wugu City was named Gao Xiu. He came from a branch of the Buyeo Wang clan and was one of the first Wang clan members to pledge allegiance to Yeon Gaesomun.

This is why their branch of the Wang family bloodline enjoys the trust of the Quan family.

Gao Xiu is in his forties. Because he has been guarding the border for a long time, he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the Tang people. He has planted a large number of spies in Yingzhou City.

A few days ago, the spy learned some bad news: the Tang general he was going to face was Xue Rengui, the God of Slaughter of the Tang Dynasty.

Xue Rengui had a very bad reputation in Liaodong. It was said that he was extremely cruel, not only fierce in battle, but also liked to kill prisoners for fun, hence the nickname "God of Slaughter".

Gao Xiu used to look down on Xue Rengui, often telling his men that if such a cruel and inhumane general were to meet him in the future, he would surely make him suffer a great defeat sooner or later.

However, when he actually faced Xue Rengui, he couldn't sleep well for the past few nights. He was like a drawn bowstring, not daring to relax for a moment.

When his men told him that thick smoke was billowing from the direction of Chifeng City, he became even more restless and sent for two trusted confidants to discuss the situation.

The local systems of Goguryeo were also learned from the Central Plains.

Gao Xiu's official position was Prefect, in charge of both military and political affairs. His two adjutants were Assistants, one the Left Assistant and the other the Right Assistant.

Zuo Canzuo was a burly man. Upon hearing the situation, he immediately said, "The thick smoke can even be seen from Wugu City, which means the situation is very dangerous. We need to send troops to rescue them immediately!"

The Right Assistant was a tall, thin scholar who held a folding fan in his hand. He clapped the fan a few times in his palm and said, "Something's not right. There might be a trap!"

Gao Xiu hurriedly asked, "Where is the trap?"

The Right Assistant said, "Prefect, think about it. According to the military intelligence that came a few days ago, Xue Rengui's army was marching slowly. Normally, he should have just arrived at Chifeng City. How could he have immediately put Chifeng City in danger?"

Gao Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "That's right. Chifeng City is extremely dangerous. Even if 50,000 Tang troops attacked it, it would take at least ten days. Now Xue Rengui only has 20,000 Tang troops. It's impossible for him to take it down so quickly!"

The Left Assistant Minister asked, "What's with the thick smoke?"

The right assistant officer smiled and said, "This is obviously Xue Rengui's scheme, deliberately luring us to the rescue so that we can fight in the open. Hmph, it's just a pity that he can't hide it from my sharp eyes!"

Gao Xiu was overjoyed and said, "Haha, luckily the Right Assistant was quick-witted, otherwise I would have almost been fooled by Xue Rengui! Hmph, even the God of Slaughter of the Tang Dynasty is nothing more than this!"

Zuo Canzuo scratched the back of his head, his brows furrowed, seemingly quite confused.

Gao Xiu, being the most suspicious of all, hurriedly asked, "Left Assistant, do you have any more questions?"

The Left Assistant said, “I just find it strange that everyone says Xue Rengui is so capable, so why is he the slowest marcher among the four armies of the Tang Dynasty?”

Upon hearing this, the Right Assistant Colonel's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Oh no, we almost fell for their trap!"

Gao Xiu asked anxiously, "What's wrong now?"

The Right Assistant Commander hurriedly said, "I was too naive. Xue Rengui's slow march is actually a trap!"

Gao Xiu's expression changed, and he said, "A bait?"

The right assistant said, "He deliberately made the main army advance slowly to lull us into a false sense of security, while in fact he led his elite troops to take a shortcut straight to Chifeng City. I'm afraid he started attacking Chifeng City five or six days ago!"

Gao Xiu asked in a daze, "Then what is that thick smoke coming from Chifeng City right now?"

The Right Assistant said, "Chifeng City must be in grave danger. Xue Rengui deliberately slowed down the main force to mislead us and prevent us from rescuing Chifeng City. By the time we realized what was happening, Chifeng City would have already been captured!"

Gao Xiu slapped his thigh and said, "You cunning scoundrel!"

The Right Assistant said, "Prefect, there is no time to lose. We must immediately send troops to relieve Chifeng City. If we are lucky, we may be able to inflict a great loss on the Tang army!"

Gao Xiu suddenly stood up and said, "I will personally lead 30,000 troops to relieve Chifeng City!"

The Right Assistant said, "No, the Tang army is divided into four routes. If they find Wugu City undefended, another Tang army might attack. The Prefect must remain in the city to defend it!"

The Left Assistant said, "Prefect, this humble general is willing to lead troops to the rescue!"

Gao Xiu said, "Alright, I'll allocate 10,000 troops to you. Just hold Chifeng City, and don't get bogged down in battle!"

The Left Assistant Commander shouted, "This subordinate obeys!"

Li Ji stood on the eastern city wall of Xincheng, gazing into the distance. What came into view was the Qianshan Mountains, Goguryeo's second greatest natural barrier. The four Tang armies had already penetrated deep into Goguryeo, and about half a month had passed. Even Xue Rengui's army, the slowest in terms of speed, should be attacking the first city by now.

The fastest-moving army, Qibi Heli, should have been besieging the city for about ten days, but there was still no news, which made Li Ji quite anxious.

This war must be fought quickly, especially the first battle.

If the first battle is held off for a month or two, the subsequent battles will be even more difficult.

"Xue Rengui, you won't let this old man down, will you?"

Li Ji murmured to himself, for in his heart, he still relied most heavily on Xue Rengui's army.

Although Xue Rengui's march was slow, Li Ji believed that he must have his reasons. To deal with Goguryeo's defensive strategy, one could not launch a fierce attack, but needed to use one's brain.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind him, and a general came up behind Li Ji with a joyful expression, cupping his hands and saying, "Grand Commander, good news has arrived from the front!"

Li Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Which faction?"

The general said, "It's the route led by Deputy Commander Xue."

Li Ji punched his palm, quickly took the battle report, unfolded it, and after reading it, stroked his beard and smiled, "Good, worthy of being His Majesty's most valued general. Someone, send this victory report to Chang'an intact; His Majesty must be anxiously waiting!"

In October, a northerly wind blew from the north to Chang'an, causing the weather to suddenly turn cold.

In the afternoon, the weather was gloomy.

Li Zhi lay on the dragon bed in Ganlu Palace, having slept for almost an hour.

Wang Fusheng entered three times, but seeing that Li Zhi was still fast asleep, he had no choice but to leave again.

When he came in for the fourth time, it was past 1-3 PM. Li Zhi had been sleeping for an hour and a half. Sleeping for such a long time was not good for his health, and he would not be able to fall asleep easily at night.

Just as Wang Fusheng was about to wake Li Zhi, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Empress Wu.

Wu Meiniang glanced at Li Zhi on the couch and then gestured to Wang Fusheng.

Wang Fusheng nodded and left the sleeping quarters.

Wu Meiniang slowly approached Li Zhi and sat down on the edge of the bed. She leaned over and looked at him. Although Li Zhi was asleep, his eyebrows were furrowed and there was sweat on his forehead.

Wu Meiniang felt a pang of heartache, thinking to herself, "Even in his sleep, His Majesty is still worrying about state affairs."

She took out a silk handkerchief, wiped the sweat from Li Zhi's forehead, reached out and pressed his eyebrows to smooth them, and said softly, "Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"

Li Zhi suddenly woke up, sat up abruptly, took a few breaths, turned his head, stared blankly at Wu Meiniang, and remained silent.

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

After hearing her speak, Li Zhi finally came to his senses and stammered, "You are my empress?"

Wu Meiniang was startled, thinking to herself, "Oh no, has His Majesty's headache flared up again?" She leaned closer to observe Li Zhi's expression and said, "Your Majesty, don't you recognize me?"

Li Zhi suddenly smiled and said, "Of course I remember, I just had a dream."

Wu Meiniang breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What did Your Majesty dream about?"

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "It was a very absurd dream, not worth mentioning."

This dream was indeed absurd. He dreamed that he had returned to his previous life, and everything before was just a dream. Unable to adapt to his new life, he stayed at home and did not go out for several months.

Unexpectedly, a few months later, when he stepped out of the rented room again, he encountered Wu Meiniang, Xu Jin, Consort Zheng, Liu Chong'ai and Zhu Zhenlian one after another.

They have all become modern people and have new identities.

Wu Zetian becomes a female CEO, Xu Jin becomes a female PhD, Consort Zheng becomes a female celebrity, Liu Chong'ai becomes a kindergarten teacher, and Zhu Zhenlian becomes a female white-collar worker.

Although the five women did not know him, they all had a strange fondness for him, and after various experiences, they soon became his girlfriends.

Later, all five women learned of each other's existence and came to his door together, demanding an explanation and insisting that he could only choose one of them.

Just as Li Zhi was having a headache, a policeman burst in, saying that he was suspected of deceiving the feelings of multiple women, and took him away in handcuffs.

The policeman was actually dressed as Di Renjie.

Just as he was being handcuffed, Li Zhi woke up, momentarily unable to distinguish which was the dream.

Wu Meiniang poured Li Zhi a cup of tea. After Li Zhi finished drinking it, he was fully conscious, and the dream he had just experienced slowly faded from his mind.

"Meiniang, is there any military intelligence from the border?" he asked.

When Wu Meiniang heard him ask this, she became even more convinced that Li Zhi was having nightmares because he was worried about the situation on the border. She gently advised him, "Your Majesty need not worry too much. Li Ji and Xue Rengui are both skilled military commanders, and you have made ample preparations for this battle. There is no reason why you should not win."

Li Zhi sighed and said, "Even so, I am still not at ease until I hear the battle report."

Just then, Wang Fusheng walked in again, his face beaming with joy, and said, "Your Majesty, news of victory has arrived from Yingzhou."

Li Zhi was overjoyed, reached out and took the report, unfolded it and read it.

Wu Meiniang also leaned in and watched with him.

It turned out that Xue Rengui used the strategy of besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements. Outside Chifeng City, he used beacon fires as bait to lure the reinforcements from Wugu City.

After Xue Rengui ambushed and trapped 10,000 reinforcements, he deliberately let several hundred escape, allowing them to return to Chifeng City to report the news.

Left with no other option, the city's defenders had to leave the city to rescue the trapped reinforcements, but Xue Rengui wiped them out in one fell swoop and took Chifeng City in the process.

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, with this victory, you should feel at ease, right?"

Li Zhi laughed and said, "That's not enough. I still need to wait for news from the next few armies."

Li Zhi didn't have to wait long. The next day, another victory report came from the front. This time, it was Qibi Heli who won the battle and captured Gaimou City.

Qibi Heli's battle report was written by Li Ji.

Judging from the timeline, Qibi Heli captured Gaimou City the day after Xue Rengui captured Chifeng City.

This battle was uneventful; it was simply a fierce and relentless assault.

It is worth mentioning that Cheng Mingzhen, the deputy governor of Yingzhou, fought particularly bravely in this battle, taking the lead and personally supervising the battle near the city gate, in which he was even hit by an arrow.

Fortunately, the Tang Dynasty armor was of good quality, and the arrow only hit the gap in the joint of the armor, not penetrating deep into the flesh, so the impact was minimal.

Two days later, news of Zhao Chiman's army capturing Yincheng also reached Chang'an.

At this time, Li Zhi also understood the brilliance of Li Ji's multi-pronged approach, because two days later, the garrison of Jian'an City, which Zheng Rentai had attacked, took the initiative to withdraw.

They had no choice but to retreat, because Xue Rengui and Zhao Chiman's two armies were advancing side by side, and if they did not retreat, they might be blocked by the Tang army.

With this, the initial battles on the four northern routes were all won, almost a complete rout, and Li Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As for the South Third Road and the sea route, the speed of transmitting messages was slower due to the sea barrier, so Li Zhi was no longer in such a hurry.

Moreover, in this offensive, the North Fourth Route is the main force, while the South Third Route and the sea route are for support and containment, respectively.

They are only needed when the advance of the four northern routes is not going well.

Now that things are going smoothly on the northern route, even if their battles don't go well, it won't affect the overall situation.

It was already October, and in a little over a month, the Yalu River would freeze over. As long as one army broke through the Thousand Mountains and reached the Yalu River, they could take advantage of the situation to cross the river and directly attack Pyongyang.

Once Pyongyang is besieged, it will be tantamount to checkmating Goguryeo. Goguryeo's various garrisons will have no choice but to return to defend the city. At that time, the armies from all directions will converge on Pyongyang, and it will only be a matter of time before Goguryeo is captured.

At this moment, Li Zhi suddenly remembered a question.

In his memory, as the Tang army continued to win victories, Quan Nansheng, who had been driven out of Pyongyang by Quan Nanjian, later defected to the Tang Dynasty and became a collaborator.

Now that the Tang army has won its first battle, it should be time to send someone to contact this person.

Thinking of this, he summoned Wang Jishan and instructed him to send out spies to secretly contact Quan Nansheng and carry out the defection operation.

(End of this chapter)