Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 439 Li Zhi's Advice

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi finally understood Qinling's scheme.

He went through all this trouble because he wanted to attack India, but he was afraid of the Abbasid Caliphate coming to their aid, so he asked the Tang Dynasty to help them contain the main Abbasid force.

Although he was planning for himself, it would indeed be beneficial to the Tang Dynasty if Tibet conquered India, since the Abbasid Caliphate was the Tang Dynasty's biggest enemy at the moment.

If the Tibetan leader were Xiruo, Li Zhi would be willing to agree to their conditions.

However, Li Zhi was wary of Qinling, because once he grew stronger, he would definitely try to take back the Tibetan region.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, and another idea quickly popped into his mind.

"Your Excellency, what is the current situation of the troops stationed in India?"

Qinling said, "Due to internal strife, the Abbasid Caliphate has transferred a large number of troops back to its own country. Today, the Abbasid army in India only has 30,000 troops, while there are more than 200,000 Indian troops."

Li Zhi was slightly taken aback: "The Indian army has more than 200,000 men?"

Qinling said, "Yes, the Arabs have integrated all the tribes of India and actively expanded their military. As a result, the Indian army has a large number of soldiers, but its combat strength is very low."

Li Zhi nodded and then asked, "Did the Indians submit to the Arabs?"

Qinling said, "The Indians admire the strong. As long as the Arabs are not defeated, they will continue to submit even if there are only a hundred troops stationed there."

"What if the Arabs are defeated?"

"They will betray us immediately."

This is why Qinling dared to attack India with only 30,000 troops. If he could defeat those 30,000 Arabs, India's more than 200,000 troops would likely immediately defect and join Tibet.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "If that's the case, I have a better way."

"What can Your Majesty do?" Qinling was startled.

Li Zhi said, "What do you think about our two countries working together to support the establishment of India?"

Qinling's expression changed slightly.

This method is indeed easier to implement, but it does not benefit Tibet. A powerful India would instead pose a threat to Tibet.

Moreover, if Tibet cannot annex India, it will never be able to regain its strength, let alone reclaim its lost territories.

Li Zhi glanced at him and said, "Imperial Envoy, as long as India is established, you will not face the threat of the Arabs directly, which will also benefit your country."

Qinling paused for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, even if we support India to establish a kingdom, they may still choose to submit to the Abbasids when they invade in the future."

Li Zhi said, "That's not entirely true. India fell to the enemy so easily in the past because they fought their own battles without any unified command."

"Now, with the help of the Arabs, they have merged into one country and will not be easily defeated. Moreover, our two countries can also provide assistance to them."

Qinling fell silent again.

Wang Jishan suddenly asked, "Foreign envoy, did you come here this time to deal with the Abbasid Caliphate, or do you intend to use the pretext of dealing with the Abbasid Caliphate to take advantage of our Great Tang and annex India?"

Qinling felt a chill and quickly said, "Your Majesty's plan is agreed upon by your humble servant. However, if we do not defeat the Arabs, I fear the Indians will not have the courage to establish themselves."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "As for how to help India become independent, you can go directly to Kunming and Tibet to discuss it with Su Dingfang and Wang Xuance. I will issue an imperial edict to them."

Qinling had no choice but to agree and take his leave.

Li Zhi looked at Wang Fusheng and asked, "Fusheng, is there news from Yingzhou again?"

While speaking with Qinling, Li Zhi saw a eunuch quietly enter, exchange a few words with Wang Fusheng, and hand him a memorial.

Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this time the news came from Laizhou."

Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he said, "Finally, news has arrived. What is the situation of the southern three armies?"

Wang Fusheng handed over the memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, please take a look. This is an urgent memorial just sent by the Ministry of War."

Li Zhi took a look and nodded.

The three southern armies advanced smoothly and have already joined forces in Seoul.

This is not surprising. Seoul was originally Baekje territory, which was later seized by Goguryeo. Compared to the complex terrain of the northern route, apart from the Han River, there were no obstacles.

According to Li Ji's plan.

The Southern Route Army should advance to Seoul and deter Goguryeo; it should not advance rashly again and should wait for the Northern Fourth Route Army to cross the Yalu River.

Pyongyang still has more than 100,000 troops, of which 50,000 to 60,000 are cavalry.

If we advance rashly and the Goguryeo forces launch a surprise attack from the south and then the north, it will ruin the entire plan.

After the Tang army surrounded Pyongyang, the grain was transported by sea from the south, which saved a lot of transport capacity.

Therefore, the key to the Southern Route Army lies in stability.

Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie were both veteran generals. Although they were young and impetuous when they were young, they were now old and would no longer be greedy for merit and act rashly.

Moreover, they all knew that this was their last battle, and they could not afford to lose.

After the two men entered Seoul, they issued proclamations to reassure the people, built city walls, and sent out a large number of scouts to gather information from the front lines.

Even Jiang Ke was surprised that the two of them would stay in Hancheng so obediently.

Back when the meeting was held at the Xiongjin Governor's Office, those two old scoundrels acted like rascals, taking advantage of every opportunity without any shame.

The Imperial Guards and cavalry under Jiang Ke's command were divided between the two.

His army of over 13,000 men were all Baekje soldiers, with low combat strength, which is why he was the last person to reach Seoul.

Quan Nanjian was also taken aback by the movements of the Southern Route Army.

The Korean Peninsula has a terrain that is high in the east and low in the west, especially near Pyongyang, where the terrain is open and there is a large plain in the south.

Quan Nanjian has mustered 50,000 cavalrymen and is training them day and night, waiting for the Tang army to enter the Pyongyang plain before engaging them in a decisive battle.

As long as he can defeat the Southern Route Army, he can hold Pyongyang to the death and drag the battle out until the Tang army runs out of supplies, which could turn the tide of the war.

To his surprise, the Tang army's battle plan was flawless, and the efficiency with which the Tang army executed the plan was even more frightening.

Left with no other option, Quan Nanjian had to make the worst possible decision: to withdraw the entire army to Pyongyang and hold out to the bitter end.

If they continued to hold out like this, even he couldn't see any hope. After all, once the southern route was opened, the Tang army's logistical supplies could be continuously sent to the front lines.

But since things have come to this, there is no other way but to hold on to our position.

The main force of the Tang army has already broken through the defense line of the Qianshan Mountains. They can't even defend a city, let alone fight in the open field.

The only option is to shrink the defensive line and hold Pyongyang at all costs.

Pyongyang was unusually bustling at this time. Early in the morning, all eight city gates were opened, and cartloads of grain were transported into the city from outside. Cartloads of corpses were transported out of the city.

A coup occurred last night. A group of officials, along with several military officers, attempted to kill Quan Nanjian and rescue Gao Baozang.

This is the third coup attempt this month.

There was nothing they could do. The more battles they lost on the front lines, the deeper the fear and panic became in Pyongyang. Everyone was trying to find a way to survive!
On the day Anshi City was captured, the entire court was in chaos, and some officials even set fire to their homes and committed suicide.

Faced with this chaotic situation, Izumi Ken's method was simple and clear: kill!

Through iron-fisted suppression, they used fear to quell their fears.

All those involved in the coup were executed along with their entire families, and their bodies were all taken out of the city.

Suddenly, an army galloped towards them on the distant horizon. Izumi Kenji had already been informed by scouts and knew that it was Nobuyuki's men, so he was not surprised.

Soon after, Xincheng's army entered the city. Xincheng went to the city wall and reported back to Quan Nanjian.

"General Xincheng, you fought well in this battle, but it's a pity that the others were too useless. If I had known this would happen, I should have sent you to guard Anshi City," Quan Nanjian sighed.

Xin Cheng said in a deep voice, "Mo Lizhi, on my way back just now, I saw many rivers with piles of corpses. May I ask what happened?"

Quan Nanjian said, "They are all the corpses of traitors. You don't need to worry about them. Go and rest."

Xin Cheng said, "This humble general is not asking whose corpse it is, but rather why you piled up the corpses in the water and did not burn them? Aren't you afraid of a plague?"

Quan Nanjian remained silent.

Xincheng sighed and said, "I understand. You want the Tang army to be infected with the plague when they pass through, and then retreat on their own initiative."

Quan Nanjian glanced at him sideways and said, "What do you think of this method?"

Xin Cheng said, "This is extremely foolish. Not only will it fail to harm the enemy, it will also cripple ourselves."

Quan Nanjian snorted.

Xin Cheng said in a deep voice, "Have you ever thought about why our great Goguryeo, which once dominated Liaodong, was forced to this point by the Tang Dynasty within a few months, even worse than Baekje?

Quan Nanjian snorted, "The Tang Dynasty didn't consider Baekje a real opponent. They attacked Baekje to deal with us. Only we are the true adversaries of the Tang!"

Xin Cheng retorted sternly, "You're wrong!"

Quan Nanjian was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at him, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Xin Cheng bluntly said, "I know you've always wanted to learn from Lao Molizhi, but you've only learned his decisiveness in killing, not his strategic wisdom!"

Quan Nanjian's face flushed and paled in turns as he asked, "Father's wisdom?"

Xin Cheng said, “That’s right! The stability of a country is based on its people. Lao Mo Lizhi is ruthless in killing officials, but he never slaughters the people. On the contrary, he introduces various policies to improve people’s livelihood and gain their support.”

"He won the hearts of the people, which is why he was able to replace Gao Baozang in governing the country. That's why the country has remained stable for so many years!" "But what about you? All you know is killing! You expelled your brother, slaughtered old officials, and implicated the innocent! Do you know what kind of image you have in the eyes of ordinary people? If they don't trust you, why would they serve you?"

"The defeat at the front is due not only to military reasons, but also to the fact that you have long lost the support of the people, and the generals could not hold out even if they wanted to!"

"Haven't you come to your senses now?"

Enraged, Izumi Kenji drew his sword and shouted, "Have you said enough?!"

Xincheng stood tall and said, "Besides killing people, what else can you do? Killing Tang people is a skill, but killing your own subjects only makes you a laughingstock."

Quan Nanjian was furious.

With a clang, just as the knife in his hand was about to strike Xincheng's bald head, it suddenly veered off course, cutting a gap in the city wall instead.

"Then tell me, what should I do? How can I defeat the Tang army and save the country?" he roared in a sorrowful voice.

Xin Cheng gazed at him and slowly said, "I have eight words of advice for you, I wonder if Mo Lizhi would be willing to listen?"

"Tell me!"

Xin Cheng said, "Issue an edict of self-reproach to reassure the army and the people!"

Quan Nanjian's expression changed, and he said, "You want me to apologize to the entire court and the public?"

"Yes!"

Izumi Ken stared at him for a long time, then snorted, "Anything else?"

Xincheng said, "Send people to burn the corpses outside the city, and send people to tell the people outside the city that the Tang army is coming soon. Let them enter the city to take refuge. For those who do not want to enter the city, give them food and let them take refuge on their own!"

Quan Nanjian angrily said, "If they don't want to enter the city, what's the point of distributing food?"

Xin Cheng said, "This is a gesture. When the people see that you care for those who don't enter the city, they will naturally care for them even more. That's why they will help you defend the city!"

Quan Nanjian nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Xincheng said, "That's not enough. I have eight measures to pacify the people. Only if you implement them all will you have a chance to stop the Tang people's attack!"

He handed over a piece of paper.

Quan Nanjian took it and glanced at it. After reading it, he didn't think much of it and said, "I'll do everything as instructed. Is that all?"

Xin Cheng said slowly, "That's all we can do now. The rest is up to luck."

"Luck?" Izumi Ken was taken aback.

Xincheng said slowly, "The Mohe and Silla have both withdrawn their troops from Wa. Now it depends on whether these three countries will take action against the Tang army."

Quan Nanjian exclaimed in shock and anger, "Is the life and death of my glorious Goguryeo to be decided by three small countries?"

Xincheng sighed, "The world changes easily. Now that our Goguryeo has been forced into this situation by the Tang people, can we still be called a great power?"

Three days later, the Yalu River froze over, and scouts reported that Xue Rengui's army had crossed the Yalu River and was heading straight for Pyongyang.

Quan Nanjian saw that Xue Rengui had ventured deep into enemy territory alone and wanted to lead his cavalry to fight him, but Xincheng persuaded him against it.

In fact, the Qibi Heli and Zheng Rentai tribes were already close to the Yalu River.

Gao Kan's navy had even crossed the Yalu River and was only fifty miles away from Zhuogang.

Li Ji deliberately prevented them from appearing, allowing Xue Rengui to penetrate deep into enemy territory alone, luring the Goguryeo army out of the city for open battle, and then surrounding them.

Unfortunately it didn't work out.

After Xue Rengui's army approached the city, Li Ji ordered Qibi Heli's troops and Zheng Rentai's troops to cross the river and join forces with Xue Rengui, and also ordered Gao Kan's troops to attack Zhuogang.

At the same time, orders were sent to the three armies on the southern route to advance towards Pyongyang.

Of the eight armies, apart from Zhao Chiman's army which was monitoring the Mohe people, the other seven armies formed a large net that trapped Pyongyang.

In early January, the Tang army completed its meeting in Pyongyang. Li Ji ordered that the grain from Laizhou and Yingzhou be transported by waterway, and Gao Kan's troops were responsible for protecting the grain route.

On the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, six armies led by Xue Rengui, Qibi Heli, Cheng Zhijie, Yuchi Gong, Jiang Ke, and Zheng Rentai launched a fierce attack on Pyongyang.

Li Ji originally planned to capture Pyongyang before the Lantern Festival and send the news of victory back to Chang'an.

Unexpectedly, the morale of the Pyongyang garrison did not drop as he had anticipated, and after more than ten days of siege, they still failed to capture the city.

Xue Rengui's troops stormed the city walls several times, and the defending soldiers fought desperately until nightfall, but they failed to capture the walls and had to retreat.

On January 15th, the Lantern Festival, Li Ji rushed to the front lines and convened a meeting of his generals at the main camp to inquire about the battle situation.

Cheng Zhijie said, "Pyongyang is a formidable city, defended by 150,000 troops with a tenacious will to defend. Our army lacks sufficient siege equipment, and it will not be easy to take down this tough nut through a direct assault!"

Zheng Rentai said, "Tomorrow I will personally lead the suicide squad to attack the east gate. If we fail to breach the city, I am willing to offer my head!"

Li Ji quickly reassured him, "General Zheng, I know you are awaiting punishment and eager to make a name for yourself. However, our army has the upper hand now, so there is no need to be too anxious. Let's discuss this further."

Yuchi Gong said, "That's right, the Goguryeo people are just holding on to their last breath. Once that breath is gone, the city will surely fall!"

Li Ji asked, "In General Yuchi's opinion, how long will it take for the Goguryeo people to lose their temper?"

Yuchi Gong thought for a moment and said, "Judging from the situation of the siege these past few days, it should take about a month."

"General Qibi, what do you think?" Li Ji asked again.

Qibi Heli said, "In my opinion, we should use a strategy."

Upon hearing this, both Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie couldn't help but laugh.

Qibi Heli glared and said, "What are you laughing at?"

This is understandable, as Qibi Heli was originally a fierce general who only knew how to attack head-on and never used his brain when fighting.

The words "using schemes" coming out of his mouth create a strangely comical effect, making people laugh.

Li Ji knew that it was the unexpected fall of Anshi City that made Qibi Heli realize the benefits of strategy, which led him to change his usual style.

"What good plan does General Qibi have?" he asked.

Qibi Heli said, "Attacking the city is the least desirable strategy; attacking the mind is the best. We must find a way to demoralize them."

Yuchi Gong couldn't help but say, "Isn't that obvious? The key is how to demoralize them!"

Qibi Heli snorted: "If you're so capable, why don't you come up with a solution?"

Fearing the two would start arguing, Li Ji asked Jiang Ke, "General Jiang, do you have any ideas?"

Jiang Ke said, "Why not use Gao Funan and have him enter the city on behalf of the Tang army to persuade the Goguryeo people to surrender? Even if he fails, at least he can make them fight among themselves."

Li Ji nodded, then looked at Xue Rengui one last time.

"General Xue, what's your opinion?"

Xue Rengui said, "I agree with General Jiang's opinion, but I have a better candidate than Gao Funan!"

Cheng Zhijie asked, "Who?"

"Spring boy".

Cheng Zhijie frowned and said, "Then we still need to send someone to persuade Quan Nansheng to surrender?"

Xue Rengui said, "No need, he is in my camp now. General Zhao Chiman has successfully persuaded him to surrender."

Upon hearing this, everyone stared at Li Ji in astonishment.

Zhao Chiman was Li Ji's deputy general. His persuasion of Quan Nansheng to surrender was clearly on Li Ji's orders.

"Chief Steward Li, so you already had a plan in mind, and you're still pretending to ask for our opinions!" Yuchi Gong said with dissatisfaction.

Li Ji glanced at him and said, "If Brother Yuchi has any better suggestions, I am willing to adopt them."

Yuchi Gong remained silent.

At this moment, a soldier walked in, came to Li Ji's side, handed him an official letter, and said, "Grand Commander, an urgent report has come from Falcon Prefecture!"

Li Ji took a look, and after reading it, he squinted and said, "They really made their move."

Yuchi Gong hurriedly asked, "What happened in Junzhou? Could it be that the Japanese have made some moves?"

Li Ji said, "Three nights ago, the Japanese attacked Xishui Port in Jun Province, but were repelled by General Liu Renyuan!"

Qibi Heli snorted and said, "The Japanese are incorrigible and overestimate themselves. They think that if we attack Goguryeo, they will have an opportunity to take advantage of us! Heh, once we deal with Goguryeo, they will be next!"

Li Ji looked around and said, "Regarding the matter of persuading them to surrender, does anyone have any other opinions?"

Everyone said no.

If we can successfully persuade Izumi Nanami to surrender, that would be ideal. Even if we fail or Izumi Nanami is killed, it will still cause infighting among the enemy and demoralize them.

After the generals reached an agreement, they dispersed. Xue Rengui approached Quan Nansheng and proposed that he enter the city to persuade him to surrender.

After hearing this, Quan Nansheng did not refuse directly, but asked Xue Rengui about the situation of the Mohe, Silla and Wa.

When he heard that the Japanese had attacked Jun Province but were repelled by the Tang army, his eyes flashed, and he seemed to have gained confidence.

"Very well, I will enter the city tomorrow to persuade them to surrender."

(End of this chapter)