Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 441 Establishment of the Andong Protectorate

At this very moment, Quan Nansheng, whom Li Yong and the other two mentioned, is being held in a prison in Pyongyang.

A few days ago, he was hoisted up to the city in a hoisting basket and was locked up in jail without even seeing his two younger brothers. For three days in a row, no one came to see him.

This filled him with anxiety.

He knew that the Tang army's patience was limited. If he could not persuade the people in the city to surrender, the Tang army would no longer care about his life or death and would definitely continue to attack the city.

Just then, the silence in the prison was broken by footsteps.

He rushed to the front of the prison, grabbed the bars, and looked to the side. There came his two younger brothers and General Xincheng.

Quan Nanjian's face was very ugly, and he was holding a steel knife in his hand, clearly there to kill someone.

When Quan Nansheng first entered the city, he was prepared to kill his elder brother, but was stopped by Xincheng.

Shinshin's reasoning left him speechless: killing Izumi would only make him a fratricide, which would be detrimental to the stability of the city; keeping Izumi alive might still be useful.

In the following days, the Tang army suddenly stopped attacking the city.

Quan Nanjian was secretly pleased, thinking that they had given up attacking the city and were preparing to besiege it.

But before he could even enjoy his happiness for two days, he realized something was wrong.

Originally, when the Tang army launched a fierce attack, the soldiers and civilians in the city were able to unite and fight against the Tang army together.

Now that the Tang army has suddenly stopped attacking the city, the morale in the city has begun to decline steadily.

He was extremely puzzled and asked Xincheng for advice.

Xin Cheng told him that attacking a city has its own troubles, and besieging a city also has its own difficulties.

If the enemy attacks the city, the defending army must withstand the fierce attacks of the Tang army. Although the city may be breached at any time, this also makes everyone only care about defending the city and has no time to think about anything else.

Now that the Tang army is only besieging the city and not attacking, the garrison in the city is relaxed, but their minds are also free, and they begin to think about the future.

Upon reflection, they realized there was no hope at all; a dead end lay ahead. Their spirits plummeted, and their morale naturally dropped.

More importantly, everyone knew that Quan Nansheng had come to the city, and everyone knew that he had come to persuade them to surrender, which gave them a glimmer of hope!
So everyone began to hope that Quan Nanjian would accept Quan Nansheng's offer of surrender.

Over the past few days, the mentality of the garrison in the city has changed. Even Quan Nanjian's most trusted confidants have begun to urge him to surrender, implying in their words.

Quan Nanjian realized that if things continued like this, sooner or later someone would open the city gates and let the Tang army in.

That's why I came to the prison, intending to kill Izumi Ken and extinguish everyone's hopes.

Xincheng had also advised her that doing so might cause a mutiny in the army, but he couldn't care less about that now.

Seeing his younger brother's murderous look, Quan Nansheng knew things were going badly and shouted, "Third brother, General Xincheng, do you really want to die with the second brother?"

With a clang, Quan Nanjian severed the iron lock with a single stroke, strode into the cell, and said coldly, "Brother, since you left Pyongyang, you shouldn't have come back!" He walked towards him step by step.

Quan Nansheng huddled in a corner of the cell and said sternly, "General Xincheng, have you forgotten my father's dying words? Who exactly did he ask you to serve?"

Xin Cheng paused, sighed deeply, stepped into the cell, grabbed Quan Nanjian's hand, and said, "Mo Lizhi, you can't kill your own brother!"

Quan Nanjian said urgently, "If he doesn't die, we'll all die!"

Izumi no Sansuke suddenly asked, "Brother, if we surrender, will the Tang people really spare us?"

Quan Nanjian's expression changed, and he said, "Third brother, even you..."

Quan Nan didn't look at him, but stared intently at Quan Nan.

Quan Nansheng hurriedly replied, "Of course! The Tang people conquered Tibet and used Princess Wencheng and Supilanya to govern Tibet. They also conquered Baekje and appointed Jin Yan as governor. They conquered Japan and used Hayabusa as officials. They need us Buyeo people to help govern Goguryeo!"

Izumi nods, then slowly turns to look at Izumi Ken, and says, "Second brother, surrender. There's no point in continuing to defend; it's just a waste of life!"

Quan Nanjian angrily said, "No, we still have a chance. Japan, the Mohe, and Silla may all attack the Tang people. At that time, the Tang people will definitely withdraw their troops!"

Quan Nansheng said, "Second brother, don't have any illusions. The Tang army left a force to keep an eye on the Mohe army, so they don't dare to make any rash moves."

"The Japanese have already launched a surprise attack on the Tang army, but were defeated by them. Do you think Silla would dare to mess with the Tang people?"

Izumi Kenji was stunned for a moment, then murmured, "This is impossible, you're lying to us..."

Xin Cheng sighed, "Second Young Master, the Eldest Young Master is probably not lying. Zhao Chiman's army is missing from the one that attacked us."

Quan Nanjian's face turned ashen, and with a clang, the knife in his hand fell to the ground.

Just then, a man rushed in from outside, saying urgently, "Molizhi, something terrible has happened! More than a dozen ministers, leading troops, have stormed into the old royal palace, rescued Gao Baozang, and are likely preparing to surrender to the Tang army!"

Quan Nanjian seemed not to hear him and remained silent.

Quan Nansheng said anxiously, "We can't let them beat us to it, otherwise the Emperor of Tang will bestow titles upon them!"

Quan Nan's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Quan Nan and said, "Let's surrender the city quickly too. We must be the first to do so!"

He pulled Quan Nansheng out of the prison, and after walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to look at Quan Nansheng.

"Second brother, come quickly too!"

Quan Nanjian said blankly, "You all go ahead, don't worry about me."

Quan Nansan stamped his foot, not daring to delay any longer, and left with Quan Nansan.

Xincheng stood silently next to Quan Nanjian without saying a word.

Quan Nanjian glanced at him and said, "General Xincheng, aren't you leaving?"

Xin Cheng calmly replied, "Since I have chosen to defend the city with you, I will naturally stay with you until the end."

Quan Nanjian sighed and said, "It's a pity that I am not my father after all, and I cannot defeat the Tang people." He picked up the knife on the ground, slashed it horizontally, and committed suicide.

"Alas, old Mo Lizhi, you chose the wrong successor." Xincheng looked at his corpse, sighed, picked up Quan Nanjian's knife, and committed suicide by cutting his own throat.

……

High up in the northwest of Changbai Mountain.

Qiqi Zhongxiang, mounted on his horse, gazed at the Tang army camp in the southwest and slowly asked, "Zuorong, what do you think of this Tang army?"

Zuo Rong was silent for a while, then said, "Their training is superior to ours."

Qiqi Zhongxiang nodded and said, "Your greatest strength is that you can see yourself clearly. Quan Nanjian is not as good as you in this respect, which is why he lost Goguryeo."

Zuo Rong said in a deep voice, "Father, Goguryeo has a population of several million, nearly 300,000 troops, more than 100,000 cavalry, and more than 100,000 armored soldiers. It is a little worrying that they were defeated by the Tang Dynasty so easily."

Qiqi Zhongxiang glanced at him and said, "Are you afraid that if Goguryeo is destroyed too quickly, it will fuel the Tang emperor's ambition to conquer all sides and cause him to wage war against us as well?"

Zuo Rong nodded.

Qiqi Zhongxiang slowly said, "There's no need to worry. Although the Tang Dynasty is powerful, it has strict rules of conduct. They attacked Goguryeo to recover the lost territories of the Han Dynasty. We Mohe people have never belonged to the Central Plains dynasties. Even if we give them our territory, they might not accept it." Upon hearing this, Zuo Rong breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiqi Zhongxiang said, "Furthermore, over the years, we have been obedient and have never disobeyed the Tang Dynasty in the slightest. You also saved Liu Renyuan's life back then. The Tang people will not lay a hand on us, otherwise they would lose the righteousness they speak of!"

At this moment, a horse galloped up the mountain path and said to Qiqi Zhongxiang, "Chief, we have just received news that Gao Baozang has surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang army has entered Pyongyang!"

Qiqi Zhongxiang pulled on the reins and said, "I expected this. Let's go back to Japan. Our battlefield is there."

……

A fast horse galloped into Chang'an City through the side gate to the left of Chunming Gate, heading west at breakneck speed, then turning north, and soon arrived outside Zhuque Gate.

The courier dismounted and shouted, "Urgent report from Yingzhou!" He took out a document bag from around his neck and handed it to a gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper was about to send it to the Ministry of War when he was stopped by a gate captain.

"I'll deliver it myself!" The gatekeeper personally carried the document bag and hurried along Chengtianmen Street to the Ministry of War.

Hao Chujun had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Recently, Wang Fusheng had been coming over every few days to inquire about the news, which showed how eager the emperor was to see it.

He had already given orders that any news from Yingzhou should be brought directly to him.

Therefore, as soon as the gatekeeper entered the Ministry of War, he was taken to Hao Chujun's office.

Hao Chujun couldn't wait to open the document bag, break the seal, take it out and read it. After reading it, he laughed loudly and strode out of the office.

Hao Chujun was always cold and aloof, and the officials of the Ministry of War rarely saw him show such an expression, so they all guessed that it was because of the great victory at the border.

Now that Pyongyang is surrounded, what great victory could there be? The only thing that could happen is that Pyongyang has fallen. Thinking of this, the officials were all very excited.

After leaving the Ministry of War, Hao Chujun hadn't taken two steps when he ran into Li Jingxuan from the Ministry of Rites.

Seeing his expression and noticing the document bag he was carrying, Li Jingxuan asked, "Minister Hao, is there any news of a victory at the border?"

Hao Chujun didn't stop walking, only uttering a soft "hmm".

Li Jingxuan was overjoyed and hurriedly caught up, asking urgently, "Has Pyongyang already been captured?" His voice was not quiet, and since it was morning, many officials from the Ministry of Personnel were present, and many people around looked over.

Hao Chujun grunted in agreement, strode forward, turned onto Chengtianmen Street, and headed towards Chengtianmen.

Li Jingxuan continued to follow behind, asking questions incessantly. Since the other party was in the same grade as him, Hao Chujun couldn't be too rude and answered casually, only giving a word or two each time.

Even so, Li Jingxuan kept asking questions.

It wasn't until they reached the outside of Chengtian Gate that Li Jingxuan, lacking the authority to directly enter the palace, was finally shaken off.

Hao Chujun arrived at Ganlu Hall. The eunuch at the entrance was delighted to see him and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Minister Hao, is this good news from the front?"

Hao Chujun said, "Indeed, is His Majesty inside the hall?"

The eunuch smiled and said, "His Majesty is with Her Majesty the Empress. Please wait here, I will inform him right away." He then strode quickly toward the Lizheng Hall.

Hao Chujun didn't go to the side hall; he just stood outside the door and waited.

Before long, the emperor had arrived, but instead, prime ministers Shangguan Yi, Yan Liben, and Xin Maojiang arrived first.

"Minister Hao, has the army at the front captured Pyongyang?" Yan Liben shouted from afar.

Hao Chujun said, "Yes, the Goguryeo people have surrendered, and our army has entered Pyongyang."

Upon hearing this, all three were overjoyed.

Xin Mao smiled and said, "We just came up with a post-war governance plan, which will come in handy."

Before long, Li Zhi returned to Ganlu Hall and summoned Hao Chujun to an audience. Yan Liben and the other two also went in together.

Before Pyongyang was captured, Li Zhi had been thinking about it day and night. Now that the news had finally arrived, he calmed down and was not in a hurry.

After the ministers had finished exchanging greetings, he asked, "Minister Hao, how was Pyongyang captured?"

Hao Chujun reported: "Your Majesty, Chief Eunuch Li sent Quan Nansheng into the city to persuade them to surrender. He also adopted the strategy of besieging the city without attacking. Three days later, Gao Baozang led a group of ministers out of the south gate to surrender. Half an hour later, Quan Nansheng and Quan Nanchan also led their troops out of the west gate to surrender."

Li Zhi asked, "Where is Quan Nanjian?"

Hao Chujun said, "Quan Nanjian committed suicide in prison, and Xincheng died with him."

Li Zhi nodded and then asked, "Have the Mohe and Silla made any moves?"

Hao Chujun said, "Both countries had deployed troops on the border. After learning of the fall of Pyongyang, they withdrew their troops and even sent people to congratulate our army."

Seeing that the situation was under control, Li Zhi said, "Present the memorial."

In his memorial to the throne, Li Ji not only described the situation inside Pyongyang, but also detailed the spoils of this expedition.

From the very beginning, Quan Nanjian was prepared to defend Pyongyang to the death, so a large amount of grain and fodder was stockpiled in the city, enough to sustain 150,000 garrison troops and more than 200,000 civilians for a year.

When the Tang Dynasty's Eighth Route Army attacked, more than 100,000 Goguryeo troops surrendered one after another. Now, including the garrison in the city, the number of surrendered soldiers is more than 200,000.

In addition, they seized more than 50,000 suits of armor, 70,000 horses, millions of arrows, countless swords, spears, and halberds, as well as tens of thousands of stones of iron ore.

In the royal palace and treasury, there were more than 100,000 taels of gold and more than 300,000 taels of silver, as well as various gold and silver artifacts, pearls, agates, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings, filling more than 80 large boxes.

Li Zhi was very satisfied after reading it.

The Tang army conquered Goguryeo in less than six months. The spoils of war far exceeded the losses, in addition to Goguryeo's fertile black soil and iron ore mines with extremely high iron content.

The Tang army reaped considerable gains in this battle.

At this moment, Yan Liben submitted a memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the post-war resettlement policy for Goguryeo that we have discussed."

They've only just conquered the country, and they've already made arrangements for post-war resettlement. It's clear how impatient these ministers are. When they conquered Tibet, they discussed it back and forth for a long time.

Li Zhi took it and looked at it.

The ministers' plan was to establish the Andong Protectorate in Goguryeo, with Xue Rengui serving as the Grand Protector of Andong, and to set up five major governorates.

The name used was the same as the four commanderies plus one Daifang commandery of the Han Dynasty.

In other words: Lelang Governor's Office, Xuantu Governor's Office, Zhenfan Governor's Office, Lintun Governor's Office, and Daifang Governor's Office.

In addition, under the Five Governorates, forty-two prefectures and one hundred counties were established to govern all parts of Goguryeo.

Those Buyeo who had made meritorious contributions in surrendering Goguryeo were selected as governors and county magistrates, to jointly govern Goguryeo with officials sent by the Tang Dynasty.

After reviewing it, Li Zhi saw that there were no problems and waved his hand dismissively.

"Prelude!"

(End of this chapter)