Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 367 Emperor Li Er has finally seen the light! [Seeking monthly votes]

With the arrival of winter, the Tang army's progress on the Liaodong battlefield has come to a standstill.

Li Shimin originally intended to take Liaodong City with the same swift and decisive victory as before, but the fierce resistance of the Goguryeo people and various uncontrollable factors such as weather disrupted all his plans.

At this moment, snow is falling heavily outside, and ironware is frozen solid like icicles.

Bonfires were lit in the Tang army tents, and pots of boiling vegetable soup were bubbling away.

Although the Tang army has not yet experienced a shortage of food supplies, it is clear that continuing to stalemate in this way is not a viable solution.

Therefore, Li Shimin convened five military conferences within three days, and the theme of each conference was how to capture Liaodong City.

Originally, following Li Xiaogong's tactics, by using catapults side by side to achieve full firepower coverage, Liaodong City was almost breached.

As a result, a sudden downpour gave Goguryeo a chance to catch their breath, allowing them to find a tactic to counter the Tang army's use of catapults in parallel during their subsequent defenses.

In this way, it would be even more difficult for the Tang army to capture Liaodong City.

Of course, besides dealing with the Tang army's tactics, it seemed that the heavens were also helping the Goguryeo people, as it rained heavily not only that day but for several days in a row.

After the heavy rain came snow and wind, which completely disrupted the Tang army's rhythm.

Li Shimin spoke first: "I came here to relieve the suffering of my people, not to be a bloodthirsty ruler. My decision to point my sword at Liaodong is a last resort. However, Goguryeo's leader, Lu Yuan Gaesomun, has not respected the superior nation, nor loved his people, and has stubbornly resisted. I intend to teach him a lesson."

"Unfortunately, things haven't gone as planned, and Liaodong City is indeed difficult to attack. Therefore, I intend to retreat to Dingzhou and wait until next spring to launch another attack. What do you all think?"

After saying this, Li Shimin seemed to have used up all his strength and slumped down.

In reality, although the words sound nice, they were essentially an admission of the disadvantages of this war.

This was certainly a significant blow to Li Shimin, who had always been militarily invincible.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than Li Xiaogong stepped forward and refused, saying, "Your Majesty, we have been fighting in Liaodong for almost half a year. How can we just give up like this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, let's hold on a little longer! It's only been a month since we took Liaodong City. Back then, even Yang Guang's million-strong army was defeated at Liaodong City. We're doing alright!" Yuchi Gong also stepped forward and echoed.

Although the other generals did not speak, they also did not want Li Shimin to withdraw his troops.

After all, if Li Shimin were to withdraw his troops, all the cities they had conquered would have been for nothing.

However, not everyone opposed the withdrawal of troops; Hou Junji was one such person.

Hou Junji suddenly spoke up: "Given the current situation of our army, there is no point in continuing like this. On the contrary, it will only make the morale of the soldiers lower and lower. Rather than this, we should retreat as soon as possible and make other plans!"

“That’s right. Warfare depends on the right time, the right place, and the right people. Right now, the right time, the right place, and the right people are not on our side. Is there any point in fighting this war?” Zhang Jian immediately echoed.

For a time, all the civil and military officials were embroiled in a dispute.

Some supported withdrawing troops, some supported continuing the fight, and some even supported peace talks.

But no matter what kind of dispute it was, in the end, no conclusion was reached.

Until Li Shimin interrupted them in a deep voice: "Enough—!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent instantly.

Even generals like Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin were terrified and fell silent.

But then Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "Do you think I don't want to fight? The key question is, do we even have the means to fight?"

"this."

After everyone spoke, Li Daozong chuckled and said, "Solutions are found by people. With so many of us, surely we can come up with a feasible solution?"

"Hmph, if I could figure that out, would I need to hold five meetings in three days?" Li Shimin sneered.

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately became extremely embarrassed.

But then Li Daozong chuckled and said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I have come up with a plan, but I don't know if it's feasible, so I haven't dared to say it out loud."

"any solution?"

Li Shimin glanced at him coldly.

Normally, he would never have asked Li Daozong for a solution.

In his view, Li Daozong's military talent was just like Cheng Yaojin's, so it would be better to make him the vanguard general.

Li Daozong touched his nose and chuckled, "Last time, the reason we failed to capture Liaodong City, besides the weather, I think the main reason was that our siege weapons were inadequate."

"Wait! You mean the catapult isn't working?"

Li Xiaogong immediately stood up and retorted, "We've fought so many wars over the years, and every time we've attacked a city, we've used catapults!"

"What you're talking about is the past. What era are we in now? Still using catapults? Isn't that just taking a concubine to keep the wife company?"

"Hahaha--"

Upon hearing this, the generals burst into laughter.

Li Xiaogong's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Daozong, stop talking nonsense and rambling on. His Majesty is asking you about the plan to conquer Liaodong!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about – how to take Liaodong!"

Li Daozong shrugged and said, "I think cannons would be more powerful than catapults!"

"Moreover, artillery has a variety of ammunition types, such as exploding shells, which are more effective at hitting city walls!"

“But artillery has a short range and is easily harassed by enemy cavalry,” Zhang Jian suddenly interjected.

Li Daozong glanced at him dismissively and said, "Who says we have to put the cannons on the ground? Can't we find a way to build a platform and fire the cannons from there?"

"Set up a stage?"

Li Shimin couldn't help but ask, "Why are we setting up a platform?"

"Your Majesty, I spoke privately with the Crown Prince's engineers yesterday. They told me they have a technique for building high platforms in a short time, and these platforms can be advanced. Therefore, I was thinking, why not use these platforms to mount cannons, advance the platforms while firing horizontally at the Liaodong city gate towers, and then use ladders to send out a suicide squad to forcibly scale the city walls and set fire to the west side of the city? With the strong winds, the fire will surely spread rapidly."

"In this way, the Goguryeo garrison will surely panic, and we..."

At this point, Li Daozong stopped talking, because he had already seen Li Shimin's face full of a radiant smile.

It's obvious that Emperor Taizong has finally come to his senses.

The auxiliary troops he had previously acquired from Li Chengqian had been shelved until now due to their consecutive victories.

If Li Daozong hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten about the auxiliary troops that Li Chengqian had given him.

Looking back now, he really regrets not thinking of the auxiliary troops sooner, otherwise he wouldn't have had to resort to the provocation tactic of retreating troops to get his ministers to come up with a solution.

Yes, Emperor Taizong of Tang never intended to withdraw his troops; everything he did just now was an act.

It must be said that his acting skills were truly excellent; he not only found a solution but also saved face.

He smiled slightly, then looked around at his ministers and asked, "Do you, my dear ministers, think that Daozong's method is feasible?"

"this."

The ministers exchanged bewildered glances, thinking, "Given that expression, what can we say? Let's just keep fighting!"

"We second that proposal—"

The ministers quickly spoke in unison.

But then Li Shimin laughed and said, "Good, immediately send down the order to have the engineers build a high platform and the artillery battalion prepare ammunition. As soon as the snow stops, we will attack the city!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, inside Liaodong City.

Cui Shun, the garrison commander of Liaodong City, was sitting in the city lord's mansion with a furrowed brow.

Although the Tang army's offensive has stalled, it has not withdrawn from the battlefield, meaning that it could continue its attack on Liaodong City at any time.

As Yeon Gaesomun's most trusted subordinate, Choi Soon believed he had been loyal enough, but the current situation was that Liaodong City was at a critical moment of life and death, and reinforcements from Goguryeo were slow to arrive.

He had written countless letters asking Yeon Gaesomun to send troops to support him, but those letters seemed to sink without a trace, with no end in sight.

To be honest, he no longer had much confidence in holding Liaodong City and only hoped that the Tang army would give up.

It's best to evacuate after the snowstorm ends.

However, expectations are beautiful, but reality is cruel.

He never dreamed that the Tang army would prepare to attack the city on such a snowy day.

Just then, a general rushed in and reported, "General Cui, the Tang army is mobilizing its troops; it seems they are about to launch an attack on us!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Shun was greatly surprised and immediately stood up from his seat. He then led his generals to the city tower.

Outside the city, Tang soldiers were seen building a high platform and moving timber. It was unclear what they were doing, but judging from the situation, they were probably preparing for an attack on the city.

But then Cui Shun frowned and asked, "Are they planning to build an arrow tower?" "It doesn't look like it. If it were an arrow tower, why build such a big one? It would be very slow to move!" a general chimed in.

Cui Shun narrowed his eyes, then ordered to those around him, "No matter what, make sure that thing doesn't get near the city wall. Prepare some oil and rockets. As soon as that thing gets close to the city wall, light it immediately!"

"Yes!"

A messenger immediately accepted the order and withdrew.

Immediately afterwards, Cui Shun ordered another messenger: "Immediately notify the soldiers and civilians in the city to prepare for battle at any time. Also, protect our food supplies and send all the food, women, and children into the tunnels!"

"As ordered!"

Soon, the entire Liaodong City entered a state of war.

As time went on, the atmosphere gradually became tense.

About three days later, Heaven finally sided with the Tang army.

An hour after the snowstorm stopped, Li Shimin decisively ordered a fierce attack on Liaodong City.

Rows of cannons, pushed by hundreds of men below, began to bombard the Goguryeo defenders on the city walls, almost level with them.

With each shot fired, the Goguryeo city walls erupted in clouds of smoke and dust, and cries of agony filled the air.

"Damn it! What kind of tactic is this! Quick! Someone, destroy those high platforms!"

Cui Shun finally realized that those high platforms would not be close to the city wall at all. They only needed to shorten the distance to the city wall. In addition, the high platforms had a better field of vision, which made them several times more lethal than catapults. So he quickly sent cavalry to destroy the high platforms.

But the next moment, a large contingent of Tang cavalry appeared near the high platform, as if to protect it.

As the high platform drew closer, the accuracy and power of the artillery fire gradually increased.

The Goguryeo defenders were no match for them.

Li Shimin seized the opportunity, and the moment the cannons blasted a breach, he immediately dispatched a suicide squad to use ladders to climb the city wall and pour oil on the city tower.

Immediately afterwards, rockets were used to set the city gate on fire.

Suddenly, a rocket was fired into the oil field prepared by the Goguryeo army, and the fire intensified immediately. In no time, the city gate in the southwest of Liaodong City was engulfed in flames.

"This is bad! Quickly send men to put out the fire! Don't let the fire spread into the city!"

Cui Shun was startled and quickly ordered his generals to lead men to put out the fire.

Just as Li Daozong had analyzed, the fire at Liaodong City threw the Goguryeo defenders into chaos. Not only were the defenders on the city wall frantically trying to put out the fire, but the soldiers and civilians inside the city were also thrown into disarray.

"Hahaha! Okay! Okay!"

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin burst into laughter and immediately addressed the generals behind him, "Give me your full strength to attack the city and make sure we capture Liaodong City!"

"Yes!"

All the generals spoke in unison.

Soon, the Tang army launched a general offensive against Liaodong City.

Amidst the artillery fire, a Liaodong city general, looking disheveled, rushed up to Cui Shun and asked in a panic, "General Cui, what should we do now?"

"What else can we do? Naturally, we must defend Liaodong City to the death and wait for reinforcements to arrive!"

“However, the Tang army is in high spirits and their firearms are fierce. I’m afraid we can’t hold out for long.” Another Liaodong city general looked troubled.

Cui Shun fell into a helpless silence.

He knew, of course, that the situation was dire, but he had no other option but to hold out.

"General Cui, why don't we send someone out of the city to request reinforcements from Baiyan City?"

Another Liaodong city general suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Cui Shun's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Good, immediately send someone out of the city to request reinforcements. Tell Sun Daiyin, the garrison commander of Baiyan City, that Liaodong City is in imminent danger and that he must send reinforcements as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the subordinate immediately accepted the order and left.

However, he hadn't gone far when he rushed back: "General Cui, something terrible has happened! The Tang army has already stormed the city!"

"Damn it!"

Cui Shun couldn't help but curse.

He hadn't expected the Tang army to act so quickly.

"General Cui, why don't we just surrender?"

A general suddenly spoke up.

However, his words were immediately met with angry rebukes from the other generals.

"What did you say? We Goguryeo people would rather die than submit!"

"That's right, we'd rather die fighting than surrender!"

"."

Looking at these impassioned generals, Cui Shun felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He knew that these generals were loyal warriors who were willing to pay the price of their lives to defend their homeland.

He, too, was willing to live and die with Liaodong City.

He raised his hand and slashed with his sword, striking the general who had offered to surrender. He said viciously, "Anyone who dares to speak of surrender again will be killed without mercy!"

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately perked up.

Immediately afterwards, they charged towards the Tang soldiers.

Meanwhile, under the cover of artillery fire, Tang troops continuously scaled the city walls and unleashed a massacre on the Goguryeo soldiers on the walls.

One by one, the Goguryeo soldiers on the city wall fell.

They did not retreat, but continued to hold their ground on the city walls, engaging in a fierce battle with the Tang army.

Looking at these brave soldiers, Cui Shun felt a surge of pride.

He knew that as long as these soldiers were still there, Liaodong City would never be breached.

However, as time went on, the Goguryeo soldiers suffered increasing losses, and the defenses on the city walls began to weaken.

Cui Shun watched all this with extreme anxiety.

He knew that if things continued like this, Liaodong City would eventually be captured by the Tang army.

"General Cui, the Tang army is advancing too fiercely, especially their cannons. We can't stop them at all. What should we do?" a general asked anxiously.

Cui Shun remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Pass down the order: open the city gates and let the warriors rush out. Destroy those cannons at all costs!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the surrounding generals changed drastically.

They knew that opening the city gates meant abandoning the city walls' defenses, which was undoubtedly a risky move.

However, seeing the soldiers falling one after another on the city wall, they knew that if things continued like this, Liaodong City would fall sooner or later.

So they all accepted the order and began to organize their soldiers to prepare for the charge.

The city gates were quickly opened, and Goguryeo warriors surged out like a tidal wave, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Tang army.

Standing on the city wall, Cui Shun looked down at the fierce battle below and couldn't help but feel a sense of tragic grandeur.

He knew that the outcome of this battle was no longer important; what mattered was that he, Choi Soon, had lived up to Yeon Gaesomun's trust.

The battle lasted for a whole day, only gradually subsiding as night fell.

Even with the Goguryeo army's desperate resistance, they were still unable to stop the Tang army.

In this battle, more than 10,000 Goguryeo defenders were killed, and more than 10,000 soldiers and more than 40,000 civilians were captured.

Cui Shun, the garrison commander of Liaodong City, was surrounded by the Tang army on the city wall.

Looking at the corpses scattered all over the city, Cui Shun felt a surge of sorrow.

At this moment, Li Shimin, accompanied by his generals, slowly approached him, calmly and indifferently staring at him. After a moment, he coldly said, "I respect you as a loyal man. However, your loyalty to that traitor Yeon Gaesomun truly deserves death!"

"hehe."

Cui Shun smiled noncommittally, then said expressionlessly, "The Tang Dynasty bullies the weak, how noble of you to say. But do you think you've won? No, you will fall on my Goguryeo soil, just like the Sui Dynasty perished."

After saying that, he drew his sword and committed suicide without saying another word.

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin showed no emotional fluctuation, but simply waved his hand and ordered, "Issue my decree to establish Liaodong City as Liaozhou, and appoint Li Daozong as the governor of Liaozhou!"

(End of this chapter)