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

Chapter 368 Li Shimin: I've defeated that rebellious son by half a day! [Seeking monthly votes]

The mountains and plains of Liaodong are covered in a blanket of silver.

It was as if nothing had happened overnight.

At this moment, the Tang army camp was filled with laughter and joy, and was quite lively.

"His Majesty!"

Inside the central command tent of the Tang army camp, all the civil and military officials bowed to Li Shimin with smiles on their faces.

The fall of Liaodong City was a major blow to the other Goguryeo garrison troops in Liaodong.

For the Tang army that went to war against Goguryeo, this was a landmark victory.

Therefore, Li Shimin was in a good mood. On the eighth day after the Battle of Liaodong City ended, he summoned his generals to discuss attacking Baiyan City, which is northeast of Liaodong City.

Li Shimin spoke first: "Gentlemen, Baiyan City is an important town in western Goguryeo. It is a high city with a strategic location, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The general in charge of Baiyan City, Sun Daiyin, is also a great general who is skilled in defending cities!"

At this point, Li Shimin walked to the sand table map and pointed out, "Look, this is Liaodong City, and this is Baiyan City. These two cities are mutually supportive, controlling the Taizi River waterway. If we want to advance eastward, we must take Baiyan City."

“Your Majesty, let me lead the attack this time!” Li Xiaogong was the first to step forward.

But Li Shimin did not express his opinion. Instead, he looked at the other generals and asked, "Do any of you have a strategy for taking Baiyan City?"

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting, and to win hearts and minds is paramount. Originally, Liaodong City and Baiyan City were mutually supportive and difficult to conquer. However, we successfully captured Liaodong City using firearms, and our morale is high. Without Liaodong City's support, Baiyan City will also find it difficult to withstand the Tang army's attack. Therefore..."

At this point, Changsun Wuji said in a deep voice, "My idea is that we should first send someone to persuade Sun Daiyin to surrender, so that he knows his current situation. In this way, our army can avoid fighting in the winter and suffering excessive losses."

"this."

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, seemingly not expecting Changsun Wuji to ask him to persuade Changsun Wuji to surrender. However, upon closer examination, he realized it was indeed a good idea.

If they could truly persuade Sun Daiyin to surrender, it would be an absolute good thing for the Tang Dynasty.

But then Li Shimin said thoughtfully, "What do you all think? Is the Duke of Zhao's proposal feasible?"

"Your Majesty, I believe it is unnecessary. Our army's morale is high, and we should sweep through Goguryeo with overwhelming force. Only in this way can we make them understand that the dignity of the Celestial Empire is inviolable!" Yuchi Gong directly expressed his opposition.

Cheng Yaojin chimed in, "That's right! We have cannons and mobile high platforms, so we don't need to worry about attacking the city. We just need to advance! Moreover, as we can see from the Battle of Liaodong City, those Goguryeo soldiers are fearless in the face of death! Even if we send people to persuade them to surrender, it will not succeed! Why waste time giving them time to prepare for battle?"

"this."

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials exchanged bewildered glances.

Although Cheng Yaojin was not particularly skilled in battlefield strategy, he was certainly not stupid, so his considerations were quite reasonable.

After hearing his words, Li Shimin fell into deep thought. After a moment, he turned to Hou Junji and asked, "What does the Minister of War think?"

"Your Majesty, my opinion is the same as that of the Duke of Zhao. We also believe that the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting. When it is time to persuade someone to surrender, we should do so to avoid unnecessary losses for our army."

Hou Junji bowed respectfully, then changed the subject: "Of course, the opinions of General Yuchi and General Cheng also need to be considered. However, what I want to say is that artillery is not omnipotent. There are two reasons why we were able to take Liaodong with artillery: one is that we had already consumed a lot of the defensive resources in Liaodong City, and the other is that we were caught off guard and the weather was favorable."

"If we had used artillery to besiege the city at the beginning of the war, I don't think it would have been as effective as it is in the final stage."

"In addition, the artillery has obvious drawbacks. One is its short firing range, and the other is that the gunpowder shells are prone to moisture and cannot be used in complex environments. Baiyan City is located near the Taizi River, where there is plenty of moisture, which is not conducive to the long-term normal use of artillery."

"this."

Upon hearing Hou Junji's analysis, the civil and military officials exchanged bewildered glances once again.

It must be said that Hou Junji did learn something from studying military strategy with Li Jing.

At least Li Shimin quite agreed with his analysis.

Li Shimin nodded slightly, then looked around at his ministers and said, "I think the Minister of War's words are reasonable, but I have also deeply learned from Yang Guang's strategy of 'subduing the enemy without fighting.' Therefore, I have decided to make two preparations. On the one hand, I will send people to persuade Sun Daiyin to surrender, and on the other hand, I will formulate siege tactics, gather provisions, and station troops at Taizi River, ready to attack the city at any time!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials immediately spoke in unison.

Soon, the Tang army camp began to operate, and the soldiers' morale remained high.

Meanwhile, inside Baiyan City.

Sun Daiyin frowned deeply as she looked at the battle report coming from Liaodong City.

Although Baiyan City was a key city on the western defense line, the number of troops stationed there and the amount of grain stored in it were second only to Liaodong City.

But upon seeing the battle report from Liaodong City, Sun Daiyin had little confidence in resisting the Tang army's attack.

In particular, the cannons used by the Tang army in Liaodong City were something Sun Daiyin had heard of before, that the Tang Dynasty had very powerful firearms, but this was the first time he had ever seen the power of cannons. They were truly devastating and earth-shattering.

If the Tang army were to use the same tactics to attack Baiyan City, he really wouldn't know how to deal with the Tang army's artillery.

At this moment, Sun Daiyin really wanted to just surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

Anyway, his own Baekam tribe was not Yeon Gaesomun's core army. He didn't even send troops to support Choi Soon, let alone his own Baekam city.
You should know that Choi Soon-kwan is a core retainer of their family!
"Oh no, what are we going to do!"

Sun Daiyin tapped the desk and sighed with a worried expression.

At this moment, Li Qi, a trusted advisor standing beside him, suddenly spoke up, "General Sun, why don't we summon the generals and discuss their thoughts before making a decision?"

"That's the only way. Let them come over."

Sun Daiyin waved her hand weakly.

About half an hour later, almost all the generals of Baiyan City had gathered in the main hall of the city lord's mansion.

Then Sun Daiyin looked around at the generals and said, "Gentlemen, Liaodong City has been captured by the Tang army, and General Cui Shun has died for his country. According to the Tang army's attack route, Baiyan City will be the first to be hit! Now the Tang army is coming with great force. Do you have any countermeasures?"

"Aish! I must avenge General Choi Soon! He is a hero of Goguryeo!"

"Damn Han Chinese! How dare they kill our General Cui Shun! This is an irreconcilable feud!"

"Yes! We must kill all the Han people! We must avenge them!"

"."

Sun Daiyin originally thought that the generals in his city would be afraid of the Tang army's offensive because of the fall of Liaodong City, but he did not expect that the fall of Liaodong City would instead arouse their hatred, and they never thought about surrendering to the Tang army.

This is a bit embarrassing.

So he couldn't help but turn to look at Li Qi beside him.

Li Qi also seemed somewhat at a loss.

He was originally a member of Li Siyuan's family, and secretly under Li Siyuan's instructions, he secretly instigated Goguryeo generals to defect.

Sun Daiyin was the first general he wanted to win over.

Sun Daiyin had already been secretly persuaded by him, and it was just a matter of seeing the attitude of the generals in Baiyan City. However, the generals in Baiyan City never even considered surrendering and were determined to fight the Tang army to the death.

Even Sun Daiyin, the city lord, cannot completely control Baiyan City.

Just as Sun Daiyin was in an awkward situation, a report suddenly came from outside the door: "Reporting to the city lord, the Tang emperor has sent an envoy!"

Wow!
As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!

But then a general from Baiyan City shouted angrily, "General Sun! Let me go and kill that Tang Dynasty envoy!"

“That’s right! I heard that our envoy was killed by the Tang Dynasty, so we should also kill the Tang Dynasty’s envoy!” another general chimed in.

For a time, shouts of fighting and killing filled the air.

Sun Daiyin gradually grew angry, thinking to himself, "You are not afraid of death, but I am!"

My entire family is in Baiyan City, while most of your families have been taken away by Yeon Gaesomun.

Although it's said to be to protect your families, it's actually to allow you to defend the city with your lives on the line without any worries.

But what about me? How did Yeon Gaesomun treat me? He made my entire family perish with Baekam Castle!
Why should I risk my life for this beast?!

"quiet--!"

Seeing the noisy scene in the hall, Sun Daiyin finally couldn't contain his anger and slammed his hand on the table, saying, "When two countries are at war, envoys are not to be killed. Don't you even understand this basic rule?"

"But General Sun, the Tang Dynasty also killed our envoys. Are we...?"

"enough!"

Before the Baiyan City general could finish speaking, Sun Daiyin angrily interrupted him: "The Tang Dynasty is the Tang Dynasty, and we are us. They have no rules, but we cannot be without rules! Men, bring in the Tang Dynasty envoy!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals of Baiyan City looked at each other in bewilderment.

Soon, the Tang Dynasty envoy Xiangli Xuanjiang was brought in by a Goguryeo soldier.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Envoy of the Great Tang Dynasty, Xiangli Xuanjiang, greets Lord Sun of Baiyan City!"

"Be bold!"

As Xiangli Xuanjiang finished speaking, a general from Baiyan City immediately stepped forward and rebuked him: "Why don't you kneel before our Supreme General?!"

"Kneel down—!"

The generals of Baiyan City immediately spoke in unison, preparing to give Xiangli Xuanjiang a taste of his power.

Sun Daiyin, seeing this, also watched coldly from the sidelines.

He wanted to see how the Tang emperor would treat him.

Xiangli Xuanjiang, however, remained calm and said, “Our Great Tang is a celestial empire, while your Goguryeo is a tributary state. Since ancient times, the superior has always respected the inferior. How can a superior state kneel before an inferior state? Moreover, I am a fourth-rank official of the court, while General Sun, according to the official rank of our Great Tang, should be a prefect of a province. We are both fourth-rank officials, so how can we kneel before each other on equal footing?”

Having said that, he then looked around at the generals of Baiyan City and said mockingly, "You don't even understand this simple principle, do you?" "You!"

The Baiyan City general who had just reprimanded Xiangli Xuanjiang was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Sun Daiyin had previously scolded them for not knowing the rules, and now Xiangli Xuanjiang was scolding them for not understanding reason. It was utterly shameful.

"Damn it! I'm going to kill you!"

Another White Rock City general, enraged, was about to draw his sword and charge forward.

At this moment, Li Qi, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "Quick! Stop him!"

After saying this, he cupped his hands towards Sun Daiyin and said, "General Sun, no matter what, let's hear the envoy's purpose before making a decision."

"Yes, Li Zaoyi is right!"

Sun Daiyin nodded knowingly, then waved his hand down in the hall, and the Baiyan City general who was shouting for battle was immediately subdued by the city lord's personal guards.

But then Sun Daiyin asked calmly and authoritatively, "I wonder what decree the Emperor of Tang has to convey to me?"

"Hehe, to be honest, General Sun, His Majesty's decree is very simple. If General Sun is willing to surrender to our Great Tang, His Majesty is willing to treat him with high official positions and generous salaries, and will not harm a single blade of grass or tree in Baiyan City."

Xiangli Xuanjiang smiled and said, "As for everything in Baiyan City, General Sun will still have the final say."

"Wishful thinking! Your Tang Dynasty is just wishful thinking! We will never surrender!"

Before Xiangli Xuanjiang could finish speaking, a general from Baiyan City sneered and rebuked him.

Sun Daiyin, on the other hand, frowned deeply.

Although he did consider surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, the conditions offered by the Tang emperor were not enough to make him make a decisive choice to surrender.

He said calmly, "There's no need to surrender to your Great Tang. Everything in Baiyan City is still under my control!"

"is it?"

Xiangli Xuanjiang smiled and said calmly, "Baiyan City is indeed under your control now, but the future of Baiyan City is uncertain. I presume the battle report from Liaodong City has already reached General Sun. Our Great Tang has at least a hundred ways to conquer Baiyan City."

"The reason our Emperor first tried to persuade us to surrender was to avoid further bloodshed. After all, artillery ammunition is indiscriminate! Besides, injuries from firearms are difficult to heal, as you probably don't realize."

"What!?"

The generals of Baiyan City were shocked and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then, Xiangli Xuanjiang calmly took out a small packet of gunpowder and said indifferently, "If you don't believe me, you can sprinkle this packet of gunpowder on the wounds of animals and see if they rot faster than ordinary knife or arrow wounds."

Upon hearing this, all the generals turned to look at Sun Daiyin.

Sun Daiyin glanced at Xiangli Xuanjiang with suspicion, then at the gunpowder in his hand. Finally, he swallowed hard and forced a calm expression, saying, "I, Sun Daiyin, have defended Baiyan City for so many years. I'm not easily intimidated! Do you really think we're afraid of you with mere gunpowder weapons? If your Tang Dynasty has a hundred ways to deal with us, then we have a hundred and one ways to deal with you!"

Having said this, he immediately waved his hand and said, "Men! Seize this Tang Dynasty envoy! Lock him in the woodshed and prepare for battle!"

"Yes!"

Soon, several soldiers from the city lord's mansion took Xiangli Xuanjiang away.

Xiangli Xuanjiang did not resist, but simply smiled, put down the gunpowder pack, and turned to leave with several soldiers from the city lord's mansion.

General Sun

Seeing Xiangli Xuanjiang being escorted away by several soldiers from the city lord's mansion, several generals from Baiyan City prepared to stand up and say a few words.

However, Sun Daiyin impatiently waved her hand to interrupt them, saying, "You can all leave now!"

"This"

The generals of Baiyan City exchanged glances. Although they were unwilling, they dared not disobey Sun Daiyin's orders, and one by one they left with sullen faces.

Once only Sun Daiyin and Li Qi remained in the main hall of the city lord's mansion, Sun Daiyin hurriedly said to Li Qi, "Go to the woodshed tonight and apologize to the Tang envoy for me. Tell him that I am willing to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and that the Tang emperor should lead his army to accept my surrender!"

"This"

Li Qi was overjoyed, but outwardly he was very worried and asked, "What about those generals who are unwilling to surrender?"

"You don't need to worry about this. I have my own way of handling it!"

Sun Daiyin glanced at the gunpowder pack on the ground and said in an unquestionable manner.

Soon, Li Qi followed him out of the main hall.

Meanwhile, Li Shimin was studying siege tactics in his military tent, holding a map.

Although he had already sent Xiangli Xuanjiang to persuade Sun Daiyin to surrender, he was not really sure what to do and was just trying to put his mind at ease.

Therefore, his focus was still on launching a strong attack on Baiyan City.

However, just as he was racking his brains over the tactics for a strong attack on Baiyan City, Yang Shidao and Yun Duan suddenly appeared outside the tent.

"Your Majesty, Minister Yang and Commander Yun request an audience!"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing the report from outside the tent, Li Shimin was slightly taken aback, then immediately ordered, "Let them in!"

"Yes!"

Soon, Yang Shidao and Yun Duan walked in with smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Where does joy come from?"

Li Shimin looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, and then Yun Duan bowed first, saying, "Your Majesty, General Li Ji, with several thousand cavalry, decisively defeated the 300,000-strong army of the Xueyantuo. Commander Pei Xuan, with divine soldiers descending from the heavens, led several thousand musketeer guards, in conjunction with the Zhishisi Li tribe and the Dahekuge tribe, in a night raid on the Xueyantuo royal court, breaching Yudujun Mountain. The Xueyantuo Khan, Yishiyinan, was killed, and the Xueyantuo Khanate has disintegrated and been destroyed!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was greatly surprised, thinking to himself, "How could the Xueyantuo have been destroyed so quickly?!"

However, before he could speak, Yang Shidao smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has submitted a memorial to the court, requesting that Your Majesty confer upon Murong Shun, son of the Tuyuhun Khan, the title of Prince of Xiping and Tuyuhun Khan!"

"Hmm?" Li Shimin frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't the Tuyuhun Khan Fuyun? Why is Murong Shun suddenly being appointed as the Prince of Xiping and the Tuyuhun Khan?"

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has divided his army into two routes, attacking the main force of Tuyuhun from the north and south respectively. The northern army, led by Su Dingfang, successfully destroyed the Tuyuhun royal court and inflicted a major defeat on the main Tuyuhun army. This enraged Fuyun to the point of vomiting blood and dying, and Crown Prince Dayan Mangjiebo also fled in panic. Now, Murong Shun has surrendered to our Great Tang, and almost half of Tuyuhun is now under our Great Tang control."

"What!?"

Li Shimin was so shocked that the map in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. He thought to himself, "How is this possible?! That rebellious son has almost conquered two kingdoms in just half a year?!"

I've only reached Baiyan City so far, and there are still more than ten cities to go before I can destroy Goguryeo!

This, this, this.
Li Shimin felt his vision blurring.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Seeing that Li Shimin was slightly unsteady on his feet, Wu She quickly stepped forward to support him.

"I...I'm fine."

Li Shimin raised his hand to brush away Wu She, then looked at the two people in the cloud with a complicated expression, hesitating to speak.

Just then, Changsun Wuji slowly walked into the tent, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the casualty statistics for the Liaodong campaign have been released. Our army suffered fewer than two thousand casualties, which can be considered a great victory."

"Wuji!"

Before Changsun Wuji could finish speaking, Li Shimin waved his hand to interrupt his flattery, and then said in a sullen tone, "Chengqian has already destroyed almost two countries."

"When did this happen?"

Changsun Wuji asked abruptly.

Li Shimin was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, what I mean is, when did the Crown Prince conquer those two kingdoms?"

"Duke of Zhao, it's not two countries, it's one country, and there's another country that's about to perish," Yang Shidao corrected.

Changsun Wuji suddenly realized, "So that means a country was destroyed? When was that country destroyed?"

"this."

Yang Shidao hesitated for a moment, suddenly feeling somewhat bewildered, but still answered truthfully: "According to the time the good news came, it should have been nine days ago!"

Nine days ago?

Changsun Wuji frowned and said, "Isn't this just one day after we captured Liaodong City? If we calculate the time, the Crown Prince is at least half a day behind us!"

Yang Shidao: "."

Cloud: "."

The two looked at each other, speechless, thinking to themselves, "What the hell is this thing you're gesturing with?!"
However, Li Shimin was greatly impressed when he heard the comparison made by Changsun Wuji!
Yeah!
I will win before that rebellious son!
Even if it's only for half a day, I still win!
It must be said that Changsun Wuji was well-versed in the art of spiritual victory, and Li Shimin was successfully inspired by it.

There's nothing I can do; my son is just too good.

But then he immediately perked up and said, "Guards, convey my decree: our army has won a great victory, and tonight we will reward the entire army!"

(End of this chapter)