Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 384 A Massacre, Buried Alive! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

At the center of the encirclement, Xue Rengui, dressed in white robes, rode a white horse, wielding a lance, and led over a hundred fully armored cavalrymen, constantly charging into the Goguryeo army's formation, preventing them from coordinating their attacks from both ends.

In such chaotic battles, the more a group loses its ability to organize, the faster it collapses. So Xue Rengui, who had been holding back for a long time, would charge straight at the neatly arranged Goguryeo soldiers whenever he saw them. Once the formation was broken, he would replace them with the next one.

Zhang Jian, the Grand Commander of the Yingzhou Army, held up his binoculars and, after witnessing this scene, exclaimed in admiration:
"I never expected that there would be such a fierce general in my army. When Li Weigong transferred him away, I thought it was because of Xue Wanche's connections. I never thought that this kid would be such a talented general."

Xue Rengui was originally a cavalry squad leader under Zhang Jian, but when they were almost at Liucheng, Li Weigong checked the rosters of each army and directly transferred Xue Rengui to the central army camp.

Immediately after being transferred there, Xue Rengui led his troops to rout the Goguryeo scouts, and subsequently achieved numerous other great feats.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, after this battle, Xue Rengui will definitely become a military officer of the fifth rank or above, and will be personally received by His Majesty, who will bestow upon him one or two pieces of armor and weapons.

Standing to the side, Niu Jinda stroked his gray beard, his eyes filled with reminiscence of the past:

"Taking the head of a general from among ten thousand troops is as easy as taking something out of a bag. He is just like Brother Qin back then. He dared to break through any military formation. His Majesty has said many times that with Brother Qin and General Yuchi around, there is no fear of the princes of the world!"

The younger generation surpasses the older generation; the brothers who fought everywhere back then have all grown old, and Qin Qiong and others have even passed away. It's time for the younger generation to take charge of the world in the future.

Niu Jinda picked up his spear and said to Zhang Jian:
"This battle may be the last time you and I go to the battlefield, Shiyue. You don't want to go to your grave with regrets, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian leaped onto his horse, took the spear from his personal guard, and laughed loudly:
"To die on the battlefield is the highest honor for a military general. Come, I would rather die in battle than lie on my sickbed and endure pitying glances!"

The two veteran generals, wielding their lances, led their personal guards into the enemy ranks, turning the already chaotic Goguryeo army into utter chaos.

On the mountain, Li Jing witnessed this scene and calmly issued military orders over the walkie-talkie:
"Zhang Shigui, Xue Wanche, you two lead your troops to block the eastward advance... Remember, even if all your men die, you cannot let a single Goguryeo person escape!"

In ancient warfare, the strategy was to surround three sides and leave one side open, deliberately giving the defeated army a chance to escape, lest they become desperate and resort to desperate measures.

But this time, when fighting the Goguryeo people, Li Jing did something completely different. He used a swift and decisive attack to completely encircle the 150,000-strong Goguryeo army, not intending to let a single one escape.

Li Ji handed the thermos to Li Weigong and asked:
"Have you really thought about it?"

Li Jing nodded:

"In the past, Bai Qi massacred 400,000 Zhao soldiers. Although he was condemned for all eternity, he laid the foundation for the Qin Dynasty to unify the world. I am not talented, but I am willing to be Bai Qi of the Tang Dynasty. Even if thousands of scholars insult me, I will completely wipe out Goguryeo."

These words deeply moved Li Ji. He bowed deeply to the ground, then picked up the walkie-talkie and instructed the prisoner camp guarding the Liao River:
"Dig ten large pits on the east bank of the Liao River, the bigger the better."

After issuing the orders, the encirclement and battle began. Li Jing ordered the central army camp to release a drone that repeatedly shouted the word "surrender" in Goguryeo language.

At the Zhengdong intersection, Xue Wanche, the last to arrive, sent his entire supervisory team to block the advance of the Goguryeo deserters:
"The enemy is just a bunch of defeated soldiers. If they break through our defenses, you won't be going back to Chang'an. You'll all be dressed up and become women to earn dowries... I've been leading troops for many years, and you are the worst I've ever seen. Don't try to talk to me about being respectable men from Guanzhong. You've disgraced all the men of Guanzhong!"

This guy, like a demon king, pumped up his men with steroids, managing to hold off the onslaught of tens of thousands of fleeing soldiers with just a few thousand men.

When the drone flew overhead, the defeated Goguryeo soldiers clearly lost their strength.

They couldn't win a fight, and they couldn't escape, so they had no choice but to surrender.

Xue Rengui, who was charging into battle, was somewhat puzzled:
"Shouldn't they have shouted 'surrender and not be killed'? Why did they only ask for surrender and not mention not being killed?"

At this time, the Goguryeo army still numbered at least 100,000. Although they were a large, disorganized force, they were just running around aimlessly like headless flies and were completely unable to organize their troops.

Although this group of Goguryeo reinforcements had been stationed in Pyongyang for a long time, they were not a monolithic force.

They came from different tribes, including the Shiwei, Mohe, and Xi people who were coerced by Yeon Gaesomun. Although they were relatively strong, they were mixed together and none of them were willing to submit to the others. They had constant friction on the road and were now blaming each other. If it weren't for the Tang soldiers constantly charging into battle, they would have even started fighting among themselves.

Hearing the shouts of surrender coming from above in Goguryeo, these men did not hesitate to throw down their weapons, kneel on the ground, and surrender to the Tang soldiers.

They had long heard that the Tang emperor liked to hear soft words, and that as long as one was humble and submissive, one could save one's life.

Before long, squads of surrendered Goguryeo soldiers were escorted away from the battlefield by Tang soldiers. They first took off their armor, then lined up neatly and headed to the Liao River... The Goguryeo people, who had been unable to organize themselves after fighting for so long, quickly formed ranks under the command of Tang soldiers.

Their weapons were piled up like small mountains, and the battlements of their armor were comparable to city walls. Their mounts were driven into a vast canyon in the eastern part of Anshi City.

With over 100,000 horses, it was impossible to control them all, so they had to be temporarily released into the canyon and dealt with later. Zhang Shigui, not satisfied with his killing spree, also took the opportunity to breach Anshi City. The garrison there was also disarmed, their armor removed, and they were forced to leave the city in formation.

By nightfall, the battle was essentially over, and all the Goguryeo soldiers were marching step by step toward the Liao River.

With too many prisoners and too many things to handle, each Tang soldier had to guard over a hundred prisoners. Fortunately, these prisoners were still fantasizing about the good food and drink that awaited them at the front, so it was not advisable to cause trouble now; they should wait until they were full before making a scene.

They walked and walked until the next morning, finally arriving at the east bank of the Liao River.

On the shore, the prisoners who hadn't slept all night were still busy digging pits. Several messengers from the central army rode on horseback, carrying small megaphones, instructing each team of prisoners to select five people to jump into the pits to help.

The Goguryeo people looked at each other, wondering what was going on, but each team still selected five people to jump into the pit and dig with shovels.

Not far away, Li Jing, who hadn't slept all night, was at the altar. In the center was a hastily made memorial tablet with several words engraved on it:
The Position of the Sons of the Han Dynasty's Eastern Expedition

All the generals of the early Tang Dynasty could not forget Yang Guang's three major defeats in his campaigns against Goguryeo, which not only destroyed the foundation of the Sui Dynasty but also cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Han soldiers.

Li Jing had served as an official in the Sui Dynasty and had a deeper impression of the eastern expedition against Goguryeo. Many of the Sui generals who participated in the expedition were his old friends.

They thought that the eastern expedition would be a great victory, but it turned out to be a complete defeat, causing countless Han soldiers to perish in Liaodong.

The Goguryeo people also built a mound of corpses to resemble a jingguan (a type of pyramid), which was both a mockery of the Central Plains dynasties and a desecration of the Han people.

After setting out the sacrificial offerings of three kinds of animals, Li Jing poured wine to commemorate the souls of the fallen Han people:

"Even a blood feud spanning a hundred generations can be avenged. Any foreign race that has murdered my compatriots must pay with their blood!"

Three bowls of wine were poured on the offering table. Li Jing took out the black iron token given to him by Zhou Yi, raised it high above his head with both hands, and said loudly:
"What happened today was all my doing. If there is any divine retribution, I, Li Jing, will bear it all. It has nothing to do with anyone else, His Majesty, or the court. I beg Heaven to bear witness!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a bolt of purple divine lightning, several meters thick, descended from the sky, blasting a crater larger than a mine pit into the ground not far away.

The people in the prison camp were dumbfounded. They had worked all night, only to end up doing a manicure on the riverbank. The real work would have to be done by the power of nature.

The huge pit, more than ten feet deep, was terrifying to behold. Fortunately, the blasted soil reinforced the riverbank; otherwise, if the Liao River had flooded in, even if the entire army had gone down, they probably wouldn't have been able to stop the breach.

Squads of soldiers clad in gleaming armor rode in, escorting the Goguryeo prisoners to the edge of the pit.

The Goguryeo people were devastated. They thought they would cross the Liao River, recuperate in the prisoner-of-war camps on the west bank, and return to Liaodong to lord it over after the war.

Instead of a hot meal, they met their demise.

The reason Li Jing had them escorted on horseback all night last night was to exhaust their strength.

The Goguryeo man begged loudly for mercy, hoping to be spared, but Li Jing remained unmoved.
"Back then, your fathers built a mound of Han corpses on the banks of the Liao River, and that's how the feud began... Shield soldiers, advance and send them into the pit!"

At a command, the shield bearers in the army raised their large shields, joined together, and slowly pressed forward, step by step forcing the prisoners to the edge of the pit.

Xue Rengui, riding on his horse, stared blankly at this scene, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Two of his uncles had been killed in Liaodong and never returned home.

Seeing Li Weigong's heroic act of sacrificing his own reputation to avenge the Han soldiers, the young general in white robes, who had been the center of attention, was immediately moved to tears. He dismounted and joined the ranks of shield bearers, advancing step by step.

The prisoners at the front fell into the pit like dumplings being dropped into a pot, screaming in agony. This only increased the fear among the Goguryeo prisoners, who cried out for help to the generals. The hot-tempered Xue Wanche immediately shot and killed several of those who begged for mercy.
"Damn it, do I look like someone who betrays his own family?"

Under the pressure of the shield-bearers, 100,000 prisoners were pushed one by one into the deep pit. Some died from falling, some from being crushed, some from being smashed, and some from suffocating. They formed a huge mound of corpses in the pit.

After everyone had jumped down, Li Jing waved his hand and gave orders to the army:
"Let's bury it. We'll return to camp to rest once it's finished."

As soon as the soil was laid, white clouds drifted slowly across the sky. These clouds surrounded the pit, like the mounts of the gods or auspicious clouds protecting the soldiers.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi sensed something, returned to his room, opened his notebook, and found a new note:
[Li Jing massacred 100,000 Goguryeo prisoners to avenge the Han Chinese who were conquering the east, earning him +300 merit points.]

(End of this chapter)