Chastity Layman

Luoyang.

The Goguryeo Mission entered Luomian Temple again anxiously. This is already the fifth mission sent by Goguryeo this year.

This time, King Gao Jianwu sent his son Gao Renwu to plead guilty in person.

Since Qi Wang Li You was killed in a rebellion in Guizhou, Dongning and Ning this year, the emperor seems to have aged a lot. He once again handed over all the military and political affairs of the court to the prince to supervise the country, and moved to Xianren Palace on the south bank of Luoshui in the suburbs.

The crown prince is in the Eastern Palace to regent and oversee the country. Major military and state affairs are decided by the Political Affairs Hall.

Zhongshuling Changsun Wuji, Shizhong Ma Zhou, Zuo Servant Fang Xuanling, Right Servant Gao Shilian led the ministers of the Political Affairs Hall Liu Ji, Chu Suiliang, Cui Dunli, Li Ji and others.

In the Zhengshitang, Changsun Wuji is now in control of the power, and has already overwhelmed Fang Xuanling. Many important military affairs are based on his opinions.

When the Goguryeo Mission entered the court again, Honglu Temple was in charge of receiving it, and then reported it to the Political Affairs Hall.

In the Internal Affairs Hall of Zhongshu Province,

After Zhao Guogong, Taiwei, Zhongshu Ling, and Pingzhang Chief Sun Wuji read the letter of credence handed over by the Goguryeo envoy, they threw it aside with a cold snort.

Last year, the emperor personally conquered more than ten cities of Goguryeo. Not only did he break through the defense line of the Great Wall in Liaodong, but he also almost wiped out the main force of the Liaodong army, and the emperor returned triumphantly before the Bohai Sea was frozen.

Niu Jinda stayed behind in Liaodong, and took the town of Black Bone City in the north of the Yalu River.

After a cold winter rest, the offensive was launched again after the beginning of spring. This time, it quickly swept across the entire Liaodong region like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Goguryeo's mountain castles struggled to support, and many failed to survive the lean May, and had to surrender in the end. And those Goguryeo fortresses that still had some food in their hands and were still stubborn were also under the sweep of the Tang army and could not resume farming at all.

After struggling day after day, the king of Goguryeo on the peninsula on the other side of the Yalu River dared not send troops at all. At this time, although Goguryeo still has hundreds of thousands of horses in its hands, and even recruited a large number of recruits urgently last year, the problems facing Goguryeo are also very serious.

These soldiers and horses are not strong in combat effectiveness, and their morale is even lower. Especially Liaodong has almost fallen and lost the strategic defense support in the east. Dare to send to Liaodong again.

Even if they are sent out, they will not be able to cross the Yalu River.

Not to mention, while the Tang army launched an offensive in Liaodong, Niu Jinda did not forget to riot along the coast of the peninsula. He sent several lieutenants such as Li Hai'an, Zheng Rentai, and Wang Wendu to continuously lead naval warships to land and attack in Wuhai. The people of Goguryeo were miserable. It is said that the Tang ship has appeared near Pyongyang several times, and the Wangcheng was shocked every day.

In this case, how can the Goguryeo rescue Liaodong?

He could only watch as Niu Jinda swept up the siege in Liaodong, forcing down one city after another.

At this time, the Goguryeo people faced the powerful offensive of the Tang Dynasty, and there were two voices in the country. One was the capitulation faction represented by the king Gao Jianwu. In view of the dangerous situation, Liaodong almost fell, so they proposed the strategy of abandoning Liaodong to protect the peninsula. Datang pleaded guilty and surrendered, and ceded the Liaodong Peninsula to Datang. The two sides used the Yalu River as the boundary in exchange for Datang's truce.

Their reason is that now the main force of Goguryeo has been lost, the Liaodong defense line has been lost, and the Tang people have control of the sea, so they are really powerless to fight.

It's just that they want to surrender, but some people are not willing, that is Yuan Gai Suwen, the Goguryeo lord Lu firmly opposes surrender. First of all, he thinks that under the current situation, the Tang people will never accept it as soon as it is good. Invade Pyongyang until the complete destruction of Goguryeo.

Therefore, asking for surrender will not be effective, it is better to fight to the death.

Another reason is that the Yuangai Suwen family has always controlled the Liaodong region and the Liaodong army. This is the basis for their family to occupy the position of prime minister against Lu. If it was given to Datang, the Yuan clan would have nothing.

The king lost Liaodong, and he still had half of the imperial guards in his hand, but Yuan Gai Suwen had no capital at all, and the relationship between Yuan Gai Suwen and King Gao Jianwu had always been at odds. The king puts it in his eyes, and if he surrenders to Datang now, once the war ceases, the Yuan family will definitely be the first to be liquidated by the king.

After all, now that the enemy is at hand, the king does not dare to engage in internal strife easily.

For this reason, Yuangai Suwen opposed the surrender, and proposed to cede thirteen cities to Baekje in the south, in exchange for Baekje to form an alliance to send troops to help fight against the Tang army, not only to defend Pyongyang, but also to fight back to Liaodong.

Regardless of the objections of the king and the ministers, Yuan Gai Suwen directly sent envoys to Baekje to contact them, and at the same time sent envoys to the country of Wa. The thirteen cities originally belonged to the king's territory, and Yuan Gai Suwen sent them off as soon as he said they would.

Gao Jianwu was very dissatisfied, so he followed the minister's suggestion and immediately appointed his son Gao Renwu as Mo Lizhi. After Yuan Gai Suwen defeated Liaodong and withdrew his defeated troops to Pyongyang, he resigned from the position of Mo Lizhi and retained the position of the Great Opposition Lu.

Originally, only Da Dui Lu was the head of all the officials. Later, the Yuan family set up Mo Lizhi above Da Dui Lu and appointed himself Mo Lizhi. .

And Gao Jianwu appointed his son as Mo Lizhi, and then sent him to the Tang Dynasty as an envoy to plead guilty and surrender to discuss peace.

Both sides do their own things.

"Goguryeo is in a mess right now."

Chu Suiliang, Zhongshu's servant, is now Changsun Wuji's confidant, and immediately answered, "It is also a sign of subjugation."

"Quan Gai Suwen is so arrogant that he still wants to ally with Baekje and Wa to fight against the Tang Dynasty. It's wishful thinking."

The left servant shot Fang Xuanling but said, "Although Quan's family lost Liaodong, its family's influence in Goguryeo is still very strong. I heard that Quan's army was defeated in Liaodong and returned to Pyongyang with more than 20,000 troops. The soldiers and horses were stationed in Pyongyang. Outside the city, the king and the Goguryeo court were under his control, and now he insists on fighting to the end, Datang needs to consider this.”

"Gaoguryeo wanted to fight the trapped beasts, but the king refused to fight, and how could Baekje and Wa Kingdom help them out of the fire?" Changsun Wuji said.

"Based on the reports I've seen, Baekje and Waguk have taken many abnormal actions recently. It is very likely that they have reached an agreement with the Quan family of Goguryeo, and they are very likely to send troops to support Goguryeo."

Changsun Wuji thinks it is impossible, because after last year's defeat of Goguryeo, coupled with this year's offensive, its demise is imminent. Why would Baekje and Wa country support him? If it was before last year, it would still be possible.

"Baekje and Waguo don't know the great power of our Tang Dynasty, but they don't necessarily understand the truth. Especially Baekje has worshiped Confucianism for hundreds of years and has a deep understanding of Han culture. They must also know it. And Over the past few years, the country of Wa has also imitated our Datang Revolution in an all-round way, and has made some achievements. It is known as a strong soldier and a strong horse..."

The two senior ministers had different opinions, and each insisted on his own opinion.

"Horse attendant?"

Changsun Wuji looked to his servant Ma Zhou, hoping to get his support.

"I think what Fang Xianggong said is also very possible. After all, Goguryeo has been defeated so far. Isn't the Quan family still going to fight to the end? So anything is possible."

Changsun Wuji was a little disappointed, he began to miss Qin Lang's days in the court, before Qin Lang was in the court, and he formed a political alliance with him, which gave them the upper hand in the court. Now, although Ma Zhou was also Qin Lang's person, his political stance is sometimes a bit vague.

He held up Goguryeo's national certificate with some dissatisfaction, "Then what do you think we should do now?"

"It's better to retreat as an advance, first meet the Goguryeo mission, and accept their plea and surrender."

"The battle situation on the front line is just right, good news is coming in frequently, are you going to betray those soldiers?" Changsun Wuji asked.

"Elder Grandson's words are serious." Fang Xuanling did not back down, "Since the emperor and ministers of Goguryeo are at odds, we might as well let them fight among themselves first. Now that our Tang army is on the offensive, Gao Jianwu naturally dare not turn against the Quan family, but as long as we First pretend to agree to Gao Jianwu's surrender and suspend the offensive, then Pyongyang will inevitably have internal strife."

Changsun Wuji snorted twice, he and Fang Xuanling used to be good friends who fought side by side, but these years, the fighting between the two sides has become more and more fierce, and it has even become intolerable.

"What if Gao Jianwu really killed the Quan family because of internal strife? Could it be that my Tang Dynasty really stopped fighting?" asked the eldest grandson.

Fang Xuanling still faced Changsun Wuji's aggression with a smile on his face.

"I think Gao Jianwu is more likely to be defeated, because the Quan family has always been domineering and its soldiers and horses control Pyongyang, so in a real fight, the Quan family should have a greater chance of winning. If the Quan family wins, then the court will rebel against the Quan family. If we send troops in name, we can still get internal support from Gao Jianwu, who failed in the internal strife."

Even if there is no internal response, Goguryeo will be weaker after an internal strife.

"But if it's Gao Jianwu except Quan's?"

Fang Xuanling smiled, "This possibility is very low, but if it does happen, it is not a bad thing. If the King of Goguryeo really killed the Quan family, in order to stabilize the position, the next step is to further cleanse the Quan family's power. And Quan’s influence has long been spread all over Goguryeo’s government and the public, and Goguryeo will be even weaker by then.”

"According to the agreement, Gao Jianwu will take the initiative to cede all the Liaodong area north of the Yalu River to Datang. Now Liaodong still has many strong-boned mountain castles that refuse to surrender, and then we can win without fighting. As soon as the soldiers die, they will take the whole of Liaodong."

"If this is the case, it is not a bad thing for us to suspend our troops for a while and annex and digest Liaodong for a few years. After Liaodong is stabilized, we will send troops to attack Pyongyang at that time. Isn't it afraid that there will be no reason?"

"If you want to commit a crime, why don't you have excuses?"

Ma Zhou expressed support for this, and Cui Dunli and Liu Ji also thought it was feasible.

Gao Shilian didn't express his opinion directly, but he actually approved of Fang Xuanling.

Seeing this, the eldest grandson could only say, "I don't think this matter is as good as playing for Prince Chen Jianguo."

Fang Xuanling only smiled and said, "Very good."

East Palace.

After listening to the report of Xu Jingzong, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, Chengqian stopped the pen in his hand and pondered for a long time.

"The bachelor thinks who has a better opinion, Prime Minister Fang or Uncle Guo?"

Xu Jingzong secretly speculated about the prince's thoughts, "The two gentlemen are both old-fashioned and seeking for the country."

Cheng Qian smiled, "Just now I was just thinking about what advice the Tai Bao would give if he were here."

"General Niu's battle in Liaodong is going well, but it is really necessary to consider Quan's dog jumping over the wall and dragging Baekje and Wa to continue to resist. If he can kill people with a knife, use Gao Jianwu's hands to remove Quan's first and sever his alliance with Baekje and Wa , that's fine too."

"Hahaha, yes, both are good, but you can only choose one of the two." The prince got up and walked to the screen to look at the map of Liaodong.

"It's going to be winter again in a blink of an eye." Cheng Qian said after looking at the map.

"Indeed, time flies by so quickly."

"Although Niu Jinda's offensive in Liaodong was like a fire and wiped out the Goguryeo people in Liaodong, judging from his reports, there will still be many tough mountain cities that cannot be removed before winter this year."

If these hard and stubborn mountain castles in Liaodong are not removed, it will be difficult for the Tang army to carry out the next round of offensive, and it will not be possible to enter Pyongyang with peace of mind.

Cheng Qian turned to a copper screen on the other side, on which was a map of the Western Regions.

"The battle in Yanqi has just begun, and there is no result yet," said the prince.

Yanqi is 8,000 miles west of the capital of the Tang Dynasty, 600 miles across the country and 400 miles in length, with Gaochang in the east, Kucha in the west, Yuli in the south and Wusun in the north. When Gaochang and Yugu formed an alliance to rebel against the Tang Dynasty, Yanqi He was also attacked by Gao Chang and Chu Yue, and asked Datang for help.

But in just a few years, Yanqi went back to Gaochang's old path, also formed an alliance with Yugu, and betrayed Datang.

Yan Qi's betrayal was actually the same as Gao Chang's. Originally, he just wanted to embrace Datang's thigh and have a strong backer, and then use it to contain the Western Turks and prosper the Silk Road so as to make money.

Who would have imagined that although the strategy of driving away tigers and wolves is good, but after driving away the wolves and tigers, they will not go away. Not only did Datang not leave, but Yanqi, like Gaochang Qiemo Yiwu and others, should be completely turned into Zhengzhou of the Tang Dynasty.

Yanqi is smaller than Gaochang and Qiuci, but it is also a country with a long history. When the Han Dynasty communicated with the Western Regions, Yanqi State existed.

King Long Tuqizhi was not reconciled to being annexed by the Tang Dynasty, and his daughter was married to the younger brother of a great nobleman in the Western Turks, so after seeing Gaochang in the east was completely annexed by the Tang Dynasty, Yanqi rejected the Tang Dynasty's proposal. Change the soil and return to the stream.

"There are nine large ponds in Yanqi within six hundred miles, with less than ten thousand households, only tens of thousands of mouths, and thousands of soldiers. They use Brahman script, worship gods, believe in Buddhism, value merchants and good trade, but have fertile land and fields, with fish and salt Forgive me."

The prince smiled and looked at the small place in the remote Western Regions on the map. In the eyes of Datang, Yanqi was really a small country with few people, but he still dared to fight against Datang.

However, Yanqi also knew that with the aid of the Western Turks, Yugu was set up in the Western Regions to make a comeback, so he still had to guard against it.

Guo Xiaoke commanded three thousand cavalry, and went out of Gaochang City to conquer Yanqi, but he has not returned yet.

"General Guo has fought battles for a long time, and even Qin Taibao admired him. This expedition should be a success. Besides, I heard that the three brothers of King Long Tuqizhi of Yanqi were in Gaochang, and they all volunteered for the army. Guides, with them as guides, they will definitely be more secure."

Cheng Qian chuckled, "Gu remembered an old saying from the Taibao that a strong castle is always easy to breach from the inside."

Xu Jingzong immediately understood the prince's attitude, and he obviously admired Zuo Pu Shefang Xuanling's acceptance of Goguryeo's proposal to surrender!