northernbook Chapter 218 The Prince Supervises the Country
Chapter 218 The Prince Supervises the Country
The Goguryeo army suddenly lost its supreme commander, and the situation became even more chaotic.
Soldiers were running around everywhere. In order to escape safely, they decisively drew their swords and killed anyone who blocked their way.
If there is one, there will be a second one, and the killing spree begins!
Before the Tang army engaged in close combat with them, the Koreans started the fight first.
When it comes to killing their own people, they show no mercy and kill them indiscriminately!
Some generals, relying on their own personal soldiers, formed groups and took the lead in killing the soldiers who blocked their way. This is very good!
Li Jing on the command platform would not miss this opportunity. He immediately ordered all the troops to advance and slowly move forward in a strict formation.
At this point, the Goguryeo people went completely crazy, and everyone started killing each other, while the Tang soldiers became supporting roles.
In this way, the fighting lasted for two hours until the Goguryeo people could no longer be killed. Under the front line of the Tang Dynasty soldiers who were strangling them from the outside, they finally chose to surrender.
In this battle, more than 60,000 Goguryeo soldiers were killed and countless others were wounded.
Not counting those who fled, more than 100,000 people were captured.
On the Tang side, the casualties were less than a thousand, which was a brilliant victory! !
Li Shimin was also very happy with the killing. He was covered in blood and carried the unconscious one-eyed worm Yeon Gaesomun back to the camp.
"Your Majesty, your sword is not in the future. I admire you!"
Li Jing decisively sent a horse.
Li Shimin laughed and threw Yeon Gaesomun to the ground: "What should we do with this bastard?"
Li Chengqian stepped forward and kicked Yeon Gaesomun away: "Are you keeping it for the New Year?"
His kick was so strong that it directly split Yeon Gaesomun's body into two pieces!
Li Shimin and Li Jing were both stunned!
Is it necessary to be so murderous?
But think about it, there is no benefit in keeping Yeon Gaesomun, the actual ruler of Goguryeo, alive. Instead, it will bring harm to the subsequent conquest of Goguryeo.
After kicking Yeon Gaesomun to death, Li Chengqian said to Li Shimin: "You should go back to Chang'an..."
Hearing this, Li Shimin's excitement suddenly faded: "No, I won't go back...
In this way, I now decree that the Crown Prince return to Chang'an to supervise the country, and I will stay in Liaodong to continue commanding the battle. "
The prince supervises the country!
Li Jing was also stunned.
In order to fight the war, His Majesty the Emperor even dared to give up the imperial power. He really did everything he could.
This is imperial power!
Have you ever seen an emperor in his prime delegate power to a young, strong and capable prince in order to fight a war?
Looking back to a few months ago, this father and son were still fighting for the throne!
But now...
What a wonderful father and son pair...
But Li Chengqian had no scruples and directly agreed with Li Shimin's opinion.
"Okay, then the conquest of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje will be left to you. Fight well, or I will hold you responsible."
Come again! !
You're the only one asking! ?
It really needs to be close to the people!
Li Jing quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, raised his head to the sky, and looked like a coward: I can't hear you, I can't hear you!
But Li Shimin not only did not think there was anything wrong, he also said happily: "Just wait and see!!"
Li Jing sighed silently. This father and son pair is really...
Speechless!
After handing over the Eastern Expedition to Li Shimin and Li Jing, Li Chengqian set out on the journey back to Chang'an with a thousand soldiers.
Those who accompanied him included civil officials such as Zhangsun Wuji and Pei Xingjian, while generals such as Cheng Yaojin and Hou Junji all stayed behind.
In the next conquest of the peninsula, there will no longer be a major battle of this scale as the one on the Yalu River. It will be very boring, but it will also require a lot of people to go to various parts of the peninsula in batches to suppress the rebellion and capture prisoners and send them to the Tang Dynasty.
It is easy to occupy a country, but it is difficult to conquer it.
Not to mention Goguryeo, a regional power with a history of 600 years.
Therefore, corresponding generals must be left behind to guard the four directions until the entire territory of Goguryeo is completely conquered!
The key is still the Goguryeo laborers, who are a key part of Li Chengqian's plan.
With the mineral map provided by Mr. Jiang and his team, it’s time to start large-scale mining!
Coal was the energy source of the First Industrial Revolution.
Iron ore is an essential raw material for the start of the Great Steelmaking Era.
Gold, silver and copper mines are the key to stabilizing the Tang Dynasty's finances.
All of these require a lot of labor.
The people of the Tang Dynasty are noble, and this kind of coolie can only be given to the Goguryeo people and the Japanese. The noble people of the Tang Dynasty serve as supervisors, waving whips behind the coolies.
There is also the promotion of various agricultural crops, the implementation of military settlements in the future, and the construction of various infrastructures, which all require a large number of laborers.
The efforts of Goguryeo alone were not enough and were simply not enough to consume the resources.
Therefore, the eastern expedition to Japan became the next goal of the entire Tang Dynasty high-level officials.
But fighting across the sea is no trivial matter, and you must be fully prepared, otherwise it is easy to capsize!
The cross-sea battles during the reign of Kublai Khan in the Yuan Dynasty, which resulted in repeated large-scale deaths in shipwrecks, were a warning to Li Chengqian.
Although Japan is weak now, it still cannot be underestimated.
Therefore, Li Chengqian followed Li Shimin's wishes and returned to Chang'an to supervise the country.
He wanted to take this opportunity to control the imperial court as much as possible, fully activate the Tang Dynasty's war machine, and prepare for the next step of the eastward expedition to Japan!
After five days of marching, Li Chengqian and his party arrived at the Cui family's base camp in Qinghe.
Qinghe is located in the southeast of Hebei Province, where the terrain is flat and the fields are fertile.
Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling rode on both sides of Li Chengqian, while Pei Xingjian and Chu Suiliang followed behind the three of them.
Fang Xuanling pointed to a fortress in the camera's view: "Your Highness, please look, that is the main residence of the Qinghe Cui family."
Zhang Sun Wuji confirmed again: "Your Highness, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Is there any problem?" Li Chengqian said in a nonchalant tone.
Zhang Sun Wuji continued, "But we don't have any evidence to prove that the Qinghe Cui family is plotting a rebellion. If Your Highness rashly raises the butcher knife, it will be difficult to explain to the nobles of the world!"
Li Chengqian sneered, "Explain? I am the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, why should I explain to the noble families? As for the evidence of treason you mentioned, there will be some. We will find it if we search inside."
At this time Fang Xuanling also said: "I do not object to beheading first and then judging, but the fortress of the Cui family in Qinghe must be guarded by elite troops. There are only a thousand cavalrymen accompanying Your Highness to Chang'an this time. Although they are all equipped with flintlock rifles, I am afraid that this battle will be difficult to attack!"
Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling and said, "Master Fang, you still don't know enough about the power of gunpowder. Even though we didn't bring any small steel cannons this time, we did bring explosive packs. Do you think the Qinghe Cui family's fortress can withstand the bombing of explosive packs?"
"this....."
Fang Xuanling was stuck, but he still felt that this matter was too risky.
Li Chengqian continued, "Besides, I am not completely without evidence. Lijingmen has already learned that the Qinghe Cui family and Wu Wang Li Ke are secretly plotting something. Although we don't know what they are planning specifically, these two groups are mixed together. What do you think they want to do, Lord Fang?"