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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Six
After returning to the residence, Li Jue had some concerns. Although the current Sovereign was wise, he could not withstand the constant instigation of sycophants. Otherwise, there would not have been the wrongful case involving Zhang Yungu. No one is perfect; the Sovereign is human and has flesh and blood. It is precisely for this reason that Li Jue practiced self-preservation, remaining humble and low-key in all matters.
However, today's events were indeed somewhat impulsive; this was something that had not happened in over a decade. Perhaps he truly regarded the Xu Zhen as his proud disciple and could not bear to see her humiliated by a petty person like Zhang Junyi.
Upon opening the edict, Li Jue could not help but smile wryly. Just as he suspected, the Sovereign had sent Zhang Junyi not to provide reinforcements but to deliver orders for the frontline troops to remain still and wait for the main army to gather before attacking Liaodong City!
Fortunately, he had guessed the Sovereign's intentions correctly; otherwise, even if they had captured Liaodong City, it would likely not have won the Sovereign's favor.
Regarding Xu Zhenzhi's matter, he did not need to inquire too much to deduce the truth. Seeing the Xu Zhen take the initiative to come forward and apologize brought him some comfort; at least his efforts on her behalf were not in vain.
With Zhang Junyi's character, today's incident would undoubtedly reach the Sovereign's ears. Consequently, he was somewhat worried that the Sovereign might develop unnecessary suspicions about him.
Sure enough, after six days, a grand army arrived, with the Holy Presence personally overseeing operations at Liaodong City. He summoned the frontline commanders immediately and praised several Chief of Military Operations like Niu Jinda while deliberately omitting any mention of Li Jue and Xu Zhenzhi.
The Xu Zhen could not help but feel disappointed. People often say that a ruler's heart is hard to fathom, and it seemed to be true. Throughout their campaign of capturing cities and defeating enemies, the Xu Zhen's forces had achieved numerous victories without fail. Yet, despite the Sovereign's personal visit, there had been no words of encouragement or commendation for her troops—how could one accept that?
Unlike the Xu Zhen, Li Jue saw through this situation clearly. How could the Sovereign not know Zhang Junyi's character? Yet he still sent Zhang Junyi over; it could only be interpreted as a warning directed at Li Jue rather than a reflection on Zhang Junyi himself.
Thinking of this, Li Jue felt an unsettling premonition and even felt a sense of pity for Zhang Junyi.
In mid-June, the Sovereign issued orders to launch an offensive against Liaodong City!
Chief of Military Operations Duke of England Li Ji led Khitan and Xianbei tribes' cavalry to attack Liaodong City's south side. Deputy General of the Marching Army Xu Zhen and First Army Commander Duke of Guo Zhang Shigui led their forces to assault from the west. The front-line Chief Steward Duke of Kui Liu Hongji was responsible for filling trenches and preparing siege equipment.
Duke Wei Chi Jing De remained behind due to his old age and frailty, coordinating with the Golden Drum Command Flag while the Sovereign personally took to the battlefield, beating drums to rally morale among Tang soldiers!
Zhang Shigui was a renowned general of Tang Dynasty who had trained in martial arts since childhood. He excelled in archery and horsemanship with extraordinary strength, able to draw a heavy bow weighing one hundred fifty pounds and shoot accurately without missing. Having spent his life on military campaigns with remarkable achievements, he now held the position of Right Tuntian General, far surpassing Xu Zhen in rank as Left Vanguard General.
Xu Zhen Suwen Zhang Shigui was narrow-minded and aware of her own shortcomings, fearing that she could not command respect. Therefore, she held great respect for Zhang Shigui, who, however, did not take it to heart, stating that Xu Zhen was the Deputy Chief Steward and that everything was to follow her orders.
The Divine Fire Camp under Xu Zhen was ready, but the Sovereign seemed a bit uneasy and ordered Zhang Junyi to lead the Cavalry to support Xu Zhenbu from the rear.
Liaodong City had long been on high alert. To defend against the Zhenwu General and its artillery, they had reinforced the City Wall and built stone and wooden battle towers on the city walls, equipped with catapults and cannons that were inferior to those of the Tang army.
At a command from Xu Zhen, the Divine Fire Camp advanced towards the Zhenwu General. Once within range, they opened fire. The battle towers and Watchtower on the City Wall could not withstand the assault; the Iron Cannon fell like shooting stars, shattering the towers into pieces. The soldiers atop them were turned into mush before they even hit the ground!
With artillery cover, auxiliary troops and local militia began transporting sand, gravel, and earth to construct a wide fish grand road, continuously pushing forward with a gentle slope to create a clear path to the City Wall.
Gao Yanshou, having experienced the Sui Dynasty's campaigns against Liao, knew that once the fish grand road was successfully established, the Tang army would flood into Liaodong City, leading to its inevitable doom. Thus, he ordered the archers to shoot desperately; arrows rained down from above, making it impossible for the militia and auxiliary troops to continue their work.
However, in order to hinder the construction of the fish grand road, Goguryeo also paid a heavy price. Many of their garrison troops were smashed into pieces by the Tang army's long-range weaponry, leaving no complete corpses behind—a sight too horrific to bear!
The forty thousand soldiers gathered from both the new city and within Goguryeo were determined to defend their position. After the battle towers and Watchtower collapsed, they climbed onto the walls not only to form a human barrier but also to show an eagerness for battle. In an instant, their morale surged!
Seeing that progress on the fish grand road had stalled, Xu Zhen decided to have the militia and auxiliary troops pile up all the sand and earth to build an Earthen Mound on the west side of Liaodong City. Using this mound as cover, they launched long-range attacks into the city!
After three days of intense fighting, the Earthen Mound grew taller and taller until it nearly surpassed the height of Liaodong City's walls. Standing atop it allowed one to see inside Liaodong City!
Upon seeing how towering the Earthen Mound had become, Gao Yanshou, fearing unforeseen changes, hurriedly mobilized his garrison within Liaodong City to launch concentrated attacks with feathered arrows against it. He also moved all of the city's few remaining catapults to the west gate.
Reluctantly, Xu Zhen had to pull back her forces; however, many bodies of militia and auxiliary troops remained scattered on the ground. Meanwhile, in a bid for glory, Zhang Junyi, leading his soldiers, charged towards the Earthen Mound, only to be driven back in disgrace by Goguryeo Garrison.
Faced with this situation, Xu Zhen made a decisive decision. She commanded the Divine Fire Camp to turn their cannons towards the Earthen Mound, unleashing a barrage that shook the ground. The mound collapsed spectacularly, creating a large breach in the city wall!
Both Zhang Shigui and Xu Zhen, witnessing this turn of events, were overjoyed and directed their cavalry and infantry to launch a fierce assault. In response, Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi gathered most of their forces within the city to engage in close combat with Xu and Zhang's cavalry.
This battle raged from dawn until dusk; both sides suffered heavy casualties with bodies strewn everywhere. Blood flowed like rivers amidst cries of anguish from men and horses alike—the air thick with an overwhelming stench of blood!
Liaodong City was occupied by the Garrison, which had a numerical advantage. The people in the city were united, and although their equipment was lacking, they were willing to sacrifice themselves, filling the gaps with countless lives, managing to fight evenly with Xu Zhen and Zhang Shigui!
As the battle stalemated, Xu Zhen personally braved arrows and blades, killing countless enemies. Xue Rengui, Xie Anting, Zhou Cang, and other fierce generals soaked themselves in the blood of their foes!
If at this moment Zhang Junyi had led the rear troops to reinforce, they would surely have stormed into the city and captured Liaodong City!
However, this person had already been frightened during the Battle of Tushan. After leading a charge for a while, he unexpectedly retreated!
Seeing Zhang Junyi retreat without fighting, Li Shimin, who was personally beating the war drum and overseeing the battle, became furious. He ordered his men to bring horses, swords, and bows, leading five thousand elite cavalry into the fray to support Xu Zhen and Zhang Shigui!
In the west, due to the suppression by Xu Zhen's Divine Fire Camp, the siege progressed rapidly. With the help of the Earthen Mound, they opened a breach. The soldiers saw that the Sovereign was personally taking risks and all fought valiantly, pouring into the city for a frenzied slaughter!
As night approached, with a strong South Wind blowing, Li Jue, taking advantage of the weather and terrain, ordered archers to fire flaming arrows to set ablaze the southwestern watchtowers and Watchtower. The wind fanned the flames, which spread into the city. Li Jue and other fierce generals like Niu Jinda led their troops in a charge, finally flooding into Liaodong City!
This night of slaughter continued until dawn. The soldiers' long swords were heated from cutting through enemy bones; everyone was blinded by rage. Inside Liaodong City, there were corpses, blood, and raging fires everywhere. The number of those burned alive approached ten thousand, while beheadings were countless!
By noon the next day, the Tang army finally captured Liaodong City. They took over ten thousand prisoners from Goguryeo, gained forty thousand households, five hundred thousand stones of grain, and countless livestock and supplies. The Sovereign, having personally killed enemies, was overjoyed and renamed Liaodong City to Liaozhou.
This iron city of Liaodong, where previous emperors had failed multiple times, was finally trampled underfoot by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!
After the great battle, efforts were made to pacify the populace and rebuild the city. The Sovereign rewarded merit and punished wrongdoing. Since Zhang Junyi had retreated in battle, he was executed on the spot by the Sovereign, and his military horses were all taken under command by Xu Zhen.
It was only then that Xu Zhen understood her master Li Jue's meaning: it is indeed perilous to serve a ruler; serving a monarch is like accompanying a tiger!
With the fall of Liaodong City, Goguryeo suffered heavy casualties. Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi fled to Baiyan City. The Tang army pressed on with momentum, launching an assault on Baiyan City. Still led by Duke of England Li Ji, Tang soldiers charged like dragons against Baiyan City in a storm-like attack!
At this time, there were also generals from the Right Guard like Turkic Veteran Ashina Simo, who had been granted the surname Li. Skilled in battle like others such as Qibi Helix, they requested to attack the city.
The military and civilians of Baiyan City resisted fiercely. Unfortunately, Li Simo was struck by an arrow. The heart of the Sovereign ached for him; he even personally sucked out the poison from Li Simo's wound to heal him. This greatly boosted the morale of the Tang army!
However, Baiyan City, located by the mountains and rivers, was extremely difficult to conquer. After more than half a month of stalemate, they had not managed to breach the city!
At that time, Gao Yanshou and Eulji Nawi had already exited Baiyan City to seek reinforcements from Anshi City, while the defense within the city was overseen by the city lord, Sun Daiyin.
This person was an old subordinate of Rongliuwang and had always been close to the Tang Dynasty. The Xu Zhen then devised a plan for the Sovereign, sending Silver Pearl Prince Gao Renwu into the city to persuade surrender. After meeting Gao Renwu, Sun Daiyin finally surrendered the city. The Tang Kingdom captured over ten thousand men and women, along with more than two thousand four hundred soldiers. The Sovereign renamed Baiyan City to Yan Prefecture and continued to appoint Sun Daiyin as the Governor of Lizhou.
With Liaodong and Baiyan City falling one after another, Goguryeo was shaken to its core. The naval forces led by Pyongyang Military Governor Zhang Liang were also continuously applying pressure. The Goguryeo nation was in a state of panic and could not find peace.
Cheon Gae Su Mun had no choice but to postpone his attack on Silla, gathering troops and uniting with Mohe forces, totaling one hundred fifty thousand, to rush to Anshi City!
Anshi City was easy to defend but hard to attack, not as simple as Liaodong City. The city lord Yang Wanchun was particularly clever and courageous. At that time, Cheon Gae Su Mun was regent, but Yang Wanchun refused to acknowledge Cheon Gae Su Mun's authority. The latter had previously sent troops to attack Anshi City but returned empty-handed, allowing Yang Wanchun to continue governing Anshi City.
The Sovereign felt that Anshi City would be difficult to capture and thus planned to first occupy the relatively easier Jian'an City. If they could take Jian'an City on the South Side, Anshi City would naturally fall without a fight. However, Chief Steward Li Jue strongly opposed this idea because if they abandoned Anshi City in favor of attacking Jian'an City, Goguryeo would likely launch a surprise attack and cut off the Tang army's supply line from Liaodong, putting the Tang forces in a passive position.
After much discussion, the Sovereign ultimately decided to besiege Anshi City first.
Upon learning this news, the Xu Zhen could not help but feel ecstatic because according to Historical Records, this battle was indeed the famous battle of Xue Rengui, a renowned general of the late Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty!
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