The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 253 Two Lines

The biggest feature of Goguryeo is imitation, whether it is architecture or culture. Goguryeo was deeply influenced by the culture of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Central Plains were in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, because of the "Nine Grades of Zhongzheng System" founded by Chen Qun, various famous families were derived. Prominent families include the Boling Cui family, Qinghe Cui family, Xingyang Zheng family, Fanyang Lu family, Longxi Li family, Zhaojun Li family, Taiyuan Wang family in the north, and Wang, Xie, Lu, Gu, Xiao and other gentry families in the south.

This nine-class division was also copied by Goguryeo. The Yuan family was a well-known famous family in Goguryeo. The place name was second only to the royal family Gao family. They existed as early as the Three Kingdoms period.

"The Biography of Goguryeo in the Later Han Dynasty" records: Goguryeo has five parts: one is called the interior, one is the Yellow part, which is the Guilou part; Department, that is, the Shunnu Department; the fourth is the South, one is the front, that is, the Guannu Department; the fifth is the West, the one is the Right Department, that is, the Elimination Department.

Yuanshi is the Shunnu tribe among the five tribes.

This centuries-old family naturally has a proud glory!They are based in the west of the Yalu River, and the domestic city is the base camp of the Yuan family. When Yang Guang made three expeditions to Korea, the Yuan family army controlled by Yuan Ziyou did not fight with all his strength. As a result, Gao's army suffered heavy losses, and there were less than 10,000 troops left in the 5+ army.

After the Battle of Goguryeo.The domestic situation in Goguryeo has undergone subtle changes. The army controlled by the Yuan family has become the main force of the Goguryeo army, and the powerful Yuan Ziyou has become the real ruler of Goguryeo.

However, Yuanzi travels very deeply in the city, and when he does many things, he does not reveal it. Although he holds the military and political power of Goguryeo, he maintains enough respect for the royal family of Goryeo.

Moreover, most of Goguryeo's courtiers were also loyal to the Gao family, and Pingyuan Wang Gaoyuan also had enough authority in the country, and the pattern of the monarch above the minister was not broken.

However, shortly after the war between the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo ended, two major events occurred in Goguryeo that could affect the political structure of Goguryeo.

One is that Gao Yuan, king of the Goguryeo Plain, died of illness, and his younger brother Gao Jianwu succeeded to the throne. Gao Jianwu's qualifications were shallow. Although a large number of loyal ministers followed him, he did not have Gao Yuan's authority to control everything.

Secondly, less than two months after Gao Yuan died of illness, Yuan Ziyou also died of illness one after another. His son Yuan Taizuo inherited his father's military power and the position of prime minister.

But the ambitious Yuan Taizuo is not as reserved as his father Yuan Ziyou. He shows his sharpness, and the first thing he does is to become a messenger army dedicated to him.The memorials handled by him are sent from Pyongyang to the inner city for his review every day.

Therefore, there are currently two political centers in Goguryeo, one is the capital of Pyongyang, and the other is the domestic city where the Yuan clan is based. Yuan Taejo’s approach made the courtiers of Goguryeo very dissatisfied, and they all reprimanded him for being arrogant. .But Yuan Taizuo didn't worry at all.Still being the king of half the country.

But this time, in order to deal with the Sui Dynasty, the Gao family and the Yuan family finally shook hands and made peace. For Gao Jianwu, Liaodong is the land of Goguryeo and must not be lost. Liaodong has always been the territory of the Yuan family. Naturally, Yi Yi would not object. If Liaodong could be regained, the Yuan family would return to its previous strength.

The above are the domestic situation in Goguryeo that Deng Hao introduced emphatically, and the deficiencies were supplemented by Zuo Tiancheng.

"How many troops are there in Goguryeo, land and water?" After listening to Deng Hao's introduction, Yang Tong asked.

Deng Haodao: "Domestic City, Xuantu City, and Pyongyang each have about 14 soldiers, and more than 11 naval forces. The original [-] troops in Zhuhan City, after more than half a month of consumption, and the great victory of His Highness during the day, there are still [-] troops. so much."

Yang Tong asked: "That is to say, as long as the 11 troops in Hancheng are eliminated! Goguryeo has lost half of its troops?"

Deng Hao said: "Exactly."

Yang Tong nodded, thinking silently.

Goguryeo's mountain city is rigorously designed, and it makes full use of the advantages of mountains and rivers to make careful arrangements.Moreover, these mountain cities have been perfected by Goguryeo for hundreds of years, thus forming a layered mountain fortress.

For example, in Liaodong, which has already reached the hands of the Sui Dynasty, the first series of mountain cities were built at the junction of the Liaohe Plain and the mountains behind. These mountain cities face the plain and are backed by the Qianshan Mountains. If it wasn't for the advantage of the sneak attack last time and wiped out the Goguryeo troops in Xiangping and Lushun with lightning speed, it would be impossible for them to be defeated so quickly. Take Liaodong.

The Goguryeo people built many satellite cities around these mountain cities. These satellite cities relied on the mountain city to survive, and the purpose was to defend the mountain city and form a joint defense system.

Then, between these small mountain towns, there are many, many fort villages. These fortresses fill the gaps between the satellite cities.If you really want to attack one by one, your 10,000+ army may not be able to find Pyongyang City.

If they did this, it would be in the arms of the Goguryeo people. What they want to play with this defense system is to exchange space for time, and then drag the enemy army down.

Of course, Yang Tong couldn't be fooled by the Goguryeo people.

If you want to fight, fight a war to annihilate the living forces. As long as you wipe out the main force of the enemy army in Zhuhan City, those small mountain cities will be defeated without attacking.

For a while, the city guard's mansion was quiet.

After a long time, Yang Tong's train of thought gradually became clearer, his eyes swept around the faces of the people, and he said slowly: "Our war this time is mainly to annihilate the vital forces of Goguryeo, not to destroy the country."

This simple sentence caused a commotion, Yang Tong came aggressively, and put on an appearance that he would not return to Goguryeo, who would have thought that such a decision would be made in the end.

Seeing Du Ruhui's eyes sparkle, Yang Tong waved his hand slightly to signal for everyone to calm down: "Keming, you must understand my intentions, please tell everyone."

"Let's make a guess!" Although Du Ruhui said so, he said very firmly: "The strategic center of gravity of the Sui Dynasty is in Guanzhong, in the Central Plains, and in the entire territory of the Sui Dynasty. Our expedition to Goguryeo is actually forced to fight. , in order to stabilize the land behind our Great Sui. Before there is no spare power to control this piece of land, if Goguryeo is destroyed, it will only be cheaper for Silla and Baekje.

Hearing what Du Ruhui said, Deng Hao and Zuo Tiancheng looked at each other and sighed, with infinite melancholy in their eyes.Although they wanted to annihilate this old enemy of the Sui Dynasty, they also knew that Du Ruhui's words were correct.

After a long silence, Zuo Tiancheng smiled wryly and said, "Your Highness, how should we fight this battle?"

Although he was unwilling, Zuo Tiancheng obeyed the overall situation.

Deng Hao didn't say anything, but judging from the look in his eyes, he meant the same thing.

Yang Tong pondered for a moment and said, "Destroy the Goguryeo army north of the Yalu River!"

Deng Hao smiled bitterly and said: "Your Highness, the problem is that the Goguryeo people will not fight to the death, they will only harass, and come every night to exhaust the army. And they are especially good at procrastinating, a battle dragging on for a year and a half It’s not a problem, but my Tai Sui can’t afford it. Moreover, the Goguryeo people have always been fierce and hated my Tai Sui. Once we attack the city and plunder the land, they will definitely deal with us with all their people.”

"The Goguryeo people are fierce, but we have more fierce people!" Yang Tong's eyes flashed coldly.

Deng Hao suddenly asked: "Your Highness is talking about these [-] Turkic people?"

Yang Tong nodded and said: "Our army's officers and men are priceless. If there are casualties, the money and food in the treasury will definitely be consumed. These Turkic slaves have long been tired of slavery and have reached the critical point of outbreak. I promised them, As long as you make meritorious service, you will be able to obtain the official status of the Great Sui Dynasty, and enjoy the same treatment as my Great Sui soldiers in the future..."

Seeing Yang Tong's treacherous expression, the corners of Fang Xuanling's mouth twitched a few times. In fact, Da Sui had a lot of money and grain over the years. The commercial tax alone was enough to feed all of Da Sui's troops, but if pensions were included, it must be true. Not a lot.

In fact, it is not the first time that Turkic slaves have been tempted to fight with official status, and this method was pioneered by Qin Qiong.

Fang Xuanling is now very clear about Yang Tong's thoughts. Using slaves to fight is not only to solve the economic burden, but more importantly, Yang Tong wants the Turkic people to die more. How much, Fang Xuanling doesn't know, but the survivors will definitely be the elite, and will eventually be added to the armies.

These Turkic people died as soon as they died, and it was a pity. After the consumption was exhausted, it would be a big deal to buy them again. The price of a Turkic youth was only one horse, which was very cheap.

"Your Highness, these Turkic soldiers are..." Zuo Tiancheng looked at Yang Tong in puzzlement.

Yang Tong said with a blank face: "These are slaves bought from the grassland. If you throw them into the battlefield, you will definitely be a bunch of vicious wolves! In China, use them as little as possible. As for Goguryeo, it doesn't matter, just let them Just go to harm."

"So that's how it is." Deng Hao had a dazed expression on his face.

"General Zhang!" Yang Tong looked at Zhang Zhenzhou, the captain of the navy.

"The end is here!" Zhang Zhenzhou's spirit suddenly lifted.

Yang Tong immediately ordered: "You lead the water army, supplemented by [-] Turkic slaves, enter the army by water, surprise Beishui, annihilate Goguryeo's navy on the river, seize the control of Beishui, and make it impossible for Goguryeo to take care of things. Also Let me see the power of the Great Sui Navy."

Zhang Zhenzhou was overjoyed and said: "Don't worry, Your Highness, the navy will never let you down."

It has been two years since the establishment of the navy, but there has never been room for development. Zhang Zhenzhou and the Lai brothers have long held their breath, and now they finally have a place to use their skills, so they are naturally happy.

"Yuchi, you, Huang Junhan, and Meng Zhongcai led an army of [-] to lurk in the suburbs of Danyang. If there is a defeated army passing by tomorrow, attack with all your strength; if no soldiers pass by, attack the inner city with great fanfare. Think that I underestimate the enemy."

Yu Chigong, Huang Junhan, and Mai Zhongcai are all quick-witted people, and they will follow orders and go with their hearts.

"Lao Niu, Xie Yingdeng, you two led 2 people out of the city overnight, took out the cold blankets and hid in Phoenix Mountain eight miles away. If there is a big war here, immediately call in troops to help."

Yang Tong looked at Yuwen Wenwen and Li Chun, and said, "General Yuwen and Li Shilang, you two will start tomorrow and do everything in your power to build siege equipment. I'm determined to kill Hancheng."

"Here!" Yu Wenwen and Li Chun responded loudly.

"Everyone, let's surprise the Goguryeo people tomorrow."

……

(End of this chapter)