Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

"If that's the case, then there is only an empty city left in Pyongyang!" Qibi Heli said, "Then the future seat of Andong Protectorate may not be located here?"

"That's true!" Xue Rengui nodded: "Goguryeo is newly acquired today, and the people's sentiments are not attached. If it is not guarded by heavy troops, chaos will occur. But as the chief executive said, there are no craftsmen, officials, merchants, rich households, and large armies. Can't you stay long?"

Although Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo are usually called together in history books, it seems that the three countries are equivalent to each other.But in fact at that time, Goguryeo’s jurisdiction bordered on the Sea of ​​Japan in the east; reached the Han River basin in the south; crossed the Liaoshui River in the northwest; reached the Huifa River and the Second Songhua River basin in the north; And the vast land of North Korea, its territory far exceeds the sum of Baekje and Silla.

More importantly, Goguryeo is a country with greater "development possibilities" than Silla and Baekje.If Silla and Baekje want to expand, they can only choose between devouring each other and attacking north, but Goguryeo is different. Its special geographical location allows it to choose to expand in three directions: west, south, and east. When a strong enemy is frustrated in a certain direction, they can change direction and get compensation from another direction. After 800 years of expansion, a large Haidong country was formed with the five parts of Goguryeo as the core, Mohe, Han people and many other ethnic groups.So how will Datang rule the country now?

Although the imperial court has not yet issued an edict, high-ranking officials in the Tang army such as Li Ji and Qibi Heli already have a general idea of ​​the future political structure-that is, the establishment of the Andong Protectorate, and the division of the old Goguryeo into several governors, prefectures, and counties. , with a powerful local leader who is close to Datang as the local official, and then use capable and capable generals to command heavy troops to guard.The geography of Goguryeo's hometown is complicated, the people's hearts are not attached, the climate is cold, the winter is long, and the land is muddy in spring, which is not suitable for large-scale military movements.Therefore, in addition to considering economics and politics, the establishment of the Anton Protectorate's prefecture also had to consider military needs more.

Seeing that Qibi He Li and Xue Rengui disagreed with his proposition, Li Ji turned his gaze to Gao Kan, but Gao Kan did not express his opinion immediately, his eyes stayed on the map, and after a while he said: "If you are not in Pyongyang, Then there is only Xincheng (Fushun) or Xiangping (now Liaoyang, Liaoning Province). The new city has iron and the city wall is ready-made. Xiangping is the seat of the old Liaodong County. As long as there is a little rectification, there will be a good situation for reclamation, and Xiangping is closer to Yingzhou, which is also a benefit!"

"What about Wen Zuo?"

When asked by Li Ji at the end, Wang Wenzuo already had a secret case, and he didn't care what the result of his answer would be. If he didn't say something when he should say it, it would cause endless disasters.

"The final general thinks that if Pyongyang is not defended, within 20 years, Hu Jia and our hard work will be wasted!"

Gao Kan's face changed slightly, and he hurriedly scolded: "The governor of the king is careful!" Although Qibi He Li and Xue Rengui had not spoken, their expressions also became dignified.

"What does Wen Zuo think?" Li Ji asked.

"Recall Jin Renwen first, and then use the two ends of Silla's first mouse to secretly collude with the Goguryeo people to challenge his king Jin Famin. Please replace him with Jin Renwen. If he does not follow, then use the soldiers of Goguryeo as the forerunner. , my army is the successor, give me an arm to save my descendants from suffering!"

Wang Wenzuo's words were so straightforward that most people in the room gasped.Dozens of torches illuminated the copper pedestals on the wall, like daytime. Wang Wenzuo glanced around. If Li Ji followed Li Ji's approach, these delicate copper pedestals would be taken away as trophies and would only be left behind. The next piece of ruins.

Li Ji looked at Wang Wenzuo, and it was difficult to see anything from his face like a dead tree. He stood up, walked to the map, looked at it for a while, and finally walked to Wang Wenzuo. Only two people could hear the map. A clear voice said: "Perhaps what you said is right, if you give up here, you will be able to hear Hujia every day by the Yishui River in 20 years; but if you do as you said, there may be greater dangers, whichever is the lesser of two evils , I can only choose the latter one!"

Although Li Ji's voice was small, it sounded like thunder in Wang Wenzuo's ears. He raised his head instinctively, and the old man's cloudy eyes stared at him, like a lion in his twilight years, whose power still made people dare not look at him.

"Everything is under the orders of the chief executive!" Wang Wenzuo lowered his head.

"If I were 20 years younger, no, it would be great if I was only ten years old!" Li Ji sighed in a low voice: "Then I can adopt your strategy, but it's a pity that I am too old and you are too young But you don’t need to be too disappointed, I should not see the city wall of Chang’an anymore, and you still have at least 30 years of good life, after I pass away, you can be happy!”

————————————————————————————

Wang Wenzuo's residence.

"Give me a dry towel!" Wang Wenzuo said loudly as soon as he entered the yard, "Also, quickly boil the hot water, I want to take a bath!"

Like a spinning top being twitched by a child, the servants moved quickly.Cui Hongdu, Shen Faseng and others who had been waiting for a long time looked at Wang Wenzuo in surprise. What happened at the military meeting?Why are you in a hurry to take a shower?
"Scared me into a cold sweat!" Wang Wenzuo sighed as he rubbed his back, "A tiger's death won't bring it down. After all, it's really different to be a minister of the Zhu Kingdom who has experienced the founding war!"

"What's going on?" Cui Hongdu asked, "Could it be the British Duke?"

"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo said with a wry smile, "The plan to destroy Silla has failed. Not only that, the Koguryo soldiers and civilians here will also be relocated back to China!"

"What about Pyongyang City?" Shen Faseng was anxious when he heard this: "How many soldiers will be left to garrison?"

"It's not confirmed yet!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "But after discussion, everyone thinks that the future seat of Andong's Protectorate should be located in Xiangping!"

"Xiangping? Is it only a few days away from Yingzhou?" Cui Hongdu asked, "Why is it placed there? Doesn't that mean that the homeland of Goguryeo was given to the people of Mohe and Silla?"

"It should be that the local land is flat, easy to irrigate, and easy to cultivate!" Wang Wenzuo sighed.

"Then what should we do?" Shen Faseng asked anxiously: "I thought that after the destruction of Goguryeo, it would be connected to the land of the Tang Dynasty, but now it is good. After conquering Pyongyang but moving everyone away, what is the difference between that and before the destruction of Goguryeo?"

Since he was in the mansion and surrounded by his own people, there were many scruples in Shen Faseng's words.When Wang Wenzuo went to the Wa Kingdom, he first handed over the affairs of the Xiongjin Governor's Mansion to Cui Hongdu. After Cui Hongdu led the troops to aid the Wa Kingdom, he was in charge of the affairs. Already closely related.He even planned to spread his branches and leaves here and become a local prominent family.And Li Ji's actions are tantamount to disappointing his expectations, how can he not be angry.

"Actually, this may not be a bad thing!" Igillian Bode said suddenly.

"Isn't it a bad thing?" Shen Faseng said angrily, "What do you know? In this way, the Xiongjin Governor's Mansion will become an enclave. If there is another war in the future, the Tang Dynasty's reinforcements will have to go by sea!"

"Brother Shen is still worrying too much!" Igillian Bode said with a smile: "Have you forgotten? The king's governor is still our country's grand minister, the king's biological father, and there are countless Lang Dang families who have received his favor. At that time, His Highness will say Under this order, the army of Tang Dynasty is not the only one who crossed the sea?"

"That's true!" Shen Faseng's eyes lit up: "I was just impatient but I didn't expect it!"

"Your Highness the Taizheng!" Yiji Lianbode said: "Now that Goguryeo is newly destroyed, the imperial court wants to relocate heroes and common people. I am afraid that many people will flee into the mountains, forests and swamps and become future troubles. Why not recruit heroes from them, For my use?"

"That's a good idea!" Wang Wenzuo nodded, and he glanced at Yiji Lianbode with satisfaction: "Then I will leave this matter to you, and you can tell them that as long as they are willing to use it for me, the disciples will Qu as usual, we should use the population to grant land and land, and set up overseas Chinese counties, so that they don't have to worry about it!"

It turned out that the "hero" in Igileinbod's mouth did not refer to someone with outstanding talents, but to those powerful people who had enough appeal in the village and had a considerable number of followers.In normal times, these people will be loyal to the government and assume corresponding official positions; but when the situation is chaotic, such people will either gather their troops to build fortresses in dangerous places or lead their troops to exile to a safe place.Anyway, both Baekje and Wa are sparsely populated and there are large tracts of land waiting to be developed. Instead of sitting and watching these heroes be lured away by Silla or flee into dangerous places in the valley to become bandits, it is better to win them over and strengthen their own strength. .

————————————————————————————

"General, you will be home after climbing over the mountain in front!" the boy said excitedly.

"Don't call me a general, I'm not a general anymore!" Gao Jishe's voice was a little lonely.

"You are a general!" the boy insisted: "You have commanded tens of thousands of people, riding a tall horse, wearing iron armor, and flying a banner behind you, so you are not a general?"

"That's all in the past!" Gao Jishe laughed, and the boy's persistence made his heart feel a little warm: "Now the soldiers have been dismissed, and only you and this horse are left by my side." old horse!"

"One day, one day, everything will come back!" The boy insisted with the stubbornness of a child: "At that time, you will be the general again, won't you?"

"It's impossible!" Gao Jishe couldn't help sighing: "Will you not come back that day?"

"Why?" the boy asked puzzled.

"The king is gone, Goguryeo is gone, who can make me a general again?" Gao Jishe said with a smile: "I'm just an ordinary person who wants to go home now, everything is over!"

The boy frowned, it seems that he still can't understand the true meaning of what he just said, but this is also a good thing, he doesn't need to mourn for the subjugation of the country, and when he understands, this sorrow has been diluted by time .Thinking of this, Gao Jishe couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart, he was not so lucky.

"General! There's a car ahead!" the boy yelled.

Gao Chicken Coop saw it: it was a two-wheeled wooden ox cart with high side panels, but it was not a cow that was pulling the rope vigorously, but a man and a woman, moving north along the rut.It looks like a farmer. "Slow down," he told the boy, "don't make them think we're malicious!"

The two came up to meet them, and the farmer watched them vigilantly, but after the high hen house showed no harm, they let the two walk by. "We had a cow," the old man confided as they marched through weedy fields filled with soft mud and charred trees, "but the Silla took it." His face Flushed from pulling the cart hard, "My woman was also taken away. Alas, many bad things happened on the way. Fortunately, the war is finally over. She escaped and the cow must have been eaten. I can only pull the cart with her."

The woman looked at Gao Hen with shy and curious eyes. Gao Hen knew that he was not like a farmer. is a samurai.He nodded, and said in agreement: "Yes, the battle is finally over, and it is really a blessing from God and Buddha to be able to go home intact!"

"You're right!" the farmer agreed, "People will encounter all kinds of bad things in this life. If they can survive, they must be grateful. Look at us, although there are no cattle, but at least two people They are still alive, and there are so many radishes!" He pointed to the bullock cart behind him.

Infected by the farmer's optimism, Gao Jishe couldn't help laughing. He jumped off the horse, tied the rein to the shaft, and slapped the horse's butt twice. His old horse neighed twice, but still bowed its head. Pull up the cart.

"Thank you so much!" The farmer laughed. He turned his head to the woman and said, "Don't bother me. It's enough to have me and the horse. Take a break!" The woman laughed, but she opened her mouth and said no. Speak up.

"She has no tongue!" said the boy.

"Shut up, don't talk nonsense!" Gao Hen gave the boy a chestnut, he could guess what happened to that woman, the war was really cruel, but the tenacity of the peasant couple made them stand up for themselves. moving.

"There is a market town in front!" the farmer said with a smile, "a lot of things are bought and sold in it, and it is very safe. The leader there is a strict man, and the bandits he caught cut off their thumbs the first time, and the second time." head!"

"Yeah!" Gao Jishe nodded nonchalantly. He knew in his heart that many of the "bandits" in the farmers' mouths were dismissed soldiers. Although the war that just ended didn't last long, it still destroyed many In the villages, many of the demobilized soldiers were basically homeless, and many of them took up weapons and fled into the mountains and forests.The chief's methods may have been crude, but they were necessary.