A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1267: Landing on the Beach and Seizing the City at Night

Bohai Sea,

There is a hustle and bustle on Shamen Island in the sea sixty miles northwest of Dengzhou.

Su Dingfang, governor of Yingzhou and protector of Andong, stood on the highest beacon tower on the top of Eagle Mountain on the island. The weather was fine today. Standing here, he could not only have a panoramic view of Shamen Island, but even see the different islands of Miaodao Archipelago lined up in the Bohai Sea.

There are countless ships anchored in Shamen Harbor, and more ships are constantly arriving.

The flags on these ships are also varied, with pictures of wolves, eagles, skeleton heads, swords and shields. These ships have a common and resounding name in the Bohai Sea waterway: pirate ships.

It is very strange that this place is so close to Dengzhou Port, the first port in the north of the Tang Dynasty, but there are so many pirate ships anchored here. Most of these pirates are from Silla, Baekje, Japan, Goguryeo and Mohe.

However, the Tang government not only did not send troops to encircle and drive away these pirates, but even provided them with various protections and conveniences.
Shamen Island, which was originally a place for exile of prisoners like Hainan Island, is now extremely prosperous. There are countless taverns, restaurants, brothels, teahouses, casinos, gold and silver shops, rice shops, polo fields, etc. on the island.

There is also a bustling sea market here, where all kinds of goods obtained by pirates are traded and auctioned.

It only took ten years for the island to transform from a place where criminals were exiled to the bustling Pirate Island it is today.

All of this was due to Wu Huaiyu's visit to Dengzhou.
"Commander-in-chief, all the troops have basically arrived," a captain came over and said.

Su Dingfang nodded.

"Everything is ready, just act according to the plan."

"Commander-in-chief, can we trust those pirates?" The captain was a little worried. "If we just let them harass the Liaodong coast and cause some damage, it would be fine. But this time we have to use them as the vanguard, or even the main force to attack Beisha City. I'm afraid they won't be useful at the critical moment. This operation is of great importance and we can't afford to make any mistakes."

Su Dingfang said, "You don't trust these pirates, but you also don't trust me, the governor, and General Wu?"

When the lieutenant heard the words "Wu Taiwei", he quickly said, "My respect for Taiwei and Dudu is like the endless flow of the Yellow River.

"Well, this is a strategy personally drafted by the Grand Commandant. These pirates have been kept and controlled by the court for many years. The things you are worried about have been carefully considered by the higher-ups."

"Your Majesty has ordered that Li Daozong, Zhishishili, Qibi Heli and others should be transferred to assist the governor. Shouldn't we wait for them?"

"How long should we wait? Since we are ready, let's get started. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that the information will be leaked. If the Goguryeo people know the information, we can forget about the surprise attack."

A prepared Beisha Mountain City is completely different from an unprepared Beisha Mountain City.

Even if the Goguryeo people were prepared in advance, it would be difficult to attack the two port water forts of Qingnipu and Shimajin.

This action was initiated by General Wu.

Although Li Daozon, Qibi, Helizhi and Shishili were all great generals, Su Dingfang could not wait for them.

Especially after Li Ji's victory report reached Dengzhou, Su Dingfang could no longer wait.

After learning about the battle between Li Ji and Zihe, Su Dingfang did not think it was a big deal and even looked down on this former defeated general.

More than 20 years ago, Li Ji was defeated by him.

Many years passed, and Li Ji defeated the Xueyantuo in Zihe, but Su Dingfang felt that it was nothing special. 40,000 against 80,000, and the fight was quite good. How could he have the nerve to brag about it?
If it was Su Dingfang who led the troops to fight that battle, there wouldn't be so many problems. He would have directly annihilated the 80,000 Xueyantuo people.

Not to mention the distant past, more than a decade ago, he served as the vanguard commander of his junior fellow apprentice Wu Huaiyu, and fought against the Eastern Turkic Jie Li Khan in the south of the desert with his teacher Li Jing and his junior fellow apprentice Huaiyu.

How many troops did Jie Li have at that time?

More than 200,000 people fought in Jie Li's old nest. As a result, Jie Li was defeated again and again, but he did not escape in the end. He captured the king and destroyed the country in one battle. Then he followed Wu Huaiyu to the west. There were so many battles before and after that. In every battle, he won a great victory with a small number of people against a large number of people.

Now, both the teacher and Junior Brother Wu have retired.
Li Ji was praised so highly that Su Dingfang had to fight for glory for his own family.

This action,
Very confidential.

The imperial court did not disclose any news to the outside world.
They did not even start preparations long in advance like the Sui Dynasty did when it conquered the Liao Dynasty, for example, they built warships and transport ships in shipyards along the coast and rivers, recruited soldiers from all over the country, conscripted civilians, and mobilized food, fodder, and equipment.

No,

None of them.

After receiving the emperor's secret order, Su Dingfang got the support of Wu Huaiyu, who coordinated the pirates for him, and also coordinated many coastal merchant ships. Even some merchant ships running in the Yangtze River and Lingnan were secretly mobilized to Denglai.

You can depart from several ports such as Dengzhou Port or Qingdao Port, and go along the coast and Miaodao Islands to the Liaonan Peninsula. In fact, even river boats can run when the weather is good.

The first batch of soldiers actually doesn't need too many.

Su Dingfang's vanguard troops were pirates, followed by an elite force he brought from Yingzhou, and two troops from Youzhou and Dengzhou.

The pirates were familiar with the coastal conditions of the Liaonan Peninsula, and knew the two ports of Qingnipu and Shimazin very well. They even knew a lot of details about Beisha City.

Using these pirates to lead the charge can be considered a clever move.

The weather will be good tomorrow.
It's a good day for sailing.
Su Dingfang even checked the date and it was an auspicious day.

on Salmon Island,

Killing pigs and sheep and stewing fish, it's so lively,

Over the years, these pirates had actually been recruited and incorporated by the Tang Dynasty. Although they could not go ashore, the Tang Dynasty built a paradise for them on an island so close to Dengzhou.

You can purchase all kinds of supplies here, even ships can be customized and repaired, and weapons can also be customized.

Similarly, all the goods they robbed can be purchased here.

In addition, they can also buy a house and live here, or go on vacation, and they can also settle their wives and children on the island.

Here, they can enjoy a peaceful life and be guaranteed security.

Of course, these also come at a price. They cannot plunder the coastal borders of the Tang Dynasty, nor can they plunder Tang merchant ships on the Bohai Sea route.
They even had a mission to help rescue the old soldiers of the Sui Dynasty who were stranded in Goguryeo, and to help collect various intelligence about Goguryeo.

In short, many years ago, Wu Huaiyu had already prepared for the future attack on Goguryeo.

Now is the time to use them.

The night ends and the day dawns.

Su Dingfang ordered the ship to set sail.

The port, countless sea vessels, and many merchant ships formed a naval fleet to conquer Liao.

In addition to the pirates, there were 5,000 elite Tang troops drawn from the three states of You, Ying and Deng on the ship. They were the main force in land warfare.

The mission of the pirate ships and merchant ships was to send them to Qingnipu Port for landing and to capture another port, Shimajin.

The sea breeze in the morning is cool.

The Tang army soldiers stayed quietly in the cabin. Some soldiers could not stand the turbulence and began to feel seasick.
The pirates were very excited.
Some pirate captains were still bragging to their men that ten years ago, they had followed General Wu and sneaked into the vicinity of Qingnipu at night, then went ashore and rescued many veterans of the Sui Dynasty's expedition against Liao.

He was just an ordinary pirate back then, but now he has his own ship and brothers.

He believed that being summoned by the Tang Dynasty this time and following Marshal Wu's senior brother across the sea was a greater opportunity.

After taking Qingnipu, Shimazin, and Beisha City, they will receive generous rewards. The most important thing is that he can see the Tang Dynasty's plan from here.

Capturing Qingnipu, Shimazin and occupying Beisha City would be a huge undertaking.

This is going to be another war to conquer Liao.

The pirates are not afraid of chaos. If the Tang Dynasty really starts to conquer Liao, then they, the pirates, will have greater opportunities to achieve.

"Captain, can we really take over Beisha City by following Governor Su this time?" A pirate said nearby. He had been to Beisha City to sell stolen goods. The city was backed by mountains and faced the sea, and was a strategic point between land and water. It was built on the mountain, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. There was only one small path leading to the mountain.

It is steep on all sides and only the west gate can be climbed.

The entrance to the city gate where the southwest gate is located is a valley about two miles long running from east to west. If you attack by force, this section will be a road to death.

But Su Lie had no intention of attacking the city properly from the beginning to the end.
The plan to capture Beisha City by surprise was proposed by Wu Huaiyu, supported by the emperor, and then handed over to him for execution. Su Dingfang was naturally confident that he could complete this task, because the enemy was more likely to be careless because Beisha City was so strong and dangerous.

The Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo had not offended each other for more than 20 years. Although the Goguryeo people spent 16 years to build the Liaodong Great Wall,

But it is just a precaution for the future. Not many people think that the Tang Dynasty will attack Goguryeo immediately, especially since the Tang Dynasty is still fighting the Xueyantuo.

At this time, there were not many soldiers stationed in Beisha City.
This is our opportunity.

The pirates sailed the Bohai Sea route every day and knew the southern Liaoning coast very well. The weather was good, so they soon arrived near the southern Liaoning coast.

We chose to drop anchor near a small island not far from the shore and wait.

Wait until dark.

When night falls,
The pirates took up their familiarity and sailed their ships again, loaded with Tang troops, towards the ports of Qingnipu and Shimajin.

These two ports were fairly prosperous, but there were not many Goguryeo soldiers stationed there.

The pirate ship successfully sneaked into the harbor.

Mooring at the pier.

Someone at the dock heard the noise and came to check with a lantern.
As a result, he was knocked down by a flying axe from a pirate who jumped ashore.

Everything went so smoothly, just as Su Dingfang had planned.

Successfully seized the dock and successfully entered the military camp.
Then they took the town,

The battle was over in less than an hour and Qingnipu Port was captured.

When Su Lie went ashore, the pirates had already razed Qingnipu and looted the port town.

Tang army soldiers also entered the port on merchant ships and disembarked in batches.

Many soldiers who were severely seasick still felt dizzy after getting off the ship.

Su Dingfang ordered that these soldiers who were suffering from severe seasickness should stay in Qingnipu to rest and be responsible for guarding the port and receiving follow-up troops and supplies.

He looked up at the sky.
It's still early.

"Let's go to Dahei Mountain City."

They landed on the north side of Qingnipu Bay, only about forty miles away from Daheishan City. Even if they marched at night, an hour would be enough.

The moonlight tonight is beautiful, round and bright.

Su Lie chose today because it is convenient for a night attack.

A group of pirates were the vanguard, followed closely by four thousand elite Tang troops.

Even though we were walking, we were still traveling quickly.

At midnight,

They arrived at the foot of Daheishan City.
Southwest valley,
Very quiet.

As Su Dingfang had learned, Beisha City was indeed very dangerous, but it was also not well-prepared. There had been no war for nearly thirty years.

A new generation has passed, and many people in this generation of Goguryeo have almost forgotten the war with the Central Plains.

Beisha City is a mountain city after all, and it was prepared for war. There are not many soldiers and civilians in normal times. The people live at the foot of the mountain city and in the surrounding villages and towns.

Only when war comes will they retreat into the mountain city, dispatch soldiers, and send in young and strong civilians to strengthen the defense of the mountain city. The mountain city can allow them to hold out in the city for a year or two.

But daily life in the mountain city was inconvenient and there were not many soldiers.

There had not been a war for a long time, and the soldiers guarding the city were very slack. There were few people on duty at night, and few of them were serious about it.

The lightly-armed pirates reached the gate of the Southwest Pass.
Still not found.

The narrow valley that was more than two miles long would have caused casualties everywhere for the attackers and was difficult to cross, but now it was easily traversed.

All the way to the west gate of Beisha City.

The pirates took out the ladder parts they had prepared in advance and quickly began to assemble them. Soon, several portable detachable ladders provided by the Tang army were assembled.
Ladders were set up on the walls.
The pirates who were best at sneak attacks climbed up stealthily.

The city was crowded with people. Everyone held their breath and dared not breathe, for fear of alerting the defenders.

at last,

The most agile pirates successfully climbed to the top of the city wall under the expectant gaze of everyone.

Under the white moonlight, these guys look so tall.

They waved down below.

So the people behind stepped up to climb.

One pirate after another climbed up to the top of the city wall.
They did not rush to find the defenders, but instead guarded the top of the city wall and waited for more people to go up.

Not far from the city,
Su Dingfang's personal guard captain was somewhat incredulous.

This all went so smoothly.
We landed smoothly at Qingnipu Port, and then climbed to the top of Beisha City.

"Captain, how come the Goguryeo people are so defenseless?"

Su Lie looked at the swaying lights on the top of the city wall and breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, "Why should the Goguryeo people be on guard? They have been peaceful and stable for decades."

Forgetting to fight will lead to danger, and the Goguryeo people in Beisa City obviously did not understand this.

The war came so quietly.

And it was in Beisha City,

When the Sui Dynasty invaded Liao several times, there would be rumors of war before the war, and the fighting would always start in Liaodong. Even if it was by sea, the attack would be on Pyongyang.

Beisha City was not the first target of attack.

It’s just that past experience doesn’t always work.

"Well, the city gates are open. Let's go into the city and receive the fruits of our victory."

Su Lie's intelligence showed that there were probably several thousand soldiers and civilians in the city, but now that the Tang army had captured the west gate, this dangerous, strong, and difficult-to-defend Beisha mountain city was no longer dangerous.

The Beisha Mountain City is now a spoil of war for the Tang army.

Finally, alarms, horns, gongs and drums, and panicked shouts began to sound in the mountain city. The Goguryeo people finally discovered the attack.

But it was too late.

Thousands of pirates and Tang troops have already destroyed Shancheng. The resistance of the Goguryeo people in Beisha Mountain City is useless.

at dawn,

The entire Goguryeo mountain city had been completely occupied and cleared by the Tang army.

More than 8,000 men and women in the city were captured, and more than 1,000 were beheaded.

Not one escaped.
It was originally a solid fortress, but last night it became a cage that trapped them.

Su Dingfang had not slept all night, but he was still full of energy.

After counting the results of the battle, he personally wrote a proclamation to the emperor and sent soldiers to Beijing to report the victory!

We lived up to our mission, captured Beisha, and captured two ports in a row.

The most important thing is that despite such a great victory, the casualties were only dozens.

(End of this chapter)