Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 439: Fear Banquet
"Minister Chen!"

Xue Rengui also hurriedly returned the greeting. Now the situation had changed. It was obvious that he had even more respect for Chen Qingsi, the unrivaled general of the Tang Dynasty.

Xue Rengui was a man who knew military affairs. Emperor Taizong was defeated at the city of Anshi.

In recent years, we have been fighting against Goguryeo in the northeast. Needless to say, in field battles, the Tang Dynasty has never been defeated, while it is difficult to win against Goguryeo.

However, faced with the sturdy mountain cities built by Goguryeo to resist the Sui and Tang dynasties, they were really powerless.

The mountain city near Liaodong is so large that anyone who tries to gnaw on it will break their teeth.

But then again, could the Tang Dynasty really not take over Goguryeo’s mountain city?
Obviously not.

The Tang army was known to be very powerful, and attacking cities was no problem. Although the mountain city was strong, it was not necessarily comparable to the strong cities and passes in the Central Plains.

In fact, it was because during the hundreds of years of Goguryeo's rule over Liaodong, it had established a deep friendship with several fishing and hunting ethnic groups in the northeast. They took advantage of their own advantages as fishing and hunting ethnic groups, appeared and disappeared in the mountains and forests at will, blocked the food supply of the Tang army, and formed a perfect tactical coordination.

The mountain city is so solid that it is not easy to take it down. It takes time to capture it. The roads to western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning are dangerous and covered with dense forests. In addition, the northeast is a bitterly cold place. Not to mention the cold winter, even in summer and autumn there may be frost and snow. Transporting food is extremely difficult and the logistical pressure is enormous.

Under such circumstances, they also had to face harassment from many fishing and hunting tribes who were good at fighting in the mountains, which was really hard to guard against.

Emperor Taizong also stopped at Anshi City for this reason...

It was not the Anshi city that blocked the Tang army, but the Tang army that gnawed at Goguryeo's strong cities all the way, starting from Xuantu, Hengshan, and Gaimu, and continuing to destroy cities and strongholds, such as Momi, Liaodong, Baiyan, Beisha, Maigu, Yinshan, Houhuang, and finally to Anshi city. The army was a little tired, the logistics could not keep up, and they were harassed. In addition, the weather changed abnormally, so they had no choice but to retreat.

This is the situation facing the Tang army...

Xue Rengui had been in Liaodong for so many years, but he really had no idea how to break the impasse.

Despite their brilliant record, they beat Goguryeo into a coward in the field, to the point that Goguryeo did not dare to fight even with the same number of troops. In order to effectively kill the enemy, they even used a force that was 30% or even 50% or 60% less than the enemy's to lure the enemy into battle.

In the sixth year of Yonghui, Cheng Mingzhen and Su Dingfang supported Silla in attacking Goguryeo. In order to lure the enemy, Su Dingfang led only 2,000 people across the river.

Then Goguryeo felt that there was an opportunity and sent out 20,000 soldiers to use their numbers to bully the weak. In the end, Cheng Mingzhen and Su Dingfang joined forces to defeat them, killing more than a thousand people, and even burned down the outer city and villages and returned with a swagger...

But to be honest, if we really want to attack with all our strength, we have to pull them out one nail at a time.

I'm afraid the ending will repeat the same mistake...

Xue Rengui thought of thousands of ways in Liaodong, but he failed to come up with a solution.

But this situation was solved by the "Mr. Chen" in front of him.

He caused the disunity between Goguryeo and the fishing and hunting tribes in the northeast almost without bloodshed, and even designed a plan to cause internal strife within the Yuan family.

This series of operations made Xue Rengui amazed and impressed.

"After several years of absence, the general is still as heroic as ever!"

Chen Qingsi briefly reminisced with him, then looked at Yuan Nansheng, the real leader, and said, "It is a blessing for the people of both our places that Yuan Molizhi has come to the realization of his decision to abandon the dark and join the light and submit to the imperial court."

Yuan Nansheng said, "Minister Chen, since I have decided to pledge my loyalty to Your Majesty, I am a member of the court. People of the court should abide by the court's laws. Since the day I decided to submit, I have changed my name to Quan Nansheng to show my loyalty."

In this era, people were very particular about taboos. The founding emperor of the Li family was called Li Yuan.

Yuan Nansheng changed his name to Quan Nansheng, which was in compliance with the laws of the imperial court.

Chen Qingsi's eyes flashed with admiration. This awareness was really high. No wonder Li Zhi dared to release him back to Liaodong to manage the remnants of Goguryeo.

Of course, he did not disappoint Li Zhi's trust...

"Okay!" Chen Qingsi said, "Even though we are both ministers in the same court, I will not speak ill of you. Your Majesty has long wanted to submit to Wangquan Molizhi, so don't keep him waiting. Let's talk while we walk, and go see the emperor first."

Quan Nansheng also acted impatient and made a gesture of invitation: "Thank you, Minister Chen, for leading the way. I deserve to die for causing Your Majesty to worry about me."

Quan Nansheng's official tone is no less than that of a veteran official.

This is also a matter of course.

The Goguryeo nation has had an inseparable relationship with the Han nationality since its birth. They were able to rise because Han people fled to the northeast to escape war, bringing their own culture with them, thus introducing Chinese civilization and growing stronger.

Most of the culture that Quan Nanyang learned came from the Central Plains, with only a small part being the Buyeo people's own things.

Official rhetoric is one of them.

Along the way, Quan Nansheng introduced to Chen Qingsi the chieftains of the Mohe tribes who came with him.

"This is the leader of the Sumo tribe, Cong Gufeng, this is the leader of the Boduo tribe, Duan Ganchangyuan, and this is Bai Mengwen of the Baishan tribe... They all admire the Celestial Empire."

Cong Gufeng was obviously the leader among the chiefs. Not only did he stand closest to the front, but his speech also represented the tone of other tribes.

"Mr. Chen, we have always respected you as the Zhuge Liang of the imperial court. It is not unfair for us to lose to a shaman like you."

He wanted to get close to Chen Qingsi, but his Chinese was obviously not good enough and his speech was incoherent.

But it is not difficult to understand that Zhuge Liang in the court was a metaphor for Prime Minister Zhuge.

As for shaman, it means wise man in Tungusic language.

Cong Gufeng's words were clearly meant to please others.

Who is Chen Qingsi? He asked directly, "How is the conflict between your tribe and the Black Water Tribe? Has it intensified?"

Quan Nansheng's face changed slightly, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

Cong Gufeng was so shocked that he was dumbfounded and speechless.

Mohe is a general term for the tribes in the northeast, which are divided into several tribes, among which seven are the most famous, namely Sumo, Boduo, Anchegu, Funie, Haoshi, Heishui and Baishan. Sumo and Heishui are the strongest, forming two major camps: Sumo in the south and Heishui in the north.

The Heishui tribe lived between the White Mountains and the Black Waters and were particularly strong. In terms of the strength of the tribal warriors, the Heishui tribe ranked second among the Mohe, and no one dared to claim to be first.

However, in the daily frictions between the two powers, the Sumo tribe has always had the upper hand and has always occupied the rich land in the Northeast.

The main reason was that the Sumo tribe was adjacent to Goguryeo, and the two sides formed an indestructible alliance.

Goguryeo received help from craftsmen who fled from the Central Plains, and its iron smelting, copper smelting and leather making technologies were advanced, and it was able to produce iron weapons and leather armor on its own. However, the Heishui tribe could only make some crude iron tools, and its sharp weapons were still in the era of using bone products.

With the support of Goguryeo, the Sumo tribe naturally had the upper hand.

Now that Goguryeo can hardly protect itself, how can it support the Sumo tribe?
What's more, the Sumo tribe was also hit by Chen Qingsi's trick, and suffered a great loss of strength, and was even defeated by its old enemy, the Heishui tribe.

This time, he followed Quan Nansheng here in the hope of getting help from the imperial court to deal with the Heishui tribe.

But before they could say anything and just flatter him, Chen Qingsi directly pointed out their purpose.

This made Quan Nansheng and Cong Gufeng feel a little bit of fear.

Seeing their expressions, Chen Qingsi knew that his guess was almost right.

When in Baekje, Chen Qingsi heard Heichi Changzhi talk about the situation in the northeast.

His purpose was to deal with Goguryeo, but since it involved the Mohe, he could not help but mention the Heishui Mohe.

After all, this ethnic minority that emerged from the Baishan and Heishui regions destroyed the Han dynasty twice in future history.

The feud between the Heishui tribe and the Sumo tribe was also known at that time.

Now the chief of the Sumo tribe was flattering him in such a humble manner, and he seemed to be asking for something from him. Following his thoughts, he could tell what the other party was most anxious about.

Cong Gufeng wanted to exaggerate the threat of the Black Water Tribe, but when the words came to his lips, he changed to the reality of the situation. He no longer dared to lie in front of Chen Qingsi, for fear of angering him and having the opposite effect. "The people of the Black Water Tribe are all villains. They have joined forces with the rebels to deal with us together."

Chen Qingsi said: "Before it was you, now it is us. Patriarch, don't worry, as long as you sincerely submit, His Majesty will not sit idly by."

After conquering Goguryeo, the imperial court's strategy will shift westward.

The Great Northern Wilderness today is the real Great Northern Wilderness.

Without the strength and value of mining, the Blackwater Tribe has not yet grown into a threat, but we must destroy them before they grow up.

That's not necessary.

It's not about being merciful, but it's not worth it and I don't have the ability to do it.

The Northeast is so vast that even if we send in an army of 100,000, we won’t find any troops.

There are only so many people in the Black Water Tribe, and if they hide in the mountains, what can they do to him?
Let the Sumo tribe restrict the Heishui tribe from moving southward, and use the influence of the Andong Protectorate to cut off the possibility of the Heishui tribe's expansion.

When they were almost at the provincial government office, Chen Qingsi briefly explained to them the etiquette of visiting the emperor to prevent them from misbehaving in front of him.

But when he arrived before the emperor, Quan Nansheng knelt down instinctively.

"Chenquan boys..."

"I am Cong Gufeng from the Sumo tribe..."

"Your servant, Duan Ganchang Yuan, from the Bodu Department..."

"Bai Mengwen from the Baishan tribe..."

"Kowtow to Your Majesty!"

Everyone knelt down in unison.

In the Tang Dynasty, kneeling was not a custom between the emperor and his subjects, and there was no such thing as not being able to look directly at the emperor.

The distance between the monarch and his subjects is not far.

But Goguryeo obviously only learned the basics. The relationship between their ruler and subjects, and between subjects and the people was as wide as a chasm, and they had to kowtow to each other whenever they met.

Li Zhi was used to it and enjoyed the naivety of the foreign barbarians.

Li Zhi also noticed Quan Nansheng's self-proclaimed name, and was even more satisfied, and happily gave him a seat.

Li Zhili naturally asked about the situation in Goguryeo.

Quan Nansheng also told everything he knew, and he was forced into a desperate situation, so there was no need to be extra.

Since you have chosen to surrender, there is no psychological pressure.

Quan Nansheng was very open-minded and told the whole situation of Goguryeo.

Even though Li Zhi didn't know much about military affairs, he could hear the terrible internal situation of Goguryeo. After his joy, he felt a little annoyed.

The reason why he was so eager to perform the Fengshan ceremony was because he was afraid that he would have an accident and die with regrets like his father.

As a result, his body was better than he had imagined, and Goguryeo collapsed earlier than he had imagined.

If I delay a little longer, and wait until I have pacified Goguryeo, and then perform the Fengshan ceremony with the might and power I have possessed in the northeast, that would be so glorious.

That kind of Fengshan is truly perfect and spotless.

Li Zhi comforted Quan Nansheng and the leaders of the Mohe tribes and made them a promise: "You all stay and participate in my Fengshan ceremony with the envoys of other countries. After the Fengshan ceremony, I will immediately make arrangements to avenge Quan Qing."

Quan Nansheng left Pyongyang to inspect the various tribes, leaving his eldest son Quan Xianzhong in the capital.

After Yuan Nanjian and Yuan Nanchan rebelled, the first thing they did was to kill their nephew Quan Xianzhong.

The idea of ​​revenge also originated from this.

Quan Nansheng had a troubled look on his face and sighed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Qingsi shook his head slightly.

Quan Nansheng is a talented and capable person, but he is too loyal and indecisive, otherwise he would not have messed up such a good hand.

In history, when faced with the enemy who wanted to kill his son, Quan Nansheng could not let go of his brotherhood, so he came forward to plead for him, saving his life. He was exiled to Qianzhou and died in Qianzhou.

If it were him, if he killed his beloved son Jingjing, no matter who it was, even the emperor, he would have to bury him with him.

Li Zhi had Quan Nansheng, Cong Gufeng, Duan Ganchangyuan and his party taken down to settle them down.

After they left, Li Zhi waved his hand and asked Xue Rengui to come closer. Looking at the general whom he had not seen for many years, he played the emotional card.

"General, how have you been these years? Whenever it rains heavily, I will think of your great kindness..."

In the fifth year of Yonghui, Li Zhi visited Wannian Palace. It rained heavily, mountain torrents broke out, and the water rushed straight to the north gate of Wannian Palace.

Faced with the natural disaster, all the guards fled. Only Xue Rengui risked his life to climb the door frame and shout to the palace to warn the inner palace.

Soon after Li Zhi received the warning and fled to a higher place, the flood submerged his bedroom.

Hearing Li Zhi's retelling of the past, Xue Rengui was naturally moved, "It's all my responsibility."

Li Zhi looked at Chen Qingsi and said, "I want to appoint General Xue as the commander to conquer Goguryeo. What do you think?"

In history, it was Li Ji who destroyed Goguryeo, but the current Goguryeo obviously has no need for this great god, not to mention that this great god is still lying in bed.

Chen Qingsi said: "General Xue is loyal and brave, and is the best choice. I have no objection."

Li Zhi said: "That's settled then!"

Xue Rengui thanked him repeatedly.

"General, please stay here too. There is no need to rush back to report. We can talk about it after the Fengshan ceremony."

Xue Rengui naturally obeyed the order.

"I am very happy today, my dear ministers and generals, please stay and have a few drinks with me."

Li Zhi set up a banquet, and when he was drunk, he looked at the civil and military officials on his left and right, and said with a smile: "With you and the general by my side, I can sleep soundly."

He suddenly became interested and said, "General, I heard that your archery skills are unrivaled in the world and no one can avoid your arrows. There is an old saying that the ancient archers could shoot arrows through seven pieces of armor, but I wonder if you can shoot arrows through five pieces of armor?"

Xue Rengui was quite modest and said, "I am willing to give it a try."

"Good!" Li Zhi clapped his hands and said, "Get the general a bow and put on his armor." Then he asked, "How many stone bows does the general have?"

Xue Rengui said: "I have a family heirloom iron bow, which is on the horse's back outside the mansion."

"Bring it to the general quickly..."

Chen Qingsi has taken his time, it's time to broaden his horizons.

(End of this chapter)