Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 451: Divine Power Scholar
Liu Rengui’s military camp outside Pyongyang.

Liu Rengui and his generals held a new military meeting regarding the situation in Pyongyang City.

The generals in the army, including Heichi Changzhi, Cheng Wuting, Zhao Chiman, Shatuo Xiangru, Du Shuang, He Qinghao and Kong Cheng, gathered together.

In front of Liu Rengui hung a huge topographic map of the Pyongyang defense line, on which the entire Pyongyang defense line was drawn, and various wing cities and mountain cities guarding the city were all drawn on the map one by one.

None of this has ever been a secret. The Pyongyang defense line is the well-known turtle shell. Everything is laid out before you, leaving you with nowhere to start.

Liu Rengui said, "General Zhao, you speak first."

Zhao Jiman was the first general responsible for attacking Pyongyang Yicheng and successfully captured it.

Zhao Zhiman clasped his fists and said, "Goguryeo's soldiers are good at defense. This is absolutely true. We encountered many problems during this siege. The Goguryeo people did not simply defend the mountain city. There are caves in the mountains and forests where they hide. They may hide in the big trees and woods."

"When we were attacking the city, we not only faced the defenders on the hillside, but also were harassed from time to time in the rear. At first, I thought the thieves had a special passage, so I sent someone to notify the governor, but there was no news."

"Later we found out that they were all killed on the road, ambushed by thieves hiding in the dark with crossbows."

"The thieves have catapults, strong bows and powerful crossbows on the city walls. Most of them are made in the previous dynasty. They are very powerful and have caused us a lot of trouble..."

Goguryeo's equipment technology came from the Sui Dynasty. When Yang Guang conquered Goguryeo, he gave Goguryeo countless equipment, materials and craftsmen.

The siege equipment of the Tang Dynasty at this time was greatly improved compared with that of the past, but they were at an absolute disadvantage when attacking the mountain city from the bottom of the slope upwards, and the advanced siege equipment was not enough to make up for this disadvantage.

Zhao Chiman described in detail the situations he encountered.

Liu Rengui listened very carefully. Faced with so many problems, Zhao Chiman still took over the Northern General's Platform. It was truly amazing.

Thinking about the team that Chen Qingsi left for him, Liu Rengui thought to himself: I'm getting a great deal.

Zhao Zhiman continued, "After we captured Beijiangtai, the Goguryeo soldiers in Beijiangtai fled in panic. We only intercepted a part of them, and the other part fled into the mountains and has not made any movement since then. I estimate that they should have hidden a supply point somewhere, waiting to counterattack."

"I'm thinking, why not just destroy the North General's Tower, so we don't have to send people to guard against the enemy's counterattack. There are so many Wing Cities, if we really have to defend one by one, our military strength will be limited."

Liu Rengui: "In that case, being trapped is really the best solution."

Heichi Changzhi said: "The people of Goguryeo attach great importance to Pyongyang City. There should be a lot of food stored in the city. We can't just besiege it blindly. If it takes too long, there will be more trouble. I suggest that we take down a few key wing cities, such as Su Wenfeng. The top of Su Wenfeng can overlook half of Pyongyang City, so we can put pressure on the enemy at any time. Let them cause chaos inside..."

Liu Rengui smiled and praised: "Good idea!"

Just when they were discussing enthusiastically, suddenly a piece of news came.

"Report! Chief Steward Xue sent a message saying that Pyongyang has been taken. Chief Steward Liu is requested to assist in preventing the soldiers from the surrounding mountain cities from escaping..."

In an instant, the people who were in high spirits felt as if they were doused with ice water in the cold winter.

Liu Rengui asked in disbelief, "How did Xue Zongguan capture the city?"

"General Manager Xue shot and killed Yuan Nanjian and Yuan Nanchan with two arrows, scaring off the bandits..."

两？
Two arrows?

The generals in the tent were just listening to a story...

Many times, reality is even more exaggerated than stories.

When the news reached Chang'an, a group of people thought it was a joke.

Only Chen Qingsi knew that Xue Rengui had the ability to create a myth.

"Instead of taking down Tianshan with three arrows, we now have taking down Pyongyang with two arrows. I just don't know if there will be another one who takes off his hat to repel all enemies in the future."

Chen Qingsi muttered to himself, then thought of another sentence and said, "The general conquered Haidong with two arrows, conquered Liaodong with two arrows, conquered Pyongyang with two arrows, and the warriors sang a long song into the Han Pass... None of them work... Alas, this is the real level."

Chen Qingsi no longer made a fool of himself, but prepared a brand new plan.

With the pacification of Goguryeo, not to mention the distant future, we can expect peace in the next twenty years or so.

Twenty years.

In the next twenty years, the Tang Dynasty's goal is the west. It must shift its strategy to the west and transfer many of the best generals in the east to the west to deal with the Arabs and Tubo. As for the northeast, only one or two generals need to be left. There is no need to leave Liu Rengui, Heichi Changzhi, Xue Rengui, Cheng Wuting, Li Jinxing and other generals in the northeast.

Emperor Li Zhi did not believe the battle report submitted by Chen Qingsi. It was too unbelievable and absurd.

Li Zhi even specially called Chen Qingsi to the palace to inquire about the situation.

After confirming the news again and again, Li Zhi said with emotion: "General Xue is truly a great general of the time!"

Chen Qingsi also took the opportunity to propose transferring the generals in the east to the west.

Li Zhi asked, "Do you have any suggestions, my dear?"

Chen Qingsi said: "I think we should first transfer Heichi Changzhi, Cheng Wuting, and Shatuo Xiangru to the west... The others can wait for a while."

Chen Qingsi made this arrangement after careful consideration.

First of all, Liu Rengui cannot move. Baekje is stable at the moment, but Goguryeo has just been settled. Not to mention the internal discontent, Silla also has to be on guard.

It is true that Silla surrendered, but that depends on the people.

If Liu Rengui leaves, his successor will be of lower level and unable to control Silla, so there will definitely be some small moves.

With Liu Rengui watching over Silla, Goguryeo's own resistance was nothing to be afraid of.

Xue Rengui cannot be mobilized either. However, his magic arrows were of great power in this battle, and his prestige can be used to stabilize the local situation.

In addition, the Mohe tribes in the Black Mountains and White Waters in the northeast also need someone to intimidate them.

Those barbarians respect brave people the most. Who in this era is braver than Xue Rengui?

At least Chen Qingsi couldn't imagine...

Li Jinxing needs to stay in Liaodong and cannot move for the time being.

Cheng Mingzhen has submitted his resignation application many times, so it is time for him to step down.

When you are in your seventies or eighties, you should enjoy your retirement.

Some of them will be transferred westwards in the future, but they cannot move now.

As for Heichi Changzhi, Shatuo Xiangru and Cheng Wuting, they had political considerations.

First of all, there are Heichi Changzhi and Shatuo Xiangru. They are both famous families in Baekje and top aristocrats.

Chen Qingsi and Liu Rengui played a decisive role in enabling Baekje to be governed well in a short period of time.

But because of this, the two were not suitable to continue staying in Baekje.

Even if the two had no intention of rebelling, in the long run, their existence would become a certain obstacle for the imperial court to completely control Baekje and absorb Baekje into the inherent territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Only by completely separating the two from Baekje can the people of Baekje be put off from this thought.

As for Cheng Wuting, it was because of Cheng Mingzhen. Cheng Mingzhen had a very high prestige in the Liaodong Army. Keeping Cheng Wuting in the Northeast would not be harmful, but it could prevent unnecessary hidden dangers.

Li Zhi didn't care much about Heichi Changzhi and Shatuo Xiangru, but Cheng Wuting's transfer was very much to his liking. He nodded and said, "I will follow your advice and transfer the three generals to the west first. As for how to arrange them, please write a memorial to me."

Chen Qingsi gladly accepted the order. He also considered the destination of the three people.

He was not familiar with Shatuo Xiangru, but judging from his performance, he was also a trustworthy general.

It's just like there is no Jiang Wei in "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital", it's always a little bit lacking, and he was left to Liangzhou to develop on his own.

He planned to assign Heichi Changzhi and Cheng Wuting to Shanzhou and Taozhou respectively.

Both places were under the jurisdiction of Su Dingfang. Whenever Su Dingfang raised troops to support Qinghai Lake, the first things he would mobilize were troops from Shanzhou and Taozhou.

Let them follow Su Dingfang and fight against Lun Qinling. How much they can learn depends on their own abilities.

Chen Qingsi was still somewhat wary of Lun Qinling's abilities.

Now that Su Dingfang is here, we can control it, but what if he is gone?
Everyone will die one day, and Su Dingfang is already seventy-three years old this year.

Gotta make some preparations.

Chen Qingsi returned to the Ministry of War, wrote the memorial, read for a while, killed some time, and then walked towards home.

Chen Qingsi was riding on Guanjun, heading west along Zhuque Street. Suddenly he pulled the reins and his eyes were attracted by a strange combination.

It looks like a master, a servant, and a donkey...

But the identities of this master and servant are somewhat questionable.

Because the servant was carrying three packages and nothing else, while his master was carrying two large wooden boxes. It is worth mentioning that the donkey was also carrying two relatively smaller large wooden boxes.

That’s right, the box carried by the person is bigger than the one carried by the donkey.

Among two people and one animal, the one wearing servant's clothes has the lightest burden.

The key point is that the owner is a scholar, who looks to be no more than thirty years old, wearing a simple blue shirt, and carrying two huge wooden boxes on his back. In order to prevent the wooden boxes from shaking, there is a one-meter-long wooden board at the bottom of the boxes.

He carried two large wooden boxes tied to a wooden board and carried them on his shoulders as he walked briskly.

This visual impact made Chen Qingsi exclaim in his heart: "Good fellow!"

He had seen many people with extraordinary physical strength, among whom Xue Rengui was the best, and then there were Heichi Changzhi and Xi Junmai, who were all strong enough to fight against cows.

This type of people usually have one characteristic: they are big and strong, with broad shoulders and a thick waist.

Especially Heichi Changzhi, who is nearly two meters one meter tall and full of flesh, looks like a wall when standing in front of you.

The scholar in front of him was indeed stronger than the average scholar, but compared with these generals who came from the military, he was much thinner.

Just as Chen Qingsi was surprised, the strong scholar carrying two large boxes glanced at Chen Qingsi inadvertently.

The two eyes met in the air.

The strong scholar was stunned at first, then his eyes showed a bit of joy, and he walked quickly forward. The two large boxes behind him were steady and did not shake because of his quickened pace.

Chen Qingsi couldn't help but take a breath. These two big boxes, even when empty, weighed more than 20 to 30 kilograms. They were not easy to carry steadily. If they were really filled with things, one box would weigh at least 200 kilograms. He could still walk briskly with more than 400 kilograms on his back. It was truly a supernatural power.

"Song Lingwen from Hongnong, Guozhou, has met Mr. Chen..."

The powerful scholar introduced himself and greeted Chen Qingsi respectfully.

"Are you Song Lingwen?"

Chen Qingsi was even more surprised, for he knew Song Lingwen. During this Fengshan ceremony, dozens of literati became famous.

In addition to well-known talents such as Luo Binwang and Xue Yuanchao, Song Lingwen's articles left a deep impression on Chen Qingsi. His "Taishan Fu" can be ranked among the top three poems and essays created for this Fengshan ceremony.

Chen Qingsi even ranked him first, above Luo Binwang.

However, Xue Yuanchao and Xu Jingzong ranked him second, inferior to Luo Binwang.

In addition to "Taishan Fu", the biggest impression Song Lingwen left on Chen Qingsi was his writing.

Song Lingwen's calligraphy is excellent, and his running script is very beautiful, which makes people praise it highly.

Chen Qingsi quickly dismounted and returned the greeting, saying, "Your Excellency's Ode to Mount Tai is very majestic, and coupled with that beautiful cursive script, I am ashamed to be inferior to you."

A trace of shame appeared on Song Lingwen's face.

"Ode to Mount Tai" is his best work inspired by the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty and the magnificence of Mount Tai. He is very satisfied with this article and believes he can take the first place.

Luo Binwang's "A Petition for the Elders of Qizhou to Accompany the Emperor in the Fengshan Ceremony" was indeed exquisite, but its content was too flattering and toadying to Li Zhi.

Although the writing is brilliant and every word and sentence is a classic, it ultimately falls short of the mark.

This is also the reason why Chen Qingsi ranked it second.

Song Lingwen did not regard Luo Binwang's "A Petition to Accompany the Fengshan Ceremony for the Elders of Qizhou" as an opponent, but many days after the Fengshan Ceremony, the sentence "I will climb to the top of the mountain, overlooking all the mountains below" made Song Lingwen admit defeat sincerely.

Although he wrote fu and Chen Qingsi wrote poetry, the two are not the same.

But Song Lingwen knew that his 500-word article was not as good as the ten words in a sentence of Chen Qingsi's poem.

Chen Qingsi didn't know Song Lingwen, but Song Lingwen had seen Chen Qingsi in the crowd.

This time I met him by chance on the road, and seeing him looking at me, I came over to say hello.

Hearing Chen Qingsi praising him, Song Lingwen blushed and said, "In front of Mr. Chen, I really don't dare to receive such praise."

Chen Qingsi didn't say much. After all, he was well aware of the importance of Du Fu's "Viewing the Mountain".

Wouldn't it be embarrassing for him to be too modest?
He changed the subject, glanced at the master and servant, and asked, "Brother Song, are we moving?"

Song Lingwen hurriedly said, "I am not worthy of being called Brother Song, sir. It would be better if you could just call me Lingwen."

As he spoke, he also answered Chen Qingsi's question.

"Lingwen has benefited greatly from Mr. Chen's favor, so he wants to come to Beijing to try his luck. Perhaps he can get a job with the fame brought by "Ode to Mount Tai"."

Chen Qingsi is a contemporary scholar and has the obligation to evaluate and promote articles.

Chen Qingsi was one of the guarantors for the promotion of "Taishan Fu".

Chen Qingsi nodded slightly, not surprised.

People like Song Lingwen, who come from a humble family, would naturally make good use of their fame.

Human nature.

Chen Qingsi couldn't help but ask, "What's in Lingwen's box?"

Song Lingwen bowed and said, "These are all books I copied over the years. I couldn't bear to leave them alone, so I brought them here as well."

Chen Qingsi was speechless at first, then he joked: "Lingwen, you should join the army instead of studying literature..."

(End of this chapter)