My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 230 The End of the Eastern Expedition
When five thousand Ming Guang armored cavalry appeared on the battlefield.

This means the end of this war.

The Ming Guang armor, polished to extreme smoothness, was dazzlingly gorgeous in the sunlight. Both the men and the horses were wearing armor, like a torrent of steel, rushing directly into the Goryeo infantry phalanx.

The overwhelming momentum and pressure were so great that the infantrymen were almost distracted.

This visual impact will cause fear among the infantry, and the phalanx will suddenly become messy.

The four-meter-long horse lances made it unnecessary for the Tang cavalry to penetrate deep into the enemy formation and they could easily tear apart the edge of the square formation.

In fact, the damage caused by cavalry is even stronger than that of gunpowder.

After all, this stab means a life.

Five thousand cavalrymen could easily kill thousands of people with just one charge.

Although the noise of gunpowder is shocking, in terms of lethality, it is not as great as cavalry.

The situation on the battlefield was one-sided, and like dominoes, the Goryeo phalanxes collapsed rapidly one after another.

"The central army is on the battlefield. We must stop the Tang cavalry."

"How many cavalrymen do we have left? Send them all out."

Yeon Gaesomun immediately issued an order.

Heavy infantry can also deal with cavalry.

It is now obvious that the Goryeo cavalry can no longer threaten the Tang cavalry.

Seeing the elite Goryeo infantry going into battle.

Li Chengqian sneered.

This is the time I've been waiting for.

Under the cover of the cavalry, the small four-wheeled catapult was quickly pushed over.

Even if there are only more than a hundred cars, it is enough.

If heavy infantry wanted to fight against cavalry, they could only rely on tight formations to block cavalry charges.

But isn't this just a sitting duck?

Boom boom boom boom.

The explosion sounded in the phalanx of Goryeo's elite infantry, bringing with it a complete collapse.

The strongest elite troops of Goryeo had just gone into battle, and it was over before it even began.

The infantry, which were not in formation, were easily defeated by the cavalry led by Su Dingfang.

At this time, the situation is set.

Without the support of the central army, the Goryeo soldiers on the front line could no longer hold on and began to flee.

The Tang army took the opportunity to start chasing and killing, and forced their way to the city of Anshi.

A large number of Goryeo soldiers wanted to rush into the city, but the city gate was so small, how could they all get in?

For a moment, the place was crowded and chaotic.

A large number of Goryeo soldiers knelt on the ground, dropped their weapons and chose to surrender.

Great victory.

"Seal the city gates."

Yeon Gaesomun gave the order coldly.

"But there are still so many people outside."

Yuannan couldn't bear it.

This is an army of tens of thousands.

There are at least 40,000 of them.

Although the Tang army killed many people, the actual number of deaths was not that high.

"Do you think I want to close the gates?"

"What will happen if we don't close the city gates? Will the Tang army be able to break into the city?"

"How about I leave this decision to you, and you can turn it off or on as you like?"

Yeon Gaesomun was immediately furious.

Does this mean he wants to abandon the 40,000 troops outside?

Does he want to be the sinner of Goryeo?

But how can we defend the city if we don’t close the city gates?

Forty thousand people entered the city, but they couldn't finish entering by dark.

Would the Tang army just watch the army enter the city?

My heart is bleeding.

After hearing this, Yuan Nansheng stopped talking.

He actually knew that closing the city gates was the right choice.

I just can't bear to do that with only 40,000 soldiers.

the other side.

Seeing this situation, Li Chengqian gave orders.

"You are not kidding. I said we would take the city today, so we will take the city today."

"Use all the catapults, crossbows, and now the four-wheeled catapults."

"Boom, boom hard."

"Tear down this city wall."

This time, Li Chengqian wanted to let everyone know how powerful Thunderbolt is.

The prince's order was issued.

All the catapults and crossbows were constantly being transported to the front line.

Seeing this scene, Yeon Gaesomun knew that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty had made up his mind to capture Anshi City today.

"Father, what should we do?"

When Yuan Nansheng spoke, his voice trembled a little.

There are catapults, crossbows, and more than a hundred small catapults.

They have already seen the power of thunder and fire.

The walls of Anshi City are not too tall, and they would definitely be unable to withstand such a bombing.

Perhaps it won’t be long before the city wall collapses.

By that time, how can we stop the Tang army?

Yeon Gaesomun had a gloomy expression and said nothing.

It seems as if there is a momentum that intends to live and die with the city of Anshi.

"Da Molizhi, Anshi City can no longer be defended. Please leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, the Tang army's thunder and fire are best at attacking cities. How can Anshi City resist them?"

"Please leave quickly, Da Molizhi."

Soon, voices of persuasion rang out one after another.

Yeon Gaesomun was somewhat tempted, but still did not speak out.

At this time, if he agrees directly, it will have a huge impact on his reputation.

The remaining reputation will be completely consumed.

"Da Mo Li Zhi, the Han people have an old saying, as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood."

"It is impossible for the Tang army to occupy Goryeo forever. Even if it is a temporary failure, what can it do?"

"Goryeo will always exist."

"I hope that Da Molizhi will stay out of the spotlight for now and wait until the day when you can make a comeback."

Yeon Jung-do, Yeon Gaesomun's younger brother, said sincerely.

In fact, Yuan Jingtu did not think that resisting the Tang Dynasty was too important.

The eldest brother Yeon Gaesomun is ambitious and wants to lead Goryeo to a new peak, but this is his eldest brother's idea.

For me, fine clothes and delicious food are enough.

Goryeo was also very powerful in the past, but compared with the Central Plains dynasties, the gap was not small.

Besides, ever since Goryeo came into existence, it has always been subservient to the Central Plains dynasty.

Before Goryeo, Korea had always been a vassal of the Central Plains dynasty.

This land has always been a vassal state of the Central Plains dynasty.

So, what does it matter if you fail?

Just continue to surrender.

Anyway, everyone is used to it.

After hearing these words, Yeon Gaesomun finally let out a long sigh.

"I am a sinner of Goryeo."

Everyone tried to comfort him again.

The Tang army’s siege equipment was approaching Anshi City.

Yeon Gaesomun had no choice but to retreat.

He can't die here.

If he died, the Yuan family would be finished. If he couldn't die, he would run.

As for Anshi City, including the mess of the surrounding civilians, he had no control over it.

After making the decision, Yeon Gaesomun did not hesitate any longer and fled with his trusted men.

boom! ! !
When Yeon Gaesomun and others had just withdrawn from Anshi City, they heard the sound of thunder and fire coming from afar, shaking the earth.

This silenced everyone.

"Father, why don't we burn the food?"

"This will definitely delay the Tang army for a longer period of time."

Yuan Nansheng asked after hesitating for a while.

There are hundreds of thousands of people in Anshi City now, plus the more than 300,000 people under Yuan Junyue's command, a total of 800,000 people.

This was enough to make the Tang army unable to take care of themselves after accepting it.

If the food and grass were burned again, it would inevitably cause big problems for the Tang army.

"If that's the case, then we have absolutely no way to survive."

"After all, they are all Koreans."

Yeon Gaesomun actually had this idea, but it was quickly rejected.

Because this would kill a large number of Koreans, and eventually the reputation of the Yuan family would become infamous.

For now, it can be considered a failure at best, but that would mean being condemned by both humans and gods.

Besides, Yeon Gaesomun actually still had the idea of ​​making a comeback.

The Tang army can't stay in Goryeo forever. There will always be a day when they have to go back.

By that time, he would still be the Great Molizhi of Goryeo.

"Father, aren't we going back to the capital?"

Under Yeon Gaesomun's arrangement, the convoy changed direction, which made Yeon a little confused.

"If we go back to the capital, will there be any chance for us to survive?"

"Goryeo is dead, and the Tang prince will definitely kill us. For us now, the most important thing is to stay alive."

"We need to find a place. We have to wait until at least next year, until the Tang army returns, before we can have a chance to make a breakthrough."

Yeon Gaesomun saw clearly that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty might not kill the King of Goryeo, but would definitely kill him. More likely, he would execute his entire family and exterminate his Yeon clan.

So nothing else matters. The important thing is to hide first and stay alive.
-
The city walls of Anshi City were ultimately not destroyed by the Tang army's thunder fire.

Because when the artillery fire just started, Anshi City immediately opened the city gates and surrendered, for fear of wasting even a second.

Su Dingfang led the vanguard army and entered the city of Anshi first, taking charge of the management, public security, and prisoners of the entire city.

Soon, Su Dingfang went out of the city to report.

"Your Highness, Yeon Gaesomun and his confidants have all fled."

"But we have to pursue."

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly.

"This old fox is really very smart."

"The food and supplies are still there."

Su Dingfang replied, "They are all here. Yeon Gaesomun only took a small amount of food with him to travel, and the rest stayed behind."

Li Chengqian laughed: "It's quite respectable."

At this point, there is not much point in dividing the troops to pursue.

Because the current Anshi City has become a big mess.

The resettlement of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians is a big problem. Li Chengqian now has less than 60,000 troops under his command, but he has to control hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers.

This will undoubtedly delay a long time.

By the time things stabilized, no one knew where Yeon Gaesomun had gone.

Moreover, if Anshi City is captured, there will be basically no resistance in the Goryeo capital.

The Eastern Expedition to Goryeo was finally over.

What follows is the management of the entire territory of Goryeo.

North of Anshi City.

Yuan Junyue is still fighting against Hou Junji and Li Ji.

The reason why they were able to hold out for so many days was entirely due to the lives of the Korean militia.

It’s not that the Goryeo militia’s fighting will is strong.

Instead, every time a war broke out, Yuan Junyue would personally lead 20,000 troops and force 30,000 militiamen to fight against the Tang army.

Anyone who retreats will be killed, and they will be threatened that after the war, the family members of those killed will be implicated as well.

Threatening with the lives of their families, they forced these Korean militiamen to fight on the battlefield.

It was this method of killing the chicken to get the eggs that allowed the Tang army to kill a large number of Goryeo militia every day, while allowing Yuan Junyue to forcibly withstand the offensive.

Until today, news came that Anshi City had fallen.

After hearing the news, Yuan Junyue looked very calm, neither happy nor angry. He first ordered a suspension of the war and prepared to surrender.

Then he ordered people to take a bath.

After bathing, Yuan Junyue put on his armor.

The style is almost the same as the Ming Guang Armor, and it was once the armor of a general of the Sui Dynasty.

This was his proudest achievement, because he killed this Sui Dynasty general with his own hands.

"General, the Tang army will be here soon."

The guards reported.

Yuan Junyue nodded.

"I don't care about the surrender, let others do it."

"You guys go out first, and remember to close the door when you leave."

The guards were a little confused, but they did as they were told.

As the tent door was closed, Yuan Junyue waited silently for a while, then took out a small paper bag from his arms, slowly opened it, and then poured it into the water beside him.

"Da Mo Li Zhi."

"I'll go first."

After muttering to himself, Yuan Junyue picked up the water cup and drank it all in one gulp.

outside.

Hou Junji and Li Ji initially thought it was a false surrender.

After all, Goryeo already had many experiences in feigning surrender.

Therefore, they did not dare to enter rashly, but instead sent out a vanguard army to investigate the situation first.

After the situation was confirmed, he took over all the Goryeo soldiers step by step.

"What's your name, Yuan Junyue?"

"which one?"

Hou Junji asked in a bad tone, looking at the Goryeo generals kneeling in a row in front of him.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally the person in front replied, "Dayuan Junyue has locked himself in the big tent and has never come out."

Hou Junji snorted coldly, "Good fellow, he is so hypocritical even when surrendering. I want to see for myself where he gets the courage to do this."

In recent days, Hou Junji has also been feeling sick.

Although Yuan Junyue's human-life tactics did not cause much loss to his side, he was still unable to break through completely.

The presence of 30,000 elite Goryeo troops made Hou Junji somewhat apprehensive, fearing that there might be some conspiracy.

After all, even now, we are sure of victory. It will take us a few days at most to break through, so these few days won't matter.

"Why did he surrender?"

Li Ji was a little surprised.

Although Yuan Junyue is a cruel man, he is also a good general.

Being able to stabilize 300,000 civilians and force them not to disintegrate and die is in itself a reflection of military capability.

If it were someone else, a camp roar would have probably already occurred.

"I heard that there was a letter from Anshi City. After reading the letter, Yuan Junyue did not tell us the content, but just asked us to surrender directly."

Hearing this, Li Jixia glanced at Hou Junji and said, "Could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already captured Anshi City?"

Hou Junji raised his eyebrows: "That's roughly it."

Upon hearing the news, Hou Junji's expression was somewhat complicated.

The prince was a little too strong, which made him feel a little hesitant.

A gloom covered Li Ji's heart.

His Majesty's instructions are difficult to carry out.

Afterwards, Hou Junji and Li Ji entered the Goryeo tent and saw Yuan Junyue who was already dead.

Li Ji didn't say much.

Hou Junji said viciously: "Do you still want to save face for yourself?"

"Someone, take off his armor."

"Throw it out to feed the dogs."

(End of this chapter)