Han officials

Chapter 80 The king inside and the tyrant outside
There are actually many ways to enter Mahan from Lelang County.

But no matter which route you take, you must pass through the State of Boji.

So, on the day after the envoys from the Three Han States arrived in Joseon City, the mighty Lelang Han army crossed the Dai River and entered the territory of Boje State.

Compared with the Han area, the territory of Mahan was relatively depressed.

No, strictly speaking, it should be considered a wasteland.

Even when the army passed by a village, it was already overgrown with weeds and had become a ruin.

Seeing this, Guan Xiu, who was accompanying the army, couldn't help but feel emotional.

"Hou Kai, if I remember correctly, this is where you used to work, right?"

The attendant beside him had a complicated look on his face when he heard this:
"It is exactly here. Thanks to the master of the family for rescuing me, otherwise I would have been a pile of bones by now."

Hou Kai's words were not flattery, but came from the heart.

You should know that when Boji invaded seven years ago, more than 300 villagers from Daifang County were captured with him. They all had their hair cut off and became slaves, living a life worse than that of animals.

If Hou Kai had not met Guan Xiu, he would probably have died of exhaustion long ago.

So when Guan Xiu was causing trouble in the Three Kingdoms of Korea, Hou Kai was the happiest one.

Sometimes he even risked his life to carry out Guan Xiu's plans.

The Three Han people may be just strangers to others, but he has truly witnessed the cruelty and barbarity of this group of people.

Wei Zhe on the horse was not surprised at all when he heard this.

In fact, if he had not come, the fate of the hundreds of thousands of Han people in Lelang County would not have been very good.

Except for a very small number of powerful people who could survive by relying on their fortresses, or even actively integrate into the Three Han, the other Han people could only become fuel for the development of the Three Han. They were eaten by them until not even a bone was left, thus forcing the Three Han from the tribal era into the feudal era.

This is what ethnic conflicts are like. There is no distinction between good and evil, only the survival of the fittest.

For example, the reason why Bo Jiguo was able to make King Mahan helpless was because he was close to Daifang and could strengthen himself through various means including looting in the past.

Even in the original history, the reason why Boji Kingdom became one of the three countries on the peninsula had a lot to do with its geographical location.

It can be said that the rise of Baekje is inextricably linked to the Han people of Lelang.

It is precisely because of this that Wei Zhe never feels guilty.

It’s the same old saying: sins are committed in the present, but merits will last for generations to come.

Even Guan Xiu dared to shout "All the misfortunes are my fault", so how could Wei Zhe lack such courage!

……

Let’s not talk about how Guan Xiu felt along the way.

After crossing the Dai River, the Han army took action according to the plan made by Wei Zhe.

It is said that in addition to the main capital of the Boji Kingdom, there are actually five "small towns" of noble families outside.

This is also the capital that enables King Bo Ji to compete with King Mahan. After all, the "small towns" of his five noble tribes are basically the same as the countries in the southern part of Mahan.

So after entering the Boji Kingdom, Wei Zhe did not waste any time and directly ordered Zhang Chang, Liu Yi, Han Zhong, Kuang Sheng, and Xu Kuan to lead a thousand soldiers each to suppress the rebellion.

As for Wei Zhe, he led the remaining 4,000 people towards the capital of Boji State.

The next day, outside Gongshan City.

Guan Xiu pointed to a small mound over thirty feet high not far away and said, "My Lord, that is Gongsan Fortress. It is said that the ancestors of the Boji Kingdom settled here. It is a famous stronghold in the Three Kingdoms of Korea."

However, Wei Zhe didn't know what to say when he heard this.

A mountain less than a hundred meters high?

Well, the measurement units of the Three Kingdoms of Korea are indeed so different.

However, despite his contempt, after riding around Gongshan City and taking a look around, Wei Zhe actually nodded in approval.

Although the hillside is a bit low, it is backed by Jinshui River to the north and is high above the ground, so it can barely be considered a scenic spot.

After all, the wide field of view makes it easier for defenders to observe and defend the city.

Moreover, compared with the seven cities of Xianbei, the construction level of Boji Kingdom is obviously much better.

This Gongshan City is actually an earthen city, and it was built according to the terrain, which is quite commendable.

At the same time, Guan Xiu was explaining the layout of the city to Wei Zhe. "Lord Boji's palace is located on the flat land above the mountain ridge on the west side of the city. It's the highest point in the city. Many warehouses are also located there. It's the most important place in the city!"

As Guan Xiu spoke, he took out a notebook and glanced at it. Then he added, "There are three wells in the city. They may be difficult to maintain in the long term, but there is absolutely no risk of water shortage in the short term."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately nodded in understanding.

Sure enough, the caravan is the best spy.

At first, he knew nothing about the Three Kingdoms of Korea, but now he knows it almost like the back of his hand.

So after observing for a while, Wei Zhe rode his horse back to his camp.

At the same time, Wen Zuo, the king of Boji State in Gongshan City, had a pale face and trembling hands and feet.

Looking at the huge Han army outside the city, he didn't even have the courage to question them.

There's nothing we can do about it. It's his fault for frequently invading Han territory and burning, killing and looting.

Now that the Han people want to deal with him, even he himself thinks it is natural.

The nobleman of Boji State, who was standing by, looked terrified and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you surrender?"

But upon hearing this, the King of Boji recovered and immediately said angrily: "I am the ruler of a country, how can I surrender without a fight? If the Han people want to kill me, they must first defeat my two thousand infantry and cavalry!"

No, to be precise, there are only a thousand infantry and cavalry in Gongshan City right now.

Because there were still a thousand people belonging to the other five noble tribes of the Boji Kingdom, they were obviously basically wiped out.

Not only that, Liu Yi and others directly captured all the people in those five villages.

Regardless of gender, age or status, they were all driven to the foot of Gongshan City.

A moment later, the Han army lowered its banner.

Wei Zhe called out to his general, "Yangming, this battle is now in your hands."

"One hour!" Just as Gongsun Zhao was about to show his delight, Wei Zhe said again, "No matter what method you use, I only want Gongshan City!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Gongsun Zhao's heart tightened and he was no longer happy.

But after a change of mind, he bowed and said, "I will obey your orders and will not let you down!"

After saying this, he sped away with a serious expression.

Then Gongsun Zhao rode his horse and said something in front of the captives from Boji State captured by Liu Yi and others. After the translator's interpretation, the captives suddenly looked terrified and even a little agitated.

But Gongsun Zhao showed no mercy and immediately ordered his personal soldiers to kill dozens of prisoners who tried to argue.

When he saw that the captives in front of him had calmed down again, Gongsun Zhao ordered his men to throw ladders and wooden shields to them, and then he led five battalions of troops to station behind and drive the captives to attack the city.

More than ten thousand Dongyi people rushed towards their capital, wailing and roaring.

Seeing this, Wen Zuo, the king of Boji State on the top of the city wall, was shocked and angry, and immediately ordered the guards to shoot arrows.

However, with Gongsun Zhao's supervising team behind them, the group of prisoners had no choice but to charge forward.

In just a moment, the mountain road, which was not wide to begin with, was almost full of corpses.

The city wall of Gongshan City is only about ten feet high, but at first glance it seems to be shorter.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe under the banner of the Han army nodded with satisfaction.

To some extent, he is indeed very hypocritical.

He could drive the Han people to attack the city, but the Goguryeo people could not drive the Han people to attack the city!

Because compared to being a sage inside and a king outside, he prefers to be domineering externally and practice the kingly way internally.

As Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty said:

The Han Dynasty had its own system, which was originally a mixture of the ways of hegemony and kingship. Why should it rely solely on moral teachings and follow the policies of Zhou?

Wei Zhe deeply agrees with this.

However, what pleased him most was Gongsun Zhao's performance. This man was quite talented in commanding troops.

With these capable generals around, it would be much easier for him to build momentum next time...

(End of this chapter)