Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 523 A Splendid Land
Andong Protectorate, Yingzhou.

Liu Rengui sat in the chair with his eyes closed, motionless, it was unclear whether he was resting or asleep.

Gao Kan, fearing that he was getting old and his energy was waning, reminded him, "Lord Liu, hurry up and pass on the orders. Although they are the army of Xinmu, they are still personally trained by our Tang generals. We mustn't defeat the Mohe people only to have them retreat again."

Liu Rengui opened his eyes and said calmly, "General Gao Kan, I have something I want to ask you. You must be honest with me."

Gao Kan said, "Please ask away, Lord Liu."

Liu Rengui stared at him and said, "Did Pei Xingjian suggest that His Majesty suddenly attack the Mohe?"

Gao Kan hesitated and said, "This... this humble general does not know either."

Liu Rengui shook his head and sighed, "Then it should be right. I just find it strange that His Majesty would suddenly attack the Mohe for no reason?"

Gao Kan asked, "Don't you think it shouldn't be like this?"

Liu Rengui said in a deep voice: "Sima Fa said: 'Even if a country is large, it will perish if it loves war. Even if the world is at peace, it will be in danger if it forgets war.'"

"After Your Majesty conquered Goguryeo, you could have rested and recuperated, but you insisted on listening to Pei Xingjian's plan to help Tokharistan restore its kingdom. At the time, I opposed it, but because I did not understand the Western Regions, I dared not speak rashly."

“Now, Pei Xingjian is advising His Majesty to attack the Mohe. What benefit will this bring to the country? The Mohe are remote. Even if we launch a long and arduous expedition, they can hide in the forest. It will only be a waste of money and food.”

Gao Kan said, "That's why Protector Pei asked you to deliberately suffer a defeat to lure the main force of the Mohe into attacking, so that you could annihilate their main force."

Liu Rengui shook his head again, saying, "Even if we wipe out their main force, we will not be able to occupy their territory. Before long, the Mohe people will recover their strength and hate the Tang Dynasty, making it difficult for the border to be peaceful again."

Gao Kan said, "That's not necessarily true."

Liu Rengui asked in surprise, "Why?"

Gao Kan said, "When Your Majesty destroyed the Tiele and conquered the northern desert, the ministers in the court were all saying that it was impossible to occupy this region for a long time, and there was no need to waste money and grain by sending troops to garrison it."

"But later His Majesty opened up the trade route to the northern desert, and now the commerce in the northern desert is developing rapidly. Our Tang merchants have established many horse markets and cattle markets in the northern desert and hired Tiele people to work."

“If these Tiele people can eat their fill and stay warm, they will no longer resist the rule of our Great Tang. They will learn the Tang language and gradually accept the culture of our Great Tang. In another hundred years, they may be able to completely integrate into our Great Tang.”

"Isn't this also a method of governance?"

Liu Rengui had been staying in Liaodong for a long time and was unaware of the situation in the northern desert. Upon hearing this, he showed delight.

"Is this really true?"

Gao Kan said, “That’s right. His Majesty does not collect commercial taxes in the northern desert region and has introduced many policies to promote commerce. Now, commerce in the northern desert region is booming, and even the Eastern Turkic region is affected. Many Tang merchants are going to the eastern desert to establish private ranches.”

Liu Rengui shook his head and chuckled, "In that case, I was indeed short-sighted. According to you, after conquering the Mohe, this method can also be used to form a new governance model?"

Gao Kan said, "This humble general believes that it is worth a try."

Liu Rengui previously opposed attacking the Mohe because, from the perspective of the nation, he saw no benefit in it.

Now that we have follow-up governance measures, even if we can't be sure if they will work, at least we can try them out, and the situation will be different.

"If that's the case, I have no objection."

Liu Rengui immediately wrote an order instructing the troops stationed at Wandu Mountain to feign defeat and retreat upon encountering the Mohe people.

This army was a local force that Liu Rengui had recruited from the Goguryeo region over the past two years, and it was part of the Tang army's organization.

The number of people was small, only over 40,000. Centered around Wandu Mountain, they were stationed in the northeastern border region to guard against the Mohe people.

Originally, there were Tang troops stationed there, but after Emperor Li Zhi issued an edict, Liu Rengui withdrew the Tang troops.

The core officers and commanders were still from the Tang army, so this army actually had a certain fighting capacity.

Gao Kan was genuinely afraid that this army would defeat the Mohe army, which is why he hurriedly urged Liu Rengui to issue the order.

With no more doubts in his mind, Liu Rengui began to wholeheartedly plan this battle.

He and Gao Kan discussed in detail and devised a comprehensive plan to lure the enemy in order to prevent them from discovering any flaws.

In addition, it is also necessary to coordinate with Xue Rengui's reinforcements and determine the marching route so that Xue Rengui's army can enter the Goguryeo region quietly.

Several days later, news came from the front lines that the Mohe people had gathered 10,000 cavalrymen on the border and had entered the Tang Dynasty's borders.

Wandu Mountain was the shortest route for the Mohe people to enter the Goguryeo region.

When the Tang Dynasty was at war with Goguryeo, Li Ji, fearing interference from the Mohe people, ordered Zhao Chiman to lead Tang troops to garrison this area. Upon seeing the Tang army, Qiqi Zhongxiang led his troops to retreat.

Now the Mohe people have come to Wandu Mountain again and have seen the Tang army stationed there. Instead of retreating, they march straight toward Wandu City.

Although this battle involved only 10,000 Mohe soldiers as a probe, it was crucial to the future of the Mohe people.

Qiqi Zhongxiang, Qi Sibiyu, Zuo Rong, Lie Gu and other high-ranking Mohe leaders were all staying in the Baishan tribe's camp, waiting for news from the front.

The Baishan tribe got its name from living near Changbai Mountain.

They were closest to Goguryeo, so Qiqi Zhongxiang used the royal tent of the Baishan tribe as the logistical base for this attack.

Several days later, a fast horse suddenly galloped into the camp. The rider was a scout from the Baishan tribe, and his face was full of joy.

As soon as he entered the tent, before he even dismounted, the man shouted loudly in the Mohe language, "We won! We defeated the Tang Dynasty!" His voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the entire tent.

Upon hearing this, several people rushed out from the largest round tent. They were none other than the seven chieftains, including Qiqi Zhongxiang, and Zuo Rong, Ye Bo, and others.

As the scout approached, Qiqi Zhongxiang asked anxiously, "Did you really win?"

"Yes, Great Chieftain, the Tang people are not invincible. Our warriors have already captured Wandu City and routed the Tang army!"

Upon hearing this, the Mohe people cheered in unison.

Some people beat their feet and pounded their chests, some took off their clothes and danced, and some even wrestled together to vent their joy!
Qiqi Zhongxiang looked up at the west. In that instant, his fear of the Tang Dynasty vanished, replaced by a surge of passion and boundless ambition. He was determined to build a nation of his own, belonging to the Mohe people, right now!
"Warriors, we will not only conquer Goguryeo, but also establish our own country and make the Tang people submit to us!" he shouted.

Upon hearing this, the Mohe people raised their hands and cheered in unison, including chiefs like Liegu!
Soon, Qiqi Zhongxiang and the chieftains returned to their camp and began to carry out their plan to invade the Andong Protectorate.

The Mohe people's warfare was very simple; they didn't have many fancy tactics. Once the cavalry assembled, they would charge forward.

The only force that needed to be mobilized was the Mohe army on the Japanese islands. The Mohe army alone was not enough to quickly conquer all of Goguryeo's territories.

Qiqi Zhongxiang immediately issued an order that he and six other chieftains, including Liegu, would lead the main force of the Mohe army through Wandu Mountain and head straight for Pyongyang.

Zuo Rong and Ye Bo then went to the Japanese islands and transferred 50,000 troops across the sea as follow-up support forces.

The Mohe people's biggest complaint about the Japanese islands was that they had to cross a strait every time they went there and back, which wasted a lot of time.

The Mohe people do not like to travel by boat; they prefer to ride horses.

Yebo especially disliked boating. This was his first time on a boat, and he got seasick and vomited profusely.

Zuo Rong patted him on the back and laughed, "I told you to get used to boating before, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've made a fool of yourself."

Ye Bo, panting heavily, said, "After we conquer Goguryeo, we can continue to invade the Tang Dynasty and occupy Yingzhou, Khitan, and other places. Who will need to go to the Japanese islands then? We won't need to take a ship!"

Jo-yeong thought it made sense; once Goguryeo was conquered, it would be a natural progression to continue invading the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty may face internal and external troubles and split up, and the Mohe people may take the opportunity to occupy the beautiful land of the Central Plains.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

News of the Mohe people's victory over the Tang army quickly reached Silla.

Upon hearing this news, the Silla court was overjoyed, as if they had won a battle. The King of Silla even issued a special decree granting a day off for the entire nation to celebrate!

Although Silla had previously repelled the Tang Dynasty's attack, they were well aware that they had only defeated surrendered Baekje soldiers and still dared not underestimate the Tang Dynasty.

After this battle, Jin Chunqiu continuously conscripted troops from various places to reinforce Guanshan City and prevent the Tang army from coming again.

The fact that the Tang army has now been defeated by the Mohe people fully demonstrates that there are indeed problems within the Tang Dynasty, and they are serious problems!

The people of Silla would certainly not miss such a golden opportunity.

Kim Won-sul sent a messenger to request permission to personally lead troops to attack the Ungjin Governor's Office and recover the Baekje region for Silla!
Upon seeing the petition, Jin Chunqiu was also moved and quickly gathered everyone to discuss it.

Kim Beom-min said excitedly, "Father, the Tang people are already finished. We must seize this opportunity to quickly conquer Baekje and then invade the Goguryeo region to the north!"

Jin Chunqiu nodded repeatedly and asked Jin Yuxin, "What does the General think?"

Kim Yu-shin said in a deep voice, "The situation is unclear at the moment, so we should wait and see."

Kim Beom-min said urgently, "We can't wait any longer! If we're too slow, Goguryeo will be swallowed up by the Mohe!"

Jin Renwen suddenly said, "Father, I think now is the perfect opportunity to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty. We can send someone to the Andong Protectorate to propose that as long as they stop making us move to Yingzhou Island, we will help them deal with the Mohe people!"

Jin Chunqiu roared, "Did you come here to attend the meeting? Guards, throw him out!"

"Father, this is the last chance!" Jin Renwen shouted, but was chased out of the hall by the guards.

"We really shouldn't have let him stay in Chang'an as a hostage in the first place."

Jin Chunqiu snorted coldly, glanced around, and slowly said, "Just as General Yuan Shu and the Crown Prince said, we should immediately send troops to Baekje. The matter of fighting Goguryeo can be discussed later. The Three Hans must be unified!"

With Kim Chunchu's order issued, the entire Silla kingdom began preparing for war.

Jin Yuanshu was an impatient man. After the first batch of grain was delivered, he led his troops across the border and invaded the territory of the Xiongjin Governor's Office!
Upon hearing this, Jin Chunqiu did not object. He simply ordered the civil officials to procure more grain and manpower from various places to supply the army as soon as possible.

On this day, as Kim Chun-chu was discussing the location of the army with Kim Beop-min while holding a map, Kim Yu-sin suddenly strode into the hall, his face as pale as paper.

Jin Chunqiu was taken aback and asked urgently, "General, what happened? Did General Yuan Shu suffer a defeat?"

Kim Yu-sin shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "The Mohe people are finished."

"What?" Jin Chunqiu exclaimed.

Jin Yuxin, in a hoarse voice, said, "The Mohe people advanced recklessly with light troops and encountered the main force of the Tang army led by Xue Rengui on the north bank of the Yalu River. The 20,000 elite Tang cavalrymen routed the 60,000 Mohe cavalrymen. Three chieftains were killed in battle, Qiqi Zhongxiang was captured alive, and the whereabouts of the other three chieftains are unknown."

Jin Chunqiu felt weak all over, leaned back, and slumped into the chair, as if he had been startled awake from a beautiful dream.

Jin Yuxin continued, "The Tang army also sent a force to capture Wandu City, blocking the Mohe people's retreat. Of the 60,000 Mohe cavalry, not a single one managed to escape back to Mohe alive!"

Jin Chunqiu murmured, "How could this be?"

Kim Yu-shin sighed, "Your Majesty, don't you understand? From the very beginning, this was a conspiracy by the Tang army. You should quickly issue an edict to have that fool Kim Won-sul lead his troops back!"

Jin Chunqiu jumped up from his chair and shouted, "Quickly, bring Jin Yuanshu back!"

Kim Fa-min hurriedly accepted the order and left.

Kim Yu-sin then said, "Once the Tang people have dealt with the Mohe, they certainly won't let us go. Does Your Majesty still want to fight them?"

Jin Chunqiu shook his head, his lips trembling.

Jin Yuxin said, "Then we must quickly send the Third Prince to Chang'an to apologize and tell the Emperor of Tang that we are willing to relocate to Yingzhou Island!"

Jin Chunqiu exclaimed, "Alright, then send Jin Renwen to Chang'an to apologize. Send him there immediately!"

After saying that, he suddenly fell backward, his mind and body severely stimulated, causing him to faint.

(End of this chapter)