Tang Dynasty: The Holy Prince, the Dragon that Reigns Over the World

After the Goguryeo envoys left, Li Shimin ordered the army to set off three days later. Three days later, 21 Tang troops set out for Liaodong. Li Chengqian and Li Yuanba led their own 15 troops to set off first, and Li Shimin and Li Ji led 6 troops to follow closely behind.

Li Chengqian led his troops to the outside of the new city and saw that the gates of the new city were closed. The defenders on the city wall were as nervous as if they were facing a great enemy. One of them was wearing a Goguryeo official uniform, standing on the top of the city wall and shouting.

"Which Tang army is on the other side? Who is the commander? Please come out and answer the questions."

"Listen up, Goguryeo villains! We are the Great Tang General Tiance, the Minister of State, the Deputy Governor of Pingdong, the General Manager of Liaodong Road, and the Prince's Mansion Corps under the command of His Royal Highness the Great Tang Crown Prince.

Today, our Heavenly Army has come to avenge the King of Goguryeo, a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, and to kill the traitor Yeon Gaesomun. You should abandon the dark and surrender to the light, and don't lose your life for the traitor who killed the king. "Xue Li, the deputy general of the Prince's Mansion Corps, said loudly.

After the Eastern and Western Turks surrendered, Li Chengqian began to form a 5-man Turkish Wolf Cavalry Army, which was a light cavalry composed of Eastern and Western Turks. Li Chengqian also integrated his Flying Dragon Army, Black Tortoise Army, Flying Wing Archer Cavalry and Turkish Wolf Cavalry Army into the Prince's Palace Legion.

After Xue Li returned to the Prince's Palace, Li Chengqian appointed Xue Li and Li Dejian as deputy generals of the Prince's Palace Corps, Zhuge Fu as the Prince's Chief Clerk and Military Advisor of the Prince's Palace Corps. He appointed Ashina Heluohu, the son of Qibi Heli, as the commander of the Turkic Wolf Cavalry Army, and Ashina Falcon, the adopted son of Duobi (the name of the Eastern Turkic Jie Li Khan), as the deputy commander.

The commanders and deputy commanders of the armies under Li Chengqian saw that Xue Li's martial arts were not inferior to theirs, and his military skills were even better than theirs. In addition, they were loyal to and trusted Li Chengqian, so they felt that it was not objectionable for Xue Li, who had just arrived at the Prince's Mansion, to be appointed as the deputy commander of the Prince's Mansion Army.

"I am the lord of Goguryeo's Xincheng, the adopted son of Goguryeo's Molizhi, Yuan Zhiren. The Tang Dynasty claims to be the Celestial Empire and a country of etiquette, but it invaded Goguryeo on false charges. Such behavior of the Tang Dynasty is extremely shameless.

The Crown Prince of Tang has always been known as a saintly person. But now, instead of trying to dissuade his king and father, he personally led his troops to invade my borders and besiege my new city. The Crown Prince's actions have betrayed his saintly name and I am afraid that he will be laughed at by people all over the world.

Moreover, the Sui Dynasty invaded Goguryeo three times before, but was defeated each time. I advise the prince to withdraw as soon as possible and persuade the Emperor of Tang to withdraw his troops, so as not to repeat the mistakes of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. "Xincheng Lord Yuan Zhiren said loudly.

"How dare you, traitor, slander our lord. Are you tired of living?" Yuchi Baolin shouted angrily. All the soldiers under Li Chengqian's command below the city glared at him.

"Hehe, villains always talk a lot. Hey, you old thief Yeon Gaesomun on the city wall, it's useless to say so much. My army is not here to quarrel with you. Do you dare to come out of the city and fight me?" Li Chengqian sneered.

"Why are you scared? Aren't you good at talking? You are like a eunuch visiting a brothel. You are good at talking, but you are useless when you get serious.

Hey? I see you have fair skin and a feminine appearance, could it be that you are really a eunuch? The old thief Yeon Gaesomun took a eunuch as his fake son, which is really unique.

Or are you the male lover of the old thief Yeon Gaesomun? The old thief Yeon Gaesomun has a really strong taste! "Li Chengqian said sarcastically when he saw that Yuan Zhiren did not answer. Everyone around him laughed when he heard it. Yuan Zhiren was so angry that his face was as red as the bottom of a pot and he was shaking all over.

"You are arguing with my lord. Humph, my lord's mouth can bring the dead back to life. You are an idiot who overestimates your own abilities." Cheng Huailiang, deputy commander of the Winged Archers, sneered.

"Li Chengqian, stop talking. If you want to fight, then fight. I will accompany you to the end." Yuan Zhiren said angrily.

"My lord, I, the Turkic Wolf Cavalry, request a fight. I promise to chop off Yuan Zhiren's head within an hour and present it to you, my lord." Ashina Heluohu said with a fist salute.

"Heluohu, go aside. Everything has a first come first served order. Your Turkic Wolf Cavalry Army has just been established, and this battle should be completed by my Flying Dragon Army. It's just a small new city, I can take it in one blow." Qin Huaiyu, deputy commander of the Flying Dragon Army, pushed Ashina Heluohu away and said.

"Young master of the Qin family, I am your uncle and there is order of seniority. It is not right for us, the Flying Wing Archers, to take the first credit." Luo Song, the commander of the Flying Wing Archers, said calmly.

"Hey, everyone. This is a siege. No matter what, our Xuanwu Army's heavy armored infantry should lead the charge." Xuanwu Army commander Li Dejian said anxiously.

"Are you going to fight or not?" Yuan Zhiren saw that the generals under Li Chengqian were arguing about who should attack the city alone. He did not take himself and Xincheng seriously at all, and shouted with grief and anger.

After hearing this, the generals under the city stopped arguing, turned around and looked at Yuan Zhiren with impatience, Cheng Huailiang shouted loudly.

"Go away! Can't you see we are busy choosing who will beat you? Just wait to be beaten up. Why are you making such a fuss?" Then they started arguing again.

"Li Chengqian, you are going too far." Yuan Zhiren said angrily.

"What if I bully you? I can even push you to the ground and rub you. Okay, stop arguing. Can't you see that Yuan Zhiren is about to commit suicide out of shame? He is still looking forward to being beaten by us. How can he die of anger from you?

Dejian is right, this is a siege, what are you cavalry fighting for? Dejian, go ahead and take down Xincheng for me. "Li Chengqian said.

Li Dejian accepted the order with a smug look on his face and went to assign the task. The other generals rolled their eyes at Li Dejian's smug look.

Li Dejian walked to the front of the Xuanwu Army and said loudly.

"Warriors, the lord has entrusted the first battle of Goguryeo to our Xuanwu Army. Warriors, what should we do?"

"Die for our lord." The Xuanwu Army shouted in unison.

"Well, that's right. Warriors of the Xuanwu Army, it's time to kill the enemy, earn merit, and give honors to your wives and children. Follow me to take down the new city for the lord. Xuanwu Army, attack." Li Dejian drew his sword and pointed it at the new city. The Xuanwu Army shouted the Xuanwu Army slogan, and under the leadership of Li Dejian and Yuchi Baolin, they pushed the siege equipment and rushed towards the new city.

"Da Lang, the men under your command are all fierce tigers." Li Yuanba sighed. Li Chengqian looked at the Xuanwu Army and smiled with satisfaction. After Li Yuanba finished speaking, he turned over and dismounted, holding the drum and golden hammer and ran towards the city wall, shouting as he ran.

"Da Lang, seeing your son is so brave, I can't stay here any longer. I haven't fought in the past few years, and I'm almost sick from being idle. Today I want to fight to my heart's content."

Li Yuanba ran to the edge of the city and climbed up the ladder to the city wall. Li Yuanba led Yuchi Baolin and some Xuanwu troops to the top of the new city and fought hard with the Goguryeo defenders. Because the top of the city was narrow and there were friendly troops nearby, Li Yuanba could not use the iron chain to drive the drum and urn golden hammer to swing, and could only hold the two hammers and smash.

The Xuanwu Army had strong armor and sharp weapons. Li Yuanba and Yuchi Baolin were both powerful generals. They killed and wounded the Xincheng defenders in a short time, forcing them to retreat. Li Chengqian watched the Xuanwu Army slaughter the Goguryeo Xincheng defenders with overwhelming strength, and nodded with satisfaction and smiled.

Suddenly, Li Chengqian saw a hidden arrow shot from the Xincheng defenders towards Li Yuanba's heart, and Li Chengqian shouted in shock.

"How dare the thief to attack someone from behind? Uncle, be careful."

Li Yuanba heard this and his heart was alarmed. He quickly dodged. However, the distance was too close. Thanks to Li Yuanba's high martial arts skills and quick reaction, the arrow did not hit Li Yuanba's heart, but hit Li Yuanba's right arm. The arrow hit his arm and Li Yuanba felt his right limbs weak and fainted. The Leigu Weng Jinchui fell out of his hand and he was shocked.

"This arrow is poisonous." Then he fell backwards. Yuchi Baolin was shocked when he saw this, and hurriedly waved his double whips and rushed towards Li Yuanba. Together with the Xuanwu Army on the wall, they protected Li Yuanba and fought hard to kill him down the wall and returned to their camp.

Li Chengqian ordered the Xuanwu Army to suspend the attack. Seeing that Li Yuanba was unconscious, he hurriedly called a military doctor to treat him. After the military doctor came, he took a look at Li Yuanba's injuries and frowned.

"My lord, the Goguryeo people are really vicious. This arrow is a wolf tooth arrow, which penetrated deeply into the right arm of the King of Zhao, and it is coated with poison. I will break the arrow first and give the King of Zhao an antidote pill, and then deal with it after returning to the camp."

Li Chengqian nodded in agreement. The military doctor used a saw to cut off the arrow in Li Yuanba's right arm, fed Li Yuanba an antidote pill, and ordered his men to carry Li Yuanba back to the camp for treatment.

"Haha, the legendary bravest warrior of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuanba, King of Zhao in Western Palace, is no more than this. Li Chengqian, I advise you to withdraw your troops as soon as possible." Yuan Zhiren laughed on the city wall.

"Yuan Zhiren, you dared to use poison arrows to hurt my uncle. If I don't kill you, I will not be able to relieve my anger. You evil villain, die. Xuanwu Army, follow me to attack the city." Li Chengqian said angrily, and then rode his horse towards the city gate.

The Xuanwu army behind him all bravely advanced. Arrows rained down from the new city. Li Chengqian waved the purple-gold dragon-howling halberd to deflect the arrows and rode to the moat. He spurred his horse forward, and with a neigh of purple lightning, he actually flew over the moat. Li Chengqian arrived in front of the city gate, then held the halberd in both hands, and shouted at the new city gate.

"Open it for me." Then he smashed the city gate with his halberd. Yuan Zhiren on the city wall saw Li Chengqian trying to smash the city gate by himself and said sarcastically.

"Humph, you are so arrogant that you want to smash open the gate of my new city by yourself. The gate of my new city is 5 feet thick, made of hardwood and iron bars, and weighs more than a thousand pounds. Li Chengqian really overestimates his own abilities."

As soon as Yuan Zhiren finished speaking, he heard a loud noise, and the city wall shook like an earthquake. The Goguryeo defenders on the city were terrified to see that Li Chengqian's attack was so powerful. The Tang army outside the city gate cheered loudly.

After Li Chengqian's attack, he did not say much, and then continued to hit the gate of Xincheng. As Li Chengqian continued to hit, wood chips flew from the gate of Xincheng, and it was about to fall. Finally, the gate could not withstand Li Chengqian's huge force and collapsed.

Li Chengqian smashed open the city gate and rode to the suspension bridge rope over the moat. He held the halberd in his left hand and waved it to block the arrows. He pulled out Qingshuang with his right hand and cut the suspension bridge rope with two swords. The suspension bridge fell onto the moat with a loud bang.

Seeing this, the troops of the Prince's Mansion rushed to the city gate. An hour later, Xincheng was captured. Yuan Zhiren was captured, and the Xuanwu Army took Yuan Zhiren to Li Chengqian's horse.

"Hey, you evil thief, even though the city has been breached and you have been captured, why don't you kneel when you see my lord?" Xue Li said angrily.

"Hmph, if you want to kill me, just kill me. Why so much nonsense?" Yuan Zhiren raised his head to the sky and said loudly.

"Now that the city has been captured and you have been captured, why don't you surrender to the Tang Dynasty?" Li Chengqian said.

"I am a child of a poor family. I lived on the streets when I was young and almost starved to death. It was my adoptive father who rescued me and brought me back to his mansion. He also raised me with all his heart. Now that the city has been captured and I have been captured, I have failed my adoptive father's trust. How can I surrender to you?" Yuan Zhiren said.

"How could you not know that Yeon Gaesomun murdered the king and usurped the throne? As a minister of Goguryeo, you saw your king and father being killed, but instead of seeking revenge for them, you served the rebels. This is unrighteousness. You ignored the great principles for the sake of a meal, which is foolish loyalty. You lost the great principles for your foolish loyalty. How unwise you are.

Today, our Tang Dynasty is avenging the people and the rulers of our vassal states. This is a righteous cause. You are a minister of Goguryeo, so why don't you abandon the dark and join the light and help our Tang Dynasty to defeat the traitor Yeon Gaesomun?" Li Chengqian advised.

"Hmph, Li Chengqian, what you said sounds nice. What about punishing the criminals and avenging the ruler of a vassal state? It's just an excuse to invade Goguryeo." Yuan Zhiren sneered.

"So what? Our Tang Dynasty is open-minded and willing to accommodate all. As long as you are truly loyal to our Tang Dynasty and are willing to work hard for our Tang Dynasty, our Tang Dynasty will treat you equally. Goguryeo has a small territory and a small population. If it can be incorporated into our Tang Dynasty and bask in the glory of our Tang Dynasty, what's not good for the people of Goguryeo?" Li Chengqian said.

"Your Highness, I am a vassal of Goguryeo, I defended the city to the death, and your uncle was shot by a hidden arrow. How can I surrender to the Tang Dynasty? Your Highness, please don't try to persuade me anymore. Please kill me quickly." Yuan Zhiren said loudly with a shaky voice.

"Hey, why are you so stubborn? If you surrender to me, you will be a minister of the Tang Dynasty in the future. At that time, each of us served his own master, and it was common for us to fight on the battlefield and have casualties.

If you surrender to the Tang Dynasty, I promise that I will never pursue the matter and will make use of you. Isn't it good to live well?" Li Chengqian said.

Yuan Zhiren thought for a long time and sighed.

"Forget it, Your Highness the Crown Prince has done his best. If I continue, it would be ungrateful." After saying this, Yuan Zhiren knelt down and saluted.

"As the lord of Goguryeo's new city, Yuan Zhiren is willing to surrender to Your Highness. I am a guilty minister who resisted the heavenly soldiers and shot King Zhao with a hidden arrow. Please punish me, Your Highness." Li Chengqian dismounted, laughed and helped Yuan Zhiren up.

"You have abandoned darkness and joined the light, and submitted to the Tang Dynasty. I am very happy about this, so why would I want to punish you? You can continue to be the lord of the new city temporarily, and help me calm the people's hearts and restore the normal operation of the new city. When the saint arrives, I will definitely reward you." Yuan Zhiren was overjoyed when he heard this, and accepted the order with a bow.

After Yuan Zhiren left, Yuchi Baolin walked up to Li Chengqian and said in confusion.

"Da Lang has always been a man of revenge. This guy shot an arrow at King Zhao, but Da Lang didn't kill him with his sword. Instead, he tried his best to persuade him to surrender. Why has Da Lang changed his character?"

"I changed my nature? You shot my third uncle with a poisonous arrow. Humph, I wish I could tear him into pieces." Li Chengqian sneered.

"Why is it so?" Yuchi Baolin asked even more puzzled.

"Hey, Yuchi, you are a foodie. Is there nothing else on your mind except eating? Dalang does this to show off." Li Dejian sighed.

"Who are you doing this for?" Yuchi Baolin asked again.

"Of course it was for the other Goguryeo city lords and generals to see that Dalang was able to put aside past grudges, be magnanimous and lead the troops to resist, and secretly wounded King Zhao's Yuan Zhiren. Would others be so tenacious in the face of the resistance of my Tang army? Dalang did this in order to reduce the number of casualties and speed up the war in Goguryeo." Li Dejian said speechlessly.

"I understand. Dalang is treating Yuan Zhiren as a tool." Yuchi Baolin said with sudden enlightenment.

"Yuchi foodie, do you feel like you've suddenly understood everything?" Cheng Huailiang said with a smile.

"Humph, Dejian is half right. To be precise, fewer Tang soldiers died. As for the people of Goguryeo, how many died is none of our business. These Goguryeo people are different from the Turks. The Turks worship the strong and have straightforward personalities. Unlike these Goguryeo people, yes, not only Goguryeo, but also Silla and Baekje. The people of these countries are arrogant, arrogant and ignorant, but ambitious and harbor evil intentions.

I have only one attitude towards these countries. That is to destroy their culture, break their backbone, and make them fear and submit to the Tang Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts. They will always be a loyal dog of the Tang Dynasty. "Li Chengqian said coldly.

"Dejian, how is the preparation of the city bombs and grenades that I ordered the Tang Dynasty Armament Bureau to test-produce going?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Don't worry, Dalang. We have already successfully conducted the test before we set out from Chang'an. The Armament Bureau sent a pigeon message saying that 100 city bombs and 500 hand grenades are on the way and will arrive soon." Li Dejian said.

"Very good, send pigeons to transport the troops and tell them to be careful. We have the powerful assistance of city bombs and grenades, and I have persuaded Yuan Zhiren to surrender.

Humph, I want to see how tough these lowly people in Goguryeo are." Li Chengqian sneered.