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

On this day, at the residence of Yeon Gaesomun in Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, Yeon Gaesomun was drinking with a worried look on his face when someone came to report.

"Reporting to Molizhi, the Tang army has conquered more than ten towns in Liaodong, including Xincheng, Xuantu, Hengshan, Gaimu, Momi, Liaodong, Jian'an, Baiyan, Beisha, Maigu, Yinshan, and Houhuang, ten days ago. Liaodong has now been completely controlled by the Tang army. The Tang army has now reached the Yalu River."

"What? In just half a month, the Tang army has taken over all of Liaodong. What do the 15 troops in Liaodong plus the garrisons in each city do? Are they all pigs? Even if there were 15 pigs, it would take the Tang army half a month to capture them. Are they not even as good as pigs?" Upon hearing the news, Yeon Gaesomun dropped his wine glass in horror and then became furious.

"Report, Silla has dispatched an army of 15 and stationed them on our southern border. Lord Yuan Jingtu from the South has reported that Silla seems to be planning to invade. The Southern Army is unable to support Pyongyang." Another person came in to report.

"Seondeok, you bitch, you took advantage of Goguryeo's crisis to add insult to injury. When I drive away the Tang army, I will lead my troops to destroy Silla and kill you, a bitch, with my own hands." Yeon Gaesomun stood up and kicked over the table, angrily saying.

"Molizhi, why are you so angry?" Li Fujie walked in and asked puzzledly.

"Hey, my dear brother. That bitch Seondeok of Silla has deployed 15 troops on my southern border. My brother Jingtu reports that Silla seems to be planning to invade. The southern army is unable to support Pyongyang. Also, in just half a month, the Tang army has occupied all of Liaodong. Now the Tang army has arrived at the Yalu River. I don't understand why the Tang army is not afraid of the cold and moves so quickly when it's freezing cold." Yeon Gaesomun said dejectedly.

What Yeon Gaesomun didn't know was that after Western Turkestan, Gaochang and Kucha were annexed by the Tang Dynasty, Li Chengqian bought a large amount of cotton seeds from the system (cotton was introduced to China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, but most of it was grown in the border areas at that time) and widely planted cotton in Western Turkestan, Gaochang and Kucha (Gaochang is the southeast of Gaochang District, Turpan City, Xinjiang today, and Kucha is Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia).

In winter, the Tang army was issued ear-protecting cotton hats, cotton coats, cotton trousers, cotton socks and cotton shoes. Li Chengqian also designed and made cotton gloves. In winter, the Tang army wore ear-protecting cotton hats, cotton coats, cotton trousers, cotton socks and cotton shoes under their armor, and wore cotton gloves on their hands to cope with cold weather.

Ear-protecting cotton hats, cotton coats, cotton trousers, cotton socks, cotton shoes and cotton gloves were sold through the Royal Trade Bureau and received unanimous praise from the people of the Tang Dynasty.

"Molizhi, don't worry too much. I have secretly visited Baekje as requested by Molizhi. King Wu of Baekje has agreed to assist Goguryeo in dealing with the Tang Dynasty." Li Fujie said with a smile.

"Really? That's great. In this way, the crisis in southern Goguryeo can be resolved. My dear brother, please take the trouble to go to Baekje and let Baekje attack Silla. In this way, Silla will have to send troops back to defend. We can then concentrate on dealing with the Tang Dynasty." Yeon Gaesomun said with a smile.

Li Fujie took the order and left in a hurry. Yuan Gaesomun thought for a while, stood up and said loudly.

"Come, pass on my order. Gather an army of 30 and set out the day after tomorrow. Benmolizhi will personally lead the army. We will leave Pyongyang City and go to Yishan City to fight a decisive battle with the Tang army."

The Tang army crossed the Yalu River and camped on the south bank to rest. Jinyiwei reported that there was a secret report from "Merchant" (Wu Qianyuan's code name in the "Destroy the Bang" operation). Li Chengqian hurriedly opened it and read it. The secret report said: Yeon Gaesomun colluded with Baekje and ordered his subordinates to go to Baekje to let Baekje attack Silla, intending to make Silla withdraw from the southern border of Goguryeo. Yeon Gaesomun led an army of 30 out of Pyongyang and came to Yishan to fight a decisive battle with our army.

After reading the secret report, Li Chengqian went to see Li Shimin. After reading the secret report, Li Shimin sneered.

"Hehe, Baekje King Wu overestimates his own capabilities and even attempts to unite with Goguryeo to fight against our Tang Dynasty. Is he courting death? Baekje has sent troops, and Yeon Gaesomun is leading a large army. What do you think, Dalang?"

"How dare a tiny country be so arrogant? Since Baekje is willing to die, I am willing to bury him. Hasn't my uncle, the King of Hejian, set out? I will send a pigeon to tell him to change his route and head straight to the mouth of the Ungjin River to attack the Baekje royal city of Ungjin.

If our Tang army attacks the Ungjin Castle, Baekje will certainly withdraw. We can order Silla to follow closely and attack Ungjin together with our army. After destroying Baekje, our Tang and Silla will share Baekje.

As for Yeon Gaesomun raising an army of 30 out of Pyongyang to fight a decisive battle with our army at Yishan? Just 30, just to send military merits to my men. Since the old thief Yeon Gaesomun is so hospitable, I will be disrespectful to refuse. "Li Chengqian said.

"Well, let's do it. Dalang, are you really planning to share Baekje with Silla?" Li Shimin asked.

"How is that possible? I'm not a fool. Not to mention Baekje, Goguryeo, Silla can't even think of getting an inch of land. There's a Guanzhong saying: Edi, Edi, it's all Edi. If I don't take the opportunity to destroy Silla, he'll have to burn incense to thank God." Li Chengqian curled his lips.

"Dalang, aren't you afraid that Queen Seondeok of Silla will say that you are not trustworthy? And that you are not convinced by the Tang Dynasty?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

"Do you have any evidence? Show it to me and I'll admit it. If you don't have any, be careful and I'll sue her for blackmail and bring her to court. If she doesn't submit to the Tang Dynasty, that's great. I can just destroy Silla and save her from making another trip later. There's a famous saying: Life is a big scam, and whoever takes it seriously will lose. I'm going to encourage each other with Queen Seondeok of Silla." Li Chengqian said shamelessly.

"Asshole, how could I give birth to such a shameless son like you? Go and have a quarrel with Shan De later, don't bother me." Li Shimin pretended to be angry. Li Chengqian smiled and left Li Shimin's tent.

A few days later, when Li Chengqian's army was on its way to Yishan City, a scout reported that the Goguryeo army was waiting in front of Yishan City. Li Chengqian led his army to Yishan City and saw 30 Goguryeo troops lined up in front of them. When Yeon Gaesomun saw the Tang army coming, he rode out and shouted.

"Goguryeo Molizhi Yeon Gaesomun, please ask the Emperor of Tang to come out and have a talk."

"Yeon Gaesomun, what do you want from me?" Li Shimin came out and asked.

"Emperor of Tang, my Goguryeo has been loyal to the Tang Dynasty, but the Tang Dynasty led troops to attack my Goguryeo. Why is that?" Yeon Gaesomun asked loudly.

"You old thief Yeon Gaesomun, you killed my father and usurped the government. I escaped by chance and traveled thousands of miles to the Tang Dynasty to ask for help. Fortunately, the saint is wise and the prince is benevolent. They sent troops to help me come to Goguryeo and kill you, the disloyal and unjust thief who killed the king and usurped the power." The fourth prince of Goguryeo said arrogantly.

"Well, this is the reason." Li Shimin said with a smile.

"King Yeongryu is dead. I, Yeon Gaesomun, swore to heaven that Goguryeo would pay tribute every year and be a vassal every year. Why should the Tang Dynasty make things difficult for Goguryeo for a dead man?" Yeon Gaesomun said.

"Hey, why do you villains like to talk so much? We are here to beat you, not to argue with you. My princess is pregnant and is waiting for me to go back as soon as possible. Either you squat on the ground with your hands on your head, or we start fighting and let me beat you until you squat on the ground with your hands on your head. There are two choices, choose quickly." Li Chengqian said impatiently.

"They are bullying us too much. Who dares to go out and dampen their morale?" Yeon Gaesomun said angrily.

"I am Gao Yanshou from Noosa in the northern part of Goguryeo. Do you, the Crown Prince of Tang, dare to fight me?" Gao Yanshou jumped out on his horse and shouted loudly.

"Oh, I always challenged you in the past, but this is the first time someone has challenged me. My reputation is known to the world, are you arrogant or ignorant?" Li Chengqian sneered, and Li Shimin and the soldiers behind him also sneered. Li Chengqian was about to ride out, but Deng Xiaohu behind him took the lead, jumped out on his horse, and shouted.

"Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? Master, just sit still and let me take the head and present it to you. What official title was that of the Goguryeo over there? What official title did you get in Goguryeo? It's too confusing to pronounce and you can tell at a glance that you are uncultured. Hey, listen carefully, you scumbag over there." Deng Xiaohu kindly explained when he saw the confused face on the other side.

"Don't you know what scum is? You are so uneducated. My master said that people like you whose fighting power can be ignored are all scum. Do you understand? Well, scum on the opposite side, listen up. I am the prince's servant, the Marquis of Xingping County of the Tang Dynasty, Deng Xiaohu, and I am here to fight with you." The Tang army laughed out loud when they heard this.

"When did Ah Hu become so mean? He has the potential to be a funny guy." Li Chengqian looked at Deng Yinlong with a smile.

"Master, our family is in misfortune." Deng Yinlong covered his head and smiled bitterly.

After hearing what Deng Xiaohu said, Gao Yanshou was furious and wielded his sword to attack Deng Xiaohu. Deng Xiaohu wielded his heavy spear to fight Gao Yanshou. The two fought back and forth with spears and swords for fifty rounds. Deng Xiaohu was very strong and Gao Yanshou gradually felt exhausted. His sword skills gradually became chaotic and he could only passively defend. On the other hand, Deng Xiaohu's spirit was doubled, and he wielded his heavy spear with great vigor, and each move was more fierce than the last.

Deng Xiaohu sneered when he saw that Gao Yanshou was running out of energy and his sword skills were beginning to become disorganized.

"Did your master teach you how to use the sword? Use your strength. Are you using all your strength on a woman? Are you hungry? Have you eaten? With this level of skill, you still dare to challenge my master? Are you sent by Goguryeo to make people laugh?" Gao Yanshou was furious when he heard this, but he could do nothing. He could only muster up his strength and continue to fight with Deng Xiaohu.

Seeing that Gao Yanshou was gradually losing the upper hand in the Goguryeo army, a Goguryeo general brandished his sword and shouted on his horse.

"Tang army, please stop being so arrogant. I am Gao Huizhen from the southern Noosa, and I have come to help the northern Noosa."

"Shameless villain, fighting two with one, how shameless. My brother, here comes my elder brother." Deng Yinlong waved his sword and rode out to catch Gao Huizhen. The four generals rode in a chain in the field, fighting against each other.

Gao Yanshou felt that he was no match for his opponent, so he turned his horse and rode back. Deng Xiaohu rode and chased him. Gao Yanshou secretly hung his broadsword on the saddle, turned around and shot an arrow. Deng Xiaohu saw the arrow coming and quickly turned sideways. The arrow hit his left eye, and blood flowed out. Deng Xiaohu screamed.

"I once heard from my master that Wei Wuzhong Hou (Xiahou Dun) pulled out the arrow and ate its eye. Now I will eat it too." After saying this, he pulled out the arrow and swallowed his left eye. Gao Yanshou was horrified and stood there. Deng Xiao roared fiercely, rode up to him and pierced Gao Yanshou with a spear, then used his arms to lift Gao Yanshou to the ground.

Gao Huizhen was horrified when she saw Deng Xiaohu pull out the arrow and eat his eye, and paused. Deng Yinlong saw this and took advantage of the situation to chop Gao Huizhen in half.

Deng Xiaohu laughed when he saw the Goguryeo soldiers all looked terrified, tearing off their armor and revealing their bodies covered with scars.

"Goguryeo villain, your ancestor Deng is here, who dares to fight me?" Upon hearing this, the Tang army shouted "Mighty Tiger Lord."

When the people of Goguryeo saw that Deng Xiaohu's left eye was hollow, his face was covered with blood, and his body was covered with scars, like an evil ghost, they were all terrified and speechless. A Goguryeo general who had been strong and powerful all his life, like an iron tower, came out with a sword in anger and shouted.

"Tang general, please don't be so presumptuous. I am the governor of Goguryeo, and I am here to take your life." Li Chengqian was afraid that Deng Xiaohu would be injured, so he rode out on his horse and shouted.

"Along, protect Ah Hu, retreat. I will take care of this man myself." Deng Yinlong protected Deng Xiaohu and retreated. Li Chengqian waved his halberd with one hand to catch Jin Xin's sword. The swords and halberds collided, making a sharp sound. Jin Xin took three steps back and said in shock.

"What great strength! The reputation of the Tang crown prince is well-deserved."

"You say it." Li Chengqian swung his one-handed halberd at Jin Xin. Jin Xin gathered his strength and raised his sword to block the blow. With a "bang", Jin Xin's horse could not withstand the huge force and fell to the ground. Jin Xin's palm was cracked and blood was dripping. The sword was deformed and slipped out of his hand.

"This is a fierce general. We must not lose him. Charge with all our forces." Seeing Kim Shin defeated in two rounds, Yeon Gaesomun was shocked and gave the order. 15 Goguryeo heavy infantrymen lined up in a neat square formation and pressed towards the Tang army. 2 Goguryeo assault cavalry Wang Chuang soldiers and 8 Goguryeo light cavalry moved towards the left wing of the Tang army. 5 barbarian mercenaries moved towards the right wing of the Tang army.

Li Chengqian shouted when he saw the Goguryeo army charging.

"Xuanwu Army, prepare as one, and face the enemy head-on. The Flying Dragon Army will face the enemy on the left wing, the Turkic Wolf Cavalry will face the enemy on the right wing, and the Flying Wing Cavalry will conduct guerrilla warfare on both wings." The Flying Wing Cavalry was trained in the later period by combining the training methods of Luo Yi's Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, and their mobility and horse archery were both higher than those of the rest of Li Chengqian's army. The Flying Wing Cavalry's tactics were elusive, their horse archery was superb, and they were skilled in cold arrows, so they were nicknamed "horse assassins" by Li Chengqian.

Upon hearing this, the Xuanwu Army launched 200 swarms, and when the Goguryeo army reached 500 steps, they were ignited one by one. 20000 explosive arrows flew "whoosh" towards the Goguryeo heavy infantry square formation. Goguryeo said it was heavy infantry and armored cavalry, but in fact it was just a layer of iron armor. The explosive arrows killed and injured countless people in the dense Goguryeo heavy infantry square formation. The Goguryeo heavy infantry saw the power of the swarm for the first time, and were shocked and confused.

Seeing this, the Xuanwu Army, led by Li Dejian, shouted the Xuanwu Army slogan, took advantage of the situation and advanced, firing another wave of crossbow arrows, killing a large number of Goguryeo heavy infantry. Then the Xuanwu Army raised shields and axes and charged into the Goguryeo heavy infantry formation.

Under the leadership of Qin Huaiyu, the Feilong Army shouted the Feilong Army slogan and charged head-on with 2 Goguryeo Wangzhuang soldiers and 8 Goguryeo light cavalry on the left wing. After firing a series of crossbows, they charged at the Goguryeo cavalry, killing them and causing heavy casualties.

Ashina Heluogu saw that the Feilong Army and the Xuanwu Army had started fighting. Looking at the barbarian mercenaries in front of him, Ashina Heluogu licked his lips, revealed a bloodthirsty look, and shouted.

"My fellow Turks, you are the eagles on the grassland, the most loyal henchmen of our lord. Use the scimitars in your hands to prove your bravery, to prove your loyalty to our lord, and to exchange for countless wealth. My fellow Turks, follow me and charge into battle." The Turkic Wolf Cavalry roared and charged towards the barbarian mercenaries on horseback.

"The wolf flag is flying." Ashina Heluo shouted.

"All tigers, get out of the way." The Turkic Wolf Cavalry shouted in unison.

"The scimitar's silver light." Ashina Heluo shouted.

"The enemy chief surrenders." The Turkic Wolf Cavalry shouted in unison.

"Turkic Wolf Cavalry." Ashina Heluo shouted.

"We will die for our lord." The Turkic Wolf Cavalry shouted in unison.

When the Turkic Wolf Cavalry saw the barbarian mercenaries approaching 150 steps, they took out the horn bows strengthened by the system and shot at the barbarian mercenaries. In a moment, the barbarian mercenaries fell off their horses and screamed. After the Turkic Wolf Cavalry raised their left hand shield to block the arrows shot by the barbarian mercenaries, they hung up the shield, drew their sabers, and slashed at the barbarian mercenaries fiercely. With superb riding skills, sharp sabers, and skilled swordsmanship, the barbarian mercenaries were killed and thrown away.

The flying wing archers moved around on both wings, constantly shooting and killing Goguryeo soldiers. A fierce battle lasted for an hour. Seeing that the Goguryeo army had suffered heavy casualties and was on the verge of defeat, Yeon Gaesomun hurriedly ordered the army to withdraw back to Yisan City. When the Goguryeo army's horn sounded, the Goguryeo soldiers were relieved and turned around to run back, fearing that they would be killed by the Tang army if they ran too slowly.

Li Chengqian did not pursue them, but ordered the troops to retreat. In this battle, 1 Tang soldiers were killed, of which 9 were Turkic Wolf Cavalry. The Turkic Wolf Cavalry was a light cavalry, and although the equipment of the barbarian mercenaries was poor, they were brave enough to cause considerable casualties to the Turkic Wolf Cavalry.

In this battle, Goguryeo lost 15 of its 8 heavy infantry, only 8 Wang Chuang soldiers remained, 3 of its 5 light cavalry, and 30 barbarian mercenaries. More than half of the troops were lost in one battle, and only 12 of the troops remained. Yeon Gaesomun was very upset and worried.