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

Yeon Gaesomun hurried back to Pyongyang overnight, ordered the city gates to be closed, mobilized the people of the city to carry stones to reinforce the city walls overnight, and ordered his subordinates to make catapults overnight, and to dismantle houses if there was not enough wood.

Yeon Gaesomun's supervisors whipped the people, forcing them to carry stones without stopping. They also demolished people's houses to make catapults and logs.

Many Goguryeo soldiers took advantage of the situation to rob people's property, rape women, and harm innocent people. When Yeon Gaesomun found out, he just pretended not to know and allowed the Goguryeo army to act recklessly and tyrannically in Pyongyang. For a time, in Pyongyang, the people of Goguryeo cried constantly, their houses collapsed, and there were complaints everywhere.

Li Chengqian and Li Shimin led the Prince's Mansion Army to camp outside Pyongyang, preparing to attack the city the next day. That night, Li Chengqian was reading in his account, when he suddenly heard Li Ling'er's voice in his mind.

"My dear, the system has issued a main mission to capture Goguryeo. If you can capture Goguryeo within half a year, you will be rewarded with 1000 million system coins. If you fail, your life span will be reduced by 50 years.

In this battle, if Baekje is destroyed, an additional reward of 500 million system coins will be given, and if Silla is destroyed, an additional reward of 500 million system coins will be given. My husband can wait until Baekje and Silla are conquered and claim them together, or he can claim them directly after conquering Goguryeo, but there will be no additional reward. "

"This time I have already reached the capital of Goguryeo, why is the mission being released only now?" Li Chengqian wondered.

"Because the system malfunctioned, it has just been upgraded and restored." Li Ling'er said after a pause.

"Fuck, your system is so unreliable, how can it break down? And you want to upgrade it? Oh my god, what version of your system is it, Linux or Windows? Is there a backend? Is it stable?

The system is in my mind. If it crashes, will it affect me and turn me into an idiot?" Li Chengqian said in surprise.

"My husband, don't make a fuss. The system malfunctioned because you were too fast. From the first year of Zhenguan to now, the seventh month of the tenth year of Zhenguan, it took you less than eleven years to complete the feat of driving back the Eastern Turks at the Wei River, annexing the Eastern and Western Turks, Gaochang, and Qiuci, and making the Western Regions submit. You are about to complete the feat of annexing Goguryeo and Baekje.

My husband, you should know that in history, the Tang Dynasty completed these achievements, especially the annexation of Goguryeo, but it was not until the first year of the Zongzhang period of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, that is, in 668 AD, and it took two generations of monarchs to complete them. In history, it took the Tang Dynasty 41 years to complete these achievements. My husband's progress was too fast, and many side quests were invalidated before they were even started, which caused the system to malfunction. "Li Linger said.

"I see. The dungeon was completed too quickly, faster than the system expected. The system got stupid. Don't I have to rely on myself for everything? Your system is too fragile. I just progressed a little too fast. Also, you are an auxiliary, so why is there a setting for the start time of the main task? Your system's ability to withstand pressure is too poor." Li Chengqian complained.

"In order to limit my husband's progress, the Creator has adjusted the system. The system currency exchange rate is adjusted to: 1 string of money for 100 system coins. And in various countries in the world, 1-3 fictional characters with similar martial arts to my husband will appear according to their land area." Li Linger said.

"Oh my god, 1000 becomes 100, directly becomes one tenth. Someone with similar strength to me appears? Is the system helping me, or is it just making things difficult for me? This system is too unreliable. Is there any professional ethics for playing a supporting role?

However, if people with similar military strength appeared in various countries, it means that my Tang Dynasty will also appear, and the system still has some conscience. By the way, is there anyone in Goguryeo? And how is Wan'er?" Li Chengqian sighed and asked.

"Before the system was changed, Goguryeo was almost destroyed by you, so what's the point of giving it to him. And the Creator knew that you would be resentful, so in order to make up for you, Silla and Baekje did not add fictional characters with similar military strength to your husband.

As for your wife, she is already eight months pregnant and in good health, but she talks about her husband eight times a day. "Li Ling'er said with a hint of jealousy. Li Chengqian comforted Li Ling'er with kind words for a while, and then Li Ling'er disconnected and Li Chengqian went to bed.

At the same time, in the residence of Yeon Gaesomun in Molizhi, Pyongyang, Yeon Gaesomun and Lee Bakje sat opposite each other and drank. Yeon Gaesomun said with a sad face.

"My dear brother, it took the Tang army more than a month to besiege the capital of Goguryeo. Is the Tang Dynasty really invincible? Is Goguryeo really going to be destroyed?"

"Molizhi doesn't need to be so discouraged. Our Pyongyang city has been repaired for many years, and Molizhi has urgently reinforced it. Its thickness and strength are far superior to Yishan City. Even if the Tang army has secret weapons, it may be difficult to blow up the walls of Pyongyang.

Moreover, news came from Baekje that Baekje Da led Hei Chi Changzhi and led 10 troops to attack Silla and captured cities of Silla. Now Queen Seondeok of Silla has ordered Silla's Su Pan Kim Yu-sin and Silla's Shangdae Kim Chunchu to lead troops to support. Baekje Da led Hei Chi Changzhi, a famous general of the time, and Silla will definitely not be his opponent. We just need to hold on and wait for help. When Silla surrenders, the troops from the southern border and Baekje reinforcements arrive, and the Tang army will retreat. "Li Fujie said with a smile.

"Yes, my dear brother, you are right. Let's have a life-and-death battle with the Tang army tomorrow." Yeon Gaesomun said, stroking his beard.

Li Fujie left Yeon Gaesomun's residence and took a carriage back to his own residence. Just as he returned to the study, someone came to say that a guest wanted to see him. Li Fujie frowned and let the visitor in. The visitor was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had the air of a businessman. After entering, he closed the door and said with a smile.

"Shopkeeper Li, I came from Youzhou and would like to buy a commodity from you."

"What is it?" Li Fujie said excitedly upon hearing this.

"I want to buy a wooden stick." The man said with a smile.

"A wooden stick? What size? What kind of wood is required?" Li Fujie asked.

"The wood must be the Yuan wood that is unique to Goguryeo, with a size of seven inches wide and one foot and a half long," said the visitor.

"Yuanmu, this tree is easy to break." Li Fujie said with narrowed eyes.

"What we want is something that is easy to break." The visitor said with a smile.

"I just happen to have the wood you want, come with me." Li Fujie saw that the secret code was correct, stroked his beard and smiled. He led the visitor into a secret room, and after entering the secret room, the visitor knelt on one knee and saluted.

"I am Li Guangwei, the leader of the Jinyiwei Anbu, and I would like to meet the commander-in-chief. I am here on the orders of my lord to assist the commander-in-chief and protect him in his safe evacuation when Pyongyang is breached."

"Chief Li, please stand up quickly. I already know why you are here. I would like to ask my lord for permission to assassinate Yeon Gaesomun and open the city gate during the chaos. Do you agree?" asked Li Fujie.

"My lord has specifically asked me to tell the commander-in-chief: You are my favorite general, how can you take the risk yourself? The assassination is too dangerous, you must not take the risk lightly. Now that the city is about to be captured, you must protect your life. I have prepared good wine for your return."

"My lord treats me well, I am willing to die for you." Li Fujie said excitedly, bowing in the direction of the Tang army. Li Fujie arranged for Li Guangwei to stay in his mansion, and told others that he was his business partner.

On the second day, Tang troops surrounded Pyongyang. Yeon Gaesomun climbed the city wall and commanded the Goguryeo defenders to fight the Tang troops for two days. Both sides suffered casualties. Of course, the Tang casualties were all Goguryeo surrendered soldiers. Yeon Gaesomun saw that the Tang army did not use bombs and grenades in the two days of attacking the city. He thought that the Tang army had used up all the bombs and grenades in Yishan City, and he felt relieved and his confidence increased greatly.

On the third day of the Tang army's siege, a huge Tang army fleet appeared in front of the mouth of the Xiongjin River in Baekje. The commander at the mouth of the Xiongjin River saw the Tang army fleet and was panicked. He ordered the defenders to prepare for battle and sent a quick horse to report the troops back to the Baekje royal capital Xiongjin City.

Lee Hyo-gong stood on the warship and looked at the mouth of the Ungjin River through a telescope. He saw that the Baekje defenders were in a panic, the soldiers were running back and forth, and the generals were shouting loudly. Lee Hyo-gong put away the telescope and laughed.

"It seems that they are unprepared. This is a gift from heaven. We would be doing a disservice to Baekje if we don't take it."

"Yes, but it is also thanks to the battleship designed by the prince that it is stable and fast. And this monocular telescope, the prince is really a genius." Zhang Liang echoed with a smile.

The battleship drawings, monocular telescope drawings, and related material production methods were naturally purchased by Li Chengqian from the system.

"Hehe, come here, tell this general to stop advancing, and the main battleship should move to the effective range of the catapult, and launch iron mines and rockets towards the mouth of the Xiongjin River. This general wants to see how powerful these iron guys produced by the Armament Bureau are that they are so highly praised by the crown prince." Li Xiaogong ordered.

In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian bought ship design drawings from the system, and began to order the construction of ships in an assembly line manner. He also allocated 3 million strings of cash from the Prince's Mansion to subsidize the shipbuilding funds.

There are three types of ship designs: capital ship, secondary capital ship and transport ship. The three types of ships are actually the modified treasure ships of Zheng He, which are larger and smaller than the original ships.

The main battleship was Zheng He's treasure ship, which was equipped with systematically modified ship-borne catapults and ship-borne siege crossbows, which had a smaller footprint, higher accuracy, and longer range. The secondary battleships were just equipped with fewer catapults and ship-borne siege crossbows, and the transport ships were only equipped with a small number of ordinary ship-borne catapults and ship-borne siege crossbows.

The Tang army's main battleship was divided into four floors. The upper deck had 40 catapults, two at the bow and two at the tail, with 18 on each side. The lower deck had 40 siege crossbows, two at the bow and two at the tail, with 18 on each side. In front of each siege crossbow, a square hole was opened on the hull that could be closed. The next two floors were crew cabins and storage cabins.

The secondary battleship has the same shape and distribution as the battleship, but the hull is smaller than the battleship, and the ship's catapults and siege crossbows are 10 less than the battleship. But it is faster and more flexible. The transport ship can carry 1000 soldiers and 500 horses at a time.

The modified ship-based siege crossbows used by the two-level battleships can be used as a large crossbow when the crossbow string is attached, and as a rocket launching platform when the crossbow string is removed.

This time, the Tang army fleet consisted of 5 newly built Spring and Autumn class battleships, 10 Zhou class secondary battleships and 50 transport ships, of which 40 were used to transport troops and 10 were used to transport equipment and supplies.

The five battleships received the order from Li Xiaogong and quickly sailed to the mouth of the Xiongjin River. When they reached the range of the ship-borne catapults, they all stopped sideways. With the order from the captains of each ship, 5 iron mines and 90 rockets flew toward the mouth of the Xiongjin River. When the Baekje defenders at the mouth of the Xiongjin River saw the flying iron mines and rockets, they were all puzzled and stunned. 90 iron mines and 90 rockets flew to the mouth of the Xiongjin River, and bursts of explosions, fragments flying, and flames splashing, blasting the Baekje defenders at the mouth of the Xiongjin River to pieces and body parts everywhere.

Li Xiaogong saw this scene through a monocular telescope and was shocked.

"Tsk tsk, oh my god, this is too fierce. Look, look, it's really too tragic, tsk tsk." Although Li Xiaogong said it was too tragic, everyone could see that Li Xiaogong was very satisfied with the result.

After the third round of bombing, Li Xiaogong ordered to stop the bombing and land. When the Tang army landed at the mouth of the Xiongjin River, they found that the 1 Baekje defenders had been wiped out. In addition to several thousand incomplete corpses left on the ground, the rest of the defenders had already fled.

Lee Hyo-gong ordered the 4 Tang troops to rest for a day and march towards the Baekje capital, Ungjin Castle. Baekje King Mu received the battle report and was preparing to send reinforcements to support the Ungjin River estuary. Another battle report came that the 4 Tang troops were only a day's journey away from Ungjin Castle. The Baekje king and his ministers were shocked to hear this. Baekje King Mu hurriedly ordered the four gates to be closed, the troops to be prepared for battle, and sent a fast horse to send a message to Da-rue Hei-chi Chang-zhi, ordering him to quickly lead the army back to support the royal capital.

On the second day, Li Xiaogong led 4 Tang troops to besiege the Baekje capital, Ungjin Castle. Li Xiaogong besieged it but did not attack it. He secretly ordered 5000 troops to leave the camp at night, bypass Ungjin Castle, and plant 2000 iron mines on the road that Hei Chi Changzhi had to take to return to the capital.

When Hei Chi Chang Zhi received the order from King Wu of Baekje and learned that the Tang army was surrounding the Baekje capital, he was also horrified. He hurriedly led his troops to rush to the Baekje capital overnight. He abandoned all the occupied Silla cities.

When the Silla army saw Baekje hastily withdraw, Silla's Supan Kim Yu-sin and Silla's Sangdae Kim Chun-chu led their troops to chase after them, successively conquering the 13 lost cities. They followed the Baekje army into Baekje.

Heichi Changzhi led the Baekje army to march day and night, and when they were about to reach the Baekje royal city, there was a sudden loud noise in the army, and 2000 pre-buried iron mines were detonated by the Tang army, and 10 Baekje troops suffered heavy casualties.

The Baekje soldiers were frightened by the iron thunder and panicked. When the remaining Baekje troops were in great fear, 5000 Tang soldiers rushed out and killed the Baekje army, leaving corpses everywhere and blood flowing like a river. Hei Chi Chang Zhi led the remaining troops to break out of the Tang army ambush. When they returned to the Baekje royal city, only 10 of the 2 Baekje troops were left. Hei Chi Chang Zhi saw Baekje King Wu kneeling on the ground and crying. When King Wu heard that the 10 troops were ambushed by the Tang army and only 2 returned, he immediately fainted on the throne.

Two days later, 15 Silla troops, led by Su Pan Kim Yu-sin and Sangdaedang Kim Chunchu, arrived at the Baekje royal city and joined forces with Yi Hyo-gong to besiege the Baekje royal city.

When King Mu of Baekje saw that the Tang army and Silla had joined forces to besiege the Baekje royal city, he hurriedly sent an envoy to Yi Hyogong's tent to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty in order to seek peace. Yi Hyogong scolded the envoy and refused to seek peace. The envoy had no choice but to return to the city to report. When King Mu of Baekje heard that the Tang Dynasty was determined not to negotiate peace, he could only sigh and ordered the Baekje army to defend the royal city to the death.