The Goguryeo regime has existed for nearly 700 years since Ju Meng, a native of Buyeo, founded the capital Buyeo and later changed its name to Goguryeo. This is not a short period of time. For the Central Plains dynasties since the Qin and Han Dynasties, this is undoubtedly a very long period of time.
However, the development and growth of Goguryeo in the Northeast is a story of the late Jin Dynasty. Taking advantage of the civil strife in the Central Plains, they conquered tribes such as Xianbei, Fuyu, Woju, Khitan, Mohe, and Nyung people scattered in the Northeast.
Later, he went south to the Liaodong Peninsula and conquered the local indigenous people and the local Han government that managed them, namely the two counties of Xuantu and Lelang established during the Han Dynasty.
This was similar to the later Khitan, Jurchen, Dangxiang and other tribes. After encroaching on the territory of the Central Plains Dynasty, it eventually developed into a foreign regime that threatened the Central Plains Dynasty and played a role that cannot be ignored on the East Asian stage.
However, when the Tang Dynasty was founded, the peak period of the Goguryeo regime was actually in the past.
When the former Sui Dynasty unified the world, it was the time when the Goguryeo people were the most powerful. They were said to have millions of armors, and they also initially established a centralized political structure, alongside the Turks and the Great Sui Dynasty.
Of course, the so-called million-armed people are just what the Goguryeo people call themselves, because the unification of the Central Plains has posed a real threat to both the Turks and Goguryeo. In turn, the Goguryeo people have also felt heavy pressure.
Therefore, during that period of time, the number of Goguryeo's troops increased dramatically. According to historical records, Goguryeo's capable army at that time should have been maintained at about 600,000 people. So rounding up, like the Turks, there was a saying that there were a million armored men.
.
So the Goguryeo people became arrogant, repeatedly invaded Yingzhou, threatened Youzhou, and tried to invade Hebei. They even sent envoys to the Sui Dynasty to make nonsense at the Chang'an Palace.
The result was that the two countries were at odds with each other, and the former Sui Dynasty sent troops to conquer it. After several wars, Goguryeo's national power declined rapidly.
Yang Guang's three expeditions to Goguryeo, although it can be said to be the stupidest military action in the history of the Central Plains war, did indeed severely damage the national power of Goguryeo and created favorable conditions for the Tang Dynasty to attack Goguryeo again.
…………
According to the laws of history, no dynasty or empire will last forever.
The situation in East Asia today is very interesting. The spillover effects of the war in the Central Plains are so obvious that they have greatly affected the pattern of East Asia.
The three East Asian empires that had become powerful during the Sui Dynasty have now become shabby phoenixes. In terms of overall national strength, they cannot be compared with what they were thirty or forty years ago.
At this time, it would be a bit exaggerated to say that they were pecking each other, but in terms of the scale of the war and the strategic level, it was far less grand than it was back then.
No matter who it is, if they lose once, they will be very painful and may even shake the foundation of their rule.
For example, the Tang Dynasty can no longer be like the former Sui Dynasty, which lost hundreds of thousands of people, and can heal the pain at any time and make a comeback as if it was a joke.
As the commander-in-chief of the army, Li Jing, the commander-in-chief of the Conquest Dynasty, knew this. The emperor had already personally declared that the land where the three kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje were based was named Korea. This shows that the emperor was determined to win.
And Li Jing's own fate was probably closely linked to this battle from the moment he was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Conquest Dynasty.
If you win, you will be honored, if you lose, you will be punished. Even if the emperor and empress are there to protect you, you may only be able to save one life.
So when he heard that Zhao Shixun would engage in battle with the Goguryeo people without waiting for the follow-up troops to arrive, his heart immediately skipped a beat. For a moment, he regretted letting Zhao Shixun lead the leading army.
But at this time, he had no intention of blaming Zhao Shixun for wasting the war. He just immediately sent an order to Liu Rengui, asking him to lead 10,000 people to reinforce Zhao Shixun's troops.
Then he sent an order to Chen Yuan, Su Dingfang and others to stop building camps and station them on the spot. If Zhao Shixun and Liu Rengui were defeated earlier, the already built camps would be the basis for stabilizing the situation after the Tang army's first defeat.
As expected of Li Jing, his quick response and stability in the face of changes were second to none among the generals. Therefore, even if Zhao Shixun was defeated, the Goguryeo people could only win a small victory and could not cause greater damage to the Tang army.
.
Some people who don't understand may ask why they didn't take advantage of this opportunity to send a large number of troops to aid Zhao Shixun's troops.
You have to know that once the 50,000-strong army is defeated and the enemy takes advantage of the situation to cover up the enemy, it will be easy for them to mobilize reinforcements, causing a terrible chain reaction.
In addition, if Zhao Shixun's troops withstood the enemy's offensive and entered a stalemate with the enemy, the Tang army's follow-up troops would arrive in time and they would not be able to join in the rush. At most, the enemy would retreat in the face of difficulties and rely on
The camp behind you holds your ground.
Then the damage to the enemy will not be enough to affect the entire battle situation.
So Li Jing considered the pros and cons very clearly...
…………
At this time, Zhao Shixun, who was leading the troops in front of the formation, didn't care that much.
If someone else leads the army, he may be smarter than Zhao Shixun, but he will definitely not be as brave as him. Zhao Shixun is a general who started his career by climbing cities and capturing flags.
The belief is always that when encountering each other on a narrow road, the brave will win...
…………
The Tang army opened up a rather wide front. Everyone was wearing armor, holding shields in the front row, guns in the back row, and sword hands hidden behind them. Then there were groups of archers, who inserted arrows into the ground.
Hold a longbow and be ready to shoot from behind.
This is what the Tang army looked like as a regular army, with clear layers. Even if the enemy gathered in large numbers and a brutal fight was about to begin, few in the army would be afraid of fighting.
Compared with the calm and leisurely Tang army, the Goguryeo army appeared to be uneven. It did not undergo unified drills and even uniforms. The Goguryeo army still did not break away from the tribal coalition model.
Those who wear armor are either nobles in the army or warriors of the tribe. Those with better weapons must be the pro-army guards of the nobles. They graze and farm in their free time. The weapons and clothes worn by those who serve as soldiers in war are all very messy.
Put it in the Central Plains, it can only be a rebel army.
Of course, the Tang Army was a unique existence in the world. Whether it was the Turks, Goguryeo, or even the various countries established in the west, they were essentially different from the Tang Empire.
Everything displayed by the Goguryeo people belongs to the normal category, and the Central Plains Dynasty is always the exception.
…………
The two armies were facing each other. The soldiers of the Tang Army had already grasped the weapons in their hands. Under the orders of the officers, they arranged their armor and weapons for the last time. However, the formation of the army was still making certain adjustments to the opponent.
In front of Goguryeo's formation, heavy armored cavalry appeared, but the heavy armored infantry who appeared in front of the formation at the beginning shrank to the back of the formation.
Hundreds of armored monsters with men and horses slowly came to the front from the Goguryeo formation with heavy steps. They looked very oppressive.
The two to three thousand cavalry did not merge with the heavy armored cavalry, but went to the left flank of the Goguryeo army.
Zhao Shixun understood the Goguryeo people's tactical arrangements at a glance from a high place. The Goguryeo people planned to use heavy cavalry to break through the formation, and they also wanted to use cavalry to break through the Tang army's right wing.
This was obviously a tactic chosen to bully the Tang army because they had no cavalry. They were really confident.
"Send an order to General Gongsun and ask him to lead his troops to the right wing. Send two thousand archers over and tell Gongsun An that if he cannot stop the enemy's cavalry and disrupts the formation of the army, I will kill him."
In Zhao Shixun's view, the greatest threat was of course the cavalry. Back then, Li Po led them all over the north, and they were almost invincible.
These people have a much deeper understanding of cavalry than any general in the world.
Seeing the operation of the Goguryeo people, Zhao Shixun sneered again and again. He actually wanted to rely on this little cavalry to attack the Tang army's formation. He was really short-sighted and so stupid that he had nothing to say.
…………
Are the Goguryeo people stupid? Maybe, they have many shortcomings. The most important one is that they have no battle experience and their understanding of the Tang army is pitiful.
Their impression of the Central Plains military was still in the pre-Sui period. The Sui army at that time was very powerful, but it was not the same as the Tang army today.
For example, the Sui army had less combat experience than the Tang army, which experienced the wars at the end of the Sui Dynasty. There were also many differences in the composition of arms and the use of tactics. In addition, even though the Central Plains had been at war for many years, the progress in casting technology had not stagnated.
At this time, the various weapons in the hands of the Tang army were actually much more sophisticated than those of the previous Sui Dynasty. In addition, Li Po had been committed to promoting the advancement of craftsmanship and technology over the years, and he had achieved many achievements.
…………
Both armies seemed very patient. After almost an hour, the Goguryeo people finally couldn't hold it any longer, because they had gathered an army of nearly 100,000 people, with even more cavalry to help.
In the arrogant mood of the Goguryeo people, it would be a very unpleasant thing if the enemy on the opposite side launched an attack first at this time.
More than 20 years later, they have obviously forgotten the scene of the battle with the navy army of the Lai Nursing Home. Two hundred thousand people were defeated by 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers of the Sui army, or the navy army. They were defeated, and they even rushed in
to the royal city.
Although the opponents they encountered today were different, they were neither strong nor weak, and Goguryeo did not realize this at all.
The long trumpet sound finally sounded in the Goguryeo military formation, symbolizing the beginning of the war.
The heavy cavalry in human and horse gear first urged the war horses and slowly started to trot.
There was no trick to play, and the Goguryeo army then burst into shouts. Several groups of people who had been lined up in front of the formation followed the heavy cavalry and took the lead in attacking the Tang army.
…………
Facing the enemies coming at them like a tidal wave, the Tang army stood ready, and the officers kept ordering their soldiers to get ready for battle.
The sounds of beheading those who retreated could be heard one after another in the Tang army's formation.
As the Goguryeo army surged forward, the roar of the Goguryeo people shook the heaven and earth, even covering up the sound of the cavalry's hooves.