The climate in Liaodong in May is pleasant, with cool mornings and evenings, warm middays, and even the sun won't feel too hot. Zuo Wuwei set up camp on the bank of Yanshui outside Anshi City. The camp was rigorous, with strong soldiers and horses. The barracks were neatly scattered for several miles.
The inside and outside are connected, the two sides echo each other, the scouts and scouts all come out, and any disturbance within a radius of dozens of miles gathers in the Chinese army's tent, and the enemy's situation is well understood.
Yanshui is also called Taizi River. It is said that during the Warring States Period, Prince Dan of the Yan Kingdom sent Jing Ke to assassinate the King of Qin, but his plan failed, so the Qin army launched a large-scale attack on the Yan Kingdom. Hundreds of Yan Kingdoms west of the Yishui River joined forces with the Dai Kingdom to capture the Yan Kingdom.
In the capital city of Ji, King Xi and Prince Dan of Yan abandoned the city and fled. They lived in Yanshui to accumulate strength and plan a counterattack on the homeland of Yan.
At this time, Dai Wangjia remonstrated with King Yan: "Qin attacked Yan aggressively because of Prince Dan. If the head of Prince Dan is sacrificed, Qin will definitely retreat." So King Xi of Yan sent people to kill Prince Dan.
However, Qin did not give up and continued to pursue troops until it completely destroyed Yan.
In order to commemorate Taizi Dan, the people of Yan State called Yanshui Taizi River...
Yanshui flows through Anshi City and flows into Liaoshui River, the largest river in Liaodong region. The two rivers merge into one, and the water volume is abundant and the situation is surging.
People in the camp were shouting, and they were preparing to welcome His Majesty Li Er and his troops.
Cheng Yaojin took off his armor and sat in the central military tent wearing regular clothes. He took a sip of herbal tea, looked at Xue Wanche who was sitting below him and said, "What action can Pingrang City take?"
Xue Wanche put on his helmet and shook his armor, with sweat stains on his face. It was obvious that he had just come back from outside. Hearing this, he said: "According to the scouts, more than 300,000 troops have gathered in Pingrang City, half of them are elites, and the cavalry has reached
Thirty thousand people. Yeon Gaesumun has issued a death order, and would rather burn all of them than defend Pingrang City."
As he spoke, he took a breath of hot air and drank a cup of herbal tea.
Although May in Liaodong is not hot, it is still summer after all. The enemy troops who were wearing armor like this and went out to patrol Anshi City have just returned, and the middle coat under the armor is already soaked through.
Cheng Yaojin put down his teacup and said with emotion: "At the beginning, His Majesty was thinking about the Eastern Conquest of Goguryeo. We all thought it was His Majesty's great joy, and he wanted to complete the unfinished achievements of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, so as to show his wisdom and prowess, and go far ahead. However, the more we understand,
Goguryeo, the more I was shocked by its power."
At that time, His Majesty Li Er once pointed to the map and said to the ministers: "Now there is only one corner of Jiuying Dading." He regarded the conquest of Goguryeo as a lifetime achievement, hoping that with this achievement he could surpass the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty and achieve the grand plan of one emperor through the ages.
Hegemony.
At the right time, the central government did not approve of His Majesty Li Er's "warlike" idea. The Sui Dynasty and Yin Dynasty were not far away from this. The whole country tried to conquer Goguryeo three times but failed, which even led to the decline of the national power and the destabilization of the country. Finally, the country was cut off.
, how can we repeat the same mistakes?
However, His Majesty Li Er remained determined and overcame all opinions, and finally reached the plan of the Eastern Expedition.
To this day, hundreds of thousands of troops from the Tang Dynasty have set foot on the territory of Goguryeo, and many people still think that this is a sign of militarism. The reason why not many people have come forward to express opposition is that all forces have considered this time
The Eastern Expedition is regarded as a feast of military achievements...
Xue Wanche also said: "Yes, Goguryeo's vast territory is shocking, more than a thousand miles from east to west, and eight hundred miles from north to south. The people are fierce, brave and good at fighting, and they have hundreds of thousands of soldiers! If it is allowed to develop, it will not take a few years. I'm afraid
Not another Turk!"
Cheng Yaojin shook his head and said: "Goguryeo is much more difficult to deal with than the Turks. The Turks live as nomads. Even though they were strong for a while, they did not have a solid foundation. If they were defeated in one battle, they would have no choice but to migrate thousands of miles away for dozens of years.
It is difficult to regain its vitality in 2008. Goguryeo is different. Although it is a nomadic people, it has integrated too much Han culture. The country also followed the Han family in implementing the county system. The vast majority of the people make a living by farming.
It is stable and can withstand natural disasters, and will not damage the foundation due to temporary setbacks. Although Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty failed in his three eastern expeditions, it dealt a huge blow to Goguryeo's national power. However, how many years have passed? Look.
Look at Goguryeo today. Once faced with the invasion of the Tang Dynasty, it can still calmly organize hundreds of thousands of troops to resist."
Why in history, those grassland tribes that were once famous and prosperous, such as the Quanrong, Xiongnu, Turks, etc., gradually disappeared, but only the Han people could win the final victory and always stand in the Central Plains.
Fearing powerful enemies and natural disasters, the inheritance will continue?
The fundamental reason is the difference between nomadism and farming.
This is a view that is almost universally agreed upon today. The ability of agricultural civilization to withstand risks and its sustainability have many advantages over nomads.
Although Xue Wanche didn't know much about politics, economics, etc., he was deeply convinced when it came to Goguryeo's military.
The Turks were so powerful that they were said to have 400,000 men who controlled the strings. They stretched from the Liaohai Sea in the east, to the Caspian Sea in the west, from the Mongolian desert in the south, to Lake Baikal in the north. They were thousands of miles long from east to west and five to six thousand miles from north to south. They were more than ten times as long as Goguryeo? However, Zhenguan IV
In 2001, the Six Route Army attacked the Turks and killed all the most elite Turks in one battle. From then on, the Turks fled thousands of miles away and failed to recover. Although the remnants of them formed the Western Turks, their national power was not the same as when it was strong.
.
Goguryeo is different.
After three conquests by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, the country's national power was almost exhausted, and the disaster of national subjugation was imminent. However, in just over twenty years, it quickly regained its strength and was able to compete with the Tang Dynasty.
If the Tang Dynasty ignored it as a barbarian state and allowed it to develop for thirty to fifty years, it would probably become another Tubo and become a serious problem for the Tang Dynasty.
It is indeed a wise move to annihilate it in time before it can rise.
The two people were talking when they suddenly saw soldiers from outside coming in to report: "The army has marched sixty miles west of Yanshui. Please make preparations and go to meet it, Commander-in-Chief."
Cheng Yaojin quickly stood up, took off his regular clothes, and asked his soldiers to help him put on his armor. He walked out of the tent with Xue Wanche, got on his horse, and led the 10,000 cavalrymen who had already assembled, across the pontoon bridge erected on Yanshui River, towards the
The west rushes away.
An hour later, when I walked to the side of a mountain, I saw dozens of cavalry running out from behind the mountain pass in the distance. Judging from their attire, they were scouts from the Tang army.
As this team of scouts approached, the first man dismounted his horse and saluted, "I have met Duke Lu! His Majesty is commanding the army. We will arrive in five miles."
Cheng Yaojin nodded and ordered his cavalry to stay on both sides of the road and wait for the arrival of the army.
Before long,
Smoke and dust billowed at the mountain pass, flags were fluttering, and a tidal wave of troops surged in.
Cheng Yaojin led his men to the side of the road, waiting for the cavalry in front of the army to pass by, and saw the emperor's chariot surrounded by the Forbidden Army.
When the emperor goes on an expedition, it is the supreme honor in the world. "The sun and the moon are the constant, the dragon is the flag, the silk is the flag, the silk is the object, the bear and the tiger are the flag, the bird and the falcon are the flag, the turtle and the snake are the flag, and the feathers are the flag. , analyzing feathers as banners." Countless flags are fluttering in the wind, jade chariots are ringing, and nine flags are flying.
The nine kinds of flags, including Chang, Qi, Min, Wu, Qi, Min, Min, Min and Jing, represent the splendid ceremonial guard in "The Rites of Zhou", which is the supreme one in the world.
Cheng Yaojin immediately kicked off his saddle and jumped off his horse, followed closely by the generals and soldiers behind him, their movements uniform.
He knelt on one knee by the roadside, waited until the imperial chariot came in front of him, and said loudly: "I'd like to pay homage to your majesty!"
There was no ritual of kneeling in Tang Dynasty etiquette, but the military used this method of kneeling on one knee to express obedience and respect to the superior officer, and to demonstrate the obedience of the army.
The imperial chariot was a large, ornately decorated car. At this moment, it slowly stopped, and His Majesty Li Er's voice sounded in the car: "Lu Guoping is here, please get on the car and walk with me."
It is a supreme honor to ride with the emperor.
Cheng Yaojin said: "I obey the order!"
Then he stood up and stepped forward. The nearly sixty-year-old man was still strong and healthy. He jumped onto the car's shaft with a slight jump. He then took off his saber and handed it to the Imperial Guard on the car's shaft. He lifted the curtain and entered the car.
The car started again and drove slowly towards the military camp on the bank of Yanshui.
In the mountain pass at the rear, a steady stream of troops poured out endlessly like a tide. The troops were in great shape, their morale was high, and their neat steps shook the mountains. Even the river flowing not far away was rippled, and the waves were turbulent, as if they were coming. Set off huge waves.
On the carriage, His Majesty Li Er raised the curtains and looked at the rolling mountains and the mighty river outside. His mood was undulating and surging like a river.
In a corner of the northeast, a powerful enemy is entrenched, threatening the country of the Han Dynasty. Once its wings are full, it is bound to knock on the pass and invade the Central Plains. If the Central Plains is strong, it can resist foreign aggression and defend the country. However, if the Central Plains is in trouble, foreigners will If there is an opportunity to peep, take advantage of the continuous beacon fire, and a little carelessness can cause foreigners to drink from the Yellow River and point directly at the Yangtze River and Huaihe River.
We, fierce warriors, should serve our country and our country and defeat powerful enemies. Why should we fear death?