The twelve generals reacted quickly, and before the dust settled, they sent some of their cavalry to rush to the collapsed west city wall. However, the hill-like mounds of mud and stone also blocked the way of the cavalry, and they had to dismount and lead their horses.
Crossing over, fortunately at this time, the Goguryeo defenders were still in a state of panic and panic. There was no large army to stop them. The surviving Goguryeo soldiers nearby were already frightened. When they saw the Sui army coming in large numbers, they turned around without saying a word.
He ran towards the city.
After being frightened, the Goguryeo commander Yuan Taejo quickly regained his composure, drank the soldiers and messengers around him, and left his trusted general to lead an army of 30,000 to defend the city and hold back the Sui army. He led the main force of 200,000 Goguryeo troops from the east gate.
They retreated quickly, leaving hundreds of thousands of people unattended.
At this time, Yang Guang was in high spirits and could not express his ecstasy. At the same time, he saw from a distance that the ruins blocked the cavalry from entering the city. During this delay, some Goguryeo troops rushed out to shoot with bows and arrows on the other side of the ruins, causing more or less damage to the Sui army.
There were some casualties, but there was no cavalry charge, and then there was a street battle with the Goguryeo army in the city, which inevitably required another effort and some losses.
But then spies came to report that the main force of the Goguryeo army escaped from the east city gate. Yang Guang immediately ordered Wang Gongren to lead 150,000 cavalry to chase the Goguryeo army, while the infantry stayed behind to completely capture Liaodong City.
"Your Majesty! In the next war with the Goguryeo army, Liaodong City will become the stronghold of our army. As long as we defend Liaodong City, our army will be in an invincible position. We can retreat and defend, and we will have no worries about attacking." Pei Shiju stood in Yang Guang
Behind him, he suddenly bowed and said.
"Yes, I have always planned like this. Unfortunately, the twelve generals were incompetent and Liaodong City could not be captured for a long time. Wang Junlin did not let me down. He not only led his men to capture half of Annan County, but also sent people to use it.
The secret treasure helped me defeat Liaodong City..."
Speaking of this, Yang Guang suddenly remembered something, his eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice: "Come here, let the team sent by Wang Junlin come to see me. I want to praise their great achievements in person."
At this time, more and more Sui cavalry and infantry rushed into Liaodong City, jumped over the catapults and ladders that had been left unattended on the ground, and began to gallop and charge. Nothing could stop them from advancing.
After Yuwen Chengdu led 2,000 emperor's personal guards to rush into Liaodong City first, in order not to block the gap, they sent as many Sui troops as possible into the city, directly crossing the north and south sides, going deep into the city, and attacking the other two cities.
The door was quickly opened, allowing the other cavalry from both sides to rush into the city quickly. As for the east side, it was deliberately opened so that the Goguryeo people would not be desperate, but unexpectedly, the main force led by Yuan Taizuo escaped.
.
At this time, there were surging crowds of horses and people in all directions. The entire city was like a flood embankment that collapsed, and floods spread in all directions.
The soldiers of the Sui army had been on fire these days. In addition, there were too many people entering the city. Many soldiers lost control and burned, killed and looted the Goguryeo nobles and people in the city. They waited for Pei Shiju, Liu Shilong and other civil servants to report to Yang Guang what was going on in the city.
Report the situation to Yang Guang. When Yang Guang issued a decree strictly prohibiting harming the people, I don’t know how many people in the city have suffered, especially those women...
…
…
"What, the person sent by Wang Junlin is missing." After listening to the report from the people below, Yang Guang's face suddenly darkened, but he did not say anything in the end. Pei Shiju, who had secretly formed an alliance with Wang Junlin, knew that Yang Guang was interested in
Wang Junlin's suspicion has been planted.
In Pei Shiju's view, Wang Junlin had done something wrong. If he had done it, he would have sacrificed that team of men, and he could have left the emperor alone and received whatever treatment he wanted.
Yu Wenshu handed over the rest of the siege to his subordinates. He stood next to the ruins. After looking at the shattered city wall, he became silent and stayed in the rocky beach for a long time with Li Zixiong and other generals.
, all the generals were not in a good mood. Taking Liaodong City was certainly a great victory, but this was not their credit. On the contrary, it highlighted their incompetence.
…
…
Now that the war in Goguryeo has reached its current stage, it must be resolved quickly.
Although Liaodong City was captured, the old thief Yuan Taizuo was too decisive and did not hesitate to cut off his tail in order to survive. He left 30,000 abandoned troops and hundreds of thousands of civilians to the torment of the Sui army. He led the main force at the first opportunity.
Escaped inside.
Now Wang Rengong led 150,000 cavalry in pursuit, and there were still more than 700,000 horses left. Now it was natural for the Sui army to divide its forces.
But is it really a good idea to divide our forces now? Or is it really a good idea to continue attacking Goguryeo with all our strength now?
Diseases have begun to appear in the army, and diseases among civilians are even more important. After the division of troops, if the supply of food and grass is not available, the Goguryeo people are very capable of strengthening the walls and clearing the country. If the army does not have food and grass, it will not be far from collapse.
Yu Wenshu raised his head and looked at the sky without any clouds. He looked at it with his hands behind his back for a long time. Finally, he let out a long sigh, got on his horse and walked towards the camp.
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…
Yuan Taizuo left 30,000 troops to fight to the death, so after the Sui army broke into Liaodong City, the war was not over yet.
The city wall is only the first line of defense. If this line of defense is destroyed, Liaodong City will have a second and third line of defense, such as barbicans and street fighting.
A small number of Goguryeo soldiers saw the situation clearly, threw away their weapons after losing their fighting spirit, and knelt on the ground with their heads bowed and surrendered. However, most of the Goguryeo soldiers and a considerable part of the people chose not to yield, resisted to the death, and suffered defeats and fights.
After the city was broken, they immediately retreated into Wengcheng. When Wengcheng fell, they retreated into the city in small groups of hundreds and dozens of people, using the streets and alleys to harass and fight.
Fires were everywhere in the city, and screams continued. Someone died with every breath, and every scream represented the passing of a life.
The street fighting in the city continued, and the fighting was still fierce. However, for the Goguryeo defenders, the situation was over and irreversible.
Yang Guang and many civil and military officials did not enter the city. After the street fighting, they cleaned the battlefield and cleared away the remaining enemies. In the next two or three days, the fighting in the city will continue until all the remaining enemies escape or are annihilated.
The atmosphere in the imperial tent outside the city swept away the decadence of the past few days and became harmonious tonight.
Yang Guang decided to hold a banquet in the imperial tent to celebrate the victory. The war had been going badly for many days, and a heavy stone was weighing on the hearts of the monarchs and ministers. At this moment tonight, a lot of the stone had been lifted from their hearts, and the monarchs and ministers breathed a sigh of relief.
The destruction of Liaodong City was a huge good news for the emperor and his ministers. The geographical location of this city was very important. After conquering the city, the Sui army finally took the strategic initiative and could advance or retreat, go north or go south.