To be honest, Li Xingchen himself was not very confident about the battle of Liaodong.
However, he believed that with the current strength of the Han Dynasty, another amphibious attack could even make the Incheon landing happen thousands of years in advance. Although it would not be too easy to capture Goguryeo, it would not be a problem after all.
The key reason why Goguryeo was so difficult to deal with in history was that there were too many forts in the three thousand miles of mountains and rivers that were defended against dangers. Placed by the Han Dynasty, these forts were definitely not as good as those forts that could only be opened by one man and no one could open them.
But these fortresses and mountain cities are located in the distant Goguryeo.
Whether it was the Sui Dynasty or the Tang Dynasty, in order to attack Goguryeo, they had to go on an expedition and mobilize the entire country's troops. In order to prevent these generals from seizing the opportunity to separatist forces, as emperors, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, regardless of whether
Whether it was the so-called faint king or the holy king in later generations, they all chose to conquer personally.
At the same time, both generations in history have sent out naval expeditions across the sea, but unfortunately they have not achieved any obvious achievements. In the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty once sent Zhou Luohu to attack Goguryeo. As a result, there were strong winds and waves on the way, and the warship capsized.
, during the Sui Dynasty Emperor Wen's period, it was originally intended to shock Goguryeo. When Goguryeo saw the Sui Dynasty's posture, it immediately proclaimed its vassal status.
During the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty sent Lai Huer to lead the navy all the way to the Zhu River (today's Datong River) to attack Pyongyang. As a result, only a thousand of the 40,000 people came back, and the heads of his family were piled on the river bank by Goguryeo.
Visited Jingguan.
After that, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty attacked Goguryeo twice with overwhelming force, but failed miserably every time. He never dared to use the power of the navy again. On the contrary, Goguryeo took advantage of these battles to repeatedly plunder the young and strong men of the Sui army.
After laboring, some people from the Central Plains went to Goguryeo. "The Sui people looked at it and cried all over the countryside."
As for the Taizong period of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty fought against Goguryeo in large numbers with famous generals. Although later generations often referred to this battle as a "tragic victory", they still defeated Goguryeo and completely brought Liaodong into the rule of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
, it can be regarded as comforting the generations of Chinese sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives on the land of Liaodong. In this battle, the navy did not play a big role, it only played a role in harassment.
Looking at the conquests against Goguryeo in the Sui and Tang dynasties, the navy was actually just the icing on the cake.
This is not to blame for the naval officers not fighting for their lives, but it should be said that pulling the navy out of the inland river to fight the naval battle was originally a decision-making mistake.
Although the historical records of the 40,000 people who came to protect the children in the battle of no return can only be said to be vague, it is conceivable that the 40,000 naval forces that can ride on them must still be the mainstream among the Sui Dynasty naval forces.
Five-toothed ship.
Li Xingchen personally participated in the design of this thing, so of course he knows where its biggest weakness is.
The low ship side and slow ship speed are most suitable for operations on the rivers within China, especially when going down the river. Driven by the current, the advantages of the Wuya large ship's wide and heavy hull can be brought into full play.
Even breaking the iron cables blocking the river is not difficult.
But if you put it on the sea, just open it in a place like the Bohai Sea. If you cross Qingzhou and enter the open sea, it will be strange if nothing happens. Zhou Luohu's failure is a lesson, and Li Xingchen doesn't believe that Lai Hu'er has not suffered at all.
The influence of sea breeze and waves.
After traveling thousands of miles, the ships would already be dilapidated and the personnel exhausted upon arrival, and then they would go deep into the river without familiarity with the hydrology and terrain. As long as Goguryeo set up an ambush or guarded the ferry, it would be strange that they did not fail.
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty must have learned this lesson, so he no longer dared to let the navy serve as the main attack, and he also personally visited the land route to ensure that all attacks were foolproof.
But now Li Xingchen has enough confidence in the Han Dynasty's navy. The reason is that this navy is not that navy.
The navy's warships are fully capable of carrying out cross-sea expeditions, and coupled with sufficient troop transport ships, they can drop more than 40,000 troops and horses to any place on the long coastline of Goguryeo in a very long time. Moreover, they are at war with the Sui army.
A division's cross-sea expedition was as different as gambling on life. The Han Dynasty could even calmly establish a sea transportation line from Qingzhou, Liaodong and other places to Goguryeo, and continuously transport all kinds of food, equipment and soldiers.
This is different from the fact that Laihuer only has so many troops, horses, and food to mobilize, so he must hope to catch the thief by surprise and capture the king first. The Han navy can completely open up one or even several bases on the coastline, and then slowly
Slowly encroaching forward, the Han Dynasty could even build towns on the spot and directly start trade with the surrounding large and small fortresses.
Goguryeo was originally like a union of city-states. The King of Goguryeo entrusted his subordinates to serve as city lords. The city lords had great power and could take charge of local affairs. When the Sui and Tang dynasties attacked Goguryeo, they also worked hard to first break through Liaodong, where the King of Goguryeo personally controlled
City, and then we have to sweep Anshi Prefecture and other places around Liaodong City. Otherwise, the surrender of the King of Goguryeo does not mean the surrender of the Lord of Anshi City.
So having said that, the King of Goguryeo could not actually restrain these city lords from surrendering or not. It was just that everyone faced the oppression of the Central Plains Dynasty, so they had to stick together for warmth. But what if the Central Plains Dynasty gave benefits instead of oppression?
?
Will these city lords still be loyal and work hard for Goguryeo?
Especially the south of Goguryeo is not without any threats.
Among the Three Koreans, Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, in terms of the current situation on the entire Three Korean Peninsula, it is actually Silla that has the upper hand. Silla captured the Han River Basin of Baekje thirty years ago and will
The richest plain on the Samhan Peninsula was brought under control, and Baekje and Goguryeo were cut apart, forcing Baekje to surrender to Goguryeo and the two sides to join forces to fight against Silla.
As a result, this confrontation lasted for thirty years. I don’t know whether it was because Goguryeo also coveted the land of the Han River, or because the focus of Goguryeo’s expansion was still in the north. At least for now, on the Sanhan Peninsula, it is still a situation of two strong and one weak.
, with Goguryeo here, although Silla could not annex Baekje, it was also secretly accumulating strength. More importantly, the Silla people obviously realized that a new and powerful dynasty was rising in the Central Plains, so they had already begun to send envoys.
Contact the big guy.
Historically, Silla borrowed soldiers and horses from the Tang Dynasty to defeat the remaining Goguryeo and Baekje in one fell swoop. In the end, the two sides were bounded by the Daedong River, with Tang to the north and Silla to the south. Silla also reached its heyday.
The people of Silla today probably have this kind of mentality.
For a long time, the Central Plains dynasties have been trying to conquer this land that once belonged to the descendants of the Shang Dynasty.
It's a pity that this land is too far away from the Central Plains.