The King of Goguryeo was thinking about what Gai Yuansuwen said. He also knew that now was the most dangerous moment, but whether he should adopt this strategy or not, if it were in the past, he should have gathered everyone together to discuss it carefully, but now there is no time for that. Even if you think about it by yourself, there are only a few hours left at most.
Whether sending people to meet the marshal of the Tang Dynasty or to contact Silla and Baekje, it takes time. Just being on the road takes a lot of time. After meeting their leaders, they have to explain their power to them, otherwise these two countries will not send troops. After all, Goguryeo bullied others a lot when it was strong, and others would not help Goguryeo resist the lobby. This requires a person who is eloquent.
"According to the Prime Minister, if all of this is done, what are the chances of Goguryeo surviving?"
When the King of Goguryeo said this, Gai Yuansuwen knew that he had thought it over carefully and was inclined to this method. As for the probability, Gai Yuansuwen was undecided now. He did not know the thoughts of the people in power in the Tang Dynasty. If there was only one Li Shimin, the chance of survival might be 70%. But now there is another Li Xiang in the Tang Dynasty. This guy is more aggressive than Li Shimin and has a stronger desire for territory, so the probability is hard to say.
"If our people can see the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, then we should have a 60% chance of success. But if we can't see the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and can only see the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, I think we won't even have a 30% chance of success."
When the King of Goguryeo heard the previous sentence, he felt relieved. Although he lost all the land north of the Taedong River, he was able to keep this half of the country, which was very good for him. After all, according to Goguryeo's current situation, the destruction of the country was a foregone conclusion. What else could you pursue if you could keep only half of it?
But when he heard the latter sentence, he was so excited that he almost stood up. The expression on his face revealed that he was indeed very scared.
"The Tang Dynasty's crown prince is so powerful?"
When a king of a country praises the ruler of another country, it is generally just a polite remark, said to make everyone happy in public, but it is very rare to say such words in front of his own people. It is definitely not a polite remark, but the truth.
"Your Majesty may not understand the situation in the Tang Dynasty. Two years ago, when Li Shimin was defeated, we still had the upper hand. Take you and me for example. The situation that has brought Goguryeo to this point is all the work of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. In the past two years, he first conquered Tuyuhun, then messed up Tubo, and now he's targeting Goguryeo. If he wasn't a capable person, could he have accomplished all this?"
King Goguryeo had long heard of the countries mentioned by Gai Yuansuwen. Tuyuhun was a small country in the southwest of the Tang Dynasty. Although its area was not very large, its cavalry combat capability was very strong. It was conquered in just half a year. It can be imagined how powerful Li Xiang was.
As for the name of Tubo, King Goguryeo had also heard of it. It was said that the country had a vast territory and came from the kingdom of heaven. They conquered all the surrounding tribes and formed an empire almost as big as the Tang Dynasty. Even such an empire fell into decline within a year. How could Goguryeo have the strength to resist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?
"If we were to fight a bloody battle at the Taedong River, what do you think our chances of victory are, Prime Minister?"
Now the voice of the King of Goguryeo has lowered. It was a normal voice just now, but now anyone can hear that the king's voice is depressed. Perhaps it is a luxury to control half of the country.
"If it's winter, we have no chance of winning. If we can hold out for a year until next spring and Silla and Baekje send troops, then our chances of winning will be greater. But if they sit back and watch the fight, we can only hold out for a few months at most."
What Gai Yuansuwen said was correct. The temperature of the Taedong River was very cold in winter and the entire surface of the river was covered with ice. Even if thousands of horses were galloping, there would be no problem on the river surface. Only when the river water melted in summer and autumn would it be difficult for the Tang Dynasty army to cross the river.
Secondly, there is the current Goguryeo army. It is said to have 200,000 troops, but 100,000 of them are just to make up the numbers. The rest of the people don’t have much to do now. Except for tens of thousands of elite soldiers, the others are really useless.
The King of Goguryeo did not expect that he would be in a desperate situation now. He originally thought that the cooperation between the two sides would be able to resist the foreign enemies, but now it seems that this is just wishful thinking, and he has to leave his fate to Silla and Baekje. Even if he can take away the Tang army, whether the 100,000 troops of these two countries will retreat is another matter. Even if they retreat, they will have to destroy Goguryeo before leaving.
"God……"
The King of Goguryeo whispered these three words in desperation. Gai Yuansuwen's face also looked unhappy. Once upon a time, he wanted to defeat the young man in front of him and let the young man hand over the throne to him, but now Gai Yuansuwen suddenly felt that this was a hot yam. If he resisted to the end, the Tang Dynasty would definitely hold the bandit leader accountable.
"Send a sea vessel and use it to send envoys to Chang'an."
After thinking for a long time, the king finally said this. Since there is no way to send people to Chang'an City by land, then we can only go by sea. Although the sea route is extremely dangerous in this era, at this time, we must take the risk. If we meet Li Shimin, won't there still be a chance of survival?
Anyone will grab the last straw when they are about to die, and the King of Goguryeo is no exception. After hearing this, Gai Yuansuwen nodded, and very rarely expressed any objection. You know, in the past, any proposal from both sides would be opposed by the other side, and it would be brainless opposition.
I thought Li Shimin was already a butcher, having killed so many people during the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo. However, compared to his grandson, Li Shimin turned out to be a moderate. Both the Prime Minister and the King of Goguryeo placed their chances of survival on Li Shimin, hoping that the Tang Emperor would show some leniency and stop his grandson...