Before receiving this reply letter, everyone thought that Silla and Baekje did not have the courage to confront the Tang Dynasty. Now it seems that our previous estimation was wrong.
"You're right. Before, I thought they wouldn't dare to disobey us because of our great victory. Now it seems all our words were useless. They were just flattery. Only after the army attacks them will they respect our words."
When Li Xiang expressed his distrust of these two countries, General Li Jing thought that Li Xiang was too suspicious. Now, after receiving the reply letters from these two countries, Li Jing realized how naive he was. When it comes to issues between countries, only when you defeat them can they truly be your lackeys. No matter how loyal they are at ordinary times, if they don't listen to you at the critical moment, it will bring disaster to you.
"The general may not understand these Koreans. They say one thing and do another. But after this incident, it's like a lesson for all of us. If we want to deal with them in the future, we must base our decisions on actual events. Their sweet words won't be of much use. This is also good for us. We can head south without any problems."
After Li Xiang finished speaking, everyone in the tent laughed. What Li Xiang said was very correct. In the past, we still needed to take these two countries into consideration.
After all, there are still many people from these two countries in the territory of Goguryeo. They have expressed their submission, so we have to treat them differently. This is no longer the case. Your country does not obey the orders of the Tang Dynasty. How can you be considered a vassal state? Naturally, you will not be treated as a vassal state. You will be treated the same as the people of Goguryeo in the future.
In the next month, Li Xiang and his men stopped their southward advance and made greater preparations. The two countries in the south did gain a lot, and a large number of refugees fled from Goguryeo. They directly opened their borders and allowed these people to enter the two countries with their property.
There are also some knowledgeable people in both countries. Although we sent troops this time, we also angered the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang Dynasty defeated Goguryeo, would they occupy the two countries as well?
Soon scholars from both countries stood up. They believed that the Tang Dynasty adhered to Confucianism and that they should not be invaded just for a small amount of money. The reason they were fighting Goguryeo was because Goguryeo had offended them too badly before. They had only violated the contract once, and it was not worth it for the Tang Dynasty to attack them.
Moreover, during this month, the Tang army was all in the northern part of Goguryeo, and they had no intention of moving south. Therefore, the rulers of the two countries believed that the Tang army might have suffered certain losses in the previous attack, but they just did not show it.
At this stage, the Tang army may be recuperating or waiting for troops to arrive from the country. If this is the case, we can write a letter to repair the relationship and take out some of the treasures we got from Goguryeo to ease the relationship between the Tang and us.
The idea of Silla and Baekje was correct, but asking them to give up a part of their treasures was like cutting off their flesh. These two countries were already very poor, and now who could bear to ask them to give up another part? So this matter was delayed, and people kept arguing with each other.
While they were arguing, the war in the north broke out again. The 100,000-strong Tang army divided into three groups and marched directly south from the Taedong River. The Goguryeo defenders along the way were simply vulnerable. Originally, at least part of the Goguryeo army was defending along the south coast, but this time, when they heard the sound of the Tang cavalry's iron hooves during the attack, these people dropped their weapons one after another.
There were still over 70,000 troops left in Goguryeo, but they were not even fully equipped with weapons. Many of them were holding farm tools, and a large number of them had returned from the north. They had seen the military might of the Tang Dynasty, so how could they dare to fight the Tang army on the battlefield? So when they heard that the Tang army was coming, these people surrendered without hesitation.
At this critical moment, the King of Goguryeo took his confidants and went directly to sea. As for where they went, perhaps only they themselves knew. Under the leadership of Gai Yuansuwen, the Goguryeo court gathered more than 20,000 people, preparing to fight a decisive battle with the Tang army in the capital.
"Can this be considered a capital city? Judging from the buildings, it's at most a provincial capital."
Qin Huaiyu looked at the capital of Goguryeo and said that in his impression, the capital must be like Chang'an and Luoyang. Even if it is not as good as them, it must be similar to the provincial capitals of the Tang Dynasty. It is obvious to him that the capital before him is far inferior. Even if it is a provincial capital, it cannot be ranked in the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
"Goguryeo's capital was already the most magnificent. If you visit Silla and Baekje, you'll see how shabby they were. At most, they were about the size of a county. Just think about their land area, which is about the same as our county."
Li Xiang laughed jokingly at the side. He knew what was going on with these sticks in the 21st century. They said everywhere that they were the most powerful, but in fact they were not that strong. It was purely their own boasting. It was the same in this era.
"Let's not talk about that for now. What exactly is Gai Yuansuwen up to? He's a very rational man. Why would he gather the last of Goguryeo's troops and resist us in the capital?"
Su Dingfang said with some doubt that even the King of Goguryeo took his people out to sea. In today's era, it is very dangerous for such a ship to go out to sea because there is no complete sea chart. After going out, you can only rely blindly on one direction and it is easy to get lost in the sea. At that time, you will just wait to be fed to the fish. Therefore, no one is willing to go out to sea unless it is absolutely necessary.
Li Xiang was also puzzled by this question. Gai Yuansuwen was a man of clear thinking. How could he, with only 20,000 weak, old, and disabled men under his command, be a match for the Tang army? Even a single Tang charge, let alone a proper clash, would likely leave Gai Yuansuwen without a chance of victory. Yet, why was he still gathering his troops in the capital? Did he have a backup plan?