When they heard that Gai Yuansuwen had left the city to surrender, the two envoys from Silla and Baekje were also shocked. They thought that Gai Yuansuwen would hold on to the end, but they did not expect that this old guy would surrender with his men.
The two were also frightened at this moment. Fortunately, we surrendered to the Tang Dynasty in advance. If we helped this guy fight to the end, according to Gai Yuansuwen's idea, he might stab us in the back. Then he would become a hero and we would become rebels.
"Thank you, Master Gao, for saving our lives."
Li Tan bowed solemnly at the side. This was something he had to do, otherwise he might be strangled to death by the coalition forces. The old man Gai Yuansu Wen was too hateful. In the letter, he vowed to fight the Tang army to the death, and said that even if the city was burned down, it would not be left to the Tang Dynasty.
People from both countries believed it at that time, but now it seems that we are still too young and almost got fooled by this guy. Gai Yuansuwen is not a fool either. People want to survive at the last moment. If he wants to survive, he must let the Tang Dynasty gain something. During such a long period of war, wealthy people from all over Goguryeo brought gold and silver to the capital. No matter how chaotic it is inside, as long as the city is still there, these treasures will be there.
If you have these things, it is equivalent to buying a life. The Tang army defended the four city gates. Originally, the armies of the two southern countries were allowed to attack the city, but now they have surrendered. Then the matter of accepting the surrendered army has nothing to do with you. You should hurry up and go home.
The two envoys didn't know what to say about Li Xiang's order. In short, we just have to obey it honestly. The Tang army has fought all the way from the north, and now it's time to pick the peaches. Why should they share a share with you?
"Your Highness, are we just going to let them go? We still have to fight south. If we let them go, these 60,000 people will very likely become our enemies in the future."
Su Dingfang said with some concern.
"So what do you want? Are you going to find an excuse to get rid of them now? They said it was very good that day. They are now a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. If you attack them without any fault, then you are really going too far. How can anyone cooperate with us in the future?"
Considering the overall situation, Li Xiang also hopes that these 60,000 people will stand against him, so that he can fight all the way. But now they have given in and they will follow your orders without any discount. If you take action against them at this time, it would be a bit unreasonable.
"Just be at ease. Haven't you figured out what kind of people these 60,000-plus people are? Do you expect them to do much harm to us? We'll have to face them one day."
Li Jing patted Su Dingfang on the shoulder and said, "It is indeed time to stop and reorganize. We have conquered the entire Goguryeo. This is a very large piece of land. If you calculate the land area, it is almost one-fifth of the entire Tang Dynasty. So in the next period of time, we must take over this one-fifth of the land and eliminate all local rebels so that we can let them join the territory of the Tang Dynasty."
As for the two countries to the south, they are nothing more than two pieces of meat on our lips. When to eat them is just a matter of our words. If we don't have time now, we will always have time in the future.
After the two envoys said goodbye to Li Xiang, they immediately set out on their journey back south. They did not want to stay with Li Xiang for a moment, and they had to explain why they did this after they returned, otherwise the kings of the two countries would probably chop off their heads. However, considering that these two people did a good job, Li Xiang wrote a letter to each of them, and the two people were very grateful.
This is not an ordinary letter, it is almost equivalent to an iron plate of immunity from death. Li Xiang praised these two people enough in his heart. As long as the kings of the two countries are not fools, they will never take their lives. At most, they will be put on the shelf and find a position for them. After all, these are people favored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. If something happens, it will be difficult for His Royal Highness to explain.
General Li Jing smiled and nodded. After returning to their country, these two people would definitely be isolated by the ministers of their country. Then these two people would definitely find a new way and start to create divisions in their country.
Li Xiang can be the backer for these two people and provide them with support in terms of people and money. They only need to develop their own power in their country. This is the same approach we took against Goguryeo back then. Because these two countries are relatively small, it won't take that long. After we have finished our reorganization, these two countries will probably start fighting. At that time, they may be weaker than Goguryeo, because their land area is smaller and they don't even have a strategic depth.
Niu Jinda and Su Dingfang could not see through Li Xiang's plans. They were pure warriors who only knew how to fight on the battlefield. At this moment, they were still remembering who had captured more cities and who had annihilated more troops.
General Li Jing, who was watching everything clearly from the side, fully agreed with Li Xiang's approach. Before Li Shimin chose Li Xiang as his successor, General Li Jing was still on the sidelines. After the battle with Tuyuhun, Cheng Yaojin and his men all went there. After the battle with Goguryeo, General Li Jing also knew which side he should stand on. A truly talented person would be able to break through in the end no matter how Li Shimin suppressed him.
At this moment, the capital of Goguryeo was surrounded, and several city gates were guarded by the Tang army. Anyone who wanted to leave the city had to change clothes, and all places on your body where items could be hidden must be searched thoroughly. The entire Goguryeo savings of a hundred years were all in this city, and no one was allowed to take them out.
Li Xiang had spent a total of over four million strings of cash on military expenses this time, and the value of the land had returned to normal. But who wouldn't want to make more money? Li Xiang had to show the people of the Tang Dynasty that war brought them benefits. Only in this way could he instill in them a bloodthirsty mentality, and only then would he think of conquering the entire world, and only then would the Tang Dynasty stand at the top of the world...