Chapter 97 The So-called Powerful Country Goguryeo. In the palace, the atmosphere of tension and fear shrouded every corner like a haze. The candlelight on the wall flickered in the breeze, causing the shadows in the hall to gather and disperse, adding a sense of eeriness. A military general hurriedly ran into the hall. His footsteps echoed in the empty hall, bringing an extremely shocking news. A large army appeared out of nowhere and advanced towards them from the south along the Hun River. Their warships were connected end to end, stretching endlessly, and there were at least tens of thousands of soldiers. When Goguryeo King Bogu on the throne heard the news, his face turned pale as paper in an instant. He widened his eyes in disbelief and asked sternly, "How is it possible? We have not invaded Liaodong on a large scale in recent years." After learning that the invading enemy was so powerful and fierce, Bo Gu immediately realized that it must be the Han army. Otherwise, which other country around can have such a powerful army? "The Han Dynasty has just experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and is now being harassed by the Qiang people in Xiliang. How could they possibly come to attack us?" Bogu held the armrests of the throne tightly with both hands, and his knuckles turned white from the force.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! You must have seen it wrong. How dare you fool me like this? I will punish you severely!" Bo Gu roared almost hysterically and angrily. His voice echoed in the hall, full of anger and fear. He couldn't help but be afraid, after all, he knew best the unfathomable strength of the Han Dynasty. It was a force that could easily crush Goguryeo, and the lessons he had learned were engraved in his mind. Among the many ethnic minorities surrounding the Han Dynasty, Goguryeo was perhaps the one that paid the most attention to and knew the most about the Han Dynasty. Because they were originally people under the rule of the Han Dynasty, and they had invaded the Han Dynasty many times. Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes, and Goguryeo is in a strategic location and is in a dominant position, so they are fearless and act recklessly. But that was when the Han Dynasty was unwilling to pay attention to them. After all, sending troops to conquer them was too low in cost-effectiveness. Apart from promoting national prestige, there was almost no gain, and it would instead consume a lot of money, food and energy. During the reigns of Emperor Shun of Han and Emperor Huan of Han, they became increasingly rampant and invaded Liaodong again, causing trouble in Xuantu County, looting Xin'an and Juxiang. At the same time, they attacked Xi'anping, killed the magistrate of Daifang County, and kidnapped the wife and children of the prefect of Lelang. This lawless behavior completely angered the Han Dynasty. Xuantu Prefect Geng Lin was indignant and led his troops to attack them, defeating them and forcing them to kneel down in surrender. Bo Gu still remembers the humiliation and deep sense of powerlessness he felt when he knelt at Geng Lin's feet. After that, he begged to return to Xuantu County in order to avoid repeating the same mistake. From then on, he deeply understood the temperament of the Eastern Han Dynasty and dared not rob openly anymore. Instead, he acted sporadically and secretly, like an annoying fly that annoyed the Han Dynasty but made them helpless. Seeing their king losing his composure in this way, the civil and military officials of Goguryeo did not feel ashamed or contemptuous, because they had the same thoughts in their hearts, and some even behaved worse. "Your Majesty, we didn't dare to believe it either. But we sent out seven or eight waves of spies, and they all said the same thing when they came back to report. I even personally led people to take the risk and check it out, and it's true!" The general who came to report hurriedly knelt on the ground, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead. His clothes were already soaked with sweat and stuck to his body, making him look disheveled. He had long guessed that this would be the case. If he hadn't confirmed it many times, he really wouldn't have dared to report it. "This is true!" Bo Gu muttered to himself in a trance, his body trembling slightly. "Your Majesty, let's surrender?" A minister advised directly and tremblingly, his eyes full of fear and anxiety. Many ministers nodded their heads in agreement. After all, surrender was already commonplace, and their country was poor and barren, so the Han people simply looked down on them. Admitting a mistake, giving in, it's no big deal. They thought to themselves, trying to find some comfort and an excuse to escape. "War without declaration is not like the Han Dynasty's previous style. Geng Lin's previous invasion was not with such a large-scale formation. This time, the Han Dynasty may be aiming to destroy the country." A minister with a little foresight said worriedly, his brows furrowed and his face full of worry.
Upon hearing this, some ministers also echoed it, whispering and discussing it. Everyone knows that a dog that bites doesn't bark. There is no need to be afraid of the arrogant and arrogant man coming to call for punishment, because that can be mostly calmed down by just bending down and lowering your head and assuming a submissive attitude. I am afraid that the Han Dynasty will make a decisive statement and launch a large-scale military operation without any warning, because this is likely to be a real intention to destroy the country. "We can't surrender so easily. We have the advantage of mountains and rivers, and the capital is surrounded by countless strong fortresses. We will definitely win!" "Your Majesty, I have been keeping the shame in mind all these years and have been training the troops non-stop." "Now, Goguryeo has 20,000 elite infantry and cavalry, which is enough to defeat the enemy. I am willing to lead the troops to fight against the Han thieves!" Qi Wei, who was Bogu's absolute confidant and the number one in the Goguryeo army, spoke passionately. His eyes were firm, full of determination and courage. When Bo Gu heard this, he seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw. His eyes suddenly lit up and a glimmer of hope ignited. "General Qi Wei's words make sense. We are the great Goguryeo. We cannot surrender without a fight. We must let the Han people see how powerful we are." "Order all the troops from all the counties and villages to gather in the capital, and let General Qi lead them. I want to fight the Han people to the death, and let them see the bloodiness of us Goguryeo people!" "promise!" Hearing Bo Gu's passionate and confident declaration of war, many civil and military officials present secretly sneered in their hearts. They knew very well what kind of character this king had. More than ten years ago, when he was young and strong, he had said similar lofty words with great passion during the battle against Geng Lin, the governor of Xuantu. However, after hundreds of soldiers were killed or injured, he chose to kneel down and surrender without hesitation. Now that I am old and have lost all my courage, if they still believe me when I say these polite words, they would be complete fools. It is estimated that most of them would flee or surrender when they could not resist, and then come back after the Han people had calmed down and continue to be their own kings. At worst, he could just "embellish" the story in the country later, saying that he had defeated the Han army, and at the same time "revise" the history books, thus covering up this failure. It has always been like this. As long as I don't admit that I have lost, I have not lost. This has been Goguryeo’s way of survival all along. The title of a strong country depends not only on strength but also on means. (End of this chapter)
