The palace fell, Yeon Gaesumun committed suicide, the Imperial Guards were defeated, and the defenders were disbanded. In one day, Pingrang City, which had managed to survive under the siege of hundreds of thousands of Tang troops, finally fell to the hands of the Tang troops.
.
Ordinary people and merchants did not yet understand how the situation was going, but they were trembling and panicking under the bombardment of Tang army's artillery. When it got dark, the sound of artillery completely disappeared, and groups of Tang troops took to the streets to maintain order. First, they strictly ordered the common people and merchants not to
Soldiers were harboured, and soldiers were not allowed to take to the streets without authorization. Then they issued notices to calm the people and posted them all over the streets and alleys of Pingrang City.
Although the country fell, Goguryeo's merchants and people quickly calmed down. Looking at the murderous Tang troops coming and going in the streets, they didn't have much hatred, let alone the sorrow of "subjugated slaves". Instead, they felt a lot of hatred.
Sharing joy.
Since Yeon Gaesomun came to power, Goguryeo has been implementing a high-pressure rule. The Daemoliji government issued numerous orders, and anyone who dared to disobey would end up miserably. Merchants were frequently assigned and donated, and the wealth of the entire family was at risk. The common people were also in danger.
No, the "Liaodong Great Wall" in the north was built for decades to prevent the Han people from moving south. The mountain cities appear to be impregnable, but in fact they are all built with the blood, sweat and lives of the Goguryeo people. There is almost no end to the increase in corvee every year...
As for the Tang Dynasty, the Goguryeo people had a mentality of bowing their heads and worshiping.
From ancient times to the present, no matter how Goguryeo flaunts its own civilization and touts its inheritance, there is no doubt that the center of world civilization has always been in China. Looking up at the brilliant civilization of the Han people, the Goguryeo people and the Buyeo people can only
Worship.
As the ruler of Goguryeo, he naturally did not want his country to be overthrown by the Han people and his rule to be ruined. He could no longer break the bones and suck out the marrow of ordinary people to support their luxurious life. However, for the people of Goguryeo, it did not matter who would rule them.
important.
Goguryeo was built by the Fuyu people who lived in the Far East since ancient times and went south. For a long time, they were under the rule of the Han people. They had a strong sense of identity with the Han people. Even the nobles in the country wrote Chinese characters, spoke Chinese, and wore Hanfu.
Rong, regarded these as a manifestation of class differences, which shows the Goguryeo people's strong admiration and identification with Han culture.
Now that the tyrant Yeon Gaesomun is dead and the incompetent Gao royal family has been completely annihilated, what's wrong with everyone succumbing to Han rule?
Anyway, no matter who becomes the king, I will still have to farm and fish...
…
Compared with the lives of ordinary people, officials are too proactive.
After the fall of Goguryeo and the death of Yeongae Suwen, the entire political structure of Goguryeo collapsed. The Tang people had just arrived and had no understanding of the local customs. In order to appease the Goguryeo people, they had to support and reuse a group of Goguryeo officials to help them manage government affairs and rule.
People, right?
The Go royal family has ruled Goguryeo for hundreds of years, but it has not been able to win much loyalty and support from the people in the country, let alone Yeon Gaesomun who rules the country with tyranny and cruel and violent methods? When Yeongaesomun died, this
Countless officials flocked to the Tang Army camp, asking to see Su Dingfang, trying to leave a good impression in front of the Tang Army commander, so that they could have a place in the later reorganization of the power structure. They even did not hesitate to send countless gifts.
With gold and silver treasures, I hope to bribe the Tang army general, so that I can become the spokesperson of the Tang people in Goguryeo, and my power, status, and official positions will all be improved...
In this regard, Su Dingfang naturally refused to accept anyone who came.
As many Goguryeo officials thought, it would be easy to overthrow Goguryeo, but it would be difficult to rule this land for a long time.
If too many Han officials were installed, it would inevitably create a sense of alienation in Goguryeo, which would be detrimental to the long-term peace and stability of Goguryeo's homeland. Only by appointing more Goguryeo officials could a smooth transition of power be achieved, and the situation would not become too tense and trigger confrontation in Goguryeo.
However, how to select Goguryeo people to serve in official positions at all levels requires screening from countless Goguryeo people who took the initiative to seek refuge. Whoever has outstanding ability and who is committed to the Tang Dynasty must make a decision.
This kind of ability is something Su Dingfang does not possess, and even if he could discern people with his keen eye, he would not do it like this.
He always remembered what Fang Jun once said to him, "Soldiers should gallop on the battlefield and fight without regrets, and they should stay away from politics." He had been suppressed for several years because of Li Jingzhi's drag, and had experienced the warmth and warmth of human nature.
The cruelty of the power struggle made him well aware of the stakes.
Especially now that he disobeyed Li Ji's military orders, brazenly attacked Pingrang City and accomplished such a feat of destroying the country, he already suffered a lot of jealousy. If he were to take control of Goguryeo's re-established political power, he would be hated to the core by countless people.
The charge of "exceeding the limit" alone was enough to make him miserable...
He collected all the letters of self-recommendation submitted by Goguryeo officials one by one, and also accepted all the gold and silver treasures "donated", but recorded each transaction in detail, including the value and the list of amounts.
Whoever sent it will be recorded on the throne and handed over to the commander of the army without any mistakes. If something goes wrong in this matter in the future, there will naturally be well-documented records, so that a dumb man who eats Coptis chinensis and suffers from it will not be unable to tell.
In the officialdom, one must be cautious, and there is no need to be polite when taking credit, but one must not leave too many clues when doing things.
If you are not careful, it may become an excuse for your political opponents to criticize you...
At nightfall, Su Dingfang finished handling government affairs in the camp. Just as he was about to have dinner, a scout came in to inform him that the tens of thousands of Goguryeo cavalry chasing the Tang army to the north had returned and were about to arrive at Pingrang City.
Two hundred miles away.
At this moment, the wind and snow are blowing, the night is dark and the road is slippery. Even if the enemy cavalry is elite, it will take at least four or five hours to rush back to Pingrang City, which means there is no danger until tomorrow morning.
Su Dingfang had already planned for this matter. As long as the Goguryeo troops in Pingrang City were wiped out, even if twice as many cavalry came to attack the city, he would still be confident to defend the city. Moreover, he had already sent someone to deliver a message to Li Ji, no matter what
No matter how dissatisfied Li Ji was with himself, there was no way he would allow himself to take the risk of being flanked by the defenders inside the city and the cavalry outside the city. Therefore, he would definitely send an army to closely guard the Goguryeo cavalry so that they could not fully counterattack Ping.
Rangcheng.
If he can't even take this step, then Li Ji will falsely claim to be the number one coach in the dynasty after Li Jing...
Su Dingfang was about to order the task of guarding the city, but Xi Junmai had already stepped inside. It was snowing heavily, and it was freezing cold. It was already night again, and the temperature was getting lower. His armor was covered with frost, and his beard was covered with frost.
With frosty air.
He took two steps forward to salute, and when he was about to report something, Su Dingfang had already waved his hand, poured a glass of wine with his own hands, and handed it to Xi Jun to buy.
Xi Junmai took it with both hands: "Thank you very much, Commander!"
He raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy wine entered his throat, as if it was carrying a line of fire straight into his organs. The coldness all over his body immediately dissipated a lot. He let out a long breath and then said: "I am reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, I have been ordered to go there."
After chasing Yuan Nanzhen, they found his body in a mountain valley thirty miles south of the city. After searching the place, they could not find the national seal that Yuan Nanzhen said. There were many traces of people and horses, but they had obviously left for a long time. The end was near.
If you dare to pursue us, you may be worried about being ambushed by mistake, or there may be chaos in the city. The most important thing is to stabilize your defense and wait for the enemy's cavalry to return for reinforcements."
Su Dingfang nodded and said: "That's right. Since Yuan Nanchan is dead, I guess with the prestige of Jian Moucen and others, even if they have the national seal in their hands, it will not be enough to command the remaining forces in Goguryeo. As for the attempt to restore the country,
Either he is a member of the royal family of the Gao family or a descendant of the Yuan family. Jian Moucen is just wishful thinking. Even if he holds the national seal, if he does not have the blood of the royal family to raise the flag, he will only be suffering from scabies. There is no need to
care."
He stretched out his hand to ask Mr. Xi to take a seat, and asked his soldiers to bring dinner to him, inviting him to eat with him.
Xi Jun was not polite when buying, and sat opposite Su Dingfang, eating and discussing strategies to defend against the enemy.
"The city gate is severely damaged. It is impossible to repair it in this weather, and there is not enough time. But if it is left alone, it will become a breakthrough point for the Goguryeo army. Once it breaks through and enters the city, it will be in big trouble.
."
Su Dingfang ate the food slowly and pointed out the most important part of defending the city.
At that time, the west city gate was blown open, allowing the navy soldiers to break into the city, ringing the death knell of Yeon Gaesomun's defeat; however, now, this scene is probably going to happen again, but the position is reversed, and it is the navy who suffers.
.
It was freezing outside and it was impossible to repair the damaged city gate. However, if some bricks and stones were randomly piled up to block the gap, it would be difficult to withstand the charge of the Goguryeo army.