Chapter 2690 First Victory
Duke Zhao first captured Gaimu City, which was faster than the emperor expected, taking only five days.
Morale was high, and even the people and tribes of Liaodong came in groups, kneeling down and begging the emperor to recruit them into the army to attack Goguryeo together.
Although the emperor was very moved, he still refused, comforted them and let them go home.
But this only boosted morale. Morale is a mysterious thing. If one aspect is good, other aspects will also be good.
Moreover, as the situation improved, Goguryeo was in a bit of a slump.
Once Gaimu City was captured, the reinforcements to Liaodong City were cut off, more than 20,000 people were captured, and more than 100,000 dan of grain were obtained, which directly relieved the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.
The emperor was delighted and sent more soldiers to besiege Liaodong City.
Other students from the Imperial Medical Bureau also followed the main group up.
Liaodong City was in danger. News came out that Goguryeo sent 40,000 reinforcements to rescue them. They needed to go through Gaimu City. The emperor ordered Duke Zhao, Li Si and others to ambush them and captured these 40,000 people before they could pass Gaimu City.
Then the two sides joined forces, and Duke Zhao and General Ashina together captured Liaodong City.
After the capture of Liaodong City, the gates of Goguryeo were wide open. At the same time, victory news came from the south that Shangshu Feng had captured Beisha City and was heading towards Liaodong City.
The emperor led his army into Liaodong City.
He looked at the hanging map and pondered.
Duke Zhao said, "Your Majesty, the weather is getting cold."
The emperor clasped his hands together and said nothing. General Ashina said, "Your Majesty, we are not afraid of the cold."
Duke Zhao, General Li Si and others glanced at him without saying anything.
Of course he was not afraid. The Hu army he led was good at fighting in severe cold, but the troops of the Jin Dynasty were not. Fighting at this time would be very costly.
Duke Zhao said, "Your Majesty, we can fight for another month at most. After a month, it will snow and the roads will become difficult to travel."
The emperor frowned and said, "If we cannot conquer Goguryeo, this expedition will not be considered a victory."
The emperor was feeling a little anxious. He didn't have much time left. It took him many years of lobbying to get his ministers to agree to this personal expedition. He was afraid that he would not have another chance after this.
Moreover, war is extremely costly. After this incident, it will probably be difficult to use large-scale military force against Goguryeo again.
The emperor clenched his fist and asked, "Is there still no news from Baekje and Silla?"
Duke Zhao looked helpless and said unhappily, "They are still fighting each other. Baekje is reluctant and keeps stalling. Silla is interested and is willing to send a team of troops to attack from the north."
The emperor was displeased, "Didn't I tell them not to fight?"
Duke Zhao said, "The two countries are suspicious of each other. Baekje is unwilling to cease fire first, and Silla does not trust Baekje, so they keep dragging it out."
The emperor heaved a sigh of relief in anger as he could no longer rely on these two vassal states.
The governor Niu, who was lowering his head, was even more angry. This matter was going well. The three parties attacked at the same time. Silla and Baekje occupied a lot of territory, and he also occupied a lot. Who knew that Silla was so short-sighted. Seeing that there was chaos in Baekje, they thought that Goguryeo's territory was more difficult to conquer, so they turned around and tried to seize the territory conquered by Baekje.
The hatred between the two countries was unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, so he stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, why not invite the Mohe people in and attack Goguryeo together?"
The emperor's eyes lit up slightly, and he asked, "Do you have any friendship with the Mohe people?"
Governor Niu didn't dare to say yes, and only said: "I have dealt with them before. The Mohe have had conflicts with our Great Jin and Goguryeo, but as long as there is money, they are willing to send troops."
That is to say, use benefits to lure them.
The emperor stroked his chin and said, "We can give it a try. Send an envoy to Mohe."
The people below immediately responded.
The emperor thought about it and decided that if the weather turned cold and they couldn't conquer Goguryeo, they would have to rely on their cavalry. So he said to General Ashina, "Unify the Turkic army, and I will dispatch some troops from other tribes to you."
Now the Hu soldiers under Ashina are basically Turks, and they are very good at cavalry warfare.
General Ashina thought about it and nodded, believing that another two thousand soldiers could be added.
So the emperor ordered Yunzhou and Shuozhou to each dispatch a thousand cavalry to provide assistance.
Manbao also moved into the city, but she spent most of her time in the medical tent. She groped her way to her room in the dark.
Xibing was holding a lantern in his hand. He was startled when he saw a shadow in front of him and whispered, "Who?"
Manbao, who was thinking about something, was startled and looked up. Just as he was about to ask who Koko was, Shadow stood up and said, "Manbao?"
Xibing breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhou Man, "Sir, it's your lord."
Manbao walked forward and saw Bai Shan standing in front of the side door of a house. There was not only him, but also three other people standing beside him.
Hearing the voice, they turned their heads together, and when they saw it was Zhou Man, they retracted their gaze and lowered their heads again.
Manbao glanced at them and asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Bai Shan said awkwardly, "Let's get some fresh air here."
Mr. Fang, who was more familiar with Zhou Man, said quietly, "Isn't it? It smells of powder in there. Come out and get some fresh air."
Bai Shan: ...
Manbao pricked up his ears as soon as he heard it, and then he vaguely heard the sounds of music and singing coming from the house.
Manbao became more alert and less sleepy. He asked with bright eyes, "Is His Majesty in there?"
Bai Shan tapped her forehead, asked her to stand up straight, and whispered, "Don't be so excited. You have to see His Majesty tomorrow. Put aside your curiosity."
His Majesty will hold a small court meeting tomorrow to mainly discuss the upcoming battles. All aspects need to be understood, so Zhou Man must also attend.
Manbao glanced anxiously into the house, sighed after a while, and asked him, "Do you want to go back?"
Bai Shan hesitated for a moment and then turned to Lord Fang and said, "Lord Fang, I can't handle the alcohol anymore. I'll go back and rest first."
Mr. Fang: ...
Other adults: ...
I'm so angry. Is it a big deal to have a wife?
Think they don't have it?
They're just not here.
Bai Shan and Man Bao went back.
The rooms for two people are actually separate, of course, they can also be in the same room.
Bai Shan lived with Lord Fang, and Manbao had his own separate room, so he went directly to Manbao's place.
Xibing immediately went downstairs and asked the servants to bring up hot water for the two adults to wash up, then turned around and went to Daji to ask for Baishan's clothes.
After washing up, Bai Shan sat on the bed, took off her shoes, crossed her legs and rubbed her legs. Seeing Man Bao hugging the quilt with drooping eyelids, he reached out and massaged her neck, and asked with a smile, "Are you tired?"
"Well," Manbao said, "I'm exhausted. As long as there's a battle in the front, we're busy in the back. There are still too few students coming."
Manbao moved her head, hugging the quilt to find a better position, allowing him to massage her shoulders. She said, "We've added twenty-nine new people, plus two military doctors, for a total of thirty-one. We're still so busy, let alone when there were only two military doctors. I've always wondered if, after this incident, we should set up a separate department within the Imperial Medical Bureau to train military doctors. But ulcer doctors are enough; adding another department would be too cumbersome."
Bai Shan said: "Unless there is a war, military doctors are rarely used. Normally, two are enough for an army, so it is impossible for the army to maintain so many military doctors."
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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