Finally, there's the matter of troop deployment.
To ensure the success of this campaign, Li Shimin appointed Li Shiji as the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Road army a year in advance, tasking him with training Turkic cavalry and surveying the terrain in preparation for his personal campaign. Simultaneously, he appointed Zhang Liang as the commander-in-chief of the Pyongyang Road army, leading 40,000 naval troops from the Jiang, Huai, Ling, and Xia regions to control the Yalu River region around Pyongyang via the sea route from Laizhou, ensuring the army's logistical support.
After making these thorough preparations, Li Shimin led tens of thousands of elite troops to Liaodong, intending to personally command and deliver a fatal blow to Goguryeo.
Therefore, Li Shimin's army marched very fast. It took only half a month after leaving Youzhou to reach the Liao River. He then laid a wooden plank road overnight, directly crossing the Liao River swamp and heading straight for the western Great Wall of Goguryeo.
Once Li Shimin crossed the Liao River, he was like a tiger descending from the mountain. Leading 5,000 cavalrymen, he took only three days to destroy all the Great Wall and camps that Goguryeo had set up along the Liaodong line.
When Li Jue received Li Shimin's military report again, this fierce tiger had already set up camp under the walls of Liaodong City, forcing the tens of thousands of garrison troops inside the city to close the gates tightly.
After reading the military reports from the front lines, Li Jue sighed sincerely.
This strongest carbon-based life form on Earth truly lives up to its name!
However, this was only the result of Li Shimin's campaign; his generals were also achieving great success in other areas.
Li Shiji crossed the Liao River first and captured Xuantu County. Li Daozong led several thousand soldiers and took Xincheng. Zhang Jian crossed the Liao River and marched towards Jian'an City, beheading several thousand. Then, together with Li Shiji, they captured Gaimou City, taking more than 20,000 prisoners and more than 100,000 shi of grain…
This battle was initially considered the least promising, and was disliked by Li Jing, Yuchi Jingde, and others. Zhang Liang, the general commander of the Pyongyang Road Army, who was generally regarded as the least capable strategist in the Tang Dynasty, also demonstrated extraordinary combat power. Together with Cheng Mingzhen, Wang Dadu, and others, they crossed the sea from Donglai, successfully captured Bisha City, captured more than 8,000 people, and held the Yalu River, preventing Goguryeo from taking a single boat to sea.
While Li Shimin and his men were conquering cities and territories, Li Jue was not to be outdone. He personally oversaw the construction of a sturdy pontoon bridge, which transported the remaining 50,000 troops to the other side of the river. They were able to join Li Shimin as quickly as possible and form an encirclement around Liaodong City.
At this point, Liaodong City had become an isolated city under the coercion of the Tang Dynasty.
To everyone's surprise, Li Shimin did not order an immediate attack on the city, but instead ordered his 100,000 troops to rest and recuperate on the spot!
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