When, on the other side of the distant ocean, a young man named Marco Polo boarded a merchant ship bound for the Tang Dynasty at the behest of Charlemagne.
Chen Longxiang, the third king of Jin, who was in the capital of Goguryeo Peninsula, along with Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, Wang Jian, the Duke of Qin, and Qi Jiguang, the Duke of Dingguo, all received an imperial edict from the capital of Jinling, issued by Chang Yuchun, the Duke of Wei, who was acting as prime minister. The edict ordered them to return to the capital to report on their duties before Lunar New Year's Eve.
To be honest, the Goguryeo Dynasty was just a small, isolated country located in the eastern part of the Liaodong Peninsula.
However, this kept the Tang Dynasty's "one king and three dukes" tied down for more than half a year, yet they still failed to achieve a complete occupation of the Goguryeo Dynasty.
To this day, seven or eight tenths of the land on the Goguryeo Peninsula has been planted with the royal flag of the Tang Dynasty, but there are still one or two tenths of the land where the flag of King Baozang of the Goguryeo Dynasty is still raised high, and the Goguryeo Dynasty continues to resist the Tang Dynasty's eastward expedition.
The current situation is a direct result of the unique topography of the Goryeo Peninsula.
In the mountainous area east of the Liaodong Peninsula and west of Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, mainly concentrated in the area from Afeihu Ridge to the Imjin River, the complex mountainous and hilly terrain greatly restricted the mobility of the Tang Dynasty's cavalry.
The red-coated cannons of the Great Tang Divine Machine Battalion were even less capable of exerting their firepower in this area;
The rugged and muddy mountain path was impassable not only for heavy cannons weighing thousands of pounds, but also for the cavalry and warhorses of the Tang Dynasty. Only light infantry could barely pass through.
However, the Goguryeo natives who have lived in the area of Afeihu Ridge for a long time can walk swiftly and appear and disappear like ghosts on the muddy mountain roads;
Having lost most of his "empire," Treasure King Gao Zang, under the coercion of his loyal followers, retreated to Afeihu Ridge to eke out a living, leading a life as a mountain king in exile.
In response, the Tang army, which was on an eastern expedition, did send troops to suppress them.
They were either limited by the terrain and got lost in the primeval forests of Afeihu Ridge, returning empty-handed;
Or perhaps the weather was uncooperative. Just as the Tang army discovered the whereabouts of King Gao Zang and the remnants of the Goguryeo army, a torrential rainstorm made the march extremely difficult, and the army could not keep up with the supply of food and supplies, ultimately forcing them to retreat in defeat.
Even with his innate superhuman strength and unparalleled bravery, Chen Longxiang, the vanguard general of the Tang Dynasty and the third-generation Prince of Jin, personally led a surprise attack with his elite troops. In the complex terrain of the primeval forest, Chen Longxiang possessed great strength but had no opportunity to use it.
Throughout the entire campaign, the 500,000-strong Tang army stationed on the Goguryeo Peninsula launched no fewer than five military operations involving over 100,000 troops, yet they failed to completely wipe out King Baozang of Goguryeo and his remaining forces who had fled to Afeihu Ridge.
Especially after the onset of winter, the sharp drop in temperature and continuous snowfall on the Goguryeo Peninsula caused great hardship for the Tang army that went into the mountains to suppress bandits, resulting in serious non-combat casualties.
Left with no other choice, Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han who had been ordered to take over the military command of the entire Eastern Expeditionary Army, had no choice but to order the army to stop the mopping-up operations and to discuss the matter again in the spring of the following year.
This large army's eastward expedition has already occupied most of the Goguryeo Peninsula and installed a new Goryeo king.
However, for this prince and three dukes of the Tang Dynasty, this eastern expedition ultimately failed to end perfectly, leaving them with a lingering sense of unease.
Therefore, when the group received the imperial edict ordering them to return to the capital to report on their duties before Lunar New Year's Eve, none of them looked too happy.
In particular, Qin State Duke Wang Jian, who was representing the Tang Dynasty in the Eastern Expedition for the first time, was filled with pent-up anger with nowhere to vent it.
Before leading his troops to conquer Goguryeo, he thought that conquering Goguryeo would be a piece of cake. However, he never expected that this small Goguryeo would almost become the place where they capsized in the ditch.
This day.
Inside the royal palace in Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo.
The young King Chen Lingwu of Goryeo did not appear on the throne. Instead, the "one king and three dukes" of the Tang Dynasty held an extraordinary military debriefing meeting in the palace hall before returning to their country.
At the meeting, Korean official Chen Qingzhi took the initiative to take responsibility for the "failure of the Eastern Expedition".
Chen Qingzhi said, "Gentlemen, this general was ordered to lead the Tang army on an eastern expedition against Goguryeo, but after more than seven months, we have still failed to eradicate the remnants of the Goguryeo dynasty."
"I will personally explain the responsibility for this improper command to the Emperor during my return to the capital to report on my duties, and request that the Emperor punish me!"
After a pause, Chen Qingzhi continued, "You all must be careful with your words and actions after returning to the capital, and do not disrupt my plans."
"No way—"
As soon as Chen Qingzhi finished speaking, the young Prince Jin, Chen Longxiang, stepped forward. His face, which originally looked somewhat pointed and immature, had become increasingly full and mature.
Chen Longxiang said, "Vice Marshal, the responsibility for the failure of our army to eradicate the remnants of Goguryeo during this eastern expedition should not be borne solely by you, Duke."
"The Deputy Marshal only received the order to attack Goguryeo after the Eastern Expedition. If we are to investigate the responsibility for the unsuccessful Eastern Expedition, I, as the vanguard general, will bear the brunt of it."
"If I hadn't missed the opportunity, King Gojang would never have been able to escape Pyongyang, and things wouldn't be in this state now."
"If anyone should apologize, it should be me, the King, before the Emperor!"
With that, Chen Longxiang grinned, reverting to his previous carefree demeanor, and said with a smile, "Besides, the current emperor is my elder brother. If I personally apologize, the emperor will surely not pursue the responsibility of the dukes further."
"I'll take responsibility for this myself!"
"Your Highness, you are mistaken!"
Duke Wang Jian of Qin immediately stepped forward and said, "Although Your Highness is a prince of this dynasty and the elder brother of the current emperor, but—"
Wang Jian abruptly changed the subject, continuing in an unquestionable tone: "In this vast army of the Tang Dynasty's eastern expedition, Your Highness is, at best, merely a vanguard general;"
"Now that the battle at the front has been lost, how can we not hold the commander-in-chief accountable, but instead hold the vanguard general accountable for his failure?"
"This matter is inappropriate!"
Upon hearing this, Duke Qi Jiguang of Dingguo also stepped forward and stated, "I agree with the Duke of Qin's opinion. No matter how you look at it, the responsibility for this defeat in the eastern expedition cannot be borne by His Highness."
"It is inappropriate for the Korean prince to bear the responsibility for the failure of the Eastern Expedition alone!"
With that, Qi Jiguang stood up and said, word by word, "In my opinion, the responsibility for this failure of the eastern expedition should be shared by the three of us, the rulers."
"Furthermore, we must make a solemn pledge before the Emperor that we will achieve our goal in one fell swoop next spring and wipe out the remnants of King Bojang of Goguryeo who are entrenched in the area from Afeihu Ridge to Imjin River, thus completely ending the war on the Goguryeo Peninsula!"
Wang Jian immediately stated, "I agree with the Duke of Dingguo's view!"
Eh—
Sitting in the main seat, Chen Qingzhi, the former deputy marshal of Longcheng and now the Duke of Han of the Tang Dynasty, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh as he looked at the resolute gazes of Wang Jian, the Duke of Qin, and Qi Jiguang, the Duke of Dingguo.
He said quietly, "Why are you doing this, my two dukes?"
Wang Jian and Qi Jiguang exchanged a smile, nodded, and said nothing more.
"Vice Marshal—"
Seeing that the three dukes had excluded him, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin immediately objected.
But before he could stand up and reiterate his stance, he was glared at by Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, with a stern look.
Speaking of which, Chen Longxiang, who originally admired his brother Chen Huai'an, after experiencing the days when he and Chen Qingzhi stayed in Longcheng, also sincerely admired and respected this Tang Dynasty scholar-general.
Therefore, faced with Chen Qingzhi's imposing presence, Chen Longxiang finally gave up and reluctantly sat back down.
Chen Qingzhi waved his hand and said, "Since that's the case, then let's proceed according to the Duke of Dingguo's suggestion."
"After we return to the capital, I will lead the Duke of Qin and the Duke of Ding to the capital to meet the Emperor and report the failure of the Eastern Expedition truthfully!"
After thinking for a moment, Chen Qingzhi continued, "I have tentatively decided to return to the capital on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month by naval warships. During the remaining time, you all need to arrange and hand over your respective matters to ensure that the remnants of the Goguryeo Dynasty do not launch any further uprisings while we are in the capital reporting for duty!"
"Yes, Vice Marshal!"
The meeting ended, and everyone got up and left.
Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, remained seated at the head of the table, but stopped Chen Longxiang, the Prince of Jin, who was about to leave: "Your Highness, please stay a moment. I have something to say to you."
Um?
Chen Longxiang raised an eyebrow and immediately stopped in his tracks.
Wang Jian and Qi Jiguang did not linger and strode out of the palace hall.
After leaving the house, the two exchanged glances, and both revealed a helpless expression.
Clearly, they already knew what Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, wanted to say to Chen Longxiang, the Prince of Jin.
In fact, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin believed that his actions in the Goguryeo harem were flawless, but this was already an open secret among the Tang generals.
How could the increasingly protruding belly of Su Wan'er, the former Empress Dowager and now the mother of Chen Lingwu, the King of Goryeo of the Tang Dynasty, be concealed from the many spies in the palace?
Inside the vast royal palace, only Duke Chen Qingzhi of Han and Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin remained.
Chen Qingzhi's gaze towards Chen Longxiang was a mixture of kindness, resentment, and helplessness.
Back then, when Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin raised an army to quell the rebellion and conquer the world, the relationship between Chen Qingzhi and Chen Longxiang, who were left to guard Longcheng, was that of teacher and friend, father and son.
To put it bluntly, Chen Qingzhi trained Chen Longxiang in all aspects of civil administration and military skills according to the standards he would use to train his own son, imparting all his knowledge without reservation.
Therefore, even though he was ordered to come to Goguryeo to command the three armies, and even though he discovered the affair between the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er and Prince Chen Longxiang, he still chose to turn a blind eye.
But now, this matter must be brought to a close.
Otherwise, once Su Wan'er's child is born, and once the deposed emperor Zhao Lingwu is still alive, and has changed his identity to become a vassal king appointed by the Tang Dynasty;
If this news were to leak, it would not only be a matter of the current emperor losing face, but would also cause unnecessary unrest in the Tang Dynasty.
Chen Qingzhi cut to the chase: "Your Highness, before returning to the capital to report on your mission on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, I hope you can properly handle the affairs of the Goryeo harem."
"The child in the womb of the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er must not be kept!"
After thinking for a moment, Chen Qingzhi added, "Your Highness, a true man should not worry about not having a wife. Consider this trip to Goguryeo as a trial in your life."
"Once we return to the capital, I will personally arrange a marriage for you, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
"Is it alright?"
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