A classic cavalry duel ensued, unfolding in the open ground outside Liaodong County.
This battle was not only a battle to recover the lost territory of the four prefectures of Liaodong, but also a battle to "make a name for itself and establish prestige" since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. From the deputy generals and vanguard generals to the commanders of the army, the commanders of the thousand and hundred households, and even the front-line soldiers, the Tang cavalry were all determined and had the best fighting spirit to ride into battle.
The warhorses of the Tang Dynasty cavalry were all Kazakh horses and Yanqi horses from the Western Regions. These horses were tall and strong, with long necks, smooth strides, and sensitive responses to the reins. They were the finest steeds for cavalrymen, and were priceless.
The Tang cavalrymen on horseback were all veterans who had been through countless battles. Their coordination and obedience had been honed to perfection in dozens or even hundreds of actual battles.
In addition, the superior weaponry gave the Tang cavalry a significant advantage in their battles against the Goguryeo cavalry.
Although the Goguryeo cavalry was armed to the teeth, they also had more than a thousand heavily armored cavalrymen (heavy cavalry) to assist them.
However, they were still unable to directly confront the overwhelming force of the Tang cavalry.
In just the first charge, the 20,000 elite cavalry led by Liu Ergou, the deputy general of the Tang Dynasty's eastern expedition and the Earl of Suiyuan, shattered the 10,000 cavalrymen of Goguryeo who had hastily come to fight and were fighting in a wedge formation.
Subsequently, the Tang cavalry launched a surprise attack on the battlefield in a goose-shaped formation, completely encircling the 10,000 hastily engaged Goguryeo cavalry, as well as the Goguryeo ambush troops who had been hiding in the birch forest to try to ambush the Tang cavalry.
Such a large-scale cavalry duel could only be fought by a fierce general on both sides who possessed unparalleled bravery and could move freely between the two armies on horseback, turning the tide of battle single-handedly.
In most cases, after the fierce battle began, the soldiers on both sides were left with only instinctive slashing and thrusting movements on horseback until they cut down the enemy cavalry.
Or, they were cut down by the enemy's cavalry.
Gradually, the Tang cavalry, which had a numerical advantage, gained the initiative on the battlefield. With stricter discipline and better teamwork, they used their numerical and tactical superiority to continuously divide, encircle, and annihilate the Goguryeo cavalry.
Of course, the remaining 20,000 infantrymen under General Choi Dong-won, the great general of the Goguryeo Dynasty's western expedition, did not remain idle after the two cavalry forces clashed. They raised their spears, formed battle formations, and joined the battle.
They would either thrust at the Tang cavalry on horseback or use their broadswords to cut off the horses' legs, providing as much reinforcement as possible to their own cavalry.
However, the reinforcements provided by the Goguryeo infantry to the cavalry were far inferior to those provided by the Tang army's Shenji Battalion.
Under the command of Qian Xiaoyang, deputy commander of the Shenji Battalion, the three thousand soldiers of the Shenji Battalion immediately reloaded their three-eyed muskets after driving away the Goguryeo ambushes in the birch forest, and then returned to the battlefield with their gunpowder guns.
Qian Xiaoyang's order remained simple and unadorned: "All soldiers of the Shenji Battalion, listen to my command! Use your three-eyed muskets to shoot at the warhorses, not at the soldiers!"
"Shenji Battalion, attack the warhorses, not the men!"
As Qian Xiaoyang, the deputy commander of the Shenji Battalion, gave his order, it was repeatedly amplified by the messengers around him until every soldier in the Shenji Battalion could hear it.
Then, the gunshots that terrified the Goguryeo army's cavalry and warhorses rang out again.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Bang bang bang!
After a series of gunshots like popping beans, the Goguryeo cavalry horses on the battlefield once again went berserk out of control, ignoring their masters' orders and rearing up and running wildly in all directions.
The Goguryeo warhorse that was hit at close range by the three-eyed gun fell to the ground on the spot. The three bullet holes, each about the thickness of a thumb, were arranged in a triangle and were bubbling with blood.
The Goguryeo soldiers, who had already experienced the power of the Tang army's red-coated cannons on the Liaohe defense line, were filled with fear when they saw that the Tang cavalry (actually the Shenji Battalion) were able to carry "small cannons" all the way to pursue them and even shoot and kill their own cavalrymen. They retreated to the center of the army to avoid the range of the Tang army's "small cannons".
As a result, the already demoralized Goguryeo army was on the verge of collapse under the repeated attacks of the Shenji Battalion.
Seeing this, General Choi Dong-won, who was stationed in the central army of Goguryeo, knew that his side was doomed. After leaving a group of men to block the pursuit of the Tang cavalry, he decisively gave the order to retreat.
Not only that, but messengers were also dispatched to the four prefectures of Liaodong to order the Goguryeo troops stationed in the city to withdraw immediately in order to avoid being besieged and annihilated by the Tang army.
Thus, in less than five hours of fighting, the Goguryeo Dynasty, which had originally clamored to cross the Liao River and bring the northeastern region of the Tang Dynasty into its territory, was defeated.
Choi Dong-won, one of the main war faction in the Goguryeo court who advocated confrontation with the Tang Dynasty, led the remaining 70,000 troops in a hasty retreat from the four prefectures of Liaodong after losing more than 30,000 men. They fled all the way to Uiju, a major military town in Goguryeo across the Yalu River, where they finally found a chance to catch their breath.
When Qin State Duke Wang Jian arrived at Liaodong Commandery, his deputy, Suiyuan Earl Liu Ergou, had already led his troops into the city. On the walls of Liaodong Commandery, banners bearing the character "Tang" were planted all over the walls, fluttering in the evening breeze.
Wang Jian immediately ordered that, apart from the central army remaining to guard Liaodong Commandery, the main force would be divided into three routes and rush to the three commanderies of Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang overnight, in an attempt to besiege and annihilate the Goguryeo army that had not yet been able to evacuate.
In fact, when the Tang army arrived at the three prefectures of Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang without stopping, the Goguryeo army camps in the cities were already deserted, the city gates were wide open, and countless supplies and provisions that could not be taken away in time were left behind.
On March 17th of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang army, led by Duke Wang Jian of Qin, recovered the Liaodong region within a single day, including the four prefectures of Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang, which had been annexed and occupied by Goguryeo.
The defeated Goguryeo army fled in panic to Uiju Castle, where they fortified the city walls overnight, adopting a posture of high alert, preparing for battle while seeking help from King Bojang of Goguryeo.
The next day.
After a night of anxiety, the people of Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang finally mustered the courage to open their doors at dawn.
When I opened the door, I was almost startled.
Under the eaves of houses on both sides of the main street in the four prefectures, Tang soldiers lay sleeping haphazardly. The city walls and the main roads along the streets were also covered with dragon flags bearing the character "Tang".
On the notice board at the city gate, there was also a "Letter to the People of Liaodong" written overnight by the Tang army.
An elderly, literate man with white hair read aloud from the notice board, word by word, the "Letter to the People of Liaodong": "Letter to the People of Liaodong—"
"Wherever the dragon flag of the Great Tang army flies, that is Tang territory; wherever the people submit to the rule of the Great Tang Dynasty, that is Tang citizen..."
"From this day forward, for the five years that the Tang army has recovered lost territories, the taxes of the people in all counties and prefectures will be halved; all learned scholars will be able to participate in the imperial examinations and enter officialdom..."
Wow!
As the white-haired old man read the contents of the notice word by word, the crowds of onlookers from the four prefectures of Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang immediately erupted in excitement.
Although they did not know which dynasty or era this Tang Dynasty was;
However, the series of beneficial policies announced in the notice, such as halving taxes within five years, allowing all students in the prefectures and counties to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations, and redistributing unclaimed land, were enough to make the people of the four prefectures of Liaodong cheer and rejoice.
From the gathered crowd, someone raised their arm and shouted, "The Tang army is mighty! Long live the Emperor!"
Immediately afterwards, the cities and towns of each prefecture and county became a sea of cheers and applause, with deafening shouts rising and falling everywhere:
"The Tang army is mighty! Long live the Emperor!"
"The Tang army is mighty! Long live the Emperor!"
"The Tang army is mighty! Long live the Emperor!"
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