Uiju Castle, a key border town of the Goguryeo Dynasty.
General Choi Dong-won, the Goguryeo general who led over 60,000 defeated troops to retreat from Uiju, finally felt relieved after ordering the garrison of Uiju to destroy the bridge over the Yalu River.
The army of the Tang Dynasty was far superior to that of the Xin Dynasty.
Not only were they strong in combat, but they also had the support of the Red Coat Cannons (small and red ones). In their first battle against the Tang Dynasty, they lost because they were careless and underestimated their enemy!
Upon returning to Yizhou City, Cui Dongyuan locked himself in the city's garrison headquarters without even eating, spending his time reviewing and reflecting on the disastrous defeat at Liaohe.
This study in the Uiju City Garrison Command was the starting point for Choi Dong-won's meteoric rise in the Goguryeo Dynasty.
Back then, Cui Dongyuan, who was just a garrison commander of Yizhou, keenly sensed the golden opportunity presented by the internal turmoil of the Daxin Dynasty. It was in this study of the garrison commander's office that he made the decision that "a general in the field may disobey some military orders." He boldly led his troops to take Liaodong and eventually brought the four counties of Liaodong into the territory of the Goguryeo Dynasty from the hands of the Daxin Dynasty.
It was precisely because of these military achievements that Cui Dongyuan, who was originally just a third-rank military officer, was promoted to the Grand General of the Western Expedition of the Goguryeo Dynasty, commanding an army of 100,000 to garrison the Liao River, ready to continue westward and take over the rich northeastern region of the Central Plains Dynasty.
Therefore, Cui Dongyuan, who suffered a major defeat on the Liaohe front, locked himself in what he considered a "blessed land" as soon as he returned to Yizhou, hoping to use the fortune of the blessed land to regroup and wipe away his shame.
Inside the study, Cui Dongyuan was constantly summarizing.
In his view, the main reason for the disastrous defeat at Liaohe was that the Tang army had the support of red cannons of various sizes, which startled the warhorses of his Goguryeo cavalry, thus disrupting his overall strategic plan.
At the same time, Cui Dongyuan also discovered the weaknesses of the Tang army's red-coated cannons:
Firstly, although the red-coated cannons had a long range and great power, their cannons were heavy and their mobility was poor. If the battle were to take place in hilly or sheltered areas, the power of the Tang army's red-coated cannons would be greatly reduced.
Secondly, although the Tang army's red-coated small cannons (three-eyed guns) were easy to carry, they were troublesome to load and had limited range. If the Goguryeo cavalry's warhorses could be specifically trained.
For example, fireworks and firecrackers are used daily to simulate the explosions of the Tang army's red-coated cannons, so that the warhorses can become familiar with the sound of explosions and remain calm under the attack of the red-coated cannons, and can cooperate with the riders to perform regular horseback thrusting actions.
In this way, the powerful cavalry of the Goguryeo Dynasty might very well be able to fight against the Tang Dynasty's cavalry!
Upon realizing this, Cui Dongyuan suddenly understood—it wasn't that he and his Goguryeo warriors weren't brave enough; it was simply that the appearance of the Tang army's red-clad cannons had disrupted his plans.
After figuring things out, Cui Dongyuan returned to his unwavering stance of advocating Goguryeo's westward expedition against the Tang Dynasty. He pushed open the door of the garrison commander's study and shouted sternly, "Guards!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
The messenger, who was waiting at the door, immediately accepted the order.
Cui Dongyuan ordered, "Pass on my command: immediately send men to collect all fireworks and firecrackers from the vicinity of Yizhou and bring them into the army. If Yizhou is not enough, send men to purchase them from neighboring counties."
"Starting tomorrow, all soldiers except those guarding the city walls shall be led to the drill ground for training. Fireworks and firecrackers will be used to simulate the explosions of the Tang army's cannons, and to train the warhorses' endurance and obedience."
Go!
"Your subordinate obeys!"
After instructing the messenger, Choi Dong-won returned to his study, sat down at his desk, and began to write a memorial to King Bojang of Goguryeo.
On the one hand, he had to take responsibility for the disastrous defeat at Liaohe and the loss of the four prefectures of Liaodong;
On the other hand, Choi Dong-won also reported to King Bojang his next strategy for dealing with the enemy and the determination of the soldiers on the front line in Uiju, and requested that his strategy for resisting the enemy be implemented throughout the Goguryeo army.
After drafting the memorial, Cui Dongyuan immediately dispatched an urgent messenger to the capital, Pyongyang.
The next day.
The royal palace of Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo.
During the court assembly that day, King Gaozang of Baozang received an urgent military report from the front lines in Uiju.
When news of the disastrous defeat at Liaohe and the loss of all four commanderies in Liaodong reached Goguryeo, it immediately caused an uproar in the court.
Lord Gae Se-mun, representing the interests of the Goguryeo nobility, publicly criticized the pro-war faction in the court, directing his attack on the Goguryeo Dynasty's Ministry of War.
snort!
Gai Shiwen snorted coldly and rebuked sharply, "Your Majesty, this old minister has long said that Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, is not the same as Emperor Jian'an of the previous Xin Dynasty, Zhao Gan."
"This Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, started his rebellion in his fiefdom of Longcheng with eight thousand Polu soldiers. In just over two years, he overthrew the massive Xin Dynasty and established the Tang Dynasty. How could he be an ordinary person?"
Gai Shiwen continued indignantly, "The Longcheng army under Chen Huai'an swept through the Turks and Tibetans, and quelled the rebellions in the Western Regions. How could its fighting power be compared to that of the old Liaodong troops of the Great Xin Dynasty?"
"Look at the disastrous defeat at the Liao River! My Goguryeo Dynasty's army of 100,000 was stationed in the four commanderies of Liaodong, and in just one day, all four commanderies were lost, and more than 30,000 soldiers died in vain."
"All of this could have been avoided!"
Gai Shiwen looked at the Treasure King sitting in the main hall and said emotionally, "Isn't Chen Huai'an and the Tang Dynasty just trying to make Goguryeo submit to them?"
"Isn't the legitimate central dynasty trying to bring Goguryeo under its control?"
"Just agree to it, what's the point of saving face, my king?"
"Lord Gai—"
Finally, Ma Xidong, the Grand General of War in the Goguryeo court, couldn't stand it any longer and stood up to retort sharply to Gai Shiwen: "It is true that General Cui was defeated at Liaohe, but he is not as bad as you, Lord Gai, make him out to be!"
"Besides, is the Tang army really that powerful?"
I'm not so sure—
Ma Xidong changed the subject, saying, "Didn't General Cui's report from the front lines explain in detail that the reason our Goguryeo army was defeated at the Liao River was because the Tang army's red-coated cannons and small cannons startled our warhorses and unprepared frontline soldiers, thus disrupting our strategic deployment;"
"General Cui has already proposed countermeasures against the Tang army's use of red-coated cannons in his memorial. Why can't we give him some time and an opportunity?"
"My Goguryeo Dynasty currently boasts an army of 600,000. Even if 30,000 were killed on the Liao River front, we still have 570,000 left."
Ma Xidong continued his impassioned speech: "With 570,000 strong troops holding the line, and with the advantage of favorable timing, terrain, and popular support, how could they surrender to a mere 200,000 Tang troops without a fight?"
snort!
"I cannot guarantee anything else, but if this royal decree were to reach the hands of frontline military commanders, it would surely incite public outrage."
"If a mutiny breaks out, can you, Lord Gai, bear the responsibility?"
"you--"
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