hiss!
Upon hearing Chen Longxiang's words, even the usually composed, calm, and wise Gai Shiwen couldn't help but gasp.
Judging from what this young prince said, the Tang Dynasty was determined to destroy the Goguryeo Dynasty in this expedition!
at the same time.
Behind Gai Shiwen, at the gates of Pyongyang, the royal city, the Goguryeo imperial guards, having received orders to surrender, filed out of the city in an orderly fashion, piled their weapons and equipment beneath the city walls, and then assembled in formation to await surrender to the Tang army.
Eh—
Gai Shiwen let out a long sigh and remained speechless for a long time.
Riding atop his yellow horse, Chen Longxiang, head held high like a proud victor, continued to speak to Gai Shiwen condescendingly: "Hey, old man—"
"If I'm not mistaken, King Gojang of your Goguryeo Dynasty has probably already fled with the royal family in the capital, hasn't he?"
"A man who abandons the people of the royal city like this is not worth your lives!"
After a pause, Chen Longxiang continued, "Considering that you and my father were old acquaintances, and given your pragmatism, I will also make you a promise:"
"Once I have enthroned a new king in the royal palace, you will be the prime minister of this court, fully responsible for assisting the new king in ruling Goguryeo."
"As for the power you represent, apart from Takazō and his family who have already fled in disgrace, their rights and status remain unchanged."
"What I and the Tang Dynasty desire is simply to establish a new king of the Tang Dynasty in Goguryeo, so that every inch of the Goguryeo peninsula and every city will be adorned with the battle flags of the Tang Dynasty."
"The rest are yours to handle!"
Chen Longxiang, who had been spouting nonsense, didn't care whether Gai Shiwen, who was blocking his way, understood or agreed, and immediately turned his horse around again.
Then, he drew his Longquan sword from his waist, pointing the blade directly at the Goguryeo capital, and shouted sharply, "Eagle Strike Sima—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Lead your troops into the city and take over its defenses!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Thus, the Goguryeo Dynasty, which had ruled the Goguryeo Peninsula for seven hundred years, was captured by the Tang Dynasty navy in a highly dramatic manner.
As Chen Longxiang, the vanguard general of the Tang Dynasty's navy and the Prince of Jin, personally led Chen Lingwu, the four-year-old adopted son of the deposed emperor of the previous dynasty and Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an;
Under the witness of the Goguryeo civil and military officials who remained in Pyongyang, the king ascended the throne in the palace hall, which symbolized the highest royal power of the Goguryeo Dynasty. Then, the Goguryeo Dynasty, represented by King Bojang Gojang, withdrew and became a regime in exile.
Qi Jiguang, the Admiral of the Tang Dynasty Navy and Duke of Dingguo, only learned that evening that General Chen Longxiang had led his troops to capture Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, and that a simple ceremony had been held in the palace to confer a title upon Chen Lingwu, the deposed emperor of the previous dynasty.
Upon hearing this news, Duke Qi Jiguang was greatly alarmed.
He didn't even bother to reprimand the deputy general, Marquis Tongwu Yuan Kai, for failing to stop the young Prince of Jin from causing such an absurd farce in Goguryeo.
He drafted another memorial, truthfully reporting everything that had happened on the Goguryeo front to Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an.
On the other hand, he also had to order the navy to advance eastward to Pyongyang to assist Chen Lingwu, the "new king" supported by Prince Chen Longxiang, in resisting the Goguryeo regime of King Bojang, who might launch a surprise attack at any time.
It is worth mentioning that when the exiled King Gojang of Goguryeo learned that the Tang army had actually reinstated a "King of Goryeo" in the capital, he did not immediately lead his troops back to the city to confront the Tang army directly. Instead, he raised the royal flag in Gaeseong and called on all the troops in the country to come to the aid of the king.
Meanwhile, the Tang Dynasty navy, having captured Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, and enthroned Chen Lingwu as the new Goguryeo queen, was limited by its troop strength and terrain. Instead of pursuing their victory, they used the Daedong River as a link between the two cities and relied on the firepower advantage of their naval fleet to hold the port of Nampo and Pyongyang, awaiting reinforcements and the decree of Emperor Somu, Chen Huai'an.
Time passed day by day in a delicate balance between the two sides.
Inside the Imperial Study in Nanjing's Imperial City.
Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an received the military report from the front lines in Goguryeo from Qi Jiguang, the Admiral of the Tang Navy and Duke of Dingguo, at the end of March in the first year of Zhaowu.
Moreover, military reports and memorials arrived in three letters at a time.
The first letter was from Qi Jiguang, the Duke of Dingguo, requesting credit for Chen Longxiang, the vanguard general of the navy and the Prince of Jin of the Tang Dynasty, and giving a detailed report on the great victory of the Tang navy at Nanpu Port.
The second letter was from Qi Jiguang, who finally made up his mind. He reported to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an in detail about Prince Chen Longxiang's unauthorized military campaign and his ambiguous relationship with the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er.
The third letter reported to Chen Huai'an the background of Prince Chen Longxiang's surprise attack on Pyongyang and the enthronement of the former deposed emperor Zhao Lingwu as the new king of Goguryeo in the Goguryeo capital. It also requested the emperor to clarify the next course of action for the Tang navy, which had already occupied the Goguryeo capital.
Bang!
Inside the imperial study, Chen Huai'an, after reading the contents of the three memorials sent back by Qi Jiguang, was unusually furious.
When he slammed several memorials onto the desk in the Imperial Study with a loud bang, even Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was on duty outside the Imperial Study, and Xiao Po, the Commander of the Imperial Guard and Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, were startled and trembled.
"This is outrageous!"
After a long while, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, sitting upright in the imperial study, finally gritted his teeth and spat out a few words.
Those sharp eyes stared intently at the urgent report that Qi Jiguang had sent back by water and then land on the desk.
At first, when I saw the contents of the first memorial, I saw my younger brother Chen Longxiang’s bravery in the army, and his growth and maturity in the flames of war;
Chen Huai'an was genuinely happy for his younger brother Chen Longxiang. He even thought that after finishing his official duties, he would take this military report from the front lines to his mother Xu Ruoyun's palace and let her share in Chen Longxiang's joy.
Who would have thought that this brat would make such a huge mess right after earning military merit?
The mere fact that he mobilized troops without authorization would be enough to charge him with treason if it were in the army under the personal command of Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an.
Not to mention that this brat, after conquering the capital of Goguryeo, actually caused the absurd situation of installing a new king.
It's fortunate that Chen Huai'an was magnanimous; if it were a slightly more petty emperor, he probably wouldn't have considered any brotherly affection and would have directly punished him for treason.
What qualifications do you, a mere prince, have to make decisions for the current emperor, especially regarding matters like bestowing titles upon princes?
Since you're so eager to be crowned a king, why don't you sit on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace instead?
Of course, Chen Huai'an was well aware that his younger brother Chen Longxiang's actions were not intentional, nor were they a sign of coveting his throne.
To put it bluntly, this is nothing more than the impetuous and hot-blooded behavior of a young man eager to prove himself in front of his "beloved".
Ultimately, the core of this matter lies with the former empress, Su Wan'er.
As a time traveler, Chen Huai'an naturally understood the allure this young woman had for a vigorous young man.
If it weren't for Su Wan'er's behind-the-scenes encouragement, how could Chen Longxiang, with his experience and knowledge, have come up with such a method of acting first and reporting later?
Chen Huai'an muttered to himself, "I underestimated Su Wan'er before!"
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