Among all the people in the Goguryeo Dynasty, only the highly respected Lord Gai Se-mun, who represented the interests of the Goguryeo aristocracy, dared to say such words in the imperial court.
The general who was rebuked by Lord Gai was none other than Tuoba Liuyun, the "First Warrior of the Goguryeo Dynasty".
Tuoba Liuyun was the commander-in-chief of the Goguryeo Imperial Guard, who led his troops to garrison the capital city for many years. He was also a warmonger among the young Goguryeo generals, advocating that the Goguryeo Dynasty expand westward and annex the northeastern region of the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains, in order to obtain more resources and benefits for Goguryeo.
His original intention in saying those words was actually to mock the naval commander-in-chief, Gao Wu.
In Tuoba Liuyun's view, there could never be such a fierce general in the world, capable of fighting against ten thousand men single-handedly.
Even Tuoba Liuyun, the number one warrior of Goguryeo, could only barely fight against three hundred men, and that was already his limit.
Moreover, it was Tuoba Liuyun, fully armed with armor and sword, facing off against three hundred unarmed and starving death row inmates in the imperial prison.
Even so, after killing all three hundred death row inmates, Tuoba Liuyun's physical strength and energy had reached their limit.
Not to mention, facing equally fully armed soldiers on the battlefield, or even cavalry on horseback, isn't that just pure bragging?
If the Tang army truly had such a fierce general, there would be no need to fight this battle. They should surrender and submit as soon as possible, and who knows, they might even be able to leave with a whole corpse!
However, the Imperial Guard Commander Tuoba Liuyun's remarks were seized upon by Gai Shiwen, a staunch advocate of surrender, who took the opportunity to speak in the court.
Taking the opportunity, Gai Shiwen stepped forward and said to King Gao Zang, who was seated on the throne, "Your Majesty, in this old minister's opinion, it is indeed too late to voluntarily submit to the Tang Dynasty at this time."
"The Tang Dynasty had its troops stationed in Liaodong, facing off against the Goguryeo Dynasty's garrison at Yizhou City across the river."
"On the other hand, they dispatched a naval fleet to launch a surprise attack on Nampo Port, and captured it in a very short time, eliminating the last line of defense for the capital of our Goguryeo Dynasty."
"From then on, the Tang Dynasty's navy, equipped with cannons, could advance eastward along the Taedong River at any time, patrolling the river outside Pyongyang and bombarding our Goguryeo capital."
"Furthermore, once the Tang navy establishes its main naval camp at Nanpu Port, Tang infantry and cavalry can continuously land at sea and assemble at Nanpu Port."
After a pause, Gai Shiwen continued, "Once the Tang army has amassed enough infantry and cavalry at Nampo Port, they can launch a pincer attack and completely destroy and annex my Goguryeo Dynasty!"
Wow!
These words caused an uproar in the Goguryeo court.
Originally, those ministers who had been indifferent to the matter began to feel nervous after hearing that the Goguryeo Dynasty was at risk of being destroyed. They began to think about what they should do if the Tang army really breached the capital.
On the throne, King Gaozang's face was ashen, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.
"Lord Gai, you are exaggerating!"
At this moment, General Ma Xidong, who had remained silent until now, finally stepped forward and faced Gai Shiwen directly, saying, "Let's not even discuss whether the Tang navy can gain a foothold in Nanpu Port;"
"Even if the Tang army can establish a large camp at Nampo Port and continuously transport troops to Nampo Port by sea to threaten Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, so what?"
snort!
Ma Xidong snorted coldly and said, "Within my capital, there are still 100,000 imperial guards, and throughout the country, there are still over 500,000 elite soldiers. If the Goguryeo Dynasty truly faces a life-or-death crisis, at Your Majesty's command, all the millions of citizens of this dynasty will become the vital force of my army."
“Lord Gai, the Tang army has launched a long and arduous attack, while our army is well-rested and ready to fight. Why can’t we fight the Tang army?”
Judging from Ma Xidong's words, he probably also thinks that the remarks of the Grand Admiral of the Navy Gao Wu are unreliable.
Indeed, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, how could Ma Xidong, the head of the military, have so easily believed that the fierce generals in the Tang navy could really fight against ten thousand men?
"The General is absolutely right!"
Tuoba Liuyun, the commander of the Imperial Guards, also stepped forward. He glanced disdainfully at Gai Shiwen, then looked at King Gao Zang on the throne and volunteered: "Your Majesty, I am the greatest warrior of Goguryeo, and the commander of the 100,000 Imperial Guards in this royal city."
"Your Majesty, I request permission to lead 50,000 Imperial Guards in a night-long raid on Nanpu Port—"
"We will not return until we defeat the Tang army!"
After speaking, Tuoba Liuyun clasped his hands together, knelt on one knee, and waited for King Gaozang's permission.
A group of radical young military officers followed the example of Tuoba Liuyun, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and volunteered to fight.
For a time, the vast palace hall was filled with shouts of "We will not return until the Tang army is defeated!"
Only Goguryeo's Grand Admiral Go Moo, kneeling with his head down, kept shaking his head and growling, "No way!"
But how could the young generals, already hot-blooded and impulsive, heed the advice of a defeated general?
Even the highly respected Lord Gai Shiwen could not suppress the group of young generals with his prestige at this moment.
Of course, it's also possible that Gai Shiwen was hoping that Tuoba Liuyun, known as the greatest warrior of Goguryeo, could lead the Imperial Guard in a night raid on Nanpu Port, severely damaging the Tang navy and gaining leverage for the subsequent peace talks.
In short, after learning of the Tang navy's surprise attack on Nanpu Port, the previously opposing Goguryeo court became surprisingly united at this moment, and not a single voice opposing the dispatch of troops could be heard.
Finally, the treasure king Takazo, who sat on the throne, spoke.
He first waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.
Then, he slowly and deliberately said, "General Tuoba, I grant your request. After court, you may immediately lead 50,000 Imperial Guards in a night raid on Nanpu Port."
"In this battle, I hope you will display the might of the greatest warrior in Goguryeo, so that the invading Tang army may see the bravery of my Goguryeo army!"
"Your Majesty, you mustn't—"
Before Gao Zang could finish speaking, Gao Wu, the naval commander who had been kneeling in repentance, finally stepped forward to stop him, risking being condemned by the entire court and even beheaded:
"Your Majesty, those fierce generals in the Tang navy are indeed born with superhuman strength and unparalleled bravery. Our best course of action is to rely on the strong walls of the capital and hold out for reinforcements. We must not take the initiative to go out of the city to fight, lest we play right into the Tang army's hands!"
"That's enough—"
On the throne, King Gao Zang, having finally had enough of his good-for-nothing younger brother, directly ordered, "Guards, drag the guilty general Gao Wu away to await punishment!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Soon, fully armed imperial guards rushed into the main hall, grabbed the naval commander-in-chief Gao Wu on either side, and dragged him out of the hall.
Even as he was being dragged along, Gao Wu continued to shout, "Your Majesty, you must not send troops to meet the enemy! It would be utterly pointless except for the needless sacrifice of our Goguryeo Dynasty's soldiers!"
"Your Majesty..."
Only when the shouts of Grand Admiral Gao Wu could no longer be heard did the face of Treasure King Gao Zang on the throne finally return to normal, and he continued to arrange his troops, saying, "General Ma Xidong, listen to my command—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"......"
The emergency court session of the Goguryeo Dynasty ended in the evening.
Tuoba Liuyun, the greatest warrior of Goguryeo, took the royal edict of King Gaozang and the military order tiger tally from the Ministry of War, and immediately mobilized 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantrymen, totaling 50,000 men, from the Goguryeo Imperial Guard camp.
Before sunset, they set off in a grand procession from the royal city of Pyongyang, heading straight for Nampo Port, a hundred miles away.
Before riding out of the city, Tuoba Liuyun glanced back at the imposing royal city and muttered to himself with a firm tone, "In this battle, I swear I will not return until the Tang army is defeated!"
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