In just one hour, Ma Seok-dong, the Grand General of the Goguryeo Dynasty in charge of the Ministry of War, had already received three letters of appeal for help from the naval camp at Nampo Port, which made him realize that something was very wrong.
Immediately after sending away the messengers from the naval camp, Ma Xidong dared not delay any longer and went straight to the royal palace to meet King Gaozang.
He feared that if he lingered outside the palace gates for even a moment longer, he would receive more bad news from the naval camp at Nanpu Port.
Soon, General Ma Xidong, who was preoccupied with his own thoughts, met King Gao Zang and Prime Minister Li Zhenghao in the main hall of the palace without any obstacles.
Surprisingly, after meeting Ma Xidong, Gao Zang even joked with him, saying, "General Ma, it's true what they say, speak of the devil and he appears!"
"I was just talking to Prime Minister Li about General Ma when you arrived at the palace the next moment."
As Gao Zang spoke, he waved for Ma Xidong to sit down before casually continuing, "I wonder what brings General Ma here?"
Over here, preoccupied with his own thoughts, Ma Xidong didn't even have time to sit down. After performing the courtly greetings to Gao Zang, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened—"
"The navy of the Great Tang Dynasty has reached Nampo Port outside Pyongyang and is engaged in fierce battle with the navy of the Goguryeo Dynasty at Nampo Port. Their swords are aimed directly at Pyongyang!"
Bang!
As soon as Ma Xidong finished speaking, a crisp sound came from inside the hall. It was Li Zhenghao, the prime minister of the Goguryeo Dynasty, who was stunned and accidentally dropped the teacup he had just picked up, shattering it into pieces.
General Ma, what did you say?
Meanwhile, King Gojang of Goguryeo was in no better shape, his face pale as he asked, "Isn't the Tang army stationed in the Liaodong region, facing off against the Goguryeo dynasty's Uiju city across the river?"
"What, how did you suddenly end up at Nanpu Port?"
"How did Grand Admiral Gao Wu, who was stationed at Nanpu Port, manage to get the Tang navy fleet to bypass Nanpu Port without anyone noticing?"
Are all 50,000 naval officers and soldiers stationed in Nanpu Port blind or deaf?
Gao Zang bombarded General Ma Xidong with a barrage of questions.
Clearly, King Baozang was furious that the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet had secretly circled around to Nampo Port and was poised to attack Pyongyang at any moment.
Currently, there are only 100,000 Imperial Guards near the capital Pyongyang. If the Tang army advances eastward from Nampo Port along the Taedong River, it is uncertain whether the 100,000 Imperial Guards in Pyongyang can defend the capital.
Seeing that his home was about to be stolen by the Tang army, how could the treasure king Gao Zang not be furious?
Faced with Gao Zang's barrage of questions, General Ma Xidong of the Ministry of War, who only had a vague understanding of the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet's blitzkrieg at Nanpu Port, had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer.
He said, "Your Majesty, now is not the time to investigate the navy's responsibility, nor is there much time to figure out how the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet bypassed the navy's patrols and arrived at Nanpu Port."
"Our primary task now is to figure out how to deal with the enemy!"
Before arriving, Ma Xidong laid out his prepared speech, saying, "Your Majesty, after learning of the Tang navy's attack on Nanpu Port, I have already ordered Vice General Jin Dazhong of the Ministry of War to lead 10,000 troops to Nanpu Port overnight to reinforce it."
"At the same time, an urgent dispatch was made to intercept the reinforcements sent to Uiju en route, ordering them to return immediately to reinforce Pyongyang."
"Furthermore, to prevent the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet from advancing eastward along the Taedong River to Pyongyang, I suggest that Your Majesty immediately convene an emergency court meeting and order the Ministry of Works to take the lead in setting up a defensive line along the Taedong River to block the Tang Dynasty's navy from advancing eastward along the river."
"And then there's..."
Ma Xidong spoke eloquently.
Under his calm and clear report, both the initially furious King Gao Zang and the slightly flustered Prime Minister Li Zhenghao gradually calmed down!
Yes, when they decided to reinforce Yizhou to fight against the Tang army, they were already prepared to fight the newly established Tang Dynasty to the end.
However, the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet's blitzkrieg at Nanpu Port took them by surprise, which inevitably caused them to be agitated upon hearing the news.
After calming down, Gao Zang also felt that General Ma Xidong of the Ministry of War was right. Now was not the time to pursue accountability, but to figure out how to deal with the enemy.
The Tang army was truly cunning and treacherous, silently spreading the flames of war to Goguryeo's homeland, and even to Nampo Port, less than a hundred miles from the capital Pyongyang.
It seems that Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, is truly planning to take serious action against Goguryeo this time!
"Your Majesty, I have said everything I needed to say!"
At this moment, Ma Xidong finally revealed his entire strategy for dealing with the enemy, saying, "The battle at Nanpu Port has reached a critical juncture. I urge Your Majesty to make a decision quickly!"
Um!
Gao Zang nodded and said, "General Ma, your Ministry of War handled the battle of Nanpu Port in a timely, decisive, and effective manner, for which I am deeply gratified."
"Do everything as General Ma says. We must drive the Tang navy out of Nanpu Port no matter what!"
With that, Gao Zang waved his hand and ordered, "Prime Minister Li, immediately convene an emergency court meeting with all civil and military officials."
"General Ma, I will immediately draft a royal edict, placing the 100,000 Imperial Guards within the capital under your command, and granting you full authority over the military command of the capital's defense."
"I hope that all my esteemed ministers will unite sincerely, cooperate closely, and jointly resist foreign aggression!"
"Your Majesty, we will obey your command!"
Just as Treasure King Gao Zang and his companions were busily devising a strategy to deal with the enemy, an uninvited guest who should not have appeared in the royal city appeared in the royal palace hall.
Furthermore, it brought devastating news that was like a bolt from the blue for the Goguryeo Dynasty.
"Report—"
"Your Majesty, Grand Admiral Gao Wu of the Navy requests an audience!"
Wow!
When the eunuch's voice came from outside the palace hall, informing everyone that the naval commander-in-chief Gao Wu had returned to the capital and was requesting an audience with the king, the scene erupted in uproar.
As the Grand Admiral of the Navy, instead of fighting bravely against the foreign enemy at the front line of Nampo Port, he returned to the capital to meet the King.
Everyone knew very well what this meant.
Suppressing his anger, King Gao Zang coldly ordered, "Bring Gao Wu in to see me!"
"Summon Grand Admiral Gao Wu to an audience!"
Outside the main hall, the eunuch in charge of delivering the message still gave Gao Wu, the younger brother of King Gao Zang, a little face and summoned him into the hall for an audience.
A moment later, Goguryeo's naval commander, Go Moo, dressed in armor and covered in dust, stumbled into the main hall.
Upon entering, he knelt before Gao Zang, crying out, "Your Majesty, I, your brother, deserve to die!"
"The Tang Dynasty's naval fleet has breached Nampo Port, and tens of thousands of sailors are landing there. The Goguryeo Dynasty's naval camp has fallen!"
"What?"
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