Goguryeo Taisun's Camp
The imperial edict from the court also came back. The basic arrangement was the same as what Li Xiang had said before. General Li Jing would temporarily return to the court. After all, Goguryeo had been conquered, and there was no point for the general to stay here. The court's Ministry of War still had many things waiting for the general to do. If the general continued to delay here, those things would probably accumulate more and more.
Today is the sixth day since receiving the imperial edict. The general is preparing to leave early tomorrow morning, so Li Xiang held a banquet here to entertain him, which can be regarded as a farewell party for the general. Except for the general who is going back, everyone else will continue to stay here.
"The general is like our anchor. If he goes back now, I will feel empty inside. If anything happens in the future, who will I ask for advice?"
Li Xiang picked up his wine glass. What he said was the truth. Although Li Jing just sat here without saying anything most of the time, he was really like a stabilizing force. Many soldiers in the army also thought so. Li Jing was so prestigious within the Tang Dynasty army.
Although Li Xiang and the generals who followed him also won many battles, in everyone's heart, Li Jing was still the military god of the Tang army.
Although you have also won battles, you won them only after the Tang Dynasty became powerful. When General Li Jing fought in the north to conquer the Turks, the battle he fought was when the Tang Dynasty was weak. It can be said that it was a founding battle for the country. After General Li Jing won, the surrounding countries did not dare to cause trouble because of the prestige gained from that battle.
"Your Highness, what are you saying? More than half a year has passed since we set out from Chang'an City. During this time, every decision Your Highness has made has been absolutely correct in my opinion. Every generation has its own talents. I am already old, and in the future, the battlefield will be Your Highness's domain."
Li Jing picked up the glass and clinked it with wine. In history, Li Jing was already terminally ill at this time, but because he had conquered Goguryeo, General Li Jing was very happy. He had no health problems in the past few days and often commanded soldiers in training outside. It can be said that this was another happy event.
Everything he said came from the heart, and not a single word of it was meant to flatter Li Xiang. He had been observing Li Xiang carefully along the way to see if he had made any mistakes, and if so, he could offer some guidance. However, he didn't expect to be disappointed along the way, and it was a disappointment that made him both happy and sad.
The good news is that the Tang army has such a successor, so there is no need to worry about decline in the future. What you should worry about is the opponents of the Tang Dynasty. If you are not prepared, then wait for the destruction of your country. Otherwise, you will be like Tuyuhun, squatting behind the Tang Dynasty all your life, and you will have a good life.
The sad thing is that he had accumulated a lifetime of experience and finally wanted to pass it on to a successor, but he found that this successor was even better than himself. General Li Jing finally tasted the pain of Li Shiming. It is estimated that Li Shimin had experienced this feeling a long time ago, because Li Xiang was too outstanding.
"General, thank you for your praise. While you are here, I would like to discuss the two southern countries and ask you to help us deduce them."
While these people were drinking, the people next to them brought up the sand table. Anyway, they were drinking at the command center, so these things were all available temporarily. They could bring up whatever they wanted to talk about.
Li Jing also nodded. He had known that this day would come. In the past few months, everyone present was busy settling the farmers who came from the country, and some were responsible for clearing out the Goguryeo remnants around them, but the most important thing was about the two countries in the south.
"General, please see. Both countries have already deployed heavy troops along the border. The troops they withdrew from here last time haven't returned to their original bases. Instead, they've set up defensive positions along the border with Goguryeo. According to the letter they sent us, they're trying to prevent the remnants of Goguryeo's troops from crossing over. I think they're guarding against us."
Su Dingfang was more familiar with the situation on the front line, so he was responsible for the introduction. He had taken his soldiers to the border area and saw that the armies of the two countries in the border area were quite elite, but there was a gap compared with the Goguryeo army, not to mention ours.
"If it were you, I'd say we should just follow His Highness' original plan. We should just prepare our forces and fight our way through. There's no time for wasted words with them. Look at how sly they all look. They're not truly surrendering."
Niu Jinda said while drinking, "The last time we attacked the capital of Goguryeo, these people were ready to stab us from the back. If we hadn't reacted quickly, we might have fallen into their trap. We have suffered heavy losses now. So when talking about these two countries, Niu Jinda wanted to kill them as soon as possible!"
"If we hadn't transferred so many people from China, this strategy would be acceptable. But now all the people in Goguryeo are from China, and more are coming in. We have to settle them first, so I don't support attacking at this stage."
After General Li Jing finished speaking, Li Xiang beside him nodded. Su Dingfang and Niu Jinda looked a little uncomfortable. These two were the pro-war factions in the army. In their opinion, neither Silla nor Baekje had much strength. We only needed to pick out 20,000 to 30,000 troops and divide them into two groups to defeat them directly.
"The general and I are of the same mind. Our rear is not stable right now. There are constant conflicts between the civilians coming from the country and the local people of Goguryeo. We must resolve this issue first. In addition, we also need to distribute a large amount of food. Some of it will be shipped from the country, and some we will have to provide ourselves. Right now, we are relying on military rations, but this will not be a problem in the long run."
Li Xiang also agreed with General Li Jing's opinion. When they saw that the two commanders had the same idea, Su Dingfang and Niu Jinda didn't say anything. The commanders had already made the decision, so how could the two of them change the situation?
"This is also the next question I want to talk about. Why do we need to protect these two countries? We need to have a good talk with them. These two countries have food. Give them a chance to become our vassal states, and let them provide the food."
General Li Jing's words made everyone laugh...
