On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 299 The Defeat of Liaodong
Liaodong City (now Liaoyang, Liaoning) was originally Xiangping City of the Han family. After Goguryeo took all of Liaodong, Xiangping City was changed to Liaodong City.

The city was filled with an atmosphere of panic. The Sui Dynasty gathered 30 troops in Yingzhou with great fanfare.

The current Sui Dynasty is undoubtedly the overlord of the entire East Asia.

Turkic, Kumoxi, and Tuyuhun forces in the north either bowed their heads and surrendered, or were beaten and fled.

The great reputation has been forged by all the victories since the three years since Kaihuang's counterattack against the Turks.

It wasn't just the soldiers and civilians of Liaodong City who were facing the Sui army who were afraid. In Pyongyang, ministers tried to persuade them one after another, hoping that Gao Yuan would send envoys to seek peace with the Sui Dynasty.

But was rejected by Gao Yuan, who has been in charge of Goguryeo for seven years since he inherited the throne in the tenth year of Kaihuang.

The civil strife that plagued Goguryeo for half a century in the past has long been settled, and this ambitious monarch also wants to break the arm with the Sui Dynasty.

Gao Yuan recruited more than [-] Mohe cavalrymen, and recruited more than [-] generals. He personally led the army to Liaodong City to appease the hearts of the people.

The Mohe people lived between the white mountains and the black waters, and were partly under the rule of Goguryeo. Of course, during the Five Dynasties period, they had a more well-known name, Jurchen.

With the arrival of Pyongyang's army, people in Liaodong became a little more stable.

In contrast, 30 Sui troops were on their way to the east, complaining endlessly.

Since ancient times, it has been difficult to travel in western Liaoning. Not only do you have to trek through mountains and rivers, but also because the west bank of the Liao River is a muddy land, more than [-] miles from east to west, and [-] miles from north to south.

It is precisely because of the difficult roads in Liaoze that during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Central Plains fell into civil war, and Goguryeo's expansion momentum could only stop at the east bank of the Liao River.

It is really difficult to carry out large-scale military operations in Liaoze. Previously, Koguryo invaded Yingzhou and could not really mobilize a large army. It could only dispatch a small group of troops to form a coalition with Khitan.

The landforms of western Liaoning used to be a barrier against Goguryeo, but now it has become an obstacle to the Sui army's eastern expedition.

The soldiers traveled thousands of miles of mountain roads before they arrived in Yingzhou. They were already exhausted, but now they had to travel more than two hundred miles, the land of Liaoze, which was said to be inaccessible to people and horses. The hardships were obvious.

When they arrived at the west bank of the Liaohe River, they were already exhausted.

But compared to the exhaustion of the soldiers, the disharmony between the generals is the biggest problem of this Sui army.

Yang Liang, king of the Han Dynasty, was named Marshal of the Marching Army, but just like Yang Guang's attack on Chen, he was only a commander in name.

He hopes to establish his influence by conquering Goguryeo, so unlike Yang Guang, Yang Liang is not willing to be a puppet.

Such clues can be seen from the fact that he did not recruit the Boling cavalry.

After dispatching troops, Yang Liang often put forward his opinions to Gao Jiong.

But in Gao Jiong's view, Yang Liang, a young boy, can also make military affairs in front of him. When he served as the supervisor of the army and asked Ping Wei Chijiong to rebel, Yang Liang was still playing with mud.

Conflicts often broke out between the two, and Gao Jiong should not accept Yang Liang's suggestions, no matter whether they are reasonable or not.

The soldiers complained a lot because of the difficult road, but now the generals are at odds, which has seriously affected the morale of the army and made the morale of the army low.

After resting for a while on the west bank of the Liaohe River, Gao Jiong immediately ordered the construction of a pontoon bridge. Halfway through the crossing, the Mohe cavalry stationed in Liaodong City suddenly came rushing.

In the past, the Sui army, which was on the verge of crushing the Turkic wars, fell into a bitter battle due to various reasons.

If it weren't for the army from the west bank crossing the river one after another and stabilizing their position, I'm afraid that the Mohe cavalry would really be able to fight back to the west bank.

Although the Sui army suffered heavy losses, they still crossed the Liaohe River. The Sui army quickly marched eastward and surrounded Liaodong City.

Under Gao Jiong's personal supervision, the Sui army stormed Liaodong City for days, causing huge casualties. Liaodong City was crumbling, but it never fell.

Half a month after the siege, the crisis finally broke out, and the Sui army camp was short of food.

In order to provide logistics, Li Jing, the general manager of Youzhou, specially recruited more than [-] people and all the vehicles in the jurisdiction.

However, Liaoze land was trampled by 30 troops, and it would rain heavily every day, and the wheels would be stuck in mud pits, making it impossible for grain transport vehicles to pass.

If the grain carts were abandoned, it would be impossible for the peasants to cross the Liaoze land with grain and grass on their backs.

Over whether to withdraw, Yang Liang and Gao Jiong once again had a fierce conflict.

Yang Liang naturally advocated the withdrawal of the troops, he was only a nominal coach, even if he was defeated, it had nothing to do with him.

But if it is in vain, Gao Jiong will take full responsibility.

The situation between him and Prince Yang Yong was already difficult, and now he was pointing to a big victory to prove his worth, so how could he be willing to retreat so easily.

Within one day, Gao Jiong sent seven envoys to urge the logistics, and at the same time ordered the soldiers to continue to attack Liaodong City.

Until the food and grass in the camp were about to run out, and the food transport team was still not seen crossing the Liaohe River. Gao Jiong saw that Liaodong City could not be captured, no matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to order the withdrawal of the troops.

The Goguryeo people in the city held on for more than [-] days, suffering heavy casualties and making it difficult to pursue them.

For the Sui army, the road back to western Liaoning was also a death march.

Exhaustion and hunger destroyed the will of the Sui army, and countless people fell on the way home. The 30 army marched eastward, and finally fled back to Yingzhou in embarrassment, only a little over [-] people remained.

When Wei Chong saw Gao Jiong, he was amazed at his old age.

Gao Jiong couldn't accept the fact that more than half of the 30 soldiers died in the battle. If he knew that the first battle between the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo should have been 30 soldiers, nine out of ten of the dead would be the result, and he might be able to get some comfort.

But it is undeniable that this is the biggest defeat experienced by the Sui Dynasty since the founding of the country 17 years ago, and it is also the only defeat since the death of Li Chong, the governor of Youzhou.

The disastrous defeat of the Sui Dynasty in Liaodong undoubtedly shocked all ethnic groups in Monan. They were surprised to find that the Sui people were not invincible, they were also human beings.

When Cui Che heard the news, he left [-] infantry to guard the border and led [-] cavalry to patrol the northern border. Only then did Cui Che deter the grassland tribes who were about to move.

Now that the land route has been defeated, without Gao Jiong's army holding back the main force of Goguryeo, how can the Qingzhou navy go to Pyongyang again, and they have to go back home.

When Cui Che went south and returned to Youzhou, all he saw along the way was numb remnants of defeated soldiers.

"Gao Jiong is finished."

Cui Che said to Cui Qiji.

Originally, Yang Jian and his wife were separated from each other because of the issue of abolishing the establishment of the crown prince. Now that they have suffered a disastrous defeat, they are even more disappointing. Gao Jiong will not have the opportunity to prove himself again.

Han Wang Yang Liang and Gao Jiong had already left ahead of schedule and hurried back to Daxing to plead guilty.

Only the families of the soldiers were left in misery.

Parents cry for their sons, wives mourn for their husbands, and children mourn for their fathers.

(End of this chapter)