Chapter 443 – The Tenacious Goguryeo
Xu Huang watched the carnage as his 1,000 knights slaughtered all Goguryeo's scouts without fighting them in melee combat.
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
The gunshots continued until the last scout went down.
Xu Huang had a new inspiration as he experienced the hot weaponry personally.
'With this kind of weapons, I think deploying fewer men to a battle is more efficient. A rogue tactic is also applicable, or maybe we can defeat a 100,000-man army with a thousand man with enough ammo.'
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An hour passed since Gogukcheon had sent his scout team to check on Xu Huang, but no one returned to tell a tale.
The king got fed up. He ordered his best general, the four-wing demon, to take charge.
"Go with all demons. I want to know what has happened to that fool. While you're at it, curse those Han soldiers."
Four demons departed with their bodyguards. 5,000 Light cavalries followed after them.
One hour later, they arrived at the battle site where Xu Huang's men slaughtered all of their scouts.
Xu Huang had already retreated from the scene and followed after Jia Xu's group. Only the aftermath remained.
Checking the corpses, they found out that their soldiers did not die by melee weapons but strange small leads.
"What's this?"
The demons picked up a lead bullet head and examined it.
"Were they killed because of this?"
Baffled and astonished, the group turned around, planning to retreat and report their findings to their king.
*BANG*
A gunshot sound came from a distance away. One of three two-wing demons felt something entering his skull before his consciousness faded forever.
All demons turned to the source of the sound.
*BANG*
Another shot ended another lesser demon's life.
The demon leader found the shooter. It was Xu Huang, who had been hiding his presence nearby.
"BASTARD!!"
The weapon that Xu Huang was using was unprecedented to all Goguryeo's soldiers. The demons rushed at the white knight in anger as they armed with their demonic soul's aura.
Xu Huang squinted his eyes as he flew backward. At the same time, he aimed at the remaining two-wing demons.
*BANG*
*BANG*
Each bullet punctured through the chest of the chasing demons.
Now, only the four-wing demon remained.
Terrified by the gun in Xu Huang's hand, the four-wing demon flew away.
Xu Huang frowned. He aimed at the fleeing demon, but the latter was too fast. He already escaped from Xu Huang's sight by the time that the latter's aura covered the new bullet.
'This technique takes time. I should have practiced using guns more.'
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The demon general returned and reported everything to Gogukcheon.
"A new weapon?"
"Yes. The Han has brought a new weapon. It shoots small leads that can puncture through aura shield."
"That doesn't make sense. I thought demons are superior in terms of combat. Have you gotten shot by one of those?"
"N-No…"
Gogukcheon frowned, "Then, it's the difference in wings, you fool! That person has 4 wings, right!? Then, all dead demons were no match for him!"
"R-Right, your majesty is wise."
"But that doesn't mean we're losing the initiative! From here on out, you'll be working alone! Go and stalk their army. Curse their soldiers at night and leave the fighting to the men."
"U-Understood, your majesty!"
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Xu Huang also returned to his legion and reported his battle result.
"A demon with four wings?" Jia Xu was surprised.
"Yeah, he has the same wings as his majesty, demon wings."
"That's annoying. Those curses are bad news."
Jia Xu knew about Tong's souls of sins and their potential in warfare. He tried to force Tong into leading troops and finish the civil war many times in the past, but Tong, Medusa, and Friday kept postponing the emperor's private army deployment, excusing that it was not the right time.
Still, he had counters and similar curse users.
Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, Tong's uncles who were once yellow turban leaders, followed Tong's footsteps and took demonic cultivation techniques as their awakening choice. Each of them had gotten one soul, which was enough to curse Goguryeo's soldiers to oblivion.
"We might be targeted by that demon again. For now, we'll haste our forced march! All footmen will ride together with the cavalry units. As for the supplies and logistic, I want you to be in charge of that, general."
Xu Huang was surprised that he had to protect the reserve units instead of taking the lead.
"What about the vanguard?"
"Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang will take care of that. You will watch our rear and keep an eye for that demon. He'll be back on our tail tonight!"
"Are you certain?"
"I know he will! That bastard will appear again, and he will curse our men like those mini demons tried to curse your knights! That's their primary tactic in this war!"
Jia Xu always put himself in opponents' shoes to predict the next enemy's movement. This forced march was also a part of his insight that once Tian Yu entered Lelang Commandery, Goguryeo's king would attack Xuantu Commandery and Xiangping to cut off Tian Yu's supply lines.
Since the enemy wanted to take their territory, they might as well rush Goguryeo's capital city and destroyed their pride, which could potentially ruin the enemy's morale and trust of their monarch.
Also, from his old memory, Goguryeo Kingdom was a threat to Wei as it grew too strong. Even Sima Yi, in the other timeline, had to withdraw his troops and generals from Lelang as he could not support the perpetual war with these people after they had defeated them so many times.
Moreover, he heard the historical summary from Tong that the Sima descendants of the Jin Dynasty also failed to defeat them and lost Liaodong to Goguryeo.
Thus, this empire had to be destroyed first! Tong might have ordered them to use a pacifism method, but in Jia Xu's point of view, subduing them by forces was more efficient.
'I just knew it! That brat is still naïve! Watch me destroy these barbarians, Mr. Emperor. Humph!'
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At Ye's emperor's chamber, Tong, Medusa, and Friday read the clan chat news regarding the war at Goguryeo with interest.
In history, this empire was a powerhouse that stopped China from expanding east toward Japan. Many dynasties attempted to annex Goguryeo, such as East Han, Cao Wei, Jin Dynasty, Yan Dynasty, and Sui Dynasty. Yet, they all failed to eradicate this country completely. Some managed to temporary subdue them for a few years, but some of them were unable to earn a victory. Only when the Tang Dynasty schemed together with Silla, a small kingdom southeast of the Korea peninsula, they managed to wipe Goguryeo from the map temporary.
Goguryeo's foundation was similar to Xianbei and Xiangnu at the ancient time as a princess from Buyeo Country united all tribes and found a new country north of the Korea peninsula. They were ambitious people that continued to absorb all neighbor's territories and tribes, forging their way to a superpower country.
They head-butted against emperor Wu of the East Han Dynasty in 100 BC, which put a stop to Goguryeo's campaign. The contest over Liaodong, Lelang, and Xuantu Commandery became more frequent as they also formed a trade treaty with the Han Dynasty on the surface.
They managed to take all commanderies from Han around the year 184 AD when Zhang Jiao rebelled against the Han Dynasty. That was when Goguryeo temporary claimed Liaodong and many counties, officially established themselves as a powerhouse of the east, alongside with China.
However, the Gongsun Family invaded Goguryeo and took the commanderies back. Gongsun Kang was the one who pushed back these former tribesmen and reclaimed Pyongyang. The subordinates of Gongsun Kang were defeated by Sansang, the king of Goguryeo in 204, but they forced the king to move their capital city and yielded to Gongsun Kang in the late 200s.
Goguryeo declared independence in 238 when Cao Wei, led by Sima Yi, formed an alliance with Goguryeo to attack Gongsun Yuan, the successor of Gongsun Kang. The Wei-Goguryeo alliance defeated Gongsun Yuan, and Cao Pi claimed all territories of Gongsun Clan.
However, Goguryeo broke the alliance by raiding Liaodong of Cao Wei in 242, which led to a full-blown war.
Hwando, the new capital of Goguryeo that king Sansang moved from the old city, was burnt down to the ground in 244. Guanqiu Jian, the great general of the Wei army at that time, managed to subdue Goguryeo once again, but he did not pull out the roots of this country.
After Guanqiu Jian retreated from Hwando, the Goguryeo's current king, Dongcheon, attempted to restore the ruined capital, but Wei's new general pursued him. Without a choice, Dongcheon moved the capital to Pyongyang instead.
This was the last time that Goguryeo lost to Cao Wei. As the country reorganized from the ruins, they adapted to Cao Wei's warfare and recovered from the long war devastation.
They stopped sending tributes to Wei and rebelled against them yet again in 258. This time, they repelled the invading Wei Army in 259.
After the Jin Dynasty took over Wei, Goguryeo took this chance to take territories back, rising to the top dog of the Korea peninsula once more.
Afterward, they became a tough nut to crack that continued to occupy Liaodong for centuries before the Tang Dynasty and Silla Kingdom coalition deleted them from the world map for a short period.
Goguryeo rose again from ashes in the 918 after breaking free from the Silla Kingdom, the country that had conquered the Korea peninsula with the help of the Tang Dynasty.
Goguryeo changed its name to the Goryeo later, which became one of the famous eras of Korea history.
In summary, Goguryeo people were the tenacious bunches that Tong did not want to fight in a perpetual war through the centuries and watched their descendants rebelling against his empire one after another.
"That idiot Jia Xu and Xu Huang. Can't you be more lenient? I only want them to know their place, so we can tame their kings and recruit their immortals into our army. Goddammit."
It was a pity that Xu Huang killed 4 of them before Tong could brainwash them with his modern philosophy. Moreover, they did not have the time to wage another war when they have not solved the civil war issue.
Still, it was not that bad. Since they got the information about this neighbor's overall strength, Tong and others could soundly sleep as Goguryeo was no longer a threat with only a 4-wing demon.
"Xu Huang alone should be able to handle that with all the guns," Medusa, who sat next to Tong with her baby in her arms, looked unconcerned with the development.
"Shouldn't demons be superior in combat and warfare?"
"True. But angels are better in reinforcing auras and blessings. Demons like us are good in 1-against-many situations, but we are not omnipotent in a 1-on-1 fight against an angel with the same strength. In the end, it's about experience and preparation."
Tong nodded.
"Maybe this will be a good experience to Xu Huang."
