"Retreat! All soldiers, retreat!"
Yeon Gaesomun loudly called out, his eyes filled with worry. Many of his soldiers had already begun to retreat. If they did not retreat at this time, the consequences would be unthinkable. If he fell into Du Qi's hands, his resistance this time would be a complete joke. Yeon Gaesomun was also rapidly retreating under the protection of his soldiers.
As the Goguryeon army retreated, Xia Xia's army became even more ferocious, their assault like a tide.
In a flash, countless Goguryeon soldiers were killed.
Many Goguryeon soldiers were unable to escape and were caught. They threw down their weapons and kneeled down, begging for surrender.
The number of people who surrendered was innumerable.
The number of people killed was innumerable.
Xia Xia's army quickly pursued.
The cavalry were at the very front. These cavalry had been transported across the river on warships. Earlier, the gates of Daqing Pass had not been opened, so the cavalry had not been able to enter. Now that the battle line had been pushed forward and the cavalry had entered through the gates, they were rapidly charging forward. As the cavalry charged forward, they slew countless Goguryeon soldiers.
The number of surrenders soared.
The Goguryeon army had completely collapsed and was no longer able to stabilize the situation.
One pursued while the other fled. Du Qi remained at Daqing Pass for the time being, leading the soldiers in the rear to detain the surrendered Goguryeon soldiers. Only after three hours had passed did the pursuing army return.
Zhu Youtian quickly took stock of the losses and the situation of this battle. Ma Yuan was currently recuperating in the rear, so Zhu Youtian was in charge of most of the matters.
Zhu Youtian quickly took stock of everything. After taking stock of everything, Zhu Youtian went to Du Qi's side and reported, "Your Majesty, this subject has already taken stock of the losses. In this battle, we killed more than six thousand Goguryeon soldiers and captured more than thirty-six thousand. Many of the Goguryeon soldiers have also fled. But to us, this battle is already a complete victory. Yeon Gaesomun's remaining forces are no longer a threat. "
Du Qi inwardly fell silent.
More than forty thousand people had been killed or captured. Although Yeon Gaesomun had retreated with a portion of his people, many of his soldiers had still managed to escape. Thus, even if Yeon Gaesomun had twenty thousand soldiers at his side, it would still be an incredible number.
Du Qi asked, "What about our casualties?"
Zhu Youtian said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, our losses are less than six hundred."
Du Qi nodded and said, "The army will rest here for a while before continuing on their journey. Next, we'll head straight for Pyongyang. Especially since Gao Di had already taken a shortcut back. I trust that Gao Di will give Yeon Gaesomun a pleasant surprise. "
Zhu Youtian said, "This general will make the arrangements immediately."
He turned around and went down.
The group rested for two hours at Qing Pass before setting out again.
At this time, their traveling speed was much slower.
It wasn't like when they were in a hurry.
On the other side, Yeon Gaesomun's army had already retreated far away from Daqing Pass. There were no more pursuers behind them. Only now did they stop to rest and reorganize. Yeon Gaesomun looked around, and his heart sank.
Their losses were too great.
Although they had not yet counted their losses, Yeon Gaesomun could tell from the number of people gathered that they had suffered great losses in this battle. His soldiers had started to suffer losses at the Datong River, and then they had retreated to Daqing Pass. Earlier, when they had retreated from Daqing Pass, they had been ambushed and suffered countless losses.
Yeon Gaesomun gave the order to count their losses.
Around fifteen minutes later, a general came to Yeon Gaesomun's side, his expression miserable as he reported, "General Lu, in this battle, we lost fifty-six thousand men. Till today, the number of troops that followed them back to Lu was only 13 thousand. Our losses in this battle can be said to be enormous. "
When Yeon Gaesomun heard this, his eyes instantly dimmed.
Thirteen thousand men!
He only had thirteen thousand men left.
This loss was too great.
It could be said that almost all the forces under his command had been buried at Daqing Pass.
"General Lu, this subject believes that we can only retreat to Pyongyang. We do not have enough soldiers and will find it very difficult to oppose Xia Xia. Let's retreat to Pyongyang first and use Pyongyang to resist. "
At this moment, a somewhat wretched middle-aged man in blue spoke.
This man in blue was called Choe Joong Ki.
He had not been particularly outstanding under Yeon Gaesomun's command, but now, even Song Yunde had been killed. Yeon Gaesomun's chief strategist was gone, so Choe Joong Ki had spoken.
Yeon Gaesomun said, "The walls of Daqing Pass are extremely sturdy. Pyongyang's walls are a little sturdier, but they might not be able to block Xia Xia's weapons. This is because Xia Xia's weapons are simply too formidable. Daqing Pass is such a sturdy place, yet it was so easily destroyed. This official is worried that even if we return to Pyongyang, we won't be able to block Xia Xia's weapons. "
Goguryeo had obtained gunpowder from the Great Tang, so it was able to produce gunpowder on its own.
With this new gunpowder, Goguryeo's strength had increased tremendously. But compared to Xia Xia, the gap was still enormous. Thus, Yeon Gaesomun still felt uneasy and worried.
Choe Joong Ki thought for a moment, then said, "General Lu, if we don't retreat to Pyongyang, we have nowhere else to go. That's because Pyongyang is the last city we can hold on to. "
Yeon Gaesomun's heart was grave.
He inwardly sighed.
Starting a war with Xia Xia was truly not a wise decision.
Perhaps it had been a good decision to submit to Gao Jianwu early on and allow Gao Baozang to surrender to Xia Xia. But now, that was no longer possible. Nothing could return to the past.
Yeon Gaesomun said, "Choe Joong Ki, if we retreat to Pyongyang, how will we defend?"
Choe Joong Ki fell silent for a moment.
He believed that his talent was not inferior to Song Yunde's, but he did not have Song Yunde's opportunity. But when it came to fighting with Xia Xia, Choe Joong Ki found it extremely difficult. This was because Xia Xia was simply too strong, so strong that it was suffocating.
After a while, Choe Joong Ki said, "General Lu, this lowly official believes that we have three things to do."
Yeon Gaesomun said, "Let's hear them."
Choe Joong Ki said, "First, arrange for people to meet with Du Qi and ask for peace with Du Qi. They are also willing to submit to Xia Xia and treat Xia Xia as their suzerain. The purpose of this arrangement is, on one hand, to stall for time, and on the other, to test Du Qi's attitude. "
Yeon Gaesomun nodded.
Choe Joong Ki's plan was indeed something that could be considered.
Yeon Gaesomun was not willing to truly surrender, so he was naturally more than happy to stall for time and test Du Qi's stance on the matter.
Yeon Gaesomun said, "And the second point?"
Choe Joong Ki said, "The second point is to ally with Silla and Baekje. In the current situation, Du Qi will definitely not withdraw halfway. He will definitely continue to advance. Thus, Du Qi's intention is very likely to be to take down Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla and unify the Liaodong region. Under this premise, if we are really wiped out by Du Qi, it will be like the lips are gone and the teeth are interdependent. "
After pausing for a moment, Choe Joong Ki continued, "If we are wiped out, Silla and Baekje will find it difficult to survive. Thus, General Lu immediately arranged for people to rush to the two countries and ask for their assistance. With the soldiers of Silla and Baekje, even if Du Qi's weapons are formidable, we will still have a bit more of a chance. "
Yeon Gaesomun nodded after hearing this.
This was an experienced plan.
Yeon Gaesomun had once looked down on Silla and Baekje. Silla was ruled by women, and Baekje did not have a strong presence. Goguryeo, under Yeon Gaesomun's rule, had always wanted to swallow up Silla and Baekje.
But now, the situation had changed.
He needed to ally with both sides.
Only then would he have a chance.
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