[Lightscreen]
[Compared to the Western Regions, the Tang dynasty's strategy in Liaodong was far simpler.
The Western Regions lay far away beneath distant skies. Roads were treacherous, supply lines stretched thin, and logistics plagued Tang armies at every turn.
Liaodong, however, was different.
Hebei and Shandong both bordered the sea, and civilian shipbuilding had never ceased developing. Whether in population reserves or methods of troop deployment, Liaodong was vastly more convenient than the Western Regions.
More importantly, Li Shimin had left Li Zhi a considerable inheritance in Liaodong:
Over a thousand warships, and grain supplies sufficient to provision three hundred thousand troops on campaign.
These resources had been accumulated bit by bit after Li Shimin's first personal expedition against Goguryeo, all in preparation for a second campaign.
Originally, the grand army was to set out in the twenty-second year of Zhenguan. But that year, Fang Xuanling fell gravely ill and passed away—leaving behind a long memorial of remonstrance before his death.
Li Shimin had no choice but to halt the plan and delay the campaign to the following year.
Then, in the year after that, his own condition deteriorated rapidly.
Zhenguan thus came to an end, and the second expedition was never realized.
Relying on his father's accumulated legacy, when Silla sent a plea for aid, Li Zhi responded with unmistakable swagger:
"Oh, you're jumping around? Then die."
Fresh off pacifying the Western Turks, Su Dingfang was once again appointed commander. He led one hundred thousand troops, commanded the warships, crossed the Yellow Sea, and struck Baekje directly.]
In Ganlu Hall, the smile on Su Dingfang's face could no longer be concealed.
He hadn't forgotten how later generations had summarized his achievements:
Three kingdoms destroyed. Their rulers captured.
He already knew that two of those victories had come in the Western Regions—the Western Turks and the states beyond the Pamirs.
Which meant that this final merit…
Clearly, it belonged to Baekje.
"I recall that Baekje was founded around the time of Wei and Jin?"
Su Dingfang wasn't certain, so he casually asked Li Shiji beside him.
Li Shiji looked at him. His lips moved slightly.
In the end, he said nothing—only turned his head away.
"…No idea."
Su Dingfang shook his head regretfully.
You're a dignified Duke of Cao, weren't you smiling quite happily when talking about Zhang Liang just now?
Why are you suddenly showing me the back of your head?
Watching Li Shiji's stubborn refusal to turn around, Li Jing felt it was time to smooth things over.
"Crossing the sea to strike the enemy is something I never achieved in my lifetime," he said slowly. "This campaign should bring Dingfang great renown in Liaodong."
The moment Li Jing spoke, Su Dingfang instantly reverted to a well-behaved junior, waving his hands in modest refusal.
"Baekje is not like the Turks. It is founded on a peninsula—Goguryeo to the north, Silla to the east, sea on three sides."
"Once we cross the sea and strike, the enemy has nowhere to flee. They can be destroyed gradually."
"The primary merit of this campaign should belong to His Majesty. Without those thousand warships, how could victory be decided in a single battle?"
Li Shiji, still turned away, curled his lips.
Damn it—this guy learns fast.
No matter how much Li Shiji pouted, it did nothing to dampen Li Shimin's gradually improving mood.
Being teased across time by later generations—and recalling the assorted disasters of his descendants—had left him so frustrated he nearly coughed blood.
But hearing Su Dingfang's flattery now, his spirits lifted once more.
These eager young generals…
Su Dingfang.
Xue Rengui, whose archery already carried lethal fame.
Pei Xingjian, still young, yet already praised highly by Li Jing.
And earlier—Wang Yifang.
Wang Xuance, still years away from returning.
And so many other rising names.
At last, a trace of comfort surfaced in Li Shimin's heart.
Then—stop, stop.
His thoughts brushed past the still-younger girl of the Wu family.
Li Shimin quickly knocked his own head and turned to his most capable assistant.
"Xuanling passed at sixty-nine," he said quietly. "It seems he bore much of Zhenguan's burdens."
Sixty-nine was not a short life—but compared to Li Jing and others, there was clearly room for improvement.
Fang Xuanling stroked his beard, eyes narrowing with a gentle smile.
"I rose and fell with Zhenguan, and forged it together with Your Majesty. Near seventy years—what regret could I possibly have?"
"It is Your Majesty who must take greater care of your health."
Li Shimin waved a hand.
That went without saying.
He hadn't tasted the richness of lamb in ages.
Even his proudly perfected sweet-and-sour fish had been discovered by Sun the Medicine King, who decreed it could be eaten no more than twice a month.
Li Shimin still harbored quiet resentment.
Why does the imperial kitchen have such loose lips?
But since it was all for his health, he could only pinch his nose and accept it.
[Lightscreen]
[While Liu Rengui was still trudging toward Qingzhou, huffing and puffing along the road, Su Dingfang had already crossed the sea and completed his landing at the mouth of the Geum River.
King Uija of Baekje was utterly stunned.
"This isn't how you fought Goguryeo last time!"
From Baekje's perspective, the alliance with Goguryeo had been carefully considered. The northern half of the peninsula was entirely Goguryeo territory—if Tang wished to enter the peninsula, it would have to break through Goguryeo first.
As the saying went, distant water could not quench a nearby fire.
That was why Baekje's king had agreed to Goguryeo's terms.
What he hadn't expected was that Tang would cross the sea directly, catching Baekje completely unprepared.
In a panic, Baekje deployed heavy forces at the Geum River estuary, hoping to repel the invaders.
But King Uija had overestimated himself.
The so-called heavy forces were annihilated in a single battle.
The army proclaimed as defending the capital merely added ten thousand heads to Su Dingfang's tally. Aside from that, the battle passed without notable resistance.
Stunned, Uija wasted no words. He fled the capital with the crown prince, racing toward Goguryeo.
Logically speaking, with the king gone, Baekje should have collapsed instantly.
Yet in this moment of crisis, the king's second son—Buyeo Tae—stepped forward.
With father and elder brother abandoning the state, Buyeo Tae bore the burden alone. He scattered his family wealth to soothe the people and soldiers of Sabi, running throughout the city to stabilize morale.
At last, before assembled troops, Buyeo Tae declared himself king.
He vowed to live or die with Sabi City—and resist the brutal Tang to the end.
Inspired by "Little Tae," another Baekje royal stepped forward.
His name was Buyeo Munsa.
Buyeo Munsa was the crown prince's son—the legitimate imperial grandson of Baekje.
The ones who fled were his grandfather and father.
The one vowing to die with the city was his uncle.
Facing such dire circumstances, Buyeo Munsa followed his uncle's example. Wearing armor, he ascended the walls to rally the people.
He spoke passionately of Baekje's arduous founding and proclaimed:
"Though the king and crown prince have fled, they watch us still from afar!"
Then, imitating a tale from Han history, he ordered a rope tied to the city wall and cast it down outside.
He announced:
"Anyone unwilling to share Baekje's fate may climb down this rope now and surrender to the Tang army."
The soldiers were swept up by the atmosphere.
Some wept and beat the ground, swearing to protect the imperial grandson—Baekje had raised soldiers for centuries, and today was the day to die in loyalty!
But contrary to expectations, the imperial grandson's tone suddenly shifted.
"Calamity has struck, and my uncle hastily proclaims himself king. If the Tang withdraw, how could we possibly survive?"
Before all eyes, the imperial grandson displayed astonishing rope-sliding skill.
He was the first to use the rope—sliding straight toward the Tang camp.
To the defenders, this was nothing short of a killing blow to the heart.
The king fled.
The crown prince fled.
Now even the imperial grandson was leading the surrender.
What were they still fighting for?
The soldiers snapped awake and began scrambling for the rope, terrified of surrendering too late.
Upon hearing this, Buyeo Tae sighed deeply. Knowing the situation was hopeless, he ordered the city gates opened and surrendered to Tang.
For Su Dingfang, the surprises weren't over.
Not long after Sabi fell, the Baekje king and crown prince discussed matters briefly—then came scurrying back to surrender as well.
After all, fleeing to Goguryeo had been arduous, and whether Goguryeo would even treat them as human beings was uncertain.
Tang was different.
Pickup and delivery included.
Housing and employment provided.
Just sit back and enjoy—at most, dance occasionally. No big deal!
In less than a month, Su Dingfang escorted tens of thousands of captives and the Baekje royal house back to court.
Thus, Baekje was destroyed.
But as Su Dingfang withdrew, he casually tossed a firecracker into the latrine—igniting popular resentment.
A hundred thousand Tang troops crossed the sea. After two battles, only ten thousand heads were taken.
The merits and spoils were insufficient to distribute.
Thus, after Sabi fell, Tang troops began looting freely, without restraining their blades. The histories record: "Many of the able-bodied were slain."
Thanks to this action, Baekje's restoration movement erupted with tremendous force.]
Listening to the narration, Su Dingfang's smile grew harder and harder to suppress.
At the same time, Li Shiji's expression grew increasingly complicated.
But upon hearing the final line, Su Dingfang's smile froze.
Slowly, that smile climbed onto Li Shiji's lips instead.
And Li Shiji saw it clearly—
A very visible trace of disappointment appeared on His Majesty's face.
Earlier, Li Shiji had been puzzled.
If the light screen's account was accurate—if Baekje's royals rushed to surrender and the soldiers had already lost the will to fight—then where would Liu Rengui find room to distinguish himself?
Now he understood.
Liu Rengui was here to clean up after Su Dingfang.
Shaking his head silently, Li Shiji suddenly felt his own luck wasn't so bad.
At least someone like Guo Daifeng—who disobeyed orders and grabbed merit—hadn't caused trouble for him on the Goguryeo front.
That truly was ancestral blessing.
Sighing, Li Shiji was the first to let it go. He reached out and patted Su Dingfang's shoulder.
"There may have been internal circumstances. It may not be your responsibility."
As a fellow commander, Li Shiji understood better than anyone the difficulty of enforcing discipline.
Absolute obedience was every general's dream.
But in most cases, soldiers were driven by rewards—especially hastily conscripted forces.
Win battles.
Take heads.
Earn merit and titles for descendants.
Do that, and you were the best general alive.
Fail to do so—and try suppressing resentment without overwhelming prestige?
The soldiers' first move would be to cut off the general's head.
Nearby, Li Jing sighed softly.
"The troops under one's command… are many."
Su Dingfang had nothing to say. He only bowed slightly toward Li Shimin, shame faintly visible.
Li Shimin nodded, even sparing a few words of consolation.
Yet inwardly, he recalled the earlier discussion by later generations—
Why had Tang military strength declined?
This campaign against Baekje seemed to mark a key turning point.
Reviewing it himself, Li Shimin realized:
After Su Dingfang returned from annihilating states in the Western Regions, the court ceased compensating the fallen.
Then came Baekje—no accountability for the dead, and even the living had their merits docked.
And who had summarized this problem?
Liu Rengui.
Thus, Li Shimin reached out and patted Liu Rengui on the shoulder, wearing an expression that plainly said:
You've suffered.
Liu Rengui looked utterly baffled.