Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Briefing the Great King
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"If we do that, our forces will be scattered and vulnerable to being picked off one by one."
But this was a concern I'd anticipated yesterday, so I was ready with a counterargument.
"That's precisely why we forged an alliance with Baekje, isn't it? We just need to launch our attacks in sync with theirs."
I stated it flatly and flipped to the next page. The court attendant holding the wooden scroll finally let out a grunt of effort. It couldn't have been easy keeping both arms raised like that. But I pretended not to notice and pressed on with my explanation. The second page mapped out the routes for armies departing from Chang'an Fortress to each target stronghold, complete with rough timelines and planned rest stops. The Great King watched with keen interest, as expected.
"It's all laid out at a glance. But there are too many targets. As the Chief of Central Administration said, spreading our forces that thin risks defeat in detail."
"We won't be attacking all these targets. There's still time, so we'll adjust based on Silla's response and which areas Baekje chooses to hit."
"So these are candidate targets for attack."
"Exactly."
"Then explain why you selected these particular regions."
The Great King had zeroed in on the crux, as always. But this was essentially a briefing, and getting through it smoothly was the only way to secure his approval to mobilize the army. I pointed to the leftmost target first.
"This is the old Gomukgeun County—modern-day Gyodong Island. A small island northeast of Hyeolgu Island."
No sooner had I finished than Yeon Jeong-du jumped in.
"Hyeolgu Island is in Silla's grasp. What good would seizing that speck do us?"
"Because Baekje will capture Danghang Fortress and Danghang Port in this offensive. If they do, Silla will have no choice but to use the ports around Hyeolgu Island."
The Great King grasped the implication immediately.
"Reclaiming Gomukgeun County would let us check Silla's moves."
"Yes. It would sever the link between Silla and Tang forces. That's why it's a priority target."
"We'll need a navy for that."
"Correct. About twenty warships should suffice."
"Isn't that too few?"
"It's not far from the mainland opposite. Troops can cross faster on ferries. The warships just need to fend off any enemy vessels trying to interfere."
The Great King nodded as he absorbed the explanation.
"Permission granted to use the twenty warships stationed at the Paekgang River estuary."
"My thanks. The next target is Chiljung Fortress."
In actual history, Chiljung Fortress had been a key stronghold repeatedly targeted by Goguryeo, commanding the Imjin River—what the Silla called the Chiljungha.
"That one's no easy mark. Silla might abandon other places, but they'll fight tooth and nail to save it."
"Precisely why I've included it as a target."
"So you might not actually attack it?"
"It depends on Silla's response."
The Great King cleared his throat uncomfortably, clearly irked by my evasive answers.
"Where's the next planned target?"
"Right here: Gwanmi Fortress."
This one caught them off guard—even the Great King and Chief Yeon Jeong-du looked stunned. Gwanmi Fortress, seized from Baekje in Emperor Gwanggaeto's time, was a vital chokepoint Baekje had desperately tried to reclaim. Its location had been lost to history until my possession, when I realized it was Odusan Fortress at Paju's Unification Observatory—straddling the narrow channel between Gyodong and Ganghwa Islands, right where the Han and Imjin Rivers met the sea. An immense strategic asset controlling both rivers' outlets, which was why the Samguk Sagi called it a "critical coastal defense." Emperor Gwanggaeto had surrounded it by land and sea, bombarding it for twenty days before it fell.
Baekje's King Asin even sent ten thousand troops under General Jinmu to retake it, but they failed.
As the Great King held his silence, Chief Yeon Jeong-du picked a fight.
"Isn't this plan a bit too fanciful? How do you expect to strike that deep into enemy territory?"
"Silla's commanders will probably think the same as you, Chief."
"What?"
Yeon Jeong-du's face hardened at the unexpected jab.
"Wars are won by striking where the enemy least expects it. If even you didn't see it coming, it's definitely going on the list."
The listening Great King interjected.
"Targeting Gomukgeun County is to enable the push on Gwanmi, then?"
"Yes. Hyeolgu is out of reach, but we need Gomukgeun to ferry troops to Gwanmi."
"The navy alone won't cut it."
"I'm also planning to redirect troops from the Chiljung assault."
"Ah, that should really throw Silla off balance."
"Exactly. If they send reinforcements to Gwanmi, we just hit Chiljung instead."
"Any others?"
"Maeso Fortress."
The fiercest battleground of the Silla-Tang War, with its mysterious outcome. Like Chiljung, it controlled the Imjin River.
No wonder Silla and Tang slugged it out there.
After my possession, I'd confirmed Goguryeo and Silla shared the Imjin as a border, making fortresses at crossing points or with river views critically important. The Great King murmured after hearing me out.
"Gomukgeun aside, Gwanmi, Maeso, and Chiljung are all prime chokepoints. Snatching even one from Silla would be a major gain."
"Yes. Maeso overlooks the Imjin, so taking it would hurt them badly."
"How many troops, excluding the navy?"
I flipped to the next page at the Great King's question. The attendant's groans grew louder as he held the scroll, but I ignored it. This page detailed the troop numbers and organization.
"Infantry and cavalry combined: twenty thousand five hundred. Supplies for at least two months."
"Twenty thousand five hundred for two months."
Speaking for the pondering Great King, Yeon Jeong-du said,
"Mobilize that many and lose? How do you take responsibility?"
"You're talking defeat before we've even started? Are you in your right mind?"
My cold retort made Chief Yeon Jeong-du's face stiffen again. I pressed on.
"I pulled all-nighters devising this strategy to win the war. And your first words are about defeat? No matter how much you hate the Yeon clan, isn't that going too far?"
By the end, I was practically sneering, and I could hear his teeth grinding. The Great King watched with evident amusement before speaking.
"The Junior Central Administrator has the right of it. If we lose, we deal with it then. Isn't that so?"
"M-my apologies. The plan just seems so outlandish."
"Then point out exactly what's outlandish. Jumping straight to defeat insults not just me, but His Majesty, who forged the Baekje alliance."
Yeon Jeong-du glared daggers but answered,
"Gwanmi, Chiljung, and Maeso are natural fortresses, garrisoned by huge armies. Split twenty thousand five hundred across them, and you won't take a single one."
"Who said anything about storming and capturing the fortresses?"
My unexpected reply startled even the Great King. The next page outlined the second phase of the plan. The Great King grasped it faster than the still-reeling Chief.
"Crush their reinforcements?"
"Yes. Threaten the Chiljungha fortresses, and Silla has to send relief forces."
"True enough. Or risk losing them."
"We turn that against them with ambushes on their likely approach routes."
"If the garrison learns the relief army was smashed en route, their morale will crater."
"That's what happened at Niha Fortress. They held firm until word came that Nangdang was routed—then they crumbled."
To be precise, hidden Goguryeo cavalry and archers among Nangdang's prisoners had assassinated the Niha commander Piljip—that sealed it. But any relief failure would deliver a huge psychological blow. And smashing field armies caused far fewer losses and took less time than sieging strongholds. Eyeing the paper map, the Great King voiced a concern.
"Good intent, but execution raises issues."
"Please elaborate, Your Majesty."
"Ambushing requires thousands—at least, up to ten thousand. How do you infiltrate that many undetected?"
"Using Malgal cavalry."
"The Malgal tribes?"
I nodded at the Great King's narrowed gaze.
"Unleash the Malgal on raids and pillaging; the locals will flee. Station troops near the ambush sites to screen Silla scouts. That's how we ambushed and routed Nangdang at Niha."
On a smaller scale, but we'd wiped out their command. I planned to upscale it. The Great King caught on.
"Niha tactics. But the real worry is whether Silla plays along."
"Ideally, they'd abandon our targets to block Baekje. That's more likely, actually—they'll probably hit somewhere near Seorabul."
"Fair point. Bukhansan Fortress matters, but not as much as their capital."
The Great King nodded thoughtfully. As he said, during King Jinheung's reign, Silla had poured everything into defending new gains like Bukhansan Fortress, at great cost but successfully, thanks to smart maneuvers. Kim Yushin had shone then, shedding his fallen Gaya royal stigma to enter central politics—laying the foundation to outlast Baekje and Goguryeo.
Either way, we can't let Silla ally with Tang to doom Baekje and Goguryeo.
The scroll-holding attendant was practically sobbing now, but I flipped the page regardless. It listed the advantages of this offensive.
"First, it effectively collapses Silla's Chiljungha defenses. All targets guard that river; losing even one or two gives them headaches."
"Indeed. Use it as a base to push south, and Silla retreats to the Ari River—with Baekje right behind them."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Succeed in this joint strike with Baekje, and we can repeat it to shatter their lines again."
The Great King spoke after hearing me out.
"When we were in chaos, Silla allied with Baekje and stole hundreds of ri of southern territory. Reclaiming it is our royal house's long-cherished goal."