By March, the earth had thawed, and spring had warmed the land as flowers bloomed.
The hardworking common people once again tilled their not-so-fertile soil.
The fighting in the north also grew fiercer than it had been in winter. Of course, that was from Goguryeo's perspective.
After one winter, Wang Yan had already sent troops deep into Liaodong. Under his command, Goguryeo had been beaten back again and again. Yet Goguryeo refused to accept defeat, always returning in even more frenzied counterattacks, constantly reinforcing its forces and resisting with great determination.
Naturally, while resisting so stubbornly, they also began pursuing diplomacy, requesting audiences with Wang Yan and Yang Guang.
Wang Yan naturally refused to see them, though he did not kill them either. He simply had them sent off to Great Prosperity. Since the war would not be finished anytime soon, they could go play with Yang Guang instead.
Even if Yang Guang met them and agreed to a ceasefire at once, the round trip alone would take two months—enough to push the war into an entirely new phase.
The troops commanded by Wang Yan deeply embodied the highest principles of warfare: swift as the wind, slow as the forest, fierce as fire in attack, immovable as a mountain in defense. They struck quickly, hit hard, and held firm.
Moreover, throughout the fighting, Wang Yan was usually able to anticipate the enemy's moves, running Goguryeo's troops around like fools.
At the same time, Wang Yan rarely fought siege battles. Aside from crucial locations that had to be taken, he relied on feigned attacks and harassment elsewhere, hoping to force Goguryeo's forces into confusion, make them redeploy in panic, then divide and devour them.
But Goguryeo's commanders were no fools. After this tactic had been used over and over in countless