Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 243: Open the Door to Welcome Thieves

"What? Lost?!"

Li Tai slammed the table and stood up, his protruding belly even knocking over the table in front of him.

The books, pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the table were scattered all over the floor, making a sharp noise.

The servant lowered his head and hurried in to clean up.

"Are you Sima Qian?!" Li Tai roared at the other party.

The ignorant servant thought he knew every word his master said, but couldn't understand them when they were put together.

I could only judge from the tone of voice that I was scolded and left in a huff.

The only people left in the study were Li Tai and Zhishisili, who came to report the bad news of the defeat.

Why did Brother Zhishi come back when there was a war on the front line?
Because their coalition forces were slapped back by Li Zhi's imperial army.

Li Tai vented his anger on the servants, but he still felt unsatisfied. He looked at the stupid big guy standing there and became furious. His words were full of sarcasm:
"When I was young, I always felt that the people of Chu were too stubborn when I read history books. Mo'ao Quxia, a capable general of King Wu of Chu, had made countless military achievements, but he was arrogant and suffered a defeat once, and then committed suicide. It was such a pity.

"I just realized today that a general leading an army should have a sense of shame."

Zhishishili's mouth twitched, pretending not to understand the King of Wei's explanation of the allusion to the idiom "arrogant and arrogant". He lowered his head, clasped his fists and said in a low voice:

"The soldiers fought hard, and it was a miracle that they managed to escape unscathed."

Objectively speaking, Zhishi Sili's excuse was not just specious talk to whitewash his own failure.

His large army was marching on the Xiao-Han official road. To the south was Mount Xiao, and to the north were the Yellow River and Zhongtiao Mountains. It was either towering mountains or the raging mother river.

It was a textbook long snake formation with no room for maneuver.

Then, the army ran into Tongguan, a pass that could be blocked by one man against ten thousand. After a long siege, they failed to capture it, and their retreat was unsurprisingly cut off by an ambush.

The head and tail are blocked, and the turtle is caught in the jar.

The army was already in a state of disarray, and with its supply chains cut off, it was on the verge of collapse.

If Zhishisili had not been a brave general, he would have been able to drag this army, which was on the verge of chaos, into an orderly retreat.

They will almost certainly repeat the mistakes of Zhao in the Battle of Changping.

And Zhi Shi Si Li became the Zhao Kuo of the new era, and it was unlikely that he would have the opportunity to stand in front of Li Tai and listen to his instructions in person.

The problem is, there is no problem with the coach and the soldiers.

So what went wrong that made this group of people rush headfirst into the south wall called "Tongguan" in front of them?
Zhishisi Li was not going to continue to play the deceitful trick and said bluntly:
"Your Highness, with all due respect, this war should not be fought this way!
"Knowing that the enemy will heavily guard Tongguan, why do you still take this road?"

It is not the Warring States Period now, and the six states in Shandong can only go through Mount Xiao to fight towards Guanzhong.

Whether it is going around Hetao through Xiaoguan and Dasanguan, or going around Jingchu through Wuguan.

All roads lead to Chang'an, so any pass you enter is a pass.

"Alas... Summer insects cannot talk about ice!"

Li Tai said he didn't want to argue any more with the short-sighted Hu people.

This is the conflict between tactics and strategy.

From a purely military tactical perspective, it is definitely safer to take a detour.

Whether going north or south, which one would not be smoother than heading west aimlessly, being "gradually attacked" all the way, and finally being shut in and beaten at Tongguan?
However, the soldiers on the front line only need to devote themselves to the battlefield, obey orders and fight hard to kill the enemy, but the personnel in the rear have a lot of things to consider.

For example, if the army wants to take a detour, it has to coordinate with the local military and civil affairs leaders and ask for a "military right of passage."

The country is now leaderless, and except for the court officials in Chang'an who have no choice, local officials in various places are more free.

Except for the vast southern regions that were relatively "lying down" and willing to follow the court.

The local officials in the core areas of the Central Plains are mostly middle-aged and elderly people with great potential.

They were watching and betting, neither helping Li Zhi nor Li Tai.

They help whoever wins.

Therefore, Li Tai's army could pass through their jurisdiction safely.

Not only must one pay tangible benefits, but one must also be promised greater benefits in the future to be a "loyal minister."

Li Tai could not simply turn against local officials and use force to suppress them.

Otherwise, he would make countless enemies, and his troops would be exhausted before he even reaches Chang'an.

The current situation in the world is somewhat similar to that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Although the prefectures and counties have not yet started to engage in feudal separatism and establish their own regimes, they still retain a considerable degree of autonomy.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Originally, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui had designed a complete response mechanism to deal with unexpected situations that the emperor encountered.

It is nothing more than His Royal Highness the Regent officially taking over the throne, and everyone is following the rules and procedures.

Just live your normal life and there won't be so many complications.

However, this mechanism was ruined by the descendants of the Li family themselves.

First, Li Tai replicated the "Suzaku Gate Incident", and then Li Zhi made another "astonishing achievement" and "occupied the magpie's nest".

The Li family killed each other, turning the originally orderly court politics into a precarious conspiracy politics.

Then don’t blame the foreign officials for not observing martial ethics.

The Tang Dynasty continued the "integration of civil and military affairs" system of the previous dynasty. There was no clear distinction between civil officials and military generals. Even many prefectures and counties were in charge of both military and political affairs. This gave each place a military foundation to live a small life behind closed doors.

This was also the beginning of separatist regimes in the late Tang Dynasty, which was not resolved until the Song Dynasty, but that is a story for another time.

"In short, I don't care about the number of casualties. We must take Tongguan! If it doesn't work once, we'll try a second time!"

Li Tai said domineeringly.

The time and political costs of taking a detour are something he cannot afford.

By the time he arrived at the city of Chang'an after spending a lot of money to buy his way through, I'm afraid Li Zhi had already mobilized reinforcements from the south and would give him two cheese sandwiches.

"Your Highness the Prince of Wei!"

Zhishi Sili felt that he and his master were talking at cross purposes.

"Why? Do you also want to follow the story of Ashina She'er, abandon your fellow soldiers, and follow your father northward?"

Li Tai sat back slowly, looking at the generals under his command with a half smile.

Zhishisili's face changed, but he forced himself to swallow his anger.

At this time, a messenger came hurriedly reporting, with a very panicked tone.

"Your Highness..."

"Why is there another blind person here?"

Li Tai was very angry and tapped the table impatiently:

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

The messenger swallowed his saliva and said:

"All the princes of the coalition army, lead your troops and retreat!"

Zhishisili raised his eyebrows slightly, but he was not very surprised.

Nowadays, even the princes with poor political ability should realize that troubled times are coming, and the soldiers in their hands are the capital for their survival.

Who can bear to see Li Tai squandering the capital in this bottomless pit of Tongguan?
People come together for profit, and when the profit is gone, they disperse. It is nothing more than this.

"The court has issued a new decree. As long as you support the court again, brothers will unite to fight in the north to rescue father, and the past will be forgiven."

The messenger carefully glanced at the King of Wei's face and said timidly:

"Even if it's His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei, as long as he gives up resistance, I won't strip him of his title, I won't..."

Li Tai was so angry that he jumped up again on the spot:
"Oh, is he going to swear on the Wei River? He wants to be a rich man after being a marquis? Bullshit!"

The messenger trembled and dared not speak.

Zhishisili also frowned. "Jiulang is a very scheming guy! He has been patient for so many years, deceiving my father, deceiving me, and deceiving everyone in the world!

"He is King Zhuang of Chu. Once he ascends the throne, he will surely make a big splash! By then, we will have no power to resist, and we will be no different from fish on the chopping board. We will all die in his hands!"

Li Tai was furious and gasping for breath with difficulty.

He was angry that Li Zhi had no martial ethics and resorted to such a shady trick to divide his camp.

He was even more angry at his half-brothers - those six rotten fish and shrimps - they were truly stupid, as stupid as a rotten wood that cannot be carved and dung that cannot be plastered.

They made such a big fuss and brought the world into this state.

If I say "I'm sorry", will everything be cleared?

impossible!
That guy Li Zhi is definitely up to something bad!
Recruiting, sidelining, and beheading are basic political operations.

If the rebellious brothers dared to surrender, Li Zhi would invite them to experience this one-stop service personally.

"Cao Shuang's bloody example is right before our eyes. Li Ming can see it clearly. Can't those stupid brothers see it?"

Li Tai added angrily.

Li Zhi pretended to be a pig and ate the tiger, falsely benevolent and righteous, and divided his camp, which was enough to make him angry.

When he thought that there was only one person in the world, including him, Li Tai, who had not been deceived by Li Zhi from beginning to end——

And that person is called Li Ming——

This made Li Tai even more angry.

"Whether the princes will be held accountable by Li Zhi in the autumn after they surrender is still uncertain."

Zhishisi Li, who was standing by, said something sarcastic:
"But if this war continues like this, it will definitely be over."

"You...?!" Li Tai felt that the blue veins on his forehead were almost pushing through the thick layer of fat.

Zhishisi Li was no longer afraid of him, and said with a slightly mocking tone:

"The army is not united, and is hesitant and marching in a flock of geese?"

The corners of Li Tai's mouth twitched violently, and he pointed coldly at the door:

“Get out…get out!”

After all the outsiders were kicked out, the noisy study immediately returned to peace.

"Nowhere to go? Surrender and let bygones be bygones? Ha."

Li Tai muttered viciously, his expression calm as still water, and he no longer had the anger and frustration he had just shown.

Although they could not win on the battlefield, the coalition forces were easily dispersed.

But Li Tai had not yet been pushed into despair.

Because he still has a way out.

But the price of this back-up plan is a bit expensive.

If he hadn't been forced to this point, he actually didn't want to go down this path.

But now, compared to going to Taiji Temple to kowtow to my brother, I will let him control me for the rest of my life.

He was more than willing to pay the price.

"Li Zhi, Li Zhi, from now on, all the suffering in the world is caused by you. You must accept it."

Li Tai had a sinister expression. He bent down with difficulty, picked up the scattered paper and pen, and began to write a letter.

It was written in the Turkic language commonly used in the northern grasslands, and began with:
"Your Highness, Xue and Tang are countries of rulers and subjects..."

…………

In Mobei, the Xueyantuo camp.

Zhenzhu Khan Yinan sat on a tiger-skin chair, reading the secret letter sent by Goshawk from Luoyang, with his eyes slightly narrowed and stroking his beard playfully.

As a nomadic empire composed of the Xue and Yantuo tribes among the Tiele tribes, the Xueyantuo was originally just one of the tribes subject to the Turks.

After the Eastern Turks were easily destroyed by the unspeakable monster in the south and the Western Turks fell into a long period of internal strife.

Xueyantuo finally became the boss of the family and quickly occupied the ecological niche of the northern grassland.

Yinan has both love and fear for the Tang Dynasty, his southern neighbor.

Love her goods and fear her armies.

Especially afraid of her ruler.

Li Shimin, the Heavenly Khan, was so fierce in fighting that he wiped out the Turkic people in the blink of an eye.

Yinan was afraid that Li Shimin would have a "chatty" moment with him, and he was so scared that he couldn't sleep at night.

So he decided to strike first, capture the leader first, and use conspiracy to kill Tian Khan first.

After a few interactions, he became involved with Li Tai, the Prince of Wei.

After a series of conspiracies with internal and external collusion, the Tiele people finally saw the dawn of victory.

After the tribal warriors fought desperately, they finally separated Li Shimin from the main force and trapped him in the Luan River Valley.

It's only a matter of time before we take him down.

"The question is, what is the Tang army doing?"

Although they were cut off from the emperor, the 80,000 main forces of the Tang army were still there and were not damaged at all.

But the movements of this troop are very suspicious.

They neither moved eastward to rescue the emperor, nor headed north to attack Huanglong.

There was no retreat to the south.

Instead, it has been moving westward.

What are they thinking?
Because of the fog of war, Yinan has been unable to grasp the opponent's intentions, like a thorn in his throat. He can only use his main force to confront the opponent and dare not move rashly.

Now, with the secret letter sent by Li Taigang, he finally understood the true intentions of the Tang army and the true national conditions of the Tang country.
"So the Central Plains is in chaos, and their logistics have been cut off... Haha, that's why!"

Shocked to realize that he had been battling wits with the air, Yi Nan slapped his thigh.

This way, there would be no worries, and the entire army could press eastward to hunt down Li Shimin...

"Do not."

Yinan read Li Tai's letter again, his eyes fixed on the first few words.

I, Tai, say... Xue and Tang are the countries of the ruler and the minister...

These few words suddenly made the Xueyantuo leader excited, and a flame ignited in his chest.

The fire called "ambition".

His plot to plot against Li Shimin was initially just a gamble to protect himself.

Dutian Khan's successor was not as good as his father, which allowed the terrible Tang Kingdom to stop its expansion and allow the Xueyantuo Khanate to survive for a while longer.

But Li Tai's intelligence made him realize that the turmoil caused by Li Shimin's disappearance in the Tang Dynasty was far beyond his imagination.

The nomadic blood awakened in the veins of the barbarians.

What are you still standing there for? Go south and rob money, food and people!

During the reign of Li Shimin, this was something he would not even dare to think about.

Go south to plunder? It would be a blessing if the Tang army didn't go north to rob cattle and sheep!

However, now, the Tang army is unable to take care of itself, so what is there to be afraid of?
The looting instinct that had been suppressed by the powerful neighbor to the south now became more intense, making it difficult for Yi Nan to overcome himself.

"Somebody come!"

Yi Nan leaped up, his eyes like a hungry wolf.

"Pass my order, march south and into Youyun!"

(End of this chapter)