Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 250: Northern Expedition! Bringing back the Two Saints!
On the front line with the Xueyantuo, the central military camp of the Tang Dynasty’s 80,000 elite troops.

Hou Junji, Xue Wanche and Li Daozon, three of their fourteen followers, were caught red-handed by the commander-in-chief Li Shiji when they were discussing how to march towards Hebei to support His Highness Li Ming's military operations in Liaodong.

"Where do you want to go? What do you want to do with this army?"

Li Shiji's tone was colder than the coldest days of winter.

"Where are we going... Of course we are going to Hebei! There is the Imperial..."

Xue Wanche was outspoken and was about to yell when Li Daozon at the side covered his mouth.

"Ahem." Prince Jiangxia coughed dryly and continued the conversation with an awkward smile:

"We thought about it again and felt that the chief steward's guess made sense. Your Majesty has nowhere to hide in the vast northern part of the country, so it is very likely that he will go south to Hebei..."

Li Dao Zong was halfway through his speech when Hou Junji blocked his mouth again:

"We have unanimously decided to follow the orders of the Grand Steward and lead the army eastward."

Li Shiji watched the performance of the three people coldly and snorted:
"No need. The three of you stay where you are. We only need to send a small force to search eastwards."

Hou Junji shook his head repeatedly:
"No, no, no, you are right. His Majesty the Emperor may indeed be in Hebei..."

"No, no, no, you are right." Li Shiji interrupted:
“I’ve thought about it carefully, and I think your concerns are correct. We must not take the cunning Tiele people lightly.

"The main force of the Tiele people may not have gone far away, but may be hiding in a nearby valley. If we rush eastward rashly, our logistics may be cut off and our entire army may be wiped out."

Hou Junji: "When it comes to your majesty's safety, what's the point of this little risk?"

Li Shiji: "The safety of the 80,000 Guanzhong warriors is equally important."

Hou Junji: "No, you are right..."

Li Shiji: "You are right."

The two of them argued fiercely and gave in to each other, but in the end, they were unable to reach a conclusion.

Li Shiji was not appointed as the military commander-in-chief for nothing.

Although these 80,000 people may not be able to do whatever he wants.

But if he doesn't want to do something, then this army will definitely not do it.

To put it simply, it is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything.

Therefore, the plan to advance eastward into Hebei was vetoed by Li Shiji and was delayed.

"The Xueyantuo are extremely cunning, so the four of us will accompany the main force and guard the base camp. We shouldn't go anywhere else.

"Let the search for His Majesty be handed over to a small reconnaissance unit. This will cover a wider area and be more efficient."

Li Shiji finally made up a far-fetched excuse and turned back to the commander-in-chief's tent, leaving Hou Junji fluttering his beard and staring but unable to do anything.

Xue Wanche and Li Daozon, who witnessed the whole process, were stunned.

"Do you agree or disagree with each other?" Xue Wanche couldn't help but ask.

The two sides exchanged arguments and switched homes, which overloaded his pig brain.

Li Daozon thought one step further than Lao Xue.

"What happened to Li Shiji?

"Just now you were urging us to go to Hebei, why are you changing your tune so quickly now?"

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Hou Junji pondered for a while, then mysteriously took out the secret letter from Li Ming he had just received:
"I think the answer lies in this letter."

"How is this possible? Did Li Shiji peek at our secret letters?" Xue Wanche blurted out.

Li Dao Zong frowned and said:

"The secret letters from Liaodong were all delivered by special personnel, and his arms couldn't reach that far. But..."

"But he has also been receiving secret letters from Chang'an and following Li Zhi's instructions, and the specific content of the letters is not known to us."

Hou Junji looked at the two of them with a serious look:
"And it is very likely that Li Zhi has obtained the same information as us.

"For example, your majesty may have drifted to the border of Yunzhou, Hebei."

Li Dao Zong was somewhat puzzled:
"Since he also knows that Your Majesty is in that direction, why doesn't he allow us to march to Hebei?"

"Because, this might be Li Zhi's plan." Hou Junji muttered in a low voice:

"Perhaps Li Zhi intends to use the Tiele people to get rid of Your Majesty?"

Li Daozon and Xue Wanche were shocked at first, but after thinking about it again, they felt that this was not impossible.

If the emperor returns, who will be in trouble?

Of course, it was this group of rebellious sons who disobeyed the emperor's arrangements on the succession, drove away the regent, and fought a civil war, turning the country into a mess!
Among them, Li Zhi, who pretended to be a pig and ate the tiger and usurped the throne of Chang'an, was particularly hateful.

If we were to talk about what common interests the eight rebellious kings including Li Zhi and Li Tai had,

That is, let His Majesty Li Shimin continue to stay outside the Great Wall.

If His Majesty really returns to the court, brothers, don't run away and prepare to be hit by the iron fist of feudal dictatorship.

"Your Majesty's safety depends on us." Hou Junji said righteously.

Although he was resentful of Your Majesty for being thrown into prison for looting Gaochang, and although his restless heart had long been dissatisfied with the position of "Minister of Personnel".

But Hou Junji is still a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty and truly cares about the life and death of Your Majesty.

It is definitely not because His Majesty's health is most beneficial to His Highness Li Ming.

"You princes are really...sigh."

Li Daozon shook his head and sighed, believing Hou Junji's guess.

He felt that such a beastly act of a father saying goodbye to his son was something that could only be done by Li Shimin's own sons (except His Highness Li Ming).

For more details, please refer to Li Tai and the Jiucheng Palace Incident.

There is a big problem with your Majesty’s way of educating children... We all mourned in our hearts for the poor Emperor.

…………

"There is a big problem with your Majesty's parenting method..."

In the commander's tent, Li Shiji couldn't help but shake his head and sigh as he looked at the secret letter from Li Zhi that had been burned to ashes.

His Highness Li Zhi's letter was very long, but the main idea can be summarized in four big red characters:
Be careful Li Ming!

In the letter, Li Zhi's tone was full of surprise and vigilance.

It was thought that Li Ming had come to the absolutely safe Liaodong, and was arranged to have a decent exit as he wished. He could withdraw from the fight for the throne and enjoy his retirement life in advance.

But who would have thought that after more than a year of ups and downs, Li Ming's political ambitions were also aroused!

After being exiled to a corner of Liaodong, this guy not only did not settle down, but was always planning to attack Yanshan and return to Chang'an!
Li Zhi came to this horrifying conclusion after all the spies sent by Zhang Liang to Liaodong disappeared.

Yes, horror.

On the one hand, Li Ming's actions in Liaodong were so secretive that he must have some unusual intentions.

For example, make a comeback or stage a comeback.

On the other hand, under Li Ming's governance, Liaodong, a place with a mixed population, mixed Han and Hu people, and a huge flow of merchants and refugees, was impenetrable, leaving Zhang Liang's spies nowhere to hide.

What a terrifying control power!
Facing this opponent with great political ability, Li Zhi would never dare to take it lightly.

"My main task as the commander-in-chief is to prevent Li Ming's followers from becoming the commander-in-chief of this 80,000-man army..."

Li Shiji murmured as he recalled the contents of the secret letter and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

The purpose of a commander leading the troops is to ensure that the army can be led by the commander. This sounds like a self-circulating argument trap.

But this seemingly absurd countermeasure is also to deal with Li Ming's even more absurd tricks and charm.

If Li Shiji had been replaced by some mediocre person, Hou, Xue and Li would have already taken control of the 80,000-strong army under Li Ming's remote control without anyone noticing!
Even if Li Shiji personally took action, he would not dare to slack off in the slightest.

If he is careless for a moment, when he wakes up, his command power may have been stripped away by his adjutants!
Li Shiji, one of the Ten Sages of the Temple of Martial Arts, is now like a curb. The only trouble he can cause to Li Ming is "blocking his position".

"After all, he is 'that prince' who recreated Liaodong out of thin air. No one can imagine what he will do. Extraordinary people should be treated with extraordinary methods." Li Shiji is very clear about his own positioning.

Just be a stone blocking the road, just be a coward.

It was his honor to be able to face off against the legendary His Highness Li Ming.

"In short, we must not fulfill the wishes of the Fourteenth Traitor Party. They plan to go to Hebei, but I insist on staying here!"

Because Li Ming's anti-infiltration ability was so strong, the merchants under his command knew that Li Shimin appeared at the border of Yunzhou, but Li Zhi did not know.

So Li Shiji didn't know about it.

Regarding Hou Junji, Xue Wanche and Li Daozon's attempt to drag these 80,000 people to Hebei, Li Shiji simply thought that this was a conspiracy by Li Ming to try to gather the main forces of the Tang Dynasty.

Because there is only a mountain between Hebei and Liaodong, if the accelerator is not stepped on, the army will be pulled into Liaodong.

Then, after a series of brainwashing that Li Ming is good at, these 80,000 people will be like being manipulated, and will obediently submit to him and become his private soldiers!
Just like those brainwashed people in Liaodong!
These 80,000 people are the precious wealth accumulated by Your Majesty over so many years!

If Li Ming gets it, what is there for the other princes to fight for?

With the strongest combat power and the strongest logistics, let’s sweep across China!

"In short, we must not let these soldiers get close to Hebei, and we must not let the dirty hands of the Fourteen Traitors touch them, we must not..."

Li Shiji suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders was heavy.

…………

"Three more spies were caught in the city of Lulong? Why are there spies everywhere? According to the principle of a thousand cockroaches in a house, I'm afraid that Liaodong has been infiltrated like a sieve."

Li Ming sat behind the desk, raising his brows in displeasure.

Yuchi Xunyu, head of the Intelligence Committee, sat opposite him, sweating profusely from nervousness.

Although he didn't understand the principle that "seeing one cockroach means there are a thousand cockroaches in the house that have not been discovered", he knew that Brother Ming was very dissatisfied with his job.

"I will step up border patrols and keep all suspicious people out of the gate," he answered tremblingly.

"You don't have to be so stressed. There are so many people entering the country recently that it's inevitable that some negligence will occur."

Li Ming amiably encouraged the nervous little friend and sent Xiao Heitan away.

After a while, two more visitors arrived.

Li Ming shook off his serious expression and immediately smiled sincerely and warmly:

"Oh my, I've been waiting for you two to come."

"Chairman."

"Your Highness."

The two visitors saluted Li Ming at the same time.

The two men, one old and one young, were both wearing military uniforms, but the young general was wearing a bright red headscarf.

The older one is Zhang Jian, the governor of Yingzhou, and the younger one is Xue Rengui, his deputy general in name but actually a supervisor.

In order to appease the uneasy heart of his father, Emperor Li Shimin, Li Ming was theoretically not allowed to have an army.

The only troops stationed in Liaodong were the Yingzhou Military Governor's Office and the newly built Pingzhou Military Governor's Office. As for the so-called "Red Turban Army", it was just an underground mutual protection organization among the people.

But in fact, those who understand will understand.

Li Ming once again demonstrated his specialty of infiltrating from the bottom up, and through the strict organization of the Red Turban Army, he has successfully instigated a rebellion... no, he has won over the grassroots soldiers and middle and lower-level officers of the two military governorates in Liaodong.

Xue Rengui, who helped Pingzhou and repelled the invasion of Goguryeo, was an important driving force behind Li Ming's "peaceful evolution" strategy.

He is also the most powerful general in Liaodong.

Because Li Jing was training the local natives in Goguryeo, while the three brothers Hou, Xue and Li were fighting with Li Shiji in Shuobei.

"Thank you for coming all the way from Yingzhou."

Li Ming exchanged a few pleasantries and went straight to the point:
“I summoned you two here to discuss the strategy of the northern expedition against Xueyantuo and Hebei.

"Whether we can welcome back His Majesty and the Crown Prince, and whether we can save the people of Hebei from the dire straits, all depends on your concerted efforts."

Xue Rengui and Zhang Jian were stunned:
"Northern Expedition? Bring back the Two Saints?"

Then, the two obtained confidential information from Li Ming that the emperor was suspected to appear at the border of Yunzhou, as well as a plan to take the opportunity to annex... no, to recover Hebei.

“The time has come to take Hebei into my possession. The local people have had enough of the barbarians’ plunder and the court’s inaction, and the industries of the nobles have either been destroyed or bought out by me at low prices.

"If I take over Hebei now and drive out the Tartars for them, I can not only establish a high prestige and eliminate the long-standing hostility of the locals towards the Tang imperial family and Guanzhong, but also greatly reduce the resistance to the implementation of 'reforms' in the local area."

Li Ming said very bluntly:

"But we have to act quickly. If we wait until Li Tai has established a firm foothold in the local area and joins forces with the local big families to form a stubborn alliance of interests, it will be very difficult for us to take action."

Xue Rengui and Zhang Jian looked at each other and answered immediately:

"I will obey your command!"

Whether from the perspective of Liaodong or the Tang Dynasty, whether for personal gain or justice, marching into Hebei to defeat Tiele is absolutely politically correct.

Li Ming looked at the two people who had united, nodded with satisfaction, and said:

"Regarding how to eliminate the Tiele people and rescue the two saints, I have the following strategic ideas. I would like you to help me review them from a military perspective."

The three of them talked in secret for a long time.

When Xue Rengui and Zhang Jian left the provincial capital, the sun had already set.

"call……"

Li Ming leaned back in his chair tiredly, thinking that although the slogan "Northern Expedition to Welcome Back the Two Saints" did not sound auspicious, it was still very practical.

This is the advantage of occupying the moral high ground. The more friends you have, the more you can use them, no matter what their stance is.

"I thought about learning from Liu Bang, Zhu Di, and even Genghis Khan and Huang Taiji, but I didn't expect that I would end up with Zhao Gou's script..."

Li Ming couldn't help but smile bitterly.

…………

Zhang Jian followed Xue Rengui and left the provincial capital.

As the governor of Yingzhou, he only dared to walk behind his deputy general Xiao Xue.

Because he knew that the officer that His Highness Li Ming truly trusted was Xue Rengui, not him, the general who was a relative of the emperor.

Just as he knew that Li Ming theoretically had no power to command him, and that his troops had actually been infiltrated by Li Ming long ago.

Some things are better not to be exposed.

He didn't want to be stabbed eight times and forced to commit suicide.

"The Liaodong army is good at mountain warfare, not good at horse warfare, and Hebei is mostly plains, which is quite disadvantageous to our army."

Xue Rengui was still immersed in the discussion just now, thinking about the details of this operation:
"Therefore, these 3,000 people are not enough. The Yingzhou Governor's Office should also go all out to provide support. Only 200 people will be left to garrison the base camp.

"What do you think, Governor?"

Zhang Jian's face froze, and he tried to express his opposition in a negotiating tone:

"Mr. Rengui's enterprising spirit is commendable. But, only 200 people will be left?

"To the north of Yingzhou, there is Goguryeo."

Xue Rengui frowned and nodded:

"Well, the governor is right. There is also Goguryeo."

Finally he listened... Zhang Jian breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Xue Rengui added:

"Since Goguryeo is guarding the northern border, we don't even need to keep those two hundred people. All of them should go to Hebei!"

Zhang Jian: ???
(End of this chapter)