Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 260 The Situation Li Shimin Worries About the Most

In the eyes of laymen, war is just two groups of people fighting each other.

In the eyes of most knowledgeable generals, war is a fight between two groups of troops under the constraints of logistics, terrain, weather, etc.

But in Li Shimin's eyes.

In the eyes of Li Shimin, a military genius, he would have entered the Temple of Martial Arts if he had not entered the Temple of Confucius.

War is an activity without standards, highly personalized, and seeking certainty in uncertainty.

Each commander's response strategy in this activity - that is, combat tactics - is different.

Just like fingerprints, each has its own characteristics and varies from person to person.

After fighting many battles and summarizing many times, Li Shimin gradually mastered a unique skill -

That is to observe the battlefield situation and infer who is actually commanding the opposing force.

His intuition was often more accurate than the so-called "confidential intelligence" provided by spies, helping him to "tailor-make" a set of restrained tactics according to the characteristics of the enemy's main general's use of troops in combat.

Therefore, when the Red Turban Army on the opposite side of the mountain suddenly changed its humble and squatting troop transport style, and like a roc spreading its wings, it stretched out its sharp claws towards the Xueyantuo at the foot of the mountain steadily, accurately and ruthlessly.

Li Shimin was keenly aware that the other side had changed its head coach.

And the new head coach who took over was Li Jing!

This speculation outweighed the surprise of the arrival of reinforcements and made Li Shimin suspicious.

He and Li Jing actually did not have many opportunities to work together. In the war to unify the country, one was in charge of the north and the other was in charge of the south.

However, Li Shimin would review the opponent's tactics in military books every night for his old "partner" who had conquered the southern half of China for the Tang Dynasty but also made him wary of him.

Therefore, the subtle changes in the Red Turban Army's formation could not escape his eyes.

"Li Jing? Is he the veteran general who was named Yehu of Weiguo by the Heavenly Khan? Is he also in Hengshan?" Ashina She'er was stunned.

Qibi Heli also started to murmur:
"When I was still in Chang'an, Lord Li Wei was already old and frail, and I'm afraid he won't live long..."

It’s not like they haven’t fought in wars before. In the early Tang Dynasty when there were many famous generals, they were worthy of the title of “good at fighting and conquering”.

However, they still found it very "mysterious" that His Majesty had this magical skill of "making anyone pregnant by staring at them".

In their eyes, in a terrain like a valley with extremely limited maneuvering space, there is not much room for strategy, and the basic deployment of troops is almost the same.

How can you determine who the main general of one side is by just looking at his moves?
What's more, who doesn't know Li Jing and Li Weigong?

The elderly man, who was over seventy years old, was plagued by serious illness and was counting the days he could live. It was even difficult for him to walk upright out of the Duke of Weiguo's mansion.

How was it possible that he would travel all the way from the stable and comfortable Chang'an to the snowy Hengshan Mountain just to command a group of bandits to fight the Hu people?

The Liaodong Army had raised Martian reinforcements that far exceeded the country's national strength, and they could still use the fact that "the people enthusiastically joined the army" to explain it away.

But it is a bit too abstract that Li Jing, who was waiting to die on the hospital bed in Chang'an, suddenly teleported to the front line in Yunzhou to command the battle.

It's not a fantasy novel.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

However, they were too embarrassed to offend the old emperor in person, so they could only raise the question indirectly.

"If it's not Li Weigong, who else could it be..."

Li Shimin also doubted whether his judgment was a bit hasty.

Li Jing wouldn't travel thousands of miles to the front line just to show off his skills in front of him, right?

Because he had a backup plan before going to the battle, he privately told Fang Xuanling:

If anything happens to him in this battle, Li Jing will be executed immediately.

And now he just meets the criteria of "three longs and two shorts".

Li Jing's sheep bladder may have been pretending to be sick for several years, so he may be in good health.

But Fang Xuanling is a reliable old man. He wouldn’t fail to follow such a simple order, right?
"But who else but Li Jing could use this safe and insidious tactic?"

Li Shimin stared at the battlefield intently, with his entire body leaning out of hiding, as if he wanted to get a clear look at the Red Turban Army's main general hiding in the trench.

"Father...Father, please be careful! Don't fall off the mountain!"

Li Chengqian became anxious and quickly grabbed Li Shimin's belt.

My father can die, but not now. It is in my best interest to keep him alive now... Li Chengqian muttered to himself.

"Um……"

Li Shimin responded hesitantly, but finally he lay obediently on the snow to conceal his figure.

The more he watched, the more he felt that the Red Turban Army's tactics were suspicious.

Tactics can be imitated, but the command habits in details cannot be fully imitated by others.

A slight difference can make a difference of a thousand miles.

If it were an ordinary general, this layout of dividing the army into four parts when the numbers are not superior might turn out to be a tactic similar to the one in which Calabash Brothers saves his grandfather.

But the positioning of those Red Turban Army was just right, like a ferocious and hidden tiger, retracting its claws and approaching its prey cautiously.

The ignorant Tiele people fell into the trap and gathered into square formations, making it easier for them to be collectively harvested.

No matter how unbelievable it is, this move and every posture can be said to be exactly the same as those used by Li Jing in several battles in history, but it can also be said to be a perfect replica.

"Could it be that... Li Jing has really been pretending to be sick for so many years?

"Then when the news of my predicament reached Chang'an, Chang'an was in chaos, and that fellow had the opportunity to escape?

"Then how come he is here? Why is he here..."

The more Li Shimin thought about it, the more he felt that this was a setting that even he himself did not dare to adopt lightly.

"With so many righteous people joining the battle and rising up to resist the Tiele invasion, it is the guarantee for the stability of our Tang Dynasty. Father should be happy. Why are you so worried?"

Li Chengqian was making sarcastic remarks on the side, but he was holding back his laughter.

Aren't you the most powerful person in the world? How come a Li Jing who is about to lie in a coffin scares you like this?
"Well, indeed..."

Li Shimin responded without comment and stopped talking. Instead, he stared at the battlefield with even more concentration.

But this time, the look in his eyes when he looked towards the Red Turban Army formation no longer contained the positive emotions such as joy, heartache, or touching.

Instead, it is full of vigilance and calculation.

The sentimental Li Shimin is gone, and now he is a ruthless political machine.

If, he meant if...

All his assumptions just now came true, Li Jing really joined forces with the Liaodong forces.

that……

The mystery behind it is worth talking about.

As we all know, due to its geographical reasons, Liaodong can be regarded as a semi-enclave of the Tang Dynasty isolated from the core of Han territory.

The centrifugal tendency has always been very serious.

It was not until Li Ming took over the local government that the situation was stopped...

It's no use trying to stop this evil trend. His centrifugal tendency has become even more serious. He even took over the Yingzhou Governor's Office...

Forget it, forget it, the person is gone, let’s not mention it.

Li Shimin swallowed this nameless fire, and his temples began to hurt again.

Liaodong openly disobeyed the imperial court, while Li Jing was secretly evil.

How to deal with the relationship between the founding emperor and his meritorious officials has always been a difficult problem.

Because meritorious officials are more like partners than "ministers".

During the founding war period, brothers could naturally be more casual and not so obedient, and the leader generally would not say anything.

But after securing his position on the throne, the eldest brother certainly could not tolerate his younger brother continuing to be disrespectful and powerful, so of course he had to start taking back power.

This can easily lead to structural contradictions.

Li Shimin was able to subdue others by relying on his status as the "first meritorious official", so the group of meritorious officials was very honest.

Li Er did not have to kill many meritorious officials like some other founding emperors did, leaving behind many stories about the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

But Li Jing is an exception.

Because Li Jing's contribution was also not small, he led the troops to fight independently and conquered half of the southern part of the country.

It is possible that if he had turned against the Tang Dynasty and established independence, he could have established a strengthened version of the Southern Dynasty.

During the process of pacifying the south, Li Jing's relationship with the warlord Xiao Xin was unclear.

When he was in Xiazhou to attack Xiao Xian, he hesitated and was discovered by the retired Emperor Li Yuan, who almost had him executed.

Finally, the emperor was persuaded by his subordinates to come back, saving Li Jing's life. From then on, Li Jing also restrained his edge and acted harmless.

But since this is a matter of national sovereignty, even if Li Jing dares to act, Li Shimin may not dare to believe it.

An innocent man is guilty of possessing a jade. Li Jing's outstanding military ability was the "jade" that made Li Shimin uneasy no matter what.

If Li Jing's ability is combined with Liaodong's rebelliousness...

The consequences could be disastrous!

It is definitely not as simple as Liaodong breaking away from the Tang Dynasty and establishing its own regime.

Instead, Li Jing used Liaodong as his base and gradually infiltrated the Central Plains until he replaced it!
This battle in Hebei is the first step of this plan!
By taking over Hebei, Li Jing and the Liaodong people will have a springboard to march into the Central Plains!
If Li Ming was in control of Liaodong, then it would just be a game of the throne transferring within the Li family.

But the problem is that Li Ming has been killed by Li Tai!
What Li Jing is aiming for is probably to destroy the entire Li Tang Dynasty!
"Maybe it's just a coincidence. The commander of the Liaodong guys may not be Li Jing. It definitely can't be Li Jing...hiss, it hurts!"

A piercing headache interrupted Li Shimin's suspicion and briefly brought him out of his dilemma.

If my suspicions are true, a series of coincidences need to be met at the same time, which is obviously unlikely.

And according to common sense, in the Tang Dynasty, people who lived to the age of 50 or 60 were considered to have died of old age.

It is impossible and unnecessary for an old man in his seventies to travel all the way to the snow and ice to continue to shine.

Even if he were to become emperor, how many years of happiness could he still enjoy?
Li Shimin shook his head, gathered his thoughts, and continued watching the battle.

But in his eyes, the nature of the battle of Hengshan began to change quietly——

The Liaodong volunteers fought bloody battles with the invaders to defend their country.

Instead, it became a battle for territory between the separatist armed forces of the Red Turban Army and the Tiele armed forces.

…………

"What? Those annoying Liaodong guys have reinforcements? They've driven back the front army and are now in a standoff at the foot of the mountain?"

Zhenzhu Khan's male voice was as loud as a bell, and his rude questioning made the messenger dare not look up.

The Xueyantuo's main tent was located on the top of a hill at the other end of the valley, overlooking the entire battlefield.

A lot of reinforcements suddenly appeared on the opposite mountain, and he could naturally see it.

He had long expected that the stubborn Red Turban bandits would not surrender themselves to death, so the arrival of reinforcements was normal and did not catch him off guard at all.

What really broke his defense was that his army was not at a disadvantage when facing the enemy reinforcements.

This gave him the illusion that he could win.

The warriors who followed Zhenzhu Khan to Yunzhou to fight the Red Turban bandits to the death all came from the core tribes. They were the most elite and capable fighters who obeyed military orders the most in the entire Khanate.

The newly arrived reinforcements on the opposite side neither wore red turbans nor were they much shorter than the genuine Red Turban Army, so it was obvious that they were not very strong in combat.

Adding one plus one minus one, it seemed that the Xueyantuo army could defeat the enemy reinforcements, break through the defense line, and catch the big fish of the Red Turban Army trapped in the trench if they just gritted their teeth a little longer.

However, they were eventually knocked down the mountain and their plan failed.

The strength was just right, just enough to make Zhenzhu Khan scream and scratch.

Failure on the verge of success is much more frustrating than a complete defeat.

"Pass on my order, concentrate your forces and attack that hill with all your might!"

Zhenzhu Khan roared loudly.

He was not afraid of the enemy's reinforcements because he had enough redundancy and plenty of manpower to fight with the enemy in terms of consumption.

As long as we rush forward and drown the enemy with manpower, everything will be fine.

"Great Khan, although I don't know the art of war, I dare to ask..."

Li Tai, who was sitting nearby, asked anxiously:

"Will it be dangerous to concentrate our forces in one place? What if..."

"What do you know? War is all about concentrating superior forces!" Zhenzhu Khan yelled at him impatiently:
"The more bandits come, the better! We must take advantage of this opportunity to capture the leader of the Red Scarf Bandits and any unruly people who dare to associate with them!"

Li Tai was so angry after just a few words.

Because as Li Tai himself said, he didn't understand the art of war.

Just out of a conspirator's intuition, Li Tai always had a sense of unease.

If the other party wants to do something bad, now is the time...

"What are you standing there for? Go and pass the message!"

Zhenzhu Khan turned to the messenger who was in a dilemma and shouted again.

The innocent soldier was scolded twice for no apparent reason and retreated in disgrace to convey the order.

After a while, the sound of bone whistles of assembly came one after another.

Like a lumbering beast, the Xueyantuo army began to move, slowly approaching the middle of the valley.

Zhenzhu Khan stood on the top of the mountain, taking in the entire military formation below the mountain, and did not hide his smug look.

Although not all of the Xueyantuo's 300,000 troops were assembled here - after all, given the width of the battlefield in Hengshan, it was impossible to deploy such a large-scale force - the scene was already spectacular enough.

Densely packed squares gradually formed, one connected to another, and could simply be described as overwhelming.

Their target was just an ordinary hill beside the river valley.

If all these soldiers climbed up the mountain, they could even cover the entire surface of the mountain, making it dark there!
“Is my army strong?”

Zhenzhu Khan was showing off to his ally Li Tai, which seemed to be an attempt to establish his authority through arms.

Li Tai saluted obediently with his hands crossed:
"They are truly a team of bears and tigers. They are truly mighty and unstoppable."

"Oh, no matter what conspiracies and tricks the other side has, my warriors can kill them as easily as killing wild foxes." Zhenzhu Khan was extremely proud.

Those soldiers were the source of his arrogance and his reliance on gaining a foothold in the Khanate and further attacking the Tang Dynasty.

How can you lose when the army is on your face?
No matter what tricks the Red Scarf Bandit has, just use them!

The army was still gathering, but because the space in the valley was limited, the sounds of the bone whistles were strung together, and the order became increasingly chaotic.

Zhenzhu Khan looked down from the top of the mountain, waving his saber excitedly:

"All troops are on the march! Destroy the leader of the Red Scarf bandits and kill all the Liaodong bandits without sparing a single one..."

"The Khan?"

He was just getting into his talk when he was interrupted by Li Tai again.

"What?" he yelled in frustration.

Li Tai was so frightened that his entire body trembled. He looked a little hesitant. He pointed to the upstream of the valley and asked tremblingly:

"Are those the Khan's cavalry?"

"Hmm? Cavalry?"

Zhenzhu Khan was completely confused.

What serious person would use cavalry in mountain warfare?

He put his hands on the awning and looked in the direction Li Tai pointed.

In the dim light of dusk, he vaguely saw a cloud of fog rising in the upper reaches of the valley, rapidly approaching his army.