Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 298 Proxy War

It's really weird. The main force of the Ming Dynasty was almost all deployed along the line from the Central Plains to Qi and Lu, confronting the Tang army across the Yellow River and Mount Tai.

The second-line forces were located along the Yanshan Mountains, the Daxianbei Mountains to the Heishui River, providing protection for the Ming Dynasty's colonists... bah, settlers, against harassment from savages, wild bears and giant wild cats from the Northeast.

As for the rear area of ​​the former Goguryeo territory in the direction of Pyongyang, it is emptier than a wallet at the end of the month.

I never expected that the Tang army, which used Wude as the first year name of its founding, actually had no martial ethics at all!

A wave of Martian soldiers appeared on the Korean Peninsula and launched a shameless sneak attack!
This time we were really attacked from both sides.

"But there's an entire Ming dynasty between the Tang Dynasty and Pyongyang, how can they reach it...

"Did the Tang army land in Incheon?!"

Li Ming was shocked.

Can we say that he is worthy of being Li Shimin? His strategic vision was more than 1,300 years ahead of others.

"Huh? What's the Incheon landing? And was it Lee Se-min who raided Pyongyang? I thought it was Kim Deok-man."

Intelligence chief Yuchi Xunyu scratched his dark head, feeling confused about Brother Li Ming's "intelligence".

Li Ming was also confused:

"Wait a minute, who is Kinderman?"

Is there a general named "Jin" in the Tang Dynasty? Man, why not Rodman?

"Your Majesty, Jin Deman is the queen of Silla," said Fang Xuanling.

As a person who had presided over work in Goguryeo, Lao Fang was quite familiar with the situation in that area.

"Queen?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The previous King Jinpyeong of Silla had no sons, and after his death, his throne was inherited by his eldest daughter, Jin Deman."

“Silla? Hiss, Silla…”

Li Ming subconsciously recalled the countries surrounding Goguryeo in his mind.

People who achieve great things don't pay attention to small details. For example, he missed the two little guys under Pyongyang.

Silla and Baekje.

At the beginning, Goguryeo did not take over the entire Korean Peninsula, but stopped at Pyongyang.

Well, it's roughly around the 38th parallel north.

South of that line are the two countries of Silla and Baekje. Silla is in the east and Baekje is in the west, and the two countries are separated by the Sobaek Mountains.

Li Ming passed through Goguryeo quickly without any harm, so he inherited all the original territory of Goguryeo and did not continue to advance southward.

This was not an oversight, he had a reason to do so.

Because the economic value of the Korean Peninsula is really too low, the only copper mines and coal mines are just north of the 38th parallel and are all within the territory of Goguryeo.

As for that damn place in the south, the land is barren and resources are scarce.

It's really not worth it to fight a war for such a small amount of money.

Li Ming came here to conquer, not to provide targeted poverty alleviation.

It would be better to concentrate all our strength on the battle for supremacy in the Central Plains and let those Tungusic savages entertain themselves in the south.

But I didn't expect...

"Silla has been hiding in the south, not even daring to provoke Goguryeo. How could they have nothing better to do than to provoke the Ming Dynasty, which is several times stronger than Goguryeo?

"Even if the peninsula is poorly guarded, it is still part of the Goguryeo mountain city's defense system. How dare those old and weak soldiers of Silla charge at us?"

Li Ming knocked on the table and said to Yuchi Xunyu:

"There must be a big country behind this. Go and check carefully to see if those so-called Silla soldiers are Tang troops in disguise."

Carrying out amphibious landing operations on the Korean Peninsula in the seventh century AD was indeed a billion years ahead of its time, and was no different from sending one's own troops into the sea to feed the fish.

But if Li Shimin used Silla as a strategic fulcrum, used Silla's beach ports to transport troops, and then obtained logistical supplies from Silla on the spot, then it would be feasible...

Li Ming gritted his teeth secretly.

I made a mistake and neglected the coastal defense, which allowed Lao Li to take advantage of the opportunity.

Fang Xuanling added:

"Jin Deman actively paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty and was awarded the title of Zhuguo and Jungong. She was willing to be a vanguard of the Tang Dynasty.

“Find out the form and scale of Tang’s support for Silla, whether it is money, generals, or troops.

"It's summer now, and typhoons are frequent. Tang's maritime support for Silla is limited."

Yuchi Xunyu nodded heavily:
"Okay, I'll check it out right now!"

After the little black-haired guy left, Li Ming immediately flew to the edge of the map.

"Father, uncle, what should we do now?"

He also scratched his scalp.

Li Ming didn't care much that the currency war failed to further expand its effects.

Because it's just a bonus.

The foundation of feudal society lies in the countryside, and the small peasant economy does not need money at all.

As long as the countryside is not in chaos, the country will not perish.

However, Pyongyang was stolen, which made Li Ming very upset.

Because the Northeast is the foundation of his rule, if the Tang and Silla coalition forces follow the peninsula all the way to the Northeast, it will be a big trouble.

They don't even need to occupy the place. Just standing there and harassing from time to time would be enough to deal a heavy blow to the economy and politics of the Ming regime.

As soon as Old Li made a move, Little Li also felt the cool feeling on his back.

"I believe that the first priority is to stabilize the Central Plains front."

Zhang Sun Wuji immediately made a suggestion:

"Based on my understanding of Your Majesty... and the Great Tang Emperor Retired, he must have a backup plan.

"The most likely scenario is that they will take advantage of the instability in our rear and the mobilization of our forces to launch a full-scale attack on the Central Plains front."

Fang Xuanling agreed with this:
"The current situation is very clear. The longer the confrontation drags on, the greater the disadvantage for the Tang Dynasty.

"Taking advantage of the current two-pronged attack will give them the best chance of winning."

Li Ming nodded:
"Both of you are right. We cannot lose the front line.

“What about Pyongyang?”

"Of course we need to send troops to defend it. If we leave it alone it will cause disastrous consequences." Changsun Wuji said further.

Fang Xuanling agreed again:
"The Northeast is our economic hinterland and the main mineral producer. If the Northeast is unstable, the Ming Dynasty will not be stable."

Li Ming nodded again:

“You two dear ministers are right, the rear can also be lost.

"It's just that I have a small question -

"What can I do to consolidate both the front and the rear?"

Doesn't this make me want both?

Everyone can say nice things, but the question is how to do it?

“Military strength is limited, and logistics and finances are even more so.”

Li Ming knocked on the table:

"Our heavy troops are deployed on the front line in the Central Plains, which is more than 10,000 miles away from Pyongyang. How many troops should be transferred there? Where is the main attack direction between the Central Plains and Pyongyang? Where will the additional expenses for large-scale military mobilization come from?

"In case you forget, let me remind you that the first war bond is about to mature, and we need to allocate funds to pay the principal and interest."

Deploying troops is not a matter of just following a certain rule; soldiers can automatically refresh on the front line.

When a country becomes big, it is full of problems, and one small issue can affect the entire body.

There is always a trade-off between the front line and the rear.

Only children will say “I want it all”, while adults know they cannot handle it.

"Your Majesty means..." Fang Xuanling heard the hidden meaning of His Majesty Li Ming:

"The Central Plains front is the main attack direction, and Pyongyang is secondary?"

"Yes, we must grasp the main contradiction and strike the first blow to avoid a hundred blows. And Chang'an is the main contradiction." Li Ming pointed to the Central Plains area on the map.

"After all, the Northeast is mountainous and the roads are long. It will take them a long time to enter the core area from the peninsula.

"The rich area of ​​the Central Plains is just south of the river. We will seize the Central Plains and let them plunge into the deep mountains and dense forests. Let's see who can outlast the other."

Zhang Sun Wuji agreed:

"If we are led by the other side, and fight Silla when Silla is in trouble and Turks when Turks are in trouble, it is like treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause, which will never end.

"Our army is exhausted from frequent mobilization, while the enemy is sitting back and waiting for us to tire out. This is dangerous."

Fang Xuanling expressed a different opinion:

"But if we allow Silla to run rampant in our country's rear, it will surely cause endless disasters."

Li Ming asked back: "Then how can we fight them off? Does Mr. Fang have any ideas?"

Changsun Wuji crossed his arms and glanced at his old rival to see how he would respond.

Fang Xuanling took a sip of tea slowly, his eyes rolled, and he said slowly:
"I do have a plan."

"What's the plan?"

"Don't forget, in addition to Silla, there is also a Baekje Kingdom south of Pyongyang." Fang Xuanling said:
"Baekje and Silla have always been at odds. Tang used Silla as a springboard to contain our country, so our country can also use Baekje as a fulcrum to contain Silla."

After hearing the clever Fang Xuanling's idea, Li Ming did not feel enlightened.

"Is Baekje familiar with us? How can we convince them to help us take advantage of the situation and anger our neighbors and the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Ming's suspicion is justified.

He was just indifferent to the two small countries on the peninsula, not completely ignorant of them.

He knew the relationship between the small Baekje and the Ming Dynasty. It could be said that they were not good neighbors, but they were almost strangers.

Because Baekje was originally pro-Goguryeo and Japanese, and had a close relationship with the Go royal family and Yeon Gaesomun. As a result, Goguryeo was seized by the Ming Dynasty, King Bojang Go Bojang was deposed, and Yeon Gaesomun was stabbed to death in the street.

Is this a big deal? !
The King of Baekje was angry for a while but did nothing.

We can't let them really attack the Ming Dynasty to avenge their old friend.

After the Ming Dynasty annexed Goguryeo without bloodshed, it seemed to have forgotten this little brother.

No envoys were sent, and no tribute was demanded.

The Ming Dynasty has been getting along with Baekje like this until today.

The two sides have no emotional foundation at all, but now they suddenly ask others to take the lead and go to war with the world's number one hegemon, the Tang Dynasty.

This is a bit wishful thinking...

?
"Well, but..."

Li Ming pondered for a while, seemed to have thought of something, and looked at his left and right arms.

Fang Xuanling raised a smile without any hint of laughter:

"There may not be a way..."

Zhang Sun Wuji stroked his chin gently:

"We can follow the story of the Jin Prince's regent and use the same trick again..."

The three old foxes exchanged glances and said in unison:

"Draw a pie!"

…………

Baekje, with its capital at Sabi.

King Buyeo Ui-ji fell into deep thought as he looked at the elegant edict of enthronement.

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty conferred upon me the title of King of Yan?"

King Uija asked the Ming envoy tremblingly.

The Ming envoy was from Buyeo, Goguryeo, and replied in a few words in Chinese with an accent:

"Well, your majesty's kindness, will you accept it or refuse it?"

King Uija lowered his head, pretended to take another look at the edict, and quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.

After the Ming Dynasty was quietly established, he has always been given a cold and aloof image.

They did not ask for tribute or submission, and were even too lazy to send envoys.

It just quietly loomed over Baekje's head, giving him tremendous psychological pressure.

Who wouldn't be nervous when such a giant suddenly appeared in the north, spanning the sea and the desert, and connecting the black water and the rivers?

It was not that Baekje did not want to send envoys to pay tribute and keep its head down, but it was unsure of the Ming Dynasty's attitude and was afraid of attracting the other side's attention and bringing down divine punishment.

There was an awkward silence like this for nearly a year.

As a result, we received an unsolicited letter from Daming, which was a big bomb.

The title of king is a minor matter. The key lies in the passage attached to the edict:

"The Ming Dynasty has granted me all the land east of Xiaobai Mountain that leads directly to the sea?"

King Uiji muttered this information.

East of Mount Sobaek...isn't this equivalent to giving him the entire Silla?

Baekje had long coveted Silla.

The two countries have been enemies for many years and have fought countless wars.

Because the two countries are in the same ecological niche, if they want to expand, they can only target each other.

We can't launch a northern expedition against Goguryeo, can we?
If we can get the support of Ming Dynasty, we can take Silla into our pocket...

but!
"I appreciate the good intentions of the Great Ming Emperor. But Baekje is a small country with poor people, and cannot protect the East for the Emperor."

Prince Yici politely asked if the Ming Dynasty had some kind of "imperial edict to expand its territory".

After all, Silla's sister is in the hands of your Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, should the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty go and persuade that old woman from Silla?

"Heh." The envoy had expected the other party to say this, and a scornful smile appeared on his lips:

"Your country is small? Your Majesty will make your territory bigger. Your people are poor? Your Majesty will make your country rich right now."

Then he stepped back.

The entourage pushed carts in and turned the tomb over in the hall.

slam-la-

Piles of copper coins, like sand, fell in front of King Yici.

Everyone's eyes were straightened.

These are all genuine hard currencies, genuine Kaiyuan Tongbao coins!

The messenger found it amusing to see these country folks, like crows, being attracted by the shiny things.

He didn't bother to hide his mockery and just laughed in front of the king:

"Haha, you are surprised by what you have seen. These are nothing. They are just some gifts from His Majesty.

"There are more. It depends on whether you have the ability to take them."

Gulp... Prince Yici was shocked by the generosity of the Ming Emperor. He swallowed hard and said tremblingly:
"I... am in awe of your majesty's majesty and don't know how to repay you..."

The term has changed from "Emperor of the Ming Dynasty" to "Your Majesty".

The envoy raised his lips, strode forward in full view of the crowd, and approached the king as if no one was around. In a very rude move, he whispered in King Yici's ear:
"Tang is supporting Silla. Do you know what to do?"

Buyeo Yici was shocked.

He understood the other party's intention.

As a neighbor of Silla, he certainly knew that the Tang Dynasty had sent many ships across the sea to land in Silla.

After that, Silla attacked its powerful northern neighbor madly as if it was on drugs.

King Yici didn't know what the inside story was, and he didn't dare to ask.

But he knew one thing - he and Silla were enemies, and Silla had been coveting Baekje for many years?

If the Tang-Xin coalition progresses smoothly, the outcome for him and Baekje will most likely not be very good.

He has one and only one way out.

A small country caught in the cracks is not qualified to sit on the fence and watch the fight between tigers.

Either you side with one side, or nothing will grow.

"But...the other party is the Tang Dynasty."

King Yici was shocked and confused.

He was not making excuses. The psychological shadow cast by the great Tang Dynasty on the surrounding barbarians was too great.

I am fighting against the Tang Dynasty, is this true or not?

"Hmph, you little bastard, you're a coward, but you're also stupid."

The envoy from the Ming Dynasty did not give the king of the small country any face at all and started to scold him as soon as he opened his mouth.

The king and his ministers of Baekje did not bother with the Ming envoy because they were well-educated and definitely not because they were afraid of the mysterious giant behind him.

"What separates Tang and Silla? What season is it now? Think about it carefully." The Ming envoy gave the other party a riddle.

King Yici scratched his head but couldn't figure it out, so he simply gave up his airs and bowed:
"Please let the angel know."

The messenger looked disdainful and said:

"There is no land route between Tang and Silla, so they can only sail across the ocean. Now it is summer, and typhoons are raging, which has greatly affected shipping. How many people and supplies can Tang transport to Silla?

"The so-called Tang-Silla coalition is nothing more than the Tang people commanding from behind and Silla fighting to fill the gap. But you are different."

The Ming envoy switched to the Buyeo dialect, and seemed to be speaking from the heart to the Baekje people, which made people feel that it was extremely convincing:
"You and the Ming Dynasty have a land route. If you are in trouble, the Ming Dynasty can provide support at any time.

“For example, these.”

He pointed at the mountain of copper coins with his chin.

"What do you think, Your Highness Prince Yan?"

Beads of sweat rolled down King Yiji's cheeks and his throat moved.

What the messenger said sounded like the whisper of a demon, dangerous, but irresistible.

Vast wealth and the land of Silla.

And, he was crowned as the king by the Chinese civilization...

These were benefits and honors that he had never dared to dream of before.

His old rival, King Kim Deok-man of Silla, flattered the Tang Kingdom but only got himself the title of Duke of Lelang County.

And the Ming Dynasty wants to make him king!

Wherever Chinese civilization radiates, even in Baekje, there is a Chinese sentiment.

They all regarded being canonized by the legitimate Chinese as the greatest pride in their lives and the greatest weight to subdue other nobles in the country.

And now, for King Uija and all Baekje people.

There is no two suns in the sky, and in their hearts there is only one sun, the Ming Dynasty!

After a long while, he stood up from his throne and bowed to the Ming envoy as a vassal state:

"I am willing to serve your majesty at my utmost!"

The next day.

The Baekje army went out in full force and raided the poorly defended capital of Silla.

(End of this chapter)