Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 304: Fog of War
It is often said that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts.

In the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing was the one who deserved it.

Therefore, no matter how strong their own opinions were, the generals under his command all shut their mouths and listened attentively.

Li Jing did not speak immediately. Instead, he picked up a piece of lotus root cake sprinkled with sugar osmanthus and sesame oil with two fingers and put it into his mouth.

Under everyone's expectant gaze, he chewed it hastily and swallowed it, then wiped his mouth and said:

"We started from Yanzhou and fought westwards to Luozhou, which is less than a thousand miles away but about eight or nine hundred miles away.

"This is the Central Plains where heroes have been vying for supremacy since ancient times. It is a flat, fertile and rich land, and the essence of the world.

"Did our army destroy the enemy's troops on a large scale along the way?"

Everyone shook their heads:

"Never."

Xue Wanche curled his lips in disdain:

"Let alone annihilation, the other side didn't even put up a decent resistance."

Li Jing nodded, and scooped up another spoonful of ice cream and put it into his mouth:

"Does the Tang army's posture look like they are clenching their fists before throwing a punch?"

"Yes." All the generals said almost in unison.

They are not stupid, they will not be without suspicion of the other party's abnormal behavior.

What's more, there is also a Li Shimin in the Tang Dynasty.

When going to war with Li Shimin, you must not underestimate the enemy.

Li Jing took a bite of the glutinous rice cake and said incoherently while chewing:
"Do you know what tactics His Majesty the Emperor is best at?

“Defense and counterattack.

"Do you know what the most proud battle of His Majesty the Emperor was?

"The Battle of Hulao Pass, conquering the fortified city of Luoyang in one battle."

Luoyang, the Eastern Capital, was a nail driven into the Central Plains. With strong walls and the Yellow River at its back, it had an easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack city with reliable supplies.

This is also why Luoyang became the Eastern Capital.

Since ancient times, sieges around Luoyang almost always ended up turning into time-consuming tug-of-war.

The only exception was the Battle of Hulao Pass led by Li Shimin, where the city was captured at lightning speed.

It is no exaggeration to say that "no one understands Luoyang better than Li Shimin."

"I doubt it." Li Jing picked up another piece of plum blossom cake:

"The Tang army's idea is to delay and wait for changes. First, they will lure our army to attack around Luoyang and consume our supplies.

"When my soldiers are exhausted, launch a sudden attack."

Everyone felt that this was a very reasonable guess.

This was almost a replica of the Battle of Hulao Pass, where Li Shimin defeated Dou Jiande's army of 100,000 with only a few thousand men.

It was in that battle that Xue Wanche stood out.

However, this time it is probably not a simple repetition.

There is a possibility that the opponent may change his tactics.

"What are the movements of the Tang army troops assembled in Yangzhou?" Li Jing suddenly asked.

Yes, the variable lies in the Yangzhou army that is outside the main battlefield.

That army looks like they are just making a cameo appearance, but who knows if they are planning on making a big move?
Therefore, not only Li Jing was always paying attention to the direction of Yangzhou, but Li Ming was also paying attention.

For this purpose, the intelligence agency controlled by Yuchi Xunyu was also handed over to Li Jing for use.

Once the spies in Yangzhou City discovered any movement, Li Jing would know it earlier than the governor of Pingzhou.

Hou Junji shook his head:

"There was no movement, they remained where they were."

Everyone present had their brows furrowed.

According to the normal scenario, the army of Yangzhou should have hurried back to the Central Plains to provide assistance, and then been eaten by the well-rested Red Turban Army.

But your crystal is about to explode, and the jungler is still AFK near the first tower. What is going on?
Li Jing said it all.

“Yangzhou has the Sui Grand Canal, which connects to the Si River.

"From there, you can take a boat directly to the city of Yanzhou."

Water transportation was equivalent to the "high-speed rail" of that era. It could travel day and night for twelve hours a day. Although it was fast, the cost was still very low.

As for the transport ships, don't forget that this wave of Tang troops was originally scheduled to land in Silla. It shouldn't be difficult for large ocean-going ships to use the canal for transport, right?

Everything is ready. If the Tang army sets out from Yangzhou by water and attacks Yanzhou, the rear base, Li Jing's troops will definitely not have time to retreat.

This is a master of all tactics. You attack my Eastern Capital, and I will attack your rear.

"The strategy of the Emperor is to use Luoyang to contain our main army and use the Yangzhou troops to launch a surprise attack on the rear of Yanzhou."

Li Jing scraped the last bit of Bingsushan with a spoon and told his guess about the Tang army's strategy:

“One positive and one strange, causing instability in our rear, poor supply, and great morale chaos.

"Finally, we will use Luoyang as the main attack direction to drive our army out of the Central Plains."

Yanzhou was the passage between the Ming army and the Qi and Lu areas. To the south was Xuzhou under the control of the Tang Dynasty, and to the north was the Yellow River.

Capturing Yanzhou would be equivalent to cutting off the Ming army's supply lines.

This is a combination of punches with hidden needles in cotton wool. It is not complicated. There is no conspiracy or intrigue behind each other. It is all open conspiracy.

But simplicity is the best way to achieve success. This simple and efficient strategy is not prone to errors, and even if errors occur, the tolerance rate is very high, making it most suitable for use in large-scale battles.

The soldiers felt a chill down their spines when they heard this, even though they had already made corresponding preparations.

"Fortunately, His Majesty Li Ming had anticipated this situation and ordered me to be prepared."

Li Jing changed the subject and picked up another piece of sesame and goat milk pastry and threw it into his mouth.

"That is, to strengthen the forces on the Luoyang front. If he wants to change, then we can change."

Yanzhou was given away, because this rear area was only a "rear area" in a geographical sense.

Even if Yanzhou and even the entire Shandong Peninsula were given away, the Ming army's supply lines would not be cut off.

Because the Hebei region north of the Yellow River was in the hands of the Ming Dynasty.

Yunzhou, Bianzhou, Huazhou, Zhengzhou and other places south of the Yellow River fell into the hands of the Ming army.

As long as the ferry crossings on both sides are under control, supplying goods across the Yellow River is difficult, but not that difficult.

What's more, the Central Plains states were taken over almost unscathed, and it was not difficult to collect grain locally.

In other words, Yanzhou was not as important as it appeared on the map, and Li Shimin ended up with loneliness after changing his home.

The Ming Dynasty has enough health, so losing the Shandong Peninsula is nothing.

But on the Tang Dynasty side, losing the Central Plains would mean losing one's life.

Not only did the economy suffer a major setback, but the strategic gateway to the core of the Guanzhong Plain was wide open, and the country fell into an extremely passive situation.

It is not a dream to repeat the story of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu conquering Qin.

"They fight theirs, and we fight ours. Let the Yangzhou soldiers fight to the death with our defenders in Mount Tai. Don't forget that the Red Scarf Army is best at mountain warfare.

"As long as we can contain the enemy's main force in Luoyang, even if we can't attack, as long as they can't get out, we can delay them to death after we consolidate our rule in the Central Plains."

Li Jing poked the maltose stick in his hand hard at the area marked "Luoyang" on the map.

If you can win quickly, then fight. If you can't win quickly, then stick to development.

These were the two strategies agreed upon by Li Ming and Li Jing before setting out to ensure that the Ming army would be invincible.

Because starting a war in the Central Plains would be extremely advantageous to the Ming Dynasty in terms of strategic situation.

Central Plains was the economic core of the Tang Dynasty, but not of the Ming Dynasty.

They were all bottles and jars, and the Tang army was restricted in fighting.

If the Ming Dynasty takes one more piece of land here, the Tang Dynasty will have one less piece of land to eat.

With the help of the politically wise god in the Ming Dynasty, the acquired land can be quickly converted into productive forces without spending too much energy on maintaining stability.

As one side gained strength while the other lost strength, although the Ming Dynasty was the attacking party, it was actually the Tang Dynasty that could not afford to delay.

After arriving at Luoyang, the Red Turban Army stopped fighting. What could the enemy do to us?
I'm waiting for the ultimate move, what are you waiting for?
Once the Central Plains area on the south bank of the Yellow River is completely absorbed, what capital will the Tang Dynasty have to challenge the Ming Dynasty?

Just based on the southern region with underdeveloped economy and rugged mountains and rivers?
"Since the Tang army is staying inside and trying to turn Luoyang into a tortoise shell, we must change our strategy accordingly."

Li Jing issued the latest strategic deployment:
"Our army's strategic goal is no longer to attack Hangu Pass and march into Chang'an, but to contain the main force of the Tang army in Luoyang, ensure the smooth logistics of the river, and buy time for the complete annexation of the Central Plains."

Very safe.

Hou Junji rubbed his hands with a smile:
"Since His Majesty the Retired Emperor has handed over the Central Plains to us, it would be disrespectful for us to refuse. Hahaha!"

Li Jing nodded:
"So, we must not act rashly in the next move. We must increase our strength on the front lines, build strong camps, and prevent sudden attacks from the opposite side."

"Yes, sir!" The generals retreated upon hearing the order.

As soon as he walked out of the big tent, Xue Wanche couldn't help but ask:
"Duke Li Wei eats so many sweets, isn't that a bit too much?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

During the short time of the meeting, Li Jing ate about seventeen or eighteen kinds of sweets.

Every piece is so sweet that it makes your teeth ache.

But the veteran didn't stop at all. He ate a lot of it in one breath, and he enjoyed it very much... No, no, this description is probably not appropriate here.

Did he love sweets like this before?

"And have you noticed that General Li Jing seems to be thinner than before?" Xue Rengui asked again.

Everyone nodded, "Indeed."

I eat a lot, but I lose weight.

Oh no, could our old coach have contracted some strange disease like "xiaoke" (diabetes)?
…………

Inside the tent, Li Jing stared at the map intently, with countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

How many days will it take for food to be delivered to the camp, where should firewood and water be obtained, where is the best place to set up camp, and even where should soldiers' daily excrement and urination be buried so as not to pollute the water source...

His brain is like a multi-threaded computer, constantly calculating the best strategy.

When conducting large-scale military operations, there are too many aspects that need to be taken into consideration.

Managing hundreds of thousands of strong young men, just how to distribute military rations to each of them on time is an extremely huge systematic project.

Not to mention letting them march and fight.

Although there is a whole staff team to share some unimportant tasks with the head coach.

But the devil is in the details. Li Jing still has to go over all the factors in his mind to ensure that his side has not revealed any major flaws.

In a large-scale war, it is not about who can fight better, but about who makes fewer mistakes.

Gulu...

As he was thinking about it, Li Jing's stomach started growling again.

He subconsciously touched it and found that his previously round belly had shrunk a lot.

A bout of hypoglycemia followed.

Fortunately, he was used to it. He steadied himself by leaning on the table and immediately stuffed a piece of cheese and syrup cherry into his mouth.

Blood sugar was replenished, avoiding the tragedy of the Ming army commander fainting from hunger.

If the historians had recorded it in history books, future generations would have thought that the people of the Ming Dynasty could not afford it.

"Something is wrong. I always feel like something is wrong..."

After replenishing his energy, Li Jing looked at the map and fell into deep thought.

…………

Chang'an City.

The palace of Duke E was filled with smoke.

Yuchi Jingde meditated at home.

"Duke, how long are we going to sit here like this?"

A young man was yelling beside Yuchi Jingde.

It was Di Renjie.

After the Chang'an Newspaper was closed down by the imperial court, the underground party headed by Lai Junchen became a real "underground party" and scattered and hid.

But Di Renjie had no way to hide, he was not a "naked official", his father Di Zhixun was still an official in the court in Chang'an.

This is a common way of diversified investment for large families, betting on both sides and not going all in, so as to avoid standing on the wrong side and becoming completely extinct.

Then, Di Renjie was dragged down and controlled by his father.

The court could not kill him, imprison him, or exile him, so it placed him under house arrest in the home of the Duke of E, under the euphemistic name of "further study."

"How can sitting cross-legged every day be considered further study? I'm hungry, Grandpa." Di Renjie cried out, holding his stomach.

Yuchi Jingde, who was obsessed with cultivating immortals, slowly raised his eyelids and said leisurely:

"Your mind is not at peace. If your mind is at peace, you can naturally eat the wind and drink the dew."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a very loud gurgling sound.

Di Renjie looked at Yuchi Jingde.

Yuchi Jingde looked at his belly.

"I do seem to be a little hungry. Not going against the weather is the foundation of cultivation. Let's eat."

Di Renjie's mouth twitched:
"So you eat in accordance with the weather, but I eat with an uneasy mind, right?"

Yuchi Jingde glanced at him and said calmly:
"Eat vegetarian food later."

Di Renjie's face suddenly fell:
"I was wrong, Aung. I'm still growing..."

The old black charcoal head ignored him and grabbed a handful of pills to fill his stomach.

After a while, a maid came into the room carrying a small table and a food box.

The biggest characteristic of this maid is that she has no characteristics.

It's the kind that people will automatically ignore its existence if you stand next to the wall.

"Eat, and then continue practicing." Yuchi Jingde urged.

"Ah, still practicing?" Di Renjie let out a whine.

If he continued to practice this strange skill, he was afraid that his brain would become strange as well.

Although being under house arrest in the home of Duke E saved him from physical pain, the mental pollution was considerable.

Is this the punishment from His Majesty Li Chengqian for flirting with Li Ming?

Di Renjie muttered to himself, picked up a lamb leg and started to chew it.

Although Yuchi Jingde was strict in words, he was actually quite caring towards his eldest grandson's friends.

So the two of them get along pretty well.

"Why didn't Yuchi Aweng go to this war?"

Di Renjie asked while chewing a leg of lamb.

Yuchi Jingde's glasses suddenly became darker, as if he saw his "misguided" grandson.

After a long while, he retracted his gaze, smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"I'm not good at swimming."

Water ability...Do you need to take a boat to go to the front line?

Di Renjie's heart began to beat fast.

Although he didn't understand the reason behind this, the intuition he had developed during this period told him that this might be an important intelligence clue.

However, Di Renjie did not ask further questions and remained in the dark for the time being, leaving Yuchi Jingde's words firmly imprinted in his heart.

As the sun sets, today's homework is finally completed.

"Go eat first and review what you learned today."

Yuchi Jingde said gently and casually handed Di Renjie a handful of pills.

"Remember to swallow before going to bed."

If I swallow these strange pills, I might become an immortal on the spot... Di Renjie complained in his heart and left the room.

Because his father was transferred to work in another place and there was no one at home, he temporarily lived in Yuchi Jingde's house.

As soon as he arrived in the corridor, the maids and guards had already lined up in two rows to "greet" him.

House arrest is house arrest after all. These people are specifically watching Di Renjie to prevent him from making any big news in Chang'an.

Di Renjie didn't care. He followed them and looked around naturally.

After looking around for a while, he didn't find the person he was looking for.

Strange, where is Hu Sanniang... Just when he was wondering and becoming more and more anxious.

Finally, I found the maid whose presence was extremely rare right under my nose.

The person was actually following him all the way, but he just didn't notice it.

"Wow!" Di Renjie was startled by the figure that suddenly appeared in his sight.

The maid - Hu Sanniang, Li Ming's number one killer and the ace spy who strangled Wu Zetian in her cradle - frowned slightly.

I was clearly with this child the whole time, winking and winking at him, so why was he scaring himself...

Di Renjie moved his mouth, wanting to tell Hu Sanniang the clue that Yuchi Jingde had inadvertently revealed just now.

(End of this chapter)