Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 305: Blind Spots in the Battle Situation
Yuchi Jingde did not go to the front line because he was not good at swimming - this sentence may seem like a joke, but it contains a lot of information.

As for what the specific information is, Di Renjie said don't ask, the only thing you'll know is that it contains a lot of information.

Due to limited conditions, he couldn't spend too much time thinking and analyzing this.

His task is to bring this clue out and let Lai Junchen and others worry about it.

But there are people watching here from all sides. If I say anything suspicious, I will be caught on the spot. How can I get this message out?
Di Renjie glanced at Hu Sanniang, then looked at the room where Yuchi Jingde was, then looked up at the starry sky through the north window and shook his head slightly.

This set of small actions was completed in one go without arousing anyone's suspicion.

Hu Sanniang did not react at all, and together with other servants, "escorted" Di Renjie back to his room.

After leaving the wing, Hu Sanniang walked along the corridor to the kitchen very naturally.

In the kitchen, a cook was cutting meat and seemed not to see her.

Hu Sanniang stood beside him for a long time, and then she became impatient and coughed softly:
"Cough cough."

"Oh my God!" The cook then realized that there was suddenly a person next to him. He was so scared that his hands shook and he almost chopped himself with the kitchen knife.

"Why did you suddenly come out without telling me? You scared me to death!" The cook was still in shock and kept complaining.

How come you all have no eyes? You can't even see a living person standing right in front of you... Hu Sanniang rolled her eyes in her heart, but she was still polite:
"Big Brother, since you're working so hard, let me distribute the leftovers today."

After Yuchi Jingde put down his butcher knife and began to practice Taoism, he did a lot of good deeds and often gave food from his house to refugees.

"Go ahead, it's right there." The cook was too lazy to move himself, so he happily threw the job to the maid.

Hu Sanniang carried a shoulder pole and came to the fixed porridge stall in Chang'an City.

When the female Bodhisattva arrived, the crowd immediately rushed over.

"One portion per person, don't fight over it." Hu Sanniang skillfully distributed food to the hungry crowd.

An old man with disheveled hair and a dirty face blocked the hungry people who were crowding towards her and asked in a low voice in her ear:
"What's the news today?"

Hu Sanniang looked away and said softly:
"Duke E is not good at swimming."

Di Renjie first looked towards Yuchi Jingde's room, indicating that the information was about him. He looked towards the north, which is the Black Tortoise and the Five Elements is Water. He shook his head to express his denial.

This is the meaning of Di Renjie's body language just now. It was the secret code set at the beginning.

Duke E is not good at swimming...what does this mean?
The old man - whose real identity was Hu Sanniang's colleague and a spy for the Suppression of Counterrevolutionaries Committee - found this information very confusing.

However, their leader, Di Renjie, the head of the Suppression of Counterrevolutionaries Committee, broke through heavy surveillance and risked his life to pass on this message. He must have had his reasons.

"I'll pass on the message." The old man promised solemnly.

…………

Soon, the news that "Duke E is not good at water" reached Lai Junchen's desk.

"Hiss, Yuchi Jingde can't swim... Does Di Renjie know what he's talking about?"

Lai Junchen retreated tactically to this precious intelligence clue and called out to his men:

"Come together and discuss what your Chairman Di Renjie means?"

Although the Chang'an Newspaper was shut down, Lai Junchen did not treat himself and his younger brothers badly. He rented a magnificent building next to Zhi Shibuzhen's Chamber of Commerce as the base for the Suppression of Counterrevolutionaries Committee.

"Underground Party" is just a figurative term, and does not mean that they really have to hide underground.

Everyone scratched their heads.

If this news had not been passed by Di Renjie through numerous blockades, most people would have thought it was just a meaningless gossip.

"Does Di Gong mean that we should find a way to push Duke E into the water and drown him to create the illusion of an accident?" someone speculated.

Someone immediately objected:

"Di Gong is not a bloodthirsty person. Duke E has no grudge against us. Moreover, Duke E stays at home practicing Taoism all day, so we can't find a chance to kill him."

"I think it was because Di Gong was fighting for freedom of movement."

"But if Duke E died in an unclear manner, wouldn't Lord Di's situation become even more dangerous?"

A group of people started arguing with each other.

Intelligence work is like this; due to limited conditions, we often have to piece together a complete picture based on fragmented clues.

Different ways of thinking will lead to completely opposite conclusions.

boom!
Lai Junchen slammed the table heavily, and everyone present immediately quieted down.

"Do you think Di Renjie is such a petty person?"

Although he and Di Renjie had always been at odds, he still recognized each other's abilities.

"So, the message he wants to convey must be very important."

Everyone came together:
"That's a good point, Lord. So what exactly did Lord Di want to convey?"

Lai Junchen's mouth twitched:
"Don't ask. If you ask, it's very important. What we need to do is to report this crucial information intact and without modification. I believe that Brother Ming will be able to reach a tacit understanding with Di Gong."

Oh~everyone understands.

Lai Gong is trying to pass on the blame!

"Then you guys will take the blame? Can you handle the responsibility of misreading the intelligence?"

Lai Junchen slammed the table and cursed.

When you are undecided, it will never go wrong to report to your superiors.

I believe that with the wisdom of leaders, they will be able to see the mystery here.

…………

"Duke E is not good with water...what does this mean?"

Pingzhou is the temporary imperial court and the provincial capital.

Li Ming was staring in a daze at the "top secret information" that had just been stuffed on his desk.

"It means that my grandfather can't swim." said Yuchi Xunyu, the intelligence director who presented the intelligence.

Li Ming looked up and glanced at him.

"Thank you so much for your explanation, otherwise I would still be in the dark."

"This is the 'important information' that Di Renjie found out in my house." Yuchi Xunyu's face darkened:
"You can just ask me about this directly. Why do you need Lai Junchen and Di Renjie to go through so much trouble to get it out from Chang'an?
"And this news is not right. My uncle has traveled all over the country, so how could he not know how to swim?"

He thought the brother unit was simply making fun of him.

Now is a critical time in the war. Why is the Suppression Committee in Chang'an spreading such meaningless fake news?
Don't they have more important things to do?
"You don't have to blame them like that. It's not easy for Di Renjie to hide in the middle of the enemy camp and bring a message out. They must have their reasons for doing this."

The question is, what is the truth in this?

Li Ming began to deduce.

"The most important thing right now is the war between Ming and Tang. This piece of information is probably related to it.

"Yuchi Xunyu, your grandfather didn't join the Tang army to lead the expedition, right?"

Yuchi Xunyu nodded:
"He has been staying at home to practice Taoism."

Li Mingdao:
“That’s it.

"I guess what this intelligence means is that the reason Duke E refused to go to the front line is that he can't swim."

This made Yuchi Xunyu very puzzled:

"But my Aung can swim. And what does this have to do with this war?"

Li Ming stroked his chin and pondered for a while, then said:

“Actually, there is—

“This means that Yuchi Jingde had to travel by water to the front line, or the main battlefield was in the water.

"Otherwise, this would not be an excuse for him to refuse to go to the battle."

With this hint, Li Ming connected this seemingly unrelated intelligence clue with the war situation.

"Which battle line is to be fought by water..."

"I'm afraid it's Yangzhou." Fang Xuanling, who was writing at a desk nearby, reminded him. "Take a boat from Yangzhou, pass through the Grand Canal and Sishui, and go straight to Yanzhou to cut off the connection between our army and the rear.

"This is the enemy strategy we deduced, and it has been confirmed by this intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Li Ming showed a complicated expression.

The other side does have a backup plan, how insidious.

Fortunately, we anticipated the opponent's prediction and made targeted arrangements in advance, changing the blitzkrieg into a war of attrition.

The process of unification may be delayed for a while, but the trend is still unstoppable, and the advantage is on my side!
"But...oh, forget it." Changsun Wuji hesitated to speak.

"Uncle, if you have anything to say, feel free to say it." Li Ming said.

Chang Sun Wuji scratched his head:
"I think... whether it's the Grand Canal or the Si River, they are both calm inland rivers. Even if Duke E is not a good swimmer, he won't give up on his mission and use this as an excuse, right?"

Fang Xuanling sneered:
“This is just Yuchi Jingde’s excuse.

"If you want to shirk responsibility, you can always find an excuse. Why is the assistant so serious?"

Chang Sun Wuji was angered by the attitude of his old colleague and old rival, and argued:

"Duke E refused the emperor's order. Even if he wanted to shirk it, he couldn't just find a random excuse, right?"

While they were arguing, Li Ming raised his head and stared at the huge map on the wall, lost in thought.

"Aside from the canal transport, are there any other water routes from Yangzhou to the front line?"

Li Ming asked suddenly.

The other three were stunned.

"Yes, there are, but other water routes are long detours. Why should they go the long way instead of the short one?" Fang Xuanling said.

"And they are all inland waterway transportation. Is there any difference from Si Shui?" Changsun Wuji touched his chin.

Li Ming looked at the map and said in a deep voice:
"No, there is another water route that can reach the core of our army more directly than Sishui."

The three of them looked at each other:

"Which waterway?"

"Shipping." Li Ming said faintly:

“Leave Yangzhou and go along the East China Sea, then enter the Yellow River.”

"Shipping, big river?!"

This bold idea made the two elders and one child exclaim at the same time.

After a long while, Fang Xuanling shook his head and said:
"This is... too risky."

It is summer and autumn now, which is the season when typhoons are most frequent.

Is traveling by sea a bit too abstract?

"They have done something more risky than this. That is landing in Silla." Li Ming said:

"Compared to crossing the East China Sea, driving north along the coast to the mouth of the big river is not that dangerous, right?"

These words made the three of them fall into deep thought at the same time.

This is a route that has never been envisioned.

They subconsciously ruled out the sea route.

"Could it be that they are going to make a big detour and land on the south bank of the river to attack Qizhou?"

Chang Sun Wuji murmured:

"Is there any essential difference between this and attacking Yanzhou via Sishui?

"Even if the entire Qi and Lu regions are lost, it will not affect our victory."

Fang Xuanling echoed:

"As long as the troops on the front line can pin the enemy's main force in Luoyang, the advantage will still be mine. It's just a matter of winning early or late..."

"That's the problem." Li Ming interrupted:

"What if our initial guess was wrong?
"If the Tang army voluntarily withdrew from the Central Plains, it was not to lure our army deeper into the territory, but because they really did not have more troops?

"If the opponent's main force is not in Luoyang——

"And in Yangzhou?"

These words were so powerful that the study fell into silence.

Li Ming's speculation contains too much information.

After a brief silence, cold sweat began to seep out of Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji's backs.

Yes, if the enemy’s main force was not in Luoyang, but suddenly appeared in the Yellow River area via coastal transportation.

What consequences will this have?
"The river has been lost and all supplies have been cut off!"

Yuchi Xunyu couldn't help but exclaim.

The reason why the Ming army dared to advance deep into the heartland of the Central Plains was because they had the Yellow River supply line as a backup.

As long as the Yellow River is not lost, supplies can be transported in from Hebei.

However, if the Yellow River is lost, the entire coast will be lost...

The army led by Li Jing was like a huge dumpling!

"Their goal is not to drive our army out of the Central Plains, but to encircle and annihilate us completely!"

Li Ming's lips trembled slightly.

"As expected of you, my father..."

Li Ming still thought he had pinned the main force of the Tang army in Luoyang.

But thinking about it the other way around, didn't the Tang army use the eastern capital Luoyang as bait to pin the main force of the Ming army in the heart of the Central Plains?
"The Central Plains has no barriers, so it is easy to attack but difficult to defend. If the enemy really launches an offensive from the Yellow River, our army will be powerless to stop it..."

Changsun Wuji’s face turned blue.

If this is true, the situation will take a sharp turn for the worse!

Not only will Henan be lost, but Hebei will also not be able to be saved!

We can push the battle line to Yanshan in one breath!
Fang Xuanling's expression was also very ugly:

"His Majesty the Emperor knows that if we delay for too long, we will not have a chance of winning, so we must end this battle quickly...

"Should I say, he is worthy of being called General Tiance..."

"Let Li Jing's troops retreat immediately!"

Li Ming gave the order decisively.

…………

"Let us withdraw?"

Hou Junji widened his eyes and questioned Li Jing:
"We are clearly marching from one victory to another, and are about to trap the enemy in Luoyang City. Why are we retreating?"

"It's not a retreat, it's a complete withdrawal." Li Jing said calmly:
"Retreat to Qizhou. If the situation is not good, cross the river and return to Hebei immediately."

During this period, Li Jing was always worried about the war situation and he had obviously lost weight.

boom!
Hou Junji slammed the table hard:
"Please give me a reason to surrender before fighting!"

"This is the order of His Majesty Li Ming." Li Jing's voice was a little hoarse:

"The main force of the Tang army is not here, but in Yangzhou."

Hou Junji's eyes suddenly widened.

"They don't want to confront us." Li Jing said tiredly:

"They want to outflanking us from the north to the south and completely consume us."

(End of this chapter)