Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 306: Every Tree and Grass Seems Like an Enemy (Literally)
"Rally right! Fold the sails! Fold the sails! If you don't want to be dragged into the sea by a water ghost, fold the sails quickly!"

The irritable captain shouted orders, but his roar was drowned out by the raging waves.

In the East China Sea, the sea conditions were rough and rough.

In the face of the power of nature, the huge Tang Dynasty fleet was like a group of ants, blown to pieces by the strong wind.

Li Shiji sat in the cabin with a pale face.

"That old sly guy Yuchi Jingde... I didn't expect he was telling the truth..."

When Yuchi Jingde refused the emperor's call on the pretext of "not being familiar with water".

Everyone thought that this was just an excuse made up by the old man.

"If you don't have any water skills, you really can't sail in the summer and autumn."

Li Shiji murmured weakly.

"General Manager!"

The hatch was kicked open with a bang, and the loud-voiced captain's face flushed:

"God bless the Tang Dynasty. The sea waves this summer and autumn are exceptionally calm, and there is not even a typhoon!
"We are about to leave Yangzhou Port!"

What?! Is this still a bad year?

What?! It hasn't left the port yet?
In just two sentences, Li Shiji deeply realized the cruelty of the sea and the tricks of Yuchi Laoheitan.

"Ugh~"

…………

next month.

On the blue sea.

"Ha~"

Li Shiji leaned against the railing of the boat and breathed in the fresh air.

Taking a boat is like marrying an ugly wife and bringing her home. You’ll get used to it after a while of vomiting.

Now, he just wanted to vent the torture he had endured on the ship these days on the heads of the pseudo-Ming rebels.

He believed that the 60,000 infantrymen under his command were also holding back their anger.

Now, the scenery outside the boat is no longer the monotonous sea water.

The western coastline is clearly visible.

A pale yellow dragon rushed over, violently blasting huge amounts of mud and sand into the blue sea, forming a clear boundary at the estuary.

The Yellow River, the cradle of Chinese civilization.

The place it flows through is the Central Plains, the richest and most densely populated region in the Tang Dynasty.

It is also the target of this Tang Dynasty fleet.

"finally reached!"

Li Shiji seemed to smell a heavy scent of earth.

Starting from Yangzhou, heading north through the East China Sea to the Bohai Sea, the mouth of the Yellow River is just ahead.

The Tang Dynasty's fleet had a safe journey and finally passed the most dangerous part of the journey.

A total of 60,000 elite soldiers arrived at the seaport intact without suffering any obvious losses.

This is not just because the ancestors of the Li family appeared and caused the typhoon to change its course automatically.

Moreover, the Tang army deliberately postponed the departure time to avoid the months with the highest incidence of typhoons, trying to achieve a balance between "speed is of the essence" and "ensuring the safety of sea transportation."

Barely achieved the "I want it all" achievement.

"I hope that Dongdu Luoyang can attract Li Jing's attention and prevent him from noticing the fire in the backyard in advance...

"Oh, what am I thinking? How can I question the decision of His Majesty the Emperor?
"The core of the Central Plains, the key to Guanzhong, is right before our eyes. Who can resist this overwhelming achievement?"

Li Shiji was full of confidence.

Needless to say, the order to set out was issued personally by His Majesty Li Shimin.

Arriving one day earlier may lead to a storm, while arriving one day later may cause Li Jing to escape.

This wonderful opportunity embodies General Tiance's experience and intuition from his lifetime of military service.

"Sixty thousand elite soldiers are all in my hands..." Li Shiji took a deep breath.

It is no exaggeration to say that the elite forces of the Tang Dynasty were concentrated here. Without the emperor emeritus in charge, the place was completely under the command of Li Shiji.

What was deployed in Luoyang was just an incompletely equipped second-line garrison, which was purely for the purpose of containing the Ming army.

This is the essence of the Tang army's strategy, forcing the enemy to make the wrong guess about the direction of the main force between two choices.

It's a risky move, but it's also a helpless move.

Once a war drags on, it changes from a purely military contest to an all-round competition in politics, economy, and population.

This is Li Ming’s comfort zone. Fighting a war of attrition and destruction, the Tang Dynasty is no match for the Pseudo-Ming.

The only chance of winning is to use the fertile and prosperous Central Plains as bait, lure the enemy deep into our territory, and then outflank them from behind the Yellow River to create an opportunity to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop.

Only by shortening the war and limiting the competition between the two sides to the military level can the Tang Dynasty use its rich experience to defeat the enemy.

If Li Shiji can replace Li Jing, then who on the pseudo-Ming side can replace Li Shimin?

The Tang Dynasty has the advantage in this Tian Ji horse race.

"The fate of the Tang Dynasty is in my hands..."

Li Shiji felt deeply that the responsibility on his shoulders was heavy.

He thought that his position was questionable in the eyes of the two saints, but he did not expect that he would still be trusted and take on this important task.

Li Shiji already had the urge to "die for his confidant".

When the huge fleet entered the mouth of the Yellow River, the cities on both sides were already within sight.

He could no longer suppress his passion, and stepped onto the side of the boat, drew his sword, and shouted:

"Follow me south to wipe out the rebels!"

…………

The Tang Dynasty’s fleet may be just a drop in the ocean on the vast ocean, but on inland rivers, they are veritable behemoths.

Eight hundred warships and over a thousand barges were escorting the Tang Dynasty's most precious 60,000 elite soldiers, as well as their war horses, armor, supplies and other supporting materials.

Finally bidding farewell to the sea, the soldiers' morale suddenly rose and they were all eager to try.

The first obstacle standing in the way of this invincible fleet was the Ming supply fleet that shuttled like ants across the two sides of the Yellow River.

"attack!"

Without any hesitation, Li Shiji's fleet immediately deployed an attack formation.

Ironically, when the Ming supply fleet first discovered the uninvited guests on the Yellow River waterway, they did not panic, question, or rush forward to verify the other party's identity.

Instead, under the escort of warships, they began to retreat to the north bank of the river in an orderly manner without any delay.

This situation made Li Shiji frown.

Although he kept shouting "fake Ming, fake Ming", it didn't mean that he didn't recognize the Ming army's combat skills.

Friends who often lead troops in battle know that fighting is not difficult, but the difficult part is how to retreat in an orderly manner when you cannot win.

There is no doubt that the officers and soldiers of the Ming army demonstrated extremely high qualities.

"Such elite soldiers and generals, who are of the same origin, have to fight against each other, wasting the country's strength..."

Li Shiji couldn't help feeling sad.

But no matter how much we sigh, we still have to take the necessary action.

Under his command, the Tang army led the way with ramming ships in the front and warships following closely behind, arranged neatly like a high wall, and pounced on the enemy.

At this time, he discovered that there were several small boats left in the Ming army's fleet.

His pupils shrank.

Almost at the same time, the Ming army fired rockets from their camp, setting fire to the small boats belonging to their own camp.

The raging fire quickly burned through the anchor, and the unmanned fireboat immediately became like a kite with a broken string, following the flow of the Yellow River, carrying the raging flames, and rushing towards the Tang army downstream.

The thing wooden boats fear most is fire.

Because the Yellow River was relatively narrow, the Tang army's fleet was too dense and they didn't care about their formation and immediately scattered.

Fortunately, the Ming army was probably responding temporarily, so they did not prepare many fire ships. Apart from causing chaos in the Tang army's fleet formation, it did not cause major losses like "burning the camps".

However, several ships accidentally ran aground while maneuvering to avoid the impact.

The shallow bottom of the Yellow River is full of mud and sand. Once you fall into it, it is very difficult to escape.

Li Shiji was worried that if the fleet stayed too long, it would be attacked by more fire ships. He was even more worried that staying too long would lead to the premature exposure of the strategic objectives. He had no choice but to give the order:

"The main force continues to advance!"

The Tang fleet regrouped, passed by its stranded comrades, and continued westward along the river.

At the end of their field of vision, they could see the Ming army's sampans clinging to the stranded ships like ants, dragging these high-value captives to the north shore.

The Ming army was very martial and would never kill surrendered soldiers, so the lives of these comrades were safe.

However, after spending a few days in the Ming army’s prisoner-of-war camp, it became a big question whether these comrades who had undergone ideological transformation could still be called “comrades-in-arms”.

…………

A slight loss would not slow down Li Shiji's progress.

Because the core of the entire strategy lies in "taking the enemy by surprise".

Li Shiji was not keen on fighting, and led his fleet along the coast of Qi and Lu, passing through Qizhou, Yunzhou, Huazhou... and other places.

All the way to Zhengzhou, east of the eastern capital Luoyang.

Once Zhengzhou fell, the Ming army besieging Luoyang would be completely cut off.

To the south is the Ying River, to the north is a big river, to the west is the fortified city of Luoyang, and to the east is the main force led by Li Shiji.

There is no need to take direct action. As long as the siege lasts for a period of time, Li Jing's troops, who are cut off from food and supplies, will surrender without a fight!
"Come ashore!"

At Li Shiji's command, the Tang army's warships came ashore one after another.

Zhengzhou was also the landing site carefully selected and designated by His Majesty Li Shimin.

The river here is wide and the terrain on both sides is flat, making it an ideal place for landing operations.

The Tang army immediately unloaded their personnel and baggage. The Ming army seemed completely unaware and did not send any troops to harass them.

But Li Shiji knew that he didn't have time to waste.

Maybe in some dark corner, Ming army scouts are observing their movements and may report back at any time, thus alerting the enemy!
Li Shiji's countermeasure is also very simple -

"Send out the entire army to blockade Zhengzhou!"

…………

With almost no resistance, Zhengzhou was "recovered", and the city was opened without bloodshed to welcome the royal army.

Li Shiji rode a tall horse and entered the city from the main gate, bringing the first phase of the military operation to a perfect end.

Except for some small details that left Li Shiji completely confused, such as the fact that the walls of Zhengzhou city were all demolished and vendors setting up stalls everywhere.

Everything went as Li Shiji and Li Shimin behind him had expected.

The terrain in the Central Plains is flat. Except for Luoyang which can rely on its tall and solid city walls, other prefectures and counties have almost no strategic locations to defend.

Fighting a defensive battle here is really crazy.

Therefore, Li Shimin took a retreat as a means of advance and simply gave the Central Plains to the other side.

Let the two sides switch roles, the Ming army defends and the Tang army attacks.

Sure enough, Zhengzhou surrendered at the speed of light, which immediately reversed the passive situation of the Tang Dynasty.

"The next step is to push Li Jing's troops westward."

Li Shiji drew a bold arrow on the map.

How long will it take to drain the enemy's supplies?
You have to first give the other party some strength and make them realize that they are in a helpless situation.

This will accelerate the opponent's collapse.

The current battle situation is very favorable for the Tang army.

All supply routes of the Ming army under Luoyang city were cut off.

Although the other side organized several attacks, trying to regain control of the Yellow River.

However, with the cooperation of Tang army warships and coastal defense stone cannons, they basically returned empty-handed.

"The news of our army's sudden entry into Zhengzhou may not have reached Pingzhou yet. They are naturally unable to organize an effective response."

Li Shiji thought to himself and decided to take advantage of the fact that the enemy had no time to react and let Li Jing's troops bleed, depleting their supplies and morale.

When the order is issued, the three armies obey it.

The 60,000 troops were arranged in neat marching formation and advanced towards Dongdu with great momentum.

The flags are waving, the armor is clanging, the horses are strong, the soldiers are well-trained and well-fed, and the mighty force is like the surging Yellow River.

It is not an exaggeration to call these 60,000 people the strongest elite troops of the Tang Dynasty.

Among them, 40,000 were veterans who had followed Li Shiji and stationed outside the Great Wall for half a year. They were not deceived by the Fourteen Traitors and had proved their loyalty.

The other 20,000 men were elite soldiers gathered by the court from the south, who were particularly good at using ships for coordinated sea and land attacks and defenses.

They are all strong medicines for the right symptoms.

"go ahead!"

Li Shiji was full of confidence. He took the lead and galloped towards the battlefield.

…………

Outside the city of Luoyang, the tents were neatly arranged and the flags were flying.

Li Shiji personally led the scouts to observe the enemy situation on the slope at the edge of the city.

"Have the enemies made any moves?"

he asks.

The garrison commander who sneaked out of Luoyang City reported truthfully:

"At first, the rebels' offensive was quite fierce, but when they saw that our army was standing still, they gradually stopped and confronted our army, only challenging us every day at the gates of the city."

"They really want to fight a protracted war of attrition." Li Shiji nodded slightly, secretly excited for having guessed the enemy's movements correctly.

When the enemy follows your baton exactly, the battle is half won.

Next, it’s time to fall into the trap!
Li Shiji stared at the enemy camp in the distance, and a battle plan gradually formed in his mind.

…………

That night, to the east of the Ming army's camp, they thought their rear base was as stable as a rock.

Suddenly, there was war and the sound of killing was deafening.

Li Shiji's army wrapped themselves in armor and held their weapons in silence, launching a shameless night attack!
At the same time, the sound of heavy iron chains was heard on the ancient Luoyang city gate.

This gate, which had been besieged for many days and still stood, was opened for the first time tonight.

"kill!"

The defenders in Luoyang City also broke out of the siege and launched an attack on the Ming army base camp that had been entrenched there for a long time, and attacked Li Shiji's friendly forces from both sides, sandwiching the cheese on both sides.

Although they were second-line troops, they were inferior to Li Shiji in terms of training or equipment.

But they are also Tang troops after all. They have been hiding in the city for a long time and are full of resentment. The fighting power they can unleash should not be underestimated.

At the very least, you can take advantage of the enemy's chaos to rob them, or take a step back and act as an atmosphere group to further collapse the enemy's morale. That is enough.

However, as they howled into the enemy camp.

The atmosphere inside made them feel a little weird.

There were deafening cries of fighting and blazing fires outside, but the Ming army camp was silent.

Not to mention anyone panicking or putting up a desperate resistance, there wasn't even a single living person to be seen.

There were only neatly arranged tents and rows of flags fluttering in the hot wind.

And the wooden stakes, covered with cloth in the color of Ming army armor, look quite similar from a distance, but they are nothing special when you look closer.

These wooden stakes just stand there, neither happy nor sad.

But the people of Luoyang clearly heard the loud laughter of a naughty child behind them.

In the middle of the camp, Li Shiji looked at the wooden man with an exaggerated grin on his face.

"Using a scarecrow... OK, that's great!"

(End of this chapter)