Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 307: The Wolf is Fearful of Both Sides

Li Shiji's face turned terribly dark.

He finally discovered that the main force of the Ming army had slipped through his fingers.

Slipping away with it was the Tang Dynasty’s last glimmer of hope for victory.

Luoyang City was the most advantageous location for the Tang Dynasty. If the Ming army escaped from here, it would mean losing the opportunity to encircle and annihilate the Ming army.

If the main force of the Ming army still exists, they will sooner or later gain a foothold in the Central Plains.

This means that the Tang Dynasty’s national destiny has entered the countdown!
"I am incompetent and have failed your majesty's trust..."

Li Shiji's face was filled with sorrow, as if he would draw his sword and commit suicide at any time.

"Report!"

The message came:

"General Manager, Zhengzhou has been lost!"

Zhengzhou has changed hands again!

Li Shiji was in a trance for a moment.

Fell into a trap!
The Tang Dynasty retreated to advance and gave up the Central Plains, but the Ming army took advantage of the situation and also retreated to advance and evacuated Luoyang.

One side advanced westwards, the other side retreated eastwards, and the two enemies passed each other across the vast land of China!

The Tang army’s strategic intention was exposed!

This is a top-secret plan approved by His Majesty the Emperor. How did it get leaked?

Was it the ridiculously advanced intelligence system of the Pseudo-Ming? Or was it the insanely powerful think tank of the other side that deduced the true intentions of the Tang army from this series of actions?

These questions are destined to have no answers.

But Li Shiji knew that he had to do something.

He couldn't just watch the Tang Dynasty being consumed like this!

"Retreat immediately and attack Zhengzhou!" Li Shiji gave the order decisively.

The deputy general was a little worried:

"General, the soldiers have been running non-stop for a long time, and the enemy is well-rested and waiting for us..."

They were afraid that the Grand Steward would be so humiliated that he would become angry and lose his mind, and would kill all the elite troops of the Tang Dynasty in one wave.

But they guessed wrong.

Li Shimin quickly regained his composure and asked the staff officers who couldn't even make a sound when they farted:

"If we don't fight now, are we going to wait until they build strong fortifications in Zhengzhou before we fight them and get hurt?

"Since we can't fight a war of encirclement and annihilation, can't we fight a war of defeat? Drive the rebels out of Zhengzhou and drive them out of the Central Plains!"

Although the battle did not go as expected.

But the battlefield is changing rapidly, and it is impossible to force everything to go according to plan.

The ability to respond to emergencies is one of the core abilities that tests a general.

As one of the Ten Sages of the Temple of Martial Arts, Li Shiji is naturally not bad in this aspect.

Since we can't kill Li Jing in one go, we'll have to settle for the next best thing and drive them eastward as much as possible.

The more we can take back from the prosperous Central Plains, the better.

Although they have returned to the plain and simple "land-eating" mode, they are unable to fight beautiful penetration, encirclement and annihilation battles.

But as long as the Central Plains can be recaptured, the Tang Dynasty will at least have the capital to confront the Ming Dynasty.

Instead of falling into a complete disadvantage and falling into a desperate situation where one has to count the days.

Although the territory of the Tang Dynasty was vast, the vast southern and Sichuan regions had not yet been developed on a large scale. In addition, the climate was too hot, and the population and economy were far inferior to those of the north.

Guanzhong alone is not enough to lead the South to confront the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, although Li Shiji's order to pursue seemed to be made in anger, it was actually well thought out.

If you don't succeed, you will die. I believe His Majesty Li Shimin will understand!
bass!
Li Shiji drew his sword and looked at the soldiers who were exhausted but still full of fighting spirit, and roared:
"All troops, listen up! Immediately—

"Make a fire and cook right here! Feed everyone well!"

There must be supplies before a big battle.

Now that things have come to this, let’s eat first.

…………

"Hurry, move the bricks!
"Yes, yes, put it here!"

"No, no, look at this line. Is it straight enough? Use the ink fountain to measure it again!"

Xue Wanche commanded soldiers and civilians to build defensive fortifications outside Zhengzhou City.

As the former Minister of Works and a senior civil engineer, he is perfectly suited to this job.

On the city gate tower of Zhengzhou City, Li Jing frowned.

The generals below also had solemn expressions.

They always thought I had the advantage, and excitedly performed performance art for several days under the city of Luoyang.

Unexpectedly, I realized that my actions were completely wishful thinking and the premise of my actions was fundamentally wrong.

The main force of the Tang army was not in Luoyang City at all, but following behind them!

Fortunately, His Majesty Li Ming was wise and brave, and he was able to see through the enemy's tricks with his keen eyes.

This made them suddenly realize their blind spots in thinking and make corresponding deployments in time.

There was a lot of danger on the front line, and the main force retreated to the outskirts of Zhengzhou under the cover of night, ready to escape at any time.

Even so, time is actually very tight.

The Ming army's actions were far from as calm and relaxed as they showed to Li Shiji.

As soon as they arrived at the city of Zhengzhou, they witnessed Li Shiji leading a large army out of the city gate and rushing towards Luoyang in a mighty manner.

The two sides almost met face to face.

If the Central Plains were not flat with roads extending in all directions, it would have been a mountainous area where "there has been only one road to Mount Huashan since ancient times".

The two armies will definitely meet halfway.

If the two sides meet on a narrow road, the outcome of the battle is unpredictable. There is a possibility that the Ming army will lose all its strategic advantages in one fell swoop.

Although Li Jing was not yet frightened, he had a deeper understanding of his opponent and his lord.

What kind of father could come up with the brilliant idea of ​​forcing a crossing of the East China Sea in the summer and autumn and carrying out a strategic encirclement from the Yellow River?
What kind of son could guess such a fantastic idea from his father?
The thought processes of the Li family's father and son, who are enemies of each other, are beyond the comprehension of common sense.

In order to keep up with his master's pace, Li Jing has been thinking hard.

This can be seen from his increasingly sweet appetite and his increasingly thin face.

At first he was just a chubby and cute old man, but now his face has become angular, adding a layer of tough temperament.

"What should we do next?"

Li Jing asked.

Everyone looked at the leader's current face, moved their lips, and barely suppressed the desire to complain.

I finally understand why His Majesty the Emperor gave Brother Li Jing the nickname "Sheep's Urine Bubble". This guy's bladder is really like a sheep's bladder, it expands when you blow air into it, and deflates when you let the air out...

"Ahem." Su Dingfang withdrew his thoughts and took the lead in making a suggestion:

"It has been found out that the enemy's main force is west of Zhengzhou. Our army is also the main force. When the main force fights the main force, we have a chance of winning!"

"Having a 'chance of winning' is not enough. Your Majesty expects a safe and complete victory." Hou Junji retorted.

Originally, the situation was almost certain to win, but in the end, the other side pulled it down to the point where it had to take a military risk to "fight a single shot." This was a huge setback.

Li Daozong agreed:
"It's just that we couldn't capture Luoyang. Several states along the Yellow River in the Central Plains have already fallen into our hands. This is the most fertile place, the best of the best.

“If you lose both sides of the river, the other side will be a slow death.

"As long as we hold on firmly, we will win in the end." Li Daozon's method is still the old "confrontation" strategy, but the location of the confrontation was changed from Luoyang to Zhengzhou.

But Su Dingfang expressed a different opinion:

“It’s not necessarily easy to keep it.

"The people in Zhengzhou are now in turmoil. The enemy is approaching in large numbers. If we surround them but do not fight, the outcome will be uncertain."

As a senior police officer, Lao Su is particularly sensitive to the atmosphere among the people.

The people of Zhengzhou are numb to the fact that the regime changed three times within a few days. It is unrealistic to expect them to unanimously support the Ming Dynasty.

The people's support may not be with me, which is why Su Dingfang insisted on rushing out of the city and fighting with Li Shiji.

Li Jing listened to the discussion of the people sitting below him throughout the whole process, while his brain was working at high speed.

After a long while, he suddenly said:

"What if we withdraw to Qizhou?"

When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Then, everyone started clamoring, all of them opposing it without exception.

"The current strategic situation is not much different from what was expected, so why withdraw?"

"The essence of the Central Plains lies in these few states and counties. As long as we stand firm, the enemy will definitely not be able to outlast us. Why should we retreat?"

"The enemy's main force has been exposed. What is the chief steward afraid of?"

Li Jing did not explain anything in response to the questions raised by his heroes.

"This matter is of great importance and involves the direction of the grand strategy. The current situation should be reported to Pingzhou as soon as possible, and your majesty will make the decision personally. At the same time, we should strengthen the defense of Zhengzhou City and its surrounding areas to prevent being attacked by the enemy.

"Dingfang."

Su Dingfang bowed:

"The end will be here."

"Immediately let Xue Rengui, who is waiting in Hebei, lead his troops to cross the river to the south and consolidate the defense line from Zhengzhou to Qizhou in the east."

Li Jing gave the order.

We can’t just sit there and wait for death, get help now!
Although Li Jing led the "main force" of the Ming army, it does not mean that "all" the Ming army were here.

There is still a second-line reserve force, and in large numbers, ready to go north of the Yellow River.

These troops have less experience, equipment and training, so their field offensive capabilities are not strong.

However, it is more than enough for "maintenance" tasks such as fighting a defensive battle, maintaining law and order in the occupied area, or filling in the lines.

"Yes, sir!" Su Dingfang answered immediately.

Li Jing looked at everyone tiredly and said briefly:

"Meeting dismissed."

Everyone received the order and immediately left to get busy.

Li Jing looked at the empty hall and did not return to his study immediately. Instead, he continued to sit for a while, his lips opening and closing quickly, silently reciting his thoughts.

Finally, he sighed deeply and said to himself dejectedly:
"Why did we switch from an offensive posture to a defensive posture? Fighting a defensive war in the Central Plains outside Luoyang will lead to great losses.

"We must strive for the strategic initiative no matter what the cost... Is this the strategy of His Majesty the Retired Emperor?"

…………

The goshawk soared in the sky, dived, rushed into the window of an ordinary house in Pingzhou, and landed accurately on the mountain of documents.

But the pile of documents was not a sturdy tree. They all collapsed with a loud crash, burying a child sitting at the desk.

"Oh my god... Xueyantuo's stuff is so fucking unreliable..."

Li Ming poked his head out from the pile of books and waved to the goshawk.

"What urgent letter? Bring it up."

The hawk took a dump on his documents and then stood on his head.

Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji, who lived in the same room, pretended not to see anything.

They are all professionally trained and will never laugh unless they can't help it.

"You little eagle, if it hadn't cost me a lot of money to train you, I would have roasted you long ago!"

Li Ming angrily grabbed the goshawk and pulled the letter tied to its claws off.

After the Xueyantuo Khanate was destroyed by Li Ming, its legacy naturally fell under his control.

Eagle messaging is one of the important core technologies.

You don't know until you use it. Only when you really use it do you realize that this thing is not very reliable for delivering books.

Goshawks are either easily mistaken for wild birds and shot down by hunters, or they fly around aimlessly, so the delivery rate is not very ideal.

Unless there are very high requirements for timeliness of information, it can be delivered by goshawks, and express courier riders can be sent on the ground as a backup.

So even though Zui Shang was cursing, Li Ming did not waste a second and immediately opened the letter.

The letter uses ciphertext, which requires a corresponding code book to decipher, otherwise it will be a string of meaningless garbled characters.

This is also to prevent the secret information conveyed by the Goshawk from being leaked after the mission fails due to various reasons.

"The code book is in... Shit, that's the one you shit in! Aaaaah~ Get your dirty paws out of the way!"

After a fierce fight, Li Ming threw the ungrateful goshawk out of the window.

"What does it say... As expected, it's a letter from Li Jing."

As Li Ming read the code book, his face gradually darkened.

Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji had been observing the big boss quietly. When they saw this scene, they immediately asked:

"Is it really as Your Majesty expected?"

"Alas... I'm afraid so." Li Ming was not happy at all.

He would rather be wrong.

Li Jing's secret letter was written concisely and clearly, sorting out the battle process and current situation of the past few days.

This includes the sudden appearance of Li Shiji's troops from the river, the strategic shift of our army from active offense to passive defense, and the reality of the unrest in the hearts of the people in the occupied states of the Central Plains.

At the end of the secret letter, Li Jing proposed three options for the leaders to choose from:

Fight out, hold the place, and withdraw to Qizhou.

"Of course it's about holding on."

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and said.

"We are only one step away from knocking on Hangu Pass. How can we give away the progress we have made?" Changsun Wuji touched his chin to express his secondment.

Their opinions were straightforward and correct - the Central Plains was undoubtedly the key to this game. It was no exaggeration to say that if His Majesty Li Ming took over both sides of the Yellow River, it would be almost equivalent to taking over the entire world.

This will bring huge political and economic advantages to the Ming Dynasty. Sooner or later, those remote lands in the south will turn against the Ming Dynasty and surrender with courtesy.

As for the public's unstable sentiment, this is not a problem at all.

The people are as loyal as water. Moreover, the Central Plains has fought wars for thousands of years, and the local people have long been accustomed to the "changing flags on the city walls."

As long as we send out the team of civil servants that the Ming Dynasty is proud of and give the fellow villagers a little shock from the Ming Dynasty, I believe they will stand firm and turn from darkness to light.

"Your Majesty, since the fall of the Han Dynasty, the world has been more divided than united, and people's hearts are wandering," Fang Xuanling said finally.

If the Li family starts a civil war, the north and the south will be divided again.

It will be difficult to glue the world together again in the future.

"Therefore, we must seize the opportunity and hold on to the Central Plains, which will be both safe and able to quickly end the war."

Li Ming nodded:
“What you two dear ministers said makes a lot of sense.

"So I decided - the whole army will retreat and defend Qizhou."

(End of this chapter)