Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 327 Li Ming, here comes your dad!
"Let go, let go! Be careful or I'll sue you for deceiving the emperor!"

Li Ming waved his fists angrily and finally broke free from Xue Wanche's clutches. While tidying up his clothes that were messed up by Xue Wanche, he pouted and complained to the "disrespectful" general:

"Your Xue family is a famous and prestigious family after all, and your father was once the General of the Left Guard of the Sui Dynasty. How could you give birth to such a vulgar son like you?

"Aren't you afraid that I will complain to my aunt, Princess Danyang?"

Princess Danyang was Li Shimin's half-sister and Xue Wanche's wife. She came to Pingzhou with him.

Xue Wanche had no intention of playing around with this brat, and said in a serious voice:
"Go ahead and complain. The princess will definitely understand me. Even if she doesn't understand and divorces me, I won't let you stick your head out of the city wall."

As he spoke, he propped up a helmet with a bamboo pole and stuck it to the city wall. He hid behind the parapet and roared like a tiger to the people below the city:
"Guanlong guy! I fuck your ancestor! You're fucking dead!"

Whoosh whoosh!
There was a series of dull sounds, and countless arrows were shot out from below.

Although it failed to hit the city wall, the clanging sound of the crossbow arrows hitting the rammed earth wall was still very creepy to hear.

Xue Wanche put away his helmet and taught the fearless young emperor a lesson:

"Did you see that? Below the city wall are the Tang Dynasty's army of thousands of soldiers. Overtly and covertly, there are countless bows and crossbows aimed at your head!

"If your head explodes, it's all over!"

Li Ming waved his hand indifferently:

"Relax~ Look, even if they bring out the most powerful crossbows, they still can't hit the city wall, right?

"A crossbow is not like a human bow. No matter how hard you try, it won't go far. I've calculated it. We are just out of the Tang army's range."

As he spoke, he was about to stick his head out of the city wall again and began to do oral gymnastics to the Tang Dynasty soldiers under the tower:

"Hey, Master Jing, may you have good luck..."

"Are you crazy?!"

Xue Wanche quickly dragged the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who had sold his head, off the city wall and said without thinking:

"If you want to die, don't drag us down!
"If you keep flirting, what if the Tang army gets excited and starts charging without thinking? Do you think we can withstand it?

"The city's fortifications haven't been completed yet!"

Lao Xue's words were really harsh, but his loyalty was bursting out like his spit, spraying all over Li Ming's face.

Li Ming pulled up the corner of Lao Xue's clothes and wiped his face with disgust.

Behind them, strong men were coming and going, very busy.

But they were not soldiers in full armor.

But they are civilian craftsmen.

They are just the most common labor force, the kind that costs fifty crystals each and has little combat power.

They were not busy fighting, but were busy laying bricks and tiles to reinforce the city walls.

In addition to the Yanzhou city walls, Ming Dynasty craftsmen were busy working everywhere in Yanzhou city.

They dug traps and trenches on important roads, set up deer horn roadblocks, and even built city walls and installed gates at several city gates of Yanzhou.

If it can be completed successfully, Yanzhou will become an absolute fortress city, and its defense will be even not weaker than that of the eastern capital Luoyang.

Well, the premise is "successful completion".

Several workers on the city wall felt the gazes of Li Ming and Xue Wanche, and immediately smiled brightly, their big white teeth standing out particularly in the warm winter sun.

"Your Majesty, General, you can rest assured!
"We workers are powerful! If those Guanlong guys dare to attack us, we will push them all off the city wall!"

As he said this, he flexed his muscular biceps.

"Okay, okay, be safe."

Li Ming stopped the adventurous behavior of his worker brothers.

Yes, this is the truth behind Li Ming's "three-pronged approach and all-out attack."

To sum it up in one word, it is "water injection".

A large number of non-combat personnel are mixed into combat troops to serve the purpose of bluffing and interfering with the enemy's judgment.

For example, in this Central Plains War, Yanzhou, which was adjacent to Qi and Lu, was once again the target of the attack. The regular army first occupied Yanzhou City at lightning speed, and then the main force withdrew immediately at night, and the civilian workers disguised themselves and entered the city to "change guard."

This disguise was very valuable. All the migrant workers wore armor (the Ming Dynasty had excess steel production capacity anyway), and the specifications were comparable to those of the regular army. In addition, they had developed a sense of discipline through years of mining and work, so it was no problem for them to march in an orderly manner.

Isn’t this just an “elite force” appearing out of thin air?

It was more than enough to deceive the Tang army's scouts in a short period of time.

In this way, the Tang army would think that the city was guarded by elite soldiers and would not dare to attack.

The real Ming army that was "saved" could continue to move westward and join a new round of siege warfare.

The camouflaged "troops" that remained in Yanzhou City were also not idle. They immediately carried out civil engineering work on the spot to strengthen the city's defenses.

After all, hiding the truth from the world is only temporary and will be discovered by the other side sooner or later.

If you want to truly defend a city, the key is to turn it into a fortress.

Such tactics were repeatedly used in various parts of the Central Plains.

Soldiers captured the city, civilian workers defended the city, soldiers captured the city again... and this cycle repeated itself, giving the Tang army, which was still lacking in intelligence at the beginning of the war, the illusion that "Ming troops are everywhere."

This is the scenario for the Central Plains. The scenario for the sea is much simpler.

Anyway, the navy cannot be used in the "real direction of Li Ming's efforts", so it is better to sail south for an armed parade, pretending to be ready to land at any time, to tighten the relaxed nerves of the Tang Dynasty.

By the way, I can show off my strength in front of my cousins ​​in the south and let them see the powerful ships and guns of my Great Northern Fleet.

In this way, by scraping a little from the east and a little from the west, wouldn't it be possible to rub together two armies of "new for girls' own use"?

Li Ming used these two non-existent or unnecessary armies to set up a maze for the Tang Dynasty, causing them to fall into great mental exhaustion.

Since these two routes were feints, his real main attack direction was very clear—

Advance to the west of Taihang Mountains!
Shanxi is a good place, and the millet produced in Shanxi is good for supporting people.

Look at how well Jin Prince Li Zhi is taken care of. He is very strong and is expected to be the third in command. He is ready to take over his father and brother's job at any time. He can conquer the world without even lying down.

If Li Zhi's fiefdom was taken away, that kid would definitely cry for a long time.

But Shanxi is so difficult to conquer, it is as difficult as dancing on two eggs.

One is the extremely unfavorable terrain, and the other is the local garrison that has been stationed there for many years.

Although the main forces of the Ming Dynasty are good at mountain warfare, they are not the reincarnation of Gundam.

It is not easy to defeat the existing defenders by attacking from a low position.

If the Tang Dynasty continues to send more troops there, then forget it and send it away as soon as possible.

"So I have to show my head to let the other side see that I am in the middle of the plains, not hiding or avoiding."

Li Ming was still trying to break free from Xue Wanche's clutches, explaining:
“Wherever I am, the other side will think that my army will follow me and that is the main attack direction, so their army will definitely be concentrated there.

"I'm trying to attract firepower for Li Jing and the others!"

The Tang army would never have dreamed that Li Ming, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, would actually take the initiative to use himself as bait and sell his head to support friendly forces.

Not to mention the Tang army, even their friendly army Xue Wanche couldn't have imagined it.

He desperately played a cat-and-mouse game with this little yellow croaker who had served as the "gatekeeper general" for several terms and could enter and exit the forbidden areas of the palace as if he were in an empty place, while shouting heartbreakingly: "You should also stop it and stop provoking the Tang army! The several urn cities in Yanzhou City have not been completed yet, and the new gates have not been properly installed! Don't let them act blindly in advance, otherwise they will fail!"

Xue Wanche felt very uneasy.

There are only dozens of real combat soldiers in the entire Yanzhou city, all of whom are standing on the city wall to support the scene and pose. The other "soldiers" are workers playing cosplay.

What? You're asking where His Majesty Li Ming's imperial guards are?

Isn't that superficial? Didn't His Majesty once say that he would be safest as long as he was among the people?

Why do we need imperial guards? Send them all to Taihang Mountains to fight!
So, Xue Wanche was a general in name but actually a contractor with all civil engineers under him, and he made good use of the expertise of the Minister of Works.

Thanks to Yanzhou's role as the Central Plains' doormat, the people here had long been accustomed to going in and out of the Tang and Ming dynasties. They seamlessly transformed from Tang citizens to Ming citizens, and the government office also handed over power without hesitation.

Otherwise, if local officials and citizens cause trouble, Li Ming's limited manpower may not be able to control it.

Xue Wanche even suspected that as long as the Wuhou constables from Yanzhou were dispatched, they would have enough strength to capture the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

"I'm afraid that the Tang army will take risks, so I have to come out in person to shock them." Li Ming explained while twisting his body flexibly:
"If you are not brave enough and open-minded enough, how can you play the empty city strategy?"

"Nonsense!"

"Your Majesty is right. Also, General Xue, please be careful about your words and actions. Just because your Majesty doesn't care doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

A voice with a strange accent came, ending the cat-and-mouse game between the emperor and his subjects.

What power is this Qibi?

After being captured on the grassland and escorted back to Pingzhou, he was rescued by his good friend Xue Wanche before he had even spent a single day in jail.

However, although he finally surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, this loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty could not bear to take up arms against the Tang Dynasty and refused to join the army.

After being an unemployed vagrant for several months, director Li Ming's second Central Plains War began.

He finally found a job and was pulled into the promising construction industry by his good friend Xue Wanche. He joined the civil engineering team and followed Xiao Li and Lao Xue to Yanzhou to do plastering.

Xue Wanche adjusted his crown and muttered angrily:
"I don't mean to be disrespectful. I'm doing this for his own good..."

"How can you guess the will of His Majesty?" Qibi Heli, who was well versed in Confucianism, interrupted.

In his opinion, although he was in the Ming Dynasty but his heart was with the Tang Dynasty, the emperor was still the emperor. How could he treat His Majesty like a little kid?

"That's right! How could a rough guy like you who was almost kicked out of bed by his wife possibly understand my profound intentions?"

Li Ming dusted off his dusty clothes:

"If I don't let the Tang army on the other side see me here, and if I don't let them think that there is a large army stationed here and be afraid, do you think they will act rashly?"

He pointed to the city.

The Tang army's troops were densely packed and cautiously stood outside the range of bows and crossbows, not daring to cross the line.

Just as Li Ming expected, they were cautious and waited outside the city in an orderly manner.

"But this is only a temporary situation. The other side can't always be so obedient."

Xue Wanche cautiously stuck out half of his head, took a furtive glance, and then quickly hid his head again.

"There has to be an end. Are we going to keep bluffing here until the other side sees through us and wipes us out?"

"Don't worry." Li Ming said confidently:

"As long as we can hold out until the city defense is completed, our mission will be accomplished.

"There will be no need to waste a large army stationed here. We only need to reserve a small part of the garrison force, and we won't have to worry about Yanzhou being easily breached."

Li Ming's strategy of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing Taihang Mountain" seems risky, but it is actually not reckless at all.

He actually made preparations for both scenarios.

If the battle in Taihang Mountains does not go well, then we will activate Plan B and change the Central Plains to the main attack direction!
The purpose of sending a large number of migrant workers to Yanzhou in a "replacement" move was to pave the way for this backup plan.

Isn’t the problem with the Central Plains that it is easy to attack but difficult to defend, and that it is impossible to occupy it even if you conquer it?
Then we should build the Central Plains states into a group of fortresses, set up strongholds to fight a dull battle, and use urbanization to break the deadlock!

When a group of solid fortresses are built along the banks of the Yellow River, every state will be like Luoyang and every place will be like Tongguan. It will be as impregnable as a rock!
The Tang Dynasty, without heavy artillery, will be defeated!

This is Li Ming's grand strategy, giving full play to Ming's advantages——

That is, production capacity is abundant to the point of excess.

By utilizing massive production capacity, a Great Wall was constructed along the Yellow River, artificially transforming the easily-defended and difficult-to-attack terrain into an iron wall, thus offsetting the Tang Dynasty’s military advantage in the short term!

Siege warfare has always been a big problem, no matter in ancient or modern times, even the most elite troops can be worn down by it.

If you have the ability, General Tian Ce can launch a few more consecutive battles at Hulao Pass.

"From all-out attack to focused attack, and then to transforming bunkers into strongholds and fighting a stupid battle, let's see how the other side can withstand this set of combined punches. Destroy them, hahaha~"

Li Ming stood at the edge of the city wall and laughed like a villain.

Uh...why does this strategy give me an indescribable sense of déjà vu?
It seems very unlucky, and it will turn me into a logistics captain in a minute...

Forget it, just ignore it, as long as it works at this stage.

"Li Jing, your immediate superior is almost willing to sacrifice his life to help you, you must climb Taihang Mountain carefully..."

Just as Li Ming was muttering to himself, the sound of drums suddenly rang out from the Tang army outside the city.

"Is the enemy really coming over here?!" Li Ming was shocked.

Xue Wanche and Qibi Heli frowned and listened for a while, then shook their heads at the same time:

"No."

drink!drink!
The Tang army followed the drumbeats and shouted with great momentum and their shouts shook the heavens.

The Ming craftsmen in Yanzhou City were so frightened that they could not hold the hammers steadily.

"Don't worry about what's happening outside. His Majesty Li Ming is standing on the top of the city wall himself. What do we have to fear inside the wall? Get to work!"

The foreman's shout seemed to call the workers' souls back.

Everyone returned to work with even greater enthusiasm.

"What are they doing?"

Li Ming leaned against the wall and asked the two deputy generals.

Lao Xue and Qibi shook their heads:

"That's not true."

Li Ming made up his mind and slapped his thigh:
"have a look!"

He turned around and looked through the observation hole between the parapets.

The Tang army under the city retreated to both sides smoothly like a tide.

In the center of the military formation was an ancient chariot, which looked extremely majestic as it was surrounded by soldiers.

Li Ming just took a look and the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching.

Damn, could it be...

On the chariot, Li Shimin raised his neck and shouted to someone on the Yanzhou city wall:
"I'm your father! Why don't you come out of the city and kneel to greet me?"

(End of this chapter)