Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 391 Father, can I defeat you?
Oh, that's right! We still have Li Shiji out there!

Although the few generals who are in charge of the team are not as good as those famous generals who have gone down in history, they are not there to do nothing and are all capable generals.

After overcoming the initial panic, they soon realized that Li Shiji's troops had fallen into a trap of being attacked from both sides and were in imminent danger!
"I am willing to go!"

All the generals requested the order at the same time, vying for the first place.

Li Shimin waved his hand:
"Everyone, move out!
"I don't need protection. If Li Shiji is gone, there will be no point in leaving me alone."

Everyone couldn't help but feel sad. Their throats moved and they choked with sobs:

"Follow the order!"

After receiving the order, they retreated without looking back and rushed to the battlefield.

To them, the Ming army that suddenly jumped in front of them had an overwhelming technical and tactical advantage, like a god.

But, gods are gods.

The battle that needs to be fought must be fought to the end.

This should be a farewell forever... Li Shimin stared at the resolute backs of his subordinates, slowly raised his hand and bowed deeply.

Everything he could do has been done.

In order to resist Li Ming's attack, Li Shimin led troops, used strategies, deployed intelligence, and deployed defenses... He used all kinds of conspiracies and plots without reservation and tried every possible means.

However, General Tian Ce still lost miserably to his youngest son.

We thought his main force was in Shanxi, but we didn't know that he had sent out a larger and stronger force from the Central Plains; we thought he was going to take the capital Chang'an directly, but we didn't know that he was rushing from the Central Plains to Shanxi.

After defeating his plan to advance from the north to the south, he actually filled the front lines with one million civilians; he was thought to be building bunkers, but he was actually doing infrastructure construction; he was thought to be really busy with infrastructure construction, but it was all a sleight of hand, and he was actually plotting to capture Jinyang.

Li Shimin didn't know how Li Ming got the ship behind the blockade line.

But he knew that the answer to this question was what Li Ming was trying to prevent him from finding by using various confusing operations.

And Li Ming succeeded.

Until they were slapped in the face by Yamato and airdropped from the base, the Tang Dynasty had no idea what kind of ingenious mechanism had been used to get those ships up the mountain!
Li Ming's imagination is so terrifying.

Every move was unexpected, as if it was just a joke.

But behind every move there is a hidden logical chain, with clues that lead to clues that are long and elusive.

Until everything is ready, launch an unstoppable thunderous attack.

The victim suddenly realized - it turned out to be aimed at me!

Only by looking back and sorting things out could Li Shimin roughly understand the general tactics of the fourteenth son of the Li family.

It may seem like a joke, but it is actually full of shrewd calculations. It is not only efficient, but also very low-cost...

"hiss!"

Li Shimin felt a pain in the corner of his mouth.

Then I realized that I had accidentally stroked my beard too hard and pulled out a few strands.

He looked at the few gray hairs in his hand foolishly and couldn't help but smile bitterly:

"It's so ugly. He was beaten so badly..."

But no matter how badly we are beaten, we have to continue fighting.

Even his own soldiers are still marching forward to challenge the invincible enemy.

How could he back down...

"Ok?"

Li Shimin glanced at the ground below the tower and frowned.

"Why hasn't the army left the city yet?"

Looking down from his perspective, he could only see the Ming army marching in an orderly manner towards the north without any interference.

Where are the people? Where are all the people I just sent out?
Did he run away?
"His Majesty--"

A quarter of an hour later, the general, who I thought I had seen forever, met again, looking dusty and exhausted.

"Our army is blocked at the city gate and cannot get out..."

The corners of Li Shimin's mouth twitched and he even laughed out of anger.

Damn, the general is a good general, but unfortunately not very good——

I know you are not good enough, but you are not to this extent!

Don’t you even have the qualifications to compete with Li Ming’s men?

"What's going on? Aren't you all so full of energy and determined to save Li Shiji from this dire situation?"

Li Shimin, who never wastes time on internal affairs, said with his usual venomous tongue.

The other party reported dejectedly:
"Ship, it's a ship..."

…………

At the gate of Jinyang city, the Tang army is gathering.

The soldiers had firm eyes and were ready to die.

Passing through the city gate, the Ming army's formation was clearly visible.

What shameless people! If we let them attack Li Shiji from behind, the war will be completely over.

Therefore, before the Ming army reorganized its troops and marched south, the Tang army would first launch a shameless sneak attack on them.

It would be better to turn the battlefield into a thousand-layer pancake than to have Li Shiji sandwiched with cheese on both sides.

"charge!"

The vanguard of the Tang army marched out in formation.

Then he quickly retreated.

The captain of the army was furious:

"Why are you running away from the battlefield..."

Before he finished his words, there was a muffled "bang".

An all-metal crossbow arrow as thick as a thigh pierced through the half-open Jinyang city gate, causing the heavy bolt to creak and iron filings to scatter.

Outside the city gate, arrows were raining down, leaving no room for anyone to intervene.

The rain of arrows came from the Ming army warships anchored under the city of Jinyang.

Each ship was equipped with a large number of bows and crossbows, which were the best products of Ming Dynasty technology in the world, with a range and power far exceeding that of Tang crossbows.

These crossbows fired without stopping, pouring dense rain of bullets towards the city gate of Jinyang.

There were already many Ming warships, and each warship was equipped with an even larger number of crossbows. They fired at the same time, forming a barrage of death at the city gate.

The scale of Li Ming's operation this time was so large that no mistakes could be allowed. How could he have missed the remaining Tang troops in Jinyang City?

They were left to the disposal of the Invincible Armada.

The fleet's "naval guns" blocked the enemy's advance southward and provided cover for the army on shore, allowing them to focus on stabbing Li Shiji in the back without distraction.

"Tsk, damn it!"

Being blocked at their doorstep by powerful ships and cannons, the Tang army generals were filled with hatred.

But there was nothing they could do except breathe on the warship.

They couldn't get out at all, let alone fight back. The Tang army's bows and crossbows couldn't even reach the enemy's fur.

The Ming army's warships are in the south, so can they go out from the north gate, then make a big circle to the south and bypass the blockade of the ships from land?
The answer is, no.

Because Jinyang City is located right on the north-south road, with rivers on one side and mountains on the other side.

Apart from the road at the south gate of the city that was blocked by enemy ships, there was no room for large troops to maneuver.

In other words, the Tang army was completely trapped in the city by a few boats!

Yes, the soldiers were indeed ready to die.

But this doesn't mean that everyone is willing to die!
If the soldiers could go to the front line and fight with real swords and guns to win a chance of victory for their allies and prolong the dynasty for a second, they would be willing to die.

But if we can only consume one bow and arrow from the opponent, and Ming can produce as many cheap industrial products as it wants...

We are all made of flesh and blood. Who wants to die so miserably?
Since he didn't want to die in disgrace, he could only be blocked at the city gate and hesitate to move forward.

Just when they were in a state of uncertainty about whether to advance or retreat, there was another loud bang, much louder than the noise caused by the crossbow arrows.

The dull sound made people feel uncomfortable. The bricks on the city wall were shaking and dirt was falling. The experienced general's face suddenly changed and he immediately ordered:

"The enemy is attacking the city with stone cannons. Retreat quickly and stay away from the city walls!"

The vanguard immediately withdrew from the city gate area and retreated into the city.

They had not retreated far when they saw pits being smashed into the rammed earth wall. Earth, stones and bricks were splashing around like water. The sentries on the wall were effortlessly thrown down as if they were made of paper, and the scene was extremely tragic.

"It's a trebuchet..."

The generals of the Tang army didn't even feel angry or any other emotions.

There is only a feeling of powerlessness rising from deep within my heart.

In addition to soldiers and crossbows, the Ming fleet also brought catapults.

This not only prevented the Tang army from leaving the city, but they were not even allowed to approach the city gate.

Sorry, but if you have strong ships and powerful guns, you can do whatever you want.

The era had arrived when the Ming people could control a city by simply setting up a few cannons on the coast.

…………

"They were very accurate in their aim, blocking the only few entrances and exits in the city, making it impossible for our troops to move forward.

"Is this a revenge for my blocking of their waterway? Haha, haha..."

Li Shimin smiled weakly.

Once the waterway was lost, the consequences were unexpectedly more serious than the loss of the land defense line.

On the one hand, they used soldiers to land on the beach, on the other hand, they used ships to attack the city and intercept reinforcements. They attacked from both sides and maximized the efficiency of each type of troops.

Li Ming may not have enough experience in specific combat command, but he is definitely an expert in overall planning.

As a highly organized human activity, the internal logic of combat is actually the same as other management activities that require strategic planning.

That is, let everyone have something to do and no one should be idle.

For example, isn’t the ancient tactic of “encirclement” all about widening the contact area between your own side and the enemy, thereby maximizing the output of your own soldiers and giving as many people as possible work to do and enemies to kill?
In other words, Li Ming, an ultimate foreman who can't stand seeing others idle and an efficiency maniac who always racks his brains to plan, can also be a military genius.

“Come to think of it, that guy has a large army ‘in the north’.

"Will he leave that army idle? Or..."

Li Shimin's mind was turning.

As luck would have it, at this time he received news from the northern front.

A broken messenger came with wounds all over his body to report:
"Your Majesty, Li Nijing suddenly launched a strong attack! Our army is unable to resist, Commander Cheng Zhijie is injured, Ashina She'er is missing, and the Shuozhou defense line... has been broken!"

Li Shimin's face turned a little paler, but other than that, he didn't say much.

He just waved his hand amiably to the messenger:
"Thank you for the trouble. Go down and take a rest. Life is precious. Don't lose it easily."

Your Majesty, this is... The soldier was flattered, but did not dare to ask more questions, and retreated tremblingly.

After waving away the messenger, Li Shimin looked around and said gently to his servants:

"You guys go too, go wherever you want."

The servants immediately knelt down and cried bitterly, swearing to follow Your Majesty until death.

Li Shimin's face suddenly changed, and he angrily shouted:
"I told you to get out, and you dare to disobey my order!"

After driving everyone away, Li Shimin looked at the empty terrace and listened to the dull rumbling sound of huge rocks hitting the city wall in the distance, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

It's over, we lost, there's no way of turning the tables, there's absolutely no hope.

The northern defense line was broken and the main force in the south was annihilated.

The Ming army's strategic plan of advancing from the north and south is already within reach.

In a day or so, Li Ming and Li Jing might meet here.

"Oh, I'm not as skilled as you, I'm convinced..."

Li Shimin smiled bitterly.

As a leader who is born to be the best in the world, it is not easy to make him submit willingly.

However, it’s okay not to accept it.

There is no excuse, he was beaten into submission.

From national strength, strategy, to tactics, General Tian Ce was defeated in all aspects.

If you can't win on the battlefield, everything is zero. Criticism of weapons is the best way to deal with all kinds of stubbornness.

Even Li Shimin was convinced. There should be no one in the world who is so short-sighted as to have any doubts about Li Ming's civil and military achievements, right?
Either way, that's fine.

Li Ming, that kid, wants to gain extraordinary power in order to do extraordinary things.

As a father, just help him.

Use him as a cushion, let him show off, let him establish his authority in front of the whole world.

After this shocking Battle of Jinyang, who would dare to stand in Li Ming's way and hinder his administration?

Even General Tian Ce couldn't stop it, so the other villains probably don't even dare to think about it.

"He wanted to divide the land equally, so he divided the land equally; he wanted to eliminate the nobles, so he eliminated the nobles; he wanted to build large-scale projects, so he built large-scale projects.

"In his kingdom, he can do whatever he wants. No one can stop him, even if he wants to repair the sky."

Thinking of this, Li Shimin inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

It is not always a good thing if a student surpasses his teacher.

"It's a pity that the Tang Dynasty finally fell in the second generation and sat at the same table as the tyrannical Qin and Sui dynasties...

"Ah! The dynasty has only changed its name, China is still the same China, and the people are still the same people.

"As long as the country is stable and the people are prosperous, what does a name mean?

"Besides, isn't Li Ming also my son? Isn't he also a descendant of the Tang Dynasty?"

Thinking of this, Li Shimin suddenly became enlightened. He leaned on the railing and looked down, feeling extremely free and easy.

Below him, the Ming army's warships were showing off their power on the river, and the army was quickly encircling Li Shiji from behind.

"Since his goal has been achieved, he should stop wasting his life..."

he muttered.

…………

"Fire arrows!"

On the flagship of the Ming fleet, Cen Changqian was sweating profusely as he commanded.

He is the nephew of Cen Wenben, a member of Li Tai's gang. Unlike his uncle who is trapped in his own web, Cen Changqian was discovered by Changsun Yan and worked in Liaodong very early. He is a down-to-earth and hard-working young technical bureaucrat.

Then, the famous officials of Zhenguan period, represented by Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji, gathered in Liaodong.

Then there is no more then.

The young and handsome Cen Changqian was no match for those old foxes. He was easily treated as a piece of meat and kicked out of the circle of power.

After the power struggle failed, Xiao Cen, unwilling to give up, resolutely joined the army to serve his country.

In terms of the integration of civil and military officials, the Ming Dynasty followed the Tang Dynasty.

This young man had made his way up to become the commander-in-chief of the fleet, and played a key supporting role in the Battle of Jinyang.

Now, the boats have been transported to the city, and the soldiers have landed successfully.

His next task was to provide fire coverage on several important entrances and exits of Jinyang City, delay the movement of enemy reinforcements, and provide cover for the infantry.

He loves doing this job.

"I told you to block the river, I told you to retreat into the city, I told you to exclude me!
"Blow it up for me! Hahahaha!"

He directed so hard that there was a certain personal emotion involved.

However, although he had some of the roughness of a warrior, he still retained the meticulousness of a scholar.

As he was fighting, he realized something was wrong.

"Where are the flags on the opposite wall?"

How did the Tang army take back the Tang Dynasty’s flag?
(End of this chapter)