My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 139 The prince learned the art of war from the late emperor

Tai Chi Palace, Liang Yi Palace.

Li Shimin was playing chess with Li Jing.

His level is too high. Once he becomes familiar with the game and understands the tactics, it will be almost impossible to find a rival for him.

Li Shimin had no interest in the kind of bullying that the King of Wei showed.

The prince enjoyed the fight.

But Li Shimin also knew that the prince was now very powerful and he could not be too close to him.

Once they get close, the King of Wei will be completely suppressed, and the voices in the court will become one-sided.

This will harm the prince.

Li Shimin himself also rose step by step from the King of Qin to the Crown Prince.

His previous experience clearly told him that it was not a good thing for a prince to be too outstanding.

Historical lessons also told Li Shimin that it is not a good thing for a crown prince to have too much power.

When the prince has no rival, the emperor becomes a tiger blocking the prince's promotion.

Rebellion is a topic that cannot be avoided.

Li Shimin was a smart man, so he naturally understood this principle.

But now that I am the emperor, I cannot accept that.

Therefore, the prince can only be inconvenienced temporarily.

Just wait a little longer, the throne will be given to you sooner or later.

Unable to find the crown prince, Li Shimin found Li Jing instead.

"Your Majesty's method of marching and deploying troops is something I have never heard of or seen before. It seems chaotic, but in fact, the advance and retreat are orderly. I am far from being able to match you."

Li Jing sighed sincerely.

In the field of military strategy and tactics, Li Jing was already a master. Strictly speaking, he could be considered half of Li Shimin's teacher.

The growth of Li Shimin's military capabilities did not happen overnight; he also suffered a lot in the early days.

It is true that Li Shimin was born in the Guanlong Group, and his ancestors were all military generals. He was influenced by them since he was a child and received the influence and learning of riding, archery and warfare. He joined the battlefield when he was young and accumulated rich combat experience.

However, at the beginning of his military career when he led his troops independently, he suffered a disastrous defeat, the Battle of Asamizuhara.

It can be said that it was a defeat in the first battle.

Afterwards, Li Shimin did not become discouraged. Instead, he learned his lesson, studied calmly, and asked questions from others without hesitation. This led to his many subsequent military achievements.

From then on, whenever he faced a powerful enemy, Li Shimin would almost always take his time to avoid the enemy's attack, then calmly and cautiously "build up camp and accumulate strength", meaning he would not engage in battle with his opponent.

On the other hand, the Tang army sent troops to cut off the enemy's food supply in the rear, and waited until the enemy was hungry, tired, depressed, and morale was unstable, and then they attacked them in one fell swoop, which became Li Shimin's distinctive killer move.

When Li Jing played chess with Li Shimin, he felt this kind of tactical arrangement, but it was even more sophisticated than before.

That's why he believed that this mobile warfare tactic was created by Li Shimin.

"No, these tactics were not created by me, but by the Crown Prince."

Li Shimin said with a smile.

Although it is true that people are wary, it is also true that they love and are proud of it. This is a very complex and contradictory emotion.

"That was also taught by Your Majesty." Li Jing still felt that it was closely related to Li Shimin.

They are so similar. When it comes to the concepts of tactics and military strategy, Li Shimin and the prince are almost identical.

"That's really not what I taught you."

"I have never taught the prince the art of war."

Li Shimin said with some sigh.

He knew that the prince had never systematically studied military tactics.

In order to ensure that the incident at Xuanwu Gate would not happen again to him, Li Chengqian, as the crown prince, received education in Confucian classics since childhood.

The teachers assigned to him by Li Shimin were mainly responsible for teaching knowledge, advising and supervising him, and the focus of these teachers' teaching was not on military tactics.

In other words, in Li Shimin's view, the prince's understanding of military strategy was entirely self-taught.

Li Jing was stunned when he heard this, then he looked at the sand table and sighed: "The prince has the style of the previous emperor."

Li Yuan was a military genius who was overlooked in history, and his strategic layout was just the tip of the iceberg.

When Li Yuan was the governor of Taiyuan, he faced two major concerns, namely the invasion of the Turks and the uprising of the peasant army.

When he encountered 20,000 rebel troops under Li Shanfei in Queshu Valley in Hexi County and had only 5,000 soldiers of his own, he did not panic at all and commanded the troops with confidence.

He arranged the old, weak and baggage troops in the center, and ordered Deputy General Wang Wei to lead a large group of troops and raise many flags to lure the enemy.

He led the elite cavalry and hid on the left and right.

When the enemy attacked Wang Wei's troops fiercely and seized their baggage, he led the cavalry to attack from both sides, catching the enemy off guard and winning a great victory.

This tactical arrangement fully demonstrated the flexible use of cavalry and the accurate grasp of combat opportunities.

Later, the Black Armor Army formed by Li Shimin played an important role in the war, and his use of cavalry was also influenced by his father Li Yuan.

The tactics currently adopted by Li Shimin, such as the coordination of infantry and cavalry, have the shadow of Li Yuan in them.

However, Li Shimin said that this was the military strategy created by the prince.

"At first, Cheng Qian's favorite thing was to go to Daming Palace and stick to his father."

"Perhaps it was at that time that my father taught Cheng Qian the art of war."

Li Shimin was not surprised by the prince's military strategy.

Because these military strategies and tactics felt too familiar to him.

When the prince used these tactics for the first time, Li Shimin seemed to see his father standing behind him.

That night, there was a fierce battle with the prince.

Li Shimin felt more like he was playing chess with his father Li Yuan.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing hesitated for a moment and did not speak.

This matter is quite taboo.

After retiring to the Daming Palace, the late emperor was still studying military tactics.

What did the late emperor mean when he taught the prince the art of war? Or was there some other meaning?

Do you want Your Majesty to have a taste of what I felt like in the past?

What does Your Majesty think about this matter?

Li Jing didn't want to get involved, especially since his eldest son was still training the palace soldiers for the crown prince.

If I arouse your majesty's suspicion, my old age will be in danger.

Seeing that Li Jing remained silent, Li Shimin also understood his fear.

He smiled and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

"I heard about the Roman delegation at the court this morning."

Li Jing said, "I have heard a little bit about it."

Li Shimin nodded: "I specially sent someone to get the news, and the things the prince said were a little exaggerated."

"The Arab Empire has been conquering wars all over the country and has captured thousands of cities in recent years. It is simply shocking."

"I didn't believe it earlier, but according to the merchants I met, it's really similar to what the prince said."

Li Shimin felt a little emotional, as if he saw an empire as powerful as the Tang Dynasty rising in the far west.

Li Jing said: "I have some understanding of Daqin. Its land is poor and its people are in chaos. It is unlikely to pose a threat to our Tang Dynasty."

In the ninth year of Zhenguan, Li Jing led his troops to conquer Tuyuhun in the Western Regions. It was also at that time that he gained some understanding of the Central Asian region.

The political structure of the countries in Central Asia is a mess, and their economies are often dependent on trade and nomadic economy and are relatively simple.

Compared with the agricultural economy of the Tang Dynasty, its stability and sustainability were poorer.

In addition, the countries in Central Asia were relatively backward in technology and production capacity, making it difficult for them to compete with the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, the Central Asian region is far away from the Chinese mainland, and there are vast deserts, mountains, grasslands and other complex terrains in between.

If the Arab Empire launched a large-scale military expedition, it would face huge logistical difficulties.

If there are fewer people, there is no way to shake the Tang Dynasty. "I am not worried about the Arabs, but I am worried about the prince."

"I can sense that the prince really wants to intervene in the war between Rome and the Arabs."

"If the attack on Goryeo goes smoothly, I'm afraid the next step for the prince is to send troops to attack the Arabs."

While Li Shimin was talking, he asked Zhang Ananda to arrange the dishes.

He knew the prince's ambitions. Many people said that the prince was warlike and aggressive, so they wrote letters to advise him, hoping that His Majesty would urge the prince more and focus on government affairs.

But in the current situation, if we forcibly take away the prince's military power and the Military Academy, it would be tantamount to breaking with the prince.

It would even send a signal to outsiders that Li Shimin might want to depose the crown prince.

Li Shimin could not do such a thing.

Of course, there is another possibility.

That is, after cutting off the Crown Prince's military power and the Military Academy, the King of Wei and the King of Jin were sent to exile to their fiefdoms.

This will indeed ensure that the crown prince's position is protected while also eliminating his desire for military power.

However, Li Shimin couldn't bear to part with Qingque.

I really can't bear to do that.

Moreover, even if he did that, would the prince really be obedient and have no interest in military power?

I'm afraid not.

Civil and military officials secretly rely on the crown prince and hold great power, which makes it more likely that the crown prince will rebel.

Being an emperor is difficult, being a father is even more difficult.

Li Shimin also didn't know what consequences would arise when he made a certain decision.

"The prince has never led an army to war. Perhaps this expedition to Goryeo will make him realize that marching and fighting are not the same as war games."

“Only by experiencing it can one understand the pain of war.”

"Perhaps after seeing a real battlefield, the prince's thoughts will change."

Li Jing consoled.

In his opinion, the prince might be very good at military strategy and tactics, which was inherited from the military talent of the late emperor Li Yuan and His Majesty.

However, in a real war, not only the soldiers suffer, but also the generals.

Trekking through mountains and rivers and running around are all torture to the body.

Fighting on the battlefield is not as simple as deducing on a sand table.

Watching familiar people die one by one in front of me.

Sometimes, in order to achieve strategic goals, some people even have to die.

One will be a million bones.

It was physical and mental torture.

Can the prince, who has never been exposed to war, really adapt to all this?

Li Jing was skeptical.

"That's what I thought, too."

"It is better to ease than to block. Simply suppressing the prince is not a good thing. Let him see and feel it, and maybe he will change."

"If the prince can really adapt to these quickly and do better, it will be a good thing."

Li Shimin also had some plans in mind.

The prince is now twenty-three years old. At this time, he had already begun leading troops to fight and conquer the world for the Tang Dynasty.

It was the failure at the age of 20 that allowed him to grow sufficiently.

The prince is proficient in military affairs, which is a good thing for him to ascend to the throne in the future.

Li Shimin did not think that the prince could pose a strong threat to him through a war against Goryeo.

Besides, there are five surnames and seven families helping the King of Wei.

The presence of the King of Wei would also restrain the Crown Prince.

Li Shimin himself was also very confident that he could control everything, regardless of whether the prince won a great victory or a great defeat.

If the prince is defeated or cannot withstand the test of war, it would be a good idea for him to focus on government affairs in the future.

East Palace.

Li Chengqian doesn't have as many ideas as Erfeng.

Just work hard and you'll be done.

At this moment, he was sitting on the prince's four-wheeled cart, watching the people in front of him plowing the fields.

The Eastern Palace also has its own farmland.

When Li Chengqian saw it by chance, he remembered that at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the plows used by the people were mostly straight-shafted and long-shafted, which were difficult to turn and required laborious work to plow the land.

So Li Chengqian asked the carpenters to build the curved plow according to his own ideas.

Historically, the curved plow was invented in the Jiangnan region in the late Tang Dynasty and gradually spread.

Li Chengqian is now two hundred years ahead of schedule.

The curved-beam plow changes the straight and long beam into a curved and short beam, and installs a freely rotating plow disc on the beam head.

This improvement made the plow frame smaller and lighter, making it easier to turn and pivot, more flexible to operate, and saving manpower and animal power.

It also has additional components such as plowshares and plowshares, which can adapt to the different requirements of deep plowing or shallow plowing and facilitate intensive farming.

It sounds a bit complicated, but it’s actually not that difficult.

Li Chengqian had seen the structure of the curved plow in a book in his previous life, and the master carpenter of the Eastern Palace was able to make it easily after understanding the prince's idea.

In the fields, the soldiers who were working in the fields had already completed the cultivation of an area.

Then he came to report to the prince.

"How does it feel."

Li Chengqian asked, the soldiers in the government office also have to farm, so they are naturally familiar with farming and are the main labor force in the family.

"Your Highness, this new plow is really easy to use. It feels at least twice as easy to use as the old one."

"It's very flexible in turning and saves a lot of effort. After plowing a circle, it feels like the cows haven't even put in any effort."

"If you pull it forward for four or five times, the cow can rest for a while. Now I feel that even if you pull it forward for ten times, the cow will just feel like it's taking a walk."

"It's also very easy to control, and you can turn a corner without much effort."

"If no one had called me, I would have plowed ten more rounds before I felt satisfied."

The words of the palace soldier left a lot to be desired.

In his eyes, this curved plow is a great treasure, more valuable than gold.

With it, farming becomes a very easy task.

"Is it really that magical?"

"I'll try it too."

The person who spoke was Zhang Xuansu. Li Chengqian specially asked someone to call all the officials who were responsible for compiling Tiangong Kaiwu.

Farming has always been a big deal, and in The Exploitation of the Works of Nature, the chapter on farming is also the most important one.

Today, he heard that the prince had come up with a new thing and asked them to go and see it and record it. Zhang Xuansu couldn't wait to come and see it.

Now is the time to get started.

Li Chengqian did not stop him and let Zhang Xuansu go.

Many scholars at that time, unless they were born into aristocratic families, had no way to avoid the hurdle of farming.

Even the eldest son of a noble family would be required to be familiar with farming.

In agricultural civilization, farming is the foundation.

ps: Update

(End of this chapter)