Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 365: Gambling on the National Destiny
Li Yong came all the way to Ganlu Hall, reported, and entered the hall. He saw Li Zhi sitting beside the couch, flipping through a book in his hands.

"I pay my respects to my father." He knelt down and kowtowed.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Get up. Are you going to the palace to see your mother again today?"

Li Yong said, "Yes, I have already paid my respects to my mother."

Li Zhi nodded and asked him a few questions about his life. When he asked about Li Xiao, Li Yong hesitated.

"What's wrong? Did he get into trouble outside?"

Li Yong whispered, "No, Second Brother didn't cause any trouble."

Li Zhi said, "He hasn't been to the palace for several months. A while ago, his mother caught a cold, but he didn't even come to see her. I don't know what he's been busy with on weekdays."

Li Yong lowered his head and said nothing.

Li Zhi saw that he was silent with his head down, and seemed to be estranged from him, so he couldn't help but sigh.

He has too many things to do on a daily basis, and with more and more children around him, he simply cannot take care of each of them.

In the past, he would try his best to maintain family ties with each of his children, but later he found it too tiring and unable to take care of everything, so he decided to just let things take their own course.

"Okay, if there's nothing else, please leave." He waved his hand.

Li Yong agreed and left.

Li Zhi continued to flip through the book in his hand.

This book is a history book compiled by Zhangsun Wuji over several years. Only part of it is available now. It records the history of the division of the Northern and Southern Dynasties after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and is called "Records of the Southern and Northern Dynasties".

In fact, in the early Tang Dynasty, there were many historians who compiled the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

For example, Yao Silian's "Book of Liang" and "Book of Chen", Linghu Defen's "Book of Zhou", and Li Yanshou's "History of the Southern Dynasties" and "History of the Northern Dynasties".

However, these historical books were compiled when the world was first settled, and they were completed relatively early and are not very detailed.

Now that the world has been at peace for several decades, many ancient folk books have been unearthed.

During the reign of Zhangsun Wuji, he used his power to obtain a large number of precious and rare works. After reading them, he realized that there was a lot of secret history during the Southern and Northern Dynasties that had been overlooked by later generations.

He had the idea of ​​writing a book at that time, but he was unable to give up power.

Later, he was stripped of his title and became a commoner, which gave him some free time to check for omissions and fill in the gaps. Based on the work of his predecessors and adding some of his own understanding, he finally wrote the "Records of the Southern and Northern Dynasties".

Li Zhi also benefited a lot from reading it.

This is not the whole book. Changsun Wuji's goal is to write a history book covering all periods of the previous dynasty, which requires a lot of time and energy.

He was so anxious to submit part of the book because he knew he had made too many enemies in the court and wanted to protect himself by relying on the book.

Whatever his purpose, this book is indeed valuable.

After the book was announced in the court, without Li Zhi saying anything, old ministers such as Linghu Defen and Jing Bo would take the initiative to recommend credit for Changsun Wuji.

Li Zhi continued to read the interesting stories in the book. Suddenly, Wang Fusheng walked in and whispered, "Your Majesty, several generals have arrived at the Shenlong Palace."

Li Zhi nodded, used a jade pendant with dragon pattern as a bookmark, put it in the middle, changed his clothes, and headed towards the Dragon Temple.

After entering the hall, I saw Xue Rengui, Li Ji, Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie were already waiting inside.

Li Zhi walked to the top seat and sat down, accepting the greetings from the four people.

"There's no need to be so polite, gentlemen. I invited you four here today to discuss the affairs of Japan." He raised his hand.

After hearing this, several people couldn't help but exchange glances with each other.

The Japanese Kingdom has already sent its prince and invited envoys from the Tang Dynasty to come over, obviously intending to attack Ezo.

What else is there to discuss?

Li Zhi swept his eyes across the four people's faces, taking in their expressions, and shook his head secretly in his heart.

The Tang Dynasty generals underestimated the Japanese. Although the four of them were battle-hardened generals, they had no idea of ​​Japan's conspiracy.

It is no wonder that in the Battle of Baekgang, the Tang Dynasty was forced to fight against a larger force with fewer troops.

It is estimated that the Tang army never expected that the Japanese would dispatch such a large army to confront the Tang Dynasty head-on.

Having said that, Liu Rengui was able to defeat the main force of Japan with a small force under such circumstances. It must be said that the Tang Dynasty navy was indeed powerful.

He even had a feeling that even if he had not made such elaborate arrangements, the Tang army would still be able to win a great victory by directly fighting the Japanese head-on.

He quickly threw away the random thoughts in his mind and continued, "Don't you find it strange? Japan could have just sent troops to attack Ezo. Why did they send the prince here and lower their posture so much..."

Li Zhi used the same trick he had used to persuade Wu Meiniang.

Except for Xue Rengui, the other three were old foxes, and they looked thoughtful after listening.

Li Ji narrowed his eyes and asked, "Your Majesty, do you suspect the Japanese of some conspiracy?"

Li Zhi said, "Think about it again. The Japanese are training their troops in Kyushu, obviously intending to fight a major war with us. Why are they so cowardly now?"

Yuchi Gong said in a deep voice: "Something is indeed wrong."

Li Zhi said, "Also, the Japanese prince did not return after his mission and is still staying in the Tang Dynasty. This is so abnormal that there must be something wrong."

Li Ji said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if the Japanese have any conspiracy, they are deliberately showing weakness. It is obviously to make us let our guard down so that they can launch a surprise attack!"

Several other people nodded.

Li Zhi stood up, walked to the map, and asked, "Where do you think the Japanese will attack?"

Cheng Zhijie pointed to the east of Baekje and said, "It must be Xiongjin Port!"

Li Ji was suddenly shocked and thought to himself, "Your Majesty sent troops to Xiongjin Port, is it just to lure the Japanese to attack?"

Li Zhi continued, "Then when will they choose to take action?"

Yuchi Gong said, "The barbarians all know that during the Tang Dynasty's year-end celebrations, the governors and provincial governors from all over the country will return to Chang'an to pay their respects, leaving the city empty. They will definitely choose this moment to strike!"

Cheng Zhijie smiled and said, "Then let's play along and deliberately let Liu Rengui and Sun Renshi return to the capital to let them down their guard."

Li Ji raised his hand and said, "That's not necessary. In previous years, these two people would not return to the capital. If they suddenly return this year, it will only arouse suspicion."

Cheng Zhijie nodded in agreement.

Li Zhi looked up at the map and said, "My Lords, how do you think they will fight this battle?"

The four of them stared at the map.

After a long while, Yuchi Gong said, "If I were the Japanese, I would split my troops into two groups. One would directly attack Xiongjin Port, and the other would land at Baijiangkou and attack Xiongjin Port from land. Thus, we would form a two-pronged attack!"

Baekgang is an estuary south of Ungjin Port, controlled by Buyeo Ui-ja.

Cheng Zhijie said: "Don't forget the Baekje army of Buyeo Yici."

Yuchi Gong said: "No, they will not tell Fuyu Yici about the battle plan, they will only ask them to cooperate when the time is right."

He didn't explain much, but everyone understood.

The Tang army's weapons were looted because of a leak from Buyeo's Fuxin. Now that Baekje is in chaos, no one can trust them anymore.

Li Zhi's eyes moved slowly, and seeing that the others were silent, they obviously agreed with Yuchi Gong's statement.

Li Zhi asked, "Then, according to your generals, how should our army respond?"

It was Yuchi Gong who spoke first again.

"Your Majesty, we can also split our forces into two groups. One group will deal with the Japanese troops at Baijiangkou, and the other group will deal with the Japanese troops attacking Xiongjin Port."

"The Baijiang River mouth is long and narrow, and the river mouth gradually narrows. We only need to dispatch the Laizhou navy to block the river mouth, and we can trap the Japanese inside. Then, we can use the strategy of fire attack, and the Japanese will be defeated."

Li Zhi was startled. This combat method was exactly how Liu Rengui defeated the 40,000 Japanese troops, and Yuchi Gong actually brought it up casually.

Yuchi Gong continued, "In the battle of Xiongjin Port, we can feign defeat, abandon the port, lure the Japanese ashore, and then have the Yingzhou navy block the port. By attacking them from both sides, we will surely win."

Li Zhi nodded secretly. Although Yuchi Gong looked reckless and irritable, he showed his delicate side when discussing marching and fighting.

"What do you think?" He looked at the others.

Cheng Zhijie said, "Your Majesty, I believe there is no problem with Yuchi Heilang's battle plan."

Li Ji nodded and said, "This old minister has no objection."

Xue Rengui said, "I second the motion."

Li Zhi slapped the map and said, "Okay, then, let's follow Yuchi Qing's plan!"

In mid-December, the cold wind was blowing like a knife on people's faces.

Zhong Daxiong stood on a high cliff, gazing at the army gathering in the distance.

At this time, two people walked up the steep slope and onto the high cliff.

One of them was Nakatomi Kamatari, and the other was a bronze-skinned man. Although he was short, he was extremely strong. He was wearing a tight sharkskin coat and looked like a black stone pillar.

"Your Highness, the army has been assembled, and Abehirafu has gone to report to the King. Do you have anything else to say?" Nakatomi Kamatari asked. Nakano-oie stared at the black stone pillar and said slowly, "General Onijima, this time we are relying entirely on you."

Black Stone Pillar Guidao Chuanqing crossed his arms and said lazily, "At the beginning, it was agreed that I would command the entire army, but now you only give me three fleets. Humph, and you still say you rely on me for everything?"

Nakatomi Kamatari said in a deep voice, "General Onijima, His Royal Highness has done his best. The rest of the army is not under his control. How can he give you command?"

Onijima Kawakiyo picked at his earwax with his pinky finger and squinted his eyes as he said, "I don't care. Anyway, things are different now than we agreed. Don't blame me if you lose."

Nakatomi Kamatari was furious and was about to explode, but Nakano-oe raised his hand and signaled him to shut up.

"General Onijima, do you know how many troops we are sending out this time?" asked Zhongdaxiong.

Guidao Chuanqing blew the earwax from between his fingernails and said with a smile, "It seems to be about 70,000 or 80,000."

Zhong Daxiong said in a deep voice: "Indeed, and they are all elite troops from all over the country. This battle can be said to be a gamble on the fate of Japan. If we lose, the country will be in danger of being destroyed."

Guidao Chuanqing smiled and said, "I am a pirate. It's useless for you to tell me these things."

Zhong Daxiong said, "You were originally a monk at Qinglong Temple in Minong. I heard that the cherry blossom waterfall on the mountain behind Qinglong Temple is a unique sight in Minong. I don't think you would want that beautiful scenery to be destroyed by war."

Guidao Chuanqing was silent for a while, then said, "Don't worry, Prince. Guidao will do his best."

Zhong Daxiong nodded and said, "That's good. Go ahead. After we win this battle, we'll drink together at Minong Qinglong Temple."

Onijima Kawakiyo performed a Japanese etiquette and left.

Because the Tang Dynasty increased its troops, Japan also expanded its armaments. There were nearly two thousand warships, densely packed on the coast.

From a distance, it looks like a large patch of seaweed floating on the sea.

Because there were too many troops, it was impossible to unify the command. The army of more than 68,000 people was divided into twelve fleets, each fleet with more than 5,000 people.

There were too many ships, and to prevent collisions, each fleet set out a quarter of an hour apart, connected end to end, like a long snake on the sea.

Abehirov's fleet, located at the first ship of the snakehead.

Ever since he went out to sea, he has been looking up at the sky.

Such cold weather is not suitable for naval battles. If the weather becomes bad, the fleet must return to the port immediately and abandon all plans.

Fortunately, today's weather is similar to the forecast. Although it is not a clear sky, there will not be too big waves.

Kyushu Island in Japan is more than 600 miles away from Baekje. With the sails full, it can be reached in three or four hours.

However, to reach Baekje, one must first bypass Silla.

Although Japan and Silla had a secret alliance, they were still on guard against each other. The movement of such a large fleet naturally could not be concealed from Silla.

At noon, the garrison commander of Liangzhou in Silla received an urgent report that a large fleet of Japanese ships was approaching Silla and turned west when they were about a hundred miles away from Silla.

He hurriedly sent someone to deliver a message on horseback to bring the news back to the capital.

It was already afternoon when King Kim Chunchu of Silla received the news.

Jin Chunqiu hurriedly summoned his ministers to discuss the matter.

Jin Famin smiled and said, "Don't worry, father. The Japanese are definitely targeting the Tang army in Xiongjin Port!"

Jin Chunqiu's eyes flickered as he asked suspiciously, "Didn't they promise the Tang Dynasty to attack Ezo? Why are they turning around and attacking the Tang army?"

Jin Yushin narrowed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, the Tang people have a saying that goes, 'All is fair in war,' and it seems the Japanese have grasped its essence."

Jin Chunqiu thought for a moment and smiled, "Very good! I never thought the Japanese could deceive everyone. I underestimated them before."

Jin Famin smiled and said, "Father, we can just sit back and watch. If the Japanese win, we can take the opportunity to invade Baekje. If the Tang win, we can join forces with the Tang and send troops to Japan."

Jin Chunqiu twirled his beard and said, "This is a brilliant plan! General Jin, the army must also be prepared."

Jin Yuxin said, "I obey your command."

On the other hand, after the Japanese army bypassed Silla, they headed west along the Baekje coast.

Soon, the fleet arrived at Baijiangkou.

Baekgang is the estuary of the Daegang, the largest river in Baekje.

Abehirov immediately issued an order to send six fleets into the Yangtze River along the seaport, led by Deputy General Soga no Akae.

He himself took the remaining six fleets to attack Xiongjin Port.

The sun sets in the west and the dusk falls.

Abebirov stood facing the wind at the bow, holding a sharp blade. He was excited and nervous at the thought of raiding the Tang camp.

Half an hour later, the dusk deepened and no patrol boats were encountered along the way. It was obvious that the Tang people were immersed in the end-of-year celebrations and were completely unprepared.

Another quarter of an hour later, the outline of the port could be seen amidst the heavy shadows ahead, and a faint glow of fire could be seen among the shadows.

Abeibirov thought his plan had succeeded. He laughed loudly into the wind and pointed forward, saying, "Who is willing to be the vanguard and strike hard at the Tang army?"

A Japanese general stepped forward and said, "I, Kamijou Nakanobu, am willing to go."

Abebirov approved it and gave him the command of the third fleet.

The Japanese general jumped off a small boat and gave an order. Dozens of small boats followed him and rushed towards the harbor like arrows from the sky.

In just a moment, all the ships arrived at the port.

At this time, Abebirov's ship was close to the port. Looking into the distance, he saw that the Tang army port was in chaos, with fires everywhere and shouts shaking the sky.

Abeihirofu was delighted and said with a smile, "Everyone says that the Tang people are amazing, but after seeing it today, I realize that their words are exaggerated."

A Japanese general said, "Your Highness's strategy is brilliant. The Tang people are completely unprepared."

Abebirov glared at the man and said, "Nonsense! This is all the Queen's plan. If you dare to speak nonsense again, you will be punished by military law."

The general lowered his head and dared not say anything more.

In addition to raiding the Tang army, the plan also included joining forces with the Baekje army to attack Sabi City.

Seeing that the first battle went so smoothly, Abebirov immediately ordered three fleets to guard the port and personally led the other two fleets to the port to end the battle as soon as possible.

When he reached the shore, Kamijo Nakashin came to report that the Tang army had been defeated and had fled the port.

Abeibirov immediately led his troops in pursuit. Before they had chased them for two miles, they suddenly saw a bright fire ahead. On a low slope, a Tang army was parked.

The leading Tang army general shouted loudly, raised his spear and spurred his horse, charging towards the Japanese army. The fleeing Tang army suddenly turned around and counterattacked.

A Japanese general shouted, "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap."

Abebirov knew very well that in this situation, they must not retreat in chaos, and shouted: "Don't panic, reinforcements will arrive soon, let's meet the enemy head-on!" He led his men to fight hard with the Tang army.

However, less than 20% of the Japanese troops were armored, and they were inferior to the Tang army in terms of strength, fighting spirit, and skills.

After a short battle, the Japanese army was defeated. Abehirov was stabbed twice by a Tang general and was seriously injured, so he had to retreat.

They retreated to the port and were about to hold it and wait for the Japanese troops on the sea to come to their aid, but they saw a huge fleet appear on the sea.

There were not many ships, but they were all huge warships like monsters, riding the wind and waves, with arrows raining down. There were also swatters on the ships, and every time they fell, they would destroy a small Japanese boat like swatting a fly.

The Japanese army was immediately defeated when attacked from both front and back.

Abebirov kept shouting, urging the general to hold his ground and wait for reinforcements.

The fighting lasted for a whole day and night. When the sky was just getting light, the Japanese had suffered countless casualties, but there was still no sign of reinforcements.

Abeibirov hid in the harbor and kept urging his troops to fight the enemy.

A Japanese general said, "General, a whole night has passed and no reinforcements have arrived. I'm afraid the reinforcements have also been ambushed."

Although it was dusk at this time, with the help of a ray of rising sunlight, countless Japanese corpses could be vaguely seen around. The shouting and killing sounds in the front were getting closer and closer, but the Japanese people's fighting spirit was exhausted and they could not stop the approaching Tang army.

Abebirov knew that defeat was inevitable, and when the sky cleared and there was no chance of escape, he jumped into a small boat and sailed away.

Although the Tang army blocked the harbor, the water was wide at the harbor and the Japanese ships were small. If they were determined to escape, it would be difficult for the Tang army to stop them.

Taking advantage of the pre-dawn darkness, Abebirov escaped from the side of a large Tang army ship.

As I passed by, I suddenly heard a "bang" sound.

A small Japanese boat in front was smashed to pieces by the Tang army's paddling poles. The Japanese soldiers fell into the water one after another and struggled in the icy sea water.

Abebirov urged the boat to move faster, fortunately avoiding the attack of the paddling pole and quickly broke out of the encirclement of the Tang army.

When they looked back, the port had been recaptured by the Tang army. Of the more than 30,000 Japanese main forces, only less than a thousand escaped with their lives.

Abebirov fled southwards and when he was near the mouth of the Baijiang River, he saw flames rising into the sky from afar and the sea seemed to be boiling with fire.

The entrance to Baekgang is narrow. Once it is blocked, the situation will be even worse than that of the Japanese army in Xiongjin Port.

Abebirov did not dare to look any longer and ordered the ships to bypass Baijiangkou and return to Kyushu in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)