Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 179: Japanese Pirates Attack
"Your Highness, the Japanese ships we have discovered are extremely scattered. Each ship has only a few ships posing a threat in coastal areas. Some have three or four hundred people, while others have only seventy or eighty. It would be difficult to annihilate them in large numbers."

Lin Zhi explained in detail that Japan was already quite experienced in looting and rarely carried out large-scale invasions. They would only send small groups of forces to burn, kill and loot coastal villages.

This kind of breaking up into smaller pieces was also the main reason why it was difficult to exterminate them. The looting was not much, so it was not a big deal for the entire Central Plains dynasty.

Sending a large number of troops to annihilate or even destroy the country would be more costly than gain.

The money obtained from their country was not enough to cover the military expenses and shipbuilding costs.

This is also a subjective reason why it has not been defeated, because those in power do not regard Japan as a threat.

During the Ming Dynasty, the threat of Japanese pirates was serious only to a few coastal areas. However, for the entire country, the threat from Japanese pirates was not as serious as people said.

It can be destroyed with a single bullet.

The existence of Japanese pirates was actually a continuation of military training and even some political purposes.

The Japanese pirates are a tiny country. It's not that we can't destroy it, but we don't want to destroy it.

Although the Japanese pirates are so weak now, Li Chengqian knows that their descendants have committed countless crimes on the land of China.

Unit 713, human experiments, bacterial experiments, etc., all these inhumane things were done by this group of dwarfs.

No matter how difficult it is, Li Chengqian will do his best to eliminate this hidden danger.

Even if we lose the battle, we have to fight.

"Martial law is in place along the coast. Any Japanese found will be killed on the spot."

Li Chengqian was very determined, knowing that he would suffer losses if he started this battle.

"If that's the case, we may need to send troops from Pyongyang Province and Silla Province to defend it."

Lin Zhidao had no doubts at all. All he had to do was convey orders and pass on messages.

The Baekje Sea is long and narrow, so if you want to prevent attacks by Japanese pirates, you must have a comprehensive defense.

"Take my order and go to Silla Province to mobilize troops. Also have the guards prepare. I will personally lead the expedition against Japan."

Li Chengqian immediately said again.

"Your Highness, the river is covered with ice and snow, and the water volume is low, so it is difficult to pass. Should we wait until spring to go south?"

The cold wave in Goguryeo came early, the temperature was so low that even the river water froze.

"Since Japan has sent a lot of troops to plunder, it means that their main force has also arrived. Soldiers are on the right track. They want us to attack. We thought they would not choose to attack us in such weather, so they want to catch us off guard."

In daily life, the most unimportant thing is martial ethics.

If you dare to underestimate him, he will give you a fatal blow.

Objectively speaking, his life was very humble, but he was not bad at all and was very motivated. When he was lagging behind, he had been absorbing advanced cultural knowledge in China and constantly improving himself.

This is a ungrateful wolf. When you accidentally doze off, it will reveal its dark fangs.

Once bitten by it, your skin will be torn apart.

"General Mo, let's make arrangements now!"

Lin Zhi bowed and stepped back, not disturbing Li Chengqian's leisurely mood.

In the palace during the cold winter, there is a spring atmosphere that makes people linger.

It cannot be said that Li Chengqian was obsessed with beauty. In fact, life in ancient times was too monotonous. Apart from playing chess, there was no other entertainment.

It’s not excessive for him to hold meetings and parties from time to time in the palace.

Only the kind of one dragon and many phoenixes can kill boring time.

This is a land of tenderness, with both warmth and humidity, which makes people fall deeper and deeper into ecstasy.

But above the vast sea, there was a cold wind with a faint salty smell, which made people feel painful.

On the sea surface not far away, sails of varying sizes appeared, sailing against the wind.

"General Anzumi, is the land at the end of the sky our Baekje Kingdom?"

Fu Yufeng stood at the bow, enduring the biting cold wind, and raised his hand to point at the land in the distance.

Buyeo Pung was the fifth son of Buyeo Uija and the last king of Baekje. He was sent to study in Japan at a young age.

It is said to be studying abroad, but in fact it is being sent to Japan as a hostage, just like in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when a weak country would send its legitimate princes to a strong country as hostages.

The relationship between Baekje and Japan was very delicate, as it was a vassal state of Japan.

The Tang Dynasty's advanced culture and smelting technology were also spread to Japan from Baekje.

One can imagine the strategic position of Baekje for Japan.

At the beginning, after Su Dingfang destroyed Baekje with a blitzkrieg, Emperor Saimei of Japan launched an attack on the Tang army of Baekje in the name of Buyeo Feng.

Under internal and external troubles, Su Dingfang had to retreat from Baekje.

Later, in the Battle of Baekgang, Liu Rengui severely damaged the Japanese navy and then took back Baekje.

The situation in Baekje also concerns the rise and fall of Japan.

Even if Li Chengqian and the Li Tang Empire had not fallen out, Japan would have launched an attack on Buyeo Feng on the pretext of restoring its country.

Once the gateway to Baekje fell into the hands of others, it would be equivalent to strangling the lifeline of Japan.

The island nation’s resources are too scarce. To be honest, if it weren’t for the material shortage, the Japanese pirates would not be willing to live a life on the edge of a knife.

Therefore, even though they knew they were a strong enemy, they still took up their swords for the sake of tomorrow.

"Yes, that is the territory of Baekje, but now it is occupied by Li Chengqian. Baekje has always been friendly to our country of Japan. The emperor did not want to see the ally fall into such a situation, so he sent us to help the prince recover the lost territory."

Azumi Hirafu smiled and looked greedily towards the land.

The Japanese have long wanted to get their hands on this land, but now the opportunity is too rare.

Emperor Saimei would naturally not miss this opportunity. He was willing to send troops, but his condition was that he wanted one tenth of the territory of Baekje.

Once inland, even finding a place to stay will make Japan's movements much more convenient.

He didn't really want to help Baekje restore its country out of kindness, but he also had his eyes on this piece of land.

"I promised the Emperor and the General, and I will fulfill my promise as soon as the Tang army is driven away."

Originally, the throne of the King of Baekje had nothing to do with him, but now he has become the heir to Baekje. Let alone just one-tenth, even if it was half, he would be very willing.

"Just remember, Prince. This battle will definitely defeat the Tang army. They will never think that we would choose to launch a surprise attack at this time."

Azumi Hirafu laughed wildly and looked forward, as if he saw victory waving at him.

"General An Tan is full of wisdom and strategies. The Tang army will definitely not be their opponent. Recovering the lost territory is just around the corner."

Fu Yufeng also seemed very confident, as he was finally going to return to the sea.

"There is an old saying in the Central Plains: All is fair in war."

Azumi Hirafu spoke in a very awkward tone, feeling very pleased with the expedition. "But according to the intelligence we have, the Tang army conquered Baekje in less than ten days. We can't underestimate the enemy. We need to wait for the scouts to report before we can formulate a specific battle plan."

The Tang army was like a nightmare, always hanging over the heads of other countries.

Although Japan had never engaged in direct combat with the Tang army, the Tang army's reputation was so great that Azumi Hirafu had to take it seriously.

Japan was annexed by the Tang Dynasty because of its culture and strength, but it had never been conquered by force.

So although I have a sense of awe, I am not afraid of it.

The Tang army is strong in its cavalry and army, while Japan also has its own advantage, that is, its unparalleled navy. Each has its own invincible area.

Moreover, Li Chengqian can no longer represent the Tang Dynasty.

"The scouts reported earlier that a Tang army camp appeared at the Baijiang Port. It seems that they have been training the navy. Why don't we lead our troops to defeat them before the Tang army notices it?"

Fu Yufeng suggested that he did not have any military power here, he was just leading the expedition in name only.

Even after regaining Baekje, he was still a puppet emperor.

But he certainly doesn't want this to happen. He needs to perform outstandingly to win the favor of this person and thus get out of his current situation step by step.

"I didn't realize you had any intelligence. This plan is exactly what I thought. We are sending out troops in such a cold winter to severely damage Li Chengqian's main force. If we can capture him alive, we can ask the Tang Dynasty for money again."

Azumi Hirafu's eyes showed admiration.

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is extremely cruel.

The moment they saw the land, they were also exposed to the sight of others.

"As His Royal Highness expected, the main force of Japan really chose to attack at this time."

Inside a temporary tent, Liu Rengui stared at the sand table and sneered.

When it comes to surprises, you also need to consider the target.

The attack on Pyongyang also took advantage of the cold weather. For Li Chengqian, Andumihirafu was just showing off his skills in front of an expert.

Extreme weather is a challenge for military operations. In serious cases, the entire army may be wiped out due to lack of food and fodder.

On the contrary, this is also an opportunity to fight. It can catch the enemy by surprise. Others will think that they will not send troops under such unfavorable conditions, so you can achieve a surprise victory.

But once the other party finds out, it will make the situation worse.

High risk, high reward.

"General Black Tooth, you have experience in fighting against the Japanese pirates. Tell us how to defeat them."

Liu Rengui turned his gaze to Heichi Changzhi.

The so-called friendship between Baekje and Japan is only in recent years. Before that, there were constant conflicts.

Buyeo Feng was the defeated party that sent students to study in Japan.

"As for Japan, all its soldiers are proficient in water and good at water battles. In the past, when a war broke out, Japanese generals would send hundreds of soldiers who are good at water into the water to pierce through the ships from underwater. However, there is no need to worry about this during this season. If the temperature rises, special attention should be paid to water battles."

The sea water has a high salt content and will not freeze, but the water temperature is still below zero. People will be frozen to death if they enter the water for a short time.

By choosing to attack at this time, Japan is abandoning its greatest advantage.

Not worth the candle.

"In addition, compared to our large warships, the Japanese ships are very small, but they are more agile. With Japan's unique tactical style, Japan will fight on multiple fronts, making the enemy exhausted. If they cannot win, they will flee far away."

Heichi Changzhi was a former senior military official in Baekje and had suffered at the hands of Japan.

His ship is small and broken, but he can formulate the most reasonable combat plan based on his own advantages.

When fighting on multiple fronts, there will always be weak points in defense.

"In that case, the only option is to gather them together and annihilate them."

Liu Rengui nodded. He could not be led by Japan, otherwise he would just be played around with. Even if he had a strong army, he would be powerless to use it.

"The Japanese ships are small, and they carry little supplies. They fight to support the war and constantly replenish domestic needs. I think if we move all the supplies along the coast inland or burn them, the Japanese pirates will surely collapse without a fight."

This is the ruffian nature of Japan. They wage war for the purpose of plunder, not for occupation.

"Many places in Baekje are already frozen over. It is impossible to move supplies inland. It is too difficult. A year's harvest is hard-earned, and it cannot be burned."

Indeed, Heichi Changzhi's proposal was to exchange minimal losses for maximum results.

Those who accomplish great things do not care about small details.

For the entire war situation, the people in the coastal areas can be abandoned.

Liu Rengui loved his people like his own children. Since Baekje had become part of the Tang Dynasty, he naturally treated these people as Tang citizens.

"Pay close attention to the whereabouts of the Japanese army and distribute troops to garrison. If they want to fight on multiple fronts, then we will defeat them one by one."

"In addition, we will hide the warships and send the old warships to sail and guard, so as to lure the enemy deep into our territory and force the Japanese pirates to fight a decisive battle with our army. Then we will send ships to investigate the situation in the sea area."

Liu Rengui acted decisively and issued the order to fight.

"General Liu, the Japanese pirates have a large navy. If we count the ships, there are probably 40,000 of them, but our navy is only 20,000. If we divide them up to defend, I'm afraid there will be even fewer. Since the reinforcements from Pyongyang and Silla have not arrived yet, should we take a defensive stance?"

Heichi Changzhi said that his worries were not unreasonable and it would be safest to wait for reinforcements to arrive before starting a war.

"The war situation is unpredictable. The generals of each army should judge the situation and fight when they should fight and defend when they should defend."

The entire navy moved in response to the order, the salt industry was also affected, and all counties along the coast of Baekje were put into a state of war readiness.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The heavy and tight sound of gongs and drums resounded throughout the town, as if announcing the coming of a crisis. A neat line of soldiers passed by.

"The Japanese pirates are coming to plunder. Every household must hide their food to prevent them from plundering everything."

This sound echoed in every corner of the city and the countryside, making the people feel nervous.

The Japanese pirates came for plunder and they rarely carried out large-scale massacres.

Because this land is a rich hunting ground for them. If they kill all the people, they will not be able to plunder again next year.

Therefore, their real purpose was to rob money and food, and the people along the coast were more like livestock kept in captivity for them to plunder at will.

Unless absolutely necessary, the Japanese pirates would not easily massacre a city or destroy a village.

Just as it is said in "Shangshu Shundian": He who takes by force is a bandit.

Japanese pirates: short robbers.

Whenever the people heard the news of the Japanese pirates' attack, they were all terrified. This year, they finally had a good harvest and taxes were exempted.

If all the food is taken away by the Japanese pirates, everything will be in vain. Therefore, in addition to organizing resistance, it is more important to hide the food properly to avoid mistakes in the battle and cause more losses.

Although Liu Rengui dispatched troops to guard important towns along the border, there is always a loophole and there are always places that cannot be defended.

(End of this chapter)