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

Chapter 183 Deploy troops and generals
"Urgent report, Buyeo Bok-sin supported Buyeo Feng to become emperor in Zhouliu City, gathered his people and joined forces with the Japanese Kingdom, and marched towards Xiongjin City by land and sea."

The sudden defeat made all the generals look unhappy.

The most embarrassing thing was Liu Rengui, because this was the area under his rule, but there was a rebellion.

He couldn't help but look up at Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian was calm and showed no emotion at all.

Liu Rengui's heart sank. This Fuyu Fuxin was a general he favored and he had assigned him important tasks.

"Please punish me, Your Highness. I have been guilty of negligence."

Liu Rengui stood up and bowed.

"Your Highness, Fuyu Fuxin was harboring evil intentions, and General Liu was not able to detect it for a moment. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, please give General Liu a chance to redeem himself and make meritorious contributions."

Heichi Changzhi also immediately pleaded for Liu Rengui, and the two got along very well.

"I don't mean to blame you. This is perfect. If there are any evil spirits that have escaped, wouldn't it be better to deal with them together?"

Li Chengqian just smiled and passed it off. He really didn't think about it in this way.

But I am considering whether this is a coincidence or the driving force of history?

Shall we clean up together?

The two were stunned. Apart from guarding the various towns, there were not many soldiers that could be mobilized, only more than 10,000.

As for the reinforcements from Pyongyang and Silla, they will have to wait until the ice and snow on land melt before they can arrive.

Those who came with Li Chengqian were just his personal guards.

"Your Highness, Buyeo Bok Shin is now in rebellion and leading his army to attack. Please move your Highness."

The enemy situation is unclear, and it is indeed a huge risk for Li Chengqian to be stationed here.

"The army of a small country, a rebellious people, have frightened my two great generals?"

Li Chengqian saw through everything, as if he were seeing through fire. These two were experts in winning with fewer troops.

"That's not the case. The Japanese pirates are not worth our attention, but we must be careful of the rebel army. With the current strength, we can no longer divide our forces to attack them."

Liu Rengui was worried that there were too few soldiers to effectively protect Li Chengqian's safety.

Li Chengqian's presence at the front line greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers, but it also brought problems. It would easily make him a target of public criticism, which might also be the main reason for his defeat.

"I still have 2,000 guards, all of whom are elite soldiers in the army. One against ten is no problem. You will command the naval battle, Liu Rengui. As for the rebels, these 2,000 guards of mine will be commanded by General Black Tooth."

"Only by defeating the many with the few can a general's ability be demonstrated. If you defeat the few with the many, isn't that something that an ordinary person can do? I will not leave. I believe you can win."

Li Chengqian spoke in a very relaxed manner, without any sense of nervousness about the approaching army.

In the Battle of Baekgang, Liu Rengui defeated the Japanese pirates and the Baekje coalition force of 50,000 to 60,000 with only 10,000 troops.

The problem is not big.

Liu Rengui and Heichi Changzhi looked at each other. Li Chengqian not only valued them, but also trusted them so much that he handed over all his personal guards.

"I will definitely not let your Highness down!"

The two of them bowed and saluted, speaking in unison.

"How many iron ships were built?"

Gather all the iron and steel mines to create a national treasure.

Iron ships will never be eliminated, which is one of the reasons why Li Chengqian was the first to develop this.

It also meets the requirements of the modern era. The sea areas must be opened up, after all, we need an invincible fleet.

It is many times faster than expansion by land and is not restricted by geography or food.

"Ten have been built!"

So fast?
The construction may not take long, the longest time is the collection of iron tools.

Iron ore is extremely hard and difficult to mine manually, and it also takes too much time to smelt it into iron.

"Your Highness, this is true. Master Yan's idea for the renovation is to put iron blocks on the current wooden boats. The defensive effect is the same, and it is lighter than the iron boats made of pure iron."

Seeing Li Chengqian's confusion, Liu Rengui immediately added.

"Very good. In addition, I have asked the Thunderbolt Battalion to produce a large amount of Thunderbolt Fire. From now on, we will use Thunderbolt Fire to mine iron ore."

Gunpowder has uses beyond warfare.

Opening the way for mining also has a great use.

Reform and development are gradually getting back on track.

"Your Highness, isn't it a bit of a waste to use such a magical object to mine?"

Liu Rengui had witnessed the power of black gunpowder with his own eyes, and it was no problem for him to open cities and blow up mountains.

"It's not a waste of talent. This is the correct use of Thunderbolt. There will be many places that need iron ore in the future. You should also send people to survey the iron ore and dig iron tools."

Iron has a wide range of uses, more in civilian applications than in military ones.

War is only temporary, development is eternal.

"Also, have the blacksmith forge a thick iron chain to link up several iron ships. I want the iron chain to cross the river and tear apart all the small Japanese ships."

Li Chengqian added that in naval battles, many ships would collide and be destroyed.

"Good, Your Highness, this is a very good plan. If this is the case, we only need those few iron ships to defeat Japan."

Unable to burn, unable to hit, and even more unable to escape, the only way left for Japan is death.

After the three of them discussed the details, Liu Rengui and Heichi Changzhi left.

The strategy had been deployed, and Li Chengqian had nothing to do, so he took a few drawn drawings and left the mansion.

Go to the Construction Department.

Yan Lide, the great craftsman of the Tang Dynasty, was also detained in Baekje by Li Chengqian and is now responsible for forging ships.

Yan Lide was not only good at architecture, but also proficient in painting.

Yan Liben's "The Procession of Emperor Taizong to Meet Emperor Xuanzong" is a household name. He was the younger brother of Yan Lide and also a master craftsman. After Yan Lide's death, Yan Liben became the Minister of Works.

Many wonders and palaces of the Tang Dynasty were created by these two people, and their craftsmanship is extremely exquisite.

"Master Yan, long time no see!"

Not long after, Li Chengqian arrived at Yan Lide's office.

At this time, Yan Lide was still concentrating on looking at the drawings, with only his hand slightly raised.

"Please sit down first!"

I didn't realize who the person was.

"His Highness has arrived!"

The guard on the side whispered.

"Your Highness, I deserve to die."

Yan Lide looked up, was immediately shocked, and quickly apologized.

"Master Yan, you are busy with state affairs. It may not be the right time for me to come."

Li Chengqian smiled and said he didn't take it to heart. It would be great if all the officials under him were so conscientious.

Not only is he innocent, he has also done meritorious deeds.

"No, it's because I'm old and can't react in time. If Your Highness wants to see me, just let me come down. Your Highness doesn't have to condescend to come here." Yan Lide said ashamedly.

"I never come to your temple for no reason. I have a few blueprints here. Can you see if you can design it?"

Lin Zhi took a few steps forward and placed the drawings on the table.

Yan Lide immediately became interested, looked at the things in the picture, and fell into deep thought.

After a while, he looked at Li Chengqian and asked:

"It is not difficult to create this thing, but I do not know what its use is. It looks like a weapon, but without a blade or edge."

"Yes, this thing we are going to build is a weapon called a fire gun. Although it has no blade or edge, it can kill people from a hundred meters away like a bow and arrow."

It's time to add some technology.

"Oh, is it so amazing? I have never heard of such an ingenious weapon in the world."

Yan Lide opened his eyes wide and observed the musket carefully, but he still could not understand the mystery.

"Your Highness, you say you can shoot people from a hundred meters away, but there is no string, so how can you exert force?"

Yan Lide frowned and asked in confusion. He seemed to have touched upon his own blind spot in knowledge and was full of curiosity and confusion about this new type of weapon.

“Air pressure is created not by human power, but by air force!”

Li Chengqian answered confidently. His eyes revealed confidence and determination, as if he had already mastered the core principle of this advanced technology.

"Air pressure, air force?"

Yan Lide was not surprised by this unfamiliar term, but nodded thoughtfully. He seemed to understand something, but he was not completely sure.

"Master Yan, are you from the Mohist school?"

Not many people have studied Qi science, and even fewer people know about it.

Only the core members of the Mohist school know about the study of Qi.

Yan Lide came back to his senses and said, "I am the heir of the Mohist school. My humble art cannot be accepted by the upper class."

Li Chengqian should have thought of it long ago. The Mohist design included the art of siege by mechanical devices.

Previously, Yan Lide had demonstrated his skills in this area.

"What is a trivial art? The Mohist school of thought is the true and profound school of thought. It is much more powerful than those academics that only talk."

"I opened the Hundred Schools Academy precisely to promote the teachings of the Hundred Schools and put them into practical use."

Li Chengqian's eyes were hot, as if he was looking at some priceless treasure.

The people from the Mohist School that we have been searching for are right here, right under our noses.

Then many technical difficulties will be solved.

Li Chengqian was extremely excited. He had been committed to finding the successors of Mohism, hoping to use their heritage and skills to promote the development of technology and science.

Mohist scholarship has enormous practical value and can be used in military, engineering and other fields, playing an essential role in promoting scientific and technological development.

At this moment, Li Chengqian seemed to see countless possibilities unfolding before him.

"Your Highness has such a broad mind. I thank Your Highness on behalf of the people of the world."

Yan Lide was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. He said with emotion: "Since Confucianism became the only official school of thought, other schools of thought have been severely suppressed, except for doctors who can still live relatively well. Many precious and unique schools of thought have been cut off from inheritance. The Mohist school of thought has survived and been passed down to this day only because of its practical value in such a difficult environment."

He paused and continued, "When I first heard that Your Highness had opened a hundred schools in Pyongyang, I intended to go and see this grand event, but due to my busy official duties, I was unable to get away. Thinking about it now, it is such a pity." Yan Lide's tone revealed deep regret.

Each school of thought attaches great importance to inheritance. Who doesn't want his or her own doctrine to spread and develop widely? ?

"There will be a chance, but you can't go during this period. You have to help me build these muskets and cannons." Li Chengqian smiled slightly, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

"When I return to Pyongyang, you can follow me. The original intention of setting up the Hundred Schools Academy was to develop the unique knowledge of each school. The future is broad, and there will definitely be a place for Mohist learning." Li Chengqian said in a firm tone.

How could Li Chengqian not know that without the practice of science and engineering, how could he change the world?

"This fire gun and cannon basically use the same principle, using the huge air pressure generated by the explosion of gunpowder to make the steel balls inside fly out and kill the target."

Li Chengqian explained in detail.

"To put it simply, the tube needs to be sealed well, and then an ignition pin is added, and it's done." Li Chengqian continued to explain, holding the blueprint in his hand and gesturing various details.

Of course, he can only talk about it. The technical difficulties still need to be overcome by professionals like Yan Lide.

Yan Lide listened attentively, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

We have gradually gained new insights into muskets and cannons, and now that we understand their principles, it is not difficult to forge them.

"How many muskets and cannons does Your Highness need?"

"The more the better. The way we fight wars will also change."

If we can build cannons, how far can airplanes be?
However, there are some technical difficulties that Yan Lide cannot overcome at present.

Especially the steam engine, Li Chengqian didn't know whether these ancient people could really create it with their wisdom.

"Okay, then do we need to stop modifying the warships?"

Yan Lide had a lot of things to do, especially during the war.

"No need, just proceed step by step."

Li Chengqian knew that the birth of muskets and cannons could not fundamentally change the way of war.

This is just the advancement of technological research and development, laying the foundation for subsequent manufacturing.

"I understand. I will come back to report to Your Highness once the muskets and cannons are built."

Yan Lide was overjoyed and folded up the drawings carefully as if they were treasures.

Being able to create a completely new weapon is definitely an honor and will go down in history.

"Master Yan, you have so many skills, but you should find a few more successors. I still have a lot of strange things waiting to be developed. Some things cannot be solved by one person, and they require the wisdom of many to build."

Li Chengqian's words have hidden meaning. The loss of skills is also closely related to the concept of inheritance by the ancients.

Such bad habits as passing it on to family members but not outsiders, and passing it on to males but not females.

What's even worse is that he was afraid that if he taught his apprentice, he would starve to death, so he took the most crucial skills to his grave.

"Your Highness, don't worry. We, the scholars of the Mohist School, are worried that no one will learn and the inheritance will be broken. Now that conditions permit, we will definitely recruit apprentices."

Yan Lide said affirmatively.

After turning around a few more times, Li Chengqian also went back.

As the war approached, the old forces of Baekje and the Japanese pirate generals also made deployments for the upcoming battle.

Because their scouts also discovered that the Tang army had deployed a defensive formation at Baijiangkou, trying to stop them from advancing.

"Have you found out the number of Tang troops preparing for battle?"

Mao Ye Zhizi asked Buyeo Boksin.

Buyeo Fuxin was deeply rooted in Baekje, so he naturally had a way to find out the strength of the Tang army.

"No more than 20,000, but the Tang army is very powerful, so we can't underestimate them."

Fuyu Fuxin had experienced the fighting power of the Tang army before, and he was even more afraid of the Tang army commander who was in charge of the deployment.

The strength of the Tang army cannot be measured by the number of people.

(End of this chapter)