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

Chapter 193: The Northern Border is on the verge of a crisis

Normally, a normal attack and occupation operation like Black Tooth Changzhi's would only require defeating the enemy to achieve the goal.

"Your Highness, I dare to make a suggestion. In my opinion, it is better to put off the massacre for the time being. Our army can advance directly now, and after successfully occupying the entire Japanese country, we can devise a clever plan to lure and kill them. This may be more appropriate."

Futu Daochen once again gave sincere advice. When it comes to scheming and plotting, few people can surpass him.

And he himself has been going further and further down this path and has become a well-deserved conspirator.

Hearing this, Li Chengqian's face twitched. When he issued the order to massacre, he thought he was cruel enough, but he never expected that human hearts could be so sinister and underestimated the bottom line of human nature.

"The Japanese pirates are already alert. General Heichi Changzhi is alone in the enemy camp and may encounter an accident. Pass on my military order. All troops must gather quickly and advance towards the inland of Japan with all their strength!"

Li Chengqian took the opportunity to accept Futu Daochen's proposal. As for how things would develop in the future, that would be decided later.

After making sufficient arrangements, Li Chengqian, accompanied by Daochen, took a tour of the mountains and rivers of Japan.

If he had not traveled through time, he would never have set foot on this hateful land in his life.

Li Chengqian walked casually, feeling like a spring breeze washing his face, but the faint smell of blood was very disgusting.

"Enough blood has been shed now, so there will be less blood shed in the future!"

Li Chengqian murmured, and only he knew the meaning of the words.

If there is a choice, it is definitely to shed more blood of the enemy rather than our own people.

After Japan is destroyed, the wheel of history will surely change direction.

He didn't think about what might happen in the future and could only continue on this way.

Outside Xiongjin City.

Spring in Baekje came a little later than in Japan.

The fertile fields outside the city were filled with officers and soldiers, and Li Zhen took the lead in working in the fields.

Since there was no one guarding Baekje, Li Chengqian could only issue a transfer order to transfer the calm and steady Li Zhen to Baekje.

At the same time, his task also included cultivating potatoes and sweet potatoes.

"Are you sure that His Highness said that we should cut off all of these two things and then plant them in the soil?"

Li Zhen picked up a potato and a sweet potato with both hands, not minding their dirtiness.

"That's right. His Highness gave instructions before he left for the expedition. He said that if there were enough seeds, it would be best to plant the whole thing. In this situation, we can only cut it up and try to plant as many as possible."

Wu Xing said with great certainty that he had confirmed this matter with Li Chengqian several times.

Can't go wrong.

"Then cut off all of this stuff and then plant it again."

Li Zhen gave the order doubtfully. Although he came from a noble family, he also had some common sense.

These soldiers, when they take off their military uniforms, become farmers, so they are very fast at doing farm work.

Thousands of kilograms of crops were plowed away in just one day.

Looking at the wilderness, Li Zhen still felt a little uneasy. Can this be reliable?

"Don't worry, General Li. When your Highness does something, how often can we guess the result? But when has there ever been a time when we were not correct?"

Wu Xing didn't think so much. He was a subject, so he just had to do whatever Li Chengqian said.

When it comes to matters of family and country, his brain is not enough.

"Forget about it, let's go drink!"

The two of them are now very free and easy, without any war to worry about, so they can just drink and talk to the sky.

"However, I got a rumor that the ministers in the court learned that Your Highness had gone to war with Japan, and it seems that they have made some moves again."

Li Zhen spoke as he walked, seemingly unintentionally, but in fact he was just trying to find out what the martial arts community was thinking.

The sources of information for The Bad Guys all come from the martial arts community.

Although he was only a lieutenant, no one dared to look down on him.

"The action is not small, but with the Xueyantuo army approaching, they can only make some small conspiracies, which are harmless. However, the mentality of the soldiers in the army still needs the generals to enlighten them more."

Although it sounds easy to say, the four factions are now leaderless and the soldiers under them can easily be turned against them.

"Before he left, His Highness also said that if the soldiers' emotions were difficult to control, they should be allowed to return."

Wu Xing said.

"This..." Li Zhen found it hard to accept and thought there could be some good solution.

"General Li, don't you know that if you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences? If the army mutinis over this matter, the gain will outweigh the loss."

Li Chengqian had made arrangements before leaving.

It's been a few years, and it's time for the soldiers to return home.

"That's the only way. The army is restless and can't be controlled."

Li Zhen had a bitter look on his face. Since they were labeled as rebels, their military morale had begun to collapse.

This is a manifestation of having a legitimate reason for the expedition.

They were originally volunteers who fought for the country and the people, but after the rebellion was suppressed, they became rebels instead. This huge gap made it difficult for them to adapt.

"I have also sent someone to inform Pei Xingjian. He also knows what to do. In addition, we need to replenish our troops. After the farming work is over, we will start recruiting soldiers from all over the country."

Obviously, these were also ordered by Li Chengqian.

Without his order, who would dare to recruit soldiers?

With the arrival of spring, wars broke out everywhere.

The battle in Japan was just a minor one.

In the area south of the desert, the military offensive was at its peak, with hundreds of thousands of troops confronting each other.

South of the desert, nearly 100,000 elite Tang troops were stationed inside the pass, defending the city.

The Xueyantuo army of 200,000 came with great force, intending to break through the pass in one fell swoop and compete for the Central Plains.

To the east of Mo Nan, Gao Kan was on full alert.

The allied forces of Wei Shi, Khitan and Uighur were eyeing Fuyu City covetously.

Without exception, battles could break out at any time.

The black cloud was pressing down on the city and the city was about to be destroyed, and Jiaguang opened golden scales to the sun.

At this moment, Yanmen Pass fully reflects these two lines of poetry.

During the Tang Dynasty, Yanmen Pass was also known as Xiheng Pass.

Since ancient times, Yanmen Pass has been an important defensive location, where King Wuling of Zhao wore Hu clothing and rode and shot arrows.

Li Mu also resisted the Huns in the north here.

By the Tang Dynasty, this place had always been an important pass for defending against nomadic peoples in the north, and it was also built and expanded to defend against the Eastern Turks.

Yanmen Pass is even known as the "No. 1 Pass in China", and its military status is self-evident.

It is the first and last line of defense against the northern nomadic peoples.

As long as they crossed the Great Wall, the cavalry could wreak havoc on the Central Plains with impunity.

This is a place that military strategists must fight for.

Fortunately, the control of Yanmen Pass has always been in the hands of the Tang army.

This became the first natural barrier that Xueyantuo had to face.

Changsun Wuji stood facing the wind, looking calmly at the dark crowd not far away.

One man can guard the gate, but ten thousand men cannot open it.

Even though his numbers were several times smaller than Xueyantuo's, Changsun Wuji was confident that he could keep Xueyantuo out of the pass.

At this time, he was not trying to defend against the enemy for the sake of defending against the enemy. What he was thinking about was how to completely eliminate this threat. Otherwise, the border troubles would never stop.

How to quell civil strife?

"General Zhang, the Xueyantuo army is approaching. Do you have any way to defeat them?"

Changsun Wuji asked happily, turning his head to look at Zhang Liang on the side.

"Xiheng Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. In my opinion, our army should defend it strictly and hold it in a strategic location to absorb the enemy's strength. If the Xueyantuo cannot take it down after a long attack, they will retreat."

Zhang Liang blurted out that this was of course the safest way to fight, but the results would be much lower.

"General Zhang's plan is fine, but it cannot prevent the Xueyantuo from causing trouble. These 200,000 people must be the maximum number of people that Xueyantuo can mobilize. If we can kill all of them, the northern border will be safe for the next 20 years."

"If we can't, even if we repel them this year, they will come back next year. If this continues year after year, when will the Xueyantuo threat be quelled?"

Changsun Wuji also knew very well that Zhang Liang had neither the talent of a general nor the long-term vision.

Such a servant is appointed as the deputy general of the army. He deserves a reprimand.

"The Duke has a far-sighted vision, and I am ashamed to say that I am not as good as him. The entire army is entirely at the Duke's disposal."

Zhang Liang is not strong in other abilities, but he is an expert at flattery and bootlicking.

From a peasant to a high-ranking official in the court, everyone naturally has his own way of survival.

"Since General Zhang thinks that defense is advantageous, then General Zhang will stay at Xiqing Pass. I will lead my own troops to go behind the enemy, cut off their food supply, and attack their rear army, causing chaos in the Xueyantuo army. General Zhang will then lead his troops to attack, and then we can attack them from both sides and defeat them."

Changsun Wuji's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's as he looked at the prey ahead.

Since the end of the Sui Dynasty, Zhangsun Wuji has experienced countless battles and made many decisive suggestions.

Although he had never commanded a large army alone, he had led troops in battles and had escaped the enemy's attack from behind many times.

Especially in the Battle of Luoyang, when the Tang army was attacked from both sides and Li Shimin wanted to withdraw, it was Zhangsun Wuji who advised him to fight with Wang Shichong.

This indirectly created the famous scene of capturing two kings in one battle.

Of course, my brother-in-law’s achievements are far more than that.

He is a hexagonal soldier who is both civil and martial, and can be both wise and cunning.

"Duke, is this a bit too dangerous?"

Zhang Liang did not have such courage. If he divided his troops and attacked separately, the defense of Xiheng Pass would become weak.

If by any chance the Xueyantuo army breaks into the city, he won't be absolutely sure that he can hold on.

If it is ten times as large as yours, you can surround it; if it is three times as large as yours, you can attack it

"You can't get a tiger cub without risking it. Since the uprising, every battle has been dangerous and every battle has been won by a few."

Changsun Wuji had nothing to fear. They were just the Xueyantuo, who had risen on the ruins of the Eastern Turks. How difficult would it be to defeat them?

What made Changsun Wuji feel threatened was Goguryeo from the east of the Tang Dynasty.

No matter how strong the Xueyantuo army was, they had no strict organization. Even if they were defeated, the north would only be plundered.

But Li Chengqian was different. He had strict policies and systems. If he occupied a place, he would be able to control both the land and the people's hearts.

He wanted to resolve the Xueyantuo crisis as soon as possible, and then turn his troops around and attack Goguryeo directly to put down the rebellion of Li Chengqian.

This is also the common interest of the aristocratic families.

"General, I will not take too many soldiers with me at this time. I only need about 10,000 elite cavalry. The remaining troops and horses are enough to protect Xiqing Pass."

It seemed like he knew what Zhang Liang was worried about.

The purpose of the Tang Dynasty has always been to focus on the quality of the troops rather than their quantity.

Since Changsun Wuji was going for an attack this time, he should not bring too large a group of people to avoid being exposed.

Ten thousand people is actually a lot.

"Don't worry, Duke. As long as I, Zhang Liang, am still alive, Xiheng Pass will never fall into the hands of the enemy."

Zhang Liang suddenly gained confidence, as he was afraid that Changsun Wuji would take away most of the soldiers.

"Whether this plan will succeed depends on whether General Zhang can hold back the Xueyantuo army. After the success, I will credit you with the first achievement."

Changsun Wuji has reached a position where there is no more room for promotion. Giving Zhang Liang hope will definitely be beneficial to the entire battle situation.

It can make Zhang Liang resist with all his might.

"Of course the first credit belongs to the Duke. I dare not go beyond that."

Zhang Liang said no, but he was very happy in his heart.

He is now the Minister of Justice. If he goes one step further, he will be promoted to the position of Prime Minister and one of the Three Dukes.

"Okay, I'll keep my word."

Changsun Wuji patted Zhang Liang on the shoulder.

"The Lingzhou Army's General Li Daliang has sent a military report!"

At this moment, a messenger arrived.

There must be more than one line of defense for Xueyantuo, because before that, no one knew from which direction Xueyantuo would attack.

Li Daliang was taken away from Chang'an again by Li Shimin.

Looking at the court and the country, only Li Daliang, the Minister of Works, can stand on his own.

Li Daliang is different from Zhang Liang who is not smooth-talking. His achievements were all achieved through hard work.

Li Daliang was originally a general of the Sui Dynasty, but later surrendered to the Li Tang Dynasty. He fought against Liu Heita and defeated Wang Shichong.

He followed Li Jing, destroyed Tuyuhun, and single-handedly blocked the Eastern Turkic army.

During the Zhenguan period, Li Daliang stayed in the north and served as the military commander of several states.

He rarely appears in the court, but is active on the border.

Because Li Daliang has worked hard and made great contributions, and he is already old.

In 642, Li Shimin ordered him to return to Chang'an to take up the idle position of Minister of Works.

But now that the Xueyantuo were invading, there were few generals available, so they had to re-employ Li Daliang.

Changsun Wuji took the letter and then handed it to Zhang Liang on the side.

"Li Daliang has already left the Great Wall and has gone deep into the northern desert, intending to disrupt the Xueyantuo rear. There is no time to lose, and it is time for me to set off."

Changsun Wuji felt relieved. Li Daliang's plan was to remove the source of the problem and distract Xueyantuo.

This also created more opportunities for him.

The next day.

Inside Xiheng Pass, eight thousand knights are ready to go.

At Changsun Wuji's order, they headed inland.

There were less than 10,000 men, but there were more than 50,000 war horses.

Each person is equipped with six war horses, three of which are used for riding in rotation and three for hauling supplies.

Cavalry is the most powerful type of soldier, but also the most expensive. They can march thousands of miles, and every mile is paved with money.

Changsun Wuji wanted to go around the Great Wall and didn't want the Xueyantuo army to discover anything.

This time, you have to travel several hundred miles before you can find another checkpoint to leave the country.

However, as long as the strategic goal can be achieved, it will all be worth it.

The Great Wall not only blocked foreign invasions, but also restricted military operations in the Central Plains.

The Great Wall was built on the mountain, and its greatest function was to block internal and external cavalry.

Even a small caravan can only exit through a few specific checkpoints.

(End of this chapter)