Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 220 Oh no, His Majesty Li Shimin is lost
Ugh……

Fang Xuanling took the car back home tiredly. When he arrived at the door of his house, he sighed silently.

"Master."

The old butler had been waiting for his old master at the door for a long time.

"Pack up and get ready to go." Fang Xuanling ordered weakly through the car window.

"Go? Where?"

"Go to Liaodong."

"what?"

Fang Xuanling left the confused old butler behind, got out of the car, and walked into the mansion with heavy steps.

The prime minister's residence is very deserted nowadays.

The third son of the family, Yi Ze, is currently working 996 hours a day in Liaodong. He is so busy that he doesn't even have time to write a few letters home.

The eldest son Fang Yizhi and the second son Fang Yiai, a pair of funny guys who had been quarreling over inheritance rights since childhood, both got married this year and moved out of the prime minister's residence.

Without this pair of enemies, Fang Xuanling suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Liaodong is great... at least I can visit Saburo."

Fang Xuanling comforted himself, stroked the pillars of his house with melancholy in his heart, and his eyes lingered on the plants and trees in the yard.

Your Majesty is right. Once people get older, they tend to be nostalgic.

"Take your family to Liaodong... huh? No, no, it's enough for me, an old man, to go alone."

Fang Xuanling said to himself with a wry smile.

Unable to resist His Highness Li Ming's constant nagging, Lao Fang finally agreed to go to the Northeast to "take charge of the work".

But he was the only one who went; Fang Yiai and Fang Yizheng did not go.

This is not because Liaodong is too remote and the two sons cannot give up the bright lights and nightlife of Chang'an.

It's because their political stance is different from that of their father.

Fang Yizheng was on the side of Li Zhi, the Prince of Jin, while Fang Yiai was on the side of Li Tai, the Prince of Wei.

It’s not that Fang Xuanling was also following the example of the Zhuge family or the Changsun family and making multiple bets in order to keep the Fang family standing.

Lao Fang is still very loyal to Li Ming.

It is a shame to say that this famous minister who manages the whole world for the monarch could not manage his two rebellious sons.

Fang Yiai was angry with his father because his father refused to give him the family inheritance rights, so he joined the hostile camp of Li Tai.

Fang Yizheng, on the other hand, adhered to the principle of "I oppose whatever Fang Yiai does" and was fooled by Zhangsun Wuji's sweet words into joining the Li Zhi faction, which was not supported by either side.

Fortunately, both of my sons moved out this year, otherwise the Three Kingdoms drama would be played out at home every day.

His Highness Li Ming was naturally aware of the political stances of these two unfilial sons.

I just pretended not to know and never mentioned it in front of Lao Fang.

Just like when he treated his eldest grandson Yanshi, Li Ming didn't care at all about his eldest grandson's family background.

He was neither treated differently nor asked to explore the secrets of his grandfather.

"You won't force your subordinates to choose between loyalty and family...?"

Fang Xuanling murmured.

He was still very grateful for His Highness Li Ming's magnanimity.

If he really had to choose between Fang Yizhi, Fang Yiai and Li Ming, he really didn't know how to choose...

"Forget it, forget it! Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. If those two unfilial sons want to go down this path till the end, let them go."

Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly and shook his head, as if trying to get rid of the sentimentality from his mind.

"Goguryeo...

“I never thought that after working diligently in the Han area all my life, I would have to govern a foreign land in my later years even though I am already quite old.

"That prince is really messing around..."

There is infinite hope for the future in Lao Fang's eyes.

…………

The wild land of the north.

Yinshan.

This mountainous area is not high in altitude, but it is densely covered with peaks, hills and basins, and the terrain is very complex.

As a "monster spawning cage" for nomadic peoples such as Guifang, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Turks, and Uighurs, the importance of this area is self-evident.

North of Dingxiang City and south of Yinshan Mountain.

On the top of the mountain, the tent of the Tang Dynasty Emperor.

In late autumn, the north wind was howling and it was so cold that the breath seemed to freeze.

The emperor's personal guards, hundreds of them, were fully armored and ready to go. A layer of white frost covered the cold iron sheets.

"Your Majesty, the main force of the Xueyantuo has arrived at the Yinshan Pass." The scout reported back.

Li Chengqian sat on the stool, and his solemn expression immediately relaxed:

"Father is as wise as a god. The Tiele people will indeed take that route."

"It's getting cold, and there are only a few openings in Yinshan Mountain that can accommodate a large group of people and horses."

Li Shimin rubbed his hands beside the brazier.

Reconnaissance is his secret to winning battles.

When his Turkic allies were unreliable, he relied on defense and counterattacks to find out the approximate range of the enemy's main force and strengthened the reconnaissance efforts in the Yinshan area in a targeted manner.

Sure enough, the core tribe of Xueyantuo Zhenzhu Khan was captured.

No matter how vast the Yin Mountains are, the traces of a tribe of hundreds of thousands of people cannot be easily concealed.

Especially in this cold late autumn, the activity range of the Tiele main force was further compressed.

In the Tang Dynasty, where one Han army could defeat ten Hu armies, capturing the enemy's main force was almost half the battle.

However, Li Shimin did not relax at all and asked without changing his expression:

"Where are Li Shiji's troops?"

"General Li's main attack force is heading to the designated location to set up an ambush. General Hou's support force and General Xue's reserve force will also be in place soon."

Li Chengqian said skillfully:

"The Shiwei tribe has arrived at the designated location in advance. Once our main forces are fully prepared, we can launch a full-scale attack."

"Yeah." Li Shimin nodded briefly.

The Turks in the south and the Shiwei in the east launched feint attacks from both sides to lure out the main force of the Xueyantuo. The Tang army then occupied the Yinshan Pass and launched a closed-door attack.

This is the basic strategy of this campaign.

Of course this is the best strategy. The battlefield is highly chaotic and it is impossible for everything to go smoothly.

Leave some margin and consider various unforeseen situations.

The biggest risk in this plan is that the Tiele people will not take the bait and the main force will retreat and not come out.

This is not a big deal, Li Shimin has already made a backup plan in the deployment of troops.

Xue Wanche's reserve troops moved back, Hou Junji harassed the flank, Li Shiji changed from ambush to main attack, and with the help of the Turkic and Shiwei coalition forces, they were still able to defeat Xueyantuo.

The Tang army won no matter how they fought.

In the final analysis, it was because Xueyantuo was too careless and harassed him more than a dozen times, exposing his whereabouts.

It was at "Hekou", the place where the Eastern Turks suffered a great loss in the past.

If we don't break Zhenzhu Khan's legs, we will be doing an injustice to the spirit of Chang'an Dance King Jie Li Khan.

"Your Majesty, shall I return to the tribe to lead the troops now?"

Ashina Simo asked for instructions.

Li Shimin nodded calmly:

"Thank you, Khan."

After the Turks left, the huge camp seemed even more deserted.

The main forces are out and the war is about to break out.

In the camp, there were no other troops except Li Shimin and his son Li Chengqian, a hundred personal cavalrymen, and the imperial guards on guard outside.

As far as the emperor is concerned, this amount of guards is extremely weak.

But Li Shimin had this confidence.

He had conducted thorough reconnaissance beforehand and found that apart from the Xueyantuo tribe within the encirclement, there were no other enemy forces within a hundred miles.

They were all Tang troops, as well as our own people such as the Shiwei and Turks.

When Li Shimin was conquering the world, he was accustomed to leading the troops and going into battle lightly equipped. Six of his horses were shot dead.

Therefore, he did not think that such a deployment of troops was very "cool".

He came to the front line to command the battle. If we waste troops to protect him, he might as well not come.

Of course, this isn't the real reason.

The real reason was that Li Shimin was becoming a little restless on the northern front.

The headaches got worse every day, and even my hands and feet started to go numb, returning to their old state.

Even today, he was giving orders despite a headache.

The illness eroded his patience, causing him to subconsciously abandon his steady approach and opt for a more radical strategy.

"There is still about half an hour..."

The view from the top of the mountain is very good, and Li Shimin can have a clear view of the troops from several sides.

The Tang army was advancing rapidly towards the pass.

On the other side of the mountain is the main force of Xueyantuo.

The battle is about to begin, and the Tang army is accelerating towards its designated position, while the Xueyantuo seems to have not noticed the Tang army's unusual movements.

The calm before the storm.

"Ok?"

Li Shimin suddenly noticed a cloud of dust rising from the east.

It was as if a herd of buffalo were migrating.

As the smoke and dust slowly approached, the sun shone on the "herd of buffaloes", reflecting a dazzling metallic luster.

Not the herd.

But cavalry.

A heavy cavalry!
"Whose general is that?"

Li Shimin was stunned.

According to the deployment, the troops of Li Shiji, Hou Junji and Xue Wanche should not appear at that location.

Where did that extra cavalry come from?
"The Shiwei people coming from the east? They came early..."

Li Shimin frowned and immediately realized something was wrong. "No! Where did the Shiwei people get their armor?"

Just as he was distracted, the uninvited team rushed straight towards the main force led by Li Shiji!

The Tang army was on the march, and the grassroots soldiers had not yet been issued armor (because a full set of armor weighed sixty kilograms and it was impossible to wear it all the way across mountains and rivers), so they were caught off guard by the uninvited guests from the east.

The battlefield suddenly fell into chaos.

"A sneak attack? Could it be an ambush by the Xueyantuo troops? Or...!"

Li Shimin immediately clenched his fists.

Distressed!

These 80,000 elite troops are not ordinary soldiers.

But they are the good men of Guanzhong, each of whom has devoted his efforts to the country. If one dies, it’s one less!
"Father!" Li Chengqian fell into panic.

"That...that area is flat and has been scouted long ago. There are no enemies at all!"

"The enemy is the Shiwei people! Damn it, those barbarians have turned against us!"

Li Shimin was so angry that his face turned red and he felt like his blood vessels were about to burst.

It’s okay, it’s okay, calm down… He forced himself to calm down.

I don’t know if it’s because he’s angry or what, but his mood swings have been getting worse and worse lately.

This is very unfavorable for commanding operations.

How the Shiwei people suddenly turned against us and where they got the armor are secondary.

The top priority now is to drive out this group of barbarians who have betrayed the Tang Dynasty.

The elite troops led by Li Shiji are indeed elite troops.

After the initial chaos, they quickly reorganized themselves and, in the face of the heavy cavalry's charge, quickly formed an anti-cavalry phalanx.

Looking from the top of the mountain, the formation was very neat, and the Shiwei people, who mainly engaged in fishing and hunting and were not so good at horse fighting, were pushed outside the main force.

The Tang army quickly gained a foothold and confronted the shameless Shiwei people who launched a surprise attack.

"Father, what should we do? Should we ask Hou and Xue's troops for reinforcement?" Li Chengqian was still a little confused after recovering from the shock.

Li Shimin shook his head calmly:
"No need."

Li Shiji's troops were stabbed in the back by the Shiwei people at a critical moment. Although they were restrained for a short period of time, the attack was not fatal.

Judging from the situation, Li Shiji would be able to defeat this group of bandits in half an hour at most.

The main opponent is still Xueyantuo.

The plan remained unchanged, Hou and Xue continued to keep an eye on Xueyantuo.

Xueyantuo is the main opponent. We cannot miss the opportunity to annihilate their main force or we will be led by the nose by the Shiwei people.

Otherwise, the threat from the North will never end.

"But..." Li Chengqian hesitated.

"But what?" Li Shimin turned around suddenly and stared at his eldest son.

Li Chengqian's voice was suppressed all of a sudden, but a few words still slipped out from the corner of his mouth.

"But, since the Shiwei people will betray us, then the Turks..."

Li Shimin frowned and shifted his gaze back to the battlefield.

The Simo Turks, who were standing in front of the Hou and Xue armies, suddenly turned their horses around and rushed towards the Tang army positions behind them!

Li Shimin's eyes were bloodshot.

Fell into a trap!
He understood everything immediately.

No wonder Ashina Simo and Xueyantuo fought for more than half a year but could not even obtain basic information about the enemy.

No wonder after the Tang army arrived, Xueyantuo was still elusive and unpredictable.

It turns out that Ashina Simo was pretending to be friendly with the Tang Dynasty and secretly communicating with Zhenzhu Khan. The two sides were playing a double act!

With a traitor on the side of the Tang army, how could they easily catch the enemy's tail!

"What on earth are the Turks thinking? Are they crazy to confront our main force head-on?"

Li Shimin calmed his rising blood pressure again, looked at the ever-changing battlefield situation with a frown, and muttered in confusion.

The battlefield changes rapidly, and even if the Turks turn against the Tang army, it is still impossible to cause much substantial damage to the Tang army.

Then, he saw the true killer move of the three tribes of barbarians -

A group of cavalry rushed out from the Chikou Pass where the Eastern Turks were defeated.

Another heavy cavalry with all members wearing armor on their backs.

Xueyantuo people!
Yes.

If Ashina Simo was a traitor, how could Xueyantuo not know the strategic deployment of the Tang army?
They just pretend to be kept in the dark, and when the time comes, they will come out in full force!

"This is really weird, where do all these armor supplies come from on the grassland?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but exclaimed.

"The Turks are holding back Hou and Xue, while the Tiele and Shiwei are attacking Li Shiji's army from both sides!"

Li Shimin's expression became more and more solemn.

No matter how much they planned, they never expected that the two vassal armies would actually rebel in the middle of the battle.

He suddenly understood Brother Fu Jian's feelings.

"Father, what should we do?" Li Chengqian looked anxious and at a loss as to what to do.

Li Shimin frowned and observed the battlefield for a while, but his expression relaxed:
"What should we do? Just keep fighting."

The strategic goal of all this is to lure out the main force of the Xueyantuo.

Now that the enemy's main force has been deployed, isn't that exactly what we want?
Although the Tang army was in an extremely disadvantageous position strategically, with one against three.

But in front of the absolute strength of the old Tang people, the barbarians' fancy moves are meaningless.

Although it will cost much more than originally planned.

However, it would not be a problem to target the main forces of Xueyantuo, Turks and Shiwei and destroy them on the spot.

It's better if all these traitors come out, so that we don't have to deal with them one by one later.

The battlefield was changing rapidly. Li Shiji, Hou Junji and Xue Wanche were indeed famous generals. They quickly stabilized their position and launched a counterattack against their allies who had been stabbed in the back.

"Li Shiji's deployment is wrong. The cavalry on the left wing must be separated. When they come into contact with the Xueyantuo army later, they should prioritize cutting off the rear guard army."

Li Shimin quickly entered the command state and calmly issued micro-management orders to his generals.

However, the development of the situation once again exceeded his expectations.

The Xueyantuo troops did not engage in battle with Li Shiji's army guarding the pass.

Instead, it passed by smoothly and rushed towards the south.

"What exactly do they want to do? Attack Hou Junji's army first?"

Li Shimin found that he could not keep up with the nomads' unconventional thinking.

"That...father." Li Chengqian said weakly:

"They seem to be coming for us."

Li Shimin looked at the Tiele cavalry getting closer and closer, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Good guy.

It turns out that from the beginning to the end, these barbarians' target was not the Tang army.

But it’s Tang Jun!
No matter how brave the Hundred Cavalry and the Imperial Guards are, they cannot defeat the entire Xueyantuo Khanate's heavy troops!

To make matters worse, the front line was filled with smoke and dust and was extremely chaotic.

Because the armies of Xue and Hou were too far away, they could not see the movements of the Tiele people clearly, and naturally they would not protect the emperor.

The vanguard of Li Shiji's army only roughly saw that the Xueyantuo seemed to be heading south, and spontaneously went forward to intercept them, but was held back by the Shiwei people at the risk of their lives.

During this short period of time, there were only a few hundred guards between His Majesty the Emperor and the enemy's main force!
"Your Majesty!" the leader of the 100 cavalrymen said anxiously:

"The enemy is coming from the north. Let's take shelter from them for now!"

At this moment, from the south of the base camp, the sound of killing was deafening.

It is Ashina Simo.

Ashina Simo, led the remaining Turkic forces and the Tiele people to attack from the north and south, and surrounded Li Shimin on the top of the mountain!

“Okay… okay!”

Li Shimin gritted his teeth, looked at the barbarians who were coming like a tide, and bit his lips tightly.

My head hurts...

…………

The main force of the Tang army led by Li Shiji wiped the bloodstained ring-handled sword with a puzzled look on his face.

They didn't know what was happening. Suddenly, a group of barbarians with strange braids appeared from the east and charged towards their guns, roaring.

By the time everyone reacted, the Donghu barbarians had already left a field of corpses and fled in all directions.

Although the barbarians were wearing so-called "armor" made of several pieces of iron sheets, at least they could not resist arrowheads with their flesh.

But those strangely shaped armors were no better than paper in front of swords and guns powered by Tang Dynasty technology.

"Shiwei people? Why did they attack us? Why are they wearing Western Regions armor?"

Li Shiji was puzzled. Looking at the Tiele people swarming out of the pass, he immediately ordered:
"Stop the gap and don't let it escape..."

"General! Main tent!" the deputy general shouted in horror.

Li Shiji looked in the direction where his finger pointed and saw smoke signals rising from the top of the mountain where His Majesty was.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Your Majesty is in trouble!"

But even so, he did not lose his composure and gave the order calmly:

"The center and right infantry troops were deployed at the pass to block the Xueyantuo's escape route.

"The left army moved westward to join forces with Hou and Xue.

"The cavalry follows me!"

…………

Li Shiji led the cavalry, killing all who stood in his way, and finally reached the foot of the mountain where the camp was located.

They rode up the gentle mountain path, and from the foot of the mountain to the top, there were corpses everywhere.

Didn't meet a single living person.

Most of them were Tiele people wearing iron armor from the Western Regions, with a few corpses of Turkic and Tang soldiers lying here and there.

Li Shiji felt increasingly heavy-hearted. No one dared to speak along the way, and the only sound was the clatter of iron hooves breaking through the hard soil of the Gobi Desert.

Finally, we reached the top of the mountain.

The Tang army commander's camp was in a mess, with not a single person in sight.

The emperor and the prince are missing.

(End of this chapter)