Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 313: Blocked in front and pursued from behind
"Oh? We can still win one more time?"

In the tower of Yanzhou City, Li Jing gave Li Dao Zong a smile without a smile:

"tell me the story."

Li Dao Zong pointed his finger to the east of the map:
"If we can safely reach the land of Qi and Lu, relying on the natural barriers of Yishan and Yishui, the enemy will not dare to invade.

"As long as our army can preserve its strength and ensure that most of it is not annihilated.

"Then, the Tang Dynasty will undoubtedly fall into an extremely difficult situation economically and strategically."

Li Jing raised his eyebrows:
"We have returned all the Central Plains to them, and before long, this Yanzhou city will also be returned intact.

"The Tang army has recovered all the precious lost territory. The Central Plains is back in our hands. How could we fall into such a difficult situation?"

"Because the price that the Tang Dynasty paid to wipe us out in one go was too high." Li Dao Zong said:
"In order to create an absolute military advantage and encircle and annihilate our army, the Tang Dynasty mobilized a total of nearly 500,000 troops.

"According to common sense, the civilians are several times more than the army. Even in the homeland, one soldier needs the support of four civilians, which means a total of two million people.

"General Manager, what season is it now? It's autumn, the time of harvest!"

Li Jing understood what he meant:

"You mean, because the Tang army has mobilized too many young and strong laborers for this battle, it will inevitably affect this year's autumn harvest?"

"That's right. This will have a huge impact on their economy and tax revenue." Li Dao Zong nodded:
"And with His Majesty Li Ming's civil administration, this advantage is enough to expand to the point where the Tang Dynasty cannot eliminate it.

"So, their only chance of victory is to completely destroy our army. If they fail, they will inevitably enter a spiral of decline until there is no recovery.

"As long as our army maintains its own safety and successfully withdraws to the mainland, victory will come sooner or later.

"The enemy must take the initiative to attack, while our army can slowly deal with it. This is a victory for our army and a defeat for the enemy."

Li Jing smiled:
"What King Jiangxia said actually gave me a lot of confidence.

"However, the current situation we are facing is that we are surrounded by enemies on three sides - the northwest and south are surrounded by the enemy, and the east is separated by the Si River.

"If you want to retreat in one piece, it might be a little difficult."

…………

As it turned out, Li Jing was too optimistic.

It is more than a little difficult to retreat.

Because Li Shiji's 20,000 troops in the north pushed southward intentionally or unintentionally, Li Jing's troops were completely squeezed into the territory of Yanzhou, on the west bank of the Si River.

The Sishui River in Yanzhou is not far from its source, so the waves are not very big and the river is not very wide. If one person and one horse try to cross it, they can still have a chance.

However, it is an important tributary of the Huai River after all. The poem "Time flies like an arrow, it never stops day or night" by Confucius on the river bank was referring to the Si River.

Therefore, it is still very dangerous for a large group of troops to safely wade across the river on foot.

How to organize is a big problem.

Especially when there are enemies lurking behind you.

Wading across the river would certainly cause the formation to become chaotic. If the enemy were to plunder them on horseback, it would leave a deep mark in military history.

How could a highly qualified and large-scale army be unilaterally slaughtered without any resistance by an enemy of equal strength?

The safest way to cross the river is to take a boat.

On the bank of the Sishui River, Hou Junji held up a awning with his hands and looked out at the river.

The river swelled due to the summer and autumn rainy season.

On the fast-flowing river, only a few small sampans were paddling slowly towards the west bank.

And on the shore, there were densely packed heads.

The main force of the Ming army had arrived at the banks of the Si Shui River and were all blocked at the ferry.

It would take an indefinite time to safely transport so many soldiers to the other side of the river with just a few flimsy sampans.

This is just the vanguard.

The larger force is still behind.

"That's all the boats we have?!"

Hou Junji was so anxious that his eyes were about to burst. He asked his attendants anxiously:

"Have you contacted Yizhou?"

Su Dingfang replied:

"We have already asked the Yizhou government for help and asked them to quickly send out ships for reinforcement."

"Not only Yizhou, but also Qizhou has asked for help." Li Daozon added.

"However, Sishui is separated from the core areas of Qizhou and Yizhou by mountains, and the lower reaches of Sishui are in the hands of the enemy.

“It’s difficult to transport a large ship here.”

Tsk…Hou Junji smacked his lips.

The water in the Sishui River in Yanzhou is not deep and the river channel is not wide, so large ships cannot pass through it under normal circumstances.

In other words, if you want to transport people, you can only rely on small sampans to transport them one by one.

At this speed, it was like a drop in the bucket for the main force of the Ming army, which numbered more than 200,000.

He looked at the dark masses of soldiers blocking the river bank, and then at the few lonely small boats on the river, and couldn't help feeling his scalp tingling.

It’s too late, definitely too late!
The Tang army is about to tighten the encirclement and cut off their food supplies!
The Ming Dynasty could only provide them with limited supplies through the narrow Sishui waterway.

How can the ships transport food when they can’t even carry people?
If the Tang army also starved them for a few days and then attacked with all their might at all costs...

Then this Ming army will really be annihilated!

Just collapsed at the doorstep!

"I'm actually blocked by such a stinking ditch..."

Hou Junji was so anxious that he almost bit his back teeth to pieces.

Just when he was at a loss, the end of his sight was on the other side of the Si Shui River.

He saw a group of people.

There were quite a lot of people, and from a distance, the crowd of heads rose and fell like water waves.

Those people were driving carts, carrying heavy things on their shoulders or backs, and were rushing towards the Si Shui River in a dusty manner.

"It's the reinforcements from Yizhou provincial government, they are coming!" Su Dingfang shouted excitedly and clenched his fists.

Hou Junji still frowned:
"How can they help us? Are they going to fly over and carry us over?"

"This..." Su Dingfang paused.

"They will always have a way." Li Dao Zong said:
"Why else would they come here?"

As the atmosphere group?
When those people came closer, Hou Junji and his group were finally able to see them clearly.

The people sent by the Yizhou provincial government were not soldiers but civilian laborers.

They didn't bring any sampans or supplies.

But tools such as sledgehammers, earthworks, and sticky rice.

Civil engineer Xue Wanche is very familiar with these things.

"Are they... going to build roads and bridges?"

Xue Wanche found it a little unbelievable.

"Is this the route that His Majesty Li Ming is taking to help us escape?"

"Build a bridge? At this moment?"

Hou Junji felt that Xue Wanche's guess was a bit too wild.

When the car hits the wall, do you know to turn? When the snot enters your mouth, do you know to shake it out?

"Is it too late to build a bridge now? The enemy won't wait for us!"

No one answered and everyone looked at Xue Wanche.

When it comes to construction, he is professional.

"It should be in time...right?" Xue Wanche was not very sure.

"I remember that before the war, our Ming Dynasty was building a bridge over the Sishui River for logistical supply, and Your Majesty was quite concerned about it.

"I wonder how the project is progressing after this period of time..."

Even Xue Wanche couldn't make a precise estimate, and the others were even more confused. But there was one thing that everyone had come to a consensus on -

Far water cannot quench near thirst. It may be too late to build bridges and roads now...

"Hmm? Someone on the other side of the river is waving at us?"

Hou Junji noticed some unusual movements on the opposite side.

The civilians on the other side of the river were waving their hands desperately at them and shouting something.

"Is there an enemy? Or is there?"

Hou Junji had no idea what the other party was trying to say. As there was a river between them, he couldn't hear anything clearly.

After a while, the man who was shouting rowed a boat to the west bank of the Si River. With the introduction of the guards, he found Hou Junji himself.

"This is a battlefield, what do you want?" Hou Junji asked curiously but warily.

"I'm from the Ministry of Industry and Water Resources, and I'm here to rescue you from your distress," the man said.

Hou Junji raised an eyebrow:

"You? Save us from this predicament? How? Do we really need to build a bridge?"

Li Dao Zong also interrupted:
"War is urgent and cannot be delayed, no more so than engineering construction.

"By the time you finish building the Sishui Bridge, it will be a long time..."

"No, no, no." The man shook his head like a rattle and took out a stack of drawings from his bag.

"Since the war began, His Majesty Li Ming has been closely monitoring the construction progress of the Sishui Bridge, and now more than half of it has been completed."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty is still wise!" Hou Junji couldn't help but sigh.

At the beginning, when Emperor Li Ming was still struggling over whether to send troops because the Sishui Bridge had not been completed.

Everyone still thinks that Your Majesty is "similar to your ancestors" and has inherited the indecisiveness of your wife, the former Emperor Li Yuan.

Now it seems that His Majesty Li Ming had thought far enough ahead.

As a north-south river that cuts across the front and rear, Sishui really needs a bridge...

"Almost done? Why didn't I see that?"

Xue Wanche spoke loudly and excitedly, which made everyone's relaxed mood rise again.

As the former Minister of Works and a senior civil engineer, he has a say on issues concerning earthwork.

"That's why I crossed over."

The official from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Water Resources stuffed the drawings he carried with him into Xue Wanche's hands.

"The bridge must be completed before the enemy surrounds and annihilates you. The construction is barely in time.

"The premise is that none of you should be idle. Get moving. Start from the other side of Sishui and work together to speed up the construction."

…………

On the other side of the battlefield, the Tang army camp.

Inside the tent, the atmosphere was completely different.

After several days of forced marches, the Ming army was finally surrounded on the banks of the Si Shui River. Everyone felt a little relieved for the first time.

"Huh... His Majesty the Emperor is wise."

Li Shiji let out a long sigh, and the huge stone in his heart was finally lifted.

For him, the experience during this period can be described as "twists and turns".

When he first let Li Jing escape from the city of Zhengzhou, he felt like the sky was falling.

Fortunately, His Majesty the Emperor did not blame him. He still let him lead the army and ordered him to pursue the fleeing enemy.

Finally, his 20,000 infantry and cavalry, with the support of the navy, took the lead in blocking the Ming army and forced them south to Yanzhou.

It also forced him into a dead end.

"Our troops have followed us all the way from Luozhou to Qizhou. Can we take a break? How else can they escape? Unless they fly to the other side of the river."

Cheng Zhijie was shouting and sitting there carelessly.

"The Duke must not take it lightly." Li Shiji said:
"The enemy may be moving his troops across the river little by little by shipping.

"If we wait until their main force crosses Surabaya, it will be too late for us to reach them."

After suffering several losses, Li Shiji became very cautious.

Although we have a great advantage now, the situation could be overturned if we are careless.

When the Ming army was on this side of the river, the Si River was an obstacle to their escape.

But if the Ming army succeeded in stealing the chicken and reached the other side, the Si River would become a moat for the Ming army, blocking the Tang army's pursuit.

Because crossing the river is a huge negative buff.

What's more, there are endless mountains on the other side of the river.

If the Tang army dared to pursue across the river, as many of them as crossed the river would be destroyed by the enemy.

Therefore, the Tang army's plan was to destroy the Ming army on the west bank of the Si River.

This is the best chance and the last chance.

"We should launch a full-scale attack on the enemy as soon as possible, squeeze their battle lines, consume their supplies, wear down their morale, and make the rebels' battle lines collapse as soon as possible."

Li Shiji said.

However, other generals expressed their opposition to his intention to go all in.

Guo Xiaoke retorted:

"We have traveled a long way with the enemy. The enemy is tired, and our army is even more tired. If we rush into this battle, we won't be able to gain any advantage."

Li Daliang agreed:
"Besides, the enemy has no way to escape, so they will definitely fight like a trapped beast, causing considerable damage to our army.

"For the sake of future battles, we should preserve our strength and not let Dahao Erlang die in vain."

Cheng Zhijie concluded:
“So, Chief Steward Li, why don’t we delay for a while and mainly use a small force to harass them.

"Wait until the enemy's morale and food are all depleted, then make a concerted effort to annihilate them all."

But Li Shiji disagreed and insisted on launching a full-scale offensive as soon as possible.

"Who is the opposing coach? It's Li Jing. Who's behind Li Jing? It's Li Ming!
"One of them is a battle-hardened veteran, and the other is even more cunning.

"Now we are only one step away from the final blow. If we let our guard down at this moment, who knows what tricks the other side will use."

Cheng Zhijie kept shaking his head:

“Our scouts have been keeping an eye on the Surabaya River, and there aren’t many ships there, and they’re all small boats.

"Even if the pseudo-Ming really wanted to evacuate more than 200,000 people like ants moving, they don't have the ability to do so. What tricks can they use?"

Li Shiji said with great sorrow:

"The Duke is too careless. If the enemy really escapes, it will be too late to regret! Our army will surely be defeated!"

Cheng Zhijie responded sharply:
“Relatively speaking, this is the time when the Ming army is at its strongest.

"If we bury all our main forces here, can the Tang Dynasty still be stable?"

The husband said he was right, and the wife said she was right, and the two sides started a fierce war of words.

After much arguing, the last one looked upwards.

"Your Majesty, please make the decision!"

Snoring... Li Shimin leaned on the couch, snoring evenly.

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged helplessly.

For the generals, whether to launch a full-scale attack or to slow down and wait for the enemy to become chaotic seems to be a huge debate.

But in the eyes of strategists, the battle is already won.

The battle situation was very clear, and the Ming army's defeat was inevitable.

After that, it was just a matter of details as to how many victories the Tang army won.

Does His Majesty Li II need to worry about this personally?

(End of this chapter)