Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 326 Performance Art: The Sky is the Curtain and the Earth is the Stage

"A full-scale invasion? What do you mean?"

Li Chengqian was about to speak when a deep voice sounded from behind him, interrupting him to ask the question.

The ministers subconsciously raised their heads and glanced secretly above the Emperor.

His Majesty Li Shimin's eyes were wide open and he looked energetic. He didn't look sleepy at all.

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched slightly... My dear father, you only pick the dishes you like, right? Who did you learn this naughty face from?

Although this analogy is not quite appropriate, Li Chengqian always has a feeling that his father's style of doing things seems to be more and more like Li Ming after his stroke.

The father is like his son.

Li Chengqian even had reason to suspect that his father was cunning and stubborn, but he was suppressed for a long time by the responsibilities on his shoulders, and he completely let himself go after he retired after suffering a stroke.

It is said that each of Li Shimin's children inherited a part of his personality, except Li Ming, who looked like an adopted child.

Now it seems that Li Ming is really his biological son...

"Yes, the battle line between the enemy and us stretches for thousands of miles. They... must have a focus, right?"

Li Zhi also came back to his senses and asked anxiously.

"Yes, yes..." Otomo hesitated and looked at the Emperor.

After all, he is still the one in charge.

Li Chengqian nodded:
"There are no outsiders here, so you can speak."

Otomo then spoke:
"The governors and governors of Henan Province sent urgent letters to the capital at the same time, saying that the pseudo-Ming army was either heading south to force its way across the river, or heading west from Qi Province, and simultaneously launching attacks on the provinces in the Central Plains!

"All the troops are led by the pseudo-Ming leader Li Ming himself!"

Like a bolt from the blue, this news immediately caused an uproar in Liangyi Palace.

The ministers below were talking about this matter, and everyone's face was filled with surprise and disbelief. It was obvious that they were not aware of this matter.

According to normal procedures, any events outside had to be reported to the Secretariat first. After discussion by five secretaries and a draft by one person (called the "Wuhua Panshi"), the document would be submitted to the Emperor for his personal review.

After all, His Majesty has so many things to do, and he needs a team of secretarial staff to screen them in advance according to their importance.

Under normal circumstances, the news would not skip the secretaries of the Secretariat, nor would it be given directly to the emperor as a surprise during court sessions, unless the eunuch wanted His Majesty Li Chengqian to show a panicked and shy expression, and was willing to sacrifice his life to give benefits to everyone.

However, the Ming Dynasty's all-out offensive was an exception.

This matter was too big to be delayed even for a minute. As the important officials of the three provinces were present, they simply explained the situation at the small court meeting.

"Father, brother, and all the nobles. The enemy is attacking us brazenly. What should we do?"

Li Chengqian's question kicked off a major discussion.

"This is a smokescreen, setting fires everywhere to conceal their true combat intentions."

The old revolutionary Li Shimin saw through it at a glance.

When it comes to combat, my father is the professional... Li Chengqian felt a little relieved.

"I guess Father already knows the other party's intentions, right?"

"I don't know. I'm not the worm in that boy's stomach." Li Shimin answered without hesitation.

"..." Li Chengqian was tired and didn't want to complain anymore.

Li Shimin patted the armrest of the dragon couch with great interest and sat up.

"How can we possibly grasp the intelligence on the front line and understand the enemy's true movements if we only listen to what others say without meeting them in person?
"I shall..."

The emperor personally leads the army to fight - just as these words came to his lips, an anxious voice appeared at the entrance of Liangyi Palace.

Another eunuch gestured wildly to the great companion beside His Majesty.

This... Otomo looked at His Majesty speechlessly.

His Majesty nodded:
"Go."

So Otomo followed him out of the hall, received the urgent report from the eunuch, and presented it to him.

Li Chengqian spread it out and took a look, his face darkened even more.

"The Grand Commander of Yangzhou has reported? The warships of the Pseudo-Ming Dynasty are heading south to the East China Sea and attacking Haizhou Port, Suzhou Port and Hangzhou Port at the same time?!"

During the Tang Dynasty, Suzhou and Hangzhou were still coastal prefectures, and together with Haizhou, their defense was under the jurisdiction of the Yangzhou Military Governor's Office.

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers began to discuss the matter.

The Pseudo-Ming Dynasty was really getting carried away. Without the constraints of typhoons in the winter, their fleet began to let loose and ran around everywhere!
Li Zhi's brows were solemn, mixed with some doubts.

"Fighting from the Central Plains to the south of the Yangtze River... What on earth does Li Ming want to do?"

Li Baiyao twisted his beard and said:
"Haizhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou are important ports for our dynasty's maritime transportation. The pseudo-Ming's move is probably intended to block our dynasty's overseas trade."

Li Zhi looked at the old nerd expressionlessly:

"The one with the closest maritime trade to our dynasty is the Pseudo-Ming. Do you mean that the Pseudo-Ming used warships to interfere with the trade between our dynasty and the Pseudo-Ming?"

"Well, this... is hard to say." Lao Qingliu's voice suddenly became quieter.

If it's not to block maritime trade, then it's to...

"Landing? They want to land in the south?"

Even Li Shimin was confused.

Sometimes they entered the Central Plains, sometimes they went south of the Yangtze River. Moreover, the two major directions were divided into several small directions at the same time, and the attacks were made simultaneously.

They hit here and there, are the rulers and ministers of the Ming Dynasty all monkeys?

"The enemy's target is probably Suzhou. Because it is the estuary of the Yangtze River, it has a very important strategic position."

Li Zhi began to deduce with a serious face:

"If the enemy navy goes up the river, then, then...

"Uh, surrounded by our army?"

He pushed and pushed until he stopped making any sound.

If the Ming army landed along the Yangtze River, it would be like looking for shit in the toilet.

It is 180,000 miles away from the Central Plains front, and the two sides cannot support each other at all.

Moreover, although the southern regions south of the Yangtze River were somewhat hypocritical towards the imperial court in Guanzhong, they treated the Ming Dynasty from the northeast with as little regard as a bird.

Where could he land?
Jiangning? Jingchu? Bashu?

The center is blooming, right?
The Tang Dynasty was not a weakling that could be bullied by invaders. It had never seen a strategy like the Ming Dynasty's that was just asking to be bullied.

Of course, Li Ming is not a retard who treats his troops as dumpling fillings.

So, where is the opponent's strategic focus?
It's really confusing...

Just as the king and his ministers were pondering and trying to think about the problem from the perspective of a naughty boy.

Then a third eunuch came to deliver the message. He was also in a hurry and looked nervous.

He just stopped at the entrance of Ryogi Hall, anxiously looking for Otomo's figure.

Li Chengqian waved at him directly:

"No need to delay, bring any urgent information to me directly!"

The young eunuch started in surprise, and under the unfriendly gazes of the officials, he trembled as he walked through the entire hall and knelt down to present the intelligence to his superiors.

Li Chengqian took a glance and his expression was no longer gloomy, but helpless.

"An urgent report has been sent from Jinzhou that the Taihang Mountains have also been invaded..." "What? That guy actually..." Li Zhi widened his eyes.

Although his current identity is the crown prince, he is also a veteran King of Jin, and his fief of a thousand households is still in Jinzhou!

Your Old Fourteen actually put his dirty hands into his brother’s pocket!
Hit someone in the face!
The border between the Ming Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty was defined by the Yellow River and the Taihang Mountains. To the east of the Taihang Mountains were the rebellious Shandong and Hebei provinces, while to the west was the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

At the same time, Shanxi was also the birthplace of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan first started his army in Jinyang and raised the banner of anti-Sui.

The importance of Shanxi is self-evident. Without Shanxi, Guanzhong would be exposed to the claws of the Ming Dynasty.

However, compared with the sense of threat and urgency, what the emperor and his ministers felt most was confusion.

Because the Taihang Mountains, which are easy to defend but difficult to attack, are still firmly controlled by the Tang Dynasty. Overlooking the plains of Shandong, they have a great geographical advantage.

The Ming army's attack on Shanxi was tantamount to attacking a high enemy with a low force, and the debuffs were stacked up.

The volume of discussion in the entire Liangyi Hall suddenly became intense.

The attack on the Central Plains from the two directions of Qizhou and the river can barely be explained by a two-pronged, pincer attack.

As for the fleet blockade in the south... let's just assume that it is intended to tie down the energy and power of the Tang Dynasty, forcing the court to divide its troops to guard the area.

But now, the Ming army is facing a huge terrain disadvantage and is trying to attack Taihang Mountain...

This is really too abstract. Even the most argumentative minister doesn't know how to find excuses for the other party's outrageous actions.

Did the Ming Dynasty suddenly master the technique of turning beans into soldiers and start stirring up trouble everywhere?
"The worst thing about fighting is dividing the troops. They have divided their troops into many groups. I'm afraid they will outsmart themselves. There's no need to worry."

"If the opponent is someone else, it's easy to deal with, but Li Ming is not incompetent. Even if he doesn't know how to fight, he will listen to the advice of his subordinates. And he also has Li Jing under his command."

"That's right. Besides, how could Li Ming not know military skills? Back then, he went to Liaodong alone, recruited mountain bandits, and actually withstood the repeated attacks of Goguryeo's 150,000-strong army."

"Don't forget, the Ming army was originally a bandit army, and they are best at fighting in the mountains. Maybe they are going to launch a surprise attack in the Taihang Mountains?"

"But no matter how good those rebels are at climbing mountains, we have been operating in Taihang Mountain for a long time. We have all the fortresses and passes under our control, and our army is familiar with the terrain. How could they possibly get in?"

"No, no, no, I think it's like this..."

"In my opinion, could it be that Li Ming has suffered a series of setbacks and given up on himself, which is why he keeps making stupid moves?"

"It's possible that his plans to attack the Central Plains and disrupt Lingnan were all thwarted by us, and he kept hitting a wall. With his temper, he must be furious."

Everyone was performing intense oral gymnastics, trying to figure out what Li Ming was trying to do, and the tone of the discussion gradually shifted from "Li Ming must have his reasons for doing this" to "Li Ming might have some serious illness."

While the ministers were getting excited, Li Shimin remained calm.

He stood up and lay down again, tapping the armrest with his left hand.

After a long while, he slowly said:

"Have you noticed a problem..."

The Liangyi Hall gradually became quiet, and all the ministers looked upwards.

"The question is, why can the urgent news from the front line reach the capital on the same day?"

The old emperor hit the nail on the head.

Li Chengqian, Li Zhi and other ministers sitting below suddenly changed color when they heard this.

Yes, Li Ming chose many battlefields, and they all started from thousands of miles apart.

One is in Taihang Mountains, one is in the Central Plains, and one is in the seaport in the south of the Yangtze River.

Logically speaking, those areas are at different distances from the capital, and the road conditions are different, so the speed of delivering letters is also different.

"Chang'an is connected to Jinzhou, Yangzhou, and Luozhou by expressways. It's early winter and there's no snow, so it's not difficult to estimate the time it will take for the letter to be delivered to Chang'an. Li Ming knows all too well the efficiency of the expressways."

Li Shimin continued to tap the armrest.

"In other words, the Ming offensive was planned in reverse order based on the request that the news arrive in Chang'an on the same day?
"The road conditions in Jinzhou are the worst, so the Taihang Mountains are the first place the Ming army will attack. The second is Yangzhou, and the last is the Central Plains..."

Li Shimin's calculations made everyone present gasp.

There were no radio stations to coordinate battles in ancient times. The three main battlefields were far apart and spread across the country. It was impossible for them to communicate and coordinate with each other during the battle.

It could only be that Li Ming set the date and strategic direction at the beginning, and then the three parts of the army completed the task step by step according to the instructions.

There is a lot of knowledge involved in “following the steps”.

It sounds simple, being able to coordinate hundreds of thousands of people across regions, but when it comes to actually doing it, the organizational difficulty is hellish.

Not to mention that this is a large-scale combat operation coordinated by the navy and the army. Various accidents may happen along the way, or the news may leak out in advance, or the soldiers may not follow or be unable to follow orders due to their low quality...

It can allow the three armies to arrive at the battle site at the agreed time and launch an attack. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the time required for the Tang Dynasty to transmit these messages, and keep the whole process confidential...

The emperor and his ministers in the court realized that Li Ming showed off his muscles in his unique way, both low-key and exaggerated.

Yes, Li Ming may have submitted a few failing papers.

But when the scores of these papers were all precisely controlled at 59 points...

This is very scary to think about.

The ministers who had been talking at once and suspecting that Li Ming had gone mad, suddenly shut up.

Li Chengqian looked pale and helplessly at Li Zhi, only to find that Li Zhi looked even worse than him.

"Oh, is that boy trying to show off to me? To show me that he can control the army like an arm?"

Although Li Ming's performance art, which used the world as its stage, was abstract, it successfully shocked everyone present.

In the entire Liangyi Hall, only Li Shimin looked calm and smiled.

"Okay, sure, he thinks he's so powerful that he can defeat me on the battlefield... defeat me, defeat him, me?!

"Row!"

He clapped his hands on the armrest and stood up on his own.

"His Majesty!"

Oban hurriedly tried to help but was pushed away by Lao Li.

"I am not disabled yet. I can still lead a huge army and teach that naughty boy a lesson!"

Li Shimin's voice was like a bell and his eyes were shining brightly, making the old friends sitting below feel dazed.

The young General Tiance is back again...

…………

"Your Majesty, please step back a little."

In the Central Plains, on the Yanzhou front, Xue Wanche, who had an extremely high EQ, "respectfully" lifted Li Ming down from the city wall.

Li Ming was like a fat hamster in his hands, waving his limbs angrily:

"Don't be rude to me! I'm personally aware of the situation on the front line, why are you interrupting me?"

Xue Wanche tilted his head towards the outside of the city:

"Do you see that thing in the enemy's formation? It's a crossbow. Aren't you afraid that it will shoot you in half?"

"I just want to confirm whether the main force of the Tang army has been attracted here." Li Ming muttered.

Under the city of Yanzhou, the Tang army's square formations were as densely packed as blocks of tofu.

"If they get provoked by you and really rush over to fight, our army of bricklayers in the city won't be able to stop them."

Xue Wanche sighed.

(End of this chapter)