Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 339: War is all about endurance

The battle in Shanxi forced Li Chengqian and Li Zhi to think of evil ideas and to forcibly "beg for alms" from the powerful families.

The wealthy and powerful families were actually willing to help out and took the initiative to pay to fill the gap in military spending.

This shows that the country's finances have deteriorated to such an extent that it is no longer possible to raise sufficient military funds using conventional financial and taxation means, and unconventional tactics must be resorted to.

The entire Tang Dynasty had done its best just to prevent the soldiers on the front line from starving to death.

The burden of war on a country is evident from this.

Li Shimin himself had both fought wars and governed the country.

Of course he knew that the current cost of the battle in Shanxi was enough to make the entire Tang Dynasty tense.

It was really hard for Dalang and Jiulang to find a way to make up the military expenses.

But Li Shimin had no choice.

This money must be spent because this battle must be fought and must be won.

Because if Shanxi was lost, the Tang Dynasty would lose more than just a rich grain-producing area and agricultural and pastoral areas.

It will also lose an important strategic barrier.

As long as Shanxi fell into the hands of the Ming Dynasty, the core of the Tang Dynasty, the Guanzhong region, would have to always bow to the Ming Dynasty.

There would be no need to fight the entire war.

The Ming Dynasty can enter the pass at any time if it wants to.

If Li Ming sneezed in Taihang Mountain, Li Chengqian would tremble three times.

"Damn it, how long does Li Ming plan to stay in this mountain? Or does he plan to..."

Li Shimin couldn't help but curse.

To be honest, the scale and duration of the Battle of Shanxi not only caught the soldiers by surprise, but also Li Shimin himself by surprise.

The Battle of Bingzhou was fought so beautifully that the Tang army had the illusion that they were invincible and the Ming army was just so-so, and they were able to quickly recapture Shanxi.

Li Shimin thought that Li Jing would passively avoid fighting and retreat to Hebei like he did in the last battle in the Central Plains, and the two sides would continue to burn their national strength to confront each other...

"It seems that the boy intends to completely resolve this matter here in Shanxi."

Li Shimin calmed down, stroked his chin and talked to himself.

It must be admitted that Li Ming's decision to set the battlefield for the decisive battle in Shanxi showed that he had a very accurate vision and malicious intentions.

Shanxi's mountainous terrain is complex and intricate, which is very conducive to the Ming army's advantages in mountain warfare.

It can also consume the logistics of the Tang army to the greatest extent——

Transporting supplies in the mountains requires people to carry them on their backs or mules, and the loss and cost are much greater than pushing a small cart in the Central Plains.

Although the high logistical costs were also the same for the Ming army.

But the Ming Dynasty has a lot of blood and can afford it!

The Ming army did not need to gain any decisive advantage on the battlefield.

As long as the battle line can continue to be deadlocked in Shanxi, and both sides compete with each other to burn blood, the finances of the Tang Dynasty will be dragged down.

The super durable king Li Ming can easily wear his father to death.

However, the Tang army had to defend Shanxi.

For the Tang Dynasty, losing Shanxi, the vital point, was equivalent to losing half of the battle.

"Li Ming, that kid, has always been good at big strategies."

Li Shimin gave a bitter smile.

It is obvious that they are using their powerful national strength to crush us, this conspiracy is unsolvable!
?
"There is still a way."

Li Shimin put down Li Chengqian's letter, tightened his fur coat, and pulled himself together.

The solution is to fight quickly and decisively.

A wave of troops defeated Li Jing's army, forcing Li Ming to sign a humiliating treaty and reach a temporary truce.

Yes, after several months of war, Li Shimin no longer expected to completely wipe out the main force of the Ming army, completely reverse the situation and turn defeat into victory.

The Ming army could not be defeated in the vast Central Plains, let alone in the complex mountainous areas.

It was already very difficult to repel the strategic offensive of the Ming army by relying on short-term tactics and win a moment of respite for the Tang Dynasty.

"The battlefield is changing rapidly, and anything can happen. It's not like we don't have a chance to win."

Li Shimin held the handrail and propped himself up nimbly.

"Those two kids have done everything they could. Now it's my turn. I can't let their efforts go to waste."

He walked out of the study with confidence and looked at the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

"The strategic decisive battle shall be fought now and here!"

…………

"Full retreat?! Retreat to Jinyang?!"

At a later military meeting, Ashina She'er was so surprised that he blurted out the answer and almost jumped up on the spot.

Just now, the retired emperor Li Shimin called everyone together and said something like "a strategic decisive battle to determine the fate of the country" and "the rise and fall of the empire depends on this one move", which made everyone excited.

The next sentence is, the whole army advances backwards and occupies Jinyang City!

Guo Xiaoke, Cheng Zhijie... and a large number of other frontline generals of the Tang army were also very puzzled.

"Our army didn't suffer any loss in the battle, why should we retreat?"

"Yes, Hou Junji and I had a very good fight."

"It's more than a return. When I fight Hou Ze for another 300 rounds, I will chop off his dog head and present it to Your Majesty!"

Just as the generals were talking at once, Li Shiji snorted coldly:
"How can you ordinary people guess your majesty's intentions?

“Before a life-and-death fight with someone, you should close your five fingers so that you can strike with all your strength.

"The same is true for war. If you attack in all directions, where should you focus your attack?"

The chief steward's words made everyone quiet down.

Li Shimin nodded to him with satisfaction:
"The one who knows me best is the Duke of England."

Although praised in public by his leader, Li Shiji showed no joy at all and his expression was serious.

Since the Shanxi Campaign, he has always looked worried.

After being tortured in turn by the father and son of the old Li family, Li Shiji learned a profound lesson and began to look at the current war situation from the perspective of national strategy.

I can only say that ignorance is bliss. Although standing high means seeing far, you will also have more and more troubles.

He began to realize that the current national strength of the Tang Dynasty could no longer sustain this war.

The Tang army had no energy left to rush forward. They had already done their best to stabilize the front line at Jinyang.

Therefore, when His Majesty proposed a strategic decisive battle today, Li Shiji realized that the country's strength had reached its limit and the war could not be delayed any longer.

His Majesty even used the word "gamble". This word "gamble" sounds bad, indicating that the real situation in the rear may be much worse than he expected.

"It's only the main force that's retreating. We're not leaving all of you idle, nor are we leaving the other side idle as well."

Li Shimin curled his lips, pointed at the key nodes of Taihang Mountain, Luliang Mountain and Fenhe River Basin, and said in a low voice:

"Each of you should bring a team of several hundred elite soldiers to these logistics hubs and find some work for our old friend Li Jing. Don't leave him idle."

The generals immediately gathered around the table, wishing they could glue their eyes to the map.

Nothing was found, just a few ordinary spots in the dense forest.

"Not this one. Li Shiji." Li Shimin waved his hand.

Li Shiji personally acted as a secretary, taking out detailed topographic maps of various regions one after another, spreading them on the ground, and unfolding an extremely large and extremely detailed topographic map of northern and western Shanxi.

Only then did everyone see that the points that Emperor Li Shimin pointed to were all located behind one side of the Ming army, and each of them was in a tricky position.

They are basically located in the gap between two mountains, with a relatively flat valley passing through it, which narrows sharply at the gap, like the opening of a pocket.

The generals looked at each other and smiled wickedly.

This battle also inflicted heavy losses on the Ming army, and these mountain valleys were almost certainly the main routes for the Ming army to transport logistical supplies.

The place your majesty pointed out was a natural ambush site.

It is easy to hide and is in a high position. Not only can you overlook the entire pocket, but you can also cause maximum damage to the concentrated enemies. After the ambush is successful, the ambushers can retreat calmly.

These famous generals who left their names in later generations discovered that the perfect squatting spots that were difficult to find even with a lantern could be accurately pointed out one by one from a distance by His Majesty, half-lying on the dragon couch without looking at the map.

What a perverted combat command ability this is.

General Tian Ce is still the same General Tian Ce, and his skills are still as sharp as ever.

"Idiot, what can you figure out just by looking at the map? You have to use your brain first, then scout, scout, and scout again!

"Are you like you, hiding in the mountains for several months, with nothing to see, and doing nothing but fighting with the enemy all day long?"

Li Shimin laughed and scolded:

"The results of the past few months of investigation have been sent to you. May I wish you success?"

"We will not fail in your mission!" the generals answered in unison.

With General Tiance as our backbone, what is there to fear even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead?

…………

To the north of Bingzhou is Gang County.

This small county town under the jurisdiction of Daizhou, Shanxi, is the front line of confrontation with the Tang army, and is home to the absolute main force of the Ming Dynasty.

A number of Ming Dynasty's brave generals, including Li Jing, as well as the Red Turban Army that Li Ming personally led when he pacified Liaodong, all set up camp here.

It has become the front-line command center of the Ming army.

"Have all the Tang troops in Yangqu County withdrawn?"

In the commander's tent, Li Jing was reading the latest intelligence sent by the scouts, his eyebrows twisted into a "川" shape.

Yangqu County is located in the north of Jinyang. It is the northernmost county under Bingzhou and also the forefront of the Tang army camp.

"At this critical moment, they took the initiative to give up their frontline positions...

"Jun Ji, Dao Zong, Ding Fang Rengui, what do you think?"

The three generations of military elites from the Ming Dynasty looked at their commander's face, and at the same time, they felt a desire to complain.

Li Jing is no longer the same person today (physics).

After several months of fighting, the high-intensity mental work made him thinner and thinner, from a chubby and cute old man at the beginning, he became a tough and handsome old man with clear facial lines.

It's the stereotypical image of a veteran.

If he were to walk down the streets of Pingzhou now, His Majesty Li Ming would definitely not recognize his own armed forces commander-in-chief...

"Cough cough."

Li Dao Zong was the first to come to his senses. He coughed dryly and said:
"This should be the enemy's trick to lure the enemy deeper. Don't pay any attention to it."

This was a textbook-level standard answer, and the others nodded in agreement.

Hou Junji expressed a different opinion:
"I'm afraid the enemy's logistics are not good enough, and their national strength is insufficient, so they have to shrink their front line.

“Don’t forget, His Majesty Li Ming’s overall strategy is to wear down the enemy rather than defeat them directly on the battlefield.

"We should seize Yangqu and Jinyang will be within our grasp."

There was nothing wrong with what he said, and the others nodded in agreement.

Here comes the problem.

Did the Tang army lure the enemy deep into their territory and then retreat on their own initiative, or were they forced to retreat due to insufficient logistics? Which one is the truth?

Everyone's eyes turned to Li Jing at the same time.

This is when the coach makes the decision.

Li Jing turned to Hou Junji and said:
"Jun Ji is right. According to the Tang army's logistics capacity and daily consumption, their food and equipment should be almost exhausted."

When fighting a war, I don't need to rely on my feelings or anything else. Everything must be calculated with data.

And Li Jing is well aware of this.

This is also an important reason why his brain power consumption is so great.

Hou Junji raised the corner of his mouth, but immediately smoothed it out, pretending that he was not surprised.

"So, according to King Jiangxia's opinion, the entire army should remain in place."

Li Jing looked at Li Dao Zong again.

"Uh-huh?!"

Hou Junji was upset by his leader's 90-degree turn.

Not only him, but others - including Li Daozon himself - were puzzled by Li Jing's final decision.

Li Daozon's conclusion based on Hou Junji's premise is based on the strengths of many others.

Since the Tang army was facing logistical difficulties, why didn't they pursue the victory?

"Yangqu County is a strategic location leading to Jinyang. If we capture it, Jinyang, Shanxi, and Guanzhong will all be within reach."

Hou Junji immediately stood up and bowed, his tone very firm:
"I hope the coach will think twice!"

Li Jing did not discuss with him the gains and losses of Yangquan, but asked:

"Before reaching the end of the road, should we quietly perish, or should we leap over the wall and make one last desperate effort?"

Everyone's faces darkened.

"Mr. Li Wei, what you mean is..."

Li Jing calmly ordered:
"All units must fortify their walls and clear the fields, and strictly guard the city and not leave without permission, in order to prevent the enemy's desperate counterattack..."

Before he could finish his words, the door of the barracks was violently pushed open.

The identity of the visitor made everyone feel nervous.

He is a messenger.

If a soldier dared to barge in regardless of the situation, it meant...

"Urgent report! Logistics attacked!"

The herald brought the worst news.

Laymen look at tactics while experts look at logistics.

In a protracted war fought in the snowy mountains, logistics in the rear can determine the outcome of the war even more than the fighting in the front.

"Tell me clearly, which logistics line was attacked?" Hou Junji shouted.

Command reply:

“Almost all!”

The generals changed color when they heard this.

Xue Rengui was forced to recall the unbearable events of the First Central Plains Campaign, and his body could not help but tremble.

"It is indeed his usual tactic to cut off the food supply before a major battle..."

Li Dao Zong was no less shocked than him:

"In order to prevent the Tang army from encircling the grain route, we specially arranged so many logistics routes in the mountains. Have they all been attacked?"

"Should I say, he is worthy of being called the General of Tiance?"

The generals were whispering to each other, all feeling their scalps tingling.

Li Shimin was like a mountain. Just by standing on the opposite side, he could form an invisible deterrent and make the enemy feel inexplicably huge pressure.

The voices gradually died down, and the generals' eyes returned to their own commander.

Everyone's eyes seemed to say:
What should I do next?
"What should we do? Everything should remain the same. We should fortify our defenses and defend the area to the death."

Li Jing's brows didn't even move, he was as calm as water.

"Let's see who can outlast the other."

As he spoke, he looked out the window with his hands behind his back.

The yard was full, with sacks of food piled up like mountains. It was difficult to walk on the road, and the soldiers were busy building a awning.

As for the government warehouses, vacant courtyard houses, and even the simple huts with roofs in Gang County, they were already filled to the brim with food that had been stockpiled in advance.

Who would go to war with General Tian Ce without preparing enough food and grass first?
(End of this chapter)