Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 343 This Army is Too Cautious

"Our elite light cavalry pretended to attack Jinyang, using black smoke to cover the view and real siege equipment to boost momentum.

"In the early morning when the light is dim, launching a surprise attack will allow the Tang army to see but not fully see the attacking troops, so they don't know the true strength of the harassing troops.

"This will delay them for a considerable period of time, enough to provide adequate cover for the strategic transfer of the main force."

Hou Junji spoke incessantly:

"Jinyang is also a strategic location that the Tang Dynasty cannot abandon. Moreover, the emperor's imperial carriage is still in this city, and Jinyang is the Feng Shui treasure land where the Tang Dynasty started.

"If this place is attacked, the Tang army on the other side will be like a frightened bird."

“Even if they could quickly discover the clue that our siege force was insufficient after daybreak, they would be like frightened birds and would not dare to go out in full force to chase and intercept us.

"Who knows if this is part of our army's plan? Maybe it's a trick to lure them out and kill them. They will definitely think so and continue to avoid fighting.

"After all, for the Tang Kingdom, Jinyang is an important place that they absolutely cannot, must not, and are not allowed to give up."

The colleagues present were all listening attentively, and Lao Hou was very excited about what he was saying.

"Don't forget, the Tang army has always been on the defensive, while we are always on the offensive. I have the initiative and the advantage!

“They have no idea of ​​our plan, so their actions are bound to be slow.

"By the time they finally realized that they had been strategically deceived, our army had already firmly established itself in Shuozhou!"

Since the decision has been made to retreat, why go through such a fuss instead of just retreating directly?
Because retreat is the most difficult part of a military operation, no doubt about it.

The difficulty is even higher than siege.

During the retreat, the army's morale will inevitably relax and will not be very high.

This is the natural human nature, and no amount of training can completely eliminate it.

Therefore, if the troops are surrounded and intercepted by the enemy during the retreat, morale will easily collapse.

An orderly retreat would turn into a disorderly rout, the organization would be broken up, the large force would completely lose its combat effectiveness and be easily annihilated.

The two armies can still fight back and forth when they are in confrontation, but if one side relaxes its breath, it will be defeated in an instant.

This is also the reason why even though the two sides are evenly matched and have fought back and forth on the field, the post-war settlement often results in an astonishing exchange ratio.

The vast majority of casualties were caused during the retreat phase.

That’s why there is a saying “one collapse can lead to a thousand miles of collapse”.

It's like climbing a mountain. It's difficult to go down the mountain steadily step by step, but it's much easier to roll down the mountain all the way.

In order to prevent Li Shimin from kicking the Ming army in the ass as they were coming down the mountain, Hou Junji used this tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west.

A small force was used to pretend to attack Jinyang to attract the attention of the Tang army, so as to cover the main force's leisurely retreat to the north.

In order to make the scene more realistic, the Ming army invested a lot of money in the feint attack.

Needless to say, the siege equipment that was pulled out for show must be sacrificed.

Those things are too bulky, there's no way you can escape.

But anyway, the productivity of the Ming Dynasty has always been online, so there is no pain. It is no big deal to burn a few machines to hold a bonfire party for the Tang army.

A problem that can be solved by production is not a problem.

The greater sacrifice was the decoy troops sent out to pretend to attack the city.

Those troops who dared to take their own lives to fight for a chance to survive for the larger army were undoubtedly the elite among the elite.

Even though everyone was riding fast horses and had full mobility.

But as to whether they can escape the pursuit of the frustrated Tang army, we can only say that they are not optimistic.

As we all know, elite soldiers are very valuable, even more valuable than Ming Jiaozi of the same weight.

But compared with the safety of the main force of the Ming Dynasty, this cost is insignificant.

It can be said that this plan is very much Hou Junji-like.

Be open and open, and make any sacrifice to achieve your goals.

Compassion does not command troops.

But if these costs were not paid, the Ming army's losses would undoubtedly soar by dozens or hundreds of times.

This is the truth, and this is why all the generals finally chose to support Hou Junji's plan.

"Jun Ji is absolutely right. This should be able to delay the Tang army and buy us a few days.

"This is enough for our main force to retreat to Shuozhou's city defense fortifications."

Li Daozong appreciated his old friend's idea:

"Therefore, Lord Wei can rest assured."

Other generals also expressed their agreement.

Li Jing did not directly respond to the explanations of Lao Hou and Lao Li, but just said:
"It's better to be safe than sorry. We still need to be prepared to deal with the enemy's pursuit."

"Of course we will be on high alert during the march, so Lord Wei, don't worry about it." Hou Junji replied in a muffled voice.

You made the decision yourself, but now you are afraid of this and that and find fault with it. Are you jealous of me, Hou Lang, getting in the spotlight... Old Hou complained fiercely in his heart.

Li Jing nodded, showing no emotion towards his prickly subordinate, and still looked gentle:

"That's good. You must instruct all units to be on high alert and guard against sudden attacks from the enemy, even if you have to slow down the march a little.

"Especially when you are being chased and intercepted by the enemy for the first time, you must not be caught off guard and lose your composure."

“I know, I know.” You’re so annoying… Hou Junji was becoming more and more impatient.

Fortunately, Li Jing did not continue to complain. He let out a sigh and waved his hand, saying:
"Hurry up and get ready. We are about to set off."

"Follow the order."

All the generals answered in unison and left the tent.

As soon as they got out of the door, everyone started whispering to each other.

"Why does Lord Li Wei speak so confidently, as if the Tang army will definitely catch up with us?" Xue Rengui muttered.

Among the senior executives, he had the least experience, so he was unable to accurately grasp the spirit of the leadership.

"Why else could it be? Most likely he changed his mind and didn't want to retreat, but the order had already been issued and the main force had already been mobilized. Now that things had come to a point where they couldn't change their minds, he came up with this excuse."

Su Dingfang guessed.

Xue Rengui shook his head to show that he did not believe it:

"Such indecision is not the character of Lord Li Wei..."

As a member of a generation that has been immersed in the "Collection of Stories of Li Weigong" since childhood, Xiao Xue has a natural filter for his idol Li Jing.

"Who knows? After all, people are old..." The middle-aged man Su Dingfang's eyes became profound.

"After all, evacuating Daizhou is a big deal. If you were worried about this and that before the event, it means that Duke Wei may have regretted it."

"But..." Xue Rengui wanted to argue.

"What Dingfang said makes sense." Li Daozon also joined the debate.

"Giving up Daizhou and withdrawing to Shuozhou will not solve the fundamental problems of our army.

“Think about it, why did our army fall into a strategic dilemma where it had to retreat?
"It's not because Daizhou's terrain is not dangerous enough, nor is it because my military skills are inferior to others.

"It's because the logistical supply was cut off by Li Shi...by General Tian Ce."

When this topic was brought up, Xue Rengui's PTSD came back and his voice suddenly became weaker.

"King Jiangxia's words make a lot of sense."

Su Dingfang echoed:

“Even if we retreat to Shuozhou, once the Tang army advances further north and gains a foothold in Daizhou, they will still use the same old tricks to cut off our logistics.

"The conditions in Shuozhou are worse than those in Daizhou. Once the logistics change, it will be more difficult for our army to hold on.

"We have already retreated from Daizhou to Shuozhou. Where else can we retreat from Shuozhou? Pingzhou?"

These words left Xue Rengui unable to refute.

"so."

Li Daozong, the Prince of Jiangxia, concluded:
It is very likely that Li Weigong saw this and had no hope of retreating to Shuozhou, so he subconsciously resisted this move. "

Xue Rengui looked very depressed, his lips moving:

"Then why don't you take back your order..."

"If we don't go to Shuozhou, what else can we do? Continue to starve here?"

Li Daozon asked back.

"If we retreat, we can at least have a few more days of full meals, so we can just keep stalling and wait for changes.

"Perhaps it is just as Li Weigong predicted, and the Tang Dynasty will collapse because of us."

Having said that, judging from Li Daozon's expression, he did not hold out much hope of bringing down the Tang Dynasty.

It is purely a fatalistic attitude of "everything will work out when the time comes".

Su Dingfang patted Xiao Xue on the shoulder.

"Military orders are as heavy as a mountain, and they cannot be reversed. Don't worry about anything else, just execute the orders."

Xue Rengui's face looked very ugly.

A stubborn person has become blocked in both ends. Is this the world of adults? While the three were discussing fiercely, Hou Junji, who had just had a sniper confrontation with the leader in the middle lane, did not say a word and was surprisingly calm.

Li Dao Zong felt strange and asked for something to talk about:
"Jun Ji, after our army arrives in Shuozhou, what should we do next? Do you have any ideas?"

Hou Junji sneered:
"You are quite foresighted. You have already made plans for Shuozhou before even leaving the camp."

Li Dao Zong frowned:
"Why, do you also think we can't reach our destination safely?"

"Who knows? Anyway, let's follow what Chief Steward Li said and have the soldiers be more vigilant along the way."

As soon as he finished speaking, not only Li Daozon, but also Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang beside him were surprised.

I didn't expect that you, Hou Junji, who has a shifty look and a rebellious face, are actually such a good subordinate who obeys orders behind the scenes!
"Comply with the bullshit!"

Hou Junji spat.

“It is foreseeable that if we go to Shuozhou, we will be beaten and starved.

“What if Li Jing puts the blame on us, saying that we disobeyed orders and that led to such a disastrous defeat?
"Just do what he says. We should do whatever he tells us to do and not think too much about it.

"This way, the old man won't be able to find any evidence against us, and naturally he won't be able to put the blame for the defeat on us."

Xue Rengui listened to the whole thing and was completely petrified.

Wow, what a great way to survive in the workplace!

Is this the adult world?!

…………

"Hurry, hurry! Daizhou is just ahead. If we can get there early, we can rest there first!"

On the long march to Shuozhou, Li Shiji kept encouraging his soldiers.

Of course he noticed that the morale of the troops was low, but what could he do?

Everyone had been hungry for a whole winter and their stomachs were empty. The orders issued were very counterintuitive. It was normal for the veteran soldiers to have some complaints.

If His Majesty the Emperor could accompany them, morale would not be so low.

However, this is a life-and-death race after all. Although Your Majesty has been in good spirits recently, it is still too risky for him to participate in it.

Therefore, Your Majesty still sits firmly in the rear of Jinyang, and Li Shiji is in full command of this interception battle.

This made the soldiers, who were used to eating the "fine bran" of General Tiance, look down on the "coarse grain" of General Li.

Ah, yes, yes, yes… The exhausted soldiers listened to Li Shiji’s inspirational words and were too lazy to complain.

Although the pie drawn by the leader is big, it cannot fill your stomach.

They were on an empty stomach and traveled day and night in a hurry towards Shuozhou.

The biggest obstacle to going north to Shuozhou is undoubtedly Daizhou, which lies across the road.

So what does Daizhou have?

There is the Ming army’s base camp.

According to common sense, the host would probably prepare an exceptionally "warm" welcome ceremony for the uninvited visitors from Guanzhong.

As a desperate siege battle was about to break out, the soldiers would be forced to use their skulls to bang against the walls of Gang County.

Li Shiji was still making sarcastic remarks, saying something like "resting and replenishing supplies in Daizhou" and so on.

It's really laughable. Do you really think the main force of the Ming army doesn't exist there?

Soon, a tall city gate appeared before our eyes, which was in the shadow of the early spring sun and looked particularly eerie.

We’ve arrived at Gang County.

"Charge! Whoever reaches the summit first will be the winner!" The vanguard captain immediately gave the order.

"Follow the order!"

Despite their complaints, the Tang army still carried out orders without compromise.

The vanguard was prepared to sacrifice heroically and launched a suicidal charge towards the tall city gate.

However, they haven't rushed to the place yet.

The door opened by itself.

Standing in the middle of the gate were several trembling civil servants.

The leader was wearing a round-necked robe and a fu hat, but he was wearing the official uniform of the Tang Dynasty. He bowed to the soldiers and said:
"The governor of Daizhou and all the people of the state are here to welcome the heavenly soldiers!
"I have prepared some light wine and snacks to feed the heavenly soldiers!"

Huh?
Are you really here to welcome us?!

Tang Jun, who was determined to die, was stunned and almost sprained his waist when he braked suddenly.

…………

The Tang army marched into Daizhou in a swagger and encountered no resistance.

Unexpectedly, Li Shiji... No, what Li Da Zongguan said was true.

The Ming army really no longer exists!

The victorious Tang army won back everything in Daizhou, and naturally ate and drank to their heart's content.

Millet and multi-grain porridge.

The people of Daizhou and the Ming army endured hunger for the entire winter, and even the landlords had no surplus food.

Even so, they still welcomed the royal army with food and drink.

Compared with the people in the Central Plains who change their residences as if it were commonplace, the attitude of the people in Shanxi is much more enthusiastic and reserved.

This is not because of how much they hate the Ming rebels, or how much they like the Tang Dynasty's royal army.

But because, if they don't take the initiative to welcome him, then the Tang Dynasty's royal teacher will make them "passively welcome" -

As mentioned earlier, the Tang army was a powerful but not a civilized army.

Isn't the purpose of joining the army at your own expense to make up for it from other places?

After all, it’s not like they haven’t done such dirty things as looting their own cities before.

Being blockaded together with the Ming army would at most cause food prices to soar and everyone would starve together.

If the place is plundered by the Tang army, there is no need to worry about whether the price will go up or not, because everyone's property and valuables will be forcibly redistributed by the Tang army.

They don’t even have money, so how much the price goes up or down naturally has nothing to do with them.

"Don't have any evil ideas, there's nothing for you to steal here!"

Ashina She'er severely reprimanded the soldiers who were not doing their duty.

Zuo Pushe was famous for his strict military discipline and lack of greed for wealth.

"That's right! Hurry up and head north to intercept the rebels immediately! If you miss the opportunity, I'll beat you into a sand pot!"

The old mountain bandit Cheng Zhijie also enforced discipline.

After several instructions, the entire Tang army really did not harm the people at all.

It’s not because everyone suddenly woke up.

But it was because they were all eager to fight the Ming army.

The little bit of profit here is really not worth wasting too much time on.

It turns out that what General Li said was true, the rebels really fled to Shuozhou!

And what I saw and heard in Daizhou seemed to further verify the leaders' foresight.

It turns out that the Ming army was really starving!
And the situation is even worse than that of the Tang army!

Otherwise they wouldn't have abandoned the city and run away!
In other words, as long as they could catch up with the fleeing Ming army and give them a surprise...

Then we have a chance to wipe them out in one fell swoop!
Great, I’ve been wanting to teach these rebels a lesson for a long time!
If it weren't for the rebellion by the people from Hebei, Liaodong and Goguryeo, they wouldn't have to starve in the middle of winter!

In all their years of military service, they had never fought such a frustrating battle. This time they finally won back what they had lost with profit!
The morale of the Tang army soldiers was high, and they couldn't wait to kill the enemies with their own hands. They galloped all the way, making rapid progress!
Soon, they arrived at the city of Shuozhou ahead of time.

Directly attack the city? That's impossible.

Although based on the marching speed, the main force of the Ming army should still be on the road and cannot be in the city.

But this is, after all, a strong fortress in the mountains, easy to defend but difficult to attack with only one man guarding the pass.

A small group of remaining troops is enough to keep the Tang army in suspense, and then when the main force of the Ming army arrives, it will be like two slices of cheese sandwiched between two pieces.

If you want to achieve the best surprise attack effect, it is best to launch an ambush on the Ming army who are kept in the dark on the only way out of the city!

The Ming army's supply situation was worse than that of the hungry Tang army, and they were eager to return home.

Therefore, launching a surprise attack close to their destination will be absolutely effective!

They acted immediately and the experienced Tang army set up an ambush in the wild as if they were familiar with the route.

Sit back and wait for the rebels to enter the ambush circle!

then.

One day passed...

Two days have passed...

After a long wait, the Tang army didn't see a single hair.

This brought back some bad memories for Cheng Zhijie.

(End of this chapter)