Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 361: Victory Transfer
At this point, Li Shiji no longer fantasized about such a fantastic strategy as "cutting off the Ming army's supplies."

It would be a blessing if I could eat a full meal during the enemy's change of defense and share some with my colleagues in the north.

Finally, Kung Fu pays off.

Those terrifying Ming army warships finally sailed south together and retreated to the Yellow River.

Thanks to the Buddha, the plague god is finally gone!
The Tang army on the shore burst into cheers.

Li Shiji also felt relieved, and his sullen face, which had been tense for several days, relaxed.

“Oh, from the blockade to the evacuation, it took only five days.

"Is this the supply limit of those ships?"

He was calculating in his mind.

As he counted, he discovered that several tall masts appeared on the horizon.

His eyelids twitched.

Sure enough, several old friends slowly sailed from the Yellow River into the Fen River.

Just as tall, just as powerful.

Those were Ming army warships that came to replace guard.

Li Shiji felt that his blood was about to boil.

Yes, who said that the Ming Dynasty only had these few ships?
They have a huge fleet!

They can afford to play a round-robin game!
If the wheels do this a few times, wouldn’t the Fen River be blocked permanently?

Anyway, the port of Daming is not far from Puzhou, and it’s just a matter of stepping on the accelerator from Zhengzhou.

Puzhou is located exactly at the "J"-shaped bend of the Yellow River. To the west and south is the Yellow River, to the east is the Fen River, and it is surrounded by water on three sides.

Once the waterway is blocked, this place is basically abandoned.

Li Shiji looked at the warships showing off their might on the river and became so angry that his teeth were itching.

He shouted angrily:

"Where's our fleet?"

The Tang Dynasty also had a fleet, which performed brilliantly during the First Central Plains War.

"Reporting to the Grand Steward..." The deputy general reported in a trembling voice:

"Most of our fleet was sunk by the Ming army. The remaining ships were also locked in the port and attacked as soon as they set sail..."

This answer was somewhat expected.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty's turtle-shell ships, the Tang army's warships were more like bumper boats for children to play with.

I don't think they can withstand a salvo of fire from the other side.

“This… is useless!”

Li Shiji was furious and started cursing.

The deputy general lowered his head and muttered to save face for the incompetent Tang army:

"The messenger has set out immediately as you ordered, to convey the news of the Ming navy heading north to the army stationed in Jinyang..."

"Only the navy? Does it look like the Ming army only sent out the navy?!" Li Shiji interrupted him angrily:

"I wonder how many armors and soldiers are hidden in the turtle bellies of those big ships!"

The deputy general didn't dare to say anything more.

"Ugh!"

Li Shiji slapped his thigh hard.

At this point, no matter how angry he is, he can only sigh helplessly.

The navy is not like the army. The army can rely on operations, sneaky positioning, or daring to fight.

The navy is different. Naval warfare requires the most equipment. If you can’t win, you can’t win, and the winner takes all.

The loser can only cower in the harbor in a panic, allowing the winner to rush forward in front of him and be killed in seconds if he dares to show his head.

With just a few ships, it was easy to lock down a city, a strategic choke point.

Li Shiji was like a strong man with nowhere to use his strength. He was so frustrated that he scratched his ears and cheeks and wanted to smash those broken boats with stones.

For the Chinese people in the seventh century AD, this was the first time they experienced the feeling of losing control of the sea, and it turned out to be so painful.

"Not good, I need to calm down and think of a solution..."

Li Shiji forced himself to swallow his anger and think of a countermeasure.

As a result, when he started thinking, he didn't think of a solution, but realized a bigger problem:

"Your Majesty and His Royal Highness are still in Puzhou City and have also been blocked!"

…………

"Puzhou is a major transportation hub, but it's so difficult to get around?"

In Puzhou Prefecture, Li Chengqian expressed surprise at the difficult situation reported by Li Shiji.

"Puzhou's transportation relies on water transport. Once the waterway is blocked by the enemy, it will inevitably fall into such a predicament." Li Zhi explained for his brother.

Li Chengqian was shocked:
"Oh, it has come to this... Fortunately, Li Ming did not attack the city and did not let me and the people of Puzhou suffer."

Li Zhi echoed:
"It is also due to the great fortune of your majesty."

Listening to the royal brothers talking nonsense as if it had nothing to do with him, Li Shiji couldn't help but cough:
"Ahem. Your Majesty, Your Highness, I wonder where you two will go for your inspection next? I am willing to accompany you with all my strength."

My two noble men, it's time to run away.

This reminded Li Chengqian.

He sighed and said somewhat unconvincedly:
"I am inspecting the front line this time and I know how difficult the war is.

"I have fully understood the situation that I should understand, and it is time to return to the court."

How the Northern Hunt turned into an inspection tour, the speaker and the audience were kept in the dark.

His Majesty the Emperor also has to save face. It is absolutely impossible for Li Chengqian to publicly admit his mistake after making a wasted trip out of the palace and almost falling into a trap.

He really didn't expect that his half-god, half-ghost father was right.

The area north of the Yellow River had indeed become a place of controversy and the focus of the battlefield.

Chang'an, on the other hand, is a safe corner that is not noticed by either side.

I have to go back quickly.

The ministers are still staying in Chang'an!
It would be okay if the king was at the front line and the ministers were guarding the rear.

If I am absent for a long time, what will I do if they set up another court?

"I have a question."

Li Zhi interrupted Li Chengqian's thoughts:
"How should Your Majesty return to the court?"

"This..." Li Chengqian paused, and finally realized a realistic problem -

To go back to Guanzhong from Puzhou in the south, one must cross the Yellow River.

There are Ming Dynasty ships cruising everywhere on the Yellow River now. How can we break through their blockade and reach the other side?

Although Li Ming did not attack Li Chengqian on the "shore".

But this does not mean that after Li Chengqian "goes into the water", his men will not throw a big rock at the dragon boat.

After all, the ship is so big and no one knows who is on it, so it is normal for "accidental killing" to happen.

Who dares to bet on this?
"It's no pity for us to die, but your majesty's body is precious. If anything goes wrong... we definitely can't afford it! I hope your majesty will think twice!"

Li Zhi said righteously that he did not want to sell his head and die.

"you're right……"

Li Chengqian became visibly depressed.

"Besides, Chang'an may not always be stable. Li Ming's troops are still entrenched in Zhengzhou and can march westward at any time..."

Since I can't leave, then why not stay where I am?

Anyway, Li Ming has already gone north to fight the retired emperor, so he won’t make a surprise attack for the time being, right?
"Your Majesty, please set off as soon as possible. I'm afraid Puzhou's food reserves are running low."

Seeing the two nobles so indecisive, Li Shiji had to speak more bluntly.

This made Li Chengqian horrified again:
"Puzhou is actually short of food?" Puzhou is the largest granary in Shanxi.

Not only is the transportation convenient, the terrain is also flat and the soil is fertile.

Not to mention the water resources needed to grow crops.

With the Yellow River and the Fen River serving this Feng Shui treasure land, how could the grain output be small?

Li Shiji sighed:

“Although Puzhou has a large grain output, it has a larger population, so it needed to import grain from other places before the war broke out.

"Now that the waterway is cut off, we are running out of food. Plus, there is a large garrison stationed in Puzhou. I'm afraid the food we have will not last for a month..."

Li Chengqian and Li Zhi were both overwhelmed by what they heard.

It's not possible to go back to Chang'an, nor is it possible to stay here.

So where should they escape to?
"The world is so big, but is there no place for me to stay in this great Tang Dynasty?"

Li Chengqian sighed sadly again.

Li Shiji also felt his scalp tingling. He opened his mouth several times to say something, but swallowed the words back.

There is a way out, but he feels that this way out is a bit far-fetched.

It still had to be Li Zhi. When the emperor was at a loss and the generals were hesitant, he was the one who made the decision.

"Your Majesty, we still have a way to go."

"Which way?" Li Chengqian asked weakly.

"Since Puzhou is surrounded by water on three roads, we can also take a road without water." Li Zhi said:

"North."

"North?!" Li Chengqian shuddered suddenly.

To the north, isn’t that the main battlefield?
Isn’t Li Ming’s terrifyingly large fleet sailing northward?
I haven't even had time to escape from that guy's clutches, so how can I chase after him?
Li Shiji secretly thanked his old boss with his eyes and said:
"Shanxi is vast, and not every part of it is a battlefield. As long as you don't get close to the front lines, you'll be safe in most situations. Otherwise, millions of local people won't be able to make a living."

This comfort calmed Li Chengqian's pounding heart a little.

"Then how should I escape from this encirclement after heading north?" Li Chengqian asked.

Li Zhi replied

"The Yellow River is surging and stretches for thousands of miles. Li Ming can block Puzhou Port with a few ships, but does he have enough warships to block the entire Yellow River?

"We just need to find a ferry to the north, cross the Yellow River to the west, and leave Shanxi, and we will be safe."

This is equivalent to drawing a circle to the west on the map, finding the defensive gap of Li Ming's fleet, finding an opportunity to cross the Yellow River and escape from the encirclement.

Li Chengqian drew a map in his mind for a while, and finally let out a long sigh:

"Very good, as long as there is a road."

…………

"Then... why are you staying here again?"

After returning to his residence, Li Zhi looked at Li Mingda and sighed helplessly.

Li Mingda hugged the pillar again, as if he was determined to live and die with Puzhou.

"I do not go!"

Li Chengqian's "Northern Hunting" team included not only him and Li Zhi, but also Li's clan members and imperial concubines who were still in Chang'an at that time.

Among so many people, Li Mingda was the one that gave Li Zhi the most headaches.

He felt that settling this "little rhino" A Sizi was more difficult than settling everyone else.

"Don't make trouble, just follow us." Li Zhi patiently advised:
"Didn't you hear what General Manager Li Shiji said just now? The food in Puzhou is almost gone. If we don't leave now, we will starve."

"I don't want it. I'll just starve!" Li Mingda was very stubborn:

"Last time I told you not to leave Chang'an. Look, now you're done! If you listen to me again, I don't know what trap you'll fall into!"

I don’t know if it’s a backlash to her previous act of pretending to be a mature and obedient girl, but Li Mingda seems to be five years younger recently - she is as willful as a kid.

But what she said made sense.

This made Li Zhi a little annoyed:
"If you don't want to leave, then stay. We won't force you. We'll leave first!"

As he said this, he let go of the hand that was pulling Li Mingda's sleeve and pretended to leave.

Li Mingda stared at him with tears in his eyes and a lonely look on his face, but he said nothing.

Seeing that the little sister looked easy to bully, Li Zhi couldn't help but scare her:

"When all the food in Puzhou City is gone, the hungry people will eat you.

"You are so delicate and tender, you will definitely be fought over by many people..."

"Hey, hey, hey, stop talking..."

Li Mingda retched for a while and hurried to catch up with his brother.

"It's not impossible for me to go with you. Brother Chi is very smart, he won't make the same mistake twice in a row, right?"

…………

"Hiss... If I were to use my troops, I would ambush a group of people here and surprise any enemy who dared to attack our logistics - wouldn't that be bold?"

On the flagship of the Ming fleet sailing north along the Fen River, Li Ming was guarding the stove where fish porridge was stewing. He was looking at the cliffs and valleys on the west bank and said something that suddenly occurred to him.

"Whatever your majesty says is what it is." While shouting "Long live the emperor", Qibi Heli picked up a palm-leaf fan and fanned the stove.

"I agree~" Xue Wanche agreed incoherently while eating the piping hot grilled fish.

Anyway, they have been winning all the time following His Majesty, so they are too lazy to think about it.

His Majesty does whatever he says and is happy and relaxed.

"Well, I think it's okay."

Li Ming muttered to himself, scooped himself a bowl of porridge from the casserole, squatted on the ground and began to slurp it.

After leaving Puzhou, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty sailed north along the river for several days. He finally got used to life on the water and no longer suffered from seasickness.

I just adapted a little too much and got tired of sailing.

"Fish, fish, fish again. I'm tired of it. My stomach is all empty - ugh."

Li Ming spat the fishbone into the river skillfully, complaining casually:

"When can we eat meat? Grandpa wants to eat meat!"

Qibi Heli and Xue Wanche squatted aside, looking at the vigorous and heroic figure of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Huh? What are you laughing at?" Li Ming muttered with a fish bone in his mouth.

"Nothing, nothing." Generals Heng and Ha said in unison.

How could there be such an emperor? He rules the most powerful empire on the earth, but he acts like an ordinary old man, eating simple meals and complaining. He does not have the airs of an emperor at all.

The two of them laughed so hard in their hearts.

However, after seeing so many majestic, cruel, and lazy rulers, it is nice to have such an approachable emperor.

As for His Majesty Li Ming, he really doesn't need to put on airs.

Make up for what is lacking; majestic rituals and lofty forms are just the guilty rulers' deliberate efforts to emphasize their own status and give the imperial power a specious protective film.

Li Ming doesn't need this kind of formalism.

Wherever the Ming army goes, the people of the world will naturally understand why His Majesty Li Ming is the true dragon emperor.

"Huh? What's so funny? Forget it, just come here."

Li Ming held the chopsticks in his mouth and waved to the two of them:
"Let's discuss what our next strategy should be."

The two of them looked serious and immediately gathered around His Majesty.

"I will obey your majesty's orders!"

Li Ming skillfully used chopsticks to outline the map on the deck.

"It's great that we used only a few ships to stop Puzhou's harassment of our logistics without having to spend a lot of effort on a decisive battle.

"We will continue to work hard, like this..."

Sitting beside a clay pot, Li Ming made the final decision on who would own the world.

(End of this chapter)