Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 381: The Ship is Damaged and the Headwind is Blown

A few days later.

"What, a million?!"

When the scouts reported that a fleet several times larger than the previous one had arrived again in the territory actually controlled by the Ming army in the Fen River Basin, and had unloaded several times more civilians than the previous one.

Li Shiji couldn't help but grit his teeth.

"Damn it, why are they civilians again? What does the emperor across the street need so many civilians for?!"

Li Shiji originally thought that being able to mobilize 100,000 civilians to attack the bunker was already a very challenging feat.

I didn't realize it was just an appetizer.

Millions of civilians are the real strength of the Ming Dynasty.

A strange idea suddenly popped up in Li Shiji's mind:

"In the battle a few days ago, Xue Wanche suddenly retreated despite having the upper hand. Could it be that he went back to settle the newcomers?

"Not at all. War is a place of life and death. Even if Wan Che is stupid, he won't be so stupid as to not know the priorities..."

If the ambush plan failed because of this misunderstanding, Li Shiji would be so angry that he would vomit blood.

The sugar-coated bullet that you carefully prepared was eaten by the enemy and spit out as the bullet. It must be because of the enemy's insidiousness and cunningness.

It is absolutely impossible that it was due to some coincidence.

impossible!

He shook his head vigorously to get rid of this nonsensical thought.

However, no matter how shocking it was, the battle still had to be fought in the face of the enemy's million-strong army (a real number).

With ten times more people, could we knock down the bunker ten times faster?

Li Shiji had never done any plastering, so he didn't know whether there was a simple linear relationship between the number of people and the progress of the project.

However, he was very clear that the Ming army suddenly had ten times more burdens on the battlefield, and the Tang army suddenly had ten times more targets.

It might not be easy to accurately locate 100,000 people among the vast mountains of the ancient Jin Kingdom.

But with a million people, would there be any problem finding one?
Doesn't this mean that a great opportunity to harass the enemy's rear is right in front of us?
"How is our army's rest and preparation for war going?" Li Shiji immediately summoned his deputy general to ask him.

The deputy general said with difficulty:
"The previous defensive battle consumed a lot of our troops. In addition to insufficient supplies and low morale, our combat effectiveness has not yet fully recovered..."

"It will be enough if we can recover 60% to 70% of our combat power. Opportunity for war does not wait for anyone." Li Shiji interrupted with a wave of his hand.

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and the enemy's civilians have just arrived and have not yet established a firm foothold.

"Our army should take this opportunity to give them a head-on blow, so that those ignorant civilians can also understand the cruelty of war!"

"Follow the order!"

The deputy general did not say anything, and immediately left the tent and shouted:
"The commander-in-chief has given orders, call up the troops!"

The order to attack was passed down step by step, and the Tang army resting in the camp immediately became busy.

We are all veterans of many battles, and even if we don’t get enough rest and supplies, we can still prepare for war.

That's what real war is like, the enemy won't wait for you to be fully prepared.

Besides, is it difficult to attack unarmed civilians who are vulnerable to collapse at the first blow? Does it require impeccable preparation?
"The first impression is the most important. Giving the Ming a warning and implanting fear deeply into the hearts of the civilians will make our future operations more effective.

"That Majesty really came up with a brilliant bad idea for me!"

Li Shiji became excited and swept away the depression from the previous battle.

The result of slaughtering millions of civilians should be able to make up for the losses in the previous battle...

Just as he was making his plans, the deputy general rushed in again.

Li Shiji was stunned: "Are you ready to attack so soon?"

The deputy general looked frustrated: "The enemy is attacking!"

Tsk...Old Li bared his teeth subconsciously.

Things are indeed not that simple.

In order to provide cover for the civilians to attack the bunkers, the Ming army also risked their lives and repeatedly crashed into the defense line in an attempt to contain the actions of the Tang army!
"General, should our army continue the attack, or..." the deputy general asked hesitantly.

Li Shiji's face changed, and finally he slammed the table hard, gritted his teeth and said:
"defense!"

He still compromised.

Although the opportunity to attack is precious, defense here is more important.

The high ground where he was located was the last important barrier to the south of Jinyang City and it could not be lost.

Because the ambush troops set up a pocket formation in the valley behind him had already withdrawn by the time the opportunity came.

"Hey, he didn't come when the meal was ready, but now he barges in after the table is cleared!"

Li Shiji almost bit his back teeth to pieces, and shouted unwillingly:
"Ask Jinyang for help!"

…………

At the same time, on the Ming army's front line.

Xue Wanche took the lead, raised his sword and shouted:

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and the enemy won't wait for us to be fully prepared!
"Even if we have only rested for 60% or 70% of our time, we must seize the opportunity and charge forward!"

"Yes!" The soldiers responded with full morale.

Because most of them are newly rotated soldiers who did not participate in the previous attack and are fully prepared, so how can they rest?

The old soldier from last time was sleeping soundly in the barracks.

Sorry, but having money means you can do whatever you want.

It’s just that elite soldiers are common, but all-round and powerful generals are rare.

The one who most needed rest was the army's commander Xue Wanche.

Lao Xue has been working non-stop these days.

First they fought a war, and then halfway through the battle they immediately went to deal with the newly arrived civilians.

After finally settling down millions of heroes and assigning work tasks, he did not rest for a moment and was sent to the front line to fight.

There's no way. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. We can only let him suffer.

…………

"What? A million?!"

In Jinyang Prefecture, Li Shimin dropped the secret letter in his hand and subconsciously slammed the table and stood up.

His hemiplegic body caused him to stagger and he almost lost his balance.

"His Majesty!"

The attendant hurried forward to help him.

Li Shimin's body was lifted up, and he looked quite miserable. The generals under him could not bear it, and dared not look at him, secretly sighing that the hero was too old.

But at this moment, Old Li had no intention of paying attention to his appearance. He raised his arm in the air, pointed at the letter on the ground, and muttered vaguely:

"me……

"My stupid son!"

Which of your foolish sons? ...Although it was disrespectful, the generals subconsciously checked each one in their minds.

Except for the three legitimate sons and... well, the "legitimate son" according to etiquette, His Majesty's illegitimate sons are indeed not very smart.

However, it is unlikely that His Majesty would be so heartbroken over those dozen misfits, especially at this critical moment.

Among the four legitimate sons, one has died and two have been captured. Your Majesty has already criticized them and there is no need to bring up the old issues today.

The remaining "stupid" son...

Li Ming? Your Majesty, are you talking about him?
The generals' brains worked quickly, but not fast enough to keep up with the pace of General Tian Ce.

What stupid thing did the leader of the rebels do to make Emperor Li Shimin, who was against him, so disappointed in him?

What exactly was written in that secret letter sent from the front line?
Everyone's curiosity was stronger than ever, and they tried hard to resist the urge to sneak a peek at the letter on the ground.

"Ahem...Ahem!"

His Majesty the Emperor gradually calmed down, and with the help of others, he sat back in his seat, regaining some of his former dignity, and explained to the confused people in a concise manner:

"It was Li Ming. After bringing in 100,000 civilians, he didn't stop and brought in another 900,000.

"Now, he has gathered a full million people on the front line!"

The front line is so small, and Shanxi has a rugged terrain, so there is not a large area suitable for large troops to deploy. The word "pile up" is not an exaggeration at all.

"million?!"

All the generals exclaimed in a low voice in unison.

They were already surprised when Li Shiji reported earlier that 100,000 people had arrived at the front line.

Wow, now it’s doubled!
Similarly, they were not impressed by the size of the "million-strong army", but by the stupidity of the emperor opposite them.

The pure kill-heavy play style is already several versions behind.

When there are too many people, their quality varies, and command becomes more difficult. Supply alone is a difficult problem.

There is no need for the enemy to rob the food supply. After a long time, everything will be in chaos.

What's more, the men Li Ming got were not real soldiers (if the Ming Dynasty could come up with a million armored men, it would be a real horror story of the Tang Dynasty), but civilians.

The opposing commander Xue Wanche knew best how much fighting power civilians could have.

During the great chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Xue Wanche and his brother Xue Wanjun, each leading a hundred or so cavalrymen, dispersed Dou Jiande's 200,000 peasant army in one wave.

To say that they are useless is an exaggeration; on the battlefield they are purely counterproductive.

This is also the reason why Li Shimin was so disappointed with Li Ming.

Don’t you want to take over the world?
How could you make such a low-level mistake?

Aren’t the lessons taught by Brother Fu Jian profound enough?
If I lose to an idiot like you in the end, how will history books evaluate me?

Don't let your abstract operations damage the reputation of the Tang Dynasty that you overthrew!
"Whoo~"

Li Shimin sighed and said:
"Li Shiji believed that the Ming army concentrated so much labor in order to build fortifications, gradually encroach on the territory with strong fortifications, and then use them as a support to besiege Jinyang.

"What do you think?"

All the generals nodded in agreement:
"The general seconded the proposal."

Other than that, they really couldn't think of any other more reasonable explanation.

"I don't think so." Li Shimin murmured.

Building a bunker step by step is already enough to open up your imagination for others.

But based on Li Shimin's understanding of his youngest son, this was too conservative.

Li Ming's ideas have always been incomprehensible to ordinary people.

The "fortress tactics" was a tactic that was obviously feasible, but for Li Ming, it was not enough to imagine it.

This is one of them.

Secondly, Li Ming's strategies seem to be very imaginative, and they are indeed very imaginative, but this little guy's calculations are actually quite shrewd.

Not only can you basically achieve your goals in the end, but the cost is also as low as possible.

Things like bunkers are basically useless after the war, and the sunk cost is huge. It doesn't seem like something Li Ming would actually do.

"But Your Majesty, this information was obtained by General Li Shiji who personally interrogated many merchants. It shouldn't be false, right?" the generals argued.

Li Shimin remained silent.

This was also a point that made him suspicious.

There are all kinds of traveling merchants, and it is common for the testimonies provided by different merchants to contradict each other.

However, the information provided by those interrogated by Li Shiji was surprisingly consistent, as if they had coordinated their confessions in advance.

Li Shimin suspected that there was something wrong, but he had no evidence.

"Your Majesty, Li Shiji believes that the best chance to break the enemy's fortress tactics is before the fortress is formed."

The generals suggested.

“Therefore, he proposed that the strategic focus should be on harassing the enemy’s civilian laborers and not giving them the opportunity to complete the construction.

"If you deal with 100,000 civilians, it's the same as dealing with 1 million civilians."

Li Shimin stroked his beard gently and nodded thoughtfully.

Let’s put aside for now what Li Ming is planning and what purpose he wants to achieve with those millions of workers.

No matter what the other side's plan is, it's definitely a good idea to harass them.

Li Ming has personally offered his weak spot, and it would be too polite if you don't poke at it.

"A million civilians will be a bigger target, and it will be easy to kill them. Alas..."

Li Shimin sighed with both joy and frustration.

My stupid son...

The generals at his table were not so sentimental; they were simply excited about the other side's "stupid move".

"The provision of food for a million men on the front line is no small matter, and the labor of a million men for the country is even more important.

"Now is the spring ploughing season. If we can keep those millions of laborers here and slowly consume them...

"The false Ming Dynasty may not repeat the mistakes of the former Qin Dynasty and collapse in an instant!"

Everyone was ready to fight, and some even began to fantasize about the scenario of the Eastern Jin Dynasty fighting back against Brother Fu Jian.

Of course, Li Shimin was not so naive. He thought that Li should have a backup plan and would not be so stupid as to kill himself.

But it doesn't take much effort to airdrop a team of berserkers to harass the peasants behind enemy lines.

"Then why didn't Li Shiji fight on his own, but asked Jinyang for help?"

Li Shimin changed the subject.

"He was probably held back by the Ming army's attack, so he couldn't send his troops to attack the enemy's weak rear areas," the generals replied.

Although they have not seen the secret letter yet, they have heard about the predicament Li Shiji has been in during this period.

"Oh? I can't be in two places at once..."

Li Shimin pondered thoughtfully.

He was keenly aware that the initiative on the battlefield was completely controlled by the enemy.

Just as he was about to launch an attack, he was restrained in time. Didn't Li Shiji lose all the initiative to the opponent and was led by the nose every time he advanced or retreated?

Did that guy make a big mistake in his counterintelligence work?

"Your Majesty," the generals said:
“When the enemy takes the initiative to attack, the defenses behind them will definitely be empty.

"Should we send troops to attack the so-called 'millions of civilians' from behind?"

They didn't even conduct sufficient reconnaissance, and didn't even know where the one million people were or what they were doing, but they just launched an attack rashly?
Li Shimin felt a headache and had an inexplicable ominous premonition.

The Tang army became completely like puppets that could be moved at the will of the enemy.

His stupid son might be doing something big behind his back...

"Your Majesty, please give the order!" the generals urged urgently.

Li Shimin looked up suddenly, and saw that all his loyal subordinates had anxious looks on their faces.

Yes, that's a million defenseless soft persimmons.

How could the cunning Li Ming not seize the opportunity when his weak spot was rarely exposed?
Is this really the key to my life? Or does that guy have other intentions...

Li Shimin thought for a long time and decided to give up thinking.

who cares!
No matter what, those one million civilians were witnessed by their own scouts, so it can't be fake!

No matter what conspiracy Li Ming has, we will send troops right away to get to the bottom of it.

Just when he made up his mind and was about to give the order.

There was a sudden commotion outside the tent.

"what happened?!"

The generals immediately became alert.

The guard in charge of escort immediately ran out, and after a while, he came in supporting a soldier.

The soldier had a pale face and was wearing a fur coat that was out of place for the season. There was a feather arrow stuck in his back and a dark red color seeped out of the wound.

Li Shimin's eyelids jumped:
"You are from the Shuozhou Army... What happened to Ashina She'er and Cheng Yaojin?"

The soldier who risked his life to deliver the message opened his lips with difficulty and said weakly:

"Your Majesty! Shuozhou...is in danger!"

(End of this chapter)