Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 382 Li Shimin is quite like Li Ming
Between Shuozhou and Bingzhou, there are steep cliffs and numerous mountains, making it a strategically important place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

However, being easy to defend and difficult to attack also means that the conditions here are harsh and transportation is inconvenient, making it unsuitable for large-scale human survival except for defensive battles.

However, as the northern gate of Bingzhou, the Tang army still had to gather together to defend the line here.

Otherwise, they would easily be pierced by the Ming army, which were stubborn and had even tougher armor.

If we lose this place, it will be a big problem.

His Majesty the Supreme Emperor and even the entire Jinyang City, where the remnants of the Tang Dynasty were located, were directly exposed to the blade of the Ming army led by Li Jing.

Being surrounded on both sides and attacked from the center, once we are pushed into such a desperate situation, there will be no way to turn the situation around.

"How long can the food and supplies last?"

In the main camp of the Tang army on the top of the mountain, Ashina She'er sat cross-legged on the ground and asked in a hoarse voice.

The continuous combat command made his throat almost smoke.

Thanks to the dedication of this famous Turkic general, the Tang army line did not retreat a single step under Li Jing's continuous attacks.

However, the Tang army also paid a huge price in casualties for its persistence.

"Three days."

Cheng Zhijie, who temporarily served as his deputy general, uttered two words with difficulty from the depths of his throat and said no more.

His eye sockets were sunken, his pupils were bloodshot, his eyes were empty, and he looked like someone who had practiced Taoism too much.

Continuously commanding operations is also a physical job.

"You can only hold on for three days?" Ashina She'er was shocked when he heard that.

"How can our military rations be consumed so quickly?"

Although the Tang army was generally in a relatively tight supply situation.

But the most terrible thing was that as the war progressed, the Tang army suffered more and more casualties.

Correspondingly, there are fewer and fewer mouths to feed, so logically, the demand for supplies should also decrease.

"We fought and we were hungry." Cheng Zhijie spoke his words as sweet as gold.

He always has a loud voice, but now he really doesn't want to talk any more.

However, his meaning was very clear - because the battles were too frequent, the soldiers' physical exertion increased, resulting in an increase in the demand for supplies.

The losses in personnel and materials are increasing at the same time, which is definitely not a good sign.

"Li Jing is trying to bleed us!"

Ashina She'er thrust the dagger fiercely into the ground, as if it was Li Jing's heart.

But this is just impotent rage.

Even though he knew clearly that Li Jing was taking advantage of the Ming army's triple advantages in numbers, equipment, and supplies to slowly wear down the Tang army.

He had no better solution and could only follow up passively and consume each other.

It is impossible to retreat, not in this lifetime. You can't outwit the god of war. You can only keep adding people to the front line to maintain the front line.

The conspiracy has no solution!

"Report, there is enemy information."

The scout brought news of the enemy attack in a flat tone, with a look of despair on his face.

Up to this point in the war, the Ming army had a small battle every three days and a big battle every five days, and from time to time every day they would launch a shameless sneak attack to give their Tang army counterparts a chance to take advantage of the situation.

After such a series of rounds of warfare, even the most elite Tang Dynasty superman would be worn down to the point of losing his spirit.

"Let's go, it's time to work."

Ashina She'er patted the dirt off his legs and stood up, with an expression as if he was checking in.

Cheng Zhijie did not follow up immediately as usual, but still squatted there.

Ashina was a man of great skill and did not urge his comrades any further. He just said calmly:
"Okay, you're tired too, you can rest today. They'll come when I'm done."

Just as he took half a step, Cheng Zhijie's voice came from behind him, so hoarse that it was almost unrecognizable.

“We’re going to die.”

Lao Sheer laughed and asked back:

"You just found out?"

"It doesn't matter if we die. But if we lose the protection of the north, what will happen to Your Majesty, what will happen to Jinyang, and what will happen to the Tang Dynasty?" Cheng Zhijie asked slowly.

Ashina She'er stopped and said:
"Do you have any ideas?"

Old Cheng slowly raised his head and said:
"Ask Jinyang for help."

…………

"Li Shiji in the south needs reinforcements, and Ashina and Cheng Zhijie in the north also need reinforcements.

“But our total military strength is limited, and we also have to take into account the defense of Jinyang to prevent the Ming army from making a surprise attack from behind.

"I only prepared one table of food, but three tables of people came. What should I do?"

In Jinyang Prefecture, Li Shimin's face did not look good.

The purpose of sending those three trusted generals out was to let them form a support with Jinyang and provide defense.

As a result, the three brothers went to Jinyang City to ask for support.

How about you guys come back and take charge of Jinyang, and I'll go out and guard the border for you?

"I'm so pissed! I don't know what they do for a living!"

Never waste time on internal responsibilities, Li Shimin spoke frankly.

"Your Majesty, it's not that the three generals didn't work hard, it's just that the Ming army was too arrogant!" The generals present excused the three men.

Indeed, with the great strength of the Ming army, which general could withstand such a continuous battle?

Besides, the Ming army was not just a pile of heads. Their generals were not bad either, and the quality of their soldiers was even higher.

Li Shimin curled his lips and waved his hands impatiently:

"Alright, alright, I get it. It's my fault. I was too harsh on you. I shouldn't have had unrealistic expectations of you."

He was in a bad mood, and he also treated his subordinates in a sarcastic manner.

As the commander-in-chief of an army, he was more concerned about the initiative of the entire battle than the victory or defeat of a city or a battle.

As soon as Li Shiji wanted to take the initiative to attack, his camp was rushed; as soon as Jinyang wanted to support Li Shiji, the northern defense line came to ask for help.

All signs indicate that the Tang army had completely lost control of the battle situation, handed over the initiative, and completely followed the rhythm of the Ming army.

If the Ming army tells you to go east, you will never go west; if the Ming army tells you to go to war, you will never lie in bed. It can be said that you are in the ultimate passive position.

For Li Shimin, being played around by the enemy was more painful than losing a battle.

What made him even more uncomfortable was that the one who played tricks on him was his stupid son.

He was completely defeated by a fool who mindlessly piled up a million people to the front line. Doesn't this make him, the General of Tian Ce, seem stupid?
"No matter what, since that guy has given the test questions, I can only deal with them.

"What should we do next? What do you think?"

The generals were unanimous in their opinions:
"I request to go north to support Ashina She'er and Cheng Zhijie."

Their thinking is also very direct.

Leaving Li Shiji alone would only mean losing a great opportunity to launch a shameless sneak attack on the enemy's weak spot.

But if they ignore the north, they might lose the entire Jinyang City.

Everyone knew that Li Jing's fierce attack in the direction of Shuozhou was intended to contain the actions of the Tang army and fundamentally eliminate the threat to the civilians' work.

But what can you do if you know?
Didn't the Tang army have to obediently listen to the Ming Dynasty's "transfer order" and honestly send the troops to Shuozhou, leaving the southern theater of war where millions of civilians were located empty? Li Shimin immediately looked annoyed:
"You guys are jumping up and down at the sound of cock-crows, aren't you just fulfilling Li Ming's wish?!"

All the generals said in unison:
"I am a humble subordinate, so I will listen to your majesty's instructions attentively!"

Say the harshest words in the most cowardly tone: If you can do it, do it!

"..." Li Shimin paused, and finally said in a low voice with a gloomy face:
"Go north to support Ashina She'er and Cheng Zhijie."

No matter how reluctant he was, the situation was stronger than him.

Apart from following Li Ming's command to deploy troops, does the Tang Dynasty have any better options?
In such a large-scale military operation, every move of both sides is exposed.

This is not a hand of cards, but a game of chess. Neither side may necessarily have a greater information advantage than the other.

The Tang Dynasty was almost on the verge of death and could only move forward along the only way to survive, which was also the path planned for them by Li Ming.

Huh... Seeing that the arrogant Emperor finally accepted the only reasonable plan reluctantly, the generals subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't need a lot of troops, five thousand is enough. But you need to bring more supplies.

"They are trapped in the mountains and valleys, with one man blocking the way for ten thousand men. They may not be short of manpower, but they are certainly short of food supplies.

"If too many people go, it will be difficult to provide substantial help to the front line, and it will only increase the logistical pressure."

Li Shimin explained in detail.

The generals were secretly impressed - after all, he was an emperor who had fought on the front line, and the decisions he made were very relevant to the actual combat on the front line.

"At the same time, send a troop to the south, bypass Li Shiji's troops, and detour to the southern Bingzhou, Puzhou, Jinzhou and other areas." Li Shimin continued to order.

The generals were suddenly startled.

Your Majesty, are you trying to have it all? Do you think you want to have it both ways?

This is not realistic at all!
"Oh, what are you thinking about!"

Looking at the pale faces of the generals, Li Shimin twitched his lips and said with a fake smile:

"What I am going to send to the south is a scout force."

Oh oh oh~everyone's expressions relaxed.

"That guy Li Shiji only cares about the head but not the butt.

"We only know that one million people came from the Ming Dynasty, but we don't know where those civilians are located, what they are doing, how the Ming Dynasty supports these one million people, and what the specific supply routes are.

"Scouts are your eyes. Not sending enough scouts is like being in the dark. If you only believe the one-sided words of the merchants, you will suffer losses."

Li Shimin kept talking and just complained.

The generals just listened.

To be honest, Li Shiji held the south of Jinyang and faced a round-the-clock battle with absolutely superior forces, and was able to keep the enemy outside his defense line. This was already the limit of his position.

Perhaps only General Tiance in the world is qualified to point fingers at him.

If they were to be replaced and face the Ming Dynasty soldiers led by Li Ming, not only would they not care about their heads, they would probably be defeated in one round.

"In short, I don't trust Li Shiji's intelligence. Given Li Ming's character, he may not build a useless fortress on the front line."

Li Shimin leaned back in his chair, folding his arms, looking like a stubborn old man.

Naturally, everyone is willing to fulfill such a small wish.

Isn't it just sending a few scouts to conduct reconnaissance behind enemy lines?

"Then let's send 5,000 people south first." Li Shimin said lightly.

Puff... The generals almost lost their manners in front of the palace and vomited blood.

Five thousand people?!

Your Majesty, are you sending people to investigate, or are you going to confront the Ming army head-on? !

It was clearly to support the Shuozhou front that 5,000 men were carefully allocated.

Why did they send out another 5,000 just to scout southwards?
Not to mention that if 10,000 people were wasted like this, the defense of Jinyang base camp would be left empty.

It is not certain whether the Tang Dynasty can provide 5,000 elite soldiers with reconnaissance capabilities.

What scouts need is "concealment". It will be difficult for your 5,000-strong scout army to march south without being discovered by the enemy!

"Who said that the people I sent out were scouts?"

Li Shimin sneered:

"I intend to send five thousand spies."

The generals were even more confused after hearing this.

Is there any difference? And aren't spies more valuable and harder to train than scouts? Can we find so many spies in the entire Tang Dynasty?
"What I mean is that we should disguise our 5,000 soldiers as civilians and infiltrate the other side."

Li Shimin's mouth corners are outlined.

“Five thousand people may be a lot, but compared to a million people, they are just a drop in the ocean.

"No matter how watertight their management is, it is impossible to completely prevent our personnel from infiltrating!

"As long as we can place enough people in the enemy camp, our army can do whatever they want!"

When the generals heard this, they thought about it carefully and felt that it made a lot of sense.

The role that spies can play is much greater than that of scouts.

Scouts can only scout.

In addition to gathering intelligence, spies can also carry out assassinations, arson, poisoning and sabotage behind enemy lines!
What's more, if the number of spies is large, it can even cause a qualitative change and set the enemy's backyard on fire during the battle!

After all, although those 5,000 people may not be very professional in espionage, they are professional soldiers.

When it comes to large-scale, organized destruction, he is even better than professional spies!

What a great move to cross the river in white clothes!
As expected of His Majesty the Emperor, he has great ambitions!

But some people also expressed their concerns:

"So many at once. Uh, well...spies sneaking into the enemy camp, no matter how flawlessly disguised they are, they will inevitably be discovered by the enemy."

The corners of Li Shimin's mouth are drawn more sharply.

"That's what we need to do, we need to let Li Ming find out!
"What will they do when they realize there are a few spies from our army mixed in with their team?"

In response to His Majesty's enthusiastic question, the generals stammered:

"Uh... a thorough investigation?"

"That's right! We need to have them conduct a thorough investigation. A full one million people, let's investigate! When they know that there is a big mess inside, can Li Ming's so-called 'plan' still be successfully implemented?"

Li Shimin's mouth opened wider and wider, as if he could see the Ming army facing the huge crowds and being in a state of panic.

That’s a scale of millions of people!
"With one million people, how long will it take them to check them all? And how many spies can they find?
"Fifty? Five hundred?

"Can they imagine that I sent 5,000 people to them in one go? Can they pick them out one by one? Haha!
"Even if those 5,000 people do nothing else but eat their rice, we can still make back our investment!"

Li Shimin laughed and slapped his thigh, like a naughty boy throwing sand into someone else's soup bowl.

Yes, to infiltrate five thousand spies into an army of one million people and then to pick them out one by one is like scooping sand from a haystack!
Which normal person could have imagined that the Tang Dynasty could send out such a large-scale "spy force" in one go!

Five thousand people! Enough to fight a large-scale battle!
Hiss... Oh, wait.

The generals looked at the triumphant Majesty, but another troubling figure vaguely appeared in their eyes.

This is a grand, imaginative, and almost unsolvable scheme.

Why do I always feel like I've seen this place somewhere familiar?

Although it may be a bit inappropriate to say this, but——

I really am like my son!
(End of this chapter)