Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 388 Li Ming's Thousand-Layered Routine

When the two armies met, it was like two giant dragons fighting each other, and the fight was hard to determine.

Suddenly, the sound of killing shook the sky and drums and horns blared.

The sun was hot and dusty. In the background, the mountains were engulfed in flames and thick smoke.

The entire battlefield looks like Asura Hell.

At the highest point of hell, Li Shiji nervously watched every move on the battlefield.

The sounds of fighting on the battlefield were clearly transmitted to the top of the mountain, and the battle was obviously very fierce.

But Li Shiji said nothing and did not issue any orders. He just looked down the mountain with a calm look.

After a long while, he finally spoke:

"...Can you see what's going on down there?"

The lieutenants all shook their heads:
"Can't see clearly."

The people on the mountain squinted their eyes, but the smoke in the background was too thick, and the figures looked blurry like those in a shadow play when they were a little further away.

And on the mountain, nothing can be seen clearly except the white haze.

"Report to the chief steward, a cavalry suddenly appeared in the Ming army..."

"I know, I know! Different troops have reported this to me no less than five times!"

Li Shiji waved away the order irritably.

Since I can't observe the battlefield directly, I can only understand the battlefield dynamics through the reports of my subordinates.

As we all know, this kind of second-hand intelligence not only has limited information and high delay, but the intelligence provided by different troops is often contradictory.

This was undoubtedly fatal to the Tang army, which could not afford to lose a single battle.

"The Ming army raised by slaves, Li Ming raised by slaves! Why are they burning the mountains for no reason? Is this also part of his calculations?"

Li Shiji was so angry that his teeth itched and the birds kept chirping.

He is probably the first victim of smog in human history.

"General Manager, what should we do?" The deputy general looked confused.

Li Shiji frowned and did not answer immediately.

There are ways to get first-hand intelligence on the battlefield in a timely manner.

That is to go down the mountain in person and join the battlefield yourself.

No matter how thick the smoke is, it shouldn't be so thick that you can't even see the enemy right in front of you, right?
Moreover, it was not uncommon for the commander-in-chief to go to the front line in person during the Tang Dynasty. There were many examples of the founding emperor taking the lead in the charge.

"But Shanxi has a complex terrain. If you leave the high ground, you won't be able to look down at the battlefield from a high vantage point. It's easy to limit your vision to one point and ignore the dynamics of other places."

Li Shiji was undecided.

Just then, two messengers arrived at the same time.

One of them started shouting:
"General Manager, something terrible has happened! After receiving the reinforcements from the light cavalry, the Ming army has become very fierce and has already broken through the second line of defense!"

Everyone changed color when they heard it.

what?
The two armies had been confronting each other for so many days, and the Ming army had taken the initiative to attack more than once or twice, but each time they were firmly blocked outside the first line of defense.

Did they take some strange elixir today? How could they break through two lines of defense?
"Is what you said true?"

Li Shiji turned his gaze seriously to the other messenger.

The herald immediately replied:
“Not true!”

Just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, that guy immediately added:

"The Ming army broke through the third line of defense!"

What?! The third line of defense is also...

Before he finished speaking, the previous messenger loudly refuted:
"Impossible! When I first set out to send the letter, the Ming army hadn't even reached the edge of the third floor! I just got to the top of the mountain, and they broke through the third floor? How could they advance so fast!"

The second guy was not to be outdone:
"What do you know? The defense line is so long, did you see it all? The enemy broke through the area under my command, how could I not know?"

The two exchanged views in depth.

The generals led by Li Shiji just looked at the two soldiers arguing with each other and didn't know what to say for a moment.

The hazards of battlefield fog (physical) are vividly demonstrated.

In short, no matter whether the third line of defense is there or not, the first two have been pierced through by the Ming army anyway, right?
"General Manager, let me go down and gather intelligence!" A deputy general volunteered.

Li Shiji glanced at him and said faintly:
"If your report is inconsistent with that of other messengers and scouts, who should I believe?"

"Well..." The deputy general was speechless.

The situation is now very serious.

Obviously, the Ming army's offensive today was extraordinary.

This is probably a long-planned general attack, and Li Jing's troops in Shuozhou in the north will also move in tandem to advance from the north and south.

At this critical moment of life and death, fighting in the fog of war is undoubtedly a huge disadvantage.

Hiding in the rear and listening to delayed and unreliable second-hand information is likely to lead to the failure of the battle and the total loss!
The only thing Li Shiji can rely on is his own eyes.

Even if this may lead to a limited vision and an inability to see the big picture...

"Grand Steward!" The deputy generals looked at Li Shiji eagerly.

"Please give the order!"

The more critical the situation is, the more the coach needs to make prompt decisions.

Li Shiji sighed, put on his helmet, and shook his cloak.

"Follow me and attack!"

…………

Soon, many soldiers from both sides saw a knight in a scarlet cloak and a golden tiger helmet wandering on the edge of the battlefield, surrounded by guards.

Needless to say, this knight looked like a great general.

Although he did not lead the charge personally, he did not make any morale-boosting speeches.

However, miraculously, after he appeared on the battlefield, the balance of the battle began to gradually tilt towards the Tang army.

"Old Xue, have you noticed that this battle seems to be getting harder and harder to fight?"

Qibi Heli asked.

Xue Wanche drew his bow and drew his arrow expressionlessly, shot a Tang cavalryman off his horse expressionlessly, and said expressionlessly:
"You just realized that you have become stupid as a book boy?"

Haha... Qibi Heli ignored his old friend's ridicule and asked back:
"Do you know what this means?"

"It means that it is becoming increasingly difficult for our army to defeat us." Xue Wanche said without thinking.

"..." Qibi Heli was stunned for several seconds by this sentence, and he fought back angrily and pouted:

"Is your head filled with ashes from all the fighting?
"This means the enemy commander has personally come out!"

"Oh." Xue Wanche paused and then asked:

"and then?"

Qibi Heli really didn't want to argue with this blockhead anymore, so he shouted:
"This means that if you and I want to survive, we must conserve our strength and not charge so hard!

"The two of us can't compete with Li Shiji!"

"You know, we don't have all the main forces in our hands. 'A considerable part of the force' is in the hands of His Majesty, and he is personally commanding it!"

…………

On this side, the fierce battle was in full swing, and the Ming and Tang armies were evenly matched.

And to the north of the battlefield, on the top of the city wall of Jinyang City.

Li Shimin looked down at the battlefield, twirling his beard with interest.

From his angle, he naturally couldn't see the specific situation of the battlefield clearly. Through the thick green smoke, he could only vaguely distinguish the two sides in fierce confrontation.

However, he did not need to know the specific process of the battle as Li Shiji was working hard on the front line.

What he needs to control is the overall situation.

"Is the battle line stable? Ha, you are indeed Li Shiji.

"Being ambushed with limited vision, it is hard to find a third person in this world who can achieve such a result except me and Li Jing..."

Li Shimin observed the fog of the battlefield with great interest.

To an outsider, observing the battlefield from this distance, one can only see two figures in the mist.

However, Li Shimin was able to see through this vague and ambiguous appearance and grasp the essence of the war.

"The Ming army fought without reservation this time, charging the fortifications without regard for their lives, but they were not so desperate last time.

"Why is Li Ming so anxious? Is there a joint attack from Shuozhou in the north? Or is there a general attack?

"Wait, although the Ming army fought fiercely on the scene, why do they seem to be a little weak in strength..."

Just as he squinted his eyes and carefully observed the outline of the formation through the fog.

The messenger came hurriedly:
"Report - Your Majesty, the enemy has launched a surprise attack on our southern defense line. The situation is urgent!"

I have already seen it with my own eyes... His Majesty Old Li did not criticize his subordinates for their slightly misleading intelligence, but simply nodded lightly:

"Yes, I understand. Encourage all departments to go all out and report any new progress to me in a timely manner."

After all, he was General Tiance, who remained calm even when a mountain collapsed in front of him... The soldier sighed inwardly and retreated in a swift and decisive manner.

Li Shimin returned to the battle and wondered:

"Yes, where are the remaining Ming troops hiding..."

…………

"Hide in the boat! Before the signal is given, no matter what noise is heard outside or from the boat itself, stay in the cabin and do not walk out of the cabin or make any noise!
"Your Majesty's long-cherished wish, the great plan of the Ming Dynasty, and the stability of the people of the world all depend on this one move! Grit your teeth and hold on!"

On the Ming army side, at the river port behind the battlefield.

Yuchi Xunyu made the final mobilization to the soldiers.

"Follow the order!"

The soldiers responded in unison, and then lined up in an orderly manner and boarded the ship one by one.

Professional soldiers are professional soldiers after all. Their movements are much more efficient than civilians. One troop ship after another is quickly filled and ready to go.

"Huh..." Yuchi Xunyu breathed heavily nervously as he looked at the scene of the numerous boats and ships filling the river.

He was not a professional commander, but two elite generals, Xue Wanche and Qibi Heli, were fighting on the front line, and the rank of the officers left behind was not high enough.

They could only trouble Director Ling Lingqi, who had experience in leading troops in the early days of Liaodong, to come and play the role of commander-in-chief, give an inspiring speech, and pretend to give commands (although the specific matters were handled by junior officers).

We can't ask His Majesty Li Ming to come in person, can we?

Your Majesty has more important things to do now.

"Brother Ming, is everything ok?

"The entire southern army of the Ming Dynasty, except for the 'bait' troops led by Xue Wanche and Qibi Heli, is here.

"If this plan fails, then..."

Then we will have to wait a few more months for the next wave of recruits to arrive.

With such a huge advantage in operation, it is unlikely to fail, but it will cause many complications.

Yuchi Xunyu looked ahead worriedly.

Going up the Fen River, this huge fleet is in front of us.

The iron chains of the Tang army flashed coldly under the blazing sun.

Between the iron chains, there were fire ships scattered everywhere. On the hidden shore, there were countless fire crossbows hidden, facing the main channel of the river, forming a defense network by land and water.

This defense network is of extremely low cost, but it is adapted to local conditions and has played a good role in blocking the narrow channel of the Fen River.

No matter how huge and invincible the Ming fleet is, it cannot ignore the terrain disadvantages.

If he just rushed forward like this, he would definitely be smashed to pieces. Li Ming would not do such a stupid thing.

"But it's hard to tell whether Ming Ge's alternative method is even more stupid...

"Oh, I hope I'm overthinking it. When has Brother Ming's idea ever gone wrong?

"It should be okay...right?"

Yuchi Xunyu subconsciously looked away, not daring to look at the road ahead that was full of obstacles and fire.

…………

"Is everything ready? Has the 'goods' arrived?"

The Ming army's base camp built on the top of the mountain was empty.

Li Ming was not there to look at the battlefield.

He is at the port.

When you are considering the overall situation, why would you have the time to dwell on the gains and losses of every single soldier?

War is the most intense form of politics. Since it is politics, what really determines the direction of the war is outside the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, the 'grease' and 'greased planks' you requested have all been prepared and are being unloaded at the port. Please look!"

Wherever the clerk pointed and wherever the eye could see, there were mountains of wooden boards.

The woods include pear, elm, pine and so on, with no limit to the species. Some come from the vast forests of Northeast China, while others are cut down by civilians when they were reclaiming wasteland in Shanxi.

But no matter the tree species or origin, every piece of wood has a slippery, oily sheen and exudes a mixed scent of wood and oil.

Behind the wood piles were barrels of oils and fats, including vegetable oils, lard, beef tallow, and mutton tallow, all in variety.

The goods filled up the entire port.

When the word "huge" was concretized, facing such a scale, even Li Ming couldn't help but lick his lips nervously and smiled self-deprecatingly:
"In order to leave a battle of Jinyang that will be remembered forever for future generations, I really spared no expense!"

These oils were collected from all over the country under the order of Li Ming, and they caused a not-so-small inflation in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

Behind the battlefield, Ming craftsmen worked tirelessly to cut down trees, process the wood into planks, apply these oils, and finally ship them to the front line.

Such a huge project naturally could not escape the eyes of the Tang army scouts.

However, the Tang Dynasty did not become alert at all, but instead focused all its attention on the civilians who arrived at the same time.

After all, compared to seemingly benign dead objects such as wood and oil drums, living people are obviously more threatening.

This idea was exactly what Li Ming wanted.

He wanted to use living civilians to cover up these strange goods.

Because in his real city-breaking strategy, piles of wood and grease were essential elements.

In order to prevent these flammable materials from being set on fire by the Tang army, he deliberately spread the false news of "using civilian laborers to knock down the bunkers".

Recruiting five thousand Tang Dynasty spies was purely a pleasant surprise, and his original intention was to divert the other party's attention.

The Tang Dynasty's attention was firmly focused on the vast number of civilians wandering around Shanxi.

As a result, the cargo that was gradually piling up at the Fen River Port was ignored.

This is no wonder. How could a dead thing have any bad intentions?

Compared with the stuff lying quietly in the harbor, those millions of heroes who sometimes build bridges and roads, sometimes set fire to mountains, as if performing performance art, are obviously more suspicious!
"Your Majesty, the Tang army's counterattack is fierce. The entire army is pressing forward. Our army is fighting and retreating."

The messenger brought bad news from the front.

Li Ming smiled when he heard this:
"Well, the time has come."

(End of this chapter)