My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 405 Xuanwu Gate Strategy

Chang'an, Daming Palace.

Since returning from the Temple of Agriculture, the atmosphere has become serious and tense.

Li Chengqian summoned all his trusted confidants.

Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, Pei Xingjian, Li Yuanchang, Du He, Zhao Jie, Li Dejian, Chen Yunchao.

"Your Highness, we have no way out."

"We have no choice but to fight."

"The whole world is watching."

Du He said in a deep voice.

Li Ji blew up the gunpowder workshop, which was tantamount to forcing a war.

Even if the Crown Prince doesn't want to fight, His Majesty won't stop.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then looked at Chen Yunchao and asked, "Has the gunpowder workshop been cleared out? How many soldiers were killed or wounded, and how much gunpowder is still available?"

Chen Yunchao, who served as the Left Inner Commander of the Eastern Palace, was always a confidant of Li Chengqian.

Therefore, Li Chengqian put Chen Yunchao in charge of the gunpowder matter.

Chen Yunchao cupped his hands and said, "More than three hundred soldiers were killed and more than a thousand were wounded, many of whom were injured by gunpowder explosions."

"The gunpowder in the workshop was completely burned to ashes, but there were still more than 7,000 catties of gunpowder available in the warehouse."

These words immediately boosted the morale of the troops.

Seven thousand catties of gunpowder, if used for artillery bombardment, could very well have directly collapsed the Xuanwu Gate.

Li Chengqian naturally wouldn't concentrate all the gunpowder in the gunpowder workshop; only a portion of it was piled up there.

After the gunpowder was manufactured, it was secretly transported into other underground warehouses at night for storage.

There are three such underground warehouses in total.

The reason for the requirement of 7,000 catties of gunpowder is that since the establishment of the Gunpowder Bureau by the imperial court, it has been collecting saltpeter and sulfur from the market on a large scale, and even prohibiting private trade.

This also meant that Li Chengqian could only transport the goods secretly from other places, and the amount transported each time was small, which is why the number manufactured was so limited.

Pei Xingjian cupped his hands in a respectful bow: "Your Highness, the court now possesses a considerable amount of gunpowder. Although its power is still slightly inferior, the quantity used is substantial. In this attack on Xuanwu Gate, the court will undoubtedly mobilize a large quantity of gunpowder for the counterattack."

This matter is indeed quite troublesome. The gunpowder produced by the imperial court certainly does not have the same power as black powder, but a long time ago, Li Shimin ordered the collection of gunpowder raw materials.

The amount of gunpowder in the gunpowder department now is definitely not small.

Li Chengqian turned his gaze to Du He.

Du He was usually the one to investigate news from the palace.

Du He said, "As far as I know, there are at least 10,000 catties of gunpowder in the gunpowder workshop, but it should not be more than 20,000 catties."

This number made everyone's hearts tighten.

Even if it's less powerful, more than 10,000 jin of gunpowder is still gunpowder.

Xuanwu Gate must have prepared a large number of ballistae and catapults.

As long as a large army besieges the area, gunpowder will inevitably be unleashed.

This will inevitably cause enormous casualties.

Li Yuanchang had a good attitude. Upon hearing that there were still 7,000 catties of gunpowder in stock, he immediately said, "Why be afraid? It's only useful if they can hit it."

"Our artillery can attack from several miles away, but their ballistae and catapults can only reach a few hundred meters?"

"When the attack begins, they will only be able to watch helplessly as we demolish Xuanwu Gate."

"The slightly more troublesome part is how to break into the inner court after the Xuanwu Gate is destroyed."

At this point, Li Yuanchang paused slightly and looked at Su Dingfang.

"If I remember correctly, General Su was able to directly bombard the Tongguan city wall, and he only used three thousand catties of gunpowder."

"Even if Xuanwu Gate is more troublesome than Tongguan, can it withstand the bombardment of seven thousand catties of gunpowder?"

"With the Xuanwu Gate breached, the morale of the court's soldiers plummeted, leaving little room for resistance within the inner court."

"I think what we need to guard against more is how to prevent His Majesty from leaving. If His Majesty avoids Taiji Palace, then we'll be in trouble."

After Li Yuanchang finished speaking, Li Dejian continued, "My father, following His Majesty's decree, has mobilized approximately 200,000 troops from outside the city. They should be able to enter Chang'an in about five days."

The Chang'an Imperial Guard numbered approximately 100,000, while Li Chengqian also commanded over 70,000 troops in Liaodong.

With artillery added, we have nothing to fear.

The biggest problem is Li Jing's 200,000 soldiers.

In other words, starting from today, Li Chengqian only has five days.

If we cannot capture Xuanwu Gate and control Taiji Palace within five days, then we have lost.

As for whether Li Shimin has issued an edict to Li Jing to mobilize troops, there is no need to investigate that.

It's possible that before Li Shimin even returned to Taiji Palace after the sacrificial ceremony, the imperial edict to mobilize troops had already been sent out.

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "Not five days, at most three days."

“Li Jing has 200,000 soldiers, so it wouldn’t be difficult for him to muster 30,000 to 40,000 cavalry. He certainly won’t wait that long.”

"By now, Li Jing should have received the order to move in, and he will certainly mobilize his cavalry immediately."

"The military order will take about a day from Li Jing to each of the various military commands. The cavalry will gather for another day, and on the third day, they will be dispatched directly to Chang'an."

The Tang Dynasty's cavalry was fierce and placed great importance on stockpiling warhorses. By the Zhenguan era, the number of warhorses had increased from less than two thousand at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty to more than seven hundred thousand.

The breeding of warhorses was mainly carried out in Longyou, where large-scale pastures were established.

Most of the warhorses were supplied to the border regions.

Whether it was the Western Regions or the northern grasslands, cavalry was the main force due to the vast territory.

When the Crown Prince said three days, everyone frowned.

Three days is indeed a bit stressful.

However, Su Dingfang's next words made everyone even more tense.

"Your Highness, although seven thousand catties of gunpowder is a lot, I don't think it will necessarily be enough to directly blow down Xuanwu Gate."

"Since the Battle of Tongguan, His Majesty has issued an edict to reinforce and repair Xuanwu Gate."

"His Majesty ordered the Minister of Works to personally oversee the construction, and the repair plan was extremely meticulous. The Xuanwu Gate tower was already tall and sturdy, and this time the walls were thickened, with huge stones as the foundation, and the bricks and stones were all bonded with glutinous rice lime mortar, and a large amount of cement was laid, making it far more sturdy than before. Not only that, but many defensive facilities were also added to the tower."

"Many new arrow slits have been opened on the outer wall and the left and right walls of the city gate tower, densely packed, nearly twice as many as before. These arrow slits allow soldiers inside the tower to fire at the attacking enemy from all directions. Moreover, the design of the arrow slits is very ingenious, being small on the outside and large on the inside, which can effectively defend against enemy arrows while not hindering soldiers from shooting arrows outward."

"The city gate is of utmost importance. The original gate panels were made entirely of solid wood and were extremely heavy. Now, they are covered with a thick layer of iron and inlaid with many sharp iron nails. Ordinary impacts cannot damage them at all."

"In addition, the city gate has also been renovated. Although the original arched structure was already very stable, multiple beams and pillars have been added inside to enhance the support of the city gate. Even if it is directly attacked by artillery, it can avoid collapse to a great extent."

"Furthermore, the city walls surrounding Xuanwu Gate have also undergone large-scale repairs. In addition to being raised and thickened, a horse-faced gate has been built at intervals."

"These ramparts protrude beyond the city wall, each topped with a watchtower that can be used to store troops and weapons. In this way, an effective defense can be formed at the base of the city wall, eliminating blind spots for firing. Once the enemy approaches the city wall, they will be subjected to crossfire from the ramparts and the city wall."

"As far as I know, the number of barricades around Xuanwu Gate has increased by nearly one-third compared to before, and the spacing is also more reasonable, allowing them to work closely together to form a powerful defensive firepower network."

Everyone's expressions turned grave after hearing Su Dingfang's description. They had originally thought that seven thousand catties of gunpowder would be enough to collapse Xuanwu Gate, but now it seemed that the situation was far more complicated than they had imagined.

If we follow Li Yuanchang's previous suggestion and directly bombard them with artillery...

What if all 7,000 catties of gunpowder are used up and the walls of Xuanwu Gate still cannot be breached?
Without gunpowder, are we supposed to rely on ants to siege the city?
Not to mention that the imperial court still has a large amount of gunpowder, even without gunpowder, the traditional methods of defending the city alone could cause Li Chengqian's army to suffer heavy casualties.

Gunpowder is Li Chengqian's greatest advantage; if he uses it all up, how can he fight?

Just surrender.

Li Yuanchang frowned and said, "Does it have to be Xuanwu Gate? Can't we attack from other places?"

"I don't believe His Majesty would build all the city gates like the Xuanwu Gate."

Su Dingfang said in a deep voice, "We can only attack Xuanwu Gate, which is both the strongest and the weakest point."

Li Yuanchang asked in confusion, "Why?"

Others shared this idea: since there were cannons, why couldn't they attack from other city gates?

Li Chengqian nodded slightly to Su Dingfang, who then explained the reason.

Su Dingfang didn't mince words and explained slowly, "Gentlemen, Chang'an has many city gates, but the Taiji Palace is in a special location, and its surrounding layout is full of hidden secrets."

"Taiji Palace is located in the northernmost part of the central city of Chang'an. Its north wall is the northern wall of the outer city, which connects to the imperial city to the south. In terms of the overall terrain, the high slope of Longshouyuan stretches across the north of the city, and Xuanwu Gate is located here. Its high position gives it a natural advantage in overlooking the surrounding area compared to other city gates."

"An attack launched from Xuanwu Gate would provide a clear view of the layout within the palace, making it easier to control the overall situation. The other gates, however, are flat, making it difficult for us to gain this advantage in terms of vision. If we were to attack, we would easily find ourselves in a predicament where we are completely suppressed by the defending forces."

"Let's look at transportation and troop deployment. Xuanwu Gate is located north of the West Inner Garden, which is a wide open area, making it easy for the army to secretly assemble and deploy. Before attacking the city, our army can make secret deployments in the West Inner Garden, and when the time is right, we can quickly launch an attack from Xuanwu Gate to catch the defenders off guard."

"In contrast, other city gates are surrounded by crisscrossing streets and alleys or dense residential areas, making it difficult for large-scale troops to assemble quickly, and their actions are easily exposed. Before even attacking the city, they may be detected by the enemy and put in a passive position."

"For example, Mingde Gate, as the main gate in the south of the city, is magnificent, but the roads in front of the gate are complicated and there are many houses on both sides. If our army gathers here, not only will it be unable to operate, but it will also disturb the people and cause the news to be leaked in advance, which will only increase the difficulty of attacking the city."

"In terms of the distribution of defensive forces, Xuanwu Gate is of paramount importance and is naturally heavily guarded. But precisely because of this, if we can break through the Xuanwu Gate defense line, we can then directly attack the heart of the city and quickly assault the core area of ​​Taiji Palace."

"Although His Majesty attaches great importance to the defense of Xuanwu Gate, once this place is breached, the palace's defense system will instantly have a huge gap, and the enemy will find it difficult to organize an effective second line of defense in a short period of time."

"In contrast, even if the other city gates are breached, there is still a considerable distance to the Taiji Palace. Along the way, we will have to pass through many palaces and gates, each of which could become part of the imperial court's defenses. Our army will face layers of resistance and be bogged down in a protracted street battle."

"Take the Vermilion Bird Gate as an example. The Vermilion Bird Gate connects the Imperial City with the Outer City. There are many government offices and yamens on both sides of the road behind the gate. The court can use these buildings to resist step by step. Even if our army breaks through the city gate, it will encounter stubborn resistance during the advance and it will be difficult to quickly achieve the goal of controlling the Taiji Palace."

"If our army can break through Xuanwu Gate, it will greatly deter the court and break its will. When people inside and outside the palace hear that Xuanwu Gate has been breached, they will be filled with fear and anxiety, thinking that the situation is hopeless. In this way, the morale of the court's defending army will suffer a devastating blow."

"On the contrary, if we choose to attack from other city gates, even if we make progress, it will be difficult to have such a strong impact on the morale of the court. The court may still put up a stubborn resistance, which is extremely disadvantageous to our quick victory."

"Most importantly, His Majesty's palace and the places where he handles daily affairs are mostly located in the northern part of Taiji Palace, which is closest to Xuanwu Gate. Once Xuanwu Gate is breached, our army can reach His Majesty's location in the shortest possible time and take control of him."

"Attacking from other city gates, even if they manage to enter the city, would require a long and time-consuming march to reach the emperor's core area, and there would be many uncertainties."

"At this critical moment, time is the most scarce resource. Every moment wasted could give His Majesty more time to mobilize troops and organize defenses, or allow Li Jing's cavalry to arrive in Chang'an ahead of time, making the situation increasingly unfavorable for us."

After listening to Su Dingfang's insightful analysis, everyone nodded silently. Although they were still worried about the strong defenses of Xuanwu Gate, they also knew that although attacking Xuanwu Gate was difficult, it was the only feasible and most likely way to win.

Li Chengqian asked, "General Su, do you have any plans on how to attack Xuanwu Gate?"

Su Dingfang cupped his hands and replied, "Your Highness, I believe this is the proper course of action. Although our artillery is extremely powerful, the Xuanwu Gate city wall has been meticulously repaired by His Majesty and is exceptionally sturdy. Relying solely on long-range artillery bombardment may not be enough to breach it in a short time."

"I suggest that artillery should continue to be the main means of suppression, and that we should continue to bombard the Xuanwu Gate tower and surrounding defensive facilities to destroy as many enemy fortifications as possible, such as arrow slits and watchtowers, and suppress the defenders on the city wall so that they cannot effectively attack our attacking forces."

"At the same time, select elite craftsmen to rush to produce a batch of battering rams. These battering rams need to be specially modified, with huge battering rams installed at the front, covered with iron sheets to enhance the impact force. In addition, special compartments are set up inside the battering rams to store gunpowder packages."

"When attacking the city, first use artillery to bombard it fiercely. When the defenders on the city wall are suppressed and there is a brief period of chaos, quickly send out battering rams."

"Propelled by numerous soldiers, the battering rams rushed toward Xuanwu Gate. Upon approaching the gate, the front of the rams were aimed at the gate, and the gunpowder packs inside were ignited. Utilizing the powerful impact of the exploding gunpowder packs, combined with the impact of the battering rams, the two forces worked together to try and blast a breach in the gate in one fell swoop."

"To ensure the battering rams could reach the city gates smoothly, a large number of elite troops were needed to provide cover. These elite troops, armed with shields, formed a tight shield wall to protect the battering rams from arrows, stones, and other attacks fired from the city walls by the enemy. At the same time, some crossbowmen were arranged behind the shield wall to fire accurately at the city walls, further suppressing the defenders."

"Once the city gate is breached, the elite troops from Liaodong will immediately launch an attack."

"Before attacking the city, we can first send out small groups of troops to pretend to attack from other city gates, create momentum, and distract the enemy so that they cannot judge the true direction of our main attack. When the enemy has transferred some of its troops to other city gates for defense, our army can then concentrate its forces to attack Xuanwu Gate with all its might."

(End of this chapter)