Three whips break the father-son relationship, please call me prince

Chapter 238: Fight a protracted war? Fight a decisive battle!

The Goguryeo envoy left in disgrace.

But Li Shimin and others still looked at the prince in surprise.

This was the first time that the prince showed such a domineering and overbearing attitude.

Even the grand court meeting in the 14th year of Zhenguan was not as fierce as this one.

Everyone had a bad feeling and moved more gently.

Li Shimin was also a little nervous.

What's going on? This is.

Prince, should you be so strong?

"Cough cough!"

"Prince."

Li Shimin pretended to cough twice and said, "Since we have decided to attack Goguryeo."

"How do you decide how to send troops, when to launch the expedition, and under what name?"

The heavenly soldiers and generals have a legitimate reason to fight.

He had thought it through beforehand. It was Yeon Gaesomun who was disloyal and openly killed the King of Goguryeo, which was a heinous crime.

But now.

He wanted to hear what the prince had to say.

"Killing our Tang envoy is a sin against God, and there is no way to pray!"

Li Chengqian said: "From the king to the common people, everyone in Goguryeo is guilty!"

Wow!
This is a crime that has directly risen to an unknown level of severity.

Your Majesty made this request based on the killing of Goguryeo.

Now the prince has maxed out the title.

No middlemen.

The Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo faced off against each other.

There is only one result.

Goguryeo was destroyed and incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty. There could be no other outcome.

"It is up to your majesty to decide how to send troops."

Li Chengqian said: "When will we go? It is already the beginning of September. The temperature in the north is different and has dropped significantly."

"The snowstorm is coming soon."

"I think we should focus on mobilizing the army. We can first order a small part of the troops to attack, while the majority of the troops rest."

"First, wait until the food and grass supplies catch up, and then we don't have to worry about the operation."

"Second, after the spring, when the ice and snow melt, it will be of great benefit to our army."

It's just a few months.

We've waited for so many years, a few months won't make a difference.

"What does the pharmacist think?"

Li Shimin asked.

Li Jing said: "I think so too."

“Although the climate is the same for everyone.”

"But Goguryeo had lived in the north for a long time and was accustomed to the local climate."

"Our army is in charge of attacking, and Gao's army is in charge of defending. They are in the city, and we are in the wild."

"It is very disadvantageous to attack the city in the snow."

"If the battle line is extended, the inconvenient roads will also be a huge problem for food and grass supply."

Li Shimin also understood this truth, "If that's the case, then send a small force to fight first."

"Yes!"

After Li Chengqian left, Li Shimin pulled Li Jing aside and said, "The prince is acting too abnormally this time. Can you see what's wrong?"

"Is that the envoy so important to the Crown Prince?"

Li Jing shook his head and said, "I am not sure, but the Crown Prince's reaction this time should not be underestimated."

"hehe."

Li Shimin chuckled, "Yeon Gaesomun would pick on anyone else, but the crown prince."

"Now, the prince advocates war, but there is no voice..."

……

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you..."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...!"

Although he was dressed in new clothes, one could tell from his expression that he had suffered a lot.

This is the fourth exploration team, the only ones who survived.

Li Chengqian's eyes twitched. He stepped forward and helped the man up, saying, "I'm sorry for making you suffer."

"Your Highness, it's nothing, it's just that the Lord made them die miserably."

"Don't worry, I will avenge them."

Li Chengqian said: "Tell me what happened in detail."

“Here’s what happened…”

Listening to his story, Li Chengqian gradually became speechless.

The fourth team has the same nature as the Han envoys.

I think Yeon Gaesomun is disrespectful to the Tang Dynasty and the Holy Emperor.

When he passed by Goguryeo, he launched a fierce attack on Yeon Gaesomun, the Goguryeo king, the dignitaries and others, almost pointing at their noses and scolding their entire family, asking why they didn't surrender and why their entire family didn't die.

Then, Yeon Gaesomun endured it and sent people to escort the team to continue northward.

Who knew that a noble was so bold as to ambush them on the way.

Finally, it became the current situation.

"Your Highness, we are not wrong in what we said. What's wrong with scolding them?"

"They deserve to be scolded. Who made them offend Tian Tang and disrespect the Holy Emperor?"

"What are they?"

"If it weren't for the mission, the master would have drawn his sword and killed Yeon Gaesomun."

When Li Chengqian heard his words, he really didn't know what to say.

The reason.

The Tang Dynasty was strong, and both officials and common people were arrogant and looked down on foreign countries from a superior position.

Bloody incidents often broke out between Goguryeo and Youzhou.

Almost all of them were people from Youzhou, who killed the Goguryeo people.

The government did not investigate or comment on this matter, but instead praised it.

Under this kind of atmosphere, as an envoy sent by the crown prince to the north, it would be unworthy of one's status if one did not do something.

"Go down and have a good rest. I will bring Yeon Gaesomun's head for sacrifice later."

"Yes!"

Although it was done by a minor noble, Yeon Gaesomun must bear the blame. "Brother, this is a little wrong."

Li Zhi asked doubtfully, "The fourth team has been carefully selected. Not to mention one against ten, but with more than a hundred people, not even a thousand, it is impossible to wipe them out completely without leaking any news."

"Don't even think about it?"

Li Chengqian said: "Yeon Gaesomyun appears to be generous on the surface, but he is indulging himself in private."

"If he hadn't condoned it, how could a small noble mobilize thousands of people to set up an ambush?"

"Even if he didn't condone it, he definitely covered it up. Otherwise, how could the news only come from the survivors now?"

"This man has a murderous heart and his crime is heinous."

He didn't care what the fourth team did.

Even if someone spits in your face, Goguryeo cannot do anything about it.

What was in jeopardy was the destiny of the Tang Dynasty.

It also shook the dignity of Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

He doesn't need to care what Yeon Gaesomun thinks.

Anyway, the Tang envoy died in your Goguryeo, so right or wrong is no longer important.

The important thing is that people are dead, and you, Goguryeo, will have to pay the price.

Now he must be pinned to the ground and hacked to death.

The Holy Emperor must maintain Li Chengqian's dignity in the Tang Dynasty.

How dare you offend a mere powerful official of Goguryeo?

Who gave him the courage?

……

When Li Shimin was planning a winter offensive, he used a small force to capture some cities first, thus paving the way for the large army to advance straight ahead.

Goguryeo also gave up the frontier cities and did not fight excessively with the Tang army. It just resisted for a while before being defeated.

As news came in, everything was being prepared for next year's war.

"See His Highness the Crown Prince."

Xue Li, with 4,000 prince guards, braved the wind and snow and finally arrived.

"Here he comes."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "No problems along the way, right?"

"Don't worry, Your Highness. Everything is well protected and won't get wet."

Xue Li said very confidently.

"That's good."

Li Chengqian said with a smile: "Wait a minute, you and Pei Xingjian will follow me to the headquarters."

"Yes!"

Li Shimin convened a military meeting in front of the emperor.

The theme of this military meeting is to simulate the course of next year's war.

"According to the spies, Yeon Gaesomun has been very active, ordering Ko Yeonsu, Ko Hyejeong and others to recruit young and strong men."

Shangguan Yi said: "In addition, Baekje also has evil ambitions and intends to make peace with Goguryeo and plot against the Tang Dynasty."

"Before this, Silla had dozens of territories that were conquered by Baekje, and had petitioned the court for help many times."

"Now Baekje has sent troops to attack Silla again, with the support of Yeon Gaesomun..."

Everyone was a little curious as they listened to Shangguan Yi's story.

Where do these secret messages come from?
How can it be so clear?

Li Chengqian was not surprised, as the East Factory had already infiltrated Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla and other places.

Getting this news is nothing.

The East Depot had not been informed of the tragedy of the northern diplomatic mission, and Li Chengqian had already severely punished Li Junxian.

No matter how Goguryeo tried to cover it up, it would be a huge dereliction of duty for the East Factory not to know about it.

"It's really lively now."

Li Shimin stood up, wearing his full-length clothes, and stood on the northern military map, holding a baton in his hand, which he learned from the prince.

He pointed to the Goguryeo area and said, "All those guys who seemed docile and respectful and harmless to humans and animals have jumped out."

"It seems that they have been disloyal for a long time. They haven't felt the might of the Tang Dynasty for a long time."

"Very good."

Everyone knows that Li Shimin was speaking sarcastically.

His calm tone was filled with great anger.

Li Daozong said: "Your Majesty, given Goguryeo's actions, we really cannot send troops this winter."

"We have to wait until spring when the ice melts."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "That's for sure."

"But in this case, will they have more time to recruit and train young and strong people..." Li Ji said.

"There is no way around it. Yeon Gaesomun is determined to go against me, Li Shimin."

Li Shimin sneered: "How can I be afraid of him?"

Regardless, Goguryeo's response was reasonable.

If he didn't take any action, Li Shimin would feel that he was not worthy of being his opponent.

Li Chengqian was also wearing footwear and standing on the map.

It was such a huge map, but they were the only two standing on it.

Everyone else is standing at the edge of the map, who dares to go up?

The country is at your feet.

Apart from the emperor and the prince, who else is worthy of being stepped on?
Li Chengqian half squatted down and said, "From the current situation, Yeon Gaesomun wants to preserve his strength and fight a protracted war with us."

Li Shimin was silent.

The most feared thing about the expedition against Goguryeo was a protracted war.

The battle line is too long and the pressure on logistical supply is enormous.

This kind of long-term operation is a real test of one's financial strength.

Emperor Yang of Sui was dragged down by this, and his greed for merit and reckless advance led to the disastrous defeat of his army.

"What do you think, Prince?"

Li Shimin asked.

"They want to fight a protracted war, and we must not let them do so."

Li Chengqian pointed at the map and said in a loud voice: "Let's find a place and fight a decisive battle with them."

"Destroy their effective forces in one battle."

Li Jing's eyelids jumped. Does the prince know anything about military affairs, or does he know something about it?

Fight a battle?
"Your Highness, we only have 60,000 men." Li Ji reminded in a low voice: "After occupying the Goguryeo city, considering the remaining troops, the troops will inevitably be dispersed..."

"Even if Duke Lu has 40,000 troops in Shandong, it would still be less than 100,000."

"Isn't it a bit risky to fight a battle?"

(End of this chapter)