Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 324 Mirror Array Communication! Let's try the Air Force? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In a modest inn in Chang'an, the Goguryeo delegation, who had just checked into the Honglu Temple Inn, was hastily driven here by the people of the Honglu Temple.

At this moment, Tang Jian, the Minister of State Ceremonies, was negotiating with the Goguryeo delegation with an embarrassed expression.

"Minister of State Ceremonies, what is the meaning of His Majesty's words?"

The Goguryeo envoy, Gao Chengjiu, questioned Tang Jian with a livid face: "Did we come all the way to the Tang Dynasty just to deceive you?"

"Your Excellency misunderstands. His Majesty did not mean that you are frauds. It is because the post station has already received your envoys, and to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, you have been arranged here separately!" Tang Jian said with a smile.

Gao Chengjiu clearly didn't believe this explanation, and said in a deep voice, "Then when can we arrange to see Your Majesty?"

"It's hard to say. Our Emperor is extremely busy, and I don't know when he will summon you!"

Tang Jian replied vaguely, "If you have urgent business, you can go to the Crown Prince's residence to see His Highness the Crown Prince, but as far as I know, His Highness the Crown Prince is currently busy with state affairs and probably won't have time to see you."

"you!"

Gao Chengjiu was speechless after hearing Tang Jian's words.

Tang Jian, however, did not intend to say anything more to him and quickly took his leave.

"Outrageous! How could the Tang Dynasty be so disrespectful?!"

After watching Tang Jian leave, Gao Chengjiu angrily slammed his hand on the table in the inn.

The other Goguryeo people standing nearby also turned pale with anger and were filled with righteous indignation upon hearing this.

But one of the Goguryeo people angrily said, "These damned Tang people, are they blind? We handed over our official credentials and presented our nameplates, and they still doubt our identity as envoys. It's utterly absurd!"

“Hey, do you think the Tang emperor is treating us like this because of the previous war?” another Goguryeo man said thoughtfully.

Gao Chengjiu glanced at them, frowned, and said, "If it were because of the previous war, the Tang emperor would not have sent envoys to our country, and we would not have come to the Tang capital!"

"Furthermore, in times of war, envoys should not be killed. Even if it's because of the previous war, we should still be treated with the utmost respect!"

"Yes! The Tang Dynasty, which prided itself on being a celestial empire, didn't even have this much magnanimity. They were truly shameless!"

"Then what do we do next?"

Hearing the two accompanying ministers echoing his sentiments, Gao Chengjiu ignored them and instead turned his gaze to his daughter, who had remained silent. He frowned and asked, "Hyejin, what do you think about this matter?"

But his daughter, Gao Huizhen, said in a calm tone, "Father, as far as I know, Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty is an extremely generous monarch. Even if he harbors resentment towards our Goguryeo's surprise attack on the Tang Dynasty, he would not do something so unbecoming of his status."

"Therefore, I suspect that this matter was the idea of ​​that Tang Dynasty crown prince."

You mean him?

Gao Chengjiu reacted for a moment, then suddenly realized, "So it was his idea. I was wondering why the Tang emperor would act so out of character. If it was that Tang crown prince, then it would make a lot of sense."

"It seems this Tang Dynasty prince isn't very friendly to us," another Goguryeo person remarked with a sigh.

Upon hearing this, Gao Huizhen glanced at him and said calmly, "If the Tang Dynasty were to send troops first, would your Lord Yuan be friendly to the Tang envoys?"

"Miss Hye-jin, what do you mean by this?"

"Alright, don't forget why we came to the Tang Dynasty. This is also Lord Yuan's intention!"

Seeing that Yeon Gaesomun's men were about to argue with his daughter, Go Seung-gu immediately interrupted them.

But then one of Yeon Gaesomun's confidants said in a deep voice, "Go Seung-gu, since you know what Lord Yeon means, then we will follow your father and daughter's plans from now on. Don't disappoint Lord Yeon, or you and your daughter will know the consequences!"

"Heh, Kim Jae-cheon, you don't need to remind us, my daughter and I know what to do. Also, keep your men in line, don't anger that Crown Prince of Tang, otherwise, even Lord Yuan can't protect you!" Gao Chengjiu said with a sneer.

Upon hearing this, the Goguryeo man named Kim Jae-cheon snorted coldly, and then, without saying another word, led the Goguryeo people inside the room and left the inn.

Only when Gao Chengjiu and his daughter Gao Huizhen were left in the room did Gao Huizhen say with a frown, "Father, we shouldn't have come to the Tang Dynasty at this time!"

“I know, but we simply cannot refuse Yeon Gaesomun. Not even the King can refuse him, let alone us,” Go Seung-gu sighed as he added.

Gao Huizhen glanced at him, then at the tea on the table. After a moment, she said thoughtfully, "I have an idea that might allow me to meet the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty!"

"What's the idea?"

"A literary contest to choose a husband!"

"Ok?"

Gao Chengjiu was slightly taken aback, seemingly not understanding his daughter's meaning.

But Gao Huizhen smiled and explained, "Whether it was the Sui Dynasty or the Tang Dynasty, they always considered themselves the Celestial Empire, and Han culture has always been something they were proud of. If I use what they are proud of to make them unable to hold their heads high, do you think that Tang Dynasty Crown Prince will appear?"

"But it's a marriage proposal."

"Father, rest assured, that Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty will not agree to this marriage, and I am confident that the others will not succeed!"

"this."

Gao Chengjiu was still somewhat hesitant upon hearing this.

Gao Huizhen, however, seemed to have made up her mind. She stood up from her seat and said with a heroic air, "I want to see if that seemingly divine prince of the Tang Dynasty is really capable!"

"Huizhen, are you really sure about this? What if that Crown Prince of Tang agrees to the marriage?"

"Then I'll marry him!"

Before Gao Chengjiu could finish speaking, Gao Huizhen interrupted him without hesitation, and then said with a smile, "The person who can marry me, Gao Huizhen, must be the smartest person in the world!"

After saying this, she seemed to remember something and said, "As far as I know, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is not yet married, is that right?"

Gao Chengjiu thought for a moment and said, "He is not married. Moreover, I have heard that he is promoting a policy of late marriage and late childbirth, saying it is to reduce the risks of childbirth!"

"Heh, that's quite interesting. I'm becoming more and more curious about him!"

"But what about the king?"

"Father, rest assured, Yeon Gaesomun will not touch the King for the time being, unless the King takes action against Yeon Gaesomun. But I believe the King is not that foolish."

Gao Huizhen said with a serious expression, "As long as we can secretly cooperate with the Crown Prince of Tang, eliminating Yeon Gaesomun will not be difficult."

"Sh-!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengjiu was startled and quickly gestured for silence. He then got up and walked to the door, listening carefully to the sounds outside. Finding that no one was eavesdropping, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This matter must not be made public again!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Huizhen playfully stuck out her tongue, then lowered her voice and said, "In short, we must establish contact with the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible."

"Hmm, you make a good point. Let's do it your way!"

After much deliberation, Gao Chengjiu finally agreed to his daughter's plan.

On the other side, the Prince's Mansion.

After returning to the Crown Prince's residence from the palace, Li Chengqian first summoned Xie Yan to inquire about the situation in Japan. He learned that Soga no Shizuka had agreed to his proposal to have her father, Soga no Iruka, cooperate with the Tang Dynasty.

He expressed his gratitude to Li Chengqian, claiming that Li Chengqian was the savior of the Soga clan, and that as long as the Soga clan continued to control Japan, they would serve Li Chengqian as their master.

Li Chengqian simply laughed it off.

Because in his plan, that Japanese military base was not only key to destroying Goguryeo.

After Goguryeo is destroyed, it will be Japan's turn.

They are simply building their own gallows.

Of course, before destroying Goguryeo, Japan had many other uses. According to Xie Yan's plan, he intended to squeeze every last drop of profit out of Japan before destroying it.

Li Chengqian was very supportive of this.

After seeing Xie Yan off, Li Chengqian summoned several of the Crown Prince's generals, including Pei Xingjian, Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, Pei Xuan, and Yu Gushe.

Li Chengqian spoke first, saying, "I have already requested command of the 200,000 troops in the north from my father, but with the current strength of our Great Tang, we cannot support a large-scale war on two fronts. Even with Jiangling as our granary, we cannot wage war for a long time. Therefore, if we want to complete our plan, we must fight a quick battle!"

Upon hearing this, the generals exchanged glances, bewildered.

Su Dingfang said thoughtfully, "If we only want to eliminate their manpower, we can do it by using blitzkrieg tactics. But according to His Highness the Crown Prince's plan, we want to destroy their country. I'm afraid it won't be easy for us to achieve a quick victory."

“Yes, I’ve studied the defense map of Tuyuhun. Even if we launch a targeted attack on Tuyuhun, we won’t be able to wipe them out in a short time,” Xue Rengui echoed.

Li Chengqian glanced at them and nodded, saying, "I know it's unrealistic to destroy the four kingdoms in a short time, but I have the determination to do so. So, I'm here to ask you to help me come up with a way to accomplish this plan."

"This"

Upon hearing this, the generals exchanged bewildered glances once more.

But then Pei Xuan said thoughtfully, "Your Highness is currently worried about the food supply, isn't that right?"

"Indeed, the issue of food supplies is a major problem."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Currently, the domestic food supplies can only support the Liaodong battlefield, while we have to solve the food supply problem for the Mobei battlefield ourselves."

"Why doesn't Your Highness start with our allies? They have signed a military alliance treaty with our Great Tang, so they should support our war effort. Ask them to provide supplies, and I'm sure they won't object."

"According to the terms of the military alliance treaty, they shouldn't have any objections, but supplies are a crucial military priority. If we rely entirely on them, wouldn't we be easily manipulated by them?"

"this."

Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan was speechless.

But Pei Xuan's words seemed to open up a new way of thinking.

But then Su Dingfang chimed in, "I think it's fine to have our military allies provide supplies. If His Highness is worried that they might control our army, we can simply have them supply us directly!"

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian was slightly taken aback, then asked with some curiosity, "Don't we need them to resupply directly? What does that mean?"

But Su Dingfang patiently explained, "Your Highness, what I mean is to change the pretext and have them transport the grain here first, and then we can distribute it in a unified manner. For example, we can use the pretext of military exercises to have them conduct grain transport exercises, while we play the role of the enemy cutting off the grain supply. We can exercise with them while preparing for war with other countries."

"Once we've 'plundered' enough supplies, we'll tell them our battle plan. That way, even if they realize they've been tricked, they won't be able to do anything about it."

"Uh"

Upon hearing Su Dingfang's idea, Li Chengqian couldn't help but twitch his lips, then said somewhat speechlessly, "Wouldn't doing this be unbecoming of a great nation?"

"Hehe, war is based on deception."

Su Dingfang smiled, then said seriously, "The so-called demeanor of a great power is built on the foundation of victory. As long as we can lead them to victory and let them gain some benefits, they will not have any objections."

“That’s right, a bunch of barbarians, why bother with them so much!” Yu Gushe chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian and the other generals couldn't help but look puzzled.

However, they still approved of Su Dingfang's method.

But then Su Dingfang said, "Actually, the issue of food supplies isn't a big problem in my opinion. What really worries me is how to coordinate operations."

How to coordinate operations?

Li Chengqian frowned.

Su Dingfang took out a map from his robes and pointed to the markings on it, saying, "Your Highness, please take a look. According to your plan, we need to divide our forces to attack four countries. However, we need to coordinate with each other, and the distance between us can range from tens to hundreds of miles. Without a fast means of communication, we may miss our opportunity!"

"Well, you have a point."

Li Chengqian looked at the map and nodded, saying, "If it were just an attack on one or two countries, the current method of communication would be acceptable. But now we are attacking four countries and also commanding the allied forces in battle. Without a more efficient method of communication, it is indeed a big problem."

He recalled a modern war in later years, in which a commander led seventeen countries in battle, and despite having advanced communication equipment, various mistakes still occurred.

Moreover, in ancient warfare, without advanced communication equipment, commanding 200,000 northern troops, the six guards of the Eastern Palace, and allied forces from various countries was extremely difficult.

Suddenly, Xue Rengui said, "Your Highness, I heard that the Academy of Sciences is researching megaphones. Could we use megaphones to transmit messages?"

"This"

Li Chengqian reacted for a moment, then shook his head and said, "While a megaphone can transmit messages quickly, the current technology for making wires is not yet perfect. In addition, the electricity generated by the power generation device is not stable enough."

"Then how about we use beacon fires to transmit messages?" Yu Gushe interjected.

Pei Xuan glanced at him and shook his head, saying, "The messages transmitted by beacon fires are limited and easily detected by the enemy."

Upon hearing this, the generals fell silent.

After a short while, Pei Xingjian, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "How about we use the mirror book of our Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

The generals were slightly taken aback and looked at Pei Xingjian with puzzled expressions.

But then Pei Xingjian added, "Our Embroidered Uniform Guard has set up 'mirror array communication' systems in various regions. These systems primarily transmit signals through mirror reflections. Then, based on the signals, various information is transmitted by referring to mirror books. The speed is extremely fast."

"this."

Upon hearing this, the generals were all surprised, seemingly not expecting the Embroidered Uniform Guard to have such an efficient way of transmitting information.

Li Chengqian slapped his forehead and said, "If Pei Xingjian hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. I established a highly efficient and confidential information transmission method for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Among them, there is also a carrier pigeon for short distances. Through the character verification method, the ink dots in specific positions in the forty pre-reserved squares of the official document represent different intelligence."

Although ancient battlefields are not the same as modern battlefields, they also have advantages that modern battlefields do not have.

That is, the frequency of wars is relatively low.

Unlike mechanized warfare on modern battlefields, it is entirely a race against time.

As long as you are more efficient than the enemy, you can meet the needs of most battlefields.

"Well, since the Embroidered Uniform Guard has such an efficient way of transmitting messages, then there's no problem!" Su Dingfang nodded with a smile.

The other generals also breathed a sigh of relief.

But then Li Chengqian seemed to remember something and said, "Oh right, there's one more thing. Pei Xuan needs to cooperate with the Ministry of War of the court to give two artillery regiments to the Ministry of War, which my father will take to the Goguryeo battlefield."

"in addition."

Then, he turned to look at Su Dingfang and said, "I also need to allocate a battalion of medics, a battalion of scouts, and a battalion of engineers to my father."

"Ah? This"

Upon hearing this, the generals were filled with astonishment.

But Li Chengqian didn't wait for them to speak before explaining, "This is the condition my father gave me command of those 200,000 troops. There's nothing I can do about it!"

“But we only have five artillery regiments in total, and we still have to destroy four countries. Will three artillery regiments be enough?” Pei Xuan said with some reluctance.

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "If the artillery regiment is not enough, then bring the air force as well. If conditions permit, bomb directly from the air. Bring more explosive shells and incendiary shells, which should make up for the lack of artillery."

"Ha, that's great! I've been wanting to see the power of the air force for a long time. Every time I see those guys flying in hot air balloons, I get itchy to try it myself!" Xue Rengui laughed.

Su Dingfang also laughed and said, "The Air Force is a rather special branch of the military. It hasn't participated in actual combat yet, but we can give it a try this time!"

"Yes, my Wolf Fang Guard also has an air force, but it's mainly used for lookout and early warning. If I have the chance, I'd like to try using the air force to attack the city!"

"Actually, we don't need the air force to attack the city. I remember the Academy of Sciences developed a new weapon that can fly into the city like a Kongming lantern and slaughter a large number of people."

"Really? Then I'd better hurry and get some, or I'll be in trouble if His Majesty notices me!"

"Hahaha--"

The generals burst into laughter, clearly full of confidence in this joint operation.

Li Chengqian was very satisfied with their condition. After discussing it with them in detail, he decided to set off for the northern desert at the end of this month.

However, just as they were making various preparations for the expedition, a sudden event shocked the entire city of Chang'an.

Even Li Shimin was alarmed.

(End of this chapter)