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

Chapter 341 When poor, use tactical infiltration; when rich, use overwhelming firepower! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Your Highness, His Majesty has achieved a great victory in the first battle on the Liaodong battlefield, and morale is high!"

Pei Xingjian, holding the latest military report, hurriedly entered Li Chengqian's study.

Li Chengqian was calmly studying the map, as if he hadn't heard anything.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"I see. It's just a victory, what's so great about it? Does it need to be known throughout the country?"

Li Chengqian turned around and looked at Pei Xingjian speechlessly, pursing his lips and saying, "Besides this, is there anything else?"

"Uh, this."

Pei Xingjian reacted for a moment, then quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, news has also come from Chang'an that Prince Yan, Li You, has been granted a title."

"Ah!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but sneer: "They say it's hard to persuade a damned ghost with kind words, and they're absolutely right!"

Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Did Yin Hongzhi go along too?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, Yin Hongzhi has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Yan's Palace to assist the Prince of Yan!"

"Hmph, since we can't stop them, I'd like to see what kind of trouble they're up to!"

“But Your Highness, Yin Hongzhi is colluding with the Guardian. If it gets involved with the Prince of Yan, I’m afraid…” Pei Xingjian hesitated before speaking.

Li Chengqian said dismissively, "As long as that brat doesn't rebel, my father won't do anything to him."

"What if he rebels?"

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian gave him a cold look.

Pei Xingjian immediately panicked and knelt down, saying, "Your Highness, please forgive me. What I mean is that the Shouzhulang is deeply involved with the court. What if he plots a rebellion and implicates the Prince of Yan?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment, then calmly said, "I have my own arrangements for this matter. You just need to keep a close eye on their every move and report any unusual activity to me immediately. Otherwise, don't alert them, understand?"

"understand!"

Pei Xingjian responded.

But then Li Chengqian asked, "Is there anything unusual about Li Ke and Li Tai?"

"this."

Pei Xingjian pondered for a moment, then reported: "Your Highness, the Prince of Shu has been communicating with the various ethnic groups in Bashu during this period, teaching them how to grow sweet potatoes, distributing iron farm tools, promoting the curved plow, and building water conservancy projects. There has been nothing unusual."

"As for the Prince of Wei, I've heard he's recently become obsessed with poetry gatherings, befriending many scholars from Jiangnan and frequently interacting with the major aristocratic families there. However, because of the Cen family, many of these families have secretly sided with the Crown Prince, so he hasn't gained much."

"Yes, keep a close eye on them as before, and don't alert them!"

Li Chengqian nodded calmly.

Pei Xingjian quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand!"

"Alright, go and summon Yu Gu She. I will personally participate in the raid tonight!"

"what?"

"What are you 'ah' about? Hurry up and go!"

"Yes, sir!"

Although Pei Xingjian was greatly surprised that Li Chengqian personally participated in the surprise attack, he did not dare to say anything. So he quickly got up and ran to inform Yu Gu She.

That night!

The moon star is rare!

Li Chengqian led a group of men to a Tuyuhun tribe that was preparing to launch a surprise attack.

But then Cheng Gao, the Prefect of Liangzhou, asked with a worried expression, "Your Highness, do we really have to do this?"

Although Li Daliang had already approved of Li Chengqian's battle plan in his heart, procedurally he still could not hand over the military power of Liangzhou to Li Chengqian.

After all, Li Chengqian did not have the emperor's edict or decree.

Even so, he still sent Cheng Gao to Li Chengqian's side to serve as his guide.

But Li Chengqian said with a hint of amusement, "We're already here, why is Sima Cheng still hesitating?"

After speaking, he looked down at the tribe below the hillside and frowned, asking, "Are you sure this is a Tuyuhun tribe?"

"Your Highness, rest assured, this is definitely a Tuyuhun tribe. I have been serving as the Sima in Liangzhou City for almost ten years, and during these ten years, I have been dealing with the Tuyuhun tribe almost every day. There is no mistake!"

After saying that, as if to make his words more convincing, he took out a map and pointed it out to Li Chengqian by the moonlight, saying, "Your Highness, look, this is the tribe of Chief Tuyuhun Daye! That's right!"

"Hmm, that should be correct."

Li Chengqian looked at the map, then at the tribe below the hillside, and finally confirmed that this was the tribe he was going to attack.

It's no wonder Li Chengqian was so puzzled. Looking down from the hillside, apart from a few people guarding the outermost edge, there were almost only scattered cattle and sheep, and no herders in sight.

In the middle section, there were even several bonfire dance parties being held, indicating that people were living a rather leisurely and carefree life.

They had no idea that a major battle was about to take place in Liangzhou City, a hundred miles away, and that they would be affected as well.

But then Li Chengqian said with a hint of amusement, "Aren't the people on the border supposed to be very vigilant? Why do these Tuyuhun people seem so unafraid of war?"

"Your Highness, in recent years, it has been the Tuyuhun who have launched wars against our Great Tang, while our Great Tang has mostly focused on defense. That is why the Tuyuhun people on the border are so fearless."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Gao couldn't help but smile wryly and explained, "In addition, when our Tang army fights against the Tuyuhun army, they rarely confront us head-on. When our Tang army leaves Liangzhou City, they will quickly retreat and distance themselves from our Tang army. When we return to Liangzhou City, they will come back again."

"Therefore, it is generally difficult for us to capture their main force, and our Great Tang Dynasty upholds the image of a great power and will not easily harass their people, which makes these tribes even more unscrupulous!"

"Ah!"

Upon hearing this explanation, Li Chengqian couldn't help but laugh: "Are their people people people, but our people aren't? What kind of bullshit image of a great power is this? If we continue to let them harass us like this, how can our Great Tang Dynasty uphold its image as a great power?"

"His Highness is right!"

Yu Gushe echoed in deep agreement, "Back when the Marquis of Champion attacked the Xiongnu, he didn't care about these things. He just killed whoever deserved it. He didn't care about so many rules!"

"Uh,"

Li Chengqian's lips twitched. He thought to himself, "You're a barbarian, yet you admire the Marquis of Champion?!"
However, Yu Gu She's words make a lot of sense: being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to oneself; killing when necessary is the only way to win.

He immediately drew his sword and ordered, "Brothers, kill them all!"

Wow!
The hundreds of Wolf Fang Guards behind him drew their steel swords in unison the instant Li Chengqian finished speaking, and then charged out like hundreds of arrows released from a bow.

Behind them were Pei Xingjian's Imperial Guards, who were mainly responsible for cleaning and did not need to rush in.

"Uuuuuu——"

Not long after Yu Gushe led the Wolf Fang Guards down, a horn sounded from the Tuyuhun tribe below.

But then Pei Xingjian hurriedly said, "Your Highness, they've discovered us!"

"Yes, but they have no chance to fight back!"

Li Chengqian nodded calmly, then gestured behind him. Immediately, hundreds of archers raised their bows, lit the oil on them, and fired a series of fire arrows towards the area below the Tuyuhun tribe.

"Whoosh whoosh—"

Countless rockets pierced the night sky, flying towards the tents of the Tuyuhun people.

at the same time.

A chieftain who looked like a member of the Tuyuhun tribe opened his eyes as if in a dream and cursed, "Who dares to disturb my sleep?"

"Bang bang bang!"

Before anyone could respond, someone banged on the door and reported, "Chief Daye! The Xueyantuo people are attacking!"

"Who! Who's coming to kill us?"

Chief Tatsuya suddenly woke up and then confirmed it with an incredulous look on his face.

"Chieftain, something terrible has happened! The Xueyantuo have attacked!" "What nonsense are you spouting? Are you drunk? The Xueyantuo are allies of my Tuyuhun! Why would they attack us? Besides, isn't Liangzhou City of the Tang Dynasty right next door? How did the Xueyantuo bypass Liangzhou City? Why didn't I know anything about it?"

"Even if I had the greatest courage in the world, I wouldn't dare to deceive the chief! This is what the soldiers who escaped from other tribes told me themselves!"

"Other tribes? You mean other tribes were also attacked by the Xueyantuo?"

Chief Daye suddenly stood up from the bed, stunned, and said, "Could it be that the Crown Prince has fallen for the trick of the Xueyantuo Khan? They never intended to sincerely ally with my Tuyuhun?"

"That's right. The Tang army simply didn't have enough troops to attack my more than twenty tribes. It couldn't be anyone other than the Xueyantuo!"

Seemingly convinced that it was Xueyantuo who did it, Chief Daye's face turned ashen instantly. He then ordered the people around him, "Immediately send someone to inform the Crown Prince that Xueyantuo has broken the alliance and launched an attack on my Tuyuhun!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he led his personal guards out, shouting, "Don't panic! Stay calm! Our reinforcements are coming soon!"

He originally shouted this in the hope of stabilizing his defenses, but because the scene was too chaotic, not many of his subordinates heard his shout clearly.

However, the fact that his subordinates did not hear his shouts does not mean that the Tang army did not hear them.

When Yu Gu learned that they had reinforcements, he immediately went into killing mode.

"Kill them all! Don't let a single one escape!"

As he spoke, Yu Gu took the lead, raising his scimitar and charging towards a Tuyuhun general.

The Tuyuhun general was quick to react.

As Yugu She swung her sword at him, Yugu She also swung her weapon at him. Yugu She met the steel sword head-on with her curved blade.

"Oh!"

Sparks flew.

To everyone's astonishment, it was as if they were witnessing a god of war. Yu Gushe's curved sword directly severed the opponent's steel blade, and then the blade fell from the opponent's shoulder, instantly severing the opponent's shoulder and arm in two.

"Oh oh oh oh!"

Inspired by their commander's bravery, the surrounding Wolf Fang Guards roared in unison, activating their hunting mode like wolves, and charged towards their enemies.

There were originally more than a dozen fearless Tuyuhun soldiers fighting against the Wolf Fang Guards, but when they saw what was happening before their eyes, their last bit of fighting spirit was crushed.

The enemy cavalry charged in, and not only were they all brave and skilled in battle, but they were also slightly better equipped. What's worse, we don't even know how many of them there are. How are we supposed to fight?
"Your Highness, look, someone has surrendered!"

Pei Xingjian put down his binoculars and said excitedly.

In less than half an incense stick's time, an entire camp had been captured by their side.

Although Tuyuhun had many such tribes, each tribe had its own formidable strength. Taking over a tribe in such a short time was absolutely unique since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

However, upon hearing his report, Li Chengqian calmly said, "I will not accept anyone's surrender; I will wipe them out directly."

In fact, he knew very well why he had come out today. If he accepted their surrender, all his plans would be in vain.

After all, he was now impersonating a member of the Xueyantuo to attack the Tuyuhun tribe. Leaving even one survivor would increase the risk, and this was no joke.

Moreover, leaving no survivors would only increase Tuyuhun's hatred for Xueyantuo, thus blinding them to their hatred.

Pei Xingjian and Cheng Gao, who also heard Li Chengqian's order, reacted very calmly, as if they thought this was the only reasonable way.

One of them stared in shock, his eyes wide open. It took him a long time to recover. He swallowed hard and muttered to himself, "Everyone says His Highness the Crown Prince is extraordinary. He's so decisive and ruthless at such a young age. What will he be like when he grows up?"

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed what he was seeing. In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the firelight of a tribe gradually went out, and the cattle and sheep on the distant grasslands were also running away in all directions.

But Li Chengqian had no time to care about these things and directly ordered his soldiers to move on to the next Tuyuhun tribe.

"Why, you can't bear it?"

Seeing Cheng Gao looking back at the cattle and sheep every few steps, Li Chengqian couldn't help but ask, somewhat speechlessly.

But Cheng Gao explained with an embarrassed look: "To be honest, Your Highness, Liangzhou is located on the border and used to be the fiefdom of the Prince of Changle. Although the Prince of Changle made some profits through smuggling, Liangzhou is still barren and has been guarding against barbarians for many years, so the soldiers have a hard life."

"So, look at these cattle and sheep."

"Our goal now is not to plunder, but to act swiftly. We will bring back these cattle and sheep tenfold or a hundredfold in the future! Even if they escape, they will eventually fall into our hands. What's the rush?"

"However, there is one more thing I don't understand. Why didn't the Crown Prince keep those Tuyuhun people who surrendered? Even if you were afraid they would leak information, you could have imprisoned them. After the war, they would be a large number of laborers. Isn't our Great Tang Dynasty in dire need of laborers right now?" Cheng Gao couldn't help but ask.

"The mouse is short-sighted!"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes at him and snorted, "There are millions of barbarians on the grasslands, and even the Tuyuhun has a million people. Do we need to lack labor in the future? The people we are killing now are just a drop in the ocean. Why care so much?"

After saying this, he ignored Cheng Gao and directly ordered, "Let's go!"

Soon, they arrived at the next Tuyuhun tribe.

Compared to the previous Tuyuhun tribe, this tribe was slightly larger.

Therefore, Li Chengqian immediately launched an artillery attack, unleashing a barrage of fire on the tribe, even using incendiary bombs.

Almost instantly, the tribe was engulfed in flames.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Fang Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards surrounded the tribe, shooting and killing the Tuyuhun people who rushed out of the fire one by one.

Not long after, the screams of the tribe subsided, leaving Cheng Gao, who was watching from the side, speechless with astonishment.

It seems like this is the first time I've seen a war like this after so many years of fighting.

"Your Highness, are these the legendary firearms?" Cheng Gao asked blankly.

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right. When you're poor, you use tactical infiltration; when you're rich, you use firepower coverage. We have plenty of ammunition now, so we can try that out!"

After saying this, he gave the order again: "Let's go! To another tribe!"

With the experience from the previous two battles, the subsequent wars became increasingly simple. Li Chengqian hardly needed to give any orders; the Wolf Fang Guards set up in Yugu performed exceptionally well.

Even the multi-talented Wolf Fang Guards, speaking in the Xueyantuo accent, would shout as they fought among the Tuyuhun tribes, as if afraid the other side wouldn't know that it was the Xueyantuo who were attacking them.

Just as Li Chengqian was preparing to launch a surprise attack on the fourth tribe, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar. It should be the scouts of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, indicating that the situation had changed.

But then the Imperial Guard scout hurriedly reported: "Your Highness, we have just received intelligence that tens of thousands of troops from the Tuyuhun direction are attacking our side!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this news, Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't particularly surprised.

After all, they had been up to something all night; it would be strange if Tuyuhun didn't react at all.

Therefore, Li Chengqian immediately ordered the people around him: "Someone, pass down the order to quickly clear the battlefield and retreat back to Liangzhou City!"

"Yes!"

As the orders were relayed, the attacking forces gradually withdrew from the various tribes.

There were successes and failures, but overall, it was still very rewarding.

The next morning.

The first ray of sunlight dispelled a chill, but its rays, shining on the withered grass, could not melt away the atmosphere of war.

Yi Shida, who was supposed to lead his army to attack Liangzhou City yesterday, seemed to sense something was amiss. He abandoned his original battle plan, changed his marching route, and moved closer to Ganzhou.

Li Chengqian keenly sensed the changes in his opponent and immediately adjusted his battle plan, issuing new orders.

"Laifu, notify Sun Rui, the military commander of Liangzhou, that Li Xu must immediately proceed to Ganzhou to provide reinforcements!"

"Black Armor Guard Su Dingfang and Iron Pagoda Guard Xue Rengui shall set off immediately to follow the Xueyantuo army and shall not attack without authorization!"

"Liu Erhu, the Prefect of Ganzhou, and Zhao Da, the Assistant General, are hereby ordered to immediately mobilize troops and garrison Yanghe. They are not to engage in battle!"

"Yes!"

Lai Fu responded and immediately turned and left the Liangzhou Governor's Mansion.

Li Daliang, standing to the side, glanced at Cheng Gao without making a sound. Seeing that the other party didn't dare to utter a word, he wisely shut his mouth as well.

But after Lai Fu left, he couldn't help but mutter to himself that such a force was still not enough.

"What's the rush!"

Li Chengqian, who seemed to have completely ignored the two of them, laughed when he heard Li Daliang's muttering: "This is just the beginning!"

(End of this chapter)