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

Chapter 346 Great Power War: Small Nations Are Like Mayflies Trying to Shake a Tree! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The Empty City Stratagem?

Good guy!
Do you really think we Tuyuhun people are fools?
We also read the Spring and Autumn Annals!

When the State of Chu attacked the State of Zheng, Shu Zhan ordered his soldiers to hide while the people continued their normal activities. This led the Chu army to mistakenly believe that there was an ambush in the city and retreat, which became the earliest recorded example of the Empty City Stratagem.

Although the Tuyuhun culture differed greatly from the Central Plains culture, the continuous influx of nomadic tribes into the Central Plains during the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties period gradually spread the Central Plains culture to various ethnic groups.

Tuyuhun nobles like Tuoba Mi and Murong Xiaojun naturally knew about the Empty City Stratagem.

Therefore, when they heard Li Daliang order the city gates to be opened, they immediately realized that this was a ruse involving an empty city.

Logically, having seen through Li Daliang's empty city ploy, they should have led their soldiers into Liangzhou City without hesitation. However, they stood still and did not move an inch.

Obviously, it's easy to see through the enemy's empty city ploy, but it takes courage to enter the city.

After all, if the other side deliberately sets up this empty city ploy, wouldn't you be throwing your life away if you went in?

No one can guarantee whether it is a true empty city strategy or a fake empty city strategy.

Don't be afraid of anything, just be afraid of ten thousand.

That's the brilliance of the Empty City Stratagem.

Playing with the heartbeat.

Therefore, when Li Daliang sincerely invited them into the city, both Tuoba Mi and Murong Xiaojun hesitated.

But then Li Daliang said with a hint of amusement, "What, are you not going to come in and have a seat, my most honored guests of the Great Tang? You've come all this way, and the Great Tang is a land of etiquette, so of course we won't treat you unfairly!"

After saying this, he waved his hand dismissively.

In just a moment, shouts and the sound of war drums rang out from within the city.

"Dong dong dong——!"

"The Tang Dynasty is mighty!"

"Dong dong dong——!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Upon hearing these awe-inspiring voices, Murong Xiaojun and Tuoba Mi exchanged bewildered glances.

However, they were not intimidated by these voices; instead, they felt that Li Daliang was just putting on an act.

If there were so many ambushes inside the city, Li Daliang would not have exposed himself so blatantly.

Therefore, according to their guess, the people in the city were at most some soldiers and some civilians making a show of force.

As they expected, it was indeed some soldiers and civilians beating drums and shouting.

However, just as it is easy to guess, it is difficult to do.

They still dared not enter Liangzhou City rashly.

Thus, the two sides fell into an awkward standoff.

Cheng Gao, standing next to Li Daliang, complained impatiently, "You keep saying that my Great Tang Dynasty is involved with the army that attacked your tribe, but you can't produce any solid evidence. Isn't this just making trouble?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Mi reacted for a moment, then said seriously, "What nonsense! Our tribe is located on the border of your Great Tang. If other armies come to attack our tribe, they will definitely pass through your Great Tang's defense zone. How could you not know that?"

"Let them pass by, as long as they're not here to attack our Great Tang, we don't care who they are or what they're up to!"

"what do you mean?"

Tuoba Mi narrowed his eyes, his killing intent radiating, seemingly not expecting this Tang general to be so arrogant.

Even if you are a member of the Tang Dynasty's imperial family, you shouldn't say such things, right?
Otherwise, if the two countries were to go to war because of a misunderstanding, could you bear the responsibility?
As if he had seen through Tuoba Mi's thoughts, Cheng Gao scoffed dismissively, "To be honest, in my opinion, your Tuyuhun are nothing but clowns. If my Great Tang wanted to send troops against you, would we need to attack your tribes? We would have just marched all the way to your Fu'ai City!"

"you!"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Mi was so angry that he couldn't speak for a moment.

Cheng Gao continued his provocation, saying, "What? Your Tuyuhun got beaten up, and you expect us to find the culprit for you? Are you Tuyuhun sons of my Great Tang? You're looking for your father after being beaten up, right?"

"You bastard! What right do you have to say such things!"

Tuoba Mi was furious.

However, just as he was preparing to retaliate against Cheng Gao, Murong Xiaojun suddenly stepped out of the ranks and coldly asked, "In your opinion, is our Tuyuhun a force to be reckoned with?"

"If my Great Tang is a dragon, then you Tuyuhun are rats. No matter how much you steal, you can never reach the heavens."

Cheng Gao sneered disdainfully.

This statement is a mockery of the Tuyuhun's despicable act of betraying the Tang Dynasty and repeatedly taking advantage of the Tang Dynasty's war with the Eastern Turks to plunder the Tang Dynasty.

It's worth noting that the Tuyuhun Kingdom was able to restore itself thanks to the help of the Tang Dynasty. Even the current Tuyuhun Khan, Fuyun, once fought alongside the Tang Dynasty against the Sui Dynasty.

As a result, just a few years after the restoration of the Tuyuhun Kingdom, it began to have constant friction with the Tang Dynasty.

That's utterly shameless.

But Murong Xiaojun seemed oblivious to Cheng Gao's sarcasm, and coldly said, "As a celestial empire, the Tang Dynasty must fight against other countries with dignity and legitimacy. If we do dirty things behind the scenes, we are no better than rats in the gutter, only to be ridiculed by the world!"

"Ha! The Great Tang Dynasty doesn't need you barbarians to teach us how to do things!"

Before Cheng Gao could even speak, Li Daliang couldn't help but interject, "If you're really capable, then break in! Our doors are wide open for you. We're just asking if you dare to come in!"

"Don't blame me for not reminding you. When you truly face my Great Tang, you will discover the disadvantages of a large country compared to a small one."

What disadvantages?

Tuoba Mi sneered, "The 'despicable' in 'base'?"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the Tuyuhun soldiers burst into laughter.

But the Tang soldiers above and below the city gate remained calm, looking at them as if they were clowns, which made them stop laughing after a while.

But Li Daliang continued, "My Great Tang Crown Prince once said that the difference between a large country and a small country is not the number of soldiers or the wealth of the country, but the strategic depth!"

"What strategic depth?" Murong Xiaojun couldn't help but ask.

Although he had never met Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian's deeds had already spread throughout the upper echelons of Tuyuhun after Murong Shun's mission to the Tang Dynasty.

Almost no Tuyuhun noble family was unaware of this crown prince of the Tang Dynasty.

So when Li Daliang brought up Li Chengqian's matter, he became interested for no apparent reason.

Tuoba Mi naturally shared the same interest as him.

Because Tuoba Mi had always served by the side of the Tuyuhun prince, he had naturally heard the Tuyuhun prince mention Li Chengqian many times.

After all, Murong Shun, whom Li Chengqian suppressed, was his biggest rival in the struggle for the Khanate, so he naturally had to praise Li Chengqian.

Over time, Tuoba Mi also developed a strong interest in Li Chengqian.

But Li Daliang said calmly and indifferently, "The so-called strategic depth is actually about comprehensive national strength!"

"For example, if our Great Tang Dynasty were to go to war with your Tuyuhun, we would simply designate the prefectures and counties near you as war zones!"

"But what about you Tuyuhun? Your entire territory is a battlefield. We can fight a protracted war with you, can you?"

"If you really want to wage a full-scale war against my Great Tang, you won't even have time to recuperate, grow crops, or graze your livestock!"

"It could take a month or two, or even a year or two. How long can your Tuyuhun hold out?"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Mi and Murong Xiaojun were immediately stunned.

They all seemed surprised that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty could see things so clearly.

It should be noted that although Tuyuhun frequently harassed the borders of the Tang Dynasty in the past, the Tang Dynasty never went to war with Tuyuhun in a full-scale conflict.

Because the Tang Dynasty's main target was not the Tuyuhun, but the Eastern Turks.

Therefore, the long-term raiding of the Tang Dynasty gave Tuyuhun people the illusion that the Tang Dynasty was easy to bully.

This is also why Murong Shun and his group were so arrogant and domineering when they first arrived in the Tang Dynasty.

Murong Shun learned a lesson about "arrogance," but they have not yet learned the lesson they deserve.

Therefore, they still did not take the Tang Dynasty seriously; otherwise, they would not have led their army to question the Tang Dynasty in such a grand manner.

Having just heard Li Daliang's words, they suddenly realized that the Tang Dynasty had not yet engaged in a full-scale war with them. Once the two sides truly reached a life-or-death situation, the disparity in strength would immediately become apparent.

This is the advantage that large countries have over small countries.

However, as the deputy prime minister of Tuyuhun, Murong Xiaojun would certainly not admit defeat easily.

Especially in debates like this, he was absolutely dominant in Tuyuhun. He had virtually no rivals.

But he retorted, "My Tuyuhun has hundreds of thousands of archers. Under the wise leadership of my Great Khan, as long as we do not surrender, we can keep your Tang Dynasty's borders in perpetual turmoil."

"Moreover, our cavalry appear and disappear without a trace, you can't catch us at all!"

"Yes! You are right!"

Li Daliang smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Cheng Gao, before changing the subject: "Our cavalry may not be able to capture you, but who says we have to?"

"Ok?"

Murong Xiaojun was slightly taken aback, then frowned and said, "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't you understand? I understand everything!"

Before Li Daliang could respond, Cheng Gao interjected with amusement, "Actually, Governor Li has already made it very clear. If we were to go to war, you wouldn't even have a place to recuperate or grow crops!"

"Why is that? Because all we need to do is keep harassing your pastures and grain fields. How long can your domestic grain reserves sustain you?"

Wow!
As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!

Not only the Tuyuhun generals, but even some Tuyuhun soldiers, felt as if they had been enlightened, and their thoughts became clear.

Not to mention leading figures like Tuoba Mi and Murong Xiaojun.

It is clear that if the Tang Dynasty were to launch a targeted attack on Tuyuhun's pastoral and grain-producing areas, it would be a fatal blow to Tuyuhun.

"Furthermore, I do not disagree with your claim that Tuyuhun has hundreds of thousands of archers, and I know that your Tuyuhun soldiers are very brave!"

Li Daliang continued, "However, you seem to have overlooked a fact: the combined population of all the prefectures of the Tang Dynasty is several times that of your Tuyuhun. Even the prefectures near your border have more people than you!"

"Perhaps we are slightly inferior to you in terms of military strength, but in terms of numbers, military equipment, and food reserves, you are inferior to us in every way. How can you fight us?"

Li Daliang's voice grew louder and louder, causing the Tuyuhun soldiers around him, as well as Tuoba Mi and Murong Xiaojun, to breathe rapidly.

There was no other way. If the Tang Dynasty and Tuyuhun were to really start a war, the Tang Dynasty would have too many advantages. Even in terms of numbers, the Tang Dynasty was no match for Tuyuhun.

However, Li Daliang did not finish his sentence.

Then he chuckled and reminded them, "And don't forget, right next to Tuyuhun is Tubo, who are eyeing your Tuyuhun territory with great interest!"

"Can you be sure that when you go to war with our Great Tang, they won't take advantage of the situation?"

"This one……"

Upon hearing this, Murong Xiaojun turned to look at Tuoba Mi.

Tuoba Mi retorted defiantly, "Only your Tang army would resort to such a sneak attack from behind. We Tuyuhun and Tubo have long since made peace and will not easily start a war!"

"Really?"

Cheng Gao raised an eyebrow with a smile, then said jokingly, "If we hadn't just received your intelligence, we would have almost believed it! You think you could keep the fact that you fought with Tibet over trade routes a while ago a secret from everyone?"

"This one……"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Mi was also speechless.

Because what Cheng Gao said was true; they did indeed have a conflict with Tibet some time ago.

Moreover, the newly risen Songtsen Gampo was very assertive, and even though Tuyuhun had won, they dared not easily start a large-scale war with Tibet.

"If that's the case, then it seems that things aren't peaceful around your Great Tang Dynasty either. You're currently at war with the Xueyantuo and also with Goguryeo. Are you planning to fight on three or four fronts?"

Murong Xiaojun suddenly seemed to remember something, and calmly mocked, "You all know better than anyone how the Sui Dynasty perished, after all, you were the ultimate winners!"

"Wow, you have such a good memory!"

Cheng Gao smiled and exchanged a glance with Li Daliang, then shook his head and said, "However, that was more than ten years ago. More than ten years ago, neither the Sui Dynasty nor our newly established Tang Dynasty had the ability to fight on multiple fronts, but things are different now!"

"Our Great Tang Dynasty produced an unparalleled crown prince who brought about many changes to our Great Tang. You must have heard of the firearms of our Great Tang, right? They are like divine weapons, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, conquering cities and fortresses—all within their grasp!"

"If you don't believe me, you can try it."

When Cheng Gao finished speaking, he was filled with immense pride and confidence.

Even the Liangzhou soldiers around them couldn't help but straighten their backs.

There was no way around it; Li Chengqian brought different changes to everyone in the Tang Dynasty.

You may not have met him, but you must have heard of his deeds; you may not have heard of his deeds, but you must have benefited from him; you may not have benefited from him, but you must have used his things.

From major aspects like clothing, food, housing, and transportation to minor details like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, almost every aspect bears the mark of Jiangling manufacturing.

Even the introductory reading materials for children or the new textbooks for adults preparing for the imperial examinations were all edited by people commissioned by Li Chengqian.

Not to mention the equipment used by the soldiers in battle, the Eastern Palace Private Weapon Workshop was the largest weapons production workshop besides the central government's weapon workshop.

Therefore, how could the people of the Tang Dynasty lack confidence if they had such a crown prince?
Faced with such confident Tang soldiers, even if Murong Xiaojun still wanted to argue, he didn't know how to continue the argument.

Not only was he rendered speechless by the confidence of the Tang soldiers, but even the Tuyuhun soldiers around him were demoralized.

If this dispute continues, more Tuyuhun soldiers will likely develop a fear of the Tang army.

This is definitely not a good sign for them.

Therefore, Murong Xiaojun nodded to Tuoba Mi without hesitation and ordered the troops to withdraw.

Not long after, the Tuyuhun soldiers who had come to question the Tang Dynasty with great momentum retreated in disgrace.

"Hey! Commander Li, what do they look like to me?"

Before the Tuyuhun soldiers had gone far, Cheng Gao suddenly asked another question in a loud voice.

Knowing that Cheng Gao was about to cause trouble, Li Daliang pretended to look out and then laughed loudly, "What I see is a pack of dogs!"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the entire audience burst into laughter.

Some busybodies immediately shouted, "Hey you, Mop, you better keep a close eye on things tonight! Those armies that raid your tribe love to hide during the day and come out at night!"

“Yeah, right! Don’t ask us how we know, because we also like to be nocturnal!” someone chimed in, not wanting to miss out on the fun.

"Hahaha!"

The surrounding area erupted in laughter again.

This is already a tacit admission that they attacked the Tuyuhun tribe, but even if they admit it, so what?
Given that your overall national strength is inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty, would you dare to wage a full-scale war against the Tang Dynasty?

The Tuyuhun soldiers expressed their true feelings through their actions. They came with their heads held high and left dejectedly, not even daring to respond to the Tang army's mockery.

"Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

When Cheng Gao and Li Daliang drew their swords, the surrounding soldiers also immediately drew their swords and shouted loudly.

This was a war without gunfire, but fortunately everyone withstood the pressure and accomplished a task that almost no one thought they could complete.

It was thanks to Li Chengqian's trust in them that they were able to hold their heads high in front of the Tuyuhun people.

It should be noted that in the past, when faced with raids by the Tuyuhun people, they were mostly powerless to stop them.

Even when the Tuyuhun people settled their tribes on the edge of their capital, they dared not launch a furious attack.

This was actually a strategic sacrifice by Li Er's court.

In order to deal with the Eastern Turks, the Tang Dynasty tried to ignore the harassment from the surrounding areas, which is why the soldiers and civilians on the border of the Tang Dynasty suffered in silence.

However, the Eastern Turks had been destroyed, and the Tang Dynasty was gradually becoming stronger, so they no longer had to swallow their anger.

"Hahaha! Cool!"

Li Daliang had never been so happy. He had hit someone, cursed at someone, and the other person didn't dare to utter a sound. It felt so good.

Just as Li Daliang was feeling triumphant and preparing to order the city gates closed, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the city, along with a loud shout of "His Majesty's decree! Open the city gates immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Li Daliang's laughter abruptly stopped, and then almost everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

His Majesty's decree?
Could something have happened on the Liaodong battlefield?!

(End of this chapter)