The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Chen Huai'an, who was happily eating pastries, was taken aback. Facing the gazes of everyone, he hesitated for a moment and said:

"I heard everything you just said, but there's something I'm not sure if I should say it."

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Huai'an, everyone here is one of us, there are no outsiders. Just say what you want to say."

Fang Xuanling chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Chen, you should just say what you mean, just like when you said the Turks would definitely attack."

"His Highness won't blame me for anything."

Chen Huai'an nodded: "Then I'll be frank, don't try to create an opportunity to besiege the Turks, it's probably a waste of effort."

"Don't even think about letting Li Jing and others lead the main force of the Tang army back, firstly because doing so would be too risky."

"Secondly, Li Jing and others are far away on the border, and it would take too long for them to lead the army back to provide reinforcements; if they try to besiege the Turks, we must hold them firmly and not let them go."

"With 30,000 troops, it would be quite an achievement to hold back the Turkic advance; thinking about these things is completely pointless."

"Why?" Yuchi Gong asked, puzzled. "If we inform Li Jing beforehand and let him see the Turkic attack, he can immediately return to reinforce. Even if the Turkic cavalry marches faster, we won't have to hold out for too long, right?"

"We can hold out for another two weeks."

"Could it be that Li Jing's army will return more than half a month later than the Turks'?"

"Yes," Cheng Yaojin also felt puzzled, "It would be a pity to miss such a good opportunity."

"We can take advantage of this opportunity to lure them into a trap and severely cripple the main force of the Turks. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Chen Huai'an shook his head: "You are experts in warfare. Logically speaking, I, an outsider, should not interfere, especially since I have never been on the battlefield."

"Although I don't understand warfare, I do understand one principle."

Chen Huai'an said quietly, "Li Jing is a man of our Great Tang, and the soldiers he led are also people of our Great Tang. On their way back to provide reinforcements, they tread on the territory of our Great Tang and encounter people who are all citizens of our Great Tang."

"He was going to lead the main force of the Tang army back to reinforce. Putting aside when he received the news, he had to prepare a series of marching issues in advance. Food, routes, everything had to be arranged in advance and all of them had to be brought along."

"And what about the Turks?"

"They don't actually need to bring anything."

"Because their purpose in this attack is to plunder!"

"Just burn, kill, and loot along the way; don't worry about anything."

"How could Li Jing possibly keep up with them?"

The room fell silent immediately after he said that.

Some people open their mouths to speak, but after a long time, they can't think of any rebuttal.

This is cruel, and it's also very real.

Wei Zheng sighed, "Think of Huo Qubing, the Marquis of Champion in the past. Wasn't he just like that? He fought for six days, penetrating more than a thousand miles into enemy territory, without any supplies or baggage. He fought his way through, eating whatever he could find."

"This is what created the legend of Huo Qubing's unparalleled bravery in the army."

Chen Huai'an added, "Furthermore, the Turks also had Liang Shidu to guide them..."

Everyone was completely speechless.

Yuchi Gong sighed, "What a pity."

Clearly, Chen Huai'an's words convinced him.

Li Shimin frowned: "So, Huai'an, you don't agree with recalling Li Jing and the others, and you're only obstructing and forcing them to retreat?"

Chen Huai'an frankly replied, "Your Highness, I do not agree."

"Because mobilizing Li Jing is too risky. After all, we cannot let Li Jing leave with his troops in advance. Otherwise, if the Turks receive the news and abandon their attack on Chang'an, they will instead attack the border guarded by Li Jing and others. We cannot bear the consequences."

"If the Turks attack first, Li Jing will definitely receive the news much later, and by the time he leads his troops back to reinforce, he will not be able to keep up with the Turkic army."

"Even if we're lucky and Li Jing returns to reinforce us in time, how much fighting strength will the main force of the Tang army, after its long march, still have left?"

"If the Turks break out with all their might, it's hard to say who will be severely injured when the exhausted Tang army faces the already fierce Turkic army."

"The best way is to create the illusion that Li Jing and other border generals are leading troops back to reinforce, sow discord between Jieli and Tuli, prevent them from being of one mind, and then choose a suitable opportunity to have the Mo Dao team ambush the Turkic army."

"Unless the enemy has completely advanced to the vicinity of Chang'an, we will not engage in direct confrontation, but will only wage guerrilla warfare and harass the enemy."

"With Li Jing and others as a deterrent, the Turks would definitely not dare to stay long, because they were also worried about being surrounded."

"..."

The Xiande Hall fell silent for a moment, and Li Shimin sighed, "Huai'an shares the same thought as me."

"We cannot be greedy and try to cripple the Turks, otherwise it could lead to an even worse situation, a risk we cannot afford."

"The situation is much better now. At least with 5,000 Mo Dao troops, 10,000 cavalry, and 15,000 infantry, we have enough power to force the Turks to retreat."

"Compared to before, this is much better, isn't it?"

Changsun Wuji hesitated, then said helplessly, "It is indeed already very good."

Honest advice is hard to hear, but it is beneficial to action.

"Your Highness, Mr. Chen is right."

"We will have plenty of opportunities in the future. There is no need to take such a big risk and gamble on an uncertain opportunity for a major blow."

Fang Xuanling pondered and said, "Since we are not considering besieging the Turks and taking this opportunity to severely damage them, things will be much easier."

"It would be much simpler to take advantage of the Turks' reluctance to linger and force them to retreat."

Seeing that the two of them had said this, the others had no objections and almost all agreed.

Li Shimin closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again: "Then let's decide on this. We'll discuss in detail how to stop them later, and try to perfect every detail."

"Now, there's something even more important!"

When they first heard this, everyone was puzzled, wondering what could be more important than the Turks.

But it wasn't long before some people realized what was happening, and they all showed expressions of ecstasy!

"Your Highness means..." Yuchi Gong asked, his breathing rapid.

Li Shimin nodded, trying his best to remain calm: "It's just as you think. It's already August, the time is right!"

He had been waiting for this day for a long time!

Inside the hall, almost everyone became excited, except for Wei Zheng and Chen Huai'an, who were not so excited.

Wei Zheng's face was full of complex emotions, as if he was thinking about something.

Chen Huai'an sighed with regret.

He naturally knew what Li Shimin was saying.

It's August.

A new emperor will be enthroned.

A glorious era is about to begin.

"......"