In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

With her ruthless wisdom and Su Gui's abilities, plus the Han Prince's mansion's resources, they should be able to handle all problems except for annihilation.

This seems unnecessary now, but Li Yuanchang knew that once Goguryeo was conquered, he might turn against Li Shimin.

May 11th.

Li Yuanchang was about to depart for Goguryeo and began to bid farewell to his old friends.

The reason he made a special farewell was because he didn't know how long it would take to get back from this trip, or what the situation would be like when he returned.

His grudges and conflicts with Changsun Wuji, the Guanlong Group behind him, and even the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families were only temporarily overshadowed by the Goguryeo war, not disappeared.

Most importantly, Li Shimin was nearing his end, and in his later years he had already begun to think about paving the way for Li Zhi.

As Li Shimin's uncle, leader of the Guanlong Group, and an absolute veteran, Changsun Wuji became his choice.

In other words, Li Yuanchang was a pawn to be discarded, and the one most suspected.

He successively visited a large number of veteran officials from the Zhenguan era with whom he had a good relationship, including Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, and Fang Xuanling.

Almost everyone was worried and told him to be careful.

Considering the broader historical context, the probability of Li Yuanchang's expedition being a near-certain death with a slim chance of victory out of nine losses was extremely low.

The last person we visited was the military genius Li Jing!

Li Yuanchang was hesitant about whether to go or not, since his relationship with Li Jing was at most that of nodding acquaintances; they had met a few times but rarely spoke.

Moreover, Li Jing had long since secluded himself from receiving guests, claiming to be recuperating from illness for many years.

But in the end, he still decided to visit this legendary figure in the Tang Dynasty's military, a man even Li Shimin didn't trust.

If the other party doesn't show up, then so be it.

However, when Li Yuanchang arrived at the Duke of Wei's mansion, it went surprisingly smoothly, making him one of only two people in many years to be able to enter the Duke of Wei's mansion.

The last person to be received was the deceased Hou Junji, but Hou Junji had come to study military strategy on imperial orders, not because Li Jing had actively sought to see him.

In other words, Li Yuanchang arrived discreetly. If outsiders had known that Li Yuanchang had entered the Duke of Wei's mansion, it would have certainly caused a great deal of discussion in the court and among the people.

After all, Li Jing was too ruthless to himself. Even when old friends came to visit, he refused to see them, prioritizing self-preservation to the extreme.

After passing through the quiet front yard, Li Yuanchang was led to a bamboo grove at the deepest part of the mansion.

There are hardly any servants here, nor are there any grand or magnificent pavilions; it's more like a large, quiet manor.

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

Li Yuanchang looked in that direction and saw an old man sitting cross-legged in the deep bamboo forest. It was none other than Li Jing!

He sat on the ground, his back hunched, wearing a rough hemp garment, weaving some bamboo baskets.

Li Yuanchang exclaimed, "Who would believe that this is Li Jing, the God of War, the ruthless man who commanded thousands of troops and treated nomadic tribes like human machines?"

"Duke Wei!"

He bowed.

Li Jing turned around and smiled, but didn't say anything; he just waved.

Li Yuanchang walked over across the damp grass and sat down opposite Li Jing.

The bamboo forest was very cool and quiet, which instantly calmed Li Yuanchang's mind.

"Your Highness, are we about to set off?" Li Jing asked, fiddling with his basket.

I must say, this basket is extremely well-made.

Li Yuanchang nodded: "We're about to set off. I've come to pay my respects to you seniors, firstly to say goodbye, and secondly to learn from your experience."

Li Jing chuckled and said, "Does Your Highness, the Prince of Han, not know that coming to this old man to seek scriptures requires an imperial decree?"

Li Yuanchang chuckled to himself.

"Lord Wei, I was being presumptuous."

"I dare not presume to possess the military strategies of Duke Wei, but I am quite interested in his views on Goguryeo."

When the topic of Goguryeo came up, Li Jing frowned, but did not hesitate to tell the truth: "When His Majesty personally led the expedition, although I went with the army, I was actually left behind due to illness and did not go to the front line or participate in the command."

"But later, when His Majesty withdrew his troops, he came to me, hoping that I could deduce the outcome of the war and where he lost."

"I have carefully reviewed all the major and minor battles fought by Goguryeo, and through word of mouth among the soldiers, I have gained a general understanding of the Goguryeo army."

As he spoke, his eyes turned sinister: "Your Highness, you'd better be careful."

Li Yuanchang was solemn. Seeing that the other party was willing to talk to him, he humbly asked for advice.

After all, even if gunpowder were produced, it would still require human control, and the initial quantity would likely not be sufficient for saturation. It would probably still require coordinated military operations.

"Lord Wei, I would like to hear the details."

When Li Jing talked about military affairs, his entire demeanor changed immediately. Although he remained reserved, he gave people the feeling of an insurmountable Five Finger Mountain.

"Goguryeo's core fighting force can be roughly divided into three parts."

"First, there are five thousand heavily armored cavalrymen from Goguryeo. Both men and horses are fully equipped, and when they move out, the earth shatters."

"Secondly, Goguryeo's numerous mountain fortresses built along mountains and rivers could drag the enemy into an endless war of attrition, ultimately wearing them down through logistics and weather."

"Thirdly, the flexible tactics of some famous generals of Goguryeo, such as luring the enemy deep into their territory, ambushing them from strategic locations, and following them in for surprise attacks, were all tactics they excelled at."

"The most notable among them is Kim Min-dae, the first general of Goguryeo and the lord of Ansi Fortress. He was the one who kept His Majesty's hundreds of thousands of troops out of the city and forced His Majesty to retreat by using the weather and logistics."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang kept it in mind, and his expression became even more solemn.

The message was brief and to the point; some he knew, and some he didn't.

But the fact that Li Jing said it was enough to show how powerful Goguryeo was.

While it's a joke about the Koreans, Goguryeo during this period was indeed capable; otherwise, the Sui and Tang dynasties wouldn't have fought so many times before finally destroying it.

Even with advantages from terrain and weather, it still depends on your own ability.

"However, after His Majesty's attack last time, Your Highness's chances have indeed increased considerably. Goguryeo, which has been severely weakened, is certainly not as difficult to defeat as before. This is one of the few advantages you have."

Li Yuanchang nodded, then suddenly asked curiously.

"Lord Wei, if you had been in command, what do you think the chances of victory would have been?"

Li Jing was taken aback, his hand paused, not expecting Li Yuanchang to ask so directly. Then he smiled bitterly: "I'm old and don't have much time left. If I had insisted on leading the troops back then, I probably would have died in Goguryeo."

He didn't answer directly, and Li Yuanchang realized that the question had been asked without thinking.

If Li Shimin couldn't win, how could Li Jing dare to claim his own chances of victory?

"Lord Wei, please forgive me."

Li Jing waved his hand dismissively, showing great magnanimity. He was already over seventy years old and no longer cared about such things.

"Your Highness, please come with me." With that, he stood up.

"Okay." Li Yuanchang helped him up and walked behind him.

His illness didn't seem to be feigned; he genuinely walked unsteadily and even had trouble breathing.