Qu Tutong and Shi Wanbao, who had seen something but were not in a hurry to express their opinions, nodded in unison at this time.
Shi Wanbao even stood up and cupped his hands and said: "I am willing to be a pioneer!"
Qu Tutong also wanted to volunteer, but he hesitated for a while and did not stand up.
He was probably still thinking about the war against the Turks and didn't want to waste his remaining energy now.
The reason why Li Shentong, Li Xiaogong, Qu Tutong, Shi Wanbao, Li Jing, Su Dingfang and others had this reaction after reading the things was because Tang Jian mentioned in the news that Liang Shidu was having trouble with Jie Li.
collapsed.
The cause was the abrupt battle before.
At that time, all Liang divisions were suddenly raided and their base was raided. Before the Battle of Xiaoguan was completely fought, he led his troops back to Shuofang City and did not participate in the subsequent battles.
When Jieli was doing his "post-war summary," he blamed part of the defeat on him and asked him to make certain compensation.
Can Master Liang agree to this?
The money and food he had accumulated over the years had been looted by Tudiji, and now he was so poor that he could only rely on exorbitant levies to maintain the normal expenses of his army.
How could he have any spare money and food to give to the Turks?
Then they fought with Jie Li, and they pushed out real fire. The two sides had a small-scale conflict at the intersection of Liang and Tu, and Liang Shidu actually won in the end.
This victory allowed Master Liang to see the current weakness of the Turks.
As a result, even Master Suigong Liang didn't want to pay, let alone compensation.
Currently, Jieli is planning how to teach Liang Shidu a lesson. Liang Shidu is actively expanding his troops and preparing to cut another piece of flesh from the Turks to strengthen his kingdom.
This is undoubtedly good news for Datang.
For the Tang Dynasty, this was also a God-given opportunity to conquer Liang Shidu.
That's why Li Shentong and others said this was good news, and Shi Wanbao even stepped forward to volunteer.
Although the Five-Year Plan of the Tang Dynasty had just begun to be implemented, many of the goals that needed to be achieved in the Five-Year Plan were far from being achieved, and the grain and grass stockpiled in Dingkou did not reach the desired number.
But in the face of this God-given opportunity, Datang could not remain indifferent to anything, otherwise it would be wasting the God-given opportunity.
"Shi Qing, please sit down first and then talk."
Li Yuanji waved his hand and motioned for Shi Wanbao to sit down first.
Shi Wanbao also knew that he could not eat hot tofu in a hurry, so he did not take the initiative to ask for help, but sat down obediently.
Li Yuanji continued: "As you dear friends have said, this time Jie Li and Master Liang are at odds with each other and are preparing to fight each other. This is indeed an opportunity for us, the Tang Dynasty.
If I, the Tang Dynasty, suddenly burst out from behind Liang Shidu when Jie Li and Liang Shidu were fighting each other, we would definitely gain something.
However, our Tang Dynasty is now in the stage of recuperation, and all the soldiers from various places have been sent back to the countryside by my uncle Wang, so our Tang Dynasty does not have many soldiers and horses at its disposal this time.
If you want to seize chestnuts from the fire and pacify Liang Shidu, you must come up with a safe method."
Li Gang pondered and glanced at Chen Shuda. Chen Shuda understood, raised his hands and said: "With the annual revenue of our Tang Dynasty in Taiyuan Prefecture and Hebei Province, we can barely support the needs of an army of 50,000. If there is more, we must come from other places."
The local government has requisitioned grain and grass."
"fifty thousand?"
Shi Wanbao patted the eucalyptus in front of him and said: "That's enough!"
Neither Li Shentong nor Li Xiaogong expressed their stance.
Because they know that it is impossible to send them to such a war, there is no need for them to fight.
After Li Jing thought about it for a while, he nodded and said, "If we can seize the right moment and suddenly attack when Jie Li and Master Liang are both in danger of killing each other, then 50,000 troops and horses will be enough."
After all, the Liang Kingdom, where Liang Shidu was built, was only that big. He had served as Jieli's vanguard many times before, and invaded the Tang Dynasty with Jieli. The number of Dingkou under his rule had dropped sharply to an extremely low number.
, there won’t be too many soldiers and horses that can be brought out.
Let alone 50,000 soldiers and horses, even if the Tang Dynasty sent 10,000 elite soldiers, they could still get a big advantage when Liang Shidu and Jie Li were in a fight.
The reason why 40,000 more troops and horses were sent was also to guard against Jie Li.
After all, Xie Li's most common method is to use a cannon to hit mosquitoes and use soldiers to crush the enemy's territory to destroy his opponents.
In the previous battle of Tangtu, Jieli was defeated and his prestige in the Turks declined somewhat, so Jieli will definitely use this battle to regain his lost prestige.
So Xie Li must win.
Therefore, Jie Li would send several times as many troops as Liang's capital to conquer Liang's capital.
During this process, if the Tang Dynasty suddenly jumped out and took advantage, there was a high chance that Jieli would turn around and deal with the Tang Dynasty after conquering Liang Shidu.
Therefore, Datang must prepare sufficient troops to deal with it.
It can be said that in this war, all the dangers that Datang had to face came from Jie Li, and Liang Shidu came second.
"I also think 50,000 troops are enough."
After Li Jing finished his statement, Su Dingfang followed up with his statement.
Others had no objections.
"Then fight?"
Li Yuanji asked with a smile.
Li Gang, Pei Ju, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda hesitated for a moment, then nodded in unison.
Li Shentong, Li Xiaogong and others excitedly slapped the table and shouted: "Fight!"
The matter of using troops against Master Liang was thus decided.
The number of soldiers and horses was also determined.
What remains is the question of who to send and who to take command.
Li Yuanji did not have the "Sacred Heart" to be arbitrary, but adopted a very democratic approach and asked for everyone's opinions.
"Then, dear friends, who do you think is appropriate to take charge?"
Shi Wanbao subconsciously puffed up his chest, but when his eyes fell on Li Jing and Su Dingfang, he shrank back.
He has the ability and qualifications to lead, but he does not have the energy to lead.
It is not that easy to be the commander of an army. Not only must he keep an eye on all the changes on the battlefield, but he must also constantly make adjustments and make deployments based on these changes. When necessary, he must constantly travel to various places.
On the battlefield, go and supervise the battle in person.
He can still be satisfied with the first two points, but he really can't handle the latter point.
Li Xiaogong said slowly at this time: "I recommend Su Dingfang to take charge!"
He and Su Dingfang planned the reselling of water and sea transportation tickets together, and now they have a close relationship. When he himself was unable to take charge of the expedition, he recommended Su Dingfang.
Li Shentong glanced at Li Xiaogong without any trace, and the old god said calmly: "I recommend Xie Shufang!"
If this kind of planning is done well, it's like taking credit for merit. Of course he will recommend his son-in-law.
He glanced at Li Xiaogong, also blaming Li Xiaogong for not recommending one of his own, but instead recommending an outsider.
After much hesitation, Qu Tutong also gave a candidate, "I recommend Li Shiji!"
Compared with Su Dingfang and Xie Shufang, he preferred Li Shiji.
Because he had communicated with Li Shiji before and was very convinced of Li Shiji's military tactics.
In addition, after Li Shiji joined the Tang Dynasty, he has been traveling in Taiyuan Prefecture, Duji Road, Hebei Province and other places. He not only helped the Tang Dynasty conquer Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande and others, but also helped the Tang Dynasty resist the Turks. He had rich experience in fighting against the Turks.
Surprise combat experience.
It would be safer if Li Shiji was in charge.
Shi Wanbao didn't have a good impression of Li Shiji. Although the government and the public praised Li Shiji as a model of benevolence and righteousness, he always felt that Li Shiji's benevolence and righteousness were a bit fake, as if he was specially made for everyone to see.
】
So when he himself could not take charge, he recommended Su Dingfang without hesitation.
"I recommend Su Dingfang!"
Compared to Xie Shufang, who is already related to the royal family, he prefers to cooperate with Su Dingfang, who has a pure relationship.
It's not that he has any objections to the royal family and doesn't like people who are related to the royal family.
But he felt that those who were relatives would almost never end well, so it was better to have less contact with them.
"I also recommend Su Dingfang!"
Surprisingly, Li Jing also voted for Su Dingfang.
Su Dingfang was very grateful to Li Jing at first, but after he understood the connection, his eyes on Li Jing became complicated.
The reason why Li Jing recommended him was not because of his ability, nor because he wanted to have any friendship with him.
Li Jing was purely trying to deal with his competitors and sell him personal favors.
When the Tang Dynasty turned back to conquer the Turks, he would no longer be able to compete with Li Jing for the commander-in-chief position. He would have to vote for Li Jing when Li Jing competed with others for the commander-in-chief position.
"I also recommend myself!"
Su Dingfang recommended himself with complicated feelings.
Although he had long known that he had no part in the war against the Turks, he was still a little unwilling to do so.
Especially after being tricked by Li Jing, I became even more unwilling.
"I also recommend Su Dingfang!"
Li Gang, Pei Ju, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda exchanged glances with each other. Seeing that Su Dingfang had the most votes and was recognized by Shi Wanbao, who volunteered to be a pioneer, they immediately recommended Su Dingfang.
As soon as the four of them opened their mouths, Su Dingfang defeated all his opponents with an overwhelming advantage and became the number one among all competitors.
The reason why he hasn't won the position of commander-in-chief yet is because Li Yuanji hasn't been certified yet.
It is one thing for Li Shentong, Li Gang and others to recommend candidates, but another matter whether Li Yuanji uses them or not.
If Li Yuanji doesn't use it, even if Su Dingfang gets everyone's support, it will be useless.
However, no matter what, Su Dingfang was still his favorite general. Since he had the support of most people, there was no reason why Li Yuanji would not use it.
Li Yuanji immediately said: "Since all the beloved ministers trust Su Dingfang and elect him as commander, then Su Dingfang should be in charge of the war against Liang Shidu.
As for the commander-in-chief of the front army, Hou Junji will be in charge, Li Daozong will be the commander-in-chief of the left army, Xie Shufang will be the commander-in-chief of the right army, and Shi Aiqing will be the commander-in-chief of the rear army.
The army commanders are Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Fan Shixing and Li Junxian."
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall looked stunned.
This configuration is a bit confusing.
The arrangement of the marching commander is reasonable, but the arrangement of the army commander is a bit confusing.
These people all came from Li Shimin's sect and were among the princes of the country. Each of them was more qualified to be the military commander than Hou Junji, but now they were all assigned to the position of army commander.
No one in the palace could guess what the purpose of such an arrangement was.