Chapter 623 The King of Jin conferred the title of Crown Prince
In the study room.
The three of them stared at the map in silence for a long time, each with their own thoughts.
After a while, Li Jing suddenly said: "My dear nephew, if you lead the army, how do you plan to break the situation?"
"Zhangye County is the top priority. Once Tubo succeeds, it will definitely defend it. It will be a protracted war. The imperial court can use troops in three directions, attack Zhangye County all the way, entangle a large number of Tibetan troops, and send troops all the way from Minzhou to set up a posture.
Fighting in the field with Tubo, it looks like a decisive battle, but in fact it is to entangle the enemy, and then send a large army from Yazhou, Jiannan Road, to attack the Tubo royal city, forming a three-pronged attack pattern from the top, middle and bottom."
Li Jing was proficient in military affairs, and knew everything about it. He looked at Zhangye County on the upper road, and followed the border down to Minzhou in the middle. Normally, Zhangye County feigned an attack, and Minzhou put on a decisive battle posture, seemingly attacking in the east and attacking in the west.
Tubo thought that with these two axes, the killing move would be at Yazhou at the bottom.
Yazhou is Ya'an, Sichuan in later generations. It is relatively close to the Tubo Royal City. This is called going straight to Huanglong.
The Tang army did not lack troops, so attacking on mountain roads was not a big problem.
But there is a shortage of generals. Who will lead the three armies?
Li Jing thought with some embarrassment. Fang Xuanling also realized this problem and asked in a low voice: "A three-pronged attack is good, but the troops are scattered and it is difficult for the general to seal it. Can the states in the west withdraw their forces and concentrate their forces to attack Zhangye and succeed?"
Then go south, attack Tuyuhun City, and drive the Tubo back?"
"That is exactly what Tubo meant." Qin Huaidao reminded.
"Yes, Tubo is eager for the Tang army to fight them in Zhangye County. The distance here is long and the Tang army's logistics cannot keep up. In addition, the land is sparsely populated and the products are poor. In the past, feeding the army was a problem, but the Tubo army did not have a big problem. They have
The entire Tuyuhun supported it, but it eventually turned into a war of attrition. As time goes by, the Turks may come over and the situation will become even more corrupt." Li Jing agreed.
Fang Xuanling stopped talking and frowned.
Qin Huaidao was also worried about Turks, but Hanzhou was not afraid. He was guarded by Xue Rengui, Luo Tong and Su Dingfang, all of whom were famous generals throughout the ages. But Guo Xiaoke in the north was different. If the Turks attacked from Xizhou and avoided Hanzhou in the south, they would go eastward.
That's a big deal.
However, there is no point in rushing. It still depends on the decision of the court.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Huaidao said: "It is very possible for Tubo and Turks to cooperate. Let the decision be left to the court. I have other things to deal with, so I won't accompany you."
The two of them heard that this was an eviction order and did not want to stay any longer.
After sending the two people out of the gate and leaving, Qin Huaidao hurried to the backyard, found He'er and Li Xueyan, and warned: "Tubo sent troops, Longyou Road was in chaos. Send an order to Hanzhou to let everyone be careful of Turks."
"I'm going to deliver the message right away." Li Xueyan hurried away.
"I'll give you a list, purchase a large amount of supplies, and be ready to go."
"When are you leaving?" He'er asked.
Qin Huaidao calculated carefully and said in a low voice: "The imperial court will send troops to Longyou Road in the near future. The situation is still unclear, and I have too many entourage and supplies, so it is not safe on the road. I still have some things to deal with here. In a month's time
Let’s set off, but the date cannot be leaked, as long as you know it.”
"Understood!" He'er solemnly agreed.
One month is enough to produce a batch of shells for grenades.
The new recruits over at Chashan have only just been trained, so it will take time.
After a while, Qin Huaidao wrote a long list and gave it to He'er. After giving some instructions, he went back to the workshop again. Soon, the sound of ping-ping-pong-pong-pong-pong was heard again.
Time passed quietly in the intense preparations, and no one even mentioned the wedding.
Luo Zhang was also arranged to go to Chashan to train new soldiers, and the wedding was postponed. Li Daozong was not angry after learning the inside story, and secretly arranged for the family to make preparations in advance.
Three days later, the imperial army set out, led by the veteran general Zhi Huansi Li, and led 10,000 forbidden troops to attack Longyou Road. Qin Huaidao learned that the imperial court did not adopt his suggestion of a three-pronged march, and chose to start the war on two routes, with Xue Wanche on the other route.
Take responsibility and send troops from Minzhou.
In this regard, Qin Huaidao could only secretly say that it was a pity. Without a third-line decisive blow, how could Tubo shrink its troops and return reinforcements? Without withdrawing their troops, the two sides were engaged in a war of attrition, and it was unclear who would win.
However, Qin Huaidao did not intend to interfere with the court's decision and worked day and night to make cannonballs.
Ten days later, Tianwang spies came with news that Tubo was madly attacking Zhangye County, and the imperial reinforcements were speeding up to support them. They were attacked by an ambush and suffered heavy losses. They had to stop the attack. No one knew where the ambush came from. Qin Huaidao listened.
I was a little shocked when I heard the news, but I quickly thought of Wuwei County.
At that time, Li Jing and Fang Xuanling came to visit and said that Tubo suddenly sent troops to capture the humble Wuwei County. Didn't you understand the intention? Now it suddenly became clear that it would be convenient to send troops from Wuwei County to the north to ambush the imperial reinforcements.
News of the ambush of the imperial reinforcements spread back to Chang'an, shaking the imperial court and making the people angry.
The enthusiasm and warlikeness of the Tang people were activated. They walked out of their homes one after another, inquired about each other's situation, and questioned why the imperial court did not send the King of Han to the expedition. All kinds of documents flew into the palace like snowflakes.
Li Er had some words of distress, but his kind words suppressed his emotions, while he dispatched his troops and redeployed them.
Ten days later, the imperial reinforcements arrived in Zhangye County and fought for a day with the Tibetan army, which was waiting for work. Each suffered losses, but the Tubo army relied on the advantage of the city and its losses were much less than those of the imperial court.
A terrible news came to Chang'an along with the military report. The Tibetan troops stationed in Zhangye County were as high as 100,000. Everyone was shocked by this news. It was a full 100,000, not 10,000, and they still occupied the city. This
This means that the Tang army cannot win without more than 200,000 troops.
The daily consumption of 200,000 soldiers eating horse chews is an astronomical figure, and it requires a huge logistics army to guarantee it. Zhangye County is a long way away, and including the consumption on the escort road, more food and grass are needed.
For a time, the court was gloomy and gloomy!
In the past two years, the imperial court has not used troops to conquer Goguryeo, destroy Tubo, and quell the rebellion. Which battle was not huge? But in each battle, Qin Huaidao led a small number of soldiers and horses to support the war. The court was unscathed and almost no logistics were needed.
When all the officials are worried, that is called comfort.
It’s different now, many people are beginning to miss the King of Han!
Manna Hall.
The pressure on Li Er is increasing, and his eyes are red as he stares at the map. He has not rested for several nights. His body has not recovered and is getting worse now. But he clenches his teeth and holds on, not letting himself fall. Hearing
There was a sound of footsteps behind me, and I turned around to see it was Li Zhi, who continued to look at the map with his head buried in the ground.
"Father, my son deserves to die, I can't share my father's worries," Li Zhi said with a face full of pain.
"You have never commanded a war. I don't blame you. Why are you here?" Li Er asked without looking back.
Li Zhi hesitated for a moment, then said: "Father, how about... let the King of Han come?"
Li Er was stunned for a moment, then slowly turned back to look at Li Zhi with a question in his eyes.
Li Zhi quickly explained: "I don't want my father to work so hard. I heard that my father didn't sleep all night again. What should I do if this continues? I feel heartbroken when I see him."
"Have you thought about the consequences?" Li Er asked coldly.
"I have thought that the King of Han's ambition is in the Western Regions. I think that the King of Han can be allowed to go on an expedition. As long as the Tubo is defeated and the danger of the Longyou Road is resolved, at worst, he will make an agreement with the King of Han to use Yumen Pass as the boundary, and all the land in the Western Regions west of Yumen Pass will be returned.
King of Han, Edom belongs to me, the Tang Dynasty, and I am a country of brothers. If the emperor Yuzhang marries her, my sons and the King of Han will be considered brothers. In the country of brothers, no one can make irresponsible remarks."
Li Er frowned: "Aren't you afraid of the future?"
"Things to come will be discussed in the future. I wonder whether I have more officials than the King of Han, but there are many civil servants and military generals in the court. As long as I manage it properly, I will not be without the strength to fight in the future. For the sake of the royal family's hegemony, I will not be afraid of any challenges and difficulties.
." Li Zhi said solemnly.
A sharp, confident, and domineering momentum suddenly broke out.
"Hahaha, good, he is indeed my son!" Li Er was overjoyed when he saw Li Zhi's confident momentum. A king should be fearless in challenges. Who else is more domineering than me? He was greatly relieved and said with a smile: "
I am very relieved that my son has finally grown up. From today on, he will study politics with me. Someone—"
"Old slave is here!" Wang De hurriedly came in.
"Draft a decree to make King Li Zhi of Jin the crown prince."
"Follow the order!"
Wang De hurriedly ran to draw up the decree. He was shocked in his heart. Will the crown prince's position, which has been vacant for a long time, finally be settled? The situation in the court may have changed again. He quickly found his confidants to give some advice and ordered him to inform the King of Han.