Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 2650 Please stand in line
Li Chengqian pondered for a while.

This sounded like it was for my own sake, but in the end I made wedding clothes for others after spending all my time for free. It is inevitable that there is a feeling of sowing discord...

However, Li Ji has always loved Fang Jun and treated him like a nephew. Moreover, this time he entered the Ministry of Civil Affairs to lay a solid foundation for his position. They all showed support for him, so what is his intention in saying these words at this time?
Li Chengqian couldn't figure it out, so he had to say: "Don't worry about the British public. The reason why I want to settle in the Ministry of Civil Affairs this time is not because I value the wealth of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and easy to achieve results, but because I have the confidence to reform the Ministry of Civil Affairs so that It will truly become the core center of our Great Tang, and it will become the solid backing of millions of troops, and it may even become an important supplement to the army."

Li Ji raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "How do you say that?"

"The first step is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the army, and the next is to attack the city. Therefore, those who use soldiers well will subdue the enemy's army instead of fighting, pull out the people's city instead of attacking it, and destroy the people's country instead of long time. It is necessary to fight for the world with the whole, so the army can be full without stopping, and this is the method of planning an attack."

"..."

Li Ji was at a loss.

Lao Tzu has never been defeated in battles all his life. No matter in theory or in practice, there are few people in the world who can match him. Don’t you feel like you are playing tricks when you recite a passage of "Sun Tzu's Art of War"?

He stroked his beard and felt that the crown prince was not such an ordinary person. After thinking about it, he didn't understand it, so he could only ask humbly: "I have fought all my life, so I naturally know how to use troops, but I don't know what your highness said at this moment in "The Art of War". Essence, what do you mean?"

Li Chengqian straightened his back, feeling a little proud in his heart.

This man in front of him is one of the most famous "Military Gods" in the Tang Dynasty. In terms of record, he is not inferior to Li Jing.But even such a famous general who uses soldiers like a god, but when he asks himself for advice...

He recounted the words he heard from Fang Jun: "For example, the emperor's eastward expedition to Goguryeo this time seems to be very powerful. Millions of troops marched eastward, which is enough to completely destroy all the resistance of Goguryeo. He has fallen behind. Now that the elites of the Tang Dynasty are fighting in Liaodong, they have put great pressure on Goguryeo and made the people of the ruling and opposition parties panic. In fact, it has also made all Goguryeo people united and determined to die. The so-called favorable time, place and people are harmonious Tang did not take advantage of it. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty used the power of the whole country to conquer Goguryeo, and there were many soldiers and generals with sufficient equipment, but they failed in the end. This is the reason."

Li Ji nodded again and again, appreciating: "Your Highness has never led an army, but he can understand the essence of using an army. I admire him very much. But what does this have to do with the Ministry of Civil Affairs? Well, it can't replace the soldiers to charge into the battle and attack the city."

Li Chengqian held the pot with his own hands, poured tea for Li Ji, and said with a smile: "In fact, the so-called war is not only about good soldiers and commanding against the enemy, but also about logistics and morale. Can the British agree with this?"

Li Ji thanked him first, then nodded and said, "It's only natural."

Li Chengqian raised his hand to signal Li Ji to drink tea, took a sip from the teacup himself, and said: "This time the Eastern Expedition, the father is determined, and hopes to destroy Goguryeo quickly and completely with the momentum of thunder. , so as to ensure that this battle is safe. However, if we can make more preparations before the war, first disrupt the economy of Goguryeo, make its taxes wither, and raise the price of food, which will cause the price of food in Baekje, Silla, Japan and other countries to skyrocket. Goguryeo is a bitter and cold place, and its production areas are all bordering on the Tang Dynasty. The frontline troops can send cavalry to harass its fertile fields. In this case, the domestic grain production is insufficient, and foreign grains cannot be bought. Goguryeo can be trapped inside and outside within two years at most. Farmers There are many complaints and the morale of the army is low. At that time, if our Tang Dynasty will drive straight in with the king's division, Goguryeo will not be able to organize a tenacious resistance. It only needs a few battles to quickly destroy the morale of its army. If it is a mob, the Tang Dynasty will not only be able to destroy Goguryeo faster, but also pay a much smaller price."

Li Ji drank his tea quietly and listened to Li Chengqian's advice, but his heart felt like a stormy sea.

From ancient times to the present, war has been a simple and crude game. In ancient times, even the two warring parties had to agree on the time and place, and the outcome of the battle was determined in a dignified manner.Later, Duke Wen of Jin began to "retreat from three homes", and the focus of the war began to shift to strategy, and more battles with fewer victories and more battles appeared one by one.

However, from the beginning to the end, the war took place on the battlefield, and some "counter-indirect tactics" and other conspiracies and tricks have been played against the sky, but there has never been a war in a "systematic" way, as Li Chengqian said. way to show.

Even a few years before the start of the war, various preparations were made, using economic means to destroy the enemy's taxation and food collection channels, causing its morale to be low and food and fodder to be lacking. It is always difficult for a strong army to exert its combat capabilities. Start waging war.

It seems that the war has become a formality, because the outcome of the war has been settled before the war, and the army is dispatched just to start the war, almost to accept the results of the battle...

With Datang's current financial strength at its peak, coupled with the strength of the army, if it is possible to start a war with this kind of tactics, how can there be any country that can resist?
Suddenly, Li Ji thought of the highland barley wine that is popular in Tubo now...

Li Ji put down his wine glass, looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, forgive me for speaking bluntly, did your theory come from Fang Jun?"

Li Chengqian: "..."

Some embarrassment, wanted to make a fool of himself but was seen through in person.

However, he is not a person without courage, he was just embarrassed when he heard the words, and then he smiled and said: "What the British official said is true, Fang Shaobao and Gu talked about the battle of Goguryeo before, and said such words. Made the British public laugh."

Li Jidao: "Fang Shaobao is really a god! If in the future, our Tang Dynasty can use this kind of tactics to deal with the barbarians of foreign countries, relying on strong financial and material resources, we will have already manipulated the enemy's country in the palm of our hands before the battle, and supplemented by With a powerful army, what other country can match it?"

After a pause, he asked again: "His Royal Highness also wants to join the Minbu, and then use such tactics to deal with Goguryeo?"

Li Chengqian put down the teacup in his hand, sighed, shook his head and said, "How is it possible? When Fang Shaobao and Gu Yan talked about these tactics, they made it clear that they should not act too hastily. These tactics seem hopeless and unfavorable, but in fact they also have weaknesses. Then It is time-consuming. It requires a detailed investigation and analysis of the economy of many empires in advance, and then prescribe the right medicine to achieve the goal subtly. Now the father is bound to win Goguryeo, and the situation does not allow the hundreds of thousands of troops in Liaodong to delay. Go on, so the battle of Liaodong can only be head-to-head."

Li Ji was silent.

Even if the tactics proposed by the crown prince can greatly reduce the casualties of soldiers, but His Majesty Li Er's ambitions are well known to the government and the public, how can he be willing to wait any longer?

Furthermore, what the prince said is true. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in Liaodong have been waiting for a year. If they continue to station in Liaodong, I am afraid that there will be no need for war. The huge daily consumption is enough to drag down the empire. Soldiers come from all over the world, leaving home for a long time will inevitably lead to fluctuating morale, low morale, and the combat effectiveness will drop by more than one level...

After a moment of silence, Li Ji asked: "Your Majesty's thoughts, I understand, but there is something I don't understand, you can go to His Majesty and ask to join the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Your Majesty will not be embarrassed. Why do you need me to come forward?"

He, Li Ji, is not only a symbol of the military, but also the head of the prime minister, with an unparalleled political status, he can be said to be under one person and above ten thousand people.A person with such a banner like him must not express his position in a leisurely manner, otherwise it will definitely cause shocks in the government and the public, so even though he and the Shandong family behind him tend to support the prince, they have never made it clear from the beginning to the end.

This is also the reason why His Majesty Li Er still trusts him even though he has many dissatisfaction with him.

But if he took the initiative to propose to His Majesty Li Er that the crown prince enter the Ministry of Civil Affairs and promote a series of reforms to consolidate the reserve position, how would His Majesty Li Er react?
It is not certain that he will be removed from office, but it is very possible to reject his offer.

Most importantly, Li Ji didn't want to make his position too clear...

However, what Li Chengqian thought in his heart was exactly Li Ji's concern, which was to force him to stand in line.

(End of this chapter)