Li Shimin looked at them and said, "The reason I called you here today is because my people have developed gunpowder. Even Du Qi's explosive weapons, our Tang dynasty has them now. We have Du Qi's weapons. So now, our Tang dynasty no longer needs to fear Du Qi's weapons. "
Li Shimin was extremely confident when he said these words, and he even felt a sense of exaltation.
This feels great!
After Li Shimin finished speaking, he paused for a moment before continuing, "The reason I called you here today is to discuss the strategy of dispatching troops. Now that our strength has increased greatly, we have the conditions to dispatch troops. Do you have any suggestions on this, or do you think there's anything wrong with it? "
Zhangsun Wuji immediately said, "Your Majesty, I think we can immediately dispatch troops to the west. After all, we already have weapons now, which means we have the advantage. "
Wei Zheng said, "Your Majesty, once the war starts, it will be out of control."
Fang Xuanling said, "I don't object to starting a war. But I think that no matter what, we should be well-prepared and not be rash. "
Li Shimin listened to their words and nodded. However, he didn't immediately come to a conclusion. Instead, he looked at Li Jing and said, "Duke Wei, what do you think about this matter?"
Li Jing said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I know that starting a war with Xia Xia is unavoidable. Sooner or later, there will be this war sooner or later."
When Li Shimin heard Li Jing's words, he nodded with a look of approval.
Li Jing's strategy was very mature.
At this point, there was no chance of reconciliation between the Tang dynasty and Xia Xia, and it was impossible. If the war didn't happen in the past, if Hou Junji didn't die in battle, if Zhangsun Wuji didn't get humiliated, and if Duan Zhixuan didn't get captured alive, there might still be a chance. But now, there was no chance.
Li Shimin said, "Duke Wei, how should we fight this war?"
In terms of military strategy, Li Jing was at the grandmaster level.
His considerations were even more thorough.
Li Jing slowly said, "Your Majesty, our Tang dynasty has been waging war against Xia Xia time and time again. In the past, Xia Xia's strength was only in Yizhou, Gaochang, and other places. When the second war began, Du Qi had the entire western region under his control. And now, Du Qi has taken control of the entire Western Region, including a part of the Jiexi Nation. His strength is incomparable to that of the Western Region. It has even undergone earth-shattering changes. "
"This subject boldly predicts that this time, Du Qi will definitely not let the matter rest. It will not be like before, where he would just talk about it and leave it at that."
"This time, once the battle begins, Du Qi will go all out. If we're in a disadvantageous situation, Du Qi will even lead his army to invade the Tang dynasty. "
"Because Du Qi is no longer afraid of the Tang dynasty."
Li Jing's turbid eyes lit up, and he continued, "In the past, Du Qi was like a snake swallowing an elephant. But now, he's like a lion and a tiger, so he'll go all out in the battle. Therefore, if we want to start a war, we have to be fully prepared. "This subject believes that there are four arrangements to be made."
Li Shimin listened to Li Jing's words and thought carefully. He realized that it was true.
In the past, Du Qi had been holding back.
But now, Du Qi might not hold back anymore. He would definitely choose to go all out.
Li Shimin said, "Duke Wei, if our Tang dynasty wants to start a war with Du Qi, what are the four aspects to consider?"
Li Jing said, "Your Majesty, the first aspect is to change our strategy toward the surrounding countries. Previously, we arranged for envoys to join forces with Tufan, Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje, and others to send troops. However, because of Du Qi's strength increasing, they all delayed it. "
"But now, there's no need to use the previous soft strategy. When our gunpowder is developed, let the envoys go with the gunpowder and directly show our strength. We'll ask them to send troops to help us suppress Du Qi. "
"If they don't send troops, then we'll flatten them first. Of course, we can also use benefits to tempt them. As long as they help the Tang dynasty take down Du Qi, we can promise to give them the method to make gunpowder. "
Li Jing said, "This is just a promise. After we destroy Du Qi, the next step is to destroy the countries. "
Li Jing's words fully showed his shrewdness.
Coercion and temptation!
And it was a ruthless one!
After Li Shimin heard this, he laughed. His face was full of praise as he said, "Duke Wei's words are reasonable. Now that we have gunpowder, the most powerful weapon, there is no need to maintain a conciliatory attitude with the other countries. Our strength is enough to order the countries to send troops. If they don't cooperate, we'll just kill them first. "
Li Jing said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
After a pause, Li Jing continued, "Your Majesty, the second thing is to start blocking the news in Guazhou. Right now, we're not in a hurry to start the war immediately. We need some time to order the countries to send troops. All the envoys are to hurry, and it's not a discussion, but an order. So, a round trip will take about two months at the furthest place. "
"If they're fast, it's enough to finish everything in a month."
"So, what we need to do next is to block Guazhou and cut off Du Qi's commercial system. Now that we've determined that the two sides will definitely fight to the death. Then, the next thing is to cut off Du Qi's supply of goods. "
"We won't take down Du Qi's people. We'll set up checkpoints at the border of Guazhou, only allowing people to enter but not leave. In this way, Du Qi's money and food can't be sent over. "
Li Jing said, "After all, these businesses are very good. Once Du Qi is destroyed, these business systems can be used again. So, all the businesses will be saved, but the border will be blocked. "
Li Shimin nodded, "Duke Wei is right."
Li Jing continued, "The third thing is to mobilize troops for this war. Bring all the generals and soldiers who participated in the war against Du Qi. Apart from that, we'll also recruit government soldiers. My Great Tang alone will have to go all out for this battle. Instead of two hundred thousand, we'll need at least two hundred and fifty thousand to sixty thousand soldiers, standing soldiers and estate soldiers. I estimate that we'll have around three hundred thousand soldiers to crush them. "
"Apart from that, Tufan, Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje, and the tribes of the northern grasslands will go all out. So, our total military strength for this war will be even greater. "
Li Jing said, "Even if Du Qi is strong, Du Qi's military strength is still not enough in front of three hundred to four hundred thousand people."
Li Shimin nodded, "Not bad, not bad!"
The battle on the battlefield naturally had to go all out.
In Li Shimin's view, even if there were more, it wouldn't be too much to ask for, let alone three hundred to four hundred thousand.
This battle was the final battle.
Du Qi was already a thorn in Li Shimin's heart. If he didn't remove it, he wouldn't be able to calm down.
Finally, Li Jing said, "The fourth thing is to arrange for people to sneak into Xia Xia's territory. Du Qi suppressed the people of the various countries and destroyed the countries of the Western Region. Although the people under Du Qi's rule have submitted to him, many nobles of the various countries hate Du Qi. "
"Because Du Qi destroyed the various countries. So, these people can be used. "
"Previously, His Majesty had arranged for people to go, but because Du Qi launched a purge, our forces were all destroyed. So, now, we should arrange again to have spies to support us. "
Li Jing said, "When the army attacks, Du Qi's rear will be in trouble. Then, it will be easier for us to win at the front line. "
"Not bad, not bad!"
Li Shimin smiled and looked at Zhangsun Wuji, saying, "Fu Ji, previously, the spies that we had arranged in Xia Country had been wiped out once. The follow-up was arranged again. It's just that all the people we arranged didn't take action. Now, how is the situation with these people? "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, they are already very useful. As long as the war starts, they will lead people to stir up trouble and stir up conflicts. This is to fight for opportunities for Your Majesty. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "That's good."
At this moment, another eunuch entered and said, "Your Majesty, there's an urgent message from Xia Xia in the Western Region."
Generally speaking, once there was news, it would be reported to Tang Zhen first and Tang Zhen would pass it on. However, when it came to Du Qi in the Western Region, it was often reported directly or directly to Zhangsun Wuji. After all, Zhangsun Wuji was in charge of many things.
Li Shimin said, "Bring it up."
Tang Zhen took the letter from the eunuch and passed it to Li Shimin.
Li Shimin opened the letter and read it. When he saw the contents of the letter, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. After laughing, Li Shimin couldn't help but say, "The heavens are helping me, the heavens are really helping me!"
Zhangsun Wuji couldn't wait and said, "Your Majesty, is there any good news to send back?"
Among those present, who was most concerned about Xia Xia?
Zhangsun Wuji was the most concerned.
Li Shimin was defeated time and time again, but Zhangsun Wuji was humiliated time and time again. After all, in the hands of Du Qi, Zhangsun Wuji was humiliated by Du Qi twice in a row. The first time was when he knelt in front of Du Qi and apologized. The second time was when he knelt in front of everyone and apologized. Especially when Li Shimin was still the King of Qin, Zhangsun Wuji was also humiliated by Du Qi.
Therefore, Zhangsun Wuji hated Du Qi the most.
He couldn't wait for Du Qi to die.
The rest of the people also looked at Du Qi with anticipation in their eyes.
Li Shimin pressed down the letter and said in a deep voice, "The latest news is that Du Qi has already announced to the whole of Tianzhu that he is going to send his troops south again to attack the countries in the south of Tianzhu. If Du Qi doesn't send his troops, then the situation in Tianzhu will remain unchanged. This is because it is still difficult for the countries in the south of Tianzhu to attack Du Qi. They can only defend. "
After a pause, Li Shimin continued, "If Du Qi doesn't send his troops, then when we attack Du Qi, Du Qi will go all out to resist. But now, Du Qi has sent his troops south. Then, when our Tang dynasty sends out their troops again, Du Qi will definitely be unable to deal with it. Even if Du Qi still has troops under his command that can support him, such military strength is nothing to be afraid of. "
"God is really protecting our Tang dynasty."
"Du Qi's Xia of Xia deserves to be destroyed."
At this moment, Li Shimin was even more delighted. Because of this battle with Du Qi, Du Qi seemed to be going south to attack the countries in Tianzhu, but he was also being attacked from the front and the back. At that time, he wouldn't be able to gain any advantage from either side.
After hearing this, Zhangsun Wuji thought for a while and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
The rest of the people also opened up.
All of them were celebrating.
The smile on Li Shimin's face became even wider. He immediately ordered, "Everyone, our chance is here. Go and make the arrangements. Get the dispatch ready. At most, within two months, we will send our troops to attack Xia of Xia. "
"Yes!"
Everyone answered in unison.
As everyone left, Zhangsun Wuji still didn't leave and stayed in the main hall.
Li Shimin called, "Assistant, is there anything else?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, we are now secretly plotting to deal with Du Qi, and the general direction of this plan has been set. However, I think there is still an oversight that needs to be filled in. "
Li Shimin said, "Where?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "At Commandery Prince Hejian's place."
A glint flashed across Li Shimin's eyes, and his expression became serious. In fact, the current Commandery Prince Hejian, Li Xiaogong, rarely got involved in government affairs. He mainly held banquets and played around. One must know that although Li Xiaogong's influence in the imperial family couldn't be compared to Li Shentong's, he had outstanding military achievements and helped Li Shimin achieve great merits. Logically speaking, with Li Xiaogong's qualifications and background, he should be powerful and influential. However, Li Xiaogong seemed to have retired and completely disappeared from the imperial court.
The reason was because of Du Qi.
Li Xiaogong was Du Qi's father-in-law.
Because of this relationship, Li Xiaogong took the initiative to not get involved in the matters of the imperial court. Although Li Shimin didn't marginalize Li Xiaogong and didn't treat him badly, Li Xiaogong himself had slowly retired.
Li Shimin said, "Assistant, what do you mean?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Commandery Prince Hejian is, after all, a relative of the imperial family, and he has great influence in the imperial family. If we use the method of capturing and controlling him, it will easily cause a commotion and cause discussions in the imperial family. Therefore, I think it's better to arrange people to keep an eye on Commandery Prince Hejian day and night. At the same time, I will personally make a trip to Commandery Prince Hejian's residence and warn him not to go out. This way, we can ensure that Commandery Prince Hejian won't make any mistakes. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Since that's the case, you can make a trip."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhangsun Wuji responded and bowed to Li Shimin, then turned and left. At this moment, Zhangsun Wuji was rather pleased with himself. The reason was simple. Li Xiaogong was Du Qi's father-in-law. Now that Li Xiaogong was in a precarious situation, Zhangsun Wuji could make use of this opportunity to vent his anger.
He couldn't vent his anger on Du Qi on Du Qi. However, Li Xiaogong was in Chang 'an. Therefore, Zhangsun Wuji could make use of this opportunity to vent his anger on Zhangsun Wuji.
After all, Li Xiaogong was Zhangsun Wuji's father-in-law.
This was all Du Qi's fault.
He couldn't be blamed.
After all, Du Qi had implicated his son. Now that he was taking revenge on Du Qi, he would also implicate Du Qi's father-in-law, Li Xiaogong. This was reciprocation. Therefore, Zhangsun Wuji was filled with anticipation and went to Li Xiaogong's residence happily.
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