Yangzhou, Jiangdu.
The army under Li Shimin's command had all been summoned back. The number of troops gathered in Jiangdu was nearly 100,000. Although one hundred thousand soldiers was very small compared to the two to three hundred thousand soldiers that the Great Tang once had, in Li Shimin's view, one hundred thousand elites was the limit, and this was the highest standard that Li Shimin could achieve.
Inside the palace.
Li Shimin was reviewing memorials.
He had a lot of things to do now. Not only did he have to govern various places, but he also had to strengthen the training of the army. He even had to let the people in various places submit to him so that they could continue to be loyal to the Tang Dynasty. At the same time, he also had to develop Lingnan and guard against Du Qi's attack. Therefore, Li Shimin had a lot of things to do now, and he could not solve the current predicament overnight.
While Li Shimin was reviewing memorials, Wei Shuyu stepped in. Wei Shuyu now had a high status beside Li Shimin. He could enter the palace directly without the need for an attendant to report. When he entered and saw Li Shimin, his expression was solemn and sad. He said, "Your Majesty, there's the latest news from the center of Sichuan."
Seeing this, Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat.
The situation was not good!
Li Shimin was even more worried when he thought that Li Chengqian was in charge of the center of Sichuan. Not only because Li Chengqian was his son, but also because Li Chengqian was the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, which meant a lot.
Li Shimin took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and said, "Is it about the Crown Prince?"
Wei Shuyu nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise. It's indeed about the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince led the army to fight against Xia Xia in the center of Sichuan. Bing Bai has been captured and fell into the hands of Xia Xia. At present, the first line of defense in the center of Sichuan has collapsed. Xia Xia's army began to seize various places in the center of Sichuan. Especially after the Crown Prince was captured, various places in the center of Sichuan have issued notices that they are willing to worship Du Qi and submit to Xia Xia. Our arrangements have already failed along the way. "
Li Shimin sighed in his heart.
By now, he already had a great immunity to such news. Even when he heard that Li Chengqian had been captured, he wasn't too surprised. He wasn't as grief-stricken as before.
"Uncle Yu, Li Chengqian's defeat this time means that the Tang dynasty's situation has become more difficult," said Li Shimin. "Our original plan was to spread our wings and block Xia Country's attacks from all directions. We wanted to fight back against Xia Country from all directions. Now that the Crown Prince has been defeated and Xia Xia is attacking Youzhou and Bing Province fiercely, it won't be easy for us to stop them! "
After a pause, Li Shimin continued, "The most important thing now is the battle with Du Qi. According to previous predictions, Du Qi should be heading south soon after the autumn harvest ended. In this battle, Du Qi would definitely take the water route south to Jiangdu. We will stop Du Qi on the water and let him nurse a grievance in Jiangnan. "
Wei Shuyu said, "Your Majesty, the second piece of news I want to report is about Du Qi. According to the information we sent back, Du Qi has indeed taken a boat to the south. This time, Du Qi is heading south with 30 warships and a military strength of at least 60,000 people. Currently, they are heading south by sea. "
"From Chang 'an to Yangzhou, he went south through the Jinghang Canal. So we are indeed going to fight on the water. In particular, we have been preparing warships all this time. We invited the best craftsmen in Jiangnan to build countless warships, as well as many small boats and boats. Our soldiers have also used this as a training ground and have long been familiar with naval warfare. "
"Du Qi is very confident in this battle, but in fact, he is taking risks alone and going deep into the sea alone. Du Qi seems to be confident, but in fact, he has put his life on the line. "
Wei Shuyu said, "Your Majesty, this battle is our chance."
Li Shimin's eyes also flashed. He said, "In the current situation, the water battle is indeed our only chance. Our navy is more powerful and our warships are more powerful. As long as we defeat Xia Xia's warships. This water battle is Du Qi's Battle of Red Cliffs. After he is defeated, he will no longer have the strength to go south. "
Wei Shuyu nodded. "Your Majesty is wise!"
Li Shimin said, "Who do you think is the most suitable general for this battle?"
Wei Shuyu thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, when it comes to the candidates for the battle, Your Majesty can make the decision. After all, the current army is full of loyal officials and good generals. Your Majesty's vision is like a torch, you can make the arrangements. "
Li Shimin waved his hand. "Shuyu, don't talk about this nonsense. Just say who is the most suitable. You little brat, the longer you follow me, the more slippery you become. You used to say whatever you wanted to say, just say it directly. But now, you are disloyal and have other thoughts. "
Wei Shuyu said, "Your Majesty is overpraising me. Although I am a little clever, I do not have enough foresight. I cannot think as thoroughly as Your Majesty, so my thoughts may not be suitable."
Li Shimin said, "Just say it!"
After Wei Shuyu heard this, he said, "Your Majesty, I plan to have Xue Wanche and his brother lead the army. Xue Wanjun will be the elder brother, he will be the commander-in-chief, and Xue Wanche will be the deputy. The two will lead the army to battle through the water and meet Xia Xia's army head-on. If it is on land, our hundred thousand men may not be able to win against Du Qi's sixty thousand elites. "
Speaking to this point, Wei Shuyu said in a powerful and resonating voice, "But now we have a hundred thousand men, and we are fighting on the water. We have enough strength to win. Therefore, I think we have a great chance of winning. Of course, Du Qi is very cunning, so we must be a little more cautious and careful. We cannot be careless. "
Li Shimin nodded, his face full of praise.
He agreed with Wei Shuyu's words.
Li Shimin said, "Speaking of Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun, they have the ability, but their prestige in the army is not enough. Shuyu, do you consider letting Chai Shao lead the army, with him as the commander-in-chief? Then, Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun will be in charge of this battle as the deputy commander-in-chief? "
Wei Shuyu shook his head. "Your Majesty, don't doubt people you use, don't use people you doubt. What's more, now is an extraordinary time, how can we let Chai Shao hold us back? Chai Shao is indeed capable, but when it comes to marching and fighting, he is still somewhat weak. "
"In this aspect, Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun are the best. Your Majesty, both of them are valiant generals, you don't need to worry about their lack of prestige. On the contrary, I think they are the most suitable candidates. Be it in terms of intelligence or martial prowess, they are all top-notch. "
Wei Shuyu still insisted on his suggestion.
In front of Li Shimin, he didn't care about Li Shimin's opinion and directly stated his suggestion.
Li Shimin thought for a moment and finally nodded. "Since that is the case, Xue Wanjun will be the commander-in-chief, and Xue Wanche will be the deputy."
Wei Shuyu said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Li Shimin continued, "Also, although there are two people leading the army, there will be two people leading the army. But for this battle, should we consider a way out? "
Wei Shuyu said, "It's always good to think about it. Actually, if we want to consider this point, we should prepare many small boats on the warship. In case something happens, we can take the small boats to evacuate in time. After all, a large warship traveling on the river won't be easy to change direction. When the time comes, we can evacuate at any time. As for other ways out, because we are fighting on the river, there is no use in thinking about it. After all, we can't provide support, so this is the only way. "
Li Shimin nodded. "That is indeed the case. Since the commander-in-chief has decided, what about the strategists? We have to have strategists for both of them, so that there can be someone to give advice. "
Wei Shuyu said, "Your Majesty, I think Mr. Xu Jingzong is talented and can give advice. He is most suitable as the army's strategist. I believe that with Mr. Xu's advice, there won't be any big problems. "
Xu Jingzong was actually not a prominent person during Li Shimin's time.
Even during Tang Gaozong's time, although Xu Jingzong was one of the eighteen scholars of the Qin King's Manor, he didn't have enough merit. Compared to Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Kong Yingda, he was far inferior.
In history, Xu Jingzong supported Tang Gaozong to depose the Empress and make Wu Zetian the Empress. Since then, he had a meteoric rise and finally became an official. The current Xu Jingzong was also quite important in the Li Tang court. After all, the older generation of strategists had gradually withered away. Xu Jingzong's group had entered the prime of their lives and started to enter the peak period.
Xu Jingzong was around forty years old and was in the prime of his life.
In particular, his relationship with Wei Shuyu was not bad, so this time Wei Shuyu recommended him.
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