Chapter 38: Speculating on the Enemy's Intentions (First Update, Seeking Votes)

  The large army did not enter the city, but instead joined forces with two other armies and stationed itself outside Jiaocheng City.

  Li Ji immediately convened a military meeting.

  Li Ji sat at the top, on his right side was the Right Guard General Shi Li, below him were the Left Guard General Niu Jin Da and the Left Vanguard General Liu Lan, followed by Li Ye Huan, Li Ji Ye and Du He and his group of soldiers.

  Zhilisili was a (突) Jie general, once a great general under the command of Yeli Khan, but he felt Li Shimin's benevolence and sincerely surrendered. One time, when Li Shimin was playing with rabbits in the imperial garden, Zhilisili came forward to advise him.

  Li Shimin was somewhat unconvinced, and a few days later, he was playing with rabbits again. Coincidentally, he was seen by Zhi Shilü once more. Zhi Shilü took off his official hat, removed his python robe and jade belt, and used his own head and official position to admonish Li Shimin not to indulge in frivolous pursuits and lose his ambition.

  Li Shimin was deeply moved and accepted his opinion. He also issued an edict to marry Princess Niujiang, the daughter of Emperor Gaozu of Tang Li Yuan, who was also his own younger sister, to him, and entrusted him with important tasks from then on.

  He lost his mind and flew to the sky, relying on his outstanding military talent, he emerged in the great Tang Dynasty. In the ninth year of Zhenguan, he followed Li Jing to conquer Tuyuhun, repeatedly making military achievements, becoming one of the twelve generals of the Great Tang Dynasty.

  Niu Jinda and Liu Lan may not have been famous in the world, but they were also quite capable figures, all of whom were able to conquer and fight well.

  He had the characteristic of a (突) Kyrgyz person, with several horse-tail braids tied up, and a shiny bald forehead, looking very fierce. Niu Jinda was also a fierce general, sturdy like an ox. Liu Lan, on the other hand, was a relatively weak scholar, with some Confucian general's temperament.

  Just as Du He was sizing up the three of them, Li Ji spoke in a low and gloomy tone: "We've already received news that an hour ago, Tubo has taken down Songzhou. What are your thoughts on this?"

  "First of all, we should advance into Songzhou as soon as possible and not let the Tibetans run wild." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I think we should divide our troops into two groups. One group will hold off that Tibetan official, while another group of elite soldiers will raid their supply lines. Here is within the borders of Great Tang, we have the upper hand."

  Duhe listened and nodded in secret admiration, losing his composure. He was indeed worthy of being called a famous general. If he used other methods, it would not be difficult to defeat the Tubo, but the only drawback was that it was difficult to win a big victory.

  "I have a suggestion, the Tubo army has won victory after victory, and the first battle of Songzhou was also won, which will inevitably lead to arrogance, and arrogance will inevitably lead to numbness and relaxation. If we take advantage of the dark night to launch a surprise attack..." A smile appeared on Niu Jinda's rough face.

  Duhe couldn't help but smile, this cow's roughness hides its subtlety. The first battle between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo in history was because of his night raid, beheading over a thousand soldiers, making Tubo witness the military might of the Tang Dynasty, and scaring them into not daring to fight again.

  "Well, Niu Jiang's suggestion is good, I agree." Liu Lan nodded in agreement, and the other generals followed suit.

  Du He's heart was secretly anxious, why didn't Uncle Li tell these generals the way to lure the enemy? One by one, they all started discussing wildly. At this point, he couldn't care about so much, and stepped forward saying: "Rather than attacking, it's better to defend!"

  Li Ji seemed to be waiting for Du He to speak, and asked with a hint of implication: "What makes Mr. Du say this?"

  "Return to the General!" In this military meeting, as a soldier, Du He also knew that he couldn't be as casual as usual. Solemnly, he said: "The Art of War says: 'A good fighter only needs to stand on unassailable ground, and it is equivalent to the enemy's defeat.' The Tubo people live on the plateau, and our army comes to attack, with a long battle line and unfavorable logistics. Our army just needs to defend one side and attack their supply lines, making it impossible for them to continue without food and grass. After more than a month, when the other side is forced to retreat due to lack of food, our army will again take advantage of the victory and pursue the attack. With my well-trained and well-prepared troops, attacking the enemy's retreating army without food, if we still can't win, it would be better for us to cut our own throats!"

  Everyone laughed at what Du He said.

  "This young general's tactics are not to my liking, but they are absolutely brilliant."

  Niu Jinda also nodded and said: "Indeed, Du Zhonglang's plan is different from mine, with much less risk. It can be called a safe bet and is worth trying."

  Liu Lan also had no objection.

  The biggest difference between a military general and a civil official is that the former are straightforward in nature, understand reason, and rarely engage in intrigue or plotting.

  Although Du He was only a small Zhonglang Jiang, Niu Jin Da and Liu Lan did not get angry with him because of his dissenting opinion, but instead humbly accepted it.

  Li Ji smiled and said: "General Si Li's plan is feasible, and Du Zhonglang's idea is perfect!" He stood up and shouted: "All generals listen to the order..."

  All the generals in the camp stood up.

  "Then, by the order of General Ziyuan, a surprise attack team was dispatched to harass the enemy's supply line. Then, advance to Songzhou and defend but do not attack! All generals should stick to their posts and must not slack off!"

  "Carry out the order!" The various generals took their leave and departed, but Du He called Li Ji back.

  "General?" Du He called out respectfully.

  "It's just the two of us here, no need for excessive courtesy." Li Ji looked at Du He with a mysterious smile and said: "That plan to lure the enemy in was yours, wasn't it?"

  "Ah!" Du He's eyes widened in surprise.

  Li Ji saw his shocked face and smiled to explain: "The emperor sent a general to conquer, never asked how the general broke the enemy, just let the commander choose for himself. This time, however, unexpectedly planned ahead of time, obviously someone had offered a plan to break the enemy. But the emperor said it was his own clever idea, the only explanation is that the person who came up with the plan was too lowly and not enough to convince everyone. I observed the entire army, only Xian Yu has this ability, today's test, indeed so!"

  Du He was taken aback and bowed deeply: "Uncle is indeed all-knowing, nothing can escape your notice. This is indeed my nephew's idea."

  "Come, let's sit down and talk!" Li Ji pointed to the seat beside him and asked: "Since the plan was yours, how do you plan to fight? I'd like to hear your opinion."

  "Originally, I was going to lose directly on the battlefield, but recently discussing military strategy with my uncle has benefited me greatly and cleared up my thoughts! These past few nights, I've been analyzing Songtsen Gampo's motives and goals. My Great Tang is so prosperous and strong, why do they have the guts to attack? In the past, I thought it was because Songtsen Gampo was arrogant, so I used a feigned defeat to lure him in, but recently I realized that I was wrong, very wrong!"

  "Songtsen Gampo was able to achieve such great accomplishments in just seven years, which is absolutely not something that a self-aggrandizing leader could do. Therefore, this is not arrogance, but has another purpose."

  His goal is to force the Tang Dynasty to compromise, and he wants to welcome back the Tibetan general Dongzan. Because he clearly knows that the purpose of the Tang Dynasty is to dominate the Western Regions, so they will not clash with him head-on, nor will they mobilize a large army to deal with him. Moreover, they have the natural barrier of the plateau and are not afraid of the Tang Dynasty's powerful military. His goal is not to capture Chang'an, but to annihilate our entire army, he wants to let the Emperor know that the Tibetans have the power to become a threat to the Tang Dynasty, and also have the power to become an ally of the Tang Dynasty. As long as he achieves this, he will immediately submit a memorial to the Emperor admitting his mistakes. If the Emperor does not acknowledge their strength and leads a large army to take revenge, they can escape into the plateau and fight with our army on the plateau. If our army withdraws, they can come back. This back-and-forth situation will continue, unless the Tang Dynasty takes the risk of advancing deep into Tibetan territory and engaging in a decisive battle. Otherwise, it will affect the Emperor's plan to expand into the Western Regions, and the Tang Dynasty will be at a disadvantage. Therefore, he is not afraid that the Tang Dynasty will not compromise with them, nor is he afraid of not getting Dongzan back and forming an alliance with them, while also avoiding the powerful enemy of the Tang Dynasty, attacking the weak countries around them, and increasing their own strength by nibbling away at them.

  "So, Little Nephew can now be certain that as long as our great army arrives at the front lines, on that night, they will surely launch a surprise attack under cover of darkness. Our defeat originated from this, and victory also came from this!"

  Du He clenched his fists, and an unusual light flashed in his eyes.

  The second generation created a QQ group, the group number is in the book review section, like-minded friends who like this book or have opinions and suggestions can join, chatting with nothing to do is also okay! [bookid=1771445,bookname='The Great Zhou Dynasty']

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