Seeing the three brothers of the Xue family kneeling in front of him, Li Chongjiu said: "Okay, I don't intend to pursue it, but not punishing him is not enough to convince the public, and it is not enough to explain to the officials of the Manchu Dynasty. Xue Wanshu, Xue Wanche, Xue Wanjun, you three are dismissed. Each will be demoted by one rank and their salary will be fined for the last half year."
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your generosity."
Even if they were punished, the three Xue brothers would still kneel down and thank Li Chongjiu, otherwise they would say that the thunder, rain and dew were all your kindness.
When the ministers below saw Li Chongjiu reprimanding the three Xue brothers, they did not dare to say anything more. With the Great Zhao and the Tang Dynasty approaching, how the arrogant soldiers and generals of the Manchu Dynasty should deal with themselves has become a problem.
Li Chongjiu is different from Liu Bang. Liu Bang was already in his fifties when he conquered the world. He was worried that his descendants would not be able to control the ministers who had made great achievements in the past, so he cut them off one after another. But Li Chongjiu was only thirty years old and in his prime, so there was no need to worry at all.
After the Pingtang Dynasty, there was still a vast western region to explore. As for the Japanese country on the sea to the east, it was also a place where troops could be deployed. Zhao's cavalry can still attack in all directions without worrying about good generals being useless and eventually backlash.
¡°But the Xue family is too powerful in Da Zhao, and Li Chongjiu¡¯s current moderate attack will also give them a space to advance and retreat. But the warning is enough. If you hold on to him, you will have to hide the good bow and the lackey will cook.
"This matter ends here, but I hope that all my ministers will take this as a warning and not be arrogant about their merits. I hope to share the world with you, and I don't want to find that I am missing a few faces at the end of the year." Li Chongjiu said.
When the ministers heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief, but many of them were sweating.
The following topic returned to the attack on the Tang Dynasty. Many ministers thought that since Li Shimin was so afraid of Zhao's attack on the Tang Dynasty, then Li Chongjiu would definitely implement the strategy of attacking the Tang Dynasty in the court.
But Li Chongjiu said solemnly: "To unify the world is my long-cherished wish, and it is also the wish of our Zhao officers and men. There is only one last step left to pacify the world. The strategy of conquering the Tang Dynasty cannot be changed in the slightest. Although luck is given by heaven, the merits are It's because of people, I don't have time to wait too long, if I can't thunder, should I still wait for Li Shimin to tie his hands and surrender to me?"
"However, I also adopted the considerations of your ministers. I will not be like Fu Jian, so I will postpone the attack on the Tang Dynasty by two years! Within two years, we will train the army with the strength of the whole country. I, the great Zhao, will accumulate troops and millet. As for Liu The army of the Zhifu was expanded to 30,000, and the imperial guard army was expanded to 20,000, totaling 200,000. As for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, I ordered Song Jingang and Xiao Xian to be the commanders of the navy. They built ships on a large scale and trained the navy for two years. Inside, the ship is ready and the soldiers are well-trained, so we can start attacking the Tang Dynasty again."
After Li Chongjiu said this, all the ministers present were happy and agreed immediately.
Chang'an City.
Li Shimin saw the secret message sent from Youjing Xizuo, put it on his desk, turned around and stared at the first snowfall outside the palace.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked at each other in silence.
Li Shimin said for a long time: "Two years, two years later, will this snow scene still be the same as before?"
"Your Majesty, two years is neither long nor short, but it is enough to rest and prepare the troops for battle." Fang Xuanling said to Li Shimin.
Du Ruhui said: "I'm afraid Li Chongjiu has nothing to prepare for us. We have just received news that Zhao Jun continues to mobilize troops and transport grain and grass in three directions: Jiangzhou, Hexi, and Xiangfan. It seems that they are preparing for a war. Even if they are within two years, they will We will not give us a chance to breathe, and we are going to take Jiangzhou, Hexi, and Xiangfan first to pave the way for the decisive battle and create a favorable situation. This is a strategy of slowing down first and then rushing. This Li Chongjiu's military use is really meticulous."
Li Shimin turned around and said, "I'm not worried about the decisive battle in the future, I just feel sorry for Xue Shou and Situ Qiu."
Fang Xuanling stepped forward and lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, this is the fault of Wei Chen. This plan of death was recommended to Your Majesty by Wei Chen. Therefore, the death of both of them is my fault."
Li Shimin glanced at Fang Xuanling and said: "There is a saying in Sun Tzu's Art of War. Those who are dead are to deceive others, so that I can hear about it and spread it among the enemies. Those who are dead will definitely die, but Xuanling, you The plan was not hidden from Li Chongjiu, or he was unmoved."
Fang Xuanling's face was full of shame. Xue Shou and Situ Qiu were arrested by Zhao Guofeng, which was what he had expected. He wanted to pass the false information that Li Tang was afraid of Li Chongjiu's attack on the Tang Dynasty to Li Chongjiu through Xue Shou and Situ Qiu, and then use the ministers in the Zhao court to break the power of the Turks and Goguryeo, and then make the decision to attack the Tang Dynasty. .
When this strategy was first implemented, Fang Xuanling reported to Li Shimin that although the Zhao State was currently strong in military strength, it had newly conquered the Turks and Goguryeo, and its troops and horses were suddenly victorious. This was the time when the soldiers and generals were arrogant. Although Zhao was strong, there were gaps to take advantage of. As for the Turks, Liaodong, Lingnan, and Jianghuai were all newly conquered, and the scholars and people were easy to repeat.
If it were at this time, Tang JunIf Zhao Jun is defeated in a decisive battle, the advantage between the two countries will be reversed. Even if the two armies fight in peace, it will be beneficial but not harmful to Li Tang.
Therefore, Fang Xuanling deliberately sent Xue Shou to lobby Xue Wanshu, spreading the news that Li Tang was afraid of Zhao Guo's attack on Tang Dynasty. Unexpectedly, Li Chongjiu saw through Fang Xuanling's plan, and still spent two years honing his troops to prepare for a decisive battle with Li Tang.
Du Ruhui said: "Brother Fang's plan is good. Li Mi, Du Fuwei, Dou Jiande and others will definitely fall into the trap, but it is not enough to deal with Li Chongjiu. This person is not influenced by external things and has his own opinions and judgments. In fact, it is not enough to deal with Li Chongjiu." It¡¯s a powerful enemy.¡±
Li Shimin turned around and said with a smile: "Well, Fang Qing doesn't have to blame himself. I am also responsible for this matter. It doesn't matter if it's two years, I also have two years to strengthen my troops. Who knows what will happen in the future? Li Chongjiu thought that two years The chance of a decisive battle will be greater in the future, so I will wait and see with him. Fighting with such an opponent is actually the biggest challenge in my life. I must defeat him openly and squarely in order to show my ability."
Hearing what Li Shimin said, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked excited. Li Shimin is really a hero. He is always so full of fighting spirit. Not even Li Yuan can match this. Without Li Chongjiu, neither of them would think that anyone else could replace Li Shimin as the master of the world.
Du Ruhui also smiled and said: "Fortunately, Li Chongjiu doesn't have any weaknesses. His troops are mediocre, and his command on the battlefield is not as good as your Majesty's. I think this is a decisive battle before the battle, so this is our opportunity."
Hearing what Du Ruhui said, Fang Xuanling nodded slightly, and Li Shimin just smiled.
While the monarch and his ministers were discussing, the sound of footsteps hurriedly came from outside.
After a general entered the inner hall, he knelt on the ground and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, Wang Junkuo, the general of the Zhao army, led 50,000 Turks and Xi cavalry ten days ago. They dug down the side walls and entered Hexi. They broke through more than 20 people in a row." City, Governor Yang cannot resist and asks for help from Your Majesty. This is an urgent matter!"
"Coupled with the current pressure from Hanoi and Xiangfan, Zhao Guo has only deployed one-third of its troops, so Li Tang has to be alert. The Zhao State now surpasses Li Tang in terms of territory and population. If Li Chongjiu is determined to prepare for war, the time when the Zhao State turns its true potential into strength will be the time when Li Tang fears the most.
No matter how good Li Shimin is in governing the country, he can't change all this. When the gap between money, food and military strength continues to widen, then Fang Xuanling's worries will become a reality. Two years later, the disparity between Tang and Zhao will probably be even greater.
But for now, Li Shimin has no time to think about so much. How to repel Wang Junkuo's 50,000-strong army attack is the most important thing at the moment.
Four years of innovation,
In October, Zhao State general Wang Junkuo led 50,000 troops to attack Hexi. Li Shimin resurrected general Qu Tutong, and with Yang Shidao and Chai Shao as his deputy, he led the army to attack north and repelled the Zhao army's attack.
In the same month, Li Tang Prime Minister Xiao Yu rebelled against Tang and returned to Zhao. Li Chongjiu made Xiao Yu the Duke of Xu.
In December, Xu Shiji led 30,000 horses south and took advantage of the snow to attack Xiangyang. Zhang Gongjin of the Li Tang Dynasty led his army to defend, but the Zhao army finally returned without success.
In January of the fifth year of the Reform, Li Chongjiu named the son born to Su Guiren the King of Chu and named him Li Tong.
It¡¯s the same month, and the imperial concubine Li Zhiwan is pregnant.
In February, the king of Lujiang, Li Yuan, surrendered to Zhao. Yuchi Gong and Xue Wanjun took the opportunity to lead their troops southward, broke through the Tang army's defense line, and captured the three counties in Hedong of the Tang army.
Li Shimin issued an edict angrily scolding Duan Zhixuan, the general manager of Jiangzhou, and did not dare to fight. After being reprimanded by Li Shimin, Duan Zhixuan attacked and counterattacked, but was repelled by Yuchi Gong.
In March, Li Xiaogong, King of Hejian, a famous general of Li Tang Dynasty, died suddenly while having a banquet in Chang'an Mansion. There are different opinions in Chang'an City, and some people suspect that Li Shimin secretly sent someone to poison Li Xiaogong. The Li Tang clan was even more worried all day long.
In May, Xue Wanshu and Shan Xiongxin led their troops from Luoyang to attack Nanyang. The two armies victorious against each other.
In the same month, Wang Mahan led the newly trained 30,000 Yi Guards to station in Luoyang, while Xue Wanche also led the newly trained 30,000 Guards to Yingchuan, while Xu Shiji led the Tun Guards and Shan Xiongxin led the Hou Guards to retreat to Hebei for rest.
The four major government armies implemented a strategy of fighting in turns. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Li Chongjiu was clearly using his government soldiers to train with Li Tang.
In July, Xue Wanche had just been transferred to Henan. Without a moment's rest, Xue Wanche joined forces with Song Jingang and Xiao Xian, the generals of Jiangnan Daoxingtai, and led an army of 50,000 to attack Xiangyang from both sides by land and water.
Zhang Gongjin saw the fierce attack of Zhao Jun and immediately asked Li Jing for help.
The two armies fought fiercely around Xiangyang City for more than 20 days. Zhang Gongjin was unable to support him.Yang was about to break the city. At this time, Li Jing personally led 5,000 elite troops to detour behind Xue Wanche's army and cut off Zhao's army's food route.
In August, the imperial concubine Li Zhiwan gave birth to a prince for Li Chongjiu. Li Chongjiu was overjoyed and ordered a general amnesty.
That month, Wang Mahan defeated the Tang army in Nanyang and conquered Nanyang County.
In September, the Turkic Khan Ashina Momo colluded with Li Tang to rebel. Li Chongjiu ordered a suppression, and ordered Wang Junkuo, Tuli, and Yinghefu to attack Ashina Momo in three groups.
In October, the rebellion in Ashina Momo was put down. Ashina Momo was captured and taken to Youjing alive, and Li Chongjiu ordered him to be executed. r1152