All parts of the Tang Dynasty were immersed in the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The imperial court changed the name of the year to Da'an, indicating that this year would be a year of stability for the world.
The implication is also very clear, this year the feudal towns will be pacified and the world will be at peace.
A fleet of 300 large ships of more than 5,000 stone was moving northward on the sea. They were all vehicles and ships. Soldiers stepped on the paddle wheels, stirring up billowing white waves.
Although it is on the sea, this is the coast, and the mainland can still be seen with clairvoyance. In addition, there is no monsoon in winter, so the sea is calm and calm.
Today is the seventh day of the first lunar month. The big ship is loaded with 20,000 troops and a large amount of supplies. They have sailed from Jingkou for three days and will soon reach their destination.
On the leading ship of ten thousand stones, Nan Jiyun stood on the bow with a sword on his waist, staring at the sea in the distance.
Nan Jiyun was appointed the envoy of Jiangdong Town by Li Ye, and led an army of 30,000 to guard Jiangnan East Road. His army was stationed at Jingkou of Runzhou. This time he was ordered to go north, which also kicked off the attack on Li Zhengyi.
At this time, the observer on the mast bucket shouted: "I see an island ahead!"
Nan Jiyun took out his clairvoyance and looked north. He saw a faint black line in the distance, which suggested that Yuzhou had arrived.
Yuzhou is also called Donghai Island, which is today's Lianyungang. However, Lianyungang in the Tang Dynasty was different from Lianyungang today. In the Tang Dynasty, it was a large island called Yuzhou, which was separated from the mainland by a strait.
There is a county town to the west of Donghai Island, close to the strait, called Donghai County. There are about 10,000 fishermen on the island connected to the county town.
But since last year, 10,000 troops have been stationed on Donghai Island and are busy building docks and warehouses.
Although tens of thousands of troops could go to Haizhou first, and then directly cross the strait to Donghai Island, Haizhou was controlled by the imperial court anyway, so there was no need to go there by boat.
But Li Ye still ordered the army to go by boat in order to allow the soldiers to adapt to sea navigation.
Donghai Island was assigned to Guanlong Army along with Quanzhou, but everyone ignored Quanzhou and ignored Donghai Island.
The main reason is that the strategic position of Donghai Island is not important enough. As a seaport, it cannot compare with Laizhou Peninsula to the north and Quanzhou and Guangzhou to the south.
In terms of vast hinterland, it is not as good as Jiangdu on the Yangtze River. In terms of water transportation, it is not even as good as Siyang on the Huaihe River. It is neither high nor low, and has always been an embarrassing existence.
It was not until the Longhai Railway was completed that Lianyungang gained a vast hinterland and became the closest outlet to the sea in the Central Plains.
But now it is the Tang Dynasty, and the reason why Li Ye is interested in this place is because it is a strategic place to attack Li Zhengyi. The fleet sets out from here, goes north to Jiaozhou Bay, seizes Mizhou and Laizhou, and penetrates directly into Li Zhengyi's back.
In the spring battle that is about to begin, the Tang army will fight on two fronts: light and dark. The 100,000 troops led by Guo Ziyi are the light line, and the dark line is Nan Jiyun's 30,000 troops.
Between the East China Sea Island and the mainland is a strait that is more than ten miles long and two miles wide. It is a natural harbor and can accommodate large warships.
Currently, a hundred large ships are anchored here, and soon, large ships loaded with soldiers and supplies also sailed into the strait.
It is already the tenth day of the first lunar month in Chang'an at this time, and the New Year atmosphere is still strong. However, the people of Chang'an have turned from the ritual sense of ancestor worship and reunion to looking for fun. The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is coming.
But for Datang's senior management, they have been extremely nervous these days. Li Ye explained his strategic ideas to the Zhengshitang for several days in a row and described the challenges that Datang will face in the future.
In the Regent's Council Hall, the left and right prime ministers and seven assistant prime ministers sat around a long square table.
Li Ye slowly said to everyone: "Dear Prime Ministers, it is not difficult to wipe out the four feudal towns. If they don't have foreign aid, they can all be wiped out within half a year. But once they have foreign aid, many variables will happen. Currently, there will be two feudal towns.
The first big foreign aid is the Uighur army, which is expected to arrive around April or May. The second is the Khitan, but the Khitan is different from the Uighurs. The Uighurs want to plunder Hebei and the Central Plains, especially Luoyang, which has always been the target of the Uighurs.
, and the Khitan’s goal is Youzhou, they want to occupy Youzhou, so the Khitan must send troops later than Uighur.”
At this time, the left prime minister Zhang Li asked: "What do you think of the Goguryeo forces in Pingzhou?"
Li Ye pondered for a moment and said: "There are three Goguryeo forces in total, Pingzhou Goguryeo, Khitan Goguryeo and Silla Goguryeo. These three have always been inextricably related, but they are all under the control of the Khitan people. Once we and Zhu
When Zhu Tao's army fights, the Goguryeo people may join the battle and assist Zhu Tao's army. This is actually the Khitan's support from behind, and the Goguryeo people become the vanguard of the Khitan."
At this time, Li Mi raised his hand and said: "Your Highness, I would like to say a few words to you!"
"Li Shangshu, please speak!"
Li Mi walked to the map, pointed at it with a wooden pole and said: "If the Uighur army is coming, Tian Chengsi and Li Baochen must also know it. I don't think they will fight to the death with us, but will choose to give in and give us up."
To the Uighur Army, Wei Chen suggested that once Li Zhengwei is eliminated, the army should immediately go north and seize the opportunity before the Uighur Army arrives to attack Tian Chengsi. It is very likely that Tian Chengsi will preserve his strength and withdraw northward, which will be beneficial to us in the battle.
Hebei has gained a foothold."
Li Ye nodded, "We will arrange intelligence spies to monitor the dynamics of Tian Chengsi's army at all times."
At this time, Li Dai, the right prime minister, said worriedly: "If the Uighur army invades south, it will inevitably cause great harm to the people of Hebei. The court must be fully prepared for this, including helping and resettling refugees. In addition, it is hoped that the Tang army can go north as much as possible to allow the Uighurs to
The less land the army ravages in Hebei, the better.”
Everyone supported Li Dai's suggestion, which was what they were worried about, as a large number of refugees would be generated.
Li Ye nodded, "The possibility of refugees is very high, but it does not necessarily become a disaster. The key is that we are fully prepared. The Zhengshitang will be responsible for the resettlement of refugees and reception. I will deploy troops and generals to minimize the losses from the Uighur invasion.
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Li Sheng sat uneasily waiting outside the Regent's official room. He is currently serving as General Youweiwei, which is only a nominal official position and has no actual military position.
Although he was extremely talented in military affairs, he suffered repeated setbacks in politics and made mistakes in his position twice. The first time he and Li Ye jointly protected Chang'an. Li Ye invited him to stay, but Li Sheng chose the imperial court.
The second mistake in the formation was when Li Sheng accepted Yu Chaoen's appointment as the left general of the Shence Army. In the end, Li Sheng was captured by Guan Long's army.
But strictly speaking, the Shence Army led by Li Sheng belonged to the imperial army, so being captured was regarded as surrender. Li Ye did not embarrass them, let them study in the martial arts hall for half a year, and still awarded them the corresponding official positions.
Li Sheng's tragedy was caused by his family, to be precise, it was caused by the former Prime Minister Li Kui. Li Kui was keen on fame and fortune, and he was attached to the eunuchs and the eunuchs, so Li Sheng had no choice but to listen to the opinions of the family head.
Now the Li family in Longyou are extremely dissatisfied with Li Kui, thinking that he has caused the family to miss many important opportunities. Li Ye has made Lanzhou his capital. Not only does the Li family in Longyou not support it, but they also secretly give Li Ye shoes. Now Li Ye is about to rule the world.
, the chance is gone.
The Li family in Longyou felt extremely regretful and put all the responsibilities on Li Kui. The entire family unanimously decided to remove him as the head of the family and replace him with Li Kai.
Li Kai specially talked with Li Sheng for a long time and asked him to make contributions to the family and become the leader.
Li Sheng also took the initiative to write a letter, imploring Li Ye to give him another chance to serve the country.
