By the time the news of the Tang Dynasty's East China Sea Fleet's defeat of the Wonu Navy reached Chang'an, it was already a month after the end of the war.
Just after the battle ended, Liu Rengui sent a messenger to report the news to Navy General Li Xiaogong.
The messenger drove the ship and sailed day and night, and it took him twenty days to return to the Navy Yamen in Dizhou.
Li Xiaogong was overjoyed. After careful calculation of the war achievements, he wrote the number of enemy troops as one hundred thousand, the number of warships as more than six thousand, and more than fifty thousand enemies were killed.
He did not dare to lie about the number of prisoners. This prisoner was to be handed over to the imperial court. When the time came, he would see real people, so there was no way he could lie.
Don't think he is exaggerating. False claims of military merit have been an open secret since ancient times.
Li Shimin had personally commanded the army, so he knew this well, but he had no choice in the face of such unspoken rules.
But as long as it's not outrageous, he will pretend not to recognize it.
Li Xiaogong only doubled the number of people, and he was relatively disciplined. Those who had no moral integrity dared to increase the number ten times.
After a few days of delay, he sent someone to send the information to Chang'an in a hurry for 800 miles.
When the people of Chang'an saw the messenger, they all started talking. Is there any blind person who dares to offend me, the Tang Dynasty? Now, let's get beaten.
Then they began to discuss how many nobles this battle could produce, and how many of these nobles could obtain feudal states.
Then, everyone started discussing what to eat today.
There's no way, they've heard too much news about winning battles, and they've long been used to it.
If we don't win one day, then it's worth discussing.
But the court and nobles paid special attention to this war.
After all, this was the first time since the founding of the Tang Dynasty that a purely naval battle was fought, and the battle was against a big country thousands of miles away.
There is a saying that the Wonu Kingdom was indeed a big country in the vicinity of the Tang Dynasty. The main reason was that it was far away and the Tang Dynasty was a labor force expedition.
This war was a test for the Tang Navy, and it was also a test for the current navy's tactics.
There is no such thing as a pure navy. No one knows exactly which path to take, so we can only explore slowly.
Winning this battle means that the current path is correct, or at least there are no major problems. Just continue to explore slowly along this path.
Another point is that the first batch of feudal kingdoms are all on the Wonu Island. If we win this battle, the five feudal kingdoms can build with peace of mind.
After receiving the battle report, Li Shimin immediately summoned the key officials, and everyone had a very happy discussion.
In the end, two consensuses were reached. First, Liu Rengui was ordered to return to Beijing to meet the emperor; second, the five princes and kings could set off, and Gao Biaoren was ordered to make preparations for coordination.
Of course, there are only about ten days left before the New Year, so you can wait until the New Year is over before leaving.
However, all materials can be prepared in advance, so as not to have no time to prepare when setting off after the New Year.
In fact, without their special instructions, the five princes and kings had already mobilized all their strength and prepared various supplies.
After getting the news, Chen Jingke also went to the palace and met Li Shimin in the Ganlu Hall. Li Chengqian was also present.
Li Shimin lost his majesty in front of outsiders and said with some pride: "Liu Rengui is not bad. He is indeed a handsome man. He has lived up to my expectations for him."
As mentioned before, Liu Rengui once killed a Zhechong captain because of the staff of justice. Li Shimin was so angry that he called him to the palace to hold him accountable.
Liu Rengui replied that he was neither humble nor arrogant. Li Shimin praised him and not only did not punish him, but also promoted him.
But later he forgot about this person, and Liu Rengui walked around in circles for several years.
It wasn't until the imperial court recruited the navy last year that Liu Rengui saw that he was struggling in his original position and had no future, so he decisively went to the navy.
Because he was a high-level civil servant and was proficient in the art of war, he was promoted very quickly.
In addition, after Li Xiaogong knew about his experience, he deliberately cultivated him and promoted him like a rocket.
When Li Shimin learned about the relationship between Liu Rengui and himself, he also gave the green light all the way, allowing Liu Rengui to become the commander-in-chief of the East China Sea Fleet in a short period of time.
Of course, the East China Sea Fleet is not very strong. Most of the ships under his command belong to the Navy Headquarters and must be returned after use.
However, it is foreseeable that after this battle, he will become the commander-in-chief of the East China Sea Fleet.
Chen Jingke naturally knew what kind of person Liu Rengui was. He was a commander on horseback and a prime minister on horseback. He could easily deal with a Japanese slave.
But seeing Li Shimin being so proud and acting like he was a bole, he complimented him:
"With less than a thousand men damaged, the main force of the Japanese navy was wiped out, and more than six thousand warships were burned. Your Majesty is indeed a wise man. Congratulations to your Majesty for gaining another general."
Li Shimin laughed and said: "Haha... You also have a share of credit, Jing Ke. Without you, there would be no naval fleet."
Chen Jingke shook his head and said modestly: "I'm just talking. The real battlefield fighters are the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. I don't dare to compete with them for this credit."
Li Shimin said: "The credit is yours, no need to be modest. You are still young and have been in the limelight recently, so I won't reward you."
"Let's keep it in the accounts first. I'll seal it for you a few years before you marry Xiao Sizi."
Chen Jingke said: "Thank you, saint."
After all, Li Shimin was Li Shimin. After feeling proud, he quickly calmed down and began to analyze to the two of them why this battle achieved such results:
"Naval battles are different from land battles. Land battles are fights between people. If you lose, you still have a chance to escape. Naval battles are a battle between ships. If the ship sinks, nothing will really happen."
"A warship needs space to exert its combat effectiveness. A ship that cannot move is just a piece of rotten wood, ready to be slaughtered."
"The Japanese people were not prepared at all for this war. They did not expect that their every move would be under everyone's surveillance."
"We never expected that we would launch such a large-scale raid at this time."
Chen Jingke also nodded in agreement: "Another point is that except for the last time they were defeated by General Liu, they have never been invaded by foreign enemies."
"So deep down in my heart, I never thought about guarding against enemy invasion, which gave us an opportunity."
"In the end, they were blocked in the port, and more than 6,000 warships were burned to the ground without playing any role... They were defeated unjustly because of their calculations but not their intentions."
"Such things will happen again in the future, not just once or twice, but countless times. Therefore, a navy that cannot always be prepared for war cannot be considered a powerful navy."
Li Shimin solemnly said: "This battle should be included in the naval textbooks for all generals to learn from, so that they can take a warning."
"Otherwise, one day we are blocked in the port without realizing it, and the consequences will probably be no better than those of the Japanese navy."
Chen Jingke said: "The saint is the saint."
Li Chengqian said: "However, it is extremely rare to achieve such a result through an expedition with a weak force and attack a strong force. General Liu's ability is the key to winning this battle."
Chen Jingke smiled and said: "That's true. The saint must reward him well this time."
Li Shimin nodded and did not accept the words, but said: "After this battle, the Japanese slave country will be able to live in peace for a few decades, and we, the Tang Dynasty, can run the feudal country with peace of mind."
Chen Jingke was not so optimistic, saying: "If we don't take other measures, I think we will still have a war with the Japanese people in five years at most. This war is the key war that really determines the future situation."
Li Shimin said in surprise: "Oh? Do you think the Japanese people still dare to resist?"
Li Chengqian also cast a questioning look.
Chen Jingke said solemnly: "The Japanese people are different from other vassal states. They are isolated overseas. Although they are nominally vassals of the Central Plains Dynasty, in fact the exchanges between the two sides are not deep."
"The Central Plains dynasty experienced wars that lasted for hundreds of years. Its national power was weakened and it was unable to deter vassal states. The prestige left by the Han Dynasty was almost completely lost."
"On the contrary, the Japanese slave country has eliminated all domestic forces in the past few hundred years and established a unified country, and its national power has become stronger and stronger day by day."
"Baekje Silla once professed their vassalship to them, and the king of Silla still sends protons to the Japanese slave kingdom. The Japanese people are confident, and they are not willing to be vassals of the Central Plains Dynasty."
"That's why the Japanese people in the pre-Sui Dynasty dared to call themselves the Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun in their credentials to Emperor Sui Yang, and called Emperor Sui Yang the Emperor of the Land of the Sunset."
"In the fifth year of Zhenguan, Gaoduhu sent an envoy to the Japanese slave country, but their leader was still unwilling to kneel down to accept the order. His ambition was undisguised."
"Confidence built up over hundreds of years cannot be defeated by a war. Moreover, we won this war with a sneak attack, and they are even more dissatisfied."
"So those Japanese people are surrendering to the Tang Dynasty on the surface, but they must be dissatisfied in their hearts. They will imitate Gou Jian and endure the humiliation and secretly accumulate strength in order to one day defeat the Tang Dynasty and regain their dignity."
The more Li Shimin listened, the more he frowned. As a king, he could feel the meaning of Chen Jingke's words.
Put yourself in your shoes, you have been strong for hundreds of years and the surrounding small countries have surrendered to you. Would you be willing to become a vassal of other countries? Li Shimin is not willing to do so anyway.
Li Chengqian couldn't help but said: "In that case, why don't we take this opportunity to completely beat up the Japanese people, at least cause them some more losses and further consume their national power."
Chen Jingke shook his head and said: "Our expedition cannot last long, and we have to be careful of Goguryeo and Baekje. We have reached the limit if we fight to this point. If we continue to fight, we will be the ones who suffer."
Li Shimin nodded and said: "That's true. The expedition must be decided quickly. Once the war is delayed, it will not be good for me."
"But fighting to this level is enough. Time is always on our side."
"When the construction of the five vassal states is completed and we can provide logistical supplies for the Tang Dynasty's expeditionary force, it will be time for us to eliminate the Wonu Kingdom."
Li Chengqian understood clearly and said: "It is indeed true. The Japanese slave country needs time to regenerate its strength, and we, the Tang Dynasty, also need time to build up the vassal states..."
"But our Tang Dynasty is more powerful and our construction speed is faster than theirs. In the same time, we will be even stronger."
Li Shimin said happily: "This is the reason. Our Tang Dynasty has a larger population, a wider area, and richer products... Time is on our side."
"As long as we move in the established direction, we will be able to eliminate all enemies one day, so there is no need to take strategic risks."
Tactically, it is certainly possible. Datang often defeated more with less, which was a manifestation of radical tactics.
Moreover, the Tang Dynasty's combat method was just as Li Shimin said, using troops to conduct expeditions and achieve quick victory.
After winning a battle, you can repair for a period of time, stabilize the captured territory, and then launch the next round of attacks when you have accumulated enough strength.
In the previous life, the Tang Dynasty launched a round of expansion in almost five years. In this life, due to the emergence of Chen Jingke, the recovery speed has become much faster, and it can launch a round of expansion in two or three years.
At this time, Chen Jingke said: "It's not like we have done nothing in the past few years. We can definitely use other methods to create trouble for the Japanese slaves."
Li Shimin's heart moved and he had already thought of his plan.
But seeing that Li Chengqian still didn't understand, he said, "Tell me how to create trouble for them."
Chen Jingke said: "The failure of this war has severely dampened the self-confidence of the Japanese slave country and made them feel the power of the Tang Dynasty."
"Although the Wonu Kingdom has undue self-confidence, after all, it has been a vassal state of the Central Plains Dynasty for so long and has learned the Central Plains culture. There are countless people in the country who admire me, the Tang Dynasty."
"It's just that the people who admired us in the Tang Dynasty were suppressed by those who were hostile to the Tang Dynasty. Now that the Tang Dynasty has won, the people who admire us will raise their heads."
"We can support the pro-Datang faction, divide the Japanese slave country culturally, and let them waste national power in internal fighting."
"At the same time, we can also promote the concept of Chinese civilization and let more Japanese slaves know that they are descendants of the Qin Dynasty...creating better conditions for the complete absorption and integration of them."
Li Chengqian said thoughtfully: "This is what you often say, Jing Ke, force is the hard knife and culture is the soft knife, right?"
Chen Jingke nodded and said: "Yes, it is these two knives that complement each other and cooperate with each other to be invincible."
Li Shimin said: "Yes, the method you mentioned is indeed feasible. But how to do it specifically, we should wait until Liu Rengui comes back and reports the information about the Wonu Kingdom to us in detail before making a decision."
Chen Jingke said: "That's for sure. How to do it depends on the specific situation. I'm just saying this to provide you with a reference."
The three of them chatted for a while, and then Chen Jingke went to the Li Zheng Hall to say hello to the eldest grandson Wugu.
Of course, the main reason is to see Xiao Sizi.
It's almost Chinese New Year and their Royal Academy is on holiday. Chen Jingke can come and see her at any time. He doesn't have to count the time to find her like before.
Xiao Sizi was naturally very happy and took him to enjoy the scenery in the Imperial Garden.
There is nothing interesting to see when everything is withered in the winter, but Chen Jingke is still very happy, mainly because he can play with her, he is happy no matter what.
When he got to the garden pond, he realized why the little girl had brought him here. There were actually many koi carps in the pond.
Chen Jingke asked with a smile: "When did these koi carp move here?"
Li Mingda threw the fish food into the water little by little and said: "We caught it in July and August. Several nests of small fry were caught together. I asked Yi Nu and the others not to tell you, but to give you a surprise."
Chen Jingke smiled and said: "Haha... very good, it really surprised me."
After playing with her for a while, Chen Jingke left the palace and returned to Zixiao Temple.
There are too many things going on recently, and even if it is the Chinese New Year, he has no time to spare.
