Attacking Gyeongju was a strategy that Li Su came up with after thinking about it for a long time.

There was nothing too surprising about this strategy, the situation was already very bad, Li Su couldn't think of a better way to turn the tide of the battle, searched the map for a long time, and finally locked his eyes on the city of Gyeongju.

Like Daxingcheng, Gyeongju is also a small city, about two hundred miles away from Daxingcheng, Gyeongju City is located in the east of the Qianshan Mountain Range, is in the middle of the territory of Goguryeo, although the city is not big, but the location is very important, it is a bit similar to the Xizhou that Li Su once guarded, Xizhou is located in the middle of the Western Desert, like a nail nailed in a key position that can be attacked and defended, the same is true of Gyeongju City, the west is adjacent to the Qianshan Mountain Range, the east is a plain, the north is blocked by the mountains, and the south is two hundred miles to the sea.

The most important thing is that it is a small city, the defenders are about less than 5,000, if the tactics are formulated properly, it will not pay too high a price to take this city, and now the enemy is outnumbered, and each of the 20,000 Tang army is a precious bargaining chip in Li Su's hands, and it cannot be damaged easily.

After listening to Li Su's suggestion, Li Ji frowned, and his thick fingers slowly swiped across the map.

"Take Gyeongju? Zizheng, what do you think? In terms of the overall situation, the capture of Gyeongju is useless to our army, and the task given to us by His Majesty is to block Quangae Suwen, but we have transferred most of our forces to two hundred miles away to conquer a useless small city, what is the reason? ”

Li Su said with a smile: "Uncle, this city of Gyeongju is not useless, it has a great effect, don't underestimate it." ”

Li Ji stroked his beard and said, "The old man is willing to hear about it." ”

"First of all, there are not many defenders in this city, about 5,000, Quangai Suwen mobilized 150,000 troops to pursue our Wang Division, these 150,000 soldiers and horses may be the largest force in Goguryeo, and it is also the last force, in order to gather these 150,000 horses, presumably Quangai Suwen must urgently transfer troops from various cities in Goguryeo, and Gyeongju City is no exception, so I estimate that the current defenders in Gyeongju City are likely to only have about 3,000 left, and we can easily overcome it."

Li Ji smiled noncommittally: "This is not a reason to attack Gyeongju, our task is to break the main force of the army, not to attack the city." ”

"Uncle, don't be impatient, I haven't finished yet,...... Secondly, let's leave 5,000 men and horses to attack the 150,000 army of Quangai Suwen, for Quangai Suwen, these 5,000 people will not hold him for too long, at this moment he must be in a hurry to catch up with the main force of our Wang Division, and will not look at these 5,000 men and horses, but if we capture Gyeongju City, uncle, how do you guess Quangai Suwen will react? ”

Li Ji thought for a while and said: "He will be jealous of our lone army, because we are already behind him, his front is His Majesty's army of the king's division, and the rear is us. ”

Li Su smiled: "Yes, so, if we capture Gyeongju City, it will be equivalent to containing the 150,000 people of Quan Gai Suwen, so that he is in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat, this battle to block the enemy after the break, the fight is not the combat strength of the two armies, but the calculation of each other's hearts, the so-called 'army and strategy', whether it is a small-scale attack or a face-to-face interception, it is better to calculate Quan Gai Suwen's mind, and contain him in a dignified manner, so that he has to be led by our nose." ”

Li Ji pondered for a long time, and said in a deep voice: "The old man knows that Zizheng is an upright plan, if he really calculates Quangai Suwen's thoughts, this plan is really wonderful, but it is just ...... Have you ever thought that if Quangai Suwen sent troops and horses to deal with us, he would still continue to pursue the main force of our Wang Division with most of his soldiers and horses, so that the main force of our army would still be pursued, and our mission would still fail......"

Li Su smiled and said, "If Quangai Suwen divides his troops to deal with us, uncle, guess how many soldiers and horses he will divide?" 20,000 people? On a par with us, I am invincible in the battle on the plains of the Tang Dynasty, and it is absolutely impossible for them to defeat us, 30,000 or 40,000? If we capture Gyeongju City, even if he divides 50,000 soldiers and horses, let's defend the city, they attack the city, is it possible to capture it? If it is more than 50,000, Quangai Suwen himself has less than 100,000 soldiers and horses left, and he still dares to pursue the main force of our army? The main force of our army is more than 200,000, although everyone's stomach is a little hungry, but the strength to kill people is still not small, does Quan Gai Suwen dare to gamble on winning or losing with this little person? ”

Li Ji thought for a while and said with a smile: "What Zizheng said is indeed reasonable, if the old man is replaced to lead the army, it is not easy to divide troops and horses to deal with a lone army, this decision is not easy to make, and it is not appropriate to have more or fewer people." On the one hand, the main force of the enemy army is pursued, and on the other hand, the threat from the rear must be eliminated, and the two sides really cannot support at the same time, so they can only make trade-offs. ”

Li Sudao: "That's right, so after we take Gyeongju City, the problem of Quangai Suwen appears, whether to chase the main force of the Tang Army, or get rid of the lone army in the rear, this problem makes him worry about himself, he can only choose one of the two, he has no courage to divide the army." ”

"What if Quan Gai Suwen decides to ignore the threat we have created to him in the rear, and instead has the iron heart to pursue His Majesty's main force?" Li Ji asked again.

Li Su said with a smile: "That's okay, our scouts are staring at his every move, and I will move if the enemy moves, the time is long, if he is really determined to pursue His Majesty's main force, we will not be idle, there are many ways to contain him, it depends on whether he can withstand it." ”

Li Ji was silent, staring at the map with a solemn expression, and after looking at it for a long time, he raised his head and said, "This plan...... It is feasible, as long as we can contain the 150,000 soldiers and horses of Quangai Suwen and buy time for the retreat of the main force of our army, our task will be completed. ”

Li Sudao: "There is another reason to take Gyeongju, uncle, please look at the map, the east of Gyeongju is a vast plain, Goguryeo is not big, there is less land suitable for farming, the plain east of Gyeongju is one of the few farmlands, and Gyeongju is located on the edge of the plain, and part of the grain harvested every year must be collected in the city, so I estimate that there must be an official warehouse in the city, if I guess correctly, the problem of grain and grass for our lone army will be solved, and I no longer worry about the soldiers affecting the morale of the army because of the grain and grass problem." ”

Li Ji said in surprise: "There is an official warehouse in Gyeongju City? ”

"Not necessarily, I'm just guessing, but I think it's very likely, from the geographical location of the city of Gyeongju, this city is located in the middle of the territory of Goguryeo, and the east is a plain suitable for farmland cultivation, if I am the ruler of Goguryeo, I will definitely build an official warehouse in Gyeongju City, and I will live with myself, which is probably not bad, we can gamble, even if we don't win the bet, the purpose of containing Quangai Suwen has also been achieved, let's find a way to deal with the grain and grass, what does my uncle think?"

Li Ji's spirit was obviously a little high, and the grain and grass problem that he had been worried about was actually hopefully solved, and the biggest stone in his heart finally landed, and he suddenly became relaxed at this moment.

Turning his head to look at Li Su, Li Ji's eyes were full of appreciation: "The old man found that since His Majesty retreated, you have been much more active, and you have been thinking so much, you have already behaved like this, presumably the main force of our army will not lose so much......"

Li Su smiled bitterly: "Don't hide it from my uncle, after Your Majesty's retreat, my mood is much more relaxed, these days when Your Majesty led the army, I only felt depressed everywhere in the camp, and I was constrained everywhere, as if I was tied up my hands and feet, and I couldn't move left and right, but now, I am like a fish in water, like a bird flapping its wings, and finally free, my mood is different, and my performance is naturally different. ”

Li Ji pointed at him and said in a deep voice: "Don't say anything rebellious, and say that it's okay in front of the old man, I'm afraid that if you say that you are used to it, you will cause great trouble in the future." ”

"I'm not stupid." Li Su rolled his eyes.

Knocking on the table, Li Ji's gaze stopped on the map, and his fingers kept comparing on the map, as if thinking about the feasibility of Li Su's suggestion.

After a long time, Li Ji suddenly smashed his fist on the map, gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, tomorrow I will pull out the camp and take Gyeongju City!" ”

Looking at Li Su and smiling, Li Ji said: "The old man has led the army all his life, although he has gained some false fame, but the old man knows in his heart that I am too cautious in fighting with the enemy and lack of determination, because of this problem, I also missed a lot of fighters back then, and the situation is critical today, the old man has to gamble, so according to your opinion, take Gyeongju City first, and see how Quangai Suwen reacts." ”

Li Su said with a smile: "Uncle rest assured, taking Gyeongju City is beneficial and harmless for us, even if Quangai Suwen doesn't have any reaction, let's go into the city to grab food, 20,000 people are not big or small is also a threat, I don't believe that Quangai Suwen can really be indifferent to us, if he makes a move, I can find his loopholes." ”

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Li Ji was much more easy-going and rational than Li Shimin, and accepted Li Su's suggestion in its entirety, and when even if the drums were beating and the generals were gathered, all the generals in the army were gathered in the commander's tent, and Li Ji assigned tasks to the generals according to what Li Su had just suggested.

After the generals led the army, they dispersed in twos and threes, Li Su walked at the end and walked out of the handsome tent, but saw Xue Rengui standing at the door of the handsome tent on duty, wearing armor and looking straight ahead with a serious face.

Seeing acquaintances, Li Su smiled.

Although we are all in the same army, there are not many opportunities to meet each other, because this army has hundreds of thousands of people, which is almost equivalent to a small mobile town.

Seeing Xue Rengui, Li Su couldn't help but feel a sense of joy at meeting the deceased, and stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

"It looks like it, my uncle hasn't promoted you yet?"

Xue Rengui also smiled and saluted him with a fist.

"The villain met Grandpa Li, the old man is cultivating the villain, the villain has learned a lot from him, but it doesn't matter if he is promoted or not, the villain just can't wait to follow the old man for a few more years."

Li Su said with a smile: "Threesome, there must be my teacher, in fact, if you follow me, you can also learn a lot of things." ”

Xue Rengui said happily: "The villain has long known that Grandpa Li is knowledgeable and has the name of a ghost talent in the world. ”

Li Su said happily: "Very good, it's actually easier to follow me, at least you don't have to stand like a wooden stake every day, I will teach you a lot of things, such as ...... Well, how to cook, how to make wine, what excuses to use to be lazy, and what posture to sleep in most comfortably, etc., there is a lot of knowledge in it, and it is worth spending a lifetime pondering it......"

Xue Rengui was stunned: "You...... That's all you want to teach the villain? ”

"Including but not limited to these, there is a lot of knowledge, but I am basically proficient in eating, drinking, and having fun, by the way, I can also play water drifting, I can play more than ten water drifts at a time, just ask if you are afraid...... Hehe, scared, right? I'm so scared that I'm stunned......"

Xue Rengui: "............"

"I'm leaving, you continue to maintain an expression of awe, if you don't have a good time with my uncle, you might as well come back and continue to follow me, I see that you are pleasing to the eye, I will teach you these things for free."

…………

Late at night, Li Su couldn't sleep in the tent. Because...... I'm so hungry.

The whole army was short of food, Li Ji reduced the amount of grain and grass, and the only piece of dough that Li Su got was given away after only taking a bite, and now he was hungry and uncomfortable.

Since coming to this world, tonight is the second time Li Su has tasted starvation, and he is as uncomfortable as ever, even more uncomfortable than back then. Over the years, Li Su has long been raised to have an appetite, especially in terms of food, there is a kind of "rather for the jade to be broken, not for the tile" decisiveness, but when he is really hungry, he feels that he can eat anything, thinking back to the black dough he received in the afternoon, Li Su now feels that its side is so beautiful......

But the problem is that even if you look through the entire army, you can't find anything to eat.

Her stomach was rumbling with hunger, her stomach was contracting, and she seemed to be protesting, and Li Su curled up and tossed and turned on the bed, still unable to sleep.

The copper basin in the tent burned with red charcoals, and from time to time there was a crackling and popping sound, especially in the quiet of the night. A copper kettle hung above the charcoal fire, and hot water was on it.

Li Su, who was so hungry that he couldn't sleep, decided to relive the poverty of the year and drink some water to carry his hunger.

As soon as he turned over and got up, he heard footsteps in the distance outside the tent, and the footsteps were getting closer and closer, and they were coming straight in the direction of his tent.

Li Su stood up in his clothes and looked at the curtain of the tent.

Soon, there were also voices of people in the camps of the surrounding tribes, Fang Lao Wu and they had always been alert when they slept, obviously they also heard footsteps.

I could only hear the footsteps outside suddenly stopped, and the subordinates stopped the owner of the footsteps outside the door, and after whispering a few words, the voice of the old man outside the camp became high, and his tone was a little surprised.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, wake up!"

Li Su's eyelids jumped, and he said in a deep voice: "I didn't sleep, come in and say something." ”

The curtain was opened, and a biting cold wind poured in, and Li Su's neck shrank from the cold.

Fang Lao Wu led a person into the tent, Li Su stared at it, but found that this person was very familiar, he was actually a housekeeper in his own family, and he often followed Steward Xue to run errands.

Fang Lao Wu excitedly waved at Li Su, and strangely, there was a little apprehension in his excited expression: "Grandpa, someone is here at home, congratulations to Grandpa, congratulations to Grandpa, the villain said hello to Grandpa!" ”

Li Su's heartbeat quickened in vain, and his expression became excited, and at this moment, he vaguely understood where his joy came from, but he was still staring at Fang Lao Wu, waiting for him to confirm his guess.

"Tell me what a happy thing!" Li Su's tone trembled slightly.

The steward stepped forward and said: "On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month of the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, the main mother gave birth to a daughter, and the mother and daughter were safe. Steward Xue sent the villain Pegasus to report and say hello to his grandfather. ”

Li Su became short of breath, and then his expression became more and more excited, his face turned red, and he said in a trembling voice: "Are you all safe?" Are Mingzhu and my daughter safe? ”

"Yes, the mother and daughter are safe, before giving birth, the mother-in-law and the lady of the mother-in-law lived in the house to take care of the mother."

Li Su was stunned, as if he was slowly digesting the huge joy in his heart, Fang Lao Wu and the steward looked at him anxiously, not knowing whether Li Su's stunned expression was joy or sadness, the two of them stood in place tangled and didn't dare to squeak.

After a long time, Fang Lao Wu said cautiously: "Grandpa, you and your wife are both young, only in their early twenties, even if you give birth to a daughter, you are not in a hurry, you will grow up for a lifetime, you will inevitably give birth to sons in the future, and you will give birth to many sons, grandpa does not have to be sad......"

Li Su came back to his senses and said blankly: "Sorrow? Who is grieved? ”

"Uh, what the hell are you doing like this......"

slapped his thigh suddenly, his strength was not controlled, Li Su grinned in pain, and then laughed loudly: "Become a father!" I'm a dad! Ha ha! My daughter is very good, I like my daughter! ”

Fang Lao Wu and the steward were still staring at Li Su's face, seeing that Li Su's smile bloomed, it didn't seem to be a fake, so the two of them were relieved, but they felt very strange in their hearts.

The Li family is now also an emerging powerful family, and there is only one incense in the family, Li Su, not to mention that nowadays, whether it is a powerful person or an ordinary person, who doesn't want the mother-in-law and aunt in the family to have more sons? Especially this is the first child, and the importance of the eldest son to the wealthy family is well known, but this grandfather just doesn't follow the usual path, and it is really incomprehensible that he is so happy to give birth to a daughter.

Li Su's happiness is not pretended, but real.

People who have come from another era, after all, are much more open-minded, and they don't care about the gender of their children, both men and women are their own flesh and blood, and they are all born with their own mother-in-law and aunt who worked hard to conceive a child in October, if they still pick and choose the gender of their children, this kind of person is not worthy of being a father at all, nor is he worthy of being a husband.

Seeing Li Su's reaction, the steward of the Thousand Miles Annunciation finally breathed a sigh of relief and showed a relieved smile.

"The villain said hello to the grandfather, and did not hide it from the grandfather, the family can make a fuss, the housemother has always been worried that the grandfather dislikes her daughter, and often secretly cries after giving birth to the eldest lady, and the father-in-law and his wife also sigh with a sad face, for fear that the grandfather will be unhappy, and the lord will comfort him for many days to no avail......"

Li Su couldn't cry or laugh: "Is it necessary for a good happy event to be made miserable by you?" Go back and tell Mingzhu and my mother-in-law, just say that I am very happy, well, I am ecstatic, tell them, don't treat my daughter badly, just say that it is my order, from the housekeeper to the subordinate miscellaneous maids, all the rewards are happy, the mother who delivered the baby will be rewarded ten times, and the good students in the house will be prepared, and after I return to Chang'an in triumph, I will charter the guests of the Qujiang Garden banquet for my daughter! ”

The steward smiled happily and thanked and congratulated him again and again.