Li Shimin also wanted to see if Li De had also made achievements in the military.

"Second brother, I think so, this Turkic attack has long been known to us, and we have made relevant preparations, the strong wall and clear field make the Turks unable to effectively replenish the needs of the army, as long as the city is defended, it will be winter in less than two months, and the Turks just don't want to retreat and have to retreat, nomads generally fight with livestock and population, then they must go back to the north before the winter comes, otherwise they will be strangled by soldiers and horses all over my Datang, and this time the Turks attacked Suzhou and Ganzhou at the same time, which is also the consistent route of the Turks attacking the Tang Dynasty, The previous intelligence already knew that the large Turkic forces were not involved in this raid, and there was no intelligence to prove that Jieli himself came. ”

Li Shimin nodded in agreement, "That's right, I think so too, in the past three years, I have been secretly continuing to pay military funds and train soldiers, although it is secretive and the scale is not large, but it is still leaked out, Jieli is demonstrating to me." ”

Li De went on to say, "I think in addition to the demonstration, it is also a temptation, indicating that the Turks have not made up their minds to fight a decisive battle with my Datang, after all, they obtained a lot of wealth back then, and those steppe nobles are not lambs with Jieli, and there are those who do not agree with him. I estimate that by the time reinforcements arrive in the two states, the Turks will definitely retreat. ”

Li Shimin: "It's just that the army's food and grass are not ready at present, and it is impossible to launch an attack immediately, and it is about to enter winter again, so it seems that we can only wait for the spring of next year to send troops, and we can use this time to step up our comprehensive preparations." ”

How could it be possible to wait until next year, in history, the campaign to destroy the Eastern Turks was launched in November this year, since we all know that history is going Li De shook his head and said: "Second brother, you are also a general who has led troops for many years, and you subconsciously thought of going to war next year, so let's think about it in a different position, will Turkic Jieli think the same way, otherwise how could you choose this time to launch a surprise attack on the Tang Dynasty?" After testing our reaction, it's the same as you think, and they'll be actively preparing for the next year when we bump into us. ”

Li Shimin: "Then what do you mean?" ”

Li De said: "My meaning is very simple, we have to go the opposite, since both sides feel that the official decisive battle will not be fought until next year, then I suggest that in November, launch a campaign against the Turks, with elite troops to break into the steppe, and take the Turks by surprise." In one fell swoop, the Jieli Department was slaughtered. ”

"Second brother, think about it, the grassland is cold and windy in winter, and the snow is heavy, which is not suitable for large corps to fight, we know that the Turks live in the grassland, and we will definitely relax our vigilance, and even if there is a gap in the outer defense line, it is conducive to the army interspersed with a direct attack on the Turkic royal court, and if you are lucky, you will definitely be able to capture that Jieli child alive."

Li Shimin groaned and said, "Third child, your plan is very bold, but there is a great chance of success, I think you can gamble." However, the grassland climate is harsh in winter, and the Turks can't stand it, and our people in Datang can't resist it either, and their combat power will definitely be greatly reduced. Especially when it snows, you can't move normally on horseback, and you can easily get lost. ”

Li De said, "Second brother, don't worry, since I say so, there must be a solution, there is no difficulty in this snow march, it is this problem of disorientation, I have to discuss it with Lord Yan, I have an idea, if I succeed in getting it, the army will never lose its way again in the future." ”

Li Shimin praised and said, "Great, the third brother, you are really the unicorn of our Li family, then the second brother is waiting to see your ability, you prepare first, I will summon the ministers to hold an emergency meeting immediately, and today I will settle this matter, mobilize the army to raise food and grass, and send troops to exterminate the Turks,"

Li Jing, the eldest grandson Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui returned to the Lizheng Hall after explaining their official affairs.

Li Shimin said, "Duke Wei, fighting against the Turks, I don't know if you already have a case in your heart,"

Li Jing: "Back to Your Majesty, the old minister has a plan in mind, but the old minister has not yet determined the time of this attack. ”

Li Shimin said, "It's just right, I discussed it with the third brother, and he has another very good idea, I will tell you, originally I planned to mobilize troops and grain and grass from now on, and will not launch a war against the Turks until next spring after the ice and snow melt, but King Wei proposed to attack him by surprise and send troops in November, what do you think?" ”

The eldest grandson Wuji said, "It's not easy to fight in winter, and I'm not familiar with the grassland at all,"

Fang Xuanling said, "Although it is possible to take the troops by surprise in advance, but this logistical burden is very heavy, and if you send a large army to go, you will be afraid that it will be half the effort,"

Du Ruhui "Lao Chen thinks this is a good suggestion, the Turks and the Tang Dynasty have been in constant friction for many years, often starting in the spring and ending in the autumn, and never launched a war in the winter, maybe attacking without common sense can get unexpected results." ”

Li Jing has already begun to prepare for the war against the Turks, as the first commander of the Tang Dynasty, he can be described as the "God of War" This Turkic attack on the two states gave the Tang Dynasty a reason to start a war, so when will he be killed, listening to Li De's proposal coincides with him, "King Wei's suggestion coincides with the old minister," It's just that in this winter, the roads are difficult to travel, and supplies are difficult, so it's easy to get lost. If these three points can be solved, the old minister also hopes to fight against the Turks in winter. ”

Li Shimin said, "Third child, don't you explain quickly." ”

Li De stood up and said, "Yes, winter operations are a difficult problem for both the enemy and us, but if I say that the above three problems can be solved, I don't know if Wei Gong has the confidence to command the army to go out." ”

Li Jing asked, "What King Wei said is true." ”

Li De nodded affirmatively, "Naturally, this is a national war related to the stability of my northern Tang Dynasty, and I won't tease you as a child's play,"

Li Jing said, "Okay, with the help of His Royal Highness King Wei, the old minister has the confidence to settle the Turks in a war." ”

Li Shimin: "Okay, Duke Wei, I believe you must have already planned to fight against the Turks, so tell us about it now." ”

Li Jing said, "Obey," and instructed the little servant to get the map.

"Your Majesty, please see, the old minister is ready to ask His Majesty to send 150,000 troops, from Lingzhou, Shuofang, Youzhou three directions at the same time, Shuofang as the main force to cross the Evil Yang Ridge to take Dingxiang first, pull out the nails in the north of the Tang Dynasty, and then continue to attack the Turkic royal court northeast, Lingzhou out of the northeast along the Helan Mountains straight to the flank of the Turkic royal court, and Shuofang's main force at the same time on both sides to complete the encirclement of the Turkic royal court. Youzhou is the deputy responsible for blocking Jieli's escape route. ”

Li Shimin's eyes looked at the map, combined with Li Jing's plan in his mind, he deduced it himself, turned around and asked, "Brother Jing's plan, do you still have peace opinions?"

Fang Xuanling pondered for a moment and said, "Does Duke Wei definitely need 150,000 troops?" If it can be reduced to a part, the 150,000 troops, counting the corresponding civilian baggage, the logistical pressure is too great, and with the current accumulation of state treasury, it can only guarantee three months of combat use at most, and if it is reduced to 100,000, it can barely be guaranteed for half a year if it is eaten by the enemy. ”

Li Jing thought for a while: "If 100,000 troops, the troops may be dispersed a lot, and I am afraid that a complete encirclement will not be formed, so that Jieli will run away." ”

Li De took over at this time and said, "100,000 is enough, we can quickly resolve this battle and strive to eliminate the Turks within half a year." ”

Li Shimin said in surprise, "Third brother, what credentials do you have to guarantee that this war will end within half a year." You must know that once a national war like this starts takes a long time, I am prepared to fight it for a year. ”

Li De thought to himself, isn't it just a year of fighting in history, "Second brother, you forgot just now that the Turks in the two states were just a temptation, so guess where Jieli might be now?" ”

Li Shimin said, "What do you mean, Jieli may have come to Dingxiang." Waiting to see how our Datang reacts and how to deal with it? ”

Li De nodded and said, "Yes, think about it, if there is no Jieli's approval, will those Turks dare to invade the Tang Dynasty by themselves, and they are not afraid that the Tang Dynasty will directly launch a war against the Turks to expand the situation, so I think Jieli must have arrived in Dingxiang, if there is an army that can set up an ambush in Baidao behind Dingxiang, and wait for Wei Gong to break Dingxiang, Jieli will definitely flee north in a hurry, then Baidao is his only way, and then we will catch turtles in an urn and make him have no way to escape." Even if Jieli is not blocked, then there is still a large army from Lingzhou, waiting in the royal court, even if he escapes back to the royal court, we can also attack from the north and south and destroy it in one battle. In this way, we can greatly shorten the campaign time and win. ”

Li Jing clapped his hands and applauded, "I didn't expect His Royal Highness King Wei to have such a strategic work, the confidence of the old ministers in this battle has nine points, and the last point depends on whether Tiangong is beautiful." ”

The eldest grandson Wuji congratulated Li Shimin, "Congratulations to Your Majesty, with the assistance of His Royal Highness King Wei, my Datang will surely win." ”

When everyone heard this, they praised Li De. Li Shimin couldn't close his mouth with a smile.

"Then it's decided, Wuji, Xuanling, Keming, you are responsible for the political affairs hall to step up the mobilization of army materials, and Brother Jing is responsible for improving the combat plan. Yuan Ba Sayuki was scheduled to launch a campaign against the Turks in November. ”

Everyone replied in unison, "Yes"

Li De finally said, "Second brother, don't forget the back army trained by your younger brother, leave the ambush of this battle to me, and promise not to disappoint you." ”

Li Shimin said, "Third brother, isn't your backing army not yet an army, this kind of war is not a joke, are you sure you can?" ”

Li De said, "Second brother, don't worry, my back army is not good at stubble, it has reached the final stage, I was going to let them go to the Turks for survival training of infiltration and destruction, this is also a good opportunity in the face of a big war, only after the test of blood and fire can we really train an elite soldier, and soldiers who have not been on the battlefield will not be qualified soldiers." ”

Li Shimin has led the army for many years, and his Xuanjia Army is composed of elites selected from various armies, so when he heard Li De say this, he agreed very much, and then said, "Okay, the second brother agreed, but I want to match you to Li Jing, the battlefield is changing rapidly, and you don't need to see his decision." ”

Li De grinned and said, "Cheng, it's decided, you just wait to watch me perform." ”