si-mexico Chapter 1548 The Tang Dynasty took action!
Chapter 1548 The Tang Dynasty took action!
In the Tang Dynasty Imperial Palace, the magnificent golden dragon pillars in the Taiji Hall reflected the blushing faces of the ministers.
The July heat wave, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas, penetrated the carved window lattices, but it could not suppress the boiling anger in the hall.
Li Shiming, sitting on the dragon throne, tapped the gilded armrests with his knuckles, watching the chaotic court with cold eyes.
"Eighty thousand troops! They can't hold out for half a year!"
The Minister of Revenue slapped his ivory tablet with a loud clacking sound, and his gray beard shook violently with the saliva.
"The 300,000 dan of grain and fodder that the Tang Dynasty sent us was all wasted!"
"The Wei Dynasty boasted an army of 400,000, yet Chu Ning wiped them out in just six months!"
The Minister of Works replied sarcastically, "I told you earlier that Sima Yi was a useless person. We should have provided them with so much grain!"
Just as he finished speaking, the Minister of War sneered, "Even with the right time, right place, and right people, that bastard couldn't even hold out for six months! The blood of a hundred thousand men of the Tang Dynasty was shed in vain!"
Among the ranks of military generals, an old general with scars all over his face suddenly kicked over a gilded incense burner, and the bronze vessel rolled on the white marble floor with a thrilling sound.
"My nephew died on Luoyue Slope!"
He pounded his chestplate with his fists, making it clang. "Those cowards from Wei couldn't even collect the bodies!"
"Enough!" The roar of Minister of War Hou Junji was like thunder.
This general, known for his iron fist, had a frown on his face and glared, the sword at his waist drawing a sharp arc of light as he turned.
"The Wei Kingdom's coffin is already nailed shut. What's the point of cursing now?"
His hawk-like gaze swept over the crowd: "Think about it, after the Chu army destroys the Wei Kingdom, will it turn around and attack the Han or come after us?"
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
The Imperial Censor scoffed, clutching his jade imperial beads. "Minister Hou, you're worrying too much. The Chu army has been battered to the point of exhaustion after countless fierce battles. How could they possibly have the energy to attack the Tang Dynasty?"
"Exactly!"
The Minister of Rites stroked his golden pheasant patch and said leisurely, "If Chu Ning dares to attack, we can let the Fourth Prince's spirit in heaven see how we avenge our grievances!"
When mentioning the fourth prince Li Ge who died in battle, the generals' eyes suddenly became red.
A young general suddenly stepped forward and shouted, "I am willing to be the vanguard and take Chu Ning's head as a sacrifice to Your Highness!"
Li Shiming on the dragon throne suddenly chuckled.
The laughter was like an ice spike piercing boiling oil. All the civil and military officials in the court knelt down in unison, resting their foreheads on the cold, hard gold bricks.
The emperor slowly stroked the jade belt hook, his voice colder than the icicles of winter moon: "My dear ministers, you have calculated things clearly for Chu Ning."
When he stood up, his dragon robe swept across the military newspaper on the table, and the scroll of silk fluttered down to the center of the hall.
The four large cinnabar characters "Dongping City Falls" on it hurt people's eyes.
"Pass on my order, 200,000 troops."
Every time Li Shiming spoke a word, a eunuch would rush out of the hall holding a command arrow: "Leave to the Wei-Tang border today."
He traced his fingertips over the empty Wei city models on the sand table: "Any unowned land will be planted with the banners of the Great Tang."
Hou Junji's pupils suddenly shrank, and he suddenly understood the mystery: His Majesty was ostensibly reinforcing the Wei State, but in fact he wanted the Wei army to delay the Chu army and consume its energy.
"Give Sima Yi another message."
Li Shiming flicked the nonexistent dust from his sleeve and said, "Just say that my reinforcements are on the way."
This sentence made Hou Junji almost laugh out loud.
Where are the reinforcements? They're just using the remaining Wei troops as bait so that the Tang can reap the benefits!
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
The sound of Hou Junji's armor clanged as he saluted, and out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the sudden realization on the faces of several civil officials.
The Minister of Works wanted to say something with trembling lips, but in the end it turned into a long sigh.
After all the ministers had left, Li Shiming stood alone in front of the "Jiuzhou Yutu".
The setting sun stretched his shadow very long, covering the territory of Wei State.
He suddenly reached out and pressed down Chu Ning's flag on the sand table, and the warhorse carved out of white jade broke with a "crack" under his palm.
"Look, G'er."
The emperor whispered to the void, his fingertips stroking the jade pendant at his waist - it was a crude dragon pattern carved by Li Ge himself when he was ten years old.
"Father will use Chu Ning's head to sacrifice to your heroic spirit."
Suddenly, a strong wind blew outside the hall, making the iron horses on the eaves clang loudly.
Hou Junji, who was waiting at the foot of the Danchi, looked up at the sky and found that the dark clouds that had gathered at some point had swallowed up half of the sun.
He gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, and suddenly felt that the wind of July carried the solemnity of December.
If this plan succeeds, the State of Wei will definitely be destroyed, and the State of Chu will also lose a lot of troops to Wei.
The Tang Dynasty could, on the one hand, occupy the cities of Wei State, and on the other hand, prepare for the future, thus killing two birds with one stone.
Your Majesty's move is truly brilliant.
I just don't know how the Chu Emperor Chu Ning will react when he learns about this.
At the same time, the scorching sun at the end of July was burning the official road leading to Jicheng, the capital of Wei State.
Amidst the flying dust, 200,000 Chu troops advanced forward like a black torrent, with flags fluttering and swords and spears like a forest. The heavy footsteps made the earth tremble slightly.
The soldiers' armor reflected a dazzling light under the scorching sun, and sweat slid down their cheeks, but it could not hide the excitement and fighting spirit in their eyes.
Everyone knew that this was the final battle to destroy the State of Wei.
If they could capture Jicheng and kill the Wei emperor Sima Yi, the Wei Kingdom would be completely destroyed, and they would receive generous rewards for their military exploits.
In the central army, Chu Ning was wearing plain white casual clothes and riding a snow-white horse, which made him particularly eye-catching.
He looked into the distance calmly, as if he had already seen the towering walls of Jicheng.
Suddenly, there was a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats. Jia Yu came galloping over and reported with a fist clasped:
"Your Majesty, a secret letter has arrived from the Jinyiwei stationed in the State of Wei!"
Chu Ning took the letter and quickly scanned it. His eyebrows raised slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes:
"Sima Yi didn't escape?"
He sneered, "Interesting. Facing my two hundred thousand strong army, he chose not to abandon the city and flee, but instead reinforced the city defenses, acting as if he were going to burn himself to death?"
Jia Yu smiled slightly and said, "Perhaps Sima Yi knew that even if he escaped, the Tang and Han would not give him a place to stay. It would be better for him to defend Jicheng to the death and fight to the death."
He paused and continued, "The walls of Jicheng are high and the city is well-stocked with food and fodder. If they hold on to their utmost, our army will probably find it difficult to capture it within a month."
After hearing this, Chu Ning's eyes flashed with coldness, and he snorted coldly: "Really? Then I want to see what Sima Yi has up his sleeve!"
He paused for a moment, then asked, "How is the food supply for our army?"
Jia Yu bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the food and fodder have been delivered to a small town a hundred miles outside Jicheng. It is enough for the entire army to use for half a month."
"Subsequent food and fodder will only be delivered after our army sets up camp."
Chu Ning nodded, his gaze once again looking into the distance, a cold smile appearing on the corner of his mouth:
"Pass the order down, the entire army accelerates and must reach Ji City before sunset three days from now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he squeezed the horse's belly hard. The white horse neighed loudly and rushed forward like an arrow.
Behind him, an army of 200,000 followed closely behind. In the billowing smoke and dust, iron hooves crushed the setting sun. The dark cloud of war had completely enveloped the last capital of Wei.