Datang: From exiled prince to eternal tyrant

Chapter 83 Marching Northward
For Li Shimin, there are two options now.

If Li Ke was kept safe, he could only give up a large area of ​​territory north of the Yellow River and let Li Ke guard the banks of the Yellow River to resist the enemy.

But if in order to keep the great Tang mountains and rivers, he can only reluctantly agree to Li Ke and put him in danger.

At this moment, everyone in the King's Party of Shu was also silent. They didn't want to disturb Li Shimin's thoughts, so they gave the right to choose to the Holy One.

Although no one wanted Li Ke to put himself in danger, it was his own idea and it was hard for everyone to object.

After all, everyone saw Li Ke's bravery, and everyone also vaguely believed that Li Ke's plan could be implemented smoothly and the Three Kingdoms Allied Forces could be defeated.

Li Shimin hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed heavily: "Since Ke'er made this dangerous move, I think he is sure to win. I... agree!"

He immediately ordered his secret guards to send a message to Li Ke as quickly as possible, asking him what help he still needed from the court.

At this moment, Li Ke was still preparing for the war in Shu. Since he received the news that the three northern kingdoms were planning to attack Datang, he began to allocate food, grass and weapons, and mobilized his soldiers to prepare to go north.

He has formed an army of all mules and horses, which is pulled by chariots when marching, ensuring extremely high mobility.

This kind of chariot was designed by Li Ke himself. It has two sections, with two wheels on the front and back sections. It is pulled by oxen or horses, and can pull 15 people at a time, or ten people plus all supplies.

This kind of chariot can carry [-] elite infantry, and these infantry have been carefully selected and have high combat capabilities.

In addition, for this battle, he also planned to bring 13 cavalry and 25 infantry, adding up to a total of [-] people.

If such a large-scale army is to be transported to the Northeast, there will be a lot of movement, but the biggest problem facing Li Ke is the transportation of food, grass and luggage.

Anshi City is extremely far away, and it is deep in the enemy's hinterland. It is obviously not easy to transport food and grass there by going deep into the enemy's rear.

In case of a protracted battle with Goguryeo there, the problem of insufficient food and grass will cause him a lot of trouble.

Li Ke has been looking for a solution to the problem of grain and grass transportation. Right now, there are only two options: land and water.

Going by land is the usual way, but in this case, once the enemy strangles the Yalu River, it is tantamount to strangling his transportation line.

Moreover, the enemy army will soon cross the Yalu River and enter the Northeast region. Once they occupy the Northeast region, whether the grain and grass can pass through the Northeast and be transported to Anshi City is also a problem.

Therefore, Li Ke also wanted to open up a channel for transporting grain from the water. He had already conceived to enter the sea from the Shandong area, go all the way north along the coastline, and send it directly to Anshi City.

But doing so requires a large number of transport ships, and Li Ke does not have so many ships on hand.

Just as he was scratching his head over this matter, Li Shimin's letter arrived.

Seeing Li Shimin asking him what he wanted, Li Ke made a decisive decision and asked the court for warships.

He asked the imperial court for [-] warships along the coast of Shandong to transport grain, grass and supplies.

Now that Li Shimin agreed with his style of play, Li Ke no longer hesitated. After sending the letter, he immediately organized his troops and prepared to set off.

Before dawn, people gathered outside the city of Chengdu, crowding both sides of the entire city gate.

Although there were many people, it was quiet outside the city at the moment. Everyone was silent and stared in the direction of the city gate.

The crowd in front was a little commotion, and the commotion continued to spread from the city to the outside.

Gradually, everyone could see that there was a large army coming from the city to the outside.

When the army approached, everyone could see clearly that the one walking in the front was riding a white horse, and the one sitting immediately was the lord of Shu, Li Ke.

Li Ke is dressed in bright gold armor, with a red robe fluttering in the wind behind him. He is riding a white horse, leading the troops forward with a resolute expression, and his demeanor is extraordinary.

Behind him is a majestic [-] cavalry unit, all of whom are full of energy and heroic.

Further back, where everyone couldn't see clearly, were 13 elite infantry in chariots and [-] ordinary infantry.

This was the day when Li Ke sent troops out of the city, and all the people in the city gathered at the gate of the city to send Li Ke out of the city.

When the troops reached the gate of the city, Li Ke raised one hand, and all the soldiers stopped in unison.

Li Ke hit the horse again and walked leisurely to the gate of the city. At this moment, all the eyes of the people were on him alone.

At this moment, the morning breeze blew up the red robe behind Li Ke, making him unrestrained and elegant.

"People of Chengdu City!"

Li Ke shouted with all his strength, hoping to let more people hear his voice.

"I, Li Ke, the third son of the current emperor, the king of Shu..."

"Lead the troops out of the city today, go to the north, rescue the people in the north, and kill the foreign enemies who invade our mountains and rivers!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the people inside and outside the city of Chengdu applauded together, and everyone was excited.

"Be sure to kill all the thieves who violated my Tang Dynasty!"

"The King of Shu must return safely and lead the people of Chengdu to make a fortune!"

"Whoever offends me in Tang Dynasty, kill!!"

The common people shouted and cheered one after another, swaying the passion in their hearts to their heart's content.

After the applause and shouts of the crowd gradually subsided, Li Ke continued to speak.

"This time in the battle in the north, I, Erlang from Shu, will support the north, dedicate my blood to the Great Tang, and work hard! They are the pride of our people in Shu, and the pride of me, Li Ke!"

"I, Li Ke, am proud to have so many generous, heroic and fearless soldiers under my rule!"

As soon as these words came out, all the people applauded in unison again, and everyone shouted and cheered for the soldiers, encouraging them to fight the enemy bravely and expel the captives.

After the applause of the crowd stopped, Li Ke turned around again, facing the generals behind him.

"Everyone joins the army and receives the state's salary. They should serve the country, fight the enemy bravely, and protect the peace of the country!"

"Can our soldiers be able to face the battle without fear and regard death as home?"

He shouted to the generals in a trembling voice and gave lectures.

In front of him was a long cavalry troop. Everyone drew out their long knives at their waists one after another, and the clanging of gold and iron resounded in unison.

"can!"

The army shouted in unison, and the sound shook all directions.

"In order to protect the peace of the family and the country, and to protect the well-being of the people, can you ensure that all the enemies and thieves will be killed and driven away?"

"can!"

"My men from Shu land went on an expedition to the north, can you all do it, win glory for the people of Shu land, fight the enemy bravely, and win the praise and praise of the people of the whole country?"

"can!"

After asking several questions in a row, mobilizing the blood in the hearts of all the soldiers in the army, Li Ke turned around again and faced the city gate.

At this moment, the sun was just rising, and the autumn wind rolled up the dust and sand on the ground and hit it head-on.

Li Ke closed his eyes to feel the rising temperature of the sun, and took a deep breath.

"Let the whole army go!"

He raised his voice and shouted, and then the whole city shouted and cheered with him: "The whole army set off!"

"Let the whole army go!"

The whole city of Chengdu was shouting, and amidst the shouting, a troop went out of the city to the north, facing the rising sun, and rushed to the battlefield...

(End of this chapter)