Don't be a prince

After finishing speaking, Yan Liben took a few of his direct subordinates and began to mobilize craftsmen and soldiers to cut wood.

Seeing the craftsmen and soldiers busy one by one, Li Chengqian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Gang, who was sitting in a wheelchair, remained silent until Li Chengqian sent everyone out before the old man spoke.

"Chengqian, do you want to forge a batch of eight-ox crossbows to deter the Turkic army?"

Li Chengqian walked behind the wheelchair, pushed the old man into the barracks, and said as he walked: "Yes, you know, the disciple can only command these 2000 people. 2000 people seem to be a lot, but they are placed in front of the Turkic 30 troops. No fart. If you want to deter them, there is no other way than the Eight-Ox Crossbow. The more Eight-Ox Crossbows we make this night, the stronger the deterrence we will have tomorrow."

Li Gang laughed and said, "It's just that your eight-ox crossbow is a shell. Once the Turkic people are not afraid of death, what should you do?"

Li Chengqian also smiled: "Mr. Li, you don't know that a weapon, especially a weapon like the Eight Bull Crossbow, is really deterrent not when it is fired, but when it is fired. Waiting for tomorrow, if the Turkic army really appears in the On the opposite side of the Weishui River, as long as my eight-ox crossbow is lined up, hehe, do you think that Jieli dares to try? If he doesn’t move, he will be fine. Once he moves, the entire army may be wiped out. No matter how brave the Turkic people are, they will be trapped He also has to be cautious in a situation where he must die."

Li Gang nodded, stroked his beard and laughed.He didn't want to judge Li Chengqian's plan. In his opinion, it was very rare for a seven-year-old child to have an idea and find a way in the face of a crisis.

"People are iron and rice is steel. You are busy tonight. Hurry up and cook the fish for the old man."

Only then did Li Chengqian remember that the fish the old man caught were still in the basket.

He couldn't participate in the manufacture of the fake eight-ox crossbow at all. Whether it was hands-on or command, he was inferior to Yan Liben.There is a specialization in the art industry, which makes sense.Li Gang is really a wise man, and many of his words are very incisive.

There is also a kitchen in the military camp. The grass carp in the river is the most suitable for stewing directly. After disembowelling and cleaning, Li Chengqian sprinkled enough seasoning into the pot and started to stew.

The smell of stewed fish passed through the kitchen and permeated all over the barracks. The busy carpenters and soldiers swallowed secretly.

Yan Liben was also greedy, but after swallowing his saliva, he immediately shouted: "Be quick with your hands and feet. His Highness the Crown Prince has said that after completing the work, there will be a lot of rewards. Let me tell you, His Highness the Crown Prince spends money generously. A little reward will cover your hard work for a month."

With the pancakes drawn by Yan Liben, the craftsmen and soldiers worked faster.

Primitive woodworking, without the aid of a cutting machine, is slow.But with [-] soldiers as a booster, the speed has increased a lot.Trees were brought down, rough planks were sawn out, and shavings fell to the ground in clusters.When the carpenters in Chang'an arrived with their stuff, a batch of planks had already appeared.

Yu Tai is still quite reliable. Although he did not cover all the carpenters in Chang'an, he can still achieve it in seventy to eighty percent.

Seeing the craftsmen and soldiers working, Yu Tai followed Yuxiang to find the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Li Chengqian had already unfolded the folding table and was eating with Li Gang.

Seeing Yu Tai coming in, Li Chengqian pointed to the rice bowl and said, "When you come, serve the rice yourself."

Yu Tai waved his hands again and again: "How dare the last general have dinner at the same table with His Highness and the crown prince!"

Li Gang spat out a fishbone, and muttered, "Eat as soon as I tell you to eat, so much nonsense! What did the emperor say?"

With Li Gang's invitation, Yu Tai dared to pick up the rice bowl and filled himself a bowl full of millet rice.

After sitting down at the table with a silly smile, Yu Tai said helplessly, "Your Majesty said, if the crown prince pays for the mess himself, he doesn't care about it. Moreover, such a thing as Turkic soldiers coming to the Weishui River is simply a fantasy."

Chapter 40 Li Jing

After hearing his father's reply, Li Chengqian could only smile wryly.

well!After all, a person who becomes an emperor will definitely change his mentality.

Arabian Nights?One thing, even if the probability of it happening is very low, can it really be ignored?

Now he finally understood why the Turks were able to break through the encirclement and reach the Weishui River, threatening Chang'an.

The reason is the underestimation of the opponent.

Probably, the emperor thought that the Turks were just going south to plunder as usual, and returned to the grassland after getting something.

Sighing, Li Chengqian put down his chopsticks.Although the grass carp was stewed extremely delicious, it was really hard for him to swallow it at this time.

Yu Tai didn't have so many worries. The fish soup was soaked on the rice, and the food was very hearty.

Seeing that he was eating so happily, Li Chengqian put most of his fish in front of Yu Tai.Yu Tai didn't dislike it, but replied gratefully, "Thank you, Your Highness, for the reward", and then continued to eat.

Li Gang saw that Li Chengqian's heart was not listless, and sighed: "It's already the expected result, what do you have to regret? Didn't you have a plan? Even if the Turks didn't arrive here, from the old man's point of view, you are still positive." If you did something, no one can blame you. It is also a credit to take precautions."

Li Chengqian bowed his hands to show that he was taught, but he still had no appetite, so he put down his job and left the kitchen.

Although he was not the one in charge, since he was the one who called the craftsmen, he had to be present at the construction site.

Chang'an - Xiande Hall

Because the Taiji Palace was occupied by the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan, Li Shimin, as the emperor, could only use the Xiande Hall as the venue for the court meeting.

At this time, there was a huge frontier defense map on the main hall, and a group of generals sat on the ground, listening to the emperor's explanation.

The bamboo pole was at Gaoling, and Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "The news of the concentration of Turkic troops has been confirmed. It is estimated that they will take action in the next two days. And they want to go south, Gaoling is the first line of defense, gentlemen, Who do you think I should send to guard Gaoling?"

Cheng Yaojin and Yu Chigong came out almost at the same time, and said in a deep voice: "The last general is willing to go!"

Li Shimin glanced at the two of them and nodded in satisfaction.

With his ascension to the throne, these veteran generals were also able to soar into the sky, and each received the title of duke.They thought that the sudden wealth would wear down their courage, but they didn't expect them to stand up at this time.

Gaoling is the first pass. If the defense is successful, it will be famous for thousands of years, and if it is broken, it will be infamous for thousands of years.It can be said that this is not only a place of merit, but also an area full of crises.

"Okay, if you know the truth, I will order you to go to Gaoling. Even if you can't defend it, don't hold it to your death. Jingde, I will make you the chief of the Jingzhou Road. Jingzhou's troops are far superior to Gaoling. If Gaoling can't resist, Then let the Turks in and beat them in Jingyang!"

Cheng Yaojin and Yu Chigong took orders at the same time, and immediately walked out of the palace gate.

Looking at the generals who were whispering, Li Shimin smiled slightly. Opportunities are never given, but grasped by oneself.

Nowadays, many people have jumped to such high positions as Dukes and Marquises, and the idea of ​​having fun in peace occupies their minds.As everyone knows, it is easy to win a title, but it is difficult to keep a title. How can you do it without seeing the follow-up credits?

Both Gaoling and Jingyang have dispatched generals, so they can almost feel at ease.As for what the prince said about the Turkic troops driving straight in, approaching Chang'an, thinking about it, this kind of thing is impossible.

Just when he breathed a sigh of relief, a long-bearded general in the front row of the generals said: "Your Majesty, I think I should mobilize Chang'an's troops to Jingyang again? Jingzhou's troops are only [-], and I am afraid it will be difficult to resist the Turkic attack." attack."

Li Shimin was slightly angry, but when he saw the speaker, he relaxed his brows.

Li Jing is probably the only one in this world who can give advice to Li Shimin while marching without being angered.Although angry at Li Jing's vacillation in front of the Xuanwu Gate, Li Shimin admired him from the bottom of his heart in terms of words and art of war.

"No need, from my point of view, the Turks should have gone south to plunder as usual this time. In the past, the Turks would plunder to the Jingyang area, and then went back satisfied. This time, I'm afraid it will be the same. Although it may be very difficult for me to say so I'm sorry for the people of Gaoling and Jingzhou, but now that the national treasury is empty and can't stand a big war, if we can't go to war, let's not go to war."

After hearing the emperor's words, the generals all bowed their heads.

The most powerless word in the world is probably "no money". As long as a person has no money, he will have no confidence.Although it has the world's top army, but now that the national treasury is empty, the empty army has no food and cannot go to war.

There is nothing more humiliating to the generals than the enemy being provoked in front of him but unable to fight back.

Seeing what the generals were thinking, Li Shimin sat down, sighed and said: "I don't know what you think, I also came out of the army, and I am full of resentment at this time. However, the national power of the Tang Dynasty does not allow I promise you that I will go to war with the outside world in three years at least, or five years at most!"

Duke Kui Liu Hongji knelt on one knee: "My emperor is mighty!"

Qiu Xinggong, Li Jing, Zhang Gongjin and others also knelt on one knee together: "My emperor is mighty!"

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction, and ordered the maid to prepare the banquet.

Now that the Turkic prisoners are imminent, the generals need to stay in the palace and be ready to fight at any time.Even he, the emperor, can only sleep in the Xiande Hall at this time, ready to receive news at any time.

After the discussion of the battle situation was over, the generals no longer sat on their knees, but sat and chatted in twos and threes.

In the past, the lonely Li Jing was absolutely ignored.But this time, there were more people surrounding him.

Zhang Liang, the Duke of Yun, asked Li Jing while drinking tea: "It's not once or twice that the Turks have committed crimes. Even when the world was in chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, they didn't stop looting. Why did you react so strongly this time?"

Li Jing sighed: "It's not that the reaction is big. Facing the enemy, the old man is used to thinking that they are difficult to deal with. He is as cunning as a fox. On the line from Gaoling to Chang'an, there are not enough troops. To be honest, the old man wanted to speak up several times. To strengthen the troops, just..."

Li Jing didn't finish his sentence, but everyone already understood what he meant.

As the Duke of Wei, the top title among military generals, Li Jing can be described as infinitely beautiful.But because of the attribute of "grass on the wall", it put him in an extremely embarrassing position in the new dynasty.

With a chuckle, Liu Hongji said, "Li Jing, you are used to thinking of things so complicated. How can there be so many conspiracies and tricks in the world? When two armies are fighting, isn't it still the number and combat power that matter?"

Following Liu Hongji's words, the surrounding generals all laughed.

Amidst the laughter, Li Jing could only smile wryly.

Chapter 41 morning

In a group of "junior and high school graduates", a "doctoral student" was accidentally mixed in, which is probably the current situation.

As Han Qinhu's nephew, Li Jing was carefully taught by his uncle.When other generals would only calculate the combat power of the enemy and us to bully the weak with the more, but he can arrange his troops and prepare strategies so that he can win more with less.

Regarding the matter of Xuanwu Sect, he chose two and did not want to help, so after Li Shimin came to power, he was in an awkward position.

In terms of merit, he is almost the number one in the military, and being granted the official position + title of Duke Wei is the most direct proof.In terms of military strategy, if he claims to be the second, no one would dare to call himself the number one. Even Cheng Yaojin, who is very successful, would not make such a joke.

However, the problem of standing made it impossible for him to stand out at this critical moment when the old and new regimes alternated.

Looking at the laughing generals, Li Jing secretly sighed.

In his opinion, August is not the most suitable time for the Turks to go south, but they just did it.The reason is probably the Xuanwumen Incident.If you think about it this way, the Turks may not simply want to plunder some supplies when they go south this time.There is a great possibility that he wants to go straight ahead and become Emperor Tuoba's second.

Thinking of this terrifying possibility, Li Jing apologized and got up to go home.

At this critical moment, although there is no express rule that the general must stay in the palace, everyone is showing their enthusiasm.Out of the crowd waiting for the battle came a shy person, but no one laughed.Everyone smiled slightly and watched Li Jing leave.

Li Jing, No. 1 in the military during the Wude period, fell off the horse at this time, which was exactly what they wanted.

Li Shimin did not interfere with Li Jing's departure.Li Shimin naturally disliked the existence of Li Jing for those who did not belong to his own department.At this time, Li Jing's abandonment of himself was exactly what he wanted.

Passing through the gate of the palace, getting into his own carriage, and opening the curtain, Li Jing said to his general in a deep voice, "Command all the men and women to be fully armed, and let's go to the bank of the Wei River. Since the generals of the Manchu Dynasty did not think that It is possible for people to come to the Wei River, so let's block it. The temporary bridge can be said to be one man's gate, and ten thousand people can't open it. As long as the temporary bridge is destroyed, even if this kind of thing really happens, we can create a way for the court to mobilize troops. Timing. So, it’s my best effort.”

The general at the side of the carriage nodded and took orders, and instead of following the carriage, he rode on his horse and galloped out.

...

Weishui River.

It was already noon at this time, and the autumn tiger was still raging on the land, and the soldiers and craftsmen sawing wood were sweating profusely.Although he was very tired, no one complained aloud, because His Royal Highness was standing by the cauldron, boiling water and making tea for the workers.

They are all members of the Grass Body Revolution. When they have enjoyed such glory, even if the promised wages are gone by then, no one will complain.

Boiling water in a big pot is also a helpless move, because Li Chengqian found that people's awareness of hygiene at this time is shockingly low.Tired of work, he just lay down by the river and drank wildly in front of the river.Some people would go to the river to wash their faces after working for a while, not because of the heat, but because sweat washed the mud off their hair and stung their eyes.

For the sake of their health, Li Chengqian could only take out his secret tea leaves and boil hot water for them to make tea.

The so-called secret tea leaves are tea leaves that have not been crushed into powder. Although they have not been roasted and still have a grassy smell, they are much better than powdered tea leaves.

Li Gang likes this kind of tea very much. In his opinion, the taste of bitterness first and then sweetness is much simpler and more peaceful than the mixed flavors of green onion, ginger and garlic, which fits the artistic conception of a literati.

Seeing Li Chengqian who was still fidgeting when the water was boiling, Li Gang pushed the wheelchair to the side of the cauldron, and comforted him: "You don't need to be too anxious. After all, this kind of thing is just your inference. In the eyes of the old man, you will Most of the prevention is useless. The reason why I don’t advise you to stop is because the old man appreciates your habit of preventing all possible things. Now, relax, don’t let the Turkic people arrive, you will be so anxious that you will fall ill first. "

Throwing the dry firewood into the stove, Li Chengqian poked the ground with a twig and said, "You don't know, the boy has a very strong premonition that this kind of thing might really happen."

Regarding Li Chengqian's "premonition" remarks, Li Gang was noncommittal. This kind of premonition can sometimes turn the tide, but most of the time it can't even turn a wave.However, this was the first time he saw Li Chengqian being so concerned about one matter.As the prince and grand teacher, at this time, he just needs to wait quietly, until everything is in vain, and then comfort and teach.

Under the guidance of Li Chengqian's "streamlined operation", the originally chaotic construction site was coordinated and accelerated a lot.

Finally, after assembly, the first "Eight Bull Crossbow" was produced.

Looking at the majestic "Eight Bull Crossbow" placed on the carriage, Li Chengqian was determined.

Patting the body of the crossbow, Yan Liben said: "His Royal Highness, this is already the limit that a subordinate official can make. In terms of appearance, unless it is a soldier who controls the eight-ox crossbow all the year round, or a craftsman who makes the eight-ox crossbow, it will not Some people may be able to tell the truth from the fake. The crossbow made by blacksmiths and carpenters is a real siege tool, but it cannot be fired. The rope made of bark will collapse in an instant once it is really exerted. break."

"Enough is enough!"

Pointing to the oilcloth on one side, Li Chengqian ordered two soldiers to lift up the oilcloth and cover the eight-ox crossbow, only the pointed siege chisel was exposed.At first glance, it really looks like a crossbow.

The distance between the two ends of the temporary bridge is more than 100 meters. With such a distance, if someone can see the clue, Li Chengqian is willing to write his name upside down.

With the first, there is the second.Yan Liben has benefited a lot from the working method of the assembly line.

When the sun went down, an "Eight Bull Crossbow" had been installed on more than 100 carriages dispatched by Yu Tai.

More than 100, still not meeting Li Chengqian's requirements, so piles of bonfires were lit on the bank of the river, and the craftsmen continued to work and continue to manufacture in the middle of the night.If there is no carriage, a flat plate is built and four small wheels are installed.Although such an "eight ox crossbow" is not as maneuverable as the one on the carriage, its "power" is still the same.

For a whole night, no one rested.Even Li Chengqian tossed and turned, without sleeping for an hour.

In the twilight of morning, the bonfire has turned into a smoky carbon pile.After half a day and one night of hard work, many people started to yawn like a hippopotamus.

At this time, they need a booster to help their spirits.

After ordering all the crossbow carts to be pushed to the side of the Wei River and lined up, especially on the bridge, Li Chengqian ordered the soldiers to remove the oilcloth on a carriage.

Chapter 42 Bad News

Obviously the sun has not risen yet, only a little light from the sky illuminates the earth.But after seeing the things on the carriage, many people's eyes lit up.

That is a string of copper coins!And all of them are full and full, polished by human hands.

"Okay, okay, hurry up and stand in line to get the money. Don't worry about not getting it, the promise made by Gu must be true."