Chapter 338: Unsatisfied
Even though Li Yuan felt that the fourth brother's strategic plan was very good, he still had no intention of changing his plan to personally lead an expedition to Hebei in the second year of Wude.

In March of the second year of Wude, Li Yuan issued another decree, ordering Li Yuanhui to prepare to provide food for the army, and decided to send troops after the spring plowing.

As for Northern Yan, Liu Xuanji, who successfully captured Yecheng and defeated the Tang army last year, was "ennobled" as King of Han.

Generals including Dongfang Di, Han Gui, Lou Daiwen and Zhang Shiwu were also promoted to higher positions.

In addition, several close confidants of Northern Yan Emperor Murong Yang were also appointed.

Liang Chongli was the Shizhong, Wei Xiaoju was the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Wang Sizheng, Wei Xiaoju's military officer and the only subordinate he brought to Hebei, was also recommended to Liu Xuanji.

After Liu Xuanji had a conversation with him, he immediately appointed him as the Chief Clerk of the King of Han and in charge of government affairs.

Similarly, the new chief secretary also gave Liu Xuanji a strategic plan.

He advised Liu Xuanji not to attack Luoyang directly, but to take Bingzhou first. With Bingzhou in hand, Hebei would be stable.

Moreover, it would take the cavalry only half a month at most to march from Jinyang to Luoyang.

After taking Bingzhou, you can station troops in Hedong to threaten Guanzhong. On the contrary, if Li Tang takes Bingzhou, then Youzhou and Jizhou will have to face the threat of Bingzhou from above.

The Tang army can continuously attack from the passage of Taihang Mountain and harass Hebei. At that time, the two states of You and Ji will inevitably be in chaos and people will be unsettled.

The two strategies have the same goal, which is to take Bingzhou first as a strategic springboard and pose a threat to the enemy's core areas.

But there is no doubt that Liu Xuanji felt that Wang Shizhen's suggestion was very good and a guiding light.

However, Li Yuan felt that Li Yuanhui's strategic plan took too long, and he wanted to attack directly and conquer the world in one battle.

Judging from the current strategic situation, this is undoubtedly inappropriate.

Why did Zhuge Liang always want to march north? Because he knew that the national strength of Shu Han was far inferior to that of Cao Wei. He might not win anything by marching north, but if he did not march north, he would just wait for the country to be destroyed.

Jia Xu also suggested that Cao Cao should not attack Wu, but should focus more on economic development, and when a gap in national strength appears, he could directly crush Wu.

This strategy was later used by Jin to destroy Wu.

This is basically what Li Yuanhui meant, because the party with the advantage should seek stability, and only the party with the disadvantage will think about going all in and fighting for their life all day long.

Therefore, even though Li Yuan had confirmed his plan to lead the army in person, when it came to the specific use of troops, the King of Qi's "Survey and Determine the Four Directions Strategy" still received support from many people, including the King of Jin Li Xuanqing, the Minister of War Yuwen Chengye, and the Right Servant Sima Xiuye.
This situation was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Li Yuan's idea was to send the main force from Luoyang to Hebei directly, and dispatch a detachment from Hedong to Shangdang, in order to try to take over Hebei in one battle.

But this kind of strategy naturally could not be carried out by the emperor himself to argue with others. The people who spoke for him were the Yuan Cong faction of meritorious officials headed by Pei Ji.

Both sides insisted on their own opinions and argued fiercely.

Seeing this, Li Yuan began to doubt whether there was something wrong with his idea and that he seemed too anxious.

Until finally the King of Qin also died.

"I think the strategy proposed by the King of Qi is in line with the current situation. Our Great Tang has obtained half of the world and has a vast territory. We should implement benevolent governance, and we can slowly deal with the separatist bandits. The capital of Hedong is a place where we can use military force. Outside of Guanzhong, the first choice is Bingzhou. To the east, there is the Taihang Mountains as a barrier, to the west, the Yellow River as a belt, to the north, the desert and Yinshan Mountains as external shields, and Gouzhu and Yanmen as internal dangers. To the south, Zhongtiao and Wangwu Mountains are staggered by the river. Mengjin and Tongguan are both our gateways. Moreover, if we cross Linjin and Port Longmen, we can turn down between Jing and Wei, go out of Tianjing, Xiahuguan, Handan and Jingxing and go east. Can't we go wherever we want?"

Qin Wang Li Erfeng's words were the final word.

Even the court officials from Yuan Cong's faction remained silent, and Pei Ji, one of the prime ministers, opened his mouth and then closed it again.

After the general direction was determined, the only specific issue left was when to dispatch troops. However, Li Yuan's personal expedition was already a foregone conclusion and was not the focus of controversy.

Jin Wang Li Xuanqing proposed that although the emperor personally led the army, he did not need to lead the troops himself, and could just stay in Luoyang. The court could send the King of Qin to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Shangdang, and send the King of Qi to lead the Guandong troops to feint an attack on Jizhou. As the emperor, Li Yuan would be in Luoyang or Hedong County to coordinate and command from afar.

This time, even the heroes of the Yuan Cong faction began to agree, except Li Yuan who was still somewhat dissatisfied.

Because he wanted to lead the army himself.

But it was obvious that this did not even get the support of his close associates. This was a headache for Li Yuan, and he felt powerless and controlled by others.

Even though he is the emperor, he is still the most powerful emperor of the Tang Dynasty in the world.

But there are still some things that he cannot do as he pleases.

In this regard, he was even inferior to Emperor Zhaowu of Great Yan, Murong Ying.

For no reason, Li Yuan suddenly thought of this person.

As Murong Ying's subject for decades, Li Yuan deeply felt Murong Ying's control over the court and his absolute power as emperor.

It was a weight that even he, the founding emperor, could not envy.

Murong Ying could dismiss or kill a minister at will, launch a massive war without listening to anyone's advice, and even mobilize millions of people for this purpose.
But thinking of this, Li Yuan suddenly became a little sober.

If Murong Ying did not have such power and had not acted so recklessly, Dayan would not have collapsed at the peak of its dynasty.

There would be no place for his Tang Dynasty.

Naturally, he wanted to be a wise ruler. Who among the emperors didn't want to be evaluated in history books as a man of great talent, wisdom and bravery?

Who likes to be stubborn and insist on his own way?
Therefore, Li Yuan no longer insisted on the strategic policy that his three sons and a group of ministers all agreed to, and agreed to it vaguely.

After the court was dismissed, Li Yuan smiled somewhat self-deprecatingly. According to his thinking, shouldn't his sons hold their own opinions and refuse to give in to each other, while he, as the emperor and father, should mediate and make the decision?
Now, it has become a situation where several sons have banded together to fight against him. At least in this matter, that is how the camp is.

After reaching a consensus on the goal in the court, the entire Tang Dynasty quickly entered a state of war preparation in the second year of Wude.

The troops in Guanzhong began to gather and get ready.

In May, Li Yuan also officially issued an edict to confirm that the King of Qin would lead his troops to attack Shangdang as the main attack direction, while the King of Qi would lead his troops to attack Jizhou to contain the main force of the Yan army.

The King of Jin stayed in Guanzhong.

With the help of the King of Qi's petition, the King of Qin took command of the main attack direction. Everyone in the King of Qin's palace was planning the details of the advance, how to deal with the terrain of Shangdang, and the reinforcements from Hebei that might arrive in Shangdang.

But an accident still happened. The King of Qin, who had always been in good health and brave in battle, suddenly contracted malaria before going on the expedition.

This forced the Tang Dynasty to make some adjustments to the war strategy, and the King of Qin, who had malaria, stayed in Guanzhong to recuperate.

The King of Jin led an army of 100,000 as the main general to attack Shangdang, while the King of Qi still led his Jianghuai troops to attack Jizhou to contain the forces of Northern Yan.

Li Yuan still went to Luoyang to take charge.

After receiving the imperial edict, Li Yuanhui immediately set out from Luoyang and went to the Heyang front to mobilize troops and prepare for war. He changed his usual behavior and made a gesture of actively attacking northward.

As for Northern Yan, Liu Xuanji had already learned of the military situation and rushed to Yecheng in Jizhou from Jixian County in Youzhou (or Jidu to be more precise).

After more than half a year of silence, the two sides once again sounded the clarion call for advancement.

(End of this chapter)