Chapter 517 No Worries

Li Sanlang circled Jinyang on the map, which was undoubtedly a signal.

The next strategic direction of the Tang Dynasty is Bingzhou. It was formally mentioned at the court meeting and made public. This signal was also formed with the resolution of the latest court meeting.

First, he ordered Li Huaizhen, the Grand Chancellor of Hedong Road, Governor of Bingzhou, General of the Cavalry, and Prince of Zhao, to return to Chang'an, and ordered Wang Yi, the Governor of Bingzhou and Duke of Qi, to command all the troops.

After the strategy was formulated, it was obvious that the purpose of summoning Li Huaizhen back to Chang'an was not to replace generals on the battlefield, but to give him instructions in person.

In addition, an imperial edict was sent to Luoyang, informing Chang'an of the decision to take Bingzhou first.

After receiving the imperial edict from Chang'an, Li Huaizhen rushed back overnight and arrived in Chang'an in less than ten days. He was summoned to the palace before he even had time to wash or change clothes.

Li Huaizhen was dusty, his hair and beard were a little messy, and he was still wearing the uniform he wore after a long march. After entering the hall, he felt quite nervous because this was the first time they met after Li Sanlang ascended the throne.

When he saw the tall figure standing in the hall, he bowed as solemnly as before and said, "I, the commander-in-chief of Bingzhou Military, Li Huaizhen, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Li Sanlang stepped forward and helped his cousin up, "Brother, there's no need to be polite. We are all family."

Li Huaizhen was a great general with outstanding military achievements among the Li clan. Together with Li Heng and Li Su, they all started their rebellion in Shu and followed the retired emperor Li Yuan all the way to Guanzhong. Later, he participated in large-scale battles such as Yingchuan, Luoyang, and Jinyang with the three kings, and had many military exploits. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he was granted the title of Prince of Zhaojun and served as the General of the Right Guard. After Li Sanlang entered Chang'an, he took over Bingzhou and became an important official of the clan. He repelled the invading Northern Han army several times and was a true pillar of the country.

Li Huaizhen immediately said: "Rituals cannot be abolished. I have been traveling all the way since I received the imperial edict and dare not delay."

Li Sanlang sighed, "Brother, you are really the pillar of the country. You must have been traveling all the way here. Haven't you eaten yet? Please take a seat first. Today, we are the only brothers. Let's talk while we eat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The attendants brought water for Li Huaizhen to wash his hands and face, and then he sat down at the table in the side hall.

Both of them practiced martial arts, and considering that Li Huaizhen had been on a bumpy journey, they prepared a sumptuous meal.

Li Huai was really hungry. While eating with hearty mouthfuls, he reported the military situation in Bingzhou to Li Sanlang.

After dinner, the two chatted all the way from the main hall to the garden outside the hall.

Li Huaizhen naturally fully supported the idea of ​​sending troops to Jinyang, and also put forward his own strategy.

"I think that since the Northern Han has begun to gather food and grass, it must be planning to use troops in Bingzhou. The first place to be attacked is Pingyang. Pingyang City has high walls and is an important town in Jin. I think it should be guarded by heavy troops to consume the Han army's spirit. When the Han army is exhausted, we can send a large army from Hedong to the north! We will definitely be able to recapture Jinyang and pacify Bingzhou."

Li Sanlang was silent for a while after hearing this. Relying on the strong city to wear down the enemy's morale while his own side gathered strength for a counterattack was in line with the key points of the military strategy.

It was a strategy that suited his taste, but he wanted to take credit for the capture of Bingzhou.

Because Li Sanlang needed achievements to suppress Qi Wang Bafu in Luoyang, and at the same time suppress his second brother's old subordinates.

Thinking of this, Li Sanlang immediately said, "In this case, Pingyang City will be handed over to you, brother."

Li Huaizhen immediately understood the emperor's intention by hearing the music. The emperor asked him to lead the way in preparation for his own expedition to Bingzhou.

He immediately said, "I will live up to your Majesty's trust." Li Huaizhen originally wanted to stay in Hedong himself and wait until the battle in Pingyang was almost over before leading his troops north, but since the emperor himself had this idea, naturally he couldn't say anything.

He actually knew that it was unlikely that such a large-scale war would be handed over to him.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the commander-in-chief who mobilized an army of more than 100,000 was either the emperor himself or a prince.

Even if Li Huaizhen was a general of the royal family and had sufficient qualifications, such a war that would determine the fate of the country would be led by either the emperor himself or the King of Qi.

But the King of Qi had already made too many achievements. He was in charge of a region, sitting in the Eastern Capital and raising the flag of the emperor. Under such circumstances, if the King of Qi was allowed to lead the army to the north and make another great achievement, it would be even more difficult to suppress him.

The most important thing is that the Li brothers made a golden coffin alliance, which meant that the throne would be passed on to the younger brother after the elder brother's death. As for whether the emperor was willing to pass the throne to the King of Qi, it was hard to say.

And most importantly, the King of Qi and the Emperor were very close in age, only two years apart. These things that cannot be said openly often become important considerations for certain things.

Li Huaizhen stayed in Chang'an for three days and then quickly returned north to Hedong.

At the same time, the troops in Guanzhong also began to gather and prepare to reinforce Hedong.

There were originally thirty Zhechoufu stationed in Hedong, and four thousand county soldiers, totaling more than thirty-four thousand people.

Among them, there were 6,000 people in Pingyang, 2,000 people in Yubi, and the rest were mostly stationed in Anyi and Jieliang in Hedong County.

After Li Huaizhen returned to Hedong, he handed over all important military tasks to Wang Yi, and then took ten Zhechoufu north to Pingyang, and began to strengthen the city defense and prepare city defense equipment. At the same time, he transported enough food and fodder for the defenders in the city for more than half a year, as well as a large number of arrows and crossbows through the Fen River.

Hedong already had many strong bows and crossbows. Li Huaizhen and Wang Yi also set up many workshops during their reign. A large number of strong crossbows from Hedong were sent to the armies in Guanzhong and Luoyang. How could Li Huaizhen not bring more strong bows and crossbows to defend Pingyang this time?

After Li Huaizhen went north, General Liu Zongxun of the Left Guard and General Dou Cong of the Right Guard led twenty reinforcements from the Zhechoufu to Hedong to strengthen Hedong's defense.

In Luoyang, after receiving the imperial edict from Chang'an, Li Yuanhui summoned Guo Shoucun, Dugu Ying, Li Qinglian, Li Yaoshi, Zhao Jiong and other subordinates to discuss the matter. This also meant that the strategy to pacify the south that Li Yuanhui and others had prepared would be shelved indefinitely.

"Your Majesty has issued an edict today, so there is nothing more to say. I will naturally work together with Chang'an at this time. However, I predict that the Eastern Wei will definitely raise troops again this year. Last year, Ruxukou and Dongguan were broken by the bandits. The Wei army can already drive directly to Hefei, and my army is all gathered in Luoyang. Therefore, Jianghuai has no manpower. I want to choose a general to lead tens of thousands of elite troops to station in Jianghuai and take charge of the war in Jianghuai. General Yaoshi?"

Pharmacist Li was stunned when he heard this, then he stood up and bowed, saying, "I am here."

Li Yuanhui said, "Last year you led a small army to successively capture Dunkou and Shaxian. Now you are quite skilled in naval warfare. I would like to appoint you as the commander-in-chief of all military affairs in Huainan. What do you think?"

Pharmacist Li immediately said, "Your Majesty has given me an order, and I dare not refuse."

"Okay, Zuoweiwei now has a total of 21 Zhechoufu, five of which are from the Central Army of the Former Yan and are not used to naval warfare. The other 16 Zhechoufu, as well as the Tianwu Army, the Pengri Army, and the naval and land forces of Jiangzhou, are all under your control. All the wars in Jianghuai will be handed over to you, and you can use the military equipment and money at will! If you have any other conditions, please tell me all at once."

After hearing the authority and military force that Li Yuanhui had given him, Pharmacist Li immediately bowed to the ground and said, "Your Majesty has been so kind to me and saved my life. Now you have entrusted me with an important task. How dare I not fight to the death and do my best?"

Li Yuanhui laughed loudly upon hearing this, "Hahaha, I know that Pharmacist's military talent is more than Han Baiwei and Huo. I will leave all the affairs of Jianghuai to you, and I can go north without any worries!"

(End of this chapter)