Datang: A Technological Power

""This kid, could it be that he really has extraordinary military tactics?"

Li Shimin looked at Xue Rengui, who looked honest, and asked doubtfully.

Anyway, it was still early, and he was not in a hurry to leave. He told the guards to wait outside first, and he also brought a small stool to listen to Xue Rengui's military tactics.

As the first commander of the Tang Dynasty, he was also well versed in military tactics. Whether he was good or not, you could tell by just listening!

Xu Chen also sat down, looked at Xue Rengui with a smile, and motioned him to continue.

"Okay, if you all have no questions, I will continue to talk about blitzkrieg. This blitzkrieg is to use high mobility to quickly cut in when the enemy is least expecting it, just like a swarm of locusts passing through! There are three key points! First,……"

He talked about the blitzkrieg for half an hour. He took a sip of water and said,

"I have talked about blitzkrieg and guerrilla warfare. Next, I will talk about protracted warfare! This is the most common fighting method that Master and I discussed. On the battlefield, if the enemy holds on and refuses to come out, how can we deal with it? If our side needs to hold on because food and grass have not arrived, how can we defend it? Let's see……"

The secret of this protracted war is much more profound than that of a blitzkrieg. He spoke eloquently for nearly an hour, and Li Shimin and others who were sitting there were fascinated by his speech. When they heard the wonderful parts, they couldn't help but applaud and admire!

The art of war is obscure and difficult to understand. No one has ever been able to explain all the details of the battlefield so systematically and concisely, and so comprehensively, taking into account almost all possible factors!

They were so fascinated by what they heard that they didn't feel the passage of time. In the blink of an eye, the sun had set.

"Wonderful, wonderful! I, Cheng Yaojin, have always thought that military tactics are just bluffs. Today, after hearing this, I feel that I am really a toad in a well!"

Cheng Yaojin shook his head and sighed, and bowed to Li Jing, saying,

"Pharmacist, I used to have some prejudice against your military tactics, please don't be offended, you are the best general in the Tang Dynasty!"Everyone present was a veteran who had experienced many battles. After a little dialectic in their minds, Xue Rengui's theory was true, and those things that were puzzling before were now solved. At this moment, those rough men who relied on their talents to fight no longer dared to underestimate the power of military tactics!

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. In front of Xue Rengui and Xu Chen, I am just a bright fire."

Li Jing waved his hands again and again, modestly and sincerely.

He really felt that after studying the art of war for so many years, he was not as thorough as Xue Rengui, not to mention Xu Chen.

The apprentice was so good, so how much better was the master!

"Rengui, why don't you thank the Dukes for their compliments?"

Xu Chen smiled and ordered.

His apprentice is in the limelight, especially in front of these big guys. Then he, as the master, will have more face, and of course he will be happy.

"Thank you, Dukes. Master is a hundred times better than Rengui. Rengui would never dare to be compared with Master."

Xue Rengui clasped his fists towards everyone, extremely humble.

"Haha, Rengui, don't be too modest. Your master is indeed very powerful, but in terms of military strategy, today is your home court, so why belittle yourself?"

Li Shimin smiled again, glanced at Xu Chen beside him, and said deliberately,

"He has been saying that your master is better than you, but he never said a word about military tactics from beginning to end. I don't quite believe it. What do you think, my dear ministers?"

He was forcing Xu Chen to show his skills. How could the old foxes not understand? They said in unison:

"We don't believe it either!"

Seeing this, Xu Chen knew that he had no choice but to show off his skills, so he could only stand up and motion Xue Rengui to sit down, and then said:

"Well, this has pushed me into a dead end, so let me talk about it. However, I will not talk about anything new, but will supplement what Rengui just said, such as this on protracted war."

"Suppose that there is a country that wants to invade our Tang Dynasty. This country is very powerful and has strong combat effectiveness. It can easily cross our border to burn, kill and loot. Their troops can conduct long-distance cruises on the border of our Tang Dynasty and can march straight in at any time. If they invade the entire country, how should we respond?"

His words immediately made everyone present, including Li Shimin, look solemn.

Who is he talking about? Isn't he talking about the Turks? The Turks are eyeing the Tang Dynasty covetously. Everyone knows Sima Zhao's intention. In fact, everyone present wants to destroy him, but he is too strong.

With the current national strength of the Tang Dynasty, it is no match for the Turks. If the Turks seize this weak period and suddenly attack, how should they resist?

According to historical records, Li Shimin had no way out. His choice was to sign a humiliating alliance with Jie Li Khan and pay countless gold and silver treasures to feed this jackal!

Now, he still has no way out, so he pricked up his ears and listened, wanting to hear Xu Chen's insights.

"First, let's talk about the first extreme situation. Our Tang Dynasty is far weaker than the other side. In the face of the strong invasion of other countries, we have no ability to resist. In this case, we have to fight a protracted war. We use the deep geographical environment of our country to extend the enemy's supply line, abandon the Gobi Desert and grassland, rely on favorable terrain to organize defense, and then……"

"Secondly, the standing army should avoid the enemy's elite and place the battlefield inside the enemy's territory. If the enemy's food and grass supply lifeline can be cut off, the enemy's cavalry corps will fall into the quagmire of logistics support, and its efficiency will be greatly reduced.……"

"Finally, I want to say that the emergence of a military power in the vicinity of a country, regardless of whether this country intends to invade, has already posed a potential threat. We must prepare for the rainy day and set up permanent defenses in advance."

"The above are the points I have temporarily thought of and should be supplemented."

Xu Chen's expression was very serious, and the expressions of Li Shimin and others were even more serious!

The atmosphere in the courtyard was no longer cheerful, but dead silent.

This argument was so depressing that it almost diluted the joy of Li Shimin's recent accession to the throne and the pride of Zhangsun Wuji and others in becoming dukes.

It seemed that the war was coming, and more likely... the war had already come. As the sky gradually darkened, several dukes were silent and left first at Li Shimin's signal. He pondered for a long time before standing up from the bench and slowly turned around to leave.

When he reached the door, he turned back again, looked deeply at Xu Chen, and whispered:

"I will let the historians record what you said and put it in the history books forever."

On this day, Li Shimin visited Xu Chen and laid the foundation for the eternal prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, which is known as the"Qinglong Talks" in history.

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