Li Zhi has been under a lot of pressure recently.
The king's army marched eastward, and the feud between two dynasties and three generations avenged their humiliation.
Various logistical issues such as the mobilization of soldiers, the procurement of grain and grass, ordnance, firearms, and gunpowder all required Li Zhi's personal intervention.
The soldiers at the front were fighting to the death. Li Zhi could not lead the expedition himself, but he had to take care of the logistics so that the soldiers did not have to worry about having enough food, clothing, warmth and ammunition when they were fighting bloody battles.
Why did the Central Plains Dynasty's many eastern expeditions basically avoid landing by water, but had to fight across the border from the northeastern land first?
The biggest reason is that the Eastern Expedition must first ensure the smooth flow of grain roads. Yingzhou on the northeastern border of the Tang Dynasty is the concentration of grain and grass. Starting from Yingzhou, cross the Liao River and take Liaodong and Anshi. After the grain roads are opened, then Only when you come down can you advance without any worries.
Regarding the matter of raising grain and grass, Li Zhi personally took over it from the Ministry of Household Affairs after Wang Shi went to war. Whenever the grain and grass were shipped to Goguryeo, regardless of the quantity, Li Zhi would personally inquire about it, and even randomly check the quality of the grain in person.
The stakes in this Eastern Expedition were so great that even he, the emperor, had to be trembling with fear.
The feud of three generations ended in Si's battle. Li Zhi placed a heavy bet on this battle. He bet on the fate of the Tang Dynasty and his own reputation in history books.
After not sleeping for two days and two nights, Li Zhi was extremely exhausted, but he still worked hard to review the memorials and tried his best to draw grain from Huainan, Jiangnan and other places rich in grain and rice.
The country's material resources were measured just to ensure that the soldiers at the front would not starve. However, the Tang Dynasty had not been in good weather in the past few years. There was not much food in official warehouses in various places. In the past six months, the official warehouses in almost all states and counties had been emptied by the imperial court.
Rubbing his eyebrows irritably, Li Zhi stared at the words on the memorial, feeling a long-lost dizziness.
Li Zhi put down his pen, closed his eyes and leaned on the couch to rest his mind.
I've been too tired recently, slept too little, and the old habits I haven't had for many years seem to be making a comeback.
However, no matter how tired he was, he had to continue to review the memorials. Now the battle of the King's Division was going smoothly and was advancing steadily. Under the command of Li Ji, the Tang army had taken control of all the city land in the northern part of Goguryeo and was about to attack the capital Pyongyang.
At such a critical moment, Li Zhi must not relax at all.
A burst of rapid footsteps came from far away. Li Zhi heard it in the hall, and his heart sank.
There are palace rules in the palace. Unless it is an emergency military report, the palace people would not dare to run so rudely.
Sure enough, a eunuch came to the palace gate and reported: "Your Majesty, the British Duke Li Ji has eight hundred miles to report the arrival of the urgent army."
"Send it over quickly!" Li Zhi said hurriedly.
The eunuch entered the palace holding the wooden box and memorial in his hands.
Li Zhi checked the wooden box and the seal of the memorial, then opened it and looked at the memorial first.
After reading a few lines of words, Li Zhi couldn't help being shocked and said in a voiceless voice: "Jingchu is seriously injured?"
In mid-August, Li Ji fell from his horse and was injured, and the command was handed over to Qibi Heli.
Qibi Heli led the main force of the king's division southward in order to defeat and humiliate Yi City. Li Ji was injured and could not travel far, so he left Li Ji, Li Qinzai and 5,000 troops stationed in the camp outside Wugu City.
Three days later, the Tang army's camp outside Wugu City was raided by 20,000 foreign cavalry. Li Qinzai sent Li Ji away and led 5,000 troops to defend against the enemy.
After a bloody battle for a day and night, 5,000 Tang troops faced 20,000 enemy troops, and almost all of them were wiped out. Li Qinzai fought to the death and refused to retreat until he was seriously injured. Finally, more than 10,000 soldiers under Gao Kan rushed to help.
Twenty thousand enemy troops were wiped out, and Li Qinzai's life was hanging by a thread. He was in a coma for two days and two nights, suffered severe internal injuries, and suffered multiple fractures throughout his body.
After reading Li Ji's autobiography, Li Zhi became furious and shouted: "Mohe, Shiwei, Xi clan! What a thief! How dare you break the alliance and hurt my important ministers!"
A feeling of dizziness hit Li Zhi, and he sat down heavily. It took him a long time to calm down before he felt better.
"Li Jingchu... is so strong!" Li Zhi murmured: "You are worthy of being my most important minister. I would rather die than lose. I am very lucky!"
The sound of footsteps came from outside the palace again. Along with the pleasant sounds of gold and jade ornaments, Empress Wu hurriedly walked into the palace in elegant clothes.
"Your Majesty, I heard that there is a military report coming from the front. I wonder if it is a message of victory?" Empress Wu asked.
Regarding the Eastern Expedition, not only Li Zhi was concerned, but Empress Wu was also very concerned.
No matter how many irreconcilable conflicts the husband and wife have accumulated in the past, once there is a large-scale national war, the husband and wife will work together and deal with the outside world.
This is the tacit understanding reached by Li Zhi and Empress Wu over the years.
These days, not only Li Zhi was working hard, Empress Wu was also working hard.
Seeing Empress Wu entering the palace, Li Zhi looked distressed and anxious, and handed her Li Ji's memorial.
Empress Wu was not polite. In those days, the emperor had reviewed memorials countless times, so what does it have to do with reading military reports?
After reading ten lines at a glance, Empress Wu frowned slightly and said in surprise: "How could Li Jingchu..."
After saying this, Empress Wu was silent for a moment and sighed: "Jingchu has always been naughty, but I didn't expect that he would rather die than retreat. When the war was not going well, he could have ordered the withdrawal of the troops. As long as he did his best, I believe His Majesty will not blame him."
Li Zhi shook his head: "The battle situation at that time meant that Jing Chu could not retreat. If there was no obstruction, the 20,000 cavalry would go all the way south and attack the back of the main force of our king's division. Besides, Ying Gong was still on the way to be sent away. If Jing Chu retreated, , Duke Ying is in danger, it is right not to retreat."
"Jing Chu is usually naughty and cunning, but in the face of righteousness, he is blameless and flawless."
Empress Wu sighed: "Your Majesty, the memorial said that Jingchu was seriously injured and unconscious. This memorial was written half a month ago. I don't know if Jingchu is now..."
Li Zhi showed a deep look of worry and said, "I hope nothing happens. I really can't bear the loss of my loyal ministers and good friends."
"Your Majesty, regardless of whether Jing Chu is alive or dead, I think your Majesty should issue a decree to reward the superiors and summon Jing Chu back to Chang'an to recuperate. Even if Jing Chu survives, with his injuries, he will not be able to lead the army in Goguryeo. It’s better to go back to Chang’an to recuperate than to fight.”
Li Zhishen nodded with approval: "Yes, Jing Chu has done this for me and the Tang Dynasty. It is enough. It is time to recall him to Chang'an. He is still so young and will be much older in the future."
The couple looked at each other and reached a consensus.
Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote on the yellow silk.
…………
British government.
Butler Wu almost crawled into the backyard and shouted in the backyard regardless of the rules and etiquette.
"Young madam, it's not good! My husband came to Beijing, and something happened to the fifth young master!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the side room opened, and Cui Jie and Jin Xiang rushed out. As soon as they took two steps, the two women's tears couldn't stop flowing, and they cried as they ran.
Running to Butler Wu, Cui Jie cried and said, "What's wrong with my husband? What happened to him?"
Butler Wu wiped away his tears and said: "My husband's memorial came to Beijing today. I heard that in the battle outside Wugu City in Goguryeo, the Fifth Young Master led five thousand soldiers and horses to fight to the death against 20,000 enemy cavalry. Our king's division was almost completely wiped out. , the fifth young master was knocked away by a war horse, seriously injured, and his life or death is unknown!"
As soon as they finished speaking, the two women could no longer stand. They grabbed each other's arms and fell limply to the ground at the same time. Jinxiang even fainted.
(End of chapter)
