People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1788 I need an excellent naval commander

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, light snow was falling.

Li Xuan sat in the Ganlu Palace, looking at the list in his hand, his eyes couldn't help but become solemn.

Light footsteps sounded behind Li Xuan, and then a soft body gently pressed against Li Xuan's back, and then rubbed against him like a kitten: "Your Majesty, what are you busy with?"

"It's about personnel matters in the court." Li Xuan reached out and hugged Chang Sun Yue into his arms, then continued to ponder as he looked at the list in front of him.

When sending troops to Silla, the navy is extremely important. Warships can be built and sailors can be mobilized, but an excellent naval general that Li Xuan can trust is rare.

The person who was best at naval warfare in the Tang Dynasty was undoubtedly Liu Rengui.

On the second day of the first lunar month, Li Xuan went to Liu Rengui's residence to inquire about matters at sea and to ask among the Tang generals which one was the most suitable naval commander to go to war with Silla.

The candidate recommended by Liu Rengui was the same as what Li Xuan had in mind, Ji Xiao, the commander of the Hangzhou Navy.

However, even Ji Xiao is now nearly sixty years old, and most importantly, he has not participated in a naval battle for a long time.

Or to be more precise, there had not been a large-scale naval battle in the entire Tang Dynasty for a long time.

The last so-called naval battle was nothing more than the Yangzhou Navy being chased from behind by the Dengzhou Navy when it was evacuating Yangzhou. However, the two sides only had a brief confrontation at sea, and the battle ended with the rapid withdrawal of the Yangzhou Navy.

Li Xuan took a long time to select, for example, the current Dengzhou Navy Commander Chunyu Gong, Yangzhou Navy Commander Shi Jin, Hangzhou Navy Commander Ji Xiao, and Guangzhou Navy Commander Yu Kai.

As for Duan Baoxuan, the Chief Clerk of the Yangzhou Grand Marshal's Office, and Cheng Chubi, the Navy General, neither of them was a suitable candidate in Li Xuan's mind.

After all, they are all old.

When Liu Rengui fought at Baekgang, he was also quite old. However, he did not volunteer to go there. Instead, he was tricked by Li Yifu.

Li Xuan could not expect these older generals to explode in naval battles like Liu Rengui did.

You know, naval warfare and land warfare are completely different. Once you fail, the consequences will be disastrous.

Li Xuan tapped the table lightly and said to himself, "It seems that we have to select qualified naval commanders from the entire Tang Dynasty."

"Your Majesty!" Chang Sun Yue looked up in confusion when she heard Li Xuan's voice. Li Xuan smiled and lowered his head, pecked her on the lips, and then asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"

"It's snowing." Chang Sunyue raised her head, looked outside the palace, and said longingly: "Let's go make a snowman."

"Okay!" Li Xuan picked up Chang Sun Yue and walked towards the bed, saying proudly, "Let's build a snowman in the house first."

……

In front of the Liangyi Palace, Li Xuan's expression gradually became solemn as he watched the snowflakes falling in front of him.

Today is the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

The snow has been falling non-stop since the ninth day of the first lunar month. Except for the half-day break on the eleventh day, it has been snowing non-stop ever since.

And looking at the weather, it seems that the trend will continue to rain.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Historian, the Minister of the Supreme Court, and the Water Conservancy Commissioner have all arrived." Xu Lu's voice sounded behind Li Xuan.

Li Xuan came back to his senses immediately, nodded, and said, "Xuan!"

"Yes!" Xu Lu immediately turned around and waved to the three people under the jade steps.

The three of them immediately bowed and headed upwards.

Li Xuan's eyes swept across Li Yan, He Yiqiu, and Xu Jian, then he raised his eyes and looked at the entire Chang'an City in front of him.

The snowflakes kept falling, almost completely burying the entire Chang'an City.

"I am the Grand Historian Li Yan, the Minister of the Dali Temple He Yiqiu, and the Water Conservancy Supervisor Xu Jian, here to see Your Majesty." The three bowed solemnly to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan did not turn around to look at the three people, but just said calmly: "I have already issued an order to order Yongzhou Chief Clerk Liu Zhirou and Luozhou Chief Clerk Lai Jingye to resettle the homeless people in Chang'an and Luoyang as much as possible. At the same time, the palace has also sent people to sell the stored charcoal on the market."

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Li Yan, He Yiqiu, and Xu Jian bowed at the same time.

"It's not so bad now, but if the snow continues to fall, something bad will happen, crushing houses and freezing people to death. And the places involved are not just Chang'an and Luoyang, but the whole world, so." Li Xuan turned to look at Li Yan and asked directly: "So, Grand Historian, I want to know, how long will this snow last?"

"Three days!" Li Yan immediately cupped his hands and said seriously, "According to the weather forecast by the Imperial History Bureau, the heavy snow will stop within three days. I guarantee this with my life."

"Humph!" Li Xuan nodded slightly in satisfaction, then he breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the entire Chang'an City in front of him, and said calmly: "If I remember correctly, there was quite a lot of snow last winter."

Li Yan's eyebrows suddenly raised, and then he solemnly bowed and said: "Your Majesty is right, there are indeed three or four heavy snowfalls in winter."

"Then there will probably be a lot of rain this summer." Li Xuan finally turned around and looked at Li Yan.

"Yes!" Li Yan's expression became solemn. He had not forgotten the rainstorm in the first year of Yonglong.

"So, this summer, whether there will be floods or not, it won't be wrong to make preparations starting today." Li Xuan looked at He Yiqiu and Xu Jian.

"Yes!" He Yiqiu and Xu Jian bowed at the same time.

He Yiqiu was the first Du Shui Jian in the first year of Yonglong's reign. It was also at that time that the Du Shui Jian was promoted to the fourth rank. After He Yiqiu was transferred to the position of Dali Temple, Li Xuan transferred Xu Jian from Wuzhou to serve as Du Shui Jian.

Xu Jian did his job properly in the Du Shui Jian. He used everything that He Yiqiu left behind. He followed the rules and made no mistakes, and at the same time, he would not be taken advantage of by others.

This is enough for Li Xuan.

"When we go back, Xu Qing, please write a letter proposing strategies for repairing waterways in all states of the country, as well as strengthening dams. Let's start preparing for everything in the spring." Li Xuan looked at Xu Jian.

"I obey your command." Xu Jian bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan nodded and continued, "He Qing, send people to investigate places where dam breaches may occur. If there is corruption, the governor and county magistrate will be dismissed directly."

"Yes!" He Yiqiu bowed seriously.

Many of his subordinates were transferred from the Du Shui Jian to the Dali Temple. They all had a secret book in their hands about where the dams were likely to have problems.

"Wide the river channel and irrigate in large quantities to reduce water accumulation. Rain is inevitable in this summer. So, using the water in the dams and lakes and rivers for irrigation in advance can also reduce the harm of summer floods." Li Xuan turned sideways and looked behind the curtain.

Zhongshu Sheren Su Weidao immediately stood up and bowed.

Li Xuan waved slightly before he sat down again.

Li Xuan turned around and walked into the hall, saying, "Come in, everyone. I called you here today not just for today's snowstorm."

"Yes!" Li Yan, He Yiqiu, and Xu Jian looked at each other, then followed Li Xuan into the hall.

……

On the east side of the hall, a map of the entire East China Sea is hung on the wall, and there is even a newly updated map of Silla compiled by the Military Affairs Department based on information from all sources.

"I will be making an eastern tour to Yangzhou this year. I have said this a long time ago." Li Xuan looked at the map, and the three people behind him bowed in unison.

"He Yiqiu and Xu Jian are both aware of the reorganization of the Navy Guards. Only the Grand Historian knows nothing about it." Li Xuan turned sideways and looked at Li Yan.

"Yes!" Li Yan bowed solemnly. Although he didn't know what the emperor's plan was in Yangzhou, he knew that sooner or later the emperor would attack Silla.

Li Xuan raised his head and pointed the bamboo stick in his hand at various places from Youzhou to Dengzhou, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, and even Fuzhou, and said softly: "In each state, the military officer of the military department not only has the Dushuisi, but also officials who monitor the astronomical phenomena. From today on, I want the Taishi Bureau to send people to the local areas to integrate all the officials who monitor the astronomical phenomena in the coastal areas, and send all the information from Dengzhou back to Chang'an."

"Yes!" Li Yan bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan nodded and continued, "What I want is seafarers who can accurately predict the direction of seawater and weather when we go out to sea in the future. These people will be under the jurisdiction of the Navy Guards, and their positions will be equivalent to local lieutenants."

The local lieutenant was an official position of the sixth rank, which was definitely a great stimulus to the vast majority of officials of the eighth and ninth rank in the Taishi and Tianxiang departments.

"I want to attack Silla, and there can be no mistakes at sea, so this matter must be done to the best of my ability." Li Xuan looked at Li Yan and said softly: "Today's summer astronomical prediction depends on your ability. Select a group of talents for me."

"I obey your order." Li Yan immediately accepted the order solemnly.

Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, and Li Yan immediately bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

……

After seeing Li Yan leave, Li Xuan walked back to the imperial bed. He Yiqiu and Xu Jian followed immediately.

Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, and immediately a eunuch brought a low couch and hot soup.

He Yiqiu and Xu Jian bowed immediately and then sat down.

"You know me. I always like to be prepared for anything." Li Xuan looked forward and said calmly, "I need a strong navy that can fight, but the navy of my Tang Dynasty has been at peace for too long and is not conducive to fighting. Therefore, I need a group of pirates to provoke the four major navies and measure their speed of action and combat capabilities."

He Yiqiu and Xu Jian became serious. Compared to what they had talked about with Li Yan before about the meteorologist, what Li Xuan said now was the most fatal.

Li Xuan looked at He Yiqiu and Xu Jian and said seriously, "I want you two to select a group of people who are extremely good at water from the water conservancy departments in various places, and then send them out to sea to support them with ships, weapons, and food. Then, let them gain a foothold on the sea, and then control the pirates on the sea as much as possible. In the next three to five years, they will constantly harass Dengzhou, Yangzhou, and Hangzhou, and train my navy guards for me. At the same time, I want to see what generals are available in this navy."

When He Yiqiu heard what Li Xuan said, he immediately understood what Li Xuan was worried about. He bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, are you worrying too much? The Silla people don't actually have any navy. Our army can easily defeat them."

"No." Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "Our enemies have never been the Silla people. Even if the Japanese navy intervenes, I don't care. It just gives me a reason to attack Japan. On the sea, people are never the biggest enemy. The biggest enemy on the sea is God."

He Yiqiu suddenly became serious.

"To attack Silla, we must be fast and responsive. We must attack from the north to the south, plunder, and then immediately withdraw. This is my strategy." After a brief pause, Li Xuan continued, "Even if some of them cannot be withdrawn, we must rely on the port to build a stable base, survive the winter, and then wait until summer to attack again and then withdraw."

"South of Silla!" He Yiqiu bowed solemnly. He knew that under such circumstances, the base could only be established in the south of Silla.

Having lost support from the north, they could only rely on the south.

"So I need an excellent naval commander." Li Xuan couldn't help but stand up, looking out into the snow, and said softly: "In addition to the naval guards, the water divisions in various places will be the most important places to train personnel. At critical moments, they are the ones who can be of great use."

"Yes!" He Yiqiu and Xu Jian bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan raised her head and said softly, "Keep a close eye on their families."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)