I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 102 Who gave you the courage? [Fourth update, ten thousand words, please subscribe]

Just as I was thinking this, I heard Liu Ju suddenly say:

"General Li is too easily excited. I thought he had a mistress in his tent and he yelled loudly to make the beautiful lady hide herself."

"?!"

Li Xi's smile froze instantly.

What does this mean?
Could it be that the Crown Prince has heard the conversation between me and Xu Ziwei and is deliberately using these words to provoke me?

However, he had no idea that Liu Ju was just used to talking nonsense.

When in front of Liu Che and Wei Qing, he would be relatively restrained.

But in front of other people, the skills of being a big mouth that he developed in later life could easily be accidentally revealed. After all, he was the prince, and no one dared to hit him if he talked badly occasionally.

However, seeing that Li Xi's expression was not right, Liu Ju also felt that it was a bit disrespectful to speak to such an old general, so he chuckled and said:

"Don't blame me, General Li. I was just joking. Please don't take it to heart."

"How dare I?"

Li Xi finally recovered and bowed with an ugly smile.
"Your Highness, please come in. There is no beautiful lady in the tent, only General Xu Ziwei and I were just looking at the map to discuss the strategy to defeat the Qiang. Your Highness has come at the right time and can provide us with some valuable suggestions."

"General Li thinks too highly of me. I don't understand military affairs. If General Li really gives me two thousand men and horses, I may not be able to march all the way to Qilian Mountain, so how can I achieve anything?"

Liu Ju was unusually humble this time and made a gesture of invitation to Li Xi.

Then, accompanied by Li Xi, he walked into the big tent.

"Then I..."

Gongsun Jingsheng was left out and suddenly felt a little at a loss as to what to do.

After all, with his current rank of captain, he was not qualified to enter the tent when the prince and the two generals were discussing strategies. Following in without permission would only make his situation more embarrassing.

As a result, I don't know whether it was because he came with Liu Ju, or because I thought he and Liu Ju were cousins.

After Li Xi walked a few steps, he did not forget to turn around and greet him:
"Captain Gongsun, you too, please?"

"Oh, here it comes!"

Gongsun Jingsheng felt as if he had been pardoned and hurriedly followed.

……

Inside the big tent.

Xu Ziwei heard Li Xi's call just now, and he immediately knew who was outside.

At this moment his heart skipped a beat, and he wondered if Liu Ju had heard what he had just said to Li Xi in there.

If this is true, it would be understandable that they would feel a little embarrassed when meeting the Crown Prince. However, I am afraid that Liu Ju would use his status as the Crown Prince and the Central Inspector of the Army to make things difficult for them, and would blindly give orders without considering the battle situation, which would affect the plan to defeat the Qiang, which would be disastrous.

By then, if we were defeated or suffered too great a loss.

Only the two of them will bear the responsibility.

Is it possible to still put the blame on the Crown Prince Liu Ju and the Central Military Inspector in front of the Emperor?

That would be truly suicidal behavior, and the emperor would probably not even give you a chance to atone for your sins with money.

"Don't listen to it!"

"Don't listen to me, or we'll be halfway defeated before the battle even begins..."

Just as they were praying, Li Xi had already opened the curtain and led Liu Ju and Gongsun Jingsheng in.

"Xu Ziwei greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Xu Ziwei's cheeks trembled and he quickly turned around and saluted Liu Ju.

"General Xu, there's no need to be so polite. I just came by to take a look and learn about the strategy for defeating the Qiang people that General Li and General Xu have formulated. If my father asks about it one day, I will be reprimanded for being the Central Military Supervisor and knowing nothing about it."

Liu Ju returned the greeting with a smile, his eyes already fixed on a map spread out on the table.

There were also several small rectangular wooden blocks with arrows cut into one end on the map, which seemed to represent the direction and route of the attack.

The direction pointed by the arrow is a protruding area adjacent to the Qilian Mountains in the northwest of Longyou County and south of Wuwei County.

That should be the area where the Qiang people gathered this time.

If Liu Ju remembered correctly, this place should be the Xining City and its surrounding areas in later generations.

"..."

Li Xi and Xu Ziwei were not sure at this moment whether Liu Ju had heard what they had said before, and they felt a little unsure.

However, Liu Ju did not say much, but asked directly about the strategy.

The two exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief. Then Li Xi led Liu Ju to the front of the map and said solemnly:
"Before I explain to you the strategy we have devised to defeat the Qiang, you need to first understand the specific situation of the enemy."

"According to the information I have received so far, the enemy is led by the Xianling Qiang, who have united with the Fengyang Qiang and Laozu Qiang tribes, and have received support from the Xiongnu. A total of about 100,000 people have gathered in the area north of the Huangshui River."

"General Xu and I have analyzed that if the Qiang people take action next, they will most likely first attack Lingju and Angu counties, where the city walls are low and the defenses are weak, in order to plunder food and supplies to replenish military supplies. Otherwise, with the national strength of the Qiang people, I am afraid it will be difficult to support the continuation of this war."

"Although the Qiang army claimed to have 100,000 troops this time, they were actually just a mob of men, women, old and young."

"Our army is an elite force that is well-equipped and well-trained."

"This is a total crushing of national and military power, so General Xu and I have made the same decision." "I will lead 50,000 troops from Longxi County, and General Xu will lead 50,000 troops from Wuwei County. We will form a pincer attack and attack north of the Huangshui River. We will surely defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!"

"Your Highness, if nothing unexpected happens..."

"This will be a war without suspense. Our army will be able to crush enemies with ease wherever they go. There is no need for any conspiracy or trickery!"

When it comes to the words "no surprises".

Li Xi also secretly glanced at Liu Ju with the corner of his eye, which seemed to be quite meaningful.

"?"

This scene happened to be caught by Gongsun Jingsheng, who was standing by doing nothing, and secretly complained in his heart,
"It seems that Li Xi is also worried that Liu Ju will be appointed as the Central Military Supervisor and will interfere in this war."

"But this worry is not without reason. Liu Ju is only sixteen years old now. It is hard to say whether he can understand Li Xi's analysis. If he relies on his status to act recklessly, he may really disrupt this battle that is sure to be won."

"Alas, I am the only one who suffers this time..."

"I just don't understand. How did I offend him that he wanted to hurt me like this? I even gave him a gift!"

"..."

Just as he was thinking this.

Liu Ju nodded to Li Xi in a serious manner:

"I believe in the judgment of the two generals. As long as the Qiang people confront our army head-on, even if General Li and General Xu have not yet joined forces, you alone can kill the enemy army and make them throw away their armor and weapons, and cry like ghosts and wolves."

"Your Highness is wise, and I will fulfill my mission!"

When Li Xi and Xu Ziwei saw that their strategy was recognized by Liu Ju, they immediately bowed to express their support.

Liu Ju hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked a question they had never thought of:
"But I'm thinking, if the Qiang people see the two generals coming aggressively, knowing that they can't win, they immediately flee westward, how will the two generals respond?"

"This……"

Li Xi and Xu Ziwei looked at each other.

This time the battle was not against the Huns, and the area where the Qiang people lived was mostly mountainous, so the Han army was mainly composed of infantry.

If the Qiang people fled all the way west, it would be difficult for the Han army to catch up with them as they were more familiar with the local terrain and environment.

But this question doesn't seem to need to be considered at all, right?
Xu Ziwei smiled, walked forward and said:
"Your Highness, I think it's a good thing that the Qiang people have fled. This way, our Han people will win without fighting, and it will also enhance the prestige of our country and our army."

"Then how should we calculate the military supplies and fodder consumed by our Han Dynasty in mobilizing these 100,000 troops?"

Liu Ju immediately looked at Xu Ziwei and asked.

"..."

Xu Ziwei was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

After all, it seems that this matter is not his responsibility. He is only responsible for leading the troops to fight, and the military supplies and food are allocated and supplied from the national treasury.

Therefore, if anyone had to do the math, it should be Liu Che who did it.

Seeing that Xu Ziwei did not dare to answer, Liu Ju continued to fire questions at Li Xi and Xu Ziwei like a string of cannonballs:
"And what about the hard work of these 100,000 soldiers who traveled thousands of miles to fight the enemy?"

"And what about those loyal people like Captain Gongsun who volunteered to come but returned disappointed?"

"And what about the soldiers' eagerness to make achievements?"

"Even if the two generals don't consider the soldiers under their command, shouldn't they consider their own selves?"

"General Li, you are not young anymore, but you seem to be a Marquis of Guannei with only 300 households of fiefdom?"

"General Xu, you don't look much younger than General Li. As far as I know, you don't seem to have been granted a title of nobility yet, right?"

"Reflect on this."

"Why is it that other generals, at least as marquises of a thousand households, are at your age, while my uncle Wei Qing was already a marquis of ten thousand households many years ago, and even the father of this Captain Gongsun, my uncle Gongsun He, was already a marquis of a thousand households?"

"Is it because you don't work hard enough, don't want to use your brains when encountering problems, and don't have a heart to strive for progress, so you often fail to grasp the great achievements that should have been obtained?"

"One hundred thousand Qiang people, these are one hundred thousand Qiang people, one hundred thousand brilliant achievements!"

"If you use your brains a little bit and take care of these 100,000 Qiang people, you might be able to become a marquis like my uncle. How dare you think that letting them escape is a good thing?"

"I'm very disappointed in you."

"My father will probably be even more disappointed in you. You brought such an advantageous force to fight a battle that is beyond doubt."

"If you let the enemy escape in the end, and you still think it's a good thing, and you still think you can return to the capital to report to my father."

"I really want to ask the two generals a question."

"Who gave you the confidence and courage to live so optimistically and self-sufficiently, and to have lived for so many years?"

"..."

Gongsun Jingsheng, who was standing by, was stunned when he heard these questions:

"Is this still the prince I know?"

"This mouth is too poisonous. He is really rude to these two old generals. Every word he says is really heartbreaking!"

　This chapter has 3000 words, and I completed 1 words today, wow!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)