Emperor Wen said, "The Tatars have attacked Jinzhou."
This news is heavy, but it was somewhat expected.
Tang Zhuyun asked, puzzled, "And then?"
A shadow crossed Emperor Wen's eyes as he gritted his teeth and said, "Originally, simply holding firm and not coming out would have been enough..."
Jinzhou's city walls are sturdy and easy to defend, making it difficult to attack; the Tatars are adept at rapid attacks, and if the city cannot be captured in time, the cost will be unbearable.
So even if we just wear them down, we can eventually wear them down and take them away.
However, the problem was that someone opened the city gates without permission, allowing the Tatars to enter the city, which resulted in enormous losses.
Tang Zhuyun was furious. "Who dares to be so audacious! They deserve to be torn apart by five horses!"
Those who defect to the enemy in the face of battle, betraying their own side, should be punished as an example to others, especially during wartime.
Emperor Wen said, "The Prince of Liaodong's brother-in-law."
Tang Zhuyun immediately realized. "The younger brother of the Prince of Liaodong?"
"Yes."
"He's more trouble than he's worth!" Tang Zhuyun said. "No matter who he is, we can't let him get away with it! And then what happens after the city gates open?"
How are the soldiers and civilians of Jinzhou doing now?
She almost dared not think any further.
The Tatars were more ferocious than anyone could imagine; their greatest skill was... massacring entire cities.
"With Linlin present, the Tatars reinforcements were cut off by gunpowder, seizing the initiative. The city gates were then closed again, and the Tatars who had stormed the city were annihilated in one fell swoop."
However, in the period surrounding this incident, Jinzhou City paid the price of a thousand casualties.
Emperor Wen was extremely angry!
At the same time, he was extremely proud.
Linlin's use of gunpowder was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something she had planned in advance.
Because the Tatars coordinated an attack from within and without, the city fell in an instant, catching everyone completely off guard.
However, the fact that Linlin was able to quickly have gunpowder brought out clearly indicates that she had prepared it in advance.
Tang Zhuyun breathed a sigh of relief.
Emperor Wen was still praising his eldest son. "Linlin's foresight is so great that it almost makes one doubt his ability to predict the future. Even I am inferior to this boy in terms of strategy."
Tang Zhuyun suddenly asked, "Did anyone use gunpowder during the previous wars?"
As far as she knows, gunpowder is mainly used in fireworks and firecrackers, and it doesn't seem to be used in the military...
Emperor Wen said, "No, because it has little power and is also wasteful of resources."
It was precisely because no one had used it before, and Linlin had used it and achieved amazing results, that he praised Linlin so highly.
Linlin must have tested it for a long time before using it.
But this child was so tight-lipped, revealing nothing at all.
When he gets back, I'll definitely have to... learn from him.
Compared to Emperor Wen's smugness, Tang Zhuyun was much calmer.
Even if you've never eaten pork, haven't you at least seen a pig run?
Hasn't she studied history? Doesn't she know how many times the pioneers who researched dynamite failed and how many times they tried to blow it up?
First, one must have the idea of using gunpowder in warfare. Then, one must repeatedly study the proportions of gunpowder components, ensure safety controls, and so on. In this process, failures are inevitable and difficult to conceal.
Can an explosion be completely silent?
Obviously not.
So if Linlin did research beforehand, where did he do it? It couldn't have been after he went to Liaodong that he started doing it.
If he succeeds, he's a genius!
Emperor Wen: My son is a genius.
Secondly, Linlin also needs to get to the lost city gate in time.
It should be noted that the Tatars were cavalry, and their marching speed was extremely fast. Once the city gates were opened, a large number of them would flood into the city.
However, judging from the casualties, Linlin took action almost immediately after the incident to sever the Tatars' connections, so no more serious casualties occurred.
How could it be so fast?
If he just happened to be nearby, what a coincidence!
Tang Zhuyun murmured, "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like this child has some kind of precognitive ability!"
It feels like I gave birth to a son who was reborn...
No way?!
Tang Zhuyun quickly dispelled her doubts.
Because at least from the time she transmigrated to the present, Linlin's growth has been consistent, and there must have been no change in her character.
Even earlier, before she arrived, there certainly wasn't a rebirth.
After all, Linlin's former "ambition" was to pee farther than her own father.
What adult would do something like this? It's clearly childish.
So the question is, if Linlin can't predict the future, how could she snipe so accurately?
"Ah, I know!" Tang Zhuyun suddenly said, "Is it possible that Linlin planted a spy among the Tatars?"
This seems to explain it!
Emperor Wen said, "That's almost impossible. The Tatars who are extremely envious and jealous of the Central Plains people, and they are very wary. It would be extremely difficult for our people to integrate into their society without being discovered. Moreover, Linlin's previous understanding of Liaodong was all from books, so she certainly wouldn't have thought of planting spies."
"What happened?" Tang Zhuyun was completely baffled.
"No matter what happened, we won," Emperor Wen said.
"Did the Tatars retreat?"
"When Linlin wrote to me a few days ago, it wasn't there yet, but it was already at its last gasp. Now I think it's time to retreat."
"They haven't even really fought yet, so why are they backing out already? Are they afraid of gunpowder?"
"Gunpowder was only one aspect; more importantly, the Tatars were skilled at surprise attacks, and to reduce their burden, they carried very limited rations."
Why is it said that "an army marches on its stomach"?
In a protracted war, the most important thing is logistical support.
In this respect, the Tatars could not compare with the people of the vast and resource-rich Central Plains.
Therefore, they acted swiftly and decisively.
If this goal cannot be achieved, they will retreat as soon as possible; otherwise, they might starve to death before they can even return.
"That's alright," Tang Zhuyun said.
It doesn't matter if a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.
To find out more, we'll have to wait until Linlin returns.
Emperor Wen said, "This hurdle has been overcome. But the Prince of Liaodong cannot be allowed to live any longer."
"Um?"
"I was thinking before, after all, there was the matter between me and my father, if there were another one, I'm afraid the people of the world would not be satisfied. But no, we can't let him live."
They're so muddle-headed and incompetent.
He practiced nepotism and was blinded by his concubine.
She escaped unscathed this time thanks to Linlin's strength, but also an element of luck; what about next time?
Are we to let him play games with the world?
Tang Zhuyun said, "His brother-in-law can't possibly be released without charge, can he?"
Emperor Wen blushed with anger. "He did try to gloss over it. But Mu Ziyu overturned the table!"
"It's time to overturn it!" Tang Zhuyun said through gritted teeth, "How can anyone stand by and watch such a muddle-headed approach?"
"Mu Ziyu was unhappy because his mother was seriously injured during the incident... He wanted to take a knife and kill someone to avenge his mother, but the Prince of Liaodong forbade it."
"Madam Xi injured?"
"Yes. Although Madam Xi has become an outlaw, she has a strong sense of righteousness and is leading her troops to defend the city."
Unexpectedly, he was injured due to the treason of a spy.
If this is tolerable, what is not?