Of course, this is from the perspective of the imperial court. If calculated from Li Xiang's perspective, in fact, not that much money was spent. The warships and various weapons and equipment were exchanged from the system. The points earned from conquering Goguryeo have not been used up yet, not to mention that a lot has been added recently. Therefore, only the salaries and training expenses of these soldiers are paid by themselves, but this is not a small amount.
According to the current income of the Tang Dynasty court, they can indeed afford it, but back then they could not even come up with one-third. Even if they could come up with one-third, the Tang Dynasty court would not be able to operate in other aspects.
People of this era generally look down on the navy, so they can't throw all their money there. In the eyes of many high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty, military power is the most important thing. If they throw all their money into the navy, who will train their land army?
"Your Highness, you are too kind. There is no need to be sorry. We are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. The imperial court is our top priority."
It was clearly a statement of loyalty, but when it came out of Ding Tu's mouth, King Wu Li Ke felt it was so harsh. And looking at this guy's expression, it really didn't look like he was willing to serve the court. However, people were on someone else's territory, and they could say whatever they wanted. King Wu could only smile and nod.
At this awkward moment, Cheng Yaojin and Qin Shubao came riding over from a distance. They could not give face to others, but they had to give face to Cheng Yaojin, because he was our prince's father-in-law. Even though Li Xiang's letter had not arrived yet, all the generals got off their horses obediently.
After seeing this scene, King Wu Li Ke's face turned very dark. When he came over just now, except for Ding Tu who dismounted, the others said that they were wearing armor and therefore could not dismount to see him. Why don't you guys follow this logic now?
Although he was dissatisfied, King Wu Li Ke also understood that this was someone else's territory after all, so he could only endure it for now and wait until he reached the vast ocean. What if these people were unhappy and threw him into the sea? Then he would have no place to complain. So King Wu Li Ke had made up his mind that he must follow Cheng Yaojin after reaching the sea. This person was reliable. At least these people could not throw Li Xiang's father-in-law into the sea.
"Greetings to His Majesty the King of Wu."
After the two old generals dismounted, they saluted the King of Wu in a formal manner. Only then did Li Ge come to his senses and realize that he was still a prince. He had been so embarrassed by these naval commanders that he thought he was here to work.
"Uncles, please excuse me. How is your review of the army going?"
According to Li Xiang's previous statement, when facing Fuso, the navy and warships are the most important, and the army is ranked in a secondary position. However, the King of Wu and the two old generals did not agree. In their opinion, cavalry charges and infantry advances are what should be used in normal wars. Therefore, after the two old generals arrived in Goguryeo, they went to inspect the army camp as soon as possible.
"Your Highness, the training is quite good. However, in terms of combat effectiveness, it is only about half of the elite troops of Chang'an. These Goguryeo people are probably not good at fighting. Their best skill is defense."
Qin Shubao is qualified to say this. When Li Shimin went on an eastern expedition to Goguryeo, Qin Shubao knew Goguryeo very well. We fought hard under their city, but if we had to fight a decisive battle in the wild, Goguryeo's army would not be our opponent. We can beat three of them alone.
Ding Tu watched coldly from the side. In his opinion, although these two old generals were famous, they might not be able to put in much effort in attacking Fuso.
Li Xiang had given them orders early on, asking them to simulate an attack on Fuso during training. They also collected a lot of information about Fuso and learned that more than 70% of Fuso's population was in the coastal areas, and more than 50% of the population was within the range of their artillery fire. So if you use infantry as the main force, you will have lost half the battle from the beginning.
Ding Tu was also very clear about Li Xiang's strategy. When attacking Fuso, the main force would be our navy, and the infantry would only play a supporting role. The navy's warships would surround the coast and bombard Fuso's major cities, turning them into wastelands. By that time, Fuso's top leaders would probably have begun to surrender, and the infantry would just have to reap the benefits.
But so far, no one has asked you how to attack Fuso. Neither the King of Wu nor the two old generals think that this war should be fought in the same way as before. In this case, I won't say any more.
"Where is Li Xiang?"
In this camp, the King of Wu is Li Xiang's uncle, so he can call Li Xiang by his name. When there were not many people around, Cheng Yaojin also had this privilege, but now in front of so many people, Cheng Yaojin cannot say it out loud.
"Reporting to His Royal Highness the King of Wu, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still has half a month to go..."
After hearing the report from his subordinates, King Wu Li Ke frowned. If Li Xiang didn't come, many tasks would not be able to be carried out. Take the people in the navy in front of him for example, they only recognized Li Xiang's transfer order. The imperial edict of the court had been read out before, and these people did not say that they would not obey it, but just said that preparations were needed in the recent period. If they rashly went out to sea, who would be responsible if the warships were lost?
King Wu Li Ge had suffered a loss at the hands of Xueyantuo once, so when he heard about the war losses, this guy became very nervous. He did not want to take such responsibility, especially at the beginning. If Xueyantuo happened again, he and his descendants would have no chance of recovery.
"Why is this brat walking so slowly? According to the speed he's traveling back from the south, he should have reached Goguryeo by now. If he's moving at this speed, won't we have to wait another half a month?"
Cheng Yaojin shouted loudly. When the voice came out, some young generals in the team were a little dissatisfied, but they were immediately pulled back by the people next to them. Cheng Yaojin was not only an old general of the court, but also the father-in-law of our prince. Why should you be dissatisfied when someone scolds his own son-in-law? If something goes wrong, it will offend our mistress.
