Twenty blows until he fears (upper)

  What's wrong with Su Dingfang?!!!

  In Li Shimin's army!？

  Su Ning suddenly felt a little dizzy, Su Dingfang was his own ancestor. During festivals and holidays when sacrifices were needed, Su Ning would follow his parents to kowtow in front of the ancestral tablet of Su Dingfang in the temple hall. He didn't know how many times he had done so, but now, after crossing over to the Tang Dynasty, he encountered his own ancestor Su Dingfang again! Was this a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement? This was really too unexpected!

  Li Jing was worried, this way, Suning's future would be even more uncertain! He didn't gain the trust of His Majesty, to say something unpleasant, he was just being used. Fortunately, His Majesty had a broad mind, and Li Jing hadn't been punished despite standing on the wrong side several times. However, he also stopped at that point. Li Jing lived to be 60 years old and was quite clear about this. As for Su Dingfang, he was one of the people who followed Liu Heita and openly opposed His Majesty!

  After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Su Dingfang retired and returned to his hometown. However, due to recent instability on the borders of the Tang Dynasty, His Majesty pitied his talent and reappointed Su Dingfang as a general, participating in this battle against the Khitan. But to be honest, Su Dingfang is not someone who can gain His Majesty's trust. If there were any relationship between them, it would be even more problematic! Moreover, both of them are from Weizhou, Hebei Province, and share the same surname "Su", which already makes them cry in shame, let alone Su Ning acknowledging his ancestry!

  This kid, is he blessed or cursed? He's encountered two people who can help him, but both are untrustworthy in the eyes of His Majesty. Is this good fortune or bad luck?

  Li Jing found himself unable to play a role in what was to come, and could only watch to see if the young man could resolve these unfavorable factors on his own.

  Su Ning still didn't realize his innate disadvantage as an official in the Tang Dynasty, and he was fully immersed in the joy of finding his roots. He also knew that in this era, being from the same place was like being a relative, even if they weren't actually related; just being from the same hometown was enough. When people from the same hometown met, their eyes would well up with tears - it was real! It wasn't like the situations in later generations where people would stab each other in the back. So, let alone sharing the same surname, Su, when they met, they would almost certainly support each other. But did he have a future with such an incompetent general?

  Li Jing couldn't help but feel worried.

  "What a coincidence, I am also from Weizhou Wuyi, and my surname is Su. It's possible that General Su Dingfang and I are of the same clan. I was rescued by my master fourteen years ago in Weizhou Wuyi. At that time, according to my master, I was still an infant. In the chaos of war, only I was left, and my master killed fifteen Hu people to save me. The only thing found on me was a embroidered character 'Su' on my swaddling clothes, nothing else." Su Ning said with some trembling, his excitement evident in his words, not because he had found a relative, but because he was about to meet his ancestors.

  As for the origin, just make one up, although the acquaintance with the old man doesn't have many thrilling episodes, but his own mentor is indeed real and has passed away. Thinking of this, Su Ning couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. In the end, he couldn't even attend the old man's funeral. He was the old man's only disciple, and apart from himself, Su Ning didn't know if anyone else could wear mourning clothes for the old man - his chef friend? Or the big boss of that restaurant?

  How unfilial!

  Such expressions and tone fell into the eyes of Li Jing and Li Shimin, both of whom had already understood that the authenticity of this matter was beyond doubt, so they almost all recognized that Suning and Sudi Fang were people of the same clan.

  "So it seems, your master is also a high-ranking person. He single-handedly killed 15 Hu people, clearly a person with exceptional martial arts skills. Although you don't know your origins, you were fortunate to have received guidance from a high-ranking person and learned their techniques. Good fortune often arises from misfortune, and misfortune can be the foundation of good fortune - who can predict such things? Since your master is an enlightened person, Su Changshi must have also learned many things." Li Shiming continued to gather intelligence.

  Su Ning felt a bit embarrassed, glanced at Li Jing, and Li Jing rolled his eyes, shifting his gaze away. Su Ning had no choice but to force himself to say: "Master, you are well-versed in the ways of heaven and man, while I am far inferior." This was all he could say, but when these words reached Li Shimin's ears, they sounded like self-deprecation, making him think that this young man was very aware of his place, not arrogant or frivolous, and was a promising talent. "Su Changshi, why be so modest? With just 100 men, you opened the gates of Dingxiang City, captured Yang Zhengdao alive, and forced Khan to flee in the middle of the night. Is this something an ordinary person can achieve? Just based on this, Su Changshi's future is boundless!"

  Su Ning glanced at Li Jing, who seemed to have not heard anything, and a thousand horses galloped through his mind. He opened his mouth and said: "General Li is overpraising me, I am still young and inexperienced, and need more training." Li Shi Ji understood that this was an attempt to use Su Ning as a gun, but Li Jing didn't care, with an expression of being unrelated to the matter, carefully examining his own hooves as if there were treasures on them. Su Ning secretly cursed him as an old fox, and again thousands of horses galloped through his mind.

  Li Shimin got the answer he wanted and smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, very good, you young heroes are the pillars of my great Tang Dynasty's future. For now, it's not urgent, we still have us old generals holding on. If we old generals all die out, then you'll be the ones to rely on. So at this time, suffering a bit more and being frustrated a bit more won't hurt anything. Didn't we old guys also come up like that?"

  Fine! This is going to test my abilities? Suning knew this was a trap, but he had no choice but to close his eyes and jump down, pretending to be grateful: "Thank you, General Li, for your guidance."

  Li Shijie nodded and didn't say anything else, but Su Ning understood that his fate was irreversible...

  Upon entering the main camp, the two armies merged into one, and their military strength greatly increased. With over 10,000 soldiers and horses, the Tang army's combat power was strong and flourishing. Moreover, there were more than 3,000 cavalrymen, as well as the two top generals of the Tang Dynasty. The combat power of this mixed army can be imagined; everyone's confidence soared to an unprecedented level. Previously, Li Jing's counter-espionage plan had a significant impact, and at this time, they had thoroughly fallen into decline. Only one final blow was needed, a fatal blow that would completely defeat Xue Rengui. If Xue Rengui were defeated, his forces would inevitably disintegrate.

  After the two armies merged into one, the primary task was for all military leaders to gather and hold a military conference to discuss the next strategic plan. Although Li Shimin's situation was precarious, he seemed unwilling to concede defeat and planned to make a comeback. With tens of thousands of soldiers still by his side, he could not be underestimated, nor could they rush into battle recklessly. Moreover, Emperor Taizong had given Li Shimin permission to surrender, so whether to fight or negotiate required a foolproof strategy.

  As the holder of the important position of Longshu of Dingxiang Road, Suning, although young and not high in rank, also had to participate in discussions; The official positions of the Tang Dynasty were also very strange. Those with lower ranks held great power, such as the Zhongshu Menxia Lang of Zhengwu Pin, who was only a mid-ranking official but had the power to veto all imperial edicts, as long as he had the courage and sufficient reason. In other words, if an imperial edict issued by Emperor Taizong ordered something, but the Zhongshu Menxia Lang disagreed and vetoed it, Emperor Taizong could only stare blankly and do nothing, bound by his own rules, for a ruler's word was law. Wei Zheng had once served as Zhongshu Menxia Lang and had rebuked Emperor Taizong to the point of embarrassment...

  While the higher-ranking officials are mostly nominal, honorary positions without real power, generally speaking, official positions above the second rank are mostly of this type. If you want a high-ranking position, don't think about having great power; if you want great power, don't think about being a high-ranking official. This is actually very suitable for a centralized system of government and also very suitable for using to support old officials who have rendered great service but have aroused the emperor's suspicion or who are advanced in age.

  The chief of the expeditionary force was mainly responsible for logistics, and had his own duties. However, when it really came to fighting, regardless of whether one was a scholar or a warrior, there were no non-combatants in the army. This was especially true in a militaristic country like Tang Dynasty, where even white-haired old scholars would have to take up their swords and go into battle. Such things had happened before, so although Su Ning silently wished not to go onto the battlefield, he could not escape this fate.

  Li Jing as the commander-in-chief sat at the top and spoke first: "General Li Shiming, tell us about the current situation!"

  Li Shimin nodded and said: "Yes! Gentlemen, Chuli has sent envoys to seek peace, and the Emperor has also sent envoys to negotiate with Chuli, carrying an imperial edict allowing Chuli to surrender. In other words, the Emperor has already clearly expressed his willingness to accept the surrender. However, Chuli is a treacherous person who will inevitably rebel again after surrendering. Therefore, I hope that you gentlemen will discuss together whether to fight or follow the Emperor's orders and accept the surrender."

  The faces of the generals were solemn, but in fact, most of them were pretending. Everyone was a fierce and powerful general, and life and death on the battlefield were child's play. Their combat effectiveness was extremely high, but how could these illiterate generals make strategic decisions, especially when it came to deciding on tactics? Moreover, they were at a critical point where they would not accept orders from their superiors; no one wanted to take responsibility for this. Su Ning naturally understood this logic and secretly despised Li Jing and Li Shiming, those two old foxes!

  At that moment, the generals under the hall were divided into two factions. One faction said that the opportunity should not be missed and troops should be sent out immediately to destroy Congli. Another faction said that Your Majesty had already dispatched envoys with imperial edicts allowing him to surrender, and we naturally should follow Your Majesty's orders, waiting for specific instructions from Your Majesty to station troops here; otherwise, it would lose dignity and credibility. As for the grassland tribes, what prestige would our dynasty have in the future?

  As they argued on and on, the pro-Zheng faction gradually gained the upper hand, with sufficient reasons. Li Jing and Li Shimin exchanged a glance, feeling that things were not going well.

  The time had come, and Li Jing gave Li Shiming a look. The two people who originally had no intersection also didn't know when they reached an agreement to try Su Ning's skills again. Li Shiming cleared his throat: "Su Ning, the long historian of Dingxiang Road, heard that the strategy for breaking through Dingxiang last time was yours. What suggestions do you have now regarding whether to fight or make peace?"

  As soon as Su Ning heard this, he secretly cursed his bad luck. These sons and grandsons of prominent families didn't ask him anything, weren't they just trying to force him to come up with a strategy? How detestable! It must be that old man Li Jing! It must be him! He was forced to the point where he couldn't even come up with a strategy. As expected, the various generals in the camp looked at Su Ning, who had stood up with a stiff neck, and immediately expressed their dissatisfaction. What kind of strategy could this little kid have? Breaking through Dingxiang? That's General Li's strategy, what does it have to do with this little kid? It's probably just some young master from a certain family coming to gain experience! How hateful, how shameful!

  All sorts of dissatisfied voices filled the entire tent, Suning's head was about to explode. Li Shimin raised his hand, indicating that the generals should not say more, and then asked: "Su Zhangshi, do you have a good strategy? If not, then forget it."

  Damn! This is a naked threat! If I don't speak up, will I still have the face to stand here in the future? Seeing Li Jing's triumphant gaze, Su Ning suddenly had an urge to make this old face into a sandbag and vent her anger. She silently cursed "grass mud horse" thousands of times, and couldn't help but open her mouth.

  "General, Commander, I think that when one is in a foreign land, there are times when one must not obey the orders of their lord. In this situation, it would be better to fight than to make peace." Su Ning said with a resolute heart.

  Li Shimin's eyes were bright and his hands were quick, he immediately opened his mouth to block the doubts of the pro-peace faction leaders who were about to speak: "Why say this? If you have anything to say, just say it."