Chapter 11

Liu Heta was as naive as Li Shimin had described. He naively believed that Li Shimin would be eager for victory, that Li Shimin would not be able to hold back from pursuing a decisive battle in Mingzhou. Clearly, he did not understand his opponent, or perhaps he understood Li Shimin but still clung to the slim possibility of a chance.

If Li Shimin were to be described as an animal, the wolf would be the only answer. Li Shimin's secret to invincibility was his wolf-like patience, cunning, and ferocity. He never launched rash attacks; with his outstanding patience, he waited for his opponents to make mistakes. Once an opportunity arose, he immediately turned defense into offense, boldly and courageously pursuing and advancing, decisively determining the outcome.

For example, in the Battle of Shallow Water Plain against the Western Qin, Li Shimin suddenly launched a fierce rear attack after a long period of frontal resistance, defeating the once invincible Western Qin army. In the campaign against Liu Wuzhou, Li Shimin used the same tactics, first exhausting the enemy and then striking. He used his main force to maintain a strong defense and reserve strength, waiting for the right moment to break the enemy. He sent a smaller force to harass the enemy's rear, cut off their supply lines, and gradually weaken their strength, creating opportunities to turn to the offensive. In that battle, he and Song Jin held out for more than half a year, and once an opportunity arose, he launched a decisive attack without hesitation. They fought eight battles in one day, went without food for two days, and did not take off their armor for three days, ultimately defeating and destroying Liu Wuzhou.

Li Shimin's peak battle, the Battle of Hulao, was no different. He quietly waited for Dou Jiande to make a mistake, then boldly led three thousand elite troops to charge into Dou Jiande's ten-thousand-strong army, defeating them with just over three thousand men and capturing Dou Jiande alive.

Over the years, Li Shimin's tactics for defeating enemies remained consistent. He used this simple yet versatile strategy to defeat all the heroes of the land, mastering it to perfection, with countless variations.

Now, in his confrontation with Liu Heta, he was equally cautious, carefully and steadily advancing, determined to force Liu Heta to make a mistake and win the battle. Would a wolf, focused on its prey, rashly advance for a small gain?

The answer is clearly no!

Despite Liu Heta's determination to fight Li Shimin to the death, Li Shimin remained calm, continuing his previous strategy: using a smaller force to contain Liu Heta's main army while further attacking Liu Heta's periphery and supply lines. Liu Heta's territory had been largely consumed, leaving only a narrow strip from Mingzhou to Yizhou and Beizhou. The army's supplies could only be gathered from Yizhou and Beizhou. This area had no strategic terrain, and the Tang army occupied most of the surrounding areas. With a numerical advantage, the Tang army responsible for cutting off supplies achieved significant victories.

Li Shiji, who guarded Mingshui, used his outstanding military talent to flexibly utilize the strategic position of Mingshui, continuously launching attacks and harassment. He even lured the enemy deeper, killing Liu Heta's general Gao Yaxian, achieving notable results.

Compared to the Tang army's significant victories, the Handong army, waiting for Li Shimin, was already in a passive position, facing a critical shortage of supplies.

In the Mingzhou council hall, the core ministers of the Handong army gathered. Fan Yuan, Dong Kangmai, Wang Xiaohu, Cao Zhan, Liu Shanshan, Zhang Junli, and other civil and military officials were silent, the dire situation obvious to all. The Handong army, though capable of a battle, was being led by the nose by the Tang army. With thirty thousand troops, they were unable to turn the tide, and the battle was always controlled by Li Shimin.

Liu Heta also realized his mistake. Li Shimin clearly would not come to Mingzhou to fight him as he wished. "What news from Gao Kaidao and Xu Yuanlang?" The current situation was largely in the hands of the Li Tang dynasty, with only a few rebel leaders still holding territory. Gao Kaidao and Xu Yuanlang were among them, one occupying Yuyang and the other controlling Yanzhou. When Liu Heta rebelled, the three formed an alliance. If they could help, the situation would improve.

Dong Kangmai shook his head and smiled bitterly. "No news. Even the messengers sent for aid have disappeared." One in the south and one in the north, they had both detained the Handong army's messengers.

"At this time, it's better to rely on ourselves!" As Liu Heta's most trusted advisor, Fan Yuan had to speak up. "While we still have supplies and the army's morale is relatively stable, we should cross the river and fight the Tang army on the south bank of Mingshui."

Liu Shanshan's face turned pale, and he shouted, "No, crossing the river now, the Tang army will attack us mid-crossing. How can we resist?" He was Liu Heta's brother, and in the Battle of Xuhé, he was thoroughly defeated by Tang general Luo Yi, now fearing the Tang army like a tiger.

Fan Yuan shook his head. "No, Li Shimin wants a decisive victory. His goal is to annihilate us in one battle. He is most concerned that we will flee to the Turks, becoming their pawns and threatening the Li Tang dynasty. If they attack us mid-crossing, though the chances of victory are high, it will eliminate our last hope and force us to flee to the Turks. Li Shimin, with his great talent and vision, would not be so short-sighted, focusing only on the immediate victory."

Liu Heta pondered for a moment and decided, "We will wait for the right moment to cross the river and fight the Tang army!" This was Li Shimin's greatest strength: he could make his opponents jump into a trap even when they knew it was a trap.

As for fleeing to the Turks, Liu Heta had considered it but was unwilling. In Hebei, he was the King of Handong, with a powerful army. What would he be in the Turks?

On the south bank of Mingshui, in the Tang army camp, Li Shimin, upon learning of the Handong army's latest movements, rose from his seat and laughed. "The old man can't hold back anymore! Pass my orders to abandon Mingshui and have Li Shiji withdraw!" Mingshui had fulfilled its purpose, and withdrawing now would better lure Liu Heta to cross the river for a decisive battle.

His greatest skill was forcing the enemy to make their final struggle on the stage he had set. Once the enemy was in the trap, the god of victory would tilt heavily in his favor.

"By the way, how deep is the Mingshui now?" Li Shimin suddenly thought of a question.

Fang Xuanling answered, "The water is about three to four feet deep around the riverbank, roughly waist-high. The middle of the river is even deeper, chest-high or more. Though it can be crossed on foot, it is not easy without boats. Even if Liu Heta is determined to fight, he will not rashly cross the river in a short time."

Du Ruhui suggested, "We can send people to block the water upstream, lowering the water level of the Mingshui to lure Liu Heta to the south bank for a decisive battle."

"Brilliant!" Li Shimin praised, "This move by Keming can both lure the enemy and trap them, leaving the Handong army with no place to run. Let's do it!"

Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui discussed the details of the battle, striving for the best outcome.

At a critical moment, a guard outside the tent reported, "Luo Shixin requests an audience!"