The weather is getting colder and colder. Last night, there was another snowfall. Although the snow was not heavy, when I went out in the morning, I saw a silvery white look. Li Xiu sat in the carriage, enjoying the snow scene on the road while walking. Green winter wheat had grown on the farmland on both sides of the road, and now it was covered with snow. Only occasionally can I see a few strong wheat seedlings stubbornly stretching out a few green leaves from the snow quilt, embellishing the snow-white land with a hint of green.

However, after the carriage entered Chang'an City, the surrounding snow scenery had been replaced by the secular scenery between the cities. Although it was very cold and it was morning, many stalls selling food could be seen on the streets. Some people who worked in the morning also hugged their necks and sat in front of the stalls and ate breakfast voraciously. People and cars came and went on the streets, trampling the snow on the ground into sewage.

Li Xiu's carriage went straight to the imperial city, and then he also came to Liangyi Hall again. When he entered the hall, he found that Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji were also discussing things. Speaking of which, he had been much more idle during this period, but Changsun Wuji and Li Shimin seemed to be busy all the time. It was really shameful to think about it.

"See Your Majesty!" Li Xiu immediately stepped forward and said, "Yesterday, Li Shimin sent someone to inform him to come to Liangyi Hall this morning. Li Xiu probably discussed with them the candidate for the main general to attack Goguryeo, so he still made an appointment to come.

"No need to be polite, Li Xiu, wait a moment, Wuji and I will talk about it after we have dealt with this matter." Li Shimin immediately raised his head and smiled, then pointed to the seat next to him, and asked Li Xiu to sit down and rest first.

Li Xiu was used to it, so he nodded and sat aside. A palace maid immediately brought tea. He sat there while drinking tea while listening to Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji discussing government affairs. After listening for a while, he finally understood that Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji were discussing the allocation of various materials to cooperate with the plan to attack Goguryeo next year. During this period, they probably were troubled by this matter every day.

After waiting for a while, Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji completed the processing, and the memorials after review were also sent to the Secretariat. Speaking of which, the three provinces each perform their duties, the Secretariat is responsible for decision-making, the Secretariat is responsible for review, and then handed over to the emperor for approval. After obtaining the emperor's consent, they will be sent to the Secretariat for execution. Therefore, although the three provinces are parallel, the Secretariat is actually the most powerful because they hold the power of decision-making. Generally, the emperor makes some modifications at most, and rarely completely overturns the decisions they make.

"Li Xiu, the strategy you thought of to attack across the sea is indeed good. Zhijie also praised you. Now the court has decided to adopt your strategy. If Liaodong is destroyed in the future, you will be a great achievement!" Li Shimin looked up and praised Li Xiu.

"Your Majesty, you are just asking for your own ideas. It is General Cheng and Su Dingfang who truly improve this strategy. After all, I am also an amateur in fighting wars." Li Xiu hurriedly said modestly. He did not make much effort in this matter. After all, an idea is not valuable. What is really valuable is the energy and sweat it put into turning this idea into a feasible plan.

"Cheng Yaojin and Su Dingfang have also made contributions, but don't be humble." Li Shimin spoke again at this time, then paused and then said, "I have summoned you to come today. Actually, I want to hear what you think about the candidate for the leader?"

When Li Xiu heard Li Shimin's words, he raised his eyebrows and thought that it was true. Now the candidates for the main general are Cheng Yaojin and Li Ji. Li Ji originally had an absolute advantage, but as Cheng Yaojin offered a strategy to attack across the sea, Cheng Yaojin and Li Ji have almost equalized. No wonder Li Shimin also made a decision.

"Your Majesty, I don't know much about military pragmatism, so I really asked you this question. I wonder who you have in your mind?" Li Xiu deliberately made a embarrassed expression at this time. After staying in the court for a long time, he sometimes learned to be sloppy. After all, Li Shimin didn't make a decision, so he was a little overwhelmed in his rush to express his opinion.

Seeing Li Xiu pushing the problem to him again, Li Shimin was a little helpless, but he still replied: "I have two people in my heart, one is Zhijie, and the other is British Duke Li Ji. Li Ji was originally more suitable, but the strategy of crossing the sea was Zhijie. He was more familiar with this strategy, so I am in a very difficult situation now."

"Well~ Your Majesty, I think Duke Lu is more suitable for the main general this time. After all, he offered the strategy to attack Goguryeo. If Duke British was the chief general in the end, it would probably hurt Duke Lu's heart and would also dispel the enthusiasm of the generals in the future. In addition, Duke Lu's talent is no less than that of the British token, so I think Duke Lu should be the chief general!" Before Li Xiu could speak, he suddenly saw Changsun Wuji next to him speaking first.

"Oh? Wuji, do you think so?" Li Shimin also looked at Changsun Wuji in surprise and said, "It seems that they had not discussed this matter before, otherwise Li Shimin would not have known Changsun Wuji's opinion.

"Yes, I think Duke Lu is more suitable for the position of chief general than Duke of England!" Changsun Wuji spoke again without hesitation. Cheng Yaojin was a pure military general. No matter how great the contribution he made in the future, he would not be transferred to a civil servant. However, Li Ji was more like Li Jing. Both of them were both civil and military. Moreover, compared with Li Jing, Li Ji was more trusted by Li Shimin. If he made too much contribution in the future, it might pose a threat to him.

Hearing Changsun Wuji's words, Li Shimin also showed a thoughtful expression. After a while, he turned to Li Xiu again and said, "Where is your opinion?"

Seeing that Changsun Wuji actually supported Cheng Yaojin, Li Xiu couldn't help but be surprised. However, since even he had expressed his opinion, he couldn't let it go any further. So he thought for a moment and finally spoke: "Your Majesty, I think what Brother Wuji said makes sense. Since the strategy was presented by Duke Lu, he should be more suitable for the chief general than others!"

The reason why Li Xiu supported Cheng Yaojin was not only the reason he said, but the most important thing was Ma Ye's evaluation of Li Ji that day. A general was burdened by his reputation and would appear timid when using troops. Even if he had talent, he could not play on the battlefield. Although Cheng Yaojin had some shortcomings, he dared to fight and fight, otherwise he would not have adopted the bold tactic of crossing the sea to attack.

"It seems that you all are more optimistic about Zhijie. Since that's the case, I will no longer be confused. This time, Zhijie will be the chief general, and Li Ji and others will be dispatched by him!" Li Shimin heard Li Xiu's words and thought about it for a moment, then made a decision and showed a relaxed expression after saying that. It seemed that he had been struggling for a long time for this matter.

Seeing that Li Shimin agreed to let Cheng Yaojin be the chief general, Li Xiu and Changsun Wuji couldn't help but smile at each other. Although they had their own plans, their goals were the same. Now the dust has finally been settled.

"Since the main general has been selected, let's discuss the use of military service in Goguryeo next spring. I plan to let Cheng Yaojin, Li Ji and others set off immediately so that I can have time to rectify the local military affairs!" Li Shimin suddenly spoke again at this time.

"We will use troops next spring?" Changsun Wuji couldn't help but shouted in surprise when he heard Li Shimin's words, and then asked again with an anxious look on his face, "Your Majesty, is it a little too early to use troops next spring?"

Li Xiu also showed a shocked expression at this time. Although the weather became warmer in spring, after a winter freezing, the ground became muddy after the frozen soil in Liaodong was transformed. Not to mention transporting materials, it was very difficult to even march and walk. So he had always thought that Li Shimin might choose to use troops in autumn, and at most it was in summer. However, he did not expect that Li Shimin would actually mention the attack time to spring.

"There are indeed many difficulties in using troops in spring, but I have considered it. Even if we have the advantage of military strength, it is impossible to destroy Goguryeo in a short time. If we are allowed to delay until winter, no matter how many troops we have, it will be useless. We can only withdraw our troops. So I think we should give the army some time. If we use troops in spring, then the soldiers on the front line will have more than half a year. Even if we encounter some difficulties, we should have enough time to overcome them!" Li Shimin said with a serious expression at this time.

"This..." Li Xiu didn't know what to say when he heard Li Shimin's words for a moment, but after thinking about it carefully, Li Shimin did make sense, and he could also catch Goguryeo off guard when using troops next spring, especially since Quangai Suwen had just killed King Rongliu, and a winter time would probably not quell the domestic turmoil. In this way, the Tang Dynasty could have a greater advantage.

"Your Majesty, if we use troops in spring, we will only have a few months to prepare. Will there be any problems with the mobilization of materials and the army?" Li Xiu finally asked at this time. A large-scale war often takes a long time to prepare. For example, in order to destroy the Turks, the Tang Dynasty had been preparing for four years. Although Goguryeo could not compare with the Turks, it was normal to prepare for more than half a year, but now it seems a bit hasty.

"Haha, don't worry about this. You should all know that I had the intention to conquer Goguryeo, so a few years ago, I had stored a large amount of supplies in Hebei. As for the army needed, they had received a transfer order to rush to Liaodong. They could arrive before the New Year. Then one or two months will be enough to launch an attack on Goguryeo." Li Shimin smiled confidently at this time.
Chapter completed!