Fu Shanhe

Chapter 132 Everyone Shows Their Magical Powers

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

The battle situation at the front was tense. After receiving the letter for help, Emperor Tianyuan had to withdraw troops to reinforce the three coastal guards first.

As a result, the troops originally used for the decisive battle with the Northern Tartars were suddenly reduced a lot.

Having learned from the failure last time, everyone was much more cautious this time.

Without sufficient superior military forces, the Ministry of War and the Grand Marshal's Office firmly opposed sending troops, and Emperor Tianyuan was also unsure.

Judging from the current situation, Dayu is good at defense but lacks offense.

Although there are nominally a large number of registered troops, the mobile forces that can actually be mobilized are very limited.

The key to the decisive battle with the Northern Tartars is cavalry. Theoretically, Dayu has 100,000 cavalry.

Among them, 20,000 cavalrymen were small groups dispersed among the various armies of the empire.

There is no need to count on this part of the cavalry. They are too scattered to be gathered together.

As a great empire, Dayu’s enemies have always been more than just the Northern Tartars.

In addition to the emerging northern barbarians, we must also guard against the Guifang, the Oirat, and the Samarkand Khanate.

The west and south were also in turmoil, tying down a lot of Dayu's military forces.

These areas alone tied down one-third of the empire's cavalry.

In a short period of time, the only cavalry troops that the court could muster, in addition to the 15,000 troops in the Beijing camp, were the more than 30,000 troops in Liaodong.

Although the number seems to be large, Dayu has a tradition of collecting empty salaries.

Data on paper can be used to inspire people, but those in power cannot be fooled by them.

The Beijing camp has 15,000 cavalrymen, but the actual strength is only around 10,000.

The cavalry in Liaodong was even more insignificant, as both humans and livestock were counted together.

Nominally there are more than 30,000 people, but in reality there are only more than 10,000 elite cavalry.

In the feudal dynasty, more than 20,000 elite cavalrymen were already a very powerful military force.

If we can make good use of this force and provide support from infantry, we may be able to defeat the coalition forces of the Northern Tartars and the Guifang.

The problem is that Dayu still has a tight rein on using civil power to control military power, and the generals under it cannot exercise their power freely.

Even if the champion was still alive, he could only sigh helplessly in the face of the situation where his hands and feet were tied.

The generals on the front line have the most say in this regard. Before the rise of the civil service group, they did not suffer much loss in battles with the grassland tribes.

Occasionally, when they feel like it, they would go to the grassland to plunder and improve their lives.

Including the Northern Barbarians who are now in their heyday, they were just small shrimps crawling and trembling under everyone's feet back then.

Later, the imperial court gradually paid more attention to border defense and sent civil officials to supervise the troops.

The immoral behavior of actively going out to plunder grassland tribes is strictly prohibited.

The strategy of creating conflicts on the grassland, leading the grassland people to kill each other, and suppressing whoever is stronger has also been suspended.

In short, stability is the most important thing and we will never allow war to be provoked on the border.

After more than a decade of peace on the border, the offensive and defensive situation on both sides was reversed.

The grassland people who were originally bullied by Dayu suddenly turned the tables and went south to plunder every now and then.

The Northern Barbarians, who had never been taken seriously by the imperial court, became a major threat to Dayu.

Everyone knows there is a problem, but nothing can be done about it.

Because the national policy of using civil power to control military power did suppress the power of the military, allowing the emperor to sleep peacefully.

Even though the nine frontier military governors showed signs of becoming feudal lords, they were still firmly controlled.

"Everyone is here, let's talk about the situation on the front line first!"

Facing the emperor's question, the Minister of War Yi Chuanliang stepped forward and said:

“Your Majesty, the situation on the Liaodong front is generally stable.

Except for the three coastal guards which were under heavy siege by the enemy and had a slightly tight military force, the rest of the places were well defended.

From the beginning of the war until now, except for the loss of some fortresses, all core cities are in the hands of the imperial court.

If the present situation continues, it won't be long before the enemy withdraws.

It is worth noting that other forces around the empire have also been in unrest recently and are likely to take advantage of the situation.

Especially in Datong, the Guifang people were bewitched by the northern barbarians, and many tribes marched south to harass the border.

The northwest region was also in turmoil. The Oirat people took advantage of the situation and wanted the court to open up the iron trade.

The situation in Jiaozhi Provincial Administration was the most serious. After annexing Vientiane, the Le Dynasty's ambitions grew even stronger.

Up to now, the Le people have not paid tribute to the imperial court for twenty consecutive years, and their ambitions are obvious.

Guangnan Prefecture, Zhen'an Prefecture, Siming Prefecture and other areas suffered from harassment by local chieftains.

The governor of Guangxi made several memorials, hoping that the imperial court would strengthen its control over the southwest to prevent the recurrence of the northern barbarians.

Dayu’s border problems have always been either not erupting at all or erupting all at once.

It’s not that everyone agreed to cause trouble together, but the physical distance made it difficult for all parties to coordinate even if they wanted to join forces.

Apart from the Northern Barbarians who were openly opposing the Dayu Dynasty, the other parties were mainly testing the waters.

Once it is confirmed that the Great Yu Dynasty is truly declining, enemies from all directions will pounce on it and devour this great empire.

It’s not that Dayu attracted hatred, it’s mainly because the great unified dynasty of the Central Plains put too much pressure on its neighbors.

Take the Le Dynasty as an example, if there were no problems within Dayu.

In order to suppress the military generals, the civil officials gave up Jiaozhi.

The current Le Dynasty is a provincial capital under the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration.

Maybe a few more provinces will be added in the Indochina Peninsula.

The situation of other parties is similar. All places where government offices were established in the official documents of Dayu were once targets of expansion.

Even though most of these institutions have ceased to exist in name only, they have not been abolished in official documents of the imperial court.

Just because you can’t get it now doesn’t mean you won’t get it in the future.

First, retain the legal basis so that if a leader of revival emerges, the lost territory can be recovered.

Even the civil service group, which dislikes war the most, is equally interested in expansion.

Being against waging war only means being against waging war in bitter and cold places.

As long as it was determined that the local land was suitable for agricultural production, the literati would become interested.

Political stance is never worth mentioning in the face of interests.

“It’s better than I expected.

According to news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Northern Tartars sent envoys to all of these forces.

They are all testing the waters, but have not really launched an invasion. It seems that the diplomatic capabilities of the Northern Tartars still need to be improved."

Emperor Tianyuan said sarcastically.

The test proved that these forces were still afraid of the Dayu Dynasty.

If they really had no scruples, they would not be testing now, but would be sending troops directly.

Faced with the emperor's ridicule, everyone in the cabinet was very embarrassed. This was a pit left by their ancestors.

Dayu once had the ability to deal with these unstable elements.

However, the civil-military confrontation was at its most intense stage at that time. In order to suppress the military generals, the civil service group chose to suspend hostilities.

This truce gave the dying alien races a chance to catch their breath.

After the dispute between civil and military officials ended, those once insignificant ants had already established a firm foothold.

Considering the cost and benefits of the war, everyone tacitly chose to shelve it and leave the problem to future generations to solve.

Unfortunately, in their generation, these shelved issues began to explode.

The Northern Tartars were the first to rebel, but they would definitely not be the last.

"Your Majesty, these forces need to be dealt with, but now is not the time to take action.

The most urgent task is that our primary enemy is the Northern Tartars. I suggest sending envoys first to stabilize these forces.

Once we have dealt with the great enemy of the Northern Tartars, and the imperial court has some time, it won't be too late to deal with these guys one by one!"

Pang Hengsheng spoke first.

As the Prime Minister, he must find a way to clean up this mess.

Misfortune may bring blessing!

In his view, this series of messes is both a trouble and an opportunity.

With Dayu's strength, as long as they deal with the Northern Tartar, dealing with the other small fry will be a piece of cake.

With the help of our ancestors, cleaning up this mess will surely be recorded in bold in history books.

No one can refuse to leave his name in history.

“Well, if everyone has no other opinions, let’s follow the Prime Minister’s suggestion.

The Ministry of War and the Grand Marshal's Office made a contingency plan based on the worst-case scenario.

If these forces are persuaded by the Northern Tartars to participate in this war, the imperial court must be prepared!"

Emperor Tianyuan said worriedly.

A great empire has a high tolerance rate for error, and that is based on preparation.

If there is no prior preparation, a local defeat will turn into an overall defeat, and what will be lost is the country's destiny.

"I will obey your orders!"

……

Yangzhou Prefecture.

Looking at the official documents handed over by Li Mu, Gu Youwen's hands trembled.

No matter how good the reasons given for rebuilding the Yangzhou Navy were, in his eyes they all turned into two words: "money".

I wanted to scold him, but the words couldn't come out.

As the garrison commander of Yangzhou, it was Li Mu's duty to restore the armed forces within Yangzhou.

Although in normal times, Li Mu never took it seriously.

But authority is authority, and it will not disappear regardless of whether you pay attention to it or not.

Bringing official documents to discuss with him instead of reporting them directly to the court was just to give face to him as the official in charge.

Generally speaking, the court would approve such requests to restore the original organization.

As for whether money and grain can be allocated, that is another matter.

After all, the people responsible for military establishment review and those in charge of financial allocations are two different groups of people.

Since the money and grain provided by the imperial court was insufficient, local governments were required to provide financial support.

After being cheated by Li Mu once on the issue of military pay for the Yangzhou camp, Gu Youwen was already a little scared.

"Admiral Li, the cost of the navy is not low.

The cost of rebuilding the Yangzhou Water Fort alone for shipbuilding would cost tens of thousands of taels.

Besides, the navy needs sailors, and we have nothing now!"

Gu Youwen said with a frown.

Li Mu did not list the cost of the warship, but he had a rough idea of ​​the selling price of the merchant ship.

We don't expect to return to our peak period, but even if we only recover to half of its level, the expenses required will not be small.

"Sir, I am well aware of the navy's expenses.

But now the Jiangnan navy is of little use, and the court is temporarily unable to spare the time to reorganize it.

In order to ensure the safety of Yangzhou Prefecture, it is imperative to rebuild Yangzhou Water Fort.

The navy is more expensive than the land army, but it also has its own advantages.

In addition to the funding from the court, they could also go fishing at sea to slightly make up for the expenses.

There are many islands in the coastal areas. Although the land on them is a little barren, it can still be cultivated.

As far as I know, many pirates have occupied these islands and are farming on them.

If the navy could take back these places, it would not only eliminate the threat of pirates, but also subsidize military expenses.

If you calculate it this way, the initial expenses of rebuilding Yangzhou Water Fort will be relatively large.

As long as the generals are capable, once the period of stability arrives, the navy itself will be able to cover most of the military expenses."

Li Mu said calmly.

There is only one way to expect the navy to be self-sufficient, and that is to collect taxes at sea.

There is no doubt that such a fatal matter must not be mentioned.

Otherwise, Prefect Gu would have turned hostile on the spot.

The imperial court tried to open the sea and collect taxes, but was unsuccessful.

If local officials dare to touch this taboo, they will never leave alive.

The fishing subsidy expenditure is barely feasible.

Farming on the island is pure wishful thinking.

There are many islands near Dayu, but few of them are large in area, and most of them are occupied by pirates.

The newly built Yangzhou Water Fort was lucky enough not to be bullied by pirates, let alone seize their lair.

What's more, we don't know how many forces are involved behind these pirates, so it's not that easy to deal with them.

However, in order for the plan to go smoothly, Li Mu had to put aside his moral principles temporarily.

The imperial court was busy waging a war, so even if they were willing to support it, they could only provide personnel assistance at most.

There is no need to count on money and grain, the Ministry of Revenue simply does not have the budget for it.

Since military expenditures are entirely self-raised, the opinions of local governments are crucial.

Only with the full support of Yangzhou Prefecture would there be a chance to win the support of the governor's office.

"Commander Li, I have no objection to rebuilding the Yangzhou Water Fort.

But as for the problem of money and grain, the treasury can only provide a maximum of 30,000 taels of silver.

At most, I will submit a petition with you to apply for funding from the court."

Gu Youwen said after thinking for a while.

We have to support it. Regardless of whether the pie is good or not, the threat of pirates is real.

Although the incident in Nantong Prefecture was settled in time, the adverse impact it caused still affected their official careers.

In the results of the imperial examination, none of the civil servants, including him as the prefect, received an excellent grade.

The governor and provincial governor were also implicated.

Without the Jiangnan Navy to take the blame, the six ministries in Nanjing that embezzled military funds became the biggest victims.

Many officials, including the Minister and Vice Minister of War, failed the imperial examination.

Demotion and dismissal are minor offenses. The officials who took advantage of the situation have been arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and are on their way to the capital.

They can only blame their bad luck. If these things had happened at a different time, they could have gone to the capital to make things easier and try to make a small matter out of a big one.

It's different now.

In order to ensure the smooth flow of military supplies, the imperial court was about to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and deter all officials.

If you offer yourself up to be a prostitute, you will naturally be severely punished.

They already had many problems, and when the Embroidered Uniform Guards conducted a thorough investigation, they found loopholes everywhere.

The specific circumstances have not been made public yet, but the confiscated stolen money was transported by several ships.

It is possible that the Nanjing Minister of War will become the highest-ranking official to be killed during the Tianyuan Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)