Fu Shanhe

Chapter 166 Planning a Counterattack
Holy Land of White Lotus.

Before the New Year was over, news came that Guangzhou had been captured, and the entire Holy Kingdom's top leadership was filled with joy.

Shi Rongxian was in a good mood as he was one step closer to conquering the world.

While I'm happy, I can't help but have a headache.

Even before the New Year, he was eager to launch an attack. Prince Fu Haoxuan of Pingnan was too aggressive.

Compared with the strategy of capturing Guangzhou and then taking over Guangdong and Guangxi, this little concern is totally insignificant.

In order to celebrate the Holy Kingdom's further development, Shi Rongxian held a grand celebration in the imperial palace.

At the same time, an imperial edict was issued to promote the soldiers on the front line.

At this time, the aftereffects of the lavish awarding of official titles and ranks gradually became apparent.

Rewarding middle and lower-level officers and soldiers is easy. Just give them commendations based on their merits.

He no longer knew how to reward Fu Haoxuan, the chief meritorious minister who had already been crowned king.

The title of nobility certainly cannot be promoted any further.

The Holy White Lotus Kingdom has only occupied a corner of the country and there is still a long way to go before it can conquer the world.

If he was given the title of King at this time and made outstanding military achievements in the future, he could not give up the throne.

In fact, not only the King of Pingnan could not be given a higher title, but many of the dukes and marquises below him also could not be given a higher title.

Many people will become kings if they take one more step forward.

Shi Rongxian didn't mind enthroning more people as kings, but he had to consider the thoughts of those who had already been enthroned as kings.

If everyone is on an equal footing, how can the commander on the front line command the battle?

Reason told Shi Rongxian that the Holy Kingdom's title system needed further reform.

The traditional titles of prince, duke, duke, marquis and earl are no longer sufficient, and more titles need to be created.

……

"You are all my trusted ministers. I have called you here today mainly to discuss important matters concerning the fate of the Holy Nation.

The day before yesterday, the King of Pingnan requested to move the capital to Guangzhou to show the Holy Kingdom's determination to seize the world.

After careful consideration, I still cannot make up my mind, and I would like to hear your opinions."

As soon as Shi Rongxian finished speaking, the hall suddenly became noisy.

As an emerging entrepreneurial team, the etiquette norms of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom have not yet been standardized.

Grassroots shareholders are mostly semi-illiterate and cannot afford high-end products.

There was no substantial difference between the meetings held in the main hall and the previous meetings of the White Lotus Sect's top leaders.

“Holy Emperor, the choice of the capital is related to the next strategy of the Holy Nation.

Guilin is too isolated and only suitable for warlords to rule over, and cannot be a permanent capital.

It is imperative for the Holy Kingdom to move its capital!

Where to move to requires careful consideration.

Guangzhou is one of the largest cities in the world, and its political and economic influence is unmatched by Guilin.

However, Guangzhou’s shortcomings are also very obvious.

Like Guilin, its geographical location is too far south, making it difficult to radiate to the entire world.

It's fine for a temporary transition, but it's not good enough to be a capital.

The main battlefield of the Holy Kingdom will be Huguang, Jiangxi and other regions. Instead of moving the capital to Guangzhou for a while, it is better to move the capital directly to the front line of Yongzhou."

Prime Minister Wu Zekai was the first to express his position.

Wherever there are people, there are disputes.

As the rebellion grew, large and small groups emerged within the Holy White Lotus Kingdom.

Moving the capital to any place means that the local forces in the region will have a greater voice in the court.

"Prime Minister Wu is wrong!

Although Yongzhou's regional strategic location is important, it is not well-known and lacks sufficient historical heritage.

In the eyes of people all over the world, it is just an ordinary provincial capital.

What's more, Yongzhou is close to the front line and may be besieged by heavy troops of the government at any time, making it not suitable to be the capital.

Guangzhou City and Guilin were also isolated in remote corners and could only serve as temporary transitional capitals.

Instead of wasting resources and struggling with this, it’s better to just stay in Guilin.

After the front-line army conquers Wuchang, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Xi'an... these famous cities in the world, it won't be too late to move the capital there!"

Huang Yuheng, Marquis of Loyalty, immediately retorted.

Compared with the Eastward Expedition and the Northern Expedition, the Westward Expedition was much more homesick.

It's not that there is no pursuit, it's just that the Yunnan-Guizhou region, like Guangxi, is a remote corner.

It would be a joke to jump out and fight for the capital before taking over Shu.

“Saint Emperor, what Prime Minister Wu and Marquis Zhongyi said makes sense.

However, before moving the capital, we need to eliminate the hidden dangers behind us.

According to the intelligence collected, the puppet dynasty is continuously increasing its military forces in Lianzhou Prefecture.

Lianzhou Wei, Xunzhou Wei, Nanning Wei, Guizhong Wei... which were annihilated by the Holy Dynasty before are being rebuilt one after another.

The enemy's ambition is obvious.

If we don’t annihilate these enemy forces, once the Holy Kingdom moves its capital away, Guangxi will be in danger!”

Fu Sanqi said calmly.

The defeat of Lianzhou marked the biggest defeat since the uprising of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom.

The reason he was able to stay in the court was that he had completed the hidden strategy of the Holy Kingdom despite his defeat.

No regime likes instability.

In the early days of the business, the chieftains of Guangxi were the best allies of the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

After the capture of Guangxi, the allies became a hidden danger.

Except for a few chieftains who were willing to follow the footsteps of the Holy Kingdom and fight for the world together, most chieftains only focused on their own little piece of land.

After the rebellion was successful, they began to enclose and occupy land on a large scale.

For the sake of the overall situation, the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus had no choice but to compromise.

But everything has its limits. Over time, the top leaders of the Holy Kingdom also realized the threat posed by these chieftains.

If they can betray Dayu for the sake of profit now, these guys will be able to turn against the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus for the sake of profit in the future.

The defeat in Lianzhou not only dealt a heavy blow to the local chieftain's military power, but also triggered conflicts within the chieftain's inner circle.

The original balance has been broken, and now the chieftains of Guangxi are involved in armed fights every now and then.

Especially some chieftains whose power was greatly weakened, at best they had to give up a large amount of benefits in exchange for peace, at worst they were directly massacred and their entire clans were exterminated.

Not only did the Holy White Lotus Kingdom not step forward to stop these changes, it also fanned the flames from behind.

Those who have conflicts will expand them, and those who don’t have conflicts will help create them.

The chieftains of Guangxi, who were already a loose group, were caught up in internal strife and no longer had their previous arrogance in front of the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

Thanks to his contribution in resolving the hidden danger of the chieftains for the Holy Kingdom, Fu Sanqi once again stood up straight in the court.

"The layout of the Pseudo-Dynasty in Guangxi is indeed worrying.

Once the enemy recovers its strength, the rear of the Holy Kingdom will face severe tests.

My dear ministers, who is willing to lead the troops to fight and eliminate this hidden danger for me?"

Shi Rongxian thought for a moment and said.

The Holy Kingdom is on the defensive in the front because it is short of manpower and cannot take care of the rear for the time being.

Things are different now.

Thanks to Dayu’s strategy of elevating civil officials and despising military officials, the loyalty of lower-level soldiers to the empire was extremely low.

Every time the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus conquered a place, it could easily incorporate the local army.

With the full implementation of the strategies of the Eastern Expedition, the Northern Expedition, and the Westward Expedition, the military strength of the Holy Kingdom increased significantly.

Together with the troops trained in the Guangxi base camp, they gradually developed combat effectiveness, and the original shortage of manpower no longer existed.

After freeing up their hands, Lianzhou Prefecture located in the rear suddenly became an eyesore.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"

Fu Sanqi spoke first.

Get up from where you fell.

The defeat in Lianzhou made him unable to hold his head up in the Holy Kingdom Army for a time.

Even after he had the credit for solving the problem of the chieftains in Guangxi, there were still many people who mocked him.

Over time, this became a knot in Fu Sanqi's heart.

“Prime Minister Fu holds an important position and it is not convenient for him to lead troops out of the capital.

In my humble opinion, it would be better to let the loyal and filial Marquis Kong Siliu lead the troops to fight and eliminate the great threat to the Holy Kingdom! "

Wu Zekai's words made Fu Sanqi very angry.

As the prime minister and deputy prime minister, they were originally a check and balance in the court. After the defeat in Lianzhou, he was ridiculed a lot. He finally waited for the opportunity to turn things around, but in the end, his old rival was unwilling to give him a chance to perform.

This political stain cannot be washed away with blood on the battlefield, and will accompany him throughout his life.

No matter how great his achievements were later, the defeat in Lianzhou was always a sharp sword for his political opponents to attack him.

“Prime Minister Wu, I have fought against the pseudo-dynasty troops in Lianzhou before and I know their strength best.

Although their military strength is small, compared with other pseudo-dynastic official armies, their combat effectiveness is the best.

As the art of war says, if you know yourself and your enemy, you will win every battle.

If we replace them with unfamiliar generals, we will suffer a great loss!"

Deputy Prime Minister Fu Sanqi retorted angrily.

If he wants to become a giant in the Holy Kingdom, he must seize this opportunity.

If he lets someone else take away his job, he will always be inferior to others when it comes to military affairs in the future.

"What Prime Minister Fu means is that only you can fight this battle, no one else can do it!
If this is true, then why did we suffer such a terrible defeat in Lianzhou last time?"

Marquis Zhongxiao Kong Siliu asked angrily.

Now is the time to conquer the world. Every time you lead the troops into battle alone, it represents an opportunity to make further progress.

The strategic importance of removing Lianzhou to the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus is self-evident.

After completing this mission, even if you cannot be crowned king directly, you can at least get close to the throne.

There are three princes in the Holy White Lotus Kingdom, and everyone wants to become the fourth to be crowned king.

Prime Minister Wu Zekai's recommendation made Kong Siliu a strong contender for the position of commander-in-chief of the army, so he naturally did not want to give up.

"I didn't mean that, it's just that the government troops in Lianzhou are really hard to deal with.

If we rashly send troops there, we will suffer great losses!"

Fu Sanqi explained helplessly.

What he said was from the heart. If the government troops of Lianzhou were easy to bully, he would not have waited until the Holy Kingdom had time to spare before proposing to send troops.

Even if he volunteered, he was still not sure of winning.

However, political needs forced him to compete for the position of head coach.

"Humph!"

"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean that others can't do it either!"

“Holy Emperor, last time the Holy Nation sent out 100,000 troops to encircle and suppress the Pseudo-Dynasty’s army in Lianzhou.

This time I will also lead an army of 100,000 and will definitely be able to capture Lianzhou in one fell swoop!"

Kong Siliu, the Marquis of Loyalty and Filial Piety, volunteered provocatively.

If you don’t steam the steamed buns, you’ll lose your breath.

He could not tolerate anyone doubting his abilities.

Although he had no experience in commanding an army of 100,000, he would never gain experience without going through it for the first time.

“Holy Emperor, Marquis Zhongxiao once demonstrated amazing military talent in the battles to capture Nanning, Zhen’an and other places.

If he were to command the army, it would be no problem for him to deal with these pseudo-dynastic troops.

After the power of the chieftains in Guangxi was weakened, they have been much more well-behaved in recent days, but this is still not enough.

It is said that a large number of prisoners were captured by the puppet government troops.

I think these chieftains will not refuse the opportunity to wash away the shame and save their people.

If possible, it would be best to use this battle to further weaken the Tusi's power."

Huang Yuheng, Marquis of Zhongyi, immediately made a report.

Compared with Fu Sanqi, the battle record of Kong Siliu, the Marquis of Loyalty and Filial Piety, is obviously much better.

Although most of the bullying was done on the officers and soldiers of the garrisons, victory was victory.

What the Holy White Lotus Kingdom needs is victory. Prime Minister Fu’s experience of defeat is worthless in his eyes.

"That's it!
Since Marquis Zhongxiao is willing to lead the troops to war, I will give up this opportunity to lead the troops.

However, an army of 100,000 is still too few.

There is still room for exploiting the chieftains of Guangxi. We can ask them to send more troops, and the Holy Kingdom can send some elite troops.

Why not gather an army of 200,000 and wipe out the fake imperial army in Lianzhou in one fell swoop, and at the same time deter the restless Annan people."

Fu Sanqi said with a gloomy expression.

All his colleagues present expressed doubts about his military capabilities, and continuing to compete for the position of head coach would only cause dislike.

Originally, he wanted to be angry, but considering the overall situation of the Holy Kingdom, he finally swallowed back his provocative words.

In order to show his impartiality, he even took the initiative to propose increasing the number of troops.

An army of two hundred thousand to suppress a rebellion may sound like a huge number, but they are mostly just a mob.

Guangxi's economy is backward, and the chieftains who live in the mountains all year round are even more scarce in financial resources.

Ninety-nine percent of the chieftains’ armies were temporary forces.

The few elite troops that were painstakingly trained went astray from the technology tree and went to tinker with the elephant soldiers that had been eliminated by history.

When fighting in the mountains, these troops still had some combat effectiveness.

Once leaving the familiar environment, the combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

The situation in the Holy White Lotus Kingdom was not much better, as most of the troops were a mob.

There are only a few troops in the Holy Kingdom Army that can be considered elite.

If you want to recapture Lianzhou, you must rely on the tactic of human wave.

……

The capital, the Palace of Mental Cultivation.

After the beginning of the new year, the new emperor, eager to take power, immediately issued an edict to change the era name.

The reign title, Yongning, means that the world will be forever peaceful.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Before the end of the first month of the new year, an urgent message was received from the front line six hundred miles away.

"Guangzhou Prefecture is lost!"

The sudden bad news made Emperor Yongning lose all interest in the beauty contest.

According to the rules, after the selection and the wedding, it is time to take power.

But the prerequisite is peace in the world. If the country is lost, ruling the country personally will lose its meaning.

"Guangzhou was lost in less than three days. Is the Governor of Guangdong a pig?"

Emperor Yongning couldn't help but curse.

It seemed that he was scolding the Governor of Guangdong, but in fact he was also expressing his dissatisfaction with a group of regent ministers.

The regent is in charge of military and state affairs and is responsible for the current dire situation.

If he wasn't worried about causing trouble, he would have wanted to scold Xu Wenyue as well.

As the governor of five provinces, he not only failed to reverse the situation after taking office, but made it worse.

In his view, this was typical dereliction of duty.

"Your Majesty, calm down!
The cause of the loss of Guangzhou Mansion is under investigation.

Xu Ge Lao is preparing for a major counterattack. If the operation goes smoothly, Guangxi, the rebels' lair, will be captured in one fell swoop."

Pang Hengsheng said with gritted teeth.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, he had to take charge when the emperor got angry.

Even in normal times, he and Xu Wenyue were political enemies, and now he could only help to clean up the aftermath.

As the emperor is about to take power, the voice of these regent ministers is declining rapidly.

If internal strife occurs at this time, there will be no point in staying in the court.

"Oh!

We took Guangxi in one fell swoop. It seems that I misunderstood Lord Xu.

But I hope this is not just empty talk, but that we can really recover Guangxi and make the rebels become rootless duckweed! "

Emperor Yongning said coldly.

It is obvious that he is not interested in the cabinet's empty promises.

If Guangxi is so easy to recover, why not recover Guangdong and Huguang first?

During the Dayu Dynasty, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou were both losing provinces, and their fiscal contribution was always negative.

Recovering Guangxi has great political significance, but its economic value is negative.

Not only was it unable to provide financial revenue for the imperial court, but the central government had to pay for post-war reconstruction.

Of course, if he could really recover the Guangxi region, Emperor Yongning would be willing to pay the money.

Destroying the rebels' lair is of great significance to the cause of suppressing the rebellion.

Especially the impact on people’s hearts.

It can make those who are wavering regain their loyalty to Dayu.

(End of this chapter)