Fu Shanhe

Chapter 168 On the eve of the war
Xunzhou Prefecture.

As the army continued to gather, troubles also emerged one after another.

In particular, frictions often occurred among the armies of the chieftains.

No matter how strictly Kong Siliu enforced military discipline, he could not prevent the conflict from happening.

This is the White Lotus Holy Kingdom’s own fault.

The constant instigation of internal strife among the chieftains had added many new grudges to the chieftains who were already full of conflicts.

Commanding a group of troops full of blood feud, it is good enough if they don't take advantage of each other's misfortunes.

Expecting them to be united is pure dreaming.

At this point, Kong Siliu still doesn't know that he has been cheated. There is no point in his survival.

It sounds reasonable to use the government army to eliminate the hidden dangers of chieftains, but the problem is that it is difficult to implement!
This time he led the army to fight with the intention of winning the battle, not simply to deplete the chieftain's military power.

By the time we realized the seriousness of the problem, it was already too late.

The position of head coach was snatched away, and there is absolutely no reason to give it back.

They claimed to have an army of 400,000, but in reality they had only 200,000 troops.

With so many people gathered together, just eating is a big problem.

Adding the livestock accompanying the army, the daily food consumption is 10,000 shi, which is terrifying to think about.

"Pass the order and tell those chieftains to send all the war elephants back to me. I don't need these useless gluttons!"

After seeing the horrific consumption of the war elephants, Kong Siliu gave the order angrily.

The Battle of Lianzhou has proved that backward military forces such as war elephants are useless against the official army of the pseudo-dynasty.

In his opinion, those chieftains brought the war elephants here just to make things difficult for him.

After all, the chieftains of Guangxi were forced to participate in this battle.

Rescuing fellow tribesmen is one thing, but more importantly, they were tricked into boarding a pirate ship and now they can't get off.

“My Lord, these elephants are not completely useless, they are still very capable of pulling carts.

Especially those large-caliber artillery pieces, which required several horses to pull, let alone an elephant.

They should be a good labor force for transporting logistical materials!"

Master Wen on the side began to persuade.

Look at the Buddha's face without looking at the monk's face.

We will need these chieftains to fight for us later, and it would be too embarrassing to drive their war elephants back now.

“No need!

These big guys are indeed very strong, but they also eat too much.

They were used to transport food, but before they could get to the destination, they would all be eaten."

Kong Siliu immediately refused.

He didn't know how those chieftains fed these big guys, but the White Lotus Holy Kingdom couldn't afford it anyway.

The food needed to feed one war elephant is enough to feed hundreds of soldiers.

It would be fine if they could really fight, but these guys become sitting ducks for the enemy on the battlefield.

Once frightened, the damage caused to the enemy is not as great as the damage caused to yourself.

As for the chieftains' face, Kong Siliu simply chose to ignore it.

By getting rid of these big guys, daily food consumption can be reduced by five or six percentage points.

If we control other aspects, it won't be a problem to reduce daily food consumption by 10%.

The Holy Kingdom's financial resources are not strong, and as the commander-in-chief of the army, one must learn to be thrifty.

If you save one thousand shi a day, you can save thirty thousand shi a month.

……

Wuchang Mansion.

"Zou Yunchuan, that idiot is still alive!"

Xu Wenyue frowned and complained.

The loss of Guangzhou Prefecture caused the collapse of the situation in Guangdong and Guangxi, and caused such a huge mess.

If the person involved is dead, we can still consider the death of the deceased and not pursue his responsibility.

But this guy survived, and the court must investigate the causes and circumstances of the defeat. It cannot suffer this loss in silence.

"Sir, please calm down first!
It is not worthwhile to get yourself hurt by this traitor."

It would have been fine if Lu Jingxuan didn't comfort him, but after he did, Xu Wenyue instantly discovered something was wrong.

Making trouble is a matter of ability and has nothing to do with treason.

In official circles, one must be precise in the choice of words. It is okay to call Zou Yunchuan stupid, incompetent, or a waste, but one must never make random accusations.

"That idiot is a thief!"

Xu Wenyue said through gritted teeth.

The surrender of a county magistrate earlier caused an uproar in the court.

If a governor surrendered to the rebels, the political impact would be even worse.

"Sir, these are news released by the rebels and may not be true.

But all signs indicate that Zou Yunchuan had indeed fallen into the hands of the rebels.

However, Guangdong Provincial Governor Xue Weicheng and Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Liang Qixin both died for their country and did not bring shame to the court. "

Lu Jingxuan explained in a flustered manner.

The fact that Guangdong Governor Zou Yunchuan colluded with the bandits was disastrous for the Dayu Dynasty but good for him personally.

After a series of failures, his position as governor was already unstable.

Even though the front line has been stabilized now, there are still voices in the court calling for his replacement.

If he wants to keep his position as governor, he must gain the support of Xu Wenyue.

At times like this, teammates are needed to provide support.

Compared to Governor Zou, who lost cities and territories and was even captured by the rebels, he, the governor who was able to stabilize the front line, suddenly became an excellent student.

"Humph!"

"Others can die for their country, but Zou Yunchuan dares to be a captive. If he is not a traitor, what is he?
It is possible that he himself is a spy from the White Lotus Sect who has infiltrated the court, deliberately cooperating with the rebels to seize the Guangdong and Guangxi regions!
The master sent a letter to the three courts, asking them to arrest the Zou family and bring them to justice. They must not let these rebels escape."

Xu Wenyue put the accusation on him without any hesitation.

At this point, the truth no longer matters.

In order to curb the trend of surrender, he had to make an example of someone else.

Regardless of whether Zou Yunchuan was captured accidentally or surrendered voluntarily, it was bad luck for the Zou family.

Having enjoyed the benefits brought by Zou Yunchuan being the governor, he must bear the disaster of having his property confiscated and his entire family exterminated due to the trouble he caused.

“Lord, in addition to arresting the rebels, we also need to send people to appease the officials in various places.

Officials in Guangdong Province should pay special attention.

No matter what, we must not allow the farce of officials surrendering en masse to happen!"

Hou Huaichang added.

Large-scale surrender of officials is usually a sign of the end of a dynasty.

If something like this happens, even if the White Lotus rebels are wiped out, people all over the world will be in turmoil.

When the imperial court holds him accountable, even if Xu Wenyue is a minister, he will not be able to escape being held accountable.

……

Lianzhou City.

The rebel troops approached, causing this city, which had just been revitalized, to become depressed again.

Merchants who were afraid of the war chose to leave and take shelter temporarily, leaving only a few brave ones who continued to operate.

Li Mu was naturally well aware of these changes among the people.

With a military supervisor watching from the side, he could do nothing except issue a notice to reassure the people.

The Dayu Dynasty had strict management of military generals. Apart from their main duties, the better they did other work, the faster they would die.

Even if it is temporary custody, we must follow precedent.

At least under the supervision of the military supervisor, we must follow the previous rules.

If you mess up when you are trying to be different, it's okay. At most, you will be criticized by the civil servants and be labeled as unlearned. But once you succeed, you will become famous.

This is fame, which is not a good thing for a military commander.

In the future, you will be the focus of the court's attention, and even the slightest overstepping of the mark may cost you your life.

"Commander-in-chief, the rebels have sent a letter asking for surrender!"

Hearing the news, Li Mu was slightly stunned.

Where did the rebels get the confidence that he would surrender?

Even if it is a routine persuasion to surrender, we must first investigate clearly who the enemy is.

Sending such a confused letter of persuasion for surrender is meaningless except for wasting the envoys.

“Give the visitor and the letter to Lord Jia.

From now on, anyone who comes to persuade us to surrender will be handed over to Lord Jia for handling."

Li Mu said calmly.

There was no need for him to read the letter of surrender. No matter how good the conditions offered by the rebels were, he would never turn against them.

The Holy Kingdom of White Lotus seems to be very noisy, but compared with Dayu, they are still far behind in strength.

It is true that the Equal Field System attracted a large number of people to join, but the strategy of mobilizing every citizen to become a soldier pushed them down a path of no return.

A large number of young and strong people joined the army, and agricultural production was seriously affected.

The food production in the controlled area is simply not enough to feed so many troops.

Only by continuously expanding outward and confiscating the assets of the gentry can the White Lotus Holy Kingdom's chariot continue to charge forward.

Once the expansion suffers a setback, the internal contradictions concealed by the victory will soon erupt.

Disarmament and rest are impossible.

Now we are surrounded by enemies on all sides. The only way to survive is to invest all our resources in the army.

If one wants to break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly, it is not enough to just take over Guangdong and Guangxi, but one must also take over Huguang or the rice-rich areas of Jiangnan.

There is no doubt that this is very difficult.

The people in Huguang and Jiangnan also had a hard life, but compared with other regions, it was still pretty good.

As long as the lower-class people can keep living, they will not be motivated to rebel.

The Equal Field System is indeed a good policy, but no matter how good a policy is, it needs someone to implement it.

The Holy White Lotus Kingdom was just established and did not have that many qualified bureaucrats.

The Equal Land Distribution Order that was issued was more of a political slogan.

When it comes to specific implementation, only a few regions have implemented it, and in most places, even the governing bodies have not been established.

Except for a few dissatisfied scholars who were willing to follow them, most scholars were extremely hostile to the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

No matter how many measures are taken, they cannot win the hearts of the people.

More than 90% of the scholars these days come from gentry families.

You can't just rob someone's house and then ask them to come to you and work for you.

What's more, the organizational structure of the White Lotus Sect is very chaotic and full of strong underworld elements.

It may be possible to gather people's hearts in the short term, but once it goes on for a long time, problems will inevitably arise.

“No need to send it, I already know.

Commander Li, we have just received news that the Governor of Guangdong may have surrendered to the enemy.

He knows too much information. I'm afraid we need to adjust our previous combat deployment!"

Jabo said with a serious look.

A provincial governor was a high-ranking official in the Dayu Dynasty.

If officials of this level could defect to the enemy, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the morale of the officers and soldiers on the front line.

Li Mu, who was originally puzzled as to why the rebels wanted to persuade him to surrender, suddenly understood.

If the governor of a province can be bribed, it is not surprising that the generals below can be coerced or bribed into doing so.

Anyway, the cost is not high, so it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.

If you succeed, you will make a huge profit; if you fail, at most you will lose an envoy.

"Master Jia, you actually overestimate Zou Yunchuan.

Maybe he is very proficient in political struggles, but when it comes to military affairs, Zou Yunchuan is a complete idiot.

Our understanding of the troops below is limited to the numbers on paper.

Looking back at his previous military deployments, no decision was correct.

If this person surrenders to the enemy, then our subsequent battle plan will be too conservative."

Knowing that Zou Yunchuan might defect to the enemy, Li Mu became less polite in addressing him.

The Guangdong siege was fought so badly that it was enough to prove Zou Yunchuan's military level.

It is a rare and bizarre fact that every military deployment fails.

After all, military planning can be handed over to subordinates, and the commander-in-chief only needs to choose the most suitable one.

Even if you randomly pick someone from the street to make a decision, there is a chance that he or she will get it right once.

"You mean not to defend the city, but to take the initiative to attack and find the enemy for a decisive battle?"

Jabo couldn't help but exclaimed.

When there is a huge disparity in military strength between the two sides, it undoubtedly takes courage to take the initiative to launch an attack.

He despised the White Lotus rebels as a mob, but deep down, he dared not underestimate the enemy.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that the rebels' power was able to span five provinces was enough to prove that the White Lotus Sect had its own way.

"That's right!"

“The rebels’ troop deployment is mainly along the Yu River.

The enemy is attempting to press down on us from three directions: Siming Prefecture, Nanning Prefecture, and Xunzhou Prefecture.

The rebels in Gaozhou Prefecture and Leizhou Prefecture were also ready to make a move.

Once the war becomes stalemate, they are likely to become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

This deployment of troops seems to be flawless, and it also reduces logistical pressure by dispersing the troops.

But the enemy's forces were also dispersed.

According to the intelligence collected, the enemy has deployed the largest number of troops in Xunzhou, totaling as many as 100,000.

A total of 70,000 troops were deployed on the Nanning front, while the Siming Prefecture front had the least number of troops, only about 30,000.

It can be preliminarily judged that the total number of troops deployed by the rebels this time is about 200,000.

Theoretically, any rebel group can fight us, but that's just data on paper.

In the previous Guangdong defensive battle, Zou Yunchuan did not dare to take responsibility for the loss of cities and territory, and adopted a comprehensive defensive strategy, but was eventually defeated one by one by the rebels.

We must not make the same mistake again.

No matter how many ways they come, we can catch them and beat them first."

Li Mu said frankly.

Losing a city or territory is a serious crime for local officials.

To voluntarily abandon a city is an even greater crime.

Once impeached by the censor, it would be a major political stain on one's career.

As a military general, Li Mu had no such concerns.

No matter how good and clean his resume is, he can't join the cabinet.

For a military general, it is never a big deal to have a few non-principled political stains.

"Which group of rebels should we fight first?

Are you sure you can win?"

Jabo asked with concern.

As a military supervisor sent by the imperial commissioner, he was not even a local official, so the gains and losses of a city or a place were never something he needed to care about.

As long as we can win this battle, all other problems are minor matters.

(End of this chapter)