Fu Shanhe

Chapter 171: Big Fight

The sky gradually darkened, and with the last rays of sunset, the troops hidden in the mountains slowly descended the mountain.

At this time, the rebels had already set up camp and were busy making fire and cooking.

After taking a look at the smoke rising in the distance, Li Mu, along with a few of his personal soldiers, quietly moved to a location a mile away from the rebel camp to observe the enemy situation.

"withdraw!"

After taking a quick look at the enemy camp, he decisively chose to evacuate.

The enemy forces before us clearly lack military common sense.

Apart from the patrol troops around the camp, there were no scouts nearby.

Of course, it is also possible that it was getting late and the scouts returned to the camp to eat.

After all, it's just a makeshift team, it's impossible for them to be so meticulous.

……

Under the cover of night, Li Mu and his party returned to the camp exhausted.

"You're finally back!
If I can't find anyone soon, I will lead my troops to the rebel camp to look for them."

As he spoke, Jing Yifeng breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Mu, who had always been cautious, suddenly went to the front line to investigate the enemy situation in person, which was really beyond his expectations.

“I was on a hill near the rebel camp, observing the enemy camp, so I was delayed a little longer.

It was too dark to see the specific situation in the enemy camp.

However, based on the distribution of the campfires, it can be roughly determined that the enemy is divided into three parts, which should be from different troops.

According to the intelligence collected in advance, the enemy's vanguard troops were the Tusi army.

There were constant infighting among the chieftains in Guangxi, and the three companies' camps were deliberately kept at a distance from each other, which was enough to prove that their private relations were not harmonious.

All the conditions for a night attack on the enemy camp are in place.

However, the prior plan needs to be slightly changed.

We don't need three thousand soldiers to go out tonight, eight hundred elite soldiers will be enough.

All we need to do is disrupt the enemy camp and throw the three enemy forces into chaos.

We will go back and clean up the mess when daybreak comes."

Li Mu briefly described the situation.

Observing the enemy camp up close may seem very dangerous, but in fact the risk is not high.

When he passed by, the sky had already darkened, so he had to observe from a distance.

In this age when most people suffer from night blindness, it is impossible to see what is happening far away.

“If there are internal conflicts among the enemy forces, there is nothing wrong with such deployment.

You did the job of scouting the enemy camp.

Let me lead the Huai'an Battalion to attack the enemy camp at night!"

Jing Yifeng said slowly.

In name, both of them were main generals, but in reality, he played a supporting role both in military command and in specific operations.

On the one hand, Li Mu had experience in commanding large wars, and on the other hand, the Yangzhou camp was much stronger.

Take the Battle of Lianzhou as an example. In name, the victory was won by both battalions, but the specific results differed by several times.

It’s not that the Huai’an Battalion is weak, it’s simply that the two armies are half an era apart.

The advantage in firepower cannot be compensated by cold weapons.

It was a rare opportunity to encounter a battlefield suitable for the Huai'an Battalion to perform, so Jing Yifeng naturally wanted to show off.

Otherwise, it would be embarrassing for him to keep following others to take advantage of the military achievements.

"Can!
But you have to be careful and just sneak into the enemy camp, but don't get caught by them.

If the night attack fails, retreat immediately. I will lead people to provide support two miles away."

Li Mu agreed without hesitation.

The military merits that everyone in the outside world is vying for can be found everywhere on the Guangxi front line.

Dealing with the rebels in front of us is just an appetizer.

The main purpose of this battle is to defeat or even annihilate the main force of the rebels.

……

“Chief, we really didn’t mean to cause the conflict during the day.

If it weren’t for the Hou family’s deliberate provocation…”

Before the young man could finish speaking, Meng Qingfeng interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

“We won’t talk about the past, but it won’t happen again.

You all go down, I still need to discuss military affairs with the elders."

The conflicts between chieftains, whether right or wrong, have never been the point.

The government's behind-the-scenes instigation is only one of the reasons for the conflict, and more of the reasons are due to interests.

Guangxi is a poor place, and if you want to survive better, you must fight for resources.

When it comes to core means of production, such as mountains, forests, water sources and land, no one can make concessions.

They have also thought about uniting and fighting for the outside world together.

Unfortunately, they were the overlords in the mountains, but after coming down the mountain they became the targets of beatings.

Whenever there is chaos in the world, they will join forces to cause a big one.

Then the new dynasty was established, they were severely beaten and some of their native states were taken away.

In almost every change of dynasty in the Central Plains, the chieftains of Guangxi were victims.

It’s not that they didn’t try to resist, but the result of the resistance was that more land was taken away by the Central Plains dynasty.

Not only them, the chieftains in western Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are also declining.

With the influx of foreign population and the continuous development of the local economy, the living space of the chieftains has been continuously compressed.

For their own interests, the chieftains became the most conservative force, rejecting all changes.

He was tricked by the White Lotus Sect into rebelling, on the one hand because he could not stand the oppression of local officials, and on the other hand because of his unwillingness to give up.

Most of the chieftains participated in the rebellion, and the few who were clear-headed and did not want to participate could not go against the general trend.

“Clan leader, the Yang family and the Hou family are very close, and it is very likely that they will do something bad to us.

The White Lotus guys were also very hostile to us.

The prospects of this war are not optimistic! "

After everyone left, the old man on the side spoke up to remind them.

The coalition of the three chieftain clans was full of contradictions from the very beginning.

The commander of the White Lotus Sect, who led this war, also had some grievances against them, which was simply the start of hell.

“There is definitely danger, but the White Lotus Sect is very powerful right now. Even if the government army wins, it will not be able to retake Guangxi in a short period of time.

What's more, we have killed the prefect before, so it is not so easy for us to accept the amnesty.

Let's wait and see for a while. If the government troops win this battle, we will find someone to help them turn the tables.

If the White Lotus wins a great victory, then we will continue to follow them.

Dayu has been passed down for more than two hundred years, and it should be the end of the dynasty.

With the threat from the northern barbarians outside and the White Lotus Rebellion inside, the court is still not at peace.

Whether we can survive this crisis is still an unknown!"

Meng Qingfeng said with an embarrassed look on his face.

As a chieftain force that has been passed down for hundreds of years and is still getting better and better, the Meng family naturally has its own rules of survival.

No matter how the situation in Guangxi changes, they will always stand on the side of the winner.

When Dayu was strong, they supported Dayu.

Earlier, the White Lotus Rebellion occupied Guangxi, and they decisively surrendered to the White Lotus.

Now that the government troops showed signs of fighting back, they began to waver again.

The Meng family is not the only one like this. Most of the chieftains in Guangxi are a group of fence-sitters.

In order to survive, some chieftains even accepted the titles bestowed by the Annan people. If the Jinyiwei had not been abolished, a spy war would have already begun in Guangxi.

It is unrealistic to ask them to defect directly, but it is still possible to ask them to work without putting in any effort on the battlefield.

Being sandwiched between Dayu, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, and the Annan people is like dancing on three eggs, and you have to be careful at all times.

“The broken boat still has three pounds of nails. The Great Yu Dynasty won’t fall so easily.

Even at the end of the dynasty, it was able to sustain itself for decades thanks to the foundation left by ancestors.

We cannot wait until the situation becomes clear before going to the government for action.

It turned out that most of the officials in Guangxi died or fled, and all the connections we had built up in the local area were destroyed.

The relationships in Beijing are all maintained by giving gifts, so don't expect them to contribute much.

What's more, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

The last battle of Lianzhou was an example, the government troops were completely trying to kill us.

No matter who they are from or what connections they have, they showed no mercy.”

The old man in white shook his head and said.

The officialdom is about human relationships and worldly wisdom, and the same can be said on the battlefield.

If the opponents were the local Guangxi troops, everyone would just fight a symbolic battle and then go home.

The situation is different now. The government troops on the opposite side have no relationship with them, so if they meet them, it will be considered a military achievement in their eyes.

“It’s difficult!
I also want to establish a relationship with the government troops in Lianzhou.

Apart from anything else, the tribesmen they have captured are worthy of our generous gifts to redeem them.

Unfortunately, there is no bridge in the middle and they can't communicate at all.

If we rashly send people over there, they won’t take us defeated generals seriously.”

Meng Qingfeng said helplessly.

Knowing that the Holy White Lotus Kingdom was using them as cannon fodder, they naturally would not be willing to continue working for them.

He wanted to collude with the government troops, but he did not have enough bargaining chips.

If the situation was clearer, he could have directly switched sides, or if the military strength he had was stronger, everything could have been discussed.

But now there is nothing.

We can't just send someone over to say hello without any real action and expect people to believe that these rebels are loyal to the court!

“It’s easy to talk to the government troops.

The young men of gentry whom we rescued all had relatives serving as officials in Beijing, and they were the best matchmakers.

But the prerequisite is: we must preserve our strength in the war.

Only by preserving the clan’s army can we be qualified to negotiate terms with the imperial court.

If the battle goes wrong, don't hesitate at all and run away with your people!"

The old man's words made Meng Qingfeng feel helpless.

In the last war, he was the one who reacted the fastest and immediately fled with his people.

The chieftains outside who had conflicts with the Meng family simply gave him the nickname "Runaway General".

If I run again, I will completely establish my reputation.

From now on, don’t expect to have any prestige among the chieftains of Guangxi.

……

While the Meng clan chieftain was dealing with the problem of armed fighting, the nearby Yang clan chieftain and Hou clan chieftain were also doing ideological work among their clan members.

There are plenty of opportunities to take revenge, but not now.

If they start fighting each other now, not only will the White Lotus Holy Kingdom not let them go, but the government troops will also add insult to injury.

"Clan leader, the Meng family is really going too far!

And the people from the Yang family are not good people either.

When we had conflicts, he kept stirring up trouble..."

After listening to the report from his subordinates, Hou Xiangyu rubbed his forehead helplessly.

The grudges between the chieftains are really too complicated.

A fight might break out between the two villages for a pheasant, a hare or a nest of honey.

There are many private conflicts that he, as the clan leader, is unaware of.

"Okay, let's keep these accounts in mind for now and settle with them later.

......"

As they were talking, the sound of fighting suddenly broke out in the camp.

The soldiers of the Huai'an Camp, who were lying in ambush near the camp, took advantage of the cover of night and ran to the junction of the three camps to cause damage.

"Send someone to check what's going on outside?"

Hou Xiangyu ordered angrily.

Fights in the camp had occurred countless times along the way.

Not only did armed fights occur between the three chieftains, but there were also many private frictions between the villages within the Hou chieftain group.

But this is the first time I have played like this at night.

The three families chose to camp separately, leaving a gap of more than ten meters, in order to reduce conflicts.

"Chief, the enemy is attacking the camp at night!"

After receiving this news, Hou Xiangyu, who was full of anger, became even more angry.

Internal conflicts are difficult to deal with, so there is no need to be polite to external enemies.

"Pass the order down. Make sure to stop this enemy force and don't let them escape!"

After the order was given, the Hou soldiers who were sleeping got up, picked up their weapons and joined the battle.

However, the battlefield was constantly moving. It started in the Hou camp, and as the fighting went on it moved into the Yang camp and the Meng camp.

Similar scenes are also happening in other regions.

Many of the Yang and Meng soldiers who were attracted by the Huai'an camp also entered the Hou camp.

The three chieftain armies, which had originally formed their own camps, soon merged together.

At the beginning, they were all chasing after the government troops, but the situation soon changed.

It was not known whether it was intentional or an accident, but a Hou soldier's spear pierced the body of a Meng soldier.

Without bothering to investigate the cause, the nearby Meng soldiers immediately took revenge when they saw their own people being killed.

After seeing this scene, the nearby Hou soldiers also joined the battle.

Soon Yang's soldiers were also drawn into the melee.

It started out as just one corner, but soon spread to the entire camp.

After the melee broke out, the soldiers of Huai'an Camp, who had instigated the war, had already fought their way out of the encirclement.

Seeing the situation getting out of control, the top leaders of the three tribes realized that the situation was not good and hurriedly ordered to stop the fighting.

Unfortunately, no matter who it is, he can only command his own people, and the soldiers of the other two families will not buy it.

If you don't kill others, you will be killed by others.

All the conflicts accumulated in the past broke out at this moment.

“Stop it now!
This is an enemy conspiracy, we must not fall into the trap set by the government troops..."

Before Hou Xiangyu could finish his words, a flying arrow pierced his throat.

After struggling a few times, he fell to the ground and died.

It was pitch dark and I couldn't tell who was behind this.

When the Hou soldiers saw this scene, they immediately decided to hold the other two families responsible.

Driven by the power of anger, they burst out with their full strength and retaliated against the Yang and Meng soldiers who entered their camps.

Faced with the mad soldiers of the Hou family, the soldiers of the Yang family and the Meng family were equally unwilling to be outdone and launched a fierce counterattack.

The fight between the three chieftain clans was suddenly pushed to a climax.

……

(End of this chapter)