Fu Shanhe

Chapter 207: The White Lotus Holy Nation’s Counterattack

"Stop the shelling!"

Li Mu put down the telescope in his hand and said.

In order to catch the rebels off guard, no heavy artillery was carried in this operation.

The initial progress was very smooth, and we pushed straight to the Guilin city.

When it came to attacking the city, the drawbacks were exposed.

Ordinary field artillery caused little damage to the city walls.

There was no point in continuing the shelling, other than killing a few hapless enemy soldiers occasionally.

"Commander Li, are you not going to attack the city anymore?"

Jabo asked doubtfully.

In order to recapture Guilin, they made a lot of preparations.

When the time came, they fired a few symbolic test shots and then stopped.

This obviously does not conform to the plan of quickly retaking Guilin in one go.

"Master Jia, the enemy army has reinforced the city's defenses, and the cost of launching a rash attack would be too high.

The rebel army that had gone on the westward expedition was now on its way back.

If the rebels in the city refuse to come out, we will join forces with the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces to encircle and attack the reinforcements and wipe out the rebels' Western Expedition Army.

Let's first encircle the enemy and wait for the situation to develop further!"

Li Mu explained calmly.

There are only a few ways to attack a city.

If the enemy does not make any mistakes, in order to capture Guilin, we either have to besiege the rebels for a long time or launch a strong attack at all costs.

From the test just now, it can be seen that the defenders’ fighting spirit is still good.

It is not easy to attack a city by force, even with heavy artillery.

Instead of focusing on Guilin, it is better to consider the issue from a global perspective.

After the Western Expedition Army was destroyed, the internal balance of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom was forcibly broken.

"If we can reach Guilin, our strategic goal will be achieved.

As long as we can besiege Guilin, we can explain the matter to the imperial court.

It would be best if we were to besiege the enemy and attack the reinforcements next time, but failure is no big deal.

The key is to besiege Guilin and not let the bandit leader escape!"

Zhang Sihan said with a smile.

The siege of Guilin City seemed to have only advanced the battle line by a hundred miles, but the political impact it caused was enormous.

As the capital of the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus, as long as we maintain the offensive on Guilin, it will be a great achievement.

As for when the city can be captured, it is actually not that important.

This is the social etiquette in official circles.

The performance of the Guangxi Front Army on the battlefield is now very dazzling.

If we continue like this, it will make everyone seem incompetent.

Appropriate display of difficulty can not only highlight the difficulty of siege, but also reduce the hostility of colleagues.

Under this background, Zhang Sihan, who had been urging the troops to be dispatched, naturally had to change his position at this moment.

As for the subsequent battles, no matter how outstanding the achievements were, they were not as good as capturing the bandit leader Shi Rongxian who proclaimed himself emperor.

……

Western Expedition Army Camp.

“Your Majesty, we cannot return to Guilin now.

No matter how many false flags the trailing troops raise, there will always be loopholes.

The news of the army's withdrawal could not be concealed for long.

Once the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces receive the news, they will definitely catch up.

The puppet government troops in Guangxi surrounded Guilin without attacking. It was obvious that they had set a trap and were waiting for us to fall into it.

If we don't defeat the enemy quickly, we will be attacked from both sides!"

Fu Sanqi began to persuade.

With the continuous victory of the Guangxi Front Army, his value as a fleeing commander also increased.

Although he lost the battle, at least he saved his life.

In the second battle, he led his troops to escape unscathed, thus preserving the vitality of the Holy Kingdom.

Especially after leading his troops westward, he achieved outstanding results.

If the militia and the chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou had not joined the war, Kunming might have been captured.

His battle record proved that it was not that Fu Sanqi was incompetent, but that his opponents were too strong.

"Prime Minister Fu, the Holy Emperor's decree requires us to return to the Holy Capital within ten days, and four days have passed.

If I don't return quickly, how will I explain to the Holy Emperor?"

Wei Jiarui said worriedly.

As one of the three kings of different surnames in the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus, although he seems to have a large army and a high position of power, in fact his situation is not good.

Among the original shareholders, his group is the weakest.

The other two kings of different surnames all attacked fertile lands, but he alone had to eat dirt in the southwest.

Everyone's battle record was good, but in terms of gains, the Western Expedition Corps had the least.

It has nothing to do with hard work. It's simply because the place is poor and can't squeeze that much money out of it.

Even the strategic materials consumed by the army on a daily basis are mostly supplied from the rear, and it is completely impossible for them to be self-sufficient.

In comparison, the situation on the East and North lines is much better.

It is unrealistic to rely solely on war to support the war, but we can still raise most of the strategic materials needed by the army on our own.

These practical problems directly reflect the right to speak.

“Your Majesty, the imperial edict has a lag, and the situation a few days ago is completely different from now.

If the government troops launch an all-out attack on Guilin City, we will rush back to lift the siege of the Holy City even if we have to travel day and night.

However, the puppet government troops only besieged Guilin and had no intention of attacking the city.

It is possible that the troops besieging the Holy City were just a small group of government troops, which were mistakenly taken as the main force of the pseudo-dynasty government troops.

The real main force of the government army is waiting for us halfway.

When the general is out, military orders are not obeyed.

For the safety of the army, please order us to bypass Guilin Prefecture and head directly to Huguang to join the Northern Expedition Army! "

Fu Sanqi said with a serious look.

The reason why you can save your life on the battlefield many times is because you seek benefits and avoid harm.

If you know there is a pit ahead and still continue to step into it, then you are mentally ill.

In the face of life and death, even the imperial edict has to take a back seat.

The Holy White Lotus Nation had been established for less than two years, and many people still remembered Shi Rongxian as the former leader.

The sense of awe is not that strong.

The crime of disobeying an imperial order is not a serious crime that would implicate the entire family within the Holy White Lotus Kingdom.

It was not uncommon for the generals below to disobey orders.

As long as they can win the battle, they will just be reprimanded and fined for a period of time.

The punishments were all false, and the salaries of the officers and soldiers of the Holy White Lotus Nation were almost negligible.

It’s not that Shi Rongxian is stingy and reluctant to give money to his subordinates.

On the contrary, it is precisely because of being too willing to spend that there is never enough money in the Holy Treasury.

"Hey!"

"That's it!"

"For the safety of the army and the great cause of the Holy Nation, I will disobey orders just this once.

If the Holy Emperor blames me, I will bear the responsibility alone!"

Wei Jiarui said with difficulty.

Deep down in his heart, he had long wanted to go to Huguang.

The situation in Yunnan and Guizhou, this poor place, is similar to that in Guangxi, with the natural conditions being one worse than the other.

How can we compare to the vast world of Huguang if we stay here?

It was deliberately delayed until now purely for political reasons.

……

Guilin Prefecture.

"Bastard thing!"

Looking at the news coming from the front line, Shi Rongxian couldn't help but curse.

He was not making a fuss when he ordered the Western Expedition Army to return. Guilin Prefecture, as the capital of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom, must not be lost in vain.

The Battle of Guilin must be fought both militarily and politically.

It would be best to defeat the Guangxi Front Army before voluntarily giving up Guilin.

The troops currently assembled in Guilin are undoubtedly incapable of completing this task.

The other armies had their own battlefields, and the only mobile force was the Western Expedition Army.

Now, for the sake of its own safety, the Western Expedition Army bypassed Guilin and went directly to Huguang, and the troops left behind in the Holy Capital became the rear guard.

Next, they will not only face siege from the Guangxi Front Army, but may also be attacked by the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Forces.

"Holy Emperor, calm down!"

“The King of Zhenxi chose to take a detour because he had no choice.

The pseudo-Northern Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces were chasing too closely, and they were unable to escape the enemy's entanglement.

The Guangxi soldiers outside the city surrounded the Holy City but did not attack it, as if they were fishing.

The Western Expedition Army continued to rush to Guilin to join forces, which was indeed full of dangers. "

Wu Zekai persuaded nervously.

What the King of Zhenxi did was immoral. For his own safety, he actually ignored the safety of the Holy City.

Such behavior is intolerable to any monarch.

But the situation is special now.

The Holy Kingdom of White Lotus, which was besieged on all sides by government troops, was already in danger and could not withstand any internal friction.

If the King of Zhenxi is held responsible, the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus might be divided.

They all emerged from troubled times and still have an army of more than 200,000 men. They will not sit and wait to die just because of an imperial edict.

It's not just the King of Zhenxi who is powerful. The King of Dongping and the King of Pingnan are also two major factions in the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

On the contrary, the direct forces of the White Lotus Saint Emperor were severely weakened due to the failures in the previous three battles in Guangxi.

The current White Lotus Holy Kingdom is actually in a situation where the ruler is weak and the ministers are strong.

The reason why there was no chaos was that Shi Rongxian had strong political skills and was able to balance the power among the three kings.

"Humph!"

"The Western Expedition Army feels it's dangerous, but does that mean the Holy City isn't dangerous?
In order to wait for them to join us, we did not evacuate immediately and were surrounded on three sides by the puppet army.

......"

Shi Rongxian said almost roaring.

It’s really a trap.

The Western Expedition Army disobeyed orders and disrupted his strategic plan.

At this time, the White Lotus Saint Emperor was in a dilemma.

If an order to retreat was given, there was a high possibility that the government troops would take advantage of the opportunity and turn the retreat into a defeat.

Staying and defending Guilin is also full of risks.

What if the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces do not rush to Huguang to reinforce, but instead come here to participate in the siege.

With insufficient military strength, it was only a matter of time before Guilin City fell.

“Holy Emperor, it has come to this.

It would be of no help to hold the King of Zhenxi accountable.

The most urgent task is to make full preparations for the defense of the Holy City.

According to the intelligence we gathered, the enemy forces surrounding us outside the city number only about 40,000 in total.

The walls of the Holy City are strong and the food and fodder are sufficient to sustain the 50,000 defenders for half a year.

As long as we defend ourselves and don’t give the enemy any chance to take advantage, we can hold out for half a year without any problems.”

Shi Qichuan spoke to comfort her.

For the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus, defending the Holy City for half a year is enough to give an explanation to all parties.

If there is no major breakthrough on the front line within half a year, then there is no need to worry.

"Ok!"

"I decree that I cannot bear to see the people in the city suffer from war, so I allow them to leave on their own.

Order all departments to maintain good order and ensure the orderly evacuation of the people.

The puppet government's army was the most greedy, and warned the people not to carry any money with them, and that it would be best for them to just pretend to be refugees.

Arrange our people to blend in and guide the people to ask the pseudo-dynasty officials for help!"

Shi Rongxian gave the order coldly.

After all, he was a hero of his time. After a brief loss of composure, he quickly regained his rationality.

It is pure nonsense to say that you cannot bear to see the people suffer from war.

The reason why he drove people out at this time was that from the very beginning, he had no intention of defending Guilin to the death.

Although there were a lot of supplies stored up in the city, the firewood reserves were seriously insufficient.

After driving away the people, demolishing the houses provided ready-made firewood, and all the conditions for holding out were in place.

By the way, it can also cause more trouble for the enemy.

If the enemy leaves it alone.

The hundreds of thousands of people leaving the city will turn into locusts, sweeping across the land of Guangxi and wreaking havoc in the enemy's rear.

If the government troops were to provide relief, the money and food required would be a huge expense.

The Dayu army was already short of military funds, and with the addition of hundreds of thousands of mouths, the problem of food alone would be difficult to solve.

……

In the camp.

"Commander-in-chief, Governor-General...something terrible is happening!
The enemy army drove the people out of the city!"

Upon hearing the news, everyone's face changed drastically.

The most worrying thing still happened.

"Governor, please arrange for people to provide relief to the victims!"

Li Mu said calmly.

The reason for launching a major war first was because we were worried that the enemy army might do this.

A large number of people became refugees and needed relief from the court, which was bound to increase the fiscal expenditure of local governments.

This was undoubtedly a huge trouble for the Guangxi Governor's Office, whose income depended entirely on grants.

Even though I know it’s too hot, I still can’t refuse.

Although Dayu was corrupt, order still existed, and disaster relief was one of the obligations of the local government.

Especially since the matter has been brought to the surface, if it is not handled properly, the reputation of everyone present will be affected.

"Commander Li, please lend me 10,000 shi of grain for temporary use.

I will immediately arrange for people to transfer food from the rear, and return the food to the army as soon as it arrives!"

Zhang Sihan said with a serious expression.

I thought the battle for Guilin had begun, and what followed would be his highlight moment.

I never expected that before the highlight moment came, trouble came first.

"Can.

However, I would like to state first that the military rations are all refined rice, and refined rice must be returned later.

If you try to fool me, I won't agree!"

Li Mu said calmly.

This is not extortion on his part. According to the laws of Dayu, the rations provided to soldiers in the south during wartime are fine rice.

As a general with integrity, he naturally would not save money on this.

"Commander Li, rest assured, what is returned is naturally fine rice, and I will personally keep an eye on it.

But there is one more thing I need your help with.

There are not enough officers on the front line, please lend me a battalion of soldiers to assist in the resettlement of refugees."

Zhang Sihan agreed immediately.

Deep down, he was already panicking.

It is easy to borrow grain, but difficult to return it.

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of disaster relief, the governor's office purchased only the cheapest grains and chaff.

Refined rice is an expensive commodity that even small landowners cannot afford to eat every day, so how can they possibly supply it to refugees?

In terms of value, ten thousand shi of fine rice is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of shi of chaff.

His heart was bleeding as he thought about using such expensive food to provide disaster relief.

But there is no other way. No matter what, we have to save the lives of the refugees first.

(End of this chapter)