Fu Shanhe

Chapter 211: Catch the ducks and put them on the shelves

Not everything can be remedied afterwards.

Even though Emperor Yongning gave posthumous honors to Pang Ge Lao, rumors were still flying everywhere.

In order to dispel the rumors, several cabinet ministers came forward to prove to all officials that Pang Hengsheng died of natural causes, but the Qingliu Party still refused to buy it.

When Pang Hengsheng was alive, many members of the Qingliu Party disliked him in every way.

They felt that he had forgotten his roots since becoming the Prime Minister, and was only concerned with balancing the situation in the court, without leaving good positions for his own people.

Now when a person dies, the situation changes immediately.

With the support of a big boss, the Qingliu Group is the largest faction in the court.

Yin Zuo and the other two were executed for treason, Xu Wenyue had to go home to observe mourning, and Pang Hengsheng died at this time. The Qingliu Group was suddenly separated from the center of power.

Those who cursed Pang Hengsheng behind his back were those who did not benefit from the distribution of interests, or who felt that the returns were not as good as expected.

People’s desires are hard to satisfy, and no matter who comes to power, it is impossible to satisfy everyone.

In any case, during the period when Pang Hengsheng served as the Prime Minister, the power of the Qingliu Group expanded further, and many officials from the Qingliu group made further progress in their official careers.

Now that the people are gone, Qingliu Group has been separated from the power center. If similar things happen again, there will be no one to help fight for it.

Since their own interests are involved, officials from the Qingliu faction will naturally take the opportunity to make trouble.

The crying child gets the milk. The more they make a fuss now, the more likely the emperor will comfort them.

Everyone's demands were not high. They just wanted the emperor to favor Xu Wenyue, let him replace the position of prime minister, and then give the vacant position in the cabinet to an official from the clean stream.

Of course, if the emperor is willing to give more, they don't mind accepting it all. It would be best to make all the civil and military officials in the court their own people.

There is no doubt that what the Qingliu Group wants is not only what Emperor Yongning is unwilling to give, but other factions are also unwilling to give it.

Political struggles do not tolerate tenderness. After waiting for so long for the decline of the Qingliu Group, everyone is too busy to add insult to injury, let alone provide timely assistance.

As soon as Xu Wenyue's memorial of mourning was submitted from below, Emperor Yongning approved it immediately.

For an emperor who rules the country himself, there should be no such thing as a regent.

If there is an opportunity to expel someone from the court reasonably, why bother to seize their love?

Such an action is the most obvious political signal to all officials.

Those factions that had been suppressed by the Qingliu Group for a long time became active at this moment and launched an attack on the Qingliu camp.

It just so happens that the Qingliu Party members only shout loud slogans, but in essence, like officials from other factions, they have a lot of dark histories.

When old accounts are brought up, negative information starts to come flooding in.

But Emperor Yongning was an emperor who could not tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes. At one time, a large number of Qingliu Party members were dismissed from office, and those with serious circumstances were even sent directly to imperial prison.

For a while, there was a situation where everyone pushed the wall down.

The political struggle in the court also affected the front line.

Ever since the news came that Lord Xu was approved to observe mourning, Li Mu clearly felt that the military supervisor Jia Bo was absent-minded, and when facing the governor, he no longer had his usual arrogance.

Other ministers were in mourning, and after the mourning period was over, they could submit a memorial to the emperor and be recalled.

Xu Wenyue, the regent minister, did not have such an opportunity.

The late emperor was worried that his younger brother would not be able to control the situation, so he granted a lot of power to his ministers.

Even after the emperor took power, the power held by his assistants still far exceeded that of ordinary cabinet ministers.

Worse still, the emperor could find excuses to dismiss cabinet ministers, but as long as assistant ministers did not make serious mistakes, they could only be kept in service.

For Emperor Yongning, the existence of regents was to limit his power.

When it comes to the power struggle, there is no possibility of easing the tension between the two sides.

The killing of the notorious Zuo Guangen left a lot of hidden dangers. Emperor Yongning did not want to raise the butcher knife again unless it was absolutely necessary.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of mourning to send Xu Wenyue out of the court is undoubtedly the best choice.

But this made Jia Bo miserable.

Without his backing, he became just an ordinary official.

Fortunately, he had previously secured the position of provincial governor and entered the ranks of the third rank, otherwise his official career would have been in danger.

……

"Commander Li, the bandits are evacuating Guilin. If we strike back, we will be able to inflict heavy damage on them!"

Jabo suggested.

If you have no one to rely on, you can only rely on yourself.

Compared with other officials of the Qingliu faction, he had military merits.

In addition, Guangxi is located in a remote area, and the political turmoil in the court will not affect him for a while.

In this context, if you want to gain a foothold, you must establish more achievements.

The officialdom has a set of operating rules, and even when attacking competitors, basic rules of the game must be followed.

If you want to dismiss a meritorious official without any reason, it will arouse public anger.

In essence, no matter which faction dominates the government, everyone has a common bottom line - the empire must not collapse.

“We need to wait a little longer. The rebels are only conducting a test now, and their main force has not yet withdrawn from the city.

If we attack at this time, we can indeed gain an advantage, but it will be difficult to recapture Guilin.

If possible, the recovery of Guilin should also be pushed back.

The imperial court is changing its commander, so it is somewhat inappropriate to report the military achievements at this time."

Li Mu shook his head and said.

The military should serve politics.

Lord Xu had to return to his hometown to observe mourning, so the credit for recovering Guilin was dispensable to him.

But the new governor is different. He has just arrived and this is the time when he needs credit the most.

It wasn't that he wanted to flatter the governor, but the logistics of the army were in his hands. If he wanted to get more supplies, he had to build a good relationship with the new governor.

"Commander Li, do you know who the new governor is?"

Governor Zhang Sihan asked with concern.

Guangxi was extremely poor, and all expenses of the governor's office needed funding from the imperial court. As the governor, he had no power to do anything about it.

In this context, it is very necessary to find out in advance who the new governor will be.

Theoretically speaking, civil officials have a lot of connections with their classmates and teachers, so they are better informed than military generals.

However, there are exceptions to everything. When it comes to large-scale military operations, the Grand Marshal's Office cannot be avoided.

The Governor's Office will be involved in the discussion of candidates. It is normal for Li Mu to receive the news first since his backer is in the Governor's Office.

“I am not sure who it is.

However, there were few civil servants in the court who knew military affairs, and even fewer who were of sufficient status.

The people guarding the nine borders must not be moved.

If the new governor wants to get started quickly, he must understand the situation on the front line in advance.

The candidates who meet the basic requirements are the Nanjing Minister of War, the Governor of Jiangxi, and the Governor of Huguang."

Li Mu replied calmly.

The news came from the capital that various factions were about to fight over the appointment of the governor.

Unlike in the past, there is now a vacancy in the cabinet.

Serving as governor and presiding over the suppression of a rebellion is equivalent to having one foot halfway into the door of the cabinet.

The various factions were deadlocked and the selection of the governor was difficult.

Fortunately, this situation could not continue. Emperor Yongning wanted to send Xu Wenyue back home, so he would not allow the officials to procrastinate.

If the battle drags on for too long, and if the front line wins a great victory, Xu Wenyue, who returns with honor, will not be so easy to get rid of.

"If it's these three, things will be troublesome."

Zhang Sihan said with a frown.

The Nanjing Minister of War has the highest status. As a direct leader, it is certain that he knows a lot about military affairs, but no one can tell his specific level.

Anyway, he has no outstanding achievements. When problems arise, he always pushes them to the Ministry of War in Beijing. He is a typical non-stick pan in the officialdom.

As the top-ranked governors, the Governor of Jiangxi and the Governor of Huguang were both qualified to go further.

However, their military capabilities are also questionable.

Looking at the performance of the government troops in the two provinces, it can be considered just average.

If he were to command the coalition forces of all provinces, no one knew what would happen.

“These are not issues we should consider.

Governor, what Guangxi needs most right now is to resettle the refugees and resume production as soon as possible. While there is still time, we should quickly organize the people to plant food.

If we miss the season and there is a food shortage later, it will be a big problem.”

Li Mu couldn't help but remind him.

Through this period of contact, he also got to know Zhang Sihan a little better.

This governor was capable, but his main focus was always on the court and he rarely paid attention to people's livelihood.

Even when providing relief to disaster victims, once the work is arranged, there is rarely any follow-up.

Such practices directly affect the work enthusiasm of the officials below.

A common problem in Dayu’s officialdom is that only things that the leaders pay close attention to can be done well.

"Thank you, Commander Li, for the reminder!"

Zhang Sihan responded expressionlessly.

It was undoubtedly very embarrassing to be reminded by a military general to organize the resumption of production.

But it was the fact and he couldn't refute it at all.

If you are angry, you have to hold it in your heart. When you meet a strong general like Li Mu, taking your anger out on others will only bring you trouble.

……

"Holy Emperor, the government troops did not catch up with us.

It seems that the news is true. The foolish emperor of the pseudo dynasty changed the commander in chief on the battlefield, leaving the government troops at a loss as to what to do. "

Prime Minister Wu Zekai said happily.

Fate favors the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

When the uprising encountered difficulties in the early stages, Yin and Zuo helped them complete the initial accumulation.

The anti-encirclement and suppression war entered a critical moment, and Emperor Yu changed his commander at the last minute, which gave them an extra three points chance of winning.

In the eyes of those who care, this is destiny.

"Ha ha……

It seems that Dayu has really come to the end of his life!
In this case, let's not hesitate and immediately join up with the Eastern Expedition Army.

Next, I will sweep across Jiangnan and seize Nanjing!"

Shi Rongxian said with high spirits.

I thought I would become a stray dog ​​during this evacuation.

At one point, he was ready to hide his identity and become a bandit in the mountains if the uprising failed.

I never expected that the turning point would come so quickly.

No matter who the new governor of the official army is, problems are inevitable during the transfer of power.

Any mistake during this period is an opportunity for the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

The army left in a mighty manner, and the city of Guilin suddenly became deserted.

Shi Qichuan, who volunteered to be the last one to leave, took a lingering look at the city.

"Pass the order down and have the soldiers pile up the firewood along the houses on both sides of the street. This marquis wants to give the government troops a great gift."

In the process of fighting for the world, any means of attacking the enemy must be used.

If you can't get something, you would rather destroy it than leave it to the enemy.

"My Lord, something bad has happened...

The government troops... the government troops are coming to kill us!"

Upon receiving this news, Shi Qichuan, who was originally lingering over the city, suddenly changed his expression.

"Light up everything in the city that can be ignited, and then evacuate the entire army!"

Knowing that the few thousand men under his command could not stop the government troops at all, Shi Qichuan had no intention of holding on.

The mission of covering the rear has been completed. If you don't run away quickly now, you will not be able to escape once the government troops surround the city.

He hurriedly evacuated the city with his army, but unfortunately he was still a step too late.

Two legs cannot outrun four legs, and faced with the government cavalry blocking their way, the rebel soldiers instantly panicked.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The familiar sound of muskets rang out, and in an instant the rebel soldiers rushing in the front were killed or wounded.

The screams of the wounded became the final blow that destroyed morale.

"Run!"

Someone shouted, and countless rebel soldiers fled in all directions in an instant.

Everyone knew that as long as they fled into the mountains, they could avoid being hunted down by the government cavalry.

They all fled desperately, completely ignoring the orders of their generals.

Seeing this scene, Shi Qichuan's face turned green with anger.

The performance of his own troops was simply disgraceful.

The army was in the process of evacuating and no supervision team was set up.

When encountering such an incident, I wanted to order an interception, but I didn’t know who to send.

After a brief moment of unconsciousness, Shi Qichuan also joined the escape team.

The collapse of military morale had already laid the hidden danger since the withdrawal of the main force.

The main force had to flee, so these unlucky guys who were left behind were no match for the government troops.

The seeds of fear were planted long ago and are now just taking root and sprouting.

……

Nanjing City.

Looking at the imperial edict in his hand, Zhu Jingyi felt as if the sky was falling.

Unlike other officials who still have political ambitions, he started living a retirement life early on.

As a Tai Chi master, he always pushes the problem away when encountering problems.

If you don't do anything, you won't make mistakes.

During his tenure as Nanjing's Minister of War, Zhu Jingyi did not achieve any outstanding achievements, but he also did not make any major mistakes.

Even if he occasionally encountered trouble, he would find a way to cover it up and never cause trouble for the court.

In the eyes of Emperor Yongning, such performance is reliable.

While all parties were arguing, Emperor Yongning made a decisive decision and directly appointed Zhu Jingyi as the general.

It is impossible not to be moved by the emperor's trust.

However, he could not bring himself to think of dying for his king.

Reason told Zhu Jingyi that the position of governor was not an easy one.

Xu Wenyue was able to suppress the gods and demons in the southern provinces because he was a regent.

If you don't obey orders, Xu Wenyue really dares to kill people.

He integrated the team by relying on his own power and exerting pressure.

“The court’s appointment did not take into account the actual situation.

Master, please draft a document for me to reject this appointment!"

Zhu Jingyi thought for a moment and said.

It is better to offend the emperor than to make a big mess. Not only will you lose your life, but your clan will also be implicated.

In the past, those who claimed to be knowledgeable about military affairs did so simply for the sake of face and bragging.

He has never led troops before, and asking him to command thousands of troops on the battlefield is clearly making things difficult for him.

"My Lord, I'm afraid that won't work.

The imperial edict means that you should set off immediately and rush to Wuchang to hand over the work to Lord Xu, and even sets a time limit.

The students checked carefully and found that this imperial edict had multiple seals on it and there were no flaws in the procedure. It was definitely not an imperial edict.

If you refuse, it would be disobedience!"

The middle-aged master's words shattered all of Zhu Jingyi's fantasies.

……

(End of this chapter)