Fu Shanhe

Chapter 232: The Fall of Jiujiang
"Rumble..."

After a loud bang, a huge gap was blown open in the city wall.

Countless rebels immediately rushed in through the gap and fought with the defenders.

"Digging the city wall again, is this the only trick the rebels have?"

Admiral Zheng couldn't help but curse.

Dig a tunnel under the city wall, fill it with gunpowder, and ignite it to blow up the city wall.

The entire process was completed in one go, and it has become the standard siege method used by the White Lotus rebels.

The method is simple and old-fashioned, but it works.

The purity of gunpowder has been greatly improved since its development.

As long as the amount of medicine filled is enough, even the strongest city wall can be opened.

Faced with the rebels' offensive, the government troops also summed up a set of countermeasures.

However, no matter how much defense we take, it is impossible to take care of all areas.

Once a breach is blown in the city wall, we can only send elite troops to hold it up and then urgently repair the city defense fortifications.

Judging from the results, no city can be defended in the end as long as a gap is blown open.

"withstand!
Hold on, all of you!

Once the enemy army breaks into the city, everyone will die!
......"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Lieutenant General Zheng hurriedly gave orders.

The defense of Jiujiang was so brutal that it angered the rebel king outside the city.

In order to boost morale, the rebel army has announced that they will not stop fighting for three days after they capture the city.

It not only dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the defenders, but also pushed them into a desperate situation.

Now everyone’s final belief is that reinforcements will arrive tomorrow.

However, as the defending general, Lieutenant General Zheng knew very well that the arrival of reinforcements tomorrow was just a cover.

Linjiang City fell in five days, and the war has now spread to Nanchang, and the Jiangxi side is unable to take care of itself.

The reinforcements from Nanzhili and Zhejiang stopped moving after arriving in Anqing.

He knew best what these colleagues were planning.

The only worry is that the reinforcements might be intercepted by the rebels and suffer heavy casualties.

At this moment, Nanzhili and Zhejiang seem to have an army of more than 100,000, but the troops that can actually fight are only about 20,000 to 30,000 in total.

If we really lose our troops in Jiujiang, the land south of the Yangtze River will be left to the rebels to roam freely.

For the sake of strategic security and his own official hat, directly defending Anqing is undoubtedly the best option.

No one can afford the consequences of the fall of Jiangnan. Even if the imperial court knew afterwards that they did not come to the rescue, they would still choose to let them go with ease.

……

In the government office.

"Brother, please don't hesitate.

If you surrender at this time, you can still receive preferential treatment from the Holy Kingdom.

If the Holy Kingdom's army were allowed to attack, the city would be massacred.

For the sake of the people in the city, you give the order..."

The middle-aged man's persuasion made Hu Yuzhe fall into endless confusion.

Unlike other officials, his hometown was Changsha, which had now fallen into the hands of the rebels.

Knowing that he was the prefect of Jiujiang, the rebels not only did not confiscate his family, but treated him with courtesy.

No matter how courteous you are, the whole family, young and old, are at the mercy of others.

The middle-aged man acting as a lobbyist in front of him is his cousin.

Judging from the other party's anxious expression, if he refuses to open the city and surrender, his people will definitely be in big trouble.

"The White Lotus Sect is not tolerated by the gentry and nobles. No matter how prominent they are, they are just illusions.

If you really go there, even if you can save your life temporarily, you will be doomed to be liquidated in the future."

Hu Yuzhe said slowly.

In feudal dynasties, the greatest wealth was land.

Land annexation was very serious in the Dayu Dynasty, and the gentry controlled a large amount of social wealth. The Holy White Lotus Kingdom wanted to change the world, so it was destined to stand on the opposite side of the gentry.

If they don't attack the gentry and the powerful families, they simply cannot afford to support an army of one million.

What's more, since they are rebelling and risking the execution of their entire clan, they must get a share of the meat.

If we don't target the gentry and the wealthy families, the remaining profits will not be enough for all the shareholders to share!
Throughout history, the change of dynasties has inevitably led to a reshuffle of interests.

Whichever group controls the most social wealth will be the target of purge.

If there is no reshuffle, the new regime will definitely not last long.

If you want to escape the fate of being purged, you must choose Qianlong to bet on him at the right time.

The Dayu Dynasty was indeed in decline, but judging from the current situation, it was not yet time for its demise.

The White Lotus Sect advocates the integration of politics and religion, and people do not buy into Confucian theories at all.

Even if the gentry defected, it would be difficult for them to find a place of their own.

The officials who surrendered before lived a very miserable life.

Although he seems to be promoted and valued, his actual power is almost zero, and he is simply a bird in a cage.

Being excluded from the aristocratic circle and suffering from external abuse would not be enough, but he also had to worry about being liquidated by the imperial court all the time.

"Brother, those are all old news.

The one who is in charge of Jiangnan now is the King of Nan, a man with great ambitions, and he does not hate the gentry.

Among his staff, there were many scholars from Guangdong, Guangxi and Jiangxi.

There were quite a few scholars from Huguang under his command, but they were suppressed by them because they had no leader.

If you could get through, brother, the situation would be very different.

Just because the White Lotus Sect could not achieve great things does not mean that the King of the South has no chance to conquer the world.

At the very least, you can establish your own territory and enjoy decades of prosperity."

The middle-aged man tried hard to persuade.

Rebel groups that use religion as a bond are all very fierce in the early stages.

By the middle and late stages of the rebellion, the believers had become more knowledgeable and not so easy to fool, which led to a series of problems.

Living inside a religious group and developing one's own power is a good choice.

An immature political system is inherently suitable for the expansion of warlords.

At this moment, the White Lotus Sect showed a trend of having a king of a different surname becoming more powerful.

With the addition of scholars, the internal conflicts within the Holy White Lotus Kingdom became more severe.

No matter how loyal one is, he cannot resist being seduced by his subordinates.

The slightest conflict can become a thorn in one's heart under the guidance of someone with ulterior motives.

"You mean the Southern King intends to leave the Holy White Lotus Kingdom?"

"inappropriate!"

"If the Holy White Lotus Nation were to split, it would surely be..."

Halfway through his words, Hu Yuzhe immediately realized that he had said something wrong.

As an official of the Dayu Dynasty, he actually considered the issue from the perspective of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom, which clearly told the other party his choice.

"Congratulations, second brother, for making the right choice!"

Hu Yuzhe was not happy to hear his cousin's words.

How can we negotiate terms if we reveal our position in advance?

Even though they are cousins, when it comes to power, everyone has to prioritize their own interests.

"okay!
Notify those outside the city to suspend the siege. I will hold a banquet tonight and invite the generals defending the city to come over for a chat.

If we can persuade them to surrender together, it would be best.

If anything unexpected happens, you can arrange people to kill them all.

I think the people you sneaked into the city can complete this task, right?"

Hu Yuzhe said with a sigh.

After all, he was not a loyal minister who would sacrifice the lives of his entire family and swear to be loyal to the court until death.

Since he had decided to join the Holy White Lotus Kingdom, he had to increase his weight as much as possible. If the King of the South was really as ambitious as his cousin said, he would definitely not treat him unfairly afterwards.

If you lose the bet, just consider yourself unlucky.

……

Xiangyang City.

"Hey!"

Compared with half a year ago, Xu Wenyue looked more than ten years older.

The more information he learned, the more indignant he became.

It's really a deception. Zhu Jingyi has not done anything humane since he took office.

If Zhu Jingyi had not died early, Xu Wenyue really wanted to pry open his brain to see what was inside.

In order to please the emperor, he increased revenue and reduced expenditure, which was simply courting death.

It would have been fine if he had just committed suicide, but he also betrayed an old minister who was in mourning.

The situation was originally very good, and apart from a little cost, there were basically no major problems.

At this point, it is no longer a simple issue of money and food, but a threat to Dayu's country and people.

At this moment, he was deprived of his love and took office, and everywhere he looked was a mess.

In order to better suppress the rebellion, Xu Wenyue made many memorials to the imperial court, hoping to be able to select a general to command the three armies to assist him in suppressing the rebellion.

Unfortunately, Emperor Yongning did not understand his true meaning and directly took the contents of the memorial to the court for discussion, which naturally resulted in a barrage of scolding.

Using civil officials to control military power is the national policy. Even if he is a leader of the Qingliu group, he cannot change the consensus of the civil service group.

"Lord, Marquis Wuyang has appointed Li the Commander-in-Chief to lead the armies of the three provinces, and he is now attacking the rebels in three directions.

In order to defend Yongzhou Prefecture, the rebels had to draw troops from various battlefields.

It is said that 100,000 troops were withdrawn from Xiangyang alone. Xiangyang City is saved!"

The Xiangyang prefect said with great joy.

After being besieged for so long, this was the best news he had ever received.

When the rebels withdraw their troops, the pressure on the defenders will inevitably be greatly reduced.

With the reinforcements gathering from all over the place, the siege of Xiangyang is about to turn around.

"Oh!"

“It is reasonable to appoint Li Mu as the commander-in-chief.

It seems that Marquis Wuyang is more courageous than me. I am ashamed of myself!"

Xu Wenyue couldn't help but sigh.

Both Li Mu and Marquis Wuyang were old acquaintances of his.

Although there had been unpleasant things, they were only temporary power struggles, not political enemies.

Especially Li Mu, he was the one who promoted him to the position of Commander-in-Chief of Guangxi.

This appointment directly reversed the situation in Guangxi.

Now it seems that the support at that time was still not enough.

If they had been more straightforward and transferred the person directly to Huguang to command the coalition forces of various provinces, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

But this is just a thought. Even if I were to do it again, it would be impossible to do it.

The reason for the exceptional promotion was that all the government troops in Guangxi were wiped out, leaving only the Yangzhou Camp and Huai'an Camp that went to quell the rebellion.

It was the time of regency, and Li Mu, who came from a prominent family, would naturally have no obstacles in serving as the acting commander-in-chief of Guangxi.

If it were the Huguang battlefield, where the military structure was complete, the situation would be completely different.

The appointment and removal of senior generals must be subject to public discussion by the court.

What Marquis Wuyang is doing now is in violation of procedural rules and will inevitably lead to criticism from all walks of life.

If he wasn't the emperor's uncle and had the support of the empress dowager in the palace, I guess he wouldn't dare to do such a big thing.

"Sir, you can't say that.

You are a senior official in the court. You need to consider the impact of your actions and must follow the rules.

Marquis Wuyang is a relative by marriage, and is used to being arrogant and domineering, so he naturally doesn’t care about criticism. "

From the disdainful expression, one can see that the Xiangyang prefect was prejudiced against his relatives by marriage.

However, it is precisely because of this prejudice that everyone is more tolerant of Marquis Wuyang's extraordinary behavior.

Are relatives by marriage who follow the rules and never get into trouble still relatives by marriage?

Considering that the other party had saved Xiangyang in disguise, he did not impeach him.

If a civil servant dared to do this, he would be committing a heinous crime.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore.

The rebels are drawing troops from various places, which may include Jiujiang?"

Xu Wenyue asked with concern.

Unlike the previous governor-general of five provinces, after his reinstatement, his official position became governor-general of military affairs in four provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Huguang and Jiangxi.

Although there is one less province under its jurisdiction, the troubles it faces have increased instead of decreased.

Once Jiujiang fell, he, the unlucky governor, would still be one of the main persons responsible.

"Report!"

"Lord, something terrible is happening!"

"Jiujiang...Jiujiang has fallen!"

Before the Xiangyang prefect could speak, Xu Wenyue received the tragic news that Jiujiang had fallen, and he suddenly became unsteady on his feet.

Fortunately, the prefect of Xiangyang nearby was quick-witted and supported Xu Wenyue in time, otherwise there would have been another accident.

"What happened in Jiujiang?
Why did it fall into the hands of the rebels so quickly? "

Xu Wenyue asked, suppressing his discomfort.

In order to defend Jiujiang Prefecture, the imperial court assembled a full 20,000 troops and 10,000 militiamen in Jiujiang, and recruited 30,000 young and strong men.

The strength of the defenders is no weaker than that of Xiangyang. Under normal circumstances, it would be no problem for them to hold out for a few months.

What's more, Jiujiang is divided into inner and outer cities. Even if it really cannot be defended, the outer city will be lost first, and then the inner city will be lost after a period of time.

“It is said that the defenders opened the city gate and let the rebels in.

What exactly happened is still under investigation.

It is highly likely that someone surrendered to the enemy, which led to the rapid fall of the city!"

……

In May, Huguang has entered the hot summer.

Under the scorching midsummer sun, the army marched forward in a mighty force, and suddenly the sky began to be covered with dark clouds.

"Pass the order down, set up camp on the spot and prepare for rain!"

Li Mu immediately gave the order.

When marching in the rainy season, nature is the biggest enemy.

Although the soldiers are all from the south and are already familiar with the changing climate, they still cannot take it lightly.

In this era of backward medical conditions, a common cold can take away a life.

"Commander-in-chief, we just received news from Jiangxi that Jiujiang Prefecture fell five days ago!"

Li Mu was shocked by the sudden bad news.

His intuition told him that things were going to be bad.

"Quickly fetch the map!"

Li Mu immediately gave orders to the guards.

The high-profile launch of the Yongzhou offensive was not only aimed at the rebels' strength, but also to share the military pressure on other battlefields.

According to the intelligence collected previously, the enemy is drawing troops from various places to provide support.

Li Mu had already written a script, using Yongzhou as bait and encircling and attacking the various reinforcements.

In order to give the enemy sufficient time to deploy troops, he also deliberately controlled the marching speed.

No one expected that Jiujiang Prefecture would fall before the big show even began.

With the loss of the important fulcrum on the Yangtze River, half of Jiangnan was exposed to the rebels.

(End of this chapter)