Fu Shanhe

Chapter 246 Changes in Situation
"General, a large number of refugees have appeared ahead, blocking our army's path.

Do you want to report this to the Commander?"

After chasing all the way and catching up with the main force of the rebels, before they could take any action, they encountered a group of refugees.

If we had encountered the government troops without moral integrity, I guess the place would have been a river of blood by now.

Those who follow the rebels are all traitors. Killing them is a credit. Who has the time to distinguish them?

"If the commander has to intervene in such trivial matters, what else do we need to do?
The rebels used despicable means to control the refugees and block their way, and simply sent people to expel them.

Tell them to disperse immediately, otherwise they will be regarded as rioters and exterminated!"

Yun Yufeng immediately gave the order.

Under normal circumstances, no one would stand in the way of the army. Especially in times of war, it would be a sure way to death.

Killing them would be a waste of life. Even the most nitpicking censor would not say a word for them.

In order to be able to intercept the army in an organized manner, there must be White Lotus rebels mixed in with the refugees.

The purpose of making this commotion was simply to slow down the government troops and buy time for the main force of the rebels to evacuate.

He had finally managed to secure the position of vanguard. If he couldn't even solve this little trouble, he would have no use staying in the army.

However, the rebels achieved their goal.

Affected by the refugees, the government troops' pursuit speed was greatly reduced.

The enemy has no rules. Every time they advance a certain distance, they will encounter a group of refugees.

As a result, the slow-moving vanguard troops joined forces with the central army ahead of schedule.

……

“Okay, the rebels using refugees to block their way just proves that they are out of tricks.

However, simply expelling the refugees is not advisable. If there is an organized blockade of the road, there must be White Lotus rebels among them.

Pass the order down, all refugees encountered in the future will be detained together.

Judging from the time, the Guangdong army will be arriving soon, so it would be a good opportunity to let them guard the prisoners.

After the war is over, we will slowly carry out the screening!"

Li Mu said calmly.

Allowing refugees to wander around would not only disrupt order in the provincial capitals in the rear, but would also lead to a large number of human tragedies.

It would be fine if he didn't have the ability to do anything about it, but now that he has the ability to interfere, he will naturally not allow the tragedy to happen.

In troubled times, population is wealth.

Due to the impact of the war, the population in Guangxi has decreased significantly and is in need of labor.

“Sir, if we accept refugees, our logistical pressure will increase greatly.

According to preliminary estimates, the rebels had at least 100,000 people.

As early as several months ago, the imperial court stopped allocating disaster relief funds.

Accepting so many people at once, I’m afraid…”

Yun Yufeng persuaded with an embarrassed look on his face.

Having followed Li Mu for such a long time, he knew the military rules.

If the military expenditure is not enough, it will be deducted from the spoils of war.

When the reward money issued by the imperial court was insufficient, priority was given to soldiers, and then to grassroots officers.

The benefit these middle and high-level generals get is promotion, and the financial rewards are really not much.

For the children of nobles, as long as they are promoted fast enough, getting less spoils is not a big deal.

With the commander Li Mu setting an example, everyone has gotten used to it.

The situation is different now. Everyone has heard the news. After the rebellion is suppressed, the army will be split up.

Once you leave the group, you have to worry about money and food by yourself. Being without money is absolutely unacceptable.

General Jing, who was promoted and left, is an example. After he was transferred to Guangdong with his subordinates, the entire army tightened their belts and lived a hard life.

If there is no accumulation in the early stage, the team may fall apart.

The rebels who were pursuing them were carrying a large amount of treasure, and everyone wanted to make a fortune before the division.

Especially those who are not wealthy but have many servants are sharpening their knives.

Because accepting refugees cut off everyone's source of income, he, as an executor, would easily be envied.

"Don't worry. The court may be short of money at other times, but when we are chasing the false emperor, we will definitely be able to squeeze out money and food.

It is estimated that by this point in time, the good news has already reached the capital.

Maybe Your Majesty and all the officials are raising military funds for us.

Even if there is a gap, we can't compensate much.

If we leave the refugees outside, they might be used by rebels to attack our military's logistics lines, which would be even more troublesome.

Affecting the marching speed is not a problem at all.

Guizhou has already been notified, and the provincial capitals on the border have now completed the construction of a fortified city and cleared the countryside.

Even if the rebels enter Guizhou, they will be slowed down.

Even the Guizhou government troops are useless. If the fake emperor wants to enter Shu, there is still Loushan Pass blocking the way. "

Li Mu said with a smile.

Hunting down the false emperor Shi Rongxian is itself a political battle.

The White Lotus Rebellion has continued to this day and has shaken the ruling foundation of the Dayu Dynasty.

If you want to stabilize the people's hearts, the best choice is to capture and kill the false emperor.

It is of vital importance to the court to behead the bandit leader Shi Rongxian and deter the ambitious people who are ready to make moves.

Anyone with a little sense of the overall situation will give their full support.

If the rebels escape due to lack of money and food, Emperor Yongning will be so angry that he will die.

"Thank you for your advice, Commander!"

Yun Yufeng said with gratitude.

Thinking only of encircling and suppressing the rebels, we almost missed the big opportunity.

The merit of capturing and killing the false emperor is enormous, and precisely because of this huge merit, the difficulty of completing the task is highlighted.

If Shi Rongxian was easily killed in Yongzhou, the court would only think that the previous government troops were useless, rather than that they had made great contributions.

After a long chase and finally getting rid of the false emperor, it’s a different story.

After sorting out his thoughts, Yun Yufeng suddenly became enlightened.

No wonder in the past when chasing the enemy, it was always the cavalry that led the way, but this time it became the infantry.

……

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Looking at the good news in his hand, Emperor Yongning's face was filled with smiles.

Marquis Wuyang was appointed governor-general of three provinces, but he did it despite the pressure and against all odds.

It turns out that he had vision.

In just a few months, not only was the entire Guangdong province recovered, but several prefectures in Huguang and Jiangxi were also recovered.

Compared with Lord Xu who was recommended by the ministers, he is much stronger.

After the comparison, Emperor Yongning's fear of Xu Wenyue has now completely disappeared, leaving only simple dislike.

It is true that there are ministers left by the late emperor, but their abilities are really average.

“My fellow ministers, after the fall of Jiujiang, we finally received good news.

Marquis Wuyang planned to encircle and annihilate the troops of the rebel leader Shi Rongxian in Huguang.

We are in urgent need of financial support. What do you think? "

Upon hearing Emperor Yongning's question, all the ministers expressed their support, especially the officials from the southern provinces who were particularly excited.

My hometown was devastated by the traitors, and many large families with thriving populations were killed to the point of extinction.

It is everyone’s consensus to get rid of Shi Rongxian at all costs.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue can squeeze out 500,000 taels of silver. I am really powerless to make up for the remaining shortfall."

Pang Chengjie said nervously.

Against the backdrop of the emperor and all the civil and military officials calling for a war, jumping out and pouring cold water on them is definitely not a good choice.

But the court needed money for many purposes, and the money and food needed for the front line had to be allocated immediately. With the negative example of the previous Governor Zhu, no one dared to let the soldiers go to the battlefield with an empty stomach.

Winning or losing a battle is not important. If the false emperor runs away because of the desire to save money, no one can take the responsibility.

"Prime Minister, does the cabinet have any countermeasures?"

Emperor Yongning asked.

Having learned from previous lessons, he no longer took money from the inner treasury when the court was short of money.

Of course, even if he wanted to pay, he couldn't afford it from his inner treasury.

Without the eunuchs helping the emperor make money outside, the income of the inner treasury dropped sharply and it was difficult to save money.

"Your Majesty, the war on the front line is urgent and money and food must be allocated immediately.

It will definitely be too late to rely on the autumn tax.

Now that food prices have skyrocketed, the supplies that can be purchased with 500,000 taels of silver are less than half of what they were before the war.

It is definitely not enough to supply the hundreds of thousands of troops in three provinces.

The only solution now is to divert funds from other areas to prioritize supplying the troops on the front lines."

Lu Shoutong replied slowly.

They only said that the funds were misappropriated from other areas, but they kept silent about where the funds were misappropriated from.

You can tell at first glance that he is an old fox, but I don’t want to offend anyone by saying it out loud.

"The six ministries should report their projects. Any large expenditures in the near future that can be suspended should be suspended for me.

I will make up for it when the imperial court has sufficient finances."

Emperor Yongning waved his hand and said.

Having seen so many familiar scenes, he has become accustomed to taking money from one pocket to pay off another.

Some things will pass if you put them off.

As long as the sequelae are not too serious, he can accept it.

"Your Majesty, this year is the year for the major repair of the Yellow River.

According to the previous plan, the river embankment funds should be allocated this month, totaling about 800,000 taels.

If funds are not allocated in time to repair riverbanks and dredge rivers, once floods occur, it will inevitably lead to disasters.”

Even though he knew his budget would be cut, Minister of Industry Shen Qiyuan still wanted to struggle.

In the Dayu Dynasty, all allocated funds were money.

With a huge sum of 800,000 taels, he didn't need to try hard to get the money. The money he lost was enough to feed himself.

The proportion of salaries issued by the court in the form of treasure notes became increasingly higher.

Everyone in the Ministry of Industry was counting on this money to supplement their household expenses.

Now that it's gone all of a sudden, he doesn't know how to explain when he goes back.

As for the subsequent replenishment when financial resources are sufficient, that is all a trick.

Since the present emperor ascended the throne, the Dayu Dynasty will never have peace, and the financial difficulties will only become more and more severe in the future.

“The northwest has been experiencing drought and little rain for years, and there has not been a flood in the north for more than a decade.

In the short term, the Yellow River is unlikely to burst its banks, so let’s postpone the work of river management!”

Emperor Yongning nodded and said.

For some reason, deep down he felt uneasy when he made this decision.

Considering the actual situation in the north, the probability of an accident in the Yellow River in the short term is not high.

"In addition to the river control project, the next big expense to be incurred is the salaries of officials and the rice allowances for the royal family and nobles.

This year, the court has already been in arrears for two months. If it continues to be in arrears, it will be unacceptable!"

Pang Chengjie said helplessly.

He didn't want to be the bad guy, but the Ministry of Revenue was responsible for distributing the money.

If he didn't bring the case to the court and explain it clearly, and it was suddenly withheld, officials and nobles would go to block his door.

“The situation is difficult!

Well, I will take the lead and donate one month's salary!"

An old man with gray hair spoke first.

Generally speaking, no one wants to start something that offends others.

The old man's case was an exception. All his sons and grandsons who stayed in his hometown were killed by the rebels.

The huge wealth accumulated by the family also became a wedding dress for the rebels.

The blood feud outweighs the human relationships.

If possible, he would like to tear all the rebels into pieces.

Unfortunately, the government troops were not strong enough and did not develop in the direction he expected.

"Mr. Cui is so generous in donating to the court, and as the chief minister of the cabinet, I have no choice but to take on the responsibility.

Your Majesty, I am willing to donate one month's salary."

Lu Shoutong followed up decisively.

Once someone takes the lead, it is time for him, the prime minister, to show his responsibility.

Anyway, in his position, money is just a number.

In normal times, it is not easy even to spend money.

Even if he wanted to buy something, people outside who wanted to pay for him could line up from the capital to Qiongzhou.

However, this only applies to personal matters. Once it becomes a business matter, the situation changes.

Even if a commercial tax of one penny is levied, it will be strongly resisted.

As the prime minister, he was powerless to solve the court's financial difficulties.

Without any hesitation, officials from southern provinces followed suit.

In the past, they hated this kind of fundraising the most, but under the threat of the rebels they passively became activists.

Most officials expressed their opinions, and the remaining officials, under pressure, could only reluctantly follow suit.

Emperor Yongning was very satisfied with the performance of the civil and military officials in the court, and it finally seemed like everyone was united.

If we continue to quarrel whenever we encounter problems as usual, then we will be doomed.

"Since all the ministers have set an example, I will also donate one month's salary on behalf of the royal family.

The problem of money and food for the army has been solved, and the next issue is to quell the rebellion.

Lord Xu submitted a memorial, saying that the provinces were far apart and it was difficult to coordinate command.

In order to suppress the rebellion more efficiently, I hope that the court will establish the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, the Governor-General of Huguang, and the Governor-General of Jiangnan. "

As soon as Emperor Yongning finished speaking, all the ministers were stunned.

There are many ministers who seize power, but it is rare to find an official who takes the initiative to divide the power in his hands.

Five governors suddenly emerged. Except for Fujian which was taken away from Marquis Wuyang, the remaining provinces were all under the control of Xu Wenyue.

Once the split was completed, Xu Wenyue, the governor-general's military affairs officer, became a disguised governor of Huguang.

While the officials were discussing the matter, the smart ones had already realized that something was wrong.

The reason why Lord Xu took the initiative to decentralize power and made such a big move at once was either to eliminate the emperor's suspicion or because the situation in the southeast worsened.

There is no doubt that Lord Xu, who was besieged by the rebels in Xiangyang City, was not worthy of the emperor's fear.

It seems that the power in his hands is very heavy, but it is dependent on the imperial power.

Lord Xu himself had no roots in the military, and most of his subordinates were civil servants.

It's okay to engage in verbal battles, but it's far from enough to threaten the imperial power.

If it's not the former, then it can only be the latter.

The situation in the southeast had deteriorated to an irreversible point. Lord Xu, who did not want to bear the blame, took the initiative to decentralize power and pass the buck.

However, this inference also has flaws.

The coalition forces of the three provinces fought very well on the battlefield and were about to capture the false emperor.

The Beijing army also moved south. Once they adapted to the climate there, the rebels would be in trouble.

(End of this chapter)