Fu Shanhe

Chapter 251 Closing the Net
"withdraw!"

Seeing the main force of the rebels moving out, Shu Zhongyi decisively issued an order to retreat.

In an instant, the cavalry that had been blocking the road disappeared without a trace.

"Sir, we are clearly capable of stopping the rebels, why are we in such a hurry to retreat?"

After returning to the temporary camp, the young centurion asked with a puzzled look on his face.

According to past practice, after encountering the main force of the enemy, they should continue to fight.

If there is an opportunity, take action. If there is no good opportunity, delay.

"You are still too young, don't think about making achievements all the time.

These rebels are not our mission target. The commander's order is: leave the rebels' baggage convoy behind.

As for these rebels, there are troops from Guizhou Province ahead to intercept them.

Everyone wants to get a piece of the pie of the pie in the sky from the achievement of capturing the false emperor.

If we rush to finish the work, what will happen to our colleagues in Guizhou?"

Shu Zhongyi explained with a smile.

The officialdom is a place of human relationships and social conventions, and eating alone is a taboo.

……

Tongren Prefecture.

"Governor, the vanguard of the rebels has entered our territory.

Intelligence gathered indicated that the Guangxi army was launching a fierce attack on them and that the rebels were being driven out of their camps.

Just two hours ago, the Guangxi cavalry intercepted them once.

I don’t know what happened, but after killing nearly a thousand rebel soldiers, the Guangxi cavalry retreated.”

Upon receiving this news, Wu Yuchen's brows suddenly frowned.

Hopes were dashed. The Guangxi army failed to keep all the rebels in Huguang, and some of them still fled over.

"Pass the order down, the entire army is ready for battle, and we must keep this group of rebels in Tongren Prefecture.

If you have any little plans, put them away.

Now, those who have fled into Guizhou are just a group of remnants of the rebels.

If we can't even keep a group of remnants, how will we explain it to the court when they hold us accountable?"

Wu Yuchen said earnestly.

Everyone wants to save face.

It is understandable that they cannot defeat the main force of the rebels, as many government troops have been defeated by the rebels.

But if concentrating the troops of one province is unable to stop a group of remnant rebels, then there is really no excuse for that.

By then, even if the court does not punish them, they will become the laughing stock of people all over the world.

The labels of "incompetent" and "waste" will accompany them throughout their lives.

Not to mention that there is no hope for a career in politics, even if he returns to his hometown, he can't even hold his head up in the gentry circle.

"Governor, although the number of the rebels who escaped is almost the same as our army, they are all elite.

It is too risky to intercept the rebels head-on.

It is better to defend the city. Anyway, there are Guangxi soldiers chasing us from behind, so the enemy army will definitely not have time to attack the city."

General Xiao Xianrong said with a look of fear.

He personally witnessed the last time the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces were defeated in Huguang.

Almost all of the retainer troops that were built at great expense were killed on the battlefield.

If he hadn't run fast, he would have lost his life.

Having seen how powerful the elite rebels were, he had no idea how to stop them.

If we defend Loushan Pass, at most we will lose some face.

If we intercept the rebels head-on, we will lose our lives.

"inappropriate!
General Xiao, if we concentrate our forces and enter Loushan Pass, the gate to Guizhou will be wide open.

If the rebels change the direction of their battle, the prefectures in Guizhou will allow them to run wild.

If a large number of cities and territories are lost, we will be blamed."

The governor Zou Qiming firmly opposed it.

Guizhou was already poor, and now that it has been ravaged by the rebels, it will be too easy for these officials to just tighten their belts and make ends meet.

Once the imperial court holds you accountable, you will lose your head.

The emperor and the civil and military officials in the court did not care whether they were facing elite rebels.

All we know is that a group of rebel remnants who were defeated by Guangxi soldiers fled to Guizhou and caused chaos, but the incompetence of local officials led to the collapse of the situation.

“General Xiao, Lord Zou is right.

Guizhou must not be lost. We cannot afford the responsibility of losing the city or the territory.

Don't worry, just go ahead and deploy your defenses. I'll arrange for someone to communicate with Guangxi. You just need to hold off the rebels for ten days."

Wu Yuchen then spoke.

It looked like a discussion, but in fact it was an order that could not be questioned.

From the very beginning, he never thought that these rabble under his command could defeat the rebels.

It doesn’t matter if we can’t defeat the rebels, as long as we can slow down the enemy’s speed and allow the Guangxi soldiers behind to catch up.

“Governor, if we must fight, it would be best if you ask Commander Li to send cavalry support.

In open areas, cavalry has a clear advantage over infantry.

In addition, people were sent to coordinate with the Shu army and let them enter Loushan Pass to garrison.

If something unexpected happens on the battlefield, it will also ensure that the rebels cannot flee to Shu."

Xiao Xianrong said expectantly.

Fortunately, Xiao Xianrong didn't know that the remnants of the rebels who entered Guizhou were deliberately let in by Shu Zhongyi, otherwise he would have to curse his ancestors now.

Everyone wants to share the credit, but the problem is that you need to have the ability to get involved.

Water can be used anywhere except on the battlefield.

The rebels would not talk to them about human relationships and worldly affairs. On the battlefield, each other's heads would become the other's military merit.

Even if you want to use connections to share military merits, it doesn't work that way.

If given a choice, Xiao Xianrong would rather pay for the head than confront the main force of the rebels.

"Okay, I agree to your request."

Wu Yuchen agreed immediately.

Such a deployment is undoubtedly the best choice.

Not only can it increase the chances of winning, but it can also provide a safeguard against unfavorable circumstances in war in advance.

……

"Holy Emperor, please eat something!

You haven't eaten for a day. How can your body bear this?"

Shi Qichuan began to persuade.

A day had passed since they broke out of the camp and successfully escaped from the pursuers.

The price paid for this is also very heavy.

Not only did they abandon their families, but they also lost all their treasures and strategic materials.

"I can't eat it!"

"The army suffered such a terrible defeat that many of the good men who followed me from Guangxi fell on the battlefield.

I am sorry for them!
There is also Prime Minister Fu, who was sent by me to the government army camp to lobby, and now his life or death is unknown.

The government troops advanced too quickly and many plans could not be implemented in time.

In order to retreat quickly, the original plan to hide the treasure was forced to be temporarily cancelled.

All the wealth of the Holy Nation has been taken advantage of by that thief Li Mu. I cannot bear this!"

Shi Rongxian expressed his true feelings.

Such inappropriate behavior would never have occurred in the past.

Until now, Shi Rongxian still didn't understand why Li Mu worked so hard for the little salary paid by Dayu.

Obviously cooperating with him and playing the game of keeping the enemy at bay is the best option.

In fact, the sudden fierceness of the Guangxi army was triggered by the special envoy Fu Sanqi.

He actually threatened to hide the treasure, which was clearly a challenge to Li Mu's weakness.

In order to avoid working in vain, the army naturally has to give its all.

It turns out that if the attack is fast enough, the enemy will not have time to transfer their property.

Faced with the Guangxi Army’s full-force attack, the army of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom was naturally unable to withstand it.

“Holy Emperor, please rest assured.

Officials of the pseudo-dynasty are most jealous of talented people. The villain Li Mu thought he had accomplished something great, but he didn't know that his death was imminent.

As long as we spread the news and let everyone in the world know that he has obtained the accumulation of the Holy Kingdom.

The emperor of the pseudo-dynasty will certainly ask him for it.

If he fails to produce the goods by then, he will certainly be punished.

Even if he took out the things, the pseudo-dynasty emperor would still suspect that he was hiding something.

If this continues, there will inevitably be jealousy between the ruler and his subjects.

What's more, the conflict between the civil and military officials in Dayu was intense, and the civil officials loved to suppress the military officials the most.

His great achievements were bound to arouse hostility from the civil servants.

If you offend the emperor and the civil officials at the same time, it will be difficult for you to survive!" Wu Zekai analyzed confidently.

No one can tell whether Emperor Dayu will follow his plan.

Anyway, if we want to persuade Shi Rongxian to cheer up, we must let him see hope.

Now the person Shi Rongxian hates the most is Li Mu, so naturally he has to follow the wishes of his own Holy Emperor.

"The Prime Minister is right. Li Mu is a scoundrel who doesn't know how to live or die. He is so foolish as to work for the false emperor.

If you are willing to submit to the Holy Kingdom, I will not hesitate to give you the title of king.

That's it, this is his fate, he deserves to die at the hands of a tyrant!"

Shi Rongxian said in a firm tone.

No matter how low the probability of this happening, he must firmly believe that it will happen.

Even if it means deceiving yourself, you must create hope.

After saying that, Shi Rongxian took the rice ball and stuffed it into his mouth.

There is no way to be polite when you are running for your life.

Fortunately, Shi Rongxian himself came from a poor family and had eaten grass roots and tree bark, so he was used to it.

"Holy Emperor, we found government troops building fortifications ahead. They are probably local troops from Guizhou."

Upon hearing the news, Shi Rongxian became angry again.

"It's like a dragon swimming in shallow water being played by shrimps. A bunch of defeated generals dare to come up and seek death.

Pass the order down, have the guards go up and kill this group of enemies, make sure they suffer enough!"

All the ministers present also shared the same hatred for the enemy. If they couldn't defeat the Guangxi soldiers under Li Mu, how could they not defeat a group of defeated generals!

They didn't have to spend much effort to deal with the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Forces before.

If the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Forces had not run away quickly, they would have been defeated.

……

"kill!"

Following the order from the commander-in-chief, the army of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom launched a fierce attack on the Guizhou local army that was blocking the road.

The defense line that had just been half built was unable to function, and the Bijie guards who were responsible for the construction mission could only rush into the battle to meet the enemy.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle over the position.

Soon, the shortcomings of Bijiewei's insufficient training were exposed on the battlefield.

Except for the servants of the generals who could fight against the enemy, the rest of the soldiers in the garrisons were no match for them at all.

"withdraw!"

Realizing that the situation was not good, Bijiewei Commander Zeng Xiaofei decisively issued an order to retreat.

The order given to him from above was to delay time.

Not running away and being able to fight the enemy for two rounds was already a good performance.

After a small victory, the morale of the Holy Kingdom's army was restored a lot.

As it turned out, it wasn't that they couldn't fight, but that the enemies they encountered before were too perverted.

If they encounter government troops of normal level, they can still beat the enemy into tears.

"What are these walls on the side used for?"

Looking at the wall that suddenly appeared, Shi Rongxian asked in confusion.

“Holy Emperor, this is the boundary between Miao and Han.

Because of disputes over copper mine interests, the Miao chieftains in Tongren area have always been at odds with the puppet dynasty.

The local government was afraid of trouble, so they built a dividing wall directly in the border area, and the two sides have not disturbed each other since then.

Under normal circumstances, government troops would not enter the territory of the Miao chieftains.

If we can convince these chieftains to allow us to borrow their road, the rest of the journey will be much smoother."

Mi Yingbo began to explain.

Having offended the White Lotus Saint Emperor before, he now has the opportunity to redeem himself with meritorious service, so naturally he wants to show off.

He knew Shi Rongxian well. As long as he proved that he was valuable enough, he could pretend nothing happened even if there was a conflict between the two parties.

If you look at the arrogant and powerful generals in the Holy Kingdom, you will know that these people often cross the line in their daily lives, but Shi Rongxian still pretended not to see it.

As long as they don't intend to rebel against him, he will handle other issues with caution even if he catches them personally.

“It’s useless, Master Mi.

Before we set out on the expedition, we sent people with generous gifts to lobby them, but unfortunately we failed.

In the Tusi Rebellion decades ago, the Tusi forces in Guizhou, Sichuan and Huguang provinces suffered severe damage and have not recovered to this day.

These chieftains were frightened by the government troops' generosity, and even now, they dare not openly oppose the pseudo-dynasty."

Wu Zekai rejected it decisively.

Rebellion is something that not everyone dares to do.

Those who didn't believe in it all lay down. The miserable plight of the chieftains in Guangxi was the best example.

After a rebellion, the chieftains in Guangxi disappeared completely. This method of uprooting the people really scared many people.

The chieftains all have families and businesses, and no one is willing to take risks with his life.

Even those who had some ideas became obedient after learning what happened in Guangxi.

Everyone knows that rebellion is not the same thing as the petty fighting in the past.

If you anger the imperial court, they will really kill you.

With the previous experience as a lesson, it will not be so easy for the Holy White Lotus Kingdom to deceive people again.

Everyone knows that the White Lotus Sect is unreliable. No matter how good the conditions promised are, they are meaningless if they cannot be fulfilled.

No matter how eloquent they are, people just won't get involved.

Some timid chieftains even sent their envoys directly to the local government.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom couldn't deal with it in its heyday, so there was no chance at all when they were on the run.

"What a pity, I can't borrow any help even if I have it!"

After expressing regret, Shi Rongxian ordered the army to continue advancing.

……

Chinese army camp.

After two days of hard work, we finally made a preliminary calculation of the harvest.

Seized were 5 million taels of silver, 300,000 taels of gold, 30 boxes of jewellery, 30,000 bolts of cloth, 300,000 shi of grain and grass…

The total value of all the spoils added up is no less than 10 million taels.

Such huge wealth is enough to drive anyone crazy, but Li Mu remained exceptionally calm.

The Holy Kingdom of White Lotus, which has confiscated gentry and plundered lands from several provinces along the way, has only this little wealth. It's pure deception!

Although he knew there was a problem, Li Mu had no intention of delving into it.

Under the military system of Dayu, there are too many constraints.

From the Yangzhou Camp to the current Guangxi Army, it is essentially still an old-fashioned army.

It relies more on the personal charm of the generals to attract everyone's loyalty, and there is no unified ideology or belief.

The seizure of property is now more like a slogan.

When it comes to the actual execution process, it is still common for soldiers to hide valuables.

Even some military officers got involved.

It's just that everyone still gave him face. While they were trying to make money, they remembered to leave a share for him as the boss.

"Commander-in-chief, General Shu has sent a message.

After the rebels entered Tongren, they fought several battles with the local Guizhou army.

The Guizhou Army performed poorly on the battlefield and may not be able to complete the mission.

Up to now, the chieftains in Guizhou have been relatively well behaved and have not intervened in this war.”

Li Mu was slightly stunned when he received the news.

After all, it is the army of one province, and it is impossible to delay the rebels for ten days or half a month.

This kind of performance is really too lame.

It seems that the civil servants are covering up the truth again. The losses of the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces in the previous defeat far exceeded the data they reported themselves.

This just explains why the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces did not show up when it was time to beat the downed dog.

It’s not that they don’t want to have a piece of the pie, but they have lost a lot of money before, and the current troops are just temporarily assembled to make up the numbers.

If he had a little bit of strength, Guizhou would have sent people to discuss the distribution of spoils with him.

Only when one's own strength is insufficient and one is defeated miserably on the battlefield, one would not dare to lend a hand.

After all, at this time, Li Mu only needs to slow down the marching speed to allow the Guizhou officials to be held accountable by the court.

"Tell Shu Zhongyi to let him play freely.

If the Guizhou local army is defeated across the board, we will lend a hand to them at the critical moment.

We must stop the rebels before Loushan Pass.

Pass the order down, asking all units to speed up their march.

The war to encircle and suppress the false emperor has now come to an end. We must not allow the rebels to enter Shu!"

Li Mu decisively changed the battle plan.

We chased them all the way to Guizhou, and this performance was enough. If we continued, we might really be taken advantage of.

They were already a defeated army, and after being depleted by the Guizhou Army, there would probably not be many left when they arrived at Loushan Pass.

(End of this chapter)