Fu Shanhe

Chapter 266: The Hu People's Invasion
"Where did Bai Yifeng offend you?"

After seeing everyone off, Marquis Wuyang asked in confusion.

In his opinion, Li Mu would never do anything that would harm others and benefit himself.

"My Lord, Bai Yifeng and I have never met before, so how can there be any grudge between us?"

Li Mu flatly denied it.

The decision just made was just a matter of going with the flow.

Adhering to the principle of holding big meetings for small matters and small meetings for big matters, if Marquis Wuyang really wanted to send troops to rescue Nanjing, he should not have gathered so many people together.

Since it is something that everyone is discussing together, it is most likely not an important matter.

Even if it is necessary to go through the process, it should be communicated privately first and then brought to the table.

An emergency meeting was held suddenly without any prior communication. Either something really big had happened, or it was just a show.

For a major event like "Rescue Nanjing", no matter whether it can be accomplished or not, we must make sure to do it well.

At least on the surface, no one can find fault with it.

No matter what, since Jiangnan has bowed its head and asked for help, they cannot remain silent.

Either send tens of thousands of cannon fodder to deal with it, or pick an unlucky guy to take over.

Bai Yifeng had a bad reputation, and the troops under his command were not orthodox troops, so naturally he was sold out by everyone.

"Think about it, if that kid had offended you, he wouldn't be alive today."

After hearing Marquis Wuyang's answer, Li Mu felt like crying but had no tears.

When did his image in the outside world change into that of a ruthless and merciless person?

There is no point in explaining. Once others have made up their minds about something, it is difficult to reverse the situation.

"My Lord, what conditions did Governor Pei offer that made you so unhappy?"

In order to avoid embarrassment, Li Mu decisively changed the subject.

"That boy Pei Yunxuan is a beast!
He actually wanted to make a deal with me by offering the positions of high-ranking civil and military officials in the Jiangnan region.

He is tired of living, but I am not tired of living yet!"

Marquis Wuyang immediately started cursing.

This kind of political deal has always been conducted behind the scenes.

For safety reasons, neither side will leave any traces.

But Pei Yunxuan was different. He directly sent his advisor to discuss the matter.

The secret that was originally between two people was suddenly known by a third person.

If he had discussed this decision with other aides before making it, more people would have known about it.

The more people who know, the greater the chance of a leak.

Sitting in his position, he didn't know how many pairs of eyes were staring at him from behind.

Normally, there is no time to try to keep a low profile. Only when you are crazy will you discuss the deal openly.

If one day the subordinates betray you and expose the truth, it will be fatal black material.

No emperor could tolerate the people below them cultivating cronies and forming cliques for personal gain.

Even if everyone knows that this kind of thing is common in official circles, they still have to pretend to be ignorant.

It would be even more difficult if both civil and military talents were cultivated together.

Once the emperor became suspicious, his status as a royal relative would lose its value.

"My Lord, Governor Pei is also an important official, he shouldn't be so crude in his work!

Even if he really wants to make a deal with you, he can just send someone to hint that he is short of manpower.

At that time, you can recommend a few people, and if he agrees, the matter will be over.

Even if someone wants to investigate in the future, they will not be able to find any evidence.

Why send someone directly over to discuss the deal?
Even if Governor Pei was under too much pressure and lost his composure for a moment, the people around him should have reminded him!"

Li Mu shook his head and said.

He didn't believe that Pei Yunxuan, who could sit in the position of governor, would leave such obvious flaws when handling these things.

“I guess he got anxious.

The situation in the Jiangnan region would make any governor feel pressured.

If he doesn't make some progress quickly, once Nanjing is really lost, it's unknown whether he can keep the head on Pei Yunxuan's neck. "

Marquis Wuyang shook his head and said.

Pei Yunxuan was forced into a state of panic, partly because of the situation and partly because of his nephew who was the emperor.

When he trusts someone, Emperor Yongning will give him his full support.

Once the results are not as expected, they will turn hostile and be ruthless.

Less than three years after he took office, more than forty third-rank officials were executed.

Although more than half of them were executed because they were involved in the eunuch party case, the means were still too harsh.

Doctors are not subject to punishment, this is the unspoken rule of the feudal dynasty.

There is no doubt that when it comes to Emperor Yongning, the unspoken rules are no longer so effective.

If we treat everyone equally, then there is nothing wrong.

Unfortunately, the emperor's sentencing standards were too influenced by external factors.

The most unjustly wronged was the Liaodong governor Bao Zhiyong. He was doing his job well, but because he was a neutral person and did not want to join the Qingliu, he was killed on the charge of being a remnant of the eunuch party.

It was the Qingliu who started the party strife, but it was the emperor who ordered the killing.

If there is substantial evidence of a crime, there would be nothing wrong with killing someone according to the Dayu law, but the biggest crime is that they are the remnants of the eunuch party.

All the other talk about colluding with the northern barbarians and plotting rebellion is nonsense.

The fundamental reason for the tragedy was that Bao Zhiyong cracked down on smuggling in Liaodong in an attempt to bring down the Northern Tartars.

The strategic plan was completely correct, but it cut off the financial resources of Shanxi merchants.

As one of the main sponsors of several major academies in the world, Shanxi merchants have considerable connections in the court.

The second unlucky guy was naturally the former Huguang Governor, Lu Jingxuan.

During his tenure, he did not infringe on anyone's interests, nor was he involved in party disputes. It was simply because the previous Governor Zhu was too despicable.

That guy led the army to a decisive battle with the rebels and was defeated, resulting in the fall of Huguang. In the end, the crime of "losing the vassal state" fell on Lu Jingxuan.

There is no other reason, it's simply because he is alive and the court needs someone to take the blame.

The local officials are in a miserable situation, and the disputes in the court are even more dangerous.

Because of factional struggles in the court, the regent minister could not bear the humiliation and hanged himself at home.

It was too far away from the capital, and some things were not convenient to communicate in letters, so Li Mu did not know the truth.

In any case, the party struggles during the Yongning Dynasty were unusually fierce.

If the Qingliu had not gone too far and pushed everyone into a corner, the parties would not have allowed Jiangnan to fall into war in order to strike them.

……

"The Hu people are invading, quickly light the signal fire!"

Seeing the large group of cavalry approaching, the flag officer on duty hurriedly gave orders.

In the blink of an eye, smoke rose from the beacon tower.

Immediately afterwards, smoke signals rose from the beacon tower five miles away.

One after another, the rising smoke waves spread from the edge of the Great Wall all the way to the power center of Dayu.

"Emergency military information, open the palace gate quickly!"

It was already dusk when the news reached the capital.

At this time, the government office had been closed and the night life of the officials had just begun, but it was announced to end in advance.

Officials of the third rank and above in the court rushed to the palace as quickly as possible to discuss important military matters.

"Your Majesty, the news came from Xuanfu. It is most likely that a tribe of Guifang is invading from the south due to lack of food.

Our dynasty has a large number of troops stationed in Xuanfu, and the governor of Xuanfu, Li Zhihong, has always been known for his military prowess, so I think it will not be a problem for him to deal with this invasion."

Seeing that the emperor looked unhappy, the new prime minister Wan Junhui stepped forward to comfort him.

The best outcome would undoubtedly be if a few grassland tribes invaded alone.

Generally speaking, these guys will leave after robbing the border and will not stay for a long time.

The damage caused was relatively limited and would not threaten Dayu's rule.

But judging from the smoke signals, it's obviously not that simple.

If it was a deal-able enemy, the border troops would have rushed up to fight long ago.

Although Dayu suffered a great defeat in Liaodong, it was still able to suppress various ethnic minorities in other places.

When food and wages were insufficient, the towns in the nine borders would occasionally go deep into the grasslands to plunder a few unlucky tribes.

"Are you sure it's just a few Guifang tribes invading?"

"Life in the Northern Tartars isn't easy right now!

If they don't go south to plunder, how will they survive this winter?"

Emperor Yongning asked with a sneer.

Although there are various problems, it doesn't mean that he is a fool.

The north is dry and rainless, and the disasters on the grasslands are much more serious than those in Dayu. Compared with the grassland people who rely solely on the weather for their livelihood, Dayu's ability to resist risks is still higher.

The water conservancy projects built in the early and middle periods of the empire still play an important role today.

As long as the drought is not persistent, these projects can sustain agriculture.

A reduction in production is inevitable, but it is better than no harvest at all.

Wan Junhui was very embarrassed when the emperor revealed his secret.

He just saw that the emperor was in a bad mood and spoke to comfort him, but he didn't dare to make any guarantees!
In recent years, the northern barbarians have been the most frequent robbers heading south.

Not only did they rob the people, they also occupied many cities in Liaodong.

"Your Majesty, since the Guifang royal court was defeated by the Northern Tartars, many Guifang tribes have become dependent on the Northern Tartars.

It is very likely that the Northern Tartars were behind this invasion.

He wants to take advantage of the civil unrest in the empire to start a border war and make it difficult for us to take care of both ends.

We cannot rule out the possibility of collusion between the Northern Tartars and the White Lotus Sect.”

Jing Guoliang began to analyze.

As the head of the nobles, he must make his position clear on such sensitive issues as foreign invasion.

Regardless of whether there is any connection between the White Lotus Sect and the Northern Tartars, they are now substantive allies.

No matter which side makes the most trouble, it can relieve the pressure on the other side.

At this time, Dayu was unable to support multi-line operations and had to have a strategic focus.

"Ok!"

Just from this simple word, one can tell that Emperor Yongning is in real trouble.

Once war breaks out, it will be worth a fortune.

In order to suppress the White Lotus Rebellion, the Dayu Dynasty has invested a lot of financial and material resources.

If a war breaks out in the north again, the financial pressure will become even heavier.

But we have no choice but to fight. The enemies are coming to kill us, and we can't just let the Hu people plunder the place.

"Ministry of War, come up with a battle plan as soon as possible.

That's all for today, let's go!"

Seeing that no one came up with a plan, Emperor Yongning said unhappily.

But this really can't be blamed on everyone, as everyone received the news of the Hu invasion almost at the same time.

The detailed battle report has not been sent back yet, and we have no idea who the invading enemy is or how many troops they have.

In the absence of data support, no one is sure how to come up with a solution on the spot.

……

Changde Prefecture.

Looking at the military order in his hand, Bai Yifeng felt numb all over.

To ask him to lead the regiment down the river to lift the siege of Nanjing was really overestimating him.

If he really had this ability, he would not have stayed in Changde Prefecture but would have sent troops to recover the entire Huguang region long ago.

"Everyone, this is the military order from the Governor-General. What do you think?"

Bai Yifeng asked with a serious look.

Although they were not a regular member of the imperial court and did not receive any military pay from the Dayu court, they still had to obey military orders.

He set up such a big business, but essentially he did it to become an official.

It is too difficult to enter an official position through the imperial examination, and his family's connections are not enough to help him become a Jinshi.

Entering the officialdom as a juren not only has a low starting point, but also limits one's future development.

In order to realize his political ambitions, Bai Yifeng seized the opportunity to suppress the rebellion and became the real power in Huguang.

Unfortunately, although the Minister of Militia sounds powerful, he actually has no formal rank organization.

Although he holds great power, some of the county magistrates and county magistrates under him dare not give him face.

When I feel wronged, I keep it to myself.

Even if he really wants to take revenge, he can only do it in private. Openly, any official can tell him what to do.

In order to obtain a formal position in the court, he made a lot of efforts and almost succeeded.

However, the regiment’s military discipline was too poor, and it offended too many people locally.

Ordinary people can't afford to offend them, but it's different for the gentry and big families.

After being wronged, people will look for opportunities to retaliate.

These people are not good at doing good things, but they are more than capable of doing bad things.

Every time he looked for someone in the court to make arrangements, a group of censors would immediately jump out to impeach him.

In addition, the Ministry of Revenue was unwilling to pay, so the issue of the regiment’s organization was delayed.

"Brother, this is really too bullying!
The imperial court didn’t give us a penny of money or grain, and we did all the dirty work. It’s clear that…”

Before his brother could finish speaking, Bai Yifeng interrupted him.

"Shut up!
You and I are not qualified to discuss the imperial court. From now on, just keep these words to yourself.

Not only can you not talk about it, you can’t even think about it!”

It is true that they feel wronged, but it is hard to justify asking them to do the dirty and tiring work.

Since the formation of the regiment, they have been playing on their own.

This was the first time I received an official military order from the Governor's Office.

In the past, they either wanted to show off their own battles or were invited by local officials.

It would be too much to put the blame on the imperial court for these problems.

Freedom of speech was not popular in the Dayu Dynasty, and speaking nonsense would lead to serious trouble.

The complaints of high-ranking generals were transmitted all the way down, and no one knew how many vicious words were produced.

"Please calm down, my Lord. The Second General just spoke carelessly.

However, what the second general wanted to express was correct.

Going to reinforce Nanjing now is indeed full of danger.

Most of the most elite troops among the White Lotus rebels were outside the city of Nanjing, and even the Beijing camp could only look at them across the river.

The excuses they made were that we lacked naval escort and were unable to cross the river.

Originally, the town most capable of supporting Nanjing should be Guangxi Town.

Unfortunately, some people in the court were too greedy. After they had just wiped out the false emperor, they were impatient to split up Guangxi Town.

They are the direct descendants of the nobility, and yet they have to endure such treatment, let alone the likes of us.”

The blue-shirted scholar at the side spoke up.

It is false that I feel sorry for Guangxi Town, but it is true that I am worried about my own future.

In the eyes of those who do not know the truth, splitting up Guangxi Town is the court's act of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge.

The outside world simply does not believe that Guangxi Town Li Mu took the initiative to split up.

Many high-ranking officials in the court suspected that Li Mu had received a signal from the emperor and was forced to split up Guangxi Town.

Emperor Yongning will definitely take the blame for this.

No matter how you explain it, it can't change everyone's preconceived ideas.

The civil officials did not react much. They simply felt that the emperor was a little too impatient and could have waited until the rebels were completely wiped out before taking action.

The reactions of the military generals were different. They all regarded this incident as suppression of the military generals by the imperial court.

"Mr. Duan, at a time like this, you can't just shirk your responsibility by saying it's dangerous.

The military order from Lord Xu clearly states that we must send troops within five days and there is no room for delay.

If we disobey military orders and the court holds us accountable, none of us can bear the consequences!"

The middle-aged general on the left shook his head and said.

Military orders are as heavy as mountains. This is not a joke.

Their situation was already awkward. If they disobeyed orders, they would be treated as vassal states by the imperial court.

Although the rebels had the upper hand in the battle in Jiangnan, the government troops had already gained an absolute advantage in the battlefield in Huguang.

It wouldn't take much effort for the imperial court to deal with this group of troops.

There is no need to even send troops. Just an imperial edict is enough to make the gentry who support the regiment behind the scenes abandon them.

"It is definitely not okay to directly refuse to execute military orders, but there are exceptions to everything.
If we encounter the rebels on the way and a big battle breaks out between us, delaying the rescue time, I think Lord Xu will be able to understand.

Although the Chu Party was also the Qingliu Party before, the two sides are now drifting further and further apart and have parted ways with the Jiangnan faction.

Since Lord Xu chose to send us to rescue Nanjing, it proves that this rescue mission is not that important.

Otherwise, the troops who appeared on the reinforcement road at this time should be the elite troops of the Beijing Camp!"

Mr. Duan said with a smile.

The chaotic situation in the court provided them with an opportunity to exploit loopholes.

All parties are dragging their feet, so there is no reason for Lord Xu to fully support Nanjing.

……

(End of this chapter)