Fu Shanhe

Chapter 282 Letter for help

Tatar camp.

Looking at the battle report in his hand, Huugjile's face turned green with anger.

We annihilated tens of thousands of enemies and suffered only nine thousand casualties, which seems to be a good record.

The problem is that there are only a few Tatars. If they win a few more times like this, they can exit the stage of history.

Moreover, this kind of battle report, which flexibly uses the writing style of the Spring and Autumn Period, is full of water, and one can tell at a glance how much water it contains.

If they had really won a great victory, the grassland coalition should have captured the city of Jinan by now instead of heading to Yanzhou.

“Someone is coming!

Go and bring that bastard Erdun back to me."

Huugjile gave the order in anger.

Since he took office as the Great Chanyu, he struggled for more than twenty years before he gathered ten thousand households.

As a result, a battle outside the city of Jinan directly wiped out an army of ten thousand households.

It will take at least two or three years to recover.

This was a critical period of transformation for the Tatars, and any major setbacks could interrupt their growth.

It is a rare opportunity that they have encountered the decline of the Central Plains dynasty. If they do not seize the time to develop now, they will be in trouble when the other party recovers.

Looking back at the past twenty years, the bad things they have done in Liaodong have already determined the genocide package.

"Great Chanyu, calm down!"

"Changing commanders in the middle of a battle is a taboo in military strategy. Erdun Wanhu is currently attacking Yanzhou, so it would be better to wait until the war is over before dealing with him.

On the contrary, the army that appeared in Jinan Prefecture to support the king must be eliminated as soon as possible.

The Yu army is afraid of us like a tiger, which is a result of the Khanate's experience on the battlefield over the past few decades.

Now suddenly a Yu army appears and breaks our undefeated myth, which is bound to stimulate other Yu armies.

For the safety of the Khanate, we must wipe out Wuyang Hou's troops as soon as possible and put an end to this trend in time!"

Sarina began to persuade.

Compared with Dayu officials, the Tatars were more thorough in accepting gifts to get things done.

Since you have taken Erdun's money, you have to save his life.

At this moment, if Erdun was escorted back, he would definitely be dead.

Neither Huugjile Chanyu nor other high-ranking officials in the tribe could accept such a great defeat.

If directly begging for mercy doesn't work, then try to use the tactic of procrastination.

The Tatars are realistic. As long as the spoils are large enough, they can accept larger losses.

At worst, you'll lose your job, but you can always save your life.

We are all family, and after a few years when the matter has been mostly forgotten, we can come back again.

“Erd, how do you gather intelligence?
The intelligence about Marquis Wuyang is seriously inconsistent with the performance of the Qinwang Army on the battlefield!"

Huugjile asked sternly.

Compared to holding those responsible accountable, it is obviously more important to eliminate the threat posed by the Khanate.

In order to know themselves and their enemies, the Tatars attached great importance to intelligence gathering.

All officials of the third rank and above in the Dayu Dynasty had their own files established.

Although most of the information is incomplete, and some only have names and places of origin, the information of important officials is recorded in detail.

Huugjile had a much deeper understanding of Dayu officials than Emperor Yongning.

This is exactly where the problem lies. Intelligence reports do not give a high evaluation of Marquis Wuyang's military capabilities.

The information collected is mostly standard.

"Great Chanyu, this is our mistake.

Marquis Wuyang hid himself too deeply.

When he was in Beijing, his performance was mediocre, until he went to Guangdong and Guangxi to take up a post, when he emerged as a rising star.

Our intelligence network is limited and unable to cover the southern part of Dayu.

Plus, the people he was fighting against were a group of rebels who had just put down their hoes, so he didn’t pay much attention to it.”

Erde hurriedly explained.

An intelligence network is not easy to build.

They wanted to collect intelligence on Dayu officials, and the main information providers were the cooperating Shanxi merchants.

The intelligence network he established could only collect some superficial information, and its coverage was limited to Liaodong and the capital of Dayu.

Without official endorsement, it would be impossible for such a secret intelligence organization to cover the entire Dayu.

The factory guards and local government offices are not all fools.

There are so many officials in the Dayu Dynasty, but there are always a few who work hard.

If they are exposed without paying attention, disaster will await them.

"Humph!"

“Later, you will go down and receive twenty military sticks.

I don’t want to see a similar lesson again! ”

Huugjile gave the order coldly.

After consecutive victories, many people in the tribe have become complacent and need to be properly disciplined.

Otherwise, if you continue to be arrogant, something bad will happen sooner or later.

"Wei Chen takes orders!"

He agreed readily, but deep down he couldn't help cursing.

Dayu is so vast, how can he monitor it all?

We were lucky enough to be able to gather intelligence in the capital with the little funds allocated by the Khanate.

Fortunately, there have never been any secrets in the Dayu court, otherwise his work would be even more difficult.

“Great Chanyu, the walls of the capital of the Yu Dynasty are high and there are many artillery pieces in the city.

We've been attacking for so long, but we haven't gotten close to the city wall.

Even if we launch an attack at all costs, the probability of conquering their capital is extremely small.

There's no point wasting time on a battle that's doomed to fail.

It would be better to change the direction of attack and first eliminate their various armies that are coming to support the king.

Especially the troops under Marquis Wuyang and Liaozhen, they are our biggest concerns!"

Sarina took the opportunity to offer a suggestion.

After suffering such a great loss outside the city of Jinan, they must find a way to retaliate.

Judging from the current situation, although Dayu has a large number of soldiers and generals, there are not many who pose a real threat to them.

"Ok!"

“We need to find a way to remove these two nails.

Send orders to all units, asking them to be vigilant and not give the enemy any opportunity to take advantage.

Especially for the troops near Liaozhen and Wuyang Hou, do not launch an attack rashly when encountering the enemy.

I will just pretend to be strong here in the capital to fool the defenders in the city, and the main force will follow me south.

This Chanyu wants to take down the head of Marquis Wuyang to commemorate the fallen soldiers!"

Huugjile gave the order with a serious face.

……

Jinan Prefecture.

A grand celebration banquet was held in the largest restaurant in the city.

Everyone works in the government, so no matter what conflicts they have in private, everyone is harmonious at the banquet.

In consideration of the gift, Marquis Wuyang was very considerate.

He never refused any toasts from officials and gentry.

The only regret is that I only had a sip each time, and I would finish a round with a glass of wine and there would still be some left in the glass.

The crowd seemed not to notice these details and still came forward to toast enthusiastically.

On the contrary, the generals below could not withstand the enthusiasm of the officials and gentry in the city, and they all got drunk.

Seeing this scene, Li Mu felt helpless.

The situation where civil officials are superior to military officials cannot be broken in a short period of time.

Even the generals under the command of a powerful military commander like him could not help but bow their heads when facing civil officials.

When they met civil servants and gentry who toasted them, they all behaved particularly generously.

Even the performance of the children of nobles was only slightly better.

The only ones who responded perfunctorily were Li Mu and Marquis Wuyang.

In other circumstances, if they had been so perfunctory, the civil servants would have turned the table over long ago.

The situation today is different. They are the visiting troops attending the celebration banquet, and we still expect them to continue to fight for us.

Anyone with a little common sense knows that the victory in Jinan was just the beginning.

The carefully planned looting plan by the Northern Tartar leaders could never be disrupted so easily.

After suffering such a great loss, the enemy will certainly launch an attack to retaliate.

As guest troops, the army coming to support the king could just walk away, but these local officials and gentry had nowhere to run.

For the sake of his life and property, he had to find a way to keep the army to defend the king.

It just so happened that after this battle, Li Mu did not want to confront the Northern Tartars head-on, so defending Jinan became the best option.

In terms of the general direction, the two sides hit it off, so the details are not that important.

"Governor, something terrible has happened!"

"The northern barbarians have invaded Yanzhou, and now..."

The sudden request for help broke the harmonious atmosphere at the celebration banquet.

The fief of the King of Lu was in Yanzhou, and Qufu was also in Yanzhou Prefecture. Neither the royal family nor the ancestral temple of the saints could be allowed to fall into the hands of foreigners.

The call for help happened in public, the matter was laid out in the open, and there was no way not to help.

"My Lord, Yanzhou is in danger, please..."

Before Shandong Governor Jia Xiaochen could finish his words, Marquis Wuyang fell drunk on the wine table.

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Li Mu got drunk without any hesitation.

“My Lords, thank you all for your hospitality.

The Governor and the Admiral drank too much today, let's take them downstairs to rest first, and we can talk about other things later!"

The generals who were originally drunk suddenly sobered up.

In front of everyone, Li Mu and Marquis Wuyang were helped away from the banquet.

Such an obvious reversal, anyone could tell at a glance that this was just a show for them.

The gentry were fine. As long as they could defend Jinan and ensure the safety of their lives and property, that was enough.

Even if Yanzhou was lost, the court would not hold them responsible.

The faces of all the officials turned ugly in an instant.

Marquis Wuyang and Li Mu pretended to be drunk at the same time, and the army coming to support the king was suddenly leaderless.

Even if other generals agreed to send troops, they had no right to mobilize them.

If the army to support the king is not dispatched and only the Shandong local army is relied upon for rescue, then the rescue would be a gift to the enemy.

But rescue is politically correct, so they have to do it regardless of whether it will succeed or not.

He was just about to step forward to intercept them and force them to sober up.

As a result, as soon as he stood up, Jia Xiaochen was glared back at by several generals with murderous eyes.

If you participate in a decision, you must take responsibility.

It would be fine if the rescue was successful, but if it failed, it would be a major political accident.

As if inspired, all the officials attending the banquet fell drunk to the ground.

In order to act more realistically, some people even got drunk and went crazy on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of officials fell to the ground, making Jia Xiaochen furious.

Others could escape by drinking, but as the governor, he had no way to hide.

Regardless of whether troops are sent to rescue or not, he is the first person responsible if an accident occurs in Yanzhou.

"Pass the order down, order the officers and soldiers of Qingzhou Prefecture, Laizhou Prefecture, Dengzhou Prefecture, Andong Guard, and Ningshan Guard to rush to Yanzhou for rescue immediately.

Tell them to defend Qufu and Yanzhou City!"

Jia Xiaochen gave the order decisively.

The great victory of the army supporting the emperor in Jinan not only saved Jinan Prefecture, but also ensured the safety of several prefectures behind it.

In order to save Yanzhou Prefecture, Jia Xiaochen tried his best.

He even sent most of Shandong's military forces over there.

Even so, he still had no confidence in keeping Yanzhou Prefecture.

If he had not been concerned about the repercussions, he really wanted to give the order and have his men take Prince Lu and Duke Yansheng to evacuate.

As long as the safety of these two people is guaranteed, the political responsibility for losing the city and territory will be reduced by half.

There is no doubt that this is impossible.

If Prince Lu dares to run away, Emperor Yongning will be the first one to not forgive him.

According to ancestral rules, the princes are responsible for defending their territory.

Although the current princes no longer have the power they had in the early years of the founding of the country, they still have to fulfill their obligations.

If the royal family took the lead in running away, the political impact would be too bad and the imperial court would not allow such a thing to happen.

The White Lotus rebels captured cities in the south, and no vassal king dared to escape.

Even if you don't want to die, you must hold on until the city is broken before you can break out.

Generally speaking, the prince would be arranged to leave, while the prince himself would stay behind to die for his country.

It not only gave an explanation to the imperial court, but also preserved the inheritance of the royal palace.

There are restrictions on vassal kings, and there are also restrictions on Yansheng Dukes.

However, they are not restricted by ancestral rules, but are burdened by their reputation.

He already has a lot of dark history, and now he is stepping into another drama of abandoning his ancestors and running away.

The imperial court might not liquidate the entire Kong family, but it would be very easy to take the opportunity to replace the Yansheng Duke.

What's more, they have their own support, and even in troubled times, the princes will treat them with courtesy.

If the northern barbarians attack us, the worst that can happen is that we lose money, but we won’t lose our lives.

If the northern barbarians wanted to take over the world, they wouldn't even have to spend their money.

The legacy of their ancestors gave them the confidence to continue.

……

After leaving the banquet, Li Mu and Marquis Wuyang sobered up from their drunkenness.

Without any delay, the two men returned directly to the military camp.

"Yanzhou Prefecture is not easy to defend. The Shandong Governor is in trouble!"

Marquis Wuyang said with a gloating look.

He had no good feelings towards the Shandong officials who plotted against him.

According to the original plan, after landing in Tianjin Prefecture, we would set up camp directly near the dock.

Creating a strategic deterrent against the northern barbarians who besieged the capital would be a great achievement.

There is no need to take risks and engage in a decisive battle with the enemy.

The great victory in Jinan was an unexpected surprise.

The entire battle was fought by the army supporting the king, and the officers and soldiers in Shandong area were just bystanders.

From any perspective, he had no reason to praise the Governor of Shandong.

"My Lord, in fact, there is still hope of defending Yanzhou City.

The Northern Tartars are mostly cavalry and their siege capabilities are not strong.

But the situation at the Confucius Mansion is dangerous.

As the saying goes: If you haven’t been to Shandong, you won’t know how rich the Kong family is.

Compared with our Yansheng Duke, the Lianghuai salt merchants are not worth mentioning.

Such a huge fortune, placed in front of a group of robbers, it would be difficult for them to resist. "

Li Mu continued with a smile.

The Northern Barbarians cooperated so well that all the plans made in advance were of no use.

This is definitely a good thing for both of them.

If you don't know it, you can't do it yourself.

Even if you push it behind the scenes, it is inevitable that clues will be left behind.

The Northern Tartars attacked on their own, so no matter what happens next, it has nothing to do with them.

“Things are going to get bad!
The northern barbarians only robbed some property, and the imperial court could still bear it.

If they took Duke Yansheng away, it would be a big trouble.

When the time comes, scholars all over the world will start to stir up trouble, and I am afraid that you and I will not be able to escape it either."

As he spoke, Marquis Wuyang's brows suddenly frowned.

Among the scholars in Dayu, the descendants of sages have a great influence.

Once Duke Yansheng took the lead in surrendering to the Northern Tartars, it would inevitably trigger a chain reaction.

If Duke Yansheng had personally persuaded them to surrender, those captured officials and scholars would have most likely surrendered directly to the Northern Tartars.

Triggering a wave of surrender is secondary. The key is that the legitimacy of Dayu’s rule will also suffer a considerable impact.

Those ambitious people hidden in the government and the opposition can't help but stir up trouble.

If not handled carefully, it can easily lead to big trouble.

If people in the world think that the Dayu Dynasty has run out of destiny, then it will be completely finished.

As vested interests, Marquis Wuyang and Dayu are deeply bound together, and both will suffer if one suffers.

"My Lord, it's not that bad.

Duke Yansheng is a role model for scholars all over the world. How could he allow himself to degenerate and become corrupt like the northern barbarians?

If such a day really comes, I believe that Duke Yansheng will resolutely sacrifice his life for his country and set an example for the people of the world.

However, the Northern Barbarians are the most shameless, and we must be on guard against them.

There is no guarantee that they will create a fake Duke Yansheng and stir up trouble under the banner of Duke Yansheng.

Fortunately, the imperial court can prevent these things in advance by issuing public notices in a timely manner."

Li Mu offered a bad idea without changing his expression.

All the Yansheng Dukes who surrendered are impostors, and the genuine Yansheng Dukes will only die for their country.

No matter whether the outside world believes it or not, as long as the imperial court insists on it, scholars all over the world will accept it.

Everyone upholds the sage's teachings in order to protect their own interests.

The title of Yanshenggong is just a banner, and anyone who carries it will bear the brunt of the consequences.

There are so many descendants of Kong that it would not make any difference if someone else served as Yansheng Duke.

Only the Confucian moral system cannot be allowed to collapse.

For officials and gentry all over the world, the Dayu Dynasty is still the group that best represents their interests, and everyone has not thought about changing the dynasty for the time being.

In this context, no one wants to see a traitor, Duke Yansheng.

……

(End of this chapter)