Fu Shanhe

Chapter 299 Crisis lurks everywhere
Governor's Yamen.

"Are the northern barbarians looting the place?"

Seeing the person coming, Jia Xiaochen thought there was something wrong with his ears.
Since the northern barbarians invaded, there has been no day without looting. This is not news at all.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor.

The northern barbarians outside the city divided their troops into several groups and entered Qingzhou Prefecture to plunder.

Admiral, I hope you can take timely measures to minimize the losses."

Wu Da said with a simple and honest look on his face.

"We have no soldiers. What can we do? Ask your master to send troops to rescue us immediately!"

Jia Xiaochen said unhappily.

Deep down, he was devastated.

When he lost cities and territories before, there was a scapegoat to take the blame. He relied on his connections in the court to get a chance to "make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence", and only then did he recover from his illness and return to work.

He never expected that even when the Northern Tartars had already begun to withdraw their troops, he would still do such a thing.

The local army in Shandong had long been corrupted and was no match for the northern barbarians.

The enemy is still cavalry, and even if Qingzhou Prefecture is notified immediately, there will be no time to react.

From a purely practical point of view, the fact that Qingzhou Prefecture was looted by the northern barbarians could not be blamed on him.

Unfortunately, in official circles, people often don’t pay attention to the process, but only focus on the results.

As the governor of Shandong, he cannot escape blame if problems occur in the prefectures under his jurisdiction.

In particular, the losses caused by the failure of local governments to implement the imperial court's order to fortify the city and clear the countryside were a political stain on him.

"Governor, you should go and tell the Imperial Commissioner about this!
Without the imperial commissioner's order, who would dare to mobilize the army privately?
I'm just a messenger and can't make the final decision.

Please sign the receipt. I have military duties to attend to and cannot stay here any longer."

After saying that, Wu Da handed over the official document receipt.

The procedure is so strict mainly to make things clear.

If the next battle goes smoothly, the Northern Tartars will now be snatching the spoils of the army that is coming to support the king.

When it comes to interests, if the risks are not isolated in advance, it will be difficult to explain in the future if the censors impeach them for deliberately allowing the northern barbarians to plunder for personal gain.

Now that the official document procedures have been completed, they have fulfilled their responsibilities.

Whether the local government tries to resist the invasion of the northern barbarians on its own or negotiates with Marquis Wuyang to send troops to rescue, it will take time.

If we follow the official rules and regulations, the Northern Tartars should have finished looting.

With the added burden of spoils, the enemy's high mobility would be gone.

In the subsequent wars, the chances of victory for the loyalist army will be greatly improved, and they can also make a small fortune by the way.

Jia Xiaochen signed his name on the receipt unhappily, and his mood became worse.

He had just spent money to run the government and keep his official hat, and now he needs to spend money again.

He had been an official for more than twenty years, and all the wealth he had accumulated was lost in this one loss.

If you can't get it back, it will be a big loss.

It just so happens that in Shandong Province, there is a true god named Wuyang Hou.

All the spoils from the previous raids on the rebels were in the hands of the army sent to support the king, and he didn't even have a chance to get a piece of the spoils.

Now even Qingzhou Prefecture has been hit, and most of Shandong has been baptized by war.

He had no interest in post-war reconstruction work, but the drastic reduction in financial support seriously affected his ability to make money.

His official career suffered setbacks and most of his ways to make money were blocked.

……

At the camp of the army sent to support the king, Li Mu and Marquis Wuyang were leisurely drinking afternoon tea.

After the main force of the Northern Tartars withdrew, the tense atmosphere in the camp no longer existed.

Dealing with the enemy's rearguard troops is nothing more than a matter of victory or defeat and will not pose a fatal threat to the army that is coming to support the king.

This time they went north to support the king and made a lot of money.

The previous victory in Jinan had already earned enough military merit.

Just wait for the war to end and the court will reward people according to their merits.

Judging from the information we have received, the title is a foregone conclusion.

The house in Dayu has become so decayed that it may collapse at any time.

Li Mu was not very obsessed with the title.

But Marquis Wuyang is different.

Instead of enjoying the good life in Beijing, he went to take up a post in the locality and was lured there by the hereditary title.

Now that the harvest is approaching, I am extremely excited.

In comparison, Li Mu's good mood was more due to the huge profits.

When the property was confiscated earlier, he made a fortune and earned back all the military expenses for this expedition.

If nothing goes wrong, another sum of money can be made from the subsequent handling of the confiscated real estate.

If he is lucky, the northern barbarians outside the city will also contribute to him.

The only flaw was that the court once again failed to deliver on its promise of money and grain.

Not only did the military pay of the Guangdong and Guangxi reinforcements fail to arrive in time, the situation was similar for the other reinforcements.

Because of his status, Li Mu was unable to express his opinion, but the court's credibility was being lost.

With this method, if the emperor wants to mobilize troops in the future, it will be difficult to fool the officers and soldiers with blank checks.

"The northern barbarians outside the city are really greedy. They are not afraid that we will give them a hard blow."

Marquis Wuyang said with a smile.

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, he now looked at the Northern Tartars with a much better eye.

Especially the northern barbarians outside the city, in his eyes they were no longer enemies, but military merits delivered to his doorstep.

“My Lord, they have the capital to be arrogant.

The fake king of Nanjing had recently vowed to launch a northern expedition and was now attacking the city of Yangzhou.

The Yangzhou prefect was of mediocre ability, but the Southern Zhili governor was a complete idiot.

If nothing unexpected happens, it won’t take long before we can take over all of Southern Zhili.

Whether the rebels subsequently march to Shandong or advance into the Central Plains, the court's attention will be drawn there.

Knowing that the imperial court could not do its utmost to stop them from returning north, they naturally dared to act arrogantly. "

Li Mu said with a hint of sarcasm.

If the people outside the city were elite Tatars, he would have accepted their arrogance.

They have strong fighting power and 40,000 elite troops, which the king's army cannot defeat at all.

The problem is that the enemy outside only has 30,000 Guifang troops and less than 10,000 vassal troops.

Their combat effectiveness is slightly stronger than that of Dayu's ordinary army, but they are still a long way from being elite.

If the entire army gathers together, perhaps they will be able to defeat the king's army, but dividing the troops would simply be courting self-destruction.

However, although there is an opportunity for battle now, Li Mu is not prepared to take action.

The enemy troops outside the city had no burdens and their mobility far exceeded that of the army coming to support the king. Even if they could not defeat the enemy, they could at least run away.

Although there were deployments on the Yellow River, the Yellow River basin was too vast and the navy could only be deployed in nearby areas.

If the enemy goes west and crosses the river from the upper reaches of Henan Province, it will be difficult to intercept them.

"Admiral Li, you've made a mistake this time.

The Governor of Jiangnan, Pei Yunxuan, is no ordinary person.

This man is compassionate to his subordinates, is very popular locally, and has remarkable military attainments.

When he was in charge of Shaanxi, his performance was very impressive.”

Marquis Wuyang shook his head and said.

Compared with ordinary officials, Pei Yunxuan has always had a good reputation.

Especially his colleagues in the court, they spoke very highly of him, and many people believed that he was a talented person who could help the king pacify the troubled times.

If everyone was not optimistic about him, Emperor Yongning would not have given him such an important position as Governor-General of Jiangnan.

"My Lord, I didn't make a mistake this time.

Lord Pei is a good official, but that doesn’t mean he is also good at doing things.

During his time as the Governor-General of Jiangnan, he planned many campaigns to suppress the rebels, but not once was he successful.

Although after every failure, he had sufficient excuses to attribute it to bad luck.

But the continuous failures were not a matter of luck. As for his achievements in Shaanxi, they were all exaggerated.

My ancestral home is in Shaanxi, so I am very familiar with the situation there. It would explode just by a spark.

If Pei Yunxuan really achieved outstanding achievements during his tenure, he would not have to rush out of Shaanxi."

After hearing Li Mu's explanation, Marquis Wuyang's face changed drastically.

If Li Mu's prediction is correct and Pei Yunxuan is a waste, then it is only a matter of time before the war spreads to the Central Plains.

If another accident happens in Shaanxi, life will be really unbearable.

By then, the whole world will be filled with war. Who can save the situation?

"Admiral Li, this is not a joke.

If the situation continues to develop in this way, won't the world be in chaos?"

Marquis Wuyang asked in panic.

As the head of the maternal relatives, he is completely bound to Dayu.

Once the situation gets out of control and the Dayu Dynasty is heading for destruction, he will inevitably be buried with this ancient empire.

When it comes to the lives of the whole family, the hereditary title suddenly doesn't seem so attractive anymore.

"My Lord, great order comes only after great chaos.

The Guo Dynasty has been passed down for more than 270 years, which is longer than many dynasties in history.

In this process, too many social contradictions have accumulated and need to be resolved.

The failure of promoting reforms during the previous emperor’s time has doomed today’s outcome.

Fortunately, Your Majesty is diligent in his work and loves the people, and there are countless loyal people in the court who can turn the tide in troubled times.

The chaos in the world is only temporary. Once the White Lotus rebellion is pacified and the excess population is consumed, social conflicts will be eased.

By then, if we work hard to govern the country, we will start a new round of rejuvenation!"

Li Mu immediately fooled.

You have to fill the hole you dug yourself.

Originally, I just complained that the Governor of Jiangnan was a waste, but I never expected that it would cause so much trouble.

Deep down, he had already made up his mind that he would never speak the truth again.

"You are right. We have countless loyal people in Dayu. We will definitely be able to survive this crisis!"

Marquis Wuyang said in a firm tone.

No matter how the situation develops, he, the king's uncle, has no choice.

It is impossible to rise against the trend in troubled times.

His power comes entirely from the emperor. Once Dayu collapses, he will be nothing.

There was no doubt about Li Mu's intentions, as their situations were very similar.

The nobles share the same fate with the country, and all their wealth and glory come from the imperial power.

Once reforms are carried out, civil servants and gentry can change their masters, but these "remnants of the previous dynasty" cannot.

Even if you are willing to surrender, it is unlikely to have a good ending.

Even if someone offered to buy him, the price he offered could not be higher than Dayu.

After the war, not only will he be awarded a military merit title, but Li Mu will also be able to obtain a title.

These are the political blessings brought by being the children of noble families.

If it were a grassroots general, it would definitely not be so easy to obtain a title.

If you follow the routine, you can reach the highest position in the country and there will be no reason for betrayal.

“My Lord, these are just the worst-case scenarios, the actual situation may not be that bad.

The tense situation in Shaanxi is mainly due to successive years of drought, which has affected grain production.

Disasters are accidental phenomena. As long as the weather is good, everything will be fine.

The same was true on the southeastern battlefield. After the war to support the king ended, the court was able to organize a major war to quell the rebellion.

By then, we only need to recapture Nanjing in time and inflict heavy damage on the rebels, and we will be able to eliminate the previous adverse political influence."

Li Mu spoke to comfort her.

Frankly speaking, he did not want to launch a battle to retake Nanjing so soon.

As the war progressed, the officers and soldiers under his command began to feel war-weary and were in urgent need of rest and recuperation.

But there is no way. Now that things have come to this, as a loyal minister of the Dayu Dynasty, I must work hard to regain my lost territory.

Actively participating in the defense of the king is a way to show loyalty to the emperor.

Sending troops to recapture Nanjing was also a way to show loyalty to the emperor.

Li Mu's background as the son of a noble family determined that he had to cultivate the image of a "loyal minister".

Although Dayu is currently at risk of falling apart, it still has enough centripetal force.

Corruption in the officialdom is rife, but it is not rotten to the core.

At the end of the dynasty, we can still have the current team, so let’s be happy!

As long as the emperor doesn't act recklessly, it is highly likely that the situation can be saved.

"You are right, I was mistaken.

When the situation is difficult, one's true heroic qualities are revealed.

Those civil servants are useless, and so are we, the nobles.

In order to save the situation, Your Majesty has further delegated power to local government offices.

Due to the needs of the situation, perhaps in the near future you will be able to govern a region."

After hearing what Marquis Wuyang said, Li Mu secretly groaned.

Having finally achieved success in Guangdong and Guangxi, he doesn't want to move away so soon.

Being in charge of a region may seem glorious, but in fact it is just a target.

Just look at Marquis Wuyang. Since he became governor, he has been subject to constant impeachment.

In comparison, he, a military general and admiral, lives a much more comfortable life.

Because the two sides were on different tracks, the civil servants did not regard him as an enemy at all.

Even if we take action to suppress it, it is necessary for the national policy of controlling the military with culture.

"My Lord, this is absolutely unacceptable. The civil servants have already been stimulated enough. If it goes any further, they will be driven crazy.

Now is the time to work together, not to start a civil-military dispute."

Li Mu refused immediately.

Regardless of whether this was a test or not, he was not prepared to accept it.

Instead of striving to be in power, it is better to cultivate more confidants and occupy a few positions in the military.

In troubled times, the most important thing is military power, and everything else is just a side issue.

"You're overthinking it. It's not that I want to force you to take the position, but some positions don't even need to be fought for.

For example: The Governor-General of Jiangnan seems to be the best governor in the world, but in fact he is a hot potato now.

If Pei Yunxuan is finished, do you think anyone dares to take over?
This is true for the governor and the governors below him.

All the land under his jurisdiction is in the hands of the rebels. It is a purely nominal position. Whoever holds this position will be blamed."

Marquis Wuyang said unhappily.

He has the most say in this regard. The position of Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang fell on him because no suitable candidate could be found.

"My Lord, there is no point in discussing this now.

Let’s deal with the northern barbarians outside the city first!
Their heads are much more valuable than those of the rebels.

Our future and success depend entirely on them.

Those border troops have never been convinced by our battle record.

This is a good opportunity to show our strength to the outside world."

Li Mu immediately changed the subject.

In the eyes of outsiders, the victory in Jinan was due too much to luck.

If the Northern Barbarians hadn't been so arrogant, stealing the camp wouldn't have been so easy.

Even if you can win a head-on fight, it will be difficult to achieve complete success.

The same tactic can only be used once.

The next battle will be a competition of hard power.

(End of this chapter)