Fu Shanhe

Chapter 357: Restarting the Battle of Nanjing
"impossible!"

"The aristocratic families of Yangzhou surrendered to our dynasty, but they paid tribute.

With what they have done, they will definitely be held accountable if they return to the pseudo-dynasty.

Qin Tianrui's weight was not enough, and he was not qualified to protect them all in front of the false emperor.

Even if someone betrays us, it will only be some of the families, not all of them!"

Hu Yuzhe quickly retorted.

It was he who proposed the idea of ​​marriage between the powerful officials in the court and the literary families, and the Yangzhou families were only a part of it.

The effect is very obvious.

Faced with the lady from a noble family who came to their doorstep, the nouveau riche of the Wu State were simply unable to resist.

It didn't take much effort and we became one family.

With the help of his concubine, the surrendered ministers led by him quickly integrated into the power center of the Wu State.

Emperor Fu Haoxuan also has great trust in him.

The rebellion of the Yangzhou noble families suddenly put him into an embarrassing situation.

Once trust is lost, the good days of these surrendered ministers will be over.

"Sir Hu, if these guys hadn't betrayed me, even if I was incompetent, I wouldn't have lost Yangzhou so quickly.

Just wait and see!

If they had not betrayed our Wu State, Dayu would definitely have settled accounts with them.

On the contrary, if the pseudo dynasty accepts them, it will prove that what I said is true!"

Liu Laoxu promised solemnly.

He didn't know how many people had betrayed him, but he had already done the liquidation work for Dayu in advance.

All the noble families in Yangzhou City were in mourning and crying at this moment.

Some unlucky ones were even wiped out.

So many people died, and it would be unreasonable for the Dayu Dynasty to hold them responsible.

Let time prove that he is not weak at all.

He seems careless and has not read many books, but those are just appearances.

If you really think he is a reckless man, then just prepare to be cheated!
Before evacuating, he ordered the massacre of the noble families in the city, both to vent his anger and to find someone to blame for the loss of the city and territory.

"Well, we'll know the truth of this later."

"Now that Yangzhou has fallen, our great Wu Dynasty is in danger. Do you have any good ideas to reverse the situation?"

Fu Haoxuan asked.

Once the investigation leads to the Yangzhou noble families, the matter will be over.

If we dig deeper, we will find that the fire has spread to everyone's backyard, and even his concubines will be affected.

As an emperor, Fu Haoxuan has to save face.

Such embarrassing matters can be dealt with privately; there is no need to make a big fuss about it.

Instead of worrying about these trivial matters, it is better to consider the aftermath.

"Your Majesty, Yangzhou Prefecture has been lost, so just take it back.

The only enemy force entrenched in Yangzhou was the First Town of Jiangxi.

Fighting all the way from Anqing to Yangzhou, it is impossible for the enemy to remain unscathed, and the generals of the pseudo-dynasty also like to collect empty salaries.

A town that is not fully staffed may have at most six or seven thousand people.

By deploying troops now, we can completely take back Yangzhou Prefecture before the Pseudo-Dynasty can react."

Yang Jingren's words made Fan Xiuwen very angry.

The right prime minister only needs to give suggestions, and the implementation is all the work of their Ministry of War.

Theoretically speaking, if we concentrate our troops now, we can indeed take back Yangzhou Prefecture.

The problem is that the Ministry of War does not have that many mobile troops now.

For the enemy to be able to quickly capture Yangzhou City, it was not enough to have internal support, they also had to have sufficient strength themselves.

Referring to the combat effectiveness of the main force of the government army, without several times the number of troops, they would have contributed to the enemy's achievements in the past.

What's more, the enemy is now the one defending the city, which makes the war even more difficult.

“Right Prime Minister, most of the country’s troops are concentrated on the front lines, and the number of troops left behind is limited.

The mobile forces prepared earlier were now taken to Suzhou Prefecture by Marquis Wu Mu.

The fighting is about to start over there. If we withdraw in a short period of time, it will inevitably shake the morale of the troops on the front line.

The only way to quickly recapture Yangzhou Prefecture is to transfer troops from the capital.

Once this happens, the capital will be empty.

If the enemy seizes the opportunity and heads straight for our Great Wu capital, we will be in big trouble!"

Fan Xiuwen declined politely.

Yangzhou City is the gateway to Nanjing, and he also wants to take it back as soon as possible.

However, having an idea does not mean being able to do it.

As the Minister of War, there was nothing he could do as he did not have enough troops.

In fact, as the Minister of War, he only holds a high position of power on the surface.

He couldn't control those arrogant and powerful generals at all.

The power to mobilize the army and appoint generals was all in the hands of the emperor, and the Ministry of War played more of a role as an assistant to the emperor.

The main purpose of his existence is not to be in charge of the national army, but to take the blame for the emperor when something goes wrong.

"The military strength in the capital is not that great. At most, we can mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 troops. Any more will affect the defense of the capital.

If the puppet army dares to advance deep into the country and seize Yangzhou alone, it is possible to launch a surprise attack on Nanjing.

If the troops are insufficient, it will be easy for the enemy to take advantage of us.

If the Ministry of War encounters difficulties, we will find ways to overcome them.

We have a million-strong army. If we don’t have enough troops, we can find a way to squeeze them in, and we will naturally have them.”

As he spoke, Yang Jingren deliberately glanced at Hu Yuzhe.

For a big city like Nanjing, the city’s defensive capabilities are self-evident.

When the rebel army attacked Nanjing, it took them more than a year and a heavy price to capture it.

If Yu's army were to attack instead, it would still be impossible to take the city in the short term. The only risk would be internal and external attacks.

First, a large number of Chu officials rebelled, and then the Yangzhou noble families turned against them. Inevitably, a crisis of trust arose in the Wu court.

Even Hu Yuzhe, the most trusted person, has now become a suspect.

A group of surrendered officials from Dayu and officials from gentry families all looked like traitors.

……

Yangzhou City.

As the victor of the war, Qin Tianrui was busy comforting the injured families in the city.

The battle was so brutal that every family suffered heavy losses.

Those who survived are all lucky.

This letter of surrender should be the most tragic in history.

Things have developed to this point, there is no need to even ask for mercy, and anyone who sees them will say that they are loyal.

Deep down, Qin Tianrui still felt a little embarrassed.

This tragic scene was entirely caused by his misjudgment of the strength of the aristocratic families in the city.

I just wanted to weaken their strength, but I never expected that I would overdo it.

There is no need to be afraid now. It will take them decades to recover from this loss.

There is also competition within the gentry group, and they will not watch them recover.

During this period, there will inevitably be many challengers who will take the opportunity to seize their interests.

Although he knew it, Qin Tianrui had no sympathy.

The rise and fall of a family is normal, and even aristocratic families cannot escape the laws of history.

Think about it, the Mansion of the Duke of Xingguo was much more prominent than the local aristocratic families in Yangzhou during its heyday, but it eventually fell into decline.

They didn't even take back the title left by their ancestors.

All the interests in the court were divided up.

If they had not recognized the current situation and adjusted their strategies in time, they would not even have had a chance of revival.

I am still struggling to revive my family business, so how can I have the energy to pity others?

"Pass the order down and send the victory report back to the Governor's Office immediately." After scanning the official documents and making sure there were no omissions, Qin Tianrui immediately gave the order.

Thanks to his contribution in recapturing Yangzhou, he deserved the title of general of the first town in Jiangxi.

When the merits are discussed after the war, his ranking will definitely not be low.

Especially at times like this, the more cautious we should be.

It is very dangerous to be trapped in an isolated city without reinforcements.

……

Nanchang Camp.

Apart from the initial exploratory attack, the two sides subsequently started to stare at each other.

Occasionally, when they were bored, the government troops and the rebels started a war of words.

At the beginning, the government troops sent out eloquent scholars, but unfortunately they were defeated in the battle of words.

The rebel soldiers couldn't understand anything about the various terms.

No matter how eloquent your scolding is, it is all in vain.

On the contrary, the rebel soldiers' foul language, although lacking in connotation, was understandable to everyone.

After realizing this, the two armies directly started greeting each other.

If Li Mu had not heard it with his own ears, he would not have believed that there were so many dirty jobs in the world.

"Report!"

"General Qin sent a message that the first town in Jiangxi captured Yangzhou City five days ago and killed the enemy..."

The good news that rushed into the camp left everyone confused.

It was clear that the first town in Jiangxi went to Anqing, and then turned to Luzhou Prefecture. Marquis Wuyang contacted the government troops in Huguang and Henan to prepare to support them.

Unexpectedly, in just over ten days, the good news of the recovery of Yangzhou came.

After a brief moment of distraction, everyone turned their eyes to Li Mu.

This is a tactic of attacking the enemy unexpectedly and it is full of Li Mu's style.

"Don't look at me like that. I have told you about this before. The first town in Jiangxi may go to recover the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

It is completely reasonable for General Qin to recapture Yangzhou now."

Li Mu said with a smile.

Such an answer obviously cannot convince everyone.

"It is possible to recover" means it is just empty talk.

There are only a few provincial capitals in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and Yangzhou City is definitely ranked high in importance.

Under normal circumstances, the first town in Jiangxi alone could not capture Yangzhou at all.

Going deep into the enemy's territory alone is almost like committing suicide.

But the pie in the sky became reality again.

So much so that everyone suspected that this was Li Mu's secret arrangement.

In fact, he completely gave up his power since he set out on the expedition to Anqing.

It would be extremely dangerous to remotely control the show from a distance of hundreds of miles.

If you want to unleash combat power, the best option is to let the generals play independently.

The purpose of this expedition was to cause destruction. If the army could reach Yangzhou, it would be a strategic victory. Capturing Yangzhou city was completely beyond expectations.

"Admiral, how many things are you hiding from us?"

Jiangxi Governor Bai Panshan asked with a depressed look on his face.

It would be fine if he deceived the enemy, but he even deceived his own people.

It is totally against the art of war for a solitary army to penetrate deep into the enemy's rear and capture an important city.

However, in view of Li Mu's military achievements, no one dared to discuss military strategy in front of him.

As long as we can win the battle, all other issues are secondary.

"Master Bai, I did not lie to you.

This action was purely accidental.

Our initial strategic goal was Anqing, but we ran into a bunch of stupid teammates from the regiment army, so we had no choice but to make a tactical shift.

The subsequent efforts to capture Yangzhou City were due to many factors. You can discuss the specific battle situation after General Qin returns."

Li Mu explained calmly.

He really didn't mean to show off; recapturing Yangzhou City was a complete surprise.

He doesn't need military merit now, so there is no need to share the credit with his subordinates.

"Recapturing Yangzhou was like stabbing a steel knife into the enemy's heart.

In the upcoming battle to quell the rebellion, the strategic initiative is already in our hands.

All we need to do next is to send troops there, using Yangzhou Prefecture as a fulcrum to launch an attack on Nanjing.

The importance of other battlefields has greatly decreased.

Admiral Li will be responsible for arranging the specific battle methods!"

Marquis Wuyang said happily.

His reading of military books was not in vain, as he knew all the strategic locations of the Dayu Dynasty clearly.

Yangzhou Prefecture is an isolated city, but it is also not an isolated city.

The navy can directly deliver reinforcements and supplies via sea transport.

“Nanjing, in terms of both political status and strategic value, is far superior to Nanchang, Jiujiang, Hangzhou and other places.

The imperial court was also closely watching the developments in Nanjing. If there was a chance to directly recapture Nanjing, it would be far more cost-effective than deploying heavy troops in other areas.

Except for leaving behind a town of troops to continue to contain the rebels in Nanchang City, the rest of the troops rushed to participate in the Battle of Nanjing as soon as possible.

Not only our side, but also our colleagues' side need to coordinate as soon as possible.

As long as the news of the recovery of Yangzhou spread, anyone who had ideas about the recovery of Nanjing would actively participate.

Concentrate all forces and take Nanjing as soon as possible. I will break the backbone of the rebels in one fell swoop!"

Li Mu said with a serious look.

Emperor Yongning has been urging them to recapture Nanjing. Now that the opportunity has finally come, they must seize it in time.

After the recapture of Nanjing, the battle to quell the rebellion came to an end.

Wars are fought on people's hearts.

If we lose Nanjing, our fight for supremacy will become a joke, and it will be hard for the rebels to disperse.

After this battle, he should be busy recovering the "Giao Chi Provincial Administration" instead of getting involved in internal conflicts with his colleagues in Dayu.

"We obey!"

A group of officials answered in unison.

It can be seen that the temptation to recapture Nanjing is extremely great for everyone.

Even if you are just joining in, you should still actively participate.

……

Outside Hangzhou.

“The Jiangxi troops have recaptured Yangzhou, and Marquis Wuyang has invited us to join forces to launch the Battle of Nanjing and capture the enemy directly.

Colleagues, do you have any different opinions? "

Looking at the document in his hand, Jing Guoliang's hands began to tremble as he spoke.

It was completely beyond his expectations that Yangzhou City returned to the hands of the government troops so quickly.

If it were not for his trust in Marquis Wuyang and Li Mu, he would not have dared to read the contents of the letter.

The government troops attacked so quickly that there were no signs at all.

"Governor, there is no need to hesitate. We must actively participate in the recovery of Nanjing.

I suggest that the navy be mobilized immediately to transport the various troops over.

Start construction on both the Suzhou and Yangzhou lines, march toward Yingtian Prefecture, and strive to recapture Nanjing within the year.

Let all the officials in the court see the elegance of us Fujian and Zhejiang men!"

The Governor of Zhejiang responded immediately.

He was so excited that people who didn't know the truth would think he had been promoted.

……

(End of this chapter)