Fu Shanhe

Chapter 364: Changes in Jiangnan
Arguing won't solve the problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't come up with a perfect plan for raising funds.

In Guangxi, people are easy to bully because they have no money in their pockets.

People with money in their pockets are not easy to mess with.

After a great deal of tug-of-war, everyone finally adopted the common method used by Dayu bureaucrats and distributed the burden to the lower levels step by step.

Six hundred thousand taels gathered together was a huge pressure for everyone.

In other places, a clean magistrate can earn 100,000 silver coins in three years, but that’s not possible in Guangxi.

Even when Zhang Sihan's three-year term as governor ended, after deducting all expenses, there would be less than 100,000 taels left.

Of course it was because he paid attention to his eating manners, but more importantly it was because there were not enough leeks.

After the White Lotus Rebellion, the local population dropped sharply, and the highest population density was in the local garrisons.

In many states, the number of civilians under their jurisdiction was less than 100,000, and the population was very scattered, widely distributed on various hills.

For villagers in some remote areas, apart from paying taxes and performing labor service, ordinary people will never have any dealings with government in their entire lives.

As the birthplace of the White Lotus rebels, the gentry in Guangxi were cleansed most thoroughly, and the few survivors also behaved in a timid manner.

The land is vast and the population is sparse, resulting in a shortage of labor.

Officials wanted to collude with local gentry to make money, but they had no room to do so.

But after the separation, the pressure is much less.

It would be best if you can raise enough money. If you can't, then you can find a way to make up for it yourself.

When subsequent taxes are levied, they can be distributed gradually to avoid arousing public anger by imposing huge increases all at once.

The officials were so obedient because they had been trained once before.

When Marquis Wuyang was raising funds earlier, he dealt with a group of people who were slacking off.

The operation is very simple. Whoever fails to complete the task will be checked.

There is no problem. He will be transferred from the post directly and replaced by an official capable of completing the task.

If evidence of corruption is found, the official will be removed from office and his property will be confiscated to make up for the deficit.

There is no doubt that in Dayu, where corruption is rampant, there are few officials who can stand the test.

None of those guys who were slacking off were spared.

Now this way of playing has been learned by several governors-general and promoted in various provinces in the south.

The problem of official administration was not fundamentally solved, but the execution capacity of local governments was greatly increased.

In the feudal dynasties, if the officials were determined to make money, there was no way they could not make it.

……

Time flies, and it is the end of the year in a blink of an eye. The festive atmosphere in Guangzhou is becoming more and more intense.

The imperial edict of the court was officially issued, and Li Mu began to exercise the powers of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

In fact, there is not much difference from normal times.

The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi is a non-permanent position, and if one wants to seize power, then he can control everything.

If you want to be a lazy person, you don't have to do anything, and government offices at all levels will still operate normally.

Li Mu was not a power-hungry person. As long as the officials under him could perform their duties, he did not want to meddle in other people's affairs.

The main work is still on military affairs, either inspecting the garrisons here or conducting training in that garrison.

Not only were the garrison troops strictly trained, but even the prisoners of war with families were trained as well.

Li Mu was also unsure of how far the war with the Annan people would go.

It’s definitely a good idea to do more preparation.

"My Lord, there is victory news from the front.

After the government troops recaptured Huai'an Prefecture, Liaodong Town captured Xuzhou Prefecture and joined forces with the coalition forces from multiple provinces in Fengyang.

In the entire area north of the Yangtze River, only Anqing Prefecture and Luzhou Prefecture were left in the hands of the rebels.

The government troops in Zhejiang in the south launched a fierce attack on the rebels in Huizhou and Ningguo prefectures, occupying most of the territories of the two prefectures.

The rebel garrisons in Jiujiang and Nanchang also showed signs of fatigue after becoming isolated.

According to the current situation, it will not last long.

Perhaps sensing the danger, Fu Ni gathered a large number of troops in Nanjing, preparing for a decisive battle with the government troops.

However, Marquis Wuyang and Duke Chengguo ignored him and continued to follow their previous plan to gradually erode the rebel-controlled areas.

If nothing unexpected happens, the rebels will launch a major counterattack in the near future to reverse the passive situation.”

Lan Linjie introduced calmly.

After following Li Mu for a few years, his military level has also improved significantly.

Be able to make a relatively objective analysis of the battlefield situation.

"Ok!"

“The rebels’ fighting power has dropped significantly compared to before, and it seems that their spirit has been drained.

As long as the government troops can advance steadily and steadily, winning the war is only a matter of time.

Fu Ni still has some ability, but unfortunately he reacted too late.

If we had concentrated our forces and fought a decisive battle with the government troops at the beginning of the war, there might have been a glimmer of hope.

At this point, their chances of winning are slim to none."

Li Mu shook his head and said.

Like most peasant uprisings, Fu Haoxuan made the same strategic mistakes.

The rebels cannot stop until the imperial court is overthrown.

If we slow down and let the imperial court react, it would be a disaster.

To establish a base, we have to wait until the world is in chaos.

If you try to fight the whole world with just one corner of the country, failure is only a matter of time unless you have extraordinary organizational skills.

From the moment he proclaimed himself emperor in Nanjing, Fu Haoxuan embarked on the wrong path.

After conquering Nanjing, he would lead all his elite troops to the north to attack the Central Plains and respond to the northern barbarian army.

Even if we cannot destroy Dayu, we can still inflict severe damage on the imperial court.

After losing Nanjing and the Central Plains, the orthodox status of the Dayu Dynasty no longer existed.

People's hearts have changed, and the time for a change of dynasty has come.

At that point, if we turn back to manage Southern Zhili, the possibility of conquering the world will be at least 20%.

In troubled times, this is already a very high number, enough to make a number of aristocratic families rush to place bets, and talent will no longer be a factor restricting development.

Unfortunately, Fu Haoxuan could not resist the temptation and proclaimed himself emperor in Nanjing early on, thus missing the best opportunity to march north.

Of course, there must be many reasons behind strategic decision-making errors.

The fact that the noble families have made their bets does not mean that the previous blood feud will be written off.

Maybe one of them came to join his army in order to seek revenge and deliberately led him into trouble.

This kind of thing is not without precedent in history.

"My Lord, in addition to this victory report, Duke Chengguo and Marquis Wuyang also sent people to ask for your opinion on the upcoming war.

How do you think we should reply to them?"

Lan Linjie asked with concern.

The decisive battle involves hundreds of thousands of troops, and neither side can afford to lose.

Before the final battle begins, there will inevitably be fights between dragons and tigers.

"Tell them, one word - drag!

At this moment, the rebels' strategic space is already very small.

With so many troops gathered together, the daily material consumption is an astonishing figure.

Continue to compress the enemy's strategic space, increase the enemy's psychological pressure, and force Fu Haoxuan to take the initiative to fight a decisive battle.

The more pressure you apply, the more likely your enemy will make a mistake.

never mind!

I will write this letter myself, and you will be responsible for polishing it."

Li Mu said slowly.

After all, he is thousands of miles away, and it is still unknown how much weight his words carry.

Although most of the generals below were brought up by Li Mu himself, it does not mean that they do not have their own ideas. They are all young people, so it is understandable that they want to show off.

The smooth progress in the past made these troops arrogant, and many of them did not take the rebels seriously at all.

Compared with taking a steady and cautious approach and gradually eroding the rebels, the credit of directly launching a decisive battle would obviously be greater.

It is not impossible to do something extraordinary for the sake of military merit.

Marquis Wuyang's military level is limited, and Duke Chengguo's level is slightly higher, but it is only above average.

If they are persuaded by their subordinates and want to make a big move, the government troops may suffer heavy losses.

It would be fine if it was just a group of newly formed troops, but Li Mu was reluctant to sacrifice the veterans from the six towns in Guangdong and Guangxi.

……

Liaodong, Tatar royal court.

"Great Chanyu, news just came from the south that the White Lotus rebels are about to collapse."

Erde stepped forward and reported.

Although Fu Haoxuan proclaimed himself emperor and established the Wu Kingdom, in the eyes of the world, they were still labeled as White Lotus rebels.

If they want to gain the orthodox status, they have to overthrow the Dayu Dynasty, otherwise the bureaucrats and gentry will slander them to death.

The White Lotus rebels were not welcomed within Dayu, but they were the best allies for the Tatars.

If it weren't for these rebels who tied up the energy of the Dayu Dynasty, the Tatars would not have dared to send out their troops on a bold expedition.

They don't need many, as long as ten or twenty thousand Yu army cavalry appear on the grassland, they will have no choice but to return to their old nest for support.

"Are the White Lotus rebels so useless?

I still remember that they traded 10,000 war horses with us, but they broke the contract after only sending 1,000 horses!"

Huugjile said indignantly.

He was always the one who broke the contract with others, but when he came to the White Lotus rebels, he became the one who was broken with.

You have to know that he made the decision to agree to the war horse trade under internal pressure.

In the eyes of the Tatar nobles, all people of the Yu Dynasty were enemies, and trading war horses was considered aiding the enemy.

He pushed for this deal, on the one hand to exchange for food, and on the other hand to support his allies.

Compared with Dayu, the strength of the White Lotus rebels is obviously weaker.

Huugjile wanted to help the rebels build cavalry through trade, so as to balance the strength of both sides.

No one expected that the White Lotus rebels, who seemed to be full of sincerity, chose to default shortly after the transaction.

What made him even more speechless was that after breaching the contract, the rebels still could not withstand the encirclement and suppression of Yu’s army.

“Great Chanyu, the area controlled by the White Lotus rebels has been greatly compressed.

Compared to their peak period, they now have less than one-fifth of their remaining territory and their military strength has also been drastically reduced.

In contrast, the Yu army continued to expand its forces during the encirclement and suppression process.

It is said that Yu Jun had recruited soldiers from more than 20 towns in the southern provinces, as well as a large number of garrison troops.

Most of these recruits were split from the six towns in Guangdong and Guangxi.

After a series of battles, the combat effectiveness should have been initially formed, so it is understandable that the rebels are no match.

Moreover, Liaodong Town also sent a part of its troops to participate in this battle."

Erde helped explain.

In the eyes of the Tatar high-ranking officials, the two most combat-effective troops in Dayu were the Liaodong Town and the Six Towns of Guangdong and Guangxi.

When two armies appeared on the battlefield together, even the elite Tatars had to be careful in dealing with them.

“Erd, there’s no need to worry too much.

The combat effectiveness of the six towns in Guangdong and Guangxi is not weak, but that does not mean that they will still be that strong after being split up.

With the logistical supply capabilities of the Yu Dynasty government, it was simply unable to support so many elite troops.

Don't forget that most of their military expenditure is invested in the northern border, and the share obtained by these troops in the south is very small.

Don’t you understand the style of those Yu Dynasty officials?

The local government would raise their own food and wages, but they would only put the money into their own pockets and would not spend it on the soldiers. "

Sarina laughed.

They have very complicated feelings towards Yu Chao.

Envy, fear, contempt, all kinds of emotions are there.

“Minister, no matter how strong the enemy is, our allies will soon be gone.

Jiangnan and Huguang have always been important sources of revenue and grain for Dayu. The rebels are wreaking havoc there, and the people of the Yu Dynasty are incapable of causing us trouble.

Once they are allowed to quell the rebellion, the poor financial situation of the Yu Dynasty will gradually improve.

By then they will have more money and food to invest in the military.

Dayu is really too big.

They can fail ten or twenty times, but if we fail once, it will be a disaster.”

Erde said worriedly.

There have been no recent raids on Dayu's borders, not because they have changed their nature, but because they are too busy.

While sending troops to Goguryeo, he also had to intimidate the Guifang tribe on the grassland, so he had no time to worry about looking for trouble with Dayu for the time being.

“Dayu has too many internal problems.

Even without the rebels in Jiangnan, there are still the rebels in Guanzhong and Shu, and they cannot be completely wiped out.

Moreover, a few days ago, they received news that the Annan people were eyeing their southern border, and they estimated that the two sides should start fighting by now.

With so many troubles, it is impossible to clear them up in such a short time.

As for our allies in Jiangnan, let them fend for themselves!
If you want, let them find a way to hold on a little longer.

By this time next year, when we have finished dealing with Goguryeo, the Khanate will send troops to Dayu to rescue them."

Sarina said calmly.

It’s not that he is unwilling to help, but the main reason is that the Tatar royal court is short of military forces at this time.

If we rashly start a war on the border, it will be easy for the people of the Yu Dynasty to see through our true intentions.

Given the hatred between the two sides, once a flaw is revealed, the Yu army will definitely launch a counterattack.

Even though Liaodong Town often engages in passive resistance, if there is a chance to inflict heavy damage on them, they will not show mercy.

Keeping enemies for your own protection does not include out-of-control enemies like them.

“Well, both of you are pillars of the royal court, don’t quarrel over such trivial matters.

We have not signed any alliance with the White Lotus rebels, so there are no military obligations.

If you can help, do so.

Now that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, we can only let them hold on for a while.

Just like the last war, as long as they hold out until our next march south, we can get back double what we lost now!"

Seeing the tension rising, Huugjile immediately stopped the quarrel.

He was already satisfied to be able to occupy the Liaodong land and become the overlord of the grassland.

Fighting for the Central Plains was just a political slogan to attract the people of Yu to join them.

If the Tatars' small population were placed in the Central Plains, they would be submerged in an instant.

No matter how powerful their army is, there are only so many people in their tribe.

Maintaining an army of 100,000 is the result of militarism.

If you want to continue expanding your military, you must first increase the number of your tribe members.

The last time we went deep into the heart of Dayu, it seemed that we had grabbed countless spoils, but in fact we suffered a huge loss.

More than 10,000 men stayed on the land of Dayu forever.

If this happened a few more times, it would be unknown whether Dayu would be destroyed, but the Tatars would be wiped out first.

It was the last war that made the Tatar leaders realize that Dayu was still powerful and they could not defeat it.

Only after the war would they change their strategic goal to invading Goguryeo.

……

(End of this chapter)