Fu Shanhe

Chapter 368 Dark clouds over the city
Outside Thang Long City, the Vietnamese army camp.

Looking at the fluttering flags, Hu Xinbo, who was leading troops for the first time, was filled with pride, as if the whole world was at his feet.

"My dear ministers, Guangxi is right before our eyes. Do you have any good ideas for defeating the enemy?"

Hu Xinbo asked with high spirits.

The late emperor liked to launch foreign conquests, but they were all small-scale wars, and mobilizing tens of thousands of troops was considered a large-scale event.

This was the first time since the establishment of the Dai Viet Dynasty that the entire country's army was assembled to go into battle.

Before the troops were dispatched, all the ministers were opposed to him leading the army.

After all, it is not reliable to let an emperor who has no experience in leading troops lead hundreds of thousands of troops to war.

However, the court officials had a disagreement on the selection of the commander-in-chief, and Hu Xinbo seized the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and take the initiative.

It’s not that he loves leading troops, it’s just that this military operation is too important.

He could not trust anyone to control the nation's army, so he had to take part in the battle himself.

"Your Majesty, Guangxi is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on one side.

The navy of the Yu Dynasty was not weak, and fighting across the sea was too risky and not advisable.

The land bordering area is blocked by Liuzhao Mountain, Daqing Mountain, Gongmu Mountain and Shiwanda Mountain, and the road is very rugged.

If you want to attack Guangxi, the best option is to send troops from Liangzhou, march into Siming Prefecture and seize Zhennan Pass.

......"

The more Chen Chuyang analyzed, the more he felt that attacking Guangxi was a wrong decision.

The reason why the Dayu Dynasty gave up Jiaozhi was not only because of internal strife among the civil and military officials, but also because occupying Jiaozhi was indeed a loss.

Military issues are secondary; the main factor is logistics.

At that time, the development level of the Red River Plain was not as high as it is now, and it was unable to provide sufficient food and wages for the army, so logistical supplies had to be transported from the country.

The problem could have been solved by sea transportation, but in order to promote the maritime ban policy, the civil officials took the initiative to burn a large number of treasure ships.

Relying purely on land transportation, the roads in Guangxi are not very good to begin with, and they become even more tortuous after entering Jiaozhi.

Lang Son, the gateway to Hanoi, has high mountains and deep valleys, jungles everywhere, and mountains and rivers crisscrossing like a maze.

Combined with the tropical rainforest climate, the weather is humid and full of insects and mosquitoes, it is a true hell transport line.

It is so difficult to attack from Guangxi, and the same difficulties will be faced if we attack from here.

The previous Emperor of Dai Viet had coveted Guangdong and Guangxi, but ultimately did not take any action. He was forced to give up after calculating the costs.

Compared to overcoming numerous difficulties and going to war with the Dayu Dynasty, it is obviously more cost-effective to bully the natives of the Indochina Peninsula.

However, these reasons obviously failed to convince Hu Xinbo.

In order to alleviate the Chinese people's fear of Dayu, they spent hundreds of years, but still failed to completely erase the shadow left by the Dayu army.

He had just ascended the throne and it was time to consolidate his imperial power.

Dayu provoked a conflict at this time. If there is no strong counterattack, it will be a major blow to the imperial power.

If everyone knew that there was a suzerain state in the north and a King of Dayu suppressing him, he, the emperor, would become a joke.

Once people's hearts change, the Dayu Dynasty can use political means to bring down the emperor.

He is not the only heir among the royal family.

If one of the brothers colluded with Dayu and obtained the other party's title, he would have the legal basis for usurping the throne.

"Ok!"

“Lord Chen’s plan is good, but it’s still too conservative.

Since we have decided to launch an attack on Yu, we should not limit ourselves to Guangxi.

If we want to attack Siming Prefecture, we cannot ignore other areas either.

A detachment of the army was sent to attack Yunnan, to let the Emperor of Dayu experience what it felt like to be exhausted.

My dear minister Xiao, I will give you an army of 50,000 to attack Yunnan.

Take over Guangnan Prefecture as soon as possible while the government troops there are unaware of the danger."

Hu Xinbo thought for a while and said.

Compared with the heavily guarded Guangxi, neighboring Yunnan's response was obviously slower.

This is related to the long-standing border conflicts. There are frictions between Guangxi and Annan every now and then, while the Yunnan border is much more peaceful.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Xiao Yunfan replied happily.

After years of fighting wars in the east and west, he had made great military achievements in the Dai Viet Dynasty, but he still lacked a great victory to establish his position.

In the past, they always bullied small indigenous countries, and even if they won, everyone thought it was normal.

If he can seize Yunnan this time when facing Dayu, his name will become a monument in the history of Dai Viet.

……

Bathed in the spring breeze, Li Mu led his troops out again.

After all, I never waited for the child to be born.

The border situation is tense and the Annan army may attack at any time, so he must go there in advance to stabilize the people's hearts.

This is the aftereffect of promoting Annan's threat theory.

Li Mu had confidence in the garrison troops under him, but others did not.

Before the war broke out, the gentry and merchants in Guangxi were already preparing to flee.

Letters for help from officials came in like snowflakes.

If we don't take quick action, our side will be in chaos before the enemy attacks us.

"My Lord, there is news from Shenglong City.

Five days ago, King Hu Xinbo of Annan swore an oath to his troops to go to war in Thang Long.

Judging from the flags, the total strength of the enemy army is about 250,000, but they claim to have 2 million men.

Hearing the last number, Li Mu couldn't help laughing out loud.

I've seen people who bluff, but I've never seen anyone who brags so much.

The only feudal dynasty that could gather an army of two million was the peasant uprising army. If you count men, women, old and young, it is estimated that the total number could reach two million.

The number of people who are truly capable of fighting is less than one-tenth.

"Ha ha……"

“Since the Annan people are so respectful, we must cooperate.

Send the order down, tell the outside world that I will personally lead an army of 50,000 to fight a decisive battle with the Annan people."

Li Mu said proudly.

Originally he wanted to brag and scare the Annan people, but now he realizes that it is meaningless.

They claim to have an army of two million. If they want to suppress the other side, they can only claim to have an army of three million.

If you really do this, it will be recorded in history books as a joke in the future.

He didn't want to be seen as a boastful person by future generations, so he simply changed his strategy. If he couldn't brag too much, he would just say less.

Anyway, he was not lying. Excluding the local troops in Guangxi, he only brought 50,000 troops with him.

If the Annamites believed it, they would suffer on the battlefield.

……

Guilin Prefecture.

"Where is the army of Marquis Hanshui at?"

Zhang Sihan asked with concern.

He has not slept well since he learned that Annan sent "two million" troops.

Even though we know that the other party is bragging, we still feel unsure.

Even if this number is halved twice, it is still an army of 500,000. Guangxi is still at an absolute disadvantage in terms of military strength.

If the enemy were to break through the defense line and advance into the heart of Guangxi, it would be a tragedy for him as the governor.

Not to mention being convicted and sent to jail, all your previous achievements will definitely be sacrificed.

After working so hard until now, he is no longer young and does not have that many years to waste.

If he fails to get promoted this time, his dream of entering the cabinet will become a dream.

Although there were officials in Dayu's history who entered the cabinet directly from the post of governor, they were the high-ranking governors of Southern Zhili.

The Governor of Guangxi is ranked last among the governors, and there is still several levels between him and the qualification for public recommendation.

“Don’t worry, Governor. The Marquis’ army has entered Wuzhou and will reach the front line soon.

The Annan army is still on the way. Judging from the distance, it is only about a hundred or eighty miles away.

The Guangdong Garrison troops were reorganized by the Marquis, and their overall quality is no worse than that of ordinary recruits. They should be much faster than the Annan people.

I estimate that the two armies should arrive at about the same time, which will not affect the battle."

Lu Lingchuan replied with a smile.

As a military governor, he often dealt with the military and had a relatively good understanding of the Guangxi garrison troops.

Because of the relatively sufficient money and food, the troops of this garrison were no worse than the recruited soldiers in daily training.

When the rebels were being suppressed, this team followed Li Mu all the way from Guangxi to Guangdong, and then from Guangdong to Guizhou.

Later, due to the reorganization of the troops, it was changed into a garrison organization.

However, in the eyes of the imperial court, most of the capable and battle-hardened troops were on the list of casualties.

These officials serving in Guangxi vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

However, the garrison was a closed world, and local officials had no right to intervene in it. They did not know that Li Mu had exaggerated the war losses.

The generals in the army are insiders, but they are also vested interests and it is impossible for them to go out and make a fuss.

In the officialdom, as in the workplace, if all problems are solved in advance, leaders will not think that their subordinates are capable, but will instead think that this is how it should be.

Only victory that comes after twists and turns and at a painful price can gain everyone's recognition.

Military merit needs to be paved with the lives of soldiers. If there are not such heavy casualties, then they have to fabricate them.

This is a trouble unique to Li Mu's troops.

Other generals suffered defeats on the battlefield, and in order to avoid being held accountable, they tried their best to conceal the battle losses.

“It’s good to be able to catch up!
However, the reinforcements brought by Han Shuihou were only 50,000, which might not be enough.

How about we ask each prefecture to recruit some young and strong men to help defend the city?"

Censor Zhou Zhenbang made a suggestion.

This time, he was sincere in offering advice and had no intention of deliberately causing trouble.

After all, when the Annanites invaded, we were all in the same boat.

Everyone has a role to play in winning the war.

If we lose the war, everyone present will be doomed.

“No need to bother.

Guangxi is not without soldiers. In fact, its military strength is not less than that of the Annan people. It just depends on whether we dare to use them! "

Jia Bo said calmly.

As a place of exile for criminals, Guangxi has received millions of prisoners of war over the past few years.

These people were distributed in various garrisons and received labor reform.

Compared with ordinary people, these veterans who have been to the battlefield only need simple training before being sent to the battlefield.

"Master Jia, please don't make such jokes.

Those rebel soldiers hated the imperial court the most. If we gave them weapons, we wouldn't know what kind of trouble they would cause.

In my humble opinion, let the Marquis take care of the military affairs, and we won't cause any more trouble!"

Chai Jingcheng immediately objected.

The war on the front line is still far away from Guilin and will not affect this side for a while.

It was different from issuing weapons to the exiled rebel soldiers. These guys were distributed in garrisons all over the place, and there were more than 100,000 prisoners of war in Guilin alone.

If anything goes wrong, he won't be able to clean up the situation.

“Master Chai, you worry too much.

I don’t have the habit of asking for help without permission!
These prisoners of war were originally exiled here to serve as soldiers and guard the border. My suggestion is just to let them perform their duties.

Whether or not to adopt it depends on the decision of the Marquis.

As for worrying about them causing trouble, there is no need to worry.

There are so many prisoners of war exiled to Guangxi. Have you ever heard of any unrest?
Because too many people are involved, their nine clans have not all been exiled here, but people will be sent here eventually.

There were only a very small number of prisoners of war who had no worries at all.

Just keep these few elements under strict supervision."

Jabo responded calmly.

No local official likes the family members of traitors.

No one would hesitate to send these unstable elements away.

For the local gentry, the departure of these people just made room for them.

The presence of family members gives prisoners of war a weak spot.

No one would dare to make trouble unless they were forced into a desperate situation.

After all, they were all criminals and had only been exiled once.

If a serious crime is committed, the whole family will be killed.

……

(End of this chapter)