Fu Shanhe

Chapter 382 Beacon
The fall of Ningping Prefecture is a microcosm.

As the rebel army grows stronger, the number of fallen cities continues to increase.

Thang Long City.

“General Xiao, the domestic situation is critical right now, so I won’t waste any more time talking about the truth.

Quickly mobilize troops and reinforce the battlefields.

We must open up the southern passage of Da Yue in the shortest possible time, otherwise southern Xinjiang will be in danger!"

Cui Ziyan said with a serious expression.

There were pirates and rebel forces, which made Dai Viet people in turmoil.

Those who don’t know might think that the Dai Viet Dynasty has reached its end and is about to start a struggle for supremacy among warlords.

As the top leaders of the Yue Dynasty, they knew very well that the current dire situation was entirely caused by the people of the Yu Dynasty.

Whether pirates or rebel forces, they were all mainly people from the Yu Dynasty.

At the critical moment of the war between the two countries, giving them such an attack clearly showed that they wanted to kill the Dai Viet Dynasty.

It is one thing to know, but not be able to say it outright.

The situation was already precarious. If everyone knew that these enemies were all in the same group, the consequences would be even more serious.

People don't surrender to pirates and rebels because they think these forces are not worthy of being dealt with.

If it were the Dayu Dynasty, the situation would change.

If you can't beat them, join them. This is the rule of survival in troubled times.

Once they think they are invincible, a group of people who lead the way will emerge in the country.

Especially in the newly opened areas in southern Xinjiang, there are still a large number of residual forces.

As long as Dayu promises to help them restore their country, those old and young people will become active one by one.

Against this background, it becomes particularly important to open up the north-south channel.

If they move a little slower, the results of their decades of expansion will be destroyed.

Compared with the Dayu Dynasty, their strategic space was already very limited.

Having lost half of the southern border, it was too difficult to resist the Yu army relying solely on the northern Vietnam region.

"Prime Minister, what exactly happened?
Why have so many rebels emerged in the country in just over a month? "

Xiao Yunfan asked with a puzzled look on his face.

After withdrawing from the front line, he was pulled here for a meeting without even having time to rest.

Our understanding of the country is limited to the rampant piracy.

This time, the purpose of returning is also to encircle and suppress the pirates.

But in the blink of an eye, the pirate threat became a secondary factor, and the endless stream of rebel forces caused greater damage.

Countless Dai Viet people were forced to be involved in this chaotic world, and saw the war about to spread to the Hanoi area.

“From the intelligence we have gathered, it is said that the White Lotus prisoners of war held by the Yu army escaped from prison and entered our country.

According to reports from various places, the number of these rebels ranges from tens of thousands to over one hundred thousand.

Wherever they passed, they were like a swarm of locusts.

All families with male children were forced to join the army, causing great damage to the local area.

Cui Ziyan's answer did not satisfy everyone.

Even if the prisoners of war escaped from prison, they would at most flee to the border areas.

How could they suddenly run to the central and southern regions, bringing with them a large number of peasant soldiers and attacking the northern Vietnam region?

Everyone was smart and knew that it was the Yu Dynasty who was pulling the strings, so they tacitly chose to move on from the topic.

“The real situation is more serious than what the Prime Minister said.

These rebels, like the pirates before them, are all very brutal.

Anyone who dares to resist will be killed.

Especially when it comes to treating officials and gentry, they are ruthless.”

Minister of Rites Ruan Yixiu added.

To these big shots, the life and death of ordinary people is not important.

But slaughtering gentry and officials crossed everyone's bottom line.

If we don't suppress it quickly, maybe one day the tragedy will happen to your family.

"My Lords, rest assured that a few defeated generals will not amount to anything.

After the army has rested for a few days, I will lead the troops over and wipe them out completely!"

Xiao Yunfan immediately assured.

After suffering a setback on the battlefield in Yunnan, he urgently needed a military achievement to prove himself.

Suppressing pirates is an achievement, and suppressing rebels is also an achievement.

The reason why we failed to advance into the heart of Yunnan was that the front line was too long and the logistics hindered the combat effectiveness of the troops.

The enemy army held the city walls and refused to come out, so they returned empty-handed.

Now he felt no pressure at all in dealing with a group of rabble.

"Then I'll leave it to General Xiao!"

Cui Ziyan said with a tired look on his face.

Obviously, he had no confidence in quickly suppressing the rebellion.

It’s not that I don’t trust the fighting power of the government troops, but the enemy numbers are too large.

There were pirates and rebels, and all the coastal areas were ravaged.

The navy that was originally defending the Hanoi coastal defense was unfortunately defeated again when it left the port half a month ago and encountered the navy of Yu Army.

On the way back, they were ambushed by pirates and almost wiped out.

The current Dai Viet Dynasty has almost zero coastal defense capabilities.

Faced with the enemy's constant attacks, we were completely passive and took the beating.

His intuition told him that it was a wrong decision for the main force to confront the enemy at Zhennan Pass.

Pirates can come from the sea, the White Lotus rebels can also come from the sea, and the main force of the Yu army can also come from the sea.

The early exploratory attacks made them exhausted.

Once the Yu Dynasty launched a landing operation, it would be really dangerous.

Being aware of a problem does not mean being able to solve it.

The King of Yue had been on the throne for less than a year, and it was time for him to establish his prestige.

Old ministers like them are not well-received.

Raising objections will only make the relationship worse.

Moreover, the long expedition consumed a great deal of money and food, and tens of thousands of soldiers were killed on the front line.

Now that the army has returned to the capital, someone must be held responsible for the defeat of the war.

The King of Yue cannot take the blame, and the generals on the front line don't want to take the blame either.

If the window paper is broken at this time, the blame will most likely fall on him.

The excuse was ready: the domestic governance was in a mess, forcing the army to give up the fruits of victory.

As long as you are thick-skinned enough, you can declare victory.

As long as the official authorities do not acknowledge the loss of troops and generals, it is equivalent to non-existence.

……

Shu land.

Looking at his old brother who fled from Jiangnan to join him, Wei Hao was filled with emotion.

In just less than two years, the once-renowned Holy Kingdom of White Lotus became a thing of the past.

Of the three kings and one emperor in the past, he is now the only one left.

"You mean, Brother Fu's death was due to the betrayal of the Anqing defenders?

But I remember that Fang Mochuan is not that kind of person."

Wei Hao asked with a frown.

It is not strange to choose to betray at the critical moment of life and death.

In the past few years, he has seen too much intrigue.

Those who can betray are mostly those on the periphery.

The core figures of the White Lotus Sect were too deeply involved in the rebellion and would be liquidated even if they surrendered to the imperial court.

This group of people has a very firm stance on the issue of opposing Yu.

"Your Majesty, you can judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart! According to what we have learned, Your Majesty was ambushed by the Anqing garrison after crossing the river.

If they hadn't suddenly stabbed us in the back, we might have broken through the encirclement of the government troops."

Liu Laoxu said frankly.

Deep down in his heart, he was unwilling to believe that Fang Mochuan would betray the rebels.

After setting this bad precedent, it means that unconditional trust is gone.

Including those who came to seek refuge with the King of the East, they may also be subject to suspicion in the future.

But it is a fact known to many people that the Anqing defenders stabbed the rebels in the back.

Even if they don't say it, it won't be long before the King of the East will know.

"Well, things will eventually become clear.

My fellow brothers, since you have agreed to recognize me as the King of the East, let’s work together from now on.

After overthrowing Dayu, everyone will enjoy wealth and glory.

If there are other ideas or solutions, I, Wei, will not stop them.

As long as you don't defect to the Pseudo-Dynasty, we will always be brothers!"

Wei Hao said with a proud look on his face.

If you want to fight for the world, you must respect the wise and humble yourself.

Most of the people in front of me are old brothers from Guangxi.

If we can't even tolerate them, it would be a joke to expect the heroes of the world to come to us.

But he lacked trust in the remnants of Fu Haoxuan.

The fuse of the conflict was deeply buried when the family split up that year.

If the government troops had not launched a fierce siege, these people would not have come to him for help.

Even though they were under each other's roof, these guys still called Fu Haoxuan "Your Majesty".

It is obvious that in these people's minds, the deceased Fu Haoxuan is the emperor, and he is just the King of the East.

"Thank you, Your Highness the King of the East!"

Everyone's responses made Wei Hao frown slightly, but then his brows relaxed.

"The welcoming banquet is ready. Brothers, please follow me to the back hall to have dinner."

He had been ready to confide in others, but at this moment he chose to hold it back.

Since we can't be sincere to each other, just pretend to be together and just save face.

In order to fight against Yu Daye, these people must be used, but they cannot be reused.

Fortunately, Fu Haoxuan died cleanly, and his head was taken away by Dayu and displayed everywhere, so no one had any more thoughts about it.

It would be even more troublesome if it was like the White Lotus Saint Emperor, who disappeared without a trace, either alive or dead.

Even now, there are still people in the rebel army who miss the missing White Lotus Saint Emperor.

“Your Highness the Eastern King, there is no rush for the welcoming banquet.

We came to you not for fame and fortune.

Everyone mainly wants revenge and to overthrow the dark world of Dayu.

We are no match for the villain Li Mu, but we are experienced in dealing with the scholar Xu Wenyue!"

Wu Mu Hou Fang Yuxuan suddenly spoke.

Things like revenge and overthrowing Dayu are all excuses, and the main reason is for treatment.

Today is the first meeting between the two parties, and it is also the best time to negotiate for treatment.

After today, King Dong will have to arrange for someone to contact them privately.

Since the team was formed temporarily, it was inevitable that it would be split up and disintegrated.

There are only a few remaining soldiers. If we stick together, we still have bargaining chips.

If we are separated and dispersed, then when we negotiate again, the terms will be set by others.

For his own benefit, even though he knew that speaking up now might offend Wei Hao, he still took the lead.

Fang Yuxuan didn't think he would encounter a reckoning.

After the Yu army pacifies the south of the Yangtze River, it will surely march into Shu in large numbers.

The State of Chu was gone, and the State of Wu was unable to stop the enemy's offensive. How could the King of the East, who couldn't even handle Shu, stop the main force of the government army?

In his view, Shu was just a temporary stopover.

When the main force of the government army arrives, everyone will have to flee.

As is the law of history - the first uprising is unknown.

The White Lotus Sect took the lead in launching the anti-Yu movement, and they were destined to be the unlucky ones who "pioneered the king".

The King of East, who is still high and mighty today, may have his head hung on the city wall by the enemy within a year.

Naturally, he lacked awe for this boss who could be finished at any time.

"Since you brothers are so experienced in dealing with Xu Wenyue, after you have rested and replenished your energy, go and attack Xu Wenyue's troops.

My request is not high, just take over Chengdu as soon as possible."

Wei Hao dug a hole without changing his expression.

He led the main force and besieged Chengdu for more than half a year, but to no avail.

Since these old ministers of Wu are acting so arrogantly, let them dance!
If we defeat the Shu government army and successfully occupy Chengdu, everyone will be happy.

If we lose the war, we can also suppress their arrogance.

In the days to come, he must devote more energy to Zhenyuan Hou's westward advance.

With so many previous experiences, he knew very well who the biggest threat was.

Once the army of the nobles invaded Shu, his good days would be over.

The top priority is to quickly capture the northern Sichuan region, then seize Hanzhong, lock the northern gate, and create a foundation for splitting off Shu.

His intuition told him that the government troops were about to launch a counterattack.

"Thank you for your trust, His Royal Highness the Eastern King. We brothers will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Fang Yuxuan immediately expressed his opinion.

All promises are empty; only the army in our hands is real.

After fleeing all the way to Shu, it was time to rest and replenish.

Only by restoring our strength as soon as possible can we seize the initiative in the next changes.

"Don't be too quick to thank me. Xu Wenyue's military skills are average, but he is an expert at politics.

The chieftains in Shu were all fooled by him and joined the Yijun Army.

Next, we must concentrate all our efforts to deal with the westward advance of the Pseudo-Dynasty Zhenyuan Marquis, and the support we can provide you is limited.

While conquering Chengdu Prefecture, we must also be careful of the chieftains in western Sichuan.

If possible, it would be best to get rid of them all at once!"

Wei Hao immediately added.

Fang Yuxuan agreed so readily that he couldn't help but wonder if the other party was fooling him.

Xu Wenyue's troops hid in the city, and they only needed to defend in a conventional manner, which could cover up the lack of military command ability to the greatest extent.

It is almost impossible to find the opponent's weakness and recapture Chengdu in one fell swoop.

Over the past year or so, he has tried various means to lure the enemy, but the enemy just wouldn't be fooled.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I understand these questions.

The reason why the chieftains are difficult to deal with is that they have a geographical advantage to rely on in the poor mountains and bad waters.

As long as we fish them out, it will be much easier to deal with them.

When it comes to strategy, those country bumpkins can’t catch up with that old man Xu Wenyue.”

Fang Yuxuan immediately assured.

In fact, before the soldiers got it, no matter what request Wei Hao made, he would agree to it immediately.

These were discussed in advance.

As for other issues, I will consider them slowly after I have recovered my strength.

If Wei Hao had the qualities of an emperor and defeated the troops of Marquis Zhenyuan on the battlefield, they would surrender to him directly.

If we cannot defeat the enemy on the battlefield, all promises are empty talk.

……

(End of this chapter)