Fu Shanhe

Chapter 561 Choice
Beneath the walls of Xuzhou, at the Tatar royal court.

"The Great Chanyu, the righteous alliance has sent an envoy, hoping to join forces with us to attack Dayu."

Erd reported with a ruddy face.

Compared to previous trips south, this one was undoubtedly the smoothest.

The Yu army in various places did not surrender without a fight, but they also did not put up any decent resistance.

They marched from Shanhaiguan all the way to Xuzhou Prefecture, and except for a few days' delay when attacking the capital, they basically swept through the rest of the country.

They were initially worried about breaking through the Jianghuai defense line, but unexpectedly, allies came to their doorstep as soon as the battle began.

"A rebel alliance?"

"Could it be those rebels?"

"Why would they want to form an alliance with us?"

Hugjil asked, full of doubt.

Although both sides share a common enemy, it does not mean that they are friends with the rebel alliance.

Because of their constant turmoil in the northern frontier, all the forces within the Great Yu territory dislike them.

He had even sent someone to contact Li Mu, hoping that the two families could join forces to divide up Dayu.

As a result, the alliance failed to reach an agreement, and instead, the messenger's head was received.

Even the Liaodong garrison, which controlled a region, only pretended to be friendly with them before the rebellion.

It wasn't until their defeat on the battlefield that the remnants of their forces joined them.

Not only did these warriors dislike them, but the scholars did as well.

Unless a knife is held to their throat, very few people will willingly seek refuge with them.

At first, he tried to win them over, but after experiencing more, he understood the essence of the problem.

Their bad reputation is one thing, but more importantly, people don't believe they can conquer the world.

After the myth of the invincible Manchus was shattered, the Tatar Kingdom paid a heavy price for its several invasions to the south.

With a small population to begin with, and no overwhelming victories on the battlefield, it was naturally unconvincing.

Speculators just like to speculate; they're not crazy.

"Great Chanyu, those rebel kings haven't been having an easy time lately either."

The northern lands have been devoured by these locusts. If they cannot break through the Yangtze River defense line soon, they will not be able to support their troops.

Other forces dare not cooperate with us, mainly because they are concerned about our reputation.

But these rebel kings are different; their reputation within the Great Yu territory is almost as high as ours.”

Erd explained with a smile.

The rebel army was a mixed bag, with no sense of secrecy whatsoever, and many problems were laid bare.

With just a little effort, it's easy to find out their current situation.

Both are anti-Yu forces and are notorious, making them perfect partners.

"Ha ha……"

"It seems the heavens have forsaken the Great Yu!"

"Erde, I hereby authorize you to negotiate with the rebels."

As long as they are willing to start a major battle to disperse the Yu army's forces, we can agree to whatever demands they make.

"What you can't deliver on, just stall for time. We'll talk about everything after we've crossed the Yangtze River!"

Hugjil gave the order with great enthusiasm.

After so many years of fighting in the north and south, he is now over fifty years old.

In this day and age, that's considered quite old.

No matter how much care you take for your health, it's not as good as it used to be.

If this southern expedition fails, there will most likely be no next one.

Like many powerful rulers, he did not want to leave trouble for the next generation.

His intuition told him that if he didn't seize the opportunity to take over the world now, he would have even less chance later.

……

Java Island.

"Lord Zhang, are you sure these appointment documents were all issued by the Ministry of Personnel?"

Meng Jun'an couldn't help but question him.

In the blink of an eye, they went from being officials in the capital to local officials.

Being transferred to an outside post is fine, but if it's to a key position, then that's acceptable too.

Unfortunately, the official position given by the Ministry of Personnel, apart from appearing prestigious, was utterly useless.

He was either an instructor on one island or a school administrator on another.

Not only were their ranks low, but the locations where they were assigned to their posts were also increasingly remote.

If this were in mainland China, they would resign on the spot upon seeing such an appointment.

How could a great Confucian scholar be subjected to such an insult?

Unfortunately, this is Java, and they are unfamiliar with the place, so nobody buys their ideas.

They wanted to leave by boat, but they had no money in their pockets.

The silver he carried with him had long been spent, and he was left with a mountain of debts at the local government office.

"Lord Meng, would anyone dare to forge official documents from the imperial court?"

Zhang Yunze retorted irritably.

He was naturally aware of the inside story of official appointments.

The cabinet made a deal with their own lord to keep these people in Southeast Asia, so they wouldn't have to go back and cause trouble for them.

However, the documents issued by the Ministry of Personnel were all blank; the specific allocation of official positions was still decided by the Annam Protectorate.

Knowing full well that these people were troublesome, Li Mu naturally couldn't give them important positions.

Giving these official titles of instructor and school director is purely a waste of resources.

The islands where they served had not yet established official schools, and few people on the islands were literate.

He was an official in name only, but in reality, he was just an empty shell.

Their only business is to teach literacy to the local people.

"That's unreasonable!"

"absurd!"

"This is an insult to civility!"

……

"My lords, please calm your anger!"

"Perhaps the court has made a mistake. You might as well submit a memorial to inquire about the situation, or ask your acquaintances in the court for information."

As for the matter of appointments by the Ministry of Personnel, I am truly powerless to do so.

Seeing the group of grumbling scholars, Zhang Yunze added insult to injury without any expression.

Their current predicament is entirely their own doing.

During their time on the island, these self-righteous Confucian scholars led their students to nitpick and find fault everywhere.

They criticized the Annam Protectorate's governing philosophy as utterly worthless.

They were just talking, so he couldn't really do anything about it. He just secretly reported their words and actions to his superiors.

The harsher the criticism, the worse the assigned work location.

On the contrary, officials who supported the Protectorate's ideology were assigned to relatively good posts.

Since it is retaliation, the place of employment and official rank will naturally not be linked.

It's not obvious now, but once we get there, we'll find that some islands where the third-rank scholar holds office have only a small village.

As for why village-level administrative units can be equipped with provincial-level academic officials, they can only reflect on that themselves.

In any case, the Annam Protectorate would not assign them officials. If they wanted to live the extravagant life of officials, they would have to pay for their own people.

As for a salary, that's out of the question.

As is well known, the Great Yu court liked to issue paper money as salaries.

That stuff couldn't be circulated at all in the Annam Protectorate; it could only be used as fuel.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the Protectorate General's office simply stopped issuing official allowances. If they wanted to make money, they decided to open their own "official school"!

If you don't want to work, you can wait for your family to send money to pay off all your debts, and then you can take a boat back home.

"Lord Zhang, the appointment date on this document is too tight. Could you please grant us some more time?"

Kong Songlin asked with a solemn expression.

While everyone was cursing and swearing, he astutely noticed a huge hole in the dates of appointment on these official documents.

According to the laws of the Great Yu Dynasty, it was a serious crime for an official not to arrive at his post on time.

Now that they've all gathered together, they can discuss any issues that arise.

Once separated and alone in an unfamiliar environment, that's a tragedy.

"Lord Kong, I am truly powerless to help you unless I refuse to give you face!"
The appointment documents of you gentlemen clearly state that you shall depart immediately upon receipt of the official documents to assume your posts.

As is customary, when the Ministry of Personnel issues personnel appointments, all levels of government offices will keep backup records.

If someone takes it too seriously, it can be a troublesome matter.

I can only buy you a day at most. Everyone, please complete any necessary preparations as soon as possible!

Zhang Yunze pretended to be embarrassed and said.

As the world situation became increasingly chaotic, the status and position of great Confucian scholars also declined sharply.

Two or three years ago, if he had met these people, he would have at least addressed them as "sir".

At this moment, calling someone "adult" sounds impressive, but it actually indicates a "business as usual" stance.

"Humph!"

"What if we don't leave?"

Seeing that his request was rejected, Kong Songlin was also enraged.

He was a great Confucian scholar, always a respected guest wherever he went, but he suffered a setback on Java Island.

Not only did I have to bear all the expenses myself, but now I can't even stay a few more days.

To put it nicely, it's just a one-day delay; in reality, it's just informing them to set off tomorrow.

"Lord Kong, the imperial court's orders must be carried out!"

Zhang Yunze replied with a gloomy expression.

He could ignore the orders of the Nanjing imperial court, but the orders of the Protectorate General's Office had to be carried out.

These people dared to come and criticize the imperial examination system of the Protectorate General, which meant that we were not on the same page.

Since we're on the opposite side, there's no need to be polite.

There's no need to worry about offending anyone; these people will never get ahead in the Annam Protectorate.

As for the imperial court, whether the Great Yu Empire would still exist after they returned to the mainland was unknown.

Faced with the general trend of the world, no matter how they try to fabricate stories, they can't change anything.

……

Nanjing City.

Having no time to pay attention to the Confucian scholars cursing in Southeast Asia, the cabinet members were staring blankly at the letter of appeal for help in their hands.

"News from the front lines has arrived that the rebels and the northern barbarians have joined forces, and the battle lines have been stretched once again."

With the fall of Ezhou, Xiangyang became an isolated city.

Luzhou Prefecture, Anqing Prefecture, Xuzhou Prefecture, and many other places were simultaneously attacked by enemy forces, and the defending troops in various places sent letters requesting reinforcements.

The Yangtze River defense line is in grave danger. If any of these strategic locations were breached by the enemy, it would cause us enormous trouble.

We must come up with a plan today to figure out how to deal with this.

"Lord Shi, as the Minister of War, you are most familiar with the situation at the front. Why don't you share your opinion first?"

Wan Huaijin broke the silence by speaking first.

The situation in the empire took a sharp turn for the worse, and those in power also became aware of the crisis.

Reason told him that if the front lines could not be stabilized quickly, the Great Yu Empire would be in danger.

Based on historical experience, once the enemy forces cross the Yangtze River, Nanjing will be very difficult to defend.

The matter of moving the capital can only be done once, not twice.

The fall from Beijing to Nanjing significantly diminished the authority of the imperial court. If Nanjing were to be lost as well, imperial power would inevitably decline further.

For the past year or two, they've been in power, so even if they wanted to shift the blame, they didn't know who to pin it on.

"Prime Minister, morale is low, and the team is difficult to lead!"

"The main reason for the complete collapse on the battlefield was the collapse of morale; the officers and soldiers had no desire to fight."

The data reported by each town shows that their troop strength is relatively intact and they are not completely without the ability to fight.

The defeat on the battlefield was more like a deliberate retreat to preserve strength.

The only way forward now is to summon the Marquis of Hanshui to raise an army to defend the king; only then can the tide be turned.

Shi Qingchen answered with a serious expression.

A nation in crisis longs for capable generals.

As the situation has developed, the name "Li Mu" has almost become a taboo subject in the imperial court.

Those who once vehemently criticized Li Mu for abusing his military power have now turned their guns on him, angrily accusing the cabinet of monopolizing power and forcing away a pillar of the nation.

His flexible political stance has caused turmoil throughout the government and the public.

Without the eunuch faction doing the dirty work, and since they were all concerned with their reputation, there was really nothing they could do about these upright officials.

"inappropriate!"

"Leaving aside whether the Marquis of Hanshui is willing to send troops, we haven't even given an explanation for all those messy things that happened before."

If the Marquis of Hanshui doesn't care, how can his arrogant and fierce generals not care?

If things go wrong and turn out badly, it'll be a huge problem!

Bai Jinwen hurriedly objected.

Li Mu was severely criticized not long ago. If Shaanxi hadn't fallen into the hands of the rebels, his ancestral graves might have been destroyed by those scholars.

There were a lot of poems criticizing and denouncing the situation, and although there was a major reversal in the end, it was too late to undo the damage.

The idea that a subject should die for his master was very popular in the Great Yu Dynasty.

When the Qingliu River is at its most turbulent, people occasionally "accidentally fall into the water and die."

Those who had served under Li Mu knew that he would secretly retaliate, so how could his trusted generals remain silent?

In politics, there's often no turning back once something is done. If they were to actually raise an army to defend the emperor, I reckon every member of the Qingliu Party would be going to mourn.

People dying is a minor matter; what's truly worrisome is when a bunch of innocent people die, failing to solve the problem and instead escalating the conflict further.

After all, the allure of founding a nation is too great, and the weaker the court appears, the more it will stimulate the enemy's ambition.

If they act more aggressively, they will directly confront the Marquis of Hanshui. At that point, even if the Marquis doesn't want to rebel, he will be forced to raise an army.

Whether they are willing to admit it or not, the former pillars of the empire have now become the biggest destabilizing factor in the Great Yu Empire.

"Lord Bai, summoning the Marquis of Hanshui to lead troops to defend the king certainly carries certain risks."

At least the people targeting him were the Qingliu Party; His Majesty didn't get involved, and we didn't kick him when he was down.

The Li family has some familial ties with the royal family, and no matter how the situation develops, they won't go too far.

Upon hearing Shi Qingchen's words, the room fell silent instantly.

If a change of dynasty is unavoidable, it would certainly be better for the country to fall into the hands of the Marquis of Hanshui than into the hands of rebels or northern barbarians.

Even if dynasties change, members of the same ruling camp cannot be completely wiped out.

To protect his reputation, the Marquis of Hanshui would most likely continue to treat the former imperial family favorably.

"Lord Shi, this is a very poor strategy, and should only be used as a last resort!"
The situation is dangerous, but the empire is not yet doomed. We must do everything in our power to turn the tide!

Wan Huaijin decisively rejected the idea.

While a "playing dumb" approach can effectively resolve a crisis, it also has very serious long-term consequences.

The emperor was young and unable to take responsibility for the fall of the country, so all the blame was placed on him.

In the future, in the history books, although they may not be as prominent as Qin Hui and Zhao Gao, they will still have to sit at the same table as the likes of Cai Jing and Jia Sidao.

Historical experience shows that few former high-ranking officials with tarnished reputations met a good end.

On one hand, the new emperor was worried about the restoration of the previous dynasty and wanted to purge the forces loyal to the previous royal family; on the other hand, there was retaliation from the former officials of the previous dynasty.

Since tragedy is inevitable, why not take a gamble?

(End of this chapter)