Fu Shanhe

Chapter 563 Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign
"Commander, something terrible has happened!"

"The city is broken!"

Upon hearing the advisor's shouts, Du Yuhan, who had just woken up from his sleep, was completely distraught.

"Stop shouting, I'm not deaf!"

Why were the city walls so easily breached?

"What is Wang Ziqian good for?"

Faced with Du Yuhan's questioning, Master Zhou was dumbfounded.

Upon receiving news of the city's fall, he rushed over to report immediately, without having time to understand the full story.

"Commander, what time is it now? Why are you still concerned about these things?"

"The city has been breached by the enemy, which is a given fact. The most urgent task is to return to Nanjing as soon as possible to report to the court. The process of the city's fall is not important!"

Master Zhou forced an explanation.

The fall of a strategic location like Anqing Prefecture would certainly warrant accountability from the imperial court.

If we don't figure out the whole story, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we get back.

Even with a reasonable explanation, one can still be held accountable.

The best way to get out of this mess is to find a scapegoat.

The responsibility for the fall of the city should either be borne by the commander-in-chief or by the lord.

Whoever gets back to Nanjing first will have the initiative in explaining the situation.

"Ok!"

"Immediately summon your personal guards to escort me and my family across the river!"

Once Du Yuhan regained his senses, he immediately gave the order.

However, this order surprised Master Zhou.

While leading a large army on a campaign, the families of the commander-in-chief were all stranded in Nanjing. What family did he have to worry about?

Just as he was about to ask further, he was glared at by Du Yuhan's murderous gaze, and he instantly understood.

There are no legitimate family members, but the master has taken in eight concubines, two of whom are pregnant.

"The students will arrange it immediately!"

Master Zhou answered quickly, but in his heart he was cursing.

While the generals and commanders were away on campaign, they lived like ascetics, but the master of the house was enjoying a life of singing and dancing.

He frequented brothels and entertainment venues, and kept sending concubines into his household one after another.

At least one-tenth of the military funds allocated by the imperial court were used to pay for the extravagant lifestyle of their own masters.

The Ministry of Revenue's embezzlement, coupled with the embezzlement by officials at all levels in the military, meant that less than half of the full amount of military pay reached the soldiers.

The new army, nominally well-fed and well-paid, was actually malnourished from its inception.

While things were under the watchful eye of the imperial court, the cabinet paid close attention to the training of the new army, so no one dared to go too far.

After the army set out on its expedition, the treatment of officers and soldiers began to decline steadily.

……

"withstand!"

"You absolutely have to hold out for me!"

"Drive the enemy out of the city, and I will personally recommend you for credit!"

To boost morale, Wang Ziqian shouted enthusiastically.

The fate of Anqing Prefecture was closely related to his official career.

From a garrison commander to the governor of Southern Zhili, his career has been on a meteoric rise in the last two years.

Even the military generals from the noble aristocracy, who had achieved great military exploits, did not rise as fast as him.

Political resources cannot be given away for free; the cabinet's high regard for him requires a return.

"Admiral, something terrible has happened!"

"Commander Du has fled with his men!"

The news brought by the guards infuriated Prince Qian.

The morale of the defending troops was already low, and then the leader of the army led the way in deserting.

With such incompetent teammates, it's impossible to win a battle.

Even if they manage to plug this gap, Anqing Prefecture will soon be captured by the enemy.

"Pass down the order: abandon Anqing Prefecture, and have each unit take turns providing cover during the retreat!"

Without a second thought, Wang Ziqian decisively issued the order.

Compared to the gains and losses of a single city or region, the army is the foundation of a military general's career.

The border troops are the best example. After losing the capital, they went straight to Shandong and became bystanders.

The entire court was enraged, but due to their control of a large army, the matter was ultimately dropped.

Originally, Prince Qian was loyal to the court and would unconditionally execute any order, no matter what it was.

But his current predicament has chilled his heart.

If the cabinet truly trusted him, they shouldn't have sent Du Yuhan as the supervisor, causing him trouble.

You should know that when those noble military generals went on expeditions, the imperial court never sent commanders-in-chief; at most, it would send one or two supervisors.

Although they both seem to be forms of supervision, they are completely different in nature.

The Grand Coordinator holds supreme military and political power and is the highest commander. No matter how high the rank of a military general, they can only obey his orders.

The supervisor's authority was primarily supervisory.

Except in a few extreme cases, most military supervisors do not interfere with the military command of front-line generals.

If no one causes trouble, I can't guarantee anything else, but at least defending the city shouldn't be a problem.

……

Nanjing City.

"I just received news that Anqing Prefecture has fallen."

This was another piece of bad news received by the imperial court after the fall of Xuzhou.

The main reason for gathering everyone here is to discuss how to retake Anqing from the rebels!

Grand Secretary Wan Huaijin spoke first.

Du Yuhan, who was in charge of guarding Anqing Prefecture, was recommended by him.

Given what happened, he, as the prime minister, cannot escape blame.

To avoid being targeted, he decisively chose to take the initiative and steered the conversation toward the recapture of Anqing Prefecture.

"Grand Secretary, the court has always attached great importance to the defense of strategic locations like Anqing."

In recent years, we have also allocated funds on several occasions to repair the city's defenses.

Anqing is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and controls the narrow Yangtze River waterway to the south. Waters such as Shimen Lake and Pogang Lake form a natural barrier, making the terrain easy to defend and difficult to attack.

As a strategically vital location, it would be impossible to capture Anqing Prefecture without paying a heavy price.

To defend Anqing, the imperial court deployed a full 30,000 elite troops, but they couldn't even hold out for two months.

What does Du Yuhan do for a living?
"Is the imperial court's massive investment just for him to drink and womanize?"

Left Censor-in-Chief Shu Jinglun was the first to raise the issue.

While seemingly criticizing Du Yuhan, the attack was actually aimed at Grand Secretary Wan Huaijin.

He recommended him, and now that he's made a mess of things, he naturally has to bear joint responsibility.

Even offering to defend him was impossible; as the commander-in-chief appointed by the imperial court, failing to defend Anqing Prefecture was a serious crime in itself.

Unfortunately, Du Yuhan was also morally corrupt. At the critical moment when Anqing Prefecture was facing a crisis, he not only failed to take any remedial measures, but also ran away with a group of concubines.

Rumors always spread very quickly.

Before Du Yuhan even returned to Nanjing, his reputation as the "Wine and Women Supervisor" had already spread throughout the city.

While there were certainly people pulling the strings behind the scenes, the main problem was Du Yuhan's inappropriate behavior, which gave others a handle to use against him at a crucial moment.

"Du Yuhan is naturally to blame for the fall of Anqing Prefecture."

However, we can put the issue of accountability on hold for now.

The importance of Anqing Prefecture is something everyone knows.

Xuzhou Prefecture has fallen, Huai'an Prefecture is teetering on the brink of collapse, and the Battle of Yangzhou is about to begin.

The rebels and the northern barbarians have colluded. If we cannot retake Anqing Prefecture, then the Yangtze River defense line will be rendered useless.

Once the enemy forces cross the Yangtze River, both Southern Zhili and Huguang will have to face their onslaught directly.

Let's all ask ourselves honestly, with our current military strength, can we really hold them off?

Wan Huaijin responded without changing his expression.

As a seasoned politician, he knew very well that following his opponents' tactics would be political suicide.

To avoid direct confrontation, he simply brought up the overall strategic situation.

This matter concerns the life and death of the imperial court; to continue to relentlessly attack a disgraced official would be utterly insensible.

"The Grand Secretary is right. The most urgent task is to discuss how to retake Anqing Prefecture. Everything else can wait."

As for Du Yuhan, he'll be thrown into jail first, and we'll see what happens to him later!

He Zheng then followed up. Theoretically speaking, after Wan Huaijin was brought down, he, as the second-in-command, could naturally take over the position.

But the Great Yu Empire right now is a huge mess.

Whoever sits in the position of Grand Secretary is the person primarily responsible.

He wasn't tempted at all by this hot potato.

……

Beneath the walls of Yangzhou, at the Tatar royal court.

"Great Chanyu, the rebel alliance has sent an invitation, hoping that we can send troops to participate in the crossing of the river."

After hearing Erd's report, everyone fell silent.

Despite the seemingly triumphant advance of the allied forces in the southern campaign, they have actually paid a considerable price.

Especially after they reached the Jianghuai region, the humid climate made them very uncomfortable.

With summer approaching, crossing the Yangtze River at this time would inevitably involve enormous risks.

But riding across the Yangtze River is the biggest goal of this southern expedition.

The gains from these few prefectures in Guangjiangbei were greater than the profits from their sweep across the north.

If they could cross the Yangtze River, the results would be even more fruitful.

More importantly, after they fought their way to Yangzhou, some local gentry were willing to cooperate with them.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of politics knows how crucial it is to gain the cooperation of local powerful figures in their conquest of the country.

"What do you think?"

Hugjil glanced around the room and then asked.

It's clear that this usually decisive and ruthless chieftain hesitated when it came to deciding the fate of his people.

Launching the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign at this time would undoubtedly be a huge gamble.

Success grants you a ticket to conquer the world; failure means a humiliating retreat back to Liaodong.

A dragon in troubled times cannot afford to fail.

War is not only about victory or defeat, but also a battle for hearts and minds.

It is human nature to attach oneself to the strong; whoever has the strongest military power can win more supporters.

The more supporters you have, the greater your chances of winning on the battlefield; this is a positive cycle.

vice versa.

"Great Chanyu, the rebel alliance has captured Anqing Prefecture, which is equivalent to unlocking the key to cross the Yangtze River."

By cooperating with them, we can complete the crossing of the river campaign in the shortest possible time and take a crucial step towards destroying the Great Yu Empire.

If we miss this opportunity, crossing the Yangtze River on our own will not be easy!

Nichileg was the first to state his position.

Northerners are not good at naval warfare, and those from the grasslands fared even worse, rarely even encountering major rivers.

Without external assistance, leading a group of landlubbers across the Yangtze River sounds incredibly unreliable.

While partnering with the rebel alliance carries risks, it is generally less risky than going it alone.

"Ok!"

“Nichileg is right, now the arrow is on the bowstring and must be released.”

General Shi, the task of leading the way across the river is entrusted to you.

In addition to my own troops, I, the Chanyu, will dispatch 30,000 Guifang cavalry and 30,000 Goguryeo auxiliary troops to support your operation.

After a moment's thought, Hugjil made a decision on the spot.

As the Tatar Kingdom has developed to this point, in addition to its own elite troops, it also has a vassal army composed of other ethnic groups.

The Yu Dynasty people, the Gui Fang people, and the Goguryeo people stood in a tripartite balance, together forming the auxiliary military system.

This southern campaign was fought more by auxiliary troops than by the Tatars.

Because they fought within the territory of the Yu Dynasty, the losses of the Yu people's army could be quickly replenished, and they gradually began to grow in size.

Despite the political means employed to divide them internally, Hugjiltu remained extremely wary.

The main reason for sending the Liaodong army to the front lines at this moment is that their expansion speed is too fast.

"The general will get the order!"

Shi Shichang readily agreed.

The military is not a place for bargaining. Since the boss has specifically asked for my name, there is no room for refusal.

To reassure the Tatar leadership, he didn't dare hesitate for even a moment.

But deep down, he was already cursing.

After capturing Anqing Prefecture, crossing the Yangtze River was easy; the difficulty lay in what followed.

The southern expedition went so smoothly not only because the morale of the Yu Dynasty army was low, but also mainly because of the conflict between the Marquis of Hanshui and the Nanjing court.

But once you cross the Yangtze River, the situation will change.

No matter how angry the Marquis of Hanshui was, he couldn't possibly watch them occupy the Jiangnan region.

They might just wipe out the Great Yu, only to have someone else come and steal their spoils.

The Tatars could not possibly have been unaware of these hidden risks.

The decision to launch the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign was based on confidence in the company's own strength, but also on the desire to weaken the enemy's forces.

Along the way to the south, he gradually gathered tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers, and his total military strength exceeded 100,000.

It should be noted that the Tatar Kingdom's elite troops numbered only around 100,000.

As a surrendered general with so many troops under his command, it was inevitable that he would be suspected.

The problem was that the rapid expansion of the army was not his intention, but rather something the Tatars forced upon him.

Although his troops seemed to be growing rapidly, he couldn't stop the Tatars from constantly infiltrating his army.

These troops were nominally under his command, but in reality they were divided into several factions.

Even though I know I've been wronged, I can only endure it.

The Shi family, burdened with the infamy of "regicide," had long since embarked on a path of no return.

……

As the sun rose in the east, under the cover of artillery fire, the rebel alliance launched the river-crossing campaign.

Anqing is the dividing line of the Yangtze River. The river widens rapidly in the downstream area, but the Anqing section is relatively narrow.

The river is currently less than a kilometer wide; simply deploying artillery on the city walls would be enough to block the Yangtze River.

Faced with the sharp artillery fire, the Yu army's navy, which rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, suffered heavy losses instantly.

"Boom!"

"Aim and fire, you bastards!"

"Anyone who hits an official warship will be promoted two ranks!"

Gao Yunliang gave the order with great enthusiasm.

After more than a year of fighting with Yu Jun, they still failed to cross the Yangtze River, and the rebel alliance almost collapsed from within.

After capturing Anqing Prefecture, today has finally brought a turning point.

Compared to the forced crossings of the river in the past, with the cover of shore artillery, the government navy no longer had the invincible momentum it once had.

Watching the first row of bamboo rafts successfully cross the Yangtze River and engage in battle with the defending troops on the opposite bank, Gao Yunliang felt refreshed and invigorated.

If I had known things would unfold this way, I should have concentrated my forces to attack Anqing sooner, instead of fighting to the death with the government troops in Xiangyang.

Of course, this was just his imagination at the moment.

If we were to attack Anqing Prefecture ahead of schedule, the government troops' defensive forces would definitely not be so small.

Without the northern barbarians to tie down the main force of the government army, the military strength of the Guangyi Army Alliance would only be able to take a beating.

The imperial court did not concentrate its full efforts to suppress them, mainly because the northern provinces had become a mess.

Once the lost territory is recovered, a large sum of money must be invested in reconstruction.

The imperial court was in financial difficulty and could not afford this expenditure; otherwise, they would not have been living so carefree until now.

"Leader, the Tatar troops have set off and are expected to arrive in Anqing Prefecture in three days."

Upon receiving this news, Gao Yunliang's good mood vanished instantly.

He invited the Tatars to send troops earlier because he was not confident that he could cross the river alone.

However, the situation has changed. Yu Jun's navy is not as powerful as expected, and can be contained by the cannons on the city walls.

The defending troops on the other side of the river were hastily assembled and their combat effectiveness was negligible.

At this moment, the Nan'an court's military strength is depleted. Once they cross the Yangtze River, they can sweep across the land.

Their alliance with the Northern Barbarians was purely for personal gain.

Today's ally may become tomorrow's enemy.

Now that they have crossed the Yangtze River on their own, they are naturally unwilling to share their spoils with their allies.

"Tell the Tatars that we have successfully crossed the Yangtze River, and they don't need to come anymore!"

……

(End of this chapter)