Fu Shanhe

Chapter 58 The troops are approaching the city
After fooling the personal guard camp, Li Mu did the same thing again in other camps.

This was the first time he had drawn such a small pie since he took office.

Li Mu felt a little embarrassed to be sought after by so many soldiers.

It is not an easy task to cut off five heads on the battlefield.

Especially when defending a city, it is even more difficult to obtain the enemy's head.

The most important thing is to cut off five heads of enemy soldiers and survive the war intact.

The more stringent the conditions and the smaller the pie, the more it reflects authenticity.

The wisdom of the grassroots people is so simple and plain.

"Sir, I just received news that the enemy is less than thirty miles away from Yangzhou City and is expected to be at the gates of the city tomorrow.

My Lord, please go over and discuss matters immediately!"

The messenger's words brought the morale-boosting journey to an end.

"Got it. I'll change my clothes and come right over."

Li Mu replied calmly.

What is coming will eventually come, and the fact that the rebels have been procrastinating until now has been beyond his expectations.

From a military perspective, after the rebels captured Taizhou, they should have immediately attacked Yangzhou.

With every day that passes, the defenders will be more prepared.

A big city like Yangzhou must be taken in one fell swoop.

Once it becomes a war of attrition, by the time the imperial court reacts, the offensive and defensive situations will be reversed.

……

"How are your preparations going? Can you stop the rebels' attack?"

Marquis Wuyang asked with concern.

Delegating power to his subordinates does not mean that he, as the commander-in-chief, will turn a blind eye.

He has always paid close attention to the preparations of his generals for war.

Everyone's military knowledge comes from word of mouth from their ancestors, which is not the same in itself. When it comes to specific application, there is a world of difference.

Some choose to enforce strict military discipline, some choose to mingle with the soldiers, and some choose to keep promising the soldiers good things.

The only thing in common is that everyone is strengthening military training.

It is difficult to tell who is better or worse at the moment, but they both look like that.

"Please rest assured, Commander. We have made sufficient preparations and will be able to keep the enemy out of the city!"

Tang Jincheng spoke first.

The military deployment had already been decided long ago, and it was too late to adjust it now.

"Commander-in-chief, Captain Tang is right.

The rebels are nothing to be afraid of. As long as we prevent the enemy from colluding with us from both inside and outside, we can keep Yangzhou safe!"

Zhao Yawei said slightly unhappy.

In recent days, several large households have been competing with each other privately.

In particular, the East City Thousand Households and the West City Thousand Households competed most fiercely for the ranking of the first Thousand Households of the Five Cities Military Department.

The two of them often competed over the order of speaking in the command center.

There were rumors circulating privately that the imperial court intended to reorganize military affairs in the southeast.

We must select elite troops and generals and station them in the southeast to strengthen control over the southern provinces.

Generally, this kind of gossip from within the noble group is only released after a decision is made from above.

I’m not sure about other regions, but a lot of space will definitely be vacated in the Lianghuai region.

After seeing the wealth of the salt merchants, everyone no longer had any objection to staying in the south to work.

For the several thousand households present, it is not difficult to seek an official position. If you want to get a good position, you still need to fight for it yourself.

The internal ranking of the Five Cities Army is not just an empty title, it also represents tangible benefits.

According to the unspoken rules of officialdom, the commander of the first thousand-household office is also ranked first in the promotion order.

"Commander-in-chief, to boost morale.

I suggest that we prepare some reward money first. If a soldier cuts off the enemy's head, the reward will be paid on the same day!"

Li Mu suggested.

Compared with the two major thousand-household offices in the east and west, the South City Thousand Household Office is far inferior in strength. Directly participating in the competition for the first thousand-household office would only make people laugh.

Just because there is no chance of competing in military strength doesn’t mean there is no other way.

Being higher in the promotion order is just one of the reference factors.

Personal military achievements are also an important reference factor.

In a battle to defend a city, it is difficult to achieve outstanding results.

Li Mu did not expect himself to stand out in this regard, but it was still necessary to make some small suggestions to increase his presence.

He was really tired of the days of being controlled by others in the capital.

The life of local generals is still comfortable, as they can be the masters of their own affairs on their own small piece of land.

The prerequisite is to choose a good place to work!
If we go to remote areas, just feeding the soldiers would be a life-threatening matter.

The phenomenon of drawing empty salaries was widespread in the Dayu army. Not all generals were extremely greedy, but most of them were forced to do so.

The military pay allocated by the imperial court was insufficient, so the government had to rely on self-financing.

The border troops are strong in combat effectiveness, not only because they are on the front line, but also to a large extent because their pay is more secure.

In addition to the imperial court's funding, border generals' participation in foreign trade smuggling was also an important source of income.

Compared to the north where many generals gather, the competition in the south is obviously smaller.

As long as you develop some industries, you can live a comfortable life.

"Can!
I will first give you each a reward of 10,000 taels of silver. If you want more silver, you can exchange it for your heads."

Marquis Wuyang made the decision without blinking.

When he arrived in Yangzhou City, he was also enlightened.

A mere tens of thousands of taels of silver could no longer move him.

……

At dusk, the vanguard of the rebels finally arrived at the city of Yangzhou.

"Mr. Zong, is this the starry night attack on the city you mentioned?"

Looking at the tired soldiers sitting on the ground everywhere, Huang Renlong asked unhappily.

Facts have proved that scholars are indeed unreliable.

It sounds reasonable when explained, but in practice, they become two completely different concepts.

According to the plan made in advance, he should have ordered a surprise attack on Yangzhou City at this time.

But the soldiers in front of him clearly did not have the strength to attack the city.

The 30,000 carefully selected soldiers abandoned all their baggage and supplies, and set out on their journey carrying only dry food, accomplishing the feat of marching 50 miles a day.

The price was that more than 10% of the troops fell behind, and the soldiers who caught up were also exhausted.

“General Huang, the main reason is that these soldiers are too weak.

When you were selling salt, you led your team to travel a hundred miles a day and there was never any trouble.

In order to avoid government troops, it was common to travel at night.

These soldiers have only marched fifty miles and they are already so tired. They are obviously physically exhausted."

Zong Guangtai couldn't help but defend himself.

I think he was well-versed in military books, and when he was in Taizhou, he was able to command the army in battles smoothly.

Unexpectedly, the first plan just after leaving Taizhou encountered a major setback.

"Forget it, it's not your fault, sir.

Pass the order down, set up camp here, and attack the city tomorrow!"

Huang Renlong, who suffered a setback, instantly realized that the troops under his command were far from elite level.

After reason regained the upper hand, most of the arrogance that had been accumulated dissipated on the spot, and he became polite to Zong Guangtai.

(End of this chapter)