Fu Shanhe

Chapter 584 Battle of Suzhou
"I know very little, only some hearsay, and most of it cannot be verified."

If you brothers pay close attention while you are in the Northwest, you will be able to find out about it.

The only certainty is that one of the three kings of the White Lotus Sect successfully established a kingdom in the Western Regions.

It is said to have a population of several million and a territory several times larger than Shaanxi.

Hearing that the world was in chaos, they also wanted a share of the spoils and sent people to contact the rebel army.

Unfortunately, a powerful nation further west suddenly launched an attack on the Western Regions, disrupting their strategic plans.

With their base of operations threatened, the idea of ​​joining forces naturally fell through.

Gao Yunliang admitted frankly.

These are all publicly available information; it just takes some time to gather them.

His decision to withdraw from the Central Plains was, in fact, a move he had no other choice but to make.

The fighting on the front lines was so bad that it extinguished his ambition.

Conquering the entire country is too difficult, so we can only settle for second best and strive to establish a separatist regime.

After discussing with his confidants, they realized that staying in the territory of Dayu was a dead end, and only by going to the Western Regions could they have a chance of survival.

When you arrive in a foreign country, you need to have the ability to establish yourself successfully.

"Alliance Leader, we know nothing about this, which might be a bit difficult!"
If these places are truly desirable, why haven't so many dynasties throughout history brought them under their rule?

King Tianyun asked with slight hesitation.

It's clear he's interested in heading west.

However, with so little information at hand, it's difficult to make a decision right away.

"Ha ha……"

"If we knew everything, would we even have a chance to go and seize territory?"

"As for why previous dynasties in the Central Plains did not unify those regions, that is pure nonsense."

The Southeast Asian region was not brought under the rule of the Central Plains dynasties.

Before the Marquis of Hanshui raised his army, we all regarded that area as a wild and uncivilized land.

However, in the past ten years or so, the Marquis of Hanshui has relocated millions of people to that area, opening up vast farmlands.

Even though it bordered on the Western powers, it was still able to mobilize more than 300,000 troops from the local area, which is enough to prove its wealth.

If Central Asia was poor, then who would the merchants on the Silk Road sell their goods to?

If we seize this opportunity, perhaps we can emulate the Marquis of Hanshui and rebuild China in Central Asia!

Gao Yunliang said with a proud expression.

He might not know about other things, but he never relaxed his attention to Li Mu.

While highly confidential intelligence is difficult to gather, publicly available information is still readily available.

With a ready-made example in mind, his advisors suggested that he go to the Western Regions and Central Asia to establish a separatist regime, which allowed him to make a quick decision.

"The leader is right, there is definitely a vast world to be found in Central Asia."

If everyone feels the conditions are too harsh, they can continue fighting westward.

We were the losers in the struggle for supremacy in the Central Plains, but surely we can handle dealing with a bunch of barbarians!

The King of Jin was the first to echo this sentiment.

To leave Dayu and establish a separatist regime in a remote border region was exactly what he had expected.

Even if the conditions are poor, it doesn't matter. The hardships and toil are borne by the common people, while those in power continue to live a life of peace and prosperity.

The most urgent thing is to run away as soon as possible. Once the enemy catches up with you, it will be difficult to escape unscathed.

"boom!"

"Fine, I'm outmatched, I admit defeat!"

"Count me in if I go west after returning north!"

The King of Slaughter slammed his hand on the table and said.

Having witnessed the might of the loyalist army, he completely forgot about his dreams of becoming a king or conqueror.

Right now, all he wanted was to run far away, as far away from the loyalist army as possible.

If it weren't for the boats used to cross the river, most of them would have been in the hands of the alliance leader, Gao Yunliang. After the defeat that day, he led his troops and fled.

Bandits, by nature, fight when they can win and run when they can't.

Staying behind to fight to the death is out of the question.

In the blink of an eye, the group of rebel kings who had been hesitant all chose to "return north".

As for whether or not to travel to the Western Regions and seek a living in Central Asia, that's a matter for the future.

……

Nanjing City.

Looking at the casualty figures compiled by various departments, Hugjil's heart was bleeding.

Before the decisive battle even began, thousands of warriors from the tribe fell to enemy fire, including a commander of ten thousand men.

If the casualties of the coalition forces are included, the total number of casualties exceeds six thousand.

According to the feedback data, half of these losses were directly caused by enemy artillery fire, while the other half were unexpected losses caused by the chaos that ensued in the battalion.

Fortunately, the shelling occurred during the day; if it had happened at night, it might have triggered a riot.

Of course, if the enemy is shelling at night, there is no way to aim.

Even in the dark, with indiscriminate firing, not so many shells would have landed in the camp.

"waste!"

"Knowing full well that the enemy has the advantage of a navy, you still set up camp along the river, aren't you just handing them live targets?"

"Since we're going to send people to their deaths, let's just do it cleanly."

Next time, let's just connect all the camps into one large area and let the enemy burn it all down!

Hugjil couldn't help but curse angrily.

Compared to the loss of troops, the blow to morale is even more troublesome.

They were on the defensive the whole time, and their limited attempts to retaliate resulted in only a single, loud bang.

In any case, judging from the post-war results, not a single enemy warship was sunk.

"Great Chanyu, please calm your anger!"

"The Allied forces are too numerous, and the generals have chosen to camp along the river, also taking into account the drinking water problem."

The current change is mainly due to our misjudgment of the enemy navy's firepower.

Based on our previous experience fighting the Jiangnan navy, the shore artillery we deployed along the river was actually sufficient.

I never imagined that those lumpy iron boats could float on the river without sinking!

Sarina offered a tactful suggestion.

The incident has already happened, so pursuing accountability is pointless.

In order to enhance its strength, the size of the grassland coalition has been constantly expanding.

Nanjing, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou are all located on the banks of the Yangtze River, making it impossible for them to completely avoid the threat of the enemy navy.

If it weren't for the military camp taking the blows, then other areas of the city would have suffered.

In any case, it is impossible to give up more than ten miles of land and let the enemy navy bombard it at will.

In fact, the idea of ​​blocking the river with shore artillery is wishful thinking.

The Yangtze River at this time was not the scaled-down version of later periods; its width along the Nanjing section was a full fifteen kilometers. (From the *Jiangning County Gazetteer*)

"Humph!"

"The reasons are quite valid, but the problem of losing troops and soldiers has not been resolved."

If the enemy navy can come once, it can come a second time.

How should we respond to the next enemy attack?

Hugjil frowned and asked.

Clearly, he didn't intend to make a big deal out of this. The losses were so significant mainly because there was no prior warning.

If they had been prepared in advance, the officers and soldiers would have only one expectation of being bombed, and they would not have panicked when they encountered artillery fire, thus greatly reducing casualties.

The damage has already been done and cannot be undone, but the lessons must be learned.

"Great Chanyu, although we can move the camp back, we still need to station troops to defend the riverbank."

In reality, our coastal artillery not only has a short range, but its firepower is also pitifully weak.

This is not our responsibility; the main problem is that the Yu Dynasty was too corrupt.

Neither the most advanced artillery nor the most powerful high-explosive ammunition could be manufactured by the Ministry of Works of the Yu Dynasty.

The most advanced military production system was entirely in the hands of the Marquis of Hanshui.

The original plan was to take Nanjing and then close the gap in weaponry between the two sides, but now it seems that was just a pipe dream.

If the eastward expansion strategy cannot achieve a rapid breakthrough, we will have to consider our options.

"Jiangnan may be beautiful, but it's not our home!"

Nadam said in a deep voice.

Wherever there are people, there will be factions.

The Tatar leadership held differing views on the issue of marching south to seize power.

Some advocated for a swift conquest of the Great Yu Dynasty, while others advocated for a division of the country along the river, and still others opposed heading south to contend for control of the Central Plains.

Hugjil wanted to unify the world before his death and leave a stable foundation for his descendants, so he chose to support the radicals' proposal to annex Dayu in one fell swoop.

With setbacks on the battlefield, the conservatives who opposed the southward advance could no longer sit still.

Although not explicitly stated, Nadam's proposal still carried a hint of accusation.

“Nadam Wanhu, you are being far too cautious.”

The battle has only just begun; it's still a long way from being decided!
"Why are you in such a hurry to retreat? Where does that leave the face of the Tatar people?"

Arutan Wanhu immediately refuted this.

The outcome of a war depends not only on the strength of both sides, but also on their respective resolve.

If preparations for an escape route are started in advance, it will inevitably affect the generals' determination to fight to the death.

There is no myth that the Tatars are invincible when they have ten thousand men; they do not have much of a psychological advantage over the elite troops of Shangyu.

On the contrary, the loyalist army that fought against them, having followed Li Mu in sweeping across the south, displayed an invincible momentum.

When they were in battle, they were completely unlike other Yu soldiers, who would cower in fear when they saw them.

Even when on the defensive, they are still looking for opportunities to launch counterattacks in localized areas.

Theoretically, the grassland coalition had more troops, but because the battle lines were stretched too long, their numerical advantage was not obvious in actual combat.

In the past, Yu Jun's combat effectiveness would increase significantly after surrendering to them.

But when the enemy changed to the Marquis of Hanshui, the situation changed drastically.

Upon seeing the flags on the other side, the vassal soldiers lost half their courage.

In battle, they were mostly just going through the motions, with no real belief in victory.

In small-scale skirmishes, these problems are not yet prominent.

If the two sides engage in a decisive battle and your teammates suddenly give up, it will be disastrous.

“Arutan, only scholars of the Yu Dynasty value face. Eagles on the grasslands can take it and put it down.”

External factors should not influence our decisions.

A temporary retreat is also for a better offensive.

The odds of winning a decisive battle are completely different depending on whether it's fought south of the Yangtze River or north of it.

The Jiangnan region is characterized by long winters and summers, and short springs and autumns.

Locals often joke that there are only two seasons in Jiangnan.

It's not only hot right now, but it's also the rainy season.

During our time in Nanjing, we've seen more rain than we have in the past three years!
On rainy days, our muskets are useless as fire sticks, but the enemy's muskets can still be operated normally.

The soldiers on the front lines paid a heavy price to bring back a few samples, and they don't even know if they've managed to replicate them.

Given so many disadvantages, what's wrong with preparing a backup plan in advance?

Nadam immediately retorted.

Political stances are not static; people's stances differ at different times.

In special circumstances, radicals can become conservatives, and conservatives can become radicals.

Once Hugjiltu shows any sign of changing his mind, it can instantly influence the political stance of many people.

"Alright, let's talk about this later. Right now, our priority is to defeat the enemy."

Since the enemy has pushed us to this point, there's no need to drag it out any longer.

Nichileg, Erdun, Arutan, and Nadam, I hereby order the four of you to lead your respective troops, along with 200,000 Guifang soldiers and 150,000 auxiliary troops, to launch a full-scale attack on Suzhou Prefecture.

The anti-king alliance won't last long; you must defeat the enemy's right flank army as soon as possible!

Hugjil immediately issued the battle order.

In order to avoid escalating internal conflicts, he decisively chose to shift the focus of the conflicts outwards.

In order to break through the enemy's strategic encirclement, he did not hesitate to gather most of the allied forces and launch an attack on the eastern front of the loyalist army.

The outcome of this battle is directly related to the life and death of the Tatar people.

Not only can't we lose, even a draw is unacceptable.

The enemy forces gathered on the eastern front included not only the enemy's right flank army, but also Yun Xiangwen's troops and reinforcements sent from the Fujian and Zhejiang regions.

According to intelligence gathered, the enemy's total strength is approximately 200,000.

In this eastern expedition, he mobilized almost twice the number of troops as the enemy.

If we cannot achieve a great victory in such a major battle, then the struggle for the world is a joke.

……

Hangzhou Prefecture, the headquarters of the loyalist army.

"Tell Li Sanqi, don't say I didn't give him a chance. The enemy has delivered himself to our door. How much he can eat depends entirely on his own ability."

I don't expect him to annihilate the enemy, but the enemy's encirclement must be made very secure!

Now that the navy has entered the Yangtze River, it shouldn't be idle.

Every now and then, we would cause trouble for the enemy, treating it as a live-fire exercise.

If conditions are right, the Marines can launch a probing landing.

However, their main purpose is to probe and contain; the time is not yet ripe, and it's not their time to make their move.

Upon receiving news of the enemy's troop movements, Li Mu immediately issued combat orders.

The actions of the Northern barbarians were exactly what he wanted to see.

The series of actions taken so far, constantly putting pressure on the enemy, were all aimed at mobilizing the enemy forces.

If the northern barbarians remain entrenched in their positions, it won't be so easy for them to launch a strong attack and capture Nanjing.

Once the battle becomes a decisive one, the Jiangnan Campaign will inevitably become a protracted affair.

Wars are fought with money and supplies; every day of fighting consumes a lot of funds.

The naval bombardment of Nanjing may seem like a great victory, but it was all backed by money.

Every bullet fired and every shell fired by the soldiers required money and supplies.

While armies that have entered the era of firearms may have overwhelming combat power compared to armies that rely on cold weapons, their dependence on logistics will also increase significantly.

To put it bluntly, the amount of ammunition fired by the navy in one day when bombarding Nanjing was enough for the enemy artillery to keep going for a month.

It wasn't that the enemy lacked large-scale artillery equipment; it was mainly their ammunition production capacity that forced them to use it sparingly.

A major battle consumes hundreds of tons of ammunition; in this era, only his troops would dare to do that.

(End of this chapter)