Fu Shanhe

Chapter 585 Strategic Pressure
"My lord, the situation in the southwest has changed!"

"The Duke of Qian's mansion suddenly launched an attack, seized control of the Yunnan Provincial Governor's Office, and forcibly took over the power of local officials."

The promises they made to us before are now subject to change.

Xiang Xinghan rushed in to report.

Yunnan is mountainous with few plains, which was not desirable in the agricultural era. In addition, its remote geographical location meant it was never the center of contention for power during times of chaos.

Throughout history, dynasties typically only considered resolving the Yunnan issue after pacifying the Central Plains.

After Li Mu raised his army, he continued this strategy, prioritizing the capture of strategically vital areas such as Huguang and Jiangnan.

A policy of appeasement was adopted towards the Duke of Qian's mansion, which occupied Yunnan.

Given the relationship between the two families, the Duke of Qian's mansion was very cooperative in trying to win over Li Mu.

In addition to promising to help stabilize the southwestern border, they also sent 30,000 troops to participate in the war.

For a poor province that cannot be financially self-sufficient, being able to do this already shows sincerity.

"Why did the Duke of Qian's mansion suddenly seize power? Has the reason been investigated?"

Li Mu asked with concern.

Theoretically speaking, the power grab by the Duke of Qian's mansion was a dispute with the local government of the Yu Dynasty, and had nothing to do with him, the Marquis of Hanshui.

As long as it does not affect the cooperation between the two parties, it is not considered a breach of contract.

However, some things cannot be simply understood on the surface.

As local lords, their status was inherently sensitive, especially during periods of dynastic change.

As a former official of the previous dynasty, even if you have connections with the new royal family, you still need to keep a low profile.

In this special period, what the Duke of Qian's government needs is not to fight for power and profit, but to strive for a perfect transition of power.

Jumping out at this point to overturn the table is tantamount to exposing one's own ambitions to the public.

A quick glance at the map reveals that Yunnan is surrounded on three sides by Li Mu's territory, forming a strategic encirclement long ago.

Even if they successfully seize power, with their meager resources, they are not qualified to participate in the power struggles of this chaotic era.

"The matter happened very suddenly. The current Duke of Qian has been in power for two years, and there has been no change of power within the organization recently."

From intelligence gathering to analysis, it seems the Duke of Qian's mansion felt the situation was unclear and wanted to increase its leverage.

It cannot be ruled out that the current Duke of Qian has lost his mind and wants to take advantage of the Jiangnan war to expand his power and challenge us.

Xiang Xinghan answered calmly.

Upon receiving the news, he immediately reviewed the intelligence regarding the Duke of Qian's mansion.

As one of only two local vassal states in the Great Yu Dynasty, the Duke of Qian's mansion has been rooted in Yunnan for over three hundred years, making it truly deeply entrenched.

As the de facto ruler of Yunnan, all major decrees of the local government had to be submitted to the Duke's Mansion for review first.

Without the Duke's approval, local officials can't get anything done.

After the fall of the Great Yu Empire, the Duke of Qian's mansion also lost its shackles.

Now that he has stepped out from behind the scenes and into the limelight, seizing military and political power in the province is naturally effortless.

However, Li Mu has no right to criticize this issue.

When it comes to arrogance and domineering behavior, what he, the Marquis of Hanshui, did was far more outrageous than what the Duke of Qian's family did.

At least they left behind local government offices, giving the imperial court enough face, while he even controlled the appointment and removal of local officials.

When officials of the Annam Protectorate were promoted or transferred, the Ministry of Personnel could only register and file the records.

Because many government agencies were established by Li Mu himself, and because they were different from the political system of the imperial court, they often did not even have a record.

The imperial court had no idea how many troops the Annam Protectorate had or who its main generals were.

Every now and then, they would go out and conquer a country. Many times, the war would be over before the court even knew what had happened, and the other country's delegation would have to come to the capital to complain.

More often than not, the mission would be wiped out before it even reached the capital.

Such arrogance and domineering behavior naturally led to his impeachment by the censor.

The lack of significant disruption was partly due to the help of the nobility, but more importantly, it stemmed from the court's insufficient attention to the Annam Protectorate.

In the eyes of the scholar-officials, those barbaric little countries were not even human.

Everyone was too busy fighting amongst themselves to care about things happening thousands of miles away.

Later, as the Annam Protectorate developed, the imperial court was either calling on Li Mu to save its life or on its way to do so.

The only lifeline is forgiveness; no matter what has happened, everyone has no choice but to forgive.

After all, Li Mu was only causing trouble overseas, not domestically, so it wouldn't affect anyone's interests.

Few people truly care about things happening thousands of miles away.

For censors, impeachment was often just a job task.

Among all the officials in the court, there were very few who truly wanted to fight him to the death.

On the contrary, the Duke of Qian's mansion faced even more impeachments, and the local officials serving in Yunnan never stopped their underhanded tactics.

"Just send someone to keep an eye on things. If the Duke of Qian's mansion wants to cause trouble, let them cause trouble to their heart's content."

If necessary, someone can be arranged to guide them to send troops to attack Guizhou and Sichuan.

Despite the imperial court's continuous efforts to reform the system of replacing local chieftains with centrally appointed officials, the power of the chieftains in the southwest region still remained to some extent.

Let them make a scene; it'll be a good opportunity to resolve these problems.

Li Mu said expressionlessly.

Although he did not establish a state or declare himself emperor, Li Mu's way of thinking was also transforming into that of an emperor.

As long as the Duke of Qian's mansion doesn't attack his territory, he can do whatever he wants in the southwest region, he doesn't care.

Making a big fuss about it is even better; it will not only make it easier to eliminate local forces, but also save the title of a hereditary duke.

Real nobles and nominal nobles are two completely different concepts.

No one wants to see a state within a state existing under their rule.

Especially after its territory expanded to the Indian Ocean, Yunnan, which was originally a border region, has now become the heartland of the empire.

Even if we keep the Duke of Qian's mansion for now, we must find a way to get rid of them in the future.

It wasn't that he lacked tolerance; it was purely for the sake of maintaining the stability of the empire.

Not only the Duke of Qian's mansion, but all families with deep ties to the previous dynasty could not hope to seize power in the early days of the new dynasty.

Even if they choose sides in time, they will have to remain silent for a generation after the war ends, diminishing their influence.

Those who don't understand this point, no matter how illustrious their achievements, will never escape unscathed.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will take care of it immediately and will absolutely not allow the Southwest issue to affect the battle on the front lines!"

Xiang Xinghan immediately assured him.

The officers and soldiers on the front lines wanted to make a name for themselves, and these intelligence workers also wanted to prove themselves.

The opportunity to rise to power is within reach. Now, people are not afraid of having a lot of work, but rather of having nothing to do.

……

The Nanjing Imperial Palace.

"Great Chanyu, urgent report from the front!"

"The patrolling soldiers discovered that the anti-royalist alliance is retreating; there's big trouble on the western front!"

Upon receiving this news, Hugjil was completely stunned.

This is more than just a big problem; it's clearly a military assassination.

No matter how weak the anti-king alliance is, having them on the sidelines to keep the grassland coalition in check will alleviate the military pressure on them.

Once the anti-king alliance withdrew, their flanks were directly exposed to the enemy.

The left flank of the loyalist army, now free to act, would certainly not hesitate to pounce and deliver a fatal blow.

If it had happened ten days or half a month earlier, or several months later, they wouldn't be in such a passive position.

At this point in time, most of the grassland allied forces have rushed to the Suzhou battlefield. The limited troops in the rear also have to hold off the invasion of the enemy's central army.

If we want to reinforce the eastern front, the number of mobile forces that can be mobilized in a short period of time is really limited.

"Son of a bitch!"

"This is betrayal!"

"Despicable and shameless traitors, they really can't be brought to the table."

They couldn't seize such a good opportunity and instead rushed to escape.

They deserve to be bandits their whole lives!

……

After continuously venting his anger for half an hour, Hugjil, whose mouth was dry, finally suppressed his rage.

The deed is done, and no matter how much he curses the ancestors of the rebel kings, he cannot shake their determination to escape.

They ran away so quickly without even asking for help, clearly showing they didn't have a positive outlook on the current situation.

"Great Chanyu, please calm your anger!"

"In previous military deployments, due to the existence of the anti-king alliance, the number of troops we deployed on the western front was extremely limited."

Now that our ally has betrayed us, the predicament of insufficient troops on the western front has been exposed all at once.

The most urgent task is to adjust military deployments immediately, leaving no opportunity for the enemy to exploit!

Sarina hurriedly tried to persuade her.

In the adult world, you have to admit when you make a wrong decision.

Knowing full well that the anti-king alliance was unreliable, they still neglected the defense of the western front, which was a strategic blunder in itself.

Originally, the plan was to achieve a quick victory and break through in the southern Jiangsu region before the anti-king alliance and the enemy forces could determine a winner.

Unexpectedly, the anti-king alliance with a million soldiers was so easily defeated and forced to flee by the enemy so quickly.

Once they cross the Yangtze River, the anti-king alliance's ability to contain the enemy will be virtually zero.

Including the local troops from Huguang and Jiangxi, the total strength of Yu's army on the western front should not be less than 250,000.

If reinforcements from Sichuan also arrive, the western front might suddenly see more than 300,000 enemy troops emerge.

I don't know, I was taken aback.

At first, the grassland coalition had the advantage in troop strength, but with the Marquis of Hanshui raising troops, the southern provinces responded actively, and now the balance of power between the two sides has been reversed.

Simply increasing the number of troops is not enough.

No matter how many cannon fodder there are, their combat power is limited, and it will only increase the pressure in the later stages.

However, the enemy was none other than the Marquis of Hanshui, the most skilled general in the world at organizing troops.

Based on past cases, it doesn't take long for a ragtag group to develop into a fighting force once it falls into the hands of the Marquis of Hanshui.

They were already at a disadvantage, and the enemy was fighting on their own soil, where they were more adapted to the local climate.

They lacked all three advantages: favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships.

According to military texts, the best course of action in such a tragic war is to retreat as quickly as possible.

However, no one dared to mention retreating.

The southern expedition has dragged on for so long, and the grassland allied forces have shed too much blood. Now they have no way to retreat.

As a former official of the Great Yu Dynasty, the Marquis of Hanshui wanted to rightfully ascend the throne and become emperor, and avenging the Great Yu Dynasty was the best political slogan.

Even if they retreat all the way back to the grasslands, the enemy will still pursue and kill them.

"Which unit can be transferred to reinforce the western front?"

As soon as Hugjil finished speaking, the scene fell silent.

In order to win quickly, they staked everything.

Only one household remained in Nanjing.

With this small force, they might be able to put up a fight against the once weak Great Yu.

To expect one of the generals under the Marquis of Hanshui to fight thirty men is utterly delusional.

Throughout history, the Heavenly Strategy General has always had only one son.

Even a cavalry-infantry victory could not replicate this kind of triumph.

After all, times have changed.

It is simply impossible to expect a cavalry charge to quickly crush an enemy force that outnumbers them by tens of times.

The biggest difference between elite and ordinary troops is their tenacious fighting spirit.

Even if you manage to break through the enemy's formation, don't expect the enemy to collapse immediately; you're more likely to be surrounded and killed by an enemy force dozens of times larger.

"Great Chanyu, while there is still time, first withdraw troops from the central battlefield and prepare directly for the defense of Nanjing!"
Currently, our main offensive is on the eastern front. As long as we maintain our position on the central and western fronts, there is no need to compete with the enemy for temporary advantage.

Of course, we could also consider transferring troops from the Jiangbei area.

However, the local situation is still unstable, and a large army is needed to quell the local unrest.

If troops are diverted, it could easily lead to civilian unrest!

Shu Jinglun offered his advice with a nervous expression.

In the Tatar dynasty, his status as a surrendered official was not high.

Despite their nominal high rank and power, they often have no say in high-level military meetings.

If it weren't for the many valiant generals in the army rushing to the front lines to command the battle, he wouldn't have dared to speak up so easily.

I was forced to speak out at this time purely because of the situation.

The current battle situation shows that the grassland coalition is being led by the nose by the Marquis of Hanshui, which is exactly the kind of strategic crushing that the Marquis of Hanshui excels at.

From a purely local perspective, even if the participants reviewed the situation afterward, they could not find any mistakes they had made.

It seems like there are no major problems with every troop deployment, but in the end, we always suffer a crushing defeat.

The White Lotus Rebellion, which occupied half of Dayu back then, was forced to its death step by step in this way.

Now that the Tatars have taken their place, the course of the war remains unchanged.

Shu Jinglun strongly suspected that if the Tatars continued to follow the script set by the Marquis of Hanshui, they would collapse completely in less than a month.

"Lord Shu, do you know what you're saying?"

"Contracting troops along the central front to fight the Battle of Nanjing is political suicide!"

Sarina immediately objected.

They were located in Jiangnan, which only had two prefectures, so their influence over the southern provinces was very limited.

If we were to engage in another strategic retreat, it would be seen by the Guifang and Yu people as a sign of impending defeat in the war.

The Tatar dynasty itself was a cobbled-together empire.

Besides the Tatars, who formed the main body of the army, the troops composed of surrendered Guifang and Yuren soldiers were also an important part of their military force.

If the hearts of my men are scattered, I won't be able to lead the team!

If they are not careful, the cannon fodder of the Yu people they have just recruited will choose to defect.

"This humble official is of limited talent and knowledge, and this is the only suggestion I can come up with."

"My lord, if you have any brilliant strategies to defeat the enemy, please do not hesitate to share them!"

Shu Jinglun answered, barely suppressing his anger.

In the past, he had never suffered such humiliation.

But when you're under someone's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.

Out of embarrassment and anger, he got angry for a moment.

(End of this chapter)