Fu Shanhe

Chapter 586 The chaotic battlefield

"Okay, I have made up my mind!"

"Contract our lines and prepare for the defense of Nanjing!"

Seeing signs of internal strife, Hugjil immediately made a decision.

Unlike other officials who surrendered from the Yu Dynasty, they could be recruited again after they died.

Even someone like Shu Jinglun, the "chief of traitors," still possesses value in united front work.

Regardless of their personal abilities or conduct, the fact that they're standing there makes them representatives of the "pure stream" faction.

As the largest political group promoted by the gentry, recruiting the Qingliu Party would help to appease the local people as quickly as possible.

They're not useful now mainly because their territory is too small, and in order to raise funds, they can only resort to extortion and levies.

Once the loyalist army is defeated and the country is seized, the situation will change.

When conquering the world, one relies on arrogant and fierce generals.

When it comes to governing the country, the cooperation of local gentry is indispensable.

Having a large influence does not equate to having strong strength.

If he were to get involved in the power struggles within the bureaucracy, Shu Jinglun's verbal tactics would not work in the Tatar Empire.

His group of upright followers have increasingly low political standards, and they would turn against him and betray him within three days.

If their reputation is already bad, and another bunch of scandals are released, then this pawn will be useless.

"Great Chanyu, think it over!"

Sarina couldn't help but offer some words of advice.

Adopting the advice of a surrendered official is not a good sign.

Unlike the irreplaceable military generals, these civil officials were in a much more awkward situation.

He was able to hold a high position back then because there were few scholars among the Tatars.

Those capable of handling routine administrative affairs are even rarer.

With just a little ability, one can rise to a high position.

If we're really talking about personal knowledge, any former official from the Yu Dynasty who surrendered could easily outshine them by a wide margin.

Once the surrendered officials become familiar with the Tatar Empire's methods, it will have a serious impact on those who have benefited from the system.

In fact, in order to better manage the empire, a large number of former Yu Dynasty officials had already been recruited into the middle and lower ranks.

These high-ranking officials are only able to hold their positions because they were promoted early.

When it came to actually dealing with the problems, they were already struggling, relying entirely on their staff to support them.

"How could I not know that doing this would have serious consequences!"

"But a political defeat is better than a military defeat."

Once this war is won, all the negative political repercussions caused in the early stages will vanish!

Hugjil sighed earnestly.

The seemingly bland answer was actually a wake-up call for the internal staff.

No matter how much infighting there is, it doesn't change the fact that we're all in the same boat.

If, unfortunately, the Tatar Empire is defeated and sinks, no one on board will escape.

……

The Suzhou battlefield.

The deafening roar of artillery fire continued incessantly, as if ammunition were free.

As the bugle call sounded, countless soldiers of the grassland allied forces raised ladders and charged towards the city.

One soldier fell, and the soldiers behind him quickly took his place.

To reduce the chances of being bombed, the soldiers participating in the siege tacitly kept their distance.

Even so, under the intense firepower of the defenders, wave after wave of attacking soldiers fell.

The heavy battering ram became the most eye-catching thing on the battlefield, and it was steadily approaching the city gate.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and the battering ram was overturned on the spot by the huge wave of the exploding shells.

The soldiers responsible for pushing the cart were instantly killed or wounded in large numbers.

This is the seventh battering ram destroyed on the battlefield.

Without the slightest hesitation, a new battering ram appeared on the battlefield following the general's order.

Apart from the soldiers attacking the city who were secretly lamenting their losses, everyone else ignored the casualties.

In war, people always die.

Sending so many troops to attack the city was precisely to deplete the defenders' ammunition.

Gunpowder wasn't cheap back then, let alone the high-explosive ammunition used by the enemy, which was even more expensive.

"That scoundrel, Marquis of Hanshui, is really rich!"

Watching the defending troops bombarding the battlefield, Cao Zirui couldn't help but sigh.

According to official information obtained by the Dayu Dynasty, one jin (500 grams) of high-explosive ammunition was worth fifteen taels of silver, and even the elite troops of the Dayu Dynasty could only be equipped with a small number of them.

Even if the Marquis of Hanshui, who monopolized the manufacturing technology, took a kickback from the price quote, the cost would still be at least seven or eight taels.

At this rate of warfare, a single salvo from the enemy's artillery would cost thousands of taels of silver.

In today's battle alone, the defending troops fired their artillery at least fifty times, which is equivalent to losing 300,000 taels of silver.

"With the wealthiest province in the Great Yu Empire at its disposal, that scoundrel Li Mu is naturally not short of money."

"But isn't the production of these high-explosive munitions supposed to be very difficult? How come the enemy seems to have an endless supply?"

Nichileg asked in confusion.

It should be noted that their artillery used ordinary ammunition, and after continuous artillery bombardment, the logistics officers kept reminding them to conserve ammunition.

High explosive munitions, which are more difficult and costly to produce, should have even lower production capacity.

As a result, the defending forces have already expended so much ammunition in just their direction; the losses across the entire front will only be even more terrifying.

“Nichilege Wanhu, you don’t know this.”

That scoundrel Li Mu has the most skilled craftsmen in the land under his command.

The Annam Protectorate claimed to have rebuilt China, and its territory was said to be half the size of the previous dynasty.

With such a large area, there's certainly no shortage of raw materials.

With people, technology, and raw materials, the remaining issue is the investment of funds and supplies.

But that scoundrel Li Mu has all three of them!

Cao Zirui said indignantly.

He disliked Li Mu, not because he had any grudge against Li Mu.

In fact, after the Battle of Xuzhou, Cao Zirui, who was then a junior officer, wanted to join Li Mu's ranks.

No matter how many flirtatious glances he threw at her, she ignored him completely.

I prepared generous gifts and visited them many times, but I was never able to meet them.

It's not that they're arrogant; it's simply that there's a huge disparity in their social standing.

If Li Mu were to meet with a surrendered general like him who had been recruited by the imperial court, he would probably be working himself to death.

No matter how generous the gifts were, it was useless, because none of the officials and gentry of the past from Dayu were stingy.

Compared to these subordinates who have higher status and can provide resources, Cao Zirui's value is too low.

If Li Mu wanted to, he could easily promote a bunch of generals who were more capable than him and had a cleaner background.

Since there are better options, valuable political resources should not be wasted on him.

Li Mu refused to accept him, so he settled for second best and joined the civil service group.

This wouldn't have been a big deal, since everyone was in the imperial court anyway, and the strength of their factions didn't affect their decadent lifestyles.

Unfortunately, their good days didn't last long, as the northern barbarians attacked again.

Grateful for the court's kindness, he initially resisted fiercely, but later surrendered to the northern barbarians when he saw that things were going badly.

To his utter surprise, just as he had surrendered to the Northern barbarians, Li Mu raised an army in the south to defend the emperor.

In the blink of an eye, the two factions were engaged in a fierce battle. Unfortunately, he chose the side that was on the defensive.

If he had had the resources of the Suzhou garrison when he was defending Xuzhou and Yangzhou, he could have definitely kept the northern barbarians out of the city.

Who would choose to be a traitor when they could be a hero?

After joining the Northern Barbarians, aside from gaining a marquis title, he didn't receive any substantial benefits whatsoever.

Military pay and provisions need to be solved by ourselves; we can't avoid causing trouble for the local area.

Although his status and position were nominally high, in reality, any Tatar general could boss him around.

Since we can't afford to offend the northern barbarians and can't change the status quo, we can only blame Li Mu.

At this particular moment, criticizing Li Mu was politically correct within the grassland coalition.

"You mean, with our current fighting style, we can't deplete the enemy's ammunition?"

Nichileg asked, frowning.

This battle was already quite difficult, and now the enemy is using cheat codes.

The siege has lasted for several days, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of soldiers. They still haven't reached the city walls, which is enough to prove how fierce the enemy's firepower is.

In order to breach the city, they also imitated the White Lotus rebels' method of siege warfare using tunnels.

Perhaps due to insufficient technical skills, or perhaps due to bad luck, the tunnels they dug either collapsed halfway through or were flooded by the river.

All previous efforts have been wasted; now we have to start all over again.

“That’s right, Nichileg Wanhu.”

"That scoundrel Li Mu, though detestable, is still quite capable."

Whether governing a region or leading troops into battle, he was a first-rate leader in his time.

The garrison commanders in the city were all trained by him, so their abilities couldn't be too bad.

"If the enemy didn't have such ample ammunition reserves, they would never dare to squander it like this!"

Cao Zirui answered affirmatively.

You can criticize Li Mu however you want, but saying he's bad will definitely cause problems.

In the last ten years or so, the war between the Tatars and the Great Yu Empire was essentially a war between the Tatars and the former subordinates of Li Mu.

The Tatar generals are the best judges of the enemy's fighting strength.

If there are exceptions in individual units, then it's not a big deal.

The key point is that the soldiers brought out by Li Mu's old subordinates are generally quite capable in combat.

If it weren't for the many people in the court who were sabotaging them and allowing these generals to act freely, the Tatars would still be eating dirt outside the Great Wall right now.

"We're in big trouble!"

"Something happened on the western front. Those bastards from the anti-king alliance withdrew, and the imperial court was forced to shrink its battle lines."

The Great Chanyu has ordered us to accelerate our offensive and capture Suzhou Prefecture within this month!

"Nichileg said in a deep voice."

With the Battle of Nanjing about to begin, this information could not be kept secret.

Rather than letting the generals below speculate, it's better to tell them the answer directly.

Marquis Hanshui was of high moral character and integrity. Even if a surrendered general like Cao Zirui led his troops to defect again, he would only be able to return home to farm while bearing the infamy.

It's impossible for him to get a high-ranking official position and a generous salary.

Li Mu has cultivated too many generals over the years, and there are enough people to lead troops in battle. The internal structure is so tight that it's impossible for a traitor to rise to power.

If your background is tainted, no matter how capable you are, it's useless.

Moreover, Cao Zirui's abilities were not so great as to overwhelm all the generals of his time.

The fact that no lobbyists have come to try and turn the country during this war speaks volumes.

"What? We'll take Suzhou this month?"

Cao Zirui couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The situation deteriorated faster than he had anticipated.

The decisive battle between the two sides had just begun when a bizarre scene unfolded: each fighting their own way.

The next contest between the two sides will be whether the loyalist army will capture Nanjing first, or whether the grassland allied forces will seize Suzhou first.

For some reason, Cao Zirui always felt a chill down his back.

Reason told him that since the Marquis of Hanshui had made a move, it wouldn't be that simple.

"Nichileg Wanhu, the situation is not good. We cannot shrink our battle lines now!"

"As soon as the troops at the front move, the enemy will immediately rush up."

The slightest misstep could turn a retreat into a complete rout!

Cao Zirui hurriedly reminded him.

The scene was all too familiar; the Liaodong rebels were routed during their retreat.

The steppe allied forces were simply stronger because they had more cavalry, but they were still bound to collapse under the enemy's firepower.

He was willing to bet that if the allied forces dared to retreat, the enemy would launch a fierce attack.

Since the main force was not in the center line to begin with, once the enemy launched a full-scale attack, the army would most likely not be able to withstand it.

With the western front wide open and the central front collapsing again, who would defend Nanjing?
If Nanjing were lost, even if they achieved a breakthrough on the eastern front, it would be of no real significance.

"Strategic decisions are none of your business; the Great Khan will make the decisions himself!"

Nichlerge immediately reprimanded him.

A surrendered general is a surrendered general; he's only been given a little respect and he's already dreaming of turning his life around.

The Tatar Empire's decisions could only be made by the Tatars; no surrendered general was allowed to interfere.

When it comes to such matters of principle, he must state his position.

……

Ying Tianfu.

Just as Cao Zirui had feared, the grassland allied forces in the central region had just begun their retreat when they were met with a full-scale attack from the enemy forces in the Ningguo Prefecture area.

The rearguard troops were routed by the enemy in a single encounter.

To be precise, it shouldn't be described as being broken down, but rather as being terrified into collapse.

With no other option, the Tatar leadership, in order to preserve their strength, entrusted Shi Shichang with the crucial task of covering the rear.

If the leader conserves his strength, the underlings will naturally follow suit.

He arranged for a 30,000-strong cannon fodder force to cover his retreat, while Shi Shichang led his own elite troops to flee.

The rearguard troops also performed admirably.

If the enemy dares to attack, they dare to collapse.

As soon as the battle began, a large number of deserters appeared, almost surrendering the position.

The objective of delaying the inevitable was not achieved, which prevented the entire steppe coalition from completing its withdrawal.

The troops that lagged behind were caught off guard and fiercely attacked by the loyalist army, suffering heavy losses.

The roar of artillery fire had ceased, and sporadic musket shots became the main melody on the battlefield.

In an effort to salvage the situation, the Tatar general hastily dispatched cavalry to join the battle.

I used to think that cavalry could easily defeat infantry, but times have changed.

Upon discovering the tracks of the steppe cavalry, the nearby Yu soldiers had spontaneously gathered together and formed a new military formation.

Before the cavalry could get close, the Yu soldiers pulled the triggers first.

As the gunshot rang out, the steppe cavalrymen charging ahead let out a scream and fell off their horses.

Faced with volley fire tactics, dozens of cavalrymen fell in the blink of an eye.

The heavy casualties sent a chill down the spine of the cavalry commander leading the troops.

The two sides were only a hundred paces apart, yet the casualties were already so high.

If they really charge in at any cost, his thousand-strong team will be wiped out.

(End of this chapter)