Fu Shanhe

Chapter 77 Political Stand
The military meeting ended, but five captains stayed.

There is no love or hate without reason in the world. Just because they dislike someone is not enough for them to choose to betray their teammates.

Those playboys may not have much ability, but they have powerful backing.

Even if they were sent by the higher-ups to be killed, there are still considerable risks in selling them like this.

Especially for the commander-in-chief Wuyang Hou, if his generals suffered a defeat, he would also be implicated.

"The bait has been released. You guys must be prepared for what happens next!"

Marquis Wuyang said with a serious expression.

To lure the enemy, we always send a small force.

He searched through all the military books but couldn't find such a strategy where the bait troops were larger than the main force.

But several of his commanders vowed to do just that.

War is not only military, it is also political.

If we send a temporary battalion alone and the whole army is wiped out, it will be difficult to trace them.

The situation was different after joining forces with the soldiers from Yangzhou.

An army of 7,000 strong could still suffer a crushing defeat, which means that one incompetent general led to the death of the entire army.

With a negative example, everyone can send troops to help with revenge afterwards, which can better demonstrate their own abilities.

"Don't worry, Commander. After this period of hard work, the East City Thousand Households Unit has expanded to 1,500 people, all of whom are selected brave men.

The strength of several other thousand-household offices also grew rapidly.

These soldiers have seen blood. Compared with two months ago, our strength has changed dramatically!"

As soon as Zhao Yawei's words came out, four of the five thousand households smiled.

The defense of Yangzhou was not fought in vain.

Soldiers with outstanding performance were all recruited by them, and each unit made great progress in both quality and quantity.

Everyone was deeply resentful of the Nanjing Military Department, largely because the amount of armor they sent was insufficient, which affected everyone's military expansion.

Captain Su on the side was embarrassed because he didn't go to the front line and the people assigned to his command were just a bunch of rabble.

The expansion of the army also depends on personal connections, and it was only by begging for alms from four families that we were able to gather a thousand people.

Fortunately, the strength of the North City Thousand Households has always been at the bottom among the Five Cities Military Departments, so it doesn't matter if it is ranked last again.

“Just be clear in your mind, I am not a harsh person.

We can choose not to fight the next battle, once it starts.

Then you can win, but you can’t lose! "

Marquis Wuyang said sternly.

Perhaps it was because he had stayed in the military camp for too long, his aura was obviously much stronger than before.

However, everyone present dealt with each other frequently and did not feel deeply about this subtle change.

"Don't worry, Commander. The rebels have suffered a great defeat and morale is low right now.

Out of ten points of combat effectiveness, only four or five points can be exerted at most.

On the other hand, our army had just defeated the main force of the rebels, and the morale of the troops was at its highest.

Seven thousand combat troops plus a large number of auxiliary troops, facing a group of demoralized rabble, how can they not win! "

Tang Jincheng said arrogantly.

Military morale is built through fighting. The Battle of Yangzhou suffered heavy casualties, but that was only suffered by the rebel side.

Due to insufficient prior preparation, the hastily made siege equipment was only barely usable and caused very limited damage to the defenders.

The government troops suffered less than a thousand casualties, and after being dispersed to various units, it was completely painless.

The ones who suffered the heaviest losses were the suicide squad that launched the night attack.

However, the person died outside and the crowd did not witness it with their own eyes, so the impact was not that deep.

In everyone's eyes, there was only the reward money given by the higher-ups.

“Don’t count the auxiliary troops, Yangzhou City cannot be left unguarded.

It is not difficult for seven thousand soldiers to defeat a group of rabble in a field battle; the biggest challenge is how to lure them out.

so……"

Li Mu just smiled and said nothing. You can sell out your teammates, but you can never say it publicly.

If you want the enemy to leave the city for a decisive battle, you must give them a chance to win.

Elite troops cannot do this kind of work.

"My Lord, Lord Xu's motorcade has appeared outside the city."

The military meeting was interrupted by the news brought by the guards.

There has been a saying since ancient times that kings do not meet each other. It is not a good thing for two imperial envoys to gather in the same city at the same time.

On one side was the commander of the Five Cities Army who held a large number of troops, and on the other side were important officials of the cabinet.

Once a conflict occurs between the two sides, it will be absolutely disastrous for the officials below.

However, the officials of Yangzhou Prefecture did not have such worries. They all stayed in prison, waiting for the decision of fate.

"Humph!"

“Not early, not late.

I just solved the problem and now I'm here to pick peaches. Xu Wenyue is so shameless! "

Seeing their boss getting angry, everyone lowered their heads.

The battle between the big guys is not something that small fry like them are qualified to participate in.

In terms of real power in his hands, Marquis Wuyang cannot even compare with a cabinet minister.

"Pass the order down, and everyone should pretend they know nothing.

Anyone who dares to go out of the city to greet you will be in trouble with me.

All of you keep a close eye on me. If you find anyone secretly communicating with the surname Xu, you will be charged with the crime of instigating a rebellion!"

Li Mu was shocked by Marquis Wuyang's order, as it was clear that he was going to fight to the end.

What prompted him to make this decision was undoubtedly the confidence brought by his military achievements.

"My Lord, Lord Xu's coming here at this time is definitely not just to fight for the dominance of Yangzhou.

The salt merchants in the prison and the officials in jail must be dealt with as soon as possible!"

After hesitating for a long time, Li Mu finally chose to take side.

No matter how powerful Lord Xu is, Marquis Wuyang is his direct superior.

In order to counter the pressure from the civil service group, nobles and relatives have been banding together for some years and cannot betray their own interest groups.

"My Lord, Captain Li is right.

Lord Xu left the capital in a sedan chair carried by eight men. He was moving very slowly along the way, and suddenly he changed to a horse-drawn carriage and sped up. It was obvious that he was here with ill intentions.

We must deal with both ends cleanly and leave him no handle!"

Zhao Yawei echoed in a slightly flustered tone.

They are all children of noble families, and the reasons why Li Mu took sides apply to him equally.

Deep in his heart, he directly greeted Li Mu's entire family.

It's really despicable. During normal meetings, everyone speaks in order.

He was distracted for a moment and was overtaken by others.

There is no point in regretting it. When it comes to political stance, the first and the second have completely different meanings.

As soon as the two of them started speaking, the remaining three thousand households followed suit and stated their positions.

“You guys are right, we really can’t leave any hidden dangers.

As a minister, I should share your Majesty's worries.

But everyone was in prison, and if they all died at once, there would be no way to explain to the court.

After Lord Xu takes over Yangzhou, I will lead troops to quell the rebellion.

Civil officials are not familiar with military affairs, so if a rebel sneaks into the city and rescues his imprisoned accomplices, it would be quite reasonable."

After hearing Marquis Wuyang's hint, everyone looked embarrassed.

This letter of allegiance is not easy to handle.

But Marquis Wuyang also involved Emperor Tianyuan, so even if everyone didn't want to do it, they had to do it.

(End of this chapter)