Fu Shanhe

Chapter 81 Prison Break (First Order)

"Commander, we must change our route.

At the current marching speed, we might be able to catch up with the army led by Commander Rong tonight.

According to the intelligence collected, the rebels have abandoned many areas and are withdrawing their forces towards Taizhou City.

I suggest that we first recapture Gaoyou Prefecture, and then turn to Taizhou to fight a decisive battle with the rebels!"

Li Mu stepped forward and suggested.

Perhaps it was because he performed too well in the past, or perhaps it was because he was decisive enough to stand on the side at the critical moment, Marquis Wuyang placed extremely high hopes on him.

The position of vanguard officer that all the thousand households coveted fell directly on him.

According to the original plan, all he had to do was follow Commander Rong.

After the main force of the rebels was attracted out by the cannon fodder troops in front, the army took advantage of the situation and rushed forward, defeating the enemy in one fell swoop.

On the battlefield, plans can never keep up with changes.

The great defeat outside Yangzhou had a much greater impact on the rebels than they had expected.

The enemy had lost their courage and had no intention of fighting a decisive battle.

The rebel troops along the way fled when they saw the government army’s flags.

If they continue to hang around in the back, it is estimated that the main force of the rebels may not dare to come out for a decisive battle in their next life.

The plan to lure the enemy failed and the war turned into a violent attack.

Just imagine how scary it would be to attack the enemy city with a bunch of stupid teammates.

A chaos in the rebel camp can lead to a camp cry, and the same can be done by government troops.

That group of stupid teammates may not be able to accomplish things, but they are definitely capable of causing trouble.

"What if we change our marching route and the rebels attack Yangzhou again?"

Marquis Wuyang asked with concern.

He is not good at leading troops in battle, but he can still understand maps.

The three prefectures and seven counties under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture are now all in the hands of the rebels.

The Taizhou rebels have always been regarded as the primary target. In addition to the strong strength of this group of bandits, distance is also an important factor.

In order to recover Gaoyou Prefecture to the north, it would be a huge loss if we lost the capital of Yangzhou.

"Commander, we just need to pretend to move north to confuse the rebels.

Whether or not to fight depends entirely on the circumstances.

At this time, the Beijing army was moving south, and the rebels in Gaoyou Prefecture had already become frightened birds.

We are heading north to support the Beijing camp and attack the enemy from both the north and the south. If we are not careful, the enemy may abandon the city and flee.

If we intercept them on the road, it will be a great achievement.

As for the rebels in Taizhou, they still have Commander Rong's army to support them, so they should be able to hold out for a few more days.

Even if we lose the war, there is still Lord Xu, the backbone of Yangzhou City.

The walls of Yangzhou are strong, and the young and strong people in the city are strong enough to hold out until we can return to rescue.

As long as the main force of the rebels comes out, it doesn’t matter whether the battlefield is outside Yangzhou or Taizhou.”

Li Mu said calmly.

When Commander Rong's troops will collapse depends entirely on how rotten the rebels are.

When two ragtag groups confront each other, any kind of result is possible.

Unlike before, now the Beijing troops are coming to attack immediately, and the rebels are surrounding Yangzhou City again, which has long lost its strategic significance.

Even if they managed to capture Yangzhou, the rebels would not have time to operate.

From the perspective of the generals of the Five Cities Army, the best option is to join forces with the Beijing Camp as soon as possible.

Suppressing the rebels is just a political slogan shouted out by everyone.

The total number of rebels, big and small, in the entire Yangzhou Prefecture was as high as hundreds of thousands.

With only the army of 7,000 people in front of them, no one is so arrogant as to want to wipe out so many enemies.

You may feel insecure in your heart, but you must never show it in front of your boss.

Without everyone's persuasion, given Marquis Wuyang's style, he would rather stay in Yangzhou City and not move.

As a relative by marriage, Marquis Wuyang could refuse credit for the subsequent suppression of the rebellion, but Li Mu and others could not.

We are all young, at the age to start a career, and we have a bright future, so we must come out and fight for it.

The senior leaders of the Beijing Camp are either their elders or their relatives and friends. Looking around, they are all connections.

By following along, you can not only gain military merit, but also learn combat experience and enrich your personal resume.

No one can refuse something that can kill two birds with one stone.

"Well, let's go to Gaoyou Prefecture first.

Notify all units to slow down their marching pace and march thirty miles a day.

If anything happens in Yangzhou, we can go back and rescue in time."

After weighing the pros and cons, Marquis Wuyang made a decision.

Deep down in his heart, he was very clear about the risks of changing the marching route, which was definitely not as simple as Li Mu said.

But he does not need to bear the disastrous consequences of this risk.

The worst situation would be the unfortunate loss of Yangzhou City, which could be recovered later.

At this time, there was still an imperial envoy in charge in Yangzhou City. With Lord Xu's status, he was able to take all the blame.

Of course, he would not let his teammates down like this unless it was absolutely necessary.

Yangzhou is a big city. Once it falls into the hands of the rebels, the whole world will be shaken.

Adverse political influences will shake the foundation of the court's rule.

……

Yangzhou government office.

After bidding farewell to Marquis Wuyang, Xu Wenyue completed the move without stopping.

Like all government offices, the decoration of Yangzhou government office is not luxurious, and can even be said to be a bit simple.

Looking at these ordinary facilities, Xu Wenyue felt extremely relaxed.

It’s better to keep it simple, at least you can avoid being cheated.

What's more, the government office represents power. Moving in here means controlling the power of Yangzhou.

"Sir, the Yangzhou gentry has prepared a banquet to welcome you.

What time do you think is suitable so that we can make arrangements?"

Hou Huaichang asked tentatively.

Yesterday's meeting ended in a bad mood, as Marquis Wuyang was still in the city.

The real boss left today, and everyone's attitude towards Lord Xu changed instantly.

Of course, the most crucial thing is that Hou Huaichang did not dare to report the unpleasant incident that happened yesterday.

If you want to become a qualified advisor, in addition to giving advice, you must also learn to judge the situation.

Xu Wenyue, who went south with a group of servants as guards, seemed very impressive, but in fact, he was just like a lone ranger.

The Qingliu Party officials in Yangzhou Prefecture were either forced to join the bandits, or died at the hands of the rebels, and some were imprisoned in prison.

No matter which part it is, it cannot be used by Xu Wenyue now.

With no one under his command, he had to rely on local gentry to control Yangzhou.

For the sake of his political future, Xu Wenyue could not fall out with the local gentry.

Since the outcome is already determined, any unpleasantness during the process, if brought to the attention of Lord Xu, would only make him appear incompetent.

If the window paper is not broken, the only one who will be embarrassed is him, the master.

"Let's do it three days later. The army has just set out, and it would be bad to hold a banquet now.

Have you figured out the identities of the officials in the prison?"

It can be seen that Xu Wenyue was not enthusiastic about the banquet hosted by the Yangzhou gentry.

For many things, once you miss the first opportunity, you can never go back.

The cooperation between the two sides will continue, but it will be limited to cooperation for the sake of interests and there will be no in-depth friendship.

Compared with these fence-sitters, he cared more about the Qingliu Party members in prison, some of whom were his faction's younger brothers.

Conspiring to rebel is pure slander. We all studied hard for twenty years to get our names on the list of successful candidates.

Even though he has a bright future, he must be crazy to rebel against the court.

These people were imprisoned simply because they had business dealings with the salt merchant group and were involved in a rebellion case.

According to Dayu's political gameplay, the fate of these people depends mainly on the mood of the bigwigs.

If you really want to make a fuss, drag them all out and chop them into pieces. No one is innocent.

If the punishment is lenient, such as demoting the person or reprimanding him, it can be done.

Xu Wenyue was still hesitating whether to lend a helping hand to these people.

After all, a major case of treason had occurred, and the officials in Yangzhou Prefecture would not be able to explain themselves unless a group of them were killed.

"Everything has been investigated. These are the identity information and personal resumes of the criminal officials, as well as the case files left by the Five Cities Military Department.

This time, Marquis Wuyang arrested people without any screening and directly captured all the officials of all ranks in Yangzhou City.

There are certain flaws in the arrest procedure.

However, when it comes to the case of rebellion, these minor issues, even if the censors impeach him, will hardly have an impact on him."

As he spoke, Hou Huaichang took out a stack of lists from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Wenyue.

After flipping through it casually, Xu Wenyue's face quickly turned ugly. The arrested officials were not tortured, but the salt merchants were not so lucky.

Under the torture of the soldiers, the salt merchant confessed a lot of evidence that was unfavorable to the officials in Yangzhou.

What’s even more troublesome is that the Wucheng Bingmasi collected a lot of physical evidence from the homes of these officials.

It is not possible to determine whether they participated in the treason, but many of their actions did provide substantial help to the rebels.

This kind of inference that confuses cause and effect is obviously an over-interpretation and has many flaws.

It just so happens that they are investigating a case of treason, so people think more about it for the sake of caution, and there is no way to say that it is wrong.

If you want to save the person, you must first deny the previous evidence.

"You have come into contact with them. How many of them can prove their innocence?"

Xu Wenyue asked with concern.

The problem of having no one available at hand must be solved as soon as possible.

People transferred in from outside lack local roots and it is difficult for them to play a role in a short period of time.

They wanted to promote him on the spot, but the Wucheng Bingmasi was too thorough. From the prefect to the clerks, they were all sent to jail.

No matter how powerful he was, Xu Wenyue would not dare to employ a group of commoners.

Faced with internal and external difficulties, the best solution is to find a way to rescue some officials who are less involved in the case and set up the government's structure first.

Compared with Huai'an Prefecture controlled by the eunuch party, Yangzhou, which can make its own decisions, is undoubtedly the easiest place to open a gap.

If we can't get the person out here, then there's no hope of getting him out in Huai'an Prefecture.

"My Lord, it may be very difficult to prove your innocence.

Originally, these officials could testify against each other and clear themselves of suspicion together.

But now they are all in prison, and their testimony can easily be considered as accomplices.

The imperial edicts, tiger talismans, official seals, dragon robes, and armor that the Wucheng Military Command found are all fatal evidence.”

After listening to Hou Huaichang's explanation, Xu Wenyue's head suddenly started buzzing.

Even if someone really wanted to rebel, they would not keep such bizarre physical evidence in their home. The signs of frame-up are too obvious.

But because of his identity, he cannot object to the evidence.

The things were seized from the homes of these officials in full view of the public.

No one can tell exactly who put it in there.

Maybe the people from the Wucheng Bingmasi knew, but they certainly wouldn't come to reconstruct what happened on the scene.

"Come on, come with me to the prison. I want to see who is so bold as to frame an honest man like this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a burst of shouting and killing coming from the direction of the prison.

"Master, something terrible has happened!
Some rebels have sneaked into the city and are now attacking the prison.

The soldiers who stayed behind couldn't hold on, so they sent someone to ask for your help."

The housekeeper's breathless words scared Xu Wenyue half to death.

Fortunately, he did not rush to the prison. If he had been a little faster, he, the current prime minister, might have died.

The rebels didn't care about his status. From the moment they raised the flag of rebellion, they embarked on a path of no return.

"Hurry up and send someone to bring Marquis Wuyang back!"

Xu Wenyue made a prompt decision and gave the order.

Since his own life was involved, he no longer cared about competing with Marquis Wuyang.

Once the rebels captured Yangzhou City, others might still have a chance to survive, but he, as the prime minister of the current dynasty, would have no choice but to die for his country.

"Okay, sir. I'll arrange for someone to deliver the letter right away!"

After saying this, the butler turned around to implement it.

Lord Xu and Lord Hou, who stayed where they were, looked pale.

The rebels actually sneaked into the city. They had never encountered such a bizarre scene in their entire lives.

"Lord, the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department just left this morning, and are only 40 to 50 miles away from Yangzhou City.

If all goes well, I'll be back tomorrow.

Gather the gentry and organize the young and strong to delay the time as much as possible! "

Hou Huaichang suggested nervously.

Deep down, he had never been so flustered.

Even if the enemy he faced was the eunuch party, he could still analyze rationally and calmly make plans.

The current situation is different. The rebels are not rule-abiding.

No matter how deep his heart is, he cannot stop a single blow from the enemy.

“The appearance of these rebels is too bizarre, they may not be here to seize the city.

Marquis Wuyang led his troops away in the morning, and the rebels sneaked into the city in the afternoon.

They launched an attack on the prison at the hour of You. As long as they were fast enough, they could evacuate before dark.

If they want to capture Yangzhou, they should attack the government office now, not the prison which has no strategic value!"

Xu Wenyue shook his head and said.

These speculations are simply a gamble.

But there was no way out. Marquis Wuyang took away all the elite troops and only left him with some yamen runners.

These soldiers bully the civilians like two of them.

Asking them to fight in the battlefield and being able to escape at the sight of the enemy was giving face to this elder minister.

Without any soldiers, it was difficult to even maintain law and order in the city, and they were simply unable to organize an effective resistance.

The gentry as a group are best at seeking benefits and avoiding harm.

They are professionals in adding icing on the cake, but it is impossible to expect them to risk the lives of their entire family.

……

"It's almost time. Quickly knock these guys out and tie them to the carriage. We need to evacuate Yangzhou City as soon as possible!"

After receiving the order, the jailers guarding the prison picked up wooden sticks and beat the prisoners in the prison.

Such a blatant prison break game was carried out openly, and no one came out to stop it.

The jailers were busy robbing the prison, while the soldiers from the yamen were on guard outside the prison and driving away passers-by.

Only the soldiers brought by Xu Wenyue suffered the most. If they dared to step out of the government office, they would be hacked to death in an instant.

In a short period of time, five heads were thrown into the government office. All the warriors who were responsible for delivering the letter died before they could accomplish their mission.

The Yangzhou gentry who accidentally discovered the truth were so frightened that they trembled with fear.

Everyone closed their doors, for fear that they would see something they shouldn't and get into trouble.

The means are really too dark.

The government troops pretended to be rebels to break into the prison. This is an extreme act that a normal person would never encounter in his or her lifetime.

Since the Wucheng Bingmasi could pretend to be rebels and kidnap the prisoners in prison, they could pretend to be rebels and wipe them out.

In the blink of an eye, the packed convoy began to evacuate Yangzhou City in an orderly manner.

A raging fire soon broke out in the prison where serious criminals were held.

The fire continued to burn until midnight. After making sure that all traces at the scene had been destroyed, the soldiers slowly beat drums and gongs and organized people to put out the fire.

……

"Lord, good news!"

"The rebels in the city were repelled by the soldiers below!"

Looking at the butler who ran away excitedly to report the news, there was no trace of joy on Xu Wenyue's face.

"Lead the way, let's go to the prison to check!"

Xu Wenyue gave the order with a pale face.

"Master, why don't you wait a moment.

There is chaos over there now, and the soldiers are busy putting out the fire.

In case there are remnants of the rebels who have not evacuated..."

Without waiting for the butler to finish speaking, Xu Wenyue took a step forward and demonstrated his determination with practical actions.

When they arrived at the scene, they were stunned by the scene before them.

Firefighting is firefighting, but instead of rescuing the cells, they are clearing nearby buildings.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and organize people to fetch water and put out the fire. Find a way to preserve the scene!"

Xu Wenyue immediately gave the order.

Deep down in his heart, he had already made up his mind that as long as he found evidence, he would teach the person behind the scenes a lesson.

"Lord, there is no need for that!"

Hou Huaichang reminded gently.

The choice to start with the criminal officials was to take control of the situation as quickly as possible. Now these people have been rescued by the "rebels".

All the charges previously borne, no matter whether they were framed or not, will be confirmed at this moment.

Unless we can arrest someone in the military camp based on clues, there is no point in keeping the scene.

Political struggles only consider the pros and cons, not right or wrong.

……

(End of this chapter)