Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 322, Proclamation Against Fang

"Grandpa, I'm hungry, I want meat..."

While the soldiers were enjoying their food and eating heartily, a small, thin boy from the grassland in the distance looked on with longing.

The little boy's grandfather was pushing a cart full of hay with great effort.

They are herders from the grasslands who "voluntarily" came to help.

Yes, everyone has seen that the people of Zhongxia are enjoying food and clothing.

But where does this food and clothing come from?
To be more precise, where did the beef and mutton stewing in those pots come from?

Fang Yong has only been based on the grassland for less than a year. Although the cattle and sheep in Hezhou are growing very well, they are far from being ready for market. So... the herders on the grassland will have to suffer for now.

Let the Huaiyin army eat their fill first, and once they have expanded their territory, then let everyone on the grasslands eat their fill.

And so, the little boy watched as the Khan's army came to his home. He used physical methods to persuade his grandfather to hand over the cattle and sheep that had just been raised. Not only that, but because there was a shortage of manpower, he and his grandfather were also volunteered to come and help.

For the sake of peace between the Central Plains and the grasslands, someone always has to make some efforts.

The Huaiyin Army has already suffered enough in battle, hasn't it?
……

In early October, all the news from all sides was positive.

The sweeping campaign across the grasslands was invincible.

After the battle of Chifeng, Tuo Lei managed to escape, but he was crippled by Zhou Shuan, leaving his troops with very few men and almost no ability to organize a resistance.

Without a leader, the various tribes on the grasslands were no match for the Huaiyin Army; some fled, and others surrendered.

Currently, Fang Yong has taken control of more than 70% of the grassland, and Tuo Lei has been driven to the Hulun Lake area. Beyond that lies the territory of the Rakshasa Kingdom, where he has nowhere left to retreat.

However, Fang Yong also needs to speed things up.

The battle lines are currently stretched very long, and the logistical supply is under considerable pressure. At present, Fang Yong can still rely on strong logistical reserves to support the war, but if the war drags on until November, the weather on the grassland will reach its coldest time. At that time, let alone cotton-padded clothes, even five sheepskins draped over the body will make people shiver with cold, and the soldiers will basically be unable to continue fighting.

Therefore, Fang Yong urged Zhou Shuan to complete the occupation of the Hulun Lake area as soon as possible.

Furthermore, the plan to bribe those soldiers in Liaodong is progressing very smoothly.

As early as when the agreement was first reached with Liaodong, Fang Yong secretly gave Zhou Shuan the order to win over the hearts and minds of the soldiers in Liaodong.

Don't blame Fang Yongyin.

Fang Yong did this for Chu Yuqi's own good.

He won over the hearts of the soldiers in Liaodong, so when he attacked Liaodong later, the soldiers there were less resistant.

The weaker the resistance of the Liaodong soldiers, the fewer casualties the Huaiyin army would suffer.

The fewer the casualties of the Huaiyin Army, the less guilty Chu Yuqi will be.

The less serious Chu Yuqi's crime, the less severe his punishment would be after he was captured.

The smaller the punishment, the greater his chances of survival.

If we round it up, Fang Yong winning over the hearts of the soldiers in Liaodong is tantamount to saving Chu Yuqi's life!
Zhou Shuan did an excellent job in rescuing Chu Yuqi.

Some simple favors, such as the cotton-padded clothes they had previously received, along with occasional improvements to their meals, and the exception made for Liaodong soldiers wounded in battle to come to the Huaiyin Army's camp to be treated by the Huaiyin Army's military doctors.

Zhou Shuan made the Liaodong soldiers personally experience the various benefits and treatments of the Huaiyin Army, but did not give them to them, thereby greatly stimulating their senses.

How can someone who has enjoyed the sunshine endure the darkness again?
This is an open and unsolvable scheme.

Of course, there are ways to solve this problem.

If Chu Yuqi chooses to significantly improve the soldiers' treatment, making their treatment equal to that of the Huaiyin Army, then Fang Yong's tactics will naturally be easily resolved.

However, for Chu Yuqi, improving the soldiers' treatment seemed more difficult than defeating Fang Yong...

Liu Xiang of Sichuan has been acting very aggressively lately. He recently sent troops to capture Hanzhong and has established a defensive posture. It is estimated that he will declare himself king in Sichuan next. Fang Yong is powerless to stop him.

Wu Yuan suggested sending an envoy to offer amnesty and grant Liu Xiang the title of Duke of Shunping, hoping to lure him back to the capital. Even if they failed, they would not suffer any loss.

Fang Yong did not adopt this strategy, because the possibility of Liu Xiang accepting the imperial amnesty was almost nonexistent.

Liu Xiang himself is selfish and ruthless, even disregarding his family in the capital. How could he possibly accept the surrender and return to Beijing?

Throughout history, the only person to choose to surrender under such circumstances was Cao Shuang, the Marquis of Wu'an of Wei, who was known as a fool and a stupid ox.

In the end, he met a tragic end, with his own life and the extermination of his clan.

With past examples to draw upon, Liu Xiang couldn't possibly be that foolish.

Moreover, Liu Xiang was in alliance with powerful families in Sichuan to control the region. Even if Liu Xiang agreed to surrender, those powerful families who supported him would not agree to surrender.

War is inevitable and cannot be avoided.

In essence, this was a backlash caused by Fang Yong's falling out with powerful families after he had expanded to a certain stage.

When Fang Yong was young, he feigned friendship with these powerful families to develop his own power. After becoming strong, he turned his back on them and massacred them.

Although Fang Yong thought he had been very restrained, from the perspective of these powerful families, Fang Yong was undoubtedly a treacherous villain who had ruthlessly deceived them.

In particular, in places like Zhili and Henan, many powerful families were wiped out by the Huaiyin Army. Some people chose to escape and went to Sichuan and other places to support Liu Xiang's cause.

This is one of the reasons why Liu Xiang was able to grow so quickly.

Fang Yong ultimately did not send any envoys and directly labeled Liu Xiang as a traitor.

An envoy's life is also a life; it's not worth losing one for nothing.

Not long after, Liu Xiang proclaimed himself King of Shu.

The chieftains of Yunnan, Mu Lu, each bestowed the title of King of Nanzhong.

An Yelan, a Tusi (chieftain) of Guizhou, proclaimed himself King of Qianyang.

The three jointly issued a proclamation condemning the traitor Fang, spreading the word throughout the land.

"The traitor Fang has deceived Heaven and Earth, usurped the throne and disgraced the emperor; he has defiled the palace and harmed countless lives; he is cruel and wicked, his crimes are numerous! I have now received a secret edict from the emperor to gather righteous troops, support the royal family, save the people, eliminate the disloyal, and annihilate the villains..."

Fang Yong looked calmly at the proclamation presented to him by his subordinates.

This is already the fourth manifesto denouncing him.

The first one was written by the Longqing Emperor.

The second part was written by Tian Tianrui after receiving a secret edict from Emperor Longqing. He supplemented the original work with Emperor Longqing's original text and then published it to the public.

The third article is Chu Yuqi's response to Tian Tianrui's uprising.

Chu Yuqi proclaimed himself Grand Marshal of Liaodong, vehemently denounced the traitor Fang, and declared that he would lead 300,000 Liaodong border troops to the capital to punish the traitor.

Originally, this manifesto was intended to spread throughout Kyushu, but unexpectedly, Tian Tianrui was defeated too quickly, and before it could spread throughout Kyushu, Tian Tianrui was defeated.

Chu Yuqi had no army of 300,000. When faced with Fang Yong alone, he immediately backed down and hastily withdrew his proclamation.

This is the last manifesto.

The manifesto still contained the same insults in a different guise.

Fang Yong was already immune.

He even compared several of the manifestos with great interest.

Well, Liu Xiang's article is actually the one that criticizes him the least.

Chu Yuqi's article was the most scathing.

One passage reads as follows:
"The traitor Fang Yong was originally a nobody from the streets and alleys, rising from the mud and filth, selling fish to make a living in the marketplace. He had no virtue in his family, no family fortune to speak of. Such a lowly person should have been content with farming and keeping to his duty. However, he harbored wolfish ambitions, coveted high positions, engaged in despicable acts, and plotted to usurp power and bring chaos..."

Alright, alright, Chu Yuqi, right?

There's no rush, let's take it one step at a time!

(End of this chapter)