Chapter 133

After some haggling, successfully raising the military pay from 30,000 to 50,000, Li Mu left the prefectural office satisfied.

Having roped in Yangzhou Prefecture, half the matter was accomplished.

As for the Provincial Governor's office, Li Mu already had a plan.

Pirates can come once, so they can come twice; report more pirate raids.

The officials in the Provincial Governor's office, for the sake of their own political achievements, must also support him in rebuilding the Yangzhou Water Fortress.

Of course, this kind of thing cannot be shown too eagerly, otherwise it is easy to be exposed.

"My Lord, just received an official document: the salt fields in Huai'an Prefecture have been attacked by pirates."

Just having returned to the residence, he received this good news. Li Mu felt a joy in his heart, but his expression showed no change.

"Which salt fields were attacked? Do you know the specific situation?"

Li Mu asked with concern.

As the Yangzhou Assistant Regional Commander, he had another mission: to protect the interests of the noble group.

The previous attack on the salt fields in Nantongzhou seemed accidental, but in reality, it was inevitable.

The coastal salt fields in other regions were not far from the Yangzhou Camp's station.

With the slightest disturbance, the nearby garrison would receive news and could reach the battlefield in an hour.

In such a short time, even if they finished the robbery, they could not withdraw safely.

For pirates who bully the weak and fear the strong, coming out to rob is to get rich, not to risk their lives against the imperial army.

Nantongzhou, without a stationed army, was undoubtedly the biggest soft persimmon; being squeezed was only a matter of time.

Even if the Qunying Society didn't touch them, there would be other pirates who couldn't resist taking action.

Realizing the severity of lacking military protection, the masters behind the salt fields subsequently sent people to find Li Mu for communication.

Subsequently, the Yangzhou Camp added three more camps in Nantongzhou to ensure local security.

"It is not yet clear; Huai'an is deliberately blocking the news.

Judging from the gathered information, it shouldn't be as severe as Nantongzhou; the pirates withdrew after finishing the robbery.

The people from the Huai'an Camp went over and came back empty-handed."

Lan Linjie replied with slight excitement.

Everything requires comparison.

Only with the Huai'an Camp's fruitless return can the prowess of the Yangzhou Camp be highlighted.

As a general with a view of the big picture, Li Mu had no interest in watching his colleagues make a fool of themselves.

The pirates clearly learned from their previous lessons and were no longer obsessed with attacking cities.

Rob and leave; they didn't stay on the spot at all.

Like the situation in Yangzhou Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture was also a victim of the gentry rebellion.

To the pirates, the many coastal counties and prefectures were equivalent to being undefended.

At this moment, the main force of the Jiangnan Navy has moved north; facing enemies coming from the sea, it is difficult to organize an effective counterattack.

Choosing to start with Huai'an and not continuing to stay in Yangzhou to commit crimes was most likely because they were scared by the previous battle.

Having witnessed the prowess of the Yangzhou Camp, any sensible person would instinctively choose to avoid it.

"Pass down the order: have all units closely monitor movements on the sea.

As for the local government of Tongzhou, have them organize the people to build beacon towers along the coast; if any pirate traces are discovered, light the wolf-smoke immediately.

Once pirate traces are discovered, draft an official document immediately and send it simultaneously to Yangzhou Prefecture, the Provincial Governor's office, and the Nanjing Ministry of War.

Remember to write the pirate threat as more severe.

Just say that the remnants of the rebel army have fled overseas and become pirates, specializing in opposing the court."

Li Mu said calmly.

Judging from the pirates' two attacks on the salt fields, one could determine that they had a grudge against the salt field owners.

Under normal circumstances, pirates would not commit massacres during a robbery.

It's not that they have moral baggage; it's simply unnecessary to do so.

Once the bad precedent of massacre is set, when they go out to rob in the future, people will resist to the death.

Even if they can't win, people will destroy all their property before failing.

Unless there is a blood feud, under normal circumstances, no one would do such extreme things.

To highlight the severity of the problem, one naturally has to choose a formidable enemy.

Any problem involving rebels is a serious political issue, and no official dares to take it lightly.

Wenyuan Pavilion.

"Everyone is clear on His Majesty's intention.

Let us discuss together where to mobilize troops from!"

As he spoke, Pang Hengsheng cast his gaze toward the Minister of War, Yi Chuanliang.

In matters involving military mobilization, those with real speaking power are the Ministry of War and the Grand Commandery.

The remaining officials are all amateurs; they might not even be able to figure out the troop distribution within the country.

Just listening along is fine; letting amateurs participate in the discussion is purely a waste of time.

Even Zuo Guangen, who usually likes to show himself off, sat in his seat without saying a word.

For him, there are many opportunities to establish prestige; there is no need to meddle in military affairs.

If he were to poke a hole in something, it would be difficult to clean up.

"The garrison troops are not fit for heavy use; the troops that can be mobilized now are mainly recruited soldiers.

Our Great Dayu only has so many troops that can fight.

Needless to say, the troops on the Nine Borders front line have great military pressure and cannot be drawn away at all.

The task of the Capital Camp is also very heavy; besides reinforcing Liaodong, it must also ensure the safety of the capital.

The military pressure in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi is also very heavy; the local troops certainly cannot be moved.

Among the remaining troops, the combat effectiveness of the Shu Army, Qin Army, Xiang Army, Lu Army, and E Army is quite good.

Further down are the Yangzhou Camp, Huai'an Camp, Yong'an Camp, Tongzhou Camp, and Baoding Camp, which were just formed not long ago.

In order to reinforce the Three Guards of Liaodong, we have already drawn troops from the Lu Army.

Considering that there may be further reinforcements needed later, it is not advisable to act rashly for the time being.

Guanzhong is close to the Nine Borders and needs to be ready to dispatch troops for reinforcement at any time; it is also not advisable to mobilize.

The Ministry of War's plan is to draw 20,000 men each from the Shu Army, Xiang Army, and E Army to form a 60,000-strong allied army as the Left Route Army.

Draw from the capital the Three Thousand Camp, Divine Machine Camp, Five Armies Camp, and the four martial camps of Fen, Yao, Lian, and Xian, totaling about 60,000 troops, as the Right Route Army.

After the assembly of the great army is completed, the left and right armies will rush to Liaodong to join the local garrison in a decisive battle against the Northern Barbarians.

Considering that the Yangzhou Camp, Huai'an Camp, Yong'an Camp, Tongzhou Camp, and Baoding Camp were formed too recently.

They have not yet fully formed combat effectiveness, so no arrangements will be made for the time being.

If subsequent war needs arise, military mobilization will be carried out according to the actual situation."

Yi Chuanliang said slowly.

This troop deployment plan was discussed and agreed upon by the Ministry of War and the Grand Commandery, and it was reported to the Tianyuan Emperor and received approval.

The various troops that needed to be dispatched had received notification long ago and were almost arriving at the capital by now.

Bringing it out to speak about now was just a routine procedure.

What is different from the past is that this military mobilization involved solid, real soldiers.

The water in the empty pay of various units was squeezed out in advance when formulating the plan.

To ensure that grain and pay were implemented, not only were the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot arranged to supervise, but multiple officials from the Nanjing Six Ministries were taken down to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys.

"Minister Yi, if we mobilize like this, the domestic troop strength will be empty.

If a change occurs, can just five newly formed camps handle it?"

The Libationer of the Imperial Academy, Shi Zhongbo, couldn't help but question.

Nominally, the Great Dayu Dynasty has over two million registered troops.

But those with real combat effectiveness are the subsequently formed recruited soldiers; the real troop strength is only about 300,000.

Drawing 120,000 troops into Liaodong is equivalent to throwing half of the empire's troop strength into the land of Liaodong.

The remaining troops have to guard a territory of nearly ten million square kilometers; the military pressure can be imagined.

"Now you know it can't be handled; what were you doing earlier!

In normal times, your Imperial Academy makes the most noise, saying every day that the court is wasting resources on war.

You don't think about it: without these troops guarding, where would the peaceful days come from!"

Yi Chuanliang retorted unpleasantly.

When they want to expand the army, they use the two million troops on paper to talk.

When it really comes time to use troops, everyone loses their sense of security again.

Like all feudal dynasties in the past, the chaos among the people has never stopped.

Especially in recent years, various natural and man-made disasters have been constant; one careless move leads to a civil rebellion.

Generally speaking, these rebellions go up the mountain to become bandits after robbing a few landlords.

Those who truly raise the rebel flag and make a big commotion are still a very small minority.

Most rebellions were suppressed by the court in the early stages.

Once the rear is empty, it's different.

The professional rebels hidden among the people—the White Lotus Sect—have never stopped for a moment.

These evil cult organizations are always thinking about overthrowing the Great Dayu and establishing their own paradise.

For local gentry, the threat of these guys is even greater than that of the Northern Barbarians.

After all, no matter how powerful the Northern Barbarians are, they don't act directly upon them.

"Minister Yi, we have a clear conscience in giving advice for the country!

In the humble official's view, there is no need for the court to launch a great battle in Liaodong at this moment.

Rather than wasting a large amount of money and grain on the Liaodong battlefield, it is better to directly hold the city defenses.

The worst-case scenario is nothing more than abandoning the bitter cold land outside the pass, without damaging the national power of our Great Dayu!"

Shi Zhongbo's output represented the views of a considerable portion of officials in the court.

Since the establishment of the Great Dayu, the land of Liaodong has been a money-losing venture and has never been favored by everyone.

During the Yu Dynasty, many lands have been abandoned; it doesn't matter if one more Liaodong is lost.

"Shut up!"

"How can one lightly speak of abandoning the ancestral foundation!

We have received imperial grace for generations and should take loyalty to the monarch and serving the country as our own duty.

The Northern Barbarians invaded and seized our Liaodong land; this is a supreme humiliation.

Such humiliation can only be washed away with blood!

Those who dare to speak of compromising with the enemy are all unloyal and unfilial wretches!"

Zuo Guangen, who was on the side, was the first to flare up.

It is not easy to catch the handle of the Qingliu faction; it is rare to have a fool deliver himself to the door, so naturally, he cannot let it go just like that.

Unlike in the past, it was always these guys holding high the banner of ancestral system and cursing him for monopolizing power.

This time, the banner of righteousness was in his hands.

Abandoning the ancestral foundation is a much more serious offense than violating the ancestral system.

In the eyes of the people, that is also an unfilial person.

Placed in the court, it collects both disloyalty and unfilial piety.

No matter who it is, once labeled with this, they are completely finished.

Not only is their political life over, but their personal reputation will also instantly turn negative.

Shi Zhongbo, realizing the severity of the consequences, didn't even have time to explain before he was so angry that he fainted on the spot.

Immediately, two guards came in and dragged the person out.

Throughout the whole process, the ministers didn't say a word, as if they hadn't seen anything.

There is no way; some things can be done, but absolutely cannot be said out loud.

"As the main force, the cavalry battalion will calculate military exploits separately."

On the surface, the slogans of recovering lost territory are shouted louder by everyone than anyone else.

In order not to take responsibility, they might even deal with a few unlucky ones involved, letting them bear the infamy.

When civil officials gather privately, officials usually complain a few times, and everyone discusses it, and the matter passes.

Shi Zhongbo had bad luck; while engaging in empty talk, he was caught red-handed by Zuo Guangen.

"Let the imperial physician take a look; Minister Shi must be possessed, and what he just said does not count.

Next, we will continue the discussion; if you have different opinions, feel free to raise them; we do not punish for speech in court discussions!"

As soon as Pang Hengsheng spoke, the originally tense atmosphere eased up all at once.

Countless Qingliu party members breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, their leader is the Senior Grand Secretary and showed a sense of responsibility at the critical moment.

Although the explanation given was a bit far-fetched, it was better than having none at all.

As for the unlucky Shi Zhongbo, between being possessed and being unloyal and unfilial, one has to choose.

The former is nothing more than retiring early due to illness, while the latter is a serious political error that could leave one infamous for ten thousand years.

(End of chapter)