Chapter 157

"Commander, an envoy sent by the Governor of Guangdong requests an audience."

Hearing this news, a smile appeared on Li Mu's lips.

Compared to the direct orders before, the dispatch of an envoy now shows that their treatment has improved by more than just a little bit.

Undoubtedly, this treatment was earned by them on the battlefield.

Soundly defeating one hundred thousand rebels, capturing sixty-five thousand, beheading twelve thousand, and recovering the entire Lianzhou territory was the final record of the Battle of Lianzhou.

Looking at the various armies suppressing the rebellion, this is a very explosive figure.

If other units had half this level, the White Lotus Sect rebellion would have been quelled long ago.

Relying on the battle record, they successfully upgraded this side force into the Fourth Route Rebellion Suppression Army.

The status earned through fighting is the most capable of gaining respect.

Even if the Governor of Guangdong is dissatisfied with them, now that he needs help, he must lower his arrogant head.

"Seventh Uncle, since you are idle anyway, you go deal with the envoy of the Guangdong Governor!"

Li Mu said casually.

Although he is in Among Guangxi, he still has some understanding of the war in Guangdong.

After the great defeat at Zhaoqing, the morale of the coalition army of the three provinces gathered in Guangdong was severely dampened.

At this moment, the enemy's main force is invading Guangzhou, which is the time when they most need someone to help share the pressure.

If there are no accidents, the Yunnan-Guizhou and Huguang sides must have also sent people to ask for reinforcements.

Helping is certain; as an official of the Great Great Dayu Dynasty, Li Mu has a big-picture view.

However, before taking action, one must negotiate the conditions well.

Dealing with these old official oil-slickers, one does as much work as the benefits provided.

These guys have a pitifully low moral bottom line; don't expect them to be grateful just because you helped.

When there is a chance to stab you in the back, these guys fall into the trap faster than anyone else.

A clear-priced transaction is the best choice.

"You brat only knows how to order people around.

Alright, it's just an envoy, I'll go send him away!"

Jing Jing Yifeng said heroically.

Having stayed in the army for a long time, he was slowly influenced, and the dirty words in his mouth were increasing.

"Commander, you don't need to make another trip, this subordinate has already arrived!"

The main person arrived so quickly, Jing Jing Yifeng glared fiercely at the messenger.

Although this is not a key military area, one cannot just bring people over casually.

The messenger soldier was very aggrieved; the person who came is a Ding Yushi sent by the court to the local area.

Besides being an envoy, he also carries the imperial mandate and represents imperial power.

According to the Great Great Dayu Law, those who intercept Censors inspecting the four directions—behead!

"Seventh-Rank Ding Yushi Ding Chenyang, meets Commander Li and Commander Jing!"

Ding Ding Chenyang bowed to the two.

After learning the identity of the visitor, Jing Jing Yifeng's anger vanished instantly.

Encountering a creature like a Ding Yushi, there is no one in the officialdom who is not wary.

Seemingly only a Seventh-Rank official, in reality, this guy can inspect and impeach officials of all sizes in the local area, from Police Inspectors to Governors.

For officials, once bitten by a Ding Yushi, they will lose a layer of skin even if they don't die.

"Ding Yushi, what is the purpose of this visit?"

Li Mu asked.

Since the person is already here, it is meaningless to argue about who is responsible for sending him away.

The fact that the Governor of Guangdong could trick this person into coming clearly shows that he is confident that the Ding Yushi's identity has a deterrent effect on them.

"This subordinate came here this time mainly for the elders of Guangdong, hoping that the two Commanders can immediately return to reinforce Guangzhou."

Ding Ding Chenyang said confidently.

As if he was sure that the two would definitely give him this face.

"Official Ding, I am afraid I will let you make a wasted trip.

Lianzhou is in the enemy's hinterland and must face the rebels' counterattack at all times; we are precisely at a time when our forces are tight.

Not to mention returning to reinforce Guangzhou, we are still thinking of seeking support from the Guangdong side!"

Li Mu said, bluffing without changing his expression.

Regardless of whether the visitor believes it or not, Lianzhou is indeed tight on forces now.

He is not very clear about the actual number of troops in Guangdong, but there are still ten or twenty thousand registered troops anyway.

Even if they want to balance the books, local officials dare not do it too quickly.

If they report the loss of troops in the Battle of Zhaoqing as over a hundred thousand, the responsibility is not something a Prefect can bear.

The Governor of Guangdong would lose his position at best, and lose his head at worst.

In comparison, Lianzhou Prefecture only has over ten thousand troops.

Saying that forces are tight is not wrong at all.

"Commander Li, Commander Jing, this is truly a time of crisis, we must consider the big picture!"

Ding Ding Chenyang said with a gloomy face.

In the past, if a military officer gave him no face like this, he would have long since flicked his sleeves and left.

If he didn't submit a memorial to impeach them upon returning, he would not be a qualified Ding Yushi.

The current situation is special, and the Guangdong side needs reinforcements.

The backgrounds of these two Commanders before him are very large; after falling out, it would be good for no one.

"Official Ding, you have overstated it!

We precisely sent troops to recover Lianzhou for the sake of the big picture.

If we had not used our weak forces to contain the enemy's hundreds of thousands of troops in the rear, the Guangzhou Prefecture would have fallen long ago.

Even Huguang and Yunnan-Guizhou are now in a perilous situation."

Jing Jing Yifeng followed up, bluffing.

How many rebels were contained is entirely up to them to say.

With the Embroidered Uniform Guard abolished, even if the court wants to verify, there is no reliable source of intelligence.

From the map, the act of recovering Lianzhou is definitely a strategic victory.

It is equivalent to inserting a sharp blade into the enemy's heart.

The ten thousand rebels defeated are the best evidence.

If it were not crucial, the enemy would not have gathered so many troops to come over.

"No matter how important Lianzhou Prefecture is, it cannot compare to Guangzhou Prefecture.

Once Guangzhou falls, the White Lotus Sect followers hidden in Guangdong will inevitably rise in response.

If Guangdong is not protected, the entire South China will fall into the hands of the rebels.

By then, the Southeast will be shaken, and the entire South will fall into the flames of war.

If one is not careful, it will be a national disaster!"

"Chancellor, this statement is biased.

When he came, he had made a guarantee that he could get reinforcements.

Now looking at it, these two before him did not take his Ding Yushi identity to heart at all.

If he could not convince the two with his silver-tongued eloquence, this trip would be in vain.

"Official Ding, since you know the importance of Guangzhou Prefecture, then you should know even more about the importance of the four provinces of Huguang, Yunnan-Guizhou, and Guangdong.

We are containing them here, and half of the enemy's main force is left in their old nest, not daring to act rashly.

If there were no such nail, the rebels' forces would double; what would Guangzhou Prefecture use to defend itself?

What would Huguang and Yunnan-Guizhou rely on to guarantee their safety?

Knowing the strategic importance of Lianzhou Prefecture, yet asking us to abandon Lianzhou, is Official Ding perhaps a traitor hidden in the court by the White Lotus Sect!"

As Li Mu's words fell, Ding Ding Chenyang was blown up with anger.

Coming to be a lobbyist, he himself became a traitor.

This ability to spout nonsense is even more powerful than his; who exactly is the Ding Yushi!

"Nonsense!"

"Insulting to the literati!"

"This official wants to..."

While scolding, Ding Ding Chenyang was so angry that he could not speak.

Not to mention confirming the identity of the White Lotus Sect, as long as one is slightly involved, the whole family will go to the Yellow Springs together.

In dealing with rebels, the court has never been soft-hearted.

"Official Ding, calm down first, no one said you are a rebel.

It is just that what you are doing now makes it hard not to arouse suspicion.

After all, the rebels gathered hundreds of thousands of troops but failed to do what you want them to complete.

Knowing the strategic significance of Lianzhou Prefecture, yet deliberately asking us to abandon it, is truly inappropriate!"

Jing Jing Yifeng followed up with a knife.

On the issue of Lianzhou, he and Li Mu had long been tied together, and the Jing and Li families are political allies.

Since he had offended this Ding Yushi, he might as well offend him thoroughly.

Sometimes being strong can make the other party wary.

"You..."

Pointing at the two and speaking halfway, Ding Ding Chenyang fainted directly.

Based on years of experience, Li Mu could determine that this guy was faking a faint.

Mainly because the tone was set too high, making him afraid to follow up.

Essentially, he is a scholar and knows nothing about military affairs.

Li Mu and Jing Jing Yifeng's bluffing scared half his life away.

If Lianzhou Prefecture were really as important as they boasted, then those who advocate abandoning this place are either stupid or bad.

Although he is not clear about the strategic level of the nobility, he knows that most civil officials are like him and do not know military affairs.

Reading military books is useless; the military books circulating in the market have been revised countless times.

The true military heritage has always been circulating within the families of generals and has never been shown to outsiders.

"Seventh Uncle, no wonder Among Guangxi fell so quickly; it turns out there are traitors mixed into the officialdom.

You and I must report to the court together, asking the Emperor to send people to investigate the Guangdong officialdom, otherwise the old events of Among Guangxi will repeat themselves!"

Li Mu said deliberately.

The White Lotus Sect does spread widely, but it does not have the ability to absorb officials for the time being.

Unless the world is in chaos, the gentry will not look up to the White Lotus Sect.

Especially since the White Lotus Holy Emperor also issued the Equal Field Order, which forced the gentry to the opposite side.

"That's not very good!

We only have suspicions; if we submit this memorial, Official Ding will be dead for sure.

His suspicion of aiding the enemy cannot be washed away at all.

Once the Imperial Commissioner comes, he will definitely be the first to have his home raided, and he might even be exterminated.

In my opinion, he is mostly likely to have offended someone and was tricked into coming here.

Guangzhou's war is tight, that is also about contacting various suppression armies to send troops to reduce their military pressure; there is no such thing as abandoning strategic strongholds.

The biggest problem of our Great Great Dayu is officialdom infighting.

Some time ago, that Prefect Yang withheld the army's grain for his own selfish interests, triggering the defeat at Zhaoqing.

I didn't expect that there are still people who dare to mess around now; they really think the chaos is not big enough!"

Jing Jing Yifeng said in cooperation.

"You and I are both people who know military affairs, so naturally we know the severity of the problem, but some people don't understand military affairs at all.

I guess in their eyes, the White Lotus Sect rebels are just a group of chaotic people.

Little do they know that the current White Lotus Sect rebels are the former Among Guangxi border troops.

In the Zhaoqing defeat, the court lost troops and generals, but the White Lotus Sect gained a group of elite soldiers and fierce generals.

In the court, they were not fed or clothed, and their combat effectiveness was at most two or three points.

Once they transformed into rebel troops, they had enough wine and meat, and their combat effectiveness rose steadily.

It's a pity that the officials on the Guangdong side are all a bunch of idiots.

At such a time, they are still trying every means to make money and fix people.

For the sake of the big picture, I am afraid we can only sacrifice Official Ding!"

Hearing Li Mu's words, the originally unconscious Ding Ding Chenyang climbed up immediately.

"Don't!"

"These problems, this Ding Yushi will report to the court, you don't need to get involved.

Regarding the grain problem, this official will urge the Guangdong side to transport it to you upon returning.

The court is busy, you must not submit memorials randomly!"

Ding Ding Chenyang said in a panic.

If other military officers submit memorials, it is difficult to reach the Emperor, but the memorials of these two can definitely be delivered.

Once discussed in the court, his problem cannot be explained clearly at all.

"Official Ding, we have over a hundred thousand people here waiting for the court to distribute grain!"

Jing Jing Yifeng reminded.

A bamboo pole delivered to the door, don't knock it if you don't knock it.

Who told this Ding Yushi before him to lack military common sense and be caught by them in the conversation!

"What?"

"Over a hundred thousand people!"

"Don't your two camps combined only have over ten thousand troops?"

Ding Ding Chenyang exclaimed.

He could still think of a way for the grain and fodder of over ten thousand troops.

Over a hundred thousand mouths, don't even think about it.

Even the Governor of Guangdong would have a headache encountering this problem.

In fact, the grain and pay of the Yangzhou Camp and the Two Huai'an Camp are now mainly composed of three parts.

One part is from the Nanzhili side, one part is allocated by the court, and one part is provided by Guangdong.

What the court allocates is mainly money, and the grain is basically provided by Nanzhili.

Because of the bad relationship, there has been no movement from the Guangdong side.

Li Mu prepared sufficiently in advance, so even if the supplement from the Guangdong side was missing, the grain and fodder were still sufficient.

The real trouble is the prisoners and refugees; the expenses of these people are not enough just by relying on the court's appropriation.

"Prisoners and refugees also need to eat!

Official Ding, convey to the Governor for us.

Just say that if we don't see grain and fodder, we will load all the prisoners and refugees onto ships and send them to Guangzhou for him.

There is also a memorial impeaching him for embezzling grain and fodder, which we have already written, just waiting to be sent to the capital."

Li Mu said, pretending to be angry.

Such a threat is considered insubordination in the officialdom and belongs to a taboo.

However, they are guest armies and have no subordinate relationship with the Governor of Guangdong; it is just a request for pay.

At most, they will be registered in the Ministry of War and labeled as restless.

Whether the impeached Governor of Guangdong can escape this disaster is hard to say.

After all, the current Emperor cannot tolerate sand in his eyes.

Knowing that the Governor of Guangdong did not issue grain to the front-line army, he will definitely be furious.

"Two Commanders, rest assured, this official will definitely convey these words.

If the Governor still does not issue grain and fodder, this Ding Yushi will follow you and submit a memorial to impeach him together!"

Ding Ding Chenyang expressed his stance immediately.

It can be seen that he is suspicious of the Governor of Guangdong.

After all, as a Ding Yushi, it is impossible not to offend people.

In the past years, he had also impeached the Governor of Guangdong.

It is just that such impeachment was mostly a routine matter, picking only small problems.

Perhaps because his writing was too good, after the impeachment memorial went up, it led to the Governor of Guangdong being reprimanded by the late Emperor.

Considering the age of the Governor, there is basically no possibility of promotion, so having one more political stain does not matter.

Originally thought that the matter had long passed, but now thinking carefully, he suddenly felt that the matter was not that simple.

Otherwise, how could such a bitter task as forcibly demanding reinforcements fall on him just right.

……

(End of chapter)