Chapter 158

Guangzhou Prefecture.

"Another county city lost, what are you all doing?"

Governor of Guangdong Zou Zou Yunchuan scolded angrily.

Just received news that the court is sending Grand Secretary Xu to supervise the war, commanding the military affairs of the five provinces of Guangdong, Among Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Huguang.

Just based on the mess they made before, once the Imperial Commissioner investigates it, whether his head can be kept is an unknown.

If one wants to keep wealth and honor, one must perform on the battlefield so that the Imperial Commissioner can see the value.

The more one wants something, the harder it is to get it.

The coalition army of the three provinces, on which high hopes were placed, not only failed to break the rebels but was instead rubbed on the ground by the enemy.

Losing a city today and a place tomorrow, it won't be long before he, the Governor, becomes a lone pole.

The Governor of Among Guangxi next door died for the country; Zou Zou Yunchuan has not lived enough and does not want to die so early.

"Governor, you'd better not just scold people.

When the troops below lose a battle, one must ask why they failed.

If I hadn't made a trip to Lianzhou, this Ding Yushi wouldn't have known that the Yangzhou Camp and the Two Huai'an Camp hadn't received a single cent of their pay.

I think since such things have appeared, they won't be isolated cases.

It seems that everyone hasn't learned the lesson of the Zhaoqing defeat at all!"

Ding Yushi Ding Ding Chenyang's words directly made Governor Zou Zou Yunchuan so angry that he almost fainted, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

The officials attending the meeting cast surprised glances one after another.

Everyone has seen Censors not buying the Governor's account, but it is very rare to see them spraying in such an occasion.

"Governor, is what Ding Yushi Ding said true?"

Provincial Administration Commissioner Xue Xue Weicheng immediately questioned.

The local power balance system of the Great Great Dayu is relatively perfect.

Withholding military pay and grain is not a fresh thing, and it can even be said to be an unspoken rule.

However, since the matter has been poked into the open now, it must be questioned.

"Nonsense!

When did this Governor withhold grain and pay? The Yangzhou Camp and the Two Huai'an Camp are in a special situation.

The rebels blocked the way, and the wind and waves at sea were too big; it was for the safety of the grain and fodder that it was temporarily not issued!"

Zou Zou Yunchuan denied it immediately.

The Two Huai'an Camp and the Yangzhou Camp did not listen to his command and attacked to recover Lianzhou Prefecture without authorization; it was good enough that he didn't punish these people, so how could he allocate money and grain.

However, such things can only be done quietly and must never be admitted.

The Yangzhou Camp and the Two Huai'an Camp sent troops to Lianzhou, and they were acting under the orders of the Grand Governor's Office, which fully complied with the court's laws.

Withholding their money and grain because of personal grudges is simply unjustifiable.

The former Prefect of Zhaoqing was just escorted to the capital for questioning for withholding grain; he doesn't want to be the second one.

"Governor, just keep bluffing!

Anyway, when this Ding Yushi went to Lianzhou, the generals of the two camps were drafting a joint memorial to impeach you for embezzling grain and pay; you can explain it to the Emperor and the various auxiliary ministers yourself then!

By the way, they are also organizing to load ships, preparing to send the captured rebel prisoners and refugees to Guangzhou together.

This Ding Yushi went to count the number, and there are over sixty-five thousand rebel prisoners alone, all of them young and strong.

Whether to issue grain or not, you decide for yourself."

Ding Ding Chenyang mocked.

Before going to Lianzhou Prefecture to ask for reinforcements, he had made a guarantee in front of his colleagues.

Although no military order was signed, the subsequent impact would not be much smaller.

Failing to ask for reinforcements is enough to make him socially dead in the officialdom.

Convinced that he was tricked by Governor Zou Zou Yunchuan, he simply took the initiative to strike first and shift the responsibility for the failure.

With the matter of withholding money and grain paving the way, his failure to get reinforcements suddenly became reasonable.

"A group of military officers actually dares to impeach this Governor; it is simply lacking in respect!"

After scolding angrily, Zou Zou Yunchuan embarrassingly discovered that the way everyone looked at him had changed.

Such loss of composure is equivalent to publicly admitting that the matter is true.

"Governor, we won't discuss the issue of respect for now.

Let's consider the reality first: is it only the troops on the expedition to Among Guangxi that have had their grain withheld, or is it a common occurrence in the army?

Secondly, how do you plan to appease the morale of the front-line troops? You can't really let them send the refugees and prisoners of war over, right?"

Surveillance Commissioner Liang Qixin followed up with a knife.

Alliances in the officialdom have never been reliable.

Realizing that Zou Zou Yunchuan was trapped in the grain case and could not get out for a while, he decisively chose to cut ties.

In case Guangzhou Prefecture cannot be protected, someone must come out to take the blame.

The high-ranking Governor Zou is undoubtedly the best scapegoat.

The most critical thing is that he didn't get a share of the withheld money and grain.

"Nonsense!

This Governor said, I have never withheld the army's money and grain.

If you don't believe it, ask the generals and see whose grain is missing?

As for the Yangzhou Camp and the Two Huai'an Camp, as long as they are willing to withdraw to Guangzhou, this Governor will immediately make up their money and grain!"

Zou Zou Yunchuan said in a panic.

Heaven and earth conscience, ever since the Prefect of Zhaoqing went to prison, he has repeatedly urged the Governor's office to allocate money and grain on time.

Now at most he eats some empty pay, but he dare not reach out for the soldiers' grain and pay anymore.

Facing the Governor's gaze, the military officers lowered their heads one after another.

Standing up to testify is impossible; they dare not get involved in the internal strife of civil officials.

Moreover, the Governor not taking it doesn't mean those below don't take it.

When corruption becomes the norm, official governance cannot be cured.

Even the clerks in charge of the granary will peel off a layer of skin.

If the people above greet them, those below will stop immediately, and there won't be so many officials investigated.

"Not withholding grain is naturally the best.

However, there is one point the Governor should pay attention to: according to this Ding Yushi's observation, most of the soldiers in the military camp are sallow and thin.

Even the soldiers guarding the gate are weak one by one, not like people who have eaten their fill.

This subordinate does not know military affairs, but this subordinate knows that if people are not full, they will not have the strength to fight.

Asking the Yangzhou Camp and the Two Huai'an Camp to withdraw is even more of a military blunder.

With them containing the rebels in the rear, the enemy cannot expand outward with all their strength.

The nail that the enemy failed to pull out with a hundred thousand troops, we go to help the enemy pull it out; isn't that ridiculous?

It is said that during the fall of Among Guangxi, the White Lotus Sect provided convenience for the rebellion by bribing the aides of local officials.

The Governor should check himself, so as not to let these rebels mix into your aide team."

Ding Ding Chenyang continued to output.

Since they have fallen out, they can only continue.

The Ding Yushi's political achievements are originally impeaching people.

Having stayed in Guangdong for several years, he also wants to move up a bit.

If he can topple the Governor of Guangdong Zou Zou Yunchuan, he will definitely be able to make a name for himself in the Censorate.

"Bastard!

This Governor's loyalty to the court is clear to the sun and moon..."

……

The meeting ended in a noisy argument, but the impact caused echoed in the hearts of the Guangdong officials.

Ding Ding Chenyang dared to go against Zou Zou Yunchuan, not just because he was incited, and certainly not because of personal grudges.

These were just inducements; the real core factor was the general trend.

From the beginning of the Among Guangxi rebellion until now, there were few things Zou Zou Yunchuan did that were correct.

In the early stage, he let the rebels grow, and clearly had the opportunity to strangle the rebels, but chose to give up because of benefits.

A series of mistakes led to the rotten situation.

If he could clean up the mess, it would be fine, but his ability was all spent on political struggle.

The military deployment was a mess; clearly the military strength under his command was not weaker than the rebels, but on the battlefield, they were all sending heads.

Including the current Guangzhou defense battle, he should have concentrated his forces for key defense and waited for an opportunity to launch a counterattack.

As a result, Zou insisted that the land could not be easily abandoned and ordered all units to garrison all cities.

A military deployment that scores full marks in politics is a mess from a military perspective.

The forces were dispersed, and even if the opportunity was delivered to the door, there were no sufficient mobile forces to use.

One mistake after another naturally triggered dissatisfaction among many officials.

Everyone is on the same boat; if Zou Zou Yunchuan continues to toss around and loses Guangdong, everyone will be finished.

Zou Zou Yunchuan, who is good at political struggle, naturally sensed the undercurrents in the officialdom, but he has no choice now either.

Losing cities and territory in the Great Great Dayu is a capital offense; the loss of Zhaoqing made Prefect Yang take the blame, and he himself was reprimanded by the court.

If he voluntarily abandons large tracts of land, the saliva of the Censors in the court could drown him.

Unless he can defeat the rebels in a short time, he will be thrown into prison before the strategic counterattack.

This deployment is indeed very bad militarily, but it is politically correct.

Even if cities and territory are lost, they were lost after strenuous resistance, not abandoned by his order.

As long as he drags it out until the court's reinforcements arrive, he will not only have no faults but also have merits.

Under the dominance of political correctness, it is not strange to ask the Yangzhou Camp and the Two Huai'an Camp to withdraw and join the Guangzhou defense battle.

……

On the Grand Canal.

Xu Xu Wenyue, who was forced to leave the capital, looked at the rolling waves and sighed.

"Grand Secretary, the weather outside is cold, go into the cabin to rest!"

Hou Hou Huaichang advised.

Unlike previous political struggles, the one who took action against him this time was the Emperor.

There were no fancy tricks; after a burst of flattery, the righteousness pressed down.

As if the mess in Among Guangxi could only be cleaned up by him, and no one else could handle it.

If he were truly a hero, as an auxiliary minister, he would naturally have a hundred reasons to refuse.

The problem is that Xu Xu Wenyue is not a hero; at most, he can only be considered a powerful minister, a powerful minister loyal to imperial power.

The Emperor lowered his dignity and played the rogue, so he had no choice but to accept.

When leaving the capital, the Emperor personally brought the officials to see him off and even bowed to him.

"Hou Huaichang, who do you think gave the Emperor this idea?"

He had held this question in his heart for a long time.

Based on his understanding of the new Emperor, there is absolutely no such means.

If he were really that powerful, there wouldn't have been so much chaos before.

"Grand Secretary, the Emperor's most important think tank now is the two men Yin and Zuo.

Their ability to do things is not good, but they are very proficient in power struggle.

The matter of leaving the capital was mostly stirred up by the two of them.

However, the Emperor's astonishing move should not be their idea.

Perhaps it was a sudden flash of inspiration from the Emperor, drawing on the late Emperor's methods back then."

Reminded by Hou Hou Huaichang, Xu Xu Wenyue reacted instantly.

This is not drawing on it; it is clearly copying it.

At the beginning of Emperor Tianyuan's reign, he was also unable to control the government.

In order to gain power, Emperor Tianyuan found opportunities to send several highly respected heavy ministers in the court to the local areas.

The means used at that time were similar to the current ones.

They were all flattered, put on a pedestal, and then morally kidnapped in the name of righteousness.

For loyal ministers who cherish their reputation, this operation is very easy to use.

Even if they are unwilling in their hearts, once the atmosphere is set, they can only accept it with a hard scalp.

After wandering around the local area and returning to the court, the pattern in the court had already changed greatly.

"Forget it, if the Emperor can really learn the late Emperor's skills, it is also a blessing for the country!"

Xu Xu Wenyue said slowly.

Human nature is complex.

When Emperor Tianyuan was alive, he never felt how good the Emperor was, and he often complained in private that the Emperor loved to toss around.

After the new monarch ascended the throne and tossed around for a while, he suddenly missed the late Emperor's goodness.

Even if the late Emperor loved to toss around when he was in power, there would be one result out of ten times.

After the new Emperor ascended the throne, he also inherited the habit of loving to toss around, but the problem is that this one is purely tossing around blindly.

No results were seen, but a pile of messes was left behind.

Their group of auxiliary ministers spent one-third of their office time cleaning up the mess for the Emperor.

(End of chapter)