Chapter 159

Lianzhou Prefecture.

"The matter is troublesome!"

Looking at the intelligence in his hand, Li Mu couldn't help but sigh.

While launching the eastern expedition, the rebels simultaneously started the western expedition and the northern expedition.

Although they only sent side forces, they had the cooperation of local White Lotus Sect followers.

The flames of war spreading from Guangdong and Among Guangxi to Yunnan-Guizhou and Huguang almost became a foregone conclusion.

The chaos expanded to five provinces, which is a typical scene of the end of a dynasty, which will seriously shake the ruling foundation of the Great Great Dayu.

"Why, has Guangzhou Prefecture fallen?"

Jing Jing Yifeng's words left Li Mu speechless.

"Seventh Uncle, can't you hope for a better situation!"

The rebels divided their forces, and the flames of war would spread to five provinces.

If Guangzhou Prefecture falls, Fujian and Jiangxi will also fall into the flames of war.

Looking at history, anyone who encounters such a multi-province rebellion is not far from changing dynasties.

As vested interests, if the Great Great Dayu collapses, the Jing and Li families will not have a good life.

"You brat scared me, making it so serious, I thought Guangzhou Prefecture had fallen.

Isn't it just the rebels dividing their forces? Can't the armies of Huguang and Yunnan-Guizhou defeat the rebel main force, and can't they handle a side force?

Relax, the sky won't fall.

If you are really worried about the deterioration of the situation, then send troops to recover Nanning Prefecture and Xunzhou Prefecture to share some pressure for them.

Having stayed in Lianzhou for so long, the soldiers have already adapted to the climate of Among Guangxi.

Now the winter plowing is finished, and the army is idle anyway.

Take the opportunity to pull the troops out to fight a battle, so that when the Imperial Commissioner comes, our words can carry more weight."

After taking the intelligence and scanning it, Jing Jing Yifeng said carelessly.

This is the mainstream view.

Except for a few people who sensed danger, in the minds of more people, the Great Great Dayu's country is still very stable.

The current White Lotus Sect rebellion, in the eyes of many, is not as destructive as the previous rebellion of the Lianghuai gentry.

The losses caused by the rebels were directly ignored by the officials.

After all, Among Guangxi in this era is a money-losing province.

The taxes paid to the empire every year are not enough for half of the administrative expenses.

No matter how fierce the chaos is, the damage caused to the Great Great Dayu cannot be that big.

If the rebels hadn't burned the flames of war to Guangdong, the court might not necessarily pay attention to it.

"As for the Imperial Commissioner, you go sell your favor yourself, don't drag me in.

During the suppression of the Lianghuai rebellion, the Five Cities Military and Horse Division and Grand Secretary Xu fought endlessly.

Although it is said that a prime minister's belly can hold a boat, I'd better not go there to be an eyesore."

Li Mu said with a depressed face.

He is mixing with Marquis Marquis Wuyang, and when the two big bosses fight, he must support his own boss.

In Yangzhou Prefecture, he offended Grand Secretary Xu quite a bit.

At this moment, Grand Secretary Xu is serving as the Governor of the Five Provinces, so he should lower his presence; how can he take the initiative to lean forward.

Of course, wanting to go over to sell favor is not completely impossible.

As one of the main forces suppressing the rebellion, he has the value of being wooed by holding elite troops.

In the face of benefits, it is completely feasible to temporarily shelve previous unhappiness.

However, the most taboo thing in the officialdom is to be two-faced; running to please Grand Secretary Xu now will inevitably offend Marquis Marquis Wuyang.

In terms of power, Grand Secretary Xu must be much stronger than Marquis Marquis Wuyang.

The problem is that no matter how hard he tries, Li Mu cannot enter Grand Secretary Xu's core circle.

On the contrary, on Marquis Marquis Wuyang's side, he has already mixed into a trusted aide.

Rather than ruining his reputation and seeking short-term benefits, it is better to stay in place.

"You were recommended by Marquis Marquis Wuyang, so it is indeed not suitable to get too close to Grand Secretary Xu.

But don't worry too much; you are not deeply involved in the conflict between Marquis Marquis Wuyang and Grand Secretary Xu.

With the face of the Jing and Li families, I think Grand Secretary Xu will not deliberately target you."

Jing Jing Yifeng advised.

Encountering such things, one can only admit bad luck.

Mixing in the officialdom, it is difficult to go smoothly, and encountering setbacks is inevitable.

Relatively speaking, Li Mu's situation is still not bad.

He led troops alone to open up a new battlefield, avoiding meeting Grand Secretary Xu.

In this background, even if he wants to wear small shoes for him, he must consider the consequences.

"Seventh Uncle, don't worry!

I can still bear such small things.

Seventh Uncle, at our age, it is not easy to advance further in our official careers.

I guess what he wants most now is to clean up this mess as soon as possible and return to the center of power in the capital.

If he cannot return to the capital before the Emperor takes personal control of the government, he will definitely suffer a big loss in this round of power reshuffling.

The situation on the battlefield is not good; none of the Governors in charge of military affairs know military affairs.

It just so happens that Grand Secretary Xu himself does not know military affairs, so whether he can quell this rebellion in time is still an unknown."

Li Mu is very speechless about the Great Great Dayu's personnel appointments.

The situation in the south is dangerous, and it is necessary to send ministers with weight to supervise the army; at least send one with strong military ability!

Grand Secretary Xu, who comes from a clean background, is a well-known pen-pusher in the world.

Letting him coordinate the armies of various provinces to suppress the rebellion, no matter how you look at it, it seems like he is afraid that the world will not be chaotic.

However, this is Li Mu's personal view; in the eyes of the outside world, this is just an ordinary personnel appointment.

Controlling military affairs with civil officials is the tradition of the Great Great Dayu; only by handing over the military and political power of the five provinces to a civil official can the Emperor sleep at ease.

……

"What happened outside, so lively?"

Xu Xu Wenyue, who was on the hospital bed, asked suspiciously.

In order to catch up with time, he did not dawdle on the road this time.

Traveling south by boat all the way, his body, which could not bear the burden, finally fell ill on the eve of arriving in Wuchang.

"Grand Secretary, Wuchang Prefecture has arrived, and the officials of Huguang are welcoming at the pier."

Hou Hou Huaichang answered.

Traveling south from the capital, for Xu Xu Wenyue personally, it was a failure on the road of power struggle.

But to the outside world, he is still an auxiliary minister with high power and heavy weight.

This time going south to supervise the army, not only serving as the Governor of the Five Provinces but also bringing the Shangfang Sword bestowed by the Emperor.

He has the power of life and death over civil and military officials below the third rank.

"Let them all go back.

The country is difficult, and one by one they don't think about being loyal to the country, just doing these useless things, what does it look like!"

Xu Xu Wenyue frowned and said.

As a representative of the Chu faction, this time going south to supervise the army, he returned to his old nest.

It is precisely because he arrived at his old nest that he needs to avoid suspicion.

Especially now that he is still on the hospital bed, going to see everyone in this state is undoubtedly damaging his own majesty.

"Grand Secretary, it's not good to send everyone away!

Otherwise, leave a few people to understand the situation first.

I see the look of the Governor of Huguang, it seems there are major matters to report to you."

Hou Hou Huaichang proposed.

There are also closeness and distance in the officialdom, and one should always give more preferential treatment to one's own people.

Xu Xu Wenyue's illness is not serious.

According to the doctor, it is mainly because of the cold caught by sailing for days; resting for a few days after landing will recover.

"Then let the Governor, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, and the Surveillance Commissioner stay, and send the rest away.

Tell the Governor of Huguang to arrange accommodation nearby; the old man likes the river view of the Yangtze River."

After speaking, Xu Xu Wenyue got up from the bed, and two maids came over to dress him very sensibly.

……

Hengzhou Prefecture.

"Brother Zhou came from afar, I don't know what for?"

Meng Meng Zeyang asked with concern.

He really didn't want to see the person before him.

Ever since the White Lotus Sect in Among Guangxi rebelled and proclaimed themselves Emperor, the court has increased its crackdown on the White Lotus Sect.

Once bureaucrats get serious, their combat effectiveness can instantly rise by several levels.

In recent days, many White Lotus Sect followers in the Hengzhou area have been arrested and imprisoned.

For the sake of their lives, a group of White Lotus Sect high-level officials chose to hide one after another.

As the leader of the Hengzhou White Lotus Sect, Meng Meng Zeyang went into the mountains early.

He was hiding from the court's pursuit and also from the lobbyists from Among Guangxi.

It's not that he has no ambition, it's purely because the court's pursuit is too strict, and the timing for rebellion is not ripe.

Pity that no matter how well he hides, he was still found by others.

If there are no accidents, it must be that his trusted aides could not withstand the temptation and revealed his whereabouts to the visitor.

"Brother Meng, why ask when you know?

We are doing the business of rebellion; this time I came naturally to invite Brother Meng to join and overthrow the rule of the pseudo-dynasty together."

Zhou Zhou Zekai answered calmly.

In the group of the White Lotus Sect, the existence of the Among Guangxi branch is not strong.

However, with the outbreak of the Among Guangxi uprising, the situation reversed instantly.

Sitting on a million-strong army, the Among Guangxi White Lotus Sect instantly became the largest faction.

According to current trends, they already have a glimmer of possibility of seizing the world.

Strength determines the right to speak.

When encountering other regional followers, the sense of superiority came out instantly.

"Brother Zhou, the situation in Huguang is different from Among Guangxi.

This is the granary of the world, and the court's emphasis on Huguang is far higher than Among Guangxi.

The power of local gentry is also not comparable to Among Guangxi.

If we make a slight move, we will be reported to the government.

Wanting to launch an uprising is truly too difficult!"

Meng Meng Zeyang decisively complained.

As a member of the White Lotus Sect, he naturally wants to raise troops to overthrow the Great Great Dayu's rule.

It's just that the court is watching too closely, and raising troops to rebel at this time is a dead end.

"Brother Meng, relying solely on your strength indeed carries many risks.

But this time is different; the Holy Emperor sent the Prince of Prince Dongping to launch a northern expedition, and now he has reached Yongzhou Prefecture.

If Brother Meng responds at this time, we can send elite troops to sneak in and help you.

By then, responding from afar with the northern expedition army, taking Yongzhou Prefecture and Hengzhou Prefecture will be effortless.

After pacifying the two places, the army will go straight to Changsha Prefecture, and half of Huguang will be ours.

The Holy Emperor rewards and punishes clearly; if Brother Meng can make such a great contribution, being enfeoffed as a Marquis and becoming a Chancellor will be completely within reach."

Zhou Zhou Zekai tried hard to draw a cake.

It is not easy to be a lobbyist; one must not only know how to draw a cake but also be able to make the other party believe it.

"Brother Zhou, has the northern expedition army really reached Yongzhou?"

Meng Meng Zeyang asked with concern.

Hiding in the mountains is safe, but in terms of intelligence gathering, it is inevitable to lag behind.

Asking him to launch an uprising alone, he has no courage.

But Among Guangxi sent a northern expedition army, so the situation is very different.

More than a month ago, the Among Guangxi White Lotus Sect soundly defeated the Huguang government army, which greatly encouraged their fighting spirit.

(End of chapter)