Chapter 163: Raising Grain

White Lotus Holy Kingdom, Eastern Expedition Army Camp.

"Is there any movement on the side of the pseudo-dynasty?"

Pingnan Prince Fu Haoxuan asked with high spirits.

Since launching the Eastern Expedition, the Eastern Expedition Army had been sweeping everything in its path.

It wasn't until they fought to Guangzhou Prefecture that they encountered fierce resistance from the imperial troops.

To Fu Haoxuan, a little trouble didn't count for anything.

According to the current speed, he had the confidence to conquer Guangzhou within a month and pacify Guangdong within three months.

Once this strategy was completed, his status in the Holy Kingdom would become impregnable.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the pseudo-dynasty is constantly increasing troops.

The enemy troops that were originally heavily damaged by us have already recovered to their peak period in terms of military strength.

However, these reinforcements are mostly guard troops from various places, and their combat effectiveness is very limited.

The ones with strong combat effectiveness in the pseudo-dynasty are all recruited soldiers; these troops have stayed in the north for years and are not adapted to the climate of the south.

Judging from the intelligence collected, the war situation in Liaodong is tending to ease, and the Tatars seem unable to hold on anymore.

Affected by this, the pseudo-dynasty might let the participating troops move south.

The old nests of the pseudo-dynasty's Xiang Army and E Army are both in Huguang; by then, the pressure on Prince Dongping's side will be very great.

The combat effectiveness of the pseudo-dynasty's Dian Army and Shu Army is also not bad; the Western Conquest Army will likely encounter trouble too.

Relatively speaking, our situation here is the best.

As long as we can quickly take Guangdong, the Yue Army will become duckweed without roots.

The recruited soldiers in the Min Army and Gan Army were abandoned many years ago, and their sense of presence in the pseudo-dynasty's army has never been very high."

Chief Clerk Wen Tianzong analyzed cautiously.

With the army's expedition, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom's talent system was also constantly optimizing.

With more and more failed scholars joining, the initial grassroots startup team gradually had the prototype of regularization.

"It seems this year, there is no way to celebrate!

Pass the order down, let all the officers and soldiers prepare for a continuous great battle.

This Prince wants to take advantage of the imperial troops relaxing their vigilance during the New Year to take Guangzhou Prefecture in one fell swoop.

Notify our people to spread rumors among the pseudo-dynasty's main army to disturb the enemy's military heart as much as possible.

At the same time, fully launch the uprising of the sect followers in the Guangdong region; don't be afraid of spending money, I want to make the enemy's rear chaotic!"

Fu Haoxuan ordered with a hard heart.

Not letting people have peace even during the New Year, he knew this military order would make the people below curse, and it wouldn't be surprising if they greeted his ancestors for eighteen generations.

But on the battlefield, speed is precious; the White Lotus Holy Kingdom needs to grab time.

They were able to rise to power largely because the Great Dayu's elite troops were on the Liaodong battlefield, causing a vacancy in military strength in the southeastern provinces.

Once the recruited soldiers of each province return, the subsequent battles will be hard to fight.

The Battle of Lianzhou is the best example; two battalions of recruited soldiers were able to crush a hundred thousand chieftain allied forces on the front line.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom's troops had combat effectiveness equivalent to the chieftain allied forces, all being temporarily conscripted young and strong men.

Even fighting until now, they had only cultivated a small amount of elite troops.

The command level of the commanders was also uneven.

Compared to the imperial troops, they were a big chunk behind in the overall picture.

Being able to take advantage now is because they encountered soft persimmons, also paired with muddled commanders.

If they don't grasp the current timing and expand their territory as much as possible, only tragedy will remain later.

"Your Highness, rest assured, those officials of the pseudo-dynasty are the most greedy.

On the eve of the great battle, we will place a row of large pots to stew meat for the soldiers; it will definitely shake the enemy's military heart and morale!"

Wen Tianzong echoed immediately.

Compared to the Great Dayu with its solidified class, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, this startup team, still had much more vitality.

Even if a grassroots person defected, as long as they were capable enough on the battlefield, they would have a chance to stand out.

The only flaw was that they issued the "Equal Field Decree" to divide the land of the gentry and great clans.

However, it didn't have much impact on Wen Tianzong; he was just a bottom-level gentry, and the land property in his clan was limited.

Moreover, the Equal Field Decree was not implemented thoroughly; as long as one joined the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, they could be exempted from having their land divided.

Standing from his perspective, the Equal Field Decree was nothing more than a reshuffling of interests.

Most of the soldiers participating in the rebellion were aiming for glory and wealth.

Without cleaning up the remnants of the previous dynasty, where would there be enough benefits to distribute to the group of meritorious officials.

In essence, it was the same as the dynastic changes in history; it was a new interest group replacing the old interest group.

When the scale and quantity of the interest-seeking group were small, the world was full of vitality, a scene of prosperity and revival.

When this group developed and grew, it would turn into new gentry and great clans, constantly devouring the flesh and blood of the empire.

"Hmm!

This is a good idea; let the people below arrange it."

Fu Haoxuan said readily.

……

Wuchang Prefecture.

Looking at the battle reports gathered from all over, Xu Wenyue couldn't help but sigh.

The White Lotus Sect rebellion was getting bigger and bigger, already having a trend of blossoming everywhere.

Affected by the rebel army in Guangxi growing stronger, rebellions of varying scales appeared in Guanzhong, Henan, Shandong, and other places.

Half of these rebellion activities were related to the White Lotus Sect, or rather, were under the banner of the White Lotus Sect.

If these small troubles were not worth worrying about, then the situation in the five provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Huguang, Guangdong, and Guangxi made him unable to sleep at night.

The rebellion suppression war had been fought until now, but the rebel army had not been annihilated; instead, it was growing stronger and stronger.

Up to the time the intelligence was transmitted, the Yunnan region had lost one and a half prefectures, and the situation in Guizhou was better, having only lost a few counties.

Huguang had lost one-fifth of its land, and Guangdong had lost half directly.

The most miserable was Guangxi, which now only had one prefecture under the control of the imperial court.

Calculated comprehensively, he, this Viceroy of the Five Provinces, was actually equivalent to a Viceroy of the Three Provinces.

"Lianzhou is short of grain; how much can Huguang support?"

Xu Wenyue asked with concern.

The main grain-producing areas of the Great Dayu Dynasty were Huguang, Jiangnan, Shuzhong, Shandong, and Henan; the grain production in other regions could only barely be self-sufficient, and some regions still needed to import from the outside.

The grain in the north had to be supplied to the Nine Borders, and the only ones that could provide grain were Shu, Huguang, and Jiangnan.

"Grand Secretary, affected by the flames of war, the grain production capacity of Huguang this year has also been affected.

Now it is still being supplied to the main army, and what can be taken to support Guangxi is very limited.

In this subordinate's view, it is better to find a way to raise grain from Jiangxi, Nanzhili, Zhejiang, and other places!

If it is really not enough, then we can only think of a way from Shu.

However, because of the distance, the cost will be very high after transporting it to Guangxi."

Lu Jingxuan refused tactfully.

If possible, he really wanted to support Guangxi with a batch of grain and fodder.

As long as fighting broke out there, the rebel army wouldn't be able to send more troops to the front line, which could significantly reduce the military pressure on the Huguang front.

However, war is not only a gold-swallowing beast but also a grain-swallowing beast.

Even if fighting on home ground, the grain consumption of soldiers during wartime is much higher than in normal times.

Having the precedent of the Zhaoqing Prefect, now even if everyone reached out to military grain, they had to let the soldiers barely fill their stomachs.

Especially after Xu Wenyue took office, he paid close attention to the grain and fodder problem, significantly increasing the risk of corruption.

"Find a way to negotiate with the local gentry and strive to let them sponsor a batch of grain and fodder.

Tell them that after the White Lotus Sect rebel army comes, not only will they divide their land, but they will also take their heads.

If anyone doesn't believe it, then arrange for people to go to the fallen regions to inquire about how many noble families have suffered the disaster of having their homes raided and families exterminated.

If the imperial troops cannot hold on, they shouldn't think about having a good life either.

According to the information transmitted from Guangxi, the rebel army has ravaged Guangxi miserably.

The imperial court needs to prepare at least five hundred thousand shi of grain to recover Xunzhou Prefecture, and recovering Nanning and Wuzhou will not be smaller than this number.

Besides our own use here, we need to support Guangxi with at least two hundred thousand shi next year.

For the rest of the gap, let the provinces of Jiangnan find a way to make it up.

Forget about transferring grain from Shu; just let them support the Guizhou battlefield directly."

Xu Wenyue ordered cautiously.

Thinking about it, he was speechless; the biggest difficulty encountered by the Lianzhou front, which should have had the greatest military pressure, was actually a shortage of grain.

The other three main armies, which had high hopes, were not short of grain and fodder, but their combat effectiveness was dragging their feet.

The more than ten thousand main army in Lianzhou, tossing and turning in the enemy's belly, could still achieve illustrious battle results.

Compared to a group of colleagues who each held ten or twenty thousand main army troops and were still being suppressed and beaten by the enemy, the difference was really too obvious.

Even if Xu Wenyue knew that the Yangzhou Battalion came from the Five Cities Military Commission and belonged to the backbone of the Marquis of Wuyang's faction, he had to reuse them now.

"Grand Secretary, the imperial troops in the Guangxi region only have the Yangzhou Battalion, the Huaian Battalion, and one temporarily organized battalion; where do they need so much grain and fodder.

In this subordinate's view, they are mostly shirking and don't want to engage with the rebel army.

After all, their military strength is limited, and they are in the belly of the rebel army, bearing very great military pressure."

Lu Jingxuan shirked helplessly.

The grain of the gentry and great clans was never easy to get.

Unless it was a last resort, don't expect these people to be generous.

Even if it was really burning their eyebrows, there was no lack of those who wanted money but not their lives.

Having lived in peaceful days for too long, many people had forgotten the taste of war.

"The soldiers can't eat that much, but the bellies of the prisoners and refugees can eat it, and it's even far from enough.

The two Assistant Regional Commanders responsible for the Battle of Lianzhou come from the Jing and Li families respectively and are both pillars of the nobility.

My order doesn't have that much weight in front of them.

If grain and fodder are not issued, they dare to stop in place and not move.

Of course, there is another choice: directly order them to behead all prisoners and not take prisoners in subsequent operations, which could save a lot of food.

It's just that killing prisoners is inauspicious, and this old man cannot bear to be that ruthless!"

Xu Wenyue shook his head and said.

At this moment, he could especially understand the killing god Bai Qi.

With the productivity of the Qin Empire period, Great Qin did not have the ability to feed so many prisoners on the battle line far from the home country.

For the sake of Great Qin's foundation, acting as a killing god was unavoidable.

The situation now is different; the two noble military commanders entrenched in Lianzhou have no awareness of sacrificing themselves for the country at all.

They report problems when they have them, directly throwing the trouble up.

They even threatened that if they didn't give grain, they would send the prisoners to Guangdong to add to the chaos.

Military officers are not willing to kill prisoners on a large scale, and he, this leader of the pure stream, cannot do it even more.

In this background, he could only find a way to raise grain and fodder.

After all, besides asking for grain, Li Mu also gave him a pie.

After the war, changing native offices to imperial administration in Guangxi, ending the slave rule of the chieftains, and helping all ethnic groups enter the feudal era.

If he could solve this trouble for the imperial court, even if he temporarily lost in the power struggle, he could return to the power center relying on the achievements of changing native offices to imperial administration.

Thousands of years later, when everyone discusses the famous ministers of the Great Dayu, his name would not be missing.

The evaluation of the historical circles would definitely not be low.

The genealogy could also write about this matter in detail, highlighting his contribution to the Huaxia civilization.

If he didn't flip the car later, even if he couldn't get the posthumous title of Wenzheng after death, he could get the posthumous title of Wenzhong.

Such a big pie was sent over; if he didn't try to take a bite, how could he be reconciled.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 164 =====