Chapter 168

Xunzhou Prefecture.

With the continuous gathering of the grand army, troubles were also emerging one after another.

Especially the armies of the various Tusi, which frequently had friction.

No matter how strictly Kong Siliu enforced military discipline, he could not stop the conflicts from happening.

This was the White Lotus Holy Kingdom's own fault.

By constantly provoking internal strife among the Tusi, they added many new hatreds to the Tusi, who were already riddled with contradictions.

Commanding a group of troops full of blood feuds, it would be good enough if they didn't kick each other while they were down.

Expecting them to be sincerely united was purely a dream.

If he still didn't know he had been tricked by this point, Kong Siliu would not need to survive.

Borrowing the imperial troops' hands to eliminate the Tusi's hidden dangers sounds fine, but the problem is that it's hard to operate!

Leading the army on an expedition this time, he was aiming to win the battle, not just to consume the Tusi's military power.

Now that he realized the severity of the problem, it was already too late.

The position of Regional Commander was snatched; there was absolutely no reason to return it.

Externally, they claimed to have an army of forty thousand, but the solid troops numbered twenty thousand.

With so many people gathered together, just eating was a big problem.

Plus the livestock accompanying the army, the consumption of ten thousand shi of grain a day is terrifying to think about.

"Pass the order down, tell those Tusi to send the war elephants back to me; I don't need these useless big eaters!"

After seeing the terrifying consumption of the war elephants, Kong Siliu ordered angrily.

The Battle of Lianzhou had already proven that war elephants, as a backward branch of the military, had no effect in front of the puppet court's imperial troops.

In his view, those Tusi bringing the war elephants over was deliberately trying to add trouble for him.

After all, the Guangxi Tusi were forced to participate in this grand battle.

Rescuing their clansmen was one aspect, but more of it was being tricked onto a pirate ship, and now they couldn't get off.

"Marquis, these elephants are not entirely useless; their ability to pull carts is still very strong.

Especially those large-caliber cannons, which take several horses to pull; an elephant is even more useful.

Using them to transport logistical supplies should be good labor!"

Secretary Wen on the side spoke up to persuade him.

One must consider the face of the Buddha if not the monk.

They still needed these Tusi to sell their lives later; driving their war elephants back now would be too much of a slap in the face.

"No need!

It's true that these big guys have great strength, but they eat too much.

Using them to transport grain, before the goods can be delivered to the place, it will all have gone into their bellies."

Kong Siliu refused immediately.

He didn't know how that group of Tusi fed these big guys, but the White Lotus Holy Kingdom couldn't afford to feed them.

The grain to feed one war elephant is enough to feed over a hundred soldiers.

If they could really fight, that would be one thing, but these guys are just living targets for the enemy on the battlefield.

Once they are frightened, the damage caused to the enemy is not as great as the destruction caused to themselves.

As for the Tusi's face, Kong Siliu chose to ignore it directly.

Driving away these big guys could reduce daily grain consumption by five or six percent.

Controlling it from other aspects, compressing daily grain consumption by ten percent would not be a big problem.

The Holy Kingdom's family foundation is not thick; as the Regional Commander of the grand army, one must learn to be meticulous.

Saving one thousand shi a day, one could save thirty thousand shi in a month.

……

Wuchang Prefecture.

"Zou Yunchuan, that idiot is actually still alive!"

Xu Wenyue complained with a frown.

Losing Guangzhou Prefecture, collapsing the Liangguang situation, and poking such a big hole.

If the person involved had died, everyone could have spared him out of respect for the dead and not pursued his responsibility.

But this guy survived, so the court must investigate the ins and outs of the defeat; they cannot suffer such a muffled loss in a muddled way.

"Grand Secretary, please calm your anger first!

It's not worth ruining your health for such a traitor."

It would have been fine if Lü Jingxuan hadn't comforted him, but with this comfort, Xu Wenyue suddenly discovered something wrong.

Poking a hole is a matter of ability; it has nothing to do with being a traitor.

The use of words in officialdom needs to be rigorous; scolding Zou Yunchuan as stupid, incompetent, or a waste is fine, but one must never randomly slap labels on him.

"That idiot has defected to the rebels!"

Xu Wenyue said through gritted teeth.

Previously, when county magistrates surrendered, it caused an uproar in the imperial court.

If a Provincial Governor surrendered to the rebels, the political impact would be even worse.

"Grand Secretary, these are all messages released by the rebels; they may not be true.

It's just that various signs indicate that Zou Yunchuan has indeed fallen into the hands of the rebels.

However, Guangdong Administration Commissioner Xue Weicheng and Surveillance Commissioner Liang Qixin both died for their country one after another, not losing face for the court."

Lü Jingxuan explained, pretending to be flustered.

Guangdong Provincial Governor Zou Yunchuan defecting to the rebels is disastrous for the Great Dayu Dynasty, but it is a benefit for him personally.

After a series of previous failures, his position as Provincial Governor was already unstable.

Even if he stabilized the front line now, there were still voices in the court to replace him.

To keep his position as Provincial Governor, he must obtain Xu Wenyue's support.

At such a time, he needed teammates to set him off.

Compared to losing cities and territory, and even being captured by the rebels himself, Provincial Governor Zou, he, the Provincial Governor who could stabilize the front line, suddenly became an honor student.

"Hmph!"

"Others can die for their country, but Zou Yunchuan dares to become a prisoner; if that's not defecting to the rebels, what is?

It's possible that he himself is a secret agent of the White Lotus Sect mixed into the court, deliberately cooperating with the rebels to seize the Liangguang region!

Secretary, issue a document to the Three Judicial Offices, ordering them to arrest the Zou clan and bring them to justice; we must not let these chaotic party members run away."

Xu Wenyue slapped the big label on him without hesitation.

By this point, the truth was no longer important.

To curb the trend of surrender, he had to kill the chicken to warn the monkey.

Regardless of whether Zou Yunchuan was accidentally captured or surrendered voluntarily, it was the Zou family's bad luck.

Enjoying the benefits brought by Zou Yunchuan being Provincial Governor, they had to bear the disaster of having their home raided and their clan wiped out because of the hole this guy poked.

"Grand Secretary, in addition to arresting the rebels, we also need to send people to appease officials in various places.

Especially officials in the Guangdong region, who need to be focused on.

In any case, we cannot let the farce of large-scale official surrender happen!"

Hou Huaichang added.

Large-scale surrender of officials is usually a sign of the end of a dynasty.

Once this happens, even if the White Lotus Sect rebels are wiped out, the hearts of the people in the world will be shaken.

By then, when the court pursues accountability, even if Xu Wenyue is a high-ranking minister, he will not be able to escape being held accountable.

……

Lianzhou City.

With the rebel army pressing on the border, this city, which had just regained its vitality, became desolate again.

Merchants who feared the scourge of war chose to leave to take refuge, leaving only a few bold ones to continue operating.

Li Mu was naturally clear about these changes among the people.

With an army supervisor watching from the side, apart from issuing notices to appease the people, he could do nothing.

The Great Dayu Dynasty's management of military generals was strict; apart from their official duties, the more beautifully they did other work, the faster they would die.

Even if it was temporary management, one had to follow previous precedents.

At the very least, under the eyes of the army supervisor, one must follow the old rules.

It would be fine if one tried to be different and failed; at worst, one would be sprayed by civil officials and bear the reputation of being unlearned.

Once one made a name for oneself, that would be a big name.

This is fame, which is not a good thing for a military general.

In the future, one will be the focus of the court's attention, and even a slight overstep could cost one's life.

"Commander, the rebels have sent someone to deliver a letter of persuasion to surrender!"

Hearing this news, Li Mu was slightly stunned.

Where did the rebels get the confidence to think he would surrender?

Even if it were a routine persuasion to surrender, one should first investigate who the enemy on the opposite side is.

Sending a letter of persuasion to surrender in such a muddled way has no meaning other than wasting an envoy.

"Hand over the person and the letter to Lord Jia.

From now on, all those who come to persuade surrender should be handed over to Lord Jia to handle."

Li Mu said calmly.

There was no need to read the letter of persuasion to surrender; no matter how good the conditions offered by the rebels were, it was impossible for him to defect.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom seems to be making a lot of noise, but compared to Great Dayu, they are still far behind in strength.

That "Equal Field Edict" attracted a large number of people to join, it is true, but the strategy of "everyone is a soldier" pushed them onto a road of no return.

A large number of young men joined the army, and agricultural production was seriously affected.

The grain production in the controlled area simply cannot support so many troops.

Only by constantly expanding outward and constantly raiding the family foundations of the gentry can the war chariot of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom continue to run wild.

Once expansion suffers a setback, the internal contradictions covered up by victory will soon erupt.

Demobilizing the army to recuperate is impossible.

Now that there are enemies on all sides, only by desperately investing resources into the army can there be a glimmer of hope.

To break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly, just taking Liangguang is not enough; one must also take the land of fish and rice in Huguang or Jiangnan.

Undoubtedly, this is very difficult.

The people of Huguang and Jiangnan also have bitter lives, but compared to other regions, it is still not bad.

As long as the bottom-rung people can live, their enthusiasm for rebellion will not be high.

The Equal Field Edict is indeed good, but no matter how good the policy is, it needs people to execute it.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom was newly founded and did not have that many qualified bureaucrats.

The Equal Field Edict issued was more of a political slogan.

In terms of specific execution, only a small number of regions implemented it, and in more places, even the ruling institutions were not built.

Except for a few disgruntled scholars who were willing to follow them for a gamble, more scholars were very hostile to the White Lotus Holy Kingdom.

No matter how many measures are taken, they cannot win the hearts of the people.

In this day and age, more than ninety percent of scholars come from gentry families.

One cannot raid someone's home one moment and then ask them to defect and sell their lives the next.

Moreover, the organizational structure of the White Lotus Sect is also very chaotic, filled with a strong "rivers and lakes" color.

It's fine to gather people's hearts in the short term, but once time passes, problems will inevitably arise.

"No need to send me off; I already know.

Commander Li, I just received news that the Guangdong Provincial Governor may have defected to the enemy.

He knows too much information; I'm afraid our previous combat deployment needs to be adjusted!"

Jia Bo said with a solemn expression.

A high-ranking official like a Provincial Governor is a proper high official in the Great Dayu Dynasty.

If an official of this level can defect to the enemy, the blow to the morale of the imperial troops on the front line is undoubtedly huge.

Li Mu, who had not understood why the rebels were persuading him to surrender, suddenly understood.

If a Provincial Governor can be bought over, it is not surprising that the military generals below can be coerced or lured over.

Anyway, the cost is not high, so it doesn't hurt to try.

If it succeeds, it's a huge profit; if it fails, at most one envoy is lost.

"Lord Jia, actually you overestimate Zou Yunchuan.

Perhaps he is proficient in political struggle, but in terms of military affairs, Zou Yunchuan is purely an idiot.

His understanding of the troops below is limited to the numbers on paper.

Looking at the military deployments he made before, there was no decision that was correct.

If this person has defected to the enemy, then our next combat plan seems too conservative."

Knowing that Zou Yunchuan might have defected to the enemy, Li Mu's address to him also became impolite.

The Siege of Guangdong was fought so badly that it reached the sky, which is enough to prove Zou Yunchuan's military level.

Every military deployment failed, which can be considered a rare oddity.

After all, military plans can be handed over to subordinates to do, and as the Regional Commander, one only needs to choose the most suitable one.

Even if one randomly pulls someone from the street to make a decision, it is possible to guess correctly once.

"You mean not defending the city, but taking the initiative to attack and find the enemy for a decisive battle?"

Jia Bo could not help but exclaim.

In a situation where the strength of the two sides is vastly different, taking the initiative to launch an attack undoubtedly requires courage.

While despising the White Lotus Sect rebels as a rabble in his mouth, deep in his heart, he dared not underestimate the enemy.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that the rebel forces could span five provinces is enough to prove that the White Lotus Sect has a set of methods.

"That's right!"

"The rebel troop deployment is mainly along the Yu River.

The enemy is attempting to press us from three sides: Siming Prefecture, Nanning Prefecture, and Xunzhou Prefecture.

The rebels in Gaozhou Prefecture and Leizhou Prefecture are also restless.

Once the war situation falls into a stalemate, they are very likely to become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Such a troop deployment seems to have no problems and also reduces logistical pressure by relying on dispersed troops.

But the enemy's strength is also dispersed accordingly.

From the intelligence collected, the enemy has deployed the most troops in the Xunzhou direction, numbering as many as one hundred thousand.

The Nanning line also has seventy thousand grand troops deployed, and the Siming Prefecture line has the fewest troops, only about thirty thousand.

It can be preliminarily judged that the total troop strength mobilized by the rebels this time is around twenty thousand.

Theoretically, any rebel route could fight us, but that is only paper data.

In the previous Guangdong defense battle, Zou Yunchuan did not dare to take responsibility for losing cities and territory, adopted a comprehensive defense strategy, and was finally defeated by the rebels one by one.

We cannot make the same mistake again.

No matter how many routes they come from, we can catch one route and fight it first."

Li Mu said frankly.

Losing cities and territory is a serious crime for local officials.

Taking the initiative to abandon a city is an even worse crime.

Once impeached by the Censorate, it is a major political stain on one's official career.

As a military general, Li Mu did not have such concerns.

No matter how beautiful and clean his resume is, he cannot enter the cabinet.

Carrying a few more non-principled political stains is never a big deal for a military general.

"Which rebel route to fight first?

Is there a sure chance of winning?"

Jia Bo asked with concern.

As an army supervisor sent by the imperial envoy, he is not even a local official, so the gain or loss of a city or territory is never something he needs to worry about.

As long as this grand battle can be won, other problems are all minor details.

(End of Chapter)