Chapter 173

When the rebel reinforcements arrived at the battlefield, Li Mu was already holding a victory banquet in the camp. The wine and food had been prepared in advance, and the soldiers returned to the camp to eat.

Jia Bo, acting as the Army Supervisor, was currently both miserable and happy. Seeing the dense mass of heads for the first time, he had nearly lost half his life.

He could have avoided looking, but he couldn't rest easy without seeing it with his own eyes.

Falsifying battle records was the norm in Great Dayu.

How many enemies were routed, how many were annihilated—all could be faked, and even heads were sometimes faked by killing innocent people to claim merit.

Suppressing his nausea, after inspecting the carts of heads, Jia Bo breathed a sigh of relief.

According to custom, after the Army Supervisor verified them, the Ministry of War would still have to send people to verify them before they could be officially counted as military merit.

"Master Jia, are you alright?"

Li Mu asked with concern.

They had been cooperating quite happily, and he didn't want a troublesome Army Supervisor sent over.

Moreover, the two had an agreement to push for the reform of the Tusi system in Guangxi together, seizing the opportunity to leave their names in history.

"I'm fine!"

"Let's hold the victory banquet; don't keep the soldiers waiting!"

Jia Bo said, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying.

It was just that he had clearly thought too much; the victory banquet had already begun.

The soldiers' victory banquet was held in their respective camps and would not be gathered all together at all.

Among the officers and soldiers who participated in the battle, only a few high-ranking generals were still waiting for him, the Army Supervisor.

"Master Jia, this is the battle report that has just been organized.

If there are no problems, after you look it over, please report it to the Grand Secretary!"

Li Mu said with a smile.

In order to make the battle report more reasonable, he had already revised it three times.

"Routed fifty thousand enemy troops, killed twenty-five thousand, and obtained twenty-three thousand heads.

Our casualties were five thousand, with less than two thousand killed in action.

The two generals are truly famous generals of this era!"

Jia Bo couldn't help but exclaim.

It could be seen that he knew how to grasp the key points; his eyes were full of cold sets of numbers.

He directly chose to ignore the combat details that were glossed over.

Everyone was mixing in officialdom; if one took things too seriously, one would lose.

Although the imperial troops dispatched yesterday were less than five thousand, it didn't affect the army's five thousand casualties.

As for the battle results, there was no need to mention them; with over twenty-three thousand heads laid out there, even if they said they routed one hundred thousand rebels, no one could pick a flaw.

Only reporting fifty thousand was because that was the enemy's vanguard force, and they claimed fifty thousand externally.

Adhering to a serious and responsible attitude, Li Mu chose to use the number of people the rebels claimed externally as the basis for the report.

This aspect was the least to worry about regarding impeachment by the Censorate; how many troops the enemy had on the battlefield could only be estimated.

A tiny margin of error was completely reasonable.

Even if the court wanted to re-verify, there was nowhere to check.

The only flaw was that in this battle, there were only captures of heads, no prisoners.

"Master Jia, you flatter me; we just did what we should have done.

Being able to achieve a great victory is all..."

After a round of commercial mutual flattery, Jia Bo readily stamped his seal on the battle report.

Main Army Camp.

Marquis Zhongxiao Kong Siliu's face was terrifyingly gloomy.

The operation to pursue the enemy forces had, unsurprisingly, ended in failure.

Apart from rounding up a group of useless routed soldiers, the cavalry's dispatch this time was purely to collect the corpses of their own people.

"Pass the order down: cremate the fallen soldiers!"

Kong Siliu ordered coldly.

With so many corpses piled together, if they weren't dealt with quickly, it would easily trigger a plague.

Guangxi was the base camp of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom; once a plague occurred, the lair would be ruined.

"Marquis, those routed soldiers we rounded up are constantly spreading panic in the camp.

We must take measures as soon as possible; it will be troublesome if it affects the army's morale!"

Secretary Zhou on the side reminded him.

The defeat of the vanguard force had already caused an uproar in the army.

If the routed soldiers described the process of the defeat, it would only increase the panic.

Some cowardly soldiers were probably having nightmares even while sleeping.

"Hmm!"

"Pass the order down: organize the routed soldiers into separate battalions and send them to the rear to serve as labor."

Kong Siliu ordered immediately.

Routed soldiers had no combat effectiveness; if it weren't for the fact that there were many Tusi soldiers in the camp, he would have wanted to execute these useless people.

After dealing with these trivial matters, the biggest problem before him was how to fight the next battle.

Two hundred thousand troops besieging thirty thousand enemy troops—not knowing how to fight the battle would make people laugh if it got out.

But this had actually happened.

Laymen watch the excitement, experts watch the doorway.

Don't look at his Xunzhou field army; it still had over seventy thousand people, but its real combat effectiveness might not compare to the enemy's thirty thousand.

"The vanguard force's defeat was mainly due to my miscalculation and the blind command of the three Tusi, Marquis Meng and Marquis Yang.

I will report the reasons to the Holy Emperor myself and will not implicate you all.

For the next great battle, I will rely on you all to offer advice!"

Kong Siliu took the responsibility upon himself, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

This pot was too big for them to carry.

"Marquis, the plan failed, but that doesn't mean the strategy was wrong.

The vanguard army's defeat was caused by many factors, and the biggest mistake was in the execution.

If there had been preparation in advance, even if they encountered a night raid, they could have responded calmly.

The three Tusi, Marquis Meng and Marquis Yang, knew they should camp separately, but because of laziness, they didn't pull away to a sufficient safety distance, which gave the enemy an opportunity.

The main responsibility for this defeat lies in their command, not the Marquis!"

Secretary Zhou took the lead in echoing.

Marquis Zhongxiao stepping out to take responsibility was a display of character, but as subordinates, they couldn't let the commander take the blame.

The three Tusi, Marquis Meng and Marquis Yang, who had lost the battle, were undoubtedly the best scapegoats.

Anyway, it was their three families' troops that were lost; as long as their three families kept their mouths shut, the Holy Kingdom's high command wouldn't hold them accountable.

"The dead are the greatest!

The three Tusi's lives are unknown; how can we place the responsibility for the defeat on them?

You all don't need to say more; I will explain this matter to the Holy Emperor."

Kong Siliu said, pretending to be generous.

These words were for the Tusi to hear.

As a commander from a grassroots background, Kong Siliu didn't understand politics, but he knew that the most important thing in the world is face.

If you want people to be cannon fodder, you must appease everyone's emotions.

Anyway, it was just talk; it wouldn't cost a piece of meat.

How it was specifically written in the battle report was another matter.

"The Marquis is benevolent and righteous; he is truly the Martial Marquis of this era!"

After a round of flattery, the tense atmosphere in the camp suddenly became relaxed.

The three Tusi who had suffered heavy losses were directly ignored by everyone.

Kong Siliu, as the protagonist, was not as happy as he appeared on the surface.

Everyone was just talking nonsense here; no one even mentioned a specific combat plan.

"Alright!"

"According to the intelligence provided by the Xunzhou garrison, the pseudo-dynasty's imperial army is less than one hundred miles away from us.

The vanguard camp was defeated because they underestimated the enemy; we must learn from the lesson.

Next, all units must strengthen camp construction and fight steadily.

Especially at night, we must strengthen vigilance and strictly prevent the enemy from raiding the camp again!"

Kong Siliu ordered helplessly.

Facts proved that all kinds of ingenious strategies were low-probability events.

Most wars were a contest of strength.

After suffering a big loss, everyone became cautious.

Even if they had ideas in their hearts, without sufficient certainty, they didn't dare to speak out easily.

If the plan failed and they lost the commander's trust, it would affect their official career.

Wuchang Prefecture.

Worried about the total collapse of the Guangdong front, the victory report from Guangxi made Grand Secretary Xu reveal a long-lost smile.

The group of Huguang generals who saw the battle report felt embarrassed; their colleagues' excellent performance made them look even more useless.

Fortunately, there were still the imperial troops in Guangdong to cushion them, otherwise, they wouldn't have the face to continue sitting here.

"The Guangxi campaign has just begun, and a prominent battle result has already been achieved, which is enough to prove that the rebels are not invincible.

All generals should take Li Mu and Jing Yifeng as examples, constantly strive for improvement, and strive to quell the White Lotus Sect rebellion as soon as possible!"

Xu Wenyue said with a smile.

In times of national crisis, one thinks of good generals.

The capital had already begun preparing for the Emperor's grand wedding, which was set for March.

According to custom, after the Emperor's grand wedding, the process of personal rule would begin.

The status of regent ministers could be retained for life, but the empire's power would gradually shift from the group of auxiliary ministers to Emperor Yongning.

This process would generally last for one to two years.

It couldn't be longer; Emperor Yongning was not a patient person.

If it dragged on for too long, even the last bit of monarch-subject affection wouldn't be preserved.

The few auxiliary ministers remaining in the capital were all smart people and certainly wouldn't block the Emperor's personal rule.

Against this background, he had to quell the White Lotus Sect rebellion as soon as possible to catch up with this power reshuffle.

To quell the rebellion quickly, subordinates had to be willing to risk their lives.

To stimulate everyone's enthusiasm for suppressing the rebellion, Li Mu and Jing Yifeng, who had performed excellently in the early stages, became the examples he set up.

Judging from the current results, it was undoubtedly successful.

Regardless of how much it stimulated other units, at the very least, the examples he set were indeed willing to risk their lives on the battlefield.

The Guangxi campaign had just begun, and they had caught the rebels off guard, achieving prominent battle results.

If all units had this ability, then the White Lotus Sect rebellion could be quelled by mid-year.

"The Grand Secretary has a keen eye for heroes; the two generals Li and Jing have lived up to expectations, which is why we have today's great victory!

At this moment, the Xiang Army and the E Army have already crossed the Yellow River and will return to Huguang in a few days; we are about to welcome the moment of strategic counterattack.

If everything goes smoothly, we will be able to recover the Huguang region next month!"

Huguang Governor Lu Jingxuan took the lead in stating his position, wanting to fully cooperate with Grand Secretary Xu's rebellion suppression work.

As for whether they could win, there was no need to worry at all.

Just the current army in the province could stabilize the front line; how could they not win after the two recruited armies returned?

However, this confidence was limited to civil officials; military generals were not so optimistic.

The imperial army was increasing its troops, and the rebels were not idle either.

Besides attacking cities and seizing land everywhere, the enemy was also constantly training new recruits.

Every time they occupied a place, the rebels would search the homes of local gentry and merchants to use as military supplies.

After getting the money and grain, they didn't keep it to breed, but quickly recruited young and strong men into the army.

Judging from the treatment of grassroots soldiers, the rebels' food was much better than the imperial army's.

Many imperial soldiers would join the rebel ranks after being captured.

The high command only saw that they had blocked the rebels in Changsha, but didn't notice that the county towns below were still constantly falling.

Although they were not strategic locations, after these areas fell into the hands of the rebels, they would still enhance the enemy's strength.

"Regional Commander Han, you seem to have something to say?"

Seeing Han Song's expression was wrong, Xu Wenyue asked.

When he first took office, he indeed looked down on this defeated general.

However, in recent days, the Huguang troops had performed well, which also improved his impression of this defeated general by a few points.

"Grand Secretary, the rebels' strength is growing too fast.

In just one year, they have actually pulled out an army of over a million.

In barren Guangxi, they can actually mobilize an army of four hundred thousand, which truly exceeds my imagination."

Han Song replied anxiously.

Unable to backstab his superiors, he could only use the rebels' power as an excuse.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom's expansion speed was not only fast but also rooted in the local area, which was completely different from roving bandits.

Generally speaking, such rebels with a base area are usually relatively difficult to suppress.

"Are you doubting the battle results reported from Guangxi?"

"Haha..."

"Regional Commander Han, you are overthinking it.

The Army Supervisor I sent to Guangxi verified it personally, and the Ministry of War will send officials to verify it later; falsification is not feasible.

Killing twenty-five thousand enemies and bringing back over twenty-three thousand heads is completely normal attrition.

It's normal not to capture prisoners; the Guangxi front line is short of food and can't afford to feed prisoners of war.

This is my responsibility; we cannot be too harsh on the soldiers on the front line.

Pass the order down: urge all provinces to hurry and transport money and grain to Guangxi; we cannot let meritorious officials fight on empty stomachs."

Xu Wenyue said with a smile.

He was still very tolerant of generals who could win battles.

He directly filled in the final gaps in the battle report's flaws with his own imagination.

Knowing that his intentions had been misunderstood, Han Song could only nod and accept it.

The Viceroy and the Governor were both planning a strategic counterattack; he, a small Regional Commander, couldn't stop them at all.

Six days had passed since the night raid.

The rebels, who had been cautious all the way, finally arrived outside the county town of Pubei.

A distance of only one hundred miles had taken six days to finish; it would make people laugh if it got out.

However, Li Mu didn't laugh; the enemy's caution meant he hadn't found a suitable opportunity for battle.

The expected quick field battle had turned into a head-on contest of strength.

"Regional Military Commissioner Li, the rebels are so cautious; should we change our target?"

Jia Bo proposed.

Killing rebel elites and cannon fodder had the same gold content in terms of heads to the court.

As someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong, he liked bullying rookies.

After experiencing the last night raid, knowing that the Tusi army was easy to bully, naturally, he wanted to bully the soft persimmons first.

Now that the war had progressed to this point, turning around to defeat the Nanning rebels would also win this campaign.

"It's too late to turn around now; it's easy to be caught in a pincer attack from three directions, leading to Lianzhou being lost.

The rebel force before us seems quite organized, but in reality, there are still many problems.

For any army, if casualties exceed twenty percent, morale will be affected.

The enemy's caution actually proves they are afraid.

An army that has lost its courage won't have much combat power.

Once the enemy finishes setting up camp, we will wait for an opportunity to attack, and we will definitely give them a surprise."

Li Mu's answer left Jia Bo completely confused.

Military books only recorded attacking when the enemy was not yet firmly established; they never recorded waiting for the enemy to finish setting up camp before launching an attack.

"Regional Military Commissioner Li, this is not in accordance with military strategy!"

Jia Bo couldn't help but remind him.

Things recorded in military strategy might not necessarily be usable, but going against military strategy would definitely not lead to any good results.

Experienced generals would not make these common-sense mistakes.

"Master Jia, the military books you've seen have all been abridged.

True military strategy has always kept pace with the times and adapted to local conditions; there are no inherent routines.

Just wait; you'll know tonight!"

(End of chapter)