Chapter 178: Everyone Wants to Be the Sixth

"Then take a detour!"

After glancing at the map, Su Su Laoda gritted his teeth and said.

He didn't know how strong the imperial troops were, but he knew exactly what kind of troops he commanded.

The overall combat strength of the army was, within the White Lotus Holy State, merely a second- or third-tier force.

Add to that a group of tribal chieftains each harboring ulterior motives, and it was absurd to think they could defeat the imperial troops.

The Marquis of Filial Piety paid for his recklessness with his life—he had no intention of following suit.

In the event of a main force defeat, returning the army intact was itself a great achievement.

As a newly formed force, the White Lotus Holy State had still been relatively rational in formulating its battle plans.

It would not blindly order its troops to engage the imperial army in a decisive battle for an impossible mission.

Especially after the encirclement force had suffered heavy losses, preserving manpower had become critical.

"General, the enemy has spotted us.

Taking a detour toward Siming Prefecture may not be that easy!"

Hua Er spoke up to warn.

If the imperial cavalry had arrived, their infantry couldn't be far behind. They might arrive at our doorstep within a day or two.

The Marquis of Filial Piety's head was the best weapon for attack.

Once the soldiers learned their commander was dead, their already low morale would collapse on the spot.

"Hmm!"

"The enemy is advancing fiercely; to withdraw safely, we indeed need someone to hold the rear.

Generals, is there any brave man willing to hold the rear for the army?"

Su Su Laoda's provocation was bound to fail.

Upon hearing the words "hold the rear," everyone lowered their heads.

Knowing the enemy was formidable, staying behind to hold the rear meant certain death—no one wished to sacrifice themselves for others.

"General, why not, while the news hasn't spread, order the tribal armies to keep advancing and draw the enemy's attention, covering our retreat?"

Seeing the commander's gaze turn to him, the monk hastily proposed.

His cultivation level was too low to possess the spirit of self-sacrifice.

"General, the Commandant of the Army is right. While the news hasn't spread, let those tribal troops serve as vanguard—our army still has a chance of survival.

After all, to the Holy State, the existence of the tribal chieftains is itself a threat.

Letting them serve as sacrificial lambs also clears a hidden danger for the Holy State!"

After the scar-faced man spoke, the other generals, finding theoretical justification, quickly echoed him.

War always involves death.

At the brink of life and death, it's better for others to die than oneself.

"Good!

Issue orders: let all tribal chieftains serve as vanguard and accelerate toward Lianzhou.

The rest of the army detours toward Siming Prefecture, joins forces with our allies there, and attacks Lianzhou from the flank!"

After a moment's hesitation, Su Su Laoda immediately gave the order.

……

"Battalion Commander, the rebels have split their forces!"

Upon receiving this news, Shu Shu Zhongyi, tasked with cutting off the rebels' retreat, frowned slightly.

No matter how weak their combat strength, they still numbered seventy thousand.

Simply holding them was already difficult; now that they were splitting up, blocking them became even harder.

"Recon again!

Quickly determine the rebels' movements and their troop distribution after splitting.

Immediately send word to the Regional Military Commissioner."

Shu Shu Zhongyi gave a decisive order.

Theoretically, attacking the rebels mid-march with a thousand cavalry could have shattered them.

But his mission was to cut off their retreat, not to engage them in battle.

By now, the Among Guangxi Campaign's primary goal was no longer victory, but to eliminate as much of the enemy's manpower as possible.

Capturing prisoners was easier when the rebels were still clustered together.

If the rebels were routed, their scattered, uncontrolled troops would flee everywhere—his small cavalry force couldn't possibly capture them all.

Among Guangxi had no shortage of mountains; once the routed troops took to the hills and became bandits, it would take years to eradicate them.

Though governing the region was the civil officials' duty, suppressing bandits still fell to military officers.

Too many mountain bandits meant endless expeditions into the gullies.

……

Deep night.

"Clan Chief, something's wrong.

Our scouts tracking the White Lotus Holy State's forces report they're heading toward Siming Prefecture, but their route isn't toward the front lines.

It looks more like they're heading straight for the prefectural capital!"

Hearing the middle-aged man's words, the old man's expression turned complex.

He'd already found the split suspicious when it happened.

He never imagined the White Lotus Holy State's forces had fled.

Siming Prefecture's capital lay backed by the great river, over a hundred li from the battlefield.

Such a direction was clearly not a flanking maneuver against the imperial troops.

"Issue orders: extend the range of our scouts.

Su's army is retreating—there's a good chance the other two columns are in trouble!"

The old man said grimly.

If the White Lotus Holy State was defeated, his Zhu clan was finished.

To submit his token of loyalty, he personally led men to kill the Prefect of Liuzhou.

The murder was witnessed by many—it could never be kept secret.

Once the court returned, they would not spare the Zhu clan.

"Clan Chief, should we inform the other tribes?"

The middle-aged man asked anxiously.

Theoretically, all the tribal chieftains were on the same boat.

Once the imperial main force arrived, none of them could escape.

Uniting and standing together was the best choice.

But internal contradictions ran rampant among Among Guangxi's tribal chieftains.

"No need!

If they're smart, they've already noticed something's off.

If they can't see such an obvious problem, then such fools—telling them would only cause trouble!"

The Zhu clan chief said coldly.

This information was valuable only if he alone knew it; if everyone knew, it lost its worth.

If not for his fear of the White Lotus Holy State and the severed retreat route, he'd have ordered his men to flee long ago.

Fighting the imperial troops brought no benefit to the Zhu tribal chieftaincy.

Even if they won, they'd gain only a few more fiefs.

Given the White Lotus Holy State's nature, the lands granted would surely lie in contested territories.

To hold them would mean constant conflict with neighboring chieftains.

To abandon them outright was too great a loss.

A classic case of a bone with no meat.

Lose, and it was worse—no rewards, no compensation.

Similar scenes played out repeatedly in the tribal chieftains' tents.

The split had come too suddenly; anyone with half a brain knew something was amiss.

They were strangely united in choosing to keep silent from one another.

Tribal chieftains who had fought in the previous Lianzhou battle knew the imperial troops' strength and had already prepared to flee.

Without White Lotus Holy State's overseers to enforce discipline, the tribal chieftains, now unbound, each plotted their own survival.

……

After a grueling march, the Army Supervisor collapsed from exhaustion—Li Mu was helpless.

He knew civil officials lived in comfort, but he never imagined Jia's body was so frail.

Just a day of jolting on horseback, and he looked like his essence had been drained—he couldn't even muster the strength for dinner.

"Lord Jia, are you feeling better?"

Looking at Jia Bo lying on the bed, Li Mu asked with concern.

No matter what, if the Army Supervisor collapsed, the commander had to lead the officers to visit him.

If the Army Supervisor meets with misfortune, we can all vouch for one another that it is not our fault.

"Thank you, Commander Li, I am quite fine."

The military physician just checked—I'm merely suffering normal pain from the bumpy ride; a night's rest will fix it."

"There's much to attend to in camp—everyone, dismiss!"

Jia Bo said helplessly.

He had lost face terribly this time.

He had thought he was ill, even prepared a memorial to present to the Emperor, showcasing his hardships.

But it was merely the aftereffects of riding—a complete physical non-issue.

If the timing were different, he wouldn't mind feigning illness to gain sympathy—but not now.

The great battle is at a critical juncture; if the Army Supervisor isn't on the front lines, his share of the glory will be drastically reduced.

Feigning illness to gain sympathy is hardship.

A decisive battlefield victory is real merit.

In the Great Ming, opportunities to earn hardship credit are plentiful, but chances to claim actual merit are scarce.

Few civil officials stationed on the front lines don't envy him.

Compared to other battlefronts, the Among Guangxi theater is the Court's last face.

If we win the Among Guangxi Campaign, all prefectures east of the Yujiang and Xijiang rivers will be ours for the taking.

Even if we don't reclaim the remaining Among Guangxi territories, merely capturing Siming Prefecture, Leizhou Prefecture, Gaozhou Prefecture, and Guanghai Garrison, plus half of Nanning and Xunzhou, would still be a great achievement.

Earlier, we didn't launch troops to reclaim Leizhou, Gaozhou, and Guanghai not only due to insufficient forces, but most crucially because these regions belong to Guangdong Province.

Earlier, Li Mu had quarreled with the Guangdong Provincial Governor over his incompetent command, so naturally he wouldn't help him reclaim lost territory.

Now, the troublesome Guangdong Provincial Governor has fallen into rebel hands—this conflict no longer exists.

Strategically, reclaiming these riverside regions will greatly expand Lianzhou's strategic space.

At that point, the entire Guangdong-Among Guangxi theater will come alive.

We can advance westward to reclaim Liuzhou, Guilin, and other areas, or march east to reclaim Guangzhou.

Whichever direction we attack, it will deliver a fatal threat to the rebels.

Such a great achievement isn't the General's alone—the Army Supervisor can feast on it too.

"Commander Jia needs rest—everyone, withdraw!"

Li Mu waved his hand.

In his most humiliating moment, with so many watching, anyone would feel uneasy.

He came to check on his health, not to gawk at his misfortune—there's no need to make the Army Supervisor suffer further.

"Commander Li, General Jing, I am unwell—please take charge of the coming battles."

Jia Bo said solemnly.

Though he has always been an observer on the battlefield, the proper formalities must still be observed.

Theoretically, a Great Ming Army Supervisor holds unlimited authority—even the power to seize direct command.

But if you seize command, you bear full responsibility for the war—with no chance to shift blame.

No Army Supervisor in his right mind would do such a thing unless absolutely forced.

Most Army Supervisors instead use their authority to pressure the General, forcing him to fight according to their will.

Usually, this turns the war into a mess.

When exceptions occur, they are praised to the skies.

In terms of actual battlefield achievements, few Great Ming Army Supervisors have anything worth mentioning.

If someone truly possessed strong military command ability, they would already be a Regional Commander.

The civil bureaucracy most lacks officials who are both cultured and martial.

Anyone even slightly capable is pushed forward.

Of course, such officials rise quickly—and attract hatred just as fiercely.

Holding high office is easy; entering the center of power is extremely difficult.

The Pure Stream faction despises such capable officials—it makes them look utterly incompetent.

"Commander Jia, rest assured—we shall not fail the Emperor's trust; we shall strive to crush the White Lotus rebels!"

Li Mu replied mechanically.

"Commander Jia, I have good news—the rebel forces in Nanning have split up."

Word of Kong Kong Siliu's death has spread; the rebels know they cannot stand against us and are trying to flee.

They've deliberately left behind a group of tribal troops as cannon fodder to slow our advance.

We are now only sixty li from the enemy.

If those tribal troops don't realize the situation and continue on their original route, we'll encounter them tomorrow afternoon."

Jing Jing Yifeng added.

Rebel division is certainly detrimental to the pacification campaign.

Tens of thousands of tribal troops blocking the middle—even catching pigs would take days.

With days of delay, the rebels will have escaped successfully, meaning the White Lotus retains its fighting strength.

But for the Among Guangxi Campaign, it's a tremendous advantage.

The news of rebel flight cannot remain secret for long.

Once it spreads, the tribal troops left behind as cannon fodder will lose morale completely.

The last obstacle to our pacification force will vanish—the total victory of the Among Guangxi Campaign is merely a matter of time.

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

After uttering three "goods," Jia Bo, who had been utterly exhausted, suddenly regained his energy.

Indeed, good news stimulates recovery.

His sore, bumpy-ride-injured buttocks no longer hurt.

"Commander Li, General Jing—in war, speed is paramount.

Go make your arrangements—don't concern yourselves with me!

After we take the rebels tomorrow, we'll celebrate together!"

Jia Bo exclaimed ecstatically.

It was time to reap the rewards of victory—he couldn't afford to falter at this critical moment.

Deep inside, he was already drafting how to write the victory report.

…

The first rays of morning sunlight fell upon the land, but the tribal army, supposed to march out, had halted.

"Brother He, you are the vanguard.

Everyone's waiting—why aren't you moving?"

The Zhu clan chief stepped forward to ask.

Though they addressed each other as brothers, their clans had clashed often in secret.

Both had served as tribal chieftains; though tribal chieftains operated independently, they were inevitably influenced by the Great Ming bureaucracy.

"Brother Zhu, last night many of my He clan members caught a cold—we simply cannot march now.

If you're impatient, go ahead—we'll catch up in the shortest possible time."

The He clan chief lied without blinking.

He knew full well this division was suspicious—charging ahead blindly would be insane.

In uncertain circumstances, every step forward increases the danger.

For his clan's safety, he chose to let others bear the risk.

"Brother He, you speak too formally—we're all one family; how could we abandon the He clan and march alone?

A few colds? Easy—we Zhu clan will stay behind to wait for you.

Let's move together—we can watch each other's backs."

After Zhu's words, all the tribal chieftains declared they would stay and stand together.

After all, their commander Su Lao's order was to advance—not to reach Lianzhou by any specific time; a few days' delay wouldn't matter.

Use this pause to clarify the current situation—that's the right path.

Under these circumstances, to prevent anyone from slipping away after hearing news, the best choice was to move together.

They watched each other—no one dared be the first to run.

Seeing this, the He clan chief nearly choked with rage.

To hell with "standing together"—they all talked grandly, but when trouble came, each ran faster than the next.

Not kicking you when you're down is already moral superiority.

Expecting allied help? Pure fantasy.

"Thank you all for your kindness, but we have a batch of cold medicine at our rear—we must return to retrieve it.

Please wait here for us…"

Before the He clan chief could finish, the Zhu clan chief cut him off:

No need to trouble you, we'll go with you.

We're all comrades; helping each other is only right!

He Bai's behavior only reinforced everyone's belief that he knew something.

(End of Chapter)