Chapter 190: Man proposes, Heaven disposes

"Trash!"

After shouting in anger, Fu Sanqi immediately realized something was wrong.

Compared to Nanning and Xunzhou, the strategic value of Zhen'an Prefecture was clearly inferior by more than just a notch.

For the imperial army to ignore two strategic hubs and instead attack the low-profile Zhen'an Prefecture, there was only one possibility—their deal with the Annan people had been exposed!

"Which son of a bitch leaked the news? I will surely tear him limb from limb to vent the hatred in my heart..."

To ensure the safety of the grain supply route, the Bai Lian Holy Emperor had ordered that the news be sealed at all costs.

The regions passed along the route were all placed under martial law, allowing only entry and no exit.

"Prime Minister, perhaps the news did not leak from our side.

The Annan people are ambitious and have designs on the Guangxi region; that is not a secret at all.

It is also normal for the pseudo-dynasty to have planted moles in the Annan Kingdom.

Unlike the Holy Kingdom, which seals news tightly, the Annan side does not have such high vigilance.

The grain we procure is purchased in cooperation with multiple grain merchants; almost the entire Annan business community knows the news."

The words of Assistant Regional Commander Wan Qihua caused Fu Sanqi to calm down.

Regardless of whether the wind leaked from their side or a slip-up occurred on the Annan side, the grain route was now exposed.

The daily transport of hundreds of tons of grain through Zhen'an Prefecture to the front lines was an important factor in the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom's ability to sustain the war.

Compared to the gain or loss of a single city or territory, the value of this grain lifeline was undoubtedly much higher.

Once Zhen'an Prefecture fell, they would have no choice but to continue detouring through Guangnan Prefecture.

Compared to Zhen'an Prefecture, Guangnan Prefecture was truly "dangerous roads and full of miasma," and had always been the private preserve of the Guangxi Tusi.

Even without considering the cost, the terrible transportation there constrained transport capacity.

"What you say is not wrong; the Annan people could indeed have leaked the news.

Pass the order: immediately assemble the main army. I want to drive the pseudo-dynasty's army out of Zhen'an Prefecture!"

Fu Sanqi then ordered.

The Bai Lian Holy Emperor had entrusted Zhen'an Prefecture to him for the very purpose of protecting the grain route.

Now that the imperial army had struck, he had to step up.

"Prime Minister, that is unwise!

To send troops at this time would be falling right into the enemy's trap.

Among the pseudo-dynasty's generals, the two surnamed Jing and Li are the most cunning.

Since they know the grain route is here, they will inevitably assemble a main force to attack.

We have a mere fifty thousand troops; the hope of defeating the enemy head-on is truly too slim.

The enemy may have already prepared a trap, just waiting for us to jump in!"

Wan Qihua hurriedly advised.

The Bai Lian Holy Kingdom had already placed enough importance on Zhen'an Prefecture; theoretically, fifty thousand troops should be enough for defense.

The enemy's total troop strength was only so much, and they still had to leave enough troops to guard their home base, so the mobile forces they could deploy were not many.

If not for the tight troop situation, the enemy should have taken the opportunity to seize the entirety of Nanning and Xunzhou after the last Guangxi campaign.

In recent days, the pseudo-dynasty had reinforced various battlefields, but Guangxi was the only one left out.

However, the failure of two campaigns had also caused the generals of the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom to develop a fear of the imperial army in Guangxi.

Even with a troop advantage, Wan Qihua still felt the odds of winning were too low.

"I naturally understand what you are saying.

But the enemy has already killed their way here; if we continue to choose to hold Zhen'an Prefecture city, the grain route will be in danger!"

Fu Sanqi said with a conflicted expression.

To go out and fight the enemy—it seemed his side's odds of winning were not high.

To act like a turtle and hold the city directly—it would be impossible to guarantee the smooth flow of the grain route.

At this moment, there was a large amount of grain within Zhen'an territory currently in the process of being transported; it would be too late even if they wanted to transfer it.

If this precious grain were to fall into the hands of the imperial army, he would have no way to answer for it upon returning.

"Prime Minister, the transport line for the grain route is too long; we simply cannot guard it all.

The enemy only needs to cut off one node to achieve their goal.

Moreover, the prefecture city under our feet is itself the most important transportation hub of Zhen'an Prefecture; the grain needs to pass through here.

If the enemy takes advantage of our main force being away to directly outflank and raid Zhen'an Prefecture city, there will be no way to answer to the Holy Emperor."

Wan Qihua advised tactfully.

The grain route was certainly important, but they could not ignore the military order they had received, which was to hold Zhen'an Prefecture.

Once Zhen'an Prefecture city fell, Fu Sanqi, having suffered another defeat, would certainly not escape a trip to the guillotine.

The Holy Kingdom did not keep trash; even if one were a confidant of the Holy Emperor, one had to follow the rules.

With the Regional Commander's head on the block, the fate of him, the Assistant Regional Commander, would certainly not be any better.

By comparison, if an accident happened to the grain route, the primary person responsible would become the official in charge of escorting the grain and fodder.

They, as military generals, would only need to bear joint responsibility.

Being scolded, demoted, fined, or at most receiving a beating with a board—the matter would pass.

When it came to the head on one's neck, the big picture had to step aside.

"These methods of taking shortcuts will not work.

The Holy Emperor hates opportunists the most; once he discovers that we allowed the grain route to be interrupted just to shirk responsibility, you should know the consequences."

Fu Sanqi shook his head and said.

No matter how great the risk, this battle was unavoidable.

If the grain route were truly lost, the pressure on all units at the front line would soar.

Unless they could win a quick victory and defeat the imperial army to seize more territory to feed the main army, the Holy Kingdom would be in danger.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.

Once the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom was finished, the fate of them, the underlings who followed in the rebellion, could be imagined.

Looking at the rain that kept pouring down, Li Mu revealed a helpless expression.

No matter how perfect the plan, it could not withstand the lack of cooperation from Heaven.

The main army had just finished crossing the river when they were greeted by a torrential rain.

It directly fast-forwarded the simple mode to a hell-level dungeon.

Even with prior preparation, it was limited to preparing some rain-protection facilities.

To quickly defeat the rebel army during the rainy season was impossible.

"Pass the order: have all units keep the cannons and muskets well-protected; do not allow these weapons to be soaked by the rain.

Especially the gunpowder; it is absolutely forbidden to let it get damp!"

Li Mu slowly ordered.

The torrential rain was not scary; what was scary was if the rain continued.

For this great battle, he had checked quite a bit of data beforehand and knew that it was currently Guangxi's rainy season.

If he had been the one to formulate the combat plan, he certainly would not have chosen to send troops during the rainy season.

Even if the soldiers could advance through the storm, the troops transporting grain and fodder could not keep up with the main army's pace.

"Commander, at this time of year, no one knows how long the heavy rain will last.

The plan to quickly defeat the enemy and recover Zhen'an Prefecture now seems impossible to complete.

With this buffer period, the rebel army will certainly be on guard; I fear we will only be able to launch a frontal assault later.

However, if that happens, the duration of the war will inevitably be prolonged.

It is very likely we will be unable to complete the Grand Secretary's military order on schedule.

It would be better to take advantage of the fact that it is still early to report the situation in advance, so as to avoid being held accountable later."

Yun Yufeng spoke up to advise.

The current situation was clearly not a crime of war.

But military orders never cared about human feelings.

Once issued, regardless of whether there was a mountain of blades or a sea of fire ahead, one had to charge through.

"It's difficult!"

"I will try to report it, but don't hold too high expectations.

The military order seems to be Grand Secretary Xu's intention, but in reality, it is also the court's intention.

His Majesty hopes we can win a quick victory and wipe out the rebel army in the first year of Yongning.

The prolonged war has frightened the gentry everywhere, and the court officials also want to clean up this mess as soon as possible."

Li Mu answered calmly.

The rainy season was not unique to Guangxi; none of the surrounding provinces could escape it.

When all the armies were unable to complete their tasks, it was not a problem of the people executing the orders, but a problem with the task itself.

Against this background, recover as much lost territory as possible.

As long as one did not suffer a defeat, the combat record would not be at the bottom.

"Commander, in this kind of weather, it is inconvenient for us to act, but the enemy is similarly restricted.

Except for a few areas guarded by the enemy's main force, the number of garrison troops in most areas is very limited.

The Bai Lian Holy Kingdom is a mixed bag; perhaps we can try political inducement to surrender."

Xiang Xinghan immediately proposed.

As someone who joined the team later, he urgently needed a meritorious service to prove his ability.

Although he had made quite a few contributions by collecting intelligence previously, those could not be made public.

The identity of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was too sensitive; its presence had to be downplayed as much as possible.

"Hmm!

This is also a line of thought; if you are confident, go and try it.

If you are not confident, just give it up directly.

These rebels have little value even if they surrender; there is no need for our people to take risks."

Li Mu said with a smile.

Regardless of how one puts it, being able to propose a feasible plan was a good start.

He had high hopes for the recruited Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The experience accumulated by an intelligence agency that had existed for over two hundred years was itself the most precious wealth.

In the same period, in terms of intelligence gathering capability, the Embroidered Uniform Guard could be said to be invincible.

Xunzhou front line.

Looking at the letter in his hand, Jing Yifeng's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.

"Pass the order: tell all units that the situation has changed and to suspend the previous combat plan."

According to the previous combat plan, he led the Huai'an Battalion and the newly formed Guangxi recruits, totaling 11,000 people, responsible for recovering the remaining territory of Xunzhou.

After completing the plan, they would then join the Yangzhou Battalion attacking Zhen'an Prefecture to recover the remaining areas of Nanning together.

Now that most of Guangxi had been hit by torrential rain, the muddy roads affected the main army's movements, and the combat plan was passively adjusted.

An assault that lost mobility was just a frontal assault.

This operation was intended to be a lightning strike on Xunzhou to catch the enemy off guard, so he did not carry many siege cannons.

Affected by the torrential rain, the main army's marching speed was delayed, giving the enemy sufficient time to prepare.

If they were to launch a frontal assault on Xunzhou city, it would become very difficult.

Even if they could take the city, the casualties that would need to be paid would be very devastating.

"General, the Provincial Governor is following behind the main army, less than twenty miles from the camp.

If the combat plan is suspended, I fear it will be difficult to answer to the Provincial Governor."

The middle-aged general said with a nervous expression.

Clearly, the two words "Provincial Governor" carried no small weight in his mind.

He feared offending the Provincial Governor and being given a hard time.

"Hmph!

I am the commander of this main army; as for Provincial Governor Zhang, you need not pay him any mind.

If our Provincial Governor has any opinions, let him come and talk to me; I will not make things difficult for you."

Jing Yifeng said disdainfully.

As a second-generation official of Great Yu, he also had a temper.

Regarding Zhang Sihan's background and the connections behind him, he had figured out most of it.

Perhaps it was because he had spent a long time with Li Mu, but he no longer held such weak, isolated Provincial Governors in his eyes.

Being arrogant and domineering made it easy to get scolded, but it was just so satisfying!

Moreover, he wasn't doing anything major, just changing the combat plan.

He did not believe the Guangxi Provincial Governor would dare to memorialize the court to impeach him over such a small matter.

One could not poke things up to the top; solving it through internal meetings was completely unnecessary to be cowardly.

Wuchang Prefecture.

Looking at the official document in his hand, Xu Wenyue was full of fire.

The Guangxi side actually dared to disobey the commander's orders and act on their own to launch an attack in advance.

If they had won, he would have just gritted his teeth and accepted it.

On the battlefield, speed is of the essence; there was nothing wrong with launching an attack decisively after discovering a combat opportunity.

But what came back now was not a report of victory, but a memorial complaining of hardship.

He naturally knew that marching during the rainy season was difficult.

One would get covered in mud just walking on a rainy day, let alone mobilizing a main army.

"Why did everyone come so neatly today?

Guangxi encountered a storm and was forced to adjust the combat plan; why did you all crowd over here?"

Xu Wenyue said with a bad temper.

In the face of the great power of nature, there was not much that human power could do.

There was no need to vent anger on the people below.

If he were to go and command the main army himself and encounter a storm, he would only be able to make a similar choice.

"Grand Secretary, it is currently the rainy season.

Not only has Guangxi been affected by the storm, but we have also been impacted here.

Especially the logistics troops transporting grain and fodder, who have been impacted even more.

The soldiers below are also complaining bitterly all day long."

Lu Jingxuan answered while biting the bullet.

He did not care at all about the predicament the people below were facing.

But now that it involved combat missions, standing from his position, naturally the more time they had, the better.

Even if they could win one more day, it would reduce a portion of the pressure.

"Grand Secretary, what Minister Lu said is not wrong.

At this time of year, the entire south is in a rainy season state.

Our previous combat plan was truly too optimistic; it completely failed to consider emergency contingency plans.

Affected by the storm, the morale of the army has dropped very sharply.

To advance through the wind and rain and fight a life-and-death battle with the rebel army, I fear it is somewhat difficult!"

After Fujian Military Defense Circuit Yang Yan spoke, the officials in the room joined the ranks of those complaining.

The scene before him gave Xu Wenyue a headache.

Everyone had paved the way with so much, but essentially it was still for the sake of the mission.

Recovering two prefectures within two and a half months—the mission that seemed achievable before now looked like hell-level difficulty in hindsight.

As long as the rain continued for a few more days, all combat plans would become worthless in the face of natural disasters.

"Enough!"

"The impact of the storm does exist, but it is not insurmountable.

Our soldiers are getting rained on, and the rebel soldiers are also getting rained on.

The situation for both sides is about the same; after canceling each other out, it is equivalent to everyone being unaffected.

After going back, tell all units that the combat mission will continue to be executed; all provinces must produce results before September!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 191 =====