Chapter 199

Wuchang Prefecture.

Looking at the request for reinforcements in his hand, Xu Xu Wenyue's good mood vanished instantly.

A breakthrough was just achieved on the Among Guangxi front, and Yunnan has problems again, which really makes him angry.

No matter how angry he is, at this moment he can only find a way to clean up the mess first.

Kunming cannot be lost; this is a matter of principle.

Otherwise, he, this Governor-General of five provinces, would become a joke.

But how to rescue Kunming is another thorny problem.

If one is not careful, the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Forces could be buried, and then the situation in the Southwest would be completely out of control.

"Grand Secretary, the current plan is to have the Among Guangxi side launch a strong attack on Guilin to carry out the act of 'besieging Wei to save Zhao'!"

Huguang Provincial Governor Lu Lu Jingxuan proposed.

Provincial governors of various provinces were supervising the army on the front line, but he chose to stay in the rear to remote control.

In view of his "excellent" battle record in the past, after comparing the free play of the military generals, Xu Xu Wenyue chose to acquiesce.

People's talents are different; it is not necessary to go to the front line to perform.

There are many things to do staying in the rear; apart from military command not being good, Lu Lu Jingxuan still performed well in other aspects.

Whether it is managing logistics or raising money and grain from the local area, he has achieved good results.

"If we launch a strong attack on Guilin at this time, the pressure on the Among Guangxi side will be great.

Insufficient troop strength is secondary; the key is that Among Guangxi is short of grain.

When the rebels retreated, they concentrated on burning the grain of the people, and hundreds of thousands of people are facing a grain crisis.

The official documents from the Among Guangxi side urging for grain can be seen almost every day.

That no turmoil occurred is entirely due to the army suppressing the local area.

Once they are allowed to send troops, these newly recovered areas are very likely to have a rebellion again.

Don't fail to save Yunnan, and instead lose the great situation in Among Guangxi!"

Xu Xu Wenyue shook his head and said.

Status is fought for.

At the beginning of the rebellion suppression war, the Among Guangxi Front Army belonged to a side force, ranking at the bottom among the various rebellion suppression armies.

With the war fought until now, the Among Guangxi Front Army, with the fewest troops, relied on its illustrious battle results to counterattack and become the main force for suppressing the rebellion.

Its weight in Xu Xu Wenyue's heart also changed from being dispensable at the beginning to being a force with high hopes.

Letting the Among Guangxi Front Army risk total annihilation to send troops to launch a strong attack on Guilin to rescue Yunnan—he also has to weigh the consequences of failure.

"Grand Secretary, Kunming is in crisis at this moment.

If Kunming is lost, Yunnan will not be preserved.

Once Yunnan falls, the situation in the Southwest will collapse.

The flames of war will burn from the current Yunnan and Guizhou all the way to Sichuan.

……"

Dou Dou Yutang hurriedly stated the pros and cons.

As the Yunnan Military Defense Circuit, he was under tremendous pressure.

Colleagues in the province had high hopes for him; if he couldn't get reinforcements, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"What are you panicking about!"

"The court intends to open up the local militia, so let's take Yunnan as a pilot first.

Tell Zhong Zhong Zhenyu to issue a political decree encouraging local gentry to form local militias.

The rebel army that entered Yunnan is just a side force, and it is a stray dog that was defeated in Among Guangxi, so its combat effectiveness is not strong.

As long as the Yunnan gentry work together, they will definitely be able to hold Kunming.

Once the court defeats the main rebel force, the crisis in Yunnan will naturally be solved!"

Xu Xu Wenyue scolded immediately.

Deep down, he didn't know whether letting the gentry open local militias was right or wrong.

But now there is no better choice; wanting to hold Kunming, opening local militias is the only choice.

Even if these civilian local militias are not a match for the rebel army, they can at least delay the enemy's attack speed.

At the moment, the Among Guangxi Front Army needs time, and the court also needs time.

First transport a batch of grain to Among Guangxi to solve the people's eating problem, and liberate the Among Guangxi Front Army from the local area first.

Only when the local situation stabilizes can the next step of the combat plan be launched.

Deep down, he had already calculated it.

Once the Among Guangxi Front Army recovers Guilin, let them march east to recover Guangdong.

Having taken back the two Guang regions, the rebels who have become rootless duckweed will be doomed to be annihilated.

Such a strategic layout is undoubtedly letting the Among Guangxi Front Army play the leading role, while the other armies all become foils.

Once said out loud, it will definitely be opposed by various provinces.

Everyone wants face; no one will be willing to play a supporting role.

But Xu Xu Wenyue doesn't care.

As long as the rebellion can be quelled, who takes the lead in suppressing the rebels is the same to him.

With the various armies progressing poorly and only the Among Guangxi Front Army advancing triumphantly, it would be stupid not to make heavy use of the Among Guangxi Front Army.

"Grand Secretary, opening up local militias is easy to cause the disaster of feudal lords!"

Lu Lu Jingxuan advised.

Although he is a member of the gentry group, it does not mean he hopes that the power of the gentry will expand infinitely.

In fact, the knowledgeable people in Great Dayu's officialdom had long realized the harm of the gentry group's expansion.

But everyone is a member of the group; apart from mouth-talking, there is no specific action at all.

Cutting one's own meat is really too difficult.

Even if someone comes up with a reform plan, it cannot be executed.

The current gentry group has become a stubborn disease on the body of Great Dayu; letting the gentry group control the army, the consequences are simply unimaginable.

Once it reaches that step, the court's control over the local area will inevitably decline further.

Perhaps in the future, it won't be "imperial power does not go to the countryside," but "imperial power does not go to the county, does not go to the prefecture," and it might even appear that "imperial power does not go out of the capital."

"I naturally know the consequences, but isn't there no choice now?

The White Lotus Sect rebellion has dragged on for too long; if it continues like this, the court's finances will be dragged down.

If there are no accidents, the Northern Barbarians will invade again soon.

State affairs are difficult!"

Xu Xu Wenyue said with a troubled expression.

He knows very well what this order means.

Opening local militias is easy; it is difficult to disband them.

And as long as there is a precedent, the local gentry in various places will definitely follow suit.

Since Yunnan has opened local militias, then Guizhou opening local militias is only a matter of time.

Following that, the gentry in Huguang, Jiangxi, and Fujian, who are trapped in the flames of war, will also follow suit to operate this matter.

It's not that they are ambitious and want to rebel; it's purely that facing the threat of the rebels, everyone lacks a sense of security.

Feudal lords becoming big is the result that will appear after a series of transformations.

In the early stage of opening local militias, the main purpose is still to protect the borders and settle the people, and maintain the interests of the landlord group.

……

Guilin Prefecture.

Since the fall of Liuzhou, the atmosphere in this capital of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom has become tense.

According to the plan in advance, even if the situation in Among Guangxi worsened, it would only happen after a series of bitter battles.

Unfortunately, the enemy army did not play by the rules, causing the plan they formulated to end early before it even had a chance to start.

What's worse is that the Northern Expedition Corps and the Eastern Expedition Corps also did not complete the strategic plans they formulated.

Not only did they fail to annihilate the main force of the imperial army as they wished, but they suffered a loss after encountering the main force of the imperial army.

The Western Expedition Corps, which performed the best, only took advantage in the early battles.

Later, the imperial army became cautious, and it directly evolved into a contest of strength.

"Hmph!"

After a cold drink, Shi Shi Rongxuan threw away all the battle reports in his hand.

Facing the Great Dayu that had reacted, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom no longer had the triumphant advance of the early days.

Especially those few elite imperial armies, which often beat the Holy Kingdom's army, which was several times larger, when they reached the battlefield.

"What kind of battles are they fighting one by one?

According to this way of fighting, I'm afraid it won't be long before the foundation of the Holy Kingdom is completely finished!"

Shi Shi Rongxuan couldn't help but scold angrily.

Now he doesn't need to beat the three great kings of different surnames; the imperial army has already helped him beat this group of arrogant soldiers and fierce generals.

Facing the elites built by Great Dayu with heavy money, this group of ragtag soldiers felt heavy pressure.

"Holy Emperor, the setbacks on the front line are mainly because the imperial army's weapons and armor are sharp.

There are very few armored soldiers in the Holy Kingdom's army; encountering the fully armed imperial army, suffering losses is unavoidable.

Once the soldiers adapt to the enemy's combat mode, they will definitely be able to find a way to crack it!"

Wuzhou Zekai bit the bullet and stepped forward to advise.

During the rainy season, there wasn't much feeling.

When the autumn was high and the air was crisp, the combat effectiveness of the imperial army's elites was suddenly highlighted.

Especially the enemy's heavy infantry, after reaching the battlefield, was a complete massacre for the Holy Kingdom's soldiers who lacked armor.

On the frontal battlefield, once the two armies met on the frontal battlefield, the enemy could easily kill through their military formations.

Under the huge equipment gap, the troops on the front line being able to form a stalemate with the enemy is enough to prove the military talent of the several kings of different surnames.

"A way to crack it? If it were so easy to find, armor would have been eliminated long ago.

If you are not a match for the enemy in a frontal encounter, can't you play schemes?

When we first raised the army, which battle wasn't the enemy strong and we weak?

But we still won!

I think they were just fighting too smoothly before, their brains became rigid, and they ran to foolishly confront the imperial army head-on.

Pass my decree, tell the soldiers on the front line: in war, there is no deception!"

Shi Shi Rongxuan said irritably.

He didn't have the ability to reverse the situation in the short term either.

Now the only thing he can count on is the independent play of the generals on the front line.

"This subject, obeys the decree!"

"Holy Emperor, news just received.

The troops retreating from Zhen'an Prefecture, under the leadership of Prime Minister Fu, have killed their way into Yunnan and are currently heading towards Kunming.

If it goes smoothly, the situation in the Southwest is about to usher in a new chapter!"

Wuzhou Zekai continued to report.

Reporting bad news first and then reporting good news is the official experience he summarized.

Generally speaking, after operating like this, no matter how angry the superior is, they can calm three points of anger.

"It's a pity that the breakthrough was achieved in Yunnan; if we could open up the situation in Huguang and Jiangxi, everything would be very different!"

Shi Shi Rongxuan said with regret.

Advancing into the Great Southwest is generally the last link in the unification war.

If you enter the Southwest region to develop in the early stage of starting a business, the best result is just to occupy one side.

Usually, the lifespan of such a separatist regime will not be very long.

But being able to achieve a breakthrough is definitely better than having no harvest.

Only after cleaning up the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Forces can they free up more troops to be deployed to other battlefields.

Especially in the situation where the situation in Among Guangxi has worsened and Guilin may become a battlefield at any time, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom needs good news to boost morale even more.

……

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is the golden autumn of October.

The joy of harvest has nothing to do with Liuzhou.

The White Lotus Sect is not the material for production; more than half of the land in the Liuzhou area has been abandoned.

For the few lands that are being cultivated, because of the war, many farmlands have been destroyed.

This autumn, the grain that can be harvested is limited.

With the forward movement of the main army, Liuzhou Prefecture, which is close to Guilin, suddenly became the headquarters of the Among Guangxi Front Army.

The Provincial Governor, Army Supervisor, Regional Military Commissioner, and Regional Commander—this special four-person group is still the most powerful institution in Among Guangxi.

Compared with the previous bare-handed Provincial Governor, the court has sent many more officials.

Jia Bo, who serves as the Army Supervisor, even concurrently serves as the Among Guangxi Administration Commissioner, and his power content has risen rapidly.

If he previously contended with the Among Guangxi Provincial Governor by relying on the first-mover advantage of entering Among Guangxi earlier, then now it is a true sense of power balance.

The other Surveillance Commissioner among the three giants appears very miserable.

Among Guangxi is in a state of military control, and civil officials in various places have not had time to take office.

Impeaching criminals, supervising corruption, managing post stations, and assessing external officials—none of the four core powers in his hands can play a role.

Wanting to join the decision-making team was collectively resisted by the four.

Power struggles cannot tolerate tenderness; no one will easily give up the power in their hands.

"Commander Li, having been under military control for so long, it's time for the local area to return to normal."

Surveillance Commissioner Zhou Zhou Zhenbang said indignantly.

Being sidelined for a long time is too hard for an official to endure.

"Lord Zhou, letting the local area return to normal is fine, but the problem is that there must be someone to take over!

Taking a county as an example, there must be at least one official for the County Magistrate, Assistant County Magistrate, Registrar, and Jail Warden.

The three classes of yamen runners and six rooms of clerks below must definitely be equipped.

Now that none of these people are here, after we lift military control, who will be responsible for local stability?"

Li Mu answered with a smile.

He has no ambition for local administrative power.

The current local yamen has no oil and water to scrape, but instead has to face various emergencies.

If these things can be handed over to others, he can free up a large number of generals and put more energy into military affairs.

"You haven't supplemented the yamen with manpower?"

Zhou Zhou Zhenbang asked in disbelief.

Knowing that the situation in Among Guangxi is bad, he never expected that the establishment of yamen in various places had been emptied by the rebels.

Against this background, wanting to supplement manpower is by no means a matter of one day or one night.

The group of officials following behind him who wanted to force the palace were also dumbfounded at this time.

There is nothing in the yamen; how can these masters exercise great power?

If things go wrong, once the soldiers withdraw, the rebels hiding among the people will jump out and chop them up.

"Lord Zhou, Among Guangxi has just suffered the scourge of war, and there are still a large number of rebel remnants hidden among the people.

Who dares to easily recruit people whose loyalty cannot be determined into the yamen?

Even if we want to recruit, I'm afraid we can't gather enough manpower.

The literary style of Among Guangxi was not strong to begin with, and after being harmed by the rebels, it is difficult to find a few people who can read and write.

Since Lord Zhou proposed lifting military control, I think you should have a proper response strategy!"

Zhang Zhang Sihan answered unhappily.

Zhou Zhou Zhenbang seems to be questioning Li Mu, but in fact, he is aiming at him, the Provincial Governor.

According to the rules of the Great Dayu Dynasty, local affairs should be fully responsible by him, the Provincial Governor.

Failing to supplement the clerk establishment in time, he, the Provincial Governor, is hard to blame.

Zhang Zhang Sihan certainly won't take this flying pot, and with a few words, he countered.

(End of chapter)