Chapter 207: The Bai Lian Holy Kingdom's Counterattack

"Stop shelling!"

Li Mu put down the telescope in his hand and said.

In order to catch the rebel army off guard, this operation didn't carry heavy artillery.

The early progress was very smooth, directly pushing to Guilin Prefecture City.

When it came to attacking the city, the drawbacks were exposed.

Ordinary field artillery had too little damage to the city walls.

Continuing to shell, besides occasionally killing a few unlucky enemy soldiers, had no meaning.

"Commander Li, are we not attacking the city?"

Jia Bo asked with confusion.

In order to recapture Guilin, they had made quite a few preparations.

When it came to the moment, after test-firing a few shells symbolically, they stopped the action.

This clearly didn't match the plan of striking while the iron was hot and quickly recapturing Guilin.

"Magistrate Jia, the rebel army has reinforced the city defense; the price required for a rash launch is too great.

The rebels' Western Expedition Army is currently on the way back.

If the rebel army in the city shrinks and doesn't come out, we will join forces with the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Army to besiege the point and strike the reinforcements, eating up the rebel army's Western Expedition Army.

Let's besiege the enemy first and wait for the situation to develop further!"

Li Mu explained calmly.

There were only a few methods for attacking a city.

In a situation where the enemy didn't make mistakes, if one wanted to capture Guilin, one either had to besiege the rebel army for a long time or launch a strong attack regardless of the cost.

Judging from the probing just now, the defenders' will to fight was still quite good.

Forcibly attacking the city, even with heavy artillery, wouldn't be that easy.

Instead of putting his eyes on Guilin, it was better to consider the problem from the overall situation.

Wiping out the Western Expedition Army would forcibly break the balance within the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom.

"Being able to fight to the foot of Guilin City means our strategic goal has been achieved.

As long as we can besiege Guilin, we can give an explanation to the imperial court.

The subsequent besieging of the point and striking the reinforcements—if it succeeds, that's solid; if it fails, it doesn't matter.

The focus is still on besieging Guilin; don't let the rebel leader run away!"

Zhang Sihan said with a smile.

Besieging Guilin City, seemingly the battle line only advanced a hundred miles, but the political impact caused was huge.

As the capital of the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom, as long as an offensive was maintained against Guilin, that was a great merit.

As for when the city could be broken, it actually wasn't that important.

This was the human sentiment in officialdom.

The performance of the Guangxi field army on the battlefield was now already very dazzling.

If they continued, it would make everyone look too incompetent.

Appropriately showing difficulties could not only highlight the difficulty of attacking the city but also reduce the hostility of colleagues.

Against this background, Zhang Sihan, who had been urging to send troops, naturally had to change his stance at this moment.

As for the subsequent battles, even if they established illustrious merits, they couldn't compare to capturing the rebel leader Shi Rongxuan alive.

Western Expedition Army Camp.

"Prince, we cannot return to Guilin now.

No matter how we set up the flags for the rearguard, there are flaws in the end.

The news of the great army's withdrawal cannot be hidden for long.

Once the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Army receives the news, they will definitely chase after us.

The pseudo-dynasty's Guangxi imperial army besieging Guilin without attacking is clearly a trap set up, waiting for us to throw ourselves into the net.

If we cannot quickly defeat the enemy army, we will be attacked from both sides!"

Fu Sanqi advised.

With the continuous victories of the Guangxi field army, the gold content of him, this fleeing Regional Commander, also rose accordingly.

It was also losing a battle, but at the very least, he saved his life.

During the second engagement, he even led the troops to retreat completely, preserving the living strength for the Holy Kingdom.

Especially after leading the troops to march west, he also achieved illustrious battle records.

If it weren't for the militia and Yunnan-Guizhou chieftains joining the war, he might have captured Kunming.

Proving with battle records that it wasn't that he, Fu Sanqi, was incompetent, but entirely that the opponent was too powerful.

"Prime Minister Fu, the Holy Emperor's imperial edict is to limit us to return to the Holy Capital within ten days; four days have already passed.

If we don't hurry back, how should we explain it to the Holy Emperor?"

Wang Weijiarui asked with worry.

As one of the three great foreign-surname princes of the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom, seemingly holding heavy troops and high position, his situation was actually not good.

Also being an original shareholder, his line had the weakest strength.

The other two foreign-surname princes attacked fertile soil, while he was eating dirt in the Southwest.

Everyone's battle records were not bad, but in terms of harvest, the Western Expedition Army had the least.

It had nothing to do with effort; purely because the place was poor, and they couldn't scavenge that much oil and water.

Even the strategic supplies consumed daily by the great army were mostly supplied by the rear, and they couldn't be self-sufficient at all.

By comparison, the situation on the Eastern and Northern lines was much better.

Supporting war with war completely wasn't realistic, but they could raise most of the strategic supplies needed by the army themselves.

These realistic problems were fed back to the right to speak.

"Prince, the imperial edict has a lag; the situation a few days ago is completely different from now.

If the imperial army launches a full-scale attack on Guilin City, even if we march day and night, we must rush back to relieve the siege of the Holy Capital.

But the pseudo-dynasty's imperial army is only besieging Guilin and has no intention of attacking the city.

It's likely that only a small group of imperial troops are besieging the Holy Capital, mistaken for the main force of the pseudo-dynasty's imperial army.

The true imperial army main force is waiting for us halfway.

When the general is outside, the military order is not accepted.

For the safety of the great army, please order to bypass Guilin Prefecture and go directly to Huguang to merge with the Northern Expedition Army!"

Fu Sanqi said with a solemn expression.

Being able to pick up his life from the battlefield multiple times, he relied on avoiding harm.

Knowing there was a pit in front, continuing to step into it was just a sick brain.

In the face of life and death, the imperial edict also had to stand aside.

The Bai Lian Holy Kingdom had been established for less than two years, and many people's impression of Shi Rongxuan was still the leader from before.

There was no such awe.

The crime of disobeying the imperial edict wasn't a heavy crime of implicating the whole family within the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom.

Subordinate generals disobeying the imperial edict happened from time to time.

As long as they could win the battle, it was nothing more than being scolded a few times and having their salary punished for a period of time.

Punishments were all empty; the salaries of the officers and soldiers of the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom could almost be ignored.

It wasn't that Shi Rongxuan was stingy and couldn't bear to pay his subordinates; it was precisely because he was too willing that the money in the Holy Treasury was never enough to spend.

"Sigh!"

"Forget it!"

"For the safety of the great army and the great cause of the Holy Kingdom, I will disobey the order once.

If the Holy Emperor blames me, I will take full responsibility!"

Wang Weijiarui said with feigned difficulty.

Deep down, he had long wanted to go to Huguang.

Yunnan-Guizhou was a broken place, and the natural conditions were worse than Guangxi.

Staying here, how could it compare to the vast world of Huguang.

Deliberately dragging it out until now was purely a performance

Deliberately dragging it out until now was purely a performance for political necessity.

……

Guilin Prefecture.

"You bastards!"

Looking at the news coming from the front lines, Shi Rongxuan could not help but curse in anger.

Ordering the Western Expedition Army to return was not some aimless flailing on his part.

As the capital of the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom, Guilin Prefecture certainly could not be lost for nothing.

Whether viewed from a military or political perspective, the Battle for the Defense of Guilin had to be fought.

It would be best if they could defeat the Guangxi Field Army before voluntarily abandoning Guilin.

The forces currently assembled in Guilin undoubtedly lacked the ability to complete this task.

The other armies all had their own battlefields, and the only mobile force was the Western Expedition Army.

Now, for the sake of their own safety, the Western Expedition Army had bypassed Guilin and headed straight for Huguang, leaving the troops guarding the Holy Capital to act as the rearguard instead.

Next, they would not only face the siege of the Guangxi Field Army but also potentially encounter the Yungui Allied Forces kicking them while they were down.

"Holy Emperor, please calm your anger!"

"The Prince of Zhenxi choosing to take a detour was also out of helplessness.

The puppet dynasty's Yungui Allied Forces were pursuing too closely, and they could not shake off the enemy's entanglement.

The Guangxi troops outside the city are surrounding the Holy Capital without attacking, as if they are fishing.

For the Western Expedition Army to continue rushing to Guilin to rendezvous is indeed fraught with danger."

Wu Zekai advised with trepidation.

The Prince of Zhenxi had acted unethically; for the sake of his own safety, he had actually ignored the safety of the Holy Capital.

Such an act was intolerable to any monarch.

But the situation now was special.

The Bai Lian Holy Kingdom, besieged on all sides by the imperial army, was already in a precarious state and could not afford any internal friction.

If they were to hold the Prince of Zhenxi accountable, the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom might well split apart.

They had all fought their way out of chaotic times and held over two hundred thousand troops in their hands; they would not sit still and wait for death just because of an imperial edict.

It was not just the Prince of Zhenxi who had grown powerful; the Prince of Dongping and the Prince of Pingnan were likewise two major power bases within the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom.

On the contrary, the direct forces belonging to the Bai Lian Holy Emperor had been severely weakened due to the failures of the previous three Guangxi campaigns.

The current Bai Lian Holy Kingdom was, in essence, already facing a situation where the ruler was weak and the subjects were strong.

That no chaos had broken out was entirely due to Shi Rongxuan's strong political maneuvering, which allowed him to balance the power between the three princes.

"Hmph!"

"The Western Expedition Army feels it is dangerous, but is the Holy Capital not dangerous?

In order to wait for them to come and rendezvous, we did not evacuate at the first opportunity and have now been miserably besieged on three sides by the puppet dynasty's army.

……"

Shi Rongxuan said, nearly roaring.

It was truly too treacherous.

The Western Expedition Army had not followed orders, shattering his strategic plan.

At this moment, the Bai Lian Holy Emperor was already caught in a dilemma.

If he ordered a retreat, it was highly likely that the imperial army would seize the opportunity, turning the retreat into a rout.

Staying behind to hold Guilin was likewise fraught with risk.

If the Yungui Allied Forces did not rush to Huguang for reinforcements but instead followed them to participate in the siege,

the fall of Guilin, with its insufficient forces, would only be a matter of time.

"Holy Emperor, things have reached this point.

Holding the Prince of Zhenxi accountable will not help matters.

The most urgent task is to fully prepare for the defense of the Holy Capital.

According to the intelligence gathered, the enemy forces surrounding us outside the city total only about forty thousand.

The Holy Capital's walls are sturdy and its grain supplies are sufficient, enough for fifty thousand defenders for half a year.

As long as we defend strictly and do not give the enemy any opportunity, holding out for half a year is not a big problem."

Shi Qichuan spoke up to console him.

For the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom, holding the Holy Capital for half a year was enough to give all parties an account.

If there were no major breakthroughs on the front lines within half a year, then there would be no need to worry anymore.

"Hmm!"

"Issue the decree: I cannot bear for the commoners in the city to suffer the ravages of war, so I permit them to leave on their own.

Order all units to maintain good order and ensure the commoners evacuate in an orderly fashion.

The puppet dynasty's imperial army is the most greedy; remind the commoners not to carry valuables and that it is best to pose directly as refugees.

Arrange for our people to mix among them and guide the commoners to beg for help from the puppet dynasty's officials!"

Shi Rongxuan ordered coldly.

He was, after all, a hero of his generation; after a brief loss of composure, he quickly regained his rationality.

Not bearing for the commoners to suffer the ravages of war was purely nonsense.

Driving the people out at this time was because, from the very beginning, he had never intended to hold Guilin to the death.

Although the supplies stockpiled in the city were not few, the reserves of firewood were severely insufficient.

After driving away the commoners, tearing down the houses would provide ready-made firewood, and all the conditions for holding out would be met.

Incidentally, it would also add trouble for the enemy army.

If the enemy army let them be,

these hundred-plus thousand people leaving the city would become locusts, sweeping across the land of Guangxi and wreaking havoc in the enemy's rear.

If the imperial army stepped in to provide relief, the money and grain required would be another massive expense.

The Great Dayu army's military funds were already scarce, and with over a hundred thousand more mouths to feed, just solving the problem of eating would be very difficult.

……

In the main camp.

"Commander, Governor... something terrible has happened!

The rebel army is driving the commoners out of the city!"

Upon hearing this news, everyone's expressions changed instantly.

The thing they feared most had happened after all.

"Governor, arrange for people to provide relief to the disaster victims!"

Li Mu said calmly.

Launching the major battle ahead of time was precisely because he was worried the rebel army would pull this stunt.

A large number of commoners becoming refugees, requiring the imperial court to provide relief, would inevitably increase the local government's financial expenditures.

For the Guangxi Provincial Governor's Office, whose income relied entirely on allocations, this was undoubtedly a massive headache.

Even knowing it was a hot potato, they could not refuse it.

Although Great Dayu was corrupt, order still existed, and disaster relief was one of the obligations of the local government.

Especially since the matter had been brought out into the open, if it could not be handled properly, the reputations of everyone present would be affected.

"Commander Li, let us borrow ten thousand shi of grain for temporary use.

I will immediately arrange for people to transfer grain from the rear, and once the grain arrives, I will return the military grain at the first opportunity!"

Zhang Sihan said with a grave expression.

He had thought that once the Guilin siege began, it would be his moment in the spotlight.

He never expected that instead of a moment in the spotlight, trouble would come knocking at his door first.

"That is fine.

However, I must state first that the military grain is all polished rice, and polished rice must be returned later.

If you try to fool me with just anything, I will not agree!"

Li Mu said calmly.

This was not him extorting them; according to the Great Dayu code, the rations supplied to southern soldiers during wartime were polished rice.

As a general with integrity, he naturally would not save money on this.

"Commander Li, rest assured, what is returned will naturally be polished rice; I will keep an eye on it personally.

However, there is one more matter that requires your help.

Front-line officials are insufficient, so please lend me one battalion of troops to assist in completing the refugee resettlement."

Zhang Sihan agreed immediately.

Deep down, he was already panicking.

Borrowing grain is easy, returning it is hard.

To ensure the disaster relief proceeded smoothly, the grain purchased by the Governor's Office was all the cheapest coarse grain and chaff.

Expensive things like polished rice—some small landlords couldn't even eat it every day, so how could it be supplied to refugees?

In terms of value, ten thousand shi of polished rice was enough to equal over a hundred thousand shi of chaff.

Using such expensive grain for disaster relief made his heart bleed.

But there was no other way; no matter what, he had to keep the refugees alive first.

(End of Chapter)