Chapter 209

Wuchang Prefecture.

Learning that the rebel Western Expedition Army had abandoned Guilin and headed straight for Huguang, Xu Wenyue was startled.

On the Huguang front, although the imperial army held the upper hand, this advantage was not obvious.

Once the enemy received reinforcements from the Western Expedition Army, the situation would reverse again.

"What are the armies of Yunnan and Guizhou doing?

The rebel army slipped right under their noses, and they didn't even send troops to intercept them!"

On the issue of suppressing the Bai Lian rebellion, the armies of each province had clear divisions of labor.

The task of the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces was to be responsible for resolving the enemy's Western Expedition Army.

That a change occurred at this moment, allowing the enemy's Western Expedition Army to retreat safely, was a typical dereliction of duty.

"Grand Secretary, the rebel army is too cunning.

They set up a feint on the front line, and the rearguard troops maintained their offensive, causing us to make a misjudgment..."

Before Dou Yutang could finish, the teacup in Xu Wenyue's hand flew over.

No matter how sufficient the excuse, it could not cover up the fact of dereliction of duty.

Anyone with a little military common sense knew how much commotion the retreat of over two hundred thousand troops would cause.

Failing to discover the enemy's retreat in time only proved the incompetence of the Yungui Allied Forces' high command.

"Trash!"

"All of them are trash!"

After the angry cursing, Xu Wenyue had already made up his mind to impeach the governors of Yunnan and Guizhou.

Leaving such trash in their positions was not only irresponsible to the imperial court but also irresponsible to his own official career.

"Grand Secretary, calm your anger!"

"After the Yungui Allied Forces discovered something was wrong, they immediately assembled their main force to pursue, and they are currently only one hundred and fifty li away from Guilin.

If nothing unexpected happens, in five days, the Yungui Allied Forces will be able to rendezvous with the Guangxi imperial army and then join forces to recover Guilin.

It is expected that in February, the entire Guangxi region can be recovered..."

Pang Zhenghao explained.

As the Guizhou Military Commissioner, he and the Yunnan Military Commissioner Dou Yutang were in the same boat.

The front-line army was commanded by the governor; the battle was fought like trash, which had nothing to do with them.

But with the governors of the two provinces not present, they, as the external liaison personnel, naturally became the punching bags.

Being scolded was just a basic operation; if they really annoyed the Imperial Commissioner, they might even be dragged out and beaten.

"In the Battle of Guilin, things are progressing smoothly on the Guangxi side; do you need to go over there and add to the chaos!"

Huguang Governor Lu Jingxuan, standing to the side, mocked.

The Yungui Allied Forces' mistake had put Huguang in a dangerous situation.

Losing cities and territory was a small matter; what he feared was the front-line army failing to withstand the pressure, leading to the collapse of the entire front.

If something happened to Huguang, his time as governor would be over. No amount of objective unfavorable factors could save a failure on the battlefield.

When it involved his official hat, Lu Jingxuan had to find a way to shift the blame.

The Yungui Allied Forces, who had caused the trouble, were undoubtedly the best scapegoats. Pushing the responsibility onto them was something no one could find fault with.

"Governor Lu, with an extra force of reinforcements joining, progress will always be smoother.

After recovering Guangxi, the allied forces of the three provinces of Guilin, Guizhou, and Yunnan can use the momentum to recover Guangdong, thereby compressing the rebel army's activity space into Yongzhou, Hengzhou, and other places.

Even if we don't launch an attack and only adopt siege measures, the rebel army won't be able to hold out for half a year."

Pang Zhenghao insisted on explaining.

Being in the position of Guizhou Military Commissioner, no matter how dissatisfied he was with the Yungui Allied Forces in his heart, he had to come out and defend them.

"Governor Pang, you must be telling a joke!

Not to mention the command problem of the army, just the logistics after the three provinces' armies assemble is an unsolvable problem.

The Southwest region is mountainous, and transporting grain and fodder is very difficult; most of the military grain will be consumed on the road.

Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi are none of them wealthy; making any of them bear this burden is inappropriate.

The escaped rebel Western Expedition Army will not only affect the war situation on the Huguang front but could also cause changes in the Jiangxi battlefield.

It can be said that this is a complete failure.

If we really recover the two Guangs, the armies of Fujian and Guangxi will be enough; we don't need a bunch of idiots going over there to add to the chaos!"

Yu Xiuwen followed up with a stab.

Bureaucratic struggles are cruel, especially when it comes to shifting responsibility; no one will show mercy.

The Bai Lian rebel Western Expedition Army entering Huguang—the first victim is naturally Huguang, and the second victim is Jiangxi.

With the southward shift of the economy, the strategic value of Jiangnan is also increasing day by day.

By the Great Dayu Dynasty, the commercially developed Jiangnan region had become the empire's most important financial and tax hub, contributing half of the tax revenue.

If the rebel army wants to seize the world, they must take Jiangnan.

Even if they cannot substantially occupy it, just having the army wander around there would cause Great Dayu to suffer heavy losses.

Based on this understanding, the provinces of Jiangnan strongly supported the imperial court on the issue of suppressing the Bai Lian rebellion.

……

"Enough!"

"I have no interest in listening to you argue!"

"The Bai Lian Sect's Western Expedition Army is about to enter Huguang; hurry up and come up with a response strategy!"

Xu Wenyue reprimanded them immediately.

Settling scores can wait until later, but the problem must be solved now.

As the Viceroy of the Five Provinces, he had work to do; he was no longer the young, pure-stream critic he once was.

The change in status and position brought with it a change in his perspective.

"Grand Secretary, at this point, all we can do is notify all units to strengthen their defenses.

At the same time, order the Yungui Allied Forces to come and reinforce as soon as possible.

If possible, have the Guangxi and Fujian sides strengthen their offensive to put as much pressure on the rebel army as possible."

Lu Jingxuan stated frankly.

The main forces were all pressing on the front line; the Huguang side had no better response.

Now they could only delay time while hoping their allies would be effective.

As for asking the imperial court to send more reinforcements, Lu Jingxuan just thought about it slightly and chose to give up.

Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Asking the court for help now—just the message delivery would take twenty days; by the time the court agreed to send reinforcements, who knew how long it would take.

"Difficult!

The rebel army has seized strategic strongholds, and the Fujian front has been slow to break through.

Guangxi is fighting well, but Guilin is the rebel nest after all, and a large amount of grain is stored in the city.

Those rebels, in order to reduce consumption, even drove over a hundred thousand residents out of the city.

According to the reports from Guangxi, they are preparing for a long-term siege."

Fujian Military Commissioner Yang Yan refused decisively.

During wartime, the biggest taboo is making reckless promises.

Launching an attack is easy, but whether a breakthrough can be achieved, no one knows.

Moreover, the enthusiasm for participating in the war within the province was not high; if he took on this task, he wouldn't be able to give an account later.

To get out of it, he directly dragged Guangxi into it.

Elite troops are not easily trained, and no one is willing to consume them easily in a siege.

Sacrificing two elite Guangxi forces to recover Guilin would be a strategic failure.

If they did that, Xu Wenyue wouldn't be able to give an account to the imperial court.

"If Guilin cannot be captured, then divide the troops to attack Guangdong.

The Guangxi imperial army has already suppressed the rebels; they can completely withdraw some troops to attack areas where the rebel army's strength is weak.

I propose transferring Guangxi Commander Li Mu to be the Guangdong Commander and withdrawing thirty thousand troops from Guangxi to recover Guangdong!"

Lu Jingxuan's proposal made everyone fall into deep thought.

In the eyes of many, the imperial army recovering Guangxi was a miracle.

It was this knife inserted into the rebels' rear that severed the enemy's momentum, dragged down a large number of rebel troops, and bought time for the imperial court to suppress the rebellion.

If it hadn't been for that expedition, the rebel army might have already swept through the South and started a chaotic era.

Li Mu, who played a core role in the great battle, had also caught everyone's eye with the victory.

At this moment, no one thought he was just a noble descendant eating off his ancestors' legacy.

"Inappropriate!"

"The situation in Guangxi has just improved; it is not suitable for major movements right now.

Once a large number of troops are withdrawn from Guangxi, the front line could fluctuate at any time.

Don't forget that besides the Bai Lian rebels, there is also that trouble in Annan.

The current King of Annan is ambitious; sitting on an army of three hundred thousand is still not enough, and he is still massively expanding his army domestically.

Once Guangxi is empty, the Annan people are very likely to move north.

The chaos caused then would not be comparable to the Bai Lian rebellion!"

Xu Wenyue refused decisively.

Since taking the position of Viceroy of the Five Provinces, the Annan threat theory had constantly appeared in his ears.

For this reason, he had specifically sent people to collect intelligence on the Annan people and was very clear about the King of Annan's actions over the last dozen years.

The more he knew, the more troublesome he felt it was.

The Annan people sweeping through the countries of the Indochina Peninsula was enough to prove their military strength was at its peak.

Facing such an enemy, Guangxi must have strong generals stationed there.

"Grand Secretary, if Commander Li cannot be moved easily, then withdraw General Jing Yifeng and the town of recruited troops under his command into Guangdong.

Reducing the strength by only ten thousand, I think the situation in Guangxi can still be stabilized; it would just mean recovering Guilin later."

Guangdong Governor An Qingfeng hurriedly helped out.

Being a governor without any troops is not easy; since taking office, he hadn't done anything, and he had already submitted dozens of memorials pleading guilty.

As the Guangdong Governor, presiding over the recovery of lost territory was his duty; failing to do so was a crime.

Everyone understood the objective conditions, and the imperial court didn't hold him responsible, but that didn't mean there was no responsibility.

Before recovering Guangdong, this drama of constantly pleading guilty would have to continue.

In normal discussions, he was just a bystander.

He had to be careful and cautious at all times when speaking, for fear of saying the wrong thing and causing trouble for himself.

No one likes this kind of stifling life, and An Qingfeng was also a person with pursuits.

Hearing the Huguang Governor propose transferring Li Mu to Guangdong, he was moved.

After being rejected by Grand Secretary Xu, he decisively chose to settle for second best.

In several Guangxi campaigns, besides Li Mu's eye-catching performance, Jing Yifeng's performance was also not bad.

Among the many suppression generals, he was definitely among the best.

"Let's do it!"

After pondering for a moment, Xu Wenyue chose to agree.

The Battle of Guilin didn't know when it would end; there was no need to let Guangxi's elite troops sit idle.

Using this time to recover a few cities was also a good way to prove to the imperial court that he was working.

……

Guilin Prefecture.

After several days of artillery battles, the city walls were blasted with gaps in many places, but Li Mu had still not issued an order to attack the city.

Both the rebel army and the imperial army were confused by this bewildering behavior.

It wasn't until the news of Jing Yifeng's transfer arrived that the situation changed.

"Congratulations to General Jing on your promotion!"

Although both were generals, the positions were different, and their status and standing were very different.

For local officials, moving from Guangxi to Guangdong, even a lateral transfer, was a promotion.

In the bureaucracy, the higher one goes, the fewer positions there are; it's impossible to be promoted every time one is transferred.

For officials, moving from a poor, remote area to a wealthy region, both their "future" and "money future" would be brighter.

But for Jing Yifeng, this personnel transfer was mainly a "money future" brightness.

Once a military general reached the position of general, the upward space was already very narrow.

There was basically no hope for career development.

Finding a way to transfer to a wealthy place and scrape together some benefits was everyone's pursuit.

This kind of corruption in the military group was largely forced out.

In the Great Dayu Dynasty, military generals with great ambitions basically wouldn't have any good results.

"Thanks to the Grand Secretary's favor, but the imperial court has not yet approved it; it is currently just a temporary appointment."

Jing Yifeng said calmly.

The joy between his brows still exposed his good mood.

With Guangdong in the hands of the rebel army, his position as general was like a big cake, but he had the confidence to eat the cake into his stomach.

For military generals, what they fear is not war, but the lack of war.

Looking at Li Mu's operations in Guangxi, he also wanted to replicate them.

The land and mineral resources hidden by the gentry were the greatest wealth themselves.

Especially mineral resources; leasing official mines from the Governor's Office and then leasing them to merchants could make a huge profit.

He didn't know the specific income, but it was definitely a bloody profit.

If a poor place like Guangxi could be squeezed for oil, the oil in Guangdong, with better conditions, would only be more.

If operated well, in a three-year term, one could complete decades of accumulation.

"General Jing, rest assured, with your military merit, transferring to Guangdong will not be a problem at all."

Jia Bo guaranteed immediately.

The imperial court needed checks and balances; it was impossible to let two people with a family relationship remain in Guangxi to hold power at the same time.

With Grand Secretary Xu's recommendation and the support of the noble group, Jing Yifeng's personnel appointment would have no suspense.

"Let's not talk about this.

According to the military order, I must set off for Guangdong within three days.

With one less town of troops, if we want to continue to besiege Guilin, we must withdraw more troops from the rear to join.

Do you all have a strategy?"

Jing Yifeng's words brought everyone back to reality.

This personnel appointment not only transferred away a general but also withdrew a town of elites.

As the besieging side, the imperial army had fewer troops than the rebel army defending the city; withdrawing more troops would make the siege a joke.

"The situation in the rear has just stabilized; we must leave enough troops to guard it.

In the short term, the only troops we can use are those on the front line."

Zhang Sihan immediately stated his position.

Remnants of the rebels were still lurking in the Guangxi region; without troops to guard them, the officials sent to various places could lose their lives at any time.

Guangxi was already regarded by everyone as a dragon's den and a tiger's lair; if news of officials constantly being killed spread, no one would be willing to come.

With so many vacancies for county magistrates, assistant magistrates, registrars, and jail wardens, he couldn't find enough people to fill the pits.

If the leadership team couldn't be fully staffed in a day, the local area would never return to normal operation.

"If the siege doesn't work, then just withdraw the army and lure the enemy out of the city.

The rebel leader is in Guilin; the Bai Lian rebel army has not reached the end of its rope, so I think he doesn't have the courage to perish with Guilin.

Once the enemy army leaves the city, we can just fight our way back and recover Guilin."

Li Mu said calmly.

In fact, from the moment he determined the rebel army wanted to run, he had been preparing to let the enemy leave.

If they could destroy the enemy in a field battle, there was no need to storm the city.

However, letting the rebel army leave was a political taboo.

After all, Li Mu didn't have the confidence to annihilate them halfway after the rebel army retreated.

Once the enemy successfully rendezvoused with other rebel armies, the plan would become an accident.

Once someone made a big deal out of it, it would be hard to explain clearly.

Grand Secretary Xu's military transfer order provided him with an excellent excuse.

With insufficient troops, being forced to choose to withdraw the army because they couldn't besiege the enemy was not him deliberately letting the enemy go.

If changes occurred later, he could also shift the blame upward.

"Commander Li, what if the rebel leader leaves alone and the main army stays behind to guard Guilin?"

Jia Bo asked with concern.

If they could recover Guilin, using a flawed strategy would naturally not count for anything.

The imperial court only looks at the results and never cares about the risks in the implementation process.

What he feared was being too clever by half, tossing and turning for a while, and ending up busy for nothing.

"After withdrawing the army, we can turn around and attack Wuzhou, putting on a posture of advancing into Guangdong.

If the rebel army ignores it, then change the feint into a main attack, forming a pincer with General Jing's offensive in Guangzhou.

After recovering a few cities in Guangdong, the enemy will naturally not be able to sit still.

Whether they send troops from Guilin to attack our rear or abandon Guilin to go all out on the Northern Expedition, they will always make a move.

As long as the enemy moves, a battle opportunity will appear sooner or later."

Li Mu explained.

Encountering local rebels like the Bai Lian Sect, the best choice is to drag them into a war of movement.

By mobilizing the rebel army to the maximum extent, the drawbacks of their chaotic internal organization would gradually be exposed.

Any mistake anywhere on the battlefield could lead to the failure of the military operation.

(End of Chapter)