Chapter 215

"Prince, something bad has happened!

The rebel army has killed into the inner city!"

The steward said in a panic.

The Changsha defense battle had been fought six times, and in the previous few times, the imperial army had withstood the rebel army's offensive.

He thought they could turn danger into safety this time too, but he never expected the enemy army to kill into the inner city so quickly.

"Where are Shen Yunqi and Han Song, what are they doing?"

The Prince of Changsha questioned angrily.

The two had guaranteed it, so he paid to reward the three armies.

As a result, in the blink of an eye, the rebel army broke into the inner city, and his money was spent in vain.

"Prince, it's chaotic outside, who knows where they went.

Perhaps they are commanding the troops to fight, perhaps they have already run away, it's hard to say."

Steward Liu answered helplessly.

When disaster strikes, everyone flies their own way.

The city is broken, who still cares about a feudal prince!

Since the outbreak of the White Lotus rebellion, the number of feudal princes who died in Great Dayu has reached three.

Adding one more to the list of those killed in battle is not so eye-catching.

In a sense, the death of many imperial clan members also reduces the fiscal burden for the imperial court.

"Two bastards!

If I had known they couldn't hold Changsha, I should have run from the beginning.

My money!"

The Prince of Changsha couldn't help but wail.

According to the Great Dayu law, feudal princes cannot leave their fiefs without authorization.

If they want to go to other places to visit relatives, they must obtain the Emperor's approval.

However, these regulations are only in principle and cannot be violated.

If they really encounter danger, they can still run away.

If the Emperor wants to hold them accountable, he cannot kill all these imperial clan members for such a small matter.

At most, it's a symbolic punishment, fining them a few years' salary. In any case, the imperial court is in arrears with salaries, and he has long since stopped counting on his salary to live.

Not leaving Changsha city with those gentry was mainly because the civil officials wouldn't let him go.

After all, a feudal prince is a benchmark.

If he left in advance, the morale of the officers and soldiers below would collapse directly.

"Prince, while the rebel army hasn't killed over yet, you should hurry up and take the Princess and the Heir and leave.

Those thieves are all demons who don't blink when killing; if you are late, you won't be able to leave!"

The steward urged anxiously.

These are all heartfelt words; now they can run away because the rebel army's tactic is to surround three sides and leave one, deliberately leaving a way to escape to disintegrate the defenders' fighting spirit.

At this moment, the enemy has killed into the inner city, and the defenders have been beaten to collapse. The surround three sides and leave one is losing its meaning, and the enemy may block the gap at any time.

"If we run away like this, what about the property in the mansion?"

The Prince of Changsha asked with concern.

From the moment the rebel army broke through the inner city, he had secretly prepared for escape.

However, this day came too early, and there was a large amount of property in the Prince's mansion that hadn't had time to be transferred.

The real estate, shops, and land under the Prince's mansion's name had even less chance to be dealt with.

Escaping Changsha city at this moment, the loss of the Prince's mansion would be great.

"Prince, what time is it, and you are still thinking about these worldly things.

Saving your life is the priority; as long as you are alive, these things can be taken back sooner or later."

The steward said in a breakdown.

Seeing the rebel army killing over, his own Prince was still concerned about the wealth of the Prince's mansion, which was truly helpless.

"No!

Hurry up and have people pack up the gold, silver, and valuables; take everything that can be taken with me.

Without money, what should I use to support the hundreds of people in the Prince's mansion?

Moreover, there are imperial clan members who have escaped and need my relief; money is needed everywhere!"

The Prince of Changsha shook his head and said.

Escaping directly, it's not to say they will starve to death, but future life will definitely be tight.

Just relying on the salary issued by the imperial court, it's impossible to support so many people.

On this point, referring to the imperial clan members who came out of the two Guang provinces, one knows that they are like refugees, looking for help from the same clan everywhere.

"Prince, you should hurry up and go!

If you really take a large amount of money, even if we can successfully get out of the city, we won't be able to escape to a safe area.

Besides the rebel army, those fleeing remnants, and bandits along the way might all attack us!"

The steward hurriedly advised.

He also likes money, and his degree of protecting food is no less than the Prince of Changsha, but he has rich life experience and knows what to pay attention to when fleeing.

A down-and-out feudal prince carrying a large amount of money is no longer a high-and-mighty feudal prince in the war, but a big fat sheep.

After an extreme tug-of-war, he finally convinced the Prince of Changsha. However, the sound of killing also reached the doorstep.

The wealth of the Prince of Changsha's mansion is famous far and wide; everyone envies it in peacetime, and it also receives much attention in wartime.

When fleeing became a breakout, the ending was already doomed.

Wuchang Prefecture.

The bad news of Changsha's fall came, and Zhu Jingyi was stunned. The rebel army's siege speed was too fast, and they didn't give him a chance to rescue at all.

First the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition army was severely damaged, and now the Huguang defense line was beaten to collapse. Everything happened during his tenure as Viceroy, and he didn't even have a chance to throw the pot.

Looking at the personnel appointment edict in his hand, he found it ridiculous. The imperial court had just announced the cabinet minister quota, and he was on the list.

If there are no accidents, he will become the cabinet minister with the shortest tenure in the Great Dayu dynasty.

The day the bad news reaches the capital will be the day his cabinet career ends.

He rose to power because of tossing, and also ended because of tossing.

"Grand Secretary, the situation is critical now, you must pull yourself together!"

A middle-aged aide on the side advised.

Thinking about it, he felt miserable; he was famous when he was young, but he failed repeatedly in the imperial examination, wasting half his life and achieving nothing.

It was not easy to join the Zhu Grand Secretary's sect under the introduction of a friend, but he didn't have time to do anything, and the master was about to fall.

While a group of aides were silent, Bai Yifeng felt that he needed to struggle and make a final fight.

In any case, the situation had fully deteriorated, and there was almost no room for decline. No matter how he tossed, it wouldn't get worse.

"Mr. Bai, do you have any countermeasures to deal with the current situation?"

Zhu Jingyi asked expectantly.

Although he didn't think he could turn over, since someone proposed it, he might as well try it.

"Grand Secretary, wanting to defeat the rebel army in a short time is almost impossible.

However, in the long run, the imperial court still has an advantage. Just need to survive the current pass, and when the imperial court reacts, everything will be different.

The Emperor has already issued an edict to open up civilian militia, so we might as well go a step further and allow the gentry to raise their own grain and pay in the local area for the military expenditure of the militia.

Huguang and Jiangxi are rich provinces and have enough financial resources to invest in the military. As long as the imperial court relaxes policy restrictions, they can quickly train an elite army.

The imperial court only needs to appoint reliable militia ministers to be responsible for presiding over militia affairs and ensure control over the militia.

As long as the local militia is pulled up, the rebel army's offensive will inevitably be delayed. After dragging on for a year or half a year, when the imperial court's main army goes south, they will definitely be able to sweep away the rebels in one fell swoop!"

Bai Yifeng proposed immediately.

Whether the official militia can work, no one can say for sure. In any case, in the current situation, there is no better choice.

At the very least, it can be determined that running a militia can reduce the imperial court's military expenditure.

If it succeeds, Zhu Jingyi will make up for his mistakes and reduce his own guilt; if it fails, the ending will remain the same, waiting for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to come and arrest him.

"Official militia is indeed a way, but is there enough time?"

Zhu Jingyi asked uncertainly.

Rebel groups like the White Lotus Sect stand on the opposite side of the gentry from the beginning. The doctrine they believe in is a huge impact on Confucian culture.

For the readers of the world, this is a heretical cult and must not be allowed to seize the world.

Involving personal interests, the gentry foundation for running a militia is available. The trouble is that it is a bit late to relax the policy now.

"Grand Secretary, although the Huguang imperial army was defeated, it is not completely without combat power.

The two elite forces of the E Army and the Xiang Army are still there; holding firm and clearing the fields, delaying the rebel army's attack speed, can still be done.

After the rebel army occupies Changsha, the next step will inevitably be aimed at Wuchang. Preparing now, the Wuchang defense battle is still worth fighting.

With a buffer period, we can pull up the team. By then, the rebel army's numerical advantage will no longer exist.

With elite as the main and militia as the auxiliary, then fight a decisive battle with the enemy army.

If the Grand Secretary is willing, this student is willing to work like a dog and horse!"

Bai Yifeng tried hard to fool him.

No matter whether the plan can succeed, this is his opportunity. If he didn't persuade him while Zhu Jingyi was mentally traumatized, no one would support him in running a militia at another time.

After all, he was not born into a noble family and didn't have so many resources to use.

His family background was not rich enough, and he only had a few thousand mu of land, which was unremarkable among the gentry in Jiangnan.

Wanting to start a career by militia, he could only rely on the imperial court's name to attract gentry and merchants from all over to invest.

"Good!

For the sake of the people of the world, I will take the liberty to make a decision and allow the official militia to raise funds from the people.

Mr. Bai, this cabinet now appoints you as the Hunan Militia Minister, responsible for presiding over the militia work in the area south of Dongtinghu!"

Zhu Jingyi ordered immediately.

However, this order was still reserved.

Many prefectures south of Dongtinghu had fallen into the hands of the rebel army. The prefectures still under the control of the imperial court also faced the threat of the rebel army at all times.

Once the team was pulled up, it was easy to be attacked by the rebel army. Wanting to use the militia to grow bigger was full of difficulties.

Doing these calculations was not because Zhu Jingyi didn't trust Bai Yifeng, but purely subconscious behavior.

The lessons of the disaster of the feudal towns in the late Tang Dynasty were deeply ingrained in everyone's bones. When formulating policies, the first thing they thought of was checks and balances.

(End of chapter)