Chapter 218

After the military meeting ended, intimidated by the pressure exerted by Grand Secretary Zhu, the Fujian army was forced to launch an attack on the rebels.

Added to the Among Guangxi troops in the south, as well as Jing Jing Yifeng who was temporarily residing in Qiongzhou, they formed a three-sided pincer attack on the Guangdong rebels.

The specific effect is not discussed for now, but the momentum was fully pulled up.

Guanghai Guard.

"General, it's time to rest."

The middle-aged scholar stepped forward to advise.

"For the sake of a mere Guanghai Guard, the pseudo-dynasty has gathered heavy troops; I can't sleep!"

The garrison general Chu Er said with a depressed face.

Although Guanghai Guard is a strategic military location, its main role is only useful when fighting pirates.

The pseudo-dynasty army didn't attack the neighboring Zhaoqing Prefecture but instead came to attack Guanghai Guard, which really left him unable to understand.

"General, we have already thwarted the enemy's three attacks and held the city for a month.

This record is already one of the few in the Holy Kingdom.

Even if we lose Guanghai Guard, we can still give an account to the higher-ups when we go back.

You must know that the enemy troops on the opposite side are the strong enemies who swept through Among Guangxi and captured the Holy Capital all the way."

The middle-aged scholar forcibly comforted him.

Deep down, he didn't feel any better than Chu Er.

As a Juren, he had a virtuous reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages, and his daily life was comfortable.

As a result, one careless move, and he got on the rebel ship of the White Lotus.

Don't look at the White Lotus Holy Kingdom's great momentum now, but Cheng Cheng Jiliang, who has read history books, is not optimistic about this new regime at all.

Since ancient times, those who rebelled first have never had a good end.

Especially this kind of uprising full of religious color like the White Lotus Holy Kingdom is a typical example of being a pioneer for others.

He knows best how strong the power of the gentry group is.

The White Lotus rebellion shook the foundation of this group and will inevitably be countered.

The smooth progress in the early stage was nothing more than the infighting of various factions in the court, which created opportunities for them.

Once the court reacts, everything will be very different.

"It's not as simple as you say; if we really lose the battle, we definitely won't have good fruit to eat when we go back.

The Holy Kingdom has never been soft on defeated generals.

Those few exceptions were all veterans in the sect, so they could escape a disaster.

Those of us who joined later don't have such preferential treatment."

Chu Er shook his head and said.

Four thousand garrison troops faced the siege of tens of thousands of enemy troops, held the city for a month, and thwarted the enemy's three attacks.

It sounds like the record is pretty good, but the real reason is very heartbreaking.

In the past month, the enemy troops were mostly slacking off.

They didn't fight when it was windy, didn't fight when it rained, didn't fight on cloudy days, and didn't fight when they were in a bad mood.

For a whole month, the enemy only launched a siege battle for a total of three days.

The high-level officials of the Holy Kingdom are not fools; the higher-ups will verify the battle reports.

If you brag too much, you are a fool.

"General, the situation is unclear now; it's better to take one step at a time.

If we really can't hold it, at worst..."

Halfway through the sentence, noticing Chu Er's wrong expression, Cheng Cheng Jiliang hurriedly shut his mouth.

If possible, he naturally wants to return to the court camp, but the premise is that he can take the team with him.

If he defects alone, he can't wash away the stains on his body.

"Mr. Cheng, what you said is right; we should consider a way out.

It's a pity that I, Chu Er, am just a grassroots person from the rivers and lakes; even if I have the heart to serve the court, I have no opportunity to display it.

Mr. Cheng has extensive social connections; do you have any familiar officials in the court?"

After a fierce psychological struggle, Chu Er asked.

He has no psychological burden about defecting to the court.

He was never a direct descendant of the White Lotus Sect; joining this rebellion was just wanting to follow and make a profit.

Never expected that the White Lotus rebel army would make more and more trouble, and even built a country.

If they could keep winning, he wouldn't mind following the White Lotus Holy Emperor to fight for the world and fight for the credit of being a founding minister.

It's a pity that his luck is not very good; the plan had just started to be implemented when he was besieged by government troops.

Knowing that he is not the opponent of the government troops outside, and not daring to abandon the city and flee, seeking amnesty became the best choice.

"When I was studying, I once studied at the Jiangnan Academy for a period of time, and many of my classmates there are developing well in the officialdom.

General, if you have the heart, I am willing to introduce you."

Cheng Cheng Jiliang replied uneasily.

While speaking, his eyes never left Chu Er's face, fearing that this was a test.

Since he had already spoken out, he could only choose to gamble.

To increase his own weight, he also deliberately exaggerated his network of connections.

There are indeed many classmates who have developed smoothly in their official careers, but that doesn't mean they have friendship with him.

As one of the few major academies in the world, the Jiangnan Academy has thousands of students, covering from Tong Sheng to Juren.

Except for those who entered school in the same period, there is not much interaction between most classmates.

If the connections were really sky-high, even without passing the Tong Jinshi exam, one could still enter the officialdom.

There are not just one or two high-ranking officials in the court who are not Tong Jinshi.

"Then I will trouble you, sir!"

While speaking, Chu Er bowed to Cheng Cheng Jiliang.

From the time they met until now, this was the most polite time he had been.

It can be seen that he really wants to be an official of Great Great Dayu.

"General, you overstate it!

These are all my duties.

For the safety of the people in this city, I should also do my best!"

Cheng Cheng Jiliang replied politely.

Seeking amnesty also requires an excuse.

The people in the city are undoubtedly the best fig leaf.

With this excuse, going to the door again won't be so rushed.

"Good!

In the coming days, the gold, silver, and jewelry in the treasury are at your disposal, sir.

Now is not the time to save money; all relationships must be handled properly."

Chu Er said generously.

After experiencing so many things, he finally understood.

Money is a bastard; having money without power is meat on the chopping block.

Since he chose to seek amnesty, he must find a way to seek a good position.

With the style of Great Great Dayu officials, without spending money to handle things, it is impossible to achieve the goal.

"Boom—"

As the sky just brightened, the sound of artillery fire broke the tranquility of Zhaoqing.

One only had to look at the performance of the provincial armies in the two provinces to know that it could only be considered mediocre.

Along the long coastline, there are always places that cannot be taken care of, and the government troops soon found the weak points in defense.

"The enemy troops are not attacking Guanghai Guard; why did they cross the river so quickly?"

Lou Xiang Qinghong asked suspiciously.

From the moment Wuzhou fell, his comfortable days as the garrison of Zhaoqing ended early.

In order to keep Zhaoqing Prefecture, he placed the focus of defense on the Wuzhou line.

Historically, the wars between the two Guang regions revolved around Wuzhou Prefecture.

Whoever controls Wuzhou occupies the initiative in the war.

The last time the White Lotus Holy Kingdom marched into Guangdong, it also came from Wuzhou.

Never expected that historical experience would sometimes not work.

Li Mu, who occupied Wuzhou, did not attack Zhaoqing from Wuzhou according to his estimation but instead attacked the prefectures with lower strategic value first.

In the unexpected battlefield, the deployed troops naturally wouldn't be many.

Soon he received the bad news of the fall of Gaozhou Prefecture and Leizhou Prefecture, and the government troops swept all the way to Guanghai Guard.

As the war progresses to now, in the region south of the Xijiang River, only the last Guanghai Guard is holding on.

He thought that with Guanghai Guard holding the enemy troops, he could take the opportunity to repair the city defenses, but regrettably, the government troops suddenly crossed the river.

What's worse is that Zhaoqing Fucheng is right on the Xijiang River.

As the main battlefield of the previous Guangdong Battle, the prefecture city was severely damaged, and the city defenses have not been restored to this day.

The temporarily reinforced city walls don't have the high quality of the Nine Clans' strict selection.

"General Lou, now is not the time to discuss these things.

Since the government troops have crossed the river, the garrison of Guanghai Guard has mostly met with misfortune.

You should hurry up and organize troops to defend against the enemy's attack!"

The Zhaoqing Prefect at his side advised.

Compared to the Great Great Dayu Dynasty's valuing of civil officials and devaluing of military ones, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom is directly the opposite.

As the Zhaoqing Prefect, during the war, he must be under the control of the Garrison Commissioner.

Except for fighting for the world, which requires war first.

In essence, the high-level officials of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom still lack trust in these scholars who surrendered.

With precautions in their hearts, when designing the system, it naturally must be reflected.

However, the civil-military conflict within the White Lotus Holy Kingdom is not as intense as that of Great Great Dayu.

The civil officials in various places are basically in a state of vacancy.

Even civil officials at the prefect level were only granted to a few important areas.

In more places, the Garrison Commissioner still holds both military and political power.

Knowing that doing this easily leads to local separatism, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom has no choice now.

There are plenty of people who want to be officials, but there are few who are competent.

When fighting for the world, there are not so many institutional constraints, which tests the ability of officials very much.

Putting a piece of trash up there, no one can say for sure how much damage it will cause.

Since there is no one to use, it is better to have nothing than to have something bad.

Not having local officials organize the restoration of production is better than local officials doing whatever they want and specifically sabotaging them.

"Hmm!

Pass the order down to summon the young and strong in the prefecture to join the army and participate in the Zhaoqing defense battle.

Tell the people below that this time it is not 'two men draw one, three men draw two'; anyone in the family with a young man of appropriate age must all be conscripted for me.

Within a thirty-mile radius of Zhaoqing City, all must be cleared, and absolutely no opportunity can be left for the enemy troops!"

Lou Xiang Qinghong ordered decisively.

Knowing the power of the enemy troops, he naturally has to go all out.

If he wasn't worried about insufficient grain and fodder, he would have liked to move all the people outside the city into the city.

On the banks of the Xijiang River.

"Mr. Lan, your classmate contacted and persuaded the rebel leader, wanting to accept the court's amnesty?"

Li Mu, who had successfully crossed the river, asked with a face full of suspicion.

Having been suppressing the White Lotus rebellion for so long, this was the first time he had encountered a rebel Garrison Commissioner-level general wanting to seek amnesty.

In the past, they would only lay down their weapons and surrender after the enemy troops were beaten until they cried for their fathers and mothers.

Those who actively defected to the court were all small fry below.

Either they were treated unfairly, or there were personal grievances.

The enemy troops who defected basically all had special reasons.

"Yes, my lord!

A classmate of mine is a local from Guanghai Guard and was forcibly snatched into the army by the rebels to serve as a staff officer.

This person is loyal to the court, and even in the rebel camp, he has not forgotten to serve the court.

Through his efforts, he persuaded the rebel Guanghai Guard Garrison Commissioner Chu Er to bring the main army in the city to defect."

Li Mu directly ignored half of Lan Lan Linjie's words.

What loyalty to the court is all nonsense.

The real factor that made these people surrender was that the government troops besieged the city.

Guanghai Guard is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is isolated by the sea.

After the tentative attack failed, he didn't want to waste troops here, so he simply besieged without attacking.

He thought he would have to exhaust the garrison to death, but never expected that as soon as he crossed the Xijiang River, the enemy would want to surrender.

"Rebel leader, how much capital does he have, and what position does he want?"

Li Mu asked with concern.

Drawing lessons from the former Song Dynasty, the Great Great Dayu Dynasty restricts amnesty very strictly.

That kind of shortcut of killing and arson to get amnesty and enter the officialdom simply doesn't work in Great Great Dayu.

If you want to defect to the court, you must first see if the capital in your hands is sufficient.

As for the other protagonist participating in the amnesty, he was directly ignored by him.

For a Juren to get involved in a treason case, it's good enough not to be held accountable by the court; wanting to rely on amnesty to enter the officialdom is impossible.

Taking the rebel leader to defect to the court can only wash away the guilt of serving the rebels.

Even if a position was really promised, Cheng Cheng Jiliang wouldn't dare to do it.

"Amnesty" to become an official seems to be a shortcut, but in reality, it is also a dead end.

Military generals are slightly better; if the military achievements are large enough, they can still climb up.

Civil officials have no play at all; once stained with this kind of taint, they will be squeezed out by colleagues and sent home in less than a month.

"My lord, according to my classmate, the rebel leader Chu Er has four thousand troops under his command.

Most of them are fishermen along the coast of Guangdong, and there are some pirates among them; the personnel structure is very complex.

However, the combat effectiveness of these people is still good.

Leizhou Prefecture, Gaozhou Prefecture, and Guanghai Guard were all captured by this person leading troops.

Because he is not a direct descendant of the White Lotus Sect, he was squeezed out in the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, which is why he was left to serve as the Guanghai Guard Garrison Commissioner.

As for the specific position, the other party did not ask.

I guess it's because his knowledge is insufficient, and he doesn't understand the official structure of the court.

The other party promised that as long as the amnesty is successful, there will be a heavy reward afterwards."

Lan Lan Linjie said calmly.

Helping Cheng Cheng Jiliang speak earlier was for the sake of classmate friendship.

Chu Er has nothing to do with him; relying only on the generous gift sent over, it is limited to helping pass a word.

Whether the matter succeeds or not has little to do with him.

"Tell your classmate that the court can grant them amnesty.

However, Chu Er is a rebel after all; just relying on defecting is not enough to hold a high position.

I can only promise him the position of Police Inspector; if he wants a higher position, unless he can establish military merit.

For example: help the court recover Guangzhou City!"

Li Mu said with a smile.

Police Inspector sounds good, but in reality, it is the floor-level official rank for military generals.

For ordinary people, this is a leap in social class, and everyone would definitely flock to it.

But for those who have held great power, this position is too tasteless.

Nominally an official, but in reality, one must be led by many parties, and how much power one holds depends entirely on the superior's meaning.

However, such conditions are also the most reliable.

Given the difficulty of amnesty in Great Great Dayu, if a high position were really promised, it would mean that there will be a reckoning in the future.

Even if it is just an official position like Police Inspector, the amnesty matter must be reported to the Provincial Governor's Yamen for approval.

Not only are the procedures complicated, but one must also bear political risks.

Ordinary officials would not accept amnesty at all.

Li Mu is willing to offer conditions because Guanghai Guard is not far from Guangzhou.

With Chu Er's identity, there is no problem with leading troops to retreat into Guangzhou after the city falls.

Having a unit act as an insider can exert unexpected effects at critical moments.

"My lord, should we tell the Provincial Governor about this?

Although my classmate is loyal to the court, no one knows what kind of goods Chu Er is.

In case this person uses the opportunity of amnesty to escape back, the subsequent trouble will be quite a lot."

Lan Lan Linjie reminded.

Identity determines stance.

From the perspective of sentiment, he wants to help his classmate, but reason tells him that this kind of thing must consider political risks.

According to convention, the work of amnesty has always been the responsibility of civil officials.

If a military general leads this matter, it is easy to be impeached.

If any accident happens halfway, it will be a major political stain.

If it affects Li Mu's official career development, he, as a staff officer, will also be unlucky.

"No need!

Our Provincial Governor Zhang will not like this kind of thorny matter.

Regarding the amnesty, it must be kept strictly confidential.

Only when my plan succeeds is it amnesty.

Once the plan fails, then act as if nothing happened."

Li Mu shook his head and said.

Risk isolation is a basic operation; the current promise is just a promise.

Only when he is willing to admit it is it amnesty; otherwise, it is a rebel conspiracy.

(End of chapter)