Chapter 222: Imperial Edict

Guangzhou Prefecture.

With the recovery of Zhaoqing Prefecture, the imperial army quickly advanced the battle line to the outside of Guangzhou City.

Stimulated by this, the Fujian imperial army and the remaining troops of Guangdong also became ruthless, and the two sides joined forces to capture Huizhou Prefecture.

The coalition army of the three provinces successfully met outside Guangzhou City, and a great battle was on the verge of breaking out.

When there were many people, there were many problems.

The coalition army of the three provinces, which were not subordinate to each other, gathered together; just internal coordination made people's scalps numb.

Commanding the battle was even more nonsense.

The three Governors didn't want to be inferior to others, and around the issue of command power, the three sides launched a fierce competition.

Being deadlocked directly affected the progress of the city-attacking battle.

"Colleagues, we can't drag this out any longer.

If you still can't discuss a result, I will order the attack on the city!"

Li Mu said resentfully.

Coordinating the troops of the three provinces had already exhausted him.

The people below were getting along, but this group of civil officials above was also not making people worry-free.

Fighting for power and profit also required looking at the time.

Not launching an attack in the short term was pressure on the rebellion.

If it dragged on for a long time, the enemy would adapt to being besieged for a long time, which would become a new trouble.

"Commander Li, rest assured, you can boldly launch the attack; I guarantee that the Guangdong army will fully cooperate!"

An Qingfeng immediately expressed.

As the host, he was longing for the recovery of Guangdong.

If he could recover Guangzhou, even if he gave up the position of coalition commander, it would be completely worth it.

After all, among the three provinces, Guangdong had the fewest troops, and the Governor's office was also poor.

The neighboring Guangxi was also poor, but the other side's troops could fight. On the battlefield, fists were the right to speak, so naturally, they could come out to compete.

The Fujian side's troops were not as elite as Guangxi's, but they were the richest among the three provinces and could provide some grain and grass for the coalition army.

War was about money and grain; in the case of the court's untimely allocation, the financier who could sponsor money and grain would definitely not have low speaking power.

"Commander Li, don't be in a hurry.

To capture a strong city like Guangzhou, how can it work without heavy artillery!

I have already ordered the transport of the big guys from the rear.

Those heavy cannons were specially cast by craftsmen at all costs in order to suppress the rebel army!

Whether it is range or power, they far exceed all previous cannons."

Zhang Jingyi said confidently.

It was all the truth; the cannons he spent a lot of money to build had made significant breakthroughs in range and power.

The only drawback was that the cannons were slightly cumbersome by "a billion points," and their own weight directly exceeded ten tons.

Initially, they were specially built for defending the city. The purpose was to be able to bombard the enemy's camp directly on the city wall.

To satisfy the Governor's requirements, the craftsmen, after many experiments, still found that making them bigger, longer, and thicker was the easiest way to complete the task.

The stupid, big, and thick super cannons had been idle on the city wall since their birth.

The rebel army had no interest in Fujian and didn't send troops to attack at all. They also had no way to push these big guys to the battlefield to fight with the enemy.

If it weren't for the fact that he remembered the super cannons he built when attacking Guangzhou City, these big guys with serious partiality would still be eating dust on the city wall.

Anyway, he had to let these cannons fire a few shots. Otherwise, the previous investment would all be thrown into the water.

"Lord Zhang, no one knows how powerful your super cannons are.

If they are not used, wouldn't it miss the opportunity of the battle?

..."

"The imperial edict has arrived!"

Before Zhang Sihan could finish his rebuttal, he was interrupted by the sudden imperial edict.

In an era where imperial power was supreme, the imperial edict was undoubtedly sacred. Without the slightest hesitation, everyone stood up at the same time to receive the edict.

"By the order of the Emperor, the edict says:

Since the outbreak of the White Lotus Sect rebellion, it has ravaged several provinces in the Southeast, causing the people to live in misery.

Now, Grand Secretary and Governor of Five Provinces, Zhu Jingyi, has not thought of repaying the country since taking office, only knowing how to fight for power and profit all day, causing the situation in Huguang and Jiangxi to rot, failing the holy grace.

Specially dismiss him from all positions, and have the Embroidered Uniform Guard escort him to the capital!

..."

The charges were pinned down, and Li Mu's scalp felt numb listening to it.

He had long known that Zhu Jingyi would be unlucky, but he never expected it to come so quickly. From officially taking office to being dismissed, it had only been just over a hundred days.

Such a rapid change of commander made Li Mu not know whether to say the Yongning Emperor was decisive or had a hole in his brain.

One imperial edict ended, followed by another.

While dismissing Zhu Jingyi, the court also appointed two Governors.

The candidates were more unexpected than the other, and Li Mu didn't know what the Yongning Emperor was thinking.

Letting the Marquis of Wuyang come to serve as Governor of the three provinces of Liangguang and Fujian, he could still understand.

After all, the war now affected several provinces, and one overseer could not take care of everything.

Re-enabling Xu Wenyue was a bit magical.

Having spent so much effort to get people down, in the blink of an eye, he was re-enabled, feeling like taking off his pants to fart.

The only difference was that at this time, being re-enabled in a crisis, Xu Wenyue's reputation would be much better.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Having seen Grand Secretary Zhu's operations, everyone knew how good Grand Secretary Xu was. Especially the gentry in Huguang and Jiangxi, who felt this deeply.

The scene of scholars blocking the door and scolding him for being unfilial should not appear again.

Whether Grand Secretary Xu could solve the problem after taking office, Li Mu couldn't figure it out either.

The situation in Huguang and Jiangxi had already rotted, and he guessed that Grand Secretary Xu would drag it out a bit, and if he took office a few days late, maybe the war would expand to other neighboring provinces.

Although the content of the imperial edict did not directly involve everyone, after a brief loss of focus, the officials still hurriedly received the edict and thanked the grace.

The court appointed a Governor of the three provinces, so the original dispute over the command of the three provinces naturally had no need to continue.

After sending away the angel, the faces of the civil officials all darkened.

In the officialdom, there is a radish for every pit; if the superior cannot rise, the people below have no chance to progress.

"Everyone, let's disperse today!

As for the rest of the matters, wait until the new Governor arrives before handling them."

Li Mu said unhappily.

He looked down on these behaviors of fighting for power and profit the most. Consequently, his impression of the three Governors also declined.

As for what the three were thinking, he didn't care at all.

With the Governor pressing down, even if the people present had ideas, they could only hold them back!

"Then let's disperse!"

Zhang Jingyi said unwillingly.

The temporary command of the coalition army of the three provinces was not a permanent position. But everyone had reached the position of Governor. If they wanted to go further, they had to take this step.

Missing this opportunity, wanting to be promoted later would mean falling from the heaven dungeon to the hell dungeon.

The competitors would expand from three people to the civil and military officials in the court. A slight carelessness, and they would stop there from then on.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 223 =====