Chapter 230

Nanchang Prefecture.

Receiving the request for help from the front line, Provincial Governor Yue Qifeng's face was full of "worry."

The rebel army is not only attacking Jiujiang, but the enemy also killed all the way to Linjiang Prefecture along the Gan River basin.

Looking at that posture, it is clearly wanting to strike Nanchang in one go.

The threat to the provincial capital has not been lifted, so where is there any spare strength to support Jiujiang?

It just so happens that Jiujiang's strategic position is very important; once Jiujiang falls, the war will burn to the hinterland of Jiangnan.

"Immediately issue a document to Zhejiang and Nanzhili, telling them that if they don't send reinforcements again, the fall of Jiujiang will be entirely their responsibility.

Also draft a memorial; this Governor wants to impeach them for seeing death without saving!"

Yue Qifeng said angrily.

The rot of the Great Dayu's situation is essentially caused by the inaction of bureaucrats.

They should have been in the same boat, fighting the rebel army together, but colleagues were afraid of the enemy's great power and dared not send troops to reinforce.

Of course, saying they didn't reinforce is also wronging people.

In the early stages, the two provinces of Zhejiang and Nanzhili also sent large armies to participate in the encirclement and suppression operation.

But the purpose of sending troops was not to suppress the rebellion, but to take the opportunity to balance the accounts.

A group of troops existing on paper had no combat effectiveness at all.

When they reached the battlefield, they suffered a crushing defeat as soon as they engaged the rebel army.

The death of the former Viceroy Zhu Jingyi was largely due to being pitted by them.

If it weren't for the sworn guarantees of the officials of the two provinces that they had sent 200,000 troops, Zhu Jingyi wouldn't have dared to risk a decisive battle with the rebel army.

After a great battle, the officials of the two provinces successfully whitewashed the crimes of eating empty pay and treasury deficits, and dumped the black pot of defeat entirely on the dead Zhu Jingyi.

However, he couldn't criticize this operation.

He had done a similar account-balancing action once before.

Once the window paper is pierced, everyone is finished.

It's just that because of the geographical location, Jiangxi, which was the first to border the rebel army, was passively entered into a state of combat readiness in advance.

In order to resist the rebel army's attack, they had to quickly fill the vacancies.

The bureaucrats of Zhejiang and Nanzhili moved much more slowly.

Until now, they haven't filled the vacancies.

With limited troops of their own, asking them to send elites to reinforce Jiujiang, these people chose to discount when executing.

Reinforcements have been moving at a turtle's pace; every time someone is sent to urge them, the reply received is always: soon, you hold on first.

Now that they can't hold on, and he can't bear the responsibility for the loss of Jiujiang, he can only find a way to drag others into the water.

Originally, it should have included the Regional Commander, but at this time, Grand Secretary Xu is being besieged by the rebel army in Xiangyang City.

Whether he can come out alive is an unknown.

"Provincial Governor, the Beijing Camp army has just set off and it will take some time to reach the front line.

The imperial armies of Nanzhili and Zhejiang have been scared out of their wits by the rebel army; even if they reach the front line, they will mostly not be able to stop the rebel army.

Once Jiujiang falls, the enemy's next target is very likely to be Anqing.

There is a rumor that officials from Nanzhili and Zhejiang are secretly discussing building an Anqing defense line to block the rebel army from moving south.

If the Jiujiang defenders can hold out until the Beijing Camp arrives, I guess they will still exhaust their elites and rush over to reinforce.

Otherwise, I'm afraid..."

Regional Commander Liu Yingjie's words made the atmosphere in the room increasingly grim.

If Jiujiang falls, then building an Anqing defense line is no problem at all.

But now the Jiujiang defenders are still fighting bloody battles with the rebel army.

Not sending reinforcements at this time, but building a second defense line in the rear, clearly means abandoning Jiujiang.

To be precise, it's not just abandoning Jiujiang, but abandoning the entire Jiangxi.

The officials of Nanzhili and Zhejiang are clearly using Jiangxi to delay the speed of the rebel army in order to ensure their own safety.

If the news is confirmed, then no matter what they do now, there will be no reinforcements.

"The Beijing Camp is mostly Northerners and is not suitable for the Southern climate.

Even if they reach the front line, they will have to adapt for some days before they can launch an attack on the rebel army.

First find a way to stabilize the defenders, and then send people to ask Marquis Wuyang for help, and let them immediately send troops to rescue Nanchang!"

Provincial Administration Commissioner Jin Yunliang immediately proposed.

No one knows what the specific effect will be.

With the reinforcements of Nanzhili and Zhejiang being unreliable, they can only pin their hopes on the three-province allied forces next door.

Even if they can't hold Jiujiang, they must hold Nanchang.

Otherwise, after the court holds them accountable, none of the officials present will be able to run away.

"Forget it, let's do it this way!

Also send a request for help to Grand Secretary Xu; although he probably can't help, the procedure must still be followed."

Yue Qifeng said with a tired face.

His body is not tired now, but his heart is tired.

Relying solely on Jiangxi's military strength, they are already unable to defeat the rebel army and can only pin their hopes on colleagues for help.

Early morning, just as the sun appeared, the Guangzhou camp became lively.

A group of soldiers, led by generals, were running around the drill ground.

This is the experience Li Mu has accumulated; on the battlefield, you can lose to the enemy, but you must be able to outrun the enemy.

As long as the speed is fast enough, even if you lose the battle, you can retreat unscathed.

The difference between elites and ordinary soldiers is not only in combat effectiveness but also in running away after defeat.

Elite troops, as long as they are not surrounded and annihilated by the enemy, can usually retreat in an orderly manner after defeat and get rid of the enemy's pursuit in a short time.

After a little rest, they can reorganize their drums.

However, this high-intensity training is limited to troops with sufficient supplies.

Those troops who find it hard to even fill their stomachs don't need strengthened training, but rather lying down on the spot to reduce consumption as much as possible.

Blindly increasing intensity, the army isn't trained, but the soldiers are trained to waste first.

"Commander Li, the troops you train are truly extraordinary!"

Marquis Wuyang said with a smile.

Combat effectiveness cannot be seen, but the momentum of tens of thousands of soldiers running neatly is directly pulled to the max.

Especially since these troops have also been on the battlefield and killed people, one can feel a murderous aura from afar.

Anyone who sees this scene, the first impression is "elite."

"My Lord, you overpraise; these troops have just entered the door, and they are still far from being elite!

Especially the lack of armor is severe; only a few generals can be equipped with armor."

Li Mu responded with a smile.

This is not self-effacement; these troops in front of him are indeed not elite in his eyes.

These soldiers in front of him were all recruited by him in Guangxi, and their enlistment time is less than two years.

Although they have been on the battlefield a few times, compared to the Yangzhou Camp he built earliest, their combat effectiveness is still far behind.

In the end, they are guard soldiers, and the imperial court doesn't value them at all.

Weapons and equipment are partly from captures, and partly he used his own interpersonal relationships to ask for them from the Ministry of War.

"The problem of weapons and equipment can be solved slowly; what determines the combat effectiveness of the army is mainly people.

You have all seen it, go back and learn well.

Next time I inspect the camp, I don't want to see a chaotic camp again!"

Marquis Wuyang turned back and reprimanded the crowd.

It can be seen that he brought everyone here today to knock on these generals.

The three-province allied forces gathered together, and the interior is filled with a large number of rabble.

Many troops have poor combat capabilities, but their ability to harm the people is directly pulled to the max.

Violating military discipline is the norm, making the locality restless.

Local government offices can't do anything about these guest armies and can only report layer by layer, finally gathering in Marquis Wuyang's hands.

Originally, this was nothing; the Great Dayu's military discipline was not good to begin with, and as long as no big trouble was caused, everyone could accept it.

But during the investigation, Marquis Wuyang was surprised to find that the soldiers under Li Mu's command didn't come out to harm the people, and even rarely left the camp on weekdays.

With a sharp contrast, looking at other troops, he was immediately unhappy.

In a fit of anger, Marquis Wuyang directly ordered the soldiers who violated military discipline to be arrested and punished.

These people in front of him were all begging for mercy for the soldiers under their command, but unfortunately, they didn't get mercy and instead ushered in today's knocking.

"We will strictly follow the Marquis's teachings, and we will definitely..."

The generals replied in unison.

They have to be obedient; comparing the armies under their respective commands, they know that the main force of the next big battle is the Guangxi army led by Li Mu.

These local troops of Fujian and Guangdong play a role in the subsequent rebellion suppression war that is not that important.

This means that once trouble is caused, Marquis Wuyang really dares to cut off their heads.

"Enough, this Marquis doesn't have the time to listen to your nagging.

If you want to reflect, go back and reflect slowly yourself.

Next, this Marquis wants to recover the entire Guangdong province; don't say I didn't give you a chance.

This battle, whoever wants to be the vanguard, come and sign up yourself."

Marquis Wuyang said with feigned boldness.

The rebel remnants in the Guangdong area have not been wiped out, but this does not affect the subsequent battle.

The small fish that fled into the folk can be cleaned up slowly.

The current Guangdong province is just missing the last Shaozhou Prefecture to complete the final puzzle.

Choosing to launch an attack at this time, the political significance is greater than the military significance.

Not only to show the court the determination to encircle and suppress the rebel army, but also to support the imperial army in Jiangxi.

Although the jurisdiction of Marquis Wuyang, the Viceroy of the three provinces, does not include Jiangxi, since the Jiangxi Provincial Governor has asked for help, he must show something.

Regardless of whether the rescue can succeed, the banner must be raised first.

"My Lord, this subordinate is willing to be the vanguard!"

Zhu Jingyi said first.

He must join the war, otherwise, with the little supplies he has now, it's simply not enough for the soldiers to eat.

To make the soldiers barely full, the war fortune he made before has now been filled in.

The Provincial Governor's office is poor and destitute, so he will follow the Viceroy to eat.

Reducing one link in the middle can also reduce some embezzlement.

"Hmm!

The position of vanguard will be handed over to Regional Commander Jing.

The position of main general will be held by Commander Li.

This Marquis will personally sit in the rear and be responsible for coordinating the overall situation."

Marquis Wuyang's words fell, giving the generals behind him a fright.

Under normal circumstances, a big battle of this scale is commanded by the Viceroy himself.

Like Marquis Wuyang, who directly delegates military command and acts as a hands-off shopkeeper, this is the first time they have encountered it.

"Why, do you have different opinions?"

Seeing that everyone's expressions were unnatural, Marquis Wuyang asked with a warning tone.

Originally, he was enjoying happiness in the capital, and his life was going well, but being sent by the Emperor to serve as Viceroy, he was extremely unwilling.

Making him personally lead the army to the front line to fight the rebel army is deliberately torturing people!

In case he is fooled by his subordinates and makes a wrong decision and loses the battle, wouldn't that be a grievance?

To avoid accidents, he simply handed over the work of fighting to his trusted subordinates.

Anyway, Li Mu is professional at fighting the rebel army; since the expedition, he has been able to defeat the rebel army every time.

As an imperial envoy, Marquis Wuyang only needs victory.

Specifically how to achieve victory, the process is not important.

"My Lord is wise!"

"My Lord is wise!"

After a white-haired old general responded first, the generals hurriedly followed.

Opinions are impossible; no one wants to touch the main commander's brow at this time.

In case Marquis Wuyang is angered and directly puts a hat of lax military governance on them, they won't be able to cry injustice.

Handing over command to Li Mu is better than handing it over to some Provincial Governor who doesn't know military affairs.

The lesson of "an incompetent general tires out three armies" is truly too many.

No one likes to add difficulty to themselves.

"Since everyone supports it, then the matter is settled.

On the first day of next month, the army will set out for Shaozhou Prefecture to recover the entire Guangdong province.

Commander Li, the command of the front line is handed over to you.

This Marquis doesn't care specifically how you fight; anyway, you must take Shaozhou in the shortest time and drive the rebel army out of Guangdong!"

Marquis Wuyang then ordered.

Suddenly he found that being a main commander is not that difficult; as long as you hand things over to people who are good at it, you just wait for the good news in the rear.

Anyway, the Emperor and the ministers in the court only want to see victory and don't care about the details on the battlefield at all.

"Please rest assured, My Lord, this subordinate will definitely do his best to share the worries for the imperial court..."

After a burst of non-nutritious statements, the problem of recovering lost territory was solved.

There was no detailed combat plan, and making this resolution even bypassed the direct management office of the army.

Marquis Wuyang was clearly telling everyone with actual actions that in the three provinces of Liangguang and Fujian, he is the one in charge.

The seemingly plain action is actually another round of forcing the palace.

Viceroy is not a permanent official position, so the authority of the Viceroy's office is naturally not clearly divided.

Without specific regulations, it means that the Viceroy's power can be extended infinitely.

If the local Provincial Governor's offices cannot complete the fundraising tasks on time, the Viceroy's office can forcibly intervene.

Once it reaches that step, not only will the officials of the three-province Provincial Governor's offices be sidelined, but they might also get themselves involved.

After all, there are truly few officials in the Great Dayu Dynasty who can withstand an investigation.

(End of chapter)