Chapter 238: Creating Pressure

Yongzhou City.

"The situation is a bit wrong; the enemy's offensive seems to be loud, but in reality, it is painless.

That thief Li Mu, what exactly does he want to do?"

Shi Rongxuan frowned and asked.

A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

Having suffered so many losses before, he naturally had to study Li Mu's use of troops.

It was precisely because he knew so much that he realized something was wrong.

Under normal circumstances, a strong attack on Yongzhou would absolutely not have such a small amount of force.

"Holy Emperor, Yongzhou's city walls are sturdy, and there are heavy troops stationed in the city.

With the cunning of that thief Li Mu, it is impossible for him not to know that the tens of thousands of troops outside the city cannot capture Yongzhou.

The current move is either to use Yongzhou as bait to attract reinforcements from all routes, reducing military pressure for the imperial army in the Jiangnan and Central Plains regions.

Or it is to besiege for a long time, attempting to trap and starve us to death!"

Shi Qichuan thought about it and said.

No matter which situation it was, it was not what the White Lotus Holy Kingdom wanted to see.

However, the development of the situation never shifted by individual will.

To eliminate the hidden dangers in the rear, they had already drawn reinforcements from the front line.

"Humph!"

"It's the old routine of 'besieging the point to strike reinforcements' again; that thief Li Mu is trying to bully me for not having read Sun Tzu's Art of War!

Unfortunately, I am not a reckless man

Just take this opportunity to settle things with the enemy in Yongzhou and eliminate the stumbling block on the Holy Kingdom's path to unifying the world!"

Shi Rongxuan said, feigning confidence.

Before raising his army, he truly did not know what military strategy looked like.

However, as the White Lotus Holy Kingdom conquered territory, many classics treasured by noble families became his spoils of war.

The only regret was that there were too many versions of military books, and they contradicted each other; he couldn't figure out which one was the original.

Minor setbacks did not affect his diligent study of military books.

The generals present also gained the qualification to study military strategy, though no one knew the actual effect.

In any case, two-thirds of the officials in this great hall were semi-illiterate, and the rest were purely illiterate.

Many orthodox scholars had defected to the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, but these people were not trusted and had not yet entered the center of power and decision-making.

It wasn't that Shi Rongxuan lacked magnanimity; it was purely a natural vigilance against traitors.

The Great Dayu Dynasty's preferential treatment of the gentry was considered one of the best throughout the ages.

Yet these guys, full of talk about benevolence, righteousness, morality, loyalty, and shame, actually followed him in rebellion just for the sake of their own lives.

Betrayal only happens zero times or countless times; today they can betray Great Dayu, and tomorrow they can just as easily betray the White Lotus Holy Kingdom.

Shi Rongxuan's attitude toward these people had always been to use them while simultaneously guarding against them.

Especially since the loss of Guangzhou earlier was due to an inside traitor opening the city gates, and Great Dayu had even commended the person involved.

After a series of investigations, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom learned that it was a scholar named Cheng Jiliang who had stirred up this rebellion.

After setting this precedent, the remaining scholars and graduates who defected to the White Lotus Holy Kingdom were all suspected in turn.

The higher the academic rank, the more they were suspected.

No matter how they proved their loyalty, it was futile in the face of prejudice.

Official titles were given one higher than the next, and all sorts of empty titles were added, making them appear highly valued.

Yet, they had very little actual power in their hands.

Anyone responsible for slightly important work would be under close surveillance.

"Holy Emperor, you are wise!"

The ministers shouted.

Suddenly, a figure burst in from outside the hall.

"Holy Emperor, an urgent report from Hengyang!"

"The imperial army has launched a surprise attack on Hengzhou Prefecture, and Prefect Meng has died for his country..."

The unexpected news gave everyone present a shock.

There hadn't been the slightest sign beforehand, and Hengyang City was just lost like that.

As an important link on the Xiangjiang waterway, once Hengyang City was lost, it meant the water transport connection between Yongzhou and Changsha was severed.

"Not good, Changsha is in danger!"

"Holy Emperor, at this moment, the garrison in Changsha is less than five thousand, and they are mostly old and weak.

Once the pseudo-dynasty's army launches an attack, Changsha will surely not be held.

The most urgent matter is that we must immediately notify all reinforcement routes to go and reinforce Changsha Prefecture first.

Only by holding Changsha can we hold Huguang!"

Prime Minister Wu Zekai said hurriedly.

After successive failures, they had already overestimated Li Mu as much as possible.

But reality was very cruel; no matter how much they heightened their vigilance, they still accidentally fell into a trap.

Not only did the enemy slip away right under their noses, but they also took Hengyang City in one battle; the originally excellent situation now suddenly had a huge loophole.

It was no longer realistic to want to encircle and annihilate the imperial army in Yongzhou.

The enemy didn't play by the rules and suddenly ran to their hinterland to stir up trouble.

"Good, do as the Prime Minister says!"

Shi Rongxuan said, forcing himself to remain calm.

Huguang was the White Lotus Holy Kingdom's largest granary, and it must not be lost at any cost.

Having reached this point in the rebellion, they were no longer barefooted.

Every one of the princes and ministers present was dragging their families along.

Behind the million-strong army were a large number of officials and relatives.

Millions of people, from top to bottom, were all counting on the limited territory to eat.

"Holy Emperor, we must not only defend Changsha but also find a way to retake Hengyang as soon as possible and open up the water transport.

That thief Li Mu is now the Regional Commander of the Three Provinces Allied Army, and the troops he can mobilize number over a hundred thousand.

Those enemies outside the city are just his own core troops.

As the war continues, the imperial armies of Guangdong and Fujian will also swarm up.

Besides that, the imperial armies of the three provinces of Yungui and Shu may also arrive to support.

At this moment, we have been split into two parts by the pseudo-dynasty's army; once the enemy completes their assembly, Yongzhou will be in danger!"

Mi Yingbo said in terror.

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it felt; compared to the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, Great Dayu was simply too large.

Apart from the provinces that had become war zones, they could still mobilize troops from other places.

Once the various imperial armies completed their assembly, their own side would lose its numerical advantage in the Yongzhou campaign they had planned.

If the enemy on the other side were a civil official, they wouldn't be afraid at all.

But the current enemy was the ever-victorious general Li Mu, which would make anyone confused.

Unless they could break the enemy's invincible myth, such a battle where the enemy was strong and they were weak simply couldn't be fought.

"Lord Mi, the situation is not that bad.

The pseudo-dynasty loves infighting the most, and the multi-province allied army cannot be assembled in a short time.

The enemy forces we need to face are at most the troops of the three provinces of Liangguang and Fujian.

However, heightening vigilance is also appropriate.

Shaozhou Prefecture is likely finished, and Chenzhou Prefecture and Ganzhou Prefecture are equally in jeopardy.

With the slightest carelessness, Yongzhou will fall into the enemy's encirclement, which is strategically very unfavorable for us!"

Wu Zekai said with a grave expression.

The situation was changing too fast, and he couldn't quite understand it anymore.

In the blink of an eye, the imperial army that had originally ventured out to attack had actually gained the strategic initiative.

The enemy could continue to attack Yongzhou, or they could feint and jump directly to the Jiangxi battlefield.

If they were more aggressive, simply ignoring them and killing their way to Changsha was not impossible.

Theoretically speaking, as long as the enemy dared to move, they could re-enter Liangguang and swap territories.

Unfortunately, this was ultimately just theory; if they really tried to swap territories, they would suffer a huge loss.

Not only would they be strategically cut in half by the enemy, but they would also lose their most important granary.

As for the current Liangguang, let alone letting them develop and grow, they couldn't even solve the grain and fodder needed for the army.

Outside Yongzhou City.

Li Mu, having received the victory report a step earlier, chose to reinforce Hengyang at the first opportunity.

Since the city had been captured, it naturally had to be held.

Rather than attacking the city regardless of casualties, it was better to go in and defend it, attracting the enemy to attack.

Now that Liangguang and Yungui were in the hands of the imperial court, as long as Hengyang was pinched, the lifeline of the Yongzhou rebels would be struck.

The most unpredictable thing in this world is the human heart.

With the development and growth of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, the signs that several princes of different surnames had merits that overshadowed their master were becoming increasingly obvious.

Relying on his own prestige, the White Lotus Holy Emperor could suppress the princes of different surnames below for a short time.

If they were trapped in Yongzhou for a long time and lost control of the front line, it would be hard to say.

In this day and age, those who dare to rebel are never lacking in ambition.

With the slightest sign of trouble, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom could collapse.

"Pass down the order: have Regional Commander Jing recover Shaozhou Prefecture within five days, and then send troops to Chenzhou.

Strictly order the Fujian imperial army to capture Ganzhou Prefecture within ten days and spread the flames of war to Jian'an Prefecture.

Send someone to report the victory to the Marquis and ask him to coordinate the relations with Yungui and urge the Yungui allied army to set out again!"

Having reached this stage of wits and courage, the next step was to test their patience.

To mobilize the enemy, the imperial army had to move first.

With the armies of all provinces acting in concert, he did not believe the rebels had such good psychological quality that they could remain unmoved like a mountain.

If the enemy could truly see through the essence, then Li Mu would accept it; at worst, he would abandon Yongzhou and focus on managing Jiangxi.

Guangzhou City.

Looking at the victory report in his hand, the Marquis of Wuyang revealed a satisfied smile.

Everything was as he expected; as long as the right method was found, victory was just that simple.

The impeachments of the court officials were completely not worth mentioning in the face of victory.

As a Viceroy, the Liangguang and Fujian regions under his jurisdiction were basically all in the hands of the imperial court.

Viceroy Xu, who was thousands of miles away, was still being besieged in Xiangyang City.

Thinking of the miserable life of his former political rival, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

Facts proved that setting people up would bring retribution.

If Xu Wenyue hadn't recommended him to come and clean up the mess, he wouldn't have dragged Grand Secretary Xu down with him; perhaps it would be someone else having bad luck now.

"Someone come! Send this victory report to the capital.

By the way, tell His Majesty that we are about to recover Shaozhou, Ganzhou, Chenzhou, Jian'an, and other regions, and ask the court to prepare officials and disaster relief supplies in advance.

Also, arrange for someone eloquent to take my calling card to Yungui for a trip; the subsequent battles will require their cooperation."

The Marquis of Wuyang said in high spirits.

According to the current development of the situation, after the White Lotus rebellion was quelled, he would go back and use his sister's connections.

Perhaps the title on his body could change from a hereditary title of an imperial relative to a hereditary military merit title.

As long as there were achievements that could be brought out, the mouths of the civil and military officials could be blocked.

There was no reason for the Empress Dowager not to support such a good thing that brought honor to his ancestors.

"Marquis, the regions of Shaozhou, Ganzhou, Chenzhou, and Jian'an have not yet been recovered.

If we report it in advance, and it is not recovered in time, I am afraid it will be difficult to explain if the court blames us."

An Qingfeng spoke up to advise.

There were many cases of falsely reporting military achievements, but this was the first time he had encountered the tactic of reporting victory in advance.

If it could be completed in time, it would naturally be a happy ending for everyone.

If an accident occurred, then the merit would become a fault.

Those officials in the court might not be good at doing things, but they were definitely professional at picking faults.

Once the court held them accountable, not only would the Marquis of Wuyang be in trouble, but the officials below would not be able to escape either.

"What nonsense are you talking about!

This is applying strategic pressure on the enemy; do you understand, kid?

If you are afraid of the court's blame, just push it all onto me!"

The Marquis of Wuyang said unhappily.

Originally, he hadn't thought of finding someone to take the blame, but now, reminded by An Qingfeng, he made a decision instantly.

If an accident occurred on the front line, he would push this kid out to take the blame.

(End of chapter)