Chapter 241

As the battlefields entered a new stage, Li Mu quietly led his team to approach the direction of Hengyang.

In recent days, he seemed to have done nothing, but in reality, he had brought the territory from Yongzhou to Hengyang into the imperial court's control zone.

The progress could be so smooth mainly because of the help of local gentry.

The Bai Lian Holy Kingdom's slaughter of the gentry was not as thorough as expected.

Compared to the Guangxi region, the noble families in Huguang, Jiangnan, and other places were much more deeply rooted; even if they were killed in rivers of blood, quite a few people still escaped a disaster.

With people in the court serving as officials and hope for reviving the family business, these remnants did not disperse directly but lurked in the dark, waiting for an opportunity for revenge.

After the imperial army fought back, these people took the initiative to contact them. Either they provided intelligence support or helped appease the hearts of the people.

With this help, as long as the rebel forces were annihilated, the initial control of the local area could be completed quickly.

To ensure nothing went wrong, in the early stages of the siege, Li Mu also arranged for people in advance to throw a large amount of stones to seal the city gates.

Even if the rebels found something wrong, it would take a lot of time just to clear these obstacles.

Unfortunately, there was no cement; otherwise, if some were added, it would be even harder for the rebels to dismantle them.

The rebel leader was suspicious by nature; even if he received news of the army's transfer, he would have to verify the truth again and again before taking action.

In war, speed is precious; one step slow will lead to every step slow.

Compared to the previous surprise attack on Hengyang, raiding three hundred miles by land, this time the army set out and marched by water, which was undoubtedly much easier.

Now is the high-water season; large ships of over a thousand piculs walk on the Xiangjiang River, and although there may be problems with some waterways, ordinary river ships of one or two hundred piculs have no pressure.

In fact, these ships mainly carried cannons and logistical supplies.

The number of troops was too large, and there were not enough ships available, so the soldiers mostly rode on rafts.

Fortunately, most of the soldiers were southerners, and bamboo rafts were a part of many people's lives, so they could adapt.

The army moved forward all the way, and the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river was in full view. If the occasion were not wrong, boiling a pot of tea and inviting three or five beauties to accompany them would be even more artistic.

However, such beautiful things could only be thought about secretly. The rules in the army must be taken the lead by the Regional Commander; otherwise, if the superior does it, the inferior will follow, and if the rules are gone, the army's combat effectiveness will be destroyed.

From ancient times to the present, all elite legions with more than ten thousand people are constrained by discipline.

An army with discipline is not necessarily strong, but an army without discipline is definitely not good.

Hengyang City.

The roaring sound of artillery fire never stopped; at this moment, the defensive battle had entered a white-hot stage, and both sides were making their final efforts.

"It seems that not all the rebels are trash; those colleagues in Huguang and Jiangxi didn't lose unjustly!"

Zhu Jingyu put down his binoculars and said.

Compared with the rebels encountered in the past, the rebels outside the city were more than a notch higher in both fighting desire and fighting skills.

From the performance on the battlefield, this enemy force must have seen blood and had rich combat experience.

What was lacking was only systematic training and mutual cooperation.

Undoubtedly, these shortcomings could not be made up for immediately. The speed of the rebels' rise was too fast, and it was impossible to cultivate so many qualified generals.

If the ability of the generals above cannot be improved, no matter how excellent the soldiers are, it is useless. Ten percent of combat effectiveness, being able to exert six or seven percent on the battlefield, is considered quite good.

"Brother Zhu is right; the rebels outside are indeed interesting. If they practice on the battlefield for a few more years, those who survive might be able to grow up.

Unfortunately, their luck is bad, and they met us so quickly; it is their bad luck!"

The young general on the side said with regret.

Both of them were descendants of noble families; according to the normal growth path, they should have entered a regiment camp in the capital to serve after practicing in the Five Cities Military Horse Division.

Then, while socializing and making connections, they would continue to grind their qualifications in the army, waiting for vacancies to appear above, and then find a way to fill them.

Lacking practice on the battlefield, they relied purely on the experience passed down by their fathers. In the calm years, after constantly wearing down their fighting spirit, they finally became ordinary people.

Their luck was good; when the Yangzhou Camp was formed, they were fooled by Li Mu.

Relying on their merits on the battlefield, they rose rapidly. They didn't experience the bitter years of grinding qualifications and were in high spirits.

Not only were they commenting on the rebels, but those defeated colleagues were also objects of their disdain.

If ordinary generals were so arrogant, their development in the army would definitely be blocked everywhere, and they would finally be hit until their heads were broken and bleeding.

But they were different; not only did they have the family connection network as a backing, but they also served in this emerging team created by Li Mu.

From top to bottom, they were all young people, and there were no bad habits of other Great Dayu armies at all; the internal relations were simple and clear, and those with ability could move up.

The relatively pure environment, plus the continuous victories on the battlefield, made everyone full of arrogance.

"Rebellious subjects and traitors should be punished by everyone.

Being able to have Commander Li personally bring the main force to eliminate them is their greatest honor.

Brother Wei, there is no need to feel sorry for them."

Zhu Jingyu said with a smile.

Now their status was also Commander, but it was Guard Commander. The power content of the position was not high, and the main role was to solve the treatment of rank.

A Senior Rank Three Guard Commander sounded better than a Rank Five Battalion Commander. Later, when there was a suitable position, promotion and transfer would be easier to operate.

For everyone, Guangxi was just a stepping stone. Their future development would be the entire Great Dayu military world.

Relying on their excellent performance in Guangxi, their status in their respective families was rising step by step.

Their fathers had long been planning in secret, just waiting for the war to end to go and take over their own family's foundation in the army.

Once the plan was completed, the noble group, which had suffered heavy losses in the big explosion, would not only be able to recover its vitality, but its influence in the Great Dayu army would also reach a new height in a hundred years.

Although it couldn't catch up with the early years of the founding, it was already very difficult to achieve this step in the mid-to-late dynasty.

They were destined to hold high positions in the future, so those trash generals who performed poorly on the battlefield would naturally not be in their eyes.

The only one who could be called "Commander Li" by them now was Li Mu.

Other Regional Military Commissioners in other places, even if they were the same Senior Rank Two, could not gain their recognition.

In fact, this was also the reason why the Guangxi army quickly formed combat effectiveness.

Besides Li Mu's personal efforts, there was also the help of the noble group behind the scenes. It seemed to be mainly garrison soldiers, but in reality, it was filled with a large number of military retainers.

Li Mu naturally fully supported the noble group's planning.

The Great Dayu officialdom had long entered the mode of forming cliques; if subordinates moved up, his influence in the army and even the court would also grow.

The most critical thing was that these people were promoted and left, and it was impossible to take the soldiers under their command to take office; the soldiers left behind became his core armed forces.

In a sense, these noble descendants were just doing short-term work for him.

It was just that in the process of working, everyone got what they wanted, and both sides belonged to each taking what they needed.

"Brother Zhu, your words are reasonable.

The rebel generals don't know that death is near, and they are still desperately attacking the city, wasting their own military strength.

Very well, we will follow the rebel general's wishes. Let's use the city walls to consume a part of their military strength first."

Wei Haoyu nodded and said.

It seemed that the garrison force was not much, but they occupied an absolute advantage in equipment.

Especially in defending the city, shooting at the rebels from a high position, they took all the advantages.

Although the rebels also had firearms in their hands, unfortunately, whether it was cannons or muskets, the power was more than a notch worse.

From the outbreak of the battle to the present, the garrison had always suppressed the rebels in firepower.

Such a siege battle was purely filling it with human lives.

"Hmph!"

"Trash!"

"All of them are trash!"

"A hundred thousand troops, unable to take a mere Hengyang City.

If it gets out, are you embarrassed to see people?"

Qi Datou couldn't help but curse angrily.

Choosing to attack Hengyang City was disobeying the Bai Lian Holy Emperor's order.

If Hengyang City was captured, this would be "the general is abroad, and the monarch's order is not accepted."

If they suffered a loss in Hengyang City and couldn't recover the lost territory, then there would be big trouble.

If they were held accountable afterward, he wouldn't die, but he wouldn't be able to avoid peeling a layer of skin.

Those guys who didn't like him would definitely make a fuss. His current position would definitely not be kept.

Compared to the impact on his official career, he was more afraid of being ridiculed by his colleagues. It was a black history of a lifetime that could never be washed away.

"Marquis, no need to worry too much.

Now we are the attacking side; if anyone should be worried, it should be the garrison in the city.

Being besieged inside all the time and not seeing the shadow of reinforcements, the pressure on the garrison soldiers is much greater than ours.

Anyway, Hengyang City has just experienced the flames of war, and the grain storage in the city must not be much. After dragging on for a period of time, the enemy will definitely not be able to cope.

We can also announce to the outside world: this is deliberately besieging the enemy in Hengyang, attracting the pseudo-dynasty's officials to send troops to rescue, and waiting for an opportunity to annihilate the enemy's reinforcements!"

The middle-aged staff officer hurriedly advised.

They only said they wanted to take Hengyang, and didn't guarantee to the outside world when they could capture Hengyang.

Dragging the time a little longer and finding an excuse to fool them, the matter would pass.

Anyway, things like besieging a point to strike reinforcements had never been one hundred percent successful. As long as the enemy didn't take the bait, it was destined to be a waste of effort.

There were many failed cases in history; many famous generals of the past besieged a point to strike reinforcements, all of which were forced to be canceled because the enemy didn't take the bait.

"Sir is a great talent, truly my Sima Yi!"

Qi Datou stroked his beard and said.

But the staff officer who offered the plan on the side was given a shock. It's fine to court death by comparing yourself to Cao Cao, but you can't compare me to Sima the old thief!

Once you get stained with this name, even if you are not immediately dragged out to be sliced to death, you will have to go to the guillotine with your whole family.

He followed Qi Datou just to speculate on this platform once, and didn't prepare to lose his own life.

Fortunately, when the person in front of him was speaking, his face was full of sincerity; he should not know what his words actually represented.

After seeing this scene, the originally nervous middle-aged man relaxed instantly.

There were many illiterate generals in the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom; even if their knowledge increased after the rebellion, their cultural knowledge level was still not high.

Being able to remember the names of historical figures was not bad; who cared about the stories behind them!

But this also strengthened his determination to run away.

Not understanding anything and daring to speak randomly—this Qi Datou in front of him was definitely not someone who could achieve great things.

"Marquis, bad news!"

"Our army's camp... in the rear... suddenly appeared a large number of imperial troops, who are killing towards us... this side..."

The news brought by the young general made the atmosphere in the room tense again.

The middle-aged scholar who had just offered the plan was trembling with fear, wishing he could give himself two big slaps.

Finding an excuse to fool them, picking any reason to deal with it would have been fine. He just had to say besieging a point to strike reinforcements; now it had come true, and the enemy's reinforcements had really killed their way over.

The hat of "crow's mouth" definitely couldn't be taken off.

"Pass down the order: immediately organize the army for battle!

I didn't go looking for them, but the enemy delivered themselves to my door; I will just fulfill their wishes and send them to the Yellow Springs.

Today I will kill in all directions and let the enemy know my power!"

Marquis of Douting Qi Datou said casually.

The seemingly rough order was actually rough but detailed.

The enemy suddenly appearing in the rear was undoubtedly catching him off guard, and it was the time when the military heart was floating.

At this time, investigating responsibility would only make the military heart float. Once morale leaked, having a hundred thousand troops would be useless.

Once the Hengyang garrison killed their way out and attacked them from front and back, they might suffer a big loss.

Compared to reasoning to appease the military heart, it was better to express it heroically. Let the soldiers think that everything was under the control of the Regional Commander.

"Obey!"

After the young general finished speaking, he hurriedly ran out to pass the order.

"Don't just stand there; the imperial army's reinforcements have really come. Do you gentlemen have any strategy to defeat the enemy to teach me?"

(End of chapter)