Chapter 248

Tongren Prefecture.

"Colleagues, the news has been confirmed; the pseudo-Emperor is fleeing toward us.

Marquis Wuyang sent an official document requiring us to intercept the rebel army for one month to buy time for the total annihilation of this group of rebels.

You all know how much the court values the pseudo-Emperor.

If it's done well, it's a great merit; if it's messed up, we'll all go to the imperial prison together."

Wu Yuchen used the calmest tone to release the cruelest words.

As the Governor of Guizhou, he could completely ignore Marquis Wuyang's official document.

But the rebels were aiming at Guizhou this time; if he didn't intercept them with all his might, the crime of letting the pseudo-Emperor go would fall on him.

Moreover, the rebels liked to slaughter the gentry, killing all the way.

If things happened, the responsibility would still be on him, the Governor.

If the court held him accountable, it might cost him his head.

"Governor, intercepting the rebel army for one month is too difficult.

The legs are on the enemy; it's not up to us where they want to run.

If the rebels attack the city, we can rely on the city walls to defend, and delaying for a month won't be difficult.

What I'm afraid of is that the enemy wants to run and won't attack the city at all.

Encountering the rebels in a field battle with just this bit of troops, we are simply no match!"

Regional Commander Xiao Xianrong immediately complained.

Among the many provinces of Great Dayu, Guizhou was at the bottom.

The local government had no money, and it wasn't a strategic location, so Guizhou's military strength was also at the bottom level.

Even compared to their neighbor Yunnan, it was far behind.

The previous defeat of the Yunnan-Guizhou allied force was largely because they dragged their feet.

So much so that the Yunnan army didn't play with them later.

"Governor, Regional Commander Xiao's words are not unreasonable.

Our elites were all buried in the last defeat and haven't recovered their vitality yet.

The rebels claim to have 500,000 troops; even if you cut that in half twice, there are still over 100,000.

These rebels following the pseudo-Emperor are all elites of the Bai Lian Sect.

Previously, the Yunnan-Guizhou allied force suffered a big loss in their hands.

The three-province allied force is chasing closely, and they are not far from the rebels; if they speed up a bit, they might be able to capture the pseudo-Emperor alive before the rebels enter Guizhou.

See if you can coordinate with them to let them solve the rebels in Huguang.

At worst, we'll grit our teeth and scrape together a sum of money for them, just to pay for peace."

Provincial Administration Commissioner Zou Qiming thought for a while and said.

It could be seen that he really didn't want to fight.

As the Provincial Administration Commissioner, he was mainly responsible for the administrative affairs of a province.

Once the flames of war burned over, everything had to give way to military affairs, and the great power fell into the hands of the Governor.

Just these things would be fine, but the key was that after his power was seized, the responsibility he had to bear wouldn't be any less.

In his view, rather than taking the risk of fighting the rebels, it was better to pay for peace.

"Commissioner Zou, if things were that simple, I wouldn't have to worry.

The allied force pacifying the rebellion is nominally the three provinces, but in reality, it is the Guangxi army.

That group of arrogant and fierce soldiers can't be fed with just a few tens of thousands of taels of silver.

The bit of silver in the treasury isn't enough to fill their teeth.

Moreover, letting the rebels enter Guizhou also has benefits for them.

The rebels loot the gentry in front, and they loot the rebels behind.

The money and grain issued by the court are insufficient, so the spoils on the battlefield have become an important source of military funds.

Even setting aside interests, accelerating the march to fight the rebels is also risky.

According to the news received, the army led by Li Mu has less than 30,000 people.

Being able to suppress the rebels is already very difficult, and rushing to accelerate the pace of the decisive battle is also risky.

The Guangdong army following behind mainly has the task of transporting grain and fodder and guarding prisoners."

Wu Yuchen shook his head and said.

Smart people familiar with officialdom know that these are all superficial reasons, and more important factors are hidden in the dark—merit.

If it weren't for the special route of the rebels' escape, he wouldn't doubt that this chasing game could span across several provinces.

Even if there was a chance to wipe out the rebels, the imperial army would deliberately create loopholes to let them escape and flee.

If he were in Li Mu's position, he would also drum up a "thousand-mile pursuit" to deliberately perform for the Emperor to see.

Knowing it was one thing, but no one dared to pierce the window paper.

It wasn't that they were afraid of offending Li Mu, but mainly because doing so would make them look even more incompetent.

A rebel army fleeing everywhere, and they didn't have the ability to keep them, yet they pointed fingers at others.

In the eyes of the outside world, this is a manifestation of jealousy of talent.

If they really had the ability, they could completely intercept them halfway and grab this "splashing wealth."

"Since that's the case, we can only fight for our lives.

Regional Commander Xiao, Guizhou has many mountains, and there are many places suitable for setting up ambushes.

Simply set up more traps along the way to delay the rebels' forward speed as much as possible.

We will communicate and contact the friendly forces; they will consider the overall situation.

If there are no accidents, Loushan Pass is the bottom line.

Once the rebels seize Loushan Pass and kill their way into Shu, no one can bear the consequences.

So our last line of defense must be set at Loushan Pass; we absolutely do not allow the rebels to cross the border by half a step.

This kind of work cannot be done by us alone.

While the rebels are still on the road, seize the time to contact the Sichuan Governor's Yamen.

If they can gather troops at the Loushan Pass line, it will be even more stable!"

Zou Qiming said with a serious expression.

Placing hope on colleagues was also a last resort.

Stopping the rebels on the front lines was too risky.

Delaying the rebels' speed and ensuring Loushan Pass is not lost is the only thing they can do now.

Just hope Li Mu can consider the overall situation and not play too big for the sake of a merit.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The dense sound of gunfire and artillery announced the outbreak of war.

No matter how the rebels tossed, the number of refugees they carried was always limited.

After being sent to the prisoner-of-war camp one after another, and after clearing the obstacles, the two sides inevitably had an encounter battle.

The two armies just exchanged fire, and Shi Qichuan, who was responsible for the rearguard, secretly complained.

The imperial army's firearms were still so sharp, not at all on the same level as the muskets they captured.

A short exchange resulted in hundreds of casualties.

For the entire rebel army, it wasn't a big deal, but for the rearguard troops, it was a heavy pressure.

"Pass down the order to have the troops retreat to the hills on both sides and set up an ambush; I want to see if the imperial army dares to chase!"

Shi Qichuan ordered angrily.

As rearguard troops, no one cared how they fought, and even winning or losing didn't matter.

The Holy Kingdom needed time; as long as they could buy enough time, other things were not a problem.

"Report!"

"Reporting to the Holy Emperor, Marquis Gui sent a message that they have already exchanged fire with the imperial army.

It can be completely confirmed that the imperial army chasing us is the main force under that thief Li Mu.

Marquis Gui believes that it is very difficult to stop the enemy army now, and hopes the Holy Emperor can make a decision early!"

The news brought by the messenger made Shi Rongxuan frown.

The speed at which the imperial army chased was much faster than expected.

Even if they threw out more than 100,000 refugees, the enemy accepted them all.

Without raising a butcher's knife, there was naturally no desperate resistance.

Upon learning that the imperial army provided food, a large number of refugees obediently walked into the prisoner-of-war camp, waiting for the court's screening.

Many Bai Lian Sect believers who wanted to cause trouble were killed on the spot.

A few who acted cautiously were now shivering in the prisoner-of-war camp, fearing that their identities would be exposed.

The plan to sneak into the enemy's rear to create chaos hadn't been implemented yet, and it was announced to be bankrupt in advance.

"Tell Marquis Gui that I know!"

He promised easily, but his heart was completely bottomless.

The enemy blocking in front and the pursuers killing from behind—it was a proper "hell copy."

To withdraw quickly, one could only abandon a large amount of baggage and supplies, as well as the family members accompanying them.

Undoubtedly, this decision was hard to make.

Losing the baggage and supplies, the army would have a problem eating.

Abandoning family members would cause a big mess.

Besides the family members of the civil and military officials, many generals fighting on the front lines also had family members in his hands.

It was precisely by controlling these people that he could sit firmly in the position of Bai Lian Holy Emperor.

Once these family members were thrown to the imperial army, not only would the generals on the front lines rebel, but the accompanying civil and military officials would also find him to settle accounts.

"Chancellor, do you have any countermeasures?"

After hesitating for a while, Shi Rongxuan asked.

"Holy Emperor, the only way now is to 'spend money to avoid disaster.'

The officials of the pseudo-dynasty are the most greedy, and the sale of offices and titles is endless.

There is a saying circulating in the officialdom of Great Dayu: as long as the price is enough, there is nothing that cannot be done.

That thief Li Mu is chasing so closely, mostly because he has his eyes on the gold and jewelry in the Holy Treasury.

Without our cooperation, it won't be easy for him to get his hands on it, which creates room for trading.

Send an eloquent person to enter the enemy camp and trade privately with Li Mu; maybe we can buy a glimmer of life with money!"

Wu Zekai thought for a while and said.

He didn't mention bribing Guizhou officials; on one hand, they weren't worthy, and on the other hand, Guizhou officials couldn't let them go.

Li Mu didn't catch up to them; he could just make up a few excuses when he went back to deal with it.

If the Guizhou officials let them enter Shu like this, the court would hold them accountable, and everyone would have to lose their heads.

The most critical thing was that even if they opened the road, the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom's team couldn't pass through smoothly.

"Chancellor, handle this matter for me.

As long as that thief Li Mu is willing to slow down the pursuit, any price is negotiable.

If he can stop the army from chasing, that would be even better!"

Shi Rongxuan decided decisively.

Having lived a life of extravagance, he didn't value money as much as before.

In the face of his own life, no amount of treasure was just a floating cloud.

"Holy Emperor, this matter is best suited for Chancellor Fu.

Chancellor Fu has had the most dealings with Li Mu and understands this person's style of doing things the best."

Hearing Wu Zekai's recommendation, Fu Sanqi only wanted to cry.

He had dealings with him? He was completely beaten by him!

The only difference was that other generals who fought Li Mu basically died on the battlefield, only he escaped every time.

"Chancellor Fu, the fate of the Holy Kingdom is handed to you!

To show sincerity, you first select ten beauties from the Holy Kingdom and carry two boxes of jewelry.

Even if you can't talk it over, for the sake of these riches, Li Mu won't kill you.

As long as you successfully mix into the enemy camp, you can find a way to bribe the people around Li Mu and let them help lobby that thief Li Mu.

As long as he is willing to let us have a way to live, as long as the Holy Kingdom has it, he can name any price."

Shi Rongxuan expressed his true feelings.

In the past, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was besieged by the Xiongnu and relied on money to open the way to resolve the Baideng Siege.

For decades afterward, the Great Han worked hard and finally succeeded in defeating the Xiongnu, washing away the shame of that day.

Emperor Gaozu of Han could endure the anger for a moment, and he could also endure it.

"I will do my best!"

Fu Sanqi agreed with a stiff scalp.

If it weren't for the critical situation, he would have suspected that this was Wu Zekai colluding with the Holy Emperor to play "borrowing a knife to kill."

Li Mu's territory—was it a place one could easily enter and exit?

If he could talk it over, it would be fine; if it collapsed, his Holy Kingdom Chancellor would have to go to the capital for a walk.

Of course, he could also surrender to the court.

But his name was too loud, and he had offended too many powerful families.

Even if he surrendered, he would still be liquidated in the future.

The Holy Emperor had said it to this point, so no matter how big the risk was, he had to take a gamble.

Now he could only hope that the officials of Great Dayu were all greedy and lustful people, otherwise he would be miserable.

(End of chapter)