Chapter 251

"It seems that with last night's battle, we have lightened the burden for the rebels!"

Looking at the captives squatting on the ground, Li Mu joked with a smile.

Compared to soldiers, the movement speed of family members is clearly much slower.

The captives caught by the imperial army are also mostly family members.

To a certain extent, it did indeed lighten the pressure on the rebels.

However, at this moment, the distance between the two sides is too close; even if the rebels want to retreat, they have lost the best time.

Unless the enemy can abandon all baggage and burdens and run away regardless of everything.

Just thinking about it is enough; even if the pseudo-emperor can harden his heart, he must consider the consequences.

The prefectures along the way have long since carried out a scorched-earth policy.

Without baggage and supplies, an army of over a hundred thousand entering the Guizhou mountains would probably only be able to eat dirt.

In such a miserable life, in less than ten days, everyone would have run away.

"My lord, we didn't lose out by capturing these people.

These people accompanying the army are mostly family members of the rebel high command, and each one has considerable wealth.

Just last night, we took three camps and seized wealth worth millions.

It's a pity that many valuables were destroyed in the sea of fire during the chaos, otherwise the harvest would have been even greater!"

Yun Yun Yufeng said happily.

The rebels plundered several provinces; having these harvests is entirely within expectations.

If they could grab all the wealth in the rebels' hands, then the final harvest would be even more astonishing.

"Hmm!

Tell the soldiers that the opportunity to get promoted and get rich has come.

Those who behead the pseudo-emperor will be promoted three ranks; those who capture the pseudo-emperor alive will be promoted five ranks, rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver and a thousand acres of land."

Li Mu calmly offered the reward.

The pseudo-emperor has drawn too much hatred, and the imperial court has long since offered a huge reward.

In the past, everyone could only think about it, but now there is a real opportunity to capture the pseudo-emperor alive.

Of course, the "three-rank" and "five-rank" promotions are limited to ordinary soldiers and grassroots officers.

Even if mid-to-high-level generals grabbed this credit, they couldn't be promoted five ranks at once.

The normal operation is to promote the position by one or two ranks and then obtain a nominal title.

In terms of nominal titles, the Great Great Dayu Dynasty is quite generous; as long as a great merit is achieved, the Emperor is willing to give them.

However, the conferred nominal titles are limited to highlighting political status, and the salary is long gone.

"As you command!"

……

Following the Regional Commander's order, the full-scale general offensive officially began.

Although the imperial army was at a disadvantage in numbers, relying on the crushing morale, the thirty-thousand-strong army fought with the momentum of three hundred thousand.

No matter how hard the generals tried, it was useless; the rebel soldiers, having been tossed around all night, were listless.

Facing the charging imperial army, they collapsed at the first touch.

A few soldiers resisted bravely, but couldn't save the big picture.

"Holy Emperor, the imperial army's offensive is too fierce; we simply can't hold them off.

While the enemy hasn't completed the encirclement, quickly order a retreat!"

Shi Shi Qichuan hurriedly persuaded him.

Being chased and killed by the enemy all the way, the army's morale had long since been worn away.

Last night's battle became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

With the situation developing to now, the soldiers had long since not wanted to continue this war.

The family members they originally needed to worry about were either dead in the flames of war or captured by the imperial army.

"If we leave just like this, what about the grain and baggage?"

Shi Shi Rongxuan asked with a frown.

If he hadn't considered the reality, he would have ordered a retreat long ago.

Fleeing is something that, once started, becomes addictive.

Being chased by the imperial army is not the first time he has encountered it, and the Emperor's face had long since been lost on the road of fleeing.

He can abandon the plundered treasures, but the problem of soldiers eating must be solved.

"Holy Emperor, if it were a team of three hundred thousand, grain would naturally be an unsolvable problem.

But in the current situation, if we can safely evacuate fifty or sixty thousand people, that is the Holy Mother's blessing.

No matter how poor Guizhou is, an army of tens of thousands living off the enemy is still achievable."

Chancellor Wuzhou Zekai answered.

In fact, solving the provisions for an army of tens of thousands is also riddled with difficulties.

But the situation is special now; they can't win on the front line, so they must run away as soon as possible.

As for the problems behind, we'll talk about them then.

If they are bitten by the imperial army, none of these rebel leaders will be able to live.

"Pass the order down, retreat with light equipment.

Except for camp tents, weapons, and dry rations, abandon everything else!"

Shi Shi Rongxuan ordered with difficulty.

Treasures can be plundered again if lost, women can be found again if lost, and children can be born again if lost.

If life is lost, then everything is lost.

From the moment he stepped on the path of rebellion, he was destined to learn to be heartless.

"Holy Emperor, there is a unit of imperial cavalry ahead blocking our path!"

Receiving this news, Shi Shi Rongxuan's face sank.

One truly fears what one expects.

Just after making the decision to retreat, as soon as the army set off, the road ahead was blocked.

Once entangled with the imperial cavalry, this will be their burial ground.

"The enemy blocked the path, then hurry and change to another road; do you want to use infantry to charge cavalry!"

Shi Shi Rongxuan rebuked angrily.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom's cavalry troops were consumed seven or eight out of ten in the previous battles in Among Guangxi.

After retreating to Yongzhou, there wasn't even a horse farm of scale, let alone reorganizing cavalry.

Frankly speaking, the terrain of Guizhou is not suitable for cavalry, but that doesn't mean cavalry has lost its function.

Now that the imperial army has sent cavalry to block the main road, it makes them very uncomfortable.

Using infantry to charge cavalry is limited to theory.

It must be elite heavy infantry with full armor to have a possibility of contending with cavalry in a head-on collision.

Great Great Dayu rarely has heavy infantry.

Except for the Capital Battalion and the Nine Borders, there are no heavy infantry establishments in other regions.

The imperial army doesn't have them, so the righteous army, which relies on plundered imperial weapons, will have them even less.

"Holy Emperor, the enemy has blocked our only path.

If we want to take a detour, we can only take the forest paths.

Not to mention the long distance, it is also prone to accidents.

……"

"Trash!

Since there is no other road, then charge through.

I don't believe that a unit of cavalry can block us!"

Before the young general could finish his words, Shi Shi Rongxuan couldn't help but roar.

Following the imperial decree, rows of Holy Kingdom soldiers picked up spears and shields and began to advance.

"Boom, boom, boom……"

The sound of the cavalry's exclusive artillery rang out, and the Holy Kingdom soldiers charging at the front instantly suffered heavy casualties.

Seeing the formation destroyed, the cavalry general ordered immediately.

"Attack!"

In the blink of an eye, countless cavalry launched a charge.

Countless rebel soldiers didn't even understand the situation before being knocked away by the impact of the warhorses.

The waving knight spears wantonly harvested on the battlefield.

The rebel soldiers lacking armor protection were completely reduced to lambs waiting to be slaughtered, and the massacre officially began.

Seeing the bloody scene, countless White Lotus Holy Kingdom high-level officials instantly turned ashen.

They had long heard that cavalry is a massacre for infantry, but only after seeing it with their own eyes did they know the rumors were true.

"Holy Emperor, there are already a large number of deserters in the army ahead.

If this continues, the main army will be crushed.

The only way now is to let the Imperial Guard fight and see if they can tear open a bloody path!"

Chancellor Wuzhou Zekai stepped forward to advise.

Ordinary infantry, in front of the imperial army's cavalry, are completely sending their heads.

To kill a bloody path, the elite must go up.

Among the many accompanying troops, the Holy Emperor's Imperial Guard has the most fierce combat effectiveness.

In the early days of the uprising, this unit captured cities and territories, making great contributions to the Holy Kingdom.

In the days that followed, although they didn't go to the battlefield much, all their treatment was top-notch.

"Good!

Pass the order down, let the troops ahead clear the road, and replace them with the Imperial Guard."

Shi Shi Rongxuan nodded and said.

At a time like this, he can't care about preserving strength.

Raising an army for a thousand days, using them for a moment.

Whether they can escape this disaster today depends on the performance of the Imperial Guard.

……

Xiangyang City.

"Grand Secretary, good news!"

"The rebels have retreated, the siege of Xiangyang is over!"

The Xiangyang Prefect said excitedly.

"Really?"

Xu Xu Wenyue asked in disbelief.

"Really!"

The Xiangyang Prefect answered affirmatively.

Since Xiangyang was besieged, he didn't know how many days and nights he hadn't been able to sleep peacefully.

During this period, hope was raised time and time again, and despair was fallen into time and time again; now it is finally over.

Holding Xiangyang City and blocking the rebels outside the Central Plains has extraordinary significance for the Great Great Dayu Dynasty.

"Good!"

"Finally, I can sleep peacefully!"

"By the way, after the rebels retreated from Xiangyang, where did they go?"

After regaining composure, Xu Xu Wenyue asked with concern.

As the Governor-General for suppressing rebels, what he needs to pay attention to is not just the Xiangyang battlefield.

Lifting the siege of Xiangyang is just a beginning; there are more challenges waiting for him later.

What he hopes for most now is that the imperial court can agree to his request to appoint a few more Governor-Generals to share the pressure.

He is not optimistic at all about the situation in the Jiangnan region.

Not only because the rebels' offensive is fierce, but the bigger trouble is the refugees.

Because of the war, a large number of refugees were produced in Liangguang, Huguang, and other places, and most of these people flooded into the Jiangnan region.

Now, whether it is Nanzhili or Zhejiang, there are millions of refugees within their borders.

So many refugees are not all wealthy; most are ordinary people.

Arriving in a strange place without means of making a living, once the savings they carry are exhausted, chaos will inevitably occur.

With the enemy attacking from the outside and starving people everywhere on the inside, it's a perfect disaster.

Yet the local officials are not working hard to save the disaster, all busy whitewashing the peace.

Even if he, the Governor-General, gave repeated orders, the people below just went through the motions.

"Grand Secretary, the rebels retreated to Wuchang by boat.

Whether they go south to Anqing or attack Nanchang next is possible."

The Lieutenant Liu on the side answered.

The rebels want to leave, so they are 100% happy to see them off, without any intention of keeping them.

Even if there was an opportunity to cause destruction, he ordered his subordinates to hold the city and never allow them to go out and provoke.

There is no other way; he is truly scared.

If the rebels kill their way back, he is very worried about whether he still has the courage to continue holding the city.

"Anqing, Nanchang, that's impossible!

The pseudo-emperor is good at playing balance; the three kings of different surnames of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom have a very bad relationship and often have conflicts in private.

Wei the Rebel is arrogant and proud; it is impossible for him to join hands with them."

Xu Xu Wenyue denied it on the spot.

His military ability is average, but he is a strong man in politics.

He is very clear about the internal power structure of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom.

If they had successfully captured Xiangyang, Wei Hao might indeed have joined hands with the other two.

But it won't work now; the Xiangyang battle didn't meet expectations, and going over to cooperate now is undoubtedly being inferior.

Even if Wei Hao doesn't mind, his subordinates can't tolerate their own prince bowing his head to the other two.

Involving factional power struggles, no matter how bad the situation is, he must hold on.

"Grand Secretary, if Wei the Rebel doesn't go to Anqing and Nanchang, then their best choice is to conquer Sichuan to the west.

The Shu lands are easy to defend and hard to attack, and with the wealth of the Land of Abundance, it is most suitable for separatism.

Failing to contend for the Central Plains, and with Jiangnan and Huguang divided by the other two kings, the only way for him to break the situation is to enter Shu."

Hou Hou Huaichang reminded him.

When the world is not in chaos, Shu is in chaos first; when the world is already peaceful, Shu is not yet peaceful.

In every troubled time, there will be people who want to occupy the Shu lands.

The current situation is very unfavorable for Wei Hao.

With the successive arrival of reinforcements, contending for the Central Plains has become a pipe dream.

If he doesn't look for a way out, just the few prefectures he holds are hard to support the army under his command.

"Enter Shu, it seems there are also experts among the rebel army.

Immediately send a document to the Sichuan Governor, informing him of the news that Wei the Rebel wants to enter Shu, and tell him he must block the rebels.

If Sichuan can block the rebels outside Qutang Pass, we will have a chance to annihilate Wei the Rebel in Huguang."

Xu Xu Wenyue thought for a moment and said.

The sorrow between his brows directly exposed the pessimism deep in his heart.

Because of the pseudo-emperor, Sichuan had long since placed its strategic focus on Loushan Pass.

Everyone is rubbing their hands, wanting to wait for Li Mu to beat the rebels until they are crippled before rushing up to pick up the cheap gains.

Although Qutang Pass is also stationed with heavy troops, those troops mostly exist on paper.

Once they encounter Wei the Rebel's attack, no one knows if they can hold them off.

Just as he was about to send reinforcements, Xu Xu Wenyue stopped.

Wei the Rebel entering the Shu lands is a disaster for the Great Great Dayu Dynasty, but for him personally, it is an opportunity.

The pseudo-emperor is about to be finished, and Wei the Rebel has run away; of the original four rebel armies, only two are left now.

For the subsequent suppression war, the pressure is undoubtedly greatly reduced.

As long as the Anqing garrison holds on for another two months, he can join hands with the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang to recover the prefectures in Huguang.

Then assemble multiple armies to encircle and suppress the rebels in the Jiangnan region together.

Even if Anqing cannot be held, he can unite with the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang to attack the rebels from both sides and stabilize the situation in the south.

As for the situation in Shu, anyway, he has sent someone to remind the Sichuan Governor and fulfilled his obligation.

Not being able to hold the gateway of eastern Sichuan is not his responsibility.

……

(End of chapter)