Chapter 256: A Great Favor

Yangzhou Prefecture.

"Prefect, something big is wrong!"

"The Yangzhou Camp's troops are returning, and they are currently moving; the convoy is dozens of miles long.

It looks like they are going to withdraw from Yangzhou Prefecture!"

Hearing this news, the Yangzhou officials who were discussing matters all changed their faces.

Compared to other regions, they were able to stay calm and patiently organize defense work because they relied on the Yangzhou Camp.

Since the outbreak of the White Lotus Sect rebellion, the imperial army and the rebel army have fought countless times, and the Yangzhou Camp has the most prominent record.

Now that Anqing Prefecture has fallen and Yangzhou Prefecture may be in danger, everyone's first reaction is to withdraw the Yangzhou Camp.

The application for the transfer order was just sent, and the Ministry of War's instructions haven't come down yet, but the Yangzhou Camp is going to run away; how can this be tolerated.

"Pass the order down, we must stop them.

Tell the people below not to have a direct conflict with the Yangzhou Camp; we will be there shortly."

Yangzhou Prefect Gu Youwen decisively ordered.

The industry is on this side, and the foundation of the Yangzhou Camp is on this side.

Once the court gives an order, they will do their best to protect Yangzhou Prefecture.

Once they complete the relocation, without the soft underbelly of industry, even if they send troops, they won't be so active.

"Prefect, the soldiers of the Yangzhou Camp are all battle-hardened; our people dare not go up at all!"

Zhao Bantou answered tremblingly.

In the Yangzhou territory, the Yangzhou Camp is a proper bully.

These yamen runners of theirs basically look at the Yangzhou Camp's face to act.

Those who dared to go against the Yangzhou Camp were all dead without a whole corpse.

Even if Li Mu was on an expedition, the Yangzhou Camp still maintained its strength, repeatedly cutting off the tentacles extended by the gentry.

Deterred by the Yangzhou Camp's force, whether it was the Prefect's office or local big clans, they dared not provoke them on the surface.

Even if they were dissatisfied in their hearts, they could only play small tricks secretly.

"Useless!"

After cursing angrily, Gu Youwen worried again.

In the past, he felt that the Yangzhou Camp was in the way and racked his brains to get Li Mu away.

Now he suddenly found that they really couldn't do without the Yangzhou Camp.

Although they didn't obey discipline, the Yangzhou Camp had strict military discipline, and soldiers basically didn't come out to harass the local area.

Occupying land and setting up an independent kingdom locally were all small things.

No matter how arrogant Li Mu was, he was only managing the army, as well as soldiers' families and prisoners of war, and never intervened in local government affairs.

The garrison armies in all places had their own administrative systems.

Local laws did not apply to the military.

Except for not obeying the command of the Prefect's office and liking to reach out for money, there were basically no major shortcomings.

Compared with the sense of security brought by the Yangzhou Camp, these small shortcomings were not worth mentioning.

"Prefect, the Yangzhou Camp also has a big family and a big business; withdrawal will definitely not be completed in a day or two.

Taking advantage of the time now, we can still make it in time if we rush over.

It's just that the court side must be urged.

The Yangzhou Camp is our Yangzhou Prefecture's garrison; how can it not be in Yangzhou at such a critical moment?

By the way, this matter cannot let the Nanjing Ministry of War know, otherwise they will take the lead in ordering to intercept, and things will be troublesome!"

Yangzhou Vice Prefect Ma Cunzhong said urgently.

In normal times, everyone can fight internally as they please.

The rebel army killed its way over, but it didn't care what their background was.

"Ma, I'm afraid it can't be hidden.

After Anqing fell, Nanjing was in a mess.

In order to protect Nanjing Prefecture, the Nanjing Ministry of War is mobilizing troops everywhere.

Regardless of which army it is, and regardless of whether they can come, they have given orders.

These are not the most troublesome; what is truly tricky is that the Yangzhou Camp just participated in a great battle.

According to news from the court, the great battle to encircle and suppress the fake Emperor was only a tragic victory.

The Yangzhou Camp was the main force for the attack, and the casualties of the troops must not be small.

If the casualties are too large, even if Li Mu wants to come back to reinforce, he will be powerless."

Zhou Assistant Prefect said helplessly.

In his view, the Yangzhou Camp's choice to withdraw at this time was clearly a manifestation of lack of confidence.

If there was a chance to keep Yangzhou, they would not easily give up the foundation in Yangzhou.

Although Li Mu was transferred to Guangxi to serve as the Regional Military Commissioner, this was only temporary and could be transferred back in the future.

Compared to the prosperous world of Nanzhili, how can that ghost place of Lingnan compare!

This is undoubtedly the best opportunity; as long as he can keep Nanzhili, there is a large group of officials in the court willing to help him operate.

Let alone serving as Regional Military Commissioner, even if they gave a Nanjing Commander, or even Jiangnan Commander, everyone could find a way to get it for him.

Involving the safety of the hometown, the matter of suppressing military generals can be put behind.

With the influence of Jiangnan-born officials in the court, even if they wanted a title, it was not impossible to discuss.

"No matter what, we have to find a way to try.

Even if the troops are seriously injured and need to rest, it is the same to rest in Yangzhou Prefecture.

How many soldiers are needed, we will supplement how many.

Even if Yangzhou Prefecture is not enough, there are other prefectures in Nanzhili, which can certainly fill the establishment.

Not expecting him to defeat the rebel army immediately, it should be no problem to use it to defend the city!"

Gu Youwen said frankly.

He had great confidence in the Yangzhou Camp; being able to wipe out the rebel leaders was the best evidence.

The troops were seriously injured and needed to rest, so there was even more reason to come to Yangzhou.

That poor place of Guangxi, how much money could be taken out to give them.

Changed to Yangzhou Prefecture, the autumn tax withheld from the central government was more than the fiscal revenue of Guangxi for a year.

……

Looking at the endless Yangtze River water, Pingnan Fu Haoxuan sighed deeply.

Capturing Anqing and going down the river to capture Nanjing Prefecture should have been his most high-spirited time.

How could the White Lotus Holy Kingdom have problems internally, casting a shadow over the great anti-Yu cause.

The Holy Emperor Shi Rongxuan led the troops to turn to Sichuan and unfortunately was wiped out in Tongren Prefecture, and the White Lotus Holy Kingdom was suddenly leaderless.

Without restrictions on his head, it should have been a good thing.

Unfortunately, the three different-surnamed kings of the Holy Kingdom did not obey each other and even fought with each other.

Eastern Prince Wei Hao even gave up the pursuit of the Central Plains and directly led his troops westward into Shu.

With the tens of thousands of troops under the Eastern Prince missing, only he and Western Prince Wei Jiarui were left supporting on the Jiangnan battlefield.

In this situation, they should have cooperated sincerely.

Unfortunately, the special envoy he sent to lobby didn't even see the main person.

To this point, the signboard of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom still existed, but the territory of the Holy Kingdom had split in reality.

The materials he could use were limited to officials willing to support him and the prefectures he controlled.

"Prince, the wind on the river is strong, so you should enter the cabin!"

Senior Secretary Yang Jingren opened his mouth to persuade.

"Rest assured, the old man is not so delicate.

Blowing the wind is just right to make the brain clearer.

The situation of the Holy Kingdom is like this surging Yangtze River water.

It seems calm, but once the storm comes, the waves raised can overturn the ship at any time."

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said boldly.

Sighing things can be done in private.

In front of subordinates, one must always maintain confidence.

"Prince, no matter how the situation changes, as long as we take Nanjing Prefecture, the anti-Yu forces in the world will follow suit.

By then, the Great Dayu Dynasty, which is besieged on all sides, will have no way to concentrate its energy and put all its attention on us."

Yang Jingren said with a smile.

Capturing Nanjing Prefecture and shocking the world is the driving force for them to move forward.

The days of fighting alone were too hard to bear.

Before, they were able to develop smoothly because they had the Holy Emperor Shi Rongxuan at the front, attracting the court's firepower.

Now that the boss who carried the thunder is gone, they have suddenly become the rebel army that attracts the most hatred in the world.

Imperial troops from all walks of life are now gathering in Nanzhili; if they cannot take Nanjing in one go, Nanjing Prefecture will be their burial ground.

The Eastern Prince's westward march made their rear suddenly empty.

The imperial army entrenched in Xiangyang has now begun to counterattack, looking like it is preparing to go south to recover Wuchang.

The three-province coalition army in the south has lowered its flag and stopped its drums, giving up the attack on Changsha, but this is only temporary.

Once they recover, the next is another bitter battle.

"What you said is right, the world has suffered from Great Dayu for a long time!

We just lit a fire; when we raised the army in Guangxi, who could have thought we could fight all the way to Nanjing Prefecture?

At the beginning, everyone's goal was only to capture Guangxi and occupy one side to wait for the time.

Everything now is bestowed by God!"

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said with a smile.

In the past, he would definitely say it was bestowed by the White Lotus Holy Mother.

The situation is different now; after gathering a large number of scholars to take refuge, he keenly discovered that these people did not catch a cold with the White Lotus Holy Mother.

On the contrary, they were very enthusiastic about "Heaven's Mandate".

Being able to reach the current position, Pingnan Fu Haoxuan is naturally not an ordinary person.

After realizing this, he no longer used the White Lotus Holy Mother to fool these scholars, but often emphasized Heaven's Mandate in front of them.

Judging from the growth trajectory of the rebel army, too many legendary stories happened during the period.

Many victories were fed to them by God; to say there is no Heaven's Mandate, there is no way to explain it.

Now the Holy Emperor Shi Rongxuan has fallen, proving that the person with Heaven's Mandate is not him, and the most likely ones below are the three different-surnamed kings.

In order to comply with the general trend, Pingnan Fu Haoxuan decisively leaned himself towards "receiving the mandate from Heaven".

The effect was very good, and the scholars who joined his command soon accepted him.

Everyone was fantasizing about being able to follow him to sweep the world and fight for a ten-thousand-household marquis.

"Prince, the Eastern Prince has already marched westward and cannot provide help for the time being.

But we still need to strive for the Western Prince; if necessary, we can transfer all the territory of Huguang to him.

Anyway, our strategic focus has changed, and we are beyond reach for the Huguang region.

Rather than benefiting the fake dynasty, it is better to leave it to the Western Prince.

As long as the Western Prince occupies Huguang, they must block the imperial army in Xiangyang.

The threat from Liangguang and Fujian has also been reduced by more than half, just be careful of the enemy reinforcing Nanjing Prefecture from the sea."

Left Chancellor Xie Haoxuan opened his mouth to persuade.

The split of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom is a foregone conclusion, but at this time, it is not the time to give up the signboard.

Holding the common banner, they are the force qualified to participate in the world's contention.

In attracting talent, there is a very large bonus.

"The Chancellor is right; the Western Prince's side really cannot be given up.

Compared to us, the Western Prince's situation is actually worse.

Failing to capture Nanchang at the first time has now fallen into a strategic passive position.

No matter what, he cannot sit and watch Huguang fall.

If necessary, we can also give him some support to help the Western Prince capture Nanchang as soon as possible."

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan responded calmly.

Contending for the world, you cannot care about the gains and losses of one city or one place.

They were the first to start the anti-Yu war, which destined them to suffer the most violent counterattack from the court.

The White Lotus Holy Emperor is gone, and the remaining three kings must not have any more accidents.

At least before he takes Nanjing Prefecture, the Western Prince's side must hold on.

The imperial army in Xiangyang goes south, the Western Prince must top it, and the imperial army in Yunnan-Guizhou and Liangguang goes north, and the one being beaten is still the Western Prince.

Since they are all fighting under the banner of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, the court doesn't care whether they are the Western Prince's troops or the Southern Prince's troops; they are all to be wiped out anyway.

Whoever is closer to the imperial army is the first to be beaten.

……

Leaving the Governor's office, Li Mu quickly led the team back to Guangxi.

Even the invitations from colleagues in the Guangdong and Fujian armies were declined by him.

It was really embarrassing; the war was fought by the three-province coalition army, but the meat was eaten by the Guangxi troops alone.

Of course, such a practice is not considered out of line.

The main force of the war is the Guangxi troops, and the troops of the other two provinces are assisting; when dividing the cake, they can only take small pieces.

Fortunately, they captured several prefectures, and there should be some harvest.

He, the main general, didn't reach out to his subordinates for money, which is considered not bad.

How can the main general take the meat in his own bowl and take the initiative to share it with the little brothers who are playing soy sauce!

If it spread out, it would be considered buying people's hearts, which would be very troublesome.

After arriving in Guangxi, Li Mu notified the generals in the camp of the news for the first time.

In officialdom, blocking people's official careers has always been an irreconcilable hatred.

For no reason, he would naturally not be this villain.

The Marquis of Wuyang offered good conditions; as long as they go, they will be promoted, and it is a good place with rich oil and water like Zhejiang.

In the process of encircling and suppressing the fake Emperor, everyone made a fortune, which is exactly when the pockets are the fullest.

Letting people go out to stand on their own at this time is undoubtedly the best time.

Everyone gets together and breaks up, and they are still friends when they meet later.

"You don't have to be embarrassed; if you have any ideas, just say it directly.

We traveled thousands of miles from the capital to Guangxi to be officials for the sake of fame and wealth.

Everyone knows what kind of person I am.

There is promotion together, and there is wealth together.

Even if you take office in Zhejiang, although you are not under my command, everyone can continue to cooperate.

There is no banquet in the world that does not end.

When the position reaches our step, separation is a matter of time.

Of course, if everyone has a better way, that would be even better.

Zhejiang is not bad, but there is still a certain risk after all."

Seeing everyone silent, Li Mu said heartily.

Although it is a special period, the military power in his hands is still too heavy.

From the perspective of strength, it is simply a copy of the Pingxi Prince.

Of course, his situation is much better than Wu Sangui's, and he belongs to the court's direct force.

Judging from the current situation, the Emperor has not yet suspected him.

However, holding heavy troops for a long time, suspicion is a matter of time.

Simply take this opportunity to let the generals under his command take away their own confidants and carry out a wave of slimming down on the surface.

Anyway, in the eyes of the outside world, the Guangxi Army, this monster, was created by the noble group together.

The initial backbone strength was all from the retainers of a group of noble children.

"Commander, after you return to Nanzhili with your achievements, even if you serve as Jiangnan Commander General, it is enough.

If you delay time and put pressure on the Jiangnan gentry, even the position of Jiangnan Governor has a good chance.

Why don't we work together to operate, and everyone will go to Jiangnan to develop together, and we don't have to separate!"

Yun Yufeng proposed first.

In the eyes of the outside world, the Guangxi Army suffered heavy losses, but they, the participants, knew that the Guangxi Army was really making a blood profit.

Going to Zhejiang alone is full of risks after all.

If they could pull the team and everyone go to the Jiangnan region to develop together, it would be comfortable.

Defeating the rebel army is absolutely no difficulty.

After the war, everyone will hold together, monopolize the Jiangnan military world, and the small days will be very comfortable.

"This must not be done!

The court is wary of us military generals becoming big; now that civil officials are powerful, it is not the time for us to show our heads.

Even if the court compromises temporarily, it will be liquidated afterwards.

For the sake of future generations, we should not be too aggressive."

Li Mu hurriedly refused.

If it were the emperor's robe, maybe he would hesitate.

Jiangnan Governor, isn't this roasting him on the fire.

Now everyone is willing to follow him, because he can bring benefits to everyone.

If they really confronted the court, it doesn't mean that these people are also willing to risk the danger of exterminating the family to rebel.

"Commander……"

Before everyone could continue to persuade, Li Mu decisively interrupted:

"Alright, that's it!

Don't say that I, the superior, am not righteous; those who want to leave now can take their confidants and direct descendants.

As long as the soldiers are willing to follow, I will absolutely not stop them.

To avoid attracting the interference of the Governor's office, the troops you take away can only be taken away in the name of retainers."

In fact, the two words "retainer" are the biggest limitation.

Compared to ordinary soldiers, retainers have higher treatment and cannot be in arrears with military pay.

If you are really foolish enough to take away thousands of people, how to support them is a big problem.

With their military rank, no matter how rich the family background is, taking a thousand or eight hundred people is the upper limit that can be borne.

"Commander is bold!"

A group of generals said in unison.

Such a promise is equivalent to allowing them to collect elite soldiers as retainers, which is already very generous.

After all, the elites of the Guangxi Army were all raised by Li Mu with money raised everywhere.

Although everyone also contributed, they are not the main general after all.

A general doesn't take many soldiers, but a dozen or twenty generals, the people to be taken away are not a star and a half.

Knowing that he is weakening his own military strength, Li Mu must also cooperate.

This play is not only for everyone to see, but also for the court to see.

The purpose is to prove to the outside world that he has no great ambition, only wanting to be promoted and make a fortune.

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Li Mu was even more determined in his judgment.

The military generals under his command are all secretly planning to leave Guangxi, and no one wants to take root here.

"Alright, it's about your future.

I still suggest that you consider it carefully; it is best to write to your family to discuss it.

Don't run to Zhejiang to take office when the clan has arranged a better position, that would be a big loss."

Li Mu suggested objectively.

Since he decided to sell a favor, he simply sent a big one.

He is willing to let go of the elite troops, so he doesn't care about saying a few more beautiful words.

In the future, if these people develop smoothly in their official careers, they will also be his connections in the army.

According to the Great Dayu Dynasty's tradition of forming cliques, the generals who walked out from under his command are all people of his faction.

Plus they all come from the noble circle, in the court, everyone is a natural political ally.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 257 =====