Chapter 271: The Countenance of an Emperor

It wasn't just logistics holding us back—the provincial governor's offices responsible for raising funds and grain were struggling just as badly.

Faced with new quotas, officials across the regions were groaning in despair. The Viceroy's office had given them too little time—even if they hastily raised additional taxes, there simply wasn't enough time.

In response to the new mandate, the provincial governor's offices resorted to the simplest method: layering the burden downward.

If they couldn't raise enough funds and grain, they were to cover the shortfall themselves first, then find opportunities to recoup it later.

The plan sounded ideal, but execution was riddled with problems.

One local official after another devised ever more elaborate ways to prove their integrity, daily farces erupting without end.

It was clear everyone was clever enough to know this precedent couldn't be set.

Officials could take money—but they would never pay out of their own pockets.

Especially in Guangdong and Among Guangxi, where war had already shrunk the pool of targets available for exploitation compared to normal times.

Rebel remnants lurked locally, while the Viceroy's office and provincial governor's offices watched closely—any attempt at brutal extortion that sparked unrest meant losing one's head.

Even if they wanted to collude with local gentry to grow wealthy together, finding partners now was nearly impossible.

Many gentry were busy observing mourning rites, shutting their doors to all visitors, and were at their most obedient.

Officials found it hard enough to enrich themselves, let alone raise funds for the court.

If this weren't about reinforcing the capital, they'd barely bother putting on a show.

"Hmph!"

"Every excuse you've given is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"

The court appointed you to serve—it was to relieve the court's burdens. Since you cannot relieve the court's burdens, you might as well go home and farm.

My Great Dayu lacks everything—but not people eager to become officials.

If you fail to meet your fundraising quota, I'll strip off your official robes.

You all claim to be incorruptible? Fine—I'll personally lead a team to investigate and see just how incorruptible you really are.

You want to talk about ancestral precedent? Then fine—embezzling sixty taels means skinning alive.

…"

Marquis Marquis Wuyang roared.

It was clear he was truly enraged by the bureaucrats—so much so that he invoked the punishment of skinning alive for embezzling sixty taels.

Unfortunately, only a tiny fraction of officials had come to attend the meeting. Most still couldn't feel the Marquis's murderous intent.

Li Mu was certain that if the fundraising mission failed, the Marquis would raise the banner of anti-corruption, seize officials' properties, and plug the funding gap.

"Your Excellency, we have truly done our utmost."

To raise funds and grain, we exhausted every possible means. I even humbled myself, going to merchants and gentry to borrow money.

Even so, we've only managed half the assigned quota. To raise sufficient funds and grain, we'll need at least two more months.

Even if the offices raise additional taxes, it will take at least two months to collect and consolidate the funds.

Why not let the army march ahead first? Once funds and grain are raised later, we'll send them to you."

The moment the Prefect of Guangzhou finished speaking, Li Mu wanted to draw his knife.

He knew the moral character of civil officials all too well.

Once the army moved out, the funds and grain would never arrive.

Now they're lowering their posture to negotiate only because the knife is at their throats.

Once the Marquis leads the army away, the situation changes. A Viceroy thousands of miles away holds little deterrent power.

To believe these bureaucrats' lies would be irresponsible toward the army. If supplies fail to reach the front lines, it will be a catastrophic disaster.

Before the capital's siege is lifted, the court will not permit withdrawal—no matter how dire the hardship, court officials will pretend not to see it.

"Prefect Wen, do you know what you're saying?"

Li Mu asked coldly.

He had no intention of meddling in civil official affairs—but now that the army's safety was at stake, he had no choice.

At all costs, sufficient funds and grain must be raised before the army departs.

Only when the supplies are in hand can chaos be avoided. Otherwise, even the finest rice, once transported to the front, will turn to chaff.

"Li Provincial Military Commander, I serve the state—do you have a problem with that?"

Prefect Wen replied coldly.

As a traditional scholar, he had long resented the growing power of military officers in Guangdong and Among Guangxi.

He had temporarily suppressed his resentment due to wartime necessity—but now, Li Mu interrupted his dialogue with the Marquis, pushing his resentment to its breaking point.

"Serve the state?"

Which state are you serving?

Those who know understand you're an official of my Great Dayu.

Those who don't know, upon hearing your proposal, might think you're an official of the Northern Barbarians.

How dare you propose such a policy that harms the state and oppresses the people!"

Li Mu sneered.

Having reached the position of Provincial Military Commander, whether he liked it or not, he had to shoulder the banner of civil-military conflict.

This verbal clash was merely a rehearsal—far more difficult challenges lay ahead.

If he feared a mere Prefect, he might as well go home and sleep.

"You—"

"You slander me!"

"I am the Prefect of Guangzhou, appointed by the court—how dare you, a mere youth who rose on your ancestors' merit, defame me here!"

…"

The shattered Prefect Wen launched into a furious verbal assault.

Unfortunately, though lies could wound, their damage was ultimately limited.

Li Mu had reached this point not merely due to ancestral legacy, but primarily through battlefield merit.

Otherwise, countless noble heirs held higher status than he—why was he the leader of his generation?

No matter how much Prefect Wen accused him, Li Mu could face it with a clear conscience.

"Jealousy distorts the face!"

You've read the sages' teachings—yet you've lost even the most basic propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame.

To serve alongside you is the greatest disgrace of my career.

I've heard the Northern Barbarians, to corrupt our officials, specially selected smugglers as partners, constantly bribing traitors who forget their ancestors.

During the reign of the Former Emperor, a major smuggling case was uncovered—behind it were corrupt officials colluding with rebels for personal gain.

I recall, Master Wen, you were then serving in Datong. The Former Emperor was magnanimous—he didn't punish you, merely reprimanded you.

Yet after all these years, you still show no remorse, hiding in the shadows continuing to serve the Northern Barbarians.

Now, as we march to punish the Northern Barbarians, you leap out so eagerly—is it because your master behind the scenes is afraid?"

Li Mu fabricated this on the spot.

The smuggling case years ago did involve many, but not this Prefect Wen.

He had been reprimanded by the Emperor solely for negligence—turning a blind eye to collusion between local officials and merchants in smuggling.

Such things were common in Great Dayu—whenever powerful court figures were involved, subordinates always provided convenience.

But once Li Mu embellished it, everyone's gaze toward Prefect Wen changed.

The Northern Barbarians secretly bribing court officials was no secret—over a dozen such cases had been uncovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Former Emperor's reign.

In the Emperor Yongning Emperor's era, after the palace guard's downfall during the deposition crisis, they lost their peak strength and only acted when the Emperor ordered them—neglecting oversight in this area.

Combined with Prefect Wen's behavior, it was entirely possible he was secretly trading with the Northern Barbarians.

In officialdom, many things required no evidence—once suspicion arose, it was enough to make the Marquis wary.

"Li Provincial Military Commander, these are baseless claims. Without evidence, you cannot speak so recklessly!"

Guangdong Provincial Governor An Meng Qingfeng interrupted hastily.

He couldn't let the two continue fighting—not even the fact that Wen Wen had been reprimanded years ago in Datong over a smuggling case had been exposed.

This proved Li Mu knew Wen Wen's background intimately, while Wen Wen's accusations were all forced fabrications.

If they kept tearing into each other, who knew how many more secrets would surface.

The Prefect of Guangzhou's ruin didn't matter—but the Marquis might seize the opportunity to falsely accuse him of colluding with the Northern Barbarians and keep dragging others into it.

Dig deeper, and few officials in Guangdong were clean—including this Provincial Governor himself, who might be dragged in too.

Corruption and abuse of power were minor matters—but the timing was wrong. If the Emperor and court officials believed they were obstructing the army's relief mission, it meant certain death.

There was no choice: this campaign, the Marquis himself was Regional Commander and would never allow supply vulnerabilities in the army.

Had a civil official been Viceroy sending a military commander, then Prefect Wen's proposal would have been quite constructive.

"Governor, I stand by my words."

Master Wen was indeed reprimanded by the Former Emperor over the collusion case. The court should have records—you may verify them."

Li Mu dodged the core issue.

Stepping forward was itself an act of making an example of one to warn a hundred.

Compared to Among Guangxi, his authority as Provincial Military Commander in Guangdong was far weaker.

Many local officials merely paid lip service to his orders—they bet that the civil-military divide meant Li Mu couldn't touch them.

If they felt like it, they'd comply; if not, they'd simply reject him outright.

Only minor issues arose—and if he made a fuss over them, it would make him seem arrogant and overbearing.

In previous conflicts, both sides had secretly clashed. Publicly, Li Mu took no action.

Now that the opportunity had come to him, he chose the unfortunate Wen Prefect as the chicken to scare the monkeys.

Since he had moved, he would crush him completely. As for Wen Prefect's suspected collusion with the Northern Barbarians, mere suspicion was enough.

Given the safety of the capital was at stake, no one would dare leave an official suspected of colluding with the barbarians in such a critical post as Prefect of Guangzhou.

"Prefect Wen is unwell; temporarily, his duties will be assumed by the Deputy Prefect of Guangzhou."

Inspector An, during normal times, pay closer attention to Guangzhou's affairs. Now is an extraordinary period—no disturbances will be tolerated.

Should anyone be found colluding with the Northern Barbarians, punish them without mercy!"

Marquis Marquis Wuyang readily agreed.

The Prefect of Guangzhou is no minor post; such a high-ranking official's appointment or removal requires imperial approval.

Theoretically, the Imperial Commissioner holds emergency authority to execute civil and military officials below the third rank.

In practice, this power is used only rarely during extraordinary times.

During normal times, anyone who dared do so would face retribution after the fact.

The most common procedure is to suspend the official and await the court's decision.

Under normal circumstances, to uphold the Viceroy's authority, the court routinely approves such personnel changes.

The final disposition will be determined only after the court's investigation concludes.

But at this moment, everyone prefers to believe it might be true rather than risk ignoring it.

If mistaken, it's merely that Wen Prefect suffers a slight injustice—let it be the price for his careless words.

If he truly colluded with the barbarians and was not caught, leading to the defeat of the front-line army, it would be a major political disaster.

In fact, the most panicked officials right now should be those from Jin.

They wouldn't defect to the Northern Barbarians—Great Dayu's officials are too proud to look down upon those barbarian tribes.

Their ties are limited to economic interests; because Shanxi merchants are the main smugglers, they've become entangled with the Northern Barbarians as well.

If the court investigates deeply, many will be implicated.

Fortunately, everyone is busy defending the capital and has no interest in smuggling or collusion.

Wen Prefect's misfortune is purely due to his own ill intent—he walked straight into the gun barrel.

…

"Your Highness, the Northern Barbarians have besieged the false dynasty's capital, and the false emperor is scrambling to redeploy troops everywhere.

The imperial troops that previously threatened Anqing, and the Lu army stationed in Jiangbei, have both withdrawn back.

The opportunity to seize the Jiangbei prefectures has arrived!

Now, if we send just a detachment, we can take all the Jiangbei prefectures and stand just one step away from full control of the south."

Left Chancellor Qiao Qiu Ruiyu proposed with great enthusiasm.

The unexpected windfall came too suddenly—they had originally planned to deploy heavy forces to guard against the threat from Jiangbei's imperial troops, but now that threat vanished.

The shackles imposed by the court had disappeared at once.

With our army sweeping through the Jiangbei prefectures and then capturing the last few isolated cities in the south, we would control the most prosperous lands in the realm.

With the wealth of the southern region, we could arm a million troops and take a solid step toward seizing the empire.

"Ha ha…"

"Chancellor, you're too eager.

The false emperor's incompetence has allowed the barbarians to besiege the capital—this is indeed a heavenly opportunity to seize the south, but not now.

In Guangdong and Among Guangxi, a formidable Yu army still watches us with hostile intent.

Until we draw that force away, it remains a threat.

If we sweep through Jiangbei with overwhelming force, the false emperor might steel his heart and order Li Mu, that traitor, to abandon the capital and turn his troops against us.

Of course, we must not waste this opportunity.

Arrange for our people to deliberately open a channel, so that the defenders in Nanjing and Hangzhou can receive outside news."

Fu Fu Haoxuan laughed heartily.

At this critical moment in seizing the south, Great Dayu has been invaded by the Northern Barbarians—this is truly a gift from heaven.

Similar scenes have occurred in the rise of past founding monarchs.

In dynastic transitions, "the Mandate of Heaven" is no joke. Those who ultimately seize the empire are always the luckiest.

Those without luck, no matter how capable, die on the path to founding a new realm.

"Your Highness is wise!"

The ministers cried out in unison.

Countless warlords vying for the empire have lost at the final step; the ability to restrain desire at the last moment is essential to achieving greatness.

…

(End of Chapter)