Chapter 274

"Marquis, this subordinate has never fought against the Northern Barbarians. The enemies encountered in the past were mostly infantry, but now they have suddenly become cavalry, and many experiences can no longer be used."

"For the sake of safety, we can only take one step at a time. Try to find the enemy's flaws, and then wait for an opportunity to launch an attack."

"Many officials in the court do not understand military affairs and like to point fingers; at the critical moment, you must withstand the pressure."

Li Mu's answer made Marquis Wuyang very disappointed.

After all, he had seen big storms and waves, and after a brief loss of focus, he quickly recovered.

"Commander Li, rest assured, I will withstand the pressure from the court."

"However, matters on the battlefield still require your hard work. Next, it is better not to attack than to lose a battle."

Marquis Wuyang said seriously.

If he wanted to obtain the great merit of Prince of the Blood, the subsequent battle results were crucial.

He did not expect to break the enemy army, as long as there were small victories that could be taken out, and the battle results exceeded those of his colleagues, he could operate a great victory.

In essence, raising troops for Prince of the Blood meant that political significance was above everything else, and military contribution needed to be ranked behind.

The brief conversation ended, and Li Mu secretly began to worry.

After Guangxi Town was split, the loss of troops was not large, but the key was the serious loss of generals.

Compared to the group of meritorious generals before, the current candidate meritorious descendants still lacked ability.

Encountering a strong enemy like the Northern Barbarians was a great test of the generals' command ability.

The newly formed Guangdong Town and Guangxi Town, although equipped with a large number of firearms, were still products of this era.

Perhaps in terms of firepower, they could occupy a considerable advantage, but their mobility could not be compared with the Northern Barbarian cavalry at all.

The limited cavalry in the army also had their mounts replaced with Baise horses. They were much shorter than the enemy's warhorses.

In the southern region, choosing Baise horses that could adapt to the scorching heat and severe cold, walk in mountainous areas, and have low feeding costs to serve as cavalry mounts was definitely no problem.

Once entering the northern land, the disadvantage of being short was exposed. In a head-on confrontation of cavalry, they would definitely suffer a considerable loss.

Under this background, any active attack must be cautious.

"..."

Jinan Prefecture.

"Provincial Governor, good news!"

"Just received news that the Prince of the Blood main army led by Marquis Wuyang has now entered the East China Sea and will arrive in Shandong before long."

"According to the previous situation, the fleet will likely stop at Dengzhou Prefecture to purchase some daily necessities as supplies."

"If we can make preparations in advance and intercept this reinforcement, Jinan Prefecture will be saved!"

Private Secretary Hua said with joy.

The Northern Barbarian cavalry was ravaging, fighting all the way from the Great Wall defense line to the territory of Shandong. Now Eastern Depot Prefecture, Jinan Prefecture, and other places had become targets for enemy looting.

Judging from the movement direction of the Northern Barbarian cavalry, Jinan City had become the enemy's next target.

Jinan was the provincial capital of Shandong, and the offices of many yamen in the province were located here. For the high-level officials in Shandong, the safety of Jinan City was directly related to their heads.

The army in the province was not useful, and in order to defend Jinan City, the Shandong Provincial Governor was almost worried bald.

"Intercepting the Prince of the Blood main army, I am afraid it will not be easy to account for to the court."

"Moreover, the one leading the main army is Marquis Wuyang; with just my face, it is not enough to look at when I get to his side."

Shi Zhihao said with difficulty.

If he could save Jinan Prefecture, even if he violated procedural rules, he would admit it.

Being held accountable by the court afterwards, at worst, he would be dismissed and go home, which was better than losing his life.

Reality was very cruel; Marquis Wuyang, who led the troops for Prince of the Blood, had a status and position above him, and he had the qualification to say no.

"My lord, we have no way to keep Marquis Wuyang, but someone can."

"On the land of Shandong, there are several big figures. As long as they are willing to come forward to retain him, Marquis Wuyang will not be able to refuse easily."

"Even if it is the court, they will not delve into this issue."

Private Secretary Hua said pointedly.

"Are you talking about Prince Lu and Duke Yansheng?"

Shi Zhihao said with slight surprise.

In the past, Prince Lu's Mansion and Duke Yansheng's Mansion were the two major scourges of Shandong, and every Shandong Provincial Governor had to worry about these two great gods.

Especially Duke Yansheng's Mansion, which was an untouchable taboo.

If one didn't give face slightly, they would directly put the big hat of "disrespect to the sage" on them.

For scholars, this was an unsolvable problem.

Most of the time, conflicts between local officials and Duke Yansheng's Mansion ended with local officials going to apologize.

Those who chose to confront directly ended up very miserably. Losing their official positions was light, and more of them could not retreat unscathed.

All the civil and military officials in the court knew that Duke Yansheng's Mansion was a place where filth was hidden, but now the political game rules relied on the Confucian system, so they had to hold the descendants of the sage high.

Not only could they not move, but they could not allow others to move.

Once the lid was lifted and the ugly faces of the descendants of the sage were exposed to the world, it would inevitably shake the sacred status of Confucianism in the hearts of the people and touch the ruling foundation of the gentry group.

"My lord is wise!"

"As long as these two are willing to come forward, I am not worried that Marquis Wuyang will not buy it, even if the Emperor and the officials in the court have nothing to say."

Private Secretary Hua replied with a smile.

The idea was indeed a bit sinister, but it was easy to use.

The Northern Barbarian army was ravaging the local area, which also damaged their interests. When the Hu people robbed, they wouldn't care who the owner of the wealth was.

Involving their own interests, no matter if it was Prince Lu or Duke Yansheng, they would not refuse this proposal.

The charge of intercepting the Prince of the Blood main army, if it fell on others, was a serious crime of losing their official position, but if it was placed on these two, it could not be counted as a big deal.

"..."

Eating and sleeping on the sea were both big problems.

Many times when sleeping soundly, the sweeping wind and waves instantly sent people off the bed.

Relatively speaking, the situation on the flagship was slightly better. At least the space was spacious, and one could move around.

Ordinary troop transport ships did not have this treatment. Most of the time, the officers and soldiers could only stay in a narrow space.

If they wanted to go to the deck to get some air, they could only take turns.

Even if they had received navigation training in advance, the long-term life at sea still made everyone cry out in misery.

Looking at the land that appeared in front, Li Mu showed a happy smile.

After experiencing the tossing at sea, he knew the preciousness of land.

No matter how short the time to land was, he had to go to the pier to stroll around.

As the distance closed, Li Mu gradually found something wrong. The number of people on the pier in front was too many.

Determining there was no danger, the fleet slowly sailed into the port.

Immediately after, a group of local officials greeted them, and the overly enthusiastic performance made both Li Mu and Marquis Wuyang feel uncomfortable.

"Prince Lu and Duke Yansheng have arrived!"

The guard's voice sounded, and the noisy crowd instantly quieted down.

Li Mu, who was originally puzzled, reacted instantly; this was the main master who came.

"..."

(End of this chapter)