Chapter 283: The Victory Report Reaches the Capital

After exchanging a glance, Li Mu instantly knew how the battle report should be written.

The propaganda value of routing ten thousand enemy troops was too low; it had to be at least thirty or forty thousand to be truly shocking.

The Ghost Clan cavalry had appeared at the edge of the battlefield at the final moment; adding them in was perfectly reasonable.

After all, the enemy were cavalry; if they couldn't win, they could run at any time.

Everyone likes to pick the softest persimmon to squeeze.

With the Northern Barbarian elite soundly defeated and knowing the King-Saving Army was not to be trifled with, the arriving Ghost Clan troops would likely change their direction of attack.

Since the enemy had retreated, that was their military achievement.

With several thousand heads of true barbarians, no one could deny this military merit.

Compared to routing ten thousand enemies and annihilating over nine thousand, it was clearly more persuasive to claim routing forty thousand and beheading nine thousand.

For infantry fighting cavalry, a slightly higher casualty rate was acceptable.

However, considering the issue of military merit, Li Mu did not exaggerate the false report too severely.

The number of deaths was set to match the achievements, and adding ten thousand wounded was mainly to highlight the "hard-won victory" of the King-Saving Army.

There was no need to worry about being exposed; in the eyes of those officials in the capital, encountering a strong enemy like the Northern Barbarians meant heavy losses were normal.

If the death toll were only a few hundred, people would instead suspect the authenticity of the report.

By conforming to everyone's perception, when the Ministry of War audited the military merits, they would focus on the heads of the Northern Barbarians.

The local government offices in Shandong were just a bunch of muddle-headed fools.

They only realized the enemy had arrived when they were at the city gates. They couldn't even be sure how many troops were involved on either side.

At worst, they could purchase more medicinal herbs in the near future to release a signal to the outside world, letting everyone know there were many wounded in the King-Saving Army.

A military camp is a restricted area; outsiders cannot enter. As long as they didn't enter the camp immediately, they could find excuses to cover it up later.

Defeat is a shameful matter; to reduce their culpability, Northern Barbarian generals certainly couldn't admit they were utterly routed, so embellishing the battle results was a must.

If all went well, the Emperor could even obtain a copy of the Northern Barbarians' propaganda from the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard, which would indirectly corroborate the authenticity of the battle report.

With both the battle results and the report ready, the spoils were simple. The weapons left behind by the enemy were ready-made and didn't differ much from the equipment of the Yu Army.

All broken weapons would be counted as captured. When the Ministry of War came to inspect, it would just be a pile of scrap metal.

The captured warhorses certainly couldn't be reported truthfully. Even if the imperial court didn't confiscate them, it would affect subsequent resource allocation.

Strategic resources like these are never enough. By letting the court believe the army was lacking, it would be easier to continue demanding resources later.

……

Jinan City.

"Last night, the King-Saving Army soundly defeated forty thousand Northern Barbarian cavalry.

How is this possible?"

Jia Jia Xiaochen asked in disbelief.

He didn't know how many enemy troops were outside the city, but judging by the tents, there couldn't possibly be forty thousand cavalry.

"Governor, the news was released by the King-Saving Army, and it is spreading everywhere now.

We all know a great battle broke out outside the city last night. This morning, when I went to the city walls to inspect the defenses, I saw the King-Saving Army cleaning up the battlefield.

Just the enemy heads alone required a convoy to transport.

To confirm the truth, I even sent a coroner out of the city to help them salt the heads.

They were all heads of true barbarians, numbering at least several thousand. The news that the King-Saving Army defeated the Northern Barbarians must be true."

Cheng Cheng Junfeng replied with a smile.

As the Prefect of Jinan, he didn't care if the battle results announced by the King-Saving Army were inflated; in any case, the siege of Jinan was lifted.

How to handle the relationship between the two sides later was the Governor's office's business. He had no conflict with the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang, so there was no need to look for trouble for himself.

"What are the city garrison soldiers doing?

Why wasn't such important news reported to this Governor immediately?"

Jia Jia Xiaochen questioned angrily.

If he had known the King-Saving Army was fighting so smoothly, he would certainly have sent troops out of the city to tag along and claim some military merit.

He wouldn't hope for thousands of beheadings, but as long as he could harvest eighty or a hundred heads, he could frame it as a great victory achieved under his command.

Now that he hadn't participated at all, he felt too embarrassed to go over and claim merit.

Most importantly, the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang was not to be trifled with; running over to steal credit now would only be asking for humiliation.

Facing the questioning, the Shandong Regional Commander on the side felt very aggrieved. He had clearly sent someone to report to the Governor just as the battle began.

As a result, not only was their proposal to send troops rejected, but the general who went to report the news was also given a round of military caning.

With such a precedent, naturally, no one dared to disturb the Governor's sleep later. Even after daybreak, the garrison remained motionless.

If the Prefect of Jinan hadn't gone out to inspect the city defenses, the news of the King-Saving Army's great victory would have continued to be hidden.

"Governor, the army is severely in arrears with pay, and the soldiers have resentful feelings.

When things happened, they weren't reported in time.

……"

The Shandong Regional Commander replied, suppressing his dissatisfaction.

Even though it wasn't their responsibility, he still had to take the blame.

Even in wartime, military pay couldn't be issued in full; being hungry and cold was the norm, and the army had long been filled with complaints.

If there were no comparison, that would be that.

The problem was that the King-Saving Army had arrived.

Whether the other side received full pay was unknown, but the new cotton-padded jackets on them were visible to the garrison soldiers.

Judging by the soldiers' complexion, one could tell the other side's food was good.

Ordinary soldiers didn't have that many thoughts; everyone was a soldier eating grain, and the standards set by the court were the same.

If others had it and they didn't, it meant it had been embezzled by the officials.

This simple logic made the military generals secretly groan.

Embezzlement of military supplies certainly existed, but they only followed along to drink the soup; the lion's share was with the civil officials.

When grain and pay were allocated, it was already halved, and arrears occurred frequently.

Even if they wanted to loot more, the room for operation was limited.

Fine grain turning into coarse grain, and coarse grain turning into chaff—these were the norms.

"Enough!"

"This Governor has no interest in listening to your complaints!"

"As city garrison soldiers, you should report situations in time.

This is a matter of principle, and there are no conditions to discuss.

Do you think only you are suffering, and everyone else is having an easy time?

The court's finances are tight now, and everyone must tighten their belts to live through these hard times.

As a Regional Commander, you are also a high-ranking general of the court; you must understand the court's difficulties……"

With a barrage of ideological education, Jia Jia Xiaochen successfully diverted the topic.

The responsibility that originally belonged to him suddenly became the fault of the garrison generals.

"Governor, the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang has soundly defeated the enemy; we must show some gesture.

If possible, it would be best to transfer a few heads over.

We don't hope for military merit, but at least we must show the court that we are actively resisting the Northern Barbarian invasion!"

Provincial Administration Commissioner Min Min Kaifeng reminded him tactfully.

He had seen people shirking responsibility, but he had rarely seen someone as ugly in their behavior as his own Governor.

Fortunately, the King-Saving Army had arrived and lifted the siege of Jinan.

Otherwise, if this continued, the garrison soldiers would surely mutiny.

Even if one wanted to suppress military generals, one had to choose the right time.

Now that chaos had appeared in the world, treating military generals as in the past would lead to big trouble.

"This matter is simple; the Governor's office will take ten thousand taels from the military funds raised.

Purchase three hundred fat pigs, two hundred sheep, and some wine and food, and send them over together.

Prefect Cheng, the matter of rewarding the army is handed to you.

You must take the opportunity to find out their true battle results; otherwise, when the court asks later, we won't be able to account for it."

Jia Jia Xiaochen said with a pained expression.

In wartime, prices soared.

Just one reward to the army was a significant expense.

The money in the Governor's office was not much different from his own money.

By changing the name, it could slowly become his own.

Only rewarding the army was an exception; the recorded data and the materials sent over had to match.

Once a gap appeared, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang at all.

The two sides already had a rift, and they still needed the King-Saving Army to sell their lives later.

If trouble broke out, it would be a big deal.

……

After retreating all the way to Great Ming Prefecture and joining forces with the Ghost Clan troops, Erden finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After counting the gathered routed soldiers, his good mood vanished instantly.

Ten thousand troops set out on the expedition, and now the gathered soldiers were less than one thousand.

Those who didn't follow naturally became dead men.

Even if they weren't dead yet, they would soon become dead men.

Having been defeated so miserably, he didn't know how to report to the Chanyu.

"Revenge!"

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be dispelled.

Defeat could only be washed away with blood; only by severing the enemy's head could he redeem his crimes.

After glancing at the generals in the camp, Erden dismissed the idea of immediately sending troops for revenge.

The Ghost Clan troops were nominally under his command, but the prerequisite was that there was profit to be made; only then would everyone execute orders.

Taking them around to loot was fine, but asking them to risk their lives against the King-Saving Army was out of the question.

Weakening the military power of Great Dayu was a grand strategy set by the Tatar clan, which had nothing to do with the Ghost Clan.

They had come this time simply to loot a fortune.

"Nichelege Wanhu, the Yu Army is still the same, each sweeping the snow from their own doorstep.

Great Ming Prefecture is mostly looted; I think we might as well go and loot the neighboring Yanzhou Prefecture.

It is said that half of the wealth in the Shandong region is gathered there.

After looting Yanzhou Prefecture, the other battlefields should be finished, and then we can settle the score with the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang's King-Saving Army."

Ugus suggested with a smile.

Having looted all the way smoothly, he had already fallen in love with this feeling.

Ugus didn't take the Tatar army's defeat at Jinan City to heart at all.

In his view, Erden was simply courting death.

Knowing there were one hundred thousand King-Saving Army troops in Jinan, he still ran deep into enemy territory to camp right in front of them.

By comparison, the Great Ming Prefecture he chose was much safer.

Within its borders, there were only some local garrison troops, which had nothing to do with elites.

The army captured the prefecture without any effort and then made a fortune.

The garrison in Yanzhou was more numerous than in Great Ming Prefecture.

However, they were all local Shandong troops, with only a small number of recruited soldiers, and their combat effectiveness was very average.

Bullying such soft persimmons was much more comfortable than colliding head-on in Jinan Prefecture.

Even if there was danger, he wasn't afraid; the enemy was mainly infantry, and as long as they kept a sufficient distance, the army would be safe.

"If you want to go, then go!"

Erden said expressionlessly.

The rule on the grasslands is that the strong are respected.

Among the grassland allied forces in Great Ming Prefecture, the Gral tribe was the strongest, so their voice naturally carried the most weight.

He, this Nichelege Wanhu, was only a nominal leader.

Once he blocked everyone's path to wealth, no one would buy it.

The various Ghost Clan tribes submitted to the Tatars because they were forced to.

Just two years ago, the two sides were still enemies, and they had fought each other many times.

Hatred needs time to be forgotten; in the short term, the alliance between the two sides was not solid.

Chanyu Hugjile chose to bring the Ghost Clan along to loot, essentially to bind them through interests.

The number of Ghost Clan tribesmen was much larger than the Tatar clan.

Pure military suppression carried too high a risk of backlash.

Not to mention that Great Dayu was a strong enemy on the side, making the Tatar clan dare not be careless.

They feared that one day the Ghost Clan would be wooed by Great Dayu, and the two would join forces against them.

For strategic security, they had to bind the Ghost Clan to their own war chariot.

Only by staining the Ghost Clan's hands with the blood of the Yu people, and cutting off the possibility of the Ghost Clan leaning towards Great Dayu, would the alliance be solid.

……

The Capital.

"Your Majesty, good news!"

"A victory report has come from Shandong; the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang commanded the King-Saving Army and soundly defeated the Northern Barbarian allied forces three days ago.

They routed forty thousand enemy troops and killed over nine thousand; the heads alone were piled into a small hill.

……"

Xu Xu Zhongen, the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, said with great excitement.

Great Dayu was in desperate need of good news.

Since the Northern Barbarians began the siege, the capital had been filled with panic.

Even though Emperor Emperor Yongning had issued multiple edicts to soothe the people's hearts, the enemy troops outside the city still brought heavy pressure to the officials and people inside.

Including the Emperor himself, he had been having nightmares in recent days.

Emperor Emperor Yongning, who was in his twenties, looked like a man approaching forty.

"Oh!"

"Has the battle report been verified?"

Emperor Emperor Yongning asked with concern.

In recent days, it wasn't as if no victory reports had arrived.

Unfortunately, most were false reports deliberately concocted by people below to whitewash the peace.

They clearly lost cities and territory, yet they were blown up into soundly defeating the enemy and capturing countless heads.

At the beginning, Emperor Emperor Yongning had truly believed them.

However, battle reports could be faked, but the front lines couldn't deceive people.

Since the enemy was soundly defeated, they shouldn't have lost cities and territory; there was a clear contradiction between the two.

After the fraud was exposed, Emperor Emperor Yongning lost all face in front of the officials.

So much so that later on, all victory reports had to be verified before being officially released to the outside world.

"Your Majesty, this victory report was written by the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang himself, and there are a large number of Northern Barbarian heads as evidence; it shouldn't be fake.

The Governor of Shandong also sent a victory report document, though it didn't have detailed battle results.

It can be confirmed that the King-Saving Army led by the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang fought a great victory outside Jinan City!"

Xu Xu Zhongen said with a smile.

The ones who faked battle reports before were mostly officials driven to a dead end, who fabricated them to escape punishment from the court.

As a guest army, the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang had no pressure to defend the territory, so there was no need to risk his reputation by faking it.

"Hmm!"

"Issue an edict to reward all meritorious officials; specific rewards will be decided after the Ministry of War verifies them and gathers the officials to deliberate.

Send someone to tell the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang to continue his efforts and immediately send troops to lift the siege of the capital!"

Emperor Emperor Yongning said with joy.

If it were true that forty thousand enemy troops were soundly defeated, then this war would soon be over.

The Northern Barbarians had a small population, and the casualties they could withstand were limited.

Nine thousand deaths were already enough to hurt their vitality.

If they continued to fight, the Great Dayu Dynasty could afford it, but the Northern Barbarians couldn't.

"Your Majesty, although the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang soundly defeated the enemy, the King-Saving Army also suffered heavy losses.

The number of deaths alone is about the same as the enemy's, and there are over ten thousand wounded.

Judging by the content of the battle report, the great victory at Jinan was fought very tragically.

The King-Saving Army paid a painful price to achieve the final victory.

Now the army has entered a period of rest, and I fear they are unable to fight again in the short term."

Xu Xu Zhongen explained hurriedly.

"The King-Saving Army has one hundred thousand troops; have they lost their combat effectiveness after losing twenty thousand?"

Emperor Emperor Yongning asked with slight dissatisfaction.

He had no doubt about the army's losses.

Encountering a strong enemy like the Northern Barbarians, it was impossible to win easily.

The Marquis of Marquis Wuyang being able to capture several thousand heads was already the greatest victory for Great Dayu against Northern nomadic peoples in the last thirty years.

But he couldn't tolerate the King-Saving Army stopping their footsteps.

The capital was under siege by the enemy; even if the army needed to rest, it should be after lifting the siege of the capital.

"Your Majesty, it is true that the King-Saving Army has one hundred thousand troops, but they don't have one hundred thousand combat soldiers.

The true elites who can fight are only the Guangdong and Among Guangxi garrisons; the rest are mostly auxiliary troops.

After this battle, the number of combat soldiers has decreased significantly, and their true combat effectiveness is less than half of their peak period.

Moreover, most of them are Southern soldiers; a batch fell ill as soon as they landed in Shandong.

It is not easy to achieve such battle results; if they don't rest, problems will easily arise."

Xu Xu Zhongen continued to explain.

It wasn't that he was speaking for the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang, but purely a matter of military common sense.

Exaggerating troop numbers was an open secret in the Great Dayu Dynasty.

The King-Saving Army claimed to have one hundred thousand troops, but apart from the main generals in the army, no one knew how many people had actually come.

The only thing that could be confirmed was: there definitely weren't one hundred thousand troops; otherwise, they would have claimed to have two hundred thousand.

If they continued to force the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang to fight, the consequences would be unimaginable once the front line suffered a defeat.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 284 =====