Chapter 284

Tatar camp.

Looking at the battle report in his hand, Hugjile's face turned green with anger.

Annihilating tens of thousands of enemies while losing nine thousand of one's own seems like a decent result.

The problem is, how many people does the Tatar tribe have? If such victories happen a few more times, they can exit the stage of history.

Moreover, this kind of battle report that flexibly uses the "Spring and Autumn" style of writing shows at a glance how much water is in it.

If they had truly won a complete victory, the grassland coalition should have captured Jinan City by now, instead of diverting to Yanzhou.

"Someone come!

Go and bind that mixed-blood brat Erden and bring him back to me."

Hugjile ordered in a fit of shame and anger.

Since he became the Great Chanyu, he had struggled for over twenty years to gather ten Wanhus.

As a result, one battle outside Jinan City completely crippled one Wanhu.

It would take at least two or three years to recover.

At this moment, they are at a critical stage of the Tatar tribe's transformation; any major setback could interrupt their growth.

It is rare to encounter the decline of the Central Plains dynasty; if they don't seize the time to develop now, it will be their turn to be unlucky once the other side recovers.

Looking back at the past twenty years, the mess they made in Liaodong had long since pre-ordained a genocide package.

"Great Chanyu, calm your anger!"

"Changing commanders on the eve of battle is a military taboo; Wanhu Erden is currently subjugating Yanzhou, so it would be better to deal with him after the great battle ends.

On the contrary, that relief army that appeared in Jinan Prefecture must be eliminated as soon as possible.

The Yu army fears us like a tiger; that was built up on the battlefield by the Khanate over the past few decades.

Now that a Yu army has suddenly shattered our myth of invincibility, it will inevitably stimulate other Great Dayu armies.

For the sake of the Khanate's safety, we must annihilate the Marquis of Wuyang's forces as soon as possible and nip this trend in the bud!"

Sarina spoke up to persuade him.

Compared to Great Dayu officials, the Tatar tribe practices the custom of accepting gifts to get things done even more thoroughly.

Since they accepted Erden's money, they must save his life.

At this time, if Erden were to be brought back under arrest, it would certainly be a dead end.

Neither Chanyu Hugjile nor the other high-ranking officials in the tribe can accept such a crushing defeat.

Directly pleading for mercy won't work, so use the "delay" tactic.

The Tatar tribe is realistic; as long as the spoils of war are sufficient, they can accept some losses.

At worst, they lose their official positions, but they can always save their lives.

Everyone is one of their own; after a few years when the matter is forgotten, they can always re-emerge.

"Erde, how was the intelligence gathered?

The intelligence regarding the Marquis of Wuyang is seriously inconsistent with the relief army's performance on the battlefield!"

Hugjile questioned sternly.

Compared to pursuing responsibility, it is clearly more important to eliminate the threat to the Khanate.

In order to know oneself and the enemy, the Tatar tribe attaches great importance to intelligence gathering.

They have established individual files for all officials of Great Dayu above Rank Three.

Although most of the information is incomplete, and some even only have names and places of origin, there are detailed records for important officials.

Hugjile knows more about Great Dayu officials than Emperor Yongning does.

The problem happened exactly here; the intelligence did not rate the Marquis of Wuyang's military ability highly.

The information gathered was mostly mediocre.

"Great Chanyu, this is our oversight.

The Marquis of Wuyang hid too deeply.

When he was in the capital, his performance was unremarkable, and he only rose to prominence after he went to serve in the two Guangs.

Our intelligence network is limited and unable to cover the south of Great Dayu.

Plus, those he fought against were a group of rebels who had just put down their hoes, so we didn't pay special attention."

Erde hurriedly explained.

An intelligence network is not easy to build.

The main information providers for the intelligence they gather on Great Dayu officials are the cooperating Shanxi merchants.

The intelligence network they built themselves can only collect some superficial information, and the radiation range is limited to Liaodong and the capital of Great Dayu.

Without official endorsement, it is impossible for such a clandestine intelligence organization to cover the entire Great Dayu.

The factory guards and local yamens are not all fools.

Among so many officials in Great Dayu, there are always a few who do their work.

If they are exposed even slightly, what awaits them is total destruction.

"Hmph!"

"Later, go and take twenty military lashes yourself.

I don't want to see a similar lesson for a second time!"

Hugjile ordered coldly.

With continuous victories, many people in the tribe have become arrogant and need to be appropriately knocked down.

Otherwise, if they continue to be arrogant, sooner or later a major disaster will occur.

"Your servant obeys!"

He agreed readily, but deep down, Erde could not help but curse.

Great Dayu is so vast, how could he possibly monitor it all?

With just the meager funds allocated by the Khanate, being able to do a good job of intelligence gathering in the capital is already considered lucky.

Fortunately, the Great Dayu court never has secrets; otherwise, his work would be even harder to manage.

"Great Chanyu, the capital of the Yu Dynasty has tall walls and numerous cannons within the city.

We have been attacking for so long, yet we have not been able to approach the walls.

Even if we launch an attack regardless of the cost, the probability of breaking through their capital is minimal.

There is no need to waste time on a battle destined to fail.

It would be better to change the direction of the attack and first wipe out their various relief armies.

Especially the Marquis of Wuyang's forces and the Liaozhen, both are our greatest threats!"

Sarina took the opportunity to offer advice.

Having suffered such a big loss outside Jinan City, they must find a way to retaliate.

Judging from the current situation, although Great Dayu has many troops and generals, there are not many who truly pose a threat to them.

"Hmm!"

"We must find a way to pull out these two nails.

Order the various departments to raise their vigilance and not leave any opportunities for the enemy.

Especially the troops near the Liaozhen and the Marquis of Wuyang's forces; do not launch an attack rashly when encountering the enemy.

Make a show of force here at the capital to fool the garrison, and the main force will follow me south.

This Chanyu wants to take the head of the Marquis of Wuyang to sacrifice to the fallen soldiers!"

Hugjile ordered with a solemn face.

……

Jinan Prefecture.

A grand victory banquet was held in the largest restaurant in the city.

Everyone is mixing in official circles; regardless of what conflicts they have in private, everyone is still harmonious at the banquet.

For the sake of the gifts, the Marquis of Wuyang gave a lot of face.

He did not refuse any of the toasts from officials and gentry.

The only regret is that he only took a sip each time; a cup of wine went through a whole round, and there was still some left.

Everyone seemed not to see these details and still enthusiastically stepped forward to toast.

On the contrary, the generals below could not withstand the enthusiasm of the city's officials and gentry, and one by one they drank until they were dead drunk.

Seeing this scene made Li Mu feel very helpless.

The nobility of civil officials and the lowliness of military officers cannot be broken in a short time.

Even the subordinates under a powerful military officer like him could not help but lower their heads when facing civil officials.

When encountering toasts from civil officials and gentry, they all acted exceptionally bold.

Even the performance of the group of noble descendants was only slightly better.

The only ones perfunctorily dealing with it were Li Mu and the Marquis of Wuyang.

In another setting, if they were so perfunctory, the civil officials would have overturned the table long ago.

Today's situation is different; they are a guest army attending a victory banquet, and they are still counting on them to continue risking their lives.

Anyone with a little brain knows that the great victory at Jinan is just a beginning.

The looting of the pass carefully planned by the Northern Barbarian high command could never be disrupted so easily.

Having suffered such a big loss, the enemy will definitely lead their troops to retaliate.

As a guest army, the relief army can just shake their butts and leave, but these local officials and gentry have nowhere to run.

For the sake of their lives and property, they must find a way to keep the relief army.

It just so happened that after fighting this battle, Li Mu did not want to clash head-on with the Northern Barbarians, so holding Jinan became the best choice.

In the general direction, the two sides hit it off, and the details were not that important.

"Your Excellency the Provincial Governor, something terrible has happened!"

"The Northern Barbarians have invaded Yanzhou, and now……"

The sudden request for help broke the harmonious atmosphere of the victory banquet.

The Prince of Lu's fief is in Yanzhou, and the Qufu temple is also in Yanzhou Prefecture.

Neither the imperial clan nor the sage's temple can be allowed to fall into the hands of foreign tribes.

The request for help happened in full view of everyone, and the matter was placed on the table; it was impossible not to go and save them.

"Marquis, Yanzhou is in danger, please……"

Before the Shandong Provincial Governor Jia Xiaochen could finish his words, the Marquis of Wuyang was already drunk and fell on the table.

Seeing everyone's gazes cast over, Li Mu did not hesitate at all and also pretended to be drunk.

"Gentlemen, thank you all for your generous hospitality.

The Viceroy and the Commander drank too much today; let us take them down to rest first, and we can talk about other things later!"

The group of generals who had been drunk suddenly sobered up.

In front of everyone, they helped Li Mu and the Marquis of Wuyang leave the banquet.

Such an obvious reversal, anyone could see that they were acting for them.

The gentry were fine; anyway, as long as Jinan was held, it was enough to guarantee their personal safety and property.

Even if Yanzhou was lost, the Imperial Court would not hold them accountable.

The faces of the group of officials turned ugly instantly.

The Marquis of Wuyang and Li Mu pretended to be drunk at the same time, and the relief army was suddenly leaderless.

Even if other generals agreed to send troops, they had no authority to mobilize the army.

If the relief army did not move, relying solely on the Shandong local army, rescue would just be sending achievements to the enemy.

Yet rescue is politically correct; regardless of whether it can succeed, they must do it.

Just as they were preparing to step forward to intercept and forcibly sober the two up.

As soon as they stood up, Jia Xiaochen was glared back by the murderous gazes of several generals.

Having participated in the decision, one must bear the responsibility.

It would be fine if the rescue succeeded, but once the rescue failed, it would be a major political accident.

Seemingly inspired, the group of officials attending the banquet fell drunk to the ground one after another.

Some people, in order to act more realistically, even started acting crazy from the wine on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of officials fell, making Jia Xiaochen furious.

Others could play the "wine escape," but he, as the Provincial Governor, had no way to hide.

Regardless of whether troops were sent to rescue, as long as an accident happened in Yanzhou, he was the primary person responsible.

"Pass the order down, and order the officers and soldiers of Qingzhou Prefecture, Laizhou Prefecture, Dengzhou Prefecture, Andong Guard, and Ningshan Guard to immediately rush to Yanzhou for rescue.

Tell them they must hold Qufu and Yanzhou City!"

Jia Xiaochen ordered decisively.

The great victory of the relief army at Jinan not only preserved Jinan Prefecture but also guaranteed the safety of the several prefectures behind it.

In order to preserve Yanzhou Prefecture, Jia Xiaochen also went all out.

He did not hesitate to send most of the troops in Shandong over.

Even so, he had no confidence in preserving Yanzhou Prefecture.

If it weren't for the fear of the impact, he would really want to order the people below to take the Prince of Lu and the Duke Yansheng and evacuate.

As long as the safety of these two was preserved, the political responsibility for losing the city and territory would be halved.

Undoubtedly, this was impossible.

If the Prince of Lu dared to run away, Emperor Yongning would be the first to not spare him.

According to the rules of the ancestors, the vassal princes have the responsibility to defend the land.

Although the current vassal princes have long since lost the power of the early founding years, the obligations must still be borne.

For the imperial clan to take the lead in running away, the political impact would be too malicious, and the Imperial Court would not allow such a thing to happen.

The White Lotus Sect rebels are attacking cities and seizing land in the south, and no vassal prince has been seen daring to run away.

Even if they don't want to die, they must persist until the city is broken before they can break out.

Generally speaking, they arrange for the Prince's heir to leave and stay behind to die for the country themselves.

This gives the Imperial Court an explanation and preserves the inheritance of the Prince's mansion.

Vassal princes have restrictions, and the Duke Yansheng also has restrictions.

However, they are not restricted by ancestral rules, but are dragged down by their reputation.

Their dark history was already long, and then to stage a play of abandoning their ancestors and running away.

The Imperial Court might not liquidate the entire Kong clan, but taking the opportunity to change a Duke Yansheng would be very simple.

Moreover, they have their own reliance; even in troubled times, the vassal kings will give them courtesy.

The Northern Barbarians have attacked; at worst, it's just losing wealth, not life.

If the Northern Barbarians have intentions for the world, they don't even need to lose wealth.

The legacy of their ancestors gave them the confidence to stay.

……

Leaving the banquet scene, Li Mu and the Marquis of Wuyang's wine sobered up instantly.

Without any delay, the two returned directly to the military camp.

"Yanzhou Prefecture is not easy to defend; the Shandong Provincial Governor is going to be unlucky!"

The Marquis of Wuyang said with schadenfreude.

He had no good feelings for the Shandong officials who were calculating against him.

According to the original plan, after landing in Tianjin Prefecture, they would camp directly near the pier.

Forming a strategic deterrent against the Northern Barbarians besieging the capital would be a great achievement.

There was no need to take risks and fight a decisive battle with the enemy.

The great victory at Jinan was an unexpected joy.

The whole battle was fought by the relief army, and the officers and soldiers in the Shandong region were just bystanders.

No matter from which angle you look at it, he had no reason to think well of the Shandong Provincial Governor.

"Marquis, in fact, Yanzhou City still has hope of being held.

The Northern Barbarians are mostly cavalry, and their ability to attack cities is not strong.

However, the Kong mansion is in danger.

As the saying goes: one does not know the wealth of the Kong family until one reaches Shandong.

Compared to our Duke Yansheng, the salt merchants of the two Huais are not worth mentioning.

Such enormous wealth, placed in front of a group of robbers, is very hard for them to resist."

Li Mu replied with a smile.

The Northern Barbarians were too cooperative, so the plans made in advance had no place to be used.

For the two of them, this was definitely a good thing.

If you want people not to know, you must not do it yourself.

Even if you push it behind the scenes, it is inevitable to leave traces.

The Northern Barbarians attacked themselves; regardless of what happens next, it cannot be linked to them.

"The matter is likely to go bad!

If the Northern Barbarians only rob some wealth, the Imperial Court can still bear it.

If they take away the Duke Yansheng, then it will be a big trouble.

By then, the scholars of the world will make a fuss, and I fear you and I will not be able to hide."

While speaking, the Marquis of Wuyang's brows suddenly furrowed.

Among the scholar group of Great Dayu, the influence of the sage's descendants is very large.

Once the Duke Yansheng takes the lead in surrendering to the Northern Barbarians, it will inevitably trigger a chain reaction.

If the Duke Yansheng personally persuades surrender, those captured officials and scholars are very likely to surrender directly to the Northern Barbarians.

Triggering a wave of surrender is secondary; the key is that the legitimacy of Great Dayu's rule will also be hit hard.

Those ambitious people hidden in the court and the wild will all be unable to resist making waves.

Once handled improperly, it is easy to lead to a major disaster.

If the people of the world think that the Great Dayu Dynasty's mandate is exhausted, then it will be completely finished.

As a vested interest, the Marquis of Wuyang is deeply bound to Great Dayu, and the two will lose together.

"Marquis, things are not that bad.

The Duke Yansheng is the model for the scholars of the world; how could he degenerate and collude with the Northern Barbarians?

If there really is such a day, your subordinate believes the Duke Yansheng will decisively die for the country and set an example for the world.

However, the Northern Barbarians are the most shameless, so one cannot but guard against them.

One cannot guarantee they won't produce a fake Duke Yansheng and make waves under the banner of the Duke Yansheng.

Fortunately, the Imperial Court can prevent these things in advance; as long as they issue an announcement to the outside world in time, it will be fine."

Li Mu offered a damaging idea with a straight face.

Any Duke Yansheng who surrenders is a fake; the real Duke Yansheng will only die for the country.

Regardless of whether the outside world believes it, as long as the Imperial Court insists, the scholars of the world will recognize it.

Everyone maintains the sage's orthodoxy to maintain their own interests.

The Duke Yansheng is just a banner; whoever carries it, carries it.

There are plenty of Kong family descendants; changing someone to be the Duke Yansheng will not affect anything.

Only the Confucian moral system cannot be allowed to collapse.

For the officials and gentry of the world, the Great Dayu Dynasty is still the group that best represents their interests, and everyone has not thought about changing the dynasty for the time being.

In this context, no one wants to see a traitor Duke Yansheng.

……

(End of chapter)