Chapter 288: Liaodong Governor

"Sir, the Duke Duke Yansheng's whereabouts are unknown; where should we go to receive him?"

"Moreover, we don't know the Duke Duke Yansheng; we can't just catch someone and ask, right!"

Shu Shu Zhongyi asked suspiciously.

Receiving the task, he was dumbfounded.

He was familiar with going to the battlefield to kill enemies, but it was difficult for him to go to the battlefield to save people.

The Duke Duke Yansheng's special status destined him to be the focus of the enemy's pursuit.

If he hadn't fallen into the hands of the Northern Barbarians, he must have abandoned the team and mixed into the refugee team.

Rushing to save the Duke Duke Yansheng before the enemy main force arrived was by no means an easy task.

"Correct, it is to ask everyone."

"It's best to make everyone know that we are looking for the Duke Duke Yansheng."

"As for whether we can find the person, do our human duty and listen to fate."

"This time out, we can't delay for too long."

"Regardless of whether we find the person or not, we must return within seven days."

"Don't have too much pressure; with the Duke Duke Yansheng's unyielding character, he must have died for the country, unable to bear the humiliation."

"Being able to find a few Sage's descendants is also a great achievement."

Hearing Li Mu's hint, Shu Shu Zhongyi was startled.

Raising the banner of saving people, but saying that the person had died for the country.

After a long time, his own Regional Commander didn't prepare to let the Duke Duke Yansheng return alive.

"Sir, please rest assured!"

"This subordinate will definitely do his best to complete the task."

Shu Shu Zhongyi expressed his position immediately.

The probability of the two sides meeting was not high; he probably didn't need to do it himself.

Even if they really met, the ones killed would be Northern Barbarian scouts.

In the chaos of war, the death of a Duke Duke Yansheng was nothing.

Anyway, there were Northern Barbarians to take the blame, and the court wouldn't suspect the King-Saving Army at all.

Li Mu wanted to kill the Duke Duke Yansheng; personal grievances were secondary, mainly to strike at the Northern Barbarians.

A living Duke Duke Yansheng was a moth of the country, but a dead Duke Duke Yansheng could become a sharp sword stabbing at the Northern Barbarians.

The Duke Duke Yansheng himself didn't count for much, but he represented the face of Confucianism.

The Northern Barbarians dared to kill the Sage's descendants easily; in the eyes of scholars, this was ten thousand times more vicious than slaughtering the people.

With such a thing happening, those gentry who missed the Yuan Dynasty wouldn't dare to easily collude with the Northern Barbarians.

To a certain extent, it could curb the influx of talents into the Northern Barbarians.

Of course, these were long-term considerations; the greatest benefit in the short term lay in firming the court's determination to resist the Northern Barbarians.

"Shu Assistant Regional Commander, it's good to have confidence."

"On the battlefield, speed is precious; you go down and prepare first, and then gather one thousand troops to set out."

"We are saving people this time; try not to entangle with the enemy."

"The Northern Barbarians are unparalleled in land warfare, but water warfare is their shortcoming."

"In case of any change on the way, unable to return to Jinan Prefecture in time, then go directly to the ferry and board a boat to avoid the edge."

Li Mu instructed uneasily.

On the battlefield, there were too many accidents.

Just like he didn't prepare to send troops at first, but for the sake of interests, he still let the team go out for a stroll.

……

Qufu, Kong Mansion.

Looking at the luxurious courtyard, Erden was stunned.

The living environment limited his imagination; without seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't imagine how life could be lived like this.

Compared to the Kong Mansion, the Khanate's palace didn't have the force.

Compared to the luxurious decoration, the harvest from looting was even more shocking.

The gold ingots moved out of the cellar soon piled up into a small hill.

"Everyone rest assured, these riches have a share for everyone; now the most important thing is to transport them back."

"Hurry up and prepare boxes and load them for transport."

……"

Noticing the burning eyes of the soldiers, Erden hurriedly issued orders.

Wealth moves people's hearts; with the small number of troops he brought, he couldn't deter a group of Ghost Clan people.

If it couldn't be handled properly, it was possible that the people he brought would be killed on the way.

On the grasslands, because of interests, turning against each other was too common.

The harvest in front of him was only a part of this looting.

Compared to the gold ingots left behind, the treasures carried by the Kong Mansion group when fleeing were more valuable.

Thinking of this, Erden hurriedly arranged for his confidants to ask for help from the Great Chanyu.

Reason told him that he was not qualified to swallow this huge wealth alone.

The Kong family had a lot of wealth, not just the main line.

The collateral clansmen and the servants below who depended on the Duke Duke Yansheng all possessed a lot of wealth.

Unfortunately, they were outsiders and could only take away these floating wealth.

More real estate, for them, could only be seen.

After a short loss of consciousness, Erden soon returned to calm.

Offering this huge wealth to redeem his crimes, his life was saved.

"Nichelege Wanhu, the Yu Dynasty people have the habit of thick burial; you see……"

Qigwa Nichelege Wanhu asked tentatively.

Riches are never enough.

The legacy of a thousand-year-old family definitely wasn't just this much on the surface.

"The Great Chanyu values scholars, so we can't do too much."

"Let the Ghost Clan people do this kind of wicked thing."

"Remember to do it secretly; don't let people know it was instructed by us."

Erden thought and said.

The most delicious meat had been eaten by them.

The Ghost Clan who partnered together couldn't let them work for nothing.

Making him part with the interests he had in hand was too painful, so he could only find another way to make money for them.

As for offending the Kong family, it wasn't taken to heart by him at all.

If it were a poor Sage's descendant, he definitely wouldn't miss it, but the Kong family was too rich.

Compared to the cities captured before, there was no harvest in any place that could compare to Qufu.

Even the vassal princes who were known as the richest in the world were small witches compared to a thousand-year-old family.

"Nichelege Wanhu rest assured, the wealth of the Kong family is known to everyone in the world."

"As long as you order them to move freely, that group of Ghost Clan people will do it themselves."

"You just pretend you don't know, and you can explain it to the Great Chanyu."

Qigwa guaranteed immediately.

The Tatar clan was also not a piece of iron.

Some people had grand ambitions, wanted to achieve a great cause, and advocated wooing scholars.

But more people just wanted to go south and loot a fortune.

Undoubtedly, those with grand strategic vision were only a very small minority.

Including Chanyu Hugjile himself, he just wanted to annex the Liaodong region and occupy one side as a vassal.

At most, annex some areas in the north of Great Yu.

Plotting for the world was just a political slogan to attract scholars to join.

Just with the population of the Tatar clan, governing the Liaodong region was already a bit strenuous.

Entering the pass to compete for the world, the risk of overturning was too great.

The Great Yu Dynasty hadn't collapsed, and the military strength possessed by the court was not weaker than them.

The Tatar high command hadn't yet taken seizing the world as a strategic goal.

……

"Erden led troops to capture Qufu, and the captured silver alone was several million taels, and all kinds of materials were countless."

"Now his Nichelege Wanhu has suffered heavy losses and is unable to transport so many materials, so he is asking for help from the Khanate."

"Nichilege, this time you take troops and go for a trip!"

Chanyu Hugjile ordered immediately.

There were too many spoils, and they needed the Khanate to send troops to help transport.

He didn't mind receiving a few more such requests for help.

If it weren't for annihilating the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang's forces being more important, he would have wanted to lead troops there himself.

According to the letter, the Kong family was rich enough to rival a country.

Finishing this ticket was higher than the gains from capturing several big cities.

Moreover, in the Yanzhou region, apart from the Kong family, there was also the famous Prince of Lu.

Taking these two as the head, there were also a bunch of younger brothers attached below.

Taking them down was another not-so-small gain.

The boss eats meat, and the younger brothers can also drink soup; everyone has a beautiful future.

"Great Chanyu, the Duke Duke Yansheng has a special status, and we have use for the name of the Sage's descendants."

"The people below don't know the importance; in case they accidentally kill the person, that would be bad."

"I think it's better to write a letter to tell Erden the severity of the matter, so as not to have an accident."

"Not only the Duke Duke Yansheng, but other officials and imperial clans with high status should be caught alive as much as possible."

"When retreating, these noble people can make the enemy throw the rat and fear the weapon."

"If operated properly, the Yu Dynasty Emperor will have to pay a ransom for these people!"

Sarina suggested hurriedly.

In order to govern Liaodong, they had just set a strategy to recruit Great Yu scholars.

Turning around and killing the Duke Duke Yansheng was looking for trouble.

They came here this time to seek wealth, not to eliminate harm for Great Yu.

Standing from the Tatar clan's standpoint, the more moths in Great Yu, the better.

"Follow the Inner Minister's meaning!"

"Nichilege, this matter is handed to you."

"After Qufu is captured, if convenient, join forces with the Ghost Clan army to take Yanzhou."

"If the Yu army resists fiercely, then abandon the Yanzhou prefectural city."

"Take the spoils and retreat to the

We have lingered in Great Great Dayu territory for too long.

For every day we delay, the probability of an incident occurring on the grasslands increases.

The Great Dayu army is also constantly converging here; it is time to withdraw the troops!"

Hugjile said with a grave expression.

The outside world only saw the grassland coalition rampaging through Great Great Dayu territory; no one could know the pressure he, as the Chanyu, was under.

In essence, this military operation was a strategic gamble.

Whether it was the Great Great Dayu court or the hostile forces on the grasslands, if either side seized an opportunity, they could suffer devastating losses.

From the current situation, they had won the bet for the time being.

But opportunity and risk go hand in hand; if the delay continues, incidents are still possible.

Once the enemy reacts and realizes their internal defenses are empty, the troops left behind won't be able to protect the many clansmen.

If the danger posed by the Marquis Marquis Wuyang's troops hadn't been so great, he wouldn't have taken the main force to Jinan.

The Capital.

"Order the Liaodong Garrison: I want them to immediately launch an attack on the enemy troops left behind and drive them out of the capital's territory!"

Emperor Emperor Yongning ordered coldly.

The enemy's long-term siege had caused him, the Emperor, to lose all face.

After the great victory at Jinan, the main force of the Northern Barbarians moved south, but a large army remained stationed outside the city.

Thirty thousand grassland cavalry had managed to pin down over a hundred thousand troops in the capital, rendering them unable to move.

Now that the relief armies were arriving one after another, Emperor Emperor Yongning gradually felt more confident.

However, the task of confronting the Northern Barbarian cavalry head-on could only be handled by the Liaodong Garrison.

The rest of the relief armies were mostly just there to make up the numbers.

Their arrival to relieve the capital had more political significance than military value.

The only ones slightly worth looking at were the Capital Camp troops.

Unfortunately, this unit had previously split its forces to suppress rebellions in the south and, while returning to the capital, had been ambushed by the enemy and suffered heavy losses.

Having suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of the Northern Barbarians, the morale of the Capital Camp was severely affected.

Now, when encountering Northern Barbarian cavalry, the morale of the officers and soldiers was already a notch lower.

They were fine for defending the city, but if infantry and cavalry met in open field combat, low morale would lead to a crushing defeat.

"Your Majesty, the Liaodong Garrison has just arrived at the capital; they are exhausted from the journey.

To engage the enemy now, I fear there is no chance of victory."

Minister of War Wan Wan Yuxuan spoke up to deflect the order.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this excuse lacked persuasiveness.

From the time the Liaodong Garrison set out until now, they had been dragging their feet for months.

It would be more accurate to say they were on an excursion than coming to relieve the capital.

When they encountered grassland cavalry, both sides simply ignored each other.

At most, they would stand in a standoff; they had never truly fought a battle.

If he could command the troops, Wan Wan Yuxuan would also want the Liaodong Garrison to fight the Northern Barbarians.

He didn't ask for great achievements, but at least it would prove that his Ministry of War wasn't useless.

Constantly letting the noble faction take all the credit would affect the Emperor's judgment.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, he could still sense Emperor Emperor Yongning's intention to strengthen the power of the Governor's Office.

In a government office with dual leadership, if one side's power increases, it will inevitably encroach upon the other's.

As Minister of War, Wan Wan Yuxuan naturally could not tolerate the loss of power.

Unfortunately, the Liaodong Garrison's appetite was too large; the court could not meet the demands of these warlords, so they were unwilling to risk their lives.

The Ministry of War couldn't control the troops below; such a shameful matter was naturally something he couldn't bring up in the imperial court.

Once it was laid out on the table, not only would the Liaodong Governor be finished, but he, the Minister of War, would also be ruined.

Even the structure of civil officials holding exclusive power would inevitably be impacted.

With the threat of regional warlords emerging, the only way for Emperor Emperor Yongning to consolidate imperial power was to heavily employ the nobility.

Although most noble descendants were useless, given the sheer size of the group, there was no lack of average talent.

They didn't need to be great generals; as long as they could fight a steady, methodical war, they would surpass many military commanders.

"Oh!

It took them half a year to travel from Liaodong to the capital; they must be truly exhausted.

Minister Wan, how long do you intend to let the Liaodong Garrison rest?"

Emperor Emperor Yongning said mockingly.

Although he didn't know exactly what was going on below, the Liaodong Garrison's performance was truly unsatisfactory.

If not for the massive resources invested earlier and the high sunk costs, he would have wanted to start from scratch and train a new elite force.

"Your Majesty, you would have to ask Governor Zhong about that."

Better a friend dies than oneself; knowing the Emperor was angry, Wan Wan Yuxuan decisively chose to shift the blame.

The primary person responsible for the Liaodong Garrison's loss of control was undoubtedly the Liaodong Governor.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Three days at most, no, two days!

In just two days, the Liaodong Garrison will launch an attack on the enemy..."

Zhong Jingming promised, feigning composure.

Deep down, he was already panicking.

He had reached the position of Liaodong Governor half by his own bluster and half by the financial support of his patrons.

The previous great victories were all fabricated to maintain a facade of peace.

They had always been holed up in the city, and their only means of counterattack was using cannons to trade fire with the enemy.

Even the heads they claimed as trophies were bought from the Northern Barbarians through the connections of Shanxi merchants.

After all, there was slaughter on the grasslands too, and the Northern Barbarians also needed to suppress opposition forces that refused to submit.

Since heads that were completely useless could be exchanged for money, they naturally wouldn't refuse.

The Liaodong Garrison was able to grow because these people were obedient and actively participated in smuggling trade.

Other troops sent to garrison Liaodong were mostly confidants of the previous Liaodong Governor, whose political stance was: suppress smuggling and starve the Northern Barbarians.

For the sake of profit, everyone had even framed the previous Liaodong Governor, so they naturally wouldn't spare the troops under his command.

After Zhong Jingming took office, he used his authority to quickly send those troops to the battlefield as cannon fodder.

Once the stumbling blocks were gone, everyone made a fortune through smuggling.

In this chain of profit, everyone was a beneficiary; only the Great Great Dayu court was the biggest loser.

There is a limit to deception.

With the Northern Barbarian invasion, many previously hidden problems suddenly surfaced.

(End of chapter)