Chapter 298: Subtle Words and Great Meaning

"Bang!"

"Damn rebels, this is digging at the foundation of my Great Dayu.

Commander Li, you are fully responsible for the arrest work; be sure to catch these rebels in one net!"

The Marquis of Wuyang slapped the table and ordered.

Political struggle is cruel; since the handle of the other party has been caught, it must be made into an iron case as soon as possible.

Once the charge of "colluding with the Northern Barbarians" is confirmed, these people will have no chance to turn over.

With the enemies all dead, the backlash will naturally disappear.

The only problem is that things are done too absolutely, and personal reputation will be affected.

However, the Marquis of Wuyang at this moment has no way out.

The people below have all been arrested, and the evidence has been obtained; if he lets go, he won't be able to account to the emperor.

"Marquis, rest assured, these rebels won't be able to run away."

Li Mu guaranteed immediately.

He knew the Marquis of Wuyang was dissatisfied with the current result, but there was no way; the army to rescue the throne was poor!

The money and wealth looted just by hitting those merchants couldn't cover the military expenses of this war.

The military pay raised earlier had already been spent seven or eight-tenths, and the war hadn't ended yet.

If the Northern Barbarians were stubborn and continued this war, military expenses would become a big problem.

To avoid the worst situation, he could only let the Shandong gentry suffer first.

Outside Jinan City, grassland coalition camp.

"Great Chanyu, I, Erdun, have come to plead guilty!"

It could be seen that the Tatar tribe was deeply influenced by Han culture.

Erdun, who came to plead guilty, had a bundle of thorns on his back.

"Humph!"

"You idiot, you lost one of my Chanyu's Wanhu, yet you dare to come back.

Do you think I dare not kill you?"

Hugjile questioned sternly.

This military operation to invade the Dayu, except for Erdun suffering heavy losses outside Jinan City, everything went very smoothly.

But it was this one great defeat that caused the Tatar tribe to suffer heavy losses.

Wanting to replenish it would take at least two or three years.

"Great Chanyu, calm your anger!"

"Erdun, he already knows he was wrong.

The battle to attack Yanzhou later was fought beautifully.

The wealth looted back almost catches up with the total of what we looted earlier."

Sarina advised.

He was a person of principle; having taken Erdun's bribe, he had to help handle the matter.

Seeing someone take the lead, the generals in the camp echoed one after another.

Everyone understood that Hugjile didn't mean to kill Erdun, otherwise, there wouldn't be such a scene today.

Looking at the generous gifts, everyone was happy to sell a favor.

"Hehe!

The battle was fought beautifully, but Duke Yansheng still escaped.

Now the outside world is spreading that we are greedy, killed Duke Yansheng, and dug up the Saint's tomb.

Erdun, you are truly capable!

You dare to loot everywhere; even the Saint's temple was dismantled by you; have you never seen money?"

While speaking, Hugjile whipped him.

Although deep in his heart, he didn't care much about Confucius, the face-saving project still had to be done.

Recently, quite a few scholars had defected to them.

As the Great Chanyu, he also had to consider the thoughts of these little brothers.

"Great Chanyu, Erdun deserves death!"

Erdun hurriedly pleaded guilty.

Although this work was done by the Guifang people, it wasn't suitable to shirk responsibility at such a time.

Destroying the Saint's ancestral temple and tomb was a capital offense in the Dayu, but in the Tatar tribe, it was just so-so.

The Tatar high-level officials didn't care about Confucius at all.

Even if influenced by Confucian culture, they essentially followed grassland rules.

Compared to these side issues, losing troops and generals was the real great crime.

Hugjile brought the topic over, clearly avoiding the heavy and focusing on the light, preparing to let him go.

"Since you know you deserve death, then I will fulfill you.

Someone!

Drag this piece of trash out and behead him!"

As Hugjile's words fell, the ministers who received the hint immediately started pleading again.

After a round of extreme tug-of-war, it changed from losing one's head to being dismissed from office.

This was already the best result.

No rules, no square.

Punishing Erdun was mainly to intimidate other generals.

Essentially, the Jinan defeat was largely due to carelessness.

If there had been precautions in advance, even if they couldn't win against the army to rescue the throne, the losses wouldn't have been so great.

The accountability work was completed, and the retreat was officially put on the agenda.

This time invading south, the Tatar tribe looted a large amount of spoils, and now they needed to hurry and transport the things back.

Unlike when they came, they had nothing, and the Dayu army had no motivation to fight them.

Now carrying a large amount of spoils, if there was no heavy troop protection, it was easy to be eyed by the Dayu army.

Including the Liaodong Town with which they had reached a tacit understanding, it was also possible to take action against their transport team for the sake of benefits.

Don't look at how happily they cooperated in smuggling trade; that was just for benefits.

Both armies had slaughtered each other for so many years, and both sides had long since formed a blood feud.

When the interests of both sides diverged, they would still have to slaughter each other.

No matter what, Liaodong Town was taking the Dayu imperial court's military pay.

Having had no battle record earlier, if they didn't perform at the closing stage, it would truly be unjustifiable.

Other armies to rescue the throne went without saying; as long as the benefits were large enough, someone would pounce on them.

At the very least, the Dayu army besieged in Jinan was a hidden danger.

Hugjile dared to be sure that as soon as their main force left, the Dayu army in the city would kill their way out.

Compared to other Dayu armies, this unit was not a "barbarian-phobia" patient.

With the previous great victory, transport teams of less than ten thousand people would be treated as prey by them.

"Since we set out until now, more than half a year has passed, and the soldiers' homesickness is growing.

The plan to force the Dayu to compromise and cede the Liaodong land has gone bankrupt.

I have decided to withdraw from the Dayu as soon as possible.

However, in the process of withdrawing, there are still some difficulties that need to be solved.

We need to leave behind part of our troops to contain the Capital Camp and the various armies to rescue the throne.

Everyone sitting here today is a pillar of our coalition; is there anyone who will take the initiative to volunteer?"

Hugjile asked seriously.

The weakness and resilience within the Dayu were far beyond their expectations.

According to the initial plan, they only prepared to take the risk to reach the capital, force the Yongning Emperor to cede the Liaodong land, and by the way, make a fortune.

Never did they expect that the army within the Dayu was mostly a mob, allowing them to sweep all the way to Shandong.

Regrettably, the battle performance was so eye-catching, yet the Dayu emperor still didn't have the intention to compromise.

Even the conditions they proposed were not taken to the court for discussion but were directly rejected collectively by the emperor and the cabinet.

Ceding land is impossible; if you have the ability, fight it down and create a fait accompli directly.

This is the old tradition of the Dayu; the land lost earlier was all fought down by people by force.

The Dayu officialdom didn't recognize illegal occupation, just forced by the situation, temporarily unable to recover the lost land.

On the official map issued by the imperial court, these lands were still included.

If one day the Dayu achieved a revival, they would still have to recover the lost land.

Encountering a group of hard-boned masters, Hugjile was also helpless.

"Liaodong Town is an old opponent; leave it to me!

Besides my own troops, leave me another 20,000 main army, and I will definitely be able to watch them."

Battalion Commander Nichelege was the first to state his position.

Among the many armies to rescue the throne of the Dayu, Liaodong Town had the most cavalry; containing them completed more than half of the task. 【298-

"If Nichelege keeps a close watch on the Liaodong Town, then I will contain the Capital Camp.

The Yu Dynasty's Emperor and his ministers are all a bunch of cowards; they won't let the Capital Camp pour out in full force, and my own troops are sufficient to complete the mission.

What remains is the enemy force in Jinan City, which requires some attention; the rest are not worth fearing."

Battalion Commander Alutan said in a boorish manner.

He appeared rough and heroic, but in reality, he was forcing the Guifang people to take a stand.

The wealth was something everyone was making together, so the task of covering the retreat naturally had to be shared by everyone as well.

It made no sense for the boss to take the risks while the underlings hid in the back to get rich.

"My Gelaer tribe has an old grudge with the Liaodong Town, and it is just right to settle it with this opportunity; everyone, don't fight me for it.

Battalion Commander Nichelege, let us cooperate once more."

Tribal Chief Wugusi answered first.

Settling an old grudge was just an excuse; as one of the five great tribes of Guifang, they had clashed with Yu Dynasty armies everywhere.

The urgency to perform was mainly because his own state chancellor had advised him to avoid the troops under Marquis Wuyang.

At first, he hadn't taken it to heart, thinking the enemy was just a group of southern soldiers whose threat to their prairie cavalry was limited.

Even if they couldn't defeat the enemy, they could still retreat unscathed.

But seeing the unruly Tatar generals subconsciously avoiding the Jinan garrison, he knew the matter was not simple.

If they were easy to bully, someone would have jumped out to pick the soft persimmon long ago.

"Fine, the front is settled as such.

The Gelaer tribe and the Qiqihada tribe will each leave behind ten thousand troops to follow Battalion Commander Nichelege and be responsible for containing the Liaodong Town.

As for the garrison in Jinan City, the Hailaer, Huolinguole, and Bayartu tribes will each leave behind ten thousand troops to contain them.

To confuse the enemy, I, the Chanyu, will leave you another ten thousand auxiliary troops to continue feigning attacks on the city.

After half a month, you will begin your withdrawal.

The enemy is mostly infantry; as long as you are careful and cautious, they won't be able to catch up."

Hugejile made the final decision on the spot.

The events happened too quickly, and before they could react, they were directly named, which left the tribal chiefs of Hailaer, Huolinguole, and Bayartu feeling very hurt.

Hugejile's instructions made them realize even more that the matter was not simple.

But there was no other way; now on the great prairie, the Tatar clan was the hegemon, and they could not afford to offend them.

The withdrawal of the prairie allied forces quickly drew the attention of the Yu Dynasty army, and the news was transmitted to the capital at the first opportunity.

Looking at the excited ministers, Emperor Yongning's expression was very ugly.

They were the side that had been beaten; what was there to be happy about when the enemy was leaving after grabbing enough?

"The enemy is leaving with a massive amount of treasure, and we cannot just watch.

Do you ministers have any countermeasures?"

Emperor Yongning asked, suppressing his displeasure.

The previously excited ministers suddenly fell silent.

As the side that had lost the battle, they truly had no capital to celebrate.

"Your Majesty, authorize the armies below to let them operate freely.

All spoils of war shall belong to whoever captures them.

The Northern Barbarians' power is growing too fast; we must find a way to contain them and absolutely cannot let them take these treasures away safely!"

Marquis Zhenyuan Li Yuan proposed immediately.

The court had no money now, so if they wanted to boost military morale, they could only give preferential treatment through policy.

Although "spoils must be turned over to the state" had long been a joke in the Yu army, it was still a shackle in the end.

Every time after a great victory, they had to take out a portion of the spoils to grease palms, which greatly dampened the enthusiasm for fighting.

No matter how many supplies were captured, by the time they reached the court, there was little left.

It would be better to simply promise them to the officers and soldiers on the front lines, encouraging them to rob the Northern Barbarians.

Standing from the court's perspective, as long as they could weaken the Northern Barbarians, that was a strategic victory.

"Inappropriate!

The imperial army are not bandits; how can they act like this?

Moreover, these goods all have owners; that the court could not protect their property safety is already a dereliction of duty on our part.

If we can recover the losses, we should naturally return them to their original owners at the first opportunity.

The court should strictly order all units to execute the policy of turning over spoils to the state and prohibit anyone from privately hoarding them.

Local government offices at all levels must also assume the duty of supervision and strictly investigate the private trading of goods.

Once anyone is found privately hoarding spoils for sale, they must be severely punished!"

Censor-in-Chief Du Liangcai opposed it first.

When the Northern Barbarians invaded, the ones who suffered the most casualties were the common people, but the ones who suffered the greatest property losses were the gentry.

As long as they were on the route of the Northern Barbarian invasion, the gentry along the way all paid a painful price.

Many gentry, in order to save their lives, could not even look after their own ancestral homes.

The property lost was countless.

Especially bulk commodities, which fell entirely into the hands of the Northern Barbarians.

With such massive losses, even if they wanted to recoup them from the common people, it was not something that could be completed in a short time.

If they let the soldiers below get the advantage, how could they be willing?

Out of class interests, after Du Liangcai spoke, he instantly gained the support of a large number of officials.

"If we really do it this way, then we can only hand the things over to the Northern Barbarians on a silver platter.

The court's finances are in difficulty, and the soldiers below are severely owed pay; the officers and soldiers have no desire to fight.

If there is no benefit to stimulate them, who would be willing to risk their lives!"

Minister of War Wan Yuxuan opposed it immediately.

It was not that he was betraying his own class, but purely that the suggestions everyone was making were completely wishful thinking.

The soldiers below had to fight the battles, yet they weren't even willing to leave them a sip of soup from the benefits gained.

Let alone going into battle to kill the enemy; not turning around to hack at them would be considered the act of loyal men.

"Minister Wan, that is pure nonsense!"

"A gentleman values righteousness over profit; if everything is lured by profit, wouldn't the army be full of petty men?

If this continues for long, a situation where everyone pursues profit will surely emerge, and by then, the nation will no longer be a nation.

What the court needs to do now is to strictly clarify the laws and then educate them with great righteousness..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, Jing Guoliang interrupted him.

"Old Mr. Yang is a great Confucian of his generation and will surely be able to shoulder the responsibility of education.

Your Majesty, why not appoint Old Mr. Yang as a special envoy to go to the Liaodong Town to carry out the work of education?

I imagine that with the old gentleman's ability, he will surely be able to make them turn over a new leaf, fight the enemy with all their might, and wipe out the Northern Barbarians in one fell swoop!

Even without sending troops, relying solely on his silver tongue, Old Mr. Yang could make the Northern Barbarians lay down their weapons and surrender."

On the dragon throne, Emperor Yongning moved slightly, but after hearing the content that followed, he immediately regained his rationality.

If education were useful, there wouldn't be so many wars in the world.

Things that even Confucius couldn't achieve back then, why should these descendants of unknown generations, whose hearts were full of profit, be able to complete them?

"Then I will trouble Old Mr. Yang to take a trip to the Liaodong Town to carry out the work of education.

My requirements are not high; as long as they can behead ten thousand true barbarian heads and grab back ten percent of the property, the mission will be considered complete."

Emperor Yongning said with a mocking smile.

Deep in his heart, he had long detested these empty talkers.

One by one, their mouths were full of righteousness, but their hearts were full of business.

Their ability to pick faults was full, but their ability to do things was negative.

Having the opportunity to let these guys make a fool of themselves, he was happy to watch the joke.

(End of chapter)