Chapter 313

Nanjing City.

Under the constant urging of the officials, Prince Pingnan Fu Haoxuan was crowned Emperor in the Nanjing Imperial Palace, establishing the Great Wu regime.

To win over local gentry, after the establishment of Great Wu, Pingnan Fu Haoxuan issued a series of political reforms.

The set of religious theories played during the White Lotus period was directly discarded by the new dynasty.

They officially drew a line with the White Lotus Holy Kingdom, shifting from a religious regime to a secular one.

The effect was very obvious; after changing course, they received support from a large number of disgruntled scholars.

Upon learning that they would no longer slaughter the gentry but instead shift to political wooing, the resistance in various places dropped significantly.

Influenced by this, the Northern Expedition also became smoother.

The Huai and Yang prefectures, which had been struggling to hold on, were quickly taken by the Wu army, with the spearhead pointing directly at Fengyang and Luzhou prefectures.

The rapid progress on the front line filled the Wu state with optimism.

As long as these two prefectures were taken, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River south of the Huai River would all belong to the Wu state.

They were only one step away from competing for the Central Plains.

"Your Majesty, news just came from the north that the grassland allied forces have withdrawn from the Great Dayu."

"The various armies to save the capital have returned to their original regions one after another."

"The Emperor of the pseudo-dynasty has once again carried out personnel adjustments."

"The former Viceroy of Huguang, Xu Wenyue, was transferred to Viceroy of Sichuan."

"The Marquis of Wuyang was appointed as Viceroy of Jiangnan, while also serving as Viceroy of Liangguang."

"Jing Guoliang, the Regional Military Commissioner of the Left, was appointed as Viceroy of Minzhe."

"Li Yuan, the Regional Military Commissioner of the Right, was appointed as Viceroy of Huguang."

"Li Mu, the Liangguang Provincial Military Commander, was appointed as concurrently serving as Jiangnan Provincial Military Commander."

"..."

Hu Yuzhe said with a panicked expression.

As a surrendered official, he was very familiar with the situation of the Great Dayu Dynasty.

This personnel appointment meant that the Great Dayu had changed its national policy of controlling the military with civil officials and was fully utilizing the noble group.

Without laymen commanding experts, the combat effectiveness of the Yu army would at least double.

"Minister Hu, your composure is lacking!"

"The pseudo-dynasty is already on the decline; it's not something that can be reversed by a single personnel appointment."

"This is no longer the early years of the founding; those noble lords have long since degenerated."

"There is only one Marquis of Wuyang; not all nobles are that capable in battle."

"Even if their military ability is good, they need troops to use."

"According to the intelligence collected earlier, the Liangguang army to save the capital suffered losses of nearly 50,000 in Jinan Prefecture and was long ago beaten to a pulp."

"The Viceroy of Jiangnan is just an empty shell; the Marquis of Wuyang can only rely on those remnants, and they have no ability to launch an attack on us in the short term."

"The Huguang Yu army has long been struggling to survive and could be wiped out at any time."

"Zhejiang has been partitioned by us and the Western King; the Viceroy of Minzhe only has the Min region."

"The Western King is already planning the Fujian strategy; they are already overwhelmed, so how could they have the ability to cause trouble for us!"

"The three major viceroys in the southeast are just three jokes."

"Only that muddled fool of a pseudo-emperor would believe that changing a person could reverse the situation!"

Right Prime Minister Yang Jingren teased immediately.

The Great Dayu Dynasty's awareness of confidentiality was almost zero; these classified messages could be obtained by sending someone to inquire.

To a certain extent, their understanding of the Great Dayu was clearer than Emperor Yongning's.

If the Yu Emperor had issued this personnel appointment a year earlier, they would indeed have been in a panic.

But the situation is different now; the Wu state occupies more than 20 prefectures, with a territory of two provinces.

And they are all fertile lands; the gains from looting the noble families alone are enough for the Wu state's expenses for two years.

With the help of a group of surrendered officials, the local regime has been initially established, and the tax system has also begun to play a role.

In front of the Wu army's butcher knives, all the previously hidden lands were cleared out.

The merchants who had always enjoyed tax-exempt status were also paying taxes obediently.

Even though they had just experienced the flames of war, the taxes collected by the Wu state in the occupied areas still exceeded those during the Great Dayu's rule.

Among the many forces in the world, the one with the best financial situation is the Wu state.

Next are the other two rebel kings of the White Lotus sect, who have accumulated a considerable family fortune by looting the gentry.

The northern barbarians can only rank fourth in financial power; although they just looted a fortune, they lack a sustainable and stable income.

The Great Dayu Dynasty seems to be the strongest, but it is the one with the worst financial situation among all the major forces.

War is fought with money and grain.

The Great Dayu, lacking financial power, is now showing signs of decline in the face of the siege by a pack of wolves.

Against this background, there are not a few scholars who think highly of the Wu state.

"Minister Yang, your words are reasonable."

"However, we still cannot let our guard down; the Great Dayu still has some family assets."

"If it weren't for that spendthrift pseudo-emperor, it would really be hard to deal with."

"The newly appointed three major viceroys of the southeast should be the last pillars of the Great Dayu Dynasty."

"As long as we get rid of them, the era of heroes competing for the world will truly arrive."

"The more it is at this time, the more we cannot let our guard down."

"Looking at the map, the enemy should be attacking from the south."

"The one bearing the pressure first is the Western King."

"Back in the day, I and the Western King raised troops together to oppose the Yu, and we worked together to get through the most difficult years."

"Send someone to closely monitor the war between them; once the Western King falls into a disadvantage, send someone to lobby him."

"For the sake of our past brotherhood, as long as the Western King is willing to defect, I will not hesitate to reward him with a royal title!"

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said heroically.

Being able to kill his way out of troubled times, his ability is naturally not bad.

While the officials were considering the threat of the Yu army, Pingnan Fu Haoxuan was already considering how to seize the world.

The establishment of the Wu state certainly stabilized the hearts of the people, but it also embarked on a path of no return.

Not only is there no possibility of easing relations with the Great Dayu, but the relationship with other anti-Yu forces has also broken down.

There are no two suns in the sky, and no two masters in a country.

In the face of power, any friendship is unreliable.

The break with the White Lotus sect directly pushed the Wu state to the opposite side of the other two rebel kings.

They didn't turn against each other directly because they had a common enemy in the Great Dayu.

Once the Yu Dynasty is overthrown, these major forces aiming to compete for the world will inevitably break out into major wars.

Considering long-term development, while overthrowing the Yu Dynasty's rule, they must also find ways to weaken or suppress competitors.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The officials shouted in unison.

Although they didn't think the Western King Wang Weijiarui would defect, it didn't affect the Wu state's attempt.

Even if they couldn't win over Wang Weijiarui, winning over some generals would have significant political significance for the Wu state.

However, the premise of all this is based on the Western King suffering a major setback on the battlefield.

If they could crush the Yu army, these small moves would have no meaning.

The fleet sailed south all the way, and when the army arrived in Guangzhou, it was already midsummer.

Facing the scorching sun, Li Mu still felt solid.

Compared to the miserable days of sailing at sea, landing itself was the greatest happiness.

"Mu'er, we will be reorganizing the army in Guangzhou next, so I'll be relying on you!"

Jing Guoliang said with a smile.

Relatively speaking, the pressure on him as the Viceroy of Minzhe was still small.

Although Zhejiang had fallen into the hands of the rebels, Fujian was still under the control of the imperial court.

And during the process of Zhejiang's fall, quite a few imperial troops successfully withdrew from there.

These people were all backbone members of the noble faction, all split off from Li Mu's command.

Losing cities and land wasn't because they were incompetent; it was mainly because the situation deteriorated too quickly.

Many people hadn't taken up their posts yet, or had just taken office, when the war broke out, and there was simply no time to reorganize and prepare for war.

Even so, relying on the support provided by Li Mu, they fought back and forth with the rebels in the early stages.

It wasn't until the edict to save the capital was issued that Li Mu and the Marquis of Wuyang led their troops north, and they were unable to continue providing aid.

The previously stalemate Zhejiang battlefield quickly presented a one-sided situation.

The Great Dayu army enjoys multi-level financial support.

Namely: the imperial court, the province, and the prefecture three-level support system.

This is a product of the national policy of controlling the military with civil officials, which can both guarantee the imperial court's control over local troops and establish the supervisory power of local yamen officials over the military.

In normal times, if you want to mobilize a large army, you must simultaneously obtain the Emperor's imperial edict, the Ministry of War, and the Regional Military Commissioner's mobilization order.

In wartime, local civil officials can only have command of the army after obtaining authorization from the imperial court.

After the White Lotus rebels grew strong, the Ministry of Revenue was unable to provide money and grain for the army to suppress the rebellion, and the imperial court was forced to delegate power to the viceroys.

The part of the obligation that originally belonged to the imperial court fell on the viceroy's yamen.

After Zhejiang fell, without the financial support of the local yamen, they lived entirely on the appropriations of the viceroy's yamen.

With limited money and grain, it was difficult to support their own retainer troops, and wanting to replenish the army's establishment and recover lost land was out of the question.

Also affected were the generals transferred to Huguang.

Because of the jurisdiction problem, their situation was even more miserable.

After retreating into Guangdong, they couldn't get a single penny of appropriation.

Wanting to ask the Viceroy of Huguang for money, they were blocked by the rebels in the middle, so they could only thicken their faces and come back for help.

Military pay naturally couldn't be counted on, but for the sake of colleagues and old subordinates, Li Mu and the Marquis of Wuyang provided them with a batch of military grain after discussion.

Now that the new viceroy has taken office, he must integrate these troops.

However, in this process, there is an unavoidable problem, which is the "money and grain" required by the army.

The only few strongholds in Huguang are still under siege by the rebels, so they certainly cannot provide money and grain.

Fujian can provide some money and grain, but this year's taxes were long ago advanced by the Marquis of Wuyang to the army to save the capital.

As a result, Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan, the two viceroys, faced the embarrassment of having no money to use and no grain to levy as soon as they took office.

"Father-in-law, don't worry, reorganizing the military is simple."

"The recruitment generals in the Minzhe region are mostly my old subordinates and are also of noble origin."

"Just give a shout, and they will fully cooperate with your work."

"Seventh Uncle is the Regional Commander in Guangdong; you can also take the garrison under his command to use."

"These troops added together are about 20,000, and I will support you with another 5,000."

"Plus the tens of thousands of troops in Fujian, with a little reorganization, you can recover Zhejiang."

"If you want to be steady, it's best to fill the vacancies of each unit first, and then launch a counterattack against the rebels."

Li Mu guaranteed immediately.

The problem of money and grain needs to be communicated between Jing Guoliang and the Marquis of Wuyang; he has no way to promise beyond his authority.

However, helping to reorganize the army is still very easy.

If these old subordinates soared to the sky outside, his words as the old superior might not necessarily carry much weight.

But these people had just gone out and hit a wall, and their arrogance was beaten away.

At such a time, the power of his superior became even more prominent.

After all, he was the one who went deep into Guangxi alone and recovered the lost land all the way.

The environment he faced was much worse than it is now.

"Drawing so many elites at once, I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to explain to the Marquis of Wuyang, right?"

Jing Guoliang asked with concern.

According to the initial plan, the troops under Jing Yifeng's command were not calculated by him.

There are only three garrisons of recruited troops in the two Guang regions; taking 5,000 from Li Mu's hands and then kidnapping a garrison of troops, the eating posture is a bit too ugly.

Not to mention that the one needing aid is not only his father-in-law, but Li Yuan, who serves as the Viceroy of Huguang, also needs Li Mu's support.

If both sides get this treatment, the elites of the two Guang regions will be drained, which will inevitably affect the subsequent recovery of Jiangnan.

"This is not a big problem; I have discussed with the Viceroy, and we plan to expand the recruitment by three garrisons."

"After these troops are drawn away, we will expand by another garrison to fill the gap."

"The situation in Huguang is a bit more complicated, and Uncle might have to wait for a while."

"The troops that retreated from there are slightly fewer, and my old subordinates are only about 3,000."

"However, these people are all the generals' retainers."

"Limited by financial resources, there is no way to expand."

"If the money and grain problem can be solved, a garrison can be pulled out immediately."

"In addition to the 5,000 troops promised before, after the recruitment expansion is completed, I can draw a garrison to participate in the battle to recover Huguang."

Li Mu answered with a smile.

There are only three garrisons of recruited troops in the two Guang regions, which doesn't mean he only has this bit of combat-capable troops under his command.

The reorganized garrison troops have obtained a large amount of military land and also possess considerable combat effectiveness.

If you look closely, the wounded in each major battle will be ordered to retire after the war.

However, these retired soldiers didn't go home to farm, but were incorporated into the garrison troops.

In the previous major battles, there were figures of garrison troops, and their true combat effectiveness was no worse than the recruited troops.

Everyone wears the same military uniform, and the outside world simply cannot distinguish the difference between the two.

The internal generals, although they know he has a garrison troop with good combat effectiveness, don't know the specific number.

After all, the garrisons in various places exist independently.

Even if they participate in the war, a garrison usually only draws one or two battalions to take turns on the battlefield, not all of them.

If he wanted to, he could change the designation and complete the expansion of the recruited troops immediately.

But Li Mu didn't prepare to play like this.

It was hard to hide the troops, so naturally, they couldn't be easily exposed.

Just use the family assets on the surface and expand the army on the basis of the original two garrisons.

The soldiers who survived, having experienced the tempering of blood and fire, all became elites.

Veterans serve as squad leaders, original squad leaders serve as platoon leaders, and platoon leaders serve as company commanders.

With these people as the foundation, turning two garrisons into six is not a difficult task.

After training for a few months, they can initially form combat effectiveness.

Pick the weak ones to practice first, and after winning a few more battles, an elite force is born.

These are all old routines, and Li Mu plays them very skillfully.

"Anyway, we have to raise military pay, so waiting for a while doesn't matter."

"But expanding so many troops at once, can the money and grain be guaranteed?"

"Can weapons and equipment be supplied in time?"

"How much of the army's combat effectiveness can remain?"

Li Yuan asked with concern.

Recruiting troops is very expensive; the six garrisons of fully staffed recruited troops have more than 70,000 people.

The Liaodong Garrison, built by the imperial court with heavy money, has a total of more than 60,000 people.

Even if they are all infantry, the annual daily expenses are millions of taels.

Building so many elites at once, the imperial court doesn't have that much armor and firearm inventory, at most providing broadswords and long spears.

The family assets in the arsenal were long ago consumed in the previous major battles.

If you want fine weapons and equipment, you can only build them yourself.

No need to worry about manufacturing technology; just reach out to the imperial court for it, but the money and grain required can only be solved by yourself.

Not to mention that rapid expansion will also affect combat effectiveness.

With a series of unfavorable factors superimposed, Li Yuan had to worry.

"Uncle, please rest assured."

"Since this plan was proposed, the feasibility problem has naturally been considered."

"The funding problem was actually mostly raised in the Shandong region."

"The insufficient expenses can be raised from the two Guang regions."

"As long as money and grain can keep up, weapons and armor are not a problem."

"This troop was temporarily expanded to recover Nanjing, and we only need to guarantee the military expenses for the first two or three years."

"After recovering Jiangnan, the losses of the army will certainly not be small, and then we can shrink the establishment."

"After expansion, the impact on combat effectiveness is inevitable."

"The two Guang military garrisons at their peak could defeat the northern barbarian army head-on."

"Even if the combat effectiveness is halved, sending them out to bully the rebels should still be fine."

Li Mu said solemnly, bluffing.

Shrinking is non-existent; in troubled times, the military establishment will only get bigger and bigger.

Once troubled times start, they won't end immediately.

After suppressing the White Lotus rebellion, other rebels will appear.

Even if internal dangers are cleared, there will be external enemy invasions.

"It's good that you are prepared in advance!"

Although he said it easily, deep down Li Yuan was secretly complaining.

Li Mu's military expenses were solved, but the military pay for the Huguang soldiers was still nowhere to be found.

When they set off, the imperial court did allocate a sum of money, but it was just a drop in the bucket.

Wanting to recover Huguang without spending money is impossible.

Now that the territory is in the hands of the rebels, no matter how many plans he has, there is no way to dig money and grain out of the enemy's hands.

Raising military pay for the army is the imperial court's public business; he can't open his mouth to ask his nephew for money, right?

Even if he doesn't want face, the imperial court still wants face!

Fundraising and borrowing are not good methods.

With the Great Dayu Dynasty's current reputation, expecting everyone to voluntarily pay money is impossible.

(End of chapter)