Chapter 330: Conspiracy

The rebel army gathered at Jiujiang, attracting the attention of all parties.

People of insight across the world were all watching this upcoming battle that would decide the fate of the realm.

If the rebel army wins, Great Dayu is in peril.

Great Dayu claims to have over a million troops, but that is merely a nominal figure.

Throughout the entire country, the troops truly capable of fighting number only about three hundred thousand.

In the preceding battles, many were lost, and they have yet to recover to this day.

In terms of combat effectiveness, the imperial army gathered in the Huguang region is equivalent to one-third of Great Dayu's total military strength.

Once defeated, the situation in the south will be beyond salvation.

By then, the rebel army and the Hu Ren will launch a pincer attack on Great Dayu from the north and south.

Relying solely on the financial and material resources of the few northern provinces, it is impossible to sustain a war of this scale.

In the short term, one or two years; in the long term, seven or eight years, and the Great Dayu Dynasty will inevitably head toward collapse.

If the imperial army wins, the rebel army is in peril.

Of the two largest rebel forces in the world, the Chu Kingdom has concentrated all its main strength, and the Wu Kingdom has also dispatched one-third of its elite troops to participate.

Once defeated, the Chu Kingdom, with its internal defenses hollowed out, will be unable to withstand the imperial army's pace of reclaiming lost territory.

The Wu Kingdom, having suffered losses in troops and generals, will likewise fall into a dangerous predicament.

Even if not annihilated, their strategic space will be compressed.

In a sense, this battle is not only a military gamble but also a political melee.

The outcome of the great battle will directly influence the direction of public sentiment.

If the imperial army wins a great victory, then everyone remains a loyal subject of the court, continuing to struggle for the cause of Great Dayu for the rest of their lives.

If the rebel army wins, then the number of officials and commoners defecting to them will increase tenfold, or even a hundredfold.

The difficulty of capturing cities and seizing territory in the future will decrease sharply.

It might even happen that while the main army is still on the road, people will have already opened their city gates to surrender.

Wuchang City.

As the rebel army continuously closed in, Li Mu, the Regional Commander, was not as nervous and busy as the outside world had speculated.

He went about his daily business as usual.

Aside from routinely monitoring the movements of the rebel army, he made no extra moves, as if he had made up his mind to fight a defensive battle for Wuchang against the rebels.

However, this relaxation was all deliberately staged for the outside world to see.

Inside the army, it was a different scene; every garrison was racing against time to prepare for battle.

To hold the city and wait for the rebel army to attack was simply too passive.

Dragging the rebel army to death was only a choice made out of desperation.

A war of attrition is often a lose-lose situation; even if the rebel army is defeated, it will cause a heavy burden on the court.

Now that Emperor Yongning has delegated power, allowing local yamen to raise their own military pay,

this thorny problem has fallen onto the shoulders of the nobility faction.

Sustained combat would exhaust the local financial and material resources; even if they could defeat the rebel army, they would lack the strength to further reclaim lost territory.

Considering the overall situation, Li Mu could not allow the worst-case scenario to emerge.

A quick battle to force a quick decision was not only the result the rebel army wanted, but also his own goal.

"The rebel army is coming aggressively; the two rebel factions have actually gathered a full six hundred thousand troops. It is truly a grand gesture.

Should I call back the dispatched troops first, and after fighting this war, go to reclaim the lost territory?"

Li Yuan asked with a worried expression.

If it were an ordinary peasant uprising, let alone six hundred thousand, even if it increased several times over, he would not take it to heart.

But the rebels encountered this time had long since completed their primary stage of primitive accumulation, evolving from a peasant uprising to the stage of feudal lords.

They possessed stable base areas, sat upon vast territories, ruled over tens of millions of people, and possessed no weak military production capabilities.

The army had fought all the way from Guangxi to Jiangnan, and those who survived were elites tempered by the flames of war.

This kind of army that had crawled out of a pile of corpses had a combat effectiveness far stronger than the average rebel army.

Among them, the elites were even capable of matching the imperial army.

"Uncle, there is no need to be nervous.

The rebel army is not a monolithic block; the six hundred thousand troops are divided into two factions, making it difficult for them to cooperate closely.

Moreover, this kind of large-scale formation combat is inherently a great test of a commander's ability.

The poor coordination ability of the various units below will further exacerbate the difficulty of the commander's control.

Not everyone can be Han Xin; the rebels bringing so many troops over will inevitably lead to jokes.

To be precise, while on the march, they have already made quite a few jokes."

Li Mu said with confidence.

Encountering so many enemy troops for the first time, he was actually a bit apprehensive in his heart as well.

However, after seeing the intelligence sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he felt that the enemy troops were just so-so, and there was no need to worry too much.

Grain and fodder sent to the wrong camp, making mistakes in positioning while setting up camp, soldiers getting lost and wandering into friendly camps, fighting and brawling triggering fire-fights...

The slow movement of the rebel army was, to a large extent, delayed by internal chaos.

It was not that Wei Jiarui had not tried to solve the problems, but as soon as one problem was solved, a new one would immediately arise.

On the march, he, as the Regional Commander, wasted more than half his time dealing with internal conflicts.

Lax military discipline was the biggest problem of the rebel army.

Even if they were battle-hardened, they still could not cover up the indulgence in their bones.

When the rebel army first raised its banner, they did not restrain military discipline at the first opportunity, and by now, it was already difficult to eradicate.

When the scale was small, these drawbacks were not obvious.

After developing and growing, they became hidden dangers.

Many internal conflicts were triggered by military discipline.

There were so many soldiers in the rebel army, coming from all corners of the country.

During the march, quite a few soldiers passed by their own hometowns and discovered their old homes being ravaged by their colleagues.

If they hadn't encountered it, that would be one thing, but happening to run into it, not intervening would be a disservice to the bloodiness in their bones.

Aside from a few successful communications and coordination, most ended in a fire-fight.

If they were all under the same boss, then strong suppression would suffice, and the responsible parties would be dealt with.

The problem was that the rebel army belonged to the two factions of Wu and Chu, each only able to manage their own troops; the ally's army would not buy it.

One or two conflicts, for the sake of the big picture, could be endured and passed over.

When the number of conflicts increased, the high-ranking officials of both armies were also very annoyed.

In this process, Li Mu's handiwork was naturally indispensable.

Intelligence organizations were not kept for nothing; infiltrating noble clans was not easy, but planting moles into the rebel army was very simple.

Originally it was just a spark of anger, but with a little provocation from secret agents, it entered the stage of fire-fights.

Once a fire-fight occurred, there was only victory or defeat; right and wrong were secondary.

Everyone belonged to different camps, so even if responsibility was pursued, it was their own high-ranking officials who would make the final decision.

Saying they would deal with it seriously, in reality, as long as they won the fire-fight, they would be let off lightly upon returning.

"Caution is never a mistake.

In this battle, not only can the court not afford to lose, but my Li family also cannot afford to lose.

Now countless pairs of eyes outside are watching us; once a crushing defeat is suffered, the consequences will be unimaginable.

If there is no absolute certainty, then hold the city and defend, and slowly wear the rebel army down!"

Li Yuan said with earnest advice.

The illustrious status of two marquises in one family was all piled up by military merit.

Now in this moment of crisis, they must stand up.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.

The Li family has placed a heavy bet on Great Dayu, and now they simply cannot extricate themselves.

Even if the dynasty collapses, they must first find a way to pull it back, to fulfill the righteousness between sovereign and subject.

"Uncle, actually, the most dangerous place right now is not the south, but the northern land.

Having experienced the White Lotus Sect rebellion, many social contradictions in the southern provinces have been released.

One only needs to quell the rebellion to usher in a period of peace.

The northern land is different; internally there are natural and man-made disasters, and externally there is the ravaging of the Hu Ren.

The reforms of the late Emperor's era strengthened control over the localities, temporarily suppressing these contradictions.

But in recent years, natural and man-made disasters have been continuous, and the endurance of the common people is ultimately limited.

Now, only a fuse is needed to ignite the contradictions.

The national treasury is seriously hollowed out; once war breaks out in the north, there will be no money or grain to quell the rebellion.

I worry..."

Halfway through his sentence, Li Mu suddenly chose to shut his mouth.

Some things are better hinted at; there is no need to say them too clearly.

Unlike the southern provinces, as long as the Emperor is willing to delegate power and local officials are willing to fulfill their duties, money and grain can be produced.

Once trouble breaks out in the northern land, it is an unsolvable problem.

Grain yield reduction is the norm; since Emperor Yongning ascended the throne, the north has never had a bumper harvest.

To maintain their livelihood, self-cultivating farmers have been reduced to hired laborers, hired laborers have incurred huge debts to landlords, and the number of bankrupt farmers has been increasing day by day.

The number of mountain bandits and outlaws in various places has been continuously increasing.

"Sigh!"

"These problems, I also know.

The clan has written many times, complaining that the situation in Guanzhong is not good.

I even advised them to unite with the big families in Guanzhong to open the granaries and release grain, to stabilize the situation as much as possible.

The effect was not very ideal; now grain is a precious treasure, and no one is willing to take it out.

The so-called releasing of grain was just taking out some chaff to cope with it.

It can only be said to be better than nothing; one can only hope that next year will be a bumper harvest year, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable."

Li Yuan's answer made Li Mu pause for a brief moment, but he immediately returned to normal.

He could discover the problem; as a big clan in Guanzhong, the Li clan, this local snake, could not possibly have failed to notice it.

Not notifying him was because Li Mu rose too fast and had no dealings with those branches in Guanzhong.

However, such important information must certainly be notified to Li Yuan, the clan leader.

Unfortunately, knowing it is useless; natural disasters in the north are continuous and cannot be reversed by human effort.

"If the disaster situation continues to worsen, the clan's investment in the imperial examinations should be reduced as much as possible; in disaster years, strengthening military preparedness should be the priority.

When necessary, some descendants can be sent south.

Affected by the White Lotus Sect rebellion, the power of the noble clans in the southern provinces has been greatly damaged, which just provides us with an opportunity to intervene.

The Annan people have been provoking at the border; I estimate that it won't be long before they launch an invasion.

If there are no accidents, I, as the Liangguang Provincial Military Commander, will not be able to leave for a while, and I can still look after them a bit."

Li Mu said without changing his expression.

Migration is impossible; the Li family's roots are in Guanzhong, and they will not give them up unless it is a last resort.

Leaving one's hometown makes one cheap; this also applies to noble clans.

Once on someone else's turf, all interpersonal relationships must be re-managed, and the vested interest groups will not welcome outsiders joining to share the cake.

Even with the White Lotus Sect rebellion triggering a reshuffling of forces in the southern provinces, it is not easy to come over and take root.

However, Li Mu was not prepared to let them take a foothold in places where the gentry were strong, but rather to lead these people south to fight.

It is true that the Annan people are provoking at the border, but that is merely a probe.

Moving north to annex Liangguang is just a slogan of the pro-war faction.

As long as Great Dayu does not collapse, they dare not put it into action.

The White Lotus Sect rebellion has lasted so long, and the Annan people have not dispatched troops, which is the best proof.

However, even if they don't start a war, Li Mu must also ignite a great battle.

Avoiding the disputes in the court is one aspect, but the most critical thing is the lack of grain in the northern land.

Judging from the various signs at present, the current Great Dayu Dynasty is about the same as the late Great Ming, both having caught up with the Little Ice Age.

With the continuation of the disaster, the domestic grain gap will become larger and larger.

Purchasing from overseas trade is just a drop in the bucket.

Whether it is the Indochina Peninsula or the Nanyang region, the local productivity is too backward.

Against this background, no matter how the court reforms, it cannot change the predicament of grain shortage.

If the problem cannot be solved internally, then one can only find a way from the outside.

The reasons are all ready-made: quell the Annan rebels and reclaim the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commissioner.

"Annan invasion, that should be impossible, right?

During the early days of the founding of the country, when we went on a southern expedition, the court killed people until heads rolled.

If it weren't for that bunch of corrupt Confucian scholars jumping out to make trouble, it might have been wiped out, and there would be no Annan Kingdom at all.

But this bunch of people is indeed troublesome; once the war breaks out, I'm afraid it will be difficult to quell in a short time.

The court's current situation cannot provide you with any help.

Marquis Wuyang may not necessarily support your southern expedition, unless you serve as the Liangguang Viceroy yourself and preside over the southern expedition."

Li Yuan said with a frown.

It can be seen that he simply does not believe that the Annan people dare to invade.

However, considering the court's pattern after the war, he felt relieved.

Sometimes being too capable of fighting is also a sin.

With the current strength of the nobility group, they are not worried about the rabbit dying and the dog being cooked, but open guns are easy to dodge, while hidden arrows are hard to guard against.

If Li Mu returns to the capital to take office, he might have to go fill the pit of the Liaodong battlefield.

Liaodong has already become a region of autonomous military governors; it cannot be solved simply by changing the Regional Commander.

If internal contradictions cannot be solved, quelling Liaodong is a joke.

Rather than jumping into a pit, it is better to actively ignite a great battle in the south and lead the old troops to clean up the Annan people.

Even if they cannot annihilate Annan, they will not suffer a big loss.

If they are lucky and successfully reclaim the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commissioner, the power of the nobility group will further expand.

By then, even if they cannot suppress the civil officials, I think they will not be much weaker.

Returning to the court again, everything will become different.

"Marquis Wuyang's side is easy to solve; the Annan people have killed their way over, so we can't let the garrison not resist, right?

As long as the fighting starts, I have a way to persuade him to support it.

As for me serving as the Liangguang Viceroy, that bunch of civil officials probably won't agree.

It might even happen that as soon as the rebellion is quelled, they will propose to abolish the Viceroy position."

Li Mu thought for a while and said.

Being able to serve as the Liangguang Viceroy is certainly the best choice.

Unfortunately, this is too difficult.

Three big shots of the nobility faction hold the four great Viceroys, and the most prosperous lands of Great Dayu are all under their control.

The resources represented behind this are too many, which has long made the civil officials unable to sleep.

The current compromise is out of desperation; after the war, they will certainly take action to seize power.

The nobility faction, having just made great contributions, will certainly not let go easily.

For a while, the civil officials will not be able to succeed.

Marquis Wuyang holds two great Viceroys, so he must resign from one, otherwise his power will be too heavy.

Even if it is his own nephew, the Emperor will worry about a powerful minister becoming too big.

If Li Mu is allowed to succeed as the Liangguang Viceroy, then the meat is still in the nobility camp, and the civil officials will certainly not give up.

"Anyway, we have to fight a battle, so what is there to be afraid of.

If we don't strive for it and just let go directly, it will instead make people suspicious.

Strive for it; if we succeed, that's best; if not, then do as you say.

It's just that the Annan invasion cannot wait until after the rebellion is quelled; that would be too deliberate.

After winning the upcoming Wuchang battle, we will immediately arrange it.

It is best to create a reason that the court has to fight, making everyone feel that you were forced to fight.

After the great battle breaks out, Marquis Wuyang and your father-in-law's side should also be coordinated first.

They don't need military merit, but the Jing family and the Zheng family have people who need it, and by the way, pay back the favors owed before."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 331 =====