Chapter 334: Strategic Layout

"General Yu, you are most familiar with the situation in Ganzhou.

The puppet court's main force is all in Huguang, and the elite troops left in Guangdong are only one garrison.

If you are allowed to lead the troops, do you have the confidence to take back Ganzhou Prefecture from the enemy?"

Hearing the Prince of Chu name him, Yu Dadan knew that something bad was about to happen.

Having "Bold" in his name doesn't mean he is really bold.

Ganzhou Prefecture falling so quickly is essentially because when defending the city last time, too many wicked things were done, forming a blood feud with the local military and civilians.

Someone else leading troops to reclaim Ganzhou Prefecture might still have a few chances.

Changing to him leading troops over, I estimate that the Ganzhou military and civilians who surrendered to the imperial army would turn into elites, becoming a sharp blade stabbing at the Chu Kingdom.

"Prince, the last general is incompetent and difficult to take on this great responsibility!"

Yu Dadan decisively refused.

Anything can be done, but the errand of sending one's life cannot be accepted.

Not to mention reclaiming Ganzhou Prefecture, even defending other prefectures in Jiangxi, he has no confidence.

The reason is very simple: the Great Dayu court is indeed scraping the people, but the rebel army is no better.

Especially after the Huguang war broke out, the heavy corvee task became a mountain, pressing the Jiangxi people until they couldn't breathe.

If the war continues, it is inevitable that they will have to increase taxes on the people.

They started by rebelling, so they naturally know that doing so has serious hidden dangers.

But some things, even if they know it is drinking poison to quench thirst, must be done.

In this regard, the situation of the rebel army and the Great Dayu court actually has no difference.

Wanting to kill the enemy requires launching a war, and launching a war requires increasing taxes on the people.

The only slightly better thing about the Chu Kingdom is its finance; the wealth looted in the early stage has not been exhausted, and the government can operate normally.

However, in troubled times, having money is not as good as having grain.

The destructive power of the rebel army is far greater than its construction ability.

Affected by the war, agricultural production under its rule has been seriously damaged.

The promise of equalizing land has always been a political slogan from beginning to end.

The result of rebelling is nothing more than the land in the hands of the gentry falling into the hands of the rebel merit group.

The scholars who joined later also shared a piece of the cake.

The land that has not been allocated temporarily belongs to the state, or rather, Wang Weijiarui's private property.

It's not that no one has raised the problem, but those who raised the problem have disappeared from the Chu Kingdom court.

The peasant uprising army that was afraid of poverty since childhood, after the rebellion succeeded, only wanted to seize more interests.

From top to bottom, they were reluctant to share the cake.

"General Yu, now is not the time for modesty.

Eating the monarch's salary, worry for the monarch.

Now in this moment of crisis, how can one flee before the battle!"

Minister of War Fang Kecheng opened his mouth to warn.

The Chu Kingdom is not short of fierce generals, it's just that I don't know if they have encountered a curse; the fierce generals recognized by them internally basically die very quickly.

Whether it is the Ganzhou defending general, or the Yongzhou defending general, Changsha defending general, Wuchang defending general before, they are all outstanding figures in the Chu army.

Just pull one out, and in the process of the Chu Kingdom's establishment, they all made illustrious military contributions.

It is precisely because of their strong ability that they were sent out by the Prince of Chu to guard the key points.

Now these people are all dead, and the remaining big generals play an important role in the Wuchang battle and cannot be easily mobilized.

The most suitable candidate is Yu Dadan.

Not only is he familiar with the situation in Ganzhou, but he also has impressive battle records, having successively annihilated no less than twenty thousand imperial troops.

"Lord Fang, don't slander this general!

This general refuses, that is being responsible for the country and society of the Chu Kingdom.

I, Yu Dadan, was brought out by the Prince of Chu, and the Prince knows my personality best.

If I can do it, I can do it; if I can't do it, I can't do it; the last general never tells lies.

From raising the banner to now, at most, I have led ten thousand troops.

Even leading ten thousand troops, the last general found it strenuous.

With this little ability of mine, at most I can command a few thousand troops; any more and problems will arise.

To save the situation in Jiangxi and reclaim Ganzhou Prefecture, it cannot be completed without tens of thousands of elites.

Plus auxiliary troops and laborers, I'm afraid it will exceed one hundred thousand.

With so many people, the last general can't even count them, how can I command them to fight?"

Yu Dadan retorted unceremoniously.

He looked down on these empty-talking literati the most; if it weren't for the wrong occasion, he would have liked to give Fang Kecheng a fat beating immediately.

The scene before him made Wang Weijiarui very embarrassed.

Yu Dadan's words, although unpleasant to hear, basically stated the facts.

The more troops, the higher the requirement for the commander's ability.

Leading fifty thousand troops this time to launch the Wuchang battle, he himself felt the pressure.

From the expedition to now, the chaos caused internally has never stopped.

Clearly occupying the troop advantage, on the local battlefield, they still often suffer losses.

Back and forth, tens of thousands of troops were lost, and the imperial troops annihilated probably couldn't even make up the number of one thousand.

A big ship is hard to turn.

Almost every military adjustment was one step slower than the imperial army.

Every few days, they were taken advantage of by the enemy army.

Viewed separately, the loss each time was not large, but they couldn't stand it happening every day.

The Chu Kingdom's elites were all on the Huguang front line, and the troops left in Jiangxi were mostly old and weak, among which the most capable of fighting was the Ganzhou defending army, and now the people were gone.

Even if they don't reclaim Ganzhou, just maintaining the status quo is also very thorny.

Unless the Wuchang front line wins a great victory quickly, whoever goes to the rear to preside over the overall situation will end up losing cities and territory, it's just a matter of how much is lost.

"The situation in Jiangxi is indeed very dangerous.

Forget it, draw fifty thousand troops from the front line to return to aid Jiangxi.

Then draw troops from various prefectures to organize a force of one hundred thousand, striving to drive the enemy army out of Jiangxi.

If it cannot be done, then prioritize keeping other prefectures in Jiangxi.

Gentlemen, is there anyone willing to share the worries for me?"

Increased support, while lowering the task requirements.

The originally hot errand suddenly became a fragrant bun.

Reclaiming Ganzhou Prefecture has difficulty, but just defending the city, the pressure suddenly becomes much smaller.

Returning to Jiangxi from the front line still takes time, and the loss of cities and territory during this period also doesn't need to be responsible.

The imperial army's troop strength is limited; after the battle line is stretched, the offensive will also gradually slow down.

Seeing a group of colleagues eager to try, Yu Dadan turned his head directly, coming to a case of out of sight, out of mind.

Just now, in order to shirk the bitter errand, he refused too thoroughly, and now he couldn't come out to compete.

"Prince, the last general is willing to lead troops to defend the Jiangxi land!"

Wei Jialiang jumped out first.

The Wuchang battle is not easy to fight; facing a strong enemy like Li Mu, he has no confidence in winning at all.

Since there is no harvest here, try another battlefield.

The puppet court has so many generals, but there is only one Li Mu.

Avoid this strongest one; no matter who you meet, it counts as earning.

"Good!"

"Since the third brother actively requests to lead the expedition, then the task of returning to aid Jiangxi is handed over to you."

Seeing his own brother come out to take the task, Wang Weijiarui revealed a satisfied smile.

Guarding the rear not only requires ability but also loyalty.

Not giving full support from the start was not because he didn't know the situation was severe, but mainly because he was worried about his subordinates becoming too big.

Holding one hundred thousand troops, controlling Jiangxi's defense, and also controlling the logistics of the main army on the front line, the hidden danger is really too big.

If there is ambition, it is entirely possible to break away from him and stand on his own.

By the standard of the rebel army, a million laborers is a million soldiers.

"Prince, the last general has one small request, hoping you can send Duan Shengde, Lord Duan, to my command."

Wei Jialiang said with some hesitation.

After the Ganzhou battle, Duan Shengde harvested the reputation of "poisonous scholar of the generation."

Although the contribution was great, he was not reused.

It was not that Wang Weijiarui didn't value talent, but mainly because Duan Shengde's behavior was seriously inconsistent with the values of the scholar-official group and was rejected by a group of civil officials.

No matter how strong the personal ability is, and no matter how good the plan is, it always needs someone to implement it.

After being boycotted by all officials, the affairs Duan Shengde was responsible for were all messed up.

His own ability was not strong enough to suppress all officials.

After experiencing setbacks in succession, he was left idle.

"This matter I agree to, but third brother, use this person with caution!"

Wang Weijiarui reminded earnestly.

Honestly speaking, he was really afraid that after leaving his sight, Wei Jialiang and Duan Shengde would make some trouble together.

Winning the hearts of the people doesn't necessarily mean winning the world, but causing the wrath of heaven and people certainly won't seize the world.

Wuchang City.

The imperial army's victory report had to go around Guangdong, and the time it arrived at the front line was three days later than the rebel army receiving the news.

"The truth of the rebel army's movement has been figured out.

Zhang Ning reclaimed Ganzhou Prefecture and is currently launching an attack on Jian'an Prefecture; the Jiangxi region is unstable.

In order to stabilize the rear, Wei the Rebel chose to draw troops from the front line.

The Jiangxi battlefield has undergone changes, which made him rush to split troops; if the Zhejiang battlefield undergoes changes again, it will be even more lively.

Looking at the head but not the buttocks, there will be fun to watch next!"

Li Mu joked with the battle report in his hand.

The victory came too timely; Wei the Rebel's splitting of troops, in his view, was a proper losing move.

The Jiangxi battlefield is certainly important, but more important is the Wuchang battle.

The main forces of both sides are pressing on the front line, and the rebel army simply cannot afford to lose.

No matter how dangerous the rear is, they must win the decisive battle first.

Splitting troops now is equivalent to telling the soldiers below that there is a problem in the rear old nest.

Other soldiers cannot be guaranteed, but the morale of the Jiangxi-born soldiers will certainly be affected.

The great decisive battle has not yet started, and the total troop strength of the rebel army has dropped from sixty thousand to fifty thousand.

The scale of victory has already begun to tilt toward the imperial army.

"Wei the Rebel split troops, his allies cannot have no thoughts.

Originally there were gaps, and now the contradictions have deepened by one part.

The strength of the rebel army has been further weakened; should we move?"

Seeing his own nephew's micro-operation fighting method, Li Yuan's courage also grew.

Small-scale counterattacks indeed have high cost-effectiveness, but the efficiency is too low.

Although Emperor Yongning did not directly issue an imperial decree for them to launch a decisive battle immediately, the urgency in the letters could still be felt.

The Emperor lowered his posture, putting great pressure on him as a minister.

"Uncle, it's still too early.

At least wait for the imperial army in Henan and Shandong to move; that is the best time for a decisive battle.

Just wait and see; there is still fun to watch on the Jiangxi battlefield.

I have already ordered the various garrisons in Guangzhou to draw fifty thousand main force troops to participate in the war together.

The twenty thousand surrendered soldiers in Ganzhou can actually also be utilized.

The rebel army has conducted military training on them, and it is said that their combat effectiveness ranks high in Wei the Rebel's rebel army.

All added together, the troop strength we can utilize in Jiangxi is a full eighty thousand plus.

Taking advantage of the enemy's reinforcements not yet arriving, it is just right to make a big noise.

If the speed is fast enough, we can directly push the battle line to the Nanchang line.

Half of Jiangxi falls, the rebel army's logistics will inevitably have problems, and Wei the Rebel will certainly not be able to sit still.

Rather than actively going out to seek battle opportunities for a decisive battle, it is better to force the rebels to launch a great decisive battle against us!"

Li Mu explained calmly.

This battle, the main battlefield was fought too plainly.

The soul-stirring great battles all happened outside the main battlefield.

It was not that Li Mu was not active in seeking battle, mainly for the sake of strategic layout.

Henan and Shandong imperial troops marching south, plus the imperial troops occupying Songjiang Prefecture, formed a strategic pincer attack on Fu the Rebel.

The ignition of the Jiangxi and Zhejiang battlefields made Wei the Rebel face enemies from both front and back.

Tactical victory can only severely damage the enemy army.

Strategic victory can quickly annihilate the rebel army.

From raising the banner in Guangxi to now, the great battle has lasted for more than three years, causing too much damage to the southeastern provinces.

Although there has been no specific statistics, Li Mu can be sure that the personnel loss caused by this rebellion absolutely exceeds twenty million.

Only a few were directly killed in battle, and more people died of illness or hunger on the road of fleeing.

If it continues to drag on, the southeastern provinces will be beaten to waste.

In order to quell the rebellion as soon as possible, he must speed up.

"If the rebel army knew your thoughts, I'm afraid they would turn around and run directly.

Everything is arranged; in the upcoming great battle, that bunch of rebels will probably be in a hurry.

However, besides the battlefield, you should also care more about the court politics.

We are not ordinary military generals; as the core of the nobility faction, we must always pay attention to the changes in the court's political situation.

In order to raise military expenses, the court was forced to restart the donation system of the previous dynasty.

From the lowest Rank Nine to Rank Three big officials, all were taken out and marked with prices.

Although what was granted was only a nominal position, as long as this head was opened, what would happen later, no one could guarantee.

How short of money the court is, you know.

If this situation continues, letting people enter officialdom and take office through donations is only a matter of time.

I am afraid that one day in the future, as long as they are willing to spend money, merchants can also appear in the court and hold power.

It is simply a huge joke in the world!"

Speaking to the back, Li Yuan also became indignant.

Civil officials are certainly annoying, but people also tested out.

Even if there is a nepotism relationship in the middle, but those who can kill out from the examination field, the talent will absolutely not be too low.

These people can lead the court together with them, these nobility, he can accept it.

But those merchants, just because they have money, want to enter the court and share power, which crossed his bottom line.

"Uncle is right; letting merchants enter the court as officials is absolutely harmful to the country and the people.

If this continues, the country will inevitably not be a country.

I think the lords in the court also considered this point, so they made restrictions on donations.

Once the situation improves, this evil policy will be abolished by the Emperor."

Li Mu followed the trend and agreed.

For a regime, the most important thing is fiscal revenue.

Great Dayu's problem is that it cannot collect enough tax with normal means.

In order to raise money, it can only think of crooked tricks.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 335 =====