Chapter 340

In the chaos, the rebel soldiers, whose morale had collapsed, wished their parents had given them two more legs.

One by one, they scrambled to flee for their lives; no matter how the generals shouted, no one paid any attention.

If they encountered someone with an old grudge, they would just slash them with a knife.

Realizing that the overall situation was settled, the high-level rebel officers who had defected to the imperial court stopped pretending and directly took the lead in surrendering to the imperial army.

The demonstration effect was very obvious; a large number of rebel soldiers followed suit, laid down their weapons, and joined the ranks of prisoners of war.

The surrender of units in an organized manner dashed the last hope of the rebel army.

"Marquis, hurry and order a retreat!"

In the Wu army camp, the guard commander advised.

"Retreat?

Where can we retreat to?

The camp is in chaos, and orders cannot even be passed down.

Having lost the great army and fleeing back alone, what face do I have to see His Majesty.

That bastard Wei Wang Weijiarui has really screwed me over this time!"

Yin Yin Mufeng said indignantly.

Thinking about it makes him feel stifled; it was clearly Wei Wang Weijiarui who didn't act like a human, but it ended up implicating him in the misfortune.

Everyone is an ally, and they all improved their meals together.

The human flesh rations were not made by him, but when the matter was exposed, he could only bear the consequences together.

To reduce the impact, he had been working hard to appease the army's morale in the past few days.

Before seeing any results, the enemy army killed their way over.

With the cooperation of traitors, the enemy army successfully killed their way into the camp in one charge.

Before they could organize a counterattack, the troops began to surrender on a large scale, causing the situation to collapse all at once.

"Marquis, as long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood.

If the soldiers are gone, they can be recruited again; there is no shortage of people in the world who want to be soldiers and eat grain.

If we can't go back to Nanjing, then let's go outside and hide for a while.

If we are lucky, we might even be able to gather some stragglers on the way to retreat.

Once the organization is full, we can go back and plead guilty to His Majesty.

This defeat was not our responsibility in the first place.

Once the matter is explained clearly, His Majesty will understand."

The personal guard commander advised diligently.

Other soldiers can run away, but the personal guard camp cannot.

They are too closely connected to the Regional Commander; even if they were lucky enough to escape back, they would still lose their heads.

"Forget it!"

"The guilt lies entirely with me; there's no need for everyone to die with me.

Pass the order down for each unit to break out on their own.

If we escape, we will meet at Jiujiang Prefecture."

Yin Yin Mufeng said in a low tone.

Punishment is a matter for the future.

What needs to be done now is to flee for their lives; only by surviving can they be qualified to be "settled accounts after the autumn."

"As you command!"

"Reclusive masters" were also human and had the same needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

People were just talented, not sick.

Deep in the mountains, nothing was convenient; it was purely looking for suffering.

When even eating was a problem, where would they find the time to study?

"The greatest recluses hide in the court, the middle ones hide in the city, and the lesser ones hide in the wild."

The most formidable people had always been in the court, just keeping a low profile.

However, it was still very feasible to use this to fool a grassroots rebel army.

The frequency of this trope in plays was so high that many people naively believed the most talented sages were hidden in the countryside.

"By your command!"

Seeing that the Prince of Chu had made up his mind, everyone immediately agreed.

Catching the spreaders of "rumors" was too difficult, but prohibiting the spread of "rumors" was very simple.

As for how much effect a single prohibition order would have, that wasn't the point.

The order was issued by the Prince of Chu; they just needed to execute it.

Skipping this sensitive topic and moving on to the next agenda item as quickly as possible to divert the Prince of Chu's attention was the key.

Especially for the group of insiders who had decided to defect, they were even more afraid of causing some trouble at such a sensitive moment.

……

Wuchang City.

"The insiders sent word that they have already spread the news in the camp and are just waiting for it to ferment.

Perhaps I can set a time to coordinate from within and without to seize the opportunity to defeat the enemy."

Li Yuan said in high spirits.

Considering he was accustomed to steady progress and had never engaged in such operations, he was still somewhat indecisive.

The rebel army outside the city had completed its organization and was different from ordinary bandits.

The enemy's strength was several times that of the imperial army; if they really launched an attack, no one could be certain if they could quickly rout the enemy.

If the rebel army withstood the attack, the situation would rapidly reverse.

At that point, the enemy could use their familiar human-wave tactics to engage in a protracted battle with the imperial army.

Even if they won the war in the end, the massive casualty pensions would drag down the local government offices.

"Judging from the enemy's offensive situation, their desire to fight has already dropped significantly.

The strategy of shaking the army's morale is now showing initial results.

To avoid long delays and the rebel army discovering something is wrong, we should directly arrange a decisive battle with them for tomorrow night.

They don't need to do anything else; they just need to find an opportunity to set fires in the camp.

If they can burn down the enemy's grain stores, that would be even more perfect."

Li Mu immediately made a decision.

He didn't have high expectations for the insiders.

If they could spread the news and disrupt the enemy's morale, they would have completed their mission.

For the subsequent major battle, having the insiders' cooperation would be best, but it wouldn't matter if they didn't.

Once morale was lost, the rebel army's combat effectiveness would be seven or eight tenths gone.

"Aren't we waiting for the battle report from the Jiangxi battlefield?"

Li Yuan asked in confusion.

The rebel-suppression army was attacking on multiple fronts, and currently, the Jiangxi battlefield was progressing the most smoothly.

The rebel army's main force was fully committed, leaving their rear empty; it was the best time to recover lost territory.

"The rebel army is courting death itself; now that the timing is ripe, there is no need to wait.

Winning this battle, the rebel armies in Jiangxi and Zhejiang will not be able to hold out for half a year before being wiped out.

Launching the Nanzhili battle after the autumn harvest to recover Yingtian Prefecture will mark the beginning of the end for this great rebellion suppression war!

The other scattered battlefields cannot stir up any big waves.

After a few years of recuperation, the imperial court will be able to recover.

As for the great rebellion suppression war in the Shu region, let Grand Secretary Xu slowly struggle with it!

We cannot do the work too cleanly, lest that group of civil officials develop improper thoughts again.

His Majesty is soft-hearted and easily fooled by others into making wrong decisions."

Li Mu complained without any avoidance.

Don't look at how Emperor Emperor Yongning relies on the meritorious nobility group to suppress the rebellion; the relationship between the two sides is not that close.

If he truly trusted them, he should have vigorously employed the meritorious nobility group at the beginning of the White Lotus Sect rebellion.

In that case, the White Lotus Sect rebellion would have been suppressed long ago and would not have dragged on until now.

"It is best to say less of these things when outside.

Although the current Eastern and Western Depots are not as sharp-nosed as before, they exist after all.

If someone misinterprets your meaning and reports it to His Majesty, it will also be a troublesome matter.

Our enemies are not only on the battlefield but also in the imperial court.

To suppress the rebellion, the civil officials can compromise with us, but once the great war ends, the two sides will again move towards opposition.

Your status is different now; if they get a handle on you, it will be very easy to become the fuse that ignites the conflict between civil and military officials."

Li Yuan reminded him tactfully.

Status and position are different, and the treatment received is also different.

To the Li clan, Li Mu has already changed from a stock with potential to a pillar of the clan.

Two Marquises in one family is the glory on the surface; the true substance is controlling the most troops in Great Great Dayu.

The victory on the Jiangxi battlefield proves that the Guangdong garrison troops also possess impressive combat effectiveness.

If the situation in Among Guangxi is the same, the number of battle-ready soldiers under Li Mu's command reaches over two hundred thousand.

In front of this force, the arrogant Liaodong Garrison is just a younger brother.

"Uncle is right; these words indeed cannot be spoken recklessly.

However, I am afraid we cannot avoid the new round of civil-military conflict.

Currently, in the seven provinces, it is our meritorious nobility faction that serves as Viceroys.

This is the merit everyone snatched from the battlefield; naturally, it is impossible to give it up easily.

I don't expect to occupy the position forever, but the imperial court must provide some compensation.

For example: breaking the restriction on military generals serving as local Viceroys and Provincial Governors, and arranging for our people to become successors."

Li Mu said with a serious face.

Being in the imperial court, one is not the master of one's own actions.

Even if he doesn't want to fight for power and profit, once he reaches this position, he must stand up and fight for the interests of the military.

Whether it succeeds is not important; the key is to strike a pose and express one's own stance.

In essence, this is done for the generals below to see, which can be considered a disguised way of buying military morale.

"I am afraid this won't work; the imperial court will not compromise on this.

If it is really brought up, the civil officials over there will likely go crazy, and His Majesty will also oppose it.

Our strength is not enough to change the imperial court's decision-making."

Li Yuan shook his head and said.

Lifting the restrictions is equivalent to removing the ceiling for military generals' promotion.

Once this good precedent is set, the practice of civil officials controlling military generals will cease to exist.

The practice of valuing civil officials over military ones will naturally also become history.

"Uncle, I never expected to succeed in the first place.

Having made great battle achievements in suppressing the rebellion, if we don't ask for anything, His Majesty will not be at ease.

Once these demands are rejected by the imperial court, it will be much easier to propose other conditions.

We don't need to charge into battle directly for this matter; we just need to arrange for people below to submit memorials to express our stance.

It is mainly because the imperial court is too poor to even pay the pensions, let alone reward the meritorious officials generously."

Li Mu said with worry.

Having no more titles to confer and no more rewards to give is a great taboo in officialdom.

Usually, when this happens, what follows is the emperor's butcher knife.

Under normal circumstances, the imperial court should not destroy its own Great Wall now.

But in the late years of a dynasty, what appears most often is abnormal operation.

Li Mu dare not guarantee whether Emperor Emperor Yongning will do something stupid after being fooled by the civil officials.

The best way to avoid tragedy is naturally to shift everyone's attention from conferring titles on meritorious officials to power struggles.

"Arrange for people to test the waters; mastering the initiative is fine, but you must not rush to take the lead.

Our Li family has been loyal for generations; we must never..."

Li Mu naturally agreed to his uncle's instructions.

Accumulating strength is to protect oneself in troubled times.

Unless forced into a corner, who would be foolish enough to raise a flag and rebel.

No matter how many trusted subordinates there are, in the final analysis, they were built under the Great Great Dayu system.

The core that maintains the team's operation is still the traditional "loyalty and righteousness."

……

Rebel army camp.

Ever since the news of human flesh rations spread, there hasn't been a single stew of meat in the camp.

The explanation given to the outside is that the meat supply has been exhausted, and the next time they want to improve their meals, they can only wait for the arrival of a new batch of military rations.

This explanation appeased the army's morale to a certain extent.

Unlimited meat supply is 100% problematic; intermittent supply is the norm.

However, loopholes still exist; the soldiers guarding the grain depot all know that there is still a large amount of dried meat stockpiled in the warehouse.

Even if the higher-ups issued a gag order, it couldn't stop everyone's gossiping heart.

No matter how strict the management in the camp is, it cannot stop people from slacking off during the execution process, allowing the news to spread in the camp.

As the news continued to spread, various versions of rumors also spread in the army.

After confirming the human flesh rations, many people were guessing the source of the human flesh.

Some guessed it was the corpses of enemy soldiers, some guessed it was fallen comrades-in-arms, and others thought it was someone in the rear slaughtering cities to make military rations...

No one wants to be eaten after death, and even less do they want their own family members to become food on the plate; for a time, the camp was filled with panic.

A mutiny even occurred at one point, but it was quickly suppressed by the personal guards of the military generals.

The direct consequence was that everyone slacked off in the siege battles, and there was no morale for daily patrols.

Especially the high-risk scouts, who would decisively find a place to hide after leaving the generals' sight.

When the time was about right, they would go back to report.

If asked, they would say: No situation, everything is normal.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The sound of muskets tore through the silent midnight.

"Enemy attack!"

After the battle started, the soldiers on night duty finally issued a warning.

However, what they received was not reinforcements, but the raging flames rising in the camp.

Those who turned back to the imperial court took advantage of the chaos to start artillery fire in the camp, and for a time, the sky was filled with firelight.

The chaotic scene ignited the contradictions within the rebel army.

After someone took the lead in provoking a conflict, soldiers who had old grudges quickly started killing each other.

No matter how sternly the generals scolded, they could not stop the chaos from spreading.

The camp that had been painstakingly built was quickly torn apart by the imperial army in the chaos, and the great battle soon spread to the inner camp.

"What happened outside?"

Wei Wang Weijiarui, who had just woken up from his sleep, asked in a daze.

"Your Highness, the enemy army has raided the camp!

There are spies from the pseudo-dynasty in the camp who are taking advantage of the chaos to set fires and create confusion.

Now it's a mess outside; please think of a way, Your Highness?"

The guard commander said in panic.

The chaos came too suddenly, giving them no time to react at all.

In the panic, many soldiers who had lost all morale ran around in the camp.

Many generals couldn't even find their own troops.

Hearing "pseudo-dynasty raiding the camp," Wei Wang Weijiarui's face suddenly turned gloomy.

Li Mu's troops are good at night raids, which has never been a secret in the rebel army.

To prevent enemy night raids, he not only reinforced the camp's defenses but also scattered scouts all around.

Even in the middle of the night, there were people specifically responsible for watching the enemy army.

Under normal circumstances, as long as the enemy army moved, the news would be sent back immediately.

The scene before his eyes was clearly different from what he had expected.

The enemy army had already reached the camp gate before the garrison received a warning.

Before everyone could get up from their sleep, the flames of war had already burned into the camp.

"Hurry..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Wang Weijiarui suddenly realized something was wrong; his own tent was actually burning too.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wei Wang Weijiarui quickly put on his clothes and ran out of the tent.

Looking around, the entire camp was a huge sea of fire.

Screams mixed with the sound of guns and cannons echoed through the sky.

"Your Highness, the situation is chaotic now, and there are enemy troops everywhere outside.

Why don't we take advantage of the night to cover your breakout!"

The personal guard commander said in panic.

"No!"

"I cannot go anywhere now!"

"Pass the order to the generals of each unit, telling them to organize troops to meet the enemy on one hand, and arrange for people to put out the fire on the other!"

Wei Wang Weijiarui refused with a firm tone.

He had already fled many times; this time he could not run again.

Once he left, the foundation he had accumulated previously would be destroyed in one fell swoop.

Suddenly, a strong southwest wind blew.

The camp, which had already become a sea of fire, burned even more vigorously after the wind helped the fire.

Many tents that had not yet burned were now ignited by the sparks drifting over, and the fire continued to spread.

"Heaven's punishment!"

"The Prince of Chu is immoral and has brought down Heaven's punishment.

Continuing to follow the Prince of Chu in rebellion will inevitably be punished by Heaven..."

The shouts that rang out in the camp became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The rebel generals who were still organizing resistance, seeing this scene, suddenly lost their courage.

(End of chapter)

The once-raging anti-Great Dayu wave suffered a head-on blow, and the situation in the southeast took a sharp turn for the worse.

In the future, the rebel army in the south will have to rely on them to hold on alone.

The urgent task is to prepare for the aftermath quickly, otherwise, if the imperial army takes advantage of the situation to take Jiangxi and Zhejiang, they will be completely passive strategically.

"Trash!"

"All of them are trash!"

"I am ashamed to be mentioned in the same breath as that fool Wei Wang Weijiarui!"

"Forget it!"

"Since the matter has already happened, let's prepare for the aftermath.

My dear ministers, do you have any brilliant strategies to teach me?"

After a burst of venting, Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan asked while suppressing his displeasure.

(End of chapter)