Chapter 341

"Your Majesty, after the great defeat at Wuchang, the State of Chu is finished.

Even if the Prince of Chu luckily escapes, he will at most linger on for a few more days.

After the destruction of the State of Chu, the next target of the imperial army's attack will inevitably be us.

The current plan can only be to expand the army and prepare for war to cope with the upcoming changes.

Once the war starts, the consumption of all strategic materials will inevitably increase greatly.

The original plan to exchange grain for warhorses can now only be called off together."

Left Chancellor Dou Qiu Ruiyu was the first to state his position.

Calling off the warhorse trade is equivalent to terminating the plan to organize and train cavalry.

The manpower, financial, and material resources invested in the early stage cannot be said to be entirely wasted, but at least most of the investment has gone down the drain.

Knowing that the losses are heavy, the State of Wu has no choice now.

The failure of the Wuchang battle not only caused them to lose troops and generals, but the Huangzhou and De'an Prefectures under their rule will inevitably be lost.

Next, Jiujiang Prefecture will become the front line again.

Several prefectures in the north have long since become battlefields.

The financial and material resources that the State of Wu can mobilize will inevitably decrease significantly.

Once the war starts, the consumption of various strategic materials will increase sharply.

Other things can be less, but grain cannot be lacking.

"Hmm!"

"The Chancellor's words are reasonable; everything comes second to the war.

Not only is the grain-for-horses plan suspended, but palace maintenance is also stopped.

From now on, the supply of various materials in the imperial palace will be reduced by 20%, and those that are costly will be canceled directly."

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said, following the advice.

Having fought his way out of troubled times, he knows very well the difference between temporary wealth and lifelong wealth.

In this critical autumn of survival, as an emperor, he must take the lead in setting an example so that those below will do their best.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The ministers shouted in unison.

After entering Nanjing, the high-level rebel army inevitably moved towards arrogance and extravagance.

As the emperor, Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan even equipped himself with a full set of three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines in one go.

It's not that he is lecherous; in troubled times, marriage is also an important means to stabilize the local area.

Having killed too ruthlessly in the early stage, the gentry were all scared away when they heard the name of the rebel army.

However, no matter how fast they could run, only the direct descendants left; there were always collateral branches left behind.

Under the suggestion of his subordinates, Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan forcibly took women from the collateral branches of these families as concubines.

Winning over people's hearts is one aspect, but alienating the relationship between Great Great Dayu and the Jiangnan gentry is the main purpose.

The means are a bit despicable, but the effect is good.

The imperial court of Great Great Dayu is full of internal strife; hearing that the relatives of political enemies are marrying rebels, how could they give up the opportunity delivered to their door?

Regardless of whether they were forced or not, impeach them first.

"Your Majesty, since the defeat of the State of Chu is a foregone conclusion, there is no need for us to maintain restraint on the southern front.

Instead of letting them throw these lands to the pseudo-dynasty, it is better to let our people take over, which is more conducive to the great cause of opposing Great Dayu."

Minister of Rites Hu Hu Yuzhe stepped forward and proposed.

After the establishment of the State of Wu, the territory did not continue to grow, largely due to the Wu-Chu alliance.

Now that the State of Chu is cold, the alliance has also lost its validity; this is the best time to expand to the south.

Taking over the territory of the State of Chu in Jiangxi and Zhejiang will greatly increase the strategic space of the State of Wu.

Integrating these territories, the State of Wu will be enough to compete head-on with the broken Great Great Dayu in terms of financial and material resources.

"Minister Hu, is this not good?

After all, they are allies; attacking the State of Chu, wouldn't it make the people of the world laugh if it spread out."

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said, appearing somewhat hesitant.

When he was a roving bandit, it didn't matter if he did this kind of thing.

Now that he is an emperor, he needs to pay attention to his face.

"Your Majesty, naturally we cannot attack our allies.

It's just that the State of Chu's defeat this time was mainly caused by traitors colluding with the enemy.

To save the State of Chu, we must first eliminate the traitors.

I propose to send eloquent people to visit the State of Chu to lobby the generals of all routes to establish a deeper anti-Great Dayu alliance.

If anyone refuses, then they must be traitors planted in the State of Chu by the pseudo-dynasty, and they must be eliminated with thunderous means!"

Hu Hu Yuzhe said righteously.

No matter how good it sounds, in essence, it is still kicking an ally when they are down.

The emperor cannot carry this pot; only the ministers can carry it.

After the large-scale defection of Chu officials to the enemy, the State of Wu was also affected.

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan did not express it on the surface, but he increased his vigilance in secret.

Especially officials who had connections with Great Great Dayu became key objects of monitoring.

As a surrendered official, although Hu Hu Yuzhe had the merit of offering the city, he still could not avoid being suspected.

"Minister Hu's words are reasonable; let this matter be handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War in coordination."

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan immediately made a decision.

He had long been coveting the territory of the State of Chu.

It was just that he was constrained by the alliance and never had the opportunity to take action.

Now that the State of Chu has been defeated and destroyed, and the ministers below have helped find a reason to send troops, there is no need to hesitate.

……

Wuchang City.

"Uncle, it seems we can only stop the advance."

Looking at the gathered battle reports, Li Mu said helplessly.

Earlier, in order to defeat the enemy, he had the insiders burn the rebel army's grain depot.

The effect was very obvious; it did indeed disintegrate the rebel army's morale and successfully defeated the enemy army.

It was precisely because the enemy army's morale was scattered that the imperial army captured a large number of prisoners.

According to incomplete statistics, the number of prisoners of war captured in the Wuchang battle exceeded 350,000.

This number is still continuing to increase.

Adding the more than 100,000 prisoners captured in the early stage, just recovering the land of Huguang, they captured more than 500,000 prisoners.

Prisoners of war also need to eat.

The rebel army in the Wuchang battle was short of grain itself, so naturally, not much grain could be captured on the battlefield.

Adding so many mouths all at once brought heavy pressure to the imperial army's logistics.

If they continued to fight, they would be dragged down by their own logistics before being defeated by the enemy army.

"Alas!"

"It's a pity for this once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity!"

Li Yuan sighed and said.

As the Viceroy of Huguang, he is also clear about how great the logistical pressure on the army is.

Although Huguang has been recovered by the imperial army, it has just experienced the flames of war and cannot collect much grain in a short time.

The army's consumption mainly relies on the supplies provided by the three provinces of Guangdong, Among Guangxi, and Fujian.

It just so happens that the grain production of these three provinces is very limited.

Being able to support it until now is a miracle in itself.

"It's not a pity; we have stopped here, but the other routes of the rebellion-suppression army have not stopped.

Before the Fu rebels send troops, they should be able to seize quite a bit of territory.

Having recovered so much territory in one breath, it is time to stop and slow down.

If you need these prisoners, you can leave a portion in Huguang for military reclamation.

I plan to exile the rest to guard the borders according to the Great Great Dayu law to strengthen the defense of the southern borders."

Li Mu said, smuggling private goods with a straight face.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, it is certainly better to reclaim fields directly in Huguang, as the output is greater.

It's just that Huguang is located in the hinterland of Great Great Dayu and is the granary of the world, gathering the attention of the entire court and the public.

It is impossible to learn from the previous practice in Guangdong and Among Guangxi of wantonly enclosing ownerless land to serve as military fields.

Even if he withstands the pressure to operate it, he will be countered later.

Having no time to engage in internal strife in the country, Li Mu simply sent the people away.

After a period of labor reform, the unstable factors inside are removed, and the remaining people are all excellent labor.

Great Great Dayu lost Annan largely because the number of local Han people was insufficient.

In the early years of the founding of the country, the domestic population was small, and there was no way to carry out large-scale immigration.

Not forgetting the past is the teacher of the future; Li Mu naturally wants to learn from the lessons of the same mistake.

The development of the Indochina Peninsula is limited, and people are not willing to go for normal immigration.

Exiling rebels does not require willingness.

"Are you really determined to manage Annan?"

Li Yuan asked with a frown.

Among the many vassal states of Great Great Dayu, Annan is undoubtedly the most special one.

This thing can be independent from the Jiaozhi Administration Commission; besides the party strife in the court, their own strength cannot be underestimated.

With more than 300,000 troops, it is absolutely a behemoth in Southeast Asia.

If the progress is smooth, that's fine; if they accidentally fall into a quagmire, it will become a dark history of their military career.

"Uncle, your nephew wants to leave his name in history!"

Li Mu answered cautiously.

This reason is the most unassailable.

Don't look at how fiercely they are fighting in the country; in the end, it is suppressing a rebellion, and the historical evaluation is destined not to be too high.

Being able to leave a name and open a separate page for recording is already giving face to that group of civil officials.

It is estimated that the content recording the Jinan victory is more than the content of suppressing the rebel army.

It is not targeted retaliation; it is mainly because internal chaos belongs to dark history and must be recorded with the Spring and Autumn style.

If Annan is destroyed and the Jiaozhi Administration Commission is rebuilt, it will be different.

Losing the Jiaozhi Administration Commission has always been regarded as a shame by Great Great Dayu.

In the late Emperor's reign, they were prepared to send troops to recover Annan, but in the end, they were limited by financial resources and could not take action.

This kind of war of destruction with the nature of washing away shame is the most praised.

"I knew you young people wouldn't be at peace.

It's fine to go to the south to struggle now, so as not to wander around in the imperial court and get in people's eyes.

However, you must evaluate the risks involved yourself.

If you are not sure, just fight a few symbolic battles to ensure that Among Guangxi is not lost.

Annan's climate is harsh, and it is a poor and remote place; whether it can be taken back is not important."

Li Yuan said earnestly.

Sometimes it is also a trouble for the younger generation to be too capable.

Military generals like Li Mu, who are young and have made great battle achievements, are the most feared.

Referring to historical experience, returning to the capital to participate in the imperial court's disputes will either lead to an early death in internal strife or a rebellion against the trend.

This is not a question of whether there is ambition, but that the situation is forcing them to move upward.

Once the emperor develops a murderous heart, and they don't want to sit and wait for death, they can only rise up and fight back.

In a clan society, one loses everything, and one gains everything.

Li Mu is involved in it, and the entire Li clan will also be passively involved.

No matter what the outcome is, it is not what Li Yuan wants to see.

"Uncle, you are wrong about this.

Annan is not only not poor, but also very wealthy.

According to the information collected, there are multiple plains in Annan, but that group of Annan people won't develop them.

In my opinion, the current Annan is the Jiangnan of a thousand years ago.

Once developed, it is enough to feed tens of millions of people.

The Annan people have already laid the foundation for us, and the difficulty of subsequent development will drop a lot."

Li Mu said with a smile.

To gain the support of the clan, some information still needs to be revealed.

Rebuilding a Jiangnan, the benefits in this are not generally large.

As long as it is confirmed that the news is true, those conservative scholar-officials will instantly become radical main-war factions.

"Are you sure it's true?"

Li Yuan said in shock.

If it were another Jiangnan, then it could not be given up.

Guanzhong has constant natural and man-made disasters and may become a battlefield at any time.

Staying in place to develop will sooner or later lead to involvement in war.

For the sake of family inheritance, the migration of clansmen is inevitable.

However, good places are all owned by others; no matter where they go, they will be resisted as strong dragons.

Originally, I wanted to disperse the clansmen to Guangdong and Among Guangxi for development, relying on the care of the official side, and establishing a foothold would not be a difficult task.

Now that there is suddenly a better choice, there is no need to fight for territory with the local snakes.

Eating alone is unrealistic, but seizing the opportunity is very necessary.

"Uncle, I wouldn't dare to speak recklessly without complete certainty about such things.

However, developing Annan requires a certain amount of time, and it is difficult to see results without decades of operation.

If you want to develop to the level of Jiangnan, it will take hundreds of years."

Li Mu answered conservatively.

To gain trust, the words spoken must be within the other party's range of cognition.

"If Jiaozhi is really that wealthy, then you can use the information gap to seek to guard the Jiaozhi Administration Commission for generations.

It just so happens that those civil officials want to weaken our meritorious nobility group.

Find an opportunity to push it from behind, and they will propose it themselves.

Recovering the Jiaozhi Administration Commission requires a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial investment.

The support the family can provide is just a drop in the bucket.

I will strive to stay in the position of Viceroy of Huguang for two more years to transport supplies for you.

As for the captured prisoners, together with their families, they will be exiled to Lingnan to serve in the army.

All prisoners of war in subsequent rebellion-suppression wars will also be handled this way.

The conditions are not ripe now, so don't execute it temporarily; wait until you invade Annan before exiling them there.

I will coordinate this matter with the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang.

As a price, you and I will give up all subsequent rebellion-suppression battle merits."

Li Yuan's speed of changing his face startled Li Mu.

Earlier he was still saying Annan, now it immediately becomes Jiaozhi, completely intending to eat it clean.

To help him complete the plan, he even didn't hesitate to exile millions of people.

It can be seen that the temptation of fertile land to traditional scholar-officials is unparalleled.

"Guarding the Jiaozhi Administration Commission for generations is indeed a good choice.

Uncle, rest assured, your nephew will not let you down.

The King of Annan passed away, and the new king has just succeeded to the throne; according to convention, he will request a state letter of investiture from the imperial court.

The new King of Annan is arrogant and will inevitably provoke His Majesty in the state letter.

The imperial court will not agree to their unreasonable demands; it is estimated that it won't be long before the Annan people send troops to violate the borders."

Li Mu immediately made arrangements for the new King of Annan.

Regardless of what is written in their state letter, the state letter sent to the capital will definitely slap Emperor Emperor Yongning hard in the face.

Just verbal provocation will at most make the emperor and the ministers angry.

At this time, the imperial court will certainly not launch a great war.

But if the news of Annan's invasion comes again, then even if the imperial court doesn't want to fight this battle, it can only passively order the dispatch of troops.

In essence, the provocation of the state letter is just to make the imperial court believe that the Annan people will invade Among Guangxi.

……

(End of chapter)