Chapter 349: Crisis in Guanzhong

Having agreed to take over command, Li Mu became busy again.

After this period of rest and reorganization, not only had the troops of the two Guangs restored their establishment, but other provinces were also actively restoring their armaments.

Huguang had organized five towns of recruited troops, Jiangxi and Zhejiang had each organized two towns of recruited troops, and the imperial army in Fujian had also been reorganized, forming three towns of recruited troops.

In addition to these troops, the three governors had each organized their own governor's guard, with numbers around three to five thousand.

Except for the troops of Jing Jing Yifeng assigned to Zhejiang, the backbone of all other armies was drawn from Li Mu's command.

In appointing "their own people," the positions of the three big shots of the nobility group were surprisingly consistent.

A crowd of noble children successively held high positions and stepped onto the historical stage.

A large number of generals were drawn away, although it affected the combat effectiveness of the six towns of the two Guangs, it also made these troops become pure.

This time, in suppressing the rebel Fu, the imperial armies of multiple provinces acted together in a joint operation.

The recruited troops alone exceeded two hundred thousand.

Adding the garrison troops and the surviving militia armed forces that cooperated in the battle, the total force was as high as over three hundred thousand.

The number of laborers that needed to be mobilized was even as high as eight hundred thousand.

With a thicker skin, one could completely claim to the outside world that there was a million-strong army.

The million-strong armies recorded in history books mostly included the number of laborers.

With so many troops, if the main generals of each army were not his old subordinates, Li Mu would be just as blind.

It was true that military orders were like mountains, but when it came to specific implementation, it still depended on the actual situation.

With the decline of the imperial court, local imperial armies often appeared to comply in public but oppose in private when executing orders from superiors.

In order to ensure the smooth flow of orders, everyone liked to promote their confidants.

The ability of confidants might not be the strongest, but they were obedient and could execute according to the commander's will.

If replaced by others, their ability might be higher, but whether they could be commanded smoothly would be a test of luck.

Without a perfect power system constraint, to ensure that generals strictly executed orders, appointing confidants became the best choice.

"My Lord Marquis, this is the basic information of the armies of each province, including the identity background of the general list, the stationing of the main army, the equipment of troops, and the storage of materials."

Lan Lan Linjie said with an exhausted expression.

Li Mu, the boss, had become busy, and his workload as a strategist had also become greater.

In order to adapt to the needs, the strategist team had successively expanded twice.

In addition to Lan Lan Linjie, several scholars and students had successively entered the strategist team to cooperate with Li Mu in handling government affairs.

"Just put it there; I will read it slowly later.

The most urgent matter is to urge each place to speed up the collection of grain and grass.

The autumn harvest has already entered the final stage, and the rebels may launch a war at any time; we must accelerate the pace of war preparation."

Li Mu said with a grave expression.

The advantage of the noble governor was military affairs, so the shortcoming was government affairs.

None of them had experience in managing local areas, and suddenly holding high positions, the governance within the territory still fell on the civil officials.

It just so happened that the civil officials of the Great Dayu Dynasty were degenerate beyond belief, and each one of them had drilled into the money eye.

Whether the big picture was big or not, these guys didn't care.

Taihe Hall.

"Why did a rebellion break out in Guanzhong at this time?"

Emperor Emperor Yongning questioned sternly.

General peasant uprisings mostly occurred during the time when the old grain was exhausted and the new grain had not yet matured.

The time point of the autumn harvest was exactly when everyone had the most abundant money in their hands in a year, so there was no need to take the risk of losing their heads to rebel.

"Your Majesty, I impeach the Shaanxi Governor for being greedy and imposing additional taxes wantonly..."

The impeachment of the Censor-in-Chief gave the answer in a disguised way.

It was the norm for local yamen to impose additional taxes on the basis of regular taxes in the Great Dayu Dynasty.

Triggering a peasant uprising could at most be considered a fuse; the real reason was natural disasters.

Drought and lack of rain led to a serious reduction in grain production.

Originally, the life of the people was bitter, but the local officials did not see it, and in order to satisfy their own greed, they imposed additional taxes on the original basis again.

The people who could not bear the burden gathered their courage to reason with the tax-collecting servants and were brutally beaten.

Under the instigation of the White Lotus Sect, peasant uprisings broke out in many places in Guanzhong.

The righteous army that had fled into the mountains earlier also took the opportunity to kill their way out, setting off an anti-Yu riot.

The Guanzhong land that ignited the sparks soon became a hotbed for the righteous army, breeding righteous armies of all sizes, turning the eight-hundred-mile Qin River upside down.

Only when the situation spiraled out of control and could no longer be covered up did the Shaanxi Provincial Governor's office report to the imperial court.

"Bastards!"

"Simply lawless!

Each one of them is acting wantonly, having no respect for the monarch and father, they deserve..."

Emperor Emperor Yongning cursed immediately.

Was he cursing the Shaanxi Governor, or the Guanzhong people who rose up, or both?

This was not known to the ministers; everyone only knew that the Emperor was very angry, and the consequences were very serious.

In order to reduce their sense of presence, the ministers lowered their heads one after another, avoiding meeting Emperor Emperor Yongning's eyes.

"My beloved ministers, a rebel army has broken out in Shaanxi; does anyone have a plan to suppress the rebellion?"

After venting for a while, Emperor Emperor Yongning asked while suppressing his anger.

The outbreak of chaos in Guanzhong caused the Great Dayu Dynasty, which had just stabilized, to fall into a dangerous situation again.

The most direct consequence of this outbreak of chaos was that the situation in Shu could no longer be saved.

The imperial court did not have the ability to fight on multiple fronts; suppressing this Guanzhong rebellion could only be a quick battle to force a quick decision.

Once the war was delayed, not only would the situation in Shu be affected, but the Jiangnan battlefield would also change.

"Your Majesty, the most urgent matter is to block the news quickly, and do not let the matter spread to the south.

The Jiangnan battle is about to begin; receiving the news of Shaanxi's fall at this time will easily shake the morale of the army.

The Marquis of Zhenyuan and the Marquis of Marquis Hanshui both come from Shaanxi; once they know that something has happened to their hometown, it will inevitably affect their command.

The current situation is very dangerous; the imperial court must recapture Jiangnan as soon as possible!"

Pang Pang Chengjie said with an anxious expression.

The tax revenue of another province was gone; for the Great Dayu, which had a serious fiscal deficit, this was very fatal.

Suppressing the Guanzhong rebellion was easy, but wanting to stabilize the situation in Guanzhong was not that simple.

No matter who presided over the affairs of Guanzhong, they would have to face a realistic problem—lack of grain.

The drought affected not only Shaanxi, but other northern provinces also had more or less a reduction in grain production.

The north could not be counted on, let alone the south.

The main grain-producing areas had been recaptured, but a major battle was about to be launched next, which was exactly when money and grain were most needed.

Transferring grain from the south at this time would inevitably affect the battle to recapture Jiangnan.

Compared to Shaanxi, the strategic significance of Jiangnan to the Great Dayu was clearly much higher.

"Minister Pang, blocking the news now is probably wishful thinking.

There are many provinces bordering Shaanxi; the news of the rebellion in Guanzhong will soon spread throughout the world.

Rather than burying one's head in the sand, it is better to admit it frankly.

If it is covered up, the situation will be even worse after the news leaks out in the future."

Shen Qiyuan retorted immediately.

Identity determines position.

As a person from Guanzhong, he could not tolerate the imperial court abandoning Shaanxi.

However, the reason given by the Minister of Revenue was too sufficient; it was completely based on the big picture, and he could not refute it directly.

He could only hope that the two big shots of the nobility group who came out of Guanzhong would withstand the pressure and divert troops from Huguang to reinforce Guanzhong.

Doing this was not that easy.

If the imperial court blocked the news, even if they knew that a change had occurred in Guanzhong, the Li family uncle and nephew would likely play dumb.

On one hand, it was for the big picture, and on the other hand, it stemmed from reality.

Just after the autumn harvest, the peasant uprising quickly swept through many prefectures in Shaanxi, which was enough to prove that the disaster situation below was more serious than what the local officials reported.

The imperial court could not produce enough grain for disaster relief, and the Li family uncle and nephew could not conjure up grain either.

If they really had enough grain in their hands, the war to suppress the rebellion against the rebel Fu would not have been delayed until after autumn to start.

Just having their hometown in Guanzhong was not enough to make people risk their reputation and run to jump into the fire pit of Shaanxi.

"Minister Shen, the Jiangnan battle cannot be lost.

Everything in the imperial court now must give way to recapturing Jiangnan.

The deterioration of the situation in Shaanxi will not reach the point where it cannot hold on for a day.

Let them hold on for a few months, and it will not be too late to send troops to Guanzhong after pacifying the rebel Fu.

For the sake of the big picture, put away those little thoughts!"

Grand Secretary Wan Wan Junhui warned immediately.

The Emperor Yongning Dynasty was full of disasters; from the time he served as Grand Secretary until now, he had not had a few days of comfortable life.

If he had known that the situation was so bad, he would not have fought for this position of Grand Secretary no matter what.

Deep in his heart, he had already made up his mind.

After the imperial army recaptured Nanjing, he would find an opportunity to flash away.

Whoever loved to do the work of turning the tide could come and do it; anyway, his ability was limited, and he could not handle the current complex situation.

"Ministry of War, recommend candidates for suppressing the rebellion!"

Emperor Emperor Yongning said slowly.

It seemed that he had not expressed his position, but in fact, he had already told everyone that he supported prioritizing the recapture of the Jiangnan region.

The imperial court lacked both elite troops and money and grain.

The candidates for suppressing the rebellion sent to Guanzhong now were purely for filling the pit.

They did not ask to be able to quickly extinguish the rebellion, as long as they could stabilize the situation in Shaanxi.

Wuchang Prefecture.

Looking at the letter sent from his hometown, Li Yuan felt sad secretly.

The thing he worried about most had finally happened.

In recent years, the rain in Shaanxi had become less and less.

When communicating within the clan, he had heard the clan elders complain quite a bit that the year was not good.

"Little Six, go back and tell the clan elders to expand the militia to guard the ancestral temple.

If the situation is completely out of control, then abandon the ancestral land and temporarily avoid the edge of the rebel army!"

Li Yuan said in a low tone.

Abandoning the ancestral land was a great unfilial act.

Unless it was a last resort, no one would choose to do so.

However, the situation in Shaanxi truly made him have no bottom.

In the short term, besides mobilizing the Beijing camp, the imperial court could only draw troops from the Nine Borders.

In the wars of the past few years, whether it was the Beijing camp or the elite of the Nine Borders, they had suffered heavy losses.

The subsequent replenishment of the establishment did not mean that combat effectiveness had been restored.

Among the Nine Borders, the only one with increased military strength was the Liaodong Town.

Based on his understanding of the Liaodong Town, these guys who would not get up early without profit would definitely not go to wade into the muddy water of Shaanxi.

The imperial court could not produce enough money and grain, which would inevitably affect the enthusiasm of each department, and the situation in Shaanxi was difficult.

Compared to others, a large clan like the Li family was still considered good.

No matter how severe the disaster was, there was no hunger.

If life could not go on, one could still join the army.

In his governor's guard, there were quite a few distant relatives.

Even if they were outside the five degrees of mourning, knowing the roots and the bottom of the same clan made them more trustworthy.

"Uncle Grandfather, it shouldn't be that bad!

A mere rebel army, how can it make us..."

Before the young man finished speaking, Li Yuan interrupted sternly:

"Shut up!"

"Arrogance is the greatest enemy!"

"Still a mere rebel army?"

"Do you know that it is the mere rebel army in your mouth that has turned the Great Dayu upside down!"

It could be seen that he was truly angry.

The Li family had indeed been infinitely glorious in the past ten years, so much so that many clansmen had floated.

If the family rules were not strict, I don't know how many troubles would have been caused.

"Uncle Grandfather, please calm your anger!"

"Grandson knows he was wrong, and he will definitely not be so arrogant in the future..."

Little Six, who had been reprimanded, softened his attitude instantly, as if he had changed into a different person.

In a clan society, the power of the clan leader was not generally large.

For a clan leader like Li Yuan who held great power, he had the power of life and death over ordinary clansmen.

If he wanted to deal with a clansman, reporting to the police would be useless.

The officials in the local yamen would not dare to manage the family affairs of this assistant minister.

"Humph!"

"Since you know you were wrong, what are you standing there for? Why don't you hurry up and send the letter!"

Li Yuan reprimanded angrily.

It was truly too worrying, without any big picture view.

Recapturing Jiangnan was a national policy.

No matter who it was, if they raised an objection at this time, they would not have a good result.

Without the order of the imperial court, he would not dare to divert troops to rescue Shaanxi without authorization.

Guangzhou Prefecture.

When the news of the Guanzhong crisis came, it happened to catch up with the Northern Expedition Oath-taking Assembly.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Mu chose to block the news for the first time.

There were quite a few Li family children in the army; once these people knew that their hometown was in danger, it would inevitably affect the morale of the army.

"The terrain of Hanzhong is dangerous; as long as there are no problems internally, it will be difficult for the rebel army in Guanzhong to make a breakthrough for a while.

I will write a letter to the Hanzhong Prefect, asking him to strengthen precautions.

Li Wei, after you go back, notify the clan to prepare for the worst.

It is time to utilize the fortress on the mountain.

Hoard as many materials as possible; once there is a change in Hanzhong, take the clansmen and retreat to the mountain.

To ensure nothing goes wrong, you can arrange for some young clansmen to go south to avoid disaster, and go back after the situation stabilizes."

Li Mu immediately ordered the person who sent the letter.

Compared to the clan in Guanzhong, their branch in Hanzhong had not yet been affected by the war.

The Qinling Mountains were a natural dividing line.

Also in the Little Ice Age, the drought in Hanzhong was much lighter than in Guanzhong.

Several rivers in the territory provided basic guarantees for agricultural production on both sides of the strait.

The most serious disaster areas were still northern Shaanxi, Ningxia, Lanzhou, and other places.

It was originally a drought-prone area, and catching up with a year of great disaster, agricultural production was almost completely lost.

"My Lord Marquis, although Hanzhong has been affected, the overall situation is still stable.

The rebel army is rampant in Shaanxi; if no measures are taken, I fear the ancestral land in Guanzhong will not be preserved!"

Li Wei said with a difficult expression.

He came to send the letter this time, besides representing this branch in Hanzhong, he also brought the request for help from the Guanzhong clan.

There were many people in the Li family who were officials in the imperial court, but the only ones who could truly influence the imperial court's decision-making were Li Mu and Li Yuan.

"The clansmen in Guanzhong, my uncle will handle it, so you don't need to worry about it!"

Li Mu immediately pushed back.

Some things could not be put on the table to say.

Li Yuan did not write to notify him, which was clearly a choice to play dumb after weighing the pros and cons.

The imperial court did not issue an official document saying that something had happened in Shaanxi, so they could pretend they didn't know anything.

Those who don't know are not guilty.

Even if the ancestral land fell into the hands of the rebel army later, they would not need to bear moral pressure.

As for the inside of the clan, there was no need to worry.

They were the face figures of the Li family; only with them holding great power in the imperial court could the clan have glory.

For the sake of family interests, the clan elders would also cover the lid and not let their reputation be damaged.

If they were unlucky and the clan did not retreat in time and was brutally slaughtered by the rebel army.

The family children outside would bear the heavy responsibility of revenge and continuing the clan's bloodline.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 350 =====