[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-351":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364620,4623,"Chapter 351: Nanchang Siege and Defense","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-351",351,"\u003Cp>Chengdu Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the news of the Guanzhong rebellion, the entire Sichuan officialdom felt their world had collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the rebel forces surrounded the city, the psychological pressure on everyone grew day by day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason they had held out this long was largely due to faith—hoping for imperial reinforcements to arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now everything was finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The operation to steal Chongqing had failed, preventing the Huguang reinforcements from crossing over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Guanzhong in chaos now, northern reinforcements were gone as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, Chengdu cannot be held much longer—we must break out and retreat northward into Sichuan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if we lose Sichuan, we must preserve the path for the court’s future counteroffensive. We absolutely cannot let the Sichuan-Shaanxi rebels join forces.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Junliang spoke with a grave expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels now controlled the most vital regions of Sichuan; the remaining prefectures still loyal to the court were few and far between.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell all the native chieftains that I, the Viceroy, accept their terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as they send troops to help the court suppress the rebellion, the court will expand their jurisdictions and hand over all official posts in their native administrations to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allow them to levy taxes freely, establish…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wenyue spoke coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than retreat directly, he chose to drink poison to quench his thirst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The native chieftains’ power in Sichuan was already great; once restrictions were lifted, they would become new frontier warlords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the external rebel forces, the rise of these local powers posed an even greater threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now there was no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only an ignorant fool unfamiliar with warfare would imagine that after retreating from Chengdu, the army could march orderly into northern Sichuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After years of military service, Xu Wenyue was no longer the military novice he once was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew full well that under the current situation, if the garrison attempted to break out, it would collapse instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alternating cover and orderly withdrawal existed only in theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the elite troops of the Nine Borders would collapse under such circumstances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Sichuan was lost, continuing to restrain the local chieftains served no purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lifting restrictions on them would ensure these local snakes would fight the rebels without the court lifting a finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, even without his order, these chieftain factions would never remain passive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when conscripting native troops for battle, they had refused outright; Xiang Dayu’s control over these men had grown increasingly weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, without the Emperor’s imperial edict, unilaterally allowing the chieftains to grow powerful is a capital offense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Provincial Administration Commissioner Li Yongliang spoke up as a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wenyue was a regent appointed by the late Emperor and held high prestige among the scholarly faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he erred on the chieftain issue, the Emperor might merely dismiss him and strip him of office—his life was unlikely to be at risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those of us who participated were different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were already the root cause of Sichuan’s deterioration; now, by overstepping on the chieftain issue, we risk becoming the scapegoat the Emperor sacrifices to warn others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At a time of national crisis, how can we retreat?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You fear blame—I do not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Emperor wishes to punish me or execute me, I accept it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wenyue declared with righteous indignation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything depends on comparison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the matter of suppressing the rebellion, those noble generals had charged into battle with ferocious vigor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one strike, they killed a rebel king and reclaimed vast territories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now they pressed forward again, targeting the largest rebel leader in the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the current situation, the imperial forces have a very high probability of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While his colleagues achieved brilliant victories in suppressing the rebellion, his own incompetence stood starkly exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved in the same circles as them—he had his pride to uphold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he lacked the ability to defeat the rebels, he must at least prevent them from carving out a stronghold in Sichuan; otherwise, his reputation before and after death would be ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to these, acting unilaterally on the chieftain issue was a minor matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Emperor wished to hold him accountable, he must first survive to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he unfortunately died on the battlefield, all his prior promises could vanish with the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil official bloc, which controlled the narrative, had always had a tradition of glorifying their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empty promises like these, never fulfilled, would be instinctively downplayed—or simply omitted from records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for the skillful manipulation of historical records, those officials who abandoned Jiaozhi would never have become celebrated ministers of Great Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiujiang Front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiujiang is easy to defend and hard to take; it cannot be breached in a short time. I intend to split our forces and launch a rapid land assault on Anqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My lords, who is willing to take on this critical mission?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yuan asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reclaiming the entire Wuchang region, both Jiujiang and Anqing prefectures were within reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply from a map perspective, he could either advance on Jiujiang or strike directly at Anqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choosing Jiujiang as the main target was primarily to seize control of the Yangtze River route, allowing the army to sail downstream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In naval warfare, whoever holds the upper reaches holds the advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking Jiujiang first, then Anqing, was the orthodox military strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But focusing on Jiujiang did not mean Anqing could not be attacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as the fire was lit, whether or not Anqing fell, it would disrupt the rebels’ deployment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Grace, we have already captured all counties under Jiujiang; the enemy now holds only a lone city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one more push, we can take Jiujiang Prefecture—there’s no need to risk an assault on Anqing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Provincial Governor Fei Songde immediately objected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under a strong Viceroy, his position as Provincial Governor had become miserable, his authority severely squeezed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, while he was in the capital, Li Yuan had issued Huguang public bonds under the name of the Provincial Governor’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outcome was undoubtedly successful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had known nothing of it at the time, yet still bore the blame, later facing a barrage of impeachment memorials from censors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequent official appointments, though he had not touched them, were still issued under the Provincial Governor’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these unpopular reforms had been carried out under his banner as Provincial Governor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the achievements were claimed by the Viceroy; every blame fell squarely on his head—who wouldn’t be bitter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Governor Fei, you know nothing of military affairs; your ignorance is understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splitting forces to attack Anqing does not mean only we will send troops—Jiangxi will also contribute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They will besiege Nanchang while sending detachments toward Poyang Lake; in no time, we can jointly hunt Anqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond Anqing, even Huizhou and Ningguo prefectures can become targets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Zhejiang imperial troops providing support, deep penetration poses little real danger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yuan’s explanation wounded Fei Songde deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it—civil-military rivalry had always been this brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the leader of the noble faction, Li Yuan would never share credit with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless the operation failed and someone needed to take the blame, his name would never appear on the battle reports sent to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for bypassing Jiujiang and Nanchang to split forces and advance southward, it existed only in theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To achieve such a goal, one must not only contain the enemy garrison inside the city and prevent them from disrupting operations, but also ensure the army’s logistical supply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allied forces could offer temporary logistical support only to small detachments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doing so now was primarily to disrupt the enemy’s troop deployment and find their weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once fighting began, it would descend into total chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was precisely what they wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of officer competence and troop combat effectiveness, the imperial forces held clear advantages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as they lured the rebels out of their shells, the subsequent battles would be easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, I volunteer for this mission!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yifeng stepped forward first to declare his willingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no choice but to be proactive—Li Yuan was no longer the previous civil Viceroy; he had his own military faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His reliance on militia forces was negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for these troops not requiring pay from the Viceroy’s office, they would likely have been disbanded already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Governor Bai, your willingness to shoulder responsibility is a blessing for the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This expedition to Anqing aims to draw out the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we can capture Anqing Prefecture, all the better; if not, we must not let the enemy rest easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once we reach the front, how to fight is none of my concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is only one principle: disrupt the enemy’s rear with maximum force and weaken the rebel army’s war potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, tighten military discipline—we are imperial troops, not bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Bai Yifeng understood, Li Yuan added a final warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court does not pay the militia’s wages; they must fend for themselves, so going out to raid is understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what Bai Yifeng’s troops have done is truly excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They burn, kill, and loot—almost every evil act imaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The name “Butcher” is not an exaggeration at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he slaughtered only enemy soldiers, and had the court not been in desperate need of manpower, he would have been dismissed long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not moving against him now does not mean we won’t settle accounts later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The militia’s atrocities have angered many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to clean up his reputation and go legitimate is no small challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had this feint attack on Anqing not carried the risk of total annihilation, Bai Yifeng wouldn’t have been given this mission at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Marquis, I swear I will spare no effort to complete the mission!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yifeng immediately pledged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, he had no way back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With tens of thousands of militia under his command, even those who despised him could do nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he truly enforced discipline, the supply lines would collapse his militia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lose his army, and all those he’d offended would rush to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He accepted the risky mission mainly to curry favor with Li Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Civil officials commanding the army lack deep roots and dare not easily strike at him—but the noble families are different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Controlling over ninety percent of the elite forces in the southeast, if they turned on him, they could truly kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In officialdom, he, a militia commander without a standard imperial examination background, was an oddity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than face his colleagues’ suspicious glances, better to break free from the cage and seek new breakthroughs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many merits he earns matters little; the key is to forge a truly battle-worthy elite force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally understood: in chaotic times, only those who hold troops can speak with authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom… boom… boom…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Nanchang City, the thunder of artillery fire marked the beginning of the assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nanchang won’t be easy to take!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching shell after shell strike the walls, barely scratching the surface, the Marquis of Wuyang sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rebel garrison commander knows his business—he not only fortified and cleared the countryside in advance, but also burned down homes near the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We can’t use nearby buildings to launch attacks on the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those ruins over there, they say, were the famed Tengwang Pavilion—now reduced to ashes by war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our men tried digging tunnels, but the enemy discovered them and inflicted heavy losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The garrison commander likely buried large jars near the walls to detect digging vibrations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the moat has been turned to advantage; those interwoven ditches are natural enemies of tunnels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebel garrison commander’s performance surpassed most generals of this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without rich combat experience, one could hardly notice so many details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the rebels had talent didn’t surprise him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who could rise above imperial suppression in chaotic times surely had capable generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smooth progress of earlier suppression campaigns wasn’t because the rebels were weak—it was because they never got the chance to show their strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defense of Nanchang was different; the enemy had prepared for at least half a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as the rebel commander wasn’t foolish, he had anticipated every scenario and taken countermeasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He not only strengthened the city walls but also neutralized tunnel warfare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial army’s only option now is to mass troops and launch a direct assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet that was precisely what Li Mu least wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Training a skilled soldier is hard; a frontal assault would demand too great a cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To take Nanchang by throwing lives at it—even if the imperial army won, he would be the biggest loser.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Li, we cannot remain passive—we must strike back quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we have no better plan, then conscript civilians and fill the trenches with their lives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang spoke slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One general’s glory is built on ten thousand bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A commander must never be soft-hearted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a strategic standpoint, if we can retake Nanchang, the cost is worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We can’t afford to lose elite troops—use civilians as cannon fodder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Yu Dynasty has no shortage of people; losing tens of thousands beneath Nanchang’s walls won’t shake its foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a little longer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We are the attackers; right now, the besieged are the ones in a hurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Qin has already led troops southward, and Huguang has dispatched the Butcher to feint against Anqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we swiftly capture Nanchang, we may shock the enemy—but we’ll also kill their will to fight outside the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we make no breakthrough here, we shift our focus to Songjiang Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once we take Suzhou Prefecture, our fire reaches Nanjing—then we seize the capital by force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s hesitation, Li Mu revealed his true operational plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battles of Jiujiang, Nanchang, Hangzhou, and Anqing—all were decoys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real objective had always been Nanjing alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything done so far was meant to convince the rebels he intended to advance down the Yangtze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the enemy shifted their main forces here and their rear grew vulnerable would be the perfect moment to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Great Yu Dynasty, retaking Nanjing meant winning this campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Nanjing fell, the Wu regime the rebels had established would lose its people’s loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you be sure of retaking Nanjing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang asked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had expected to capture Nanchang, Jiujiang, Hangzhou, and reclaim Jiangxi and Zhejiang entirely by year’s end—that would be victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The campaign in Nanzhili was next year’s task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pinning the rebels in one corner and grinding them down slowly would quell the rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu’s plan was far more aggressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three main battlefields were merely illusions, designed solely to create an opening for the imperial army to strike Suzhou and retake Nanjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The battlefield changes in an instant—there’s never a hundred percent guarantee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A campaign of this scale is essentially a contest of who makes fewer mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ve dug a pit for the rebels—they still choose whether to jump in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the enemy high command uncovers the truth and prepares countermeasures, waiting for us to walk into their trap…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if the situation turns favorable, we can turn the deception into reality and make our current plan genuine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu explained solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The finest deception is one that even your own side believes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To increase the odds of success, Li Mu had told no one the truth beforehand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, what he told the Marquis of Wuyang was only a portion of the plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truth and falsehood, falsehood and truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the final moment, no one would know which version of his plan was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2604,"2026-06-21T08:09:04.021Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","2d6f24e4b5beab9d1ed4702da0e75f75ea12ded0d6b1b2dfd8dd3b59d83541a9","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-352","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-350",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]