[{"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-352":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},2364621,4623,"Chapter 352: Pressure Determines Effectiveness","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-352",352,"\u003Cp>Nanjingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The false dynasty’s forces are advancing with overwhelming momentum—my loyal ministers, do you have any strategies to break them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding the plea for aid in his hand, Fu Haoxuan asked wearily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they had anticipated the court’s autumn campaign in Jiangnan and prepared in advance, the outbreak of war still exceeded expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial troops launched attacks on multiple fronts, leaving the Wu state exhausted and scrambling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Wu, every battlefield was critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the rebel forces, they were the strongest, yet compared to the Great Yu Dynasty, their strategic space remained narrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any defeat on any front would mean losing cities and territory, further compressing their strategic space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though in the struggle for the realm, one may disregard gains and losses of individual cities, Wu simply could not afford to lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep inside, Fu Haoxuan even regretted hastily expanding his army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the massive expansion, Wu’s total troop strength surpassed one million again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New recruits had limited combat effectiveness; military strength increased little, yet logistical pressure doubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such limited territory, Wu’s finances simply could not sustain so many troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, since ancient times, overconfident troops have always been defeated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The false dynasty’s army, arrogant and unrestrained, dares to split its forces and advance deep—this is their greatest vulnerability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the enemy is so foolish as to court death, let us oblige them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I propose using Anqing as bait to eliminate the two enemy units advancing separately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Fang Yuxuan spoke first to propose this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a veteran who had followed Fu Haoxuan since Guangxi, he knew exactly what the emperor wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A full-scale counteroffensive was unrealistic; if Wu had such capability, it would not have begun with a defensive strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But defense did not mean clinging passively to city walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Launching localized counterattacks to inflict heavy blows on the enemy was also a viable option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exact battle results mattered less; the key was to shatter the enemy’s myth of invincibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On paper, Wu’s forces were not weaker than the imperial troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their poor battlefield performance was largely due to fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely hearing Li Mu’s name, rebel troops already lost three-tenths of their will to fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defenders of Nanchang understood this best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their commander, Xiang Qinghong, was among Wu’s top generals, especially renowned for his defensive prowess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When conquering Nanzhili, he once held off tens of thousands of imperial troops with only three thousand men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, with Li Mu leading a single garrison to besiege the city, the fifty thousand defenders inside dared not move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pleas for aid came one after another, yet not a single thought of counterattack crossed their minds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not that Xiang Qinghong was cowardly—every veteran general in Wu behaved this way when facing Li Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who dared to sortie were mostly greenhorns who had never suffered defeat and knew nothing of heaven’s height or earth’s depth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way around it: this was the awe-inspiring power of a famed general, backed by a string of victories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Guangxi to now, Li Mu had made winning against odds his norm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just over ten thousand imperial troops, he chased down hundreds of thousands of rebels as if playing a game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Wu’s combat effectiveness had improved significantly since the Bai Lian Holy State era, the psychological shadow left by past defeats lingered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t enough that Li Mu himself was formidable; worse still, the officers he trained also held psychological superiority over the rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even newly reorganized garrisons, facing rebel forces three times their size, showed no fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When encountering them on the battlefield, these imperial commanders would charge straight in, treating the rebels as ready-made battlefield merits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This hunger for battle could not be matched by any other imperial troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, during the division of Chu’s legacy, they had suffered heavy losses while scrambling for territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, despite appearing to hold numerical superiority, they were being crushed on every front by imperial forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They chose to defend cities precisely because they knew they could not win in open battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis Fang speaks truly: since ancient times, overconfident troops have always been defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a string of victories, the enemy has grown arrogant and complacent—this is precisely our best opportunity to break them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides launching a counterattack at Anqing, do you have other suggestions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Haoxuan asked hopefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The war had only just begun; the imperial forces committed to the battlefield were still limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu had not yet wagered all its cards and still possessed sufficient strength to create trouble on localized fronts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the imperial forces are attacking from five directions, with the main theaters being Jiujiang, Nanchang, Xuzhou, and Hangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Songjiang, the enemy has deployed relatively few troops for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we respond on all fronts simultaneously, we will play right into the enemy’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In my view, since we intend to set a trap at Anqing to eliminate part of the enemy force, we might as well escalate the effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choose one of the imperial forces from Huguang or Jiangxi, concentrate our strength to annihilate them first, then turn to deal with the rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of War Fan Xiwen immediately replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was no mere figurehead as Minister of War.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Wu’s founding, he had served as a strategist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of Wu’s earlier classic battles were planned by him alone, earning him great merit for the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to the current formidable enemy, past adversaries had all become weaklings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In strategy, Fan Xiwen was extremely cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not seek a swift victory but prepared for a prolonged war, waiting for a major shift in the situation across the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the rebels in Guanzhong or the northern barbarians thousands of miles away, both could potentially become their “allies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet some things could be thought of but not spoken aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying on “allies” to break the enemy would severely damage morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they had seized their current foundation by exploiting the northern barbarians’ invasion, they could not credit the barbarians with the victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minister Fan, this plan is likely unwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy forces in Huguang and Jiangxi are both strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hundreds of thousands of troops, it would be difficult to annihilate them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, we may not even be able to eliminate the enemy units attacking Anqing alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai the Butcher’s troops are easy to handle; the real trouble is Jiangxi’s First Garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its commander, Qin Tianrui, is one of Li Mu’s fiercest generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He once led a night raid on a northern barbarian encampment and won a decisive victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only does he boast distinguished battle records, he is also a descendant of the false dynasty’s Duke of Xingguo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These aristocratic families all maintain elite private armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The false dynasty’s emperor is stingy, unwilling to grant him the hereditary title with its stipend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all Yu officers, Qin Tianrui is the most desperate for battlefield merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qin family also needs this title and has secretly supported Qin Tianrui extensively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jiangxi’s First Garrison was recently formed, its core cadre came from Guangdong and Guangxi and has received abundant resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its combat effectiveness, while not matching Li Mu’s elite troops, far surpasses ordinary imperial forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To annihilate his twelve thousand men, you need at least triple the numerical advantage—impossible otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To guarantee success, you must mobilize five times the enemy’s strength and deploy elite troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary troops, even vastly outnumbering such elites, cannot hold them back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yuzhe spoke up in opposition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Xiwen’s operational plan was conservative, yet in his view, it was still too aggressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having spent half his life in the Great Yu Dynasty, he understood imperial troop composition intimately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were built around retainers as their core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many units labeled “elite” saw their combat effectiveness plummet the moment their commander changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not that the soldiers had become weak—it was that the core had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In essence, these officers’ retainers served as junior officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They received the best pay and led charges into battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quality of the retainers directly determined the army’s combat effectiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This organizational structure, while saving the court money, also entrenched class rigidity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For common-born officers to rise was extraordinarily difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We must hold them, even if we can’t keep them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One Li Mu has already made us scramble desperately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a few more emerge, the war will be unwinnable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The false dynasty keeps expanding its army; if we cannot destroy even one unit, future troubles will only grow worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we cannot even annihilate a single garrison, how can we possibly win this war?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mobilize the nation’s elite, spare no cost, destroy one enemy unit, shatter their myth of invincibility—this concerns Wu’s very survival!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Haoxuan said with a solemn expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In war, no one escapes death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as victory is achieved, he can accept any sacrifice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu state now desperately needs a victory to boost troop morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nanchang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the failed siege, the imperial troops switched to a prolonged blockade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the battle ended, new troubles came knocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Refugees forcibly displaced by the rebels earlier, having exhausted their carried rations, began streaming out of the hills in search of food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vast numbers of beggars flooded into government-controlled areas, giving the Marquis of Wuyang a headache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Driving them away was impossible—too many eyes in the court were watching; doing so would ruin his reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, though his moral standards were low, they weren’t so low as to target the elderly and weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the granaries to distribute grain was out of the question—the front-line reserves were scarce and had to be prioritized for the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels’ move had struck him right in the weak spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Li, how many people can the Guangdong and Guangxi garrisons still accommodate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang asked hopefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the war, the population of Guangdong and Guangxi had plummeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The garrisons, having seized vast tracts of land, had become the largest landlords in the empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his memory, due to labor shortages, many of their lands remained uncultivated and unproductive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, the Guangdong and Guangxi garrisons were receiving large numbers of prisoners of war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, how many people they can accommodate isn’t the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key is that most of these refugees are elderly or weak—they have almost no able-bodied men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even for them to walk there on foot would be impossibly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hand them over to the local yamen for resettlement!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main reason large-scale migration hadn’t occurred, despite accepting prisoners of war, was the immense difficulty of relocating civilians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The populace was generally malnourished; the elderly and weak couldn’t endure long journeys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a true migration were attempted, the losses en route would be staggering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prisoners of war were exiled criminals; no one cared if they died in droves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if ordinary civilians suffered massive losses, the censors’ brushes could be deadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if refugees wandered off on their own and died by the thousands, they’d pretend not to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if anyone organized a migration, accusations would fly like snowflakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his suggestion to hand them over to the local yamen was a thorny problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials tasked with carrying it out would be cursed with misfortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how well they performed, they’d be impeached by censors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any minor problem would be magnified endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Great Yu dynasty, any official who actually did work had a terrible reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, those who merely talked big were praised as “Blue Sky Magistrates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, if you don’t act, you can’t make mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No mistakes mean no stains on your record.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’re also skilled at self-promotion and speak in public what people want to hear, you can easily become a moral saint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the local yamen had such capacity, would I be worrying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly appointed Prefect of Nanchang—you’ve met him—he’s a stubborn, rotten Confucian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handing disaster relief to him? Who knows what chaos he’d cause.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter who you gave it to, they couldn’t conjure grain out of thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels had implemented a scorched-earth policy, cutting off local grain procurement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Transporting grain from the rear was equally unfeasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiangxi had been retaken too recently; production in nearby prefectures had recovered only partially.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guangdong and Guangxi were no help either—supplying the army was already a strain; adding more demand would collapse the logistics entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, precisely because he’s a rotten Confucian, he’s the one who must handle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Prefect of Nanchang can’t solve it, the Provincial Governor’s office can.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To control the narrative, the Ministry of Personnel shoved in a bunch of idle, corrupt officials—we needn’t be polite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disaster relief is their duty; we’ll force it upon them, assigning personal responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Viceroy’s office will allocate a sum for relief, and the rest they must raise themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given their nature, they’ll inevitably reach for their hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once we catch them in the act, they’ll have no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who fail will be arrested and imprisoned; the court will confiscate their estates to cover fiscal shortfalls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just putting up a show of force to scare them into giving up some wealth could save many lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu laid out a ruthless plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who had survived the imperial examinations and thrived in the bureaucracy couldn’t possibly be a fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The labels “rotten Confucian,” “blabbermouth”—these were all deliberately cultivated personas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In essence, they were avoiding responsibility, crafting these images to shield themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when seeking promotion, none of them lacked cunning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their lack of competence? Only because the pressure wasn’t enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Force them to take on tasks and tie their official caps to the outcome—they’ll get things done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they themselves were incompetent, they had hired private secretaries to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Yu dynasty practiced collective punishment; once we had evidence, the Viceroy had countless options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Submit the proof to the Emperor—Emperor Yongning never hesitated to confiscate estates or execute offenders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I follow your plan, I’ll make enemies by the dozens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I return to court, my days won’t be easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang grumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he complained about hard times, his smile betrayed his true delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Solving a thorny problem meant nothing if it angered people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a leading figure among the meritorious nobility, his power far surpassed that of idle imperial relatives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil-military strife in the Great Yu dynasty had persisted since its founding; whether he angered them or not, he’d clash with the civil officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With evidence of their crimes in hand, no matter how furious they were, they’d have to swallow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bathed in the autumn wind, Qin Tianrui led his troops forward with pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, a special envoy has arrived from Lord Bai.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2463,"2026-06-21T08:09:04.021Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","18cea269d14bd5777d2e9f6cfdf0dc040bdd4c9fe0c65312eca7e36ed30aab33","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-353","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-351",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]