Chapter 357: Strike While the Iron Is Cold

Outside Jiujiang City, the Huguang Allied Army camp.

“We just received word that the Militia Army suffered a devastating defeat on its way to Anqing; Militia Commander Bai Yifeng’s fate is unknown.”

“Due to the Militia Army’s crushing loss, the First Army of Jiangxi was forced into a strategic retreat; the plan to seize Anqing has failed.”

As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, everyone’s faces turned pale.

The Militia Army plus the First Army of Jiangxi totaled over fifty thousand troops.

According to the original plan, even if Anqing could not be captured, it would still be a dagger thrust into the enemy’s heart.

But plans changed faster than expected; the much-anticipated military operation ended in the Militia Army’s catastrophic defeat.

“Your Excellency, since this was a joint operation, why didn’t the First Army of Jiangxi come to their aid?”

Fei Songde asked, dissatisfied.

No matter what, the Militia Army was still Huguang’s armed force.

Internally, it was fine to look down on the Militia Army, but externally, it still had to be protected.

To immediately pin the blame for the defeat on one’s own troops made this Huguang Provincial Governor deeply resentful.

“The Militia Army moved too slowly and failed to arrive at the rendezvous on time.”

“Not only did they miss the best opportunity to seize Anqing, they also gave the rebels time to redeploy troops—hence this defeat.”

“The battle erupted at night; by the time the First Army of Jiangxi received word, the fighting was already over.”

“The news came from fleeing Militia soldiers; the First Army of Jiangxi’s role must be verified once they are located.”

“But the defeat at Anqing rests squarely on Bai Yifeng’s shoulders—there’s no escaping that.”

Li Yuan answered without changing expression.

As a senior figure of the aristocratic faction and concurrently Huguang Viceroy, he had to balance both sides’ interests.

Had the blame for the Anqing defeat not lain entirely with the Militia Army, he wouldn’t have dumped the entire burden onto Bai Yifeng.

“Your Excellency, the current situation is dire, and the Emperor’s pressure is immense.”

“The Militia Army is merely a civilian armed force, not the Imperial Army’s regular troops.”

“This minor matter doesn’t need to be reported to the court—it would only trouble the Emperor.”

Provincial Administration Commissioner Ge Ningyuan immediately proposed.

Covering up failures was a traditional skill in Dahu’s bureaucracy.

Losing tens of thousands of troops was a fatal matter under any circumstances.

If the court launched an inquiry, none of the senior officials in Huguang would escape blame.

Fei Songde’s earlier rush to defend the Militia Army wasn’t out of friendship with Bai Yifeng—it was purely to shift responsibility.

After all, Li Yuan was appointed by the late Emperor as a regent and had the merit of reclaiming Huguang.

The coming battles still required his service.

Even if the court demanded accountability, the blame for troop losses wouldn’t fall on him.

If the Viceroy didn’t bear responsibility, the burden would likely fall on the three top officials: the Provincial Governor, the Administration Commissioner, and the Surveillance Commissioner.

The Dahu court had no shortage of civil officials to replace them—perhaps three or five hundred, if not a thousand.

Making them shoulder the political blame posed no problem whatsoever.

“Not reporting it might not be wise.”

Li Yuan spoke with feigned restraint.

Those below didn’t want the matter brought to court—he didn’t want it either.

The Militia Army’s greatest feature was its lack of official roster; the Ministry of War and the Military Command had no records of its troop numbers.

The only official on record was the irregularly titled Militia Commander, Bai Yifeng.

For local authorities to cover this up was entirely feasible.

“Your Excellency, this is a critical moment.”

“If news of the Militia Army’s defeat spreads, it will inevitably damage morale.”

“For the sake of the greater cause, we should suppress this matter for now; we can deal with it after locating Militia Commander Bai Yifeng.”

“After all, the Militia Army is a civilian force—it’s no match for the Imperial Army’s valor and combat prowess.”

“It’s entirely possible that Militia soldiers, unwilling to fight, simply deserted and returned home.”

Fei Songde quickly changed his tune.

Since the blame now rested entirely with his own subordinate, the cover-up had to be maintained.

Reporting good news but hiding bad news had always been the first rule of promotion.

Whatever can be resolved internally should never be passed to the court.

“Enough!”

“As subjects, we must share the Emperor’s burdens.”

“The Militia Army launched its own offensive; the situation remains unclear—so we shall not report it to court for now.”

“Once Lord Bai returns and the full circumstances are clarified, we can decide how to proceed.”

With a change in phrasing, the nature of the matter shifted entirely.

“Ordered to attack” became “launched independently”; responsibility for the defeat instantly moved from the Viceroy’s office to Bai Yifeng personally.

Not a single person present voiced sympathy for Bai Yifeng.

The cover-up was temporary—it didn’t mean the truth wouldn’t eventually surface.

The current framing was essentially a preemptive patch.

With everyone aligned in their story, should the court later investigate, the blame would rest solely on Bai Yifeng.

Let the other guy die, not me.

In shifting blame, everyone here was a professional.

…

Yangzhou City.

“Uncle, what should we do now?”

Wang Yichen asked, anxious.

The wheel of fate turned; the sudden letter had once again pushed the Wang family to the edge of the cliff.

“The fact that Imperial troops have reached the gates of Yangzhou proves the battlefield situation is far worse than Wu’s propaganda claims.”

“We’ve seen with our own eyes how formidable the Yangzhou Camp is.”

“The Qin Regional Commander leading this force may not match the Marquis of Han River, but he is still a fierce general.”

“Our few thousand defenders here stand little chance against them.”

“The Yangzhou Camp’s influence in the region has not been eradicated.”

“Even if we don’t act as internal agents, others will open the gates for them.”

“When that happens, our Wang family will be at a terrible disadvantage.”

“When the court settles accounts later, we risk annihilation!”

Wang Wenju spoke in a low tone.

Had he foreseen this outcome, when the Yangzhou Camp withdrew years ago, they should have left with them.

But there was no remedy for regret.

Before events unfolded, no one could have predicted Yangzhou Camp would rise so gloriously.

In just a few short years, it had produced one Marquis and over twenty Regional Commanders; the number of Deputy Commanders, Assistant Regional Commanders, and Guard Commanders was far greater.

Today, nearly all senior officers in the armies of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Huguang, and Jiangxi had emerged from the Yangzhou Camp.

A real-life Dahu military academy, specifically training generals for the court.

The Wang family followed the civil official path and seemed unrelated—but that didn’t mean there was no room for advancement.

After the rebels’ devastation, countless vacancies opened across the regions—all opportunities.

Wang family members with official degrees could be directly appointed to office.

“Uncle, supporting the court is only right.”

“Our Wang family has long received imperial grace—we should stand with the court.”

“Joining the rebels was merely to preserve our strength, preparing for the court’s counteroffensive.”

“But since we defected to the rebels, we’ve received no real trust or promotion—they don’t believe in us.”

“Opening the gates to welcome the Imperial Army will be difficult.”

“One misstep, and our family faces extermination.”

“Moreover, we have family members serving as officials among the rebels.”

“If we switch sides, the rebels will surely harm them.”

Wang Yichen frowned.

For aristocratic heirs, who sat on the throne made no essential difference.

Their first concern was always the family, then personal advancement—the court ranked far below.

In times of chaos, they followed whoever was strongest.

Had Imperial troops not appeared at the city gates, forcing him to realize the rebels’ weakening position, this discussion would never have occurred.

“Some things inevitably demand sacrifice.”

“For the family’s survival, the one sacrificed could be you, could be me, could be…”

“In short, everything must serve the family’s survival.”

We must join this high-stakes gamble.

Otherwise, when the imperial troops enter the city to purge the rebels, our Wang family will have no way to explain ourselves.”

Wang Wenju said with a solemn expression.

From the moment we received the letter, we had no choice left.

Of course, receiving a letter is better than receiving nothing at all.

The fact that the imperial troops are reaching out to the Wang family means their previous ties with the Yangzhou Camp still hold weight.

The greatest risk is not daring to escort the imperial troops into the city, but being ignored altogether.

If there is contact, we are still one of them.

Then, our past defection to the rebels becomes, politically, an act of infiltration.

If we didn’t even receive a letter, it means we are marked for cleansing—no value in courting us.

“Uncle, we are willing to deal with sincerity, but the imperial troops outside the city may not trust us.

They’ve likely contacted many other families behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, they refuse to reveal the full list; otherwise, a united operation would greatly increase our chances of success.”

Wang Yichen said with a frustrated expression.

Being cautious is only natural; if they weren’t, I’d dare not cooperate with them at all.

Each contact is a single line; even if one leaks, the whole network won’t be wiped out.

But as a party involved, I still crave more trust.

It’s not just about the probability of success—it reflects how much we’re valued, which will directly affect post-war benefits distribution.

“Time reveals a man’s heart.

Before we deliver results, it’s hard to earn the court’s trust.

After all, when we defected to the rebels back then, we did plenty of dirty, grueling work—suspicion was inevitable.”

Wang Wenju said calmly.

The time they gave us is too tight—we must act tonight, with no room to weigh pros and cons.

Either we become one of them, or we become enemies—only two extremes.

…

Outside Yangzhou City, imperial troops were busy setting up camp, showing no sign of tension before a major battle.

“General, the message has been sent back. Most families have given positive responses.

But two families have not replied.”

Hearing the deputy commander’s report, Qin Tianrui frowned.

No reply could mean the city’s situation is tense and they’re under surveillance, unable to send word in time.

Or they think it’s better to stick with the rebels and don’t want to get involved in this mess.

Or they believe their patrons are strong enough to avoid retribution from the court.

Fortunately, we took precautions: each family was given a different action time.

If any of them defect and join the rebels, they can only expose their own schedule.

Compared to the aristocratic families of Jiangnan, the scholarly clans of Jiangbei have been lucky.

When Fu Haoxuan seized Yangzhou, he had already established the framework of the Great Wu regime.

To win the support of scholars, he abandoned his former massacres and turned to political persuasion.

Anyone who joined the righteous army was spared.

Yet the luck of scholarly clans often means someone else must suffer.

No matter how much persuasion is used, it only works when one’s power is strong.

The imperial troops arriving at the city gates silently declared that Wu’s rule was unstable.

When family survival is at stake, everyone must choose the side of the victor.

What was originally a lone deep strike was mistaken by all as the main army returning.

After all, the war wasn’t just burning in Yangzhou—Suzhou Prefecture and Xuzhou Prefecture next door were also fiercely contested.

“Carry out the original plan. Seize Yangzhou City tonight.”

Qin Tianrui decisively issued the order.

The arrow is on the string—it must be fired.

Besides contacting the major families in the city, the Yangzhou Camp had other hidden preparations.

Unfortunately, none of these covert measures were handed over to him.

The surprise attack on Yangzhou Prefecture was his own sudden idea—he never reported it to Li Mu beforehand.

With no time to communicate, all these hidden tactics were unusable.

Fortunately, Yangzhou is far from the front lines; the rebels cared about it mainly for its tax revenue.

The main forces are fighting on the front; the city’s garrison consists mostly of second- and third-rate troops and laborers.

…

Time passed second by second; as they watched the Yu army camp outside the city, the faces of the Wu officials grew grim.

“The false dynasty is launching a massive assault—it seems they intend to seize Yangzhou Prefecture at once.

Gentlemen, quickly propose solutions!

The longer we delay, the harder it will be to act.”

As soon as Garrison Commander Liu Laoxu finished speaking, the room erupted into noise.

People whispered in small groups, beginning to debate.

“Brother, the enemy arrived too fast—we had no time to clear the countryside and fortify defenses.

We couldn’t even conscript able-bodied men from outside the city.

If these men fall into enemy hands, they’ll become a serious threat.

Our only option now is to conscript civilians inside the city for defense while sending an urgent plea for reinforcements to the court.”

Liu Lao Ming said with a grave expression.

They had no idea how the imperial troops reached the city walls.

Until today, the news they received still painted a picture of overwhelming success.

Under such favorable conditions, the imperial troops suddenly stormed their doorstep—anyone would be stunned.

If they hadn’t reacted quickly and closed the city gates, Yangzhou might already have changed hands.

Though they said nothing aloud, deep inside, all of them felt a dark premonition.

The court’s propaganda that Wu’s army was “invincible and unconquerable” now looked like a joke.

If they were truly that powerful, how could imperial troops have breached the heartland?

“Hmm!”

“Issue orders: strengthen citywide vigilance. Do not give the enemy any opening.

Send an urgent plea to the court, detailing our predicament.

The Prefect’s office shall be responsible for conscripting able-bodied men and calming the populace.”

Upon hearing Liu Laoxu’s order, the Prefect of Yangzhou nearly cursed aloud.

Conscription and calming the people seemed simple—but in practice, they demanded exceptional execution.

A slight misstep, and orders from above would twist into chaos below.

If you leave it to yamen runners, not causing a public outcry would count as success.

…

Midnight.

Qin Tianrui raised his farewell cup, rallying the troops for one final push.

“We’ve fed and trained these soldiers for a thousand days—now is the moment to use them.”

“Since ancient times, men of our kind have won glory on horseback.

The chance has come!

Yangzhou City is weakly defended—this is our best opportunity to reclaim lost territory.

…

Drink this cup, and let’s meet again inside Yangzhou City!”

The emotional speech elevated the atmosphere.

Countless soldiers’ eyes burned with hunger for military merit.

Under the Great Yu system, this was the last chance for commoners to rise.

(End of Chapter)