Chapter 359: Restarting the Nanjing Campaign

“Impossible!”

“The prominent families of Yangzhou pledged allegiance to our dynasty, and they submitted their letters of loyalty.”

“Given the deeds they’ve committed, returning to the fake dynasty would mean certain retribution.”

“Qin Tianrui lacks the weight to protect them all before the false emperor.”

“Even if some betray us, it can only be a few families—there cannot be collective treason!”

Hu Yuzhe hastily rebutted.

He proposed the alliance between court nobles and scholarly families; the Yangzhou clans were merely part of it.”

The effect was strikingly clear.”

Faced with well-bred noblewomen offered willingly, the Wu state’s newly rich had no defense against it.”

Without much effort, they all became one of us.”

With whispers from the concubines’ chambers, the faction of surrendered officials led by him swiftly integrated into Wu’s power center.”

Emperor Fu Haoxuan placed great trust in him.”

The Yangzhou clans’ rebellion threw him into an awkward position.”

Once trust is lost, the good days of these surrendered officials are over.”

“Lord Hu, if not for these traitors, even if I were utterly incompetent, I would never have lost Yangzhou Prefecture so quickly.”

“Just wait and see!”

“If they did not betray our Wu state, the Great Yu side will surely punish them.”

“Conversely, if the fake dynasty accepts them, then my words are proven true!”

Liu Laoxu swore firmly.

He didn’t know how many had betrayed, but he had already done the cleaning-up work for Great Yu in advance.”

In Yangzhou City, every family was in mourning, everyone weeping.”

Some unfortunate ones were completely wiped out.”

With so many dead, if Great Yu still pursued their responsibility, it would be unjust.”

He was utterly unafraid to let time verify it.”

He appeared careless and uneducated, but all that was just an illusion.”

If anyone took him for a brute, they’d be waiting to be tricked!”

Ordering the massacre of the city’s clans before withdrawal was both an act of vengeance and a search for scapegoats for the loss of the city.”

“Enough. Whether true or false, we’ll know soon enough.”

“Now that Yangzhou has fallen, our Great Wu state hangs by a thread—my ministers, do you have any clever strategies to turn the tide?”

Fu Haoxuan asked.

Once the Yangzhou clans were implicated, the matter should end.”

Digging deeper would set fire to everyone’s backyards—even his own harem would be affected.”

As emperor, Fu Haoxuan valued face.”

Such an embarrassing matter should be handled privately; there was no need to make a public spectacle.”

Rather than worrying over these trivialities, consider the aftermath.”

“Your Majesty, Yangzhou Prefecture has been lost—reclaim it.”

“The enemy forces entrenched in Yangzhou consist solely of the First Jiangxi Garrison.”

“From Anqing all the way to Yangzhou, the enemy could not have emerged unscathed; the fake dynasty’s generals love to pocket empty rations.”

“An under-strength garrison can number at most six or seven thousand men.”

“Now, by mobilizing troops, we can reclaim Yangzhou Prefecture before the fake dynasty reacts.”

Yang Jingren’s words infuriated Fan Xiuwen half to death.”

The Right Chancellor merely needs to offer advice—the implementation is entirely the Ministry of War’s duty.”

“Theoretically, concentrating our forces now could indeed reclaim Yangzhou Prefecture.”

“The problem is, the Ministry of War currently lacks that many mobile troops.”

“The enemy swiftly captured Yangzhou City—not only due to internal traitors, but because they possessed sufficient strength themselves.”

“Given the combat effectiveness of our own imperial troops, going there without several times their numbers would merely hand them victories.”

“Moreover, now the enemy holds the defensive position, further increasing the difficulty of war.”

“Your Majesty, most of our nation’s troops are concentrated on the front lines; the garrison forces are limited.”

“The mobile forces we prepared have been taken by the Marquis Wu Mu to Suzhou Prefecture.”

“There, fighting has likely already begun; withdrawing them in the short term would inevitably shake the morale of our front-line troops.”

“To swiftly reclaim Yangzhou Prefecture, we must summon troops from the capital.”

“But once we do, the capital will be left vulnerable.”

“If the enemy seizes the opportunity and marches straight for our Great Wu capital, it will be a disaster!”

Fan Xiuwen politely refused.

Yangzhou City is the gateway to Nanjing—he too wanted to reclaim it quickly.”

“But having the desire does not mean one can accomplish it.”

“With insufficient troops, even he, as Minister of War, could do nothing.”

“In truth, his position as Minister of War was merely prestigious on the surface.”

“The arrogant generals and hardened soldiers beneath him were beyond his control.”

“The authority to mobilize troops and appoint commanders rested entirely in the emperor’s hands; the Ministry of War served mostly as the emperor’s assistant.”

“Its primary purpose was not to manage the nation’s armies, but to take the blame for the emperor when problems arose.”

“The capital’s forces are already scarce; we can spare at most twenty or thirty thousand troops—more would compromise the capital’s defense.”

“If the fake dynasty’s army dared to advance alone to seize Yangzhou, they might also launch a surprise attack on Nanjing.”

“If our forces are insufficient, the enemy will easily find an opening.”

“If the Ministry of War faces difficulties, find a way to overcome them.”

“Our Great Wu commands a million troops—when manpower is lacking, we squeeze harder, and it will appear.”

As he spoke, Yang Jingren deliberately glanced at Hu Yuzhe.

“Nanjing is a great city—its defensive strength goes without saying.”

“When the rebel army attacked Nanjing, they stormed it for over a year and paid a terrible price to take it.”

“If the Yu army attacked, they too could not capture it quickly—the only risk is internal collusion.”

“First, numerous Chu officials defected; then came the Yangzhou clans’ betrayal—trust crises inevitably arose within the Wu court.”

“Even Hu Yuzhe, once the most trusted, was now under suspicion.”

“All the former Great Yu officials and scholar-officials now looked like traitors.”

…

Yangzhou City.

As the victor of the great battle, Qin Tianrui was busy comforting the wounded families of the city.”

“The battle was horrific—every family, without exception, suffered devastating losses.”

“Those who survived were all lucky ones.”

“This letter of loyalty was surely the most brutal in history.”

“At this point, even pleading is unnecessary—anyone looking at it would say they are loyal.”

“Deep inside, Qin Tianrui felt a touch of embarrassment.”

“The horrific scene resulted entirely from his miscalculation of the clans’ strength.”

“He had merely intended to weaken them—never imagining he’d overdone it so badly.”

“Now, no need to fear—this loss will take them decades to recover from.”

“Within the scholar-gentry group, competition exists—they won’t let these families recover.”

“During this time, many challengers will seize their interests.”

“He knew this well, yet felt no sympathy.”

“The rise and fall of families is normal; even the great clans cannot escape historical law.”

“My own Xingguo Marquis House was far more illustrious than these Yangzhou clans at its peak—yet still declined.”

“They couldn’t even reclaim the hereditary title left by their ancestors.”

“Their interests in court were entirely carved up.”

“If they hadn’t been pragmatic and adjusted their strategy in time, they wouldn’t have had a chance at revival.”

“I myself am still fighting to restore my family’s fortunes—how could I spare energy to pity others?”

“Issue orders: immediately send word of victory to the Viceroy’s office.”

After scanning the documents and confirming no omissions, Qin Tianrui immediately ordered.

“With the victory of reclaiming Yangzhou, my position as Commander of the First Jiangxi Garrison is now truly deserved.”

“When war merits are awarded, my ranking will certainly not be low.”

“The more critical this moment, the more cautious one must be.”

“Without reinforcements, being trapped in a lone city is extremely dangerous.”

…

Nanchang Camp.

Aside from the initial probing attacks, both sides soon fell into a staring contest.

Occasionally bored, government troops and rebels engaged in verbal battles.

At first, the government sent eloquent scholars to fight back—but they were utterly defeated in the verbal duel.

All their classical phrases and literary allusions meant nothing to the rebel soldiers.

No matter how refined their insults, they were useless.

On the contrary, the rebels’ foul language, though lacking depth, was instantly understood by everyone.

Realizing this, both armies switched to direct mutual insults.

Had he not heard it with his own ears, Li Mu would never have believed the world contained so many curses.

“Report!”

“Regional Commander Qin has sent word: the First Army of Jiangxi seized Yangzhou City five days ago, slaying enemy troops...”

The swift arrival of this victory report left everyone bewildered.

The First Army of Jiangxi had marched toward Anqing, then turned toward Luzhou Prefecture; Marquis Wu had already contacted government forces in Huguang and Henan to prepare for their support.

No one expected that within just a few days, news arrived of Yangzhou’s recovery.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, all eyes turned to Li Mu.

This was a tactic of striking where least expected—thoroughly bearing Li Mu’s signature.

“Don’t look at me like that. I already told you before: the First Army of Jiangxi might move to reclaim the lower Yangtze region.”

“Now that Regional Commander Qin has retaken Yangzhou, it’s entirely reasonable.”

Li Mu said with a smile.

This answer clearly failed to convince anyone.

“Might move to reclaim” meant nothing but empty promises.

The lower Yangtze region held only a few prefectures; Yangzhou City was unquestionably among the most important.

Under normal circumstances, the First Army of Jiangxi alone could never seize Yangzhou.

Advancing alone into enemy territory was nearly suicide.

Yet the very promise they’d dismissed had become reality.

So much so that everyone suspected Li Mu had secretly orchestrated it.

In truth, since the campaign began at Anqing, he had fully relinquished control.

Commanding from hundreds of miles away, pulling off clever maneuvers remotely, was extremely dangerous.

To unleash maximum combat effectiveness, commanders must be allowed to act independently.

The original goal of this campaign was sabotage; reaching Yangzhou was already a strategic victory—seizing the city itself was beyond expectations.

“Director, how many things have you been hiding from us?”

Jiangxi Provincial Governor Bai Pan Shan asked, visibly frustrated.

Deceiving the enemy was one thing—but now he was deceiving his own side too.

A lone force penetrating deep behind enemy lines and capturing a key city? That defied all military doctrine.

Yet given Li Mu’s track record, no one dared cite doctrine to him anymore.

As long as they won battles, everything else was secondary.

“Governor Bai, I haven’t lied to you.

This operation was purely accidental.

Our original strategic target was Anqing—but we were forced into a tactical withdrawal after encountering the incompetent troops of the Bandit Army.

The subsequent capture of Yangzhou resulted from multiple factors; you can discuss the exact details once Regional Commander Qin returns.”

Li Mu explained calmly.

He wasn’t trying to show off—retaking Yangzhou was truly an unexpected windfall.

He had no need for military merit; he had no reason to steal credit from his subordinates.

“Retaking Yangzhou is like a dagger plunged into the enemy’s heart.

From now on, the strategic initiative in this rebellion lies firmly in our hands.

All we need to do is send troops to use Yangzhou as a pivot and launch an assault on Nanjing.

The importance of all other fronts will diminish drastically.

How exactly to proceed? Director Li will handle the arrangements!”

Marquis Wu exclaimed joyfully.

He hadn’t read military texts in vain—he knew every strategic location in the Great Ming by heart.

Yangzhou Prefecture was isolated, yet not truly isolated.

The navy could transport reinforcements and supplies directly by sea.

“Nanjing, in both political status and strategic value, far surpasses Nanchang, Jiujiang, Hangzhou, and other cities.

The court is closely watching Nanjing’s fate; seizing it directly offers far greater value than pouring heavy forces into other regions.

Leave one army behind to continue tying down the rebels in Nanchang; all other forces must hurry to join the Nanjing campaign.

Not just us—our colleagues must coordinate quickly too.

Once news of Yangzhou’s recovery spreads, anyone with ambitions for the glory of retaking Nanjing will rush to join.

Unite all forces and seize Nanjing as soon as possible—I intend to break the rebels’ backbone in one blow!”

Li Mu said solemnly.

Emperor Yongning had long demanded Nanjing’s recovery; now that the opportunity had arrived, they must seize it without delay.

With Nanjing retaken, this rebellion would enter its final phase.

War is fought for hearts and minds.

Lose Nanjing, and the rebels’ dream of contending for the throne becomes a joke—their morale will inevitably crumble.

After this battle, he could turn his attention to reclaiming Jiaozhi Province, free from internal power struggles among his peers.

“We obey!”

The officials replied in unison.

It was clear—the lure of retaking Nanjing was immense.

Even just joining as a token force, they were eager to participate.

…

Outside Hangzhou City.

“The Jiangxi troops have retaken Yangzhou. Marquis Wu invites us to join the Nanjing campaign and capture the rebel leader in one stroke.

Fellow officials, any objections?”

As he held the official document, Jing Guoliang’s hands trembled.

Yangzhou’s swift return to government control had completely stunned him.

Had he not trusted Marquis Wu and Li Mu, he wouldn’t have dared even read the letter aloud.

The government forces had moved too fast—there had been not a single warning.

“Director, what’s there to hesitate about? We must join the Nanjing campaign immediately.

I propose mobilizing the navy to transport all units there at once.

Launch a two-pronged advance from Suzhou and Yangzhou Prefectures toward Nanjing, aiming to retake it before year’s end.

Let the court officials see the spirit of our Fujian-Zhejiang men!”

Zhejiang Provincial Governor responded at once.

His excitement was so intense, an outsider might think he’d just been promoted.

…

(End of Chapter)