Chapter 361: Poking Through the Window Paper

Time flies, and in a blink, another month passed.

For the Wu State, the past month was like a year.

The bad political influence brought by the loss of Yangzhou was even more serious than expected.

On the external battlefield, bad news came from the front line.

It was not that the imperial army broke through the defense line they built, but that the enemy did not play according to the routine.

On one hand, they made a show of wanting to break through from the Yangzhou and Suzhou lines to seize Nanjing; on the other hand, they also divided their troops to attack in all directions, specifically picking on the prefectures and counties below.

Knowing the enemy's plan, the Wu State was still helpless.

The enemy troops daring to mobilize troops does not mean they can also mobilize troops.

Dividing troops to rescue, the siege battle turned into a field battle.

The gap between the two sides is comprehensive.

From daily training to weapons and equipment, to the comprehensive quality of military officers, the Wu army fell into a disadvantage in all aspects.

Even if there is a numerical advantage, once the two armies meet in the field, the battle will still be one-sided.

Influenced by the monopoly of knowledge, the Wu army generals encountered battles they had fought before, and the command was still like that.

Once they encountered unfamiliar battlefield situations, their knowledge reserve was not enough, and they often made stupid decisions they thought were correct.

The imperial army now besieging them is completely different from the imperial army they encountered before.

The good days of hacking a few people to death and the imperial army collapsing without fighting have long since gone forever.

On the contrary, on the Wu army side, once the casualties exceed 10%, the troops have the risk of collapse.

Only a few elites can withstand casualties of more than 20%.

The three-line garrison troops are even less able to fight and often collapse at the first touch.

The bloody facts told the Wu State high command that soldiers are precious for quality, not quantity, and generals are precious for strategy, not bravery.

In this round of confrontation, the Wu army did not lose any more important cities, but the county towns near the front line could not be kept.

Just looking at the map, on the current battlefield, Nanchang is a lonely city, Jiujiang is a lonely city, Xuzhou is a lonely city, and Hangzhou is also a lonely city.

Suzhou is about to become a lonely city, and the prefectures and counties below Luzhou, Fengyang, Huai'an, and other places are also falling one after another.

Without suffering a great defeat, the Wu State actually lost more than 200,000 troops.

The loss of military strength is secondary; the key is that the strategic space has been compressed very severely.

The area of territory that can provide money, grain, and labor for the Wu State is getting smaller and smaller, and now it is all relying on eating the old capital to support.

If this continues, even if the two sides do not have a decisive battle, they will be dragged to death.

Knowing that the rigid defensive tactics cannot adapt to the current situation, the Wu State high command is also helpless.

Tactical adjustment is simple to say, but the tricky part is how to implement it.

The more complex the tactics, the higher the requirements for the commander's ability.

The imperial army's tactical application is more flexible; besides the high knowledge level of the middle and high-level commanders themselves, the basic military officer training system created by Li Mu also played an important role.

"The puppet court is constantly concentrating heavy troops in Suzhou and Yangzhou; do you ministers have any countermeasures?"

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan asked with an exhausted face.

From the uprising in Guangxi to the present, he has fought east and west countless times and defeated countless enemies.

During this period, he also encountered adversity; when the situation was most dangerous, he even personally picked up a gun and went to the battlefield.

However, all the troubles encountered in the past added together did not make them as hesitant as the problems encountered this time.

The enemy troops seem to have done a lot, and it seems they have done nothing, but they have forced the Wu State to the edge of life and death.

"Your Majesty, the current situation is that the Ministry of War is incompetent and failed to timely perceive the enemy's conspiracy.

As a result, after the outbreak of the great war, our army is in a passive state on all battlefields.

The minister begs Your Majesty for punishment!"

The deterioration of the situation always requires someone to be responsible.

Minister of War Fan Xiuwen stood out and took the black pot.

"Enough!"

"I need to solve the problem; I have no time to deal with the division of responsibility.

Since you know the deployment is problematic, the Ministry of War should know shame and then be brave, washing away the shame of the previous failure!"

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan reprimanded unhappily.

It is a good thing that the little brother is willing to take the black pot, but what is needed now is to solve the problem, not to pursue responsibility.

The strategic layout was decided by him personally, and the main generals on the battlefield were also personally appointed by him, the emperor.

The Ministry of War's main work lies in providing logistical support for the main army.

This time the battle is mostly a defensive battle, and the materials were stored in advance, so there was no problem with logistics.

Punishing the Ministry of War, besides making the people below feel cold, has no meaning.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your instruction!

The Ministry of War will definitely learn from the lessons and wash away the previous shame in the subsequent great war."

Fan Xiuwen feigned excitement and guaranteed, as if the unfavorable war situation on the front line was entirely the Ministry of War's responsibility.

Seeing this scene, the group of ministers cast contemptuous glances.

"Your Majesty, the puppet court changed the direction of the attack, attempting to use Suzhou and Yangzhou as a springboard to attack Nanjing.

The Eastern King is fighting with the Tusi in the Shu region, and the Guanzhong righteous army has also encountered trouble; the allies cannot be counted on for the time being.

Looking at the choices before us, only two remain.

Either concentrate troops and have a decisive battle with the enemy troops in Nanjing.

Or hold Nanjing and make a breakthrough on other battlefields."

Yang Jingren glared at Fan Xiuwen and said.

The Minister of War running to flatter the emperor, while the strategic planning actually has to be proposed by him, the Right Chancellor, is simply turning the world upside down.

However, now is not the time to care about this.

The Great Dayu dynasty's family foundation is much thicker than they expected.

Chengdu Prefecture, which should have fallen, luckily held on until now because the Tusi army raided the Eastern King's troops.

The Guanzhong righteous army is even more high-opening and low-walking; a million righteous army was actually beaten by more than ten thousand imperial troops, losing a large amount of territory.

If they cannot turn defeat into victory, they can only run away next.

Thinking of this, Yang Jingren secretly rejoiced.

Fortunately, when they first rebelled, the military preparedness of the southern provinces was seriously abandoned.

If they had encountered a strong enemy at the beginning, it is estimated that the righteous army would not have been able to get out of Guangxi before being suppressed.

"These two choices have their own pros and cons; I am truly difficult to decide, so you ministers tell me your thoughts!"

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said slowly.

Accustomed to the extravagance of Nanjing, unknowingly, he has also changed.

Before becoming emperor, when encountering such things, he would not have any hesitation and would directly summon troops and fight the enemy.

Fighting for the dragon in troubled times does not allow for hesitation.

The previous failure verified the ancient saying "If you defend for a long time, you will lose."

If you want to fight for the world, you must bet all your chips.

Defeating the imperial army, all the lost territory can be taken back.

If they fail in the great battle, no matter how long they hold on, it will have no meaning.

"Your Majesty, concentrate troops and have a decisive battle with the enemy!"

Xie Ruiyu said with a firm tone.

The reason is redundant.

At this kind of time, if you don't concentrate troops and have a fight with the enemy, you won't have the capital to fight later.

From the start of the war to the present, the Wu State has been led by the nose by the enemy.

Many of their strategic deployments had not yet been launched before they first turned into useless work.

Every attack by the enemy hit the Wu State's lifeline, making them exhausted to deal with.

……

"Speed up; strive to arrive at the next post station before dark."

The Marquis of Wuyang urged impatiently.

With the change of strategic focus, the command post also moved.

At this time, the team had entered Zhejiang and would arrive at the pier in three days to take a boat to the Southern Zhili to preside over the main army.

Delaying so long on the road was mainly because when the troops transferred, in order to exert pressure on the rebel army, they recovered some lost territory along the way.

As the war progressed, the imperial army had already obtained the initiative.

They can make a breakthrough from Suzhou and Yangzhou prefectures, or they can push all the way to the foot of Nanjing City from Huizhou Prefecture, Ningguo Prefecture, and other areas.

On the way to the march, any simple attack by the imperial army could scare the rebel army to death.

Even so, the Marquis of Wuyang was still a bit panicked in his heart.

It was not that he was worried about the rebel army, but mainly that he was afraid that if he arrived late, other imperial armies would recover Nanjing first.

As the Viceroy of Jiangnan, not participating in the battle to recover Nanjing, if it spread out, he would become a joke.

With the style of civil officials, there would be no lack of taking him for fun.

"Governor, you don't have to worry too much.

The military strength of the two provinces of Min-Zhe is insufficient; even with the Jiangxi First Town, it will be very difficult to take Nanjing in a short time."

Knowing the Marquis of Wuyang was in a bad mood, everyone didn't dare to speak, so Li Mu could only speak to break the silence.

"The military strength of the two provinces of Min-Zhe is not enough, but if you add the Liaodong Town troops, it will be different.

The current Xuzhou City is a lonely city.

The old man suspects this is a bargaining chip deliberately left by that group of Liaodong guys.

Once they reach an agreement with the Duke of Cheng, they will immediately take Xuzhou and quickly march south."

After speaking, the Marquis of Wuyang regretted it a bit.

These words should not have been said in front of Li Mu.

After the Li family gave up the merit of recovering Nanjing, he and the Duke of Cheng became competitors.

It was not that the two of them wanted to fight for merit; it was mainly that the group of little brothers under the two men all wanted the great merit of recovering Nanjing.

The most critical thing is the emperor, who does not want to see a solid nobility group.

Even if there is no contradiction between the two sides, they must find opportunities to create some contradictions on the surface to reassure the emperor.

Against this background, Li Mu's situation became awkward.

On one side is his father-in-law, and on the other is his recommender in the officialdom; standing on either side is inappropriate.

"Governor, your heart is in chaos.

Letting the Liaodong army march south to participate in the war is indeed possible, but this is definitely not the first choice.

The rebel army's strength is not made of paper, and Nanjing has been managed by Fu Ni as an old nest, so it is not so easy to be broken."

Li Mu said calmly.

The window paper was poked through; with his status, it is inconvenient to continue to offer advice.

If it weren't for the late hour, he would have found an opportunity to say goodbye and leave, taking the opportunity to avoid the subsequent storm.

A flash of inspiration in his heart, Li Mu, who found a way to escape, showed a smile at the corner of his mouth.

He pitted the Annam delegation earlier, but that was not enough to cause the two countries to go to war; now it is time to increase the intensity again.

As for the subsequent Battle of Nanjing, whoever wants to obtain military merit, take the troops to fight; he has no obligation to be a nanny.

"Enough!"

"If I get it, it is my luck; if I lose it, it is my fate."

"Everyone is serving the court; there is no need to make a scene for a little military merit!"

The Marquis of Wuyang said with slight helplessness.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 362 =====