[{"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-361":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},2364630,4623,"Chapter 361: Piercing the Window Paper","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-361",361,"\u003Cp>Time flew by, and another month passed in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Wu state, the past month had been like enduring years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The political fallout from the loss of Yangzhou was even worse than anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the external battlefield, grim news arrived constantly from the front lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that the imperial troops had broken through their defensive lines, but that the enemy refused to play by the rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While feigning an intent to break through from Yangzhou and Suzhou to seize Nanjing, they also split their forces to strike in all directions, targeting the lower-level prefectures and counties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they understood the enemy’s plan, the Wu state remained powerless to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy could afford to divert troops, but they could not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sending troops to reinforce meant turning siege warfare into open-field combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gap between both sides was comprehensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From daily training and weaponry to the overall competence of officers, the Wu army was thoroughly outclassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with numerical superiority, once the two armies met on open ground, the battle would still be one-sided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to knowledge monopolization, Wu army commanders could still command reasonably well when facing familiar battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when confronted with unfamiliar battlefield conditions, their knowledge proved insufficient, often leading them to make foolish decisions they believed were correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial troops now hunting them were entirely different from those they had faced before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The days when simply killing a few men would cause imperial troops to collapse without a fight were long gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Wu side, once casualties exceeded ten percent, the troops risked collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a few elite units could withstand casualties above twenty percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The garrison forces on the three fronts were especially fragile, often breaking at the first touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bloody truth told the Wu high command: troops must be refined, not numerous; commanders must be strategic, not merely brave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this round of conflict, the Wu army did not lose any major cities, but the counties near the front lines fell one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking solely at the map, Nanchang was now an isolated city, Jiujiang was an isolated city, Xuzhou was an isolated city, and Hangzhou was an isolated city too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suzhou was about to become isolated; prefectures and counties in Luzhou, Fengyang, Huai’an, and elsewhere were falling in rapid succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without suffering any major defeats, the Wu state had already lost over two hundred thousand troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The loss of manpower was secondary; the critical issue was that their strategic space had been drastically compressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The territory capable of supplying the Wu state with grain, taxes, and labor was shrinking, and they now relied entirely on their dwindling reserves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this continued, even without a decisive battle, they would be worn down to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu high command knew full well that rigid defensive tactics could no longer adapt to the current situation, yet they were powerless to change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adjusting tactics sounded simple; the difficulty lay in implementation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more complex the tactics, the higher the demands on the commanders’ abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial troops employed more flexible tactics, not only because their mid- and high-ranking officers possessed higher levels of knowledge, but also because Li Mu’s basic officer training system had played a crucial role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The so-called false dynasty is concentrating heavy forces toward Suzhou and Yangzhou. My ministers, do you have any countermeasures?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Haoxuan asked, his face weary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since rising in rebellion from Guangxi, he had waged countless campaigns east and west, defeating innumerable enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had faced adversity before; at the most perilous moments, he had even taken up a spear and fought on the battlefield himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet all the troubles he had encountered before combined were nothing compared to the confusion this crisis had caused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy seemed to have done much, yet also done nothing at all—and yet had pushed the Wu state to the brink of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, this situation stems from the incompetence of the Ministry of War, which failed to detect the enemy’s plot in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, after the war erupted, our forces on every front were left in a reactive position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I humbly beg Your Majesty to punish me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the situation deteriorates, someone must be held responsible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of War Fan Xiwen stepped forward voluntarily and took the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I need solutions, not blame assignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since you know the deployment was flawed, the Ministry of War must feel shame and rise to the challenge—to wash away the disgrace of past failures!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Haoxuan scolded sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was good that his subordinate willingly took the blame, but what was needed now was solving the problem, not assigning blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself had personally approved the strategic layout; the main commanders on the battlefield had been appointed by him as emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of War’s primary duty was to provide logistical support to the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This campaign had largely been defensive, with supplies pre-stocked—logistics had not failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Punishing the Ministry of War would only demoralize the troops and serve no purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank Your Majesty for the instruction!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Ministry of War will learn from this lesson and wash away past disgrace in the coming battles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Xiwen declared with feigned fervor, as if the front-line failures were entirely the Ministry’s fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the ministers cast him scornful glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the false dynasty has shifted its offensive direction, aiming to use Suzhou and Yangzhou as springboards to attack Nanjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eastern King is embroiled in fighting with the tribal forces in Sichuan, and the Shaanxi rebels are also in trouble—our allies are temporarily unreachable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, we face only two choices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either concentrate our forces and fight a decisive battle with the enemy at Nanjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or hold Nanjing and seek breakthroughs on other fronts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Jingren glared at Fan Xiwen and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister of War was busy flattering the emperor, yet the strategic planning had to come from him, the Right Chancellor—it was utterly backwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now was not the time for petty grievances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Da Yu dynasty’s resources were far more substantial than they had assumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chengdu Prefecture, which should have fallen, had barely held out because tribal forces had launched a surprise attack on the Eastern King’s troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shaanxi rebels had started strong but collapsed badly—hundreds of thousands of rebels had been crushed by just over ten thousand imperial troops, losing vast territories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could not turn defeat into victory, they would have to flee next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Yang Jingren felt a quiet sense of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, at the start of their rebellion, the military readiness of the southern provinces had been severely neglected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they faced strong enemies from the outset, the rebels likely would have been crushed before even leaving Guangxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Both options have advantages and disadvantages—I find it truly difficult to decide. My ministers, share your thoughts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Haoxuan said slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having grown accustomed to Nanjing’s luxurious lifestyle, he had subtly changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before becoming emperor, faced with such a situation, he would have had no hesitation—he would have immediately gathered troops and fought the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a chaotic age, there is no room for indecision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Past failures had confirmed the ancient saying: “Hold too long, and you will lose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To vie for the empire, one must stake everything on a gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the imperial troops are defeated, all lost territory can be reclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if they lose this decisive battle, no matter how long they hold out, it will be meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, concentrate our forces and fight a decisive battle with the enemy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiu Ruiyu said firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reasons were unnecessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, if they did not concentrate their forces and fight the enemy now, they would have no chance to fight later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the war began, the Wu state had been led by the nose by the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of their strategic deployments had been rendered useless before they could even be activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every enemy strike hit the Wu state’s vital points, leaving them exhausted and reactive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up—try to reach the next relay station before nightfall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang urged impatiently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the strategic focus shifted, the command headquarters had also moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The column had now entered Zhejiang and would reach the docks in three days, where they would board ships to travel to Nanzhili to oversee the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The delay en route was mainly because, during troop transfers, they had taken the opportunity to relieve pressure on the rebels by retaking some lost territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the imperial troops had seized the initiative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could either break through from Suzhou and Yangzhou, or push straight through Huizhou and Ningguo Prefectures all the way to Nanjing’s gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the march, even a simple imperial strike could terrify the rebels into near panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, the Marquis of Wuyang still felt uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t fear of the rebels—he was mainly afraid that if he arrived too late, other imperial forces would recapture Nanjing first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Viceroy of Jiangnan, failing to participate in the recapture of Nanjing would make him a laughingstock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the nature of civil officials, they would surely mock him mercilessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, you need not worry too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The military forces of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces are insufficient; even with the addition of the First Regiment of Jiangxi, it would be hard to capture Nanjing in the short term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing the Marquis of Wuyang was in a foul mood, no one dared speak, so Li Mu had to break the silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we add the troops of Liaodong Garrison, the situation would be different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuzhou City is now an isolated stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suspect this is a bargaining chip deliberately left behind by those fellows in Liaodong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they reach an agreement with the Duke of Cheng, they will immediately seize Xuzhou and swiftly march south.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, the Marquis of Wuyang felt a pang of regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words should not have been spoken in front of Li Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Li family gave up the glory of recapturing Nanjing, he and the Duke of Cheng became rivals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that the two of them sought credit; rather, the many subordinates under their command needed the great merit of recapturing Nanjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most crucially, the Emperor did not want to see a monolithic bloc of noble elites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if there were no real conflicts between them, they had to create visible tensions to reassure the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, Li Mu’s position became awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one side was his father-in-law; on the other, his patron in officialdom—supporting either side would be inappropriate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Viceroy, your mind is unsettled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deploying the Liaodong troops south to join the battle is indeed possible, but it is certainly not the preferred option.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rebel forces are not paper tigers, and Nanjing has been fortified by the traitor Fu as his stronghold—it won’t fall easily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the veil had been lifted, his status made it improper for him to continue offering strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been so late, he would have sought an excuse to take his leave and avoid the coming turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden idea struck him—he found a way out, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had previously tricked the Annan envoy delegation, but that alone was not enough to spark war between the two nations; now it was time to escalate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the coming battle for Nanjing, whoever wants military merit can take their troops and fight— he had no obligation to act as a babysitter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I gain it, it is my fortune; if I lose it, it is my fate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We all serve the court—there’s no need to fight bitterly over a little military glory!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang said, somewhat helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1967,"2026-06-21T08:09:04.021Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","91badb893824d8fc0f0fca6da4d17326e295477a92ed403acef0e65ad4c272bf","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-362","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-360",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]