Chapter 363: War Outbreak

Taihe Hall.

Looking at the state letter transferred from below, Emperor Yongning exploded on the spot.

He didn't care about the Annam people earlier, thinking that this group of guys should have calmed down and sent someone to plead guilty.

Never imagined that he didn't wait for the plea of guilt, but instead waited for questioning.

Daring to threaten with sending troops and asking him, this emperor, to go to Thang Long City to plead guilty.

"Ministers, do you have anything to say?"

Emperor Yongning asked coldly.

The Great Dayu is not the Great Song; if a vassal state provokes like this, if he doesn't do something, he will become a joke among the emperors of the Great Dayu.

Even the weak Great Song, facing the provocation of the Annam people, still sent troops to beat the Annam people back then.

Annam's arrogance is mainly the sequelae left by the civil-military struggle back then.

If it weren't for some guys who called themselves famous ministers who gave up Jiaozhi for short-term interests, there wouldn't be the current Annam.

The problems that were not solved during the empire's prosperity became disasters in the late dynasty.

At this time, facing the threat issued by the Annam King, Emperor Yongning embarrassingly found that he could only respond passively.

"Your Majesty, the Annam people's ambition is obvious; a great war is inevitable.

The Guangxi Provincial Governor, Provincial Administration Commissioner, Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and other officials jointly reported, hoping the court would strengthen Guangxi's defense to respond to the Annam invasion.

The Duke of Cheng, the Marquis of Wuyang, the Marquis of Hanshui, and other high-ranking officials put forward different opinions on the Annam issue.

They believe that the Annam people's ambition is too big; just conducting passive defense is not enough, and they advocate taking back the Hanoi area and rebuilding the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commissioner."

First Assistant Wan Junhui replied.

Surrounding the Annam issue, the Great Dayu dynasty has had more than one quarrel, and in the end, they were all left unsettled.

In the past, when discussing, no one expected that the Annam people would dare to be so presumptuous.

Even in the last state letter incident, everyone just thought the Annam people were testing the Great Dayu, at most waiting for an opportunity to annex a few vassal states attached to the Great Dayu.

No one expected that the Annam people would dare to aim at the Great Dayu.

In terms of development, the Two Guangs region is definitely one step further than other areas of the Indochina Peninsula, but this is the territory of the Great Dayu.

The Great Dayu can give up Jiaozhi, but that doesn't mean it can give up the Two Guangs.

The Liaodong battlefield was fought like that, and the full court of civil and military officials didn't dare to give up, let alone the Two Guangs.

"Oh!"

"Do they have a specific combat plan?"

Emperor Yongning asked expectantly.

Wanting to become the revival emperor of the Great Dayu, Emperor Yongning's ambition was not worn away by the setbacks in the early stages.

Cultivating civil virtue internally and governing military equipment externally is an indispensable part of becoming a revival emperor.

Compared to conservative strengthening of defense, recovering lost territory and rebuilding the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commissioner is obviously more to his appetite.

The rebel army in Guanzhong was hit hard, and the rebel army in Sichuan was also dragged down.

The rebel army in the south was suppressed to a corner, and after a few more days, the southeastern provinces would restore peace.

The internal problems were solved, and it was the turn of external troubles.

Originally, he wanted to clean up the Northern Tartars first; now the Annam people jumped out to pull hatred first, so cleaning up the enemies in the south is the same.

"No!"

"The main army of the Two Guangs is all gathered on the front line, and the troops left behind are garrison troops, with very limited combat power.

"The main forces of the Two Guangs are all gathered at the front line; those left behind are all garrison troops, and their combat effectiveness is extremely limited.

The initial phase will focus primarily on defense, supplemented by localized counterattacks.

To stabilize the overall situation, the Marquis of Wuyang suggests having the Marquis of Hanshui return to the Two Guangs to preside over the situation and strive to ensure that important prefectures are not lost."

Wan Junhui spoke frankly.

Deep down, he had long been unable to stop himself from cursing.

These fellows in the nobility faction could have directly submitted a memorial to the Emperor, yet they insisted on following procedure and submitting it to the Grand Secretariat first.

If it were just a simple formality, it wouldn't be a big deal, but the timing was just too perfect.

Whether it arrived a day early or a day late would have been fine, but it just had to come after the memorial from the Guangxi Provincial Governor's office.

The memorial was in the hands of the Grand Secretariat and had not yet been forwarded to Emperor Yongning; now that the Emperor was asking questions, he naturally had to be the one to answer.

It appeared to be a verbatim relay, but in reality, it was a forced coercion of their stance.

Recovering lost territory is politically correct.

The issue of Jiaozhi, which had always been a taboo, was placed on the table; on the surface, the Grand Secretariat could not oppose it.

Those officials who had advocated for abandoning Jiaozhi back then—even now, the common people still curse them as traitors to the nation.

Especially in recent years, with the popularity of novels and storybooks.

The public outcry against them has been wave after wave, directly equating them with Qin Hui and Zhonghang Shuo.

The ones who have suffered the greatest fall are the descendants of these families, who went directly from being descendants of famous officials to descendants of traitors.

Their former students, subordinates, relatives, and friends have all successively drawn clear lines between themselves and them.

One by one, they were forced to move, not daring to reveal their family names when going out, and they were even more cautious while serving as officials in the court.

Fearing that one day their identities would be exposed, inviting a siege by a group of scholars.

Especially the scholars from Liaodong who were forced to migrate south; they have shown particular intensity in this regard.

Everyone is counting on the imperial court to fight back so they can reclaim their family estates from the Northern Tatars.

Targeting these families with curses is, in reality, an attempt to use them as a cautionary tale to dispel any thoughts among the court officials of abandoning Liaodong.

The effect has been very obvious; for the sake of their reputations both during their lives and after death, the peace-faction officials have collectively gone silent, and no one in the court dares to speak of abandoning Liaodong anymore.

"Holding both military and political power in the capacity of a Provincial Military Commander is not in accordance with the rules.

The war is taking place in Guangxi, so it should be presided over by the Guangxi Provincial Governor..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Chu Linjie realized the problem.

Only by assembling the military strength of the Two Guangs would there be a chance to hold onto important prefectures; leaving Guangxi to handle it alone would be too difficult.

Letting the Guangxi Provincial Governor hold supreme power—not to mention whether he has the ability to block the Annan people—the mere involvement of military and financial logistics across two provinces is a major issue.

Neither the Guangdong Provincial Governor nor the Two Guangs Provincial Military Commander is a subordinate of the Guangxi Provincial Governor.

Even if the imperial court issued an imperial decree for Zhang Sihan to serve as an imperial envoy, he would not have the ability to integrate the armies of the Two Guangs in a short period of time.

To rapidly integrate the garrison armies of the Two Guangs, the best choice is naturally to have the Marquis of Wuyang return.

As the Viceroy of the Two Guangs, he is the legitimate military and political chief, capable of mobilizing the manpower, wealth, and resources of the two provinces in a justified manner.

However, this is impossible.

While serving as the Viceroy of the Two Guangs, the Marquis of Wuyang also concurrently serves as the Viceroy of Jiangnan.

At this critical moment of recovering Nanjing, the Viceroy of Jiangnan cannot be absent.

Compared to Nanjing, Guangxi is far inferior in both strategic value and political status.

Against this backdrop, Li Mu became the only candidate.

Although the Two Guangs Provincial Military Commander does not manage political affairs, he is in charge of the armies of the two provinces.

Once he returns, he can immediately take charge without wasting a large amount of time on team integration, allowing the troops to exert their combat effectiveness in a short period.

"Lord Chu, the Guangxi Provincial Governor's ability is indeed quite good, but he is not skilled in military affairs.

On the issue of resisting the Annan invasion, Governor Zhang also leans toward having Provincial Military Commander Li preside over the overall situation."

Gu Jiaxi interrupted immediately.

Gifts cannot be accepted for nothing.

Zhang Sihan was anxious to maneuver his way out of Guangxi precisely because he sensed the danger.

The recruited troops of the Two Guangs are all at the front line; relying solely on garrison troops to block hundreds of thousands of Annan soldiers is simply too difficult.

Letting Li Mu preside over the situation would at least allow for the mobilization of the garrison troops of the two provinces; if it were Zhang Sihan, being able to command the troops within the province would already be an over-performance.

It is not that the generals below are resisting orders, but mainly due to the tradition of the Great Yu army—the mobilization fee.

The Guangxi Provincial Governor's office is poor and simply cannot come up with the money and grain.

The relatively wealthy ones are, conversely, the garrison offices.

After driving away the rebels, Li Mu thoroughly reorganized the garrisons and put an end to land enclosure; this is something all the civil and military officials in the court know.

In the eyes of the Grand Secretariat, although the garrisons of the Two Guangs cannot be called wealthy, they should have accumulated a sum of money and grain in their storehouses.

However, wanting to make the garrison generals take the money and grain out of their pockets is by no means an easy task.

"Grand Secretary, Governor Zhang is being overly modest.

In the previous major rebellion-suppression battles, he also achieved results.

The status of Guangxi Provincial Governor is insufficient to command the two provinces, but the Viceroy of the Two Guangs can.

The Marquis of Wuyang has long held two posts simultaneously and is under immense pressure; he needs someone to help share the burden.

Your Majesty, I recommend Guangxi Provincial Governor Zhang Sihan to serve as the Viceroy of the Two Guangs to fully preside over the matters of resisting the Annan invasion!"

Pei Xueqing's words once again ignited the conflict between the civil and military factions.

The establishment of the Viceroy was for the needs of suppressing the rebellion; now that the major war is nearing its end, the distribution of benefits must be considered.

The wealthiest provinces of the Great Yu Dynasty are all in the hands of the nobility faction, which is something the civil officials cannot tolerate.

It is just that the war at the front line is still ongoing, so it is temporarily unsuitable to discuss replacing or abolishing the Viceroy position.

Now that the opportunity has been delivered to their doorstep, it is the perfect time to seize the position of Viceroy of the Two Guangs.

Recommending Zhang Sihan appears to be a sign of high esteem, but in reality, it is digging a pit.

The political achievements of the 'reform of the land system' allowed Zhang Sihan to stand up again and become a rising political star of the imperial court.

If he were allowed to return to the imperial court, he would certainly occupy a position of real power and become one of the candidates for Grand Secretary.

As political enemies, they certainly cannot allow such a thing to happen.

Directly suppressing him would be too difficult and would easily invite the reputation of being jealous of talent; they simply decided to play the game of 'killing with kindness.'

Once the Annan invasion occurs and the Two Guangs become a battlefield, there will be no shortage of trouble.

Having snatched the cake from the nobility faction, they certainly won't cooperate fully during the fighting.

Once problems arise at the front line, dismissal will be a matter of time.

With this stain, all his previous political achievements will have been in vain.

"Your Majesty, this must absolutely not be done!"

"The rebellion-suppression war is at a critical moment; replacing the Viceroy of the Two Guangs at this time is undoubtedly creating an opportunity for the rebels.

To say nothing else, the command of the Six Towns of the Two Guangs, which are the main force for suppressing the rebellion, is a major trouble.

If there is the slightest carelessness, the operation to encircle and suppress the rebels will again be wasted.

Moreover, the internal situation of the Two Guangs is not so easy to sort out.

For the sake of stability, it is best to have the Marquis of Hanshui preside over the overall situation and act on behalf of the Viceroy of the Two Guangs!"

Gu Jiaxi responded forcefully.

It could be seen that he was truly angry.

In order to protect his own protégé, he did not hesitate to give Li Mu a push forward.

Acting on behalf of the Viceroy of the Two Guangs appears to be just a temporary job, but in reality, it is equivalent to locking in the position of the next Viceroy of the Two Guangs.

Once the Marquis of Wuyang steps down, the succession is almost a certainty.

Although this fueled the arrogance of the nobility faction, he did not believe he was aiding the enemy.

The war with Annan will not end in a short while.

Sending a civil official over to serve as Viceroy would simply not be able to hold the situation together.

If there is the slightest carelessness, even the person himself would be trapped.

Such a hot potato is something smart people avoid at all costs.

Those who dare to fight for it are mostly people with problems in their heads.

Sending such fools out would be a disaster for the country and the people.

With the two Grand Secretaries facing off, their respective protégés successively joined the battle, and for a time, saliva was flying in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"Silence!"

"This is the imperial court, not a vegetable market.

All officials who have lost their decorum before the Emperor shall have half a month's salary deducted as punishment!"

Seeing signs of the situation spiraling out of control, Wan Junhui decisively stepped out to call a halt.

As for the means of punishment, it could be completely ignored.

The imperial court still owed everyone their salaries; deducting salary was nothing more than offsetting the previous wage arrears.

The Ministry of Revenue is as poor as a church mouse; heaven knows when it will be able to make up for it—it was already a 'lifetime' series.

Using something they couldn't get as punishment naturally didn't make much of an impression on everyone, but Emperor Yongning was very satisfied.

Having watched a grand drama, the imperial court's debt hole had been reduced by several thousand taels.

Although the number was not large, it was still a good start.

The officials were psychologically prepared for the court to default on its debts, but he, the Emperor, had never thought of defaulting.

"I have understood the meaning of all you ministers.

Issue the decree: order the Marquis of Hanshui to act on behalf of the Viceroy of the Two Guangs and preside over the affairs of resisting Annan.

Order the Guangdong Provincial Governor and the Guangxi Provincial Governor to cooperate fully and strive to ensure that the national territory is not lost!"

Emperor Yongning said with an expressionless face.

The arguing of the crowd was merely a reference for him to make his decision.

What truly prompted him to reuse Li Mu was the promise of recovering lost territory and rebuilding the Jiaozhi Administration Commission.

If it weren't for the consideration of the court's lack of financial resources, he would have wanted to appoint Li Mu as the Viceroy of Jiaozhi to take this lost territory back.

Shenglong City.

"The Great Yu is going to use force against us; is the news certain?"

Hu Xinbo asked with a grave expression.

It was fine to boast a little in ordinary times, but when it came to actually going to war with a behemoth like the Great Yu, he still had no confidence in his heart.

Don't look at how, during the era of the late Emperor, the Great Viet Dynasty expanded its territory by hundreds of thousands of square kilometers and destroyed over twenty nations, appearing extremely powerful.

That was only because the opponents were weaklings; many of the countries were just tribes with populations of no more than a few thousand.

They hadn't encountered a single true, powerful enemy.

The most capable one, Zhenla, had a population of only a few hundred thousand and had already entered a period of decline.

Even with ambition, he only wanted to take advantage of the Great Yu's internal chaos to gradually encroach upon the Three Xuan and Six Comforts commissioned by the Yu Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, the news came from the Guangxi Provincial Governor's office.

It is said that the Emperor of the Yu Dynasty heard that we destroyed their vassal state and plotted against the Great Yu's Pacification Commission, and wishes to send troops to attack.

There is indeed a gathering of Yu troops at the border; this matter is most likely true."

Ding Weiqi answered immediately.

A new emperor brings new courtiers; after the new emperor ascended the throne, the days for old officials like them were not easy.

Knowing that he should make room for the newcomers, he, the Director of the Office of Transmission, was not very attentive to intelligence gathering.

Adhering to the principle of 'less trouble is better than more,' he would never bother Hu Xinbo if it wasn't necessary.

If the matter hadn't been so big, he wouldn't even have bothered to report it.

"Impossible!"

"The Yu Dynasty is busy suppressing internal chaos; where would they find the time to deal with us?

It is most likely that the Yu Dynasty officials in Guangxi are bluffing, wanting to use war as a threat to force us to give up annexing the Three Xuan and Six Comforts."

Chancellor Cui Ziyan denied it flatly.

"Report!"

"A 600-li urgent dispatch from the front line!"

"Yu troops have crossed the border, looted Hejiang, Gaoping, and other places, and killed..."

(End of chapter)