Chapter 372: Sea Waves

Compared to the wailing in the Yue army camp, the inside of Zhennan Pass was another scene.

The last time they encountered such a silly enemy was a few years ago when encircling and suppressing the rebel army.

The insurgent army that had just raised the anti-flag lacked military common sense and directly sent heads in various ways.

With the passage of time, the rebel army tempered by blood and fire was no longer the rookie it was at the beginning.

Under the same situation, they would pay tuition fees at most once or twice, and would absolutely not pay a third time.

Never expected that after a few years, they would encounter a low-end game again.

As the defending side, they already occupied the advantage, and then encountered a rookie opponent; wanting to lose was difficult.

"My Lord, the battle results of the day have been counted.

Preliminary estimates, at least three thousand casualties were caused to the enemy army.

It is a pity that the Annan people retreated too quickly, otherwise the battle results would be even more beautiful!"

Feng Jingxing said with regret.

This kind of opportunity to take advantage was not easy to encounter.

The enemy high-level officials were not stupid; after suffering a loss, they would definitely learn a lesson.

"The war was fought well.

Go back and write a battle example summary, analyzing all the

All officers at the rank of Company Commander and above must write their reports personally.

The Platoon Leaders and Squad Leaders below them are permitted to provide oral summaries."

As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, the group of officers who had been delighted a moment ago instantly wilted.

The officers present were mostly those who had risen from the grassroots.

They had mostly learned to read and write while in the army, and their level of literacy was quite touching.

If Li Mu hadn't set the rule that one must learn three thousand common characters to be promoted to Company Commander, it is estimated that most of these people would still be illiterate.

Once one reaches a certain age, the ability to learn declines.

Expecting everyone to teach themselves is purely a pipe dream.

"My Lord, this battle was entirely due to the enemy's stupidity; it will be hard to encounter such a situation again, so there is really nothing to summarize.

How about we just don't write it!"

Li Sanqi, the Guard Commander of the Guilin Left Guard standing to the side, could not help but speak up.

As a rough-and-tumble man, he had once caused a sensation among the personal guards by learning three thousand Chinese characters in ten days.

Even Li Mu had thought he was a learning genius, only to discover after getting to know him that this fellow was purely a careerist.

Under the temptation of promotion, he had erupted with an extraordinary ability to learn.

However, this kind of learning ability came as quickly as it went.

After being promoted to Company Commander, his efficiency in learning military strategy and formations dropped instantly.

That he was able to be promoted to the position of Guard Commander was half due to his bravery in battle and half due to his good family background.

His ancestors for eight generations had served the Li family, and he had been by Li Mu's side as a guard since he was a child.

"Get out!"

"Your task is doubled; in addition to the post-battle summary, add a self-criticism.

Hand it in tomorrow, and I will check it personally.

If your realization is not profound enough, you will have a hard time!"

While speaking, Li Mu kicked out at him.

Trusted aides are hard to cultivate, and military generals are also hard to cultivate.

It is troublesome to ensure both loyalty and sufficient combat capability.

Purely in terms of officer quality, this group of his direct subordinates is indeed a notch lower.

Influenced by their level of knowledge and vision, these people view problems much more simply, lack strategic insight, and have a severely insufficient grasp of the big picture.

Their only advantage is obedience; whatever Li Mu tells them to do, they do.

"This subordinate obeys!"

Li Sanqi replied bitterly.

If he had known it would turn out like this, he would not have stuck his neck out.

A personal inspection is not something one can just scribble through to fool him.

Even asking someone for help won't work; Li Mu knows exactly what his level is.

The small interlude ended, and the atmosphere in the command camp instantly became cheerful again.

With a scapegoat at the bottom, everyone else no longer felt that the summary was hard to write.

Looking at the terrain map on the sand table, Li Mu realized he had arrived too early.

Between Guangxi and Annan, there is only one road suitable for a large army to pass through, and it happens to be blocked by Zhennan Pass.

Zhennan Pass is not large, and the space for maneuvering is limited; having twenty thousand troops in the city is enough.

The local Guangxi troops cannot even fit inside the pass.

To reduce the logistical pressure, the reinforcements he brought can only be temporarily dispersed and stationed in various places.

It is difficult for the enemy to attack, and it is equally troublesome for them to launch an offensive.

"Draft a dispatch to the Yunnan Provincial Governor's office, telling them to strengthen the defense of the Annan border."

After pondering for a while, Li Mu gave the order slowly.

There are only two roads for Annan to invade Great Dayu.

Either break through from Guangxi or open up the situation from the Yunnan side.

Having bumped into a wall at Zhennan Pass, as long as the enemy is not stupid, they will not choose to fight to the death.

Casualties of over three thousand people may not sound like a large number, but this was only the first day of the great battle.

Although the Annan people's family business is not small, they cannot afford such devastation.

The transportation in Yunnan is even worse than here in Guangxi.

As long as the garrison is prepared in advance, it will be difficult for the enemy to gain any advantage.

……

The first rays of morning sunlight spilled onto the earth, but the atmosphere in the Yue army camp was extremely grave.

"My dear ministers, who is willing to take the lead for the Emperor?"

Hu Xinbo asked with a frown.

They were truly too lacking in awareness; they didn't even know how to request to fight, forcing him to ask personally.

"Hmph!"

Seeing no response, Hu Xinbo's anger accumulated to a critical point.

Although he is a new monarch and his influence in the army is limited, he is, after all, the Emperor of the Great Yue Dynasty.

The performance of the generals clearly showed they were not giving him any face.

"Your Majesty, yesterday we lost the siege cannons, and all siege weapons also suffered heavy losses.

Now the men below are busy rushing to manufacture more, so it might be better to postpone the siege for a few days."

The old general Shi Yufeng replied with trepidation.

As a veteran general in the army, he was firmly opposed to attacking Yu.

Whether it was the detention of the diplomatic mission or the border conflicts, in his view, it was nothing more than a warning from the Emperor of Great Yu to them.

If they really wanted to use force against them, it should have been after suppressing the internal rebellion before launching the southern expedition.

"Can we not lay siege without cannons?"

"I remember that the White Lotus Sect rebels' tunnel-digging tactics were highly praised by you all.

Since a group of cultists can use them, is it possible that the army of my Great Yue Dynasty cannot even learn to follow suit?"

Hu Xinbo could not help but question them.

He was not very familiar with the specifics of how to fight a war, but he could still calculate the financial costs.

From the moment the great battle broke out, the Great Yue Dynasty had been spending money like water.

So much so that the Minister of Revenue would dodge him, fearing that if they met, he would ask for money again.

The heavy siege cannons were lost, and it would take at least several months for the rear to re-forge them and transport them to the front line.

One cannot just let the army do nothing on the front line and wait for several months just for the siege cannons.

Shrinking back when encountering difficulties—at this rate, it is estimated that it would be hard to take the two Guangs even in three to five years.

"Your Majesty is wise; it is we who are foolish.

This subordinate will immediately arrange for men to dig tunnels, striving to take Zhennan Pass as soon as possible!"

Left General Chen Jichuan stepped forward decisively to echo him.

He could no longer care whether the terrain of Zhennan Pass was suitable for digging tunnels.

The reason he was given a chance to redeem himself after a defeat was because he was an imperial favorite.

The reason he didn't respond immediately just now was that he didn't know how to conduct the siege.

Now that the Emperor had provided a plan, regardless of whether it would work, he would send men to try it first.

Anyway, digging tunnels is mainly manual labor; even if the operation fails, it won't cost many soldiers.

"Old General Shi, you lead your troops to feign an attack on the city to cover General Chen as he digs tunnels to blow up the city wall."

Hu Xinbo gave the order coldly.

Although he didn't like Shi Yufeng, he had to admit that this old general was the number one person in the Great Yue military.

During the late Emperor's era, he had led the troops in several major battles of foreign conquest.

The combat power of the army under his command was in the first tier of the Great Yue Dynasty.

Launching this war, besides realizing his own ambitions, was also to take the opportunity to seize military power.

In this process, any general who dared to say no to him was a target for purging.

However, Hu Xinbo was rational and very clear that his foundation in the army was still shallow, and it was not the time to act rashly.

But taking the opportunity to reduce the power of these opposition factions was still feasible.

"This subordinate obeys!"

Knowing he had been targeted, Shi Yufeng was helpless.

The Emperor was playing a game of open schemes.

A feigned attack and a main attack are two different concepts; the former clearly told him he only needed to put on a show.

If the army still suffered heavy losses during the attack, that would be a problem of the general's command.

The problem is that there is a limit to putting on a show; at the very least, the posture must be fully displayed, and one cannot just shout and kill from several kilometers away.

To fool people, he still needed the soldiers to charge.

Without fire support on his side, and with the enemy's cannons being so sharp, once they approached the city, there would definitely be significant damage.

Even if they lost dozens of men in each siege, it would be a significant loss over time.

It's like a dull knife cutting flesh; the loss each time isn't great, but it really hurts!

……

Haiwang Island.

The dim candlelight flickered in the dilapidated wooden house, reflecting on the wall and making the three large characters "Gathering Justice Hall" look exceptionally dazzling.

The pirates sat around a cracked wooden table, the air filled with the smell of salt, fish, and tobacco.

The leading pirate wore a tattered black robe, and the long scar on his face looked even more gloomy in the dim light.

"Brothers, I just received news that the Annan people and the imperial court have started fighting.

Today, I, Zhu, invited everyone here to pull off a big deal."

Zhu Zhongxuan slapped the table and said.

Even though he had made up his mind deep down, he couldn't help but feel a bit hesitant when the time came.

Annan is not a small country; plundering such a country would inevitably involve significant risks.

"Is the Chief Zhu planning to rob Quanzhou?"

The man in gray asked with a grave expression.

They had been active along the Fujian coast for years; if they wanted to pull off a big one, robbing Quanzhou would be the most convenient.

As an important maritime trade port of Great Yu, Quanzhou gathered goods from all over the country, and one successful haul could equal countless years of effort.

"The imperial court sending troops to Annan is for the sake of righteousness.

I, Zhu, am also a man of honor; how could I drag the court's feet at such a time?

Besides, Quanzhou is not easy to rob.

Not to mention that the local garrison is not to be trifled with, even if the robbery were successful, where would we go to fence the goods?

Once the court gets serious, the group of maritime merchants along the coast will not cooperate with us.

If we rob a pile of goods and have no channels to fence them, we can't very well transport them to Luzon Island to sell ourselves, can we?

I have a fifty-thousand-tael bounty on my head over there, and those red-haired devils would love to eat me alive!"

Zhu Zhongxuan said with an air of heroism.

Pirate groups are divided into two categories.

One category consists of those persecuted by the government or the gentry, whose families have basically all died, leaving them with no attachments.

They usually have no bottom line in their actions, are particularly hostile to the imperial court and the gentry, and often cause trouble.

The other category consists of coastal fishermen who couldn't make a living and went to sea to make a living.

Because they have attachments, they are careful to leave a way out when doing things and generally do not provoke the imperial court.

They usually rob far away from their own doorsteps and occasionally help out their fellow villagers, who in turn help cover for them.

In an era where imperial power does not reach the villages, as long as they don't cause major trouble, local officials won't bother them.

The pirates invited here today are mostly of the latter type.

"Chief Zhu wants to rob Annan? That's not our territory!"

The scholar-like man to the side said with a frown.

Pirates have their own territories, and crossing the line to do business is a major taboo.

Peer competition is one thing, but the key is that they are unfamiliar with the sea routes, which makes accidents likely.

"Scholar, you still have the brains; you saw through my plan at a glance.

That's right, this time we are robbing the Annan people.

I have received confirmed intelligence that the Annan King has mobilized the entire nation's army to attack Guangxi, leaving the country's defenses empty.

You are all clear about how vast a fortune a country's accumulation of hundreds of years is.

Finishing this job will allow us to stop struggling for twenty years.

This is the sea chart of the Annan region, with the locations of all reefs and islands marked, and even the climate is introduced in detail."

While speaking, Zhu Zhongxuan placed the sea chart on the table and opened it.

The pirates crowded around, examining the positions on the chart, the flames of desire in their hearts growing hotter in the dark night.

"Chief Zhu was well-prepared; it seems the Annan King is destined for bad luck.

However, before taking action, we must first deal with the Annan navy so that everyone can act freely.

Could it be that the imperial court is willing to dispatch its navy to help us clear the trouble?"

The scholar in white asked tentatively.

It is true that now is the best time to rob Annan, but being able to rob doesn't mean one should do it.

Usually at such times, even if everyone has ideas, they would just do a job privately.

Few people would gather so many peers to participate in an action together, let alone share the sea chart with everyone.

"Haha..."

"The mere Annan navy is not worth mentioning!

If the imperial navy can wipe them out, that would be best; if the imperial army fails to do so, it won't affect anything.

Besides us, peers distributed along the coasts of Zhejiang and the two Guangs will also join this feast.

The Office of the Viceroy of the Two Guangs has secretly released news that all actions to plunder Annan are legal.

In other words, all the wealth we plunder from Annan can be openly fenced in the two Guangs.

We might even be able to exchange the heads of Annan people for weapons and warships from the government.

This news will spread through the circle before long.

I estimate that a group of maritime merchants will also organize men to participate in the action.

If we go late, I estimate we won't even get a sip of soup!"

As Zhu Zhongxuan's voice fell, the smell of smoke in the room became even thicker, and the pirates all fell into deep thought.

Everyone knows that once the imperial court makes such a promise, many people will definitely be tempted.

For pirates, robbing is not the most important thing; the more troublesome part is fencing the goods.

No matter how valuable something is, it only counts if it can be sold.

Pirates are able to develop because the great coastal clans have set up specialized black markets for fencing goods outside.

Great pirates have strong strength and some bargaining power, while small and medium pirates are completely at the mercy of others.

Being able to sell goods for thirty percent of their actual value is considered lucky.

If they encounter someone ruthless who buys them at a ten percent discount, they can only accept their fate.

There is no other way; besides the channels for fencing goods, those people also control the coastal shipyards.

If one wants to develop and grow, one cannot do without purchasing ships and weapons from these people.

Even after becoming pirates, they are still the oxen and horses of others, having to endure the exploitation of the great clans.

……

(End of chapter)