Chapter 375: Recapturing Nanjing

Anqing Prefecture.

"General, you must make a decision!"

Hearing the private secretary's urging, Fang Mochuan fell into an intense internal struggle.

Being sent here to garrison Anqing, he was undoubtedly among the most trusted of Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's inner circle.

Rising from a grassroots background to a high position, besides his own daring and ruthlessness, Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's high esteem was also a crucial factor.

Deep down, he was truly grateful for Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's recognition, and he had once made up his mind to lay down his life for this Emperor.

But people change in the end, and loyalty also has an expiration date.

Having grown accustomed to wealth and luxury, it was truly too difficult to let him go back to a life of displacement, living day to day without knowing if there would be a tomorrow.

"General, even if you don't consider yourself, you must consider the young masters and young ladies!

When we evacuated from the capital, that person personally issued an edict to execute a host of imperial princes and consorts.

It is said that the hundred officials in the court were also forced to dispose of their own families."

The secretary in green immediately twisted the knife.

Bringing along a host of family members—not to mention whether they could break through the encirclement, the logistics alone could crush the troops.

One does not worry about scarcity, but about inequality.

If the Emperor brought his family to flee but did not allow the soldiers to bring theirs, the morale of the army would inevitably suffer, and the troops might even mutiny directly.

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan ordered the execution of the imperial princes and consorts, and the host of officials below were also forced into a corner.

If the Emperor himself abandoned his family, why should they be any exception?

The Wu officials serving in Nanjing had no choice; at the time, if anyone said a word of dissent, their head would have fallen.

But generals like them serving outside were different; the Emperor's forces had not yet arrived, and they held the initiative themselves.

Fang Mochuan could not bear to part with his wife and children, and the host of generals below were the same.

Once the two armies joined forces and began the march north, everyone's families would struggle to survive.

At the very least, before the Northern Expedition achieved some results, these remnants of the Wu state lacked the power to support a large number of family members.

"Your Majesty, your subject has failed you!"

As he spoke, Fang Mochuan kowtowed three times toward the direction of Nanjing.

From the bloodstains on his forehead, one could see that he had struggled intensely within himself to make this decision.

"Contact the imperial army; I am willing to talk with them!

I don't want any official rank anymore.

I only ask that the court pardon our crimes and leave us a few acres of meager fields so that everyone can live in peace."

After a long while, Fang Mochuan said slowly.

His spirit was gone; even the desire to be an official had faded.

Seeing this scene, the secretary in green to the side was not worried but happy.

Accepting the court's amnesty was different from starting a business by conquering the world.

The less fighting spirit the leader one followed had, the more likely one was to survive.

If one raised a pile of conditions, even if the court agreed for the moment, they would settle scores later.

"General, actually you could still perform meritorious service to atone for your crimes, as long as..."

Before the secretary could finish, Fang Mochuan interrupted him.

"Say no more.

This must absolutely not be done!

When Nanjing was first captured, the northern barbarians were ravaging the northern lands, and I urged Pingnan Fu Haoxuan to take the opportunity to launch a full-scale Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.

He was bewitched by that group of scholars and chose to declare himself Emperor in Nanjing, missing the best opportunity, which led to today's disaster.

Accepting the court's amnesty is seeking a way to survive for the soldiers and civilians in the city.

But if I were to plot against my old master, wouldn't I become a person who betrays his trust?"

Deep down, he knew very well that to gain the court's trust, he had to present a substantial "letter of intent."

The most valuable letter of intent right now was undoubtedly Pingnan Fu Haoxuan himself.

As long as he could capture him, or obtain his head, the things he had done before would not be a problem.

Even if just to set an example, the court would grant him high office and generous salary.

But Fang Mochuan could never cross that hurdle in his heart.

He would rather be suspected after the amnesty, or even be punished by the court, than commit such an act of betrayal.

"General, you are truly righteous!"

The secretary in green to the side said with solemn respect.

In chaotic times, there were not many people left with such bottom lines.

Although they couldn't do it themselves, it didn't stop them from admiring it.

Nanjingcheng.

After Pingnan Fu Haoxuan led his troops to evacuate, the imperial army quickly took over this city of great political significance.

Recapturing Nanjing was a great achievement, but looking at the city burned by the great fire, Marquis Wuyang could not feel happy at all.

The pavilions and towers of the past had all turned to ashes, leaving only broken walls and ruins.

Even the bluestone roads were covered in cracks, as if telling of the catastrophe that had just passed.

"Viceroy, most of the main buildings in the city have been burned down, and the former government offices have turned into ruins.

We have only found some residential houses that are relatively well-preserved; would you consider suffering a bit and staying there for a while?

We can move once the government offices are repaired."

Zhuang Chenyang asked in a low voice.

"What is there to suffer? No matter what, it's better than living in a tent.

But at a time like this, the people in the city are like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring; it is not appropriate to make big moves.

Pass the order down: the repair of government offices is to be postponed.

First, arrange for people to post notices to soothe the hearts of the people in the city."

Marquis Wuyang ordered with a gloomy face.

Living conditions were not the big problem.

The trouble was that Nanjingcheng had been turned into this, and the subsequent mess would definitely have to be cleaned up by him, the Viceroy of Jiangnan.

The Great Dayu Dynasty had no money to rebuild Nanjing; the work of recovering from the war could only rely on local self-funding.

Jiangnan was indeed wealthy, but it could not withstand being ravaged so severely by the war.

He had originally worried that after recapturing Nanjing, the civil officials would jump out to take the credit, but now it seemed this time would likely be pushed back.

It was not just Nanjing that had been ravaged by the war; the entire Jiangnan land was in a state of waiting to be rebuilt.

Outside, there were still many remnants of the rebel army roaming about, ready to commit treason at any time.

In such a complex situation, without a sufficiently strong hand, one could not hold the fort at all.

If a few Provincial Governors or Administration Commissioners were parachuted in, let alone controlling the region, they might even be killed before they arrived.

Except for the "pure stream" officials who liked to talk big, the major factions in the court did not like to fight uphill battles.

Knowing there was a pit, planting their own people there was simply political murder.

The old foundation of rule had suffered a devastating blow, and a new local political ecology had not yet had time to form.

Judging from the current situation, it would take at least several months of strict crackdowns before local order could be initially restored.

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Zhuang Chenyang replied immediately.

Having a superior who didn't cause trouble made work comfortable.

Having just experienced a war, it was a time when people's hearts were panicked; not making a fuss was the best choice.

Compared to stabilizing the region, there was now another important task: to wipe out Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's forces as quickly as possible.

The rebel army had great vitality; if the malignant tumor was not removed quickly, no one could guarantee whether it would rise from the ashes.

"Viceroy, the Duke of Cheng has sent news.

The Anqing garrison commander Fang Mochuan has accepted the amnesty, but this person refused to lead his troops to launch a sneak attack on the rebel Fu.

The Duke of Cheng invites you over to discuss the subsequent great battle."

Receiving this news, Marquis Wuyang frowned.

The matter of granting amnesty to the Anqing garrison should have been led by him, the Viceroy of Jiangnan, but now it had been snatched by the Duke of Cheng's people.

As a bigwig in the nobility faction, his influence as a latecomer still could not catch up with the old-school nobility.

Even though he held the most elite army of the Great Dayu, in this battle to encircle and suppress Pingnan Fu Haoxuan, he was still overshadowed.

"Understood.

Tell the messenger that I will host a banquet in the city tonight, and I hope the Duke of Cheng can grace us with his presence!"

Marquis Wuyang thought for a moment and said.

Striving for dominance was basically hopeless; missing the help of Li Mu, who was the best at fighting, his military ability could not compete with the Duke of Cheng.

The underlings below were all smart people and would not participate in the bickering of the big shots.

Even if they had ideas, they would at most suggest them in private.

At the military conference, it was the home field of the two big shots; no one dared to defy their face.

This was a chronic illness of the Great Dayu officialdom, and also a trouble encountered in every dynasty.

When the gap in status reached a certain level, when encountering matters, it was entirely decided by the superior's word.

When Li Mu was there, he could reconcile such contradictions, mainly because he had the battle records to back it up.

On military issues, everyone was willing to listen to him.

In fact, it was fortunate that Li Mu left early.

If it had dragged on until now, being caught in the middle would be just as difficult to handle.

Because the war was almost over, the subsequent struggle for speaking power was about the distribution of post-war interests.

Once core interests were involved in officialdom, no one's face mattered.

Including Li Mu himself, if he wanted everyone to support him in taking Annan, he still had to trade interests.

Only equal exchange could keep this political alliance going.

With the situation at this point, Marquis Wuyang also needed to show his cards with the Duke of Cheng.

How much of the cake each faction would divide in the upcoming great battle depended on the negotiation between the two.

Only after the big shots finished talking could the final battle against Pingnan Fu Haoxuan be launched.

Of course, this kind of negotiation was just a preliminary draft; whether they could actually eat the meat depended on the underlings below.

The decisions of the upper levels just provided an opportunity for the lower levels to perform meritorious service.

Whoever was responsible for what task, if they completed the task in the military order, they could obtain the corresponding military merit.

If one had the ability, after completing one's own task, snatching someone else's military merit was also a skill.

If one's ability was insufficient and one did not complete the task as required, even if one's backing was strong, it had nothing to do with military merit.

The established general principles had already been agreed upon by the four giants of the nobility faction back in Guangzhou.

While strengthening their own faction, this was also selecting talent for the nobility faction.

After the great battle ended, the next step would be the struggle between civil and military officials.

If the underlings below were all a bunch of trash, then it would be a disaster.

Compared to the civil official camp, the number of members in the nobility faction was much smaller.

Only if the underlings could fight hard battles and firmly hold the military power could they compete with the civil official camp.

The more chips in hand, the tougher they would be when speaking in the court in the future.

The Capital.

"Your Majesty, good news!"

"Good news!"

"Marquis Wuyang and the Duke of Cheng have jointly sent a report of victory; the imperial army has successfully recaptured Nanjing, and Fu has fled in a panic with his troops.

Now the imperial army is pursuing the remnants of the enemy, planning to annihilate their main force along the Yangtze River.

......"

After Wang Yifeng finished speaking, the hundred officials in the court boiled over.

The censors who had originally prepared to impeach him for "impropriety before the throne" also joined the celebration.

"Recapturing Nanjing" had too much political weight.

When Nanjing fell, many officials had prepared themselves for the Great Dayu Dynasty to be finished, and many were secretly preparing their own escape routes.

Emperor Yongning's choice to use the nobility on a large scale was able to gain everyone's support largely because officials loyal to the Great Dayu wanted to take a gamble.

The subsequent series of victories had pulled this dynasty on the verge of collapse back from the edge of the cliff.

Now, recapturing Nanjing was an even greater political victory.

As long as there were no major disturbances, the wavering hearts of the people in the world would soon be soothed.

The world was still the world of the Great Dayu, and everyone was still the master of this country.

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

Emperor Yongning said "good" three times in a row, and tears of excitement fell.

In recent years, he had been walking on thin ice, fearing that he would become a monarch of a fallen state if he were not careful.

It was not that he was pessimistic; it was truly that the situation was too dangerous.

He had read history books, and the various signs of the Great Dayu were truly too similar to those of the last dynasties.

Various natural and man-made disasters had never stopped; no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like the mandate of heaven was coming to an end.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"The imperial army has recaptured Nanjing; the rebel Fu is already a grasshopper after the autumn, unable to jump for many more days.

Once the war in Jiangnan ends, the situation in the world will be stable!"

Wan Junhui said with an excited expression.

It was truly not easy; the situation could actually reverse so quickly.

For a down-and-out Prime Minister like him who was tottering, recapturing Nanjing was undoubtedly a political gift package.

When Emperor Yongning first used the nobility group, he had also strongly supported it, so he would definitely get a share of the credit.

If they could wipe out the rebel Fu in one fell swoop, it would be even more perfect.

The situation in the world would tend to be stable, and there would be many officials wanting to move up, so he could take the opportunity to step down from the position of Prime Minister.

Leaving voluntarily and being driven away were two different concepts.

As for making contributions and leaving a name in history, that could be left to others.

He had tried it himself and knew he wasn't cut out for it.

There were too many factions in the court; the officials who tore things down were several times more numerous than those who got things done, and the difficulty of integrating them was too great.

"Haha......"

"Recapturing Nanjing is indeed worth celebrating.

But now is not the time to relax; the rebel Fu has not been completely wiped out after all.

The rebel armies in Shanxi and Sichuan are also thorny problems.

There are also the ambitious Annan people, and the northern barbarians who are eyeing us covetously; we are still far from peace in the world!"

Emperor Yongning spoke in one breath about the predicament the Great Dayu Dynasty was currently facing.

Internal chaos caused the greatest destructive power, but it was relatively easy to solve.

External threats lasted longer and had plagued several generations of Great Dayu Emperors; they could never be solved overnight.

"Your Majesty, as long as Jiangnan is recaptured, the court's finances will quickly improve.

With money, it will be simple to get things done."

Gu Jiaxi said with a smile.

All the problems of the Great Dayu Dynasty, when summarized, could be attributed to one thing—lack of money.

"Grand Secretary Gu, you are too optimistic.

Jiangnan has just encountered the ravages of war; the damage it has suffered must be significant.

In the short term, let alone providing tax revenue for the court, it would be considered a capable local official if they could cover the administrative expenses.

Judging from the current situation, the only thing we can count on is the salt tax of the two Huai regions.

However, after being tossed around by the rebel army like this, no one knows how much can be collected."

Regardless of the occasion, Pang Chengjie immediately began to complain about poverty.

He, the Minister of Revenue, was a famous "crying-poor" Minister; as long as someone mentioned money, he would definitely jump out to cry poor.

(End of chapter)