Fu Shanhe

Chapter 146 Sima's Heart
Guangzhou Port.

Looking at the land ahead, the soldiers couldn't help but cheer.

Sailing on the sea is not a pleasant experience these days.

Although there were many ports along the way from Yangzhou to Guangzhou, the soldiers had no chance to go ashore.

The local officials regarded them as a scourge and would rather offer them good wine and food than see the army land.

Such treatment made Li Mu feel helpless.

The reputation of Dayu's official army has been ruined by our predecessors, and now everyone is afraid of the foreign army.

Compared with other troops, the Yangzhou Battalion has a good reputation.

However, the good reputation is only useful in Yangzhou Prefecture.

In the eyes of outsiders, the Yangzhou Camp was the same as other government troops.

As the ship slowly approached the shore, the crowd welcoming it at the dock quickly came over.

"Brother Li, it seems that people don't take you seriously!"

Tang Jincheng pointed at the welcoming team and said jokingly.

Not to mention the governor and the provincial governor, even the Guangdong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and the Guangzhou Prefect did not show up.

Judging from his official uniform, the highest civil servant in charge of the reception was only of the seventh rank.

The military generals showed some respect, and the leader was also a third-rank official, but it was obvious that a civil official was in the lead.

In Dayu, the civil officials are respected and the military officials are despised, and Li Mu has long been accustomed to this.

But this was the first time he had encountered a third-rank military general following a seventh-rank civil official.

"It's just right that we don't take it seriously. This way, we won't have to feel embarrassed when we leave later."

Li Mu said with a smile.

When he docked at Guangzhou Port, he just wanted to take a rest and tell the Ministry of War that he had arrived at the battlefield on time.

But that doesn't mean he is willing to follow the orders of the Governor of Guangdong.

Experience had taught him that fighting wars under civilian command usually did not have good results.

Before going on the expedition, he had already inquired about it and had a basic understanding of the Governor of Guangdong.

“Brother Li, you want to take a detour from the sea and land in Lianzhou Prefecture to attack the rebels.

But if this happens, what about the logistics of the army? "

Tang Jincheng asked in horror.

They had worked together before, and he believed in Li Mu's military command ability.

The problem is that when an army goes out to war, there is one issue that cannot be avoided - food and fodder.

Especially for troops like the Yangzhou Camp that have cavalry, the demand for food and fodder is greater.

Although both the civil officials were respected and the military officials were despised, Dayu was not as extreme as the Song Dynasty.

There will not be a strange scene where a second or third rank military general has to salute six or seven civil officials.

If military generals can solve their own financial and food problems, they don't have to listen to the civil officials.

According to the laws of Dayu, civil and military officials of the same rank had the same political status.

Whether attending court meetings or major events, people are directly ranked according to their ranks.

“Before the expedition, I communicated with the Nanzhili Governor’s Office.

I will be responsible for taking away you plague gods, and they will be responsible for providing the food and fodder needed by the army.

The imperial court issued an order for Nanzhili to raise 100,000 shi of military rations for Guangdong.

It's going to cost a lot of money anyway, so it doesn't matter who you give it to!
The Yangzhou Camp is our own family, so it’s not too much to take care of them, right?
As long as we can win the war, the court will not mind who the money and grain are spent on."

After listening to Li Mu's explanation, Tang Jincheng didn't believe it at all.

It's not worth spending so much money just to give them a ride.

According to official practice, food and fodder were managed by the civil servants responsible for commanding the war.

Sending them directly to the front-line troops would break the rules of officialdom.

Unless there are greater benefits, the officials in Nanzhili will never easily offend their colleagues in Guangdong.

Suddenly, as if he thought of something, Tang Jincheng's body began to tremble.

"Take away" does not only mean giving someone a ride, but also means sending someone directly to hell.

After a brief moment of distraction, he quickly regained his composure.

"Thank you for your reminder, Brother Li. I know what to do now!"

Tang Jincheng said with gratitude.

Knowing that the civil officials disliked the Jinyiwei, he thought they would just be subjected to some difficulties and carry out some highly dangerous tasks.

I never expected that they wanted to eliminate the trouble once and for all.

After seeing the truth, he decisively chose to pretend to be ignorant.

After Li Mu nodded slightly, he led the team and started greeting the people who came to greet them.

The lack of attention paid to the Yangzhou Camp is the business of those above us.

It has nothing to do with the people below. There is no need to vent your anger on others.

It would be bad for no one if things got awkward because of a momentary temper.

"County Magistrate Lin, I'm afraid the campsites you provided are not enough.

The Southern Zhili Governor's Office and the six ministries in Nanjing attached great importance to this reinforcement operation.

In addition to the Yangzhou Camp and the escorting navy, there were some other troops, with a total strength of more than 13,000.

I'm afraid we'll have to allocate another piece of land to build a barracks for us."

After hearing what Li Mu said, Lin Chenxuan was stunned.

There has always been a shortage of reinforcements from all over the place, and there has never been an overstaffing.

But there's no need to fake this kind of thing.

Even if we want to cause trouble, there is no need to ask for an extra campsite.

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away!"

Lin Chenxuan agreed immediately.

Deep down in his heart, he couldn't help cursing.

A large number of reinforcements is a good thing for suppressing the rebellion.

But for him, the county magistrate who was in charge of the reception, it was a disaster.

The foreign troops and the bandits can basically be equated.

If these soldiers are not settled down, who knows how much trouble they will cause.

The governor's office pushed the problem to Guangzhou Prefecture, and the prefectural government pushed the matter to the county.

After arriving at the county, there was no way to push it down any further.

It seems that the salary for suppressing the bandits will have to be increased further, otherwise the county will not have an easy time this year.

……

Capital, Zuofu.

"Brother Zuo, calm down first.

What happened in Guangxi was completely an accident.

I really didn’t know that the demon from the White Lotus Sect was so powerful! ..."

Yin Zhiming explained patiently.

The great cause of overthrowing the eunuchs was accomplished, but a rift arose between Yin and Zuo because of it.

The plan was thought up by Yin Zhiming, and it was the Yin family who were responsible for its implementation.

However, they were able to stir up conflicts but were unable to control the development of the situation, and directly killed Zuo Hongjiang's disciples.

The teacher-student relationship in the Dayu Dynasty has always been the most reliable political alliance in the officialdom.

Regardless of whether it was an accident or not, a teacher would definitely not feel good if his favorite student was killed by someone else.

"Humph!"

"Brother Yin, you should plan less in the future!
I am a timid brother and I really don't dare to get involved."

Zuo Hongjiang said unhappily.

If he had known the consequences would be so serious, he would never have gotten involved.

Although it is important to overthrow the eunuch party, he does not want to bring disaster to the country and the people.

Politicians just have low moral standards, which doesn't mean they are brainless.

If they continue to act this way, the Dayu Dynasty will be destroyed sooner or later.

There are no eggs left in the nest.

Now the fame they have accumulated is nothing in these chaotic times.

When the time comes to change dynasties, the founding emperor will not be as easily fooled as the current one.

Just based on their political ideologies, they could lose their heads.

"Brother Zuo, don't worry. This will only happen once. It won't happen again!"

Yin Zhiming immediately assured.

Such a big mess not only scared Zuo Hongjiang, but also Yin Zhiming.

The original intention was just to create an excuse to overthrow the eunuchs, and no one expected that it would trigger a rebellion that affected several provinces.

Fortunately, Guangxi was chosen, so its impact on the world situation was relatively small.

If such a chaos happened in the Central Plains provinces, it would shake the foundation of Dayu.

“That’s best!
Let’s cancel the cabinet’s plan for now.

In this mess, no one in Pang Hengsheng's position would have an easy life.

When we entered the palace yesterday, His Majesty looked very unhappy.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, his attitude towards the two of us was obviously not as good as before.

Your Majesty, I am just not familiar with government affairs, but I am not really stupid.

If you do this too often, Your Majesty will definitely notice something is wrong."

Zuo Hongjiang said slowly.

It can be seen that the Guangxi Incident dealt him a heavy blow.

Compared with when he first came to Beijing, Zuo Hongjiang had deep doubts about his abilities.

"Brother Zuo, there are some things that we can't stop just because we want to.

It is true that you and I have accumulated countless reputations in the process of overthrowing the eunuch party.

But this fame is also a double-edged sword. While it brings benefits, it also leaves countless hidden dangers.

Even if you and I want to stop, the many scholars and officials who participated in the anti-eunuch movement will not agree.

There are only so many positions in the court. How can we get to the top if we don’t pull down the people above us?

Because of the eunuch party's affairs, the remaining seven ministers all regarded us as thorns in their eyes.

If we slack off even a little bit now, you and I will be dead without a burial place!"

Yin Zhiming shook his head and said.

From the moment they instigated the White Lotus Rebellion, they had no way out.

After the imperial court quells the rebellion, it will inevitably investigate the cause.

If they cannot hold a high position and wield great power in the court, they will be investigated sooner or later.

Some things don't require evidence.

Whoever is the biggest beneficiary and happens to have appeared is the suspect.

It just so happened that a group of regent ministers were unhappy with them, and they could easily take advantage of the situation.

In order to overthrow the eunuch party, they did too many shady things, and any one of them could bring them to ruin.

The emperor who supports them now will be the one who wants to kill them the most later.

"Hey!

If we continue to take action at this time, we can only encourage Your Majesty to take power early.

The seven ministers in the court are not easy to deal with. Once this matter is raised, we will completely fall out with them.

They didn't touch the two of us, not because they couldn't, but because they were concerned about their reputation.

If it really comes to a life-and-death struggle, it wouldn't take much effort to just kill us.

Although we have a lot of people supporting us, most of them are non-officials and very few of them hold real power.

Most of the core positions in the court are occupied by the followers of these seven people.

If you want to bring them down, you’ll have to risk your life!"

Zuo Hongjiang said with a sigh.

The struggle between the opposition and the ruling party is inherently at an absolute disadvantage.

Fame cannot be used to make a living. Unlike the anti-eunuchs who have a broad mass base, few people dare to go against the ministers.

A call to action may very well be just that.

“I received news from my hometown that someone in Suzhou Prefecture is investigating the Yin family.

Since someone is targeting me, I think Brother Zuo won’t be able to escape.

For some people, it is too easy to frame someone.

Now we can only take a risky move and create trouble in the court to divert everyone's attention."

After Yin Zhiming finished speaking, Zuo Hongjiang was shocked.

The last time Yin Zhiming said he was going to cause trouble, it directly led to the fall of Guangxi. He really couldn't bear it if it happened again.

“Brother Yin, it’s not necessary.

In a few months, Your Majesty will change the era name.

The next step will be the wedding and the taking of power, which will only take a few months, so you just have to be patient.

Don't be impulsive!"

Zuo Hongjiang hurriedly persuaded.

The two are too closely tied together politically, and if one of them gets into trouble, the other can't escape either.

He is still frightened by Yin Zhiming's brilliant plan and really doesn't want to join in on it.

“Brother Zuo, don’t worry, you don’t need to do anything this time, just follow and add fuel to the fire.

After all, our Pang Ge Lao and Sima Yi are really a bit..."

(End of this chapter)