Fu Shanhe

Chapter 164 Illegal Expansion

"kill!"

"Rumble..."

The shouts and sounds of killing mixed with the sound of gunfire made Guangzhou's New Year's Eve lose the flavor of the New Year.

"Master, it's time to eat."

Hearing the butler's reminder, Zou Yunchuan waved his hand helplessly.

"Go away, I have no appetite today!"

The battlefield was losing ground and the war spread from Guangxi all the way to Guangzhou City. As the governor, he could not escape blame.

According to information received from the imperial court, in recent days, officials in Guangdong have successively submitted memorials to impeach him for dereliction of duty and corruption.

Because of the previous food and grass problem, the newly appointed governor of the five provinces also disliked him.

Maybe the imperial edict to dismiss him from office is already on the way.

Zou Yunchuan was not worried about losing his job. Being dismissed by the court at this time was a good opportunity for him to get rid of the mess in Guangdong.

In fact, he had submitted his resignation to the court a month ago.

There was no way. His abilities were limited and he really didn't know how to deal with the situation that was about to happen.

In order to save the situation, he has been reading books all the time these days.

He had memorized a pile of military books by heart.

I feel like I have learned it, but it fails when I use it.

The army was deployed to attack several times, but was defeated every time.

It was clearly an ambush, but in the end, we ended up being the ones ambushed by the enemy.

At the beginning, he thought that the generals under him were incompetent.

After a series of failures, Zou Yunchuan slowly accepted the reality of his own incompetence.

Unfortunately, he realized his mistake too late.

At this moment, the people above him were unhappy with him, and the people below him also hated his blind command.

"Master, you have to eat anyway.

Especially on a big day like today, I have to eat a few bites no matter what.

After this year, everything will be fine next year!"

The housekeeper persuaded against his will.

It will definitely take some time for the situation to improve.

Although the imperial court's reinforcements continued to arrive, the elite troops were still in the north.

Originally, there were Yangzhou Camp and Huai'an Camp to support the situation, but because their own masters looked down on military generals, they offended them.

The remaining generals were all well-behaved and obedient, but they were useless on the battlefield.

"Withdraw first. Wait for me to inspect the city defenses and come back, then enjoy it slowly."

Zou Yunchuan shook his head and said.

For some reason, he always felt uneasy and had a feeling that something was going to happen.

"Master, let the people below patrol the city defense!

The rebels' artillery fire never stopped, and it was clear that the enemy was not preparing to celebrate the New Year.

If a stray bullet flies in and injures your precious body, it will not be worth it!"

The housekeeper hurriedly dissuaded him.

My master's reputation as an official has become so bad that it is unbearable to hear outside.

He single-handedly turned the situation in Guangdong into a mess.

Whether it was colleagues in the officialdom or ordinary people, there were few who did not curse him.

If you run to the city wall late at night, you might be shot by a hidden arrow.

“No need to say more, I have my own plans.

Right now, the morale of the army is at its lowest.

I have to personally inspect the front lines to stabilize the morale of the troops!"

Zou Yunchuan said in a firm tone.

Guangzhou City must be defended no matter what.

As the governor, he needs to take responsibility for the loss of cities and territories on the front line.

If Guangzhou City is lost again, even if there are people in the court to help, his life will certainly be in danger.

……

Lianzhou Prefecture.

"Master Jia, this is your first time celebrating the New Year in a military camp. Are you used to it?"

Li Mu asked with concern.

The other party was sent by the governors of five provinces, so as the host we must treat him well.

Unfortunately, this is the Guangxi front line which has just experienced war, and we can't even put together a table of high-end ingredients, let alone enjoy any of it.

During festivals in the military camp, the only preferential treatment given to generals over soldiers was that they were supplied with more vegetables.

They are all local specialties and the fruits of the prisoners of war’s labor.

As for meat, it mainly consists of fish, which is basically contributed by the navy.

The rest are dried meats, and bacon is a luxury item.

Fresh pork, beef and mutton is even more of a luxury.

The military funds allocated by the imperial court were limited, and it was too extravagant to arrange for the purchase of ships from the rear.

As the commander-in-chief, he can set an example himself, and the officers and soldiers under him will naturally accept it.

"Ha ha……"

"General Li, you are too polite. I am not that squeamish.

It was my first time to celebrate the New Year in the military, and it was quite special.

But life on the front line is indeed hard!"

Jia Bo couldn't help but sigh.

Compared with previous life, the living standard in Lianzhou has plummeted these days.

If he hadn't seen that all the noble generals were treated the same way, he would have lost his temper long ago.

In order to get rid of the hard times as soon as possible, he was particularly active in urging for food and wages.

“It’s still good now, at least there are vegetables available. I was annoyed when I first came here.

But things will get better. Once the imperial court puts down the rebellion, it will only take a few decades to recover.

If the land reform is successfully completed, the recovery of the private economy will be even faster.”

Li Mu calmly smuggled in his own stuff.

In recent days, this Mr. Jia has been going deep into the folk to collect information many times.

Although it was not stated explicitly, Li Mu could be sure that this was in preparation for the reform of the native system.

There was only one reason why he could do this: Lord Xu had some ideas.

Once "Reforming the Natives and Returning to Han Chinese" became a national policy, Guangxi would need a group of elite troops stationed there to deal with various emergencies.

No one would compete for such a tough job.

In order to keep people here, the officials in charge of land reform even had to offer more policies to win over the military generals who stayed behind.

After all, if the neighbor next door is restless, no one will feel at ease without a strong army to support him.

One battalion is definitely not enough. Without 20,000 or 30,000 elite soldiers, how can we intimidate the Annan people?

Within the rules, the opportunity to legally expand our military forces must not be missed.

"Commander Li, are you interested in joining us in the great cause of reforming the natives?"

Jabo asked tentatively.

Li Mu was too obvious in promoting the policy of converting natives into officials.

Everyone can see what he wants to do.

“Master Jia, there aren’t many opportunities to leave your name in history.

Judging from the current situation, one is to implement the policy of converting natives into officials in the southwest region, and the other is to quell the rebellion in Liaodong.

The Liaodong front was filled with the court's most elite troops, but they were unable to solve the problem.

No one dares to take on that hot potato.

The difficulty in Guangxi is less, but it still requires the determination of Lord Xu to complete it.

If Lord Xu is really interested, I am willing to lend a helping hand! "

Li Mu said slowly.

Politics is so strange. He was a subordinate of Xu Ge Lao's political enemy who wanted to be suppressed, but in the blink of an eye, he became the main force of land reform who needed to be won over. This is how it is in the officialdom. Yesterday's enemy may become a friend today.

As long as the interests are big enough, there is nothing that cannot be discussed.

"General Li, since you've said this, I won't hide anything.

The situation in the court is unclear, and His Majesty is about to take power. The elder needs to have an unshakable political achievement to prove himself.

The policy of changing the native system to Han Chinese is almost a done deal.

The problem now is that the war to quell the insurgency has come to a standstill.

Except for our army, the rest of the armies are at a standstill."

Jabo said frankly.

Not only Lord Xu wanted this achievement, but he himself also wanted it.

The first credit must go to the elder, but the secondary credit is enough to allow him to rise to the top.

After completing this task, there will be no more obstacles in your way to the position of governor.

The boost in reputation is even greater.

His name will definitely be recorded in future history books, at least it will be recorded in detail in the Guangxi local chronicles.

Although the benefits are tempting, the problems are equally difficult.

The rebels' performance exceeded everyone's expectations.

The performance of the government troops also exceeded everyone's expectations.

"Master Jia, you can actually suggest to the elders to increase the troops in Guangxi.

Considering the combat effectiveness of the army, it would be better for the court to recruit some young and strong men and send them over to be directly incorporated into the Yangzhou Camp and Huai'an Camp.

It is difficult for two battalions of elite soldiers to inflict heavy damage on the rebels. If it were two towns of elite soldiers, the situation would be very different."

Li Mu asked for the position without changing his expression.

With his qualifications, it would be impossible for him to get promoted under normal circumstances without enduring for a few years.

Even the position of Lieutenant General was only given to him after the new emperor ascended the throne, as a demonstration of the emperor's grace.

But now it's wartime, so anything is possible.

As the son of a noble family, he has a lot of connections within the military system.

The Grand Marshal's Office will not block his promotion.

If you want to get promoted now, the main obstacle comes from the Ministry of War.

The other party's reasons are sufficient, and my uncle and father-in-law need to avoid suspicion and it is not easy for them to interfere.

Marquis Wuyang could help speak for them, but relatives by marriage never had face in front of the civil officials.

If a big civil servant spoke up, everything would be different.

"General Li, it's easy to expand the Yangzhou Camp and the Huai'an Camp, but can you guarantee that the army can form combat effectiveness in a short period of time?"

Jabo asked hesitantly.

Given Li Mu and Jing Yifeng's background, plus their achievements in Lianzhou, promotion is only a matter of time.

The promotion paths for civil and military officials are different, and the two will not become rivals, so he naturally doesn't mind doing a favor.

Being able to gain the friendship of both the Jing and Li families, when it is his turn to be promoted in the future, it would be a great help if those two ministers could say a word for him.

In official circles, people help each other and make progress together.

“After the expansion, there will definitely be an impact in the short term.

However, Lord Jia can rest assured that after increasing the number of troops, the overall combat effectiveness will definitely increase.

In fact, half of the army's combat effectiveness is determined by daily training, and the other half is determined by grassroots officers.

Many soldiers in the Yangzhou Camp and Huai'an Camp met the requirements for promotion, but they just had no suitable positions.

If we can expand it, we will be able to make the army combat-ready in the shortest possible time."

Li Mu immediately assured.

To form combat effectiveness in a short period of time is purely misleading.

However, both troops are currently slacking off on the battlefield, and the outside world has no idea of ​​their true combat effectiveness.

Even after the expansion, if the combat effectiveness does not improve, no one will know.

"Since Li Canjiang is so sure, I will go and talk to the elder.

However, the expansion of the establishment requires approval from the imperial court.

After all this going on, I'm afraid it will take at least two months.

Can we recruit soldiers locally, expand the establishment first, and complete the formalities later?"

Jabo asked with concern.

If a military general dares to expand the army without authorization, he will be labeled a traitor in minutes.

If it were a civil servant, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Lord Xu can make the decision to add some temporary staff with just a word.

As for how the war will end, there is no need to worry at all.

There were so many troops involved in the war, and the amount of organization destroyed was not just a small amount.

Just arrange some people in the court to take charge of the matter, and everything will be settled.

If you encounter an unscrupulous commander, he will only take care of your convenience during the war and walk away after the war.

"The rebels have wreaked havoc in Guangxi and have deep hatred for many local people.

It is not difficult to select some young and strong people from the refugees.

The problem is that without a staffing structure, the court won’t pay salaries.

The cost of one soldier is not much, but once the scale is expanded, it becomes a huge expense.

Unless we receive official documents, we will not dare to implement it.

However, it is still feasible to recruit local militia and train them first."

Li Mu said calmly.

There are indeed many young and strong people in Lianzhou Prefecture, but most of them are in prisoner-of-war camps.

The young and strong men scattered among the people were all those who escaped from the rebel troops.

There may be people who are willing to join the army, but the number will definitely not be large.

If you really want to expand your army, you still have to find a way from the rear.

However, in order to expand the staff, he could only fool around for now.

They were all forced out. The temporary camp of the Jinyiwei he brought with him were killed one after another.

After changing their identities, they joined the Yebushou team by posing as local people from Guangxi.

As a result, the Yangzhou Camp had actually exceeded its original establishment.

It's war time and no one cares about these details.

This will be a hidden danger once the war is over.

Since my teammates are not doing their job well and I need to put in more effort, I will take the opportunity to ask for benefits from the imperial envoy.

In the same matter of recovering lost territory, it would be easier for the people to accept two towns' troops recovering a few prefectures than two battalions of soldiers.

As for the temporary camp formed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was an embarrassing existence.

Their military achievements are never counted and they only appear on the list of casualties.

They are not mentioned in official documents.

"Li Jun can just go ahead and do it. I will recommend you to the elders as the acting commander of the Guangxi Dusi, and recommend Jun Jun Jing as the acting deputy commander of the Guangxi Duzhi.

Why not just use the local Guangxi army? That way, we don’t even need to go through the court procedures.”

Jia Bo said with a cruel heart.

In order to make a contribution, he tried his best.

The commander-in-chief was a military general of the second rank, and the deputy commander-in-chief was a military general of the junior rank.

He has no say in such positions and is not even qualified to nominate.

Even Lord Xu only had the power to recommend people to the court.

Personnel appointments can only be approved after being discussed in court, approved by the Imperial Household Department, and finally approved by the emperor.

If there is a problem in any link in the process, the personnel appointment will be rejected.

Even if it is just an agent, it is an illegal operation.

However, as a close confidant of Lord Xu, he knew very well what his boss wanted now.

As long as the rebellion can be quelled quickly, minor procedural flaws are of no concern.

What's more, behind these two people, there are also two assistant ministers.

Even if the censor found fault and brought the matter to the court, the matter could be suppressed.

(End of this chapter)