Fu Shanhe

Chapter 178 Everyone Wants to Be the Sixth
"Then take a detour!"

After taking a look at the map, Boss Su said with gritted teeth.

He didn't know the strength of the government army, but he knew very well what kind of troops he had under his command.

The overall combat effectiveness of the army is only that of second- and third-line troops within the Holy White Lotus Kingdom.

With a group of chieftain troops with their own ulterior motives, it would be strange if they could defeat the government army.

Marquis Zhongxiao paid the price of his life for his carelessness, and he didn't want to follow suit.

In the event that the main force is defeated, being able to bring the troops back intact is a great achievement.

As a startup team, the White Lotus Holy Kingdom was relatively rational when formulating its battle plan.

He would not blindly ask his troops to engage in a decisive battle with the government army just for an impossible task.

Especially when the encirclement and suppression army suffered heavy casualties, preserving the manpower became even more crucial.

“General, the enemy has set their sights on us.

It may not be that easy to take a detour to Siming Mansion!"

Hua Er opened his mouth to remind him.

Since the government cavalry had come, the infantry would not be far behind. If we delayed for a day or two, the enemy would arrive and kill us.

The head of Marquis Zhongxiao is the best offensive weapon.

When the soldiers knew that their commander was dead, their already low morale collapsed on the spot.

"Ok!"

"The enemy is coming with great force. If we want to evacuate safely, we really need someone to cover our retreat.

Generals, are there any brave men who dare to leave the rear of the army?"

Boss Su's provocation was doomed to be in vain.

Hearing the words "cut off the rear", everyone lowered their heads.

Knowing that the enemy is powerful, staying behind to cover our retreat would be tantamount to suicide. No one is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others.

"General, why don't we let the Tusi army continue to advance before the news spreads, attract the enemy's attention, and cover our army's evacuation!"

Seeing the commander's eyes on him, the monk hurriedly suggested.

His spiritual practice is not at a high enough level and he does not have the awareness of self-sacrifice.

"General, what the Commander said is correct. Before the news spreads, let those Tusi soldiers serve as the vanguard. The army still has a chance of survival.

Anyway, to the Holy Kingdom, the existence of the chieftain itself is a threat.

Letting them serve as scapegoats is also a way to eliminate hidden dangers for the Holy Nation!"

After the scarred man spoke, he found the generals who supported his theory and they all followed suit.

War always results in death.

In a life-and-death situation, it is better for someone else to die than for yourself.

"it is good!

The order was passed down, asking the chieftains of each tribe to act as vanguards and speed up the advance towards Lianzhou.

The rest of the troops will go to Siming Prefecture, join forces with the friendly forces there, and attack Lianzhou from the flank!"

After hesitating for a moment, Boss Su immediately gave the order.

……

"Master Qianhu, the rebels have split up!"

Upon receiving this news, Shu Zhongyi, who was responsible for cutting off the rebels' retreat route, changed his expression slightly.

Regardless of the enemy's combat effectiveness, their total force is 70,000.

It is already difficult to keep an eye on the enemy, and now that the enemy has begun to split up, it becomes even more difficult to stop them.

“Explore again!
Find out the enemy's movements and the deployment of troops after division as soon as possible.

Send someone to pass the message to the commander immediately."

Shu Zhongyi gave the order decisively.

Theoretically, if a thousand cavalrymen attacked the rebels while they were on the march, they would have a chance to defeat them.

However, his mission was to cut off the rebels' retreat, not to engage in a decisive battle with the enemy.

At this point in the Guangxi Campaign, the main goal was no longer to win victory, but to destroy the enemy's vitality as much as possible.

When it comes to capturing prisoners, it is easier when the enemy troops are gathered together.

If the rebels were defeated, the undisciplined defeated soldiers would flee in all directions, and the few cavalrymen he had would not be able to catch them.

What Guangxi lacks the least is mountains. Once the defeated soldiers go up the mountains and become bandits, it will take several years to encircle and suppress them.

Although local governance is the job of civil servants, suppressing bandits still requires military generals to complete the task.

There are too many bandits, so we will have to hide in the mountains every day in the future.

……

late at night.

“Chief, something is wrong.

We followed the report from the members of the Holy White Lotus Nation. Although they were heading towards Siming Prefecture, their route was not the front battlefield.

It's more like heading straight to the capital city!"

After hearing what the middle-aged man said, the old man's expression suddenly became complicated.

He felt something was wrong when the troops were divided.

I never expected that the people from the Holy White Lotus Kingdom would actually run away.

The city of Siming Prefecture is backed by a river and is hundreds of miles away from the battlefield.

The marching route is diametrically opposed and it certainly would not be a flanking attack on the government troops.

"Pass the order down to increase the detection range of the scouts.

The Su led his army to flee, and the other two armies are likely to be in trouble!"

The old man said solemnly.

If the Holy White Lotus Kingdom were defeated, his Zhu family would be in dire straits.

In order to surrender his loyalty, he personally led people to kill the prefect of Liuzhou.

There is no way to keep a secret if you kill someone in public.

Once the imperial court fights back, it will definitely not let the Zhu family go.

"Chief, do you want to pass the news to other tribes?"

The middle-aged man asked with concern.

Theoretically speaking, all the chieftains are now on the same boat.

Once the main force of the government army attacks, no one will be able to escape.

The best option is to unite and work together.

However, there are also various contradictions within the chieftain group of Guangxi.

“No need!

If they were smart, they would have noticed something was wrong.

If they can't even spot such an obvious problem, then telling such idiots will only do harm!"

The Zhu clan leader said indifferently.

This kind of information only needs to be known to yourself. If everyone knows it, it will lose its value.

If he hadn't been wary of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom and his retreat route had been cut off, he would have given the order to flee long ago.

There would be no benefit for the Zhu chieftains in a decisive battle with the government troops.

If you win, all you'll get is an increase in fiefdoms.

Given the style of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom, the fiefdom granted must be a place where various forces are intertwined.

If you want to eat it, you will inevitably conflict with the surrounding toasts.

It would be a pity to give up directly.

Completely useless.

Losing the battle is even worse. Not only can you not expect any reward, you won’t even get any pension.

Similar scenes continued to occur in the chieftains' tents.

The division of troops came too suddenly. Anyone with a little common sense would know that there must be a story behind it.

Everyone was surprisingly tacit and chose to keep it secret from their colleagues.

The chieftain who had participated in the last battle of Lianzhou knew how powerful the government army was and had even prepared to escape.

Without the White Lotus Holy Nation's supervisory team, the chieftains, who had lost their restraints, all had their own little plans.

……

The military supervisor collapsed from exhaustion after a rapid march, and Li Mu was helpless.

He knew that civil servants lived a life of luxury, but he never expected that Lord Jia's health was so fragile.

It was just that after a whole day of bumping around on horseback, I felt like all my energy was drained out and I didn't even have the energy to eat dinner.

"Master Jia, are you feeling better?"

Looking at Jia Bo lying on the bed, Li Mu asked with concern.

No matter what, the military inspector is exhausted, and he, as the commander-in-chief, will definitely bring the generals to visit him.

In case something happens to the military supervisor, everyone can prove to each other that it is not their responsibility.

"Thank you for your concern, Commander Li. I am fine.

The military doctor just checked it out and said it was just normal pain after the bumpy ride. It will be fine after a night's rest. There are many things to do in the army, so all the generals should leave!"

Jabo said helplessly.

This time he was really embarrassed.

Thought he was ill, he had already prepared a memorial to the emperor to show his hard work.

The result was just the aftereffects of riding a horse, and there was no problem with the body at all.

If it were another time, he wouldn't mind pretending to be sick and playing sympathetic, but not now.

The war is at a critical moment, and since he, as the military supervisor, is not at the front line, the credit he can get will be greatly reduced.

Pretending to be sick and acting pitiful is hard work.

A great victory over the enemy on the battlefield is a real achievement.

In the Dayu Dynasty, there were many opportunities to gain credit for hard work, but limited opportunities to gain credit for it.

There were few civil servants on the front line who did not envy him.

Compared with other battlefields, the Guangxi battlefield is the last face of the imperial court.

After winning the Guangxi Campaign, all the prefectures and cities east of the Yujiang River and the Xijiang River basin were in the government army's possession.

Even if we don't recover the rest of Guangxi, just taking Siming Prefecture, Leizhou Prefecture, Gaozhou Prefecture, Guanghaiwei, most of Nanning and Xunzhou would be a great achievement.

The reason why no troops were sent to recapture Leizhou Prefecture, Gaozhou Prefecture, and Guanghaiwei was not only due to insufficient troops, but the most critical factor was that these areas belonged to Guangdong Province.

Li Mu had a falling out with the Governor of Guangdong because he was dissatisfied with the Governor of Guangdong's blind command, so naturally he would not help him recover the lost territory.

Now that the troublesome Guangdong governor has fallen into the hands of the rebels, the contradiction no longer exists.

From a strategic perspective, if the above-mentioned areas along the river are recovered, Lianzhou's strategic space will be greatly increased.

By then, the war situation in Guangdong and Guangxi will be revitalized at once.

They can advance westward to recover Liuzhou, Guilin and other areas, and they can also advance eastward to recover Guangzhou.

No matter which direction the attack is launched, it will pose a deadly threat to the rebels.

Such a great achievement does not belong to the commander-in-chief alone; the military supervisor can also have a good meal.

"Master Jia needs to rest, you guys should leave first!"

Li Mu waved his hand and said.

When you are in the most embarrassing moment, anyone would feel uncomfortable with so many people watching.

He brought people here to visit the patient, not to laugh at him. There was no need to make things difficult for the military supervisor.

"Commander Li, General Jing, I am not feeling well. I will ask you to take care of the rest of the battle."

Jia Bo said with a serious look on his face.

Although he has always been a bystander to what is happening on the battlefield, the necessary procedures must be followed.

The military supervisor of the Dayu Dynasty theoretically had unlimited power and could even directly take over command.

Just by taking over the command, one has to take full responsibility for the war, without even the chance to shirk responsibility.

No military supervisor would be foolish enough to do this unless it is absolutely necessary.

Most military supervisors used the power in their hands to put pressure on the commander-in-chief, forcing him to use his troops according to their will.

Usually at times like this, the war is a mess.

The occasional exceptions will be praised to the sky.

When it comes to actual combat achievements, few of the military supervisors of the Dayu Dynasty can boast anything impressive.

If he really had strong military command capabilities, he would have become a local commander long ago.

What the civil service group lacks most is officials who are both civil and military.

If you can see it a little bit, you will be pushed up.

Of course, these officials rise quickly and are equally capable of attracting hatred.

It is easy to be in a high position, but it is very difficult to enter the center of power.

The Qingliu people hate officials who are both civil and military the most, as this makes them appear extremely incompetent.

"Don't worry, Master Jia. We will live up to your expectations and work hard to put down the White Lotus rebellion!"

Li Mu answered in a formal manner.

"Master Jia, I have good news for you. The rebels on the Nanning front have split up.

It should be that the news of the traitor Kong Siliu's death in battle spread, and the rebel army knew that they were no match for us and wanted to escape.

A group of Tusi soldiers were deliberately left behind as cannon fodder to delay our advance.

At this moment we are only sixty miles away from the enemy.

If those bosses don’t react and continue along their original route, we will run into them tomorrow afternoon.”

Jing Yifeng added.

The division of the rebel forces would definitely be disadvantageous to the cause of suppressing the rebellion.

With tens of thousands of Tusi soldiers standing in the way, even catching the pigs would take several days.

With a few more days of buffer time, the rebels had already successfully evacuated, which meant that the White Lotus Sect had retained its manpower.

But it is a great benefit to the Guangxi Campaign.

The news of the rebels' escape could not be kept secret for long.

Once the news spreads, the morale of those chieftain soldiers who stayed behind to serve as cannon fodder will surely be ruined.

The last force hindering the army from suppressing the rebellion no longer exists, and it is only a matter of time before the Guangxi battle achieves a complete victory.

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

After saying the word "good" three times in a row, Jia Bo, who was originally exhausted, suddenly regained his spirits.

It turns out that good news can actually stimulate recovery.

His butt, which was bruised by the bumps, no longer felt any pain.

"Commander Li, General Jing, speed is of the essence on the battlefield.

You guys go and set it up, don't worry about me!
After we defeat the rebels tomorrow, we will celebrate together!"

Jabo said ecstatically.

The time has come to reap the fruits of victory, and at this critical moment, he doesn't want to let down.

Deep down in his heart, he was already thinking about how to write the victory report.

……

The first ray of sunlight in the early morning spread across the earth, and the chieftain's army, which was supposed to go out to battle, stopped.

"Brother He, you are the vanguard.

Everyone is waiting, why is there no movement? "

The Zhu clan leader stepped forward and asked.

Although they may seem like brothers in public, the two clans have been fighting each other secretly.

Both of them had served as local officials. Although the local officials formed their own system, they were inevitably influenced by the officialdom of Dayu.

"Brother Zhu, many people in my He clan were infected with a cold last night, so it is not suitable for us to travel.

If you are impatient to wait, you can go ahead and we will catch up in the shortest possible time."

The He clan leader spoke nonsense without changing his expression.

If you know that there are problems with this division of troops and still advance foolishly, you must be mentally ill.

When the situation is unclear, every step forward increases the danger.

For the safety of his clan members, he decisively chose to let his fellow Taoist die rather than himself.

"Brother He, it's too polite for you to say that. We are all family. How can I abandon your He clan and go on the road alone?

It's just that some of our clansmen have caught a cold. That's easy to handle. I, Zhu, can stay and wait for you.

If we all act together, we can look after each other."

After the Zhu clan leader finished speaking, all the chieftains and clan leaders expressed their desire to stay and work together.

Anyway, the commander-in-chief, General Su, gave the order to advance, but did not specify when to arrive at Lianzhou Prefecture, so it didn't matter if it took a few days.

The right thing to do is to take advantage of the time you have left to figure out the current situation as quickly as possible.

In this context, in order to prevent someone from receiving the message and running away first, the best option is for everyone to act together.

Everyone looked at each other, no one wanted to be the sixth.

Seeing this scene, the He clan leader was furious.

Screw the idea of ​​being in the same boat. They all say nice things, but when something really happens, they run away faster than the other.

Not kicking someone when they are down is a sign of high moral character.

Expecting help from friendly forces is pure dreaming.

“Thank you for your kindness, clan leaders, but we have a batch of medicines for treating colds in the rear, and we need to go back and get them.

Please wait here..."

Before the He clan leader could finish, the Zhu clan leader interrupted and said:

"Don't bother, we'll go with you.

We are all comrades-in-arms, and it is our duty to help each other!"

The behavior of the He clan leader made everyone more convinced that he knew something.

(End of this chapter)