Fu Shanhe

Chapter 203 Strategic Adjustment
“This case is very troublesome and should not be disclosed for the time being.

News came from the capital that in order to thoroughly investigate the case, His Majesty had re-employed the Imperial Guards.

The cabinet was also very concerned about this case and sent officials to conduct a secret investigation.

Lord Xu also ordered us to cooperate fully.

Judging from the information currently available, Yin Zhiming and Zuo Hongjiang did have contact with the White Lotus Sect during the period of overthrowing the eunuch party.

Before the White Lotus Rebellion, they did business with the Yin Family Chamber of Commerce.

After the rebellion broke out, the Guangxi commander-in-chief ordered a suppression, but was rejected by the governor's office.

The official involved in the case happened to be Zuo Hongjiang's student.

This is all the information I know. You just need to tell them that Yin and Zuo are indeed involved in the rebellion.

If they are sincere enough, they will reveal the follow-up content.”

Li Mu replied calmly.

Yin Zhiming and Zuo Hongjiang were very successful in marketing and enjoyed high prestige among scholars.

However, fame is a double-edged sword.

As they gain fame, the outside world also places much higher demands on them.

Morally, you can't make even a single mistake.

Collaborating with rebels, or colluding with the White Lotus Sect that massacred gentry, this undoubtedly challenged the bottom line of the gentry.

Especially the officials from Guangdong and Guangxi regions, who had a direct feud with them to the point of destroying their families, and the two sides were at the point of fighting to the death.

From the moment the matter was exposed, it was doomed that Yin and Zuo would have no chance of escaping.

What's more, the blame for the emperor's reopening of the Imperial Household Department was put on them, and now there are too many people who want them dead.

Based on Li Mu's understanding of Emperor Yongning, after this incident, the one who wanted them dead the most was Emperor Yongning.

This is the emperor’s bottom line.

No matter what kind of struggle it is, it must not harm the country and the people.

Once the emperor learned that the incident affected several provinces and was caused by the two gentlemen he trusted most, he would probably skin them alive.

"Sir, this is too much..."

Lan Linjie was sweating profusely before he finished speaking.

It is really terrifying that the highly respected leader of the Qingliu sect is actually a traitor who is in collusion with the White Lotus Sect.

This is completely a death sentence for the Qingliu Party members.

From now on, when people go out, they will feel embarrassed to call themselves the clear stream.

"Don't worry, the imperial court needs to be careful about the impact. The White Lotus Rebellion is the most favorable evidence for overthrowing eunuchs.

If Yin Zhiming and Zuo Hongjiang were convicted of colluding with the White Lotus Sect to cause rebellion, where would the emperor's face be?
How can the Qingliu Party show off their noble morals in front of the people of the world?

There are still two cabinet ministers from the Qingliu Party in the court. They will try to deal with the aftermath and minimize the impact as much as possible.

There is a 50% chance that His Majesty will kill both of them instantly.

The other half probability is that they will be charged with other crimes and held accountable.

The specific crime depends on what they have done!"

Li Mu immediately explained.

The special identities of Yin and Zuo make them hot potatoes.

It was because he knew there was a hidden danger that he threw the evidence to Xu Wenyue after receiving the news.

This imperial envoy was also very cunning. He waited until the emperor became impatient with Yin Zuo and the other two before he threw out the evidence.

If it had happened a few months earlier, it might have been suppressed by Emperor Yongning.

With Emperor Yongning's character, when he trusts someone, he will regard anything said by the outside world as slander.

A group of assistant ministers had set a lot of traps for Yin Zuo and the other two. Under normal circumstances, the two who had caused so many troubles should have been sent home long ago.

As a result, the two of them continued to get into trouble and rose through the ranks, only missing a vacancy to join the cabinet.

Seeing that the small pit didn't work, everyone started to play the game of flattery.

If there was no one pushing them behind the scenes, the ministers who would not have "spoken frankly and given advice" would not have come from the ranks of Yin and Zuo.

Once the favorability is exhausted, the filter that once existed will no longer exist.

The emperor said he would investigate and would definitely take advantage of any officials who were dissatisfied with Yin and Zuo.

The originally imperfect evidence gradually became complete with the additions from caring people.

Li Mu admitted that when facing the investigation by officials from the three departments, he also added some information.

The most favorable witness statements so far are those provided by prisoners of war.

Based on these clues, a member of the White Lotus Sect was also captured in the Yin Family Chamber of Commerce.

Whether it is regarded as the White Lotus Sect lurking in the past, or as evidence of collusion between the two parties, it depends on how the higher-ups want to characterize it.

"Sir, you cannot get involved in a case involving treason!"

Lan Linjie said in panic.

While reaping a large amount of cheap labor and mining land in Guangxi, Li Mu also invested a lot of money, and this was when his wallet was the emptiest.

Considering several previous middleman activities, he was very worried that Li Mu would help to rescue people in order to make money.

If the matter is exposed in the future and the court wants to hold someone accountable, it is unknown whether Li Mu will be finished, but as a legal advisor, he will definitely lose his head.

"Don't worry, I know the severity of the situation.

The Yin and Zuo families will definitely be destroyed, and the gentry who depend on the two families will also suffer.

As for the others who are not deeply involved, they can just cut off ties in advance.

If you are really worried about being implicated, you can also buy insurance in advance.

When you are exiled to Guangxi in the future, I can take care of you!"

Li Mu said angrily.

Do you really think he can do anything?
The reason why he dared to act as a middleman and take money to rescue people without any scruples was because he had a big boss backing him up.

In name, he had great powers, but in reality, the bulk of the money he collected for buying his life went to the emperor. Even if something went wrong, the risk would not be great.

Now that we are far away from the capital, we are much slower in controlling the situation. If we get involved again, we will be seeking death.

……

Guilin Prefecture.

As the Guangxi army did not take any action for a long time, Shi Rongxian gradually realized that something was wrong.

No matter how slow the government troops were, it would not be possible for the quarrel to last for more than two months without any result.

Realizing that he had fallen into the enemy's delaying tactics, there was nothing he could do now.

The progress on several battlefields on the front lines was not smooth. In the past six months, the territory of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom has decreased instead of increased.

This is undoubtedly very dangerous for a nascent regime.

The only advantage of the shrinking territory is that it becomes more convenient to convene all the generals to discuss matters.

To a certain extent, Shi Rongxian strengthened his control over the army.

Unfortunately, this kind of centralized power is not what he wants.

"My dear ministers, the Holy Kingdom has reached its most dangerous moment.

Does anyone have any good ideas to solve the current predicament facing the Holy Nation?"

Shi Rongxuan asked worriedly.

The New Year is approaching, but there is no trace of the New Year atmosphere in the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus.

Everyone was worried about the war on the front line and had long forgotten about the New Year.

“Your Majesty, the Pseudo Dynasty is too powerful, and we must change our previous strategy.

We were originally approaching Kunming, but a militia formed by a group of local gentry suddenly appeared in the pseudo-dynasty.

The fighting power of these militias is not very good, but they are all locals.

They are very familiar with the terrain and often use it to harass our troops.

The troops led by Prime Minister Fu suffered a great loss here.

Due to the logistical cut-off, they had no choice but to retreat and reunite with the Western Expedition Army.

The Pseudo-North has relaxed its control over the militia. In the future, the enemies we will face will not only be the Pseudo-North army, but also countless militias!"

King Wei Jiarui of Zhenxi said helplessly.

Victory seemed in sight, but was ruined by a group of mediocre militia.

The gentry had too much influence in the local area, and as soon as they sent out troops, the enemy received the news.

Every time they sent troops to encircle and suppress the enemy, the enemy had disappeared before they could even attack.

It’s not that they didn’t try to adopt a conciliatory approach, but the gentry simply didn’t think they could succeed.

Even some local chieftains from Yunnan and Guizhou who were close to Dayu joined the ranks to encircle and suppress them.

The Western Expedition Army, which lacked a mass base, found it difficult to move forward after entering Yunnan.

After finally reaching the city of Kunming, they were pushed back by the enemy.

After a series of battles, he also discovered the enemy's weaknesses.

These landlord armed forces were highly motivated when fighting on their own soil.

Once away from home, the desire to fight drops sharply, and the farther away from the nest, the lower the desire to fight.

But this is meaningless, as the Western Expedition Army now dares not lure the enemy deep into their territory.

The government troops in Guangxi recaptured Liuzhou. If they showed any weakness, the enemy would pounce on them.

"Do you mean to abandon the Western Expedition strategy and focus on the Northern Expedition?"

Shi Rongxuan asked with a frown.

Strategic change is not as simple as just one sentence.

Just because they change the direction of attack doesn't mean the enemy will cooperate.

If the Holy White Lotus Kingdom does not march westward, the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces will advance eastward.

The Guangxi Front Army has been resting for more than two months and will definitely take action after the New Year.

Once they give up the southwest offensive, it will be highly likely that the official troops in Guangxi will join forces with the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces.

By then, most of the remaining provincial capitals in Guangxi will probably not be able to be defended, and moving the capital will only be a matter of time.

It would be fine if the Northern Expedition was successful, but if it failed and the enemy forced them to move their capital, the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus would be doomed.

“Holy Emperor, we have no more choices now.

The pseudo-Korean official army in Guangxi attacked Guangdong, but it was just false news released by them. The enemy's real target was Qingyuan and Guilin.

As far as I know, the enemy forces in Guangxi have been expanding their forces and preparing for war, and their total strength is probably more than 60,000.

Together with the Yunnan-Guizhou Allied Forces and several militia groups, the total enemy strength has exceeded 200,000.

With so many pseudo-dynasty troops, Qingyuan Prefecture and Sicheng Prefecture could not be defended, and even the Holy Capital was in great danger.

Rather than waiting for the enemy to attack and then being forced to change strategy, it is better to go all out in advance.

Directly concentrate the country's military strength, choose a direction and attack with all your strength to break the strategic encirclement of the pseudo-North Korea! "

Wei Jiarui said proudly.

Rebellion is a gamble. If you win the first time, there will be a second time.

All the rebel armies, during the start-up phase, are either gambling with their lives or on the way to gambling with their lives.

The Holy Kingdom of White Lotus was considered a success. It progressed smoothly from the beginning and established its own base ahead of time.

However, precisely because they had a base too early, they did not wander around and continue to weaken Dayu's overall national strength.

No matter how big the commotion was, it was only limited to a few provinces and did not really shake the rule of Dayu.

Now is the time to swallow the bitter fruit. Dayu, who has reacted, has demonstrated strength beyond their expectations.

"What's your opinion?"

(End of this chapter)