Fu Shanhe

Chapter 220 Battle of Guangzhou
Wuchang Mansion.

Looking at the battle reports from the front line, Zhu Jingyi felt mixed emotions.

The government troops launched a counterattack in Guangdong and achieved phased results.

After the militia army was formed, it began to show results. The Hunan militia has now reinforced the Changde battlefield, and militias in other regions have also sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

Although these troops, formed with local clans as the bond, could not catch up with the elite troops of the imperial court in terms of combat effectiveness, they were much stronger than the garrison troops.

The addition of the militia army greatly alleviated the pressure of insufficient troops in his hands.

In addition to these news, there is also a lot of bad news.

First, the King of Changsha committed suicide after being captured, and then many royal family members were bewitched by the White Lotus Sect and joined the rebel forces.

Then the Jiangxi battlefield was defeated, and the rebels entered the Jiangnan region. The financial revenue of the court was seriously threatened.

The memorials impeaching him in the court could fill up an entire room.

Two-thirds of them are masterpieces of officials from Huguang, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.

It was obvious that his performance as a senior minister did not satisfy the gentry.

In order to suppress the rebellion, the government repeatedly allocated war funds to the lower levels. The key point is that even after taking everyone's money, they still failed on the battlefield.

Everyone had serious doubts about his military ability, believing that he was unable to lead the cause of suppressing the rebellion, and hoped that the court could replace capable generals.

The reason why he was able to keep his position, apart from his special status as a cabinet minister, was more due to the face of Emperor Yongning.

If the first cabinet minister appointed by the emperor himself is a waste, how can the emperor save face?

However, in the face of cruel reality, face can't last long. If he doesn't do anything, it's only a matter of time before he goes to prison.

"Sir An, Guangdong has been recaptured by the government troops. Why are you still here as the governor of Guangdong instead of returning to your jurisdiction to take charge of the situation?"

At the military meeting, Zhu Jingyi's first anger was directed at the Governor of Guangdong, which was full of resentment.

The main reason for all this was the unrest at the lower levels.

The government troops of Guangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces jointly impeached him for withholding military pay and embezzling military supplies.

This kind of thing was unimaginable in the past.

It was an open secret in the Dayu Dynasty that the civil officials in charge of the army made money from the military pay.

If the generals below want to receive money and food, they must please the civil servant who commands the three armies.

This is what is bound to happen under the system of civil control of military power. It is precisely these restrictions that can better control the military commanders on the front line.

If the imperial court could always pay the military salaries in full, the power of the civil officials and commanders would certainly be greatly reduced.

It is impossible to call the generals to come and go at will.

In order to suppress military generals, the imperial court could accept a certain amount of corruption.

The generals below had to endure it even if they were wronged.

Such cases of collective impeachment of the governor by civil and military officials from multiple provinces are rare in the history of Dayu.

Zhu Jingyi felt aggrieved just thinking about it. In order to win people's hearts, he did not cut the salaries of civil servants.

Although the benefits at the lower levels were cut, the default compensation also increased. The income of the civil servants who handled the matter increased instead of decreasing.

Logically speaking, since these people had received benefits from him, they should have firmly protected this elder minister who was willing to share the benefits with them.

But the reality was just the opposite. Just because of a few military orders, these guys stood together with the generals below.

There were too many officials involved, and Zhu Jingyi could not do anything about them, so he could only vent his anger on the Governor of Guangdong.

Theoretically speaking, since the government troops in Guangxi and Fujian are helping them fight the war, it is reasonable to let the Guangdong Governor's Office bear the military expenses.

"Sir, the imperial court has not yet approved the funds for the reconstruction of Guangdong, and the vacancies of officials in various places have not been filled. Even if I go to Guangdong, I will be a governor without any staff.

Affected by the war, the production of various prefectures in Guangdong has been severely damaged. Now there are starving people everywhere. Please quickly allocate some money and food!"

An Qingfeng immediately complained.

The Governor of Guangdong cannot control the foreign troops from Fujian and Guangxi. If he does not have money and food, no one will buy into his account.

The only Guangdong army would ask him for food and wages every now and then.

Now that the two sides are far apart, he can still be perfunctory. But once he takes up his post in the local area, he will not be able to shirk his responsibilities.

The soldiers below started to make trouble, but no matter whether there was a governor or not, if they were not allowed to have enough food, the governor would be dismissed anyway.

Accidents caused by riots over pay had occurred countless times in the Dayu Dynasty, and more than one or two officials had lost their lives because of this.

"Humph!"

"My mind is full of thoughts about money and grain, but have you ever thought about the difficulties faced by the imperial court?
The court appointed you as the governor of Guangdong to solve the problem.

If you can't solve any problems and have to rely on the court for everything, then what's the use of you?
You are so well-read in the books of sages, but you don't even understand such a simple truth. You are shamelessly asking for money and food here, which is simply a disgrace to us..."

Zhu Jingyi immediately scolded.

He was also short of money and food. If he had enough money and food, why would he become a bad person?

The previous cost-cutting measures were originally intended to reduce expenses.

Unexpectedly, due to operational errors, the expenses did not decrease, but the income decreased instead.

Every time the rebels plundered an area, the amount of taxes he was able to intercept would be reduced.

The government troops recovered a lot of lost territories, but these lands that had been ravaged by war could not yield any money or food.

Take Guangxi as an example. In order to reduce expenses, the governor's office was too lazy to even hire runners to collect taxes.

Taxes, not a penny.

All expenses were paid by the imperial court.

Without the funding from above, local officials just gave up and simply handed the governance work to the military, adopting a hands-off approach to the civilian population.

Judging from the results, it’s pretty good for now.

No one went down to collect taxes, no one went to conscript labor, and even the landlords who collected rent disappeared.

Apart from some minor discomfort, the martial law system was widely praised by the grassroots people.

The provincial capital that was recovered first has now regained some vitality after several rounds of harvest.

But this is not enough.

Even in peacetime, Guangxi's tax revenue could not support the bureaucracy. With only a dilapidated Lianzhou Prefecture, it could only collect a few dollars.

Officials from the Guangxi Governor's Office also considered collecting local taxes, but gave up the idea after weighing the pros and cons.

The money received may not be enough to support the officials below. If there is any trouble, it will not be worth the loss.

The situation in Guangdong seems to have improved a lot, but for a long time to come, the people will still not be able to make any money.

Zhu Jingyi asked An Qingfeng to solve the money and grain problems himself, which was clearly an attempt to shirk responsibility.

Even if they wanted to make money regardless of the consequences, they should at least wait until the government troops recaptured Guangzhou before restarting foreign trade.

……

Zhaoqing Prefecture.

When he woke up, the enemy had fled from the city, leaving Li Mu speechless.

The enemy troops ran too fast and disappeared before the army began to besiege the city.

After hesitating for a long time, Li Mu decided to let the rebels leave.

It is undoubtedly a good sign that the enemy flees without a fight.

After setting this precedent, other rebels had an additional option when they encountered a large army attacking the city.

Recovering the city was real, and military merit was achieved. It was entirely up to him to decide how many enemy troops to annihilate.

Anyway, Lord Zhu is stingy with rewards now, so the number of heads taken is not as important as before.

The rebels were not worth anything in the first place, and the imperial court would not care whether the number of rebels annihilated was 10,000 or 20,000. What everyone cared more about was the battle front.

"Sir, the Guangdong Governor An has arrived. Governor Zhang invites you to attend the banquet."

The words of the personal soldier pulled Li Mu out of his thoughts.

He had been busy with military affairs recently and had no energy to care when the Guangdong governor would take office. He had no impression of this governor An.

“Tell Governor Zhang that I will be at the banquet on time.

Send someone to find out how much money and food this Governor An brought with him when he took up his post."

After receiving the invitation, Li Mu replied immediately.

Focusing on money and food is indeed a bit more realistic.

But there is no way, the war consumes too much energy.

Up to now in the war, not only had he not made any profit, but he had also lost a lot of the profits he had earned from subcontracting the minerals.

Now that Lord Zhu has placed his strategic focus on Huguang and Jiangxi, money and grain will naturally be tilted towards these two places, and Guangxi will be able to get even fewer resources.

Not only was money and food not allocated in place, but orders to send troops were still being issued, with absolutely no regard for human lives.

If Zhu Jingyi had not gone too far, officials from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian provinces would not have impeached him together.

After recovering the three prefectures and one guard, the next step is to recover Guangzhou City.

Since he helped to acquire so much territory, it is only right that he asks the Governor of Guangdong for some compensation.

After Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian were connected, Dayu's strategy in South China became active.

Li Mu was powerless in the subsequent battle to quell the rebellion.

The imperial court could not keep up with the demand for money and food, and the daily food and money consumption of the hundreds of thousands of troops in the three provinces was not something he could solve.

If they wanted to launch another attack, they would have to wait until at least the autumn harvest to raise enough military supplies.

……

"Congratulations to Commander Li for retaking Zhaoqing Prefecture and making another great contribution to the court!"

As soon as he entered the banquet, Li Mu became the center of attention.

The welcoming banquet prepared for Governor An suddenly turned into a celebration banquet. The officials could not be blamed for being worldly-wise; the victory simply came too suddenly.

No one knew what had happened, until the people below suddenly told them that Zhaoqing Prefecture had been recaptured by government troops.

Judging from the map, the government army had already recovered Guangdong at this time, and 80% of the territory was recovered by Li Mu.

It goes without saying who the protagonist of the war is.

Even if the Governor of Guangdong takes office, he can only temporarily rely on Guangxi.

“Thank you, colleagues!

The fact that we were able to recover Zhaoqing was entirely due to the great blessing of Your Majesty..."

To be polite, throw out the free things and take care of everything that can be taken care of.

After being in the officialdom for a long time, Li Mu has learned to integrate.

Although these words have no substantive meaning, they cannot withstand political correctness.

"Commander Li, do you have any strategy for the upcoming battle in Guangzhou?"

An Qingfeng asked with concern.

Only after the government troops recaptured Guangzhou did he become the real governor of Guangdong.

Before this, he, the governor, was just a figurehead.

I want to give orders, but I don’t know who to give them to.

"Sir An, it is not difficult to recapture Guangzhou militarily, but the problem is the money and food.

Since Lord Zhu took office, the allocation of money and grain by the court has become a problem.

All the military pay allocated from above was exchanged for food, and the soldiers had not seen pay for six months.

The morale of the army is now in turmoil, and money and food are urgently needed to appease the army.

There were starving people everywhere, and the governor's office was also needed to allocate money and food for relief. "

After Li Mu finished speaking, cold sweat broke out on An Qingfeng's forehead.

Although he had been prepared, he still found it difficult when the time came.

If you don’t have money in your pocket, you can’t speak with confidence.

If he had known that Li Mu would ask for military pay in such an occasion, he would definitely not attend today's welcoming banquet.

It's so embarrassing.

He asked others for help in retaking Guangzhou, but ended up not giving a penny.

If this gets out, people will laugh at you.

The problem is that the Guangdong Governor's Office is now just an empty shell.

Not to mention money and food, even the subordinate officials were not fully equipped.

When he came to take up the post this time, he brought nothing with him except some followers.

"Commander Li, rest assured, I have already reported the issue of money and grain to the court, and I think there will be a result soon.

Let’s prepare for the Battle of Guangzhou first. I will solve other problems on your behalf!

......"

An Qingfeng decisively made the promise.

Regardless of whether it can be done or not, a lot of nice words were said anyway.

Those who are not aware of the situation will definitely be fooled.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Master An!"

Li Mu responded with a smile.

Even though he knew the other party was just talking nonsense, he was too lazy to expose it.

He is a professional when it comes to asking for money and food.

But when I met a poor guy, I was still helpless.

Fortunately, the other party is an official and has power.

In the Dayu Dynasty, power meant money.

People in Guangxi can find ways to make money, not to mention Guangdong.

As long as you explore carefully, you will always find a way to make money.

……

Guangzhou City.

"Guanghaiwei was lost, and Zhaoqingfu was also lost!
If this continues, will I wake up one day and find Guangzhou is also lost?"

Chen Jingfeng couldn't help but curse.

Losing cities and territories is acceptable, but it cannot happen so quickly.

Although Guanghaiwei fell, the defenders at least held out for more than a month before choosing to break out.

In the Battle of Zhaoqing Prefecture, the enemy army simply pushed forward all the way.

As the Governor of Guangdong, he was really worried that his subordinates were so useless.

"Governor, the Pseudo-Dynasty army is too fierce and we are simply unable to resist.

In order to preserve our strength, I ordered a retreat.

This is also what the prince meant.

It is impossible to do anything, so you should protect yourself first! "

Lou Qinghong said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

In order to enhance the persuasiveness, the original words of Nan Wang Fu Haoxuan were also quoted.

But when these words fell into the ears of Chen Jingfeng, the Governor of Guangdong, they took on a different meaning.

If his subordinates use the King of the South to pressure him, if this precedent is set, there will be endless troubles.

What Guangdong lacks the least is the Southern King's confidants. If everyone follows suit, he, the governor, will become a decoration.

“I know the Southern King’s intention better than you.

Whether we can defeat the enemy or not, we have to fight first.

Zhaoqing Prefecture City was a big city with sufficient food and grass, so holding out for a few months was not a problem at all.

But you actually fled without a fight, which really brought shame to King Nan.

Come on, take this guy who doesn't respect military law away and give him thirty military sticks!"

Chen Jingfeng immediately gave the order.

"Kill the chicken to scare the monkey!"

This word instantly entered everyone's mind.

If it weren't for the consideration of King Nan's face, I guess what Lou Qinghong would have received was not thirty military sticks, but a direct beheading.

Chu Er, who was standing aside, was trembling with fear.

He is a close confidant of the King of the South. If he is targeted by Chen Jingfeng, he might lose his head immediately.

Fortunately, the thing I was most worried about did not happen in the end.

Compared with Lou Qinghong who fled without fighting, he, the general who defended the city for more than a month and was finally forced to abandon it, also became an excellent student.

If he is to be punished, Lou Qinghong must lose his head, otherwise he will not be able to convince the public.

"what!"

In an instant, screams were heard outside the door.

The generals present looked at Chen Jingfeng with a hint of awe in their eyes.

The Southern King’s cronies can be dealt with, but if anyone else violates military law, their fate will be even worse.

“You all saw it.

Lou Qinghong was the first one, and this governor chose to give him a lenient sentence.

If anyone commits the same offense again, they will be killed without mercy!"

Chen Jingfeng warned immediately.

The White Lotus' army expanded too quickly and became a mixed bag.

If we want to defend Guangzhou Prefecture, we must take drastic measures.

However, this scene caught Chu Er's attention and once again confirmed his intention to switch sides.

We can no longer stay on this broken ship of the White Lotus Sect, otherwise the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die sooner or later.

The fact that the defending general of an important town like Zhaoqing Prefecture could surrender without a fight was clearly a sign of the army's weakening morale.

The internal factional struggles made him even more anxious.

The world has not yet been conquered and it has already been divided into several factions. What will happen next?

He vaguely felt that he could go back and discuss it with his master.

Lou Qinghong, who was being beaten outside, was obviously at odds with the Governor.

If these contradictions are utilized well, they may play an unexpected role in the subsequent process of capturing the city.

Unconsciously, he had already put his identity on the side of the imperial court.

……

(End of this chapter)