Fu Shanhe

Chapter 230 Division of Troops
Liaodong.

Taking advantage of the fact that Dayu was busy suppressing civil unrest and had no time to look north, Huugjil incorporated the Tatar tribes scattered across the country and completed the integration of the Tatar people.

The remaining old people of Liaodong, as well as the Guifang, Oirat, and Goguryeo people who defected to them, were also incorporated.

After a series of operations, the population under his rule doubled, and the military strength exceeded 100,000.

However, this rapidly growing Tatar regime was not healthy.

Under the system of universal conscription, all young and able-bodied men were drafted into the army, and agricultural and animal husbandry production were severely damaged.

The internal food self-sufficiency rate is less than 20 percent of the demand.

The fact that the regime was able to maintain its function and that famine did not occur was all thanks to the contributions of the merchants.

With the outbreak of civil strife in Dayu, food prices continued to rise, and the Tatars were also affected.

"Chanyu, this is the grain purchase list for last month. The price has increased by 30% compared to before.

The price of rice was as high as nine taels per stone, and the price of flour was as high as seven taels per stone.

At this purchasing cost, if we continue to subsidize our tribesmen, the national treasury may not be able to afford it!"

Sarina said worriedly.

The Tatars’ fiscal revenue was almost zero.

The main source of income comes from robbing.

Either they went south to rob Dayu, or they went to rob the Guifang and Goguryeo people.

Whoever becomes their neighbor will be unlucky.

In essence, the Tatar regime established by Huugjil was a large robbery gang.

It’s not that they haven’t thought about running the place well, but reality doesn’t allow it.

It is simply impossible for a population of several hundred thousand people under his rule to feed an army of one hundred thousand.

In this context, all kinds of daily necessities and strategic materials need to be purchased from outside.

Merchants are profit-driven. They risk being beheaded for smuggling. Without huge profits, who would be willing to do it?

"No problem!
We will temporarily deposit this money with the Yu people. Once we have stabilized the rear, we will send troops to take it back.

By the way, it can also share some of the pressure for the White Lotus Sect's rebel army.

If they are wiped out by the Yu Dynasty, our lives will be difficult."

Huugjile said proudly.

He can still distinguish who is an ally and who is an enemy.

Although they had no contact with the White Lotus Sect, they were the best allies because they had a common enemy, Dayu.

Compared with Dayu, Tatar is still too weak.

As long as we cut off the smuggling channels, we can trap or starve them to death without sending troops to attack.

Not only the Tatars, but all the grassland peoples are dependent on the Central Plains dynasty.

Even though they are enjoying invading and looting every now and then, the situation will be reversed once the Central Plains dynasty becomes strong.

……

Guangdong Governor's Office.

"General Jing, you should stand up and fight for the position of commander-in-chief!"

An Qingfeng said with a depressed look on his face.

It was originally thought that Marquis Wuyang would personally command the army, and no one thought that he would appoint someone as the chief general, so naturally there would be no preparation in advance.

By the time he received the news, everything was settled.

"Governor, you are not kidding, are you?
The three-province coalition force was mainly composed of Guangxi official troops, and our Guangdong army was at the bottom of the coalition.

The governor's office can't give me any support, so what can I use to fight for it?

The reason I was able to grab the vanguard position is that I have quick reactions!"

Jing Yifeng said calmly.

No one wants to be a subordinate when they can take charge of the main commander.

However, the competitors are too strong and there is no way to compete.

Not only were his military achievements inferior, but the strength of the troops under his command was also far from perfect.

I thought that by working in the more affluent Guangdong, I would be able to obtain more resources and build an elite force.

Unfortunately, he was unable to make use of Guangdong’s rich resources.

He also thought about following Li Mu's example and occupying military land to be self-sufficient in solving the money and food needs of the army, but all these would require paying for themselves.

Without sufficient capital, it is impossible to support the grain harvest.

After the failure of the mining contract, his chances of making money out of nothing were cut off.

After all, civil servants are not fools.

It was the first time that Li Mu was able to succeed in the operation. No one knew how much profit was hidden in the state-owned mine that had been losing money for years.

The most feasible thing to do now is to gain enough capital from the battlefield and then come back to manage military farms.

But this is just wishful thinking, the input and return are not proportional.

The term of office of a general is not unlimited. If an order of transfer is issued, it would be a favor to others.

"Humph!"

"I gave you a kind reminder, but you didn't take it seriously.

The White Lotus Sect was so violent. If he became the main general of the coalition forces and made great contributions, he might be awarded a title.

If you miss this opportunity, you will regret it someday!"

An Qingfeng shouted angrily.

It's not that he intended to sow discord, he was simply forced into it by the situation.

Deep down, he knew better than anyone that Jing Yifeng had no chance.

It is impossible for Marquis Wuyang to leave his trusted confidant who is more capable of fighting and promote an outsider.

The main reason he instigated the two to fight was that he wanted to compete for the position of commander.

Only by creating the impression that Li Mu cannot win the support of the people can the Marquis of Wuyang be forced to compromise and appoint a civil official as the chief teacher.

Since the governors of Guangxi and Fujian are not around, he, the governor of Guangdong, will become the first choice.

In addition to greed for fame and fortune, avoiding disaster is also an important factor.

In recent days, in order to raise military funds, he has offended many people.

If you want to eliminate hidden dangers, the easiest way is to climb up.

What Dayu needs most now is a capable civilian official. If he can make great contributions in the process of suppressing the rebels, further progress after the war is inevitable.

Even for the sake of the national policy of controlling the military with culture, the civil service group had to support him to the position.

As long as he got to power, the gentry in Guangdong would selectively forget the slight unpleasantness in the process of raising funds.

……

Fuzhou Prefecture.

"What? Let Li Mu be the commander-in-chief? Isn't this nonsense?"

In the governor's office, Zhang Jingyi, who received the official document, could not help but scold angrily.

The coalition forces of the three provinces number more than 100,000 people, and all were handed over to one military general for command. If this news got out, they would all be laughed at.

To control the military with culture is the national policy.

In the past hundred years, no military general has been able to command an army of more than 50,000 people alone.

In fact, the appointment of Marquis Wuyang as governor-general of the three provinces caused an uproar in the court and the country.

It’s just that Emperor Yongning was stubborn by nature, and once he made up his mind, nothing could change his mind.

The civil servants were dissatisfied with this situation, but they could not find a suitable candidate, so their opposition was not fierce. This time the situation was different.

Once this precedent is set, no one can guarantee that it will not happen a second time.

After this happened a few more times, the national policy of controlling the military with culture became a joke.

"Governor, at this time, the army may have already set out.

Even if we oppose it, we can't change anything.

"If you want to blame someone, blame that idiot An Qingfeng. How could such a thing happen under his nose!"

The governor on the side began to persuade.

As a member of the civil service camp, they must oppose such violations of the rules.

But in addition to group interests, there are also individual interests to consider.

From the perspective of their personal careers, what they needed was to quell the White Lotus Rebellion as quickly as possible.

It was indeed a bit unusual to let Li Mu serve as the chief general, but compared with suppressing the rebels, it was not impossible to compromise.

If colleagues in the court feel resentful afterwards, the officials from Guangdong will stand in the way.

They are officials from Fujian and it is impossible for them to stay in Guangzhou for a long time.

It's completely understandable that I wasn't aware of what was happening over there.

"Master Feng's words make sense, but this trend cannot continue. We still need to find a way to persuade the Governor."

Zhang Jingyi said slowly.

Deep down, he has accepted this result, but he still has to express his opposition on the surface.

There was only so much he could do. It was impossible for him to fall out with Marquis Wuyang over the appointment of the commander-in-chief.

The most taboo thing in official circles is to act on impulse.

No one wants to be the bad guy unless their core interests are affected.

If you really offend your boss and he makes things difficult for you, your career will be ruined.

……

The disturbances in the outside world did not affect Li Mu's good mood.

The position of the front-line commander is not a permanent official position and does not even have a rank.

But the meaning behind this is extraordinary.

All beginnings are hard.

Being able to break through the situation where civil servants are the only ones in power is undoubtedly a good start.

The head follows the butt. After climbing to the position of commander-in-chief, Li Mu was inevitably involved in the dispute between civil and military officials.

As a military general, you must stand on the side of the military generals camp.

After being appointed Marquis of Wuyang, Li Mu did not delay at all and led his troops to the Northern Expedition in the shortest possible time.

"General Wei, when will your troops be able to reach the front line?"

Under the city of Shaozhou, Li Mu asked with concern.

The price of speed is that many troops cannot keep up.

The Guangxi soldiers, who were originally serving as the central army, ran to the front and arrived almost at the same time as the vanguard troops.

The Fujian soldiers who served as the rear army were in an awkward situation as they fell far behind during the march.

The government troops have been besieging Shaozhou City for two days, and several troops are still dawdling on the road.

"Don't worry, Commander Li. We will arrive at the front line tomorrow night at the latest!"

Wei Zhiyuan immediately assured.

Unlike other generals, he is now in the stage of making amends for his crime.

In the previous defense of Guangdong, he suffered defeats all the way and lost countless soldiers and generals.

The reason he was able to keep his position was entirely due to his meritorious service in “settling the accounts”.

“No need to send them to the front line!

I just received news that the main force of the enemy troops in Ganzhou has moved northward, apparently heading for Nanchang.

Ganzhou is short of military forces at the moment, and it is the best time for us to recover our lost territory.

I have decided to change tactics and let you lead the troops in Fujian to enter Jiangxi and launch an attack on Ganzhou Prefecture.

After retaking Ganzhou, we can launch a tentative attack on Ji'an.

As for the task of retaking Shaozhou Prefecture, it was given to General Jing.

I will soon lead my troops north to capture Yongzhou Prefecture!"

Li Mu's order shocked all the generals.

The agreed upon joint forces of the three provinces were split up again just as the battle had just begun.

Once the distance between them is widened, the three armies will have to fight on their own, and his power as the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces will definitely be greatly reduced.

From the perspective of power, the best option is to lead the armies of the three provinces together and advance steadily along the way.

“Commander Li, the rebels are the most cunning.

It seemed that they were attacking with all their might and neglected the defense in the rear, but no one could guarantee that this was not an enemy conspiracy.

If the enemy is well prepared, once we divide our forces, we may not be able to defeat the main force of the rebels!"

Wei Zhiyuan immediately objected.

He knew best what kind of troops he had.

If they were really capable of fighting, they would not have been suppressed and unable to move in Fujian by a small rebel force.

By following the coalition forces of the three provinces, you can also gain credit.

If you act alone, you will have to bear all the risks yourself.

"Don't worry, the rebels are very ambitious.

What they want is the vast mountains and rivers, and they don’t care about the gains and losses of a city or a place.

The enemy's strategic focus at the moment is not on us.

It is impossible to leave such an obvious loophole just to lure us into attacking."

Li Mu said calmly.

The unprecedented decision to divide the troops was not because he was crazy, nor was it because he was dissatisfied with the large number of soldiers under his command.

The real purpose is to avoid being betrayed by bad teammates.

On the battlefield, the more troops, the better.

Many times, the damage caused by bad teammates is more terrible than that of the enemies.

If you look at Jing Yifeng, you will know that when he was in Guangxi, he led his troops and won many victories.

After entering Guangdong, the number of troops under his command increased greatly, but he had no outstanding military achievements.

Of course, the factor of insufficient supplies was one of the reasons, but it is also an indisputable fact that the teammates were holding us back.

Because of his status, he cannot say words that would undermine unity.

However, preventive measures are still necessary.

As long as the main force can recover the lost territory and continue to push the front line forward, even if the other two armies suffer a defeat, it can be covered up.

Reporting good news but not bad news is also a traditional skill of the Dayu army.

The sudden collapse of the Huguang Front in the front is the best example.

The outside world only saw the failure of the final decisive battle, but ignored the fact that the government army had been defeated all the way before the main decisive battle.

……

(End of this chapter)