Fu Shanhe

Chapter 244 Choice
Yongzhou City.

“Saint Emperor, I just received news that after the Pseudo-Dynasty army defeated the troops of Marquis Du Ting in Hengyang, they immediately headed for Changsha.

This is an urgent letter from the Changsha garrison general asking for help. Please take a look!"

As they were talking, Prime Minister Wu Zekai handed over a letter for help with a nervous look on his face.

The situation is much worse than expected.

Qi Datou, Marquis of Duting, was also a famous general in the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus. It was thought that he could fight with Li Mu's troops for some time.

No one expected that both sides would be defeated miserably on the day of the battle.

That's a hundred thousand troops, and they would occupy dozens of acres of land if they were deployed in battle formation. Even if there were a hundred thousand pigs, it would take ten days or half a month to catch them all.

However, the troops under Duke Duting were defeated in one day, and after being chased by the enemy for two days, the team was dispersed, and the remaining troops were less than 3,000 people.

After causing such a big mess, he knew that he could not deliver the job. Qi Datou was also a bachelor, so he disappeared with his confidants.

The whereabouts of the person responsible were unknown, so there was no way to ask for punishment. The mess left behind had to be cleaned up by the White Lotus Saint Emperor.

"waste!"

"They're all trash!"

"Pass the order down, and have all the government offices in the Holy Kingdom do their best to arrest Qi Datou.

My 100,000-man army!"

……

Shi Rongxian roared on the spot.

For the Holy White Lotus Nation, which used the human wave tactic, losing 100,000 troops on the battlefield was nothing. The key to the problem was that Qi Datou was defeated at the wrong time.

At other times, if they lost, they would just lose. At most, they could just recruit troops. The areas currently controlled by the Holy White Lotus Kingdom were all densely populated, so they didn't lack that few soldiers.

But now it was different, the Yongzhou battle was planned by the White Lotus Saint Emperor, and Qi Datou's defeat directly ruined the plan.

Without the participation of these 100,000 troops, the Holy White Lotus Kingdom will be in a completely strategically passive position in the Battle of Yongzhou.

Now the question is not how to annihilate the enemy, but how to avoid being surrounded and annihilated by the enemy in Yongzhou.

"Holy Emperor, calm down!"

“The defeat at Hengyang was a complete accident.

The Duke of Duting was not prepared in advance and was deceived by the enemy's despicable tactics. As long as we are careful and cautious, no accidents will happen.

......"

The persuasion of the ministers made Shi Rongxian regain his rationality.

Being able to build such a great foundation, he is not an ordinary person. His gaffe just now was purely due to the failure of the Yongzhou battle, which had a very bad political impact.

His current prestige is no longer enough to suppress the three kings of different surnames on the front line. If he is not careful, the Holy White Lotus Kingdom will collapse.

"enough!
Failure is failure.

I am not someone who cannot afford to lose, so I don't need to make excuses.

The defeat in Hengyang was certainly due to the fact that Duke Duting disobeyed orders and acted carelessly, but it was also due to my inappropriate use of personnel.

Now Li Mu, the villain, has set his sights on Changsha Prefecture. Compared to Hengyang, Changsha has a higher strategic value.

Once Changsha falls, Huguang will no longer be our rear base. The entire Holy Kingdom will be in danger. What do you think we should do now? "

Shi Rongxuan asked slowly.

The White Lotus Holy Kingdom seemed to be powerful, but it had been suppressed by the government forces strategically. Its control area was limited to Huguang and Jiangxi, and the strategic space for maneuver was very narrow.

After losing Changsha Prefecture, it was only a matter of time before many prefectures south of Dongting Lake fell.

The war continued to spread to Huguang, and many prefectures were threatened by the government troops. The original taxation plan would also fail.

A perfect taxation system is a sign of a mature regime. Those scholars who defected to the Holy White Lotus Kingdom are now waiting for the results.

Only by taking this step can we stabilize people's hearts and let the people know that they are not just a group of rebels, but a powerful force that can fight for the world.

Only with such a label can we attract heroes from all walks of life to join us. With the support of these people, the rebellion can continue.

Once the positive cycle is interrupted, it will fall into a vicious cycle.

The inability to establish a tax system means that the White Lotus Holy Nation as a group does not have the ability to generate its own revenue.

We can only continue to rely on robbing to obtain fiscal revenue.

In this context, the campaign of slaughtering the gentry must continue.

The more you kill, the more you rob, the more blood feuds you create.

One can despise the character and morals of the gentry, but it cannot be denied that they are the most knowledgeable group in contemporary times.

Even if 80% of this group are trash, there are still 20% talented people available.

In the feudal dynasty era, no matter what happened, the support of these people was indispensable.

The change of dynasties is nothing more than a group of scholars defeating another group of scholars. With the blessing of time, the winners will become new aristocratic families.

The only benefit is that it breaks down class mobility and gives ordinary people the opportunity to go against the current in troubled times.

“Saint Emperor, Changsha is too far away from us, and is blocked by the Pseudo-Dynasty army. We are now out of reach.

If we want to rescue Changsha, we have to draw reinforcements from the front lines of Nanchang, Anqing and Xiangyang.

Considering that we don't know enough about the situation on the front line, it would be better to send someone to pass the letter of help to the three princes and let them handle it themselves!"

Shi Qichuan persuaded tactfully.

Now is not the time to act on impulse. If we forcefully issue a rescue order, and if the three foreign kings on the front line do not comply, the only one who will be embarrassed will be the White Lotus Saint Emperor.

If the central government does not have enough authority, then just let the people below exercise their powers freely.

The Holy White Lotus Kingdom cannot afford the consequences of Changsha's fall, and neither can the three kings on the front line.

In order to make arrangements for their retreat, they had to rescue Changsha no matter what. At least before opening up a new situation, they had to help.

As for themselves, sending Yongzhou's small army to reinforce them would be a waste of lives.

“If everyone has no other opinions, the mission of rescuing Changsha will be handed over to the three princes.

Next, let's discuss where the Holy Capital will move to. When it comes to the future of the Holy Kingdom, I hope everyone can speak their mind without reservation."

Shi Rongxian said with a serious expression.

Compared with rescuing Changsha, their own fate is the most important.

Ever since the fall of Hengyang, Yongzhou was destined not to be a place to live in for a long time. If the government troops had not chosen to attack Changsha, they would not even have had a chance to escape.

“Saint Emperor, Yongzhou is not the foundation of the king’s hegemony, and all the saints must move out as soon as possible.

However, Li Mu is a very cunning villain. Although he is busy attacking Changsha at the moment, we still cannot let our guard down.

A few days ago, a letter for help was sent from Chenzhou. If nothing unexpected happens, the defenders there will not be able to hold out for long.

Once Chenzhou fell, the 30,000 puppet troops in Guangdong would immediately join the siege of Yongzhou.

When we want to leave again, it won’t be so easy.

In my humble opinion, the most urgent task is to abandon the excess baggage and supplies and retreat to Dongting Lake via Baoqing Prefecture as quickly as possible.

Whether we go north to Xiangyang and join forces with the East King's troops, or go south to the Yangtze River and join forces with the South King, or fight our way into Shu from Jingzhou, it's better than being trapped in Yongzhou!"

Mi Yingbo took the lead in proposing.

This time he had no selfish motives, and the three plans he proposed were all based on the overall interests of the Holy Kingdom.

Theoretically, they could also take advantage of the situation to attack Guangdong and Guangxi, or Yunnan and Guizhou where the enemy's troops are scarce.

However, Guangdong and Guangxi had been robbed by them once, and if they fought back again, there would not be so many gentry for them to rob.

The 130,000-strong army, plus officials from government offices at all levels and their families, totaled 200,000 to 300,000 people.

With so many people going to Guangdong and Guangxi, eating will become a big problem.

Yunnan and Guizhou were not harmed by them, but the two places were poor. It was not easy to collect enough food to feed 200,000 or 300,000 people.

The size of the team meant that they could only move to rich places. Otherwise, the logistics would be enough to drag them down without the need for government troops to encircle and suppress them.

“Master Mi, you make it sound easy.

Everyone knows how treacherous Li Mu is. With so many of us trying to evacuate, it's impossible to hide it.

This man is loyal to the pseudo-dynasty, unlike other generals who like to keep the enemy for themselves. Once we leave the city, the enemy will bite us immediately.

With a large number of non-combat personnel, the team's advance speed could not be fast.

Once you are entangled by the enemy, it will be a disaster!"

Shi Qichuan immediately objected.

Having served as a rear guard once, he knew very well how powerful the enemy was. Just because he was able to survive last time, it didn't mean he could do it this time.

For the generals of the pseudo-dynasty, the temptation to capture these rebel leaders alive was too great.

No matter which general he is, when it comes to chasing them, he can burst out with twelve points of the main force's combat effectiveness.

In comparison, although it seems more difficult to enter Shu through Yunnan and Guizhou, at least it can avoid the main force of the government army.

They were just borrowing the road this time, not to occupy Yunnan and Guizhou. As long as they hurt the local troops, they would not try their best to stop them.

As for Li Mu's troops, who posed the greatest threat, they were bound by the laws of Dayu. According to the rules, such cross-provincial military operations required approval from the imperial court.

After all the back and forth, two months had passed. Adding the time wasted by the officials of the pseudo-dynasty, they might have occupied Shu.

When it comes to establishing a separatist regime, no place is more suitable than Shu.

Although it is difficult to fight back, the Holy Kingdom of White Lotus still has three kings outside, so it is just right to use Shu as a rear base.

"Gui Hou is right. We really need to avoid the limelight for now!"

Shi Rongxian immediately made his position clear and did not let everyone act freely.

It's not that he was acting arbitrarily, but mainly because going to the front line to meet up with the king of a different surname at this time raised a serious political problem - who should he listen to after the meeting?
Theoretically, the White Lotus Saint Emperor is definitely the greatest.

But when you get to the front line, there are people's cronies everywhere. If you want to seize power just by relying on the title of Holy Emperor, you are probably dreaming.

If he could not get power, he, the Holy Emperor, would be in danger. In troubled times, if a monarch was sidelined, no one would have a good ending.

From the very beginning, Shi Rongxian had never thought about joining forces with the three kings of different surnames.

By keeping their distance, everyone can still maintain harmony on the surface. As long as he doesn't break this layer of window paper, he can quickly accumulate strength with the title of Saint Emperor.

Once he leads his troops into Shu, he will be like a dragon entering the sea.

If you advance, you can plan for the whole world; if you retreat, you can establish your own regime.

As for the three kings of different surnames, let them fight with the imperial court slowly!
……

"stop!

Send the order down to set up camp on the shore."

Eighty miles away from Yongzhou, Li Mu decisively ordered the army to stop advancing.

If you decide to use fishing tactics, you must not disturb the fish.

If their tracks are exposed and the rebels hide in Yongzhou City and refuse to come out, we will be in big trouble.

The long-term siege of Yongzhou was just a political slogan. Even if it was militarily feasible, the imperial court could not afford so much money and food.

By now in the war, the little money that Marquis Wuyang had brought with him had been mostly spent.

When distributing rewards and pensions after the war, it is estimated that military funds raised locally will also have to be used.

This kind of quick victory would make it easy for everyone to pay. If the siege lasted for a long time, there would definitely be criticism in the court.

The central government did not allocate funds, and the three provinces had to raise funds on their own. Li Mu did not think that the little money raised could cover the expenses.

Now it was time to test one's patience. The pressure was so great that Li Mu did not believe that the rebels in Yongzhou City would dare to refuse to leave.

(End of this chapter)