Fu Shanhe

Chapter 298: Ridiculous Farce
Nanjing City.

Deep in the ancient palace, a solemn and dignified atmosphere permeates the air.

The stone bridge is covered with moss, as if telling the vicissitudes of history.

In the alley, a ray of setting sun shines through the winding corridor, casting mottled light and shadows.

At this moment, in this quaint palace, a conspiracy concerning the world situation is taking place.

“In the past, the Shang kings succeeded to the throne and wrote history; the First Emperor unified the country and established the world.

Today, the prince is both virtuous and talented, and his power is feared by the world. He is supported by the people and is chosen by heaven.

I beg Your Majesty to follow the will of heaven, inherit the throne, ascend to the throne, and bring peace to the people!"

The ministers responded immediately after the persuasion began.

You can object at other times, but in a situation like this, you must not fall behind.

Countless officials are even regretting their slow reaction and missing the opportunity to be recognized for the first achievement.

As the protagonist, Fu Haoxuan felt very complicated at the moment.

We have come this far and experienced countless ups and downs to have the foundation we have today.

He occupied Nanjing and dominated the world, seemingly it was his destiny, but the territory he held was not enough to fill a province.

The Holy White Lotus Kingdom exists in name only, relying entirely on past friendship to maintain its reputation.

Although being crowned emperor can boost people's morale, it will also break away from the other two kings.

There are no two days in the sky, and there are no two masters in the country.

The three kings of the White Lotus Holy Kingdom now all have their own territories and will never submit to anyone.

The most crucial thing is that once he takes this step, he will be the world's number one rebel and will face the full force of the Dayu Dynasty to suppress him.

But in the current situation, he has no way out.

From the moment he occupied Nanjing, he was caught in the vortex of the struggle for supremacy in the chaotic times.

"My dear ministers, please don't harm me!"

“Although the Holy Emperor has passed away, his bloodline still remains and he should inherit the throne.

Pass on this king’s order and do your best to find the Holy Emperor’s son…”

Fu Haoxuan refused immediately.

Refusing three times and declining three times, this is an old tradition.

This is the first time I’m trying to persuade him to come in, so I definitely can’t agree directly.

Finding the Holy Emperor's son and making him emperor is just an excuse.

If he was really that loyal, he should have sent troops to support us.

If there were reinforcements, the White Lotus Saint Emperor would not have passed through Guizhou.

The first attempt to persuade the emperor to ascend the throne failed, and the ministers did not dwell on this topic.

Things like persuading someone to take office require patience. The fact that Fu Haoxuan did not punish anyone was enough to show his intentions.

"Your Majesty, Nanjing has been decided, and now it is time to choose a strategic route.

The world is in chaos today, with the northern barbarians rampant outside and various rebel forces rising up inside.

The most powerful force is still the Dayu Dynasty, which occupies the most territory in the world and will be our main opponent for some time to come.

At present, we occupy most of Nanzhili, plus two prefectures in Huguang and Zhejiang. This is far from enough if we want to seize the world.

Most areas of Jiangxi and Zhejiang are the territories of the Western King, and it is immoral to plot against them.

Huguang in the west has been devastated by war for a long time and is exhausted and no longer the granary of the world.

For now, we have no choice but to cross the Yangtze River, sweep across the Huai River and the Huai River, and march north to the Central Plains, so that we can rule the world!"

The left prime minister, Yu Ruiyu, was the first to propose the advancement strategy.

If the Holy White Lotus Kingdom had not split, then they who captured Nanjing would be the most powerful competitors for the world.

Unfortunately, the reality is cruel. The three kings each acted independently, which dispersed the strength of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom.

Just this group of rebels occupying Nanjing is actually only a good thing on the outside, but it is still full of dangers inside.

If they fail to fight back quickly, by the time Dayu reacts, they will have to fight the whole world with just one corner of their territory.

"Do other dear ministers have different opinions?"

Fu Haoxuan asked with concern.

"Your Majesty, the Left Prime Minister is right. The Northern Expedition is our best way out.

However, before the Northern Expedition, we must first stabilize the rear.

I suggest sending envoys to lobby the King of the East and the King of the West to establish an alliance among the three kings and jointly advance the anti-Yu cause.

Before overthrowing Dayu's rule, other conflicts and disputes can be temporarily put aside."

Chief Secretary Yang Jingren replied immediately.

Their geographical location means that their strategic options are limited.

If we can't come up with a better strategy, we can only optimize and improve the existing strategy.

No matter what, as a close minister of the King of the South, he has to show his active performance.

……

Outside the city of Jinan, the Guifang camp.

"The defenders have not made any move yet. I'm afraid there is some conspiracy."

Ulige said with a serious look.

The law of the jungle inheritance system on the grassland determines that the people in power of every major force are not fools.

The reason we can’t defeat the Tatars is because of our development path.

The purely nomadic lifestyle on the grassland is not suitable for the development of productivity, and will inevitably fall into a disadvantage in the era of hot weapons.

When it comes to archery, horse riding and shooting, they are no weaker than the Tatars.

The gap between the two sides lies mainly in the use of firearms and military training.

The Tatars were a fishing and hunting people. After they rebelled against the Yu, they absorbed a large number of border troops to join them.

In terms of military training, the experience of the Dayu border army was absorbed, and the army was equipped with a large number of firearms.

Relying on looted craftsmen and smuggling trade, the conditions for maintaining a firearms force were met.

These are things that the Guifang do not have.

Their migratory pastoral lifestyle means they do not have the ability to develop a military industry.

“Uligai, you are too timid.

The enemy has not left the city. Even if there is a conspiracy, what can they do to us?
The Tatars were afraid of the defenders in the city because the enemy was very powerful.

But our people are natural cavalry. Even if we can’t beat the enemies, how can we outrun them?

The enemy did not leave the city to seek a decisive battle, probably because they realized this.

Knowing that he couldn't catch up with us, he simply stayed in the city and waited for us to evacuate on our own.

Even if the Yu Dynasty army wanted to go to war, the civil officials in the city would make them give up the idea.

I've seen a lot along the way.

The officials of the Yu Dynasty were a bunch of idiots who did not seek to make achievements but only to avoid mistakes!
Instead of worrying about these things, it would be better to arrange for people to go out and rob a few more local rich people so that they can go back and live a comfortable life for a few days. "

Bashar said disdainfully.

The looting in the south was too smooth, and the various bizarre operations of the Yu Dynasty officials shattered their three views.

If it weren't for these officials' meddling, it would have been difficult for them to break into the Great Wall, let alone go all the way to Shandong.

"Bashar, you can't say that.

Ulige's worries are not without reason.

The defenders in the city must be extraordinary to be able to make Huugjile, a common man, feel afraid.

The fact that Oguz, that cunning old fellow, rushed to grab the task of containing Liaodong Town at the first opportunity is also telling.

We have seen how powerful the Tatar army is.

On the grassland, there has always been a myth that the Tatars are invincible, but this is the first time that it has been broken.

Regardless of whether the enemy has a conspiracy or not, it is always right to be vigilant.

Of course, the looting continued.

The coalition forces have never visited the neighboring Qingzhou Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture, so we can’t just give up like this.”

The chief of the Wurimu tribe said with a smile.

Interest has moved people's hearts since ancient times.

It was not easy to go south to plunder, and I would feel guilty if I didn't bring back some spoils.

Although the spoils of war at the beginning were rich, they still needed to be redistributed.

No one could tell for the time being how much would end up in their hands.

As the last troops to evacuate, there were no Tatars watching them.

No one knows about the extra loot except themselves. "You're not telling me!

No matter how much we prepare, it will be useless if the enemy doesn't leave the city.

The vassal troops left behind by Huugjile had long lost their morale.

Expecting them to attack the city is simply giving the enemy a victory.

According to preliminary statistics, at least 40,000 vassal soldiers died in the battle to capture Jinan during these days.

In my opinion, the attack on Jinan was fake. Huugjile was using a borrowed knife to kill someone and took the opportunity to eliminate unstable factors.

It’s a pity for those people of the Yu Dynasty who actually fantasized that they would have a good life if they surrendered to the Tatars.

Don't think about how many people there are in total. Suddenly, there are more than 100,000 surrendered soldiers. If we don't deal with them in time, we might become the host."

Bashar's ridicule caused everyone to laugh.

Traitors are not welcome anywhere.

A few years ago, they were defeated by the Tatars, and the surrendered soldiers of the Yu Dynasty also played a significant role.

As a result, the Guifang people had no good feelings towards these people at all.

The most important thing is that everyone is a younger brother of the Tatars, and there is also competition between the two sides.

The better the performance of the surrendered soldiers of the Yu Dynasty, the greater the impact on their status.

……

Capital.

"Marquis Wuyang has reported his battle plan, and plans to leave a rearguard force behind for the Northern Tartars. Do you have any ideas, my dear ministers?"

Emperor Yongning asked expectantly.

This time when the northern barbarians invaded, Dayu lost all its dignity and face.

The previous victory in Jinan was the only fig leaf that could be used to cover up the situation, but the area of ​​this fig leaf was too small.

If we want to save some face, we need to achieve greater results in the future.

Unfortunately, the officials in the court are constantly fighting among themselves, and no feasible counterattack plan has been able to be come up with so far.

When we asked the generals at the front line, they all started crying poor.

Unfortunately, the imperial court was in serious financial deficit, the Ministry of Revenue could not provide money and grain, and he, the emperor, was unable to produce money and grain.

After waiting until now, the army that is loyal to the king finally took the initiative to propose a counterattack plan.

Although this is just an idea, it's a good start.

“Your Majesty, Marquis Wuyang’s troops have been besieged in Jinan City until now. If they want to launch a counterattack, let them break the siege first!

It was extremely difficult to mobilize various armies to encircle and annihilate the enemy's rearguard troops.

Just coordinating the relationships among the various departments cannot be accomplished overnight.

The most important thing is that the Ministry of Revenue has no money and cannot provide the travel expenses, so the troops below may not follow the military orders. "

Minister of War Wan Yuxuan was the first to object.

The relationships among the Yu Dynasty's armies were complicated and difficult to integrate.

If he did not quickly dissuade the emperor from this idea, and something went wrong when the plan was implemented, he, as the Minister of War, would be blamed.

"Ministry of Revenue, can't you even come up with some emergency funds?"

Emperor Yongning asked unwillingly.

When he was a vassal king, he thought that after he came to power, he could create a prosperous era by working hard to govern the country.

After ascending the throne, Emperor Yongning discovered that all the problems facing the Dayu Dynasty were caused by lack of money.

During the reign of the previous emperor, the court had high financial revenues and could solve various problems in a timely manner.
The massive rebellion of the Huai River and Huai River aristocratic families was wiped out in the blink of an eye.

After he came to power, the court's financial revenue dropped sharply and it was unable to put down the rebellion in time.

As a result, the White Lotus Rebellion gradually spread from a corner of Guangxi to many provinces in the south.

The larger the rebels' sphere of influence, the less fiscal revenue the court will have, and the less military expenditure it can invest in suppressing the rebellion.

In order to deal with the dire situation, he had to delegate power to local governments.

After decentralization, local government offices withheld fiscal revenue to suppress rebellions, resulting in a further reduction in central fiscal revenue.

At this point in the development, Dayu has entered a vicious circle.

“Your Majesty, the emergency funds have long been used up.

Since the invasion of the northern barbarians, the officials have only received one month's salary.

Not only did the officers and soldiers below suffer, but the officials in the court also had a hard time.

Some children from poor families have to rely on pawning their family property to make ends meet.

......"

The Minister of Revenue Pang Chengjie immediately complained.

The continuous war consumed all the savings of the Dayu Dynasty.

The sharp decline in fiscal revenue forced the Ministry of Revenue, a well-known wealthy government agency, to live a hard life.

If you don’t have money, you don’t have money. No matter who is in your position, no one can produce money.

Realizing that the time had come to demonstrate their integrity, the officials began to cry poor without any communication.

At one time, all the civil and military officials in the court were honest officials, so Emperor Yongning, who wanted to raise funds, directly gave up this unrealistic idea.

"Or else we can borrow some money from the merchants to pay this month's salary first. We can't let you go hungry."

Emperor Yongning's proposal shocked all the ministers.

Everyone was just acting, but the emperor took it seriously.

Although the salaries of officials in the Dayu Dynasty were low, their benefits were good.

According to the preferential exemption policy, the first-rank Beijing official is exempted from 10,000 acres of land, and the exemption decreases accordingly.

Even an eighth-rank official in the capital was exempted from paying land worth 2,700 acres.

In theory, they are only exempted from corvée labor, but in actual implementation, who dares to collect taxes from them?

Even an honest official cannot escape the ways of the world. The exempted land must be used up, and some of it is supported by relatives, friends and neighbors.

Taking 30% of the profits from the land would be praised by everyone as being benevolent and righteous.

It’s not that Dayu’s taxes are heavy, it’s mainly because the local authorities like to add layers of taxes.

Corvée labor is a life-threatening job. If you don't want to be tortured, you have to spend money to do it.

The taxes collected locally and the labor service required to be performed each year must not be reduced.

On the whole, it is still the most cost-effective to affiliate.

The tax-free land plus the income from the government's tributes far exceeded ten times the salary.

As long as officials do not indulge in extravagance, they can live a good life.

"Your Majesty, you must not do this!

It's okay for us to suffer a little, but the dignity of the court must not be lost!"

Wan Junhui hurriedly objected.

Merchants in the capital who have a little bit of power are supported by officials and nobles like these.

There is no essential difference between borrowing money from merchants and lending money to them.

Given the current situation of the Dayu Dynasty, paying back the money is just a dream.

What's more, as the prime minister, he also has to save face.

If the imperial court borrowed money from merchants to pay salaries, scholars all over the world would curse it to death.

Everything is inferior, only reading is superior.

Officials have to borrow money from businessmen to get their salaries. How embarrassing it is for everyone.

……

Jinan City.

"Admiral, the scouts have reported back that we have discovered the enemy's unusual movements.

Those Guifang people were unwilling to keep wasting time here, so they sent out some troops to plunder yesterday.

Judging from the direction, it is most likely heading towards Qingzhou Prefecture."

Wu Dage stepped forward and reported.

Compared with others, his career hardly developed and he always followed Li Mu as the captain of his personal guards.

"Oh!

Pass the news to the Shandong Governor's Office and ask them to notify Qingzhou to prepare. Hopefully, they will be in time."

Li Mu said expressionlessly.

Notifying the local government is just a matter of complying with official rules.

In fact, he knew better than anyone that the local government in Shandong was powerless to stop the enemy from looting the local area.

(End of this chapter)