Fu Shanhe

Chapter 300: The Divided Civil Service Camp

As time passed, the Guifang cavalry, which had successfully completed its containment mission, had come to the time to retreat.

"The grain-collecting team outside hasn't come back yet. Let's wait a few more days!"

Bashar said expressionlessly.

"Collecting grain" was just an excuse. In fact, the people below robbed too much spoils and did not return on time.

Those who were sent out to carry out the looting missions were all the direct forces of their three major tribes, so naturally they would not be abandoned.

"Then stay for another half a month?"

Wu Rimu suggested tentatively.

In the face of interests, only a few people can remain rational.

The three major tribes are allies of the Tatars, not subordinates, and have sufficient autonomy.

The previously agreed containment mission was successfully completed, and they can decide for themselves when to evacuate afterwards.

"inappropriate!"

"The grassland coalition forces are gradually withdrawing from Dayu, and we are the last troops to withdraw.

If we waste another half month, the allies responsible for containing Liaodong Town will also withdraw, and we will have to fight alone.

The Dayu Dynasty still has some strength. Once they react, it will be difficult to escape unscathed.

Especially since we still have a lot of spoils in our hands.

The later we withdraw, the harder it will be to get our stuff out smoothly.”

Uligai immediately objected.

Due to the limitation of productivity, the grassland tribes were poorer than each other.

Now that you have finally made a fortune, you cannot just leave the spoils behind and run away.

The tribes on the grassland were all afraid of poverty, and to them, spoils of war were more valuable than human lives.

"Hey!"

"Pity!"

“Opportunities for wanton looting are not easy to come by.

The success of this march southwards was mainly due to the fact that the enemy was caught off guard.

After suffering such a huge loss, the people of Yu Dynasty will definitely pay more attention to the Xuanda defense line, and it will be difficult for them to break in again.

Perhaps this time is the biggest opportunity in our lives."

Wu Rimu said with a look of regret.

This time, when he went south to invade Dayu, he really broadened his horizons.

Many commodities that are priceless on the grassland are common goods here.

The spoils captured from conquering any city would exceed the total wealth of their tribe.

If it weren't for the transportation issue, he would have wanted to empty Dayu.

"There is nothing to regret, if we can get in once, we can do it countless times.

The house of Dayu is very old and could collapse if the wind blows. It cannot stop the warriors of our tribe at all.

With these spoils, we can train our troops on the grassland and imitate the Tatars to form an elite force.

Once the army is trained, we can attack and rob them!"

Bashar said with great enthusiasm.

He was not at all surprised that his own tribe was able to rise.

The Guifang clan has a glorious history, and during its peak period it even established a grand unified dynasty.

Its history can be traced back to ancient times, which is far beyond the reach of the newly emerged Tatar upstarts.

The current decline is only temporary.

With their population advantage, the Guifang people will definitely surpass the Tatars as long as they get on the right track.

The only regret is that there are constant infighting among the various Guifang tribes, and the attacks between tribes have never stopped.

Among the Guifang tribe today, no one can suppress internal conflicts and unify the various Guifang tribes.

None of these tribal leaders wanted to unify the various Guifang tribes.

However, this is a hellish problem. In addition to the internal conflicts among ethnic groups, external interference is also a big problem.

Neither the Dayu Dynasty nor the Tatar tribe would allow the Guifang to unify.

“We’ll see what happens in the future when the time comes.

Let the people below transport the spoils back as soon as possible.

We can't delay any longer. If we are caught by the Yu army, all our efforts will be in vain!"

Ulige slapped his thigh and said.

In his eyes, all ambitions are just empty talk.

Before Guifang completed its unification, it was just a pawn in the world's disputes.

Both Dayu and the Tatars are much stronger than them.

……

"Admiral, we just detected a convoy entering the enemy camp, and after unloading the cargo, it left again.

It seems that the enemy's troops are out for looting and are transporting spoils to the camp. It seems that the harvest should be quite large."

Wu Da said with a look of joy.

He knew his master's style very well.

Hiding in the city and allowing the enemy to act must be a plan of their own.

Otherwise, after the main force of the Northern Tartars withdrew, the army sent to support the king should have rushed out and engaged in a decisive battle with the enemy.

It dragged on for more than half a month and only consumed a few thousand vassal soldiers. This was totally not Li Mu's style.

In his opinion, the spoils snatched by the enemy outside the city were all stored there by his master.

This kind of thief-eating-thief game is not the first time.

The wealth looted from the Holy White Lotus Kingdom finally fell into their hands.

Although the enemy troops outside the city did not occupy much territory, they were more ruthless than the White Lotus rebels, and they were just one step away from digging three feet into the ground.

Even the iron pots in ordinary people's homes were not spared by these people.

This is due to the different values ​​of both parties, which leads to the difference in cognition.

The people living inside the Great Wall could not imagine that an ordinary iron pot could be more valuable than a cow.

"Continue to send people to monitor and report any unusual movements immediately.

Inform the generals in the army to come to the commander's camp to discuss matters this afternoon."

Li Mu gave the order slowly.

Although he is in charge of military affairs, it does not mean that Marquis Wuyang is unimportant.

To work under a system of rules, you must maintain sufficient respect for your superiors.

The Guangdong-Guangxi army that came to support the king performed too brilliantly in this war.

If he wins another great victory next time, it will surely arouse the emperor's fear.

With Marquis Wuyang in front to protect him from the wind and rain, it will be beneficial to him in no way.

Especially after Liaodong Town became larger, the imperial court became more wary of its generals and needed someone to protect them.

Deep down in his heart, Li Mu had already made up his mind that after resolving the White Lotus Rebellion, he would immediately start a war on the border.

The value of a military general lies in war.

Only by igniting the flames of war can we become irreplaceable.

……

Capital.

"Pei Yunxuan is a loser. He lost Nanjing, and I haven't even settled the score with him yet. Now he can't even defend Jiangbei.

Reinforcements!

Reinforcements!

Just know how to ask for reinforcements!
If there are reinforcements, why would I need him!

......"

Looking at the official document in his hand, Emperor Yongning couldn't help but curse.

According to the rules of the game that generals and ministers should not humiliate each other, under normal circumstances, the emperor would not directly scold like this.

However, a Governor-General of Jiangnan who had lost Jiangnan was no longer worthy of Emperor Yongning's respect.

The White Lotus Sect was powerful in the Jiangnan region, and everyone had already expected the fall of various prefectures on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

Even after the fall of Nanjing, Emperor Yongning still had illusions about Pei Yunxuan.

Suddenly Yangzhou was also lost, which was beyond his ability to bear.

The Lianghuai salt industry was the most important source of revenue and taxation for the imperial court. When the war spread to Lianghuai, it meant that the imperial court’s fiscal revenue would drop sharply again.

After being emperor for several years, Emperor Yongning has deeply realized that a penny can make a hero fall.

In a sense, the finances of the Dayu Dynasty had gone bankrupt during the invasion by the northern barbarians.

Military salaries could not be paid, officials' salaries were in arrears, and various infrastructure projects of the court were at a standstill.

If the idea of ​​officialism was not so strong and people did not rely on salaries to make a living, the court would have come to a standstill.

Even if officials could stop taking salaries, the Dayu Dynasty was already in a dangerous situation.

The political system can be maintained because of the guarantee of the welfare and preferential treatment system, but the military has no support.

The traditional guard system had long been corrupted, and the current mainstream was to recruit soldiers. If the court could not feed these people, there would be a big mess.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Seeing that the emperor was angry, the ministers hurried to persuade him.

In fact, the situation has deteriorated to this point and everyone is devastated.

Many people couldn’t understand why the prosperous Dayu Dynasty suddenly declined into such a state.

"Humph!"

"You all want me to calm down, so don't ask for money, okay?

It costs money here and it costs money there.

The Ministry of Revenue always has two words in common - no money!
The court has no money, can I conjure up money?"

Emperor Yongning couldn't help but scold.

Except for the time when he first ascended the throne, he spent the rest of the time worrying about money.

In the real context of lack of money, all the party struggles in the court are just minor issues.

As long as money and food can be supplied, Dayu will still be Dayu.

The current chaos will return to peace within a year.

"Your Majesty, the situation in Jiangnan is devastating, and we must send capable officials to turn the tide.

I recommend Marquis Wuyang to serve as Governor-General of Jiangnan and to preside over the task of recovering Nanjing.

As long as we can recapture Nanjing within this year, the current predicament will be easily resolved!"

Prime Minister Wan Junhui was the first to speak up and make a suggestion.

It’s not that he wanted to trick Marquis Wuyang, but there are really not many people that the court can use right now.

An invasion by northern barbarians took away the governor of Xuanda and resulted in the imprisonment of the commander-in-chief of Liaodong.

The Governor of Jiangnan, who originally seemed to be doing well, is now finished.

No matter what the abilities of these people are, at least they know military knowledge and are better than 99% of the officials in the court.

The threshold to command thousands of troops is very high.

The previous failure cases have proved that leading troops to fight is impossible.

Civil servants with military experience are rare.

Those who talk big are basically fake.

Even if you really have the ability, it is not enough, you also need to have soldiers in your hands.

The Liaodong Town, which was strongly supported by the civil officials, simply did not obey orders.

The military forces that the imperial court can now rely on are basically in the hands of the nobles.

If Marquis Wuyang is not allowed to go, only the nobles can go. If other people go, the troops under them may not buy into it.

"inappropriate!
Wuyang Hou holds several positions, and if he were to serve as the Governor-General of Jiangnan as well, the pressure on him would be too great."

Emperor Yongning decisively refused.

After all, he is his uncle, and he doesn't want to cheat him like this.

Not to mention, the world's number one governor has become a hot potato.

Just holding control of the military and political power of multiple provinces is a life-threatening matter.

Excessive concentration of power is not good for either the court or individuals.

Sometimes when power reaches a certain level, people will create problems even if there are no problems at all.

Considering the hostility of the civil officials towards the relatives of the emperor's wife, Emperor Yongning felt that this was a conspiracy orchestrated by the civil officials, who wanted to praise and kill Marquis Wuyang.

"Your Majesty, you are too busy with multiple duties. You can resign as the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang and concentrate on serving as the Governor-General of Jiangnan."

Wan Junhui began to persuade.

I swear to God, he really has no intention of tricking Marquis Wuyang at this moment.

The situation in the country has deteriorated to this extent. If we cannot turn the tide, we will have to change the dynasty.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, he bears direct responsibility for the current situation.

If the Northern Barbarians had not yet completely evacuated and he had to take the blame for cleaning up the mess after the war, his political opponents would have taken action to bring him down long ago.

Recommending Marquis Wuyang at this time is not only for the overall situation, but also to save himself.

“The Prime Minister, the current Governor-General of Jiangnan, only has one prefecture left.

No one can tell how many days it can last.

The Marquis of Wuyang was forced to resign from the posts of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, and was transferred to the post of Governor-General of Jiangnan, a post which was now only a nominal one.

If he has no soldiers and no money, what can he use to suppress the rebellion?"

Li Yuan immediately retorted.

As political allies, we cannot watch our own people being led into a pit.

He had no hope in the integrity of the civil servants.

Harsh treatment of meritorious officials was not uncommon during the Yu Dynasty.

"My Lord, you worry too much.

If the Governor-General of Jiangnan has no soldiers under his jurisdiction, then they can be transferred from other places.

We can always find a way to get the money and grain from all the provinces!"

Although he said it lightly, Wan Junhui was very nervous deep down.

It is easy to mobilize troops, but it is difficult to expect the provinces to provide financial support.

Unless there is an urgent need, the efficiency of local government offices has always been pitifully low.

Unless one is a strong commander, it is difficult to raise enough money and food from below.

There is no point in urging them. If they don't have money, they just don't have money.

When pushed to the limit, they will impose heavy taxes and levies, and chaos can be created in a matter of seconds.

“If things were as easy as the Prime Minister said, the court wouldn’t have to worry about money and grain.

There is war everywhere now, and there are only a few provinces that can remain unscathed. They simply cannot bear this burden.

Although Marquis Wuyang seemed to be in charge of four provinces, in reality, the only province with guaranteed tax revenue was Fujian.

The richest Zhejiang was in the hands of the rebels, and Guangdong and Guangxi had just been taken back from the rebels.

In order to serve the king, I'm afraid I've emptied my family's wealth. Is it necessary to be so concerned about it? "

Jing Guoliang said unhappily.

It seems that he is criticizing Wan Junhui, but in fact he is reminding Emperor Yongning that the nobles have done their best.

If we continue to allow civil servants to do whatever they want, the country will be ruined.

"My dear ministers, do you have any other suggestions?"

Emperor Yongning rubbed his forehead and asked.

Everything could be related to party disputes, which made him very helpless.

But he had no choice. In order to maintain balance below, the various factions had to fight among themselves.

"Your Majesty, I propose that Lord Xu be transferred back to the court, and that Marquis Zhenyuan be appointed as the Governor-General of Huguang, and Duke Chengguo be appointed as the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang.

After Wuyang Hou stepped down as the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, he served as the Governor-General of Jiangnan and the Governor-General of Liangguang. The three governors-general jointly presided over the recovery of Nanjing. "

After the Minister of War Wan Yuxuan finished speaking, the court immediately exploded.

The two big bosses of the noble family were all sent to posts outside the capital at once, which directly broke the convention of using civil officials to control military power.

Such a groundbreaking proposal is bound to polarize people.

Those who support and those who oppose start arguing with each other.

Without any hesitation, a group of imperial censors immediately took the lead in criticizing him, directly labeling him as a person who brought disaster to the country and the people.

Facing the accusations and insults from everyone, as the protagonist, Wan Yuxuan showed an innocent expression.

He really didn't want to make big news, he was just forced to do so by the situation.

The main armed forces in the South are in the hands of the nobles. If we want to maximize their combat effectiveness, we can only let the nobles take action.

As for the sequelae, he couldn't care less about them now.

Nothing else can be guaranteed, but at least this arrangement can help recapture Nanjing in the shortest possible time.

If we send a civilian governor, we don’t know if he can clean up this mess. Just the selection of the right person is enough to make us anxious.

Smart people won't step forward at a time like this, and sending a fool over will only make the situation worse.

"quiet!"

“This is the imperial court, you can raise your opinions here, but this is not a place for you to act recklessly.

Anyone who behaves inappropriately in front of the emperor should go to the Ministry of Rites to receive punishment!"

Emperor Yongning immediately got furious.

The complicated situation made it difficult for him to make up his mind.

The division within the civil service camp was beyond his expectations.

It was originally thought that such a proposal would be met with collective opposition from civil servants, but the reality was just the opposite.

Apart from the censors who were professional trolls, the most vehement opponents were the military generals. The voices of support among the civil servants were actually equal to those of opposition.

In particular, officials from Jiangnan, Huguang, Shandong, Henan and other places almost all came out to support.

The strange changes left Emperor Yongning at a loss.

(End of this chapter)