Fu Shanhe

Chapter 332 Strategic Layout
“General Yu, you are most familiar with the situation in Ganzhou.

The main forces of the puppet dynasty were all in Huguang, and there was only one town of elite troops left in Guangdong.

If I let you lead the troops, are you sure you can take back Ganzhou Prefecture from the enemy?"

When Yu Dadan heard the King of Chu call his name, he knew that something was wrong.

Just because his name contains the word "bold" doesn't mean that he is really daring.

The reason why Ganzhou Prefecture fell so quickly was essentially because they did too many immoral things during the last defense of the city, which led to a blood feud with the local military and civilians.

If someone else leads the troops to recapture Ganzhou, there might still be some chance.

If he led the troops there, it is estimated that the soldiers and civilians of Ganzhou who surrendered to the government army would become elite troops and become a sharp blade to pierce the State of Chu.

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and cannot handle this important task!"

Yu boldly refused.

You can do anything, except a job that could get you killed.

Not to mention retaking Ganzhou Prefecture, he wasn't even sure he could hold on to other areas in Jiangxi.

The reason is very simple. Although the Dayu court was exploiting the people, the rebel army was not much better.

Especially after the outbreak of the Huguang War, the heavy corvee labor task became a huge mountain that made the people of Jiangxi breathless.

If the war continues, it will be inevitable to impose additional taxes on the people.

They started out as rebels, so they were naturally aware that there were serious hidden dangers in doing so.

But there are some things that you have to do even though you know it is just a poison to quench your thirst.

In this regard, there is actually not much difference between the situations of the rebel army and the Dayu court.

If you want to kill the enemy, you must start a war, and to start a war you must increase taxes on the people.

The only slightly better thing about the Chu State was its finances. The wealth looted in the previous period had not yet been exhausted, and the government could function normally.

However, in troubled times, having food is worse than having money.

The destructive power of the rebels is far greater than their constructive capacity.

Due to the war, agricultural production under its rule was severely damaged.

The promise of equal distribution of land was a political slogan from the beginning to the end.

The result of the rebellion was that the land in the hands of the gentry fell into the hands of the group of heroes who rebelled.

The scholars who joined later also got a share of the cake.

The land that has not yet been distributed temporarily belongs to the state, or is Wei Jiarui's private property.

It’s not that no one has raised questions, but those who raised questions have disappeared from the court of Chu.

The rebels, who had been afraid of poverty since childhood, only wanted to gain more benefits after their successful rebellion.

From top to bottom, no one was willing to share the cake.

“General Yu, now is not the time to be modest.

Eat your salary and share your worries.

How can we escape at this critical moment? "

Minister of War Fang Kecheng warned.

The Chu State had no shortage of brave generals, but it was not known whether they had encountered a curse, but the brave generals recognized among them basically died very quickly.

Whether it is the garrison commander of Ganzhou, or the previous garrison commanders of Yongzhou, Changsha, and Wuchang, they are all the best in the Chu army.

Any one of them, at random, had made outstanding military achievements during the establishment of the State of Chu.

It was precisely because of his strong abilities that he was sent out by the King of Chu to guard a key location.

Now these people are dead, and the remaining generals played important roles in the Battle of Wuchang and cannot be easily mobilized.

The most suitable candidate is Yu Dadan.

Not only was he familiar with the situation in Ganzhou, he also had an impressive combat record, having annihilated no less than 20,000 government troops.

"Master Fang, please stop slandering me!
I will refuse, because that would be responsible for the country and people of Chu.

I, Yu Dabing, was brought up by the King of Chu, so the prince knows my character best.

If I can do it, I can do it. If I can't do it, I can't do it. I never tell lies.

From the time I started my army to now, the most I have ever led is only 10,000 soldiers.

Even if I lead 10,000 soldiers, I still find it extremely exhausting.

With my limited ability, I can only command a few thousand soldiers at most. If I have more, there will be problems.

To save the situation in Jiangxi and recapture Ganzhou Prefecture, it would be impossible without tens of thousands of elite troops.

Adding the auxiliary troops and civilian laborers, the number would probably exceed 100,000.

There are so many people, I can't even count them all, how can I command them to fight?"

Yu Dabing retorted unhappily.

He despised these boastful literati the most. If the occasion was not wrong, he would have wanted to give Fang Kecheng a beating immediately.

The scene before him made Wei Jiarui very embarrassed.

Although Yu's words are bold and unpleasant to hear, they basically state the facts.

The larger the army, the higher the command capability required of the generals.

This time, he led an army of 500,000 to launch the Battle of Wuchang, and he himself felt the pressure.

From the time of the expedition until now, internal troubles have never ceased.

Although they had the advantage in military strength, they often suffered losses on local battlefields.

Tens of thousands of soldiers were killed and the number of government troops annihilated was probably less than a thousand.

It is difficult to turn a big ship around.

Almost every military adjustment was one step behind the government troops.

Every now and then, the enemy took advantage of us.

Individually, each loss is not large, but the losses add up every day.

The elite troops of Chu were all on the Huguang front, and the troops left behind in Jiangxi were mostly old and weak. The most capable of them were the defenders of Ganzhou, but now they are all gone.

Even if we don't recapture Ganzhou and just maintain the status quo, it will be very difficult.

Unless the Wuchang front line quickly achieves a great victory, whoever goes to the rear to take charge of the situation will end up losing cities and territories, it is just a matter of how much is lost.

“The situation in Jiangxi is indeed very dangerous.

Well, just withdraw 50,000 troops from the front line to support Jiangxi.

Then draw troops from various prefectures to organize a force of 100,000 people and try to drive the enemy out of Jiangxi.

If the situation is impossible, then the best option is to preserve other prefectures in Jiangxi.

My dear ministers, is there anyone willing to share my worries?"

The support level has been increased while the task requirements have been reduced.

The task that was originally difficult to handle suddenly became a hot topic.

It is difficult to recapture Ganzhou Prefecture, but the pressure is much less if we just defend the city.

It will take some time to return to Jiangxi from the front line, and we will not be held responsible for the loss of cities and territories during this period.

The government troops have limited manpower, and as the battle line is stretched, the offensive will gradually slow down.

Seeing his colleagues eager to try, Yu Dabao turned around and adopted the policy of out of sight, out of mind.

I just refused too thoroughly in order to shirk the difficult task, and now I can't come out to fight for it.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops to defend Jiangxi!"

Wei Jialiang jumped out first.

The Battle of Wuchang was not easy to fight. Facing such a strong enemy as Li Mu, he was not sure of winning at all.

Since it is difficult to gain anything here, let's try another battlefield.

There are so many generals in the pseudo dynasty, but there is only one Li Mu.

Avoid this strongest one, and you will win no matter who you meet.

"it is good!"

"Since Third Brother has volunteered, the mission of returning to Jiangxi to provide assistance will be handed over to you."

Seeing his younger brother coming out to receive the task, Wei Jiarui smiled with satisfaction.

Guarding the rear requires not only ability but also loyalty.

The reason why he did not give full support right away was not because he was unaware of the seriousness of the situation, but mainly because he was worried that his subordinates would become too powerful.

With 100,000 troops under his command, he controls the defense of Jiangxi and the logistics of the frontline army. The hidden dangers are too great. If he is ambitious, he can completely break away from him and become independent.

According to the standards of the righteous army, a million civilians are a million soldiers.

"Your Majesty, I have one small request. I hope you can send Lord Duan Shengde to serve under me."

Wei Jialiang said with a little hesitation.

After the battle of Ganzhou, Duan Shengde gained the reputation of "contemporary poison scholar".

Despite his great contributions, he was not given much importance.

It’s not that Wei Jiarui doesn’t value talents. It’s mainly because Duan Shengde’s behavior is seriously inconsistent with the values ​​of the literati and was rejected by a group of civil servants.

No matter how strong your personal abilities are or how good your plans are, someone is always needed to implement them.

After being boycotted by all officials, all the affairs that Duan Shengde was in charge of became a mess.

His own ability was not strong enough to overwhelm all the officials.

After a series of setbacks, it was left idle.

"I agree to this matter, but third brother, you should be careful when using this person!"

Wei Jiarui reminded earnestly.

Frankly speaking, he was really afraid that Wei Jialiang and Duan Shengde would cause trouble once they were out of sight.

Winning the hearts of the people may not necessarily win the world, but if you incur the wrath of heaven and the people, you will definitely not be able to seize the world.

……

Wuchang City.

The government army's victory report had to take a detour through Guangdong and arrived at the front line three days later than the rebels received the news.

“The truth behind the rebels’ unusual movements has been clarified.

Zhang Ning has recaptured Ganzhou Prefecture and is now launching an attack on Ji'an Prefecture. The Jiangxi region is unstable.

In order to stabilize the rear, Wei Ni had no choice but to withdraw troops from the front line.

If something unexpected happens on the Jiangxi battlefield, he will have to hastily divide his troops. If something unexpected happens on the Zhejiang battlefield again, it will be even more complicated.

Take care of the head and not the butt, there will be fun to watch next! "

Li Mu joked while holding the battle report.

Victory came too timely, and Wei Ni's division of troops was a definite failure in his eyes.

The rear of Jiangxi is certainly important, but the Battle of Wuchang is more important.

The main forces of both sides are concentrated on the front lines, and the rebels simply cannot afford to lose.

No matter how dangerous the rear is, we must win the decisive battle first.

Dividing the troops now is equivalent to telling the soldiers below that there is a problem in the rear nest.

I can’t guarantee the situation for other soldiers, but the morale of the soldiers from Jiangxi will definitely be affected.

Before the decisive battle began, the total strength of the rebels dropped from 600,000 to 500,000.

The balance of victory has begun to tilt towards the government troops.

"The Wei rebels have divided their forces, so it's impossible that their allies don't have any ideas.

There was already a gap, and now the conflict has deepened.

The strength of the rebels has been further weakened. Should we take action?"

After seeing his nephew's micro-management style of play, Li Yuan's courage grew.

Small-scale counterattacks are indeed cost-effective, but their efficiency is too low.

Although Emperor Yongning did not directly order them to launch a decisive battle immediately, the urging meaning in the letter could still be felt.

The emperor lowered his posture, which put a lot of pressure on him as a subject.

"Uncle, it's still a little too early.

At least we have to wait until the government troops in Henan and Shandong start to move, which will be the best time for a decisive battle.

Let’s wait and see, there will be more fun to watch on the Jiangxi battlefield.

I have ordered the various guards in Guangzhou to dispatch 50,000 troops to join the war.

The more than 20,000 surrendered soldiers in Ganzhou can actually be utilized.

The rebels have given them military training, and it is said that their combat effectiveness ranks among the top among the Wei Ni rebels.

All together, we have more than 80,000 troops available in Jiangxi.

It's a good time to make a big move while the enemy's reinforcements haven't arrived yet.

If the speed is fast enough, the front line can be pushed directly to Nanchang.

With half of Jiangxi fallen, the rebels' logistics will inevitably be in chaos, and Wei Ni will definitely be unable to sit still.

Instead of actively going out to seek an opportunity for a decisive battle, it is better to force the rebels to launch a decisive battle against us!"

Li Mu explained calmly.

In this battle, the main battlefield was too dull.

The thrilling battles all took place outside the main battlefield.

It’s not that Li Mu is not enthusiastic about fighting, it’s mainly for strategic layout.

The government troops from Henan and Shandong moved southwards and, together with the government troops occupying Songjiang Prefecture, formed a strategic pincer attack on Fu the rebel.

The outbreak of the battlefields in Jiangxi and Zhejiang put Wei Ni under attack from both sides.

A tactical victory can only inflict heavy damage on the enemy.

Only a strategic victory can quickly annihilate the rebels.

The war has lasted for more than three years since the uprising started in Guangxi, causing enormous damage to the southeastern provinces.

Although there has been no specific statistics, Li Mu can be sure that the casualties caused by this rebellion are definitely more than 20 million.

Only a few died in battle, while more people died of illness or starvation while fleeing.

If we continue to drag on, the southeastern provinces will be destroyed.

In order to quell the rebellion as quickly as possible, he had to speed up.

"If the rebels knew what you were thinking, they might just turn around and run away.

Everything has been arranged. In the coming war, those rebels will probably be in a state of panic.

But apart from the battlefield, you should also pay more attention to state affairs.

We are not ordinary military generals. As the core of the noble family, we must always pay attention to changes in the political situation in the court.

In order to raise military funds, the imperial court was forced to restart the previous dynasty's system of donating official positions.

From the lowest ninth rank all the way up to the third rank officials, their prices were clearly marked.

Although it is only an honorary position, once this precedent is set, no one can guarantee what will happen next.

You know how much the court needs money.

If this situation continues, it is only a matter of time before those who donate money to become officials are allowed to enter the government and take up official positions.

I am afraid that one day in the future, as long as merchants are willing to spend money, they will be able to appear in the court and hold power.

It’s simply the most ridiculous thing in the world! "

Speaking of this, Li Yuan also became indignant.

Civil servants are annoying, but they have passed the exams.

Even if there is nepotism, those who can pass the imperial examinations must be very talented.

He could accept that these people could lead the government together with these nobles.

But those businessmen wanted to enter the court and share power simply because they were rich, which exceeded his bottom line.

"My uncle is right. Allowing merchants to serve as officials in the court will definitely bring disaster to the country and the people.

If this continues, the country will no longer be a country.

I think the officials in the court also took this into consideration and imposed restrictions on donating money to become officials.

When the situation improves, this evil policy will be abolished by Your Majesty."

Li Mu echoed.

For a regime, the most important thing is finance and taxation.

The problem with Dayu is that it is impossible to collect enough taxes using normal means.

In order to raise money, one can only think of crooked tricks.

(End of this chapter)