Fu Shanhe

Chapter 351 Undercurrent
"please!"

Qin Tianrui said lightly.

He had heard of Bai Yifeng's name a long time ago, but it was a bad reputation.

If it wasn't for the upcoming battle that required cooperation between both sides, he really wouldn't want to bother with it.

In a flash, a scholar in a green robe was brought over by the personal soldiers.

"Student Bai Wenyi greets the commander-in-chief!"

The young scholar bowed in a dignified manner.

"Your last name is also Bai. Who is Bai Yifeng to you?"

Seeing the young man's extraordinary demeanor, Qin Tianrui asked casually.

"It's my father."

As soon as Bai Wenyi finished speaking, Qin Tianrui's good expression disappeared.

Even if the son of a butcher is very capable, he is not the same kind of person as the others.

"Bai Yifeng sent you here to join forces to retake Anqing?"

Qin Tianrui asked coldly.

For this mission, the commander only asked him to launch a feint attack on Anqing.

But as an ambitious general, he is not just thinking about completing the mission.

Anyone with a little military knowledge knows the strategic value of Anqing in this battle.

Now that the opportunity has come, we naturally have to try to take Anqing.

"As you said, my father sent me here to discuss a joint military operation."

Bai Wenyi answered immediately.

Not only Qin Tianrui but also Bai Yifeng wanted to recapture Anqing.

There are many armies with poor military discipline, and the regiments are not well-received, mainly because they lack support from combat records.

If they can kill everyone on the battlefield, the gentry will not care about the lives of the common people.

Unfortunately, the regiment’s military performance was mediocre, but it was extremely harmful to the people, forcing many of them to join the rebel side.

After realizing the key to the problem, Bai Yifeng also changed.

While strengthening the training of the regiment, we also looked for opportunities to make meritorious service.

Compared to the initial time, the regiment has made significant improvements in both military discipline and combat effectiveness.

However, preconceived prejudices make everyone turn a blind eye to their changes.

After all, most of the troops on the main battlefield were led by Li Mu.

The military discipline of each department is first-class in the world.

Even if an incident of nuisance occurred, it would be dealt with quickly and was widely praised by the gentry and common people.

The regiment did not enforce military discipline at the beginning, and only wanted to change it later. However, internal nepotism became the biggest obstacle to enforcing military discipline.

When problems occur, everyone will help cover them up.

Even if Bai Yifeng repeatedly emphasized military discipline, the intensity would be greatly reduced when it came to specific implementation at the lower levels.

In sharp contrast, the changes in the regiment were directly regarded by officials and gentry as a result of their fear of the new governor.

In order to change the passive situation, the regiment urgently needs a big victory to prove its worth.

"This is a simple matter. Let's all act together and attack Anqing in five days.

If the rebels send reinforcements, we will surround them and attack them, thus blunting their aggressiveness and vigor."

Qin Tianrui immediately gave a battle plan.

Having worked under Li Mu for a long time, he has long been accustomed to handling problems efficiently.

When the various departments cooperate in combat, they just need to say hello and everyone will actively cooperate.

I prepared a lot of excuses, but none of them worked.

For Bai Wenyi, who was used to the civil servant-style exchanges, this kind of frank communication was really a little unusual, and he was stunned for a moment.

"Why, do you have any questions?"

Seeing that Bai Wenyi was slow to speak, Qin Tianrui asked in confusion.

The combat plans he proposed were all based on actual conditions.

Five days later, both armies were able to arrive at the city of Anqing, and there was nothing wrong with their joint siege.

If the rebels reacted slower, the 40,000 Huguang troops plus the First Town of Jiangxi under his command would have a chance to capture Anqing Prefecture.

If we choose to fight in a joint operation, it means that the lives of the regiment soldiers are worthless and can be used as cannon fodder during sieges.

"no!"

"But, General, the joint operation is a serious matter. I have to go back and report to my father first..."

Before Bai Wenyi could finish his words, Qin Tianrui rolled his eyes.

If you don't have the decision-making power, then there's no point in talking. It's just a waste of time.

Speed ​​is of the essence on the battlefield. If you delay in making decisions, you will suffer losses.

"Then go back and report!

Ask your father to send someone to give a definite answer as soon as possible as to whether it will work or not.

The fighter plane is fleeting, we have no time to waste."

Qin Tianrui said with a look of disgust.

The welcoming banquet that was originally prepared has now been omitted.

The Bai Wenyi in front of him really made him see no value in receiving him.

Maybe this person has some abilities, but his style of doing things is obviously that of a civil servant.

Bringing such a style into the military will seriously affect the combat effectiveness of the troops.

It’s okay to bully the rebels, but if you meet a strong enemy, you won’t know how you died.

……

In the evening, Wu army camp.

"Have you figured out the strength of the pseudo-North Korean army that has penetrated deep into our territory alone?"

Wu Mu Hou Fang Yuxuan asked with concern.

The entire Wu State spent a huge amount of money on this counterattack.

Fu Haoxuan transferred all of his 30,000 most elite troops to his command.

Together with other troops cooperating in the battle, the total force he had was more than 100,000.

Judging from the data on paper, it is enough to fight a large-scale battle.

"My Lord, according to the news sent by the spies.

The enemy troops dispatched this time were the Huguang Regiment and the Jiangxi First Town.

The total strength of the former is about 40,000, led by the butcher Bai Yifeng.

The latter is a fully staffed town of the Pseudo-Dynasty, with a force of about 12,000 men, and its chief commander is Qin Tianrui, a fierce general of the Pseudo-Dynasty.

Yuan Baifeng replied immediately.

Compared with the enemy, this time they have sufficient military advantage.

What's more, since we are fighting on our own soil, local troops can provide considerable help.

"The Pseudo-Dynasty is so audacious that they dare to march deep into the enemy territory alone with such a small force.

Do you really think that there is no one left in Wu? This is outrageous! "

Although he was cursing, Fang Yuxuan was very happy in his heart, as if the military merit was waving to him.

"My Lord, the fighting power of the tens of thousands of troops of the Rentuan Army is almost the same as ours.

What really needs attention is the First Town in Jiangxi. Although it is a newly formed unit, its commander is no ordinary person.

To be entrusted with such an important task by Li the thief, his ability must be quite good."

Yuan Baifeng reminded gently.

As a strategist, he studied the enemy's combat style a lot.

Generally speaking, the generals who have worked with Li Mu have some skills.

Although their combat effectiveness is not as good as that of our own troops, they are still much stronger than other government troops.

"It's natural!
Before I set out on the expedition, His Majesty personally told me to be careful.

Li Mu and Zheng Ruitao are both famous generals of the Pseudo-Dynasty. The enemy's lone advance into the deep could be their conspiracy.

Regardless of whether it is an enemy conspiracy or not, I will take advantage of the enemy's strategy and quickly eliminate the enemy troops that have penetrated deep into my territory.

The order was passed down, sending people to closely monitor the government troops near Jiujiang and Nanchang, and report any unusual movements immediately.

At the same time, contact the Anqing defenders and ask them to close the city gates and prepare for battle, so as not to give the enemy any chance to take advantage. "Fang Yuxuan immediately gave the order.

Whether politically or militarily, the State of Wu needed a victory.

If the enemy did not divide its forces and advance deep into their territory, they really would not know where to launch a counterattack.

Now that the opportunity has come to them, they must seize it regardless of whether there are risks.

……

Nearly a month has passed since the war broke out, and the city of Hangzhou is still indestructible.

Looking at the towering city walls, Jing Guoliang looked worried.

At this point in the war to quell the rebellion, the only thing left was the city of Hangzhou. He was truly worthy of the title of Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang.

However, Hangzhou’s strategic value was too high. The rebels were willing to give up other areas but were unwilling to lose Zhejiang’s political and economic center.

Heavy troops were deployed near Hangzhou to fight against the government troops.

After a series of battles, they pulled out the nearby obstacles, but finally they ran into a problem when they arrived at the city of Hangzhou.

"Governor, we can't continue the assault."

Jing Yifeng began to persuade.

In order to capture the city of Hangzhou, the government troops suffered nearly three thousand casualties.

If we can see hope of taking Hangzhou, then these losses are acceptable.

Despite such fierce fighting, the city remained unmoved.

During this period, they tried various siege tactics, but none of them worked.

The most despairing thing is the effort made without seeing any hope.

"Ok!"

"Hangzhou City is indeed difficult to attack."

"How about this, I will give you a town of soldiers and horses, plus the 20,000 troops left behind in Songjiang Prefecture, and we will march directly north to Suzhou Prefecture.

The navy will cooperate with you in the battle. You must create enough pressure on the enemy to make them feel that Nanjing is no longer safe!"

Jing Guoliang said slowly.

The original plan was to capture Hangzhou Prefecture, connect it with Songjiang Prefecture, and then march north to Suzhou Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture.

Now the situation has changed. Hangzhou Prefecture has not been taken yet, so we can only adopt a backup tactic to take Suzhou Prefecture first.

He was also unsure whether he could capture Suzhou quickly.

However, before the war began, a group of noble leaders communicated with each other and decided that if they could not swallow the rebels in one go, they would gradually erode the rebels' territory.

From the outbreak of the war to now, it seems that no breakthroughs have been made in the main battlefields, but in fact the government troops have successively recovered more than 20 counties.

The same is true for the Northern Expedition now. Even if we cannot take over the entire Suzhou, recovering some prefectures and counties will be a victory.

In addition to the efforts made in Songjiang Prefecture, he was also preparing to encroach on Huizhou Prefecture and Ningguo Prefecture which were close to Hangzhou.

For the government troops, whether or not they can effectively occupy these areas is not important, as long as they are prevented from continuing to provide money and food to the rebels.

The longer the strategic suppression of accumulating small victories into a big one drags on, the more difficult it will be for the rebels.

Once the rebels react, it will be difficult to avoid a decisive battle with them.

"Don't worry, Governor General. I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Jing Yifeng immediately expressed his opinion.

When it comes to leading troops in battle, his ability is not bad.

When he followed Li Mu in Guangxi, he often chased after the rebels.

Unfortunately, this is not an era of pure military generals. Generals must not only be able to fight, but also learn to raise money and food on their own.

This lack makes him very weak when he is on his own.

However, it is not easy to train a capable general these days, and Jing Guoliang did not give up on this cousin.

In troubled times, the ability to fight is the greatest advantage.

The shortcomings in other areas can be made up for.

The Li family's rise in recent years has been so rapid that it has threatened their position in the military.

Even though they are allies, this situation is still not what they want to see.

Letting Jing Yifeng preside over the Northern Expedition is actually creating opportunities for him.

If he could advance rapidly and capture Nanjing, given the Jing family's status in the court, it would not be a problem for him to be granted a title of nobility after the war.

If this is not possible, then he can only share the credit of retaking Nanjing with other nobles.

How much you gain in the end depends on your individual contributions.

There is also a lot of competition within the noble group.

After the Li family withdrew, other families joined the competition, and the Jing family just took the advantage of being the first to do so.

"Ok!"

"Just do your best. If you can't take Suzhou, don't force yourself.

At a time like this, it is better to not win than to suffer a crushing defeat.

Time is on our side, and we can outlast the rebels."

Jing Guoliang reminded earnestly.

Without a great victory, there is no hope of being conferred a title, but there is still hope for further advancement.

Since Li Mu took office as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, this sealed position has been reopened.

With the strength of the Jing family and Jing Yifeng's own achievements, it should not be difficult for him to become the governor of a province after the war.

If they are lucky, the noble group will gain the upper hand in the subsequent court struggles and will have a chance to aspire to the position of governor in the future.

The value these core positions can bring to the clan is no less than that of a title.

……

The regiment's camp.

After hearing the news brought by his son, Bai Yifeng's brows suddenly frowned.

He has an army of 40,000 under his command and is the Minister of Militia appointed by the Emperor himself. He should definitely take a leading role in the cooperation.

Qin Tianrui has a special identity and comes from the Duke of Xingguo's Mansion, so it is understandable that he is unwilling to bow his head.

No matter how high his status is, when it comes to cooperation between the two armies, his opinion should be consulted first.

Directly bringing out a battle plan clearly shows that he is not taken seriously.

"Qin Tianrui, do you really say that?"

Bai Yifeng confirmed again.

Coordination between government troops has always been a problem.

The other party does not take them seriously, and there will definitely be problems in the subsequent cooperation.

Whether or not to cooperate with Qin Tianrui suddenly became a difficult problem.

"Father, how dare I lie at this time?"

Bai Wenyi answered immediately.

The news he brought back was all the original text, without any extra information added.

Qin Tianrui is the person in the Xingguo Mansion who is most likely to obtain the title. He will not easily provoke a powerful enemy for his family.

"Brother, don't you know what kind of person Wen Yi is?
If Qin Tianrui wasn't so arrogant, the two sides would have definitely had in-depth communication. "

A middle-aged man spoke up.

Compared to the unfamiliar Qin Tianrui, he obviously trusted his nephew more.

"Ok!"

"Wen Yi, it's not that your father doesn't trust you, it's just that the matter is too involved.

It was decided by Marquis Zhenyuan to cooperate with the Jiangxi army to attack Anqing together.

Our regiment’s situation is already very embarrassing. If we refuse to carry out the governor’s order, our situation will only become more difficult.”

Bai Yifeng immediately explained.

He still has high hopes for this son.

If he had not offended so many people, he would have arranged for Bai Wenyi to become a disciple of a great scholar and prepare for the imperial examination.

“The father and the child are awake, and this kind of thing cannot be taken too seriously.

But given General Qin's attitude, do we really want to cooperate with him?"

Bai Wenyi asked with concern.

(End of this chapter)