Fu Shanhe

Chapter 354 Surprise
Qin Tianrui rushed over and looked at the closed Luzhou City in front of him with a very ugly expression.

The key to a surprise attack is surprise.

The enemy is now on guard, and it would be too difficult for him to capture Luzhou Prefecture with the limited forces he has.

"Pass the order down, and go to Yangzhou!"

Qin Tianrui ordered coldly.

"General, Yangzhou is not like Luzhou. It is located behind the rebels. We have no reinforcements to support us!"

The deputy general on the side hurriedly persuaded.

Although attacking Luzhou Prefecture is dangerous, it is adjacent to Huguang and Henan.

If you encounter trouble, you can move to either side.

As we went deeper into Yangzhou Prefecture, the situation changed and we found enemies everywhere.

If they fail to capture Yangzhou City quickly, the rebels will soon mobilize a large army to encircle and suppress them.

"Don't worry.

As long as we arrive in Yangzhou Prefecture, there will be someone to support us.

The navy is cruising in the open sea and can provide us with support at any time.

The troops under the command of the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang are attacking Suzhou Prefecture, which is a good opportunity for us to respond to them from afar."

Qin Tianrui said confidently.

Unlike other regions, Yangzhou Prefecture is the birthplace of Yangzhou Camp.

Local operations have long penetrated into every corner of society.

The withdrawal of the Yangzhou Camp from Yangzhou Prefecture did not mean that all its operations at that time had disappeared.

There are quite a few people who have close ties with the Yangzhou Camp and are reluctant to leave their homeland.

With prior warning, these people did not fight the rebels to death. Instead, they actively joined the rebel ranks and waited for the court to counterattack.

Among the many hidden pieces, there are always a few that can come into play.

Compared with attacking other areas, the chances of capturing Yangzhou Prefecture are actually greater.

Qin Tianrui's demands were not high. He did not expect to swallow Yangzhou in one swoop. As long as he could capture a few cities and establish a stable stronghold, it would be a great achievement.

It would be best if we could use this as a basis to seize the Huaiyang region in the future.

Even if the attack fails, by putting the war behind us, we can cut off the rebels' financial resources.

From a purely tactical point of view, the government troops' division of forces to Anqing Prefecture caused heavy losses to the regiment army, which was undoubtedly a failure.

But if we look at the strategic level, the picture is quite different.

The government troops entered in large numbers, and the rebels conscripted civilians to defend the city. They also took a series of actions such as fortifying the city and clearing the fields outside the city, which seriously damaged the local economy.

The economy of a large area from Poyang Lake to Anqing, plus half of Luzhou Prefecture, was severely damaged, weakening the rebels' war potential.

If we continue to advance deep into the enemy's rear and bring the war to Huaiyang, an important salt tax collection area, the impact will be even greater.

At this point in the war, except for a few cities, the rebels' sphere of influence has basically been compressed back to Southern Zhili.

There were only fourteen prefectures in total, among which Songjiang Prefecture had fallen long ago, and Xuzhou Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and Fengyang Prefecture became battlefields.

Now Anqing Prefecture and Luzhou Prefecture are affected by the war, and the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang is still planning to attack Huizhou Prefecture and Ningguo Prefecture.

If they drag Yangzhou Prefecture into the war, life would become even more difficult for the rebels.

Even if no breakthrough can be made on any battlefield and the battle drags on for a year or two, the rebels can be worn out and killed on the battlefield.

……

"Damn rebels, I didn't dig up your ancestors' graves, why are you chasing me so relentlessly..."

On the way of escape, the cursing words of the regiment soldiers fell into Bai Yifeng's ears and turned into sharp arrows, piercing his heart.

The rebels were biting them hard, partly because they were easy targets and partly because of the hatred they had created.

When it comes to dealing with rebels, no army is as decisive as the regiment.

Even Li Mu's troops, who killed the most rebels, did not attract as much hatred as they did.

Fighting on the battlefield, each for his own master, there is nothing much to say.

The key lies in the post-war period.

When the rebel soldiers fell into the hands of other government troops, they were either executed or exiled.

When the government held the family members accountable, they usually confiscated their property and exiled them.

The only exception is the regiment.

Not only would the captured rebel soldiers be brutally executed, but the rebels' families would also not escape their clutches.

Most of the time, innocent neighbors will be implicated.

The rebels' ancestral graves were not dug up because these rebels were all poor people and nothing could be squeezed out of their ancestral graves.

If they meet someone whose ancestors were wealthy, they will not give up the opportunity to make a fortune.

Hearing that the army was chasing them, the rebels' morale instantly increased by +1+1+1...

Even though they had plenty of experience in escaping, they were unable to gain any advantage in this pursuit.

"Brother, the road back to Huguang is blocked, let's go to Henan!"

Bai Yihao suggested with a serious look.

Blocking the road was a minor problem. They were running fast and the rebels behind them had not caught up yet.

The rebels intercepted at the front were mostly old and weak who stayed behind in the local area, and their combat effectiveness was very limited.

The reason they were able to break through the layers of blockades along the way was largely because the enemies blocking the way were just pretending and had no intention of fighting them to the death.

The proposal to flee to Henan was mainly because Huguang was severely harmed by the regiment army and they had offended too many people in the local area.

Just gathering these thousands of people is not enough to guarantee their safety.

In comparison, the situation in Henan is much better.

The regiment had never been there before, so there was no question of offending anyone.

There is no personal hatred. They are all troops of the imperial court, and the local government will not deliberately make things difficult for them.

"Ok!"

"At this time, we should really break out to Henan.

However, we are unfamiliar with the place and the local government is not well-off, so they are probably unable to provide us with logistical supplies.

If you want to take refuge in Henan temporarily, you must first solve the problem of money and food."

Bai Yifeng thought for a while and said.

Deep down, he had a lot on his mind.

His plan failed to achieve success and he suffered a great defeat instead. His official career was basically ruined.

The future of the regiment also became confusing.

If there is no major change, it is highly likely that the regiment will be disbanded after the war.

If you are lucky, you can find someone to help you become an official with real power.

If you are unlucky, it is possible that you will be dismissed on the spot.

For Bai Yifeng, such a result is undoubtedly unacceptable.

Having missed the chance to make a contribution in suppressing Fu Ni, we can only look for a new opportunity.

The current Dayu Dynasty is almost filled with smoke of war.

The rebels in the south have become powerful and it is difficult to fight them now, so we should seek development in the north.

Compared with the separatist southern rebels, the newly started northern rebels were very immature in all aspects at this time.

"Brother, the issue of money and food is a big problem.

It is easy to rob the rebels now, but the trouble is how to transport the stolen goods smoothly.

The number of pursuers is increasing.

If you are not careful and get bitten by the enemy, you will be in big trouble!"

Bai Yihao shook his head and said.

Money and food have always been a problem that has troubled the Dayu Dynasty. From the elite troops in the nine borders to the inland guards, no one is not worried about money and food.

The regiments, which were unorganized troops, were even worse off. They had to raise all the money, food and supplies they needed on their own.

When he was in his hometown before, there was a threat of rebels. In order to protect his family property, the gentry could still sponsor part of the money.

More money and grain were raised by levying additional taxes on the people and looting.

The regiment's reputation became bad during the process of raising funds.

As landlords’ armed forces, they originally had a good relationship with the gentry, and would not attack “their own people” even if their military discipline was corrupted. The main reason for the falling out between the two sides was that they took the money but still failed to stop the rebels.

The money was spent, but everyone still suffered from the war.

The gentry, who suffered heavy losses, not only hated the rebels but were also very dissatisfied with the incompetence of the regiment.

After suffering losses, it is no longer possible to use the excuse of "protecting the country and the people" to trick people into donating money and food.

When the government troops recaptured Huguang, not only were the gentry unwilling to sponsor the regiments, but even merchants and common people were unwilling to pay them money.

The regiment did not realize the problem immediately and still relied on force to collect the taxes, suddenly standing on the opposite side of everyone.

Bai Yifeng realized the seriousness of the problem and that the situation was out of control.

He had no choice but to volunteer after the war broke out.

In fact, even if he did not step forward to ask for battle, Marquis Zhenyuan would have forced him to go to the battle.

After all, they have their own armed forces, and the presence of the regiment is very annoying.

Directly ordering a layoff would cost a huge amount of money and could easily cause trouble.

Consuming resources on the battlefield is a good choice for all parties.

“Take as much as you can.

The situation in the north is also very bad.

The reforms of the previous emperor could not stop the endless natural disasters.

There is limited food reserves in Guanzhong, and it won't be long before the rebels go out to plunder.

After we get through the initial stage, when bandits invade Henan, the local officials will come to us and ask us to send troops.

If we can't defeat the powerful Fu Haoxuan, can we not defeat a group of bandits?"

Bai Yifeng analyzed with pretended calmness.

He learned about the speculation that the rebels had left the country from a military meeting he attended.

He himself was not sure whether the prediction would come true.

Now for the sake of reassurance, this has to be true.

Although trapped by the regiment's bad reputation, all the regiment's senior leaders have no way out, but if they want everyone to work hard, they still need a big pie.

It doesn’t matter whether you develop in Henan or in Huguang.

The key is that the regiment must develop so that everyone's wealth and glory can be guaranteed.

Even now, the army is still eager to be formally organized and join the ruling team of the Dayu Dynasty.

……

Nanjing City.

Looking at the battle report in his hand, Fu Haoxuan frowned.

Judging from the battle results alone, the Anqing counterattack was indeed fought well, with over 10,000 capitals killed.

This is the greatest achievement achieved by Wu’s army since the outbreak of the war.

Although they won tactically, the Wu army became increasingly passive strategically.

The flames of war intensified, the battle lines became longer and longer, and there were few safe places in the entire Wu Kingdom.

Due to the impact of the war, winter farming in many places has been severely damaged, and the spring grain production next year will definitely decrease.

"Everyone has seen the victory report of Marquis Wu Mu.

This battle was fought well, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy and demonstrating the power of the Great Wu.

The only flaw was that they failed to retain the first town in Jiangxi, allowing Qin Tianrui's troops to flee.

Except for a few remaining enemies, the Battle of Anqing basically came to an end.

Where should we launch our counterattack next? Do you have any ideas?"

Fu Haoxuan asked.

Regardless of whether the Anqing Campaign achieved expectations, he had to publicize it vigorously.

Since the war began, the State of Wu has been responding passively, and the war situation in various places is not optimistic.

Compared with the continuous loss of cities and territories, the Battle of Anqing at least defeated the enemy and captured tens of thousands of captives.

With some artistic processing, it is equivalent to annihilating 50,000 enemies and severely damaging the coalition forces composed of Jiangxi and Huguang provinces.

“Your Majesty, the troops under the command of the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, Jing Yifeng, are currently attacking Suzhou Prefecture. There are approximately 30,000 of them.

Compared with other battlefields, the puppet dynasty's military deployment in Suzhou was relatively weak.

After Wu Mu Hou ended the Battle of Anqing, he was ordered to lead his troops south to participate in the Battle of Suzhou.

Defeating Jing Yifeng's troops not only stabilized our rear, but also allowed us to recapture Songjiang Prefecture and advance the front line to the Hangzhou area.

If conditions permit, we will launch the Zhejiang Campaign and use the power of a great victory to wipe out the Fujian-Zhejiang Allied Forces in one fell swoop.

If we destroy one of the four pseudo-Northern armies, the strategic initiative will be back in our hands as to how the subsequent battles will be fought!"

Minister of War Fan Xiuwen immediately came up with a battle plan.

The entire Wu State put in a lot of effort for this battle.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, the Wu State still struggled when facing the multi-pronged siege by the government troops.

Having an army of millions is just a fictitious number to fool people. Only a few of them are truly combat-capable.

After being distributed to various battle fronts, the Wu State only had a few hundred thousand mobile troops available.

It sounds like a large number, but I still feel that the troops are not enough.

The gap in combat effectiveness meant that they had to gather several times more superior forces to have a chance to fight against the main force of Shangguan's army.

"Master Fan, this is wrong!"

"Speed ​​is of the essence on the battlefield. In addition to considering the enemy's strength, we also have to consider the speed of mobilizing troops.

Wu Muhou's troops are in Anqing, so whether they are participating in the Jiujiang Campaign or rushing to Nanchang to provide assistance, it is closer than heading south to Suzhou Prefecture."

Right Prime Minister Yang Jingren immediately objected.

Long journeys will also affect the combat effectiveness of the troops.

The troops had just finished the Battle of Anqing and had no time to rest before they were immediately asked to head south to Suzhou to join the war.

After all the trouble, the army was exhausted.

Moreover, such high-intensity troop deployment is also a test for logistics.

Although the area controlled by Wu was rich, its territory was not large.

At this time, half of the territory was involved in the war, and only the remaining few states were relied upon to provide supplies for the army. The pressure can be imagined.

The current battle is depleting the capital of the Wu State every day.

For a new regime, high-intensity consumption is undoubtedly dangerous.

“Sir Yang, stay in the west and fight the Pseudo Dynasty to face the villain Li Mu.

Referring to past battle examples, no unit that encountered this person in field battles ended up with anything good.

Although Wu Muhou is a master at using troops, he is not sure of victory against this man."

Fan Xiuwen's answer made Yang Jingren swallow all the reasons in his mind.

No matter where the attack starts, the first thing to ensure is that we can win.

From the Holy White Lotus Kingdom to the Great Wu Regime, they have never gained any advantage over Li Mu.

The battle report of the just-concluded Anqing Campaign looked impressive, but all the senior officials knew that it was fake.

No matter how many soldiers the regiment kills, it will not affect the overall situation.

"Follow the plan of the Ministry of War and implement it as soon as possible!
Send someone to tell the general stationed in Luzhou to guard the city well and not to leave the city without permission to fight the pseudo-dynasty army."

Fu Haoxuan said slowly.

Choosing to let the army move south is equivalent to letting Qin Tianrui's troops leave.

From a personal point of view, if I can annihilate an enemy force, I will definitely not let it go.

But war must be considered from a global perspective, and Qin Tianrui's troops accounted for a very small proportion of the entire battle.

Mobilizing a large army to hunt him down would not only be a waste of money and manpower, but the key is that there is no guarantee of catching up.

After crossing Luzhou Prefecture, the neighboring territory is under the control of the Pseudo-Dynasty.

The State of Wu was unable to open up another battlefield, find the enemy's base, or launch an attack.

……

(End of this chapter)