Fu Shanhe

Chapter 421 Fierce Battle
"My Lord, an urgent report has arrived from the north."

The troops under the command of the Marquis of Wuyang were besieged by the northern barbarians in Changping, and the situation was extremely dire.

Upon receiving this news, Jing Guoliang frowned.

Before sending troops to defend the emperor, high-ranking members of the nobility had communicated with the emperor.

The main task of the Marquis of Wuyang's troops, serving as the vanguard, was to ensure the safety of the capital; everything else was secondary.

The anticipated battle to defend the capital did not occur; instead, the Marquis of Wuyang's forces were besieged by the northern barbarians.

Including the time it took for the intelligence to be transmitted, this happened ten days ago.

Even if the Fujian and Zhejiang reinforcements rushed to the rescue at the fastest speed, it would still take them more than half a month.

This means that the Marquis of Wuyang's troops will have to withstand the Northern barbarians' attacks for at least a month.

"Immediately send a message to Marquis Wuyang via express courier: my troops will rush to the front lines to provide support as soon as possible, but we must also prepare for the worst."

The northern barbarians are mostly cavalry; if we send a few thousand cavalry to contain them, we can slow down our march.

If the situation becomes untenable, then seize any opportunity to break out and preserve as much of your strength as possible.

Jing Guoliang said in a deep voice.

Frankly speaking, such discouraging words should not be uttered by a military commander.

But reality is cruel; he must be responsible for the empire and for the safety of the loyalist army.

"Lord Duke, these contents cannot be written in a letter."

If this gets out, it will definitely cause a huge uproar in the imperial court.

"It would be better to send a reliable person to the Marquis of Wuyang's camp to explain the situation."

Wei Haoyu hurriedly tried to persuade him.

The infighting in the court is so intense that both sides are desperately trying to find weaknesses in each other's positions.

Sending a letter that damages the morale of the troops at this time is tantamount to handing a knife to the civil officials.

"General Wei, you are right to worry. There will definitely be people who will not let this matter go."

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time.

Now is not the time to be cautious. If the civil officials want to cause trouble, then let them cause trouble to their heart's content!

Jing Guoliang said with a gloomy expression.

When delivering messages, the couriers could constantly change riders and horses, enabling them to transmit messages at the fastest speed.

If you send someone there, even if they're made of iron, they'll still have to stop along the way to eat, drink, and relieve themselves.

Let alone traveling 600 li a day, even traveling 300 li a day continuously would be too much for the body to handle.

Even more challenging is that even if they reach the front lines, breaking through the Northern barbarians' blockade and contacting the Marquis of Wuyang will not be easy.

It can be said that this message was sent entirely by doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate.

He was furious with the civil servants who had caused the situation to spiral out of control.

Deep down, he had made up his mind that he must seek justice for the fallen soldiers after the war.

"Lord Duke, if the Marquis of Wuyang's troops suffer heavy losses, our previous plans will have to be changed."

It is feared that the forces of the five garrisons would be insufficient to confront the main force of the northern barbarians.

We can't count on the Liaodong forces; only when the Marquis of Zhenyuan's troops arrive will we have any fighting power.

Yuan Zefu said with a worried expression.

They had all fought against the Northern barbarians before, and their victory in Jinan last time was due to striking at the enemy's weak point.

Furthermore, the officers and soldiers of the original six garrisons in Guangdong and Guangxi were all selected from the best, and their combat effectiveness was unmatched by the expanded units.

The expanded departments were all split off from the six towns in Guangdong and Guangxi.

Even after a long period of training, their combat effectiveness is only about 80% or 90% of what it was before.

Although they may seem to have little difference, the combat power they can unleash on the battlefield is completely different.

The difference between the two sides lies not in the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, but in the overall quality of the junior officers.

When they are fighting together, the problems are not apparent, but once they are allowed to perform freely, the gaps will be exposed.

At this stage, training alone cannot improve their abilities.

We must either strengthen the training of officers' command capabilities or send troops to the battlefield to fight more battles.

After leaving the six garrisons of Guangdong and Guangxi, they all tried to train officers, but were later forced to give up.

It's easy to follow Li Mu's example, but the tricky part is sticking with it.

Back then, most of the families were sons of nobles, and everyone had a military background. With a little training, they were able to grow up quickly.

After the military expansion, the number of elites from the noble faction was insufficient, forcing the promotion of a group of grassroots officers.

Education must begin with literacy; without years of effort, it is difficult to see results.

This growth rate is not as fast as taking the army to the battlefield and learning and improving in actual combat.

"Adapt to the situation based on the actual circumstances!"
Marquis Wuyang is a veteran general in the army, and I believe he will be able to make the right choice at crucial moments.

I sent my advisor to write letters in my name to the Marquis of Zhenyuan and the Marquis of Hanshui, explaining the current situation.

Tell them to prepare for the worst, in order to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control!

While verbally expressing their trust in Marquis Wuyang, they have already begun preparing for the aftermath.

Clearly, Jing Guoliang did not have enough confidence in the military capabilities of the Marquis of Wuyang.

In fact, any general would have found the situation difficult to handle, given the heavy siege by the northern barbarians.

Infantry fighting cavalry is far too passive.

The disparity in mobility between the two sides meant that Yu Jun had no room to launch a proactive attack.

……

Guifang Camp.

"Clan leaders, the Great Chanyu is very dissatisfied with your previous battles."

"Tens of thousands of brave warriors from the grasslands couldn't defeat tens of thousands of exhausted Yu troops; it would be a laughing stock if word got out!"

Nadam reprimanded him sternly.

Compared to the last invasion to the south, the Tatars' dominant position on the grasslands is now more secure.

Many of the anti-Tatar Guifang tribes suffered heavy losses in the previous reshuffling of the steppe forces.

As a result, the Tatars gained an even higher status within the alliance, and the various tribes of the Ghost Fang were completely reduced to subordinates.

"Dear Nadam Wanhu, we have truly done our best."

The enemy they encountered this time was no ordinary one; it was the famous general of the Great Yu Dynasty, Marquis of Wuyang.

It is said that this man was invincible in battle, winning every single one of his campaigns.

He enjoyed extremely high prestige in Yu's army, and his subordinates were all willing to die for him.

Furthermore, this Yu army also possessed extremely powerful artillery, which caused us considerable losses.

Ogus hurriedly began to explain.

All of this is the truth. In the previous battles, the Ghost Fang allied forces lost tens of thousands of soldiers but still failed to break into the enemy camp.

He had absolutely no desire to fight such a formidable enemy.

"Chief Ogus, your Geral tribe is also a well-known tribe on the grassland. What kind of enemies haven't you seen?"

"A mere army from three towns has intimidated you?"

Nadam said with a disdainful look.

He had seen many elite troops of the Great Yu, and they certainly had fighting power, but few enemy generals were willing to fight to the death.

There's also a group of people dragging us down; they often cause trouble at crucial moments in the war.

As long as the rhythm is well controlled, even the strongest Yu army can be easily defeated.

"Nadam Manhu, in the previous battles, the Allied forces lost tens of thousands of warriors."

The morale of the troops has been severely affected, and if the offensive continues, the troops risk collapsing.

After all, the resilience of our Ghost Fang soldiers is far inferior to that of the great Tatar warriors.

Oghuz flattered him without batting an eye.

The effect was very obvious; Nadam, who had originally intended to cause him trouble, changed his mind.

Taming the Guifang tribe has always been their plan.

The weaker the Guifang people are, the easier it is for the plan to succeed.

People like Oghuz, whose fighting spirit has been extinguished, are easy targets for wooing as long as they are willing to bow down and cooperate.

"That's enough. The Great Chanyu is aware of the predicament you are facing."

I brought 30,000 Yu soldiers with me to lend you a hand.

In the ensuing great battles, this commander hopes that all tribes can display the spirit of the grassland warriors.

Anyone who hesitates to advance due to fear of the enemy shall be killed without exception!

Nadam changed the subject.

Accountability is secondary; the primary concern is to eliminate the Marquis of Wuyang's forces as quickly as possible. If the battle drags on until reinforcements from the Yu people arrive, the battlefield situation will change.

Having missed this opportunity to weaken the Yu Dynasty, it won't be so easy to encounter them again in the future.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Since the siege of the Marquis of Wuyang's forces, Emperor Yongning has not had a good night's sleep.

He dreamt of a crushing defeat at the front lines and the enemy army storming into the capital.

"Where is Liaodong Town located?"

Emperor Yongning asked with concern.

The Yu army troops at the front line, though seemingly numerous, were mostly empty shells.

The main force of the Yu army closest to the Marquis of Wuyang was Liaodong Town.

If the two armies join forces, they have a great chance of defeating the besieged Gui Fang army head-on.

"Your Majesty, the Liaodong Garrison is stationed at Shanhaiguan..."

Luo Zefeng answered tremblingly.

When he had previously urged the emperor to issue an edict ordering the Marquis of Wuyang to lead the expedition, he, as the Minister of War, had said many good things about the Liaodong Garrison.

He even made a guarantee that Liaodong Town had realized its mistake and would join forces with the Marquis of Wuyang's troops to fight the enemy.

I never expected that Liaodong Town would be such a bunch of scoundrels.

They made a bunch of promises to him and tricked him out of a large amount of strategic materials.

When the crucial moment arrived, they fell into their old habits again, once again hesitating to advance due to fear of the enemy.

The absence of Liaodong Garrison rendered the Ministry of War's operational plan a complete mess.

There are loopholes everywhere on the entire front.

I want to make amends, but I don't know where to start.

"idiot!"

“Even at a time like this, you’re still making excuses for them.”

How come I didn't know that the northern barbarians were besieging Shanhaiguan with a large force?
Commander Zheng, tell this fool where the main force of the Northern Barbarians is!

Emperor Yongning immediately flew into a rage.

The Ministry of War bears at least half the responsibility for the war turning out this way.

The initial construction of the Great Wall defense line was a shoddy project, and subsequent strategic deployments also ended in failure.

Making the same mistake again and again, the Minister of War is undoubtedly unqualified.

During this period, Emperor Yongning once wanted the Military Governor's Office to exercise its powers in place of the Ministry of War, but the Military Governor's Office simply refused to comply.

The reason is very simple: the Ministry of War has left too many problems that cannot be filled in a short period of time.

"Part of the main force of the Northern Barbarians was besieging the troops under the command of the Marquis of Wuyang, while another part was moving towards Henan and Shandong, plundering wealth everywhere."

As for the Shanhaiguan line, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has not yet found any trace of the Northern Barbarian army.

Zheng Yingyi, who was called out, hurriedly answered.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to offend the Ministry of War, but his master was the emperor.

If the emperor doesn't ask, he can pretend to be deaf and dumb.

Since the emperor has spoken, we can only tell the truth.

Upon hearing this astonishing news, the courtiers gasped in shock.

I thought that Liaodong Town had also tied down a lot of enemy troops, so even if they didn't come to participate in the battle, it would be barely acceptable.

As a result, they just watched from the sidelines and didn't actually engage in battle with the Northern Barbarians.

This is unbearable for many officials!
The Liaodong Garrison, which the imperial court spends a lot of money to maintain every year, turned out to be completely useless at the crucial moment.

If we had to rank them, holding Shanhaiguan Pass could be considered a minor achievement, but the Northern barbarians did not launch an attack from there.

"Your Majesty, I impeach Liaodong..."

In the blink of an eye, impeachment proceedings against the Liaodong Garrison resounded in the imperial court.

However, all of this is destined to be in vain.

The Great Yu court has no way to deal with the semi-independent Liaodong Garrison.

Even if we settle scores later, that's a matter for the future.

Dismissal from office and other conventional measures had no effect on Liaodong Town.

If they want to arrest someone, their army is not to be trifled with.

The only thing they could do was to cut off logistics, but unfortunately the Great Yu Dynasty had a weakness. Everyone was worried that if pushed too far, the Liaodong Garrison would directly side with the Northern Barbarians.

If these guys become collaborators, the entire north will fall. The most optimistic outcome would be to retreat to the Yangtze River line.

Such a huge risk was simply too much for the imperial court to bear.

Perhaps it was precisely because they realized this that Liaodong Town dared to be so emboldened and selectively carry out military orders.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard should throw this muddle-headed Minister of War into the imperial prison and interrogate him severely."

"I want to see what's going on in his head, doing nothing but foolish things that aid the enemy!"

Emperor Yongning immediately flew into a rage.

He had long harbored a deep resentment towards the clique of civil servants.

Previously, there was no opportunity to take action, but now the situation is different. Having caused such a huge mess, it is entirely justified to hold the Minister of War accountable.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Lord Luo..."

When he started pleading for leniency, Lai Yaohua suddenly stopped midway through.

The situation has deteriorated to this point, and someone has to step up and take responsibility.

As the Minister of War, he was undoubtedly the person primarily responsible.

Adding to the previous coup attempt, everyone had offended the emperor severely, and they felt they had to let him vent his anger.

Luo Zefeng, who made the mess, was undoubtedly the perfect scapegoat.

In an instant, all parties reached a consensus that only the Qingliu faction would be injured, and this was agreed upon in the court.

Because of his previous questionable actions, he also offended Xu Wenyue, a leader of the Qingliu faction.

So much so that now, Xu Wenyue simply pretends not to see it, as if this guy isn't a member of the Qingliu faction.

Although Lai Yaohua has a high reputation, he cannot represent the entire Qingliu Group, and his words carry limited weight.

……

"Whoever breaks through the enemy camp first will be rewarded with a hundred cattle and a thousand sheep, and will be promoted five ranks!"

"attack!"

With a hefty bounty offered, the grassland coalition launched another attack.

Unlike before, the ones leading the charge now are surrendered Yu soldiers.

Compared to their time in Dayu, these people are in a very different mental state; it's clear they've had a good meal.

"Kill!"

Accompanied by battle cries that soared into the sky, the auxiliary troops launched their fiercest charge.

In order to impress their new masters, these men displayed unparalleled courage, with the generals personally leading the charge under the cover of artillery fire.

"Rumble..."

Amidst the roar of artillery fire, many charging soldiers were blown into the air.

However, the firepower coverage is ultimately limited. As one group of soldiers died, new auxiliary soldiers would take their place.

Although there was a hint of fear in his eyes, there was no turning back at this point.

Closer and closer, the distance between the two sides has been reduced to 150 meters.

"First echelon, fire the muskets!"

"Second wave, ready!"

As soon as the young officer gave the order, a series of gunshots rang out, and the soldiers charging ahead were hit by bullets one after another.

A series of wails echoed throughout the venue.

The harsh reality told them that the Yu army in front of them was different from their own.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of people were killed or wounded on the battlefield.

"Artillery, advance 500 meters and launch a counter-fire!"

Nadam, who was watching from afar, decisively issued the order.

The worry between his brows, however, could not be shaken off.

(End of this chapter)