Fu Shanhe

Chapter 437 The Empire on the Cliff

"The journey back to Guanzhong will be difficult!"

King Weiwu said with a slight hesitation.

They were able to enter and exit Guanzhong because the local officials were not on guard, which gave them an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

The situation is different now. When he conquered Kaifeng, he gained fame and became one of the top rebel kings in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Upon hearing his name, the officials in Shaanxi will undoubtedly react immediately.

It would be extremely difficult to conquer Guanzhong by force.

"Your Highness, our strength alone is indeed insufficient."

But we are not the only active rebel army in the Central Plains.

We couldn't withstand the government troops' encirclement and suppression, and their lives were just as difficult.

Moreover, news came from Guanzhong a few days ago that remnants of the White Lotus sect were causing trouble in Lanzhou.

When the government troops were besieging the White Lotus rebels in Sichuan, they were unable to achieve complete success, and many White Lotus rebels broke through the encirclement.

The largest of these rebel armies entered Duogandusi to temporarily avoid the onslaught of the government troops.

I've never been to that place, but I've heard of it.

It was a poor, remote place, completely unable to support a large army.

In order to survive, these remnants of the White Lotus Sect will definitely fight their way out.

With them diverting the attention of the Shaanxi government troops, and by joining forces with other rebel armies, it shouldn't be a problem to march back into Guanzhong.

Liu Nian'an analyzed, feigning composure.

He only heard rumors about the White Lotus Rebel Army.

But that doesn't stop him from showing off.

Even if the remnants of the White Lotus Sect are not causing trouble in Lanzhou now.

Once they return to Guanzhong, these remnants of the White Lotus Cult will join the fight for a better chance of survival.

Although both were rebellions, the rebel army had a much stronger popular base in Shaanxi than in Sichuan.

The people are so hungry they're eating dirt. As long as there's food, there will be soldiers.

A call to action is often met with enthusiastic response; that's the norm.

Despite the efforts of the Shaanxi governor's office to distribute porridge and provide disaster relief, they were unable to overcome the greed of the people below them.

After layers of deductions, what ends up in the mouths of ordinary people is nothing but chaff mixed with mud and wood chips.

Even this disaster relief porridge was supplied in limited quantities, and many people could not get a bowl for ten days or half a month.

Despite the imperial court transferring grain from Sichuan to Guanzhong, the price of grain in Guanzhong still skyrocketed due to collusion between unscrupulous merchants and officials.

"Your Highness, the strategist is right. Now is the best time to enter the pass."

Once we've seized Guanzhong, we can then take over Shu, and our ambition to become kings and hegemons will be achieved!

Old Cui chimed in agreement.

He didn't know if going through customs was a good choice, but staying put would definitely mean certain death.

The government troops' encirclement and suppression efforts were far more intense than anticipated.

They fought against the government troops earlier and almost suffered total annihilation.

If they hadn't reacted quickly and sold out their teammates in time, their heads would be hanging on the city gate tower now.

Seeing that Cui Laoliu had taken the lead, the other military officers followed suit.

Yu Jun's elite troops are truly formidable.

Even with a numerical advantage of dozens of times, they were often breached by the enemy from the front, and the difference in combat power between the two sides was huge.

Even if the rebel army was composed of veterans, when they encountered the elite government troops, they could only give the enemy victory.

"That's it!"

"Since all of you brothers are willing to fight your way back to Guanzhong, then I will agree."

Next, I'll trouble you, sir, to arrange for people to contact the various rebel armies in the Central Plains. I'm going to pull off another big heist!

The mighty king slammed his hand on the table and said.

His men feared Yu Jun's elite troops, and he, as their leader, was no exception.

If you can't beat them, you just can't beat them.

A makeshift team rarely wins when it encounters a regular army.

Throughout history, so many peasant uprisings were basically crushed by government troops in their early stages.

The situation was only gradually reversed when problems arose within the dynasty.

However, at that point, the main characters on the stage were no longer the peasant army.

Instead, it was the various warlords who gained the support of powerful families or landlords and gentry that vied for supremacy on the Central Plains battlefield.

……

The capital city, Wenyuan Pavilion.

"Brother Li, the men below have learned to nurture bandits to maintain their own prestige."

It seems our orders aren't working that well after all!

Looking at the battle reports that had gathered from the Central Plains battlefield, Jing Guoliang frowned and said.

He knew perfectly well the combat effectiveness of the troops he had led.

Suppressing a group of rebels is a piece of cake.

Judging solely from the battle reports, the government troops were advancing rapidly, but the actual battle results were another matter entirely.

He could easily take down thousands of heads, seemingly a formidable warrior, but in reality, he never gave his all in any major battle.

The most direct evidence is that despite inflicting heavy defeats on the rebel army more than ten times, not a single rebel king was killed.

Even the high-ranking generals of the rebel army all fled.

Sometimes, even when an encirclement is set up, these guys still manage to find a weak point and break out at just the right moment.

With so many coincidences in a row, anyone with a little military knowledge would know that the situation on the front lines is not normal.

"It was expected. From the day the loyalist army led by Marquis Wuyang was destroyed, Brother Jing should have been prepared for this."

The negative political impact cannot be eliminated in a day or two.

Even after purging the civil service leaders, those below them remained dissatisfied.

Li Yuan said with a slightly bitter expression.

The destruction of the loyalist army was certainly the responsibility of the civil officials, but it was also the responsibility of the emperor.

After the incident, Emperor Yongning failed to take timely remedial measures.

They only reluctantly came out to make a statement and define the nature of the incident after the aristocratic faction won the political struggle.

The most direct consequence was that the generals below became disloyal to the emperor. Logically, after such a change, the emperor should have made every effort to win over the powerful nobles.

We're all in the same boat. As long as the emperor is willing to admit his mistakes in private, it won't be difficult to win back people's hearts.

Putting everything else aside, the funeral of the Marquis of Wuyang was an opportunity.

Emperor Yongning only needed to cry a few times in the mourning hall to win back the hearts of many people.

If they go even further and go directly to wear mourning clothes, then all the previous issues can be overlooked.

Unfortunately, Emperor Yongning did nothing; he simply sent the crown prince to offer condolences, as was customary.

It's impossible for those below not to have thoughts when the emperor acts so coldly.

The proverb "When the birds are all gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked" is familiar to everyone.

During the mission to quell the rebellion, everyone's first thought was how to protect their own interests.

The victory is achieved by wiping out the rebels in one go; the achievement is a one-time event.

By nurturing enemies to enhance one's own importance and continuously achieving victories on the battlefield, one can accumulate a constant stream of military achievements.

When it comes to interests, even the influence of powerful figures from the aristocratic faction is ineffective.

If they are willing to carry out orders, it's already a favor to them.

If it weren't for the pride involved, I reckon everyone would follow the example of the Liaodong generals and negotiate terms with the court before each expedition.

"I was mentally prepared, but when it actually happened, it was still hard to accept."

If everyone does this, what will become of the Great Yu Dynasty?

Jing Guoliang said with a sad expression.

He had deep feelings for the Great Yu Dynasty. If he didn't love the country so much, he wouldn't have taken on the mess of being the chief minister when the emperor was suspicious of him.

It is precisely because of this love that I cannot accept the decline of the Great Yu Dynasty.

For a dynasty to continue, there must be a group of people who fight, give, and sacrifice for it.

Judging from the current situation, the number of people willing to fight, give, and sacrifice for the Great Yu Dynasty is decreasing rapidly.

"Given the current situation, what can you and I do about it?"

Let's try our best to maintain the status quo and clean up this mess first.

Li Yuan said with a tired expression.

The position of deputy assistant minister is not too physically demanding, but it is mentally exhausting.

Forcibly suppressing the major factions in the court and forcing everyone to contribute to the cause of the Great Yu Dynasty is no easy task.

The battles of wits and courage never stopped.

He seemed to have aged ten years in less than a year since joining the cabinet.

The person's energy and spirit are being rapidly depleted.

No one felt the impending collapse of the building better than they did.

If one has no ideals or aspirations and no feelings for this country, then that's fine.

Just go with the flow and enjoy wealth and luxury.

Unfortunately, they were ambitious people who were also deeply attached to the Great Yu Dynasty, which made their lives miserable.

"Fine, I will write to them myself, ordering them to complete the task of suppressing the rebellion as soon as possible."

Jing Guoliang said in a deep voice.

The imperial court's orders were ineffective; they relied on personal feelings to get things done. Just thinking about it made me feel frustrated.

However, in the Great Yu Dynasty, personal relationships were more effective than official business.

Most of the noble generals on the front lines were promoted by them and owed them a debt of gratitude.

As is customary, everyone must give face to their benefactor.

However, human relationships will eventually run out.

It might be useful once or twice, but if it happens too often, even the greatest kindness will be worn away.

"Okay, you can arrange things for your old subordinates, and I'll contact mine."

In any case, the chaos in the Central Plains must be quelled within the year.

Li Yuan said with a solemn expression.

In his position, he seeks his government.

While achieving high-ranking positions is certainly an honor, it also requires tangible results.

They were not capable of cleaning up the mess left by the Great Yu Dynasty, but they were determined to restore peace to the world during their term.

"Okay, let's do it that way!"

"These rebel kings mostly came from Guanzhong; we must be careful to prevent them from fighting their way back to their hometowns."

In the Guanzhong region, you have more influence, so I'll leave the coordination there to you.

Jing Guoliang joked with a smile.

Having made the decision, he felt much more at ease.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen in Guanzhong!"

Li Yuan said irritably.

After Li Mu was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Hanshui, the Li family, with two marquises in one family, became the most powerful clan in Guanzhong.

The rumors circulating outside, while a bit exaggerated, are basically true.

The entire Li clan had over a hundred members serving as officials in the imperial court.

The saying "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" is vividly illustrated here.

In the past, the Li family was a prominent clan, but due to limitations in both civil and military affairs, the career potential of its members after entering officialdom through the imperial examinations was generally limited.

In recent years, the boundaries between civil and military affairs have been gradually broken down, and the original restrictions have naturally been relaxed as well.

With the sons of soldiers gradually rising to important positions, the Li family's reputation grew ever more renowned.

Not only is the Li family growing stronger, but the Jing family's influence in the court has also increased considerably.

Most of the nobles and relatives of the emperor settled in the north and became part of the northern gentry group.

The so-called civil-military rivalry was, to a certain extent, also a struggle for interests between the powerful families of the north and the powerful families of the south.

When the north suppressed the south, the southern provinces were able to provide the imperial court with financial resources, and the court's operation was generally not in serious trouble.

Once the situation reverses, the powerful families of Jiangnan will dominate the court, and the gentry of the south will no longer be willing to spend money for the court.

Then the political structure in which the northern provinces contributed their mandates and the southern gentry contributed their money to maintain the dynasty's rule would be broken.

……

(End of this chapter)