Fu Shanhe

Chapter 456 Heavy losses
As chaos spread, the earth trembled slightly.

An experienced general immediately realized that cavalry was approaching.

On one hand, they organized manpower to quell the chaos in the camp, and on the other hand, they hurriedly reported the news.

When the news reached Emperor Yongning, the Northern barbarian cavalry had already reached the gates.

"Summon all the generals for a meeting immediately!"

Upon waking from his sleep, Emperor Yongning hastily issued an order.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is attacking the camp, and the generals cannot leave!"

Marquis Weiyuan, who rushed to deliver the news, hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

The camp was already in chaos; if the generals were moved away, the situation would completely spiral out of control.

If he weren't certain that the person before him was the Emperor of Great Yu, he would have suspected that this was a spy from the Northern Barbarians, otherwise how could he issue such an idiotic order?

"Correct!"

"Generals, you cannot leave your posts now, but what should we do?"

Emperor Yongning asked in a panic.

The disadvantages of lacking experience in leading troops were now fully exposed.

Even if you are well-versed in military strategy, it is still just theoretical knowledge.

The enemy has already attacked, so no matter how good the strategy is, there is no time to implement it.

"Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to delineate defense zones and order all generals to defend the camps to the death."

Marquis Weiyuan said in an annoyed tone.

This is a common-sense question that doesn't require any thought.

It was pitch black, and they had no idea how many enemy troops were coming.

There was no other choice but to hold the camp to the death.

Even if we want to retaliate, we have to wait until we understand the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.

"Then let's do as you say!"

Emperor Yongning said with a look of fear.

Like a drowning person grasping at a straw.

This scene caught the eye of Marquis Weiyuan, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly.

A while ago, Emperor Yongning arranged his troops according to military strategy, and he did it in a very orderly manner, so everyone thought that the emperor was quite capable.

When it comes to specific deployments, everyone comes to consult with us.

In retrospect, it was all just for show.

Peacetime and wartime are two completely different concepts.

Judging from his current performance, Emperor Yongning is not even as good as Zhao Kuo, who only knew how to talk about war on paper.

At the very least, even when they are at a significant disadvantage, they can still manage to take a bite out of the enemy.

"Your Majesty, you have not yet divided up the defense zones or appointed generals to oversee the defense."

Marquis Weiyuan, barely suppressing his anger, reminded him.

The military is strictly ordered; without the commander's order, subordinates cannot make decisions on their own.

Moreover, the nobility faction is also rife with factions, and without a designated leader from above, no general will submit to anyone else.

If Jing and Li hadn't run into trouble, they could have consulted the two big shots for a decision in this situation.

The situation is different now; the noble faction is leaderless.

Without the emperor's decree, the generals below would find it difficult to distinguish between lord and vassal.

"Marquis Weiyuan, I hereby order you to urge the troops of each camp to defend their camps on the spot."

"Xu Zhong'en, immediately send someone to summon the Minister of War."

After wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Emperor Yongning gave another order.

There was nothing he could do; the generals from the noble faction were secretly conspiring with the deposed emperor, and he couldn't trust any of them.

It's easy to delegate power, but difficult to take it back.

Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan are examples; during their time in power, he, the emperor, was essentially a figurehead.

The situation is even worse now. If power falls into the hands of generals who advocate for the abolition of the emperor, he, as emperor, will be finished.

At that moment, he suddenly realized why his ancestors liked to use civil means to control military affairs.

Civil officials are not good at fighting, but they are good at ensuring safety.

These guys also lacked the support of the army, so no one followed them if they wanted to cause trouble, and they couldn't threaten the imperial power.

The military generals were different; the household retainer system of the Great Yu Dynasty was the biggest hidden danger.

With servants helping to control the army, a military general can easily gather a group of people if he wants to cause trouble.

After the nobility faction grew powerful, they wanted to reduce the power of Jing and Li, but they hesitated to take action because they were worried that the two of them would cause trouble.

The noble faction is now leaderless, which may seem to reduce the threat to imperial power, but in reality, the risks have increased rather than decreased.

With two big shots keeping them in check, the subordinates are able to obey.

Without this constraint, one day a general might get drunk and stage a coup.

Success cannot be guaranteed elsewhere, but launching a coup in a military camp has an almost 100% success rate.

There was nothing he could do; too many people in the military disliked him.

If someone takes the lead in starting something, there's no shortage of followers.

"Your Majesty, the Northern barbarian spies have infiltrated the camp disguised as laborers, but their paperwork is complete."

In addition to official documents from local government offices, there were also documents issued by the Ministry of War.

There are likely some members of the Ministry of War who are colluding with the enemy!

Marquis Weiyuan said with a gloomy expression.

The military camp was heavily guarded, making it not so easy for the northern barbarians to force their way in.

Only through coordinated efforts from within and without can we have even the slightest chance.

The Beijing garrison may not have been the strongest in terms of combat power, but every soldier underwent a rigorous political review and had to have a clean background.

The Northern barbarians could at most bribe a few people, but it was impossible for them to infiltrate a large number of spies.

The laborers who transported the grain were different; they were all temporarily recruited from various places and were all unfamiliar faces.

The military's inspection of grain transport teams mainly focuses on official documents and coded passwords, with a particular emphasis on the transported supplies.

The supplies were in order, they had legal documents, and they could match the code words, so they had entered the camp through completely legal channels.

Without the cooperation of civil officials, it would have been virtually impossible to achieve this.

"Ok!"

"I understand. You may leave now!"

Emperor Yongning said in a heavy tone.

The nobles were unreliable, and now there were spies among the civil officials. Suddenly, he realized that he had no one he could rely on.

The battle cries grew louder and louder. The northern barbarians, who had launched a surprise attack, stormed into the camp, only to be driven out by the Yu army. Then, the enemy troops charged in again...

The two sides engaged in a fierce struggle around the camp.

The bloody battle continued until dawn, with both armies paying a heavy price.

"Stop attacking!"

Seeing the casualties continue to rise, Nichlerge reluctantly issued an order.

Those who participated in last night's raid were all carefully selected tribal warriors.

The death of even one person was painful, but the result was thousands of casualties, and they still hadn't managed to breach the enemy's camp.

What a night raid couldn't accomplish, a daytime assault would have even less of a chance.

Elite troops are elite troops after all; even if their morale is low, they are not easily defeated.

"Nichileg Wanhu, let the brothers charge one more time, and we will surely take over the enemy camp!"

If we stop the attack now, all the sacrifices we've made will have been in vain!

Arutan Wanhu, who served as the deputy general, couldn't help but offer some advice.

"Arutan, calm down. We've already missed the best time to attack. Continuing to launch a strong attack will only result in mutual destruction."

Although last night's attack failed to capture the enemy camp, it burned a lot of enemy supplies and destroyed the enemy's outer camp.

All that's needed now is to cut off the supply lines, and we can starve the enemy out.

Nichileg said with a serious expression.

To break through the enemy camp in one battle is the ideal situation.

The Yu army before us numbers over 100,000.

Even if there are hundreds of thousands of pigs, it's not something that can be caught in a day.

The enemy camp had an inner and outer section. By creating chaos inside and launching surprise attacks, they successfully broke through the outer camp's defenses.

However, the chaos in the outer village did not affect the inner village, and the defending general reacted quickly and stabilized the battle line in time.

If Emperor Yongning hadn't lacked experience and failed to make timely tactical adjustments, the price they paid would have been even greater.

"Fine, you're the commander, you're in charge!"

"However, simply besieging is too simplistic a tactic. I think it would be better to capture some Yu Dynasty civilians as cannon fodder."

"Kill them if you want, or let them into your camp to deplete their supplies if you don't!"

Arutan said ruthlessly. They had accumulated a great deal of experience in dealing with the Yu army.

Using cannon fodder is a common practice.

As for the casualties caused by this, they are not taken into consideration at all.

"Okay, the job of catching cannon fodder is now in your hands, but remember not to go too far."

"If the enemy breaks through, my own troops alone will not be able to stop them."

Nichileg nodded and said.

Adaptability is an essential quality for every outstanding general.

Every general of the Tatar tribe, who rose from humble beginnings to become the overlord of the grasslands, earned their title through battle.

Experience gained from actual combat is often more useful than any military strategy.

……

The cold wind howled, making the Yu army camp look particularly desolate.

In the camp after the battle, besides the mess everywhere, there were only the cries of the wounded.

The limited number of doctors simply could not provide sufficient treatment.

Even though Emperor Yongning sent out imperial physicians to help, it was to no avail.

When it comes to battlefield first aid, these imperial physicians, well-versed in medical books, are far inferior to the folk healers who have learned their skills through trial and error in the army.

Temporary palace.

"Your Majesty, the casualty figures have been roughly tallied. Last night, a total of more than 4,000 soldiers were killed and more than 5,000 were wounded."

The loss included 580,000 shi of grain, 80,000 bolts of cloth, and 30,000 shi of salt…

As the series of numbers were announced, Emperor Yongning's head began to buzz.

Any official with a little experience knows that the officials in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue have started balancing the accounts again.

Putting aside other supplies, who in any respectable military campaign would carry 30,000 shi of salt on the road?
Even if all the hundreds of thousands of troops on the front lines were combined, they wouldn't consume that much salt in a year.

The loss of cloth and grain is also heavily influenced by moisture.

Even if all the warehouses in the camp were filled, they still wouldn't be able to hold that many supplies.

However, since it is battle damage, the data should naturally be reported inflated.

Officials in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue ate meat, and military generals also ate meat.

The extra losses will be shared by everyone, with the only one to suffer a loss being the imperial court.

Despite their fierce rivalry, when it comes to sharing the spoils, they become one of each other.

Even if some people disagree, they can only go along with it due to the pressure from the group.

"How could the losses be so severe?"

Emperor Yongning asked in surprise.

He knew that Yu's army had suffered losses in last night's battle.

He could accept the loss of personnel, but the loss of supplies was too frightening; he didn't even know that so many supplies had been stockpiled in the camp.

"Supplies destined for various military units must be transferred here."

The lost supplies were mostly supplies for border troops in various regions.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these supplies should be transported away gradually over the next three days.

Minister of War Luo Wenbo made up a story without changing his expression.

In fact, he was also shocked when he first saw the data.

Unfortunately, there were too many people who wanted to make cakes, and all the major factions in the court were getting involved, making it impossible to reduce the number.

By falsifying a set of data, one can embezzle millions of taels of silver from the imperial court—this deal is too profitable.

"Forget about battle losses, tell me how much food and fodder is left in the camp."

After staring at each other for a while and not finding anything wrong with the other party, Emperor Yongning changed the subject.

Compared to battle losses, the key factor is how much food and fodder the camp has.

"The camp has less than 50,000 shi of grain and less than 5,000 carts of fodder."

At normal consumption rates, the food supplies will run out in half a month; if eaten sparingly, they can probably last for twenty days.

Luo Wenbo replied with a solemn expression.

Making money is one thing, but getting things done is another.

The northern barbarian cavalry are currently roaming outside, and supplies from the rear cannot be transported in at all.

Confined to a corner and living off one's resources is undoubtedly a major taboo in military strategy.

"How come there's only this little bit of food left?"

Emperor Yongning frowned and asked.

Compared to the supplies lost in battle, what remains is less than a fraction of what was lost.

Such a stark contrast is hard for anyone to bear.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is far too vicious."

They ambushed the grain transport team halfway through the journey, and sent assassins disguised as laborers to infiltrate the camp, thus learning the location of our granary.

They launched a sudden attack in the middle of the night, immediately setting the warehouse on fire, and then enemy cavalry stormed in.

By the time our troops reacted, many warehouses had already been reduced to ashes in the raging fire.

Thanks to everyone's strenuous efforts, these precious supplies were saved.

Marquis Weiyuan answered.

When loyalty is lost, self-interest takes precedence over everything.

As long as the benefits are right, there's nothing that can't be discussed.

When he reported to Emperor Yongning last night, he even tried to use this issue to criticize the civil officials.

Under the barrage of money and gifts from the civil officials, their tone of voice changed instantly.

Of course, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue also promised that they would conduct self-examinations later and would never let any spies who colluded with the Northern Barbarians go unpunished.

However, such internal procedures inevitably involve interpersonal relationships and social niceties.

How it will ultimately be handled depends entirely on who colluded with the Northern Barbarians.

"Who is the general in charge of guarding the grain supplies, and why did he allow a group of laborers to approach?"

Emperor Yongning frowned and asked.

The exact amount of supplies destroyed is unclear.

With the military and civilian officials giving the same story, it's impossible to conduct an investigation.

While an audit is not possible, accountability must still be pursued.

If we don't make an example of one to deter others, similar incidents will continue to occur.

"Your Majesty, the general in charge of guarding the supplies died in battle last night."

Marquis Weiyuan answered with a forced smile.

It's impossible to hand over a scapegoat; if anyone should be handed over, it should be a civil official.

Essentially, the enemy was able to infiltrate the city last night only because the civil officials provided them with legal permits; otherwise, the garrison wouldn't have let them in.

"Ha ha……"

"Martyrdom?"

"That means there's no one responsible!"

Emperor Yongning said with a cold sneer.

As is customary, when no one can be held responsible, the head coach has to take the blame.

The current situation clearly shows that his subordinates are conspiring to shift the blame onto him.

"Your Majesty, now is not the time to hold people accountable."

The northern barbarian cavalry are patrolling outside. Although they have not surrounded us, it is almost like a siege.

Our military has limited food and rations; if this standoff continues, we will suffer heavy losses.

The most urgent task is to find a way to defeat the enemy!

Xu Zhongen offered a tactful reminder.

The mysterious deaths of two consecutive prime ministers have made the emperor the prime suspect.

The civil and military officials below were all alienated from the emperor.

In this context, maintaining imperial power is the key; everything else is secondary.

Emperor Yongning has staked his entire fortune on this personal expedition, and he simply cannot afford to lose.

If we don't quickly find a way to defeat the enemy now, we're doomed.

"My esteemed ministers, do you have any strategies to defeat the enemy?"

After calming down, Emperor Yongning suppressed his anger and asked.

"Your Majesty, the enemy forces are all cavalry, while we are mostly infantry."

If we launch a preemptive strike, we might not even catch a glimpse of the enemy; it would be better to retreat first.

Marquis Weiyuan then made a suggestion.

(End of this chapter)