Fu Shanhe

Chapter 499 The sun is fading
At the same time that the Battle of the Grasslands ignited, the once bustling Dagu Port was now shrouded in smoke.

Looking at the approaching rebel army, the defending general Hou Boxuan couldn't help but tremble.

He was just a small garrison commander with only a few hundred soldiers under his command. His main task was to maintain order in the port.

What merit or ability did they possess to attract hundreds of thousands of rebel troops to besiege them?

When will the reinforcements from Tianjin arrive?

Hou Boxuan's question completely baffled everyone.

If even the commander-in-chief doesn't know when reinforcements will arrive, how could his subordinates possibly know?

Besides, Tianjin is not at its peak anymore; it's now full of hereditary military descendants, and who knows how much real skill they actually possess.

In name, the court established three guards in Tianjin, garrisoning more than 16,000 troops, but in reality, the number of troops could not even be halved.

Whether they would dare to send troops to rescue the seemingly endless rebel army is an unknown.

"My lord, the message has been sent, and we should have a result soon."

Master Liu, who was standing to the side, answered.

Deep down, he had long ago cursed Hou Boxuan's ancestors for eighteen generations.

They usually just collect salaries without working, but if they put even half that effort into training the troops, they wouldn't be so terrified.

If the garrison is at full strength, plus the young men temporarily conscripted, even if they cannot hold the port, they can hold out for a few more days.

The imperial court would not stand by and watch such an important port as Dagu fall.

I reckon the reinforcements are already on their way.

If we can hold out for a few more days, we can coordinate with reinforcements to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop.

When the time comes, promotion and titles will be a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, in reality, there aren't so many "what ifs".

With only the garrison troops and the dockworkers temporarily recruited, it would be extremely difficult to stop the rebels.

"Send someone over there to urge them again!"

"Arrange for people to incorporate the armed forces of all the merchants in the port into our ranks, so that we can jointly resist the rebels' attack."

Hou Boxuan hardened his heart and gave the order.

Forcibly incorporating the merchants' armed forces would certainly be an act that offends people.

In those chaotic years of war, any caravan that was still able to operate outside was never without the support of official forces.

In terms of combat effectiveness, his soldiers were not even as good as the guards of some merchant guilds.

But now there's no choice.

Offending someone and being retaliated against is a matter for the future.

If the rebels breach the port, we'll lose our heads today.

Evacuating before the rebels' attack seemed like a way to survive, but the consequences were far too severe.

If the port is lost without firing a single shot, even if the imperial court doesn't execute his entire clan, they will still be executed.

"I will obey your orders!"

All the officials answered in unison.

When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. Since the order was given by the garrison commander, the hatred naturally lies with him.

These lowly pawns, on the contrary, went unnoticed.

"Rumble..."

The sound of artillery fire rang out, and shells streaked across the sky, hurtling towards the defending troops.

With a series of loud explosions, countless soldiers were torn to shreds by the sound of exploding shells.

"My lord, something's wrong!"

"This isn't the kind of firepower rebels should have!"

Master Liu hurriedly offered a reminder.

It was not uncommon for government troops to impersonate rebels and cause trouble in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Leaving aside distant events, everyone knows that the recent upheavals in Jiangnan were caused by government troops!

If the rebels had actually made a move, the powerful families of Jiangnan wouldn't have been in such a passive position.

"I'm not stupid, I saw it a long time ago!"
"I have always been kind to others and never offended the powerful figures in the court. Who would go to such lengths to target me?"

Hou Boxuan complained, looking completely bewildered. He was just a minor port guard, an insignificant figure in the imperial court.

Even if one accidentally offends someone, it would be enough to trip them up on official grounds; there's no need to stir up hundreds of thousands of rebels.

Whether or not you can come up with it is not that important.

With just one round of artillery fire, the morale of the dockworkers who had been forcibly conscripted to defend the city collapsed.

They scrambled to escape, wishing their parents had two more legs.

As a result, the already demoralized soldiers defending the city also lost their will to fight.

"My lord, prepare your escape route!"
The morale of the troops has collapsed. Continuing to stay here and fight the enemy to the death will only lead to certain death.

Master Liu hurriedly offered his advice.

Sensing the unusual movement of the defending general, the rebels launched their first attack under the cover of artillery fire.

The anticipated bloody battle did not erupt, and the defending officers and soldiers, whose morale had collapsed, had no will to defend the city.

In the blink of an eye, the city's defenses fell into the hands of the rebels, and shouts of battle resounded throughout the land.

……

Capital.

Just as the imperial court decided to send the Beijing garrison to suppress the rebels, it received the devastating news that Dagu Fort had fallen, leaving all the high-ranking officials in the court completely dumbfounded.

"There's something wrong with this rebel group!"

"After entering Shuntian Prefecture, they stopped going out to plunder and headed straight for Dagukou."

It was as if someone had informed them in advance that the imperial court was going to transport grain by sea.

"The Marquis of Zhendong said with a serious expression."

Ordinary peasant uprising armies have always focused only on their immediate surroundings when it comes to gathering information.

Unless they were besieged by government troops, their expansion path followed the route of their origin.

Strategic planning? That thing doesn't exist.

To accurately pinpoint the court's Achilles' heel and choose the most opportune moment to strike, the cooperation of an inside traitor is indispensable.

"This is impossible!"

"There were only a few of us who attended the meeting that day, so none of us had any motive to leak information!"

Fei Xinyuan, the Minister of Justice, immediately denied it.

In cases like this where there's no evidence, the first suspect to be identified is undoubtedly the Qingliu Party.

It was all caused by the actions of their incompetent teammates. First, Yin and Zuo colluded with the White Lotus Sect, and then Pang Shuhuai and Luo Muchen led their followers to surrender to the rebels.

Besides these major self-destructive incidents, he has also caused numerous other problems, and his character has long been ruined.

"Ok!"

"I believe that the high-ranking officials of the court who attended the meeting that day would not divulge such core secrets."

It's likely that the rebels were lucky; they just happened to stumble into Dagukou, which led to this coincidence.

Let's discuss what to do now!

Seeing that the conflict was showing signs of escalating, Jiang Shuhan decisively chose to change the subject.

The damage has already happened; handling the aftermath is far more important than assigning blame.

"The only way to eliminate the negative political impact is to first wipe out this rebel group."

Marquis Weiyuan responded with a solemn expression.

Political defeats can only be salvaged by military achievements.

Leaving aside the loss of money and food, the damage to the port and wharf alone is enough to make everyone suffer.

"Hou Boxuan deserves to die!"

"As the garrison commander of Dagu, it's one thing for him to court death, but it's a big mistake to implicate the imperial court!"

The only course of action now is to order the Beijing garrison to quickly suppress the rebels and recapture the ports to ensure the safety of the grain supply lines.

Minister of War Luo Wenbo couldn't help but complain.

……

(End of this chapter)